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The Gift of Life
The Gifts of Christmas Message Series
December 9, 2012
Welcome to the 2nd week of our Christmas series called “The Gifts of Christmas.” In
this series we are looking at some of the gifts that God desires to give to us. These
aren’t just Christmas presents they are game-changing, life altering gifts that bless
our lives 24/7/365 days of the year.
You might remember that last week Pastor Ben talked about forgiveness. I thought
he did an excellent job. It was as good as anything I’ve read on the subject. If you
haven’t heard it yet I encourage you to go to the Indian Creek Web Site and listen.
To prepare our hearts for today’s message I want us to listen to one of my favorite
Christmas songs.
We Use the Arts to touch the Soul
At Christmas time, there is something powerful about imagining and celebrating the
birth of Christ. It is even more meaningful when we understand that this is not just a
baby, this is the One who was sent to bring LIFE to the world. And when we put that
to music it has a way of stirring our souls at a deep level.
Listen as our team is sings, What Child is This? Listen to the words and feel the
power in understanding that this isn’t just about baby Jesus, He is also the King of
Kings and Lord of Lords.
What Child is This?
I am thankful for people who have more musical talent in their pinky than I do in my
whole body!
I love the title to that song, What Child is this? It is a great question. Jesus started out
as a child but he certainly is not an ordinary child. In fact, unfortunately, in some
ways, focusing on just the child Jesus, the baby Jesus, may do Him a disservice. Jesus
isn't just the dear 6 lb 8 oz Baby Jesus! There’s so much more to God than you can
see in a baby! And so, rather than focusing on the size of the Baby, what I want to do
is focus on WHO the Baby really is.
What Child is this? He is the One who gives all humanity the gift of life
The Gift of Life
Our key verse for today, as we unwrap the gift of life, is John 10:10
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The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. Jesus says, My purpose is to give
them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10
There are two kinds of life I want to talk about today—the life without Jesus and
the life with Jesus. There is always a TENSION around which one we will choose
and we are going to press into that tension today to discover true life.
The Thief
Jesus says there is a thief out there. His purpose is to steal, to kill and to destroy.
The problem with this thief is that he poses as the provider of that which will bring
you happiness. He is a poser. He is an impostor. But in this case he succeeds by
telling us things we want to hear.
Your Way
The thief wants you to believe that real life is found by having YOUR way—by
having control over your own life. The basic lie is that YOU know better than God
what will bring you a satisfying life.
His invitation, or temptation you might call it, goes like this:
You can go where you want to go
You can do what you want to do
You can say what you want to say
You can spend your time however you want
You can cop whatever attitude you like
No one should be able to tell you what to do
YOU should be in control of your life
Who decides what relationships are good for you—you do?
How far do you go? As far as you want baby!
If it feels good, do it.
How do you spend your money, however you want! You earned it. No one should tell
you what to do with your money.
What do you put into your body? Whatever makes you feel good?
This is the thief’s version of life.
If you buy this “life” what happens? --The very things you want most will disappear
like your breath in the air on a cold winter’s day.
Jovan Belcher
Show pic here
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I’m sure you were shocked, like I was, to hear about the murder and suicide of
Kasandra Perkins and Jovan Belcher last week.
Jovan had it all as far as the world could tell. He was 25 years old and he had it going
on. His body was cut, he was built, he was young, he was strong. He started at
middle linebacker for the KC Chiefs. He made millions of dollars. He drove a Bentley.
He had the adulation of thousands of fans in Kansas City. He could have whatever he
wanted—at least that’s what the thief said.
He had a on and off but serious relationship with a beautiful woman, Kasandra
Perkins, who was described by many as “kind and caring.” She led some of the
Chiefs’ efforts in reaching out to the community. They had a three month old
daughter together named Zoey who is now an orphan.
The thief told Jovan that he could do what he wanted and what he wanted to do was
live with Kasandra without marrying her. He had a child with her for which he didn’t
take responsibility. He drank when he wanted to drink and friends said he had a reoccuring problem with alcohol.
On the night before the tragedy he was out in the Power and Light District partying
with another woman. He went to her home to meet her there but she wasn’t home
so he fell asleep outside the apartment in his Bentley with his headlight’s on. The
police were called and he said he was waiting for his “girlfriend” to come home. A
friend of that girl came to the door and let him in where he slept on the couch until
about 7 a.m.
He went home and confronted Kasandra who had gone to a concert that night and
stayed out drinking with friends until about 1 a.m. They argued and the argument
turned ugly. Jovan pulled a gun and shot Perkins 9 times. Then he kissed her on the
cheek and told her he was sorry. He kissed his baby girl goodbye and drove to the
Chiefs’ practice facility where he fatally shot himself in front of General Manager,
Scott Pioli, Defensive Coach Gary Gibbs and the Head Coach, Romeo Crennel.
This is a tragic story of murder and suicide and I’m sure that you’ve heard about it
often in the last week. I share it today because it illustrates that the lies of the thief
DON’T lead to life.
He is as Jesus said, a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy.
If you listen to the thief this is where he wants to lead you. He will attempt to take
you down. He doesn’t always do it all at once.
Sometimes he just takes us far enough for us to live in our deception. No use to play
all the cards in his hand at the same time.
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Some couples just live in domestic violence. Statistics say that one in four women in
the U.S. are victims of domestic violence. There are 9,000 recorded acts of domestic
violence daily and those are just the ones that are reported. Every day 3 persons die,
on average, because of domestic violence. We just heard about Kasandra’s story
because a KC Chief was involved.
I ask you, can you really do whatever you want?
Can you really say whatever you want to say?
Do you have the right to cop an attitude anytime you want?
There are over 13M single parents in the U.S. Last year 50% of all births in the U.S.
last year were to single mothers.
Did you know that single mothers are the new face of poverty in the U.S.?
Homelessness is doubling annually in Johnson County. The face of homelessness is
no longer that of a middle aged man out of work. It is a single mom with one or two
children.
Can you really sleep with anyone you want?
Can you put just anything in your body? There are 17.6 M alcoholics in the U.S. Most
of them say they can stop anytime they want. They just don’t want to. Or maybe the
truth is they can’t and they know it but they won’t admit it.
Did you know that alcohol or substance abuse is a factor in 92% of the reported acts
of domestic violence? These acts include murder, physical and sexual abuse.
The thief says:
You can go where you want to go
You can do what you want to do
You can say what you want to say
You can spend your time however you want
You can cop whatever attitude you like
No one should be able to tell you what to do
YOU can be in control of your life
Who decides what relationships are good for you—you do?
How far do you go? As far as you want baby!
If it feels good, do it.
How do you spend your money, however you want! You earned it. No one should tell
you what to do with your money.
What do you put into your body? Whatever makes you feel good?
Those are chilling words, aren’t they, in light of the story you just heard.
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The Thief or Jesus
Jesus said, the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. Who will you believe?
Your life and the quality of it depends on who you believe—the thief or Jesus.
You can’t have it both ways. If you say, I can decide case by case what I will do. I
know my limits. I know social boundaries. I can control myself—who are you
listening to? You are listening to the thief. I bet Jovan Belcher would have said all
those same things.
I want you to remember what I say next forever—Don’t ever trust a thief with
anything in your life. Don’t listen to the enemy as Jesus called him. Ever! Look where
it got Adam and Eve!
When he starts talking and tempting--tell yourself, there is no good reason to listen to
a thief even if he is telling you things you want to hear.
He is Loser
He rebelled against God and he wants you to do the same thing. He is a loser and he
is bound for an eternity in hell and he wants to take you down with him, not because
he cares about you but to hurt the heart of God. He doesn’t care about you at all. You
are nothing to him.
I’m taking a long time with this today because we all are human and we want to be
in control.
We want to decide how to use our time, our life, our money and our energies but the
scriptures tell us this—our selfish searches lead to death.
There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs
14:12 NIV
We are all tempted regularly. Some of us are in the middle of temptation now.
 You are tempted sexually, perhaps with pornography, or maybe it is a
relationship outside of marriage. Don’t listen to the thief. He will steal
intimacy and longevity from your most important relationships.
 You are tempted to think you can manage your money in the way that
you want to. The scriptures tell you that it all comes from God and in truth it
is still His even though it is in your bank account. God asks for you to return a
tenth of it to teach you to trust Him but you don’t take Him seriously. You
listen to a thief who is telling you how to manage your money. How do you
think this one turns out? Don’t trust a thief with your money.
 Some of us bend the truth when it suits our purposes. It is called deception.
 It is increasingly common in America to steal from our employer
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Drugs, alcohol and weed are increasing problems in Johnson County. You
only have one body, you need to take care of it.
Are you listening to the thief? In any way? Stop it now before it is too late.
Jesus says, You want life, true life? You want a life that is rich and satisfying? I want
to give that to you.
I have come that you might have a rich and satisfying life. Jesus in John 10:10
You could ask, Why should I listen to Jesus?
Jesus
He created you.
He created the world for you to enjoy this side of heaven.
He came to the world He created to reveal the Father to us—He didn’t have to!
He died for you. He bore your sins and my sins, the sins of the world on the cross.
He created heaven for you to live in eternally if you will believe and receive Him.
Who should you listen to? A thief or the one who loves you so much He gave up His
life to save you?
This One who came to your rescue, is not just a Good Samaritan. He is the King of all
Kings. He is very Son of God. He is the world’s creator. He is Eternal but He subjected
Himself to life inside a human body—even a baby’s body so He could say to us, I
know what you are going through. I understand.
So we can now go boldly into the throne room of God and ask for what we want
because we have a Great High Priest who understands.
Who should you trust? Who should you follow? Who do you think has the words of
life?
This is what Jesus said about His mission in Isaiah 61:1-3
the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.[a]
2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the LORD’s favor has come,[b]
and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
3 To all who mourn in Israel,[c]
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
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festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the LORD has planted for his own glory.
Isaiah 61:1-3
Do you see a pattern here? Jesus wants something FOR you. He is offering
redemption for the pain and disappointments of life. He is offering to trade your
brokenness for wholeness. This is the gift of life He is offering.
Beauty for ashes
Joy for your sorrow
Praise instead of despair
I don’t want to just tell you about it, I want you to hear another story, this is a story
about a person, Bethany Hamilton, who needed redemption and healing. She found
it in Jesus. He gave her beauty for ashes, joy for sorrow and praise instead of
despair. Her whole desire now, even after tragedy is to give glory to God.
Bethany Hamilton: http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/bethany-hamilton/
Who else but Jesus could have walked with her from tragedy to triumph? He didn’t
just promise redemption. He delivered. This is the gift of life. This is the gift Jesus is
offering you at Christmas and every other day of your life.
This is a gift that keeps on giving. It is the key to the doorway of heaven, an eternal
world of good where there are whole bodies, justice for the things gone wrong in
this life, no more weeping, sorrow, or dying. No more devil. No more death.
What child is this?
He is God incarnate.
He is Love come to earth.
He is Savior, Redeemer and Friend
He is the first to rise from the Dead
He is the resurrection and the LIFE.
He is the one to trust in everything. He is the one to listen to. He is the lover of your
soul and the One who died so you could live.
Let’s Bow in Prayer
He is speaking to you now, inviting you to come close. He’s offering a trade. You give
up your sin. Give it all to Him. All of it. Now. Don’t hold on to any of it.
Ask Him to forgive you. Ask Him to cleanse you. Ask Him to make you a new creation
inside and out.
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Invite Him to lead your life. Tell Him you want to live in truth. You want to discover
His best for your life.
With every head still bowed…
Your Wedding Ring
If you are married, let me use your wedding ring as an example of what Jesus wants
to do for you and what He wants you to do for Him. If you aren’t married you will
still get this illustration and here is the good part. Jesus is offering you something
that you don’t have to wait until marriage to have.
I don’t know your story but every married person has a unique story around their
ring but I’m going to guess, you didn’t buy your own ring. Your spouse bought it
for you. It didn’t cost you anything.
But on the other hand it cost you everything. Because with that gift of the ring came
the gift of life. You gave up your single life for a married life. Once you are married
your life is not your own. You received a ring but you received much more you
received the gift of life from your spouse. It didn’t cost you for the ring but with it
came a lifetime commitment to relationship.
Jesus offers you forgiveness and it doesn’t cost you anything. It cost Him
everything. But what He wants is relationship with you. He died so you could live—
with Him both now and forever. He wants you to give up your selfish life to join Him
in what is true life. When you commit to it He wants you all in.
He didn’t go halfway and he doesn’t want a part-time relationship. He wants
you completely committed to life with Him. He wants you to trust Him, to listen to
Him, to follow Him and to do the rest of your life with Him. He gave His life for you
and He wants you to give your life for His.
THIS is life, life that is full and life that is satisfying! This is one of the gifts under the
tree for you this Christmas. Will you receive it?
Let’s everyone pray out loud together what is sometimes called the Sinner’s Prayer.
Don’t pray it of course if you don’t mean it but if you do pray it boldly with deep
confidence and conviction. It will be up on the screen behind me. Please repeat this
after me a phrase at a time if it expresses the desire of your heart. And if you’ve
prayed it before it doesn’t hurt to affirm it again. Let’s pray together.
The Sinner’s Prayer
Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me.
Cleanse me from my selfishness and sin. Lead my life and help me become the person
you want me to be. I choose to follow You. Make me more like you. Amen.
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If there is someone here who prayed this prayer for the first time today please come
up to me or to Pastor Ben after the service and tell us. We want to congratulate you
and give you a free gift that will help you grow as a follower of Jesus.
Communion
Isaiah, the prophet, put it this way, The people walking in darkness of seen a great
light. Upon those who live in the land of the shadow a light has dawned.