Sign was Given

Opening

Have you pondered on the question, “What is the Purpose of Christmas?”

I mean, seriously..

What is the “Real” Purpose of Christmas?

It’s a very very interesting question that we should ask ourselves, why?

Because this is the time of the year when people and the world gets crazy

Traffic Jam

Overbooked flights

Surging prices of commodities

Very busy phone networks

Flooded social media

Shopping Malls are filled with hot-tempered people

Crime rates shoots up, specially crime against properties

And many many more

Isn’t that crazy?

BREATHE!

Despite that every year, what is preached is about Love, Peace and Hope

But the picture that we see surrounding us doesn’t look loving

It doesn’t appear to be peaceful

And surely doesn’t project hope

See, these is what happens when the world tries to remove Christ from Christmas

When people replaces Christ with “X”

When people say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”

When people argue about what is politically correct and incorrect

Have you ever been to a birthday party where the celebrant is not around?

Worst is, the celebrant himself is not even invited!

BREATHE!

With my curiosity to hear what people has to say about the purpose of Christmas, I came across this video

Take a listen (show video)

There’s some interesting response we heard from there, right?

BREATHE!

That’s why today, the Lord doesn’t want me to preach on Love, Peace or Hope, why?

Because you already know them

You already received significant information about those things

And it’s time for us to hear something different

Something that leads to transformation

But, before any transformation could ever take place, there should be “Preparation” (everyone say “preparation”)

Cycle of Growth is:

Information

Preparation

Transformation

One cannot go ahead of the other, it should be in this order

BREATHE!

We had celebrated Christmas for the past different number of years depending on how old you are

But, have you ever, truly, considered the “true” purpose of Christmas?

Was there an instance that you’ve used this similar time of the year to Retreat, Reflect and Refresh your sense of reason for the season?

refresh your sense of reason for the season?

Reasons may be easily forgotten specially when living in this culture that finds its center on the things that are seen

But the Bible has this to remind us

2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

BREATHE!

So Church, this season, I’d like to highly encourage you to do something different

Something extra ordinary, in other words, extra from the ordinary

Something beautiful, in other words, full of beauty

I’d like y’all to look at Christmas differently

Not the way how the world sees it to be

But the way how the Bible says it to be

After all, it is not the world who invented Christmas

But instead, it was God who actually created Christmas

It was the day appointed by God that changed everything, literally everything

It even changed the way how your write or cut a check

Every time you put a date on those checks of yours, your reckoning year is the year when Christ was born

BREATHE!

In this month long series entitled “iShare”, we shall discover the true purpose of Christmas

And not just to discover the true purpose of Christmas, but what is rather more important, is to share the real purpose of Christmas

Everybody say “iShare”

Let me begin with this question

What is Advent?

What is the Purpose of Christmas?

Arrival of a Notable Person, Thing or Event

Commemorated by most Christians during the four Sundays that precedes Christmas

There were actually two advents in the life of Christians:

First, is when God incarnate in Jesus, the birth of Christ, the first coming

And second, refers to the second coming of Jesus, the rapture

BREATHE!

This practice may have begun in some churches as early as the late 4th century

It began as a time of fasting, praying and meditating

A time when Sermons are focused on the wonder of Incarnation

BREATHE!

When

How do you Prepare when someone very important is coming to your home?

My story when I visited some folks in the remote village of the town of Jones in the province of Isabela

However, there is a huge huge difference between preparing to receive a “guest”, and preparing the receive a “resident”

Jesus, our life giving Spirit, does not only want to visit you, He wants to live with you!

So, how do you Prepare when someone truly important is coming to your home? not to visit, but to stay for good...

Well, I’m pretty sure you can come up with a long list of things that you can do

But, what is the first thing that came to your mind?

Who says? will do the groceries! Raise your hands..

Who says? will cook your special recipe! Raise your hands..

Who says? will post a welcome banner! Raise your hands..

Who says? will clean the house! Raise your hands...

BREATHE!

When was the last time you had a general cleaning of your home? Last spring?

Supposed it has been twenty years since you moved in to your current home and it’s time for a total make over

To allow for this major major renovation, you’ll be needing to move things around

Like for example, you have to pull the fridge

Unhang the TV from the wall

Transfer the dining table

Empty your garage

Those things has been sitting on those same spots, same corner of your kitchen for many years and no one has ever swept underneath them

The floor might be caked with layers of grime, dust, stray nutshells, specks of rotted food, lost hair bands, dog hair, and unidentified stains that have been there for more than two decades

The floor might be caked with layers of grime, dust, stray nutshells, specks of rotted food, lost hair bands, dog hair, and unidentified stains that have been there for more than two decades

I will not be surprise when you will utter the word, Yuck!

BREATHE!

This would require a thorough clean up to get your house ready for its new resident

It is a scary thought that we may have these areas in our lives that needs cleaning

Sometimes we hide our secret sins in our private compartments

We mask our ugliest attitudes

It is a scary thought that we may have these areas in our lives that needs cleaning

But, Jesus did not come to scare us, but instead He came to save us

Romans 8:1 NIV

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

Paul said these words when he tried to help the believers in Rome to understand the things concerning the law and sin, and the saving grace of God through the Lord Jesus

So, just imagine how dead we are to sin if God the Father decided not to send and give His only Son

Our glorious days started when the Sign was Given

BREATHE!

700 years before the birth of Jesus was foretold, it was prophesied by Isaiah

BREATHE!

Text: The Sign of Immanuel (Isaiah 7:1-17)

Isaiah 7:14 NIV

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

After the kingdom of Solomon was divided in 931B.C. (show map of divided kingdoms)

The Southern Kingdom of Judah comprised considerably less territory and had a much smaller population than the Northern Kingdom

During the reign of Ahaz as the king of Judah, Aram and Israel joined forces to rebel against the Assyrian Empire

And they are trying to force Judah to join the rebellion

If Ahaz is not going to cooperate with them, Aram & Israel threatened to tear Judah apart and to topple Ahaz and install Tabeel to replace him

So the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken like the trees of the forest that are shaken by the wind (v. 2)

BREATHE!

But then the Lord spoke to Ahaz through Isaiah, saying it will not take place, it will not happen (v. 7)

prophet Isaiah maid this prophecy

Take note that Ahaz is a descendant of David, and the promised Messiah will come from this line

This prophetic assurance Isaiah made in verse 14 is to affirm that the kingdom of Judah will not lay in ruins, and it was surely so

Ahaz is a descendant in the line of David

BREATHE!

Some 700 years later, the prophecy became a reality

Sub-Text: The Birth of Jesus Foretold ()

Alongside with the pregnancy of Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist and a relative of Mary, the virgin

God sent Angel Gabriel to Mary and gave the information about her to conceive the Son of God through the Holy Spirit

The Angel told her that she is to call Him Jesus (v. 31)

And that, He will be great, and the Lord will give Him the throne of His father David (v. 32)

And the Angel ended by saying, “For no word from God will ever fail” (v. 37)

BREATHE!

However, this is a huge huge difference between preparing to receive a “guest” and preparing the receive a “resident”

Does is it make you ever curious to know your ancestors whenever you think of your birth

Or have you made an attempt to build your own family tree?

Have you heard about ancestry.com?

It is a website that provides services to help you find out about your ancestors just by providing them your DNA

I’d like to show you the family tree of Jesus, not from ancestry.com but from the Bible (show slides)

Show

Some other time I will show you the genealogy of Jesus from Adam to Noah, then Noah to Abraham

But today let me just share with you their family tree from Abraham to Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus

Abraham to Judah

Judah to David

David to Rehoboam

Rehoboam to Asa

Asa to Jehoram

Jehoram to Uzziah

Uzziah to Ahaz

Ahaz to Amon

Amon to Jeconiah

Jeconiah to Zerubbabel

Zerubbabel to Eliakim

Matthew 1:17 NIV

Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

BREATHE!

Isn’t that Remarkable? Isn’t that Stunning?

True indeed that no word from God will ever fail!

The prophecy that the Messiah will come from the line of David was fulfilled

The prophecy that a virgin will conceive the Son of God through the Holy Spirit was likewise fulfilled

Despite the odd looking chances and many preventing circumstances, still, the word of God never failed

What appears impossible to us, is very possible to God

Luke 18:27 NIV

Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

Next time you find yourself in a seems-like dead end situation, pause for a while and turn to Jesus, and remember His words

BREATHE!

After information comes preparation

Let us look how Mary responded to all these

Let’s see how she started preparing to be the mother of the Son of God

And here is what she said, take a listen

Luke 1:38 NIV

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

This may be reduced to one word, and that is the word “willingness” (everyone shout willingness!)

Preparedness starts with Willingness

At first, Mary was greatly troubled with the information she received from Gabriel the Angel

We all know that Mary was engaged with Joseph but still, she never had sexual intercourse with him or with anybody

And to be pregnant out of wedlock in their culture, is punishable by death through stoning

Isn’t that Terrifying?

It will be a great scandal, and yet, she accepted God’s will

This is Mary’s greatness - that she is “completely willing” for God to use her life

Despite physical pain and social embarrassment

BREATHE!

What about you? How are willing are you?

How willing are you to be used by God

There could be sets of reasons why you wouldn’t welcome Jesus in your home

It could be the guilt that you’re harboring for a very long time

Or the feeling of embarrassment because you’re thinking of what other people will say about you

How willing are you to receive the Lord in your home?

Will Jesus be comfortable in your house?

Will He not be awkward with the conversations that you’re having there?

With the attitudes that are evident there?

With the entertainment there?

BREATHE!

How willing are you to be used by God?

Are you prepared to do the works that God had intended for you?

Are you ready to:

Reach out to your Community?

Isaiah 11:11 NIV

In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean.

Isaiah 11:11

We are the hands & feet of God

He intends to give people their second chances

He wants to reach out to them through you

Educate People about the truth concerning Jesus?

Saul stayed with the followers of Jesus in Damascus for a few days. 20 Soon he began to preach about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “Jesus is the Son of God.”

Acts 9:19–20 NCV

After he ate some food, his strength returned. Saul stayed with the followers of Jesus in Damascus for a few days. Soon he began to preach about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “Jesus is the Son of God.”

Anon, 2005. The Everyday Bible: New Century Version, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Soon after the conversion of Paul, after regaining just enough strength, he started preaching about Jesus

Are you ready to teach the Word of God?

Assemble a Life Group in your Neighborhood?

Deuteronomy 31:11 NLT

you must read this Book of Instruction to all the people of Israel when they assemble before the Lord your God at the place he chooses.

Moses instructed the people to read the Bible at the temple courts and at their homes

To guarantee the preservation, integrity and faithful transmission of the sacred books through the ages

Dedicate your Time, Talent & Treasure for the works of God?

Numbers 8:13 CEV

The Levites will stand at my altar in front of Aaron and his sons, who will then dedicate the Levites to me.

The Levites are dedicated to God

The ceremony shows that the Levites are different from the other Israelites and belongs to God in special way

After they have been made acceptable and have been dedicated, they will be allowed to work at His tent

The levites are in charge of the holy items at the tabernacle

Are you ready to sing with the worship team?

Are you ready to be the face of this church and join the ushers & greeters?

Are you ready to be the face of this church and join the ushers & greeters?

Are you ready to sweep the church’s floor, decorate the altar or stack up the chairs?

Joshua 24:23 NIV

“Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

Yield your heart to Jesus?

Joshua 24:23–24 NIV

“Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”

After Joshua addresses the people citing key events in the past

The Israelites perform a ceremony at Schechem to renew their covenant with Yahweh

Are you ready to reach out to your community?

BREATHE!

Are you ready to share the true Purpose of Christmas?

BREATHE!

Maybe you’re following Jesus for many many years now, or at least it feels like it

But still you haven’t figured out your priorities

Or maybe you figured it out but, you’re missing the things that truly matters in life (Matthew 6:33)

Always saying, but ending up not doing

Always promising, but keeps on forgetting

Always planning, but never fulfilling

If you feel like you’re circling a roundabout

It’s time to cut off to one of those exits

Pick the exit that leads to Jesus

With Jesus, you’ll never go wrong

Because He is not just the way, He is not just the truth, but He is also the life

Jesus does not only want to visit you, He wants to live with you!

BREATHE!

Prayer