Introduction

The last two months of our studies have brought us to the last church out of the seven churches that Jesus had a message for – the church of the Laodiceans. We have seen different types of churches in this series: those that lack compassion and those that faced persecution; those with people that had begun to compromise their faith and a church filled with those that were dead in works. Out of the churches we have taken a look at, the church of the Laodiceans was in the worst shape.

From the One Who Is Divine

The letter to the church of the Laodiceans begins with the familiar greeting from Jesus to the angel (messenger) of the church. We will see Jesus announce Himself as: “the Amen”, “the Faithful and True Witness”, “the Beginning of the creation of God” (Rev. 3:14). Jesus, once again, is letting His authority be made known to another church so that there was no question as to who was behind the letter to the church.

This is the one place in scripture where we see Amen used as a proper noun. Do you know what amen means? We say it at the end of our prayers, right? You could think of amen meaning to “let it be done” or “let it be true”. Amen, we consider, to be finality. As we know, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6); He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last (Rev. 22:13).

Jesus stating that He is the Faithful and True Witness, once again, speaks to Jesus being the revealer of the divine truth. In John 8:12, Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

When speaking as the revealer of the divine truth, in John 12:49, Jesus said, “I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.” Jesus, you should understand, is the Faithful and True Witness to the kingdom of heaven and testified (gave witness) of the kingdom to the world.

Jesus being the Beginning of the creation of God does not speak of God creating Him. Let us remember, John 1:1 states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In John 1:14, we are told that the Word (God) became flesh and dwelt among us (mankind). So, again, in this greeting, Jesus was speaking of His divinity – His holiness and righteousness – and His sovereignty.

The Bleak Condition of the Laodicean Church

Now as we get into Jesus’ message to this church in Revelation 3:15, we will see Jesus say to the church, “I know your works.” This sounds very familiar as we have seen Jesus say this to the other six churches as well. However, we are going to see that Jesus’ message to this church is very different.

Jesus sickened by the church of the Laodiceans

Notice what Jesus says about the works of this church: “You are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth (Rev. 3:15-16).”

With every other church we have studied about, Jesus had good works He could commend of those churches. Yes, four of those churches had their struggles with either going bitter in compassion, beginning to compromise in faith, being corrupted in faith, or becoming dead in works. Though they had their struggles, none of those churches had reached the level of the Laodiceans because there was still some kind of good works present in those churches.

Just to remind you that while some of those churches were not in good shape, and that there was some good present: the church in Sardis had a few names that had not defiled their garments (Rev. 3:4). Both the churches in Thyatira and Pergamos, were commended for having good works that grew (Rev. 2:19) and for not denying Christ (Rev. 2:13).

Now, you may be wondering what’s so bad about being lukewarm? Have you ever had lukewarm water? Now, some of us may think of drinking water at room temperature as we would consider a lukewarm temperature of water to match room temperature. With that said, some of us drink room temperature because we can’t tolerate our water being too cold.

However, my thoughts on the lukewarm water that Jesus spoke of is water that has sat out for days and days.  From my own personal experience, when water sits out long enough, it can start to smell pretty bad.  Along those same lines, when water has sat out for a long period of time, it can develop a bad taste as well.  Try leaving water sitting out for hours without touching and see how good it tastes and you will end up spitting it out in disgust. 

Jesus, in digesting the church of the Laodiceans, said He wasn’t drinking water that was bad to the taste and had to be spewed out. Why was this church lukewarm? How does a church become lukewarm?

How a church goes lukewarm

Let’s compare this to the two churches we recently studied – the church in Sardis and Philadelphia. The church in Philadelphia was alive and active in its works. What made the church in Philadelphia alive and active? The church listened to the Holy Spirit and moved in the Spirit to bear holy and righteous fruit.

The church in Sardis was the opposite in that it had works but Jesus had not found their works perfect before God.  As I said in that study, the fact that Jesus said their works were not perfect means that something was being done in Sardis.

A church that is lukewarm is a church that is sitting still; there is no fervor in faith nor even any bitterness in faith. The church of the Laodiceans had become lukewarm because it was a church that simply did not care to move one way or the other; it was a church that had become apathetic. Apathy: lack of feeling or emotion; a lack of interest or concern; impassiveness or indifference.

As I preached months ago – Is Your Heart on Fire For God – the church becoming more and more uncaring is very concerning to me. The Lord calls on the church to care for and to take great interest in the plight of others. Don’t you remember that Jesus commanded that we should love the Lord with our whole heart? In our love of the Lord, we are to move with compassion towards all of those around us as well (Matt. 22:36-39).

Throughout New Testament scripture, you will see where writers like Paul encouraged sincere believers to move with compassion. To the church in Rome, Paul wrote, “Therefore let us pursue the things which makes for peace and the things by which one may edify (uplift) another (Rom. 14:19).” Those who were of the church of Laodicea did not care to move in such a manner to edify others. The sad part, as we will see, is that the people of Laodicea had the capabilities of moving to help others prosper in the world but they did not move to do so.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul mentioned the church of the Laodiceans as he desired that the letter to the Colossians be read aloud (Col. 4:16). Why did he want Colossians to be read aloud in Laodicea? Well, Paul’s letter to the Colossians covered subjects like not being carnal but rather living as a child of God by putting on love.

In Colossians, Paul wrote, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth … Above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection (Col. 3:1-2, 14).” For Paul to want these things to be read aloud in the church of the Laodiceans spoke to the ongoing condition that was present in the church of the Laodiceans.

Trusting in worldly riches

The problem that was behind the church being lukewarm is shared with us in Revelation 3:17. We will see that Jesus spoke of how those who were of the church of Laodicea would say, “[I] have need of nothing.”

Those who were of this church had obtained many possessions. You see, the city of Laodicea sat on a prominent trade route which connected it to Colossae, Hierapolis, and Ephesus – cities we see Paul speak of in his letter to the Colossians. So, the city had great wealth as well and many of the remaining ruins give credence to the wealth it had obtained.

Because they had great wealth and lived by their wealth, this was a people that put their trust in their wealth more than they did anything else, which even includes God. How could you consider yourself to be a child of God but put your trust in wealth over the Lord? That sounds very conflicting considering that true believers ought to be putting their trust in the Lord first.

To live in such a manner where one trust in worldly riches over the Lord would be living carnally (worldly) rather than in sincere faith. What is very concerning about this is how many professed believers choose to live carnally rather than spiritually. In 2 Timothy 3:1-4, Paul wrote to Timothy about how perilous times would come where people would be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of the Lord.

Paul also wrote that the day would come would people would not endure sound doctrine but raise up for themselves teachers that will scratch their itching ears (2 Tim. 4:3-4). You and I live during a day where people are overly selfish, overly greedy, and filled with lust and covetousness. We live at a time where rather than heeding the divine truth, people rather be led into wickedness by heeding the voice of blatant liars. The frightening part about all of this is that there are many who profess to believe in God that are part of the crowd that follow the words of blatant deceivers.

Vomited out by Christ

Those who move in such a manner need to heed the warning from Jesus because they are one of those who are of the church of the Laodiceans today. Do not make lightly of Jesus speaking to vomiting lukewarm “believers” out of His mouth.

Very early in His ministering years, Jesus taught the disciples in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” This is the moment where lukewarm believers are spewed out of Jesus’ mouth.

This is very frightening because there are many who go out and profess to be of faith but have no works to shows their faith is sincere. To be very clear about this, it is not enough to say you believe. It is not enough to join a church, be baptized, go to church every Sunday, and go to bible study every Wednesday. You must actually move by faith; you must move with compassion in your heart as you love the Lord and your neighbor. If you aren’t moving in sincere faith, then you are just like those who were of Laodicea.

Jesus described those of this church as wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, spiritually speaking (Rev. 3:17). The people of this church may have had great wealth in the world but they were in spiritual poverty. The wretchedness of this church left not only a bad taste in the mouth of Jesus but made His stomach go sour; they would be spewed out Jesus’ mouth. Do you think Jesus would be able to consume you and your works or would He vomit you out of His mouth?

Jesus’ Rebuke for the Church

Jesus, in His rebuke of the church of the Laodiceans, desired for those of this church to put away their love and trust for the riches of this world; He desired for them to stop living carnally and to love Him.

Jesus said, “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see (Rev. 3:18).” Their trust in worldly riches had blinded them from the Lord and now Jesus was telling them to repent – make corrections in the way they were going.

The anointing of eyes with eye salve certainly would certainly remind us how often Jesus healed those that were physically blind.  In fact, Jesus healing the physically blind was the miracle Jesus performed more than any other.  Giving sight to the physically blind is a miracle that speaks to how desires and will give sight to those who are spiritually blind.

In John’s gospel, after healing a blind man, Jesus said to the blind man, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind (John 9:39).” Jesus, as the light of the world, came to reveal the divine truth so that none of us walk in the darkness of sin. Jesus, with this message, shined a light on a major issue in Laodicea, and a major issue that believers are facing today when it comes to one’s infatuation with worldly living.

Jesus said, “ As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent (Rev. 3:19).” Had Jesus given up on this church yet? No, not yet. Jesus’ rebuke, as it always is, was a show of mercy. Rebuke, we must remember, is a warning to let one know that they are doing wrong, and includes corrections for one to be able to make corrections.

The rebuke of God should always be heeded.  God’s mercy should not be taken lightly.  All people should live in repentance!  Repentance, to be clear, is not forgiveness; it is living in a manner of correction.  God calls on you to repent today because He has not given up on you.  

Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne (Rev. 3:20-21).”

Those who were of this church, they had time to get right. If they made the proper corrections, Jesus would dine with them and dwell in fellowship with them. However, if they chose to continue to live carnally, Jesus said He would vomit them out of His mouths. As Paul said in Romans 1:28, “even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.”

So, the choice all people have to make today is whether we will live for the Lord or will we choose to live carnally? If you choose to become lukewarm in your heart, you must understand that will not be pleasant to the Lord. God is only pleased by those who have a fervor for Him.

Introduction

Over the past month, we have been taking a look at the seven churches that Jesus spoke to in the book of Revelation.  As we have seen, each church represents the collective Church, and so far, the picture that has been painted is one where the Church has much room for growth.  

In this week’s study, we’re going to study about the church in Sardis as it paints a picture of great importance to today’s church.  The issue that will be brought up in this study will raise a question about religion, sincere faith, and the Holy Spirit.

The Bringer of the Divine Truth

Our study opens once again with Jesus having a message sent to the angel (messenger) of a church.  In our previous study, we saw Jesus present Himself as the Judge of all and this week, we see Jesus present Himself as the one that has the seven Spirits of God (Rev. 3:1).  Now, what does this mean?

Jesus has presented Himself before as having the seven Spirits before His throne in Revelation 1:4.  The “seven Spirits of God” refers to the Holy Spirit.  The fact that Jesus is speaking about the Holy Spirit in the opening of His greeting to the church in Sardis speaks to the importance that the Spirit plays in our study this week.

With that in mind, let’s speak to the significance and the role that the Holy Spirit plays in our lives today.  Jesus promised the coming of the Holy Spirit to His disciples after His death, resurrection, and ascension (John 16:7).  The Holy Spirit is received by all of those that sincerely believe and guides us into all truth — the divine truth (John 16:13).

So, considering that the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth, and with Jesus saying to the church in Sardis that has the Holy Spirit, we should understand that He was bringing the divine truth to this church.  We should also remember that Jesus is the light of the world, which means that He reveals the divine truth.  The truth that Jesus would reveal to this church would not be subjective or objective – it would be absolute and divine.

The Harsh Truth for the Church in Sardis

So, what does Jesus have to say to this church?  As we have seen with the other churches, Jesus knew their works; He commended the church for having a name that was alive.  Let’s take a moment to dive into what this portion of the verse meant because it’s very important.

The name speaks to the reputation of this church.  So, the reputation of the church in Sardis was alive in that people knew of it.  Was this a good thing or a bad thing? 

Let’s note that we don’t see Jesus commend this church about anything else other than having a name.  This is very interesting because Jesus commended the other four churches for quite a few things.  Ephesus was commended for its labor and Smyrna was commended for being steadfast during tribulation.  

Even the churches in Pergamos and Thyatira, where one was beginning to compromise its faith while the other was corrupted, was greatly commended by Jesus.  Jesus commended those in Pergamos for not denying His name while Thyatira was commended for its love, service, faith, patience, and works.  So, it says a great deal about the church in Sardis that Jesus commended that it had a name but nothing else.

Faith without works

Though the church had a name, Jesus said that the church was dead.  So what does this actually mean that the church had a name but the church was dead?

I think about local churches today and how many of them are known by their name.  Honestly, I know the name of my church is nowhere close to being known by those even in the local area; we are very small.  I think about my home church and I would say that it does have a name in its area.  With that being said, does it really matter if a church has a name or not?

For some, it is very important for a church to have a name.  In fact, some will not even attend a church unless the church is well known and the pastor is well known.  Is this what is most important?

Some will suggest that the works of the church is what matters. Is this true? I do believe the works of the church are of the utmost importance, but we have to consider the kind of works that’s being done, right? What are the works of that church? 

Some of us will consider that the church should help its community. For example, since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, some will consider that the church should be of great charity around this time of year. The church should be handing out food boxes and helping to feed and care for the poor. However, I feel I must ask, what about those churches that don’t have the capabilities of doing these types of works? Are those churches dead in their works?

James spoke to the importance of works when he tied both works and faith together.  James stated, “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (Jas. 2:17).”  James also stated, “for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also (Jas. 1:26).”  Ultimately, what James was saying is that it is not enough to simply profess your faith, but that your faith must move.  

Faith, I would tell you, certainly should be active as that says a lot about your spirit and the Holy Spirit abiding with you; the Holy Spirit is always active and never sits still with us.  Again, the role of the Holy Spirit is to guide us into living a holy and righteous life.  Through Paul’s teachings, we learn that the Holy Spirit is always working within us, renewing our spirit, so that we are not conformed to this world (Rom. 12:2).

Through the Holy Spirit, the sincere believer receives gifts from the Lord to put to use (Rom. 12:6-8).  The gift giving of the Holy Spirit is shown to us on the day of Pentecost, when the apostles received the Holy Spirit and preached the good news (Acts 2:1-4, 38-39).  You and I receive these gifts from the Holy Spirit to the profit of all of those around us – to uplift them in their soul (1 Cor. 12:4-11).

Now, to be very clear about this, there are more ways than one way to do the works of faith; it does not always have to be giving out money or food. To the Galatians, Paul stated that believer should produce the fruits of the Spirit through their works.  Paul wrote that the fruits we bear are love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). 

The works of the church includes opening its doors to all people for the intended purpose of uplifting souls through the ministering of the Spirit. The ministering of the Spirit can also be done through the teaching of scripture and the preaching of the good news to edify (educate) those who enter in. The ministering of the Spirit is also done through the sharing of one’s testimony.

If you ever take a look at the earlier church, as shown throughout Acts, the early church didn’t have much physical wealth to be able to share.  However, what the early church did have to share is what all believers have to share today – the gospel of Christ. We can, again, minister through preaching, teaching, our personal testimony, and through prayer.

Dead in faith, alive in religion

So, of the works for the church in Sardis, Jesus said, “I have not found your works perfect before God (Rev. 3:2).” Why would the works of this church not be perfect? Are your works perfect? Are the works of churches today perfect? I think we would probably all respond with a shake of the head no. That being said, if we consider the other churches we have studied about in this season, what is most important is that the church, the believer, is actually striving towards the mark of being holy and righteous!

Why would the works of this church be found to not be heading towards the mark of holiness and righteousness? The answer to this question is that whatever works were being done by this church were not being done through the Holy Spirit.  As we know, when you are attentive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, the Spirit will lead you unto what is holy and righteous.

The church in Sardis suffered from not being attentive to the Holy Spirit. So, whatever works were being done by this church was dead in faith in the Lord because the church was not heeding the Spirit.  This church was suffering a great deal from what the collective Church suffers from today — religion. Religion, in my definition of religion, is the mechanical and heartless actions taken by one who believe those actions will please the Lord.

Something that is truly sad is that there are many within the church today that don’t even realize the problem with religion in comparison to sincere faith. For example, those of religion will go to church, not because they want to be there, but because they believe they have to be there as their presence will please God.  In another example, those of religion will only care for the poor and perform charity because they believe that will please the Lord, rather than simply loving their neighbor out of sincerity.

This may be confusing to some of us but let us consider Paul’s words to the Corinthians when he wrote, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work (2 Cor. 9:6-8).”

God, I want you to understand, desires cheerfulness in faith and not dull, lethargic, and lifeless faith. The church in Sardis was dead in the cheerfulness of faith which led to their works not striving to being perfect.  This was a church that needed to wake up from its spiritual slumber and work the works of the Lord.  The works of the Lord, we must remember, is to believe in Him whom the Father sent (John 6:28-29).

A call to wake up in active faith

So, the church in Sardis was a church that needed to wake up out of its spiritual slumber; they had religion but they weren’t profiting those around them in the spirit.  Jesus said to this church, “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. (Rev. 3:3).”

What was it that they had received?  They had received the word of God, right?  The only way that they could believe in the Lord is through the receiving of the word.  What else have we received through our faith?  As I said earlier, we have received the Holy Spirit through our faith as well.  

Now, there is something else that all believers have received from the Lord as well, do you know what that is?  Christ commissioned all who would follow Him to baptize all people in the good news of the gospel (Matt. 28:19-20). As I said earlier, we are to minister the good news to all people. 

Sadly, many are ministering everything but the gospel of God.  Some are ministering worldly prosperity rather than spiritual prosperity.  Some are ministering to lusts, covetousness, and great gain rather than the selfless love of uplifting others..  Others are ministering out of bitterness, anger, and hatred rather than out of loving those that hate you, persecute you, and spitefully use you.

What do you suppose happens when a message of love is ministered by one part of the body of Christ but the other ministers anger, hatred, and selfishness through their actions?  Much confusion.  Confusion is no good and can (does) mislead. 

Is Today’s Church Dead? 

The message to the church in Sardis really highlights the difference between religion and sincere faith. As Jesus said in His closing, those who walk by faith will one day be clothed in white and the name of these faithful believers will be found in the Book of Life (Rev. 3:4-5).

Jesus’ message to this church makes me consider the condition of today’s church:  Is the Church alive or is the dying? What do you think?

A very sad reality with one bright spot

Sadly, we are starting to see many local churches closing their doors.  Is that because those churches are dead?  Not necessarily. The local church has simply grown older and many of the elders of the local church are passing on from this physical world to rest with the Lord.  The aging of the local church has revealed a very noticeable issues: the vanishing away of the younger generations.

I would say to you that “Gen X” and us “Millennials” should now be the torch bearers of Christ, but sadly, that is not the case as many of my generation aren’t present in the local church. Now, with these things being, we are starting to see more people worship the Lord differently. For example, you’re able to do bible study with me without being in my physical presence, though, I would say that I am with you spiritually as we are, in a manner of speaking, going over this study together.

I do believe that one day the smaller church congregations will be a thing lost in time. However, I do want to point out what I said to start off this season: the local church building is not the Church. The Church resides in all of those that sincerely follow Christ. 

You see, in the early days of the local church, when believers gathered together to learn and worship the Lord, they did so wherever they could; whether it was in homes, on a hill, in a valley, or some other common place, they would worship wherever they decided to meet. So, while local church buildings may close, there will always be sincere believers in the world.  Jesus said, “where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them (Matt. 18:20).” 

The Lord will always be with those who are of sincere faith, which means that the true Church of God, will never die. So, no matter what, I encourage all of you to keep moving in sincere faith.  If your faith has turned into mechanical religion, I encourage you to look to those who move with sincere faith as an example to follow so that your faith can wake up in your soul. If your faith is lifeless, I encourage you to heed the voice of the Holy Spirit’s guidance and He shall renew your soul (Is. 40:31).  

Introduction

Do you find at times that it feels like you are at war with yourself?  What causes this feeling?  Why is it that you feel like you are at war with yourself?

In a recent sermon – Go to God – I briefly touched on a subject that greatly affects all believers and the actions that we will take in life.  There are two contrary natures inside of all believers and the actions that we take will be guided by one of these natures.  The two natures that are present within us are a nature of worldliness and a nature of spirituality.

James spoke about this war when he asked the question:  “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members (Jas. 4:1)?”  Pay close attention to James saying, ‘in your members’ within that statement.  So, James was specifically talking about a war that happens on the inside, in our heart – our mind and soul. 

You will find that I focus on both worldliness and spirituality quite often because most of the time many of us go without ever thinking about these two natures.  As believers, we need to be more aware of these two present natures because they are both trying to lead us.  The question we have to answer is this:  where will these natures lead you?  This is of the utmost importance for us to answer.

Nature of Worldliness

“The world” is spoken quite a bit in the bible, especially in the New Testament.  To those who are new to going through scripture, the way that the world is spoken of can actually be quite confusing.  So, I feel I must first explain what being “of the world” actually means.  When we can understand what being of the world actually means, we can understand the idea of worldliness.

Of the world

In our most recent Sunday School, Jesus specifically spoke to what it meant to be of the world.  In His prayer for the disciples, Jesus stated, “They (the disciples) are not of the world, just as I am not of the world (John 17:16).”  Now, this won’t seem like much to those who do not understand what this means.  However, earlier in His prayer, you will see that Jesus stated about the disciples, “I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me (John 17:8).”

The disciples had received the words that were given to Jesus by the Father (Jesus was praying to His Father – our Father).  To ‘receive the word’ means that one has accepted the word in their hearts.  The word that Jesus brought forth was a word that was not of the world because God is not of the world.  The word of the Father is a different logic by which Jesus encouraged those that are of the world to live by.

So, with this in mind, we can understand what it means to be of the world.  The world, in scripture (especially the New Testament) often has nothing to do with the sky, the ocean, or the continents.  ‘The world’, in essence, is a logic that is separate from God’s logic and it opposes His logic.  Because it opposes God’s logic, then worldly logic is sinful.  So, with that in mind, to be of the world means that one is living by the logic of the world and is, therefore, a sinner as well.

Now, something that I want to point out is that all genuine believers were once of the world (Eph. 2:1; 5:8l).  You see, everybody is born in the world having no faith.  As I described in my last study, there are three levels of faith and everybody starts out at the level of having no faith; nobody is born having a great amount of faith because faith is something that we learn to have over time.  Because we are all born into a world of sin, we by default, have a nature that is of the world – a nature of sin.

Now, Jesus was given to the world to give everyone an opportunity to leave worldliness behind.  Unfortunately, while some will take the opportunity to leave the world behind, others will reject the opportunity to leave the world behind.  The reason being because they have totally accepted the logic of the world in their hearts and have rejected the word (logic) of God.  So to reference my most recent study again, they are fully convicted in their worldliness and are living by it.

End destination of worldliness

Now that we know what it means to be of the world, we have to take a look at where worldliness will lead those that are led by the world.

Those that have totally accepted worldliness in their hearts will follow worldly values without hesitation.  To be clear, those that accept worldliness in their hearts will be led by the world.  When I think of worldliness and teach or preach about it, I often reference what Paul wrote in Galatians 5:16-21 because it speaks to the values of worldliness.

Paul states, “ I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal 5:16).”  He is encouraging believers to walk in the Spirit, or be led by the Spirit.  One that is led by the Spirit will not fulfill the lust of flesh; the flesh desires and is driven by its desire for the things of the world.  

If you continue in that passage of scripture, you will see that Paul even mentions the contrary natures that dwell inside of believers.  He stated, “ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish (Gal. 5:17).”  Something I want to state is that those who are not of the Spirit but are of the world don’t have a war going on inside of them to do what is right in God’s eyes.  Again, they are simply driven to live out their desires of the world.

As we continue in this passage of scripture from Galatians, you will see Paul lay out for us the works of worldliness.  Paul wrote, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21).”

If the believer lives by the way (logic) of God, then we could say that this is the way (logic) of those that live by worldliness.  Now, if you pay close attention to what Paul said there at the end, he tells us the end destination for those that live by worldliness.  Paul said that those who practice (or live by) such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (heaven).  Now, this was not something that Paul was making up, as Jesus had said this very same thing when He was speaking to Nicodemus.

In John’s gospel, we will see that Jesus stated, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God (John 3:18-21).”

The fact that sinners – those who totally reject the Lord – will not inherit the kingdom of God.  Even in the Old Testament days, the end destination was well known for those that did wicked.  In Proverbs, we will see that Solomon said, “The way of the Lord is strength for the upright, But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity (Prov. 10:29).”  Solomon also talked about “a way” that seems right to man, but how that way leads to death (Prov. 14:12; 16:25).  The way that Solomon spoke of was the way of worldliness.

Nature of the Spirit

Now, as I mentioned earlier, and as we have seen, we don’t have to dwell with a heart of worldliness.  God gave the world His only begotten Son (John 3:16) who offers a way out of living according to the world.  When Jesus was physically in the world, He showed us the way of the Spirit and set the example by which we as His followers ought to live by.

Again, looking back at Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we will see that Paul touched on the way of God.  Paul said, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law (Gal. 5:22-23).”  Again, these are the same qualities that Jesus taught and not something that Paul was making up.  Jesus taught us to love the Lord (Matt. 22:37-38), to love our neighbors (Matt. 22:39), and to even love those that are our enemies (Matt. 5:44).

Now, if you pay close attention to what Paul wrote to the Galatians when comparing the nature of worldliness to the nature of the Spirit, you will notice that both ways are totally contrary to the other.  When we look at the way of worldliness, we see a way that is essentially selfish – living for one’s self.  Whereas, the way of the Spirit is unselfish and focuses on having unconditional love for others.

The old man

As I have stated previously, there are two natures that are present in the ones that have genuinely accepted Christ in their hearts compared to those that are of the world.  Those who are of the world only live with a mindset that is of the world.  Whereas, the genuine believer lives with a mindset of the Spirit and the spirit of worldliness still present within them.

You see, compared to those that remain of the world, the believer receives their new nature through the faith in Christ.  Because we have believed in Christ, we have received the Holy Spirit.  To confirm this for you, we will see Jesus tell the disciples, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you (John 14:15-17).”

So, just to reiterate to you what Jesus stated that those who keep His way – the way of God (the Spirit) – the Helper (the Holy Spirit) would abide with them forever.  So, through the dwelling of the Holy Spirit a new nature has been growing inside of the hearts of all believers.  Jesus tells us that the role of the Holy Spirit is to guide us and to continue to teach us in truth (John 16:13).  Those of absolutely no faith do not receive the Holy Spirit; only those that genuinely believe in Christ receive the Spirit and have this new nature of the Spirit.

Yes, as genuine believers we are a new creature, but, we must come to understand that our old nature is still present within us.  A lot of believers seem to forget that their old nature, or old man as often referenced, is still dwelling in them.  So, inside of us is left this old nature trying to push back against a new and growing nature that is taking place within us.

This war that taking place inside of you is one that is spoken of in scripture quite a bit.  Since we have been focusing on Paul’s writing, we will continue to do so.  To the Romans, you will see that Paul encouraged them as new creatures not to conform and go back to being obedient to their old nature that was of the world (Rom. 12:2).

Being at war with yourself

You may have heard some talk about how they are battling their “inner demons” before.  A lot of times it seems that people are saying this without truly understanding what they are talking about but this battle is very real for believers.  You have probably seen this battle depicted on TV with a TV character having an angel sitting on one shoulder while a devil is sitting on the other shoulder.  

In his letter to the Romans, Paul explains this inner battle really well by talking about what went on inside of him.  Let’s now take a look at what Paul wrote in Romans 7:14-25.

Paul, as a genuine follower of the way of Christ, stated, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin (Rom. 7:14).”  To be carnal means to be worldly.  Paul was speaking to the same honest truth that we must come to admit – we are all born of this world and have that worldly nature in us, even though we know of the Spirit and are of the Spirit.

Now, Paul goes on to say, “For what I am doing, I do not understand.  For what I will (want) to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do (Rom. 7:15).”  So, here is Paul, a genuine follower of Christ, stating that he desires to do what he knows is the good and right thing to do.  Yet, because that old worldly nature still resides in him, it is difficult for him to do the good he wishes to do.  

What he hates to do are the things that are of worldliness, yet it is in his nature for him to do things that are of the world.  I would even suggest that it is far easier for us to act out of worldliness than for us to act out of the Spirit solely because worldliness is the nature we are born with.  It takes time and growth (faith) for us to act out of the Spirit.

This is the same constant battle that every believer lives with on a daily basis:  doing what we know to be right and good according to the Lord versus doing what we believe makes us feel good.  Paul would state, “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find (Rom. 7:18).”  Many of us know what is the right and good thing to do according to the Lord, and even will to do it, but we give in and choose to do otherwise.

Now, Paul was a man that was very strong in the faith so you should certainly understand that this battle takes place inside of all believers, regardless of their level of faith.  What I point out is that I believe it is much easier for those of little faith to give in to their worldly lusts than it is for those who are stronger in their faith.  

With that said, those who are weak in the faith should continue to persevere and strive to grow and increase in their faith.  Those that are strong in the faith ought to do the same in continuing to grow and increase their faith.  Paul also encouraged those that are strong in the faith to help with the failings and infirmities of those that are weak in the faith (Rom. 15:1).

Winning This War on the Inside

Now, the goal for the believer is to not be led by worldliness.  We do not want to be led by worldliness because we know that worldliness leads to death and destruction – this is spiritual death and destruction.  We desire to be led by the Spirit because we have seen that one who is led by the Spirit will be led to the kingdom of God.  So, how does someone overcome this war that is taking place on the inside so that they can be led by the Spirit?

I believe the first place to begin is to first acknowledge when our thoughts are of the world and not of the Spirit.  You see, if we can recognize when our thoughts and our actions are of worldliness, then we can recognize right away when we are acting outside of our faith in the Lord.  It is when we are oblivious to our old nature that we can stray from the Spirit in our thoughts and in our actions.  The one who is oblivious to their thoughts and actions is one who does not care about their thoughts and actions.

So, again, we must recognize that our old nature is still very present within us.  Going back to Paul’s writings to the Romans, we will see that Paul’s first step to doing what was right and good in God’s eyes was his humble acknowledgement of this ongoing war inside of him.  Paul stated, “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members (Rom. 7:22-23).”

The forgiveness of when we error

When we are able to acknowledge what is going on, it becomes much easier for us to then turn to our faith in the Lord to help deliver us from bad thoughts and actions.  Our acknowledgment of this ongoing war is also an admission of guilt.  Paul, you will see, called himself a “wretched man” because he realized that he’s a sinner.  The major difference between Paul and the one who is an absolute sinner is that Paul knew he was in need of God’s help.

The truth of the matter is that even though we have made our profession of faith known to the Lord, there will never be a day where you will not need the Lord.  We are not perfect, yet, and we are fully capable of sinning.  So, we are going to have moments in time where our old nature will win out and we will give in and both think and do things that are not going to please the Lord.  

Paul asked the question:  “Who will deliver me from this body of death (Rom. 7:24)?”  As we see Paul give thanks to the Lord, we can see that he knew that God was his help for this inner war.  So, in this inner war, let us remember what Solomon said about how we should lean on the Lord and not our own understanding (Prov. 3:5).

We have to move ‘self’ out of the way and not give in to our old and foolish ways.  Leaning and trusting in God’s guidance to overcome our old nature is the step we ought to take to defeat our old nature.  In those moments where we give in to our old nature, do not worry because in acknowledgment of our wickedness, the Lord will forgive us.  Now, this does not mean that we should continue to give in over and over again to our old nature.

No, we must genuinely seek to grow in the way of Christ.  The stronger and stronger we become in living in the way of Christ, the better we will get in defeating our old nature and keeping it in check.  In this faith we will be led by the Spirit and we will draw ever closer to the Lord.  In the end, let us remember that the Spirit is going to lead those that follow to the gates of God’s heavenly kingdom if we remain obedient to His guidance.

Introduction

About a month ago, I preached – The Endless Unfulfilled Desire of Greed.  I focused on God’s blessing of contentment and how our greed can block us from experiencing the blessing of contentment.  Before I dive into this week’s study, I do recommend that you read, watch, or listen to that sermon because this week’s study is a spin off of that sermon.

Money is Evil?

As we all know, we live in a world and society ruled by money and those who have a lot of it.  You and I have to have money in order for us to be able to live.  We need money to put food on our tables, to pay bills, utilities, and pay back loans that we are obligated to pay.  So, having money is something that is essential – a must have – in our society or else we would be without.  So, the question that can come to mind is how can money be considered evil?  There are many people that wonder why scripture paints a picture that money is the root of all evil when it is seemingly an essential to have.

Clearing up a misquoted and misunderstood verse

So, let’s first make it plain and clear what Paul actually wrote in scripture about the root of all evil.  Here is the scripture:

I am of the belief that this is one of the most misquoted verses in the bible.  If we look closely at what Paul wrote, we will see that he does not say that money is evil but that the “love” of money is the root of evil.  

Let’s make this clear that Paul had no issue with money in and of itself.  Just as having money is essential in our world today, the same held true back then.  Paul is the same man who wrote that we should work to make a living.  To the Thessalonians, Paul wrote that we should aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind our own business, and to work with our own hands (1 Thess. 4:11).  In the book of Acts, we will see that Paul labored like anybody else when he worked with Aquila and Priscila; they all shared in the same trade of being tentmakers (Acts 18:1-3).

So, to be clear, Paul was not stating that money is evil.  There is a drastic difference between saying “money is the root of all evil” and “the love of money is the root of all evil”.  So, before we can truly dive into this study, we must clear up the understanding of this often misquoted verse of the bible.  Once we can understand that Paul was speaking of the love of money, we can then work to understand why Paul made this statement.  

In the context of this passage of scripture from 1 Timothy 6:3-10, Paul was focusing on error, greed, godliness, and contentment.  We will see that he stated, “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6).  Let us note that Paul wrote to Timothy, “having food and clothing, with these we shall be content” (1 Tim. 6:8).  Again, let us consider how we go about getting food and clothes in our world – we or someone else has to buy those things with money. 

Greed is the true evil

To take another look at the context of what Paul was writing in this chapter of his first letter to Timothy, we will see that Paul’s issue was with greediness (1 Tim. 6:9).  Dictionaries define greed/greediness as a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (such as money) than is needed

Greediness is a major problem in our society; people seem to have no idea when they have gained enough.  For example, some of us have a closet full of shoes, some we never get around to wearing, and we still go out and get more and more.  This same thing holds true when it comes to several other things that we try to gain and possess.  Paul, I believe, did not get the point in having so much, and he wrote, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out (1 Tim. 6:7).”

Straying From God

In his mind, and I share this same thought as well, he viewed that those who are greedy do not know how to be content.  This is a major problem because the Lord desires for us to be content (satisfied and happy) in our soul.

So, by coming to that conclusion, Paul wrote the verse of our focus in this study.  Again, Paul stated, “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 greedy soul simply cannot be filled (satisfied and content) with the gains of this world.  The reason being that it is impossible for our material world to ever satisfy our soul which is of the spiritual.

Now, I have underlined the part of great significance that I want us to focus on.  Greediness, the love of money, Paul wrote, had caused some to stray from their faith in the Lord.  

As sheep, we are to follow the Lord wherever He takes us (Ps. 23:1-2; John 10:2-3,14).  It is incredibly dangerous for us, His sheep, to stray from following behind Him.  When we stray from the Lord, it leaves us vulnerable to our great adversary.  Let us remember from our recent series of studies on Satan, that our great adversary, Satan, will offer us the riches of the world (Matt. 4:8-9).  

Satan desires for you to be overcome in greed for the riches of the world because he knows that the love for those riches can pull you away from God.  When we stray so far away from the Lord, it can become very hard for us to see Him – this is to say that it may become hard for the sheep to get back to Him and become lost.  There are several lost people in our world today and that is exactly how Satan wants it.  It is much easier for Satan to consume those that are lost than those that are under the watchful and caring eyes of God.

The rich young ruler

Let’s take a look at a few examples of three rich men who were overcome and ruled by their greed.  I want you to see how greed can cause you to turn from the Lord.

In the gospels, there was a rich young ruler that came to Jesus and he was seeking what he needed to do to inherit the kingdom of God (Matt. 19:16-22).  This young man of great wealth told Jesus that he had kept all of the Lord’s commandments since his youth.  He was checking with Jesus to see if there was anything that he lacked that would keep him from inheriting heaven (Matt. 19:20).  Again, this was a man that was confident that he was going to go to heaven; he believed he was righteous.

So, Jesus responded to the rich young ruler, “If you want to be perfect (righteous), go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me (Matt. 19:21).”  The rich young ruler was to sell his possessions (riches/wealth) and give to the poor.  

When the rich young ruler heard what Jesus said about giving his wealth to those who were in need, I want you to notice the rich young ruler’s next action was not an act of genuine faith.  We are told that he went away sorrowful.  You see, he was not willing to give away his riches because he wanted to hold on to them for himself (Matt. 19:22).  At this moment, the rich young ruler showed that he loved his riches more than he loved the Lord or anybody else – he was greedy.

I remind you that this rich young ruler claimed he had kept all of the Lord’s commandments since his youth, yet, it seems he did not truly love his neighbor.  Of this revelation, Jesus then said to the disciples, “it is hard for a rich man (those that are greedy) to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Matt. 19:23-24).”  We are going to see that it being hard for the greedy to enter the kingdom of heaven is a common theme for those overcome by their greed.

Two greedy rich men

In my second example, Jesus tells a parable about a certain rich man (Luke 12:16-21).  Jesus explained that the rich man lived on really good land that was capable of producing an abundance of crops that could last him for years.  He had so much crop that he did not have enough space for it!  So, what did he do?  Jesus tells us that he tore down his barns to build bigger buildings for storage.  He was pleased with his doings and said to himself that he could eat, drink, and be merry in his soul for years.

Now, how did the Lord view this rich man’s thoughts and actions?  Jesus says in this parable that God said to this man, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided (Luke 12:20)?”  God called this rich man a fool, no words minced!   

In the third example, Jesus told a parable of another certain rich man and a beggar that was named Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31).  This Lazarus was not the same Lazarus that was raised from the dead.  No, this Lazarus was a beggar who laid at the gate of the rich man’s house begging for table scraps.  Instead of giving from his abundance to the beggar, the rich man was selfish and greedy.  

In the parable, we see that the rich man went to torments in Hades while the beggar went to rest in Paradise after they both passed away.  The rich man spoke to Abraham in Hades with the desire that his loved ones would be warned to not be as he was.  Abraham said to him, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead (Luke 16:31).”

Greediness, the love of money, wealth, riches, is so strong that it can blind the greedy and cause them to go deaf to the word of God.  Greed, again, can cause people to stray from the Lord because they go blind and deaf to His word.  Another common theme we have seen is that the greedy are unable to fulfill the command of loving God and loving their neighbors.  Jesus said that the law and the prophets hung (stood) by the command of loving God and loving your neighbor as you love yourself (Matt. 22:37-40).  

Iscariot’s betrayal

The most tragic case of one that was overcome by greed and literally turned against God is Judas Iscariot.  I want you to notice how John the apostle described his former brethren in his gospel.  The night before his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Mary of Bethany anointed the feet of Jesus with “very costly oil of spikenard”, and Iscariot was not pleased with what she had done.  John wrote that Iscariot argued that Mary was wasting the oil when it could have been sold and the money given to the poor (John 12:3-8).

While this reasoning sounds good to the ear, Judas was simply covering up his real motivation.  According to John, Iscariot did not care about the poor.  How could the apostle make this statement about Judas?  

Well, John tells us plainly that Judas was a thief; Iscariot was the keeper of the money box (their collection box), and he would take (steal) from the box (John 12:6).  The money that was in the box was money that disciples had collected as an offering that would help aid them and Jesus while they were ministering.  So, how could this greedy man that stole money to help in ministering to those in need, care about the poor?

Then, in the gospels, it is written that Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matt. 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:1-6).  Yes, he later threw the thirty pieces of silver away (Matt. 27:3-5) after realizing Jesus was condemned to death, but Judas initially took the money anyway.  Scripture paints a pretty clear picture that Judas had a strong love of money.  He closely followed Jesus but, again, his love of money caused him to be blind and deaf to Christ. 

The Root of All Evil

I believe what becomes clear to us through the study of scripture is that the love of money sets one on a terrible trajectory away from the Lord.  Not only can the love of money cause one to stray away from God, but as we have seen, it can cause one to oppose Him, His word, and His way.  The love of money can become one’s foundation, and again, the love of money is greed.

The roots of greed are not good roots; you do not want greed to be your foundation. Now, someone may ask, how exactly is greed the root of all evil?

Ways against God’s teachings

I only shared with you four examples of people who were greedy in scripture, but scripture is filled with several more examples of greedy people.  In every example of greediness, there is a common theme of selfishness.  Selfishness goes against God’s principle which is that He, the Lord, is abundant in all things and He gives of His abundance liberally (2 Cor. 9:8); He expects for us to do the same with what He gives to us.

Greediness is filled with all kinds of works that are of the flesh and not of God.  Because these works are works that oppose the works of the spirit, we should consider these works the works of unrighteousness (wickedness/evil).  I often share a passage of scripture from Paul’s letter to the Galatians because he spoke clearly of the works of the flesh.  Paul wrote plainly, “the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like (Gal. 5:19-21).”

Those who are often driven by greed, act with selfish ambition, that is filled with hatred, and can be contentious and jealous of others.  Life becomes like a game, a competition, where they must win at all costs. (This is honestly a sad way to view life).

Take note how Paul concluded his thought on the works of the flesh.  Paul concluded, “those who practice such things (works of the flesh) will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:21).”  Sounds familiar, right? Think of the three rich men and Iscariot that I referenced earlier. So, Paul’s concluding thought was not his own thought but one that he echoed from the teachings of Christ.

Paul then compared the works of the flesh with the fruits (works) of the Spirit.  Paul wrote, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law (Gal. 5:22).”  The fruit of the Spirit is the total opposite of what we see of greed. Those who are of faith, and live by faith, fulfill the law.  

As Paul would write earlier in this chapter of Galatians, “but through love serve one another.  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Gal. 5:13-14).”  Again, this was not a thought of Paul’s own making, but one that he echoed from the teachings of Christ.  This is one that I have echoed through this study repeatedly.  

Paul then ended by saying, “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another (Gal. 5:26).”  These, again, are the very actions of those who have been consumed by a nature of evil and not by a nature of the spirit of God.

Weak-rooted in greed

Those who are filled with greed become rooted in an evil that sees them move against others and this is something that does not please the Lord.  We have seen how greed in our society creates a form of oppression that tears and keeps people down.  This is not what the Lord desires of mankind.  God desires that we lift one another up by serving each other (Prov. 27:17; Rom. 14:19; Eph. 4:29; 1 Thess. 5:11).

It is more meaningful to us to help lift each other up, rather than act selfishly.  Those who are of the spirit are well rooted and can produce an abundance of fruit that fills and nourishes the souls of those around them (Matt. 13:23).  However, those that are rooted in greed cannot produce any fruit; they have nothing to give – truly a sad statement.  It truly is evil when someone refuses to help someone because of their own selfish greed.

In Conclusion

Sadly, our world is filled with many people who won’t even lift a finger to help lift up someone because they much rather hold on to what they have – this is the root of all evil.  Alright, I could go much deeper into this study but I am going to stop right here.  So, to sum up what we have studied:  money is not evil but the love of money (greed) is the root of all evil; greed can cause us to stray from God; greed prevents us from fulfilling God’s desire for mankind – that is to love Him and to love those around us.

Alright, I hope that you enjoyed this week’s study and that you will share this study with others!  Our study next week will be the last study of this year.  We are going to go on a Christmas break in our season of study and will have a new study on January 12, 2022.

Introduction

In this past Sunday’s sermon – Can’t Be no Greedy Christian – I took a look at the nature of greediness and selfishness and why those natures should not be within a Christian.  Greed and selfishness, as you figure, oppose the foundation of the Christian faith.  Our faith is built on loving others, being humble, and selfless.  Within that sermon, I referenced Paul’s letter to the Corinthians in which he wrote that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7).

I want to take a deeper dive into the scripture from Paul’s second letter to the people of Corinth in this Bible study.  Surely, you have heard that God loves a cheerful giver but do you understand what that means?  Do you understand how you are supposed to give?

I remember sitting in church and hearing deacons often say when it came offering time, “God loves a cheerful giver”.  To be honest, when I would hear that, it would annoy me a great deal.  There are many people who have told me flat out that they don’t feel comfortable coming to church because they don’t have anything to put in the collection.  Some have told me they have felt pressured or even guilted into giving with that scripture being quoted!

I have heard this scripture used a great deal during offerings.  Growing up, I also often heard about tithing and how members were supposed to give their 10 percent.  So, let’s dive into giving in this study; we’re going to try to look at all of it!  By the time we get to the end of this study we should have a greater understanding about giving and how we should give.

Quick note for before you start this study: Studies are written out to be longer than my sermons and the Sunday School lesson commentaries. I skip a week with posting bible studies because not everybody can complete a study in one sitting. Take your time and do not rush through my studies! Take it one day at a time if you need to do so. I will recommend a stopping point below for taking a break. Enjoy this lesson and share it with others!

History Lesson on Giving

We are going to take a moment here to look at God being generous in His giving.  I want to first start in Genesis.  We are going to take a look at quite a few chapters and scripture within the first book of the Bible to start us off.  The reason why I want to start here is because I believe this sets the tone for giving.

God’s generosity from the beginning

In scripture, the first time the giving of anything comes up is when God placed man in the garden (Gen. 2:7-8).  (Think about that for a moment).  Go through the entire creation event and see the shape and condition of the world that man was placed in (Gen. 1:1-25).  There was no price for the world; man didn’t pay anything to live on Earth.  God gave, freely from his heart, to man a beautiful world for him to live in (Gen. 1:29-31).  In this scripture, I want you to see the generous gift that life is to us.

To Adam, God gave him a helper (Gen. 2:18).  The only thing required of Adam was one of his ribs (Gen. 2:21).  (He had plenty of ribs to give, right?)  So, Adam had a helper and did not even have to court her!  So, they had the garden and the fruit of the garden to eat freely from – neither had to labor for a thing!

Now, they both lived in the garden freely up to when they sinned and ate from the forbidden tree.  After their sin in the garden, I want you to notice, again, the generosity in God’s giving.  When they sinned, both Adam and Eve saw that they were physically naked and they were shameful of this nakedness (Gen. 3:10).  So, God gave to them tunics of skin to clothe them (Gen. 3:21).

So, question:  where do you suppose these tunics came from?  The giving of the tunics was not so free.  No, Adam and Eve did not have to pay for the tunics but some poor animal had to pay with its life.  Yes, there was an animal, potentially multiple animals, that was sacrificed in order to clothe both Adam and Eve for their sin.  Speaking of sacrifices, there was another sacrifice that was also made to cover the sins of all of mankind.

God giving of Himself 

For this thought, we will turn from Genesis and go to the New Testament. In that sacrifice, we find that God gave His all – His only begotten Son (John 3:16).  Again, I want to point out that there was no price that mankind had to pay to have or receive God’s only begotten Son.  Think about this: outside of continuing to sin over and over again, what did we pay to receive Christ from the Lord?  Absolutely nothing.

In Christ, I want you to also understand that God has given a way to His heavenly kingdom (John 14:6).  Through Christ, God has also generously given His mercy to all who choose to believe.  So, we have received forgiveness freely from the Lord, but not only have we received forgiveness from Him, we have also received the kingdom of heaven from Him freely. There is no price that we have to pay to enter into His heavenly kingdom!

James wrote that the Lord gives liberally (or generously) (Jas. 1:5).  There is no bottom to the well of blessings that come from God.  God gives liberally, but what I want you to also understand is that when God gives, He does not give begrudgingly.  In a recent Sunday School Lesson, we saw the Lord graciously answering Moses’ prayer (Ex. 33:18-19).  God gives to us both liberally and graciously.

Christian Giving

The genuine believer is challenged to go give of themselves in a like manner in this passage of scripture from 2 Corinthians.  Someone will think that this study is me encouraging you to give more money because of the stigma that the church is money hungry.  This is a very common thought about giving, even when the church is not involved.  We here “giving” mentioned and we start to think with our wallets and bank accounts.

Churches of Macedonia example

Now, I have always and will always tell you that money is not the only thing we have that we can give of ourselves.  I honestly believe that those who believe money is all they have to give is limiting the gift given to them by God.  We are more than what our wallet and bank account says we are — that is what I believe!  Now, that being said, it is believed by many that what we give from our wallet is a testament to our love. (Whether that is true or not is not something I’m going to get into in this study.)

In this study, we actually see Paul talking about the giving of a gift (2 Cor. 9:5).  This thought actually carries over from the previous chapter when Paul was boasting about the Macedonian’s giving.  So, let’s take a look at scripture from 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 – be sure to read this scripture.

In this chapter, we see that the Macedonians were in great affliction but they still had a giving heart and implored Paul to take the gift that they had to give (2 Cor. 8:2-4).  Paul wrote to the Corinthians how the Macedonians were giving from the “abundance of their joy” and that their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality (grace).

What were the Macedonians giving?  Was it a boatload of money?  Most likely it was not a boatload of money since the Macedonians were going through a trial of affliction.  That said, whatever the Macedonians had to give, they gave to support the saints in Judea.  Paul saw their actions as an act of grace that he was not expecting and encouraged the Corinthians to also move with such grace in their hearts (2 Cor. 8:7).

What were they giving to?

So, let’s take a quick moment to see the ‘cause’ that the church of Macedonia was giving to.  I feel we need to understand why Paul was accepting anything from people who were greatly afflicted by their own means.  In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, we see where Paul mentions a collection for the saints (1 Cor. 16:1).  That scripture says:  “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also.”

Paul said that he had “given order” to the churches of Galatia to take up a collection “for the saints”.  Who were the saints that Paul was talking about?  We must cross reference this scripture with information we find in the book of Acts.  In Acts 11:27-30, we find some very important information.  A great famine was coming “throughout all the world” (Acts 11:28).  Scripture records that this famine happened during the days of Claudius Caesar and apparently Judea was hit.  

Let us also note:  the people living in that time may have thought their region of land to have been the ‘world’; it was, after all, all that they knew of.  So, let’s not take that scripture literally.  Famines, it appears, was something very common in that land.  We can trace great famines happening in that land going back to the days of Jacob – it was a famine that brought Israel and his children to Egypt (Gen. 41:56 – 42:2)!  (Note: the great famine during Jacob days was described as ‘world wide’ but it was most likely a regional event.)

So, because of the famine spoken of in Acts, the apostles determined to “send relief” to the brethren living in Judea (Acts 11:29).  Paul was gathering a gift for the saints in Judea!  The churches of Macedonia saw that their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ were in even more affliction than them, and were moved to help in any way they could!  The Corinthians were being encouraged to move with the same grace of heart to help.

Commanded to give?

What is interesting about all of this was that Paul was not expecting such a gift from the Macedonians and had to be implored to take their offering.  Paul was not expecting such a gift from the Macedonians because he had not ordered them to give anything – they were just giving freely.  Within this thought, we get to answer a very important question — are we commanded to give?

Jesus said that we will inherit eternal life if we love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul, and also if we love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Luke 10:25-28).  I pull that reference from a conversation that Jesus had with a lawyer that was trying to “test” Him.  We are commanded to love!  The true follower of Christ has been commanded to love everybody – including their enemies and those that hate them (Matt. 5:44).

However, in the context of what we are studying in 2 Corinthians, we are talking about giving.  Paul says something that is very interesting about giving in his letter to the Corinthians.  He says (2 Cor. 8:8):  “I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity (genuineness) of your love by the diligence of others.” 

As I said earlier, there has been a challenge given to the true follower of Christ to have a giving heart. Paul could not necessarily command any believers to give money because there is no commandment for the follower of Christ to give money to anybody.  You don’t have to give money in order to gain forgiveness or salvation – we receive those things through genuine faith!

Tithes and offerings

So, what about tithes?  What about church offerings?  Yes, I know you are now asking those questions.  Yes, I know you’re thinking about that ten percent you are “supposed” to give.  So, let’s dive into tithes and offerings for a moment in this study.  Where did the 10% tithe come from?

Giving a tenth goes all the way back to Jacob!  In Genesis, when Jacob had entered into the Promised Land, of which he was unaware he had entered, he fell asleep.  In a dream, God had promised that land to Jacob and his descendants (Gen. 28:10-13).  When Jacob woke up from this dream, he dedicated a tenth to the Lord of all that God would bless him with (Gen. 28:18-21).

From Jacob to the just before the Mosaic Law, giving a tenth to God was not a law.  After the giving of the Mosaic Law, God commanded from the children of Israel a tithe of all the land they would dwell in (Lev. 27:30).  The tithe was then later shared with the Levites for the work they did in the tabernacle (and later the temple) (Num. 18:21, 24).  During the days of Jesus, there was actually a temple tax that He was asked to give (Matt. 17:24-27).  The temple tax was used for the upkeep of the temple.

Under the law, the Israelites were commanded to give a tithe.  Yet, such a command to tithe is nowhere to be seen in New Testament scripture for the followers of Christ! Now, this might just be rubbing some folks the wrong way because they have heard that they should give a tenth of what they have.  Now, pastor seems to be saying something quite differently.  Let’s keep digging into scripture.

Stopping point: you have made it through the first part of this study. Take a break if needed and return back to this point to continue. This is the bookmark point of this study. If you do not feel like pausing, let’s dive deeper into this study!

Be open to giving

Though there is no command to tithe (give a tenth) for the New Testament saint, I believe that the suggestion to be open to giving is littered throughout the New Testament.  In fact, I would say giving a tenth is simply the baseline – the starting point – of what we could give.

In the scripture I referenced earlier in regards to Jesus and the temple tax (Matt. 17:24-27), Jesus has Peter to give their tax “least [they] offend”.  Again, the temple tax was collected for the upkeep of the temple.  Churches have bills that need to be paid, and so we should certainly want to maintain our places of worship.  Sadly, I’ve noticed many smaller congregations have to shut their doors because of a lack of funding.

The Macedonians did not have to be commanded to help out the saints in Judea because they were moved in their spirit to do so.  The people of Corinth wanted to help the saints in Judea a year prior and Paul encouraged them to do what they began (2 Cor. 8:10).  Paul also said (2 Cor. 8:12), “For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.”  There’s a couple of important principles that we must focus on when it comes to giving.

Here is the first principle to Christian giving:  the believer must be open to giving.  Again, Paul says, “if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has.”  In other words, are you open to giving?  If you are open to giving then you should definitely give what it is you intend to give.  There are many people who are open to giving but they do not have, or they are unable to give.

Do not feel forced

Here is the second principle to Christian giving:  the believer should not feel forced (required) to give, especially when he or she does not have anything to give or is unable to give.  I cannot stress this enough – you should not feel forced to give when you are not capable of giving!  Your heart has to be open and willing to give.  The Lord does not command you to give anything when you are unable to do so.  There are many believers who burden themselves when it comes to giving, when they absolutely should not.

I remember I was speaking with one of my uncles, who is a deacon at my home church, a few years ago about a situation with a member and their tithes.  The member was struggling with keeping up with their bills and was still trying to give to the tithe offering.  This was someone who thought giving a tenth was mandatory, but the only thing mandatory in this faith is loving God and others.  I recall my uncle telling this person to pay their bills first before worrying about a tithe.

My uncle was rather upset that a member had been choosing to struggle with bills.  He wished the member had come forward and let them know of their struggles so that they church could help with the bills.  Paul writes this about feeling burdened by giving (2 Cor. 8:13-14):  “For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality.”

You should absolutely not ever feel burdened to give.  If you are unable to give, do not give.  If you have things that you have to take care of first (because not taking care of those things will endanger your or the ones you love life), take care of those things first!  Listen to this one:  if you do not feel like it is in your heart to give, do not give!  

Be Cheerful in Giving

Any time I say that, eyes open and grow extremely wide.  We are now at that point in this study where I want to focus on being a cheerful giver.  What does it look like to be a cheerful giver? Let us look now at the scripture recorded in 2 Corinthians 9:1-15.  We can now study this chapter with an understanding of what Paul is saying in this scripture.

First, we see Paul speaking about the generous gift that the Corinthians were supposed to be preparing (2 Cor. 9:1-5).  He speaks of how he had sent some of the brethren ahead of him to the Corinthians to let them know that he and some of the Macedonians were on the way.  Again, let us note:  the Corinthians wanted and were willing to participate in helping the brethren in Judea.

Don’t give begrudgingly

Paul plainly states that he sent the brethren ahead of him and the Macedonians so that the Corinthians could be ready for their arrival (2 Cor. 9:4-5).  You see, Paul had also been bragging about the Corinthians to the Macedonians and did not want the Corinthians to be unprepared for their arrival.  (In other words, Paul did not want the Corinthians embarrassing him and themselves.)

However, let us also note that Paul did not want to show up to Corinth with the Macedonians and it feel like a last minute sort of thing; he did not want the Corinthians to feel forced to give (2 Cor. 9:5).  Let me better explain this.  Have you ever gone to the grocery store, shopped for your groceries, and then got to the checkout line where the cashier springs on you a charity they are assisting with donations?  Suddenly, you may feel forced to give because you don’t want to be that one customer that does not donate.  You end up donating a few dollars, but you end up doing so reluctantly.

That reluctance to give in that situation is giving begrudgingly – you gave but it hurt you to give in that situation.  Again, God does not ask of us nor does He command us to give in such a manner.  Paul understood this well which leads us to that scripture that gets quoted at collection time in church – “God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7)”.  Yet, I would also tell you that God loves when we study and grow in our understanding.  There is a lot more to that scripture than just those words!

Give what’s in your heart

Here is that verse in its entirety:  “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”  I have put in bold the part of that scripture that we must digest.  Again, we see the two principles of Christian giving that I mentioned earlier.  First:  we must be open and willing to give, in our hearts.  Secondly:  we should not give reluctantly nor in a manner where we feel forced to give. Giving should be an act of grace (love).

God wants us to give from our hearts just as He does — freely.  Whatever we have determined to give in our hearts, we should give freely.  If all you have are pennies to give, and you feel it in your heart to give that, then that is what you should give.  I want you to also understand that this is not just true when it comes to money, but when it comes to many of the other ways in which we can give.  If there is one thing I hope you come away from this study understanding, it would be just this thought:  never feel forced to give of yourself anything! Give what you have determined in your heart to give and be happy in your giving.

However, don’t be greedy

Now, there is someone who is going over this study who now will feel it is OK to hold on to what they have for selfish reasons.  They will think, “OK, preacher, I’m going to give a bunch of pennies and save the rest!” Let’s make something very clear about being a cheerful giver:  yes, self care is built into Christian giving, but there is no excuse for being greedy and selfish.  Paul said of the Corinthians that they “abound in everything” – this meant they were incredibly blessed and had much that they could give without being burdened (2 Cor. 8:7).

It would have been completely selfish of them to hold on to their gifts that they could easily share with others.  This would have looked incredibly awful to the Macedonians who we have seen were greatly afflicted but still gave what they could give!  Sadly, there are many so-called “believers” who abound in everything (they have plenty and could easily give), but they choose not to give.  Instead, they go the route of being selfish and greedy while others around them could really use the help.

More blessed to give

This sort of action is what led to John asking the question in his epistle that I used in my sermon – Can’t Be no Greedy Christian.  That question:  How does the love of God abide in one who has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him (1 John 3:17)?  

Paul wrote that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).  Jesus taught us that it is more blessed if we humble ourselves and love others.  (Remember what we studied when we studied the Beatitudes last year.)  We are happier when we give because our spirit is happy!  If we sow much in our giving, God will greatly return us many more blessings (2 Cor. 9:6). Let us remember that is a spirit that came from the Lord and God is happy when He gives to us. 

So, yes, you should be moved in your spirit to give.  We should not be commanded to give, nor should there be a law in order for you to give.  Be moved in your spirit to love your neighbor as you love yourself – don’t go the selfish route.