Good evening everyone…It is so good to be here. I am so excited that we have all come out tonight despite the bitter cold that we are all experiencing outside! I want to thank you all, and I want to also welcome those of you that are joining us online this evening. I know there are many that are sick, or out of town this evening and they are joining us as part of our extended spiritual family this evening. So tonight has been really encouraging so far. We have had an opportunity to worship through singing together. We had an opportunity to worship as the kids heard a special story ready by Mrs. Beth, and some special music. Now we are moving into an opportunity to worship through God’s Word. I want to invite everyone here this evening to grab your Bible, use your phone if you have a Bible on your phone. If you don’t have a Bible then I want to invite you to grab one of the Bibles on the back table and take that home as our gift to you this Christmas. If you hav a Bible, but you forgot it, feel free to use one of our chair Bibles in front of you.

This evening we are continuing our series that we have been in called, Rediscovering Christmas. We have taken the last few weeks and looked and learned how to rediscover joy, hope, and peace. If any of those topics interests you becuase of what is going on in your life then those are all available on our podcast through Spotify, Google, and Apple. This evening though I want to draw our attention to arguably one of the most important topics that we can possibly look at. You see, when we think about rediscovering Christmas we have to ask ourselves what drives Christmas as a whole? I mean, what drives people to purchase gifts and give them to others? What drives people to go and work at a food pantry, or a homeless shelter over the holiday season? We could say all kinds of things drive people to those types of actions. For instance maybe I feel guilty that I don’t seem to care about others during the year, so I try and fit it all in at the end of the year. Maybe I don’t give to those less fortunate to others and so I feel this urge to give it all to those that are ringing bells at the store. I actually believe that something else drives us all to behave this way during the Christmas season. You see, at Christmas something changed…something entered the world in a brand new way and with this entrance brought a new kind of love. This evening join me for a few minutes together as we

Rediscover Love

Over the course of the last few weeks I have introduced to you various myths that many have believed and I have, I hope, helped you to dispel these myths and helped prepared you to answer them in a simple way. For instance we learned that there were in fact not 3 kings at Jesus’ birth, but instead there were Magi who were very smart men who gave council to various kings. We learned that there were 3 gifts, but we don’t know how many people were with those gifts. We also learned that December 25th is most likely not actually Jesus birthday. We learned that this day was made official by Emperor Constantine back in 336 AD. This was simply the day that was chosen to represent the birth of Jesus, the Messiah and Savior to all. Finally then last week I shared with you that there are some folks that feel Christmas trees are a pagan symbol and that by having a Christmas tree in your house you are rejecting Christ. We saw how this belief is based on an incomplete passage of Scripture, and that when you read that passage in context you understand that a Christmas tree is not in fact a carved idol..

Well this evening I want to share with you the worst Christmas myth that has ever appeared. Actually this particular Christmas myth goes all the way back to 1st century. As a matter of fact, while Jesus was in the manger, this myth started. Ever since this original myth there have variations of this particular myth that has circulated around globe for just over 2000 years. This myth will continue until Jesus comes back, and the only thing you can do, is make sure you or those around you don’t fall for it. This myth is that Jesus was just a political deliverer and not an eternal savour…this myth is that Jesus was a great teacher and not the Son of God…You see…the worst myth is to miss the whole reason for Jesus coming.

This myth continued as Jesus walked the Earth and healed and fed, and taught. You see, people would come up after Jesus just fed him and ask for more food. Well thats not the point...the food given is not the point...…Jesus would say,

John 6:35 (ESV)

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Jesus is offering everything and they would just ask for another sandwich. Like, Ill believe the whole sin stuff Jesus just as soon as you give me more food. Or maybe this one sounds a little more familiar…Ill believe your whole sin stuff just as soon as you make me happy…as soon as you give me what I really want…as soon as you give me more. Here’s the problem, and I love this analogy from Pastor Mike Winger…they are like a dying man on the operating table asking for plastic surgery, you want a facelift, when what you really need is a heart transplant. Unless you get this heart transplant, your facelift won’t matter at all. You see, from the very beginning many Jews saw Jesus as the Messiah, but they thought that he was going to be this political leader that was going to remove the oppression of the Roman government. Basically to make it applicable to us today…They thought Jesus was just going to make their lives better…same life, only better. Maybe thats you this evening…Jesus Im coming to church so you can make my life better and make me feel better about myself, and make my job easier to deal with or my finances easier to bear, but that’s not what Jesus came to do.

In fact, we read in

Matthew 1:21 (ESV)

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

You see…from the very beginning Jesus was never coming to make anyone’s life “better” by our standards…Jesus came to save us from our sins…Jesus came to give us his love....Jesus came to fill us with his life.

So, this evening we are here rediscovering what real and true love offers…but there is so much more to this story that Jesus simply loving us, if that was the only point then there would be no need for the cross? Yeah, Jesus came to save you and I from our sins…that is the love that we truly need to rediscover. He came to deal with our sin all the way to the cross. Jesus is not a baby in a manger, even though we remember that on Christmas…no, Jesus is the King of Heaven and the Lord of all lords, and he is going to return to rule in righteousness and that is a reality. We don’t know when everything is going to happen, but we do know it is going to happen? We know that becuase the guy that brought himself back from the dead told us so...

Today, we need to rediscover the truth of Christmas becuase the worst myth that began 2000 years ago still exists today. The myth that you can talk about Jesus as if you’re cool…Like you can show up to church every single Sunday, or once a year, or maybe never at all and you can pretend to be all good with Jesus. If someone asks you, what is Christmas all about you will say, Well its Jesus’ birthday, but in reality…Christmas is about the same thing that the rest of your life is about…ignoring God.

Tonight you have an opportunity to have a better relationship with Jesus. You see, Jesus came and was born over 2000 years ago. Jesus lived a sinless life so that he could take your sin on himself as he hung on a cross and sacrificed his life…for yours. However, here’s the thing…There is no such thing as a part time Christian. There is no such thing as someone who is “cool” with Jesus while living your whole life for yourself? There is no way to pretend to be close with Jesus when in fact you are far from him. There is no way to pretend, becuase if you truly know Jesus, he is not just a part of your life…If you truly have a relationship with Jesus…then Jesus is your life!

Listen, I want to be very clear with you all this evening. Christmas is an amazing time of year. I know that I have this reputation of hating this time of year, and its well deserved becuase this cold is just down right evil…But I love Christmas and what we have the opportunity to celebrate this time of year. However, if Christmas is the time of year when you suddenly start thinking about Jesus and you suddenly remember to acknowledge Jesus’ existence…then something is seriously wrong. I know you guys all came this evening looking to be encouraged and told how wonderful everything is…but it isn’t. It isn’t becuase churches around the world are full of people who are “playing Christian”. You see…if your life isn’t as much about Jesus on May 21st as it is on December 25th then let me just tell you that your life isn’t about Jesus at all…Here is the reality

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord

Have you realized your sin and recieved this free gift of God?

This year we are spending time rediscovering Christmas and it is my hope that you will leave here this evening understanding where you stand with Jesus. Are you someone who lives the reality of your own sin being wrapped up with Jesus on the cross everyday? You see, the biggest myth that I have to share with everyone this year…the biggest myth I want to empower you to be able to talk to people about is the myth that you are ok with Jesus if in fact you really aren’t. My prayer for you this evening, and the prayer I am going to ask you to join me in praying is that if there is anyone here, or anyone in your life that is not genuine in their faith, that God would break into your heart and reveal himself to you in such a way that you simply have to either accept or reject him very clearly. Pray with me that everyone would leave here tonight not only acknowledging Jesus, but submitting to Christ and desiring to know the fullness of who he is.

This evening we have rediscovered what real love is…Real love is Jesus coming to this earth to remove your sin from your account and placing it on himself. Real love is not needing to suffer, but choosing to suffer for you and I. Real love is giving your son as a ransom for people who choose to call you names and make fun of you…Real love was born on Christmas and it is my desire that he would now live in your heart…not as a “feeling” or a “thought”, but as the life giving savior that Jesus was born to be...

If you are here tonight or joining us online and you would like to talk some more about the truth of Christmas and what that means in your life, please reach out to me and let’s connect and have a conversation about how real Scripture is to you...

Let’s pray...