The secularist will not be happy until they:
• Remove every nativity scene from public properties
• Remove God’s name from the pledge of allegiance
• Remove God’s name from every coin
• Remove every Christmas carol that talks about God from the schools
• Remove all the Christian drama from the schools
• Remove every ten commandment plaque from public buildings
It reminds us of Acts 5:28, when they said, “…Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.”
They were telling the disciples, STOP IT, WE WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS GOSPEL OF CHRIST ANY LONGER.
Make no mistake about it, Christmas is being attacked like it has never been attacked before.
Because of two reasons:
(1) The world is more evil than ever before largely due to television, printing press, computers and etc..
(2) The world’s population has is bigger than it ever has been. Which means we have more people to spread evil then before.
There are stores today like “Macy’s that are instructing their employees to greet the customers by saying, “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings,” but do not wish them a “Merry Christmas” because this may offend someone.
Illus: I am like the girl that was giving a high school speech and was told by the school principal, “Do not mention the name of Jesus in your speech because it may offend the jews in the crowd.
She responded by saying that a girl that was a jew who also was giving a speech said it offends me that she doesn’t mention the name of Jesus.
It offends us Christians when the lost world will speak of this time of the year as happy holidays, or Seasons greetings and not mention the word Christmas.
These merchants do not mind making a third of their income from Christmas sales, but they do not want to acknowledge that without Christ there would be no Christmas.
They know that when we wish each other a “Merry Christmas,” we are acknowledging that “Christ is the reason for the season”.
They do no mind you spell Christmas as Xmas but they want Christ to be left out of the word.
But Christmas is a very special day for everyone. And even many secularists love this very special time of the year.
However, much of what we sing and talk about at Christmas is silliness.
For example, they do not object to the silly stories that are told at Christmas but they object to the real story that is greatest story that has ever been told.
They do not mind us talking about Frosty the snowman or Rudolph the red nose reindeer!!!
Speaking of sillily stories how about the silly story that is told about Rudolph the red nose reindeer?
Did you ever hear how he got his name?
Illus: A Russian couple was walking down the street in St. Petersburg one night, when the man felt a drop of someting hit his nose.
• He immediately said to his wife, "I think it's raining!"
• She said, "No, that felt more like snow to me."
• He said, "No, I'm sure it was just rain.”
• They were about to have a major argument about whether it was raining or snowing. Just then, they saw the professor at the University that lived next door coming toward them. He said, "Let's not fight about it, let’s ask Rudolph the Red nose reindeer whether it's officially raining or snowing."
• He asked him, "Tell us, Rudolph, is it officially raining or snowing?"
• "It's raining, of course," he answered and walked on.
• But the woman insisted: "I know that felt like snow!"
• To which the man quietly replied: "Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear!"
One reason everyone likes this time of the year is because everyone enjoys receiving gifts.
But isn’t it ridiculous how people at Christmas can get so excited about the gifts they receive but they are totally ignorant it seem about the greatest gift that has ever been given by God almighty.
Many large families know they can not buy a gift for everyone in their family, so they draw names to buy gifts for each other.
But when God gave us Christmas He did not leave anyone out.
He gave everyone of us the best gift that mankind could have received.
Luke 2:10-12 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Illus: Like all Christmas present that are all wrapped up in this wonderful present that God gave to all mankind is wrapped up in SWADDLING CLOTHES.
Illus: Speaking about gifts that are wrapped reminds me of when I was in the eight grade a girl that I was going steady with her parents had a birthday party for her. She had a house full of friends that was invited. Everything was going great until she set down in the middle of the room and would open up her presents. One by one she would wrap them and read who had given her a present and she would hold it up for everyone to see.
I had saved my money and I bought her a nice piece of jewelry.
I wasn’t good at wrapping presents so I asked my sister if she would wrap it for me. She was more than happy to wrap it but she admired the piece of Jewelry and wanted to swap it for a piece of jewelry she had. But I told her no deal!!!
Being her boy friend she saved my gift for last. She started un-wrapping and I could see from the expression on her face when she opened it her facial expression brought shock on her face.
And I thought it was an expression of joy and shock!!!
But when she held it up I was shock because my sister had made the swap without me knowing and put her piece of jewelry in the box and it a pair of old pop beats that the paint had chipped off of them.
Anyway to make a long story short that romance did not last to long after that!
But I mention that to mention this…no one who has ever accept the gift Mary had opened up in the swaddling clothes have ever been disappointed in God’s gift to mankind.
Well, today we are going to look at God’s gifts. And in this sermon I want to deal with two things.
(1) I want to tell you about a some of the gifts God has given us as a gift.
(2) Also, in this sermon I want to ask you a question, Have you received the Gift He wants you to have for Christmas!
Let’s look at some of the gifts God want us to have…
I. HIS GIFTS
Let us suppose that as a church we are going to draw names of people to buy a present for.
But suppose a new rule was introduced this year. The person whose name you drew is allowed to request anything they wanted that you had, and you are required to give it to them.
And it just so happens that this person has demanded your most prized material possession in the whole world. Maybe it’s your boat, car, horse, or dog. Could you give it to them?
Illus: Years ago, “Hallmark Cards” had a saying, “If you care enough to the best.”
The Lord gave the best He had.
God knew exactly what we needed, A SAVIOR TO SAVE US FROM OUR SINS.
Illus: Three sons left home and went out on their own and prospered. Getting back together, they discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly mother.
• The first said, "I built a big house for our mother."
• The second said, "I sent her a Mercedes with a driver."
• The third smiled and said, "I've got you both beat. Remember how mom enjoyed reading the Bible? And you know she can't see very well. I sent her a remarkable parrot that recites the entire Bible. It took elders in the church 12 years to teach him. He's one of a kind. Mama just has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot recites it."
Soon thereafter, mom sent out her letters of thanks.
• "Milton," she wrote one son, "The house you built is so huge. I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house."
• "Larry," she wrote to another, "I am too old to travel. I stay most of the time at home, so I rarely use the Mercedes. And the driver is so rude!"
• "Dearest Donald," she wrote to her third son, "You have the good sense to know what your mother likes. The chicken was delicious."
God does not give any white elephant gifts, HE ONLY GIVES THE BEST!
James 1:17 says, “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.”
What are some of God’s gifts to us?
A. HE GIVES US ETERNAL LIFE
We all enjoy life and we want to live here as long as we can on this earth.
Illus: Years ago Dr. Odell Belger one of his brothers (Jack) had died.
After the funeral him and all his brothers and sister was at a restaurant eating. It was a time of quietness and sadness as they set around the table.
• His brother Billy broke the silence when he said,”I wish that Jack had not done that!
• One of the brothers said, “What are you talking about?”
• He said, “I wish Jack had not died because now one of us is going to be next.”
They all chuckled but they all knew what he was saying was true.
But when it comes to what the Lord did we all are going to be given eternal life.
MATTHEW 1:21 "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."
John 3:16, we read, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
This is a gift that ONLY GOD CAN GIVE; it is the gift of ETERNAL LIFE!
If we could give that gift to others, the first thing a person would want to know is, “HOW MUCH WILL IT COST ME?”
The richest man on this earth, if he was staring death in the face, would give every penny he has for his life to be extended 5 or 10 years.
Man can not do that, but the Lord Jesus can. Every one that comes to Him can receive THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE.
Look at John 3:16, we read, “…that WHOSOEVER believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
But He gives something else to us…
B. HE GIVES US PEACE
Look at John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Notice, the Lord acknowledges that the lost world can give peace. When things are going well in our lives, you can see the smile of peace in us. This is the kind of peace that the lost world can receive.
Illus: For example, Men like Ted Turner and Bill Gates, who do not profess to be Christians, have a peace on their face that the world puts there. The peace they have is from WITHOUT, that is, everything is going great in their life and they have the PEACE THE LOST WORLD PROVIDES FOR THEM.
But notice, in John 14:27, the Lord stated about his peace, “…not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
God’s PEACE is different than the peace of the world.
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT?
• The lost world’s peace is based on the OUTWARD peace. If everything is going well, we have that peace.
• God’s peace is based on the INWARD peace. Even if things are not going well, we still have His peace.
Every man and woman on the face of the earth today desires to have this INWARD PEACE, but they will never be able to enjoy this wonderful gift from God until they come to know the PRINCE OF PEACE!
This also is a gift from God; ONLY GOD CAN GIVE INWARD PEACE!
The Bible has a lot to say about peace.
• Jesus is called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
• Paul refers to “the God of all peace” (Romans 15:13, 33; Galatians 6:16).
• The term peace is often used as a greeting and a benediction (see Luke 24:36).
So what exactly is peace, and how can we have “inner peace”?
A word often translated “peace” in the Bible actually means “to tie together as a whole, when all essential parts are joined together.”
Inner peace, then, is a wholeness of mind and spirit, a whole heart at rest.
Inner peace has little to do with external surroundings. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
So peace is not the absence of trouble; it is the presence of God.
Peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
When the “God of all peace” comes to live inside a believing heart (1 Corinthians 6:19), He begins to produce His own characteristics in that life.
God’s desire is that we who know Him learn to live in peace within ourselves first. Then we can radiate that peace to others, bringing calmness and wisdom to tense situations, and in so doing be lights in the world
We see that…
• HE GIVES US ETERNAL LIFE,
• HE GIVES US PEACE
and also…
C. HE GIVES US WISDOM
James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
James was a very diplomatic man. Notice, he says, “IF any of you lack wisdom…”
There is no “if” about it; we all need wisdom.
Every day we have to make choices, and we need wisdom to make the right choices.
God has promised us He would give us the wisdom we need to know exactly what needs to be done as we face every difficulty in life.
Everyone needs THE GIFT OF WISDOM!
We have looked at HIS GIFTS, now look at -
II. HIS PAYMENT
Gifts always come with a price tag.
Illus: This is the busiest time of the year for most merchants. We are told by the business world:
• At least one-third of their sales for the year take place during Christmas.
• Women do most of this spending because men refuse to be a part of the pushing and shoving at the mall.
Illus: One lady was upset with her husband because he would not go with her to the mall to do some Christmas shopping. He wanted to stay home and watch the ball game on television. She was very angry with him.
• She went to Walmart and bought some things, and the store clerk said, "Cash, check or charge?"
• She said “Cash!” As she fumbled for her wallet the store clerk noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse.
• He asked, "Do you always carry your TV remote?"
• "No," she replied. "But my husband refused to come shopping with me, so I figured this was the best way to get even with him."
This is a busy time of the year for the merchants and their customers. We are told that the average family spends around $500.00 dollars a year. Buying gifts is EXPENSIVE!
The gift of ETERNAL LIFE does not cost us ANYTHING, but it cost the Lord Jesus everything.
We understand that GIFTS are expensive for the giver. We need to consider that GIFTS are free for the receiver!
A gift has to be FREE or else it not a gift.
MANY DO NOT KNOW WHAT A GIFT IS.
During the Christmas season, we say we give GIFTS to each other. But what we really do is EXCHANGE GIFTS. I buy you something and I expect you to buy me something of equal value.
We call this GIVING, this is not giving, this is exchanging presents. We teach our children the wrong things about giving.
Before Christmas gets here, we start telling them, “You better be good because if you are not, you won’t get any gifts.”
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger says that when he was growing up, his parents told him he had to be good. To prove he had been good, he would have to rake the yard because if he didn’t he would not receive any gifts. Believing that, he would get out there and rake the yard because he wanted some gifts .
He later said, “My parents took advantage of my ignorance of what a gift was.” He said, “If I received my gifts based on raking the yard, it was not a gift, I WORKED FOR THOSE THINGS.”
The gift of eternal life cost God His only begotten Son -- His most prized possession. God didn’t give a white elephant gift. He gave us the very best he had to offer – to sinners like you and me.
Conclusion:
I mentioned John 3:16 earlier. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
God gave us His Son so He could give us eternal life. The Bible tells us that eternal life is a free gift from God. As great as the gift of eternal life is, it can not be a gift until it has been received.
Illus: Paul Harvey tells the story about a family on Christmas Eve. This family had a tradition where the Mother and children would go to the Christmas Eve service, and the Father would stay home and read the paper. When the family returns home from church, they would all gather to open up their presents.
The Father was not an evil man, but he just couldn’t believe in the childhood stories anymore of God coming as a baby in a manger. As the family left for church, he opened up the evening paper and began to read by the fireplace.
Suddenly, he heard tapping on the window. It was a bird flying against the glass of his window trying to get out of the snow into the warmth of his home. The man had compassion on the bird, and he went outside, hoping to bring it in.
As he approached the bird, the bird just flew against the window even harder. Pretty soon, the bird flew into the bushes below the window, half frozen, yet too afraid to be caught by this huge man. The more the man tried to reach for the bird, the more the bird flew frantically into the snow and thorns of the bushes.
After a few minutes in the cold and seeing the bird continue to injure itself, the man yelled out in frustration, “Stupid bird, can’t you understand that I’m trying to help?” The man paused and thought, “If only you understood you wouldn’t fly away … if only … if only I could become a bird, and get you to understand.”
Just then, the church bells rang, as they always have on the hour. But when the man heard the bells this time, he fell to his knees and began to cry, saying, “Oh, God, I didn’t understand. Oh, God, I didn’t understand.”
God’s Son came in human form that we might understand from where we have come, for what reason we were separated and how we could be restored to God.
Have you received God’s best gift? If not, won’t you open your heart right now and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour? Eternal Life is yours for the receiving.
The Bible says that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved, that means everyone here!
Illus: Christmas is a time of excitement but can you imagine the excitement when one day we shall see the Lord Jesus who has given us eternal life in a place call heaven.
We have looked at:
I. HIS GIFTS
II. HIS PAYMENT
