God's Christmas Gift For You

THE CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM GOD

Isaiah 7:14

* Well, here we are in December once again. It’s the time for giving and receiving gifts. I read something this week which I thought you would enjoy. (Read buying gifts for men) Yes, I thought these rules might assist some of our ladies in buying presents for their husbands.

* Most of us know the joy and expectation of that one family member who always gives us our favorite gift each year. They may be the cool aunt or uncle or even that wealthy family friend. But whoever it is in your family, you always look forward to that special gift. It’s going to be cool, right, and perfect.

* Christmas time has always been about gifts. Have you ever set out to read all you can read about the history of Christmas? Having been incarcerated in my home (with my sickness) for the last couple of weeks gave me some time to read and I discovered that some contend the Christmas celebration goes back several thousand years to the area of Mesopotamia. While others say at least the gifts part of Christmas began with the Magi bringing gifts to the young boy. Still others suggest that it began in 375 A.D., and even more will contend that Christmas in America only took root in the 18th & 19th Century.

* Let me break this down for us this morning; seems to me that we, as believers, celebrate Christmas because of Jesus, God’s gift to mankind. Hopefully, we give gifts because of God’s greatest gift; we exchange gifts to remind us of the exchange life God has given us. All that we do this next month should be predicated on the truth that the first and best Christmas gift we can ever receive is from God. There are several scriptural reasons we can know truth and enjoy this holiday. Turn with me to Isaiah 7:14 and let’s consider one verse & the truth therein.

* Over the next month almost everything will be centered on Christmas. From our text, let’s see God’s gift to us in 4 slices;

1) The Promise For Christmas – “the Lord Himself shall give a sign”

* Every one in this building loves the thought of a “promise” for Christmas. Maybe it’s food, family, gifts, or a myriad of things.

* The promise for Christmas which God gives is a “sign.” In today’s world we are very used to signs. In our culture we think of signs in term of information. Yet, the signs which God gives are signs that “He is in the house.” Let’s remember exactly HOW God uses signs;

==> In Exodus 13, God makes the Passover celebration is set up a sign.

==> In Exodus 31 God says the observance of the Sabbath is also a sign.

==> Numbers 17 records Aaron’s blossoming rod as a sign of Aaron’s being chosen.

==> Joshua 4 records the Children of Israel crossing the Jordan and then placing 12 stones in the center of the riverbed as a sign from God to remember God’s provision in crossing the Jordan.

* God is big on signs. Why is this? Because God is giving His best effort to bring us out of the darkness. Isaiah 9 tells us this; “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, on those living in the land of darkness, a light has dawned.” The sign which God gives is light.

* On this earth, God’s crown creation is walking in darkness because we live in a land of darkness. When you are truly consumed with darkness very little else matter except light. You don’t care about your hair, clothes, cars, house, or any other material goods, you simply want to see. God’s promise for Christmas is light.

* Let’s make this personal. Just because God has promised us light and delivered on His promise for this world does not indicate that you and I have automatically “seen” this light. We can and many still do walk in darkness. Just as surely as you walk into a room which possesses a light fixture requires action, so does your ability to see God’s divine light require action. God had promised us light and again, He’s delivered on His promise. Interestingly enough, He requires us to respond to His promise. Some of God’s other signs are love & life, but we’ll get to those. His promise is a sign and that sign is light.

2) The Power In Christmas – “a virgin will conceive”

* Wait a minute! A Virgin? Surely you gist. Without being offensive let me point out that in America there are two opposite views about this.

* First, there is the view of the “churched crowd” which seems to take the virgin birth for granted. We have been taught it for so long and believe it so deeply, that it’s seemingly no big deal.