The Living Gift He Gave – Unwrapping Christmas
Scripture: John 14: 6-11 Date: 20 December 2009
Purpose: To share with the listener who the person of Jesus is.
All of us have had fads that we drift in and out of and my brother and I were no exception. We were “All Star Wrestling Fans.”
It came on TV on Saturday night and as he and I were glued to the program watching every move and hold of our favorite wrestlers, we would practice what he had learned during the commercials on each other.
Hollywood wrestling has come a long way since those days, or from what I can tell it has fallen to new lows. But then and now there is still a favorite theme that runs throughout the sport. There are some wrestlers who make their mark as the meanest, nastiest, person on the matt.
But many have not only made their mark on wrestling because of their temperament but also because of their secret. Have you ever noticed the masked wrestlers?
No one knows the identity of the masked wrestler. Part of their mystique is their unknown identity. Some of the best wrestling matches were the ones where the masked wrestler’s opponent would come so close to unmasking him but before he could completely get the mask off, they would somehow spring to life again, defeat their opponent and preserve their secret – his identity.
Growing up my brother and I so wanted to know the identity of the masked wrestlers. We wanted to know who they really were, what they looked like, where they came from. But their masks kept them a stranger to their fans.
This morning we conclude our sermon series entitled “Unwrapping Christmas”. Today I want to share with you the “Living Gift He Gave.”
For many people Jesus is that masked man. The similarity with a masked wrestler really ends there as Jesus is totally different. But the mystery of who Jesus is draws us to Him. There are very few people in this world who have not heard of Jesus, but knowing who He is and hearing about Him are two different things.
Christmas is truly a wonderful time of the year. It is my favorite holiday next to the first day of school. It is a special time in which we come together as friends and family to celebrate the birth of our one and only savior.
But the sad truth is that many people, non-Christians and Christians alike will celebrate this Christmas and have it really be just a worthless event that is filled with materialistic things.
VIDEO: “Worthless Christmas”
How about us? Is Jesus unmasked in our lives? Is He the reason for the season in our homes this year? Who is the man behind the mask this morning? We are intrigued by those whom we do not know. For My brother and me it was some wrestlers that wore masks, but I also remember the concealed identities of Superman, Batman, Spiderman and various super villains.
Let me share God’s Word with you today. Please stand with me as I read from the book John Chapter 14 vs. 6-11.
6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know[a] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
8Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
9Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.
It is important to know who Jesus is, especially during Christmas. You see Christmas is all about Jesus. It always has been and it always will be. But we are in a battle. We are battling with the world’s view of Christmas and it differs greatly from what it truly is and is all about. Let us unwrap who Jesus is and discover the Living Gift that He has Given us. Because knowing who He is will make all the difference in the world with what we do with Him and with what we are asked to do with Him.
I. First we need to know that Jesus is God! In verse 7 of our text this morning Jesus tells us “if you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen him.”
A. Jesus is God by His own authority!
1. He testifies that He is God! He is not an image of God or merely God – like, He is God and the Trinitarian Godhead affirms His witness. In Matthew 3:17 God the Father says, “This is my son whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
2. In verse 8 of our text Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus responds to him in verse 9, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father?”
3. During Christmas people all over the world are looking for the face of God. They are searching for His reality, for His presence in the world in which they live. You can call off the search this morning for your life. God has been found. He has been identified and unmasked. Jesus Christ is God!
4. But don’t take my authority on the matter, ask Him yourself. Today, this very moment you can meet God, just call on the name of Jesus and He will be there to meet you.
B. But Jesus is God by the authority of his works as well as by the authority of His word.
1. In verse 11 of our text Jesus says, “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.”
2. The bible has an entire section devoted to the works, the miracles of Jesus. If His word is not proof enough for us to believe that He is God then His works should be!
Illustration: C.K. Chesterton once said, “It is often supposed that when people stop believing in God, they believe in nothing. Alas, it is worse than that – when they stop believing in God, they believe in anything.”
3. God is walking all around us in Jesus and we need to get into step with Him.
II. Yes, Jesus is God and Jesus is also salvation! In verse 6 Jesus says, (Read it with me) “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, except through Me.”
A. The doorway of salvation is through the person of Jesus Christ! You could say that salvation is our 911 call to God and guess who answered, Jesus! You see, this is why he came; this is why he was born over 2,000 years ago and this is why we celebrate this time of the year.
1. So often we run from God. Perhaps we are afraid of punishment or of commitment, but what we are actually doing is eluding God’s rescue. Jesus is humanity’s rescue. He is the life line God has thrown to us and we must decide if we want to grab the rope and be saved or remain in the water and look for what we think might be a better offer.
Illustration: Some of you may recall an illustration I once used. It is a true story that took place several years ago. A man and his wife were found frozen to death in their car. A blizzard had dumped tons of snow in the area, burying their vehicle. Before the woman died, she scribbled a note on a piece a paper and stuffed it in the glove box. The note read, “I don’t want to die this way.” Tragically, less than 6 feet from their icy grave was a stranded bus, whose festive passengers remained warm through out the night.
2. How far are you from Jesus this morning? Some of us are so close, but close is not close enough. Six feet was not close enough for this couple and 18 inches (head to heart) is not close enough either. Just because Christmas is here and we have decided to come to church doesn’t cut it.
3. Jesus wants more from us and He desires to have us in His life and He in our each and every day not just on the days that we feel we should because of tradition and or guilt.
VIDEO: “I Am Here”
4. Christmas is a wonderful time of the year to celebrate Jesus’ birth, but too often we only remember Him during the holidays. Jesus wants to be remembered, yes, but He also wants to be involved with our daily lives. When we develop a relationship with Him, we truly begin to understand what it means to celebrate His birth.
5. Have you unwrapped Christmas this year? Have you unwrapped the Living Gift that He has given us? Many of you have come so far and you are so close in receiving it. What will it take in order for you to accept the gift? What will it take?
III. Jesus is God. Jesus is Salvation. And Jesus is also Life! Again we are reminded in verse 6 “I am the way and the truth and the Life!”
A. But the life that Jesus gives is abundant. John 10:10 “I came that they might have life, and have it to the full.”
1. In other words; to have life abundantly, plentiful; abounding; overflowing. This friends is the life that Jesus offers us. It is not a mere existence. Anyone can just survive, but it is a promise of fulfillment and satisfaction.
2. The greatest need we have as a human being is to believe that our life counted for something – that we made a difference. Yes, food, clothing and shelter are essential but the wealthiest person would gladly trade his/her position with anyone of us if we could promise them an abundant of life, a purpose – fulfillment.
3. We must understand that this abundance is not in what we possess. It is not in our money – not in a possession at all, rather it is in a presence!
4. Life’s abundance is measured not with things, but with character, with hope and trust. It takes the worst things in life to come our way to appreciate this. And when they do we need to say, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
B. But not only is this life abundant; this life is also free. Galatians 5:1 we read, “it was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
1. If I could promise you freedom from guilt and shame today – that no matter what you have done in your life you can let go of it. Would you take me up on my offer?
2. That is the kind of life that Jesus longs to give us this morning. It is life free from our deepest darkest secrets because it is a life that frees us from the power of sin and the shame and guilt that accompany it.
IV. Yes, Jesus is God. Jesus is salvation! Jesus is Life! And Jesus is the answer!
A. One day Jesus asked Peter a question. “Peter who do people say I am?” Peter responded, “Some say you are John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others say you are one of the prophets. But who do you say I am Peter? Peter said, “you are the Christ!”
1. Christmas is our answer to life; Jesus is the answer to life, to death; to the past, to the future; from our beginning to our end! With the birth of Christ came hope, and freedom.
2. Not long ago I saw a bumper sticker that read “If Jesus is the answer so what’s the question?” I don’t know. You tell me, what is your question this morning? I promise you that whatever it is, I know the answer.
3. Not everyone has the same question in his or her heart this morning, but regardless of the question, the answer will always be the same.
A. I know what you are thinking. I’m a know-it-all. Kelly thinks he knows everything. That’s what I hear at home. Well, I have to admit, I probably do act like that sometimes to hide the insecurities in my life, but Jesus does know it all and he is not hiding any insecurities.
1. Jesus comes to us in humility. The God of the universe. The Creator of all things comes in us in human form as a baby lying in a manager, grows to adulthood and then allows those whom He created to hang Him on a Cross.
2. You and I have to try and prove we know it all. We seek to convince people that we know what we are talking about, that we have this thing called life by the tail.
3. But Jesus on the other hand doesn’t try to persuade us with wealth, power or force. God comes to us in Jesus Christ and He says I love you. Will you love me back?
4. When you are God you don’t have to try to impress people. You don’t have to be someone you are not. Jesus is God and He humbly comes to us this morning to ask us to believe in Him, to give our lives to Him.
5. If every person has a question and every question has an answer then every answer comes with a request for a reply. Who is Jesus to you? Have you met Him? Do you truly know Him? Has Christmas become a little clearer to you? Have you unwrapped it?
Conclusion:
One day every single human being will answer that question. Some of us have been side tracked by other questions that we are seeking answers for.
We are asking God why He did not save the one we loved from death. Where were you God when my mother died, when my father was killed?
We are asking God why He did not come and rescue us when we found ourselves in big trouble. Where were you God when I lost everything I owned, when I lost my job, God where were you? When he or she left me, where were you? When all hope was lost and we found ourselves without anything in this world? God where were you?
We are asking God why there is some much hurt and suffering in this world. Where were you God when my all of those innocent people were dying from a forced starvation by evil rulers?
Life my friends is filled with questions, yours and mine, but there is only one answer to each question – Jesus Christ! God sent His one and only Son to us and He brought with Him a special Gift, a Living Gift:
