The Greatest Christmas Gift

 

Intro: In a few weeks we will celebrate Christmas. This is one of the most important holidays for mankind with Easter being the other important holiday. Christmas is a time of giving.

I. God was the first to give. Mankind was lost without God’s gift. The hymn “O, Holy Night” says “long lay the world in sin and error pining till He appeared and the soul felt it's worth.

a. The greatest gift ever given on that first Christmas night was the gift of God’s one and only begotten Son that through Him we might be forgiven of sin and have eternal life. Luke 2:8-11 (NKJV) ⁸  Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.⁹  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

¹⁰  Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.¹¹  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. b. The gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus was the Christ or “Anointed One.” His Hebrew name is “Messiah” meaning Jehovah is salvation or He is the Savior. The name means deliverance, of being saved from sin that leads to perishing. John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He (gave) His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

II. Jesus gave the gift of His life on the cross for us. Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

a. He suffered for our sins, not His own, because He had no sin. Our Lord Jesus suffered all five kinds of wounds known to medical science: contusions—blows by a rod; lacerations—scourging; penetrating wounds—crown of thorns; perforating wounds—nails; puncture wounds, spear for us. He paid the price required by the Father, that we might be healed. What a precious gift that Jesus gave!

III. God has given us the gift of His Spirit. a. We were baptized into the body of Christ by the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13 (NKJV) For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

b. The Father has given the guarantee of eternal life that we have in Him by His Spirit. Ephesians 1:13 (NKJV) In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise

c. The Holy Spirit has given us the gift of His power to live righteously and be witnesses for Jesus Christ. We received that power the moment we were born again. Acts 1:8 (NKJV) ⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Notice we start locally and go to the end of the earth.

IV. The greatest gift we can give to Jesus Christ is helping to spread His message of salvation to the world. Nothing would please Him more. Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) ¹⁸  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

¹⁹  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,²⁰  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. No greater gift can be given than that of Christ and His salvation to lost souls. Jesus said in (Matt. 10:8b) Freely you have received, freely give. When we give Christ to a lost and dying world it is truly the gift that keeps on giving throughout eternity. The purpose of missions is to take the gift of the message of Jesus Christ to every person in the world. Jesus said “He came to seek and save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10) This offering goes to help reach every person world wide with the gift of Jesus Christ and the salvation He brings.

Conclusion: Any mission outreach will only be as successful as we make it through our prayers and our giving. Let’s all be a part of giving the greatest Christmas gift ever to as many as is possible through the mission opportunities before us. May we each resolve to honor Christ by praying and giving in His name!

Invitation: Have you been the recipient of the greatest gift God has ever given to mankind? If not now is the time according to God’s word. Simply confess your sins against God and ask Jesus to forgive and save you for the kingdom of God. Invite Jesus to take charge of your life till He calls you home. And be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

 

Scripture Text

PSALM 107:21-22

Intro: November 25^th our nation celebrates Thanksgiving. We as Christians should not wait till the Thanksgiving holiday to thank God for all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. God's will for Christians is that we should be a fountain of praise and that our lives should be in a state of thanksgiving to God at all times and all circumstances.

I. We are to thank God for His goodness. Psalm 107:21a (NKJV)
²¹  Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness! The air we breath is enough reason to thank God when you take an honest visit to the hospital and see the number of people who live their life on oxygen, only then will you realize that you have been an ungrateful person all this while by not thanking God for life. The scripture says his mercy and goodness endures forever. For every person that is still alive on this earth, God is good and merciful to us. It is not that we are the most righteous people, not that we are the most fervent in our Prayers. It is only the grace and goodness of God that has kept us this far. Every good and perfect gift comes from above. Therefore, we learn to give thanks to God. Meanwhile, giving thanks to God for his goodness also unlocks numerous blessings from God. King David became a man after God's heart despite his sins that he committed while on the throne of Israel. King David did not take the goodness of God over his life for granted; that is why he never missed the opportunity to give thanks to God for his goodness. As we cultivate the habit of giving thanks to God for his goodness, it will unlock more blessings in the name of Jesus.

II. We are to thank God for His wonderful works. [Psalm 107:21b] Psalm 107:21 (NKJV) ²¹  Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His wonderful works to the children of men! We have plenty of reasons to praise and be thankful to God for His wonderful works.                                                                              

1. Thank God for our salvation and freedom from captivity to the O.T. laws we couldn't keep and all Satan's power over us. Colossians 2:13-15 (NKJV) ¹³  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴  having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

2. Thank God we have been set free from sin. Romans 6:17-18 (NKJV) ¹⁷  But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. ¹⁸  And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. Our thankfulness to God results in living righteous lives for Him.

3. Thank God for the sacrifice of Christ that brought us to Him. Romans 8:32 (NKJV)
 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? God did not withhold His Son but gave Him to be crucified on a cruel cross so our sins could be forgiven and we could be brought to Him.
1 Peter 3:18 (NKJV) ¹⁸  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

4. Thank God for satisfying our physical needs. Philippians 4:19-20 (NKJV) ¹⁹  And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. ²⁰  Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. 5. Thank God He satisfies our spiritual hunger and thirst for righteousness. Matthew 5:6 (NKJV)  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. We were created with a deep hunger and thirst for what is right.

6. Thank God for the wonderful things we see in what He has done and is doing in His creation. Psalm 19:1 (NKJV) The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Thank God for the glory of His creation and handiwork.

7. Thank God that He has made us His heirs and joint-heirs with Christ. Romans 8:16-17 (NKJV) ¹⁶  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷  and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Conclusion: In conclusion Psalm 107:22 says “Let us sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing.” A sacrifice is something we put effort into, it costs us. When we bring sacrifices of thanksgiving to God we honor Him. May we continually give to God sacrifices of Thanksgiving and may we testify of His awesome goodness and wonderful works to all mankind. If we give thanks for every blessing that God has given, He may give us more incredible blessings. May we develop a heart of gratitude instead of taking things for granted. I pray we will all come to the realization of all that God has done and is doing for us every day and we would be more thankful.

Invitation: The first way to thank God for His goodness and mercy is to receive His Son Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. You do that by confessing your sins to Jesus and then asking Him to forgive you and save you for Heaven. Then be baptized to show publicly your decision for Christ. Then show Him you are thankful by living the rest of your life for Him.