Love Acts - 2026

10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. 12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.

Before we can talk about how much or what we give, we have to settle a much bigger question: whose is it in the first place? Haggai's words are blunt on purpose — the silver is God's. The gold is God's. Every account balance, every paycheck, every acre and asset we call "mine" is, in truth, on loan.

We are mere stewards !!

Jacobs Dream…

Genesis 28:22 ESV

22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

Look at Jacob in Genesis 28. This moment happens before the Law existed, before there was a temple, before anyone had ever heard the word "tithe" in a commandment. Jacob had just had an overwhelming encounter with God — and his very next instinct was to say, "of all that you give me, I will give a tenth back to you." No one told him to do that. Gratitude did.

Abraham / Malchisadeck

Abraham / Isaac

That's the order that matters: encounter first, generosity second. We don't give in order to get God's attention. We give because we've already had it — because we've already seen who He is and what He's given us.

Application: We don't give to make God richer — He owns it all already. We give to tell the truth about who really holds the deed to our lives.

Transition: So if giving starts with remembering it's all His — what does giving look like once that truth actually reaches our hearts, not just our heads? That's where we turn next.

Point 2: Giving Reflects a Transformed Heart, It’s Not a Substitute for One.

Scripture: Matthew 23:23; 1 Corinthians 13:3 and Luke 19:1-10.

Matthew 23:23 ESV

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

Jesus's rebuke to the Pharisees is easy to misread. He is not telling them to stop tithing. Look closely at His words — He says, "these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others." The problem was never their giving. The problem was that their giving had become a substitute for character — a way to look righteous while ignoring justice, mercy, and faithfulness toward actual people.

Paul takes this even further in 1 Corinthians 13.

1 Corinthians 13:3 ESV

3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

You could give away everything you own — every last cent — and if it's not accompanied by love, Paul says you gain nothing. That's a sobering thought. It means generosity was never meant to stand alone. It's meant to flow out of a life that's actually being changed by God.

Luke 19:1–10 ESV

1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Matthew 18:21–35 = Forgiveness (77 times) Parable of the unforgiving servant…

Application: Generosity with money should be matched by generosity of spirit — toward the poor, toward people who've wronged us, toward our own families. Giving a check is not a substitute for a changed heart. It's meant to be the overflow of one.

But even when generosity flows from a transformed Heart, God is concerned with more than the action itself. He also cares about the attitude with which we give. We can do the right thing outwardly while our hearts remain fearful, reluctant, or resentful. That brings us to the kind of heart from which giving should flow.

Transition: But let's be honest — it's possible to give generously and still miss the point entirely. Jesus had strong words for people who did exactly that.

Point 3: Giving is an Expression of Worship, Not an Act of Obligation

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:7; Mark 12:41-44 and Matthew 6:1-4.

2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV

7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Paul could not be plainer: God is not interested in reluctant giving or compelled giving. He loves a cheerful giver. That word "cheerful" in the Greek is where we get our word "hilarious." God loves hilarious generosity — giving that comes from joy, not from a guilt-driven sense of obligation.

Mark 12:41–44 ESV

41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Hilarious Giving - Giving out of Worship - That's exactly what we see in the widow at the temple. Jesus watches the wealthy drop in large, impressive sums, and then a poor widow puts in two small coins — worth almost nothing. And Jesus says she gave more than all of them. Not because of the amount, but because of what it cost her and what it revealed about her trust. She gave out of her poverty, not her leftovers. That's a heart that trusts God with tomorrow!

And notice Jesus's words in Matthew 6 —

Matthew 6:1–4 ESV

1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

giving is meant to happen quietly, between you and the Father, not as a performance for the people around you. That tells us something: generosity isn't ultimately about the church noticing you. It's about your relationship with God growing.

Application: This is the heart of the whole message. Giving is not a tax you pay to stay in good standing. It's an expression of a relationship. God isn't auditing the size of the gift — He's reading the heart behind it.

So we've seen that giving starts with remembering whose it is, reflects a life being transformed, and flows from worship. Now I want to close with the part of this message I most want you to remember: when God calls us to give, He is also inviting us to place our needs, our future, and our security into His faithful hands.

Transition: Cheerful giving requires more than gratitude—it requires faith! Releasing what God has placed in our hands means trusting Him with what remains. That leads us to the final truth: when God calls us to give, He is also inviting us to depend upon His faithfulness.

Point 4: Giving is an Invitation to Trust God with the Proof

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-10; Malachi 3:10; Romans 8:31-32; Matthew 6:25-34 and Joshua 21:45.

Proverbs 3:5–10 ESV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Malachi 3:10 ESV

10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

I want to be careful here, because this verse gets misused. Malachi 3:10 is not a vending machine — it's not "put in a dollar, get out a blessing, guaranteed." It's not a formula for getting rich. It's something far more personal than that: it is God Himself inviting His people to test Him. Nowhere else in Scripture does God say "test me." He says it here, about giving, because He wants to prove His own faithfulness to a people who are holding back out of fear.

Romans 8:31–32 ESV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Matthew 6:25–34 ESV

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

OT Provision

Noah

Abraham

Moses

Joshua 21:45 ESV

45 Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

Luke 6:38 ESV

38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Acts 20:35 ESV

35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

That's the invitation on the table this morning. Not "give and get rich" — but "trust me enough to find out what I'll do." The return isn't always financial — it's an abundant, open-handed life that God cultivates in people who hold their possessions loosely. And Acts 20:35 gives us the deepest truth underneath all of it: giving isn't a sacrifice we grit our teeth through. It's actually where the greater blessing lives. Jesus said it Himself — it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Application: God does not promise that every gift will produce an immediate financial return. He promises something better: that He will remain faithful. Giving becomes an act of trust in which we loosen our grip on what we can see and place our confidence in the God who sees every need. We do not give to manipulate God into blessing us; we give because we believe He is already our Provider.

Close

So here is what I want to invite you to do. Not out of guilt. Not out of pressure. Out of faith.

If you have never given consistently — I'm not asking you to leap to some huge percentage today. I'm asking you to pray. This month. Pray about an amount, even a small one, and bring it as an act of trust. Test Him, like He invites us to, and watch what He does — not just in our pocket books, but in our hearts.

If you already give faithfully — Thank you!! I want to ask a harder question. Is there a next step of trust God is calling you to? Maybe it's increasing what you give. Maybe it's examining whether it's still worship, or whether it's become routine. Ask Him honestly, and be ready to obey what He shows you.

For all of us — I want to issue a challenge. For the next 90 days, let’s take one step of generosity that requires actual trust — not comfortable generosity, but the kind that makes us depend on God for what's next.

How will we be generous with our TIME / TALENT / TREASURE ??

And then I want you to come back and tell your story. Tell us how God provided. Because when this church starts collecting testimonies of God's faithfulness instead of just budget reports, something changes in all of us.

Church, God is NOT asking us to give because He's short on resources. He owns it all already. He's asking us to give because He wants to grow your trust, your joy, and your freedom from the grip fear can have on our lives.

So this week — don't just consider it. Test Him. And see what He will do.

Group Questions

What is the most meaningful unexpected gift you have ever received? Why did it affect you so deeply?

How does remembering that everything belongs to God change the way we view our money, possessions, time, and abilities? (Haggai 2:8)

Jacob’s generosity followed his encounter with God. Why is the order—encounter first, generosity second—so important? (Genesis 28:22)

How can religious giving become a substitute for justice, mercy, faithfulness, or love? (Matthew 23:23; 1 Corinthians 13:3)

What does Zacchaeus’s response to Jesus teach us about the connection between a transformed heart and generosity? (Luke 19:1–10)

What is the difference between giving out of obligation and giving as an act of worship? (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Why did Jesus say the poor widow gave more than the wealthy people, even though her financial gift was smaller? (Mark 12:41–44)

What fears or concerns make it difficult for people to trust God with their finances?

How can we distinguish biblical trust in God from the false idea that giving guarantees greater financial wealth?

What specific step of generosity could you take during the next 90 days with your time, talent, or treasure—and how can the group encourage you?

INTRODUCTION 5 min • Love that stays silent isn’t love yet

• HOOK – Boby: says “I love you” daily → texts, sticky notes → “I wish I knew what it looked like” → always “meant to”

– Ask: Are we Boby with God? With the people in front of us?

Love that stays silent isn't love yet!

• SETTING: night before the cross → towel & basin → Judas leaves, “and it was night” (13:30) → hours left = say only what matters

• READ John 13:34–35 “34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.””

• Three things to notice:

– 1. Commandment – not a mood, theme, feeling… an assignment

– 2. NEW – the measure: “just as I have loved you” – look at Him, not yourself

– 3. “By this all people will know” (v35) – world is watching; evidence = visible love

• His love = a story with verbs: lepers, outcasts, graves, towel, cross

• TAGLINE: Love Acts – we didn’t invent it, we found it in Jesus

• PREVIEW: Gives • Grows • Matures • Serves • Witnesses

• TRANSITION: “Before the five, we must deal with something…” (not a to-do list)

FOUNDATION 4 min • Love needs more than willpower

• Peter (John 13:36–38): “I will lay down my life for you” → rooster, 3 denials

– Had the intention + passion, not the power. Neither do we.

• Jesus gives the how → the vine (John 15:5): “Apart from me you can do nothing”

– Branch doesn’t strain; it stays connected → fruit appears

– 15:12 repeats the command

• Not burnout: striving = exhausting religion; abiding = fruit

• TRANSITION: “Hold that thought – it shapes all five.”

1. LOVE GIVES

5–6 min • Financial generosity

John 3:16 • 2 Cor 8:9 • 2 Cor 9:7

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

• Love = motive → giving = action. Can’t separate them.

• Jesus gave: throne → feeding trough; praise → rejection; His life

• Giving is not fundraising → it’s worship + trust (“God, not my bank account, is my security”)

• Cheerful – not reluctant, not compelled

2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV

7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

• ★ VISION: name 2–3 concrete things giving makes possible (real numbers / stories)

Youth and Family Pastor

Youth Programs

New Roof

Care for our congregation

Missions to the unreached

outreach to local unsaved !

• Who’s in the room: never given • gives leftovers • faithful for decades (God sees every dollar)

CALL ▶ Start giving • step up • consider a vision gift → mark the card

Love gives.

2. LOVE GROWS

5 min • Spiritual growth

2 Pet 3:18 • John 15:4

2 Peter 3:18 ESV

18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

• Sometimes the most loving action = sitting still with Jesus

John 15:4 “4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”

• Can’t give what you don’t have → empty = resentful serving, frustrated giving, hollow witness

• Jesus withdrew to pray – if He needed the rhythm, so do we

• Growth = connected, not impressive → prayer, Word, fasting, Sabbath, community = how a branch drinks / feeds

• Nobody drifts into depth – we drift into busyness, phone at 11 p.m.

CALL ▶ 10 unhurried minutes daily • join a small group / prayer team

Love grows.

3. LOVE MATURES

5 min • Biblical maturity

Eph 4:14–15 • Heb 5:12–14

Ephesians 4:14–15 ESV

14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

• Growing = direction; maturing = depth

John 15:4 “4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”

• His words must live in us, not visit on Sundays

• Love w/o truth = sentimentality | Truth w/o love = harshness | Jesus = grace + truth

Hebrews 5:12–14 “12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

• Heb 5: milk → meat – an invitation up, not a shaming

9/11 time of prayer…

• Looks like: navigate your Bible • know what/why • disagree without division • not shaken by trends • pull someone up

CALL ▶ Bible reading plan • discipleship class • disciple someone / be discipled

Love matures.

4. LOVE SERVES

5 min • Faithful service

John 13:14 • 1 Pet 4:10 • Gal 5:13

John 13:14 ESV

14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

• Same room, just before our text: towel, basin, Creator on His knees – even Judas’ feet

• “I have given you an example” – something you can copy

1 Peter 4:10 “10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:”

• Every believer is gifted – not some. Not filling slots; the body functioning

• Serve from abiding, not guilt | No spectators – it’s a family business

• Faithfulness > visibility: 6 a.m. chairs • nursery • greeters • driving a saint to the doctor • meal for the grieving

CALL ▶ Serve in one place (church or community) → pick a team on the card; we connect you this week

Love serves.

5. LOVE WITNESSES

5 min • Bold evangelism

John 13:35 • John 15:26–27 • Acts 1:8

John 13:35 ESV

35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

• Re-read v35: our witness is tied to our love → strongest evidence = people who love at a cost

• Drowning / lifeboat • found the cure – would love stay quiet?

• The Spirit testifies (15:26–27) – you’re not alone

Acts 1:8 “8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

• Bold = willing, prayerful, intentional – not loud, not obnoxious, not Thanksgiving arguments

• Mission field: neighbors • coworkers • classmates • cousin • ball field – placed on purpose

• Most come through someone who invited, served, and told their story

• “Here’s what Jesus did for me” = a sermon. Say it.

CALL ▶ Write 3 names • pray daily this month • one invite / serve / story

Love witnesses.

CLOSING 8–10 min • The cross is the proof

• Back to John 13:1 “1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”

: “loved them to the end” → then John 15:13 “13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

: greater love… lay down his life

• Jesus did all five, perfectly, for us:

Love gives: He gave His life. Love grows: He grew in wisdom and in favor with God and man. Love matures: He was the Word made flesh. Love serves: He came not to be served but to serve. Love witnesses: He came to seek and to save the lost. Everything we’ve talked about this morning has already been done perfectly, and it was done for YOU!

And that’s the good news. Before this is ever a call to do, it is an announcement of what has been done

• ★ KEY LINE: “You are not loved because you act. You act because you are loved.”

• GOSPEL INVITATION: never received His love? Can’t earn it, don’t have to → turn, trust, receive → [how to respond]

• Now, church. Close your eyes for a moment and picture this. Five years from now. Every person in this room lives out these five things. Giving cheerfully so doors open that were once closed. Growing deeply so we are rooted when storms come. Maturing in the Word so we can hold truth and grace together. Serving faithfully so no one in our community feels forgotten. Witnessing boldly so our neighbors hear the good news from people they trust.

[Add your specific, local picture: families restored, baptisms, new ministries, a changed neighborhood.]

I believe that is the church God is calling us to be. Not a church that says love. A church that does love.

• RESPONSE: card in hand → “What is my next step?” → one step is enough → basket / altar → prayer teams ready, soft music

“The world won’t know we are His by our words alone. Church, let’s make love act.”

Group Questions

Read John 13:34–35. What stands out to you about Jesus saying, “just as I have loved you”? How does Jesus’ love become the standard for how we love others? Pasted markdown

The message describes a gap between saying we love and actually showing love. Where are you most tempted to let good intentions take the place of action? Pasted markdown

Read John 15:4–5. Why is abiding in Christ so important before we start talking about giving, serving, witnessing, or anything else we do? What happens when we try to live the Christian life on willpower alone? Pasted markdown

Love Gives: The sermon says giving is an act of worship and trust rather than simply meeting a financial need. How does generosity reveal what we believe about God? Pasted markdown

Love Grows: What practices have helped you stay connected to Christ? What tends to distract you or keep you from intentionally spending time with Him? Pasted markdown

Love Matures: What is the difference between simply knowing more about the Bible and actually becoming a mature follower of Jesus? In what area do you think God is currently calling you to mature? Pasted markdown

Love Serves: Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, including the feet of men who would abandon Him. What does His example teach us about whom we serve, how we serve, and why we serve? Pasted markdown

Love Witnesses: What most often keeps Christians from talking about Jesus with others? How can we become more willing, prayerful, and intentional without becoming pushy or argumentative? Pasted markdown

Of the five areas—Give, Grow, Mature, Serve, Witness—which one do you believe God is asking you to focus on most right now? What is one specific action you could take this week?

The sermon ends with the statement, “You are not loved because you act. You act because you are loved.” Why is that distinction so important? How does the gospel change our motivation for everything discussed in this message?

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