DECEMBER 23, 2007 – “WHAT IS CHRISTMAS REALLY ABOUT?”
TEXT: Romans 5:15-18
(Romans 5:15) “But the gift is not like the trespass. For if
the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and
the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the
many!”
(Luke 2:11-12) “Today in the town of
(John 3:16) “For God so loved the world that he gave his
one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life.”
(Romans 5:12) “Therefore, just as sin entered the world
through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men,
because all sinned.
(Dr. Edward Ramsdell) “Explain original sin any way you wish but you cannot explain it away.”
(Hebrews 9:27-28) “Just as man is destined to die once, and
after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the
sins of many people…”
(Romans 6:23) “For the wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(Luke 2:11) “Today in the town of
(Matthew 1:21) “She will give birth to a son, and you are to
give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
(Romans 5:15) “But the gift is not like the trespass. For
if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace
and the gift that came by the grace of
the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!”
(Ephesians 2:8) “For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
(Ephesians 1:7) “In him we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
(Romans 5:20b) “But where sin increased, grace increased
all the more.”
(II Corinthians 5:14-15) “For Christ’s love compels us, because we
are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for
all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who
died for them and was raised again.”
(I Corinthians 15:10a) “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and
his grace to me was not without effect.”
II. (v.16) CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT THE GIFT THAT
IS UNIQUE AND POWERFUL
(Romans 5:16) “Again,
the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment
followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses
and brought justification.”
(Romans 8:1) “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus.”
(John 5:24) “I tell you the truth,
whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not
be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”
(II Corinthians 9:15) “Thanks be to God
for his indescribable gift!”
(John 10:10) “… I have come that they may have life, and
have it to the full.”
(Ephesians 1:7) “In him we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
III. (v.17) CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT THE GIFT THAT
CHANGES OUR LIVES
(Romans 5:17) “For if, by the trespass of the one man,
death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s
abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life
through the one man, Jesus Christ.”
(Psalm 49:10) “For all can see that wise men die; the
foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others.”
(I Corinthians 15:21-22) “For since death came
through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”
(Romans 5:17) “…how much more will those who receive
God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in
life through the one man, Jesus Christ.”
(II Corinthians 9:8) “And
God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all
times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
(I Timothy 1:14) “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”
(Romans 1:17) “For in the gospel a righteousness
from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just
as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”
(Romans 3:22a) “This righteousness from God comes through faith
in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”
(Philippians 3:9) “…and be found in him, not having a righteousness
of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the
righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”
(Romans 6:22) “But now that you have been set free from
sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and
the result is eternal life.”
(Romans 5:21 “…so that, just as sin reigned in death, so
also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.”)
(II Corinthians 5:17) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”