The Best Gift Ever

What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?  Do you remember it?  For me, it wasn’t a Christmas gift, but a wedding gift.  One of my dad’s closest friends gifted us a week at the Inn at Otter Crest on the Oregon Coast for our honeymoon.  What made that gift so special wasn’t the cost of that gift. No, what made it so special, was that for six days we got to celebrate our new life together in the comfort of luxury before the beauty of the rugged Pacific coast without a worry about how we might have to pay for it. We were given a week where we could just enjoy one another’s presence.  That was the best earthly gift I’ve ever received. Obviously, you may have similar stories.  You may have received a dream vacation, a huge down payment on a house, or even a new car. But as great as any earthly gift you’ve ever received, there’s one thing I do know tonight.  Is that any earthly gift we give each other pales in comparison to the gift God gave us when He gave His Son to us at Christmas.

After all, that’s who we are celebrating this Christmas Eve. The gift of God’s Son.  The Best Gift God could ever give us. But somehow, we live in a world where many have never heard the good news of this gift.  Others have never realized all the blessings that are wrapped up in this gift. And yes, there are still others, maybe even you, who’ve never received this gift.  So, tonight as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, I want to remind you of some of the blessings wrapped up for you in Jesus, God’s Son. And to do that, I simply want to read for you the very first birth announcement given to us by Isaiah, the Prophet.

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born in a lowly manger on the backside of Bethlehem, Isaiah penned these words of God’s gift to us:  For unto us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders.  And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Is. 9:6

Here is the Best Gift Ever:  A child has been born to you.  That’s what the Angel said, ^“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:11-12   The best gift ever was born to you as a Baby!  Now that may sound a little redundant.  After all, that’s how every single human being comes into the world – as a baby.  But let me tell you why the gift of Jesus coming to us as a baby is so great. He was born just like us.  He was fully human in every way. He messed his pants; stubbed his toes, scraped his knees. He grew up, hit puberty, got sick, woke up disoriented, sneezed, scratched his armpits; worked hard and came home exhausted. As he grew, he got curious about life and spiritual matters and was always asking questions.  Even in the midst of his ministry he got hungry and thirsty, sad, angry and frustrated. He laughed and cried and fought temptation of every kind, and he experienced physical death. In his birth, he was vulnerable. In his boyhood, he was inquisitive.  As an adult, he was a full-blooded, calloused-handed man. He was human, just like us.

Now, why is this such a blessing?  Jesus knows what it’s like to be you. He knows your struggles with sin. He knows your weaknesses and temptations. He knows what it is like to be unloved, rejected and alone. And he knows what it’s like to be judged, abused and tortured and yet, He was willing to become one of us so you could know Him as your Savior and King. So, you could know all the blessings found in Him. For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given. But He’s more than just a Son who has come to be your Savior. Isaiah uses now uses four names that describes all the blessings that are wrapped up in Him. The first blessing is this:

He is the Wonderful Counselor:  Jesus, the Son of God, was given to us as wonderful guide to follow. Jesus has come to us full of wisdom about life, love, forgiveness, hope and mercy. This word “wonderful” literally means “a cut above.”  And that means in  Jesus is found wisdom that is a cut above any wisdom you can find in this world.

In other words, Jesus embodies the wisdom of the ages.  He is the counselor who guides us with truth. When he teaches, His word has no equal.  His wisdom is above our wisdom.  His ways are beyond our ways.

Why is this important for us to know?  We are all looking for someone to guide us, to lead us, someone who is worth following.  And when you follow Jesus, He teaches us what is good, right and true.  When you listen to Jesus you learn how to treat people right – How to treat people with mercy, with love and compassion. When you listen to Jesus, you find someone who has your best interests at heart. And His wisdom is there for you when you’re not sure how to choose or what to do. I think you’d agree with me that life is full of choices and decisions.  In fact, every day we’re faced with decisions: things like How should I respond to this negative person?  How can I help my children without coming across as controlling?  Or how might God have me serve my spouse, use my time or love my neighbors? Decisions; decisions; decisions. Just know that as the Wonderful Counselor Jesus has extraordinary wisdom He wants to give you, if you are willing to receive it.

And the primary way He counsels us is through His Word. His Word is full of timeless truth for living. His Word is as relevant today as when it was first written.  For it teaches you how to remain faithful in a faithless age; how to do the right thing when so many are willing to compromise; how to forgive when everyone wants to condemn.  It teaches you how to live selflessly when everyone only looks out for themselves and how to find hope when there seems to be no hope.

Jesus was born to be your wonderful counselor, so that He might give you wisdom that’s a cut above. In fact, no one gives better wisdom and guidance for life than Jesus. This baby born to us is more than we ever imagined. He is the Word made flesh, who made His dwelling among us, so we might learn from Him how to live the way He created us to live.  That’s the first blessing found wrapped in that manger.  He is the wonderful counselor.  But he’s even more than that:

He is the Mighty God:  He is “el gibbor” Jesus is the warrior God who fights for you.  This name of Jesus deals with the problems of life. In the Gospels, we see Jesus the Mighty God in action: He feeds 5,000 hungry men and their families with only five loaves and two fish; He calms a fierce storm by rebuking the wind and waves; He delivers the demon possessed; He heals the man born blind; He restores the limbs of the lame; He forgives the sins of the condemned; He raises the dead from the grave.

Jesus is the Mighty God!  Think about this for a minute: God came to this earth as a baby; the most vulnerable of all human beings. He came as one who couldn’t feed Himself; couldn’t clothe Himself; couldn’t even defend Himself; and who initially had no ability to even communicate – this babe wrapped in swaddling clothes is the all-powerful, warrior God, who fights for you.

Think about what that means for you.  It means that God’s power is bigger than any problem you will ever face. The question is – Do you believe this? I think most of us have lived long enough to know that life is full of problems. Most of us know someone who’s going through cancer.  Most of us have family members who are dealing with heartache, divorce, rebellious kids, sickness or the loss of a loved one. And on top of that, all of us are bombarded by the problems inundating us in our world.

Daily we hear of the horrors of war, of escalating crime, car-jackings, senseless murders and rape. We hear of fentanyl overdoses, veteran suicides, growing homelessness.  Hatred, disease and inflation continues to be on the rise.  Yes, life is full of problems!…

But tonight we can take heart… for that tender infant, no crying he makes, has come into our world so that one day he might wipe away every tear.  There is no hole that is too big; no obstacle is too great; no problem is too large for Him.  For God has given us a Warrior Hero who was born to help us!  His name is Jesus, the Mighty God – who fights for us.

Now, before I move on, I am certain that there is someone here today, who needs this Jesus. You’re weary. You’ve been fighting a battle. And you don’t know what to do next or where to turn. Perhaps you’ve even fought against God and blamed Him for your struggle.  If that’s you, please know this: Jesus will never give up on you. And Jesus wants to be there for you. How do I know this?

He already fought for you when He laid down His life for you on the cross: He took the worst evil this world could throw at him and suffered the most painful death for you. He fought for you then, by dying for your sins.  And He will fight for you today. Why? Because He loves you.  For as the Mighty God, he didn’t simply fight for you on that cross, so defeated sin and death, so He could save you. So tonight, listen to His promise to you. He said, “In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 And perhaps for you tonight, what you need to see when you see that baby in a manger, is that He is the One who fights for you. Put your trust in Him, For He is the Mighty God who saves. That’s the second blessing found in the gift of God’s Son.  Now, the third:

He is the Everlasting Father:  There are many images that come to mind with this description of the Son born to us.  First, He is everlasting. This word can be defined as eternal and unceasing in duration.  On one occasion in the gospel of John; some religious leaders were questioning Jesus’ authority. They questioned His motives, and they questioned His origin. Then in verse 56 of John 8; Jesus responded by saying; before Abraham was born, I am!  To further understand this; I Am is the name God used to identify Himself to Moses at the burning bush. So, in saying this, Jesus was declaring; I have existed forever as God; I Am.  The religious leaders were so upset over this claim that they picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus slipped away.

Now, Why is this important for us to know?  It tells us that Jesus’ birth was not the beginning of His existence; it was simply the beginning of His time with us on earth. For Jesus has no beginning or end. He has always existed, and He will always exist.

So, He is Everlasting, but He is also the Father.  In other words, when you see Jesus, you see the Father. You see the Father’s compassion and concern for those who cannot help themselves.  This is how David described him in the OT as, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows” Psalm 68:5.  Of all names of Jesus, this name is the most personal to those who receive the gift of God’s Son; and why Jesus is the best gift ever.

For He is the Father who has compassion on His children. He is the Father that knows your needs. He is the Father who wants to be with you, who pursues you with His mercy and forgives your sins.  He is the Father who promises to never leave you nor forsake you.  For He is the Father who loves you with an everlasting love – and Has proven His love for you by giving Himself to die for you. That’s what makes Jesus the best gift ever.  For when you receive Jesus, you will spend the rest of your days as the object of God’s love. He is the Everlasting Father.  And finally,

He is the Prince of Peace:  This word “prince” literally means captain, master or ruler.  In other words, Jesus is the source of peace.  True peace comes only from Him.  When you read the Christmas story in Luke 2, it was the angels who promised that Jesus would bring God’s peace: Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men on whom His favor rests.” Luke 2:13

The Hebrew’s have a word for this peace.  It’s called Shalom. This is a term full of goodness. For Shalom is a deep sense of well-being that covers every part of your life.

The kind of life God wants “all people” to enjoy – a peace of mind where you feel blessed, a peace that’s measured in friendships, in health, in a life that’s full – full of goodness.  This is more than just an escape from the fears and worries of life – this peace is something God wants to give you that will fill you with a sense of well-being – an inner stability that fills you with a confidence to face anything in life – no anxiety, no fear, no frustrations – just a strong sense that all is well because God has favored you!

But His peace is even more than that.  For central to the experience of God’s peace is the fulfillment which comes as the result of God’s presence in your life. In other words, Jesus is not just the giver of peace, He is peace. And when you receive the gift of God’s Son, it is His peace that fills your soul.  For once He makes you right with God, He fills you with a settled calmness that will never leave you.  He gives you rest for your soul that banishes anxiety and sets you free to live in the contentment of God’s love for you. The world can never give this kind of peace. But God has made this peace possible when He gave us Jesus.

This is why we celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas. For God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. And that makes Jesus The Best Gift Ever.

But here’s the thing about God’s gift. Even though Jesus was born to you…  Even though, He’s the Wonderful Counselor – Full of wisdom to guide you and teach you

Even though, He’s the Mighty God – Full of Power to fight for you and save you

Even though, He’s the Everlasting Father – Full of love to protect you and care for you

And even though, He’s the Prince of Peace – Full of peace to give you rest and contentment with God… to experience His gift, you need to receive His gift.

And if this sounds like something you would like to do, then all you need to do is turn from trusting in yourself, and put your trust in Jesus, as God’s gift to you.  And I guarantee, that if you’re willing to receive His gift today, Jesus will be your best gift ever.