"Christmas Giving" (2)
Notes
Transcript
December 10, 2023
FBC Baxley
am service
*Dixie Eason, Joy Group-Mike Lyons, Tonight-Our children’s play! 6pm____________________
Welcome radio and online guests…
*It’s ok if you’re broken, unfaithful, lost, we are too and we are here seeking God’s will and way and plan.
We are all prodigals here…
Some rescued….Some Not..
All Loved…
*Acts 4:12 (repeat)
*John 3:16
Sermon Title: “Christmas Giving”
Scripture Passage: Matthew 2:11
11 “And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”
PRAY
Three Points:Christmas is a time for…
1. Giving up
2. Giving in
3. Giving out
Background:
It wouldn’t be Christmas without the wise men.
They show up in nativity scenes, Christmas plays, carols, tree ornaments and paintings.
Everyone knows about them: There were three wise men, they rode camels and they brought their gifts to the baby Jesus as He lay in a manger.
However, the bible doesn’t tell us any of these things about the wise men, other than they brought gifts to Jesus.
The rest are mere stories that accumulated over the centuries, which too many have assumed are in the Bible.
The only biblical mention of the wise men (magoi in Greek, which translates into Latin as magi) occurs in Matthew 2:1-16, where we’re not told how many there were, only that they came from “the east,” where they had seen a star, to find the “king of the Jews.” (Some people assumed there were three because they brought three gifts. Later Christian tradition assigned them the names Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar.)
The Bible tells us that Herod was frightened by a potential rival to his throne and tried to use the wise men to learn where Jesus was and kill Him.
But after finding and worshipping the Jesus, they led Herod a different way on their way home, being warned to do so in a dream from God.
Some facts which are different than what we’ve seen in most nativity scenes, Jesus likely was between 1 and 2 years old when the magi arrived.
Matthew provides at least three clues suggesting this. First, he calls Jesus a “child” (2:9, 11) rather than a “baby” in the story of the wise men.
Second, Matthew says Jesus and Mary were in a house at the time of the wise men’s visit (2:11) with no reference to “the manger” which was central when Jesus was first born.
Third, based on the date that the magi’s guiding star appeared, Herod executed all boys in Bethlehem ages 2 and under (2:16), hinting that the sign of Jesus’ birth appeared two years before their arrival.
What about the wise men’s country of origin?
Babylonia and Persia are the two most believed.
Originally, “magi” was the name of the Persian priestly line, but later the term was used more generally to describe magicians and astrologers (see Acts 13:6).
Most countries in western Asia had magi in this sense, but Babylonia had developed a sophisticated system of astrology by the first century.
Another fact suggesting a Babylonian origin is the wise men’s apparent knowledge of Judaism and its expectation of a coming king — knowledge readily available in a land where the Jews were once exiles.
Bottom line... we can only guess where the wise men came from (and some have suggested lands as far away as India and China).
Gifts of the Magi:
The first gift the Magi gave Jesus was gold.
Gold is the metal of kings.
When the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon, she presented him with a large amount of gold.
Gold is mentioned 385 times in the Bible as an emblem of wealth and an emblem of royalty.
In the giving of gold, the Magi recognized Jesus as King. They believed Him to be the God-King, the King of all Kings, the King of the Universe, a child, but a King.
The next gift the wise men presented from their treasures was frankincense.
This, also, is a highly prized and valuable gift.
Frankincense is an aromatic gum resin scraped from the bark of trees native to the Middle East and Africa.
When frankincense is burned, it creates a strong aroma, and it’s associated with the priesthood.
Frankincense was burned at the altar of incense in the tabernacle as a picture of Jesus Christ, the sweet-smelling aroma of God.
The location of the altar of incense within the tabernacle is significant.
It was placed right in front of the veil that separated the holy place from the Holy of Holies—the Holy of Holies being the abiding place of God’s glory.
In the giving of frankincense, the Magi recognized Jesus as High Priest.
And Jesus Christ is our High Priest and the only mediator between God and man.
As our faithful High Priest, Jesus daily sits at God’s throne making intercession for us.
The third gift the wise men pulled from their treasure chest was the gift of myrrh.
Myrrh is also a fragrant spice from the sap of a tree.
It has been used over the centuries for many different things, but in the time of Jesus, it was most often used for embalming the dead.
Myrrh gave off its greatest scent when it was crushed.
I. Christmas is a time for Giving Up:
Sin (bad habits, selfish pleasures,)
As we think of what we can give Jesus this Christmas, think in terms of giving up things that hinder His work in us!
Think in terms of what hinders our testimony of His grace, mercy, & forgiveness…
What will you Give up this Christmas??
II. Christmas is a time for Giving In…
Think about this morning what you have been holding off from? Acceptance in faith? His Lordship?
How do you need to give in to Jesus?
He’s calling you to be saved…
He’s calling you to repent
He’s calling you to be baptized…
As He calls, will you give in this Christmas??
III. Christmas is a time for Giving Out…
Giving not swapping…(story of swapping money, siblings…)
Give sacrificially… David said I”I will not offer anything, that cost me nothing…”
Give to caring groups in our community
Lottie Moon
Other missions
Faithful, cheerful giving
Life Applications:
What could you give up to strengthen your relationship to Christ and His church?
What decision is Jesus leading you to make? What would surrender look like?
How can you give out this Christmas?
*Lottie Moon Offering?
*End of year gift to the church?
*Community Need?
PRAY
Invitation
“Are you born again?”
Is your name written in the Lambs Book of Life?
“Have you surrendered/repented to Jesus?