God’s Gifts Bring Provision

Luke 2:1-15

The story of the birth of Christ is probably the most famous story in the world. Celebrated as Christmas, this birthday marks the arrival of God in human flesh; bringing joy and peace on earth, and goodwill from God to man. As great as this story is, we sometimes miss the lengths to which God goes to provide hope and provision, not only to the world through the gift of Jesus, but even to Mary and Joseph in their hour of need.

The Magi, or Wise Men, that come to the birth of Jesus are a vital part of the story of Christ’s birth. Often misplaced at the manger, these men traveled the farthest to see the child, and were still on the road when the shepherds gathered around the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes. It wasn’t until nearly two years later that they arrived, bearing gifts from the Far East. Luke 2:11 confirms that when they found Jesus, He was “in the house”, not the manger and that He was a “child”, not a baby.

Upon arrival in Palestine, the Wise Men (who could have numbered more than the traditional 3), went to the palace of Herod to inquire as to where they might find the boy. Herod knew nothing of the arrival of Jesus, but is instantly driven to jealousy at the prospect of a Jewish king. At the instruction of the scribes, Herod sends them to Bethlehem. Isn’t it interesting that the scribes knew when and where the Messiah was supposed to be born, yet they refuse to believe that Jesus is the one?

The Wise Men give the family of Jesus three gifts, all which attest to a different aspect of Christ’s purpose on earth: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold speaks of the royalty of Christ, identifying Him as King of kings. Frankincense was used in the sacrificial offerings, and thus spoke of the divinity of Christ, seeing Him as God worth worshipping. Myrrh was the original antiseptic of the ancient world, often used to bring relief to people in pain and to embalm the dead. This spoke of Jesus’ sufferings which He would take for all mankind.

Joseph and Mary were considered poor, even for that time. We know this because Luke tells us that when Mary brought the baby Jesus into the temple to be dedicated, she brought turtledoves or pigeons as her sacrificial offering. Leviticus 12 allowed this for the poorest of God’s people, while the wealthiest were to bring a bullock. The gifts of the Magi must have seemed like a fortune (as they probably were) to these humble people in Bethlehem.

God had a greater purpose in the arrival of the Magi than to show forth the three-fold aspects of Christ. When Herod learned of Jesus’ birth, he ordered all of the baby boys age 2 and under “in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof” to be slaughtered (Matthew 2:16). Jesus and His family need to be out of there, now that the attack is on to kill Him. Before the arrival of the Magi, there would have been no funds available to make a long journey into Egypt to escape the sword of wrath, but now they have a surplus of funds, making it possible.

Notice that God is not responding to Satan’s attack; but rather Satan is responding to God’s Plan. The Magi began their journey a full two years before Satan even figured out that Jesus was on the earth. Once the enemy made a move on Jesus, it was too late, as God had given provision for the journey of protection. When you see Satan rear his head in your life, rejoice! If Satan is moving, it is because he has just learned of God’s provision and grace that is on its way. Hallelujah!

Wages and Gifts

Romans 6:23

There is a payment that is attached to a life of sin, but there is no payment attached to salvation. Sin works you, exhausts you and then leaves you empty. When the “work-week” of sin is finished, your paycheck is death. Salvation never pays you; for there is no work of your own that brings salvation or keeps it. For those in the church that wish to work for all they have, Paul said that their reward is not of grace but of debt (Romans 4:4).

To believe that you work for your blessings or work for your goodness is to think that God owes you for your lifestyle. This makes the Creator of heaven and earth a debtor; to you! This cannot be, for God owes none of us anything, especially considering the price that He paid for our redemption on the cross.

The paycheck of a life of sin (notice the text says “sin”, not “sins”) is spiritual death. Physical death is not our payment for sin, for even believers die a physical death, but separation from God for eternity is the doom of sin’s end. To live a life without Christ will tax and burden you and ultimately end with your demise. This fulfills the thief’s desire to “steal, kill and to destroy” (John 10:10).

For the saint, there is a gift attached to salvation that can never be earned; the gift of eternal life. If someone gives you a gift, it is yours with no strings attached. You are not expected to get your checkbook out and pay them back for the gift, for this takes away the beauty of it being a gift. How insulting would it be for you to give someone a gift at Christmas only to have them follow you around the rest of the day begging you to let them pay you back? You would take it as a personal affront to the spirit of your gift. Imagine the heart of God upon seeing so many Christians trying to pay God back for the wonderful gift of salvation.

How do we know if we are guilty of such actions? One easy way is to look at how you view the cross of Christ. When you see Jesus suffering and dying in your mind’s eye, do you think, “Oh my, He did all of that for me, the least that I could do is live for Him”? If this is your view, then there is a hint of payback in your Christianity. If you view the cross as “God did this to Jesus so He will never do it to me!” then you understand that salvation is a gift, never to be paid back.

God’s gifts are without repentance (Romans 11:29) meaning that God never takes a gift back once He gives it. If God has gifted you in life in a particular area, that gift will not be taken back because you don’t use it properly. He wants glory for your gift, but whether He receives it or not has nothing to do with your ability to use it. His gifts are given to never be returned. Open the gift, it is yours!

Righteousness is a gift, given by God so that we are viewed as holy in spite of our imperfections (Romans 5:17-19). If righteousness is a gift of God, and God cannot take His gifts back, are you made unrighteous by an unrighteous deed? Impossible! You are the righteousness of God in Christ. Waking up to this knowledge will kill sin in your life (1 Corinthians 15:34).

Don’t look for payment for your goodness today; for that means you receive payment for the bad as well. Instead, open the gift of righteousness and eternal life, knowing that you neither earn it nor deserve it. It makes the gift even better when it is so awesome that you could never have gone out and bought it for yourself.

God’s Gifts Bring Provision

Luke 2:1-15

The story of the birth of Christ is probably the most famous story in the world. Celebrated as Christmas, this birthday marks the arrival of God in human flesh; bringing joy and peace on earth, and goodwill from God to man. As great as this story is, we sometimes miss the lengths to which God goes to provide hope and provision, not only to the world through the gift of Jesus, but even to Mary and Joseph in their hour of need.

The Magi, or Wise Men, that come to the birth of Jesus are a vital part of the story of Christ’s birth. Often misplaced at the manger, these men traveled the farthest to see the child, and were still on the road when the shepherds gathered around the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes. It wasn’t until nearly two years later that they arrived, bearing gifts from the Far East. Luke 2:11 confirms that when they found Jesus, He was “in the house”, not the manger and that He was a “child”, not a baby.

Upon arrival in Palestine, the Wise Men (who could have numbered more than the traditional 3), went to the palace of Herod to inquire as to where they might find the boy. Herod knew nothing of the arrival of Jesus, but is instantly driven to jealousy at the prospect of a Jewish king. At the instruction of the scribes, Herod sends them to Bethlehem. Isn’t it interesting that the scribes knew when and where the Messiah was supposed to be born, yet they refuse to believe that Jesus is the one?

The Wise Men give the family of Jesus three gifts, all which attest to a different aspect of Christ’s purpose on earth: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold speaks of the royalty of Christ, identifying Him as King of kings. Frankincense was used in the sacrificial offerings, and thus spoke of the divinity of Christ, seeing Him as God worth worshipping. Myrrh was the original antiseptic of the ancient world, often used to bring relief to people in pain and to embalm the dead. This spoke of Jesus’ sufferings which He would take for all mankind.

Joseph and Mary were considered poor, even for that time. We know this because Luke tells us that when Mary brought the baby Jesus into the temple to be dedicated, she brought turtledoves or pigeons as her sacrificial offering. Leviticus 12 allowed this for the poorest of God’s people, while the wealthiest were to bring a bullock. The gifts of the Magi must have seemed like a fortune (as they probably were) to these humble people in Bethlehem.

God had a greater purpose in the arrival of the Magi than to show forth the three-fold aspects of Christ. When Herod learned of Jesus’ birth, he ordered all of the baby boys age 2 and under “in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof” to be slaughtered (Matthew 2:16). Jesus and His family need to be out of there, now that the attack is on to kill Him. Before the arrival of the Magi, there would have been no funds available to make a long journey into Egypt to escape the sword of wrath, but now they have a surplus of funds, making it possible.

Notice that God is not responding to Satan’s attack; but rather Satan is responding to God’s Plan. The Magi began their journey a full two years before Satan even figured out that Jesus was on the earth. Once the enemy made a move on Jesus, it was too late, as God had given provision for the journey of protection. When you see Satan rear his head in your life, rejoice! If Satan is moving, it is because he has just learned of God’s provision and grace that is on its way. Hallelujah!

Wages and Gifts

Romans 6:23

There is a payment that is attached to a life of sin, but there is no payment attached to salvation. Sin works you, exhausts you and then leaves you empty. When the “work-week” of sin is finished, your paycheck is death. Salvation never pays you; for there is no work of your own that brings salvation or keeps it. For those in the church that wish to work for all they have, Paul said that their reward is not of grace but of debt (Romans 4:4).

To believe that you work for your blessings or work for your goodness is to think that God owes you for your lifestyle. This makes the Creator of heaven and earth a debtor; to you! This cannot be, for God owes none of us anything, especially considering the price that He paid for our redemption on the cross.

The paycheck of a life of sin (notice the text says “sin”, not “sins”) is spiritual death. Physical death is not our payment for sin, for even believers die a physical death, but separation from God for eternity is the doom of sin’s end. To live a life without Christ will tax and burden you and ultimately end with your demise. This fulfills the thief’s desire to “steal, kill and to destroy” (John 10:10).

For the saint, there is a gift attached to salvation that can never be earned; the gift of eternal life. If someone gives you a gift, it is yours with no strings attached. You are not expected to get your checkbook out and pay them back for the gift, for this takes away the beauty of it being a gift. How insulting would it be for you to give someone a gift at Christmas only to have them follow you around the rest of the day begging you to let them pay you back? You would take it as a personal affront to the spirit of your gift. Imagine the heart of God upon seeing so many Christians trying to pay God back for the wonderful gift of salvation.

How do we know if we are guilty of such actions? One easy way is to look at how you view the cross of Christ. When you see Jesus suffering and dying in your mind’s eye, do you think, “Oh my, He did all of that for me, the least that I could do is live for Him”? If this is your view, then there is a hint of payback in your Christianity. If you view the cross as “God did this to Jesus so He will never do it to me!” then you understand that salvation is a gift, never to be paid back.

God’s gifts are without repentance (Romans 11:29) meaning that God never takes a gift back once He gives it. If God has gifted you in life in a particular area, that gift will not be taken back because you don’t use it properly. He wants glory for your gift, but whether He receives it or not has nothing to do with your ability to use it. His gifts are given to never be returned. Open the gift, it is yours!

Righteousness is a gift, given by God so that we are viewed as holy in spite of our imperfections (Romans 5:17-19). If righteousness is a gift of God, and God cannot take His gifts back, are you made unrighteous by an unrighteous deed? Impossible! You are the righteousness of God in Christ. Waking up to this knowledge will kill sin in your life (1 Corinthians 15:34).

Don’t look for payment for your goodness today; for that means you receive payment for the bad as well. Instead, open the gift of righteousness and eternal life, knowing that you neither earn it nor deserve it. It makes the gift even better when it is so awesome that you could never have gone out and bought it for yourself.