The Generosity Journey
START WITH THE OWNER
Psalm 24:1; Matt 6:19-21; 1 Tim 6:10
Intro: If Jesus audited your bank statement, what would it say about your faith? Imagine if Jesus didn’t just sit next to you in church but sat across from you with your financial statements and Venmo history. What would He say about what matters most to you? Would He find trust? Or control? Would He see joy-filled generosity—or just monthly payments and Amazon boxes? Let’s be honest: money makes us squirm in church. It’s like bringing up politics at Thanksgiving or asking someone about their bathroom scale—it gets personal fast. But here’s the deal: Jesus talked more about money than heaven and hell combined. Why? Because nothing tests your spiritual temperature like how you handle your treasure. So today, we continue “The Generosity Journey,” not with guilt—but with grace. Because generosity doesn’t start with giving. It starts with understanding who owns what.
- WE’RE NOT OWNERS – WE’RE STEWARDS.
Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.”
God doesn’t just own your Sunday morning—He owns the soil your house sits on, the breath in your lungs, and the neurons firing in your brain.
Abraham Kuyper – “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’”
Here’s the biblical baseline: God owns everything. He owns your house. Your car. Your job. Your IRA. Your calendar. Your breath.
You’re not the owner, you’re the manager. The Bible calls that being a steward.
illus: Imagine a UPS driver finding a package in his truck from Amazon with your name and address on it. But instead of delivering it, he takes it home, opens it, and keeps it. What would you call that? Theft. Why? Because he’s the delivery man, not the owner. That’s you with God’s money. God has entrusted you with stuff—not so you can hoard it, but so you can move it… strategically… eternally.
Deut 8:18 “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…”
Even our ability to earn a paycheck is a gift. Our job titles? Our mental sharpness? The strength in our bodies? God gave us the physical power and the intellect to show up and work.
A.W. Tozer – “Every possession I have is a gift from God and must be held loosely in my hands and given generously when He calls.”
That’s the posture of a faithful steward—not a tight-fisted owner.
1 Cor 4:2 “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”
Here’s the job description. We’re not evaluated by how much we own but by how we manage what we’ve been given.
We don’t have to be rich to be faithful—we just have to be trustworthy with what’s already in our hands.
Let me be clear—being a steward doesn’t mean we have to live like monks/nuns or feel bad for enjoying good things.
Managing our resources biblically is not about cutting back—it’s about looking up. It’s about asking, “God, what do You want me to do with what You’ve given me?”
illus: John Wesley was one of the most influential Christians in history. He traveled thousands of miles on horseback, preached to crowds in the open air, and helped launch a revival that literally changed the world. But what really showed where his heart was? A house fire. One day, a messenger came running up to him breathless and panicked: “Mr. Wesley! Your house—it’s burned down!”
Wesley paused, took a deep breath, and calmly said, “No. The Lord’s house burned. That means one less responsibility for me.”
That was it. No weeping. No rant. No GoFundMe campaign. Just peace. Why? Because Wesley had already settled it in his heart: he didn’t own anything. He had long ago decided to live on as little as possible and give away the rest for the sake of the gospel. He was just a manager—and managers don’t panic when the Owner handles His own property.
Corrie Ten Boom once said, “I’ve learned to hold everything loosely because it hurts when God pries my fingers open.”
That’s not just poetic—it’s practical. The looser your grip, the less it hurts when God moves things around.
She’s right. The issue isn’t how much you have—it’s how tightly you cling to it.
Open hands signal open hearts. And the more we trust the Owner, the freer we will live as the managers.
When we recognize that everything we have belongs to God, it sets us free. We’re not crushed by loss or puffed up by gain. We’re simply faithful.
The test of lordship Is the wallet.
1 Tim 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Money isn’t evil—but loving it is dangerous. It’ll pierce you with grief, the Bible says.
That’s why Jesus constantly tied spiritual health to financial habits.
- John the Baptist didn’t preach on giving—but when the people asked how to repent, he told them to share their coats and stop stealing.
- Zacchaeus proved his salvation by giving back four times what he had stolen.
- The early church didn’t just pray and sing—they sold property to feed the poor.
- And the rich young ruler? He walked away sad—not because Jesus asked too much, but because his money already owned him.
Martin Luther – “There are three conversions: the mind, the heart, and the wallet. The last is the hardest.”
And in our culture, the wallet isn’t just the last to convert—it’s the most fiercely defended.
People will welcome God into their prayer life before they’ll let Him touch their paycheck.
But let’s be honest: if we say, “Jesus is Lord,” while treating our money like it’s off-limits, there’s a disconnect.
The way you handle money proves who is Lord of your life.
You can say Jesus is Lord all day, but if your generosity says otherwise, He isn’t.
Proverbs puts this in perspective.
Prov 3:9–10 “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”
That’s not a prosperity gimmick. It’s a principle. God is not coming after your last dollar; He wants your first.
When we give to God first, not last, we’re showing who comes first in our lives. And God delights in that kind of honoring faith.
illus: R.G. LeTourneau didn’t exactly grow up in the spotlight. He was a mechanic by trade, the kind of guy who liked to build stuff with grease on his hands. But he had a mind for engineering that just wouldn’t quit. Eventually, he invented giant earth-moving machines that helped shape modern construction. His big machines changed the world. He made millions. But here’s what’s wild—he didn’t keep it. He gave away 90% of his income and lived on just 10%. That’s not an exaggeration. Someone asked him once, “Mr. LeTourneau, how can you afford to give away so much?” He grinned and said, “I shovel it out, and God shovels it back—but God has a bigger shovel.” This guy wasn’t reckless—he was radically faithful. He believed God owned it all anyway, and the more he gave, the more God supplied. His company thrived. His ministry impact exploded. And he had the kind of joy and freedom you can’t buy.
If you want to know whether Jesus is really Lord of your life, check the trail of your treasure. God’s blessing often follows a surrendered bank account.
- WHERE YOUR TREASURE GOES, YOUR HEART FOLLOWS.
Matt 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Let me flip that around: If you want your heart in God’s Kingdom, put your treasure there.
Want to care more about eternal things? Start investing in them.
Randy Alcorn – “My heart always goes where I put God’s money. Watch what happens when you reallocate your money from temporal things to eternal things—you start to care more about eternity.”
How does Paul build on Jesus’ teaching?
Col 3:2 “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Your thoughts follow your treasure. If your money’s on earth, your mind stays there. But if you start giving to Kingdom work—supporting ministry, missions, discipleship—your heart starts moving heavenward too.
2 Cor 9:7 “Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”
God doesn’t want guilt-fueled giving. He wants joyful hearts that say, “I get to do this.”
When we love someone, generosity isn’t an obligation—it’s a delight.
Jesus tells a story about a guy walking through a field when suddenly there’s a thud! —his staff hits something. He digs and finds buried treasure. Gold. Jewels. Roman coins. Life-changing wealth.
So what does he do? He buries it again. Runs home. Sells his livestock, tools, furniture—everything. Why? To buy the field.
And here’s the key line: “In his joy, he sold all he had…”
He wasn’t depressed about it. He didn’t need a giving campaign or sad music. His emotions were stirred the moment he discovered the treasure. He was thrilled—because he knew what was coming.
That’s the treasure principle. You can’t take it with you—but you can send it on ahead.
illus: Sam Houston was a legend in Texas. A war hero. Governor. President of the Republic of Texas. The kind of man you’d expect to find wrestling a bear or riding a cannon into battle. But late in his life, something changed. He met Jesus. He asked to be baptized in a river—not because it was convenient, but because it mattered. And after he came up out of the water, soaking wet and smiling, he shocked everyone. He turned to the pastor and said, “I’d like to help pay half your salary.” The pastor blinked. “What brought that on?” Houston smiled again and said, “My wallet was baptized too.”
Sam Houston understood that when Jesus changes your heart, it doesn’t stop at the waterline. It goes all the way to your wallet. He wasn’t trying to buy favor—he was showing that he had been transformed.
You don’t need a big bank account to be generous. You just need a surrendered heart and a place to start.
Conclusion: So where do we begin on this generosity journey? Right here: God owns it all. You’re the manager. And where your treasure goes—your heart follows. If you want a faith that’s real and joyful—not fake and forced—it starts with surrender.
Surrender your stuff. Your schedule. Your savings. Surrender it all back to the One who gave it. Not to earn His love—but because you already have it.
Call to Action: This week, do a “Treasure Audit.” Look at your financial statements. Ask, “What kingdom am I investing in?” Write down what one next step of generosity might look like for you.
For Prayer Ministry:
If you’ve been clinging to your stuff like an owner instead of a steward...
Come forward and surrender. Ask the Lord to help you loosen your grip, to remind you that “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” Pray, “God, I’ve been clutching what You’ve only loaned me. Teach me to live with open hands and a faithful heart.”
If fear or control has kept you from giving generously...
Come and lay down the fear. Ask God to replace anxiety with trust. Say, “Lord, I want to follow You—not my fears. I want to invest in eternity, even when it stretches me.” Let Him prove that His shovel really is bigger.
Closing Prayer:
“Father, You are the Owner of it all. Thank You for entrusting us with time, talent, and treasure. Forgive us for acting like owners instead of stewards. Loosen our grip so we can give joyfully and live freely. Help us live for heaven, not just for today. And may our giving reflect our love for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
If you find Psalm 24 in your Bible, I'm gonna have one verse for you from that. I'm Trevor Davis, I'm GCC's pastor. And this is part two of a three part topical teaching series called the Generosity Journey. And my aim for this series is to raise the generosity quotient of our entire church and to do so with joy in my heart and with no, no legalism about.
And part two, I'm calling start with the owner and you'll see why when we read Psalm 24, verse 1 together in a moment. Let me ask you a question. If the Lord Jesus audited your bank statement, what would it say about your faith? Imagine if the Lord Jesus didn't only sit next to you in church and by, by the spirit of God, he does do that. But what if he sat across from you at the table with your financial statements and your Venmo history and all your transactions in front of both of you.
What would he say about what matters most to you? Would he find evidence of trust in God or would he just see signs of personal control? Would he see joy filled generosity? Or would he only see monthly payments in Amazon boxes? Let's be honest, when the preacher talks about money at church, it makes us squirm and it's like bringing up politics at Thanksgiving or asking someone how their daily weigh ins on their bathroom scale's going.
You know, it just gets awkward fast. And I don't mean for my talk today to be awkward. I don't think it will be. It was clear in the first service. By the way, welcome.
You know, I love August. Everybody comes back to church in August. Everything's new. It's a reset. It's like January, new school term, new small group term.
By the way, largest signup and turnout in our 26 year history for small groups. And there's still room for you if you want to be in one of our adult small groups. But what if I told you that the Lord Jesus spoke more about money and possessions in the Gospels than he talked about heaven and hell combined. What would that say to us? Well, what it's going to say to us is nothing tests our spiritual temperatures like how we handle our treasure.
So today we continue with the Generosity Journey and we do so not with guilt not with shame, but with grace. And I want to tell you that generosity doesn't start with giving offerings. It starts with understanding who owns what. And so I've divided my message today into two main ideas. You ready to hear the first main idea?
Yes or no? Second service fired up. All right, first main idea. We're not owners, we're stewards.
We won't grasp generosity until we learn this.
The first verse of Psalm 24, a Psalm of David. The earth is the Lord's and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. And it's not going to be on your screens, but verse two says, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. You know? Let me summarize Psalm 24:1.
God owns the world, all its contents and all its inhabitants. Do you confess this today? God doesn't just own your Sunday morning. He owns the soil your house sits on. He owns the breath in your lungs.
He owns the neurons that are firing in your brain right now as you are hearing the word of God preached. Abraham Kuyper declared in writing, there's not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry. Mine. It's Jesus, ladies and gentlemen. And here's the biblical baseline.
God owns everything. He owns our houses, in our cars, in our jobs, in our businesses, and all of our individual retirement accounts and our calendars and our schedules. He owns our very existence. It starts there. So we're not owners, we're managers.
The Bible calls that being a steward. I'll illustrate it this way. Suppose there was a UPS driver in your neighborhood, and he finds a package in his truck. And on that package is your name and your address. And now imagine, instead of delivering that package, he takes it home and he opens it, and he enjoys it, and he keeps it.
What would you call that? Theft? Everybody knows what that is and why. Because he's the delivery man. He's not the owner.
That's you. With God's money. God has entrusted you with stuff, with things. Shiny, impressive, sometimes longer than temporarily satisfying things. Things you have to maintain, things you have to clean off and oil and baby a little bit.
And these things begin to mean much to us.
Well, God has entrusted you with this stuff. Not so that you're the only one that can get the benefit from it, not so that you hoard it all to yourself. God gives you things so that you can move it around for his glory, strategically and for eternal reasons. Let's go all the way back. Deuteronomy, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, fifth book of the Bible that Moses wrote.
Chapter 8, verse 18. Here's what Moses said to the people of God, and you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth. Do you believe that verse?
You see, friends, the Bible teaches that even our ability to earn a paycheck is a gift. You know those job titles. We have our mental sharpness, the strength in our bodies.
God has given us the physical power and the intellect to live well on the earth and to show up and work. I have a question for you. What posture does a faithful steward take? Well, the devotional writer A.W. tozer answers that question.
This Every possession I have is a gift from God and must be held loosely in my hands and given generously when he calls.
That's why the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:2. Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. I mean, with your heart. Today, everybody say the word faithful. Faithful.
Here's the job description. We are not evaluated by how much we own. We're evaluated from heaven by how we manage what we've been given. So, yes or no? Do you have to be rich to be faithful to God in giving?
No. We just have to be trustworthy with what's already in our hands. Another question. Do we have to live like monks and nuns to be faithful in generosity? Yes or no?
No. Should we feel badly about enjoying good things in life? No. Again, no. So, look, managing our resources biblically is not about cutting back.
It's about looking up. So if I can get you to stop with this back stuff and start with this looking up stuff, going to begin to get this. It's about asking God, what do you want me to do with the stuff you've given me? See, that's the place that modern Christians miss. It's not that you won't give in offerings to your church or give to charitable donations to things that matter.
It's just that you never ask God about it. God, where do you want me? And I think sometimes you don't ask God because you don't think he's going to answer you. But what I want to say to you is God is a very good communicator, and he's a relentless communicator. And our problem is everything's too noisy and we're too busy to be still and know that he's God and elicit.
So, God, what would you have me to do? With what you've given me, let me illustrate it this way. There's a man named John Wesley who lived in the 1700s. He was one of the key founders of the Methodist religion, the Methodist denomination back when it was faithful to the Lord. John Wesley was one of the most influential Christians in history.
He filled up modern hymn books with songs he wrote to the Lord and the church still sings today. He traveled thousands of miles on horseback and preached in the open air without voice amplification. Back then, of course, to tens of thousands of people. He helped start and was a key catalyst to one of the greatest revivals in history, called the Great Awakening. This guy loved the Lord and made a deep impact.
But you know what it really was that showed his heart? It was a house fire. One day a messenger came running up to Mr. Wesley, and he's breathless and he's panicked and he says, Mr. Wesley, Mr. Wesley, I so regret to inform you that last night your house has burned to the ground.
John Wesley stopped, dismounted his horse, paused, took a deep breath, and exhaled this comment calmly. He said, no, the Lord's house burned. That means one less responsibility for me.
And that was it. No panicking, no weeping, no falling apart, no ranting, no quickly sending out letters for an ancient GoFundMe campaign or anything. Just a peace that passes understanding. How in the world was John Wesley so calm when he learned that his earthly goods had burned up in a fire? The answer is, he had already settled in his heart that he didn't own anything.
He had long ago decided to live on as little as possible and give away the rest for the sake of the Gospel. And look, God doesn't ask us to go that far. He was just a manager. And managers don't panic when the owner decides what to do with his own property, even if he wants to burn it down.
Corrie Ten Boom, who had that famous book, the Hiding Place, once said, I've learned to hold on to everything loosely because it hurts when God pries my fingers open. That's not just poetical, it's practical. You see, the looser you get, the less it hurts when God moves things around in your life. I think Corrie Ten Boom is right. The issue isn't how much we have, it's how tightly we cling to it.
And our stuff becomes idols when that happens. Look. Open heaven hands signal open hearts. And the more we trust the owner, the freer we will live as the managers. Let me say that a different way.
When we recognize that everything we have belongs to God, it sets Us free. We're not crushed by loss. We're not puffed up by gain. Before the first service today of a church member, Guy came to me and he said, pastor, I want to tell you something God did in my life this last week. My wife and I were able to pay off our mortgage.
We don't owe anything on our home. I said, that's amazing. And I began to think about that after our conversation ended. Because it was not six or seven months ago that this same man had done some incredible work for some companies. And for whatever testing reason, either from the Lord or some interference from the enemy, I don't know what it was, they refused to pay him a big sum of money for his work that they were counting on in their life.
And as the months went by, the thinner and thinner their resources got and they were coming for prayer like every week. Hey, God, would you get us the money that we earned? We need it. We budgeted. And now just six or seven months later, the Lord flipped that around.
No more mortgage. That's what God does. When people are faithful with doing their money and possessions the Lord's way, it's amazing. You can't write a story better than God writes it.
We're not crushed by loss. We're not puffed up by gain. We're simply faithful. God can depend on us. Hey, if you're new, I want to tell you who's sitting around you.
Who's sitting around you is not wealthy people and not many poor somewhere in the middle. But I've been watching them for 26 years. You're sitting around families who say, God, you're first in everything and whatever your word says. We want to orient our life that way. And I'm telling you that our church is made up of I don't know how many hundred fifty families, something like that, of people that God can depend on.
They've tried this and they've seen that God can be trusted. First Timothy, chapter 6, verse 10. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Let me tell you what that verse doesn't teach. It doesn't teach that money is evil, does it?
No, it doesn't teach that money is evil, but it does say loving it is dangerous. You'll hurt yourself and those around you if you enthrone money and possessions and organize all of your week and all of your life and all of your education around getting more of it for Yourself, piercing yourself through with many griefs and sorrows. That's why the Lord Jesus, when you read the gospels, constantly tied your spiritual health to your financial habits. I'll just give you a couple examples. John the Baptist was the forerunner of the Messiah of the Lord Jesus.
He came preaching powerfully and the crowds made the long journey out into the wilderness to find him. They to be baptized by him at the Jordan River. And we have an account of and a record of some of his preaching. But he never preached on money and possessions. But you know what he did do?
When they said, tell us how we should repent, you know what he said? He said, share your coats with people that don't have any and stop stealing.
Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus, the notorious, treacherous tax collector, one day visited by Jesus. Jesus, by the way, just imposed himself. He didn't say, zacchaeus, can I come to your house today? He said, zacchaeus, I'm going. Hope you show up.
Going to your place. The Lord Jesus visits Zacchaeus and saves him from his sins. And you know what the evidence was? Zacchaeus paid back four times what he had taken illegally.
See, when you come to Jesus, it changes what you do with your stuff. What about the early church? Did the early church just meet together and sing and pray and teach the apostles teaching? The answer is no. Get to Acts chapter four and Acts five.
They are selling property and giving it to the poor so that the poor could have something.
And what about that rich young ruler, the one who went up to Jesus and said, what must I do to inherit eternal life? He looked like he was getting ready to become a Christian. Why did he walk away from Jesus? Sad? It's not because Jesus asked too much of him.
It's because his money already owned him.
I love this quote from Martin Luther. There are three conversions. The mind, the heart, and the wallet. The last is the hardest. And in our culture, affluent western culture, the wallet is not just the last thing to be converted.
It's the most fiercely guarded and defended finances in a local church, even by committed Christians. Last thing that shows up. First thing that leaves. I could tell the financial office on Monday, give me a printout of the folks that have been involved in our church that gave regularly, that stopped giving. And if you print them out, I can show you the folks that have left our church recently.
It is a telltale sign. It's 9.5 out of 10. Hey, how do you know somebody's departing your fellowship? Well, they always stop giving first. It's an incredible barometer and it's almost never wrong.
People will welcome God into their prayer lives before they'll let him touch their paychecks. But let's be honest. If we say Jesus is Lord while treating our money like it's off limits to him, then there's a disconnect somewhere.
Or I'll say it this way. The way you handle money proves who's Lord of your life. The number one God in America. You know what it is? Self.
Self has said Jesus, I can do it better than you. We can say Jesus is Lord all day, but if our generosity says otherwise, he isn't. I love the perspective that Proverbs puts this in chapter three, verses nine and ten. You ought to circle some of these words in your Bibles. Honor the Lord with your possessions, man.
I want to do that. I want to have my stuff. I don't want my stuff to have me. I want to honor the Lord with what he's given me. Let me tell you a motivation I have for that.
I have a passport and I've traveled to other continents. And it wasn't until I left America that I got to see what real poverty is. Let me tell you, we don't have poor people in America. We have struggling people in America. Kenya has poor people.
Nicaragua has poor people. Brazil, poor people. Not here. We have people that struggle compared to the mean. But listen to me.
I want to honor my Lord with my possessions, because only by his grace do I even have any. I know lots of believers around the world. They can go work a hard day's work, and there's just nothing that their community even produces to get. Not us, though. I think for one of the reasons that God has prospered the United States so much for its churches so that we can send it around the world to help our brothers and sisters.
Because I know that there's some places you wouldn't even want to visit, much less live there. But, man, they need us. You know where the church is growing the fastest? The fastest country in the world? Where the church is growing?
Iran. Anybody want to sign up to move to Tehran?
No. But you see, it's in the midst of persecution and lack and difficulty. It's where the gospel gains its most momentum. So we honor the Lord with our possessions and with the first fruits of all your increase. So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.
You should circle honor the lord in Proverbs 3, 9, 10. And you should circle first fruits. Everybody say first fruits. Doesn't that Sound like a priority word? First fruits.
Here's what it means. It means that God is not coming after your last dollar. It's why that maybe once a year I'll do a sermon on. On stewardship and money and possessions. I don't want to harp on that all the time.
God's not after your last dollar. But listen to me. He is after your first. He does want you to say everything. I have Jesus.
You get the pick of it first. You get my priority first. Matthew 6:33. Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you first. He's first.
If he gets your first. You'll have more than you have if you got your first. I want to give God something that he can multiply. I've read about what Jesus did with a Happy Meal. Five loaves and five dinner rolls and two little sardine type fish.
He fed 5,000 men and their women and their wives and their children, and there were 12 basketfuls left over. And that word for basket. It's the same word in Luke as it is in Acts. It was the basket that they lowered the apostle Paul in over the wall in Jerusalem. Twelve basketfuls large enough to fit a grown man and hide him.
I know what you can do. If you have a little bit and you give it to Jesus and say, lord, whatever you want, he multiplies it. So I want to give him something to multiply. Am I the only one? Am I the only one that wants to do that?
When we give to God first, not last, we're showing who the priority is in our life. And God delights in faith that honors him first. You may not know who LG Letourneau was, but you've been impacted by him. He was not someone who grew up exactly in the spotlight. He was a mechanic by trade.
He liked to get his hands dirty and grease under his fingernails. He liked to work physically, build stuff and get grease all over. He was that dude. And he had a mind for engineering that just wouldn't quit. And eventually, he unlocked the secrets on how to build giant Earth moving machines.
He's the guy that then invented the hardware that made it possible to build modern skyscrapers and dams big enough to stop major rivers. LG Letourneau is the guy that figured it all out. His giant earth moving machines changed the world. And in a time when millions of dollars would be equivalent to our billions, LG Letourneau made millions.
But here's what's wild. LG Letourneau didn't keep his fortune. In fact, he gave away 90% of it and lived on 10% of it. He reversed the tithe. And I'm not exaggerating.
Someone came up to LG Letourneau one day, and he asked him, Mr. Letourneau, how can you afford to give away so much of your things?
RG Letourneau grinned. And it was the grin that says, haven't you heard what I invented? Like, I'm the guy that invented the biggest shovels in the world. He grinned and he said, here's what I've learned. I shovel it out, and God shovels it back.
But God has a bigger shovel now. The guy that invented the biggest shovels on earth says, the reason that I have all this prosperity and I have no trouble giving it away and helping others is I tried to build this biggest shovel there was, and it pales in comparison to God's shovel.
Credible quote in context. This guy wasn't reckless. He wasn't flippant. He was radically faithful. He believed that God owned it all anyway, and the more he gave, the more.
The more God supplied him. His company thrived. His ministry impact exploded. I mean, they're still telling this story in churches today. And he had the kind of joy and freedom you can't buy in a store anywhere.
If you want to know if Jesus is really lord of your life, check the trail of your treasure.
God's the owner. We're the stewards. Here's the second big idea. Where your treasure goes, your heart follows.
I got that from the Sermon on the Mount. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew, chapter 6, verse 21, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Wherever the treasure goes, the heart follows. The heart doesn't go first and the treasures show up. It's the opposite.
And I don't care what Bible you read. It even says this in the living Bible. This is what it teaches. If you want to care more about eternal things, start investing in them.
Randy Alcorn said, my heart always goes where I put God's money. Watch what happens when you reallocate your money from temporal things to eternal things. You start to care more about eternity. You know, am I the only one who's ever ordered something like, on Amazon? And you know you're gonna get it, like, the next day or two days later.
It is something that you really want, and it asks you, do you want to track your package? It's just me. I just track. I just over and over look on my phone. Have you ever gotten to where.
It's where it's out for delivery and it's like nine stops away. You ever seen that? And I feel like if I just keep refreshing, maybe that dude will drive faster, right? Seven. Seven stops away, three stops away.
Why was I interested in that? Because I'd already paid for it. I'd already decided it was important to me. What if you do that with heavenly things? God, I want to track.
I want to track where my missions dollars. I want to know, did it help a missionary family dig a well? How many stops away?
Where your treasure goes, your heart follows.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 3, 2, set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Look, I want to think about heavenly things more than earthly things, because our thoughts follow our treasures. The president of a seminary I went to used to say all the time, you talk about what you think about, and you think about what you love. And he said it in the context of evangelism, that if you love Jesus, you'll think about him, and if you think about him, you'll talk about him. But that also applies with the other things that have the affections of your heart.
Whatever you're thinking about comes out of your mouth. And I'm wondering when those things are going to become eternal things and not just temporary things.
When we love someone, generosity is not an obligation, it's a delight. You know one short little verse, Jesus told an entire parable. I'd like to share that verse with you now and explain the parable to us. Matthew 13:44. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.
Then in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and he buys that field. I'm telling you that one parable changed how I view money and possessions. Let me explain it to you in modern language. Jesus tells a story about a guy who's walking through a field and suddenly there's a thud. His walking stick, his staff, hits a piece of ground that's harder, firmer, different than the other ground he had been walking by.
It was such a different sound and feel that he had to stop and investigate. And he began to dig around, and all of a sudden he hit something and it's buried treasure. It's like a pirate movie. It's gold and jewels and Roman coins. This is life changing wealth.
So what does he do? He looks around and he covers everything back up. And he doesn't want it to look like the ground's been disturbed so that somebody else might be walking by and may see It. So he puts some branches and some leaves over there. He tries to make it look as natural as possible.
And then he runs as fast as his legs will take him to his house. And when he gets to his house, he's looking around. He's like, what can I sell? I've got to buy that piece of. Look, there's two kids.
I wonder what they'll get on the open market. And look, there's a tractor. And what's in. What about my wife's jewelry? What about my wife?
What can I say? I've got to have that field.
Because if I can buy the field and if I can afford the field, I'll have wealth like I never thought. My life will change in a moment. I got to have the field. Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is the field.
It's the treasure. It's the pearl of great price. And here's the key line for our sermon today. In his joy, he goes and sells all he had. There wasn't a single possession that he owned that that meant anything to him.
After what he found in the field, he was willing to turn all of it loose in joy. And a generous church says, there's nothing that I have that I think is mine and not God's. I can turn loose of it because I can trust him. Because I know that he's got a treasure for me more valuable than anything I own. Do you know your royalty?
You've been adopted into the king's family. You're a joint heir with the Lord Jesus Christ. The riches of heaven belong to us. You know, the next life's going to be better than this one.
I want to start investing in it.
See, that's a treasure principle. You can't take it with you, but you can send it on ahead. I want to tell you about a man named Sam Houston. Sam Houston's a legend in Texas. Guess what city he's named after him?
Houston, Texas. Sam Houston was a war hero. He was the governor of Texas, and then he became the President of the Republic of Texas. He was a man's man and a leader's leader. He's the kind of guy that you would expect to go wrestling with a bear and when he got finished there, ride a cannon, ride into battle and.
And just go fight for something important. That was Sam Houston. But later in his life, something changed. Someone preached the gospel to him, and Sam Houston met Jesus. He was saved from his sins, and he asked if he could be baptized in the river right outside of town.
Not to make it like Jesus Baptism in the Jordan or not for the photo op, it was just convenient. And he wanted as many of the townspeople to come and hear his testimony as possible.
When he came up out of the water in the river, soaking wet and smiling, Sam Houston shocked everyone. He turned to the pastor and he said, preacher, from now on, I'd like to pay half your salary, help the church out. Well, after the pastor picked his jaw up out of the water, he said, well, Mr. Houston, what brought that on? And Sam Houston smiled again. And here's what he said.
It's echoed through the centuries or the decades since. He says my wallet was baptized, too.
It was the President who said that Sam Houston understood that when Jesus changes your heart, it doesn't stop at the water line. It goes all the way to your. Your checkbook and your wallet and your credit cards. And I don't want you to think that this guy was trying to buy his way into heaven or buy God's favor. He was showing that he already had it and that Jesus had transformed him.
He was a new guy with new priorities.
So where do we begin on this generosity journey? In conclusion, right here. Right here with God owns it all. You're the manager. Where your treasure goes, your heart follows.
And if you want a faith that's real and joyful, not fake enforced, it starts with surrender. You surrender your stuff, you surrender your schedule, you surrender your savings, you surrender it all back to the one who gave it. And you don't do it to earn his love. You do it because you already have it. So let me give you an action point for this week with your spouse, or if you're single, by yourself, do a treasure audit.
Look at all your financial statements and ask yourself this. What kingdom am I investing in? And then for prayer ministry today, I'm going to give you two prayer ministry points. I'm going to call the prayer ministry team forward. Then we're going to stand, and we're going to end in prayer, reading a prayer out loud together.
So let me tell you how to apply this message. Two ways for prayer. If you've been clinging to your stuff like an owner instead of a steward, come forward and surrender. Have the prayer team pray with you and ask the Lord to help you loosen your grip and that he would remind you that the earth is his and everything in it, and say a prayer like this. God, I've been clutching what you've only loaned to me.
Teach me to live with open hands and a faithful heart. And number two, if fear or control has kept you from giving Generously to the Lord. Come and lay down that fear today. Ask God to replace anxiety with trust. Say, lord, I want to follow you, not my fears.
I want to invest in eternity, even if it stretches me. And let God prove that his shovel really is bigger. Now, let's stand together today. Prayer team. If you'll come to the front on your ministry card, there's a place that says, what's next for me?
And there's several steps you can take. I want to get to know people by joining a small group. That's not too late. You can still get in a group this week. Just let us know.
I'm ready to trust Jesus. Some of you have been thinking about becoming a Christian. You're ready to kind of step over that line. I want to rediscover my faith in Jesus some. You've been away from the Lord, but by his grace, the Lord's brought you back to him.
And he's done it in this church. Let's help you with that. I'm ready to be baptized. I believed in Jesus. I hadn't put on the jersey for the team yet.
Nobody knows whose side I'm on or I'm interested in membership. Listen, if any of those apply to you, I want you to take your phone out, I want you to open up the camera, and I'm going to put. Before we get to this prayer, I want to put a video, a slide on the screen with a QR code. I want you to take a picture of that QR code and it will walk you through some of these next steps. It will give you a devotional thought, some videos from us, and it will give you a pathway so that the enemy won't steal the seed that's been planted in you today.
So go ahead and do that.
Give you just a second. And then we're going to end with this prayer together.
All right? If you'll put that prayer on the screen, we're going to end our service today with a benediction. Together. We're going to do this out loud. Look, I want you to read this with me at the same time.
Same cadence and rhythm. And like you mean it, Father. You're the owner of it all. Thank you for entrusting us with time, talent and treasure. Forgive us for acting like owners instead of stewards.
Loosen our grip so we can give joyfully and live freely. Help us live for heaven, not just for today. And may our giving reflect our love for you. In Jesus name, amen. Have a great week.
You are dismissed. Awesome.
Come and join us this Sunday at the Great Commission Church for a truly remarkable and uplifting experience. Great Commission Church is a family-friendly church in Olive Branch, MS. Great Commission Church is not just any ordinary place of worship; it's a vibrant community where faith comes alive, hearts are filled with love, and lives are transformed. Our doors are wide open, ready to welcome you into the warm embrace of our congregation, where you'll discover the true essence of fellowship and spirituality. At Great Commission Church, we are more than just a congregation; we are a family united by a common mission – to follow the teachings of Christ and spread His love to the world. As you step inside Great Commission Church, you'll find a sanctuary that nurtures your faith and encourages you to be part of something greater than yourself.
We believe in the power of coming together as a community to worship, learn, and serve. Whether you're a long-time believer or just starting your spiritual journey, Great Commission Church welcomes people from all walks of life. Our vibrant services are filled with inspiring messages, beautiful music, and heartfelt prayers that will uplift your soul. Every Sunday at Great Commission Church is an opportunity to deepen your relationship with God and connect with others who share your faith and values.
At Great Commission Church, we believe that faith is not just a solitary endeavor but a shared experience that strengthens and enriches us all. Our church is a place where you can find purpose, belonging, and the encouragement to live a life in accordance with Christ's teachings. Join us this Sunday at Great Commission Church and experience the transformative power of faith in action. Be part of a loving and supportive community that is committed to making a positive impact in our world. Together, we strive to fulfill the great commission to go forth and make disciples of all nations. We look forward to having you with us at Great Commission Church this Sunday, where faith, love, and community intersect in a truly amazing way.
Great Commission Church is a non-denominational, family-friendly Christian church located in Olive Branch, Mississippi. We are a short drive from Germantown, Southaven, Collierville, Horn Lake, Memphis, Fairhaven, Mineral Wells, Pleasant Hill, Handy Corner, Lewisburg and Byhalia. Great Commission Church is conveniently located, making it easy to find and attend. Many people have even called it their go-to “church near me” or the "Church nearby" because of how accessible it is and how quickly it feels like home.
See you Sunday at Great Commission Church in Olive Branch, Mississippi!
