GOD'S GIFT

#1 · December 14, 2006, 9:06 am

Quote from Forum Archives on December 14, 2006, 9:06 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
ADVENT 2006 #3/5

GODS GIFT

December 10, 2006

Text: Luke 1:26-38; Matthew 1:18-24

I think that it is an especially good idea this time of the year that we provide childrens Church for our children. That way, they do not have hear the problems that adults have with Christmas. Face it, there is not another time of the year when so many people are under so much pressure to have so much fun. Children dont get this. And they shouldnt have to get this. They know what they are looking forward to. Those in school are looking forward to the relatively long break. Some may be looking forward to family gatherings with cousins and the like. And I suspect that all of them are looking forward to gifts.

For adults, though, the season has changed. We can call it responsibility. I do not assume that I speak for everyone, but there do appear to be some generalities that many adults face as Christmas looms large. There are often a lot of end-of-the-year projects that have to be completed at work. There are often parties and special gatherings heaped on top of that. There are seasonal ministries that we can volunteer for. And the gifts - my oh my! They dont just grow on trees, you know. Someone has to figure out what to get, where to get it, and then actually get it! Face it, guys. What other time of the year do men end up in the womens departments hoping that they can come somewhere close when answering the question, What size does she wear? Its probably easier to plan a trip to the space station than it is to finish all the Christmas preparations with sanity intact. But gifts are a big part of Christmas; certainly too big to ignore. So we saddle up the old buggy and head out to do the best that we can.

Gifts are an important part of Christmas because Christmas is the celebration of Jesus Christ, Gods gift to us. God has given a gift that totally changes our lives forever. Our response to Gods gift can determine where we will spend eternity. This part of the life of Joseph and Mary found in the Bible teaches us the significance and the essence of Gods giving. God interrupted whatever plans Joseph and Mary might have made with His gift. It was through the giving of this gift that they discovered the identity and character of the gift giver, God Himself. One of our lessons from this is to be mindful during the Christmas season the gifts that we give. The gifts that we give to our loved ones can be an expression of who and what we are.

To catch a glimpse of the significance of this gift from another perspective, recognize that there is roughly four hundred years between the events taking place between the final book of the Old Testament and the Gospels. There are those who call this the four hundred years of silence. I dont know that I believe that God was silent all that time. He may not have directed His activity to have been historically captured for us, but I imagine that He was active in the lives of His people and that there were faithful followers walking with Him throughout those centuries. Nevertheless, when God breaks this silence, He does so in a bang-up way. He becomes demonstrably active in human affairs once again with the full expression of His love and compassion for humanity. From this context of compassion, we can discern three important principles that God demonstrates when He gives a gift.

First, He chooses the recipients who match His purpose. In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgins name was Mary. (Luke 1:26-27) This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18) When God chose Mary and Joseph for the task of receiving His best gift to humanity, He did not find the rich and famous. He chose two people from the shadows of anonymity. They did not ask for the gift. They did not earn the gift. And they definitely did not choose the gift. But God gave them the gift out of the depths of His mercy. Mary and Joseph matched Gods purpose. So, too, we must remember that when God gives us a gift, He gives from the riches of His grace. We can not earn it, and we definitely cannot buy it. But we can demonstrate our gratitude for Gods gift by accepting it humbly and graciously as Mary and Joseph did.

Second, God challenges us with His gift. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, and angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:19-21) God showed up in the life of Joseph and Mary at an unexpected time. They were in the process of planning the rest of their lives together. But the announcement of Gods gift posed a challenge to Joseph. His natural conclusion was that her pregnancy was from her infidelity. As Joseph prepared to write Mary off privately, God showed up and caused him to understand that the gift wasnt only for Mary. It was also for him and, ultimately, for the whole world.

As I mentioned earlier, Christmas time is a challenge. We add to typically full schedules more things to do. We drive ourselves a little nuts trying to figure out the right gifts to get and try to stay happy doing it. But we accept these challenges for many reasons. Primarily, we do them for those we love and care about. So the challenges and disruptions are accepted and overcome.

What we will discover in this life is that when God gives us a gift, it also presents a challenge to us because we have to make the decision to either accept or reject it. The sad case to this challenge is that so many times people reject Gods gift because it interrupts their plans and their programs. But those refusing Gods gift fail to comprehend His love for every man, woman, and child. Those who know Gods love overcome the challenges, as did Joseph, in order to welcome His gift.

Third, God charges us to take care of the gift. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded to him and took Mary home as his wife. (Matthew 1:24) Joseph did not resignedly and grudgingly accept Gods instruction in his dream, he fully accepted it by faith. Joseph, as far as we know, was a righteous husband and father. He accepted the charge to take care of the gift.

As we well know, Christmas is a time of gift-giving and gift-receiving. We probably all experience the it is better to give than receive feeling. It is fun to be able to give presents, especially those that are surprises. But it is not fun to see a gift not cared for. I know that I cannot make someone else take care of anything I give him/her. Once a gift is given, it becomes the other persons property. But it remains disheartening and demoralizing to see a thoughtfully selected gift mistreated.

Think how many times God has experienced this. His gift is the perfect gift for all people everywhere, yet so many refuse to take care of the gift. There are those who refuse the gift outright. That is a rejection of Gods love. There are those who toy with the gift. They want it, but they want to reject the responsibility that it brings. God saves us, but we are to demonstrate Gods love by becoming righteous. For some, that means that they have to pay more attention to the needs of those around them. For others, that means that they must learn and practice new moral disciplines. So we see those who say they want to take Gods gift, but then they turn around and fail to care for it properly by rejecting the instructions that come with the gift.

Mary did not do that. Joseph did not do that. When they accepted Gods will and believed in the miraculous gift that God gave to them - and through them - to the entire world, then they made the conscientious choice to take care of the gift. Marys response to her angelic visitation is applicable for all time: I am the Lords servant, Mary answered. May it be to me as you have said.

Gods gift to Mary and Joseph and to you and me is the Savior, Jesus. Jesus is God with us. He was Lord at his birth and is still Lord today. This is the gift that God wants all of us to have. What about you? Have you accepted Gods gift? Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

Rev. Charles A. Layne
First Baptist Church
Bunker Hill, Indiana
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

ADVENT 2006 #3/5

GODS GIFT

December 10, 2006

Text: Luke 1:26-38; Matthew 1:18-24

I think that it is an especially good idea this time of the year that we provide childrens Church for our children. That way, they do not have hear the problems that adults have with Christmas. Face it, there is not another time of the year when so many people are under so much pressure to have so much fun. Children dont get this. And they shouldnt have to get this. They know what they are looking forward to. Those in school are looking forward to the relatively long break. Some may be looking forward to family gatherings with cousins and the like. And I suspect that all of them are looking forward to gifts.

For adults, though, the season has changed. We can call it responsibility. I do not assume that I speak for everyone, but there do appear to be some generalities that many adults face as Christmas looms large. There are often a lot of end-of-the-year projects that have to be completed at work. There are often parties and special gatherings heaped on top of that. There are seasonal ministries that we can volunteer for. And the gifts - my oh my! They dont just grow on trees, you know. Someone has to figure out what to get, where to get it, and then actually get it! Face it, guys. What other time of the year do men end up in the womens departments hoping that they can come somewhere close when answering the question, What size does she wear? Its probably easier to plan a trip to the space station than it is to finish all the Christmas preparations with sanity intact. But gifts are a big part of Christmas; certainly too big to ignore. So we saddle up the old buggy and head out to do the best that we can.

Gifts are an important part of Christmas because Christmas is the celebration of Jesus Christ, Gods gift to us. God has given a gift that totally changes our lives forever. Our response to Gods gift can determine where we will spend eternity. This part of the life of Joseph and Mary found in the Bible teaches us the significance and the essence of Gods giving. God interrupted whatever plans Joseph and Mary might have made with His gift. It was through the giving of this gift that they discovered the identity and character of the gift giver, God Himself. One of our lessons from this is to be mindful during the Christmas season the gifts that we give. The gifts that we give to our loved ones can be an expression of who and what we are.

To catch a glimpse of the significance of this gift from another perspective, recognize that there is roughly four hundred years between the events taking place between the final book of the Old Testament and the Gospels. There are those who call this the four hundred years of silence. I dont know that I believe that God was silent all that time. He may not have directed His activity to have been historically captured for us, but I imagine that He was active in the lives of His people and that there were faithful followers walking with Him throughout those centuries. Nevertheless, when God breaks this silence, He does so in a bang-up way. He becomes demonstrably active in human affairs once again with the full expression of His love and compassion for humanity. From this context of compassion, we can discern three important principles that God demonstrates when He gives a gift.

First, He chooses the recipients who match His purpose. In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgins name was Mary. (Luke 1:26-27) This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18) When God chose Mary and Joseph for the task of receiving His best gift to humanity, He did not find the rich and famous. He chose two people from the shadows of anonymity. They did not ask for the gift. They did not earn the gift. And they definitely did not choose the gift. But God gave them the gift out of the depths of His mercy. Mary and Joseph matched Gods purpose. So, too, we must remember that when God gives us a gift, He gives from the riches of His grace. We can not earn it, and we definitely cannot buy it. But we can demonstrate our gratitude for Gods gift by accepting it humbly and graciously as Mary and Joseph did.

Second, God challenges us with His gift. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, and angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:19-21) God showed up in the life of Joseph and Mary at an unexpected time. They were in the process of planning the rest of their lives together. But the announcement of Gods gift posed a challenge to Joseph. His natural conclusion was that her pregnancy was from her infidelity. As Joseph prepared to write Mary off privately, God showed up and caused him to understand that the gift wasnt only for Mary. It was also for him and, ultimately, for the whole world.

As I mentioned earlier, Christmas time is a challenge. We add to typically full schedules more things to do. We drive ourselves a little nuts trying to figure out the right gifts to get and try to stay happy doing it. But we accept these challenges for many reasons. Primarily, we do them for those we love and care about. So the challenges and disruptions are accepted and overcome.

What we will discover in this life is that when God gives us a gift, it also presents a challenge to us because we have to make the decision to either accept or reject it. The sad case to this challenge is that so many times people reject Gods gift because it interrupts their plans and their programs. But those refusing Gods gift fail to comprehend His love for every man, woman, and child. Those who know Gods love overcome the challenges, as did Joseph, in order to welcome His gift.

Third, God charges us to take care of the gift. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded to him and took Mary home as his wife. (Matthew 1:24) Joseph did not resignedly and grudgingly accept Gods instruction in his dream, he fully accepted it by faith. Joseph, as far as we know, was a righteous husband and father. He accepted the charge to take care of the gift.

As we well know, Christmas is a time of gift-giving and gift-receiving. We probably all experience the it is better to give than receive feeling. It is fun to be able to give presents, especially those that are surprises. But it is not fun to see a gift not cared for. I know that I cannot make someone else take care of anything I give him/her. Once a gift is given, it becomes the other persons property. But it remains disheartening and demoralizing to see a thoughtfully selected gift mistreated.

Think how many times God has experienced this. His gift is the perfect gift for all people everywhere, yet so many refuse to take care of the gift. There are those who refuse the gift outright. That is a rejection of Gods love. There are those who toy with the gift. They want it, but they want to reject the responsibility that it brings. God saves us, but we are to demonstrate Gods love by becoming righteous. For some, that means that they have to pay more attention to the needs of those around them. For others, that means that they must learn and practice new moral disciplines. So we see those who say they want to take Gods gift, but then they turn around and fail to care for it properly by rejecting the instructions that come with the gift.

Mary did not do that. Joseph did not do that. When they accepted Gods will and believed in the miraculous gift that God gave to them - and through them - to the entire world, then they made the conscientious choice to take care of the gift. Marys response to her angelic visitation is applicable for all time: I am the Lords servant, Mary answered. May it be to me as you have said.

Gods gift to Mary and Joseph and to you and me is the Savior, Jesus. Jesus is God with us. He was Lord at his birth and is still Lord today. This is the gift that God wants all of us to have. What about you? Have you accepted Gods gift? Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

Rev. Charles A. Layne
First Baptist Church
Bunker Hill, Indiana

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org