The King’s Cost

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The wonder of Christ’s love Is demonstrated in the cost of Christmas. Open with me to hymn number 125.

1        Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King.
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and heav’n and nature sing.

2        Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

3        No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.

4      He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, and wonders of His love.

The wonder of Christ’s love is demonstrated in the Cost of Christmas. But that is sometimes lost by the world. TO THE WORLD CHRISTMAS is often just A GOOD BARGAIN!

“Want to make this Christmas really special? For $66,344.46, you could buy all the gifts mentioned in the holiday tune “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”  That’s what all those partridges, geese, gold rings, maids a-milking and pipers piping would cost at today’s prices, according to PNC Advisors, a branch of Pittsburgh’s PNC Financial Services Group.

The $66,344.46 price tag of all the gifts in the song includes the many repetitions. By the 12th day, the singer has major storage problems, with 364 presents, including a dozen partridges in a dozen pear trees and 36 ladies dancing. The index doesn’t estimate the cost of storing and feeding all the gifts, most of which are alive.

So, what does Christmas cost the World? Oh, its a good deal.

• The wonder of Christ’s love is demonstrated in the COST OF CHRISTMAS: TO GOD CHRISTMAS COST EVERYTHING! He had to pay for sin completely

DOWN FROM HIS GLORY

Down from His glory—ever living story

My God and Savior came, and Jesus was His name;

Born in a manger–to His own a stranger,

A man of sorrows, tears an agony!

What condescension, bringing us redemption,

That in the dead of night, not one faint hope in sight,

God–gracious, tender–laid aside His splendor,

Stooping to woo, to win, to save my soul!   CHORUS 

Without reluctance–flesh and blood His substance-

He took the form of man, revealed the hidden plan

O glorious myst’ry–sacrifice of Calv-ry!

And now I know He is the great “I AM”!   CHORUS 

CHORUS

O how I love Him!   how I adore Him!

My breath, my sunshine, my all in all!

The great Creator became my Savior,

And all God’s fullness dwelleth in Him.

What did Christmas cost God? Everything. The greatest giver was God; the greatest gift was salvation; and the greatest sacrifice was Christ’s.

• The wonder of Christ’s love is demonstrated in the COST OF CHRISTMAS: TO A RECEPTIVE HEART THE COST IS NOTHING!  It is Already Paid!

WILLIAM SLEEPER

JESUS, I COME #336

Out of my bondage, sorrow and night, Jesus I come, Jesus, I come; Into Thy freedom, gladness and light, Jesus I come to Thee. Out of my sickness into Thy health, Out of my want and into Thy wealth, Out of my sin and into Thyself, Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of my shameful failure and loss, Jesus I come, Jesus I come;

Into the glorious gain of Thy cross, Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm. Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm, Out of distress to jubilant psalm, Jesus I come to Thee.

Out of unrest and arrogant pride, Jesus I come, Jesus I come;

Into Thy blessed will to abide, Jesus I come to Thee.Out of myself to dwell in Thy love, Out of despair into raptures above, Upward for aye on wings like a dove, Jesus I come to Thee.

Out of the fear and dread of the tomb, Jesus I come, Jesus, I come; Into the joy and light of Thy home, Jesus I come to Thee.

Out of the depths of ruin untold, Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold, Ever Thy glorious face to behold, Jesus I come to Thee.

CHARLOTTE ELLIOT

JUST AS I AM   #342

Just as I am, without one plea But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, and waiting not To rid my soul of one dark blot,

To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, tho tossed about With man-y a conflict, man-y a doubt. Fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind–Sight, riches, healing of the mind. Yea, all I need in Thee to find–O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive, Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; Because Thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

So what does Christmas give to the Receptive heart? Great Joy!

The wonder of Christ’s love is demonstrated in the COST OF CHRISTMAS: TO THE UNRECEPTIVE HEART—Everything, Because The Price Of Sin Can Never Be Paid For By Anyone But Christ!

J.W. PETERSON

GOD’S FINAL CALL

Some day you’ll hear God’s final call to you

To take His offer of salvation true–

This could be it, my friend, if you but knew:

God’s final call, God’s final call.

How can you live another day in sin,

Thinking some day with Christ you will begin?

O will you hear, above the world’s loud din,

God’s final call, God’s final call?

If you reject God’s final call of grace,

You’ll have no chance your footsteps to retrace–

All hope will then be gone, and doom you’ll face:

O hear His call! O hear his call! 

From Paul’s message to Herod the Great’s great-grandson Agrippa II comes this hymn written by P.P. BLISS

ALMOST PERSUADED #3  

“Almost persuaded” now to believe, “Almost persuaded”

Christ to receive:   Seems now some soul to say, Go spirit, go Thy way,

Some more convenient day On Thee I’ll call.”

“Almost persuaded, come, come today; “Almost persuaded,”

Turn not away;   Jesus invites you here, Angels are ling’ring near,

Prayers rise from hearts so dear–O wand’rer, come.

“Almost persuaded,” harvest is past!  

“Almost persuaded,” doom comes at last!

“Almost” cannot avail, “Almost” is but to fail!

Sad, sad, that bitter wail, “Almost,” but lost!

So what does the Unreceptive hearted ones get for Christmas? It costs them everything, for eternity, suffering the blackness of darkness forever and the vengeance of eternal fire.

One final note. The author of the hymn almost persuaded was P. P. Bliss. InDr. Alfred B. Smith’s wonderful work called Al Smith’s Treasury Of Hymn Histories he relates this amazing insight into Bliss’ life. P. P. Bliss was a fabulously successful secular musician. He was saved, and went on to faithfully serve the Lord. As he was traveling between ministry engagements the train he was riding crashed over a trestle and burned. He was trapped inside and died burned to death in that train wreck. The rescuers that pulled his lifeless body from the wreck also found his briefcase. Inside were the sheets of music he was writing on that trip. It is precious to know that his last recorded words, recovered from that wreckage were: “I Will Sing Of My Redeemer”.

The wonder of Christ’s love is demonstrated in the cost of Christmas should prompt us to do what as our response? Giving.

All I have belongs to you,

For all I have has come from you.

Nothing I own, nothing I possess,

Is by my own hands, its by Your Faithfulness.

So please take this offering,

From a heart of Thanksgiving.

For You’ve given all I have.

  Toting up the 12 days: Rise in aggregate cost of partridge, rings, drummers, other gifts keeps pace with inflation this Christmas season. Carrie Kirby, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, December 2, 2004.   http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/12/02/BUGLPA4QB01.DTL&type=business

  Heritage Music Distributors, Montrose, PA, 307, p. 209.