LET’S GO CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!
2 Cor. 9:15
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A teacher decided to ask her students what their Christmas traditions were. “What traditions does your family do at Christmas?”
2. The first student was a Catholic girl; “On Christmas Eve we go to Church, say our prayers with the rosary, and take the Mass and sing a hymn.”
3. The second student was a protestant boy; “We open presents early on Christmas morning and then go to church and hear a sermon on Christ’s birth.”
4. The third student was a Jew, so the teacher hesitated, but finally said, “And what do you do on Christmas morning?” The Jewish boy said, “We all get in our Mercedes-Benz and drive to my dad’s toy factory. We go into the big empty warehouse, get in a circle and sing, ‘What a friend we have in Jesus!’” (I got this from a Jewish website)
B. TEXT
2 Cor. 9:15, “Thanks be unto God for His Unspeakable gift!”
C. THESIS
1. The tradition of gift giving dates back to the Wisemen bringing gifts to the Christ-child in the manger. We all know how they brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
2. Three small boys were in a Christmas play at their school. They represented the three wise men and they were to give their gifts to baby Jesus. The one boy stepped forward, held out his hands and said, “Gold”. When he stepped back, the second boy stepped forward and said, “Myrrh”. When the third boy stepped forward, held out his hands and said, “Frank sent this.”
3. As we go about shopping for Christmas gifts this year, I want to suggest we take a tip from God. God knows how to give good gifts.
4. James 1:17, “17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (NKJV).
5. He’s given us many good gifts – health, prosperity, freedom, families, etc.
6. But when God decided to give us His best gift, He gave us Jesus Christ!
7. So, as we go shopping, we can take a tip from God on what makes the best kind of gift we can give.
8. The title of this message is, “Let’s Go Christmas Shopping.” 4 Characteristics of God’s Best Gift.
9. This morning I want to help you with your Christmas shopping and I want to talk to you about God’s great Christmas gift to us.
10. If you are looking for the perfect gift for that “someone special” make sure you buy a…
a. Personal Gift;
b. Practical Gift;
c. Permanent Gift; and a
d. Purchased Gift.
I. A PERSONAL GIFT
A. WHEN WE SHOP
1. When we shop our gift should be a personal gift. We are not shopping for ourselves. When I go to Wal-mart, I go to the hunting section or electronics to get some gadget for my computer.
2. But my wife would not appreciate it if I got her a new set of broad-heads. That just does not interest her. She may want clothes, but she does not want a new camouflage suit. 3. You see, you must buy the person you are shopping for a personal gift. A gift that fits the person you are shopping for.
B. WHEN GOD GAVE A GIFT – ‘Personal’
1. HE BECAME HUMAN
a. What’s more personal than the gift of a baby?
b. _____ & _____, would you bring baby _____forward?
c. What a precious gift: ______ is a composite of _______ & _______! How personal & wonderful. (be seated)
d. That’s what God did: He gave the human race a Baby, made of our own flesh and blood. Yet, no average Baby.
2. IN JESUS – UNDIMINISHED DEITY
a. If God had sent an Angel, it would have been a great gift! If God had sent one son of many, it would have been an incredible gift!
b. But for God to send His ONLY SON – that was an indescribable gift!
3. BISHOP CYRIL, “For although visible and a child in swaddling clothes, and even in the bosom of His Virgin Mother, He filled all Creation as God and was a fellow-ruler with Him that begat Him; for the Godhead is without quantity and dimension, and cannot have limits.”
4. “For God so loved the world, the He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life! John 3:16.
II. A PRACTICAL GIFT
A. WHEN WE GO SHOPPING…
1. Our gift’s should be practical, not as the one lady said to her husband, “this year let’s give each other more practical gifts like socks and fur coats.”
2. Two young boys were discussing the upcoming Christmas season and all of the toys they hoped to receive. One kid explained to the other, “Money can’t buy happiness, you know. To be happy, you have to convert the money into toys.”
3. You know what it’s like to get a gift that you really don’t want or can’t use. You see them in the stores. All of us have gotten them.
4. The stores are full of “junk” gifts. You know, the kind of stuff you buy because you don’t know what to buy…like a life size singing deer head to hang on your wall – the thing costs $100!!!
5. One kid wanted a junk car in his back yard. “Why exactly do you want this?” my befuddled parents asked.
“So I could pretend to drive it at top speeds, make the interior my super secret hangout, and be the only 7-year old at school who could brag about having his very own car!”
6. One relative gave me a mosquito netting to go over a plate of food. Q – What mosquito wants to bite a sandwich?
B. GOD’S PRACTICAL GIFT
1. If you’re dying of thirst, your greatest need is water.
“ “ starving to death, “ “ “ “ food.
“ “ anemic, “ “ “ “ blood.
2. When God looked at the world, He saw our greatest need was:
a. Not to be rid of disease’
b. Not to stop all war,
c. Not to stop crime,
d. Not to stop drugs & alcohol.
3. BUT OUR GREATEST NEED WAS A SAVIOR!
a. If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator.
b. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.
c. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.
d. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.
e. But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior. [Unfinished Business, Charles Sell, pp. 121ff].
C. THE POWER OF THIS GIFT
WHEN I ACCEPT JESUS:
1. I am forgiven for my sins.
2. I am adopted into His family!
3. All that belongs to Jesus belongs to me!
4. I can receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit! (Jesus gives the gift which keeps on giving)
5. I am also given His peace!
6. My Mansion is paid for!
III. A PERMANENT GIFT
A. OUR GIFTS
1. The gifts that we give should be something that is permanent and of lasting value. Not something cheaply made that will break the first day it is used.
2. A rather aloof woman kept a very tight lid on the amount of money she spent on Christmas gifts. Each year when her family gathered with other relatives she always made sure the purchasing cost remained a big secret. This worked fine until her daughter was old enough to start talking. On this particular Christmas the little girl’s uncle started prying for the price. The young niece told her uncle, “I’m not allowed to tell you how much we paid, but I can tell you we got it at the dollar store.”
3. Also it should be something that will at least keep the interest beyond Christmas day alone. We have all seen children who get all kinds of nice expensive gifts for Christmas and by the end of the day they are playing with the boxes.
B. GOD’S PERMANENT GIFT
1. Our gifts that we give should be permanent. God gave us the permanent Gift of eternal life (John 10:28-And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”)
2. Heb. 7:3, “Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.”
IV. A PURCHASED GIFT
It’s always a good idea to purchase the gift your going to buy and not just walk out of the store with it. So make sure you pay for your gifts!!
A. “THE PRICE IS RIGHT” ILLUS.
1. For the next few moments we’re going to play “The Price Is Right” and I’m going to be Drew Carey.
2. I’m going to need a volunteer from the audience to be my lovely assistant. Who will be a good sport?
3. 3 ITEMS ON PLATFORM. We’re going to guess their cost/price.
a. 30” Screen TV ($250)
b. String of Pearls necklace ($1,200)
c. 7 Day trip for 2 to Acapulco ($1,700)
[Get guesses from the audience on each item]
B. GOD’S GIFT – WORTH?
1. Have a child come on the platform. “What is the worth of this child?”
2. What is the worth of salvation? Mark 8:35-37; “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”
3. Thank God, He has purchased our gift. The question is, “Have you received it yet?”
4. John 1:12, “12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Bible teacher G. Campbell Morgan told of a coal miner who came to him and said, “I would give anything to believe that God would forgive my sins, but I cannot believe that He will forgive them if I just ask him. It is too cheap.”
2. Morgan said, “My dear friend, have you been working today?” “Yes, I was down in the mine.” “How did you get out of the pit? Did you pay?” “Of course not. I just got into the cage and was pulled to the top.”
3. “Were you not afraid to entrust yourself to that cage? Was it not too cheap? Morgan asked. “Oh no,” said the miner, “it was cheap for me, but it cost the company a lot of money to sink the shaft.”
4. Suddenly the truth struck him: that grace is not cheap; that though salvation costs us nothing, it cost God the precious blood of His Son.
5. Paul said, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” (Eph. 2:8)
B. ALTAR CALL
1. Just as we give gifts during this Christmas season, Christ Jesus has given the ultimate gift for our sins. His gift is personal, practical, permanent, and he has already purchased it for us this Christmas season.
2. And just as we accept gifts for ourselves this Christmas, we should accept the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
3. In order to do this you must admit that you have sinned. You must repent of your sins (change of mind and directions), and believe in Jesus Christ.
4. So this Christmas if you have not already accepted Jesus as your Savior, why don’t you ask Jesus to come into your heart, for this is the real reason for the season. Raise hands, etc. Prayer.
5. If you’re already saved, Is there some present you can give Him this Christmas? Obedience, serve the poor (It’s His birthday!), give up something that holding you back, etc.
[this is a message by Jon Earls, reworked a little]
