Christmas Eve – 2017

Subject – The Light of the Gospel

by Rick Welborne

Luke 2:25 32 (NKJV) 

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 

26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 

27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 

28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 

29 "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; 

30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation 

31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 

32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel." 

John 1:6 9 (NKJV) 

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 

7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 

9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 

–Today, I want to tell you about some characteristics of light. Most of these you will agree are just common sense. My hope is you will leave with a better understanding of the Light in scripture. Jesus

1. Light reveals what was hidden in the dark. 

--The carpet and furniture our houses look really good until you open the blinds and let the sun shine in.  The light will show the spots in the carpet and it will show the dust and flaws in the furniture and will, in general, show us where we need to clean.

John 3:19-21 (NLT) 

19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 

20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 

21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” 

John 12:44-46 (NIV)
⁴⁴  Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.
⁴⁵  When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me.
⁴⁶  I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

2. Light is also used as a standard of measure.

 --Light travels at 186,000 miles per second. A light year is the distance light travels in a year. It is used on sci-fi movies but also used in astronomy to measure the immense distance of the universe. 

--From what I understand light is a very accurate unit of measure. 

1 John 1:7 (NLT) 

7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 

--Our standard of measure is how much we are living in the Light – Jesus Christ! He was born in that manger so we would not live our lives in darkness anymore! How do we measure up?

3. Light can show you the way. 

--We would have never found our way in the dark had it not been for that ever so small light. When people are lost, they look for a light and start walking toward it. 

--Amazing, in the midst of all that darkness that one lamp in the window of God’s love led the way. Immanuel - - God with us. Our light (Jesus) does the same for us today. Jesus said, 

John 8:12 (NKJV)
¹²  Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." 

John 14:6 (NKJV)

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

4. Light is to be shared...No one should be in darkness!

Matthew 5:14 16 (NKJV) 

14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 

15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 

Luke 1:67&79 (NKJV)
⁶⁷  Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:
⁷⁹  To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace." 

Luke 2:8-9 &17 (NKJV)
⁸  Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
⁹  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
¹⁷  Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 

Luke 2:25&32 (NKJV)
²⁵  And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
³²  A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel." 

--Jesus is the Light of the world. (This will be an illustration).

--We, like the shepherds are to let our lights shine.

--We do not hide our Light but we let Him shine.

--We are to shine that Light to bring revelation to the Gentiles…to us!

--Acts 1:8 says we are to be filled with Holy Spirit and go to Jerusalem…Fruitland Park!

--Let our light shine in Judea…the Villages and surrounding areas.

--Let our light shine in Samaria…Wildwood, Tavares, Eustis.

--Let our lights shine to the uttermost parts of the world…missions.

Christmas 2017 - What to Give Jesus for Christmas

Subject: Give Jesus TIME

by Rick Welborne

Matthew 2:1-12 (NKJV)
¹  Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
²  saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
³  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
⁴  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
⁵  So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
⁶  'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.' "
⁷  Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.
⁸  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."
⁹  When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.
¹⁰  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
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.
¹²  Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. 

--What if someone would give you $10,080 dollars each week of your life. It would be up to you how you spent your money. You decided.

What if you had to spend that money every week and what you didn’t spend would be lost. We all have 10,080 minutes.  What we don’t use we lose!  We all have the same.

1. We need to give Jesus the gift of Time. The Clock

--Time to pray.  We may not all have the same amount of money but same time to pray…pray without ceasing.

--Time to be benevolent.  Go out of your way to bless someone else. Random acts of kindness!

--Time to be thankful and remember His gift.   Don’t rush this time…Time to worship. Time to understand God’s plan for us!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-12 (NKJV)
¹  To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
²  A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
³  A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up;
⁴  A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
⁵  A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
⁶  A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
⁷  A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
⁸  A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.
⁹  What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?
¹⁰  I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.
¹¹  He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
¹²  I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, 

How many of you are glad Jesus took time to love us?

John 3:16 (NKJV)

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

--I can’t come to church because I am so busy and stressed out...Maybe you are stressed out and too busy because you are not giving God time…time to heal you and time to fill you!

2. We need to give Jesus the gift of Intimacy. The Heart

--Intimacy pertains to knowing the inmost character of a person…knowing them intimately. 

Philippians 3:8-11 (NIV)
⁸  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
⁹  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
¹⁰  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
¹¹  and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

--Intimacy comes by careful investigation and study - must be a priority in your life. Must make time!

--Intimacy can only be developed through spending time with God in prayer. Talking and listening.

John 10:14-15 (NIV)
¹⁴  "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--
¹⁵  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep.

--Intimacy is being transparent with God and seeing how transparent God is. He knows anyway…be honest!

--Intimacy is giving your heart to Jesus and trusting Him with it. He heals hearts…does not break them!

--Intimacy…some have broken it down like this…Into…me…see. Letting Jesus and Holy Spirit see inside you!

Eph. 3:1421 (NKJV)

14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height

19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.    

3. We need to give Jesus the gift of Meditation.   Your Mind.

--Continued thought and deep reflection on the Lord and His goodness. Always have Him on your mind and in your heart.

--Meditation on Him and His Word will be a guardian and a gift. King David saw it protecting him.

Psalm 119:1-12 (NKJV)
¹  Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the LORD!
²  Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!
³  They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways.
⁴  You have commanded us To keep Your precepts diligently.
⁵  Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes!
⁶  Then I would not be ashamed, When I look into all Your commandments.
⁷  I will praise You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments.
⁸  I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly!
⁹  How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
¹⁰  With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
¹¹  Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!
¹²  Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes! 

--Knowing that our minds and hearts are on Him - great gift to Him and a great blessing for us.

Psalms 19:14 (NKJV)

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.  

Psalms 63:1-8 (NKJV)

1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.

3 Because Your loving kindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.

4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.

7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.

Psalms 64:1 (NKJV)

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

  

4. We need to give Jesus the gift of Evangelism.  He wants the world.

--Evangelism - a zealous effort to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Mark 16:15-20 (NKJV)
¹⁵  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
¹⁶  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
¹⁷  And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
¹⁸  they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
¹⁹  So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
²⁰  And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. 

--Jesus last Words were to be filled with His Spirit & then go and preach. Go evangelize!

Acts 1:811 (NKJV)

8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,

11 who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."    

--If we don’t have time for intimacy with Jesus, if we don’t meditate on Him, there is a good possibility we will not make time for evangelism.

Luke 19:10 (NKJV)

10 "for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

--Our gift to Him should be to give Him What He was seeking, the lost!

Luke 15:1-7 (NIV)
¹  Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him.
²  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
³  Then Jesus told them this parable:
⁴  "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
⁵  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders
⁶  and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'
⁷  I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. 

Christmas – 2017 – Fasting and Praying

Subject: The Connecting of Christmas with Fasting and Prayer

by Rick Welborne 

Luke 2:36 40 (NIV) 

36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 

37 and then was a widow until she was eighty four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 

38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. 

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 

40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. 

–As I prayed and sought the Lord about what to share...I was very aware that it is Christmas time but I was also keenly aware that we will be challenging you to fast with us Jan.1. 21 days.

–I like to hear from God before I just start putting something together...I felt that God wanted me to tie Christmas and fasting together but I was at a loss of how to do that again. Tried for years.

–So I prayed and waited...I feel at the beginning of 2018…if we can give our first fruits to the Lord…the first of our prayer, the first of our time, the first of our passion, the first of all we are and hope to be. Blessings!

–I felt that He spoke to me and said...fasting and prayer is the push on the door that will swing open the door (actually the double doors) that we are praying for. The dreams we are believing God for! New Campus!

–Also I felt He spoke to me and said that our previous fasting, prayers, and persevering have accumulated before Him and He was about to reveal His great love and presence to us…About to reveal Himself!

–Ok, Pastor Rick, what does all this have to do with Anna and her declaration about Jesus and fasting and prayer!

Luke 2:37-38 (NIV) 

37 and then was a widow until she was eighty four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 

38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. 

–In these two verses I see three things that will help us to get ready for Jesus (the double doors for us) to come to us and we will see what Anna did as she waited…as we wait, as we fast and pray, as we worship!

1. To be ready for Jesus to come Anna had a dedication to God’s House...She never left the temple. 

Luke 2:36 40 (NIV) 

37…She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 

A. Church was not optional for her but she had a passion for God’s house.

Psalms 69:9 (NLT)    

9 Passion for your house has consumed me… 

B. Let me encourage you in this coming new year to make God and His House a dedicated and faithful priority.

C. Anna was expecting the Messiah to be revealed and she knew the temple would be the greatest place for having an encounter with Him. The same for us!

D. I am calling for a solemn assembly during our week of prayer...Make it a major priority for you to be here...we all say we want Him to come...let us come seeking and with great expectation!

Hebrews 10:23-25 (NKJV)
²³  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
²⁴  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
²⁵  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

E. With everything being shaken that can be shaken...get to God’s house...His refuge for us! What could be more important than spending time with God?

F. If you are going thru a tough time, if you have a prodigal, if you need a break through...get to church and remember Simeon and Anna had an encounter with Christ at the temple.

2. To be ready for Jesus to come Anna made a choice to worship God night and day. 

Luke 2:36 40 (NIV) 

37…She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 

A. Just an observation: those who make the choice to worship God night and day, thru the bad and good, thru blessed times and rough times...those individuals have peace with God and experience Him more often!

B. It just stands to reason that if we have a love for God and His House and we worship Him continuously that everything will be alright! Let me remind us!

Psalms 34:1, 17-19 (NKJV) 

1 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. 

18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. 

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all. 

C. Don’t miss it...Anna saw Jesus because she was a worshiper. Who wants to come to Life Church and cast your eyes on the King of kings and the Lord of Lords!

D. Anna cried out and the Lord heard her…she saw the deliverance that she had prayed for all those years. She prayed for Messiah to come!

Luke 4:17-19 (NKJV)
¹⁷  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
¹⁸  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
¹⁹  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." 

E. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart…those who approach Him in prayer and worship with a humble attitude.

F. If you have many afflictions…many physical, spiritual, emotional, financial needs come and worship Him…He is ready and willing to proclaim liberty and recovery of sight to the blind…healing.

3. To be ready for Jesus to come Anna spent time in God’s house, she worshiped, and she fasted and prayed.

Luke 2:36 40 (NIV) 

37…She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 

A. Your pastor and church leadership are admonishing you to join with us in fasting and praying beginning January 1. Could it be that 2018 will be your year! Our year!

2 Chronicles 20:1-4 &12 (NKJV)
¹  It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.
²  Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, "A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar" (which is En Gedi).
³  And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
⁴  So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
¹²  O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." 

B. We are asking you to do a true biblical fast...fast food...you can fast TV, FB, watching sports, watching the news, or other stuff but fast food in some way. Crucify your flesh!

C. We know some of you have to be careful and some of you may have to check with your doctors but all of us can fast something for 21 days. You can do a Daniel fast…fruits and vegetables. 

D. A lot of us will be ok because we have stored up like a bear going into hibernation. 

E. We are asking for 100% participation...we are asking for you to especially join with us starting Monday January 1 for the 21 days of fasting and January 8 for our Annual week of Prayer.

F. We are asking everyone who can to come out every night that week and join us in seeking after God for a sovereign move of His Spirit! For dreams to become reality!

G. We believe that as we are unified in this fasting and praying that God will reveal Jesus to us in a greater way. Isn’t that the purpose…Jesus to be revealed!

H. Notice how the mission of Messiah (Jesus) coming and biblical fasting are so intertwined: 

Luke 4:17-19 (NKJV)
¹⁷  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
¹⁸  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
¹⁹  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." 

Isaiah 58:5-14 (NIV)
⁵  Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?
⁶  "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
⁷  Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
⁸  Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
⁹  Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
¹⁰  and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
¹¹  The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
¹²  Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
¹³  "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
¹⁴  then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken. 

--Everything we have covered in this message is here:

Be faithful to God’s house, to worship Him with all of our hearts, to pray and to fast…verses 8-14.

I. Those who fast with sincerity before God will have their light (witness) break forth, their healing coming quickly, prayers answered, guidance given, needs met, rebuild the broken, raise up the true foundation…Jesus!

J. You will repair broken walls, restore chaos in neighborhoods, you will find your joy in the Lord! Who would not want all God is offering thru our sincere fasting and prayer?