"For God so loved the world, he gave . . ." (John 3:16). We are never more like God than when we give. Jesus said, "I did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life" (Matt. 20:28). The world's thought is get all you can. But to be like Jesus, we must give.
Observation:
Jesus was teaching his disciples basic principles of
discipleship. That they must be like the Master himself and it is very fit that
they should, that, while they were in the world, they should be as he was when
he was in the world. They should be as he was in the world for to both
(disciple and master) the present state is a state of humiliation, the crown
and glory were reserved for both in the future state. Let them consider that
the son of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his
life a ransom for many. Our Lord Jesus set two things before them; humility and
usefulness (or humility and giving to others).
Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and we never saw that
they washed his feet. No one ever ministered to Jesus as a great man. He
ministered help to the needy; the sick and diseased. He deprived himself of
both food and rest to attend to the needs of these people who came to him
continually. That is humility.
There was no example of beneficence and usefulness as there
was in the death of Christ, who gave his life a ransom for many. He lived as a
servant, went about doing good and he died as a sacrifice doing greater good of
all. So he came into the world for a purpose. Our lives were forfeited
(surrendered) into the hands of divine justice by sin. Christ’s atonement
rescued our lives as he was made sin, and a curse for us. He died, not only for
our good, but in our stead (Acts 20:28, 1 Pet 1:18,19). This is the reason why
we should not strive for precedency (important than others), because the cross
is our banner, and our Master’s death is our life. So, study to do good and for
the consideration of Christ in dying for us, not hesitate to lay down your
lives for the brethren (1 John 3:16)
Look at these basic principles of New Testament giving.
I. Giving begins with a cause
The disciples of Jesus gave up everything to follow Him. They
left behind homes and jobs and security to follow this Nazarene Carpenter. Why
would those men give up everything to follow an itinerant preacher? Because
they were captured by a cause. The kingdom of God was at hand. The Son of God
was in their midst. They wanted to be a part of a life-changing cause.
Such actions did not stop with the first followers of Jesus. The
Book of Acts records men and women giving up houses, incomes, possessions,
land, time, and talents to follow Christ. These people were persecuted,
murdered, and endured suffering. Why would they endure such pain and torture?
Because they saw themselves as a part of a great cause.
These early Christians saw giving as the means of Kingdom
building. In giving what they could, the expansion of God's kingdom on earth
would occur. We can selfishly live for ourselves, meagerly exist and
eventually die. Or, we can give ourselves to the greatest cause of
reaching people for Christ and therefore find life.
II. Giving entails a sacrifice
Jesus said, "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matt.
20:28, NIV).
1. Since godly giving entails a sacrifice, does he expect
anything less from us? Jesus observed a touching event when he watched people
give contributions to the Temple. Many people gave considerable amounts. Then
came a widow. She gave two coins amounting to less than 1 Fcfa. Then Jesus used
her action as an object lesson for His disciples. Jesus was saying to His
disciples that the size of the gift does not matter as much as the size of the sacrifice.
The woman could have kept one of the coins and everyone would have understood.
But, she gave everything she had. She did not hold anything back.
The heart of Christianity says that you haven't given God
anything until you have given God everything.
III. Giving leads to life
In the Holy Land, fresh water comes from a brook and fills the
Sea of Galilee. This body of water has always been fruitful in fish. And then
the Sea of Galilee takes that water and gives it to the Jordan River. That
famous river uses its water to turn the desert into a rose and make it the land
of milk and honey.
The Jordan River spills into the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea does not
have an outlet. It takes the water in but does not give any away. That produces
the saline problem which makes it salty and dead. Nothing lives in the Dead Sea.
This is a universal principle: One has to give to live. "Give, and it will be given
to you,"
Jesus said. The fact remains, abundant living begins with abundant giving
IV. Giving produces joy
This was our central message last Sunday. You've heard it said,
"Give until it hurts." That's not true. People don't give because
it hurts. They give because it feels good. Again Jesus said, "It is
more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35, NIV). The happiest
people on earth are givers. They have discovered the joy of giving.
Conclusion
When we give of ourselves our heart is changed. And the heart of
our Christ shows through. Shalom
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