“THREE GIFTS YOU WILL
NEVER RETURN.”
Matthew
2:1-11
Jan. 6, 2008 P.M.
There is an additional verse of Scripture I want to read as I begin this message. It is found in James 1:17:
“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.’
James 1:17.
The passage of Scripture from Matthew 2:1-11 indicates that the wise men (magi) are presenting their gifts to the “Gift Of ALL Gifts”, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Listen Again To John 3:16 as though you were
hearing it for the very first time:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Illustration.
During the Christmas season and often into the New Year we find ourselves
returning gifts to the stores where they were purchased. The lines are usually long as other
customers return their gifts.
Sometimes the gift is the wrong size; sometimes it is the wrong color; sometimes it is broken or it won’t
work.
With that thought in mind I want to preach on
“Three Gifts You Will Never Return.”
I. FIRST: YOU WILL NEVER WANT TO RETURN THE GIFT OF SALVATION.
Romans
5:15-18:
(15) But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many
be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man,
Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
(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 of many offences unto
justification.
(17) For if by one man’s offence 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.
(18) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to
condemnation; even so by the
righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of
life.”
A.
SALVATION IS A GRACE
GIFT. II IS
UNDESERVED.
Romans 5:21: “That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”
B.
SALVATION IS THE GREAT GIFT. IT IS
UNEQUALLED.
Ephesians 2:8:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God.”
SALVATION
IS A GIFT YOU WILL NEVER RETURN.
I have never met a person who regretted getting
saved.
I have met many persons who said, “Preacher, I Wish
I Had Gotten Saved A Long Time Ago.”
Amen.
SALVATION IS A GIFT YOU WILL NEVER RETURN.
II. SECOND: EVERLASTING LIFE IS A GIFT YOU WILL NEVER RETURN.
A.
EVERLASTING LIFE IS A PERSONAL GIFT RECEIVED
IN THIS LIFE.
John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.”
Illustration.
A
gem dealer was strolling the aisles at the Tuscon Gem and Mineral Show when
he noticed a blue-violet stone the size and shape of a potato. He looked it over, and then, as calmly
as possible, asked the vendor, “You want $15 for this?”
The
seller, realizing the rock wasn’t as pretty as others in the bin, lowered the
price to $10.
The
stone has since been certified as a 1,905 carat natural star sapphire, about 800
carats larger than the largest stone of its kind.
It
was appraised at $4.28 million.
It took a lover of stones to recognize the
sapphire’s worth.
It took a Lover Of Souls, the Lord Jesus Christ, to recognize the true value of ordinary-looking people like us.
THE LOVE GOD HAS FOR US IS SUMMARIZED IN JOHN 3:16.
Illustration.
Gaylord Kambarami, the General Secretary of the Bible Society in
Zimbabwe, tried to give a New Testament to a very belligerent man. The man insisted he would roll the pages
and use them to make cigarettes.
Mr. Kambarami said, “I understand that, but at least promise to
read the page of the New Testament before you smoke it.” The man agreed, and the two went their
separate ways.
Fifteen years later, the two men met at a Methodist convention in
Zimbabwe. The Scripture smoking
pagan had found Christ and was not a ‘full-time’
evangelist.
He told the audience, “I smoked Matthew and I smoked Mark and I smoked Luke. But when I got to John 3:16, I couldn’t smoke anymore
My
life was changed from the moment.
AREN’T YOU GLAD GOD’S BOOK IS MORE THAN JUST WORDS
ON PAPER?
LET’S PUT THE MAGNIFYING GLASS ON GOD’S LOVE AS IT IS DESCRIBED IN JOHN 3:16.
1. GOD’S LOVE IS EXPRESSIVE IN IT’S ACTION – “FOR GOD SO LOVED.”
The Greatest Lover Of All Lovers Is Found In John
3:16.
THE LEGISLATIVE WORK OF GOD – is summed up in the Ten
Commandments.
THE REDEMPTIVE WORK OF GOD – is summed up in John 3:16. Ten of the most powerful words you will
ever hear in your entire life are found in John 3:16.
Illustration.
In
the December 4, 1989, issue of Newsweek magazine, there was an article about a
little known mental disorder called “erotomania.”
It is
a mental illness in which a person has the delusion that he or she is the object
of someone’s love. Some imagine
love affairs that continue for years, yet it all exists only in the imagination
of the sufferer.
The
title of the article was, “The Delusions of Love.” While romantic love may have many
delusions, THERE IS NO DELUSION ABOUT GOD’S LOVE. GOD LOVES YOU!
2. GOD’S LOVE IS EXTRAORDINARY IN ITS CHOICE “THE WORLD.”
Notice What and Who The Word “World”
Includes:
*
It includes the unlovable and
the unlovely.
*
It includes those whose hearts
burn in love for Him and also those hearts who spurn Him.
God Loves Each One Of Us As If There Was Only One
Of Us To Love.
In fact, there is nothing you can do to make God
love you more than He loves you right now!
The world (people) yearns to be loved, but does not realize how much the Lord loves them.
That’s why You and I must share with them and sow the Word in their hearts and tell them about John 3:16.
3. GOD’S LOVE IS EXPENSIVE IN ITS SACRIFICE – “HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON.”
“GAVE” – refers to Calvary!
AT CALVARY:
God
Spared Not His Best.
God
Gave His All.
God
Gave His Best.
God
Gave His Only Begotten Son.
GOD HAS NO PLANS, NO PROGRAMS, AND NO PURPOSE FOR THE WORLD IN TIME OR IN ETERNITY THAT DOES NOT CENTER AROUND HIS SON JESUS CHRIST.
4. GOD’S LOVE IS EXTENSIVE IN ITS OFFER – “THAT WHOSOEVER.”
Romans 10:13: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Amen.
5.
GOD’S LOVE IS EXCLUSIVE IN ITS BESTOWMENT – “BELIEVETH IN
HIM.”
Eternal Life – is God’s gift received by believing in Him.
It is not based on Wealth, Strength, or Might, but by believing in Him.
6. GOD’S LOVE IS EXCEPTIONAL IN ITS WORK – “SHALL NOT PERISH.”
The word “perish” does not mean “annihilation,” but a final destiny or ruin in Hell.
God’s Atonement Is Not Limited. It Is For The Entire
World.
Our Individual Responsibility Is To Put Our Faith
In Jesus Christ For Eternal Life.
7. GOD’S LOVE IS ETERNAL IN ITS BLESSEDNESS – “BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.”
The Gospel begins with One who had no beginning – Jesus Christ – and it ends with that which has no ending – everlasting life.
B.
THE GIFT OF ETERNAL
LIFE IS RECEIVED IN THIS LIFE AND WILL BE ENJOYED IN OUR RESURRECTION
LIFE.
Revelation 21:4:
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed
away.”
THINK
ABOUT IT: NO MORE
SICKNESS.
THINK ABOUT IT: NO MORE SUFFERING.
THINK ABOUT IT: NO MORE SORROWING.
THINK ABOUT IT: NO MORE SADNESS.
THINK ABOUT IT: NO MORE SEPARATION.
YOU WILL NEVER RETURN THE GIFT OF EVERLASTING LIFE.
III. A THIRD GIFT YOU WILL NEVER RETURN: YOUR HOME IN HEAVEN.
John
14:1-3:
“Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in
me.
In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for
you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive
you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be
also.”
JOHN
14:1 GIVES US COMFORT AND A CHALLENGE.
The word “troubled” means “agitated, shaken, stressed out, worried, or
restless.”
God does not want a bunch of “stressed out, worry
warts.”
The Greek word for “troubled” ( tar-as-s0) was used:
To
describe the stirring up of the mind\
To
describe the clouding of a pool of water
To
describe the throwing of an army into disorder
To
describe a government plagued by chaos
A.
HEAVEN IS A PREPARED
PLACE.
Have you ever stopped to put Genesis Chapter One in the same sentence with the New Testament where it says, “Jesus Was A Carpenter?”
“Prepare” means “to make
ready.”
Hebrews 6:20 refers to Jesus as “The Forerunner.”
The word “Forerunner” comes from the Greek word
“prodromos.”
In The Roman Army – the “prodromoi” were
reconnaissance troops that made sure the trail was safe and secure for the army
to follow.
On The Waterfront – the ships in the harbors had “pilot boats”
called “prodromos,” that went first into the harbors to make them
safe for the
ships.
IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE -
JESUS HAS BLAZED THE WAY TO HEAVEN FOR US AND IT IS SAFE FOR US TO FOLLOW
HIM ALL THE WAY.
Hebrews 11:16:
“But now they desire a better country, that is, an
heavenly: wherefore God is not
ashamed to be called their God: for
He hath prepared for them a city.”
B.
HEAVEN IS A POPULATED
PLACE.
C.
HEAVEN IS A PROTECTED
PLACE.
D.
HEAVEN IS A PRAISING
PLACE.
E.
HEAVEN IS A PERFECT
PLACE.
CONCLUSION:
YOU WILL
NEVER WANT TO RETURN THE GIFT OF SALVATION.
YOU WILL
NEVER WANT TO RETURN THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE.
YOU WILL
NEVER WANT TO RETURN THE GIFT OF A HOME IN HEAVEN.
IT ALL
BEGINS WITH SALVATION.