YOU ARE A GIFT
Sometimes I feel like Charlie Brown - picking the wrong tree. Everyone even Snoopy is laughing. But then Linus tells him what Christmas really means - not trees or presents.
Mark Driscoll: Spanish for "more Jesus."
REBELLION? God planned salvation since the beginning of creation – knowing we would turn away from Him and need to be saved.
There is no doubt we are rebellious – I know many good people, but no one is that good. We all sin.
So, would anyone plan in advance to create something we knew would cause us great pain and suffering?
God did.
Sometimes we get frustrated with people – yet we are as rebellious as anyone else.
The thing I like best about church Christmas programs is how the kids remind me that God loves us even with our rebellions, our flaws, our sin.
No matter what my mom says, I know that I am not really that good – but I cannot imagine what I would be without Jesus in my life.
George O. Wood “Without the light of Christ, we are powerless, panic-stricken, and threatened. Take Christ out of the world and all will be dark.”
PRESENCE: We try really hard to give great presents – just the right thing – truth is we can’t really buy anyone what they really want (they usually buy that themselves). But we keep trying because buying something is easier than giving ourselves.
You are more important than anything you can buy. YOU ARE A GIFT. God Wants you and me with all of our problems, failures, questions, and sin.
God gave Himself. And what God wants more than anything else is us – you, and me. Just like we are, sick, broken, selfish.
He does not want our PRESENTS, He wants our PRESENCE. God wants to be with us. He proved it by “moving into our neighborhood.” (Eugene Peterson)
Mark Driscoll @PastorMark Jesus was born in Bethlehem: Exactly where the Bible said he would be born (Micah 5:2). Why? Because God's Word is TRUE.
THE GOSPEL TRUTH.
• We are all sinners. Nothing we can do is good enough to satisfy a just God.
• God sent his one and only Son (Jesus) to this earth. He came as a little baby
• Jesus lived a perfect life, he took the sin of the whole world upon himself, and his death on a cruel cross satisfied the demands of a just God
• Those who turn from their own way of living and turn to Jesus are born again
• Jesus says that when we believe him, when we trust him to direct our lives, that he gives us the right to be called sons of God; He changes our nature
• Are you willing to give up everything and follow Jesus?
ANSWERS? We find humor in kids answers about Christmas - but as we get older, we start to think we know the answers, and then life takes a really unexpected turn. So we realize we don't have the answers - except Jesus.
ALTER TIME? We call this the ALTAR CALL – but someone changed the spelling to ALTER – as in getting your life altered.
If you would like something to change in your life, come to the ALTAR for ALTERATION
Is Anyone Sick?
If you are sick
If you are sick of this world
If you are sick of this life
If you are sick of sin
If you want to give yourself to God –
YOU ARE A GIFT – God wants you, all of you, right now, exactly the way you are.
