The Ultimate Gift
Around this time of the year, people in the world are looking for gifts, but the
already have available to them the ultimate gift of all. This gift is an everlasting
gift, good for today and also for the future. This gift will never get useless. This
gift is the gift of Jesus Christ which God the Father made available to all (John 3:
16-18) “For God so loved the world, (that means everybody in it) that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have
everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes in Him is not
condemned, but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”. You see God doesn’t
want any to perish, but that all would come to the knowledge of the truth. You see
after Adam and Eve fell from the grace of God by obeying the devil in the garden,
because he could only reproduce after his own kind, he reproduced fallen men,
and God promised the devil that He would redeem mankind (Genesis 3:15).
James tells us that “every god gift and every perfect gift is from above, and
comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning”. Jesus have been given to us to redeem us back to God (II
Corinthians 5:17-18) “therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old
things are passed away; behold, all tings are become new. And all things are of
God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the
ministry of reconciliation”.
Jesus is our ultimate gift for all of mankind (Ephesians 2:8-10) “for by grace are
you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of
works, less any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in
them”. Our salvation is based only on the finished work of Christ.
When we receive Him, we must do it wholeheartedly, not in word only. To receive
Him is to acknowledge who He is, and except Him as Lord of our lives. Even
though the free gift came upon all men to justification of life, the way to receive it
is to receive Jesus as Lord. Paul declared “I am crucified with Christ,
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in
the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for
me” (Galatians 2:20).
God wants us to receive His gift, and grow up (Ephesians 4:7, 11-15) “But to
every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. And
He gave some, apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists, and some
pastors and teachers. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come in the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That we hereafter be no more children,
tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of
men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking
the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even
Christ”.
The Bible says “for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Hebrews 2:3 warns us “how shall
we escape, if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken
by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by them that heard Him”.
So let us thank God for His unspeakable gift. And as we receive His gift, let us
offer to God our best gift (Romans 12:1-2). The apostle Paul tells us how, it says
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service. And be not conformed to this world; but be you transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and
perfect; will of God”. As we surrender ourselves to the Lord, He is able to use us
for His glory. We have been given excellent resources to build and expand God’s
kingdom.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: December 25, 2009
Around this time of the year, people in the world are looking for gifts, but the
already have available to them the ultimate gift of all. This gift is an everlasting
gift, good for today and also for the future. This gift will never get useless. This
gift is the gift of Jesus Christ which God the Father made available to all (John 3:
16-18) “For God so loved the world, (that means everybody in it) that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have
everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes in Him is not
condemned, but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”. You see God doesn’t
want any to perish, but that all would come to the knowledge of the truth. You see
after Adam and Eve fell from the grace of God by obeying the devil in the garden,
because he could only reproduce after his own kind, he reproduced fallen men,
and God promised the devil that He would redeem mankind (Genesis 3:15).
James tells us that “every god gift and every perfect gift is from above, and
comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning”. Jesus have been given to us to redeem us back to God (II
Corinthians 5:17-18) “therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old
things are passed away; behold, all tings are become new. And all things are of
God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the
ministry of reconciliation”.
Jesus is our ultimate gift for all of mankind (Ephesians 2:8-10) “for by grace are
you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of
works, less any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in
them”. Our salvation is based only on the finished work of Christ.
When we receive Him, we must do it wholeheartedly, not in word only. To receive
Him is to acknowledge who He is, and except Him as Lord of our lives. Even
though the free gift came upon all men to justification of life, the way to receive it
is to receive Jesus as Lord. Paul declared “I am crucified with Christ,
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in
the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for
me” (Galatians 2:20).
God wants us to receive His gift, and grow up (Ephesians 4:7, 11-15) “But to
every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. And
He gave some, apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists, and some
pastors and teachers. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come in the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That we hereafter be no more children,
tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of
men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking
the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even
Christ”.
The Bible says “for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Hebrews 2:3 warns us “how shall
we escape, if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken
by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by them that heard Him”.
So let us thank God for His unspeakable gift. And as we receive His gift, let us
offer to God our best gift (Romans 12:1-2). The apostle Paul tells us how, it says
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service. And be not conformed to this world; but be you transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and
perfect; will of God”. As we surrender ourselves to the Lord, He is able to use us
for His glory. We have been given excellent resources to build and expand God’s
kingdom.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: December 25, 2009
