1. God wants me to build my life on his promises
2. God makes both unconditional & conditional promises
3. God makes promises to us for two reason:
1. To teach us to trust Him in difficult times
"When I'm hurting, I find comfort in your promise that leads to life." Psalm 119:50 (CEV)
"You're my refuge and shield, and your promises are my only source of hope." Psalm 119:114 (LB)
2. To make us more like Him
"God made these great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us." 2 Peter 1:4a (CEV)
9 REWARDS GOD PROMISES TO ME
IF I LEARN TO BE GENEROUS WITH MONEY
Action Plan: If you are looking for help with managing your finances, check outsaddleback.com/personalfinancesfor resources and information on upcoming classes.
1. GOD PROMISES GOOD THINGS WILL HAPPEN TO ME
"Goodwill come to him who is generous . . ." Psalm 112:5 (NIV)
"Generous people will be blessed . . ." Proverbs 22:9 (NCV)
2. GOD PROMISES MY CHILDREN WILL BE BLESSED
"The godly are always generous…and their children will be blessed." Psalm 37:26 (NIV)
3. GOD PROMISES HE WILL BLESS MY WORK & BUSINESS
"Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income, then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will overflow with the
finest wine." Prov. 3:9 (LB/NLT)
"A generous man will prosper and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)
4. GOD PROMISES I WILL BE HAPPIER
"Remember the words of our Lord Jesus himself who said, 'There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.'" Acts 20:35
5. GOD PROMISES MY INFLUENCE WILL INCREASE
"The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller." Proverbs 11:24 (Mes)
6. GOD PROMISES I WILL END UP WITH MORE
Jesus: "Give, and it will be given back to you in full measure. What you receive will need to be pressed down and shaken together, but it will still run over and be poured into your lap! The way you give to others is the way God will give to you." Luke 6:38
"Some people give generously and end up with more, while others don't give what they should and end up poor." Proverbs 11:24 (NCV)
"Being generous to the poor is like lending to the Lord, and God will pay you back for what you've done." Proverbs 19:17
7. GOD PROMISES TO MEET ALL MY NEEDS
Paul: "I want you to have the good that comes from giving . . . My God will use his wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everythingyou need." Phil. 4:17b, 19 (NCV)
"He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to their needs will receive curses." Proverbs 28:27 (NIV)
"You should give as you have decided in your heart to give. Never give reluctantly or under pressure because God loves the person who gives cheerfully. THEN God will generously provide for you, so that in ALL things at ALL times you'll have ALL that you need and plenty left over to give more to every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:7-8
8. GOD PROMISES HE WILL MULTIPLY WHAT I GIVE HIM
"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." 2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV)
"Just as God gives seed to farmers and bread for food, God gives you a supply of seed (to plant) then he makes it grow so there's a great harvest from your generosity. And God will make you rich enough to be generous at all times." 2 Corinthians 9:10-11
"Be generous, and one day you will be rewarded." Eccl. 11:1 (CEV)
9. GOD PROMISES MY GIVING IS STORED UP IN HEAVEN
"Use your money to do good . . . and give generously, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given you. By doing this you will be storing up real treasure for yourself–it is the only safe investment for eternity!" 1 Tim. 6:18-19a (LB)
Jesus: "Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make (eternal) friends. In this way, your generosity stores up a reward foryou in heaven." Luke 16:9
MY STARTING POINT: TITHING (10%)
"'Is it right to rob God? Yet you are robbing me,' says the Lord. But you ask, 'How are we robbing you?' 'By not returning your tithes and offering. Bring your whole tithe into My Storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be enough room for you to store it! Then I will prevent the pests from devouring your crops . . ." Malachi 3:8-11
Action Plan: If you are not doing so, now is the perfect time to start tithing. Go tosaddleback.com/givefor info and direction on how to give your tithe to your campus.
Doable Discipleship: This week's episode of Doable Discipleship features part 1 of an interview with Pastor Dave Schnitter of Saddleback Berlin on the state of Christianity in Europe and how we are called to love where we live. New episodes release every Tuesday. To watch or listen,click here.
Talk It Over: Have you ever discussed the weekend message in your small group? Talk It Over provides weekly small group discussion questions as a way to bring the weekend message into your small group. To view this week's Talk It Over,click here.
