Pastor Allan Kircher
Shell Point Baptist Church
23 Feb 2014
Genesis 43:11-14
GIFTS FIT FOR A KING
Intro:
• Joseph’s brothers/one trip/Egypt to buy food
• Came face to face/brother Joseph.
• He recognized them, but they did not recognize him
• to awaken their dead consciences
• to get them to acknowledge their sins
• Joseph accuses them of being spies and imprisons Simeon.
Told/return home/bring their youngest brother Benjamin
• Prove they telling truth/having family back Canaan.
• He already knew the truth
• he was merely trying to get them to face the truth
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In this text
• Judah/convinced Jacob/take Benjamin/Egypt buy more food
• Jacob gives in/allows Benjamin to accompany them
• Jacob commands them to carry with them some gifts
• Hoping/soften Joseph up
• treat the sons of Jacob in a more pleasant manner
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Talk/things Jacob sent/Joseph/like to ask you a question.
• What do you give to a man who owns everything?
• Prime Minister/Egypt, he did not need gold or silver
• offer of power meant nothing/Joseph
• Sovereign over all the land of Egypt.
• They could not offer him service/servants/all he demanded
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What could they give a powerful/wise/wealthy man like Joseph?
• Jacob had the answer, we will examine/gifts he sent/Joseph.
• As I read this text and think about its message
• My thoughts/drawn far higher/mere man sitting/ancient throne.
• As I consider this text
• I am forced to think of a far greater King.
When I do, I wonder what poor, miserable creatures like us could possibly give to a God like Him.
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God doesn’t need our wealth. He owns all things! “
Psalm 50:10-12 “For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it”
God doesn’t need our knowledge/our wisdom.He knows all things.
Heb. 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
God doesn’t need our service. He commands myriads of angels who exist to do His perfect will.
Matt. 26:53“Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”
Praise His name, He allows us to serve Him!
God does not need us or anything we possess. So, what could we possibly give to Him?
• Verses teach us something about that matter
• Talk about/only gifts/worthy of our Savior.
• Want take this episode/life of Joseph’s family/preach on the thought Gifts Fit For A King.
Let me point out the gifts mentioned here.
• As I do, you and I need to examine our giving in the light of His will.
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I. v. 11 A KING DESIRES SIMPLE GIFTS
• Jacob tells his sons to gather the “best fruits”/land
• Wants to send Joseph a “present”.
• Word carries/idea “a gift expressing loyalty to a superior”.
Jacob is simply saying, “We are going to send the man the very best we have.”
• When you look/list/they sent Joseph
• balm, honey, spices, myrrh, nuts and almonds
• It doesn’t seem like a lot. In truth, it was a lot.
• You see, even a little is a lot in a time of famine.
• Imagine how Joseph must have felt/he received this gift.
• Hadn’t tasted/fruits of Canaan in many years.
How the little things from his home must have gladdened his heart and brought back fond memories of his early years.
• reached into their dwindling supplies
• They sent the best they possessed to Joseph.
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Let’s consider our King. He deserves our best!
• After all He does for us, anything less/insult/Lord.
• Sadly, most people/content to take/best for themselves
• Willing to give the Lord the leftovers.
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He deserves the best of our time.
• He should have the first part, the best part
• Not just the leftovers, if there are any.
• Our time is a great gift from the Lord.
• He deserves the very best.
I should not wear myself out doing the things I want to do, but I should devote the best of my time to Him and His will.
He deserves the best of our service.
• Our lives should be spent/service of His perfect will.
• Too often, we only do the things we want to do.
• We serve ourselves and ignore His will for our lives.
• Be the best you can be where He has placed you
He deserves the best of our resources.
• Many people buy what they want
• Enjoy/fruits their labors/give God the leftovers.
• He deserves and demands the first part of our income.
The Bible says, Lev. 27:30.“A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.”
• God is not looking for elaborate, expensive gifts.
He expects us to give Him:
• A very simple gift/the very best we have.
That is all He expects/gift that everyone can give to Him!
• Just give Him a gift worthy of our King!
Israel came/place where they were giving less than their best.
• They received a stern rebuke from the Lord, Mal. 1:8.
• He deserves our best!
Are you giving our King the absolute best you have?
• Does He have to settle for second best, third best or worse?
• Does your gift represent who you are in Him?
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II. v. 12 A KING DESERVES SACRIFICIAL GIFTS
• Jacob sends his sons back to Egypt
• He tells them to take double/money they took before.
• First time they bought grain, Joseph put their money back in their sacks.
• Jacob tells them to take money back/twice more besides.
• It is a sacrificial gift to say the very least.
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Our king deserves sacrificial giving as well.
• Think about what He sacrificed for us
• It should motivate us to surrender all to Him.
• Jesus gave everything He had to redeem us.
He willingly:
• laid aside His glory and adorned Himself in human flesh
• Suffered rejection, poverty, the scorn of men, hatred, shame, pain, and death all for us. Surely
He deserves no less from those He has redeemed from sin.
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When we start to talk about giving, folks get nervous
• like to be left alone to give as they please
• I can understand that.
• What I give is none of your business
• What you give is none of mine.
However, my duty as Pastor is to preach “the whole counsel” of the Word of God and that includes the part about giving.
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Some argue tithing is an OT concept.
• say giving ten percent/something/prescribed under/law
• since we are under grace
• we are not obligated/give a tenth/income/Lord
• Remind you Abram gave his tithe to Melchizedek long before the Law/given, Gen. 14:20.
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Some say there/difference between OT giving and NT giving
• I would say you are absolutely right!
• In the NT economy, God wants it all!
• does not want just ten percent
• Wants the other ninety percent as well.
• Wants you and me to have a heart willing to surrender all that we have to His will.
Stress the fact/tithe, or ten percent, is just the beginning!
• Should never be less than that/ten percent should/starting point.
• From that point, let/Lord guide you in your giving to Him.
• In truth, He wants to tell you how to spend the whole 100%.
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“The basic question is not how much of our money we should give to God, but how much of God’s money we should keep for ourselves.”
• He has promised to bless those who give Pro. 3:9-10
• Curse those who withhold their giving,Mal.3:8-10
• My conviction we should give in direct relationship to how we have been blessed by Him
• If He has done anything for you at all
• He deserves your sacrificial giving to His work.
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We don’t raise money through bake sales, car washes and yard sales.
• Church should be financed by/free will gifts/God’s people.
• You can give and be a part of what God is doing
• Or, you can withhold your giving because you don’t like this that or the other and miss out on God’s blessings in your life.
Did you know that people really do that?
• Don’t like how church spends the money/stop giving
• might think/preacher makes too much money/stop giving
• Might not be getting their way/stop giving.
• That is a dangerous game to play!
• really believe that the “tithe is the Lord’s”
• You have no right to keep it, horde it up or use it for your own desires.
In fact, if you ever find yourself/church so far out of God’s will that you can’t give to support it, you should find yourself a new church to attend.
• Just be careful how you handle God’s money.
• That was a lesson Israel learned the hard way, Hag. 1:1-11.
• God will bless those who honor Him in their giving.
• Are you giving what you can to the work of the Kingdom of God?
• Are you giving sacrificially?
• Are you giving willingly?
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Early in their marriage, Billy and Ruth Graham were visiting a church where Billy was preaching. During the offering, an usher came to the platform and pushed the offering plate in front of the guest evangelist. Billy reached for his wallet and pulled out what he thought was a dollar bill. As it dropped into the plate, he saw it was his one and only ten-dollar bill. His heart sank as he saw the bulk of his financial resources disappearing into the church coffers. To further complicate matters, the church treasurer failed to give him an honorarium for his services that evening.
On the way home he told Ruth what had happened.
Instead of sympathizing, she said, “And just think—the Lord will give you credit only for the one. That’s all you meant to give!”
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III. v. 13-14 A KING DEMANDS SUBMISSIVE GIFTS
Jacob sends Benjamin away with his brothers because that is what Joseph demanded of him.
• It broke his heart to do it
• He did what was demanded.
• Submitted/surrendered himself/will of Joseph
• Sent his beloved son away.
More than your time, more than your talents, more than your tithe; God is really interested in having all of you!
He wants to bring you/place where you/not your stuff is on/altar
He plainly says in Romans 12:1-2…
• God knows when He gets you on the altar
• He has everything there is!
• When you are on the altar, He has your time/talents/tithe
• God works/our lives/bring us/place of total submission.
• For when He has us, He has all we have and all we are.
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This is seen in how the Lord worked in Abraham’s life.
• Little/little God brought Abraham/place/total surrender
• God tells Abraham/take his son Isaac
• Son of promise, fulfillment of all the promises of God
• To a mountain to offer him as a burnt offering.
• There is not a moment’s hesitation on Abraham’s part
• Does/he is commanded w/o question!
• What a testimony! How could Abraham do that?
• Reached a place/his life/he knew nothing he had was his.
• He knew everything, including Isaac, belonged/Lord
• He knew regardless of what happened to Isaac
• God had an eternal plan.
• Abraham could safely place Isaac/hands/God/absolute faith
• You see, whole episode was about God getting Abraham
• Isaac was merely a prop.
• Isaac was just/leverage God used to move Abraham to a new level of surrender.
That is the place God wants to bring us to as well.
He wants us/reach/place/nothing matters but Him, His will/glory.
• When we get there our stuff will cease to matter.
• When we get there
We would gladly lay it all down for Him.
• When we get there
We will have/very loose grip/world and its treasure.
• When we get there
He will have us and all we are.
Are you there?
Does He have your best?
Does He have your all?
Does He have you?
If He has spoken to you about you’re giving
• Now/time/get before Him and do what He wants you to do.
