November 11, 2018

Giving, Gaining, and Greed
November 11, 2018
Pastor Jonathan Falwell

 

Open:

What brings you the most joy? Is it giving a very essential item or gift to someone truly in need, giving a new toy to your child to add to his shelves of previous gifts, or receiving a gift to add to your own collections? Can anyone share?

We are entering the season of Giving. Whether it is the giving of Thanks, the giving of Christmas items for children in foreign countries, or the giving of ourselves to help others, these next few months will determine whether you desire to be a giver or a receiver. Most people will admit to desiring more “stuff,” but this is not Biblical. Today, we will talk about giving, gaining and greed.

Focal Passages: Jeremiah 22:13-16; Acts 20:35, 2 Cor. 8:9; Luke 14:12-14

 

 

Discuss:

“Having” (stuff) never leads to contentment:

• Read Jer. 22:13-155a. The scripture records Jeremiah’s words to Jehoiakim, the king. What does God have against him?
• How does this remind you of two other kings who were consumed with getting things, including adoration and worship? Read Dan. 4:29b-30 and Eccl. 2:10-11.
• Thinking of your own home, does it reflect a lifestyle of spending to display it in pride, or is it a home where a family lives and loves? Can anyone share?
  • Has your pride in a beautiful home, new cars, or personal collections made you a better Christian? How can it be a stumbling block?
    

Giving is what brings joy:

• Read Jer. 22:15b. What were the things about Josiah that God commended?
• How were the two kings—Josiah and Jehoiakim—different?
• What did you do in 2018 that gave you the most joy? How was someone helped by what you did? Can you share?

Giving is what brings you closer to Christ:

• Read Jer. 22:16b. What was God referring to, regarding Josiah? Did it strengthen Josiah’s relationship with God to share what he had?
• Why do we have a new appreciation of God when we share ourselves?
• Why did God give you the resources you have?

Giving is what makes you more like Christ:

• Read 2 Cor. 8:9. What were the riches of Christ throughout eternity past? What was His poverty when He came to the earth? What are the riches we receive from Him?
• John 3:16 begins, “For God so loved the world that He GAVE”; so why does giving make us more like Christ?
• What are some things we can give to others daily?

Giving is what leads to reward:

• Read Luke 14:12-14. What was Christ telling us in this passage?
• When is the last time you invited someone out to eat, to your home, or gave in some other fashion, when you knew they would not be able to repay you? Can you share?
• Why would we get rewards in heaven for doing that which we should be doing?

 

 

Close:

Almost everyone has heard the famous response of John D. Rockefeller, considered to be the richest man in modern history, when asked how much money would be enough. His reply? “Just a little bit more.” Many of us live our lives desiring “just a little bit more,” and find it never satisfies. The truth is, we all love gifts. But do you love “getting” more than giving? What does your home witness about you? There is another truth Paul quoted Jesus as saying, in our Key Verse for the day, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” It might interest you to know that a foreign country, where Christianity is growing daily, considers America to be a country in need of prayer. Not prayer for our ungodliness, but beseeching God to take away our enormous wealth, as they see it as a huge obstacle to following Christ whole-heartedly.

Not everyone receives with genuine gratefulness: some feel the action tends to make them indebted to the giver. How sad! True generous giving is an essence of the Godhead. God’s greatest gift to the world, Jesus Christ, was the ultimate gift to pave the way for our eternal life. Christ gave His life, the most He could give, for us who are unworthy and could obtain salvation in no other way. The Holy Spirit gives gifts to men, comfort, conviction of sin, and so much more. Giving of ourselves—our time, our gifts (listening, counseling, meals, etc.) in times of pain, and our resources to bless others—transforms us, as Paul tells us in Romans 8:29-32, into the likeness of Christ. And he goes on to say, “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Giving is beautiful, giving is Christ-like, and giving will bring rewards to throw at the feet of Jesus.

Key Verse: Acts 20:35: I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”