Unwrap the Gift: Accept Jesus and Begin Anew

Devotional

Day 1: Hope Is Here: Receive the Gift of Jesus

In a year that felt uncertain and a little wild, there is one certainty: Jesus. He is the perfect gift where want meets need—hope, love, grace, peace, and a new path forward. But a gift only changes anything when you accept it and actually unbox it. You don’t have to wait for a better season or a cleaner story; the rest of your life can begin today. Open your heart, receive the gift, and start walking with Him now. [42:20]

Matthew 2:10–11 — When they saw the star settle, their joy overflowed. They entered the house, found the child with His mother, dropped to the ground in worship, and opened their chests to offer gold, incense, and myrrh.

Reflection: Where have you treated Jesus like a wrapped gift—admired but unused—and what is one practical step today to “unbox” His hope, forgiveness, or peace in that area?

Day 2: Bowing Our Lives in Pursuit

Pursuit starts where the first prayer ends. It’s not just running from hell; it’s running toward life with Jesus, day by day. You lay down preferences and pick up His way, trusting that His path leads to fullness. Whether you’re brand new or decades in, the invitation is the same: keep coming after Him. Choose one step of pursuit this week—Word, prayer, community, serving—and take it with a willing heart. [52:29]

Mark 10:17, 21–22 — A man ran up, knelt, and asked how to gain life that lasts. Jesus looked at him with love and said, “One thing is gripping you—let it go, share with the poor, and come follow Me.” The man walked away weighed down, because what he owned was owning him.

Reflection: What is the “one thing” currently owning your pursuit—time, money, comfort, or approval—and what small but real change will you make this week to follow Jesus more closely?

Day 3: Bowing in Repentance: Turning From Heavy Sin

Repentance isn’t self‑loathing; it’s an honest pivot toward Jesus. Sin is missing the mark, and it gets heavy fast—Jesus offers a light burden and a free way forward. You don’t need a crisis to turn; you need a decision. Name what’s off, bring it to Him, and choose a new direction. Let today be the day you walk lighter with Him. [55:06]

Luke 5:8 — When Peter saw what Jesus had done, he dropped at Jesus’ knees and said, “Lord, I’m too sinful for this.” He knew he didn’t deserve Jesus, yet Jesus was drawing him close.

Reflection: Identify one pattern where you keep missing the mark (a tone in your home, a secret habit, a shortcut at work); what opposite‑direction step will you take in the next 24 hours?

Day 4: Bowing in Submission: Not My Will, Yours

Submission is trusting God more than your plans. It’s placing your calendar, your budget, your words, and your reactions in His hands and walking out what He says. Even Jesus prayed, “Not My will, but Yours,” and then obeyed. This isn’t passivity—it’s active, surrendered faith that takes God at His word. Bring Him your plan and let Him edit it, then follow where He leads. [59:27]

Luke 22:41–42 — Jesus stepped a short distance away, knelt, and prayed, “Father, if there’s another way, take this from Me; still, I choose Your will over Mine.”

Reflection: Which specific plan—on your calendar or in your budget—needs to be laid before God for revision, and what change will you make after praying, “Your will be done”?

Day 5: Unwrap It Now: Confess Early, Live Fully

Every knee will bow and every tongue will one day confess Jesus as Lord. He’s inviting you to enjoy the gift early—don’t leave salvation parked; take the keys and live it. Confessing His Lordship now opens the door to life to the fullest, not someday, but today. Start by declaring who He is and walking out one act of obedience He’s already shown you. Hope is here; love is here; life change is here in Jesus. [41:21]

Philippians 2:10–11 — At the name of Jesus every knee—above, on, and beneath the earth—will bend, and every tongue will declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, bringing honor to the Father.

Reflection: In one upcoming conversation or decision, how will you confess Jesus’ Lordship ahead of time—what will you say or do differently because He’s in charge?

Sermon Summary

It’s Christmas, and I’m grateful we get to celebrate together. In a year that has felt unstable for many, one thing remains unshaken: Jesus is the certainty we can build our lives on. I talked about the simple but life-changing truth of Christmas—God has given us a gift in Jesus. Like any gift, it only becomes ours when we accept it and actually use it. Too many of us admire what’s been wrapped, maybe even unwrap it, but never unbox it—never put grace, forgiveness, hope, and new life into use in the real places we live: our homes, our schedules, our habits, our decisions.

We looked at the wise men—not as a cute scene but as a model. After a 900-mile trek, they walk into a house, see a toddler, and immediately fall down in worship. Why? They recognized they were in the presence of the One who changes everything. That’s the invitation for us: to respond to Jesus not with curiosity or seasonal sentiment, but with surrender that reshapes our lives.

So I asked one question: What will you do with the gift? We all have the same access; none of us can choose on behalf of someone else. I offered three ways to actually open it. First, bow in pursuit—don’t settle for merely avoiding hell while missing the life Jesus offers today. Pursuit is daily, relational, practical. Second, bow in repentance—the honesty to admit where we’ve missed the mark and to turn, because sin is heavy and Jesus’ yoke is light. Third, bow in submission—trusting God’s will over our own, especially when obedience is costly or inconvenient. Even Jesus prayed, “Not my will, but yours.”

My heart today is simple: the rest of your life can begin now. You don’t have to carry the weight you’ve been carrying. Forgiveness is available, hope is here, and new life is possible. Many of you started that journey today by confessing and believing. That’s the beginning, not the end. Now we walk—pursuit, repentance, submission—unboxing the gift we’ve been given and living the kind of full life only Jesus can give.

Key Takeaways

1. Receive the gift beyond unwrapping [40:42] A gift only changes you when it’s used. Admiring grace is not the same as inhabiting it. Christmas invites us to move from admiring Jesus to trusting Him with our actual decisions, habits, and relationships. Unbox what God gave—hope, forgiveness, and a new way to live. [40:42]
2. Pursuit is more than avoiding hell [52:10] Jesus didn’t just rescue us from a destination; He invited us into a life. Pursuit is a daily yes to His way, His truth, and His life, not merely a no to judgment. It’s possible to be “saved” but stagnant; pursuit keeps us growing, aligned, and alive. [52:10]
3. Repentance lightens sin’s heavy load [54:39] Sin is fun until it’s a prison; its burden grows while our freedom shrinks. Repentance is not groveling—it’s choosing a lighter yoke and a truer path. Naming where we’ve missed the mark opens space for healing, closeness with God, and renewed strength. [54:39]
4. Submission trusts God over our plans [59:43] Real surrender begins where preference ends. Like Jesus in the garden, we face moments we’d rather avoid; submission says, “Your will is better than my comfort.” This is not passivity but courage—the decision to align with wisdom bigger than our own. [59:43]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[15:29] - Services overview and celebration
[15:50] - Christmas Eve candlelight invite
[16:31] - Opening prayer and worship
[36:42] - Christmas at Radiate begins
[38:50] - The perfect gift: need and want
[40:42] - The gift we all receive
[41:21] - Jesus, our one certainty
[44:45] - Wise men’s journey and worship
[48:23] - What will you do with Jesus?
[48:48] - Bow in pursuit
[52:55] - Bow in repentance
[56:34] - Bow in submission
[59:43] - Not my will but Yours
[65:28] - Salvation prayer and next steps

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Matthew 2:10-11

Observation questions

In Matthew 2:10-11, what did the wise men do first when they entered the house and saw the child with Mary? What did they bring, and in what order do these actions happen?
What detail about Jesus’s age changes how we picture the scene, and why might that matter for how we think about worship? ([46:46])
What is the difference between “unwrapping” and “unboxing” a gift as described? What words or images were used to make that point clear? ([40:42])
What specific needs were named that people carry into Christmas, and what was declared to be “here” in Jesus? ([42:06])

Interpretation questions

The wise men immediately bowed when they entered and saw Jesus. What does that immediate response suggest about recognizing who He is, even as a toddler? ([47:12])
Pursuit was described as more than avoiding hell; it’s a daily yes to Jesus’ life. How does that shift the goal of faith from merely avoiding a destination to embracing a way of living? ([52:10])
Repentance was framed as trading a heavy load for Jesus’s light yoke. What does that teach about God’s heart toward sinners and why honest confession leads to freedom? ([54:39])
Submission says, “Not my will, but Yours.” When obedience is costly or inconvenient, what kind of trust in God’s character and wisdom does that require? ([59:43])

Application questions

“You unwrapped it, but you never unboxed it.” Where have you admired grace, forgiveness, or hope but not actually used them in your habits, decisions, or relationships? What is one specific place you will unbox the gift this week? ([40:42])
If pursuit is a daily yes to Jesus’s way, what is one simple practice you will add or adjust (Scripture, prayer, serving, conversation, calendar) to say “yes” today and tomorrow? Be specific about time and place. ([52:10])
Where have you “missed the mark” lately—at home, at work, online, or with money or words? What would turning in the opposite direction look like this week, and who will you tell for accountability? ([53:55])
What heavy load are you carrying (secret sin, bitterness, fear, shame)? What concrete step of repentance could you take to trade that weight for Jesus’s lighter yoke—today? ([54:39])
Name a plan you’re holding tightly (career move, budget, dating decision, parenting approach). What would it look like to pray, “Not my will, but Yours,” and then take one obedience step even if it costs you? ([59:43])
The wise men crossed 900 miles to worship. What “long trek” of obedience is in front of you right now—something inconvenient, slow, or stretching? What is your first mile this week? ([44:45])
“The rest of your life can begin today.” If you are starting (or restarting) with Jesus, what is your next step in the next 48 hours—telling someone, baptism, Bible reading plan, serving, joining a group? Share it with the group so they can encourage you. ([42:33])

Sermon Clips

And here's what I know across all the services we're going to have over the next few days. People are going to walk in, and they need, man, we need hope. We need forgiveness. We need grace. We need peace. We need love. We need all this stuff. And here's the beauty of it all. Hope is here. Love is here. Life change is here. You don't have to go searching anywhere else in the world for it, because Jesus has already come. He still lives. He's given his life. And hope is here in the name of Jesus. And we have access to the gift. [00:41:46] (39 seconds) #HopeIsHere

What a better time to look and go, no, no, no, no, I don't need all the others. I just need Jesus. He is hope. He is joy. He is the light of the world. He is all that we need. And the rest of our lives can start today. All because of Jesus. Past several weeks, we've been looking at Matthew chapter 2. And we've been looking at the Christmas story through the wise men's eyes. [00:43:47] (29 seconds) #AllWeNeedIsJesus

The wise men show up and immediately they understand, I'm in the presence of life change. I'm in the presence of the one that changes everything. I'm in the presence of the one that will give his life to give me life. I'm in the presence of the one that this is the whole reason for anything. And they couldn't do anything but bow. They couldn't do anything but worship. They couldn't do anything but give their lives to him. Not because he was a toddler, But because they realized he is the Messiah. [00:46:58] (32 seconds) #WiseMenWorship

A life of pursuit is walking with the Savior daily to the best of our abilities. That's what a life of pursuit looks like. It's coming to the realization that I don't just want the opposite of hell. A life of pursuit is looking at Jesus and going, I don't just want the opposite of hell, I want life. And there's only one way to life, and the Bible is very clear about that. There's one way to life, and it is through Jesus Christ the Savior. [00:51:33] (28 seconds) #PursueJesusDaily

Number two, we can open the gift by bowing our lives in repentance. Repentance. Repentance is the ability to look at my life and go, I've gotten it wrong. I've gotten it wrong. I've done it wrong. I've messed it up. I'm here to tell you today, if you don't know me, I need to go ahead and tell you this. I'm not perfect. I know that blows you away. I'm not perfect. In fact, if you're looking for the perfect church to be a part of, you pick the wrong one. Nobody in this room is perfect. Nobody, including this guy. [00:52:49] (34 seconds) #BowedInRepentance

I just happened to get to pastor this place. I just happened to get to follow God and do what he asked me to do. But I'm not perfect. I get it wrong all the time. We all do. Repentance is the ability to look at God and go, I get it wrong all the time, but I want to go in a different direction. Repentance is the ability to go, hey, God, I want to walk in a different way. I want to go in a different direction than the way that I've been doing. God, I want to walk away from sin. [00:53:23] (26 seconds) #WalkAwayFromSin

And so this Christmas we get the gift of Jesus, but what are we going to do with it? I want to bow in repentance. I want to walk in the opposite direction, man. I want to look at God and go, that's not what you have for me. I'm better than that, not because of me, but because of you. You've called me to a better marriage than that. You've called me to a better dad than that. You've called me to be a better man than that. I want to walk in that. [00:55:01] (25 seconds) #RepentAndRise

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