Theme: The Unspeakable Gift
Text: Matthew 1:21-23
Intro.
A. Greetings
B. Praise God for this privilege we have this morning to celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord as a group and a family. Though, by principle of Christian living, everyday is a celebration for the Presence of Christ in our life.
C. For me, the historical birth of Jesus is really very important, but what matters most is His Personal Incarnation in us. We can never appreciate the wonder of His condescension until He finds a place in our heart.
D. Our theme this morning is very relevant to our occasion: “The Unspeakable Gift.” Yes, Christmas is a time when we express our heartfelt thanks to God for His Unspeakable Gift to us. We may not receive any material or financial blessings this season, we should not be disheartened because what we receive from God is beyond comparison.
E. Well, we all understand that this Unspeakable Gift we are referring to is the Son of God, our Savior and Lord. Jesus is the unspeakable gift of God to us. In Him we find everything we need.
F. Now, let’s turn our minds to the passage where the Conception of this Unspeakable Gift is being told to Mary first then to Joseph by an angel. I think there are very wonderful lessons that we can get from this passage.
G. Background:
1. Mary was told that she would conceive a child. Mary could not believe it, but she trusted anyway. It was totally impossible to the eyes of men, but the angel assured her that the situation is a wonderful occasion for God to display His awesome power.
2. She told it (perhaps merrily) to Joseph that she has conceived the gift of God to them.
3. Joseph would have been so surprised of the “good news”. To him Mary’s claim is unbelievable so that he wanted to put her away privately.
4. But an angel spoke to him in a dream and told him about Mary’s conception and about the Child to be born. As he listened to the message of the angel regarding the Child, Joseph was overwhelmed and realized that Mary’s conception is really wonderful, and that the Child to be born is indeed the “unspeakable gift of God” to mankind.
5. I know, like Joseph, all of us were astounded when we first heard the message of the Savior, but as we listened to the voice of God we happily accepted His Unspeakable Gift that resulted to a devotion of ourselves to live with this Gift in our lives. This is the reason why we are here. This is the reason why we are in the ministry. The Unspeakable Gift of God is within our hearts. We lived our lives with and in Him! And I just hope that for the rest of our lives, we shall all live like Joseph; that is, having and being in the presence of the “Unspeakable Gift of God” regardless of what the sacrifices involved.
H. At first, Joseph was not able to understand the situation until God’s angel told him so. Through a dream, God had him seen the whole picture of this “Unspeakable Gift”. Now Joseph understood, the Child is “God’s Unspeakable Gift” because:
I. The REDEEMER OF HIS PEOPLE FROM SIN (v.21)
a) The first message of the angel to Joseph was about redemption. He said in verse 21: “Call his name Jesus for he will save his people from sins.”
b) Redemption is the most important thing about the Incarnation of Jesus. His birth is so glorious and wonderful because of its redemptive purpose. Outside the context of redemption His birth is no different from ours. He is God’s unspeakable gift because of the purpose of redemption. He is the Redeemer. He came to provide the atonement for sins.
c) But being a redeemer is not very wonderful. The Redeemer shall pay something so that redemption will take place. That’s the reason why Jesus had to offer Himself. Atonement for sins is by blood. The price that Jesus had to pay is his own life. Redemption never happened had not Christ given his life. He is indeed our wonderful Redeemer. He is indeed the unspeakable gift of God.
d) After the angel explained to Joseph the truth about the Child to be born, he took Mary right away. He was overwhelmed with joy of the divine privilege given him by God to accommodate the Presence of the Redeemer into his personal life.
e) Well, it’s sad to say that many Christians are no longer overwhelmed with joy in the Presence of the Redeemer. The passion for His presence was no longer there. Look at what spirit we have in Christmas? When December comes, we are more concerned to receive material and financial blessings instead of happily expressing our thanks to God for the Redeemer and enjoying His Presence. Where is our joy that we ought to have in His Presence?
f) Taking Mary to be his wife is sacrificial. But Joseph was willing to pay whatever price is needed to serve the Redeemer. He knew that whatever sacrifice he would go through is not worth comparing of the matchless sacrifice the Redeemer will offer to atone his sins and the sins of the world. Being a devout believer of Jehovah, Joseph knew well the implications and the demands of redemption. He knew the magnitude of Redeemer’s sacrifice.
g) I don’t know if the message of redemption still touched your heart. I don’t if your heart still feels the magnitude of Christ’s suffering; I don’t know if you still shed tears upon the sacrifice of Jesus at the cross. But his matchless sacrifice is indeed worthy of our praise. He died in our place; not because we are worth dying for, but because we deserve death. He offered himself on our behalf. The Redeemer knew that only his death could save us from death penalty of sin. This is love and mercy beyond compare. How then can we refuse if He would ask for mere simple sacrifices?
II. The FULFILLMENT OF GOD’S WORD (v.22)
a) In v. 22 the angel says, “All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord…”
b) The birth of Jesus is a fulfillment of what has been said by God. He is the fulfillment of God’s word.
c) His birth is unique. It is different from all other births that took place in the history of humanity. In fact, his birth is the fulfillment of the greatest promise God had made –a promise of a Redeemer. The promise was made at the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve fell into sin –that from the woman shall come forth a seed to bruise the head of the serpent.
d) God had to keep His word. His divine dignity is at stake to crumble if this promise fails. This explains the grave attempts of Satan to keep the Messiah to be born.
Satan’s moves:
>Killed the righteous Abel by Cain
>Corrupted the human race during Noah’s time that almost resulted to human extinction.
>The slavery in Egypt
>The disobedience in Kadesh Barnea
>The corruption of the kingly lineage of the
Messiah.
>The Persian Edict instigated by Haman
>The years of captivity
>The killing of babies in Ramah.
e) But God proved Himself true and faithful to His word. Therefore the birth of Jesus is the ultimate emblem of God’s faithfulness. Now we understand better why Jesus is the unspeakable gift of God. Jesus, being born in our heart, has given us complete assurance. We now can hold on to every promise of God with great assurance because we have in us the symbol, the guarantee, and the seal of God’s faithfulness to us.
f) Another thing is that, the birth of Jesus is also the emblem of victory over Satan. The devil has been defeated right at the announcement of Jesus’ birth! Do you get the picture? When Jesus is born and alive in our heart we have victory over the archenemy of our soul. We shall have victory over the works of the devil. We shall have victory over discouragement; we shall have victory over despondency; we shall have victory over temptations that we have in our ministry. Oh praise God, it’s all because of the unspeakable gift of God within our hearts.
III. THE MANIFEST PRESENCE OF GOD.
a) Gabriel said: “…they shall call his name ‘Emmanuel’ which is translated ‘God with us’…”
b) God has given us the greatest gift of all in the person of Christ because it is the Gift of Himself. God could give anything, but He chose to give Himself. The greatest act of giving is the giving of oneself, and God did it in the truest sense of the word –He gave Himself in the Person of His Son.
c) What does this mean? This means that God has given us His all. What can we ask God more? Nothing! We have all. We have everything in Jesus. We don’t even need to sing, “Lord I want more of you” because He has already given us His all. What we need to do is let Jesus have our all instead. Give Him your all! It’s not more of Him, but more of us.
d) Do you wonder why nothing significant ever happen as the people of God sing, “Lord we want more of you?” Because they don’t give their all to God. When you feel empty and void, we only have two possible reasons for that: it’s either Christ is not in you, or that you never give Jesus your all.
e) Jesus is the unspeakable gift of God because it is God giving Himself. God has given His all. How much did you give to Him?
