For Powerpoint, send a blank e-mail christmassermon@aweber.com
HOW TO KEEP CHRISTMAS FROM BECOMING A MESS
Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
With all of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, I thought it would be good to take a moment to help us focus on ways to keep Christ in Christmas.
Today, I am going to be presenting 4 main points under the topic of "How To Keep Christmas From Becoming A Mess". These steps will help you keep your sanity and focus during what can be the most stressful time of the year.
Of course, as a man speaking to you today, I recognize one very important thing about Christmas, and who much of the stress really falls on, and the following little story brings it out in a great way:
ILLUSTRATION: A DIFFERENT VIEW
It was just a few days before Christmas. Two men who were next-door neighbors decided to go sailing while their wives went Christmas shopping. While the men were out in their sailboat, a storm arose. The sea became very angry and the men had great difficulty keeping the boat under control. As they maneuvered their way toward land, they hit a sandbar and the boat grounded. Both men jumped overboard and began to push and shove with all their strength, trying to get the boat into deeper water. With his feet almost knee-deep in mud, and the waves bouncing him against the side of the boat, and his hair blowing wildly in the wind, one of the men said with a knowing grin, “It sure beats Christmas shopping, doesn’t it?”
The very first thing I think it is important for us to do today is:
I. REMEMBER THE REASON
One of the very first questions that come out of the mouths of our children is “why”?
Questions of “why do I have to share” to “why do I have to eat my vegetables”, to “why is the grass green”, and “why do I have to say I’m sorry”, and the list could go on and on of so many questions that begin with that simple three letter word of “why” –
We are born with the desire to know the reason behind what we are doing, and celebrating Christmas ought to be no different for us.
It’s interesting to see and hear some of the reasons people offer when they tell others “what Christmas is all about” –
Some of their explanations are good, but hardly the primary reason:
1. It’s a time when family gets together to share good times and memories
2. It’s a time when we take the time to let each other know just how much we love them.
3. It’s a time when we share good food and fun, and count our blessings.
4. It’s a time when we are able to get a few days off from work for some well-deserved R&R.
The list could go on and on, but it doesn’t take long before you realize that certain people just don’t get it.
That is my first sub-point today of the main reason being to celebrate:
A. The Birth of Christ
Debates exist about the purpose of the Christmas tree, the actual date of the birth of Christ, and more, however, this is not about all the practices of Christmas, but is more about the CHRIST of Christmas, and the wonderful fact that we get a day, and as a matter of fact, about a whole month where the attention of the world focuses on the birth of the Christ child.
Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ. It is to celebrate the birth of the most profound life that has ever been born in this world. Jesus Christ was conceived and born like no other child ever had been before, and since... the Virgin Birth. Matthew 1:23 - "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."
For those who don’t believe in the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, probably just "left the building" so to speak. However, for those who realize there is a God bigger and greater than we are, who created the world and all that is within it, also know that if God can do all of that, then surely He can do the impossible. If God can’t do the impossible, then is he really God? I submit to you that He is and that Christmas is about the celebration of the great miracle of the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ.
A few years ago, a statement came out saying that “Jesus Is The Reason For The Season”, and while it may seem somewhat trite or simple, and possibly even overused, I think it is a great statement to share with others as you go about your daily life.
Another thing we need to look at under the point of Remember the Reason is to remember:
B. The Example Of The Father
Why all the focus on the giving of gifts at Christmas? Well, I will be the first one to say that things have gotten a bit out of hand for sure!
However, the main thing to remember on this topic is that the example of the Father is giving!
John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The greatest gift to mankind came from the greatest Giver. The Heavenly Father showed us what it meant to be extremely generous by sending His Son into a world that for the most part rejected Him then, and continues to reject Him now.
I would say the opposite of being generous is being stingy – The Heavenly Father could hardly be accused of being stingy when He gave His only Son to this world.
ILLUSTRATION: CHEAP GIVING
The world’s stingiest man went Christmas shopping, but everything he saw was too expensive except a $50 vase that was on sale for $2 because the handle had been broken off. He bought it and had the salesman ship it by mail so that his friend would think he had paid $50 for it and that it had been broken in shipment. A week after Christmas he received a thank you note from his friend. “Thank you for the lovely vase,” his letter said. “It was so nice of you to wrap each piece separately.”
The Bible tells us Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
I see here that the Love of God wasn’t just for those who would one day return the favor, but He chose to reach down into a lost world with His love even while we were yet sinners.
We may not be able to “give” money or gifts to all the people around us, but there is one thing we can give, and that is the love of the Father. He has given it to us so liberally and freely, and in turn we can share it with others who come across our path.
Again, things have gotten a bit out of hand in our society today to put it lightly, but we can hardly argue with the wonderful focus on giving. I want to challenge us though to not only “give” to those we love, and love us back, but also to the stranger who just needs to know God loves him or her.
Let’s not be “stingy” with God’s love!
That brings me to my next point, and that is:
II. RESPOND TO OPPORTUNITIES
As we really remember the reason for the Season, we will also be more open and receptive to the various opportunities that are presented to us from time to time.
While there are those who are very timid to take advantage of opportunities, there are also those who are a bit over-zealous like the following 2 ladies:
Making the Most of Every Opportunity – Teri Leinbaugh writes…
My mother and I arise early on Saturday mornings to catch all the garage sales. One typical Saturday we spotted a garage sale that seemed to be just opening for business.
We quickly walked into the man’s garage and began looking over his wares. After a few minutes and several stern looks from the solemn-faced garage owner, he asked if there was anything he could do for us.
“This is a garage sale, isn’t it?” my mother asked timidly.
The gentleman chuckled, somewhat relieved. “No,” he said. “I was just cleaning out my garage. But if there’s something you want, let me know.” We did—and now he’s five dollars richer.
For those of us who are a bit less “opportunistic” so to speak, we must take the time to respond to the opportunity:
A. To Witness
What a great time of the year to tell someone about Christ! The opportunities are endless!
As you are standing in the long lines, it’s a great time, especially upon hearing the sighs of the people in front of you and back of you just wondering how they’re going to make it through another Christmas season.
They might even ask something like, “why do we do this to ourselves?” - At that point, it’s a great opportunity to continue the conversation, and let them at least know what the Christ of Christmas means to you.
The other day, I was in a store (not shopping), and decided I was going to grab a bite to eat while I was there. As I was going into the restaurant inside the store, there was a moment where a lady was coming with a shopping cart, but going into the restaurant too, and as she stopped to let me go through, I knew she was giving up her place in line. As I walked into the line, she came in behind me, and I thought well, I’m going to give up my spot to her even though I am absolutely starving to death. I let her go by, then after she got done refusing, she finally stepped forward, then said these words: “I was just at a funeral today, and they shared how there are only 2 places in eternity, Heaven or Hell” – Wow, I wasn’t sure how she got that out of the recent moments, but I realized this was a lady who was serious about her faith, and I told her that I fully agreed, and as a Pastor preach the same. She asked if I was a John 3:3 believer (Ye must be born again), and I assured her that I was.
Come to find out, she attends a strong bible-believing church in the area, and was just taking an opportunity to tell someone about the Gospel. Way to go!
Like you, I have to chuckle a bit as I drive by homes and businesses that have absolutely no time for Christ in their lives during the year are lit up with lights beyond imagination.
I believe it’s important that when you "light up", that you are already "lit up"!
Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
The one thing that happens though when we respond to opportunities is that we take time out of our busy schedule to respond to the need at hand. Who knows, your witness just might be what it takes to see that person spend an eternity in Heaven one day.
Not only should we take the time to respond to the Opportunity to witness, but I believe we will do much better during the Christmas season when we Respond to the Opportunity:
B. To Worship
Right from the very first night of the birth of Christ, there has been a drawing to Him to Worship.
When the Angels appeared in the sky to announce the Savior’s birth, they couldn’t help but take the time to Worship: Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
The Shepherds were working diligently at their life’s vocation as they tended the sheep: Luke 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
The Shepherds were the first of mankind to be Worshipers: Luke 2:15-17 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
[16] So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. [17] When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
Later on, we read about the Wise Men who journeyed from the East to see Jesus, and as they came they brought gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.
The Magi gave these expensive gifts because they were worthy presents for a future king. Bible students have seen in the gifts symbols of Christ’s identity and what he would accomplish. Gold was a gift for a king; incense, a gift for deity; myrrh, a spice for a person who was going to die. These gifts may have provided the financial resources for the trip to Egypt and back.
2:11 The Magi brought gifts and worshiped Jesus for who he was. This is the essence of true worship—honoring Christ for who he is and being willing to give him what is valuable to you. Worship God because he is the perfect, just, and almighty Creator of the universe, worthy of the best you have to give.
In these 2 acts of Worship, we see both the humble (the lowly shepherds), and the mighty, (the rich and influential), yet both segments of society took the time to Worship Christ, and also at least on the part of the Magi, gave valuable gifts as they Worshipped.
We also see that following the encounter with Christ by the Shepherds that in turn, they were thrilled to be able to tell others about the birth of the Savior.
Luke 2:17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
I believe that to Worship God will always “cost” us something. It may, or it may not be in the area of finances, but it may involve the giving up of time as we just take a few moments to sit at the feet of Jesus and gain a new sense of awe at His holiness and presence. It may be putting down our pride, and lifting up our hands in Worship as the Bible exhorts us to do even in our times of weakness: Hebrews 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
I believe one of the greatest things we can do is set time aside to Worship Christ. Yes, it will require something of us, but the benefit will far exceed any inconvenience we may feel at the present time.
READ STORY OF THE HOMELESS CHURCH FROM EVANGEL
If we are going to keep Christmas from becoming a MESS, then not only should we Remember the Reason, and Respond to Opportunities, but also we should:
III. REJECT THE PRESSURE
The Christmas season also can be a time of tremendous pressure if we are not careful, and it definitely can become a “mess” in more ways than one.
What is one kind of pressure we are talking about?
A. To Compete.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
While this point may seem like a repeat of last week’s message on “No Financial Need Is Too Great”, we must repeatedly remember that life is not about who gets to the finish line with the most toys, adult or child!
It seems like every year there is a new “gotta have” toy for the children. I remember the crazes of the Cabbage Patch Dolls, and the Beanie Babies, and while I haven’t kept up with the latest and greatest, I’m sure there are toys like that this year where every child in America seems to feel like they just “need it”!
The competition starts the day after Thanksgiving with Black Friday as stores begin to have the sales that will help to get them in the black for the year as they advertise that they are going to have 20 of a certain item, and if you don’t get there at 4:00 AM in the morning, your life will not be complete because you will miss out. I’m sorry, but it’s going to take a lot more than what they’re offering to get me out of bed that early in the morning to stand out in the cold to compete with someone else for something. Maybe I’ll do it someday, I don’t know, but for now, they haven’t actually offered to pay me.
You’ve seen the doors open like I have with people rushing in with their elbows jutting out, and the look of panic on their faces thinking that someone else might just get ahead of them!
Well, I made up my mind a number of years ago, that I wasn’t going to worry about keeping up with the Jones’s, because I heard it through the grapevine that for the most part, the Jones’s are broke!
They may look real nice with all of the latest in gadgets and goodies, but like the commercial says, “they’re in debt up to their eyeballs”.
The writer of Hebrews lets us know the importance of keeping our lives free from the love of money, which of course takes in the love of “stuff” – Then, he goes on to remind us that the greatest gift of value that we have is the presence of God in our lives, and that He will never leave us or forsake us.
Not only should we Reject the Pressure to Compete, but also we need to Reject the Pressure:
B. To Control
As you are out and about during the Christmas Season, realize that there are a lot of people out there who simply want to be “in control”, and I believe that if we are going to keep Christmas from becoming a MESS, then we need to back off a bit, and be the witness in our actions God wants us to be.
I don’t know if you notice it, but if there is ever a time of the year that aggressiveness peaks, it is during this time. Traffic is snarled while faces are snarling.
Even in the midst of all the turmoil that we face, we can still have the peace of God that passes all understanding, and maintain our witness to be a servant even in an environment where everyone wants to be the “ruler”.
So, after we Remember the Reason, and Respond to Opportunities, and Reject the Pressure, I believe it is also important to:
IV. REJOICE IN YOUR BLESSINGS
Philip. 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
It seems strange that a man in prison would be telling a church to rejoice. But Paul’s attitude teaches us an important lesson: our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. Paul was full of joy because he knew that no matter what happened to him, Jesus Christ was with him.
Several times in this letter, Paul urged the Philippians to be joyful, probably because they needed to hear this. It’s easy to get discouraged about unpleasant circumstances or to take unimportant events too seriously. If you haven’t been joyful lately, you may not be looking at life from the right perspective.
Someone rightly said that “Your attitude determines your altitude” –
We had a time yesterday at the food ministry where people shared things they were thankful for, and one of the comments shared by one of our workers was, I’m glad to be a victor, and not a victim!
There are a host of things we could put down here as being able to rejoice, especially for our salvation, but another obvious thing we can be thankful and rejoice about is:
A. The Blessing of Family
You may not see eye to eye on everything, but what a blessing it is to have family, and to be with family at this time of year.
ILLUSTRATION: Statistic: Sources of Pleasure
What do people consider the greatest source of pleasure in their lives?
According to a 1989 study conducted for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Corporation, the overwhelming answer is “family,” selected by 63 percent of respondents.
Trailing far behind, receiving only a tenth of that response, were religious involvement (8 percent), work (6 percent), and friends (6 percent). Comments Dr. Lee Salk, clinical professor of psychology at Cornell, who interpreted the data: “Most Americans think of their families as the most important things in their lives.”
—Reported in USA Today, 10/10/89. “To Verify,” Leadership.
Proverbs 23:24 The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him.
Proverbs 31:28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
You might be here today, and not able to rejoice in the family situation due to events that may have happened in the past, yet I believe today we can even take great joy in being a part of the family of God.
I don’t know how people make it this time of year without any connection to either a physical family, but especially the family of God, or the Church!
Look around to those you are sitting by today, and say, “I rejoice in the Lord for you!”
Lastly today, we can also take the time to Rejoice In:
B. The Blessing of Provision
We will never be content or happy until we learn to just relax, and thank God for the blessings of His provision in our lives.
A person who is not grateful for what they have will never truly be grateful for what they may get. It might last for awhile, but we must realize that contentment comes from what we have on the inside, not what we might gain on the outside.
ILLUSTRATION:
Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.
—Benjamin Franklin
Here’s a scripture on being content that perhaps you may have not heard:
Eccles. 4:6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.
Sometimes, we can get just a bit too caught up in the latest and greatest, and getting ahead, and we might just want to step back at times and say “why”?
ILLUSTRATION: The Attorney and the Fisherman
A hard-driving corporate attorney saw a fisherman he knew from church one afternoon, legs dangling off the pier as he helped his two young sons catch crabs. “Why aren’t you out there fishing?” he asked.
“Because I’ve caught enough fish for today.”
“Why don’t you catch more fish than you need?”
“What would I do with them?” asked the fisherman.
“You could earn more money and buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish. Then you could buy a fleet of boats. Soon you’d be rich like me.”
“What would I do then?”
“You could sit down and enjoy life.”
“What do you think I’m doing now?”
—Ray Pritchard, quoted in Men of Integrity, Vol. 3, no. 5.
