WHAT CHANGE DO YOU NEED TO MAKE?--PART III

SERMON TITLE: GIVE ALL YOU CAN

SERMON THEME: GIVING IS A BLESSING

INTRODUCTION: MAKE ALL YOU CAN, SAVE ALL YOU CAN, GIVE ALL YOU

CAN.

ACTS 20:35

³⁵ In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

· YOU HAVE TO FREE UP ONE HAND IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE BLESSED SO YOU CAN BLESS OTHERS.

II CORINTHIANS 9:11

¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

· A GENEROUS GIVER IS ONE WHO GIVES WITH A JOYFUL ATTITUDE AND A COMPASSIONATE HEART.

JAMES 1:17

¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

GENEROSITY IS A DESIRE TO GROW IN FOLLOWING JESUS

I) TRUSTING GOD WITH YOUR BEST

LUKE 19:1-6

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. ⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

· WE SEE THINGS BEGIN TO CHANGE WHEN JESUS MEETS ZACCHAEUS AND HIS MONEY.

PROVERBS 11:24-25

²⁴ One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

²⁵ A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

· IF GIVING IS GOOD THEN I WANT TO GET BETTER AT IT.

II) REARRANGE AND PLAN TO BE GENEROUS

LUKE 19:7-8

⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 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.”

JESUS GIVES ZACCHAEUS THE GIFT OF HIS PRESENCE MOVING HIM FROM GREED TO GENEROSITY.

MALACHI 3:10

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 there will not be room enough to store it.

· WORSHIP GOD WITH YOUR FIRST AND YOUR BEST AND TRUST GOD TO BLESS THE REST!

III) START SHARING YOUR BLESSINGS

LUKE 19:9-10

⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

· SALVATION IS A GIFT GIVEN BY GOD'S GRACE WHICH CALLS FOR A RESPONSE THAT INVOLVES YOUR WHOLE LIFE INCLUDING YOUR MONEY.

ISAIAH 32:8

But the noble make noble plans, and by noble deeds they stand.

· ZACCHAEUS RECOGNIZED THAT RESPONDING TO JESUS MEANT CHANGING HIS FINANCIAL WAYS AS WELL AS HIS MORALITY AND HIS LOYALTY.

CONCLUSION: BECAUSE OF ALL GOD HAS DONE, YOUR ONLY REASONABLE RESPONSE IS TO BE A BLESSING IN THE LIVES OF OTHER PEOPLE.

PHILEMON 1:6

⁶ I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.