Christmas Sermons

Here are a couple of scaled down Christmas sermon outlines that I recently preached.  Some pastors love preaching Christmas sermons, some don't - I'm in the 'love to' camp:


Sermon Title: Gifts
Scripture Passage: Matthew 2:11


INTRO: When Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God - He not only fulfilled the Law and the prophets – He brought a whole new way of looking at things.

In the Kingdom you really do have to give in order to receive. If you want to go high – you have to go low. Jesus thought that there was enough food in the lunch of a little boy to feed thousands. It’s just how He thinks. He thinks if you want to live – you have to die. These are not just token inspirational thoughts – this is what a renewed mind – this is what a Kingdom perspective looks like. With Kingdom perspective a miracle is logical.

And with the coming Savior, came a new perspective on.

Matthew 2:11 - And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Some thoughts about giving:

1. The heart of Kingdom giving is worship.

Vs. 11 – And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.

Giving should never be done out of duty, obligation or compulsion – but rather from an understanding of giving is based in worship. Giving is never compartmentalized either.  Giving as worship never says "I gave my time, so now I don’t need to give my resources". This is not Kingdom thinking. Because this act of worshipful giving affects every part of our lives. That type of thinking is Old Testament religious duty thinking – well I did my time here so that gets me off the hook in this area.  Jesus introduced giving as a lifestyle of worship - illustrated by what the wise men did at His birth.


Jesus spoke to this when he dropped this epic verse on us in John 4:24:

"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
He changed worship.

Worship was no longer going to come from religious conformity, or religious duty, or obligation – but now the worship God was seeking came from a genuine heart of love – it was given from the purity of an honest heart. That’s why Paul said giving can never come out of pressure or duty – but out of a heart that has encountered God that moves you to give. It’s just what you do – it’s like breathing. Kingdom giving is a grace that only belongs to the believer. It’s who we are – giving is what we are about.



Something else about Kingdom giving:


2. Something has to be opened before something can be given.


Vs. 11 – And when they had opened their treasures...


When they had opened their treasure – then they gave. Before giving could happen – a treasury of some type had to be opened up. Jesus talked about treasure.


Matthew 8:19-21: Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Heart and treasure have the same exact zip code. We all have treasure to give out of. Has nothing to do with how much money you have or don’t have. One of the biggest misnomer’s about giving in the church today is that you have quote unquote ‘have to have extra money in order to give’. That’s false. Real giving starts when we cease to be able to afford what we are giving. Sometimes folks get hung up on percentages in tithing – this might be a better measuring stick – give a little more than you can truly afford – then you will be giving from your treasure.


We all have treasure – the question is does our treasure have us? Are you will to open your treasure like the wise men did?

Kingdom giving gives without regard of the thought – what I may benefit from this? Why? Because it comes from the heart.


Luke 6:45: A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Kingdom giving asks, "What's in it for me?" If the answer is "nothing," then that means let’s give then!


Finally, in Kingdom giving:

3. There is a presentation. 

Vs. 11 - they presented gifts to Him.

Notice they did the giving. They didn’t have their assistants give the gifts – they gave them. There was great honor and power in them presenting the gifts.  The very act of giving is part of the gift - there is joy in the very act of presenting our gifts to Him.