Church of Christ
Sermons and Lessons for 2011 |
The
Joy of Giving
Introduction:
Read
Nehemiah 8:1-3,
9-12.
This day of great joy was accompanied by the giving of gifts.
Throughout history people have shared the joy of giving with others.
Giving began with God! We have all probably received gifts that
were the wrong size, wrong color, wrong style or even defective in
some way. But God’s gifts are always perfect. (James
1:17) The
psalmist declared, “Yes, the Lord will give what is good.” (Psalms
85:12) Also
Jehovah is unchanging in His nature and character – “no shadow of
turning.” He always and forever will give good gifts. The text
describes God as the “Father of lights”, the giver of light. (Genesis
1:14-18) This
gift of light is the basic source of energy for us here on earth.
He will be our source of life in heaven. (Revelation:
22:5)
Body:
I. Physical Gifts
-
Food and Drink
(Ecclesiastes
3:13) It is
a gift to enjoy food and drink.
-
Wealth and
Possessions
(Ecclesiastes
5:19,
I Timothy
6:17-19)
We all have more than we need.
-
Health
Note: Hezekiah’s psalm in
Isaiah 38:9,
21 Every
time we recover from any illness, we should thank God.
-
Abilities / Talents
(Matthew
25:14-15,
I
Corinthians 7:7b)
We all have some abilities, maybe several talents. (I
Peter 4:10)
II. Spiritual Gifts
-
Christ
(John
3:16,
John 4:10)
-
Salvation
(Ephesians
2:8,
Romans 3:23-24)
-
Eternal Life
(Romans
6:23) We
deserve death, but eternal life is truly a gift, totally
underserved!
Invitation:
Read: II
Corinthians 9:15
Bobby Stafford
December 25, 2011
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