The Most Precious Gift "Immanuel" Series

THE MOST PRECIOUS GIFT

“IMMANUEL”

Lighthouse Worship Center

Dec. 21, 2008

My sermon this morning, this Sunday before Christmas is simple & not long. Yet, I feel it so profoundly in my spirit. It may be a little different than what you may be expecting but really it’s not different than what one may be expecting if you think about it this morning.

What is it that makes Christmas so precious? I know you’re thinking, “What a silly question! Its because of the birth of Jesus Christ!” Well you’re right! It is the advent, the coming of the Messiah. Yes, it is all of that! But I want to bring it down a little closer than that, a little more personal than what you might have thought about before.

You see up till this point there was no way “YOU or I” could ever stand in the presence of God almighty, God Himself. If you were not a Priest of the Tribe of Levites then you couldn’t stand in “GOD’S PRESENCE!” The Priest could stand in “GOD’S PRESENCE!” by virtue of his calling, but the nature of God, at that point wouldn’t allow someone like “YOU or ME” to stand in “GOD’S PRESENCE!”

But when the advent happened, when the coming of Jesus was birthed among us then it all changed, everything changed for all time to come as well as for all mankind to come.

I want to take you back a long time before then. To a time when man and God had a fellowship that was UNRESTRAINED, UNADULTERATED, UNFAILING, UNFALTERING, UNASHAMED, UNABASHED, & UNRELENTING!

In Genesis 3:9 we see that God liked to go the Garden in the cool of the evening & would commune with the greatest of His creation. That which He was most proud of & pleased with.

Let’s talk a moment about that Creation. What was it that made THIS CREATION SO SPECIAL? All of His Creation lived & breathed in one way or another. All of His Creation was beautiful in it’s own right.

But, this creation had “UNIQUE QUALITIES” not given to the other creations. “UNIQUE QUALITIES” setting this Creation apart from the others. This creation had a “DISTINCT PATH & A DISTINCT HONOR”. This creation was “ABOVE” all other creations. This creation was “SPECIAL” in that He gave this creation the opportunity of “CHOICE!”

With that “CHOICE” came a responsibility that none of the other creations had. He was so pleased with this particular Creation that everyday in the cool of the evening He would go to spend time with this Creation.

But we go to a day that was different than the other days. This day was different & unique for something had changed & changed drastically. This particular day something was wrong. Something had happened to hurt that most precious of creations, something that would cause “DIVISION” from the Creation to the Creator, this most precious of Creations.

In Genesis 3:9, God came to the Garden to walk in the cool of the evening with His most precious of Creations but they were not to be found.

For whatever had happened caused this “PRECIOUS CREATION” to see themselves as they were not to see. They had taken & made a “CHOICE” & ABUSED” it while listening to a (LIE) causing this division between God & Creation.

They even hid themselves from the Creator & He had to call out to them. He spoke out in the “DEAFENING SILENCE OF FEAR”. He called out to His creation saying, “ADAM, WHERE ARE YOU?”

Finally His creation answered Him revealing what He already knew. The Creator, so disappointed & hurt, banned this creation to the earth until a time was right to make “RESTORATION COMPLETE & FULL FOREVERMORE!”

It was in this day & time that the “RESTORATION OF MAN” was to be made through the “SACRIFICE OF AN INNOCENT” whose blood was to be shed for another’s guilt.

You see from the moment God banned man from the Garden till that moment in Bethlehem, there was a GULF, A GREAT SPAN, A SEPARATION OF CREATOR & CREATION, THAT MOST PRECIOUS OF CREATIONS GOD MADE, MANKIND! EVEN WOMAN WOULD “BEAR THE COST OF DIVISION”, EVEN THE WORLD ITSELF!

Then in the birth of Jesus Christ, as a baby, the time was made perfect for the change to take place! It was in the “WISDOM & LOVE OF GOD” that man was given freedom from sin. Till this point his sin was only (COVERED) by “A” sacrifice but now his was sin was no longer to be (COVERED) but it was to be MADE CLEAN, WASHED & CLEANSED BY THE REDEEMING BLOOD OF A SAVIOR!

What happened that was most important for man was not “JUST” the Birth in & of itself, it was not “JUST” that someone could “HEAL”, & not “JUST” give “PEACE” but it was that someone could “HEAL”, give “PEACE” & bring “FORGIVENESS THROUGH ATONEMENT!”