David [00:00:01]:
This is Sunday the 1st, December 1st, 2024. Hey, we’re in the last month of this year.
David [00:00:18]:
All right, Title of this message is the greatest gift. 5, 4, 3. The last two weeks we’ve been talking about the season of giving that we’re in, which comes the last two months of the year. And we are fully into celebrating this season of giving. This year, this past week, we began by giving thanks and celebrating Thanksgiving Day together. And I hope you had a great time doing that. I’m still remembering all the goodies that we were at our daughter’s and son in law’s and he fixed turkey and all the stuff. So it was a great time there with the grandkids and we had a great time together with family.
David [00:01:07]:
And now we are focused on Christmas and all that means. And if you’re like my wife or my daughters, you started preparing a month ago. That’s right, I said a month ago. The trees, the decorations, the lights inside and outside, all the stuff. But last but not least, the gifts under the tree. Oh, I love those. What a great time. And so we’re coming today and talking about the second way we celebrate the season of giving is by the giving of gifts.
David [00:01:47]:
Giving gifts holds some significant value in scripture and across the world. Here are some of the primary reasons it’s considered meaningful to give. Number one, Giving gifts is an expression of love and appreciation. Gifts are a way we show someone that they’re valued and appreciated in many relationships, whether family, friendships or our community. Giving a gift is a tangible expression of our emotions that often we just can’t find the words to say it the way we want to say it. So we find a gift that helps express it. So giving of gifts and is an expression of love and appreciation. Second thing is a giving of a gift or gifts helps strengthen bonds those connections we have with others.
David [00:02:52]:
And so gift giving reinforces those connections between people. It’s an action that builds trust and strengthens relationships. It is an expression of thoughtfulness, care, and the willingness to invest in the happiness of others. And that’s what in scripture we’re told to do, is invest in the happiness of others, loving others by giving to others and serving them. So giving gifts is one way we do this. The third thing that the giving of gifts is significant for is it celebrates traditions, those things, those times of year that are meaningful to us. A giving of a gift is A part of many important celebrations, in fact, and holidays. These include birthdays, weddings, baby showers, Christmas, graduations from high school and college or other programs, other accomplishments that we accomplish.
David [00:04:00]:
A giving of a gift is a way to honor this. These traditions bring people together, helping them bond and share in each other’s joy. So we’re finding joy in all of us as we give these gifts of appreciation and celebrate what’s happened with those people around us, our friends, our community, the ones that we love. The fourth way giving of gifts is significant is simple. Giving of gifts creates an atmosphere of happiness and positive emotions. The act of giving has been shown to trigger feelings of joy not only in the person receiving the gift, but it is also in the giver of the gift. Studies show that acts of generosity activates areas of our brain associated with pleasure, social connection and trust, often enhancing the giver’s own well being. This speaks to why Paul said in Acts 20:35 to remember what Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than to receive.
David [00:05:25]:
God has wired us to be blessed by giving to others, and he enjoys that giving immensely himself, and so do we. I love Conia and I love giving to others. We love giving to our family, our friends. One of the things we talk about is being ninja givers. We love going out to eat somewhere and seeing a couple that’s there or an elderly person that may be eating alone. And we’ll follow the nudge and buy their meal and tell the waiter, don’t tell them who did this for them, but we want to give to them in this way. So giving of gifts can create happiness and positive emotions in you and make you better off. Number five.
David [00:06:17]:
Giving of a gift can be a symbolic gesture that has deep meaning. Gifts often carry symbolic meanings, representing something beyond the physical object itself. For example, a book may signify a shared interest with someone else, or a handmade item may signify effort and thoughtfulness. One of the things our daughter Laurel does, she loves to knit. So for everybody in the family, she’s knitted us blankets, she’s knitted us things to wear, she’s done all kind of little things for us with her knitting. And she loves that she can create something that brings happiness to everyone else. And it’s so thoughtful of her to do that because we do, we appreciate it. And everybody wants one of Laurel’s knittings.
David [00:07:13]:
And so the symbolism behind these gifts can make them more meaningful and memorable. One of the gifts I was given was my aunt and my mom came to me because they knew how much I appreciated my Grandmother and grandfather and what they did in ministry. And they said, they asked me, david, do you want their Bibles? And I went, yes, I do. And to this day I treasure the fact that I have my grandfather’s and my grandmother’s Bible. And I can sit and read all the notes that they wrote in those Bibles and what it meant to them. And it gives me such joy and pleasure. But it even goes beyond that because I see the significance in what they did and what they believed and how they lived. And it’s a testimony to me of the goodness of God.
David [00:08:14]:
Hallelujah. So gifts can be symbolic, they can be memorable, they can be meaningful. Another way that gifts are significant are there acts of generosity. Throughout scripture we see giving is seen as a virtue, generosity is seen as a virtue. Acts of generosity actually help foster empathy, humility and gratitude, teaching us the value and sharing and considering others needs. And so when we give to others, when we provide for others, even if we don’t know them, that is an act of generosity that we know God is using to impact somebody else’s life in a way that is so meaningful and so important to them. What a powerful thing do give to others. Now.
David [00:09:24]:
Ultimately, the significance of giving gifts lies in its ability to create connection with others, to foster kindness in your relationships, and to celebrate life’s special moments. And we love doing that. You know, one of the things Conia and I have done, when we go up to see our grandkids and celebrate one of their birthdays, we buy balloons. And they love the balloons we buy. And so we buy. So our grandson Jack, he’s the oldest of our three grandkids right now he’s seven. So at his birthday we had seven balloons for Jack, but then for his two sisters, sir, Lucy and Kate, we bought them a couple balloons too. And then we got mom and daddy a couple balloons.
David [00:10:13]:
So we had probably a dozen balloons in the house and the kids were loving it. It meant so much to them. To the point now when there’s a birthday, they want to know, how many balloons did you get Nanny and papa? And so last year at my son in law’s, he had just turned 37. We had him 37 balloons in that. There were balloons in there for months, I think. But what a great time we had with that. And so today what I want to do, talk about that through a simple gesture of giving a gift. It’s a powerful way to communicate love and gratitude and create community.
David [00:10:56]:
And we see this in scripture. Today we’re going to explore the greatest gift ever given to us. God loves giving gifts. So this, this joy I have about giving gifts, it comes from my father, God’s heart. He wired it into me. He gave it to me. Gave it to you too. God loves giving gifts.
David [00:11:20]:
God loves blessing us beyond measure. God loves bringing things to us we can’t even imagine. As it says in Ephesians 3:20, and you hear me talk about that verse a lot. That’s my life verse. But as it says there in Ephesians 3:20, super abundantly, far, over and above anything we can dare ask or think, God will do that in you, through you, with you, and for you. Hallelujah. Praise God. So there is a gift that was given to all mankind by our Father, God.
David [00:12:02]:
And that gift, as you know, was His Son, Jesus Christ. And Christmas, the season we’re entering into right now, is the celebration of God’s gift to this world in the form of Jesus. The book of John there in the New Testament gives us insight into God’s heart for the world through this gift. And we all have heard this verse. We know this verse. But let’s look at it from the context of God giving a gift, a special gift to us, to our world. John 3:16 says this. 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.
David [00:13:02]:
I encourage you sometime. I know you know that verse and you’ve heard it talked about, probably memorized it at some point. But just sit down and read it. Read it. We’re going to read it later in some of the different translations, but read it and meditate on it and think about what it means. That’s a powerful verse. For God so loved that he gave his giving, his gifting proceeded from his immense love for us all. God loves you.
David [00:13:43]:
God loves you. And he gave to you and for you. I want us to look at this word love today for a moment so we can truly understand what is being said here. You see, in ancient Greek culture, they had eight different words to define the different kinds of love. Each word gave a clear meaning to the type of love being expressed. So they had eight different ways they could say they love something or someone. Now here in our culture, we use one word to express our likes, affections or desires. And you know that word, I love this, I love that, I love them, I love whatever.
David [00:14:32]:
When we say we love something, it can relate to our favorite foods, our clothes, the music we like cards, a myriad of different things. It could Go on and on. When we say we love someone, it can mean we love them as an actor, an author, an athlete, an artist, a speaker, or it can mean that someone we are close to is very special to us. And so because of this, I feel like in some ways we’ve lost the essence of what true, deep, felt love really is, because we’re using that word to kind of describe every emotion we have about anything or anyone. But Here in John 3:16, the Greek word here is agapeo, which comes from the root word agape, which means the God kind of love. Its foundational meaning is to love by choice. To choose to love. It goes beyond feelings or emotion.
David [00:15:46]:
It’s an active, intentional choice that you’re making to love. Everything I’m sharing with you about this word based on God’s intentional choice. He chose us. God chose you. You ought to tell yourself that every day. God chose me. When it says here that God so loved the world, it’s talking about you. This verse could read, God so loved you that he gave his only begotten Son.
David [00:16:30]:
And that’s the truth. God had you in mind in all of this. God so loved you that he gave his only begotten Son. So keep that in mind as we move forward and as we’re talking today about the significance of the greatest gift ever given to us. So love Here in John 3:16, this word means this. There are several different ways it’s defined here in this verse, and so we’re going to walk through those different expressions. So the first thing love means here is Love means to be full of goodwill towards someone and exhibit that goodwill to them. Again, this is an active word.
David [00:17:19]:
This word love here is active. God is so full of goodwill towards you that he gave Jesus His Son for you and to you. Let me say that again. God is so full of good will toward you that he gave Jesus His Son for you. And to you God is full of goodwill, and he shows that goodwill to you in the giving of Christ. But every day as you walk with Him. The second thing this word love means here in John 3:16 is to have a preference for and regard the welfare of someone by God’s love. He so prefers and regards your welfare that he gave the gift of Jesus to redeem us and save us from doom and destruction.
David [00:18:22]:
He gave the gift of Jesus to redeem you and save you from doom and destruction. He prefers you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. What a great gift that is. Amen. The fourth thing here is the benevolence which God in providing salvation for man has exhibited by sending his son to us and giving him up to death so we could have the gift of life eternal. That’s another meaning of love.
David [00:18:59]:
Here. God loves you so much. He is always benevolent toward you. He is always your benefactor. Daily, daily, daily, daily. He’s benevolent. He’s a giving God. Hallelujah.
David [00:19:20]:
This wasn’t a one time gift. It’s a gift that goes on giving and giving and giving. The next definition of the word love here in John 3:16 is to take pleasure in the person, to prize them above other things and to be unwilling to abandon them or do without them, to steadfastly cleave to them. Think about this. God takes pleasure in you. God prizes you above all. He is unwilling to abandon you or do without you. He steadfastly cleaves to you.
David [00:20:06]:
Hallelujah. Praise God. Praise God. You ought to go back and listen to this and take notes on all of it and think about this. Because every day this is. Go back and take notes and read these things to yourself. Because this is true. God loves you.
David [00:20:28]:
The other definition of this is to welcome you with desire, to long for you. God welcomes you into his presence. He longs for you and desires you. He invites you to come and be a part of his family, to be in relationship with him, to walk with him. Hallelujah. Wow. Are you beginning to see how God loves you? So here’s the summary of what I just shared with you. God is full of good will toward you.
David [00:21:06]:
He prefers you and cares about you. He is benevolent toward you. He takes pleasure in you. He prizes you. He never leaves you or forsakes you. He wants to be in relationship with you. He will not do without you. He steadfastly cleaves to you.
David [00:21:27]:
He desires you. He longs for you. He welcomes you for God. So loved. And when we say that word loved, it means all of those things I just read to you. That’s how deeply God loves and cares for you. Wow. Wow.
David [00:21:56]:
Excuse me, Toby. Wow. Wow. Believe it. Receive it. God loves you. You can go into this Christmas season knowing and celebrating all God has done for you and your family and celebrating the gift he has given you in Christ Jesus, your Lord and Savior. Hallelujah.
David [00:22:29]:
God so loved that he gave the word gave. Here in the Greek is the word datomi and it means to give something to someone of their own accord. God chose to give you the gift of His Son of his own free will, of his own accord. He didn’t feel any obligation to do it or pity toward you. He did it from a heart of love for you. He chose you. The second thing this word gave means here in John 3:16 is this is to give one something to their advantage. By believing in and receiving Jesus, you will not perish.
David [00:23:20]:
You will have everlasting life. That definitely is to your advantage. In fact, simply being in a loving relationship with the Lord our God and Jesus Christ is to your advantage. Hallelujah. God did this for your advantage. The other thing this word means here, to give God so loved that he gave is to bestow a gift upon because the Father God gave Jesus as a gift to you. He also bestowed on you the gift of eternal life. When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
David [00:24:07]:
And eternal life is a life that is unending, infinite forever. It never ends. It goes on and on and on. That is quite a unique gift he’s given you. So God so loved that he gave. Hallelujah. Praise God. It also means this.
David [00:24:31]:
The next thing this word Here in John 3:16 means is this gave means to supply and furnish the necessary things. Jesus paid the full redemption. He paid the ultimate price for your redemption. He did not leave anything undone. You were saved. You are redeemed, you are restored. You are anointed. You are in right standing with God for all eternity.
David [00:25:00]:
You can walk in that. I don’t care what the enemy tells you in how he tries to beat you up, tells you you’re unworthy. You can tell him no, the Lord did it all for me and he says I am worthy. Hallelujah. For all eternity. He redeemed us. The other thing this word gave means here in John 3:16. It means to give forth from oneself.
David [00:25:30]:
Our Father God gave his only son. He gave from within himself. He loves you so much. He said, I will pay the price for them. I will pay the price. God loves you so much, he’s paid the price for you. It also means this gave means to give diligence to something. God had a plan which he was diligent with and followed through on.
David [00:26:06]:
This wasn’t a well, they messed up. Let’s try this and see what happens. You know, maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t. That wasn’t God’s plan. God had a plan that would redeem us and set us free and bring us back into relationship with him and bring us back into all that he had created us for and blessed us with. God was very purposeful in giving us and giving you the gift of life through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So here’s a summary of this. God redeemed you of his own accord.
David [00:26:52]:
He did this for your advantage. He bestowed a gift on you that keeps on giving for eternity. God supplied and furnished everything needed for you to be in right standing with him forever. This gift came from within him, and he was diligent in the process of giving it. Nothing missing, nothing broken. It is all complete. Now let’s read this verse from a couple of other translations just to get a little bit more perspective on it. John 3:16 from the Amplified classic says this for God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that he even gave up his only begotten, unique Son, so that whoever believes in, trusts, in clings, who and relies on him, shall not perish, come to destruction or be lost, but have eternal, everlasting life.
David [00:27:58]:
It’s a great translation of what we just looked at. Wow, that’s powerful. This is the gift that God has given us, and this is what we’re celebrating here at Christmastime, this gift that God gave us through Jesus Christ. John 3:16 in the passion translation says this for here is the way God loved the world. He gave his only unique Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in him will never perish, but experience everlasting life as a child of God, as a son of God, a daughter of God, as a believer in Jesus Christ, you are never going to perish. You’re going to have everlasting life. Hallelujah.
David [00:28:57]:
John 3:16 in the CEV version says this God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. We will not experience death as those who don’t accept Jesus Christ, those who are captured by sin, those who die in sin. We will never experience death like that. We will live on and on and on. The Apostle Paul expressed this in Romans 6:23. He used different words, but I want us to look at this because it gives us a little more insight into the gift that God’s given us in Jesus Christ. Romans 6:23 and I’m reading from the amplified classic version says this for the wages which sin pays is death, but the bountiful free gift of God is eternal life through in union with Jesus Christ our Lord. Hallelujah.
David [00:30:17]:
Basically, this verse boils down to two things. Sin costs you, it pays death. God’s gift is free, he gives you eternal life. Hallelujah. Compare those Death, eternal life. Which one do you want? Sin costs you, it pays death this word death, here in Romans 6:23, means this. It means the separation of the soul and the body by which life on earth is ended. Here’s a reality.
David [00:31:01]:
In death, you do not cease to exist. A lot of times we go to a memorial service or a funeral and we’re weeping, and we sense the loss of that person that we love. But the reality is they don’t cease to exist. They’re simply no longer here on earth. See, we are a spirit being possessing a soul, which is our mind, will and emotions, our thinking, feeling, and choosing. And we live here in the earth, in this body that God gave us. But death is again the separation of the soul, our mind, our will, our emotions from this body by which life on earth here is ended. But we still exist.
David [00:31:56]:
We’re just existing in a different realm. This definition goes on. It also means this. The misery of the soul arising from sin, which begins on earth, but lasts and increases in hell for eternity after the death of the body here on the earth. So what we see here is when we die in sin without receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we go to hell. That’s where we exist now. That’s the realm we are in. And any misery we felt here, or frustration or fear, anxiety, anything we felt here on earth is magnified there and continues to increase throughout eternity.
David [00:32:56]:
The penalty for sin lasts for eternity and increases. And increases. And increases. Wow. I don’t want that for anybody. I don’t want that for you. If you haven’t received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I want you to do that today. And we’re going to pray together here at the close of this message and invite you to come into the family of God and be a part of this great gift that Jesus has given us, that our Father God has given us.
David [00:33:34]:
Now, God’s gift is free. It says here in Romans 6:20, God’s gift is free. He gives eternal life. The word gift here in Romans 6:23 means this. It means favor, which one receives without any merit of their own, also known as divine grace, the economy of divine grace, by which the pardon of sin and eternal salvation is appointed to sinners in consideration of the merits of Christ, which we lay hold of by faith. In essence, it means this. We didn’t have to pay for it, earn it, or deserve it. God gave it freely.
David [00:34:27]:
It’s a free gift which we laid hold of by faith, by believing in Jesus Christ, Christ, our Lord and Savior. All we had to do was believe and receive. And that favor. The definition favor is Unmerited grace. Grace comes, or the definition of grace is unmerited favor. And so God extends to us. One scripture says God surrounds us with his favor, as with a shield. You’re surrounded with the favor of God right now, today, as with a shield.
David [00:35:14]:
Wow, wow, wow. It’s yours. So it says, he gives life eternal. That word life there means the absolute fullness of life which belongs to God. God’s life. This is a gift he’s given us. Eternal life is God’s life, and he’s given it to us. It’s what man had in the beginning, before the fall.
David [00:35:45]:
It’s a part of what Adam lost when he followed after Satan’s thoughts and ideas instead of staying true to what God had told him. The absolute fullness of life which belongs to God. And this is the life that Jesus said in John 10:10, he came to give us. And so in John 10:10, the Amplified classic, it says this. The thief Satan comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance to the full, till it overflows. Hallelujah. This life, this gift of God, this life that Jesus came to give us is an abundant life, a full life, an overflow, flowing life.
David [00:36:46]:
The other definition of life, here in Romans 6:23, is life, real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God and blessed. This is what God has given us. This is what he’s given you. He wants you to experience this life here and now. It’s a blessed life. And that word blessed there means the power to prosper, to increase and to excel. God has put that within you. The question is, are you walking in the fullness of the life God has for you? Receive his gift of life fully.
David [00:37:35]:
Walk in the fullness of it. Receive it, accept it again. You don’t have to earn it, you don’t have to deserve it. You don’t have to pay for it. The full price has already been paid. He gives life eternal. Now, this word eternal here in Romans 6:23, means without beginning and end. We talked about that just a moment ago.
David [00:38:01]:
That which always has been and always will be. It’s God’s life. It always has been and it always will be. He gave his life from within himself as a gift to you. As it says in Genesis, he breathed life into man, into Adam. We are here today breathing and living because he breathed life into us. It is life never to cease, everlasting, immeasurable. If you’ve accepted Christ as your Savior, you have Received life eternal, a life that can’t be measured.
David [00:38:46]:
An infinite life. You’re experiencing eternal life right now. In fact, instead of the miseries of hell, you have the blessing of God’s real and genuine life within you right now. Let’s look at what Romans 6:23 from the passion translation says. I love this for sin’s meager wages is death. But God’s lavish gift is life eternal, found in union with our Lord Jesus the Anointed One. That word lavish there in Romans 6:23 means to expend or bestow with profusion. Unrestrained.
David [00:39:36]:
God is not holding anything back from us. He is freely giving you life to the full till it overflows. Overflowing life is yours. That’s a part of the gift that he gave when he gave His Son Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The greatest gift of mankind is God’s life without end. It is a gift that keeps on giving.
David [00:40:12]:
It’s not just a one time gift. Every day you get to experience it again. I want to close by going back to the verse we began with John 3:16 and I’m reading from the Amplified Classic version. So John 3:16. The Amplified classic says this For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that he even gave up his only begotten unique Son. So that whoever believes in trusts, in clings, who relies on him shall not perish or come to destruction or be lost, but have eternal everlasting life. God gave this gift. He gave it for you and he wants you to accept him and receive him today and walk in the fullness of this blessed life.
David [00:41:15]:
Friend, I cannot find words to express fully what I know and feel about this. But I guarantee you this truly is a life is super abundantly far over and above anything you can dare ask or think. And it says there in Ephesians 3:20 of infinitely beyond your highest prayers, hopes, thoughts, dreams, beyond it all. That’s the life God came to give us through Jesus Christ. I want us to bow our heads right now in prayer and I want you to pray this with me. Just repeat this after me. Father God, I come to you today and I confess that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I believe that he came and gave his life for me.
David [00:42:26]:
He died for me and was resurrected to live eternally that I might also experience and receive the gift of eternal life. Father, thank you for forgiving me of all my sin and loving me so deeply that you gave me this life also. I received Jesus as my Lord and my Savior. And I will live for him all the days of my life. Amen. If you said that prayer with me, you just were saved. You’re part of the family of God, and you’ve received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Praise God.
David [00:43:19]:
You’ve received the greatest gift ever given to mankind. Hallelujah. So Merry Christmas to everyone. You’ve been given the greatest gift forever. Go out and celebrate during this season and let people know how much God loves them and how much you love them also. God bless you. Pastor Conia’s coming with a closing word and prayer. Have a blessed weekend.
