Three Gifts
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 11016 |
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December 27, 2009 |
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 "When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.
Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." (Matthew 2:10-11)
Christmas is one of the greatest of the feasts the children of God celebrate every year. On this day we give thanks to God. We rejoice and celebrate Jesus, who was born as the Savior to save all mankind from sins and keep us from going on the path to destruction.
Around 2,000 years ago a baby was born who would become the Savior and bring hope and joy to mankind. The Magi received the revelations of the birth of the Jesus who would become the Savior. They saw the star of Jesus and followed it, and in Bethlehem they worshiped the baby Jesus and as gifts for His birthday, they gave Him the three gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense (Matthew 2:11). What are the spiritual meanings of the three gifts the Magi gave baby Jesus?
First, gold spiritually represents our heart.
Gold is one of the most precious of metals that people love most on earth. It symbolizes riches and wealth. As recorded in Matthew 6:21 it says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." When we give God gold as offering it means we give all our hearts and we offer Him everything we have. We should not only give the Lord things from among what we possess that we can give, but we should also be willing to offer the most important thing, our lives.
Mark 12:42 describes a poor widow who offered all she owned, all she had to live on, out of her poverty. She put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent, but Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury." In 1 Kings 17 is a scene where a widow in Zarephath served Elijah, a man of God, with the last remnants of food with which she and her family could survive. She had nothing but a handful of flour in the flour box and a little oil in the jar for food because of a long drought. The remnant of food was no more than life-buoy to her family. But when she offered this last bit of food to a man of God, to Elijah, God blessed her home. The box containing the flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty until the long drought came to an end. Thus, the heart with which we can give the Lord everything we have and we can serve God first above anything else in seemingly impossible circumstances, this is the heart that is deemed beautiful in God's sight. It is the gift of offering the heart of gold.
Secondly, myrrh signifies the fragrance of the Christ.
Myrrh gives off a sweet aroma and removes bad odors. Myrrh spiritually symbolizes the fragrance of Christ. So when we cast away all forms of evil and spread the fragrance of Christ with good deeds, it is symbolically giving the Lord myrrh. Spreading the fragrance of Christ means our hearts have already been circumcised, so everything goes well with us and we can enjoy good health in spirit and body as recorded in 3 John 1:2, "Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers."
Of course, when we offer the Lord everything we have, just as the Magi gave Him gold, God repays with blessings according to what we have sown. But if we have circumcised our hearts and spread the fragrance of Christ, we can please God and receive far greater blessings than we have sown. God doesn't see only our deeds but measures our hearts as well. So first of all, He joyfully receives the aroma of our hearts. Those who love the Lord with a sincere heart will try their best to cast off every form evil. Accordingly, if we have circumcised our hearts and spread the fragrance of Christ, our heart is to give the Lord whatever we have and not to spare our lives.
Thirdly, frankincense has the meaning of unchanging faith.
Frankincense is used as an antiseptic or preservative to prevent decomposition. Giving the gift of frankincense signifies offering the heart that is incorruptible. It means we dedicate even our lives to the Lord unchangingly. If we determined to live for the Lord for the remainder of our lives after meeting the Lord, we should not show our dedication temporarily, but steadfastly. We must serve the Lord all the days of our lives. In order to possess an unchanging heart, first of all, we have to cast off every form of evil. If there remains any form of evil or ill-feelings within us, we may change or become corrupted in seeking our own benefit or advantage.
In order to give the Lord these valuable gifts, first of all, we should possess the heart of giving the Lord everything we have. We must circumcise our hearts and throw away all untruths, and then fill our hearts with the truth instead. Lastly if we completely offer ourselves to the Lord with unchanging heart, this is the best gift we can offer to the Lord.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if parents truly love their child, they don't spare even their lives for that child. They never complain or grumble at all even if the child doesn't pay them back with sacrificial love. That is because they love their child more than they love their own lives.
Even if we were to fill the ocean with ink and made the skies of parchment, it would not be enough to describe the love of the Lord. I am eagerly urging you to feel the love of the Lord who is by your side and who always encourages and strengthens you. He is earnestly praying for you to walk the right path and He is like the water springing up from the well that never runs dry. This Christmas, I wish for you to understand the spiritual meanings of the gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense given to Jesus and for you also to give true and valuable gifts to the Lord.
If you want to hear this message in greater detail, you can visit (www. manmin. org) and click "WORD OF LIFE" then choose the sermon topic of your choice.
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