This Is Christmas

This Is Christmas

Subject – God’s Indescribable Gift to Us

By Rick Welborne

2 Corinthians 9:15 (NKJV) ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

--What gift is the Apostle Paul talking about here?  Keep in mind the Bible was not written in chapters…translators did that hoping it would help us understand better. Go back to chp.8.

2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV) ⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 

--This is Christmas…this story…this message… this act of love…this is Christmas!

--Jesus was in heaven with the Father, He came to earth and was born as a baby in a manger (in a feeding trough). Anyone remember these homemade feeding troughs?

--One of my many jobs as a kid was “slopping the hogs”. We didn’t have fancy feeds like they have now. We kept a bucket in the kitchen for the leftovers. Nasty!

--The hogs were quiet anxious to eat the slop. I have a scar on the back of my leg where one of the hogs bit me. This was the kind of thing God’s indescribable gift was born in. What humility.

--He was rich but He became poor so that He could reach us with this wonderful gift. We try to use the gospel as a means of becoming rich. Where is our humility.

--Wait a minute, Preacher, are you saying that God sent His Son, His only Son to this earth to be born, to suffer, and to die as a gift for us…was Jesus ok with this plan?

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)
¹  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
²  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
³  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 

1. This is Christmas – God with Us.

--The Angel speaking to Joseph in a dream:

Matthew 1:20-23 (NIV) ²⁰  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
²¹  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
²²  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
²³  "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." 

--This is Christmas and this blows our minds…God the Father in His great love sent Jesus His only Son to come to this earth for us so we can be saved. This is Christmas!

--So many think that Christmas is all about getting the latest greatest gift. The latest I-phone. We are sad when the next new one comes out. 

--Our new car is new only one year. Until the next new style or model comes out. When will we learn that Christmas is and should be about Jesus. This is Christmas.

--My heart was so empty until I met Jesus and received Him as Lord and Savior. He brought life to a dead man.

John 10:10 (NKJV) ¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--Jesus came to save us but was rejected by many but as many as received Him, He gave them the power to become the sons of God!  This is Christmas!

--Hebrews said, for the joy set before Jesus He endured the cross with all its brutality, shame, and even died a criminal’s death. He must love us so much!  This is Christmas. So when we say:

2 Corinthians 9:15 (NKJV) ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

--We are talking about God the Father giving you the most indescribable gift ever…This is Christmas!

--You know what would be sad…even rude…is today to tell God I do not want your gift. He has given the best gift ever known to mankind…salvation thru His Son Jesus Christ!

--Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

--Today is your day and now is your time! Please, do not walk out the doors of this church while God is dealing with your heart. This is Christmas! Accepting His indescribable gift.

--Imagine God with us. More important for you…God with you. What an indescribable gift. This is Christmas. The greatest gift ever.

2. This is Christmas – The Light Has Come.

--This is definitely Christmas that the light has come. None of us like when the electricity goes out during a storm. How excited we get when the lights come back on.

John 1:1-14 (NKJV)
¹  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
²  He was in the beginning with God.
³  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
⁴  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
⁵  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
⁹  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
¹⁰  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
¹¹  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
¹²  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
¹³  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
¹⁴  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 

--What greater gift could any of us receive? God’s only Son came to give us light and life. Jesus is the Light and the life of man.

--I love verse 12. The Light Jesus came into the world and as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

--What an indescribable gift! We were walking in darkness with no hope until the Light of Jesus love came into our lives.

--Preacher, I was raised in a Christmas home so I have always been good. It does not matter if you were raised on the streets or were raised in Billy Graham’s home: You need Jesus.

Romans 3:23-24 (NKJV) ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
²⁴  being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

3. This is Christmas – No More Darkness

Isaiah 9:2&6 (NKJV) ² The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.
⁶  For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

--A.W.Milne sailed to the New Hebrides in the South Pacific knowing that the missionaries before him were martyred by the headhunters there.

--Imagine loving the light of God’s love so much and loving this indescribable gift that you would be willing to go to a foreign land where the missionaries before you were martyred. 

--Milne had already found the indescribable gift and he was content with knowing this is Christmas, not only receiving the indescribable gift but sharing it with others.

--Milne did not fear for his life because he had already died to himself. He lived among the people there for 35 years and loved them. They buried him in the middle of their village.

Milne’s Tombstone – When he came there was no light. When he left there was no darkness.

--Wouldn’t it be great if we were known as a church that pushes back the darkness and shares God’s indescribable gift.

--This would truly be Christmas.

Christmas Program – 2025

Christmas Program – 2025

Subject – Come Adore

By Rick Welborne

Luke 2:11-14 (NKJV)
¹¹  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
¹²  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
¹³  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
¹⁴  "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" 

--Joseph and Mary had made their way to Nazareth and there, she gave birth to her first born Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger. No room in the Inn.

--Nearby, in the same country were shepherds tending their sheep during the night. Suddenly, a worship leader and a heavenly praise team show up in the sky!

--Sometimes we think the modern church came up with the bright lights during a worship service but God was way ahead of all of them.

--The Angel of the Lord stood before them, he was the leader and suddenly the glory of the Lord shone all around them. The Angel told the shepherds, Don’t be afraid. Right!

--Evidently the Angel had no experience in watching over sheep because most nights were calm and quiet. Imagine a huge Angel standing before you and the sky so bright. Scary for sure.

Luke 2:10-12 (NKJV)
¹⁰  Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
¹¹  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
¹²  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."

1. Come Adore with Great Joy

--The angel was announcing that Jesus had arrived. He is the Savoir and He is Christ the Lord. Even though this is a new experience for you…Come Adore your Savior and King. 

--You are frightened and caught off guard because of the Angel and the lights but let Jesus be the focus of your worship. It is not a time of fear but a time of great joy. Come Adore.

--Just maybe you are new to church or maybe you are new to this kind of church, don’t be distracted by the lights, the style of worship but focus on the Savior, the King. Come adore Him.

--The Angel of the Lord, the shepherds, not even the heavenly host should he object of their attention. They were just pointing to a greater One.

--Today the singers, the band, the preacher, nor anyone else should be grabbing your attention. Look to Jesus as your Savior and if you know Him, adore Him!

2. Come Adore with the Heavenly Host.

--The Angel of the Lord and the heavenly host show up, not to draw attention to themselves, but to prepare the shepherds for the main event.

--Yes, the Angel of the Lord was exciting, and the glory of the Lord was blinding. The heavenly host were beautiful and oh how they could sing. Still not the main attraction. Jesus is. Come adore.

Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)
²  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross…

Luke 2:13-14 (NIV)
¹³  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
¹⁴  "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." 

--Our purpose here today is not to have you be awed by the singing, the gifting, and the talent before you but to fill you with a desire to see Jesus. Come adore Him.

Luke 2:15-16 (NKJV)
¹⁵  So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."
¹⁶  And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

3. We Should Invite Others to Come Adore Him.

Luke 2:17-20 (NKJV)
¹⁷  Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
¹⁸  And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
¹⁹  But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
²⁰  Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

--When you truly see Jesus and you receive Him as Lord and Savior, you want others to come adore Him.

--Come adore Him, today. How? Receive His as Lord and Savior.

Welcome – 7

Welcome – 7

Subject – Why We Welcome Christmas

By Rick Welborne

Luke 1:26-38 (NLT2)
²⁶  In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,
²⁷  to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
²⁸  Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
²⁹  Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
³⁰  “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!
³¹  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
³²  He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
³³  And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
³⁴  Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
³⁵  The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
³⁶  What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month.
³⁷  For nothing is impossible with God.”
³⁸  Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. 

--Growing up, Christmas was not a real time of celebration. We were not Christians, so Christmas was a time of more stress around our house.

--We lived down a dirt road in an 800 square foot tenant shack where the slaves previously lived. It was behind the plantation house; to be honest we didn’t know how poor we were.

--Don’t misunderstand me, we always had plenty of food to eat because the plantation owner let us use his barn and his acreage (3) for growing vegetables. We sold to Piggly Wiggly.

--We raised our own hogs and had them butchered every so often so we had plenty of meat. My sister would get attached to the hogs so she was traumatized when they were killed.

--I took get sport is making pig sounds at the table that only she could hear. She would leave the table crying so I would get her pet for dinner. I’m glad she didn’t squeal on me.

--I was the youngest so my gifts were not up to the standard that my older siblings had. When I was seven my dad went to the junk yard and got me an old bike. Fender fell, so did I.

--We finally became extremely wealthy and moved into a $6800 house with a paved road out front. The Welbornes had finally arrived. 

--Anyone remember when it was cool to wear bracelets with your name on them. So cool! One Christmas my brothers got the cool ones. I got the girly sissy one. Humiliating.

--Christmas became a time of sadness for me and got to the point that I dreaded it each year. As believers we should not dread Christmas but learn to welcome it.

--I understand the stress of getting and giving gifts and the stress of having family in for the holidays. Just maybe there is tension in the house. Just a little.

--Let’s look at why we welcome Christmas and what it can teach us about our relationship with Jesus.

1. Welcoming Christmas Teaches Us Obedience.

Luke 1:27 (NLT2)
²⁷ …a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.

--Mary was a blessed and very happy girl. Life was treating her well. She was engaged but not just to anyone. She was engaged to Joseph, a descendant of King David. A Jewish girl’s dream.

--When an angel shows up and tells you that you are walking in God’s favor and that the Lord is with you, it must have been encouraging but also confusing. What could this mean?

--I wish I could have a visitation from an angel. Maybe you can. If you live a virtuous life, if you are walking in the favor of God, if you are making Godly choices (Joseph), if you walk in His presence.

--The angel tells her, if you walk in obedience to your assignment that you are receiving, something (actually someone) will be born in your life named Jesus.

--Many of us want the promise but not the pain, we want the comfort but not the cross, we want the blessings but not the burial. Obedience comes at a cost.

Matthew 16:24-25 (NLT2)
²⁴  Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.
²⁵  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.

--Mary could have been selfish and said no. Her life was laid out and being pregnant out of wedlock with someone other than Joseph meant shame and humiliation. 

--Her obedience to God meant that she would be misunderstood, her plans would be disrupted, and even Joseph would not believe the incredible story she was telling. Obedience hurts.

Matthew 1:19 (NKJV)
¹⁹  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

--He, too, had to have a visitation from an angel in a dream to let him know what was happening to Mary was of Holy Spirit and he had to make the choice of obedience.

--Joseph, by the way, you cannot have sexual relations with Mary until after Jesus is born. Wait a minute! Obedience to God means sacrifice and waiting on God’s timing.

--Mary asks the question; how can this happen? Maybe you are asking the same question in your life as you believe for a miracle from God. The answer is still the same.

Luke 1:34-37 (NLT2) ³⁴ Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
³⁵  The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
³⁶  What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month.
³⁷  For nothing is impossible with God.” 

--I keep telling you how important it is to be baptized in Holy Spirit power and I believe Mary’s experience is such an example of what happens to us when we are.

--The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 

--When Holy Spirit comes upon you the miracle will happen and what comes out of your life will be Jesus. Why? For nothing is impossible with God!

--We welcome Christmas because it teaches us beautiful obedience and submission to God.

Luke 1:38 (NLT2) ³⁸ Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

2. Welcoming Christmas Teaches Us Worship and Giving.

Matthew 2:1-3 & 9-11 (NLT2)
¹  Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,
²  “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
³  King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.
⁹  After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.
¹⁰  When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!
¹¹  They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

--The wise men came for the purpose of worshiping Jesus. Christmas should teach us about worshiping Jesus with all of our hearts.

--The shepherds in the fields, Anna and Simeon in the temple waiting on the Messiah, and the wise men teach us that as we look forward to Christmas or just come to church, we should worship.

Revelation 4:11 (NKJV) ¹¹ "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."

--Christmas has become all about parties (eating), programs, musicals, practices, presents, trees, lights, decorations, and gatherings at home and at church. That’s ok.

--Our main purpose should be to worship Jesus with all of our hearts, our souls, and our minds. Christmas should be welcomed as an opportunity to worship and to give.

Matthew 2:11 (NKJV) ¹¹ And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

--We welcome Christmas as a time to open our treasures and present to Jesus and His House the resources He has blessed us with.

--I believe it is good to bless family and friends at Christmas and it is a beautiful expression of love to each other. But don’t forget Jesus.

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV) ¹⁹ "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
²⁰  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
²¹  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.