The Perfect Present for a Perfect Savior. Matthew 2:9-12 What do you give to someone who truly has everything? I used to struggle buying gifts for my dad. Every year I would try to come up with something novel he would like. Some years went more successful than others. The wise men who had traveled so long at so great a personal risk, continued in faith to follow the star to the Christ child. They strove to give the perfect gifts to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They gave the great gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I spent considerable time reading our passage and considering the lives and actions of these “wise men.” a. They had unwavering faith in God that never faltered. They had already given God the gift of their faith. Believing, believing,..believing they continued their long arduous journey. Estimates suggest the journey may have taken 12 to 18 months and cost a fortune. It was also extremely dangerous. b. They had hearts full of love and worship for the promised Christ child. Obviously they believed He was the One True God’s divine Son. This promise covenant bearer would bring mankind’s only hope of salvation. “We must find Him and worship Him!” c. They brought priceless gifts. At that estimation and today’s market the one gift of gold alone would be worth at least a half million dollars. If it was gold coin it couldve been more. The other two gifts were more valuable than gold THEN. While theres no way to know how much, its a good guess they were of comparable value. So, I would guess that the three gifts combined would easily have been worth well over a million bucks. (Possibly even a couple million dollars.) d. Mary and Joseph needed the money to survive in Egypt with the Christ child. Did the Son of God need a couple of million dollars? Where gold, frankincense, and myrrh the perfect gift for the Perfect Savior? No. We have missed the obvious purpose of the wise men as they did give something else of greater value than gold, frankincense, and myrrh. e. What was this perfect gift for our perfect Savior? What do you give someone who truly has everything? You follow the living example of the wise men. They are a great reason to be called wise. What is the perfect gift for our perfect Savior? Just like the wise men, you give yourself totally, worshipfully, and generously to Christ. Kneel before Him and give yourself as the gift. That is what the wise men did. They knelt before Christ as a living gift to Him. If you and I can know anything about God the Son by kneeling down beside the Christ child it is this: He is to be worshipped as God. He is to be worshipped as God with His divine heart full of unconditional love for God the Father and every one of us. He is the embodiment of the greatest gift ever given! And we receive that gift of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life by repenting of our sins to Him. My soul is overwhelmed just like Mary and Joseph, just like the shepherds by the singing of the angels, just like the wise men who came bearing precious gifts. To actually kneel before Christ and worship Him! The gold, frankincense, and myrrh, were not the most precious gifts given to Christ. The most precious gifts were the wise men themselves. So what is the application of Scripture’s example of the wise men and the Christ child for me and you? We are called to awaken, be convicted, and obey. We must be the most precious and worshipful gift to the Savior who literally has everything. Almost everything, except me and my life surrendered to Him as a gift. Any Christian who desires to, may at any time experience a radical spiritual awakening by kneeling before Christ. Open your soul transparent before the searching of the Holy Spirit. That is the perfect gift for our perfect Savior. Give yourself as the gift and let God personally revive you. Will this be your most meaningful Christmas? Will you leave your religion, ruts, excuses, and lies, and our lukewarm attitudes that pervade our churches? The important question is, “How?” How can I be “wise” in God’s eyes this Christmas season. Well, here are some suggestions I have seen in God’s Word which anyone can follow. I am convinced these Scripture based steps will result in a wonderfully strengthened and encouraged Christian life. So ask yourself, What kind of gift am I when I kneel before Christ? What kind of gift are we as a church? Steps to become the gift Christ wants you to be. 1. Dissatisfaction. I will be a better gift and living offering of worship to my Lord if I follow the example of the wise men. It is not the value of the gold, frankincense, and myrrh I give this Christmas. It is wise for me to be the gift! The very best gift I can be. I must be dissatisfied with myself in my personal holiness and devotion to Christ. That manger where the Christ child laid was an altar to the wise men and they knelt before Christ and gave themselves. We must be dissatisfied with ourselves because we are not a gift God can use in our spiritual condition. Does the Lord want our complacency, spiritual laziness, excuses, and sinfulness? Let’s give Him want he really wants, revived servants and a revived church. Paul could say, “I press toward the mark.” So stir up the gift of God that is in you. Become the gift to the Lord He can use for His glory. Be dissatisfied with the gift you have been giving Him. With a repentant heart visit the altar of the wise men. Ask forgiveness for the meager portions of yourself that has served the Lord. Only be satisfied when you know the Lord is satisfied with your humble and honest repentance. 2. Determination. Timid and lukewarm individuals are tagged for failure before they start. We must throw our whole soul into our desire for God. “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force.” This is a measurement of our effort each and every day for the Kingdom of God. In today’s language its “give 100%” or as we were challenged a few weeks ago; “Don’t give up…don’t ever give up.” 3. Do The Right Things. It is a mistake to look for grace to visit us as a kind of divine lottery won, or to expect God’s help to come as a windfall apart from our disobedience. . There are plainly marked paths which lead straight to green pastures; let us walk in them. To desire revival, for instance, and at the same time to neglect prayer and devotions is to wish one way and walk another. Every day we do the right things to remain revived, is a day when our gift keeps on giving glory to God. 4. Don’t Hold Back When You Repent. Do not hurry to get it over with. Hasty repentance often means shallow spiritual experience and lack of certainty in your life. Let godly sorrow do her searching and healing work. Until we allow the consciousness of sin to wound us we will never develop a fear and hate for sin. It is our wretched habit of tolerating sin that keeps us in our half-dead spiritual condition. “Lord, search my soul deeper than ever. Show by the light of Your Word my total and honest sinfulness.” “Make me an acceptable and usable gift perfect for your will.” “Lord forgive my excuses and resistance. I kneel before you desiring to give myself as a gift to you.” “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” 5. Doer of the Word. Bring your life into accord with the Sermon on the Mount and such other New Testament Scriptures as are designed instruct us in the way of righteousness. An honest believer with an open Bible is sure to find out what is right and wrong in their lives quickly. I recommend that the self-examination has a definite goal to first bow down before our Lord. Then rise up to obey God’s commandments as they are revealed to us from the Word. 6. Depend on God. Today, you need to depend on Christ is here and ready to receive you as a precious gift. You need to depend on Christ love and mercy to transform you into exactly what He needs: a revived servant! Look up toward the throne where your Advocate sits at the right hand of God. All heaven is on your side. God will not disappoint you. You don’t have ride on a camel for 12 to 18 months to kneel before Christ. You can let God welcome you after a short trip of 30 or 40 feet. Depend on God, His Son, and His Spirit to bath you in transforming grace. Let us be the wise men and women of the Lord and kneel before Him.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 09:14:09 +0000
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