Jake and Julie Rigsby and Henry
Lynn are all going to confess Christ in Believer's Baptism.
If anybody else wants to be baptized tonight, let me know. When Paul summarizes the ministry
in Acts chapter 20 verses 17 through 35, it's such a glorious
passage of scripture, he ends with these words in the latter half of verse 35,
were to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said,
it is more blessed to give than to receive. There's something
very powerful about those words. Think about them. It's more blessed
to give than to receive. Would you prefer receiving $1,000
or giving $1,000? Well, the Lord says it's more blessed
to give than it is to receive. Now it is a blessed thing to
receive. Who would deny that? I think
of that verse of scripture in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 verse
7 where Paul said, who maketh thee to differ from another? Just paid $300 to get that fixed
this week. Oh well, we'll get them back. Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter
4 verse 7, who maketh thee to differ from another? And what
hast thou that thou hast not received? Now I want you to think
about that very simple question. Who makes you to differ from
another? Do you know if you're saved,
if you know the Lord Jesus Christ, God has done something for you
that he did not do for somebody else. Isn't that amazing? I tell you
what, it ought to humble us into the very dust and make us ask
the question, why me? Who maketh thee to differ from
another? If you believe, God Himself has
made you to differ, just like He did the children of Israel.
Remember in Exodus chapter 11, where He said, against the children
of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast,
that you may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between
the Egyptians and Israel. God made you to differ. He made
you to differ when He chose you before time began to be His. He made you to differ when He
took your sins in His own body on the tree and put them away.
He made you to differ when He gave you the new birth and gave
you a new nature. God made you to differ. And what
do you have that you didn't receive? Now, whatever it is you have,
you received it. I don't care if we're talking
about materially. Somebody says, well, I've worked hard for what I have.
Who gave you the ability to work hard? Who gave you? Whatever you have
to get it, where'd you get it from? He gave it to you. That
last breath you took, He gave it to you. It's His heir, He
gave it to you. Whatever you have spiritually,
you received. You didn't earn it, you received
it. If you have faith, it's because
He gave it to you. If you have repentance, it's
because He gave it to you. If you have love to Christ, it's
because He gave it to you. It is an exotic. It didn't grow
up out of your heart. What do you have that you didn't
receive? Now, we like receiving things. Somebody says, I don't like to
receive anything. I do. I do. I love receiving your love
and your appreciation. I'm all for receiving. It's a good thing to receive. But the Lord says it's more blessed
to give than to receive. Now the first thing that tells
me is the Lord's more blessed than we are. He is the giver. We are the receivers. Don't you
know that so? He's the more blessed one. He gives and we receive. And it's equally true that the
act of giving is more blessed than the act of receiving. It's
to our benefit to give. We don't lose by giving. We gain by giving. It's more blessed to give than
to receive. Now, question. What does love do? You know the answer to that.
Love gives. God so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten Son. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter
8 for a moment. I want you to look at this scripture
with me. Paul says in verse 7, therefore
as you abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and
knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that
you abound in this grace also." And he's talking about giving.
I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness
of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. Now, our love to
him is measured not by what we say, but by what we give. You believe that? Our love to Him is measured not
by what we say, but what we give. Not by how much we give, but
by how much we keep. It is giving, Paul says, that
demonstrates the sincerity, the reality of our love. Love is known only by what it
does. It gives. You mothers who love
your children, what do you do? You give yourself to them. You
give yourself to their good, and you don't look at that as
a sacrifice either. You don't think, oh, I'm sacrificing so
much for my children. You know, it's your delight to
do it because you love them, and it's no sacrifice. Now, I've
entitled this message, God's Giving and Ours. God's giving and ours. Now, I love to think of God's
giving. That's his nature. God gives. There's no need for him to take
because he already has everything. He doesn't need anything from
you. Somebody says, God needs you. No, he doesn't. No, he doesn't. Let me assure you, he does not
need. you. God is independent. He's altogether glorious. He
has no needs. He said, if I was hungry, I wouldn't
tell you. The cattle on a thousand hills are mine. He's not worshipped with men's
hands as though He needed anything. God has no need to take because
He already has everything. He's God. But God gives. It's His nature to give. Why did God create me and you?
Well, number one, for His own glory. To manifest who He is. Oh, how His glory is displayed
in saving someone like me. His grace. Oh, He magnifies His
grace. He magnifies His justice. How
He dealt with my sins in a just way. He magnifies His righteousness. All of His attributes. All of
His glorious attributes are manifested in the salvation of the sinner.
Remember, for God to do something for me or you, he first had to
do something for himself. And that's what he did in the
gospel. And oh, how he manifests his
own glory in saving somebody like me or saving somebody like
you. But the second reason God created the universe is because
he gives. He's so glorious that he made
a people who he could give himself to so they could enjoy his glory. He's glorious. It's the very
nature of God to give. And I love that passage of scripture
in Luke chapter 12, where we read, Fear not, little flock.
This is the words of the Lord Jesus. Fear not, little flock. It's the Father's good pleasure
to give unto you the kingdom. It's God's good pleasure to give. It's his nature. God gives because
God gives. we just read when Brother Don
got up and read that passage of scripture, it's one of my
favorite verses of scripture, is when the Lord says, if you
then, being evil, and the Lord's talking to his disciples. He's
not talking to the world at this time, he's talking to his disciples.
And he says to them, if you then, being evil, does the shoe fit?
If he said that to you, would you have to do a double take?
Or would you say, that's me, I know who he's talking to. If
you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more shall the heavenly Father give good gifts, good
things to them that ask Him? You know how to give good things
to your children. I do. I know how to give good things
to my child, my only child. Oh, but I'm evil. What about
the good God, the glorious God? How much more does He know how
to give good things? Now let's consider for a few
moments what the Bible tells us about God's giving. Someone
says, does a believer give the way God does? Do they give naturally,
or do they have to be taught to give? Well, yes, they give
naturally, and yes, they have to be taught to give. Both of
those things are true. Now, let's consider what the
Word of God has to say about God's giving. First of all, when
God gives, He never withholds. He that spared not his own son. Now I want you to think of the
magnitude of that statement. He spared not his own son, but
delivered him up for us all. How shall he not with him also
freely give us all things. He cannot give more. Isn't that so? He cannot give
more. And bless His holy name, He cannot
give less. When He gives, He never withholds. And oh, how sacrificial is his
giving. He spared not his own son. What kind of sacrifice is that? You know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, Paul said in 2 Corinthians 8, 9, that though he was rich,
yet for your sakes he became poor. Oh, the poverty of the
Lord Jesus Christ when he was hanging on that cross. Oh, he
was poor in Paris when he walked on this earth. He didn't even
have a place to lay his head. But that's not really the poverty
the scripture is speaking of. It's talking about when he on
the cross became poor in righteousness, poor in... He didn't have what
he once had at that time. Do I understand that? No. But
do I believe it altogether? He became poor for your sakes. He had my name on His mind when
He did that, so that you through His poverty might be rich. You know, His giving is never a payback. We give, every time we give,
there's a payback involved. I mean, when I give to my kids,
it's because it's my kids. You know what I mean? I mean,
there's an element of selfishness in everything we do. It's because
it's who we are. But you know, the Lord never
gives as a payback for who has first given to him and it should
be recompensed to him again. The Lord doesn't give in order
to pay you back for what you've done for him. God gives freely. Now listen
real carefully. I want you to zero in by the
grace of God. Ask the Lord to give you grace.
Ask the Lord to give me grace to say this the way it ought
to be said. And ask God to give you the grace to hear it the
way it ought to be heard. God gives freely. And what that
means is there are no conditions you must first meet for him to
give you anything. With His gift, there are no strings
attached. There's nothing you've got to
do to make yourself worthy. Absolutely nothing. There's nothing
you've got to be. Well, I need to be this. I need
to be that. No, He gives freely. That means without a cause in
me or you. He that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall I not with Him also
freely? You hear that word? Freely give
us all things. Now that means there's no reason
for you or I to not have his gift. It's free. Every blessing of salvation is
utterly and entirely free. Now if I'm not saved, I have
no one to blame but myself. Now if I'm saved, I have no one
to blame but God. It's all his fault. But if I'm
not saved, I have no one to blame but myself. I would not have
it because it was free I wanted to pay for it. That's going to
be true of everybody that's not saved. They thought they could
pay and they wouldn't take it freely. They thought there's
something they could contribute, something they could give, some
way they could be that would draw out God's acceptance of
them. Now, if I think something like
that, I prove how little I value the gift if I think I can pay
for it. And I prove what a high opinion I have of what I can
do to pay for it. God's gift is absolutely free. If God's grace is really free,
and it is, why would you not have it? I can answer that with regard
to myself or with you. You have not because you ask
not. If you don't have God's grace,
it's because you've never asked Him to give you His grace freely. You've tried to bargain with
Him. You've tried to strike a deal. You've tried to say, if I do
this, you do that. You have not because you ask not. There's nothing in you preventing
you from giving you His grace because you don't have to have
anything. His grace is free. Christ Jesus, the gift
of God's grace, the unspeakable gift, is free. Now, if you don't have anything
to recommend you, that's good news. God gives on purpose. 2 Timothy 1.9 says, He saved us,
and He called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to His own purpose. I love that, don't you? God saves on purpose. Doesn't He give everybody a chance?
Oh, beloved, salvation is not by chance, but it's by the purpose
of God. He saves on purpose. He saved us, He called us with
a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose and grace which were given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began. I love what the Lord said to
that woman at the well. She is there to draw water, and
she doesn't have any idea what's getting ready to take place with
her. And he says to her, if you knew the gift of God, and who it is that asks you to
give me to drink, you would have asked of him, and he would have
given thee living water. God never worries about giving
too much and leaving himself in a vulnerable condition, unable
to pay his bills. God always is able to pay his
bills. What if I need that for tomorrow?
God never thinks that. Doesn't have to. And God always gives more. You know I love that passage
of scripture in James chapter 4 where he talks about, let's
turn there, I want you to see this, James chapter 4. From whence
cometh wars and fighting among you? Come may not hence even
of your lusts that war in your members? You lust and have not,
you kill, you desire to have and can't obtain, you fight and
war, yet you have not because you ask not. You ask and receive
not because you ask amiss that you may consume it upon your
lust. You adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship
of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a
friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do you think the Spirit
of the Scripture speaketh in vain? The Spirit that dwelleth
in us lusts to envy, but I love the buts in the scripture, don't
you? But, he gives this description of us, and I tell you what, I
read those first five verses of James chapter 4, it hits me
in the gut. But, he giveth more grace. You know, one of the things about
the Lord's giving is he never stops giving. Once He starts,
this is always the truth, He giveth more grace. And you know God's gift, I love
this, if He gives, you receive. If you don't have His grace,
He never gave it to you. God's grace is not an offer.
It's not something that He offers and throws out there and it's
up to you to accept it or reject it. No, sir. Somebody says, won't
you accept Jesus? The Bible doesn't talk that way.
No, sir. You bow. You don't accept him
as your personal savior. You cry for mercy. You bow. You believe. And God never just
throws his grace out there. You can have it if you want it.
No. When he gives, somebody receives. Everybody he gives to receives. And It's so glorious for me to always
remember this, that he does not have to find a reason in you
or me to merit his gift or his gifts, for Christ's sake is all
that's needed. Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven
you. Now this we know, we cannot outgive
God. If you give everything you have,
you've not come anywhere close to out giving God. You can't love someone and not
give to that individual and truly it is more blessed to give than
to receive. Now we've been talking about
God's giving. Let's talk about our giving. The title of this message was
God's Giving and ours. Now, I've already pointed out
from the scripture that it says that giving proves the sincerity
of your love. Now, when we put a check back
there in that box, you know, I like the way we don't pass
a plate. I always get uncomfortable where people pass plates and
everybody's looking. I like the box, but you know,
when we give, There are expenses. We need to keep up this property.
We support missionaries, several missionaries, several thousand
dollars a month in that. We have TV. We have radio. We have, you know, the needs
of their needs. But we don't give for needs. We give as unto the Lord. We don't give to pay a bill.
We don't give to pay the preacher. We don't give to support. We
give as unto the Lord. That's why we give. It's as unto
the Lord. If you love somebody, you want
to give. And I'll tell you what, you know that you're only giving
him what he's already giving you. Just a portion of that which
he has so freely given you. We love him and we find it a
joy and a privilege and a grace to give. To fail to give is said
in Galatians chapter 6 verse 7, to mock God. And in Malachi
chapter 3, we're said to rob God and we rob ourselves of great
blessing. Turn with me there to the last
book in the Old Testament, Malachi chapter 3. Verse 8. Will a man rob God?
Yet you have robbed me. But you say, wherein have we
robbed thee? Malachi chapter 3 verse 8. He
says, In tithes and offerings you are cursed with a curse,
for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring me all
the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine
house. And prove me now with, saith the Lord, if I will not
open you the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing that
there shall not be room enough to receive it. Now, what does the Bible have to say
about our giving? Well, first of all, it's a grace. See that
you abound in this grace also. If you're unable to give and
find pleasure in doing so, that's the grace of God on you. Giving
is a grace. Paul called it that in 2 Corinthians
chapter 8. And when Paul wanted to tell
the Corinthians about the grace of God bestowed upon the churches
of Macedonia, he spent two entire chapters describing their giving. When he said, I want you to know
about the grace of God that was bestowed upon them. I don't know
anywhere else where two full chapters are devoted to something
like that. two chapters, chapters 8 and
9, on giving. Now, turn with me there for a
moment to 2 Corinthians chapter 8. Moreover, brethren, verse 1.
Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit, we want you to know,
of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia,
how that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of
their joy and their deep poverty, abounded under the riches of
their liberality, their generosity. For to their power, I bear record,
yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves,
praying thus with much entreaty, that we should receive the gift
and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
And this they did not as we hoped, but they first gave their own
selves to the Lord and unto us by the will of God." Now, I love
what comes first. They gave themselves to the Lord. Under the law, 10% was His. If you made $100,000 a year,
you give $10,000 a year. If you make $20,000 a year, you give $2,000 a year. If you make, you can do the math,
you know what 10% is. Under the law, you were to give
10%. Why, even Abraham gave a 10th
to Melchizedek, and Jacob gave a 10th, even before the giving
of the law. Under the law, you gave a 10th.
Under the gospel, it's always 10%. Take my silver and my gold, not
a mite would I withhold. Take my love, my God, I pour
at your feet its treasure store. It's all he is. It really is. Now, I'm not going to be critical
of somebody for giving 10%. If you want to give 10%, give
10%. If you want to give 50%, give
50%. Give whatever you feel led to give. But I know this, I want
to give more than what the law says, don't you? I want to get
more. You see, when you belong to the
Lord, giving comes first, not what's left after all the bills
are paid. Turn with me for a minute to 1 Kings chapter 17. Verse
8. This is speaking of Elijah, and
the word of the Lord, 1 Kings chapter 17 verse 8, And the word
of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, go thee to Zarephath,
which belongeth to Zidon's weather. Behold, I have commanded a widow
woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath,
and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow
woman was gathering of sticks. And he called to her and said,
fetch me, I pray thee, a little water and a vessel that I may
drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called her and said,
bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in that hand. And she
said, if the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful
of meal and a barrel and a little oil and a cruise. And behold,
I'm gathering two sticks that I might go in and dress it for
me and my son, that we may go in and die. I've just got enough
for me, that's it. I don't have anything else. Would
you take my last meal from me? And Elijah said unto her, fear
not, go and do as thou hast said, but make me thereof a little
cake first. First. And bring it unto me,
and after that, make for thee and for thy son. Now, I don't
know how many times I've heard preachers, particularly TV preachers,
when they're on using this. Give it to me first. I'm to give to the Lord first. That comes before anything else. Not after all the bills are paid,
my needs are taken care of and see what's left. That's not giving. You give first to the Lord. We're to give him the firstfruits
of our increase. Honor the Lord with thy substance
and the firstfruits of thine increase. Now, I really know
this. People who have financial trouble,
generally speaking, they're not generous. And people who are
generous, generally speaking, they don't seem to have financial
trouble. You see, you can't out-give the
Lord. You give first. And this is what the scripture
teaches. We don't give to get a blessing,
but in giving, we're giving blessings. I think of what 2 Corinthians
9 says, he that sows bountifully shall reap bountifully, and he
that sows sparingly shall reap sparingly. True giving is always
willing. Look in 2 Corinthians chapter
8 verse 3. For to their power I bear record,
yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves. There's a willingness in giving.
Look in verse 12 of 2 Corinthians chapter 3. For if there be first
a willing mind, You're doing what you want to do. If there's
first a willing mind, it's accepted according to what a man has and
not according to what he has not. There's a willingness in
it, but not only is there a willingness, there's an actual performing
of what you will to do. Now, here's the example. Lynn taught me something that
really made an impression on me. I haven't done this in a
long time. I've brought you flowers several
times, but I used to always say, you know, I intended to buy you
flowers today. I really did. And I said that
many times. And I felt pretty good about
myself. Boy, am I a loving husband or what? I intended to buy her
flowers. But one day she said, when I said that to her, feeling
good about myself, I don't get it. Don't say that
anymore. If you want to give me flowers,
give me flowers. Don't intend to do it. So, not enough, not enough. I mean, look at her looking at
me. She's raising her eyebrows, but the point being, don't just
intend to do something. Do it. Look what verse 11 says.
Or verse 10, and herein I give my advice, for this is expedient
for you who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be
forward a year ago. Now therefore perform the doing
of it, as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance
also out of that which you have. How many times have you felt
impressed to do something and just kind of killed the impression?
Just kind of waited and didn't happen? Do it. to intend to give when you have
more. Well, when things get better
for me and I have more money, then I'll give. When I get out
of this debt, to intend to give when you have more is just insincere. That's all it is. If you don't
give now, you're not going to give when you've got $10 million. Our Lord said regarding money,
filthy lucre, He says, he that's not faithful in that which is
least is also not faithful in that which is most. Now, how
much should I give? How much should I give? I'm talking
about me. How much should you give? Well, look in 2 Corinthians
chapter 9 verse 7. This tells how much everybody
ought to give. Every man according as he purposes
in his heart, so let him give. There's the answer. How much
did you give? However much you purpose in your
heart. So let him give. And look in first Corinthians
chapter 16. Verse one. Now concerning the collection
for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia,
even so do ye, upon the first day of the week, let every one
of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him." Now
how much should you give? As God has prospered you. That is the amount to give. However much you purpose, how
God has prospered you. And in 2 Corinthians 9, verse
6, I'm to give bountifully. Bountifully, not sparingly. And
let's go on reading in verse 7 of 2 Corinthians 9. Every man
according as he purposes it in his heart, so let him give. Not
grudgingly. Not resenting the fact that you're
having to give. Not grudgingly. Or of necessity. Not because it's my duty. For
God loveth a cheerful giver. It's where we get the word hilarious
from. Someone who enjoys it so much, they actually laugh. They
enjoy it so much. God loveth a cheerful giver.
Who does God love? Well, I know this. He loveth
a cheerful giver. Scripture says that. I want to be a cheerful
giver, don't you? When Arunah offered his oxen
to David for sacrifice. He said, I'm going to give it
to you. I'm not going to take payment for this. David replied,
I will not offer to the Lord that which cost me nothing. I want to give sacrificially.
Hebrews chapter 13 verse 16 says, but to do good and to communicate,
which means give, forget not. For with such sacrifices, sacrifices,
God is well pleased. Who should give? Paul said every
one of you in 1 Corinthians chapter 16, and this is very important,
don't ever think, well, so-and-so's got plenty of money, they can
support this, or so-and-so can, no, you be concerned only about
what you give. I'm to be concerned only about
what I give, but everybody is to give. Look in 2 Corinthians
chapter 8, beginning in verse 12. For if there be first a willing
mind, it's accepted according to the man hath, and not according
to the hath not. For I mean not that other men
be eased, and you be burdened, that you bear the burden, and
somebody else doesn't, but by an equality. There's the word,
about equality. That now, at this time, your
abundance may be a supply for their want, and their abundance
also may be a supply for your want, that there may be equality.
Everybody is to give. Don't look to somebody else to
do it. Well, so-and-so's got plenty of money. That needle
be made. I'm sure they got plenty of money. No, think of yourself.
Think of yourself. Don't look for other people to
give. Now, let me draw this to a conclusion. God's giving and
ours Where would we be if He didn't give? I think of this
scripture in Galatians 1-4. Paul said, He loved me and gave
Himself for me. Is that not the ultimate
gift? He gave Himself for me. Paul said, I live yet not I but
Christ liveth in me in the life that I now live in the flesh.
I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave
himself for me. If the inheritance were of the
law, it was no more by promise, but God gave it to Abraham simply
because he promised he would. The Lord said, I give unto them
eternal life. I give. Where would we be without
His gift? Come unto me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. My peace I give
unto thee, not as the world giveth, give I unto thee. Where would
we be without His giving to us. Now, here's what I want to close
with. There are two issues involved
in our giving. Number one, love, and number
two, trust. Those are the two issues involved
in what I give. Two issues involved. Number one,
love. Number two, trust. Love gives, and when giving is
little, you can write this down, love is little. That's just the
way it is. Love gives. And it's a trust issue. You give
trusting the Lord to supply your needs. What if I need this next
month? We trust the Lord to supply our
needs. Giving is a love issue. Giving
is a trust and a faith issue. Now when the writer to the Hebrews
spoke of this, he said, but to do good and to communicate or
give, you know what he said next? Forget not. Don't forget to give. Just don't do that. Be somebody
by the grace of God who giving comes first for me. Giving. God's giving. Oh, don't
you love to think of God's giving? And ours. May we be givers by
the grace of God. And I think every one of us ought
to be ambitious to be the most generous person to ever live. May the Lord cause us to be that
way. Let's pray together. Lord, how we thank you for your
gift, the unspeakable gift of your grace. And Lord, we think of the sacrificial
nature of your gift, how you gave all. And we think of how
you wouldn't take no for an answer, but you caused us by your grace
to receive your gift and to receive all the blessings of salvation. Truly, Lord, the wages of sin
is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Lord, we ask
for two things. We ask that you would enable
us by your sovereign grace to receive your gift. And Lord, we ask that we would
learn by experience that it's more blessed to give. than it is to receive. Lord,
get glory to Yourself and bless this message according to Your
will. In Christ's name we pray, amen. We got Dwayne? 393, take my life and let it
be. You know, I remember hearing Bill Clark, the former missionary,
said he never liked to sing this hymn. until the Lord saved him. Because of that verse, take my
silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold. He said, I
never liked singing that. When the Lord saved me, I loved
singing it. Let's stand and sing. Take my life and let it be consecrated,
Lord, to Thee.