What can I offer the Lord?
Notes
Transcript
Scripture reading: Psalm 116:12
Psalm 116:12 (NLT)
What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me?
Today, we’re going to think about how to bring a gift to God.
What is a gift? Gifts are a way for us to say “Thank you” with our effort. Gifts don’t appear out of nowhere. They cost us money, and it also takes a lot of effort to prepare a gift.
So I’d like to ask you, “What kinds of gifts and presents would you like?”
What are some things you think about when giving a gift?
What are some things you think about when giving a gift?
Why am I giving a gift to this person?
What kind of gift would this person like?
Why am I giving a gift to this person?
Who is this person to me?
What has he or she done for me?
Who are some people that you’d like to give presents to?
For me, I’d give gifts to my family and close friends.
Show PPT picture: Pastor Sam, GSS teacher, Donald Trump, Bernard, Putin, GSS teacher.
What kind of gift would this person like?
What if somebody gave you a gift that’s all wrapped up, but inside it’s a lunchbox full of brocoli? Would you like it?
Principle: When we prepare a gift, we need to think about the person who’s going to receive it. We need to think about what that person is like.
Who here likes chocolate ice cream more than strawberry?
KB: Strawberry
WT: Chocolate
Faith: Strawberry
PS: Chocolate
What about giving a gift to God?
What about giving a gift to God?
We need to think about what the Lord has done for us. The Bible says that the Lord has given us many gifts.
Faith
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
The Holy Spirit
Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Righteousness
For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
Eternal life
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Eternal inheritance
and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
Teachers of the Word
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.
Spiritual gifts
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.
Health
And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.
Work and studies
And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.
Peace
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Isn’t God so amazing? He gave us all these things as gifts. That’s how much He loves us. And we know the ultimate gift that God has given us. He gave us Himself. Jesus Christ, God Himself, came down to this earth to die for us so that we can live with Him forever. So if we know this, then we would want to give something back to God.
We need to give God a gift that He would like.
So what kind of God is He?
Here’s a box with some descriptions of God. I want you to stand up if you think it’s true, and to sit down if you think it’s false.
God is spirit
God is holy
God is unfair
God is righteous
God tells lies
God is an artist
God hates sin
God is selfish
God is a creator
God’s Word is false
God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to save us
The Bible tells us that God gave His only Son for us
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
How can I give God a holy offering?
How can I give God a holy offering?
The Bible tells us God is holy. He’s a holy God.
Isaiah 6:3 (NLT)
They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
Can someone tell me what it means to be holy?
To be holy is to be set apart. To be different from everything else.
God is different from all other gods because He is all of these things. There’s no other god like Him. He’s holy. And so what kind of offering would God want to receive? God wants a holy offering. If God were to go to an ice cream shop, He’d choose holy flavor. So we need to give God a gift that is holy.
But here’s the surprise: We also are a gift!
However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.
So we must give ourselves to Him as a holy offering.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
So we need to be a holy offering to God. This means that we need to be holy.
That means that when our friends do their own things on Sunday morning, we go to church and worship God, and invite them to come with us.
When our friends in school eat their food without praying, we pray and give thanks to God before eating.
But more than anything, we are made holy by the Word of God.
And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.
Later, you guys are going to give an offering song to God. So how can that offering song be made holy? We have to spend some time thinking about all that God has done for us, and we need to perform the offering song with only one purpose: to please God.
But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”