1. I Corinthians 13-The love candle. All of our previous weeks have worked in concert with this love candle. -Light love candle.
2. Now we take this idea of these four candles and they are all focused around the one candle in the center the candle of salvation. The Hope in Salvation. The Peace in Salvation. The Joy in Salvation. The Love in Salvation. Light the candle of Salvation.
3. Illustration of your choosing, I used an illustration dealing with unity.
4. God was looking for something. He was looking for a way to redeem man again. Looking for a way to provide atonement, that wasn’t a temporary cover, but a way that He could once again have communion with man.
5. God found that way in the personhood of Jesus Christ.
6. So then Jesus came to this Earth. Came as a small helpless child.
7. People began to look for him too.
8. LUKE 2:8-15
9. The shepherds we have read about in today’s story left their sheep on the hillside to look for something. In all reality it was their salvation. And they were looking because of Love.
10. Then we have the visit from the Wise men.
11. I’ve often wondered what would’ve happened if the wise men would’ve been wise women instead?-They would’ve been on time, baked a cake, cleaned the stable...etc.
12. Matthew 2: 1-12.
13. Wise men were looking for something? SALVATION!
14. Luke 2:25-32.
15. Simeon was a very old man, but he knew that he would see the Lord’s Christ before he would taste death.
16. All of these thoughts culminate with the working together of the candles of advent.
17. The hope for the messiah, the Peace that comes through the messiah, the joy that we have from the messiah, and finally the love and salvation we have through Jesus Christ.
18. What was Jesus looking for when he came to this earth?
19. To do his Father’s will, to accomplish the task of salvation.
20. I think that Jesus is still looking for something today. Everyday, he paints a beautiful picture in the sky. He sends rain and stars, snow and dew. The moon to stare at and the heavens all around us.
21. People often ask why this world is still in existence, after all that has gone on.
22. Because Jesus is still looking for something. That something is you.
23. What are you looking for? If you keep looking for something, but you can’t find it. Let me help you out and tell you a few places that you won’t find it. First of all you won’t find it in the bottom of another bottle. You won’t find it on QVC. I’m pretty sure that they don’t sell it at the malls. They don’t give it out at the Salvation Army. Santa Claus has never made anything like it at his workshop. You won’t find it sitting in that pew Sunday in and Sunday out. Lastly, Wal-Mart is even fresh out of it.
24. Everybody is looking for something. What are you looking for? Let me tell you where you can find it.
25. Right here. If you have Jesus Christ in your heart and in your mind. You don’t have anything else to look for. He is the fulfillment of everything that you need in your life. You are only going to find your answer, to loneliness, emptiness, fear, anxiety, defeat, death, hurt, anger at one place.
26. It is the culmination of our Christmas season.
27. Bow your heads and close your eyes.
28. If you are searching for the answers to your life’s problems let me reassure you that we can get you something today that will help with every problem in your life.
29. If you are needing something, you just fill empty, and you want something that will last, slip up your hand.
30. Pray this Prayer with me.
