The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure - 9

 The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure - 9

Subject – Questions That Need to be Asked

By Rick Welborne

Matthew 13:44 (NKJV)
⁴⁴  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 

--As a point of review, let’s look at some of the keys we have learned in this series. Maybe you have forgotten this but even one of our Distinctives as a church is Generous Giving.

Randy Alcorn – Our approach to money and possessions is central to our spiritual lives. 

--Anything we try to hang on to here will be lost. But anything we put in God’s hands will be ours for eternity. If that doesn’t take your breath away, you don’t understand it. 

Alcorn - You can’t take it with you—but you can send it on ahead of you.

Psalm 24:1 (NLT2) ¹ The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. 

--This is so powerful…even the poor can be generous.

2 Corinthians 8:1-2 (NIV)
¹  And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
²  Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 

--Jesus is our example of ultimate giving and sacrifice.

2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV) ⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 

2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV) ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

--We learned from Jesus that it is absolutely okay to be motivated by receiving rewards in Heaven. His idea.

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)
¹⁹  "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…²⁰  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… ²¹  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

--My heart always goes where I put God’s money. What we do with our money doesn’t simply indicate where our hearts are, according to Jesus, it determines where our hearts go. Our hearts follow our treasure.

--Where we invest our treasure largely determines where we put our treasure (This earth or heaven). We have to realize that this earth is not our home, we are only passing through.

Philippians 3:20 (NIV) ²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Alcorn – He who dies with the most toys still dies—and leaves his toys behind. When we die after devoting our lives to acquiring things, we don’t win—we lose. We move into eternity, but our stuff stays behind.

Missionary Jim Elliot – He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.

--When we start this journey of generous giving and laying up treasures in Heaven, maybe we should consider Alcorn’s prayer when he talked about what God required of Israel in regard to tithes and offerings.

Alcorn’s Prayer – “God, do you really expect less of me---who has your Holy Spirit within and lives in the wealthiest society in human history---than you expected of the poorest Israelite?”

--We need to consider our giving is absolutely worship to God, as much as, lifting our hands and shouting.

2 Corinthians 9:12 (NIV) ¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 

--The modern church wants to excel in many areas, media, worship, ministries, outreach, missions, preaching…

2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV) ⁷ But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 

John Wesley – Money never stays with me. It would burn me if it did. I throw it out of my hands as soon as possible, lest it should find its way into my heart. 

Alcorn – God prospers me not to raise my standard of living but to raise my standard of giving. God comes right out and tells us why He gives us more money than we need. It’s not so we can find more ways to spend it. It’s not so we can indulge ourselves and spoil our children. It’s so we can give---generously.

--A good question…Why does God give some of His children more than they need and others less than they need? So that He can use His children to help one another. He does not want us to have too much or too little.

--So many times when we look at spiritual gifts in the church we overlook what Paul said:

Romans 12:8 (NIV)
⁸  if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously;

--What our commitment should look like.

A. I affirm God’s full ownership of me and everything I own.

Psalm 24:1 (NIV) ¹ The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 

B. I will set aside the first fruits—starting with at least 10 percent of all I receive.

C. Out of the remaining treasure God entrusts to me, I will prayerfully seek to make generous freewill gifts.

D. I ask God to teach me to give sacrificially to His purposes.

E. Knowing, I cannot take earthly treasures with me, I determine to store up treasure in Heaven.

--As we come close to the end of this series on The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure and realizing our need to store up treasures in Heaven instead of here on earth, let’s look at a few questions:

1. Father, have you blessed me and shown me favor for such a time as this?

Esther 4:14 (NIV)
¹⁴  For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" 

--Think about this…Esther was where she was and was in the position God had blessed her with to keep the Jews from being annihilated. Maybe God has blessed us so much for a similar reason. 

--What if God has blessed us all financially with such great treasure and resources that we can keep people from perishing spiritually. Through our giving to missions thousands can be saved, just like the Jews of Esther’s day.

--The church in the US has been so blessed with such wealth and treasure during a time so many in the world are poor and unreached…what an opportunity to lay up treasure in heaven by giving to Life Church missions.

2. Lord, am I honoring you as the owner of everything I have?

--How are we treating God when it comes to Him owning everything we have? Remember, the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. Remember He is supposed to be Lord of all.

--Many of us act like we are the owners and Jesus is just a consultant who we pay a fee of 2% or 10%. We act like we own the store and that God simply works for us to bless us.

--Here’s a test…when was the last time you asked God what He wanted to do with the wealth He has entrusted to you? If He is the owner of it all, it might be good to check with Him.

--If we asked God if He wanted us to give more to missions or to build a bigger house, buy a newer car, or take another elaborate trip, what do you think His answer would be? Tough questions, Pastor Rick.

3. Lord, have I fallen for the lie that I can’t afford to be generous with my giving?

2 Corinthians 8:1-2 (NIV)
¹  And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
²  Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 

--How do “severe trial,” “overflowing joy,” “extreme poverty,” and “rich generosity” all end up in one verse? Giving is not just for the rich, it is a joyous privilege of the poor.

--Unfortunately, I have seen people in such overwhelming debt they strangled their ability to be generous with God or missions. This hit me as I typed out unfortunately. Un-fortune. It is so sad.

--Remember it all belongs to Him and we are responsible with how we manage it. Extreme debt will choke out your ability to help the poor, give to missions, and most important, be obedient to God. Let me challenge you:

A. A good place to start is being faithful with the tithe and with something for missions.

B. If you have never made a Faith Promise to missions, do it. You will be so glad.

D. If the amount you give above your tithe to missions is merely a token, double it and watch God.

E. Look for and pray for opportunities to be generous in the church and outside the church.

F. Prayerfully ask God what it really means to lay up treasures in Heaven.

G. Finally, find someone or some ministry to bless this week with a generous love gift.

The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure - 8

 The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure - 8

Subject – Some Things to Consider

By Rick Welborne

Matthew 13:44 (NKJV)
⁴⁴  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 

--Maybe (hopefully) you are asking “How much is God asking me to give beyond my ten percent (tithe). Truthfully, only God can answer that question. That means we need to ask Him.

--God has not established one set amount for our voluntary giving. Here’s where the fun comes in about giving, we get to pray and ask Him what He wants us to do. He promises to give us guidance.

James 1:5-7 (NIV)
⁵  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
⁶  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
⁷  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;

--Please do not think that obeying God in your giving or in anything else is burdensome. It definitely is not.

1 John 5:3 (NIV) ³ This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

--Whenever we are obedient to God there is so much joy and peace.

Psalm 119:47 (NLT2) ⁴⁷ How I delight in your commands! How I love them! 

1. Where Our Giving Should Start

--Giving should always start with your local Bible believing Christ centered church, the spiritual community to which you are accountable. 

--I believe the Book of Malachi is pretty clear about where our tithe belongs. It tells us to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse which is a reference to the local church.

Malachi 3:8-10 (NIV)
⁸  "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings.
⁹  You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me.
¹⁰  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 

--I am constantly amazed how many people ask me if it is okay for them to give or send their tithes to other places or people rather than giving it to their local church.

--One man asked me if it was okay for him to send his entire tithe to a church in New York State while he attended Life Church. He said they need it more than you guys do. That’s not the point.

--I asked him did he believe it was okay for him to eat here in the Villages at Outback and enjoy a good meal but send his money to another Outback in another state. Probably won’t work. 

--Beyond your tithe, you can support your local churches mission’s program hopefully giving to the general missions so that present missionaries can be supported and others added. Support in-house ministries.

--Pastor, is it okay to support secular organizations? It may be good to ask the which is more important, the Human Society, or whatever is close to the heart of God when it comes to evangelism, church planting, or the poor?

--Many give to so called Christian Colleges who have moved far from biblical standards and are leading young people astray. Do your research and support truly Christian schools with beliefs in God’s Word and His Spirit.

2. Your Giving Commitment – A Review

A. I affirm God’s full ownership of me and everything I own.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)
¹⁹  Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
²⁰  you were bought at a price. 

Psalm 24:1 (NIV) ¹ The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 

--This is saying I recognize that “my” money and possessions are the Lord’s. I am His money manager and His delivery person. I will ask Him what He wants me to do with His money.

B. I will set aside the first fruits—starting with at least 10 percent of all I receive.

--I will be treating it as belonging exclusively to the Lord. I do this in obedience to the Lord, desiring His blessings. By faith I take God up on His challenge to test Him in this. 

Malachi 3:10 (NIV)
¹⁰  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

C. Out of the remaining treasure God entrusts to me, I will prayerfully seek to make generous freewill gifts.

--I recognize and understand God has entrusted wealth to me so that I can be “generous on every occasion.”

 2 Corinthians 9:11-12 (NIV)
¹¹  You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
¹²  This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 

--Pastor, please give us an example of what being “generous on every occasion” could look like here at Life Church. We are so blessed to have missionaries every month here to share their hearts with us.

--What if, you prayed and asked God (on top of your tithe and general mission’s giving) what He would have you do for each of the missionaries who come. 

--At the time of our mission’s convention I ask God what He will have our family to do for each missionary who comes to speak to us. We get the joy of sharing in the ministry of these wonderful people.

--Another what if, what if God wants you to be here to support our missionaries in person and He wants you to be here to be “generous on every occasion?” Something to really consider.

--None of us want to be guilty of robbing God by not only withholding our tithe, but, also by whatever offerings He calls me to give. Obviously, we ask Him to make His will clear to us about what to give.

D. I ask God to teach me to give sacrificially to His purposes.

--This includes helping the poor in my community and around the world. This also includes reaching the lost here in America and around the world. Missions.

--Often people will try to make a major point about reaching the lost here in America instead of sending our money to other countries. Of our 205 missionaries, about 40 are US missionaries. About a fifth.

--To be able to give sacrificially I have to commit myself to avoiding getting myself into unmanageable debt. By doing so I do not tie up God’s money and can follow Holy Spirit leading me to give. 

--Maybe you know this or maybe you don’t, missionary candidates cannot even go on the mission field to minister if much of their funds given to reach the lost would be going toward irresponsible debt.

--If this is a qualification for those who are going, shouldn’t it be a requirement for those who are sending them. It will take a responsible church with a vision to make a difference in the world. God help us.

--There are many things that makes me sad or angry that my money goes toward but I never regret bringing to God my tithes or giving to missions. I apologize for using this verse so much but listen again:

2 Corinthians 9:12 (NIV)
¹²  This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

--My giving is meeting the needs of God’s people (people in my church and missionaries) and it is overflowing with many expressions of thanks (worship) to God! Sacrificial giving brings me great joy!

 2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV) ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

E. Knowing, I cannot take earthly treasures with me, I determine to store up treasure in Heaven.

--I make a settled determination (resolution) to store up treasure in Heaven that is for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ and for the eternal good of others, and myself. 

--I understand that Heaven is my home not earth. I acknowledge Jesus as Lord of my life and that everything I have, yes everything, is His on demand for His purposes.

Psalm 24:1 (NLT2) ¹ The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. 

--Maybe this is a good question to start with if we really believe God owns us and everything we have:

“What am I hanging on to that you would want me to give away?”

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)
¹⁹  "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
²⁰  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
²¹  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure – 7

 The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure – 7

Subject – What Excellent Giving Looks Like

By Rick Welborne

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)
¹⁹  "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
²⁰  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
²¹  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV)
⁷  But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 

--Suppose you have something very important you want to get to someone who really needs it. You wrap it up and hand it over to the UPS guy. What would you think if instead of delivering it, he took it home and kept it?

--You would be upset and rightly so. You would say, “The package doesn’t belong to him! He’s just the middle man. His job is to get the package from me and get it to the person it was intended for!”

1. Money in Our Hands

--Just because God puts money in our hands, it doesn’t mean He intends for it to stay there. Listen to what Paul told the Corinthians, encouraging them to give to the needy in Jerusalem:

2 Corinthians 8:14-15 (NIV)
¹⁴  At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality,
¹⁵  as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."

--A good question…Why does God give some of His children more than they need and others less than they need? So that He can use His children to help one another. He does not want us to have too much or too little.

Proverbs 30:8-9 (NIV)
⁸  Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
⁹  Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. 

--When those who have too much give to those with too little, two problems are solved. When they don’t, two problems are perpetuated. 

--I am sure we have all wondered about this, God distributes unevenly not because He loves some of His children more than others, but so His children can distribute it to their brothers and sisters on His behalf.

Alcorn – Paul said that the God Who supplies seed to the sower will increase our store of seed. Why? So we can stockpile seed or eat it? No, so we can spread it out that it might bear fruit. Abundance isn’t God’s provision for me to live in luxury. It’s His provision for me to help others live. God entrusts me with this money not to build my kingdom on earth but to build His Kingdom in Heaven. 

--Are you eager to plant God’s money (remember all of it is His) in the field of the world that needs Christ? Missions. Does the thought of giving to what will count for eternity make your heart leap?

--If we understood the out-of-this-world rewards, we would join with the Macedonians and beg for the privilege of giving. Many of us, with no thought, continue to take the blessings and spend it on ourselves. It is wrong!

--Before I move on to the next point I want to emphasize something that hopefully will help us all. We need to be satisfied with God wherever we are in our journey. Having little or a lot.

Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)
¹¹  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
¹²  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
¹³  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

2. Five Minutes After I Die. 

--Alfred Nobel dropped the newspaper and put his head in his hands. It was 1888. Nobel was a Swedish chemist who made his fortune inventing and producing dynamite. His brother Ludvig had died in France. 

--Alfred’s grief was compounded by dismay. He had just read, not his brother’s obituary in a French newspaper, but his. The editor had confused the two brothers. 

--The headline read, “The Merchant of Death is Dead.” The obituary described a man who had gotten rich by helping people kill one another. Obviously, he was shaken by the appraisal of his life.

--He resolved to change his legacy with the wealth he had obtained. When he died 8 years later, he had left more than nine million dollars to fund awards for people whose work benefited humanity. The Nobel Prizes.

--Alfred had a rare opportunity to assess his life’s story and to make changes. Before he died, his life made a difference and something of lasting value. 

--We often talk about how sinners will not have the opportunity to go back and make changes in their lives that would change everything, but hear me today, neither will Christians. We have only one lifetime to live.

John Wesley – I judge all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity.

Missionary C.T. Studd – Only one life, twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last. 

--Five minutes after we die we will know exactly how we should have lived. But God has given us His Word so that we don’t have to wait to die to find out. He has also given us His Spirit to live that way now.

--Ask yourself, five minutes after I die, what will I wish I would have given away while I still had the chance? When you come up with your answer, why not start giving it away now. Close the gap of what you wished…

--If Nobel could change his legacy in this world, what about you changing your legacy while you still have time to do it? Do you want to be known as someone who just accumulated what he couldn’t keep or gave it away?

--Don’t feel regret for what you haven’t done up to this point but repent and do what you should have been doing all along. Lest you thinking I am only talking about church, you are mistaken.

--When was the last time your generosity was such that it made a waitress cry for joy because you blessed her so much. It met a need just in time for her or at least let her know someone cared. 

--Christians, hear your pastor, your witnessing in restaurants will only be as effective as your generosity. How can you care for their souls when you don’t care that they make a good living?

--My daughter was appalled one time when she went through a drive through with another family and they did not give the person at the window something extra. Our kids are watching us.

3. Giving is a Spiritual Gift.

Romans 12:6-8 (NIV)
⁶  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
⁷  If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
⁸  if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

--Sadly, in our Western culture, probably the gift that is thought about the least is the gift of giving. We are all called to serve, to show mercy, and to give even if we do not think we have those particular gifts. 

Alcorn – Suppose God wanted to fulfill His plan of world evangelism and help an unprecedented number of suffering people. What gift would you expect Him to distribute widely? Why not the gift of giving? And what might you expect Him to provide for those to whom He’s given that gift? Perhaps unprecedented wealth to meet those needs and further His Kingdom. Look around. Isn’t that exactly what He has done? The question is, what are we doing with the wealth He’s entrusted to us?

--Many churches establish accountability groups where tough questions are asked about Bible study, sexual purity, witnessing, but never about our giving. We have adopted don’t ask, don’t tell when it comes to giving.

--When we are teaching young people about how to grow in their faith, how to pray, or even how to be a leader, what do we do to teach them about giving? I hope Missions has been that opportunity here at Life Church.

--What I have been trying to do with this series is to motivate you to a lifestyle of generosity. It’s my job and my mission. I have tested it for years and it has become one of the joys of my life. Giving? Yes, giving!

Hebrews 10:23-24 (NLT2)
²³  Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.
²⁴  Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

--I want to conclude this sermon by showing you a clip from Schindler’s list. This man saved so many Jews from being slaughtered.

--Listen to his heart as he expresses how he wished he would have done more.

Schindler’s List

Book of James – Chapter One - 6

 Book of James – Chapter One - 6

‘The Preparations Necessary to Withstand Trials and Temptations’

by Bob Yothers

James 1:19-27

   James 1¹⁹ Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ²⁰ Human anger^[g] does not produce the righteousness God desires. ²¹ So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. ²² But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. ²³ For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. ²⁴ You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. ²⁵ But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. ²⁶ If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. ²⁷ Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. NLT.

   To overcome temptation, we must be quick to hear God’s Word, be a doer of the Word not a hearer only, control our tongue, visit the needy and keep ourselves from being polluted by the world.

   Preparation one—be quick to hear the Word of God - VV19-21. 

     We must be quick to listen. 

     We must be slow to speak. 

     We must not become angry and act against others. 

     We must put aside all filthiness. 

     We must put aside all that remains of wickedness, and evil. 

     We must receive the Word of God with meekness. 

   Preparation two—do the Word of God; do not be a hearer only - VV22-25.

     If we only hear and know the Word, we deceive ourselves. 

     If we only hear and know the Word, we will soon forget what we have heard. 

     If we hear and do the Word of God, we are blessed. 

   Preparation three—keep a tight reign on our tongues - V26.

     ‘Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.’ Proverbs 21:23 NLT.

    Preparation four—practice pure religion, look after orphans and widows in their distress and keep ourselves from being polluted by the world - V27.

     We must visit the orphans and widows in their distress. 

     We must keep ourselves from being polluted by the world. 

   To overcome temptation, we must be quick to hear God’s Word, be a doer of the Word not a hearer only, control our tongue, visit the needy and keep ourselves from being polluted by the world.

The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure – 6

The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure – 6

Subject – What Excellent Giving Looks Like

By Rick Welborne

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)
¹⁹  "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
²⁰  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
²¹  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV)
⁷  But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 

--By all means study God’s Word every day so that your faith is growing. Work on being a better public speaker whether it is preaching or teaching. Study diligently so your knowledge will increase. 

--Paul says something that is so amazing…see that you also excel in this grace of giving. If practicing will make you a better piano or tennis player, please know we can learn to be great givers.

--We can learn to give better, we can learn to give more, we can learn to give more often. As we study God’s Word about giving we can excel in this grace of giving. Example of the Macedonian believers:

2 Corinthians 8:3 (NIV) ³ For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. 

--Pastor Rick, what does it mean to give beyond your ability? It means pushing our giving past the point where figures add up. Sometimes giving will seem like it doesn’t make sense, but when we do it, God provides. 

1. Giving Now or Giving Later

--People ask, “Should I give now, or should I hang on to it, hoping my investments will do well and I’ll have more to give in a year?”

--We respond with two questions: “How soon do you want to experience God’s blessing?” Do you want to make sure the money goes to God’s Kingdom, or are you willing to risk it won’t?”

--When we were building this beautiful sanctuary the largest donor to the building met me for breakfast and told me what he wanted to give. He wanted to give it but he wanted us to turn around and invest it in his company.

--I told him I was not comfortable with that even though he guaranteed me his business was a good investment. Fortunately, he gave the money anyway. Over the next year his company almost went bankrupt.

--When we stand before God I do not believe He will say, “You really blew it when you gave Me all that money before the stock market peaked.” It is simply good to give faithfully and consistently every week.

--That’s why I don’t ever believe it’s ever wrong to give to God now instead of later. God can produce far greater returns on money invested in Heaven today than Wall Street or real estate ever can. Risk of not giving:

--The economy could change any moment and we would have less to give. God tells us we don’t know what tomorrow holds for us. Our new leadership may tax us more than we can imagine.

James 4:13-14 (NIV) ¹³ Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."
¹⁴  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 

--Another reason to give now, our hearts may change and we may not follow through with our giving. I had a man tell me a couple of years ago he was giving a large amount. He put it off and it did not happen. Kids.

--The longer we put off giving, the same heart that prompted you to give can change and convince you investments here on earth should increase. Heaven’s interest will decrease.

--We do not know when our lives could end suddenly and our good intentions may not get carried out. Zacchaeus is a good example for us to know what to do:

Luke 19:8 (NIV)
⁸  But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 

--I have you now, Pastor, I will just put the church in my will. Yes, please do that and give a bunch to the church and missions but what kind of conviction does it take to part with your money once you die? No choice.

--Alcorn says death isn’t your best opportunity to give; it’s the end of your opportunity to give. God rewards acts of faith done while we are living. 

John Wesley – Money never stays with me. It would burn me if it did. I throw it out of my hands as soon as possible, lest it should find its way into my heart. 

--Serious question…when the Lord returns, what will happen to all the money sitting in bank accounts, retirement programs, estates, and foundations? It will burn like wood, hay, and straw. Could have been gold…

1 Corinthians 3:11-13 (NLT2)                                                                                                                               ¹¹  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
¹²  Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.
¹³  But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 

--Money that could have been used to feed the hungry and to fulfill the Great Commission will go up in smoke.

2. Our Kid’s Inheritance.

Alcorn – “What about our children?” you may ask. “Aren’t we supposed to leave them all our money?” The answer is no. We will leave to our daughters and their families enough to be of modest help, but not enough to change their lifestyles or undercut their need to pray with and depend upon their husbands.

--Before you completely stop listening, hear his reasons why. He says we have communicated with our family that most of our estate will go to God’s Kingdom. We will leave personal items and help with kid’s education.

--Many times kids do not need more money and it is not necessarily good to leave something to them that they do not need. Being generous to family is a core value but leaving too much may not be in their best interest.

--Many people who have inherited significant wealth or won large amounts of money find themselves less happy and many times tempted to do things they normally would not do. 

Alcorn – Leaving more to God’s Kingdom and less to financially independent children is not just an act of love toward God, but toward them. 

--But, Pastor Rick, the Old Testament talks about leaving an inheritance to children and why that was so important. Children then could not afford their own land and could end up sold into slavery. 

--Many times inheritances today are just money given to children who don’t really need it, and in some cases, could not responsibly handle it. My argument with an attorney about giving to irresponsible children. 

--If we really want to leave our children a great inheritance, why don’t we work on leaving them a spiritual legacy of serving God and being generous with the poor and the Great Commission?

--Some argue; our kids are so responsible that they would give the money to God anyway. If that is the case, why not you just give it to God yourselves and not put your kids in a place of temptation?  

3. We Have Been Entrusted with so Much

Luke 6:38 (NIV)
³⁸  Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." 

--The more you give, the more comes back to you, because God is the greatest giver in the universe, and He will not let you out give Him. Don’t believe me. Try it and see! I could testify all day!

--R.G. LeTourneau invented earth moving machines. He gave 90% of his money back to God but money came in faster than he could give it. 

LeTourneau – I shovel it out and God shovels it back---but God has a bigger shovel. 

--So why does God entrust so much to us? Listen to Paul:

2 Corinthians 9:10-11 (NIV)
¹⁰  Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
¹¹  You will be made rich in every way so that… 

--So that what? Prosperity teaching would tell you it is so the world will see how we can live in wealth showing the world how much God blesses those who love Him. 

--But that is not how Paul finishes the statement. 

2 Corinthians 9:11 (NIV) You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Alcorn – God prospers me not to raise my standard of living but to raise my standard of giving. God comes right and tells us why He gives us more money than we need. It’s not so we can find more ways to spend it. It’s not so we can indulge ourselves and spoil our children. It’s so we can give---generously.

--Think about this…when God provides more money for us, we often think, this is a blessing. It would be just as biblical to think; this is a test. A test of our faithfulness as stewards or as God’s managers.

 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 (NKJV)
¹  Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
²  Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.