HEATING UP THE HOLIDAY SEASON
INTRO.- Lights, camera, action. These words could well characterize this time of the year. It’s a time for bright lights, cameras (picture-taking), and action. Lots of action. Lots of coming and going.
What’s your favorite thing to do this time of the year?
DO YOU LIKE TO DECORATE YOUR HOUSE WITH A CHRISTMAS TREE and all kinds of Christmas pretties? Did you like the way I, er uh, I mean, Elaine decorated the parsonage? Some 75 of you came last Sunday and looked around. Thank you for coming. She’s done an excellent job of decorating. Of course, she got helpful hints from Stevie. Not.
DO YOU LIKE TO DECORATE YOUR HOUSE WITH ALL KINDS OF LIGHTS? Come to Tays estates and see how it’s done. Not our house, but Bill and Sherry Lenkner’s on the corner! I did put up more lights than usual this year, however.
DO YOU LIKE TO GO SHOPPING AND GIVE GIFTS? Here are few gifts you might want to consider giving to someone.
ILL.- Some years ago on "Good Morning America," they featured some extraordinary gifts that some might want to give.
One of them was a Jaguar automobile, the Jaguar 220. If you want to order one of these it will require an $80,000 deposit. Then when the automobile is delivered, you are expected to pay the balance of $507,000. The Jaguar 220 is a $587,000 automobile and they only make 250 of them a year.
You might also be interested in a new car wax that promises to give your Jaguar the ultimate shine. It retails for $3,400 for an 8 ounce can. If you can afford a $587,000 automobile, why not spend $3,400 for car wax?
A third item mentioned was a $300,000 gold and silver toilet seat inlaid with precious stones. Of course, there were cheaper gifts for those who have everything: an $18,000 frisbee, a $10,000 yoyo, a $12,000 mousetrap, and even a $27,000 pair of sunglasses.
And for the proud grandparent who is wondering what to buy the new grandbaby, how about a $28,000 pacifier?
I enjoy shopping for those I love, but that’s a little ridiculous, don’t you think? I’ve always heard it said that it’s the thought that counts, not the gift nor the price of the gift.
DO YOU LIKE TO GO TO PARTIES THIS TIME OF THE YEAR? Fine. I hope you do, but remember that Christmas parities and booze do not necessarily go together. This may be for some people, but I don’t think it should be for Christian people.
Prov. 20:1 "Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray them is not wise."
ILL.- I was raised in a home where there was drinking. I always wondered about it, however. I remember my dad bringing home egg nog to drink. It seemed that he always had to put something in that egg nog. I didn’t know for a long time what that "something" was.
It’s a shame that some people can’t seem to "get happy" or be happy without drinking booze. They can’t celebrate any holiday without a drink.
The Christian has something better than booze to make them happy. They have a hope, a future, and a blessed Savior!
ILL.- Two women who were having lunch in an elegant hotel were approached by a mutual friend who asked the occasion for the meal. One lady replied, "We are celebrating the birth of my baby boy." "But where is he?" inquired the friend. "Oh," said the mother, "you didn’t think I’d bring him, did you?"
And this is the way it is for some people at Christmas. They get all excited about the trappings and forget all about the Savior. I believe that the Christmas holiday season should be somewhat different for the Christian.
PROP.- Let me suggest some things that you can do to heat up or perhaps spruce up your Christmas holiday season.
1- Love in spite of faults
2- Give in spite of funds
3- Ask in spite of fears
I. LOVE IN SPITE OF FAULTS
ILL.- A lady said, "We were visiting friends when they received a telephone call from their recently married daughter. After several tense minutes on the phone, the mother told the father to pick up the extension. The newlyweds had experienced their first big fight. In a few moments, the father rejoined us and tersely explained, ‘Said she wanted to come home.’
"’What did you tell her?’ the lady asked.
"’Told her she was home.’"
When a man and a woman get married, they are home. They have made a new home, be it good or bad. Be it perfect or imperfect. In fact, it will be imperfect. I guarantee it.
ILL.- A preacher asked his congregation one Sunday morning, "Does anyone here know of someone who is perfect?" A little man in the back of the church raised his hand. The preacher asked, "Who do you know that is perfect?"
He replied, "My wife’s first husband."
Not true. There is no perfect husband! And there is no perfect wife! But we must learn to get along anyway and as best we can. WE MUST LOVE ONE ANOTHER IN SPITE OF IMPERFECTIONS AND FAULTS.
Col. 3:18-19 "Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them."
Both the husband and the wife are to love one another and be subject to one another in certain ways.
I think that most wives are quicker or better to show their love than their husbands are. This doesn’t always hold true, but in many cases, it is true. And this may be why God gave the "love" command to the husbands. Some husbands are not good at showing love.
Husbands, so you don’t like everything your wife does. You don’t like the way she cleans the house or doesn’t clean it. You don’t like some of the meals she prepares. You don’t like her lack of attention to you. PERHAPS YOU DON’T GIVE HER ANY ATTENTION! Did you ever consider that?
Husbands, love your wives in spite of what you consider to be a fault in her! Do something different for her. Do something special this Christmas. Go out of your way to do things for her. "Show" your love. Demonstrate your love.
ILL.- Elaine and I recently visited with my twin sister in Arlington, TX. Their son Michael, who is 30 years old, still lives with them. He’s been going to college for seven years, recently graduated, and became of doctor of chiropractic medicine.
I mentioned how Elaine makes me vacuum our house and do dishes. I mean, how I try to help her by vacuuming the house and doing the dishes (in the dishwasher, of course!). And I even offer to do my own laundry and iron my clothes, but she won’t let me.
My sister Sharon responded by saying, "WHAT A WONDERFUL BROTHER AND HUSBAND YOU ARE!"
No, she didn’t say that, but she should have. She said, "I wish somebody would do something like that around here." Her house is very clean, very neat, very well-kept. But Sharon does everything for everybody in that house and nobody else does anything!
My brother-in-law is a nice guy. Very intelligent. Very easy to talk to. Very pleasant. Loves my sister, but he does nothing to help at home. And he’s been out of work for some time now. I think he could at least vacuum the house for Sharon, do some laundry, and perhaps cook a meal occasionally, and have it ready when she gets home from work.
Men, husbands, I am saying that we should do a little more to demonstrate our love for our mates even though we might not think they are perfect.
And the same thing applies to wives. I realize that it’s not easy to love some men, some husbands. Some are not very lovable. In fact, some can be a real pain in the neck. But do the best you can anyway. Perhaps God will bless you in your demonstration of love.
We should love one another in spite of faults. And what about children?
ILL.- Some lady said, "These children are nuts today. I have a child who is ten years old. He is going to be eleven. IF I LET HIM!"
Most parents have "wild" child or two. At some age, rank or station in life, they are wild. BUT WE LOVE THEM ANYWAY! Don’t we? We should.
We can’t stop loving our babies, our children just because they don’t do everything right. I’ve never raised a perfect child. Of course, I was never a perfect child. I want to believe that I was, but I don’t think I was.
I used to tease my mom and say, "Mom, I was the best kid you had!" She said, "No, you weren’t!" But mom loved me anyway.
She has loved me through "thick and thin." She has loved me when I was up and when I was down. She has loved me when I have been at my lowest point in life. She has loved me when I have sinned and made a fool of myself.
WE MUST CONTINUE TO SHOW LOVE TO OUR CHILDREN IN SPITE OF THEIR IMPERFECTIONS AND MESSES.
ILL.- One Sunday afternoon as a farmer was getting in his hay crop the preacher stopped by. He asked the farmer why he hadn’t been to church that morning. The farmer replied, "To tell the truth, preacher, I would rather sit on the hay load and think about the church than sit in the church and think about hay."
Brothers and sisters, don’t get any ideas! I don’t encourage what that farmer did. He was wrong for missing the Lord’s Day worship to make hay. He should have been in church, thinking about the Lord and then somehow or other, the Lord would have taken care of his hay.
IT IS ALWAYS RIGHT TO HONOR THE LORD ON THE LORD’S DAY! It is always right to commune with the Lord at His Table on Sunday. The Lord’s Day worship is the right place to be and the right thing to do even if everything isn’t right at work, or at home, or wherever! Or even if there is something else we would really rather do!
It is always right to put the Lord first in life, on Sunday and every day of the week! It pays to put the Lord first in our lives!
Matt. 6:33 "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness..."
Brothers and sisters, I don’t like it when people miss church for play or pleasure, but I love people regardless of their imperfections, their faults, or their sins.
If God can love me even though I have sinned and make mistakes all the time, then I should love others as well. We need to love one another in spite of what we consider to be a fault in their life. Jesus loved the woman caught in adultery.
John 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
We must love one another in spite of faults.
II. GIVE IN SPITE OF FUNDS
ILL.-A mother wanted to teach her little girl a lesson about giving. She gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar for church and said, "Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself."
When they were coming out of church the mother asked her daughter which amount she had given.
"Well," said the little girl, "I was going to give the dollar, but just before the collection the man in the pulpit said that we should all be cheerful givers. I thought I’d be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did."
I Cor. 16:2 "On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income..."
Paul was advising the Christians at Corinth about their giving. Most Christians set aside a sum of money each week to give back to the Lord through their church.
We all should give back to the Lord because He has first given to us. He gives us everything! Every good and perfect gift comes from Him. Our houses, our land, our cars, our food, our jobs! Since God blesses us, we should bless Him with our giving.
Many Christian people believe in giving a tithe or 10% of their income. I encourage that, but I don’t demand that. I can’t demand anything. I can only encourage and motivate.
But giving is a part of the Christian life. What does John 3:16 say? "God so loved the world that He gave..."
And if we love God and people, we can’t help but give. Givers are lovers and lovers are givers. But I realize that sometimes it’s hard to give. Funds are low and bills are high.
ILL.- In 1986, personal debt in the U.S. increased at the rate of $1000 per second and consumer installment debt has mushroomed to a point where it takes approximately $1 out of every $4 that consumers earn after taxes to keep up the payments--not including the home mortgage. There are even more serious consequences of this financial tension created by debt: 56% of all divorces are a result of financial tension in the home.
The sad truth is this: many Americans are not in very good financial shape! We spend most everything we get and then some.
I have discovered what most of you have: if I lived alone, didn’t get married and didn’t have any children I might have some money!
But God didn’t mean for us to be alone. He meant for man and woman to get married and have children. GOD IS A FAMILY MAN. He knew the importance of "people needing people." We need one another. We need family. We need a mate. We need children. They enhance and bless our lives, BUT THEY ALSO COST MONEY!
It’s just a fact that we have to live with. And at the same time God wants us to learn to share with others. With those who have less or need something that we have; meaning the gospel of Christ.
You need to learn to give back to God, to the church, to the needy, to missions even though your funds may be low.
Here is the promise of God.
II Cor. 9:6-8 "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you (able to give to you), so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."
We must give and share in spite of our funds. Low funds or so, so funds.
III. ASK IN SPITE OF FEARS
ILL.- After Dwight L. Moody preached a revival meeting, a railroad engineer came forward and said that he had decided to become a missionary. Moody asked him if his workers were Christians. The man said, "I don’t know." Moody said, "Well, if you want to be a missionary why don’t you start with them?!"
I admire people who want to be missionaries on foreign fields, but for most of us, our mission field is right here. Our families, our next door neighbors, our fellow workers, our friends.
I Pet. 3:15 "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."
Peter is talking about defending our faith in Christ. He is talking about giving a verbal witness for Christ. And I think we should talk to people about Christ and ask them to come to church in spite of our fears.
ILL.- Beatle George Harrison is dead. Hare Krishna officials insist the ashes of the late Beatle are still destined for the Ganges River which flows by this north Indian city.
Orthodox Hindus believe that ashes must be sprinkled in one of India’s holy rivers within 13 days of death. Harrison, who died of cancer on Nov. 29, was a follower of the Hare Krishna, a sect of Hinduism. Two of his closest friends, both Hare Krishnas, were at his bedside chanting the day he died.
The day after his death and cremation, the Krishna society announced that the Beatle’s late lead guitarist wished to have his ashes immersed in the Ganges, Hindu’s holiest river. Hindus believe this rite breaks the cycle of reincarnation and allows the soul to begin its final journey toward heaven.
I am glad that George Harrison is going to be immersed, although that’s not the kind of immersion in water that the Bible talks about.
Brothers and sisters, I am not here to determine George Harrison’s eternal destiny. I admit that I am not a Beatle fan. Never was. One time when the Beatles were hot they announced to the world that they were more popular than Jesus Christ. THEY DID NOT WIN MY FAVOR NOR INFLUENCE ME WITH THAT STATEMENT.
All I know is, Hare Krishna is not the way to heaven. JESUS IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE! Jesus is the only way to heaven according to Scripture, which we believe is God inspired. The Bible is the Word of the living God!
Because we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah, the promised Savior of the world, we must spread the word! We must tell others. We must talk to people about Christ and the church. WE MUST ASK IN SPITE OF OUR FEARS.
ILL.- Black Bart was a professional thief whose very name struck fear as he terrorized the Wells Fargo stage line. From San Francisco to New York, his name became synonymous with the danger of the frontier. Between 1875 and 1883 he robbed 29 different stagecoach crews. Amazingly, Bart did it all without firing a shot. Because a hood hid his face, no victim ever saw his face. He never took a hostage and was never trailed by a sheriff. Instead, Black Bart used fear to paralyze his victims. His sinister presence was enough to overwhelm the toughest stagecoach guard.
Sometimes we act like the people around us are "Black Bart." We fear them. We fear the look on their face. We fear what they will say if we say anything to them about Christ, Christianity and the church.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH US? We need not fear people. People are not our enemy. People are people. They are in the same boat with us. We all are beggars. It’s just that we’ve found some good bread and we need to share that bread! THEY ARE LOOKING FOR THE BREAD THAT WE’VE FOUND. Why should we fear to tell about something good?
ILL.- 5-year old Johnny was in the kitchen as his mother made supper. She asked him to go into the pantry and get her a can of tomato soup, but he didn’t want to go in alone. "It’s dark in there and I’m scared." She asked again, and he persisted. Finally she said, "It’s OK--Jesus will be in there with you."
Johnny walked hesitantly to the door and slowly opened it. He peeked inside, saw it was dark, and started to leave when all at once an idea came, and he said: "Jesus, if you’re in there, would you hand me a can of tomato soup?"
Brothers and sisters, when we reach out to people with loving concern Jesus will be with us! He will encourage us, strengthen our spirit and give us the words to speak. We must ask, invite, share, witness in spite of fear.
CONCLUSION---------------------------------------
ILL.- One lady said, "Christmas at my house is anything but calm. I’m baking cookies for my daughter’s class party, hosting the neighborhood cookie exchange, shopping, assembling the artificial Christmas tree (and wondering why there are four branches left over), sewing Christmas pageant costumes and writing the family holiday newsletter. The word calm has been replaced with words like Rolaids, nervous tic and I need chocolate and I need it now!"
The Christmas holiday is always hectic for most or something of a hassle. It goes with the territory, but is there anything we can do to make it better this year? More meaningful? Especially, more meaningful in the eyes of God? Yes!
We can:
1- love one another more in spite of any faults we see
2- give in spite of our low funds
3- ask, invite, and share Christ in spite of our fears
To make Christmas better, more meaningful, we must think more of others. Live for others. After all, isn’t this what Jesus did?
