Give And It Shall Be Given Pt. 2
Notes
Transcript
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Introduction
Introduction
Last week, we looked at this verse on the thought of “Give And It Shall Be Given”...
I only made it through the first point and that was Givers Understand the Character of God...
We looked at the character of God, and how God is the original “giver” - He’s not a taker, and because giving is His nature, giving should be the nature of His children.
A Christian should not be a taker…This world is full of takers, people that are out for themselves with no though of anyone else…That’s the last thing a Christian should be known as.
I mentioned last week that, if we are not careful, even a child of God can fall into a “give me; I deserve” trap, and live only for selfish gain and pleasure.
The Bible tells us that selfishness will be characteristic of the last days:
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
We must fight the flesh, we must live godly lives!
And so we began looking at this thought considering giving.
So, point 1 was that Givers Understand the Character of God…let’s continue this tonight and see if we can get through the remaining points...
II-Givers Obey the Command of God
II-Givers Obey the Command of God
The word “give” is in the present imperative mood. This means that giving is not optional. It is commanded. And because it’s in the present tense, that makes it a continual command...
The meaning of the word “give” says the giving should be willingly. And the context of the word “give” says the giving should be liberal.
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
This means that giving ought to characterize our lives. Since it characterizes our God, it should characterize us too. When we give with the right motives, we find that giving is not a drudge but a delight.
When we give the right way, we find that truly, as the Bible says, “…it is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Two factors in particular compel us to give as God commanded—our love for God and our outlook on life.
Obedience to God’s Command to Give Is Dependent on Our Love
Obedience to God’s Command to Give Is Dependent on Our Love
A willingness to obey comes from a heart that flows with love.
If we love God, we desire to keep His commandments to please Him. Thus, giving comes naturally when we do it out of love for God.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
If you love someone, you will treat them properly.
Obedience to God says we love God. Disobedience shows a lack of love. This says there is very little love for God today.
That verse also tells us that His commandments are not grievous...The word “grievous” means here “oppressive, hard to be borne"; “burdensome … severe, stern”.
Love does not perceive Divine commands as burdensome. Satan tries to tell us that God’s commands are oppressive, too stern, a kill-joy, etc. But the believer knows that love is behind the commands, for His commands are given for the good of the believer.
Another verse here:
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Whomever I love the most I will seek to please the most. If I love myself most, I will be most concerned about me and seek to please myself. But if I love God most of all, I will be most concerned about Him and seek to please Him. My love for God will determine my choice of action.
Let me give you three truths about how loving God changes us:
1. Loving God changes who I am.
1. Loving God changes who I am.
My love for God will turn my affections for myself to Him. It changes me from being a self-seeker to a God-seeker, from being a self-pleaser to a God-pleaser.
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
2. Loving God changes what I do.
2. Loving God changes what I do.
My love for God will make me want to keep His commandments because I want to please Him.
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
3. Loving God changes why I do.
3. Loving God changes why I do.
My love for God becomes the reason for my actions. When I give, for instance, I do it not in expectation of return, but because I want to demonstrate my love to God.
14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
Obedience to any of God’s commands—including the command to give—is dependent on my love for God. But it is also dependent on my look—my focus...
Obedience to God’s Command to Give Is Dependent on My Look
Obedience to God’s Command to Give Is Dependent on My Look
Looking at life through an earthly lens limits our scope of vision to the temporal where material treasures vanish with time.
Looking at life through a heavenly lens broadens our view to the vastness of eternity where treasures transcend time. A heavenly outlook will help us see the command to give as an invitation to store up treasures in Heaven.
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Because the apostle Paul’s affection was on the things above, he was willing to obey God’s command at all costs—even if it meant suffering imprisonment, beatings, shipwreck, and hunger.
Knowing that his earthly sufferings were only temporal and would eventually reap eternal value, he remained faithful to carrying out God’s command to preach the gospel.
Paul wrote in
24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Here’s what it boils down to:
An earthly-minded Christian sees God’s commands as grievous and his own needs as greater, causing him to withhold his giving. He lives more for this world than for eternity, but a heavenly-minded Christian sees beyond the present world and prepares for eternity by investing his earthly resources for the Lord!
So, what have we learned?
Givers Understand the Character of God, Givers obey the Command of God, and thirdly:
III-Givers Trust the Care of God
III-Givers Trust the Care of God
Giving is not only an act of obedience; it is also an expression of trust in God.
The world finds their security in their finances, but God wants us to find security in Him. He knows that we have a natural attachment to money because of what it can get us. When we give, we prioritize God over our needs and take His Word by faith that He will take care of us. We put our trust in His person not our pocket to supply our needs.
Notice that the certainty of God’s provision follows the command to give. Luke 6:38 does not say, “Give and it might be given unto you,” but
Luke 6:38 (KJV 1900)
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you...
When we give, we can have the confidence that God will reward our giving. He may not always reward it monetarily, but He does always reward it.
We’ve talked about giving this whole time, so I’d like to call your attention to the remainder of the verse and listen as we break it down:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
• The word good has the idea of being advantageous. In other words, the result of your giving will benefit you.
• The phrase pressed down, and shaken together gives the picture of pressing and shaking to get more volume into a container.
• The phrase running over means to overflow. Overflow can be a bad thing or a good thing, depending on where it takes place. An overflowing sink is inconvenient; overflowing blessings are desirable.
• The word bosom paints a picture of someone at a market having grain measured into his garment suspended between his arms. He would then use that garment to carry the grain home.
Jesus made it clear: it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Those who faithfully give do it because they know they can trust the promises of God. Of course, the abundant rewards God promises to our giving are not always monetary.
For example, the apostle Paul said he specifically endured times of need.
12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
But he also testified that God always eventually provided for his needs. And he encouraged the generous Christians of Philippi that they, too, could depend on the promises of God to meet their needs.
He goes on just a few verses later and says:
19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Givers trust the care of God!
Conclusion
Conclusion
How are you doing on giving?
Do you hold back hesitatingly, or do you give generously, trusting God will provide?
The world says that to gain, we need to get … and then hoard. God says that to gain, we give.
This lifetime is the only opportunity we have to invest in eternity. And unlike the stock market where returns are uncertain, God’s promised returns on our giving is certain.
When we honor His command to give, He honors our obedience by giving us beyond what we give.
When we consider all that God has done for us, we will, like the psalmist, ask in gratitude,
12 What shall I render unto the Lord For all his benefits toward me?