New Year's Resolutions and Responsibility...

We tend to begin a new year with a new and fresh slate and with new and fresh hope, don’t we? We tend to begin a new year with a renewed sense of hope and with renewed desires and dreams. And we tend to begin a new year with a renewed set of goals.  And as a culture, we often will sit down and make a list of what we are going to do differently in the New Year in order to accomplish those goals. We even have a name for that list, don’t we? We call that list our New Year’s Resolutions.

Just to give you some perspective, here are the top five resolutions that Americans are making this year. The top five, in reverse order were, to stop procrastinating, to quit drinking, to exercise more, to quit smoking, to diet and lose weight. As you think of the resolutions that you have made, are any of these resolutions reflected on your list?

Now here is a question for us to wrestle with: what do all of these resolutions have in common? What are these resolutions designed to deal with? What is the issue that surrounds all of these resolutions? Isn’t the common theme that runs through this list of resolutions the issue of responsibility? I mean, all of these resolutions are designed to deal with a behavior that is irresponsible and is hurting us physically, emotionally, or relationally, aren’t they?

If you made some New Year’s resolutions this year, take a minute to think about those resolutions, and then ask yourself this question: Isn’t the goal of those resolutions to be more responsible? In most cases, we tend to make New Year’s resolutions to deal with our irresponsibility with the goal that we would be more responsible.

But here is the thing: when you think of New Year’s resolutions, do you remember the New Year’s resolutions that you made last year? And if you do remember those resolutions that you made last year, how successful were you in keeping them? Now, here is the really hard question to ask: for all of the New Year’s resolutions that you failed to keep, how bad do you feel about failing to keep them?

Do you feel bad, or do you find yourself justifying your inability to keep those resolutions and rationalizing that it is o.k. to continue to behave in an irresponsible way? Do you find yourself wrestling with the tension of responsibility? Do you find yourself desiring to escape responsibility and instead allow others to wrestle with that tension?

You see, what is true of us as an individual is true of us as a culture. As a culture, I believe that we are at a crossroads. As a culture, I believe that we have been steadily moving away from the concept of personal responsibility. As a culture, we are often marked by the desire to live irresponsibly and then allow others to be responsible for our irresponsibility.

So do we have a moral obligation to be responsible? Or is it o.k. to be irresponsible and allow others, whether it is the government, family, or other individuals to be responsible for our irresponsibility? Are we accountable for the level of our responsibility in life? And who are we to be responsible for and accountable to when it comes to the idea of responsibility?

At the church where I serve, we are going to spend the next four weeks in a sermon series entitled responsibility. During these four weeks, we are going to spend our time together asking and answering these questions. And our hope and our prayer is that the answers to these questions would resonate in our heads, in our hearts, and through our hands in a way that results in us embracing what the Bible has to say when it comes to the question of responsibility.

This week, as we launch into these next four weeks, I would like for us to spend our time together answering the question “were we created to be responsible? Were we created to take responsibility for our lives?” 

Tomorrow we will answer those questions…

Are you a consumer, an owner, or an investor?

This week, we are looking at a section of perhaps the most famous sermon that Jesus preached while on earth, called the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:14-16, we discovered that Just like a city on a hill; just like a lamp that is placed on a lampstand, as Jesus followers we are to live our day to day lives in a way that reveals and reflects Christ to those around us. Wednesday, we talked about the reality that the church is the only organization that does not exist for the sake of its members? The church has been divinely designed to be the vehicle that He uses to reveal His Son Jesus to the world. And God places the local church in distinctive environments to be distinctively different.

We talked about the fact that the church, that I serve at, which is City Bible Church, has been placed by God in Bullhead City to be a city within a city that loves and serves those around us.  And when we love and serve others in a way that reveals and reflects Christ, the result is that we glorify God in Heaven. That is why we believe and are focused on the goal that God has given us as a church to be a city in a city that is striving to reveal and reflect Christ as we love and serve the city. We believe that as we live life together in community with a focus on engaging those in this city in a way that reveals and reflects Christ by loving and serving those in the city, we will be the vehicle that God uses to advance His kingdom mission and bring Him glory.

Today, you might be wondering “well that’s great Dave, but how do we reach that goal as a church? And how do I get to a place in my life where I am following Jesus is a way that reveals and reflects Christ”? If you are asking those questions, I just want you to know that they are great questions to be asking. And my answer to those questions would be this; when we read the Bible, we consistently see that followers of Jesus who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship that reveals and reflects Christ invest their lives in three specific ways.

First, we see that those who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Christ invested their time with other Christians as they gathered corporately for regular weekly worship gatherings and as they scattered to experience community in homes throughout the week. Second, we see that those who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Christ invested their talents serving God by serving others through the exercise of their spiritual gifts. Third, we see that those who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Christ invested their treasure to support God’s kingdom mission through regular and proportional giving.

And we believe that as individual followers of Jesus consistently invest their time by being involved in a regular worship gathering and a community group; as individual followers of Jesus consistently invest their talents serving God by serving others through being a part of a ministry team; and as individual followers of Jesus consistently invest their treasure in order to help create environments where people can explore and grow in their faith while experiencing community, we will continue to be a city in a city that is striving to reveal and reflect Christ as we love and serve the city.

We desire that we would be a church that creates environments where people grow in their relationship with Christ and are able to move from being consumers who view the church as a place where they receive spiritual goods and services to being investors who embrace and invest their time, talent, and treasure to advance the kingdom mission that God has given us.

And, because followers of Jesus grow and mature in their relationship with Jesus when they  are investing their time in a community group, their talents in a ministry, and their treasure in a way that reveals and reflects the generosity of Jesus, as a church, we believe God calls us to plan for the future with three specific goals that will help people grow in their relationship with Jesus from being consumers who are searching and shopping when it comes to Jesus to owners who own a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus to investors who reveal and reflect Christ in their character and conduct and who have fully embraced and are fully engaged in God’s kingdom mission. 

First, we have set as a goal for the future that every regular attender is investing their time, in addition to attending one of the three worship gatherings that we have on Sundays, in a community group. We feel strongly about this goal because we believe that transformational spiritual growth occurs in circles, not rows. And community groups create those transformational environments where people can develop loving and supportive relationships that challenge us to take that next step when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. Current community groups are listed in your bulletin and other community groups will be starting in the future.

Second, we have set as a goal for the future that every regular attender is investing their talents serving God by serving others as part of a ministry team. We feel strongly about this goal because we believe that transformational spiritual growth occurs when we are leveraging the spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities that God has given us in a selfless way that serves others.

We encounter God as we use the spiritual gifts we have been given to help others encounter God. We experience God’s transformational activity in our lives as we help others experience God’s transformational activity in their lives. In your bulletin, you will see the ministry classifieds, which list some of the many ways that you can invest your talents serving God by serving others as part of a ministry.

Third, we have set as a goal for the future that every regular attender is investing their treasure in a way that reveals and reflects the generosity of Jesus. We feel strongly about this goal because we believe that transformational spiritual growth occurs when we are leveraging the treasure that we have been given to create environments where people can explore faith, grow in their faith, and experience genuine and authentic community. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be generous because Jesus Christ is generous. And when we reflect the generosity of Jesus by being generous, we reveal and reflect Jesus to others.

As a church, we are inviting those who attend to join us in the kingdom mission and vision that God has given us by planning for the future in three specific ways with three specific goals. As a church, we are not inviting those who attend to commit to more than this, but we are not inviting those who attend to commit to less than this. We are inviting those who attend to plan for the future by partnering with us in the kingdom mission that we have been given as a church by investing their time in a community group, their talents in a ministry, and their treasure in a way that reveals and reflects the generosity of Jesus.

So here are some questions for you to consider this New Year: Where are you at when it comes to a relationship with Jesus? Are you a consumer who views the church as a place where they receive spiritual goods and services? Are you a consumer who is shopping when it comes to a relationship with Jesus because you are searching, seeking, or skeptical? Are you an owner who owns a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus but is simply treading water when it comes to your relationship with Jesus and are not investing in the mission He has given us? Or are you an investor who is embracing and investing their time, talent, and treasure to advance the kingdom mission that God has given us?

And based on where you are at when it comes to your relationship with Jesus, what is the next step that you need to take in order to take the next step in your relationship with Jesus? Is that next step to invest your time in a community group? Is that next step to invest your talent in a ministry? Is that next step to invest your treasure in a way that reflects the generosity of Jesus?

A New Year's Resolution and Timeless Mission for Followers of Jesus...

There is something that happens on New Year’s Eve as a culture. On New Year’s Eve, as the ball begins to drop in Times Square, as individuals and as a culture, we begin the transition from a time of reflection and evaluation of the past that is focused on where we presently find ourselves to a time of hope for the future. We begin the attempt to leave the past behind and begin a new year with a new and fresh slate and with new and fresh hope when it comes to our future.  And as part of that process, we sit down and make a list of what we are going to do differently in the New Year. We even have a name for that list, don’t we? We call that list our New Year’s Resolutions.

And what is the case individually is also the case for us as we live life together in community. Just like individuals, as a church, we have a tendency to look at the New Year as a time to reflect on the past, evaluate the present, and plan for the future when it comes to the unique mission that we have been given. But, this morning, as a church, what should be on our New Year’s resolution list? What should our focus and our goal be as a church as plan for the future in 2013?

Fortunately for us, in an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the gospel of Matthew, Jesus provides for us a timeless goal that we should strive towards, both as individuals and as a church. So let’s spend our time together by looking at this timeless goal and its implications when it comes to our future plans as a church, beginning in Matthew 5:14:

"You are the light of the world.

As part of perhaps the most famous sermon that Jesus ever preached, which we call the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus paints for the crowds listening to Him a word picture to describe what the world should see when they come into contact with His followers. Jesus explains to the crowds listening to Him that those who follow Him are the light of the world.

Now light, by its very nature, has incredible impact and influence when it enters into an environment. For example, just think what happens when you enter into a dark room that you have never been in before and turn on a light. When you enter a dark room that you have never been in before, do you have any idea what is in there? No, you have no idea. And because of that reality, we often find ourselves groping along the wall looking for the light switch, don’t we?

But as soon as you turn on that light switch, what happens? As soon as you turn on the light switch, what is in the room is revealed to you isn’t it? As soon as you turn on that light switch, everything in the room is displayed for you to see. The whole point of the light is to reveal and to display what is present in the room.

But light does more than just reveal and display. I experienced another function and purpose of light first hand during my time in seminary. While on a camping trip with high school students to Mt. Adams in Washington State, we decided to go hiking on a trail called sleeping beauty. It received that name because as you reach the end of this trail, you find yourself looking towards a mountain ridge that many say bears the profile of sleeping beauty. I had never hiked this trail, and before long, I realized that this was not a simple hike. You know you are in trouble when the person who is leading the hike says “I don’t remember the hike being this difficult”. And the hike was difficult. The trail was narrow and steep, with several switchbacks and no areas to catch your breath. By the time we reached the summit, however, the sun was setting and we realized that no one on staff had brought a flashlight. 

Now being in a dense pine forest in the middle of nowhere on a hiking trail that is only ten yards wide without any light can be unsettling. Fortunately for us, one of the students had a pen light attached to their key chain. So we ended up having 40 students and staff in a single file line, hands on the shoulder of the person in front of them following a pen light, for what ended up being a two hour hike down the mountain. And in the absolute pitch black darkness of that forest, the light from that small pen light provided the guidance and direction that we needed to navigate down the mountain.

Jesus point here is that in the same way, as the light of the world, followers of Jesus are to reveal and reflect Jesus and help provide the guidance and direction necessary for people to be able to navigate life here on earth. After providing this word picture what the world should see when they encounter His followers, Jesus provides two additional images to challenge the crowds listening. Let’s look at these images together:

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Jesus begins His challenge to those listening with two additional word pictures. First, Jesus reminds the crowds listening of a timeless reality that they were all too familiar of: a city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  A city that is located in an elevated location can be seen from miles away. In Jesus day, this would especially be the case after the sun set. In the pitch black darkness of the desert of Israel, the light of an elevated city would be seen for miles and miles.

Jesus then provides a second word picture, this time of a lamp that would be used to provide light in a home. Jesus explains that a person does not take the time to light a lamp and then place that lamp under a basket. That would make absolutely no sense. It would make absolutely no sense to place a lamp under a basket because then the lamp would not be functioning as it was designed. The lamp would not be fulfilling the purpose that it was created to fulfill.

Instead, Jesus reminds the crowds that a person would take the lamp and place it on a lampstand, which would place the lamp in an elevated position so that the light of the lamp would provide the maximum coverage possible in the house. For the light to fulfill its purpose to reveal, display, and to provide the opportunity for those in the house to navigate an otherwise dark environment, the light needed to be in the right position. After painting these two word pictures, Jesus makes His challenge to the crowds who were listening unmistakably clear in Matthew 5:16:

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Just like a city on a hill; just like a lamp that is placed on a lampstand, as Jesus followers we are to live our day to day lives in a way that reveals and reflects Christ to those around us. But Jesus does not simply tell the crowds to reveal and reflect Christ: Jesus also tells the crowds how they will reveal and reflect Christ. Jesus explains that we will reveal and reflect Christ when we live our lives in such a way that the world around us may see our good works and glorify God who is in Heaven. Jesus here is calling the crowds listening, and us here today, to reveal and reflect Christ by how we love and serve the world around us. Jesus calls His followers to engage the world by loving and serving those who God has placed around us.

Do you realize that the church is the only organization that does not exist for the sake of its members? The church has been divinely designed to be the vehicle that He uses to reveal His Son Jesus to the world. And God places the local church in distinctive environments to be distinctively different. God has placed City Bible Church in Bullhead City to be a city within a city that loves and serves those around us.  And when we love and serve others in a way that reveals and reflects Christ, the result is that we glorify God in Heaven.

And that is why we believe and are focused on the goal that God has given us as a church to be a city in a city that is striving to reveal and reflect Christ as we love and serve the city. We believe that as we live life together in community with a focus on engaging those in this city in a way that reveals and reflects Christ by loving and serving those in the city, we will be the vehicle that God uses to advance His kingdom mission and bring Him glory.

Now you might be wondering “well that’s great Dave, but how do we reach that goal as a church? And how do I get to a place in my life where I am following Jesus is a way that reveals and reflects Christ”?

Friday, we will answer those questions…

A Response to Christmas that Provides an Example to Follow...

During this Christmas season, we have been looking at an account of the Christmas story that is recorded for us in the Bible called the gospel of Luke in order to discover what Christmas calls us to as followers of Jesus. Today, I would like for us to look at another account of the Christmas story in our Bible called the gospel of Matthew. And it is in a section of this letter in the Bible that we will discover another response to the birth of Jesus that reveals what Christmas is all about. So let’s look at this section together, beginning in Matthew 2:1:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

Matthew begins by introducing us to a group of men that were known as magi. Most scholars believe that the Magi were learned men who were from the region that is now modern day Iraq. The magi were men who specialized in the study of astrology and the interpretation of dreams. Now these magi had received special revelation from God in the form of what appeared to be a star that announced the birth of the Messiah.

You see, God had previously predicted and proclaimed that from the Jewish people there would be a descendant of Abraham, from the line of David that would be the promised Messiah who would bring the Jewish people back to God and back to prominence in the world. So, the Jewish people had been looking forward and counting the days until God would fulfill His promise to humanity.

And now, these Magi, who had travelled over hundreds of miles, had arrived in the capital city of Jerusalem and announced that they were searching for a baby that they said would be the Messiah that God had promised. We see the response of Jerusalem to the arrival of the magi and their announcement in verse 3:

 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: 'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'" Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him."

Herod, who was the ruler of the Jewish people at the time, along with the entire city of Jerusalem, was troubled by the news. Now this word troubled literally means to be disturbed, unsettled, and thrown into confusion. Herod was troubled; Herod was disturbed because Herod viewed the news of this new king as a potential threat to his position and his power.

So Herod concocted a sneaky and shady plan to deal with this potential threat. Herod called the Jewish religious leaders together for a meeting in order to determine where this new threat to his power and position would have been born. After discovering that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, King Herod points the magi to Bethlehem and requests that they report back to him with the baby’s exact location after they find Him. Matthew then records what happens next in verse 9:

After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

After traveling for several months over hundreds of miles to arrive at Jerusalem; after hearing that the Messiah was to be born five miles south of Jerusalem in a small sleepy town called Bethlehem, the magi make the subsequent journey. And as they traveled, we see God guide and lead them in a special and supernatural way to the location of Jesus. Upon arriving in Bethlehem, the magi do not find Jesus in a cave in a feeding cloth for animals. Instead, after the hustle and bustle of the recent census subsided and people returned back to where they had been living, Joseph, Mary and Jesus were able to find a house to live in after the birth of Jesus.

Matthew tells us that after experiencing God’s supernatural revelation and direction, the magi rejoiced exceedingly with great joy upon seeing Jesus.  The magi rejoiced with great joy because that had reached their destination after traveling hundreds of miles over a significant period of time. The magi had sacrificed time away from their families and their country on this journey. And this journey would not have been cheap.

After arriving at this location, Matthew tells us that the magi responded to their encounter with the Child Messiah by falling to the ground and worshipping. And as part of their worship, the magi presented to Jesus, as an act of worship, gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

And it is in the story of the magi that we see what Christmas calls us to. It is in the response of the magi that we see what Christmas is all about. You see, it is in the response of the magi that we see that Christmas calls us to worship Christ fully. The magi responded to God’s transformational and supernatural revelation and intervention in history through Jesus by worshipping.

And it is in the story of the magi that we discovered that Christmas calls us to spend less so that we can worship without worry. The magi did not allow other financial concerns to cause worry or distraction from God’s supernatural revelation. Instead the magi were solely focused on encountering this new king Jesus.

It is in the story of the magi that we discovered that Christmas calls us to give more of ourselves as an act of worship that impacts others. Instead of spending the resources that they had on things that they did not necessarily need, the magi spent that first Christmas season making a journey that resulted in an act of giving that would provide the resources that allowed the family of Jesus to escape to Egypt as King Herod attempted to kill every child in Bethlehem in order to secure his power and position as king.

And it is in the story of the magi that we discovered that Christmas calls us to love all as an act of worship that reveals and reflects God’s love for all. Just as the magi responded in love to God’s revelation and intervention in the world, Christmas is about responding in worship to God’s love that is most fully revealed by His Son Jesus by revealing and reflecting the love of God to others.

The countdown to Christmas calls us to love all as an act of worship that reveals and reflects God’s love for all...

In the days leading up to Christmas, we had spent our time looking at an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the gospel of Luke, which records what happened that first Christmas. Today, I would like to look at what is without a doubt the most popular passage of the Bible that is read or referred to during Christmas. If your family has a church background, you may have read this passage on Christmas morning before opening your presents. And it is in this passage of the Bible that we will discover a third way that we can be challenged to worship fully during this Christmas season. So let’s look at this passage together beginning in Luke 2:1:

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.

Like any great story, Luke begins the Christmas story by providing us the context for the story. At this time, the land that belonged to the Jewish people was under the control of the Roman Empire, which was the dominant military and political power in the world. And as part of their military and political dominance, the Roman Government required that every person who lived in the Roman Empire over the age of 20 pay a tax that was called the poll tax. 

So to make sure that they were receiving the maximum amount of taxes that they were able to gather, the Roman Empire called for a census. This census required every Jewish family to travel to their ancestral home town to register for the census so that they would be counted for tax purposes. Every Jewish person, in essence, needed to travel to the place where their family tree was planted. And for Joseph and Mary, that meant traveling to Bethlehem, as Joseph came from the family tree of David, who as we have talked about during this series, was the most famous king to ever ruler the Jewish nation. So Joseph and Mary left Nazareth and made the trip to Bethlehem.

Now to understand the significance of this trip, we first need to understand some things about this journey. First, the distance between Nazareth and Bethlehem was 80 miles. Second, there are no cars, buses, or airplanes. So Joseph and Mary walked 80 miles, which would take approximately five days for an average person to travel. But as Luke tells us, Joseph and Mary are not average; Because Mary is with child. When Luke says that Mary is with child, she is with child. Delivery could occur at any moment. Most scholars believe that this trip would have taken at least one week to accomplish. And as we see next, however, Mary is not just with child:

While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

 After arriving in Bethlehem, Mary discovered that she was not just with child; it was time to have the child. There was a problem, however. You see, Bethlehem was not a bustling metropolis filled with hotels and motels; Bethlehem was a small rural community that was busting at the seams as a result of all the out of town visitors that were required to come to register for the census. Bethlehem was not a destination that up and coming people moved to in order to start their careers; Bethlehem was a departure point that people left as soon as they grew up.  So there was no place for people to reside, unless there were close family that still lived in town.

Bethlehem was so crowded that the only place that they could find for Mary to give birth and stay in was with domesticated animals. Most likely this was in a cave on the outskirts of town where animals where kept for their safety. Instead of a crib, all Mary could lay her newborn in was a manger, which was a feeding trough for animals.

Now imagine yourself as Joseph and Mary. How would you be feeling right now? You are in a cave, 80 miles from home, where you have placed your firstborn son in a box that a few minutes ago, farm animals were slobbering in as they ate. And if that is not enough, your son is God in a bod. God, who has taken on flesh, is lying in a feeding trough. And where do you think they got the cloths to wrap baby Jesus in? How would you be feeling? What would you be thinking? Was this how you think Mary envisioned giving birth to her first child?

Now, you might be thinking to yourself “what was God thinking? I mean what would drive God to send His Son Jesus into such a situation? What would motivate God to come up with such a strange way to reveal Himself to humanity? And if Jesus is God in a bod, then what would motivate Jesus to agree to being put in such a situation? What would motivate Jesus to enter into humanity in such a strange way? ”

If those questions are running through your mind, I want to let you know that they are great questions to be asking. And we discover the answers to these questions from the mouth of Jesus Himself. You see, in another account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the gospel of John, Jesus makes a statement that is probably the most familiar verse in the entire Bible. And it is in this single verse that we see Jesus reveal the motivation that drove that first Christmas and that provides for us what Christians call the message of the gospel. So let’s look at this verse together:

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

In this verse, not only do we see what motivated Jesus to enter into humanity that first Christmas: in this verse we see Jesus reveal for us we need to know and what we need to do in order to respond to what Christmas calls us to when it comes to how we can enter into a relationship with God. First, Jesus says for God so loved the world. God sent His Son Jesus to earth that first Christmas not because He was mad at the world; God is in love with the world.

Jesus then tells us that God did what people, who are in love, do. God gave. God sent His Son Jesus because He loved the world. You see, while God created humanity to experience a relationship with Him and a relationship with one another, all of humanity selfishly rebelled and rejected that relationship, instead choosing to love ourselves and do things out of that selfish love that hurt God and others. That selfish love and rebellion is what the Bible calls sin.

God responded to that selfish love and rebellion by giving what was closest to Himself to rescue what was furthest away. God’s love and interest in us was made known and shown in the most powerful way when He sent His unique, one and only Son to earth that first Christmas, who later allowed Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives, so that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life.

Jesus then explains that God loved and God gave so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish. Now this little phrase believes in, in the language that this letter is written in, is the same word that is translated trust in our Bibles. This word literally means to entrust oneself entrust to someone with complete confidence. To trust is a lot like this stool, while I could say that I believe that this stool can hold my weight, it is only when I sit on the stool that I demonstrate that I trust the stool to hold my weight.

And for the person who believes, trusts, and follows Jesus, Jesus explains that they shall not perish, but have eternal life. Now eternal life is not simply living forever. You see, everyone lives forever; we are created as eternal beings. The question is not whether or not you are going to live forever, the question is where are you going to live? When Jesus uses this phrase, He is revealing to all humanity that the person who places their confident trust in Jesus life death, and resurrection will not be separated from God as a result of their selfishness and rebellion, but will experience forgiveness of sin and the relationship with God that we were created for.

And that is the good news of the gospel: That first Christmas God loved, God gave, so that those who believe and place their confident trust in Jesus would receive life in relationship with Him.

And it is in the story of Jesus entry into humanity that we see what the countdown to Christmas calls us to. And it is in the response of Jesus in perhaps the most famous verse in the entire Bible that we see what the countdown to Christmas is all about.

You see, Advent, the countdown to Christmas calls us to love all as an act of worship that reveals and reflects God’s love for all. You see, what motivated Jesus to leave the riches of the glory and majesty of Heaven to live life on earth was love. What drove Jesus to enter into humanity as a baby in a feeding trough for animals was His love for all. What motivated Jesus to experience humanity and grow up in a blue collar home of a carpenter was His love for all.

What drove Jesus during His earthly ministry as a homeless itinerant preacher that relied on the support of others for food and shelter was His love for all. And what drove Jesus to allow Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives so that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life was His love for all.

And that is what Christmas is all about. Christmas is about responding in worship to God’s love that is most fully revealed by His Son Jesus by revealing and reflecting the love of God to others. Christmas calls us to love all by focusing on placing others before us by worshipping God fully. Christmas calls us to love all by placing others before us by spending less on the things that will be so easily forgotten so that we can give more of ourselves in a way that impacts others.

Christmas calls us to love all in a way that reveals and reflects God’s love that drove Him to give what was closest to Himself to rescue what was furthest away, so that all humanity might have the opportunity to experience forgiveness and the relationship with God that they were created for by responding to God’s love by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader. You see, Christmas reveals the reality that love is a verb.

So, what are you going to do this Christmas season to make love a verb? What are you going to do to respond to God’s love in a way that loves all as an act of worship that reveals and reflects God’s love? What are you going to do to respond to God giving what was closest to Himself to rescue what was furthest away by spending less at the altar of consumerism and instead giving more to those around us who are less fortunate than us in a way that reveals and reflects the love of Christ and the message of Christmas?

Christmas calls us to give more of ourselves as an act of worship that impacts others...

During these days that lead up to Christmas, we are spending our time together in a sermon series entitled the advent conspiracy. During this series, we are looking at an account of the Christmas story that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the gospel of Luke. This week, we are looking at the response of Mary to the announcement of her pregnancy with Jesus.

Wednesday, we saw the Angel Gabriel, announce to a Jr. High virgin named Mary that she would give birth in a supernatural and creative way to God who would be entering into humanity. Just as God would bring forth life from that which had been unable to bring forth life, God was going bring forth life from what had previously never attempted to bring forth life. Today, we will see Luke record Mary’s response in Luke 1:38: 

And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

When Mary uses the word bondslave, this word was used to refer to a female slave. Mary is saying “the Lord is large and in charge, I am willing to do whatever God desires me to do and go through. I place my trust in God and embrace the role that He has given me”.  Now, when we read Mary’s words here, a natural reaction is to say “well of course she would say that. I mean what a privilege. Look at the blessings that she is going to experience to be the mother of Jesus”. So I want to take a minute to look at all the blessings that Mary would have been thinking about and would have experienced as a result of being the mother of Jesus.

First off, let’s imagine the blessings that Mary experienced as she explained to those in the small rural town that she lived in how she became pregnant. Imagine yourself as Mary attempting to explain your pregnancy as a 12-13 year old Jr. High girl:  “How did I become pregnant? Oh, you would not believe what happened. An angel named Gabriel showed up one night and explained that I was pregnant by the Holy Spirit and that I was going to deliver the Messiah”. Can you imagine the response she received: “Yah, sure, isn’t that great. Holy Spirit, Messiah”. “Sinner, Scarlet Letter”.

Second, imagine the blessings that Mary experienced as she explained her pregnancy to Joseph. In another account of Jesus life that is recorded in the Bible called the book of Matthew, we discover that Joseph, being a righteous man, was just going to divorce her quietly instead of having her stoned, as the Law allowed. That is until he had his own encounter with the angel of the Lord.

Third, imagine all the blessings that come from living a life that will be stigmatized and dramatically altered forever as a result of this pregnancy. Imagine trying to have a marriage that is surrounded by the gossip, slander, and rejection. We know that to be the case because later in life, self righteous religious people actual confronted Jesus by stating “we were not born of fornication”. In other words they were saying “at least we know who our dad is; at least we are not a bastard child”.

And fourth, imagine the blessings that Mary experienced as she watched her first born son grow up to be rejected, despised, and suffer the most humiliating and painful death possible, which was crucifixion. So do we really think that Mary was counting all her blessings as she received this message from God? Yet Mary’s response was to say “Lord, you are large and in charge, I am willing to do whatever You desire me to do and go through.” A few verses later, we see the full extent of Mary’s response to God’s message through the Angel Gabriel in Luke 1:46:

And Mary said: "My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. "For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. "For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. "AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. "He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. "He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. "HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS; And sent away the rich empty-handed. "He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever."

Mary’s response to God’s message was one of worship. And her response of worship resulted in her giving her life to the role that she had been given in God’s kingdom mission. All of the plans that she had when it came to how she and Joseph were going to spend their lives together were suddenly and radically changed forever. Instead of spending her life for her mission, she gave her life for that advancement of God’s mission in a way that would radically impact all of humanity.

And it is in this story that we see what Christmas calls us to. It is in the response of Mary that we see what the countdown to Christmas is all about. You see, Advent, the countdown to Christmas calls us to give more of ourselves as an act of worship that impacts others. Where we can get off track, however, is when we lose sight of what happened that first Christmas.

The first Christmas was marked by giving, not spending. Instead of spending, Mary spent that first Christmas taking the first steps along a journey of giving her life for the advancement of God’s mission by giving birth to God in a supernatural and unique way that would radically impact all of humanity. Instead of spending, Jesus spent that first Christmas taking His first breathes as God in a bod that would lead Him to give His life by allowing Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives, so that God the father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life. However, we can find ourselves getting off track by focusing on the culture’s call to spend more during the countdown to Christmas.

Instead of spending more, what would happen if we spent the countdown to Christmas by giving more of ourselves as an act of worship that impacts others? What would happen if instead of spending more money that we do not have in order to impress people with gifts that they probably won’t even remember, we gave more of the time, talents, and treasure that we do have to impact the lives of others?

Now you might be wondering “What are you talking about? What do you mean spend less and give more? Who or what am I supposed to give more to in order to impact more?” If that question is running through your mind, let me give you three practical ways that you can spend less and give more during the countdown to Christmas. The first way is by adopting a child or family through the Angel Tree program. Angel Tree because provides a practical way to give more to local families who are suffering as a result of the incarceration of a family member in a way that provides the opportunity to develop an ongoing relationship that can impact that family.

A second way is by partnering with Living Water International in its efforts to end the clean water crisis. With more than a billion people lacking access to clean water and sanitation, the need to support those who are bringing new hope to these communities by drilling wells is both apparent and critical. A third way is by partnering with International Justice Mission in its efforts to bring rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression.

So here is the challenge for us as individuals and as a church during this countdown to Christmas. This Christmas season, would you become a part of the Advent conspiracy by giving more of yourself as an act of worship that impacts others? Would you spend less and give more by leveraging your time, talents, and treasure to one of these efforts?

Supernatural Creativity in the Face of Impossibility...

During these days that lead up to Christmas, we are spending our time together in a sermon series entitled the advent conspiracy. During this series, we are looking at an account of the Christmas story that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the gospel of Luke. This week, we are looking at the response of Mary to the announcement of her pregnancy with Jesus. Yesterday, we saw the Angel Gabriel, announce to a Jr. High virgin named Mary that she would give birth to God who will rule and reign as He reveals and establishes the kingdom of Heaven for all eternity.

Today, imagine yourself as Mary hearing that you are going to become pregnant and give birth to God: What would you be thinking? How would you respond? Probably just like Mary did in verse 34:

Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"

In other words, Mary is asking “how is this possible?” This is not a question of doubt or a lack of faith. Instead, this is a question that flowed from a desire to understand. Mary is asking “How am I going to get pregnant and have a child if I have never had sex before? I mean, usually you have to have sex before you get pregnant. I have not had sex and I am not married, so how am I going to become pregnant with God?” We see the angel Gabriel’s response in verse 35:

 The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

To understand the angel Gabriel’s response, we first need to define some terms. When the Angel Gabriel says "The Holy Spirit will come upon you”, this phrase literally means that the Holy Spirit will come and move upon you. The phrase “the power of the Most High will overshadow you” literally means that the power of God would cover you. In other words, Mary would become pregnant as a result of the supernatural power of God as displayed through the Holy Spirit, who would creatively and supernaturally bring about the physical conception of Jesus. In church mumbo jumbo talk, this is referred to as the Immaculate Conception and the virgin birth.

You see, Mary did not become pregnant because God had sex with Mary. God moved in a supernatural and unique way, displaying His power through the Holy Spirit, to bring the second member of the Trinity into humanity as the only begotten son of God. That is why Gabriel states that the holy Child shall be called the son of God.

In the Bible, the Son of God is not a term that is used to simply describe one’s place in a family tree. The Son of God is a title that is used to describe Jesus association with God as the second member of the Trinity. As the Holy Child, as God in a bod, Jesus would be set apart as distinct and different from any other human child. Jesus was fully God and fully man.

And Jesus was set apart and sent to earth with a specific mission, which was to give His life to provide humanity an opportunity to be rescued from the selfishness and rebellion that separated humanity from God so that they could receive forgiveness and experience the relationship with God that they were created for. And in case that did not fully answer Mary’s question, Gabriel states the following in verse 36:

 "And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month."For nothing will be impossible with God."

In other words, the angel Gabriel is saying “the reason that you being pregnant by the power of God through the Holy Spirit is the same reason that your aunt Elizabeth, who is on the other side of menopause and thought would never be blessed with a child, is also pregnant. You see Mary, nothing is impossible with God. Just as God can bring forth life from that which had been unable to bring forth life, God can bring forth life from what had previously never attempted to bring forth life”.

Friday, we will see how Mary responded and discover another timeless aspect of what the countdown to Christmas is all about….