Sunday December 29, 2019

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Now everybody here have a good Christmas with your family and friends. And even if you were by yourself, did you still have a good Christmas? And sometimes it's nice just to be alone and didn't quite work out the way I thought it was but hey, it worked. We even had a blessing to have a Christmas. Ham. So God is good. all the time Hey, Matt.

You know. We celebrate Christmas once a year, but really Christmas never stopped, right? It it's it's the gift of Christ and that gift. Give us a life and gives it more abundantly. What does that mean to have life and have it more abundantly?

You know. Without Christ Bible says we are dead in our transgressions trespasses and sins.

So, you know those who are outside of Christ really don't have life at all. They have an existence but they're not really alive because their Spirit within them is dead. You know we've seen movies where they said. I see dead people walking while we all do you see people outside of Christ. We see dead people walking. Christ came to give us life eternal life. It's more abundant.

So this morning this message which I borrowed is the original Christmas gift and we we all do know the scripture John 3:16, but do we still even though we we all probably know it by heart. Do we still are we still moved by it? When we hear it when we read it. Does it still touch your heart? Does it still cause us to give glory to God to give thanks for what it really means we become so accustomed to scriptures. I think sometimes just like songs we become so used to them that we don't really pay attention to what the message really is. It just goes out of where I am. We get so caught up in the mechanism of doing church that we forget that we are the church.

And we need to be careful, especially here at the end of the year. We need to consider these things going into the new year. How can I become closer to Christ? How can I do more to bring glory and honor to God and his kingdom this year? How can I move forward in a way that? Doesn't toot my own horn, but rather brings glory to God. You know.

I know that many of us have experienced this but I remember when I was younger and and getting started in the workforce and thinking you know, all right. These are my plans by the time I'm 25. I'm going to be a millionaire. Not not even close might have been closer to $90 in debt. But you know, we we all set some kind of goals for ourselves. We all think it's most common for people to prank plans. Like I did plan on having a rich wife. And Rich means money. No, not scripturally. Rich means having blessings in our walk our relationship with God Walking with God. That's when you're really rich. That's when you're really rich. Is anybody in here besides me have more than one friend that are millionaire. Not really.

No. Wow. I know several people that I have become acquainted with over the years that are some are multi-millionaires but many are millionaires and you know, what several of them or misery? They're always worried about somebody taking their money. They're always worried about this or that or the other. Somebody's going to kidnap one of their children and and you know, ask for money to get them back. They have all these extra worries.

And then there's those though that even though they're very rich. They're also very very generous. God puts it in this hand and they pass it out on the other hand. Hey, man. Did not what some of the Bible people did I mean look at Abraham. He was the wealthiest man in his day one of the wealthiest. Anyway, God gave him and he gave job we studied Joe Bend up Joe was a very wealthy man. One of the most wealthy man in his time is not the wealthiest. God blessed him. He became a blessing to others.

If you had $1000000. I want you all to be honest with me you had $1000000. Would you share it?

What if you had something that was so valuable that couldn't have a price put on it? Would you share that with others? I mean when she really?

We all have Christ and you can't put a value on him. Are you sharing? You just told me you would. Are you?

the original Christmas gift many people think Christmas gift-giving had it start when the Magi brought gifts to the Christ child with the original Christmas gift came even earlier. It was Christ himself for God so loved the world that he gave his only son Romans 6:23 says the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ the very letters of the word gift explain this to us. G is for gospel. Though we have all sinned. God loved us so much. He became a man to die and rise again for us. The I is for I must receive this gift for myself making Christ my own personal Lord and savior. F is for forgiveness when I received the gospel, the blood of Christ is applied to my soul and my sins are forgiven cast as far as the East is from the West. T is for transformation God begins at that point the point we receive Christ to make me into a different person into a person pleasing to him.

And a gift only becomes ours when we receive it.

The gift is offered to all but not all are reaching out and grabbing that gift. but those of us who have we have the responsibility.

The blessedness of being able to help present the gift of Christ too many more people. You know there have been and I know that many of you know this but there have been programs on television where they've gone out and pass down hundred dollar bills. You're standing on a street corner somewhere and filming it and how to make $100 bills and they're people who just no, thank you. No, thank you. I don't want what is what is attached to that? No, thank you. No, thank you, but there's other people there was no catch. But it proves a point.

Skeptics go broke right now that's not the point but there are people who because of their skepticism because of their lack of trust in their fellow man, as well as anything else for the most part they will turn down something in fear. Of what is attached to it? There are many who turned down Christ because of their fear of what is attached to it. How many of you have heard recently? That Christians are bigots. Anybody heard that besides me? Christians in where hateful people because we point out people sends when in fact, we don't point out people sends the Holy Spirit has points out people since the word of God that lives in US points out people's sins. But here's the thing if someone is never made aware of their sinfulness, how would they ever know that they have a need for Christ?

Oh, I everybody knows something to it degree. Yes, but until they're confronted with the gospel. I don't like confrontation. Well, neither does anybody else? But sometimes that's what it takes confrontation you confront them with the truth. You confront them with the gospel.

You know, we have a president that's very bold. But do you like him or don't like him? He's very bold points at the median says you Liars you Liars A lot of people don't like him doing that but you know that boldness that he has that he's displaying as the kind of boldness that we as Christians are supposed to have not does that mean we're supposed to go out and call it by the Liars know? But it does mean that we shouldn't back down. We shouldn't power in a corner when we know we're around people that are atheist or Muslim or whatever. We shouldn't be ashamed to live out our Christian life before anyone quotes.

No matter what people say. Oh, there's one of them Christian ticket hates everybody.

You ever hear that it's a good time to say. Well, it's funny that you would say that I hate everybody because I love you. Christ commands me to love you, even though you seem to hate me you're calling me names. I haven't said a word to you. I don't even know you.

And just see the expression on their face when you say I love you. You can see hate bitterness most of the time. They're the ones that hate their the ones that are the names they're calling others.

Why because they reject the original Christmas gift. People who reject Christ reject those who have accepted him.

And we have the challenge. we have the privilege to represent Christ in such a way in front of those people that it changes their heart and their mind. To love them even though they don't love us. To help them even though they wouldn't help us. To give of ourselves for them and to them even though they wouldn't do it for us. That's what Christ did folks. He came in his own rejected him. But you still love them. Anyway, he still died for them. Anyway, he still killed them. Anyway, he still gave them food and drink anyway.

in 2020 I would love for our church to become known more than it already is as a church of love a Church of Christ. Let's make that our go if you have a need this morning, just mine the Lord and come as we sing.

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