The Best Christmas Gift Ever

No one of my favorite game shows is the game show let's make a deal. You know carton one carton two and carton three now when I first started watching let's make a deal. The host was Monty Hall with some of us here. Remember, but now of course it's Wayne Brady and did you know that this show is been syndicated around the world in dozens and dozens of countries. It's amazing where the show with now the reason I bring this up is because it's Christmas 2012 and Christmas is all about a deal that God wants to make with you and me and every other human being alive a deal that God tells us about in one of the most famous verses in the Bible John chapter 3 verse 16 and that verse says, for God so loved the world that he gave us his one-of-a-kind son so that whoever believes in him that is the son shall not perish but shall have eternal life. Now there are four great in this verse, and what we want to do today as we want to take the verse apart look at each of these four truths separately, then we want to put the verse back together again and talk about well, what difference does that make for you and me. So that's our plan. Are you ready already thereby ready are here we go.

His tooth number one for God so loved the world, you know, Brenda and I have been married will be 39 years coming up this ring and dog only reason we made it.

I need to say this honestly is because my wife is an amazing fourth giver. That's how we did it. And you know when we first got married, I thought I was a pretty good communicator but I realized I had to learn a whole new way of talking a whole new language you see that language was all centered around the question how do you feel about and then Brenda filled in the black well the problem is is man we don't know how we feel about anything we don't know man sit around talking to one another like that and say how you feel about this. Will I don't know how you feel about this. No man. S3 has iconic conversation with another man. We don't know how we feel, what we think we can tell you how we feel, no clue. Well, I had to learn how to talk like this.

In fact, if I don't even know the answer. I feel so you know what I'm saying how you feel.

I say something that makes sense for you man with I RS what I want to hear. Now let's say we were to turn it around a little bit and we were to ask God this question God, how do you see you'll about the human race would you think God would say what you know a lot of people would be surprised if God said anything.

A lot of people believe that God if he exists at all, since up in heaven letting the world run itself absolutely detached and completely indifferent to people and their everyday problems.

But this is not at all what the Bible says. The Bible says that God is intense sleep interested in every one of us that without equivocation God loves the world and that he loves every person in the world intimately deeply and the personally I used to love the old 70s show starring Kelly Ceballos called Kojak some of you remember that Kojak was a rooftop New York cop walked around all the time with the Tootsie Roll pop is now any had a favorite question he used to ask every body say it with me who loves you baby. Maybe not too many. Kojak fancier, but but that's what he used to say who loves you baby, and my friends every moment of every day, God is asking every person in the world that very same question who loves you baby, and the answer is always the same God jaws.

In fact, God loves us so much that he's tense. He gave us a bestial gift for Christmas and that leads us to truth number two in this verse for God so loved the world that he gave us is one of a kind of song and of course the Bible is talking about the Lord Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem on that very first Christmas day. But why does the Bible call him a one of a kind of being well the book of Colossians in the New Testament answers that gives us five reasons why Jesus is a one-of-a-kind being, let me show them to you quickly.

Number one, he's a one-of-a-kind being, because first of all, he's the planer of God to mankind. Colossians 1 verse 15 says he Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. Hebrews chapter 1 verse three repeats this and says that he, Jesus is the exact representation of God's being of God's person with the Bible is telling us here is that you and I may not be able to be God with our naked eye, but we can be his heart. We can see his soul. We can see his value system on display in the Lord Jesus Christ put it another way, if we want to know where God stands on any subject, all we have to do is look and see where Jesus stood on that subject, and we know now this has enormous ramifications for those of us were followers of Christ as a follower of Christ.

How do you know that God cares about your everyday problems will just look and see how Jesus cared about people's everyday problems and you'll know, God cares about yours and how do you know was a follower of Christ that God is anxious to intervene in human events to help you with your problems will just look and see how Jesus was anxious to intervene and help people with their problems and how do you know was a follower of Christ, that God forgives you and restores you when you letting down every day.

Well, just look at how Jesus forgave and restored.

Even Peter who denied him three times and how do you know was a follower of Christ that God is touched by your pain and your sorrow will just look and see how Jesus was touched by the sorrow and the pain of Mary and Martha and wrote at the tomb of Lazarus and wept with them and how do you know was a follower of Christ, that God will never let you use think in the troubles of life would just look and see how Jesus never let his disciples think that night out on the sea of Galilee and how do you know, as a follower of Christ that God has us bestial love and tenderness when it comes to the troubles of your children, and that you can take those struggles to God and that he's right there with you just look and see how Jesus cared for tenderly children when he was here and how do you know was a follower of Christ that God appreciates the sacrifices that you make for him will look and see how Jesus appreciated the widow and the two little mice that she threw in that day at the temple and how do you know that God will always be there for you was a follower of Christ. When you come to him and need will just look and see how Jesus was always there for people when they came to him in need. My Christian friends. This is the power of the incarnation for us as believers.

It we see the actions of Jesus, and we know the heart and the soul of God, how great is that that's awesome well yeah, how else is Jesus a one-of-a-kind being will not only is EV's planer of God to mankind. Number two is the creator of everything in the universe. Colossians 1 verse 16 by him, Christ. All things were created things in heaven and things on earth, visible things in invisible things. All things were created by him. Number three. Why is he a one-of-a-kind being, because third is the owner of everything in the universe. Colossians 1. All things were created by him and for him friends.

The logic here is pretty simple since Jesus created everything in the world. Therefore, ipso facto, he always everything in the world. Number four what makes him a one-of-a-kind being.

Jesus was God himself wrapped human flesh. Colossians 2 verse nine is for him. The Lord Jesus all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form mean you say it any simpler than that and finally number five why is the Lord Jesus, a one-of-a-kind being, because for he's the peacemaker between God and sinful man, people like us. Colossians 1 verse 20 through him that is Christ God was pleased. I love that God was pleased to reconcile all things to himself making what God said what making peace through the blood of his cross both. We must understand that it wasn't Jesus's teachings. It wasn't.

Jesus is example.

It wasn't Jesus's miracles. It wasn't Jesus's healings. It wasn't Jesus's moral philosophies that made peace between us and God. It was his death on the cross that paper are spin and his blood shed on the cross that covers our sins and protects us from the judgment of God. My friends, the Bible is crystal clear. The only location in the entire universe, where God offers to make peace with sinners is at the cross, a man that's it.

So let's summarize why is Jesus a one-of-a-kind being will number one because these the explainer of God to mankind. Number two is the creator of the universe.

Number three is the owner of the universe. Number four. He's God himself wrapped in human flesh and number five.

He is the one and only peacemaker between God and man and God loves you and he loves me and he loves the world so much that he gave us this person as a gift for Christmas is Alanis.

What will I do with this person. What what do with this gift, all God doesn't leave us hanging friends.

He goes on truth number three here we go for God so loved the world that he gave us his one-of-a-kind son watch so that whoever believes in him.

Some of us remember the passion movie that came out in 2000 for the passion of Christ. If you are around the claim Bible church.

Then you remember that we had a prescreening that they allowed us to do in town here. Though the movie company and we, but we rented every theater we could get our hands on in Washington and showed the movie before it's released 11,000 people here in Washington DC, followed in every theater by gospel presentation and us salvation prayer at the front of every single theater 11,000 people you know Ted Koppel was one of he came so I know he's heard the gospel because he heard it right there in the theater and and in this was an amazing thing that interest in a Bible movie like this in America in in postmodern secular American fact. USA Today had an article about it where they they marvel that a Bible movie could have this kind of appeal and in trying to explain why. Here's what USA Today said and I quote they said the movie the popularity of it is emblematic of our society. We want so much to believe, but we can figure out what to believe in."

Well, folks, God doesn't have that problem in the Bible God knows perfectly well in the Bible what he wants us to believe in what is this verse say he wants us to believe in Jesus Christ and what exactly does it mean to believe in Jesus.

Well, the word is translated believe here and throughout the New Testament when were told to believe in Christ is the Greek word for stool and it literally means to cling to to depend on to rely on someone. And so what John 316 is actually asking us to do is not listen to intellectually believe that Jesus existed or to intellectually believe that he did some miracles or to intellectually believe he preached some good sermons. No the Bible is asking us to rely on to cling to to depend on what Jesus did on the cross for us as our one and only remedy for sin as our one and only whole for eternal life, and as our one and only day from the judgment of God. That's what it means to believe on Jesus when we do that, God makes us the most amazing promise here comes truth number four for God so loved the world that he gave us his one-of-a-kind son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but shall have eternal life.

My youngest son John, now is a 27 years old. He's married, has a child.

Another one on the way but when he was 12 years old on December he was downstairs in our house playing the tendo and I was going out to get a Christmas tree and I need some help to know to get it home and so I went downstairs and I said, John, I need you want to come with me to get a Christmas tree if you don't mind. He said I want to go okay.

Trust it all right Jonathan, I need to put the controller down to second and I need you look right here me look look at me as I want to tell you have two choices. I want to know what these are very clearly listen to. You watch art choice number one, you can come with me to get a Christmas tree bringing home we get back, you can return to playing the tendo best choice number one got the choice number two is you can come with me to get a Christmas tree and we bring you back home. You can be restricted from the tendo for the rest of the weekend those you two choices now you choose which one you want and he said well I guess if those are my two choices. I'll go with you to get a Christmas tree.

I said your smart boy you are pay listen, I think it helps a lot to know what our options are in life, though you I want to know tell me my options so I know I love the fact here in this verse, God tells us what our options are in eternity. Don't you love that he says you got to the first option is you can perish as option number one. The second option is you can have eternal life. That's it. Nothing in between. So those are your choices.

Reference God wants every one of us to pick choice number two is that how can you be so sure that cannot be so short of that, I'm sure that because Jesus came into the world that very first Christmas to make it possible for has to have choice number two I'm sure that because that's why Jesus went to the cross and died on the cross. I'm sure that because that's why Jesus rose from the dead. I'm sure that because that's the deal, God offers us here in John 316.

And you know the best part of this deal. I mean the best part of the whole deal is that God says here so that who ever believes think about that now.

This offer John 316 is open to whoever in a great hello that's Ray Ray Perez. What this means is, it doesn't matter what you've done. It doesn't matter where you been.

Doesn't matter what you said it doesn't matter what you been involved in. As long as you qualify as whoever this deal is for you and will whoever you don't have to clean yourself up.

You don't have to pick yourself up you don't have to dress yourself up and you don't have to fix yourself up. All you have to do is believe in depend on cling to rely on the Lord Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross for you.

That's all it takes to close the deal and to go and to go choice number one perishing.

Not a good choice to choice number two eternal life. Great choice. Great choice. We need to be smart like my son say with those are my two choices. I know which one all to. Here's the deal.

John 316 for God so loved the world that he gave us his one-of-a-kind son, so that who ever believes in him shall not perish but shall have everlasting eternal life. You know when I was growing up my father used to pride himself on being a great shopper for bargains, not really know if he was I was too young to even remember but I remember many times my dad would come home with something that he had purchased and my remember my mother would get mad at him and and get upset with him and start criticizing him for having spent the money and I'll never forget my dad's favorite saying to her name was her mean he is to go but her mean he is to go how could I walk away from such a deal will focus Christmas is the greatest deal that anybody ever live on this earth has been offered the greatest deal in the history of man, let me remind you what the deal is, God offers to give us forgiveness of sin. He offers to give us peace and reconciliation with himself. He offers to give us the assurance of eternal life.

He offers to give us a guaranteed place in heaven and much much more.

All in exchange for us simply believing in clinging to depending on his one-of-a-kind son as our one and only hope of salvation.

That's it. So if you're here today and you haven't taken God up on his offer. My question to you is how can you walk away from such a deal well I hope you can't pray together with our heads bowed in our eyes closed really give you a chance right here where you sit to close this deal with God you can do it today.

All you have to do is do a John 316 says give up everything else you've ever depended on to forgive your sins and get you the heaven and place your total reliance on Christ and what he did for you on the cross. So here's what were going to do if you want to do that. I'm gonna lead us in a short prayer, one phrase at a time, to pray out loud you pray right behind me silently. Let's close the deal today here we go. You pray silently pray out loud for Jesus to come to you today because I want to take you up on your offer.

So today I forsake every other remedy that I've ever trusted. Forgive my sins take me to heaven by good works.

My religious activity.

My trying to be a good person and instead today I placed my full dependence and reliance on the blood of Jesus shed on the cross to cover my sins come into my heart today and become my personal Lord and Savior and transfer me from perishing to eternal life in Jesus name I pray. Father, I want to pray for the folks to pray that prayer that even as they sit here today, you might confirm by the Holy Spirit in their hearts that if they were genuine and that prayer a great transaction has taken place in the heavenly places that is John 524 says they have passed forever.

Death into eternal life more for those of us here have already done this, I pray that you would use John 316 today to remind us what you did for us at Christmas and the Christmas is not about consoling trees and presents it's about redemption. It's about changing eternal destinies through Jesus Christ and that, in your mercy, you did something for us.

We could never have done ever for ourselves and so father may that knowledge rich our Christmas and give it meaning the goes way beyond all the human accoutrements of Christmas goes to the very core of our being.

We pray these things in Jesus name, amen