Part 1: Closed Hands or Open Hands

When we trust God implicitly for His generous and extravagant provision, we are freed up to focus on what matters most - building His Kingdom on earth as we store up our treasures in heaven rather than on earth. We've got the wealth to transform a nation!

---

Message Notes 8/09/2024 - Gareth Nicholson

Catch Up: YouTube  || Spotify  || iTunes

The Hand Heart Connection

Closed Hands - fear, frustration, fight, danger, greed

Open Hands - compassion, care, direction, blessing, generosity

As people get a revelation of God the Father, and their hands are opened, the nation will be transformed!

Jesus' Wisdom and Warnings about Wealth 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:19-24

What Jesus says about treasures:

1/ Matt 6:19-21 - Value - Where is your heart?

2/ Matt 6:22-23 - Generosity - Are your hands closed or open?

3/ Matt 6:24 - Honour - Who will you obey?

M'ammon - that in which you trust | h0539. אָמַן ’âman;   (Trust)

It's OK to have stuff, but be careful stuff doesn't have you.

When we are free from the money trap, our wealth can transform a nation!

Four Principles

1. Ownership (Ps 24): Everything we have belongs to God

2. Stewardship (Gen 1:27): Co-reigning with God and a responsibility to be generous

3. Generosity (Matt 6): If your hands are open (spirit of generosity) your life will be filled with light

4. Sowing (& Reaping) (2 Cor 9): God supplies bread (provision) for eating and seeds for sowing into the Kingdom

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." 2 Corinthians 9:10

Three Mindsets

1/ Prosperity (Give to Get): Driven by manipulation or control using God to get the small god (desires of our heart)

2/ Kingdom (Get to Give): God blesses us by taking care of our needs and He provides so that we can bless others

3/ Poverty (Can't Get/Give): Thinking you have nothing to give or that you can't get

Two Trees - the agency of choice

9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:9

The tree of life: Wisdom, generosity, goodness of God who provides with open hands

Tree of knowledge of good and evil: Focusing on yourself with closed hands

One Father

9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:9-11

The Father is generous and His hand is open!

• He owns it all and wants to give good gifts - Choose the tree of life

• Adopt a Kingdom mindset - trust God for provision so that you can sow seeds

• A harvest of righteousness leads to transformation

• God's heart is for us to be free of financial worries

• Embrace mindset changes

  
  

Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand *might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” 1 Chronicles 4:10

• Hand - (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.), in distinction from Hb 3709, the closed one)

Ps 67:1-2 "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—

so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations."

Part 2: https://www.freechurch.life/post/kingdom-builders-nation-changers