The Best Gift Ever (cont'd)

Looking for people about what people say that is not sure what that your spouse as you know, you desperately need what I have and you're willing to let me bless you, by grace. Merry Christmas. Would you like some good news today.

Jesus came to save us, not because of our goodness. But in spite of our badness LOL thanks for spending part of this very special day with us here on testing for victory in Romans 623.

The apostle Paul says the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life is what salvation is a gift, one based on mercy, not merit unwillingness not well today. Pastor Paul Shepherd delivers a special Christmas Day message of the greatest gift the world is ever seen the salvation of Jesus Christ. It's a free gift and eternal gift that is available to anyone who asked.

So now here's Pastor Paul. Today's destined for victory message. The best gift ever.

Jesus was willing to give his life father loved you and me so much that he was willing to give his son. Now why is it that Jesus can save us when no one else could. Glad you asked. It's because the Savior had to be sent and had to be willing to become sin in exchange for our sins. You know what happened on the cross. You could call it the great exchange on the cross bus God man Jesus Christ. He knew no sin became sin for us so that we could become the righteousness of God in him. If you ever read about Jesus on the cross. One of the things you notice that he says is my God, my God, why have you forsaken me never before had Jesus know what it is the be separated from God the father, but because he loved you so much.

He said I tell you what I think all your sin upon myself, and I'll become the sin sacrifice and then in doing that. I'm going to put all of my righteousness on you in that marvelous that a perfect God came down to earth, lived a sinless life, and then on the cross. He took all of your sins and mine upon himself so that we would be free to serve him and have a real relationship with him. One of my favorite movies of all time is a movie called 7 pounds and when that movie came out years ago. It started Will Smith. The movie was about this character played by Smith, who was created through his negligent driving and horrific accident. He's in the car with his girlfriend and he's their plan around. She said what you put the phone down and were going to some social event some special event but he still County work load had and so that laughingly talking about him driving and texting which is something you should never do that.

Let me throw that in right now and so the fact of the matter is with his negligent driving. He creates an accident that was so horrific that seven people died in this accident, one of which was his girlfriend's fiancé who was in the car with him and so she got six other people in that accident were killed because of Will Smith characters, poor decision-making and negligent driving and there he is alive and so you don't know this to you get all the way through the movie as well put together the beginning you see signs you see every noun in flashes of what happened, but you can't put the whole story together until you get through it what you see most of the movie is this man finding seven people that he wants to give an extraordinary gift to as the movie develops you find out that the gift requires him to sacrifice things about himself. He gives away parts of his body that he can give away and still be alive and then at the end of the movie as it moves toward a climax. You see that he has been a setting things up so eventually he is going to literally give his life and in giving his life. He is going to give the remaining gifts that he could live while staying alive and those are going to be donations after his death, and he looks through the movies looking for seven people to bless.

Now here's why I love the movie because you find out at the end that he's a tortured soul. He's lived the rest of his life just tortured with the guilt of having taken seven people's lives and he wants to atone for it and you find out at the end that he was looking for seven people to give seven very precious extraordinary gifts to but here's the problem he was looking for people that he thought were worthy of the gift. Now I understand it, it's contacts you see that this character is looking for people who he considers worthy. Here's the problem.

At a certain point, it dawned on me as I sat in the theater.

I almost blurted it out. I didn't but I could have said all this is the antithesis of the gospel. This is the exact opposite of the gospel. You know what I mean by that was a tortured man tortured by guilt, trying to find seven people to give an extraordinary gift to the gospel. Jesus then called the people Jesus came looking for people you people say that you spent so soon as you know, you really need what you're willing to meet you. I grace. Grace means you could try and God gave you the most expensive gift he could do in giving us his son. It was an essential gift. It was an expensive gift. Number three.

He gave an eternal gift he gave an eternal gift. What does the Bible say here in the text, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have lasting life everlasting eternal. I'm so glad he gave me a gift that does have a expiration date on your salvation.

And no wonder these days. Glad to know that you're not going to well it was good for as long as it lasted, but it expired now, so I'm back to my sins know by the grace of God. Grace will sustain me throughout eternity, you who are in Christ, can live with the absolute assurance that one of these days when we leave this and trust me when I tell you we all check it out here. The reason why you're doing the right thing.

Listen to the word of God. Reason why you're right. Got to go to church. The reason why you're right to invest in eternal things is because all of us all way into an eternity going into our Christ for all eternity, or you going into a Chrysler S eternity, but all of us are eternal beings. Your spirit will be a million years from now the question is how you go spend eternity.

What we have to worry about it.

In Christ because he gave us a gap that is eternal and will for all eternity. So glad to know that I'm saying now in a million years on the be safe in the presence of God and the reason will be the same because of Christmas and the ability to carry me all the way through eternity will be right back with more of today's destined for victory message from Pastor Paul Sheppard with senior pastor destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California listen to the broadcast on demand@pastorpaul.net that's Pastor Paul.net. We also find a host of great resources online store. Pastor Paul joining the studio after today's message to stay right here but first let's join him for the rest of his message.

The best gift ever so excited about the then when the house is this all you got house not made with heaven\Jesus that you got got here you just too crazy, we'd all be set by grace through we will sing a song, a dangerous casing. We cannot think of the gay thing about being redeemed.

They were created to glorify God as all they do is glorify God and do his bidding.

But when we get that we will be the first there jacked up and then because of the week.leave from the Lord. We have his life going on inside of us.

So it's eternal gift that outlasts your sin. The Bible says the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life. I'm not going to die physically, we're going to die in these bodies, but be technical when I go diet all because of Jesus, the day that you hear Pastor Paul goal. Don't believe it when I'm gone from this existence. I will be talking about but I'm very much alive.

That moment, to be absent from the body is the be present with the Lord when his life is here Lord is risen and craziness going on. You go to the mall and folks shoot no place like they got no sense.

This is by sin, but God that when you die, you belong to the Lord and one day when you check out here because you won't leave well enough to cry when you go you should be working on that now. Make sure you doing right by people and blessing people and helping people ministering the falcon and Lee some good insurance for you love lawns and all that you will do some stuff that will make you cry when you go don't do so today. So we gone your good enough for working hard so that you actually miss me is practically part of our new members orientation when the pastor goes useful. The fallout, I will be around to see if I just I just want to die knowing things go.

Have they just will stretch up I want. I just want to call Madeleine ongoing knowledge of the all well know*that day.

You can get yourself together. You be sitting up at the restaurant crying anyway so you going to just believe: and so I want you to fall out pass all the way out when they do put stuff on the nose again is my fantasy only me alone, but I'm glad to know some glad morning when this life is. I'm going fly away from here. We will be more in my body than we are right now because in this body you start feeling that this one, but built to last for ever know in my generation. You all know we start to have stuff happening you say or whether pain come from :-) although I never felt that never felt that Cook UK make some moves like you used to make something I'll get no like me, you gotta make a some years you just wake up the bed all you say wait a minute hold loan to sentence twisting you somewhere you can use your body telling you you're not in this one to stay.

This house was made for eternity but we got another one coming because of the goodness of our God is eternal gift one more thing I'm done.

Number four. Not only is the central gift not only expensive metal eternal but number four. It's an exciting know what I mean by that Jesus said in John 1010 comes to to destroy. I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.

You have eternal life in Christ.

But before we leave. Useful to have abundant life right now you life in Christ right now I don't get these sour saints to be a sour say to be somebody who can enjoy your life. So that's why you wait heaven because you can't stand life here is not supposed to be useful to just look forward to the upgrade, but God will allow heaven to invade some of your life here and now.

That's what we don't believe in God for healing believe in God to give us jobs and and get us through tough times asking God to send me a little heaven get me through this crunch I'm going through invade my life with the supernatural people believe in the supernatural. I believe that a supernatural God will bless me above and beyond that which is normal walk with him. He will in my experience with his heavenly true and so you enjoy your life. He said just like to the full life abundantly. Some Christians when a creature you can tell they don't have any joy because Jesus said he was leaving. Read John chapter 14, 15 and 16. He says a lot of things is he preparing to depart. One of the things he says to his disciples as people leave us peace, his peace and his joy. Now the master question. If Jesus left you and me his peace and his joy while we walk in and decided not going to have any unclaimed blessing me peace and joy. He said I say these things to you that your joy may be full of wonderful joy will be one of these Christians walk around the Lord. Praise the Lord sounded mean small to be excited to be happy to have a peace that passes understanding. Sometimes we all understand and know how to get through this without losing my mind. So God's can lead you through a bereavement goal season. You will all know something with God, making it by the grace of God be by now how do you know you are comfortable all you walk by yourself and give you some efficient grace to get you through what you got to go through because what we got on that first Christmas was an exciting gift. I'm excited about Jesus. I'm excited about salvation. I will not be one of these these saints who is a secret agency, tell everybody know Jesus you will change you will will every day of his life.

Jesus related down to serve us in on the last day of his life. He laid it to save us. Blessed be his holy name Pastor Paul Joyce. We know from a studio in California to share special Christmas message with all of us pastor.

I think Christmas at some level has become much more than just a celebration. The Savior's birth. So many distractions. How do you and your family keep the focus of Christmas in Christ. Well I think when I can truthfully say that keeping focused on Christ has never been a challenge in here is why. Because I grew up in a home and so did my wife where Christ was the reason for the season.

Yes, there was giftgiving. Yes were good times to be had and enjoyed. But Christ was always at the center. Now when we have our two children as they were growing up. We enjoyed sharing with them the fairytales you know 'twas the night before Christmas and the rain yelled, and of course Anna, but we made sure that our kids like we as children always knew that this season is about Jesus and we kept him from front and center. And even now in our 60s. My wife and I are seasoned citizens. I don't want to use that word senior hey I like knowing that possibly can.

But where are seasoned citizens in our 60s and in these days we don't give gifts to each other.

We give each other cards and and all of that, but we decided some time back what we rather do is give what we would spend on each other. We want to take that money and invested in the lives of families in need, or individuals in our sphere of influence.

We do that every year and we bless a few folks and there always just amazed by that but we find it just as fulfilling as receiving. In fact, a lot of ways it's more it's kind of what Jesus said it's more blessed to give than to receive.

You can imagine that when you're a kid but once you get your realize that it really is true.

We do we really do. I find that it's not so much keeping her focus on crisis a challenge. It's all the activities that get in the way all the things to do and you know is a pastor all the responsibilities you have so that that's the difficulty to overcome to this and we just have to make sure that our schedules are line up with our priorities and so if our priority is to worship and if our priority is to spend quality time with family and with the Saints of God, then we just have to make that happen.

You know, time is one of those things that if you don't control it. It will manage itself in ways that you don't want it to. So we make sure to keep our priorities firmly in focus and we don't let the busyness drive us crazy. I don't like to see people lose all their sanity and their dignity because they're trying to enjoy the holidays.

Take your time, paste your life. Enjoy what's important and let God be glorified because Jesus really is the reason for the season and our prayer is that this is what this day is all about for you and yours. Keep in mind for your best gifts this month were pleased to offer you a DVD from Pastor Paul called refocus. That's refocus a message that will help you put the past year in its proper perspective so that you can move ahead in faith into 2021. Request your copy when you make your very best gift to Destin for victory today. Call 855-339-5500 to give over the phone or visit Pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 something else, have some baggage that gets free person listening to this message all preaching this message.

We all have stuff issues the brain that hasn't been fully removed and hasn't been dealt with.

That's next time it Pastor Paul Shepard's message unpacking our personal baggage. Until then, Merry Christmas to you and yours.

And remember, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory