What Could I Possibly Give To God?
Luke 14:25-33
Do you know anyone that is hard to buy a gift for? (Use a personal example of someone close to you who is hard to buy a gift for). When it comes to this persons birthday or Christmas it is hard to buy for them because they have everything. Have you ever thought about what you can give to God? What would God possibly want us to give to him? “Oh, great, here goes another preacher talking about money again.” There is a place for that. We shouldn’t be ashamed to talk about that. But before God wants our money he wants our lives. I submit to you tonight that God does not have everything. What are some things we can give God that he doesn’t have?
1). Give him our worship. Revelation 14:7-- “He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
How much of your life has been about worship? Remember, it’s more than just coming here once a week. Why is God concerned that you worship him and him alone? He knows he is the ultimate. Nothing can satisfy like he. God is most worshipped when we are most satisfied in him. We worship that which gives us the most satisfaction. Read throughout the Bible (especially in the OT since I am reading through it) you will see how God demands exclusive worship. The main reason is because there are no other gods and the second reason is because he is the ultimate. He should be the ultimate object of our affection. Don’t forget though that God can still exist without our worship. His very life doesn’t depend on whether or not we worship him. It should be our privilege and joy. What has been hindering your worship lately?
2). Give to the needs of others. Deut. 15:7-8,11 “If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs…Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”
When we are giving to others we are actually giving to the Lord. Contrast with Matthew 25:31-46 He gives a picture of man’s final accounting. Those who are allowed in the Kingdom are those who fed the Lord, gave the Lord water, clothed the Lord, visited the Lord in prison, visited the Lord while he was sick. Of course a person will ask, “Lord when did we do this? I didn’t know you were still down here! And the Lord says “whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me! When we give to people in need we are giving to the Lord. Christ made it his mission to reach out to the poor. We should have the same attitude.
ILLUSTRATION: A little boy about 10 years old was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and said, “My little fellow, why are you looking so earnestly in that window?” “I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,” was the boys reply. The lady took him by the hand and went into the store and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her. She took the little guy to the back part of the store and removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with a towel. By this time the clerk returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy’s feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes. She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, “No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable now?” As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her by the hand, and looking up in her face, with tears in her eyes, answered the question with these words: “Are you God’s wife?”
3). Give him your bodies. Romans 12:1 (NLT) “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Not just with what you put in your physical bodies but your mind. Your body is the place where God dwells. This means also your total person. Your hopes, your dreams, your service to him. His agenda comes before yours. Here I am Lord, send me. Give him your body as a commitment to purity but give him your body as a commitment for service.
4). Give him your best effort. 1 Corinthians 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it ALL for the glory of God.” Even when the pay off is not what we expected.
ILLUSTRATION: A little girl named Sarah was born with a muscle missing in her foot and wears a brace all the time. She came home one beautiful spring day to tell her father she had competed in “field day”. Because of her leg support, her father’s mind raced as he tried to think of encouragement for Sarah, things he could say to her about not letting this get her down—but before he could get a word out, she said “Daddy, I won two of the races!” Her father couldn’t believe it. And then Sarah said, “I had an advantage.” Ah, her father thought. She must have been given a head start…some kind of physical advantage. But again, before he could say anything, she said, “Daddy, I didn’t get a head start…My advantage was I had to try harder!
Do your best for his glory. God makes us pursue our best.
5). Give him whatever is keeping you from going all out for him. Luke 14:33 “So no one can become my disciple (follower) without giving up everything for me.” Jesus is talking about the cost of discipleship in this passage. He gives some very direct instruction. Jesus wants his hearers to realize that if to follow him means to follow him wholeheartedly.
If you and I were to go on a hiking trip there would be some things we would absolutely have to pack and there would be some things we can do without. We might even have to leave some seemingly good things behind in order to make the journey a success. The excess will weigh us down and keep us from accomplishing the goal.
We like to give him some stuff but not all of it. As long as we are holding on to one thing that is not pleasing to him it is going to affect our relationship with Him. What is keeping you from going all out for him?
WRAP UP--
These are not things you give him so you can become a Christian. You do these things BECAUSE you are a Christian.
These are things he won’t force from you. There is no doubt that the seas and stars are his. There is no doubt that the rainbow belongs to him. Whether or not he owns you is up to you. In the grand scheme of things God can lay claim to you because he created you. But the father/son/daughter part of the relationship is in your hands. He died so that you can have life with him.
What do you and I need to give God tonight? He is waiting with his arms wide open ready to receive whatever you bring to him tonight. Maybe it is your praise. Maybe it is to commit your body to purity. Maybe its say to him, Lord I want to endure even though things have been tough. Maybe there has been someone on your mind whose needs God has been wanting you to meet but you haven’t. Whatever it may be God wants to take it and make it special.
Do you know anyone that is hard to buy a gift for? (Use a personal example of someone close to you who is hard to buy a gift for). When it comes to this persons birthday or Christmas it is hard to buy for them because they have everything. Have you ever thought about what you can give to God? What would God possibly want us to give to him? “Oh, great, here goes another preacher talking about money again.” There is a place for that. We shouldn’t be ashamed to talk about that. But before God wants our money he wants our lives. I submit to you tonight that God does not have everything. What are some things we can give God that he doesn’t have?
1). Give him our worship. Revelation 14:7-- “He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
How much of your life has been about worship? Remember, it’s more than just coming here once a week. Why is God concerned that you worship him and him alone? He knows he is the ultimate. Nothing can satisfy like he. God is most worshipped when we are most satisfied in him. We worship that which gives us the most satisfaction. Read throughout the Bible (especially in the OT since I am reading through it) you will see how God demands exclusive worship. The main reason is because there are no other gods and the second reason is because he is the ultimate. He should be the ultimate object of our affection. Don’t forget though that God can still exist without our worship. His very life doesn’t depend on whether or not we worship him. It should be our privilege and joy. What has been hindering your worship lately?
2). Give to the needs of others. Deut. 15:7-8,11 “If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs…Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”
When we are giving to others we are actually giving to the Lord. Contrast with Matthew 25:31-46 He gives a picture of man’s final accounting. Those who are allowed in the Kingdom are those who fed the Lord, gave the Lord water, clothed the Lord, visited the Lord in prison, visited the Lord while he was sick. Of course a person will ask, “Lord when did we do this? I didn’t know you were still down here! And the Lord says “whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me! When we give to people in need we are giving to the Lord. Christ made it his mission to reach out to the poor. We should have the same attitude.
ILLUSTRATION: A little boy about 10 years old was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and said, “My little fellow, why are you looking so earnestly in that window?” “I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,” was the boys reply. The lady took him by the hand and went into the store and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her. She took the little guy to the back part of the store and removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with a towel. By this time the clerk returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy’s feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes. She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, “No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable now?” As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her by the hand, and looking up in her face, with tears in her eyes, answered the question with these words: “Are you God’s wife?”
3). Give him your bodies. Romans 12:1 (NLT) “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Not just with what you put in your physical bodies but your mind. Your body is the place where God dwells. This means also your total person. Your hopes, your dreams, your service to him. His agenda comes before yours. Here I am Lord, send me. Give him your body as a commitment to purity but give him your body as a commitment for service.
4). Give him your best effort. 1 Corinthians 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it ALL for the glory of God.” Even when the pay off is not what we expected.
ILLUSTRATION: A little girl named Sarah was born with a muscle missing in her foot and wears a brace all the time. She came home one beautiful spring day to tell her father she had competed in “field day”. Because of her leg support, her father’s mind raced as he tried to think of encouragement for Sarah, things he could say to her about not letting this get her down—but before he could get a word out, she said “Daddy, I won two of the races!” Her father couldn’t believe it. And then Sarah said, “I had an advantage.” Ah, her father thought. She must have been given a head start…some kind of physical advantage. But again, before he could say anything, she said, “Daddy, I didn’t get a head start…My advantage was I had to try harder!
Do your best for his glory. God makes us pursue our best.
5). Give him whatever is keeping you from going all out for him. Luke 14:33 “So no one can become my disciple (follower) without giving up everything for me.” Jesus is talking about the cost of discipleship in this passage. He gives some very direct instruction. Jesus wants his hearers to realize that if to follow him means to follow him wholeheartedly.
If you and I were to go on a hiking trip there would be some things we would absolutely have to pack and there would be some things we can do without. We might even have to leave some seemingly good things behind in order to make the journey a success. The excess will weigh us down and keep us from accomplishing the goal.
We like to give him some stuff but not all of it. As long as we are holding on to one thing that is not pleasing to him it is going to affect our relationship with Him. What is keeping you from going all out for him?
WRAP UP--
These are not things you give him so you can become a Christian. You do these things BECAUSE you are a Christian.
These are things he won’t force from you. There is no doubt that the seas and stars are his. There is no doubt that the rainbow belongs to him. Whether or not he owns you is up to you. In the grand scheme of things God can lay claim to you because he created you. But the father/son/daughter part of the relationship is in your hands. He died so that you can have life with him.
What do you and I need to give God tonight? He is waiting with his arms wide open ready to receive whatever you bring to him tonight. Maybe it is your praise. Maybe it is to commit your body to purity. Maybe its say to him, Lord I want to endure even though things have been tough. Maybe there has been someone on your mind whose needs God has been wanting you to meet but you haven’t. Whatever it may be God wants to take it and make it special.
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