Town & Country Christian Church
09.25.22 Worship
  • Psalm 150 (Praise The Lord)
  • Good God Almighty

      • Matthew 6:1–4NLT

  • 10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)
  • What A Beautiful Name

  • The Effective Manager

    Matthew 25:29 NLT
    29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.
    Jesus’ parable of the talents. Illustrates the message.
    We are supposed to be servants/stewards/managers of God’s resources.
    Genesis 1:26 ESV
    26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
    This has not changed. The consequence is that we are called to be good managers of God’s resources.
    This means we need to:

    Think Like a Godly Servant.

    God owns everything and reserves the right to give money and possessions to his servants.
    God's ownership is referred to in:
    Psalm 50:10 NLT
    10 For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
    Acts 17:25 NLT
    25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.
    We must decide to use what God gives to serve him and bring him glory rather than to simply satisfy our desires.
    1 Timothy 6:18 NLT
    18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.
    Understanding God's ownership gives us balance.
    If our income is up, we praise God and serve him faithfully without pride or greed. Moses taught:
    Deuteronomy 8:18 NLT
    18 Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.
    Even iIf our income is down, we trust God, serve him with what we have, and expect him to provide for us.
    2 Corinthians 8:12 NLT
    12 Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.
    Thinking like a godly servant helps us keep materialistic desires in check.
    When we know God is the owner, we will want to please him with our spending decisions and guard against selfish desires.
    Large debts and overspending damage many people today.
    Before-making a purchase, we should think, Does God want me to spend his money on this item?
    God wants us to enjoy the blessings he gives (1 Tim. 6:17).
    God wants us to make spending decisions that are good for us and his kingdom.
    This means we must:

    Act Like a Trusted Manager.

    Right thinking leads to right actions. Once we start thinking like a godly servant, we will know how to act like a trusted manager of God's resources.
    Our money and our hearts are tied together:
    Matthew 6:19–21 NLT
    19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
    To have a more spiritual heart, we must make spiritual decisions about where our money goes.
    Giving to God is a spiritual ministry.
    If we want God to consider us trusted managers, then we must give generously to support his work
    The Law of the Harvest:
    2 Corinthians 9:6–8 NLT
    6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
    We can be both cheerful and generous because we know God will bless our efforts to serve through our finances.
    Reading 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2 gives practical, inspired directions for keeping our financial management on track.
    1 Corinthians 16:1–2 NLT
    1 Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. 2 On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.
    Give regularly-"on the first day of every week."
    Give personally-"let each one of you" (no one is left out).
    Give systematically-"set aside" (there is planning involved).
    Give proportionately.... "in keeping with his income."

    Feel Like a Precious Heir.

    God wants to train us because He has big plans for each one of us.
    Matthew 25:21 NLT
    21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
    God uses money and possessions to prepare us for his coming kingdom.
    Since God owns everything and can make anything, it's obvious that he could do all the work without any help from us.
    Will we take God at His Word and trust Him?
    The story of the poor widow shows God's provision
    Mark 12:41–44 NLT
    41 Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. 43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. 44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”
    The widow demonstrated personal faith and trust.
    She gave all she had and trusted God to provide.
    We must take God's word seriously like the widow did.
    Even though the text doesn't actually tell what happened to the widow, this woman sowed generously (2 Cor. 9:6).
    Consider these questions:
    Did God take care of her?
    Did he pour out blessings on her, or did she stay destitute?
    (See Mal. 3:9, 10; Luke 6:38; 2 Cor. 9:10, 11.)
    Answers will affect our willingness to trust God, too. If he can take care of a widow who gave all she had, surely he can and will take care of us!
    ​
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      • Matthew 25:29NLT

      • Genesis 1:26NLT

      • Psalm 50:10NLT

      • Acts 17:25NLT

      • 1 Timothy 6:18NLT

      • Deuteronomy 8:18NLT

      • 2 Corinthians 8:12NLT

      • Matthew 6:19–21NLT

      • 2 Corinthians 9:6–8NLT

      • 1 Corinthians 16:1–2NLT

      • Matthew 25:21NLT

  • Be Thou My Vision (Slane)
  • Agnus Dei
Town & Country Christian Church
lanny@tcccfamily.org
(918) 333-9210
https://tcccfamily.org
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