Sunday, October 28, 2018 am
More Blessed to Give than to
Receive
Acts 20:35
This statement that describes the life of a Christian.
Our life is to be about giving to others, not just about
ourselves. So this
morning, I want to talk a few minutes about what we ought to give.
a.
Galatians 1:4 – He gave
Himself for our sins, Galatians 2:20 – He gave Himself for me
1 Timothy 2:6 – He gave Himself a ransom for all
Titus 2:14 – He gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from every
lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people…
b.
Ephesians 5:25 – He gave
Himself for the church
c.
He gave up heaven to
come to this earth to make this possible – Philippians 2:5-7.
a.
A part of the Christian’s life involves sharing with others
–
Matthew 19:21 – the rich, young ruler was told to sell what he had and
give to the poor (think about others); James 1:27 – pure and undefiled
religion includes “visiting” orphans and widows.
Galatians 2:10 – recalling the discussion he had with brethren in
Jerusalem, we are reminded that we are to remember the poor
b.
We are to share with our brethren
- Romans 12:13 – as brethren, we are distributing to the needs
of the saints, and given to hospitality.
1 John 3:17 – if we see a brother in need, we don’t shut up our heart to
him and his need.
c.
Galatians 6:10 – do good
to all, especially our brethren.
God will take note of how we do this!
Consider Matthew 25:31-46.
d.
Being part of the local church includes our giving a contribution
–
1 Corinthians 16:1-2 – this is the passage that describes when we are to
give.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 -describes how we are to give.
God loves a generous and cheerful
giver
The Bible deals with finances in the Lord’s body – things we can and
cannot do. We have authority
for a collection and ought to do what we can to ensure that we have the
resources to do as much as we can for His cause.
e.
Give and it will be given – Luke 6:38, Jesus said, “Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken
together, and running over will be put into your bosom.
For with the measure that you use, it will be measured back to
you.”
a.
The obvious part of
giving has now been addressed.
But there are other things we are called upon to give as
Christians. Consider the
following:
b.
We are to give ourselves to the Lord -
2 Corinthians
8:5 – that is what the Macedonians did which gave them cause to
sacrifice for their needy brethren in other places.
Romans 6:19 – we present ourselves as slaves of righteousness to
holiness
Romans 12:1-2 describes this as a living sacrifice
2 Timothy 2:15 – be diligent to
present yourself approved to God.
c.
We are to give thanks -
Romans 14:6 – give thanks to God in whatever we are doing.
Gratitude and thanksgiving is a fundamental quality of Christians.
Our thankfulness to God for what we have will influence our
attitude toward Him and affect how we treat others.
Ephesians 5:4 – rather than filthiness, etc. being named among us, we
are giving thanks.
Colossians 3:15 tells us to be thankful.
Philippians 4:6 – our prayers are to be with thanksgiving.
See also Ephesians 5:20 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
d.
We are to give glory to
God -
Romans 4:20, while speaking of Abraham, notes how he did not waver, but
in faith he was giving glory to God.
Ephesians 3:20-21 – to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
to Him be glory in the church by
Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.
Amen.
Romans 11:33-36 after describing the depth of the wisdom and knowledge
of God, notes that he ought to be glorified forever.
But what does it mean to glorify God?
It means that we show Him due reverence in everything – our word,
conduct, love, spirit, faith and purity (cf. 1 Timothy 4:12).
Revelation 4:11 – describes the throne of God and all around it praising
Him and saying, “You are worthy, O
Lord, To receive glory and honor
and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist
and were created.”
We glorify God in our
worship, in the way we treat each other, through our modesty, where we
go and what we say. We also
glorify Him as we sacrifice for Him.
Matthew 5:16 again notes this.
e.
Give of our talents – while not specifically using the word talents, the idea is that we give
of these to Him. See Romans 12:6-8 describes some of these “talents”.
1 Peter 4:10-11 also notes this.
f.
Give of our time
– 1 Peter 4:3-5
notes that we have wasted enough time frivolously in the past.
We are called upon to redeem the time we have been given – Ephesians
5:15-16 notes this.
NOTE: God has given us time to repent.
An example: Revelation 2:21 – concerning the Jezebel in Thyatira.
She had been given time to repent.
2 Peter 3:9 notes that God is longsuffering, not willing that we perish,
but rather we come to repentance.
Romans 14:12, one final observation to be made.
When this life is over, we will give an accounting to God for our
lives – how we lived and whether or not we obeyed Him.
What have you given Him in this life so that you will be ready
to answer Him in that day?
Think about it.