Grace Community Church, Arlington, TX

We are at our best when we are giving. In fact, we are most like God when we are giving. We give gifts to show our love, how much more does God? So, let’s take some time this morning to talk to you some about the meaning of this season of giving, the meaning of Christmas, by opening 7 gifts. Each gift will help us better understand the meaning of Christmas.

The Old Testament ends with the book of Malachi, and the New Testament begins with the
Gospel of Matthew. But there were four hundred years of silence between the book of Malachi and the birth of Jesus. Four hundred years with nobody hearing from God.
But finally, after 400 years of silence, God breaks that silence with a crying baby. It’s not just any baby, it is the Son of God crying out. It is Emmanuel, God with us.

The first radio sounds were sounds like the tapping of morse code. But when they were finally ready to broadcast human voices on a radio it was on Christmas Eve in 1906 by Reginald Fessenden. And here is what was broadcast for the first time on radio in history: the reading of Luke 2:1-14. And then, after the reading of the Christmas story on Christmas Eve 1906, here is the next thing you hear: the singing of O Holy Night

There is an equation here. There is good news that brings great joy, not just a little happiness. Great Joy. And if you are not having great joy in your life then there is a disconnect somehow with the good news. No matter what you have been going through. No matter what kind of year you have had. If you have this good news of a Savior in your heart, you can have great joy
through it all.

A life preserver saves lives. Christmas is the story of God sending His One and only Son to save us. How does He do that?

5. Manger

The Almighty God, more glorious and magnificent than we can even imagine, the creator of the galaxies, became a man.

Never has someone so high come so low. Never has someone so rich become so poor.
Never has someone so great so humble himself.
But why? Why did He do it?

God became one of us in order to provide a way in which we might become one with Him.

(The angel told Joseph in a dream this about Mary…)

(But how would He do it?)
There was a farewell scene in heaven on that first Christmas Eve.
In fact, God the Son’s good-bye message to God the Father is recorded in

He knew He was entering the world to be the final and ultimate sacrifice for sin. Jesus was going to die for the sins of the world, and He knew it. Moreover, He was doing it willingly. Jesus came with one overriding purpose. He came to die. Jesus was born to die.

This is what the Christmas story is all about. God became one of us in order to provide a way that we might become one with Him.

But the cross is not the end of the story. Three days later Jesus rose from the dead, and then days
later He ascended into heaven, and now He is enthroned on high as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

He is not in the manger anymore. He is not on the cross anymore. He is not in the tomb anymore. He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven in glory. And now all who know Him, must know Him as King! Because that is what He is. Is He your King? If you don’t know Him as King, then you don’t know Him.