"Long walk part of
gift."
Why do we give presents?
Have you ever thought about your motive? Do you want
to??? Stories read tonight tell of a variety of
gifts:
{a}. much needed
coat
{b}. painted football
{c}. healthy heart
The Bible is full of
gifts given with a human motive:
A. (Prov. 21:14) -
Gift of appeasement
Motive:
Self-protection - Often travelers would carry with
them certain commodities that could be used to protect
themselves in a foreign country. They could "appease" the
rulers of the land. Most common current example is the
husband who is in trouble with his wife!
B. (Prov.
18:16) - Gift of prestige
Motive:
Self-promotion - More than any other time we live
in an age of advancement of self. Some come bearing gifts
that will ensure a promotion or at least get them in
front of the CEO!
C. (Luke 11:11-13) -
Gift of parental love
Motive:
Self-love - Now this may seem harsh, but think for
a minute... how difficult is it to give something to an
extension of yourself. At first it may seem sacrificing
and noble, and to a certain extent it is, but in reality,
it is like giving a gift to yourself.
D. (I Kings 10:1-2) -
Gift of opportunity
Motive:
Curiosity - The queen is a true woman... totally
motivated by the "I have got to meet this guy"
affliction. Not satisfied to just do her hair, her nails
and her make-up, she also arrives with a pile of presents
to impress him. Little did she know that this was going
to be a very hard sell... "thy wisdom and prosperity
exceedeth the fame which I heard."
E. (Luke 21:1-4) -
Gift of sacrifice
Motive:
Love of others - On some rare occasions we may
actually give with no other motive than because we love,
and a sacrificial gift is the most obvious proof of that.
She didn't put her offering on a credit card... it was
literally all she had.
F. (Matt. 2:10-11) -
Gift of worship
Motive:
Best of all - to honor the babe they realized was the
Son of God. Could have cost them their lives.
[1]. Gold -
Kingship
[2]. Frankincense - Priest
[3]. Prophet - Myrrh (an embalming
spice)
These are just a few of the
human gifts mentioned in Scripture, but they give us an
excellent comparison to the giving of God. Our
introduction text says that God's gift is unspeakable:
that which cannot be uttered or expressed. Now that's
quite a present!
A. What the
unspeakable gift gives:
[1].
Unspeakable words In (2 Cor. 12:4) Paul describes
heaven as he makes a temporary visit there, and
reminds us that we will need our incorruptible bodies
to be able to even hear the words spoken there.
[2]. Unspeakable joy (I Peter 1:7-8) reminds
us that loving God's gift, the Lord Jesus Christ, now
results in joy unspeakable in the present and also in
heaven.
B. What the
unspeakable gift is:
[1]. Free
Romans 5:18
[2]. Without repentance Romans 11:29 God is
not fickle in what He offers freely
[3]. Eternal Romans 6:23 Praise God for a gift
that keeps on giving through eternity!
1. God has offered
His unspeakable gift to largely an ungrateful and
unfeeling world.
2. Unaccepted, the gift does not disappear, but
merely waits for the sinner to "come to himself" and
accept it.
3. Accepted, it provides the recipient with a
profound knowledge of the love of the Giver.
Thanks
be unto God for His unspeakable gift.
