Givers and takers. We discover these kinds of people in life. There are those like Cain, who take and take and wind up taking life. They are the mockers at the Cross. But then there are those like Elisha, asking a faithful woman, “What can be done for you?” He prays and she gets a son. Let’s be those who give as God fills us. Let’s love our enemies and pray for those who use. Let’s give in that way too. Matthew 27:39-45; 2 Kings 4:12-13

Speaker(s): Pastor Thomas Schaller
Sermon 11964
7:00 PM on 9/30/2020

P. Schaller –

What a great worship service that was. That was so good. Refreshing. That was great. Thank you, Lord. Just to
build up some brothers and sisters here for a few minutes – Ed, is that your dad? Oh, wow! Ed
Yanosky’s dad, Chuck and Thelma. There he is! Welcome. I’m not sure about the years but 28
years in Las Vegas? Something like that. Too long! Your grandson and grandsons, Tyler and
Thomas. We’re so glad you are here. It’s really great. That’s amazing. Colleen Collins has been
doing the children’s ministry and has it in her heart and although the schools are closed down
because of covid, public schools, still she is persistent so much in her heart, loves children, has
built a great team of people that are ministering. I don’t know exactly how it’s going in every
way. How many are on your team?

35 Body members from here. That’s in their hearts and they have done it the last couple years and now it’s a good example of godly people that are led by the Spirit in serving. Then I was thinking of Pam Greaves tonight who is sitting right here. A Body member who is faithful. Josh McDowell’s ministry back in the 90s and she went as a
missionary with Josh McDowell’s group to Moscow and that’s where she met us and has been
so highly dedicated and committed all these years. We just love you. Praise the Lord. This
Sunday we had the idea and we decided on it that at the 11 service it’s going to be on the roof
out there. The 9 will be inside. At 11, we will set chairs up and have it outside. The weather
predictably is 67 degrees and we are weather hounds! No, the real reason is because it’s
neighborhood outreach and we are able to declare in the neighborhood that we are here and
we love people and they are welcome. If you want to be inside, come at 9 and at 6:30 at night
and at 11 it will be outside Sunday morning. I’m excited.

When we were singing, I was thinking of my message. It’s kind of came together during the song. I can share that. I want to share one part of it, just one word to get your mind thinking about it. 2 Kings 2:9, What may I do for you?
That’s the first part of our message tonight. What may I do for you? What can I do for you? How
can I serve you? What can I do for you? How can I give to you? What do you need? How can I
help you? This kind of defines what the Spirit of God does in us. And the Holy Spirit is in us and
we start to think this way. What do you need? What can I do for you? How can I help you? This
was Elijah saying it to his disciple. Then Elijah leaves into the air and he’s gone. Then go to 2
Kings 3:13 “what have I to do with you?” That’s another powerful statement. What do I the
man of God have to do with you the man of the devil or the man of the world, the man that is
not seeking God and does not want God?

What do I have to do with you? He said if Jehoshaphat wasn’t in this group, I wouldn’t
even be talking to you. I wouldn’t have anything to do with you. Vs. 14-15, I wouldn’t look to
you. I wouldn’t see you. This is the king – what is his name? Jehoram. Jehoram was a bad guy,
an evil guy. Elijah is saying I wouldn’t even look at you. I wouldn’t have anything to do with you.
You don’t deserve a message from God. I’m not here for you but Jehoshaphat is here and I’m
going to honor him and I have a ministry to him. That goes to chapter 4:2. She took Elijah into
her house with her husband’s approval. Elijah said to her, “what shall I do for you?” vs. 13. One
more I believe. No, that’s enough. There are more but we can stop there. There are the givers
in life and then there’s the takers. Give to me. I am unhappy. I am not satisfied. When Cain offered his sacrifice, he was angry and his countenance was fallen.

Turn and read that with me. Genesis 4:4 the fat is that extra and Abel brought an animal that was fully accepted and was all that was needed. It was a lamb and everything that was needed. Vs. 4. Because of the blood of the
lamb. Abel is fully satisfied. Abel could say, what could I do for you? He could say it to his
brother Cain. What could I do for you? What do you need? I am a giver. Why am I a giver?
Because I am reconciled with God. He fills us and satisfies us and sends us into the world to be
servants. That’s why if the ministry is like Abel’s life, reconciling him to God, then the ministry
has a ministry as giving. What could I do for you? How could I help you? How can I serve you?
But we run out of gas. We faint. We tire. We also are like Cain in the story. Vs. 5. Wow! What
sad words. He did not respect Cain and his offering.

That’s not fair God. That’s not fair. God would answer from heaven, you are not God. You do not know. You do not know me. You do not know my mind. It’s righteous and true. Jesus Christ is grace and truth and Cain’s offering
was not respected. A lot of religion today is not respected. We read it in Matthew 15, Isaiah, – it’s a
theme in our Bible. No, it’s not respected by God. So, what happens? Vs. 5. Two things there: I
think I counted nine things that we can say about Cain in this chapter. Gwen brought it to my
attention the other night as we were fellowshiping. Cain’s life. Vs. 6. Why is your countenance
fallen? Why are you depressed? Why are you angry? And the answer is it’s hard for me to know
why. I don’t know why. I need a preacher to tell me why. I need someone to tell me why. It’s
because you’re not connected with God. You don’t have God.

They say I have God. I have God. If you did, you would bear good fruit. But you don’t know him. You’re too free. You’re not a giver. You are a taker. You are a taker. You are angry. You’re angry with your wife. You are
angry with your children. You’re angry with the country. Angry about money. Angry about so
many things. Angry about yourself and so you – it’s like this whole thing is so deep. It’s so deep.
Wow! We all know this. We love people. God loves these people. You know what he did for
Cain? How much he protected Cain. I can’t bear this. The earth doesn’t produce the
productivity. I am cursed. I’m afraid you are going to leave me. Somebody could come and kill
me. I killed my brother. It’s more than I can bear. Let’s say I believe there are people tonight
that are saying those words. It’s more than I can bear. They are in prison. They’re in our world.
They just are angry and very deeply hurt on the inside and it’s because they don’t have God.
Notice in the story he is a murderer, and who is talking to him? God. How could God talk to an
unsaved murderer?

He does. Cain is unsaved. 2 Peter 2, Jude 11. Cain is not a believer and God is talking to him. What is he saying to him? He’s basically saying but it’s another message. I just want to make a point about it. Cain is the taker. It’s not enough. You got to help me. You better protect me and God says he put a mark on him, so he wouldn’t be killed. How gracious is God towards a murderer! He’s a murderer. He murdered his brother. Amazing. God is talking to him.
That’s amazing. Why? Because God is very patient with the wicked. God is very gracious to the
ungodly. God’s goodness is all over the world and he’s caring for people that are in trouble, that
are depressed and they don’t know why but there is nothing working for me. I can’t get rid of
the guilt or the blood on my hands. I can’t explain things. I don’t know what is happening. By
the way, in the story Cain is a very gifted man. It says he left the presence of God and went and
built a city. Very industrious, very capable but very empty and he’s a taker.

I’m a taker. So, what did I want to say tonight? When God comes into your life and teaches you and fills you, you end up being a giver like Elijah and saying, what can I do for you? Gehazi said to Elijah, the woman
doesn’t have a son. Elijah is there laying in his bed and he says tell her that one year from now
she will have a son. And it happened because Elijah is like the Word of God. The Word of God is
telling you things because God is a giver. The Word of God is making promises. The Word of
God is ministering to your spirit. The Word of God is building you up and loving you. It’s
beautiful. So, when we are, why do we have our services? Because it’s in our nature to be
givers. We are not guilty. We are free. We want to be together. We want to love each other.
Why do we want to go to another country? Because we are givers. We go there and figure it
out. Go live in a house somewhere and go down to the square and start preaching and be a
giver. God is that way. God sends us to bring the Gospel.

Then there is a need in the community you are saying, how can the need be met? We are not doing it in our flesh. It’s our new nature. How can we love each other? How do we serve each other and what is happening? It’s a
beautiful ministry. John 7, out of your belly will flow rivers of living water. Why do you stay up
at night? You work all day and you stay up at night and sacrifice some time and you get on your
knees with the Bible and slowly read. You start reading the Bible and God ministers to you and
builds you up. Why? Because your sacrifice is accepted and your countenance is not fallen. Your
countenance is healthy, Numbers 6:23, Exodus 33, 2 Corinthians 3:18 We are changed from glory to glory. It’s
awesome. This is the message then. Last point I’d like you to see. Matthew 27, the mocking of Jesus
on the cross. I’ll put here the cross like this and there’s people. Some are walking by and they
are mocking. They are yelling out things to him. Then there’s a group of the Pharisees. There is
a group watching over it and very interested in him dying. Kill him. Take him out of here. Get rid
of him. We don’t want him here. We don’t want him. It’s a mystery. It’s the mystery of iniquity.
How people can be because inside they are angry. What are they angry about? Their offering is
not accepted. They don’t know this.

They would never say that. They’re offering is not accepted. They don’t have peace. They don’t have love and they’re not givers. They’re takers. Not only do they want to take Jesus’ life, but they want to humiliate him to the maximum, torture him to the maximum. Take away his dignity. Take away everything they can. Mock him.
Beware of that spirit in life. There are people that look at you and if you are a giver – Jesus is a
giver in this story. He’s the giver and these people are the takers. This is what they are doing.
We are angry. We don’t like you. We are killing you just like Cain killed his brother. It’s the same
thing. We are not satisfied with you. We are an authority and we have had you crucified and
you are hanging there. They yell up to him these words, Matthew 27:39 wagging their heads. Go
ahead and do that. Wagging their heads. What a pity. What a shame. What a ridiculous. What a
stupid. How ridiculous. Who is he? What he has done.

Okay. That’s a spirit that is at the cross. That will happen in life to us all the time. It’s a spirit against God. What more could Jesus have given as he is dying. Father, forgive them. He’s a giver. Forgive them. They don’t know what
they have done. If you are humiliated, you are still a giver. If you are mocked and ridiculed, you
are still a giver. You don’t quit. We don’t quit being givers. Of course, we need our rest, our
edification. We need our spiritual life. That’s very, very important. We talk about it all the time.
I want you to follow the principle with me. If God is here, if God was here in this world, what

would he be doing? Giving life to all the fish, all the animals, all the trees, making all the
systems work. Why would God be doing that? Because he is the Creator and the Sustainer. He
is the giver of life. He is the lover of our soul. He is the servant of the human race. He is the
Savior of the world. He is the one that will not stop for he is God. But we are sinners and it’s
going the other way. You’re not enough. I don’t believe in you. If you are really God, you would
come down from the cross. If you really could build a temple in three days, you would come
down. Who are you? People say this to God every day. Because we are like, we don’t
understand him. We don’t have his nature. People don’t know what they are doing. When Jesus
was on the cross, he said they don’t know what they are doing. A man committing suicide
doesn’t know what he is doing. His life is such a gift. It’s such a gift to be alive. It’s such a gift to
be made in the image of God.

Someone that hurts his own family, he doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s destroying his own family. Someone that is selfish, they don’t know what they are doing. Give to me. It’s not enough. If you said, please forgive me. You don’t really mean it. Remember years ago, when we said this in our ministry. It’s not enough. Please forgive me. It’s
not enough and it’s too late. Too little, too late. That’s the words. It’s too little, too late. What
can you do with that? There’s no answer for that. Can I do more? I would if I could. If the
problem didn’t happen, it would have been great, but how can we understand this world that
we are living in outside of a fresh word from the prophet. Vs. 39-42. Hey, save yourself. You
know what they are doing? They’re like takers. Your come down from the cross. No, why don’t
you take him down and nurse him back to health?

That would never come into your mind because you are not a giver. Why don’t you save him? Save yourself, ah, ah, ah, ah. It is wicked. It is evil. And there’s a lot of it in this world in principle. The man that is doing it may not be the
head of a country but he may be the head of his house but he’s doing the same thing. He may
not be leading a million people but he might be leading two or three but he doesn’t know how
to talk, he doesn’t know how to edify, he doesn’t know how to serve. He’s having a hard time
learning how to love and how to live. If I don’t learn how to love, then I won’t be able to learn
how to live. If I can’t learn how to live, then what am I doing here? I’m living like Cain. I might
build a city but I don’t know how to live. But you do. You do. I’m thankful for what we are doing
here. I feel God gives us messages relevant for our lives. I feel we are living in critical days. I feel
that it’s important to be Spirit filled.

Don’t go off some crazy tracks in some direction of some kind that it weird. Just be a solid, Spirit-filled believer that is able to be a giver. What can I do for you? How about the person looking for a perfect church? What’s the person looking for a perfect church? What are they? They are a taker. I want a perfect church so I can be in a perfect
church. It’s good for me that I have a perfect church. That’s not God. That statement is not God.
I know we don’t say that but I’m just saying it. I want a perfect wife, perfect family, perfect life.
Forget it! You’re a taker. You’re wrong in the very beginning. You don’t have a clue about life.
You don’t know what it’s really all about. It’s about God. It’s about living with God and giving
with God and serving with God and being a minister of God. Whether you live in Montana or
Miami or Hawaii or Baltimore, it doesn’t matter. Are you a taker or are you a giver? That’s the
problem in this world. Cain is the taker and he’ll take you life when it comes down to it. He will
take you out. He will mock Jesus on the cross and say, what have you given me?

You won’t come down? What have you given me? You’ve given me nothing. I take your life. I take you life.
That’s the spirit of this world and the spirit of the age we live in. They feed people to be takers.
It’s not fair what happened to you. We’re a dollar short, a minute late. Of course, you’re a
victim. It’s not right. It’s not just. Yes, yes. I know it’s not fair. Destroy them! Destroy them! Find
your enemy and deal with them and look for justice. Well, Jesus and God in this world is saying
if you’re looking for justice, believe me it’s coming one day and you’re on the wrong side of the
picture because you’re looking for it when actually this world is happening this way so you will
find me and my grace and you’ll become like me in an imperfect world. You’ll love your enemy.
You’re pray for the country. You’ll pray for your neighborhood. You’ll become a servant. It
sounds high but at least we taste that. We may not live in it all the time, but we want to park
there and live in it as much as we possible can. So that’s the message.

Amen. No condemnation.
Amen! No condemnation.

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