God’s Gifts
Matthew 1:18 - 25
by Rev. John Hannem Calvary Baptist Church, North Sydney, NS - December 24,2005
Many families have Christmas Traditions...Family get-togethers, drinking egg nog around the fire place, singing Christmas Carols around the piano, Doing an act of kindness for a needy family, and so on.......
One of the traditions in our family as the kids were growing up was that we would not open any gifts until after we attended church Christmas morning... That didn”t catch on real well with the kids though ..... so we later on developed a new tradition that came from my wife’s family in that we would open up a small Christmas Gift on Christmas Eve... Maybe a puzzle, or a game, or a new pair of slippers...pajamas or
something the kids could wear or play that night...
Now, my brothers & I really got into Christmas when we were younger...
and I must say, we weren’t all that altruistic... we were just excited to see what presents we would get! We would be so excited, we would start getting up at about 2:30 AM! We would try and sneak down stairs ... my dad would wait until we were about three creaky steps down the stairs and then he’d call out “Back to bed guys, it’s too early, Santa didn’t come yet, .... We would try it over and over every 30 min or so until finally about 5 AM dad would give in and let us go downstairs... and then
we’d all get up and open presents.
One night, I snuck down in the middle of the night...before anyone else had gotten up... as I peeked into the living room and scanned the gift left there by Santa I noticed this great race car set. I was so excited! I went back to bed...I couldn’t get back to sleep... when it was finally time to get up...and open our presents...I remember that the race car set was for one of my brothers!!
I was so disappointed! I don’t even remember what I got that year...I’m sure it was nice, whatever it was...but I always remember that feeling of disappointment!
Tonight, we will probably allow our big kids to open 1 gift... and I know that they will be so excited . We have a lot of fun opening gifts. Start with the youngest to the oldest around in a circle opening one gift at a time. ... I checked, and they are still not that excited about waiting until after church tomorrow. And I am sure they will want to get up before the crack of dawn...and we will tell them to go back to bed...
until we are ready to get up...
I hope they will enjoy their gifts...I hope that they won’t be disappointed...
You are of course familiar with the Christmas story... the part where the wisemen bring gifts of gold and frankincense, and myrhh. And it is exciting to think about giving gifts to Jesus... We talked earlier in Advent about giving Him our praise...
but we can also give Him our time... our money... our talents and our very lives...
But tonight, being that tonight is Christmas Eve... I would like for us to look at some of the gifts that God gives us. I feel that Christ would like us to open some of His presents for us tonight... and THESE gifts are much better than a pair of socks...
or slippers... these are some wonderful gifts... and I am sure that you won’t be disappointed!!!
The First gift that I would like for us to open tonight is the gift of God’s Son
Read Matthew 1:18-25.
1. The Gift of God’s Son is the greatest gift of all! That Baby...lying in a manger...
in the humblest of surroundings...from all outward appearances...you might look at this gift and be disappointed...but when you realize the enormity of it and the sacrifice involved in giving that gift to us.. well, it becomes the most precious gift!
John 3:16 says that "God so loved the world, that He GAVE His only begotten Son".... And Jesus is the perfect gift for a hurting world! ... this is the gift that keeps on giving! He was the perfect gift 2,000 years ago...and He is the perfect gift today...
So tonight...as we open this very wonderful gift...and see Jesus Christ, born as a baby in the manger...let us be grateful for this wonderful gift!
2. The Gift of God’s Care
We are in for a real treat! God is going to let us open another gift tonight! Not only has He given us the gift of His Son...a gift given to mankind over 2,000 years ago...
but He gives us the gift of His watchful care! Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." ..... Psalm 23 says that "the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want" One song says, "He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own, and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known"
Verse 23 of our text says "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."
Emmanuel...God with us...
This not only refers to the incarnation when Christ became a Baby....and was born in the manger...It refers to every day in the life of the Christian...On good days, He is Emmanuel, God with us.. and on bad days, He is still Emmanuel, God with us...
when our stress is climbing, He is Emmanuel God with us... when we are in the hospital, facing surgery, He is Emmanuel God with us... when we struggle financially, He is Emmanuel, God with us... Even when a loved one faces death, He is Emmanuel, God with us!
I think we’ve all been there.... We’ve lived through those times in life when we didn’t feel Christ was there... we didn’t feel like He was "God with us".. we’ve felt abandoned by God... But then as our situation plays out we have come to realize that God was there all the time and in fact it was us/we who had done the abandoning...
And Christ was simply waiting and watching like the Father of the prodigal son...
lovingly awaiting our return!
Well God Has a third gift that he wants us to open this Christmas Eve
3. The Gift of God’s Grace
Ephesians 2:8 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God"
God’s grace isn’t something that we could earn ...Max Lucado compared it to jumping to the moon...no matter how hard you try...you will never be able to jump to the moon...after years and years of effort and struggle and work... you may be able to jump 5 feet off the ground...but you will still fall far short.
God’s grace isn’t something that we deserve...If we were to get what we deserved...
we would receive the death penalty...but Christ stepped in, and at great expense to Himself.. has given us what we don’t deserve...
God’s grace... It is simply given, as a gift...to those who would receive it.
GRACE - God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
Rev. 22:17 says, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life."
4. There’s another gift under our tree.
In the High Priestly Prayer of Christ in John chapter 17... there in verse 2, we find another gift!
"For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him" John 17:2 (NIV)
When we invite Christ into our hearts... He not only gives us the gift of salvation...
but we are heirs to the gift of eternity in heaven!! We certainly don’t deserve this awesome gift...but Christ gives us this gift nonetheless! And while we can get a peak what this gift is like even tonight...we won’t fully appreciate/ fully understand this gift until we actually make heaven our home.
Conclusion
1. Many people will exchange gifts this Christmas... perhaps some will do it tonight, on Christmas Eve...Whenever you exchange your gifts...I hope you remember these other gifts...they won’t be found under your tree this year...but they are the best gifts anyone would receive...I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!
1. The Gift of God’s Son
2. The Gift of God’s Watchful Care
3. The Gift of God’s Grace
4. The Gift of Enjoying Eternal Life With Him
It’s what Christmas is really all about!