December 24, 2006
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Next Week: “This is the End of the World as We Know it” (New Beginnings, fresh starts, in our personal life and in the life of our church)

 

Two Weeks from now: “Do I have to go back to work?” (I don’t like myself, my job, my church, so why should I go on…what’s the point?)

 

Today: “Is Wal-Mart Open on Christmas Eve?”

 

-         Many people are waking up this morning and are going to head out to Wal-Mart and try to get their last minute shopping done. 

o       They are going to rush around, fight the crowds, and spend down to their last penny to buy people gifts.

 

-         The World around us has made Christmas Mostly about giving gifts. 

 

o       (They call it happy Holidays as if it is going to cover Christmas through New Years but when we get close to the New Year, it changes to Happy New Year.) 

 

 

As a Christian, I would challenge you today to look to the Bible and find ways we can give gifts that don’t cost a dime of your money.

 

 

Yes, we are going to give gifts to our friends and family, but let’s use the Christmas season as an opportunity give gifts that will not get junky with time.

 

 

Today we are going to talk about Two Gifts you can give this Christmas:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gift #1: The Gift of Surrender

 

Luke 2:26-38.

-        An Angel comes to Mary and tells her she is going to have a baby.

-         

o       She is a virgin

o       This thing God is asking her to do seems completely impossible

Yet, Look at how she responds:

Luke 2:38. "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

-        Mary was already living a life of surrender to God

o       When He came to her, He asked her to do something amazing through her and (I believe) this was not a new concept for her

o       A person whose life is surrendered totally to God will do whatever God wants them to do

§        They may have doubts at first

§        They may be scared

§        But…when a person of God knows that they have heard the voice of God, regardless of how crazy it seems to the world around them, they do what God asks them to do

·        They let God work through them to do amazing things.

 

MY PERSONAL OPINION ON WHY GOD CHOSE MARY TO BE THE MOTHER OF JESUS:

-        God has been and always will be looking for people who are willing to do whatever he asks them to do. 

-        To God, obedience is the greatest character trait he can fin in a person.

1 John 5:2. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.

John 15:9-11.  "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

-        How many of us are disobedient to the things God asks us to do?

 

 

-        Has God stopped using you?  Has He ever used you? 

o       Human beings are rebellious and selfish by nature. 

§        We often do what we want to do and if that falls in line with what God wants, then we act like we are serving God. 

·        The Truth is that God owns us and as Christians we are to totally surrender every aspect of our life to Him.

 

Luke 9:23. Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

 

-        We must daily surrender to what we want to do and follow Jesus wherever He wants us to go.

 

 

Earlier I said that this gift won’t cost you a dime. 

It will just cost you your life (every aspect of it).

 

 

Gift # 2: The Gift of Jesus

 

Luke 2:8-17.

 

-        We know the true meaning of Christmas is not about giving gifts

 

Luke 2:11. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord.

                                      

Christ: "the Anointed One" (The one set aside for a specific purpose)

 

He was born with a purpose.  He was born The Savior of the World.

 

-        Share with the world around you that Christmas is about the birth of The Savior, The Son of God who came to the earth to die for our sins so we can spend eternity in Heaven instead of Hell, so we can have a relationship with God instead of walking around the earth with a never-ending emptiness and loneliness.

 

-        The gift of Jesus is a free Gift. 

 

o       You got it for free.  Don’t Hog Jesus.  Spread Him around. 

o       The World needs Him. 

o       Give people the gift of eternity that comes in Jesus.  Share Jesus with them so they can choose to believe in Him and spend eternity with you in Heaven.

Closing:

-        Repent of living for selfish reasons and choose to surrender everything to Jesus

-        Ask God to show you who you need to share Jesus with this Christmas and then begin praying that He will provide the opportunity and the right words to say

-        Choose to believe in Jesus