Why Christmas Matters

For many people, Christmas is simply a holiday season for time with family and friends. “Merry Christmas” has been replaced by “Happy Holidays” on buildings, in front yards and in various publications across America. The politically correct view is that we must not offend any non-Christians by using the word Christmas in any positive context, even though over 80% of Americans call themselves Christian. Does Christmas matter or should we just relegate it to another secular holiday?

Even though Christmas has not always been celebrated by the Christian church or in the same way we celebrate it today, I believe Christmas matters. The Bible does not teach that we should celebrate Christmas, yet it has multiple accounts of what happened at Christmas and teaches us why it matters. You see the origin of Christmas is not just about the birth of the founder of Christianity. No, Christmas is about much more than that, for Jesus was not just a good, moral teacher.

Christmas matters, because on that night in a small Palestinian village 2000 years ago, God came to earth in human form. The God who created the universe, who flung the galaxies into place, who created you, was born as a flesh and blood baby. Colossians 1:15 (NLT) Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see– such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. When you looked at that baby born on that first Christmas night, you saw the invisible God. The most incredible event in human history took place on Christmas.

Jesus grew up, taught us about God, died on a cross and rose back to life, so that a rebellious humanity might have an opportunity to have a relationship with their creator. You see, Jesus didn’t come into the world for no reason. He came because He loved you and wanted you to fulfill the purpose He created you for. 1 John 4:9 (NLT) God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. Eternal life is simply a relationship with God that begins in this life and lasts forever.

I think what happened at Christmas 2000 years ago is something worth celebrating, it’s something worth teaching your children and it’s something worth telling everybody you know about. Anybody who doesn’t understand why Christmas matters is missing the point of life and the point of eternity. Christmas matters. I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

How To Find Joy At Christmas

Christmas can be a stressful time with all the extra things that get piled into our already busy schedules. Rather than begin a joyful time, Christmas can become a time of discouragement and of tensions between people. It doesn’t have to be that way. If you want to find a little more joy in your Christmas this season, read on.

The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Be joyful always; which is a command. Therefore joy is not just a feeling that you have no control over, it is something that God commands you to be filled with. The next two verses are helpful in finding that joy that we all desire in our lives and families. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. So prayer and giving thanks are key ingredients in discovering joy this Christmas.

Think back to that first Christmas night. There were shepherds watching their flocks of sheep when angels appeared and announced the birth of Jesus. The shepherds could have done nothing, but they chose to go see the new-born King. They worshipped Him and left giving thanks and praising God. They were filled with joy. The shepherds had their focus on Jesus and the result was joy.

What are you focusing on this Christmas? The answer to that question will determine whether your Christmas is filled with joy. If you are focused solely on shopping, presents, difficulties and finances, you won’t find much joy. Choose to focus on the true meaning of Christmas, the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ, into the world. Pray and give thanks all through the season and you will be choosing joy. When you feel like complaining or criticizing, find something to be thankful about. Be grateful to God and others, caring more about them than yourself. Refuse to get down in the dumps, obey God’s word to be joyful always and you will find joy at Christmas time for you and your family.

Living Your Dream

Today, we are concluding our message series “Dealing with Difficulties.” In this series, we’ve looked at how the Bible teaches us to handle the tough times that we all have to face. As we finish the series, I hope you’ve noticed that we are now not just focusing on difficulties. Last Sunday, we talked about “The Joy of Thanksgiving.” As you focus on God and His power through thanksgiving, you gain strength and joy to face life’s difficulties.

Today, I’ve entitled the message “Living Your Dream.” It seems to me that most people are just wrapped up in the difficulties of life. Most do not have a dream for their lives beyond escaping their current difficulties. And of the few that have or have had a dream, most aren’t actually living out that dream. Without a dream or vision, life becomes a sad exercise in monotony, just a joyless day-to-day grind. The Bible says (NLT) Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. God wants to see you have dreams for your life and more than that, to see those dreams fulfilled.

God doesn’t want you to live an average, humdrum kind of life. He wants you to have a dream and live a life of adventure and joy. Today we’re going to look at the life of a man you may not have heard of. His name was Jabez there are only two verses in the Bible about him They are found in 1 Chronicles 4. You may have skipped over them if you were reading through 1 Chronicles, since the first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles are a genealogy of over 600 names. Right in the middle of the genealogy, we read about a man named Jabez. The Bible says that Jabez was “more honorable than his brothers.” In other words, Jabez stood head and shoulders above the others of his generation. Jabez lived above average in God’s eyes, he lived his dream.

Let’s read those two verses about Jabez and see what was different about him. NIV 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. Now things didn’t start well for Jabez. His mother must have had a very traumatic delivery, so she named her son Jabez. In Hebrew, Jabez sounds like the word for pain. So Jabez was constantly reminded about his painful beginning, as was everyone who heard his name. I can imagine the jokes. Here comes Jabez, isn’t he such a pain. Yet somehow Jabez ended up being more honorable than the others of his generation. He stood out above the rest, he lived his dream. What secrets can we learn from Jabez that will help you live your dream?

To hear more about this topic, listen to my November 25, 2007 message entitled Living Your Dream

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The Joy Of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is almost here. Thanksgiving is a time for family and food. Lots of it, turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. God has given us both family and food to enjoy, yet I believe there is something else He wants us to learn this Thanksgiving. It’s a lesson that is not just for one day of the year, but something you can practice every day. Thanksgiving is not meant to be about us, it’s meant to be about God. He’s the one that we are to thank. He’s the one that we are to be thankful to.

However, often it’s far easier for most of us to come up with things that are wrong in our life, than to thank God for what is right about our lives. Why should you be thankful? The Bible uses the word thanks 150 times, it’s not a small topic in the Bible. But you may say, Pastor, it’s so hard to be thankful, I have so many problems. Let me explain something about the Bible. It’s not just a rule book, it’s a manual for life. When you ask for God’s help and follow the Bible’s commands, you will be blessed. One of the blessings that comes from being thankful is being filled with joy. Think about it for a minute, are you more joyful when you are being thankful or complaining. The answer should be obvious. The more thankful you are, the happier you’ll be.

Today, we’re going to look at what the Bible has to say about “The Joy of Thanksgiving.” Do you want joy in your life? Then begin to put into practice the principles you’re going to learn today. Do you want joyful children? Teach them these principles. Do you want better relationships in your life? Who would you rather be around, someone who is constantly complaining about the dark side of life or someone who is optimistic and thankful? Learning to be a thankful person can transform your life.

Today our main text is Psalm 100, a short psalm of five verses which begins like this. NIV Psalm 100:1-2 A psalm. For giving thanks. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Notice the combination of joy, gladness and giving thanks. God doesn’t just suggest, He commands all the earth to give thanks and shout for joy to the Lord. This is not just for Sunday mornings, it’s not just for one day in November, no, it’s for every day of your life. I want my life to be full of joy and thanksgiving, and I know you want the same for yourself and your family. So how can you enter into the joy of thanksgiving?

To hear more about this topic, listen to my November 18, 2007 message entitled The Joy Of Thanksgiving

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Becoming An Overcomer

It seems to me that these days a lot of people are overwhelmed with life. What I mean is that just the task of making an income and holding together a family is too much for many people. The average credit card debt is $10000 per family and rising, despite most families having two wage earners. On the relationship front, about 50% of marriages end up in divorce. One of the current presidential frontrunners is on his third marriage, as is his current wife. My point is that the simple things of life are simply overwhelming many people.

God wants to provide all you need with respect to life, from making an income to prospering your family. However, he has much more in mind for you than that. His purpose and plan for every believer is that they impact their world for Him. God wants you to be blessed and for you to be a blessing to others. He wants you to reach people who don’t know God and bring them to Jesus.

God wants you to be an overcomer. An overcomer is a believer who isn’t defeated by life, no, an overcomer is someone who wins great victories in life through God’s power. NIV 1 John 5:4 For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Are you an overcomer this morning? If you are a believer, you should be an overcomer. You should overcome difficulties, problems, crises of all kinds through your faith. Why? So you can do something to help others find that same kind of overcoming faith in God.

Today my message is entitled “Becoming An Overcomer.” I’m going to talk about how you can go from being overcome by life to becoming an overcomer. Someone who is a positive force for God to impact the world around you. NIV Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. As I go through the message today, keep in mind what you need to overcome in your own life so that you can be freed up to impact your world.

In this series “Dealing with Difficulties” I am drawing principles from stories in the Bible The stories in the Bible were not put there just because they are interesting, but because they serve as examples of how we should respond in similar situations. The story we’re going to be looking at today involves a king facing an insurmountable problem. A vast army was poised to annihilate him and his people. How could he overcome such an obstacle?

To hear more about this topic, listen to my November 4, 2007 message entitled Becoming An Overcomer

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