Men by nature think they know it all.
Matthew 11:25-28
When it comes to learning about God it is not a matter of knowledge or wisdom per say. God revels it to you. Reveals it to children and withholds it from the "wise".
If we are smart in our own eyes and God reveals something to me, how am I going to receive it? I will receive it as though I Leander it with my own power! This is the element of the children that God is talking about. God is not going to reveal himself to you until you are ready!
If I think I know all there is to know about God why would he reveal anything else to me?
Matthew 18:1-5
Why is a child the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? A child is teachable, open minded and pure in heart! Children constantly ask the question "why." Children are constantly in explore mode! As students of Christ we need to maintain a curiosity, openness and teachability towards Gods word! We need to be constantly exploring who God is!
Children take low positions. They take a humble position.
Matthew 19:13-15
Why were people bringing children to Jesus to be blessed? We understand that little children need to be blessed if they are to grow and succeed in life! Why don't we seek blessing like this for ourselves? At what point do we go from needing a blessing to not needing one at all? When our arrogance tells us that we no longer really need help. The truth is we need more help and blessing from God now than before!
It's about pride in my heart. God can do so much more with me when I let go of my pride and surrender to Him! To think I can do it on my own is pride! What does this all mean for me? What do I need to grow in? What do I need to learn?
Imagine what my life would look like if I had the heart of a child in these areas? I need to ask for help and admit that I don't have all the answers. I need to be willing to be taught!
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Christmas is a religious holiday that is losing it
Christmas is a religious holiday that is losing its religion!
When you ask the question, "what is the meaning of Christmas" your asking the question of "why did Jesus come?". Christmas is celebrated much more than Easter and really Easter has the greater meaning. Keep Christ in Christmas is a cliche that means what? Does Christ just want us to remember him during Christmas?
Why did Christ come. Why should we celebrate Jesus birth? What is important?Leading up to Jesus birth there were two truths revealed by the angles.
Luke 1:27-33
The "King" has been born!
Matthew 1:18-21
A "Savior" has been born!
Luke 2:8-11
A savior has been born and he is our King! No matter who you are, from Jesus parents to the shepherd in the fields the message is the same. Your king and savior has been born!
Jesus had a lot of great qualities that the Christmas season tries to exalt. His giving, helping the poor...etc. those are great things but the message was not about giving and sharing with each other. Christmas has turned into to a season of just giving and receiving!
Hearing that you King and savior arrives requires a response. A life changing response! Even Jong as a fetus in his mothers womb could not even ignore that his King and savior had arrived when jumped in his mothers womb! King Harold could not ignore that Jesus was born to be King!
Seeing a baby in manger really does not do anything to change our lives! The nativity seen is useless until we acknowledge that our King and savior has arrived!
When your king arrives you have to submit! It's about lordship! We want Christmas without lordship. Christmas was not meant to remind us to just be nice people. Santa never required us to make a decision and have a life changing response. Jesus does require us to respond!
1 Samuel 8:10-18 God teaches Israel what it meant to have a king!
Jesus is a perfect King but it does not remove the fact that Jesus is a king!
A kings wealth will come before your own. His priorities will come before your own! His plans will come before your own. He will have complete authority over you! Jesus is the KING OF KINGS! How much more should we submit and give to Jesus!
Jesus is a benevolent dictator. His ways are always in our best interest. Ever thing he does is out of love for us. There is no democracy! Jesus puts our needs ahead of his by being a sacrifice! He is through a dictator. His time comes before my own! My life should be subject to him in every way!!
He is the king and I am his subject!
Luke 19:10
Jesus is my savior! Have been saved by Jesus? This is the number one reason for the season! The question should not be have I helped the poor or giving to charity. Salvation is question!
Saviors come into rescue! Satan was winning in my life! I was defeated and hopeless! I need a savior! Jesus came in and saved me! Jesus us saved me from so much pain and sin in my life! Have I rejected Him as my king? I am allowing sin to reign in my life again. Jesus is a continual savior and I am in desperate need of Jesus to save me daily!
All the things that the world considers as a good Christmas ( no debt, lots of gifts, full of instant gratification and pleasure ) pales in comparison to what God meant for Christmas to mean! Jesus is my King and my Savior!!
When you ask the question, "what is the meaning of Christmas" your asking the question of "why did Jesus come?". Christmas is celebrated much more than Easter and really Easter has the greater meaning. Keep Christ in Christmas is a cliche that means what? Does Christ just want us to remember him during Christmas?
Why did Christ come. Why should we celebrate Jesus birth? What is important?Leading up to Jesus birth there were two truths revealed by the angles.
Luke 1:27-33
The "King" has been born!
Matthew 1:18-21
A "Savior" has been born!
Luke 2:8-11
A savior has been born and he is our King! No matter who you are, from Jesus parents to the shepherd in the fields the message is the same. Your king and savior has been born!
Jesus had a lot of great qualities that the Christmas season tries to exalt. His giving, helping the poor...etc. those are great things but the message was not about giving and sharing with each other. Christmas has turned into to a season of just giving and receiving!
Hearing that you King and savior arrives requires a response. A life changing response! Even Jong as a fetus in his mothers womb could not even ignore that his King and savior had arrived when jumped in his mothers womb! King Harold could not ignore that Jesus was born to be King!
Seeing a baby in manger really does not do anything to change our lives! The nativity seen is useless until we acknowledge that our King and savior has arrived!
When your king arrives you have to submit! It's about lordship! We want Christmas without lordship. Christmas was not meant to remind us to just be nice people. Santa never required us to make a decision and have a life changing response. Jesus does require us to respond!
1 Samuel 8:10-18 God teaches Israel what it meant to have a king!
Jesus is a perfect King but it does not remove the fact that Jesus is a king!
A kings wealth will come before your own. His priorities will come before your own! His plans will come before your own. He will have complete authority over you! Jesus is the KING OF KINGS! How much more should we submit and give to Jesus!
Jesus is a benevolent dictator. His ways are always in our best interest. Ever thing he does is out of love for us. There is no democracy! Jesus puts our needs ahead of his by being a sacrifice! He is through a dictator. His time comes before my own! My life should be subject to him in every way!!
He is the king and I am his subject!
Luke 19:10
Jesus is my savior! Have been saved by Jesus? This is the number one reason for the season! The question should not be have I helped the poor or giving to charity. Salvation is question!
Saviors come into rescue! Satan was winning in my life! I was defeated and hopeless! I need a savior! Jesus came in and saved me! Jesus us saved me from so much pain and sin in my life! Have I rejected Him as my king? I am allowing sin to reign in my life again. Jesus is a continual savior and I am in desperate need of Jesus to save me daily!
All the things that the world considers as a good Christmas ( no debt, lots of gifts, full of instant gratification and pleasure ) pales in comparison to what God meant for Christmas to mean! Jesus is my King and my Savior!!
Don't miss the manger!
Don't miss the manger!
Luke 2:1-7
The savior of this world was born in a manger next to live stock and into poverty. The Christmas story, the day Jesus was born was a day of hope that gave me an opportunity to have eternal life!
Why did so many miss the manger? There was only a few shepherds and wise men that attended Jesus birth. Where was everyone else. What in their lives were more important than the birth of Jesus?
It is easy to miss the manger. Life stresses and priorities can be a big distraction!
Luke 2:8-16
We need to be intentional and determined about what we are going to do. The shepherds were intentional about seeing Jesus and determined to do it!
Luke 2:25-35
Knowing that Jesus came is only the beginning. We need to know why he came!
Acts 17:24-27
Where ever we go and what ever we do God is working so that we will know him. So that we won't miss the manger.
Luke 2:1-7
The savior of this world was born in a manger next to live stock and into poverty. The Christmas story, the day Jesus was born was a day of hope that gave me an opportunity to have eternal life!
Why did so many miss the manger? There was only a few shepherds and wise men that attended Jesus birth. Where was everyone else. What in their lives were more important than the birth of Jesus?
It is easy to miss the manger. Life stresses and priorities can be a big distraction!
Luke 2:8-16
We need to be intentional and determined about what we are going to do. The shepherds were intentional about seeing Jesus and determined to do it!
Luke 2:25-35
Knowing that Jesus came is only the beginning. We need to know why he came!
Acts 17:24-27
Where ever we go and what ever we do God is working so that we will know him. So that we won't miss the manger.
Christmas is synonymous with Christmas wish lists!
Christmas is synonymous with Christmas wish lists! Some of our kids wishes are outrageous and extreme. Kids wanting sea monsters, actual reindeers....etc. kids are great at dreaming and wishing for things that they think they need.
All through out the bible there are examples of people who think they new what they needed. Adam thought he needed to eat from the tree of life. Jacob thought he needed his fathers blessing regardless of what was right. The de icicles thought they needed to compete for Jesus love and position in his kingdom.
We all think we know what we need to be happy. Materialism is an example. If I Just had this I would be happy. If I just had success at work then I would be happy. If I just had more of ??? I would be happy! What we think we need often times comes from a lack of what we really need.
It's so easy to run after the things we think we need. The world tries to define what you need. Am I chasing after the wrong things? Christmas is a time when this is more visible in our lives.
The truth is that God is the expert on what we really need. What parent does not know what is best for their child? What we really need is a savior! What we need most is forgiveness and Christmas is a reminder that God has provided what we really need!
Everything about Jesus birth and life was planned by God and with a purpose!
Micah 5:2-5
500 years before Jesus birth and Micah is giving the exact place of Jesus birth! God did not just send a savior to the world because that's what they need and he supplies what the world needs! He sent a savior for me and what I really needed!
Romans 5:6-8
God sent me a savior at just the right time for me! God ignored success and power. He ignored material things and sent me a King to save me from certain death! What do I want for Christmas? The answer should be grace, salvation and the blood of Jesus! What I need is forgiveness! This is why we take communion so that we never forget what we really need!
1 Corinthians 2:2 shut out every distraction this season and get resolved to know nothing but Jesus and his crucifixion!
All through out the bible there are examples of people who think they new what they needed. Adam thought he needed to eat from the tree of life. Jacob thought he needed his fathers blessing regardless of what was right. The de icicles thought they needed to compete for Jesus love and position in his kingdom.
We all think we know what we need to be happy. Materialism is an example. If I Just had this I would be happy. If I just had success at work then I would be happy. If I just had more of ??? I would be happy! What we think we need often times comes from a lack of what we really need.
It's so easy to run after the things we think we need. The world tries to define what you need. Am I chasing after the wrong things? Christmas is a time when this is more visible in our lives.
The truth is that God is the expert on what we really need. What parent does not know what is best for their child? What we really need is a savior! What we need most is forgiveness and Christmas is a reminder that God has provided what we really need!
Everything about Jesus birth and life was planned by God and with a purpose!
Micah 5:2-5
500 years before Jesus birth and Micah is giving the exact place of Jesus birth! God did not just send a savior to the world because that's what they need and he supplies what the world needs! He sent a savior for me and what I really needed!
Romans 5:6-8
God sent me a savior at just the right time for me! God ignored success and power. He ignored material things and sent me a King to save me from certain death! What do I want for Christmas? The answer should be grace, salvation and the blood of Jesus! What I need is forgiveness! This is why we take communion so that we never forget what we really need!
1 Corinthians 2:2 shut out every distraction this season and get resolved to know nothing but Jesus and his crucifixion!
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