REDISCOVER CHRISTMAS: GIVING OUR BEST GIFTS TO GOD
Rediscover Christmas: Giving Our Best Gifts To God
Frank Damazio
Matthew 2:11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Introduction: Matthew 2:1-12 will be our text as we consider the giving of our gifts to Christ. In this text, Matthew's main purpose is to show the reception given by the world to the newborn Messianic king: homage from afar, hostility at home, foreshadowing the fortunes of the new faith, reception by the Gentiles and rejection by the Jews.
Giving the best gifts to God is established early in scripture as something that pleases God. God had a standard for all gifts given in sacrifice or worship. The best was the standard procedure. In Genesis 4:3-5 the best principle is illustrated clearly. Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground, but Abel brought the firstborn of the flock. God rejected Cain's offering but respected Abel's. Abel's was a true sacrifice, the shedding of blood, the best of his flock. The giving of our best is God's requirement with a God-blessing. The three wise men represent an attitude and heart of true gift-givers: giving out of their treasure the most precious things they have.
THE PRINCIPLE OF GIVING OUR BEST
Numbers 18:29-30 Of all your gifts you shall offer up every heave offering due to the Lord, from all the best of them, the consecrated part of them.' "Therefore you shall say to them: 'When you have lifted up the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress.
Ezekiel 44:30 The best of all firstfruits of any kind, and every sacrifice of any kind from all your sacrifices, shall be the priest's; also you shall give to the priest the first of your ground meal, to cause a blessing to rest on your house.
Numbers 18:12 All th ...
Frank Damazio
Matthew 2:11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Introduction: Matthew 2:1-12 will be our text as we consider the giving of our gifts to Christ. In this text, Matthew's main purpose is to show the reception given by the world to the newborn Messianic king: homage from afar, hostility at home, foreshadowing the fortunes of the new faith, reception by the Gentiles and rejection by the Jews.
Giving the best gifts to God is established early in scripture as something that pleases God. God had a standard for all gifts given in sacrifice or worship. The best was the standard procedure. In Genesis 4:3-5 the best principle is illustrated clearly. Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground, but Abel brought the firstborn of the flock. God rejected Cain's offering but respected Abel's. Abel's was a true sacrifice, the shedding of blood, the best of his flock. The giving of our best is God's requirement with a God-blessing. The three wise men represent an attitude and heart of true gift-givers: giving out of their treasure the most precious things they have.
THE PRINCIPLE OF GIVING OUR BEST
Numbers 18:29-30 Of all your gifts you shall offer up every heave offering due to the Lord, from all the best of them, the consecrated part of them.' "Therefore you shall say to them: 'When you have lifted up the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress.
Ezekiel 44:30 The best of all firstfruits of any kind, and every sacrifice of any kind from all your sacrifices, shall be the priest's; also you shall give to the priest the first of your ground meal, to cause a blessing to rest on your house.
Numbers 18:12 All th ...
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