Christmas Faith
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 40 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
The Craziness of it all
The Craziness of it all
Angels appearing to shepherds.
A seeming coincidental census to get everyone in the right town.
A star guiding wise men to a single house?
The kicker: A virgin giving birth.
Do you believe in Christmas?
Its not over:
An axe head that floats:
4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.” 6 Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. 7 And he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.
1 Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See, the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us. 2 Let us go to the Jordan and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there.” And he answered, “Go.” 3 Then one of them said, “Be pleased to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” 4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.” 6 Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. 7 And he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.
a talking donkey, like in the film shrek.
23 He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” 24 And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys. 25 From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
A guy getting swallowed by a fish and surviving after 3 days - like the girl who got eaten at the start of jaws swings away at the end.
A guy who builds a boat and gets animals to come in 2 by 2, the hardest part of it all is the cats.
The bible is filled with these and many other incredible stories, that we as christians take a as fact, or should take as fact, and they are there for a very specific reason.
These stories acts as types of filters.A filter prevents some things from getting past but allows others to flow through. These crazy bible stories filer out certain types of people.
These stores are foolish to the worldly wise, they prevent him from entering. These stories are foolish to the sinful pride, they keep him from entering. These stories are foolish to arrogant, he will not humble himself and so remains outside.
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
What you need to pass through these filters is childlike faith.
3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Children have something that is needed for God’s kingdom. Its need for Christmas.
In fact if you leave these reason out of christmas then you have just another day, but when you add this something special to the christmas story and any of these stories you get a miracle.
The Empty You.
The Empty You.
Empty Bottle
The christmas story empties us of ourselves, the humility of Jesus casts out any feeling of prise or superiority. God wants to fill us, but you cannot put new wine into old wineskins.
He will not mingle his fulness with sinful residue. He wants us to come to Him empty of all self righteousness so he can fill us.
2 And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. 4 Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.”
If you come like is with sincerity you will be filled.
10 I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
The Water of the Word.
The Water of the Word.
The word of God fills us, it washed us.
26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
Every time we read, study or meditate on scripture the wisdom, power and Word of God fills our hearts and minds.
We should read and meditate on God’s word regularly.
“Read the Bible, first and foremost, always, every day, and often, with a concordance, until the history and prophecy and wisdom literature of the Old Testament get into our very bones; and until the Gospel and Epistles of the New Testament become the foundation blocks of our thinking and way of Life”
John Higgins
Add Water
The Preaching of the Pastor
The Preaching of the Pastor
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
Responsibility - feed my sheep.
Young lambs, mature sheep and old cows.....
The pastor, rightly divides the word of truth with much fear and trembling. He adds seasoning, but only to bring out the flavour, never to add any, or take away any bitterness.
growing sheep
He must some take a 4000 year old book filled with long dead customs and culture and make it understandible, applicable and interesting to a generation living in a vastly different world.
Food colouring
The Anointing of the Holy Spirit
The Anointing of the Holy Spirit
Without the Holy Spirit, we would literally be powerless.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
This power enables us to read, understand and apply and remeber all that we have studied and all that our pastors and teachers have spoken to us.
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
The Holy Spirit lead us, guides us, teaches us.
Ive got some oil here because oil is the symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Add OIL
Its good. But there is something missing.
As wonderful as all this is, this does not guarantee a harvest.
In fact the bible says that you can have good bible study, good preaching and the holy spirit , but if this last thing is not added you will not profit.
2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
What could it be?
What would you need in order to come to pass through those filters of foolish stories?
What would you need to believe that A star led wisemen to Jesus?
What would you need to believe that a virgin had a baby and that baby was God in human form?
What would you need to believe any of the foolish bible stories?
What would you have to add to the story of Christmas that would make it profitable, life changing and wonderful?
2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
The mustard seed of Faith
The mustard seed of Faith
20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
You cannot celebrate Christmas without faith.
2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
Even more, you cannot please God without faith.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
What is faith?
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Faith is looking at foolish stories, impossible stories., unbelievable stories and believing anyways simply because God said they are true.
The same way children believe some of the crazy stories many parents tell them. The children believe the stories simply because you, their parent, told them they were true. Now many parents tell their children lies, you can decide on whether thats right or not, but God never lies.
When you mix This with mustard seed faith - amazing things happen -
who wants to see?
Add Seed