Rev. David Holwick ZT
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
Christmas Eve, 1989
Matthew 2:9-12
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I. Magi. Matt 2:1-2
A. Astronomers from East.
1) Religious philosophers (pagans) who studied astrology.
2) Probably from Iraq or Iran.
3) Three? Three gifts mentioned.
B. Shows universality of gospel.
1) All of world will honor the Christ.
2) Gifts have been given ever since.
II. Best Gifts come from fathers. Matt 7:9-11
"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give
him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
A. Most fathers want the best for their children.
1) We enjoy seeing happy kids.
2) We want to fulfill their wants, within limits.
a) At the very least, we don't want to hurt them.
B. Must be special if Dad spends time to get it.
1) We are too busy buying stuff for themselves.
2) This year I bought Daniel a red metal fire truck.
a) Celeste told me to get it.
b) I hope he appreciates it.
III. Waiting for my Dad's gifts.
A particularly memorable Christmas for me was when I was 8 or 9.
Like a typical kid, I would snoop around the house.
You know, looking for things your parents don't want you to find.
In October I hit pay dirt.
At the tippity-top of my father's closet, I found a large paper bag.
I peeked inside.
It was filled with fantastic toys, the kind I had been begging for
all year.
I knew I had found my father's secret Christmas trove.
Carefully I wrapped it back up.
Then I waited.
And waited. October dragged by.
November was worse.
My sister has her birthday in November, and I hated to see her
get stuff when I didn't.
Finally December arrived.
This was the worst month of all.
Parents come up with special Christmas candles, which mark off the
days as the candle burns down.
We also had these calendars, where you open up little doors each day,
and find candy inside.
Why do parents come up with these things?
To make December unbearable.
Finally, Christmas actually arrived.
In my mind, I already knew which of my Dad's gifts I would play with
first.
Little did I know that I was in for the biggest shock of my life.
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IV. Earthly fathers are called "evil" by Jesus.
A. They are pre-occupied with other concerns:
1) Setting up the tree.
2) Paying for it all in January.
B. Fathers may mean well, but don't always deliver.
1) Like everyone else, they are selfish.
2) Not enough time spent with kids to know their wants.
V. Heavenly father does a better job.
A. Every good gift is from God. Jam 1:17
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down
from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not
change like shifting shadows."
B. His gifts are given, not earned. Matt 5:45
MAT 5:45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He
causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends
rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
5:46 If you love those who love you, what reward will
you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
5:47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you
doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is
perfect.
VI. Many don't see or appreciate the Father's gifts.
A. Good things are taken for granted.
1) They are ours by rights!
2) In reality, we deserve nothing.
B. Only bad things are noticed, and God is blamed for not caring.
1) Tragedies at Christmas are especially hard to accept.
a) Several recent ones in our community.
b) Soldiers killed in Panama.
2) The mysteries of grace.
a) There is still much suffering in world.
1> Remember Herod's slaughter of babies in Bethlehem.
2> Jesus himself died on a cross.
3> But this does not make God's gifts a hollow promise.
b) Many of God's gifts must be seen by faith.
1> Take the long view of eternity.
2> Cop-out? Eliminating God does not solve problem.
VII. Best gift is Jesus.
A. He is called "indescribable gift." 2 Cor 9:15
B. If God will give up his Son for us, He will give up everything.
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up
for us all--how will he not also, along with him,
graciously give us all things? Rom 8:32
C. Jesus is a gift, and a giver of gifts.
1) Salvation. Rom 5:15,17; Eph 2:8
2) Abundant life. John 10:10
a) Holy Spirit (fruit of new life). Acts 2:38
VIII. Receive Jesus, then give of yourself.
A. Paul speaks giving spiritual gifts to others. Rom 1:11
1) Knowing Christ should make us different.
2) Key difference: love in action.
B. An example from history.
Years ago a young man in Myra, Turkey, recognized his need for
salvation.
He confessed his sins and accepted Christ as his personal Savior.
He didn't just believe in Jesus - he wanted to live like him.
Whenever he saw people who were being oppressed, he tried to
help them.
One day he heard about a business man who lost all his money and
could not provide a dowry for his 3 daughters.
This was a great tragedy in Turkey in those days.
Without a dowry, the girls would not be able to marry anyone.
And since their father was broke, it was inevitable that the only
future open to them was prostitution.
When the young Christian heard about this, he decided to do
something.
He put all his money in 3 small bags and tossed them through a
window into the girls' house, so each would have a dowry.
One of those bags happened to land in a sock that was hanging
by the fireplace to dry.
The young Christian who did this soon became a bishop.
Years later he was put in prison because of his faith in Jesus.
His name was Nicholas.
Because he was such a good Christian, they later called him
"Saint Nicholas."
We know him better as Santa Claus.
He is not the reason for Christmas.
The gifts he is said to bring, and the ones we give each other,
are not the reason for Christmas.
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Remember those gifts I had been waiting for?
That Christmas morning I didn't find a single one under the tree.
It turned out my father was loaning his closet space to our
next-door neighbor.
He had kids that liked to snoop, too.
Our fathers try to do their best.
But only our heavenly Father knows what we really need.
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