1 GOD'S GIFTS & OURS 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 ... - Vital Christianity

1GOD’S GIFTS & OURS2 Corinthians 9:6-15Gifts. They come in all sizes, colors, price tags. As someone put it,“Anyone who thinks Christmas does not last all year does not have a charge account.”There was a sign in a department store with the words,“Be Merry Now . . . Pay later.”Christmas is a time of gift-giving. And there is a cost. A cost to anyone who gives.GOD’S GIFTSJohn 3:16, one of the most well-known and repeated verses in the Bible states that“God so loved the world that He gave . . .”What did He give? What are the benefits of His giving? And what should be our response?God gave us His very best—His one and only Son. This is the purpose of that firstChristmas. God sent His Son to planet earth.But why?Because of His love and because mankind needed the Gift of His Son.So what are the benefits of God giving His Son?The Benefits of Christmas: SalvationPeace with God— The peace we experience because our sins have been forgiven and ourrelationship to God has been restored.• Peace of God—The peace we experience because of our union with Him thatbrings us into an increasingly intimate relationship with Him.• Joy— The deep sense that God is with us and for us even when circumstancesseem to contradict that.

2• Love— The freedom that comes from knowing that we are loved for who we are,not because of what we do.• Hope—The best is yet to come--spending eternity with God in heaven.--A perfect place where there will be no more sin, death, separation, suffering,pain, sorrow, etc.--A place of reunion where we will be reunited with our loved ones and spend therest of eternity—that is forever and forever—with them as we worship and serveGod.--A place of full inheritance where we are heirs and coheirs with Christ, whichmeans that what we have as a downpayment and will experience in its fullness allthat Christ has.The Proper Response—Give OurselvesThe wise men (Mt 2:11)--Fell down and showed reverence and respect--Worshiped--Gave Gifts, which were prophetic pointing to Christ’s ministry*Gold—King*Incense—Priest*Myrrh—SaviorIf we are also wise we should show it by our appropriate gifts--As couples it means devotion and faithfulness to each other--As parents it means giving time and attention to our children--As children it means showing respect to our parents and lovingly obeying them--As Christians it means reaching out to those in need, that is, loving our neighboras ourselves--As believers it means showing love to our family, friends, neighbors andstrangersWhile Christ has given us many gifts, as we have seen, in reality His greatest Gift wasHimself. Paul referred to God’s gift—His Son, His one and only Son—as “unspeakable” or“indescribable.” Too marvelous to fully express! Too amazing for words to express the fullmajesty and limitless love of such a Gift! Too stupendous for words!

Paul, the apostle, who was never at loss for words, admits “A Gift that defies alldescription”!What is the proper response to such an indescribable gift?It is for us to give God our greatest gift—ourselves!Many of us have heard Christina Rossetti’s poem. Let us recall those words:“What can I give Him,poor as I am?If I were a shepherd,I would bring Him a lamb;If I were a wise man,I would do my part,Yet what can I give Him,Give my heart!”3My heart! It is never the best until it is that. And when it is, a lot of other things follow.The great hymn writer Isaac Watts put it:“Were the whole realm of nature mine,That were a present far too small;Love so amazing, so divine,Demands my soul, my life, my all.”There is a story about the African boy who brought, as a Christmas gift to His teacher,one superb seashell. She was overwhelmed by the beauty of it and asked him where he had foundit. He said such shells could only be found at one particular beach, several miles away. When theteacher responded, “Oh, you shouldn’t have gone so far for a gift for me,” the boy said simply“The long walk was part of the gift.”The wise men from the East traveled far by faith to see the Christ Child. No wonder theirtrip concluded with worship. Scripture states,“And they came into the house and saw the child with Mary His mother; and theyfell down and worshiped Him; and opened their treasures to present to Him giftsof gold and incense and myrrh” (Mt 2:11).

4Charles Lamb was once discussing the greatest literary genius of all time when the namesof both William Shakespeare and Jesus Christ were mentioned. “The major difference between thetwo” said Charles Lamb, “is that if Shakespeare came into this room we would all stand in honorand respect. But if Jesus Christ were here, we would all humbly bow and worship Him.”Christmas is a call to worship! It is a call to give our best—our hearts, ourselves to Him.