Candle Light Service - Welcome, CFC offering today. Even if you have not yet decided what you are giving…put an envelope in to represent you if you are planning to give something.

Champions Week January 12th - Pastor Jeremy Mills, Vision Sunday January 19th.

God’s Unspeakable Gift

Matthew 2:11 NKJV

11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Bible is divided into two sections, Old Testament and New Testament. The first 2/3 of the Bible is the story of God’s dealings with an earthly nation: Israel. He wanted them to be His chosen people, but when He came to earth as their Messiah they rejected Him. That is when God turned His attention to the Gentiles.

John 1:11–13 NKJV

11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Throughout the OT period, God was trying to teach mankind something - that no matter how hard we try, as humans we cannot measure up to God’s standard of perfection. Even the most religious among us fall severely short of the mark.

Romans 3:23 NKJV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

The whole OT system was designed to make mankind feel their inadequacy.

When the poorest person in the kingdom appeared before a king, they were required to bring a gift to add to the kings treasury.

Gift giving played an important part in the social life of the east that the Hebrew language contains no less than fifteen different expressions for this one idea. This is why we have scriptures like these.

Proverbs 17:8 NKJV

8 A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor; Wherever he turns, he prospers.

Proverbs 17:23 NKJV

23 A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back To pervert the ways of justice.

Proverbs 18:16 NKJV

16 A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men.

Proverbs 19:6 NKJV

6 Many entreat the favor of the nobility, And every man is a friend to one who gives gifts.

This wasn’t just the way it was in politics - the poorest person in the kingdom was also required to bring a gift (a sacrifice) when they appeared before the presence of God at His tabernacle.

Leviticus 5

(1) If a person sins...

(6) he shall bring… for his sin… a lamb

(7) If he is not able to bring a lamb… then two turtledoves or two young pigeons.

(11) But if he is not able to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons… then he who sinned shall bring… one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering.

(13) So the priest shall make atonement for him… and it shall be forgiven him.

Leviticus 5:1 NKJV

1 ‘If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter—if he does not tell it, he bears guilt.

Leviticus 5:6 NKJV

6 and he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin.

Leviticus 5:7 NKJV

7 ‘If he is not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord, for his trespass which he has committed, two turtledoves or two young pigeons: one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering.

Leviticus 5:11 NKJV

11 ‘But if he is not able to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he who sinned shall bring for his offering one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it, nor shall he put frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering.

Leviticus 5:16 NKJV

16 And he shall make restitution for the harm that he has done in regard to the holy thing, and shall add one-fifth to it and give it to the priest. So the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.

Crucial principle to grasp: Some gifts were given voluntarily in the same way we give a present today. Other gifts were required at the penalty of your life! (Tribute money, gift to kings, sacrifice to God) It was a high insult and indignity to refuse a present - and it could be fatal!

I get this question sometimes when teaching people a Bible study: “If the Bible calls the Holy Spirit a ‘gift’, then what’s the big deal if I choose not to receive it?” This question misses the point entirely.

Some gifts you can choose to participate in receiving. But if you need a kidney transplant and someone offers you the gift of life…You have to participate in that kind of gift or it will be fatal.

In the NT, the sense of the word “gift” is basically still the same as the OT. It’s a “sacrifice” that we choose to reject at our eternal peril, not an option.

The difference between the OT and NT, and this is surprising, is that the gift now comes from the opposite direction - The King of Kings gives gifts to the poorest among us!

Psalm 68:18–19 NKJV

18 You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, Even from the rebellious, That the Lord God might dwell there. 19 Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah

It wasn’t that God didn’t give anything back in the OT, He loaded his people with benefits.

It’s just the focus was on the fact that you had to bring a gift (sacrifice) - then and only then would God receive you.

God was teaching something - No matter how much you bring, it’s never enough!

Look at the NT.

Ephesians 4:7–10 NKJV

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

Who ascended from the grave? Jesus!

Who opened the graves of others? Jesus!

Ezekiel 37:13 NKJV

13 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.

Who walked on the water? Jesus!

Job 9:8 NKJV

8 He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea;

Who healed the blind, the deaf, and the lame? Jesus!

Isaiah 35:4–6 NKJV

4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.

The GOD in the OT who received gifts from people is Jesus Christ in the NT who gives gifts to people!

The church world talks about giving your life to Jesus, and that is good…but it’s not complete! In the NT, God is the giver…He has a gift for you. You don’t have to be a Christian under your own power or through your own efforts, because God wants to give you His gift. His Spirit!

Jesus promises it

Luke 11:13 NKJV

13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

John 4:10 NKJV

10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

Peter explained how to receive it

Acts 2:38 NKJV

38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:20 NKJV

20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!

Gentiles received it

Acts 10:45 NKJV

45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

Acts 11:17 NKJV

17 If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”

You need to receive it

Hebrews 2:3–4 NKJV

3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?

Only three times in the Bible do the apostles use the word “unspeakable” (unutterable, untellable, unbelievable, indescribable, incredible.)

When Paul had a vision of Heaven...

2 Corinthians 12:4 NKJV

4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

When Peter anticipated seeing Jesus in Heaven...

1 Peter 1:8 NKJV

8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

When Paul speaks of God’s gift of salvation...

2 Corinthians 9:15 NKJV

15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!