Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that I wanted to ask you a little question.
How many of you are looking forward to receiving some type of gift this year for the holidays? During this time of the year there is a lot of gift-giving that goes on among relatives and friends. Can you think of one of the very best gifts that you have ever received from someone? When I was young I received a pair of snowshoes and I can’t even begin to tell you how many miles that I walked through the deep snow in the woods with them. Maybe you received a brand new bicycle one year or got some hunting and fishing gear. Maybe a wife received a brand new set of pots and pans for the kitchen or some brand new quilts for the bedroom. Maybe a student passed their driver’s exam and was given a car from their parents.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Over many years of my life, I too have received some nice gifts that have meant a great deal to me, but the truth is that they could never even begin to compare to the greatest gift that I have ever known my entire life,…. It is the free gift of God’s forgiveness found in the blood of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:4-10 – But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Every gift that I’ve been given over the years has aged over time. Some of them only lasted for a certain period of time and then they were gone. The gift that was given to me by God is one that never fades away. It is a heavenly key that unlocks eternal life and immortality. Unlike receiving gifts from friends and relatives, this gift was given to me by God. No matter how poor I may be, I’ve been given the greatest treasure that I have ever known. It’s a very special gift and I can take it with me wherever I go, because God has placed His gift deep inside the pocket of my heart.
In this passage the Apostle is talking about salvation. Salvation is deliverance from sin and its consequences brought about by faith in Jesus Christ. All of us in this world have sinned and we cannot save ourselves, no matter how much one were to try. We are all surrounded in a river of our own sins and no matter how much we paddle we cannot make any progress forward. We are in need of a Savior to rescue us from our sins and deliver us to the promised land above. It’s something that we cannot earn and that we do not deserve but God wants to give it to us anyway. God extends to us a gift,…the free gift of His forgiveness.
Can you imagine receiving a special gift over the holidays and after you found out what it was, you dug out your checkbook in order to pay for the item that you had received? It wouldn’t be a gift anymore would It. A gift is something that is freely given. We cannot earn God’s forgiveness. We can never do enough works that could possibly make up for our sinful past and the wrongs that we have committed. We can’t undo what has been done. We are In a world filled with lost sinners that are in desperate need of love, assistance and forgiveness.
Each of us has a sin debt and like a backpack full of boulders, it weighs heavy on the conscience. Because all of us are equally sinners in God’s eyes, (and sin is what separated us from God In the Garden of Eden,) He sent someone to the Earth to reconcile us unto Himself, someone who is absolutely perfect in His sight. Someone who would stand in the gap and to make things right between us and God. Someone who would pay off the debt against us. Someone who laid down His own life and shed His own blood to do this very thing, His name is Jesus.
When we come to God for forgiveness we need to come as we are, a sinner. We cannot get to a place in our lives where we will be good enough to eventually earn God’s grace. The reason why is because we cannot earn His mercy, it is a free gift that is extended to this world through faith in God’s only begotten Son. Each time we have Holy Communion together this treasure is bestowed upon us. It is a gift that is worth more to me than all the riches of this world, and he gave it to a wretch like me.
God gives us a gift of grace to us so that through faith, we can pick up where we fell short. He gives us a gift of grace so that if we fall down we can get back up again. He gives us a gift of grace so that we can get it right this time. The scriptures teach us that the wages of sin is death. Because of the Garden of Eden, all of us have been born into this death penalty. When I was a very young child someone told me that everybody dies someday but I couldn’t understand why. I remember that day like it was yesterday, because I ran into my room, closed the door and cried for what seemed like hours.
Many years later when somebody handed me a Bible on a street corner I realized what Jesus Christ had done for this world. He died on the cross so that we could have forgiveness with God.and someday live forever with Him in heaven. It is something that we could never do for ourselves, it is something He did as a gift for us.
Rom 5:16-17
16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. 17 For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
There are some of us who need more grace than others, but the truth is that we all need grace to survive. God’s forgiveness is like a well of water that fills you up inside, unto eternal life. It’s a free gift that is given to us by God so that we can return to Him and do His will from our hearts.
2 Corinthians 9:15 – Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
So when it comes to gift-giving, nothing will ever compare to the greatest gift that I have ever known and possessed. It is the free gift of God’s grace. It is a gift that will get me to places that I could never access, even if I wore my…..
….. New Snowshoes
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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