God has given us so much more than we need or deserve! His design is to bless us that we might be a blessing to others. Not only has God made this principe of reciprocity a key element of His Covenants, but He has actually woven it into the very nature of His Creation!
Reconciliation – All money is God’s money
- Proposition = Generosity
- Complement = Contentment / Thanksgiving
- Antithesis = Greed
Conclusions:
- God expects us to steward money
- How & why you give are more important than who, what & where
- God will provide for you to give
- Stewarded giving is evidence of righteousness
- Stewarded giving must be modeled after God Himself
- God wants to use you in His provision for others
- Generosity leads to thanksgiving and contentment
- You can’t out-give God
Application: Principles of Stewardship
- Put God first
- Be generous as God has been generous
- Make giving generously a component of your worship to God
Philippians 4:16-17
“For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.”
Matthew 6:3-4
“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
1 Timothy 6:6-8
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”
Genesis 1:11-13
“Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.”
Isaiah 55:10-11
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
1 Corinthians 13:3
“If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
1 Timothy 6:3-6
“If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.”
Furnish, II Corinthians, 449
“Those who give generously to the needy should know that their charitable act is part of that larger righteousness of God by which they themselves live and in which they shall remain forever.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”