Sunday, December 17, 2017

The Tree

“The greatest Christmas gift ever given wasn’t placed under the tree. He was placed on the tree, and His name was Jesus.” (LoveThisPic.com)

“God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him won’t perish but will have eternal life.” (John 3:16, CEB)

Have you ever thought about this phrase in John 3:16: “that He gave his only Son.Have you ever been around a generous individual?  People like this give of themselves freely. They have no problem pouring out their energy for the need of others all the time.  It’s guaranteed they’re going to be the first person to volunteer for a charitable organization in unselfish ways that amaze everyone.

It is impossible be more generous than your Heavenly Father.  God willingly gave us His Son, Jesus, for our good. Jesus is the only, unique, awesome Son of God. Imagine this, the Almighty gives the single most generous gift in the history of mankind, and the response of those who received it is mixed.

Some love Jesus, and are willing to take steps to follow Him.  Others don’t like Jesus because He challenges them in the toughest areas of their life. Today, we’re still deciding on God’s generous gift.  Will you ignore it, or will you open your hands and heart and receive it. Your Heavenly Father’s never-ending Christmas gift this holiday season is…

1.   Love-Motivated

“When people sin, they earn what sin pays death. But God gives his people a free gift, eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

"Stop making what people did to you bigger than what Jesus did for you." (Christine Caine)

2.   Self-Revealing

“The Word became a man and lived among us. We saw His divine greatness, the greatness that belongs to the only Son of the Father. The Word was full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

“The most important worship leader is Jesus. He reveals God to us and through His perfect sacrifice provided the only way into the Father’s presence.” (Bob Kauflin)

3.   Sacrificial

“This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his only Son into the world to give us life through him. True love is God’s love for us not our love for God. He sent his Son as the way to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)

Jesus didn't die so we could have a religion. He died so we could have a personal relationship with Him, [and] so He could teach us how to love.” (Joyce Meyer)

 “What you are is God's gift to you. What you become is your gift to God.” (Hans Urs von Balthasar) [i]


[i] Inspired by the sermon “Christmas in a Nutshell: God Gave” (installment two) Sunday, December 10, 2017 Pastor Dave Jansen CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH. Additional source: Reignite My Story” by reignitemystory. All verses are taken from the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) of the Bible  Clemson kicker finds peace in faith
 
 

 

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