Unwrapping the Son
Christmas Unwrapped

Good morning, church. Good to see all of you here this morning were beginning a new series today entitled christmas unwrapped. And so we’re excited to begin this. We’ll be covering this over the next few weeks as we unwrap the gift of christmas together. Now, have you ever wondered why we wrap gifts? Have you ever asked that question? What? I was thinking about that this week. Why do we wrap gifts? And according by the way, according to some estimates, americans spend about two point eight million excuse me, billion dollars a year. It’s hard, but a billion dollars of wrapping paper; that is wrapping paper that we mostly throw away. But why do we do this? Why do we do this? Where did this tradition originate? Well, we know the chinese invented paper about two about second century b c. And not long after that, for chinese new year, they started wrapping their money in the paper they had invented. And perhaps it goes back all the way to that time. But in america, we can pretty much pin it about a hundred years ago, it was the year, about 1917 and the hall brothers and their little kansas city stationery store had run out of white tissue, which people used to wrap their christmas gifts in this white tissue. They ran out, and they had this fancy paper from france in the back. So they brought it out and people just snatched it up and sew, according to wikipedia. That’s the beginning, and the hall brothers? Well, we know them today as the hallmark company, and they still are one of the top sellers of wrapping paper in america today. So americans have been wrapping their gifts at christmas for a least a hundred years. That’s according to my research. I suppose we started doing it so that we could delay and enhance the anticipation of the gift, don’t you guess? I mean so like you show up at their house with it and they see it as you get out of the car like so how can i make sure that they see it when i want them to? So we can enjoy together that moment? Or as we put him under the tree so that we can make our children crazy for at least two or three weeks waiting for it. Now, i mentioned this morning my wife was at the first service this morning. She was sitting right here on the front row, so i called her out. And so you gotta watch anybody sitting down here, i could call you out. If i see you, i’ll tell a story about you. I’m sorry, but she was sitting right here, and here’s the story. She told me when she was a little girl, she used to sneak in and opened the gift that had her name on it and very carefully look at it and then tape it back very carefully like that. I don’t know if any of you all ever did that. Some of us just can’t wait. But it does build the anticipation to know the identity of it now. And in my family, we have all kind of gift openers. We have the kind, like robin that just can’t wait. And then we have the kind. Well, i won’t say who it is, but there are certain people in my family that they’ll pull out their pocket knife and they’ll very carefully cut the tape and make sure the paper stays perfect. They’ll fold it up, put the bow on ribbon on because you might want to use it next year. And then there’s the person on the other end of the spectrum who, with teeth and nails, tear into it. And so that shreds of paper and ribbon and bows go flying through the air, covering my living room with it. So we have people on both ends, and then we have the little ones; they can’t figure it out so they climb up into Papaw’s lap. That’s me, by the way , and i have to help them open it. There’s all kind of gift openers. I wonder if you’ve opened the gift that we’re going to talk about today. You see, that’s my question for you as we begin. And then i’ll ask it again at the end. Have you ever opened the greatest christmas gift of all? That’s the gift of christ. Jesus. You see, because it’s not really yours until you open it. It has your name on it. He was given it to you, so it has your name on it. It’s not really yours until you accept it. Passages from the book of Luke chapter 2, which talks about the fact that jesus came wrapped and we have to unwrap the gift in order to receive him and to know him. Look what it says in luke chapter two this is the angel speaking to the shepherds in their fields that night. Fear not for behold, i bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people for unto you. You see it unto you is born this day in the city of david, a savior who is christ the lord. And this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And so we’re going to consider this most beautiful gift of all for the next few weeks. Have you unwrapped this gift as of yet? Now, here’s one of the things that my wife asked for and some of my kids and maybe some of the people in your family do this to0. Can you give me a hint? You have people like that. But just tell me this, like, give me a hint because you’ve got it wrapped up and i just want to hint. Well, god is kind of like that. He likes to give hints and and throughout the whole old testament fact, he starts in Genesis chapter 3 he gives hints of this coming gift. Did you know that? Did you know the whole old testament over three hundred hints, which the Bible word for that is prophecies over three hundred prophecies in the old testament that point to this coming gift, this gift of christ, jesus at christmas. And so we’re going to look at it from that perspective today, unwrapping the Son because i want you to hear this. There never was a time when the Son was not there never was a time when the Son was not. He didn’t begin on that day. He has always existed. But yet he came limited from what he had been. He was wrapped in human flesh wrapped in swaddling clothes. So even his little arms and legs couldn’t move and then ultimately wrapped and nailed to a cross so he could move not at all, and wrapped in grave clothes so that he took our death. He became wrapped so that we might be set free and unwrapped from our sin. And our slavery to death and the grave. This is the gift that isaiah gives a hint about. Are you ready to hear the hint? Because in the book of Isaiah chapter 9 god told isaiah he gave him a prophecy that a son would be given unto us. And i believe as we look at this today we can agree. And we can recognize that jesus christ is indeed the son that was given. How can we know His will? As we look at the text today, the first seven verses of Isaiah chapter 9 i believe that we’ll find three reasons why jesus is the promised son of god. So let’s look at the text chapter nine of the book of isaiah and we’ll read the first seven verses. But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish in the former time he brought into contempt the land of zebulon and the land of neftali. But in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the jordan, galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation. You have increased its joy. They rejoice before you. As with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil for the yoke of his burden and the staff for his shoulder the rod of his oppressor. You have broken as on the day of midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us, a child is born to us. A son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful counselor. Mighty god everlasting father, prince of peace, of the increase of his government and of peace. There will be no end on the throne of david and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness. From this time forth and forevermore, the zeal of the lord of hosts will do this. This is god’s word. We’re looking for three reasons that jesus is the promised son of god hear is the first Jesus is the revealing light of god, jesus is the revealing light of god. Look at the first two verses you’ll see that there will be no gloom for her. Who was in anguish, gloom. What’s gloom will gloom is darkness. Gloom is not only physical darkness, but you could view it as a kind of spiritual depression or discouragement. So it’s a word that has a dual use, and then we see that there is a light coming. Notice this in verse one. It says that she was in anguish. She was in gloom. But there’s a latter time that’s coming time later than Isaiah when her way would be made gloriously and then verse two. It says the people who used to walk in darkness have what seen a great light. Those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness formerly on them, a light has shone. So circle those words in there light, light light. There’s a light coming. That’s the first hint that god gave isaiah. He said. Look, i want you to look up in the northern region because isaiah is the last prophet, really? Who’s preaching to both the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. The northern kingdom was called israel. The southern kingdom was called judah. And so israel this the northern kingdom is about to fall. It falls to a country called asyria in seven twenty two bc when samaria, the capital of israel, was conquered. And so this land of zebulon, this land of naftali, the place where the sea of galilee that location was overrun by the assyrians. And so it put them what into gloom? But he says that’s getting ready to happen, like in the immediate. And it did happen during isaiah’s time. So there’s an immediate fulfillment, and this is true of a lot of prophecy. Sidebar. Just for a second. A lot of the prophecies in the old testament have an immediate and ongoing and an ultimate fulfillment. Okay, so that’s true of these seven verses, there was immediate fulfillment that there’s going to be darkness and gloom coming your way. But don’t get discouraged because the light is about to come. Now that light is not a lot. It’s not the sun coming up. But it’s the s o s. Oh, in arriving for the son, jesus comes and where does he come? He comes to the land of galilee and he comes to that place. And what does light represent? It represents revelation that something has shown that people who are spiritually blind are brought into the light, and so that he reveals god to them. And i want to show you this map to give you just a little else. This is the road called the way of the sea that’s latin for way of the sea. The romans took a road that ran from egypt all the way up to syria. But as it came up along the mediterranean sea, it cutover and filed along the sea of galilee and ran through this strategic place. This little fishing town called Capernaem. now jesus, who was born in bethlehem but raised in nazareth. He moved to Capernaum when he began his public ministry because it was so strategic that god said seven hundred years before he was born that that’s where his ministry would begin. A great light has appeared where? On the glorious way of the sea on the Via Maris. That’s what he says. Where beyond the jordan, in galilee, of the nations. Of what? The nations. The greek word is ethnos. That’s the non jews. So that’s the gentiles. And that whole area had been overrun for centuries since isaiah, so that when jesus goes there and he encounters the demoniac, the demoniac comes to him as he is on the east coast of galilee. All of those lands are gentile, and he drives out the demons from the demoniac, whose name was legion and they begged, jesus, don’t just drive us out. Drive us into the pigs . Well, jews don’t raise pigs. There were gentiles on the lands of galilee, right? And so here he is, galilee of the nation’s preaching to jews and gentiles verses one and two are fulfilled by jesus the great light during that time. So that’s a present. So the first part that there would be gloom that happened during isaiah’s time. The great light came during jesus time. He’s the great light. Matthew talks about this, matthew says in chapter four. This is one of christ’s twelve disciples. Matthew, who writes this account, he says now, when he heard that john the baptist had been arrested, he (Jesus) withdrew into galilee. In other words, he got away from jerusalem because it wasn’t yet time for him to go to the cross. And he went to galilee. And it says and lived in Capernaum, by the sea, in the territory of zebulon and naftali. So that what was spoken by the prophet as they might be fulfilled. And then he quotes Isaiah 9 versus 1 and two do you see it? Matthew’s very concerned about making sure that we know that jesus is the messiah. Okay, the word messiah. It’s a hebrew word that means the anointed one, the old testament. You know this, right? The old testament written in hebrew originally right and in the new testament is written in greek and so when the greek people when they were writing and they saw the word messiah or they were talking about the word messiah they didn’t write down a hebrew word they wrote down a greek word Christus and we translate that into english and we get the word christ the word messiah it’s the same word means anointed one. It’s the one who was promised this light of god that was to come. And here he is. Now, listen, i said earlier there never was a time when the sun was not what i want you to get out of this. It’s that baby that was in that cradle that was the eternal god who so limited himself, the omnipotent one, all powerful, the omniscient one all knowing the omnipresent one everywhere, at once no place that he is not lowered himself and limited himself so that he was wrapped in human flesh. And if that weren’t enough, he became an infant, dependent upon a woman and a man to take care of him and knowing that he was put in swaddling clothes, which for years and centuries that’s what we’ve done with babies. They just feel better if they don’t have their limbs all out like this. You pick up a baby there’s the startle reflex. But if you have him all wrapped, you can pick him up and it doesn’t scare him. It feels like they’re still in the womb. So swaddling up until the nineteen fifties, was the way to go. And then some doctor in the nineteen fifties told americans that you shouldn’t do that anymore. But i’ve noticed swaddling is kind of making a come back anyway. But this sermon is not about swaddling. I’m sorry about that. Chased that rabbit too far . But he was swaddled. In other words, the god of the universe can’t move his arms and his legs. He’s wrapped. You know that he allows himself to be wrapped to the point where he’s limited on the cross. So he can’t move. He can’t even move on the cross. And then he’s limited by the grave clothes so that he takes our death. Who is this? This one who has always been the alpha and the omega. The logo, the life and the light. Look at John chapter 1 in the beginning was the word. That’s the word logos in the greek. I can say it. Another way to help us understand in the beginning was the christ in the beginning was the messiah in the beginning was the word. This is who we’re talking about. The second person of the godhead in the beginning was the word and the word was with god. And the word was god, this is a paradox. This is accepted by faith, but without full understanding . Because it just makes sense to me that god would be beyond my understanding. Only this is revealed to us that he is a trinitarian god, three persons in one father, son and holy spirit. But here we’re talking about the Son who god here is revealing to john. He writes this gospel, and he uses this familiar language from Genesis 1:1. In the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth. Except here, he says. In the beginning was the word was the Logos, where we get the word logic, it’s this word that it’s the creator of all things. In fact, it says, in verse three. All things were made through him, so he’s the creator and nothing was made that was made, so he made everything without him. Nothing was made in him. The life was the light of men. There’s that word light and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend him. What is that referring to that the jewish nation as a whole rejected him. He had been prophesied. Hints had been given for centuries. But john, as he writes his gospel, said the light came up but people didn’t comprehend it. the true light gives light to every man coming into the world. He’s the true light. And then he says, and the word became flesh. This is the birth of christ and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth and then at verse eighteen. John writes this wonderful statement says no one’s seen god at any time. The only begotten son who is in the bosom of the father he has declared him. You want to see god? You want to see god. Look at jesus. You want to see god? Look at jesus. You want to you want to know god read the gospels that speak of jesus. Jesus is the light of god. He’s the revelation of god. He has declared him no one has seen god at any time. The only begotten son who is in the bosom of the father he has declared him. And then we hear that jesus says in John chapter 8:1 of the one of the seven I am statements that he makes he says. I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life. He’s the light. You want to know god, you must know jesus, he’s the gift, the long awaited and we’re looking at it from this side right now we’re looking at it like isaiah did, like he didn’t have all the details. But he’s looking and he knows where it’s going to start. Hey, i know where the messiah is going to show up. He’s going to show up around that sea of galilee on that way of the sea, the Via Maris, and it’s going to be glorious, like the sun came up a couple of songs popped in my head as i was preparing this week. You know, i don’t know if you know this, but as i’m preparing and studying, i kind of start preaching to myself. It’s odd, like if one of you walked in the room, it would be probably weird for both of us. My wife sometimes walks into the room and g, just turns around, walks out like i thought, you’re asking for something, but no. You were in here preaching, ok? So sometimes i’ll start crying sometimes i’ll get happy and have to run a little bit. Sometimes i’ll start singing and this week I was singing turn your eyes upon jesus look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. Then i thought of one by tennessee. ford. I started off wrong, but whoever wrote this one of those country guys.. I saw the light. I saw the light. Who was that? Hank williams sr. Yeah, i saw the light. No more darkness no more night now i’m so happy. No sorrow in sight. Praise the lord. I saw the light there’s people around the sea of galilee. They got the hint. They opened the gift. They saw the light. How about you? You want to know what god is like? Look at jesus. You want to know god personally to be in a relationship with god? Look at jesus, open the gift here’s number two. Here’s the second reason that jesus is the promise son of god, jesus is the joy of the lord. He is the joy of the lord expressed. Look at verses three through five we are preaching through these seven verses. You have multiplied the nation. You have increased its joy and they rejoice. Look at these words. Joy, rejoice ! Joy at the harvest. Glad when they divide the spoil. Do you see these words? There’s coming a time he say in this, too, to israel, which is about to lose everything he’s saying. Hey, but you know it is going to be hard for time? But joy comes in the morning, joy is coming. It’s coming and it’s not a thing. It’s a person, it’s the Messiah. It’s the christ. It’s jesus. He is the joy of the lord. And when he comes, it will be like joy at the harvest. Do you see the simile there? Says before you, as with joy at the harvest, in other words, would be like thanksgiving. It’ll be like when the crops came in and you had extra food and people over be that kind of joy. It’ll be, as they were glad when they divide the spoil. It’ll be like a victory party when your football team won the game and you get the winnings . It’ll be that kind of joy. And then he describes why it’s going to be so exciting, he says. For the yoke, the staff, the rod of the oppressor will be broken. Now. Here, listen. Remember i told you that prophecy has a meaning that meant something, isaiah. It has an ongoing meaning for us today. And then it has a fulfillment. This part has not been completely fulfilled. Now. When he came when jesus came, he brought joy and he set us free from the rod and the yoke. He set us free of the rod and yoke of slavery to sin and to that which sin brings, which is the wages of sin, which is death. Right. So jesus has come unto me. Unto the weary and heavy laden and i will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. In other words, get rid of the one you’ve been carrying because it is wearing blisters on your shoulders take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Why is that? Because he already carried the heavy part. But then there’s this ultimate because i want to ask you a question. Is there still war on planet earth? There is, isn’t there? So we get christmas cards. You going to send christmas cards? I’m sending out christmas cards. They say things like joy and peace, and this is a description of peace because verse five says, for every boot and every garment will be burned as fuel for the fire, the boot and the garment of the warrior will be burned because they won’t need tools for war implements for war anymore and go study war no more. I’m singing again, and so there’s coming a time when there will be no terrorism, there will be no war, he said. It’ll all be broken. As it was in the day of midian. The medianites were attacking in that same land, that northern area and they would come in at the time of harvest riding camels . And they’d wait till the time of harvest and come through like a horde of locusts like a cloud of locusts and they would eat up everything. Israel had planned it, and then they’d leave and come back the next year. And so god tapped this fellow on the shoulder named Gideon. It was the time of harvest. And he was threshing the wheat. And you’re supposed to thresh the wheat upon the mountaintop where the wind blows because it will drive the chaff away. the wheat is heavier than the chaff and it’ll fall here. Blow it away. But he was afraid that the mediannites would get it. So he got down at the bottom of the hill and he was hiding down there threshing the wheat and the chaff fell over him, you know, because there’s no wind blowing. And the angel of the lord appeared to him and he said, oh, mighty warrior of god and Gideon said, huh?, looking around. That’s the day of Midian because he was called gideon. He called him El Gibbor. I’ll tell you more about that in a little bit. El Gibbor is hebrew for mighty warrior or hero of god and he took gideon and he said, Gideon i want you. And he got him down to three hundred men. He took three hundred men, he said, i want you to attack the midianites. But i don’t want you to do it the way i think you would want to do it. I want you to do this. I want you to blow trumpets, stick torches inside of jars, break the jars and and go running into the camp saying, you know, victory for the lord and for Gideon. And that’s how they won the battle. Now that is a weird way to win. And he says it’ll be victory like that like we didn’t do anything. But god did it all. It’ll be like that. It’ll be victory like the day of gideon. And there will be a day when there that we will study war no more. Isaiah, he got a lot of hints, people. God gave him a lot of hints about the messiah. A lot of prophecies. He shall judge who is the messiah. The messiah shall judge between the nations and rebuke many people. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore. Has that happened yet? No, but it’s going to so there’s a future fulfillment yet to come. His first coming, he brought peace between us and god that believe in him that open the gift. But there is a day coming when he will come again and he will bring peace on earth completely. There’ll be no more war. You see, true joy comes from abiding in christ. There’s only one way to get this kind of joy that we all seek happiness, don’t we? Doesn’t the mother of this day and time say to the child, honey, i just want you to be happy. I don’t care what you do what you become. I just want you to be happy. And that seems like the right thing to say, doesn’t it? Like that’s the highest goal of humanity. Happiness. Don’t you want to be happy? We sang some happy songs today, but are they happy? You know the word happy if you consider it is based on something favourable happening. Did you know that? Just look at that word for a second. If you want to be happy, you need something favourable to happen to make you happy. In other words, you need an external circumstance to take place in order to make you feel favorably happy. Happiness is based on a favorable happening, but joy comes from jesus. Happiness is like a roller coaster ride. some of you came in like that you came in on the roller coaster i don’t know if you’re at the bottom or at the top i don’t know if you’re down today or up. At the end of the first service someone came up to me and said you know i love the lord christmas it’s a beautiful time it’s my first christmas without my daddy. she said he died two weeks ago. He was ready but she’d gone through it and she was telling me now right after the first service, you know, because that’s how she was feeling after she heard about this joy of the lord, and i looked at her and i saw on her face that she has the joy of the lord. But it’s going to be her first christmas without her daddy. That’s the circumstance. It’s her first christmas. Her mother passed away some time ago, she said, we’re going to try to obey what our parents told us to keep getting together at christmas. It’s hard, though; you know, once mom and dad aren’t there anymore. It’s a little harder to convene the christmas meeting, isn’t it? They had the power to do it, but her mother and dad asked her to keep doing it. And i said, well, i’ll pray for you that you can obey your parents wishes it makes it sweeter. Here’s the thing i would like for you to know that joy and peace go together and that joy is in the Lord. look what it says in John chapter 15. I am the vine. You are the branches. This is jesus speaking whoever abides in me and i in him. He it is that bears much fruit for apart from me, you can do nothing. These things i have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full or joy come from abiding in christ. He’s divine. I’m the branch. He’s divine. You’re the branch. If you believe in him, how do you keep the joy? It’s not based on circumstances. It’s based on whether or not you’re connected. Because if the branch is connected to the good stuff, the life of the vine flows from the vine to the branch and the branch bears the fruit of joy. And so then paul writes in galatians, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Joy is the second seed in the fruit of the spirit. Love, joy, peace. How do you get it? Through Jesus; you must open the gift and it gives you strength. Nehemiah says do not be grieved. For the joy of the lord is your strength. You go through hard times. You go through your first christmas without that person and you go through it with joy, not faking it, not faking it until you make it. No, i’m not talking about effort. I’m talking about hanging on to jesus abiding in christ so that his joy flows to you and through you to others. Joy and peace go hand in hand. Paul gives us this benediction: May the god of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing so that by the power of the holy spirit you may abound and hope joy and peace go together. Do you have the joy and peace of christ? When the unborn john the baptist was in his mother, elizabeth, when he was in her womb. She was about, i guess, three months alone. And mary has just found out that the holy spirit has overshadowed her. That angel gabriel has talked to Mary and said, the holy spirit’s going overshadow you. And you’re going to be with child. And he’s going to be the messiah, the christ, the son of god. And here’s a sign to use so that you’ll know it’s true, elizabeth, your relative who’s too old to have a baby. She had been barren. She never had a baby. She gonna have a baby and she hasn’t told anybody yet. Go see; so she goes. Elizabeth, she’s about three months along and Mary just found out. And as she walks up, john the baptist is in the womb of elizabeth and he leaps for joy. The scripture says he leaps for joy and elizabeth, she comes out with a song. She’s saying something like, blessed are you among women. I don’t know the tune, but she sang this and blessed is the fruit of your womb. For as you approached, the baby within me leaped for joy, even just coming near the lord jesus. Your heart leaps. Do you know him? Do you? Know joy. Are you seeking after the wrappings of this world when you unwrap it and there’s no joy inside c s lewis says that joy is the serious business of heaven. I like that. Heaven works in joy. It’s big. It’s serious. Then when we say we’re serious about something going, i’m serious now. Seriously, tell us some serious stuff here like that. But when we start thinking about heaven that we think bliss don’t we think joy? And here comes the son of god from heaven. The bread of heaven. He was so full of joy that the book hebrews writes that for the joy he endured the cross despising its shame for the joy he went to the cross. What gave him strength? It was joy that’s available to you. The unconquerable joy of christ. Do you know him? Have you unpacked the gift? Here is the third reason jesus is the greatest gift of god. Verses six and seven. Now he’s the greatest gift of god. Look at verse six for unto us a child is born to us. A son is given circle. The word given he is given, he gave him to us to do with as we would. He gave them to mankind. What do we do, we crucified him. We killed him. So what we did because we’re sinners. We don’t know what to do with a good gift. But today you have a choice. What will you do with the son that was given? Says he will be given. He told Isaiah 700 before years centuries before he was born he said the Son is coming he will be given and when he comes the whole kingdom will be on his shoulders and he will have this four part title his name shall be wonderful counselor you want good counsel stop following the world’s council get jesus he’s the best counselor his council is wonderful he’s the mighty god remember i told you to hang on to that word El Gibbor told gideon El Gibbor we’re going to use you to overthrow the Midianites mighty god is El Gibbor El means god you see any word that has this it means god the lord is god so El and Gibbor means hero champion so he’s the mighty champion you need a hero you need something to live for you need a hero call on jesus. He’s a mighty god everlasting father. He’s one with god. He’s everlasting prince of peace. You want peace in your life. You want peace with god. Call on jesus. He’s the peace bringer and the peacekeeper Verse seven says he will sit on the throne of david. In other words, you can’t sit on the throne of david unless you are from the tribe of david. You’ve got to be genetically from the tribe of david. This has been the promise for centuries upon centuries. And so he was born to the tribe of david. And so we see it here. As we look at these prophecies, i want you to just think about how many prophecies; there’s three hundred of them out here. I want to ask you a question. Did you get to pick your parents like god? Can i pick my own parents? happened you don’t get to pick your parents. Did you get to pick what city you were born in? I don’t think you get to pick that either. I think that was up to somebody other than you. You just got born. You probably remember that. So here’s jesus. It’s prophesied whose family He is going to be born to what city he’s going to be born in. You go over here to genesis. You see the very first prophecy. It’s Genesis 3:15, which says i will put enmity between you and the woman in between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. Actually, i like the other translation. You shall crush his head and he shall bruise your heel. This is god speaking to the serpent who had tempted adam and eve. And he says there’s one coming who will be the seed of the woman. By the way, women don’t have a seed. They don’t have a seed. The man has the seed. Right? So what? Everybody knows that. So what they’re thinking is this is the virgin birth already described. This is already the gospel coming at you from chapter three of genesis. And then isaiah gets it again in Isaiah 7:14. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shalt call his name emmanuel, which means god with us. So the virgin birth was prophesied centuries and centuries ago. It was prophesied to adam and eve and then prophesied again to Isaiah. Matthew in chapter one says behold, an angel of the lord appeared to him speaking of joseph in a dream saying, joseph, son of david, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife for that which is conceived in her is the holy spirit. She will bring forth a son his name shall be called jesus for he will save his people from their sins. So this was all done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the lord through the prophet isaiah saying and then Matthew quotes isaiah. Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son and shall call his name emmanuel. You see the care that matthew has for connecting us to the hints of the old testament so that we know that jesus is indeed the promised Son of god In Micah chapter five, Micah, the prophet, gets this prophecy.You o bethlehem Ephrathah,you are too little to be among the clans of judah. From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in israel whose coming forth is from old from ancient days. So he’s gonna be born in bethlehem. Which is why, in the book of Luke chapter 2 we see that god had to tap the shoulder of caesar and say, i need you to call a census because my son’s about to be born and I have picked joseph and mary to have him. They live in nazareth. I need you to get them to bethlehem. Think about that. So we read in luke in those days a decree went out from caesar augustus that all the world should be registered and all went to be registered each to his own town. You had together the town of your lineage, and joseph also went up from galilee, from town of nazareth to judea to the city of david, which is called bethlehem because he was of the house and lineage of david to be registered with. Mary his betrothed who was with child. And while they were there, she gave birth. And so if you read the book of matthew, you get joseph’s lineage. So he has legal right to the throne. If you read the book of luke, you get Mary’s lineage so that he has genetic or biological physical right to the throne. Both of mary and joseph had to go to bethlehem to obey caesar . But more than that, caesar had to send him the best for him to obey god. He is the promised one. And so we hear him say to a man named nicodemus. He said, god so loved the world that he gave. He gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. This is the greatest gift ever given. He is the greatest gift ever given. He fulfills. It’s a mathematical impossibility that any one person could have fulfilled all three hundred of these, but he’s fulfilled them all. Christ, jesus, he’s the greatest gift of god. Now remember my earlier question. Have you unpacked the gift? Have you unwrapped the gift? It’s got your name on it. He’s given unto us. He told isaiah within the angels at the day of his birth. Told the shepherds he’s given unto you. To you. To you. He’s given to you. Have you received him? Have you opened the gift? It’s not really yours . It’s got your name on it. It’s not yours until you unwrap it. I’ve done my best to unwrap it today so that you would see him for who He is. He is the light. He is the joy. He is the greatest gift. Let’s pray. Lord, thank you for jesus. Thank you. As we unwrap christmas of all of the toys and gifts and lights and celebrations of all joyful things. Fun things as we unwrap it of that. And then we unwrap it of all the misunderstandings, as we hear from your word, this is the son of god given to us. This is the savior. Lord. I pray now that people in the room that came in invited or whatever reason they showed up today if that’s you, my friend, i pray right in your seat that you would hear the voice of jesus calling to you. He says, come, come unto me. You that are weary and heavy laden and i will give you rest. I’ll give you light. I’ll introduce you to the father. I’ll give you joy that never ceases. I’ll be the gift that changes your life. Would you receive him right now? You can do that in prayer. Pray with me. Dear lord jesus, i’m a sinner. I have not lived up to your righteousness. But i believe now in jesus that he died on the cross for my sins that he was raised from the grave that he lives today. Lord jesus come and live in me. I want to be a child of god. I want you to be my savior. And lord lord, save me now if you’ve prayed that prayer thank him right where you are. Thank you, lord, because if you pray by faith believing the bible says you will be safe. So thank you. Say thank you, lord, for this gift of jesus and others are here today we know christ is our saviour and lord. But may we be reminded during this season to pull off the wrapping lord put it in our hearts to tell everybody about this greatest gift. The gift of jesus in jesus name, we pray. Amen.