12/11/21 Give to Be Given

Truly a gift and a gift to be given

Who was Jesus

· He was Man – “to be born”

· He was Sinless – “the holy one”

· He was divine – “the Son of God”

Jesus had to be born of a woman so that He would be the same nature as those whom He came to save. He had to be free from sin in order to make sacrifice for our sins. And, He had to be God in order for the sacrifice to be accepted. His deity asserts that God Himself has come to save us. This is the conundrum of Christmas, the intrigue of the Incarnation – the sinless man who is God has come to reveal who He is and reconcile lost sinners to Himself.

Luke 1: 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

After pointing Mary to the miracle that took place in the life of Elizabeth in verse 37, we hear a verse that each one of us should memorize: “For no word from God will ever fail”

Some of us may be in a seemingly impossible situation right now. Mary’s Christmas demonstrates what God can do…

· You may be in an impossible job situation

· You may be faced with a pile of debt

· You may be worried about a child or a parent

· You may be longing for courage to face some trial

· You may be overwhelmed by life

Whatever it is, nothing is impossible with God. Are you afraid? Nothing is impossible with God.

Do you feel lost and lonely? Nothing is impossible with God. Is your marriage melting down? Nothing is impossible with God.

Are you too tired to go on? Nothing is impossible with God. Do you wonder if you can ever get over your anger? Nothing is impossible with God.

Ever wish you could just be happy? Nothing is impossible with God. Do you feel unloved? Nothing is impossible with God.

If God can reach all the way down from the throne of Heaven to the body of a teenage virgin, if He can enter time from eternity, if the infinite can become an infant…what can He not do for you? What will He do in your life? Can you imagine what He wants to do with you?

Mary’s Gifts to God

For that first Christmas, God gave Mary seven gifts – a pregnancy, the promise of a son, a Savior named Jesus, He will be great, He will be the Son of the Most High God, His kingdom will never end, and He will be the Holy One. Mary didn’t really have much she could give to God, but what she did have, she gave. The only thing she had was her life. Look at verse 38: “I am the Lord’s servant…May it be to me as you said.” Her gift giving involved two things:

· Voluntary servanthood. A servant knows no rights of ownership. Mary is saying that she is the property of God.

· Submissive obedience. This is radical commitment. Whatever God wants her to do, she is willing to do.

Someone has said that there are only two types of Christmas presents—those you don’t want and those you don’t get. Actually there are two other gifts this Christmas—the gift of Jesus packaged for you that you must receive and the gift of yourself that God is waiting for you to give. One gift has your name on it but it must be accepted in order to make it your own. The other is a bit harder to give because it involves surrender. It’s really a gift exchange. He gave to you and now He waits for you to give yourself to Him. Jesus exchanged His life for yours but this transaction is only activated if you accept what He has done.

Friend, Christmas isn’t so much what you get, but what you give. Have you ever given yourself to Him? That’s the only present youcan offer, and it’s the only one He wants. Are you ready to give yourself into God’s hands to serve and obey Him the rest of your life? Share the gift of yourself with the One who created you, who was born for you, and who died for you. Can you say, “Do with me as you please because I am your slave. Use your omnipotent power to put me where you want me, when you want me there, doing what you want me to do?” He is the everlasting King. Are you in His kingdom? If you are, then live under His loving leadership.

What makes Christmas is God’s desire to enter into the lives ofordinary people who are willing to let Him in. Mary’s Christmas means Merry Christmas to you and me because she believed the impossible and committed herself to voluntary servanthood and submissive obedience. Will you make it your Christmas? It’s for you! Will you receive what He’s done and then give yourself to Him?

Conclusion

In this age of political correctness I read a story about a kindergarten pageant that took place recently. A mother positioned herself so she could watch her son in the holiday play. She didn’t expect much depth from the production because everything biblical about Christmas had been replaced with reindeer, snowflakes, and good cheer. But then her son’s class rose to sing a song called, “Christmas Love.” The kids were adorned with fuzzy mittens, red sweaters and bright snowcaps.

Those in the front held up large letters one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class sang, “C is for Christmas,” a child would hold up the letter “C.” Then, “H is for Happy” and so on, until the completed message read, “Christmas Love.” Everything was going smoothly, until suddenly they noticed her…a small quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter “M” upside down. She was totally aware that her letter “M” appeared as “W.”

The kids started snickering and making fun of the girl. She had no idea they were laughing at her and so she stood tall, proudly holding her “W.” The teachers tried to keep the kids quiet but the laughter actually increased in volume, until the last letter was raised. Everyone saw it at the same time. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen as parents and kids alike understood the reason they were there. The message rang out loud and clear that night: CHRIST WAS LOVE.

In our upside down world, don’t let anyone steal Christ from your Christmas. He loves you more than you can imagine, whether you have a broken shoe or a broken heart. I love what Vivian told Barb in the drama: “If you should just happen to come across Jesus out there on your way home, why don’t you take Him in?” Are you ready to take Him in?

At the Birthday Party for Jesus yesterday, 130 children sang “Happy Birthday” to Jesus to celebrate His birth. Will you allow yourself to have a birthday party this Christmas by giving yourself to Him and experiencing the new birth? Jesus still enters ordinary lives today. Will you let Him in yours?