An Unbelievable Surprise

Denise the Menace rushes into the room with his mother standing with her mouth open. And he says holding a big box in his hand we better tell Santa Claus to forget about the train set I asked for. I just found one on the top shelf in dad’s closet.

- Sermon Spice “Christmas Miracle” Video of mother getting garage sale toys for her two kids

- Surprise gifts are delightful

- Premier giver is God

• The Surprise of answered prayer

• The Surprise of a healed body

• The Surprise of a romance

• The Surprise of a wanted conception – “We are going to have a baby”

James 1:17 (AV)

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

- We are so fickle & changeable

- He continues to pour down love

2 Corinthians 9:15 (AV)

15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

NIV, NET, ESV

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

The Message

Thank God for this gift, his gift. No language can praise it enough!

The Living Bible

Thank God for his Son—his Gift too wonderful for words.

- This Gk word “Indescribable” is only found here

- Paul uses it for the first time in literature

- Unable to describe

- It’s like trying to describe Niagara Falls to a person who has never seen it before

It’s height, Width, & Power

Niagara Falls is the third greatest waterfalls in the world in terms of volume of water

- Water of the great lakes flow though

- About 2/3 of the fresh water on the continent flows over the Falls - That's almost 1/5 of the fresh water on Earth.

7,000 ft wide, Height of Falls 185 ft, Horseshoe Falls 2,200 ft

- 3,160 tons of water fall every sec.

- Gift that God gives us is in the power and unending supply of

1 Peter 1:8 (AV)

8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Unspeakable – Past finding out

Kaleidoscope

• How do you describe a baby born of a virgin?

• How do you describe God in flesh?

• How do you describe that which is spirit?

• How do you describe what is indescribable?

• How do you describe of Jesus Christ

I. Unspeakable In Its Freeness

1. We are undeserving of His gift of salvation

- We have no claim to salvation

- We are rebellious, deliberate, willful sinners

2. This gift was never desired on our part while in our far country

- This gift was planned before the world began.

II. Unspeakable In Its Worth.

1. In His person. He is perfect man and glorious God.

2. In His condescension.

- Can any one measure or describe how far Christ stooped?

3. In His death.

4. In His glory. When we think of His resurrection, of His ascending to the right hand of God

5. In His chosen.

John 15:16 (AV)

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

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III. Unspeakable In Its Satisfaction

- Nothing in this world has lasting satisfaction

(1) FREEDOM FROM SINS BONDAGE

Romans 6:14 (AV)

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

(2) THE WRATH OF GOD

Psalm 7:11 (AV)

11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

(3) THE VICTORY OVER DEATH & IT’S STING

1 Corinthians 15:55–57 (AV)

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

(4) GIVING ETERNAL LIFE

John 11:25 (AV)

25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

(5) GIVING LIVING WATER

John 4:10 (AV)

10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

John 4:14 (AV)

14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.