The Gift Promised

Intro

Good morning church family. Today we are starting our Christmas series called Jesus - the Greatest Gift.

You ever have someone promise you something BIG and then you had to wait what seems like forever before you received it?

Kids really understand this better than anyone. Especially around Christmas. They act like it is 10 years away when it is is only three weeks.

This year we bought 4 advent calendars and each night we have been doing an Advent devotional with our kids.

Our kids get excited everyday not knowing what they will receive from the calendar. It is something they look forward to with anticipation.

The waiting period is the hardest part. Knowing that the gift was coming. Waiting periods are like that.

Israel lived in this same kind of tension. They had a promise of a gift, but it had not been fulfilled yet.

God wasn’t just giving them a wrapped present, He was giving them a fulfilled prophecy, a promise of a Savior. Just like I knew I was getting a Nintendo for Christmas, the Children of Israel knew Jesus was coming. He wasn’t a surprise, Jesus was a promise kept.

Christmas isn’t really about lights, presents, or family gatherings — those are beautiful, but they are not the foundation. Christmas is about a God who made a promise… and kept it.

From the very beginning of human history, before the first Christmas tree, before shepherds ever saw angels, God wrapped a promise in His Word and delivered it right on time.

Here is what I want you to hear this morning:

Jesus is not a seasonal tradition. He is the eternal promise of God fulfilled.

Today we are going to kick off this series by looking at the Gift Promised. A gift generations waited for, prophets spoke of, and heaven prepared.

God Promised a Gift the World Didn’t Deserve

There was one year as a kid I didn’t deserve any type of gifts. I remember one Christmas my mom and me got into an argument and she threatened to cancel Christmas. She even pulled out everything I asked for. This time it was a Sega Genesis with the game Aladdin. The way I was being towards my mom I didn’t deserve anything.

But my mom being full of grace and love from God, had those presents for me under the tree come Christmas morning.

This gift that God has given to humanity is something the world did not deserve. When you go back to the beginning of when God created humanity, He told gave them one command to follow - don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Humanity failed. Think about this. 100% of humanity failed. Both Adam and Eve ate of the fruit. And yet God, full of grace and mercy, did not abandon humanity. Instead He announced a Savior.

Genesis 3:15 NASB95

15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Humanity created the problem…sin…but God created a solution.

When we read Genesis 3:15, we are reading the first prophecy of Jesus. Notice that God promised a REDEEMER before dealing with Adam and Eve. Even when Adam blamed his wife and she blamed the serpent, God promised a redeemer. Before God even booted them out of the Garden, He promised a REDEEMER. Before He dealt with them and their choices, He promised a REDEEMER.

Grace appeared before judgement was carried out.

This is deep church. This is profound. This is the God we serve. A God who loves us before we deserve it. This is the heart of God. He offers a savior before we even ask for one. He provides before we know we need Him.

Romans 5:8 NASB95

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Just like any good parent would do, God loved us, even though we rebelled, we turned away from Him, He loved us so much that He sent Jesus to restore the relationship.

Just like I didn’t deserve those gifts from my mom when I was a kid, we truly don’t deserve the gift of Salvation. But that is the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus. That is the beauty of God.

His promises are not rooted in our perfection, they are rooted in His character.

Some of you here this morning are waiting on promises right now. You may be sitting there thinking you messed up, you fell short, and you feel unworthy and now you bought the lie God won’t do what He said He would.

If God said He would do something, He will do it! God in not a man that He should lie.

2 Corinthians 1:20 NASB95

20 For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.

If God kept His greatest promise in sending Jesus, He will keep every other promise He has spoken over your life.

Think of it this way, it is like a parent buying a Christmas gift months before the child’s behavior ever improves. The gift isn’t based on perfection…it is based on love.

A Gift Wrapped in Prophecy

Secondly, this gift that God has sent was a gift wrapped in prophecy.

I am not a fan of wrapping Christmas presents. Anyone else spend Christmas Eve wrapping presents? You stay up late trying to get all the gifts ready for the morning. Carly and I used to spend Christmas Eve wrapping presents past midnight…well I usually wrapped a couple and then would fall asleep. Carly wrapped presents until after midnight. I would get tired and just doze off.

I thank the Lord God isn’t like us. God took His time preparing the gift of Jesus for the world. The Old Testament can be seen as the gift wrapping process. It took some time. God slowly wrapped the greatest gift anyone could receive.

He did it on purpose. I believe He waited so long because He wanted us to know without a doubt that Jesus was from Him.

Did you know there are over 300 prophecies that were told before Jesus birth?

Birth Place is prophesied in:

Micah 5:2 NASB95

2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”

His lineage was prophesied in

Isaiah 11:1 NASB95

1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

His purpose was prophesied in Isaiah 53…

Isaiah 53:5 NASB95

5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

Jesus’ kingship was prophesied in Psalm 2. All of these and more were written hundreds of years before Christ was even born.

If you were to try and fulfill just 8 of these 300 plus prophecies, the probability of fulfilling just those 8 is 1 to in 10 to the 17th power.

100000000000000000

Just fulfilling 1! Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies!

That is not luck, that is not chance, that is not coincidence…that is SOVEREIGNTY!

God was telling the world -

“My promise is real. My plan is working. My Word will not fail!”

Christmas is not about some fairy tale, it is about a fulfilled prophecy!

Think about it. If God took time over the centuries to prepare the coming of Jesus…He is surely preparing what He has planned for you.

You may only see the wrapping right now.

Your promise may feel incomplete.

But God ALWAYS finishes what He started!

Philippians 1:6 NASB95

6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

God ALWAYS follows through!

For those struggling in their faith, struggling with holding on, struggling with finding enough energy to keep going…just hang on a little more…God will come through!!

The Gift Came in Perfect Timing

Here is one thing church that I have learned over the years and then I am done - God has perfect timing.

God is never early and He is never late. Since the beginning of creation God has always worked with timing. God doesn’t guess anything.

Think about it. Let me share with you the creation story to emphasize this point.

Illustration: “The Master Builder and the Seven-Day Blueprint”

Imagine a massive construction project—something like a beautiful cathedral. A group of workers shows up on Day 1 and finds the Master Builder standing there with blueprints rolled out. The workers expect Him to snap His fingers and have everything appear instantly. After all… He could.

But instead, the Master Builder says, “We will build this in stages. Not because I need time—but because you need to see My timing.”

Day 1: Light

On Day 1, He installs the lighting system—nothing else. The workers think,

“Why not build the whole thing today?”

But the Builder knows: Without light, nothing else makes sense.

He’s not guessing. He’s establishing order.

Day 2: The Atmosphere

The workers return. Still no walls, no floors—just sky and atmosphere.

They think,

“This seems slow… does He know what He’s doing?”

But the Builder knows: There must be breathing room before there can be structure.

Day 3: Land and Vegetation

Now the foundation appears. Trees, grass, plants.

The workers think,

“Okay, now it looks like something. But why plants before animals or people?”

But the Builder knows: Provision must come before the ones who will need it.

Day 4: Sun, Moon, Stars

More workers gather, whispering,

“Why lights now? Didn’t we have light on Day 1?”

But the Builder knows: Purposeful timing. Day 1 was illumination… Day 4 is organization. He’s setting systems in place for seasons, guidance, and rhythms.

Day 5–6: Living Creatures

Finally the building fills with life—birds, fish, animals, and at last, humanity.

Now the workers see a pattern:

He wasn’t experimenting.

He wasn’t adjusting as He went.

Every step was timed, intentional, and necessary.

Day 7: Rest

Then the Builder rests—not because He’s tired, but because the work is complete and the timing is perfect.

Creation shows us something crucial church:

God doesn’t operate by guessing. He operates by timing.

He doesn’t rush. He doesn’t stall. He prepares, provides, and positions—step by step.

If God had created everything in one instant, we would know His power…

But because He created everything in sequence, we learn His wisdom.

Just like the seven-day creation:

There are days God is building light into your situation.

There are days He’s creating atmosphere—things you can’t see yet but need.

There are days He’s laying foundation, not finishing walls.

There are days when nothing seems to be happening, but systems are being set in place.

There are days life starts to fill what He’s prepared.

And there is always a Day 7—rest, completion, fulfillment.

God’s timing isn’t random.

It’s divine sequencing.

The gift of Jesus was planned with PERFECT timing!

Galatians 4:4 NASB95

4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,

Paul says, “when the fullness of time came”. this is important.

God had a predetermined time. An appointed time. Time for everything necessary for God’s purpose. Time for Jesus to fulfill every single prophecy that was foretold about His arrival. The FULLNESS of TIME!

Paul is emphasizing that:

Jesus did not come early.

Jesus did not come late.

History itself had been moving toward this moment with intentionality.

This is not God reacting to circumstances…

It’s God unveiling a plan whose time had finally ripened.

“The fullness of time” simply means the moment when God looked at history and said, “Everything is now perfectly in place.”

The world wasn’t just ready…it was perfectly positioned to receive Jesus.

God never rushes, but He is never late.

If God took seven days to build a world He could’ve made in one moment, if God took centuries to send the greatest gift we could ever receive, then surely He is taking His time with you on purpose.

Some of you here this morning may be frustrated because you are waiting…and waiting…and waiting...things haven’t moved forward yet…

waiting on a breakthrough

waiting on the ministry calling

waiting on the healing

waiting on the answered prayer

waiting on the open door

Hear what God is saying this morning:

“If you wait on Me, you will receive the PROMISE at the PERFECT time!”

Waiting is the hardest part. Especially during the Christmas season. I know kids can’t wait for Christmas. Patience is hard for the kids right now…but dare I say as adults we too get impatient.

Parents, grandparents, what ever promise you are waiting for right now from God, please be patient. You are teaching your kids and grand kids.

The other day I was in the store and there was a mom with 3 girls. They looked to be about 7, 5, and 3. The mom was impatient with the oldest telling her to move. She was yelling and everyone around her heard it.

Finally the kids moved forward and they went towards the quarter machines by the register and wait for mom. The youngest just walked up to the other two and the oldest began to scream at the youngest.

Parents, grandparents, anyone who takes care of kids…they are watching and learning. Teach them patience. Teach them how to handle things when they don’t go your way. Teach them to wait upon the Lord. Teach them by leading by example.

James teaches us in:

James 5:7–11 NASB95

7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. 10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

Impatience leads to frustration. Patience is key to peace because you know God will do what He said He will do. He is always on time.

Jesus came to this world on time…and so will your promise.

Closing

I want to close out the first part of this series with this.

All Scripture points to this moment:

The Promised Gift arrived

The Word became flesh

Hope entered the world

Light broken through the darkness

The greatest gift anyone could receive was born in Bethlehem and His name is Jesus.

But just like any gift that is wrapped, it does no good if it is never opened. Jesus will change nothing in your life until you receive Him.

If today you want to receive the greatest gift God ever promised — Jesus — the Bible says in Romans 10:8–10 that if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved.

If you’re ready, pray this out loud with me. Repeat after me:

“God, I come to You today,

and I thank You for Your promise.

You promised a Savior…

and You kept Your promise.

Jesus, You are the greatest gift.

I confess with my mouth

that You are Lord.

I believe in my heart

that You died for me

and that You rose again.

Forgive me of my sins.

Make me new today.

I receive Your gift of salvation.

I choose to follow You.

I give You my heart,

my life,

and my future.

Thank You for saving me,

for loving me,

and for keeping Your promise.

I am Yours,

and You are mine.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer for the first time or maybe you are starting your faith journey again, tell me or someone around you so we can celebrate with you.