THE GOOD LIFE IS:

• A life under the Son, which leads to fellowship with others.
• Really knowing God means you know His heart.
• Loving God, in return, means we obey.
• Love requires generosity.

1 John 1:5–7 (NLT) 5This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

Matthew 22:37–40 (NIV) 37Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

1 John 5:1–4 (NIV) 1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

Acts 20:32–35 (NLT) 32And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself. 33I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes. 34You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. 35And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive…”

GOD’S DEMANDS PERTAINING TO FINANCES:

•  Remember what every part of Scripture has as its underlying motive: love.
• Generosity comes from a thankful heart, a heart set on contentment, a heart that trusts God.
• This week, our focus is on biblical generosity.

Malachi 3:6–12 (NIV) 6“I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ 8Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and offerings. 9You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10Bring 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 there will not be room enough to store it. 11I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the LORD Almighty. 12“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.

1. GOD MAKES THE POINT THAT GOD’S PEOPLE TURNED AWAY FROM HIM.

• God placed this law in place to make sure His people prioritized Him first, that they remembered Who gave them everything, and that they both honored and thanked Him.
• God didn’t want them to trust their income rather than Him.
• Giving to God first helps me curb my sinful nature, my lust for more.
• Whatever you do first and prioritize will dictate what else you are able to do with the rest.
• God’s people had not brought the whole tithe in.

Proverbs 3:9–10 (NIV) 9Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; 10then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

2. THE PEOPLE CARED MORE ABOUT THEIR PERSONAL MISSIONS THAN GOD’S.

• Tithing is to take part in the mission and glory of God.
• The Lord’s storehouse and “food in my house” refers to food for the priests and for the poor.
• The people were revealing their own hearts toward God.

Haggai 1:2–7 (NIV) 2This is what the LORD Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD’s house.’” 3Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 4“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” 5Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” 7This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.”

Ephesians 3:10–11 (NIV) 10His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

3. THE PROMISE OF GOD TO THE PERSON/PEOPLE OF GOD:

• God will throw open the gates of heaven. (See Malachi 3:10 above)
• What does that mean? God isn’t promising you more of what He shouts throughout Scripture is not the good life!

QUESTIONS TO REFLECT AND DISCUSS:

Passages to consider: Matthew 6:19-24 and 22:36-40; Malachi 3:6-12

1.  What statement or scripture stood out to you from the sermon? A) What made it significant to you?
2.  If you want “treasure hunting,” what would you be looking for?
3.  Read Matthew 6:19-21,24 twice. What does it say about treasure? A) If you took an inventory of your life, what does “treasure” seem to look like to you? B) What are you discovering about the importance of generosity?
4.  Take a look at Malachi 3:6-12. What does this tell you about God? A) What does it tell you about people? B) How have tithe, offering, and generosity fit into your version of the “good life?”
5.  What is being challenged with your perspective of the good life? A) How will this impact your personal budget and family? (i.e., What conversations do you need to have or what adjustments do you need to make?) B) How will this impact your work, your hobbies, and your relationships with fellow believers?
6.  What is the response you are going to make to this series on the good life? A) How can you help each other follow through? Ideas for response shared in sermons: tithe, create a budget, live within means, intentional generosity fund…