Just Do It: Faith in the Arena of Finances

We opened Luke 6:38 and let Jesus set the tone: give, and it will be given—good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. I reminded us that the enemy isn’t big enough to block our harvest or shortchange what God intends to return. Psalm 23 says my cup runs over, not barely to the brim. So we speak over our giving with a cheerful heart, expect overflow, and refuse to agree with lack as our identity.

From there I leaned into a simple but sharp line: hearing without doing breeds self-deception. James is plain—faith demands corresponding action. That’s why we’re in this “Just Do It” lane: not new information for information’s sake, but instruction we actually practice on Monday. We’re going to walk through life-areas and do what Jesus says, then watch what changes.

Tonight we laid the heart groundwork for finances. Jesus said where your treasure is, your heart is. So money talk isn’t about pressure; it’s about honesty. When we get touchy, it usually signals confusion, disorder, or fear inside. Psalm 51 is our prayer: create in me a clean heart, O God. Proverbs 4 tells us to guard it, because everything flows from there. The Holy Spirit tills the soil so the seed of the Word can root, not just excite us for a moment.

We dismantled the lie that “contentment” means rejecting increase. God’s first command to humanity was be fruitful and multiply. The blessing of the Lord makes rich and adds no sorrow. Increase is not greed; increase is capacity—capacity to obey faster, give bigger, and sustain what God assigns. The point isn’t more stuff; the point is a rightly ordered life under Jesus’ lordship. That is why I urged an order: pay God first, pay yourself second (a storehouse He can bless), then pay your bills. The sower’s parable shows the difference: shallow hearing produces short-term joy; good soil holds fast with patience and bears fruit.

We anchored promises: if we obey and serve, we spend our days in prosperity and our years in pleasure. Seek first the kingdom, and the Father adds what the nations chase. Next, we’ll talk about making friends with mammon—serving God, not money, while learning how to put money to work for kingdom purposes. We closed by breaking poverty’s grip and blessing your accounts, believing for steady increase without sorrow.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Doing the Word ends deception Hearing truth can make you feel inspired while leaving your life unchanged. Deception creeps in when you confuse exposure to Scripture with obedience to Scripture. Attach action to what you believe and the power in the Word goes to work in real places—budgets, habits, conversations. Your future is shaped by what you practice, not what you applaud. [11:16]
• 2. Treasure exposes the true heart Jesus located our loyalties by watching where our treasure goes. Money is a mirror; it reveals our fears, our hopes, and our masters. Invite the Spirit to show you what your spending and withholding say about you—and let Him reorder your loves. When the heart is aligned, instruction stops feeling like pressure and starts sounding like freedom. [21:27]
• 3. Abundance is overflow, not scraps God’s abundance isn’t a barely-get-by trickle; it’s an overflowing cup. He isn’t trying to make you comfortable with scarcity; He is teaching you to trust His shepherding. Overflow positions you to be ready when He nudges you to bless someone else. Run your life by His definition of “enough,” not the world’s fear of running out. [05:57]
• 4. Change comes one obedient step Financial transformation looks overwhelming until you take the next right step. Break paralysis by choosing one actionable adjustment—then another. Obedience compounds like interest; small faithful moves create large long-term shifts. God meets you in motion, not in mental spreadsheets that never touch real life. [28:10]
• 5. Order money under God’s lordship Kingdom order clarifies every decision: God first, then your storehouse, then your expenses. This turns giving and saving from afterthoughts into first priorities and teaches your heart who’s in charge. It also tells you clearly what you can afford to steward right now. Order is a form of faith that makes room for increase. [53:40]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:12] - Turn to Luke 6:38
• [02:10] - Give and harvest cannot be blocked
• [05:57] - Overflow abundance, not lack
• [08:00] - Offering prayer over finances
• [09:26] - Just Do It: hearers vs doers
• [21:27] - Money is a heart issue
• [28:10] - Heart work and small steps
• [33:26] - Contentment, increase, and blessing
• [41:57] - Good soil: hold fast with patience
• [53:30] - Kingdom order: God, savings, bills
• [58:50] - Promises of prosperity; seek first
• [64:03] - Make friends with mammon
• [65:14] - Prayer: breaking poverty’s grip

Bible Reading

- Luke 6:38 (ESV) — Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.

Observation Questions

1. What four images does Jesus use in Luke 6:38 to describe how what you give will return to you? How did the pastor connect those images to the idea of abundance (not scarcity)? [02:10]
2. The sermon contrasted a barely-full cup with the cup that "runs over" (Psalm 23). In your own words, how does the pastor define God’s version of abundance versus the world's idea of “enough”? [05:57]
3. The pastor said “hearing without doing breeds self-deception” and quoted James’ idea of faith requiring action. What concrete example from the sermon shows the difference between simply hearing and actually doing? [11:16]
4. Jesus said “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” How did the pastor say money functions as a mirror to the heart? Give one example he used that made the point practical. [21:27]

Interpretation Questions

1. If Luke 6:38 promises a return “with the measure you use,” how should that shape a believer’s motive when they give? Why would motive matter more than the amount? [02:10]
2. The pastor argued that contentment does not mean rejecting increase—God told humanity to “be fruitful and multiply.” How can a person keep contentment (peace in Christ) while still pursuing healthy financial increase? What tensions must be held together? [33:26]
3. The pastor laid out an order: pay God first, pay yourself second (a storehouse), then pay bills. What biblical principle supports putting a “storehouse” second, and how might that reorder daily money decisions? [53:40]
4. In the parable of the sower (Luke 8), the “good soil” holds fast and bears fruit with patience. What does “holding fast” look like practically in someone’s financial life when temptations or setbacks come? [49:52]

Application Questions

1. The pastor invited people to “speak over” their giving and be cheerful, believing God will return a harvest. This week, how will you practice a spoken, faith-filled response the next time you give? Be specific about words you’ll say or a short declaration you’ll make. [02:32]
2. Look at one recent purchase or recurring expense and ask: “What does this show about where my treasure and heart are?” Name the expense, what it reveals, and one small adjustment you will make this month to align that spending with Jesus as Lord of your heart. [21:27]
3. The “elephant” metaphor: big financial problems get eaten one bite at a time. Identify one “first bite” you will take this week (for example: open a savings account, schedule a budgeting session, cancel one small recurring charge). State the exact step and when you will do it. [28:10]
4. The sermon urged: pay God first, then your storehouse (savings). If you don’t yet have a savings account, the pastor said to open one tonight. If you do have one, what percentage or fixed amount will you start putting into it each pay cycle? Commit to a realistic, specific figure and a start date. [53:40]
5. The pastor prayed Psalm 51:10—“Create in me a clean heart.” Take five minutes this week to ask the Holy Spirit to show one heart posture (fear, pride, greed, secrecy, shame) around money that needs cleansing. What posture came to mind, and what is one biblical response you will practice to begin changing it? [30:42]
6. Jesus told followers to “make friends with mammon” (Luke 16) so they can be faithful stewards. Name one way you could intentionally use money this month to bless kingdom work or help someone in need (tithe, emergency gift, pay a bill for someone, sponsor a need). Give the specific amount or action and when you will do it. [01:04:03]