| Introduction :  The world tells us that when we grasp we can receive. However, the Bible teaches us that when we leave according to God´s will, we can receive. Adam was tempted by the devil and followed greed. As a result, he lost both God and Eden. It was a complete lie that Adam could be like God when he followed greed according to the temptation of the devil.
 
 1.	 When Abraham left according to God´s will, he received
 1)    When Abraham left his country, people, and his father´s household, he received
 the land of Canaan (Ge 12:1-3).
 2)	 When he had quarrels with his nephew Lot, he chose to leave his nephew for
 God, giving up his privilege as uncle.  As a result, he received the land  of  Canaan
 (Ge 13:14-16).
 3) 	When he left Hagar and Ishmael, he received peace in his home (Ge 21:12-14).
 4) 	When he left his only son Isaac, he received the promise of God (Ge 22:16-18).
 
 2. 	When Jesus Christ left according to God´s will, He received
 1) 	When He left the throne in heaven, He saved the world (Jn 10:11, Ro 5:8).
 2) 	When He was tempted by the devil (Mt 4:1-4,7, 10, Heb 2:18)
 He gave up    (1) appetite    (2) fame    (3) wealth and vanity
 - He received the authority of the Son of God and Savior (Jn 10:17-18, 5:26-27).
 3)	 When He gave up His life on the Cross, He received for humanity:
 (1) 	Forgiveness, righteousness, and peace (Ro 3:23-24, 5:1).
 (2) 	Holiness and the fullness of the Holy Spirit (1Co 6:11, Tit 3:6-7).
 (3) 	Healing and health.(1 Pe 2:24, 3Jn 1:2).
 (4) 	The blessing of Abraham and prosperity (Gal  3:13-14).
 (5) 	Resurrection, eternal life, and heaven (Jn 11:25, 14:2-3).
 4)	For Jesus himself, He received the seat of the right hand of the throne of God
 (Php 2:6-11, Ro 8:34).
 
 3. 	When we leave according to God´s will, we can receive (Mk 10:28-31)
 1) 	We must leave the world and the devil to receive salvation.
 (1) 	We can´t have both the world and heaven (1Jn 2:15-16).
 (2) 	We can´t serve both God and the devil (2 Co 6:14-18).
 2) 	When we leave ourselves, we can receive the Lord
 (1)	We must not take advantage of the Lord for ourselves
 (2 Ti 3:2, Php 2:21, Mt 6;33).
 (2)	We must not be the lord of our lives and regard the Lord as a guest (Gal 2:20).
 (3) 	We must not love ourselves more than the Lord (Mt 10:37-39).
 3) 	When we give up greed for money, we can receive it.
 (1) 	We can´t serve both God and money (Mt 6:24).
 (2) 	A tithe and an offering are the key to remove greed (Mal 3:8-10).
 (3) 	When we use money for God, He blesses us (2 Co 9:8).
 
 
 Conclusion : The devil implanted greed in corrupt humanity. It is a lie that we can possess whatever we grasp with greed. God teaches us that when we leave something according to His will, we can truly receive and possess.
 |