Accept the Gift of Life This Christmas

Mt 1:18–23 (NKJV) — 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 

Mt 1:21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus. 

• God has offered you the gift of life this Christmas. You have a choice to accept life and follow the narrow road in life or remain on the same broad road you are currently traveling with everyone else to ultimate sorrow and destruction. 

  • I encourage you to accept the gift of life being offered to you. If you do not, you cannot alter the course that you are on by yourself, and it will end with the eternal pain and misery of separation from God. 

  • There is only one way to be blessed with a joyful eternal life, and that is by accepting the gift that God gave on Christmas Day over 2000 years ago.

    • The gift of Emmanuel, the gift of Yeshua!

Jn 3:16–18 (NKJV) — 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

• • To choose not to accept God’s offer of life in Christ, automatically means choosing eternal damnation without Christ. That would be a tragedy!

You see, his name was Jesus. In Hebrew, Yeshua, Joshua which means salvation.

 Mt 1:21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

• • • God himself, would come into the world and offer man salvation, the gift of life. To reject the offer would be rejecting God himself. 

    • It is he himself that is making the offer!

    • There is no escape from the condemnation of God, if we do not accept the gift of God giving of himself so we may live.

  • Today, I want to encourage you to accept the gift of life.

Ro 6:23 (ESV) — 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Jn 3:16–18 (NKJV) — 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

Further Proofs Eternal Life Is a Gift of God

John 3:36, 6:40, 14:6

acts 4:12, 16:31

Romans 5:1, 10:9-10

Ephesians 2:8-9

1 John 5:11-12

• Accept the gift of life this Christmas. Otherwise, you are under a sentence of death. Let me explain. God has condemned you to die because of your rebellion against him.

  • The condemnation of death preceded your birth.

    • Ge 2:16–17 (NKJV) — 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” 

      • Hebrew – die die - indicating two deaths! (Mot Tamut) Dying you shall die.

        • The First Death is your return to the ground and separation from your people.

        • The Second Death is your separation from God!

  • The First Death 

Ge 3:19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” 

• • • We have already been judged and condemned to die because of the actions of Adam and Eve. The decision was made for you, just like the government makes decisions for its people to live or die.

    • Further, it is rooted in the basic nature of all humans to rebel against God. You and I were born with that nature. We can’t get rid of it no matter how hard we try. 

      • You were born under a sentence of death.

      • You were born with a rebellious nature.

      • But God did promise in the beginning he would deal with it for us. Ge 3:15 (ESV) — 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” 

Further Proofs we were born sinful

Genesis 8:21 

Romans 3:23, 5:12

Psalms 51:5, 58:3, 143:2

1 Kings 8:46

Jeremiah 17:9

Job 14:4

Ephesians 2:1-3

• • • Returning:

Ge 2:16–17 (NKJV) — 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” 

You shall surely die, … die, die.

• • • • You will return to the ground and be separated from people on earth – the First Death. Physical death.

        • No further explanation needed for death. We all understand death in this world.

          • It is painful, it hurts!

          • No one enjoys death!

        • There is no one that has gotten out of this world alive. We know that death is real!

          • We see death everywhere!

          • Every day, there are people who are dying that have never died before.

        • If there is a certainty that there is death now here on earth because God said so, we can be certain that there is another death because he said so when he said, we would surely die.

      • You will be returned to God in heaven (Ecclesiastes 12:7) and separated from him in heaven – the Second Death. Spiritual death.

• • The Second Death - Documented

Re 20:14–15 (ESV) — 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 

15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. 

• • • See, there are two deaths!

      • The separation from people on earth.  We never see them again on this earth. This separation from us on earth is eternal.

      • Then, separation from God and people in heaven is also eternal!

    • “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life,”  (This means there's going to be a judgment!)

    • We will all be judged according to the work we have done. The only thing that matters is whether we have accepted the gift or not because none of us are worthy of the eternal kingdom of God.

Further Proofs of the Second Death & Judgment

Matthew 12:36, 25:31-46 

acts 17:31

2 Corinthians 5:10

Hebrews 9:27

2 Timothy 4:1

1 Peter 4:5

Romans 2:5-6

Revelation 2:11, 20:6, 11-15, 21:8, 22:12

• • What is the book of life? The book that is kept by Jesus which contains the names of those who have believed and accepted him as Lord and Savior and who have become sons of God. They are granted eternal life with him and God.

    • Jesus was called the Lamb of God.

Jn 1:29 (ESV) — 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 

• • • • No one can take away your sins but Jesus!

      • You cannot stop sinning on your own. 

    • The Book of Life is Christ’s book that list of names of those that have publicly accepted him (he has a list, just like Santa).

    • Reading now from Revelation about the end-time about the beast and the dragon.

Re 13:5–8 (NKJV) — 5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 

8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 

Re 13:8 (ESV) — 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 

Re 21:27 (ESV) — 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. 

WHOSE BOOK? WHO IS THE LAMB?

Further Proofs of The Book Of Life

Revelation 5:6-7

Exodus 32:32-33

Psalm 69:28

Daniel 12:1 

Luke 10:20

Philippians 4:3

Revelation 22:19

• • How does one ensure their name is not blotted out of the Lamb’s Book of Life? By accepting the gift of life this Christmas!

Re 3:5 (ESV) — 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 

Ro 10:9–10 (ESV) — 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 

• • You can be saved from eternal damnation and separation from God at the second death by simply accepting the gift of life offered in Christ. It is a free gift!

  • Jesus is the one who has the Book of Life and has the ability to erase the names of those who do not accept him. He has promised he will never erase the name of those who have accepted him as Lord and Savior.

    • He will blot out your name if you disrespect him.

    • He will blot out your name if you don’t accept him.

• You have heard it said it is better to give than to receive, but this I say is the one time it is better to receive than to give. Accept the gift of life.

Jn 14:6 (ESV) — 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 

Ac 4:12 (ESV) — 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” 

• • What happens to those who do not accept the gift of life? 

    • Those whose names are not written in the Book of Life are the ones who rejected the offer to believe in Christ. 

    • They are thrown into the lake of fire.

  • Mt 13:49–50 (ESV) — 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

• • Re 20:14–15 (ESV) — 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 

15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. 

• Therefore, accept the gift of life this Christmas before it is too late

Jn 3:16–18 (NKJV) — 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

• • As a result of the gift, we are now considered sons of God.

  • Jn 1:12–14 (ESV) — 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

  • God gave himself that we might have life eternally with him. Of all the gifts that anyone can receive this Christmas, the greatest gift is life!

  • Accept the Gift!

Additional Thou

• He came that we might have life, He died so we could be reconciled to God through him. But look at us now

  •  We rather work, jobs that mean nothing............

  •  Give greater worship and honor to a football team........

  •  Spend our time and energy chasing after things that mean nothing

  •  Enjoying life with no regard to eternal things

    •  Drinking, drugs, Sex 

    •  Living it up the best we can

  •  How much time we spend 

    •  Watching TV

    •  Going to sports events, football, basketball, movies

    •  Parties, Clubs, dances

    •  Looking for a husband or a wife

    •  Studying to pass in school

    •  Trying to acquire wealth that slips through our fingers

  •  Jesus said

Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  

• •  You work hard and set aside money for life insurance, big money to provide for wife and kids, you work hard so another man can spend it riding your wife around in the car you bought for them. 

    •  We are focused on the wrong things in life!

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