Sheryl Brady - The Gift of a Savior

I just want to talk to you a little bit about The Gift of a Savior. The gift of a Savior we so needed—a Savior who knew that we couldn’t afford Him; we couldn’t buy our salvation. He knew we were in such shame that if He didn’t give it to us, we would not be able to obtain it. So He said, «I so love the world that I’m going to give My own life.» You didn’t have to buy it; you didn’t have to purchase it. He knew you were in a mess; He knew I was in a mess. He said, «If I’m going to help them, I’m going to have to wrap Myself up in flesh, and I’m going to have to come into the earthly realm. I’m going to have to borrow the body of Mary for about nine months, and then I’ll be born into the world and I will save the world from its sin.»

Today, we have a Savior. I don’t know if you have paused to think about that lately, but we have a Savior, an advocate with the Father, someone who stood between death, hell, and the grave and fought for us. We have a Savior. Unto us, a child is born; unto us, a son is given. I want to talk about the gift of a Savior. Father, I thank You for this holy moment; I thank You for what has brought us to this moment. I thank You for Your word that’s going to carry us beyond this moment. Today, as I declare it in this place, I pray that You would touch the hearts of Your people—those in the building, those who are watching from around the world. I pray that it be sealed in our hearts and that it changes our lives forever. We thank You for Your word. I said we thank You for Your word. Somebody say, «We thank You for Your word!» Do you really thank Him for His word? It was a lamp to your feet; it was a light to your path. Thank You for the word, Lord. It brought me out of darkness and called me into marvelous light. Thank You for Your word; we give You glory in Jesus' name.

Somebody clap your hands, hold your head back, and give God your best praise for the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received in your life. Thank You for the gift of the Savior. In Jesus' name, on your way down, just hit somebody, wake them up on both sides, and tell them the gift of a Savior is yours! The gift of a Savior belongs to you. Christmas, they say, is the most wonderful time of the year. I believe that, if it is truly the most wonderful time of the year for me, it is because we have a wonderful Savior. Joseph sang about that just a few moments ago. He’s full of wonder; just when you think He’s one thing, He’ll turn around and become another thing. He is an amazing God; He’s an awesome God. When you have said He’s your healer, He’ll turn around and blow your mind and become a waymaker. He’ll turn around and become your Father, your Counselor.

When we were singing that part a while ago that says He’s a wonderful Counselor, I thought, «Lord, I just stood there and thought about how many times You have counseled me through so many things in life.» Because how many of you know He will rise up in you as a wellspring? You’ll feel like you don’t know what to do, and then all of a sudden the counsel of God will just bubble up out of your belly. That’s why it pays to really open your heart when the word of God is going forth, because there are things that get in your spirit that don’t necessarily get in your mind, and in times of need, He’ll bring those things up out of your spirit. He’ll guide you, direct you, and tell you where to place your foot next.

Christmas being the most wonderful time of the year is wonderful because a lot of love is shared. People may have little patience in the midst of December; there are some that it causes to extend a little measure of grace that they normally wouldn’t, simply because there’s so much love in the atmosphere. One of the things I’ve been amazed about this year in particular: I drove through my neighborhood the other night, and I was amazed at how I turned down my street and saw it lit up. It was dark outside, but so bright! I thought, «I’m just going to drive down here and see how many houses have Christmas lights on.» I would dare say that at least eight out of ten had some of the most beautiful Christmas lights on. Even though the sun was setting and darkness was moving in, there was brightness in the neighborhood because so many people had put up lights.

Now, whether people want to acknowledge it or not, whether they want to admit it or not, whether they want to accept it or embrace it or not, He is the original reason for the lights we see at Christmas. He is the original reason. As a matter of fact, one of the main themes of the Bible is the subject of light. The Bible tells us that God is light.