Wisdom in Our Resources

Introduction

Illustration: (Brett Deal) Have a bag of candy and give out just a few pieces and ask “Did everyone get a piece?” (Ask Brett about the point to drive home)

1. God Loves a Generous Heart

2 cor

2 Corinthians 9:6–7 ESV

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2. Generous in our Giving

The Biblical basis for generosity is giving

Proverbs 3:9–10 ESV

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.

Proverbs 3:10 ESV

10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

May we be generous to the poor (Possible option of showing the video of the new pastor of a church dressing up like a homeless person)

Proverbs 19:17 ESV

17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

If we don’t get it right after Proverbs provides the wisdom, God will deal with us a little firmer.

Proverbs 28:27 ESV

27 Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.

May we as a church be generous to the poor. Through our benevolence ministry, I would like to better care for the needy in our body. We would not only love to continue to work with ministries like “Jesus was Homeless” but also finish our kitchen so that we can feed the hungry.

3. Generous in our Serving

4. Generous in Our Sharing

Timothy teaches how a Christian should act:

1 Timothy 6:18 ESV

18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

God was generous to us when we were ignorant of Him.

Romans 5:6–8 NIV

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans

Conclusion

Possibly close with a fun memory verse?

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.”

Illustration: The Story of R.G. LeTourneau

There lived during the early years of the last century, a wonderfully gifted man who was richly blessed by God in his business. The name of this gifted man was R. G. LeTourneau. LeTourneau was a designer and builder of the great earth moving equipment which was instrumental in permitting North American governments to design and construct the vast network of roads and urban infrastructure which has built the modern nations. In the process of building infrastructure of the nations, LeTourneau earned a vast fortune.

LeTourneau, a Christian, was determined that he would honour God through generosity. At the first, he committed to giving a tenth of his income, which he soon increased to twenty percent. As he kept on earning money he continued increasing the amount he gave to God and the advancement of the Faith until he was donating an astonishing ninety percent of his earnings to the work of the Lord. Near the end of his life, LeTourneau confessed that he had enjoyed life immensely, and especially had he enjoyed contributing to the work of the Lord. His testimony was that as he used a spoon to scoop money out the backdoor of his life, God was shovelling money into his life with a scoop shovel. His testimony was that no one could out give God.

(Give each child a baggy with supplies to make “Spoony” - “God loves a cheerful giver”)

Our heavenly Father is generous beyond human comprehension and He wants his children to do the same!

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.