As we look at Romans, Chapter 5, verses 17-19, “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one [Jesus] shall many be made righteous,” hallelujah!  Can you say, “Praise God,” for that?  So, we see God’s plan, His eternal plan for you and me: to bring about this path through the virgin birth, to bypass Adam’s curse, the judgment upon humanity, and allow that righteousness of this God-Man to be imputed to our account, praise God!  His sanctified living, His holy life, His sinless life was lived by faith in God, not on the basis and power of His deity; amen?  He was the first begotten of many brethren.  He was the prototype of that which was to come because of the effectiveness, the fullness of this death as the only begotten Son.

“Only begotten,” as you look at that phrase in the Greek—it’s a powerful phrase.  It doesn’t mean "begotten" in the aspect of procreation.  It means the "only begotten Son" was the One and only unique Emmanuel who became a prototype, that we could be called the sons of God, heirs and joint-heirs with Jesus!  What a great gift God’s given us!  What an enabling that we could look this morning and say, "What Jesus did, greater things than these shall we do," greater in the number, not in the quality.  We’re enabled to walk free from sin’s power.  We’re enabled to have bold access to the very throne of God.  We’re no longer enemies of God, but He calls us His friends, praise God!

Last night, as I turned off the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, I was able to again realize how rich I am.  George was the richest man in town because of the great love of his friends; amen?  Aren’t you thankful for what God has given you?  In that movie, there’s a sign that hangs in the office of his father, and I’ll paraphrase it.  It just basically says, “The only riches you can take with you are those that you’ve given away.”  You reap what you sow.  The more we befriend, the more we will be befriended; amen?  What a great, great truth in that movie.

Some of us feel isolated—isolated from God because we’re not living to the biblical standard.  Tragically, we feel isolated from God because we’re not living to our own standards, and we begin to fall back into the works syndrome.  We judge ourselves based upon the guilt that we have.  I think it’s good that we look at Christmas and remember why Jesus came; amen?  Not as the Gnostics, the spirit of Christ did not come upon Jesus at His baptism.  John the Baptist spoke it very clearly, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29); amen?

You are the friend of God.  You are a child of God.  You are loved much more now, having depended upon His great gift, having been made sin with your sin that you might be righteous with His righteousness.  We stand here, right with God, justified freely by His grace through the redemption that’s in Christ Jesus; amen?  So, encourage yourself.  He came on my behalf and on your behalf because we were helpless.  Nothing in us could ever reconcile us back to God.  We were lost forever under the judgment of death until He came forth in the power of that resurrection and put death to death, praise God!  That position was accessed through that manger, and we give God all of the glory and all of the honor for that.  Aren’t we blessed?