Minister Ministry

CHRISTMAS SERMONS BY REV MIKE JONES

GOD MANIFESTED

            The Apostle John gave four reasons why the Son of God, Jesus Christ, became a man and was manifested in the flesh. This is the reason for the season.
I.          TO REVEAL HOW GOD WOULD LIVE LIFE-  I Jn 1:1-4 that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life;  (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the father, and was manifested unto us;) that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the father, and with his son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 

II.         TO PAY THE DEBT OF SIN- I Jn 3:5  and ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

III.        TO DESTROY THE WORKS OF SATAN- I Jn 3:8  he that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the son of god was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

IV.        TO REVEAL GOD'S LOVE-  I Jn 4:9 in this was manifested the love of god toward us, because that god sent his only begotten son into the world, that we might live through him.

            As the world celebrates the Birth of the Babe of Bethlehem let us not get so wrapped up in the PARTY until we miss the PEACE, the PARDON, and the PERSON of Jesus. Accept God’s Gift and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS.


CHRISTMAS IS THE SAME

Matt 2:1-11

It has been over 2000 years since that first Christmas but Christmas remains the same.

1. Even WISE MEN do not know what to give for Christmas.
Joseph- Give him money (Gold)
Mary- Give her some perfume (frankincense)
Baby Jesus- Bitterness at having to buy a present for someone you do not know or you do not know anything they need- [What gift do you give to God who has everything! The only gift He really wants is your heart] (Myrrh, which represented the death of Christ).

2. The Government is out to erase Christianity from the earth-
Absolute Truth from God is now considered False (Editor who believed a History Channel report more than the Bible)
Angry Blaming of God for anything bad that happens
Amusement about God and His people is considered proper (More and more God is mocked and his people are laughed at).

3) Christmas is a time of travel and economic hardship for families
Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem / Went to enroll for Tax
No job, no room, no doctor, and strangers drop by unexpectedly (Shepherds) to gawk at you and talk about you.

4) It is the Same in its Meaning:
- To show God's Love: (1 John 4:9) In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
- To "Connect" with Humans- He lived as a man suffering hunger, persecution, family problems, etc. so now we have a great high priest praying with us who knows the needs of our heart.
- To pay the debt for sin that you could not pay.


WHAT CHRISTMAS IS REALLY ABOUT

      Luke 2:6-18

      More and more I find myself disliking the Christmas season. The Rush, the Stress, and the poverty from buying all the presents and taking part in all the extra meals and parties all combine together to steal our Joy and burden our life- As I write this my wife has had the entire day at home today for the first day in the past two weeks and her bed time most of this week has been around 2am. Her battery is about to run down and there is still another week of intense Christmas activities stretching out in front of us. How did we let it come to this place? How did Christmas get so far out of control?
      I don't know if I can answer those questions to anyone's satisfaction--nor do I know if I can provide workable answers about how to change these situations. I can, however, tell you about what Christmas is SUPPOSED to be about; and hope that those instructions will help you handle some of the stress of a season out of control.

In today's scripture there are 7 items emphasized that need to be a major part of our life this Christmas:

1) THE SWADDLING CLOTHES (6-7)
      A) Faith of God- God came to earth as a man and put his care in the hands of a man! That took Faith.
      B) Swaddling Clothes are clothes used to wipe the cattle- Representing the fact that as a man in the flesh, all our righteousness is as filthy rags
      C) Laid in a manager because there was no room for him in the inn. Even today man continues to be too busy with his own needs to find room for God in his life.

2) THE SHEPHERDS (8)
      A) Their Job- To watch the Temple Sheep that were to be sacrificed
      B) Their shift- They had the "night watch" which was the least favorite job; yet these are the ones God chose to hear about the birth of Jesus-(1 Cor 1:26‑31)  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: {27} But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; {28} And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: {29} That no flesh should glory in his presence. {30} But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: {31} That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
      C) Their Location- Abiding in the fields away from family and home- just like men who are lost in sin today.

3) THE SINGLE ANGEL (9)
      A) The Angel of the Lord- Probably Michael or Gabriel
      B) The Glory of the Lord- God is light and His glory is to expose Darkness
      C) The Fear of the Shepherds- They were sore afraid- Angelic appearances always brought fear. Even today men fear when God sends someone to expose their sin.

4) THE SERMON (10-12) The ingredients to a good sermon are found here:
      A) Ease the fears of the People
      B) Proclaim the Joy that comes from God
      C) Announce Jesus- Every sermon must major on Christ to be effective
      D) Show people how to find Christ- Look for a sign (Babe in swaddling clothes in a manager). Look to see God at work- Conviction, Circumstances, Concern

5) THE "SINGING" (13-14)
      A) Angels "Said"- The only place I can find that says that Angels sing is in Job 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
     
B) Heavenly Praise- All songs should bring "Glory to God in the Highest"
      C) Earthly Proclamation- On Earth Peace, Good will toward men- More than Health or wealth, men need Peace with God thru the mercy of God.

6) THE SEEING (15-16)A Message from God should bring
      A) A Response- Let us go even now into Bethlehem
      B) An urgency- With haste (The Sheep were "Home Alone")
      C) An Obedience to God- Which the Lord has made known unto us

7) THE SHARING (17-18) When you find Christ it will be Natural to Tell someone (VA Doctor who shared his trip from being an Atheist to being a committed Christian now doing volunteer work)
      A) For the Lost- With the heart man believes unto righteousness and with the Mouth confession is made unto salvation
      B) For the Saved- We want everyone to know the good news- Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere.

      So there you have it. Christmas is all about the announcement of the birth of God's only Son, Jesus Christ. This babe of Bethlehem came that you might have life- (John 3:16)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  Your response today should be to turn from your sinful ways and accept God's Gift of Salvation through Faith in Christ.