Introduction:
Christmas is an exciting time and little Sammy was excited. He was 15 years old and Christmas was still to him a time of wonder. He was a happy child despite his handicap. You see, Sammy was slightly retarded. He still went to school, though he was 2 years behind. And he did the things like most boys do. Sometimes other kids laughed and called him "stupid Sammy" -- but Sammy just didn’t seem to hear them -- he just enjoyed life every part of it. It was Christmas Eve, 8 P.M., time to go to church for the annual Christmas Eve Celebration. He was so excited wondering what gift would be under the tree for him this year. Every year on Christmas Eve after the service, all the children would gather around the huge Christmas tree and each one was handed a present, with their name on it. Sammy’s parents left early that night, because his mother was singing a solo, "Silent Night" and she wanted to practice. They were the first to arrive at church. And when his dad opened the door; well you can guess where Sammy went; that’s right; at the speed of light he went right to the Christmas tree and started to look for the present with his name on it. After a few minutes, he began to worry because he couldn’t find it. Then his eyes caught hold of a big box -- the biggest present that was there. He slowly walked over to it -- lifted the card and there in great big letters was his name "Sammy." He couldn’t believe it, the biggest present was his, and his mind began thinking at the speed of light of all the many possibilities of what was inside. What was in it -- Sammy could barely stand it -- but he knew he had to wait.
Finally it was over and all the children rushed to the huge tree. Pastor Joe stared picking up presents and calling out names; Sarah, Bobby, Susan; Sammy was on the edge of his seat. Pastor Joe walked over to the big box and said, "Well, let’s see whose name is on this one," but before he could read the name Sammy bolted beside him and said "It’s mine Pastor Joe" "so it is," Joe replied. Sammy took the box and gently took off the bow; His heart was pounding like a drum. His mom and dad stood beside him smiling. Sammy removed all the paper and laid it beside the box -- And then he began to remove the lid -- In his mind all of the things he hoped to see flashed before his eyes in a second. Finally Sammy got the box open and he looked inside and he saw – Nothing! He saw nothing! Someone had played a trick on Sammy. When Sammy lifted his head, tears were streaming down his face. Who would play such a mean trick on Sammy? The box was empty.
Everyday, all around the world, this same trick is being played. Though the names and exact situation are a little different - the results are still the same. Our world promises people great things; happiness, wealth, pleasure, relationships, fame, success, power. And it wraps them up in a great big box, with pretty paper. And it hands us this box as a gift; we get excited; and we take off the bow; we unwrap the box and we open it with great expectations. And when we look inside, just like Sammy, all we find is an empty box. No hope, no life, no joy, no happiness; just tears of heart break streaming down our cheeks. That’s the kind of gifts this world gives us... Have you ever opened one of her boxes? I think you have and it’s not fun, is it? (sermoncentral.com).
The name "Immanuel" is derived from the Hebrew words, "IM", meaning "with"; "ANACHNU" or in short "ANU", meaning "us"; and "EL", meaning "GOD", which literally means, "With us is God". It is a very meaningful name given to the Messiah. The prophet Isaiah wrote it. The evangelist Matthew rewrote it with direct reference to the writings of Isaiah. That was a gap of around 600-700 years. Biblical history tells us that there had been around 400 years of prophetic silence before the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. But regardless of the time difference, both writers penned that description with precision and accuracy. In the gospel of Matthew, the Greek word, "META" (to translate "with") is used to describe the presence of God – "God with us". "Meta" does not only entail proximity but includes participation and association. It proves that our God is an immanent God – He is personally and practically involved in His entire creation. His presence is embodied in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Only-begotten Son, whose birth we celebrate on Christmas Day. One author said, "The best way to present an idea is to wrap it in a person". It is an awesome present, indeed!
Did you receive a special gift this Christmas? How special is it to you? What makes it special to you?
Proposition:
1. A Personal Gift of Inspiration
2. A Practical Gift with Instruction
3. A Spiritual Gift of Salvation
God gave us a wonderful gift on Christmas Day. That gift is all what we needed to remedy our past, rebuild the present and reserve the future. It was given to us wrapped in a person, the baby Jesus who was born in a manger in Bethlehem.
1. A Personal Gift of Inspiration
Mat 1:20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph son of David,….
a. Inspired to be Responsive – It Requires our Participation.
The angel clearly called out Joseph’s name. The announcement of the angel requires our active participation. God calls us by our name. One of the sweetest sounds that one can hear is his or her name. God deals with us in a personal manner. It is the same way when we respond to a lot of calls this Christmas – whether it is to attend a party, reunion or a church activity. This gift from God calls us to respond personally, too.
b. Inspired to be Reflective – It Requires our Meditation.
After the angel called out Joseph’s name, he described him as a "son of David". Although Joseph’s biological father’s name was Jacob (Mat. 1:16), this is the angel’s reminder to Joseph to reflect on the lineage that he came through – royal lineage of King David, the greatest and probably the most revered king of Israel. As we celebrate Christmas, we are inspired to reflect on the prophecies related to the birth of the Savior and the names ascribed to the Christ: A Child is born to us, meaning he is purely human to understand our shortcomings; A Son is given to us, meaning he was directly from the Father and has the authority to mediate for us; Wonderful Counselor, meaning he gives us sure relief; Mighty God, meaning he is a safe refuge; Everlasting Father, meaning he deserves our solemn reverence; and Prince of Peace, meaning he is ready to give us sound rest.
Illustration:
A story is told of a Persian king who was a kind of a benevolent monarch. He is loved by all in his kingdom. Generosity and prosperity marked his rule. He gives away much of his royal bounties to the poor, and he protects them from any threat. What made him earn the respect and love of his constituents was his unsurpassed humility and unmatched empathy. He casually disguised himself as a peasant and visits the distant villages in his kingdom. Once, in his self-imposed royal week off, he visited a remote village and found a poor farmer, father of three young kids, whose livelihood is to tend few sheep and grow vegetables. He pretended to be a sojourner and asked the poor farmer if it would be acceptable for him to stay in their barn in exchange of his assistance in the farmer’s daily chores. The farmer gladly agreed but humbly explained that he doesn’t have much to offer to the stranger. Days passed. The (disguised) king worked as a farmer tending sheep and growing vegetables. He ate the coarse bread of the farmer; slept on a hard wooden bed, and worked under the heat of the sun alongside the farmer. After several days, the (disguised) king bade the farmer farewell, and he went back to the palace to attend to his royal duties. A week later, the king went back to the farmer, this time in his royal entourage along with his royal bodyguards. He introduced himself to the farmer and thanked him for his kindheartedness, and then he said to the farmer that he would give anything that he wishes that the king can afford. The farmer replied, "Oh my king, I’ve only heard of your generosity and humility, but when you came to stay with me for several days, I have proven them true with my own eyes. I heard you give away much of your bounties. But your majesty, I cannot ask anything more from you for you have given to me your self, which is far more valuable than all the bounties in this kingdom."
Perhaps you are feeling depressed, unsure whether or not anyone would call you to join you, or ask you to join them, in the celebration of Christmas. You could be in a situation where your friends and the people you loved so dearly have left you for any reason – it could be for your own wrongdoing or their misjudgment. Maybe you’ve been trying to land into a job that would resolve all your financial woes but you see no possibility of having one in the near future. Is the world crushing down on you? Remember the name of Jesus, Immanuel – God with us. God’s personal gift of inspiration to us is wrapped in the body of Jesus Christ, the Christ of Christmas and the hope of glory.
2. A Practical Gift with Instruction
Mat 1:20 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 ….
a. To Control our Emotion
The angel was divinely systematic in his approach to Joseph. The first that we can do to a person before we ever explain something that is not very easy to understand is to calm the person down. Then, and only then, can we start to prescribe something to be done. Fear has the potential to spoil our celebration of Christmas. Self-preservation is a fertile breeding ground for fear. It is our responsibility to overcome our fears, although God has provided all the resources to gain strength in this plight. If you are emotionally down this Christmas, remember this one thing; the announcement of Christmas urges you to stand upfront against your fears, and gain strength from the message of Christmas.
b. To be Consistent in our Devotion
Again, notice that the angel has reminded Joseph of his devotion to Mary – he was engaged, betrothed, to be married to her. That was his personal devotion. He must have thought that his marriage was a failure even before the consummation of it. This might have caused him some emotional pains. Failure has the potential to spoil our devotion, both to men and to God. Self-pity is a fertile ground for failure. You may be having the same feelings as Joseph had upon hearing the news about Mary’s pregnancy. Perhaps you are hearing rumors that your efforts in mending relationships with people, one of your devotions this Christmas, are not going to work out well. Don’t be afraid; listen to the message of Christmas.
Illustration:
Not all gifts are ready-to-use items. A boy once received a gift, a set of Lego toy, as a gift for Christmas. The set comes with a pattern, a guideline, to follow in order to assemble a something at the receiver’s choice. The set, being unassembled did not annoy the boy. It was his efforts in following the instructions that came along with the supplied pattern that gave him the first feeling of joy, until he completes a figure of his choice.
God’s message to Joseph came with an instruction to overcome his negative feelings and to refocus his attention to the fulfillment of his devotion. To Joseph, God’s instruction through an angel was to obey the word of God. To Mary, God’s requirement was to offer her life to the will of God. Have you received a word from God, through the messages you have heard in the church, perhaps an exigency that arose in your life. Obey, my friend, and offer your life to the will of God.
3. A Spiritual Gift of Salvation
Mat 1:21 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.
a. Salvation from the Penalty of Sin
Probably the greatest penalty of sin is not the legal punishment that it meets. Rather, its sting in the conscience inflicts more excruciating pain. Man has devised his own strategy to deal with it – humanism through behavioral therapy and rehabilitation. But these healing processes only deal with the symptoms and not the cause – a placebo kind of remedy. The Bible tells us, "For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord". Rom. 6.23. Jesus declares, "I tell you the truth; whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24. Only Jesus can remedy our past, for he has already paid on the cross the penalty of our sins. His name is Jesus, "Yeshua" in Hebrew, meaning "Jehovah is salvation".
b. Salvation from the Power of Sin
Many a Christian suffers from the recurring afflictions of self-condemnation as a result of their unconquered weaknesses. Such feelings often result to discouragement, and a deceptive thought that the person’s salvation is not genuine and his forgiveness is subject to his ability to overcome his weakness. God knew so well, even from the Garden of Eden, our weaknesses. This is why He sent His Son on Christmas day to do away with the power of sin and make available our forgiveness for our past, present and future sins. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1John 1:8,9.
c. Salvation from the Possibility of Sin
The salvation that Christ the Savior "Soter" offers does not only pay the penalty of our sin; it does not only remedy our present struggles against the power of sin; it also secures that one day, when He comes or if death may take us first, He will totally free us from the possibility of sin. "When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory." 1Co 15:54.
Illustration:
An African woman is being treated for acute tuberculosis in a refugee camp. She had very slim chance of recovery, in fact, her doctors was doubtful if she will ever recover. Her situation was gradually deteriorating. Her town is ravaged by famine and decades old of civil war. She has a 3-year old son who stayed home with her husband in a village a couple of miles away from the refugee camp. Two days before Christmas, she requested that she spend Christmas and New Year with her son and husband. Reluctantly, the doctors and workers in the camp allowed her. Few days after New Year, she came back to the camp to continue the treatment. A couple of months past and they noticed something unusual. She started feeling nauseated in the morning and was later confirmed that she’s pregnant. The doctors and nurses thought that would definitely aggravate her already worsening situation. They did not even expect her to live before she gives birth to her baby. But as days went by and her belly grows, a sign that the fetus in her womb is developing, the doctors and nurses discovered that her health started to improve. Few days before her delivery, she was totally healed from tuberculosis. A week after the birth of her baby, a new son, they were both discharged and were proclaimed healthy mother and son. It’s a miracle. She was healed by her baby – her new son.
The same thing is true with the entire humanity. We were sin-sick creation, terminally ill, condemned to face eternal death. But the baby who was born on Christmas Day healed our hopeless situation. As He grows in your life, your security and well-being is established. That gift of God, in the person of Jesus Christ who was born in Bethlehem, is a spiritual gift of salvation.
Conclusion:
You might have received costly gifts this Christmas; gifts that you’ve been dreaming to have long before the season. Remember this one thing: God’s amazing present is far more valuable than all the material things that you may have received. God’s amazing gift is a personal gift of inspiration; it is a practical gift with instruction; and a spiritual gift of salvation. That gift is the Lord Jesus Christ, whose name is called "Immanuel", "God with us". Merry Christmas!
