Receive the gift of God
Today we’re going to discuss the gift of God in Rom 6:23. But before we do, we should consider the first part of the verse. The first part of the verse helps us to understand why God offers us the gift of eternal life in the first place.
Rom 6:23 says, the “wages” of sin is death. Whether you realize it or not, you’re working for sin. And with sin, there is a payday someday. When sin pays you for your service (Rom 6) it pays you with death. What you earn in wages for serving sin is death.
What’s sin? Sin in the Bible is defined as many different things. But for the sake of simplicity, let’s just consider a few. Rom 14:23 says, “whatsoever is not of faith is sin”. 1 Jn 5:17 says that all unrighteousness is sin. Whenever you do something that is not of faith or that is not right, you’re sinning.
When you do what you want rather than what God wants you to do, you’re sinning. This goes on all the time. If I have learned anything about human nature in all these years, it’s this. People do what they want to do. Consider these verses:
“Every man did that which was right in his own eyes”, Jud 17:6. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death”, Prov 14:12. The wages of sin is death. If you want to know why people die, this is the answer.
BUT (thank God for that word) the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Eternal life is a gift. You can’t work for it. You can’t earn it. You can’t claim it. You can’t be good enough to deserve it. You can’t wait till you die to get it. It’s a gift to be received now. You must receive the gift of God to have eternal life. Let me tell you about this gift. It’s:
The most extraordinary gift in the world. It’s the gift of God. God offers this gift that no one else in the universe can offer. You can’t get eternal life from a religion. You can’t buy eternal life with good deeds. You can’t quit doing bad things and thereby wind up with eternal life. It is a gift of God that must be given to you by God himself. And it is a gift that you must receive from God yourself. Jn 16:24, “Ask, and ye shall receive”. If you have never received his gift of eternal life, then you don’t have it. We encourage you to receive the gift of God.
The most essential gift in the world. It’s eternal life. When we open a present we might say “Oh, this is exactly what I needed”. Or “Oh, this is what I’ve always wanted”. Well, you can certainly say this about God’s gift. Eternal life is exactly what you need. It is essential. Without it you cannot go to heaven and you will not live forever.
God is the only one who can give you eternal life, because he is the only one who has ever had it to give. He has no beginning and he has no end. He has always been, he is now, and he will always be. No matter what time period you’re in, He is. When Moses asked him his name, God said, “I am that I am”. And today he is still, “I am”. He’s the one who gives you eternal life. From him alone you receive the gift of God.
The most expensive gift in the world. It’s through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jn 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. God had to give his Son for us to have eternal life. You see, gifts cost the giver, not the receiver.
Jesus willingly died for us to bear our sins in his own body on the tree. He took the sins of every single human being upon himself and received the wages of all our sins. No greater price has ever been paid. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”, Jn 15:13.
For Jesus to give us life beyond the grave, he had to go through the grave, himself. Heb 2:14 says, “through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil”. After his crucifixion, Jesus stayed in the grave 3 nights and 3 days. But then he rose from the dead. “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him”, Rom 6:9.
By his resurrection he has proven that when we receive the gift of eternal life through him, death cannot keep us in the grave either. As he came up, so shall all of us who have received the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
You receive the gift of God by believing on Jesus Christ and receiving him. Jn 3:16, says, “that whosoever believeth in him”. Rom 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”. Rom 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”.
Do you understand what happens if you don’t believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? The deadliest sin in the world is unbelief. This is why the Holy Spirit reproves the world “of sin, because they believe not on me”, Jn 16:9.
The horrendous truth is that after your death for serving sin, you face a second death for unbelief. Rev 21:8 says, “But the fearful, and unbelieving… shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death. The second death is a spiritual death resulting in eternal separation from God in a lake of fire. You do not want this in any way, shape, or form. I promise you!!
Conclusion: The thing to do right now is to be completely honest with God. You know, and so does he, whether you have eternal life. If you don’t, then now is the time to receive the most extraordinary, the most essential, and the most expensive gift in the world. Now is the time to receive eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
During this invitation, come forward and pray with one of the men or women who will meet you up here. They can help you with any question you may have or they can help you pray if you are unsure what to say to the Lord. When you receive Jesus, God will give you the gift of eternal life forever. Come now and receive the gift of God.