Introduction
Rod Plummer, pastor of Lifehouse Tokyo, continues a series on the joy found in the community of the Church. This message is about the joy of giving, and it begins with his own story: "Until I was 19, I didn't know Jesus." Back then, every bit of money he earned was his, down to the last cent.
After he became a believer, he discovered people at church who had the joy of giving. He wanted to try it too. One verse struck him, Proverbs 11:24: the one who gives receives more, but the world of the one who refuses to give gets smaller and smaller. "I want to become a generous person."
Starting from the story of the rich young man in Mark 10, a passage he admits is difficult, he shows that Jesus is not trying to take something away: he wants to lead us into a bigger life, here on earth and in heaven.
Message Outline
1. Shrek, the Sheep That Was Never Shorn
- In New Zealand, a sheep named Shrek lived for three years hidden in a cave. A sheep has to be shorn every year to stay healthy. He had not been: his wool had grown so thick that he could no longer see anything, which was dangerous.
- When he was found, the story made the news and touched the hearts of New Zealanders. He was shorn, looked a little battered, but regained his health. He lived to about 16 years old, shorn every year, and his wool was used to make sweaters and socks.
- The lesson: don't become like Shrek, shut up in your own wool, focused on "me, me, me." Rejoicing in giving every year means a healthy life. The life of a generous person grows bigger.
2. How He Learned to Give
- Soon after his conversion, he heard about the tithe and thought: "Jesus has done so much for me." He started giving a tenth while he was still single.
- After he became a salesman, he got very good results. He sensed that God was asking him to give 20%. "I'm not saying everyone has to do this. What I'm saying is that it's about responding to God's voice." He gave with joy and watched God grow his sales.
- Married to Viv for forty years, he gives the tithe and other offerings together with her. Every month they talk together about what they will give, and Viv is the one who brings the offering. There is joy every time.
- He feels the same joy when the local Church gives to the poor and blesses its neighborhood and city. "It's not how much you give." It is about listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, praying as a couple, and giving with a joyful heart.
3. The Rich Young Man and Jesus' Loving Gaze
- A man runs up, kneels before Jesus, and asks: "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" Jesus answers: "Why do you call me good? No one is good except one, God." Then he lists the commandments: do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud anyone, honor your father and mother.
- The man replies that he has kept all of this since his youth. The pastor hears a hint of boasting in his answer.
- Jesus looks at him and loves him. It is with love that he speaks a very strong word: you lack one thing; go, sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. The pastor imagines Jesus pointing at the saddlebags loaded on the man's horse, noting that this detail is not in the Bible.
- The man's face falls, like those cartoon characters followed everywhere by a cloud. He goes away sad, because he had great wealth. He doesn't see this as a chance to follow Jesus. He thinks: "This is my wealth. I won't give."
4. What Is Impossible for Men Is Possible with God
- Jesus tells his disciples that it is hard for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God, and that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. The disciples are astonished: "Then who can be saved?"
- Jesus answers: "With men it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God."
- Peter, for his part, has left a lot behind, and he points out that they have left everything to follow Jesus. The pastor imagines Jesus answering him with a big smile: whoever has left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or fields for his sake and for the good news will receive a hundredfold now, along with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.
- What Jesus says to Peter, according to the pastor: along the journey of your life, your heart will grow bigger, and you will not fail to receive in return for what you have given and the sacrifices you have made. There may be persecutions, not every day will be good, "but tomorrow will come," and the reward with it.
5. The Great Reversal of Rewards
- "But many who are first will be last; and the last first." Jesus is speaking of the rewards of heaven, and heaven is another place. Many want to take their riches with them, but at death nothing remains. What we can receive is the reward that Jesus gives.
- The widow who puts a small coin into the temple treasury illustrates this reversal. Jesus says she gave more than all the others, because she gave out of her need. She made the greatest sacrifice, and her reward in heaven is great.
- The pastor has learned this and firmly believes it: through our sacrifices, we send blessing ahead of us, like a reward laid up in reserve.
6. Stories of Generosity
- Leaving for Japan. God chose the pastor and his wife and showed them a vision of a great tsunami, a tsunami of love sweeping over Japan. They had a wonderful church at the time and had just finished building the home of their dreams, in a beautiful place, surrounded by great people. The sacrifice was big, especially for his wife. They looked at each other and remembered what God had said: he was going to act in Japan, salvation was going to come to Japan. Twenty-four years later, they are surrounded by great joy in their local Church. "It's not that we are better than others. But we heard the voice of God."
- An American industrialist. The pastor mentions an inventor of construction machinery who, with his wife, became very wealthy. As Christians, they always gave the tithe, then wanted to give more: 20%, then 30%. No one but God was asking them to. In the end, they were giving 90% and living on 10%. His conviction, which the pastor learned as a young believer: you cannot outgive God.
- A farming couple in Toowoomba. In Australia, a young couple owns a farm with no groundwater, depending on rain alone. The country goes through several years of drought: the seeds don't sprout, the debts pile up. In the last year, after praying, the whole family climbs onto the tractor and sows every seed they have left, while the other farms have given up. A few weeks later, the rain falls. The shoots come up, small. They pray for one last rain before the harvest, and it comes, not abundant, but enough.
- All around, the plots are empty, and this harvest sells at a high price because supply is low. It pays off seven years of debt. They give the tithe, give to their family, then give all the rest to support children in Bangladesh, whom the pastor's church was sponsoring at the time.
7. Four Joys and an Eternal Reward
- In this couple's story, the pastor sees several joys: the joy of the blessing God grants, the joy of seeing their children blessed, the joy of giving themselves, and the joy of giving what remains to the poor. This is what Jesus wanted to teach the rich young man: the story doesn't end with giving to the poor, a bigger life awaits beyond.
- This couple never met those children in Bangladesh, who were able to hear the good news of Jesus. But one day, in heaven, they will see their reward. The joy of being in heaven comes from Jesus, not from our gifts. Still, those who received will be there too and will be able to say: "Thanks to you, we received food, and our loved ones heard the good news. Come and meet our family."
- Today, the pastor and his wife give to an organization in New Delhi, India, called Tejas. God is blessing this work now, and in heaven they will hear many stories.
- Jesus also says: "Make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when you fail, they may receive you into the eternal tents."
- In conclusion: when you listen to God's voice, when you give your tithe, when you make a sacrifice and pray, many things are prepared for you. Some come back already here on earth as God's blessing, even in hard times, and a reward awaits you in heaven. "Actually, I'm not making a sacrifice. I'm sending the blessing ahead of me." And again: "I haven't lost anything. I've been blessed."
- The pastor ends with John 3:16 and invites those who want to receive Jesus, or come back to him, to open their hearts: Jesus forgives and gives a new vision.
Key Takeaways
- The one who refuses to give sees their world shrink, the one who gives sees their life grow (Proverbs 11:24).
- The amount matters less than obedience: listen to the Holy Spirit, pray as a couple, then give with joy.
- Jesus loves the rich young man. His hard request is an invitation to a bigger life.
- In the kingdom, there is a reversal: the widow and her small coin gave more than everyone.
- Giving is not losing: it is sending blessing ahead of you, here on earth and in heaven.
Personal Application
- Is there some "wool" in your life that you have never let be shorn, an area where everything revolves around you?
- When did you last take time, alone or as a couple, to ask the Holy Spirit what you should give this month?
- Like the rich young man, what possession do you hold so tightly that you say: "This is mine"?
- What sacrifice has God already asked of you, and have you seen what he gave back in return, here on earth or by faith?
- Who might one day say to you, in heaven: "Thanks to you, I heard about Jesus"?
Verses Cited
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the rich young man go away sad in Mark 10?
Jesus looks at him, loves him, and asks him to sell what he has, give it to the poor, and then follow him. According to Rod Plummer, this man doesn't see it as a chance to follow Jesus. He thinks: "This is my wealth," and he leaves with a darkened face, because he had great wealth.
Should you give a specific percentage of your income?
Rod Plummer says he gave 20% of his income at one point in his life, but he makes clear this is not a rule for everyone. What matters, he says, is not how much you give: it is listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, praying as a couple, and responding to God with joy.
What does "storing up treasure in heaven" mean?
According to Rod Plummer, giving is not a loss. The one who gives sows for the future: they receive blessings here on earth, even in the middle of difficulties, and a reward awaits them in heaven. He sums it up this way: "I haven't lost anything. I've been blessed."
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