2026.06.28 Sermon Notes: It's for the People

Westside Family Church

It's For The People Of God

Notes: 

Fill in the blank: Disrupting Generational Poverty.

It's for the Children.

It's for the People of God.

When we bring blessings to others, God’s blessings surround us as well. 

And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. 

Isaiah 58:10-11

Notes: 

Fill in the blank: 

Make your light rise in darkness.

Make your night like the noonday.

Continuous guidance from God himself.

Satisfy your desire in scorched places.

Strengthen your bones.

Research strongly suggests people who serve others are generally healthier, experiencing better mood, lower stress, stronger social ties, and even increased longevity, with benefits like lower blood pressure, reduced depression, better self-esteem, and improved heart health linked to regular helping. Acts of kindness and volunteering activate the brain's reward system, creating a "helper's high" that boosts well-being.

Be like a watered garden and a spring of water that doesn’t fail.

Notes: 

Fill in the blank: We must not forget the “if”.

One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:24-25 

Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken. The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor. 

Proverbs 22:8-9

 

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Luke 6:38

 

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 

2 Corinthians 9:6

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Galatians 6:7

Notes: 

Fill in the blank: It is clear in scripture that we don’t give to get. We give to pay forward what God has already done for us.

According to a study in Social Science & Medicine, a person who volunteers more than monthly but less than weekly is 12 percent more likely to report being very happy, and the person who volunteers weekly is 16 percent more likely to report being very happy.

Illiteracy is becoming an epidemic.

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.'

Matthew 25:34

Notes: 

Fill in the blank: For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.

Matthew 25:35a

HUNGRY. 70% of people chronically on public assistance (Snap, food assistance) cannot read well enough to fill out a job application. 

I was a stranger and you invited me in.

Matthew 25:35b

STRANGER. 50% of immigrants cannot read well enough in their native language to participate in society. 

I needed clothes and you clothed me.

Matthew 25:36a

NAKED. 300,000 kids are human trafficked every year in the US. The primary targets are school dropouts on the streets. 

I was sick and you looked after me. 

Matthew 25:36b

SICK. 230 billion tax dollars goes to medical expenses that are correlated to illiteracy to addiction. 

I was in prison and you came to visit me.

Matthew 25:36c

PRISON. 75% of people incarcerated in the state system cannot read above a 1st grade level. 85% of juvenile offenders can’t read.

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 

Matthew 25:40

Notes: 

Fill in the blank: Giving a child the gift of reading is Preventative Justice.

"It is easier to build strong children than to fix broken men."

Frederick Douglas 

Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” 

Luke 9:48

Three Opportunites:

Raise up reading mentors so no children fall through the crack on our watch. Unleash Prayer Warriors to surround our schools. Purchase a book for our book drive. 

When we bring blessings to others, God’s blessings surround us as well.

Notes: