Podcast Summary: "I’m as Mad as You Are"

Red Rocks Church Weekend Messages
Date: November 22, 2025
Host/Speaker: Sean Johnson (Lead Pastor, Red Rocks Church)
Series: Kingdom Builders, Week 2

Episode Overview

This episode, “I’m as Mad as You Are,” forms the second week of Red Rocks Church’s annual “Kingdom Builders” series—a time when the church focuses on generosity, sacrificial giving, and building God’s kingdom. Lead Pastor Sean Johnson addresses the tension and discomfort around money, tithing, and generosity, openly sharing both his own experiences and the church’s purpose. The overall message emphasizes the heart behind giving, biblical principles, and the potential for transformation, both personally and as a faith community.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Stage: What Kind of Church Are We?

• Inclusivity and Imperfection: Sean welcomes everyone, highlighting, “We’re just a bunch of messed up, imperfect people… but we love to get together like this, get a little rowdy, and pursue a perfect God.” (00:23)
• The Heart of Generosity: The church built its legacy not on perfect worship or preaching, but on radical generosity: “If we stay a really really generous church, God will have a reason to keep us around.” (05:28)

2. Kingdom Builders—A Call to Generosity

• The Annual Offering: Every year, Red Rocks holds a Kingdom Builders offering to go “above and beyond” to help the hurting and proclaim Jesus.
• The Central Prayer:
  • “God, based on all the ways you’ve blessed me this year, what can I give to build your kingdom and not just mine?” (07:00)
• Acknowledging Discomfort: Sean is candid about how sermons on giving often trigger a range of emotions—from excitement to anger and skepticism. He empathizes, recalling his own discomfort with tithing before becoming a pastor (11:30).

3. Honest Emotions Around Money and Church Giving

• “I was like, I’ll fight you right here. Like, it just sounded crazy ... you should start shutting up.” (12:25, on first hearing about tithing)
• Sean addresses skepticism about motives—“It’s awfully convenient, the guy who works at the church is going to talk about giving to the church.” (15:00)
• Transparency: Sean and his wife, Jill, always go “first” in giving and experience the same mix of fear and faith as the congregation.

4. Why Talk About Money?

• Four Reasons Sean Is “All In” on Generosity Sermons:
  1. Miracles follow obedient generosity.
  2. Greater closeness to God through sacrificial giving.
  3. Deeper sense of personal purpose.
  4. It’s really important to God— “Nearly half of Jesus’ parables are about money and possessions.” (18:18)
• “God doesn’t need our money, but He wants our heart. And He knows if He can have our heart, then He could change our whole life.” (21:52)

5. The Big Picture: Biblical Timeline of Giving

a. First and Best (Genesis 4)

• The First Family: The story of Cain and Abel illustrates God’s desire for “first and best,” not leftovers (28:30).
  • “Cain brought some. Abel brought the first and the best.” (29:22)
• Proverbs 3:9-10 cited to show the continuity of this principle.

b. The Tithe: A Timeless Principle

• Not Just Old Testament Law:
  • Abraham tithed 600 years before Mosaic Law (34:40).
  • Jacob did so 500 years before the Law.
• Leviticus and Malachi: The Law codifies tithing as “holy to the Lord.”
• Jesus Affirms Tithe in the New Testament:
  • “You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former.” (Matthew 23:23, 45:27)
• Defining Tithing (and What It’s Not):
  • “Tithing isn’t serving. Tithing isn’t giving to another great charity. Tithing is not buying merch in the lobby.” (41:10)
  • Humorous story about his son thinking buying Red Rocks merch counted as tithing.

c. Above and Beyond

• Jesus calls for radical generosity: “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor…” (46:15)
• Acts 2 Church: Early believers gave “above and beyond.”
• 2 Corinthians 8: The Macedonian churches, though impoverished, experienced “overflowing joy” through rich generosity.
  • “See that you excel in the grace of giving.” (48:49)

6. Why It Matters - The “Why” Behind the Offering

• Impact Stories:
  • Stories (50:00 onward) of people delivered from substance abuse, suicide, homelessness—lives changed through the church’s ministry (clip montage).
• “We’re not a courtroom for the convicted. We are a hospital for the broken.” (51:45)
• Generosity = Changed Lives: 1,157 baptisms last week—evidence of the church’s impact through combined giving.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On giving and the heart:
  “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also… if something grabs my heart, I’ll give to it. Jesus said, that’s not how it works. It’s the opposite. You give to something if you want it to have your heart.” — Sean Johnson (22:13)

• On the emotional challenge of generosity:
  “We did last year… I ruined a whole day of our family vacation because we came back with our numbers and I was like, what!?” (16:44)

• Illustrating Biblical Timeline:
  “The tithe was 5, 600 years before there ever even was this Old Testament law.” (38:23)

• On extravagant New Testament generosity:
  “That’s class 101. Now I want you to hold the 90% real loosely.” — (46:50)

• Humor Break:
  “Tithing is not what your wife signed you up for while she was listening to K-LOVE…” (41:18)

• On Kingdom Impact:
  “Your giving is changing the world now and making heaven more crowded forever. That’s why we do what we do.” (45:00)

• On God’s desire:
  “God who wants all people to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4, reflecting at 57:00)

• On Offering as Solidarity with God’s Passion for the Lost:
  “This is my way of saying, ‘Hey, Dad, I don’t have a whole lot to offer you, but I’m as mad as you are. And let’s go get this world.’” (58:35)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–06:00: Welcome, series introduction, church vision on generosity
• 11:30–18:00: Personal testimony – first encounter with tithing, honesty about emotions
• 18:00–22:00: Why talk about money? Jesus’ teachings, biblical statistics
• 28:30–34:40: “First and best” offering—Cain and Abel, first fruits
• 34:40–45:30: The biblical principle of the tithe: Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Leviticus, Malachi, Jesus’ confirmation
• 41:10: What tithing is and isn’t (humorous merch story)
• 46:15–49:00: Jesus’ “above and beyond” call to generosity—Acts, Corinthians
• 50:00–52:30: Testimonies of changed lives; impact video
• 52:30–end: Closing exhortation, prayer, altar call

Closing Challenge

• Sean invites the congregation to pray and ask not just what to give, but how to make it their “first and best,” or to take the bold step of tithing for the first time.
• He frames the offering as a rallying cry—a chance to align with God’s own passion for the lost and broken: “I’m as mad as you are.”
• Ends with compelling testimonies and prayer, focusing on miracles, life-change, healing, and the ongoing movement of God through collective generosity.

Episode Takeaway

This episode reframes generosity not as an obligation or transactional exchange, but as a heart issue closely linked to faith and transformation—personally, communally, and globally. Pastor Sean’s transparency, humor, and biblical sweep encourage listeners to move from skepticism or discomfort toward courageous, joyful generosity, with the ultimate goal of making heaven more crowded and lives restored.