Beforehand: Be sure to check out Pastor Ben’s message online if you were not able to catch it on Sunday morning.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

The Perfect Gift – “God’s Gift”

Pretext –Luke 1:8-11

1 – The Big Gift is for You – Luke 2:11

2 – You Don’t have to Measure Up – Luke 2:11

Deep Six Study

Introduction

Luke 2:8-11 – “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.’”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Scripture is self-verifying, meaning that in speaking of itself, it declares to be absolutely true all statements it makes on any aspect of existence. Scripture says that God is the Sovereign Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of the universe. Scripture says that God created mankind to exist for His glory by bearing His image but that mankind rebelled becoming sinful and separated from God. Scripture says that in His holiness God was provoked by the sinfulness of mankind so that a penalty for it became necessary. Scripture says the in His love God was so moved by the lost state that sin’s penalty exacted on mankind, that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay sin’s penalty on our behalf. How amazing it is that what God’s Holiness required, His love provided, completely and entirely apart from anything we might do except to believe that He did it. The Bible says that all this is true. However, there are many who do not believe in or receive the Gift of God’s Son. This week’s Deep Six Study focuses on some helpful understandings that help alleviate obstacles that often keep people from receiving the greatest Christmas gift of all – Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior (ICHTHUS)

Question # 1 – What do you know about ICHTHUS and what can you come up with about it?

Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

Luke 2:8-11 - “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

James 1:17-18 – “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.”

1 John 4:14, 5:1A, 11-13, 20 – “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world …. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God …. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life …. And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”

Comment – God reaches people one at a time. Salvation is a very personal thing. It is a personal transaction between an individual and the God of the universe. When one thinks of the Father giving His Son, when one thinks of the Son as the Savior who was given, when one thinks of the salvation which was purchased, one needs to think of it as being done for him or her. This one time it is alright to be self focused. Unless a person considers the perfect gift in this very personal way, it will not become his or her own. Each individual must hear the message of salvation for him or herself and understand that all that was accomplished was for him or her. When a person grasps that God would have given his Son and Jesus would have laid His life down even if he or she were the only person in the world, they are often ready to receive the perfect gift of salvation in Christ.

Question # 2 – Was not viewing salvation in a personal way an obstacle that stood in your way before you truly received Christ, the perfect gift?

Question # 3 – When you consider afresh that God and Jesus would do all they did even if it were only for you, how does it effect you?

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

Luke 2:11 - “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

Psalm 103:8, 10-13 – “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness …. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.”

Titus 2:11A, 3:4-7 – “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men …. But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Comment – Some unbelievers when they hear the message of the Gospel see no necessity for a Savior for themselves. They really don’t think they need a Savior. Others think that they are undeserving and beyond the reach of a Savior. Either way the underlying problem is the same: having a personal standard of measure with which they check themselves and determine whether they are alright or not alright. Measuring one’s self only works if we check ourselves against God standard of perfection and reach the conclusion that there are none who are righteous and all are in need of a Savior. Then we are ready for the gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who alone is perfect and who alone was able to pay the price for our sin and become the Savior of the world.

Question # 4 – With what kind of a standard did you measure yourself before you understood the truth in this regard?

Question # 5 – Who is someone you know who thinks they do not need forgiveness and who is someone you know who thinks they are beyond forgiveness?

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Conclusion

God’s holiness is unwavering and His love is unconditional. His holiness demanded that sin be paid for and His love for us who deserve this judgment moved Him to send His Son to be judged in our place. The gift of forgiveness, restoration, and eternal life was purchased at great cost and is available freely to each one who in faith receives this perfect gift for themselves. May God wonderfully help each person who reads this study to be certain that this gift has been received personally for themselves. May those who have this certainty rejoice in the joy of their salvation in a fresh and complete way this Christmas. And may we all extend the perfect gift to those individuals whose hearts the Holy Spirits opens this Christmas.

Question # 6 – Are you certain you have received the perfect gift of salvation and what would you say to another person if you were telling them how this gift became yours?

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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.