A Gift Worth Giving
Matthew 2:1-11
December 2, 2001
Intro:
A. [A Giving Opportunity]
A mother was sick and tired of hearing her children always telling her what they wanted to get from Santa.
On one such occasion she reminded them of the real meaning of Christmas—Christmas is a time of giving and not receiving.
The children could tell that Mom really believed what sounded like absolute nonsense to them.
They secretly met and tried to figure out what was going through their mother’s head.
They finally came to a conclusion as to what must be done.
They went to the mother in a very concerned manner.
The oldest child acted as the spokesperson: "Mom, we’ve been thinking about what you told us about how important it is to give at Christmas; with all of our talk about Santa, you must have felt left out. We don’t want you to feel this way, Mom. So I’ll tell you what we have decided to do. Santa doesn’t have to get us all the presents; if you want to get us some, too, we’re going to let you!"
1. Has Christmas lost its meaning with you?
2. Do your Christmas traditions leave you feeling empty when it’s all over?
3. Do you dread the holiday season? Are you worried that your not prepared?
4. Today, I want us to re-think our Christmas traditions as God listens in on us.
B. Why do we give?
1. A gift for a gift, gift.
a. These are the gifts that are most often given at our Christmas’s.
b. We give to the people who give to us.
c. We try to keep track of how much we spend on our gifts.
d. We try to estimate how much the other person spent on their gift to us.
e. If we fear that they spent more on us, we have to keep our accounts balanced.
f. We either buy something else to try to make up the difference, or we make a note of it and buy something more expensive next Christmas.
g. We feel awful if we haven’t spent more than the other person spent or at least spent equally as the other person
h. This keeps the cash registers of America singing each year.
i. That’s the gift for a gift, gift.
2. A gift for a favor, gift.
a. These are a little less common than the gift for a gift, gift; but they are out there just the same.
b. We buy people gifts who have done us a favor.
c. Someone did something nice for us recently and we feel like we have to pay them back.
d. Again we have trouble running a deficit when it comes to giving.
e. We don’t want to be the one who had something done for them without attempting to pay the person back.
f. They’ve been especially nice to us in some way, so we feel the need to pay them back.
g. By the way, that will usually cheapen the value of the favor.
h. The person will not feel as good about the favor they did for us if we try to pay them back by buying them a gift.
i. But we do it all the time: "Fred did something really nice for me this year so I guess I’d better get him a Christmas present."
3. A gift for an obligation, gift.
a. That’s the only term I could come up with to describe these gifts.
b. I can’t tell you how much I dislike these gifts.
c. Its a yearly obligation to buy a gift for these people.
d. I can’t tell you how many miserable hours I have spent in malls trying to figure out what in the world to buy for this person.
e. "We’re going to have a family gathering and I’ve got to get something for these people, but I have NO IDEA what to get them."
f. "Let’s see, I bought them a can opener last year—what should I buy this year? How about a fruit cake?!"
g. Retail stores prepare for these gifts for an obligation gifts: They set up those tables out in the middle of the main aisles just for these gift for an obligation gifts.
h. You’ve seen ‘em—they usually have one for women with women type stuff, such as: perfume and kitchen gadgets.
i. They have a separate table for men: ties, silk boxer shorts, and the cheapest quality tools you’ve ever seen!
j. Can you tell how much I dislike these gifts?
k. That’s the gift for an obligation, gift.
4. But then there is a much better gift that I call a grace gift!
a. This is the gift that I want to talk to you about today.
b. This is what I call a gift worth giving.
c. So now that I’m done with the introduction, let’s get into the message.
d. What is a grace gift?
e. First, I want to tell you that I’m not telling you to reject the idea of Christmas, I’m going to ask us to rethink our motivations for giving.
f. I believe the reasons that I have just listed for giving are destroying the real meaning of Christmas, and so I’m suggesting that we go back to where it all started (with the Wise Men) and see if there is a better motivation for giving and see if we can regain the joy of Christmas.
g. Please turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew 2:1-11and together let’s go back to where it all started…
h. [Read text]
i. Let’s look at four motivations for giving that will help us regain the true joy of Christmas.
I. Give Sacrificially
Matthew 2:1-8, After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6 "’But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’" 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
A. The wise-men sacrificed greatly to give to Jesus.
1. The wise-men left everything and traveled far to give to Jesus.
2. They were probably from Iraq.
3. They traveled over 300 miles to give to Jesus.
4. They had no idea where they were going.
5. They were following a star.
6. And you know what a sacrifice it had to be for three men to stop and ask directions!
7. But there is no question that they sacrificed a lot to give to Christ.
B. That’s what a grace gift is!
1. A grace gift is freely and sacrificially given--we have sacrificed in order to give.
2. It’s not a gift out of obligation, but a gift of sacrifice--it has some heart and soul in it.
C. What can you give this year that represents sacrifice on your part?
1. What can you give that requires you to put some heart and soul into it?
2. Are you planning to give something that costs you anything?
3. I’m not really talking about financially-but sacrifice in other ways?
4. A sacrifice of time? A sacrifice of effort to get it or give it? A sacrifice of effort to make it? A gift that is part of you?
5. A gift that has some of your heart and soul in it?
6. Or how ‘bout this…
a. Men, what if your wife opens this huge package from you that just has a tiny little piece of paper in it that says, "Honey, because I love you so much, I’m going to do all the laundry for you in the month of January!"
b. Women, what if your husband opens his package and you’ve written a letter to him telling him how much he really means to you and why you’re so glad you chose him to be your husband—why you’re so proud of what he has done for your family!
c. Or what about promising to washing your neighbor’s car every month?
d. Now doesn’t that sound better than a can opener or a tie?
7. What can you give that requires you to put some heart and soul into it?
8. What can you give this year that represents sacrifice on your part?
9. Give sacrificially!
II. Give Personally
Matthew 2:9, After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
A. The wise-men didn’t ship their gifts via Fed-ex, they delivered them personally.
1. The felt it was important that they show up and give it personally.
2. They understood that the gift meant so much more when it was given in person.
B. That’s what a grace gift is!
1. A grace gift is given personally.
2. A grace gift includes self.
3. A grace gift includes the person.
4. A grace gift is a gift of the presence of self—togetherness.
5. A grace gift is not an impersonal box, it is a gift of togetherness.
6. A grace gift is a gift that recognizes the importance of relationships.
7. A grace gift is a gift that displays love—something that can’t be done with a mailed package.
C. What can you give this year that is personal?
1. How can you give of yourself?
2. How can you spend some time with someone as a gift?
3. Is there a widow in your neighborhood who would just love to have someone spend a couple hours with her on Christmas day?
4. Do you realize what a gift of personal presence can do for some people?
5. this is more than a gift of presents, it’s a gift of presence.
6. Or how ‘bout this?
a. Husbands, what if your wife opens a package with a note in it that says, "Honey because I love you so much and want to give of myself to you, I promise to set aside one whole day each month in the coming year for just you and whatever you would like us to do together—12 days in the coming year, just for us!"
b. Wives, what if your husband opens a package that has a note that says, "Honey, because I love you so much, I want to get up every Monday morning and fix you breakfast and pray out loud for you and for your activities in the coming week so I can get your week off to a fabulous start!"
c. Parents, how about giving a gift to your children of spending one Saturday a month with your children doing whatever they want to do for the day?
d. Or perhaps you give a gift to a person in a nursing home that you will promise to spend an hour with them once per month for the coming year.
e. Spending time with someone is a personal gift of grace.
f. How can you give of yourself this year by spending time with someone?
g. Give personally.
III. Give Joyously
Matthew 2:10, When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
A. The wise men were overjoyed when they saw the star.
1. They were thrilled to find the baby Jesus.
2. They were overjoyed to be able to find the child and to present their gifts.
B. That’s what a grace gift is!
1. A grace gift is a gift of joy.
2. A grace gift is a gift that brings tremendous joy to the giver and the receiver!
3. A grace gift causes the giver and the receiver to be OVERjoyed!
C. What can you give that will cause you to be overjoyed?
1. And, by-the-way, when was the last time you gave a blender that caused you to be overjoyed?
2. When was the last time that you were able to give a gift that brought a tear to your eye? To the eye of the receiver?
3. Those kinds of gifts take some thinking and some sacrifice.
4. But isn’t that what Christmas gift giving should be all about?
5. After all, why do we give gifts in the first place?
6. The wise men started it all and they were filled with joy at the privilege of giving!
7. Has your gift-giving just become a routine or tradition that has lost its meaning? That’s lost its joy?
8. What can you give that will cause you to be overjoyed?
9. What can you give that will cause the receiver to get a tear in their eye?
10. Give joyously!
IV. Give Worshipfully
Matthew 2:11, On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
A. The wise men gave worshipfully.
1. The bowed down and worshipped Christ the Lord.
2. When they had worshipped, they opened the gifts and presented them to Jesus.
B. That’s what a grace gift is, isn’t it?
1. It is a gift of worship.
2. After all, why do we give? We are giving to others because Christ has given to us!
3. Christ has given grace to us—how can we give a portion of that grace to others?
4. In giving grace to others we are worshipping!
C. How can you give worshipfully this year?
1. Here is an interesting question: Do you pray about what you will give or do you just go to the mall and start wondering?
2. Do you pray about what you will give?
3. Men, do you ask God how you can give a part of His grace to your wife?
4. Wives, do you ask God how you can share His grace with your husband?
5. Parents, do you ask God how you can give grace to your children?
6. Do you ask God how you can share His grace with lonely people, or relatives, or non-believers, or co-workers?
7. Are you giving out of obligation, or are you giving because God has laid it on your heart to give?
8. Are you just giving because you are expected to give, or are you giving unexpected gifts?
9. Give prayerfully; give out of a sense of thankfulness for what God has done for you; give worshipfully!
Conclusion:
A. 2 Corinthians 9:13-15, Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
B. To whom do you need to give grace gifts?
1. Give them a hug! Play ball with the children!
2. Take your wife on a date and tell her that you love her!
3. Write that letter that you need to write! Surprise someone with a bouquet of flowers!
4. You may object, "But preacher, I’m going to buy something expensive!"—Forget that gift!
5. God has given you abundantly of His grace—don’t keep it to yourself!
6. Now, that my friends, is a gift worth giving!
C. Can I give you and example? [Christmas Giving, Citation: Source unknown; submitted by Charles Middleton]
It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree.
No name, no identification, no inscription.
It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.
It all began because my husband, Mike, hated Christmas—oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it: overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute, the gifts given in desperation.
Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties….
I reached for something special just for Mike.
Our son Kevin was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church.
These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.
As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear.
It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.
We ended up walloping them.
As each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn’t acknowledge defeat.
Mike shook his head sadly. "I wish just one of them could have won," he said.
"They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them."
That’s when the idea for his present came.
That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.
On Christmas Eve, I placed an envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me.
His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas.
Each Christmas, I followed the tradition—one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year giving a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas.
The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas.
It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and our children would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.
As the children grew, the envelope never lost its allure.
The story doesn’t end there.
We lost Mike due to cancer.
When Christmas rolled around, I was so wrapped up in grief that I barely got the tree up.
But on Christmas Eve I placed an envelope on the tree, and in the morning it was joined by three more.
Each of our children had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad.
The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelopes.
Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.
1. Friends don’t wait until someone is gone—start this year!
2. Start a godly tradition with your family—try this one or start your own!
3. But start a tradition of grace in your Christmas giving this year!
4. We have received God’s grace not to keep it to ourselves, but to give it away!
5. Isn’t that what Christmas should be about?
6. We have received God’s grace in order to give it away!
7. Isn’t that a gift worth giving?
8. 1 Peter 4:10, Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
