Lesson 5 –Making Jesus
Lord of My Life
Introduction:
To begin this lesson, read Matthew 6:19-34, Luke 12:13-21. The story is told of a person who left his wallet in his pocket when he was baptized, because he wanted his money as well as himself to belong to the Lord. If we accept Jesus as Lord of our lives, He has the right not only to receive our financial support for his work, but to tell us how to use what we keep for ourselves. Jesus teaches much about our attitude toward money and our management of it. In no other area is our Christianity more tested than here.
A. Why
study fiancés?
1. Who is the real owner of everything? Psalms 24:1; 1 Chorn. 29:11
2. Besides giving our bodies and our abilities as a sacrifice to God, in what else should we serve him? Prov. 3:9
___________________________________
3. At the Judgment, we will answer to God about what? Luke 19:11-27
_____________________________________________
4. How will our faithfulness or unfaithfulness in handling money affect us in the life to come. Luke 16:10-12; Luke 19:15-17
__________________________________________________________
B. The
Christian attitude about money
1. The devil likes to blind people to reality (2 Corinthians 4:4). He wants us to think we are not really living until we can buy all the things we want. In contrast, what does Jesus say? Luke 12:15
___________________________________________________________
2. How many kinds of evil are people willing to do because they love money? 1 Timothy 6:10
__________________________________________
3. Love of money greed is a form of what sin? Colossians 3:5________
4. What
basic decision must a person make about money if he is to follow the Lord? Mat.
___________________________________________________________
5. Why
is this decision so important? Mat.
____________________
6. What will over-concerns about money do to our service to God?
__________________________________________________________________
7. 1 Tim. 6:8 If we have _______________and _______________ we are to be content.
8. Can a person decide to be content? Heb. 13:5 ____________________
9. Are happiness and contentment dependent on how much we have, or are they a result of inward attitudes about life? Philippians 4:11-13
_____________
C. Getting
and using money
1. How does God feel about laziness? Col. 3:23; Prov. 20:13;
Prov. 6:9-11
______________________________________________________
2. On the
other hand, what does the Lord say about worry over finances?
Matthew 6:31-33
____________________________________________
3. If, after we have done all we can, we worry over finances and other problems, are we trusting God?
_____________________
4. How does God feel about people getting money dishonestly?
Micah 6:10; Prov. 20:223; Prov: 21:6
______________________
5. Now that we follow Christ, how should we feel about such dishonesties as cheating on the reporting of income and deductions, putting personal items on company expenses accounts, mis-information on insurance claims, using company supplies, and phones for personal purposes, changing the odometer reading on a car before sale, “calling in sick” when wanting off for another reason, ignoring parking tickets, knowingly writing hot checks, skipping scheduled payments, or moving away from an address without paying back rent and other bills?
Psalm 119:104 ____________________________________
6. What shows Zacchaeus, who had been dishonest, really repented when he started following the Lord? Luke 19:8_____________
7. Name 5 reasons for earning money.
a. 2
Thessalonians
b. 1 Timothy 5:8 ______________________________________
c. Ephesians 4:28; Gal. 6:10 : to help ______________________
d. Gal. 6:1; 1 Cor. 9:14: To help the work of _________________
e.
D. Honoring
God through offerings.
1. Though the New Testament leaves a Christian free to decide what portion of his income he will contribute to the work of the church (2 Cor. 9:7), what Old Testament commandment reveals God’s mind about the portion of a person’s income that would honor God as a gift.
Lev. 27:30; Genesis 28:20-22 __________________________________
2. Consider that we have received so much more grace and help from the Lord than the Old Testament people, do you think a Christian should be satisfied to give less to God’s work, than the OT people were
commanded to give?_____________________________________
3. In deciding what portion of my income to give to God, whould I take my standard from some weak, uncommitted Christian around me, or
from the expression of God’s mind in the scripture?________________
4. When God’s people fail to support God’s work financially, God said
they were _______________________ Him. Mal. 3:7-12
5. Upon receiving income, when were God’s prople to start giving to
God, and what quality were their
gifts to be? Ex.
a. What do these examples say to us today about the honor due God in
giving?_____________________________________________
6. In giving to God’s work and to those in need, we are becoming more like God who loved us and gave His Son – John 3:16, “It is more
________________ to give than to
receive” Acts
7. How does God feel about a person who gives freely and gladly?
2 Cor 9:7 __________________________________________________
8. What has God promised to do for those who put God’s kingdom first in
their finances? Mat.
E. Managing
our finances so as to honor and serve the Lord.
1. Satan can use finances, just as he can drugs, drink or immorality, to bring people into conflict and bondage. If a Christian gets into a lot of unnecessary debt because he wants too many things, how will this affect his ability to serve God and others with his money and life?
2. If he has a lot of debts, what should a Christian plan to do in order to free
himself to serve God better?__________________
2. In the story of Luke 9:11-17, what action of Jesus and His disciples at the end of the story shows that we are not to waste what we have but use it
carefully? _________________________________________
Conclusion:
The Bible says a lot about how we use our money. This is one of the greatest test of our loyalty to Christ as Lord. The Christian whose finances are under Christ’s control will really stand out in a materialistic, immoral and undisciplined world. Matthew 5:16