God’s Christmas Gift

Brother Jack Sprinkle brought the message.

Matthew 16:15 “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

While the church seems to be weakening this day and time, the Gift is not.  Jesus is a powerful figure, and there are many things for us to consider about him.  I want to share four things with you.

1. He had no earthly father.  If he’d an earthly father, he’d be of no service to us. Because he did not, he was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. We confessed our sin at salvation and daily we bring our sins to him. He has the authority to forgive us. Another way his birth was different is that his was a virgin birth. He was not only man but a supernatural man. He was just as much man as we are. He became flesh just as we are; he was made a little lower than the angels. He did if for our sakes.  At the same time he was man, he was also God. He was just as much God as before he was born and as he is right now sitting at the right hand of God. He’s our mediator, a lawyer that cannot lose a case. He is God’s Christmas gift.
2. He lived on earth with the same supernatural power he had in heaven. So why did he leave heaven?  It was his love for us. The kind of power that spoke and calmed the storm also knows the storms in our lives. He can calm those as well because He’s a supernatural Savior. He spoke sickness into health. He can command death to life just as he did for the widow in the Bible. She said nothing to Jesus; he saw her grief and commanded death to let go of her son. Did he do this for himself or those around them?  No. He did it for this mother. She had no one else but her son. Jesus spoke defeat to death and it came to life. One day he’ll speak those same words and raise us from the dead. This is what makes him our Christmas gift from God.
3. His death is our doorway to heaven. His crucifixion on Friday was not a black Friday; we call it Good Friday. He opened the door for all of us to go to heaven. That’s a marvelous gift. I don’t understand it, but he took the hand of man and placed it in the hand of God. He revealed God’s love to us. There are not many among us who really accept God’s love in the totality he wants us to. With all our problems and the times we think no one cares, remember He does. He will go all the way; he’ll never forsake us. His arm is around us at all times. This makes him God’s Christmas gift.
4. He died, but he arose from the grave. I completely believe he died; he was in fact murdered. He died and was buried. Death could not keep its grip on him. On the third day he broke loose, and the stone was rolled away. It was not for his coming out but for our going in. He is alive! He intercedes for us. This Gift will be with us at the judgment. For Jesus’ sake, the Father forgives us. The grave can’t hold us. Time can’t hold us. Because of God’s gift, we have our assurance and our insurance beyond the grave.

Do you really trust Jesus? He wants you to because he’s your friend. What kind of friend is he?  Well, what is a friend? A friend forgives you when you’ve done wrong. A friend is someone who loves you just as you are. A friend brings out the best in you. Would you trust your soul to THIS friend? He has presented the strongest proof that he is your friend. It’s not only what he did but also what he’s doing today. He is our friend and God’s gift at Christmas.