Our Indescribable Gift Matthew 1:18-25; 2 Corinthians 9:15 Christmas a wonderful time of year to show love and appreciation for each other through the exchange of gifts. Have you ever received an exceptional gift?

2 Corinthians 9:15 [NIV] “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift God’s indescribable gift is salvation through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ! The criteria we use in finding that perfect gift reminds us about God’s indescribable gift to us as well.

1. A Practical Gift Practicality is an important criteria for gift giving. Consider the gift God has given us: Romans 5:15-16 [NIV] – “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! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.”

God’s gift of His Son brought the means by which you and I are justified Justified  declared righteous; forgiven Jesus was born that first Christmas for a purpose: Romans 6:23 [NIV] – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Are you looking for a practical gift this Christmas? Turn you life over to Jesus Christ and receive His gift of eternal life.

2. A Personal Gift A gift should be given much thought 2. A Personal Gift A gift should be given much thought. A gift should be personal. God’s gift to us was very personal. Jesus was called “Immanuel” – God with Us! God gave the gift of His Son because He wants to have a personal relationship with us through Jesus.

John 1: 12-13 [NIV] – “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” Romans 8: 15-16 [NIV] – “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

We can call God our “Daddy” We serve a personal God who knows us intimately. John 15: 14,15 [NIV] – “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants…Instead, I have called you friends.” Psalm 139: 1,2 [NIV] – “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.”

Are you willing to let God become a personal part of your life Are you willing to let God become a personal part of your life? Psalm 139: 23-24 [NIV] – “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Open your heart to let God show you the way of salvation through His Son.

3. A Permanent Gift God’s gift of forgiveness and salvation is permanent! Ephesians 1:13,14a [NIV] – “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance…”

God gives us His Spirit to “seal the deal” He is our guarantee – securing our inheritance – our place in heaven. 1 Peter 1: 3-4 [NIV] – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you…”

4. A Purchased Gift The final step in the process is to take out your wallet and pay for the gift. If you want a gift to be meaningful, it should cost you something. King David: 2 Samuel 24:24 [NIV] – “But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

God’s own indescribable gift to us cost us nothing, but it cost Him dearly John 3:16 [NIV] - “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.” 1 Corinthians 6: 19,20 [NIV] – “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

2 Corinthians 9:15 - “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift 2 Corinthians 9:15 - “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” Context of the passage: giving When we understand how costly the gift is that God gave to us, we should want to express our gratitude back to Him. Ephesians 5: 1,2 [NIV] – “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Be an imitator of God: Giving of ourselves back to God as living sacrifices. Are you grateful for the indescribable gift God has given you this Christmas? Let’s respond to His gift with thankful hearts continuing to strive to be committed disciples of Jesus as we look ahead to a new year of service to Him.