The Gift Exchange

I'm going to be reading a couple of verses of

scripture today. Now number one in Matthew chapter

Matthew 2 · chapter mention

2 and verse 11. If you'd be so kind, I'm not

going to be very long today. I know that on this

day there are many activities going on and we

know that it's a great time of year to celebrate.

There are some families that are already traveling

on vacation and going different places. We pray

that God would... Take and bring them back safe

and sound. We're going to read today out of this

verse because we're here with a purpose. Amen.

And I'm going to begin reading now in Matthew

Matthew 2:11

chapter 2 verse 11. And when they had come into

the house, they saw the young child with Mary

his mother and bowed down and worshipped him.

When they had opened up their treasures, they

presented gifts to him. Gold, frankincense, and

myrrh. I'd like to read one more verse of scripture

found in the book of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

4 and verse 7. Not your typical Christmas verse,

but there is a point here that I'd like to make.

Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 7 and in verse

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

8 it reads, But to each one of us grace was given

according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore,

He says, when he ascended on high, he led captivity

captive and gave gifts. I want to say gave gifts.

Gave gifts to men. I'm going to, with God's help

today, for a few moments, I want to speak on

this thought, the gift exchange. The gift exchange.

I'm going to invite you to pray with me once

again. Let us ask God to speak to us, to have

his way throughout the remainder of this service.

Father, we come before you right now, Lord, we

thank you for your presence, that we feel so

richly, so profoundly in this place. We've come,

Lord, with a made -up mind to give you glory,

to give you honor. I ask God that as we enter

into your word, that you would speak to us, Lord,

that you would encourage us, that you would help

us to see the great gift exchange that happened

2 ,000 years ago and continues to happen today.

Lord, I ask that you would anoint my mind, anoint

my lips, Lord, that every word I speak would

bring glory to you. We ask this in the name of

Jesus, we pray. Somebody say amen. Amen. You

may be seated in God's presence. Every Christmas,

my family does a gift exchange. Maybe yours does

too, where we exchange names, draw names, and

set a price on it. I think some time a year ago,

a few years ago, the price limit was like $10

or something. But I guess we're adjusting for

inflation. Because now it's like $50. And I don't

know if it's going to go up to $75 or $100 in

the future. But God is going to help us with

that. Amen. And we do this. And it's important.

It's special. Because whatever name you draw,

you have to think about that person. What do

they like? What don't they like? It's not like

those white elephant gift exchanges. I don't

know if you've done one of those where you just

randomly bring a gift to some random person and

you don't know what it is. And lots of times,

those gifts are very generic. They're very general.

Or sometimes they're kind of playful or quirky.

And it might be something that the person receiving

it might not ever use. That's a white elephant

gift exchange. But a real gift exchange, a normal

one, is where you consider the person. And you

start to think about what they might want or

need. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm not

the mess that taking gifts. And I need a little

bit of help. So it helps when someone gives me

a list. How many of you appreciate a list? And

even better, just send it to the Amazon link.

That takes all the fun. But for some of us, we

need a list because we don't want to get it wrong.

Right? We don't want to see someone open up that

gift and then they say those words that we don't

know if they mean it or not. But it's just what

I've always wanted. And sometimes that's the

case, sometimes it's not. But we always want

to give that gift that is going to be enjoyed

and most of all used. The most enjoyable part

of the gift exchange is not when the gift is

purchased or even when it's wrapped. But when

it's opened. I've attended some Christmas parties

when sometimes there's a gift left there. And

no one knows who it's for. No one even knows

who brought it. Has that ever happened? There's

that one gift that's left there. And it's just

like people are trying to, well, is the name

on the bottom somewhere? Who brought this gift?

Who's wrapping this? And they're trying to figure

it out. Usually somebody will say, well, I'll

open it. wants it. And it's a shame when a gift

is left unopened. When a gift is sitting there

waiting to be unwrapped. Gifts are meant to be

opened. Unwrapped and enjoyed. And that is exactly

what we see in Matthew chapter 2. The Magi, the

Matthew 2 · chapter mention

wise men, they came to, not just to observe Jesus,

They didn't come merely to admire him, to pay

their respects, to just look at him and appreciate

what was happening. The Bible says that these

men came from the far east and they traveled

many, many miles and they came into the house

where Jesus was. They fell down and they worshiped

him and they presented their gifts. To Jesus

Christ. And this was all part of a divine gift

exchange that was occurring. Heaven had already

given the greatest gift of all to humanity. It

came wrapped in the form of flesh of Jesus Christ.

God, Emmanuel, God with us. That was the greatest

gift. But earth then responded by giving its

best gifts back to heaven. And this was the great

gift exchange that occurred. on that day in bethlehem

but i'm here to tell you that the exchange did

not end in bethlehem the apostle paul tells us

in ephesians 4 that jesus came to give gifts

to men he came to give gifts to people and so

from that point on on that day in bethlehem there's

been a divine gift exchange occurring between

heaven and earth between god and man between

divinity and humanity. And we all are here today

in some part, one way or another, because of

that divine gift exchange. Because God sent that

first gift to us. And that's what I want to focus

on here for just a moment to begin with, is that

Jesus is the original gift. Somebody say amen

for that. He's the original gift. God initiated

the gift exchange. With his incarnation, God

in flesh. God was not wrapped in decorative paper

or bows such as we see here today so beautifully

demonstrated. But he was wrapped in swaddling

cloths. The angel told the shepherds these words

in Luke 2 and verse 12. And this will be a sign

to you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling

cloths lying. in a manger. Some have suggested

that the swaddling cloth foreshadows the burial

clothes that would one day wrap Jesus' crucified

body, which pointed to His ultimate mission to

redeem and save humanity from their sin. What

the swaddling cloth teaches me more than anything

else is that you ought never to judge God's gift

by its wrapping. Never judge the gift by its

wrapping. Never judge the outside or never judge

the content of the gift by how it's wrapped.

As the wise men or the magi came to Christ or

as the shepherds came to Him and began to worship

Him, if they were to judge the outside wrapping,

they might not appreciate and truly see what

was before them because the wrappings were humble.

But the greatest gifts of God often arrive in

the plainest packaging, in humble wrapping. You

see, Jesus did not come riding on a white horse,

nor in a golden carriage, nor did he walk on

red carpet. In fact, Isaiah said that he had

no form or comeliness, that there was no beauty.

about Him that we should desire. And there was

nothing about Jesus' outward appearance that

would suggest to us that He was royalty, that

He was the Messiah, that He was Almighty God

among us. There was nothing about the outside,

the exterior, the wrapping, the hour layers of

His life that would suggest, that would indicate

that you were standing or that you were dealing

in the presence of Almighty God. In fact, If

you look just at the outside wrapping, at the

swaddling paws, or let me put it this way, even

the manger that he was in, lying in, the hay

that he was there with the animals and that humble

beginning. If you would look at all that, you

would not think that this was indeed the God

of glory, God of all creation, God of heaven

and earth dwelling among us. You might think

that this was just anybody or anything. But this

announces to us the way that God thinks and the

way that He works. Because the greatest gifts

of God do not come wrapped in bright and shiny

paper. before and it may not look like you think

it's going to look. It may not arrive the way

you think it's going to arrive. But I'm coming

to tell you today that if you will simply trust

in God and see that his greatest gifts come wrapped

in humble wrapping, you might discover your greatest

miracle. You might discover something that'll

change your life. the wrapping and the same thing

happens today. The Bible says that he came unto

his own and his own received him not. Why? Because

they could not understand how God, how the God

that they worshipped for generations could come

in the form of this humble man. And they could

not accept the fact that he was not a political

leader or a military leader or a fluent leader.

but that he was a humble man and he started through

humble beginnings. But if we will see through

the eyes of faith that the gifts of God become

wrapped in mysterious offering. There are things

that God wants to do and I don't want you to

reject God's greatest gift in your life because

it arrives in a package you don't recognize.

I've come today not just to celebrate the birth

of Jesus but I've come also to prophesy to somebody's

future. Go into this next year. That there are

going to be some gifts. That there's going to

be some miracles. That there's going to be some

blessings. That you may not recognize. But to

sit there and think, why wasn't there a high

of people? Princes and princesses and royal officials

and diplomats lined up ready because they did

not recognize the rapping. They did not appreciate

and understand what God was doing. But oh, let

me tell you, if we'll be like the wise men and

if we'll seek Him with all of our hearts today,

we might just discover the greatest gift of all.

And that is Christ in you. God initiated it all

by coming to us. He sent forth his son and he

is Emmanuel, God with us. And he was born of

a woman and he stepped foot into our world. Think

of that. God stepped foot into our world. The

gift arrived at our doorstep. Amen. A gift arrived

here, but let us not dismiss the wrapping. You

know, like some of you right now, you might be

checking your read count to see if Amazon just

delivered that last gift. I got a notification.

Hallelujah. I hope you trust your neighbors.

Praise God. And I like that it doesn't announce

what it is. I don't want anybody knowing what's

in there, you know. They don't think it's just

paperclip, but what they don't know is, you know,

it might be something valuable in there, but

you wouldn't know by the outside, right? Because

it's just brown. You know, it's got plain wrapping

on it. But to the one who's ready to receive,

to the one that knows that something is on the

way, and say, hey, all that looks like it's something

ordinary, but on the inside, I know that there's

a treasure in there. There's something that I'm

going to enjoy. Let me tell you, number two,

that worship is the gift that God wants. Let

me ask you this question. What do you give someone

who has everything? That's the situation that

the wise men were in. What do you give a God

who lacks nothing? What does a God who has everything

seek from us? A God who already owns the cattle

of a thousand hills. The silver and the gold

are his. Heaven is his throne. Amen. And earth

is his footstool. For a God that owns everything,

all the diamonds, all the rubies, all the gems,

silver, the gold, he has everything. What could

he possibly want from us? I'll tell you what

it is. The one thing he can't get enough of.

And that's our worship. Somebody say worship.

Worship. you worship him or not. Amen. But he

wants it. He desires it. That's what he's looking

for. And he'll go to the ends of the earth looking

for somebody that will worship him. Oh, if you

don't believe me, watch Jesus go into the land

of Samaria to talk to a woman at the well, a

Samaritan woman, not even from the stock of Israel,

not even among one of... his disciples, but this

woman with a broken past and had been through

so many relationships and a sinful woman and

Jesus goes out of his way. Why? Because she was

a worshiper. She couldn't quite figure out what,

but she was worshiping. And so Jesus goes out

of it because God is looking for worship. And

if he can't find it here, let me tell you, he'll

find it somewhere else. just because we drove

to church and because we're here doesn't mean

God is obligated to show up. So what kind of

worship is God looking for? Well, he's looking

for the worship that he designed you to do. Because

each and every one of us have a worship that

is unique to you. Something that only you can

offer. Your voice, your talents, your abilities,

your time, your treasure. The wise men brought

their gifts. And if I had time, we could look

at each one in detail. But I'll just briefly

mention what they represent. They brought gold,

frankincense, and myrrh. The gold speaks of God's

royalty, His kingship. The frankincense speaks

of His divinity. As frankincense was burned daily

in the temple as an act of prayer and worship

unto God. Myrrh signifies His sacrificial death

because myrrh was a spice that was used to anoint

and embalm the dead. Every one of these gifts

was symbolic, representing His kingship, representing

His divine authority or His priesthood, and also

representing His ultimate sacrifice on the cross.

And it brought these valuable gifts. But let

me tell you something. Although these gifts were

valuable, there was something that God was more

interested in. He wasn't just interested in their

gifts. God was more interested in the posture

of their hearts. More than the price of their

gifts. We think if I bring God an expensive gift,

you'll be impressed. Huh? We think if I drop

a big offering, God will be impressed. Well,

you can do that today if you like. Don't turn

it away. we have to offer. That God is impressed

with that. God is not again, He's the God that

owns everything. He's not impressed with the

price of our gifts. It doesn't matter how much

it costs us. What God is impressed with is the

worship and the attitude and the position of

our hearts as we give these gifts unto God. The

Bible says that the wise men worship God and

this is what by what you lift up. He's moved

by what you lay down. God is not moved by the

gifts that we lift up. Look at this shiny and

look at this wonderful and look at this expensive

thing that I got. Oh, that might be nice. That

impresses. You know who that impresses? That

impresses your peer. That impresses your neighbor.

That impresses somebody else. But what truly

impresses God is by not what you're willing to

lift up, but what you're willing to lay down.

These men were willing to lay down. If they had

crowns or anything. They laid those things down.

And they laid them down at the feet. And at where

Jesus was resting. They laid those things down.

And this is what touches and moves the heart

of God. And this is the time church. This is

the time everyone today. We come to celebrate

Jesus. We come to celebrate his birth. But how

do we celebrate? Not simply singing Christmas

carols. Not simply going to the motions of the

season. But we celebrate his birth. and His life

by laying down our pride, laying down our status,

laying down our name for the name that is above

all names, laying down all of these things for

the glory of God. And so when we think about

the gift that we give to Him, It is not so much

the price or the quantity. It's the quality.

It's my life surrender to God. I believe right

now God is talking to somebody in this building

today. I'll be just a moment. But God is talking

to somebody today and saying, what is it that

you're willing to lay down? What is it that you're

willing to give? Because if you will give, you'll

see how I will always out give you. Hallelujah.

Why don't we give the Lord a hand, please? He's

the original gift giver. That's right. He's the

original gift giver. Who owns that house? We're

talking about Jesus. He's the original. God is

the original gift giver. And you know that when

God shows up, He never shows up in the end. He

never shows up in the end. When he came down

to earth, he came to give us some amazing gifts.

In his presence, the Bible says, is fullness

of joy. And on his right hand, pleasures forevermore.

God brings his gifts. I want to say he brings

his gifts. He brings his gifts. When he shows

up, he doesn't just show up empty handed. I'll

put it to you this way. the presence of God brings

the presence of God. The presence of God brings

the presence or the gifts of God. Because even

Jesus thought that if a father knows how to give

good gifts to his children, how much more your

heavenly father who gives gifts to his. When

God shows up, He shows up with gifts in his hands.

And I'm going to hear you tell your name. That

the presence of God is here to give out gifts

to his people. You say, well, what kind of gift

are we talking about? That's what I'm asking.

By definition, a gift or a present is something

that is freely given. You can't earn it. Because

the moment that you... And again, now it's a

transaction. And unfortunately, that's how some

view their relationship with God. If I give him

this, he will give me that. If I do this, he

will do that. Now, there are some kingdom principles

that you can reap what you sow. And there are

some things in that that are true about God blessing

what we give him in return. But let me tell you,

God's not a vending machine. Amen. just get to

push this button and then God gives us. Nor can

God be paid off. You can't bribe Him. You can't

earn your way there. You can't work your way

there. It is freely given to us. But the gifts

of God are available to all of us here today.

They're not for sale. Someone say, they're not

for sale. You can't buy them. You can't get them

on eBay, Amazon. Walmart, Target, Hallelujah.

They must be received by faith. And there are

some gifts that God wants to give. So in these

next few moments, as I get ready to close this

up, what kinds of gifts does God offer? What

kinds of presents does He offer? Number one,

salvation. Who blessed to be the next? received

that gift, if you haven't accepted Christ as

your personal Savior, then hear me today. There's

a big gift that you need to open in your life.

It's called the gift of salvation. It's free.

God's not going to charge you no more because

He already paid the price for it. Hallelujah.

The gift of salvation is bought and paid for

with His own blood that He shed for us on Calvary.

Hallelujah. From the cradle to the cross. He

paid the price for our salvation. So somebody

here today, or maybe somebody who's watching

this broadcast at some point, open up that gift.

Open your heart to God and say, Lord, I want

you to shake me. Hallelujah. The second gift

that God can give you is the gift of the Holy

Spirit. Thank you. to receive this gift, or I

have not spoken in tongues in many months or

even years. I have not felt His Spirit like I

once did. God wants to gift you today His Spirit.

Oh, thank you, Jesus. is his blessings. The Bible

says that every good and perfect gift is from

above. Some of you are waiting on blessings from

the Lord. You're waiting on gifts. You're waiting

on miracles. You're waiting on peace to come.

Financial blessings Spiritual blessings just

says there are diversities of gifts, but the

same Spirit. There are the gifts of the Spirit

known as denying gifts of the Spirit that God

wants to give to His church. Gifts such as healing

and gifts as working of miracles and gifts of

faith and discernment, wisdom. These are gifts

that God wants to give, but there's other gifts,

there's other talents that God wants to give

to His people. I'm here to tell you today, church,

that from this point on. God is going to unleash.

God is going to pour out such great gifts in

our midst. Hallelujah. God wants to give gifts

to His people. is if I came to give worship,

that's right, we have come to worship. We have

come to praise Him. Something supernatural!