Giving to Christ at Christmas

Please take your Bible and open to Numbers 28. You might be wondering how I could find a Christmas message in the O.T. book of Numbers. Well, let me make it simple for you. Christmas is about giving isn’t it? God gave His best when He gave to us His only Son, Jesus. Christmas is the celebration of God giving to our world the Christ. We celebrate Christmas by giving gifts to those we love, and those close to us, and those in need. Christmas is about giving!

Numbers 28 is about giving. Numbers 28 and 29 are, in fact, a detailed reminder to the new generation of Israelites of God’s expectations for appropriate giving.Please look, if you will, at verses 1 and 2 of chapter 28. I am reading first from the NKJ.

SLIDE 2

Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time.’ Numbers 28:1-2, New King James

SLIDE 3

The Lord said to Moses, “Give these instructions to the people of Israel: The offerings you present to me by fire on the altar are my food, and they are very pleasing to me. See to it that they are brought at the appointed times and offered according to my instructions.Numbers 28:1-2, New Living Bible

SLIDE 4 The Lord gave Moses these instructions to give to the people of Israel: “The offerings which you burn on the altar for me are my food, and are a pleasure to me; so see to it that they are brought regularly and are offered as I have instructed you.Numbers 28:1-2, The Living Bible

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I. GOD INSTRUCTS HIS PEOPLE TO GIVE

These chapters regarding offerings (chs. 28; 29) and vows (ch. 30) present a new beginning. The offerings mentioned here are presented in descending order of frequency and emphasize that our offerings to God should be presented regularly—daily (28:1–8), weekly (28:9–10), monthly (28:11–15), and seasonally (28:16–29:38)—as well as spontaneously (29:39).

SLIDE 6 Masks A, B, C (You will use four down arrow keys to go thru the Masks of slide 6)

Please notice God instructs Moses to command the people of Israel to give in the following ways:

A. We are Commanded to Give Continually Mask A

B. We are Commanded to Give Carefully Mask B

C. We are Commanded to Give Consistently Mask C

Note the offerings:

(1) Daily Offerings—Each day. Two lambs … day by day one in the morning and one in the evening, (vss. 3-8);

(2) Sabbath Offerings—Each seventh day. And on the sabbath day two lambs (vss. 9–10);

(3) New Moon Offerings—First day of month. Two young bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs … and one kid of the goats (vss. 11–15);

(4) Passover—Fourteenth day of the first month. No animal sacrifice listed here (vs. 16);

(5) Unleavened Bread—Fifteenth day until the twenty-first day of the first month. Two young bullocks, and one ram, and seven lambs … and one goat (vss. 17–25);

(6) Feast of Weeks—No date given. Two young bullocks, one ram, seven lambs … and one kid of the goats (vss. 26–31);

(7) Feast of Trumpets—And in the seventh month, on the first day (29:1–6);

(8) Day of Atonement—On the tenth day of this seventh month. Same offerings as Feast of Trumpets (vss. 7–11);

(9) Feast of Booths—Fifteenth to twenty-second days of the seventh month (vss. 12–38). Total of one hundred and five lambs, fifteen rams, seventy-one bulls, and eight goats.

SLIDE 7 Masks A and B

II. GOD ENJOYS HIS PEOPLES’ GIFTS

A. Our Offerings are Described as Food to God, “The offerings which you burn on the altar for me are my food,”

Mask A

B. Our Offerings are Described as Fragrance to God, “a sweet aroma to Me.”

Mask B SLIDE 8 Masks A, B, and C as before

III. GIVING to CHRIST at CHRISTMAS

A. Enables Us to Give Continually, Carefully, Consistently

B. Establishes a New, More Concise Giving Plan

C. Eliminates Excessive Offering Appeals

Did you know that in Southern Baptists Churches, there are at least 7 established offerings annually?

Then there are additional offerings requested by our Association, and often, special appeals made at times of tremendous need. There is the NC Missions Offering, World Hunger, Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions, the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions, the NC Baptist Hospitals offering, the Baptist Retirement Homes offering, and the Baptist Children’s Home Offering.

Now all these offerings are good, and much needed. They go to support wonderful ministries and mission work carried out by fellow Southern Baptists.

Giving to Christ at Christmas does not diminish our support for these offerings. In fact, it will enhance our support.

Some offerings like the Baptist Retirement Homes offering, and the Baptist Children’s Home offering have been neglected in previous years by our church. That will not happen through Giving to Christ at Christmas.

I do need to say here that we will have a second giving plan in the spring of each year called Giving to Christ at Easter. This offering will include the Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missions, Baptist Retirement Homes, and Baptist Hospitals.

Is there anyone here who was at the SBC in New Orleans this summer? We heard there a man, along with his wife, Charles Beatty.

Now next Sunday, please remember to do several things.

One, we want to continue our tradition of wrapping our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering in a small white package or with white wrapping paper as we have our White Christmas here in Icard.

It’s just that our gifts this year cover a much broader scope of missions giving and support.

Second, many of us still have our Rice Bowls we have used over the past few years to collect for our World Hunger offering. Well, next Sunday, bring in your Rice Bowls filled with dimes, quarters and nickels. Please remember to count and wrap your change in your Rice Bowls.

SLIDE 9 Remember, our goal is $12,000.

FBI Sermon Notes

TEXT: Numbers 28:1-2

TOPIC: GIVING TO CHRIST AT CHRISTMAS

BIBLE SURVIVOR SERIES, Message 15

Pastor Bobby Earls, First Baptist Icard, December 16, 2001

The Lord gave Moses these instructions to give to the people of Israel: “The offerings which you burn on the altar for me are my food, and are a pleasure to me; so see to it that they are brought regularly and are offered as I have instructed you.Numbers 28:1-2, The Living Bible

I. GOD _________________________ HIS PEOPLE TO GIVE

A. We are Commanded to Give ________________

B. We are Commanded to Give ________________

C. We are Commanded to Give ________________

II. GOD _________________________ HIS PEOPLES’ GIFTS

A. Our Offerings are Described as _____________ to God

B. Our Offerings are Described as _____________ to God

III. GIVING to CHRIST at CHRISTMAS

A. Enables Us to Give ___________, ___________, ____________

B. Establishes a New, More ____________ Giving Plan

C. Eliminates Excessive Offering Appeals

BIBLE SURVIVORS READING PLAN FOR NEXT WEEK

NUMBERS 31 - 36

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