Jesus is God’s greatest gift. He sacrificed his Son for our salvation ensuring eternal life and every necessary blessing
These are only preliminary, unedited outlines and may differ from Andy’s final message.
I. Christmas a Time of Giving Gifts
A. Neiman Marcus
During the 1950’s, Neiman Marcus became known for its publicity coups. In 1959, in answer to press inquiries about unusual Christmas gifts, Stanley Marcus and his brother Edward brainstormed about an extraordinary gift for that year: a Black Angus steer, delivered on the hoof or in steaks, complete with a silver-plated cooker. The response was tremendous, and the “His and Her” gifts gained fame the following year with a pair of Beechcraft airplanes. Renowned journalist Edward R. Murrow (and his then-assistant, Walter Cronkite) soon made a point of calling Mr. Marcus directly each year thereafter to learn about the latest outrageous “His and Her” gift. A world-famous retailing phenomenon was born.
Over the years, Neiman Marcus has offered “His and Her” hot air balloons, Chinese junks, submarines, camels, Egyptian mummy cases, robots, windmills and other unusual, creative, but always functional, gifts.
Recently, I decided to Google “Outrageously expensive Christmas gifts” and was led to a website called “Montecarloliving.com”
· $200 million yacht (2007 Russian oil magnate gave this to his then-wife a super-yacht 531 feet long… almost two football fields in length, including two helicopters, a pool, a cinema, and countless other amenities)
· $1.1 million customized Tesla Model S, given by Elon Musk to his business partner, Larry Page; it included lavish futuristic technologies, an entertainment system, and luxurious interior
· A $60 million medieval French castle, given in 2011 by another Russian billionaire to his fiancée as part of his marriage proposal to her
· Jeff Bezos in 2020 gave his mother a $42 million private jet, a Boeing 767, again with all the latest technologies and luxurious interior
B. Few things are as memorable in the entire year to a young child: the sheer spectacle of Christmas morning with dozens of unwrapped gifts
C. Some Say the First Christmas Gifts: the Gifts Given by the Magi
Matthew 2:11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
D. 1906: William Sydney Porter published one of the most beloved short stories of all time… he used his pen name, O. Henry… and he wove a marvelous tale of a young married couple experiencing the pain of poverty in an urban flat; with almost no money, they each yearned to buy a Christmas gift for each other and were willing to make extreme sacrifices to do so; Stella, the wife, had luxurious long hair which she had cut and sold to a wigmaker to buy a silver watch fob for her husband Jim’s heirloom pocket watch; unbeknownst to her, he had sold his gold watch which he had inherited from his father and grandfather before him… he had sold it to buy her Christmas gift: a beautiful set of expensive combs for her long hair!! They now each had gifts which neither could use… but O. Henry’s point was that the real gift was the sacrificial love they had for each other:
E. He called the tale “The Gift of the Magi.” And the story ends with these words:
The magi, as you know, were wise men – wonderfully wise men – who brought gifts to the new-born King of the Jews in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. In a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as donors they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the Magi
F. Well… that’s a beautiful tale… but I do not believe the Magi invented the art of giving a Christmas present… no, that honor goes to God the Father Himself
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all– how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
II. Christ is a Gift
A. Many Verses Teach this Concept
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 4:10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
Romans 5:15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
B. The Clearest and Most Powerful: Romans 8:32
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all– how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
III. Christ is the Greatest Gift the Father Could Give
A. Context: Romans 8: the overwhelming gift of assurance of salvation
A. Paul’s Purpose in Romans 8
1. Opening statement: No Condemnation by God
2. Concluding statement: No Separation from God
B. Paul’s Method in Romans 8: step by step unfolding of the eternal purposes of God
1. Constant clarification
a. NOT for everyone
b. “those who are in Christ Jesus”
c. “those who walk not after the flesh but by the Spirit”
d. contrasting “mind of the flesh” vs. “mind of the Spirit”
2. Centrality of the Spirit (vss. 1-27) giving us assurance
a. “indwelling Spirit” the focus
b. Spirit ministers assurance
c. transforms our minds
d. works out lawful obedience in us step by step
e. testifies to our spirits that we are children of God
f. causes us to cry “Abba, Father”
g. empowers us to have hope even in the midst of trials
h. helps us when we pray
3. Now, Paul looks to the Father and the Son to complete His assurance
a. the work of the Father specifically in view in vss. 28-33
i) God the Father’s eternal purposes unveiled… they mystery of election and predestination
God the Father causing all things to work together for good for His elect children
God the Father foreknowing His elect children
God the Father predestining His elect children
God the Father calling His elect children
God the Father justifying His elect children
God the Father glorifying His elect children
B. The Good News of Christmas: God WITH US and God FOR US
Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.”
Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
C. It Also Speaks of God’s Constant Abiding Presence
Hebrews 13:5-6 God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” 6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
Isaiah 43:2-3 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
D. Christ is therefore the GREATEST GIFT that God could possibly have given us
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all– how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
God is saying: No blessing that will help you to glory will be withheld from you as long as I am your Father!!
A. Central Idea: Infinite Value of Christ to God
1. Nothing in all the universe is as precious to God as His Own Son
Matthew 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Matthew 17:5 …a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
2. A million universes not equal in value to his begotten Son
B. Shocking Decision: God Did Not Spare His Only Son
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all– how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Question: How many of you would give up one of your own children to death to save someone else? Would you sacrifice you own child if it meant you could save someone else? If so, would you do it for a total stranger? If so, would you do it for an enemy?
1. “Spare” means to say “Not him! My Son will not die!”
2. Spare means to withhold… to refuse to hand Him over
3. God DID NOT spare His own Son
C. Amazing Love: Delivered Up for Us All
1. “Delivered” means “handed over for judgment”
delivered to his enemies
delivered to humiliation
delivered to scourging
delivered to torment
delivered to shame
delivered to darkness
delivered to Satan’s power
delivered to the cross
delivered to death
God did not spare any punishment from Jesus… He gave His own Son the full cup of wrath to drink on the cross, and He drank it to the bottom
2. Amazing question: WHO DELIVERED JESUS TO THIS??
a. Was it Judas, the betrayer? YES!
b. was it the Jewish leaders: scribes, Pharisees, elders, chief priests? YES!
c. was it the Jewish people themselves? YES!
d. was it Pilate, the Roman governor? YES!
All these human actors, however, were merely acting out God’s predestined plan
Acts 2:23 This man [Jesus of Nazareth] was delivered over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
So our verse makes it abundantly clear: God planned to deliver over His own Son to death before the foundation of the world… it was really GOD the FATHER who delivered Jesus up for death
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer
3. For whom was He delivered over? FOR US ALL
men and women, boys and girls, from every tribe, language, people and nation
All of us deserved the wrath and curse of God’s Judgment… God delivered His own Son in our place
D. Logical Conclusion: All Lesser Blessings Will Not Be Withheld
vs. 32 “… how will he not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”
1. Argument from greater to lesser
2 The greatest gift has already been given… nothing else is worth as much
3. Why in the world would God say, “You can have my Son, but you can’t have spiritual protection though this world?” “You can have my Son, but you can’t have my forgiveness?” “You can have my Son, but you can’t have food and shelter and provision enough to do my work in this world”? You can have my Son, but I won’t give you a place in heaven”?
E. BUT Not Every Material Blessing
1. Anxiety banished forever
2. If anything is withheld, its not form lack of love or lack of power
3. Its simply from God’s wisdom in perfecting His church
Painful trials and sweet blessings will still be mixed together in a wise potion, suitable for God’s ultimate purpose… the salvation of His entire people
IV. Conclusion
A. Praise God for His Lavish Generosity in Giving Us Christ
B. Realize that God is Both WITH Us and FOR Us
C. Understand that the Greatest Possible Gift Has Already Been Given… All Lesser Blessings Will Surely Follow
D. Prepare for the Lord’s Supper
