The Art of Giving and Receiving


Vincent Ball / General Adult

Tithe; Give

About all aspects of giving and receiving

 

Luke 6:35–38 (ESV)


...35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. 


Judging Others


37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”





Illustration:


I just want to share a life illustration with you… That is not to say this is a recipe for money but on this occasion it is what actually happened and I was very blessed and amazed. I’d spent a lot of time out of work due to having bipolar and things were a bit financially tough. Anyway, I took it upon myself to give my last £20 apart from money for bills into the offering bag without telling anyone. I truly did believe God would give me my needs and He did. Straight after the service the treasurer come up to me and gave me an envelope which inside there was £200. A mentor of mine always used to say God is no man’s debtor and it’s true. The principle of giving and receiving was well at work here and I’ll remember it to this day.



My points:


  1. What we are expected to give?


  2. What we should expected to receive?


3)  How much did Jesus give and receive?





1) What we are expected to give?


2 Corinthians 9:6–7 (ESV)


The Cheerful Giver


6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.





What do you think we're expected to give? Some churches emphasize a tithe when it comes to money. They are basing their assumption on the Old Testament, Where, in fact, if it was left to the law, you would be paying a lot more than a tithe.


Beyond grain, the first-fruits included fruit, honey, wool, wine, oil, bread, and cake. Animal firstlings and the firstborn of humans were also part of the system. The offerings came from the produce of the soil, trees, sons, livestock, dough, wine, and oil.


Young fruit-trees were handled differently—the produce of the first three years was considered unclean and not eaten. Only the fruit from the fourth year onward was brought as an offering. Later, sheep’s and goat’s wool and honey were added to the list.


All these first-fruits belonged to the priests, who were the only ones allowed to eat them, though some were used in sacrificial meals. These offerings supported the priests and Levites who worked in the temple and also helped provide relief for the poor.


The system worked at both national and personal levels. Nationally, there was the waving of the first sheaf of barley during Passover, and seven weeks later, two special loaves baked from leavened dough were offered as a peace offering with two yearling lambs. Beyond these national ceremonies, individual people brought their own first-fruits to the priest, though how much they brought was up to them.


If we were to go by the law in the Old Testament, we would be paying a lot more than the tithe, which means a tenth. 


In actual fact Jesus fulfilled the law and wants not a tenth but our all. According to the New Testament. In the book of Romans it speaks of us being a living sacrifice. 


Jesus wants you to give your money, your time, your talents, and your ear for others. He wants you to show mercy, be forgiving, and go the extra mile. He wants you to give the first fruits not the last. He wants you to not let the right hand know what the left hand is doing. He wants you to give to believers more than non-believers as it says in the book of Galatians. If we are blessed then we should use it for God's kingdom and not boast about it like the Pharisees do. We should do all of this. not under obligation, or reluctantly but with a genuinely cheerful attitude. 


Giving is not just confined to giving money. In essence Jesus wants every piece of our being. Putting the interests of others above our own. Don't forget to do this cheerfully. 


The rich young ruler in the Gospels was very wealthy and the only thing he didn't like to give up was his wealth . It's the heart attitude that matters. The widow had very little. But it was everything she had and this pleased God more than the Pharisees' giving out of their wealth. 


Some people are not wealthy but they are rich in time. They can promote the kingdom by using whatever talents they have in this way. 


In relation to our opening scripture This giving in context here is not talking about money. It's talking about mercy and forgiveness. We can be generous in giving mercy and forgiveness. This is what is shaken, pressed down, and overflowing back to us.


It is the principle of sowing and reaping, which is found in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 


2 Corinthians 9:6–7 ESV
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.


In doing this you are storing up riches in heaven. 





2) What we should expect to receive?


Luke 6:35–38 (ESV)


...35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. 


Judging Others


37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”





Actually, in our hearts, our attitude should be to not expect to receive anything in relation to our giving. Love should be unselfish, disinterested, and uninfluenced by any hope of return, but in reality we receive a lot from our heavenly Father, in this life and eternity.


The truth is the Gospel has to be the same for all of us and we may live in a impoverished part of the world or may be terminally ill, (God forbid) or may face martyrdom so where is the blessing for those folks?


Actually, the real blessing and ultimate blessing that we receive is the Lord Jesus Christ himself and the crown of life in eternity.  we receive forgiveness of sins, and peace with God! Salvation is the best thing we can receive!


The crown of life represents eternal life, pictured as a laurel wreath given to victorious athletes. God promises this reward to those who love him, and Jesus told the church at Smyrna, “Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life.” It’s God’s promise of eternal blessing to believers who stay faithful to Him, even when facing hardship or persecution. Sometimes this is what we receive. 


We shouldn’t look at giving as some sort of investment to receive. Scripture teaches to not let left hand know what the right hand is doing, in other words without being unwise be liberally generous, without expecting anything in return.


While we are alive and in this life what we receive is relative - God knows our needs and that’s different from individual to individual, some might be able to handle lots of money, Some, not . We might receive materialistic blessings and that’s not necessarily wrong. But if we go looking for them and entertain the “prosperity gospel”, we’ll be fleeced to our own peril, The prosperity gospel is a theology asserting that God wishes everyone to be healthy and wealthy. It teaches that believers who have faith will not be sick or suffer but will always prosper. However, the Bible says trials are part of God’s plan for growing believers into maturity, and Jesus taught his followers to lay up treasures in heaven, not on earth, warning that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” We receive lavish spiritual blessings too.


Spiritual blessings are blessings from God’s Holy Spirit that relate to our spiritual welfare and eternal life in Christ. They include things like salvation, grace, redemption, justification, sanctification, and eternal glory. These blessings are permanent—God never takes them back—and they’re already given to believers, not just promised for the future. They lift us into the heavenly places and make us heirs of God through Christ.


In a nutshell. We will receive according to what we sow as Scripture teaches us and God loves the cheerful giver. 





3) How much did Jesus give and receive?


Romans 12:1–2 (ESV)


A Living Sacrifice


12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.





Now this is the best and perfect example of giving... Jesus gave his all. He took the whole sins of the world and endured God's wrath for us on the cross. He did this for you and me and for everyone who puts their faith in Him. He was the perfect living sacrifice So that we may receive eternal life and forgiveness of our many sins.


Can you receive this? The free gift from God, Some are too proud to accept they are sinners and receive this wonderful gift. 


And what did Jesus receive? 


Jesus gave his life through suffering and death on the cross. In return, God exalted him to the highest place imaginable.


After his humiliation and obedience unto death, Jesus was raised from the dead and seated at God’s right hand in heaven. He received a name above every name, so that all creation—in heaven, on earth, and under the earth—bows the knee and confesses him as Lord. God gave him all authority in heaven and on earth and put all things under his feet, making him head over the church and ruler of all creation.


Through his death, Jesus ransomed people from every nation and made them a kingdom of priests who will reign with him. He received the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured it out on his people. He now sits in glory, interceding for us at God’s right hand.


The resurrection itself serves as God’s reward for Jesus’s perfect sacrifice—proof that his death was completely sufficient to forgive all sin and give us power to forgive one another. What he receives—universal authority, eternal glory, the worship of all creation, countless redeemed people—far exceeds what he gave, yet he gave it all freely and willingly.


In essence: Jesus gave everything; God gave him everything back and more. His exaltation validates that his sacrifice was perfect and complete.


Thank you Lord Jesus.