The Perfect Gift
Dorothy Dalton
Midland SDA Church
December 19, 2009
It is the time of year when shoppers are looking for that perfect gift for their son, daughter, parent, spouse, friend or extended family. Selection may be controlled by discount sales, special coupons, or requested items. My nieces have a tradition that began many years ago. Following our Thanksgiving dinner they spend the afternoon looking at all the local papers carefully evaluating the door buster, early morning sales and planning their strategy as they begin their Christmas shopping the next day. They are among those standing in line hours before the stores open so they can get that special sale item. They are thrilled when they end the day with all their treasures and their shopping nearly completed. They have saved money and have gotten the perfect gift for each one on their shopping list.
It is not easy to find a perfect Christmas gift! But, your heavenly Father, y-o-u-r heavenly Father, with a resounding declaration, as the one who knows exactly what you need; provides for you the perfect gift: that meets your deepest needs; will last as long as you need it; and will always be your treasure. Of all the gifts that you have ever received, the one He gives you is the only truly, “perfect gift.” But of all the gifts you have every received no gift, at least initially, has a stranger appearance than this one. For this is not a gift that is wrapped in paper and packaged in a box, but this is a gift that is wrapped in love and packaged in an animal: A lamb!
Your Heavenly Father has selected a lamb as the perfect gift. You don’t have to read far in John’s gospel before you hear his cousin introducing Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) Paul describes Jesus as our Passover Lamb (1 Cor 5:7). John in Rev 5: 12 declares that the heavens never cease to announce, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain.” And Peter speaks to you and me when he writes, “You were bought not with something that ruins like gold or silver but with the precious blood of Christ who was like a pure and perfect lamb. (1 Peter 1: 19) The perfect gift: The Lamb of God!
To understand this perfect gift we begin by considering the symbolism of the Lamb. The initial New Testament readers understood what it would mean to receive a gift of a lamb. We probably don’t! But, they were part of a heritage that understood the connection between blood and mercy. As the Hebrew writer would write, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Heb 9:22b) From God’s perspective there is a connection between the shedding of blood and the cleansing of sin. The gift of God, however, to the children of Israel was “don’t shed your own blood but shed the blood of a sacrifice.” Hence, a lamb would be offered for the sins of the people. Only the finest animal---a perfect one---was good enough. Why a lamb? Well, is there any animal more innocent than a lamb? Is there an animal more pure than a lamb? When you look at a lamb, you see the most gentle, kind animal there is. He is not too bright, he is not too fast, he has no way to defend himself. He has fears, and is timid, and is stubborn. He does not just take care of himself. They require, more than any other class of livestock, endless attention. He is a very meek and mild animal. The health and well being of the sheep depends on the type of man who owned them. God says, of all the animals that have ever walked the face of the earth, when I see one that represents humans, there’s the lamb. Only in His case He is an innocent lamb. He did not lie, he did not cheat, he did not take something that wasn’t his and so he will be the substitute. The animal represented an undeserving recipient of a deserved punishment. He will take the place of the people and the shedding of his blood will provide a prayer that will be heard in heaven. You see, since the beginning of time, the wages for sin has always been death. (Romans 6:23)
One of the greatest problems for people today with the idea of sacrifice is its inevitable bloodiness. Sacrifice today simply appears primitive and cruel. The question remains: why sacrifice animals? Animals became substitutes for humans: a life, an innocent life, for another’s life, the life of a guilty one. Animal sacrifice then, was God’s gracious provision for humans. The shedding and use of the animal’s blood for the purifying or atoning rituals was a reminder for the worshiper that a life had been taken: the cost of sin is high indeed.
When did the first sacrifice occur? We do not have to look far following the disobedience and fall of Adam and Eve. We read in Genesis 3 verse 21 “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife Eve and clothed them.” Something had to die to provide the skins, right? I find further enlightenment in Patriarchs and Prophets pg 68
“The sacrificial offerings were ordained by God to be to man a perpetual reminder and a penitential acknowledgment of his sin and a confession of his faith in the promised Redeemer. They were intended to impress upon the fallen race the solemn truth that it was sin that caused death. To Adam, the offering of the first sacrifice was a most painful ceremony. His hand must be raised to take the life, which only God could give. It was the first time he had ever witnessed death and he knew that had he been obedient to God, there would have been no death of man or beast. As he slew the innocent victim, he trembled at the thought that his sin must shed the blood of the spotless Lamb of God….And he marveled at the infinite goodness that would give such a ransom to save the guilty….But the plan of redemption had a yet broader and deeper purpose than the salvation of man. It was not for this alone that Christ came to the earth; it was not merely that the inhabitants of this little world might regard the law of God as it should be regarded; but it was to vindicate the character of God before the universe. ”
Even back in the writings of Ezekiel, in the Old Testament, we read, “The person, who sins is the one who will die.” (Ezek 18:4) The lamb didn’t deserve to be on the altar, the people did. The lamb was God’s provision, God’s gift to them. Continuing on pg 69 we read:
“It was a marvel of all the universe that Christ should humble Himself to save fallen man….that He should consent to leave His glory and take upon Himself human nature, was a mystery which the sinless intelligences of other worlds desired to understand.
Next in our Biblical search we see two brothers, Cain and Able, sons of Adam. They were acquainted with the provision made for the salvation of man, and understood the system of offerings which God had ordained. Abel presented a sacrifice from the flock, in accordance with the Lord’s directions but, Cain disregarding the Lord’s direct and explicit command, presented only an offering of fruit. The essential part, the recognition of the need of a Redeemer, was left out. Pg 72 of P&P states
“So far as birth and religious instruction were concerned, these bothers were equal. Both were sinners, and both acknowledged the claims of God to reverence and worship. To outward appearance their religion was the same up to a certain point, but beyond this the difference between the two was great… Abel chose faith and obedience; Cain, unbelief and rebellion.”
The lamb was rich in symbolism. The people understood the symbolism, equally important they understood the story of the Lamb. The story of Abraham and his son Isaac. The story begins in Genesis 22: 2 (NIV) Abraham was 120 years old (P&P pg 147) when God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering.” This was Abraham’s only son. This is Abraham’s miracle son. This is the gift that came to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. Isaac was the one through whom the lineage of Israel would be born. Then could more chilling words than these be spoken: for a father to be told to sacrifice his own son, his only son? Sacrifice his son as a “burnt offering:” This sacrifice described in Leviticus 1 represented compete dedication and surrender to God. [1]
So, don’t you know the questions tumbled in on Abraham like an avalanche? Why Isaac and why not a lamb, why not me, what will I say to Isaac, what will I say to Sarah, what will I say to myself ? I don’t know of a more difficult command in all of the Bible. But the only thing more astounding than the existence of the command was the fulfillment thereof by Abraham. What an incredible act of obedience. He begins leading his son up the mountain as he’s instructed. P&P page 151 provides this insight,
“Side by side they journeyed in silence. The patriarch, pondering his heavy secret, had no heart for words. His thoughts were of the proud, fond mother, and the day when he should return to her alone. Well he knew that the knife would piece her heart when it took the life of her son. That day---the longest that Abraham had ever experienced---dragged slowly to a close. While his son and the young men were sleeping, he spent the night in prayer, still hoping that some heavenly messenger might come to say that the trail was enough, that the youth might return unharmed to his mother. But no relief came to his tortured soul…..Even now he did not murmur against God, but strengthened his soul by dwelling upon the evidences of the Lords’ goodness and faithfulness.” At the appointed time the altar is built, the wood is stacked, and Isaac notices that there is no animal to be offered and Isaac says, “where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”
We can only wonder when it dawned on Isaac that he was the lamb, when he looked and saw all the preparation made but no lamb present: we can only wonder. And we can only wonder at what agony was in the heart of the father as he bound his son and placed him on the altar. Pg 152 tells us
“It was with terror and amazement that Isaac learned his fate, but he offered no resistance. He could have escaped his doom, had he chosen to do so…. But, he yielded in willing submission.”
In a surreal moment, the familiar and the bizarre merge, as the arm of the father goes up into the air with the blade in the hand ready to plunge it into the heart of his son. But as obediently as the hand went into the heaven, the hand of heaven, took the hand of the father. And a voice from heaven, an Angel of the Lord, cried out to Abraham, “Abraham, Abraham, don’t kill your son or hurt him in any way, now I can see that you trust God and have not kept your son, your only son from me. And as Abraham lowered the knife he heard a rustling in the bushes. And he looked and there was the sacrifice that God had provided: “A ram caught in a thicket.”
For hundreds of years this story was, for the Jewish people, the story of the faithful father; but for hundreds of years this story has been, for us, the followers of Christ; a foretelling of the sacrificial father. For it was a premonition of what would happen on another hill, when we consider the sacrifice of The Lamb. Two thousand years later on another hill, there was another altar. A cross. Once again a Son was lead up the hill and once again this Son was a miracle son. A miracle birth. Once again, he was an only Son. Once again, he was the promised Son through whom nations would be blessed. He like Isaac was lead up the hill as the sacrifice but He unlike Isaac asked no questions. You see, Isaac asked, “Where is the lamb?” But, Jesus did not ask, because Jesus knew. He knew that He was the one about whom the prophet wrote and spoke. “He was like a lamb being lead to be killed and he was quiet. He never opened His mouth.” (Acts 8:32) Once again, a Father took his Son up to the altar. Once again, a Father placed his Son on the altar. Once again, the Father prepared to sacrifice the Son but this time there was no one to stay the hand of the Father. This time the blade cut the flesh and the blood flowed forth and this time the sacrifice was offered. The perfect, the perfect sacrifice! The Bible says that Jesus was the pure and perfect lamb. (1 Peter 1: 19) And since He was pure and perfect He was the final sacrifice. No more altars are needed, no more lambs are slain. He took his own blood and with it He secured our salvation for (how long, church?) forever. Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for sin. Jesus is the perfect Christmas gift.
Do you think it odd to be discussing lambs and crosses, with Christmas rapidly approaching? You might. Typically, you would probably hear a Christmas message with mangers and Mary and Joseph. But isn’t Christmas the time when we ponder the gifts that we have been given? What greater gift than this that you have been given. The perfect Christmas gift!
You see, if Jesus is the perfect Christmas gift, then listen. His sacrifice is enough for you. And I don’t know what gifts you will receive this Christmas, I don’t know which ones will touch your heart, and I don’t know which one will bring a tear to your eye. But, I would dare say that it won’t be long before those gifts will be put away, broken or out of style. Maybe a day, maybe a month or maybe a year or a decade. But there will be sometime when that gift will be appreciated but not used and perhaps forgotten. But there will never be a day that you live, as long as you live on this earth and throughout eternity in heaven that you will not be in dire need of this gift given to you by Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, whose sacrifice was enough to take all of your sins away. Every single one committed and every single one yet to be committed. The Perfect Gift!
I would like to ask you a very important question. Have you opened this gift? No, I’m not saying have you looked at the gift, have you heard about the gift, have you been told about the gift. But, you in your own life, have y-o-u opened this gift. Yes, Dorothy I grew up opening this gift, my Dad was an elder, my mother played the piano and taught Sabbath School. No, no, no! Have Y-O-U opened this gift? Is this a gift that you in the privacy of your own heart have ribbon by ribbon unwrapped, and received? Have you received God’s forgiveness? It is interesting that God would give us something as beautiful as the lamb prepared from the beginning of the world and in exchange we give Him something so distasteful as our sins, mistakes, and failures. But you know, that’s the gift that God wants from you! He wants your confession, your honesty about your past and your mistakes, then He will take those and wash them away. Psalm 103: 10-13) (NAS) “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth so great is His loving-kindness toward those who fear Him. As far as he east is from the west so far has He removed our transgression from us.”
If you have already received His gift and opened it, then today, for you, is a day of celebration. Yes, a day of celebration! And that gift which He has given you offsets any gift that you don’t get next week. Now, for some of you, Christmas is a hard day, because it reminds you of something that you don’t have or someone who is no longer here, and it can be a sad day. For you, I say, let this day be a day to remind you of what God has given you. If you have accepted it; He has given you eternal life. And no matter what you don’t have, you have the greatest gift you have ever received! Amen? However, if you haven’t received His gift, is there a better day, than today to accept it? Do we have someone here this morning, who senses the Lord saying, “Why don’t you let me give you this gift?
There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath the flood, lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away.
Thou dying Lamb! Thy precious blood shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God are saved, to sin no more.
************
Let us pray. For this day and this moment, Oh Father, we give you thanks. For the way you have met us, loved us and cared for us. Speak deeply to our hearts Father, so we can say yes, to your gift. Before we even knew we needed it you gave it. Before we even knew we had it, it was provided. And Lord, when we came to you looking for mercy, we found mercy already waiting for us. We thank you Father, through Jesus Christ we pray.
Now as we stand and sing #336 I urge you to hear the words and respond to its message in the way the Lord leads. If you have never said, yes, to God’s gift I invite you to come forward as we sing. Also maybe you have said yes to the gift; but need the Lord to come and impart some faith or strength to help you get through a tough time in your life; or maybe you are just thankful and it is not enough to say thanks where you are standing, and you want to come forward and kneel to express your thanks or have our elder pray with you. Whatever way you respond; listen and heed the prompting of Jesus as we sing this song. Let’s stand and worship!
Be seated.
A couple final thoughts. If somebody gives you a perfect gift, what does that say about them? That says they know you very, very well and they love you very, very much! Your Heavenly Father knows you very, very, very well. There is not one thought that you have ever had that He did not hear, not one action ever committed that He didn’t see. He knows you better than you know yourself! And because of that and in spite of that He loves you very, very much and He gave you this: the perfect gift. Don’t let this Christmas pass without at some point saying thank you Lord, for this marvelous gift.
Benediction: Hebrews 13: 20-21 ( NIV)
Now as we depart I pray that: “the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep. Equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for every and ever. Amen.”