One of the most wide-spread
traditions we all have at Christmas is buying presents for others and keeping
them secret until just the right time. I buy gifts year-round in anticipation
of Christmas coming. When the time is right, I give them to the recipient and
they unwrap them to reveal what I have chosen for them. I always hope they will like what I gave
them.
God gave the greatest gift ever
given on that first Christmas when “God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.” Sometimes we take
that for granted. But our Messiah Redeemer was expected for many years before
the time was right for the plan of God to be revealed.
Many of us read the Christmas
story from Luke
2 that tells of the angels appearing to the shepherds and proclaiming the good
news of Jesus’ birth. Verse 15 says, “And it came to pass, as the angels were
gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now
go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the
Lord has made known unto us.”
This
“thing that had come to pass” wasn’t something the shepherds took lightly.
Watching and waiting for the Messiah was the focal point for every Jew. For
hundreds of years, all of Israel had been waiting for the promised Messiah,
longing for that day to arrive. The prophets during those times would receive
pieces of the puzzle of God’s mystery. God showed various aspects of the
Messiah to prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Hosea and others. There are
also many prophetic scriptures in the Psalms.
God
chose not to unwrap the whole mystery to the prophets, but gave pieces of
information, a little here and a little there. These pieces were to help
identify Him when He was revealed. But the puzzle still remained unfinished. It
remained a great mystery.
Numerous
prophecies were given down through the years. It was prophesied that the
Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, He would suffer and be pierced, He would be
born of a virgin, He would minister in Galilee, He would be preceded by a
forerunner, and that He would ultimately be rejected by His own people.
But, in
the fullness of time when God’s plan unfolded, it was breath-taking and
astounding! No one could have imagined that God Himself would come down from
heaven and live among us. No one would have ever thought that He would become a
human Baby, be born in a stable and be laid in a manger. Yet, “The Word became
flesh and dwelt among us; and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” God chose to reveal the
mystery of the ages through Jesus Christ. There is no glory like the glory of
Jesus! And yet He came to show us His glory and make His glory to shine through
all who would receive Him. John 1 tells us that to those who would receive Him,
He gave power to become the sons of God. His power, not ours.
He
spoke to Mary and Joseph through an angel, to the wise men by a star, to the
shepherds through a heavenly host saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on
earth, peace, good will to men!” He speaks to us today by His Spirit. He may
use a message, a song or His written Word to speak to us, but it is His Spirit
that reveals it to our soul. He will reveal Himself to you today, too, if you
seek after Him.
Many
think they are too young or too old or too unworthy. But as long as we live, we
are never too young or too old to surrender our lives to Jesus. And no matter
our status in this world, Jesus will reveal Himself to us personally if we seek
Him. Kings bowed before Him. Lowly shepherds did, too! He revealed Himself to
them both.
Now, we have the full revelation
of God’s plan for our salvation. So what are we going to do about it? We need
to be like the shepherds and go tell everyone so they can know Him too. The
shepherds wasted no time in making this gift known to others. They eagerly
received the message, acted on it and shared it. We have been given that same
gift, that same revelation of Jesus Christ. Have we received Him? Have we
passed on this gift to others?
It’s the best gift to give and receive.
“Now to Him who is able to establish
you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus
Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since
the world began but now made manifest, and by the
prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of
the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith - to God, alone
wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.” Romans
16:25-28
