INTRO.- ILL.- An ill-prepared college student taking an economics exam just before Christmas vacation wrote on his paper. “Only God knows the answers to these questions. Merry Christmas!”
The professor graded the papers and wrote this note: “God gets 100, you get 0. Happy New Year!”
That college student flunked his test and thought he’d be cute by wishing the professor a Merry Christmas. He flunked and many people flunk when it comes to Christmas. How’s that? They flunk in the eyes of God because they miss the true meaning of Christmas.
ILL.- It’s like the story about Orville and Wilbur Wright who had tried repeatedly to fly their homemade airplane. Finally one December day, off the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, they actually flew!
Excited, they wired their sister Katherine, “We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas.”
Hastily she ran down the street, shoved the telegram—the news scoop of the century—at the city editor of the local paper. He read it carefully and smiled, “Well, well! How nice the boys will be home for Christmas!”
That editor never thought a thing about the Wright brothers actually flying. He completely missed the most important message.
What’s that old saying? We can’t see the forest for the trees. The meaning is this: It’s the idea that we often see details or little things about some situation but miss the big message or the main idea!
I think this is true for many people when it comes to Christmas. All that many people think about is time off from work, shopping and Christmas gifts when the big deal is the fact that God sent His son to be the Savior of the world!
It’s like that saying we’ve all heard: Jesus is the reason for the season! Wow, is He ever!
ILL.- Preacher Chuck Swindoll wrote: The bumper sticker caught my eye. It made me think—even aroused some guilt. I was on the freeway as his car was pulling off. The guy didn’t seem in much of a hurry, which irritated me a bit. I began to study the words in my head. They started making sense: “I BRAKE FOR CHRISTMAS.” Easing up on the accelerator and releasing my frown, I began to think: “Why the hurry? What’s the rush?”
We’re headed toward Christmas. What does this mean to you? We really do need to brake for Christmas, that is, slow down and get the real message and do the real stuff. What should we be thinking and doing, if anything, besides shopping?
PROP.- Let me suggest to you that I think we should be: thinking, taking, and talking. Strange? Let me explain.
I. THINKING ABOUT PEOPLE
ILL.- Thomas Monaghan was the founder, president, and chief executive officer of Domino’s Pizza, Inc. From 1970 to 1985, Domino’s grew from a small debt-ridden chain to the second largest pizza company in America. When asked to account for the phenomenal growth of the company, Monaghan explained, “I programmed everything for growth.” And how did he plan for growth? “Every day we develop people—the key to growth is developing people.”
It wasn’t special cheese, not a tasty crust, not fast delivery schedules, it was people! People are the key to any business that wants to be successful.
ILL.- My older brother, Larry, is the manager of large Price Chopper grocery store in the Lenexa, KS, area. They are open 24/7 and do about $600,000 worth of business each week. What makes it happen? His 160 employees! And, of course, the people who shop in his store!
Since people are so important in business and in everything else, they should also be important to us when it comes to the matter of our faith.
How can we not think of people?
Matthew 9:35-36 “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
When people saw the people, he had compassion. How do you feel when you see the masses of people? Compassion? Indifference? Irritation?
ILL.- A young successful attorney said: “The greatest gift I ever received was a gift I got one Christmas when my dad gave me a small box. Inside was a note saying, ‘Son, this year I will give you 365 hours, an hour every day after dinner. It’s yours. We’ll talk about what you want to talk about, we’ll go where you want to go, play what you want to play. It will be your hour!’
“My dad not only kept his promise,” he said, “but every year he renewed it—and it’s the greatest gift I ever had in my life. I am the result of his time.” Isn’t that wonderful?
All dads and moms need to pay attention to their children and give them time. We get so busy in life that we don’t have time for one another. We always have too much to do, too many places to go, and too many things to get done. And then people are left out of the picture of our lives.
Are you taking time for people? Your family? A neighbor who needs help? An elderly person? A friend?
ILL.- Recently, Elaine had some tests run at the Sutherland Cardiology Clinic in Memphis just off Germantown Road. Elaine’s cousin, Mona Sides-Smith, lives there and offered to help. Mona said, “There is nothing going in my life on that can’t wait in order to be with you.” WASN’T THAT NICE?
But often, we think we can’t disrupt or change our plans to help someone else. However, there are times when we should. And this is one time of the year when we should! We must think more of people since Jesus always took time for people. In fact, the very reason that Jesus left heaven for earth was to seek and to save the lost. He came to save people! He also came not to be served, but to serve, TO SERVE PEOPLE!
If He left the beauty of heaven for sinful earth for our sake, what should we do for others?
II. TAKING FROM PEOPLE
ILL.- A little boy was lost during the Christmas shopping rush. He was standing in an aisle of the busy department store crying, “I want my mommy.” People kept passing by, giving the youngster nickels and dimes.
Finally a floorwalker came over to him and said, “I know where your mommy is, son.” The little boy looked up with his tear drenched eyes and said, “So do I just keep quiet?”
At Christmas, ome people are only interesting in taking from others.
That little boy wasn’t intentionally stealing but he wasn’t going to refuse any coins that people might give him. In fact, most people won’t refuse money that is given to them. BUT ISN’T THERE SOMETHING BETTER THAT WE CAN TAKE FROM PEOPLE?
Most people possess something that we need. What’s that? Some people have something admirable that we need to take from them and add to our own lives!
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
We all need to look to the good in life (truthfulness, purity, righteousness, etc.) and look to that good in others and copy that good. We need to take good or learn good from others!
ILL.- I’m not a big sports fan as far as baseball, basketball and football is concerned. However, I must admit that I am impressed with one baseball player and that’s 29 year old Albert Pujols from the Dominican Republic who plays for the St. Louis Cardinals.
NOW WHAT IS SO OUTSTANDING ABOUT AL PUJOIS? When he’s hot, he’s hot. And when he’s hot, what does he do when he hits a run or a homer or makes a good play? YOU KNOW. He always points upwards as if to give God the credit or the glory.
By the way, Pujols and his wife are active Christians; his foundation’s website states, "In the Pujols family, God is first. Everything else is a distant second."
I LIKE ALL OF THIS ABOUT PUJOLS. I believe that if we are blessed in any form we should be quick to give God the credit, the glory, the honor, the praise. And Al does that. AND I WANT TO COPY THAT IN MY LIFE!
That’s a good thing. That’s a great thing to imitate!
Giving God the glory, the thanks and the praise is something that wee need to do every day. And we all need the imitate any good that we see in others.
ILL.- Otto and Elsie Murphy were members of the Church of Christ in Bayard, IA, where I preached from 1969 to 1974.
They have gone on to be with the Lord but they were the most faithful people in that church! They were committed to Christ and serving Him. They never missed a service, a Bible study, a musical concert, a revival, or a calling night. In fact, they were the only people who showed up whenever we had a calling night.
Brothers and sisters, I want to imitate their faithful commitment to Christ. They lived for Christ. He was their supreme goal in life.
The idea is to glean from people, to learn from people. There are people all around us from whom we can learn many good things, good qualities: grace, politeness, attentiveness, patience, love, generosity, commitment, hard work, service, etc.
There is always someone better than you from whom you can learn. And these people can enhance and improve our lives if we will learn from them.
I Cor. 11:1 “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
Is there someone whose Christ-like example you need to follow?
Thinking of people. Taking from people.
III. TALKING TO PEOPLE
Matthew 28:18-20 “Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
How do we make disciples? Do we actually MAKE believe in Jesus? Not really.
ILL.- I had a preacher for a revival one time in Iowa. We called every day on people we considered to be prospective Christians or possible church members. If someone gave us a name of a friend or neighbor who didn’t go to church we called on them. We went to call on an bachelor farmer one day. My evangelist friend frankly told the man, “Do you realize that if you don’t give your life to Christ when you die you’ll go to hell?”
I was standing there, taken back by what he said, because I didn’t believe and don’t believe that’s the way to get someone to give their life in Christ. In an extreme case it might work but it sure didn’t work with that farmer.
We can’t make people believe in Jesus or be baptized into Him. We can’t coerce people. Jesus never arm-twisted people and nor should we. We must present the gospel but we never try to force people into following Christ.
However, people need to hear the gospel in order to be able to respond to it. To make disciples we must open our mouths and point people to Christ. And sometimes it’s just a simple testimony or a word of encouragement.
“Let me tell you about something that’s made a difference in my life.” Or “Life is tough. Things go wrong in life and there is only one person I know who can make things right.”
Many times it’s just a few simple words pointing to the Lord that can open the door for us to witness even more.
ILL.- I’ve got two nephews who are not right with the Lord. I think they may claim Christ but they don’t practice their faith at all. And they need to surrender Christ, otherwise I fear for them.
What can I do? I have limited contact with them. I can email them with a few words of kindness about their lives and hope it will open the door for more communication.
If you can’t communicate with someone then there’s little you can do to point them to Christ other than pray for them and keep on loving them. And these are very important!
I Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
We always need to be prepared to answer someone if they ask us about our faith. But how many times in life does anyone ask you about your faith? Not many, I think. Consequently, I think we must be prepared to speak when a good opportunity shows itself.
ILL.- I blew this opportunity, but here’s a good example. When my uncle John Shepherd (my dad’s brother) died in 1975 my dad and I were walking outside John’s house in Neosho, MO. Dad said, “Well, it was just John’s time to go.” I had a great opportunity to speak for Christ but I said nothing.
WE MUST NOT SHRINK BACK WHEN DOORS OPEN AND OPPORTUNITIES COME OUR WAY!
ILL.- Elaine is always concerned about her two grandsons in Jonesboro, IL. In fact, she has encouraged them to go to church. Her oldest grandson is Michael whose wife just had a baby about two months ago; Brayden. Elaine has said to Michael over the phone, “Now Michael when you decide to be baptized, you just let me know and I’ll be there.”
That’s pretty straight-forward but at least, he knows his grandma is concerned about him. And this will also work on his mind and hopefully, his spirit. HE WILL REMEMBER WHAT SHE SAID.
Talking to people about Christ is a must. It’s a must if we want to see them saved and go to heaven. AND AFTER ALL, ISN’T THIS THE WILL OF GOD AND THE ULTIMATE WISH WE SHOULD HAVE FOR ALL PEOPLE?
God is not willing that any should perish but all come to repentance...all come to Christ. Amen.
CONCLUSION---------
After Jesus rose from the dead, this incident took place.
"When [the disciples] saw who he was, he disappeared. They said to each other, ’It felt like a fire burning in us when Jesus talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us’" (Luke 24:31-32).
I like what Max Lucado wrote about this incident: Don’t you love that verse? They knew they had been with Jesus because of the fire within them. God reveals his will by setting a torch to your soul. He gave Jeremiah a fire for hard hearts. He gave Nehemiah a fire for a forgotten city. He set Abraham on fire for a land he’d never seen. He set Isaiah on fire with a vision he couldn’t resist. Forty years of fruitless preaching didn’t extinguish the fire of Noah....Mark it down: Jesus comes to set you on fire!
My question is: DO YOU HAVE THAT FIRE WITHIN? Don’t you have burning within you? And if you have that fire of Christ within you it will make a difference in your life. You will be will be more interested in people, in talking to people and in ministering to people. And probably the most important thing is that you will want to talk to people about the reason for the fire within you!
We’re heading toward Christmas and I really hope you can get fired up for Him!
