Merry Christmas

^{Luke 2:1-20}

¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while (or before) Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

 ⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

 ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 ¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

 ¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Confusion Is No Excuse

We’re supposed to “Grow” in Christ but how?

The Bible gives us instruction about how to move forward in our Christian lives.  Here’s one key verse…

 “I have not yet been made perfect. But I move on to take hold of what Christ Jesus took hold of me for (Philippians 3:12) 

Here’s the Apostle Paul’s comment on his walk of faith. Even the Apostle Paul didn’t know it all about the Christian life. But he knew he needed to “move on” even though he was not sure how it all would unfold.

“We walk by faith, not by sight.” Corinthians 5:7

However he knew a lot.
He knew that it was a process. He knew that it was a “walk” of faith. One step at a time. He also knew the end result, and that is that “Christ would be fully formed in him” (Paul). At that point it would be… 

“Not I, but Christ.” Galatians 2:20.

Paul knew that he had to press on.
He knew that he could not be casual or passive about growing in Christ.  Why do we have to grow?  It’s our new nature, we have a new life.  Like a seed put into the ground it’s not a big effort, it’s what will happen if we stay in the right environment.  That’s why he says, 

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” John 15:3-5

There is a plan and process for our Spiritual Growth
We don’t grow because we have now decided that we’re really going to follow the our Boy Scout and Girl Scout pledge of do’s and don’ts.  No, we grow step by step. Day by day, step by step, we abide in him, we keep our faith in him, and we grow, we learn, we change.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect”. Romans 12:2

This is also confusing
We have been given much guidance in the bible and especially in the New Testament in the writings of the apostle Paul about this new life.  God will always keep us in the dark while we’re here on Earth to keep us honest and to keep us trusting Him for guidance and strength.  

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” Corinthians 1:12

If he showed us our future and what He has planned for us to do and achieve, he knows our nature would be to immediately fall back and try to do it on our own power and then we would fail miserably. It’s for our own good he keeps us in the dark.  He tells us where we’re headed but regarding our path He usually only shows us enough so we can make a step forward.  As he gives us more light and clarity we take steps forward.  When the light is not there we wait, we pause, we pray, until he sheds more light. We keep our eyes looking up and looking forward…

“Press On to the High Calling of God." Philippians 3:13 

Don’t be surprised when you’re confused.
We all get confused. We all get discouraged. We all question things. Even the apostle Paul felt that way at times, but that’s no excuse for not trusting. That’s no excuse for not moving forward and taking the steps that we do know we need to take. Don’t be surprised because that’s the way God operates. He has to do it that way so we will continue to remain dependent on Him.

We need to have the faith of Ann Frank’s father
When Ann Frank pestered her father constantly asking, 'Where are tickets?  We’re supposed to catch the train and leave and escape, but we don’t have tickets. Have you bought the tickets? Where can we get the tickets?' Her father looked at her and said “Ann, when it comes time to step on the train… the tickets will be there, God will provide.” We know we need many things in the future things we don’t have now. It’s not our job to figure out how to get them on our own power, it’s our job to trust God to provide for at the proper time.  

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

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Photo credit used under Creative Commons

What Actually is the "Good News?"

Is it just an easier to do list to get into Heaven?

Study the New Testament and you’ll realize that the Good News of Jesus Christ is that our salvation and eternal life is not a matter of adding up brownie points.  Unfortunately for us God is pure and cannot have eternal fellowship with anything impure, meaning us.

It’s an oil and water kind of thing…pure and impure  don’t mix. Once we have committed one sin in our life it’s over for us. By the time we realize this we have all accumulated a whole lot more than one sin.  We were born with a rebellious sinful nature.So we must admit it, confess it and repent. It’s stupid and foolish to try to deny it.  

So now what can be done?

There was only one option, the pure and holy God had to save us.  And he did. In a miraculous event that of course we cannot fully understand, He sent His son to Earth to live the perfect life and to die on a cross so he could be the substitute for our sins.  All of our sins are put on Him if we merely by faith actively accept, acknowledge, and believe in Him.  By doing that we “repent” by acknowledging we can’t do it on our own. We acknowledge we are sinners and we place our trust in Him.  It’s a definite decision. It’s a definite act of will. We are trusting in Him for our eternal salvation.  Now our eternal salvation is in place. By the grace of God we will ive an eternal life. 

But here’s the rub.  
What happens next? How are we supposed to live? God has a plan for that as well and it doesn’t depend on our strength, it doesn’t depend on our understanding, it doesn’t depend on our consistency or discipline.  It depends on our faith in His strength and character in love.  We’ll talk about how this works next Sunday….

Did Jesus Ever Say He was God?

One of the big lies that enemies of Jesus Christ say is…”Jesus never claimed he was God.”

They either take the approach that he never claimed it or that it was all added later by his disciples.

Nonsense! People who make these statements are either ignorant or deliberate liars because if there is one fact that can’t be disputed it was that Jesus was VERY clear who he was. 

He told them that he existed from the beginning of time…

"I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!"

He told them that he was one and the same with God….Of course not everyone believed him and they tried to stone him when he made the statement…

"The Father and I are one." Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. Jesus said, "At my Father's direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?" They replied, "We're stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God."

So it wasn’t like he said these things in a whisper that no one heard or at a polite private Bible study somewhere. He said it put loud in public in front of crowds containing friends and foes alike. He wasn’t vague. He wasn’t afraid. He stated the truth for all to hear. In fact he was so clear they even tried to stone Him for it.

And yet in spite of that there are those today who say….he never claimed to be God. Amazing.

The scriptures say he even shouted to the crowd…

 "If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark."

To the disciples he said….

You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are right, because that's what I am. 

Phillip, one of his inner circle even had trouble getting his mind around the idea…

Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!" Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus replied, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?" 

Its not logical that God would have come to earth to save our Sins and then have been coy about who he was, why he was here or how we are to respond.

He was very clear. You can’t get off the hook by saying he was vague about his identity. 

You have to decide if you are going to believe in Him as God and Savior or not.

The Book of Light

It's been said that the quality of your life can be directly traced back to the decisions you make.

Yet how do you decide? We are can get paralyzed by many decisions, so many choices and so much conflicting advice. Its even more frightening when you are making decisions that affect your family or business.

It seems like we have to make these choices in the dark.

Darkness is fine when you're sleeping, but it's terrifying  to be walking around in the dark. The truth is that if you don't have a guide and you don't know the future, you actually are in the dark when it comes to making decisions.

Fortunately we have a guide, the Bible, the Word of God.

As it says in Psalms 119:105

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

God's word gives us a foundation. It provides us reference points for evaluating and judging choices - providing practical advice in hundreds of areas. It helps you discern danger, position yourself for success and evaluate your life's direction

God has always been in the light business.

In fact the first record of his words are "Let there be light" in Genesis 1:3. If you look a little closer you'll also find the light described as a person, his Son Jesus Christ.

"I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness". John 12:46

When you are ready for the Light to come into your life and tired of walking in darkness, you'll find your answer in the Bible - the Book of Light.

The Ultimate Offer You Can't Refuse

Whoa there! Maybe you need to take another look.

Those of you who have dismissed the call of the Lord Jesus Christ should look again at his message. It is totally unique in the universe of those who offer you spiritual guidance. Don’t make the mistake of thinking he has nothing to offer you.

He is totally unique in history.

Who else offers the “free gift” of ETERNAL life? He can offer this because he died on the Cross for your Sins.
Any others you can think of who even pretended to die for your sins? And let’s not waste any time talking about whether or not you have any “sins.” And let’s not argue about his life, death and resurrection. There is more proof of just His resurrection than proof that Julius Caesar even lived!

What do the others offer?

All the others offer is a list of pithy saying and an endless list of Do’s and Don’ts. Pathetic. If people had the ability to follow those lists they already would be doing it.

Following these checklists does no more good than washing a pig, dousing it with perfume and tying a pink ribbon around it’s neck. The first time the pig sees mud it will run and jump back in. It has to, it’s only it’s nature.

A new nature - at a price everyone can afford! Jesus Christ is the only one who doesn’t ask you to try to change or modify your nature. That’s because he knows it’s an exercise in futility. He offer you a NEW nature, a new birth—a new spiritual life. And all this is offered at a price EVERYONE can afford - it’s free!

Who else has made you an offer like this?

In my opinion, unless you are terminally stubborn, this is an offer you CAN’t refuse!

The Most Important Word

What makes a word the most important word in any language? 

It's the one that GOD chose to describe his character and nature. What is that word? It’s the Greek word CHARIS, χάρις .

In the first of four audio sessions on the "Doctrine of Grace" by Chester McCalley, he introduces the absolute central importance of understanding the Grace of God. He details why this is the key to entering into experiencing the fullness of all that is made available to those who have faith in Jesus Christ. 

 Here's some of the territory he covers:

• What happened to the Law
• What does it mean to be “under Grace”
• Why Grace has the power to teach and the Law does not
• How you get it
• Why it must be taught
• What is the design and purpose of Grace
• What we provide and what is our only possible respons

He shows the 3 different meanings of the word Grace:

1. As the Greek used the word
2. How it was used in the Old versus New Testaments
3. How the Apostle Paul used it

He closes with the first three points in the Doctrine of Grace. What does it mean to be under Grace and not under Law?

1. It's the system we are under
2. Grace can only be seen in Jesus Christ
3. It’s the way GOD operates

Listen online by clicking here.

This is your opportunity to be introduced to the most important Word in the world!