Luke 2:1-14 – God’s Christmas Gifts – Bible study

Luke 2:1-14 God’s Christmas Gifts One of the highlights of Christmas is the giving and receiving of gifts. Over the years, we have developed traditions of creating suspense with our gift giving. Every family is different but most families start the gift giving by going to grandma and grandpas house with a trunk load of wrapped gifts, making the children ponder whats inside while they eat and talk, then finally – when the child is about to explode giving him or her a wrapped gift to rip into. This usually happens several times as there are several sets of grandparents and other parties to attend. Many families also open more gifts on Christmas Eve. Then the finale. Get up on Christmas morning to see if the biggest gifts are under the tree. Parents get joy as they watch their childs anticipation grow. But what would happen if the children decided not to participate one year. They decided not to get excited. They decide not to open their presents. It would be a miserable Christmas. God has six gifts and He wants you to open them all. Some, even in this building this morning, may have left Gods Christmas gifts unopened! I. \#Luke 2:11\ "unto you a Savior is born" A. Christmas is about receiving the greatest Gift ever given to mankind. The gift of a Savior. B. The idea of giving and receiving gifts was not mans idea. It was Gods. 1. Christmas has changed much in the last 100 years. a. While the holy day has been celebrated for thousands of years, the first gifts given were far more simpler and practical than in our luxurious times. b. Gifts of old might be a few pieces of fruit, a pair of much needed shoes, or a new dress. 2. God gave the first, the greatest, and the most needed Gift, our Savior. a. All of the gifts we give are a pale comparison to the gift of salvation. C. Why was a Savior needed? 1. God created mankind but not as we are today. 2. God created us pure, without sin. We had no lust, no hatred, no envy, no prejudice. 3. But Satan stepped onto the scene and planted thoughts of lust and desire into Eves mind. a. She acted upon them, being the first to bring sin into the world. b. Then Eve tempted Adam, who also acted upon his desires; thus sin contaminated them both. c. From these two sinners, all human beings were born d. The black, the white, the brown, the yellow, the red we all have a common ancestry. (1) The Daily Mail released a story on December 9, 2018, stating that there is some scientific DNA evidence that the whole human race descended from just two humans. (2) Some question Daily Mails reliability but whether there is evidence or not, the headline is true. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6424407/Every-person-s pawned-single-pair-adults-living-200-000-years-ago-scientists- claim.html 4. In that condition, the whole human race was to be separated from God for all eternity. a. People are eternal beings. b. Hell is the place where God is not and it is the place where the souls of those separated from God will spend eternity. 5. With man in that condition, God sent a Savior. a. God sent Himself, more specifically, His Son to this world to live a sinless life and then to be separated from for (instead) of us. b. This was Jesus. (1) Jesus was God moving from heaven into the body of a Baby. (2) Born without a human father for God Himself is Jesus Father. (3) He set aside all of His power to be like a normal man. (4) Even so, He lived a sinless life. (5) Then God allowed Jesus to be taken by cruel man, beaten as a sinner, and executed as a scoundrel. (6) But even worse, while hanging upon the cross, Jesus took our sins upon Him, being separated from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. (7) Somehow, in those hours upon the cross, Jesus paid our separation from God penalty. (8) Jesus became the Savior. (9) Now, no human being need be separated from God not now and not in eternity. D. But you must claim this Gift of a Savior. 1. The Gift has been given but if you do not claim Him, it avails you nothing. 2. There are two things you must do. a. You must believe the sin and Savior story. b. The best you know how, you must turn away from sin and allow God to rule in your life. II. \#Luke 2:14\ "on the earth, peace" Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. A. Peace? What kind of peace is this referring to? 1. World peace? a. Yes, one day there will be world peace, but not yet. b. The world peace will come when Jesus ascends to the throne and rules from Israel. 2. Israels peace? No. It was not peace for Israel. a. Soon after the birth of Jesus, wise men came to bring Him gifts. They stopped by Herods palace, revealing to him for the first time that a King had been born. Matt 2:3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. b. And well they should have been troubled for within months, Herod will send to Bethlehem and slay all the male children two years old and under in an attempt to make sure Israels new King was killed. 3. Jesus Peace? It was not to be peace for Jesus. a. While we know very little of Jesus early years, we know that His three plus years if ministry were filled with traps, confrontations, and accusations from the religious of His day. b. We also know that He was betrayed by friend, abandoned by His disciples, and crucified by His enemies. c. No. Jesus did not have peace. 4. For the present, the gift of peace is YOUR peace. John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. B. In a world filled with unrest, hatred, violence, war, crime, disease, uncertainty, and much more, you can have peace if you know Jesus as your Savior. 1. Perhaps you doubt this, but let me remind you that peace is not the absence of problems. 2. You will have problems in this life because of sin and sinners. 3. While peace does not remove the problems, it can remove the turmoil inside of you. C. How? In several ways. 1. First, living as Jesus taught us will eliminate many self- inflicted troubles. 2. Second, living with Jesus gives us the assurance that whatever problems come into our lives, Jesus will use them for His glory and our eternal good. III. \#Luke 2:14\ "goodwill to all men" A. Goodwill is good desire. God is offering mankind a gift of goodness to one another. 1. Christians are the embodiment of Gods love. 2. God loves everyone wherever they are. (He may not want them to stay where they are but He loves them wherever they are.) B. In the last few years, racial tensions have increased again, political and moral issues have not only divided us, but angered and stoked us. 1. In these days, we must remember that the gift given to us is goodwill. 2. Christians should never harbor malice, hatred, or even anger toward those who think differently, behavior sinfully, or even act violently toward us. 3. This is the ability God wants us all to have but it is one of the gifts that came with the Savior. IV. \#Luke 2:32\ "a light to lighten the Gentiles" Luke 2:32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. A. This gift is to the non-Jewish nations. B. Until Jesus, Gentiles had been in darkness. They were separated from God by their sins; but largely, they did not even know it. 1. God showed the Gentiles some earthly mercies in that He did not destroy them out right for their evilat least not until it got really, really bad. 2. But all millions of those nations died separated from God and will forever be separated from Him. C. Then Jesus came and with the church came the Gospel Commission: Matt 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. D. Today, all of the American Gentile churches, as well as the German, the English, the French, the Russian, the African, and all of the churches scattered across the globe, remind us that Jesus came not just to the Jews, but to the whole world. V. \#Luke 2:32\ "the glory of thy people Israel" Luke 2:32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. A. God has always intended Israel to outshine the other nations. 1. If that bothers you, get over it. 2. With the Christ-child, Israel was to receive the crown of its existence. 3. Isnt it a shame that after 2,000 years, they still havent opened their present? B. They will. They will open their Present during the tribulation and will step into the glory God has always wanted them to have during the millennial reign of Jesus. VI. \#Luke 2:34-35\ "a sword shall pierce through thy own soul: Luke 2:34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this [child] is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. A. These prophetic words were spoken by Simeon to Mary. 1. Although she had the privilege to bear the Messiah to the world, she would also have to watch what the world did to her Son. 2. It would be as a sword run through her very heart. B. But there is a price for all who accept Jesus Christ. 1. We all step into His sacrifice and suffering. 2. Jesus made it clear that we are no longer our own to live as we please. Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. C. If we are Christs, we must 1. Turn from our sins and pleasures, 2. surrender to His Lordship, 3. and serve His cause. D. While this may sound like a high price to pay, it comes with eternal rewards. This morning, have you opened all of the gifts God has for you?