Title: Sacrificial Giving

Series: Seek Ye First

Icebreaker: How strict are you about budgeting?

This Sunday our Bishop continued with his latest sermon series, Seek Ye First. Giving can be a difficult topic for most people to discuss, maybe especially in the Church. As humans we're born selfish, but throughout the Bible we find a theme of not just giving, but giving sacrificially. God himself made the ultimate sacrifice by giving his only Son to die for us. In doing so, He gave us a model of sacrificial giving to follow...

Matthew 6:33

I. The Required Sacrifice

a. Sacrifice is what God determined to be acceptable for covering the sins of guilty men. Throughout the Bible we find God responding when an acceptable sacrifice was offered up (Genesis 3:21, 4:4, 8:20, 22:8). Thankfully, we no longer have to bring animal sacrifices to atone for our sins, but there are other sacrifices required of us.

b. First and foremost is the sacrifice of Christ, the blood shed once and for all for the forgiveness of sins. What is required of us in response to this great gift is trust and belief. We put our faith in Jesus and accept the sacrifice that he made for us.

c. Then we are required to offer up the sacrifice of praise to our God. This means praising God at all times, despite how we may feel (Hebrews 13:15). If we can master this level of sacrifice, overcoming our feelings and honoring God for who he is at all times, we can enter other levels of sacrifice as well, but it starts with our praise.

d. We are also called to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). We offer this sacrifice through fasting and doing things required to properly steward this life that we have in Christ. This is not only our physical bodies on the altar, but our character and habits are included.

Discussion:

What habits might be included in being "living sacrifices"?

Would our work and finances or belongings be included in these sacrifices too, if so, how?

II. What Is Sacrificial Giving?

a. A final requirement of us is financial giving, and doing so sacrificially at times, which means giving beyond our means. This is counterintuitive and goes against the financial stewardship we are otherwise taught, but this sacrifice actually has nothing to do with our money.

b. This form of sacrificial giving deals with our hearts. It is about who or what is truly first in our lives. By giving God our first and our best, not budgeting out for our needs and wants then giving him what's left, we make it clear where our treasure lies (Luke 16:13, Matthew 6:21).

c. To give sacrificially in this way helps mark our spiritual lives. We can never out-give God, but we can follow his example of giving out of an abundance of love (John 3:16).

REMIND:

GriefShare: Grief is one of life’s most difficult journeys, but you don’t have to go through it alone. If you, or someone you know, has lost a loved one you can begin your journey from mourning to joy through GriefShare at City Church. Meetings are held on Saturdays at 9:00 AM in the District Pastors’ Office. For more information please visit citychurchnola.life/GriefShare.

Wednesday Morning Prayer: You can participate in corporate prayer every Wednesday morning at 7 AM on Facebook. Join us each week as we continue to pray for our church, our city, and our nation.

City Life TV: You can watch our Bishop deliver thoughtful messages throughout the week. Tune in to WHNO, channel 20, Saturdays at 10:00 PM.

REPORT:

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Have an amazing and spirit-filled group!