Submitted by admin on Mon, 12/20/2010 - 4:55pm
MP3 File:
- "Why didn't you give me more?" — the self-centered receiver can't be thankful for what he has.
- "Well...it's about time" — the entitled receiver thinks he deserves the gift.
- "Ah...you shouldn't have" — the self-conscious receiver is embarrassed about all the attention. Some have difficulty receiving compliments for the same reason.
- "Well...it's the thought that counts" — the disappointed receiver plans to exchange or re-gift it.
- "Well, this is...interesting. What is it?" — the perplexed receiver can't quite figure it out. A variation on this is the small child who leaves the expensive toy laying there and ends up playing with the box it came in.
- "Wow! This is fantastic! Thank you!" — the joyful receiver is truly thankful for the giver's efforts.
If there are this many kinds of responses for ordinary gifts, you can be sure there also are many different responses to the greatest gift of all. In fact, some reject God's gift outright. They can't or they won't receive what God gave to them.
John 1:10-12 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
Last week Fred talked about giving gifts. Today we're going to look at receiving gifts. If this is the season of giving, it's also the season of receiving.
We remember, especially at Christmas time, what the Bible says: "God so loved...that he gave..." (John 3:16).
God gave the gift of his Son to the world because he loved the world. He loved us sinners—warts and blemishes and all. He loved the world so much that he gave his Son to live with us—among sinners. Then, despite living a perfect, sinless life, his love was so great that he took on himself all the consequences of sin, which we deserved.
Some people don't receive that gift. They reject God's solution.
Maybe they're too independent and proud—they want to take care of themselves. Maybe they reject the notion that they even need a Savior. They don't think their sin is all that bad. Maybe they are bothered by the idea that God would need a sacrifice for sin. Whatever the excuse, many come to Christmas time without ever personally receiving the gift of Jesus and eternal life.
That's a tragedy, because when God gave his Son, he gave the greatest sacrifice of all.
Others, however, have received God's gift by believing and accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Jesus is the greatest gift—the greatest sacrifice—the world will ever know.
To put it simply, he was born to die—born to give us the gift of salvation, as this song says so well...
"THE GIFT" by Randy Travis
He was born in Bethlehem they say,
There was a star to light the path to where He lay.
Rich or poor they came from far and near,
Cause they'd all heard the reason He was here.CHORUS:
He was the Son God sent to one and all.
Put on this earth to hang there on that cross.
Born to die so we could live.
He had the birthday, we got the gift.They wrapped him up with gentle hands.
God hoped the world would understand.
Eternal life we shall receive.
And all that He asks in return is that we just believe.CHORUS
BRIDGE: There's no way in this world we could repay the miracle He gave us on that day.
ENDING: On our Savior's birthday, we got the gift.
Why did God give? Because he loved. When we receive God's gift, we open ourselves up to God's love! Receiving Jesus as our Lord and Savior is the first step to experiencing God's love.
O. Henry's classic short story, The Gift of the Magi, tells about a young couple struggling to get by. Christmas was going to be frugal. They had each other, but not much else. The only two things they had of value were his pocket watch, inherited from his grandfather, and her beautiful long hair. Their love for each other was so great, though, that they each sacrificed the one thing of value they owned to buy a gift for the other. She sold her hair and used the money to buy him a beautiful gold chain for his watch. But he sold his watch to buy her tortoise shell combs with jeweled rim.
So their gifts ended up being entirely useless, even though they were carefully chosen and required great sacrifice. But because of their sacrifices, they each received a greater gift—love.
O. Henry concludes his story: "The magi, as you know, were wise men—wonderfully wise men—who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones... here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest... They are the magi."
We know it takes grace to give properly, but it also takes grace to receive properly.
To receive God's gift, we need grace working in us! We cannot receive properly his sacrifice if we resist his gift out of arrogance or independence. Those who are too proud or too guarded cannot receive God's gift.
We need grace so we will: (a) humble ourselves; (b) confess our need; (c) open our hearts to be vulnerable (allowing him to be Lord and have his way in us can be risky!); and finally (d) accept his gift for us.
Here's what happens when receive God's gift by grace...
1. We give thanks for what we have. We won't grumble or complain about what we don't have... We won't compare what we have with what others have... (SKIT PORTRAYS AN UNTHANKFUL ATTITUDE—a person bent out of shape because others seem to have received something more or better.)
2. We honor the Giver.
When your small child draws a picture for you, it's no great work of art. There's a stick figure with lop-sided eyes and a misshapen head—way too big for the body. The nose is askew and there are 7 stick fingers on one hand. But what do you do with that picture? You hang it on your refrigerator. You display it proudly in a place of prominence. And later, after other drawings have come along, if you're like my mother, you may even save it in a box for years to come. Why? Not because I was a budding Rembrandt or Michelangelo—but because of love. When you love your child, you receive his or her gift. You give honor to the one you love.
We honor God when we remember all he has done, all he has given: material blessings (talents, job, income, home, possessions, stuff), but even more importantly, all the spiritual blessings:
a. Grace (Eph 4:7) — undeserved favor.
b. Right or privileges as his children (John 1:11-12) — adopted into God's family.
c. New birth of hope (1 Pet 1:3) — hope and purpose for the future, a reason to live.
d. Everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3) — power to live victoriously, without defeat and discouragement.
e. His great and precious promises (2 Pet 2:4) — to escape the corruption of the world.
3. We use the gift.
If we put the gift away on a back closet shelf and never let it see the light of day, then we haven't really received it. We're only warehousing it. Storing it. To really receive a gift means we will put it to use. It's only when we use a gift that we fulfill the intentions of the one who gave it.
When you use God's gifts...
a. Others will benefit. Your gifts are not yours alone; they are meant for everyone. (1 Cor 12:7)
b. You will live a life of service. Receiving a gift properly means giving something back. (1 Pet 4:10) Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others... (NIV) As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (NASB)
Good stewards means good managers: they know what grace has done in their lives and they're eager to pass it along to others.
Manifold grace (lit: "many-colored" grace)...like a multi-faceted cut gem stone, reflecting the light in many different angles, each sparkling with tints of different colors.
Living a life of service is a way to "reflect" God's grace to others.
c. You won't "bury" your gift. (Matt 25:14-18ff)
The good and faithful servants received something the master expected them to use, to put to work. It was an investment. However, the evil, lazy servant buried what he was given. He made no investment.
God gives us gifts expecting that we will invest them. He wants a return on investment.
By using your gift, you serve others; by serving others, you bless them; by blessing them, you invest in them; by investing in them, you help them grow.
God gave because he loved. Will you receive God's gift of love?