The True Gift Of Christmas

Isaiah 9:6-7, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His Name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His Kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."

Christmas is the celebration of a Child, God's gift of love. When God wanted to conquer Pharaoh and destroy mighty Egypt, He sent Moses to smash the chains of slavery. When God wanted to expose sin in Israel, He sent Samuel, who the Bible says, "Served the Lord all the days of his life". The only man in the Bible that says that. When God wanted to crush Satan and his evil empire, He sent His only Son in the womb of a virgin, born in a manger. There was no OB/GYN there, saying, "How do you feel today?" There was no epidural. There was no lobby full of people waiting with gifts to give to whatever it might be. Born in a cave, mysterious, His wonders to perform.

Get it straight. Christ coming to Earth was not to establish the economic madness we call Christmas. It was to crush the head of that old serpent, Satan. It was to break the chains that enslave you. It was the fulfillment of the promise God made in the book of Genesis, "The seed of the woman (Mary) shall crush the head of the serpent". That's the devil. I am here to proudly announce that Christmas was the beginning of a major-league fight for your soul. And Jesus Christ lived, and died, and rose from the dead: victorious over death, hell, and the grave!

Look at this awesome word from the mouth of the prophet Isaiah, concerning the birth of Christ. "For unto us, a child is born". "Us," who? "Us," everybody? No, absolutely not. Isaiah's speaking only to believers. Why? Because a gift must be received before it's yours. I can offer you a gift. But if you don't receive it, it's still mine. If you have not received Christ, He is not yours. Going to church does not make you a Christian. Singing a song, giving a gift does not make you a Christian. God wants you to be a follower of His Son. Because you receive Him as God's gift to you, you receive His redemption at the cross. If you have not confessed Him publicly as Savior and Lord, there is no salvation, there is no hope, there is no eternal life. He is not yours!

Let me say it very clearly, you're not living until you know Jesus Christ. There is no mansion over the hilltop. There is no authority to bind the powers and principalities of darkness. There is no divine prosperity. There is no claim to joy. There is no peace that surpasses understanding. There is no love that is unspeakable. There is no home in Heaven. My question to you, the greatest you'll ever have to answer: "Have you received the gift of Jesus Christ into your life?" If you have, you're on your highway to heaven. If you have not, you are never going to be there. It cannot be said more clearly than that. "Unto us, a child is born". This speaks of Christ's humanity. He began His life like any human, an infant born naked in a cave. The government was trying to tax His mother and father. That's what they were doing, making a road trip to be taxed by Caesar.

Do you want to know why babies cry when they're born? You're born naked, somebody's beating you on the rear end, and you already owe the government $75.000. It's enough to make anybody cry. Hebrews 4 says, "He was tempted with every temptation common to man, yet He lived a sinless life". He wept like we weep. He felt what you feel. He experienced scandal. His birth was questioned then and now. Religious persecution, He had that. Racial hatred: He was a Jewish person living in a Roman gentile world. He had that. Betrayal, He had that. Peter denied Him often, as did others. There was an injustice. The judicial system failed Him when Pontius Pilate said, "I find no fault in Him".

According to Roman law, the trial should have been over! But Pontius Pilate, was not seeking the truth: he was seeking to please the people. And he turned Jesus loose into the hands of mad men, who wanted to kill Him. He experienced rejection. He experienced shame. Yet, He was loyal to His Father. And in the darkest moment, representing you in the Garden of Gethsemane, He said, "Not My will but Thine be done". And He walked to the cross as the Champion of Calvary. He hung His head and died, so that God's gift to you can bring you everlasting life and peace that surpasses all understanding. In the darkest valley you will ever live in, the light of His joy shows up. Whenever you call, He appears because He is the awesome, mighty, all-knowing, all-powerful, resurrected Son of God.