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| We're blessed you could join with us today. God thinks you're special, and so do we! THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL. Christmas is the season for giving and receiving gifts, especially with the people we love. But there is no-one who loves more, no-one who is ready to give more than our God, the Father of Lights: "For every good gift, and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." (James 1:17) James had a revelation of the Eternal Father, the one who doesn't change. The one who only gives good gifts. Of a truth it is said: "GOD IS MORE WILLING TO GIVE, THAN WE ARE TO RECEIVE." Who is this Father of Lights? He is LOVE. For an expression of that love, He desired more children, and so He created man. Bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh, spirit of His spirit. He gave us the gift of life, of existence. (Has it ever occurred to us to thank God that we are here at all?) In order that His relationship with these children would be complete, He gave us the priceless gift of free will. Of the right of choice. So that we would love Him, worship Him, and serve Him because we desired to, not because we knew nothing else, had no other options. One day when He came to walk in the garden with His children, in the cool of the evening, He found that Adam was hiding from Him. The innocent companionship was destroyed. Man had done the one thing He had commanded them not to do. They had unconsciously bowed to the devil, sin had taken dominion over them, and through sin the curse was unleashed - The law of sin and death (Romans 8:2) The Father had to put them out of the garden, but He made them clothes of skin to cover their nakedness first. Can you imagine the Father's heart when He had to send them forth from the garden He had created to share and enjoy with them? But one thing you must know about our Father, the Creator - El Elyon, 'the Most High God, Possessor of Heaven and Earth.' (Genesis 14:19) He will prevail in the end! His will be done! He had already prepared a plan, to get His family back! Before they were even out of the garden, that plan had gone into motion, as He prophesied to the serpent. Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world! (Rev 13:8) The Father had His gift prepared, before there was even a man made to receive it! Until the fulness of time had come, the Father protected and provided for His children, as long as they co-operated with His plan of redemption. Whenever they departed from Him and went after idols, He had to do whatever it took to bring them back. So that He could maintain the 'righteous line.' He gave them a Covenant of Protection through the relationship He was able to establish with faithful Abraham. When God asked Abraham to offer up his son, He was seeking to gain a legal right to offer up His own. Abraham had prophesied to Isaac: "The lord will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering." God stopped Abraham from killing Isaac, and showed him a ram caught in the thicket to offer up instead. And Abraham called the name of the place: "Jehovah Jireh - the Lord will provide." (Genesis 22:14) And Abraham's prophecy was accurate, because He knew and understood Jehovah Jireh - literally "Jehovah will see to it!" He had gone before Abraham and prepared the answer. And in the Law of double reference (most prophesies have reference to a physical, natural event about to occur around that time, but also point to a | future, spiritual event) Abraham is also speaking of a time when in Jesus, God did provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering. In Abraham, our Provider established a bloodline. A chosen generation through whom, when the time was right, He could bring the redeemer. He gave them laws to keep them from straying too far, so that they would walk humbly before Him and cling to Him. When they strayed, what was at stake was not just His relationship with His people, but His whole plan of Restoration! At the fulness of time, when God sent forth His son, Israel had come to worship the law, rather than the One who made the law. They were looking for a Messiah to bring vengeance and the wrath of God. They didn't have eyes to see, or ears to hear, a Son bringing the love of the Father, forgiveness and restoration into the Family of God. Even John the Baptist began to have doubts, because Jesus came preaching the Father's tender care, instead of God's righteous judgment. God is a just God, and the requirements of justice must be met! How to balance the requirements of justice with the demands of Lovingkindness and tender mercy? If we receive His gift of Love and mercy in Christ Jesus, then we don't have to face His justice. The courts have been satisfied, the sentence passed and the punishment carried out on our behalf! But if we refuse His love in Christ, then we will have to face His justice. That is not God's choice, it is ours. I like to share this story, which I believe is a true account: Little Johnny was playing with his friends, and put a ball through the window of the house next door. He raced home and hid under the bed. To the man who owned the house it was no big deal, but Johnny was fearful of judgment and retribution. The following day he was playing with his friends when he saw that man returning home from work. Again, he ran in terror from that man and hid under the bed. This continued for several days, until one day the man came home early in order to catch Johnny unawares. This time when Johnny ran in terror, the man had a head start on him. He ran him down and gabbed him. It was some time before the man could get through to Johnny, almost insane with fear. When the panic abated a bit, Johnny was able to see this man on his knees, tears streaming down his face. He was saying: "Johnny, I am not angry with you. That window is not important to me. What's important is your friendship. I couldn't stand it if we could no longer be friends." Even after we receive Jesus, there is a real possibility of overlooking the main gift. There is a real danger of getting caught up in religion and legalism as the scribes and pharisees. Of thinking that your relationship with God is based on your perfomance. Or of getting caught up in a 'Hell fire and Brimstone' mentality like John the Baptist. The fact of the matter is that there is something that 'the Father of Lights' wants to give you more than anything else in the world It is the reason He created the Human Race. It is the reason that He instigated His covenant with Abraham, why He sent the prophets. The reason that He sent His Son, Jesus, to live for us and to die for us. What the Father wants to give us, more than anything else, is Himself. Like the man in the story, He wants more than anything to be our friend! -Steve & Jenny |