And when they were come into the house, they saw the young
child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had
opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, frankincense, and
myrrh. Matthew 2:11
I. Planned
their offering.
A. The wise
men recognized Jesus as the king of the Jews and gave accordingly
Matthew 2:2.
B. We ought
to give careful thought to our giving because we, like the wise men, give to
Christ the king.
1. We are
to lay by in store as we have been prospered - I Corinthians 16:1-3.
2. We are
to give as we have purposed in our hearts - II Corinthians 9:6-7.
II. Protected
their offering.
A. The wise
men made a long journey to see Christ. They protected their offering from
being lost or stolen along the way.
B. Many
Christians fail to give on the first day of the week as they ought because
they fail to protect their offering throughout the week. Many allow their
offering to be robbed by pleasure. Others allow their offering to be robbed
by "need." Still others allow their offering to be robbed by
carelessness.
III.
Presented their offering to Christ.
A. The wise
men came into the house where Jesus was and presented unto him
gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
B. Because
Christ and his church are inseparable, when we present our offering to the
church we are in essence presenting our offering to Christ.
