Intro: The living God Yahweh revealed in Jesus Christ is a promise making and a promise keeping God!! In an article in Time Magazine dated 24th Dec 1956, it reads:
The old legend that there are 30,000 promises in the Bible is a bit off, according to schoolteacher Everek R. Storms of Kitchener, Ontario. A member of Canada’s United Missionary Church, Storms slowed down enough on his 27th reading of the Bible to tally up the promises, which took him a year and a half. He came up with 7,487 promises by God to man, two by God the Father to God the Son, 991 by one man to another, 290 by man to God. Twenty-eight promises were made by angels, one by man to an angel, and two were made by an evil spirit to the Lord. Satan made nine. Grand total of promises: 8,810. 85% of promises in the Bible are by God to man.
Christmas is a time of promise and expectation. For children it is the promise of Christmas morning excitement and discovery of new toys and clothes. For adults it is a time of hustle, bustle and the occasional black Friday tussle.
The greatest promise God ever made is the one we are the most familiar with and brings the least expectation and excitement. It is the promise of the birth of Jesus. If we look at the background of the time the promise was given I believe we find similar circumstances today. (Read Isaiah 7: , 9:1-6)
Ahaz was a wicked king of Judah. He trusted in the alliance that was made with Assyrian. Because he would not trust Yahweh there was gloom, destruction and terrorism. Judah was in a dark time economically, politically and spiritually. In this time God spoke a clear and certain promise.
In a time of loneliness, hopelessness, suffering and terror God spoke a word of promise. It is a promise of hope and healing that applied to them and us.
Read Isaiah 7:10-14, Isaiah 9:1-6
Jeremiah 33:14-16 (Read) It is in the birth of Jesus into the world that God’s promise was fulfilled in the 700 year old prophecy of Isaiah.
According to James 1:17 “God is the giver of every perfect gift. A son will be given to us.” The greatest gift has always been Jesus.
I like James MacDonald’s definition of promise! “A promise is the assurance that God gives to His people so they can walk by faith while they wait for Him to work.”
I. The promise of God’s involvement – A child will be born to us – His humanity
A) Our biggest problem
Oprah can tell people what’s wrong with them and not problem. Dr. Phil can tell people they are idiots and we agree and nod. Let someone stand behind a podium and communicate the word of God that clearly tells us we have a problem and all the sudden offense. Why? Because the Word of God cuts to the heart of the problem! The problem is sin and separation from God. The Birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of a promise that was given in Genesis 3.
Understand that God’s answer to sinful man was not to condemn us to hell. When we choose God we choose heaven. When we reject God we choose the place of rebellion called hell. God doesn’t solve problems the way we do.
The solution to our fear of terror, death, pride, prejudice, cowardice, lust, anger, bitterness, loneliness, is the quiet birth of a boy in the humanity and humility of birth in an animal stall. God’s first promise to Adam and Eve was in the moment you eat of it you will die. His next promise was one who would crush the cause of our problem sin.
Why do our problems seem to continue to consume us? Because we all too often are not willing to accept God’s way of solving or dealing with them. God’s solutions to our problems don’t always make sense but they always work! God’s solutions don’t merely rework the outside they remake the inside.
The promise of Christmas is the promise of God’s being hands on changing you from the inside out! His promise is to free us from the slave holder of sin!!
What are some ways that God works outside the box to deal with people?
1) Gideon – God was hands on to make him from guy in hiding to a guard for Israel
2) Jacob – God was hands on to make him from a deceiver and thief to a person of faith
3) Peter – God was hands on to make him from a loud mouth braggart into a faithful preacher
B) God’s highest price
The first Christmas was not festive or familiar. The first Christmas was celebrated by thieves, aliens and foreigners. It was the entrance of God into the darkness of the world in order to pay God’s price for the sins of the world.
It was very costly for God to make a way for us to be forgiven of our sin and know Him.
II. The promise of God’s investment – A child will be given to us – His divinity
With the birth and death of Jesus God invested eternity into every man woman and child in creation. What do you want if you make an investment? A return of course.
What return was God looking for when he invested eternity into us?
A) A return of fellowship
1 John 1:3 “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”
Many don’t get anything from the songs, sermons and service of the church. It is because the expectation is completely misplaced. The Christmas season is completely different from Christmas. The Christmas season sets us up for unrealistic expectations. It is often said that Christmas is all about family. I want to tell you that is a wrong expectation. What about those that are lonely without family? What about those that have bad memories of family interaction during the Christmas season?
The Christmas season must be all about the promise of God’s fellowship. If you come expecting church to be all about you, you will be disappointed because it is all about Jesus. Christmas is about God’s hands on investment in the life of His creation in order to get a return of fellowship.
B) A return of faithfulness
Revelation 2:10 “'Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
1 Corinthians 4:1-2 “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”
Fred Craddock, in an address to ministers, caught the practical implications of living for Christ.
-"We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking a $l,000 bill and laying it on the table-- ’Here’s my life, Lord. I’m giving it all.’
-But the reality for most of us is that he sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $l,000 for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there. Listen to the neighbor kid’s troubles instead of saying, ’Get lost.’ Go to a committee meeting instead of doing what we want to do. Giving a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home instead of hanging out with our friends. Usually giving our life to Christ isn’t glorious. It’s done in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at at time. It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it’s harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long haul."
If we do what God commands it may begin as a duty but it will turn into a delight. Faithfulness to God leads to a fullness that overflows.
We may have to give up success to be faithful!
C) A return of a fragrant life 1 Corinthians 2:15-17
There is nothing like the smell of home fresh cooking. It draws everyone to ask (let congregation answer.) “What’s cooking.” When God invests eternity in us he wants the return of the sweet smell of the Holy Spirit. The smell of Christ gets on us from our fellowship with Him.
In the Psalms we are giving the way that we can allow the involvement and investment in our lives.
Psalm 23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies”
Remember we are taught by Paul that we fight not against flesh and blood. People are not the problem, our fellow humans are not our enemies. Those of you who are Hunger Games fans will remember what Haymitch told Katniss to remember, “When you are in the arena remember who the enemy is.”
God has a plan for you that cannot be altered by anyone against you!!
God’s plan can be altered by you! If you do not sit down at the table you will miss out on all or part of His promise!
Conclusion: Jesus promises to prepare a table in the presence of our enemies. Are we willing to sit at the table in the presence of our enemies?
Are we willing to sit at the table of forgiveness in the presence of pain and suffering?
Are we willing to sit at the table of service in the presence of ungratefulness?
Are we willing to sit at the table of truth in the presence of lies?
Are we willing to sit at the table of compassion in the presence of need and pain?
Are we willing to sit at the table of faithfulness instead of success?
Are we willing to sit at the table of family instead of fortune?
Someone once said who gets the gifts on their birthday? We are celebrating Jesus’ birthday he gets the gifts.
