Christmas According To God

[00:00:00] Good to be together this morning. Good to see all of your smiling faces. It doesn't look like that you're trashed from Christmas. I had to think, how many people in our world, Christian people, sit down after Christmas and say, [00:00:31] Oh, Christmas is over for another year. Oh, I'm so glad. Some of you that are savvy shoppers probably are already lapping up the bargains for next year. So you're ready for Christmas. But I want us to think this morning about the fact that Christmas is not something that is over. [00:01:07] It's not just something that comes and goes. It's something that that song really expressed it well. It's the fact that we see again and again and again that faithful love of God touching into our lives. I'd like to share a message this morning that I've entitled, Christmas According to God, from John 3.16. [00:01:42] Let's say that verse together. I think we all know it, but I want you to think about how that verse fits with Christmas because it ties directly to it. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. [00:02:20] We're adopted sons through Jesus Christ, but Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. Alrighty, what are we going to ask ourselves? What does Christmas really mean? We talk about Christmas and Christmas has become so affected. In fact, I was reading an article that said how Christmas has become such a commercialized thing in our world today [00:02:50] that it's just distorted all of our concepts and the meaning that comes to us from Christmas. And some people have chosen to just reject all of that and basically not even remember Christmas. Some others have chosen different ways. But what does Christmas really mean? What are we talking about? If we're talking about God sending His only begotten Son, then we're talking about one of the greatest things that we can remember, aren't we? [00:03:26] And I like this guy's conclusion. He said, I like to focus on the baby at Christmas time. Because that's what Christmas is about, right? Alright, what gives Christmas meaning? What really makes Christmas, is it, you know, we love the holiday. We love the opportunity to have a little time off of work. We love the opportunity to get together with family and friends. Just enjoy being together. We're looking forward to that here tomorrow for a couple days with our family. It's wonderful. Is that what gives Christmas meaning? What if we were one of the persecuted Christians living in a prison cell? [00:04:22] With wrath and refuse and horrible conditions, would Christmas have meaning to us today? Would we fall on our face and worship and thank God for that gift [00:04:58] What really is Christmas meaning for us? How does scripture, how does Christmas fit into the fulfillment of Haggai 2.7? Luke and I were talking about this verse the other day. In fact, yesterday we read it together as a family. And that verse says that the desire of all nations is coming. [00:05:36] The desire of all nations. How does Christmas fit into that desire of all the nations? And other scriptures that refer to that too. How does that all fit together? You know, so many people in our world today know nothing of Christ. We'll talk about that a little bit later. Does Christmas have any relationship or consequence to me fulfilling God's purpose for my life? [00:06:17] I had our theme up here for this year earlier. Fulfilling God's purpose for my life. Now we're talking about Christmas. Are those two disjointed? Are they just two things that we've come up with as Christians that we think about and that we focus on? Or is Christmas and me fulfilling God's purpose for my life just totally intertwined in my life? Does my life revolve around what God has done for me? [00:06:52] I want us to think about John 3.16 for a little bit. I want us to think about the word for. Such an awesome statement. For God so loved the world. For what reason did God do this? It doesn't say. It just says for. Just because. I like that idea. Romans chapter 3 verse 23 [00:07:25] All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Is that the reason for God to love the world? Has anyone ever deserved God's love? Has there ever been a human being on earth that deserved God's love? I see a lot of you shaking your heads no. You sure? Didn't the Apostle Paul deserve God's love? Oh, wow, what a missionary. [00:07:59] What a guy. I mean, he gave everything to serving the Lord. And then you say, oh, wait a minute. Oh, I forgot. He killed a lot of Christians. Oh, I guess maybe he didn't deserve God's love after all, huh? Has anyone ever deserved God's love? Romans 3.23, all have sinned. You know why God loved so much? Just because. Just because that's who He is. Just because He chose to do that. [00:08:35] Now, let's ask another question. Has anyone ever deserved God's love? Does anyone? Is there anyone here today that thinks they deserve the love of God? I've been so good and so great, I deserve God's love. John writes about that in 1 John, he says, if we say that we have no sin, and I've studied that, and that actually means to hold it in our hand. We reach out our hand to God, there's sin there, we've got it in our hand. [00:09:15] He says, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. The truth isn't in us. So what's the reason? Just because. Will anyone ever deserve God's love? Will any of us ever be good enough? Ever please God so well that we never sin. [00:09:46] We deserve God's love. Luke chapter 17 verse 10 says, So when we've done everything that we could possibly do, we just have to say we're unprofitable servants. We're not worth it. All that God's invested in us, We aren't able to return only, not even a fraction of it, not the smallest part that we can return to Him. [00:10:19] So what's the reason? Just because. That's God. Alright, for God, the unquestioned king. This is kind of off the side, but I find something very interesting. Psalm chapter 2, there's a verse there that talks about how the heathen rage and how they mock God and how they laugh at His control and so on. [00:10:55] And it says, the Lord shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision. And I see a lot of the things that are happening in our world fitting into that today. You know, here's this snowstorm going up the south and up the east coast. And, you know, we're facing global warming and all of those things. And I see God sitting there and just laughing. I'm the king. I've got things in control. I'm God. [00:11:29] You can laugh at me. You can deny me. You can mock. You can do whatever. I'm God. Who can match Him? Isaiah chapter 6 says that I saw the Lord God high and lifted up and His train filled the temple. Just an awesome picture of God the King. Who is going to match Him? Who is going to be able to describe Him? Can you describe Him? Every once in a while we listen to that. I can't remember the guy's name where he tries to describe Him. And does an excellent job. But he can't describe Him. Only in a small part. Can you discover Him? [00:12:23] Can you seek and find this God? No. Only as He comes and finds you. Isaiah 55, my thoughts are not your thoughts. Your ways aren't my ways. Can you discover God? Can you somehow, someday you're out and all of a sudden there's God? Job asked that question. Will a man be able to discover God? [00:12:56] And his answer was no. A man can't. Can man by searching find out God, he asked? No. Not in a test tube. Not in philosophy. Not in wisdom or knowledge. We don't find out God. This is an expression. It's an expression of just because the greatest king of eternity decided that he wanted to love. [00:13:36] For God so loved the world, an unfathomable love. Can you believe it? How much is that? So loved the world. How big is that? How much does it cover? Does it cover all of us here today? Does it cover all of us in Michigan? Does it cover all of us in the world? Does it cover all humanity for all time? [00:14:11] God so loved the world I thought about this some more I'm convinced that this is the desire of all nations to be loved undeservedly you think about that I don't think there's a person in this world that doesn't long for that and seek for that That's why human relationships often crumble, because we're looking for undeserved love from a person who also doesn't deserve love. [00:14:58] And love breaks down. Love isn't complete. But when we find that undeserved love from the God of the universe reaching down to us Then we find the desire of every human heart Everyone 1 John 3.16 Here's how we perceive Here's how we're able to grasp this love of God [00:15:32] because He laid down His life for us. Interesting, isn't it, that it comes out in John 3.16 and 1 John 3.16 1 John 4.9, and this was manifested, the love of God toward us because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. God sent His Son for this purpose. [00:16:03] So here's how we know, here's how we understand this love. Do you know this love? Do you know what it feels like to have love given to you that you do not deserve, that you have not earned, that you are not worthy of, that you will never be able to respond in kind to. Because let's face it, as much as we might commit ourselves to God, [00:16:39] as much as we might desire to love Him with all of our heart, the love that we return is so minute, so inconsequential, inconsequential. So lost in the vastness of the love that's been given to us. But here's a question. Do you show this love? And that the message of the Christmas program and what [00:17:10] We've been loved unconditionally, undeservedly, by the God of the universe. What do we do to our fellow human beings? Are we willing to give our shoes? Our very own? The ones we've worked hard for, the ones we deserve, the ones we have a right to. [00:17:44] Do you share this love? Is this a love that you experience and that you work with in your heart? Now, it's also a priceless gift. He gave His only begotten Son. God, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, Have you received Him? Isaiah says in chapter 9, verse 6 and 7, [00:18:19] Unto us a child is born. Unto us. This gift is for you. It's for me. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son the best gift that he could give the only gift that would be for all all time, all men, all cultures, all it's the supreme gift [00:18:52] you know we often laugh at Christmas time about how we give gifts to someone that doesn't need any and we try to figure out what to give them, what to get them and we get them something and within a day or two or a week or two there it lays. Maybe it's broken. At least it's discarded. Not to be used again. But here's a gift that has meaning for every person. Everywhere from the day that this world was created until the day that this world ends. [00:19:29] Every person, this gift has ultimate meaning and purpose. It's a gift that's useful. It's a gift that meets the needs of every heart. Someone has said, you can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. And God gave His only begotten Son. Isn't that what we just looked at in 1 John? Here's how you can perceive, understand, notice the love of God. [00:20:06] He gave. He gave. That's how we know that His love is genuine. That's how we know that His love is real. That's what gives meaning to all that we understand about God. What greater gift could God have given? You know, sometimes people are mad at God. I've known people like that. [00:20:38] And I suppose there's probably been some times in my life when I felt some of that. We think we should have something. We think we deserve something. We think that we need something. But God's given us the greatest gift that he could possibly give. And if he's given us that, and if we have received that, then we've gotten all that we need, right? [00:21:15] Uh-huh. Kind of hard for us to say. It's kind of hard for us to admit that that's the truth, but it is. If He's given us the best gift, then we've gotten the best gift. And if we've received it, then we've gotten all that we really need. Anything else that God gives to us is secondary and less consequential than this gift. [00:21:46] You know, God's given each of us gifts, talents, abilities. Those are secondary. Those only come because of the gift of Jesus Christ that He's given. That's the only place they come from. Now, have I responded appropriately to such an awesome gift? Second Corinthians there, the scripture that we had up, chapter 9, says thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift. [00:22:29] And that word unspeakable there means that it's indescribable. There is no language in any language spoken. There are no words in any language spoken that can express completely the gift that God has given to us. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, [00:23:06] that whosoever believeth on Him hath everlasting life. An unbelievable offer. Are you living in it today? Have you accepted the gift that God has offered to you? Sometimes in human relationships, we struggle. Maybe someone tries to give us a good gift and we turn it away. [00:23:38] Anyway, just for spite or just for whatever, we just don't want to receive it. But who would not want to receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ? What person in their right mind would refuse to trade the filth and the scum and the refuse of sin and self with all its pain and heartache, with all the disgusting things that go with it [00:24:16] for such a river of life. We'd say a person that thinks about that and chooses against it isn't thinking right. They're not thinking clearly. because the offer is incredible. It's almost unbelievable. Were it not from the God of the universe, the offer would be unbelievable. [00:24:50] If I were to offer you this, it would be unbelievable. If our president were to offer you this, it would be unbelievable. If all the leaders of the world together offered you this, It would be unbelievable. But from the God of the universe, it's not only believable, but it's ours for the receiving. And that's what's so beautiful about this. [00:25:21] Now, what about the day after Christmas? You know what? I think we've got a lot of things mixed up in our mind. Christmas to the American culture is an end. Christmas to the Christian is the beginning. Sunday in our culture is the end. [00:25:52] Sunday in the Christian culture is the beginning. We've gotten some things turned around. It's confused us. It's caused us to look at things in the wrong way. And I was thinking about this in relation to Christmas. What about the day after Christmas? Shouldn't we be pumped? Shouldn't we be excited? Shouldn't we be ready to go out and take on the world? The great love that God has expressed to us in Jesus Christ and how that can change our lives, how that can make us children of God, [00:26:45] how that can wash us from our sins and the filth that's been part of our lives and give to us the gift of eternal life. I think we need to rethink what Christmas is to us. Let's stand together for prayer. God, we don't know why you've chosen to love. [00:27:29] We're unlovely, we're undeserving, we've, as a human race, we've spit in your face, We've rejected your authority over us. We've turned away from you again and again. And yet, Lord, you've chosen to love just because. And Lord, that love is so much greater than any love we've ever imagined. [00:28:01] and it's so far reaching it reaches into every life every human life in all of existence. You've verified you've expressed you've shown that love through the gift of your only begotten Son. [00:28:34] And not only have you simply expressed that love to us, but Lord, you've attached to that love the most wonderful opportunity that we could ever imagine to live forever with you. And Lord, I pray that you help us. Help us to keep a proper perspective. [00:29:05] So many in our world, Lord, are worn out, are ready to have a break after this Christmas season. And Lord, I pray that you help us to remember that Christmas is the beginning and not the end. Help us, Lord, this day after Christmas and the following days after Christmas to share with others around us the blessing of knowing You, the blessing of walking in Your love, [00:29:38] the blessing of experiencing salvation through Jesus Christ. and help us to go forth in your name, dear Lord, in your strength. We thank you and we praise you. We ask you to dismiss us now in your precious name, with your blessing. Amen.