Keeping Christ in CHRISTmas Day #10 What Gifts Jesus Gave Us At Christmas

Keeping Christ in CHRISTmas – Day #10 - What Gifts Jesus Gave Us At Christmas (John 16:22-33)

What Gifts Jesus Gave Us At Christmas (John 16:22-33)

John 16:22-33, “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Christmas began with a greatest gift the world has ever known. The gift of a Saviour, a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. The idea of gift-giving is central to Christmas. True, much has been secularized, but we should think of gifts that symbolize the greatest gift ever given. And every Christmas, Jesus Christ, the greatest gift-giver, continues to give us gifts. Let’s unwrap five Christmas gifts from Jesus.

1. Ultimate Joy. John 16:22, “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” This is a glimpse of heaven! Heaving is coming. And the little bit of joy that we have at Christmas, and the dose of joy we have in our lives, and the Jesus-joy we experience as His followers will be surpassed by an awesome, eternal, unending, never-changing joy that will last through eternity in heaven! And all of that ultimate joy is ours because of the first Christmas, because Jesus came. The first Christmas gift is Jesus.

2. Answered Prayer. John 16:23–24, “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” So why aren’t more Christians experiencing the gift of answered prayer? For some of us, the answer is simple: because we don’t ask. “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2). Sometimes we refuse pray. Sometimes the content of our prayers disqualifies us for answers. “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” (James 4:3). Sometimes our prayer requests are amiss, senseless, selfish, or silly. When was the last time you went to God’s throne about something? “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16). Because of Jesus, we can talk to the God of the universe at anytime, anywhere, and under any circumstance. What a gift!

3. Father’s Love. John 16:27, “For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.” Yes, Jesus is our Mediator and Advocate, but we can walk directly into the throne room ourselves because our Father loves us. And He loves us because we love His Son, Jesus, and believe in Him. Through our Saviour, we have access to the perfect, eternal Father and find everything our hearts are longing for. Jesus was born, lived, and died to reconnect us to our heavenly Father.

4. Lasting Peace. John 16:33a, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.” Peace is the calm assurance that what God is doing is best. Regardless of the weather, your health, your circumstances, your pain, your loss, keep in mind, God is doing what is best. At some point, darkness will give way to light and God will be shown true, victorious, right, and awesome, as He has been all along. I’ve experienced how the “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). When I lost it, it’s because I gave it up myself. When I’ve wanted and sought it again, He’s given it freely and generously. His peace is an awesome gift.

5. Overcoming Heart. John 16:33b, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Jesus assures us as we face challenges, we can be courageous, cheerful, and confident. What a gift that we can approach life with an overcoming heart.

Jesus gives us these five amazing gifts, but the ultimate gift is always Jesus Himself. With Him, you get everything; without Him, you have nothing, no matter what you have. Ponder these five gifts Jesus describes in John 16. Which of these gifts do you most need to accept this Christmas? Devote some time reflecting on the gifts of Christmas, beginning with the gift of Jesus Himself.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, because of the first and best Christmas gift, Jesus, I have direct access to You as my heavenly Father, and I boldly approach Your throne of grace. Thank You for the gift of Jesus, in Him, I have everything. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

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