Clem Ferris: Hey, it's great to see you.
Clem Ferris: It's great to be at Trinity it's, uh, June already.
Clem Ferris: Wow.
Clem Ferris: And, uh, we're flying through, it was here a year ago and, uh, we had a great time with the youth.
Clem Ferris: How many youth are here?
Clem Ferris: Let's hear it.
Clem Ferris: You're gonna have to do better than that by the time next week comes.
Clem Ferris: All right.
Clem Ferris: So they in an unprecedented move, they invited me back for this year.
Clem Ferris: So you asked for it, buckle up.
Clem Ferris: It's gonna be a great week.
Clem Ferris: It's good to be with you.
Clem Ferris: Um, you know, I just got back from a month in the UK and it's exciting to get back out and see God doing things, uh, in nation of Wales and in England and Scotland.
Clem Ferris: And so things are, things are ramping up.
Clem Ferris: I feel like we're in a post COVID vacuum where my thoughts and prayer and meeting with guys is that, you know, we had no idea what God was up to when we thought we were being locked down and shut down.
Clem Ferris: I think God was ripening the harvest.
Clem Ferris: That's the phrase that kept coming to me.
Clem Ferris: I, I get that outta revelation where it talks about the harvest of the earth.
Clem Ferris: It's ripe.
Clem Ferris: God's been ripening the harvest.
Clem Ferris: We gotta get our Sickles out and get ready and thrust in the Sickles.
Clem Ferris: I think it's the best time I'm excited for your summer connect with people.
Clem Ferris: That's part of the harvest.
Clem Ferris: Getting people to connect is so important.
Clem Ferris: So I'm excited for we.
Clem Ferris: A lot of churches kind of shut down their small groups for the summer.
Clem Ferris: You're like, no way we're gonna ramp'em up so way to go, Trinity, you're gonna have a great summer.
Clem Ferris: Uh, this is, I mean, we're here like six months ago, seven months ago, you just finished your renovations and now it's like, ramp it up, baby.
Clem Ferris: You can't wait to get in the forest tonight.
Clem Ferris: We're gonna have fun.
Clem Ferris: You need to come tonight.
Clem Ferris: This is great.
Clem Ferris: Um, in a month from now, maybe five weeks from now, we'll be back here doing a prophetic conference.
Clem Ferris: Some of you went last year.
Clem Ferris: We had one.
Clem Ferris: Um, and so there's four.
Clem Ferris: There's five of us to meet every Thursday on zoom.
Clem Ferris: One of'em, Steve fatto who, you know, uh, Michael Cotton, uh, Chuck Porter, rich go.
Clem Ferris: And myself.
Clem Ferris: We've been meeting on zoom ever since the pandemic hit every Thursday and we just can't stop.
Clem Ferris: We're addicted to each other.
Clem Ferris: we?
Clem Ferris: Because, and God has just given us insights and wisdom.
Clem Ferris: So we're gonna have another conference.
Clem Ferris: I think the title is an extraordinary God for extraordinary times.
Clem Ferris: How's that sound?
Clem Ferris: How many ready?
Clem Ferris: For some extraordinary insight to what God is up to.
Clem Ferris: We are too.
Clem Ferris: We don't know, but we're gonna be seeking God.
Clem Ferris: It's gonna be a really important time.
Clem Ferris: It's gonna be right here.
Clem Ferris: Thank you for hosting at Trinity and, uh, July 8th and ninth, it's gonna be Friday and Saturday.
Clem Ferris: So it's gonna be a good time.
Clem Ferris: So my announcements are now over here, we go buckle up.
Clem Ferris: And so I was given an assignment, you know, I'm on the oversight team, but I get, I get told what to do sometimes.
Clem Ferris: So the pastor calls and said, I need you to do this, but I really feel this is a, a, a timely message for all of us.
Clem Ferris: Uh, we're in, we are in extraordinary times.
Clem Ferris: The Bible actually calls'em perilous times and there's challenges like we've never had before.
Clem Ferris: And who knows what's next?
Clem Ferris: I don't know.
Clem Ferris: You don't know.
Clem Ferris: And God in his grace doesn't give us a glimpse of everything, but he gives us insight and wisdom on how to navigate the days ahead.
Clem Ferris: And I think in this time of recession and there's, there's all kinds of pressure on us.
Clem Ferris: I think we need to go back to the God that we just sang about all morning, the God of all grace.
Clem Ferris: Amen.
Clem Ferris: And I really believe we need the grace to trust him more.
Clem Ferris: I love that old song, but man, that last phrase rang in my spirit.
Clem Ferris: Oh, for the grace to trust you more.
Clem Ferris: You want that grace, we're gonna get it from the word you ready?
Clem Ferris: We're gonna go to John chapter 12, verse one through eight.
Clem Ferris: Excuse me.
Clem Ferris: Title is, uh, am I generous now we're gonna talk about generosity, but the question is, am I generous?
Clem Ferris: And I didn't say, are you generous?
Clem Ferris: Notice?
Clem Ferris: It's like, am I generous?
Clem Ferris: I mean, I need this.
Clem Ferris: We all have to make this personal this morning and think about it.
Clem Ferris: Today's the day of Pentecost we celebrate Pentecost.
Clem Ferris: Right?
Clem Ferris: Think about first of all, the, the grand scheme of God's generous heart.
Clem Ferris: God's so love the world that he gave his only begotten son.
Clem Ferris: That's generous.
Clem Ferris: If you only had one son and we're willing to give him up and sacrifice him for the sins of the world, that's generosity, there's no greater generous act, right?
Clem Ferris: So God is a giver and God always gives his best.
Clem Ferris: But then see, Jesus, he's also a giver.
Clem Ferris: So when Jesus ascended, he said, don't worry, I'm sending the holy spirit.
Clem Ferris: I'm gonna send another.
Clem Ferris: I'm gonna send the comforter.
Clem Ferris: So Jesus ascended into heaven.
Clem Ferris: And on the day of Pentecost, he gave his best.
Clem Ferris: His best was the holy spirit.
Clem Ferris: I know that's.
Clem Ferris: That was a pretty good gift.
Clem Ferris: He said, wait for the promise of the father, the gift of the father.
Clem Ferris: So Jesus gave his best.
Clem Ferris: So the holy spirit comes on the day of Pentecost, which we're celebrating today.
Clem Ferris: Woohoo, holy spirit.
Clem Ferris: And he gave his best.
Clem Ferris: Come on.
Clem Ferris: Somebody.
Clem Ferris: He gave his best.
Clem Ferris: He gave gifts on men.
Clem Ferris: He gave gifts.
Clem Ferris: He's full of gifts.
Clem Ferris: See you can't outgive the Godhead.
Clem Ferris: They're just givers, givers, givers, givers, that what's, they mean they are generous to you and me.
Clem Ferris: The holy spirit called by Jesus, the comforter or the helper helper in the Greek is the Perclose.
Clem Ferris: The Perclose made up of two words.
Clem Ferris: Perclose or Paracas means to call alongside the holy spirit is the one that we call alongside.
Clem Ferris: When we have a need, we call him alongside of us.
Clem Ferris: So every time you wanna move in generosity, the holy Spirit's there.
Clem Ferris: He can't help it.
Clem Ferris: See if you move in generosity, the holy Spirit's there he comes alongside you.
Clem Ferris: He's the one that gives you the grace to trust in God.
Clem Ferris: So we're gonna look at this amazing story of, um, this idea to question our own hearts this morning.
Clem Ferris: This is a matter of the heart.
Clem Ferris: It's not a matter of money.
Clem Ferris: We're it's not a matter of, uh, dollars and cents or anything.
Clem Ferris: It's a matter of the heart.
Clem Ferris: And something comes out in this story.
Clem Ferris: That's I think very revealing John chapter 12 versus one through eight, six days before Passover Jesus therefore came to Bethany where Lazarus was whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
Clem Ferris: So they gave a dinner for him there.
Clem Ferris: Martha served Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.
Clem Ferris: Don't forget.
Clem Ferris: This is John 12 and John 11.
Clem Ferris: This is when Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead.
Clem Ferris: He's got a back from life guy sitting at the table.
Clem Ferris: I'm sure there was a little conversation going on at that table.
Clem Ferris: Anyway, verse three, Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure NA and anointed.
Clem Ferris: The feet of Jesus wiped his feet with her hair.
Clem Ferris: The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume, but Judas is scar it.
Clem Ferris: One of his disciples who was about to betray him said, why was this ointment not sold for 300 Dary?
Clem Ferris: And given to the poor?
Clem Ferris: He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because watch he was a thief and having charge of the money bag he used to help himself to whatever was put in it.
Clem Ferris: Jesus said, leave her alone so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.
Clem Ferris: The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.
Clem Ferris: That's an amazing story.
Clem Ferris: Because in this story, it's the revealing of hearts.
Clem Ferris: This story reveals the hearts of two different types of people.
Clem Ferris: You have a heart of generosity in this story and you have a heart of selfishness.
Clem Ferris: Why do you think Mary gave such an extravagant gift?
Clem Ferris: I'll explain why it was so extravagant in a minute.
Clem Ferris: It was an extravagant gift that she gave to Jesus.
Clem Ferris: And on the other side, why was Judah so bothered by that?
Clem Ferris: Why was he like, how dare you should have sold that and given it to the poor.
Clem Ferris: Now that sounded like a nice religious thing to say and believe me, it was totally religious.
Clem Ferris: Well, we look at these two hearts, a heart of generosity in Mary, actually a heart of selfishness in Judas.
Clem Ferris: So let's look first at this idea of generosity.
Clem Ferris: Am I generous?
Clem Ferris: I don't know.
Clem Ferris: Am I, well, first of all, let's talk about the enemy of generosity.
Clem Ferris: What's the enemy of generosity.
Clem Ferris: It's selfishness let's get right to the room.
Clem Ferris: Selfishness is the enemy of generosity.
Clem Ferris: You can't be generous and selfish at the same time.
Clem Ferris: They're Oxy.
Clem Ferris: Moron just had these beautiful family up here.
Clem Ferris: That was beautiful.
Clem Ferris: And those three precious little kids.
Clem Ferris: And I'll just bet you dad and mom, you've never sat down and taught them this important phrase as a child must learn.
Clem Ferris: All children must learn this phrase, but it's amazing how nobody teaches it to'em and it's the simple word mine.
Clem Ferris: Yeah.
Clem Ferris: Is that yours?
Clem Ferris: Mine.
Clem Ferris: It's mine now.
Clem Ferris: That's that's your brothers.
Clem Ferris: Give it back.
Clem Ferris: No, it's mine.
Clem Ferris: Mine work on that word.
Clem Ferris: Okay.
Clem Ferris: Work on that.
Clem Ferris: uh, so that they get that.
Clem Ferris: Any parents say, you know, I had a trouble teaching my kids, mine.
Clem Ferris: I just, I, they still to this day, they just wanna give and give and give.
Clem Ferris: I just can't get that possessiveness.
Clem Ferris: No, it's in us.
Clem Ferris: It's we're born mine.
Clem Ferris: We're born selfish.
Clem Ferris: It's it's who we are.
Clem Ferris: Right?
Clem Ferris: You don't have to teach them now eventually through parenting, good admonition pastor through parenting and, and take the class.
Clem Ferris: Cuz obviously Tyler and Amy have got that all down.
Clem Ferris: There's no, you've got that down.
Clem Ferris: Um, no it's yours.
Clem Ferris: Dear.
Clem Ferris: No eye yield.
Clem Ferris: No, you can.
Clem Ferris: You can have someone by French fries.
Clem Ferris: Um, anyway, we're born selfish, but we learn.
Clem Ferris: We learn how to become less selfish.
Clem Ferris: You outgrow it.
Clem Ferris: And so when we come to giving, we have this funny feeling that, you know, when we start earning money, we start getting things.
Clem Ferris: We think it's mine.
Clem Ferris: Don't we it's mine.
Clem Ferris: You know, God only uses that word prolifically one time.
Clem Ferris: Well, pretty much, you know, everything is mine says, God.
Clem Ferris: But he says specifically about the tithe, which is the 10th of everything he gives you.
Clem Ferris: He says, that's mine.
Clem Ferris: Now that is mine.
Clem Ferris: God doesn't do it for selfish purposes.
Clem Ferris: He does it to help break selfishness in us so that we become generous.
Clem Ferris: You have to outgrow that idea that it's all mine.
Clem Ferris: Um, we have two choices when it comes to what God gives us.
Clem Ferris: You can either bring it to God.
Clem Ferris: You can bring a tithes to God.
Clem Ferris: And the tithe is just 10% the 10th.
Clem Ferris: That's all.
Clem Ferris: You can bring a tithe to God as Malachi instructs, Malachi three eight, bring your ties and offerings into the storehouse that there be food in my house.
Clem Ferris: Bring it.
Clem Ferris: Or you can keep it.
Clem Ferris: That's the nice way of saying it.
Clem Ferris: But keeping the tithe is not just keeping it mine.
Clem Ferris: Malachi says you're stealing it.
Clem Ferris: Uhoh he says would a man Rob God.
Clem Ferris: Nah, I never robed God do you tithe?
Clem Ferris: No, just not there yet.
Clem Ferris: Well then if you're not tithing, you're stealing.
Clem Ferris: Why?
Clem Ferris: Because that belongs to God.
Clem Ferris: The tide belongs to God.
Clem Ferris: You go, uh, oh, uh, oh, is that really what the, the word, the word of God says?
Clem Ferris: Yeah, it really does.
Clem Ferris: See there's an enemy.
Clem Ferris: Now think about this.
Clem Ferris: There's an enemy to the plan of God and the purposes of God.
Clem Ferris: And if, think about warfare and today's Pentecost Sunday.
Clem Ferris: So I always look at it this way.
Clem Ferris: There are two, the two most explosive doctrines in the church is T and T they're explosive.
Clem Ferris: It's like dynamite.
Clem Ferris: You wanna blow something up, preach on these two topics and today's Pentecost Sunday.
Clem Ferris: So one of them is tongues.
Clem Ferris: You wanna just cause a little kerfuffle in the church, teach on tongues.
Clem Ferris: It'll the he of enemy.
Clem Ferris: He hates it.
Clem Ferris: And the other is tithing tongues and tithing T and T guaranteed.
Clem Ferris: You'll have an explosion.
Clem Ferris: because the enemy hates those two, like nothing else.
Clem Ferris: And I'll tell you why.
Clem Ferris: If you think of in a military mindset, if you're in a war and you're trying to stop your enemy from advancing on his campaign, there's two things you wanna do.
Clem Ferris: Number one, you jam the communication.
Clem Ferris: That's tongues is the perfect communication between God and man it's it's heaven and earth communicating with no frequency interference.
Clem Ferris: It's it's it's our spirit communicating with God's spirit.
Clem Ferris: It's just like powerful day of Pentecost.
Clem Ferris: See, that was the greatest.
Clem Ferris: When the holy spirit came, he came loaded with gifts.
Clem Ferris: And the first gift he gave was what?
Clem Ferris: Communication come on.
Clem Ferris: Somebody spiritual language.
Clem Ferris: What a gift that is in our broken world, where language is, every language is being challenged.
Clem Ferris: Every definition is being challenged.
Clem Ferris: That doesn't really mean that like a friend in Greensboro who just renamed his church definition, church, think about that's weird.
Clem Ferris: No, it's not actually because you know what everything's trying to be redefined.
Clem Ferris: So communication is very important.
Clem Ferris: And the holy spirit came on the day of Pentecost and said, the first thing we're gonna do is give you communication spirit language.
Clem Ferris: So you can talk to God and reverse the curse of Babylon where God confused it, confounded the languages then brought'em all back together.
Clem Ferris: Okay.
Clem Ferris: That's a mini teaching right there.
Clem Ferris: But the other thing is, if you're in a war, you've gotta jam the communication devices and what cut off the supply, cut off the supplies.
Clem Ferris: You'll handicap the army.
Clem Ferris: We're living in a world where what's being challenged right now.
Clem Ferris: Supply chain.
Clem Ferris: You see how the enemy is even at work in the natural, but in the spiritual, the enemy's been at work always to try to cut off the supplies for the army of God, Jerry Daley, who was a spiritual father to me.
Clem Ferris: And he founded our network of churches.
Clem Ferris: Some of you know him, Jerry said this a long time ago and I never forgot it.
Clem Ferris: He said, God gives a vision to a church based on everybody tithing.
Clem Ferris: Now here's the problem.
Clem Ferris: And you can ask any pastor, do you have enough money for your vision?
Clem Ferris: No, but we're believe in God.
Clem Ferris: Our, our vision's bigger than our budget.
Clem Ferris: You know, that's the mantra, but you know why?
Clem Ferris: Cause only five to 8% of believers tithe.
Clem Ferris: That's staggering folks.
Clem Ferris: Not here.
Clem Ferris: Of course I checked your records before I came.
Clem Ferris: just kidding.
Clem Ferris: But that's a small percentage, small per and you know what, that's why churches are they can't, they're always pushing.
Clem Ferris: And you almost feel like all they talk about is money.
Clem Ferris: Nobody don't only talk about money.
Clem Ferris: They talk about vision because you know what?
Clem Ferris: God gives a vision to a church based on everybody tithing.
Clem Ferris: And then there's, once you go beyond tithing, there's this overflow of offerings and giving to reach your community.
Clem Ferris: So I think you're ahead of the curve church.
Clem Ferris: I think you are.
Clem Ferris: I, I know, I know for a fact you are, but here's the thing.
Clem Ferris: There's different levels of giving.
Clem Ferris: So we have this whole idea of tithing 10%, which is the first it's all just the first 10th.
Clem Ferris: I used to be, by the way, a reverse tither don't look at me like that.
Clem Ferris: I'm gonna explain it.
Clem Ferris: And some of you're going, oh boy, that was me too.
Clem Ferris: Well, I started out tithing.
Clem Ferris: Thank God, 40 years ago, God's been faithful.
Clem Ferris: But there, I got to a point where, um, and especially was happening when we were planting our church and things were so tight all the time.
Clem Ferris: We were just believing.
Clem Ferris: And um, what I used to do is weekly.
Clem Ferris: Do your bills and everything.
Clem Ferris: I would, I would pay my bills and then it's kinda like this.
Clem Ferris: I had a little contest going with God said, okay, God, I'm gonna be a good steward.
Clem Ferris: I'm gonna pay my bills.
Clem Ferris: I'm gonna take care of my family, pay my bills.
Clem Ferris: And when I get done, if there's enough left, I'll tithe like a good tither, but God, you know, understand.
Clem Ferris: I've gotta give all these other bills first place.
Clem Ferris: And then if there's anything left, it's kind of a contest.
Clem Ferris: Let's see if you can leave me something, you'll get your 10%.
Clem Ferris: I did that for a while.
Clem Ferris: And then one night it's just like the holy spirit arrested me.
Clem Ferris: And I got the revelation.
Clem Ferris: Like it's not just 10%.
Clem Ferris: It's the first 10%.
Clem Ferris: The tide is the first 10th.
Clem Ferris: Not any 10th.
Clem Ferris: See, I can, I kind of made it the last 10th.
Clem Ferris: It was like a little contest.
Clem Ferris: Like, well it says, prove me.
Clem Ferris: Well, I was proven the wrong way.
Clem Ferris: And I changed.
Clem Ferris: And I began to realize, I have to give God the first 10th.
Clem Ferris: It says, give him the first fruits of your increase, whatever your increase is, give him the first fruits that changed everything for us.
Clem Ferris: It changed my perspective.
Clem Ferris: It changed my heart.
Clem Ferris: And see, when you realize that once you get into the and break that enemy off of your own, I call it the like a spirit of poverty that comes upon you.
Clem Ferris: You break that with tithing.
Clem Ferris: Then you get to enter a new level of giving, which is the second, second thing about understanding generosity.
Clem Ferris: There's the enemy of generosity, but there is now the extravagance of generosity.
Clem Ferris: There is an extravagance that God wants to move us into.
Clem Ferris: And let's explain extravagance in just a minute in the idea of extravagance.
Clem Ferris: There's this idea.
Clem Ferris: There's different levels of giving.
Clem Ferris: First of all, there's tithing 10%.
Clem Ferris: Once you do that, according to Malachi, once you give the tithes to God, it says it opens the windows of heaven.
Clem Ferris: Then you can give beyond the tithe.
Clem Ferris: And that was a big, that was a big journey for my wife and I, even when we were church planting, it was like, we were just like going from offering to offering, but begin to move back into a new level of giving that goes beyond just getting by.
Clem Ferris: And so you have tithing, you have offerings and then you have extravagant offerings.
Clem Ferris: Those are rare.
Clem Ferris: They're not all the time.
Clem Ferris: They're special occasions.
Clem Ferris: I have a friend that calls,'em not just extravagant offerings.
Clem Ferris: He calls'em painful offerings.
Clem Ferris: Yeah.
Clem Ferris: Where you give painfully to the Lord, but see God rewards that God watches over that God opens the windows of heaven.
Clem Ferris: God does things.
Clem Ferris: And so I'm gonna go back to the story for a minute.
Clem Ferris: And I wanna talk about this extravagant gift that Mary gave.
Clem Ferris: It was extravagant.
Clem Ferris: Now, by the way, an extravagant gift is a gift that is more than what you would give.
Clem Ferris: That's all I know that's painful.
Clem Ferris: Extravagance in your definition of extravagance is anything that's more than I have look at his car.
Clem Ferris: So extravagant, you should sell that car and give it to the poor.
Clem Ferris: why don't you sell your car?
Clem Ferris: I won't sell my car, but he should sell his car.
Clem Ferris: Right?
Clem Ferris: just, what does that reveal?
Clem Ferris: It reveals the Judas heart.
Clem Ferris: You should sell that.
Clem Ferris: Why did they sell that perfume and give it to the poor?
Clem Ferris: Well, geez, you're selfish.
Clem Ferris: You're a thief.
Clem Ferris: You're revealing your heart of selfishness.
Clem Ferris: You didn't that wasn't a heart of generosity cuz Jesus revealed his heart.
Clem Ferris: What?
Clem Ferris: He didn't care about the poor.
Clem Ferris: He was actually a thief.
Clem Ferris: Here's this lady that gives us extravagant offer.
Clem Ferris: Why was it extravagant?
Clem Ferris: It was sold.
Clem Ferris: He said it could have been sold for 300 Dera.
Clem Ferris: That's 300 days.
Clem Ferris: Wages.
Clem Ferris: Think about what you earn in a year.
Clem Ferris: You roughly work about 300 outta 365 days in a year.
Clem Ferris: So one day's wage in today's economy.
Clem Ferris: I don't know what it is, but multiply one.
Clem Ferris: Day's wage times 300.
Clem Ferris: That's a lot of money.
Clem Ferris: That's your one year of earning.
Clem Ferris: How many could afford to do that?
Clem Ferris: This is what she did.
Clem Ferris: And that's why Judas flipped a, he flipped a switch going ha I can't believe she spent that much money.
Clem Ferris: That's extravagant.
Clem Ferris: She shut a sold and giving it to the poor.
Clem Ferris: Really?
Clem Ferris: Let me ask you a question.
Clem Ferris: How much money do you think would impress God?
Clem Ferris: How much could you give?
Clem Ferris: When finally go angels, you would not believe the one offering we got at Trinity this week is unbelievable.
Clem Ferris: I am so impressed.
Clem Ferris: You know, God paves his streets with gold.
Clem Ferris: It's no big deal for him.
Clem Ferris: You can go on and on about the extravagance of God and how he looks at values.
Clem Ferris: Like we, you know, what's impressive given you God, do you wanna impress God, let me give you a scripture.
Clem Ferris: It's not up here.
Clem Ferris: But second Corinthians eight, five, just listen to this.
Clem Ferris: But they gave themselves first to the Lord.
Clem Ferris: What's that mean?
Clem Ferris: You give your heart.
Clem Ferris: They gave themselves the best offering you can give to God is you, all of you all y'all, as you say, every part of you, they gave themselves to the Lord first.
Clem Ferris: And then by the will of God, to us, Paul said, because impressive giving to God is giving yourself your heart because Matthew 6 21 says where your heart is.
Clem Ferris: That's where your treasures.
Clem Ferris: You wanna reveal where your true treasures, where your heart is.
Clem Ferris: And so these are revealed.
Clem Ferris: This is, this is a revelation.
Clem Ferris: This is, this is what was being revealed in this story between Mary who had really just a generous heart and Judas who was selfish, Mary's gift was extravagant.
Clem Ferris: And do you know why?
Clem Ferris: I think that was because of chapter 11.
Clem Ferris: Not she didn't file chapter 11.
Clem Ferris: It's John chapter 11.
Clem Ferris: Okay.
Clem Ferris: well, sure she could.
Clem Ferris: She, she, anyway, she wasn't in arrears.
Clem Ferris: Um, because of what happened in John 11, because Jesus has had raised her brother from the dead.
Clem Ferris: She was like, I'll just give you everything.
Clem Ferris: Lord, I'll give you everything because of what you did for my brother.
Clem Ferris: But brothers and sisters have not.
Clem Ferris: We all been raised from the dead.
Clem Ferris: Yes.
Clem Ferris: Have you been raised from the dead?
Clem Ferris: If you're a believer this morning you've been raised from the dead.
Clem Ferris: If you're not a believer this morning, you can be raised from the dead because you're born in sin and trespasses, Ephesians two, we're all born dead in sin and trespassed.
Clem Ferris: That's the glory of the gospel.
Clem Ferris: The good news of the gospel is, you know what?
Clem Ferris: You can come out of your dead life and into a new life with Jesus Christ raised from the dead.
Clem Ferris: If you're born again, if you're here as a believer, you've been raised from the dead, that's a gift from God.
Clem Ferris: And what would you give back to him?
Clem Ferris: there's nothing too great to give back to him.
Clem Ferris: What's the best you can give him.
Clem Ferris: You, you give him yourself.
Clem Ferris: Judas was bothered by this.
Clem Ferris: He was so bothered because when you begin to point out someone else's extravagance, it's just a cover up for selfishness.
Clem Ferris: Don't look around the room.
Clem Ferris: So I see somebody starting to turn your heads.
Clem Ferris: No look, looks, I straightforward this morning.
Clem Ferris: I straightforward.
Clem Ferris: It's like, but we've all done.
Clem Ferris: It.
Clem Ferris: I've done it.
Clem Ferris: It's like, that's like extravagant.
Clem Ferris: But extravagant remembers just someone that has more than you have you drive by a certain house.
Clem Ferris: Well, that house is extravagant and someone drives by your house and go, your house is extravagant.
Clem Ferris: It's like, we just play that game all day long.
Clem Ferris: So we're not gonna attack other people's extravagance, which is defined by somebody else.
Clem Ferris: We go back to the heart that was revealed.
Clem Ferris: What was God revealing?
Clem Ferris: The heart?
Clem Ferris: Judah said this.
Clem Ferris: Not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief and having charge of the money bag, he used to help himself.
Clem Ferris: He stole from the offering box.
Clem Ferris: Could you imagine stealing from the offering box now we're in a whole new world.
Clem Ferris: Now we don't really because of COVID and everything.
Clem Ferris: We're just online givers and all that.
Clem Ferris: But you know, it's still possible to steal from the offering box.
Clem Ferris: You're going, why I need a new technique?
Clem Ferris: What's the new technique.
Clem Ferris: No, I'm trying to help you out here.
Clem Ferris: It's like, because remember if we were back in the old days, if you're giving, you know, passing the offering plate and you give your offering, you know, bring your tide, you give it.
Clem Ferris: But if you have a tithe sitting at home or in your checking account or wherever your account is, and you don't bring it and you withhold it, it's like stealing, keeping.
Clem Ferris: It is like stealing and Judas used to not really keep it.
Clem Ferris: He used to help himself.
Clem Ferris: Remember a guy going, yeah, one time he brought was a new believer.
Clem Ferris: He's learning and he's teaching.
Clem Ferris: It came time for the offering and the offering came by and he he'd grabbed the offering plate.
Clem Ferris: And he took out a$20 bill and he put it in and he started fishing out ones and fives.
Clem Ferris: He goes, what are you doing?
Clem Ferris: He goes, I'm making change.
Clem Ferris: okay.
Clem Ferris: Well, he was getting there.
Clem Ferris: He finally lost my, I think it's okay if you make change, but at least you're giving.
Clem Ferris: So, um, this whole idea of extravagant giving is something that God has to work in our hearts and extravagant is not millions and billions.
Clem Ferris: It could be the little pennies that that widow gave.
Clem Ferris: See David gave extravagantly be when he built the temple, they figured it out.
Clem Ferris: It could be actually somewhere around 21 billion in today's money is what David spent on the temple that's extravagant.
Clem Ferris: But so was the widows mite.
Clem Ferris: According to Jesus, she gave all that she had, that was extravagant 10 or 15 years ago.
Clem Ferris: I was in Vietnam.
Clem Ferris: It was my first of several trips in Vietnam.
Clem Ferris: It was the early two thousands.
Clem Ferris: So there's a bunch of stuff going on in my heart when God took me to Vietnam, hadn't been before, I'd been to other Asian countries.
Clem Ferris: I grew up, you know, in the late fifties sixties, during the Vietnam war and everything.
Clem Ferris: And um, I remember flying in to HoChi men's city and I had this strange feeling well up inside of me, I suddenly had this bad feeling about the Vietnamese.
Clem Ferris: I suddenly had this flood of, of prejudice come in and bias, flood into my soul about Vietnam, Vietnamese people, and all the propaganda.
Clem Ferris: I haven't been fed as a young American growing up.
Clem Ferris: And I had to break through that.
Clem Ferris: I had to say, God, I need, I need a heart to love these people.
Clem Ferris: I had to break through the, just the, the bias that I didn't, I didn't ask for it.
Clem Ferris: It was just indoctrinated in me, you know, that's happening in our world more.
Clem Ferris: I, and I grew up without the internet.
Clem Ferris: Thank God, but this is what's facing our youth and this is what we're facing.
Clem Ferris: We're facing this constant indoctrination and bias in, in, in the politics and all these, the propaganda.
Clem Ferris: And so I had to break through that, but God, wasn't done and we ministered.
Clem Ferris: And we, we had great meetings there and everything.
Clem Ferris: And I remember the last meeting.
Clem Ferris: It was the last Sunday we were flying home on Monday and you know, this was a missions trip.
Clem Ferris: So I'd put out several thousand dollars to airfare.
Clem Ferris: We had to stay at our home hotels.
Clem Ferris: We, you know, we, we came and we blessed.
Clem Ferris: We gave and wanted to, but boy, God started working on my heart.
Clem Ferris: And I think I thought I broke through and we got all done and I'm exhausted.
Clem Ferris: It's the last Sunday.
Clem Ferris: And, um, I preached the last service and it was a great building and in Vietnam because of properties in Homan city, which is 10, 12 million.
Clem Ferris: And, uh, when they get church buildings, they buy houses and they're, they're, they're, they're shallow and narrow, but they're like seven or eight stories high.
Clem Ferris: And so they just go from floor to floor, cuz the property's so expensive.
Clem Ferris: So the church had gotten this building and they had been, they'd just gotten it.
Clem Ferris: They had renovated the downstairs so that they could have the church meeting on the second floor.
Clem Ferris: The pastor lived on the third floor was offices on the fourth floor was classrooms all the way up in the top was the prayer floor where they prayed up on top.
Clem Ferris: So they just used this tall, skinny building, the bottom building.
Clem Ferris: Uh, well Americans could fit maybe 60, 70 people.
Clem Ferris: The Vietnamese put 125 people in there.
Clem Ferris: They sit on the floor, need a knee.
Clem Ferris: They don't need chairs.
Clem Ferris: They just cram'em in.
Clem Ferris: So it was the first Sunday in this new building.
Clem Ferris: They were all excited.
Clem Ferris: They'd been painting the night before you, they walked in, there was actually like wet paints.
Clem Ferris: Don't touch.
Clem Ferris: So we're in there.
Clem Ferris: Everybody's excited.
Clem Ferris: The first Sunday we have the meeting and uh, we're sitting there and we get all done.
Clem Ferris: And then my friend who's been the missioner there for years.
Clem Ferris: Um, Doug paradise, Doug got up and said, you know what?
Clem Ferris: Um, we need to take a special offering today because the pastor and his wife are up on the second floor, but it's, they just basically have moved in.
Clem Ferris: They still need to, they still need to get settled up there.
Clem Ferris: They just have some expenses to settle so they can live there.
Clem Ferris: And then, so he's takes up a special offering for, you know, the church and everything.
Clem Ferris: And I'm just sitting there going.
Clem Ferris: That's a great idea, Doug.
Clem Ferris: Well done.
Clem Ferris: Doug, you go, baby.
Clem Ferris: I'm just sitting there and they're starting to get the offering ready.
Clem Ferris: And the Lord goes, you need to give to that offering and I'm going.
Clem Ferris: I don't have any money liar.
Clem Ferris: I had a$100 bill folded up, come on, sorry guys.
Clem Ferris: I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna reveal the truth.
Clem Ferris: We all have a little mad money tucked away somewhere ladies.
Clem Ferris: Sorry.
Clem Ferris: I'm sorry guys.
Clem Ferris: They probably know already.
Clem Ferris: Anyway.
Clem Ferris: In fact, when it goes missing now, you know who got it?
Clem Ferris: So anyway, I have to, I had a$100 bill stuffed in my wallet, you know, for an emergency.
Clem Ferris: I still had to fly home from Asia.
Clem Ferris: I thought, you know, if there's a problem or something gone, this is back.
Clem Ferris: So I had this reserve, you know, it was mine.
Clem Ferris: That's my a hundred dollars bill.
Clem Ferris: And I'm just sitting there and this offering's coming and he goes, you need to give him the offering going, I don't have any money.
Clem Ferris: He goes.
Clem Ferris: And when, when God goes silent, you already know the answer.
Clem Ferris: I don't have any money crickets.
Clem Ferris: And then it's like, I knew he was going after that.
Clem Ferris: Oh, that's my a hundred dollars bill.
Clem Ferris: I, I, I need that.
Clem Ferris: I might need that to get home.
Clem Ferris: I, I, I, I, I, I I'm in trouble and boy, God broke my heart.
Clem Ferris: He just broke my heart right there.
Clem Ferris: He broke that selfishness in me right there after all like I poured myself out, I paid$3,000 to get it.
Clem Ferris: I got still working on your heart son.
Clem Ferris: I, I gingerly took that hundred dollars bill out.
Clem Ferris: And the moment I dropped it in that offering, it's like the joy of the Lord came upon me.
Clem Ferris: I was like, wow.
Clem Ferris: I had just experienced something powerful from the holy spirit.
Clem Ferris: Why he comes alongside, when you're generous, the holy spirit shows up, come on, somebody Jesus said, I'm gonna send you the comforter, the para toast.
Clem Ferris: He'll you'll be able to call him alongside.
Clem Ferris: And when you're generous, he's right there.
Clem Ferris: He's the one that's prompting.
Clem Ferris: You he'll show up and he doesn't just get you through.
Clem Ferris: Like they're there, there it'll be okay.
Clem Ferris: He goes beyond that because he's a giver.
Clem Ferris: He's generous.
Clem Ferris: And so I got home from my trip and we made it through and everything.
Clem Ferris: And in two weeks time, I got a call from our office.
Clem Ferris: I just want you to know somebody just put$3,000 in your travel account.
Clem Ferris: Really that I hadn't expected.
Clem Ferris: I hadn't, honestly, I hadn't prayed for it.
Clem Ferris: See God said you've been generous.
Clem Ferris: And for me that was extravagant that a hundred dollars bill was an extravagant amount in my, and I gave it and God broke something in me.
Clem Ferris: And then he says, let me show you real extravagant.
Clem Ferris: Let me just replenish your travel account that I'd given up.
Clem Ferris: So you cannot outgive God, that's the reward.
Clem Ferris: The last point is this.
Clem Ferris: There is the reward of generosity.
Clem Ferris: That was the reward.
Clem Ferris: You know, God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.
Clem Ferris: That word is only used one time in all of the new Testament and the idea of that, it means to pay what is due and to give over and above what is due with extravagance.
Clem Ferris: That's that one time is used.
Clem Ferris: God is a rewarder.
Clem Ferris: How does God reward?
Clem Ferris: He gives over and above what's due with extravagance.
Clem Ferris: What a powerful world word that that describes God.
Clem Ferris: That's what he wants us to step into.
Clem Ferris: So to kind of just parallel this same story in mark chapter 14, I wanna focus on one thing that Jesus said, it's the same story, mark, chapter 14.
Clem Ferris: But it's the, it's the same thing of the, the woman, you know, anointing the feet of Jesus with the expensive perfume, the same Pharisees are like, alright, I should have sold that money and give it to the, and here's what Jesus says.
Clem Ferris: Truly.
Clem Ferris: I say to you, mark 14, verse nine, truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.
Clem Ferris: Wow, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done, which is what heart of generosity, just being generous, giving all that she had because of what God did for her will be told in a Memorial, in memory of her, when you give generously generous giving is what giving with no expectation of anything in return.
Clem Ferris: She just gave, honestly, in Vietnam, I just gave it, it hurt for me.
Clem Ferris: It was one of those painful options.
Clem Ferris: Okay.
Clem Ferris: But God broke something in me, but in my heart, I was all like, and you better pay me back cuz you know what?
Clem Ferris: You know what?
Clem Ferris: I would've been happy with a hundred dollars back, you know?
Clem Ferris: It's like, God goes, no, I see your heart now son.
Clem Ferris: So I'm gonna pay you back.
Clem Ferris: Extravagantly, generous giving is giving without expecting anything in return.
Clem Ferris: She was so grateful that Jesus has raised raced her brother from the dead.
Clem Ferris: Should we not have that same Memorial?
Clem Ferris: Because see she anointed Jesus.
Clem Ferris: And she's the only one that anointed Jesus for burial because after he was put in the grave, they came to anoint him.
Clem Ferris: He was gone.
Clem Ferris: They missed the opportunity.
Clem Ferris: She caught the opportunity to anoint Jesus and Jesus.
Clem Ferris: That's a Memorial unto me.
Clem Ferris: It's not the amount that God rewards.
Clem Ferris: It's the attitude of the heart.
Clem Ferris: As I was praying this morning.
Clem Ferris: And it's something I have a quick conversation with Kelly and I was this whole thing about supply chain.
Clem Ferris: And I just came back from England and um, was with a pastor on Sunday who, um, he's a part-time pastor.
Clem Ferris: He, he act, he actually has a very important secular job.
Clem Ferris: He's actually in charge of supply chain for a big European country, uh, based in uh, uh, Sweden or Switzerland.
Clem Ferris: But he works in London and you know, he's consulted.
Clem Ferris: In fact, he, he just flew into Orlando yesterday and it's gonna be at a big supply chain conference at Disney all week.
Clem Ferris: And we, we were talking about this off and on and you know, I got this, I got to think, you know, what?
Clem Ferris: If it's true, if we do trust him in the economy we're living in.
Clem Ferris: If Paul said, my God will supply all your need, according to his riches and glory, it wasn't just get by supply.
Clem Ferris: I believe it's not only God wants to meet your current need.
Clem Ferris: He wants to be extravagant.
Clem Ferris: And I think the way we break that is to be generous.
Clem Ferris: And you're gonna have to find a way to be generous.
Clem Ferris: I'm just gonna challenge you.
Clem Ferris: Trinity, find a way to be generous this week and next week.
Clem Ferris: And throughout the summer, let's call it the summer of generosity at TCC.
Clem Ferris: Wouldn't that be cool?
Clem Ferris: Kinda like a subtitle like this is our summer of generosity.
Clem Ferris: It, it, it's not about money.
Clem Ferris: It's not about amounts.
Clem Ferris: It's about heart.
Clem Ferris: I'll give you one other quick example.
Clem Ferris: I just heard it from my son.
Clem Ferris: One of my sons, uh, out of COVID that he was doing health coaching and life coaching and that all shut down during COVID.
Clem Ferris: So, uh, he started another business.
Clem Ferris: He's a little bit entrepreneurial and because of the, the car business and all that's been going on with cars and rental cars, he started a used car.
Clem Ferris: So he got his license.
Clem Ferris: He's flipping cars and he is gone into what they call Turro cars, which are, it's like Airbnb for your car.
Clem Ferris: You, you, you, you rent your own car out and you's much reduced price because you don't pay the airport fees and all that.
Clem Ferris: So he's, he's getting that going.
Clem Ferris: It's going on the other day, he called me, he was telling me a story and he loves to help people see his heart is to help people.
Clem Ferris: So they're helping widows and, uh, moms.
Clem Ferris: And they're helping people in the community of, of the saints that are how, you know, if transportation, if you've got a transportation problem, you're gonna have a work problem.
Clem Ferris: You're gonna have stress.
Clem Ferris: You're gonna have anxiety.
Clem Ferris: You know, if your car's messed up, you know, it messes up your life.
Clem Ferris: And so he's this one couple came in, they were desperate.
Clem Ferris: They needed a car.
Clem Ferris: He needed to get to work.
Clem Ferris: They so, and Jay just helped him.
Clem Ferris: And they got this used car and they tidied up, he got the financing form and pushed it through.
Clem Ferris: And so they're going out and the car was pretty much on E it was, you know, a used car and the Lord just prompted him.
Clem Ferris: He said, give him 20 bucks for gas.
Clem Ferris: And he's like, uh, I just worked this great deal for him about me.
Clem Ferris: You know, he wrestled for a minute, but he just felt like I need to, you gonna bless him.
Clem Ferris: So he opens up his wallet and says here's$20 to get some gas.
Clem Ferris: And they looked at him, they said, we gotta drive home.
Clem Ferris: We have no money.
Clem Ferris: And we didn't know how we were gonna even get home, let alone, get to work tomorrow.
Clem Ferris: And that little TW see it wasn't amount.
Clem Ferris: It was the heart of generosity.
Clem Ferris: The next day Jayman sold three cars in the morning, three cars, boom, boom, boom.
Clem Ferris: Back to back.
Clem Ferris: God just said, there you go.
Clem Ferris: Extravagant payback because he a$20 bill to get some gas for a couple that was on the verge.
Clem Ferris: of collapsing.
Clem Ferris: That's the kind of little stuff that God wants you to do.
Clem Ferris: So I'm gonna pray for you.
Clem Ferris: And uh, I want you to stand with me.
Clem Ferris: I'm gonna bless you.
Clem Ferris: I'm gonna pray for you.
Clem Ferris: Um, God's working in all of us.
Clem Ferris: I'm working through this.
Clem Ferris: That's why I said, am I generous?
Clem Ferris: It's not like, are you okay?
Clem Ferris: So tri are you generous?
Clem Ferris: I'm just going clam.
Clem Ferris: Are you, are you in a generous place in your own heart?
Clem Ferris: And here's the good news.
Clem Ferris: We're not taking an offering.
Clem Ferris: So it's just about your heart and God's heart, but I wanna bless you.
Clem Ferris: And um, I'm gonna pray for you.
Clem Ferris: And then there's one other category.
Clem Ferris: I wanna pray for father.
Clem Ferris: This, just lift your hands for a moment.
Clem Ferris: And just like, God, I surrender seat.
Clem Ferris: We have to have a surrendered heart.
Clem Ferris: They gave themselves first to the Lord, give your heart to the Lord fresh today.
Clem Ferris: Oh, for grace to trust you more in a time of whether we call it recession or whatever's happening in our economy, who knows how to define it.
Clem Ferris: It's just getting into hard times.
Clem Ferris: But God, you are on your throne.
Clem Ferris: And my God will supply all of your needs.
Clem Ferris: According to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus, but not just supply the need of the day.
Clem Ferris: God, you wanna bless your people so we can be a blessing to others, pour out your generous heart on us.
Clem Ferris: So God let us be reminded of Christ on the cross for us, the most generous act in all of humanity and God, we got to receive that free freely we've received.
Clem Ferris: Maybe we freely give and may this be the summer of generosity?
Clem Ferris: Like no other may you break a spirit of poverty, break off a spirit of selfishness that says, you know, you should have done that.
Clem Ferris: You should sell that and give the boy that whole thing about no, we should be generous in the small ways.
Clem Ferris: And in the large ways, it's not about amount.
Clem Ferris: It's about a heart.
Clem Ferris: So God touched the hearts of every one of us.
Clem Ferris: Me too, me too.
Clem Ferris: I'm in on this, my own prayer.
Clem Ferris: I want you to touch my heart.
Clem Ferris: God, this, this summer, all the way down, even to the youth and even to children, children can just give a, the other half of their Popsicle, their little friend to go here.
Clem Ferris: I wanna share my Popsicle with you.
Clem Ferris: That's generosity.
Clem Ferris: Instead of going mine, that's my popsicles, right?
Clem Ferris: We can God touch the popsicles in our lives and every little thing.
Clem Ferris: But I wanna pray, especially if you're here today and you, and I'm just using Kelly, cuz it just prompted me.
Clem Ferris: If you have your own business, uh, businesses are, are struggling right now.
Clem Ferris: Like I know this cuz of my own son and some other people I know you may be in a little bit of fear.
Clem Ferris: What's what's what's happening with inflation.
Clem Ferris: And I want, I want to, if you're, if you have your own business, just lift your hand up, right where you're at.
Clem Ferris: You have your own business.
Clem Ferris: You're trusting.
Clem Ferris: Like you know what?
Clem Ferris: I don't have anybody else.
Clem Ferris: Yeah.
Clem Ferris: Come on up.
Clem Ferris: Come on SIS, come, come up here.
Clem Ferris: Let's do something fun.
Clem Ferris: Let's get out of our chairs.
Clem Ferris: Come on up here, come on, come on, come on.
Clem Ferris: Tonight's gonna be even better.
Clem Ferris: This is just the warm up.
Clem Ferris: Tonight's gonna be good.
Clem Ferris: You need to come.
Clem Ferris: If you have your own business, look at this.
Clem Ferris: Holy cow, Tyler, you got a bunch of entrepreneurs in here.
Clem Ferris: Look at this.
Clem Ferris: You know what I love about this?
Clem Ferris: There's no limits folks.
Clem Ferris: You have your own business.
Clem Ferris: There are no limits to what God can do.
Clem Ferris: All right, come on.
Clem Ferris: I'm gonna pray for you.
Clem Ferris: I'm gonna pray that God would just work in you.
Clem Ferris: A generous heart.
Clem Ferris: Don't withhold, keep tithing, but just go beyond that.
Clem Ferris: You want it.
Clem Ferris: God wants to move you into a place of extravagant giving, which, which is what?
Clem Ferris: Just more than somebody else.
Clem Ferris: Again, it's not amount, but make God work in your heart.
Clem Ferris: Just entrepreneurs as business owners.
Clem Ferris: That number one, God, you own it all just this morning.
Clem Ferris: Just make it fresh.
Clem Ferris: I know it's probably all, every one of you are here.
Clem Ferris: Say that's God's business, but all fresh.
Clem Ferris: It's not mine.
Clem Ferris: It's his.
Clem Ferris: And we dedicate these businesses to you, father that you would not only bless them for their own personal needs, but God, they would become extravagant givers in the kingdom.
Clem Ferris: And God, it would pour out and create a culture of generosity at TCC, just a culture of generosity that people would come in and go.
Clem Ferris: I just feel so generous here.
Clem Ferris: You know, I've been in churches.
Clem Ferris: I can feel a stingy spirit.
Clem Ferris: When I walk in the door, I can walk in and go, Ooh, these people are stingy.
Clem Ferris: And I don't even know.
Clem Ferris: I don't know anything other than there's a spirit that is trying to withhold.
Clem Ferris: It's mine versus a spirit of generosity.
Clem Ferris: May people walk into TCC and go, Ooh, I just feel the generous heart of God in this place.
Clem Ferris: See that opens people up for the gospel, opens people up.
Clem Ferris: It's so important how our hearts are tied to our finances.
Clem Ferris: That's why Jesus preached on it more than love and more and more than he did on prayer.
Clem Ferris: He taught on finances a lot cuz where your treasure is.
Clem Ferris: There is your heart.
Clem Ferris: Also father, I bless these businesses.
Clem Ferris: Everyone come on church, stretch your hands toward these, these precious workers in the kingdom, kingdom, businesses, God, we bless these businesses.
Clem Ferris: They are kingdom businesses to advance the kingdom of God to meet not only the needs of their families, but God to meet the needs of the kingdom of God in the advance of the gospel right here in this place.
Clem Ferris: And we thank you for it in Jesus name.
Clem Ferris: And everybody said, amen, go in God.
Clem Ferris: It's the summer of generosity.
Clem Ferris: Woohoo.
Clem Ferris: Amen.
Speaker 2: Amen.