PREPARATION. > Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group.

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1 FIRST BAPTIST RAYTOWN THE PERFECT GIFT DECEMBER 27, 2015

2 JAMES 1:17; LUKE 11:13; 1 PETER 4:10 DECEMBER 27, 2015 PREPARATION > Spend the week reading through and studying James 1:17; Luke 11:13; 1 Peter 4:10. Consult the commentary provided and any additional study tools (such as a concordance or Bible dictionary) to enhance your preparation. > Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group. > Pray for Pastor Brandon, the upcoming group meeting, your teaching, your group members, and their receptivity to the study. HIGHLIGHTS BIBLICAL EMPHASIS: In Christ we have received a gift of immeasurable worth. The gift comes freely from God, and it is for all who believe in Jesus. It is not based on our merits, but upon Christ s merit on our behalf. TEACHING AIM: Gifts are meant to be given. We should share the gift of Jesus with others who have not received it. 2 The Perfect Gift First Baptist Raytown

3 INTRODUCTION As your group time begins, use this section to help get the conversation going. 1 Which do you enjoy more, giving gifts or getting gifts? Why? Top 15 Holiday Gifts for 2015, according to Toys R Us Dance & Move BeatBo Smart Bear 2 What is the best gift you have ever received? Doc McStuffins Take Care of Me Lambie 3 Who gave you the gift, and why was it such a memorable gift for you? Barbie Saddle N Ride Horse Little Live Pets Clever Keet At Christmas we are preoccupied with gifts. We search for the perfect gift for our loved ones, and we give them our lists of those things we most want this holiday season. Christmas is ultimately about the gift of Christ. The incarnation is the most profound and astounding gift. Any parent would not hesitate to tell you their newborn son or daughter is a gift from God. The baby Jesus was a gift for all of humankind to redeem and repair our relationship with God that had been ravaged by sin. Like every good and perfect gift, Jesus came from the Father above, so our gift is actually the giver as well. In response to the gift we have been given, we share the joy of the gift with others. Shopkins Fasion Boutique Playset Journey Girls 2015 Italy Holiday Doll Paw Patrol Paw Patroller Imaginext Ultra T-Rex Star Wars Blade Builders Jedi Master Lightsaber UNDERSTANDING Unpack the biblical text to discover what Scripture says or means about a particular topic. > Have a volunteer read Read James 1:17. Star Wars Interactive R2-D2 Droid LEGO Dimensions Starter Pack Who does James identify as the giver? What type of gifts do we receive from this giver? Guitar Hero Live Nerf N-Strike Modulus ECS- 10 Meccano MeccaNoid 3 The Perfect Gift First Baptist Raytown

4 At Christmas we consider the gift of Christ. Why is new birth such a gift? How does this relate to our spiritual lives? When we receive gifts from people, it is not uncommon to write thank-you notes to express gratitude. How do we express our gratitude to God? The greatest of all God s gifts is a new birth. He took the gracious choice of God to offer salvation to people. His purpose always has been to provide redemption. The message of truth is the gospel, the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Christ. In the gospel, we recognize God is generous to us and we give Him credit for all the good we enjoy. This calls for us to identify all we have received from God and to express gratitude to Him for these gifts. We express our gratitude to God by sharing His gift with others. What do you learn about God s nature in this verse? Why is it important that we relate to God as giver? Beyond salvation, what has God given you? What is the Gift? Gift (charisma) literally means a gift of grace. When Christians receive God s grace in this way, we have the responsibility to share this gift with other Christians. Through such sharing we are faithfully administering God s grace in its various forms. What has been given to the individual as a gift of grace has also been given for the benefit of the body as a whole. Believers are agents of God in passing on the benefits of His grace in our lives. God does not grant us gifts of grace for our personal use; He gives them for the benefit of the body of Christ. Paul wrote in Romans 6:23, for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. What we have been given from God is a gift. A gift is unlike the wage of sin, we did not earn the gift but it was given freely and without qualification or merit. According to James, God only gives good and perfect gifts, and Christ is the most perfect gift. All we experience in this life is a gift from His hand. One of the best advertisements for the Christian faith is men and women who love Jesus and are grateful for what He has secured for us in His sacrifice on our behalf. 4 The Perfect Gift First Baptist Raytown

5 > Have a volunteer read Luke 11: What metaphor did Jesus use to explain the gifts we receive from the Father? How does this image resonate with you? What is the ultimate gift God gives His children, according to verse 13? In what sense is the gift actually the giver? How are they linked together? Just as children should expect good gifts from their earthly parents in response to appropriate requests, we can pray expectantly, knowing our Heavenly Father will give us His best. Jesus promised that the Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. God gives His children His own indwelling presence. His presence and power assures us we can expect to receive that for which we pray. Not only is Jesus a gift from God, but the Holy Spirit is as well. Sense all three persons are equally God, God is both the gift and the giver over all we have in salvation. BRANDON S POINTS: 1) The Gift is the Giver 2) The Gift is to be Given Based on these verses, why can we have confidence in God s answers to our prayers? How is answered prayer another good gift from a Father who loves you? > Have a volunteer read 1 Peter 4:10. What is a steward? What does it mean to steward a gift from God? What are a few ways we can do this? 5 The Perfect Gift First Baptist Raytown

6 How is our gratitude for the gift seen in service to others? According to this verse, are there any Christians without a gift? What should that teach us about Christian service? God has also given us spiritual gifts to build and serve the kingdom. These gifts are given to all Christians without exception, and they are used to build up the church and contribute to its growth and health. Spiritual gifts, like salvation, are gifts of grace and should give rise to praise and thankfulness in our hearts. We give back because of the gift we have been given. APPLICATION Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives. 1 Do you remember what it was like when you received the perfect gift? How has your life changed since that point? 2 Read Ephesians 2:8-10. What are we to do with the gift we have been given from God? What have you done with the gift God has given you? 3 What evidence of the Holy Spirit do you see in the members of your group? How has God made them part of His gift to you? 6 The Perfect Gift First Baptist Raytown

7 P R A Y Praise God for the gift of Christ. Pray that your life would reflect gratitude and thankfulness for the gift you have received in Christ. Ask for the Lord to lay a few people on your heart and mind who need to believe the gospel, that He could use you to draw others to Himself. FOLLOW UP Midway through this week, send a follow-up to your group with some or all of the following information: What will you do with the gift this week? What is one prayer you have for your family and our church in the coming year? > The challenge to memorize James 1:17. 7 The Perfect Gift First Baptist Raytown

8 COMMENTARY DECEMBER 27, 2015 JAMES 1:17. Having learned God is not responsible for human sin, we now see that God is the source of all that is good. God shows his goodness in that he does not change (v. 17) and by giving the good gift of new life to believers (v. 18). Every kind of good has its ultimate source in God. Gifts are perfect because they fully meet the needs of the recipients. Gift includes not only God s spiritual blessings, but also the many benefits which provide for the physical and emotional needs of human beings. The last part of verse 17 makes three statements about God. The King James Version makes this clear, describing God as the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. First, as the Father of the heavenly lights God is the Creator of the stars and other heavenly bodies. Second, God does not change. This term from astronomy frequently refers to the change in light intensity from sun and moon. The sun gives full light at midday, dim light at dusk, and no light at all in the night. In stark contrast to the sun, God s character does not change. The light of his truth and holiness remains constant. Third, God does not undergo any shadow of turning. This term also comes from astronomy, describing moving heavenly bodies that produce constantly changing shadows on the earth. God s purposes do not have such a variation or shifting. The movements of the sun, moon, and clouds regularly cause changes in light and shadows throughout the day. God s character is always constant, true, unchanging, reliable, good, and faithful. What a God we have! As the hymn writer has said: Change and decay in all around I see. O Thou who changest not, abide with me. LUKE 11: : Jesus used a farfetched illustration to make his point. No human father of any worth would listen to a son asking for something to eat and reach down into a snake pit to give the child a dangerous animal. The father meets the child s need rather than scaring or harming him. Similarly, a request for an 8 The Perfect Gift First Baptist Raytown

9 COMMENTARY DECEMBER 27, 2015 egg is not met with the gift of a stinging scorpion. Compared to God, we all stand as evil sinners. We cannot compare our love and goodness to God s. Still, we know how to give what our children need. We can be good to them. How much better will the divine Father treat us! His better gift surprises us. It is a concrete gift of the Holy Spirit. That gift ensures we get anything else we need, for the Holy Spirit becomes God with us, directing us to where we need to go to serve God and to meet our needs. Thus, pray to God in the spirit and words of the model prayer. Expect to receive what you ask for if God is your Father. And ask especially for the Spirit so that all your petitions will be answered. 1 PETER 4:10. 4: One final priority remains for believers who live in the light of Christ s second coming and who wish to demonstrate agape love toward one another. This priority can best be summarized as intense serving. Every believer is to heed this injunction. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others. Every believer in every church has received a spiritual gift from God for use in the life of the church. Within the body of Christ, love for each other finds expression in the use of spiritual gifts, not for self-advancement or as an attention-getter, but for the benefit of others. Every Christian, then, is capable of ministering to others within the body of Christ. 9 The Perfect Gift First Baptist Raytown