THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTMAS - Amazon S3
THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTMAS
Advent Worship Series – Week 3
Real Christmas
December 13, 2009
|WORSHIP SERVICE OUTLINES |
|Each worship outline contains all elements needed for your worship service. The order of each service presented is only a |
|suggestion. No doubt changes will be needed to accommodate the flow and worship style of your corps. The outlines are flexible |
|and allow opportunities to “cut and paste” as needed. If you are blessed with instrumental or vocal music resources, you may find|
|there is more structured material here than needed. It is recommended that the headings of each section of the service be |
|included in the bulletin. |
Announcements and Offering
Advent Candle Lighting:
Leader: The Christmas story in the Bible begins several hundred years before that night in Bethlehem. One Old Testament prophecy after another promised a coming savior—the Messiah, the Anointed One—who would redeem the people of God.
Solo 1: The centerpiece of all the Christmas prophecies, Isaiah 9:6, was written nearly six hundred years before Jesus’ birth. Isaiah promised it would be a miraculous event, unlike any the world had ever known, and the details Isaiah gave were fulfilled by Jesus.
Solo 2: For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us: and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Solo 1: Isaiah 9:6 is the most familiar of all the Old Testament prophecies about the birth of Christ. Consider the rich truth in this one short verse and the attributes given to this extraordinary child.
Solo 2: To the Jewish nation, Isaiah’s prophecy was news of a coming King. To the unsuspecting world, the prophecy promised a Savior, God incarnate, whose coming would dramatically and forever alter human history.
[Lighting of Advent candle]
(God’s Gift of Christmas, pages 24-31)
|SB#104 – Come, thou long-expected Jesus |TB-370 – Hyfrydol (2 verses) |HTD1 –T14 (3 vs.) |
|Additional Optional Songs |
|SB#116 – O come, all ye faithful |TB-496 – Adeste Fideles |HTD3 –T1 (3 vs.) |
|HC#140 – O Come, All Ye Faithful |HC-140 | |
| | |HCD12-T20 |
|SB#113 – Joy to the world! |TB-103 – Joy to the World! |HTD4-T9 (3 vs.) |
|Drama: And the Winner is . . . |
Responsive Scripture:
Leader: He began life like any other human—as an infant. Isaiah doesn’t say more about this here, but we know from the New Testament that Christ experienced every temptation common to humanity, but He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). As a man, He felt everything we feel, hurt like we hurt, wept like we weep, and in His death He even felt the weight of sin as He took ours upon Himself.
All: A child will be born to us is a statement about His humanity. A son will be given to us” speaks of the Savior’s preexistent deity.
Leader: By saying “given,” not “born,” Isaiah suggests that Jesus existed before His birth. He came as the Son of God—God in a human body—to conquer sin and death forever. He is the perfect Son of God, the promise of the ages, the Holy One of Israel, the desire of nations, the light in darkness, the only hope for our lost world.
All: The government will rest on His shoulders, looks beyond that first Christmas to a time still in the prophetic future when Christ shall reign over all the kingdoms and governments of the world (Zechariah 14:9; Daniel 2:44).
Leader: In that day, the government of the whole world will rest on His shoulders, and He will reign as sovereign over a worldwide kingdom of righteousness and peace. In the meantime, His government operates in secret. His kingdom and sovereign rule are manifest within those who trust Him as their Lord (Luke 17:20-21).
All: Messiah’s kingdom has the answer to the world’s confusion.
Leader: During His incarnation, Christ demonstrated His wisdom as a counselor. Christ is the source of all truth (John 14:6), and it is to Him that we must turn to make sense of life’s confusion. Jesus is the Counselor who knows everything. He knows all about you; He knows the needs of your heart; He knows how to answer those needs. And He always gives wise counsel to those who will hear and obey Him.
All: The King is the Mighty God and His kingdom is free from all chaos.
Leader: God is not a God of confusion but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). Christ the King loves to step into a life of chaos and not only provide wonderful counsel, but also display His divine power by bringing order. He not only tells His subjects what to do as a Wonderful Counselor, but He can energize them to do it—because He is the Mighty God.
All: According to God the Father’s own testimony, the Son—Jesus—was the Person of the Godhead who created time out of eternity and fashioned the universe from nothing (Hebrews 1:10-12).
Leader: Nothing is too difficult for the Creator and Sustainer of everything. He is in complete and sovereign control. He sees the end of everything, and He guarantees that all things will work together for the ultimate good of all His Kingdom’s subjects (Romans 8:28).
All: In Messiah’s kingdom there are no conflicts because He is the Prince of Peace.
Leader: He offers peace from God (Romans 1:7) to all who receive His grace. The announcement of peace on earth was a two-pronged proclamation. First, it declared the arrival of the only One who ultimately can bring lasting peace on earth. But more importantly, it was a proclamation that God’s peace is available to men and women. Isaiah 9:7 elaborates on the peace that Christ’s kingdom will bring on earth:
All: There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
Leader: The prophetic message of Christmas is the good news of God’s answer to all the confusion, chaos, complexities, and conflicts of life. It is the gift of the newborn infant who is also the Father of all eternity. He is an innocent child, yet He is a wise Counselor and mighty King. He is God with us. Immanuel.
Let Him be God with you.
(God’s Gift of Christmas, pages 24-31)
|HC#169 – Hallelujah |HC-169 |HCD15 –T19 |
|Additional Optional Songs |
|HC#72 – Emmanuel |HC-72 |HCD6-T12 |
|HC#82 – Jesus, Name Above All Names |HC-82 |HCD7-T12 |
|SB#82 – Jesus, name above all names |TB-714 - same | |
|HC#187 – Jesus, Messiah |HC-187 |HCD17-T17 |
|HC#220 – Incarnate |HC-220 |HCD20-T20 |
Pastoral Prayer:
Message – Real Christmas
|HC#89 – Knowing You |HC-89 |HCD7-T19 |
|Additional Optional Songs |
|HC#65 – God Will Make a Way |HC-65 |HCD5-T15 |
|SB#153 – Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown |TB-94 - Margaret |HTD10-T6 (4 vs.) |
|HC#156 – Enter In |HC-156 |HCD14-T16 |
Benediction
|SB#112 – It was on a starry night |TB-535 – same | |
|HC#180 – It was on a starry night |HC-280 |HCD16-T20 |
|Vocal Benediction Options |
|SB#116 – O come, all ye faithful |TB-496 – Adeste Fideles |HTD3 –T1 (3 vs.) |
|HC#140 – O Come, All Ye Faithful |HC-140 | |
| | |HCD12-T20 |
|Week #3 |
|DRAMA |
|And the Winner is . . . |
|By Martyn Scott Thomas |
|© 2009 by Martyn Scott Thomas. All rights reserved. Used by permission. |
|Topic: |Christmas, authentic |
|Scripture: |Luke 2:1-7 |
|Synopsis: |A man simplifies his decorating ideas down to just the manger. |
|Characters: |Fred Masters – a competitive and overly zealous man. |
| |Betty Masters – his sensible wife. |
|Props/Costumes: |Casual dress. A chair, a laundry basket, some clothes that need to be folded and a manger. |
|Setting: |The living room of the Masters’ house. |
|Running Time: |4 minutes. |
[Betty is seated, folding laundry.]
Fred: [calling out from offstage] Betty, have you seen the snow globe?
Betty: It’s on the bookcase in our bedroom.
Fred: [still calling out] Where?
Betty: I told you before, I’m not displaying that thing in the living room any more. I moved it to the bookcase.
Fred: [enters, a bit puzzled] What are you talking about?
Betty: That stupid snow globe your parents gave us from Niagara Falls. I don’t care what you say, it’s not a conversation piece – at least not a conversation I want to be part of. What are you talking about?
Fred: The giant inflatable dancing Santa snow globe I bought for the front yard.
Betty: You’re not really putting that up, are you?
Fred: Brad Jordan already has half his yard done. It looks like he’s going through with his twelve days of Christmas theme – complete with seven swans a-swimming [mockingly] in a kiddie pool.
Betty: You two are worse than children. You get caught up in this ridiculous decoration contest every year. You spend months plotting and scheming, just to outdo each other and win some silly trophy.
Fred: The Golden Twinkler is not some silly trophy. It has a rich and storied history.
Betty: The village has given it out three times. And it used to be a bowling trophy.
Fred: But whose name appears on it twice?
Betty: [reluctantly] Fred Masters.
Fred: And if Brad wins this year, we’re tied.
Betty: Would that really be so horrible?
Fred: [stares at Betty in disbelief]
Betty: Sorry I asked. So what’s your grand idea for this year?
Fred: Well, I thought I’d start with the snow globe, add some of those automated reindeer, splash in some singing elves and top it all off with a giant spotlight shining down from the roof.
Betty: [concerned] Define giant spot light.
Fred: You may want to wear sunglasses to bed. And you probably won’t have to worry about any snow in front of the house.
Betty: Fred is all of this really necessary. Can’t you just put some lights on the tree out front?
Fred: Like Harold McGinty? He’s been in last place every year.
Betty: But it’s always so . . . subdued.
Fred: And boring. I don’t think you understand the spirit of the Golden Twinkler.
Betty: Is that what all this is about? I thought it was a Christmas decorating contest.
Fred: It is. And everyone knows the brighter, the better.
Betty: Well Mr. Brighter and Better, how do you plan on plugging in all of your decorations.
Fred: We have outside outlets all around the house.
Betty: Are those the same outlets you blew out last year with your tribute to Frosty the 20 foot high snowman?
Fred: [realizing] Oh, yeah.
Betty: And you are not running extension cords from inside the house again. Two years ago you unplugged half of the house, including our refrigerator, to power up Snoopy’s Winter Wonderland.
Fred: But, I need power.
Betty: Then maybe you should have replaced the outside outlets when you had the chance.
Fred: What am I going to do, now?
Betty: Maybe you should scale back your design.
Fred: But then Brad will win for sure.
Betty: Then Brad wins.
Fred: [dejected] But we have to put up some sort of decorations.
Betty: I have an idea. Wait here. [exits then returns carrying the manger and sets it down in front of Fred]
Fred: A manger?
Betty: It may not be in the spirit of the Golden Twinkler, but it is in the Spirit of Christmas. And after all, isn’t that what this is really all about?
Fred: You may be on to something. But I wonder . . .
Betty: [concerned] I don’t like that look in your eye.
Fred: If we ran an extension cord from the bedroom to the roof, I could still use that spotlight.
Betty: What on earth for?
Fred: Even Bethlehem’s manger had a shining star.
[Blackout]
tHE PURPOSE OF cHRISTMAS
Advent Worship Series – Week 3
December 13, 2009
Real Christmas
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;… and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of peace.”
Isaiah 9:6 (NASB)
I. MIGHTY
SEE THE ____ ____ IN THE MANGER
“The angel said to Mary, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you.’” Luke 1:35 (NCV)
“With God’s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine.” Ephesians 3:20 (NCV)
“God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient.” Colossians 1:11 (NCV)
This Christmas I need strength to...
II. GOD
SEE THE ____ ____ IN THE MANGER
“Who is like You—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” Exodus 15:11 (NIV)
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1 (NIV)
”God’s Son shines out with God’s glory, and all that God’s Son is and does marks him as God.” Hebrews 1:3 (TLB)
This Christmas I need a bigger perspective on…
III. ETERNAL
SEE THE _____ ___ IN THE MANGER
“The yes to all of God's promises is in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 1:20 (NCV)
“We also have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character, and character produces hope.” Romans 5:3-4 (NCV)
“The Scriptures give us patience and encouragement so that we can have hope.” Romans 15:4 (NCV)
This Christmas I need to trust that…
IV. FATHER
SEE THE _____ ___ IN THE MANGER
“God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NCV)
“Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39 (NLT)
This Christmas I need love for...
The purpose of Christmas
Advent Sermon – Week 3
December 13, 2009
Real Christmas
by Tom Holladay
Today we’re going to talk about how you can enjoy the real Christmas. I know that there are a lot of things that we enjoy this time of the year. There are presents and decorations that we enjoy. But we all know that those things are just a recognition of the real thing, the real Christmas.
This time of the year, one of the things that we enjoy is wearing different clothes than we wouldn’t wear any other time of the year. A lot of you have red on out there. We wear sweaters which we don’t wear the rest of the year at Christmas. It’s all fun. It’s enjoyable. But it’s just in recognition of the real thing.
And what’s the real Christmas? It’s this verse: “And she gave birth to her first born, a Son, and she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.” That’s the real Christmas. And the closer we can get to that, and all that it means, the more real it can be in our lives. It can give us real help and encouragement and strength for our daily lives.
A young pastor received a telephone call from the local shopping mall. They told him, “We have a store that went out of business and we have an open storefront window. We wondered if your church wanted to put up a manger scene in that store front window so it wouldn’t be empty for Christmas.” He thought, “This is going to be awesome! There are more people that go to that mall than come to my church at Christmas. Millions of people will see this. Tens of thousands will come to church because we set this thing up.”
So he went down and set up a beautiful manger scene. It partially wrapped in wrapping paper with a large gift tag that read, “From God, to all mankind.” After getting it all set up, he thought, “This looks great!” Then he spotted a bench right beside the window and sat down to watch everyone in the mall be awed by what he had done.
It was Christmas. You know what people do at Christmas. Hardly anyone even noticed it. It was zoom, zoom, zoom – passing by it without seeing it.
Every once in a while someone would rush by and out of the corner of their eye they would see a manger scene in the storefront window. They’d think, “Wait. That doesn’t make sense.”
When that happened, they would stop. They would turn around and walk closer and they’d get on their tip toes, trying to look at the baby in the manger.
That’s what makes Christmas real. That’s what we’re going to spend a few minutes doing today. Just get a little bit closer, get on our tip toes and look at the baby in the manger and what it can mean in my life and yours.
When God’s Son was born, he was given the name Jesus. The angel said, “You shall name him Jesus.” Jesus means salvation. It means God wants to rescue us from the worst of life and for the best of life. But if you really want to understand all that Jesus wants to do in your life, you’ve got to understand his names. The interesting thing about them is that he got them 700 years before he was born.
Isaiah prophesied that Jesus was going to be born. He wrote, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace.”
Let’s focus on those two names in the middle: “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father.” In the four words of those two names, there are some things we can see that can make Christmas more real to us. And in making it more real, there could be more joy in this Christmas for us as we see what it means for him to be the Mighty God and the Eternal Father. See it. Sense the significance for your life.
Here are four things that Jesus Christ wants to offer every one of us this Christmas.
I. Mighty
He is the mighty God.
In the word “mighty” there’s something to see in the manger. See the power in the manger.
The word “mighty” means strength in battle. It means prevailing over the toughest of circumstances. That’s the kind of power that God wants to give our lives.
But let’s face it: most of us don’t think power when we think of a baby in a manger. When we think of power we think of other things. There are other images that come into most of our minds: military power, fuel power, political power, weight-lifting power, electrical power. There are many things that we think of as powerful, in the sense that they can move something from here to there. They can make a difference.
The greatest power that has ever come into this world is in the manger. He is the Mighty God. A new strength was born into this world at Christmas. A new strength for your life. A new strength to win in the toughest of battles.
So here’s the question: What’s the toughest battle you’re facing right now?
Is it in some relationship that’s not going like you want it to go? God says I want to give my power to your life to make a difference at this point in your life.
Is it in some circumstance that’s not turning out like you want it to turn out?
Is it in some temptation that keeps getting the best of you? You want to say no, but you keep saying yes.
Is it in some great opportunity that you’re not sure you’re up to?
What is the greatest battle that you’re facing right now? Right here, at this point, God says, I want to make my power available to you. The manger is not some sentimental story. It’s all about God’s power in our lives.
What kind of power are we talking about? Ephesians 3:20 says, “With God’s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine.” That’s the kind of power we’re talking about. “Much, much more” kind of power; God’s kind of power in our lives. God wants to do much, much more than you could ever dream or imagine. God wants to do what’s best in our lives. That means sometimes he wants to do much, much more than my best idea.
God’s power can be released in your life at the very point where you feel the weakest. That’s what he wants to do. God’s power is available.
But the question is, how do I connect to it? On a daily basis, how do I get connected to God’s power? How do I get charged up with God’s power?
Most of us have a cell phone in our pockets or purse. How many of you have to charge your cell phone every day to keep it powered up? A bunch of us. How many have to charge it every second day? How many every third day? For how many of you does your cell phone hold a charge for five days or more?
How about us when it comes to God’s power? How often do you have to connect in order to stay charged up with God’s power? It’s not every fifth day or fourth or third or second. It’s not even every single day.
When it comes to God’s power in my life, I can’t hold a charge. I’ve got to stay connected to him all the time. We can’t come to church once a week and think, I’ll get charged up. It’ll take me through the week. It can help us, but it’s not enough. We can’t even just read the Bible once a day and pray a little bit and think, “Ok, I did the right thing in the morning. Now I’ll stay charged up throughout the day.”
I don’t know about you, but I can have a devotion time in the morning and forget God by 10:00 A.M. It’s easy to do. So I’ve got to stay connected to him all the time.
How do I do that? Just like staying connected in any other relationship. Be aware that he’s there, and talk to him throughout the day. It doesn’t have to be long conversations. “God, help me with this one.… God, I need your wisdom here…. God, I’m not sure what to do here…. God—it’s amazing what just happened. Thank you for that.” Thanksgiving is a great way to stay connected to God throughout the day, just thanking him for the little things.
When you stay connected throughout the day, you’ll experience this kind of more than power that we’re talking about here. God’s great power.
And when it comes to God’s great power there are many ways we experience it. Colossians 1:11 says “God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you’ll be patient.” We think sometimes that our greatest experience of God’s power is when we do some great thing and everyone sees it and everyone applauds. I believe our greatest experience of God’s power is when we feel like no one sees and no one notices, and we need the strength to make it through and not give up. And God gives us that strength. That’s the greatest experience of God’s power.
The greatest experience of God’s power is just to be patient. I don’t know about you, but it’s easy to be impatient. When God gives me the strength and the power to be patient in a tough circumstance, that’s incredible power!
God wants to give you power and strength this Christmas. It would do us no good just to talk about this and say it’s something that happened 2000 years ago, unless we thought about what’s going to happen in my life today.
Think about where you could use some strength this Christmas. “This Christmas I need strength to…” It might be about a relationship. It might be a circumstance. It might be a conversation. It might be something you’re feeling about yourself. I need strength… where do you need strength? This Christmas I need strength… Write something in there because he’s the Mighty God. He wants to give us power.
II. God
I not only need to see the power that’s in the manger, I need to see the glory that’s in the manger. The glory is God has come into our world.
It was time to put out the manger scene, and a little girl asked her father if she could put the baby Jesus in the manger. “I’m afraid you might break it, but okay,” said the father. If you tell somebody again and again, I’m afraid you might break it, what do you think happens? Yeah. The baby Jesus was not in her little fingers for more than a nano-second when it found its way onto the marble floor, and little baby Jesus’ head went this way and his body went that way.
The father rediscovered the Christmas miracle called Super Glue. He Super Glued baby Jesus’ head back on the body in such a way that there was a little super glue tear coming out of Jesus’ eye. After that, he took baby Jesus and Super Glued him into the manger because he didn’t want this to happen again.
That story I just told you has nothing to do with the glory of God, because you cannot Super Glue Jesus into the manger. He’ll bust out of every manger you try to Super Glue him in. You can not put God in a box. The glory of God is that he will break out of every box that you and I try to put him in. “God, could you just stay in this box here, and I’m going to be over there doing my thing, and you stay in the little box I built for you doing your thing. Could you do that?” And God says No!
The glory of God came into this world at Christmas. That’s what is in the manger. God says, I’m going to bust out of every box you ever make because I want you to see what I can really do in your life. More than you could ever dream. More than you could ever imagine. That is God’s glory.
The world can always see God’s glory. You can see it way back in the Old Testament. If you read a book like Exodus in the Old Testament, they saw God’s glory. They saw the Red Sea being split and they saw the pillar of fire going before them to lead the way. That’s why the Bible says in Exodus 15:11, “Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?”
We read that sometimes and we think, I’d like to see that. That would be cool to see a Red Sea split, to see a pillar of fire. To actually experience and see the glory of God.
We can. The Bible tells us that in creation you can see the glory of God and who he is. Go out on a starlit night, far away from the lights of the city, and you can see the Milky Way. You see thousands of stars, and it takes our breath away because it reminds us of the greatness of God. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
What happened in the Old Testament is wonderful. Seeing the stars is awesome. But what happened at Christmas? God came into our world! There’s more glory of God in that manger than in a thousand Red Seas being split, than in a million stars in the sky. God came into this world at Christmas!
But with the way we’re wired as human beings, it’s easy for us to miss the glory of God. It’s easy for us to get focused on the details and miss his glory.
It happened in the Old Testament. Miracles were happening around them all the time. The Red Sea gets split, they’ve got the pillar of fire in front of them, and what are they doing? They’re complaining: we don’t have enough food! We don’t have enough water! They missed it—they missed his glory!
You and I can easily miss it. Christmas comes around every year. We recognize that God came into this world. But we get focused on the little things.
So it’s worth it for us to take just a few minutes together to focus on the fact that God came into this world at Christmas. The baby in the manger is God wrapped in human flesh. The Creator, the Sustainer, the Ruler over everything and everyone.
Look at your thumbprint. He made that. He formed, he fashioned, and he fingerprinted you. That is the God that came into this world at Christmas. Hebrews 1:3 says, “God’s Son shines out with God’s glory and all that God’s Son is and does marks him as God.” Jesus is God. He came into this world and was born as a baby.
Now the question to our scientific minds is how? How in the world do you fit God into a baby? It’s like trying to fit the Pacific Ocean into a thimble. How do you do that?
The one word that I know to describe how is “humility.” Humility. He humbled himself. God humbled himself to become a baby. Philippians 2 says that he humbled himself—even to the point of death for us. Humility.
Somebody has written this about the baby in the manger being God:
“He who is the creator became a creature. He who is eternal allowed himself to be bound by time. He whom the heavens can’t contain was enclosed in a woman’s womb. He who is clothed in majesty was born in a cattle trough. He who is the sovereign God became dependant on a human man and woman for his food and clothing. He who had spoken whole worlds and galaxies into existence had to depend upon baby cries to communicate. The God of the universe became a baby.”
That’s the glory of God.
Some people think it’s narrow-minded to be a believer in Jesus Christ. But you have to be pretty open-minded to believe that God would come into this world; that God would care that much for you. Maybe for you that’s a challenging thought (that God himself was born at Christmas). Check it out. This is worth seeking out the truth. Don’t depend on internet legends on this one. There’s 2000 years of history on this. Become a passionate seeker for the truth. Is it really God who was born into this world at Christmas?
I believe that if you will passionately seek the truth God will wonderfully reveal himself to you. Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, came into this world at Christmas. That is the glory of God.
When I recognize the glory of God I recognize the greatness of what God wants to do in my life.
To me, more important than the question of how this happened is why this happened. Why did it happen? Because he loves you. Because he loves you that much. Why would God become a man? The answer shines clearly. He wants you to understand and know how much he loves you.
Emmanuel, another of Jesus’ names, means God is with us. He wants to let you know that he’s with you. He understands what it’s like to grow, to be weary, to suffer, to hurt. He understands what it’s like to have successes and victories in life. He understands and he wants you to know that he understands. That’s what the glory of Christmas is all about.
The things that we think of in our culture as glorious—the really “big screen” kinds of moments—are different than this. We all know that we’re in a celebrity driven culture. I think it’s great to enjoy sports. Some people enjoy going to a movie. But some people don’t leave it at that. They start to follow the person. They want to know everything about their favorite celebrity’s life. They want to pick up everything in the newspaper. They want to get a picture of everything that happened to them. Why is it that we want to get so close to something we feel is celebrity?
It is because of the way we’re wired, the way we’re made. We all need a wow! in our life. We all need something bigger than ourselves in our lives. If you’re not going to find it in God, then you are going to look for it somewhere else. And sometimes you chase after a celebrity culture to try to find it.
You need a bigger wow in your life—bigger than the latest celebrity or the greatest catch you’ve ever seen the football game. It’s exciting. It makes you stand up. But it’s not big enough for who you are and the greatness of what God wants to do in your life. The manger in Bethlehem? It is a reminder which says, “God came into this world!”
What does that mean for me? What does that mean for you? It means that God is bigger. It means that God’s perspective is bigger. God wants to do something even greater in your life.
So write down in your outline, “This Christmas I need a bigger perspective on…” what? What problem? What reality? What thing about yourself or someone else? What situation in our world today? I need a bigger perspective on what?
When you think of what God wants to do in your life, when you have this attitude of awe, it can put things into perspective. You might be facing a problem today. As you’re looking at it you say, “Honestly, that problem is bigger than I am.” And it may be. But it’s not bigger than God. God is bigger than that problem. So when you recognize that, that’s the reality of Christmas and what God wants to do. He’s the Mighty God.
You see the power in the manger. You see the glory in the manger. But you also see a third thing…
III. Eternal
He’s the Eternal Father. You see the hope that’s in the manger. The eternal hope that’s in the manger.
When it comes to hope, just like power and glory, we have our ideas of things we put hopes in. What are some of the things?
Lottery! Money! Stock market. Career. Politics.
We’ve got all kinds of hopes. Here’s the deal when it comes to hope. If you put your hope in something that goes up and down, like the stock market, what’s going to happen to your hope? It’s going to go up and down.
If you put your hope in something that’s not going to last, what’s going to happen to your hope? It’s not going to last.
If you put your hope in something that’s eternal, what happens to your hope? It’s eternal. Jesus is the eternal Father.
Hope came into our world at Christmas. Jesus wants to give you hope in your life. Christmas says that hope is more than some sentimental wish: “I hope it happens… I hope it happens…” It says it can be a certainty in our lives.
2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “The yes to all of God’s promises is in Christ.” You know what happened at Christmas when Jesus came into the world? He said yes! to all of God’s promises.
There are over 7000 promises in the Bible. In Jesus, the answer to every one of them is yes. God promises to rescue us from difficult situations; to bring us salvation. Jesus says yes to that promise.
If you’re looking at your life and you say, “I’m struggling with a relationship. I need strength to know what to do here and how to handle this,” then Jesus says, “Yes, I’ll give you strength.”
Or, “I need to make a decision over here in my career or my business and I need wisdom for that decision.” God promises wisdom and Jesus says yes to that promise.
When you drive around at Christmas and see all of the Christmas lights, think of those points of lights representing a yes from God in Jesus Christ. That’s the hope of Christmas. He’s saying yes in your life.
You may look at your life and think he’s not saying yes right now. I see a lot of no’s in my life. I see a lot of circumstances that are not working out. I’ve got a lot of problems. How do you see hope when you have a problem? How do you keep hope when you have a problem?
Here’s the amazing thing. God can work hope into our lives even through the problems.
Here’s what God says about that. Romans 5:3-4: “We also have joy with our troubles, [How does that work? Here’s how…] because we know that these troubles produce patience and patience produces character, and character produces hope.”
I don’t know about you, but when a problem comes into my life the first thing I want to do is run away. Anybody with me on that one? But God says that instead of running away and trying to find some place or relationship in this world where there are no problems (no such thing), you should stick it through and ask him for strength and patience. God will give you patience and will develop and strengthen your character.
Then an amazing thing happens. On the other side of that problem, God says, “I’m going to give you greater hope. You recognize that you can’t find hope in that problem anyway. But I’ve got someone I’ve found hope in no matter what the problem of life.” That’s what God does.
Some of us hear that and say, “I’m stuck on the first one. The patience one. When I’ve got problems I don’t feel patient. I feel impatient. So how am I even going to get started on this?”
God has an answer for that one, too. He tells us where we can find patience. “The scriptures give us patience and encouragement so that we can have hope.” That’s the value of God’s truth in the Bible. God says if you’ll listen to his truth, his truth will give you patience in a difficult situation, and then character gets developed, resulting in hope. That’s the power of God’s word when we’re going through tough times. God wants to develop hope in your life.
How about you this Christmas? Where do you need to trust him? “This Christmas I need to trust God…” That’s where hope comes from – trusting God in difficult times. What situation do you need to trust him with? What person do you need to trust him with? What feeling do you need to trust him with? This Christmas I need to trust…
God causes all things to work together for good for those who love him. It doesn’t make the problem good. It is not good. It’s bad. But it reminds us that God is good. He can take even the worst that life throws at us and he can work for good.
Some of you may be feeling pretty hopeless right now. Everything I’m saying is just a sting because you feel hopeless. You look at your circumstances and think, “That’s great for you, but it’s not working for me.” And you feel like there’s no way out.
Never let a temporary circumstance steal eternal hope from you.
For some of us, the best way we know of handling a problem is to pretend it isn’t there. Just pretend it’s not there and it won’t affect us. But it eventually does.
But there is Good News! When you follow Jesus Christ, it doesn’t mean that you believe Jesus lived 2000 years ago. That’s just an historical fact. It means that you have a personal relationship with him. How do you get that personal relationship? Just by trusting him. You trust him with the wrong things you’ve done. You say “God, I trust you to forgive me. Rather than me making up for them on my own, I trust you to forgive me.” And you trust him for the good things he wants to do in your life. “I trust you to lead me and guide me in the kind of life you have for me.”
When you ask Jesus Christ to lead your life, he will change you. He will give you a hope that you didn’t have before. Regardless of your circumstances, you can have hope. He changes your heart. God has a purpose for your life no matter what the circumstances. God loves you no matter what is going on in your life. God has an eternity for you that is above and beyond any circumstances in this life.
Do not let a temporary circumstances steal eternal hope from you. Because the hope that Jesus offers is eternal. He is the Mighty God. He’s the Eternal Father. I want to see the power and the glory and the hope that’s in the manger, but there’s a fourth thing I want to see.
IV. Father
I want to see the love that’s in the manger. His love for me.
We’ve been using that word “love.” I recognize very well that the word “love” means something different to each of us. We have different pictures culturally when we hear the word “love.”
I’m all for romantic love. But God’s love is the love upon which all good romantic love is based. Every good love is based on God’s great love. His love is higher than that. It is a sacrificial self-giving love. He loves you just because he decided to love you. He’s the Eternal Father. The love of a Father is there in the manger.
I know that can be confusing. He’s the Son and he’s also the Father? That’s the trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The trinity of God loves you. I could take five hours to explain the trinity. Or just take my word for it. The trinity of God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—loves you. That’s the power of God’s love that’s in the manger. God loves you. Don’t miss that this Christmas. God loves you.
The most familiar verse about that in the Bible, familiar to many of us, is John 3:16. Listen to it. Hear God’s love for you in this verse like you never have before. “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.” That’s God’s love for you. When you get to know God through his Son, Jesus Christ, that love is experienced in your life.
God’s not going to force himself into your life. He has done everything he needed and wanted to do, in his relationship with you, to open the door to give you the gift. But we have to go through the door in order to accept the gift. He doesn’t force himself upon anyone. But once we accept that gift it’s an incredible love.
The next verse tells us, “Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that’s in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Human love lets you down. It lets you down far too often. God’s love will never let you down. But in order to enjoy this love from God you have to accept it into your life. It won’t be forced upon you. In order to enjoy it you have to bring it into your daily life.
But for that to happen, it can’t be an “in case of emergency, break glass” Jesus. You know what I’m talking about. “Jesus, you stay behind the glass. Don’t interfere with my life. If things go really bad I’m going to break the glass, bring you out long enough to save the situation and then back behind the glass, Jesus.”
No, the glory of God is greater than that. He’s not going to accept that kind of relationship. He wants to do so much more. There’s this feeling sometimes that if I really let Jesus into my life he’s going to ruin it. Do you think he would have humbled himself to become a baby like that if he wanted to ruin your life? Why would he humble himself like that? Because he knows you and he loves you and he wants to be at work in your life.
I know what it’s like to not trust God with things in my life, to think that I know better. But every time I do it I get a wake up call and I realize that God really does love me, and his love wants to make a real difference in my life. He wants to make a real difference in your life.
So how is it going to make a difference in your life this Christmas? Write it in on your outline. This Christmas where do you need God’s love? “I need God’s love for…” And you might even write in the name of a person there. “God, if I’m going to love that person I’m going to need your strength. No doubt about it.”
I need God’s love… maybe for somebody at your office. Maybe it’s even an enemy. God I need your love for that enemy. How do you love an enemy? You begin by praying for them. “God I need your love for this person in this situation.” Start there.
And by the way, one of the greatest ways you can express God’s love at Christmas is by inviting people to hear the Good News. What a great gift to give to somebody that you love, to invite them to come and worship with you, and then watch them respond to what only God can do. Who do you need to invite? Invite people and watch God do what only he can do.
This love begins by expressing it to other people. But if I’m going to do that I need God’s love in my life. So before we close, let me make sure that you’ve got his love in your life.
I talked a minute ago about having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Are you sure that you have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ? If you’re not, you can be sure before you leave here today. How? Because he’s already done it all. He’s already done what’s needed to be done, and he’s offering you the gift. He’s already lived for you, died for you, was born for you, was resurrected for you, and he’s offering you the gift of a relationship—if you’ll just trust him.
So I want to lead you in a prayer of trust right now. But I don’t want you to bow your head and I don’t want you to close your eyes. Did you know that you can pray with your eyes open? Jesus did it all the time. It’s one of the most common ways he prayed.
So with our eyes open, if you’re not sure you’ve begun a relationship with God through Jesus, you can be sure right now. Just trust him. Just say to him,
Jesus Christ, right now I want to begin a relationship with you. I trust you with the wrong things that I’ve done to forgive me, rather than me trying to make up for them. And I trust you with the good things you want to do, to grow me, to change me and to use me. Jesus, thank you for loving me.
Then with our eyes still open, I want to encourage all of us to pray another prayer, a very simple prayer.
Jesus, this Christmas I’m breaking you out of the box and I’m putting you in my life. I want you right in the middle of my Christmas.
And now, with our heads bowed and our eyes closed, I’d like to pray for you.
Prayer:
Jesus, help us to see it. Thank you for this opportunity today to come together and get on our tip toes to look in the manger and see the reality of what you want to do. Help us to see it this week. Help us to see the strength that you want to give us through your power. Help us to see the perspective, the different way of looking at things that you want to give us through your glory. Help us to see the hope that you want to give us as we trust in you. God, help us to see how deeply you love us like we’ve never seen it before this Christmas. We ask this, Jesus, in your name. Amen.
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