A Gift Received

Welcome to the Holy-days or Holidays

We kicked this season off with Thanking God for His Indescribable gift.

Jesus Christ - He took upon himself human flesh in order to pay the price of our sin, which is death, by dying on the cross of Calvary.

Jesus was given to redeem mankind. He accomplished this by being born of woman and subjected to the laws of man. He was sinless, perfect.

Yet, He suffered the penalty of sin, My Sin and Your Sin, which is death.

Because He gave His life in death, we have an opportunity to have our sins forgiven, to become a son or daughter of God, and a joint heir of Jesus Christ.

However, there is a catch. Jesus Christ has to be received.

Today’s message speaks to our part or response to the Indescribable Gift Given to us all.

Let’s read the Christmas story.

Luke 2:1–19 KJV 1900

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Beth-lehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Beth-lehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

The Gospel of Luke presents Jesus Christ in His Humanity.

The Gospel of John presents Jesus Christ in His Deity.

Both show and help us to understand the Indescribable Gift that God the Father gave us.

Jesus Christ was fully man, but He was also fully God.

John says

John 3:16 (KJV 1900)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

A Gift Given does not become your gift until you receive it.

Notice the Indescribable Gift was first of all

The Gift Extended

WOW! Jesus has been born and placed in a feed trough, which is not the place where we would tend to look for a gift.

However, what goes in a livestock manger, but grain, used to make bread.

What city was He born?

Bethlehem = House of Bread

Jesus came to be the “Bread of Life”

What is the purpose of Bread?

John 6:33–35 (KJV 1900)

33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

So, the gift has been delivered. Placed in a Manger and now He is offered to the world beginning with the shepherds.

What will you do with this Savior?

Let’s see what the Shepherds did.

Luke 2:8–10 (KJV 1900)

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Response of Fear

“they were sore afraid.”

That phrase means that they were, “seized with great fear and with a desire to run away.” they are terrified!

Fear is the standard reaction to divine manifestations.

Proverbs 1:7 (KJV 1900)

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 2:5 (KJV 1900)

5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.

Can you remember the astonishment you felt when the Lord came to you, drawing you to Jesus Christ?

Can you remember the fear that occupied your heart?

Can you remember the amazement when you realized the truth, that of all the people in the world, at that moment, God wanted you! It is an astonishing moment when God breaks in on your life, but what a blessing it is!

It is the first step in seeing your life changed forever!

Response of Faith

They shepherds hear the message of the angels and they react. How they responded to that message altered the course of their lives and their eternities. Notice what they could have done:

• They could have debated it. They could have sat down and analyzed what they should do.

Could they afford to leave the sheep?

What if something happened while they were gone?

Talking, talking and more talking.

Sometimes we actually talk ourselves out of responding in faith.

• They could have rejected it. They could have said, “This is not for me! This message is just too unbelievable.” Some people believe the Gospel message is too farfetched.

• They could have dissected it. They could have said, “It’s too far to Bethlehem! This message is just asking too much!” We often reject what we think demands too much of us.

• They could have doubted it. They could have ignored it. They could have any number of excuses that would keep them from checking out the story they had just heard. They could have said, “It can’t be like we were told. In fact why should we have been told at all. We better just forget about it.”

But look at the response of Faith.

Luke 2:15 (KJV 1900)

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Beth-lehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

• The shepherds chose to believe. Their faith is revealed in their words, they did not say, “Let us go and see if these things are true.” They said, “let us now go and see this thing that has come to pass.” They responded in pure faith!

The simplicity of Faith.

John 3:16 (KJV 1900)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Acts 16:31 KJV 1900

31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Romans 10:13 KJV 1900

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

John 6:47 KJV 1900

47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

What they actually did is what changed their lives, v. 15–16. They simply took the message at face value and went to Bethlehem to see the Christ child. That is the only response to God’s invitation that will bring salvation to the soul.

When the message comes to you, a lost sinner, it is a crucial moment.

Either you, the sinner, will heed the message and go to Christ, or you will reject the message and continue in your sins.

What you do with the message of the Gospel determines determines how you will live out the remainder of your earthly lives, and where you will go when this earthly life is over.

John 8:24 KJV 1900

24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

So, the gift was offered to the Shepherds.

Let’s notice how they Established or Secured the Gift.

The Gift Established

Salvation is not a imaginary Faith or an inherited Faith

Responded Firsthand

Luke 2:15 (KJV 1900)

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Beth-lehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

Your Salvation cannot be received or experienced by someone else. It has to be received firsthand.

You have to Believe.

John 3:16 (KJV 1900)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Responded with Fervor

Luke 2:16 (KJV 1900)

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

The didn’t delay or dilly dally around.

Hebrews 9:27 KJV 1900

27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Jesus was Given.

Jesus has been and is being Offered to You.

Your faith will determine the next point.

Ephesians 2:8 (KJV 1900)

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

First you know the revelation, secondly you believe the revelation, and thirdly you come to Christ.

The Gift Experienced

Hearing about Jesus is one thing, but seeing Him for yourself makes all the difference in life.

Response of Fulfillment

Luke 2:16 (KJV 1900)

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And we don’t know how they did that but that … there’s a small village actually, a small village.

They probably came in the village and said, “Does anybody know about a baby being born? Anybody heard about a birth in the last few hours?”

And they may have knocked on some doors and found some babies. There may have been several babies born that night or in recent hours. They were looking for one particular baby who would be placed in a feed trough.

We don’t know how that process went but word of mouth about the baby spreads pretty rapidly and they continued to look.

Verse 16, “And found eventually their way to Mary and Joseph.” And they knew immediately, believe me, when they saw Mary and Joseph and they saw that baby in that manger … they for certain knew they had a word from God. Their search ended with the right find. That, I think, is a sequence to keep in mind.

First the revelation, then the faith and then the action to pursue Christ.

Response of Fact

Luke 2:17 (KJV 1900)

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

When they met Him for themselves, they wanted others to know about Him, v. 17.

When the shepherds met Jesus, they were promoted to evangelists. God took these rough, course shepherds and sent them out with the message of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. As the first evangelists of the New Testament era, they did not emphasize what it was like to see an angel, or to hear the angelic choir. Nor did they dwell on how frightened they were. Their main interest was in reporting that “which was told them concerning this Child.”

On the way back to their flocks, they told everyone they met about the baby that had changed their lives, and about the message the angel had given to them.

When we meet Jesus for ourselves, we want others to meet Him too. There is a desire birthed within us to see our friends, family and acquaintances brought to faith in Christ.

What will you do with Jesus Christ?

Will you by faith accept and apply His sacrifice to your life?

What is the primary message of the sermon regarding Jesus as the Indescribable Gift?

How does the sermon explain the dual nature of Christ as both fully God and fully man?

In what ways are we called to respond to the gift of Jesus according to the sermon?

What practical steps can we take to share the message of Jesus with those around us?

How did the shepherds in the Christmas story respond to the message from the angel?

What does the phrase 'the Indescribable Gift' refer to in the sermon?

Why is it important to understand Jesus' humanity and deity together?

How can the story of the shepherds influence our own faith journey?

What is one way you can act in faith this holiday season based on the sermon?

What did the shepherds do after meeting Jesus, and what does that signify for believers?