Money Matters, Part 1

Letters to God, the Bible says in Psalm 21 the Lord's, and everything in it are old and all live in. You want to understand is what he does distort shipments because the owner hello and welcome to this Tuesday edition of Dustin for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, Senior Pastor destiny, the Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California were always glad to have you with us today we come to a subject that might make you a little nervous, money management, let me put your mind at ease. God doesn't want something from you want something for you when he talks about money. It's designed to help you to bless you. That's why Pastor Paul sharing it with you today so stay with us now or visit Pastor Paul.net to listen on demand. That's Pastor Paul.net this Dustin for victory message money matters is Pastor Paul. Your money your time and your talents, gifts and abilities are really not yours. They are endowments from God investments that he expects a return all and so I have to do a stewardship series. Every now and again because we must understand that the master from Matthew 25, the parable of the talents, the master was getting ready to take a long journey, called his servants to him gave them resources said I'm going away but I'm coming back and I want you to give me a return on these when I come back and I'll master has gone away but he is coming back and he wants a return in all three areas. Our money our time management and our gifts and abilities.

So this series is designed to walk us through those areas in the make sure we are prepared to give our master. An excellent return on his resources. So the first part of the series deals with money now for years I was a very uncomfortable pastor, preaching on money.

I did because it was in the book, and he called me to preach the book and I can't pick the themes I like and I did it for years, but I was always nervous, always uncomfortable when it came time to preach a series that included a part on financial stewardship because I know how people like to do.

People like to do things like they go they always talk about money growing up in the church about my life and you know from church, but you certainly hear it when you sit in the barbershops and I'm sure you ladies the beauty shop but I billing you barbershops go to the barbershops and I still go now living trim what was left. And what have you, and in barbershops is going come up sooner or later. If somebody brings up church money is coming up in the next couple of minutes as I've always had a kind of self-consciousness and so I used the bridge stewardship series that included a financial part but I would always be nervous.

I'm here to proclaim to you. I'm over it now, and here's a limit is what you hear is why I'm over it. Of all the preachers that should not be self-conscious at the top of the list because you know our church doesn't coerce people were given concern. We don't even past the basket. What you see whether somebody drops some minute or not. As a pastor. I've done that since 2004.

Since 2004 that has been the practice in my photo pastor the now in this current pastorate where we have places where you can give your time and offering we have the time of the service. When we pray and mention it, but it is completely up to you whether you give someone fall in the barbershop. Try to push up on me, all you women past your past the plate. The service don't just say we passed a plate time dealing with zero times. I'm not pushing up on quote.

I'm not making them feel guilty.

They can give if they choose to give. They can walk out if they choose to walk out and so I backed a few folk up off of me God when he talks about money in his word trying to curse us just the opposite. He's trying to bless us and so I want you to hear him speak to us and do it with an open heart, because I'm no longer self-conscious about this. I'm excited about this because I'm trying to be used of God to get a blessing to you and so open your heart and understand that God is doing something special.

This is part of the great commission. When I preach series like this is nothing but fulfilling the great commission the great commission is going to world preach the gospel, the good news baptize people and then Jesus said, and teach them to observe everything I command.

Teach them how to live the way I recommend… Because that's the way God's going to get his blessings into their lives. Now hear the things I want said that a lot of ground to cover.

Stick with me.

Take notes as we go. And the Lord's going to bless us and speak to us when it comes to money will not talk about for areas but to be able to talk about selling generously is what I need to understand money matters to God money matters to God. The Bible says in Psalm 24, 1B is the Lord's, and everything in it are old and all who live in it so you want to understand is when he comes a stewardship it's because God is the owner us. Everybody in the world belongs to him. The Bible says he owns everything in the world, including financial resources. Hey God. Chapter 2 verse eight Haggai some people pronounce it. Chapter 2 verse eight.

The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the Lord Almighty. Now many currencies are based on wealth such as silver and gold and so when he says that he's talking about all forms of currency and he says they all to me so our money matters to God because it is really not our money is his being.

It actually stored up that money been is all most importance, you're not living right. If you're not giving right you're not living right. If you're not giving right you may have never heard a preacher say that because typically when we talk about living right with trying to help people in the areas of getting our moral lives in order or getting our love life in order and living right means you know I'm loving people correctly, or especially my morals I'm behaving outwardly I'm behaving correctly I'm here to tell you that's not all there reduced to living right.

According to the Scripture. If you want live in lighted means not only are you letting God speak to areas of morality and speak there is of how you love and treat people right but you have to deal with being an excellent stored of God's resources. So what is giving right look like well pastor speak on because I want to make sure that I'm living right so if that means giving right tell me about it was the biblical standard for giving right. Here's the answer. Generosity from a worshipful heart how I get right.

I give generously and from a worshipful heart. Why do I say that because you can give generously with the wrong motive and God still not pleased you can get really call it worship, and God is not pleased back Otis up from the script and by the way, so that if you leave this message us and will be fussing with God you get mad, I'm just the mailman run attack the mailman because you don't like tomato on the mailman fuss with him at the first mention of giving in the Scripture and it'll show you it's intended to show you that money matters to God.

Genesis chapter 4. Look at the first five verses Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, with the help of the Lord.

I have brought forth a man verse 2C gave birth to his brother Abel.

And Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord and Abel also brought an offering portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. Now look at this next since the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering.

Verse five says, but on Cain and his offering. God did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry and his face was down was right there.

You know the rest of that story is very tragic so had the second half of today's destined for victory message with pastor Paul Sheppard. We want to thank all of you who sustained destined for victory with your prayers and financial support, gifts that help pastor Paul share the gospel with a growing audience destined for victory is a listener supported ministry today. Your help is especially critical in our current climate with all its uncertainty.

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Cain decides to address the fact that God is offering by killing the guy who's offering God approved yeah, that takes care of it. The difference between the two time when he got good and ready is what that means. Tanguay some of the fruit of the land as an offering. That's the way many of us give, give Lord some whereas people look at the difference brought questions from the first morning he is trying to say some to God.

He said whatever his first what I do with that is a symbol of how I view the priorities in my life and the first thing he does is takes the firstborn and offers portions to the Lord has an offering God cares what we give out. Cain and Abel. Dave and how much they gave mattered to God, therefore it was a sign of the law enforcement some goals. It's a clear indication of what is to come, that it matters to God below for first mention in Scripture is very important because it's saying here is a pacesetting moment and then look at how this plays out as we move through redemptive history and you'll see that this matters and so God showed us the very first mention of giving a Scripture showed us. I don't accept just any old thing is what God said to us. I don't accept just any opening.

When you say give, you can't be more nonbiblical to say what you just said because first of all, it's really not about the church. It's about one the church serves and belongs to and he cares what goes in the basket. He cares what comes through the mail was given online they needed to be happy is God happy is the question happy the pastor is God happy and so what they gave how much they gave mattered to God.

Another statement I want to jot down. This is one that a whole lot of folks like but I really don't care generous giving in God's kingdom begins with the tie and increases from the was the type.

The type is 10% of what's God's given us now offers mention there wasn't anything yet no one had yet practice it but after all were talking about the second generation of human beings mentioned in Scripture, so it's no big deal.

The timing wasn't mentioned right away what is mentioned right away is casual. Not particularly generous giving versus abundant giving and God made it clear I am pleased with the abundant giving from the right heart I'm displeased with this test will give now we move on and we begin to see her practice as early as Genesis called typing so when you hear her people object to tithing. First thing they say is what the law we not under the law. See what I did good and ready.

They put out the law is the law when they want me to be made on top of the law and not from your book from a Christian. So when somebody said why don't try there showing me their ignorant of truth. Tithing starts in Genesis. The law came hundreds of years later, through Moses before Moses, Abraham, have a church or even a nation to give to corporately so he gave to Melchizedek was a Christophe and me on getting theological on you'll a Christophe and he is a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. There are couple places in the Scripture where Jesus showed up on earth before he was born of the Virgin Mary and the first place we see is through mail to the deck because the Bible says he had no roots, no generational route to that. What I mean. I means that somebody who one born with only one was never born. And that's God himself and so not having anybody else to offer sacrifices to he offers them to God through now. The first time you see tithing is Abraham to be in Genesis 1420 if you want to check out later but I want to go to Genesis 28 right now go to Genesis 28 and look with me at some verses in the morning.

Jacob took dystonia placed under his headset and as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel Boulder city used to be called Lowe's. What's this Jacob made about saying of God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I'm taking and will give me food to even close to where so that I return safely to my father's household. Then the Lord will be my God and missed all that I've set up as a pillar will be God's house and all that you give me I will give you a who is this Jacob. This is Abram's grandson where in the book of beginnings the book of Genesis very early in redemptive history. In other words, you see Jacob say if you give me two days close to where he said I'm going to bless you by giving 1/10 of everything you give to me. Tithing then when you move more into the law, the tithing that already began hundreds of years before Moses never showed up.

It simply continues give you one example of many have to give in the Lowell Deuteronomy chapter 12 verses 10 and 11, but you will cross the Jordan and settled in the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and he will give you rest from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety plays the Lord your God will choose a dwelling for his name. There you are to bring everything I command you your burnt offerings and sacrifices your ties 10% and special gifts and all the choice possessions you have bound to the Lord so that you see ties and offerings and throughout the Lord, you will see the mention of ties and offerings.

In other words, tithing is the beginning of our generosity toward the kingdom of God. It is the beginning and then from there. There are various other offerings and still happens in the New Testament church today. Practice this tithing is the beginning what we bring to the storehouse the ministry where we are fed where we are part of what God is doing in that ministry.

If it's healthy, it is not only an internal anomaly blesses the people when serves its immediate people, but it reaches out and blesses the world in various ways and so you bring your ties at the beginning and their various other offerings mobile offers a broad offering sacrifice of special gifts in our day.

It's more like beyond the time I want to make funds available to bless other ministries.

Maybe there's a radio ministry that blesses your life supplements what you're getting your church also like Dustin for victory, MML missionaries, there are other Christian organizations that are doing great work, you may want to so into them, or a building campaign. Your church is going so we can build a house.

Those are the supplemental offerings of our day. The principle is the time in the beginning of my generosity. I bring that to my home church, my storehouse and then I make available other funds of the Lord so blesses me.

Malachi chapter 3 verses eight through 10 when a man rob God. Yet you rob me.

But you asked how do we rob you and God answers and ties and offerings.

Imagine God: you a robber, a robber, you know the difference between a robber and a thief thief sneaks and breaks in and steal something that's a thief will bus up on you now keep you guys try to get his word into God bless you Chipley call me a robber.

God said you base and said I'm taken your and I'm taken your offering Jim sticking up God you everything in the first place. He said here.

Malachi 3. Rob me and ties and offerings. Verse nine you are under a curse the whole nation of you because you are robbing me. Imagine cursing your cell. You think you get away with some by not giving generously from a workable heart and your cursing yourself, and listen will admit it, but you can get help to you. Admit what's wrong some of us are experiencing what we are experiencing all purposes are the direct result of reaping the harvest we so he said your first with a curse because of what you're doing. So he says he always gives a solution.

God never admonishes us without giving us the remedy.

He says bring the holes tithing to the storehouse of that may be food in my house. Just me and this is the Lord Almighty see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour you out so much blessing you will not have room enough to receive.

Now here's the thing I learned in decades and decades of being a pastor I learned every mountain somebody will try tithing for six weeks and say to floodgates open and I'm going back when he said to say put me on 30 day trial that's equipment you buy online 30 days you get back on TV as seen on TV 30 days return the unused portion God and say that he said, either don't try tithing become a generous giver and he said watch that I will do it. We set it at the top of today's broadcast but it's worth hearing again when God talks about money, it's not because he needs something from us.

It's because he wants something for us honor him with your tithes and offerings and he promises to bless you beyond all you can imagine.

Thanks so much for joining us for pastor Paul Shepard's message money matters. This in all of our recent messages can be accessed any time on demand@pastorpaul.net that's Pastor Paul.net will, as we begin to recover from the pandemic. Many are left with unanswered questions and receive the Dustin for victory audience continue to grow adversity very often brings with it a degree of spiritual awareness and friends like you make it possible for pastor Paul to minister to a growing audience. Thanks so much for lifting us up in prayer and supporting this financially. During this time today would like to lift you up in prayer from the homepage of Pastor Paul.net click contact us and tell us how we can pray for you while you're there, be sure to ask for pastor Paul's monthly letter of encouragement. Yours, at no cost or obligation in here something else for you. A booklet from Pastor Paul called built on a solid foundation based on Matthew chapter 7. This booklet will show you the blessings and protection that come your way. When you build your life on the solid rock of God's word that's built on a solid foundation our gift to you by request for your generous gift to Destin for victory call us at 855-339-5500 to give over the phone or visit pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 well if you think tithing is going to stretch her wallet wait until you see what comes next. Here's pastor Paul so the Bible is clear.

God loves generosity from a worshipful heart and tithing as a pattern clearly shows us that that's the baseline that's the beginning of this generosity from a worshipful heart and increases from their that's tomorrow and pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message. Money matters until then.

Remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory