GOD’S PROMISES FOR FINANCIAL FAITHFULNESS

I Promise #4

Pastor Dennis Clanton

Woodland Church

Sunday, April 3, 2022

“God never made a promise that was to good to be true.” -D. L. Moody

(Psalm 119:50, PT) “In all of my affliction, I find great comfort in your promises, for they have kept me alive.”

“Every command of God is built upon a promise from God. Every divine call to action (obedience) is, at the same time, a divine summons to trust in God’s promises (faith). The promises of God are commands in disguise, and vice versa. God commands what he commands because he promises. After the Exodus, God promised Israel that it would rain bread from heaven every day except the Sabbath. God therefore commanded Israel not to gather more than their daily ration, except on Friday. God’s promise was inextricably linked with a prohibition. Conversely, trust in God’s promise would mean obedience to his commands. Disbelief always shows up as an act of disobedience, since every promise carries with it a command. Every time we disobey God, it is because we are not trusting his promises.”   -Scott Hafemann, The God of Promise and the Life of Faith, pp. 86-87

1.   GOD PROMISES THAT GOOD WILL COME TO ME

(Psalm 112:5, NIV) “Good will come to those who are generous …”

(Proverbs 22:9, NASB) “He who is generous will be blessed, …”

2.   GOD PROMISES THAT MY CHILDREN WILL BE BLESSED

(Psalm 37:26, PT) “The godly ones [are] the generous ones who give freely to others. Their children are blessed and become a blessing.”

3.   GOD PROMISES THAT HE WILL BLESS MY WORK

(Proverbs 3:9-10, PT) “Glorify God with all your wealth, honoring him with your very best, with every increase that comes to you. Then every dimension of your life will overflow with blessings from an uncontainable source of inner joy!”

(Proverbs 11:25, NLT) “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”

4.   GOD PROMISES THAT I WILL BE HAPPIER

(Acts 20:35, NLT) “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

5.   GOD PROMISES THAT MY WORLD WILL INCREASE

(Proverbs 11:24, Message) “The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.”

6.   GOD PROMISES AN OVERFLOWING BLESSING IN MY LIFE

(Luke 6:38, PT) “Give generously and generous gifts will be given back to you, shaken down to make room for more. Abundant gifts will pour out upon you with such an overflowing measure that it will run over the top! Your measurement of generosity becomes the measurement of your return.”

7.   GOD PROMISES TO MEET ALL MY NEEDS

(Philippians 4:17-19, NCV) “I want you to have the good that comes from giving. … My God will use his wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need.”

(2 Corinthians 9:7-8, PT) “Let giving flow from your heart, not from a sense of religious duty. Let it spring up freely from the joy of giving-all because God loves hilarious generosity! Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything-every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do.”

8.   GOD PROMISES TO MULTIPLY WHAT I GIVE TO HIM

(2 Corinthians 9:6, PT) “Here’s my point. A stingy sower will reap a meager harvest, but the one who sows from a generous spirit will reap an abundant harvest.”

(2 Corinthians 9:9-11, PT) “Just as the Scriptures say about the one who trusts in him: Because he has sown extravagantly and given to the poor, his kindness and generous deeds will never be forgotten. This generous God who supplies abundant seed for the farmer, which becomes bread for our meals, is even more extravagant toward you. First he supplies every need, plus more. Then he multiplies the seed as you sow it, so that the harvest of your generosity will grow. You will be abundantly enriched in every way as you give generously on every occasion, for when we take your gifts to those in need, it causes many to give thanks to God.”

9.   GOD PROMISES THAT I WILL HAVE REAL TREASURE FOR ETERNITY

(Luke 16:9, NLT) “Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.”

GROWTHWORK

1.   BEGIN WITH THE TITHE

(Malachi 3:8–11, GN) “I ask you, is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. ‘How?’ you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings. A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating me. Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things. I will not let insects destroy your crops, and your grapevines will be loaded with grapes.”

2.   SET ASIDE 1% FOR OFFERINGS. (Missions, benevolence, etc)

3.   KEEP SOME BAGS OF NECESSITIES IN YOUR CAR TO GIVE AWAY

4.   TEACH YOUR CHILDREN TITHING AND GIVING. TELL THEM HOW YOU LEARN TO GIVE

(2 Corinthians 9:2, CEV) “I know how eager you are to give. … Now your desire to give has made them want to give.”

5.   LEARN TO MINIMIZE SO WE CAN GIVE RADICALLY MORE

(Acts 4:32, Message) “No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” They shared everything.”