Living Savior Podcast

December 22, 2019 - Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-14 - "All of These Promises Are for You" by Living Savior

Everyone has some kind of Christmas list. On that list are things that we both want and need. And parents know that, although our needs might not be as glamours, we still need them.

At Christmas our heavenly Father gives us what we need. Superseding our biggest dreams and our greatest imagination, God has made us his children. He accomplished this through his Son so that we would be his sons and daughters now and forever.

"Oh, come, O Root of Jesse, free  Your own from Satan’s tyranny; 

From depths of hell your people save,  And bring them victory o’er the grave."

For nine centuries Christians have been singing this hymn during the season of Advent, urging Jesus Christ to come and set them free from the tyranny of Satan, death, and hell. We still live in that confident hope, so we still invite him to come. True, the Lord will  arrive with swift judgment. He will cut down those who refuse to produce the fruits of repentance that he looks for, and he will cast them into the fire. Yet for all those who put their hope in him, he will come with mercy and grace. He will make all things new, bringing everlasting peace.

"Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!"

Perhaps more than any other holiday, Christmas is predictable. That includes the food, the decorations, the music, the date, even some of the emotions we feel. Yet the fact is, what God foretold before the first Christmas is much better than any human being could have imagined. As a result, God’s “unpredictable Christmas” brings us gifts beyond compare.

When we were young, our parents taught us to say “thank you.” We do the same with the next generation. Yet thankfulness means so much more than merely saying the right words. It’s an attitude of the heart, a condition of the spirit. One might even say that it’s a conscious way of looking at all things, regardless of your circumstances.

Today we begin a special week of thanksgiving. As we do, we remember that God has always provided all we need, confident that he will continue to do so forever!

When we were young, our parents taught us to say “thank you.” We do the same with the next generation. Yet thankfulness means so much more than merely saying the right words. It’s an attitude of the heart, a condition of the spirit. One might even say that it’s a conscious way of looking at all things, regardless of your circumstances.

Today we begin a special week of thanksgiving. As we do, we remember that God has always provided all we need, confident that he will continue to do so forever!

God teaches us to give our offerings thoughtfully, generously, cheerfully, and thankfully,   always mindful of the needs of others. But he never forces such offerings. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Our heavenly Father sets us free for giving such gifts of love through the “indescribable gift” of his own Son, our Savior Jesus.

God teaches us to give our offerings thoughtfully, generously, cheerfully, and thankfully,   always mindful of the needs of others. But he never forces such offerings. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Our heavenly Father sets us free for giving such gifts of love through the “indescribable gift” of his own Son, our Savior Jesus.

What do you need more than clothing and food, more than health, even more than your family? You need God’s Word. Jesus says it plainly, calling his Word “the one thing  needed!” For good reason. After all, God uses his Word to reassure you that he is “all in” with his promises to provide for all your other needs. Pray with his apostle Paul, then, that you and those you love will find rest in God’s Word every day and grow in the faith, hope, and love that spring from what your Savior has to say.

Commitment can be scary. It’s hard to know what we will gain and what we will lose. Will the reward outweigh the risk?

God’s approach is very different. When it comes to God’s commitment to us, he doesn’t hold back. At all. In fact, he’s ALL IN! With seemingly reckless grace, he gave his own Son, Jesus. And since he gave his Son for us all, how will he not also give us all that we need now and forever? (Romans 8:32)

With that kind of commitment to us, how can we not want to manage all our time, all our talents, and all our treasures to serve his highest purposes? Join us for a series of worship services in which we encourage one another to be ALL IN – to the praise and glory of our Savior-God who himself is ALL IN for us!