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Jun 22 '08
(A Series of Sermons on Building Character in Your Life)
Rev. Erik O. Garthe, Pastor - Edgemere Baptist Church
Message #4 ... June 22, 2008
“It Demonstrates the Love of God”
1 John 3:14-19
Read 1 John 1:5
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
That is an interesting statement, since darkness was one of the first elements identified in creation by God’s Word, and it wasn’t until God created light that He separated darkness.
“And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.” (Genesis 1:4)
God uses both darkness and light for His purposes. He can use anyone and anything to display His power. Can you think of times in Scripture when God used darkness to accomplish His purposes?
• God used darkness to display His presence – Exodus 20:21
21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.
• God used darkness to bring His judgment – Exodus 10:21-22
21 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt." 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.
• God used darkness protect His people – Exodus 14:19-20
19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
While God can and does use darkness for His purposes, the first passage we read declared that “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” John records Jesus describing Himself as light in John 8:12.
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus took it further by indicating that His disciples are also the light of the world: "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Light does not choose who benefit from it, and neither should love. Every person is loved by God and should be loved by us. Therefore, everyone we meet should see God’s light and love in us. However, to the degree that we try to partake of the world, we diminish our brightness.
What is a good work? A good work is meeting a need in the life of another that will cause him or her to give glory to God.
It’s about attitude -- our good works should be carried out so that others get the credit, God gets the glory, and we have the joy of eternal rewards.
One of the best ways to let your light shine before men is to develop generosity in your soul. Pastor Ken Pierpont tells this personal story: “One autumn day, I saw this firsthand. Since it was a perfect autumn day, I was glad to have an excuse to get out of the study for a pastoral visit. In the late afternoon, I drove to Mr. Smith’s house. It was a nice drive, past neat Amish farms, through a section of a National Forest, over the White River, with leaves floating downstream on the water. The salmon were running and fishermen eagerly worked the water. The sun was shining and it was sweatshirt-cool. When I drove up, Mr. Smith was standing in the door of his shop. There was a box of apples sitting on the machine nearest the door. I saw them and coveted one. He must have seen me. “Try one of those,” he offered. I happily obliged. It was picked fresh from an orchard down the road, the perfect apple, Gala Royal—my favorite variety. I have been known to pay outrageous prices for a Gala. It was sweet, crisp, fresh, thin-skinned, and perfect. An apple is a miracle, a marvel, and a wonder of God’s creative power. In the three or four minutes it takes to eat an apple on an autumn afternoon, you have enjoyed the hope of springtime blossoms, the product of long summer days, and a piece of autumn in the palm of your hand. I tossed the core away and made small talk with the Smiths while the farmer across the road harvested corn. A breeze swept leaves across the lawn in a melancholy steady flow. While we chatted, Mr. Smith got a small box and put a few apples in it. I smiled. This is one of the fringe benefits of my job. Sometimes parishioners give you zucchini, sometimes garden-ripe tomatoes, sometimes even banana nut bread, and almost always a cup of coffee. (You know you live in a small town when you have to lock your car … to keep people from putting zucchini in it.) When I left, he surprised me. He put the big box of apples in the back of my van and kept the small one for his family. I offered a weak and completely insincere objection. I drove home the back way, down a gravel road, so I could see a pretty little white country church on the way home and eat apples. Driving home that mellow fall evening, I thought about being the kind of man who would keep the small box for myself and give away the big box to my friend.” [Ken Pierpont]
o Several Biblical words describe the concepts that make up generosity.
a. The first concept is love. The Biblical word for love is translated charity in the KJV – i.e. giving to those in need. John made it clear that love without giving is hypocrisy. See 1 John 3:14-19
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
b. The second concept is sowing. And because generosity follows the laws of the harvest, the more generous we are, the greater will be the harvest. See II Corinthians 9:6-7
6 He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
c. A third concept related to generosity is distributing. The Greek word translated is koinoneo, which is also the word for “fellowship.” See Romans 12:13
13 … distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
But why should we be generous?
Many people are not generous because they believe what they give, they lose. The opposite is true. Those who are generous receive far more than they give.
What are the rewards?
1. You Experience the Love of the Lord, 2 Corinthians 9:7
“for God loves a cheerful giver.”
The love God has for a generous giver is agapao love, which is a giving love. When we give cheerfully, God gives back to us!
2. You Learn the Fear of the Lord, Deuteronomy 14:22–23
"You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year … that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.”
This fear is learned by generosity.
3. You Gain Treasure in Heaven, Mark 10:21
i.e. the rich young man
Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."
4. You Achieve a Victory over Greed, 1 Timothy 6:9-10
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
The love of money gives us the illusion that our lives are made up of the things that we possess.
It also makes us idolaters when we expect from money what only God can provide.
How Generous Are You?
Do you view yourself as a steward of God’s resources?
Have you dedicated all your resources to God?
Do you honor God with a generous portion of all your (His) increase?
When you give, do you tithe or do you give “what you can afford”?
How often have you sacrificed things in order to give to the needs of others?
Make a commitment today …
• Start of Generosity: Dedicate all your resources to God.
• Goal of Generosity: Demonstrate God’s love to others – His glory!
Anthony Ervin isn't rich but he has given what he can to help with the relief of those who were inundated by the infamous tsunami on December 26, 2004. Ervin rents a room in a San Francisco area townhouse, drives a 15-year-old Toyota Camry, and has plenty of holey socks. The only thing of real monetary value in Ervin's life has been the gold medal he won in the 50-meter freestyle during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. In May of 2005, Ervin put his gold medal up for auction on eBay and a man in the Philippines bought it for $17,100. Rather than use the money to upgrade his lifestyle, Ervin forwarded the proceeds to UNICEF for tsunami relief. He said, "I don't really have any money or any kind of clout other than an Olympic medal. I just thought I should give something back. I've gotten so much already." He went on to say, "Most people, mostly my friends, just thought I was crazy." Extreme generosity usually does seem rather crazy, but Anthony Ervin now understands how good it feels to be extremely generous. [Houston Chronicle, 5/24/5, C2]
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