‘Gift Of Peace’ – 12.25.2022

December 25, 2022
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WISEMEN BRING GIFTS…

1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,  2  “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 3  King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.  4  He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” 5  “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: 6  ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’” 7  Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared.  8  Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” 9  After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.  10  When they saw
the star, they were filled with joy!  11  They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12  When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. Matthew 2:1-12 NLT

THE WISEMEN OR MAGI WERE MEN WHO:

  • Read and believed the scriptures.
  • Sought Jesus.
  • Recognized the worth of Christ.
  • Humbled themselves to worship Jesus.
  • Obeyed God rather than man.

THEY BROUGHT GIFTS WITH GREAT MEANING…

  • Gold – The gift of gold to the Christ child was symbolic of His divinity—God in flesh.
  • Frankincense – The gift of frankincense to the Christ child was symbolic of His willingness to become the ultimate sacrifice.
  • Myrrh – The gift of myrrh to the Christ child was symbolic of death.

JESUS GIVES THE BEST GIFTS…

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 NLT

17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.  18  He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. James 1:17-18 NLT

SOME OF THE GIFTS WE RECEIVE BY SURRENDERING OUR LIVES AND TRUSTING JESUS:

  • We have peace with God.
  • We have peace of mind and heart.
  • We are adopted into his family.
  • We are loved.
  • We have hope.
  • We are redeemed.
  • We are saved.
  • We are healed.
  • We are empowered.
  • We are entrusted with sharing his message of love.

16  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,  17  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,  18  may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  19  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV

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