FBCWest 430 | Many Gifts
Recorded On: 12/20/0001
Bulletin
FBCWest
December 20, 2020
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship Him in Spirit and truth.”
“O Come, All Ye Faithful”
Praise and Worship
SCRIPTURE READING – Luke 2:8 - 14
“Christmas Day”
“Born In Bethlehem”
“This is Christmas”
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
“Joy to the World! The Lord Is Come”
“The First Nowell the Angels Did Say”
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
SPECIAL MUSIC – By Pru Hungate
SPECIAL MUSIC – By Libby Davis: O Holy Night”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Many Gifts”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“Go Tell It on the Mountain”
“Silent Night, Holy Night”
Acknowledgements and Announcements
Benediction “Won’t Stop Now”
Sermon Notes
Ephesians 2:8 & 9 Gift of salvation
Romans 6:23 Gift of eternal life
1 Corinthians 12:1, 4 - 11 Spiritual gifts
1 Corinthians 12:31; 14:1
Earnestly desire greater gifts James 1:17
Every perfect gift is from above
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
The awesome thing about God is not what perfection is, what he seeks.
But from your heart.
At this time.
Of year.
You hear a lot of questions.
About what would you like for Christmas?
And there aren't many answers now. Children oftentimes will give you an answer what they'd like for Christmas, and they have a sometimes a fairly lengthy list.
We adults for some reason I don't know if it's because we have learned.
To be modest in on our request or whatever that we tend not to give true help to our friends and relatives. What we want for Christmas.
In our culture, it's interesting 'cause you'll watch.
On the commercials.
And you will see people will give their spouse or significant other very expensive vehicle.
Or
where our culture is. Some people decide that because they think they've been very good. They by themselves are very expensive vehicle.
But we don't give our give each other a real opportunity to say this is what I want.
And so you know you may actually want a real expensive vehicle.
I wouldn't mind having a Maserati. That'd be kind of cool.
I never asked anybody for it because I don't know anybody could afford one, and even if they could, they probably wouldn't give it to me anyway.
Or you may be content as the child sings. All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth.
Your list of of desires aren't all that large.
But one of the sad things about Christmas time.
Is that we kind of concentrate on the gifts that we give each other?
Or the gifts that we don't get that we were hoping to get.
But we seem to neglect.
The gifts.
That God gives.
Now.
Like I said, I don't know anybody.
Who could afford to give me a Maserati?
I don't know. Anybody could afford to give me a.
You named the inexpensive car 'cause Arnie, but whatever that car is.
They probably won't get, but we do have a relative.
Who's rich?
He's rich in Murphy.
He's rich in power.
He's rich in glory. He's even rich in wealth.
And this relative that we call Father.
Once to give us some pretty amazing gifts.
And what I want you to know is that all the gifts this Christmas are not necessarily under the Christmas tree.
But it's certainly under a tree.
Then we called the old rugged cross.
And I want to talk about a few of these gifts.
That you might.
See and say alright, God?
This is what I'd like from you for Christmas.
And so the first gift that I want that he offers.
Is found in Ephesians Chapter 2 starting with verse 8.
Or by Grace you have been saved through faith.
And that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, lest anyone should boast. So our faith was leads into Salvation is given to us by God.
Now, I don't care if you do get the Maserati, you're not going to take it with you when you go.
But a gift of Salvation. Lastborn eternity.
And therefore we should take a look and say God.
Do I have this gift?
Have you given? Have I taken this gift and unwrapped it and used it because it is a gift from you, my father.
He gives us another gift.
And you will find that in Romans.
Chapter 6.
Starting with verse 28.
For the wages of sin is death.
But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now I want to understand that God says.
You get compensated for sinning.
Most of us would probably do it for free.
'cause 'cause we just that's what we do. We just we just send.
But God says you're going to be compensated for your sin. You're going to earn wages and that wages is going to cause you death. However, God has a gift, and Paul is so aesthetic in this gift, because a gift is something you receive without compensation. It's free.
But Paul the make sure that we just get it. He goes the free gift of God.
So the gift gift of God.
Is eternal life.
Now it is awesome to be saved, but to be saved from what that we might have eternal life. Not that we might have eternal existence, but that we have eternal life.
And this gift again of eternal life is free.
I remember when Libby and I were hadn't been married for very long.
We received this.
Flyer in the Mail. They said that we had one.
Possible three different gifts.
All we had to do is claim one of these three gifts was to go and listen to a sales pitch on joining a price discount kind of club. Now this tell you how long ago this was.
If you if you paid the initiation fees and the annual face, they would give you a catalog.
No, you don't go online. You don't. You know you don't. Amazon doesn't deliver it. You get a catalog and it gives you a discount price. Now I didn't want to go 'cause I'm the type of person who's.
I don't look at a gift horse in the mouth as I could never find a gift horse to begin with, but it goes. Look at there are three potential things that we win. One was like a car figure that was out.
The other was A and this was big back then a 25 inch TV.
And the least gift was a barbecue.
And then he goes even it's just a barbecue, it'll be worth it.
You know 'cause you're looking, you know? OK, we can grill steaks or whatever, so.
We go.
And we go through the sales pitch.
And you know, if you don't, if you don't do it now, you know you'll never get the chance. And yeah, can I just go? Can I just go so? Then you after you've gone through the sailfish, they so now we're thinking, OK, we're going to get a car a 25 inch TV or barbecue. That's cool. We can invite the family over and we can have a good time.
So they look in. Lo and behold, we get the cheapest gift which was a barbecue.
So I'm waiting for them to roll it out or put it on their big box, whatever.
It was a tin foil.
Barbecue.
This big that you could use one time.
That was wonderful. That was definitely worth the all the time I spent to drive here. Go through your.
Your sales pitch and get a what which I don't think we ever use.
Now the one I will tell you there was one benefit in that.
Every time we got one of those sales pitches in the Mail, I said remember the barbeque and we never had to go again, so.
But not all gifts are all that great.
Even though they sound wonderful.
But God has offered us.
As a free gift.
Eternal life.
Now the awesome thing with with God is this eternal life is the one that we're homeless or the Wanderer.
That's part of what Christmas Emmanuel God with us, and he tells us that we will dwell in his house forever.
I think pretty awesome gift.
That you get to be with God.
In a place that he is prepared.
For you.
But I want to talk about some more.
Practical gifts if you will.
Today
the scriptures tell us in First Corinthians chapter 12 I'm going to verse one and skip the verse 4 now concerning spiritual gifts. Brother and I do not want you to be unaware, so God is going to offer us spiritual gifts.
And Paul.
Says I don't want you to be unaware of these spiritual gifts. Like I said, all too often we are so concerned about the gifts under the Christmas tree that we don't see the potential of gifts.
That God has for us.
It doesn't have to wait till Christmas.
Until he says in verse 4.
Now there are a variety of gifts.
But the same spirit, and there are a variety of ministries and the same Lord. There are a variety of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.
But to each one is given the manifestation of the spirit for the common good.
So now what I want you to 1st understand is God has given.
A variety of gifts to a variety of people to a variety of effects to a variety of situations, but he does so for the common good.
All too often people want to receive a particular gift of spirituality so that they might say I'm better than you.
I can do XI can do why you can't. Therefore I'm more spiritual than you.
That is not the purpose that God gives these gifts that he's going to lift. He does so that it might be the good for all of us.
Not that you might say. Oh, I'm so spiritual look what God is given to me.
Now I will tell you.
Then if somebody gave me the Maserati, I'd probably let you know who gave it to me.
But it gave me the MA Zarate.
Instead, you can only use it.
Two Uber round.
The church members.
Then it would have a different if you will it it was, it was given to me to be used for you, so that you might have transportation.
Now all of a sudden the Maserati doesn't seem quite as appealing.
Because I'm just now a shelf.
But God is given a number of this.
Four to one.
Is given the word of wisdom through the spirit and to another. The word of knowledge according to the same spirit, to another faith, by the same spirit, and to another gifts of healing by 1 spirit. I want to stop there.
All of these gifts I would love to have.
I would also love to have as I just stopped the gift of healing.
'cause I've had too many family members and friends.
And members of this congregation.
That I would have just been able to lay my hands on.
Inhale them.
But apparently God decided not to give me that kind of gift because I don't know how to use them.
Because sometimes people are just called home 'cause God has chosen to call them home.
And I may not know the difference.
And especially as being pastor, because there are a number of times when people will come to me and say they or their family member or a close relative or a friend has some terrible disease, cancer or something. And what I pray for them.
Now I understand most of the time when they are asking me to pray for them.
It's not because they're trying to get as many people to pray for them as possible.
What they're assuming is because I'm a pastor.
Gods of how? Impressed with me.
And that God will answer my prayer more than Hill would answer yours. So if I get the pastor on my side, obviously God will do it, and my concern for there is.
You don't know me like God knows.
I don't impress them all that much.
And I'm always afraid that somehow.
The lack of an answer to prayer that that I pray that somehow damages somebody's faith because God did Granicus on the holy guy.
So I would love to be able to have the gift of healing.
But you know the gift of wisdom and the gift of the word.
And benefit many more people.
Not everybody is sick.
But everybody needs the wisdom of God.
Not everybody needs.
A healing.
But everybody needs the word of God.
Into another, the affecting the miracles. Now that one people love to to advertise. And if you if you send me a bunch of money, I'll pray and sweat over some shawl or whatever and I'll send it to you for 1995 and then God will do a miracle. There's all these people who claim to be miracle workers.
The sad thing is I think miracle workers are too busy doing miracles to advertise that they're doing miracles.
They're trying to present the gospel.
To those who need to hear it.
Into another prophecy into another, distinguishing the spirits into another various kinds of tongues into another in the interpretation of tongues. Now I'm not going to spend a lot of time this, but this is one of those gifts that have always kind of seemed to divide the church.
'cause you get those who are so concentrated on speaking in tongues that they forget to discuss what type of tongues is it that we're talking about?
Are we talking about different languages?
Are we talking about?
Angelica, aesthetic speaking.
And the problem is, is that the church gets so wrapped up that we don't want to be.
Branded Pentecostal
and Pentecostals will raise their hands at a moments notice and give glory to God and will go Gee if I raise my hand and give Gordon got everybody will think I'm a Pentecost.
So I sit on my hands.
Have my face contorted as if I'm not enjoying church at all.
Nobody wants it. We Baptists would never want to be looked at. Its pinnacle.
And in Pentecostals, often I'm not all of them.
But there are significant number who unless you speak in tongues.
You just don't have the gift of the Holy Spirit.
You're not that awesome. You're not that great.
Maybe will help you out.
That notice when Paul started writing this. These gifts are given for the common good.
Not to say I'm better than you.
Not sure how, but they are given that we might.
Increase in wisdom and knowledge and faith.
But one and the same spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually, just as he will.
The determination of who gets what gift is made by God.
And the Holy Spirit does.
But I want you to notice that if you'll move over.
Another
few verses in Chapter 12 looking at.
Verse 31.
It says this.
But earnestly desire.
The greater gifts.
Notice Paul doesn't say.
Whatever gift you get, that's cool. If you don't get a gift, that's cool too pulses earnestly desire the greater gifts.
Which means to tell me it is OK to earnestly desire spiritual gifts.
But make sure you do the greater ones.
And if God gives you the lesser ones, that's cool. 'cause that's what God decided to give to you. But if you're going to have you know if you're choosing between getting a Maserati or getting a.
1987 Volkswagen I choose the Maserati although the 87 Volkswagen may be worth as much, I don't know.
But you want for something greater.
God is giving us permission.
Just say.
What do you want?
For Christmas
what do you want for your birthday?
What do you want for every day of the year?
And it's OK to want the best.
We don't have to be.
Humble.
And say.
It's OK, God, whatever you give me is OK Paul saying earnestly desire.
The greater gifts and he's going to say the same thing, and in First Corinthians chapter 14 verse one that we are to earnestly desire the greater gifts that he says. But I'll show you a more excellent way.
And the more excellent way is love.
As he goes, I don't care if you got the gift of tongues, you don't have love, you're just a noisy gong.
I don't care if you have the faith to move mountains, you don't have love.
It's meaningless.
So Paul says when you ask for these gifts, make sure they are united in love.
Because it's for the common.
The last verse I want to take a look at concerning gifts and these are not all the verses, so I challenge you to.
To look at it some more.
But our God is rich.
Our God wants to give you gifts.
In our God said, it's OK to ask.
But in James chapter one, verse 17, he says this.
If I can find it.
Says this every good thing, given every perfect gift is from above.
Coming down from the father of lights.
With whom there is no variation.
Or shifting shadow.
You see, God is gonna give you good gifts.
And perfect gift.
You don't have to worry about taking it back to the store 'cause it doesn't fit.
Or is the wrong color?
Or it makes you look bad.
He gives you the perfect gift that's right size for you.
That you might use it for the common good.
That you might use it to his glory in his honor.
Just as on that Christmas.
When the shepherds
we're told by the Angels.
Lord God.
Who is pleased?
With men and is given us.
The gift of Salvation has given us the gift.
Of eternal life has given us gifts of the spirit.
And the awesome thing is.
When we give gifts.
We keep waiting to see if you wear that ugly sweater we bought you.
You want to see if you actually used it.
God.
Doesn't judge you.
On how well you use the gift.
Shut, God says, did you use it for my purposes?
Did you use it to make you look awesome?
Or did you use it to make others?
Understand who I am.
Feel loved.
To feel forgiven.
To feel understood.
To feel a part of a family whose father is God.
And so this Christmas.
I hope.
And is my request in my.
How to respond?
Is while.
You
wrapped your presents.
And before you unwrap.
The presence that you've received and you're watching others.
Did you say God?
I would really like to have this gift.
That I might use it.
For your honor and your glory.
So that God.
That I can with even more excitement with more passion with more desire to let people know.
I'm even gonna go tell it on the mountain.
The Jesus Christ is born.
That he has gifts.
There are more awesome than any gift that we might find under the tree.
And all God's people said.