The Gift That Keeps on Giving!
A Message for Christmas Day 2022
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. – John 3:16 (NASB)
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? – Romans 8:32 (NASB)
The BIG Idea
God sent us the greatest Christmas gift ever – God’s Son! When we profess faith in Jesus and pursue a faith journey by following Him, we will receive countless more gifts from God because of our salvation in Jesus. Some of these primary gifts we receive from the “Greatest Gift of Jesus” are a new identity, a new ability, a new community, and a new life destiny.
We can give without loving but we cannot love without giving.
Every gift from God is wrapped in Jesus.
Jesus is the Gift that keeps on giving!
When we know Jesus as Lord, there are countless more gifts we receive that is a part of His Greatest Gift!
When we reduce God to something we are comfortable with, it frees us up to do what we want. This is an unfortunate, joyless, and tragic way to live life.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. – II Corinthians 5:17 (NASB)
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:31-32 (NASB)
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:2 (NASB)
Most people gain their identity from one of three things: work, relationships, or things.
The starting point of a new identity is this: we stop seeing ourselves the way everyone else sees us. Instead, we focus on the way God sees us.
“It is misleading to say that God accepts us the way we are. Rather, God accepts us despite the way we are. God receives us only in Christ and for Christ’s sake. Nor does God mean to leave us the way God found us, but to transform us into the likeness of God’s Son (Jesus.)” - Sinclair Ferguson
God has poured out God’s love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us. – Romans 5:5 (TEV)
Now God works in you, giving you both the desire and the ability to fulfill God’s purpose for you. – Philippians 2:13 (TEV)
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity (fear), but of power and love and discipline. – II Timothy 1:7 (NASB)
There is a difference between “willpower” and “God’s power.”
We are not meant to go through life alone.
4 Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. – Ephesians 1:4-5 (NLT)
A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. – I Corinthians 12:7 (NLT)
18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. – Ephesians 3:18-19 (NLT)
Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words! – II Corinthians 9:15 (NASB)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23 (NLT)
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? – Romans 8:32 (NASB)
The BIG Idea
God sent us the greatest Christmas gift ever – God’s Son! When we profess faith in Jesus and pursue a faith journey by following Him, we will receive countless more gifts from God because of our salvation in Jesus. Some of these primary gifts we receive from the “Greatest Gift of Jesus” are a new identity, a new ability, a new community, and a new life destiny.
We can give without loving but we cannot love without giving.
Every gift from God is wrapped in Jesus.
Jesus is the Gift that keeps on giving!
When we know Jesus as Lord, there are countless more gifts we receive that is a part of His Greatest Gift!
- God gives us a new identity in Jesus.
When we reduce God to something we are comfortable with, it frees us up to do what we want. This is an unfortunate, joyless, and tragic way to live life.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. – II Corinthians 5:17 (NASB)
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:31-32 (NASB)
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:2 (NASB)
Most people gain their identity from one of three things: work, relationships, or things.
The starting point of a new identity is this: we stop seeing ourselves the way everyone else sees us. Instead, we focus on the way God sees us.
“It is misleading to say that God accepts us the way we are. Rather, God accepts us despite the way we are. God receives us only in Christ and for Christ’s sake. Nor does God mean to leave us the way God found us, but to transform us into the likeness of God’s Son (Jesus.)” - Sinclair Ferguson
- God gives us a new ability.
God has poured out God’s love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us. – Romans 5:5 (TEV)
Now God works in you, giving you both the desire and the ability to fulfill God’s purpose for you. – Philippians 2:13 (TEV)
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity (fear), but of power and love and discipline. – II Timothy 1:7 (NASB)
There is a difference between “willpower” and “God’s power.”
- God gives us a new community.
We are not meant to go through life alone.
4 Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. – Ephesians 1:4-5 (NLT)
A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. – I Corinthians 12:7 (NLT)
- God gives us a new destiny.
18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. – Ephesians 3:18-19 (NLT)
Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words! – II Corinthians 9:15 (NASB)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23 (NLT)