July 26, 2026
OPENING: What’s Actually on the Scoreboard
John 15:8 (NLT) When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
John 15:16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.
INFORMATION: The Lies We Believe About Abundance
Matthew 6:19–23 (NLT) — “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!”
Matthew 6:31–33 (NLT) So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Matthew 6:24–25 (NLT) “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?
Four lies keeping us stuck:
1. “Serving money is something rich people do.”
- How we view money reveals who we serve — no matter our bank balance.
- Matthew 6:21 (NLT) — “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
2. “If I had abundance, then I could be generous.”
- Jesus draws a direct line between a generous eye and a life full of light.
- Matthew 6:22–23 (NLT) — “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body… if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!”
3. “I’m generous in my heart.”
- Jesus never said the heart leads the treasure — he said the treasure leads the heart.
- Matthew 6:24 (NLT) — “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”
4. “When I have more, I’ll do better.”
- Stability we build on our own has to be sustained on our own — that’s not faith in Jesus.
- Matthew 6:33 (NLT) — “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
INSPIRATION: What Kingdom Abundance Actually Looks Like
The people living in real abundance aren’t the ones with the most — they’re the ones with open hands.
1. Abundance is a heart position, not a bank balance.
- Open hands give. Open hands receive. Closed hands can do neither.
- Luke 6:38 (NLT) — “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full — pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap.”
2. Abundance is available right now — not someday.
- The enemy’s whole plan is to trick you into scarcity when Jesus already offered you abundance.
- John 10:10 (NLT) — “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
MOTIVATION: Why We Stay Stuck in Scarcity
Obstacle 1: “I genuinely don’t have enough to give.”
- Jesus doesn’t measure the amount — he measures the heart behind it.
- Mark 12:43–44 (NLT) — “This poor widow has given more than all the others… she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”
Obstacle 2: “I’m generous — just in my own way, on my own terms.”
- Generosity isn’t based on feelings; it’s based on trusting God enough to obey him even when it’s hard.
- Galatians 6:9 (NLT) — “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
TRANSFORMATION: Where Kingdom Abundance Starts
THREE CALLS TO ACTION:
- Today — Write down the lie you’ve been believing, and write Ephesians 1:4 right next to it: “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us.” Read it every morning — not as a feeling, as truth.
- Daily — Speak it out loud: “God loves me and he chose me.”
- This month — Invite someone to join us in this series.
Following Jesus, Sent On A Mission
The Community