Forgetting Someone Important?

     In high school, I had an after-school job. I was thrilled! I had my own money to do my own shopping and Christmas was fast approaching. I bragged to Mom that I wouldn’t need her money because I was going to buy gifts that were actually from ME. It was a big deal—my first year with financial freedom to buy what I wanted for whoever I wanted!
     I bought gifts for my family and friends and Christmas Eve I sat down to wrap them. I couldn’t find the gift for my dad! I looked around and suddenly realized I had forgotten to buy him a gift. I checked my purse. All I had left was a dollar in change! Not good.
     I panicked.  I did the only thing I could. I jumped in my car, headed to Wal-Mart and frantically searched for the perfect gift--that would only cost a dollar. I was getting pretty worried. Finally, I found it—a roll of blue paper shop towels! 88 Cents. Perfect.

     My dad was always using mom’s kitchen dish cloths on messy garage jobs. Shop towels would be perfect. I knew it was not something he’d asked for, but I didn’t have a lot of options with only a dollar left.
     Now, I have a great dad, and Christmas morning, he really tried to look appreciative, but I knew that he was a little confused and disappointed. I’d bought Mom and my brother nicer gifts and I’d spent money on friends and other family. It was obvious I had forgotten about him.
     I tried to explain, but it didn’t matter how many times he reassured me that he liked it, that he knew I loved him, I was ashamed about the gift I had given.
     Here was my dad, who had given me everything I had, who loved me, who worked hard to provide for our family, who gave up his hobbies to spend time with me and my brother, and I had forgotten him. When I finally remembered, I only had a dollar left to buy his gift…and I wasn’t old enough for a credit card. =)
     I couldn’t help but be ashamed of that gift because I had given left overs, cheaply. I had not planned well, causing me to forget someone very important in my life. Although I’m sure my dad eventually used the shop towels, I found myself noticing them on the shelf in the garage, every time I walked by.
     Aren’t you glad that isn’t how God gave and gives to us!? When God gave His own Son, He planned it before the beginning of time. His gift was not a frantic fix-it solution to the problems of the world. 1 Peter 1:20 states that Jesus was “foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.” In the book of Acts, when Peter addressed the crowd that had gathered, marveling at the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit, he said Jesus was “delivered [up] by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God.”
     This was such a well-planned gift that like a loving father would perhaps hint to his children of a super special surprise awaiting them—not wanting them to miss it, but to recognize it—God spoke through the Old Testament prophets giving us hints about this gift. Jesus, the Messiah, fulfilled over three hundred Old Testament prophecies, three hundred hints.

     God’s gift was not cheap. It wasn’t His spare change that He gave, but His best. It wasn’t a mere possession He gave, but something—rather, Someone—far more valuable. 1 Peter 1:18-19 states,”… you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold…but with the precious blood of Christ…”

      The Gift of a Savior wasn’t a life-improvement gift. It wasn’t a like a roll of paper shop towels to simplify cleaning up messes, it was a far more effective gift. Because God knew our deepest need was not just help in life, our deepest need was freedom from sin and death. And so, He gave us another chance to have and enjoy eternal life. “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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

     Without Christ we were already condemned. We had failed to keep God’s righteous law. He wrote His laws in our hearts, gave us a conscience. Whether we grew up with The Ten Commandments or not, we realized that stealing was wrong when we were stolen from. We learned hatred was bad when we were hated. We discovered idolatry was rotten when a family member spent all their time and money on their addiction instead of their family.
     And because God is absolutely Holy, He couldn’t just overlook our sin and let us into His presence, into Heaven. Heaven wouldn’t be heaven if He had. So, the alternative to this gift, is a life of slavery to sin, no hope of freedom from guilt, no strength to overcome temptation, no power over death. And the final result, had God not sent His Son, would be our punishment in Hell.
     Now, “how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation…” Heb 2:3 To neglect means “to pay little or no attention to.” It’s very easy to neglect Christ and this gift of salvation at Christmas.
     We plan and spend and buy and make and borrow to give gifts to everyone in our lives. But, have you or are you neglecting Christ? Will it get down to Christmas day and you realize, the month of December has been spent and not on Christ. Will you get down to your last minute with family that don’t know Christ and realize you’ve only got one minute left to share Christ with them? What will you give Christ this Christmas?
     Will it be well-thought out? Will it be valuable? Will it be sacrificial (like His gift)? Or will it be the leftovers of your time, your money, your energy?
     I’m sure there were many days my dad felt more appreciated than that particular Christmas day. What are you doing and what will you do to show your appreciation to our Heavenly Father for His indescribable gift of a Savior...for His gifts of eternal life, freedom from the slavery of sin; and also righteousness, health, peace and joy in our hearts and homes?
     What will you give Christ? It’s not like you can wrap up a package of shop towels and hastily put it under the tree for Him on Christmas Eve…but will you spend the whole day running here and there and fall into bed exhausted, with no energy left to listen to Him, to read His letters to You (the Bible), to talk to Him (pray)?
     What will you give Christ? Will you purpose to keep your heart pure from the wickedness around you? Will you obey His laws that are given in Love to protect!?
     Will you give Him the most valuable gift of all? More valuable than your richest possession is your very life itself. Your soul. Will you give to Him as He has given to you?
     Don't neglect this great salvation we've been given! Let’s give Him our souls, our very lives, to do with as He pleases, to follow His commands, to love and honor Him in every aspect of our days.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We Preach Truth. The Holy Spirit Convicts.

There's something many Christians have forgotten. I even had to be reminded of it today in church.  

The Holy Spirit is in the world to convict of sin, righteousness and judgment.

When Peter preached to the crowd in Jerusalem on the day of Pentacost, he was filled with the Spirit—preaching the truth. He told them in no uncertain terms, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, WHOM YOU CRUCIFIED, both Lord and Christ." (Acts 2:36). He didn’t pussyfoot around the issue.

The response: “Now when they heard this, they were CUT TO THE HEART, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"” v.37 In other words, they were convicted. The Holy Spirit was speaking through Peter and they got convicted.

Their action: repentance.

A few chapters later, Stephen is on trial for his faith, and he preaches the truth. He was “filled with the Spirit” and preached to the Sanhedrin. In no uncertain terms he told them, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it." (Acts 7:51-53)

Their response: “When they heard these things they were CUT TO THE HEART, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.” V.54 In other words, they also got convicted. The Holy Spirit through Stephen took the word of God that is quick and powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword and CUT to the heart of the matter.

Their action: they gnashed their teeth, hauled Stephen out of town and stoned him.

Here’s the point of it all: Both men preached the truth. They both laid the blame where it truly belonged. One group of people responded humbly in repentance, the other responded in pride and refused to acknowledge the truth. In fact, in Stephen’s case, it says they actually “stopped their ears”.

Our job is to preach the message. How people respond to the message is between them and God. Just because we get a negative response, doesn’t mean we are preaching the wrong message! Again, just because we get a negative response, doesn't mean we are preaching the wrong message!

I think it was Wesley or Spurgeon who said to a young evangelist, “When you preach, people should either repent or get angry. If neither happens, you should not call yourself an evangelist.” Jesus said if they hated Him, they will hate us too.

We as Christians, have gotten very confused over all this. We think if people get mad at us, we must be doing something wrong. Must have said the wrong thing or at the wrong time. We MUST remember, that we do not compromise or silence the message to suit the sinner. We have let the devil guilt trip us into silence for far too long. We preach truth, the Holy Spirit convicts, and the sinner either repents or gets mad. It is not our fault if he plugs his ears, gnashes his teeth and refuses to heed the truth.

BTW, that was a great message today, Brandon!



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