Workshop Notes

The Unspeakable Gift

October 8, 2016 /

Deaf Baptist Ladies Retreat 2016
Karen Langin

“Thanks be unto God for His Unspeakable Gift!”
2 Corinthians 9:15

 What does this verse mean? In order to understand why Paul said that, we need to look and understand what Paul was telling the Christians in Corinth concerning generosity and giving in chapter 9.

We will not go verse by verse. Will try to explain summarily what this is about…

Paul was boasting to another church about a church with their generous giving… He wanted to make sure that they are really giving generously… This was what Paul was telling the Corinthians:

  1. Giving generously is the way to have an abundant return, and the key is an attitude of delight. Paul was making sure the Christians were giving with right attitude, not by force or “have to”.
  2. When someone shows grace to others by giving, God will supply the grace that he or she has more to give. Also, when you give to someone, for example, a missionary, he or she will give glory to God and pray for that someone.
  3. When people sow generously, they reap more than monetary reward…they will receive blessings both in materially and spiritually…harvest of righteousness.
  4. No matter how much you give, it cannot compare with the generosity of God who gave His only Son.

Paul wrote this to explain how to use giving and generosity to them, but his mind was focused on the cross of Jesus. The gift of salvation should never cease to amazed and gratitude.

Thanks be unto God for His Unspeakable Gift!

  • What does the word unspeakable means? indescribable, inexpressible, unimaginable
  • can’t explain, can’t describe, can’t express, Can’t imagine, too wonderful to describe
  • Can describe the sunrise or the sunset, or any nature, water over the stones, waves of the ocean, holding a newborn baby, couple sharing love, etc, But it’s hard to describe the love of God

Jesus Christ is the Unspeakable Gift to us.
His sacrifice, His suffering, His atonement, His Life What was His gift to us…

  1. Gift of Love John 3:16 All Christians and some non Christians know this verse…we get so used to it that we can lose the reality of its meaning. God loves us so much that He’s willing to send His only Son to die for us!
  2. Gift of Mercy and Grace Titus 3:4-5; Ephesians 2:8-9
    Mercy – we don’t get what we deserve (wrath of God)
    Grace – we do get what we don’t deserve (because of our sins).
  3. Gift of Peace and Joy Romans 5:1; 15:13 – Peace – the awareness that we are no longer God’s enemies, and the confidence that we no longer need to gain His favor.
  4. Gift of Resurrection and Eternal Life – 1 Peter 1:3, Romans 6:23
    Without the resurrection of Christ, we have nothing. But praise be to God, this should make us exciting right now. He is giving us hope right now. If you are saved, you have received Him as your Savior, you should be rejoicing in that.

The Unspeakable gift of God…do you have it?