By SCOTT ADAMS
Pastor,
Lake Mead Baptist Church
I love Christmas! I love the decorations, the music, the festive atmosphere, the food, the excitement of the children, and the gifts.
I don’t like the gifts because I am greedy, but because they represent the greatest gift we have ever received from God: His Son.
In Isaiah 9:6, the Lord declares through His prophet, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given”. This is the same child that Isaiah claimed in Isaiah 7:14, would be born of a virgin and would be called Immanuel.
I want us to realize these verses encompass both the humanity and the deity of this child. The humanity of this child is shown because He will be brought forth from a woman. The deity of the child is evident because He is called Immanuel (Isa 7:14), Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6); the first four of these names are only used of God by Isaiah. This child was to be completely unique in that He was to be human and God at the same time. He was to be God Almighty in flesh, a King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Christmas is the time that we celebrate the coming of this child, the Messiah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, of whom there is no equal. This sovereign Lord, the Creator of all things took on flesh and came to earth, not to great fanfare, but to a dirty manger. This promised child was born to Mary (Matt 1:18-25) and proclaimed to Joseph to be the Immanuel, which means God with us, and they were to call Him Jesus.
In John 1:1-3, 14, and 17, we see that Jesus Christ was God who took on flesh and dwelt among us to bring the gift of grace and truth. This child born to Mary was the very child that had been promised so many years before and was to be the Savior of His people.
I want us to remember Jesus did not come to just bring a gift; He was the gift. God Incarnate came to live a life without sin (Heb 4:14-15), which according to Romans 3:23 none of us have done or are capable of doing. Jesus’ sinlessness is important because without it He could not serve as our sacrifice or could He have fulfilled the law, which was one of His purposes (Matt 5:17).
This is why Jesus is the greatest gift to us, to all who receive this gift by believing in Him (John 3:15-18). He lived the perfect life, fulfilling the law that we could not keep (Col 2:13-14), and dying in our place (2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 1:18-21; 2 Tim 1:9-10; Rom 5:1, 8-10).
He not only fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law, He also fulfilled the penalty of the law. This is the ultimate gift we could ever ask for. He took and paid for our sin and gave us His righteousness.
This is a wonderful gift, but it is not automatically applied to the whole world. It is given to those who believe in His name and trust in what He has done. It is pure unmerited favor, but you must trust and believe in Jesus Christ (John 8:24). If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, the God who took on flesh, then you have the gift that can never be taken from you and you should celebrate that gift always.
If you have not accepted that gift, what is holding you back? It is a free gift that you cannot earn and you do not deserve; it is simply the Greatest Gift ever given. Will you receive that gift this Christmas? I pray that you all accept the greatest gift of all and receive eternal life.
May you all have a Merry Christmas and may God Bless you all!
