His Inexpressible Gift

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

I didn’t go back and count, but I’ve preached at least 30 different Christmas sermons over the years.

That’s over 15 hours of talking about Jesus’ birth.

There are an estimated 4.2 million Christian churches in the world.

That’s 4.2 million preachers delivering 2.1 million hours of sermons all today.

All with the same topic: “a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

Back in November, a friend turned me on to a book that I needed to read for Advent.

Written by Sinclair Ferguson - many of you will be familiar with that name, the little 156 page book is titled, “Love Came Down at Christmas: Daily Readings for Advent.”

I’m sad that it ends today.

I really, really liked what it said to me.

That’s where this idea came from.

Open your bibles with me to an rather unusual place for Christmas morning - 1 Corinthians 13.

If you are watching us on live stream this morning, please open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 13 as well.

A lot has been made of love in our society in the last 5 or 6 years.

A lot of agenda driven people have quoted this scripture to us.

1 John 4:8 ESV

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

God is love.

So follow me here.

We believe in the Trinity, right?

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

So if God is love, then Jesus is love too, right?

Listen carefully.

1 Corinthians 13:1-6 “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not [Jesus], I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not [Jesus], I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not [Jesus], I gain nothing. [Jesus] is patient and kind; [Jesus] does not envy or boast; [Jesus] is not arrogant or rude. [Jesus] does not insist on [His] own way; [Jesus] is not irritable or resentful; [Jesus] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.”

1 Corinthians 13:7-13 “[Jesus] bears all things, [Jesus] believes all things, [Jesus] hopes all things, [Jesus] endures all things. [Jesus] never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and [Jesus] abide, these three; but the greatest of these is [Jesus].”

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

What we just did is not disingenuous or a trick.

If God is love then Jesus, being fully God and fully Man, is love.

And if Paul is describing love then he has to be describing Jesus.

You’ve not thought about Jesus this way, have you?

Neither had I.

You know we talk about pieces parts of Jesus all the time.

We pick up this thing about Jesus in one place in the Bible.

Something else about Jesus in another place.

And even something more in some other scripture.

But what do we see about Jesus here?

Well, we find that Jesus is patient.

Have you ever made anyone impatient?

You could tell how they were acting that they were tired of waiting on you.

How long did Jesus wait on you?

It took me two years from when I was saved until I could muster up the courage to be baptized.

It took me 13 years to answer the call to ministry.

And so many times I did so many stupid things and Jesus patiently waited for me.

You and I are lot alike, you know.

How long have you kept Jesus waiting?

You know where you’ve been, you know what you’ve done.

How long did he wait - is he still patiently waiting on you?

Jesus is kind.

Patience is passive but kindness is active.

As Jesus patiently waits on us, when He sees that He needs to act, He doesn’t hesitate.

When you are crying heartbroken tears

Over lost love

Over crushed dreams

Over the passing of someone who held your heart

When you realize the devastation that your ridiculous, sinful decisions have brought into your life.

When you cried out, as your tears rolled down your cheeks, Jesus acted.

He didn’t wait.

He didn’t come back later.

He didn’t make an appointment.

He acted.

He comforted - He reassured.

He rescued.

He saved us from ourselves.

Jesus doesn’t envy.

There is nothing anyone else has anywhere else that Jesus would rather have than you.

In fact, He doesn’t compare you to anyone else.

You carry His image - it is you that He loves.

All these things in the world that you and I see that we say, “If I only had that, I’d be happy.”

If I had only gotten that for Christmas.

Jesus doesn’t do that.

He sees you and there’s nothing he’d rather have than you.

Jesus doesn’t boast.

His words are not hollow words - He’s not all sound and no substance.

When Jesus says, “I’ll never leave you alone, he means that He’ll never leave you alone (don’t read scripture - just put on the screen). (John 14:16

John 14:16 (NLT)

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.

When He says, I go and prepare a place for you, then that is exactly what He is doing. (John 14:3 - don’t read scripture - just put on the screen)

John 14:3 ESV

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

This Christmas might be your first Christmas without a parent or a brother or a sister or a child.

And it’s not going to be easy - it’s probably not already been easy.

But Jesus didn’t lie to you.

He wasn’t boasting when He said, “that where I am, you may be also.”

If your loved one belonged to him, they are with him now.

Jesus doesn’t fill you with warm and fuzzy words and then leave you.

Jesus is good for His word.

Jesus is not arrogant.

I know you’ve bumped up against someone who acted like they smelled something when you were around.

I have.

We all have.

You got that promotion and that one person said “congratulations” in a way that said,

“Isn’t it sweet you got your little promotion.”

Their house is always a little better.

Their car is always a little better.

Their life is always a little better than yours.

Or maybe that’s how you feel about everyone else.

Maybe your life IS a little better - you think.

That’s not Jesus.

There is no doubt He is our superior,

But in Philippians there is this whole hymn that says Jesus gave up his superior place.

He condescended.

He came to be with us without a hint of superiority.

Without a hint of look how great I am.

And Jesus was not rude about it.

He didn’t tell us how much he gave up so we could have what we have.

He doesn’t put us down, or shame us because He gave up so much for us.

I can’t help but think there is a child whose parent would berate them because mommy or daddy had to give up so much for you.

And they had no problem pointing out how much of an inconvenience you are.

But with Jesus, you are never an inconvenience.

You are His joy.

He would never be rude to you.

Jesus doesn’t insist on His own way.

Jesus isn’t all about Himself.

When all of his friends were too proud to do what needed to be done, Jesus did it Himself.

He washed their feet.

We don’t relate to washing feet, so if Jesus was here, what would he do?

I suspect he would wait until everyone was leaving and He would take out the trash and mop the floor.

Because nobody wants to do that.

Why would He do that?

Do you realize that Jesus IS all about bringing you to His Father, don’t you?

What He wants more than anything else is to make us right with the Father so we will enjoy Him and glorify Him forever.

He will do whatever it takes to show us what God’s love really is.

And Jesus is not irritable.

Listen to me closely, you don’t get on Jesus nerves.

You know who you are - you know you get on people’s nerves.

Maybe you mean to - some people enjoy being annoying.

But maybe you don’t mean to - but you just seem somehow to always do that thing that annoys people.

And hate it.

But you don’t know how to stop it.

But do you realize, you can’t annoy Jesus.

You’ll never walk away wondering how you could be such a problem.

Because to Jesus, you aren’t a problem.

And Jesus is not resentful.

That means He doesn’t store up all of your junk to dump it out on you when he wants you to feel horrible.

Everyone one of us has had someone say to us in an argument - “Yeah, well, you remember when you did so and so....”

Or maybe its not during an argument.

Maybe you did something that your family didn’t like

And at always just the wrong moment, somebody, somebody has to remind you, “Don’t forget who you really are.”

Don’t forget what you’ve done.

Don’t forget where you went.

Don’t forget who you were with.

Don’t forget who you are.

That’s why I love Romans 8:1.

Romans 8:1 ESV

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Jesus knows the condemnation we’ve had to endure.

Families condemn.

Friends condemn.

It’s seems lately the whole world condemns.

But Jesus never will.

Listen to me, maybe you are storing up a whole lot of hurt that you use against yourself over and over and over again.

Let it go - let it go.

Jesus isn’t resentful - He’s not holding your sins and failures against you.

He will not condemn you.

You have been set free from any guilt and any shame that you might think you deserve.

Because He has taken it for you.

You are forgiven - it is done - it’s over.

Jesus does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

When you go off the rails, Jesus is not going to be your cheerleader.

When you say, “This is just who I am,” Jesus isn’t on the sidelines shouting, “you go, girl.”

When you say, “I’m doing this for my family,” Jesus isn’t saying to you, “I understand, you have to do what you think is best.”

That’s not how he operates.

He want us to live in the Truth because the Truth makes us live.

Isaiah 30:21 ESV

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

No, Jesus is the voice behind you.

Not condemning you, but patiently reminding you of the truth.

Whispering the truth to you with joy - because He knows - the Truth WILL set you free.

The Truth will make you content.

The Truth will make you happy.

So He whispers behind you because he knows, this and only this is what you are really going to want.

This is the way - the only way - so walk in it.

Jesus will never be your accomplice for a lesser life than He wants you to have.

Jesus bears all things.

That means he puts up with all of your mess - and Lord knows some of us are mess experts.

We take a simple long wait in the Taco Bell drive through and turn it into a Facebook dumpster fire.

There are no molehills, there are only mountains.

Everything is a big deal with harsh words and fiery tempers.

Jesus puts up with all of your mess.

Jesus believes all things.

That simply means he believes the best about us.

He sees the image of God in us - and He knows what we will become over time.

He knows not only what we are capable of

But He knows His plan for us

And where we will end up.

And the joy and release and peace that is going to bring.

Jesus hopes all things.

Now remember, hope is not a wish.

A hope is an unrealized certainly.

Jesus knows that when the Spirit calls you, you will be saved.

Jesus knows that while you keep putting one foot in front of the other because you trust him,

That one day you will prevail.

Jesus knows that one day you will reap a reward that you can’t even ask or imagine how good it’s going to be.

Jesus knows that sometimes we hang on our faith with tenacity

And other times we hold on by a thread

But He knows we’re going to make it.

He knows one day we’ll see Him face to face.

Jesus endures all things.

Hebrews 12:2 ESV

looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

He endured the heat of the desert.

He endured homelessness and hunger.

He endured insults and injury.

He endured the scourging and the cross.

He endured it all - for the joy that was set before him.

And what was that joy?

You.

You and me.

Seeing us reconciled to the Father.

Seeing the Father enjoying you and me and seeing us enjoying Him.

That is His joy.

That’s why these words mean so much to us:

Luke 2:11 ESV

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

A Savior.

Someone who will do what every one of us wants so desperately.

He looks through all of our stuff,

Whatever that might be and sees our heart.

And loves us.

Pray with me:

Jesus,

Thank you that one day this embarrassing body of mine will fall away,

and I will be like you.

Thank you that as much as we fear pain

We don’t have to fear death.

Thank you for loving us so much that you won’t let us settle

But that you keep calling, keep pushing, you keep on driving us to the better things.

Thank you for the church body.

For my friends who work and serve so hard.

Who love you and love doing for you.

Who get so tired and worn out and yet, they keep saying yes.

Thank you for rescuing someone who doesn’t deserve a second look.

Jesus,

I know at least a few people in here ho you are still patiently waiting for.

Would you send the Spirit to open their eyes and their hearts?

I want them to enjoy you too - would you do that Jesus?

Thank you.

Amen