Sunday, March 1, 2015

Advent 2014 - Exalting Christ at Christmas


Types of People this time of year 

  1. Christmas Spirit 
    1. All about the decorations, gifts, food, etc. 
  2. Critical Spirit 
    1. Focus on the pagan background of the holiday.  

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" 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. (Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭26-35NASB) 

  1. Give Christ First Place 

He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. (Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭18NASB) 

"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. (Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭26NASB) 

So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. (Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭33NASB) 

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.  
(Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭24NASB) 

In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " (Acts‬ ‭20‬:‭35NASB) 

  1. Thank Christ with Loud Praise 

And Mary said: "My soul exalts the Lord, (Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭46NASB) 

And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant- (Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭67-69‬ NASB) 

  1. Serve Christ with Unwavering Purpose 

For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you." Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  
(Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭14-17NASB) 

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.  
(Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭2-6NASB) 

You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. (1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭5NASB) 

But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  
(Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭20NASB) 

"BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US." (Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭23NASB)

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