It is hard for me to believe that another Christmas season has arrived!
Jeannette made me drag out all the Christmas decorations from underneath the front porch -- & she has begun decorating the house once again -- putting up the tree -- setting out the decorations -- to help celebrate Christmas 2004!
As we approach another Christmas -- let us remember that Christmas is a holy day -- not just a holiday!
Remember that Christmas is not limited to Santa Claus - to a Christmas tree -- or the exchanging of gifts.
Christmas means “Emmanuel ... God with us!”
The joy of Christmas is a joy that war cannot kill -- for it is the joy of the soul!
Poverty cannot prevent the blessing of Christmas -- for it is a blessing no earthly wealth can give!
Time cannot wither the meaning of Christmas -- for it belongs to eternity!
The world cannot destroy Christmas -- for to the believer, Christmas is the birth of Him who has overcome the world.
Christmas is the birthday of freedom -- for only JESUS CHRIST can make us truly free!
Our hope is not built upon the materialism -- secularism -- humanism -- terrorism -- such as is sweeping our world.
Our hope is centered in the Person of the Christ of Christmas! -- Jesus is the reason for the season!
The heart of the Christmas message is found in the most famous verse in all the Bible -- John 3:16 -- (Read)
No text in Scripture in more widely known -- more frequently quoted -- more deeply loved -- then is John 3:16.
This little gem from the lips of Jesus Himself -- contains enough truth for literally thousands of sermons!
John 3:16 -- is a message of love -- a capsule of love -- a capsule loaded with spiritual dynamite!
It is truly the greatest single sentence ever written!
Many great documents have been written in the course of human History -- the Constitution of the US -- the Bill of Rights -- Agreements between people -- & between governments -- but no document has ever involved so many people in so vital an issue -- as has John 3:16.
In these 25 words -- we find the entire Bible as it were - contained in a nutshell. -- Some one has called it “The Bible in miniature.”
They embrace the whole sense of the Scriptures -- from Genesis to Revelation.
The real meaning of Christmas is that God has come in the form of human flesh -- to save us from our sins; -- a fact that is so often buried under the tinsel & the glitter of the holiday!
Christ was born to die as the Savior of the world!
It would be rude to go to a birthday party -- & not pay our respect to the honored guest!
Yet millions -- will enjoy the festivities of this season while completely forgetting Whose birthday it really is!
Suppose you went to your mailbox tomorrow to find a very formal looking envelope -- with the seal of the President of the U.S. on it.
I am sure you would open it excitedly -- to see what sort of stately greeting the President was sending you.
My friends -- God -- the King of heaven -- has sent you & me an important message!
What is that message? -- It speaks of a gift God has for us! --
And what a Gift it is!
Let’s examine the significance of this -- the greatest gift of all!
1. In John 3:16 -- we have the Greatest Giver -- “God”
I have received many gifts that are deeply cherished because of who it was that gave me the gift!
The importance -- or magnitude of the donor -- usually gauges the value of the gift itself!
We would expect God to give the ultimate in gifts -- & He did!
The Bible says that He “spared not His own Son -- but delivered Him up for us all.”
Our concept of God effects -- the way we feel about God -- the attitude we have toward God -- & the whole course of our lives!
Some people see God as a hard -- cruel -- task master; -- He punishes every little act of sin; -- we must ever strive to please Him!
Others see God as an indulgent -- lenient -- grandfather -- who is soft on sin -- & who merely chuckles over the evil in the world!
But Christmas is a corrective of both of these extremes.
The story of Christmas is a story of a God who so loved the world that He was willing to do something to clean up the sin problem!
The very heart of the Christmas message is God’s love for a lost & sin-filled world!
God’s love is so great that it really is beyond -- over & above -- our comprehension!
Look at that little particle -- “SO” -- “God so loved”
Think of the adverbs you can put with the word “so” -- so fully -- so freely -- so sublimely! -- How incredible a thought this is!
The greatest Giver -- God -- so loved -- that He gave!
Illus: My father was a carpenter! -- I am not!
Recently -- I was going through some of the family pictures me dear mother left behind.
I found some pictures of Dad -- building homes; -- there he was, seen pounding in nails. -- He was such a good carpenter & builder.
While my dad enjoyed working with wood of various kinds -- I never heard him speak of a single nail with any particular affection.
Why should God care for this little speck of dust -- which is a part of His creation -- any more than a carpenter would care especially for some nail which he had driven into a great building?
But God -- the greatest giver -- loves us so much -- that He gave us the gift of Christmas! -- Unworthy though we were!
God is truly the Greatest Giver of all time!
2. In John 3:16 --the Greatest Gift -- “his only begotten Son”
Ponder on those words for just a moment -- “He gave His only begotten Son.” -- They tell us that JESUS CHRIST is the gift of God’s wonderful love!
An interesting fact occurs in the KJV of the rendering of John 3:16.
Twenty-five words appear in this great verse.
The very center word -- is the word “Son”
All the truth of John3:16 finds its center in God’s only Son -- JESUS CHRIST!
The words & thoughts of John 3:16 either march toward Jesus -- the Son -- or they radiate from Jesus -- the Son!
This beautifully illustrates the position God has given to His Son -- for JESUS CHRIST is the center of everything!
God has no plans -- no purposes for us which do not center in the Person of His Son -- JESUS CHRIST!
I have long been fascinated by that expression -- “only begotten Son”. -- What does it mean?
It means Jesus is God’s unique Son! -- There is none other like Him!
Jesus is God’s “one of a kind” Son! -- The one & only Son!
I like the way the Amplified Bible translates this verse: “For God so greatly loved -- & dearly prized the world -- that He (even) gave up His only begotten (unique) Son -- so that whoever believes in -- trusts -- clings to -- relies on -- Him -- shall not perish -- come to destruction -- be lost -- but have eternal (everlasting) life.”
God cared enough for you & me -- that He did not appoint a committee -- nor did He send a committee! -- Nor a representative!
Instead God gave His unique, one of a kind & only -- Son, JESUS CHRIST!
God gifted wrapped His most precious Christmas gift to us -- in the clay of humanity!
We don’t usually think of a person as a gift -- but actually inter-personal relationships are the most valued & cherished gifts of all!
Illus: -- During the Vietnam conflict -- the wife of a serviceman wrapped herself up as a Christmas present -- & tried to mail herself to Vietnam -- to be reunited with her husband.
Of course the package was rejected.
But the Bible teaches that God gave a Person -- as the greatest of all gifts to every one of us -- & that Person is His one & only Son, JESUS CHRIST!
Illus: One day a 6-yr.-old boy in a southern town answered a knock at the door. -- When he opened the door, he discovered that it was his father just returned from Iraq!
Little Johnny didn’t ask: -- “Daddy, what did you bring me?”
Instead he threw his arms around his father & said: -- “Oh, Daddy, this is the best Christmas present I’ve ever had!”
A question every Christian ought to ask this Advent Season is -- “Am I interested in presents - or in the presence of Christ in my heart & home?”
If it is just trinkets -- gifts & gimmicks that appeal to us -- then we have lost the real meaning of Christmas altogether!
3. In John 3:16 --the Greatest Results of Giving -- “should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Every guilty sinner deserves to perish! --
Every guilty sinner deserves to be lost in eternal separation from God!
And to that awful doom -- every sinner is steadfastly moving -- utterly helpless to save himself!
But God -- in His great love -- wants to save us!
God wants to rescue us from death -- from eternal separation.
God wants you & me to come into a vital -- dynamic relationship & fellowship -- with Him -- here & now!
If you had a dreaded disease -- you would be foolish to refuse a physician’s offer to heal you!
If you were drowning -- wouldn’t you be a fool to push away the life guard attempting to rescue you?
If you were starving -- wouldn’t you be a fool to turn down food from the Red Cross workers?
When you refuse the mercy -- the forgiveness -- the salvation -- of God’s Son -- & choose rather to perish -- than you are the greatest fool of all!
Everlasting life - life that has no end - eternal life - is the Gift of God’s love!
Paul wrote: “The wages of sin is death -- but the gift of God is eternal life through JESUS CHRIST our Lord.”
Illus: I once read that the captain of the ironclad ship -- the Merrimack -- was quite skeptical about God’s Word.
While the old seaman was living in the PA Soldiers Home -- the chaplain stopped by his room to talk. -- In the course of the conversation -- the chaplain challenged the captain with these words: “Read the gospel of John & mark anything you don’t believe!”
A glitter came into the sailor’s eyes as he responded: “All right, I’ll do it!”
The chaplain called on him each day to see how he was getting along. -- He would ask: “Have you marked anything yet?”
The captain would only grin -- but remained silent.
A few days later when the minister came visiting again -- he found the old man had died in his bed.
The man’s Bible was opened to the gospel of John -- so the chaplain paged through it. -- Nothing was marked in the 1st chapter -- nor in the 2nd -- nor in the 3rd -- until he came to the 16th verse!
Alongside were these words: -- “I have cast my anchor in a safe harbor, thank God!” --- And indeed he had!
The record of God’s gift in the person of His Son -- the simple plan by which anyone can have eternal life -- is truly the greatest result of giving!
Have you anchored your storm-tossed soul in the safe harbor of Christ’s redeeming love?
Conclusion: --
Christmas tells us that God loves us! -- He is a God of love!
Most gifts are labeled for -- & given to -- only certain individuals -- but God plays no favorites! -- He has no pets!
The Bible says: -- “God is no respecter of persons.”
It is to ‘whosoever will’ -- with their longings -- their disappointments -- their emptiness -- that He sends the supreme gift of His love!
God generously -- lovingly & sacrificially -- gave His one & only Son as the atonement for our sins!
This is what Christmas is all about!
God was generous when He gave us the beauty of the earth; --
He was generous when he gave us the seas -- the mountains & the forests
He was generous when He set the stars in the heaven.
The Bible says it is God who gives wisdom -- He gives strength;
It is God who gives joy -- who gives peace -- who gives life!
But it was all made possible through that one great gift on the first Christmas -- the gift of God’s Son, JESUS CHRIST!
When God made His gift to you & me -- He made it personal!
In John3:16 -- you can write your name over the “whosoever” -- for it means you! -- You personally!
What a glorious thought at this Christmas season that God loves you as an individual! -- He is interested in you personally!
In this age with all its emptiness -- loneliness -- anguish -- guilt -- suffering -- & bereavement -- it is a thrilling thing to know that God is concerned for every person individually! -- He loves you!
But a gift is not a gift unless it is accepted! -- God has given you His Son -- but ownership is conditional on acceptance.
That is why the Bible says: -- “whosoever believes in him.”
God does not force his gift on you -- but he asks you to receive by faith the gift of his Son -- JESUS CHRIST!
Won’t you this Christmas -- reach out the hand of faith -- to receive the gift which Christmas celebrates?