LESSON FOURTEEN – THE OFFERING OF MATERIAL RICHES

Luke 6:38 — Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, they will give into your bosom. For with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you in return.

From the time that man developed a problem with God because of the fall and left the position where he took God as everything, material riches have become a critical matter in the life of fallen man.… God’s enemy, Satan the devil, exploited the fallen condition of men to come in and deceive men to worship idols.…For this reason, the Lord Jesus told us that one “cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24).

GOD’S GIVING

“Nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches but on God, who affords us all things richly for our enjoyment” (1 Tim. 6:17). This word exposes Satan’s plot to delude men, showing us that all the material things and enjoyment in our living apparently come from the uncertain riches, but they actually come from God’s giving. They are supplied to us from God’s rich giving. Hence, we must not set our hope on deceitful and uncertain material riches but on the very God who gives us all things for our enjoyment.

THE LORD’S CHARGE

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on the earth…But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matt. 6:19-20). We need to look at this word of the Lord from the viewpoint of storing up material riches. To store up material riches is to save what is left of a man’s gain after the needs of his living have been met. Here, the Lord charges us not to store up these surplus riches on the earth but to store them up in heaven, that is, to spend them on the heavenly Father, doing such things as helping those in need, thus making friends with them (Luke 16:9) and advancing His gospel (Phil. 1:5).

THE LORD’S PROMISE

“Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will give into your bosom” (Luke 6:38). This is a promise spoken from the Lord’s own mouth. If we are willing to distribute our material wealth to the needy for God’s sake, He will surely give into our bosom that which is rich and plenteous, a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over. He will not give into our hands that which is scanty and limited. What a profitable deal this is!

“He who sows sparingly shall also sparingly reap; and he who sows with blessings shall also with blessings reap” (2 Cor. 9:6).… In man’s eyes, the offering of material riches is to give away their riches. However, in God’s eyes, such offering is a kind of sowing that will result in reaping. He who offers little shall reap little, and he who offers much shall reap much. We ought to believe in the Lord’s promise in this law.

“Bring the whole tithe to the storehouse that there may be food in My house; and prove Me, if you will, by this, says Jehovah of hosts, whether I will open to you the windows of heaven and pour out blessing for you until there is no room for it” (Mal. 3:10). The “whole tithe” is the legal amount of offering that God required from the harvest of the Israelites in the Old Testament.… This word superabundantly displays the infinitely rich promise of God. Although it was spoken to the Israelites in the Old Testament, in principle it applies also to the New Testament believers. If we will fully offer to God what belongs to Him that the church may be richly supplied, God will open the windows of heaven for us and pour out a blessing to us, which there will not be enough room to contain. This is a solemn promise of Jehovah of hosts. We can offer to Him according to His promise to prove Him.

THE WAY

“But you, when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you” (Matt. 6:3-4). For whatever use we offer our material riches, we must not do it intentionally for others to see in order that we may be glorified and rewarded by men; otherwise, we will not be rewarded by the Father, who is in the heavens.

THE IMPORTANCE AND VALUE OF MATERIAL OFFERINGS

We should see the importance and value of such offering. By being offered to God for God’s use by us who are of God, what was considered by God as “mammon of unrighteousness” (Luke 16:9), that is, as deceitful riches (Matt. 13:22) and uncertain riches (1 Tim. 6:17) which will “fail” (Luke 16:9), can actually become our “fellowship” with the saints, our “righteousness” toward men before God, an acceptable “sacrifice” to God, and a well pleasing “fragrant odor” to Him. Riches that deceive men, corrupt men, and destroy men can actually become such transcendent blessings that we have before God! This is all a result of our offering of material riches. (Life Lessons, vol. 2, pp. 99-103, 105, 107)

Reference: Life Lessons, vol. 2, lsn. 24

ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER

Consecration— Surrendering All to the Lord 441

• All to Jesus I surrender,
  All to Him I freely give;
  I will ever love and trust Him,
  In His presence daily live.

I surrender all,
I surrender all.
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

• All to Jesus I surrender,
  Humbly at His feet I bow,
  Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
  Take me, Jesus, take me now.

• All to Jesus I surrender,
  Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
  Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit,
  Truly know that Thou art mine.

• All to Jesus I surrender,
  Lord, I give myself to Thee;
  Fill me with Thy love and power,
  Let Thy blessing fall on me.

• All to Jesus I surrender,
  Now I feel the sacred flame.
  Oh, the joy of full salvation!
  Glory, glory to His name!