God’s Christmas gifts
December 25, 2016
River Bend Baptist Church
INTRO: Merry Christmas – for real, today is Christmas.
There a lot of things which make Christmas special…
-Jesus’ birth
-Christmas Carols
-Favorite Bible passages and stories
There are some other things as well
-Food
-Time with family and friends
-Travel and time away from work
One of the fun ways we celebrate Christmas is by giving gifts. God gave us the best Christmas gift when Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
I appreciate the reading of the Christmas story earlier we need to make sure we never forget what Christmas is all about.
But for the next couple of minutes I want us to think about some of the other gifts God has given us.
Faith and Believe
Have you noticed that every time an angel shows up in the Christmas story it’s about Faith and to encourage someone to Believe.
Joseph, Mary and the Shepherds have faith in God and believe what He is doing.
To Believe in Christmas and all that God is doing in your life it takes Faith.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
2 Corinthians 5:7
For we live by faith, not by sight
To follow Jesus is to walk by faith.
Christmas makes it possible for us to believe in God and to have faith that He is at work in our lives.
With God all things are possible
Luke 1:35-37
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”
Jesus birth is God’s power on display. Christmas shows God’s power to the world.
God completely rearranges the way things normally happen so He can bring about His word, His will, and His plans.
Why the miraculous birth? So Jesus can become the propitiation for us all. So His sinless death can pay the price for our sins.
Through God’s power all things are possible, nothing is impossible.
This even goes for today.
Let God work out the impossible in your life.
-health, finances, rebellious child, dismay, depression, relationships
Someone once said; your impossible…is Gods possibility.
TRANS: We are looking at gifts God has given us.
Love
Jesus showed us the greatest love ever seen.
John 15: 13
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Jesus’ great love changes us.
1 Corinthians 16:13
Do everything in love.
1 John 4:19
We love because He first loved us.
John 15:12
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
Christmas is God showing love in an extraordinary way – and we should sho love to others.
Peace
Angel told the shepherds “Peace on earth”
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.
Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.
What a great gift God’s peace is.
Steps to peace…
1. Trust God.
2. Really trust God.
3. Really, Really trust God.
4 Because you really, really trust God, relax and let God’s pace flow into every ears of your life.
Joy (#6)
Christ comes so you can have Joy
Luke 2:10
The angel said to the shepherds…”I bring you Good News of a great joy.”
Nehemiah 8:10
…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
1 Peter 1:8-9
…you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Psalm 16:11
You will fill me with joy in Your presence,
God in you brings joy.
Billy Sunday once said; “If there is no joy in your life than there is a leak in your Christianity.
Hope
Romans 15:12-13
And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in Him the Gentiles will hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Because of Christmas you can overflow with hope. God is the God of hope and he wants Hope to over flow I your life.
Whatever hope the world can give you will run out, but God’s hope is everlasting.
How’s your hope? Is your hope overflowing?
Blessed
Proverbs 16:20
…blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.
To be blessed by God means you are walking so close to Him that His goodness flows into your life.
Blessing is so much more than things. To be blessed by God means His presence, His protection, His power, His grace are in your life..
It is important to always remember God blesses us so we can bless others.
-You are blessed to be a blessing
Family
Christmas is about family.
Through Jesus’ birth and death we are invited to become a part of God’s family
1 John 3:1-2
See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are…
Romans 8:15
…you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
Through Christmas God brings you into His family.
You can’t choose your own family, but you can choose to become a part of Gods.
Christmas means you can have a family transplant?
Con:
Truth is…
Christmas changes everything. Because the baby in the manger
changes us.
I heard a story about a pastor who went to the Holy land. While he was in Bethlehem he bought a nativity set. It was carved out of olive wood and had all the usually figures: sheep and oxen; wise men and the shepherds; Mary, Joseph, and, of course, the baby Jesus.
As he began the return trip home, he had to go through the very strict security at Tel Aviv airport. He didn’t figure that the nativity set would attract any attention but he was wrong. Each figure was carefully scrutinized and even X-rayed. This pastor asked why they were being so diligent. The security officer explained it this way: "You see, we must make sure there is nothing explosive in them."
Christmas is explosive, it’s the power of God on display.
There is power in knowing that almighty God loved us enough to come to earth, be born, live a perfect life, die for our sins, and then rise from the dead and give us the promise of new, abundant, and eternal life.
