This is the season for gift giving. Although, some seem to think it
is the season for gift getting. One little girl was confused abut that.
She asked, "Mom, is my Christmas list for things I am giving or for what
I want to get?" When we give gifts we usually try to match them up with
the recipient as to appropriateness, or desire, or need. We give in the
expectation and hope that our gifts will be enjoyed and valued. That was
God's desire and aim in giving Jesus Christ, His superlative gift. That
was also the desire of a little girl I want to tell you about. She really
wanted to give her Daddy a special Christmas present and nearly had her
heart broken in the process. Her Daddy saw her cutting the gold-foil wrapping
paper and ruining most of a roll. He saw her pulling long strands of tape
off only to have them stick to her more than the paper. He bawled her out
for wasting the expensive wrapping materials. This true story provides
an illustration of our Scripture text. John records the giving of God's
gift of Jesus Christ and the manner in which He was accepted. Let's look
to the text to see how God's greatest gift, Jesus Christ, was, and often
is, received. As the daddy misunderstood his daughter's gift, so:
PEOPLE MISUNDERSTOOD GOD'S
GIFT: V10:
They didn't know Him! Oh, they had an idea of who He was -- they knew He
was Jesus; they knew his family; they knew He was the son of the carpenter.
But the word for "know" in this text means "to perceive, to be resolved
or sure about, or to understand." The Jews didn't understand this One Who
walked among them and taught them and did miracles in their midst. They
accused Him of being demented, demonic and a blasphemer.
There are a great many misunderstandings about Jesus Christ
Some think He was merely a myth, an imaginary creation of somebody's imagination
like the tooth fairy or Sasquatch.
Some think He was formerly the Archangel Michael transformed into human
form.
Some think He was merely a prophet in a long succession of prophets.
Some think He was just a good man, a moral model, a prime example.
Some think He was a super star who lusted after all the women in His group.
Some think He was a religious zealot who got Himself martyred when things
got out of hand.
But John makes it abundantly clear that He is much more than any of those!
He is the Divine Creator Who put on flesh as a human baby and came to earth
Absolute Deity in Absolute Humanity as God's indescribable gift -- and
for the most part, people misunderstood.
As people misunderstood God's gift, so the little girl's Daddy didn't understand
what she was trying to do. He just saw her wasting paper. He saw her making
a mess with the tape. And he was angry. "Don't you know that paper and
tape cost money? Why are you making such a mess?" Never-the-less, she had
already wrapped the box the best she knew how, and she put it under the
tree. Daddy's negative reaction reminds me a lot of how Israel reacted
to Jesus.
PEOPLE REACTED NEGATIVELY TO
GOD'S GIFT: V11:
Sometimes we get gifts we find a little difficult to appreciate, and we
find the old wisdom, "it's the thought that counts" hard to swallow. We
are sometimes like the little boy who opened a package with great gusto
only to see a gaudy scarf he couldn't have cared less about. He said, with
a frown, "Oh, just what I never wanted!"
According to John, that's how Israel reacted to Jesus, God's gift. They
didn't receive Him. The word for "received" means "to take near to you,
to associate with someone in a familiar or intimate act or relationship."
They did not take Him near to them to associate with Him intimately. In
fact, their main reaction was to reject Him.
People today aren't much different.
Some are downright antagonistic toward Him. People world-wide are persecuted
for Jesus' sake by those hostile to the gospel.
Some are merely indifferent and couldn't care less about knowing Jesus.
They are apathetic and uncaring.
Some are afraid to know Him for fear He will change their lives in ways
they would find unpleasant and undesirable.
Some are planning to know Him sometime, in the dim, undefined future, but
can't take time for Him right now!
God has come to us in Jesus Christ. In Him all the fulness of deity dwelt
in bodily form. We must accept or reject Him, that's all He leaves open
to us. How we respond or react to Jesus Christ is how we treat God for
He is Emmanuel, God with us.
Because they misunderstood, people reacted negatively to God's gift. Not
understanding what his little girl was doing, Daddy reacted negatively
and even angrily to her package wrapping efforts. But she put it under
the tree anyway. On Christmas morning, she proudly presented that box to
her Daddy. He felt embarrassed that he had treated her so harshly when
she was wrapping the box and took great pains to open it with a look of
anticipation on his face. But that quickly faded as he discovered that
the box was empty! His anger flared up again as he said, "What is this?
Don't you know that when you give a present, there's supposed to be something
inside it?" And with that he set the box aside, nearly missing the greatest
blessing a little girl knew how to give a daddy. Some will do that with
God's gift, too -- but to their loss. Yet there are those who gladly welcome
Him to their gain.
PEOPLE WHO RECEIVE IT ARE BLESSED BY GOD'S GIFT: VV12-14:
There are many blessings associated with receiving Christ. In the text,
however, are these specifics:
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children
of God, even to those who believe in His name," John
1:12. The first blessing is this: The right to become Children
of God. The unsaved are His creatures, but those who receive Christ are
His children, bearing His likeness, filled with His spirit, members of
God's household and recipients of inheritance rights.
"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." John
1:14. The next
blessings are these:
Grace: undeserved, unearned, unmerited, benefit, favor, gift, liberality,
all freely bestowed upon us by a Loving Heavenly Father through His only
begotten Son! There is nothing harsh or forbidding in Jesus. He has treated
us with abundant kindness, giving us what we don't, and never could, deserve.
Truth: that which is credible, genuine, authentic, bona fide, candid, frank,
honest, sincere, guileless, uncamouflaged. There is nothing phony or misleading
or fraudulent in Jesus. He is the original Promise Keeper, the unchanging
Lord, the epitome of integrity and equity. He is the truth.
John lists three great blessings we receive in accepting His gift. But
it has always been God's kind intention to bless, benefit, and salvage
His people. God intends to bless all who receive His gift; Consider some
additional blessings:
Jeremiah recorded God's stated purpose for His people: "For I know the
plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not
for calamity to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah
29:11.
Peter said to the Jews, "For you first, God raised up His Servant, and
sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways." Acts
3:26.
Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came
that they might have life, and might have it abundantly." John
10:10.
You can't earn it; you can't merit it; you can't deserve it; you can't
buy it; you can't be good enough for it -- it is a gift and if you will
possess it, you must receive it.
The question for some is, "How do I receive this gift?" The New Testament
plan is plain, and we must not require more nor less than this:
Believe that Jesus Christ is God's only Begotten Son and put your trust
in Him.
Repent of sin by making a decision not to continue in it.
Confess your faith in Christ without shame.
Be baptized, that is, immersed, into Him for the forgiveness of sins and
the reception of the Holy Spirit.
Continue to live faithfully for Him as long as life may last.
God wanted, and wants to give His gift to all who will receive Him. The
little girl wanted to give, but Daddy had not understood her gift; he reacted
negatively to it when he saw that the box was empty; but the little girl
looked at him through tear dimmed eyes and said, "Oh, Daddy! It's not empty!
I blew kisses into the box -- all for you!" The smitten father took her
into his arms and hugged her close. "Oh!" he said, "Daddy is so sorry.
This is the best present I ever got in my whole life!" He kept that box
by his bed from then on so when he was feeling a little low, he could take
out a kiss and remember the love of a little girl who wanted to give her
best just for him. He found in this surprising gift the greatest expression
of love a little girl knew how to give. And when we understand who Jesus
is, and when we respond in faith to God's bequest, we can then realize
the significance, the importance, the uniqueness of His gift. Have you
received His gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ? Would you receive it
this morning? And would you be moved in love and faith to give something
back to Him? He doesn't seek for what you don't have -- but does ask that
you give Him your best, your heart, your life, your all! He gave, He gives,
and He will continue to give His best to you, will you receive it? As we
sing our hymn, "I am Thine, Oh Lord" will you make that your gift to Him?
Receive His greatest gift: Jesus Christ, and give your greatest gift: Yourself!
Story from unidentified source via Pastor's AutoIllustrator.