God's Gift For You

It is always a joy to watch children at Christmas time. Christmas morning never seems to come soon enough. Children (at any age) can become very anxious.

Mankind has always looked forward to Christmas.

Do you know who were the first to get excited about Christmas before it took place? Think about it.

It was prophets from the Old Testament that first started counting down the days.

Men like Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Micah.

They foretold of the coming of the baby, Jesus Christ. One of the prophets even knew where the baby, Jesus, would be born. He was to be born in Bethlehem.

The prophets of the Old Testament said:

· This baby would come to save the world from sin.

· This world of darkness would be given the Light that would shine forever.

· This little baby would bring peace to a world in tumult, destruction and chaos.

These prophets of the Old Testament started counting down the days until Christmas some 800 years before the first Christmas morning.

For 800 hundred years, the boys and girls, men and women all over the world waited for the promise of the Christ child to be born. That’s a long time.

These prophecies & promises were all but forgotten.

Many generations of God’s people had come and gone. Most people had given up on there ever being a Christmas morning. Until Jesus was born, there was very little peace and joy to be found in the world.

Prior to the book of Luke, there was little hope left for the birth a King who would come to save the world.

For 800 hundred years, the world waited in darkness.

But there was a promise of the Light (Jesus Christ) given by the prophet Isaiah Isaiah 9:2:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.

The earth waited for God to bring joy and peace, and to shine His eternal Light down out of heaven.

Then at long last, in Luke chapter 2, God sent an angel to pronounce to the world the arrival of the King!

Text: Luke 2:8 thru 14

Prayer:

John 1:1-5

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Genesis 1- God’s Word spoke creation into existence.

Luke 2 - God’s Word would once again speak and the Word gave birth to the babe, Jesus.

In our text, the angel of the Lord spoke in vs. 10 & 11:

“…Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be TO ALL PEOPLE.

"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord…”

Luke chapter 2 was not going to be another prophecy given by God from the Old Testament. This would be:

· The new beginning.

· The declaration to the world of the long awaited fulfillment of all of the prophecies.

All of the prophecies of the coming of Jesus were over.

Christmas is here! The promise was finally fulfilled.

The Old Testament promise of the Savior was born!

The Light had finally come to the world!

We should remember that Christmas is not about a certain day in which we all exchange gifts and eat lavish lunches. Nor, is about the day of December 25th.

The specific birth date of the Christ child is not what is important. December 25th is not any more important than any other day from the year. This Tuesday will not be any more important than today, the Lord’s-day.

I don’t want to be the Grinch who steals your Christmas Spirit, but there really is nothing in the Bible that tells us to celebrate the traditions of Christmas, as we do.

While Jesus walked the earth, He gave us things we are to do. Such as,

1. Communion…”take and eat…do this in remembrance of me…”

2. Salvation…”repent and baptized…everyone of you.”

I enjoy and celebrate Christmas as much as anyone.

I do so simply because I love the Prince of Peace.

It is my favorite time of the year.

But the traditions of the holiday can consume any of us, and distract us from the perfection and reality of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.