Beforehand: Be sure to check out Pastor Ben’s message online if you were not able to catch it on Sunday morning.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

The Perfect Gift – “Gift Giving”

1 – The Cost! – 2 Corinthians 9:10

2 – What Do They Need? – 2 Corinthians 9:11

3 – No Strings Attached – 2 Corinthians 9:12-14

4 – Cheerful Giving – 2 Corinthians 9:15

Deep Six Study

Introduction

John 1:14, 18 – “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth …. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

Praise to our Heavenly Father that He has revealed Himself to us. This is what Christmas is all about. Apart from God’s special revelation of Himself to us we could never truly “know” Him. God gave His son Jesus Christ and He is called the “Word.” The Greek word for “word” is “logos.” Jesus is the “Living Logos” of God. The Scriptures are the “Written Logos” of God. The Scriptures are essentially the Divine record of God’s plan for reconciling and restoring the world to Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ. The written word and the living word are God’s gift to us and we must always stay closely connected with both. Our gift to the world is the bringing of both the message of Christ and the person of Christ to those around us. This is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.

Question # 1 – How would you describe for someone who is without Christ how He is God’s gift to them?

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

2 Corinthians 9:10 – “For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.”

Exodus 23:16 – “Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field.”

Leviticus 23:10 - “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

Comment – Religious and spiritual experience were central to God’s dealings with Israel in Old Testament times when God dwelled in their midst through the tabernacle/temple set up with its human leadership. Supporting this set up and the priestly order that led it through material means of all participants was a important part of the religious and spiritual experience of each participant. In the New Covenant we become the temple of God individually and collectively and with His indwelling presence our experience becomes much more a Spiritual one and less a religious one. And still there is a cost - one that touches us on all levels. It cost God His Son – we were bought with a price; and it costs us our lives. You see when we truly enter into the full benefit of the price God paid in giving us His Son, we give up ourselves completely to God by yielding all claim to ownership and devoting ourselves to His glory and kingdom throughout our lifetime in the flesh. So, our total person with all our abilities, time, resources, and possessions are our gift to Him and become the basis for our giving ourselves to others so that they might become the temple of God as well.

Question # 2 – How would describe what it means to be God’s temple both individually and collectively?

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

2 Corinthians 9:11 – “Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.”

Psalm 96:1-8 – “Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name; bring an offering and come into His courts.”

1 Thessalonians 2:8 – “Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.”

Comment – Meeting the spiritual needs of mankind through the reconciliation and restoration offered in Christ is central. Christ came and dwelt among us to accomplish this very purpose, but He had great compassion for people and their needs on every level. Jesus went about doing good everywhere as He healed the sick and impaired, fed the hungry, raised the dead, delivered the captives of demonic bondage, etc. As we have genuine compassion for the needs of others, we can sacrificially let God use us in the meeting of those needs either directly through personal involvement or indirectly through our supporting (finances, prayer, auxiliary efforts, etc.) the personal involvement of others who are more strategically placed. Through direct personal involvement in meeting these other needs we will find that God joins our lives with others in ways that readily reveal Christ to them through the person we are and the words we share. Similarly, we anticipate the same for those to whom we give our support.

Question # 3 – Can you think of an instance when someone lovingly reached out to you in a time of need which helped to soften your heart to God?

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Part 3 – Corresponds to the third point of the message

2 Corinthians 9:12-14 – “So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.”

Acts 3:6 – “But Peter said, ‘I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!’”

Acts 20:32-35 – “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

1 Thessalonians 2:9 – “For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.”

Comment – The “spirit of Christmas” is really the “spirit” of life and the way it was meant to be lived all along. Christmas is a time of good will and putting others and their needs first without any conditions or strings. Perhaps this cultural phenomena can be accounted for in part from the secondary effect on society that comes from the presence of that minority who are truly benefiting from the gift of God’s Son. It may also be due to a residual effect from an earlier time in our culture when God’s gift was more widely received. Regardless, it is this selfless spirit of giving that must permeate our lives if the true meaning of Christmas which sprang forth that first Christmas so long ago is going to be seen in us by others who so desperately need to be reached with the message and person of Christ.

Question # 4 – Where are you in your journey of becoming one who truly reaches out to others with a selfless spirit?

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Part 4 – Corresponds to the third point of the message

2 Corinthians 9:15 – “Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!”

Luke 22:19 – “And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’”

Romans 12:6-8 – “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Colossians 2:6-7 – “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

Hebrews 12:28 – “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe.”

Comment – Dutiful, somber, joyless Christianity often stems from a lack of gratitude. When we truly give ourselves over to Christ and enter into the fullness of His presence, we will not be joyless and ungrateful. We will willingly go about building into the lives of others and they will experience our cheerful disposition that delights in giving ourselves to them for their highest good. Because we are eternally grateful that God delights in giving Himself for us for our highest good, we stay focused on why we are here and how we can be a gift to others too wonderful for words.

Question # 5 – In what ways do you struggle with a lack of joy, gratitude, and cheerfulness?

 

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Conclusion

Jesus said, “As the Father sent Me, I send you. So, the Father gave Jesus; Jesus gives us; and we give the “Good News” wrapped in love to a needy world. We best do this by giving our very selves to others. Their connecting with Christ has much to do with our connecting with them – but in this connection with them they must see our connection with Christ as we stay close to Him, the Living Word, and let Him overflow from us to them. What better gift can we give this Christmas.

Question # 6 – Can you think of someone you have connected with who is not a Christian who really values your friendship and care?

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Related Scriptures: Luke 12:22-48; Mark 8:34-38; 2 Peter 1:1-11

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on these Scriptures and anything else from this week’s Deep Six Study.