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Christian Network

 
  
The Gift
Luke 2:1-20
 
 

Luke 2:1 through Luke 2:20 (KJV)
1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar 
Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2(And this taxing was first made 
when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3And all went to be taxed, every one into 
his own city. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of 
Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; 
(because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5To be taxed with Mary his 
espoused wife, being great with child. 6And so it was, that, while they were 
there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7And she brought 
forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a 
manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping 
watch over their flock by night. 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, 
and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings 
of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in 
the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12And this shall be a 
sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a 
manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host 
praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, 
good will toward men. 15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from 
them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto 
Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made 
known unto us. 16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the 
babe lying in a manger. 17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the 
saying which was told them concerning this child. 18And all they that heard it 
wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19But Mary kept 
all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned, 
glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as 
it was told unto them.
 
   Did you ever read Bret Harte's story The Luck of Roaring Camp? Roaring Camp 
was supposed to be, according tot he story, the meanest, toughest mining town in 
all of the West. More murders, more thefts--it was a terrible place inhabited 
entirely by men, and one woman who tried to serve them all. Her name was 
Cherokee Sal. She died while giving birth to a baby. 
   Well, the men took the baby, and they put her in a box with some old rags 
under her. When they looked at her, they decided that didn't look right, so they 
sent one of the men eighty miles to buy a rosewood cradle. He brought it back, 
and they put the rags and the baby in the rosewood cradle. And the rags didn't 
look right there. So they sent another of their number to Sacramento, and he 
came back with some beautiful silk and lace blankets. And they put the baby, 
wrapped around with those blankets, in the rosewood cradle. 
   It looked fine until someone happened to notice that the floor was so filthy. 
So these hardened, tough men got down on their hands and knees, and with their 
hardened and horny hands they scrubbed that floor until it was very clean. Of 
course, what that did was to make the walls and the ceiling and the dirty 
windows without curtains look absolutely terrible. So they washed down the walls 
and the ceiling, and they put curtains at the windows. And now things were 
beginning to look as they thought they should look. But of course, they had to 
give up a lot of their fighting, because the baby slept a lot, and babies can't 
sleep during a brawl. 
   So the whole temperature of Roaring Camp seemed to go down. They used to take 
her out and set her by the entrance to the mine in her rosewood cradle so they 
could see her when they came up. Then somebody noticed what a dirty place that 
was, so they planted flowers, and they made a very nice garden there. It looked 
quite beautiful. And they would bring her, oh, shiny little stones and things 
that they would find in the mine. But when they would put their hands down next 
to hers, their hands looked so dirty. Pretty soon the general store was all sold 
out of soap and shaving gear and perfume and those kinds ... the baby changed 
everything. 
   That's the way it is for those of good will. That's the way it is for those 
who please God. The baby enters into their lives, and he slips into every 
crevice of their experience, until they say "Hark! Listen, the herald angels 
sing! God is for us. And Christmas is forever." 
 
n      Bruce W. Thielemann, "Hark! The Herald Angels," Preaching Today, Tape No. 
63
 
That little girl was a wonderful gift to the men of Roaring Camp.  It was a gift 
that changed their lives totally.  This morning as we continue our celebration 
of the birth of Christ we would do well to remember that Christ was a wonderful 
gift to mankind.  
 
Many of you left gifts this morning to come worship.  Some of you may have 
already opened them, or you may have set them aside to come to church first.  
Gift giving seems to be an integral part of our celebration each year.  Indeed, 
many would say that gift giving has become the central emphasis for some.
 
In fact, we often spend more time and energy on the secular aspects of Christmas 
as is evidenced by this little story:
 
During the Christmas season our large picture window displayed a lighted 
nativity scene. One day I overheard two small boys discussing it. One tot 
observed pensively, "I don't think these guys believe in Santa Claus." "No, I 
guess not," the other conceded, then added generously, "but they're nice people 
anyway." 
 
n      Fran McMahon, Rochester, WA.  Christian Reader, "Lite Fare."
  
As we think of the gifts we have received and given this holiday season, may we 
remember the gift that God gave to us on that first Christmas Day so many years 
ago.  As we empty the tree of all the gifts, let us not forget to unwrap the 
most important gift of them all.  Let me tell you this Christmas morning about 
this wonderful gift.
 
It Is An Unsolicited Gift (James 1:17)
James 1:17 (KJV)
17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the 
Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
 
This gift we are talking about this morning was a gift we didn’t ask for. We 
didn’t sit on Santa’s knee and beg him for God to send us a Savior, but this is 
just what God did.  Make no mistake, this wonderful gift we find under our tree 
came not from man, but from God alone.  
 
It is an Unlimited Gift (Romans 5:5-8)
 

Romans 5:5 through Romans 5:8 (KJV)
5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our 
hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 
7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man 
some would even dare to die. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, 
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
 
We have all done a lot of receiving the past few weeks.  We have gotten gifts 
from relatives and friends.  We’ve given things to those important people in our 
life, and received them in return.  There is one thing in common with all of 
these gifts, and that is that they are all limited in some fashion.  That great 
new sweater you bought Aunt Suzy may be the wrong size. That wonderful box of 
chocolates you gave to Uncle Walt will only last for a little while.
 
The Christmas turkey and his friend the ham will only provide sandwiches for a 
few days.  The pies will be gone, the cakes will be gone.  The supplies are 
limited. 
 
Yet there is no limit in the love of God.  God died for the ungodly, even when 
they did not yet know Him.  God sent His son that we might be able to live even 
while we were still unrepentant sinners.  Jesus is a gift that is unlimited in 
scope.  
 
Many people try to buy the hottest new Christmas gifts, and often come up short. 
 I remember a few years ago when a $29.95 Tickle Me Elmo doll was going for 
hundreds of dollars on the secondary market because of the demand for them.  
This year people wanting Color Game Boys or Millennium Barbie’s are out of luck 
because they are scarce!  The gift of Jesus is not limited in availability 
though.  This gift is available to everyone no matter where they are in their 
walk of life.
 
It is an Unchanging Gift  (Hebrews 13:8)
 

Hebrews 13:8 through Hebrews 13:9 (KJV)
8Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. 9Be not carried 
about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart 
be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that 
have been occupied therein.
 
      Consider Again Christmas

      When Pope Julius I authorized December 25 to be celebrated as the birthday 
      of Jesus in A.D. 353, who would have ever thought that it would become 
      what it is today.

      When Professor Charles Follen lit candles on the first Christmas tree in 
      America in 1832, who would have ever thought that the decorations would 
      become as elaborate as they are today.

      It is a long time since 1832, longer still from 353, longer still from 
      that dark night brightened by a special star in which Jesus the king was 
      born. Yet, as we approach December 25 again, it gives us yet another 
      opportunity to pause, and in the midst of all the excitement and elaborate 
      decorations and expensive commercialization which surround Christmas 
      today, to consider again the event of Christmas and the person whose birth 
      we celebrate.

      Brian L. Harbour, James W. Cox, The Minister's Manual: 1994, San Fransico: 
      Harper Collins, 1993, p. 254.

 
My how things change.  We live in a changing world.  Someone come from the last 
turning of the century would scarcely recognize us.  It’s refreshing to know 
that as much as things change, there are some things that will never change.  
The gift of Christmas is one of those things.  Christ is the same today as he 
was yesterday and 2,000 years ago.  His mission for coming has not changed one 
little bit.  Jesus still is the hope of the lost, the light of the world, and 
the only way to get to heaven.  
 
 
It is an Undeserved Gift  (Luke 2:10-11)
 
 

Luke 2:10 through Luke 2:11 (KJV)
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings 
of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in 
the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
 
To: All People
From:  God
 
This is what the gift tag read that very first Christmas morning.  To:  All 
People!  Not to a select few, or not to the specially picked out ones…but to 
everyone.  This gift was given even to those that didn’t earn it.  It was 
totally undeserved.  By our sins we have earned death, but by the gift of God we 
have earned eternal life!
 
   At the 7:00 service, a little girl came out an pulled on my robe, and I said, 
"What can I do?" She said, "It's for you, Dr. Harrington." I said, "What?" and 
she had a little note. I opened it up, and it said, "I love you." Well, it made 
my Christmas Eve. "It's for you"--very personal. While the love of Christ is for 
the world, it's also for you and for me. 
 
   -- W. Frank Harrington, "The Love That Brought Him," Preaching Today, Tape 
No. 51.
 
Many years ago the Puritans thought that they were ruining Christmas with all 
their pagan rituals. They especially objected to the fact that the holiday 
usually came on a week day, therefore distracting people, they thought, from the 
Lord's Day of Sunday. But they did more than annually complain about it as we 
do. They took action and got rid of Christmas altogether. In Puritan settlements 
across 17th century America a law was passed outlawing the celebration of 
Christmas. The market place was ordered to stay open for business as though it 
were no special occasion and all violators were prosecuted. It was against the 
law to make plum pudding on December 25th. The celebration was not referred to 
as Yuletide but as fooltide.

So we want to reform Christmas and clean it up do we? Well, is this how far we 
want ot go? Do we really want to be rid of it altogether. Then will Christmas, 
as the Puritans thought, be saved from us and our sinful ways. So what if we 
spend $40 billion annually on presents. Can you think of a better way of 
spending all that money than on gifts of love. And most of them are just that. 
And so what is all the lights and tinsel does create a fairy tale setting that 
soon disappears as does the so called Christmas spirit. At least it lets us 
know, if only for a brief time, what life can be like if we only try.

So let the message ring out this day, not that we are destroying this holy day, 
but rather, that we can never destroy this day. Behold, I bring you good tidings 
of great joy which shall be for all generations. For unto you is born this day, 
in the city of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord.
Sermon Illustrations, 1999
 
  The spirit of Christmas needs to be superseded by the Spirit of Christ. The 
spirit of Christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal. The spirit of 
Christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is supernatural. The spirit of 
Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine person. That 
makes all the difference in the world. 
 
n      Stuart Briscoe in Meet Him at the Manger. Christianity Today, Vol. 41, 
no. 14.
 
 
Let’s make the difference today.  Let us keep the true Spirit of Christmas by 
understanding God’s gift to us.
 
 

©1999 Claim The Victory Ministries
South Peninsula Baptist Church
Daytona Beach, FL
 
Rev. Charles S. Mims