Christmas Eve

Secular:

Giving out of compulsion….
Taxes… sigh
Not a favourite of mine
Municipal taxes…. Income Taxes… GST… PST
I find it hard to be cheerful
Rarely do I wrap it in a bow and nice paper
An event that is a little hollow…. Evokes little excitement…
Giving out of a sense of duty… really doesn’t warm the heart

Biblical:

1 John 4:14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

Personal:

Giving from the heart
This year… FAIR… Tsunami relief
Auguston Fellowship…. Sound system, etc
Monarch place…. Woman / Children in Transition
New Hope Welcome House…. – Refugee House

Insert

C.C.C.
Love…. Just like how I give to my wife and kids….

When the kids make something for me
Uncle Larry…. The Japanese word for Peace of God
When your spouse paid attention to hints… or better recognized a need

Bridge:

Gifts out of compulsion… don’t normally endear us… unless of course you are really shallow
Gifts out of the heart are much more appreciated!

(my little brothers popsicle stick jewellery box… versus my real present!)

When Jesus in obedience to the Father said… “SEND ME”… He was and Still Is the greatest gift the Father could ever give!

Body:

1. Love Was His Motive for Giving

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Ever have someone cover your screw up!
Bad decision…. One that did damage…
At work… and the boss covered for you… stood up for you
Maybe you borrowed something…. And broke it…
Maybe you were babysitting for your uptight neighbour…. Waving…You hear… kid tumbling down the stairs
Despite the fact you deserve to be skewered… they truly showed patience and love!
Imagine writing off the neighbour’s car…. And he says…. Because of our relationship…. He says don’t worry… Cost him dearly…
God was motivated by his love for us…

We cracked up the car
Broke his shovel
Dropped his kid down the stairs

God deserves our love, loyalty and service…

Who He is…
Cuz He loved us first!

But from the time we are born we wrestle… we choose stuff that hurts us… offends God…

Ever do something you know would land like a bomb in your relationship?

We choose stuff God would really rather we didn’t!
Our teens and their challenging times… have nothing on us… those who know and still stand in open rebellion….
Live for God all the time!... The Choice

God made a choice to love…
Not based on warm and fuzzy
We were not the most endearing…

Smacked up the car, cracked the shovel handle…
And worse… we thumbed our nose at his holiness

What if we forgot to live our relationships… forgot to honour, love and serve our spouse?

It would feel like abandonment… new priority
It would led to infidelity… true to something just not you
It’s painful!!
CHOOSE SMART!

Love was God’s motive…. Desired relationship…. What is our motive in our relationship with God?

1. Love Was His Motive for Giving

2. What He Gave was Precious to Him

What would be a not so precious gift?...

Leftovers
Not thoughtful
No examples… Christmas Eve… (I won’t give any in case I offend J )

When you consider what God gave to us you will understand something of the cost.
Listen to the Father's own words:
Matthew 3:17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."
No Scraps
First fruits

Scripture refs…
Lamb of God (no blemish)

God loves… God gives that which is precious
He continues in that vein…
Give a snake instead fish or scorpion insteadof an egg?

Luke 11:11 "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? 12 "Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he?

Precious to God
Gifting precious to others…
Love was God’s motive… and He gave that which was most precious

2. What He Gave was Precious to Him

3. Giving Like God Gives Must Hurt

The fruitcake gift!... one fruitcake circling the globe
Out of the excess
Out of comfort
Our flood…

· Away from Home

· Away from family

· Loving us

Time, money, attention, care…
Real giving costs us…

It hurt so much for God to see His Son die that He had to turn away at that awful hour and hear His Son saying from the Cross….

Mark 15:34 At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" which is translated, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"

Talk loving us so much it hurt!

Let me ask you this question:

What value do you place on God’s gift to us?

Ignore Him.... put him on a shelf…

Do you treat this gift as unimportant, of low value?

As a new dad… man I remember that first Christmas

I was going to give my son everything….
I was going to make him so happy
Instead he was overwhelmed…

At the end we were rifling through mountains of empty boxes, clouds of crumpled wrapping paper, a maze of tangled ribbon… to see if we had lost sight of the gift…
We get so caught up in what our world values… in turning Christmas into a gift giving festival… that we loose sight of the Christ child in the wrapping…
We need to find the value again…. The gift that cost so much… given with so much love!

Love and Value Him....

Do you value Jesus highly? This gift stems from God’s love for us and we should be grateful, not only for the gift, but for the one who gave Him to us.

The Love of God …

3. Giving Like God Gives Must Hurt

Conclusion:

1. Love Was His Motive for Giving Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above,

Would drain the ocean dry.

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Though stretched from sky to sky.

Live it….

2. What He Gave was Precious to Him

The best…
That which stems from Love
That which stems from the choice

3. Giving Like God Gives Must Hurt

Won’t give till it costs…
If not love… something precious…
When it radiates from something greater than ourselves… then we give sacrificially
It isn’t about what is under the tree…