Good News Of Great Joy Sample

December 25 – Three Christmas Presents

If the Son of God came to help you stop sinning—to destroy the works of the devil—and if he also came to die so that, when you do sin, there is a propitiation, a removal of God’s wrath, then what does this imply for living your life? 

Three things. I give them to you briefly as Christmas presents. 

1. A Clear Purpose for Living 

It implies that you have a clear purpose for living. Negatively, it is simply this: don’t sin. “I write these things to you so that you may not sin” (1 John 2:1). 

If you ask, “Can you give us that positively, instead of negatively?” the answer is: Yes, it’s all summed up in 1 John 3:23. Notice the singular “commandment”—“This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” These two things are so closely connected for John he calls them one commandment: believe Jesus and love others. Trust Jesus, love people. There’s the first gift: a purpose to live. 

2. Hope That Our Failures Will Be Forgiven 

Now consider the second implication. We make progress in overcoming our sin when we have hope that our failures will be forgiven. If you don’t have hope that God will forgive your failures, when you start fighting sin, you give up. 

Many of you are pondering some changes, because you have fallen into sinful patterns and want out. But you are struggling, wondering whether it’s any use. Well here’s your second Christmas present: Christ not only came to destroy the works of the devil—our sinning— he also came to be an advocate for us when we fail in our fight. 

So I plead with you, let the freedom to fail give you the hope to fight. 

3. Christ Will Help Us 

Finally, the third implication is this: Christ will really help us in our fight. He came to destroy sin because it is fatal. It is a deceptive work of the devil and will destroy us if we don’t fight it. He came to help us, not hurt us. 

So here’s your third Christmas gift: Christ will help overcome sin in you. 1 John 4:4 says, “He who is in you is greater than he that is in the world.” Jesus is for us, not against us.