God's Christmas Gifts: The Word

Daniel R Tidmore

God's Christmas Gifts • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

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Intro:

Matthew 7:7–11 NKJV

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Matthew 7:7–11 NKJV

Today, I want to begin a series entitled, [God’s Christmas Gifts]. The subject of today’s message is, [The Word].

In October, I prayed about the upcoming holiday season. I get excited for this month because I get to expound the the Christmas Story. As I listened to the Lord for direction, I had a thought, what does God give to us at Christmas?

Christmas in the United States is centered on giving gifts. Experts estimated that in 2019 people will spend an average of $920 per person on gifts. Holiday spending is expected to exceed one trillion dollars for the first time.

I wondered, where did this tradition start? Why do we love to give gifts in our country? After studying for a while to answer this question, I discovered something interesting.

Mom had us write a list

In the early 1800s, gifts were given around this time of year, but on different days. Catholics gave them on December 6, a day that commemorated the St. Nicholas. Protestants would give gifts around New Year to their servants.

In 1822 a poem titled “A Visit from St. Nicholas” read:

Protestants would give gifts around New Year to their servants.

“Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, not creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.”

The idea of going to bed on Christmas Eve and waking up to presents caught people’s attention. Within the next few decades, Christmas gift-giving became commonplace.

The toy companies and stores were happy. The parents were happy. And the kids were happy. Now, nearly two hundred years later, we will all meet around Christmas and exchange gifts to those important in our lives.

With this cultural background, I thought of Jesus’s words in Matthew. He encouraged His followers to ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK. If we want the Father to answer us, we have to persistent.

Then Jesus illustrates the truth with this question, if a child asked for bread, would the parent give them a rock? If they wanted eggs for breakfast, would they have scorpion on their plate?

It reminds me of something I saw on Facebook. A little girl asked her dad for Frozen things, from the Disney movie Frozen. On Christmas morning, her dad gave her a bag of Frozen Vegetables! She wanted Elsa and got peas!

Jesus’s point is if we want to give good gifts, how much more will God wants to give us good gifts us. In a world that spends nearly one trillion dollars on gifts, how much more will our Heavenly Father exceed earthly standards.

What gift does the God of the universe give us? I am talking about the God whose streets are paved with gold, whose gates are made of pearl, and who owns the cattle on the thousand hills?

Money is not obstacle for him. Resources are abundant to God. Therefore, He chose to give us a gift that is priceless. The gift He gave us is His Son!

Jesus is God’s Christmas gift. But notice , if we give good GIFTS plural, how much more will God give good THINGS, plural.

Yes, Jesus is the GIFT, but there are other GIFTS that flow from Him. It is not as though God decided, here is my Son, I will give Him to you, but you have to figure out everything else.

NO. We celebrate the gift of Jesus Christ as our Savior. But when we know Him there are more gifts God provides for us.

It reminds me of a story I heard about a boy who lived during the depression. Every day on the way home from school he walked by a bakery. He could smell the fresh baked bread, but he had no money.

One day the lady working inside stopped him and asked if he wanted a donut. At first he said no because he had no money. Finally she told him, its okay, its free.

Every day for a week this happened. Finally the boy asked, why do you keep giving me a donut each day even though I don’t have any money? She answered, I am married to the baker!

When we get into a relationship with Jesus, as Pastor Davis told me, when you know the Bread of Life, not only does He give us our daily bread, He also throws in a couple of donuts!

My aim in this message is to show the gifts that come from the greatest GIFT that God gave. Because we know Jesus, one of God’s Christmas gifts is, [The Word].

I have three points about [The Word], [The Eternal Word], [The Spoken Word], and [The Inspired Word].

Let’s begin

1. The Eternal Word

John 1:1–5 NKJV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Normally when we want to read the “Christmas Story” we piece together Matthew and Luke’s account. Mark skips over his birth and childhood and goes straight to his ministry.

When the Holy Spirit inspired John to write his account of Jesus’s life, he did not start in Bethlehem, he went all the way back to the beginning.

Imagine John being interviewed by 20/20. The interviewers asks John, “You knew Jesus, by all accounts you were best friends. Tell us about His beginning. Tell us about Bethlehem and the manger.”

I imagine John replying, “Matthew and Luke already covered that. In fact, Matthew showed Jesus came from Abraham. Luke traced Jesus back to Adam. But I would like to take you to the beginning. You see, Jesus came to earth in Bethlehem, but the fact is, in the beginning was the WORD.”

Jesus is the WORD. As the WORD, Jesus Christ is eternal. He does not have a beginning, He has always existed. He was not an afterthought.

It isn’t as though God was there and got lonely and needed a Son. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have always existed and they will never end.

Not only is He eternal, He is the creator of all things. Everything created thing has a creator. Jesus is that creator. Nothing would exist without Jesus.

He created the heavens, the earth, the sea, the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars, and everything in between. Jesus was there when God made the decision:

Genesis 1:26–27 NKJV

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 1:27 NKJV

27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

John laid the foundation for His account of Jesus’s life. He has always existed. He was there at creation and He was also present when His creation sinned.

At that moment, the Godhead had a plan. The Son would come. The Creator would come in the form of His creation. Jesus came to this earth to save us from sin.

However, His entrance was different. We are here because our mother and father created us. Not so with Jesus. The creator entered into the body HE created!

Matthew and Luke reminded us He came as a baby in a manger, but John explained He did this because He has been around forever, but at Bethlehem, He revealed Himself to humanity.

No longer would God speak to prophets. His word not be confined to tablets or paper. Instead, God’s voice had a face, hands, feet, and hair.

The WORD stepped out from eternity and off the pages of scripture and moved into our time. Jesus is the ETERNAL WORD!

2. The Spoken Word

Matthew 1:18–21 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.”

Though Jesus has always existed, we need to see the circumstances around His coming to earth. The first time He came, He came under humble circumstances.

Matthew provides insight to controversy surrounding His birth. Joseph found himself in a predicament. Some might not understand why his circumstances were a problem.

We live in a society were most people date, move in together, and eventually get married. But Biblical relationships are centered around purity.

Betrothal was similar to an engagement, except it was legally binding. During this time, the woman lived at her parent’s home. Living together or physical relations required death by the Mosaic law.

The Romans did not allow the death penalty, therefore the Jews modified this stance to permit divorce. Imagine how Joseph felt when he heard Mary was with child.

At first he thought she had been unfaithful. As an honorable man who loved Mary, he did not want her to be a public disgrace, so he planned to divorce her in secret, thereby taking the blame.

Under the circumstances, Joseph was stressed, saddened, and confused. What a perfect time for God to speak. As he planned his future, he had a dream.

In this dream, an angel spoke to him and explained that Mary was pregnant, but she was still pure. The baby in her womb was supernaturally conceived.

Notice what God set up in this part of the story. We live in a day where God speak, we only have to listen. However, Joseph lived in a day where God did not speak to EVERYONE. Instead He spoke to very few people.

However, Joseph’s encounter depicts what God wants to do in and through us. In moments where we do not what to do or where to turn, He will speak to us.

He can speak to us through a vision, a dream, or an audible voice. Often God’s voice comes through an inner-knowing. We might face something and pray, then have peace or help.

Whatever the means, we need to listen for God to speak! Joseph did not know what to do and He heard from the Lord. Yes Mary is pregnant, yes the baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Here is why she is pregnant. Inside her womb is the Savior of the world. You will name Him Jesus and one He will save people from their sins.

Joseph needed an answer to His problem, and God spoke to Him. He had a word from the Lord that helped Him.

Jesus is the Eternal Word and because He came to this earth, we are allowed to have the Spoken Word, but it will always line up with...

3. The Inspired Word

Matthew 1:22–25 NKJV

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.

Matthew 1:22–25 NKJV

Remember, Jesus is the GIFT. But knowing Him gives us access to more gifts. One of these gifts is the Word. He, the Word, will speak His word to us.

I believe that Jesus speaks. I am convinced if we will walk with Him on a daily basis, He will speak to us on a consistent basis. But here is the catch, the SPOKEN word will ALWAYS align with the INSPIRED word.

Notice what the angel said to Joseph. Mary is pregnant, the Holy Spirit is responsible, and the baby will save the world from sin. Standing alone, the spoken word sounds a bit far fetched.

To make sense of what God said, the angel confirmed the spoken word with the inspired word. He explained, this will come to pass because centuries the prophet spoke and it is recorded:

Isaiah 7:14 NKJV

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.

When Joseph got up, he knew the word the Lord spoke was true because it did not contradict the inspired word of God. With that understanding, Joseph spoke with Mary and after Jesus was born the married.

The pattern of confirming the spoken word with the inspired word continued with the Wise Men, the looked for the location of Christ’s birth and the scribes told them:

Matthew 2:5–6 NKJV

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

Then when God spoke to Joseph to leave Bethlehem because Herod sought to kill the Child, the spoken word was confirmed by the inspired word of God:

Hosea 11:1 NKJV

1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.

I am thoroughly convinced Jesus still speaks today. However, some take it to extremes. It is not extreme to say that God speaks. It is not extreme to say, I feel the Lord laid something on my heart.

The extreme comes in the picture when someone says, God spoke to me and what they say God said contradicts scripture.

2 Peter 1:19–21 NKJV

19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Because THE WORD, Jesus came to the earth, we have an avenue to enter a relationship with God. In this relationship we will speak to God and God will speak to us.

But when He speaks, it will ALWAYS confirm, not contradict His word.

Close:

Jesus is the greatest Christmas gift. However, when we know Him, there are more gifts to follow. He is the Eternal Word, He still Speaks Words to us, but everything is built on the foundation the Inspired Word of God.

In twenty-four days, people will spend an average of $920 on Christmas gifts, but here is what often happens to these gifts. They get used for a while, they break, and we forget we ever got them.

Sadly, many people treat God’s gifts that way. They will get desparate and turn to God. He will answer with His word and they will feel good for awhile, then the fear subsides and they limp on until the next crisis.

We need to make a decision, let us never take the GIFT of GOD’S WORD for granted. We need to do three things with the Word,

know it in our hearts

stow it in our minds

sow it into the word

I know we are thankful for the Word, but I want to challenge all of us, include me. Every week we come and hear the word taught in Sunday School.

After Sunday School it is important that we come upstairs so we can hear the preaching of the word. However we need to take it a step further:

James 1:22 NKJV

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

If we only HEAR the word, but do not read it, study it, or live it, we deceive ourselves into thinking we use the full weight of God’s Christmas Gifts!

I promise you this, if we think we can make it and live a victorious life without knowing God’s word, then we are playing into the enemy’s hand.

When Satan tempted Jesus, He overcame the attacks declaring:

Matthew 4:4 NKJV

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

Three times He weaponized the word of God by speaking the inspired word of God. God will speak to us, therefore we need to turn around and speak the word.

Repeat after me, weaponize the word.

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV

12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The WORD is a GIFT from God. Let’s not take advantage of this great gift. Instead, let’s read it, memorize it, and quote it often.

Declare the word in every situation:

Whe

Sick

Exodus 15:26 NKJV

26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

Exodus 15:26 NKJV

Discouraged:

Psalm 3:3 NKJV

3 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

Troubled

Philippians 4:7 NKJV

7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

These are just a few examples how the word of God helps us. So I have a challenge before we come to the altar.

In twenty-four days we will gather with our families to celebrate the birth of Christ. I do not want us to go to a birthday party for a person we don’t really know.

So here is my challenge, there are twenty-four chapters in want us as a church to read one chapter a day. By Christmas we will get through the entire life of Jesus...

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