What Makes Christ the Greatest Gift?

Jesus is the great light and breaker of our yoke of sin.

Jesus is the light of the world

Isaiah says the Messiah will be a great light to a Gentile nation. He will shed light on their depravity and reveal His salvation. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy in Matthew 4:12-17

Matthew 4:12–17 NASB95

Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Jesus preached the gospel to a lost nation. He told them to repent because the kingdom of God was at hand.

Jesus also proclaimed that He was the light of the world in John 8:12

John 8:12 NASB95

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

Jesus is the one who sheds light on our sin and shows us the correct way. We must turn from our sin and follow Him.

We cannot know our sin apart from the Light of Christ. He is the one who reveals our sin. He is also the One who guides us out of our sin and into His purpose of righteousness.

Jesus breaks the yoke of sin and offers a yoke of rest

Matthew 11:28–30 NASB95

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

The yoke of sin is heavy and will wear a person out. The yoke of sin comes with unbearable shame, consequences and death. A person living in sin knows the oppression of the yoke.

Jesus offers a different kind of yoke. His yoke is gentle, humble, and restful. The way we put on this yoke is surrendering our live to Him. This means we give up the yoke of sin and put on His yoke.

So how does Jesus shine light and give us a yoke of rest? It is found in who He is.

Four Characteristics That Make Jesus the Greatest Gift

He is the Wonderful Counselor

When do we go see a counselor? when things are so chaotic in our lives that we don’t know what to do. We will seek out a counselor that can guide us to the answers that are necessary to eradicate the chaos.

Another reason we may seek a counselor is for preventative measures. To keep chaos from dominating our lives a counselor can give us principles to live by that minimize the chance of chaos becoming a paralyzing factor in our life.

Chaos is a part of this world. It is happening all around us. The chaos that we see on the news is what we tend to talk about but has very little affect on us personally. However, all of us have some form of chaos in our lives that is personal and does affect us. What do we do with that? We take it to the Wonderful Counselor.

Jesus has given us a manual to life. It is called the Bible. We see illustrations of chaos throughout the Bible. It shows us the solution to the chaos. I would venture to say that any chaos that you may encounter has a solution found in the pages of scripture.

The beautiful part of being a Christian is that we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to teach us how to appropriate the solution to our personal chaos. John 16:7

John 16:7 NASB95

“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

The Holy Spirit is sent from Christ to understand the truths of scripture and how to apply them.

Jesus also gives us principles to live by that prevent chaos from ruling our lives. Contrary to popular belief, we bring a lot of our chaos on ourselves when we live outside the principles of Christ. His commandments are meant for our good and not to be a burden. 1 John 5:3

1 John 5:3 NASB95

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

Seeking and living in the counsel of Christ minimizes the chaos in our lives.

Not only does Christ give us wonderful counsel, but He also undergirds us with power to live in His purpose!

Jesus is the Mighty God

Sin is a constant struggle for all. We all sin daily. Sin will be a struggle for us on this side of heaven until we get to heaven. However, God gives us the ability to overcome sin. We see this true in Paul’s life. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 NASB95

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul had a thorn in the flesh(sin). But God gave him grace (power to overcome) to not give into the temptation of sin. It was not Paul’s power to overcome sin that helped him overcome, but the power of God. This is why he says when I am weak, then I am strong.

God does this by this promise. 1 Corinthians 10:13-14

1 Corinthians 10:13–14 NASB95

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

God always provides a way out. Then He gives the principle. Flee from idolatry. When we run into idolatry we will find chaos in our lives.

Jesus is the Eternal Father

Jesus is the exact representation of God the Father. John 14:9-10

John 14:9–10 NASB95

Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.

The role of a father can be captured in the role of a shepherd. A good shepherd cares for his sheep, makes sure that the sheep are healthy, protects the sheep from danger, feeds the sheep, and heals their wounds. Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

Some may have an idea that a father is not something that you want because you did not have a father that was a good shepherd. Jesus is the perfect father.

He is our Father forever. He will never leave or forsake us. He will be with us forever.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace

Peace for the soul is the craving of life. Jesus is the supplier and sustainer of this peace. Jesus explains it in John 16:33

John 16:33 NASB95

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

It is Jesus desire that we have peace. Sometimes it is difficult to have this peace when it seems as if the world and all the things around us seem to be getting worse. When we get discouraged or feel defeated we must always remember that Jesus has overcome the world.

There is nothing in this world that will ultimately destroy the Christian. Jesus promises everlasting life to those who put their faith in Him. But how do we have peace when things are tough. The answer is found in John 14:27

John 14:27 NASB95

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

The peace the world gives is conditional. Meaning as long as things are going well in our lives we have peace in our souls. When things go haywire we find ourselves becoming anxious, stressful and fearful of what may happen.

The peace Christ gives is from within and is not dictated by circumstances but manifested by faith. Faith that focuses not on the fear of harm but on the faith that God will use whatever difficulty we face for His glory and our good.

James 1:2–4 NASB95

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

God uses even chaos to perfect us so we will lack nothing.

Conclusion

Jesus is the greatest gift because he is the light into our souls, breaker of the sin of yoke, and savior to all who believe.

We can experience Him in the Counsel he gives through the scripture and the Holy Spirit.

We can live in His purpose by the grace he gives us to overcome ourselves and live for Him.

He is the Eternal Father that will care for you forever.

He also is the provider and sustainer of the peace our soul craves.

The gift is available! Have you received it? If not you can have it this morning.