The Gift of Christ

Thank you, Sonette. Morning Church.

God is still good, even if we don't feel like it,

even if we are so cooked that we feel like

we're a side of roast beef. God is still good.

I'm going to move to the middle, John, if that's okay,

camera can follow me. So, yes, I've a challenging twenty

four hours. But you know what, God is still on

the throne. God is still for you. God is still

with you. And that's including those people at home as

well and those who are going to be listening later.

God is with you.

The theme for this month has been the gift or

the gifts, and I want to talk about the one

and only gift that is above all gifts, the Gift

of Christ. And I put a subtitle on this because

I come was thinking about this and thinking, Okay, the

Gift of Christ is there for everyone, but not everybody

opens that gift. I don't know whether you've ever not

opened a gift for whatever reason. Some of us might

have been given a gift by someone we've had a

bit of an argument with, you know, they've maybe upset

us or something, and they come with a gift and

we go, well, and we put.

It down and we don't open it. Do you know what.

I put my subtitle for Today's Forever Unopened, Because there's

always someone, There's always someone who needs to hear the

good news of the Gospel. There's always someone. Please do

not assume that everybody knows many of us. For those

who've been to school, you know, my generation, we went

to school. We had school assemblies, We sang hymns, we

sang about God. Corporate worship in schools is much less

common and is often not about God at all. It's

about the nature, creation, or our responsibilities as a or

as a citizen. So you cannot assume just because someone's

been to school that they've heard about Jesus, they've heard

about this gift that's been given to all of us.

If we picture Christmas, we see a Christmas tree, and

under a Christmas tree, we'll see a whole pile of presents.

And there's nothing sadder than a gift that has not

been unwrapped. So my question for us tonight is have

we actually today, Sorry not tonight, My big question today

is have we ever received the gift of Christ. I'll

start with a scripture we all know so well, we

can all recite it. For God so loved the world

that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever

believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

For God gave God gifts. God is a giver. God

is a giver.

If you ever think, even if Tonette was praying around

the family situation, around Ivanna and Eva, even if she

was praying, that God still gave God's still giving, look

to Heaven and lean into him. Because He gave us

the earth on which we live. He gave us friends

to worship with. He gave us his one and only son.

In Two Corinthians, Chapter nine, Verse fifteen, Thanks be to

God for this indescribable gift. Do you ever run out

of words? Do you ever run out of words to say?

You know?

Sometimes it might have been when you were trying to

describe a moment, trying to describe a glorious sunrise, trying

to describe to your team winning or your tennis player

winning in the theme that we're in at the moment you

describe that moment in this we run out of words.

Thank you for this indescribable gift. Paul, run out of words,

We run out of words. Let me encourage you, what's

the most exciting part of receiving a gift, because it's

not just getting a gift. I've seen little children and

it's their birthday or it's Christmas, and they'll open a

present and they'll look at it or put it down,

and they say, what's the next one? And then they'll

open it and then they'll say, where's the next one.

And for them, in that moment, the most exciting thing

is the unwrapping. They're not looking at what's in the box,

they're not looking at any of the gifts. They're just

excited by the unwrapping. So for some people, unwrapping is

an important thing. For some of us, it's the anticipation

if somebody promises they're going to give you something, the

oh it's coming, it's tomorrow, it's today, it's now. That

that anticipation builds in our hearts. And we hear that

in the Gospel story, the Nativity story in Luke two eleven. Today,

in this town of David, a savior has been born

to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. I know

it's a Christmas message, but do you know what born

to who, born to you, Born to us, born to

us the gift has our name.

Tag on it.

You know, when you've got a pile of presents under

the Christmas tree, you'll start looking at them. Sometimes people

are really organized and they have different color schemes with

different people from the who they're from. Some people write labels.

Some people go, oh, I think it feels like this

one's for you, because there's no labels on anything. You

know what it's like when you lose a label. Who

is this gift for?

Oh?

You know I have been given the wrong gift sometimes

because the label's fallen off.

Think, why are you giving me address?

I never you know it was the wrong thing born

to you. God has given a gift to you. The

gift cost God everything. What is more precious than a child,

his one and only son? And what did it cost us?

Nothing?

Freely given grace is extended to us. It's infinitely costly

to him, but free to us Roman six twenty three

for the wages of sin and death.

But the gift of God is.

Eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The gift of

God God has given. God is a giver. Wages are earned.

We talked about that when we were giving. But gifts

are given you cannot pay for this gift, you cannot

earn it, you cannot be good enough for it. Sometimes

we say, well, when I'm good, you know, sometimes when

your grandma might say to you, well, when you're good,

I'll give you this.

Am I good enough? Yet, Grandma, God is not.

Saying when you're good enough, I will give you this gift.

He's not saying that. Because we imperfect. We get it

wrong from time to time. Who's got it wrong this week? Yeah,

we've all got it wrong some way or other.

What do we do? Say sorry to.

The person, whatever it was, Turn away, hopefully from that

choice that we've made, look to God and say, Lord,

if it's something that's in our hearts, Lord, forgive me.

I turn from this Phesians two, verses eight nine. For

it is by grace you have been saved through faith,

And this is not of ourselves. It is the gift

of God, not by works. So that man should boast.

You know, some of us are still trying to pay

for what has already been purchased. We're still trying to

be that good person to deserve that gift, striving, performing, hiding.

Sometimes you know, we cannot buy what has already been given.

The cross is the price tag that heaven bore so

that we would never see it. A gift is offered

to you and to me, but he is not possessed

by you or me. It's received by us in John

one twelve. Yet to all who did receive him, to

those who believed in his name, he gave the right

to become children of God. Receiving God, Receiving Jesus is

not a passive thing. It's not all thank you. It's

not like the children God. Thank you very much, Auntie,

thank you for that. Our open hands receive, our open

hearts are ready, and we're saying yes.

Lord.

The Samaritan woman at the well when Jesus said to her,

if you knew the gift of God in John fourten,

she was standing next to the Master, next to living

water and did not know it. How many of us

know someone who does not know that they have access

to living water, standing right next to you, living with you,

living in your street. Jesus is here the gift for

to day abundant life. Now John ten ten, one of

my favorite scriptures, says, I have come that they they

might have life and have it more abundantly, or to

the full depending on the translation, and the Father keeps

on giving. He gave us his son, but his son

returned to him and sits at his right hand. So

he sent as Jesus promised, I will send one who

will comfort you. You will receive a gift of the

Holy Spirit. Acts two thirty eight. We are a spirit

filled people. If you find more of yourself coming out

in pressure situations, ask God to fill you again. If

you find nothing coming out in pressure situations like a

dried up sponge, ask God to fill you again. He

also gives us his peace in John fourteen twenty seven.

Peace I leave with you peace I give you. We

need his peace today. Anybody need his peace today, for

whatever your circumstance. His peace will help. Peace about a

child that's far from God, Peace about employment situations, peace

about finances. God can provide in amazing ways. God can

do it outside our thought zones. But his peace comes

and it comes from within. We looked at that last month.

But He also promises his purpose. We are his workmanship,

creating Christ Jesus to do good works Ephesians two ten.

Every one of us carries the potential to be the

gift of Christ, to others living epistles. God is not

looking for us to.

Go, oh, look at this amazing gift. He's not.

If you've ever been to the Tower of London. Anybody

been to the Tower of London. If you get into

the Tower of London, there's the jewel room. Behind these

glass screens are these most amazing things made of diamonds

and rubies and sapphires.

I mean, and.

They're very, very valuable. I'm not talking about going, oh,

isn't it beautiful? Is it's it valuable? Just admire from afar.

I'm not talking about that kind of gift. I'm talking

about the kind of well worn gift that you have

at home. Some of you have A very precious friend

of mine gave me my wallet. My wallet is got

worn around the corners. Now it gets used every day.

But every time I take my wallet out, I think

of that person. You know, and you've probably got other things.

They're well used gifts. My Bible here, which was actually

brought for me by Ian and val Berg. You remember

that Ian and vouer with us back in May. I

spoke at their first church, Lordhip. I was actually speaking

in their house to their first cell group. As they

started the new church in Calgary, and they brought me

a Bible, and as you can see, it's very very

very well worn. I don't want to I don't want

to stop using it. It'll eventually start falling apart. And

then Clem, who's another good friend of ours, he said, Dave,

do you know what the answer is? Get it rebound?

And I don't know what you're like, but if you

give me your Bible and I'm trying to remember a

particular scripture, I know some scriptures. I know exactly where

they are on the page. They're on the right hand side,

halfway down, and there'll be some writing around them because

I've written something about it, and so I don't even

have to just looking for it. So if I look

at your Bible, it's not here, and it's not the

Bible's changed, it's just it's your Bible. It's slightly laid out,

slightly differently. But it's a well used gift, you know,

And I want to encourage us. Let's not describe the gift.

Let's not talk about the gift. Well, let's talk about

the gift, but let's not just spend time talking about

how amazing Christ is Let's show people. Let's use the

gift that He's given us. Leys use the gift of

the Holy Spirit. Let's use the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

But as he.

Feels us, as he equips us, he equips us to

say something, a word of faith, pray for a miracle,

to bring a word of prophecy. In two Corinthians five twenty,

it says, it says this have we got did I

put it in the air?

Now?

Then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were

pleading through us. We imploy you on Christ's behalf, be

reconciled to God. What does an ambassador mean? It means

you represent. Whenever you cross the border, you pull out

your passport. I am a citizen. Where are you a citizen?

Is it heaven? Are we proclaiming the gift? Declaring the gift?

Our relationship with Christ is not a religious relationship. It's

a precious gift that we we receive and we press

into it. So let me pray this morning. Firstly, I

want to pray for those who maybe haven't even opened

the gift that I've been talking about all morning. This morning,

you've seen the gift, You've seen the gift in others

you've seen, you've heard about this Jesus, but you've never

opened it for yourself. If that's you today, let me

encourage you. Go back and read again Gospel of John.

Read John chapter three, Read Romans chapter eight. Just read

them for yourself, and then say, God, if you're real,

show yourself to me, because he gives, and he gives

without counting the cost. And so Father, I pray that

for those who are for the first time unwrapping a

gift of Christ, I pray that you'd be real to them.

You speak into their lives and into their circumstances in

Jesus' name.

Amen.

But secondly, I want to pray for those who've opened

the gift to know Christ. They've received the gift of Christ.

Christ is their Savior. But maybe there's something else that

we're saying, Lord, I need more of you, more of

your peace, more of your spirit, more of your purpose

in our lives. If that's you, I'm just going to

ask you to stand where you are. If you just

need something more Right now, I'm just going to pray

for an impartation of more. I don't know what that is,

but if that's you, would you stand at home, those

listening later, those in the room, if you need more

of God right now. And I have a picture of

a jug. And the JUG's got a couple of minor

flaws in it and cracks, and it leaks a bit

when it's under pressure, when it's hot, it leaks a

bit more what the liquid eve operates. But the jug

is never empty, but often it's never full. And you're saying, today, Lord,

fill me up again, fill me up again, fill me

up again. So Father, I pray for those people standing,

those at home, those listening later. Father, I pray that Lord,

you come along with the biggest jug in heaven. And Lord,

it never runs dry, never runs out. And would you

fill us up one by one? Would you fill us

up with the peace that we need. Would you give

us the confidence to step into the circumstances that we

are fearful of?

Father, would you give a boldness?

So give the boldness today for those who need to

step forward.

Father, I pray for a fresh.

Sense of identity for those who are standing right now.

There's some people are standing because you just need a

reshaping and a clarification. You want someone to draw a

line around you. You know what the edge of you is,

but you want that bolded in right now. And God's

going to come and bring a bold picture to you

of who you are in Him, who you are as

a worker, who you are as a husband or a wife.

God is drawing around and highlighting again that is you.

You're not a mistake, You've not got it wrong. You're

in the right place. Just hang on in there and

be filled and overflow. And finally, there are those who

are overwhelmed. There's plenty of other things, but three things

I wanted to talk about. Overwhelmed by circumstances, overwhelmed by situation.

And so, Father, I pray that you'd nourish us, refresh us,

renew us, Lord God, in Jesus' name, Father, I pray

that you'd fill us up from the tips of our

toes to the tips of our fingers to the top

of our head. Fill us up, o God, with the

gifts from heaven. Father, thank you for your Holy Spirit.

Thank you that your Holy Spirit is imparted and imputed.

And Father, we receive it. Lord, our hands are open.

We are ready for more of you and less of ourselves. Rather,

help us to put aside the things that we do

sometimes and we don't do them when they don't glorify you.

Help us to put them down and pick up that

which glorifies you in Jesus's mighty name.

Amen,