THE UNSPEAKABLE GIFT

The period during which we especially remember the coming of Jesus into this world, is usually called a time of feasting. There is, however, a great difference between a feast of the world and a feast of God’s living Church.

“Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. —In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.” — Daniel 5.

“And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon. —And he came by the Spirit into the temple. — Then took he Him (Jesus) up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.” — Luke 2.

Reader, judge about the vast difference between these two feasting men. How are you feasting in these days? Oh, how many homes and hearts are full of the worldly stuff by which the great Gift, Christ Jesus, is darkened. How do they rejoice year after year in the idols of this world, the so-called Christmas trees, and the many worldly and earthly gifts — and no weeping for, and no rejoicing in the born Child in Bethlehem! “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” Those that weep after Christ and may behold Him in His beauty by faith, shall be loose from the perishing idols and vanities and shall exclaim with the wise king: “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.”

This is not and never said in the Word of God concerning the great Gift, Christ Jesus. Let us meditate a little more about this great Gift from heaven, for Whom so many mourners in Zion and poor in spirit have longed, and in Whom they have rejoiced, yea, with joy unspeakable.

I. The Gift.

This Gift, of which Paul speaks, and for which he thanked God, is Christ Jesus, so despised by many. It is Jesus, Whom the Father has ordained and appointed already before the world was made, to be the Surety and Savior for fallen, guilty, and lost sinners. It is Jesus, Who was promised to a fallen and trembling Adam and Eve, when they stood before a holy and righteous God. Oh, how did they need this promised Saviour to deliver and save them from the hands of an angry God, from a cursing law, from their great burden of sin and guilt, yes, from the power of Satan, death, and hell. It is Jesus, Who manifested Himself clearly to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Whom Jacob called upon his deathbed, “Shiloh.” It is Jesus, of Whom all the prophets have spoken, placing Him before the people of Israel in His greatness and preciousness. It is He, of Whom the Spouse exclaimed: “He is altogether lovely.”

It is Jesus, the Son of God, Who during the days of the Old Testament accomplished such great wonders, and for Whom many looked during that time to appear in the flesh. How did the shepherds long and look for His coming, and also old Simeon. Yes, this dear old saint could not die before he had seen his Redeemer in the flesh upon earth. Are you also looking and longing for Him to come to your guilty and lost soul? Do you hunger and thirst after Him as the Lord of Righteousness? Do you at times cry to heaven: “Do not delay Thy coming!”

It is He, Who was born in the fulness of time of the virgin Mary, and Who was laid in a manger in swaddling clothes. Jesus in a manger, the great Wonder of heaven and earth. His name is Wonderful! Yes, the Church in olden times did testify of Him, with wonder and admiration in the heart: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Did they sing that of the Child in the manger? Yes! He is the unspeakable Gift!

O wonderful Gift! A Gift full of glory. He is the holy and righteous Savior. He it is that appeared to and wrought such a great change in the hearts of the Shepherds. That Babe, that mighty Savior delivered them of sin and curse, and filled their hearts with great joy and peace in believing.

Jesus is a Gift. A gift cannot be merited. A gift is given freely without price nor money. Jesus is the great Gift of the Father given without price and without money, given in great love to a deeply sunken and hell-worthy people. John exclaimed: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Jesus, a Gift of unspeakable love! Precious Gift!

This Gift is given freely without price and without money to the poor in spirit upon the poor man’s market, Isaiah 55:1, 2. Rutherford speaks of this poor man’s market. This dear servant of God experienced this, having received Jesus as the great Gift of the Father and the fulness of riches that are in Him. “It has pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell,” Col. 1:19. Jesus is a Gift of sovereign grace, only revealed unto and given from heaven to those souls, who, from the depths of their poverty and misery, cry for this Gift. It is the blessed Spirit of God Who prepares a place in the heart of poor, lost sinners for Jesus. Christ Himself has said, speaking of the Holy Spirit: “He shall glorify Me.”

When Paul was a Pharisee filled with self-love, self-worship, self-righteousness, and pride, there was no place in his heart for this Jesus as the great Gift from heaven; but when we find him in Damascus, a poor, lost naked, and guilty soul, weeping and crying for mercy, it was the blessed Spirit of God Who had prepared a place for Jesus, the great Gift, in his soul and life. O wonderful experience, wonderful day! It was the day of God’s pleasure to hearken to his cries, and to fulfill this wonderful promise: “In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee.” Isa. 49:8. This Gift was freely given from the Father unto this lost and crying soul: laid in the manger of his soul, embraced by faith and received as “The Lord his Righteousness.”

Reader, does your soul long for this wonderful Gift? Do you find a place in your soul for Him? Would you, by the grace of God, sacrifice all other things for this Pearl of Great price? Alas! how few are beggars for this great Gift upon the poor man’s market.

II. This Gift is an unspeakable Gift.

An unspeakable Gift: this teaches us the great quality, the great, inestimable value of this Gift. There are many natural gifts of value. Think about costly pearls and diamonds. There are many wonderful natural as well as spiritual gifts that flow out of the fulness there is in Christ Jesus into the hearts and lives of God’s dear people. James writes in his epistle: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” At times when it pleases God to clear up the way of His child, such a favored soul may then see, speak, and even sing at times of all the gifts received in sovereign grace upon the poor man’s market. Only consider Psalm 103, etc. But this Gift, for Which Paul thanked God, was an unspeakable Gift — of greater value than all others. When poor. unbelieving, fearing Thomas received this Gift, we then hear a believing Thomas exclaim: “My Lord and my God!” The Spouse in the Song of Solomon mentions many gifts received from her Bridegroom, but exalts Himabove all. “My Beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. His head is as most fine gold, His locks are bushy, and black as a raven. His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of water, washed with milk, and fitly set,” etc.

This Gift, Christ Jesus, is the Gift of all gifts. He is an ever flowing Fountain of all blessings and gracious gifts. He is an unspeakable Gift because His value and worth cannot be expressed, not by men nor by angels. The whole Bible is filled with the greatness and glory of this unspeakable Gift. Thousands and thousands of God’s servants have spoken with wonderful tongues and words about this unspeakable Gift, and still could never express His greatness and value. A Gift! A wonderful Gift o f unspeakable love!

This Gift is Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of man; the greatest Prophet, the only High Priest, and the eternal King. All the precious names mentioned of Jesus in our dear Bible declare unto us how unspeakable this Gift is.

When He is given in free grace to a poor, hell-deserving worm of the dust, that favored and blessed soul will leave the poor man’s market for a while and will go on his way rejoicing as the eunuch, Acts 8:39. He will then exclaim with Paul in holy wonder, admiration, and thankfulness: “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift.” The Lord said to the poor sinner in the house of Simon: “Thy faith hath saved thee: go in peace.” Will not every spiritual beggar tell with great joy what he has received from these blessed hands on the poor man’s market? Yes, such will be their language: “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath done for my soul.” Psalm 66:16. Oh, how few in our dark days lay begging and supplicating at the feet of Jesus till they receive this unspeakable Gift.

III. The honoring of God in holy thanksgiving.

When Paul received this Gift in the hands of faith and into his soul, he exclaimed: “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift!” He gives thanks with his whole heart to the Father, Who had given such a Gift to His poor, weeping child. With heart and mouth He thanks God for this Gift, which is his eternally and which he can never lose. In raising his eyes heavenward and thanking the Father for this great Gift, he ends with his thanksgiving in Him, the Origin of all things, and Who has prepared and given this unspeakable Gift. But this also must have been in his soul: Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Giving thanks is the expression of gratitude; the expression of a grateful feeling for, and grateful acknowledgment of a benefit or favor. Ah, sweet feeling in the soul, accompanied with the sweet flames of love!

He thanked God in deep humiliation, not as the proud Pharisee.

He thanked God in holy wonder and admiration. O that wonder: a great sinner, and then such a Gift!

He thanked God in praising His holy name with songs, which the angels could not sing.

He thanked God with great heavenly joy and mirth.

He thanked God while sojourning in this brief life, and now forever in glory. Hear him singing with the millions of saints in heaven.

He thanked God in a holy life and labor. Constrained by the love of Christ, how anxious was he that many would learn to know this Gift and supplicate for it at the throne of grace.

And now, dear friends, we invite you to compare this unspeakable Gift with all the gifts of this world. Oh, what an unspeakable difference! What great emphasis the world places upon the giving and receiving of outward, material gifts during this season. Poor wretches, poor, lamentable souls, who do yearn after the perishable things of the world! May the Lord give many poor sinners the eye-salve of His Word and Spirit, that they may see and feel their poverty and misery, and learn to cry for this unspeakable Gift on the poor man’s market. Oh, those dying without this Gift will be poor, poor and wretched forever in hell! It is then forever too late and there is then no more time in which to obtain this unspeakable Gift. Oh, then only unspeakable poverty, misery, and pain!

But Oh! what blessed ones they are that have an empty soul, a supplicating soul, a hungering and thirsting soul, and open hands to obtain this unspeakable Gift! May God grant you to persevere with the woman of Canaan — praying and begging till you have obtained this great Gift. Always remember, it is a sovereign grace Gift. The thief on the cross has also received this Gift.

Dear soul, have you already received this Gift? May you rejoice in it continually. Oh, that by heavenly instructions you may make a good use of it. May you receive more light to see the greatness and glory of this Gift, and exclaim continually on the way to heaven: “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift!” Yea, thanks be unto God for a precious JESUS! Amen. J.V.Z.

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