Don’t Zone Out!

In The Zone, part 4 of 4
As much as people can live in the zone, people can also zone out on God and on giving. They are simply unfaithful in their giving and have zoned out of the Christian life as a consequence. The Bible says that a solid mature Christian understands that when they are faithful in little, they can be trusted by God to be faithful in much. And because the Bible sees money as something little, our faithfulness with money determines our faithfulness with more important spiritual things to God. In this talk we will examine the concept of management verses ownership and how we don’t really own our money but instead we management it and that God ultimately owns our money. When we are faithful in managing little things like money, God will help us to be faithful in greater things and keep us from zoning out in life.

Download the notes.

I) God _owns absolutely everything_!

“Who has a claim against Me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to Me.”
(Job 41:11, NIV)

“I do not need bulls from your stalls or goats from your pens, because every animal of the forest is already mine. The cattle on a thousand hills are mine…every living thing in the fields is mine…the earth and everything in it are mine.”
(Psalm 50:9-12, NCV)

II) We _manage some of God’s things_!

Jesus said: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”
(Luke 16:10-12, NIV)

III) How we _manage it all is a test_!

“For the man who uses well what he is given shall be given more, and he shall have abundance. But from the man who is unfaithful, even what little responsibility he has shall be taken from him.”
(Matthew 25:29, LB)

“Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.”
(Luke 12:34, LB)

“The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God first in your life.”
(Deuteronomy 14:23, LB)

IV) God _is our ultimate source_!

“But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth…”
(Deuteronomy 8:18a, NIV)

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
(Proverbs 16:3, NIV)

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age.”
(1 Timothy 6:17-19, NIV)

1) Have I received the favor of God through Christ?
2) Am I reflecting the nature of God through my giving?