Today we conclude the series The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure.

Matthew 13:44 (NKJV) "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” As a point of review, let’s look at some of the keys we have learned in this series. Maybe you have forgotten this but even one of our Distinctives as a church is Generous Giving. Randy Alcorn – “Our approach to money and possessions is central to our spiritual lives. Anything we try to hang on to here will be lost. But anything we put in God’s hands will be ours for eternity. You can’t take it with you—but you can send it on ahead of you.” Psalm 24:1 (NLT2) ¹ The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. This is so powerful…even the poor can be generous. 2 Corinthians 8:2 (NIV) “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.” 

My heart always goes where I put God’s money. What we do with our money doesn’t simply indicate where our hearts are, according to Jesus, it determines where our hearts go. Our hearts follow our treasure. Where we invest our treasure largely determines where we put our treasure. We have to realize that this earth is not our home, we are only passing through. Philippians 3:20 (NIV) ^“But our citizenship is in heaven…” We need to consider our giving is absolutely worship to God. 2 Corinthians 9:12 (NIV) ^“This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” Alcorn – “God prospers me not to raise my standard of living but to raise my standard of giving.” 

Let me challenge with a few things to help you lay up treasure in Heaven and how to live generously.

1. A good place to start is being faithful with the tithe and with something for missions.

2. If you have never made a Faith Promise to missions, do it. You will be so glad.

3. If the amount you give above your tithe to missions is merely a token, double it and watch God.

4. Look for and pray for opportunities to be generous in the church and outside the church.

5. Prayerfully ask God what it really means to lay up treasures in Heaven.

6. Finally, find someone or some ministry to bless this week with a generous love gift.

The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure. I hope God is revealing ...

... things to you that you have never considered about being generous and that you are following His leading. Matthew 13:44 (NKJV) "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Maybe (hopefully) you are asking “How much is God asking me to give beyond my ten percent (tithe). Truthfully, only God can answer that question. That means we need to ask Him. Obedience should never be a burden to us. 1 John 5:3 (NIV) ^“This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.”

1. Where Our Giving Should Start. Giving should always start with your local Bible believing Christ centered church, the spiritual community to which you are accountable. Malachi 3:10 (NIV) “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

2. Your Giving Commitment – A Review

A. I affirm God’s full ownership of me and everything I own. Psalm 24:1 (NIV) ¹ The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 

B. I will set aside the first fruits—starting with at least 10 percent of all I receive. I will be treating it as belonging exclusively to the Lord. I do this in obedience to the Him, desiring His blessings. By faith I take God up on His challenge to test Him in in this. 

C. Out of the remaining treasure God entrust to me, I will prayerfully seek to make generous freewill gifts. I recognize and understand God has entrusted wealth to me so that I can be “generous on every occasion.”

D. I ask God to teach me to give sacrificially to His purposes. This includes helping the poor in my community and around the world. This also includes reaching the lost here in America. Missions. It is recognizing God’s greatest gift. 2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV) ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

E. Knowing, I cannot take earthly treasures with me, I determine to store up treasure in Heaven. Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Today we continue with the series The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasures.

 2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV) “But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” Suppose you have something very important you want to get to someone who really needs it. You wrap it up and hand it over to the UPS guy. What would you think if instead of delivering it, he took it home and kept it? You would be upset and rightly so. You would say, “The package doesn’t belong to him! He’s just the middle man. His job is to get the package from me and get it to the person it was intended for!” Think about it, we are the ones in the middle.

1. Money in Our Hands. Just because God puts money in our hands, it doesn’t mean He intends for it to stay there. A good question…Why does God give some of His children more than they need and others less than they need? So that He can use His children to help one another. He does not want us to have too much or too little. When those who have too much give to those with too little, two problems are solved. When they don’t, two problems are perpetuated. 

2. Five Minutes After I Die. We often talk about how sinners will not have the opportunity to go back and make changes in their lives that would change everything, but hear me today, neither will Christians. We have only one lifetime to live. Missionary C.T. Studd – “Only one life, twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” Ask yourself, five minutes after I die, what will I wish I would have given away while I still had the chance? When you come up with your answer, why not start giving it away now. 

3. Giving is a Spiritual Gift. Romans 12 tells us we all have different gifts and we usually emphasis all of them but one…giving. Sadly, in our Western culture, probably the gift that is thought about the least is the gift of giving. We are all called to serve, to show mercy, and to give even if we do not think we have those particular gifts. Alcorn – Suppose God wanted to fulfill His plan of world evangelism and help an unprecedented number of suffering people. What gift would you expect Him to distribute widely? Why not the gift of giving? And what might you expect Him to provide for those to whom He’s given that gift? Perhaps unprecedented wealth to meet those needs and further His Kingdom. Look around. Isn’t that exactly what He has done? The question is, what are we doing with the wealth He’s entrusted to us?

We continue the series The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure.

Today we are looking at how to start this journey of a generous lifestyle. Matthew 6:19-20 (NIV) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Paul tells us to excel in many things and he adds to that list, see that you also excel in this grace of giving. We can learn to give better, we can learn to give more, we can learn to give more often. As we study God’s Word about giving we can excel in this grace of giving. Example of the Macedonian believers: 2 Corinthians 8:3 (NIV) ^“For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.” How is that possible?

1. Giving Now or Giving Later. People ask, “Should I give now, or should I hang on to it, hoping my investments will do well and I’ll have more to give in a year?” We respond with two questions: “How soon do you want to experience God’s blessing?” Do you want to make sure the money goes to God’s Kingdom, or are you willing to risk it won’t?” John Wesley – “Money never stays with me. It would burn me if it did. I throw it out of my hands as soon as possible, lest it should find its way into my heart.” 

2. Our Kid’s Inheritance. Alcorn – “What about our children?” you may ask. “Aren’t we supposed to leave them all our money?” The answer is no. We will leave to our daughters and their families enough to be of modest help, but not enough to change their lifestyles or undercut their need to pray with and depend upon their husbands. If we really want to leave our children a great inheritance, why don’t we work on leaving them a spiritual legacy of serving God and being generous with the poor and the Great Commission?

3. We Have Been Entrusted with so Much. R.G. LeTourneau invented earth moving machines. He gave 90% of his money back to God but money came in faster than he could give it. LeTourneau – “I shovel it out and God shovels it back---but God has a bigger shovel.” So why does God entrust so much to us? 2 Corinthians 9:11 (NIV) You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. Alcorn – “God prospers me not to raise my standard of living but to raise my standard of giving.”