INTRODUCTION
A. SERIES: Preparing for Christmas 2007
1. Part 1: The Truth About Traditions
A Reminder not to allow our Customs and Traditions to Cover up the Real Celebration!
2. Today: Preparing the Heart
B. What do you do to prepare for Christmas?
Deb loves to decorate at Christmas. The first thing, in getting ready for the tree, is a real cleaning. Everything has to be cleaned to get ready for the tree.
Then the house/room is re-arranged. You have to make room for the tree, decorations, and gifts.
And What decoration!. The fireplace becomes arranged with decorations and greenery. The tablecloth on the dining room table is changed and now is no longer a table. Finally, the tree goes up, all of the lights and ornaments!
The PREPARATION is COMPLETE! The shopping begins making multiple trips to various stores and shopping centers. I admit that I can’t stand to shop with Deb, but I love to watch her wrap and put all of the gifts under the tree. She’s like a child!
THEN THE DAY OF ANTICIPATION – THE CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION!
C. How Is Your House
Does it sound like your house? It may be a little different here or there but the process is the same!
Today, I want us to draw from that process and think about the steps necessary to have a SPIRITUAL CELEBRATION!
WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS for a SPIRITUAL CELEBRATION?
Debbie and her Steps of Preparing for Christmas is our illustration!
1. The Cleaning
2. The Rearranging
3. The Decorating
4. The Celebration
So today, let’s truly prepare for Christmas.
I. THE CLEANING
To get ready for that special TREE, it begins with a real cleaning getting everything ready for the decorations. Likewise in order to have a real Spiritual Celebration, there must be A SPIRITUAL CLEANSING!
KEY VERSE FROM SERMON ON THE MOUNT!
READ MATTHEW 5:8
Two KEY Words:
1. “Blessed” means “HAPPY” - “Happy” are the pure in heart…
2. “Pure” means “to be cleansed” – It has the thought of being “spiritually cleansed” and is a process that continues!
The “Pure in heart” are the “happy in heart” and the promise is that they shall SEE GOD!
A. EASIER SAID THAN DONE!
I don’t know about you but there are a lot of days when my heart seems more polluted than pure.
1. I still get angry when things don’t go the way I expect them to go.
2. I get frustrated when I try my best at something and still get second best results.
3. I still lose my temper over stupid and insignificant problems that don’t matter.
I mean there are days that I don’t feel “pure”.
B. THINK ABOUT YOUR LIFE!
Maybe none of this applies to you. Maybe you aren’t like me and you have your life completely together. Maybe you have no problem with this “pure in heart” issue.
But for those of you like me and still struggle with being pure in heart, I have a question?
…HOW CAN WE BECOME PURE IN HEART THIS CHRISTMAS?
- Have you heard the expression: “I have GOOD NEWS and BAD NEWS”?
- The BAD NEWS is that there is NOTHING you can do to make your heart pure.
- The GOOD NEWS is that GOD CAN.
C. DAVID had the same problem.
1. Days that his heart was pure and clean and happy and blessed.
2. Days that he was in torment, confusion, loneliness and anything but pure.
(it’s easy to see this in his writing especially in Psalms)
DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT HE DID? He asked God for A CLEANSING!
Ps. 51:10 he asked God for this exact thing – He wanted a “Spiritual Cleansing”: “Create in me a pure heart and renew in me a steadfast spirit within me”.
WE CAN REQUEST A SPIRITUAL CLEANSING!
(READ THE NIV 1ST – THEN THE NLT)
Hebrews 10:22 (NLT)
22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
II. THE REARRANGING
Not only is there a serious cleaning at our house but also a rearranging. Sometimes, to find real happiness, we need to REARRANGE THE HEART!
READ MATTHEW 6:33
Just as Debbie rearranges the house for Christmas, sometimes our schedules, our priorities, and our focus need to be rearranged to give God the Room to Work.
1. The LAODICEAN CHURCH
READ REVELATION 3:20
This verse was written to the Church from Laodicea. It was a town that was built on wealth – very rich in material possessions. Jesus warned them because of the CHOICE OF PRIORITIES.
READ REVELATION 3:15-16
2. Do you need a REARRANGING OF YOUR PRIORITIES?
a. He’s ALWAYS THERE. He can’t get enough of you! He wants to bless you!
b. Are YOU LISTENING? We can’t HEAR him if we are NOT LISTENING for Him.
c. Is the DOOR OPEN? Here is the HONEST question: Do your REALLY want Jesus to have control of your life? HONESTLY?
God’s desire is that our relationship with Him becomes more mature and complete. He wants to “come in and dine with him and he with me” – He wants to be your best friend but He needs room to work! So what rearranging of the heart needs to take place this Christmas?
III. THE DECORATING
After the cleansing comes the rearranging of the furniture. Now the transformation begins – the decorating of the house!
(start at verse 25)
READ EZEKIEL 36:(25)26
God decorates our heart by gutting the old and creating something new. But when he decorates a heart, he must have complete control over the whole life. Far too often, we only give God partial control and we only allow Him to make the changes that we approve of. But He wants to take your life and make it more beautiful. He wants to add value.
But again, we must desire this and give Him the room to work.
Again, let’s go back to the EXAMPLE OF DAVID.
Notice the conditions for happiness described in these three verses! Notice how David discovers that real happiness is not about possessions and wealth! REAL life – PURE HAPPINESS IS A LIFE CENTERED AROUND GOD!
READ PSALMS 1:1-3
Simply put, HAPPINESS is the one who understands that the more we seek God and His Righteousness, the more we FIND GOD. He wants to REDECORATE
He wants to change our desires
He wants to change our thoughts – motives – beliefs – judgments
He wants to teach us how to look at others through His Eyes of Love & Compassion
BUT - WE MUST GIVE HIM PERMISSION (and the right surroundings) to begin His work. He wants to mold us & shape us to be the masterpiece He created us to be.
He wants to decorate your heart this Christmas!
IV. THE CELEBRATION
Finally, the moment of anticipation – It’s Christmas. The Cleaning is done; The Rearranging – All the Decorations are up! And if your house is like mine, on that special CHRISTMAS MORNING you better look out.
Fun excitement, trash everywhere, - but oh what a load of fun and excitement! Such JOY and EXCITEMENT – SHARING – GIVING – RECEIVING! It’s like a little bit of heaven here on earth!
ACTUALLY, I BELIEVE THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT JESUS HAD IN MIND! Joy, fun, excitement, giving, receiving – LIFE TO THE FULLEST!
Last night as I was putting the final touches on this sermon, I began to reminisce about my life as a Christian. For SO LONG I looked at “salvation” as the only reason for Accepting Christ. You have heard it haven’t you? Come to Jesus – Accept Christ as your Savior – so you can “ESCAPE THE PITS OF HELL”!
It WAS YEARS before I realized that escaping hell was just a fringe benefit of a life with Christ!
BUT WHAT ABOUT OUR “HEAVEN HERE ON EARTH”:
READ JOHN 15 – NOTICE THE PROCESS!
1. VS. 5 – The relationship – The Spiritual Cleaning
2. VS. 7-8 – The new Surroundings - Decorating
3. VS. 9 – The Rearranging
4. VS. 10-11 – The Celebration
It’s like the Exchange of Gifts on Christmas Morning – There is some Giving and some Receiving – The Process of Christianity as God intended through Christ!
There is a lot of fun in both.
- Someone reaches under the tree and brings out that package and gives it to you.
- You begin to open it and finally, as you peel back the paper you get so excited because of the expression of love that someone has shown to you.
- But then, you have the same excitement in reaching under the tree and giving that gift to someone you love
- You watch them open the gift you have given to them.
- They slowly open the package and (to see the excitement they get) when they see what you’ve given to them
- IT’S PRICELESS
The Giving and the Receiving – BUT THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT – The process of LOVE AS GOD INTENDED BECAUSE OF JESUS!
John 15:12 (NIV)
12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
CONCLUSION
Are you ready?
