Gifts from God

Gifts from God

by Patricia Dailey
Senior Pastor, Bethel Revival Center
43 Norwood St.
Everett, MA 02149

---

Proverbs 18:16
A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.

There are many evangelists and pastors who have been given gifts from God that have brought them before great men. Evangelist Billy Graham is an example of this, where he was a counsellor for several of our presidents. Crowds would gather to hear him minister the Word of God. No doubt, amongst those multitudes there were those of high positions.

Genesis 31:14-16
Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

Joseph’s gift made room for him to be brought before Pharaoh.

Proverbs 17:8
A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.

Rubies and diamonds are precious stones to the owner. And a gift that is given by God is that precious to the one who receives it. They think of it being very valuable.

The Gift of God's Son — Eternal Life

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jesus Christ is given to us as a gift from God. He is the living Saviour. And through Him we are given the gift of eternal life — if we but believe that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose the third day.

When we receive Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we have the Son of God — the gift of God — living in our hearts. We invited Jesus into our heart when we repented of our sins, believing in Him as Saviour. He becomes the hope of our glory, living within us as our personal Saviour.

This is a gift from God: salvation through the gift of His only begotten Son. Because of our receiving God’s gift we have the hope of eternal life.

Revelation 1:18
I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

John 14:19
Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me: because I live, ye shall live also.

John 11:25,26
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We can see through these Scriptures it is the gift of God that we have eternal life, and that we have His Son living in us. We should count these as very precious gifts.

The Hope of Glory

Colossians 1:27
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory

Christ in us is the hope of glory for us.

The Rock and Chief Cornerstone

Matthew 16:18
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Jesus is that rock upon which the Church is be built.

Ephesisans 2:20-22
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Peter was a human, like you and I, in need of salvation. Jesus told him that he would later be converted.

Luke 22:31,32
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Peter had been very rash with his mouth, ready to speak up without thinking. Jesus told him that he would deny Jesus three times before the cock crew.

Jesus is a precious stone in the eyes of those who have Him as their Lord and Saviour. And He would become that precious stone in Peter’s eyes after he was converted.

I Peter 2:8
And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Jesus came unto His own, and His own received Him not (see John 1:11). There are Jews who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour — as their promised Messiah — but the majority of the Jewish race is still looking for a coming Messiah.

Matthew 7:24-28
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Christ is that Rock we are to build our lives upon. He is the foundation of our salvation. When we take His sayings and do them, building our lives upon them, He likens us to a wise man building his house upon a rock.

And, when the storms of life come (and we will have storms in this life — we cannot escape them), we will stand firm.

Jesus is likening our spiritual life to building a natural house. When people build their house on the sand and the natural storms come, their house will fall.

Luke 6:47-49
Whosoever cometh to Me, and heareth My sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: he is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Here is the same story of building one’s house upon a rock, and it says that the wise will dig deep to lay their foundation on the rock.

I met a man who told me he had built a house without putting any foundation under it. He built his house right on the ground. He was not a wise man. By the seashore you sometimes see where a house had been built on the sand, and it was swept away in a storm. They didn’t use wisdom when they were building it right on the sand, without any solid foundation.

I Corinthians 3:11
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

I Peter 2:6-8
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

We build our spiritual house on Christ and His sayings, digging deep to be sure we are laying the foundation on the Rock. We’ll dig deep into the Word of God to find hid treasures, and build our lives on what is said in its pages.

I Corinthians 10:4
And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

That Rock in the wilderness was Christ.

I Corinthians 10:5,6
But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

They all had that same experience; they all had drunk from that spiritual Rock.

The Fountain of Living Waters

And when we get into the Word of God, we are drinking from that spiritual Rock today. Jesus is that Rock, and He is the living water. The children of Israel forsook the fountain of living water back there in the wilderness:

Jeremimah 2:13
For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

You and I don’t want to forsake the Fountain of Living Water: Christ Jesus.

I Peter 2:4-8
To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded.

Unto you therefore which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Offer Up Spiritual Sacrifices

You are lively stones (living stones) who are building a spiritual house, a royal priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices. The Old Testament sacrifices have been made obsolete. Today God’s people are priests called to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 13:15
By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.

We are to offer up the sacrifices of praise unto God continually — offer up our lives, and even offer up our possessions.

Many Christians who buy a home will ask the pastor to come and bless their new home for the Lord. Anything we have belongs to the Lord for us to use as He pleases.

This doesn’t mean He’ll take it away from us — though, at times, He may ask someone to give up their possessions in order to take up His calling on their lives.

We had to give up our home in order to fulfil His calling to come to Boston. We couldn’t continue living in that home in Pennsylvania if we were to minister up here in the Boston area.

If He does ask you to give up something for Him, He’ll take care of you. Everything you have belongs to Him — even your very life.

I Corinthians 6:19,20
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Now, we can use our home in many ways to be a blessing to the Lord: for prayer meetings; as lodging for a missionary or evangelist, where they can have a place to stay and be fed.

One thing about showing hospitality to missionaries and evangelists, you will be spiritually blessed while they are in your home. They will talk about spiritual things and give testimonies about their experiences in the ministry, and your soul will be fed.

All the money you earn — all that is given to you — all belongs to God. He knows you need money to pay for your living expenses. He won’t leave you penniless. He’ll see to it your needs are met — when you first give that which belongs to Him (your tithes and offerings).

Malachi 3:10
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Think of that. When you put Him first in your giving, He’ll give you so much that you’ll have enough to give away. And that makes you a channel of blessing to others.

Hebrews 13:15
By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.

Praise is a spiritual sacrifice that is to be offered up to God. Yet it is so hard for many of God’s people to open their mouths and praise Him. When God’s people will get into praising God in the unity of the Spirit, the power of God will move. People can be healed while God’s people are joined together in praise unto Him; people can be saved, delivered, and can receive spiritual gifts from God — all while His people are praising Him in unity.

Too often, though, God’s people have allowed the enemy to crowd their minds with men’s ideas: "This is the way we do it. This is the way it has always been done."

When we come to church, we should come to meet with God, not to look around, not to talk with one another. Church is a place where we come to worship God, to lift up our voices in praise unto Him, to listen to the preaching of His Word.

The Gift of God's Word

God has given us His Word, the inspired Word of God. This is another gift that is as a precious stone.

II Timothy 3:16,17
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Let us listen attentively to the preaching of the gift of God’s Word, and let us offer up spiritual sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving unto Him for such a precious gift.

Romans 12:1,2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Our reasonable service: a living sacrifice. You’re alive, presenting yourself to God in total consecration, set apart for God and His service. You may never be called to preach His Word, never be called to pastor a people for Him. But you are called to be a witness, reaching out to lost souls.

The Gift of Faith

Now, God not only gave us Jesus Christ and the gift of salvation through believing on Him. He also gave us faith, dealing to every man the measure of faith (see Romans 12:3).

The gift of saving faith. Jesus is a gift to us. When you have Him within your heart, He is the hope of glory.

When we repent of our sins, asking God to forgive, and invite Jesus into our heart as Lord and Saviour, He comes as a gift to abide within. It’s only through Jesus Christ that we may have eternal life.

II Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

"I haven’t sinned. I’ve lived a good life!"

But that’s not what the Word says. The Word of God would tell us that all have sinned and come short of His glory. We cannot meet God’s standard with sin in our lives.

Some will tell you: "I’m a good person. I keep all of the commandments!" Yet they take the name of the Lord in vain as they talk to you, breaking the commandment of God.

God gave His only begotten Son that we, as sinners, could have eternal life by beliving on Him for salvation.

II Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Those who say they haven’t sinned are deceiving themselves and make God a liar.

I John 1:8,10
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us . . . If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

The gift of Forgiveness and Cleansing

After we have repented of our sins, if we sin and disobey the Word of God (and all disobedience is sin), we need to go to God and confess our sin, asking Him to forgive us.

I John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

At times we all are guilty of saying things we ought not to say, of holding feelings in our heart that aren’t right. We need to come to God in repentance, asking Him to forgive and cleanse us; and if we are holding feelings against someone, we need to forgive them and ask God to forgive them.

Matthew 6:14,15
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Luke 23:34
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

To receive God’s gift of forgiveness we must forgive others who have sinned against us. This gift is certainly a precious treasure in our lives.