The Gift of Jesus Christ

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1. Introduction
   

   1. Gold: emblematic of Jesus coming to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords
      

      1. Matthew 2:2

      2. A metal fit for a king

   2. Frankincense: emblematic of the priesthood and Jesus as our Great High Priest

   3. Myrrh: symbolic of what Jesus would do in His sacrificial death for us

   4. We considered the gifts; now we'll consider the gift

   5. Start to think of the gifts that you give as symbolic and reflective of the gift God gave
      

      1. John 3:16

      2. Part of love is giving

      3. You have an opportunity to reflect the love of God in a simple gesture of giving a gift

   6. The gift of salvation that comes through the person of Jesus Christ given to mankind by God

      
      

2. Romans 5:12-16
   

   1. The gold, frankincense, and myrrh were gifts given by men to Christ; the one gift that Paul wrote about here is a gift given by Christ to men

   2. The three gifts were given when Jesus was a child, but they symbolized His future; the one gift was given when Jesus was a man and is central to our future

   3. The three gifts were monetary, physical, and valued only on this earth; the one gift is a monumental, revolutionary, spiritual gift valuable in the court of heaven in eternity

   4. The three gifts were costly, but didn't cost the wise men everything; the one gift cost Jesus everything

   5. Paul drew a contrast between Adam and Jesus
      

      1. Adam sinned; Jesus saves

      2. When Adam did what he did, many died; when Jesus did what He did, many can live

      3. What Adam did brought bondage; what Jesus has done can bring freedom

      4. Adam disobeyed God his Creator; Jesus obeyed God His Father

      5. Adam sinned, and people thereafter were declared unrighteous; Jesus paid the price, gave the gift—His life—and people thereafter can be declared righteous

         
         

3. The gift means we are loved
   

   1. Typically, you give a gift to express your love

   2. True love can never be passive; it must always be active

   3. Marriages deteriorate; couples somewhere along the line stop giving to each other

   4. You can tell the depth of the well by how much rope is lowered
      

      1. You can tell the depth of God's love by how much rope was lowered

      2. He sent His Son out of heaven

      3. If you're ever tempted to doubt God's love, remember this gift

         
         

   5. 1 John 4:8

   6. It's hard to grasp that God loves you

   7. 1 John 3:1

   8. Human love is object-oriented; God's love is subject-oriented
      

      1. When we see something we like, we place value on it

      2. God's love is based on His character

         
         

4. The gift means we can be forgiven
   

   1. The gift does not mean we will automatically be forgiven

   2. Genesis 2:16-17

   3. Sin always overpromises; it doesn't completely satisfy

   4. Romans 6:23

      1. Death is separation

      2. Mankind has a sin issue

   5. The news of the gift is that we can be forgiven

   6. Thousands of years ago, Adam threw the rock that destroyed the reflection, the image of God in the creation God made
      

      1. Then Jesus came along and essentially said, "I'll take the hit"

      2. One man messed up the image; one Man restored the image back

      3. Ruined by one man's misdeed, rescued by one Man's merit

   7. John 10:10

5. The gift means we can live forever

6. The gift has to be received
   

   1. Any gift has to be received, opened, used, tried on—or it's of no value

   2. John 1:11-12

   3. You can receive what you need: love, forgiveness, and life

   4. But in order to get all of those things, you have to receive the gift

   5. If you do that, it's a package deal, and it has great benefits now and forever

   6. If you haven't yet, take the gift; it'll be the best Christmas gift you've ever had

      
      

Cross references:

Genesis 2:16-17; Matthew 2:2; John 1:11-12; 3:16; 10:10; Romans 5:12-16; 6:23; 

1 John 3:1; 4:8