Christmas 2022 – 2

Christmas 2022 – 2

Subject - Worshiping the Christ of Christmas

By Rick Welborne

Isaiah 9:6‑7 (NKJV) 

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. 

7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. 

–As we draw close to the time we celebrate the birth of Christ I want to make sure that we are worshiping Him.

It is so easy in a materialistic society to concentrate on the gifts we get or give. 

–Don’t misunderstand me...I think giving is the heart of God and I also think getting together can be a wonderful thing if we do not forget the Christ of Christmas.

–There was a time in my life that Christmas was so dreaded for me...I was lost without hope, bound by all kinds of addictions, in conflict with family...I was so messed up!

–Something happened and I had an encounter with Jesus Christ and I found out His name is called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

–As I attempt to magnify Christ today I want to take these words from Isaiah and share what an incredibly awesome God we serve.  Please celebrate and worship with me.

1. Jesus is to be called Wonderful!

–How many of you with a shout will say that you believe Jesus is wonderful? The main reason I believe that Jesus is wonderful is this:

Psalm 40:1‑5 (NKJV) 

1 I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. 

2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. 

3 He has put a new song in my mouth‑‑ Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD. 

4 Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 

5 Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered. 

–He is wonderful because He listened to my cry. He is wonderful because He brought me out of a horrible pit...shout to Him! But, I am in a horrible place. Cry out to Him and let Him bring you out!

–He is wonderful because He has established my steps and He set me upon a rock! He is wonderful because He has put a new song in my mouth...a song of praise to our God. 

–He is wonderful because He has done wonderful works for us! Count them, Life Church. He is wonderful because of His thoughts (plans) toward or for us! Shout He is Wonderful...He is Wonderful!

2. Jesus is to be called Counselor!

Isaiah 41:27‑28 (NKJV) 

27 The first time I said to Zion, 'Look, there they are!' And I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings. 

28 For I looked, and there was no man; I looked among them, but there was no counselor, Who, when I asked of them, could answer a word. 

Isaiah 41:27 (NLT) 

27 I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look! Help is on the way!’ I will send Jerusalem a messenger with good news. 

–Life Church, help is on the way. Unto us a Child is born...Immanuel...God with us! The Counselor is here! How do we get counsel from this Counselor...From His Word and from talking to Him.

–Jesus is our Counselor because he is the living Word of God. He made it all and in Him is life...why do we run to other sources...He is our source. Listen to the Counselor through His Word!

–The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Jesus Christ and He is our Counselor.

John 15:26 (NIV) 26 "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 

–When you have problems...before you run to everyone else...run to Jesus...run to Holy Spirit...to the Word. 

3. Jesus is to be called Mighty God!

–Unto us a child is born...unto us a Son is born...and the government shall be upon His shoulder. Who else can handle the govt. being on His shoulder other than the mighty God...Jesus Christ!

Jeremiah 32:17‑18 (NKJV) 17 'Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. 

18 You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them‑‑the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts. 

–I am telling you that this Christ child has become our Mighty God! 

Deuteronomy 10:17-18&21 (NKJV)
¹⁷  For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.
¹⁸  He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. 

²¹  He is your praise, and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen.

–He is our Mighty God...shout and give Him praise!

4. Jesus is to be called Everlasting Father!

–Maybe some of you did not have a good example of a father or maybe you did not have a father at all. This God child has been born so that gap in your life can be filled.

–My father was abusive and hateful and my image of a father was not good! This Eternal Father is the great gap filler...He can pick up where man failed.

Psalm 68:3‑6 (NIV) 

3 But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. 

4 Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds‑‑ his name is the LORD‑‑ and rejoice before him. 

5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. 

6 God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun‑scorched land. 

–Maybe before Jesus you did not have a good example but now that you have found the Eternal God he can love you and show you how to love.

–When we had Jeremy I struggled so much against the spirit of my father but one night I fell on my knees before my Eternal Father and cried out to Him and He set me free. The curse was broken:

Galatians 3:13‑14 (NKJV) 

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), 

14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 

What is the blessing of Abraham for us?

Genesis 22:15‑18 (NKJV) 

15 Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 

16 and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son‑‑ 

17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 

18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." 

–I will bless you...I will multiply you...Our kids will possess the gate of their enemies...Nations will be blessed!

He is our Eternal Father...shout to Him!

5. Jesus is to be called Prince of Peace!

–Pastor Rick, I have anything but peace today. I tell you run to the Prince of Peace!

Psalm 29:10‑11 (NKJV) 10 The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood, And the LORD sits as King forever. 

11 The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace. 

–The Lord will bless His people with peace!

Psalm 119:165 (NKJV) 165 Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble. 

–Your peace has been made available at a great price...This God child came to give Himself for us so we can have peace.

Isaiah 53:5‑6 (NKJV) 

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 

Christmas – 2022 - 1

Christmas – 2022 - 1

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 felt that God wanted me to tie Christmas and fasting together but I was at a loss of how to do that again. If we can give our first fruits to the Lord…the first of our prayer, time, passion, the finances.  Blessings!

 

–Fasting and prayer are the push that will swing open the door (actually the double doors) that we are praying for. The dreams we are believing God for! New Campus! La Vida!

–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?

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 as we wait…we fast, we pray, and we worship!

1. To be ready for Jesus to come Anna had a dedication to God’s House. 

Luke 2:37 (NIV) 37…She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 

--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… 

--Let me encourage you in this coming new year to make God and His House a dedicated and faithful priority. Make a decision that nothing will keep you out of God’s house.

--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!

--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.

--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?

--If you are going thru a tough time, if you have a prodigal, if you need a break through...get to church.

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

Luke 2:37 (NIV) 37…She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 

--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 His presence!

--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. 

--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!

--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!

--The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart. If you have physical, spiritual, emotional, financial needs come and worship Him…He is ready and willing to proclaim liberty and recovery for you.

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

Luke 2:37 (NIV) 37…She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 

--Your pastor and church leadership are admonishing you to join with us in fasting and praying beginning January 1. Could it be that 2023 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." 

--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!

--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. 

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

--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.

--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!

--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?

 

--Notice how the mission of Messiah (Jesus) coming and biblical fasting are so intertwined. Listen to what Jesus declared after He had spent time fasting and praying. 

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 58:6-9 (NIV)
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. "

--It is imperative that we are faithful to God’s house, that we worship Him, and that we fast and pray! 

--Those who fast with sincerity will have their light (witness) break forth, their healing coming quickly, prayers answered, guidance given, needs met. 

The Fruit of Holy Spirit – 7

The Fruit of Holy Spirit – 7

Subject: Walking in the Fruit of the Spirit - Faithfulness

By Rick Welborne

Galatians 5:22-26 (NKJV)
²²  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
²⁴  And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
²⁵  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  

²⁶  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

The Fruit of the Spirit – Faithfulness.

Faithfulness - fidelity, allegiance, loyalty. constancy · devotion · trueness · true-heartedness · dedication · commitment · allegiance · dependability · reliability · trustworthiness · steadfastness · closeness · fairness · justness · truthfulness · authenticity · reliability · dependability.

--Wow! What an amazing word and what an amazing fruit of Holy Spirit. All on this list are to be desired but faithfulness is one that is most important to me personally. Think of family and friends. 

--As you read through the list of the Fruit of the Spirit…who do you see? You see Jesus! That is why it is so imperative for us to have this fruit in our lives…so others will see Jesus!

--I think all of us want to be surrounded by people who exhibit all of these qualities (fruit) but please keep this in mind…you must lead with the seed.

--We know the Word of God says we reap what we sow…if you want fruit, start planting the right seed…start giving away what you want to come back to you.

Adam Clarke's Commentary - Faithfulness - here used for fidelity—punctuality in performing promises, conscientious carefulness in preserving what is committed to our trust, in restoring it to its proper owner, in transacting the business confided to us, neither betraying the secret of our friend, nor disappointing the confidence of our employer. 

SpiritHome.com - Faithful - means loyal, full of faith or trust; firmly and resolutely staying with a person, group, cause, belief, or idea, without waver, despite the circumstances. 

--Faithfulness sets us apart from other people. Faithfulness separates: the successful from the failures, the finisher from the quitter, the responsible from the irresponsible, the mature from the immature.

--You have grown up and are living in a society that is unfaithful. It seems that it is just part of the system that our politicians all have shady pasts. Before we get to judgmental, the church has had its share also.

--We can even find the society’s acceptance of unfaithfulness at the card shop. Visit a Hallmark store, "I can’t promise you forever, but I can promise you today." Imagine that on an anniversary card! God’s promise:

Psalm 100:5 (NIV)
⁵  For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

--When it comes to faithfulness…GOD is faithful. God will never turn His back on you; God won’t abandon you. God will never take advantage of you or mistreat you. God will be faithful!

--So what is faithfulness? Let me ask you what does faithfulness mean? What word would you use to describe faithfulness? Authenticity. Truthful. Real. Accurate.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines faithfulness as “adhering firmly and devotedly, as to a person cause or idea.” 

--Faithfulness is the “superglue” of the heart that holds fast and won’t let go. Faithfulness means following through with your commitments regardless of what it costs.

--In this series on the fruit of the Spirit, I have described each as an expression of love. Without love it is impossible for the fruit to develop. The fruit of the Spirit begins and ends with love.

Joy is love rejoicing. Patience is love enduring. Peace is love trusting. Kindness is love serving. Goodness is love extending. Faithfulness is love proving. Gentleness is love touching. Self-control is love restraining.

--Faithfulness is love proving. Faithfulness is love that hangs on to the end; it’s love that won’t quit. 

1. Faithfulness is Jesus. 

--If you want to see faithfulness lived out in the day to day life of someone look at Jesus. If you are going to live a faithful life, then live your life just like Jesus.

Hebrews 2:17-18 (NLT2) ¹⁷  Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.
¹⁸  Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

--Jesus lived His life with unwavering commitment and faithfulness. He didn’t quit or throw in the towel when things got tough; His love for us was steadfast and true.  regardless of the cost—Jesus loved us to death. 

--Not only did Jesus go to the cross to lay down His life for our sins, He was resurrected to life so that we might be able to live with Him. The faithfulness of Jesus continues. He will never be unfaithful to us.

2 Timothy 2:10-13 (NLT2)
¹⁰  So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.
¹¹  This is a trustworthy saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him.
¹²  If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us.
¹³  If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.

--Jesus is faithful and true. Jesus shows us how to live faithfully – to adhere with firm devotion to God and to have an unbreakable commitment for one another.

2. Faithfulness in you and me.

--But what will faithfulness look like in you and me? Above all else be faithful, but what does that mean? 

Four characteristics of faithfulness:

A. The faithful hold onto Truth.

--You need to have an unshakeable tenacity that will not let go of truth. Opinions may change; values may differ, but truth remains the same. 

--Our society wants us to believe truth is relative, that there is no absolute truth. Do you notice the contradiction in such a belief? How can you claim absolutes don’t exist with an absolute statement?

Revelation 2:24-29 (NLT2)
²⁴  “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you
²⁵  except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.
²⁶  To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations.
²⁷  They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.
²⁸  They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!
²⁹  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. 

--Values are relative; values will differ from person to person or culture to culture. Truth is absolute; truth is the same for all of us, so hold on to truth.

--At one time Americans valued the wisdom of older people; we respected those who had gone before us. 

--However today we are more likely to look up to the young. At one time we valued discipline and respect; children were expected to act in a certain way. 

--In many oriental cultures children are still expected to behave in certain ways, and disobedience has definite consequences. Yet for us discipline and respect are no longer held as an important value. 

--Instead of teaching discipline and respect we diagnose children with ADD and medicate them with Ritalin.

Values change, not always for the better. Truth remains the same. 

--What are some basic truths we should all hold onto? Let me quickly share with you five basic truths I will never let go of. These are truths you should take with you throughout your life.

A. The Bible is the authoritative guide for how to live.

B. Jesus Christ is the only hope for salvation.

C. People are more important than things.

D. God owns everything and loans it to us for a short time.

E. What happens in me is more important than what happens to me. Holy Spirit!

B. The faithful persevere through difficulty.

--Essentially you can make four basic responses to difficulty in your life. Only two are the right kind of responses. 

--You can give up and be crushed. You can whine and complain. You can pray victoriously. You can endure and refuse to give up.

Luke 18:1 (NIV)
¹  Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 

C. The faithful keep their commitments. 

Matthew 25:21 (NKJV)
²¹  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'

D. Faithfulness makes a fresh start.

Psalm 51:10-11 (NKJV)
¹⁰  Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹  Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 

Christmas – 2022 - 4

Christmas – 2022 - 4

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. Your 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. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11-12 (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.
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. Your Heart

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

Philippians 3:8-10 (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, 

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

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 it is giving your heart to Jesus and trusting Him. He heals hearts…does not break them! Letting Jesus and Holy Spirit see inside you!

Eph. 3:14‑19 (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.

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

--Continued thought and deep reflection on the Lord…His goodness. Always have Him on your mind. Meditation on Him and His Word will be a guardian and a gift. King David saw it protecting him.

Psalm 119:5-12 (NKJV)
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. Your Witness. 

--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 1:8‑11 (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 – 2022 - Christmas Program

Christmas – 2022 - Christmas Program

Subject – Savior for All

By Rick Welborne

--As I thought about and prayed about the production this year, a word jumped out to me from the title. Savior for All. The word “all” kept being magnified to me.

--Why a “Savior for All?”

Romans 3:22-24 (NCV)
²²  God makes people right with himself through their faith in Jesus Christ. This is true for all who believe in Christ, because all people are the same:
²³  All have sinned and are not good enough for God’s glory,
²⁴  and all need to be made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. They need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ.

1. All are the Same.

Romans 3:22 (NCV)
²²  God makes people right with himself through their faith in Jesus Christ. This is true for all who believe in Christ, because all people are the same:

--It does not matter if you are rich or poor, black, brown, or white. It doesn’t matter if you are American or from any other country. We are all the same.

--You are never entitled to any special privileges because of your nationality or color. When it comes to the Savior, there is no white, black, or brown privilege.

--We are all the same according to God. God makes people right with himself through their faith in Jesus Christ. You get no extra blessings because you think you are all that. You need Jesus.

2. All Have Sinned.

Romans 3:23 (NCV) ²³ All have sinned and are not good enough for God’s glory,

Romans 3:23 (NKJV) ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

--It does not matter if you were raised in church or raised in a home where God was only mentioned in a way of cursing. All of our sin nailed Jesus to the tree.

Isaiah 53:6 (NKJV)
⁶  All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 

--All means all. Many believe sin is only learned. Yes, it can be learned but this may be a shock for some of you.

Psalm 51:5 (NLT2) ⁵ For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. 

--All are the same and all have sinned. 

3. All Need to be Made Right with God by His Grace. 

Romans 3:24 (NCV) ²⁴ and all need to be made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. They need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ.

--All are the same, all have sinned, and all need to be made right with God by His grace. 

--God so loved the world (you and me) that He gave His son for us all to be saved. That’s grace. He is the Savior for All!

Romans 8:32 (NKJV)
³²  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?