The Lord Himself will give you a sign:
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
(Isaiah 7:14 NKJV)
Promises! Promises! Promises! Christmas is a day of promises. Each package, so gaily wrapped, is a promise. The turkey, stuffed and put in the oven, is a promise.
We come to Christmas excited, expecting, full of joy and anticipation. What will the fulfilled promise bring? A sweater? A bottle of perfume? A wished-for toy? Jewelry? A tummy-pleasing piece of pie?
Christmas is a day of promises. Promises fulfilled, promises joyfully given and received. Christmas is a day we celebrate promises. It is promise fulfilled.
Let us join in the excitement and the wonder of the gifts of the Promise Giver.
The Promise of a Savior
God made a promise through His prophet Isaiah—the promise of a very special person who would do very special things.
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the meek; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.”
(Isaiah 61:1-2 NKJV)
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.”
(Isaiah 61:3 NKJV)
Long before Isaiah, this gift was promised. Through the years, details were added. It was to be a gift that bore all our pain, all our sorrow, all our sickness, all our failures, and all the punishment for all the wrong things we would ever do and will do.
“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”
(Isaiah 53:4-5 NKJV)
But that was not all. For the PROMISED GIFT was to become a GIFT GIVER, a GIFT GIVER of many gifts.
Gifts of Sonship and Power
One gift was the gift of sonship:
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”
(John 1:12 NKJV)
The second gift was the gift of power:
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”
(John 16:7 NKJV)
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
(Acts 1:8 NKJV)
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.”
(Acts 2:17 NKJV)
The Coming of the Promised Gift
The actual coming of the PROMISED GIFT that was to become a GIFT GIVER took place in the days when Herod was king of Judea. It began with a priest, Zacharias, whose wife, Elizabeth, like him, was a descendant of Aaron. They were both truly religious people, blamelessly observing all God’s commandments and ordinances. Only one sadness cast a shadow over their lives—they were childless, and both were advanced in years.
One day, while Zacharias performed his duties as a priest in the Temple, it fell to him to enter the sanctuary and burn incense. The congregation outside was praying at the time of incense burning. Suddenly, an angel appeared on the right side of the incense altar. Zacharias was terrified, and a sense of fear swept over him.
The angel spoke:
“Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
(Luke 1:13-17 NKJV)
Six months later, Gabriel, the same angel, appeared to a young girl in the Galilean town of Nazareth. She had been promised in marriage to Joseph, a descendant of David. The girl’s name was Mary.
“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
(Luke 1:28 NKJV)
Mary was greatly troubled and wondered what this greeting could mean. But the angel said:
“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
(Luke 1:30-33 NKJV)
Mary asked:
“How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
(Luke 1:34 NKJV)
The angel answered:
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”
(Luke 1:35-37 NKJV)
Mary replied:
“Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
(Luke 1:38 NKJV)
Happen it did, just as the angel said, for no promise of God can fail to be fulfilled. Every promise that God has ever made has been fulfilled or is being fulfilled. Christmas celebrates the fulfilling of promises.
The Precious Gift
Two thousand years ago, a PRECIOUS GIFT was given. That PRECIOUS GIFT became a GIFT GIVER.
“And to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
(Luke 2:11 NKJV)
Given to us was:
- Health
- Total forgiveness of all our failings
- The promises made to Abraham of prosperity in every aspect of our lives
- The AUTHORITY to become children of God
- POWER to be God’s witnesses in all the world
Yet, why do we not use the precious gifts that have been given to us?
God’s Power in the Old Testament
“Can we find such a man as this, in whom the Spirit of God is?”
(Genesis 41:38 NKJV)
Joseph, empowered by God, saved and prospered God’s chosen people.
“Go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
(Exodus 4:12 NKJV)
Moses led the Hebrew people out of Egypt, empowered by God, taking gold and treasures with them.
“Be strong and of good courage; for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous.”
(Joshua 1:6-7 NKJV)
Gideon, Samson, Saul, and Elijah were all empowered by God to accomplish impossible feats.
The Gifts Continue Today
Jesus commissioned us:
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
(Mark 16:15-18 NKJV)
“Many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles…And they were all healed.”
(Acts 5:12-16 NKJV)
What Will You Do With the Gift?
The tale continues today. Wherever Christians “turn the key in the ignition” and drive, the story goes on.
Now it comes to you. What will you do with the GIFT from the GIFT GIVER? Authority and power have been given. Power to be like Jesus. Power to heal. Power to witness.
Will you receive it? Will you put the key in the ignition, start the engine, and drive down the road of God’s promise?
