The First Christmas Present

I love Christmas, it is anticipated year round and the closer it gets the more excited I get. Perhaps the most anticipated thing about Christmas is the presents, I’ve recieved some great Christmas presents in the past and on two occasions we received Children at Christmas, Chandler in 2005 and Tony in 2007. However, no gift given under heaven compares to the gift that God gave us in the incarnation of Jesus and on a cold dark night in the hill sides of Judea 2000 years ago an angel suddenly appeared and presented the 1st Christmas gift to mankind. It was a message!

Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be for all people. for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

Good Tidings is the verb euangelizō, meaning to tell the good news. In its basic sense it simply means to deliver a message. In the Roman world it was often used to tell of the coronation of a new king or news of a great victory. Messengers were sent out to announce the euangelizō. On this faithful night, God sent from heaven above His glorious messenger with the greatest news in time and eternity that a new King had come into the world and a great victory had been won by a precious and innocent baby born that day in Bethlehem.

CPS: This Christmas, as you rip into the wrapping paper don’t forget the one gift that was wrapped in funeral attire and laid not under a tree but a lowly feeding through. The Logos (message) of God, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

I. Jesus our Savior

What a great love God has for us, ultimately, love is the motivation for any Gift, but in Jesus God addressed our greatest problem and met our greatest need. There are many needs that can be addressed at Christmas, I have a need for a book case or two, I have rows of books stacked up on the floor of our study, strowed out across our house, and piled up in our bedroom. I need a new book case, others have greater needs, warm clothes and food, perhaps a place to live. These seem like problems and great needs but pale in comparison to mankind’s greatest need, salvation!

A. Mankind’s Greatest Need.

The Problem of Sin.

a. It is a universal problem

There is a universal problem that has plagued this world since shortly after creation. For 6,000 years men have suffered the consequences of sin. All the tragedies of man from, Sickness to sorrow stem from sin. Sin is the Greek word hamartia which means wrong doing. Some time shortly after creation man sinned, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were cast from His garden and physical presence and since we all come from the seed of Adam and Eve sin its sentence has passed on to us. The Bible tells us that (Romans 3:23) “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Fall short means fail to attain. It is an archers term used to describe missing the target. We miss the target by not living up to God’s standard, absolute holy perfection! The only way to live up to God’s standard is to hit the target with every single shot, however His target is the very center of the bulls eye. Meaning that every millisecond of your life your thoughts, words, and actions have align up with His holy standard, its like shooting an arrow add hitting the very center of the bullseye from however far heaven is from earth. That’s Impossible!!! Because of our wrong doing there are consequences to pay. (Romans 6:23a) “For the wages of sin is death. This death doesn't only mean to die but to die in eternal separation from God.Now that is a problem.

Sin is in the lives of every person young and old, big and small. It is not prejudiced, racist, or sexist it is the NATURE of every person.

b. it is an internal problem

Sin is not an external issue it is an internal one.

ILL: Have you ever asked yourself, “How does a worm get inside of an apple?” It doesn't burrow itself in from the outside an insect simply lays eggs in the apple blossom, sometime later the worm hatches in the heart of the apple, then eats its way out. Sin, like the worm, begins in the heart and works out through a person’s thoughts, words, and actions. (Jeremiah 17:9a) “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick.”

It is a heart problem that was inherited from Adam and Eve and passed down the long line of each relative until we are born then we pass it along to our children.

c. it is a personal problem

Sin is a problem in your life!

ILL: A man relayed a story to his friend about an angel named Carruthers who was called into the heavenly front office and instructed by Saint Peter to go down to earth and make a list of all the people who were wrong doers. After two months Carruthers returns and complains that he was going to need help that this job was of too great of a magnitude for just one angel. St. Peter said “impossible, we are short handed up here and you will have to go at it alone.” As Carruthers was about to leave he had an excellent idea, he asked if he could make a list of all the people who were not doing wrong instead. This task he could complete in a week. “Good thinking” said St. Peter and the angel returned to earth and as promised returned in a week with his list. St. Peter studied it and passed it on up the chain of command and shortly an order came from God to write a letter to everyone on the list, commending them for their good behavior. At this point the man turned to his friend and said… You know what else the letter said? “What’” his friend asked. “AHA! So you didn't get one either.”

And, you wont get one because the Bible says “there are none that are righteous not even one!” (Rm. 3:10). That includes YOU!

d. it is an eternal problem

And every one who dies, (and we all must) in this state will spend eternity in hell separated from God enduring his torment and wrath. Jesus calls it a place of fire where there is great gnashing of teeth and the place where worm does not destroy and relief never comes.

2. The Need of Man

But in God’s great love, Grace, and Mercy not even one of us must face the eternal consequence of our sin. Because, God has met our greatest need! The Angel told the shepherds “for you, a Savior is born.” Savior, this is the Greek noun sōtēr which means rescuer or ones who saves. In ancient Judaism it was the idea of being set free from slavery’s bondage, and the shepherds would have immediately thought of the exodus from Egypt. In there day Isreal was ruled by the heavy hand of Rome and the people were waiting for God to deliver them. But Jesus didn't come to save the people from Rome but instead to meet mankind’s greatest need! Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

a. Universal Salvation

This salvation is for all mankind, not that all will be saved but that all can be saved. Notice, in verse 10 this message “shall be for all people.” Shall be (eimi) means belonging too. For people (laos) meaning a people or nation and as its descriptor is the adjective pas meaning each or every nation. This includes Jews and Gentiles. It is’nt bound only by race but the fact that Shepherds first received the message tells us that nether is it bound by status. In the O.T. Shepherds were highly respected but by N.T. times they were viewed quite negatively. They were considered untrustworthy and generally could not serve as witnesses and their work rendered them unclean so they were excluded from mainstream society. If shepherds were the first recipients of the Gospel then anyone can be a recipient.

b. Personal Salvation

This salvation is for you personalty! God is calling you today to be saved from your sin

c. Eternal Salvation

And this Salvation isn't temporary unlike that which Israel recieved from the bondage of Egypt later to receive again by Aysiria and Babylon, this is eternal salvation we are talking about! It is permanent, it will never expire, fade away, or corrode. It will never be taken away and it can never be given back! John 10:28 “and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

In Jesus, God met our greatest need!

ILL: If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.

B. God’s Costly Provision

There is only one way on which sin can be forgiven. it is by the shedding of blood! Leviticus 17:11 “‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’” Hebrews 9:22b “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” To appease God’s wrath there has to be a blood Sacrifice. In the O.T. times it was by an unblemished Lamb, or bulls and goats. When Jesus came into this world He came to do the will of God, by bringing eternal forgiveness of sin thus saving us. Hebrews 10:5–6 “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure.” John 1:29 “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Babies are born to live but this baby was born to die. At the proper time in God’s plan Jesus willingly laid down His life to make atonement for our sin,He died horrible death on a cross so that we can be forgiven. God’s love for us is so great that it was proved while we were still sinners, and if there had only been one person on earth and that person was you Jesus would still have came and died for you! Jesus died in your place so that you can be saved. A gift from God that cost such a high price! Today if you would trust Him alone for salvation He will wipe your sin slate clean and keep it clean. You will be forgiven of your sin and when you die you will truly live. Because after Jesus’s death he was [laced in a tomb but on the 3rd day He arose alive and He stands ready to give you resurrected life. Will you trust Him today?

II. Jesus Our Lord

Notice that the angel’s message was that born for you is a savior who is Christ the Lord. Christ has become a part of Jesus’ name but Christ is the Greek noun Christos, meaning Messiah, the anointed one. He is the promised one to come dating all the way back to the fall where is called the seed of Eve, and later the prophet who will redeem God’s children. But the Angel also called Him Lord. This is the only place in Scripture where Jesus is called Savior, Christ, and Lord. Lord is the Greek noun kyrios, Supernatural master over all. This indicates Jesus’ diety as God. As the angel spoke to Joseph... Matthew 1:20–23 “But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”As Mary sang Luke 1:47 “And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”

The first Christmas present wasnt some random baby born into world, it was God! He came and did for you what you could not do for yourself. He came and did what all the animal sacrifices could not do, bring complete salvation. Hebrews 10:5 “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me;” God the Son! You may be asking why did God become a man have to be the one to die for me. That’s not fair at all! you see, it wasn't an animal that sinned causing creation to fall it was a man. But there is no man good enough (unblemished) to fulfill all of God’s holy standards. It has been rightly said that only God was good enough to die for the sin of the would, but only a man could die for the sin of the would. In what world is that fair and balanced, its not, but I'm grateful that God doesn't act according to what is fair but according to grace. Because what is fair in light of who we are would be to cast us to a fiery death in hell . But, instead He chose to save us.

As Lord we owe Him our allegiance and worship and for what Jesus did we owe Him a great price that could never be paid. But God does not what payback He wants you to surrender to Him in faith. Will you today receive not only the first Christmas present but the greatest gift ever given to mankind as the Shepherds did so many centuries ago?