What do you want for Christmas?

Isaiah 9:6-7

What do you want for Christmas?

Intro:

· Christmas lists

· Don’t always know what we want

· Some are super specific in their list

· Christmas story – Ralphie wanted a “official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time”

· In the book Isaiah, God shares specifics about a Christmas gift as well.

· He gives it very early as well – 700 years before the very first Christmas.

· Notice what he says about this gift

(Read Scripture)

· Do you remember writing out those Christmas lists?

· I remember writing out those list. Some of the things I get some I haven’t

· I’m still waiting to get that transformer that I asked for in the 80s. Still waiting.

· When someone asks me now, I tell them I don’t know or I don’t need anything.

· Well we do need something, and it is found here in these verses.

The Greatest Gift

· Now if you were ask God for one thing at Christmas. What would you ask for?

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· Would it be something for yourself?

o Something health wise? Cure for a sickness? Healing from an affliction?

o Maybe we should ask God for more money. That way can pay off some bills, go and buy some things we have been wanting.

o Maybe we should ask God to give us that vacation we been wanting to take.

· Or maybe it isn’t something we ask specifically for ourselves, but maybe it is something we ask for everyone.

o Ask for food, there is a lot of hunger.

o Ask God for clothes, there are so many people who don’t have a coat in the winter, shoes to put on their feet.

o Maybe we should ask God for a home to dwell in. There are lots who are homeless right now. Who have no place to get out of the cold or rain.

· We could ask God for a lot of different things.

· But the one thing we probably would ask for is God give me your son.

· Of all the things that we want, many people don’t think about Jesus. We will ask for all this other stuff, but what does God give?

· He gives his Son.

· God I asked for healing, I asked for riches, I asked for happiness. And you give us your son???

· And how does God respond? He says to us that I have given you everything you have asked for.

o You asked for healing – I have given you the great physician

o You asked for wealth – I have given you the greatest treasure of heaven

o You asked for happiness – I have given you the one who brings joy

o You ask for food – I have given you the bread of life

o You ask for clothes – I have given you the one who is the robe of righteousness

o You ask for a home – I have given you the one who is preparing a home for you right now

· Friend, God gave us his son and he tells us this here in this verse. Jesus isn’t some random person, he is the son of God.

· And he is the greatest gift that has ever been given.

The Gift of Many Names

· Has someone ever asked you for a gift and you told them what it was you wanted, and then they brought you something else that they thought it was.

· I mean for instance, we are shoe nuts, right. I bet many of you have at least 10 pairs of shoes.

· I have a family member who at one time, had over 200 pairs of shoes. That’s a lot!!

· Well say your kids come up to you at Christmas and they say they want some shoes, and so you go out and get them some shoes.

· They open it up and they say this isn’t what I wanted.

· I mean shoes go by a lot of different names. There are tennis shoes, running shoes, basketball shoes, I mean all kinds.

· And they say I want basketball shoes. Well you take em back and you get some basketball shoes, they open it and they are still not happy.

· They aren’t the right brand. I mean you have Adidas, Reebok, Under Armor, they tell you they want Nike.

· So, you go and get some Nike Basketball shoes, but once again when they open them they are not happy.

· Because what they wanted was a pair of Jordans.

· Wouldn’t it be nice, that you could have one thing to take care of it all!?

· Well, that is what God did.

· He sent us his Son, and his Son carries the names to all of life.

· The scripture says he is Wonderful – think about it, that is his name Wonderful. You want something wonderful in your life, let Jesus in.

· He is Counsellor – you need an advocate, direction, guide and helper – that is what Jesus does for us.

· The mighty God – listen Jesus isn’t made in China, everything in China breaks and wears out. Jesus is mighty, he is strong, he doesn’t wear out, he doesn’t break down, he isn’t weak, he is mighty and he is God.

· The everlasting father – when God gave this gift, he was giving himself, for Jesus is God, and he is known as the everlasting father as well!!

· What does that mean to us, it means that he will be with us forever. He isn’t a gift that we will lose.

· And friend, he is the prince of peace. There hasn’t been any earthly gift that has ever brought me peace.

· Earthly gifts don’t bring peace they bring problems. It becomes outdated, it freezes up, it becomes glitchy and frustrating. But Jesus is a gift that comes and brings a peace that only one who has received him can understand.

· Here is the thing about Jesus, he is the one gift solution. There is no looking for anyone else. He is the answer.

· Someone looking for peace? Jesus. Someone looking for help and guidance? Jesus. Someone looking for strength and security? Jesus. Someone looking for assurance and dependability? Jesus. Someone looking for happiness? Jesus.

· He has many names in the Scripture, but his name I know him as is Jesus, my Lord.

The Perfect Gift

· I always struggle in the idea department of what to give to others at Christmas.

· I mean remember, here is the guy who gave a trashcan one time as a gift. Not one of my best.

· We want to give the perfect gift. One that is impactful. One that has meaning. One that they will remember.

· Well God wanted to give a gift to us that had meaning. A gift that will make an impact. A gift that we would love.

· So what did God do? Just like when you want to give the perfect gift, you got to know what that person needs.

· God looked down from heaven. He saw this world and the direction it is heading. This world needs something to fix the broken government that it has right now.

· He looked at the world and saw all of the violence and pain that people were dealing with.

· He looked at this world and saw all of the crime and sin that was running rampant.

· He looked down at your life and saw all that you were facing, all the struggles you are dealing with, the pains and sorrows, he saw that.

· He looked and he said I want to give the perfect gift that can remedy all of these problems.

· And he said, the only gift that I can give that will cure this world and heal it and restore it and lead it is my only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

· You know people don’t think there is a perfect gift, but there is. And when God gave us his son, we should just look back at him and say, this is perfect.

· Because Jesus is perfect. He is the perfect king, leader, he has the perfect government, the perfect judge, the perfect kingdom. He is perfect in every aspect.

· He is the perfect gift given to us.

· And here is the thing, God has looked at your life, and has seen that the gift you need is Jesus.

Conclusion

· You know there are some precious gifts that people can give to us. Gifts that we may look at the worth and see that it is very great.

· And what you will find, is that when a gift is too great, a person might say, I can’t accept this.

· It is just too much.

· How do you think that makes that person feel? You rejecting that gift. Think about it. Say someone wants to give you a multi-million dollar mansion.

· And all you have to give to them is something from the dollar tree.

· You probably would say to them, I can’t accept this. Why? Because you don’t have anything nice to give them back.

· So, what do we do? We reject it. Well, listen, God values your gift, he sees you as precious. And he wants you.

· And he is giving you the greatest gift ever. Don’t look at yourself and think I am not good enough for God.

· God looked at you and said you are so precious, that I have you on my list, and he wants you to become part of his family for Christmas.

· What do you want for Christmas? I hope you want Jesus.