Skip to content The Best Christmas Gift of 2023 - Jim Shekleton Dec 17 · 38 min ...more
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Empowering multimedia ministry for bold Christian living: Weekend Messages, Deep End Podcast, Deep Dive Bible Study. Tim Hatch, Lead Pastor, Waters Church, 26 years of pastoral ministry, book author.
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0:00 My name is Jim Shekelton, and I am honored to be here today because I never thought I would be.0:12 And so I wanna say a special thank you to pastor Tim for the opportunity this morning as well as the opportunity to be the location pastor in, in Woonsocket. And special thank you because his0:24 dedication to training young men to be gospel leaders is the reason why I'm here and why a bunch of other men are here as gospel centered leaders here in this church and across the community. So0:36 let's just give a little round of applause, appreciation for master Tim. Thank you. And especially if it's your first time, first time checking us out online, first time here0:48 in person at any location, we're glad you're here because you could be anywhere, but you're here. And I wanna highlight I wanna highlight maybe a a specific individual that's here or people1:00 that are here. 12 years ago is when when my wife and I started coming to Waters Church, here in New England. That's when we moved here. 12 years ago, we came here, and I was I was1:12 very far from where I am right now. Very far. Not in a good place. I was a Christian. I believed in God, but let's I'm just gonna be real with you. I hated church people. I just1:23 did. I let the scars and the hurt take over, and I just I just I didn't like church people. That's how I came to church. Okay? So a special hello to you. If you're upset and not1:35 wanting to be here this morning at any location, online, or in this room here, I wanna say a special hello to you and a special welcome. I'm really glad you're here because even though you might not wanna be here,1:47 you're here, and showing up is half the battle for anything. So thank you for being here. Amen, church? Amen. So I've titled this message, hopefully, to1:59 strike a nerve with your Christmas shopping. Hopefully. That's my goal. So, the title is the best Christmas gift of 20 23. The best2:10 Christmas gift of 20 23. We all want to give the best gift. And as long as I'm being honest, I expect there's some other honest people in this room.2:22 You wanna get the best gift, don't you? Yes. I believe the chuckles. Those that aren't chuckling or nodding your head, I know you wanna get the best gift also. Let's be2:34 real. We're in church. We're honest in church. So regardless, maybe you're like, you know what, pastor Jim? I'm good. I'm gonna do all my Christmas shopping next week after service.2:47 I don't know how you work, man. I don't know how you work, brother, sister, Christ, but, you know, your your brain is not wired like mine. Or maybe maybe you're on the other spectrum. You're like, woah. I've2:59 had my Christmas shopping done for, like, 6 months. I don't know what's wrong with you people. I've got it all, like, pristine and wrapped, ready to go. So wherever you are, this message is for you because there's still3:11 time to receive and give the best gift of gift of 20 23. Let me save you some pain. Do not put this in your search3:23 bar. Do not put this in there. Do not. I did it. It's wasted so much time. The best gift of 20 23. Don't search for it. Don't. You3:35 will find a whole lot. You won't get those minutes back in your life. Let's just put it that way. Okay? But regardless where you are, you know, we think, what what makes3:47 it the best gift? You know, to give 1 or to get 1 or to receive 1. Is it is it the thought? Is it the care? Is it the love? Is it the compassion behind it? Is it the is it the person giving it? It must be the3:59 person receiving it because all my gifts are the best then. Anyways, you're supposed to laugh, but that's okay. But, you know, does let's look at this. Does this make it the better the best4:11 gift because it's pretty in a pretty bow, and it's a bigger box than the sweater box down there? You know, and guys, you pick this up and you're like, oh, 0, it's heavy. It must be that technology.4:23 You know, that 1 that you're wishing and hoping for. That will make it the best gift. It's pretty, and it feels heavy like technology. Maybe maybe you're4:36 a sweater person. You love sweaters. I don't. I get way too hot, way too quick. But this is a pretty well, does this make it the best gift because it's smaller? Or maybe you like giving smaller gifts because you could4:47 fit more under the tree. Does it make it better or the best because of this? And let me just give you a fun fact. This isn't in your notes. Might wanna write this down. If you're the sick individual that puts4:59 a box inside of a box inside of a box inside of a box, Stop it. Nobody likes it. Nobody. Maybe5:11 you're you're a gift bag person. That's what I am. Drop it in there, fluffy paper, good to go. Amen? Yeah. Maybe this makes it the best gift because it's a shiny5:22 box. And if you were to shake it, you'd hear nothing because I have nothing in this box. But maybe you're like, oh, maybe it's those car keys. You know, people5:34 put car keys in a box and they're, oh, 0, it doesn't rattle. Or maybe it's watch. Maybe it's cufflinks. Maybe it's something that I really like. Maybe maybe, oh, maybe it's a smaller5:46 box. It's empty too. Don't get your hopes up. But does it make it the best because we know shiny things go in here and5:58 expensive things go in here? But guys, how shiny and expensive does it have to be for her to call it the best? And then next year, how much more shiny does it have to be6:10 and more expensive does it have to be in a prettier, box to be called the best? Maybe the coveted smallest of them6:22 all. Earings or or finger jewelry that isn't in here, does that make it the best? Because6:34 it's the smallest, most coveted box. So I thought, you know, maybe it's the thought, maybe it's the love, maybe it's the consideration. And And I look back to the gifts that I've received, and and, you6:46 know, I've come up with a simple equation. I'm a math nerd. I like numbers. I'm sorry if you don't. Walk with me for a minute. Okay? Here's the equation for the best gift. The first part is6:58 love, care, compassion. If you don't have that, don't even start. Okay? If you give me a Snickers bar, I know you love me because I like Snickers. Okay? So it doesn't have to be7:09 extravagant, but it's gotta start with love, thought, and care. And then simple simple math, you add to it something you cannot provide yourself,7:22 and that equals the best. Because if I could provide it for myself, I'll just get it. But when you have the love and the thought and the care and then you7:34 add that layer of something I could not do for myself, Oh, now we're on to this might be the best. I think when I was in high school, my7:45 grandfather bought, paid for all of my whole family, aunts and uncles, and I'm not from here, I call it aunts, not aunts. Sorry. But all of our extended family, we went on a cruise, a 7 day7:57 cruise, and it was fantastic. First time I've ever been out of the country, first time I've ever seen anything out of Chicago where I grew up. And it was fantastic because there was thought and there was care and there8:07 was love for my grandfather to say, I wanna do this for the whole family. And then also that second piece, I could never pay for myself, let alone my whole extended family to go on a cruise. That was the8:18 best, the best gift, 1 of the best. And you're thinking now you're like, man, I'm so glad I'm not your children or your wife. You are you are high maintenance.8:30 Maybe. Maybe. But the best gift When the best gift is given or received, this is what happens. There's purpose that comes with it8:42 or from it. You see, it it it gives purpose. It provide it comes with purpose. Maybe it rekindles purpose.8:54 Something that's been laid dormant inside of you for whatever reason or or you never even knew it was inside of you, this care or compassion, but this the best gift brings to life purpose.9:06 It rekindles something that was in there. Maybe maybe it also further strengthens someone along while they're while they're operating and functioning in the God given purposes that they have. So9:18 it further strengthens it. You see the best gift, man, it's critical. Man, is it life changing like we witness with the testimony and baptism and we witness testimonies9:30 across all locations with baptisms. And I'm not gonna dangle the answer over your heads because I don't like that either. This is the answer, reconciliation.9:42 Reconciliation is the best gift ever, but especially Christmas 20 23. Amen. Reconciliation is the best Christmas gift. So walk with me a little bit on9:54 this. We're we're gonna look at scripture. We're gonna look at a a letter or a book we call it called second Corinthians, and this is written from someone called Paul. Paul had a crazy transformation by God, a a10:06 reconciliation to God that provided purpose, and his purpose is all throughout the bible in the New Testament. And this letter he wrote to the Corinthian church. And and he wrote this to the Corinthian church10:17 because he needed to address the best gift that they had once received and got a little foggy with. And so he writes this letter, and,10:29 you know, at that time, everybody wanted to be the best, kinda like now. Right? They wanted to be the best religious leader. They wanted to be the best10:42 philosophy person. I'm not you see, I'm not good at that stuff. Okay? But they wanted to be the best at it. Okay? You know, the the bigger you're following, the better or best you were.10:54 And so and so the Corinthian church, they were surrounded in their culture by by idolatry and by false gods and by false teachers.11:07 And and being surrounded by that is not what made them troubled and weak. What made them troubled and weak and foggy of this this gift that they were given is that they let that come into their11:18 church. They let that come into their faith. And this is what happened. Those people that said, this is my philosophy. This is my religious teaching. Come follow me. They didn't just say come follow me. They11:30 came after the individual first. They attacked Paul's character. Paul, the 1 that that launched the church of Corinth. They said, well, in order for me to attack their teaching11:42 so that those people don't follow his teaching and they follow mine, I have to attack the person's character first. And so they did. And the message was, if his character is garbage, his message must be11:54 garbage. So come listen to mine. And so some of that was trickling in. Some of that was trickling in. Sounds kinda like, you know, those folks that that wanted to be the best in that12:06 time. They had a very common label that of what we have. They wanted to be a social influencer. You see none of these terms, none of these tactics are brand new in 2012:18 23. None of them are. Sounds familiar to our culture to sway us and others away from our faith or or to to divide the church is to say, I don't12:30 believe this. So rather than trying to tell you what I believe, I'm just gonna come after the character of your leader and say his character sucks, so his message must also.12:43 Got quiet. That means we're getting somewhere. Getting somewhere. Now we have a place to start before we read. We can relate to what Paul is saying to12:55 the Corinthian church. We can relate to it. Let's stand for the reading of God's word here. We're gonna read from second Corinthians chapter 5 verses 11 to 21. And listen, you know, before we read, let's do13:07 something different across all locations. Stand for the reading of God's word, and let's do something different. Let's take a moment while we read and13:18 envision and pretend like Paul is writing to you and to me.13:30 So verse 11, it starts with this. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others, but we but what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscious.13:42 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you cause to boast about us so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in13:54 the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. If we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls14:06 us because he we have concluded this, that 1 has died for all, therefore, all have died, and he died for all that those who live might no longer live14:18 for themselves, but for him who who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no no 1 according to the14:30 flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.14:42 The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. All this is from God who, through Christ, reconciled us to himself and gave the ministry of14:53 reconciliation. That is in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to15:05 us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors of Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on15:17 behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness15:28 of God. This is God's word. Let's let's pray. Heavenly father, we thank you for your word. We thank you that it is alive. We thank you that you are alive and you are at work even today, even in every location15:40 where we are. So heavenly father, would you shape my words, and would it all be glorifying to you? It's in your precious name we pray. Amen. Go ahead. Have a seat at all locations.15:52 So Paul reminds the Corinthians church who they are in Christ and their purpose. Their old ways, their old life, your old ways,16:04 your old life is not behind you. It is dead. It is dead. Lifeless. No power16:16 over your new life in Christ. Your past is behind you because it's back there. Your old life, your old ways of the world, your old beliefs, your old16:28 everything church, it's not behind you. It's dead. It's dead church. Dead. You are a new creation in16:40 Christ. Christ has made you new. And in that newness, he has given you, given me the ministry of reconciliation, the message of16:51 reconciliation, the ability, the purpose to be his spokesperson. So we're gonna start with defining stuff because we know our world loves to define things17:03 that no need no definition, but we're redefining. So I'm gonna center us back to the definition of reconciliation. Okay? So whatever you think it is, just pause. Just pause. I'm not saying17:15 forget it. Just pause it, and let's let's ground ourselves in reconciliation. Dictionary dot com says this, the act of coming to an understanding and putting an end to17:27 hostility as when former enemies agree to be amical truce. Cambridge dictionary says this, the process now it's not an act. It's a process of making 2 people17:39 or groups of of people friendly after they have argued seriously or fought and kept apart from each other or a situation in which this17:50 happens. That's a mouth load. I like the last definition because it's just 1 sentence. The process of 2 previously alienated parties coming to peace with each18:02 other. 2 alienated parties coming to peace. That's what I like. And I'm here to tell you, the reconciliation the world18:14 offers has nothing in comparison to the reconciliation through Christ. And I wanna encourage you, kind18:25 of. I do. You you might be struggling with this reconciliation. You have this person or or the situation or this group or or whatever, and and that's what's in your mind right now. And you're like,18:37 man, I'm just spinning my wheels. We're not making any progress. We're we're not getting any traction. We're not there's no reconciliation. There's no sign of it. I would submit this thought to you. You will never have18:48 horizontal reconciliation this way with the people around you until your vertical reconciliation with your God and father and king is taken care of. You will never have the18:59 reconciliation that God has until you're reconciled back to God. And this is important because the reconciliation that God has to offer comes with hope, comes with peace,19:11 comes with transformation, comes with truth, comes with wholeness and gentleness and kindness and goodness and self control and patience. All of these things that the world cannot offer because those things come from God19:22 and God alone. And so for you today, maybe you're here because you've been spinning wheels horizontally in your reconciliation because you have no vertical reconciliation.19:35 So number 1 here, reconciliation begins when I admit I need to be reconciled. It begins when you say, yeah. There's a19:46 problem. Need to be reconciled. Need it. Verse 18 of second Corinthians, it says this, all this is from God who through Christ19:58 reconciled ourself reconciled us to himself. And that's the ESV version. I like the NLT version. It says this, and all this is a gift from God who brought us back to20:09 himself through Christ. Outside of Christ as well as in Christ, you need to admit that you need to be reconciled.20:22 And if you've received Christ as your savior, you've received his reconciliation. So the other fill in the blank in 0.1 is I need reconciliation20:34 centered in Christ. Centered in Christ. Because Romans 5 says this, for if while we were enemies, enemies. 1 of those definitions says reconciliation involves enemies.20:46 While we were still enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son much more. Now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.21:00 You see, this this definition is that we're alienated, and so we need reconciliation. So if I'm over here and God is over there, and it's not just21:11 proximity we're talking about, It's I'm alienated from him. Reconciliation is never gonna take place until you look at the alienation and you21:23 say, we can't have that anymore. We can't have it anymore. This needs to get fixed. You are not expected to know everything required for to21:34 fix it. Let me give you an example outside of religion. Maybe you're in therapy right now, family therapy, individual therapy, and reconciliation, all of this. Did you begin21:46 that therapy knowing everything there is to know about the reconciliation needed for that relationship? No. So why would we translate that into the into our religious beliefs or into Christianity to say, I have21:58 to know everything about this reconciliation before I accept Christ. That's not how we work outside of Christ. That's not how we work outside of religion. So this is what I submit to you. If you're not a Christian, just22:08 bring that same practice to Christianity. Just bring it. Don't don't try to understand it all just like you didn't understand everything in that therapy before you started taking it, before you started going through that22:18 process. The lord will reveal to you just like therapy here in the in the world reveals to us different aspects of reconciliation. And if well, I I need it all upfront22:30 to, like, have my brain, you know, work well. No. You don't. If you knew everything God had in store for you or this world had in store for you regarding reconciliation, I think22:42 we would implode. We wouldn't be able to handle it. Number 2, reconciliation is something I can receive.22:56 Reconciliation is something I can receive. The NILT version of second Corinthians 5 says this 18 and 19. And all of this is a23:07 gift from God who brought us back to himself through Christ, and God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.23:20 For God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them, and gave us this wonderful23:32 message of reconciliation. That's powerful. That's something I cannot do. I cannot23:43 reconcile you back to God. It's finished process already. Jesus has already met and done and accomplished23:54 everything, everything in order to bring us back to God. Everything. And yes, it is that simple.24:06 He was in heaven and he stepped down from his place in heaven and he came as a baby. This should sound familiar because we're gonna celebrate that in a week. And he came as a baby and he was raised by by24:18 loving parents and given skills with his hands to be a carpenter, and he was perfect and he was sinless. That's what the bible tells us. And he and he ministered to people and speaking the truth to all people,24:30 healing them with the power of God in him, and he healed people. He met every single requirement in order to bring us, me and you and those far from24:42 God right now, he met every single requirement in order to bring us back to God. Well, why do I wanna be brought back to God? Great question. I'm glad you asked online. This24:54 is why. Because that's what we were designed for, to be with him. Look in Genesis before the fall of25:05 man, what were they doing? Walking in the garden with God with him. That is what we are designed to be25:17 like with him, with God. And this alienation, it comes from the fall of man in that in that in the garden. It comes from that sin. And, yes, we're born into25:29 sin, and yes, we're born alienated from God. Not because of your attitude, not because of your bad decisions, not because25:41 you're cranky pants and you have no friends, not because of any of those reasons. We are alienated from God because of sin. That's it.25:54 And so the process to bring us back to God is done and finished and complete. It's complete in Christ. He was the final sacrifice for the punishment of26:06 my sin, of your sin. And when God looks at those that are in Christ, that he does not see your old life that is dead now. He sees your new life in26:18 Christ. And so sometimes26:29 sometimes needing to do something isn't always the best encouragement to go do it. Right? I need to do the dishes. Oh, yay. I need to go stack26:41 firewood. I need to go to work. I need to I need to I need to I mean Okay. It's not always the the encouragement for you to26:50 go do it gleefully,26:52 but it is the first requirement. There has to be a need. And then there has to be a want. You you need to you need to come to a place or allow the Lord to27:04 bring you to a place where where he shows you a need for reconciliation because he shows you just how far you are from him. You need to see it,27:17 and then you need to let the Lord or someone around you or just yourself come to a place where you you you want that to be gone. You want it to be27:29 gone, and it's different. It's different that second filling of the blank under 2 is I want reconciliation through Christ. I want27:40 it. Again, this whole process of reconciliation to God is done.27:53 It does require something of you and of me. It requires 1 thing, not your good works, not your hard work, not your money.28:05 It's still god honoring to give money to the church. Okay. That's not what I'm saying. It does not require your work. It requires 1 thing from you. Receive it.28:18 Receive it. Because that's what that's what the bible says. It's a gift from God. A gift from God. If I have a gift and I28:30 give it to you, your job is to receive it. That's it. Our job to to be reconciled to God through28:41 Christ is to receive it through Christ. Ephesians 2, Paul writes this also. For28:53 by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing. It is a gift. There it is a gift of God, not a result of works so that29:05 no 1 may boast. You are saved by grace. For grace, you have been saved through faith. We're called to be29:17 to put our faith in Christ, not understand all of it before we make a decision and then receive him.29:31 Jesus did the work of reconciliation. Who don't don't raise your hand or nod your head, married folks. Don't nod your head. K. Don't. You're welcome.29:42 If you've been through any kind of reconciliation here between people, you know it's hard. It's hard.29:55 It's and it wears you out, but it's worth it. And the good news that I have for you is that the hard work of being brought back to God30:07 is already done. It's already done, friend. We just need to receive it from Christ. Number30:19 3, Jesus gives me purpose through his reconciliation. He gives me purpose. I've seen this time and time again when we receive the good30:30 reconciliation from God. We receive Christ as our Lord and savior. I've seen it time and time and time again. That best gift ever, it comes with purpose that no man on earth30:42 could ever provide. And so Jesus gives me purpose through his reconciliation. Second Corinthians says this, therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ.30:54 God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For the sake for our sake, he made him to to be sin who knew no sin31:06 so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God. Ambassador. That word tripped me up. So I looked up the Greek, give me the Greek meaning. It means ambassador.31:20 Okay. Don't don't go look it up or go look it up and, you know, trust but verify type situation. But an ambassador, they're they're authorized to represent something or someone or a people group or a31:32 country. They they're given the authority to go act on behalf of that. And Paul says, we are ambassadors for Christ.31:44 When you receive Christ, this this comes with the purpose that you now are authorized31:58 to share the good message of Christ with the people around you. My purpose is in I'm sorry. My purpose in32:10 Jesus centered reconciliation is share it with others. Share it with others.32:22 Share God's reconciliation through Christ with someone. With someone.32:35 What is that gonna look like? I don't know. I can tell you this, it's gonna look good. Philippians 2, Paul writes this. He says, don't be selfish. Don't try to32:47 impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don't look out for for your own interest, but take an interest in32:59 others too. So, Christian, your your purpose in Christ is to share your story33:11 about how Jesus brought you back to God. That's it. Is it gonna look different for each and every 1 of us? Absolutely.33:23 Absolutely. And that's the beauty of our God. Because what snowflake is alike that he's made? None. But the 1 thing remains true in all of33:35 our stories across all locations, across all locations online and watching on TV right now, your story of being brought back to God is centered in Christ and Christ honoring.33:47 And I can't think of a better thing to be involved with. I can't think of a better thing to give. I can't think of a better thing to receive. Because Christ's reconciliation back to God, it comes with an33:58 amount of love and thought and compassion that you can't put measure on. You can't handle like, I just watched this go, you can't handle the truth. We can't34:10 handle how much God loves us. We can't measure how much Christ his mercy and grace has been applied to us so that34:22 1 thing can happen, we can be back with God as we're designed to be.34:34 So here's the equation. Thought, care, and love plus something I could never do makes something the best gift ever.34:47 The amount of love, care, and compassion in Christ and from God is immeasurable. His grace and mercy is new every morning. He's rich in mercy. That means he34:58 withholds what we deserve, and grace is giving what we don't deserve. He's rich in the both.35:15 My final thought here is the best gift is to be reconciled to God. The best gift is to be reconciled to God. I can receive Jesus' reconciliation and I am35:27 purposed to share his reconciliation with others.35:42 You're gonna you're gonna you're gonna find what you look for. You're going35:47 to. You're gonna35:50 find what you're looking for. You're gonna find confusion when confusion is pursued. You're gonna find anger when you36:02 pursue its justifications and rationale. You're gonna find selfishness when you make it about you.36:18 You're gonna find hope when you look for it in Christ. You're going to find joy when sought after in Christ.36:30 You are going to find wholeness when sought after in Christ and in Christ alone. You will36:42 find reconciliation that this world cannot provide when you find it and receive it in Christ. Christian, you36:54 will you will find someone that needs to be reconciled to God when you look for someone that needs to be reconciled to God. You will37:06 find what you are looking for. It's my greatest honor, my greatest joy, my greatest excitement to be a Woonsocket location37:18 pastor and simply watch the truth of the power of the reconciliation to God. It is37:29 amazing. Absolutely amazing.
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