WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.820 If you would, please find a copy of God's Word nearby. 00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:06.879 There should be one in the seat back in front of you. 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:08.599 If you didn't bring one with you, that's okay. 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:14.900 And our text this evening is just one verse from the book of Romans. 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:20.879 Paul's letter to the church in Rome, chapter 6, verse 23. 00:00:22.500 --> 00:00:26.359 Romans, chapter 6, verse 23. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:38.000 Paul writes, 00:00:38.120 --> 00:00:48.760 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:00:49.179 --> 00:00:50.039 Pray with me. 00:00:50.100 --> 00:00:54.960 Father, we pray once more as we open up your Word this evening. 00:00:54.960 --> 00:00:57.679 Would you speak through the preaching of your Word? 00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:00.259 We pray in Jesus' name. 00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:01.380 Amen. 00:01:01.380 --> 00:01:08.079 Christmas is the season of gift-giving and, of course, gift-getting. 00:01:08.240 --> 00:01:15.320 And we think hard, long and hard, put a lot of effort into thinking about what we might give to our loved ones. 00:01:15.700 --> 00:01:20.780 And if we're honest, we also think pretty hard about what we want them to give to us. 00:01:20.820 --> 00:01:25.320 I know our kids spent a long time flipping through magazines. 00:01:25.319 --> 00:01:29.479 We still get some of those and highlighting the things that they want to receive. 00:01:29.919 --> 00:01:35.679 Now, they spent a long time, I think they started in October, writing out their Christmas list, different editions, different drafts. 00:01:35.799 --> 00:01:38.819 And finally, the deadline came and we said, enough's enough. 00:01:38.899 --> 00:01:40.379 You get what you get. 00:01:40.379 --> 00:01:46.539 But this evening, what I want to do is we come together here on the night before Christmas. 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:49.039 My aim is very simple tonight. 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:53.659 I just want to remind us of the incredible gift we've been given in Christ Jesus. 00:01:55.739 --> 00:02:02.479 God has given us an unbelievable gift in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:09.539 Paul says it is the gift, the free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:02:09.640 --> 00:02:12.379 So let's take a look at it this evening in two parts. 00:02:12.480 --> 00:02:17.180 I have both bad news and good news for you this evening. 00:02:17.659 --> 00:02:20.020 First, we'll start with the bad news. 00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:22.379 I want us to consider our earning. 00:02:23.719 --> 00:02:25.740 Consider our earning. 00:02:25.920 --> 00:02:30.300 You know, there is a certain economy in the legends of Christmas. 00:02:30.300 --> 00:02:32.300 You know what it is. 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:34.700 If you are good, then what happens? 00:02:34.840 --> 00:02:37.000 You get good gifts for Christmas. 00:02:37.160 --> 00:02:43.780 But if you are not good, if you are naughty, if you happen to cry through the Christmas Eve sermon, 00:02:44.020 --> 00:02:48.380 then you might get lumps of coal in your stocking. 00:02:48.439 --> 00:02:49.740 That's mine, so I can say that. 00:02:51.760 --> 00:02:55.280 And when you think about it, there's really very little grace here at work. 00:02:55.439 --> 00:02:58.360 What it is, is you get what you have earned. 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:03.460 And so, parents, come December, you start warning your children you'd better be good. 00:03:03.640 --> 00:03:05.700 You'd better stop hitting your brother. 00:03:05.860 --> 00:03:07.400 You'd better start listening. 00:03:07.620 --> 00:03:09.120 You'd better start behaving. 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:12.340 Or you won't get any gifts up underneath the tree. 00:03:12.480 --> 00:03:16.900 And children all over the world go into December fearful with this in mind. 00:03:17.640 --> 00:03:18.920 He sees you when you're sleeping. 00:03:20.120 --> 00:03:21.720 He knows when you're awake. 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:26.620 He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake. 00:03:26.659 --> 00:03:28.520 He's going to find out who's naughty or nice. 00:03:29.719 --> 00:03:37.199 In other words, the economy of secular Christmas is you will get what you have earned. 00:03:37.419 --> 00:03:39.800 You get a wage for Christmas. 00:03:39.979 --> 00:03:41.840 If you are good, you get good gifts. 00:03:41.939 --> 00:03:44.800 If you are naughty, you get a bad return. 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:50.939 Of course, the truth is we don't really want to get what we've earned, do we? 00:03:52.260 --> 00:03:57.400 Because, again, if we're honest, I think that we would admit none of us have really been all that good. 00:03:59.040 --> 00:04:08.000 If we're honest, we would admit even if we've tried our best, none of us have been absolutely 100% perfectly good. 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:18.500 And even if we start behaving right after Thanksgiving all the way to December 25th, we still have January through November looming over us. 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:23.540 There's always a little bit of reason to worry that we might get some coal in our stocking, isn't there? 00:04:24.939 --> 00:04:27.819 As a kid, I could not imagine anything worse. 00:04:27.939 --> 00:04:29.959 That is bad news, isn't it? 00:04:29.959 --> 00:04:41.120 Well, the Apostle Paul, here in the book of Romans, what he does is he spends the first several chapters of this letter telling us some very bad news. 00:04:42.279 --> 00:04:44.799 And, you know, it's even worse than we feared. 00:04:44.939 --> 00:04:47.000 The bad news is that we're right. 00:04:47.159 --> 00:04:48.819 None of us have been very good. 00:04:48.879 --> 00:04:51.779 And the biblical word for that is sin. 00:04:51.779 --> 00:05:05.219 The Bible tells us that we have all, from top to bottom, male, female, young and old, every single one of us, we have all sinned against a holy God. 00:05:06.139 --> 00:05:11.479 And the wage that sinners are paid for our sin is much worse than a lump of coal. 00:05:11.480 --> 00:05:22.100 He says in chapter 1, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. 00:05:22.520 --> 00:05:28.319 Our sin has earned us as a payment, as a wage, God's wrath. 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:35.160 He says in chapter 2, the unrighteous are storing up wrath for yourself. 00:05:35.560 --> 00:05:40.080 On the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment is revealed, listen to this, 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:45.979 He will render to each one according to his works. 00:05:46.060 --> 00:05:47.579 That is a wage. 00:05:48.539 --> 00:05:51.699 In other words, you get what you have earned. 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:55.500 Paul just knocks us over the head with this right here at the beginning of the letter. 00:05:55.599 --> 00:05:57.139 This is really bad news. 00:05:58.360 --> 00:06:01.979 But, of course, you might think, well, maybe there's just a chance, right? 00:06:01.979 --> 00:06:08.860 Maybe there's a chance that you, out of all the people of the world, maybe you have been good enough. 00:06:08.860 --> 00:06:12.740 So, when he says this, maybe he's just talking about somebody else. 00:06:13.780 --> 00:06:16.000 Maybe he's not talking about me. 00:06:16.139 --> 00:06:18.100 Maybe he's talking about my neighbors. 00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:19.020 I can't stand them. 00:06:19.080 --> 00:06:19.540 They're terrible. 00:06:20.660 --> 00:06:22.259 Maybe he's not talking about me. 00:06:22.420 --> 00:06:25.540 He's talking about those other people down the road, not me. 00:06:26.420 --> 00:06:30.639 Maybe he's talking about the people that vote differently than me. 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:33.860 Or think differently than me. 00:06:34.060 --> 00:06:37.879 Or root for a different college football team than me. 00:06:38.060 --> 00:06:41.919 He's thinking about people that sin differently than me. 00:06:42.899 --> 00:06:46.699 He's talking about the really bad people in this category. 00:06:46.899 --> 00:06:48.979 He is not talking about me, right? 00:06:50.539 --> 00:06:53.379 Chapter 3 shatters that idea. 00:06:53.539 --> 00:06:54.339 Here's what he says. 00:06:54.740 --> 00:06:55.979 None is righteous. 00:06:56.459 --> 00:06:57.839 No, not one. 00:06:57.839 --> 00:07:00.399 No one understands. 00:07:01.339 --> 00:07:03.599 No one seeks for God. 00:07:04.299 --> 00:07:06.079 All have turned aside. 00:07:06.239 --> 00:07:08.959 Together they have become worthless. 00:07:09.399 --> 00:07:10.699 No one does good. 00:07:11.060 --> 00:07:13.079 Not even one. 00:07:13.159 --> 00:07:19.099 In other words, if Jesus, if God were to make a list, Paul says he wouldn't even have to check it twice. 00:07:19.899 --> 00:07:23.500 Everybody in the world is listed right here in the naughty column. 00:07:24.799 --> 00:07:26.120 This is bad news. 00:07:26.120 --> 00:07:35.540 The bad news is all of us are sinners, which means all of us have earned God's wrath. 00:07:35.620 --> 00:07:38.639 And so Paul sums it up here in the first half of our verse. 00:07:39.660 --> 00:07:42.840 The wages of sin is death. 00:07:42.839 --> 00:07:46.639 What have we earned for our sin? 00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:49.919 We have earned death. 00:07:51.299 --> 00:07:54.619 Physical death and spiritual death. 00:07:55.120 --> 00:07:58.339 Separation from God and the fullness of his wrath. 00:07:58.539 --> 00:08:00.339 That is what we have earned. 00:08:01.339 --> 00:08:03.379 And that's what we will receive. 00:08:03.379 --> 00:08:12.060 Unless God himself does something to change the equation. 00:08:12.060 --> 00:08:17.819 And that's where this one glorious word here in the middle of this verse. 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:19.800 It changes everything, doesn't it? 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:22.980 Yes, the wages of sin is death. 00:08:23.560 --> 00:08:27.660 But our ears ought to perk up when we hear that word, right? 00:08:28.540 --> 00:08:30.920 Because when that follows bad news, you know what's coming? 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:33.820 Well, hopefully it's some good news. 00:08:35.060 --> 00:08:39.920 The house burned down, but everybody got out safely. 00:08:41.220 --> 00:08:44.180 The store was out of everything that I wanted to buy you for Christmas. 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:47.580 But I was able to find it online. 00:08:47.580 --> 00:08:52.040 One, we have earned death for our sin. 00:08:53.340 --> 00:08:58.480 But God has done something glorious. 00:08:58.940 --> 00:09:03.040 So second, let's consider God's giving. 00:09:03.300 --> 00:09:06.300 And here, church, here is the good news. 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:13.879 The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life. 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:16.920 In Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:09:17.580 --> 00:09:23.139 I can't think of a greater contrast than what we see in these two halves of this verse. 00:09:23.220 --> 00:09:23.440 Can you? 00:09:24.940 --> 00:09:30.139 The two halves of this verse are absolutely polar opposites. 00:09:30.220 --> 00:09:36.879 On one side here is death, but here on the other, God gives eternal life. 00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:39.800 This is life that is not threatened by death. 00:09:40.340 --> 00:09:44.680 You know, we go through life with this looming threat of death everywhere we go. 00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:47.799 And we know that this life has an expiration. 00:09:48.479 --> 00:09:52.879 But here on the other side, there is eternal life to be had. 00:09:54.839 --> 00:10:00.799 Life that will blossom into more and more and more life in the presence of God for the rest of eternity. 00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:02.239 Life without sickness. 00:10:02.579 --> 00:10:03.859 Life without shame. 00:10:04.059 --> 00:10:05.159 Life without guilt. 00:10:05.359 --> 00:10:06.419 Life without pain. 00:10:06.579 --> 00:10:07.939 Life without tears. 00:10:08.139 --> 00:10:08.679 Life without sorrows. 00:10:09.859 --> 00:10:10.799 Life without sin. 00:10:10.799 --> 00:10:11.839 Can you imagine it? 00:10:13.459 --> 00:10:15.000 Eternal life. 00:10:15.159 --> 00:10:17.779 On one side is our wage, what we have earned. 00:10:17.959 --> 00:10:21.799 But here on the other side, God gives a free gift. 00:10:22.459 --> 00:10:28.659 Now, if you're cheap like me, you hear that word free and your ears perk up, don't they? 00:10:30.139 --> 00:10:31.079 Free is good. 00:10:31.080 --> 00:10:33.420 Now, we want free. 00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:36.220 We go to Costco just for the free. 00:10:38.040 --> 00:10:39.660 You don't have to pay for it. 00:10:39.720 --> 00:10:41.120 You just receive it. 00:10:41.180 --> 00:10:43.680 You walk to the sample line and they just give it to you. 00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:46.120 Sometimes if they're nice, you can go around again. 00:10:47.259 --> 00:10:48.740 You just receive it. 00:10:49.960 --> 00:10:55.259 But free for you is at cost to someone else, isn't it? 00:10:55.259 --> 00:10:59.740 If it's free for you, that means that somebody else has paid it on your behalf. 00:10:59.819 --> 00:11:01.480 And that's exactly how this works. 00:11:01.720 --> 00:11:08.159 Eternal life is offered freely to you, freely to sinners as a gift. 00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:14.000 But it comes at great cost to the Lord. 00:11:15.379 --> 00:11:19.399 Jesus Christ paid for this gift with his own life. 00:11:19.399 --> 00:11:25.500 Jesus Christ died to give you this gift. 00:11:25.620 --> 00:11:31.100 On one side is hopelessness in us, and on the other side here, there is hope in Christ. 00:11:32.559 --> 00:11:34.620 This is the gospel, church. 00:11:35.459 --> 00:11:38.019 The bad news is, yes, we've earned death. 00:11:38.079 --> 00:11:39.159 We've earned God's wrath. 00:11:39.299 --> 00:11:46.460 But the good news is, the good news of the gospel is that God has done something to give us eternal life. 00:11:46.500 --> 00:11:47.120 What has he done? 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:52.419 God has sent his own son, Jesus, into the world. 00:11:52.539 --> 00:11:57.120 You know, most of us here at Christmas, we understand that it has something to do with Jesus, right? 00:11:58.000 --> 00:12:03.460 I think broadly speaking, even in a non-believing world, non-believing community, 00:12:03.639 --> 00:12:06.799 they understand there's a connection here, Jesus and Christmas. 00:12:06.919 --> 00:12:07.519 It's a birthday. 00:12:08.060 --> 00:12:09.960 You even hear some songs on the radio. 00:12:10.299 --> 00:12:13.740 It's hard to believe that still is allowed to play on the airwaves. 00:12:13.740 --> 00:12:17.799 You hear some Christian songs about Jesus here at Christmastime. 00:12:17.899 --> 00:12:19.820 You see manger scenes all over the place. 00:12:23.899 --> 00:12:26.539 But I'm not sure that everybody really gets it. 00:12:27.539 --> 00:12:29.500 Why Jesus comes. 00:12:29.659 --> 00:12:33.460 Why we celebrate his birth every single year. 00:12:33.460 --> 00:12:34.560 Here's the reason. 00:12:35.460 --> 00:12:41.060 The child that we celebrate here at Christmas is our only hope of salvation. 00:12:41.059 --> 00:12:53.279 Jesus Christ has come to pay the debt, to take the wrath of God, to receive the wage that we have earned. 00:12:54.279 --> 00:13:00.000 The King of heaven has taken upon himself our human nature. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:07.879 He was born as a baby in the flesh so that he might live and die and rise for sinners like us. 00:13:09.379 --> 00:13:15.679 Jesus came to take what we have earned so that he can give us what he has earned. 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:21.799 Jesus came to die in our place so that we can live in him. 00:13:21.799 --> 00:13:30.279 Jesus came to bear the wrath of God so that sinners like us might know the peace of God. 00:13:31.419 --> 00:13:37.419 He came to be as we are so that in him we might come to be as he is. 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:44.240 Jesus has come to give us the gift of eternal life. 00:13:45.079 --> 00:13:46.179 A million dollar question. 00:13:47.319 --> 00:13:49.740 How do we get in on this gift, isn't it? 00:13:49.740 --> 00:13:53.220 How do we receive the gift? 00:13:53.379 --> 00:13:59.080 It's not by working or by earning or by striving or by bettering. 00:13:59.740 --> 00:14:02.980 It is simply by receiving. 00:14:04.120 --> 00:14:06.500 It's a free gift in him. 00:14:07.919 --> 00:14:13.620 Tomorrow morning, if you're lucky, someone might hold out a gift for you. 00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:14.879 It has your name on it. 00:14:14.919 --> 00:14:15.560 It's for you. 00:14:15.639 --> 00:14:16.379 They thought about it. 00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:17.580 They wanted to give it to you. 00:14:17.700 --> 00:14:19.060 And what will you do? 00:14:19.059 --> 00:14:22.519 You will reach out your hands to receive it, right? 00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:26.719 You will reach out your hands to take it and to make it yours. 00:14:27.179 --> 00:14:29.579 And that's exactly how we receive this gift. 00:14:31.359 --> 00:14:33.839 John Calvin says it like this. 00:14:34.379 --> 00:14:42.599 Faith is like an empty, open hand stretched out toward God with nothing to offer and everything to receive. 00:14:42.600 --> 00:14:51.180 If you would like to receive a free gift, the free gift of eternal life, and who wouldn't? 00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:56.080 All you must do is simply come to Christ in faith. 00:14:56.080 --> 00:15:03.340 The gospel is the gospel is the good news that yes, we have earned death by our works. 00:15:03.340 --> 00:15:09.520 But the good news is we receive eternal life by his works, by faith in what he has done. 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:19.279 You see, the real economy of Christmas is a little bit different than what we hear on the radio and what we sing about in the Christmas songs and in the legends of Christmas. 00:15:19.419 --> 00:15:20.600 The good news is this. 00:15:20.980 --> 00:15:29.399 Christ has come so that in him, God would not give us a wage, but rather this free gift of eternal life. 00:15:29.399 --> 00:15:33.079 We have earned death. 00:15:33.639 --> 00:15:35.059 Christ has earned life. 00:15:36.100 --> 00:15:40.459 And in him, we receive eternal life. 00:15:41.319 --> 00:15:47.679 We have earned separation from God, but in Christ, God has come to us in the flesh. 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:53.579 We have earned judgment for our sin, but Christ has died in our place. 00:15:54.519 --> 00:15:55.779 He's taken our judgment. 00:15:56.519 --> 00:15:58.679 He's showering us with grace. 00:15:59.399 --> 00:16:06.179 We have earned hell, but in Christ, God has given us heaven. 00:16:09.439 --> 00:16:16.419 Of all the gifts that you might get tomorrow, as you think about giving and receiving this Christmas, 00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:22.579 there is nothing better that you could possibly have than eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:16:22.580 --> 00:16:32.540 So as we close this evening in prayer, if you have not received that gift, I want you to pray as I pray. 00:16:33.160 --> 00:16:37.660 And I want you to cry out to the Lord as a sinner in need of saving grace. 00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:46.560 And church, for those of us who do have this gift, who have received the gift of eternal life in Christ, 00:16:46.559 --> 00:16:51.019 would you let it stir your heart once more to worship him this Christmas? 00:16:52.739 --> 00:16:55.199 Even as we just sang earlier this evening, 00:16:55.200 --> 00:17:24.120 Let's pray. 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:31.519 Father, we praise you for this free gift of eternal life in Christ. 00:17:32.019 --> 00:17:35.159 We confess, Lord, that yes, we have sinned against you. 00:17:35.239 --> 00:17:38.699 There's not a person in this room who is free from sin. 00:17:38.700 --> 00:17:45.460 But God, we rejoice that you have provided payment, full payment for our sin, 00:17:46.059 --> 00:17:53.220 simply to be received by faith in Christ who came for us and who lived for us and who died for us 00:17:53.220 --> 00:17:55.980 and who rose in victory from the grave. 00:17:56.519 --> 00:17:57.180 We love you, Lord. 00:17:57.240 --> 00:17:58.720 We pray this all in Jesus' name. 00:17:59.600 --> 00:17:59.880 Amen. 00:17:59.880 --> 00:18:00.019 Amen. 00:18:00.019 --> 00:18:00.059 Amen. 00:18:00.059 --> 00:18:00.059 00:18:00.059 --> 00:18:00.059 00:18:00.059 --> 00:18:00.059 00:18:00.059 --> 00:18:00.059