12.18.22 - James 1:17

Open your Bibles to James 1:17.  •We are in week two of our three-week Advent series celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  •This morning we are going to consider the generosity of our good God.  I had a dear sister in this congregation tell me that having an Advent series is doing her heart good this year.  •And that’s because she is prone to take her eyes off of Christ and be consumed with how hectic things can get with planning, gift buying, organizing, and all the other things that come with a national holiday that has so much emphasis in our culture.  •So, my prayer is that this short series reminds us of what is important: Jesus Christ.  •May our eyes be ever fixed on Him.  •And not only at Christmastime, but every day of our lives, that we might praise and worship God with hearts of gratitude.  Now, it’s customary among Christians to give gifts during this time of year.  •Why is that? The time of year that the birth of Christ is on our minds is the same time that we give gifts.  •Why? •Among other reasons, it’s partially to do with the fact that we are celebrating the great gift-giving God.  •We’re celebrating that Jesus Christ has come. That He was given by the Father, by His grace, as a gift to sinners who will receive Him.  It’s not a stretch to say that, at Christmas, we are celebrating the generosity of God toward sinners.  •And so, I thought it fitting to preach a sermon about our good, gift-giving God.  The text before us reminds us that everything good that we have comes from God. •And He gives us good gifts because He is unchangeably good.  •And since all we have is from God, it comes to us as a gift. It’s all by grace because we deserve nothing.  •Brothers and sisters, our God is kind and generous toward us.  Now, James 1:17 comes to us in a context where certain Christians were being tempted to accuse God of tempting them to sin.  •And James is dealing with that in the passage where we find v17. And in that verse James makes a statement about God’s goodness that refutes the idea that God would tempt anyone to sin.  •And in making that statement in v17, James gives us a broad and universal declaration that all good gifts come from God.  •And so, I want to focus on that broad truth this morning. And try to do so somewhat in light of our Advent celebration.  In this sermon, I simply want to remind us all of what God has given us.  •I want to set before us the goodness and generosity of God. I want to remind each of us of the character of God.  •And I want to, by way of reminder, tell you what all God has given you. ESPECIALLY if you are a Christian.  •And if you’re hear and you’re not a believer, I want to tell you what God offers you in Jesus Christ if you will only repent and believe on Him.  I have hopes for this sermon: •My prayer is that this sermon will stoke our affection for God, increase our gratitude for all that He has done for us, and cause us to worship Jesus Christ for the true Gift that He is. •May God bless us this morning as we turn to His Word.  If you would, and are able, please stand with me now for the reading of the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God.  James 1:17 [17] Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (PRAY) Our Heavenly Father,  We thank for you another opportunity to gather and worship you. And for another opportunity to humble ourselves before your Word.  Your Word is truth. It is precious to us. It reminds us of all that we are so prone to forget. It sees through us. It reveals us to ourselves.  And it shows us your kindness toward us. Most of all, your kindness to give us your Son, Jesus Christ.  And so we ask this morning that you would quiet our minds from all that would distract us from hearing your voice.  Open our hearts to receive your Word, see your goodness, be encouraged, and to value Christ as the Gift that He is.  Have mercy on us this morning. And glorify yourself in us as you change us by your Word and Spirit.  We ask these things in Jesus’ Name and for His sake.  Amen.  1.) Did you know that you have, in the ultimate sense, earned literally nothing good that you possess? •I’m not saying that you didn’t work, or that you didn’t plan, or that you weren’t wise, or that you didn’t put forth any effort.  •I’m not trying to take that away from you at all. No doubt, you put in some effort for much of what you have.  •But in the MOST ULTIMATE SENSE, you’ve not earned anything that you have.  •That’s what James is declaring to each of us in this passage.  Everything is a gift from God.  •As James says, “EVERY good gift and EVERY perfect gift…” •It’s being emphasized here. It’s almost grammatically redundant.  •If it is good, it is a gift from God to you. EVERYTHING good is a gift.  We know that good things don’t simply exist necessarily, don’t we? •They must have a source.  •And James tells us that the source of all good, the source of every good and perfect gift is “the Father of lights.” •James is referring to God here. He is the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars. The Father of lights. The Creator of all things.  •So all that is good has been made, instituted, formed, designed, and given by God.  •All pleasure, everything that is delightful finds its origin in Him in one way or another.  Now, I want to be clear, man corrupts and and abuses and sins often with these good gifts.  •But the goodness of anything, the delightfulness of anything, even the ability to delight and profit or feel any good is FROM GOD.  •The drunkard abuses the good gift of wine. The fornicator abuses the good gift of intimacy.  •But the gifts themselves, considered in themselves, are still good gifts. They’ve just been abused by the wicked.  •So, again, all that is good is from God. And the wickedness of men does not change the goodness of the gift itself.  And this text establishes clearly that everything that you have has been GIVEN to you.  •This is reasonable, isn’t it?  •Where did you get the good thing from?  •It didn’t come from you. That much is clear. What you have, the good thing is NOT YOU. And so, it came from OUTSIDE of you.  •Therefore, it must have been GIVEN in some sense.  •And, obviously, this thought is biblical, for James speaks of “good GIFTS.” And gifts, by definition, must be GIVEN.  •The Apostle Paul tells us “For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7) •Paul is there speaking of spiritual knowledge of the truth of God. But James tells us that this is true about literally everything.  •What do you have that you did not receive? What do you have that was not a gift? And, again, James tells us that all that we have has been given BY GOD.  •This is reasonable.  •God is sovereign. He foreordains all things. He rules over all things and providentially governs all that comes to pass in Heaven and on earth. He does as He sees fit.  •He is God over all. Nothing happens apart from His divine, sovereign, will.  •And so, nothing you have could be yours apart from His foreordination, will, consent, and giving.  •I have an unbelieving family member who, when she talks about all that she has, and you talk long enough with her, eventually this phrase will come out: “I have all this stuff. And I worked and saved. But if God doesn’t say that you’re going to get something, then you won’t.” •Even the unbeliever can see what James is saying in this text.  Furthermore, whatever is given by God MUST be a GIFT, for who has ever obligated God to give anything? •“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Or who has given a gift to Him that he might be repaid?” (Romans 11:34-35) •Who can make the Almighty His debtor?  •Who can force God to give anything? •No one. Period. NO ONE.  To go even further, how could a creature even begin to obligate the Creator in any way? •We’re simply not strong enough. We cannot impose on the Sovereign God.  •So then, all that He gives MUST BE, of necessity, a GIFT FROM HIM to us.  •And He has given us all that we have. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…” To go even further still, all things MUST BE a gift from God because WE HAVEN’T EARNED ANYTHING.  •We have actually demerited all things because of sin.  •We deserve less than a gift. We positively deserve punishment because we are sinners.  •We deserve nothing good from Him because we have disregarded Him, impugned His character, been ungrateful for His gifts.  •How do I know that? Because we have refused to love and worship and obey Him as we ought! •Each one of us has rebelled against the Lord and went his or her own way. He certainly doesn’t owe us anything.  •I take that back. He does owe us one thing: Divine Justice. Condemnation. Eternal wrath. Hell.  •That’s the only the thing that we’ve earned from God. By our sin, we have positively earned His hatred and just judgment. THAT ALONE is what we have merited.  •Have you ever thought about that? You deserve for God to hate you. (And so do I.) That’s what we deserve.  In light of this, would any of us dare be so bold as to say that we’ve been good enough or righteous enough to demand a single thing from God? •Such a person would be either a lunatic, or horribly self-deceived, or the greatest blasphemer I’ve ever met.  •TRULY, THEN, ALL IS A GIFT FROM GOD.  •Brothers and sisters, if it is good, it is a gift from God.  NOTE: Consider the humility this should create in you! •Consider the gratitude and praise this should stir up in your heart! •We would do well to take these things to heart and store them up for all of our days.  •For the one who receives this by faith, it is incredibly humbling and worship inducing.  2.) You know, this gift giving reveals God’s character.  •It shows us what He is like.  •For God to give good gifts reveals that HE IS GOOD.  •Think about it: A bad god would give bad gifts. And a good God gives good gifts.  •And since His gifts are indeed good, we see that God Himself IS GOOD.  Consider what some of the Psalms say about the character of God: •Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!” •Psalm 145:9 says, “The LORD is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made.” •HE IS GOOD. And HE DOES GOOD to all.  Now, what is God’s goodness? •His goodness is His benevolent attitude and care of all that He has made.  •It is His kind, compassionate, tender, fatherly good-will toward His creatures that manifests itself in His being good and kind toward them.  And for God to give good gifts to unworthy SINNERS displays to us that HE IS GOOD AND KIND BEYOND ALL IMAGINATION.  •It’s one thing to give good gifts to those who love you, perfectly obey you, esteem you as you deserve, count you as a friend, and are good.  •But it is another thing altogether to give gifts to sinners.  •And it’s another thing altogether FOR GOD, the Holy One, the only God, to give good gifts to those who have rebelled against Him daily.  •That God would give good gifts to those who have not merited them, but have instead positively earned His wrath staggers the mind.  •Who does that? Who gives to their enemies? Who gives to rebels? Who gives to those who spit in your face? •Only an infinitely good God who does good simply because HE IS GOOD.  And James tells us that our God is UNCHANGEABLY GOOD.  •He is immutable. He does not change at all. And that means that He does not change in His goodness.  •James says of the Father of lights, “there is no variation or shadow due to change” in Him. •The lights that He created, the sun and moon and stars, all shift and move and change every day. BUT NOT GOD.  •The lights change. But the Father of lights does not.  •HE CANNOT BE ANYTHING OTHER THAN GOOD.  •As the famous saying goes, “God is good all the time. And all the time God is good.” •It’s simple, But it’s true. It’s what James is saying here.  Our God’s goodness is not dependent upon the goodness of His creatures or any other thing.  •This is simply WHO HE IS. (We are not simply good. We have to try to be good. It’s not natural to us. And we are often evil. BUT NOT HIM! HE IS GOOD!) •And this is displayed to us each day as He continues to give good gifts to His creation.  •He never ceases to give gifts to all men, so long as we are on this earth.  Brothers and sisters, can you see that our good God LOVES TO GIVE? •It’s simply what He does. It’s what pleases Him because He is good.  •He delights in showering good gifts upon His creation.  •Why? Because this is WHO HE IS! •He is goodness itself. This is His nature.  And think on this. How unlike us is our God: •All things belong to Him. They are His by right of creation. As the Psalmist says, “The cattle on a thousand hills” belongs to the LORD. (Psalm 50:10) •All power and all things are His. And yet, He does not keep all for Himself.  •He needs nothing. He is God.  •And He is no stingy King as we are so prone to seeing in this world.  •He is no Scrooge. He is no miser who wants to keep everything for Himself and give to none. In fact, the only thing that He refuses to share is the glory due to Him.  •Everything else, He GIVES! He gives and gives and gives, for this is who He is! •He owns all. And He gives all. What a God! NOTE: Christian, stand amazed at your God.  •There is no other who is infinitely and immutably good.  •Search all the religions of the world and you’ll never find another one like Him.  •As Moses said, “For their rock is not as our Rock.” (Deuteronomy 32:31) 3.) Let’s consider now the good gifts of our good God.      •There are many kinds of gifts that God gives. But when we do theology, we usually separate them into two categories: Common Grace and Special (Saving) Grace. •Here I want to point out and reflect on the Common Grace of God. His good gifts to all men.  We call it Common Grace because these gifts are common to all them.  •God may choose to give more to one, or withhold some from others, and that’s up to Him.    •But these gifts are given to ALL, both God’s People (the Elect) and those who do not belong to God (the Reprobate). •And we see this doctrine affirmed by our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:45. There we read, “For He (God) makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”  •God gives good gifts, common grace gifts, to mankind in general.   So let’s now consider the good gifts of God toward ALL MANKIND. •And, please, don’t tune this out. Most of us have considered these things before. But we need reminded.  •What I’m about mention is not cliche. It is the truth of the Word of God.  •And we if we are to have gratitude toward God the way we should, then we need to think on these things daily.  1. God gives natural gifts.  •The sun shines. What a gift! We would die if not.  •The sun shines, the rains fall, the seasons come and go, seedtime and harvest come, all as a gift to man.  •The laws of nature and physics are constant. We don’t wake up each day to world of chaos not knowing what to expect in the natural world. That is a great blessing. •We each have life. We are alive. We are breathing. Our hearts are beating. He has given us each day as a gift.  •To one degree or another, our bodies work. We have health. We can move, we can see and taste and smell and touch and hear. We can walk. We have our limbs. Do you think these things just happen? •You have a mind. You can reason. You can think. You can learn. You are made in God’s image and, therefore, are a rational being.  •Each one of us have a certain set of abilities to do or think or plan or whatever. We have talents given to us. These are all a gift.  •These natural things that occur in the world and in each of us individually are gifts from God.  2. God gives material gifts.  •These are so easy for us to see every single day.  •We woke up under shelter. Not in the cold.  •We are clothed. And most of us have more clothing that we need. •We have paydays. Money in the bank to some degree.  •Most of us drove here today. We have cars. Or, at least, we have some form of transportation.  •We have food. More food in this country than we need.  •All of us have received some kind of education.  •I’ve only begun to speak of the basics of material gifts from God. And that’s not to mention all the lesser things: Phones, televisions, the internet, books, sweets, games, pictures, art, and more.  •We have our needs met. And most of our wants in this land. And these things didn’t just happen. They were given to us by God.  3. God gives relationships as gifts.  •Oh, how we take this for granted! •You have a family. It’s not perfect. But you have people who care about you.  •You have a father and a mother. You have grandparents. You have aunts and uncles and cousins.  •And we have children! And grandchildren! What a blessing from God!  •Most of us have found a spouse. And, in doing so, have obtained favor from the Lord as the Proverb says.  •And we have friendships. What a blessing that friendship is! Faithful companions to walk with us through life.  •These are gifts given that we might not be alone in this world. What a good God! 4. God gives even some immaterial gifts.  •Laughter. Each one of us has a sense of humor. We can laugh and find things funny in life.  •We love and are loved. We feel and are able to give affection to and from others.  •These don’t just happen. These are gifts. Our ability to engage in these things are from God.  5. God gives the gift of restraint on the wicked. •God doesn’t allow us to be as bad as we would.  •He has given a conscience to all men. He has, to some degree, written His Law on the hearts of all men.  •So there is a general sense of morality in this wicked world. And what men might do otherwise is restrained by God.  •If God turned us loose, this world would be quite close to Hell on earth.  •But He restrains us with many means. And that is a gift.  We’ve not even begun to scratch the surface, but you see what I’m getting at, I think.  •Everything we have is a gift.  •And God gives this common grace, these common gifts, to one degree or another to all men.  •And, to top it all off, all men are SINNERS! And, in spite of that, God still gives these gifts! •Truly, brothers and sisters, God is GOOD.  NOTE: Do we realize this on a daily basis? I’m sure we don’t. I know I don’t.  •I know we all to some degree take God for granted.  It’s usually only when God withholds a gift or takes one a•way that we become aware that it was HE who had given it in the first place.  •Think of all your meals, all the safe car rides, every morning that you wake up to a living spouse and living children, all the paydays, all the days of health, and much more.  •And yet, we often don’t even consider to thank God because we simply have come to expect them.  •How ungrateful! We’re like spoiled children on Christmas morning who take the gifts but give no thanks to the giver! Brothers and sisters, this ought not be so. We ought to live very aware, moment to moment, that all we have in this life is a gift from our Heavenly Father.  •Let the heathen and the unbeliever live in unthankfulness. But may it never be said of those who know the Lord by faith.  •You who fear the Lord, praise the Lord for His earthly gifts that He has given to you! And yet, for all of God’s goodness and giving, man still sins and worships the gifts instead of the Giver.  •We take all that He gives and still we sin. We live apart from Him in so many ways. We take from His hand and do not give Him His due of worship, faith, love, and obedience.  •This is despicable. This is wickedness. And this is what all men have done and do.  And that is why our good God judges sinners.  •Our God is good. And so He must be just.  •And if He is good and just, He must punish the wicked.  •God’s goodness is amazing because He is so generous and kind to the unworthy sinner.  •And His goodness is also terrifying because we are sinners.  •His goodness, His immutable and uncompromising goodness, means that He is an uncompromising judge of the wicked.  •The phrase “God is good” should strike terror into the heart of every sinner when we think of how not-good that we are.  Unbeliever, let His goodness lead you to repentance.  •That’s why He has been good to you: So that His goodness and kindness might make you see how ungrateful and wicked you’ve been toward Him, so that you might look to Him for mercy and salvation in Christ.  •Do not continue to store up wrath for yourself!  •But instead, come to Him in repentance, trusting His good promise that He will forgive you for Christ’s sake.  And Christian, let His goodness have it’s affect on you.  •Let it lead you to gratitude, holiness, and worship! But though we are so wicked, that does not change God’s goodness and kindness.  •And so, He continues to give good gifts of free grace.  •And that leads us to the greatest Gift of God: A gift of SPECIAL and SAVING GRACE.  4.) Now we come to consider the most perfect Gift. The most truly perfect Gift that exceeds all others: •JESUS CHRIST! •Oh, just hearing His name is a gift! •His name sounds in our ears and speaks to our heart and says, “Salvation! Atonement! Peace! Joy! Righteousness! Forgiveness! Eternal Life!” •He is the Gift that makes all others look small! He is the truly “good gift and perfect gift!” Jesus Christ is the Gift.  •You may ask, “Was He given?” The answer is “Yes!” •He was given for us, given to us, given in our place.  •He Himself is the Gift of God.  Consider what the Word of God says about God’s giving Christ to and for us: Isaiah 9:6 says,  •“For TO US a child is born, TO US a son is GIVEN…”  •The Child born in a manger in Bethlehem, the Son of God, was GIVEN TO US! The Savior was given by the Father of lights! The famous John 3:16 says,  •“For God so loved the world, that HE GAVE His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” •God loved us and so HE GAVE His Son for us as a gift! Speaking of Christ, Romans 4:25 says, •He “was delivered up (GIVEN) for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” •God gave His Son up to a Cross for our trespasses, to make atonement for us, that we might be saved! In Luke 22:19, Jesus says,  •“This is my body, which is GIVEN for you…”  •By the appointment of God, Jesus’s body was GIVEN for us. He given over to judgment and death in our place to save us from our sins. Romans 8:32 tells us that •God “…did not spare His own Son but GAVE HIM UP for us all…” •Christ was given for us! Oh, Christian, can you see, JESUS IS THE GIFT! •He is the Gift of all gifts! •Consider what He has done for you: •He took on flesh in order to become one of us, so that He could represent us as a man before God, and so that He could obey, suffer, die, and be raised on our behalf.  •He perfectly obeyed God and kept covenant with Him, rendering obedience to God in your place.  •He went to a cross, offering Himself as the wrath-satisfying sacrifice for sins and made a full atonement in His suffering and death ON YOUR BEHALF! •He was raised from the dead on the third day to conquer sin, Satan, and death ON YOUR BEHALF in order to free us from the dominion and power of all three! CHRIST IS THE GIFT! •He is the greatest Gift! •He is priceless! •There is only one of Him! •There is no other Son of God. There is no other Savior. There is no other Substitute.  •There is only the One Christ! •And this most precious, costly matchless, Gift has been given to us by our good God! •All of God’s temporal gifts, all His common grace gifts are counted as NOTHING compared to the Gift that is Christ Jesus our Lord! •All else pales in comparison to Christ! He is THE Gift! But here is the kicker: We, in ourselves, in our natural state, are NOT WILLING to receive this Gift.  •We are unwilling to receive Christ in our natural state. •We are dead in our sins and trespasses and want nothing to do with God.  •We naturally spit upon His kindness and grace and generosity toward us.  •As the Apostle says, “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” (Romans 8:7) •We don’t naturally want the Gift that is Christ! We want nothing to do with this Gift.  BUT THAT IS NOT A PROBLEM FOR OUR GOOD GOD! •For God is so good and so generous that He has enabled us to receive Christ.  •For those who believe, He has given us regenerating grace. This is actually what James goes on to talk about in v18: •“OF HIS OWN WILL HE BROUGHT US FORTH by the Word of truth…” •God gives us the gift of the New Birth in order that we might receive the great Gift of Christ! •God grants us spiritual life and faith and a new nature that wants to and is able to lay hold of Christ by faith and receive Him! •What a gift! God makes us able and willing to believe on Christ and receive Him.  And upon receiving Christ, upon coming to Him by faith, God continues to give us gifts! •There are gifts in Christ. Gifts that come to sinners IN HIM and Him alone.  •Brothers and sisters, because we have Christ, we have EVERYTHING! In Him, in Christ, we have the forgiveness of sins.  •In Him, we have perfect righteousness credited to our account.  •In Him, we have justification; a legal declaration that we are righteous in God’s sight because of Christ’s work.  In Him, we have peace with God and are no longer His enemies.  •In Him, we receive adoption in God’s family and are no longer rebels, but are SONS OF GOD.  •In Him, we receive the indwelling Holy Spirit to comfort, lead, and guide us.  •In Him, we have sanctification; growth to be like Him.  •In Him, we have the preservation of our souls, for God will not allow the one who has been united to His beloved Son to perish.  •In Him, we have help and mercy and grace to withstand the sorrows and trials of this life.  •In Him, we have comfort and encouragement and the pity of God as His beloved children.  •In Him, we have the assurance of salvation; the sure knowledge that we are saved by Him.  •In Him, we have future glorification; where we will be set free from the very presence of sin.  •In Him, we have a future resurrection of our bodies to look forward to.  •In Him, we have eternal life with God and joy and splendor forevermore.  •IN HIM, IN CHRIST, WE HAVE EVERYTHING.  NOTE: Stand amazed, Christian! •Truly, every good gift and every perfect gift comes from God in Heaven! •And we are unworthy but GRATEFUL recipients of His goodness and kindness that have been lavished upon us in Christ Jesus our Lord.  •Honor Christ in your hearts as the greatest Gift! •We deserve nothing. We paid nothing. We did nothing. And yet we have Him, He was given for us and to us, BY GRACE! •God is good! Jesus is the Gift! And we have everything!      5.) This is what we’re celebrating at Christmas! •God has given us Christ!  •Christ has come to give us Himself! •And, in Him, we have received everything! •The unchangeably good God has been so good and only ever good to us! •A child was born to us, a Son was given to us! •And in Him, by Him, and through Him, we have everything!  •In Him, we have not only more than we deserve, but more than we would’ve ever thought to ask for.  Consider this: In our sinful state, for us to have ever come to God and asked for Him to give His only begotten Son for us, for us to ask God for such a Gift, would’ve been the height of arrogance and presumption.  •We would’ve have thought to ask, mind you. For we were at enmity with God.  •But, if somehow humanity would’ve thought to ask God for this, we would’ve been out-of-bounds to do so, for we are so incredibly wicked and deserving of damnation.  •BUT GOD DESIRED TO DO THIS FOR US! •Before we ever even thought or wanted to ask, He gave Christ for us! •Truly, HE IS GOOD! At Christmas, as we consider that a Son has been given to us and for us, we are compelled to confess,  •“God has been good to me. God has been kind to me. God has given me more than I could’ve ever wanted. God has given me Jesus Christ!” •At Christmas, we are celebrating the goodness and generosity of God to give us a Savior! Christmas points us to the generous heart of God.  •God gives to the most undeserving.  •God gives to sinners.  •He gives us everything we have in this world. And then HE GIVES US CHRIST! •What kindness from the One we have sinned against! ILLUSTRATE: “All this and Heaven, too.” •A woman I went to high school with once posted a photo online of herself, her husband, and their son.  •And she captioned the photo, “All this and Heaven, too.” •And that stuck with me. She was thanking God for her earthly blessings of a family. And she was standing in awe that God has saved her to top it all off.  Brothers and sisters, we have many good things in this world to praise God and be thankful for.  •This is especially brought to our attention during the holiday season (or it should be).  •But then we also come face-to-face with the fact that God has also given us Jesus Christ. And this is so much that we can hardly stand it.  •This is almost too much grace. This is mind-boggling.  •If we really think about this, we can’t sit still, but come out of our seats shouting for joy.  •We must look around at our lives and say, “I can hardly believe that He has given me all of this…and Heaven, too!” •And that is just another way of saying, “God has given me all I have in this world…and Christ too!” •And it is Christ who overshadows all the rest and makes the other gifts truly sweet. For without Him, all the earthly gifts we could ever have fade away in the end.  6.) So, brothers and sisters, praise God for His goodness and the gifts He has given you.  •This Christmas season, praise Him for the gift of Christ! •And don’t let it stop there! Praise Him always for Christ, for Christ is always yours! •Worldly gifts may come and go. They can be given and taken away. Just ask Job.  •But Christ is the Gift that will never fade away. He is the Gift that will never wear out. He is the Gift that will never perish.  •He is the Gift that, once received, is yours for eternity.  •So praise God for Christ! Praise God for giving Christ to you! As we come to the end of this sermon, allow me to be more intentionally pastoral to those of you who may be hurting.  •Maybe the holidays are very hard for you. And you don’t much look forward to Christmas.  •There is family fighting, sickness, loved ones gone, an empty seat at the table, children or grandchildren you thought would be present but have departed this world, financial stress that is pointed out in not being able to afford the gifts you wanted to give, and many other things.  I want you to remember something: •I want you to remember that our celebration of Christmas is not about any of those things.  •Family is a good gift.  •Children are a good gift.  •Friends are a good gift.  •Gifts are good gifts.  •But we are celebrating God’s ultimate Gift: Jesus Christ.  •Christmas is a celebration of THE Gift.  •Focus on Him.  Remember this, God is good.  •And He has given you many things in this world.  •And, more importantly, He has given you all things in Christ.  •So, as the Apostle Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4) My God grant each one of us to rejoice in Jesus Christ, the great Gift of God. •Amen.