Podcast Summary: "What Happens, When You Give?" | City Light Church Las Vegas | Jabin Chavez

Date: December 1, 2025
Host & Speaker: Pastor Jabin Chavez

Episode Overview

In this sermon-based episode, Pastor Jabin Chavez explores the spiritual significance of giving, particularly financial generosity within the church context. Using the story of the woman with the alabaster jar from Mark 14, Pastor Jabin unpacks biblical truths about tithing, generosity, and the impact that giving has both on the giver and the wider community. The message is candid, humorous, deeply rooted in scripture, and aimed at challenging and encouraging listeners to embrace sacrificial generosity.

Key Discussion Points & Sermon Breakdown

1. Setting the Scene: The Alabaster Jar (Mark 14)

• Context: The story takes place two days before Jesus’ crucifixion, during a dinner in Bethany to honor Jesus, celebrating the healing of Simon the leper and the resurrection of Lazarus.
  • Telling detail: Only one person, a woman, actually honors Jesus with an extravagant act of generosity.
• Modern Parallel: Pastor Jabin notes only about 5% of American Christians tithe—a parallel to the few who truly honor Jesus in this story.
  • Quote: “Most people don’t. And yet one woman was able to unlock something in her life that was going to change her life forever.” (03:15)

2. The Spiritual Nature of Money

• Money as Spiritual: Jabin asserts that money isn’t just paper or numbers—it is spiritual, influenced by either the spirit of God or the spirit of Mammon.
  • Quote: “Your money...has a spirit on it. It either has the spirit of God on it or it has the spirit of Mammon.” (11:00)
• Mammon’s Influence: Mammon is the ancient spirit of wealth and greed, and fear around finances is its most common manifestation.
  • Quote: “Mammon will keep you in a place of fear about finances. You’ll live your entire life thinking, I won’t have enough. It is only generosity...that can break that spirit off of your mind and off of your heart.” (13:00)

3. Clarifying the Tithe

• Where Does the Tithe Go?: Giving is not to be scattered but should go to the local house of worship—a point Pastor Jabin makes with bold conviction.
  • Quote: “You don’t just reap what you sow, but where you sow. And if your sowing is divided, you have nowhere to reap from.” (19:00)
• Tithe’s Impact on the Giver: The act of tithing is less about the church’s needs and more about shaping the giver’s heart—it teaches reverence, trust, and expectation from God.
  • Quote: “Tithing will teach you to always fear the Lord...More than anything it does on the outside, it’s what it does in you.” (22:30)

4. Enjoying Money Through Generosity

• Biblical Permission to Enjoy Wealth: Jabin gives a tongue-in-cheek rebuttal to the idea that money can’t buy happiness, while maintaining that true joy comes from giving, not getting.
  • Quote: “Money can only be enjoyed in an open hand. It can never be enjoyed in a closed heart.” (28:45)

What Happens When You Give? (Main Points)

1. When You Give, the Devil Attacks (31:30)

• Spiritual Resistance: Radical generosity is always met with opposition—often from within (doubts, regret) and sometimes from others (criticism).
  • Quote: “Judas never encourages generosity. The devil will always attack you mentally when you take a great step of faith.” (33:40)
• Modern Example: After giving, people often struggle with doubts, comparing this voice of condemnation to ‘Judas’ in the biblical story.
  • Memorable Moment: Pastor Jabin humorously recounts giving away 72% of his income in one year, only to have an old preacher suggest he write it as a loan to be repaid.
    • Quote: “‘Pastor Judas, is that you?’...Because I can’t entertain Judas.” (42:15)

2. When You Give, God Defends (47:00)

• Divine Advocacy: While the devil attacks, God defends, protecting and honoring the act of generosity.
  • Biblical Reference: Jesus tells the critics to “Leave her alone. She’s done a beautiful thing to me.” (Mark 14:6)
  • Quote: “He takes your worship so personally. He takes your generosity so personally. He’s so moved by it...” (48:00)
• Giving is for the Lord: Tithes and offerings aren’t just for church operations—they’re received by God Himself (Hebrews 7).
  • Quote: “You give through City Light Church, but you give to the Lord.” (50:00)

3. When You Give, You Increase (53:40)

• Lasting Impact: The story of the woman’s generosity has echoed through history, while Judas’s story faded into insignificance.
  • Quote: “The world of the generous gets larger and larger. The world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.” (56:50)
• Community Reaching Influence: Stories of people traveling from all over the world to the church underscore the expanding influence of generosity.
• Multiplication Principle: Generous sowing leads to a generous harvest—spiritually, in community, and sometimes materially.

4. God’s Four Ways of Provision (01:06:00)

• Through People’s Hand: God can send provision and favor via other people (e.g., Joseph with Pharaoh).
• Through God’s Hand: Sometimes provision comes supernaturally (e.g., manna, water from a rock).
• Through Your Hand: God blesses the work of your hands—increased ability and opportunity.
• Through Your Enemy’s Hand: God can even use adversaries to bless His people (e.g., Israelites receiving gold from Egyptians).
  • Quote: “What God did for His people in scripture, God is still doing for His people today.” (01:08:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Power of the Tithe:
  • “Giving changes the heart of the giver. It teaches us to remember the Lord and to honor the Lord and never forget this—to expect from the Lord. You can expect from the Lord.” (23:40)
• Comparing Worldly Spending vs. Generosity:
  • “The devil never goes, ‘Hey, I don’t know if that’s a wise investment.’ He goes, ‘Get it!’ But you give and you go, ‘What a waste of money.’ You never ask that at Louis Vuitton.” (36:15)
• God’s Provision and Expectation:
  • “God provides for you in four ways...through people, through His hand, through your hand, and through your enemies.” (01:06:00)
• On the Purpose and Joy of Giving:
  • “Money can only be enjoyed in an open hand. It can never be enjoyed in a closed heart.” (28:45)
• A Note on Cheerful Giving:
  • “God loves a cheerful giver. Isn’t that great? I feel like Paul should have went, ‘I’m putting the pressure on you. Give.’ ... He goes, ‘Hey, no pressure. Do whatever the Lord tells you to do.’” (01:03:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Setting the Scene & Main Text: 00:00–07:00
• Money is Spiritual / Spirit of Mammon: 10:00–15:00
• Clarifying the Tithe: 17:00–23:30
• Enjoying Wealth & True Generosity: 25:00–29:45
• When You Give, the Devil Attacks: 31:30–46:00
• Jabin’s Radical Generosity Testimony: 39:00–44:00
• When You Give, God Defends: 47:00–53:20
• When You Give, You Increase: 53:40–01:06:00
• God’s Four Ways of Provision: 01:06:00–01:10:00

Episode Takeaways

• Generosity is a spiritual act that impacts not just your finances, but your heart, your future, and your community.
• God defends and honors acts of sacrificial giving, even when others criticize or misunderstand you.
• Giving expands your world and legacy—the story of the generous is retold and multiplied far beyond their own lifetime.
• Expect God’s provision—through various means—when you step out in faith to give.
• Cheerful, faith-filled giving is the biblical standard and the pathway to true enjoyment and blessing.

This episode is both a deep dive into biblical principles of generosity and a passionate call to action, delivered in Pastor Jabin’s engaging and sometimes playful style. The message leaves listeners with encouragement to trust God, live open-handedly, and to expect Him to move in response to generous faith.