What's In Your Hand? | Stephen Chandler | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

What's In Your Hand?

Stephen Chandler

Union Church • Aug 3, 2026 • 50 min

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

Summary

In this teaching on biblical stewardship, Pastor Stephen Chandler explores why God calls believers to give and how our financial obedience draws our hearts closer to Him. Healthy finances rely on four essential legs: earning, saving, spending, and giving—and missing any single leg leads to instability and financial worry. By moving through the three levels of giving—tithing, offerings, and sacrificial giving—believers step out in faith to experience supernatural provision and grow in their relationship with God.

Themes

Financial StewardshipGenerosityFaith and ObedienceTrusting GodTithingGod's Provision

Pastor's Points

1.

Level 1: Tithing (The baseline of returning the first ten percent to God through the local church)

2.

Level 2: Offering (Giving beyond the tithe as prompted by the Holy Spirit)

3.

Level 3: Sacrificial Giving (Giving that requires delaying or giving up personal plans for kingdom priorities)

Key Points

1.
Tithing is the first level of giving where believers return the first ten percent of their income to God through their local church to build reverence and honor.
2.
Offerings represent the second level of giving, which is guided by the promptings of the Holy Spirit rather than a fixed percentage or specific schedule.
3.
Sacrificial giving is the third level of giving, where what you sowed requires you to delay or forfeit your own personal plans to prioritize God's kingdom.
4.
Finances require four strong legs for biblical peace: working hard to earn, spending wisely, saving diligently, and giving generously.
5.
Every financial resource God provides contains both bread meant for daily living expenses and seed meant to be sown into generous giving.
6.
If a financial resource is too small to solve your current need, God intends for it to be sowed as a seed to produce a spiritual harvest.
7.
God asks believers to give not because He lacks money, but to reveal His power to them and secure their wholehearted devotion.
8.

Sermon Moments

“When you've got four legs of your finances in order—earning, spending, saving, and giving—you have peace and nothing to worry about.”

“The miracle doesn't come before my obedience. It comes after my obedience.”

“God doesn't want you to give because you have too much; He wants you to give because He is trying to reveal who He is to you.”

“Fear of the Lord doesn't mean being afraid of Him; it means having a deep reverence and awe for how good He is.”

“If it's too small to meet my need, it must be seed.”

“Sacrificial giving is when what I gave required me to not do something else.”

“God was building this woman's faith all along for a battle that she didn't even know was coming.”

This Week

Begin tithing the first ten percent of your income to your local church as a baseline step of biblical honor and trust in God.

Identify areas in your spending where you are consuming "seed" meant for giving rather than "bread" meant for living expenses.

Set up a structured financial plan that addresses all four areas of stewardship: earning, saving, spending, and giving.

Take time this week to pray before making financial decisions, asking the Holy Spirit if an amount in your hand is meant as seed or bread.

When facing a financial need that seems larger than your current resources, sow what you have as seed instead of hoarding it in fear.

Reflect on past instances where God proved faithful in your finances to build confidence for current or upcoming struggles.

Respond with prompt obedience when God prompts your heart to bless someone sacrificially, trusting Him with the outcome.

Remember This

God asks us to give not because He needs our resources, but to align our hearts with His and reveal His supernatural power through our obedience.

A Challenge for You

Pray and ask, "Holy Spirit, what are you saying to me?" Allow God to make this message personal, surrendered to Him not just in money, but with your whole heart.

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