God's Gift

-OOS

I. Welcome.

A. Raffle: 0 - 3

II. Open Prayer

III. Worship

A. 3 Songs

B. Prayer Song: I wonder as I wander

C. Song before Offering: we three kings

D. Offering

E. Raffle: 4 - 6

IV. Greeting Time

A. 2.5min.

B. Raffle: 7 - 10

V. Sermon

A. Preaching

B. Raffle: 11 - +

-SERMON

I. INTRO

A. Illust. - Green Mountain Christmas

B. Main Text

John 3:16–18 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

C. Pray

II. BODY

A. God Loves U!

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.

a. God’s motivation for giving is love!

1. Giving is God’s Character

i. Our motivation 4 Green Mountain Christmas is to reflect God’s nature

2. HIS love compelled him 2 desire a 4ever rel. w/u starting today!

b. So, he enacted HIS plan

John 3:17 ESV

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

John 3:17

b. God’s plan of salvation

B. God’s plan is salvation from condemnation!

a. His plan is salvation through his Son Jesus!

1. Christ took upon himself the condemnation o the world & died on a cross

2. Then rose from the grave so that we aren’t just forgiven, we’re made new

b. His plan has no “Plan B"

John 14:6 ESV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

c. We go through Jesus by trusting Jesus

John 3:18 ESV

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

John 3:

C. God’s plan started with a birth

a. When we think about God giving his son Jesus, we often fast forward right to Jesus’ adult life.

b. But God gave his son to be born like all of us; as a baby!

c. God’s baby wasn’t born in

1. a hospital

2. not in the temple (place where heaven was supposed to meet earth)

3. His parents weren’t especially affluent, rich, or noble; weren’t the high priest’s kid

i. a carpenter and a young virgin lady

d. He was born in the most humble of places to humble people

Luke 2:7 ESV

7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

1. It’s like taking the most important, expensive, valuable gift & wrapping it w/old newspaper & duct tape

i. God’s in the business of taking humble beginnings & turning ‘em into great things