“A Treasure Pondered” – Luke 2:19

One of you ladies tell us about a difficulty you had as a new mother. When your first kid was born, what did you struggle with? Dads, I know you struggled too but I mainly want to hear from mothers. The actual birth was extremely difficult but what happened after that?

I ask that because I was thinking about what Mary the mother of Jesus must have gone through. Can you imagine? She knew she was carrying the Child of God, so no pressure there, right? You were worried about your kid when they were born. Think about what must have been going through Mary’s mind.

She was concerned about all the things new mothers are concerned about: changing the baby, burping the baby, feeding the baby, keeping Him healthy, keeping Him safe, etc., etc. But think about all the other things going on in her mind knowing her baby was literally God’s gift to the world. All babies are special to their mothers but this baby was special to the whole world for all time.

Think about what had happened so far to Mary. Out of the blue, Gabriel the angel shows up and tells her she is going to be pregnant with a child that will reign on King David’s throne. Her cousin Elizabeth knew Mary was carrying the Christ child before Mary ever told her. A bunch of smelly old shepherds busted in on them and told Mary and Joseph that angels appeared to them and told them about the baby. She knows she has to give birth in Bethlehem because the ancient scriptures prophesied it and she sees all of this prophecy coming true in her life.

Let’s look at Luke chapter two again but this week I want to focus on just one verse, verse 19. For us, Christmas Day, has come and gone. For Mary, the birth of Jesus has come and gone. Let’s see what they have in common as we read Luke 2:19. “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

I was struck with that word “pondered” or “ponder”. What does it mean to ponder? It’s not a word we use every day. I searched my concordance and found that the word is only used here and a few times in Proverbs. In Proverbs, it is usually used as what you do to a path before you walk it. You study it. You make sure it is the right path. Is it safe? Is it wise? Is it the path you are supposed to take? You gather up all the information you have about it. You ponder the path.

Every time I hear the song, “Mary, Did You Know?” I think, yes! She knew! She had been told by several including an angel. She may not have known that Jesus would do certain miracles but she knew He was God. She knew He was capable of doing anything. Later in this chapter, after meeting Simeon and Anna in the temple, it says that Mary marveled at what was said about Jesus. Yes, she knew and she was amazed. She gathered up all the information she had been given and she pondered it. She thought about, weighed it, prayed about it and made sure she was on the right path.

Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Have you ever been on that way? I have. I’ve told you before that I became a Christian as a boy and lived that way for a long time but somewhere along the line I drifted away. I knew I had drifted and I knew I was on the wrong path and so I decided (several times) to get back on the right path. Well, let’s just say I wanted to be closer to the right path.

So, what I said was, “I’m going to turn over a new leaf. I’m going to be a better man. I’m going to start living right.” Any bets on how long that lasted? Let’s just say it didn’t last long. I knew I was on the wrong path and I didn’t want the consequences of being on that wrong path but I didn’t really want to change bad enough. But finally, when I had had enough of doing things the wrong way, I went to God, asked for forgiveness and surrendered myself to His will. I pondered my future. I pondered the path I was on and I asked God to put me on the right path. I proved that I couldn’t even be a better man by myself and I proved that what I thought was the right way was actually leading to death; spiritual death if not physical death.

Go back to Mary. Mary pondered all these things. She gathered all the information she had. She took inventory of what she knew. She gathered it all together and pondered her path from that point. Jesus was now in her life. What was going to change? Yes, any old Joe Blow baby is going to change your life but this baby was going to change the world. Can you imagine what all she pondered? I hope you can imagine because you have to do some similar pondering yourself. You will find yourself changing as well.

When you have a relationship with Jesus, one of the first things you will notice is that you truly don’t want to do some of the things you used to do. Do you know how that happens? Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Well, that’s great news, right? Because you have been desiring that new bass boat at Cabela’s.

No, that’s not what that means. That means that what you used to desire is now being replaced by what God desires. He is going to start giving you new desires. What you used to desire, you now realize may have not been what God wanted for you. Maybe what you used to desire was sinful. Maybe it was just not best for you and He wants what is best for you and now you will start to want it as well. If you haven’t noticed that happening then maybe you need to rethink your relationship with God. You need to ponder about your desires.

Now, when I say that God wants to give you new desires, you may be bummed out by that. You think, “Oh great. I used to want a bass boat and now God is going to make me want to say prayers and meditate all day as I strum a harp or something stupid.” Don’t worry. There are some cool things that God wants for you including…not to worry. In fact, it is a command to not worry. Now, some of you have said for a long time, “I’m just a worrier. It’s how I was made. It’s just who I am.” Well, I don’t believe that was ever true but even if it was, in Christ you are a new creation and I guarantee you are not something He commands you not to be.

“But, Todd, it’s hard not to worry!” Yes, but God has a plan for that. He said in 1 Peter 5:7, “cast all your anxiety (your cares, your worry) on Him because he cares for you.” And when you do that, Philippians 4:7 says God will then give you peace that even you won’t understand. If you are a worrier and you just can’t change then maybe you need to ponder your relationship with God.

Something else for you to ponder: are you wise? Do you consistently do wise things? Do people come to you for advice? When I ponder my life when I was away from God, I think about some of the things I did and think, “Well, that was dumb!” You know what I found out when I was about 20? I found out that when you want something you can’t afford, don’t worry about it. Just use a credit card. You don’t need money when you have a credit card. Right?

You know what I found out at 40 as I was still paying off that stupid stuff I bought at 20? Yep, that’s right. But God wants you to have wisdom. He wants you to be wise and so He said in James 1:5 that if you want wisdom, do you know what you have to do? How much money do you think it costs? How many good things do you think you have to do or what kind of hoops do you have to jump through? No. He says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” That’s all you have to do is ask God and He promises to give it. That’s a pretty sweet deal. If in pondering your life, you don’t seem to be making wise choices then maybe you need to ponder your relationship with God and see what is wrong.

Okay, again going back to using Mary as our guide, think about how she must have felt as Jesus was growing up in her house and she did something to displease God. Some people put Mary on too high of a pedestal and consider her to be some sort of divinity but she was all human. There had to be times when she did something wrong or had a wrong thought or worried about something or coveted something. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t a mass murdering, bank robbing president of the Nazareth Branch of the Hell’s Angels but she sinned like we all do sometimes. How do you think she felt when she sinned knowing that her Son…was God?

Isaiah 59:2 would have been a verse that Mary was familiar with and it says, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Do you remember when you were a kid and you would do something wrong and sometimes your mother would just give you that look that showed how disappointed she was in you? Now, flip those roles and imagine what Mary saw in the face of Jesus. How can you choose to sin knowing that the sacrifice that will someday pay for your sin is looking you in the face? Yeah, I think Mary had to know that about her Son.

The question for us to ponder today is, how can you choose to sin knowing that Jesus, the sacrifice for our sin, is watching? How do you just look Him in the eye and say, “I know what I am about to do is part of what put you on the cross but I’m going to do it anyway.”? Mary’s life changed when Jesus was born in more ways than just having a baby. If you are a true believer in Jesus, your life has changed too and sin is now the exception instead of the rule. We are no longer slaves to sin. We are slaves to Jesus and you need to ponder if that is the case in your life.

Another thing that I know Mary pondered was the scriptures. Now, we don’t know for sure that Mary could even read. It was not uncommon for a girl in her status to not be able to but we know they went to the temple and she had to hear all those scriptures that prophesied about her precious Son. Genesis, Isaiah, Malachi, Micah, Psalms, Hosea, Zechariah and more all have passages that would have been just mind-blowing to Mary because she could see her Son being prophesied about and she could see how it was all coming true in her life. How exciting that must have been for young Mary! She had a lot to ponder.

For us, we need to ponder the role of scripture in our lives. When was the last time your mind was blown reading the Bible? Has it ever happened? A man in Kansas City was severely injured in an explosion. Evangelist Robert L. Sumner tells about him in his book The Wonders of the Word of God. The victim's face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He was just a new Christian, and one of his greatest disappointments was that he could no longer read the Bible. Then he heard about a lady in England who read braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in braille. Much to his dismay, however, he discovered that the nerve endings in his lips had been destroyed by the explosion. One day, as he brought one of the braille pages to his lips, his tongue happened to touch a few of the raised characters and he could feel them. Like a flash he thought, I can read the Bible using my tongue. At the time Robert Sumner wrote his book, the man had "read" through the entire Bible four times.

That sounds like a Gideon story doesn’t it? But it’s true and it goes to show the power of scripture in a person’s life. If reading the Bible is only ever a boring chore for you then maybe you need to ponder on your relationship with the Person the Bible is written about. Mary had a relationship with her Son and loved to read about Him. We have a relationship with Him too and scripture should be exciting.

One last thing I believe Mary had to ponder. Can you imagine, as Jesus grew older, being able to just sit and talk to Him as Mary did? I’ve always wondered when Jesus Himself came to truly understand that He was God. I wonder this because He was also all man as well as all God and as a man, He started life as a baby and grew up into a child and into a teenager and into a man. When did He realize that He was God? As God, He could’ve known as an infant, I guess, but who knows?

Anyway, my point to ponder here is that Mary was able to have long conversations with Jesus. How cool was that? You know, I guess she could have made Him go clean His room and while in there, just sit and talk. I assume that Mary was like most mothers and enjoyed just spending time with her Son and talking with Him all the time. I can’t imagine that. Can you? Of course you can because we have the same privilege!

Look, I’m going to cut right to the chase. I am preaching all this this morning because I am afraid there are people sitting in churches all around the world thinking they are saved because they walked the aisle or prayed a prayer, maybe even got baptized and now they have some kind of fire insurance to keep them out of hell but nothing in their lives has really changed. That’s not how it works at all!

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” That doesn’t mean that good works prove your salvation. It means that your heart has changed. Your mind has changed. Your “wanter” has changed and all these things I have been talking about WILL be a big part of your life. You will want what God wants. Worry, like all sins, will be a rarity. You will make wise decisions. It will pain you to sin. Scripture will be a pleasure and prayer will be constant.

If that is not how it is in your life right now then today is the day of salvation as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:2. If you aren’t sure about your salvation after hearing this, then let’s make sure! It doesn’t cost you anything to know for sure but if you aren’t it will cost you everything. There is a real Heaven and there is a real Hell. Romans 3:23 says we are all sinners. That’s bad news. Romans 6:23 says what we deserve for that sin is eternal death in Hell. That’s really bad news. The good news is that John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

That Son was born and we celebrate that on Christmas. He lived a sinless life and grew up to die on the cross to pay for our sins but He rose again after three days and went back to Heaven and we can have a relationship with Him by His grace. We don’t deserve it and all we can do is accept it and allow Him to move into our lives and start to change us and make us more like Him. Mary’s life was changed, not just because she had a baby, but because she had a relationship with Jesus. If you don’t have that relationship, come down right now as the music plays and let’s pray.

“A Baby Provided” – Luke 2:1-20

*Christmas According to Kids - Southland Christian Church video*The new baby is going to change the world! Isn’t that the truth? I love that little video. That new baby changed the world so that every December 25^th we can get a bunch of presents. Isn’t that great? Aren’t you glad that’s the reason He came and changed the world? No? Somebody tell me how that baby changed the world really.

That baby was born so He could live a sinless life and be our model for godly living. But His main purpose of being born was so He could be the perfect sacrifice in death. It was His death that paid the price the Father said was necessary to atone for our sins. Before Jesus was born, the people had to sacrifice animals for their sins and the blood from those sacrifices was said to cover over their sins. But Jesus was sacrificed and His blood removes our sins and they are forgiven and forgotten and thrown as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). Thank you, Lord!

Why do you think God did that? Why did He send His only Son, Jesus, to be born so He could die on a cross for our sins? What’s in it for Him? I think we can answer that by reading the good old Christmas story this morning. I believe there are two reasons why God sent His Son to be born and die for us and both reasons are tucked into this one most beautiful of passages.

Turn to Luke chapter 2 and I hope this is not the first nor the last time that you read this passage. I think it ought to be read on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning just before you open presents. Fathers ought to read it to their families and then ask questions about it. Make sure everybody understands that this is what Christmas is about, not the presents and Santa Claus. Nothing wrong with presents and Santa but those are just part of how we celebrate what happened in Luke 2:1-20.

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[a] 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. 5 He 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, 7 and 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. 11 Today 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.

A little boy and girl were singing their favorite Christmas carol in church the Sunday before Christmas. The boy concluded "Silent Night" with the words, "Sleep in heavenly beans." "No," his older sister corrected, "not beans, peas." (Michael P. Green)Neither one sounds very heavenly to me but I want to focus this morning on what the heavenly hosts were singing about in verse 14. The world has just changed forever. Everything is different now. Jesus has come from the glories of Heaven to be born as a human and what do the angels sing about? “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” They sing about God’s glory and our peace. Peace, not peas, by the way.

That sums up the reasons for why God the Father sent Jesus to earth. It was for His glory and for our peace. Let’s think about that for a minute. I want to mainly talk about the peace that we have but let’s spend just a minute talking about God’s glory because it will affect our peace. Why should God get all the glory in this life? Shouldn’t we get some? Isn’t it kind of selfish for Him to want all the glory in this world? Well, how much of your life can you really take credit for? Did you plan your birth? Did you design your body? Did you arrange it so that you would grow up big and strong? Oh, you went to school and got a degree and got a good job? That’s great. That’s good for you but your intellect, your drive, your opportunities and everything about you was planned and designed and created by God, so He gets all the glory.

In John 15:5, Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” And we sure can’t provide our own salvation. We can’t be good enough or smart enough or anything enough to forgive our own sins and earn our way to Heaven. So, it’s okay that God gets all the glory. In fact, it’s more than okay because it actually makes clear that God loves us with the greatest love and that ought to bring us great peace and that is what I want to really focus on this morning.

I want you to think first about young Mary. We talked last week about how the angel Gabriel came to her and told her that she would be pregnant with the Christ child. That had to be a little scary but imagine if that was the last she ever heard about it. She might begin to wonder if she had just had a dream or if it was real at all.

The first thing that gave her peace was the angel himself, then she had lots of prophecies to read that would tell exactly what she was going through. Then the shepherds came and told the incredible story of the angels singing to them. They also had at least three wise men show up from a long way away and verify everything for Mary. All that had to bring peace. We see later that Mary and Joseph took baby Jesus to the temple and Simeon and Anna both verified everything that had been prophesied and everything they had seen so all of that had to bring peace to Mary. In verse 19 it says that Mary “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

Peace. All that brought peace. But what is peace? Does it mean just the absence of war? How would you define peace? The dictionary partly defines peace as freedom from disturbance; tranquility. Somebody tell me a time when you had peace. I went fishing with Billy the other day. We never even got a nibble but we had the best time. You know how it is when you are with a friend and you can talk about anything and there’s no competition and there’s no pressure. You don’t have to worry about anything. You just hang out. That’s peace.

My big concordance defines peace as quiet contentment. And like my time fishing with Billy, we can have quietness and contentment with God. That’s what He wants for us. Just hang out with Him and have quietness and contentment. You can and should talk about anything you want. There’s no competition or pressure. Just come to God and find peace. Without peace with God, you will have no lasting peace with anybody or anything else. You might have some moments of quiet and rest but those come when your circumstances are quiet and restful. But what about when your world is chaotic and seems to be falling apart? The Bible is full of verses that help us with that. In the Old Testament, Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” In the New Testament, Jesus said in John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

You know what that tells me? That tells me that there will be scary times in this life. There will be troubling times but peace is available to us. It is a gift of God. We saw last week that joy is a gift of God and just like joy and just like our very salvation, peace is a gift that God wants to give us and has made available to us. All we have to do is accept it. Jesus just said, “My peace I give to you.”

We can have peace with other people because we have peace with God. Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Some people have no peace and they aren’t interested in having peace with you and there is nothing you can do about it. That’s their choice.

If you want to know what that looks like just turn the evening news on. I don’t care what you think about Trump getting impeached, the people on both sides have no peace. I’m not just talking about having peace between Republicans and Democrats. I mean the vast majority of these people are just showing that they have no inner peace. There is no quietness or contentment in their lives and it shows. But Congress is not a church. That is not a Christian organization. There may be some Christians in there but we should just expect to see fighting, bitterness, name-calling and back-stabbing from people that don’t have a relationship with Jesus. That’s what unbelievers do, which ought to make the contrast between us and them even more drastic. That most definitely should not describe us.

I’ll be honest. I have some friends that live up north and they are very liberal in their politics and every time they post something on Facebook, that’s it! I’m gonna tell them what for! That is crazy talk and I’m not putting up wi…uh oh. I feel my peace slip, slip, slipping away. That’s my choice to lose that peace. I wind up with no quietness in my spirit or in my mind and my contentment is long gone and I have to back away, take a breath and remember.

It’s going to be okay. God’s got this. That little baby that was born so long ago lived, died and rose again and today sits at the right hand of God the Father and scoffs at the petty politics of this perverted, sad little world! I want to know what is happening in our country but I often just have to step away and let it go, trusting that God is on His throne and hears our prayers and one of my most fervent prayers is, “Come, Lord Jesus, come!”

That’s when we will have real, true and lasting peace. Job said, “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.” (Job 14:1) But because we have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus, we can have peace when there is no peace because we don’t get our peace from this world. Nancy Pelosi is not in charge of peace. Donald Trump is not in charge of peace. They wouldn’t know peace if it bit them. We get our peace as a gift from God – a gift He wants to give and all we have to do is accept it.

Because we have peace with God, we can have peace with other people. But there is somebody else that peace is a problem with. In fact, that person is in our church. There is a person in our church that is the most difficult person in the world to have peace with. I have tried to make peace with him and it seems to work but in no time at all he digs up my past and throws it in my face and we go to war again and I’m sick of it. So, I’m just gonna tell you who it is so you can watch out for him. I’m calling him out right now. His name is…me.

Maybe you have a problem with him too. He or she stares back at you in the mirror every morning. Have you ever gone into the bathroom first thing in the morning and looked in the mirror and smiled only to have the person in the mirror scowl back at you like a witch on crack? That person is sometimes the hardest person in the world to have peace with. That person knows you and knows what you did yesterday. They know those thoughts you have. They know what you said that one time and they don’t want to let you forget it.

I want you to know, dear one, that Satan is that person’s biggest fan. That does not come from God. When you sin it ought to pain you which ought to send you immediately to the throne of Grace to ask for forgiveness from God and 1 John 1:9 says He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And when God forgives, He forgets and so should you.

My favorite verses in all the Bible are Isaiah 43:18-19. They are my favorites because I have some baggage. I have done a lot of stuff I’m not proud of and when those memories come back ushered in by Satan himself and I think of the people that I have done wrong and let down and all the stupid stuff I did and I feel my peace being vacuumed right out, I remember those beautiful words that God said to me in Isaiah. He said, “Todd, forget the former things. Don’t dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing. Do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland!” He is doing a new thing in my life and He gets all the credit and all the glory and I get peace. I get the kind of peace that unbelievers can’t understand.

Philippians 4:7. Ooh! That would make a great tattoo. It says, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Some of you hoodlums, Lois, you need this tattoo. I see a warrior named God’s Peace standing in front of your heart and mind keeping guard. You’re welcome for that idea. God’s peace is beyond all our understanding and He wants us to have it. He wants us to have peace with Him and when we have peace with Him, we can have peace with others and even peace with ourselves. And all we have to do is accept it.

Okay, I’m going to close by giving somebody a dollar bill. I have it right here for the first person to come and get it. Who wants it? Okay, here you go but are you sure you want to take it? Let me tell you what taking this dollar bill means for you. I want you to have this dollar. I really do. And if you take it, you will not only get this dollar but you will receive joy and peace and wisdom and a whole lot of other priceless gifts. You are guaranteed a ticket to Heaven included in this transaction. It’s a great deal and all you have to do is take it but your life will never be the same.

From now on, you have to do everything I say. You have to act like me and follow me and it will cost you a lot of friends who don’t understand what you are doing. It is going to be scary sometimes and you won’t always understand what I’m doing but you have to trust me. But don’t worry because I won’t let anything happen to you that I don’t want to happen. You get all of that if you take this dollar bill. Still want it? Tell you what, you take the dollar and do all of that with Jesus and you will never regret it. Now, let me ask you something. When was that dollar bill his? Was it his when I gave it to him? No. It was only his when he took it. It was available. I wanted him to have it. But it wasn’t his until he took it.

That’s how it is with salvation. It is available right now for you and all you have to do is accept it. When you do, you get peace and joy and wisdom along with patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22). You get God’s peace to guard your heart and mind. You get God’s own Spirit to live inside of you to guide you. It’s quite the package deal and God wants you to have it and keep it forever and you can. Yes, it will cost you but it will be more than worth it. I don’t know how people get through life without it.

Ask God to forgive you of your past and to cleanse you of all that dirtiness. Repent – turn away from that lifestyle and allow God to change you and make you more like Him. Do it right now as the music plays.

“A Kingdom Promised” – Luke 1:26-38

Have you ever trusted somebody that you shouldn’t have? That’s a hard lesson to learn and we have probably all learned it by the time we get to adulthood, if not before. Sometimes it may be a small thing and it’s no big deal. If the person ringing up your purchase takes a dollar more than they should, that’s not right but in the scheme of things it’s not that big of a deal. You just know not to go back to that store, right? If the person you are married to is cheating on you with somebody else, that’s another thing altogether.

All through scripture, God entrusts important things to certain people. Going all the way back to Genesis, God trusted Adam and Eve to tend the Garden of Eden. He told them what to do and more specifically what not to do…and they crashed and burned. God trusted Moses to give the people the Ten Commandments and Moses did what he was supposed to do. The people didn’t do so great with obedience but that’s another story.

My main man, David- God trusted him in a big way. In 2 Samuel 7, God tells David, “The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom.” That’s a big deal. That’s a big promise. He goes on to tell David, “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” Forever is a long time.

Skip forward a thousand years or so and God is again putting trust for a big job in someone. God calls the angel Gabriel and tells him to go to Galilee and tell young Mary what is about to happen to her. This, too, is a big deal. This is not a job to entrust to a lesser angel. Gabriel is the big king kahuna of angels. I’m sure the angel Bob is a good guy and he tries hard but when you need a job done right and right now, you call on Gabriel.

Now, when we think of angels, it’s easy to think of the little cherub painted in pictures with little baby wings and a halo wearing a sash for a diaper. That is most definitely not Gabriel. Gabriel is a warrior.  He fights Satan and his demon warriors all day every day. This looks more like what Gabriel looks like.  When this guy shows up at your place, don’t pretend like you’re not scared. That’s why so many times in the Bible when Gabriel or one of the other angels appears to somebody, it says that person fell to the ground as dead. You would too. It’s part of why God trusts him to do the big jobs.

It also makes the story in Luke chapter one even more incredible. It would be incredible if the little cherub came to Mary and had a conversation but here comes Big Gabe, the Rock, the Champ, the Hammer right up to Mary’s grill and tells her that God has entrusted her for something big. Let’s read it in Luke 1:26-38.

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Note in verse 26 that Gabriel is "sent".  That word "sent" is the same root word we use for the word "apostle" or "one sent with a message".  And the message he is sent with is very similar in its beginning as the one he gave Daniel many years before.  "You are highly favored!"  Now, I don't care how favored I am, if Gabriel appears to me, I'm afraid the "fight or flight" reaction is going to kick in but Mary; young, sweet, innocent little Mary, who was probably not much more than a child is only "greatly troubled".  I'm sure that was very true.  I would be greatly troubled if an angel appeared to me and said anything.

But think about the message that Gabriel brought to Mary. What better message could he have given. Okay, you’re going to have a baby. That’s pretty incredible, I don’t care who you are or what the circumstances are. I know it happens to somebody every day but it is and always has been a miracle, just an everyday, ordinary miracle. But the even more amazing news is what kind of baby this is going to be and what His future entails.

The vast majority of pregnant women are concerned with one thing and one thing only: their baby. They aren’t near as concerned about themselves as they are their baby. The father of the baby is now pretty low on the list of things to worry about. All the mama cares about is the baby’s health and future. They want their baby to be healthy and happy and successful. So, Gabriel brings Mary a message of great hope.

What is hope? How would you define hope? You can’t see it. You can’t touch it or taste it or hear it. But you know when you have it, don’t you? The dictionary defines hope as “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” The world has hope that something may or may not happen. I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow. I hope the boss is in a good mood. I hope the Cowboys win today. I feel like I want such and such to happen. I may feel differently tomorrow but today I feel this way. That’s not the kind of hope the Bible talks about and it sure isn’t what Gabriel is telling Mary.

Notice how Gabriel tells this to Mary. He isn’t wishy-washy about it. He doesn’t say he thinks this is going to happen or it will probably come to pass or the odds are pretty good it will turn out this way. Gabriel tells Mary, “You will conceive. He will be great. The Lord will give Him David’s throne. And he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

I love to compare this passage with the passage just before it where Zechariah is told similar news. Gabriel goes to him and tells him his wife, who is up in years, will give birth to John the Baptist. He responds similarly to Mary except Zechariah has some doubts. Not a good move on Zechariah’s part. Let me just say that if Gabriel ever comes to you and tells you anything, just accept it. This guy has no sense of humor and he is not kidding around and he wouldn’t say it if it were not true.

Ol’ Zech asks Gabriel, “Uh, yea, how do I know this is really gonna happen?” And I don’t know that Gabriel actually poked him in the chest but I envision him doing that as he said, “Look buddy, I stand before the King of kings and Lord of lords. Are you questioning me or Him because either way, you have a problem. Now you won’t be able to speak until the kid is born.”

But Mary was wise beyond her years as she didn’t doubt Gabriel or at least didn’t let on that she did. And where Zechariah doubted, Mary had hope. Let me read a couple of these verses again to you and you just listen like you were in Mary’s sandals. Think about how these verses would have given her hope. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

We all hope our kids to grow up and do well in life. Well, Mary hit the jackpot when it comes to hope. The good news is that you, too, have hit the jackpot when it comes to hope because of the same One that Gabriel told Mary about. We don’t hope like the world hopes. Our hope is not a feeling that may or may not change and is not based on a desire that may or may not come true. The old hymn “Solid Rock” from 1834 says it well. “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”

Our hope is in the same thing that Mary’s hope was in. Our hope is just what Gabriel prophesied. Our hope is that there is something better in this life than just going to work, coming home and buying stuff so we can have a good enough time on the weekend to forget how bad the coming week is going to be, even though we hope it won’t be. There’s gotta be more to it than that and there is.

Let me tell you a few things that scripture says that hope brings. Job 11:18 says that hopes security. “You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.” This is a scary world. It’s scary physically, financially, politically and in almost every way but God is in control and our hope is in Him. I love how it says we can now “rest in safety.” Hope brings security.

Hope also brings confidence. Psalm 25:3 says, “No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame.” I’m sorry but this does not mean you aren’t still going to do stupid, silly or foolish things. You might still walk into a closed door or fall down the steps and when you do, as soon as I put away my phone and quit recording you, I promise to help you up. But this does mean that our sins are forgiven. We don’t have the shame that we used to have. We have the confidence of being one of God’s dearly loved children and we can kick open the door of His throne room and run in and crawl up in His lap and ask Him for help because of His grace and mercy. When your hope is in Him, you have confidence.

According to Psalm 71:14, hope brings praise. It says, “As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.” Our hope in God reveals that He is in control and He uses everything for our good. We can praise Him in the storm or in the sunshine because we know He brings both. Our hope in Him should, in fact, will bring praise to our lips.

Hope also brings strength. Anybody need strength today? Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” This is a hard life for everybody. It’s tiring. It’s frustrating. But we can have strength and energy from God if we ask for it in prayer and if we search for it in His Word. Hope brings strength.

Hope also brings goodness from God. Jeremiah tells us that in Lamentations 3:25. It says, “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.” You know, I like it when people are good to me but it’s something else entirely when God is good and God is good all the time but He is especially good to those who hope in Him and seek Him. And because He is good to us, it ought to be evident to others. Our mouths and our actions ought to reveal God’s goodness. Hope brings God’s goodness.

Hope also brings joy. Oh, don’t get me started on joy. I’m kind of on a joy kick here lately so I’ll try to be brief. Romans 12:12 says, “Be joyful in hope.” Our circumstances may be hard. Our situations may be difficult. In fact, they probably will. You should just expect it. But we can have joy; we can have a calm delight in the midst of it all because we know God is in control and He loves us and this world is not all there is.

You know I don’t often say “Hallelujah.” I don’t know why. Maybe it’s a little dramatic for me or something. But it’s a good word. It simply means “praise God” but as I studied it this week I noticed it has to do with boasting about God or bragging about God; making Him look good. Look at what God has done! Look at what God is doing! Praise God! Hallelujah! I have hope so I have joy and I will say Hallelujah and I don’t care who hears. Hope brings joy. (I tried to be brief.)

Alright, two more and I’m wrapping it up. Hope also brings love. Romans 5:5 says, “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Hoping in God will never bring shame. God will never let you down because He loves you too much. You may not understand what He is doing or why He is doing it but your hope in Him as your Lord and Savior will never be in vain. Hope brings love.

That leads me to my last point. Hope brings faith and God said without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb. 11:6). Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” The evidence or assurance of our faith in God is hope. We don’t have to see Him to believe that He exists. We can see the changes that He has made in our lives and in the lives of others around us. We can see His creation so we know there is a Creator.

Because we hope, we have faith and because we have faith, we have hope and all of it is based, not on what we can see or feel or taste or smell. It is not based on anything we have done or what we have earned. On the contrary, we have hope because of what that little baby of Mary’s grew up to do and be. We have a “blessed assurance” that what was prophesied came to pass. We also have a confident knowledge of something that hasn’t happened yet because our hope, our faith, our joy, our goodness, confidence and security are in Jesus.

I heard the story of a man who was sentenced to death by the king. But he obtained a reprieve by assuring the king he would teach his majesty's horse to fly within the year--on the condition that if he didn't succeed, he would be put to death at the end of the year. "Within a year," the man explained later, "the king may die, or I may die, or the horse may die. Furthermore, in a year, who knows? Maybe the horse will learn to fly."  Bernard M. Baruch.

You have to admit that is hope. It’s not a good hope. It’s silly and worldly but it is a form of hope. That’s not the kind of hope we have as Christian, though. The Christmas season reminds us of the hope that we have in Jesus as followers and disciples of His. The hope we have is not that God will bring us health and wealth. The hope we have is not that God explains to us why we have to go through sickness and poverty.

The hope we have in Jesus is the kind of hope that says, I know He can and I know He will but even if He doesn’t, still I will praise Him! My hope is not even in this life but it is the ultimate hope, the ultimate blessed assurance that this life is not all there is. My hope; what keeps me going; what gives me calm delight; what motivates me to live a godly life and to tell others about Jesus is my hope – my unseen assurance of something that hasn’t happened yet – of eternity in Heaven with Jesus.

When I get there, I want to talk to Mary about her time here on earth as the mother of our Lord. I want to talk to big old Gabriel and ask him about the responsibility of bringing this news. I want to talk to David about killing Goliath and I want to ask Isaac about almost being killed by Abraham and I want to see my grandparents and I want to ride a motorcycle on the streets of gold. All of that is going to be great but my real hope is to get to talk to Jesus. If He wants to explain the why’s of what happened here on earth then that’ll be cool but I just need to be with Him whatever that looks like.

When asked if they are going to Heaven, I have heard people respond, “Well, I sure hope so.” I know what they mean and that’s not a good answer. That worldly hope that says, “maybe so, maybe no” brings no peace or joy or security or confidence at all. But you can know for sure. You can have biblical, godly hope based on the promise of Jesus Christ who said, “Very truly I tell you, the one who believes in Me has eternal life.”
That belief that Jesus talked about is proven in your changed life. Your circumstances may not change. You may continue to be sick or in jail or you may be healthy and wealthy. But your mind will be renewed whatever your physical state. Your actions and reactions will be different than they used to be and they will continue to change as your hope grows in the Lord. Ask God for forgiveness of your sins and lose that shame. Repent of that lifestyle and watch God use you and bless you. Do it today as the music plays.

“What Can Stop Us” – Joshua 17:12-18

Six years ago, on our first anniversary as a church, I started the message with these words. Happy anniversary Christ Fellowship!  We have made it to our 1-year anniversary.  Honeymoon’s over now, right?  I’m gonna start making some rules around here!  No, no.  I’m not.  We don’t have any rules around here and we like it that way.  The closest thing we have to a rule is our credo or mission statement that we will do whatever it takes to lead people to have a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.



And in the one year that we have been here I believe we have been faithful to that.  We have been tested and tried but I believe we have been obedient to what God has asked us to do.  We certainly aren’t perfect but we have certainly matured as a church in the past year.  We have been tested in ways that many older churches have yet to.  When I tell people outside this church about how Satan has attacked in so many ways, internally, externally, physically, financially, morally and more, they tell me that their church has never had to really go through some of those things.



We see The Rock Church doing so well in the building we used to be in in Runaway Bay and we know that they are where they are supposed to be.  And we know that we are where we are supposed to be and it’s just exciting to see God at work in Wise County.  We have seen lives changed, marriages restored, families healed, people healed and forgiven and I tell people all the time that it is just fun to be a member here because of all the ways God is using and is going to use this church.



Some things have changed since then and some things haven’t. The Rock Church has moved from there…and then from there…and then from there. Another church was there for a while but now a man has bought that building and turned into his house. That’s good for him. I’m glad. We have seen a lot of new faces come in our church. Some crazy people are even bringing in their kids and teenagers. I don’t know why. But that changes everything.



But some things haven’t changed. We still don’t have any rules. Satan continues to attack us. We still aren’t perfect. But we continue to be faithful to what God has called us to do and I still tell people that it is fun to be a member here.



I am more optimistic about this church than I ever have been.  I sense a closeness among the members and a passion for the community that is exciting and I can’t wait to see how God is going to use and bless this bunch of Jesus-followers.  I still have a vision of our church being the catalyst for revival in Wise County.  I can look forward to a time when this church will have sister churches that we have started all over the world and every year a group from this church will go on a mission trip to one of those churches or to start a new one. 



I honestly don’t have a vision of this church becoming another mega-church with a building program and having to add additional rooms and other buildings on this property but my vision does include growing the Kingdom of God in Lake Bridgeport, Wise County, all over Texas and the world just like the Great Commission tells us at the end of Matthew.  And there is no reason all of that can’t happen.  And there is only one reason why it won’t.  That reason is sin.



Sin is the only reason we can’t or won’t do amazing things for the Kingdom.  If we are obedient, God will do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, according to Ephesians 3:20.  Because, as that verse tells us, it is His power that is at work within us that will accomplish those things.  We don’t have the power within ourselves to do all that He can and will do it through us if we abide in Him; if we are obedient to Him.  But our sin as individuals and as a church will hinder the work of God and will stop us from reaching our potential.



I know it’s true because we see it in God’s Word.  Grab your Bible.  There should be one right in front of you if you didn’t bring one.  And turn to the Old Testament book of Joshua.  It is between Deuteronomy and Judges and it is full of boring old history.  There are lots of lists and impossible to pronounce names and it can get pretty dry at times…until you see the reason that God placed those things there and then it becomes the living Word that is powerful and sharp as a two-edged sword and will not come back void and inspired by the same Holy Spirit that lives in us as Christians today.



Joshua chapter 17, verses 12-18.  Joshua has been a book that I have gone to so many times over the past seven years.  It tells of the Hebrew people’s start in the new land that God had provided for them and we can relate as a church so much to what happened to them.  God took them out of the wilderness and in chapter 3, verse 5, Joshua tells the people to “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."  Some of you remember me preaching about that.  And we saw it happen to us as well.  God has done amazing things among us. 



In chapter 4 the whole nation of 3-4 million people crossed the flooded Jordan River on dry ground and went into the Promised Land.  And when they were all across they went and got 12 stones out of the river bed and stacked them up as a remembrance of what God did for them.  We did the same with 12 pebbles out of the parking lot of the old church building when The Rock started leasing it from us, and again when the other church started leasing from us and for the same reason; so that we can tell people about how God provided a miracle for us to put us where we are supposed to be.



We have fought with the enemies, we have seen the fall of our Jericho and we have seen God protect and provide for us, His people, in this new land of Lake Bridgeport.  Today I want to look at chapter 17 where we see that it is time for Joshua to divide up the land among all the tribes or families and so, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Joshua does so.  There are still some people living in the land and they have built cities and farms but God has given all of that to the Hebrew people.  All they have to do is spread out and go get it. So, let’s read about that in Joshua 17:12-18.



“Yet the Manassites were not able to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region. 13 However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely. 14 The people of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people, and the Lord has blessed us abundantly.” 15 “If you are so numerous,” Joshua answered, “and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites.” 16 The people of Joseph replied, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have chariots fitted with iron, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel.” 17 But Joshua said to the tribes of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—“You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment 18 but the forested hill country as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have chariots fitted with iron and though they are strong, you can drive them out.”



I remember when I was in elementary school there was a game that some of the kids played on the playground at recess.  It usually started with a couple of boys who would lock arms and start walking around the playground chanting, “Nothing can stop us!” over and over again.  Pretty soon a few more boys would join in and they would just walk over anybody in their way.  They would trample the kids as they played their other games or sat reading or whatever and they were right.  Nothing could stop them.  Some kids would try to break through the chain but they usually couldn’t and the group of boys would just keep marching, trampling and chanting, “Nothing can stop us.  Nothing can stop us.” 



But there was one thing that could stop them and eventually it always did.  Do you know what it was?  A teacher.  Finally some teacher would have enough or somebody would get hurt and then the teacher would walk out there and holler at them to stop and they would all scatter.   



It’s sort of like that for us as a church.  When we lock arms together and let God guide us there is nothing that can stop us from doing amazing things through the power of God.  We are a force to be reckoned with, stamping out unrighteousness; trampling on the forces of evil and marching in step with the Spirit.  It’s a beautiful thing but there is something that can stop us.  There is one thing that will keep us from being who we are supposed to be and doing what we are supposed to do as a church and as individuals.  And that thing is sin.   



We see here in Joshua three things that threatened to stop the children of Israel from being what God wanted them to be.  There is the problem of possession, the problem of pride and the problem of priorities. 



Look at verses 12 and 13 again.  We see the problem of possession.  When I talk about possession I am not talking about possessions as having stuff. I mean they failed to possess what God had given them.  They failed to inhabit the land that God had declared was theirs because the Canaanites were living there.



God had told them to completely dispossess the Canaanites from the land.  Drive them out.  Kill them.  Get rid of them.  They have no claim to that land.  But not only did they not dispossess them they even made them slaves thinking that was good enough.  But what always happens?  The enemy would get stronger and stronger and pretty soon they would take over again.



Do you know what God wanted for them?  It is the same thing He wants for Christ Fellowship. He wanted them to have complete victory.  He didn’t bring them to the Promised Land so they could huddle in fear or be overtaken by the enemy.  1 Corinthians 15:57 says, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Douglas MacArthur said, “In war, there is no substitute for victory.” 



And we are in a battle.  We are in a battle for Lake Bridgeport.  Our battle is not against flesh and blood.  It is a battle against Satan for the souls of this community.  And we will lose that battle if we do not possess what God has given us.  Like the Manassites, we too often fail to win the battle because we have not completely driven out the sin that is in our lives.  We play around with it.  We leave a little bit here and there and we think we have pretty good control over it but we always leave a foothold for it.



We are not here to coddle our fleshly nature; our old man; the sinful nature that we have.  We don’t coddle it.  We crucify it.  We drive it out completely.  You know that sin that you struggle with over and over again?  You know that thing you do or don’t do that you have to repent of 12 times a day and it pains you to do it but you still do it?  You know what I’m talking about.  Think about how that starts in your life.  What brings it to mind?  Is it a place?  A song?  A person or a habit?   



Those things may or may not be bad in and of themselves but if it is a foothold for that sin in your life then drive it out.  Get rid of it.  Like the Manassites, we sometimes think we don’t have to do away with it completely.  We can handle it.  We will keep this little bit over here and we can control it but it always gets stronger and eventually we are not in possession of what God has given us anymore. 



Not only are we not able to battle for the souls of our community but we have also lost the other things that God has given us to possess.  Do you know that God promises to give us wisdom?  He says we can have the Fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, etc.  But we either think it is too hard or we think we can control it and either way we start to say, “Oh I have no peace, no joy.  I just don’t have patience.  I can’t do it.”  And Satan just giggles his nasty head off thinking how foolish we are not to possess what we already own; the things God Himself has given us. 



So, we see here and in our own lives the problem of possession.  But we also see in verse 14 the problem of pride.  “The people of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people, and the Lord has blessed us abundantly.” 



These same people who are unable to drive out the Canaanites, these same people who were unable to possess the lot that God had already given them, were now asking for more. They hadn’t even possessed what they had, but they were saying, “Hey, we’re kind of a big deal around here.  God thinks pretty highly of us.  So, why don’t we get more than what we have?”  The thing about the Manassites is that the portion that they were given was actually as big or bigger than most of the other tribes.  If your Bible has maps in the back there is probably one that shows that their territory was huge but evidently it wasn’t big enough to hold their big heads.



1 Peter 5:5 says, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”  Do you want to know what will stop this church dead in its tracks quicker than anything?  It is the attitude of pride that says, “Look what we have done!”  It’s especially difficult for pastors to see the church grow and prosper and it’s one reason it is not my vision for this church to be a mega-church.  I’ll be honest with you.  I have seen it too many times.  The Lord blesses a church and pretty soon the pastor’s thumbs go under his arms and his head tilts back as he surveys the big building with all the cars in the parking lot and some part of him says, “Hmmm…I must be doing something right.  I must be getting pretty good at this.”



I bet God wants to throw up.  And that is why He says in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  He is not telling Lake Bridgeport to humble themselves.  He is telling His people.  He says, “Hey Christ Fellowship, humble yourself.  Hey Pastor Todd, I am especially talking to you.  This has never had anything to do with you and it never will.  All you have to do is be obedient and I will build my church.  I will provide the people.  I will provide the program, the budget, the plan and when I do, the gates of Hell will not prevail against it and there will be no stopping this church.”



 But we are a prideful people.  We have a problem with possession, with pride and with our priorities.  Look again at verse 17 and the condescension that just drips off the tongue of Joshua here. “But Joshua said to the tribes of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh— “You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment but the forested hill country as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have chariots fitted with iron and though they are strong, you can drive them out.” 



He is telling them that if they want more territory then they already have it.  All they have to do is get to work and clear some of the trees out of the way and there will be plenty of land for them.  



A group of friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under an eight-point buck.  "Where's Harry?" he was asked.  "Harry had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail."  "You left Harry laying there, and carried the deer back?"  "Well," said the hunter, "I figured no one was going to steal Harry."



We can easily have a problem with our priorities just like that hunter and that will absolutely stop us from being and doing and going as God wants us to.  We say we want to win souls in Lake Bridgeport.  We say we want to make a difference.  We say we want to lead people to have a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.  And I believe we really do but the proof is not in the pudding. It is in the priority.



You say, “Oh, I wish I understood the Bible better.  Hey, look.  Gunsmoke is coming on!”

“Oh, I hope those people down the street find somebody to bring them to church.”

“I hope the church meets its budget this year and as soon as I start making some good money, I’m gonna help.”

“You know, somebody ought to start … (fill in the blank).” 



How bad do you want it?  How bad do you want to be obedient?  How bad do you want to see God’s blessings?  Do you know I wish I was skinny?  I do.  I really do wish it.  But do you know how bad I wish I was skinny?  This bad.  (Hands on belly) I evidently don’t want it bad enough.  I try to watch what I eat.  I even ate some vegetables…some time ago.  But I have proven that I don’t want it bad enough.  I have not made it a priority. 



If we are going to be all that God wants for us as a church and as individuals then we have to make it a priority.  And if we don’t, do you know what the consequences are?  The consequences of me being fat are very serious.  The consequences of us not making a priority of being obedient are eternal!  And not just for us.  We as Christians have our eternities set.  We may miss out on blessings if we don’t do what we are supposed to do but for the person across the street and right behind us the consequences of our apathy will be eternal. 



I’ve told you before what the atheist magician Penn Jillette said about proselytizing.  He is an atheist but he said if that is really how you believe; if you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and died for our sins then how bad do you have to hate a person not to tell them about it?  He is so right.  Even an atheist knows you have to have your priorities in order to make a difference in this nasty old world. 



So, how bad do you want to make a difference?  How bad do you want to be holy and different?  How bad do want Christ Fellowship to be a force to be reckoned with?  Do you want it bad enough to drive out the sin in your life?  Do you want it bad enough to let go of the monster of pride?  Do you want it bad enough to make it a priority in your life?

If we do that, nothing will be able to stop us. 



Today, our seventh anniversary, would be a perfect day to renew your relationship with God. If you don’t have that relationship then today is the perfect day for that too. Just repent of your sins and ask God to forgive those sins and allow Him to come into your life and change you. Allow Him to make you more like Him. Do that right now as the music plays.





*Thanks to Adrian Rogers for part of the outline. *

“A Savior Prophesied” – Isaiah 9:6-7

*Holding baby* Kids. See, the problem with kids like this is they never do anything for themselves. This one needs everything done for him. He can’t eat by himself, play by himself or even change his own diaper. And don’t get me started on doing things for other people. He never cleans his room or mows the lawn. When was the last time you bought groceries or washed the car? I mean, he’s a good kid but you have to admit, he’s kind of selfish.

I also have to admit that so am I. I’m selfish. And if it weren’t for the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of me, I wouldn’t do anything for anybody either. I need the power of God to get me through the day, to do everything worth doing. And it’s only by God’s grace that I am able to do anything even for myself.

I have proven that I make bad decisions. I have a bad attitude. I have bad thoughts. I do bad things. I am a sinner in need of a Savior because I can’t do it. I can’t save myself. I can’t get myself to Heaven. Shoot, I can’t get to church without a healthy heaping of God’s helping hand.

You know what would be funny? You know what would be just crazy? Can you imagine if a baby became our Savior? Can you imagine if a baby was able to help us do everything we needed to do plus be the One we needed to get to Heaven? Well, it happened.

Here’s something even crazier. It was prophesied to happen hundreds of years before it happened. In fact, several men prophesied about it. In fact, they prophesied all about His life. The called it before it ever happened that Jesus would be born, live, die and rise again

Like I said, there were a lot of prophets who prophesied about Jesus.  Abraham, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Micah, and Zechariah all foretold his birth, life or death.  And Isaiah made other predictions as well but I ask you to turn to the book of Isaiah chapter 9 and let’s read verses 6 & 7.

For the next few Sundays through Christmas, I want to look at a simple timeline of how the birth of Jesus came about. Let’s hit the high points and see, not just when it happened by why it happened and what it means for us all these years later. Let’s start several hundred years before Jesus was born in Isaiah 9:6-7. Isaiah is between Song of Solomon and Jeremiah in the Old Testament.

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.7Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah is writing some 700-plus years before Jesus was born and these writings must have brought great peace and joy and celebration to the Israelite people who later read these words, all the way up to Jesus Himself.  I have always wondered what it must have been like for the young boy Jesus to read these words in the scrolls at the temple, knowing that He was the one about whom was being prophesied.  Just add that to the things to ask Jesus when we get to Heaven.

But for the Israelites, it had to be a great hope.  It had to bring peace.  It would make you want to celebrate that the beloved people would once again be remembered and blessed by the Messiah.  You know, sort of like it makes us feel even today.  We celebrate Christmas 2700 years after this was written for the same reason that the Israelites celebrated.  The tragedy is that so many of the people of the nation to which this was written fail to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

But for us it brings great joy and peace to think that what Isaiah is confessing came true and will continue to be true.  In fact, the whole story of the birth of Jesus was intended to bring joy and peace.  When Gabriel went to Mary and told her the good news that she would be the mother of the Christ, it brought joy and peace.  When Elizabeth reacted to Mary’s visit by saying, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear”, that brought joy and peace.  And what about the joy and peace that Simeon had when he held the baby in the temple?  He had so much peace he told God “you now dismiss your servant in peace.”  He was ready to die after seeing the One about whom is prophesied here in Isaiah.

Most of you have heard my testimony before.  I came to a relationship with Jesus when I was a child and lived that way for a long time but as I grew older I slipped out of that close relationship and started living just for myself.  And I have to admit that it was pretty fun a lot of the time.  I had a lot of friends and we had lots of fun but deep down I was miserable because I had no joy and no peace.  I knew the life I was living was wrong because while I had fun sometimes, my life wasn’t worth living without the joy and the peace that I had known.

We have talked lately about how the Holy Spirit works and that is a huge part of it.  The Holy Spirit guides us and directs us and people who don’t have the Holy Spirit often wonder how that happens.  If He doesn’t speak to you audibly or show you a physical sign then how do you know it is the Spirit that is guiding you and not just your conscience or that pizza you ate last night?  The bringing of or the absence of joy and peace as we start to make a decision is often how that happens.

I don’t want to run out of time so let’s look at the 4 names Isaiah uses here to describe the Messiah we now know as Jesus.  I want to focus just on the 4 names this morning.  No, this does not do this passage justice to only concentrate on such a small part but when have I ever done that?  And besides, this is more than enough for today.  The first name Isaiah uses to describe the Messiah is Wonderful Counselor.

Since there was no punctuation in Isaiah’s written language it is sometimes difficult to translate every nuance and particular meaning but we might do well to put a comma right after “Wonderful”.  That may be a correct translation but we don’t know and for today I want to combine it like it is in most Bibles.  “Wonderful Counselor” – what do you think of when you hear the word “counselor”?

The original Hebrew word simply means one who gives good advice.  This would have been of utmost importance in the days of Isaiah.  They were going through a rough time where the leaders of the country had turned away from the one true God and had started worshipping false gods or no god at all.  And there was pressure from the community and from society to follow the lead of the kings who were going in the wrong direction.  Sound familiar?

It would have been important then just as it is important now to be able to rely on someone who gave good advice.  Have you ever gotten good advice?  Somebody tell me in a sentence or two.  Have you ever gotten some bad advice?  I’ve heard it said that a wise man seeks much counsel…and a fool listens to all of it.  Why is that?  Is it because people are stupid?  Is it because they are mean and want to see you fail?  Maybe sometimes but that’s probably rare.  More often it’s because they are human and see through human eyes.

It’s amazing to me how the Holy Spirit comes back into our conversation at this point.  The Holy Spirit is our Counselor and as I said he whispers to us through our peace and joy about making the right decisions but the word “counselor” can also rightfully be used of an attorney or lawyer.  Have you thought about that?  Yes, the Holy Spirit is our attorney who not only gives us wise counsel but also stands for us before the Father.  Revelation 12:10 says that Satan stands before God accusing us all day long and the sad thing about is, while Satan is the father of lies, some of what he says is probably true.

And so I need a good attorney.  I need a really good lawyer.  I need a Wonderful Counselor who will stand before God and say, “Your Honor, what has been said may be true but that crime has been atoned for.  That price has been paid and while I may be the Counselor I am also the one who paid the price.  This man is no longer guilty!”  THAT’S a Wonderful Counselor!  I don’t need a lawyer with a nickname like “The Hammer”.  I need one who is known as the Wonderful Counselor.  That brings me joy and peace.

He is not only the Wonderful Counselor; He is also the Mighty God.  The name means strong warrior or even hero.  Do you think about God as being a warrior or a hero?  At this time of year it is appropriate to think of Jesus lying in a manger, helpless and sweet.  But at the same time, He was and is the warrior in chief.  He is the head general in this battle and as such He has everything under control.

Psalm 45:3 says, “Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.”  And Revelation 19:13-16 says, “He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”

And while He is a mighty warrior, I have one more passage to help us understand the nature of this Warrior.  Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”  The Mighty God, Hero God, Ancient Warrior who is all-powerful loves us so much that He rejoices over us with singing.  That brings me joy and peace!

He is a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God and Everlasting Father.  Family-life specialists Delmer W. Holbrook and his wife have conducted surveys across America.  In a survey of hundreds of children, the Holbrooks came up with 3 things fathers say most in responding to their kids.  “I’m too tired.”  “We don’t have enough money.”  And “Keep quiet.” (Illustrations for Biblical Teaching)

I don’t know what your earthly father was or is like.  For me, I have to say those exact things to my dad even today.  “I’m too tired.  I don’t have enough money. Keep quiet!”  No, that’s not true but whatever your fatherly role model, it’s time to quit falling back on that because we have as our Heavenly Father an ancestor, teacher, advisor, priest and protector.  That’s what the words “Everlasting Father” stand for.

Now any of you that are parents know that there comes a time in almost every kid’s life that they start to pull away from Mom and Dad.  First, you can’t kiss them goodbye when you drop them off for school and then they don’t want you to even drop them off.  They would rather walk than be seen with you.  Then, as older teens, most kids finally leave the nest.  They think dear old dad is just stupid and they can do it better on their own.  Until what?  Until they need something, right?  Until they can’t figure out what to do or they have no other option and then they come back asking for help.

The school shootings and mall shootings and movie theater shootings that we see on the news are beyond comprehension.  Nobody can understand how somebody could do such a thing and nobody can comprehend how to keep it from happening again.  You have heard the argument that we need fewer guns or more guns or better mental health programs or less video games or blah, blah, blah.  But you know what happened as soon as the news broke that the shooter had gone to that school and killed those children? 

We prayed.  We as a nation prayed.  The president prayed.  The school teachers prayed.  The TV news anchor prayed!  Because we don’t know what to do and we have no other option, just like kids who have left the house and now we are in trouble, we come back to the Everlasting Father and we cry for help.  The same people who just the day before said there is no God or God is stupid or how could God do this or that are now saying, “God, help us.”

And do you know what God says?  Do you know how the Creator of the universe responds to us when we do that?  Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  That gives me such peace and such joy.

And it should bring us peace because He is the Prince of Peace.  He is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace.  Oh, how those words must have comforted the Israelites back in the day.  A prince is a representative of the king, a ruler or an honored person and to know that the Messiah would soon come to save them from their enemies had to be comforting. 

I went to Israel probably 35 or so years ago and do you know what?  It had not changed much in any way from those days when Isaiah made this prophesy.  Everywhere you go there are soldiers in uniform carrying high-powered weapons and while the weapons of war may have changed not much else has.  There is still no peace.  They are still being attacked every day on all sides from people who want to take their land.  Psalm 122 tells us even today that we should pray for the peace of Jerusalem but there will be no real peace there until the Messiah comes back.

The good news is though, that peace is not necessarily the absence of war.  Those favored people, the Israelites, can have personal peace right now through a relationship with the Messiah and so can we.  The last part of that passage says that the zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.  That word “zeal” means his eager desire is to make all this happen.  God has an eager desire to have a relationship with you; a relationship that means no more guilt and no more shame.  Those things get replaced with peace and joy.

Admit that you need a Savior today. Come before the Everlasting Father and say, “God, I need help.”  Accept His mighty power, his good advice and the peace that passes all understanding even in the midst of war; even in the midst of everything going on in your life.  That is God’s Christmas gift to you this year if you will only accept it.

Ask God for forgiveness of your sins, repent of those sins – turn away from that lifestyle – and allow Him to change you. Do it right now as the music plays.