A Christmas Message.. Taking Hold Of The Gift Of Christmas

Proverbs 4:¹³Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life

Children love to hold on to their favourite toy, particularly on Christmas Day, in a two year old's hands the favourite toy may be the most unremarkable, but if you try to tear that toy from their hands, you will invoke terrible cries and distress. It is the favourite toy, and they have laid hold of it. There is no giving it up.

CH Spurgeon said " Faith may well be described as laying hold upon divine instruction."  God has condescended to teach us and we should lay hold on it.   Today is the day where we are reminded that God has condescended to come to earth as our Saviour in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.   Here is teaching we must lay hold of.  To not lay hold of it, though it may seem the most unremarkable gift,  He is the MOST remarkable gift.  My job today is to show you a Saviour Who is the MOST REMAKABLE GIFT you can ever receive.  And He is laid out for us today.   Will you take hold of Him?

1.How are you to lay hold of this gift?

Acquire Him.

Proverbs 4:⁵ Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

Proverbs 4:⁷ "The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding.

John 1: 9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Keep Him 

Proverbs 4:⁴ Then he taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live;

Guard your heart about Him

Proverbs 4:¹³ Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life.

Proverbs 4:²³ Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

^{Mark 4: 3                And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? 14 "The sower sows the word.15 "These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. 16 "In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 "And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 "And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."}

This parable is about the heart of man.  The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart.  Have you laid hold of the Lord from the depth of your heart? Or is your religion just surface?  If its surface, you will drop out the back door. You will not be one who displays they have taken in the Word of God, the seed of the good news that has been sown.  Take hold of it deeply.  Let the gospel search the depths of your heart and change who you are right down deep.

2. Why Lay Hold on Him?

a. The End is Better

Proverbs 4:¹⁸ But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.¹⁹ The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.

b. The Journey is Better

c. He is Life to us.

John 6:60  many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" 68 Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 "We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God."

3. What Stops You Laying Hold of This Gift?

a. The World  

Its  Demands

Its Distractions

Its Difficulty.    Reading is not so easy, controlling our hearts is not so easy.

b. the flesh

c. the devil

4. Why Lay Hold On Jesus?

He will be your best friend.

He will be your greatest treasure

He will be your guide to life

Proverbs 4:¹² When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; And if you run, you will not stumble.

Romans 10 The Christmas Gift Of Salvation

Christmas is about giving and receiving gifts.

Christmas reminds us of the Greatest Gift God has given us.

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Saviour.

D A Carson put it this way "If God had perceived that our greatest need was economic, he would have sent an economist. If he had perceived that our greatest need was entertainment, he would have sent us a comedian or an artist. If God had perceived that our greatest need was political stability, he would have sent us a politician. If he had perceived that our greatest need was health, he would have sent us a doctor. But he perceived that our greatest need involved our sin, our alienation from him, our profound rebellion, our death; and he sent us a Savior.

1.     The Freeness of this Gift of Salvation

Romans 10:¹ Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.² For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. ³ For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. ⁴ For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

People stumble on this all the time.  They think they have to do something to earn this free gift from God.

They think they have to do something to repay this free gift from God.

God's Word reminds us that we are not the first to stumble over this.

Romans 9:³⁰                What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; ³¹ but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. ³² Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, ³³ just as it is written, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed."

God's Word reminds us that this was prophesied that people would stumble over it.

Don't stumble over this.  Accept Jesus as the free gift for your salvation.

John 1: 9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

2. The Nearness of this Gift of Salvation

Romans 10:5 For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. ⁶ But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down), ⁷ or 'Who will descend into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)." ⁸ But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,

Its Near Because Jesus has Already Come And Done All That Needed To Be Done.

Its Near Because He Comes To You Today and Says Believe It and Receive It.

Romans 10: ⁸ But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;¹⁰ for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. ¹¹For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed." ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; ¹³ for "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." ¹⁴ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!" ¹⁶ However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?" ¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Believe  What You Have Heard. Mix it with faith.  Trust What God said.

Confess Him As Your Saviour.. You needed a great Saviour.  You have a great need of a Saviour.  He is the Great Saviour for your need.

Its A Heart thing. He is no further away than your own heart.  You can receive Him and know Him.

Call on Him… He is as close as a call away. There were no phones in those days. If you wanted help the person better be nearby.  He is.  He is everywhere present. Psalm 139. He is all around us.  And He wants you to call on Him.

Anyone can call on Him.

You can call on Him right now.

3. The Richness of this Gift Of Salvation'

Romans 10:¹² abounding in riches for all who call on Him;

He is Rich in Forgiveness… and that Forgiveness can be yours now.

Everyone needs forgiveness.

He is Rich in Fortune… and that Fortune can be yours now.

He is Rich in Fellowship… and that Fellowship can be yours now.

1 John 1: ³     what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

He is Rich in Family… and that Family can be yours now.

1 John 3: ¹ See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ² Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.