December 21 2014 What Difference Does Christmas Make?

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES CHRISTMAS MAKE?

John 3:16 (LB)  "For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son..."

Because Jesus came at Christmas ...

1.  MY PAST CAN BE FORGIVEN

Romans 3:23-24 (LB)"All of us have sinned... yet now God declares us `not guilty' of offending him IF we trust in Jesus Christ who freely takes away our sins."

2 Corinthians 5:17 (Ph)"If anyone is in Christ, he becomes a new person altogether; the past is finished and gone, everything becomes fresh and new."

2.  MY PRESENT PROBLEMS CAN BE MANAGED

Philippians 4:13 (GN)"I have the strength to face all conditions by the power Christ gives me."

Romans 8:32 (Ph)"... God gave us his own son - can we not trust such a God to give us ... everything else that we need?"

3.  MY FUTURE CAN BE GUARANTEED

Hebrews 2:14-15 (GN) "... Jesus became like us ... (to) set free those who were slaves all their lives because of their fear of death."

Three Christmas Gifts to you from God

1. Ephesians 1:4-7 (GN)"Let us praise God for the FREE GIFT he gave us in his Son... we are set free, our sins are forgiven."  
2. John 14:27 (LB) (Jesus) "I am leaving you with a GIFT; peace of mind and heart... so don't be troubled or afraid."  
3. Romans 6:23 "... the GIFT of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."

Have you accepted these gifts?

December 22 2013 Experiencing God's Christmas Gift

Experiencing God's Christmas Gift

I John 5:20 – “the Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God, What A Gift! Jesus is both true God and real life.

John 10:10 – Jesus said, “My purpose in coming to earth is to give you life, life in all its fullness.”

1. You lose your loneliness.

Hebrews 13:5 – Jesus said, “I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.”

Isaiah 41:10 - Don’t worry, because I am with you. Don’t be afraid, because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you; I will support you.”

Psalm 4:8 – “I will lie down in peace and sleep, for though I am alone, O Lord, You will keep me safe.”

Psalm 16:11 – “Your presence fills me with joy.”

2. You get another chance.

I Corinthians 1:30 – Right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start, all come from God by way of Jesus Christ.

II Corinthians 5:17 – Anyone who belongs to Christ becomes a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything becomes new.

Colossians 2:13-14 – God makes you alive with Christ when He forgives all your failures and sins. He did this by erasing the charges that were brought against us by the laws God established. He took those charges away by nailing them to the cross.

3. You find your reason for living.

Ephesians 1:11 – It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ He had His eye on us, and designed us for glorious living.

Proverbs 16:4a – The Lord has made everything for His own purposes.

Colossians 3:11 – In this new life one’s nationality or race or education or social position is unimportant; such things mean nothing. Whether a person has Christ is what matters, and He is equally available to all.

I Peter 1:3-4 – Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven and the future starts now!

Romans 6:13 – Give yourselves completely to God, every part of you to be used for His good purposes.

4. You get His power and strength to go on.

II Timothy 2:1 – Find your source of strength in the Grace of Christ Jesus.

Isiah 43:2 – When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up.