Sermon Series: Getting Ready for Christmas 

What Do You Give the God Who Has Everything? 

Luke 2:8-20 

CBC Bishop, 12/21/03

In a nutshell: There are four things we can give to God in response to His gift to us. We can 1. Spread the Word like the Shepherds; 2. Hear the story with amazement; 3. Treasure the truths; 4. Glorify and Praise God.

I. Introduction

A. Jokes

1. Did you hear about the father who made the humble suggestion to his family. He suggested that this Christmas the family get him a gift that the whole family could get something out of. So they took him up on his suggestion. They bought Dad a new wallet!

2. I can remember, as a young teenager, having our family Christmas gift exchange with all my aunts uncles and cousins on Christmas eve. Every year, we drew names at Thanksgiving, and that determined whom we gave a gift at the Christmas party. That way each person bought just one gift, yet everyone was covered.

My uncle Matt drew my dad's name. Uncle Matt was always the jokester in the family, so we always looked forward to what he'd give. That year my dad had had a particularly bad year on the farm. And finances were a little tight for our family. And the whole family knew it. So, my uncle Matt got my dad a very appropriate gift. It looked like a small cedar jewelry box. But it had a message written on the top- For the man who has nothing. Then when you opened the box, you saw that it really wasn't a box at all, but two blocks of wood hinged together. And written on a piece of paper taped between the two blocks was the message, "You now have something to keep it in."

B. TRANSITION:

When I was growing up in the church, one of the things children did was attend catechism classes. Catechism is an ancient way to learn truths, by memorizing a specific question and reciting a specific answer. In our church, we memorized the questions and answers from the Heidelberg Catechism.

One of the questions that I still remember the answer to, goes like this. "What three things must I know to live and die happily?" And the answer to that question was this: "How great my sins and miseries are; How I can be delivered from those sins; and How I can show my gratitude for so great a deliverance."

Well, that form of Christian Education isn't used much any more, but the truth that the catechism aimed to teach, still remains as true as ever, today. And the question that is raised in my mind is this: How do you and I show our gratitude for the great gift of salvation that we've received from the Lord Jesus Christ? It's that question that I want to examine with you this morning.

I'd like to read a passage of scripture to you that is truly mind boggling, when you take time to dwell on it! Follow along on the screen as I read these verses from Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of the Bible, called The Message. I'm reading from…

Titus 3:3-7 It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. [4] But when God, our kind and loving Savior, stepped in, [5] he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. [6] Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. [7] God's gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there's more life to come-an eternity of life!

Friends, that's the gift that God gave us. Don't lose sight of the central message of the Christian faith and of Christmas, in all the hub-bub of shopping, and parties and traditions. What I just read for you is the central message of Christmas. God, looked down at our human condition, loved us, showered mercy on us, and, gave us the gift of rebirth and renewal through the incarnation, righteousness, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Now, what's our response to that gift? What can our response be to so great a salvation? What can we give to God out of gratitude for what He's given to us? Or as our message title asks this morning, "What do you give the God who has everything?"

Well, the Christmas story, itself, helps us out here. Turn with me to the book of Luke, chapter 2. As we examine this, this morning, I want to show you four specific gifts that we can give God to say thank you for His gift of salvation and eternal life.

II. Four Gifts We Can Give to God

A. Spread the Word like the Shepherds

The first gift we can give is to spread the Word like the shepherds did. As you read the familiar words of Luke 2, you read that angels appeared to the shepherds in the field as they kept watch over their sheep. The heavenly host had announced God's gift-a baby-was going to be the Savior of the world. He was right now, with his parents, in a stable outside an inn in the neighboring town of Bethlehem, lying in a manger. So the shepherd went to investigate what the heavenly messengers had told them. And look at what they did…

Luke 2:17 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,

Now, what is particularly important to us, is the word that they spread. Because the word they spread wasn't the story about a baby born in Bethlehem, or that He was born in a stable, or that the baby had a manger for a bed. In fact, the word they spread wasn't even about the angels that had appeared to them in the sky.

If you look carefully at the verse, you'll see that verse 17 says they spread the word concerning what they had been told about the child. What were they told? Look at verse 11…

Luke 2:11 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Now, the way the Greek language constructs this verse is interesting. There are no articles. That means to get the true picture of what the angels said to the shepherds about the child, you must eliminate the words, "THE", "A", and even the phrase, "He is". So it reads something like this...

"There is born to you this day in the city of David-Savior, Christ, Lord."

In other words, each word is not a description of the baby, but a title given to the baby. Savior, Christ, and Lord... are who Jesus is.

So if you and I are to follow the lead of the shepherds when we give this gift to God, the word we spread is not merely that Jesus is born, but Who This Baby Really Is. Let me show you what I mean...

1. Savior.

When we say that Jesus is Savior, we are talking about someone who is a deliverer, a preserver, or someone who saves from danger or destruction.

Well, think about it... … Every human being is guilty of sin. …And sin is the thing that separates us from God, who is completely holy and without sin. …And being separated from God in the life that comes after death, is called Hell. …And Hell is defined in the Bible as a place-a real existence-where there is... -CONSTANT WEEPING (over sorrows and regrets), -BEING SEQUESTERED FROM GOD, who is the only source of any thing good, holy, or worthwhile. -AND GNASHING OF TEETH, indicating anger, rage, frustration, pain and utter hopelessness. In other words, it is the worst condition that anyone could possible face.

But, because Jesus is Savior, that title means He has the power to rescue human beings from that ultimate end. Jesus gives anyone who accepts Him as Savior, the position of being righteous before God-He can do that because He gives to us the perfect righteousness that He earned by living a sinless life, in exchange for our life that has sin in it. This transaction means we don't have to experience Hell. He can save people from those terrible consequences. because He is the Savior.

2. Christ

The second thing the angels told the shepherds was that Jesus was Christ. This title literally means Anointed or Chosen One. Let me show you a great little poem that speaks of the significance of Jesus being Christ. It's called...

lf God Had Forgotten

If God had forgotten to send us a gift, As Him we so often forget. If He had not given His only dear Son, And we had no Savior as yet, It wouldn't be Christmas to us here at all But only a life, sad and dreary; No souls would rejoice in His wonderful love. Nobody would be half so merry.

If God had forgotten and just been content In heaven with Jesus, His Son... If He had been selfish and never had sent A Savior, what would we have done? Of course, we like heathens In darkness would grope. Not knowing the right way to live, And life would seem vain, without heavenly hope, If God had forgotten to give. (-- Vida Munden Nixon)

In Genesis 3:15 God said this...

Gen. 3:15 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

The significance of Jesus being "Christ" is that God hasn't forgotten that promise. He made that promise at the very beginning of human history-the promise that He would crush the power of sin, and take the responsibility to restore the relationship with humans that was destroyed by sin.

And Jesus being Christ means that God purposefully chose His Son to accomplish this-to be born a human, live a perfect life, die a sacrificial death, and rise from the dead to conquer death. Through this "Anointed" or "Chosen One", God made good on His promise to restore things just as they were before sin entered the human condition. That is the wonderful significance of Jesus being CHRIST! God didn't forget us-in fact God loves us so much that He purposefully pursues us through a relationship with Jesus, the Christ.

3. Lord

The final thing the angels told the shepherds, which is part of what they shared with other people, was the fact that the baby Jesus was Lord.

Now, down through the years, people have used the term "Lord" to speak about kings, and dukes, and masters and prominent civic leaders.

But to the Jews, the term Lord was used of only one person. That one person was, God Himself. If you understand that, you start to see the significance of what the shepherd's were telling people. A human being-this little baby-was in reality, God, Himself. God had taken on the form of a human.

Illustration: Several years ago I read a story about a female California Highway Patrol Officer, who received a call about a woman who was about to jump off a bridge. Immediately, the officer was confronted with a dilemma. You see, this particular officer was extremely afraid of heights, and the jumper was perched on the railing of a bridge 443 feet above the floor of a deep gorge. So, you can start to appreciate what was going through the officer's mind.

However, this officer forced herself to walk calmly toward the woman and sit down beside her on the railing of the bridge. There, high above that gorge, they talked for two hours while the officer struggled with her own panic. Finally, the jumper agreed to come away from the railing and get help.

That CHP officer put herself in the very same place and the very same danger as the woman who was planning to jump.

And that's exactly what God did through Jesus. God put Himself in our place. Through Jesus, God put on our flesh and blood, and walked among us, and faced temptations and pressures and relationships just like we do, . That's the significance of this word, Lord. It is the very God of very God who identifies with us. He became one of us.

So...this is the first gift we can give to God-who has everything. We can Spread the Word concerning who that baby in Bethlehem's manger, really is...SAVIOR, CHRIST and LORD.

B. Hear the story with AMAZEMENT

The second gift we can give to God involves our hearing. We can hear the story with amazement. Look at verse 18...

Luke 2:18 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Do you still hear the story of the first Christmas with amazement?

Illustration: In his book, "Science Speaks", the author, a scientist by the name of Peter Stoner, calculated the probability of just eight of the prophecies from the Old Testament concerning the birth of the Messiah, being fulfilled by just one person in history.

The probability of just 8 prophecies being fulfilled by the same person was calculated at 10 to the 17th power. That's a ten with 17 more zeros behind it. In other words, that's one in a hundred quadrillion. That fact alone should cause us amazement.

Jesus defied some amazing odds! So give God a gift...Don't hold back. Go ahead and be amazed at Christmas, because it indeed was the most amazing thing!

C. Treasure and Ponder

The third gift we can give to God is found in Mary's example in verse 19. She treasured and pondered.

Luke 2:19 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

What Mary did went beyond amazement. This verse tells us she did two things that we don't generally talk about, but in reality, we do a lot during this time of year.

1. First, she treasured up all these things in her heart. That means she went to great lengths to remember the reality of the first Christmas.

2. And second, she pondered. That means she took time to think about all the very important events and occurrences that surrounded the birth of Jesus.

Have you done that recently? Did you know that the store owners on Main Street here in Bishop, and in the stores you frequent in Reno or Carson City or Ridgecrest or Lancaster want you to treasure the goods they have in their stores? And they want you to ponder what it would be like to have their goods in your home.

Have you made out a Christmas wish list? Have you responded to someone's question, "What do you want for Christmas this year?" Then let me tell you something friend, you've treasured and you've pondered.

Now, when was the last time you did this with the Christmas story? -Will you read it to your kids, grandkids, or in your home this year as an intentional and significant center-piece of your Christmas celebration? -Will you come to our Christmas Eve family service with joy and excitement, so you can be reminded of the truth of the Christmas story?

This is so important, because what we treasure and what we ponder will be the things that consume our thoughts throughout the year. And what we treasure and ponder will be passed on to the next generations.

I have a magazine article in my files that speaks to this. It is entitled, "Christmas Lessons"

-When you constantly ask me what I want and what I'm going to get, I learn that Christmas is GETTING. -When you tell me I'd better be good, I learn that Christmas is CONDITION. -When you make promises and don't keep them, I learn that Christmas is DISAPPOINTMENT. -When you are short-tempered and make idle threats, I learn that Christmas is UNPREDICTABLE. -When you drink or eat too much, I learn that Christmas is INDULGENCE. -When you hurry around, get up early and stay up late, I learn that Christmas is BUSY. -When I see the lights and smell the cookies, I learn that Christmas is PLEASURE. -When you do things for other people and help me to do the same, I learn that Christmas is SHARING. -When you buy and make things for others, I learn that Christmas is GIVING. -When you hum to yourself and smile at strangers, I learn that Christmas is PEACE. -When you stop in your busy day and spend time with me, I learn that Christmas is LOVE. -When you go to church and take me with you, I learn that Christmas is WORSHIP.

Treasuring and pondering all the great truths about Christmas is one of the best gifts you can give to your children, grandchildren, and to God, Himself!

D. Glorify and Praise God

The final gift we can give to God is to glorify and praise God. Look at verse 20...

Luke 2:20 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

This means that the shepherds praised God for what He had done, out loud! They saw the birth of Jesus as a miracle that God had done..., and they audibly thanked Him for it.

-When was the last time you sat down and spent 5 minutes in a prayer of "thanks" for Christmas? -When was the last time you hummed or sang a Christmas carol, out loud, that expressed your thanks to God for the marvelous truths and the exciting events that surround God taking on human form? -When was the last time you made a point to read something designed to get your juices flowing with gratitude to God for His extra-ordinary work.

I, like many of you, love the expressiveness of author, Max Lucado. In his book, The Applause of Heaven, he writes...

An ordinary night with ordinary sheep and ordinary shepherds. And were it not for a God who loves to hook an "extra" on the front of the ordinary, the night would have gone unnoticed. The sheep would have been forgotten, and the shepherds would have slept the night away. But God dances amidst the common. And that night he did a waltz. The black sky exploded with brightness. ... Sheep that had been silent became a chorus of curiosity. One minute the shepherd was dead asleep, the next he was rubbing his eyes and staring into the face of an alien. The night was ordinary no more. The angel came in the night because that is when lights are best seen and that is when they are most needed.

That kind of thing gets me excited inside. It makes me want to praise God! Have you praised and thanked Him in word or song for the extra-ordinariness of Christmas? That's a gift God appreciates very much!

III. Conclusion

The old southern preacher and author, Vance Havner wrote the words that are on the front of your worship folders this morning...

Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts, the gift of God to man-His unspeakable gift of His Son; and the gift of man to God-when we present our bodies a living sacrifice. (Vance Havner in The Vance Havner Quote Book.)

And if you were ever confused about what a living sacrifice does, then remember the points of today's message: -Spread the news; -Be Amazed; -Ponder and Treasure; -Glorify and Praise. If you do those things, you'll be a walking, talking, breathing, living sacrifice. And friends, that is the only gift that the God who has everything, really wants from you!

Amen.