Jesus; The Greatest Gift Ever John 3:16

Introduction

What is the best gift you have ever received for Christmas?

I think about some of the best gifts I got growing up.

Getting to give my wife and kids their presents as well.

The problem is that Christmas has turned into a holiday that is more about presents, rather than seeking God’s presence.

35% of Americans went into at least $1000 of debt buying presents last year. While those gifts are nice God gave us a gift that was worth more than all of the gifts we could receive in our life, it cost him his only Son, but it cost us nothing.

This Christmas let’s focus more on the presence of our saviour than the presents under the tree.

The Giver of the gift

Every gift has both a giver and a receiver.

The Giver of Salvation is God

Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

God paid the highest price for the greatest gift we could ever receive. What an amazing God we serve.

The Reason for the Gift

The motivation for the gift was His love for us.

1 John 4:9–10 “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

God loved us so much that he gave us a gift that is for the whole world.

Have you ever heard those ads that offer you a really good deal and then they get to the end of the ad and it says for new customers only.

This gift has no stipulations and is for every person in the world.

Romans 2:11 “For there is no respect of persons with God.”

The Gospel or the good news is for every man, Salvation doesn’t depend on the color of your skin, the amount of money in your bank account, or the house that you live in.

Salvation is for every man because of the free gift offered by God.

The gift that was given

God gave his only begotten son

Jesus who was there with His father in creation, called in the book of Revelation, “The lamb slain before the foundation of the world” was freely given by God to be a sacrifice for our salvation.

Isaiah 9:6 “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.”

In Genesis 3:15 we get the first promise of a Saviour.

Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Satan thought he had won the allegiance of the woman, but instead God put enmity between Satan and the Woman meaning, He made Satan the enemy of the woman.

The woman has no seed outside of the man, so this would prophecy of the miraculous conception of Jesus, where he would not inherit a sin nature, because our sin nature comes because of our dad.

One commentator said this “He would not inherit the sin nature which would disqualify every son of Adam from becoming a Saviour from sin. This prophecy thus clearly anticipates the future virgin birth of Christ.”

The last part of the prophecy was first fulfilled when Jesus went to the cross and will ultimately be fulfilled when the triumphant Christ casts satan into the lake of fire.

When God sent his Son as a free gift he paid for the sins of the world (past, Present and future!) and all we have to do is accept the gift. There is no fine print when it comes to the Gospel.

The recipient of the Gift

Whosoever believeth in Him

I’m thankful for the whosoever’s in the Bible

Whosoever- Any one; any person

You might ask how do I get this free gift and the Bible makes it simple.

You must believe in Jesus and His finished work of the cross.

Jesus came as a baby, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, was buried and three days later he arose from the grave, thus becoming the payment in full for our sin.

In 1 Cor 15 The gospel is laid out for us 1 Corinthians 15:1–4 “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

To be saved you must believe the Gospel, It doesn’t matter what you have done in your past, this gift is still for you, all you have to do is believe the Gospel.

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

Aren’t you thankful there is no whosoever unless ____________ fill in the blank

The whosoever’s in the Bible

Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

John 4:14 “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

John 11:25–26 “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

This is just some of the whosoever’s but they are all great reminders that anyone who trusts the gospel can be saved.

The contents of the gift

Should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Everlasting- Lasting or enduring for ever; eternal; existing or continuing without end

Most gifts we receive don’t last super long depending on what it is.

Food

Money

Stuff

The gift that God gave us is an eternal gift, once you receive the gift it doesn’t expire and you can’t lose it.

Bass pro gift card I lost.

John 14:1–4 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.”

God has promised us life after this sinful world we live in and all we have to do is accept the free gift he has given.

Conclusion

All of us have an opportunity to accept the free gift that God has offered us.

Has their been a time in your life when you accepted this gift, if not come today. What better Christmas gift than eternal life offered by God.