Dive into the profound narrative of the first Christmas gift, exploring the timeless significance of Jesus Christ. This episode revives the childlike wonder of Christmas morning, reminding us of the joyous excitement and anticipation that should never fade. Journey with us as we reflect on the humility and divinity of Jesus’ birth, a gift not wrapped in grandeur but in simplicity, accessible to all.
Welcome to this weekend’s In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley. There are only a few shopping days left until Christmas. No doubt some of you are still frantically looking for that perfect gift for someone. Guess what? God beat you to it by about 2,000 years. Today’s podcast helps us appreciate the first Christmas gift.
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Do you remember when you were a little boy, a little girl, and that first Christmas, although at least the first Christmases that you remember pretty well, The thing that you were most excited about on Christmas morning is not what you were going to have for breakfast, but what about those gifts? Because you’d been rattling them all week and picking them up and looking at them and seeing what was, what had your name on it and what was the biggest package and what was the smallest and trying to figure out what it was. There was just an awesome thrill in your heart. You didn’t know what was going to happen. You just couldn’t wait to open it up to find out what was there. Well, let me ask you this. How long did it take you in your maturity to lose your sense of real joy, expectation, and a little bit of that mystique about Christmas morning? Or whenever it was, you need to go back and think about why you lost it. Because the truth is, you and I should never lose that little boy, little girl excitement about Christmas. Now, people have all kinds of different attitudes about Jesus and who He is, and sometimes He never gets out of the manger to some people. It’s always that baby Jesus. But you and I know that He wasn’t just a baby. He was far more than that. Who is He? He is God’s awesome gift to you and me, and everything good about us, and all the hope and assurance and confidence that we have in life. is wrapped up in the person of Jesus Christ. So, I want us to look at Him as a gift. And as I think the kind of gift He was, He certainly was a humble gift. Because think about this. He was one of parents who were not necessarily famous. They were just Joseph and Mary. And not only that, He was not very rich, I’m sure. And the fact that where Jesus was born says something about maybe how much they had or shall we say what they considered wealth or not wealth. But the truth is they couldn’t find any other place that particular night. So He’s born in this stable or in this cave. And the manger the Bible talks about, this cradle where Jesus was laid. And the environment was certainly not the environment of a king. And it was an environment of cattle and sheep and straw and all the things that we would not consider worthy of the Son of God. He was a humble gift. God in His wisdom chose to send Jesus not born like a king, but born as a king, but born in such a way that every single person on the face of this earth could identify with Him. The most awesome gift ever given was a very humble gift. A little Jewish boy born in a stable among cattle. When he grew up, here’s what he said about himself. He said, I came not to be served, but to serve. And so, where he was born fits who he was. Then, of course, when I think about the kind of gift He was, He was a heavenly gift because here’s what the Scripture says. The Scripture says that He said of Himself in the sixth chapter of John, He said, speaking of where He came from first, He says, For I’ve come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. Then He said in the thirty-third verse, For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world. Now, Jesus, somebody says, Well, when did Jesus begin? And somebody might say, Well, He began in Bethlehem. But He did not. Somebody says, Well, did He begin in Nazareth? No, He did not. Where did He begin? The Bible says He had no beginning. That is, He was always with the Father. In eternity past, Jesus Christ was seated at the Father’s right hand. And so, what did He do? God did the most awesome thing. He came to earth in the form of a natural-born baby. And think about those nine months when He was in the Mary’s womb. Was He conscious of all that? No, He was just a normal baby, but sinless. He was sent from God, the Father, as a little boy, being God at the same time, having laid aside His glory to be born into this world to walk among men in order to reveal to us Who the Father’s like. When you read the Old Testament, you learn a lot of things about God. It is when you and I come to the New Testament, we learn the intensity of God’s love, the personhood of God, how He desires us to have a personal, intimate relationship with Him. Things begin to take on a whole new perspective of our view of God. He says, He was a gift who came down from heaven. As the bread of heaven sent, so the Savior was sent from heaven. So, when somebody says, Well, where did He begin? He certainly did not begin on earth. He did not begin in Bethlehem. In eternity past, Jesus Christ has always existed because the Father and the Son and the Spirit, three Persons of the Trinity make up the Godhead, which is One. Then when you think about Him growing up and growing up in the manhood, what change took place? Well, He grew up as any young boy would grow up, but sinless. He grew up in the manhood. and no doubt became a carpenter. And he operated just like any other man, but sinless. He was special, absolutely awesome, the greatest gift God had ever given mankind. But you think about this, that those first thirty years of his life, no one saw any of that. He was just a carpenter from Nazareth. But God sent in that little boy, who grew up to be that man, the most awesome gift the world has ever known. And it was a heavenly gift because the Scripture says He came down from heaven. Now, it was a very needed gift. Why did He come? Did He just come out of some whim? No. God the Father sent Him because the world living in sin needed a Savior. And all of the Old Testament was testimony to the fact, all those sacrifices, testimony to the fact that God had something in mind for mankind. And that is that He desired to save them. And that was a foreshadowing of the coming of the Savior. And so, He came as a needed gift. Because the truth is, every single one of us, all of us have needed Him. Each one of us needs Him. Every person needs Him. And many people need Him who do not even believe that He is or that He exists or that they have any needs. It is sin within us that makes our need of the greatest gift God has ever given. He’s the only gift God has ever given. He’s the only person who has ever lived who could meet that need. Everybody else, no matter what our needs are, there are people out there who can meet our needs. Whether it’s a relationship need, a financial need, physical need, health need, you name it. The only person who can meet the sin need is Jesus Christ. He came into this world for the primary purpose of meeting that need. And when He was introduced, John the Baptist said, He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He came as God’s gift specifically for the primary purpose of of growing up in order to do what? To die on the cross and make it possible for you and me to live and to die without sin and to go to heaven when we die. No gift ever known. And mankind could match that. He was a very needed gift. Then, of course, as we said, He was a sacrificial gift. He said, for example, in the twentieth chapter of Matthew, He said, I didn’t come to be served. I came to serve and to give My life a ransom for many. That is, He was saying, I’m willing to die in the place of all mankind. Freely, he says, I lay down my life. No one takes my life from me. The Father sent him as this most awesome gift. And think about this. It was a sacrifice on the part of the Father, humanly speaking, that His Son would come to earth, live among men, reveal Him, but be treated the way He was treated. But it was all in God’s awesome plan. And if you ever think about the fact of whether God loves you or not, think about this. God loves you and me so much. In His infinite holiness and glory, He was willing to watch His only begotten Son lay down His life on the cross, be crucified, suffering the same pain that any person would suffer, only much added pain because He was dying with the weight of the burden of the sin of all mankind upon His shoulders, upon His life. And He died that awesome, horrible death. in order that you and I would not have to die in our sins.” He was a sacrificial gift. Then I think about what a perfect gift He was. And if you will notice at this season of the year when they’re advertising all kind of things, usually this is a jewelry ad that says, give her the perfect gift. Well, sir, I’m sorry, you can’t do that. There’s only been one perfect gift. And that is the person of Jesus Christ. Now, the gifts that you and I give may be perfectly fitted, they may perfectly suit somebody, but they’re not perfect. There’s only been one perfect gift, and that is a person, Jesus Christ. Now, Jesus could not have been imperfect and been who He was. Because if you read the Old Testament, for example, when you offered a sacrifice, the sacrifice, the Bible says, had to be without blemish. When the priest looked at it, couldn’t have any bad spots on it, no disease, anything. And one of the things the prophet Malachi got on the case of Israel about, they were bringing sick sheep that they couldn’t eat, they couldn’t sell, and offer them as sacrifices. Sacrifice had to be absolutely without blemish. Who could die for your sins and mine is the person of Jesus Christ for the simple reason, if we were to die for someone’s, we have sinned ourselves. Jesus had to be the perfect sinless gift of God in order that He could take upon Himself the sin of all mankind, the unblemished, perfect Son of God dying for your sin and my sin, a perfect gift. There’s no gift in all of life to match Him. Because He came for the purpose of transforming our life. And there’s no one else in all of life and no one else in all of history who could possibly do that. Unchanging, there’s not anything about Him that changes. The truth is He is today what He always was. He laid aside His glory for that brief moment of time in those early years in order to become the kind of person that you and I could relate to. God loves us just like Jesus loved the children. He takes time with us just like Jesus took time with them. That’s who He is. And there’s never been anyone who could take His place. There’s no one like Him. And yet, many people do not understand that you can have a personal, intimate relationship with Him far deeper, far greater, far more rewarding than any human relationship two people could possibly have. Somebody says, well, but what about husband and wife? Husbands and wives are both sinners. Husbands and wives make mistakes. Husbands and wives have limited knowledge and understanding of each other. But when it comes to Jesus, He is the perfect friend, perfect relationship. And think about this. He never has to ask us any questions to find out anything. We never have to worry about whether He’s going to change His attitude toward us or not. We never have to worry about whether He’s going to do what He said. In other words, here’s what He promised, but suppose I do this and suppose I do that. He never changes. Listen to this. Your sin can never change God’s attitude of love toward you no matter what. Will you suffer the consequences of your sin? Yes. Does that mean that God doesn’t love you? No, it does not. He is always the same, eternally the same, willing to save you, willing to forgive you, willing to cleanse you, willing to pick you up when you fall down, willing to forgive you when you make mistakes, willing to forgive you when you just act absolutely ungodly. If you’re willing to ask Him, He’ll restore you in the right relationship. Perfect relationship. He wants that relationship. There’s never been someone like Him because He’s God. Then I think about the fact that He’s a universal gift. God gave Him to all the world. The gospel of Jesus Christ is to be spread all around the world in every generation. He’s a universal gift. He said, listen, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. God is not prejudiced. He sees people who are sinful, who need His forgiveness. The offer of Jesus Christ is offered to everyone. And you know, when I think about how God made no mistakes and didn’t forget anything, how did He die? They could have stood Him up. against a wall and fired arrows into his chest and killed him. They could have thrown a javelin to kill him. They could have beheaded him. But look how he died. And I, if I’ll be lifted up, I will draw all men to me, he said. He died with his hands outstretched as if to say, all the world, I’ll take you in if you’ll come and place your trust and hope in me. And that’s exactly who He is. He’s this awesome, universal gift of God. But likewise, He is more than that. He’s a personal gift. And this is what makes Him so awesome to me. When I think about it, and you know, in my own life I can tell you, in any given common day of just doing the things that I do and things that you do, how often I see God just, it’s like He’s there. He took care of that when I didn’t know how to take care of it. He reminded me of this when I was about to forget. In other words, God is at work in your life and my life in so many ways. We just overlook Him. One of the things that I prize about having a personal relationship with Him is He is so personal and intimate and caring and loving. And the wonderful thing is that He never forgets. I forget. He doesn’t. He doesn’t forget you. Now, there have been times in all of our lives we’ve probably said, Lord, where are you? What’d He say? Right where I’ve always been. I know you probably didn’t hear that, but that’s the truth. He’s where He’s always been. Where? In your heart, loving you, giving you direction and guidance in your life, and showing you that this is not the right path, or that this is the path in life. He’s that kind of awesome, personal Savior and Lord and Master. We’re talking about a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom the Father sent in order that you could have that relationship. But you’ve got to want to. You’ve got to, listen, open your eyes and see His presence. You say, well, physically, no. Sometimes I think it’s far bigger than physical and far more evident than physical. God is not about to limit Himself physical because He’s infinite, immeasurable, and fathomless, indescribable. Do you hear me trying to come up with some more words? You can’t come up with enough words to describe this awesome Christ. And so, when people living in their sin want to criticize Him, I just think, dear Lord, I’m sorry they’re living in sin and having to live the kind of life they’re living. Then there’s the fact that He’s an eternal gift. One thing about Him, He’s always the same as we said. He’s always been here. He always will. And no matter how many trials and heartaches and difficulties we face, He’s there. Think about this. Never changes. Eternal. Eternally the same. And that is you and I are going to live in heaven with Him for all eternity. What a gift. Every other gift you’ve ever received will pass away sooner or later. This is one that will not because He is God’s gift to us to make life worth living and to make it the way He wants it to be. Then, of all the things, of course, He’s a love gift. It’s all about how much He loves us. Prophesied in the Old Testament that He was coming, and listen, God kept every single prophecy right in line. He moved kings, rulers, dictators, emperors. He changed nations. He moved people. He moved whole nations. He has kept His prophecies absolutely perfect. And a God who can keep all of those that perfect down through those centuries and even until today, You can bet your life He’s going to keep His Word through the last day. He’s a God of love. And let me just say this. All of us, no matter who we are and how hard we may try, we’re going to disappoint each other at some point. And we may be wrong in our accusation or wrong in our viewpoint or even right. We’re going to disappoint people. Let me assure you of something. There is no disappointment in Jesus. None. He’s always what He’s always been, and that is the one who loves you and desires to love you into life eternal. That’s His desire for you. And you know, if you’re willing to ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and tell Him that you believe that He went to the cross on your behalf, and you accept not this baby Jesus, but Jesus, the Son of God, as your personal Savior, all these things we’ve said, you’ll begin to realize in a whole new way, and you’ll begin to realize what eternal life’s all about. You can’t match it. You can’t beat it. Nothing ever has been, not ever will be, to match the person of Jesus Christ. And you and I have the awesome privilege of living for the rest of our lives and for all eternity with a personal, intimate relationship with this Jesus, who is the Son of God.
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Thank you for listening to The First Christmas Gift. We hope you will take time to celebrate Jesus Christ in the next few days and rejoice in the greatest gift ever given. For more inspirational messages like this one, visit our online 24-7 station. And if you’d like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
