Sunday Service • May 31, 2026 • Better with God

The call to be guardians starts with the contrast between past me, present me, and future me. Past me needs forgiveness. Present me has a decision. Future me receives either the cost of drift or the fruit of faith. Jesus’ words set the path: store treasure where moth and thief cannot touch it, because the treasure and the heart always travel together. If the heart needs moving, the treasure must move first. God wants the heart held safe in what is eternal, not stranded in what breaks, spoils, or gets stolen.

Jesus’ command to seek first his kingdom sets priority. The competition is real. Culture whispers do what you want, now. God answers trust me and live free. Trust begins like handing over a phone to a stranger. Risk feels scary if God feels distant. The journey of trust grows by small risks that prove his care. The word of God, alive and sharp, cuts through excuses and shows the motives around control, fear, and the love of money, inviting honest surgery.

Tithing steps into that surgery as a practice. The first 10 percent, historically given to God’s work, trained a people to put God first. In Christ, the logic widens to everything belongs to God, so the real question becomes Holy Spirit, what do you want me to do with what you have given? The practice is not pressure, but an invitation to move treasure so the heart can follow. Start somewhere. Do something. Keep it consistent. The point is not the size of the gift but the shape of the heart.

Money’s pull often hides in the dark, like the monkey gripping a jar of treats. Closed fists feel safe but only trap. God’s invitation is open your hands. Test me in this. See if I will not pour out what cannot fit in closed lives. The love of money, not money itself, pierces souls with many griefs. Intentional giving keeps eagerness rightly ordered, God first, possessions second.

God remains in charge of the impact. The giver’s part is trust and obedience. Stories of sacrificed cars, delayed purchases, and a long obedience become gifts that teach 10 percent more income does not save. Jesus does. The image of the vine lands the point. Apart from him, nothing. With him, fruit. Moving treasure reattaches the branch to the life of the vine so guardianship is not done in vain, but in God.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Treasure steers the heart's location The heart follows the money, not the other way around. If the heart is cold toward God, shift the treasure toward his kingdom and let affection catch up to investment. This is not transaction but training, a re-homing of the self in what lasts. Jesus links destination of funds to direction of love. [33:05]
• 2. Present choices love future self Forgiving past me is mercy, but serving future me is wisdom. Small faithful decisions today compound into freedom tomorrow, especially where money once ruled. The question is not what feels good now, but what sets future faith up to thrive. Guardianship chooses long obedience over short comfort. [30:30]
• 3. Trust grows through risky obedience Faith does not grow in theory but in handed-over phones and handed-over budgets. Risk exposes whether God is a stranger or a Father, and experience turns risk into witness. Each obedient step expands capacity to trust the next instruction, because God keeps showing up better than imagined. [37:49]
• 4. Open hands make room Clenched fists promise safety and deliver captivity. Open hands look vulnerable but create space where God can actually provide, guide, and surprise. Regular, intentional giving becomes muscle memory that pries fingers loose from fear and makes room for blessing that hoarded control cannot hold. [45:27]
• 5. God owns the impact Obedience belongs to the disciple; outcomes belong to God. Releasing control of results keeps the soul from measuring faithfulness by visible returns and from quitting when fruit feels slow. Trust thrives when the heart says my part is to give and trust, and God’s part is everything else. [51:20]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [28:53] - Guardianship and the three selves
• [30:30] - Present choices that serve future you
• [31:06] - God loves and entrusts your life
• [31:53] - Treasures in heaven, not at risk
• [33:05] - Treasure and heart move together
• [33:44] - Money, control, and the fight within
• [36:06] - Seek first the kingdom
• [37:14] - Trust illustrated by handing over the phone
• [38:43] - Scripture as living heart surgery
• [40:06] - Why a Christian budget looks different
• [41:51] - From tithe to everything belongs to God
• [45:27] - The monkey jar and open hands
• [45:51] - Malachi: Test me in this
• [47:06] - Loving God more than money
• [49:04] - A long obedience in tithing
• [51:20] - God is in charge of impact
• [52:12] - A practical giving journey
• [53:33] - Unless the Lord builds
• [55:35] - The vine and the branches
• [56:57] - Seek first in the face of worry
• [57:43] - Prayer and sending out

1. What two locations for storing treasure does Jesus contrast in Matthew 6:19-21, and what risks does he associate with earthly treasures?
2. The sermon compared handing a phone to a stranger to trusting God ([37:14]). What made this illustration effective for explaining the risk of faith?
3. According to the sermon, how does tithing function as “heart surgery” for our relationship with money ([40:50])?

1. Why does Jesus link the location of our treasure to the location of our heart? How might prioritizing earthly treasures create spiritual vulnerability?
2. The sermon argues that “trust grows through risky obedience” ([37:49]). How does the act of giving (even small amounts) test and strengthen our view of God as a provider?
3. Malachi 3:10 invites people to “test” God in giving. What does this imply about God’s character and His desire for our hearts?

1. Jesus says our treasure and heart “always move together.” What is one practical way to shift your treasure toward eternal priorities this week (e.g., giving, serving, time investment)? How might this reorient your heart?
2. The sermon warned against “closed fists” trapping us like the monkey gripping a jar ([45:27]). Where do you feel most tempted to cling tightly to control or security (finances, relationships, plans)? What would “opening your hands” look like in that area?
3. If “10% more income does not save—Jesus does” ([49:58]), how could this truth free you from anxiety about future needs? What small step of trust could you take this month to act on this?
4. The “believe car” story showed sacrificing comfort for God’s work ([50:21]). What is a tangible sacrifice (time, money, convenience) you sense God inviting you to make? How might this deepen your dependence on Him?
5. How could regularly asking, “Holy Spirit, what do you want me to do with what you’ve given?” reshape your daily decisions about resources ([42:17])?