Its Time We Opened Our Gifts
Romans 6:22-23
Romans 6:22-23 22But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
INTRO
: Have you ever wanted a gift SO BAD? Have you ever exchanged gifts and wished you could keep the one you brought? (share story about yo-yo and index cards) Let me ask you this, "If you found a set of keys under the Christmas Tree next Sunday, what would you do?" Would you leave them there for the clean-up crew to find and keep? (I know some of you are the clean-up crew) Would you pick them up and forget about them? Would you say, "I'll wait awhile and use this later?NO!
We would be so excited. We would feel so special. We would want to possess and use and boast and shout and rejoice and all those things just over one little red, shinny, go-fast, well deserved, piece of metal, plastic and paint called a car.
AM I WRONG?
But this car would only be a temporal thing in the frame of eternity. Not really worth all that much when we look at it that way.
Let me say, God has a greater, better, longer lasting, more satisfying gift for you this day.
Let us get started
First Let us understand…
There are four basic kind of gifts
"Store gifts" - we take them back never use them, nor want them
"Drawer gifts" - we hide them and never use them
"Adore gifts" - we keep them out for others to see,
hear "Oh you've got one too," comments,
but never really use them
"Floor gifts" -
we sit down, we say thanks, we open, we read the directions,
we use them, we keep, we rejoice, we say thanks (again/still)
we use them, we tell others, we show others, we say thanks
2 Tim 1:6-10 6Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
Unlike some "Store gifts" or "Drawer gifts,"…
God's gifts are…
Available- available for all
Unique - made just for you (God knows who you are and what you need)
Precise - just what we need - better than even we could have done
Useable - not made for a "dusty" corner
Workable - He gave His best for you - it is enough
Eph. 2:4-10 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ(made us alive together with Christ-NKJV), (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Let me ask you…
What do we need to do with His marvelous gift?
"Find" it - look for it (not hidden, but we must look to it)
Open it - accept the gift
Cherish it - it is special
Use it - let God change and enhance your life
Share it - what better way to show God our thanks than to share this gift with others in you life
Gary Marcum - New Beginnings Church - 121805am