The Extraordinary Gifts of Christmas – The Gift of Promise
The gift of promise with God comes through Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. Mark shares the story of Simeon, who was waiting to see the promise.
Good Gifts
As a father, this Christmas, and every Christmas, I want to give good gifts to my kids. Ones that are meaningful, beneficial, and practical. I can relate to Jesus’ teaching about how God wants to give good gifts, just like we earthly fathers, He said;
You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So, if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.
Luke 11:11-13
How different would Christmas morning be if all the gifts under the tree were things that nobody asked for?
The Absolute Best Gift
I would never think of giving one of my kids a gift that is potentially hurtful, useless or totally different from what they asked for, and it’s no different with God when He gives, or we ask something of Him.
God, as our Heavenly Father, has prepared the absolute best gift for the entire world to receive, and it is clearly expressed in the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 16:
God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in His will not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
He does not want anyone to be cast away, He wants everyone to receive His perfect gift of salvation. His heart is to adopt those who believe, into His family, becoming His children and bestowing upon them a life of abundant spiritual blessing and an afterlife of heavenly union with Him.
Marvelous Gift of Promise
Let’s continue to look further at this marvelous gift of promise…
In part-1 of this series we looked at how God took some very less than ordinary people, a difficult circumstance and composed an extraordinary event. Today, we call this the “Christmas story;” when Jesus Christ came, born into the world as the promised Savior.
Since Adam and Eve committed the first sin, in the Garden of Eden, God had promised a Savior. God declared that through the woman a child would be born who would deal with the tempter, the Devil, who instigated the sin which corrupted humanity. This child would victoriously destroy him and reverse the damage caused by his evil.
This set God’s plan in motion to save the world from sin; as sin separates us from God. His strategy is to restore the broken relationship that humanities rebellion against Him has caused, and this child is the link to that restoration.
God Used Signs
Just like the shepherds in our last session, God used signs so we would recognize the Savior when he comes. Here are a few examples of prophecies from the Old Testament concerning His birth:
-He would be born from the Israelite tribe of Judah and be of the lineage of King David –therefore rightful heir to the throne.
-He would be born in the town of Bethlehem.
-He would be born of a virgin.
For thousands of years, the faithful believers of Israel looked for the Promised One, they called Him “the Messiah.” The prophet Isaiah wrote of His greatness;
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”.
Isaiah 9:6
Based upon prophetic scriptures like these, it was predicted that He would come to restore and save Israel. Many thought He would come as a great military power, with the purpose of taking the throne and destroying their enemies by the sword… blind to the fact that a greater battle needed to be won; the redemption of sinful souls.
A New Era in History
Sadly, many generations passed of those who had hoped and prayed to see Him in their lifetime.
In His time, God had appointed the beginning of a new era in history that was ripe for His appearing; unknown to humanity when that would be.
It was a wonderful surprise and a great privilege for that generation to have seen Him. The prophet Isaiah wrote of His coming about 700 years before His birth calling Him “Emmanuel – God with us.”
Simeon and the Promise
In Jerusalem there lived a man who was very fortunate and blessed by the Lord. God gave Him a very special gift; somehow, the Lord revealed to Him that he would not die till he had seen with his own eyes the Messiah. His name was Simeon – his name means “to hear.” God heard the desire of Simeon’s heart and gave him a unique gift – this promise.
In Luke’s gospel he is described as righteous and devout – he was a good man. Dependable and trustworthy. He was faithfully looking forward to the day of Israel’s salvation and peace. The Holy Spirit was upon him; he lived a spiritual life, walking in the Spirit.
Forty days after Jesus was born, Joseph, and Mary brought Him to the temple in Jerusalem, to perform a customary ceremony of purification – this was typical, on an ordinary day in the temple.
An Extraordinary Baby
But this was an extraordinary baby, who appeared ordinary to everyone else, except Simeon. He was led by the Spirit that day into the temple. Supernaturally, he recognized who Jesus was amid a crowd and probably other babies. What a surprise this must have been for Joseph and Mary! He took Jesus in his arms and looked upon the newborn face of his Savior. God had fulfilled His promise to Simeon. What an awesome gift! To see what so many generations had hoped for and never saw! Given a gift of spiritual revelation, to recognize the Messiah, this only being possible through the power of the Holy Spirit!
As he held Jesus in his arms he said;
Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!
Luke 2:29-32
Joseph and Mary marveled at these words spoken about Jesus.
God Fulfilled His Promise
We assume Simeon was old, and close to the time where he would die and pass on into eternity. He felt his life was now complete and he could leave this world in peace. God had fulfilled His promise to Simeon; his soul could rest.
He was content to simply know the Savior was in the world. By the time Jesus had grown, began His ministry; teaching, healing, Simeon would probably have been dead; having not seen Him die on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for the world’s sin. He would not have been a witness of the completion of His redemptive work for us. He would not have rejoiced in hearing of His resurrection from the grave; His victory over death. Nor seen the birth of the church; the fruit of Jesus work. Simeon’s faith had found its rest in the fact that in simply knowing Jesus had come into the world, the plan of salvation was as good as done.
Future Hope
Although Simeon saw Jesus when he was alive in the flesh, he also had the future hope of being with the Savior eternally.
In the Old Testament, Job was a man who knew that the Messiah would come after he died. But his faith rested in knowing that on a coming day he would see Him with his newly restored eyes and body, when all the believers of the Old Testament are resurrected.
Job said;
I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.I am overwhelmed at the thought!
Proverbs 9:25
Simeon continued talking as he held Jesus…
God had given him the insight to know, that this gift to the world, would be received by some but rejected by many. He said these words directly to Mary:
This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.
Luke 2:34
How sad. The gift of Jesus Christ to the world cost the Father so much. It was a great price paid with our best interests in mind. How could it be taken the wrong way?
The Risk of Giving
There is a risk to giving; the receiver might not consider its value. There is always the chance that there will be no consideration of the wholehearted intent behind it. There might not even be a “thank-you.” Unfortunately, we can be very selfish which leads to offending others.
God gave us the very best, even when we did not know what was best for us. He gave us something so good, but many see it as offensive as receiving a snake or a scorpion. Our sin blinds us to see God’s blessing. We stand on our pride which opposes God. God is offended when the gift of His Son is rejected.
Have you thanked God for Jesus?
It is my hope that, like Simeon, you will look upon Jesus, understanding the extravagance of this gift for you and know the peace of God that comes in receiving it!
In part-3 of this series, “The Gift of Reward,” we will see how Simeon was not alone in recognizing Jesus that extraordinary day in the temple, and how being in the right place at the right time is no mistake with God.
Are you enjoying the gift of promise? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Mark Hillis
Mark lives in the small rural village of Fenwick, Ontario with his wife Michelle and three boys.
He joined the FBH International team in February 2022, coming from the business world with a design and art background.
Mark is particularly interested in seeing people come to Christ and grow in their faith. He recently produced the series entitled: Sow to Grow.
Mark serves as an elder at Brockview Bible Chapel in St.Catharines , Ontario.
Visit Mark’s contributor’s page here.
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Images Courtesy of:
Winter Scene – ybernardi
Christmas Characters – guvo59
Simeon, Jesus & Mary – Lawrence OP
Candlelight –stefannyffenegger
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