R1509 The Gift of Love at Christmas

God has an encouraging word for you and me today to the Bible to a screeching of Dr. Don Wilton about the gift of love that we are so excited to study God's word together today. Dr. Don Wilton August 1 John chapter 4 in just a moment, but he wants you to remind you we are connecting keyboard keyboard right now on our website at tewonline.org G's only folks who ask about this remarkable book that will help us Journal through the coming year and Bible study is available on our website TW online.org. Along with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs discover TW online.org call us at 866-899-WORD for details.

It's also where you find this for prayer. That's 866899673.Dr. Don Wilton I'm going to ask you to open your Bibles today to one John chapter 4, so we were in the right near the end of the Bible, we gonna be in one. John in chapter 4. When you get down into chapter full we find one of the many many passages in God's word that presents to us.

One of the greatest gifts of Christmas. In fact, it's the root gift of Christmas.

It's what Christmas is all about and it's very hot.

If someone were to come to you and to me this Christmas and say what is Christmas all about. I think the Bible makes it very clear.

Christmas is about God's love. One of the most indelible imprints. It's eternal but love of God. This gift of Christmas for God so loved the world he loves you so much that he would say in Jesus to be born in Bethlehem not like to read to you in this passage, sharing one John chapter 4 tells us about the gift of love at Christmas. Beloved, the apostle says do not believe every spirit, but taste the spirits whether they are from God for the many false prophets that have gone out from the wound.

Now I wanted to read to you that first verse because it seats the scene just want you to. I want you to get a hold of something Jesus gathered his disciples to give it a place called Caesarea Philippi. And he said to them, so who do people say that I am see they many false prophets in the world. Probably that statement today is as significant as it is ever been in our world and if you bring that question into Christmas time. What does this mean so what is Christmas this Jesus why did this happen.

Why do we celebrate the birth of our Savior what they say out there. We living in a world today where most people. Many people today can't even write out Christmas, they put an X they take a drive down through the shopping mall.

Watch how many shopping malls, you will go to the shops and places and you see, on its Xmas and what John is saying as I'm about to unload on you this essential gift of Christmas and you need to know and be aware and cognizant. He said back in his day, but this is the word of God concerning the acts of Christmas. Don't believe every spirit takes the spirits to see whether they all of God, or whether come from some personal opinion or some political dispensation was some attitude and it's easy to sound Christ when you live in a world where everybody is making up the business to make sound Christ to remove him from the ballfield and to remove him from the White House and to remove him from the capital and remove him from the courts and remove him from our schools and remove them from anything that we hold dear.

I will not sound Christmas because of the joy of Jesus Christ my Savior and my Lord and because he is the love of our he is all right. Let's go to verse seven. Here's what John's beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God any further questions because God is love in this the love of God was made manifest among us that God sent his only son is the Christmas message into the world so that we might live through him. In this love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and CT son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No one has ever seen God.

If we love one another, God abides in us and he's love is perfected in us.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us because he is given us of the spirit and we have seen and testify that the father has seen T's son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God, God abides in him and he and God so we have come to know and to believe the love of God that God has for us. God is love and whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in him all by this is love perfected with us so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because he is so also are we in this world there is no fear in love but perfect love costs out fear.

Fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.

If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he is not seen in this commandment we have from him that whoever loves God must also love his brother. I mean just how do we ever express the deep meaning of love you. How do we really talk about God's love will the gift of God's love at Christmas first bowl is is so wonderful to read. I will be perfectly open with you and tell you that you know from a young child I have many times heard about this amazing love of God in that he sent Jesus to die. I've read about it I remember is that just as a young boy.

It was part of the fabric of our upbringing. It's what we did you know we are people of the book. We believe the book in the book sees God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die on the cross so wonderful to read and it's so wonderful to hear to hear. You know, I've heard people. It seems like all my life, talking about Christmas you know you could just sit the and you spirit this today as we worship the Lord as we worship them together you can hear the Christmas story it's it's just lovely to go to grand places with decorations and all the lights in the streets in the shops that are decorated out and just amble down, down the streets and and you can hear it it's it's also so wonderful to see this gift of God's love.

At Christmas you see the gift of God's love. You see it in action. We see it I see it couple weeks ago we join together with people all around the country and our boys and goals came down the house with the Christmas shoeboxes for operation Christmas child for Samaritan's purse well on Thursday Karen and I went to Charlotte on Thursday morning to one of the big St. Tuesday they were thousands of volunteers I was there I took so many pictures and operation Christmas child over 11 million boxes had been gathered to seen each one to one child you know Franklin Graham told the story that happened this is the 25th year of operation Christmas child 25 years. He told the story of being in Bosnia during the war in Bosnia. He showed pictures of it. This is some 23 years ago when it was still in its infancy, and they showed a picture of Franklin and a few of the small team that they had going into this bombed out school room and they were little boys and goes and it was truly freezing freezing. It was freezing, and the camera just happened to capture a little boy in Bosnia, sitting there literally shaking like this.

He's lips were blue.

He was about five, six, seven years old and I handed out a little box from some child some person in America. The trouble to pack this box in that little boy opened up the box looked at it and he closed it again and Franklin Graham who leads this ministry told everybody in Charlotte. He said I saw him do that and I thought oh no this little boy doesn't like he's afraid he couldn't speak English and he was so cold he couldn't think, and so he went and helped him take the little box again and then he understood why he closed it because on top of the box covering the box was like a little crow sure like blue blanket type of thing that a girl would love to have. It was more like a ghouls type of thing and so Franklin immediately thought to himself, you know what I'm coming, I'm going to do the unthinkable. On the takings box and I'm behind my back and I met a go trade so he can get something that's more appropriate for little boy. But before he could do that. The little boy he leaned over and move the little blanket thing aside, do you know what was under that blanket a child's Obama jacket with a further coat like you did in the Air Force Obama jacket leather bomber jacket and the camera I'm going to get this I go to show this to we got it on video and this little boy looks at it does know what to do. He's got hardly he's freezing and he opens it up and he pulls out Obama jacket and he puts on this leather coat with a furry white neck on it and it fit him absolutely 100% perfect. Think that happened you think the love of God is not real, it's so wonderful to see so wonderful to understand.

It is wonderful here at the Christmas season. Wonder is important part of our lives is not, please forgive the interruption to Dr. Don wants me to let you know we are here for you.

Sometimes Christmas is the highest of highs and the lowest of loans wherever you are. We are here with you 24 hours a day when you call 866899673 that's 866-899-WORD or my voice for just a moment as we connect you to one of us anytime day or night to pray with you can for you 866-899-WORD 9673 or if you'd like to connect keyboard keyboard were online as well@gwonline.org so much buzz about this book to once a year and devotionals wonderful leather bound book. The details are on our website right there@tewonline.org ballots dive back into today's message. The gift of love at Christmas with Dr. Don Wilton and I don't have time today is just so wonderful to understand we tell you how you understand it you understand it, because God's gift of love is so wonderful to receive it so wonderful to receive God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him will not die. Do you want me to just tell you very quickly how to receive God's gift of love cannot do that. I'd like to share with you how you can receive God's gift of love because he loves you so much as what you have to do number one, you have to acknowledge Orson what does it mean to acknowledge Orson means before God. You've got to be willing to say Lord God, I know that Ahmanson I know acknowledge me.

Acknowledge my sin. See, the Bible says all of us of sin.

All of us only difference between the best of us in here and the worst of the mouth is the grace of God. All of us every one of us has said you got acknowledge, if you acknowledge your sin, it means that you you need to number two can face person to Jesus at that little word can face means that you are painting of that sin to repent of that sin means you not to sign. Sorry you you are acknowledging that your sentence separates you from God save in your relationship with God and your pinkness is you saying with all of my heart. I want you God because of Jesus through Jesus to know that I'm willing with your help to turn away from arson and walk in the opposite direction. I confess I repent my sin. I want you to watch this. Who is Christmas about the gift of God's love is the gift of Jesus. You can only do that with and through Jesus. People watch, you cannot do that with the Pope. You cannot do that with your priest. You cannot do that with your pasta like me you cannot do it through Billy Graham. You cannot do through your church. Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no man can come to the father but by me in that wonderful that's what this is the ultimate gift of Christmas God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him will not die but will have eternal life circuit two things that the Bible says you and I have to do number one you got acknowledge Orson you gotta be willing to admit that your son not going to happen until you do that number to you gotta be willing to confess your sin to Jesus only to Jesus, if you sitting there, sign, will you know I belong to the church. Doesn't matter. It matters because the church is a very special place. I'm so grateful we can belong to beautiful Bible believing churches, but it's not the church that gives to us. Our salvation it's the gift of God's loving Jesus and then the third thing I love this part trust in Jesus trust that would trustee is that good faith know we talked about little children so much heavenly. Even today, and we will try to Christmas. Can't help myself. We love watching the little one don't you love the way little children just trust that trust goes even to a far greater depth of meaning it's far supersedes even the trust of a little child it's just simply accepting God, taking God of God's word God so loved the world world, he loved us. God loves us. God loves me that he gave Jesus for me. Jesus went to a cross and died taking my sin upon himself and your sin and on the third day, by the power body was raised from the date he conquered sin and death and the grave and because of his death upon the cross because of the love of God. I now can acknowledge my sin, confess my sin to Jesus and trust him, taking Mattie's word and can receive God's love can be forgiven. I can have my name written in God's book, would you bow your heads with me for just a minute. I want to pray this prayer with you today. I want to pray that God, the Lord Jesus would come into your heart that he would be your savior and today is the day whatever station wherever you are, whatever you doing today would you pray this prayer today. Would you like to spray your prayer. You see I cannot save you the Pope cannot say your church cannot but Jesus can. This is Christmas because God so loved us.

This is the gift of Christmas would you give your heart team to pray this prayer with me right now. Dear God, I know that you love me and I believe that Jesus had on a cross for me today. Acknowledge my sin.

I know Ahmanson I'm separated from you I can face my sin to you, Lord Jesus, because you are the one who was born because of the love of God, it was you who died on the cross and it was you who was raised and is alive today. I can face my sin to you, you all the way the truth and the life. And I put my trust in you. I'm going to trust you believe. I believe everything you see I believe everything you today.

Given my with debris hidden behind pray for you for just a moment. Pray that prayer today. Trust in Jesus when you lift up her hand thing, just put it on quickly so I can see God bless you my friend anyone else today.

God bless you. God bless you buddy motivation thing anyone else here today just to hand him up in the balcony on the size doesn't matter where you're just say I've given my heart to Jesus today. This is Christmas because it's about Christ. Gift of God's love. Lord Jesus, thank you for people today who have given their hearts to show that is the most wonderful, if ever gift of salvation. Thank today every person in Jesus name would you look at me for a moment. Just think about this Jesus left his throne crown came down the earth just the powerful message from our pastor and moments ago as he was praying and reading that prayer of salvation. Maybe you gave your life to Christ. We dedicate your life and are coming home.

Either way, Dr. Don has specific resources he want you to have me to call and ask for them if you gave your life to Christ. Call 866899 word that's 866899673 or if you'd rather, we can connect on our website as well at tewonline.org. He is our calling to encourage you and perhaps you would like to encourage as many or as Harlequin prayerfully and financially support the ministry. The details from this over the past few months. Our viewership calls to our prayer line have greatly increased our quarterly emotional so increased we praise Jesus for that we are reaching more people for Christ. Will you join us in reaching just one more your monthly donation on any amount will help us continue the work of the Lord when things around you feeling out of control. You can make 8699 word 866-8999. Perhaps the problem with pastor moments ago brings it up with resources in your hands that will grow you into the next is being a woman of God, the man of God know you were born to be.

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