God's Gift for You!

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GOD’S GIFT TO YOU

TEXT: ROMANS 5:13-21, 6:23

INTRODUCTION: I had a part time job that provided me with housing. The 11^th  of December was the last day I worked, and could live in the unit. Since May I have been trying to find, and make a deal on a place. But things just did not work out. I did not have the money for a down payment, and unemployment benefits make it difficult to pay much on a mortgage.  I prudently waited on the Lord, and two or three weeks ago somebody gave me a place to live for free. The owner said “it is a dump”, but you may have it. A man came to me and said, “I have all the tools needed to fix the place up. I have the know how, and I will do it.” Then he went to his church and explained the need, and people have been donating time, money, goods, and it is amazing!

It is a free gift!  A miracle!

I could not afford to buy a place, everything was bad on my end.

That is basically what our verses are saying. Adam sinned, as has every human since him, and Adam did not have what it took to make things right with God.

Man tries to make things right on his own, but it does not work. We try to make a deal with God, but we are “a dump!” We do not have enough of anything to buy our way into Heaven!

We need a “free gift!” The gift of Salvation, gift of forgiveness, and Heaven

That is what Christmas is all about, a “free gift”. God was robed in smooth baby flesh, wrapped in swaddling clothes. The baby Jesus was birthed in a barn, and celebrated by shepherds, Simeon, and Anna.

ILLUSTRATION: I have been given many gifts through the years. Several years ago, I was given one of those electric race tracks. Useless!

One year the wife bought a couple of gifts I still use, a Rice Reference Bible, and an air compressor. For 14 years now I have regularly been given “gifts” as I read that Bible. The air compressor has been a Godsend many times.

The greatest gift I ever received was at seven when I received the free gift offered by God, and paid for by Christ. Now, that is a free gift that keeps on  giving! It keeps on living!

Let me tell me you about the greatest of all Christmas gifts

Verse 15 “gift of grace” means “Receiving good not deserved.”

Mercy is “Not getting what we deserve”. And we deserve hell!

But getting Heaven instead is grace!

But grace is moore than that.

The reason some can pastor, and others cannot, some can be missionaries, and others cannot is the gift of grace from God. God gives His man a special grace.

In recent years I have discovered a gift within the “free gift” offered by God. That gift is another part of the gift of grace, the strength, the ability to stand, and continue to go forward during the storm/trial.

That can only happen by the gift of grace from God.

Verse 16 “gift of justification” means “Just as if I never sinned.”

When I accepted the “free gift” I became justified in the eyes of God.

God no longer sees me as a sinner, He sees Jesus Christ!

God sees me as He sees Jesus, innocent, perfect, sinless!

What a tremendous gift within a gift that is!

When I look at me, I see so much imperfection, so much sin and it is easy for me to feel guilty, but when I consider that God does not see that, He sees Christ, and that gives me liberty!

Verses 17-18 “gift of righteousness” means the act of doing right.

When given liberty, I have the ability to do right, live righteous.

Again, I am righteous in God’s eyes because He keeps seeing Jesus Christ, rather than me.

Thank God it is not my righteousness God is looking at! He sees Christ!

II CORINTHIANS 5:21 “FOR HE HATH MADE HIM TO BE SIN FOR US, WHO KNEW NO SIN; THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.”

II CORINTHIANS 5:17 “THEREFORE IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST HE IS A NEW CREATURE: OLD THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY; BEHOLD ALL THINGS ARE BECOME NEW.”

Verse 19 gift of reconciliation meaning relationships rebuilt, restored.

When you trust Christ as Saviour, you then have the opportunity to have a relationship with God, JOHN 1:12 gives you the privilege of having a Father/son relationship.

Then that gives each born again believer the opportunity to rebuild, and restore broken relationships with family, friends, and fellow workmates, inmates.

Verse 20 gift of ambassadorship

The President nominates and Congress approves a person to be the ambassador to another nation. What an  honor!

With that comes the full authority, power to act on behalf of the President.

The born again believer is an ambassador for the King of kings, God!

We are not residents of this country, but ambassadors, representing our homeland, Heaven.

II CORINTHIANS 6:1 “WE THEN, AS WORKERS TOGETHER WITH HIM, BESEECH YOU ALSO THAT YE RECEIVE NOT THE GRACE OF GOD IN VAIN.”

Notice that we do not work “for Him”, rather, we work “WITH HIM”. We are not His servants per se, but we are partners in the work of Christ “WITH HIM”.

I am not a slave, but a partner with God! It is God and Son’s!

And one of the reasons He has bestowed His grace upon me is to do that work He “BEFORE ORDAINED” for me to do!

STORY: Rebekah W. was being evicted, she owed $3000 in  back rent.

Some men came to me (4) wanting to pay her rent, but not realizing it was so much. They paid the back rent, and rent forward.

I called her to the office, told her what they were willing to do. Oh she wept! She accepted the check/rent payment.

A week later she came into the office, and was quite down. I witnessed to her, and explained the plan of salvation to her. She understood, and then I asked, “Rebekah, what would you be if you rejected that money last week?” She said, “Stupid.” and I added, “and homeless!”

“Rebekah, what would you be if you rejected the payment made by Christ for you?” She said, “Really stupid!” I agreed and I added “and homeless for eternity!”

She trusted Christ as her Saviour!

STORY: As told by Paul  Harvey. A man’s family went to the midnight Christmas eve service. He would not go, he did not believe in the Jesus story.

After the family left, he sat down before the fire, and read the newspaper.

He heard a tapping noise, it continued. He figured out it was small birds trying to get through the window to the light and warmth. He went outside and made a way to the barn.

He tried to coerce the birds into the shelter of the barn, but they did not understand. He used bread to entice them, he tried shooing them into the barn but they were afraid of him, he was so big compared to them. He was desperate and frustrated wanting to rescue the helpless birds. He could not think of anything that would save them.

He thought, “Maybe if I could become one of them, I could influence them to go to the light and comfort of the barn.” And it hit him!

That is exactly what God did! God came to earth as Christ, God incarnate!

There he fell down on his knees in the snow and bowed himself before God as he finally understood the Christmas story.