WHAT CAN I GIVE JESUS FOR CHRISTMAS? Micah 6:6-8 English Standard Version (ESV) “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? God gave Micah a message for his generation – so he not only spoke it – but he wrote it down so the people wouldn’t forget what the Lord told them. . . Micah was from the little town of Moresheth a few miles outside Jerusalem – and lived about 700 years before the birth of Christ - about the same time as his fellow prophets Isaiah and Hosea. . . He lived in a day not much different than ours – and if you think about it - his book could have been written in 2014. . . Micah wrote to a people that were facing some huge problems. . . . He wrote condemning the sin and hypocrisy that was widespread among God’s people. . . In no uncertain terms he warned them of the judgment that was to come. . . He didn’t pull any punches and took no prisoners. . . He told them the “TRUTH”. . . Dropped into this severe message – although they are only 3 verses, they tell us exactly what God wants from you and me for Christmas this year. . . Before I give you the right answer – let me give you the wrong answer. . . I. The Wrong Answer. . . Verses 6-7 gives us the wrong answer. . . We might think that God would desire “QUALITY OF SERVICE” as a gift from us this Christmas. . . . (6) “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? (7) Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” A. Quality of Sacrifice – The people heard Micah’s words of warning - and now they want to know, “What does God want from us?” - and their first answer deals with quality of sacrifice. . . • Quality of service can be defined as “EXCELLENCY)” – giving your best in service to God – so what can be wrong with that? Certainly God wants the best we can offer Him in service. . . This was a time of animal sacrifices – and a one-year-old calf was considered the prime age for sacrifice. . . Perhaps God will be pleased if we give him the very best that we have. . . But, here, the answer is no. . . Well, if it isn’t “QUALITY OF SERVICE” – maybe it is “QUANTITY OF SERVICE”. . . B. Quantity of Sacrifice – (7a) “Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?” The next thing they thought was – if we are going to impress God – let’s make an offering of a thousand rams- and then create a river of oil flowing through the streets. . . The idea is that an extravagant sacrifice will convince God that they are sincere - but the answer is no. . . Well, if it isn’t “QUALITY” or “QUANTITY” – then maybe it would be the “ULTIMATE SACRIFICE”. . . C. The Ultimate Sacrifice – (7b) “Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” Sounds good – but such a sacrifice to a Holy God would be immoral. . . Child sacrifice – though - practiced by the heathen nations around Israel - was forbidden by God. . . These people are suggesting that if they offer their firstborn sons, the Lord would be pleased and would forgive their sins. . . But the answer is not just “NO” – BUT A-THOUSAND TIMES “NO”. . . Trying to guess what God wants is like playing “Let’s Make a Deal”. . . What they were saying sounded good – but God doesn’t want what sounds good – HE WANTS WHAT IS RIGHT. . . In essence, they were saying - “Whatever you want, Lord, we’ll do it – just name Your price and we’ll meet it. . .” They actually thought God would trade forgiveness for sacrifice. . . They thought God could be bought just like their leaders!. . . This is so typical of us – we often find ourselves trying the same thing. . . We say, “Lord, I’ll do anything you want – just name the price. . . • You want a missionary? I’m ready to go. . . • You want me to be married or to stay single, I’m the person for you. . . • I’ll be a preacher or a pastor. . . I’ll be an elder or a deacon. . . • I’ll pray every day and read my Bible. . . • Whatever you want from me, that’s what I’ll do. . . I really mean it, Lord.” Don’t get me wrong - there’s nothing wrong with those thoughts - they are good, noble and proper – and God is pleased when we offer ourselves to Him. . . So what’s wrong? Those answers only deal with the outside. . . GOD WANTS OUR HEART. . You can be a pastor, elder, minister, missionary, or deacon - and have a hard heart. . . You can be married or single and have a rebellious heart. . . You can be the most religious person in a thousand mile area - and yet be far away from God. . . God rejected every offer made by the Israelites - BECAUSE THEY HAD COMPLETELY MISSED THE POINT. They wanted to make a deaL – BUT GOD WANTED THEIR HEARTS. . . These were all the wrong answers – so what is the right answer? The Right Answer is found in verse 8. . . This verse has been called the heart of Old Testament religion - and one of the greatest verses in all the Old Testament. . . It sums up what God really wants from you and me. . . It tells us exactly what God looks for in our life. . . This is what it says - “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act JUSTLY and to love MERCY and to walk HUMBLY with your God.” Justice. . .Justice means “treating people right because you know God. . .” In the Bible this concept is applied in some very concrete ways: caring for the poor - remembering the widows and orphans - not plowing the corners of your field so the hungry could get food - speaking the truth - paying a fair wage - having honest scales - no cheating - no extortion - and refusing to take advantage of the less fortunate. . For us this means doing right to the less fortunate because we know God. . . Mercy. . . This attitude speaks of the way we treat others. . . The Hebrew word means “loyal love” or “patient love.” It means loving the unlovely even when they don’t love you back. . . It speaks to our obligation to care for people who don’t care for us. . . Here’s a simple definition of mercy: Doing unto others as God has done unto you. . . Ask yourself these questions – and make the proper response: • How has God treated me this year? • Has God blessed me? Then I ought to bless others. • Has God forgiven me? Then I ought to forgive others. • Has God lifted me up when I was down? Then I ought to lift others up when they are down. • Has God overlooked my faults? Then I ought to overlook the faults of others. My prayer is Lord, this Christmas season, help me to openly share my love and faith with all of those that need it around me. . . We need mercy at Christmastime – and since God has been merciful to us throughout this year – we ought to be merciful to those around us. . . Humility. . . The word “humbly” comes from a Hebrew word that means “modestly” or “carefully” – and speaks of an attitude that is the opposite of pride. . . It’s having a right view of yourself because you have a right view of God. . . Humility does not mean saying, “I’m a nothing, I’m a worm, I’m useless.” That’s not humility, that’s self-pity, which is really another form of pride. . . And what is pride? It’s having too large a view of yourself because you have too small a view of God. . . When your God is big - you will be small - and pride will be impossible. . . This is humility. “God made me and I belong to him. Every good thing I have in life is a gift from the Almighty. Some have more, some have less. It matters not to me because I thank God for what I have - I’m going to do the best I can with what God has given me - and I’m going to leave the outcome up to Him. . .” Three Simple Words answer what wants from us this Christmas. . . Justice … Mercy … Humility. . . Rightly understood, those three words form the sum total of our Christian duty. . . If we have – and demonstrate these things - God will be pleased. . . If we don’t have these qualities, then nothing else makes much difference. . . Why didn’t God accept all their sacrifices? Why did he turn them down? Because they offered him everything except the one thing he really wanted—THEIR HEARTS. . . The religion God approves is the religion of the heart! Outward religion is useless unless the heart belongs to God. . . He wants the real you—the person on the inside. . . You can fake a lot of religious activity - BUT THE HEART DOESN’T LIE. . . Why did Jesus come – and what does God want from me – not just at Christmastime – but every other? Three things - JUSTICE … MERCY … HUMILITY. . . These are not just matters of the heart – but they are also the reason Jesus came. . . This is the heart of the gospel – and whatever God requires - HE FIRST GIVES TO US. . . He came to establish justice! - He came to show mercy! - He came to lift up the humble! With this in mind – here is my final question - Do You Have Room for Him? “Do You Have Room In Your Heart For Jesus?” Luke 2:7, “And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for him in the inn.” After 2014 years Jesus still knocks at the door of your heart - will you make room for Him this year? Whether you are a believer – or a non-believer tonight - he wants your heart. . . Have you ever done that? Have you ever given Jesus your heart? No decision is more important. . . Listen to me – there is no one else that can make this decision for you. . . If you are not ready - then nothing I say or do can compel you to come to Jesus - but if you are ready - then it’s time for you to come to Him. . . Jesus said (John 1:12)– “All who received Him, to those who believed in Him, He gave the right to become children of God”. . . Have you ever received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord? - Would you like to do that right now? - If you answer yes to that question, here’s a simple prayer that may help express the desire of your heart: “Dear God, I know that I am sinner. I confess that I have sinned many times in word and deed. I humbly confess that I have broken your law and that my sins have separated me from God. Here and now, I confess my sins and ask Jesus Christ to be my Savior. I believe that Jesus is Your only begotten Son who died on the cross for me and rose from the dead on the third day. With all my heart and all my soul, I am trusting Jesus alone for my salvation. Please forgive my sins and save me. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and make me a brand-new person. These things I ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.” What can I give Jesus for Christmas? – My heart. . .
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 01:19:06 +0000
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