God's Indescribable Gift – A Gift Worth Waiting For Series

GOD’S INDESCRIBABLE GIFT – A Gift Worth Waiting For

Luke 2:1-7

INTRODUCTION:

The anticipation level is increasing around our house. There are only 20 days left until Christmas! (In addition to the countdown to Christmas we have other countdowns happening at our house; the countdown stands at zero for Pearl’s Birthday, 14 days until Mikey’s birthday, 21 days until Susie’s birthday, and let’s not forget we only have 12 more days to wait until Chrysta comes home.) Around our house the decorations are all up, and if you look closely you will already begin to find some Christmas presents wrapped and waiting to be opened.

Now think about all the anticipation we all have for Christmas day and finally being able to open our presents. Can you imagine the disappointment if you didn’t receive anything you could needed, or worse you received nothing you wanted! We anticipate Christmas because we know that we will receive a gift worth waiting for.

This morning we are going to look again at GOD’S INDESCRIBABLE GIFT, “A Gift Worth Waiting For.”

1. Jesus is God’s gift, a gift worth waiting for!

What is so special about Jesus? What is so special about the birth of another baby? Babies are born everyday; what is so special about Jesus that makes Him a gift worth waiting for?

ILLUSTRATION: Ask any parents and they will tell you that there was an anticipation and excitement that they had with the birth of their children. Each one was special in his/her own way as the parents waited and planed for their baby’s arrival. The Buttos and the Thornburgs are both counting down to the due dates for the birth of their new family members; they will tell you that the upcoming birth is special.

But what is so special about Jesus that each of us and people around the world would agree that Jesus is God’s gift, a gift worth waiting for?

Luke records the timing and the details surrounding the birth of Jesus.

• Luke 2:6-7 (NIV)

[6] While they were [in Bethlehem], the time came for the baby to be born, [7] and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.

On the surface we would say there is nothing special about the birth of Jesus. He was just the firstborn son of a Jewish woman named Mary recently married to her husband Joseph. But there is another verse in the Bible that talks about the timing of Jesus birth.

• Galatians 4:4 (NIV)

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman.

Jesus was not just the son of Mary; Jesus is also God’s son. Jesus is both fully human, born of a woman, and fully divine; He is the Son of God. That is the miracle of the incarnation: that God became flesh, the creator was born to live among His creation.

Jesus was no ordinary child; He was the “God/man” born fully human, but also fully God. Now that’s a gift worth waiting for!

Matthew confirms the uniqueness of the birth of Jesus, and that He was not just the son of Joseph who claimed to be God.

• Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV)

[18] This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. [19] Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

[20] But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

[22] All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: [23] "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

[24] When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. [25] But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Jesus is one of a kind; no other child in all human history was born in such a way. Jesus is God’s gift, a gift worth waiting for because He is both fully human and fully God.

A gift worth waiting for, both Luke and Paul refer to the timing of Jesus’ birth. Luke 2:6 said simply “the time came for the baby to be born.” In Galatians 4:4 Paul said, “When the time had fully come.” Luke is referring to the natural time of child birth; at the conclusion of 9 months of pregnancy Jesus was born to Mary in the town of Bethlehem. Paul on the other hand is referring to the completion of God’s eternal plan.