Give to God
New Perspective – Part 4
September 24-25, 2022
“‘(Jesus) It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35b (p.849)
Biblical Foundation:
- God needs nothing.
“…all the world is mine and everything in it.” Psalm 50:12 (p.436)
- God already owns everything.
“For ‘the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.’” 1 Corinthians 10:26 (p.876)
- Giving to God is an expression of worship.
“‘…God loves a person who gives cheerfully.’” 2 Corinthians 9:7 (p.886)
Series Memory Verse:
“Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:6 (p.941)
- My New Perspective is to Give to God.
Luke 9:10-17 – Jesus Feeds Five Thousand.
1. Trust Jesus’ solutions.
“Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, ‘Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.’ But Jesus said, ‘You feed them.’” Luke 9:12-13a (p.790)
2. Follow Jesus’ instructions.
“‘But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered. ‘Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?’ For there were about 5,000 men there. Jesus replied, ‘Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ So the people all sat down.” Luke 9:13b-15 (p.790)
3. Watch Jesus work.
“Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!” Luke 9:16-17 (p.790)
“Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.” 2 Corinthians 8:7 (p.886)
My Next Step This Week:
______ I am choosing to live “the more blessed life”. I will pray daily for Jesus to lead me in how He would have me be generous each day.
_____ I want to take the tithe challenge for the next 90 days and let God prove Himself faithful.
Discussion/Groups Guide New Perspective – Part 4“Give to God”
Life Groups use this guide in their discussion and study of the Weekend Talk. Use this also as a discussion guide with your family and friends.
Conversation Starters
- What is the best present you have ever given someone? What was the occasion?
- Is there anything in your possessions that you do not share? (For example, a tradesman is usually reluctant to share his tools because they are his livelihood.)
- Why is giving so difficult for some people?
Quick Review
Looking back at your Weekend Talk Notes, was there anything you heard in the service that stood out to you, challenged you, or even confused you?
Discussion Starters from the Weekend Talk
Refer to the Talk Notes and Bible verses from the Talk Notes.
Our One Thing: My New Perspective is to Give to God.
Series Memory Verse: 1 John 2:6 (p.941).
One Voice Bible Story Background: Feeding the 5,000: Luke 9:10-17 (p.790)
- See also Acts 20:35b (p.849)
Biblical Foundation for our Study:
- God needs nothing. (Psalm 50:12 (p.436))
- How does this biblical perspective of “ownership” affect your life?
- God owns everything. (1 Corinthians 10:26 (p.876))
- Talk about the differences between an owner and a steward.
- Giving to God is an expression of worship. (2 Corinthians 9:7 (p.886))
- Have you ever thought about giving in this way? What is it that makes giving an act of worship?
Application: How do we live a life of giving to God?
- Trust Jesus’ solutions. (Luke 9:12-13a (p.790)).
- Note that it is all 12 disciples who went to Jesus. These are the same disciples who preached the good news and healed the sick in Luke 9:6 (p.790). Were they wrong in coming up with the solution they did? What did Jesus tell them to do? What lesson(s) could they learn from that experience?
- Follow Jesus’ instructions. (Luke 9:13b-15 (p.790))
- Why do we sometimes/often find it hard to follow the Holy Spirit’s clear lead in our lives? What are the key issues and what are the solutions?
- It is unlikely that this little boy was the only one who brought lunch. What makes him different?
- Watch Jesus work. (Luke 9:16-17 (p.790))
- This is not a passive response but an active response. Jesus blessed and broke – the job of the disciples was to share and gather up. How can we actively respond to situations the Holy Spirit leads us into to share the good news—the bread of life that Jesus is for us?
- When have you watched Jesus demonstrate His power? Did you recognize that it was Him doing the work?
- See 2 Corinthians 8:7
- The three application steps above will help us excel in the gracious act of giving. How would this principle also relate to giving of ourselves and our time?
Digging Deeper
At the start of Luke 9, Jesus sends out the 12 Disciples with power and authority, and in the passage, we studied from the weekend, we see the disciples coming up with the wrong solution to feed the 5000.
Now look further down Luke Chapter 9. We see Peter’s wrong response to the Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-35). Then in verses Luke 9:38-42 we see the failure of the disciples and in 9:46-48 they were arguing about who was the greatest. Then we see John telling Jesus about someone casting demons out in Jesus’ name (9:49-50) with Jesus telling him off and, finally, James suggests they bring judgment down on a village that didn’t welcome Jesus, but Jesus rebukes him (9:51-55). Whew! That’s a lot of mistakes and wrong responses recorded in one chapter of Luke!
Peter, James, and John were Jesus’ inner circle within the disciples, yet they got things wrong in this chapter time after time. Why were these mistakes recorded for us? And how were the mistakes/errors of judgment addressed by Jesus? What can we take from this chapter in relation to TFW (Trust, Follow, Watch) as a whole?
My Next Step This Week
_____ I am choosing to live “the more blessed life”. I will pray daily for Jesus to lead me in how He would have me be generous each day.
_____ I want to take the tithe challenge for the next 90 days and let God prove Himself faithful.