“The Gift of Others”

Today, as they say, we're starting a new sermon series. And as we come up on the end of the year, you know, we inserts into that advent season where we remember and celebrate the birth of Christ and the arrival of Jesus on this earth and, you know, the birth of Jesus is a it's a big part of God's rescue plan for his his creation.

You know, we have Jesus, the son of God, God himself come down from from his throne to our fully God and fully man to be the perfect sacrifice that that perfect gift to all humanity to to pay the price for our sins, to redeem us and to reconcile us back to our Creator, our God. So we see in his birth God is reestablishing His presence with His people.

No longer is he far away from here or now. He's in the midst of humanity. He's in the midst of his people. God is with us and the reality of His presence changes everything. It did then, and it still does today. So over the next four weeks, we will embark on a sermon series title with us and looking at and prayerfully grasping how the witness of God leads to God's presence and in an abundant life.

So each week will speak on something, this gift and Jesus provides what it manifests in us and to us. So with that in mind, if you have your Bibles with you, turn to Matthew to lift up chapter two. Matthew Chapter two, verses one through 12. Okay. And it should be up on the screen as well. I come out in a as B, I'm not sure whatever translation you have, that will be fine as well.

And if you got it, say amen. Amen. So now, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod, the King message from the East arrived in Jerusalem saying, where is he? Who was who's been born king of the Jews, for we saw his star in the East and have come to worship him. When Herod the King heard this, he was trouble in all Jerusalem with him gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people.

He inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him in Bethlehem of Judea, For this is what has been written by the Prophet. And you, Bethlehem, Land of Judah are by no means least among the leaders of Judah. Four out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd my people. Israel. Then here I secretly call the Magi, determined from them the exact time the star appeared.

And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the child. And when you have found him, report to me so that I too may come and worship him. After hearing the King, they went their way. And the star, which they had seen in the East, went all before them until it came and stood over the place where the child was.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell to the ground and worshiped him. Then opening their treasures, they presented to him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, and having been worn by God in a dream, not to return to Herod.

The Magi left their own country. By another way, with that spoken scripture in mind we will talk about today is the gift of others. The gift of others. It's preaching time. Preaching is not easy, but is made easier by your Holy Spirit Lord. So I ask that I decrease, that you may increase, and in the end you get all the honor, glory and praise.

In Jesus name. Amen. A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a pastor, right? And I don't know how we got on the subject. We were talking about all gaming systems. You know, you heard Ryan talk about it before we happened to come across, talk about an attender. And he was telling me, him and Brian, I had a friend in the neighborhood who had only Nintendo when it first came out, and they would always go over his house to play in attendance.

And it attracted everybody, like all the people neighbor who would just come to this one, this one friend's house to to play the Nintendo. And I don't know Brad's here. You could tell him if he's lying or not, but and they said they were like all day playing contra, y'all know, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, select, start.

I give you unlimited life. Hmm. Unlimited life in the game. But just imagine Jesus gives you that unlimited life. Bye bye. So they will play it. And they said everybody would come over and a person's mom sometimes would get mad. They would stay over to eat. She would feed all the kids. But sometimes they want to go over there and and he he couldn't let them in yet because they had chores.

He had chores to do and they would bring random brands that they would help them do the chores as well. So and it just brought everybody together around this gaming system. And as we were talking also said, know, I had a similar experience. I had Nintendo, but my friend across the street one Christmas got the Sega Genesis and you know that was better than Nintendo.

The Tendo eight bit second team is probably ten better sound. And so we all started going over there. We would play the same kind of story that Ryan was telling me, that we would go over there, his mom would kick us out, but we would plug into the extension cord in the house and put it on the front porch, and we'd be playing out there.

We playing her all night. So it would just imagine it was us, all of us neighbors. But people would walk past and they would just come up and we all be playing, hanging out. We call it ripping on each other, you know, just just having fun all around this gaming system. It was bringing people together. And just as those and Ryan story and my story came together around the Game Systems fellowship and helping each other out, encouraging each other and so forth.

This is how the birth of Christ was. God was creating a way for humanity to unite around our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ. God's desire all along for His people is to be in right relationship with Him and others in an authentic and loving community that draws people together, like the birth of Jesus did with Joseph Mary. The message out of shepherds and others, all those that convened when Christ was born from the beginning, God never intended for His creation to be alone.

Genesis 126 and 27 says, Let us make man in our image and likeness. God created man in his own image. And then in Genesis 218 through 24 to task, God said, is not good for the man to be alone. I mentioned these two scriptures because we tend to forget who we were fashioned after. I think I've mentioned before, my sermons remain main image and likeness.

We are so conditioned to see ourselves as being in the image and likeness of the stereotypes of this world. But we are maintained in his image and in his likeness, and not to be alone. He created man and woman to join him in the community of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. That that Trinity is the is the is a perfect community and said his and satisfied with each other.

And God created us to join in that community with him at the center of our lives and our relationships. The realization of our oneness with God obtained through the gift of the Savior. We have been given the gift of others. What does that mean? I mean, what does that look like? It means and looks like people are doing their best when they are in an encouraging community with God and one another.

What sin wrecked in our relationship with God, In our relationship with other people. God restored to Jesus, allowing humanity to do to dwell in the community with God in others, as He intended us to, and as those who have accepted our said that Jesus is our Lord. Say you're on top of getting everlasting life, on top of being poor, and from the penalty is sin on top of becoming a child of God.

We have been gifted access to being a community with God in the community, with others. We are now to be one with in unity, with God and one with in unity with each other. Each other. The church not the building, but the people with that. I want to touch on a couple of things in. First thing I want to talk about is how are we coming to Christ?

I wish we had that microphone to drop, but how are we coming to Christ? So we know from the stories about the birth of Jesus and his birth attracted the shepherds, the Magi, Joseph, Mary were there, and of course there are probably others. We even see King here call together some people to try to see what it is of this story about the King of the Jews, their Messiah being born.

So quick note like your porch light doesn't just attract people or shine light in dark places. It attracts pesky moths, gnats and other flying creepy things. Jesus doesn't just bring believers together. The enemy comes together to, and he's willing to do anything to stop the movement of Christ through his people, especially trying to isolate the believer in attack.

So in our focal Scripture, we have the Magi here on the scene, and we're looking for the one born, the king of the Jews. They said, We have seen the star prophesied in numbers 2417 here. Herod, as I stated previously, hears this, calls his chief priest and scribes together. See if this is true. They confirm the prophecy of Micah.

So he enlisted Magi with false intentions to find this baby Messiah, the King of the Jews, and report back where his whereabouts are. So they follow Star to where Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus was. And we all know, we all know what happens next. You know, they drop down, worship him, and opening their treasures as Scripture says, they present it to him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

So what I want to look at first and this is a coming out of the NAACP, so is my word was presented and gift. So they said opening their treasures. They presented to him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. So I want to focus on the presented and gifts, those two words. So in the Greek, the word present, it means to offer and gifts means a sacrifice.

So what we see here, when the magic came with their gift, they offered. They came with an offering of a sacrifice. They came with the offering of the sacrifice that they had. They worshiped him. They referenced him, then offered a sacrifice. So what? It was their sacrifice. We seen it was a goal. Now, if you know anything about go in those times go was associated with royalty and nobility by bringing a gift of gold.

The wise men the Magi showed, they did consider Jesus like Jesus King. So they they recognized who he was even from the the birth. Understand that prophecy and things like that. They understand he was a king. So they gave him a gift, an offering of sacrifice that is worthy of a king, which was gold. Then they gave him frankincense or a romantic gum resin when burned as instance.

It creates a strong and beauty, beautiful aroma, closely associated associated with ceremonial ceremonial worship of a deity burning instance at the altar was a key part of sacrificial system prescribed by God for use in the tabernacle and later in the temple itself. In Exodus 30, a special incense was required. A specific recipe of spices and liquid mixed with pure frankincense was to be consecrated as pure and holy.

It was the only incense permitted at the altar, pure and holy offering for the Lord. And then we had myrrh. That's a perfume. It was a key ingredient in the mixture of spices used to prepare bodies for burial. It's also a main ingredient in anointing oil used in the temple to ceremony, prepare the priest, the instruments, the altar and the temple itself.

Before sacrifices could be made. We see parallels to Jesus's consecrated life and sacrifice till death. So. So what I'm trying to say here is the Magi knew what to offer as a sacrifice to Jesus. They understood the gravity of who he He is and what he meant to humanity. Are we coming with the same offer of sacrifice of gold, frankincense and myrrh?

And I'm not talking about a natural, but spiritually are we come up with a reference to God through our worship? Is our life showing Him that He is our king, our Lord. That's that goal is are we giving him or everything? We give him the best that's worthy of a king who who came down from his throne to be God, fully, God, fully man.

And save us from the penalty of our sins and give us everlasting life when we are being refined, worshiping God with all our heart. Is it a beautiful aroma going up to him in our walk, in our talk and in our action is what we do doing as we go through our trials and tribulations. Are we rejoice in always are we doing with an understanding of who God is, that he's our firm foundation and that that refining the process as we walk through this slide?

Is it a beautiful aroma to him? Because are we concentrating ourselves to be pure and holy, or do we have one foot in the world and one in God? Because I'll tell you something, I seen this quote from John Wesley, and that's the guy who's denomination is named after after he said, I'm convinced more than ever of the absolute impossibility of being half a Christian.

Let that sink in. There is no way we can be half or Christian either you're all in or you're all out hot or cold. He's he throws up the lukewarm. We have to get that understanding that that we're consecrated. We're set apart. And in that set apart, we have to be all about him. Everything he tells us to do, everything he's he tells us to do everything.

We he, he the desires of us, whatever his will has to be our will. Are we dying to ourselves daily living a living sacrifice like the myrrh. Galatians 220 says I have been crucified with Christ, is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me and the life.

And change your situation and change your life and get you back on the right track. We can we continue to despise these these these prophetic gifts of the. It's in the Bible. It's in the New Testament. And if you don't know, get the discernment that you need. That's a gift. Ask for it. Well, Solomon, did he say I want to know?

I want you to. I want it to sound good from evil and gossip. Guess what? Since you asked for that, no one else will know what you know and understand what you understand. So know what I do. God, you said no one will know. Can I guess just right under that? That's what I ask. God. Just give me.

Just. Just. Just below. Solomon. Since he says he's the only one's going to had that much wisdom.

So. But examine everything carefully. That's why you don't question Spirit. Examine everything. Because, I mean, I'm yours. I said, don't despise the prophetic utterances, but there's some people will be jibber jabber up here. Don't know what they talking about. They hear from God. They hear from the cell, they hear from themselves. They hear from the enemy. But if you don't question spirit, you have the discernment that you need to say, yes, that person's true.

That's a false prophet. That's persons working for their own attentions. So you see, all these things are is these are things that God's calling us to do. I'm not just up here saying it, and I can't. I'm talking about myself. This is this is what God calls us to act. Christian can't act. This is how he's telling us to act, this how we act, just what our stands with others.

This is all about how we're supposed to act as others in Christ with the mind of Christ. And walking as Christ also wants to hold fast to that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil, every form. Another absolute. Other absolute. You know, the hanging circle. I know things that I do that that might be evil. And, you know, the things that you do might be evil.

He said abstain from it. And if you're having trouble, ask God to heal you. Ask God to deliver. You ask God to put people in your place to help you walk that thing out. It's all about others, you see. It's all about the others. All about each other. I need you. You need me. We need each other.

Okay, So. And again, I know this is difficult now. Made a God of peace himself. Sanctified you entirely. And may your spirit of soul be preserved, complete without blame and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. These things are hard and calls to do because it's not in us. We were born in. Sin is hard. But since we got Christ, we're a new creation.

We had the man of him. He's walking with us. We pose a walk like he walked in. It's difficult, but verse 24 gives us the hope. Verse 24 lifts us up. Verse 24 should give you the confidence that you need to walk this thing out to be who got called you to be. Because it says faithful. Is he who calls you faithful as he calls you.

So it's not about you. It's about what he does because he's faithful to who he said you were and what he called you to do. It's not about you. All you got to do is make yourself available. Humble yourself. And he will do it for you because he is faithful. He is faithful. And then he says and he will also bring it to pass.

He will bring it to pass. You ain't got to worry about it. It's not your job. It's his job. It's not you. It's him. If he calls you, if he calls you to himself, whatever he he told you that you want to be. What you're going to do for his glory is going to happen because he will bring it to pass.

And if you don't know Christ, if you're here under my voice, he got you here for a reason. He calls you and he's faithful to bring whatever he has you here for to pass.

So as the Washington comes back up and so as I was preparing for this, this sermon, I felt like two weeks ago what I was going to be talking about, part of the sermon series. But before that, I was going through it. I was in a place of I know God was quiet. I couldn't I couldn't really hear from him.

I don't know. I just felt the separation. And and I'm not going to say I couldn't find him because God has never lost if anyone's lost me. But I. But I just couldn't do it. Just the busyness of my life. New things coming into my life, trying to figure out what God has for me. I just. I just couldn't hearing and and especially when I found out was talking about and I was struggling to put a word together and I'm sure I felt alone, but but it's not alone.

I'm not saying I felt alone. I'm not blaming nobody. I blame myself because God has put me in a place where people who who care for me, who love me, who check in with me, but I wouldn't accept them. They're there, their hand out. I wouldn't I wouldn't accept their their their care for me, their concern for me, their love for me.

And and I felt and I felt bad and I fell down. It's not that I'm I'm too concerned about share not being transparent with them. I'm just I was more concerned of can I trust them with my transparency. And I was wondering going through the week again, I was struggling and may we God was like, my God, where are you at?

And I finally heard from you. Start speaking. And I'm like, What's going on? He said, Look, I had to. You're about to go speak on the gift of others. I had to make sure you understand the importance of those people I put you put in midst of you. I had to make you. I had to make you understand how much you need a Keith one and two, how much you need a beck and Shane, and how much you need Brother Mike and Rhonda.

How much you need Joe Quayle. How much you need Dave, How much you need Krystal, How much you need whoever put your name there. I need each and every one of you. And so and I say, oh, to say is that I'm up here If I'm preaching this thing, God is taking me through it. And here's a portion of us coming together as one and community.

So as we, as we go into this song, a firm foundation, understand who your foundation is. It all starts there. It all starts as being one with the with the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. That's our foundation. So when things come, the wind come, when the waves come, guess what I'm affirming you. You are my help. You are my strength.

So whatever it is that you're going through today, understand, if you if you've set your foundation on the rock that this church was built, God will be there for you. God will take care of you. The impossible is possible. God wants nothing more for you to get back in. Right? Relationship with him every ever since the beginning, from the beginning before, to creation, God has set a plan in place to reconcile us back to the garden, to that relationship, him and us.

Him and us. And one with him and community with each other. If we are going to come out of this season of revival, what are we being revived for? We're being revived to make an impact in those who don't know Christ. We're being revived to give life to those who are living in death. We are being revived to operate in oneness so that the power of Christ and got can dwell through us and impact all those we come in contact with.

So the glory of God can fall upon you. That's why we are here. So I pray from today we walk with a new sense of love for one another. We walk in a new sense of of wanting to bear with one another to one to forgive one another, to to use our gifts for one another that we continue to love.

A death that's working in us, in life, in others, but not just us in this room, but those outside this church, outside these walls. So if you don't know Christ, I just say this. He's calling you. He's there for you. He's not lost. He's right there. You just got to open your eyes and see. You just got to open your mouth and call.

He wants nothing more to be in a relationship with you. He wants nothing more to heal. You want nothing more to take? Take all your burns and cares and cast them upon himself. So if you don't know Christ and you are like the knowing, all you got to do is just accept him into your heart. Confess with your mouth that he's Lord.

That is death, bear, resurrection happen. He's raised and he's and he's your Lord. If you want somebody to walk you through it, come up for sale, man. Let me know a little bit more about this Jesus character and we'll walk you through it. We'll help you out, but just know we're here to do this thing together. So, Lord, we thank you.

We praise you, we exalt you, magnify you. Lord, we thank you for who you are. We thank you for your word today. Lord, I ask that each and every one of us leads with a new appreciation for each other. Lord, each and every one of us understands that the gift that you've given us in the birth of Jesus Christ, that it was to get us to walk this thing out together in community with one another, Lord, Not just to obtain things, but for your glory to come forth on this earth.

Lord So, God, I just ask that from here on out, one church walks as one church, and from here on out that one church walks out with the vision that you've given this church Lord, and that we not only touch each other now, when we do, we build each other up, but we also touch the community more. We thank you, we praise you, we exalt you, we give you all honor and glory.

In Jesus name, Amen.