‘THE GIFT’ matt.2.1-15.
• Who likes giving and receiving gifts? Which do you prefer? Receiving or Giving?
I suppose the smart answer is that we prefer to give, but I’ve got to be honest I love receiving, If were to look at our society today I would say that the majority of us love receiving gifts I suppose that’s why the biggest pastime in our western culture today is shopping it has become the new religion of consumerism. Shopping centres have become the temples where we worship 7 days a week 365 days a year. Here we can receive what we want, when we want and how we want as long as we’ve got the plastic to cover it.
The enlightenment dictum ‘Cogito ergo sum’ I think therefore I am, has been changed to the consumerism dictum , ‘Tesco ergo sum’ I’ shop therefore I am.’ All t his Christmas shopping for gifts will come at a great cost to our debit and credit cards in fact over 20 billion will be spent on Christmas alone leaving many people in greater debt.
Today I want to share with you a gift which is available to us all, a gift you don’t have to buy, charge to your credit cards, because its all ready bought , a gift although already bought , was bought at great expense, it’s given completely unconditionally in fact as I look at the label, its actually got your name on it waiting for you to receive it and unwrap it as a free Gift. You see God is not like us...... God loves to give, again and again He gives, even tonight He’s desire to impart His gift to those human hearts who will receive Him This is the most wonderful message of Christmas, that God gave a GIFT for us all to receive.
• For God so loved the world that He gave .... Jhn 3:16,
• This is love not that we loved God but that He loved us and gave.........1Jhn
• Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down...... (James 1:17)
• By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
Friends you might receive some awesome presents this Christmas , a top of the range car, a new fur coat, a diamond ring , a new plasma TV , you might even receive some real howlers a hand knitted jumper, cheap after shave, a toy which breaks within the 1st hour. But there is one underlying characteristic to whatever gift you receive they will never truly satisfy the crave will always be for something else, it inbuilt into human nature, all material gifts pail into insignificance compared with the gift that God has to give to each one of us tonight. A gift which lasts forever guaranteed.
1. Undiscovered Gift. Matt 2: 1-6 .
• Christmas for a child is a wonderful time of discovery , I remember personal as a child trying to seek out where mum had put my gifts back in early December (I knew from an early age that Santa never delivered!) I would search high and low – interrogate mum - but each year the gifts remained undiscovered. On the other hand my brother didn’t real bother searching he just waited and found them on Christmas morning just like I did what remained undiscovered for both of us became gifts of discovery with a happy ending!
Matt 2: 1-6 . This reminds me of the wise men they are searching for a GIFT over 2000 years ago a gift which for a number of years remained undiscovered....... even after the birth , the child remains an undiscovered Gift (It wasn’t till Jesus was older – in a house at this time Mary and Joseph were married) .
• The nativity scenes with the Magi and the Shepherds all together is all wrong.
Scripture passage: These magi (wise men) who came from the east - (Babylon) possibly descendants of Jews who remained during the exilic period. It was here they had learned of a Messiah to be born, it was here, they learnt of a star which would rise out of Jacob (num24:17) . They were defiantly searching but at yet had not found, at this point the GIFT remains undiscovered, even when the star had arose in the night sky and they commenced their 800 mile journey from Babylon
Then when they arrived at Jerusalem still unsure but after speaking with Herod and the scribes and unpacking a 700 year old prophecy of Micah (v5-6) again searching pointing them ever closer to the GIFT in Bethlehem. On arrival they made the greatest discovery of their lives - as they gave their gifts ......
Comical story : three small boys were in a Christmas play at school. they represented the three wise men and they were to give their gifts to baby Jesus. The first boy stepped forward, held out the gift in his hands and said, “gold.” the second boy stepped forward, held out his gift and said, “myrrh.” the third boy stepped forward, held out his gift and said, “frank sent this.”
But seriously they received the greatest GIFT all as they worshipped the Christ Child Emmanuel – God with us. For these Magi the gift of the Christ child remained undiscovered for some time and often that’s the case in our lives too, the Gift can remain undiscovered for many years. But one thing is for sure whether we are searchers like the Magi or whether you will just wait and see, you will make the discovery at some point.
a. Some people can be searching for significance and meaning all their lives but their search leads them to all the wrong places, I can speak from experience, places without God and with hope in the world ( people are left deeply unhappy). And then suddenly they can just stumble upon the greatest gift of all and make the greatest discovery of their lives (come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Matt 11:28)
b. Others on the other hand can be like these Magi who search diligently for the truth and are looking in the right places like these Magi although as yet the Gift is undiscovered it becomes the greatest discovery of their lives as they come to see the truth for themselves. (v11) (If you search for me with all your heart and soul you shall surely find me Deut 4:29 )
c. Others cannot be bothered in fact they have a very comfortable life - they even doubt that God even exists – they believe in themselves- for them the undiscovered GIFT is pie in the sky and belongs with the tooth fairies in the bottom of the garden. But even they will one day make a great discovery but it will be a day too late as they will pass into eternity without ever receiving the GIFT. (How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation Heb 2:3).
2. Unwanted GiftMatt 2:3
• How sad it is that there are those to whom this gift is simply unwanted. Millions of people on boxing day and beyond will be returning gifts to the stores (cues a mile long) . Lets be honest we‘ve had unwanted gifts whether it’s an orange woolly jumper that your aunt has knitted or some pungent aftershave or the obligatory silly Tie which lights up and whistles a tune at the same time or the out of date chocolates. Every year we all get unwanted gifts – which end up being discarded or given as a gift to someone else or down the charity shop if the truth be known.
Here in this account we see a good number with an unwanted GIFT.
1. Matt 2:3 when king Herod heard this he was disturbed. Although Herod helps the Magi by seeking out the prophecies concerning this child to be born through his chief priest and teachers which directs them to Bethlehem. He was deeply disturbed by this GIFT. So before the Magi leave, he tells them to return to give him the exact location in order to worship him v8 (A lie) but to actually kill him, because when the Magi failed to return after a warning in a dream v12 His real intentions come out matt2:13 his desire is to kill Him as he gives orders to kill all boys up to two years of age in Bethlehem and the surrounding area ( horrific genocide) v16 .
2. Herod of course wasn’t on his own all Jerusalem was with Him this could well be referring too those religious leaders the real power movers amongst the people in Jerusalem, even though he was fulfilling a major prophecy right before their eyes v5-6 , (Micah 5:2,45) and would go on to fulfil further prophecies again and again. It was the religious elite who ultimately crucified Christ, they rejected Him, as their Messiah , Jhn 1:12. He came to To his own but his own received him not,
Friends this reminds me of our anti Christian culture today in Britain with antagonistic anti Christian values, with ever growing immorality. We have become an increasing secular state without God and without hope. When it comes to Christianity our nation is illiterate, his name has become a mere expletive even on lips of children’ we have a growing atheistic anti Christian agenda and it is militant, with its great high priest Professor Richard Dawkins.
• Did you know they even want to take Jesus Christ out of Christmas Back in 2008 Oxford city council confirmed the events in the city would be renamed from Christmas too ’Winter Light Festival’ to make them more inclusive. Telegraph Nov 2008.
• And even the traditional school nativity plays are being replaced with non- religious productions I remember going to see my son over ten years ago now in a non religious Christmas production here in a Leicestershire school Jesus has simply become unwanted.
• A few years ago now I remember a Christmas time when I was enjoying the nativity scene at town Hall square in leicester one Christmas when I heard a women’s voice shouting hysterically “Charlie, Charlie” where are you?” I looked and saw a little boy near me who must have been Charlie , he was crying wiping his eyes, looking at the Baby Jesus in the crib. Little Charlie called out to his mother and she came running to him loaded with Christmas shopping, he had obviously slipped away at some point but they were now reunited. He turned to her and shouted with innocent glee: "look mommy! It’s Jesus - baby Jesus in the hay.” With obvious indifference to his joy and wonder, she impatiently jerked him away saying, "We don’t have time for that nonsense!"
• Jhn 1:12 This has to be the saddest of all responses He came to his own but his own received Him not. Herod and all Jerusalem rejected Him, what about You?
3. An undeserved Gift.
So often the gifts we receive at Christmas are completely undeserved and we will go to great lengths to get what we want, when we want and how we want it
• I know of one small boy so badly wanted to receive certain gifts at Christmas he decided to write a letter to Santa Claus in July (gasp shock horror) he wrote, “I’ve been good for six months now,” But after a moment’s reflection he crossed out “six months” and wrote “three.” After another he crossed out three and put “two weeks.” There was another pause and that was crossed out too. He got up from the table and went up into the attic over to the Christmas box and pulled out the figure of Rudolph the red nose reindeer and started to write again: “Dear Santa, , if you ever want to see your Rudolph again and make all your deliveries this year then you need to deliver........
Seriously wasn’t Herod and alot of the religious elite of his day just like this kid, they desired a huge power base and the GIFT was a threat to it and so they went to great lengths to destroy it as we have seen............ And yet the GIFT was for them as much as it was for others – this tells me something about human nature it is flawed and thatthis GIFT is completely undeserved.
The Bible says, (Rom3:23for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.) From that little boy in my story to Herod the priest and the scribes in this account of the Bible story, here we can see who undeserving they are with their outward actions as all the time he was plotting not to worship (he was deceptive) the Christ child but to kill him (v13), Herod was a despot committing mass genocide (v16 ). Yet it’s not just those who commit crimes against humanity like Herod Hitlar and others who are undeserving, if were honest its all of us.
• When we align our lives up against God’s 10 commandments who can say, “I’ve never lied, stolen, honoured mum and dad, put God first in the whole of my life and so on.” The truth is we are all undeserving of receiving this gift and that’s the first thing you’ve got to understand , we are all undeserving sinners, BUT the good news is
• ( Rom 5:8 God demonstrates his love towards us whilst we were yet sinners).
You see we don’t have to hold God to ransom or even pretend to be good and all religious. God desires us to be open and honest about ourselves and see ourselves for what we truly are sinners that can be saved by His wonderful grace (Eph 2:8). If we could just get by ourselves being good and keeping God happy (I don’t think so) there would be no need for the gift! But that’s why it was given ( Rom 5:8) whilst we were yet sinners). You see it’s just not the case of the good guys on this side and the bad on the other – were all on the same side to begin with we are are all born in sin whoever you are.... no matter what your own personal standards are whether Good or bad in societies eyes – its Gods eyes that count!
And this is why we all need to wake up to the gift of Jesus is an UNDESERVED GIFT waiting to be received no matter who you are what you’ve done in your life you can receive it through repentance and faith !
4. An unconditional Gift.
This Christmas many individuals will be giving gifts to one another in an unconditional way, this is what makes a gift, a real gift, the reason it’s given in the first place, id significant. Is it given with some ulterior motive or is it given for the benefit of the one receiving it to show the extent of your love . This is what makes this Gift completely unconditional - no strings attached – despite our condition God desires to break into our lives with salvation in order to be saved (forour Good) and in so doing shows the depth of his love. (This is love , not that we love God but that He loved us and sent His.. ....). You see to God the Gift of His son given to us is an unconditional Gift of His loving care towards us.... You are immense worth to God ,despite the mess we’ve gotten ourselves in as a human race.
• £50:00 note illustration whatever I do to it its still of value and so are you to God.
5. An Unspeakable Gift v11 .
His humanity and deity rolled into one nature.
• Long ago, there ruled in Persia a wise and good king. He loved his people. He wanted to know how they lived. He wanted to know about their hardships. Often he dressed in the clothes of a working man or a beggar, and went to the homes of the poor. No one whom he visited thought that he was their ruler. One time he visited a very poor man who lived in a cellar. He ate the coarse food the poor man ate. He spoke cheerful, kind words to him. Then he left.
• Later he visited the poor man again and disclosed his identity by saying, “I am your king!” The king thought the man would surely ask for some gift or favor, but he didn’t. Instead he said, “You left your palace and your glory to visit me in this dark, dreary place. You ate the course food I ate. You brought gladness to my heart! To others you have given your rich gifts. To me you have given yourself!”
When we come to receive and unwrap the GIFT of the Christ Child this is what we find out that the King of glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, gave himself to you and for me. The Bible says, he did consider equality with God something to be grasped , but being found in human likeness he humbled himself , he became a servant and went from the cradle to the cross in order to save us all. Here we see that despite Him being equal with God - He became one of us in his humanity he identifies with our suffering and pain he knows our weaknesses and yet He was without sin.
This is why the Magi worship Him, they are in Awe of whom is before them, just look at the response of these Magi yes they bring their Gifts but they humbly WORSHIP in reverence and awe its utter Silence.
They are lost in wonder love and praise ! Because this unspeakable Gift. Is the Wonderful Counsellor - Mighty God - Everlasting Father - Prince of Peace , Emmanuel God is with us..... The Saviour of the World!
Again and again people who encounter this GIFT and receive they are left in Worship and in Awe like the disciple Thomas who came to faith who saw the resurrected Jesus “My Lord and My God!” He worshiped Him!
Friends were you at this Christmas I hope Jesus isn’t an unwanted Gift?
Is he a discovery waiting to be made? Although he is an undeserved Gift he can be unconditionally yours! Are you ready to receive Him to fall down before Him to surrender your life to Him as your Saviour and Lord to receive Him as a Gift into your life and worship Him for evermore?
The opportunity is here tonight to unwrap the GIFT what will your response be....... Jhn 1:11-12 He came to His own but his own received Him not but to all those who received Him. He gives them the right to become children of God.
Amen. Pastor Aubrey Vaughan cbcommunity.co.uk
