Introduction: Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?
Was there a new X-Box 360 or Ipod under your tree, Maybe it was a new outfit or some jewelry. Everyone wants something for Christmas
Our society is conditioned to getting at Christmas. The other day I read an article entitled Christmas is…
• Christmas is everybody wants his past forgotten and his "presents" remembered.
• Christmas is when Santa comes down the chimney and your savings go down the drain.
• Christmas is the time when mothers have to separate men from their toys.
There is a lot of truth in those statements
I am reminded of a boy named Brian. For weeks, he bugged his parents about getting a watch for Christmas. Finally, his dad told him, “Brian, if you mention the watch again, you are not going to get it. Now stop bugging us!” Brian stopped mentioning the watch
One night Brian’s parents asked him to say grace before dinner.
Brian said, “I’d like to quote a Scripture verse before I pray. His parents were thrilled he was showing such spirituality. Then he said - Mark 13:37: “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ’Watch!’"
Now that is appropriate use of Scripture!
You know, we spend most of our Christmas season SEARCHING: searching for the perfect gift, the huge bargain, the ideal decoration, and the last parking spot.
At the first Christmas, many people missed it because they were too busy looking for other things.
• The politicians missed the first Christmas.
• The business community missed the first Christmas.
• The innkeeper missed the first Christmas.
• Even the religious establishment missed the first Christmas, because they were looking at other things.
The only people, who enjoyed the first Christmas, were the people who were looking for it.
Angels: “You’ll find the baby ... lying in a manger.”
Shepherds: “Let’s go and see!” (See Luke 2:12, 15)
The shepherds found Jesus because they were searching. They were seeking Him. And later on, another group, the wise men, found Jesus because they were looking for Him, too.
Wise men came from the East, asking, “Where is the baby...? We have come to worship Him.” (Matt. 2:1-2)
Now let me ask you: What are you going to find this Christmas? I will tell you what you are going to find: You will find what you are looking for.
I don’t know if you’ve caught it or not, but in our society today there’s a new emphasis on seeking spiritual truth. The media have caught it. Over the past few years Time, Life, Newsweek, and U.S. News and World Report have all run articles on spirituality. For instance, one had “Life after Death” as the cover story. Another offered a “Clear View of Heaven.” Life magazine asked, “Who Was He?” with a picture of Jesus on the cover. U.S. News covered the question of “Who Wrote the Bible?” One magazine even boldly implied that it could answer the question “Who Is God?” ABC ran a special this week regarding heaven
Clearly, the media don’t cover these topics unless they make money. This means there is an intense interest in spiritual things in our society.
A Newsweek article “The Search for the Sacred” said this: “Maybe it’s just a critical mass of Baby Boomers in the contemplative afternoon of life. Maybe it is anxiety over the war and uncertain economic conditions, or maybe it is a general dissatisfaction with the materialism of the modern world. For these reasons and more, millions of Americans are embarking on a search for the sacred in their lives.”
In essence, people have a gaping hole in their souls, and this is a seeker’s quest – to fill the hole with a new source of meaning.
While we seek out a meaning to this life, I want you to know it can only come by having a right relationship with God
God knows all about you; He wants you to know Him. Moreover, there is no better time than Christmas to become the kind of seeker the wise men embodied. Wise people will seek Christ.
This Christmas God wants to give you three Christmas gifts that you will find if you seek them. Because whatever you are looking for is what you will find.
The Key to Christmas is finding a Right Relationship with God
The miracle of Christmas is not on 34th street; it is in Bethlehem. Through Jesus, God offers you a relationship that provides forgiveness for your past, peace of mind in the present, and a solid future in eternity.
1. This Christmas, You Can Find Forgiveness from your Past
“Today your Savior was born... He is Christ, the Lord.” (Luke 2:11 NCV)
Note that word Savior. That is the significance of Christmas. Why do we need a Savior anyway? Well, let me just cut to the chase. The Bible says that heaven is a perfect place. There are no mistakes or inconsistencies; it is perfect. Because of that, only perfect people get to go there. If God let imperfect people into heaven, it would not be perfect anymore. That means I do not stand a chance in a million of getting into heaven on my own effort, and neither do you. I lost my chance at perfection a long time ago.
God had to come up with “Plan B.” He sent us a Savior so we could get in on somebody else’s ticket. That is the good news: A Savior has been born!
A little boy wrote a letter to Santa Claus that said, “Dear Santa: There are three boys living at my house. Jeffrey is two, David is four, and Norman is seven. Jeffrey is good some of the time, David is good some of the time, and Norman is good all of the time. I am Norman.”
You know the problem with that? Not one of us is a Norman. None of us bats a 1000. None of us are always perfect or right. In fact, if we had a giant screen up behind us and were able to view everything we’ve ever thought, said, or done, most of us would be extremely embarrassed. We all live with a sense of regret because none of us are perfect. That is why we need a Savior.
Not long ago, I saw a little Christmas card that said,
“If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent an economist.
If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, so He sent us a Savior.”
“Unto you is born a Savior.” Yes, you can be forgiven. Friend, that is the most priceless gift you can receive, the gift of a clear conscience one you cannot buy at Nieman-Marcus; because it is priceless. Yet at Christmastime God offers you the chance to have your past forgiven and wiped clean, so you can start over, brand new.
Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
Now, how do I let Christ save me? Simple; Have a right relationship with Jesus Christ. Listen to the most famous passage of scripture in all the world
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
We have the declaration (God loves the world – us) and then we have the explanation
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:17-18
Living on the coast, we understand the need for lifeguards. Rip Currents can make the ocean a dangerous place. One of the things that all lifeguards know is that you cannot save anybody as long as they are trying to save themselves, because they will take you under the water with them. You swim out to them, and they are flailing around in the water until finally they just give up and collapse. Once they give up, it is easy – you just put your arm over their shoulder and swim back to shore. There is nothing to it. However, you cannot save them as long as they are trying to save themselves.
Our problem is we are always trying to save ourselves. We think we can work our way into heaven. We say, “Oh, God, my good works are so high, and my bad works are so low. Look at the difference!” The only problem is that God does not grade on a curve. He says, “Only perfect people need apply for a perfect place.”
God doesn’t judge you against anybody else. We all need a savior, and that is provided. It is a free gift; just accept it.
2. The Christmas You Can Find Peace for the Present
Those who love your laws have great peace of heart and mind and do not stumble. Psalm 119:165(TLB)
Peace is a word that our world uses a lot, but most people do not have the foggiest idea of its true meaning.
• For many, peace of mind means drinking until they’re so drunk and numb that they can no longer feel the pain in their hearts.
• For some, peace means hopping from one relationship to the next, to the next, to the next, hoping that somebody will fill the void in their life. But nobody ever does.
• For some, peace means staying busy all the time so that at night they just kind of collapse into bed and do not have to think. Because any time they are quiet, those haunting thoughts, those fears, and that terrible loneliness come caving in, and they do not like that feeling.
• For other people peace means working and working, becoming a workaholic and overachieving, so they can get all these attributes of success to prove to the world that they’re somebody! But inside they’re saying, “I don’t really feel like somebody.”
• For other people peace means trying New Age gimmicks, like gazing at crystals, or using aromatherapy, or sitting in a lotus position and going, “Ommmmm.” But that’s not peace either.
Let me tell you what real peace is…
Real peace is having a relationship with Jesus Christ, God’s Son, and becoming friends with God.
• Real peace is knowing that no matter what I do, God will never stop loving me.
• Real peace is knowing that no matter what happens, God will never leave me alone. He will always be with me.
• Real peace means that no matter what happens in the New Year, or in the years to come, I know that God is going to give me the strength to handle it.
• Real peace is living by God’s Word, the Bible, so I can avoid a lot of the needless hang-ups, hurts, and habits that mess up my life.
• Real peace is teaching my children God’s Word as a foundation for life, so as I see them make decisions. That is real peace.
• REAL PEACE IS KNOWING I HAVE A RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
There are three things that rob us of peace today; guilt, grief, and grudges.
A. First, there is Guilt.
You don’t have to walk around with guilt. God said, “I sent a Savior to wipe away your sins so you can be forgiven.”
Psalm 103:11-12, For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
If we have a right relation with Jesus, he gives us a clear conscience, freeing us from our guilt.
B. Grief also robs us.
You may be in major pain right now, because Christmastime brings up all kinds of hurtful memories. You may remember the loss of a loved one, or a parent, who abandoned you, or a divorce you went through, or the death of a spouse or child. You have grief that robs you of joy and peace of mind. If that is the pain you’re carrying, God cares about your hurt. He sees it, and He knows all about it. You were never meant to carry that grief all on your own. God says to cast all your cares upon Him, and He will care for you. Give Him your worries and troubles, and receive the gift of peace. Cast all your burdens on the Lord.
Psalm 103:13-14, As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
God knows our limits, as a compassionate God he willing to lift our burdens if we have a relationship with Him.
C. Finally, there are Grudges
Grudges also rob us of peace. Grudges cause us to be resentful. We feel guilty when we hurt others, but we become resentful or grudging when others hurt us. You will be hurt in life, whether intentionally or unintentionally. How you respond to that hurt will determine your level of happiness in life. And for your own sake, your own peace of mind, you’ve got to let go of those hurts, because resentment doesn’t hurt the other person; it only hurts you. You’re the one who’s stewing while they’re living their life.
Romans 12:17-18, Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
You can find peace of mind if you are willing to do the things that Christ says to do. Let go of your guilt, allow God to take on your grief and bury your grudges.
3. This Christmas You Can Find Eternal Life
Here are the facts of life:
A. First, we are all going to die someday.
Now that is not a pleasant thought. I do not think you need to be morbid about it, or always be worrying about it, but the fact is we are all, each of us, going to die someday. Tomorrow, next year, ten years from now – we do not know.
B. Second, we are going to spend more of our life on that side of death than we are going to spend on this side.
You get sixty, seventy, eighty, maybe ninety years here on this earth. However, on the other side of death you will spend the rest of eternity. Now, only a fool would go through life unprepared for something he knows is inevitable. It does not make sense to know that someday you are going to die and not be prepared for it.
Let me just say that you are not ready to live until you are ready to die. Fortunately, the good news is, that is what Christmas is all about, too: That is why God sent Jesus Christ.
God makes us ready for heaven... when we put our faith and trust in Christ to save us... “The man who finds life will find it through trusting God.” Romans 1:17 (TLB)
God says you can find eternal life by trusting Christ. God says, “I’ll take care of your past regrets, your present problems, and your future fears.”
IF YOU WILL HAVE A RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH ME!
It is the perfect gift, for God in Christ; clears up my past, takes care of my present, and secures my future. You will never get that one gift anywhere else. You cannot find it under the Christmas tree. You can only find it in the Man of the cross.
Do you see what Christmas is? Christmas is really the celebration of an invasion. God invaded earth nearly two thousand years ago as a human being.
You see, if God had wanted to communicate to cows, He would have become a cow. If God had wanted to communicate to ants, He would have become an ant. If God had wanted to communicate to dogs, He would have become a dog. But He wanted to communicate to human beings, so He because one of us, a human being. We can look at Jesus and say, “That is how God wants me to live. That is what God is like.” By getting to know Jesus, I understand it is not about a religion, but a relationship with God.
The Bible says Jesus came to seek and to save. While you have been seeking, He has been seeking you. The miracle of Christmas is not on 34th Street; it is in Bethlehem. He says, “I offer you forgiveness for your past, peace of mind in the present, and a solid future in eternity.” Those are the gifts. You say, “How do I find those gifts?” They are all wrapped up in Christ. Let us read this together; “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV).
Now if you don’t get anything else, get this. You matter to God. Your problems matter to God. Your pain matters to God. Your potential matters to God.
God came to earth in human form, and He is seeking you while you are seeking Him. There is no better time than Christmas to make contact? He says, “Seek Me.” Two thousand years ago, wise men sought Christ. Today, wise men will seek Christ. I challenge you to be a wise man or woman in the New Year, and to seek the Christ of Christmas, because God says, “Seek and you shall find.” It is His promise. It is His gift to you.
However, it begins by having the Right Relationship.
I am dreaming of a right Christmas and Christmas is right when there is a…
• Right Focus - Jesus
• Right Pace – marked by peace
• A Right Response – Worship
• A Right Relationship – With God
PRAYER
