God's Commands: Give and Do Good
Today, I want to share the first of two sermons I wrote while studying at the Christian Leaders Institute. I have made some edits, but the sermon’s message remains the same. During the summer of 2019, I took a class titled “Sermon Construction and Presentation.” Part of the requirements for successful completion of the course was that I have each sermon critiqued by an ordained and experienced minister. I chose the preacher whose bible study classes I was attending at the time to review and give feedback on both my sermons, because his teachings inspired me to write them. In those bible study sessions, the preacher unknowingly taught us, the congregation, that either he misunderstood the whole of the scriptures or chose to twist them to suit his character. Up until this point, the preacher had stuck to the doctrine (actual biblical teaching). On this particular night, however, he stated, “I don’t give.” There he stood, all puffed up in his stance, and asked the congregation, “Do you know why I don’t give?” We wanted to know. So, he told us that when people are true Christians, they will not need anything. Mockingly, he added, “I bet you all think you’re something when you feed the hungry.” Sadly, he made a mockery of the scripture, not of those of us who understood what the Word said. God does take care of his children; that is the Gospel. Nevertheless, the Lord also makes provisions for those who are not believers. The scripture says,
Give to him that asketh thee, and
from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it
hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say
unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that
hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That
ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun
to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the
unjust. (Matthew 5:42:45)
God loves and cares for us, and He wants us to love and care
for one another. The world bears witness to how most people comfortably
ignore God’s commands to give and do good. We, on our own, cannot operate in
the Spirit of giving and doing good unless the Holy Spirit has transformed our
hearts and made us new creations in Christ. Our compassion for others can grow
cold, at which time we shut our hands, eyes, and ears and become hard-hearted. Yet,
God’s expections for the rich [and for all with means] are the same: “be rich
in good works, ready to distribute [give], willing to communicate [share]” (1
Tim. 6:18). He wants us to build a strong foundation for the future, so that we
“may lay hold on eternal life” (v. 19). As believers, our lives must show
God’s endless love for everyone.
God Set the Standard for Giving
God gave us the greatest gift of all. “What
gift?” you ask. We can find the answer in these words: “For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). How many of you
would offer the life of your child to give life to someone else’s offspring? I
would imagine that to be an impossible thing to fathom. We often hold tightly
to what we have, but God’s love goes far beyond ours. His Son, Jesus, is truly
the greatest gift ever given to us. As the Bible says, “He that spared not his
own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely
give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). Further, God gives us “every good gift and every
perfect gift” (James 1:17), and through His Son, He offers us a future full of hope
(Jeremiah 29:11).
Jesus became poor
so that we may become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). He is our example of love and of
doing good that the unbelieving world knows nothing about. The world chases
after things that don’t last and values people by what they own. Many believe
that success and possessions make them special people. But Jesus says, “Blessed be ye poor: for your’s is the kingdom God”
(Luke 6:20), and “Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). Those verses remind
us to focus on spiritual things, to please Jesus, to know and love Him, and to
care for each other.
Even when we were
against Him, Jesus died for us and offered us His friendship. “[Christ Jesus]
made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant and was
made in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:7). We shouldn’t think so highly of
ourselves that we can’t help one another. Scripture goes against the words of
the world that say, “God helps those who help themselves.” To deceive ourselves
into believing that saying is to our own detriment. It’s the Holy Spirit that
helps us, for “he shall teach [us] all things, and
bring all things to [our] remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you”
(John 14:26). Let’s remember: “Greater love hath no
man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John
15:13). This is the standard for which we should love. If we don’t live by it,
we don’t belong to God.
God Created Us in His Image Unto Good Works
“For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). We who are Christ’s
understand the charge we have is this: “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or
whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). That includes giving
and doing good, also.
Jesus gives us
the following instructions: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may
see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). That
does not mean we are to sound the alarm when we give and perform good
works. It is a spiritual matter. What follows is the model for giving:
Take
heed that ye do not your alms [charitable deeds] before men, to be seen of
them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore
when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the
hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of
men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms,
let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in
secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:1-4)
Advertising our “good” deeds on social media or any other
platform is only for those who want the rewards and praises of the world; God
does not recognize that kind of giving, and he surely will not reward it. Giving
in that way is self-serving, and for the world’s eyes only.
It is God’s will
that we be loving, compassionate, and generous to people in need. “But whoso
hath this world’s good [goods], and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth
up his bowels [heart] of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in
him?” (1 John 3:17). There is yet more the Gospel shares on this subject, “He
that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath
given will he pay him again” (Prov. 19:17). Although we should never give only
to expect God to repay us, He has promised to compensate us for sharing and
performing good deeds in secret. We must not stop at giving and doing good
deeds. King Lemuel’s mother spoke to him in the Spirit, saying, “Open [your] mouth,
judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy,” (Prov. 31:9). God
is speaking the exact words to us today. God’s Word cannot be made void by the
twisting of scripture to fit our rottenness. His Word stands, regardless of
whether we honor it or not.
Let’s not make
the mistake of ignoring God’s command to give and do good. We are also to give
to the church, not grudgingly but “every man according as he purposeth in his
heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a
cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Further, the Gospel instructs us to give 10
percent of our firstfruits to the church, as found in Proverbs 3:9 and Malachi
3:10. We need to remember that tithing is a matter between us and God. It is critical
that we also remember Jesus’s scathing rebuke of the Jews who bragged about
tithing:
Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise
and cummin, and have omitted [neglected] the weightier matters of the law, judgment [justice], mercy,
and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (Matthew 23:23)
Along with cheerful giving and tithing to the church, we
should “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially
unto them who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10). Christians should also
have the understanding (that comes from the Holy Spirit within us) that those
who oversee the church should be fully compensated, for they deserve their
wages (read 1 Tim. 5:17, 18; 1 Cor. 9:14).
The Dangers of Valuing Riches Over Generosity
“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” (1 Tim.
6:10). The countless scams perpetrated by millions all over the world, in this
present time, bear witness to the evils inherent in loving money. The fulfillment
of vile lusts and unspeakable passions also bears witness to the fall of humankind. The Bible says that no “covetous man, who is an idolator,
hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Eph. 5:5).
There are
endless disputes over money. Money is a central talking point—how to get more
of it. People trap themselves in the endless cycle of trying to gain more
wealth. Their behavior worsens as their greedy appetites become the voice of
reason, drowning out the voice of God, whereby men and women become desperate,
confused, and lost in a sea of madness. In a state of desperation, individuals become
like “they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of
this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering
in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful” (Mark 4:18, 19). They are thus
spiritually dead.
Yet, men and women of the world,
even self-proclaimed Christians, are chasing after wealth with a single-minded
focus—to become rich. They will exploit themselves for gain, thereby causing
God’s name to be filth among the unbelieving public. Gambling and playing the
lottery is a devastating trap and one of the most destructive, and it can rip a person’s
life apart and cause that individual to become destitute of anything good. Engaging in those activities goes against God and his holiness. Those people have fixed their eyes on riches
and material possessions, and the love of money has become their god.
“But they that
will be [desire to be] rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful
lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition” (1 Tim. 6:9). They never
see the impending doom that is just around the corner. The wealthy person who
trusts in his possessions shall go down (Prov. 11:28). Again, God warns us over and
over regarding the dangers of riches. The chase consumes the mind and the soul,
and it all ends with the loss of one’s eternal soul. The rich man who wanted to
know more about what he could do to be with Jesus in eternity got more than an earful from Christ: “If thou wilt be [want to be] perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and
give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow
me” (Matt. 19:21). That man’s god was his wealth, and he didn’t know it.
Hear the totality of what Jesus said to his disciples, “And again
I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle,
than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (v. 24).
The Conclusion of the Matter
Storing up
treasures on earth can drown out our ability to hear God. Hardening our hearts
and being unwilling to give and do good put us at odds with God’s will. God
calls us to be rich in good works, to give, and to stand up for the poor and
needy. The Lord wants our focus to be on things above. Love and compassion are of
utmost importance to the Father. Love is a gain. “We know that we have passed
from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his
brother abideth in death” (1 John 3:14). The words the Apostle Paul spoke to
the Philippians apply to us today: “Let nothing be done through strife or
vainglory ... [and] Look not every man on his own things [interests], but every man also on the things of others” (Phil. 2:3, 4). Have you considered these questions: “For what is a man
profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Are you willing to trade your soul for temporary gain?
Please note that all biblical references are from the King James Version.
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