Sermon Central
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God's Gift To Us: A Christmas Message Series
Contributed by Scott Maze on Dec 22, 2021 (message contributor)
Summary: No one lobbied Him as you would a senator. No one petitioned Him, as might your boss or your teacher. And no one solicited Him to do this as you might barter with someone in the marketplace. None of that was necessary for God, for the Father willingly offered up His one and only Son as a gift.
Merry Christmas from my family to yours!
It’s at Christmastime that we give gifts, and we receive gifts. This is why retailers are so happy with Christmas in a way they’re not happy with the Fourth of July, for example or Easter. At the other holidays, we don’t give gifts like we do at Christmas. In fact, even at birthdays and weddings and anniversaries, we all give gifts to one special person, but at Christmas, we all give gifts to EVERYONE.
Find Romans 8 with me and look up here when you find it.
This morning I want to speak on “God’s Gift to Us.” When I pause and think of some of our family’s most memorable Christmas gifts down through the years, I have a lot of good memories. There was the year our daughter received a huge dollhouse back when she was a preschooler (maybe 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide). There was the year our kids received power motor scooters. I can still see them moving up and down the street in front of our house. I began to scan through some of our pics from previous Christmas gifts. This is one of my favorite memories from a couple of years ago (show on screen). My oldest received a Texas-sized Kit Kat bar! But here’s the funniest thing of all - that thing was gone in 24 hours! There have been bikes and clothes and shoes down through the years. And who doesn’t like to receive some money – even some cash at Christmas time? Last year, my most fun gift was something my daughter gave me (show video on screen). An animated rear wiper decal on the back of my car of the Elf!
In the next few minutes, I want to explore the absolute best gift you can receive, no matter the time you receive it. But none of these gifts compare to God’s gift to us at Christmas. Whatever you really require, child of God, God will not deny you. The central gift at Christmas is the gift of Jesus, the Son. God’s Word says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…” (Isaiah 9:6a).
If the first eight chapters of Romans were a song, then the last nine verses would be the highest note! And among the crescendo of Paul’s last nine verses, we read this rhetorical question.
Today’s Scripture
“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:32)?
If you’ve ever been tempted to wonder, “Perhaps God is too busy to care about me.” If you’ve ever been depressed and considered, “Maybe I am too insignificant for God to give me a second thought.” And if you’ve ever been dejected and said, “My sins are so many that He regrets even creating me in the first place.”
1. Consider the Value of this Gift
“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:32)?
In verse 32, Paul is using a time-honored argument known as moving from the greater to the lesser. We will look into how Paul argues in a few minutes. But first, mark the words “his own Son” in verse 32 if you will.
1.1 Three Qualities to God’s Gift
You can easily miss Christmas if you don’t have this one gift, God’s Christmas gift, to you.
God’s gift to you has three qualities that make it a “must-have.” First, it is the most expensive gift you’ll ever receive. It’s priceless. Jesus paid for your gift with His life: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son…” (John 3:16a). Second, it’s the only gift you’ll ever receive that will last forever. Finally, it is an extremely practical gift. It’s a gift you’ll use every day for the rest of your life.
Again, He is the most expensive gift you’ll ever receive. Jesus Christ is immensely valuable. Some of the best gifts are the gifts you look at and say, “I never, ever would have bought this for myself.” To estimate the greatest of God’s gift to you, you need to understand the worth of the gift. Remember, God offers you His Son.
1.2 What If?
What if you had a wayward, rebellious son who has cost you an “arm and a leg” through the years. He’s wasted thousands in school by partying it away. He’s lied and cheated you out of thousands of dollars. But if you saw him in a coffin tomorrow, would you not weep over his grave? Would you not say to anyone close to you, “I would have given even more to keep him alive for just one more day!” He may have disgraced your family’s name, but you still love him.
