Rediscover the Gift of Christmas
This Christmas, let’s look at 5 gifts Christ has given us. Here’s a preview: 1) He has allowed us to draw near to through reading, hearing, and obeying His Word. 2) He has given us the ability to go to Him with our problems by speaking to Him in prayer. 3) He has allowed us to rely on Mighty God by being weak & dependent on Him. 4) He has given us the favor to look at our Everlasting Father by turning our attention to Him. 5) He has given us the ability to rest in the Prince of Peace by hoping and trusting in His Plan.
Jesus Is Immanuel—God With Us
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14
Is God with you? Do you know it? Do you feel it? Are you sure? If not, fix it. Do Something. Stop Waiting. Seek Him. “You will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29). If God is with you and you can feel it, live it. Be Encouraged. Draw Closer. You Are Not Alone. “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8).
2. Jesus Is Your Wonderful Counselor
Where do you go for advice? Answers? Solutions? “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6).
3. He Is Mighty God
Whose strength do you trust in? Seek Out? Act In? Daily? “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
4. He Is Everlasting Father
Where Is Your Focus? On Yourself? On Others? On the world? Past, Present or Future? Temporary or eternal? “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday & today & forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
5. He Is Prince of Peace
What is your source of peace? Contentment? Stability? Hope? “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this” (Isaiah 9:7).
7 Truths about Gifts:
Gifts are Purposed. "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news" (Luke 1:19).
Gifts are Planned. The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Matthew 1:1, 17
Gifts are Promised. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which means, God with us’” Matthew 1:22-23).
Gifts are Surprising. “And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’ And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy-the Son of God’" (Luke 1:34-35).
Gifts are Expressive and Relational. "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
Gifts are Loving. "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" (Luke 1:28).
Gifts are Free. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" (Luke 2:14). “And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her" (Luke 1:38).
7 Practices with Gifts
Anticipate the Gift. “They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: "'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel'" (Matthew 2:5-6).
Seek the Gift. “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him’” (Matthew 2:1-2). “After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was” (Matthew 2:9).
Rejoice in the Gift. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Matthew 2:10).
Enjoy the Gift. “And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11).
Appreciate the Gift. “Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11).
Use the Gift. “And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way” (Matthew 2:12).
Share the Gift. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).