“The Unending Generosity of Christ”

Notes
Transcript
As we come to a time where we center our hearts and minds around the birth of Christ this is a time where we are reminded not only of the love of God but also the generosity of our Father. God’s Word helps us to see what true generosity looks like over and over again. God is the giver of good things, and the biblical narrative records His generosity from the beginning of Scripture to the end.
Jennifer and I have both been blessed with amazing parents. I would say very generous parents. In fact, every time I am driving my vehicle it is a reminder that I have a mother and father in law that gave me this vehicle and I am not an owner, I am just a steward. I’m also reminded that I am not as generous as I should be. Even as I read God’s Word I am reminded of the generosity of God and that everything that I have is not mine to begin with, because it has been given to me by the Lord. In Romans chapter 5 and verse 8 Paul shares with us our problem and then he explains to us the generosity of God.
Romans 5:8 ESV
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Paul helps us to see here that God’s love is a selfless and undeserved love that is completely beyond human comprehension. This is a picture of God’s generosity. This is the love that a just and infinitely holy God had toward us even while we were yet sinners. The God who hates every sinful thought and every sinful deed nevertheless loves sinners who think and do these things, even while they are in sin. Even when men and women openly hate God and do not have the least desire to give up their sin, they are still objects of God’s redeeming love as long as they live. Only at death does an unbeliever cease to be loved by God. If you are not a believer than this should cause you to repent of your sin today and trust Christ before it’s too late. But even in knowing this we come to understand God’s generosity. Why? Because we are sinners and the only solution to our sin problem is that God the Father gave up His Son to save us from our sin. Think back with me throughout Scripture about the generosity of God.
-God is generous by placing Adam and Eve in a perfect place and providing for them everything they needed.
Genesis 1:27–31 ESV
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
-God generously took His people out of slavery and gave them His law so that they could thrive. God also generously provided a land for His people so that they could grow as a nation.
Exodus 6:1–8 ESV
1 But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” 2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’ ”
-God also generously delivered His people by pulling back the waters of the Red Sea and helping his people cross safely. (Exodus chapter 14) He also generously provides bread and water for them as they journey through the wilderness. (Exodus 16 and 17)
-God generously provided a tabernacle so that he could dwell with his people. God’s presence was with His people and He had a desire to meet with them and too be there for them. (Exodus chapter 26)
-Once the Israelites came to their promised land they began to forget about the generosity of God, however God generously sent prophet after prophet to warn his people and call them back to him.
-As we come to the New Testament one verse stands out to us from the rest about the generosity of God.
John 3:16 ESV
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
God Gave!
There are no words that can even adequately express the magnitude of God’s saving gift to the world. The gift of Jesus. The Father gave His only begotten Son, the same Son in whom He declared this is my beloved son in whom I am well-pleased. Paul explains it this way for us.
Philippians 2:9 ESV
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
God the Father had enjoyed a very intimate and wonderful fellowship with Jesus from all eternity and now the Father was giving Jesus His Son to die as a sacrifice on behalf of sinful men. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf. Why? So that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
By sending His Son as an offering for our sin God condemned sin in the flesh. So, when the fulness of time came, God sent forth His Son Jesus, born of a woman, born under the law, so that He might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:5-6)
In just a few days we will come together with family and friends and celebrate Christmas. We will celebrate the fact that in the fulness of time God gave. He showed us His generosity by giving us His one and only Son. What is incredible about God’s generosity is that the entire biblical story is about a God who gives his creatures what we do not know what we need, what we often do not want, and what we could never earn or do for ourselves, but which we cannot live without. As we read John 3 and verse 16 we see that God has given us His Son. Every gift that God gave pointed to this final gift. In the gift of Jesus, we get forgiveness, reconciliation, and the transformation of our hearts and lives. There is no gift like Jesus!
The important thing I want to remind you of today is that God still continues to give and show His generosity. You may ask, how so? Let me share with you several ways that we still see God’s generosity.

1. Through His presence.

You may wonder how do we see God’s presence? The Bible consistently speaks about God’s presence as a source of comfort, guidance, and strength. God’s presence brings peace and reassurance, because He reminds us that we are never alone as we journey through this life. There are several Old Testament passages that help us to see the reminder of God’s presence. David the Psalmist says,
Psalm 139:7–8 ESV
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
God was always watching over David. David acknowledge here that God’s presence through His Spirit is everywhere. No matter where we go we cannot escape His nearness.
Isaiah 41:10 ESV
10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
God’s presence dispels fear even in the midst of difficult days or times of uncertainty. But we also see the presence of God come full circle as we turn to the New Testament. As the Lord is preparing to return to heaven after His resurrection He leaves His disciples with some encouraging news.
Matthew 28:20 ESV
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Jesus promises to be with His followers forever, but how can this happen?
John 14:16–17 ESV
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence, providing guidance and comfort for believers throughout their lives. So, this is the first area where we still see God’s generosity.

2. Through His promises.

What do we know about the Lord’s promises?
Have you ever wondered what it really means when the Bible talks about God’s promises? The Bible highlights several types of promises including covenants, provision, protection, presence, and eternal life. Here is what Paul says about God’s promises.
2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV
20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
In other words, every Old Testament and New Testament promise is trustworthy because it has and it will be fulfilled in Jesus. In Isaiah chapter 41 and verse 10 we see that God’s promise is that He is with us. In First Corinthians chapter 10 Paul tells us that Christ promise is that He will deliver us from temptations. John reminds us of another wonderful promise in 1 John chapter 1.
1 John 1:9 ESV
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us that when we are weary and burdensome to come to Christ and find rest in Him. In Second Peter chapter 1 and Revelation chapter 3 and verse 5 we are also reminded that we have been given eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. These are all promises that we as God’s people need to be reminded of from time to time. These should all help us to keep in mind the wonderful generosity and love of God.

3. Through His power.

1 Chronicles 29:11 ESV
11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.
This verse praises God for His greatness, power, and glory. It acknowledges that everything in heaven and earth belongs to Him. In theology there is a technical term for God’s power. Theologians and scholars have defined this as God’s omnipotence which means that God is all-powerful. The omnipotence of God helps us as believers to see God’s sovereignty and authority over all creation. The Bible is full of many examples of God’s power manifested in miracles, deliverance, and creation itself.
Genesis 1:1 ESV
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Psalm 33:6 ESV
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
When we come to the New Testament we are reminded of God’s Power through Christ. Through His life, miracles, and His powerful teaching. However, there is one text in particular where we see God’s power displayed in a magnificent way.
Ephesians 1:19–20 ESV
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
Paul helps us to see here the extraordinary power that God exhibits. Here Paul describes the power that raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Him to the highest position in the heavenly realms.

4. Through His grace.

We can define the word grace as God’s goodness toward those who deserve only punishment. Because of our sin nature we all deserve the wrath of God and we all deserve to spend an eternity in hell and yet God shows us Grace. Everyday, every moment throughout my life I am reminded of my sin and what I deserve, but I am also reminded of just how gracious the Lord has been to me. My family, my health, and most importantly my salvation. One of the great reminders of God’s grace comes to us in Ephesians chapter 2.
Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
This verse puts into perspective God’s grace. There is nothing good in what we do. No matter how many good things we try to do we cannot earn our salvation. We are totally dependent upon God’s grace. We already have enough boastful and arrogant people in our world today. So understanding God’s grace has a way of humbling us as believers. We are all in desperate need of God and every day we should be thankful for His generosity. Look around today. Do you see God’s generosity? Let me remind us that God speaks to us through His very Word, the Bible, We can go to the maker of this universe and speak to Him through prayer. God also has given us the church to help encourage us, challenge us, to pray for one another, to fellowship, and to be strengthened. These are all ways that we come to understand that God is generous and loves us so much.
Close in Prayer:
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