Subject: The Gift of the Father
by Rick Welborne
John 3:16-18 (NKJV)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
--To say that we are spoiled here in the US is the understatement of the century…we have so much but we want so much more.
--I am often amazed at the genius of marketers who keep reeling us in with the latest and greatest products and we blindly follow as if we have no control.
--Just look at the idea of cell phones and how that has taken the world by storm…maybe you can’t pay your rent, or fix your car, or pay your other bills but you definitely have the latest cell phone in your hand.
--We are so addicted to them that we cannot put them down even when we are driving. That text has got to be responded to now…that email or tweet is so important that we risk our lives and everyone else around us.
--When I was a teen-ager a cell phone was the phone right outside your jail cell that you got to make that one so important phone call. Can’t make it to work because I am not feeling so well.
--I remember when the first car phones came out and they were humongous but how cool did a person look sitting at the red light talking on the phone…we bought our kids a fake phone. I took it with me on the road!
--When I would pull up by someone in my fancy Honda Civic at a light I would pull out the boy’s phone and pretend to be talking…I was cool. You could press buttons and it would say something important…what’s up!
--They get us now by making us feel like dirt if we do not have the latest, greatest smart phone out there…oh you only have the I-phone 6s…I just got the 7 and it will even wash my car…you have to have it. We want it!
--Today I hope we will take a deep breath and truly recognize what the greatest gifts are…let us look at the gift of the Father.
1. The gift of the Father is, of course, salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ His Son.
--I truly get so baffled when people go thru a tough time and they question the love of the Father…He did not just give us a good gift or even a great gift…He gave His very best.
John 3:16-18 (NKJV)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
--I hope you know you have a pastor who loves you very much but as much as I love you…I would not give any of my children for any of you. I would hope that I would be willing to lay down my life for you but my kids?
--I know some of you are thinking…it would be determined by what day it is and how our children are acting.
--The love of the Father is not based on feelings and emotions that can shift like the changing winds…His love is perfect and the gift of the Father is without compare.
1 John 3:1-3 (NIV)
1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
--Before you question the love of God consider a Father Who loves you so much that He would allow His Son to become flesh, come to earth, to be insulted, to be arrested without cause, to humiliate Him, to beat Him, and to nail Him to a cross, to mock Him as He was taking His last breath…
--My word for you who are going thru a tough time, don’t blame God or get bitter toward God, but embrace Him and trust Him that He will get you thru.
Romans 8:31-32 (NIV)
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
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?
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
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?
2. The gift of the Father is a gift we must share.
Luke 12:48 (NKJV)
48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
--The context of this verse is of a steward who has been given responsible to do what his master has told him to do…the more given to him the greater the responsibility.
--Stay with me, The Father has given us His greatest gift Jesus…now we have a responsibility to share this gift with others.
--Do you suppose that there are thousands of people out there who need to hear that God loved us so much that
He let His Son die and For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
--If you had an abusive father, an absentee father, maybe a father who did not walk the walk, you need a Father Who will never leave you or forsake you.
--Some struggle with the concept of a loving Father, but like in my case, when I heard that God the Father loved me so much He gave His greatest gift…His Son.
--Let me throw in here, fathers, please do not use the excuse for you not being a good father on how you were raised…My father would beat us, beat our mom, encourage us to sin, and would blaspheme God.
--God’s gift…the gift of the Father is so transforming that He can change you and help you to be the father He intended on you being.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (NLT)
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.
19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.
19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
--Listen to me…the gift of the Father was so great and so life changing that I wanted my father to have it to… He gave us the task of reconciling people, parents, prodigals to Him.
--When my father received Christ, oh my goodness, you talk about a new creation, a new life…Jesus is the gift that keeps on giving.
3. The gift of the Father or the IPhone7S.
--Let’s say you had a choice for Christmas this year…be closer to the Father than ever before or get an IPhone 7S…what would you choose?
--If I received the IPhone I would feel so powerful…If you have the gift of the Father…Omnipotent.
--If I received the IPhone I would have constant info at my bidding…If you have the gift of the Father…Omniscient.
--If I received the IPhone where I could go on my phone would be unlimited…If you had the gift of the Father…Omni-present.
--Let me suggest a couple of things for you this Christmas…first, be thankful for the gift of the Father, Jesus Christ, and secondly realize He is a gift worth sharing…
--How awesome would it be to lead someone to Christ this month and have them celebrate Christmas as a transformed person?
Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV)
19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
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