_______________________________________________________________________

It is no secret in my ministry that one of my favorite Bible stories is the 2nd chapter of Matthew account of the wise men coming to Jesus' birth. It seems to me that every time that I read and reread this story, God teaches me something else of importance from it, and it is probably the depth of the lessons to be learned from these wise men that draws me to them as a story that I love dearly. If I were to list the top one hundred moments that I would like to be able to go back in time and witness first hand, the wise men's journey to Jesus would easily rank in the top five. I would have loved to have witnessed first hand the shock on King Herod's face when the men announced that a "king of the Jews" had been born. I would give almost anything to have been able to actually see the "star" that they followed to Judea, and that reappeared to them a second time after they left Herod's palace. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall as they entered the house in Bethlehem that day and found the baby with His mother. I would have loved to witness the pure shock of Joseph and Mary at the realization that these foreigners -- total and complete strangers to the couple from Galilee -- had traveled a great distance just to worship their newborn child.

And the gifts: gold, that had been purified and melted down into a highly valuable state; frankincense, an incense so pure that it was used in worship of Jehovah God in the temple; and myrrh, that sweet fragrance so rich and so strong that it was even used in burial shrouds. They were exquisite gifts and expensive; it is not likely that Mary and Joseph had any of the three items around the house before the wise men's visit. It is very likely that they were one of the few families in Galilee to have such a lode of treasure in their house. I have often wondered what they did with those gifts. Did they place them out on the mantle of the fireplace so that others could look at and wonder about them? Could it be that God allowed such gifts to be given to be a constant reminder in the family and a testimony to all that entered the house that the eldest son of Mary was unique? Think of the conversations that arose and the people that heard of the strange events surrounding Jesus' birth just because a visitor noticed the elegant boxes of frankincense or gold on the shelf. Think of the whispered rumors that swept through Nazareth when Mary came back with a baby and a story about wise men visiting and the gifts to prove the fantastic tale! As God often does even today, God had given the family physical evidence of the great things that He was doing in their lives. But I think that Joseph and Mary were a bit awed as they looked at such things: things so expensive that no carpenter ever dreamed of even owning them. Things so remote, that it would not even been possible for Joseph to go fetch them if he had been able to afford them. God in His unique way of blessing had given the family things that were far greater than even anything that they could have imagined someone would bring to their child. The wise men brought gifts -- not for a newborn baby in a stable -- but gifts fit for a king! How it must have blown the minds of the baby's parents and how impressed they must have been to see such a sight and receive such things.

And yet, when you consider this child, the gifts were not inappropriate or too great for the occasion. When you consider this child, you realize that these gifts were barely adequate. Though Joseph and Mary may have been shocked and startled at the finery, when you realize fully who that baby was and is, then those gifts are placed in proper perspective. They are nice gifts, sure, but they were far overmatched by the greatness that lay wrapped in a blanket before them. The wise men were not overdone in their selections, but I wonder if even they realized that everything that the placed before this child, had been formed by the very word of that child in Creation!? I wonder as they fell before Him and worshipped Him, if they truly knew the magnitude of the kingdom of this King that they had come to see? I wonder if they realized that not only had this child created out of eternity the gifts and the world that the gifts had come from, but it was He who had created the wise men themselves and granted them life and air to breath to worship Him with in the first place!?

We must never forget that even when we bring God our finest and our best, that we can never bring Him something that He did not actually first give to us. Our finest gifts are at best simply returning to Him what He so graciously gave in first place. I have known people in the past that were so caught up in their abilities, or their talents, or themselves that they had the attitude of doing God some great favor or good turn by giving of themselves to Him. Truly, He is worthy to be worshipped with the best of the best, but never forget that whatever you are giving Him whether it be money, time, talents, or life itself, that you would have none of it to give if it had not been for the gracious generosity of God in the first place! Even at our point of greatest sacrifice and most generous giving, we are still only returning to Him things that He has loaned to us.

Such a revelation is humbling but, like the wise men, leads us to a place of pure worship with no hidden agendas. There is no asking for anything by these men as they kneel. They have not come bearing gifts desiring a favor in return. And after they worshipped, they left and returned to their country. There is no seeking of a position within His kingdom or a better salary or more power; they are not bringing gifts to vie for the seat of honor at His right hand. They are not even asking that their names be remembered because we do not even know their names or the countries where they came from. I have heard men preach of these wise men as if they had a dark agenda in coming to Christ, but I find or see none of that in scripture and reject that thought with great passion. These men have no agenda except to see the Christ, to adore Him as they bask in His presence, and to give back to Him the finest of what He has so graciously given to them.

Oh, that men today might follow such an example! When is the last time you came to the Holy One of Israel with no agenda and seeking nothing except to see Him for who He really is, to spend time in His presence lifting Him up, and to give back to Him of all of the blessings that He has freely given you? And done so without asking for anything in return? It could sadly be said of many people, that they have never done so -- never entered His presence -- without at least an agenda of having a request met. There is nothing wrong with boldly approaching the throne of grace in a time of need. There is nothing wrong of asking the King for help in your life. But some people only approach Him when they have such a request. Some never worship Him as the wise men did: just for the fact that He is worthy of such adoration.

Some people would think that it was a trip wasted to go so far to see Jesus and not to receive anything. Some people think it a wasted trip to church if they do not receive a new revelation or a new blessing or miracle in their life. But when you have a revelation of His majesty and of pure worship, then simply leaving have been in His presence is reason enough for the journey! The wise men could come and give of their effort, their time, and their possessions -- and receive nothing except the experience of being in the same room with Him -- and yet leave fulfilled and with the feeling of a trip well worth it! Oh, that we today would become wise and realize that just being in His presence is worth whatever effort that it takes to get there. To realize that whatever we bring to Him is barely adequate to repay Him for simply being able to see Him and experience His person. Oh, that men today would get a fresh revelation of pure worship as these wise men had and that we would too make whatever journey we must undertake to get to where He is! To leave having been with Him is a gift worth the price of gold, frankincense, and myrrh! If you leave empty handed and yet your heart and mind is full of the memory of having felt His Spirit, then you leave here today full of greater things than you brought. His presence is greater than any presents that we could ever bring!

______________________________________________________________________

Compared to Mary and Joseph, we look at the wise men in awe and wonder. But compared with the wise men, we look at the baby with awe and wonder. Were they wise men? Yes, but not wiser than Solomon who was the wisest man who had ever lived in the pages of history. Yet Jesus said of Himself, "A greater than Solomon is here." They were wise men, but their earthly wisdom could not compare to the heavenly wisdom possessed by the child before them. Where they wealthy and men of great means? Yes, but their possessions could not even begin to compare with the majesty of the baby who literally owned the universe and the world to which He came. Were these wise men intelligent and studious of the heavens? Yes, they were able to realize the significance of that Christmas star, and follow it to Bethlehem. But such intelligence and knowledge is nothing when you consider that the baby before them knows every one of the countless stars in the universe by name and even knew the number of hairs on the wise men's head!

And so I've come to preach to you today, not of gold, frankincense, and myrrh -- the gifts that men gave to Christ -- but rather to preach about the gifts that Christ has given to men. The gifts the wise men brought were nice and grand, sure, but they cannot even compare to the gifts that Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God in flesh, has made available to us today! Our other text in Ephesians read:

When Jesus Christ ascended back into heaven after His resurrection, "He gave gifts to men." The wise men left with the memory of having been in His presence, and that was certainly enough to warrant their trip, but you and I today can leave His presence with more than just a warm memory in our hearts! Because our approach is after His ministry and after His resurrection and ascension, He has made gifts available to us that we would be remiss if we left here without them in our possession.

Think how horrible it would have been if Mary and Joseph had pushed away the gifts of these wise men after they had traveled such a long way to deliver them. And yet realize that Jesus came much further to give us His much greater gifts. There was no sleigh and reindeer or camels and a desert in His trip to give us these gifts, but rather a cross and nails and a tomb and rejection. He paid an awful price to deliver you such gifts, therefore realize that their value is much greater than anything else you could receive this holiday season. Whether measured by their intrinsic value, their cost of delivery, or the importance of their giver, Christ's gifts are truly greater than any others! And He has made His presence available to you today, not because He expected to receive things from you, but because He desires you to leave having received yourself. The wise men came to bring gifts, but so did the baby born to Mary! He came to "give gifts to men."

The gifts of Christ are many, but let's look at the three greatest gifts that we could receive this holiday season. Let me present to you what I believe are Christ's three best gifts. He came to bring us:

You must understand that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are one and the same. When Thomas knelt before Jesus and made his great confession of "my Lord and my God," he was not confused but was drawing on a revelation that many people today lack. Isaiah had prophesied first in chapter 7 about a virgin conceiving and having a baby:

Then, in chapter 9, the prophet revealed even more information about that blessed child to be born:

And so it was that in a dream, an angel revealed to Joseph that these prophecies were referring to the very child within Mary's womb and after many long years, the meaning of "Immanuel" was revealed:

What a powerful revelation that is given with this name! Immanuel, God with us! God had revealed Himself as a Spirit, but who can relate to an invisible Spirit!? God had revealed Himself as the Omnipotent One, but who can compare with the One who is mightier than everyone else? God had thundered from the mountains in Moses' time and revealed Himself as Omniscient, but who can fathom and grasp someone who knows all things!? The sad fact is that throughout the Old Testament, God had gradually revealed more and more of Himself to mankind, but who could understand it and relate to it? He is the God who fills the universe and we are prisoner of both time and space. The gap of that difference remained between true fellowship between God and creator despite God's repeated revelations of Himself.

But now look at this baby in the manger! Look at this child born into the Bethlehem night! Here God has done something much greater than create the universe. This is a miraculous work of God the likes that the world has never seen nor will they ever see a greater! For God who fills time and space and whose presence spans all of eternity at one time has made Himself like unto His creation. The great Omnipotent God has done the unthinkable and humbled Himself to become like one of us!

There has never been a greater gift than that of Immanuel, God with us. Here is God revealing Himself in a way that we can understand and relate to in our humanity. Look at the baby, He is human in every way. He cries and He breathes and He is very dependent upon His mother for nourishment and care. And yet this little swaddled package is also "God with us." He is the creator in the smallest package.

Look upon Immanuel as He grows up. See how He learns the scripture at His mothers knee. See how He learns how to get along with people who are not like Him. See how He deals with good days and bad days; bullies and fair-weather friends; how He shivers in the cold and sweats in the heat; how He hungers and thirsts and grows weary and faint.

Think upon Immanuel as He slowly becomes a man. Watch Him attend school and be frustrated with the teacher's lack of knowledge. Watch Him see others make dumb mistakes and know that He can say nothing. See Him at the temple with the teachers who have twisted scripture and the desire to preach truth is so within Him that at the tender age of twelve, He cannot help Himself but has to speak out. See Him chastised by mother and father and leaving the temple to obey His parents although everything within Him longs to stay in Jerusalem.

Now feel what Immanuel feels as the funeral procession of Joseph winds it's way through the Judean hillside and comes to halt at a burial site. Feel the tears roll down Immanuel's face as the stone is rolled in front of the grave and His mother embraces Him weeping mournfully. Feel the realization and responsibility hit home in Immanuel's life as in one day the boy becomes a man and the eldest son becomes the father-figure in the family. Feel the loneliness as Immanuel get up early the next morning to go to the carpenter's shop alone. Feel the cruel monotony of days and years of labor just to feed His brothers and sisters and mother. Feel the pain of Immanuel cutting Himself and hitting His thumb with a hammer and coming home tired only to have to help His mother with the younger children. Feel what He feels when He is cheated by customers and has days where everything seems to just go wrong.

And watch Immanuel leaving home and bidding farewell. Observe Him returning to Nazareth and having His friends and even His brothers and sisters reject Him. Watch Him walk dejectedly down the familiar paths knowing that He will never be able to return. Watch Him blessing and healing and doing great things for the multitudes only to have those who are His closest friends run from Him in His darkest hour.

Now hear Immanuel praying as He struggles with submitting to the perfect Divine will in His life. Hear the smack of the kiss of betrayal of Judas. Hear the nails being driven and the cries of pain from His lips. Hear the taunts of His enemies whom He only tried to help and bless. Hear the wheezing breath of Immanuel as He faces death and His last moments on earth. Hear the silence broken by a sudden earthquake and the shattering of rocks and thunder as creation responds in horror to the scene of Calvary. Hear the footsteps of the friends of Jesus as they walk horrified from the site. Hear the wails of a mother, heart broken as she leans upon John for support. Hear the mocking laugh of the soldiers die away as the heavens tear apart in a violent storm and the sky grows dark. Hear the officer get the revelation a little too late: Surely, this was the Son of God.

Yes, but that phrase means so much more than just "a son" because this is the Son that is the everlasting Father and the Mighty God. This is Immanuel, God with us.

What a precious gift that He gave to us by living among us. Truly we can say with the writer of scripture:

The wise men prayed to a God whom they could not comprehend, but we do not have to do so today because God has revealed Himself in human form. When you pray, understand that Immanuel has experienced what you are experiencing and you are not praying to a far-off God who does not empathize with you, but rather to a God who has walked your road and traversed your valleys and overcame your hang-ups! What a gift to receive the revelation today of who Jesus Christ really is! That when you pray, God knows exactly where you are because He, Himself, has been there!

He came to give us a revelation of God that we could relate to, approach, and understand, but Jesus also came to give us another wonderful gift:

That invisible Spirit of God that was hidden behind the veil and that only revealed itself in the distance on the mountain, can now be received to live inside of your body and soul! But we forget that the Holy Ghost was not given until Jesus was crucified, buried, ressurected, and ascended into heaven (John 7:37-39). Why not? He could only come back in spiritual form after the bodily form had left the earth. He could only live inside the bodies of His believers after the price of sin had been paid at Calvary. His Spirit could only come and bring a resurrection of our spirit, after He had conquered death, hell, and the grave. His example gave us our example and that is why Peter preached:

If you will die to your sin through repentance, and be buried with Him by being baptized in Jesus' name, then you will receive the GIFT of the Holy Spirit! Did you catch that? The GIFT! It is a gift of Christ to receive this wonderful experience.

I have heard people respond to the preaching of receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in a heavenly language with the attitude of "do I have to receive it?" Such an attitude reveals an ignorance of what this experience is. If someone were to come to you and says, "Here is a gift to you of a million dollars, if you will receive it," you don't respond by saying "do I have to receive it?" And the Holy Ghost is a gift of far more value than a million dollars, so understand that the question is not "do I have to receive it?" but rather "why in the world would you not want such a gift?"

During His ministry, Jesus -- in the midst of doing great and wonderful miracles and signs before the people -- said this startling statement:

What a promise! Greater works than these mighty miracles that Jesus has done?! And we who believes in Him would do them? There are people who, because of this scripture, are desperately seeking for a "key" or a "secret formula" to see great miracles and wonders come to pass. I believe in miracles and such, but I want you to realize that this scripture is fulfilled every time we pray someone through to the infilling of the Holy Ghost. Every time someone gets the Holy Spirit, far greater works than Jesus ever did is being done. Think about it:

Jesus raised the dead to life by His commandment, but when the Holy Ghost comes into a life, the very person who was dead spiritually in their sins yet believes and a resurrection takes place on the basis of the dead person's faith! A greater work!

Jesus raised the lame to walk again, but when the Holy Ghost comes into a life, someone who could not walk and live for God suddenly has the ability to do so! The spiritually lame now leap and run and praise God!

Jesus healed the blinded eyes, but when a person receives the Holy Ghost, spiritual blindness falls away and God and His Word can be viewed through the clear lens of truth for the first time!

Jesus cast the spirits out of the devil-possessed, and those were great miracles but with the infilling of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God comes in an possesses you and the God of the Universe fills your body! What a greater work than casting a demon out is bringing the Spirit of God within!

In every way and from every angle, the Holy Ghost is a tremendous gift. It comes to reprove us of sin. It comes to bring hope and joy and peace in our life. It comes to quench that spiritual thirst caused by sin. It comes to lead us and guide us into all truth. It comes to help us to know how to pray and the right words to say for every situation. One day, whether we are dead or alive at Jesus' coming, Romans 8:11 says that the Spirit living within us is what will cause us to be changed into a glorified body and fly away to be with Him! It transforms us now and it will transform us then! It causes us to live life abundantly now, and it will cause us to live for forever then! What a gift that Christ has brought by His coming: the gift of the Holy Ghost!

If Immanuel would have come in judgment and condemnation, then how horrible that would have been. But He came to bring the gifts of forgiveness and life to a world that was hurting and lost. His death on the cross paid the price for our sins and brought about a kingdom of God that we could boldly enter into with faults, and hurts, and failures and be forgiven and receive mercy in spite of our pasts! He came not only to give us gifts that impact the future, but in forgiveness and mercy, He gave us gifts that change the past.

Some have said that the past is done and fixed and there is nothing you can do to change it. I will boldly argue with you about that and contradict you gladly. True, there is nothing that you can do about doing the past over, but something can be done about the past that has happened. It's called the blood of Jesus Christ and it's called mercy being extended. The King of Kings has given us a gift far superior to any a wise man could give. A wise man cannot take a past, forgive it, cleanse it, heal the wounds that was created by it, and then use it for His glory and the blessing of the individual. Wise men can't do that, but Jesus Christ can! The scripture says in Romans:

What a gift that Jesus Christ gives when we allow Him to cleanse our past! He can take a stony heart and replace it with a soft and pliable one! He can wash your sins away in the waters of baptism and grant mercy at the altars of repentance. And, if you will live for Him, He can turn those past failures into a mighty testimony to others about what He can do with a life torn apart. He is the master potter and we are clay; if we will place ourselves into His hands and yield to His will, He can form something beautiful out of the pieces of the past. And then like those gifts setting on the mantle of Joseph and Mary's house, He can take the gifts in our life that we have received and use them to declare the glory and power of God to others!

Tis the gift-giving season, and Christ has not one, not two, but three wonderful gifts to give to you! What could be greater than receiving such offerings? What could be better than receiving hope, cheer, forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, and power for Christmas this year! Christ has come, and He is bearing gifts for you and for me!

_______________________________________________________________________

In studying the lives of the twelve disciples this year, I came across an old legend about Thomas that I mentioned briefly during our Wednesday night teachings. The tradition is that after the Day of Pentecost, Thomas traveled to India and preached the Gospel there, and in his travels, came across the wise men who had visited Jesus so long ago and that the wise men who had appeared at the birth of Christ, were baptized in His name, converted to Christianity, and filled with the Holy Ghost.

What a great story! What if it were true? Would it be out of the realm of possibility for a God who loves to surprise and do the unexpected and the wonderful to do such a thing? I think not, and so I ask you what if it were so? What if the very ones that had traveled so far to give Christ gifts, were reciprocated by Christ sending a preacher over the miles so that they could receive His gifts!?

The wise men certainly were in need of someone finding them and preaching Christ to them after His ministry, because they had been in His presence and given gifts, but they had not received His gifts!

How about you? Maybe you consider yourself Christian and maybe you have even been "in His presence" and worshipped Him. But have you received these three great gifts that He desires to give to you? Have you been praying to God without the complete revelation that He is Immanuel? Have you been living your life without the power of the Holy Ghost at work in it? Do you constantly battle condemnation and hurts and wounds from the past? If so, then it's not enough to just come into His presence and offer Him praise and worship. You need to receive the gifts of Christ. A fresh revelation is available here for you. The Holy Ghost is available to be received here this morning. Mercy and forgiveness await you and a cleansed past are available in the waters of baptism. You are here and He is here. Come and receive His gifts!