Christmas Sunday Service
Theme: The Unspeakable Gift
Text: 2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
The practice of giving and receiving gifts for Christmas has been immortalized in well known songs of our times. Songs like Donald Gardener’s 1944 song All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth and Mariah Carey’s 2004 hit All I want for Christmas is you. I know people say it is not the gift but the thought that counts so who wants a snow shovel and a bucket of ice melt this Christmas? Or is there anyone here who would be happy to find a gallon of milk in their stockings? Or even a gallon of gasoline? Does anybody here expect to get a roll of toilet paper or hand towels under the tree? What about a bottle of ketchup or a pair of used socks or a used toothbrush? But what do you really want for Christmas? Do you know? If you do tell the person next to you what you want for Christmas. Does anyone say that they wanted a high definition TV or these $85 running shoes, or Brian the Brain, or this smart cycle or this ipod something, or this High School Musical 2 movie or this stunning piece of jewellery or did anyone say money? But what do you really need for Christmas?
Our text today comes out of the writings of the apostle Paul. Paul the great servant of God, called the Moses of the New Testament, traveled to the Greek city of Corinth on his second missionary journey sometime in the year AD 50. Paul did not intend to go to Corinth, in fact he was probably on his way back to Antioch but he had a vision one night in which a man from Macedonia asked him to come over and help them. Paul then sailed to Macedonia and began ministering in those Grecian cities. He and Silas preached in Philippi and were arrested and thrown in jail. Somebody would have said “was that dream really from God or was it a nightmare.” Then in Acts 16 we read the story of how God miraculously delivered them from the prison and how the jailer was saved.
Eventually after preaching in several places he ended up in Corinth. Corinth a city of about 400,000 people was at the crossroads of Asia and Europe in Paul’s time. As a result it developed a blend of cultures and customs, religions and rituals, traditions and philosophies. It was also a world renowned center of commerce like New York City anything you wanted you could buy it in Corinth. In addition it was a hotbed for every vice and sinful practice under the sun. One of its many temples was dedicated to the worship of the Greek goddess Aphrodite and there were at least 1000 temple prostitutes offering their sensual service to a depraved clientele.
The city of Corinth itself had undergone major renovation and expansion by the time Paul arrived there. In the year BC 146 Corinth was conquered and destroyed by the Roman consul, Mummius. When Mummius and his Roman Legions burnt Corinth the gold, silver and bronze from the columns of the temples melted and formed a metallic compound that became known as the famous Corinthian Brass. This metal was considered more valuable than gold itself. This metal was abundantly available in Corinth.
At first Paul was skeptical about ministry to the city as when he went to the Jewish synagogue they rejected his message. He shook the dust off his clothes and decided to preach to the Gentiles. There were people from all over the world living in Corinth and Paul shared with them the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. God spoke to Paul in a vision telling him that “He had many people in that city.” Therefore Paul ended up staying there for eighteen months and Corinth was his base for operations across the Greek cities of that region .
While at Corinth Paul saw wealth and opulence on display. He saw the elegant marble temples with their columns of gold, silver and bronze. He saw the commercial and trading centers where brilliant and shrewd business tycoons came to ply their wares as they engaged in the high stakes gambling and risk-taking that promised the coveted gift of profit-making. He saw the great stadiums where the talented athletes demonstrated their gifts and abilities. He saw the massive amphitheaters where gladiatorial arts and skills were taught and learned by the most gifted and courageous combatants of the day. He saw the world famous schools where the gifted young were being educated to become world class intellectuals. He saw the gymnasiums where gifted athletes practiced and prepared for competition .
He visited the marketplaces where people shopped till they dropped to purchase the perfect gift from the wide range of products that flowed in and out of Corinth everyday. These gifts would end up in the homes of the rich and in the cottages of the poor. Not only was there material gifts in abundance in Corinth but the gift of political liberty existed there. While other cities lived under the iron rod of aristocracy the Corinthians exercised the gift of democracy.
Further the gift of religious freedom was enjoyed by the Corinthians so that a Jewish synagogue and a Greek temple could reside in proximity to each other. Therefore when Paul established the Church at Corinth, a Christian Church, they became beneficiaries of this Corinthian gift of freedom of worship. In fact as far as gifts were concerned, the Corinthian Church is known as the most gifted church mentioned in Paul’s writings.
As Paul thought about the many vices and virtues derived from the gifts by the thronging thousands who were visiting or had made Corinth their home, he could not help but shout out with heartfelt jubilation the words of our text today found in 2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
The word for gift in the Bible refers to a present or a gratuity. It is a reward a bribe, an offering, a sacrifice, a bestowal, a donation. It is an addition, an application, an appointment, an ascription, or an assignment. It is a commitment, a consideration, deliverance, a direction, a distribution, an endowment, a grant, a healing, an inheritance, an offer, an ordination, a payment, a performance. It is recompense, a rendering, a restoration and a yielding .
You see what Paul was saying is I have seen gifts of all kinds and I must conclude that there is one that excels them all one that surpasses and bypasses, overshadows and overwhelms exceeds and eclipses them one that outdoes and outshines, one that is like no other in quality and character, nature and uniqueness, beauty and splendor and that is God’s unspeakable gift of His Son Jesus Christ.
John 4:10 says that He is the gift of God. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Romans 1:11 tells us that He is a spiritual gift. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
Romans 5:15 declares that He is the gift of grace. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many
Romans 5:16 says He is the free gift. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
Romans 5:17 says He is the gift of righteousness. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Romans 6:23 declares He is the gift of eternal life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hebrews 6:4 describes Him as the heavenly gift. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
James 1:17 says He is the good and perfect gift. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
And 2 Corinthians 9:15 calls Him the unspeakable gift. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. Or Thanks be unto God for His indescribable gift.
Lying in that manger bed in a humble stable in the tiny town of Bethlehem in the little country of Israel on that first Christmas night was God’s indescribable gift.
Words cannot adequately describe Him. You say He is good but He is better than good. You say He is better but He is better than better. You say He is best but He is better than best.
Earthly treasures do not define Him. He is more precious than silver. He is more costly than gold. He is more dazzling than diamonds. He is more stunning than rubies. He is more beautiful than pearls.
Earthly assessments cannot value Him. He is worth more than hundreds greater than thousands, exceeds millions, beyond billions, surpasses trillions, quadrillions, quintillions, sextillions, septillions, octillions, nonillions, decillions, undecillions, duodecillions, tredecillions, quattuordecillions, quindecillions, septendecillions, octodecillions, novemdecillions, vigintillions, googols, centillions and googolplexes .
Human wisdom does not explain Him. Human Philosophy cannot decipher Him. To Him Socrates must bow, Aristotle must bow, Plato must bow, Confucius must bow, Des Cartes must bow, Alain Locke must bow, Karl Popper must bow, Rousseau must bow, Hegel must bow.
Rappers must bow to Him
Celebrities must bow to Him
Human religions do not reveal Him. Human thought cannot conceive Him. Human psychology cannot analyze Him. Mathematicians cannot calculate Him and computers cannot compute Him. Explorers cannot discover Him. He is the ultimate adventure, the supreme thriller, the most exciting, amazing, astounding, astonishing, startling, remarkable, wonderful, incredible, awesome gift.
He is the gift that keeps on giving. He gives help to the helpless, He gives hope to the hopeless, He gives health to the sick. He gives peace to the troubled, He gives tranquility to the uneasy. He gives strength to the weak, He gives blessing to the meek, He gives comfort to the mournful, He gives joy to the sorrowful. He is food for the hungry, water for the thirsty, rest for the weary. He loves the unlovely, He encourages the discouraged, He lifts up the fallen, He delivers the oppressed and He comforts the grieving.
So this year I want Jesus for Christmas. I want God’s unspeakable gift.
