The Greatest Gifts Part 2

Christmas Gifts

We are in our Christmas series for this year and what I want to do is talk about Christmas gifts.

Proposing to Miss Kimmie

Ring in a box, in a box, in a box

heart pumping as she opened each one.

the gift that changed my life and hers as well. It was the gift that changed our lives together.

We always look for the perfect gift. The gift that will change lives, because it brings joy to someone, it makes their life easier, it treats them to something that they normally wouldn’t have. or as in our situation, it was something bigger than us.

That’s the type of Gifts that our Heavenly Father has given us through the fleshly, human birth of his son Jesus.

We said two weeks ago that Jesus came to give us peace.

Peace in this chaotic world

Peace from this chaotic world

That we receive peace when we receive him as our savior - and heals us from what really ails us

That we receive peace when we allow him to be King in our lives - As he rules in our hearts, our hearts and lives line up with what he created us for and to do.

That this peace will bring peace between us and God

and then between us and man

That we would have as the angels had prophecied - Good will toward each other.

But we closed with the thought that we have to seek this king

The shepherds had to go look for the child that was spoken of, and when they did, things in them had changed

Why? Because they searched for and found, in the midst of a chaotic world, the promised prince of peace.

Turn with me to

Malachi 4 NKJV

“For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the Lord of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

One of the Greatest Gifts that Jesus has given to us is

The Gift of Healing

Here Malachi prophecies about the Sun of Righteousness arising with healing in his wings. And the effect it would have upon God’s people.

That word S-U-N is a metaphor for the SON of righteousness, this prince of peace and messiah whose birth we are celebrating this week.

So we see that this promised messiah would have healing in his wings.

What are wings? We know that Jesus does cry over the city of Jerusalem saying if you had only let me take you under my wings as a mother hen does to her children.

But that’s not what this is referring to.

Talk about the Tallit (prayer shawl)

Luke 8:43–48 NKJV

Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

It could be that the hem of his garment that this woman touched by faith was actually the wings of his tallit.

And if it wasn’t, it doesn’t change the fact that this Christmas Baby was born with the ability to heal us. And to do that in several ways.

We already spoke about his ability as savior to heal what ails us - that being our sinful nature.

We just looked at how he heals us physically. What he did for the woman with the issue of blood, he will do for every one of us.

We know that he heals us spiritually and emotionally. There could be many testimonies of this today.

But what I want to take some time to look at today is how Jesus just heals us from every day life.

I believe that it’s important that we see that Christmas can have an effect on life in general today. And it does.

But Jesus came to give us....

Healing in Life

Here are some accident reports made on actual insurance claims.

Leaving home for work I drove out of my drive and straight into a bus; the bus was five minutes early.

I was driving my car out of the driveway in the usual manner, when it was struck by the other car in the same place it had been struck several times before.

I had been learning to drive with power steering. I turned the wheel to what I thought was enough and found myself in a different direction going the opposite way.

One wheel went into the ditch. My foot jumped from the accelerator pedal, leapt across the lane to the other side and jammed in the trunk of a tree.

I was on my way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident.

I was knocked out as a result of the collision and was taken to hospital where I sustained serious injuries.

Coming home, I drove into the wrong house and struck a tree I haven't got.

The accident was caused by me waving to the man I hit last week.

I had been driving for forty years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident.

I pulled into a lay-by with smoke coming from under the hood. I realized the car was on fire so took my dog and smothered it with a blanket.

I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment.

A truck backed through my windshield onto my wife's face.

Now we laugh at those things, because they sound really goofy

But we also laugh at those things because we know that they really happen. And though we might not have experienced those things, we all have some pretty crazy stories ourselves.

I guess we could say that we’ve all had some pretty bad days.

And we may look at them and laugh, but how many know it’s pretty hard to laugh as you are going through them?

Listen to this guys stories:

2 Corinthians 1:3–7 NLT

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.

2 Corinthians 11:23–27 NLT

Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.

Those are some bad days.

What do you do when you face something like that.

What happens when drive into the wrong house and strike a tree that you haven’t got? How do you handle that?

How about just the crazy stuff that happens all around you every day?

In the last message, we spoke about the peace that Jesus brings to our lives. But even amidst that peace, some of these things cause pain, don’t they?

How do you handle that?

It’s because in that Healing of life, Jesus brings us comfort through His Holy Spirit.

The same Paul whose story we just read, wrote this just 10 chapters earlier

2 Corinthians 1:3–7 NKJV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

You see, he had learned to be comforted by Christ.

In the middle of your tribulation, God will comfort you

In your sufferings, God’s comfort will be there

In all the things that you will never be able to understand, God gives his wisdom and grace.

This child born in Bethlehem so long ago, this prince of peace not only gives us peace, but we can live in that peace because he sends us the comforter. The Holy Spirit.

Many times we think that the Christian life should be problem free, but how many have found out that’s not the case?

That’s why we have the Holy Spirit.

He is called the comforter.

He takes this junk of life, the accidents and craziness around us and gives us comfort.

Look what Paul calls God here - The God of all Comfort

He says that he comforts us in all our troubles

troubles = afflictions, annoyances, inconveniences

Isn’t that good???

And Paul adds a little testimony from his own life when he says that this comfort has enabled him to endure his sufferings.

That’s healing.

This healing isn’t a healing from cancer, but from the cancers of the world.

It’s not a healing of what ails you, but a healing of what’s coming against you.

It’s the cough drop of life. Soothing.

This is what Christmas should be all about.

And I’m talking about something different than peace today.

I’m talking about being able to cope today.

I’m talking about a spiritual lifting up that will affect the physical today

I’m talking about a child that was born in a manger to bring the full power of the triune Godhead into our lives.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!!!

the people around you get to experience too.

How? You rub off on them.

Remember God has placed you where you do life for a reason.

Paul says - that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.

Years ago, I wrote a message for a contest that I feel was my best Christmas message I ever had. It was called Christmas in Narnia.

I reference that this morning, because it dealt with the sons and daughters of God finding their rightful place in God. and when they do, the world of Narnia is changed.

My brothers and sisters, we are all children of Christmas.

When we accepted Christ as our savior, that christmas child, changed our hearts and lives.

And now he sends us out into the world to do the same.

Many of you know that I play the fat man this time of year. Things of changed this year, but it’s all been for the good. and I feel by the hand of God

share about going into homes and making a change

You don’t need a Santa costume to change the world

You have a _____________________ costume. Use it.

Let’s bring the joy of Christmas to those we live life with this Christmas season.

Let’s see the Jesus (the christmas baby) released into peoples lives thorugh our lives.

AMEN????

PRAY