When You Find What You Are Looking For (2)

Introduction:

When we come to God we come seeking a Savior. When we find Him what our actions and our attitude are often not reflective of our worship.

Key Verse: Matthew 2:11 (NASB1995)

"After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

They fell to the ground and worshiped Him.

Matthew 2:11 (The Living Bible, Paraphrased)

11 Entering the house where the baby and Mary, his mother, were, they threw themselves down before him, worshiping. Then they opened their presents and gave him gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Point 1: Your actions and your attitude must reflect your gratitude.

How you worship Jesus is a reflection of your attitude toward what He has done.

a) The wise men recognized Jesus as a King.

- They fell to the ground in reverence.

Matthew 2:11 “After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

- They acknowledged His divine authority

Matthew 2:2 ““Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.””

Their worship of Jesus the newborn King was a reflection of their perspective.

b) We are called to worship.

Worship involves:

Recognizing God’s power and position in your life. 1 Chronicles 16:29 “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him; Worship the Lord in holy array.”

They recognized His Kingship (Authority)

We must recognize that Jesus is KING and LORD over us. Until we do we are still on the throne of our heart.

Realizing God’s ability over your own.

c) Worship is an expression of love and devotion

- Our worship should be heartfelt and sincere

Deuteronomy 6:5 (NLT)

5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

-Worship involves all of you.

Romans 12:1 (NLT)

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Worship is worthless unless it is followed with action.

Point 2: Open what you treasure, but offer your gift.

“Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts”

They opened their treasures and offered their gifts. In the church we have a lot of people who close their treasures and withhold their gifts. They they complain why God doesn’t work on their behalf.

a)They opened their treasures.

Matthew 6:21 “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Your treasure says a lot about who you are.

Your treasure is a reflection of your heart.

Your lack of treasure is not a sign of poverty, but a mindset.

Your control of treasure reflects how you steward what God has given you.

God will not receive what you are not willing to open to Him.

b) They presented their gifts.

A gift is what God has given you to serve others with.

1 Corinthians 12:7 (NLT)

7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

The value of your gift is not in the amount its in how you present it.

Your gift is devalued when you present it to God and know you have beef with someone.

Matthew 5:24 (NIV)

24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

If you really want to see Jesus reflected in your life then follow the example of the wisemen and open your treasures and present your gifts.

Point 3: Time, Talent and Treasure are your most valuable gifts.

A. When they saw Jesus they presented him with GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, and MYRRH.

Gold was a recognition of his Kingship and authority

Frankincense was a recognition of his priesthood.

Myrrh - Preparation for his burial.

v11 - The wise men gave these expensive gifts as worthy acknowledgment for a future king. Bible students have seen in the gifts symbols of Jesus’ identity and what he would accomplish. Gold was a gift for royalty; frankincense was a gift for deity; and myrrh was a spice used to anoint a body for burial.

v 11- The wise men brought gifts and worshiped Jesus for who he was. This is the essence of true worship—honoring God for who he is and being willing to give him what is valuable to you.

B. God has given us many valuable things, but all that God has given us comes down to three things;

1) Time (how you spend your day)

2) Talent (What abilities that God has given you to fulfill your purpose)

3) Treasure (Your ability to create wealth)

IF you see all of these as a gift from God; it changes your perspective.

TIME

“Time is a valuable gift that we can invest and get an eternal return, or we can waste time on things that do not matter and have to give an account.”

Ephesians 5:15–16 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”

TALENT

In the Bible, a talent is a unit of weight and currency. It was used in ancient times to measure and trade valuable items such as gold, silver, and other precious metals. The term "talent" is also used in the Bible as a metaphor to convey the idea of abilities, skills, and resources given to individuals by God.

1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)

10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

What are your gifts? What are you good at doing that you can use to serve others.

God didn’t give you talents to build your kingdom. He gave you talents to build His Kingdom.

TREASURE

David was so grateful to God that he had reserved His own treasure to give to God’s house. In today’s value would be in the millions of dollars.

David said, “IN my delight in the house of my God.”

1 Chronicles 29:3 ““Moreover, in my delight in the house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already provided for the holy temple,

Matthew 6:21 (NLT)

21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

CONCLUSION

When you hear us say, God wants all of you it means that HE wants your heart because when He has your heart your time talent and treasure will follow.

If you are not worshiping God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength then does HE have all of you?