Growing In Your Giving | Bryan L. Carter | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

Growing In Your Giving

Bryan L. Carter

Concord Church • Oct 14, 2024 • 35 min

Start a Devotional

Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

The solemn account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 reminds believers that giving is fundamentally an act of personal worship between an individual and God, not a public performance for human recognition. Spiritual maturity involves progressing through levels of giving—moving from occasional contributions to intentional budgets, standard tithing, and extravagant generosity. When we overcome temptations such as greed and financial anxiety to give with open hands, our faithful stewardship fuels the local church's mission to reach people and make disciples for Jesus Christ.

Themes

Biblical StewardshipGenerosityWorship and IntegritySpiritual GrowthChurch MissionGod's Provision

Pastor's Points

1.

We give to support the mission and vision of the church

2.

There are levels to giving

3.

We give to God

4.

We will be tempted in our giving

5.

God is calling us up

Key Points

Sermon Moments

“The Bernie Madoff Embezzlement Illustration: Embezzling is taking money that belongs to someone else and claiming it as our own, which is exactly what we do when we withhold from God.”

“The McDonald's French Fry Metaphor: Withholding our giving from God is like a child blocking a parent's hand from taking a single French fry out of the Happy Meal the parent just bought them.”

“The RG LeTourneau Story: The industrialist who reversed his tithe to give away 90% of his income, realizing that all wealth comes from God and asking how much of God's money he should keep for himself.”

“The Middle School Teacher Rule: Just as a teacher sets strict boundaries on the first day of class without smiling to show students they mean business, God dealt decisively with sin early in the church.”

“The Parallel of Acts 5 and Joshua 7: The account of Ananias and Sapphira holding back funds directly mirrors Achan keeping back spoils in Joshua 7, showing how unaddressed sin threatens the whole community.”

“The First Use of 'Ecclesia': The word 'church' appears for the first time in Acts during chapter 5 in the context of giving, demonstrating that giving fuels the called-out body of believers.”

This Week

Assess where you currently sit on the continuum of giving (first-time, occasional, intentional, tithing, generous) and prayerfully identify your next spiritual step.

Incorporate giving directly into your regular household budget so that honoring God with your finances becomes a priority rather than an afterthought.

Practice open-handed stewardship by offering God the first portion of your earnings rather than giving from your leftovers.

Choose to trust God during tight or lean financial seasons, relying on His faithful provision even when circumstances are challenging.

Refuse to let past church experiences or personal doubts hinder your obedience in honoring God through financial stewardship.

Examine your heart for subtle temptations like greed, materialism, or financial anxiety, surrendering those fears to the Lord.

Pray regularly for your local church, asking God to multiply tithes and offerings to win souls, build disciples, and serve the community.

Remember This

Giving is a vital act of personal worship between you and God, and growing into intentional, open-handed stewardship directly fuels His mission through the church.

A Challenge for You

God is calling us up to not just be occasional givers, but to take our next step and become intentional givers, tithers, and generous givers who live with open hands and honor Him in every area of life.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.