Burn Series

Burn

Series: Turn on the Light!!!

Christmas Sunday / December 23rd 2007

Intro: Merry Christmas!!!

What are you getting for Christmas!? Wow. That’s what this is all about isn’t?

Christmas is actually about a gift.

On the last day of school before Christmas break, children were bringing gifts to their teacher. The florist’s son brought the teacher a bouquet. The candy storeowner’s son brought the teacher a pretty box of candy. Then the liquor storeowner’s son brought a big, heavy box. The teacher lifted it up and noticed that it was leaking a bit. She touched a drop of liquid with her finger and tasted it. “Is it wine?’ she guessed. “No” said the boy. She tasted another drop, “Champagne?” “No,” said the little boy. “It’s a puppy!”

Not every gift should be put into a box.

Christmas is about gifts!

God gives us the best gift! ‘…the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 6:23)

Before all the last minute shopping traffic, there was a hectic census.

Before all the crowed shopping malls, there was a packed full little town called Bethlehem.

Before the electric meters spun uncontrollable from powering thousands of Christmas lights, there was a lone bright shining star leading the undistracted to see the best present of all; the Christ in Christmas.

Many people think about God in a distant, separated and dispassionate way. What a shame. Truth is God is crazy about you! He loves you! He is passionate about you. And when you realize just how amazing that truly is, you will be passionate about Him too!!!

1 John 4:9 “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

I. God knows what you need

a. We live in a pretty harsh world.

It’s like that Grandma who could not decide what to buy for her three grandchildren. She decided to simply put a check for $50 in each card with the message ‘Buy your own gift’. That’s pretty generous of her, you know green goes with everything. She dropped the cards, and then to her surprise the woman found the three checks under some newspapers – she had omitted to put them in the cards.

Her three grandchildren were very perplexed to receive a card, each with the startling message “BUY YOUR OWN GIFT”.

• We live in a “buy your own gift” kind of world. Don’t we? Other than maybe your family, and maybe some of your friends, you can pretty much count on making your own way.

• This becomes especially critical if your goal in life is Heaven. None of us have that kind of collateral!!!

• But God knows what you need and He loves you enough to see you get what you need.

1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

b. As a Child of God you HAVE overcome the world!!!

• Have = (perfect tense) Describes an action which is viewed as having been

completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated.

• Overcome = to conquer; to carry off the victory, come off victorious, to prevail.

• I’m not saying it’s easy, but it is certain.

This is the “Rocky” principle. He’s always the underdog (Too short, too old, too ____!!!) No matter how badly he was beaten, he always wins the match. All he has to do is get back up and fight.

God always knows exactly what you need. He is greater than any evil coming against you.

II. God knows where to hide your presents

I have to make a confession. When my sister Amy and I were kids we used to sneak and carefully lift the tape on our Christmas presents so we could see what they were. Then we’d carefully rewrap them and then act surprised on Christmas morning.