The First Christmas Gift

Significant Gifts

What are some of the most significant gifts you’ve received that have changed your life?

When I was 5 I was given my first bike.

I learned to ride and access to a whole new world arrived in my life.

I rode played on that bike. My next bike I rode to school, work, baseball practice and all over town.

When I was 16 my first car was made available to me.

So many more opportunities arrived into my life w/ that ‘69 Chevelle.

My freshman year in college I was given my first study bible.

A Ryrie Study bible.

I didn’t just read the bible, I studied it b/c I had good notes right there that helped me understand it.

A whole deeper level of understanding of God and my spiritual life arrived.

In 1946, a mom named Gladys took her son to a Tupelo, MS hardware store on his 11th birthday.

He’d been saving for months and it was his dream to buy a .22 cal rifle. They knew he wouldn’t have enough but Gladys decided for his birthday gift to pay the difference.

The clerk brought the rifle out for them to see but to their disappointment, the price tag said $28. That was real money in 1946 and Gladys just couldn’t cover the difference.

The clerk took the rifle back, and seeing their disappointment made a suggestion. He brought out a guitar for the 11-year old to consider. The price was $7.75.

It wasn’t the rifle, but the agreed the guitar would be a nice birthday present.

A few years later, this boy took this guitar into a recording studio in Memphis, TN. and recorded the single, “That’s All Right.”

And, w/ that, the recording career of Elvis Presley was launched.

It’s amazing how a simple gift can not only change the lives of a few individuals, but also change the world.

W/ the gift of that guitar, Rock ‘N Roll arrived.

This morning we’re going to study and see how one gift given on that first Christmas not only changed the lives of individuals around the world but in so doing changed the universe forever.

B/C of that gift, no only are these individuals able to receive forgiveness, we are also able to forgive every wrong committed against us throughout our lives.

The Gift

Psalm 2:7–8 NIV

I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

Psalm 2:8 NIV

Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

This gift changed everything, not just pop culture.

David was given insight into a conversation between God the Father and Jesus the Son at some point in eternity past.

Jesus is speaking describing what His Father said to Him.

Today. What day?

Poetic language is not confined to conventional definitions.

The day described is the day of his birth in Bethlehem, the day of His death and the day of His resurrection in Jerusalem.

It’s a period of 33 years. His incarnation. The time he was on earth as a man.

Today, I have become your father. Jesus’ birth.

I became a father the day my daughter Alyssa was born, April 4, 1989.

On the day of Jesus’ birth, His father gave Him a gift.

I will make the nations your inheritance and the ends of the earth your possessions.

This little baby, lying in a manger, on the very first Christmas morning was given a special gift by his Father that changed everything.

Now, I’m going to address 3 questions regarding the gift.

Why? Why did God give such a gift to Jesus on this day?

How? How did He orchestrate giving the gift.

So what? What difference does it make to you and me?

Why?

Why’d He do it?

Psalm 2:1–3 NIV

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”

The mentality the world that has always existed toward God is rebelliousness.

We’re all sheep. Independent. Doing our own thing. Stubborn.

The Nations conspire and the ppl plot and scheme how to throw off the chains and shackles.

What they are calling chains and shackles is the moral code of God. It’s the biblical moral, ethic, lifestyle.

It is the 10 commandments, but it’s more. It predates Moses and it is expanded and expounded on throughout the Bible.

Throughout history people have always seen this moral code as extremely unfairly restrictive and rebelled against it.

It goes back to the Garden, there was 1 tree Adam and Eve were told to avoid. They could eat anything else they found.

It goes back to the Garden, there was 1 tree Adam and Eve were told to avoid. They could eat anything else they found.

“Don’t tell me I can’t do what I want to do. I feel strongly about this.”

A desire to be in control of my own life, bowing to no one.

This moral code is not really chains and shackles or an overly and unfairly restrictive leash.

It’s not abusive. It’s protective.

Every rule and restriction God laid on us finds its foundation in love, In fact, every command is a gift of love.

No different than a parent who loves his child restricting that child from running w/ scissors, playing in the street, or drinking a bottle of bleach.

God is saying, “I love you. Don’t do this. You’ll hurt yourself.”

Throughout history people have schemed to get rid of God so they can do whatever they want.

Be the captain of my own ship.

The boss of my own business.

It’s very inconvenient to have God looking over my shoulder all the time.

A killjoy by reputation. Who is He to Judge.

Oh, right.

Nations have conspired how to removed God from culture and ours is in the thick of the conspiracy.

Merry Christmas everybody! Or, should I say, Happy Holidays so as not to offend anyone.

God is being expelled from every aspect of our culture. From public schools, state universities, government buildings, military and public lands.

How long will it be before all private businesses will be required to remove all hints of God and Christianity as has already happened to photographers, bakers, and a big hobby shop.

Collectively, we don’t want to be told we can’t do what we want to do. Oh the weight of those chains.

Get rid of the nativities in public places. Crosses, too.

In spite of it all, God still loves us. Amazing.

He sent His son into this world that wants Him to leave us alone.

But, just like parents who overlook the demands of their toddler who would die if left to her own devices, impose their will w/ the opportunity to obey.

The answer to the first question. Why did God give the gift of the world to His Son?

So Jesus could save the world. He could save us from ourselves b/c if left to our own devices we’d kill ourselves.

We would have no hope. Jesus is hope. And this baby in the manger represents the hope that we have.

The 2nd question. How? How did God orchestrate giving the gift?

How?

How? By recognizing His Son as King.

First, at his birth, He is Identified as King.

Psalm 2:4–7 NIV

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.

God Himself occupies the throne of the world. He alone gets to decide who sits there in His place.

And, He has decided, in coordination with this give, He is going to stand aside and turn the throne over to Jesus.

And, anyone else who tries to claim the throne or claim that Jesus is not on the throne God simply laughs at.

“You really think you sit on your throne and have authority over your life to do whatever you want to do?” Really?

LOL

God is not intimidated by any conspirators. He doesn’t cower or run for cover.

He laughs at them. At their foolishness. At their stupidity. At their naivety. At their ignorance. And, they think they are so smart.

The story of the bible is how God established a nation of people thru whom He would bring His son, the Savior. And, God would fulfill His promise to save all believers.

To give the world to His Son so His Son could save the world He first had to send His son into the world.

For Jesus, it was a burden and a sacrifice. To receive it and save it He had to suffer and die for it.

History is full of men who wanted to become god. But history only records one God who wanted to become a man.

That’s the only way we could be saved.

Satan has always had people in place w/ some power and authority in an attempt to eliminate God from the world.

Men, who were convinced by the Enemy, they could become gods themself by obeying Him and destroying Israel.

In 1440 BC Pharaoh ordered Egyptian midwives to kill Israeli newborns in an attempt to exterminate Israel as the current generation of slaves died out.

God just laughed.

That Pharaoh’s son refused to let Israel leave Egypt even though Moses warned him not to keep them. Plagues.

His army chased them down after they left to wipe them out and erase the embarrassment of them simply walking out of Cairo.

But the sea collapsed over them and the entire army died.

God protected Israel and laughed at the conspiracy.

in 722 BC the Assyrians destroyed the Northern Israeli kingdom and 200 years later the Babylonians and Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the southern kingdom in an attempt to wipe out all Israel so that Messiah could never come.

God laughed. Then moved in the heart of the Pagan Persian king Cyrus to send Israel back into the land and rebuild it.

In 480 BC Haman successfully got king Xerxes to pass a law allowing Persians to kill any and all Jews in their neighborhoods.

God laughed and raised up Esther and Mordecai to counter Haman. Haman ended up impaled on the pole he had erected for Mordecai.

In ad 2, King Herod the Great heard from the Magi that the King of the Jews had been born in the region. So he had all the toddler boys 2 years old and younger killed in an attempt to short-circuit God’s plan.

God laughed, not at the tragic deaths of the children and the mourning of their parents, but at the conspiracy of Herod thinking he could eliminate God from his culture.

God spoke to Joseph before the edict would be carried out and instructed him to take his family to Egypt.

In ad 33 Pilate posed this question to Jesus: “Are you the king of the Jews?”

In a cruel irony and in an effort to quell the riot he had a convicted murderer freed and executed an innocent man.

But, in so doing, provided the pathway for every believer to be forgiven and saved.

God laughed and fulfilled his promise that this little baby lying in a manger would come and save the world.

It’s Christmas, but we can’t separate the story from Easter. We can’t consider his birth w/out considering it in the context of his death, resurrection and 2nd coming.

It’s all part of God fulfilling His promise save us.

There are 2 parts to the answer of the question, “How did God orchestrate gifting Jesus the world?”

He sent Him into the world to save the world and when He did He recognized Him as King.

Part 1 occured at His birth and it was announced thru the Magi.

He was Identified as the King of the world, not just Judah.

Part 2 will occur at His 2nd coming when He is installed as King.

Then, every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is King.

At that time, every individual who participated in any conspiracy to throw off the moral code, eliminate God from their culture, and live in their own illusion of control will be dealt w/.

Be assured and be warned:

Psalm 2:9–12 NIV

You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 2:

The story is told of a little girl who would go w/ her family to visit all the houses in town that were decorated for Christmas.

The route would wind thru neighborhoods known for the elaborate lights, props and music.

It would end at the local church where there was a live nativity scene.

After a few consecutive years of the same routine, this wise and maturing little girl arrived at the live nativity with a puzzled look on her face.

Her parents asked her, “Why do you look so concerned?”

The girl’s response: “We’ve seen this baby Jesus for several years now. When’s He going to grow up?”

Jesus has grown up.

The baby, Lamb of God, Prince of peace grew up and came riding into town on a beast of burden.

He didn’t stop there.

The next time we see the Lamb of God on earth He’ll be the Lion of Judah riding on war horse.

Not only did this baby grow up and go the cross so we could be forgiven, this baby grows up and will return w/ an iron rod.

He came the first time as a lamb riding on a beast of burden.

God is holy and just. He has a holy standard for everyone. And, when He comes the second time, every wrong committed will be paid for and made right.

He will come the second time as a Lion and will ride on a war horse.

When He comes back as the Lion of Judah He will right every wrong.

Be warned. Every conspirator will be dealt with.

In light of who Jesus is and what’s coming, wise up.

Kiss His ring.

A sign of humility and service to the king.

When Jesus returns He will have an iron rod and when he deals with the conspirators using His iron rod it will resemble Babe Ruth swatting a piece of pottery w/ his bat.

Every wrong ever committed will be made right. There is nothing that happens in God’s creation that He is not aware of and keeping track.

For those who believe in Jesus and have accepted His death on the cross in place of their own, their wrongs are made right thru His death.

For those who reject Jesus, they are left to pay for their wrongs themselves.

We can control a baby, even a lamb. We don’t have to let either into our illusion of control

But when the baby grows up He will impose Himself.

Welcome Him now. Don’t wait till He forces His way in.

Blessed are those who take refuge in Him.

Live by faith. Obey the moral code. See it for what it is. Rooted in love protecting us from ourselves so we can relate to each other in peace.

Gladys gave Elvis a guitar and Rock ‘N Roll arrived.

God gave His Son the earth and salvation arrived.

The 3rd Question I said I deal w/ regarding this gift comes in the applications.

So what? What difference does it make in our lives today?

Applications

Forgiveness.

And it comes in 2 parts

We are forgiven

Jesus grew up and went to the cross and died so we can be forgiven.

It’s an offer. It’s an option. Your choice.

This baby boy didn’t stay a baby for all these years like all our nativities seem to imply.

The Lamb of God grew up and died on a cross, walked out of His grave to save us.

Believe and be forgiven of every wrong you will ever commit.

Part 2

We are able to forgive

If part 1 is the greatest gift you will ever receive at Christmas, part 2 is a close 2nd.

Jesus grew up, the Lamb becomes the Lion and when He comes again He will deal w/ every wrong ever done to you.

You don’t have to.

This is the crux that gives us the ability to forgive even those who have hurt us deeply.

God will make it right.

He’ll do it the right way, in the right amount, at the right time.

You can be assured of this.

Since He is going to handle the situation that hurt you so deeply, you don’t have to.

You can let it go.

Give yourself this gift this Christmas.

Holding a grudge is like taking poison expecting the other person to die.

She’s not dying. You are.

Let it go. Today. And, forever.

B/C God gave Jesus the gift of the world, then sent His son into the world to save the world, he changed everything.

Every individual throughout history can now be forgiven and be freed of the guilt of every wrong they commit.

Then, b/c Jesus will make everything right, we don’t have to try to figure out how to make the people who’ve hurt us hurt themselves.

We can let it go and let God deal w/ it. That frees us up from the chains and shackles that bind us.

Living by God’s moral code doesn’t bind us up, it frees us up.

Saying no to the things God doesn’t want us to do and saying yes to the things he wants us to do allows us the freedom to live w/out guilt or lasting anger.

The first significant gift given at the first Christmas morning changed the world and made all this possible for us.