Christmas Presents

Intro

Merry Christmas!!

Right now your probably surrounded by some of yoru family.

Maybe still in your pajamas, surrounded by ripped up wrapping paper

Most likely you’ve opened a few presents today.

Dad’s probably putting some stuff together, mom is finding batteries.

I love the feeling of opening presents. Not knowing exactly whats inside but knowing its for me!

Presents.

You know Christmas really is great moment where we can forget about the past, pause the future and just be.... in the present.

Right now.

This is all really about an ultimate present.

God walked down the staircase of heaven and delivered a savior to the world.

The ultimate present really is God’s presence.

As a kid, I really understood the gospel according to Santa. I loved everything to do with Santa!!

I would visit him in the store and tell him what I wanted.

I knew all of the reindeer names.

If I was good I would be on the nice list and get a present and not coal. No one wants coal.

I think about Santa during this time and the fun times as a kid.

but I also think about the savior and I wonder if we have Santa-fied Christmas.

And If we have formed our views of Christmas around santa, and decorations, and all of the things that have become commercialized instead of the center of it all being the savior.

I want to contrast a Santa-fied Christmas vs a Savior filled Christmas.

Santa’s presence are based on behavior. The Saviors presents aren’t.

Not sure about you, but I tend to give more like Santa.

If I like you, you’re good to me, I’ll get you a little something.

But it not, No way!!

Imagine shopping in the store for Christmas, someone rams into your buggy, leans over and takes something out that was the last toy your kid wanted that was on the shelf.

You walk right up to them, get in there face and say, Hey! what’s your address??? I’m going to send you a Christmas gift.

No way would we do that!!

But Jesus doesn’t give off of behavior.

He gives based off grace.

Grace is when were given even when we don’t deserve.

And none of us are good enough for the gift that Jesus wants to give us.

Romans 3:23

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

We all have fallen short of God’s goodness standard.

But christmas is where God made up the gap in our goodness by giving us the ultimate present, Jesus.

Santa’s presence is limited, The saviors presence is unlimited.

Santa for the most part stays in the north pole surrounded by reindeer and elves.

He goes out one night a year, visits the homes of the one who were good enough and delivers gifts.

God’s presence is everywhere! Everywhere.

There is no where that is is not.

The savior was named Jesus but he was given another name, Emmanuel meaning God with us!

The bible teaches that Jesus became flesh to dwell among us.

He is with you.

This is the time of the year for family reunions. So often its the time we can just show up and make an appearance.

See some people, eat, wave, smile and leave.

But that’s not how Jesus is, just pop in and out every now and then.

he grew up and lived a perfect, blameless, life, understood heartache and pain and disappointments, identified with us in every way.

He died as a sacrifice on the cross, rose from the dead and offers us the incredible present of his presence!!

he will never leave us for forsake us.

Learn to add 2 words:

Except Jesus

But this is my first year all alone, no one understands.

Except jesus.

With all of the economy I don’t what’s going to happen and I have no one to turn to.

Except Jesus.

No one understands my depression and anxiety.

Except Jesus.

I can’t seem to get it right, I keep messing up. No one could understand this struggle.

Except Jesus.

We don’t have a north pole savior.

he is with you, he is for you.

Reach out to him, talk to him.

Santa’s presents are what we want. The Saviors presents are what we need.

There are some things we want but don’t need and other things we need but don’t want.

When I was young I never wanted discipline. Yes please that sounds great.

But there are times it was needed.

If our greatest need had been a wiring problem, he would had sent the greatest electrician.

If it was information, he would sent a statistician.

if it was the economy, he would have sent the best politician or businessman.

But because of sin, our great need was Saving, so God send a Savior.

He saves us.

We’re always trying to find what we think we need the most.

As a kid at Christmas is was that remote control fire truck.

It had working sirens, a ladder that really extended. Was the coolest.

That is what I really needed! but i lost or broke it. Don’t even remember what happened to it.

What that thing you think you need.

It’s the raise, that’s it.

Its the relationship. finding the right (or the next) person

That model of car.

A better neighbor or the right school...

That’s all great but it’s not our biggest need.

Our biggest need is so much deeper.

Our greatest need is only found in the Savior.

Santa’s presents are under the tree. Christ’s present is on it.

I love some of the fun tradition things about Christmas. I love the gift giving, setting the cookies out for santa, the oversized blow up of rudolf in the front yard.

But What i’m really thankful and excited for is the ultimate Gift.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That’s a gift I can’t get myself and no one else can.

Only the savior.

There is nothing I could do to deserve this gift, but he gift with grace not behavior.

Sin separates and destroys, God can just look past sin.

But God have a gift to be forgiven, set free, redeemed and given eternal life.

But this gift demands a response.

It’s the greatest gift, but we will either receive it or not.

When we received the gift of Jesus. God no longer looks and sees our sin, he sees the perfectness of Jesus.

The sacrifice he made on the cross.

That’s the ultimate gift of Christmas.

Today we receive that, we remember that and we rejoice in the most ultimate present.

response

text Jesus.

giving.

1. Ire song together.