Christmas is special and what makes it special is that a special present or gift was given by Almighty God to mankind. The gift is sent to help you make a new beginning in your life, to change you and usher you into the presence of Almighty God. When you are ushered into His presence there is a joy-filled package there awaiting you?
You need to understand the contents of that package in its entirety because that package will change your life for the better and you will never be the same again.
Let me give you a summary of this: God Almighty is giving to you His Son Jesus Christ who is coming to break the barrier between you and the throne of God. He wants to usher you into the very presence of God. Once you are there, there is a five- fold joy-filled package you need to receive from God.
Let’s define some terms here. Let’s start with you, who am I talking to in this message? This message from God is for you- whoever you are, wherever you are on Planet Earth, wherever you were born, whatever your cultural, ethnic, racial or religious background is. The Lord God Almighty invites you to listen to this message as it is “for all people”. Do not exclude yourself from this message it is for you too. Some people have used various pre-texts to exclude themselves from this message- avoid falling into that trap.
Let’s define Jesus Christ- He is the Son of God, God incarnate, the Saviour of the whole world sent by God in a special arrangement to take away, dissolve, nullify, blot out, forgive your past mistakes.
The result is that you can then access the presence of the Almighty God. Once in His presence there is prepared for you a special five- fold, life changing joy-filled package which I will need to explain to you in some detail. In short in this joy-filled package God Almighty makes 5 solemn pledges, five solemn promises as He makes a covenant and special contract with you. 1.To make you experience everyday of your life from now His goodness, His joy, His peace and loving kindness. 2. To make you a person of sound character, a person of stature and achievement. 3 To make you experience His presence everyday of your life which will guide you as you make important decisions in your life, to give you victory, to be your source of provision, to be your source of total health and well-being mental and physical. 4. To give your life satisfaction, a fulfilled life, to make your life fruitful and make you an imparter of hope and good to others. 5. To make you a kind, a type, a person with special attributes which He will then multiply in others around you.
After explaining this Christmas package in some detail I will then give you a step by step guide of what you need to do to experience what God has promised and solemnly pledged to you.
Let’s recap this: Almighty God has prepared for you a five- fold, joy-filled package, covenant package which you need to access- there is a barrier- preventing you accessing this package- this barrier is your past mistakes- you need a Saviour- Jesus Christ- to remove the barrier for you- and give you access to the presence of God- in His presence Almighty God will activate and release into your life a solemnly pledged, covenant and five-fold and joy- filled package which you need to receive- your life will never be the same again. This will be the best Christmas present you could dream of.
Let’s now read a portion of the Christmas story from the gospel according St Luke Chapter 2:1-14
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
4 Joseph also went up to Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to us this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men!”
We notice here that there was a decree for a census, during those days people were to go to be counted physically. In the last census in 2010 in the United Kingdom registration papers were posted through the letter box and people registered people living in their house. We know that Joseph was a descendant of David and went to Bethlehem to be registered. While they were there the time came for Mary to be delivered. The word of God says she brought forth her firstborn Son and laid Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for the Son of God in the inn.
Why then is Christmas so special, why was the event described here of such immense significance.
There are three important aspects to this story which makes Christmas exceedingly special.
The first is the Lord Jesus Christ. It says there in verse 11 of the portion of scripture we have read “For there is born for us this day in the city of David, a Saviour who is Christ the Lord”. Jesus Christ your own Saviour was born to you, and to accomplish a special mission in your life. To fully understand the significance of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ I will invite you to look at another scripture in the gospel according to Matthew chapter 1 VERSES 20-21 “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she shall bring forth a Son and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins”. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, God incarnate, the Saviour of the whole world sent by God in a special arrangement to take away, dissolve, nullify, blot out, and forgive your past mistakes. To take away your sins.
To understand the significance of this further Romans 3:23 declares “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Isaiah 53:6 says “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” In short we have all, you included made mistakes which disqualify us from entering the presence of God.
On the Lord Jesus was laid the iniquity of us all. When Jesus takes away your sin, you have access to the presence of the Almighty God. There God wants to make a covenant, a special solemn agreement, and a special contract with you. He wants the covenant He made with Abraham as we read in Genesis 17:1-8 to be activated in your life.
In Genesis 17:1-8 (NKJ) We read “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, The Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am Almighty God, walk before Me and be blameless. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.’ 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 As for Me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but you shall be called Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I will give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
Here Almighty God says He wants you to be blameless and to live your life in His presence – verse 1 “walk before me and be blameless”. The Lord Jesus was given to you, to take away your sin, to make you blameless before God. This then gives you access into the presence of God. As John 3 and verse 16 (AMP) says “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique0 Son, that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.”
Once the barrier between you and God is taken away by the Lord Jesus Christ- Halleluiah, Glory to God- your covenant with God is activated and the joy-filled package described in Genesis 17: 1-8 is yours for the taking. Please note this is a life changing package in which Almighty God promises
1. Almighty God promises to give you the Promised Land. What is this Promised Land? God wants you to experience everyday of your life His joy, His goodness, His peace, His compassion, His mercy and loving kindness. As we trust in Him He wants to give us hope and the capacity to love and care for others unconditionally through Jesus Christ. To read further see planetministries.org.uk/thepromisedland.
2. Almighty God promises to make you a person of character, of stature and achievement. God promises to give you a new character. To make you overcome your weaknesses. To make you fathers and mothers, young men and young women, boys and girls of character stature and achievement. To help you build healthy enduring relationships between spouses, parents and children, brethren, neighbours, colleagues and society at large. This will be accomplished through the power, knowledge and wisdom of Jesus Christ. You will need to take the following steps: 1. Know God and His essential attributes 2. The knowledge of His word. 3. A strong conviction of His word. 4. Overcoming the wicked one, Satan. To read further see planetministries.org.uk/character.
3. Almighty God promises to be to you God. God promises to manifest His nature to you and to manifest His presence to you. It means He wants to be your everything in Jesus Christ- to guide you as you make important decisions in your life regarding long term relationships, career, investments etc. He promises to be your ultimate source of all your provision, He promises to be the source of your health and well-being, He promises to be the source of your victory and emotional satisfaction, He promises to give you peace and emotional well-being. He promises to be your giver of righteousness and right standing with Him through Jesus Christ. Psalms 23:1-6 (AMP) summarises what God means when He says I will be to you God.
4. Almighty God promises to make you exceedingly fruitful. To give your life satisfaction, a fulfilled life, and make you an imparter of hope, comfort and good to others. To make you a light that shines in the dark areas of other people’s lives. To make you a spice and condiment in other people’s lives. Fruitfulness comes as we walk and live in obedience to Jesus Christ by reading, listening and meditating upon His word. In turn His word will guide our actions, our manner of life and our manner of speech.
5. Almighty God promises to multiply you exceedingly. To make you a kind, a type, a person with special attributes which He will then multiply in others around you. He promises to lift you up, to shield and fortify you in every area of your life. When the promises one to four above accomplish their mission in your life you become a kind, a God kind. God has a principle that everything He creates has in itself seed to produce after its kind. Once God makes you a kind, you will have the capacity to produce after your kind, in that process the good in you will be reproduced in other people and you begin to bear children- spiritual children after your kind.
What then do you need to do to activate Almighty God’s covenant with you and receive His five-fold joy-filled package?
You need to believe that is make it personal, then repent (stop arguing) and finally call (yield to the Lordship of Jesus Christ) on the name of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
§ Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made when He suffered, died on the cross and rose again the third day.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6
His word also says “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given to man by which we may be saved except the name of Jesus Christ.” Acts 4:12
It also says “But God demonstrates His own love towards us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
§ Repentance- which is agreeing with God as regards what is right and what is wrong. Changing your way of thinking and your way of acting so that it agrees with the word of Almighty God.
His word says “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:7
It also says “Then Peter said to them ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’. Acts 2:38
“I tell you, no, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3, Luke 13:5
“Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance…” Luke 3:8a
§ Calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ:
His word says “For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” Romans 10:9-10, 13
The following prayer will help you if you pray it sincerely from your heart: Dear God in heaven, I thank you for sending me a Saviour, Your Son Jesus Christ to die for my sins. Thank you that Jesus shed His blood so that my sins may be forgiven. I repent from my sins today. I believe that the Lord Jesus died for me and rose again from the dead on the third day and that He is alive today. I call upon your name today Lord Jesus, I ask you to come into my life, forgive all my sins and make me a child of God. From today be the Lord of my life. I will live my life for you. Thank you Lord Jesus for hearing my prayer, thank you for forgiving my sins. Thank you for making me a child of God. In Jesus’s name I pray Amen.
§ Assurance- As you have prayed this prayer sincerely from your heart, know that God has heard you, He has forgiven all your sins and made you a child of God. You have been given the gift of eternal life and your name has been written in the Book of Life. You have activated your five- fold joy- filled package from the throne of Almighty God. You may ask “How do I know?”
We know this because of the promises He made. Jesus said He would never say no to a sinner who repents sincerely from the heart. His word also says He wants you to know and have the confidence that you have eternal life once you have believed, repented and called on His name. His word says He cannot lie.
He said “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out.” John 6:37
His word also says “And this is the testimony: that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does not have life. These things have I written to you who believe in the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” 1 John 5:11-13
Titus 1 verse 2 says “In hope of eternal life which God who cannot lie, promised before the world began.”