Summit Life with J.D. Greear

Jesus said that money is the top competitor in our hearts for God, and what we do with our money reveals who is really the Lord of our lives. In this message, Pastor J.D. concludes a series on opening our hands with our time, talent, and treasure to show just how much the gospel has changed our lives by teaching the two ways Zacchaeus demonstrated that he had been changed by grace.

In today’s teaching from the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. leads us through what is likely a familiar story for many—the story of a tax collector named Zacchaeus whose life was forever changed by a glimpse of Jesus. This man who was despised by many was willing to do whatever it took to see the Savior, and as a result, the grace offered by Jesus changed not just his behavior, but his heart. Is your life characterized by generosity and a desire to live honorably before God and others? If not, maybe you simply need to start by taking your first real glimpse of Jesus.

We may recognize the time, treasure, and talents God has given us, but have we asked God for his purpose in giving them to us? Pastor J.D. continues to teach in this message about investing our lives in God’s kingdom by sharing what keeps so many of us from investing our resources wisely and how to take what we’ve been given and double it so that others can hear the gospel.

To follow Jesus involves risk—the risk of releasing control and yielding every area of your life to Jesus as Lord over all. In this message from the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. looks at the parable of the ten minas, where we see that, likewise, sowing a harvest with our resources can also involve risk. But when the risk is for the building up of God’s kingdom, it’s always worth it.

The way to reap a bountiful harvest is not by collecting and spending but by giving and trusting. Pastor J.D. continues in this message to show how living like Christ, not money, is what brings happiness by looking at five laws of the harvest. When we ask ourselves first how much we want God to multiply us, then we will know what kind of sacrificial giving he requires of us.

In this message from the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. looks at one of the most revolutionary principles in all of Jesus’ teaching—the “law of the harvest.” It’s as simple as it is profound: As you give, it will be given to you. Sounds wise enough, maybe even encouraging. Most of us, however, don’t live that way. We don’t believe, in our heart of hearts, that God is as generous as he says he is. The result? We aren’t generous either. But Jesus invites us to a richer life than any of us could imagine, one in which every good thing (generosity, forgiveness, joy) not only abounds, but multiplies.

Because Jesus rose from the dead, we know what’s coming, and we know that only what’s done for the sake of the gospel will last—and that’s why we can let go of the things that will soon have no value for the one thing that has infinite value. In this message, Pastor J.D. continues to teach about surrender by looking at the essential question of lordship and what keeps us from clinging to Jesus.

In this message from the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. walks through the story of a man who missed out on an enormous (actually, an eternal) opportunity—all because he was too afraid to take a risk. Thinking only of what he would lose in following Jesus, he never considered what he would gain. It was the biggest mistake of his life. And if we’re not careful, it will the biggest regret of ours, too.

A lot of people become interested in church because they realize that something is missing from their life. They expect that being a Christian will give them a new sense of purpose, a better family, or comfort during a hard time. But Pastor J.D. is challenging us to rethink why we follow God. It’s the conclusion of our series called All-In.

Tragically, there are a lot of pastors out there who have used the Bible to manipulate their listeners into giving, promising financial blessing from God as a result. But that’s a far cry from the true heart behind biblical generosity! Pastor J.D. sets the record straight by describing what the Bible actually says about giving to God’s mission. It’s from our series titled, All-In.