The Gift of Gold
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 16 viewsNotes
Transcript
This December we are going to look at the 3 mysterious gifts the wise men brought to Jesus when He was born.
The bible records it as follows:
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
11 And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Why did they bring these gifts? What was their motive?
In this series we look at each gift - What it means and says about the baby who will be saviour of the world.
Gold
Out of all 3 their gift of gold probably makes the most sense. Gold was currency.
But the bible tells us that Gold is more than just money - it is a symbol of something more.
When God gave Moses the instructions for the tabernacle - gold played a major role.
The Ark of the covenant was overlaid with gold. The golden candlestick was made of gold. The table of showbread was made of gold. The alter of incense was made of gold. Even parts of the very structure of the tent were made of gold.
Gold is a symbol of that which is of the highest value.
When the beloved described his love in songs he said her feet were made of gold.
Even Heaven itself has streets made of gold!
18 The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
So the gift of Gold tells us that Jesus Christ is that which is of the highest value of all.
In fact the bible says that His precious blood is infinitely more valuable than even gold itself!
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,
19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
Jesus Christ is of supreme value
Jesus Christ is of supreme value
Jesus is a pearl of the greatest value.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,
46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything that he had and bought it.
Jesus Christ is a treasure greater than all the worlds wealth combined.
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells everything that he has, and buys that field.
Why? What makes Him so valuable?
1: His value comes from who He is.
1: His value comes from who He is.
Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He is Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, and He came into this world, born as a baby.
Think about it: Jesus is God in a human body! He is God with a human psyche! He is God tempted in human flesh, God pressed on by the demands of people with every kind of need, God-loving and working, weeping and blessing, God with us and God for us.
Jesus Christ is of supreme value because nobody else can be who He is!
19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,
3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
When you know Jesus, you know everything that needs to be known.
He is the highest wisdom because when you know Him you know God.
And when you know God you really know everything.
You know the answer to every “Why?” question.
You know why you are here. You know why life can be both so amazing beautiful and so crushingly difficult.
His Value comes from what He has done.
His Value comes from what He has done.
Jesus has lived the life that God requires of every man and every woman.
He lived the life that I have not lived. He lived the life that God has called you to live.
Jesus Christ has fulfilled the whole law of God in a life of perfect holiness.
Then He laid down this life as a sacrifice. He gave that life on behalf of sinners.
He took on himself what is due, by the justice of God, to us. And He bore it.
The story does not end there. Jesus went into death, but death could not hold Him.
He rose in the power of an endless life, and he ascended to the right hand of his Father in heaven, where He stands as the Savior and the Advocate for all His people.
Jesus Christ is of supreme value, not only because of who He is, but because of what he has done. Nobody else can do what he has done.
12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.”
His value comes from what He offers.
His value comes from what He offers.
Jesus says to you:
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Jesus says to you:
27 Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.
Jesus says to you:
11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
Jesus says to you:
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.
There is nothing and no one else in existance that both offers and is actually able to deliver on each of these promises.
He stands before you today and offers to:
1: Breathe his Holy Spirit into you and fill you with the power and presence of His own life,
2: Cleanse you from your past and present sins, removing them from you so completely that they cannot be charged against you now or at any time in the future.
3: Reconcile you to God the Father, transforming your relationship with God from that of a sinner facing impending judgment, to that of a son or daughter anticipating a glorious inheritance.
Jesus Christ is of supreme value, not only because of who He is and what He has done, but because nobody else has what He offers.
His Value comes from the fact that He can never be taken away from you.
His Value comes from the fact that He can never be taken away from you.
The respected scotish theologian Alexander Maclaren has this very insightful comment:
“Nothing that can be taken from me is truly mine.”
Think about the big pearls of your life: Your job, your family, your friends, your freedom, the various pleasures of your life, your health, your money, your independence.
All of these things can be taken from you, and one day all of them will be.
Every pearl you gather in this life you will have for a time, except for one:
Jesus Christ. He can never be taken from you. He is the only pearl that you can ever truly say, “Mine.”
Jesus Christ will stay with you in every circumstance of life.
When you walk through the fire, He will be with you.
He will walk with you through death.
When you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, His rod and staff will comfort you.
Jesus Christ alone is able to say to you, “I will never leave you; I will never forsake you.”
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
When the pearl merchant saw this pearl, He immediately knew its value. If you are still trying to work out if it is really worth being fully committed to Jesus Christ, you have not yet seen the true value of this treasure. If you feel that it would be too hard to give up your sins, you have not yet seen the unique glory of Jesus Christ
When you see the value of all that Christ is, of all that He has done, and of all that He offers, and when you see that He is the only treasure that you can have always, you will say: “What do I need to do to get this treasure? How can I get this pearl?” When you see the glory of Jesus, you know you have to make it yours and you’ll be ready to do whatever it takes.
