The First Christmas Gift Was Free

The first Christmas gift was given over a couple of thousand years ago. It is still being given today.

How much does it cost? It is absolutely free.

It is suitable for adults and children. The old and the young. Men and women. Boys and girls. Everyone needs it all over the world. What in the world is this gift? Where do you get it from? How can you get it? How soon can you have it?

All you have to do is want it very badly. Then, just ask for it. Really.

OK. Here’s the facts.

God gave the first gift to all humanity when He sent His son to be born as Baby Jesus. Jesus came to this earth with only one purpose. He would die for all of us and our sins when He became a man. There was absolutly no other way for humanity to be saved.

Can you imagine being guilty for horrible things and a stranger was willing to die in your place? Hard to believe, isn’t it? But that is exactly what Jesus did for you and for me.

What amazing love!

If there had been any other way for humanity to be saved from eternal death and punishment, God would have chosen it. There wasn no other possible way. It was absolutely necessary for Jesus to come and be a sacrifice for our sins.

You may have a difficult time believing this. At least read the scriptures below carefully before you turn away. This is not religion. Not a church. Just an invitation for you to receive the best gift you will ever get.

Jesus paid the price for you. It is free for you to accept. Period.

Luke 2:8-20 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,“Glory to God in highest heaven,and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.Yes……there were witnesses that Jesus had indeed been born. The shepherds saw and heard the angels declaring the birth of the Son of God…..the Messiah!They went to Bethlehem and found the baby Jesus exactly as the angels had said. He was there lying in the manger wrapped snugly in cloths. The shepherds saw with their own eyes that it was true! They were amazed and told everyone about the things they had seen.The Son of God had really come to earth as a baby!His name was Jesus. He would have many titles. Prince of Prince, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Savior of the World……..and Emmanuel.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Romans 3:10-12 No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.

Romans 3:23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard

.Romans 6:23 – For the wages (cost) of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.Jesus Christ paid the price for our sin!

Romans 5:8 – But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.We receive salvation and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ

.Romans 10:9-10 – If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.

I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU

Jesus has promised us that He will always be with us. The world has many problems. It is easy to fear. But…….don’t. Trust in Jesus.

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”…” Hebrews 13:5

“The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

do not worship graven images or idols

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, inflicting the punishment of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing favor to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Exodus 20:4-6

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let’s show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29

Jesus said this in John 14:6

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.“

While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that carried You, and the breasts at which You nursed!”  But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and follow it.” Luke 11:27

Parable of the Hidden treasure and the pearl

Matthew 13:44-46  “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls.  When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!”

Explanation of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

Jesus didn’t give us an explanation of these parables.  They are self explanatory.  The Kingdom of Heaven is more important to attain than anything else in the world.  The King (Jesus) is most precious of anything…..therefore His kingdom should mean everything to us!  The Pearl of great value is also Jesus.  We should be willing to give up everything to follow Him.

Luke 9:23 “Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”

Matthew 10:37  “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”

the parable of the unmerciful servant

Matthew 18:21-35  Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.ⁱ He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Parable of the Wheat and Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30   Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.

When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.“ The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’

“‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.

“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.  “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

Explanation of the Wheat and Weeds

Matthew 13:36-43  Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”

Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, the harvesters are the angels.

“Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.

And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!”

the farmer planting seed

Matthew 13:1-9   Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

“Listen!  A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them.

Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died.

Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

Seeds planted in good soil.

Seeds planted into poor soil.

Explanation of the Farmer Scattering Seed

Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, the harvesters are the angels.

“Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.

And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

Do not be deceived

Many people all over the world have been deceived through the ages. However, today deception is running rampant.

You must read the Bible scriptures faithfully, so you will know what is from God. There are many false voices out there declaring all sorts of lies. Be careful that you are not deceived!

Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.

The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.

“Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.

“So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Mane comes. Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.

“Immediately after the anguish of those days,

the sun will be darkened,

the moon will give no light,

the stars will fall from the sky,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.g

And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

John 3:16

Is God Angry?

It is a fearful thing to be in the hands of an angry God!

Yes…….God  can be angered.  His righteous fury can burn!

He is an all consuming fire.  Pity the person that deserves His anger! 

What man can stand against the wrath of a Holy God?

 

Make no mistake.  No one rebels against Him or mocks Him and goes away unscathed.  You may think there is no reprisal.  You are sadly mistaken!

God is not mocked!

What is rebellion against God?

Not believing that He exists.  Believing in false gods.  Not believing the Bible is truth and the word of God.  Not obeying God and His laws.

The One True Living God created the universe and everything that exists in it.  Everything in the world belongs to Him.  Not to you or me.  He is the Ruler and King.  Since the beginning of time, people haven’t liked that concept.  They want to do whatever they like.  People want to please themselves, not some “god”.  There is a problem with that thought process.  God is real and He will rule the universe whether you like it or not!

The Lord God has a desire to love.  That is His first thought.  He created mankind to love and have fellowship with Him.  He wants to be merciful and kind.  That is His nature.  God is ever patient and full of grace towards every one of us.  He does not want anyone to come under His wrath.  But just how much do you think He is willing to tolerate?

God sent His son, Jesus, to die for our sins.  What does that even mean?  Sinners must be punished.  The punishment for sin is death.  This is a very real truth whether you like it or not.  God ordained it to be so.  He is righteous and cannot live around sinners.  He wants to dwell with us for eternity.  That simply isn’t possible unless we have been made “innocent” again.

Jesus, the Son of God,  came from heaven to die in our place.  Each one of us.  He literally paid for our sins when He died on the cross.  (You can learn more about Jesus by clicking on all of this sentence).  Jesus did this to give us all a chance to be made “innocent” in God’s eyes.

The only hope of escaping God’s wrath is to believe in His Son Jesus and obey Him!

See what is written in the holy scriptures by John.  John was a disciple of Jesus and knew Him personally.  Jesus taught Him many things.  Listen to what John has written:

I John  Chapter 1:

We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.

Living in the Light

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

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I John  Chapter 2:

My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

A New Commandment

Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.

If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness. Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. But anyone who hates another brother or sister is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.

I am writing to you who are God’s children

because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.

I am writing to you who are mature in the faith

because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.

I am writing to you who are young in the faith

because you have won your battle with the evil one.

I have written to you who are God’s children

because you know the Father.

I have written to you who are mature in the faith

because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.

I have written to you who are young in the faith

because you are strong.

God’s word lives in your hearts,

and you have won your battle with the evil one.

Do Not Love This World

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

Warning about Antichrists

Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.

But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth. So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies. And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also

So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.

I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.

Living as Children of God

And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.

Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.

 

Here is another excerpt from the Scriptures:

Ephesians 5: 3-13

Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible.

You must accept this truth.  To deny this truth is to call God a liar!

Do you really want to infuriate the One True God?  Why not believe His words?

Stop rebelling!  Your future is at stake here.  Rebelling will incur God’s anger against you.  Here are more quotes from the Holy Scriptures about the future of rebels against God:

Romans 2:5-8

But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.

Matthew 10: 28

“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

 

Mark 9:42-48

“But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet.  And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.

The person that rebels against God

will spend all of eternity

(living forever) in hell. 

Do no rebel and incur God’s wrath!

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