Introduction
In 1989, a movie was released by the name of “Christmas Vacation”. In this movie, a guy named Clark was expecting a big Christmas bonus from his boss. He had plans for the money to buy a pool for his family. When he opened the boss’ Christmas envelope presented to him, instead of a big bonus, it was a certificate telling him that for the next 12 months he will get the Jelly of the Month as part of being enrolled by his employer in the Jelly of the Month club.
Needless to say, Clark didn’t get what he wanted for Christmas. He experienced disappointment.
Probably you know about disappointment at Christmas. If you think back to your Christmas’ past as a child, you made have had your heart set on a certain gift that you hinted about but after you opened all the presents, it wasn’t that. If it wasn’t there, you experienced disappointment.
As you got older and your children have all left the nest, you find your Christmas wishes change. And so, maybe in some recent Christmas past you felt that the best gift that you could get is all your children with their children home for the holidays. But at last minute, sickness ran its course through one of your children’s household and so with a bunch of sick folks they could not make the trip. Maybe another child and their family live further north and a winter storm surprised the meteorologist, and it dumped more snow than expected and so travel is too hazardous to attempt coming home. So, your family was not all home for the holidays, and you experienced disappointment.
This morning, I want to tell you about a Christmas gift that will never disappoint. I can go so far as to say it is the perfect gift. Do I have your attention? So, if you don’t mind, I would like to share with you why the Christ child who came on Christmas morning is the perfect gift you and for me.
Points
#1
The Christ of Christmas is the perfect Christmas gift because He came giving you and me new life. And I never get tired of my new life.
1 John 5:11-12 (NKJV)
11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
You ever watch a child on Christmas morning? They are so excited that about the toys that they received that don’t know which one to play with first. Fast forward a week, and those toys that they were so excited about on Christmas morning are sitting over there in the corner untouched. Fast forward six months later, and you ask your child where is that toy you got for Christmas because I have not seen it in a while. And your child’s response is that I don’t know. And what that child is telling you is that he or she has gotten tired of that gift. It lost its newness.
It is not just children but adults that do the same thing. You get yourself a new car for Christmas and every weekend for several months; you are outside vacuuming the inside and washing and waxing the outside of the car. But after a few months, you begin to think a little dirt on the floorboards isn’t going to hurt anything; and you begin to rationalize what is wrong with a little bit of Mississippi mud on the outside. After all, I live in Mississippi. What happened? It lost its newness.
I got saved in August 1976. That is some 44 years ago. And I got to tell you that when I accepted Christ and received my new life in Him and was given eternal life- that was a wow gift. But here it is 44 years later, and it is still a wow gift. I loved the gift that God gave me 44 years ago, but I have to say that I love it even more today because I understand all that eternal life entails so much better having spent time with God. And here is the point- Christ is the perfect Christmas gift because you will never get tired of new life, eternal life.
#2
The Christ of Christmas is the perfect Christmas gift because even after 44 years, the gift of Christ is still working in my life.
Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJV)
22 Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
If I were to ask the children in the church today, where are there Christmas gifts from five years ago, or four years ago, or three years ago, the answer is that they probably are thrown in the trash either because they got broken or parts have been lost. In other words, the gifts have stopped working.
I remember for our first Christmas as husband and wife, I bought Anne an electronic timer so that she could monitor how long she was on long distance calls talking to her family. I thought it was a great gift- very practical and in the long run might save us some money. Back then, the phone companies charged long distance by the minute. That timer I don’t believe made it to our second Christmas. I don’t know how it stopped working, but it stopped working.
Jesus is the perfect Christmas gift because He works in my life every single day. We just read Lamentations and it says, His mercies are new the first year. It did not say that. It didn’t say that His mercies are new the first five years. It says as long as I have breath, His mercies are new every morning.
But that is not the only Scripture that tells me that Jesus is still working in my life.
John 10:10 (NKJV)
10 ... I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Jesus is working in my life to make my life abundant.
And how about this Scripture: Romans 8:28 (NKJV)
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
How are things working out to the good, except Jesus be working in my life?
Jesus is the perfect Christmas gift, from the day I accepted His gift of salvation, He is still working on my life.
#3
The Christ of Christmas is the perfect Christmas gift because most gifts you do not want to share with others, but this gift you feel a burden to share with others.
2 Corinthians 5:20 (NKJV)
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
It is fun to watch kids on Christmas morning especially in a home with more than one child. Usually, after all the gifts have been open and played with for a little while, inevitably one child eyes another child’s gift and heads over to start playing with it. Seeing this, the child whose gift it is, yells to momma, tell Johnny to quit touching my toy.
The truth is when it comes to Christmas gifts that we receive; we are pretty selfish. They are mine.
That what makes Jesus the perfect Christmas gift of all. We don’t want to keep Him to ourselves, we want to share Him with those we love. We want them to know the perfect gift of Christ. That is why the Bible says that we are ambassadors for Christ because we want to share Him. Ambassadors talk about who or what they represent. We represent Christ and so we talk about Him; we share Him with others.
But that is not the only Scripture where we are told that we feel compelled to share Christ. Let me read to you from Matthew 5:14 &16 (NKJV)
14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
In other words, you want to share the perfect gift of Christmas with others.
Conclusion
As you get together with family and friends to celebrate Christmas, remind yourself that the perfect gift of Christmas is that precious baby Jesus who was born in that stable nearly 2000 years ago. He came and offered the gift of eternal life; He is still working in my life and He is the one gift that I want to share with others. That is what makes Jesus the perfect Christmas gift.
Let us pray!
