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Bringing Gifts to God

Wayne Galloway
10/14/18 - Sunday Evening Worship

Bringing Gifts to God

Psa. 76:11

 

Introduction:

 

1.  Gift giving was a neglected practice in my family growing up.

2.  We gave gifts at Christmas and birthdays but not much more often than that.

3.  I am not much of a gift giver.  Gift giving requires the sacrifice of both time and money and I am too greedy and self-centered to be much of a gift giver.

4.  But throughout Scripture we read of gifts given by God and we read of individuals bringing gifts to God.

     a.  In the O.T. the KJV translates 12 different Hebrew words with the word “gift.”

     b.  In the N.T. the KJV renders 8 Greek words with the word “gift.”

5.  The passage that we have just read calls on all those around God to “bring gifts to Him.”  What gifts have you brought to God in the past?  What gifts are you bringing to God now?  Is gift giving a neglected part of your relationship with the Lord?  And if so, what is it saying about you?

 

Discussion:

 

I.  Gift giving or the withholding of gifts is a powerful communicator.

 

    A.  Why do people give gifts?  What is communicated when we do?

          1.  The giving of gifts demonstrates that we care. 

                a.  Someone observed, “The opposite of love is not hate.  It is indifference.”

                b.  When you lack care you demonstrate thoughtlessness.  You don’t think of them

                     because you lack care.

                c.  When you care you are thoughtful often demonstrating it with gift giving.

                d.  Macedonians and Corinthians (2 Cor. 8:1-6, 24).

          2.  Gifts are sometimes given to express gratitude, respect, and homage (Isa. 18:7; Matt.

               2:11).

    B.  The giving of gifts opens relationships.

          1.  “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men” (Prov. 18:16).

          2.  “A gift in secret subdues anger” (Prov. 21:14).

    C.  Withholding gifts tends to close relationships and communicates indifference.  Certainly

           this is not what we want to communicate to our God.

 

II.  God gives good gifts and thus communicates his care and his desire for relationship with us.

 

      A.  God desires to lavish us with good gifts.

            1.  Lk. 11:5-13.

            2.  “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the

                  Father of lights” (James 1:17).

            3.  In Christ we have redemption, forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of

                 His grace which He lavished upon us (Eph. 1:7-8).

       B.  And He has.

             1.  Family.  Husband/wife.  Children.  Mother/Father.

             2.  Message of Scripture.  Hope in Jesus Christ.

             3.   Fellow Christians.

             4.   Material prosperity.

       C.  But sometimes we become too expectant of God’s gifts.

             1.  Story of man who received $100 at 10 a.m. each morning for three mornings. 

                  Expected it on the fourth morning too.

             2.  We want God’s good blessings, but take them for granted and then

                  become powerfully upset when they are not there anymore.

       

III.  We should bring gifts to God to show that we care about Him, to demonstrate our gratitude, to show respect and homage.

 

       A.  Gift of praise with song and thanksgiving (Psa. 69:30-31).

             1.  Someone complains, “I don’t like to sing.”  The giving of gifts is self-sacrificing and

                 does not always involve giving what you want to give, but what the other person

                 enjoys.

             2.  How much greater it would be if we sang out of joy and gave this gift to God. 

                 Wouldn’t it be great if we enjoyed giving the gift of song to God?

       B.  God has granted us gifts in our children.  Wouldn’t it be grand if He meant so much to us

             that we would teach them about Him (Psa. 78:5-8)?

             1.  Children absent from Bible classes.  Wednesday, Sunday.

             2.  Families need to be present on Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings.

             3.  Personal family studies.

             4.  Please do not neglect giving your children to the Lord.  Please do not neglect giving

                  the Lord to your children.

       C.  God has granted us the gift of prosperity.

              1.  Give to the work of the Lord without being affected by covetousness (2 Cor. 9:5).

              2.  Give to the care of needy saints.  Give to the work of preaching the gospel.

              3.  Does your gift cost you?  Or is it cheap?

                   a.  Not talking about how much the gift is.  The poor widow who put in one cent put

                        in more than the others who gave out of their surplus.  She gave all she had to live

                        on (Lk. 12:41-44).

                   b.  In 2 Sam. 24:18ff David had built an altar to the Lord.  He sought to buy supplies

                        necessary for the offering from Araunah, the Jebusite.  Araunah wanted to give

                        them to David, but David’s response was, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the

                        Lord my God which cost me nothing.”

       D.  Give the gift of genuine service.

              1.  Evidenced in the sacrifice of our time (Isa. 59:13-14).

              2.  Sabbath day observance for the people of Israel demanded sacrifice.

                   a.  From seeking their own pleasure.

                   b.  From making money.

                   c.  From speaking their own word.

       E.  Give the gift of self.

             1.  Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but

                 Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son

 

                  of God” (Gal. 2:20).

             2.  The Macedonians gave themselves to the Lord (2 Cor. 8:5).

             3.  God has modeled giving before us (2 Cor. 8:9) and calls on us to be givers (Eph.

                  4:28).   What greater gift can I bring to the Lord than the gift of service to those He

                  has died and sacrificed for?

 

Conclusion:

 

1.  How is your gift giving?

2.  Will you give yourself to the Lord?