WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.620 I'm going to be reading a couple of verses of 00:00:02.620 --> 00:00:05.440 scripture today. Now number one in Matthew chapter 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:09.199 2 and verse 11. If you'd be so kind, I'm not 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:12.619 going to be very long today. I know that on this 00:00:12.619 --> 00:00:15.839 day there are many activities going on and we 00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:19.039 know that it's a great time of year to celebrate. 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:22.640 There are some families that are already traveling 00:00:22.640 --> 00:00:25.920 on vacation and going different places. We pray 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:29.019 that God would... Take and bring them back safe 00:00:29.019 --> 00:00:31.660 and sound. We're going to read today out of this 00:00:31.660 --> 00:00:33.700 verse because we're here with a purpose. Amen. 00:00:33.780 --> 00:00:36.240 And I'm going to begin reading now in Matthew 00:00:36.240 --> 00:00:39.520 chapter 2 verse 11. And when they had come into 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:43.380 the house, they saw the young child with Mary 00:00:43.380 --> 00:00:47.320 his mother and bowed down and worshipped him. 00:00:47.899 --> 00:00:50.479 When they had opened up their treasures, they 00:00:50.479 --> 00:00:56.240 presented gifts to him. Gold, frankincense, and 00:00:56.240 --> 00:01:00.090 myrrh. I'd like to read one more verse of scripture 00:01:00.090 --> 00:01:04.609 found in the book of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 00:01:04.609 --> 00:01:08.930 4 and verse 7. Not your typical Christmas verse, 00:01:09.049 --> 00:01:12.230 but there is a point here that I'd like to make. 00:01:13.189 --> 00:01:16.609 Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 7 and in verse 00:01:16.609 --> 00:01:21.450 8 it reads, But to each one of us grace was given 00:01:21.450 --> 00:01:25.989 according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore, 00:01:26.409 --> 00:01:31.370 He says, when he ascended on high, he led captivity 00:01:31.370 --> 00:01:35.769 captive and gave gifts. I want to say gave gifts. 00:01:35.829 --> 00:01:40.150 Gave gifts to men. I'm going to, with God's help 00:01:40.150 --> 00:01:42.549 today, for a few moments, I want to speak on 00:01:42.549 --> 00:01:45.909 this thought, the gift exchange. The gift exchange. 00:01:46.189 --> 00:01:47.969 I'm going to invite you to pray with me once 00:01:47.969 --> 00:01:51.650 again. Let us ask God to speak to us, to have 00:01:51.650 --> 00:01:53.870 his way throughout the remainder of this service. 00:01:54.409 --> 00:01:56.590 Father, we come before you right now, Lord, we 00:01:56.590 --> 00:01:59.189 thank you for your presence, that we feel so 00:01:59.189 --> 00:02:02.909 richly, so profoundly in this place. We've come, 00:02:02.930 --> 00:02:06.170 Lord, with a made -up mind to give you glory, 00:02:06.310 --> 00:02:10.009 to give you honor. I ask God that as we enter 00:02:10.009 --> 00:02:13.509 into your word, that you would speak to us, Lord, 00:02:13.610 --> 00:02:15.330 that you would encourage us, that you would help 00:02:15.330 --> 00:02:19.389 us to see the great gift exchange that happened 00:02:19.389 --> 00:02:23.229 2 ,000 years ago and continues to happen today. 00:02:23.930 --> 00:02:27.449 Lord, I ask that you would anoint my mind, anoint 00:02:27.449 --> 00:02:30.849 my lips, Lord, that every word I speak would 00:02:30.849 --> 00:02:33.810 bring glory to you. We ask this in the name of 00:02:33.810 --> 00:02:37.789 Jesus, we pray. Somebody say amen. Amen. You 00:02:37.789 --> 00:02:41.370 may be seated in God's presence. Every Christmas, 00:02:41.430 --> 00:02:46.610 my family does a gift exchange. Maybe yours does 00:02:46.610 --> 00:02:50.689 too, where we exchange names, draw names, and 00:02:50.689 --> 00:02:54.580 set a price on it. I think some time a year ago, 00:02:54.719 --> 00:02:57.060 a few years ago, the price limit was like $10 00:02:57.060 --> 00:02:59.659 or something. But I guess we're adjusting for 00:02:59.659 --> 00:03:03.620 inflation. Because now it's like $50. And I don't 00:03:03.620 --> 00:03:06.060 know if it's going to go up to $75 or $100 in 00:03:06.060 --> 00:03:08.680 the future. But God is going to help us with 00:03:08.680 --> 00:03:12.960 that. Amen. And we do this. And it's important. 00:03:13.099 --> 00:03:16.520 It's special. Because whatever name you draw, 00:03:16.659 --> 00:03:19.199 you have to think about that person. What do 00:03:19.199 --> 00:03:23.080 they like? What don't they like? It's not like 00:03:23.080 --> 00:03:25.460 those white elephant gift exchanges. I don't 00:03:25.460 --> 00:03:28.159 know if you've done one of those where you just 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:31.199 randomly bring a gift to some random person and 00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:32.979 you don't know what it is. And lots of times, 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:36.599 those gifts are very generic. They're very general. 00:03:36.699 --> 00:03:39.120 Or sometimes they're kind of playful or quirky. 00:03:39.379 --> 00:03:41.840 And it might be something that the person receiving 00:03:41.840 --> 00:03:45.620 it might not ever use. That's a white elephant 00:03:45.620 --> 00:03:48.060 gift exchange. But a real gift exchange, a normal 00:03:48.060 --> 00:03:52.240 one, is where you consider the person. And you 00:03:52.240 --> 00:03:54.860 start to think about what they might want or 00:03:54.860 --> 00:03:56.840 need. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm not 00:03:56.840 --> 00:03:59.580 the mess that taking gifts. And I need a little 00:03:59.580 --> 00:04:02.000 bit of help. So it helps when someone gives me 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:06.340 a list. How many of you appreciate a list? And 00:04:06.340 --> 00:04:08.639 even better, just send it to the Amazon link. 00:04:11.219 --> 00:04:14.919 That takes all the fun. But for some of us, we 00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:18.040 need a list because we don't want to get it wrong. 00:04:18.670 --> 00:04:21.550 Right? We don't want to see someone open up that 00:04:21.550 --> 00:04:23.810 gift and then they say those words that we don't 00:04:23.810 --> 00:04:25.930 know if they mean it or not. But it's just what 00:04:25.930 --> 00:04:30.370 I've always wanted. And sometimes that's the 00:04:30.370 --> 00:04:34.129 case, sometimes it's not. But we always want 00:04:34.129 --> 00:04:36.610 to give that gift that is going to be enjoyed 00:04:36.610 --> 00:04:42.110 and most of all used. The most enjoyable part 00:04:42.110 --> 00:04:44.769 of the gift exchange is not when the gift is 00:04:44.769 --> 00:04:48.600 purchased or even when it's wrapped. But when 00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:52.160 it's opened. I've attended some Christmas parties 00:04:52.160 --> 00:04:57.160 when sometimes there's a gift left there. And 00:04:57.160 --> 00:05:01.240 no one knows who it's for. No one even knows 00:05:01.240 --> 00:05:04.120 who brought it. Has that ever happened? There's 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:06.500 that one gift that's left there. And it's just 00:05:06.500 --> 00:05:08.540 like people are trying to, well, is the name 00:05:08.540 --> 00:05:10.740 on the bottom somewhere? Who brought this gift? 00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:13.899 Who's wrapping this? And they're trying to figure 00:05:13.899 --> 00:05:16.060 it out. Usually somebody will say, well, I'll 00:05:16.060 --> 00:05:21.060 open it. wants it. And it's a shame when a gift 00:05:21.060 --> 00:05:25.500 is left unopened. When a gift is sitting there 00:05:25.500 --> 00:05:30.180 waiting to be unwrapped. Gifts are meant to be 00:05:30.180 --> 00:05:35.740 opened. Unwrapped and enjoyed. And that is exactly 00:05:35.740 --> 00:05:39.480 what we see in Matthew chapter 2. The Magi, the 00:05:39.480 --> 00:05:45.680 wise men, they came to, not just to observe Jesus, 00:05:46.410 --> 00:05:50.170 They didn't come merely to admire him, to pay 00:05:50.170 --> 00:05:56.209 their respects, to just look at him and appreciate 00:05:56.209 --> 00:05:59.069 what was happening. The Bible says that these 00:05:59.069 --> 00:06:02.389 men came from the far east and they traveled 00:06:02.389 --> 00:06:05.230 many, many miles and they came into the house 00:06:05.230 --> 00:06:09.290 where Jesus was. They fell down and they worshiped 00:06:09.290 --> 00:06:14.189 him and they presented their gifts. To Jesus 00:06:14.189 --> 00:06:17.250 Christ. And this was all part of a divine gift 00:06:17.250 --> 00:06:20.470 exchange that was occurring. Heaven had already 00:06:20.470 --> 00:06:24.449 given the greatest gift of all to humanity. It 00:06:24.449 --> 00:06:27.689 came wrapped in the form of flesh of Jesus Christ. 00:06:27.829 --> 00:06:31.589 God, Emmanuel, God with us. That was the greatest 00:06:31.589 --> 00:06:35.449 gift. But earth then responded by giving its 00:06:35.449 --> 00:06:39.769 best gifts back to heaven. And this was the great 00:06:39.769 --> 00:06:43.279 gift exchange that occurred. on that day in bethlehem 00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:45.519 but i'm here to tell you that the exchange did 00:06:45.519 --> 00:06:49.480 not end in bethlehem the apostle paul tells us 00:06:49.480 --> 00:06:53.579 in ephesians 4 that jesus came to give gifts 00:06:53.579 --> 00:06:58.500 to men he came to give gifts to people and so 00:06:58.500 --> 00:07:02.980 from that point on on that day in bethlehem there's 00:07:02.980 --> 00:07:06.100 been a divine gift exchange occurring between 00:07:06.100 --> 00:07:09.819 heaven and earth between god and man between 00:07:09.819 --> 00:07:13.850 divinity and humanity. And we all are here today 00:07:13.850 --> 00:07:17.149 in some part, one way or another, because of 00:07:17.149 --> 00:07:20.949 that divine gift exchange. Because God sent that 00:07:20.949 --> 00:07:23.589 first gift to us. And that's what I want to focus 00:07:23.589 --> 00:07:26.269 on here for just a moment to begin with, is that 00:07:26.269 --> 00:07:30.569 Jesus is the original gift. Somebody say amen 00:07:30.569 --> 00:07:35.810 for that. He's the original gift. God initiated 00:07:35.810 --> 00:07:40.230 the gift exchange. With his incarnation, God 00:07:40.230 --> 00:07:46.069 in flesh. God was not wrapped in decorative paper 00:07:46.069 --> 00:07:49.730 or bows such as we see here today so beautifully 00:07:49.730 --> 00:07:53.250 demonstrated. But he was wrapped in swaddling 00:07:53.250 --> 00:07:57.250 cloths. The angel told the shepherds these words 00:07:57.250 --> 00:08:01.129 in Luke 2 and verse 12. And this will be a sign 00:08:01.129 --> 00:08:05.769 to you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling 00:08:05.769 --> 00:08:10.319 cloths lying. in a manger. Some have suggested 00:08:10.319 --> 00:08:13.759 that the swaddling cloth foreshadows the burial 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:18.060 clothes that would one day wrap Jesus' crucified 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:22.180 body, which pointed to His ultimate mission to 00:08:22.180 --> 00:08:26.839 redeem and save humanity from their sin. What 00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:30.399 the swaddling cloth teaches me more than anything 00:08:30.399 --> 00:08:34.720 else is that you ought never to judge God's gift 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:39.669 by its wrapping. Never judge the gift by its 00:08:39.669 --> 00:08:43.009 wrapping. Never judge the outside or never judge 00:08:43.009 --> 00:08:45.850 the content of the gift by how it's wrapped. 00:08:46.009 --> 00:08:49.889 As the wise men or the magi came to Christ or 00:08:49.889 --> 00:08:53.370 as the shepherds came to Him and began to worship 00:08:53.370 --> 00:08:57.090 Him, if they were to judge the outside wrapping, 00:08:57.309 --> 00:09:01.669 they might not appreciate and truly see what 00:09:01.669 --> 00:09:05.330 was before them because the wrappings were humble. 00:09:05.929 --> 00:09:09.370 But the greatest gifts of God often arrive in 00:09:09.370 --> 00:09:13.549 the plainest packaging, in humble wrapping. You 00:09:13.549 --> 00:09:16.870 see, Jesus did not come riding on a white horse, 00:09:17.110 --> 00:09:20.710 nor in a golden carriage, nor did he walk on 00:09:20.710 --> 00:09:24.350 red carpet. In fact, Isaiah said that he had 00:09:24.350 --> 00:09:27.789 no form or comeliness, that there was no beauty. 00:09:28.379 --> 00:09:31.419 about Him that we should desire. And there was 00:09:31.419 --> 00:09:34.179 nothing about Jesus' outward appearance that 00:09:34.179 --> 00:09:37.120 would suggest to us that He was royalty, that 00:09:37.120 --> 00:09:40.419 He was the Messiah, that He was Almighty God 00:09:40.419 --> 00:09:43.580 among us. There was nothing about the outside, 00:09:43.820 --> 00:09:47.519 the exterior, the wrapping, the hour layers of 00:09:47.519 --> 00:09:50.379 His life that would suggest, that would indicate 00:09:50.379 --> 00:09:53.279 that you were standing or that you were dealing 00:09:53.279 --> 00:09:56.090 in the presence of Almighty God. In fact, If 00:09:56.090 --> 00:09:58.429 you look just at the outside wrapping, at the 00:09:58.429 --> 00:10:01.049 swaddling paws, or let me put it this way, even 00:10:01.049 --> 00:10:04.450 the manger that he was in, lying in, the hay 00:10:04.450 --> 00:10:07.509 that he was there with the animals and that humble 00:10:07.509 --> 00:10:09.570 beginning. If you would look at all that, you 00:10:09.570 --> 00:10:12.730 would not think that this was indeed the God 00:10:12.730 --> 00:10:16.149 of glory, God of all creation, God of heaven 00:10:16.149 --> 00:10:18.909 and earth dwelling among us. You might think 00:10:18.909 --> 00:10:22.009 that this was just anybody or anything. But this 00:10:22.009 --> 00:10:25.649 announces to us the way that God thinks and the 00:10:25.649 --> 00:10:28.570 way that He works. Because the greatest gifts 00:10:28.570 --> 00:10:31.929 of God do not come wrapped in bright and shiny 00:10:31.929 --> 00:10:57.580 paper. before and it may not look like you think 00:10:57.580 --> 00:11:00.259 it's going to look. It may not arrive the way 00:11:00.259 --> 00:11:02.779 you think it's going to arrive. But I'm coming 00:11:02.779 --> 00:11:05.259 to tell you today that if you will simply trust 00:11:05.259 --> 00:11:09.059 in God and see that his greatest gifts come wrapped 00:11:09.059 --> 00:11:12.440 in humble wrapping, you might discover your greatest 00:11:12.440 --> 00:11:15.019 miracle. You might discover something that'll 00:11:15.019 --> 00:11:24.340 change your life. the wrapping and the same thing 00:11:24.340 --> 00:11:27.519 happens today. The Bible says that he came unto 00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:30.639 his own and his own received him not. Why? Because 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:34.259 they could not understand how God, how the God 00:11:34.259 --> 00:11:37.240 that they worshipped for generations could come 00:11:37.240 --> 00:11:41.500 in the form of this humble man. And they could 00:11:41.500 --> 00:11:45.120 not accept the fact that he was not a political 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:50.259 leader or a military leader or a fluent leader. 00:11:50.600 --> 00:11:53.519 but that he was a humble man and he started through 00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:57.379 humble beginnings. But if we will see through 00:11:57.379 --> 00:12:01.000 the eyes of faith that the gifts of God become 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:03.879 wrapped in mysterious offering. There are things 00:12:03.879 --> 00:12:06.419 that God wants to do and I don't want you to 00:12:06.419 --> 00:12:09.879 reject God's greatest gift in your life because 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:12.500 it arrives in a package you don't recognize. 00:12:12.980 --> 00:12:15.740 I've come today not just to celebrate the birth 00:12:15.740 --> 00:12:19.080 of Jesus but I've come also to prophesy to somebody's 00:12:19.080 --> 00:12:22.409 future. Go into this next year. That there are 00:12:22.409 --> 00:12:24.870 going to be some gifts. That there's going to 00:12:24.870 --> 00:12:27.389 be some miracles. That there's going to be some 00:12:27.389 --> 00:13:30.259 blessings. That you may not recognize. But to 00:13:30.259 --> 00:13:32.919 sit there and think, why wasn't there a high 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:37.299 of people? Princes and princesses and royal officials 00:13:37.299 --> 00:13:41.039 and diplomats lined up ready because they did 00:13:41.039 --> 00:13:45.279 not recognize the rapping. They did not appreciate 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:49.240 and understand what God was doing. But oh, let 00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:52.500 me tell you, if we'll be like the wise men and 00:13:52.500 --> 00:13:54.600 if we'll seek Him with all of our hearts today, 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:57.919 we might just discover the greatest gift of all. 00:13:58.200 --> 00:14:07.820 And that is Christ in you. God initiated it all 00:14:07.820 --> 00:14:12.419 by coming to us. He sent forth his son and he 00:14:12.419 --> 00:14:16.980 is Emmanuel, God with us. And he was born of 00:14:16.980 --> 00:14:20.700 a woman and he stepped foot into our world. Think 00:14:20.700 --> 00:14:23.759 of that. God stepped foot into our world. The 00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:28.210 gift arrived at our doorstep. Amen. A gift arrived 00:14:28.210 --> 00:14:32.210 here, but let us not dismiss the wrapping. You 00:14:32.210 --> 00:14:34.389 know, like some of you right now, you might be 00:14:34.389 --> 00:14:36.490 checking your read count to see if Amazon just 00:14:36.490 --> 00:14:39.830 delivered that last gift. I got a notification. 00:14:40.149 --> 00:14:42.629 Hallelujah. I hope you trust your neighbors. 00:14:42.750 --> 00:14:47.389 Praise God. And I like that it doesn't announce 00:14:47.389 --> 00:14:50.070 what it is. I don't want anybody knowing what's 00:14:50.070 --> 00:14:52.169 in there, you know. They don't think it's just 00:14:52.169 --> 00:14:54.750 paperclip, but what they don't know is, you know, 00:14:54.750 --> 00:14:58.009 it might be something valuable in there, but 00:14:58.009 --> 00:14:59.990 you wouldn't know by the outside, right? Because 00:14:59.990 --> 00:15:03.049 it's just brown. You know, it's got plain wrapping 00:15:03.049 --> 00:15:06.169 on it. But to the one who's ready to receive, 00:15:06.370 --> 00:15:08.610 to the one that knows that something is on the 00:15:08.610 --> 00:15:11.210 way, and say, hey, all that looks like it's something 00:15:11.210 --> 00:15:13.809 ordinary, but on the inside, I know that there's 00:15:13.809 --> 00:15:15.769 a treasure in there. There's something that I'm 00:15:15.769 --> 00:15:23.250 going to enjoy. Let me tell you, number two, 00:15:23.269 --> 00:15:28.049 that worship is the gift that God wants. Let 00:15:28.049 --> 00:15:30.350 me ask you this question. What do you give someone 00:15:30.350 --> 00:15:35.590 who has everything? That's the situation that 00:15:35.590 --> 00:15:40.009 the wise men were in. What do you give a God 00:15:40.009 --> 00:15:43.309 who lacks nothing? What does a God who has everything 00:15:43.309 --> 00:15:48.029 seek from us? A God who already owns the cattle 00:15:48.029 --> 00:15:51.399 of a thousand hills. The silver and the gold 00:15:51.399 --> 00:15:56.679 are his. Heaven is his throne. Amen. And earth 00:15:56.679 --> 00:16:01.440 is his footstool. For a God that owns everything, 00:16:01.820 --> 00:16:04.799 all the diamonds, all the rubies, all the gems, 00:16:05.019 --> 00:16:08.399 silver, the gold, he has everything. What could 00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:10.840 he possibly want from us? I'll tell you what 00:16:10.840 --> 00:16:13.220 it is. The one thing he can't get enough of. 00:16:14.279 --> 00:16:16.419 And that's our worship. Somebody say worship. 00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:34.830 Worship. you worship him or not. Amen. But he 00:16:34.830 --> 00:16:41.090 wants it. He desires it. That's what he's looking 00:16:41.090 --> 00:16:45.309 for. And he'll go to the ends of the earth looking 00:16:45.309 --> 00:16:48.950 for somebody that will worship him. Oh, if you 00:16:48.950 --> 00:16:51.870 don't believe me, watch Jesus go into the land 00:16:51.870 --> 00:16:54.250 of Samaria to talk to a woman at the well, a 00:16:54.250 --> 00:16:57.929 Samaritan woman, not even from the stock of Israel, 00:16:57.970 --> 00:17:01.080 not even among one of... his disciples, but this 00:17:01.080 --> 00:17:04.480 woman with a broken past and had been through 00:17:04.480 --> 00:17:07.640 so many relationships and a sinful woman and 00:17:07.640 --> 00:17:11.079 Jesus goes out of his way. Why? Because she was 00:17:11.079 --> 00:17:15.099 a worshiper. She couldn't quite figure out what, 00:17:15.259 --> 00:17:18.099 but she was worshiping. And so Jesus goes out 00:17:18.099 --> 00:17:21.980 of it because God is looking for worship. And 00:17:21.980 --> 00:17:24.400 if he can't find it here, let me tell you, he'll 00:17:24.400 --> 00:17:31.940 find it somewhere else. just because we drove 00:17:31.940 --> 00:17:34.559 to church and because we're here doesn't mean 00:17:34.559 --> 00:18:32.039 God is obligated to show up. So what kind of 00:18:32.039 --> 00:18:34.579 worship is God looking for? Well, he's looking 00:18:34.579 --> 00:18:38.619 for the worship that he designed you to do. Because 00:18:38.619 --> 00:18:41.779 each and every one of us have a worship that 00:18:41.779 --> 00:18:47.460 is unique to you. Something that only you can 00:18:47.460 --> 00:18:51.220 offer. Your voice, your talents, your abilities, 00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:54.940 your time, your treasure. The wise men brought 00:18:54.940 --> 00:18:58.220 their gifts. And if I had time, we could look 00:18:58.220 --> 00:19:02.200 at each one in detail. But I'll just briefly 00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:05.440 mention what they represent. They brought gold, 00:19:05.700 --> 00:19:10.839 frankincense, and myrrh. The gold speaks of God's 00:19:10.839 --> 00:19:15.880 royalty, His kingship. The frankincense speaks 00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:21.960 of His divinity. As frankincense was burned daily 00:19:21.960 --> 00:19:25.480 in the temple as an act of prayer and worship 00:19:25.480 --> 00:19:30.359 unto God. Myrrh signifies His sacrificial death 00:19:30.359 --> 00:19:33.660 because myrrh was a spice that was used to anoint 00:19:33.660 --> 00:19:37.619 and embalm the dead. Every one of these gifts 00:19:37.619 --> 00:19:41.460 was symbolic, representing His kingship, representing 00:19:41.460 --> 00:19:45.579 His divine authority or His priesthood, and also 00:19:45.579 --> 00:19:49.319 representing His ultimate sacrifice on the cross. 00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:52.099 And it brought these valuable gifts. But let 00:19:52.099 --> 00:19:54.920 me tell you something. Although these gifts were 00:19:54.920 --> 00:19:57.940 valuable, there was something that God was more 00:19:57.940 --> 00:20:02.759 interested in. He wasn't just interested in their 00:20:02.759 --> 00:20:06.500 gifts. God was more interested in the posture 00:20:06.500 --> 00:20:11.059 of their hearts. More than the price of their 00:20:11.059 --> 00:20:14.759 gifts. We think if I bring God an expensive gift, 00:20:15.079 --> 00:20:20.819 you'll be impressed. Huh? We think if I drop 00:20:20.819 --> 00:20:23.259 a big offering, God will be impressed. Well, 00:20:23.299 --> 00:20:26.220 you can do that today if you like. Don't turn 00:20:26.220 --> 00:20:37.509 it away. we have to offer. That God is impressed 00:20:37.509 --> 00:20:40.849 with that. God is not again, He's the God that 00:20:40.849 --> 00:20:44.869 owns everything. He's not impressed with the 00:20:44.869 --> 00:20:47.710 price of our gifts. It doesn't matter how much 00:20:47.710 --> 00:20:51.150 it costs us. What God is impressed with is the 00:20:51.150 --> 00:20:55.289 worship and the attitude and the position of 00:20:55.289 --> 00:21:00.150 our hearts as we give these gifts unto God. The 00:21:00.150 --> 00:21:09.579 Bible says that the wise men worship God and 00:21:09.579 --> 00:22:04.150 this is what by what you lift up. He's moved 00:22:04.150 --> 00:22:09.049 by what you lay down. God is not moved by the 00:22:09.049 --> 00:22:11.210 gifts that we lift up. Look at this shiny and 00:22:11.210 --> 00:22:13.289 look at this wonderful and look at this expensive 00:22:13.289 --> 00:22:15.910 thing that I got. Oh, that might be nice. That 00:22:15.910 --> 00:22:17.950 impresses. You know who that impresses? That 00:22:17.950 --> 00:22:20.210 impresses your peer. That impresses your neighbor. 00:22:20.369 --> 00:22:23.210 That impresses somebody else. But what truly 00:22:23.210 --> 00:22:26.289 impresses God is by not what you're willing to 00:22:26.289 --> 00:22:28.769 lift up, but what you're willing to lay down. 00:22:31.129 --> 00:22:34.170 These men were willing to lay down. If they had 00:22:34.170 --> 00:22:36.710 crowns or anything. They laid those things down. 00:22:36.849 --> 00:22:40.150 And they laid them down at the feet. And at where 00:22:40.150 --> 00:22:43.089 Jesus was resting. They laid those things down. 00:22:43.390 --> 00:22:45.670 And this is what touches and moves the heart 00:22:45.670 --> 00:22:48.789 of God. And this is the time church. This is 00:22:48.789 --> 00:22:51.190 the time everyone today. We come to celebrate 00:22:51.190 --> 00:22:54.430 Jesus. We come to celebrate his birth. But how 00:22:54.430 --> 00:22:57.049 do we celebrate? Not simply singing Christmas 00:22:57.049 --> 00:23:00.150 carols. Not simply going to the motions of the 00:23:00.150 --> 00:23:03.819 season. But we celebrate his birth. and His life 00:23:03.819 --> 00:23:08.839 by laying down our pride, laying down our status, 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:12.519 laying down our name for the name that is above 00:23:12.519 --> 00:23:16.299 all names, laying down all of these things for 00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:19.480 the glory of God. And so when we think about 00:23:19.480 --> 00:23:22.839 the gift that we give to Him, It is not so much 00:23:22.839 --> 00:23:26.000 the price or the quantity. It's the quality. 00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:30.000 It's my life surrender to God. I believe right 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:32.940 now God is talking to somebody in this building 00:23:32.940 --> 00:23:35.640 today. I'll be just a moment. But God is talking 00:23:35.640 --> 00:23:38.079 to somebody today and saying, what is it that 00:23:38.079 --> 00:23:40.579 you're willing to lay down? What is it that you're 00:23:40.579 --> 00:23:44.480 willing to give? Because if you will give, you'll 00:23:44.480 --> 00:23:48.180 see how I will always out give you. Hallelujah. 00:23:48.839 --> 00:24:09.259 Why don't we give the Lord a hand, please? He's 00:24:09.259 --> 00:24:13.720 the original gift giver. That's right. He's the 00:24:13.720 --> 00:24:20.000 original gift giver. Who owns that house? We're 00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:24.880 talking about Jesus. He's the original. God is 00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:28.819 the original gift giver. And you know that when 00:24:28.819 --> 00:24:32.440 God shows up, He never shows up in the end. He 00:24:32.440 --> 00:24:39.900 never shows up in the end. When he came down 00:24:39.900 --> 00:24:42.559 to earth, he came to give us some amazing gifts. 00:24:44.799 --> 00:24:47.880 In his presence, the Bible says, is fullness 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:52.440 of joy. And on his right hand, pleasures forevermore. 00:24:53.960 --> 00:24:56.680 God brings his gifts. I want to say he brings 00:24:56.680 --> 00:25:01.319 his gifts. He brings his gifts. When he shows 00:25:01.319 --> 00:25:05.720 up, he doesn't just show up empty handed. I'll 00:25:05.720 --> 00:25:09.500 put it to you this way. the presence of God brings 00:25:09.500 --> 00:25:18.420 the presence of God. The presence of God brings 00:25:18.420 --> 00:25:23.200 the presence or the gifts of God. Because even 00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:25.299 Jesus thought that if a father knows how to give 00:25:25.299 --> 00:25:28.339 good gifts to his children, how much more your 00:25:28.339 --> 00:25:33.619 heavenly father who gives gifts to his. When 00:25:33.619 --> 00:25:37.799 God shows up, He shows up with gifts in his hands. 00:25:38.519 --> 00:25:41.460 And I'm going to hear you tell your name. That 00:25:41.460 --> 00:25:45.319 the presence of God is here to give out gifts 00:25:45.319 --> 00:25:48.660 to his people. You say, well, what kind of gift 00:25:48.660 --> 00:25:52.660 are we talking about? That's what I'm asking. 00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:57.160 By definition, a gift or a present is something 00:25:57.160 --> 00:26:01.500 that is freely given. You can't earn it. Because 00:26:01.500 --> 00:26:06.460 the moment that you... And again, now it's a 00:26:06.460 --> 00:26:08.859 transaction. And unfortunately, that's how some 00:26:08.859 --> 00:26:12.420 view their relationship with God. If I give him 00:26:12.420 --> 00:26:15.880 this, he will give me that. If I do this, he 00:26:15.880 --> 00:26:19.240 will do that. Now, there are some kingdom principles 00:26:19.240 --> 00:26:23.240 that you can reap what you sow. And there are 00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:26.720 some things in that that are true about God blessing 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:30.119 what we give him in return. But let me tell you, 00:26:30.220 --> 00:26:35.940 God's not a vending machine. Amen. just get to 00:26:35.940 --> 00:26:40.039 push this button and then God gives us. Nor can 00:26:40.039 --> 00:26:44.299 God be paid off. You can't bribe Him. You can't 00:26:44.299 --> 00:26:46.960 earn your way there. You can't work your way 00:26:46.960 --> 00:26:51.539 there. It is freely given to us. But the gifts 00:26:51.539 --> 00:26:54.160 of God are available to all of us here today. 00:26:54.279 --> 00:26:55.660 They're not for sale. Someone say, they're not 00:26:55.660 --> 00:26:59.559 for sale. You can't buy them. You can't get them 00:26:59.559 --> 00:27:02.329 on eBay, Amazon. Walmart, Target, Hallelujah. 00:27:02.690 --> 00:27:07.750 They must be received by faith. And there are 00:27:07.750 --> 00:27:10.269 some gifts that God wants to give. So in these 00:27:10.269 --> 00:27:11.809 next few moments, as I get ready to close this 00:27:11.809 --> 00:27:15.690 up, what kinds of gifts does God offer? What 00:27:15.690 --> 00:27:17.910 kinds of presents does He offer? Number one, 00:27:17.990 --> 00:27:57.589 salvation. Who blessed to be the next? received 00:27:57.589 --> 00:28:01.470 that gift, if you haven't accepted Christ as 00:28:01.470 --> 00:28:04.730 your personal Savior, then hear me today. There's 00:28:04.730 --> 00:28:07.009 a big gift that you need to open in your life. 00:28:07.170 --> 00:28:09.750 It's called the gift of salvation. It's free. 00:28:10.670 --> 00:28:12.529 God's not going to charge you no more because 00:28:12.529 --> 00:28:16.329 He already paid the price for it. Hallelujah. 00:28:16.769 --> 00:28:20.410 The gift of salvation is bought and paid for 00:28:20.410 --> 00:28:24.250 with His own blood that He shed for us on Calvary. 00:28:24.390 --> 00:28:28.809 Hallelujah. From the cradle to the cross. He 00:28:28.809 --> 00:28:33.130 paid the price for our salvation. So somebody 00:28:33.130 --> 00:28:34.670 here today, or maybe somebody who's watching 00:28:34.670 --> 00:28:37.549 this broadcast at some point, open up that gift. 00:28:37.690 --> 00:28:40.009 Open your heart to God and say, Lord, I want 00:28:40.009 --> 00:28:43.349 you to shake me. Hallelujah. The second gift 00:28:43.349 --> 00:28:46.630 that God can give you is the gift of the Holy 00:28:46.630 --> 00:29:40.019 Spirit. Thank you. to receive this gift, or I 00:29:40.019 --> 00:29:43.819 have not spoken in tongues in many months or 00:29:43.819 --> 00:29:47.839 even years. I have not felt His Spirit like I 00:29:47.839 --> 00:29:52.740 once did. God wants to gift you today His Spirit. 00:29:52.819 --> 00:30:12.250 Oh, thank you, Jesus. is his blessings. The Bible 00:30:12.250 --> 00:30:16.910 says that every good and perfect gift is from 00:30:16.910 --> 00:30:19.490 above. Some of you are waiting on blessings from 00:30:19.490 --> 00:30:23.430 the Lord. You're waiting on gifts. You're waiting 00:30:23.430 --> 00:30:27.869 on miracles. You're waiting on peace to come. 00:30:46.480 --> 00:31:30.660 Financial blessings Spiritual blessings just 00:31:30.660 --> 00:31:34.099 says there are diversities of gifts, but the 00:31:34.099 --> 00:31:37.759 same Spirit. There are the gifts of the Spirit 00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:40.880 known as denying gifts of the Spirit that God 00:31:40.880 --> 00:31:43.859 wants to give to His church. Gifts such as healing 00:31:43.859 --> 00:31:47.079 and gifts as working of miracles and gifts of 00:31:47.079 --> 00:31:51.240 faith and discernment, wisdom. These are gifts 00:31:51.240 --> 00:31:53.480 that God wants to give, but there's other gifts, 00:31:53.599 --> 00:31:55.980 there's other talents that God wants to give 00:31:55.980 --> 00:31:58.259 to His people. I'm here to tell you today, church, 00:31:58.480 --> 00:32:03.230 that from this point on. God is going to unleash. 00:32:03.390 --> 00:32:09.309 God is going to pour out such great gifts in 00:32:09.309 --> 00:32:16.910 our midst. Hallelujah. God wants to give gifts 00:32:16.910 --> 00:32:35.099 to His people. is if I came to give worship, 00:32:35.220 --> 00:32:38.119 that's right, we have come to worship. We have 00:32:38.119 --> 00:33:16.569 come to praise Him. Something supernatural!