"Searching for the 'Perfect Gift'" Luke 2:11

Introduction: Do you have all your shopping done yet?

But, God knows exactly what we need.

He gives us good and perfect gifts. Just to help us keep our spiritual perspective in these last days leading up to Christmas let us be reminded of some of God's gifts to us.

Ill: Our greatest need at Christmas

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.

I. The gift of the Savior- Luke 2:11 "Unto YOU"

If there ever was a gift where "everyboby needs one", "one size fits all", or "you can't do without it", this is it.

A. It was a promised gift-

Ge 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

B. It is a perfectly timed gift-

Ga 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

II. The gift of salvation

A personal relationship with the living God-

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ro 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

III. The gift of the Holy Spirit- John 14:16-18, 26

Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

A. An indwelling Person
B. An empowering Person
C. An educating Person

IV. The gifts of grace-

A. Giving-

2Co 8:19 And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind:
B. Serving-

Eph 3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

v.8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

V. What do you do with a gift?

I suppose every parent has had the experience of searching for some special gift for their child and then after all that effort seeing the child spend more time playing with the box the gift came in than the gift itself. The feeling you have at that time approximates the feeling God must have about some of His children with their attitude towards His gifts to us.

A. Thank God for it
B. Use it
C. Share it
D. Add to it

Conclusion: It was the week before Christmas. Parking spaces were hard to come by. There were long lines, crowded stores, rude people, and grossly inflated prices. In one long checkout line, one man was heard to say, "They should kill the guy who started Christmas." One wise and godly woman in the line said, "They did- they hung Him on a cross." Therein lies the REAL Christmas story.