Life is a “give and take” proposition.
A. This is true in the area of material possessions and
money.
1. We give of our time and talents in the work
place and we take an agreed upon wage for
our efforts
B. This is true in love and emotional support.
1. We are ready to give this kind of support to
others and count on it being there when we
need it, ourselves.
a. There is comfort in words and actions....
we know this and as Christians, we are
ready to be there for others.
As we look through God’s word, we are impressed by the
number of “give-and-take” instructions and examples that
are there for us.
A. In the time that we have, let us take a look at just
a few of the “give-and-take” instructions that we
can find.
I. Give of all you posses....consider them the Lord’s and
not yours.
Matt. 5:40-42 - 40“If anyone wants to sue you and take
away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41“And
whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
42“Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to
borrow from you do not turn away.
A. We see that the personal things....the things that
might consider valuable....are to be shared with
others.
1. Even with enemies.
a. This doesn’t make “good common sense”
.......human reasoning and “logic”
dictate just the opposite.
** This is reinforced by other passages....
Acts 20:35 - 35“I have shown you in every way, by
laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And
remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is
more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Eph. 4:28 - 28Let him who stole steal no longer, but
rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good,
that he may have something to give him who has need.
II. Give place to wrath....don’t try to even all
scores........pay back evil with kindness.
Romans 12:19-21 - 19Beloved, do not avenge
yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written,
“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
20Therefore“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is
thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap
coals of fire on his head.”21Do not be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good.
A. We are not to respond.....in kind.....to the evil that
others may do to us.
1. We don’t respond, “in kind”....but “in
kindness”.
III. Give in.
I Cor. 10:31-33 - 31Therefore, whether you eat or drink,
or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32Give no
offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church
of God, 33just as I also please all men in all things, not
seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they
may be saved.
Phil. 2:14-15 - 14Do all things without complaining and
disputing, 15that you may become blameless and harmless,
children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and
perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the
world.
Rom. 14:19 - 19Therefore let us pursue the things which
make for peace and the things by which one may edify
another.
Rom. 12:18 - 18If it is possible, as much as depends on
you, live peaceably with all men.
A. Our liberty....the freedoms that we have, in
Christ, should never be used to offend another.
1. In points that don’t matter to salvation, we
need to be ready to give in to others and not
to insist on our way.
IV. Give thanks.
A. I know that we all give thanks....to some degree...
each day.
1. We thank God for the day and for the food,
and possibly for one or two other things.
a. Have we ever just sat down and counted
the many ways in which we have been
so richly blessed?
1.) I think that.....for the most part.....
our thanksgiving is shallow and
(as with so much) is very self
centered.
a.) If it hasn’t happened to us, we
don’t need or want to thank
God.
I Thess. 5:18 - 18in everything give thanks; for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Eph. 5:20 - 20giving thanks always for all things to God
the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Col. 3:17 - 17And whatever you do in word or deed, do
all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the
Father through Him.
B. Even though we may know to do this.....so often
we start taking everything for granted and
forget to give our thanks to God for the multitude
of blessings that He has blessed us with.
C. Knowing that God is really in control and that
all things can work together for good.......we
should return thanks to God...in faith...for even the
things that we aren’t so ready to thank God for.
1. We need to acknowledge our limited scope
of what is “good” and what is “bad”.
V. We need to give attention to the things that God is
trying to get through to us.
I Tim. 4:13 - 13Till I come, give attention to reading, to
exhortation, to doctrine.
A. If Paul thought it necessary to pen these words for
Timothy’s (the evangelist’s) instruction.....how
much more applicable should Paul’s exhortation
be to us?
Heb. 2:1 - 1Therefore we must give the more earnest heed
to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.
VI. We are also to give diligence.....this means that there
is some work to be done....labor....the exertion of
effort.
I Peter 3:15 - 5But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts,
and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks
you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and
fear.
Heb. 5:13-14 - 5But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts,
and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks
you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and
fear.
I Peter 1:10-13 - 10Of this salvation the prophets have
inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the
grace that would come to you, 11searching what, or what
manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was
indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of
Christ and the glories that would follow. 12To them it was
revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were
ministering the things which now have been reported to you
through those who have preached the gospel to you by the
Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire
to look into.
13Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and
rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to
you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
A. There should be a hunger.....a yearning.....a
desire to know the things that are....have been...
and are yet to come.
1. This knowledge does not come to the
slothful.
a. To be complete in Christ is to know what
He has given us in the form of His
Words.
1.) We have been entrusted with a
great treasure.......what do you
suppose Christ’s reaction will be
toward those who should know...
those who have had every
opportunity to know the truth?
VII. We, as Christians, need to take heed to the fact that
we are not automatically permanent fixtures.
Romans 11:21 - 21For if God did not spare the natural
branches, He may not spare you either.
II Peter 2:4-6 - 4For if God did not spare the angels who
sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into
chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5and did
not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight
people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood
on the world of the ungodly; 6and turning the cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to
destruction, making them an example to those who
afterward would live ungodly.
A. There needs to be the understanding that God does
not owe us anything.....it is by His grace that we
have been, are, and will be saved.
1. Our salvation is contingent upon our active
resistance of sin in our life.
2. It is based on the concept that we have
repented of our sins and that they are all
under the blood of the Lamb.
3. It is based upon the understanding that we are
“running a race” and that we must remain
faithful in that race.......until death.
B. We need to always be aware of this....when and if
we get to the point where we think that we have
a “lock” on salvation....we are probably lost.
I Cor. 10:12 - 12Therefore let him who thinks he stands
take heed lest he fall.
VIII. We also are to take heed that we are not responsible
for another person stumbling.
I Cor. 8:9 - 9But beware lest somehow this liberty of
yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.
A. We must understand that we cannot go through
life....thoughtlessly....selfishly....arrogantly....
unconcerned for how we affect others with our
words and actions.
1. We will be called into account for our
example....in word and deed.
IX. Let us take care that we do not bite and devour each
other.
Gal. 5:15 - 15But if you bite and devour one another,
beware lest you be consumed by one another!
A. Christians can “bite and devour” in multiple
ways.
1. Bitterness in speech.
2. Slander and gossip.
3. An over critical spirit.
4. Jealousy.
ILLUSTRATION:
Our collective lives, as Christians should be as those who
are together in the same boat...bound for heaven.
X. Let us be especially on guard....take heed... against false
teachers and against false doctrines.
I Tim. 4:16 - 16Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.
Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both
yourself and those who hear you.
A. Of course, Paul was addressing this verse to an
evangelist....but does that remove any
responsibility along this line for the average
Christian.
1. I think that we can cite enough passages
that would argue against that position.
Acts 17:11 - 11These were more fair-minded than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all
readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out
whether these things were so.
II Tim. 2:15 - 15Be diligent to present yourself approved
to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth.
I John 4:1 - 1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test
the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false
prophets have gone out into the world.
CONCLUSION:
There is much more that we need to give and take, as
Christians.....we haven’t even scratched the surface.
A. Understand this, however.....it is a give-and-take
world...the world of a Christian.
1. We shouldn’t be expected to always be
giving and never receiving.
a. Even if this does happen, however,....
we know that we are still receiving from
God.....even if our fellow man is not
living up to his role.
2. Equally, we must not always feel as though we
must always be on the receiving end of
everything.
a. In fact.....we shouldn’t want to always
be on the receiving end of everything.
Acts 20:35 - 35“I have shown you in every way, by
laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And
remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is
more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
How is your personal relationship.....along these lines?
A. Do you only receive and seldom if ever give?
B. Are you living a life of bitterness because you give
and don’t feel as though you receive?
1. Have you overlooked the blessings of God?
C. Do you give to God but not to man....
or vice-versa?
Let this message call each and every one of us to a real
awareness of how we live, as Christians....in this regard.
