"BE BLESSED AND IT IS YOUR"

Early one morning years ago an American  serviceman was making his way back to the barracks in London. He saw a little boy with his nose pressed to the window of a bakery, staring in silence. The serviceman's heart went out to the little boy, probably an orphan. "Son, would you like some of those?" "Oh, yeah, I would!"

The serviceman stepped inside and bought a dozen. He took the bag outside to the boy and said, "Here you are." As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug on his coat. He heard the child ask quietly, "Mister, are you God?" When we give, we act as God does. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten  Son..." (John 3:16). As God's people, we should be givers, not only at the Christmas  season, but as a way of life. In his final address to the Ephesian elder, Paul reminds them one more time of his own example when he had been with them. His example of being free from greed and of working to provide for his own needs and even for needs of his co-workers, demonstrated before them how they, too, should shepherd God's flock. More than his own example, though, Paul told them to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Then Luke records the emotional farewell between Paul and these men who thought that they would never see his face again. Jesus' words here are not contained anywhere else in Scripture. Apparently they were part of the oral tradition handed down from those who had been with Jesus during His earthly ministry. Read John (21:25), mentions, if everything that Jesus did was written, down in details, even the whole world couldn't contain the books. We may wish sometimes that we had more of Jesus' sayings, but what we are given are probably convicting enough for us to work on for a lifetime! That is certainly true of His words here. By our fallen nature, we all are takers, not givers. But by God's sanctifying grace, He wants us all to grow to be givers. As we do, not only will others be blessed, but so will we! But, why are giver more blessed than those who receive? I remember as a boy when my mother would quote this verse to me at Christmas time, thinking, "well, then I'll let someone else get blessed by giving to me" I wanted to be on the receiving end Our text explicitly reveals three reason is implicit in Jesus' statement and taught explicitly in other Scriptures:

Givers are blessed because they are freed from greed, they are being conformed to Jesus, they have enduring relationships with others, and they will reap eternal rewards.

1. Givers are blessed because they are freed the destructive sin of greed (20:33-35a).

Perhaps Paul is contrasting himself with the false teachers that he has just warned them about, wolves who come in to feed on the flock, rather  than to freed the flock, throughout the Bible, false teachers are denounced for being greedy and covetous (Isa56:11; Jer.6:13;8:10; Luke16:14;Tim.6:5 Titus1:11; 2Pet.2:3,14,15; Jude16). But Paul's  example shows us that...

A. ELDERS ARE TO SET TGE EXAMPLE  OF BEING FREE FROM GREED.

As Paul himself argued 

(1Cor.9:1-18;1Tim.5:17-18). Those who labour in the gospel are worthy of being supported by the gospel. But there is a huge difference between a man being supported by the Gospel and a man who is in the ministry to get rich by taking advantage  of others. One requirement for elders is that they be "free from the love of money" 

(1 Tim.3:3). Both elders and deacons must not be "fond of sordid gain" (Titus1:7;Pet.5:2; 1Tim3:8).

If a man is trying to fleece the flock, it erodes trust and undercuts the basis for any lasting  spiritual ministry. 

Read the prophet (Micah 3:11). Denounced Jerusalem's leaders that pronounced judgement for a bribe, her priests that instructed for a price, and her prophets that divine money. In the world, giving counsel for a hefty fee is standard practice. unfortunately, the Christian world has imitated the secular world in this. But the Lord's servants should offer counsel or other ministry freely, trusting God that if the people are ministered unto, they will reciprocate by helping to meet the needs of the one who has  ministered to them. There is nothing wrong with charging for a product, such as a book or CD, where there are obvious costs in production and marketing. But even there is, the focus of many Christians seems to be on making huge profits, not on ministry to the Lord's  people. 

B. GREED IS A SIN THAT DESTROYS THE GREEDY PERSON.

The Bible ranks greed or covetousness alongside immortality and idolatry, warning that "because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience" (Eph.5:5-6; Col.3:5-6; see also Mark 7:21-23; Cor.5:10). Paul said that those who desire  to get rich get shared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction (1Tim.6:9).

C. THE SOLUTION TO OVERCOME GREED IS TO WORK TO PROVIDE FOR YOUR OWN NEEDS AND TO GIVE TO PROVIDE FOR THE LEGITIMATE NEEDS OF OTHERS. 

In Ephesians 4:28, Paul wrote, "He who steal must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need." When he was in Ephesus, Paul has been an example both of hard work and generosity. He had made tents to meet his own needs, and from any surplus, he had helped support the men who worked with him in the gospel. Apparently he also had enough funds to help some in the church who were needy (20:35a).

Paul's  example affirms the dignity of work, including physical labor. Some are like Maynard G. Krebs in the old Dobie Gillis TV show. Everytime the word "Work" was spoken, Maynard would jump backwards  and shriek as if he had been contam6by the plague, "Work!" Some think that work is a part  of the curse. But Adam had work to do before the curse  and we will have work to do throughout eternity. The curse is the thorns and thistles that interfere with productive  labor, not the labor itself.

All Christian men, except  those who are physically  or mentally incapable,  are responsible to work in order to provide  for their families' and their own needs. Women are primarily to be workers at home.

(Titus 2:5). Not to provide for one's family is to deny the faith and be worse than an unbeliever (1Tim.5:8). A fairly strong  warning! Paul says that if a man will not work, the church should not feed him. (2Thess.3:10). But this pandemic time all is excused.