WORKING TO SHARE: BEING A GIVER NOT A TAKER

Intro: From Taking from Others to Giving to others

Stealing as a kid: when I was a kid my brothers and some friends regularly stole things from the little grocery store just a few blocks over. We were pretty good at it too. We never got caught any of the dozen or so times that we took things. We always had a plan and it usually worked. Often we worked in teams. One of us would knock some things over on another Isle “on accident” to distract the workers and while they were picking things up another one of us would take things from another Isle. One thing we never thought about was how it hurt the store owner.

While we all might not have stolen something from others we understand that stealing is taking from someone else out of a self centered mindset.

Now being older and having things stolen from me I understand the other side of the sin of theft and how frustrating it is to have something that you worked for taken from you. Many of us have.

Those who steal think only of themselves and the things they want which they have not worked or asked to have. They could have the same things if they would be willing to work for them.

In the verse we are about to look at the sin of stealing is addressed and we will get to that in just a second but I want you to consider is not taking but giving and our attitude toward what we work for.

DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT ATTITUDE TOWARD THE THINGS WE HAVE AND WORK HARD FOR?

It can be easy to be more influenced by the culture than the word of God when it comes to the resources we have worked so hard for.

Why do we work so hard for what we have? What is our motivation? What is our goal for the things we earn? What should be our goal?

Many in our culture work to get money to attain the most comfortable and enjoyable life possible. It is true that there is nothing wrong with enjoying the fruits of our labor.

Ecclesiastes 3:12–13 ESV

I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 ESV

also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

eccl

DO WE HAVE A SELF-CENTERED MINDSET WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT WE HAVE?

While enjoying God’s provision is a good thing we must be careful not to take this too far.

Before we ask “what do I want to do with what I make?” we need to ask, “What does God want me to do with His resources that He has allowed me to be a steward of?”

We do not have to wonder because God’s word tells us. The answer is simple: God gives to us so that we can give to others.

Notice what our key verse says about taking and giving and one of the reasons we should work...

Ephesians 4:28 ESV

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Eph

WORK TO GIVE NOT JUST TO GET

reveals one reason that we should be working; to share with anyone in need.

We might not be stealing from others but we might still be self-centered with what we have and unconcerned with what God wants us to do with what we have.

In our culture getting paid and getting more is taken too far. It is taken so far that you can never really get enough because there is always more to get to have a “better life.”

What any end up doing is focusing all their resources on their own well being much like the rich fool in who was only concerned with himself and being set for life.

God gives to us not so that we can keep it all to ourselves but so that we can help those in need.

God is concerned with the needy and we should be as well.

Galatians 2:10 ESV

Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

Tabitha is a great example of a follower of Christ who was concerned with the poor.

Acts 9:36 ESV

Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity.

If we are concerned with the poor and needy then we will make giving to help them a part of our budget. We may not have anything left over to give if we do not plan to set something aside.

If we try to give only when it is convenient or easy we will often not give at all because we have not planned for it.

We may need to change our perspective so that we will be willing to give. Jesus changed people’s perspective by telling them to store up treasures in heaven rather than on earth.

Matthew 19:21 ESV

Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Trans: one belief that we may need to change is what we think brings more joy; giving or getting.

BELIEVE THAT IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN GET

For us to be givers as God wants us to be we have to believe what Jesus said in that it is more blessed to give than receive.

Acts 20:35 ESV

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

Do we we believe that is it more fulfilling to give that to receive?

There was an experiment done a few years ago by researchers of human behavior about what brought happiness. While they were not working from a biblical mindset they set out to see if people got more happiness out of spending money on themselves or giving it to a loved one or someone in need. So they gave individuals money and told them what to do and then...

If we do not really believe it is more blessed to give than receive we will put our resources toward the things we believe we have to have for happiness before being willing to give to others.

This is one of the reasons that many do not have anything to give because they have already spend their resources on themselves.

When you factor in loans and debt people get stuck in a situation where there resources are already spend before they ever make it.

If we focus on the joy that God, and others will have from being helped they will be blessed but we will find that we are more fulfilled as well.

REPENT AND SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE

In Jesus day it was the religious who were just as guilty of not helping the poor as anyone else.

Matthew 23:25 ESV

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

Christians can fall into greed by believing the culture that tell us that the more we have the happier we will be.

If we are caught up in this lie then we need to repent and if we do we need to change our actions toward what we have.

John the baptist taught that true repentance was accompanied with actions.

Luke 3:11 ESV

And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”

Luke 3:7–8 ESV

He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

Repentance for those who were greedy and never gave to help others was giving to those who did not have.

Luke 3:11 ESV

And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”

Are you helping others who are in need? Are you sharing what God has given with others?

Today we have an opportunity to help a children’s home where children come in from terrible situations to a place where they are shown love, brought to worship, given opportunity to go to christian camp and be taught the gospel (which some end up obeying).