Christmas: The Gift of Salvation

Daisy Dessy

(Talk given at CRU)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Getting gifts is pretty awesome. When we get that specific something we want, it makes us feel all giddy and special inside. Birthdays are one of the major noteworthy times when we may get gifts. One of my favorite birthday gifts is this music box with a mini snow globe and hourglass on top of it that my parents got me. I love this gift because it’s unique and personal; my parents know I like weird and unusual things. Since it’s getting super close to Christmas time, I assume that most of us have been thinking about what we will put on our wish list. But what gift is special enough to satisfy our souls completely?

What is the gift of Salvation and Christmas- There is that gift that satisfies our souls: Christmas! It’s the gift of salvation given to us by God’s undeserving grace and love through the sacrifice of Jesus, His very own Son. Now. I’m sure most of us have heard of John 3:16 at least once, but if you haven’t, here it is, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Jesus Christ came to this world as a baby in a manger and then lived a holy and blameless life of no sin. Then, He was murdered on the cross for sinners, taking on all the sins of the world at once. But the story miraculously doesn’t end there because God had been planning this since the beginning. Jesus rose from the dead three days later, thus paying the full debt of all sin and freeing us from the penalty of death that we could never atone for by our own strength.

All of this was done for the sole purpose of showing His everlasting love to each and every one of us in an incredible rescue mission for our souls. He gave us the gift of eternal life, which means that we get to know God and have a life connected and in companionship with Him forever, even after death.

God wants you to live life with Him. Max Lucado summarized it beautifully, “The Maker of the Stars would rather die for you than live without you.” Isn’t that wild? Isn’t that amazing? Ephesians 1:4 says, “God chose you before the foundation of the Earth.” This gift is the only thing that can satisfy our souls, as it’s what our souls were made for. Salvation is only possible by God’s endless grace that could never be earned by our works or deeds.

How the gift of Salvation has blessed me personally- I don’t remember who exactly in my life has said this, whether it’s my pastors or my parents, since I’m blessed to have God’s word poured into my life from all of them, but the statement, “Jesus is a Gentleman,” always echoes in my mind whenever I think about the gift He paid for us. He will never ever break down the doors to your life and force you to take the gift of salvation, but He does indeed knock on that door insistently to offer His gift to you every chance He gets since the only way He can be let in is by your own choice.

God has given us the power of choice, and whether or not you accept the gift is entirely up to you. He already paid the full painful price, which we could never truly comprehend, just for a chance to be in a relationship with you. This gift has no receipt so there’s no way to take back the marks on Jesus’s hands and feet for you. That is how much God loves us and that is why we celebrate Christmas.

The season reminds us of the greatest gift of all time in the form of a baby boy. We give gifts to each other to share the love and generosity we received from Heaven that fateful night. It is the reminder of when Emmanuel, literally meaning ‘God with Us’, came down from Heaven on a rescue mission to free us from our sins with selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love. Would you like to choose to accept the gift of Salvation from The One who loves you so much that He died for you?

Prayer- I’d like to pray with you. Say with me.

             Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that you are the Son of God and that because God loves me, He sent you to die for my sins. On the third day, you rose from death for my justification. I confess all my sins and repent. I ask that you forgive all my sins and wash me with your blood. I receive you as my Lord and Savior from today. Let your Holy Spirit dwell in me and help me to follow and obey you all the days of my life. Thank you, Lord, in Jesus Name.

By: Martha Olawale’s daughter