A man can receive nothing, Except it come from Heaven

A man can receive nothing, Except it come from Heaven

Text:

John 3:22–27 (KJV 1900)

22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. 23 And John also was baptizing in AEnon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. 24 For John was not yet cast into prison. 25 Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying. 26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

* Jesus told Pilate that he was in his position of power, only because God had placed him there.

John 19:8–11 (KJV 1900)

8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; 9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? 11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

* God claims that He reserves the power to make a man rich, or make a man poor.

1 Samuel 2:6–9 (KJV 1900)

6 The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. 7 The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, and lifteth up.

* God reserves the right to decide who will be wealthy and who will be poor in this life.

1 Samuel 2:6–9 (KJV 1900)

6 The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. 7 The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, and lifteth up.

* Because God is the one who decides our fate as to whether we will be rich or poor in this life, God prohibits us from feeling proud and boastful because of our success in life.

Proverbs 27:1 (KJV 1900)

Boast not thyself of to morrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

Psalm 75:4–7 (KJV 1900)

4 I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: And to the wicked, Lift not up the horn: 5 Lift not up your horn on high: Speak not with a stiff neck.

6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, Nor from the west, nor from the south. 7 But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another.

James 4:13–17 (KJV 1900)

13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.

For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil

* On the other hand, God does not want you to beat yourself up because you don’t feel wealth or successful.

* Do you find yourself poor and feel that there is no hope for you this morning? God claims that He can give you hope for the future.

Psalm 113 (KJV 1900)

1 Praise ye the Lord.

Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord. 2 Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and for evermore. 3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same The Lord’s name is to be praised. 4 The Lord is high above all nations, And his glory above the heavens. 5 Who is like unto the Lord our God, Who dwelleth on high, 6 Who humbleth himself to behold The things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, And lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; 8 That he may set him with princes, Even with the princes of his people. 9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, And to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord…

For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And he hath set the world upon them. 9 He will keep the feet of his saints, And the wicked shall be silent in darkness; For by strength shall no man prevail.

* Even though God reserves the right to make one poor and another man rich, He also gives certain principles about wealth to all men to profit by.

* Jesus gave us the proper attitude about money and riches.

Matthew 6:24–34 (KJV 1900)

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

* Jesus taught his disciples that it was impossible to live for money and wealth and to live in such a way that pleases God at the same time.

* All of us are either living to please God, or we are living to please ourselves by seeking money and wealth.

* Jesus taught the only way to be truly happy in life is to stop trusting in our money for security, and trust God that He will provide what we need in whatever way He sees fit for us in this life.

* Listen to the words of Jesus:

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.

* Jesus here is talking about worry. Jesus taught his disciples not to worry.

* Jesus said that the truth will set you free. When we get the simple truth of this message this morning in our hearts, and live by this truth, it will set you free from the chains and misery of worry.

* Worry does not change the future in the least, but what worry really does is destroy our ability to enjoy today.

* This is the secret to happiness!

Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

* The society in which we live is controlled by Satan, the great deceiver, the God of this world.

* Society teaches us that the importance of life is to provide for our selves.

* Jesus taught His disciples that providing for ourselves is not what live is all about.

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

* Jesus taught His disciples that when we stop making money and financial security the focus of our lives, then we can really begin to live life the way it was intended to be lived!

* The starting place to enjoying life to it’s fullest is by making God and His kingdom first in our life.

* Jesus taught His disciples that when we get our priorities straight in life, then we will be worry free, and able to take in all of life to it’s fullest.- like taking a deep breath on a fresh spring morning!

* When we don’t have our prioritys straight, we will be vexed by the things that take away all of the good things of life.

* Solomon said that chasing the almighty dollar, and forgetting God is like sowing seeds and throwing them to the wind- as waste of effort!

Ecclesiastes 5:13–19 (KJV 1900)

13 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. 14 But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

15 As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand. 16 And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?

17 All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

18 Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.

* Solomon taught that when we stop struggling and let God provide for us, and accept God’s provision his way, as our text verse says:

( 27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.)

Then, when we ceased from our own efforts and learned to trust God for our needs, only then can we can rejoice in all that God gives us to enjoy our lives.

19 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

* Most of us have wasted a good portion of our lives. We have not enjoyed life to its fullest, because our priorities have been out of place and we have vexed ourselves by foolishly thinking that we are providing for ourselves.

* Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, saw just like you and I that this rat-race of life is like a dog chasing his tail.

* He will run and run, but the faster he runs in order to catch his tail, the faster the tail runs to get away!

* That’s how it is when we chase money and success in this world!

Ecclesiastes 6:7–9 (KJV 1900)

7 All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled. 8 For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living? 9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

* Because of this chasing our tails so to speak, Solomon began to feel like life was all in vain, and he became depressed over the whole deal.

Ecclesiastes 2:10–11 (KJV 1900)

11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 2:16–18 (KJV 1900)

17 Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Ecclesiastes 6:1–2 (KJV 1900)

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: 2 A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

Ecclesiastes 4:6 (KJV 1900)

6 Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 (KJV 1900)

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

* The words of Jesus echo the words of Solomon as we come back to Jesus teaching his disciples about money in Matthew 6:

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

* Jesus summary of the matter was the same as Solomon:

* Don’t vex yourself worrying about money and needs and wants! Put your trust in God, and God will enable you to enjoy life to the fullest!

* God claims that He has the power to bless those who put Him first in their life.

Malachi 3:8–12 (KJV 1900)

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?

In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, Even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be meat in mine house,

And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, If I will not open you the windows of heaven, And pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, And he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; Neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

12 And all nations shall call you blessed: For ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.

Proverbs 3:5–10 (KJV 1900)

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: Fear the Lord, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, And marrow to thy bones. 9 Honour the Lord with thy substance, And with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, And thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

* God also claims that He has the power to cause our efforts to be wealthy and successful in life to come to nothing.

Haggai 1:3–11 (KJV 1900)

3 Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, And this house lie waste? 5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; Ye eat, but ye have not enough; Ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; Ye clothe you, but there is none warm; And he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; And I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.

* Many times God uses our lack of financial success to bring us to the realization of what is really important in life.

9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; And when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it.

* God says that what is really important in life starts with our relationship to Him.

Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, And ye run every man unto his own house.

10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, And the earth is stayed from her fruit. 11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, And upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, And upon that which the ground bringeth forth, And upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

Conclusion:

* Here is the summary of our thoughts together this morning:

1 Timothy 6:6–11 (KJV 1900)

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.