Daily Hope with Rick Warren - Wednesday, 25 December 2013 – The Hope of Christmas – “God's Gift to You”

Daily Hope with Rick Warren - Wednesday, 25 December 2013 – The Hope of Christmas – “God's Gift to You”

“There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one?who can bring us to God. Jesus was truly human, and he gave himself?to rescue all of us.” (1 Timothy 2:5 CEV)

Christmas is all about Good News. But it’s not the good news of special gifts. It’s not the good news of a big meal. It’s not even the good news of spending time with friends and family.

Christmas is about the Good News of God’s love.

The Bible says all of us are lost without God. We’re directionless. We’re without protection from God. Our potential eternal impact upon the world is unrealized. We’re without real joy. Our eternity in Heaven isn’t secure.

The Good News about Christmas is that God sent Jesus to seek and save the lost. The Bible says, “There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God. Jesus was truly human, and he gave himself to rescue all of us” (1 Timothy 2:5 CEV).

If you’ve ever spent time in church, you’ve likely heard the word “salvation” many times. But you may not know what the Bible means with the word. The word is like a diamond. You can look at it from many different angles.

Jesus came to rescue us. We can’t solve all of our problems on our own. Without Jesus we’re trapped in the expectations of others. We’re trapped in living for the approval of our peers. We’re trapped in addictions. We’ve tried to change over and over again, but we don’t have the needed power to escape. Jesus came to give us that power.

Jesus came to recover us. We all long to recover parts of our lives that have been lost. Without Christ, we long to recover our strength, our confidence, our reputations, our innocence, and our relationship with God. Only Jesus can do that.

Jesus came to reconnect us. Many people think that God will scold them if they come back to him. But God isn’t mad at you. He’s mad about you. Jesus came to Earth on the first Christmas to reconcile us to God, to give us harmony with him again.

Jesus came to Earth to give us the gift of himself. Too many of us celebrate his birthday without accepting this free gift of salvation. It goes unwrapped year after year after year. That’s not smart. You were made by God and for God. Until you understand that, life will never make sense.

This Christmas, open up the most important present you’ve been given: a new relationship with God through Jesus.

Talk It Over:

·        Which of the above facets of salvation has been the most important in your relationship with God? Why?

·        How can you “unwrap” God’s gift of Jesus this Christmas? In what ways can you tell others about this gift?

·        What can you do to better celebrate Jesus’ birthday?

-------

Saddleback Community Church

1 Saddleback Pkwy

Lake Forest, CA 92630 United States

-------