“The Greatest Giver of Gifts, Part III,” by Romans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfJrxvVnmkE
We are continuing in our Series, “The Greatest Giver of Gifts.” This is the 3rd Installment. Before we continue, I want to acknowledge Torrey's Topical Textbook for providing me with many of these Gift headings that I will be using, tonight.
Last week we ended with the following statement, “The Father gave His Son, but Jesus also gave. Notice that Jesus said in John 6:51: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Matthew Henry has much for us to consider regarding this.
Matthew Henry writes, “Christ, having thus spoken of himself as the bread of life, and of faith as the work of God, comes more particularly to show what of himself is this bread, namely, his flesh, and that to believe is to eat of that, where he still prosecutes the metaphor of food. Observe, here, the preparation of this food: The bread that I will give is my flesh, the flesh of the Son of man and his blood. His flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed.
Observe, also, the participation of this food: We must eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood; and again, Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood; and the same words, he that eateth me. This is certainly a parable or figurative discourse, wherein the actings of the soul upon things spiritual and divine are represented by bodily actions about things sensible, which made the truths of Christ more intelligible to some, and less so to others.
Now, (1.) Let us see how this discourse of Christ was liable to mistake and misconstruction, that men might see, and not perceive. [1.] It was misconstrued by the carnal Jews, to whom it was first delivered: They strove among themselves; they whispered in each other's ears their dissatisfaction: How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Christ spoke of giving his flesh for us, to suffer and die;
but they, without due consideration, understood it of his giving it to us, to be eaten, which gave occasion to Christ to tell them that, however what he said was otherwise intended, yet even that also of eating of his flesh was no such absurd thing (if rightly understood) as in the first instance, they took it to be.
[2.] It has been wretchedly misconstrued by the church of Rome for the support of their monstrous doctrine of transubstantiation, which gives the lie to our senses, contradicts the nature of a sacrament, and overthrows all convincing evidence. They, like these Jews here, understand it of a corporal and carnal eating of Christ's body. The Lord's supper was not yet instituted, and therefore it could have no reference to that; it is a spiritual eating and drinking that is here spoken of, not a sacramental.
[3.] It is misunderstood by many ignorant carnal people, who hence infer that, if they take the sacrament when they die, they shall certainly go to heaven, which, as it makes many that are weak causelessly uneasy if they want it, so it makes many that are wicked causelessly easy if they have it. Therefore,
(2.) Let us see how this discourse of Christ is to be understood.
[1.] What is meant by the flesh and blood of Christ. It is called, The flesh of the Son of man, and his blood, his as Messiah and Mediator: the flesh and blood which he assumed in his incarnation, and which he gave up in his death and suffering: my flesh which I will give to be crucified and slain. It is said to be given for the life of the world, that is, First, Instead of the life of the world, which was forfeited by sin, Christ gives his own flesh as a ransom or counterprice.
Christ was our bail, bound body for body (as we say), and therefore his life must go for ours, that ours may be spared. Here am I, let these go their way. Secondly, In order to the life of the world, to purchase a general offer of eternal life to all the world, and the special assurances of it to all believers. So that the flesh and blood of the Son of man denote the Redeemer incarnate and dying;
Christ and him crucified, and the redemption wrought out by him, with all the precious benefits of redemption: pardon of sin, acceptance with God, the adoption of sons, access to the throne of grace, the promises of the covenant, and eternal life; these are called the flesh and blood of Christ, 1. Because they are purchased by his flesh and blood, by the breaking of his body, and shedding of his blood.
Well may the purchased privileges be denominated from the price that was paid for them, for it puts a value upon them; write upon them - the price of blood. 2. Because they are meat and drink to our souls. Flesh with the blood was prohibited (as we see in Genesis 9:4), but the privileges of the gospel are as flesh and blood to us, prepared for the nourishment of our souls. He had before compared himself to bread, which is necessary food; here to flesh, which is delicious. It is a feast of fat things. The soul is satisfied with Christ as with marrow and fatness, (See Psalms 63:5). It is meat indeed, and drink indeed; truly so, that is spiritually; so Dr. Whitby; as Christ is called the true vine; or truly meat, in opposition to the shows and shadows with which the world shams off those that feed upon it. In Christ and his gospel there is real supply, solid satisfaction; that is meat indeed, and drink indeed, which satiates and replenishes.
[2.] What is meant by eating this flesh and drinking this blood, which is so necessary and beneficial; it is certain that is means neither more nor less than believing in Christ. As we partake of meat and drink by eating and drinking, so we partake of Christ and his benefits by faith: and believing in Christ includes these four things, which eating and drinking do: - First, It implies an appetite to Christ.
This spiritual eating and drinking begins with hungering and thirsting (as we see in Matthew 5:6), earnest and importunate desires after Christ, not willing to take up with any thing short of an interest in him: “Give me Christ or else I die.” Secondly, An application of Christ to ourselves. Meat looked upon will not nourish us, but meat fed upon, and so made our own, and as it were one with us. We must so accept of Christ as to appropriate him to ourselves: my Lord, and my God, (in John 20:28).
Thirdly, A delight in Christ and his salvation. The doctrine of Christ crucified must be meat and drink to us, most pleasant and delightful. We must feast upon the dainties of the New Testament in the blood of Christ, taking as great a complacency in the methods which Infinite Wisdom has taken to redeem and save us as ever we did in the most needful supplies or grateful delights of nature.
Fourthly, A derivation of nourishment from him and a dependence upon him for the support and comfort of our spiritual life, and the strength, growth, and vigour of the new man. To feed upon Christ is to do all in his name, in union with him, and by virtue drawn from him; it is to live upon him as we do upon our meat. How our bodies are nourished by our food we cannot describe, but that they are so we know and find; so it is with this spiritual nourishment. Our Saviour was so well pleased with this metaphor (as very significant and expressive) that, when afterwards he would institute some outward sensible signs, by which to represent our communicating of the benefits of his death, he chose those of eating and drinking, and made them sacramental actions.
(3.) Having thus explained the general meaning of this part of Christ's discourse, the particulars are reducible to two heads: [1.] The necessity of our feeding upon Christ (as we read in John 6:53): Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you. That is, First, “It is a certain sign that you have no spiritual life in you if you have no desire towards Christ, nor delight in him.”
If the soul does not hunger and thirst, certainly it does not live: it is a sign that we are dead indeed if we are dead to such meat and drink as this. When artificial bees, that by curious springs were made to move to and fro, were to be distinguished from natural ones (they say), it was done by putting honey among them, which the natural bees only flocked to, but the artificial ones minded not, for they had no life in them.
Secondly, “It is certain that you can have no spiritual life, unless you derive it from Christ by faith; separated from him you can do nothing.” Faith in Christ is the primum vivens - the first living principle of grace; without it we have not the truth of spiritual life, nor any title to eternal life: our bodies may as well live without meat as our souls without Christ.
[2.] The benefit and advantage of it, in two things: - First, We shall be one with Christ, as our bodies are with our food when it is digested (see John 6:56): He that eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, that lives by faith in Christ crucified (it is spoken of as a continued act), he dwelleth in me, and I in him. By faith we have a close and intimate union with Christ; he is in us, and we in him, (from John 17:21-23; and 1 John 3:24).
Believers dwell in Christ as their stronghold or city of refuge; Christ dwells in them as the master of the house, to rule it and provide for it. Such is the union between Christ and believers that he shares in their griefs, and they share in his graces and joys; he sups with them upon their bitter herbs, and they with him upon his rich dainties. It is an inseparable union, like that between the body and digested food, (see Romans 8:35; and 1 John 4:13).
Secondly, We shall live, shall live eternally, by him, as our bodies live by our food. a. We shall live by him (see John 6:57): As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. We have here the series and order of the divine life. (a.) God is the living Father, hath life in and of himself. I am that I am is his name for ever. (b.) Jesus Christ, as Mediator, lives by the Father; he has life in himself, but he has it of the Father. He that sent him, not only qualified him with that life which was necessary to so great an undertaking, but constituted him the treasury of divine life to us; he breathed into the second Adam the breath of spiritual lives, as into the first Adam the breath of natural lives. (c.) True believers receive this divine life by virtue of their union with Christ, which is inferred from the union between the Father and the Son, as it is compared to it, (See John 17:21).
For therefore he that eateth me, or feeds on me, even he shall live by me: those that live upon Christ shall live by him. The life of believers is had from Christ (see John 1:16); it is hid with Christ (as we read in Colossians 3:4), we live by him as the members by the head, the branches by the root; because he lives, we shall live also. b. We shall live eternally by him (as in John 6:54): Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, as prepared in the gospel to be the food of souls, he hath eternal life, he hath it now, as John 6:40. He has that in him which is eternal life begun; he has the earnest and foretaste of it, and the hope of it; he shall live for ever, (see John 6:58). His happiness shall run parallel with the longest line of eternity itself.”
But it did not begin or end there: Scripture tells us that God is the Source of All blessings: We read in James 1:17: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Did you ever consider all that God has given us? Scripture enables us to be specific about all that God has given us.
Consider, as a first offering, 2 Peter 1:1-3: “Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
In just these three Verses, look at we read about the Gifts that God has bestowed on us! First, Peter writes to “them that have obtained like precious faith.” Faith has to be obtained... we are not born with it. It is a gift from God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, all three working together in our lives to open our minds to accept and believe in Him. Notice what Jesus said in John 6:44: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him...”
Do you have friends or relatives who think you're foolish for believing in God and His inspired Word? I do. But none of us can understand or believe the things of God without the presence and leading of the Holy Spirit. It is a direct answer to Jesus' petition regarding His disciples that He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion:
We read in John 17:20: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” Peter addressed his epistle, “to them that have obtained like precious faith with us...” It applied to believers decades after Jesus returned to Heaven, and it applies equally to us, today.
We have come to believe through the printed words of Jesus' disciples. God drew us to Himself, and gave us the Gift of understanding, opening our minds to His Truths. What else does Peter list as a Gift? Let's read the next phrase: “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.”
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you. Grace and peace are both Gifts from God. Can we gloss over the full meaning and import of how precious and marvelous the Gift of Grace is? We read in Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” We read in James 4:6: “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
Then we read that the Grace of God to us is through Christ: Notice Ephesians 4:7: “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” But notice what is also given besides Grace: Romans 5:17: “For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)”
Additionally, we read in The giving of Grace is also mentioned in the Psalms in Chapter 84:11: “For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Before we focus in on the Gift of Peace, this Psalm introduced a Gift that would be given to us by God that is rarely ever mentioned: glory.
Part of the incredible future that God has in store for us includes our being glorified in the resurrection. Notice this additional reference in the Garden of Gethsemane prayer that we looked at earlier: This time we read in John 17:22: “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:”
Another term we rarely hear applied to believers is the term: heirs. We rarely hear this term in sermons, or at least I cannot remember the last time I heard this term used in regard to Christians, but we are heirs about to inherit incredible things. Notice this one incredible Verse that names both of these rare terms naming Christians as heirs who will be glorified, and all in the same breath:
Romans 8:16: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” But as I said, those Gifts are held in store until the Resurrection:
Notice in the Resurrection Chapter, 1 Corinthians 15, beginning in verse 41: “There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:”
Christ is to return in Glory, and we are to be raised in Glory... glorified together. That is why we read in 1 John 3:2: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
Let's zero in more closely on Peace, which Peter listed along with Grace as a Gift from God: We read in Psalms 29:11: “The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” Jesus said in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” Precious Faith, Unmerited Grace, the Peace of Jesus Christ and the Gift of Righteousness, not merely given, but rather poured out on us! But it doesn't end even there!
But let's continue from Peter's epistle to see what else we receive from this God Who is the Greatest Giver: “ Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature...” “Partakers of the divine nature”? God wants us to be Holy as He is Holy. This was God's intent for us from the beginning of Creation when He paused in bringing Life to earth to say, “Let Us make man in Our Image, and after Our Likeness” (Genesis 1:26).
God wants us to be Holy, as He is Holy, and, in so doing, to choose those things in our lives that bring Glory and Honor to His Name. He wants us to share, not just in Eternity with Him, but also be partakers of His Divine Nature. I will speak for myself, here. I cannot begin to grasp what I am reading and seeing as I prepare these Notes. I am seeing and appreciating things in a way and on a level that is causing all the circuits in my brain to overload. And this is just the introduction.
We also see that the Gifts of God are dispensed according to His will: 1 Corinthians 7:7: “For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.” In the Community of believers, in our individual Congregations, God gives various Gifts through His Holy Spirit to edify the Body. This giving on God's part, and His declared goals for these Gifts are described by Paul in his epistle to the Church as Ephesus. Beginning in Ephesians 4:11, we read: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:”
Of this Matthew Henry writes: “Unto every believer is given some gift of grace, for their mutual help. All is given as seems best to Christ to bestow upon every one. He received for them, that he might give to them, a large measure of gifts and graces; particularly the gift of the Holy Ghost. Not a mere head knowledge, or bare acknowledging Christ to be the Son of God, but such as brings trust and obedience.”
We know, as we examined in the first Installment, that, in Jesus' own words to Nicodemus, God so loved the world that He have His only begotten Son to us as a Gift. He calls Himself a Gift, and in so many words in His coversation with the woman at the well recorded in John 4:10. He says to her, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”
Jesus elsewhere refers to Himself as being another facet of His being that Gift. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world” (John 6:32). Jesus continues to speak of bread when He introduces another Gift God gives us. And that is the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus says in Luke 11:10: “For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or, if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
Jesus also spoke of the Gift of the Holy Spirit just before returning to Heaven: We read in John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
God gives us the Gift of Wisdom: Notice, beginning in Proverbs 2:6: “For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous...” Then also in James 1:5 we read, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
Another Gift of God to us is one that is not generally recognized or regarded as a Gift: It is the Gift of Repentance: In Peter's explanation of why he was in the company of Cornelius and other Gentiles, we read beginning in Acts 11:18: “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.” When we each came to repentance, we did not do so because we were so righteous: “There is none righteous” (Romans 3:10). God granted us repentance, as yet another gift!
God gives us the hand-in-hand Gifts of Strength and power: We read in Psalms 68:35: “O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.” In the New Testament, this is confirmed by Jesus in Luke 24:49: “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”
We read of that Power being given Jesus' disciples in Acts 2:1: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
As believers, we a given the Gift of a New Heart: We read in Ezekiel 11:19: “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:”
Another Gift of God that we rarely hear about was offered by Jesus in Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew Henry offers the following thoughts on this Gift: “Our Saviour has invited all that labour and are heavy-laden, to come unto him. In some senses all men are so. Worldly men burden themselves with fruitless cares for wealth and honours... Those who labour to establish their own righteousness also labour in vain. The convinced sinner is heavy-laden with guilt and terror; and the tempted and afflicted believer has labours and burdens.
Christ invites all to come to him for rest to their souls. He alone gives this invitation; men come to him, when, feeling their guilt and misery, and believing his love and power to help, they seek him in fervent prayer. Thus it is the duty and interest of weary and heavy-laden sinners, to come to Jesus Christ. This is the gospel call; Whoever will, let him come. All who thus come will receive rest as Christ's gift, and obtain peace and comfort in their hearts.
But in coming to him they must take his yoke, and submit to his authority. They must learn of him all things, as to their comfort and obedience. He accepts the willing servant, however imperfect the services. Here we may find rest for our souls, and here only. Nor need we fear his yoke. His commandments are holy, just, and good. It requires self-denial, and exposes to difficulties, but this is abundantly repaid, even in this world, by inward peace and joy.
It is a yoke that is lined with love. So powerful are the assistances he gives us, so suitable the encouragements, and so strong the consolations to be found in the way of duty, that we may truly say, it is a yoke of pleasantness. The way of duty is the way of rest. The truths Christ teaches are such as we may venture our souls upon.
Such is the Redeemer's mercy; and why should the labouring and burdened sinner seek for rest from any other quarter? Let us come to him daily, for deliverance from wrath and guilt, from sin and Satan, from all our cares, fears, and sorrows.”
And lastly, as far as tonight's Discussion is concerned, believers are given the Gift of Eternal life” Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The Apostle Paul put the Gift of Eternal Life a slightly different way in Galatians 6:8: “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
People receive good gifts from family members and friends. But have you ever received a perfect gift? Yes... we all have... even those who have refused that perfect Gift. Allow me to read, again, the first Verse I quoted this evening was James 1:17: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
I will close with Matthew Henry had this to say about James' writing: “As every good gift is from God, so particularly our being born again, and all its holy, happy consequences come from him. A true Christian becomes as different a person from what he was before the renewing influences of Divine grace, as if he were formed over again. We should devote all our faculties to God's service, that we may be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.”
God freely gave us the Gift of His Son, Whose birth Christians will celebrate on Wednesday next. When I decided to present a Discussion on Giving, I am ashamed to admit that I had failed to keep current in my heart and mind the wonderful, even astounding lists of Gifts that God has poured out on those who believe in His Name. Some of the Gifts that He has yet to give us we can't even begin to wrap our minds around.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:9: “But as it is written, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Or, as it says in the original found in Isaiah 64:4, “what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.”
Because of the millions of people who will be giving and receiving gifts on Sunday, while not investing a single thought or word about what God has given them, or even about God being, in their minds, no more real than Santa Clause, my pastor has been telling the Congregation the importance of “keeping Christ in Christmas.” But even as good as that goal is, let us focus on a yet higher goal. Jesus said in Luke 12:31: “Seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
If we put God's Kingdom first in our lives, the Father promises to give us all the things that unbelievers put first. But we actually receive so much more than the spiritual and the physical because that Verse goes on to say, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
How can I best sum up all of what God has done for us and given to us? Well... I can't. So I will have to defer to the inspired pen of the Apostle Paul who wrote in Romans 8:32: “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
And his thoughts are confirmed in Revelation 21, beginning in Verse 5:“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”
This is the Season of Giving for Christians and non-Christians alike. But I have learned in preparing this Discussion to never think of Christmas again as I ever did before. God has opened my eyes, and I hope yours, also, to see Him as a Holy and Giving Heaven Father on a scale I never fully before appreciated. During the course of the writing and delivery of this Discussion, I failed to mention some other things.
In addition to everything I mentioned, God also gives us Forgiveness, Hope, Mercy, Promises, Meaning and Purpose for our lives, adoption into His Family and Kingdom, the loving Example in His Son to follow, the ability to forgive others through His Gift of the Holy Spirit, a Reason to live, and the Way to live.
As Christians, we should take this Season of Giving to focus on rededicating our lives to a life of obedience, praise and worship in Thanksgiving to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: Almighty God, the greatest and most generous Giver of Gifts, and exceeding great and precious promises, f-a-r beyond anything we deserve, or our hearts and minds can imagine!
This concludes this Evening's Discussion, “The Greatest Giver of Gifts, Part III.”
This Discussion was originally presented “live” on December 18th, 2019
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