What Difference has Jesus made in your Life?
Pastor Glenn Newton, December 11, 2016
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you[c] a sign: The virgin[d] will conceive and give birth to a son, and[e] will call him Immanuel.[f] (Isaiah 7:14)
Luke 2: 8-20
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 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, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
What a great time of the year! This time of the year brings all kinds of thoughts, memories, and also brings our families together to celebrate our Savior, Jesus Christ.
You see, being a Christian makes Christmas different from what it means to those who don’t follow Jesus, the Messiah. Let’s start with our first verse found in Isaiah 7:14…
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you[c] a sign: The virgin[d] will conceive and give birth to a son, and[e] will call him Immanuel.[f] (Isaiah 7:14)
The 1st Fact I want you to hold onto today is… Jesus was the Hope for Israel before He was even born.
God the Father promised his people that a messiah would come and would be their Peace, would provide for them Salvation and Hope for all of Eternity. When they found themselves in captivity, Jesus, the promised Messiah was what they held onto. When they were wandering around in the desert because of their own disbelief, the promised messiah was still their Hope.
When the people of God inherited the land promised them, they still were looking to the future when Jesus would be revealed.
Jesus has always provided Hope and brought about real change in people’s lives. You see when you have someone to live for, you live different.
When you are just living for yourself, your life becomes self-centered, it becomes a lonely, frustrating, empty life, not the kind of life we were created to live. We were Created to Live a life of Worship, and that Worship belongs to only One… Our Lord and King, Jesus.
What Difference Has Jesus Made on our World?
We have BC and AD. Our calendar has been divided based on His life. Don’t let anyone tell you different, that has always been what it stood for, some have come along and tried to erase this fact by rewriting history, but the World has recognized when Jesus entered our World, when He died, and when He Rose from the Dead.
What Difference Has He made?
Watch this video that gives us a visual effect of how Christianity has spread throughout the world and God has been offering His Peace and Hope to all who say Yes.
“The Spread of Christianity” on YouTube.
The Second Fact that I want to share with you is, Simply this… When you move from non-Christian to Christian, your life if Forever Changed.
Romans 12:1-2
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “ 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!”
I’m asking you a simple question this morning, and the answer should be obvious to each of us, What Difference Has Jesus Made in your Life?
One of the reasons I’m asking this question is because of what I see going on in our society, it’s what I see at work, it’s what Nola see’s where she works, it’s what I see when I watch and read different things dealing with Christians and Christianity in America today.
Let me give you an easy example of how a decision should change how you live.
Before Nola and then After Marriage to Nola.
Before Nola, I was searching for Love, I was searching for that Soul Mate. Obviously, when your single, your mindset is trying to find that special someone, and you more than likely you don’t find that special someone on the first date.
So before you find the love of your life, for lack of a better term, your hunting… some misses, some disasters along the way….but you are living your life a certain way, with a specific mindset.
Then it happens. You somehow end up getting a date with the One. You fall in love, you make a decision to stop hunting because you know you have found the right person. You get married, there is a name change, there is a change in how you look at your life, what was a single life has now become living for someone else, a team, a lifelong commitment. My whole way of looking at life changed.
Nola has made a huge difference in my life. But that change is nothing compared to what becoming a Christian and living the Christian life brought about in my life.
You see, accepting Jesus changed everything.
From darkness to Light.
From death to Life.
From selfishness to Others first.
From guilty to Forgiven.
From being bound in addiction to being Free from addiction.
From living in Fear to Living in the Light.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “ 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!”
The Old has gone! Where did it go? It was nailed to the Cross, it died when Jesus died for those sins, for that way of life.
What I want you to know is this, It’s impossible to live like you used to live and still be a Christian, they are two completely different lives, the Christian life is a transformed life, it’s a life that honors your Savior by living obedient to His Word.
The Christian life is not one that looks for excuses to live like the World.
The Christian life, a life that is led by the Spirit of God, is a Life Set Apart for God, we call it Holy Living.
A Holiness Lifestyle doesn’t include indulging in the things that move you away from the life that God has called you too. Holiness is Love for God by the way, not a set of rules. John 14:15 says, “15 “If you love me, keep my commands.”
I believe that the Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus should make a difference in how we live our Lives. I believe that the Spirit Filled Christian will live their lives free from sin, and live it for God’s Glory.
Can people see Jesus living in you? His presence in your life should be shining through.
This past week one of my students was messing around with a pen, he broke the pen then put it in his pants pocket to hide it from me as I walked around the classroom. The presence of the ink spilling out of the pen and into his pocket became very evident for everyone to see, what was on the inside came out for everyone to see. That’s exactly what Jesus will do in us, as we give Him our everything.
Nola and I visited Big Lots this past week, I believe it was the first time I had ever been in the store. We looked around and got a few things, we made our way to the cashier, there was only one line, must be a state law or something.
There was a lady in front of us and then a couple came up behind us. I was wearing my Denver Bronco hoodie, because that’s what I do, I’m a fan. The guy behind me is wearing a Bright Orange Bronco Jersey, so I say, “Nice Jersey”….
And then it was on…. I said that I grew up in Colorado
Then they talked about their family in Colorado and how they are huge Bronco fans…
Then the lady in the front of the line chimes in and says her whole family are Bronco fans…
Then the couple behind us pulls out their phones an starts showing us pictures of their grand daughter who is a Jr. Denver Bronco Cheerleader and went to a camp with the real cheerleaders and they were showing off the pictures that their daughter had sent them on their phone….
They told me all about the game in Denver last year against the NE Patriots that they got to go to, and be apart of that huge crowd, and win…. I thought of you Christian…
I couldn’t hardly keep up…. I couldn’t even share how my man cave is covered in Bronco stuff…. The cashier was trying to figure out what just happened.
I mean this went on for a few minutes…. It was a love fest
It was like an explosion of Bronco mania between four people who had never met before, and who will most likely never meet again, but for those three minutes or so, it was like we had known each other for years and were sharing memories, stories and pictures….. this passion that was on the inside just came spilling out.
Nola and I were walking to our car, and we said….what if Christians were that passionate about Jesus, I wonder what might happen in our town, in our Nation?
Are You Passionate about Jesus? Has he made a difference in your Life?
If not, something is missing and you can make a decision today that will help you make a life change. The Savior, Jesus is with us, He has offered us New Life, we need to take hold of it, and live our life with Passion for Him.
