The Devine Dare

This past weekend’s message at First United Methodist Church Waco was titled “The Devine Dare”. God dares us to be generous and giving to the church is meant to be a celebration of what God has blessed us with. We should make giving, serving, and worshiping God a joyous experience by following what He says to do and watching what we make happen to change the world.

Below is an outline of the message. The words in black are notes provided by the church staff and the notes in blue are notes I added as I listened to the Podcast.

1. DARING GENEROSITY.
“ ‘Should a person rob God’? But you are robbing Me. You ask, ‘How have we robbed You?’ ‘You have robbed Me in your offerings and the tenth of your crops… Bring to the storehouse a full tenth of what you earn so there will be food in My house. Test Me in this,’ says the Lord All Powerful. ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour out all the blessings you need.’ ” – Malachi 3:8-10a (NCV)

God dares us to be generous and He promises to bless us.

2. TITHING GENEROSITY.
“I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting.” – Numbers 18:21 (NIV)

“Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling of His Name so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always.” – Deuteronomy 14:22-23 (NIV)

“Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice.” – Deuteronomy 14:26 (NIV)

Tithing is meant to be a celebration of what God has blessed us with. How do you make giving, serving, and worshiping God into a joyous thing?

“…and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.” – Deuteronomy 14:29b (NIV)

Follow what God says to do and watch how He blesses.

3. FIRST FRUITS GENEROSITY.
“Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God.” – Exodus 23:19 (NIV)

“Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: ‘My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation… and now I bring the first fruits of the soil that You, LORD have given me.’ Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before Him. Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.” – Deuteronomy 26:5-7(NIV)

Paul said Jesus is the first fruits of God’s best crop. He planted His Son; the seed had to die to live and that seed came out of the ground called the resurrection.

Give God your best not your leftovers.

4. HARVESTING GENEROSITY.
“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.” – Leviticus 19:9 (NIV)

5. OFFERING GENEROSITY.
“These, then, are the regulations for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering and the fellowship offering.” – Leviticus 7:37 (NIV)

6. SABBATH GENEROSITY.

Giving to the church results in people being changed, kids being blessed, college students in a new place; you will see what you make happen to bless our world. I found this video that brings out some of the main points in the message and I hope it will inspire your day as much as it has mine: When Love Sees You – Mac Powell. God Bless 🙂

Feel free to use this outline and message to study or share with others. There is also a Podcast of all sermons at First United Methodist Church Waco Podcast.