Part 5 - Praise Party!

Opening

This is the time of year and season where we will give gifts to people when we wouldn't do so at any other time of year. Birthdays come and go, anniversaries come and go, significant events come and go, and when the events take place, we may acknowledge them, but might not do anything tangible to recognize them. That's not the case during the Christmas season when everybody seems to be in a giving mood, even when people make you mad! You endure long lines, short tempers, bad attitudes, and even lower than acceptable ''customer service'' from the workers in the stores, just so you can give that loved one a gift just for them during this season.

Now, a gift by definition is ''something bestowed [or given] voluntarily and without compensation.'' When you think about a gift, you become mindful that it is not the intention to get something in return, but rather to see the joy it brings to the receiver. Even the Word of God tells us in Acts 20:35, ''...It is more blessed to give, than to receive.''

When one thinks about man's condition as it relates to sin, mankind deserved judgment because of the fall of Adam and the entering in of death and sin into the world. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 3:23, ''For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.'' So here we can see that all of mankind is guilty of disobedience as it relates to the commands of God. We're also told in Romans 6:23, ''For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.'' This gift is eternal life and that gift was provided by Jesus the Christ.

I believe this time of year affords us an opportunity to understand the One who started the giving process and know that He has provided us the ultimate example of giving, and this is the giving of His only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ, as the savior of the world. Today, we want to talk about, ''The Greatest Gift.''

Our text is found in the Book of Matthew. According to the Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible, the Gospel of Matthew has some special features. For example:

''Matthew is the Ecclesiastical Gospel. It has been widely used by the church because the information contained is arranged primarily by subject, not by a strict chronological sequence.

Matthew is the Teaching Gospel. Much of the Lord's teachings have been arranged so that it can easily be taught and lived.

Matthew is the Royal or Kingdom Gospel. Matthew spends an enormous amount of time showing that Jesus is King, the Son of David, and the greatest of Israel's kings.

Matthew is the Apocalyptic Gospel. This gospel contains the most information regarding the Lord's return and events concerning the end times.

Matthew is the Gospel of the Church. Of all the Synoptic Gospels, (Mark and Luke being the other two) that mentions the church.

Matthew is the Gospel of the Jew. In this gospel, Matthew shows that Jesus is the one that fulfills Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming Messiah.''

This man Matthew was used by God to share with the world the genealogy of Christ to show Him to be the promised child and Messiah. Going all the way back to Abraham, he provides the 42 generations that shows Jesus Christ to be the one foretold in the Scriptures. Matthew is one of two writers (the other being Luke 3) who documents for us this genealogy, and provides us evidence of the arrival of our savior. Which brings us to our text.

Scripture

Matthew 1:18–25 NKJV

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” 24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

Body

1. The Giver is God

The Gift is Given By God (verse 18). God, understanding that the world needed a savior, someone who could save the world from itself, looked out over His creation and chose Mary to be the one used to bring our savior into the world.

The Holy Spirit was apart of this conceiving process of Jesus. I'm of the opinion that God set it up that way so that man could never take credit for being part of the salvation process. Because the Holy Spirit was part of the process, the Gift was Given By God.

2. The Revealer is God

The Gift is Revealed By God (verse 20). In the strictest sense of the word or definition, an angel is a messenger; one set to pass along information on behalf of another. What's significant about this passage of Scripture is that the reference here is to the ''Angel of the Lord.'' The phrase ''Angel of the Lord'' in the Old Testament always referred to the pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord before His birth as recorded in this text. It's important for us to know and understand that this phrase is found some 64 times in both testaments and is clearly a reference to our Lord's appearing. Joseph needed to know and understand that he and Mary were being used by God to bring about the savior of the world. Joseph could have made a public spectacle of Mary, but because of this revelation from the Lord, he realized it was best for him to walk down the path that's been laid before him.

3. The Gift is God

The Gift Is God (verse 23).

Isaiah 7:14 “14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

The name Immanuel means, ''God with us,'' letting us know that He came here to be with us and to save us. Further evidence can be found in:

John 1:1 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:14 “14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Romans 8:3 “3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,”

Galatians 4:4-5 “4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

1 John 4:2 “2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,”

Knowing that God has given us Jesus, all He's asking is for us to give ourselves to Him and His salvation. Paul also reminds us in Romans 12:1 to ''...present ourselves a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.''

Closing