THE GIFT

---

THE GIFT

WEEK two: God in flesh Max Lucado told the following story: On her 12th birthday, Billy Joel’s daughter was in New York City, and the pop musician was in Los Angeles. He phoned her that morning, apologizing for his absence, but told her to expect the delivery of a large package before the end of the day. The daughter answered the doorbell that evening to find a seven-foot-tall, brightly wrapped box. She tore it open, and out stepped her father, fresh off the plane from the West Coast. Can you imagine her surprise? Perhaps you can. Your gift came in the flesh too. Christmas is not simply about the Savior’s infancy; it is about His deity. We are reminded this Christmas that God became flesh and lived among men. While we can never really comprehend what it means for God to become a man, we celebrate Christmas knowing this is exactly what happened. Without forsaking His divine nature, or diminishing His deity, Jesus was born into our world as a tiny infant. The word “Incarnation” is a term used by theologians to indicate that Jesus, the Son of God, took on human flesh. Incarnation means, “the act of being made flesh.” It comes from the Latin version of John 1:14, which in English reads, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” Because of the near-exclusive use of the Latin Vulgate in the church through the Middle Ages, the Latin term became standard. The wonder of Christmas is that God came in the flesh in order to be the Savior of mankind. Matthew 1:21 tells us, “He will save His people from their sins.” As John MacArthur has said, “The important issue at Christmas is not so much that Jesus came, but why He came.” Jesus was born to die. He died on the cross as our substitute. He died to pay the penalty for our sin, and He rose from the dead to overcome death, hell, and the grave. The celebration of Christmas should be an act of worship in which we humbly respond to God’s great gift of love. We respond by turning from our sin and placing our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We respond by expressing gratitude in daily worship that God would willingly take on human flesh to provide salvation to those who believe. John 3:16 (NASB95) — 16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS 1. What is Christmas really all about? 2. How does the meaning and purpose of Christmas shape the way you celebrate this season? 3. Do you have a faith story? Have you repented of your sin and trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord? 4. Take the time for each family member to share their personal faith story.

TEMPLE CHILDREN The name Jesus means God saves. Jesus put on a body like you and I have. Here is a big word: incarnation. This big word means putting on a body. Jesus is the only one in the whole world who this word refers to. Jesus put on a body by becoming a baby. Baby Jesus grew up to be our Savior. He was like us, but He was able to do something that no one else had ever done. Jesus obeyed all of God’s rules perfectly and never sinned. He never disobeyed His parents. He never had a bad attitude or cheated in a game. He never stole or lied. He never called someone a bad name. Jesus never disobeyed God, not once. We do those things, and that makes it hard to understand someone not doing those things. Because Jesus never sinned, He was the perfect person to save us and to be our substitute. The Bible tells us that we all sin. We do what we want instead of what God wants. Our sin must be punished, but God provided a substitute for sinners. Jesus became our substitute by taking the punishment for our sins when He died on the cross. Jesus is our Savior and our Substitute!

ACTIVITY ONE Have one child stand on a large piece of paper. Tell them this is their place. Have another family member hold a sign that says “substitute,” and take that child’s place on the paper. The family member with the sign is being a substitute. Jesus acted as a substitute for sinners by taking the place of sinners. How? Jesus was willing to take the punishment for all the sins of His people by dying on the cross.

ACTIVITY TWO What is a substitute? A “sub” is someone who takes the place of someone else. A substitute teacher teaches in place of your regular teacher. Drew hurt his arm playing baseball and had to stop playing. Ben was the substitute that day. Ben came into the game and played in Drew’s place. Write the name “Drew” on a piece of paper. Cross out the name “Drew,” and write “Ben” instead. Jesus was born to die in our place. Write your family’s names, and cross them out. Write “Jesus” instead.

P R AY

Thank God for Jesus, who was born to save us!