The Unexpected Gift: Embracing God's Love at Christmas

God gave us his best gift in an unexpected way. It came in the form of a baby. You know, he told us a Messiah was coming. He told us salvation was coming. He told us deliverance was coming. He told us what the list, you know, we knew what we needed. We knew. We needed help. We knew that our lives are fallen and broken, and we know that our world is messed up and full of darkness, and we know that evil seems to prevail. And we knew what we were wanting, freedom, deliverance, just God to come in and show up. God knew what we wanted, and God said, I'm telling you what I'm going to give you. I'm giving you a Messiah. But when the Messiah came, he came in the most unexpected way. [00:02:39] (37 seconds)


That baby was not just a normal child. That baby was God. God manifested himself in the flesh. Think about that. I alluded to that in my prayer. But if you survey all the religions of humanity, you will find that men's job is to reach towards the gods. Men's job is to go upward towards the gods. No God comes down to man. No God humbles himself and takes on the most weak, vulnerable form to be among his creation. Only our God is willing to come to meet us where we are because it's impossible. It's impossible for us to go where he is. [00:03:20] (38 seconds)


And Christmas, just for those that don't know, is not, you know, just a date on the calendar. It's the day that Christ was born, the day we celebrate that Christ was born. It's not just a historical event. And the truth is, is that it's kind of, in our culture, becomes so commercialized or just so culturally acknowledged that it's just a tradition. It's just a time of the year. It's just a time to buy stuff. It's just a, it has lost so much of its significance. [00:04:19] (30 seconds)


If we receive the gift of Christmas then the bible tells us we're going to arise in salvation we will rejoice and revelation and we will remain in perfect peace and i'll tell you right now what we need so many of us is the peace of god how many y 'all are gen z's any gen z's in here afraid to raise your hand i see i i know some of y 'all are gen z i'm looking at thank you appreciate that uh i i just heard a study that gen z's are the most anxious people uh in our society and they spend the most time on their phone and they they they uh really suffer from anxiety and and yet there's a a flip side to that a positive note to that that if the gen z's that have gotten into their bible have discovered that they have more peace than all their peers by like 50 or something like that it's just such a radical difference but but it's just a symbol of kind of what's happening in our world there's so much stress so much worry so much anxiety so much fear and god says listen if you'll receive the gift of christmas you'll receive freedom from those things you'll receive peace that guards your heart you'll receive joy that is unspeakable and full of glory christmas is a gift from god to us to satisfy the desires of our aching hearts [00:05:59] (83 seconds)


Romans 5, verses 12 -17 tells us a little bit why this gift is different. The Bible says, Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned, for until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed where there is no law, nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned. According to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who was a type of him who is to come. But the free gift is not like the offense, for if by one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned, for the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift, which came from many offenses resulted in justification. [00:11:03] (59 seconds)


Simeon, Simeon was waiting for the gift of God. He was anointed by God. He had a word from the Lord. Think about that. He had a word that he wasn't going to die until the Savior had come. And he believed that and he trusted that and it was true. And he had a relationship with God such so that the Holy Spirit said, go to church. And the day that he went to church was, the day that baby was come to being presented. And he saw that baby and he saw the truth that God's gift had come. Do you know what consolation is? It's comfort. [00:15:01] (35 seconds)


Simeon starts off saying this gift is the gift of salvation for all people, for every one of us. You didn't have to be raised religious. You didn't have to grow up in church. You could be a... Chinese, Japanese, African, European, American, Australian, it doesn't matter. You can be Arab, you can be Jew, it doesn't matter. Salvation is for you. No matter what your ethnicity is, no matter where you were born, no matter where you were placed on this earth, no matter what language you speak, no matter where you come from, salvation is for all people. [00:19:44] (40 seconds)


The gift of Christmas was also the gift of light, of light and life. Pastor Annette read it. In him was light and that light was the life of men. We beheld him as the glory of the only God. And we beheld him as the glory of the only God. And we beheld him as the glory of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth. Jesus was given as a sign to the nations, not a sign in like a miracle. Sometimes we're looking for miracles. God, show me a sign. Let this happen and let this happen. And I'll know it's you. No, he was there to reveal like light, to show the way, to open our eyes, to help us see. A sign pointing to a better life, a sign pointing to a better way. [00:25:15] (38 seconds)


The free gift of salvation came at a cost. That cost was that baby who would grow up to be a man. It was the life of Jesus. And if we're going to receive that life, he said, listen, you have to take up your cross and follow me. He said, anyone who willingly gives up their life or loses their life for my sake, we'll find it. He who holds on to his life, to live in his way, doing it his way and thinking that he can control or she can control her destiny, we'll find out that they can't hold it. Not for long. [00:27:23] (33 seconds)


Christmas is the day that God came in the flesh and he came bearing the greatest gift that we could ever receive, the gift of himself, the gift of relationship, the gift of intimacy, the gift of being able to come into his presence without fear, knowing that you are loved, knowing that you are chosen, knowing that you are new. Isn't that wonderful to think that you can come into the presence of God with your head held high, not down in shame, not trembling in fear, but you can run right up to the God who created you, the God who calls you by name, the God that loves you, the God that has a purpose for your life. You can come right into his presence and you can talk with him. You can enjoy him. You can receive from him. [00:29:52] (44 seconds)


Because Jesus came, because that baby gift was placed into his hand, Simeon was ready for eternity. And if we see, if we receive the gift that God gives to us, then we too will see the salvation of the Lord, and we will receive the gift of life that's found only in Christ. So today, I want to remind you of the gift of Christmas. And I remind you, or I invite you, to not reject that gift, but to receive that gift in everything that comes with it. It's a precious gift. It's a lasting gift. [00:36:16] (40 seconds)