Living Your Best Life

The purpose of this series is threefold:

1. To release us from the bondage of selfish, stingy living.

2. To help us understand the incredible life-giving blessings released to us and others through generosity.

3. To bring us to a place of cheerful, love-motivated, generous living.

Genesis 22:1-2 NKJV

1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”And he said, “Here I am.” 

2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

Genesis 22:10-19 NKJV

10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 

11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”So he said, “Here I am.” 

12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” 

13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. 

So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 

14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” 

15 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 

16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son

17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 

18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” 

19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

Four Questions about God Requiring the Best of Abraham and How It Applies to Us.

1. Is there any basis in Scripture beyond the story of Abraham and Isaac that proves God only releases His best when we give Him our best?

Genesis 4:2-5 NKJV

2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 

3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 

4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 

5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

Proverbs 3:9-10 NKJV

9 Honor the Lord with your possessions,And with the firstfruits of all your increase; 

10 So your barns will be filled with plenty,And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Matthew 6:32-33 NKJV

32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Luke 6:36-38 NKJV

36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. 

37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 

38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. 

For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Revelation 2:2-5 NKJV

2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. 

And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 

3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. 

4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 

5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lamp stand from its place—unless you repent.

2. Is that fair?

I Corinthians 6:18-20 NKJV

18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 

20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

3. If God requires our best before He releases His best to us, why isn’t that legalism and performance?

a. The most important blessings in life and in eternity are ours freely by grace.

b. God’s motivation isn’t righteousness—it is relationship.

Matthew 22:36-40 NKJV

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 

38 This is the first and great commandment. 

39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 

40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Luke 14:25-33 NKJV

25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 

26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 

27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 

28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— 

29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 

30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? 

31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 

32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

c. God requires our best because He knows that our passions cannot be separated from our priorities.

Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 

20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

4. How do you give God your best?

a. Make Jesus the Lord of every area of your life without any exceptions.

b. Pray about every significant decision in your life and don’t act without the Lord’s approval.

c. Give God the best of your time.

d. Give God the first and best of your finances.

e. Surrender your gifts and talents to serve God and to expand His Church and kingdom.

What is the Holy Spirit saying to me through this message?

Jimmy Evans, Gateway Church

Video

http://gatewaypeople.com/ministries/life/events/life-giving-a-gateway-series/session/2019/02/23/living-your-best-life