Feb. 22, 2026

DIVIDENDS: Jesus wants to save Christians 

2-22-26

Ecclesiastes 5:10 ¹⁰ Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.

• The Good News: Jesus wants to Save Christians from ____________!

1 Timothy 6:7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

The Parable of the Foolish Farmer:

Luke 12:1 (NIV) ¹ Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Verse 13 ¹³ Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

Verse 14 ¹⁴ Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?"

Verse 15 ¹⁵ Then (Jesus) said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed…” 

• “Sitz im Leben” (sitzen – to sit; leben – “live” = “life setting situation”)

• GREED – “the excessive desire to have more and more ___________.”

Verse 15 ¹⁵ life does not consist in an abundance of his possessions.

Verse 16 ¹⁶ The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.

• KEY: No mention of the One who ___________ the rain, the nutrition  

 in the soil or the health of the farmer to be able to harvest the crops!

The Farmer Was Foolish For:

1.) Not Recognizing the _______________ of his wealth.

Verse 17 ¹⁷ “He thought to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.” Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.'"

2.) Not Understanding the _______________ of wealth.

Verse 19 ¹⁹ "And I'll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.'"

Verse 20 ²⁰ God says, “'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'"

MAJOR REVERSAL IN THE STORY:

• He who thought himself to be rich was suddenly found to be ________.

(All because his money was void of the mission of God!)

• Only investors receive ___________________!

1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NIV) ¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

(3) Not Placing his ____________ in God. (The Provider of his Wealth)

Romans 2:6 (NIV) ⁶ God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” 

• AGNOSTIC - “One who does not know”; Agnosticism is a view

that professes inability to determine whether God exists.

• Can Christians be “AGNOSTIC”? (Yes, with their ____________!)

THE TEN P’s OF GIVING:

The Price:

Deuteronomy 14:22–29 (NIV) ²² Be sure to set aside a tenth (“Tithe”) of all that your fields produce each year... Leviticus 27:30 (NIV) ³⁰ A tenth of all you produce is the Lord's, and it is holy.

Matthew 25:15 (NIV) ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents of money ($750K), to another two talents ($300K), and to another one talent ($150K), each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.

• God said each person is to ____________ the same % their produce! 

The Place:

Deuteronomy 14:23 (NIV) ²³ in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, Malachi 3:10 (NIV) ¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse (of the Temple), that there may be food in my house.

• The place where you ____________ God!

The Period: (Day)

1 Corinthians 16:2 (NIV) ² On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income…

• The first day of the week is ________________!

The Purpose:

Deuteronomy 14:23 (LB) ²³ The purpose of tithing is to teach us to always put God in first place in our lives. (NIV) ²³ so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always. (MSG) ²³ In this way you will learn to live in deep reverence before God, your God, as long as you live.

• Our money is a daily mirror that __________ the motivation of our hearts!

The Promise:

Proverbs 3:5–10 ⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart… ⁹ Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; ¹⁰ then your barns will be filled to overflowing

• Why the first part and not what’s left-over? Because, you’ll have to 

____________ God to supply the rest!

The Problem:

Malachi 3:7–9 (NIV) ⁷ you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them… ⁸ you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings… ⁹ you are robbing me. 

• What I think I own, is really on ____________!

The Proposition:

Malachi 3:10 (NIV) ¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe (a Tenth) into the storehouse (of the Temple), 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.

• This is the only thing in which God tells us to ____________ Him! 

The People:

Deuteronomy 14:28–29 (NIV) ²⁸ bring all the tithes of that year’s produce… ²⁹ so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

• Jesus Came to “Fulfill” the Ceremonial Law, not the __________ Law.

Two Purposes for Giving to the Place you Worship:

1.) To provide for those facilitating the ____________. (to give it their full attention)

2.) To provide for those who are in __________   _________.

1 John 3:17–18 (NIV) ¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

1 John 3:24 (NIV) ²⁴ The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. (written 60 years after Jesus ascended into Heaven)

• In the N.T. Jesus encouraged tithing and __________ discontinued it. 

            (Even when he had the opportunity to do so…)

The Plan:

Matthew 22:17-21 (NIV) ¹⁷ “Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"… ¹⁹ “Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, ²⁰ and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" 

²¹ "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, 

and to God what is God's.

• Jesus said to pay your ____________ & pay your tithe!

The Practice:

Matthew 23:23 ²³ Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth… But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

• Giving a tenth (tithe) to God’s work is the only thing for which Jesus 

_________________ the Pharisees.

Verse 21 ²¹ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.

• There’s a big difference between a collector/hoarder and an 

________________!

• Only investors receive _____________________!

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. (Already Saved & Heaven-Bound!) ¹² If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ his work will be shown for what it is... It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. ¹⁴ If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.  

WHERE I SPEND my Time and my Money could DETERMINE 

where Some People SPEND ETERNITY!