Get It, Got It, Give It

Doctrine: Stewardship

Students will understand what stewardship is and learn various ways of giving to God and how they can do so now.

Luke 6:38 What does Jesus say about giving?

HOOK: There are so many ways to give and to be a good steward. Maybe you are unaware of what you have to give. While something as big as solving the world hunger problem may be a lot for one person to handle in terms of giving, the Bible shows us many ways that we can give to God. We are going to look at three ways we can give to God. The point of this discussion is that you are called to give without measure your time, talent, and treasure.

LESSON CONTENT: What to Give to God I. Give God Our TIME II. Give God Our Talents III. Give God Our Treasures

CONNECTION: How to Give to God Hopefully by now you have seen “what” you can give to God. Now we will look at some ways of “how” to give to God. These are just a few examples; there are many ways that we can give to God. The challenge here is to be creative and find multiple ways to give.

DECISION: Let’s make a decision on how and what we can give to God. Pull out the 3x5 index cards we wrote on at the beginning of the lesson and flip them over to the blank side. We are going to write similar things on the other side, but this time we are going to refocus based on what we discussed in the lesson.

Talent: A God-given natural ability that one is born with. Steward: The manager or superintendent of another’s resources and possessions. Stewardship: Accountability of how we handle that entrusted to us. Talent (silver): An amount of silver equal to about twenty years’ wages.

Prepare envelopes filled with verses to be distributed to students to read aloud. Have small pieces of candy for students who choose envelopes. A donut 3x5 index cards Writing utensils Seven baseballs Tim Tebow video clip (begin at 4:17 mark) https://teachersource.wol.org/videos/SBS17/41-1/ A PowerPoint presentation for this lesson is available.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary – Matthew 25:14-30 Web resource: “The Statistical Portal.” https://teachersource.wol.org/videos/SBS17/41-2/ As of 1/6/16

Additional Teacher Resources Mini-talent show: have one or two students come up and demonstrate a talent they have. Sixty second puzzle game: To demonstrate the importance of time, have one hundred piece puzzles available. Have stop watches ready and allow sixty seconds to complete as much of the puzzle as possible.

Distribute envelopes to teens who are willing to read verses prior to start of the lesson. Inside of each envelope have the verses typed out as well as a small piece of candy as encouragement for participation.

Also distribute 3x5 index cards prior to lesson. To facilitate this exercise, display on a white board the four things that the students are to write on their index cards. These cards and the items the students will record are not intended to be shared. The opening exercise will work with the closing exercise to serve as a record of “before and after” for each student.

We are going to do a little exercise. We have handed out 3x5 index cards. We are going to write a few things down on the front right now, and a few things on the back later. On the front, I would like for you to write down four things:

The first thing is something or someway you like to spend your time. It might be sports or video games, music or something else. Secondly, write down something you do well. Next write down something that you hold very dear. Maybe it could be your trophies you have earned, a car, an instrument, or something that is valuable to you. Finally, write down something that defines you—what are you known for?

After you have written down your four things, set your index card down and we will get back to them later.

Allow time for the students to write down their points, about three to four minutes.

Do you realize God talks about these areas that we just wrote down on our cards? God has asked us to be stewards in these areas.

Stewardship is the accountability of how we handle that which has been entrusted to us. When we hear the word give do your minds turns toward a financial or monetary donation? Being a good steward is more than just handling finances well. The same is true for what we can give to God.

What are some different ways to give to God? (Allow students to answer. Possible answers may be money, clothing, time, etc.)

Now you may be thinking “I don’t have much to really offer God. I don’t have a job; I don’t get allowance. I have nothing I can really give God.” But you need to realize that you have so much you can give to God.

Maybe you are unaware of what you have to give. While something as big as solving the world hunger problem may be a lot for one person to handle in terms of giving, the Bible shows us many ways that we can give to God. We are going to look at three ways we can give to God. The point of this discussion is that you are called to give without measure your time, talent, and treasure.

I. Give God Our TIME (Ephesians 5:16, have student with envelope read) One of the first things we can give to God is our time, our availability. A young boy asked his father how much he made at work. The father told him that he made enough to provide for the family. So the boy asked specifically how much his dad made per hour. Finally the father told the boy that he made twenty dollars an hour. The boy then asked his dad if he could borrow twenty dollars. Now upset, the father asked why he wanted to borrow twenty dollars. The boy said that he wanted to give it back to his dad because he just wanted to buy an hour of time to spend with his dad.

Just like the young boy,

A. God wants our time now. As we read in our passage just a moment ago, Paul was writing to encourage the church at Ephesus to make proper use of their time because of the difficulties that the city faced. There were a lot of opportunities to simply waste time. When Paul wrote that passage in his letter to the church, he talked about the value of time. In fact, the word in the passage translated redeem actually means to buy it back. When you think about it, time is the only thing you can’t purchase or get back once it’s gone, and making the best use of every moment is a constant challenge for most people.

What are time-wasters we experience today? (Allow students to answer; answers may include video games, Facebook, Instagram, etc.)

We heard some common answers here in our group that we also see verified in research. According to a 2015 study compiled and published online, students between the ages of thirteen and eighteen in America reported just a little less than eight hours per day in media intake (includes watching TV/DVD/videos, playing computer/video games, listening to music, interacting on social media, or other activities via a computer or mobile device). Think about that! With about one-third of your typical day given to sleep, and another third for school or work, that report indicates that a ton of time is being wasted in the eight hours that remain!

Here are a few questions to think about: How can we make proper use of our time? What are some ways we can specifically give God our time? Once time is gone, it’s gone. You will never get back time that you have spent; you are only a teenager once. How are you going to use your time God has given you?

B. According to Isaiah 26:9, our desire should be for God early and late (have a student read). This verse is talking about having a desire to seek the Lord throughout the entire day. Throughout His Word we see where God talks about using our time for Him, even various parts of the day. The text we just read talks about seeking God early and having that desire for the Lord throughout the entire day. Have you ever had something that was on your mind all day long? Maybe a final exam or a big game coming up? Isaiah is saying that God should be what our focus is on as much as possible.

C. God has asked for our time daily. (Have a student read Luke 9:23.) Here we see Jesus clearly saying that following Him is a daily requirement. He wants us to give not just our time, but our whole life! To take up our cross daily means we daily surrender to Him.

Pull out the donut so all students can see you holding it. Describe the donut in detail. Mention the glaze or the frosting; really expound on the donut, how it smells, and so on.

How many of you now desire this donut? We desire food on a daily, almost hourly basis, don’t we? Most likely, some of you feel like you’re starving right now! Our bodies hunger for things like this donut. What really pleases God and what shows that we are genuine followers of Christ is when we desire God daily, like we desire food. Can you imagine eating every third day, or once a week? No, it wouldn’t take long before you’d suffer physically from malnutrition or severe weight loss. Our walk with God—the way we follow Jesus—can’t be a once-a-week habit either. If we allow that to happen we become spiritually weak and unhealthy.

Following this mindset will start you down the path to give without measure your time, talent, and treasure.

Another area of good stewardship is the way we:

II. Give God Our Talents What is a talent? A talent is a God-given natural ability that one is born with. We all have different talents that God has given us. Some of you can draw, some can sing, and others are gifted in athletics.

Johnny Bench, the Hall of Fame catcher for the Cincinnati Reds, hit over four hundred homeruns in his career as a catcher and he was able to hold SEVEN baseballs in ONE hand. How many here think they could do that?

At this point bring out the seven baseballs and have one guy and one girl try to hold them all in one hand.

Let’s try it! Here we have seven baseballs. Let’s have one guy and one girl come up and see who can hold the most in one hand. (Allow each one an attempt.) Great job!

That’s some real talent! Many people, including some in this room, probably have unique talents like that.

The key to good stewardship is to understand that your talents CAN and should be used in a way that honors God and, whenever possible, brings people to Him. Take Tim Tebow for example. Nobody would argue about whether he was and is a gifted athlete; he is blessed with natural abilities like few others. He helped lead his college team to two national championships. He won college football’s Heisman Trophy as a sophomore. And throughout his career, in college and in pro football, Tebow always gave God the glory. Let’s take a look at a brief video clip about how Tim Tebow managed to use his God-given talents and abilities to glorify God:

Start the following video at the 4:17 mark and show to 5:03. This clip is several years old and Tebow is no longer active in the NFL, but the video serves the purpose of illustrating how a renowned athlete used his talents to honor and glorify God. https://teachersource.wol.org/videos/SBS17/41-1/

So what do we do with our talents? Let’s look at an example from Exodus 31:1-6 (read).

A. Use your talents. Here we see a servant of God by the name of Bezalel. God called Bezalel to create beautiful artwork for His glory. Not only was Bezalel talented in this area, God empowered him and he used His talents to serve the Lord. Whatever talent you have, use it! If you can teach, you should teach. If you can sing, you should sing. If you can play the kazoo better than anyone else, then by all means play that kazoo! The abilities that God has given to us are meant to be used for Him, GIVEN to Him.

Is there a talent any of you have that you would be willing to share? (Allow students just a minute or so to answer.)

B. Don’t hide your talents. Jesus shared a parable of talents in Matthew 25:14-30. These talents were different from the God-given natural abilities. They were pieces of silver used as wages that were given to servants for investing. We see two different ways that these servants used the talents they were given.

The first two servants went out and invested the talents they were given for their master and received double in return. The third servant hid his talent, so that it would be safe. When the three servants came back to give the report to their master, the two that had doubled their talents received praise from their master as well as the opportunity to do more. The one servant that hid his talent was scolded, and his talent was removed from him. The point of the parable is simply this: when the Master gives you something, He expects you to be a wise steward or manager over it and to put it to work. He doesn’t want you to just hide it or sit on it. No! He expects you to use it.

Which category do you fall under? We all have to answer that question. Do we give our talents to God so that He can bless them? Or do we hide our talents, just letting them sit without putting them to work?

Your talent is something that is not meant to be hidden. Remember, God has given YOU specific abilities and talents. What are you going to do with them? How are you going to give them back?

(Read Ephesians 2:10.) God created you uniquely for His purpose, there is no other you! Using your talents for the Lord is a prime way of being a good steward and will bring you closer to giving without measure your time, talent, and treasure.

In addition to our talents, another aspect of good stewardship is to:

III.Give God Our Treasures This is the first thing that usually comes to our minds when we think of giving to God. God wants to give back to us what we give to Him. Have a student with an envelope read Luke 6:38. That’s pretty straightforward, isn’t it? Give to God and He will give to you! When it comes to giving God our treasures, it’s not always referring to money, as we will see in several examples from the Bible.

For example, in Matthew 21:1-7 we see how someone gave a donkey to the disciples for Jesus to ride into the city. Donkeys were quite the treasure in biblical times. It would be the equivalent of giving a car to someone in today’s terms. In 1 Kings 17 we read about a widow who gave Elijah the prophet all the food she had, and she was immediately blessed. These are just a few examples of giving treasures to God.

In light of these examples, we need to answer the question, “What represents a treasure?” What is it that we are to offer to God that would be considered a treasure? Let’s hear what Matthew 6:21 says (have student with envelope read).

According to this verse, a treasure is something that is dear to your heart. Remember, God gave it to you. It’s important to realize that he owns everything (Psalm 50:10) and we are just managers (or stewards) of what He allows to pass through our hands. Our stewardship includes the attitude that we should give back some of what God has allowed into our own lives in the way of treasures and things we value.

Keeping these treasures for ourselves only makes giving that much more difficult. We see the example of the rich man who asked Jesus how he could get to Heaven in Matthew 19:16-23 (read). Notice that Jesus says to give his riches to the poor and follow Him. The rich man couldn’t do it! The treasure was more important than the Savior! He was unable to be a good steward.

When Jesus said, “A rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven,” He wasn’t declaring that rich people couldn’t go to Heaven. What Jesus was saying in this text is that it is difficult, because rich people tend to trust their riches and cling to their wealth instead of their loving relationship with Jesus. Verse 26 gives us hope. Jesus says that, though this may seem impossible for man, with God all things are possible.

What treasures can you give to God to demonstrate good biblical stewardship?

Hopefully by now you have seen “what” you can give to God. Now we will look at some ways of “how” to give to God. These are just a few examples; there are many ways that we can give to God. The challenge here is to be creative and find multiple ways to give.

Giving God Your Time: We tend to be selfish with our time and desire “my time” or “downtime.” The great thing about giving God your time is that He is always present and when you seek to obey Him, you can do all things to the glory of God. Some practical steps are having a daily quiet time, which is specific time you spend reading through the Bible and praying. If you don’t know how to have a quiet time, ask one of the leaders and we’d love to show you how you can meet with God daily.

You can give your time through volunteering at your church or a local ministry. Not only is it giving God your time, it also is helping build unity in the church and really exemplifies what Romans 12:5 says about being one body in Christ.

Giving God Your Talents: This is another area where there are so many options. What do you love to do? Oftentimes the things we love to do are the areas where we are most talented. Think about Bezalel the artist that we talked about earlier and how he used his talents for the Lord and was empowered by God. You can uniquely use your talents for the Lord.

Are you artistic? Create something that displays the glory of God or His love! You can build, sing, create, or design something to serve others and bring glory to God. Playing an instrument or singing in the praise team is a great way to give God your talents. Using your athletic ability to reach other athletes for Christ is another way. There are so many ways to give God your talents!

Giving God Your Treasures: Donating to a food bank, giving clothing to a thrift store, putting some of your earnings in the offering plate, making a donation to your church’s missions projects or other ministries—these are just a few examples of giving God your treasures. Remember, a treasure isn’t always necessarily money. A treasure is something that someone may hold dear to their heart. As we read in Matthew 6:21, “Where our heart is, there is our treasure as well.”

Pull out the 3x5 index cards we wrote on at the beginning of the lesson and flip them over to the blank side. We are going to write similar things on the other side, but this time we are going to refocus based on what we discussed in the lesson.

First, I want you to write down what you can do to give more time to God, and then how you are going to do it. Secondly, I want you to write down what talent you have that you can give to God. Third, write down what treasure you can give God (and make a plan to do so). Maybe you need to take a few moments to pray about these things before writing them down and making a commitment to giving them to God. Let’s do so now.

Give without measure your time, talent, and treasure.

Close by praying for the students as they seek to determine what treasure they may give to God.