GOD WILL GIVE YOU A GOOD NAME

The Good Life #8

Pastor Dennis Clanton

Woodland Church

March 3, 2024

(Exodus 20:15, NLT) “You must not steal.”

(Proverbs 3:3–4, NIV) “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”

(Ephesians 4:28, NLT) “If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.”

(Mark 12:30–31, NLT) “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

1.   We were created to be stewards.

(Psalm 104:14–15, LB) “The tender grass grows up at his command to feed the cattle, and there are fruit trees, vegetables, and grain for man to cultivate, and wine to make him glad, and olive oil as lotion for his skin, and bread to give him strength.”

a. Wrong taking.

b. Right of keeping.

c. If stealing is wrong then having must be right.

(Isaiah 3:14–15, NLT) “Your houses are filled with things stolen from the poor. How dare you crush my people, grinding the faces of the poor into the dust?”

(Malachi 3:8, NASB) “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.”

2. We need a new heart.

a. God is watching me.

(Job 34:21–22, NLT) “God watches how people live; he sees everything they do. No darkness is thick enough to hide the wicked from his eyes.”

b. My family and community are watching me.

(Matthew 5:16, NLT) “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

“I fear there are many hearing me who may know well that they are not Christians, because they do not love to give. To give largely and liberally, not grudging at all, requires a new heart; an old heart would rather part with its lifeblood than its money.” –Robert Murray McCheyne

(1 Corinthians 6:19–20, NIV) “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”

(2 Corinthians 8:9, NLT) “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.”

(Romans 8:28, NIV) “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

“I fear there are many hearing me who may know well that they are not Christians because they do not love to give. To give largely and liberally, not grudgingly at all, requires a new heart; an old heart would rather part with its life-blood than its money. Oh my friends! Enjoy your money; make the most of it; give none away; enjoy it quickly for I can tell you, you will be beggars throughout eternity.” – Robert Murray McCheyne

“Prosperity hardens the heart.” – William Wilberforce

(Luke 18:24–27, NLT) “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God. …  What is impossible for people is possible with God.”

(Luke 19:9, NLT) “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham.”

GROWTHWORK

(Proverbs 11:10, NIV) “When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices…”

Jesus is our definition and money is strategic for a passionate follower of Christ.

1. I will harvest what I plant.

(Galatians 6:7, NLT) “You will always harvest what you plant.”

2. God will bless me.

(Proverbs 28:20, NET) “A faithful person will have an abundance of blessings, …”

3. Work honestly.

(Ephesians 4:28, NLT) “Use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.”

(1 Thessalonians 4:11–12, NLT) “Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.”

4. Give to God because you love and reverence Him.

(Matthew 23:23, NLT) “You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.”

(Deuteronomy 14:23, Message) “In this way you will learn to live in deep reverence before God, your God, as long as you live.”