OPEN HANDS

Reference

Exodus 36

OPEN HANDS

Intro: One of the most remarkable scenes in the entire Bible happens near the end of the book of Exodus. God’s people have been bringing offerings for the construction of the tabernacle. Day after day they bring everything needed for the work. Finally, the craftsmen come to Moses with an unusual report.

Exodus 36:5–7 ”…The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the LORD commanded us to do. So Moses gave a commandment…“Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.”

Can you imagine that?

Moses really has to make this announcement: “Please don’t bring anything else. We have more than enough.”

I’ve never had to make that announcement! Neither has any pastor I’ve ever known.

So here’s the question. How do people become like that? How does a nation of former slaves become so generous that their leader has to tell them to stop giving?

The answer isn’t found in Exodus 36. The answer begins years earlier. Turn with me to Deuteronomy 14.

GOD TRAINS OUR HABITS

Deut 14:22–23 “You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.”

Did you see God’s purpose?

The Lord tells them exactly why He gave this command. ”…that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.”

God wasn’t funding His work. He was discipling His people.

Giving became one of God’s classrooms. Every harvest became a teaching. Every firstborn animal became an object lesson. Every act of giving became another opportunity to learn to fear the Lord.

Discipleship is learning to think, live, and love like Jesus while helping others do the same.

That’s exactly what God was doing with Israel. He was teaching them to think differently about their possessions, to live differently with their possessions, and ultimately to love Him more than their possessions.

Did you notice what they were commanded to bring? Not leftovers. Firstfruits. (“all the increase…of the firstborn”)

The firstfruits were given before there were any secondfruits.

Picture an Israelite standing in his field with the first basket of grain in his hands. He doesn’t yet know how abundant the harvest will be. The remainder of the crop was still standing in the field.

Before he knows how much is coming…he acknowledges where it came from. He’s saying, “Before I know what You are going to provide, I already know who my Provider is.”

illus: Think about teaching a child to ride a bicycle. Are training wheels the end goal? No. They are the necessary beginning. Nobody celebrates an adult still riding with training wheels. But they serve an important purpose. They teach balance. They build confidence. Eventually they come off—but they help the rider learn something that will stay with them for the rest of life.

In much the same way, throughout the OT God gave His people patterns of giving that trained them to put Him first. The pattern wasn’t the destination. It was part of the training.

Before we move on, let me make an important clarification. I don’t believe Christians are under the Old Testament law of tithing.

But I do believe the tithe teaches an enduring principle: firstfruits giving. God is not after your last dollar. He’s after your first.

Firstfruits giving teaches us to put God first and to practice substantial generosity. In the NT, the question is no longer, “Am I required to tithe?” The better question is, “How can I honor Christ first with what He has entrusted to me?”

Every time we choose to put God first…He is training our habits. Every time we loosen our grip on what He has entrusted to us…He is teaching us to trust Him more. And as He trains our habits…He is teaching our hearts to fear Him.

GOD CHANGES OUR HEARTS

Now find Exodus 35.

The tabernacle has been designed. The people have been invited to participate. And as Moses describes those who responded, one phrase keeps appearing. Listen for it.

Exodus 35:20–22 “And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold, that is, every man who made an offering of gold to the LORD.”

A few verses later we read:

Exodus 35:29 “The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the LORD, all the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work which the LORD, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.”

Did you catch the phrase that keeps repeating? Their hearts.

Their hearts were stirred. Their hearts were willing. That’s different from Deuteronomy. There God was training habits. Now those habits have reached the heart.

Just a short time earlier these same people had handed their gold to Aaron, and it became a golden calf. Now they’re bringing that same gold to build a place where the living God will be worshiped. The gold hadn’t changed. Their hearts had.

God doesn’t merely change what you own. He changes what owns you. That’s the wonder.

Then we come to one of the most astonishing moments in Scripture.

Exodus 36:5–7 ”…The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the LORD commanded us to do. So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, ‘Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.’ And the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done—indeed too much.”

Have you ever heard of an offering being stopped because people gave too much?

Consider what the passage emphasizes: Not the amount. The willingness of their hearts. God had done such a deep work in them that generosity became their instinct.

You don’t have to pressure people whose hearts have been captured by God’s grace.

illus: Gen. Sam Houston, the hero of Texas independence, trusted Christ later in life. After he was baptized, he announced that he would pay half the pastor’s salary. The onlookers asked him why. Houston smiled and said, “My pocketbook was baptized too.”

That’s exactly what God was doing in Israel. Their gold wasn’t converted. Their hearts were.

And when the heart changes…the hands follow.

God isn’t simply interested in changing our giving. He’s interested in changing us.

GOD GROWS OUR FAITH

Listen to what Jesus says in Luke 12.

Luke 12:29–34 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Did you notice the order? Jesus begins with anxiety. What will we eat? What will we drink? Will we have enough?

Then He says, “Your Father knows that you need these things.” Your Father understands the responsibilities you carry.

He is aware of every bill that must be paid. He sees the needs of your family. He foresees what is waiting for you tomorrow. He knows what you will need before you ever encounter the need. That is where faith begins.

Then Jesus says, “Do not fear, little flock.”

Isn’t that disarming? He reminds them that they are sheep in His pasture. They belong to Him. They are under His care.

Then Jesus gives them a reason not to fear.

“For it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Your Father isn’t stingy. He delights to give His children the kingdom.

Only after saying all of that does Jesus say, “Sell what you have and give alms.”

The NLT puts it this way: “Sell your possessions and give to those in need.” That order matters.

Jesus doesn’t begin with giving. He begins with the Father. And because that is true…you can open your hands.

Every time we give, we are making a confession. “Father, I believe You understand what I need. I believe You see what I cannot see. I believe Your kingdom is more secure than anything I possess. I believe I can obey You because You are faithful.”

We don’t give so that God will become our Father. We give because, through faith Christ, we already belong to Him.

Then Jesus says, “Provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail.”

Jesus isn’t telling us to stop storing treasure. He’s teaching us to store it where it can never be lost. From our temporary kingdom…to His eternal kingdom.

Why is it sometimes so difficult to give? Because money makes promises that only God can keep.

It promises security. It promises peace. It promises that we’ll be okay if we have enough of it.

But only God can carry the weight of our trust.

So every act of generosity asks the same question: Who am I really trusting to take care of me?

illus: I once read about a young man who had recently become a follower of Jesus. As he read through the Gospels for the first time, he came to passages like this one where Jesus said, “Sell your possessions and give to those in need.” He became convinced that the Lord wanted him to sell his house and give the proceeds away. When some older Christians heard about it, they quickly tried to talk him out of it. Maybe they were right. Or maybe they weren’t. That’s not really the point. Here’s the question. Why were they so uncomfortable? Sometimes we’re so concerned about protecting people from emotional decisions that we become suspicious of faith-filled decisions.

Am I suggesting that everyone should sell their house? No. Jesus isn’t commanding that of every believer.

But I am suggesting this: Often the safest place in the world is simply where we’ve obeyed the Lord whether we felt like it or not.

Faith almost always looks risky to someone who isn’t hearing what God has said.

Jesus wasn’t trying to make His followers poorer. He was teaching them that their security wasn’t found in their possessions. Their security was found in their Father.

Every time we choose generosity over fear…God grows our faith.

Every time we seek His kingdom ahead of our own security…we discover again that our Father can be trusted.

That is why generosity is not merely a financial decision. It is an act of discipleship.

Conclusion: Let’s go back to where we started. Remember the scene in Exodus. The people were bringing so much that Moses finally had to say, “Please don’t bring anything else. We have more than enough.”

How do people become like that? Not overnight.

God trains their habits. Over time…God changes their hearts. And as they learn to trust Him…God grows their faith.

That’s the journey. And every one of us is somewhere on that journey today.

Maybe your next step is trusting Him in a way you’ve never trusted Him before.

Maybe you’ve already discovered the joy of living with open hands. Then keep growing.

Keep asking the Lord, “What do You want me to keep? What do You want me to give?”

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There's life in our church. Find Exodus chapter 35 in your Bible. Exodus 35 will be Exodus 35:36 later in the message I know you wanted somewhere to turn.
What if I told you we just finished the strongest, largest summer on record in our church? Would you be excited about that? Would that be worth a hand clap and a cheer?
The trends in American church is you kind of decline in attendance and it kind of spaces out in the summer and thins out and then August hits and then you know, everybody's back to school and you start momentum and then the first thing that kills momentum is Labor Day weekend and and then you build up some more momentum and then you have Fall break, and that kills it again and you build up momentum and then you have Thanksgiving week and it kills it again. And then Christmas happens and everybody goes to church at Christmas and then January hits and you just do it all. There's all these trends. You can just mark it in our data. But for some reason, by God's grace, this summer we didn't.
We grew this summer, and we grew a lot this summer. And one of the things Pastor Jacob and I do every Monday morning, morning I come to his office and we just kind of have our weekly meeting and we look at the numbers from today versus the same Sunday last year. Well, we started doing that the first Sunday in June and it was kind of elevated. And like, what? We beat last Sunday, the same one last year, by about 10 or 12 people.
And then the next week we're like, what are the odds? Then it just kept going up, and it kept going up, and then we had the second largest attendance of all year long after Easter, Easter in one of the summer Sundays. And we're like, what is going on here? The Lord is blessing and there's ones everywhere and guests and new small groups in the summer. And then there's those two Sundays in the middle of July that always tell the tale.
And I mean, they just bottom out and then you gotta kinda claw your way out of it. So, like, we're gonna do some baptisms on those days. If we have to put kids up on the stage to sing and bring all the grandparents, we're gonna do something.
But that lowest Sunday of the summer historically became like the third highest attendance all year long. And we're like, oh, surely it's going to fall off the next week. Nope, it just stayed up there. And so one of the things anchoring that is the amazing children's ministry that happened this summer. We call it Summer to the Max.
We shifted from vbs, that's one week long, to every Sunday in the summer, we do something awesome for the the kids. And so would you join me in celebrating the amazing summer we just had and our Summer to the Max team, all of our Jen Jones and all of you that helped with the children's ministry that made it possible. A massive thank you to all of our incredible volunteers who made it an absolute home run this summer, Our biggest summer attendance ever. Can we just say thank you to God and to you guys.
Now look, that momentum's not stopping just because school's back in session. Starting next week, we're rolling out a brand new children's Bible curriculum designed to Help our kids anchor their identity in Jesus Christ through high energy media games. Rock solid Bible. I want to skip, I just want to go in there with them to get somebody else to preach. It's going to be an absolute blast for the kids.
Bring them on Sundays, bring their friends. More importantly, every single session connects them directly to Jesus, the gospel. So look, we're just going to keep going. Hey, take one minute. Watch this video of highlights from our summer to the max with the kids.
Sam, Awesome. Did you notice there's lots of shooting.
Awesome shooting in Jesus name. Today we start a new three week series called Open Hands. Everybody say open hands. And by God's grace, our hands are going to open more this month. One of the most remarkable scenes in the entire Bible happens near the end of the book of Exodus.
And what's been happening is God's people have been bringing offerings to build the tabernacle, the tent of meetings. They've been bringing gold, they've been bringing fabric and cloth and wood and stuff that they had needed for that day after day they bring everything needed for the work. And finally, something unreal happens. The craftsmen, the contractors, come to Moses with an unusual report. In Exodus 36, 5 and 7, the people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.
So Moses gave a commandment, let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. Hold on. I just want you to imagine that for a moment. Moses really has to make this announcement. Please don't bring anything else.
We have more than enough. I have never had to make that announcement. Neither is any pastor I've ever known. But here's the question. How in the world do they get to that point?
How do people become generous like that? How does a nation of former slaves become so charitable that their leader has to tell them to stop giving? Well, the answer is not found in Exodus. The answer begins years earlier. Go to Deuteronomy 14, verse 22 and 23.
I've outlined my message under three truths today. Deuteronomy 14, 22 and 23 is what's next. We'll go back to Exodus 35 and 36 in the next point, here's truth number one. God trains our habits. Everybody say, God trains our habits.
Hey, we're learning. I'm preaching and teaching today. Deuteronomy 14, 22 and 23. Moses says, you shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. Moses writes, God says, and you shall eat before the Lord your God in the place where he chooses to make his name abide the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, oh, the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.
I wonder, when we were reading that, did you see God's purpose? He gave a purpose statement. At the end, the Lord tells them exactly why he gave them a command to give him the first of all their good stuff. It's that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. Aren't you glad that there's room to learn?
In other words, we're not all starting at the same place in our trust in God. We're not starting all at the same place. And how he sanctified us and made us more like Jesus. We just all get the grace to learn. And you won't learn to be generous unless your church teaches you.
You what the Bible says about it. That's why we're doing open hands. It's going to help you. It's going to encourage you. It's not going to guilt you.
God wasn't funding his work. In Deuteronomy 14, 22 and 23, when he said to the nation of Israel, of all your first, give it to me. He wasn't funding the work. Listen. He was discipling his people.
God trains our habits. Giving became one of God's class rooms. You know what that means? That means every harvest was a teaching. It means every firstborn animal became an object lesson.
Every act of giving that the Israelites did became just another opportunity for them to learn to fear the Lord. This teaching is not hard. You're getting this now. Our definition for discipleship at our church is as follows. Discipleship is learning to live, love and think like Jesus while helping others do the same.
Learning to think, live and love like Jesus while helping others do the same. That's exactly what God was doing in Exodus and in Deuteronomy with the children of Israel. He was teaching them to think differently about their position, possessions. He was teaching them to live differently with their possessions. And he was teaching them ultimately to love him more than their possessions.
That's good. I'm going to repeat that. God was teaching them to think differently about their possessions, to live differently with their possessions, and ultimately to love him more than their possessions. Did you notice what they were commanded to bring to the Lord?
Well, it wasn't the leftovers. It was first fruits. Everybody say first fruits. First fruits. In the text, he calls the first fruits all the Increase.
He calls the first fruits all give of the first fruits born. The first fruits were given to God. Listen to me. Before there were any second fruits. So the average Israelite, he says, you bring the first to me and you go, well, God, the harvest isn't all complete.
I don't know how much I have yet. It doesn't matter. Whatever comes up first, you give to me. And when you do that, you say, I trust you, God, no matter what comes out of the ground. You're the one who is sustaining my life.
Isn't that true? Some of you have walked through deep water. You've lost jobs, you've lost employment. And you know what? You didn't die.
How do I know? Because you're sitting here and I'm looking at you. God sustains you in difficult days because he's worthy of the first.
I want you to picture an Israelite standing in his field with the first bushel of grain in his hands. He doesn't yet know how abundant the harvest is going to to be. The remainder of the crop may still be under the earth. Before he knows how much is coming in, he acknowledges where it came from. Let me say that again.
Before he knows how much is coming in, he acknowledges where it came from. That's what First Fruits is about. He's saying, before I know what you're going to provide, I already know who my provider is.
Now, that doesn't have an edge to it, does it? That make you feel guilty hearing that? No. You want to hear about how good God is? I want you to think about training a child how to ride a bicycle.
Now, the first bike I got, I was 4 years old, and it had rubber tires that didn't even inflate because I was going to be so rough with one of them little ones. This is like 1979, all right? It had training wheels on it, and I would ride that thing. I remember the first day that my dad took the training wheels off. I wrecked 100 times.
But I wanted to, because if I got a boo boo on my legs, I got band aids, y' all, remember? I mean, I had them from my knees to my ankles on both legs, just turning over, trying to learn that balance, right? Listen, are training wheels the end goal of riding a bike bike? No. They're the necessary beginning.
Nobody celebrates an adult still riding a bike with training wheels. That's going on TikTok just like that, is it not? I mean, but training wheels serve an important purpose. Listen to me. Training wheels teach balance.
And training wheels build quality, confidence, they teach balance and they build confidence. Eventually, though, they come off. But they help the rider learn something that will stay with them for the rest of their life. That's what God's doing in Deuteronomy. He's giving the Israelites the training wheels of generosity.
He says, you bring me the first substantial part, I'm going to teach you balance, and I'm going to teach you confidence in me. In much the same way, throughout the Old Testament and even into the New Testament, God gave his people patterns, patterns of giving that trained them to put him first. Do you want to know why Great Commission Church flourishes financially? Because you're sitting in a room filled with, I don't know, 40 families in this one, maybe, and maybe that many in the second who put God first. No matter what else happens, they don't do it and publicize it.
They don't promote it. They don't say, look at me. They just go, God, I humbly give this to you because you gave it all to me. I'm trusting you with it. And I believe that I can do better with 90% or I can do better with 80% or 70% or whatever percentage if you get the first and you bless the rest.
Do you know who loves to hear sermons about giving? Everybody. Look at me. Givers. Do you know who hates hearing sermons about giving?
Stingy people. So however you're feeling, you're one of those, right? Right now, I don't know who you are, but God does. Before we move on, though, let me make a very important clarification, please. If you missed the rest of the sermon, please hear this so you don't misrepresent me, because I'm important to me.
All right, so we're ready. I don't believe Christians are under the Old Testament law of tithing.
Oh, it's worse for us.
See, what Jesus asks of us is way past 10%. Jesus says, you give me everything and let me decide what you live on. Pastor, can we go back to tithing real quick, please? No, but listen, it's all grace. I do believe that the tithe teaches an enduring principle.
The enduring principle is first fruits giving. Listen, God's not after your last dollar. He's after your first. He wants to be your priority, and he wants you to organize how you do money and possessions around him and what he teaches in the Bible, not just however you feel that month. So for some of us, tithing, that'd be hard.
You could come to me privately and say, pastor, here's my financial situation. Do you think I ought to tithe? I'd go, I think you ought to bring a nickel this week and get in financial peace University and let us help you get out of debt. For others of you, you couldn't be private. And you drive to my house in your $80,000 truck that you just pulled your $80,000 boat.
And you would say, pastor, should I tithe? I'd go, if I were you, I'd be embarrassed if all I gave to God was 10%. See the difference? So we're not taking God's not up in heaven with his iPhone, whatever version he would have and gets to the calculator and goes, now, how much do they make Now? Let me do the math.
You see, you're not a math problem to God. You're a sonar daughter. You following what I'm saying? So, first fruits. Giving teaches us two things.
It teaches us to put God first, and it teaches us to practice substantial generosity. Everybody say substantial. Substantial means you feel it or you miss it. Substantial means that you plan around it. It's not substantial if you just tip God and give him the leftovers and you don't feel it.
Just, well, here's what I have left. Let me go bless the church. Look, we want you to be blessed by God and not you tip him. It's better to keep it than to tip him. In the New Testament, the question is, no longer, am I required to tithe?
I've already helped you with that. The better question is, how can I honor Christ first with what he's entrusted to me? How can I honor Christ first with what he's entrusted to me? Friends, every time we choose to put God first, he's training our habits. Every time we loosen our grip on what he's entrusted to us, he's teaching us to trust him more.
That's called faith. And as he trains our habits, he's teaching our hearts to fear him. Fear, meaning revere, love, submit. So God trains our habits. Truth number two.
Then God changes our hearts.
Now find Exodus 35 in your Bible as you do that. The tabernacle has been designed. The people have been invited to participate, and Moses describes those who responded. One phrase. As he describes it, one phrase keeps appearing, it keeps repeating.
I want you to listen for it in these verses. Exodus 30:5, verses 20 through 22. See if you see the phrase or the word that keeps repeating. And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. Then everyone came whose heart was stirred and everyone whose spirit was willing.
And they Brought the Lord's offering for the work of the tabernacle of Meeting, for all its service and for the holy garments. They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought earrings and nose rings and rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold. That is, every man who made an offering of gold to the Lord. There were a couple of repeats there. A few verses later we read Exodus 35, 29.
The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the Lord. All the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work, which the Lord by the hand of Moses had commanded to be done. Did you catch the word of the phrase that kept repeating? It's their hearts. You see it.
Their hearts were stirred. Their hearts were willing. That's different from what we read about in Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy, God was training habits, and now those habits have reached the heart. Just a short time earlier, I want to remind you about exodus.
Somewhere between 15 and 19. A short time earlier, the same people that we're reading about in Exodus 35 had handed their gold also to Aaron. Moses, brother. And as Aaron said, and out came this golden calf. Remember that in the Bible.
Now they're bringing that same gold. Listen to how God consecrated their hearts. Now they're bringing that same gold to build a place where the living God will be worshiped, not some silly golden calf. The gold hadn't changed. Their hearts had.
God doesn't only change what you own, friends. He changes what owns you. That's the wonder of it all. Then we come to one of the most astonishing moments in scripture. I referred to it earlier.
Let's just read the expanded version of it. Exodus 36:5 to the people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do. So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. And the people were restrained from bringing. For the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done.
Indeed. Too much. Imagine if I stationed our other ushers at the door and they just said, hey, look, we're checking wallets today. What do you mean? Yeah, you can't bring any money in here.
You can't do any transaction. We got enough. We just want you to come in here and not think about money, not think about giving. Want you to focus on something. Restrained them.
Lord, give me one Sunday. Like that.
Have you ever heard of an offering Being stopped because the people gave too much.
And I want you to consider what this passage emphasizes. We don't hear a single amount, not a percentage, not a dollar sign, not a number. What's emphasized is the willingness of their hearts. You see, God had done such a deep work in them that generosity became their instinct. It was just kind of automatic.
I wanted to put this on the screen so you might remember it, maybe write it down. You don't have to pressure people whose hearts have been captured by God's grace. See, that's one of the reasons that we talk about and do money the way we do is we don't do a hard sell. We don't try to make you feel guilty if you don't give. If you get involved in the life of our church, you'll look around and go, oh, I'm one of the only ones who don't give.
You'll look around and you'll see a widow lady who loves the Lord and has a fixed income. And she's crushing you and her giving. You're going, how do I learn that? And I'm not talking about by amount. I'm talking about by substance.
Well, you don't get there overnight, but we don't try to make you feel bad. We just want you to take a next step. For some of you, and I'm going to repeat this some of you, the most important thing you can do right now is to take our Financial Peace University class, because it's going to get your nose above water and you're going to be able to breathe again and not go to bed every night with all of this interest working against you. And you're stressed out about how much money you don't have and how much debt you do have. I want to help you.
You following that? And look, God will get you out of it. You'll have stuff to give. You'll have stuff to live on. It's amazing where you are now.
It doesn't work. Eventually it's going to. It's going to burn you down. And then you're going to hope I have another sermon like this so you can figure out what to do. You don't have to pressure people whose hearts have been captured by God's grace.
Do you know who Houston, Texas is named after?
Don't say Mr. Houston. What's his first name? Sam Houston. General Sam Houston. He was the hero of Texas independence when they got their independence from every Mexico.
Did you know that General Sam Houston eventually became governor of Sam Houston. He trusted in Jesus Became a Christian later in life. He was an older man. After he was baptized and he came up out of the water, he made an announcement because he was probably the wealthiest man in Texas. This is pre oil, he announced.
I am now going to join with my church. I'm going to pay half to pass yearly salary from here on out. The onlookers said, general Houston, why would you say that at your baptism? Sam Houston smiled and made one of the best sermon illustration quotes ever. He said, my pocketbook was baptized, too.
Well, that's exactly what God was doing in Israel. When we're reading in Exodus 35, 36, their gold wasn't converted, their hearts were converted. And when the heart changes, the hands follow open hands. All right, here's truth number three. After he trains our habits and after he changes our hearts, God grows our faith.
Now let's get to the New Testament. Turn to Luke chapter 12. Luke 12:29. And following, Turn some pages in your Bible so I can hear it even if you're not even going there. Just fake me out.
Luke chapter 12. I'll turn in my Bible too. Did y' all see that? It fell down and fell. You know that game?
The kids do, apparently. I can do it today. It's my spiritual gift. Luke chapter 12.
Steve woods has been watching me. Hear me preach for a long time. You just never know what's going to happen, do you? Luke 12:29. Following our Lord Jesus says, do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind for all these things the nations of the world seek after.
And your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms. Provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old.
A treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches, nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Listen, never say that you think Jesus was a good teacher unless you want to hear about money. Because Jesus taught more about money than he did heaven and hell combined. He's talking about money all the time.
So when he talks about it, it warms my heart. Though I don't feel guilty, I feel empowered. I feel like with his help, I can do this. I can beat this money monster, and I don't have to bow down to mammon anymore. And I wondered, when we were reading that, did you notice the order Jesus begins With anxiety, because that's where most of us start.
He asks questions like, what are we going to eat? I want to know that. Look, you guys are lucky. You come to the first service and you just get to go home. Some of you, you get to go eat.
I gotta do this again. And then I gotta pray for people, and I finally get to eat later, right? When he says, what will we eat? I go, that's a question I ask every day. Am I the only one?
What will we eat? What will we drink? Will we have enough? He starts with anxiety. And then he says, I love this.
Does it minister to you? Your father knows that you need these things.
Let me expand that a little bit. Do you understand that? God understands the responsibilities that you carry.
He's aware of every bill that must be paid.
Your God sees the needs of your friends, family.
He foresees what is waiting on you tomorrow. And then Jesus says, do not fear, little flock. Doesn't it sound like he cares for us?
Isn't that disarming? He reminds his hearers that there's sheep in his pasture. He reminds his hearers that they belong to him, that they're under his care. And then Jesus gives them the reason they don't have to fear. It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Now, I don't know what you know about God's kingdom, but it's bigger than you're thinking. I don't know what you know about God's kingdom, but it's better than you've imagined. Imagined. I don't know what you know about God's kingdom, but it lasts forever. And Jesus says it pleases God to give it to you.
I am already signed up. Are you signed up? Have you believed the gospel? Has Jesus rescued you? Do you belong to him?
Does he know you? Because those he knows, he gives the kingdom to. And I want you to have have it.
Your father isn't stingy. He delights to give his children the kingdom. Only after saying all of that does Jesus get to giving. He says, sell what you have and give alms. Well, that's kind of a King James word I remember as a kid.
It's like, why are we talking about nuts at church? Almonds? Alms? What are alms? Alms.
Alms is an old word that means possessions and money. The new living translation says it this way. Sell your possessions and give to those in need. That's what Jesus said. But Jesus doesn't start with giving.
He starts with the Father. And because that's true, we can open our hands. We have a Father. Listen every time we give every global offering, some Sunday. Here's a confession we're making.
We're saying, father, I believe you understand what I need. We're saying, father, I believe you can see what I cannot see. We're announcing, father, I believe your kingdom is more secure than anything else I possess. We're saying, father, I believe I can obey you because you're clearly trustworthy.
We don't give so that God will become our Father. We give because through faith in Jesus, we already belong to him. Then Jesus says, I like this. Provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old. I want an old money bag, whatever that means.
And whatever that currency is in heaven, I want one of the old ones. Ones, provide yourselves a money bag that doesn't grow old, that lasts. A treasure in the heavens that does not fail. I gotta tell you, our little church, we give every month, we trust God. And I look at people every week that's storing up treasure in heaven.
And I go, I want to stay on your team. I want to do it with you. I want to send it on ahead.
Jesus isn't telling us to stop storing treasure when he says, provide yourselves money bags which don't grow old. He's teaching us to store it where it can never be lost.
From our temporary kingdom to his eternal kingdom. But, Pastor, why is it sometimes so difficult to give? Let me tell you why. Because money often makes promises it can't keep. Money promises security.
We've had a couple of bubbles burst in American finances, and we've learned that that's not always true. Money promises peace. Then why do all, almost all, of the lottery winners blow it or kill themselves? Themselves. Money promises that we'll be okay if we have enough of it.
There was a man in the New Testament, in one of Jesus stories, he just kept making more money and building bigger barns. And he says, I'm going to eat, drink and take it easy. And God called him a fool. He says, you fool, your soul will be required of you tonight. And Jesus says, what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
Soul that you can gain the whole world and lose your soul. You can gain all the money you need. Listen, you don't want to be Elon Musk. You don't want to have it all that the world says not have Jesus. I want Jesus and have nothing in the world.
If that's the choice, that's what I pick. Isn't that what you pick?
Only God can carry the weight of our trust. So every act of generosity asks the same question. Question, who am I really trusting to take care of me? I once read about a young man who had recently become a Christian. He'd recently become a follower of Jesus.
And as he read through the Gospels for the first time, he came to passages that we've been reading, like where Jesus said, sell your possessions and give to those in need. And he just believed what Jesus was saying. And so he became convinced that the Lord wanted him to sell his small house and give the proceeds away and rent an apartment. When some older Christians heard about it, they quickly tried to talk him out of it. Look, maybe they were right, maybe they weren't.
That's not really the point of this illustration. Here's the question. Why were they so uncomfortable with his massive generosity?
Sometimes we're so concerned about protecting people from emotional decisions that we become suspicious of faith filled decisions. Let me say that again. Sometimes we so concerned about protecting people from what we think are emotional decisions that we become suspicious of faith filled decisions. Well, Pastor, are you suggesting that every Christian ought to sell their house? What's the answer to that question?
No, no. Jesus is not commanding that of every believer. But I am suggesting this. Often the safest place in the world is simply where we've obeyed the Lord, whether we felt like it or not.
Faith almost always looks risky to someone who's not hearing from God. Faith almost always looks risky to someone who's not hearing what God has said. Jesus was not trying to make all of his followers poorer. He was teaching them that security wasn't found in their possessions or their work ethic. Their security is found in their Father alone.
That's why he made the Israelites walk in the desert. And he says, don't go try to plant anything. I'll send manna from heaven. And if you need meat, I'll send some doves every now and then. And if you need water, I'll bring it out of a rock.
Do we remember this?
Every time we choose generosity over fear, God grows our faith. Every time we seek his kingdom ahead of our own security, we discover again that our Father can be trusted. That's why generosity is not a financial decision. It's an act of discipleship. This is how we teach it at our church.
And we teach it well. Amen. Hasn't it helped many of you? There are testimonies in this room of I didn't have any money, I wrecked my finances. But the church helped me do it the Bible way.
And God bless blessed me, turned it all around so let's go back to where we started. Remember the scene in Exodus? The people were bringing so much that Moses finally had to say, please don't bring anything else. We have more than enough. How do people become like that?
Everybody, listen to me. Not overnight and not after one sermon. God trains their habits. But over time, God changes their hearts. And as they learn to trust it, him, God grows their faith.
That's the journey. And every one of us is on the journey somewhere today.
So maybe you've already discovered the joy of living with open hands. If that's you, let me just encourage you. Keep growing, keep being a giver. Keep asking the Lord. Lord, what do you want me to keep versus what do you want me to give?
And everybody repeat after me. You can't take it with you, but you can send it all ahead. Let's bow for prayer today. Father, thank you for the treasure principle. Thank you for open hands.
And thank you that our church is filled with them. God, I pray you'd raise up some folks that Lord, they're losing with money and possessions. They haven't considered you. God. Let them learn first fruits.
Let them learn to look to you first. Take the risk this month. Step out in faith and give to you and trust you with the rest. It's our prayer. In Jesus name, Amen.
Would you stand with me? Are you glad that you came? Was that a terrible sermon? Okay, we'll prove it in the offering. Amen.
All right, to the mission field you go. Prayer team, come to the front and the prayer lines will be open. Prayer team, come to the front. Come for prayer. Today it's.

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Join us this Sunday at Great Commission Church for a welcoming and uplifting worship experience. If you’ve been searching for a church near you, you’ll discover a warm, authentic church family ready to help you grow in faith.

We are a family-friendly, non-denominational Christian church in Olive Branch, serving individuals and families throughout DeSoto County and the greater Mid-South. People looking for Christian churches in Olive Branch often discover a vibrant community where faith comes alive and lives are transformed through the Gospel.

Whether you’re new to faith or have followed Christ for years, you’ll find welcoming Sunday services, practical Bible teaching, and a place to belong. We are more than a congregation — we are a church family united by a mission to follow Jesus and live out the Great Commission.

A Place for the Whole Family

Families searching for a church with strong children’s programs love our engaging Kids Ministry and safe, caring environments. Students can connect through our Youth Ministry, and adults of every stage can find community through groups, prayer, and discipleship opportunities. As a multi-generational church, we love seeing every age grow in faith together.

Meaningful Worship

Experience contemporary worship with modern Christian music, heartfelt prayer, and Gospel-centered messages designed to help you encounter God personally. If you’re looking for vibrant worship near Memphis, you’ll find a place that feels both authentic and inspiring.

Grow in Your Faith

We offer Bible studies, small groups, and discipleship opportunities that help you understand and apply God’s Word to everyday life. If you’re looking for a place to grow spiritually, you’ll find support and encouragement here.

Connected to Our Community

We are passionate about serving our neighbors through outreach and local partnerships, making a positive impact in Olive Branch and beyond.

Conveniently located in Olive Branch, we serve families from surrounding communities, including Southaven, Germantown, Collierville, Lewisburg, and Byhalia.