(This is a reprinted from my article in the Oak Lake Town Newsletter….they printed the entire article!)
Thanks be to God for His Indescribable Gift
When you think of Christmas…. what comes to your mind? Santa, Christmas trees and beautiful lights, frosty the Snowman, yuletide carols, a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, mistletoe and holly, lots of toys and goodies? Or perhaps you don’t like Christmas because of some bad memories of what occurred during past Christmas seasons.Or possibly, like Scrooge, you don’t like it at all. Whatever comes to your mind at this season, one thing is certain: gift-giving is part of it. It’s often said, “The spirit of Christmas is all about the spirit of giving.” But, unfortunately, countless people will celebrate giving in this holiday season, but never come to know and receive the greatest gift. What is that ? The Bible calls Jesus and what He came to do: the “Indescribable gift”. Why?
Think about the Uniqueness of Jesus Christ
The Uniqueness of His Coming
Hundreds of prophecies in minute detail were fulfilled when Jesus Christ came to this world…His lineage, nature, place of birth, where He would be raised, the specific manor and nature of His death, His resurrection, and many other fulfilled prophecies. All of these prophecies were made hundreds of years before His birth.In his book, Science Speaks, Peter Stoner applies the science of probability to just 8 prophecies regarding Christ.
He says, “The chance that any one man might have fulfilled all eight prophecies is one in 10 to the 17th.That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000″ (One hundred quadrillion). Stoner suggests that “we take one hundred quadrillion silver dollars (or toonies) and lay them on the face of Manitoba (261,000 square miles or 676,000km). They will cover all of the Province 2 feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly. Then blindfold a man and tell him he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up that one marked silver dollar. What chance would he have of getting the right one?” Stoner concludes, “Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing those eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man”!
The Uniqueness of His Birth
His birth was the most unique birth in all of human history. There is nothing even close to the narrative of the birth of Jesus Christ in any literature or culture. By the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, God Himself took up residency in a virgin’s womb in embryonic form so that after a natural nine-month pregnancy, she gave birth to a son who was also God’s Son. He was called “Emanuel”, which means “God with us”.
The Uniqueness of His Person
Jesus consistently affirmed that He was God, not simply a representation or god-like man but fully and completely God. He is the creator Himself. That’s why John wrote “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:1). The apostle Paul also affirms in Colossians 1:16, “…by Jesus all things were created… by Him and for Him…” This is the one Whose birthday Christians celebrate!
The Uniqueness of His Life
His life is unparalleled in beauty, scope, character, and effect. No one ever spoke like Jesus Christ, did the things He did, or made the claims He made. He claimed that He alone is the way to heaven. He called Himself “the truth, the Life…” (John 14:6). Likening Himself to a gate for the sheep, He said, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep… whoever enters through Me will be saved” (John 10). He didn’t come to simply show the way to God, eternal and abundant life. He called Himself, “the Way”!
The Uniqueness of His Death
His death is unique not only because it was prophesied long before it happened, but because of WHY He died. Before Jesus died, He called Himself the “good Shepherd” that was going to “lay down His life for the sheep.” The purpose for which Jesus came was “to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The apostle Paul wrote: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).
The Uniqueness of His resurrection from the dead
Other religious and philosophical leaders have come and gone, risen and fallen. But none have literally, visibly, bodily risen from the dead. Abraham the father of Judaism, died almost 4,000 years ago. His grave is still reverently cared for at Hebron. In India thousands visit Buddha’s tomb. Mohammed’s dust lies in Medina, and his tomb is visited by millions annually. When a Muslim who became a Christian in Africa was asked by his friends, why he had done so, he responded: ‘Well, it’s like this. Suppose you were going down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions, and you didn’t know which way to go, and there at the fork in the road were two men, one dead and one alive—which one would you ask which way to go?’“
So, what makes Christ’s person unique?
- He was born miraculously: conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary
- In Christ’s life and ministry, He demonstrated Himself as –the God-man, full of grace and truth.
- He also declared His purpose—to die for our sin.
- He bore our sin in His sinless body–He died as our substitute, and took our judgment.
- By His resurrection from the dead, God proved the value of His Son’s death and the sinlessness of His Person.
This is more than a cutesy, sentimental religious story. This is what the Bible calls the “Good News”, the gospel. But, the uniqueness of Jesus Christ presents evidence, as Josh McDowell has so well written, “that demands a verdict.”
When you present a gift to a loved-one, you expect a response. Nothing is more disappointing than going to great lengths to buy a special gift for someone you love, and have them reject it. God Himself went to the ultimate length because He loves us with such a love that He gave His only Son to be our Saviour. But as He holds out the great gift of eternal life through the Saviour, He longs for a response that willingly, gladly and with deep appreciation receives that gift.
To have to pay for a gift is an insult… to the giver and the recipient. That’s why Paul the Apostle wrote: “For it is by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
In this season… and any season… the Bible declares: “But, to as many as received Him, God gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” ( John 1:12).
Have you received THIS gift? Receiving the Indescribable Gift of Jesus is far greater than any temporary good feeling we get when we celebrate a festive holiday, or receive a gift that will one day break or fade, or grow obsolete.
No wonder the scripture declares, Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15)!
