The Greatest Gift

Introduction: I like to thank you for being here today at Sharon Baptist Church.

It is our joy and privilege to celebrate this blessed time of year with you and your families.

Let me invite you also to come see our Christmas Musical Drama on December 18th at 6pm entitled Unto to Us A Son Is Given.

It is free of charge and it would be great way to start off your Christmas celebrations this year.

We count it an honor to have your children here at Sharon Baptist Day School.

As a token of our appreciation, and on behalf of our Day School Director, Sarah Bailey and Senior Pastor of Sharon Baptist Church Pastor David Carroll, we want you to receive this gift.

I pray that this small gift will be a blessing to you and your family.

Would allow me for just a few moments read to you from the Word of God and speak about a precious gift that far exceeds the value of this gift.

Please look with me in your Bibles and turn to Isaiah 9:2,9. In the pew I’m front of you there is a Bible and this passage is found on page 427.

“2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”

“6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Let’s Pray

The Bible tells us in the book of James 1:17 “17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

You be thinking I have received some pretty good gifts in times past from someone that is close to you. And I will tell you that God has blessed each one of us abundantly with so many good things even through the giving of friends and family.

I would like to tell you though today of a good and perfect gift from God.

That which we have given you this morning is useful, but it is not perfect.

It is a gift that has some stability, but it is a gift that will eventually fail.

Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from God.

I. God’s Gift Is His Son

In our text we see that God describes a time when people walked in darkness and that there was a time when they saw a great light.

It describes a people just like you and I as living in the land with death looming.

This passage is speaking about when God sent forth His Son.

Matthew 4:16 simply quotes this passage and attributes it to the time when God sent forth His Son.

And His Son’s name YOU may already know is Jesus.

The Bible tells us of this wonderful gift that God has given to you and I.

In verse 6, it states, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given...”

God gave His only begotten Son for you and for me.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son...” JOHN 3:16

This time of year Christmas is celebrated all over the World, it is not just an American holiday, but rather it is a one that is celebrated for all of Humanity.

What is it that we are celebrating?

We are celebrating the birth of a child who was given.

Galatians 4:4 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son...”

This child that was given by God is a good gift, a perfect gift and it was announced by God’s angels.

Luke 2:10 we find this angelic announcement, “..., Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

We find that this child of course, grew as any child does, but this child was different.

Unlike you and I this child had an earthly mother, her name was Mary, but this Child, Jesus who is the Savior, had no earthly father. His Father is God.

This child is Emmanuel meaning “God with Us”, because this child was conceived of the Holy Ghost.

This child was born of the virgin Mary and was prefect, because He was not only man but He was God in the flesh.

The Bible tells us in John 1:14 “14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

We have this precious gift of God, His only Begotten Son… And the Bible says He shall His people from their sins.

Why did God send His Son?

Why was God made flesh and dwelt among us?

II. God’s Gift is Salvation

The name Jesus means God is Salvation. What do we mean by this?

God bears His heart for this morning in His Word.

II Peter 3:9 “...but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

I Timothy 2:4 “4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

John 14:6 “ ....I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

We might ask the question this morning God’s Gift is His Son and God’s Gift is Salvation, but what do I need to be saved from?

Quite simply, we need to be saved from ourselves.

We need to be saved from the condemnation that abides on us because of our sin before it is too late.

God’s Word declares that every one of us have done wrong… every on of us have sinned.

Romans 3:23 “23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

And because of this it states further is Romans 3:10 “10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”

God is holy and perfect and because of this you and I have been separated from Him because of our sin because we are sinners.

We sin----break God’s law--- because we are sinners.

And this morning because of your sin you are separated from God....there is a reason that you might be feeling some easiness or emptiness even this morning.

The great problem of man is that we have broken God’s law and because of this we have offended an holy, righteous and perfect God.

If we were honest with ourselves everyone of us would have to admit that we sinned against God:

Some have lied.

Some have been dishonest.

Some have stolen.

Some have had lustful thoughts.

Some have taken Gods name in vain.

Some have done harm and wrong against our fellow man...

And the list could go on and on.

God’s Word tells us that the end result or the debt that we owe because of sin is death.

You and I today, without God’s Salvation have abiding on us a death sentence.

Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death; ....”

At the moment of physical death; judgment.

Hebrews 9:27 “27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

The end result of that death is in a place called hell.

Revelation 21:8 “8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

It is a place of seperation from God that was not designed for you and I but is the end result of a sinner without God’s salvation.

The good news is that God has provided for us the gift of Salvation.

It is the only way for our sin debt to be dealt with.

It is the only way for our sins to be forgiven and its the only way we can be right with God and spend an eternity with God in heaven.

That verse in Romans 6:23 says that not only is “...the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

It is a gift because it can only be received.

Just like the gift we gave you this morning God’s gift of Salvation can only be received.

Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

How is it that God provided this gift for you and I?

Well God gave us the gift of His Son and the Lord Jesus Christ took my place and your place to pay your sin debt.

John the Baptist pointed at the Lord Jesus Christ and declared “Behold, The Lamb of God which taken away the sins of the World.”

That child that was born in a manger in Bethlehem of the virgin Mary “grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.”

He lived walked on this earth as the perfect gift that He is, sinless Son of God.. And at the end of 33 years he was delivered wrongfully accused according the perfect plan of God to be crucified, He was born to die, for the sins of man.

The Bible says in II Corinthians 5:21 “21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

He took upon Himself your sin debt and offered Himself a sacrifice to pay your debt by giving His own life.

Why was beaten? Why was He rejected? Why was His spat upon and His bear plucked out, Why was His body rent? Why did hang on a cross in open shame? Why did God the Father turn His back on His Son during those three hours of darkness on cross of His crucifixion...

The Bible says that “that he by the grace of God [He]... [tasted] death for every man.” Hebrews 2:9

It goes on and tells us that “Through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil” (Hebrews 2:14)

Not only did Jesus shed his blood and die on the cross but He was buried and rose again.

They laid Him in a borrowed tomb and three days after being buried in that tomb He rose out of that grave victorious.

Having finished the work of paying our sin debt on the cross, the Bible says, He rose for our justification.

You see God is reaching out to you this morning with this gift of Salvation, through the gift of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 4:12 “12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

And so we see not only Gods gift is His Son, and God’s Gift is Salvation:

III. God’s Gift Is this Season

This time of year is special…because we celebrate the The Gift of God’s Son.

And I would submit to you this morning that this is a precious time that God has given to you to be saved.

God is providing you an opportunity this morning to receive this precious Gift.

Will You Receive The Gift of God?

Let me remind you that not one of us is promised tomorrow, therefore knowing the grace of God, He is extending His gift to you this morning, today is the day of Salvation.

I wonder if you would be willing to receive this gift, even as the gift that you have already received this morning...

Are you willing to admit to God and agree with Him that you are a sinner.

Are you willing to believe all that God’s Word declares about the Gift of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Are you willing to confess to Him, your need to be saved.

As the Bible says, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God (turning from your sin and to God), and faith (trust, belief) toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I would like for us to bow our heads for just a moment this morning...

If all of this is true and it is, why would you reject this good and perfect gift?

I wonder with heads bowed and eyes closed, no one looking around, would there be one here today that would say, Pastor James, I want to receive the Gift of God’s Son today, the Gift of Salvation.... with no one looking around would you be willing to raise your hand so I can pray for you?

For those that have raised there hand.. would you look at me for just a moment… everyone please no looking around...

If you are serious about this… and anyone else perhaps who did not raise there hand would you pray with me and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to be your Savior this morning.

The Bible says, Romans 10:9-10 “9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Would you pray with me right now and ask God to save...

It is not the prayer that saves you but your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ...

Would pray

Dear Jesus, I know I am sinner… I know I deserve the penalty for my sins which you have said is death and hell seperation from you… I I want to be in Heaven with you;… I believe you died on the cross and rose again for me…Please forgive me of my sins and save me…I trust in you to be my Savior. Thank You, God for your love and saving me!