Our Christmas Gift from God
 John 3:16

Christmas time is such a great time of year.  I love the gifts, smell of the tree, good food, and just being around family and friends. 

I would like to take a few minutes of your time to tell you about the greatest Christmas gift you could ever receive; it is your Christmas gift from God. Maybe you have already received this wonderful gift; then again, maybe you haven’t.  Believe me, there is no greater gift that you can receive this year. 

Our text verse, John 3:16, is probably the best known verse in the Bible.  There are four great things I want you to see in this verse:

1.  The greatest giver:  God!

2.  The greatest gift:  The only begotten Son of God!

3.  The greatest reason for giving:  Because God so loved the world!

            4.  The greatest result of giving:  So that mankind won't have to perish!

Let's examine this great gift you can receive:  

1.  It is an unparalleled gift: (read Mark 8:36-37).  

A.  The most valuable possession that you have is your soul.  It will spend an
       eternity either in heaven or hell.  God let's you make this decision. Many
       today are so caught up in the material things of this world that they have
       no time for the Lord or spiritual matters.  Thus, they never accept God’s gift.

B.  God gave you the gift of eternal life by the death of his Son
      (read I John 5:12.)

 2.  It is an unlimited gift (read Isaiah 53:6).

      A.    Notice that this verse begins and ends with the word ALL!

 1.      All have gone astray (read Rom. 3:23, Rom. 6:23).

           2.  God laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all.  This simply means that God placed on
Jesus  the penalty of sin that we deserved.  Jesus paid a debt that he didn’t
owe because we owed a debt that we couldn’t pay. 

3.  It is an unmerited gift (read Mat.7:21-23).

      A. Many people today are trying to get to Heaven by their own means, such as good
           works.  If this were so, the questions that must be answered are: (1) What kind of
          works will it take? (2) How long will you have to do them? and (3) For whom must
          they be done? 

     B. Salvation is not by our own efforts or works (read Titus 3:5).
          Our salvation is a gift that we receive by placing our faith in what Christ did for
          mankind on the cross (read Eph.2:8-9).

C.  When we try to add anything to what Christ did for us on the cross, we are
        saying that His work wasn’t sufficient.  

4.  It is often an unclaimed gift (read John 1:12).  

     A.  God is offering you the greatest of all gifts this Christmas.  However, before a
gift can be of any value, it must be received.  

     B.    In most of our post offices across America, there is a place for unclaimed letters.  These are letters that couldn’t be delivered or were unclaimed.  Recently I read an article in our local newspaper about tax refunds that the government owes to thousands of people; but they haven’t come forward to claim them.  It sure would be sad to think that you had one of these, but it went unclaimed.  

     C.  To receive the gift that God wants to give you this Christmas, it has to be received.  Won't you receive this precious gift this Christmas? 

I hope that this will be the greatest Christmas ever for you and your family.  If you haven’t received this gift please do so before it is too late.  Click on How to Be Saved to learn how.

May God bless each of you, and may this be a very Merry Christmas in your life.