O Come all Ye Faithful

Do You Hear What I Hear • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

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Well good morning everyone. Welcome back to week two of our series “Do you hear what I hear?” Last week was a powerful message and time of worship. Can I just say that if you are not coming to worship nights, you are really missing out. I mean we went over an hour and weren’t ready to quit and the Lord was just pouring himself out on us. It was incredible. You need to be here. In the morning service, we also talked about the song O Holy Night. The reason it was a holy night is because the answer that the world had been looking for and waiting for and weary in its efforts to bring was coming. The morning would be glorious because Jesus would be here. We talked about not losing that hope. Holding fast to it because the basis is Christ.

Next week, I'll be doing week number three and that carol is Away in a Manger. I know what you are thinking that it’s just away in a manger. What more can possibly be about that song. Let me tell you right now, you're going to want to be here. It is like, bring your kids, bring your wife, bring everybody because it is going to be legit! You're going to want to be here, so make sure you're marking that on your calendars.

lyrics, because it just kind of became the song you sing, right? It's Christmas time. And I began to hear it new, and that is our prayer for you. During this series, Carols, and as we look at t hese different beloved carols throughout time, that you will begin to hear something new; a truth that God has placed in the very lyrics of these songs. Today, in week two, we are going to be looking at the carol, O Come All Ye Faithful. Now, it was or iginally written in Latin and it was given the title, Adeste Fideles. It was written by John Francis Wade, who was an 18th century hymnast. It was translated in English in 1841 by a guy named, Frederick Oakeley. And that's where we get O Come All Ye Faithf ul. It is a carol that has stood the test of time and has just been sung throughout the ages. So, I really, really hope that you enjoy now, as I perform for you, O Come All Ye Faithful! Man, none of you all bit on any of that! You're like, That guy ain't g onna sing, it's crazy! Absolutely I'm not, because we want you to enjoy your experience here at LifeChurch.tv today, and so, we are going to now let our worship team perform for you, O Come all Ye Faithful. Video Absolutely! I'll tell you, I'm glad a nd I know that you are that we have people that can sing, and they can sing! And that's awesome and thanks to our worship team for that. Now, that is how you do O Come all Ye Faithful. Now, maybe you're a little bit like me and you hear this song and it 's a little bit daunting actually. That first line kind of gets me sometimes: O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant! And the reason is because many times, especially during this Christmas season, we can feel anything but faithful and joyful and triumphant. In fact, many times we feel defeated and depressed or doubtful. And we can kind of feel like, Man, I don't know that I'm the one who is supposed to come and I don't always feel that. Wait, maybe it's in the faithful side of things. Ma ybe it's, you know what, you knew God called you to do something, but once you got here it's much more difficult than you first thought. And it's like, Man, God, did you really call me to do this? Just kind of struggling through that faith issue, or maybe it's just some other faith trial that's just causing you know, a lot of just trial and just this questioning. And we can find ourselves becoming a little bit doubtful. Maybe it's in being triumphant, a word we don't actually use a whole lot today becaus e many times we feel more defeated, don't we? We look on at our finances and we're like, I thought I'd be in a better position than I am today and I just don't feel triumphant in that! Or maybe it's in your marriage and you're like, I figured that after 20 years that I would be at a different place in marriage than we are. How did we get here? And you can feel much more defeated. Maybe it's in the joyful side of things. I don't know if you're like me, but joy can get sucked out of a room really quick . I don't enjoy shopping all that much

A little something about me: I actually have four children I have 2 grown children who live in my house still and 2 not grown who still live at the house. I have been trying to get the younger two to move on since I failed with the other two but it doesn’t look like they can keep jobs down. So they will be with us for a while. But as you can imagine, or you now know if you know us at all, that our house is busy. It is a fun place! But it’s busy. I will tell you something about us, we love Christmas time! Christmas is awesome! Every neighborhood has the Clark Griswold guy who puts up Christmas lights everywhere, right? Well, I'm that guy in my neighborhood! I'm the guy everybody in my neighborhood loves to hate at Christmas time because all of the other kids are wondering, Daddy, why don't our lights look like that? And he's like, Well, because he did them and you can just see his! And so, I love Christmas time; I love Christmas music, the whole deal. In fact, when I hear certain songs there are certain memories attached to them. I remember being a kid and my papaw in the country. The man loved to worship. He loved the lord. But I remember one Christmas or being Christmas time and we began to sing this song in church. The man stood up with his white hanky and started crying and worshiping to this song. I thought, papaw. What are you doing? It’s a Christmas song. Why are you acting that way?

And what it made me do was to pause for just a second and look up at the screen and begin to read the lyrics that I've listened to my whole life, but had never heard the truth and the power in the lyrics, because it just kind of became the song you sing, right? It's Christmas time.

to begin with, but anybody who goes shopping this time of year, it can be a trial and a tribulation for you! In fact, my deal is I get to the end and I'm ready to check out and I can look on at two different lines , and they have the exact same number of people in them and I'm like, Mmmm? And every time, I pick the wrong one! I don't know if you can relate, but I end up in the line with the person who is writing a check! And you're like, Who writes checks anymore? A nd they start writing a check, and then the coupon lady's in my line! And then, I've got the person that picked up an item that doesn't have a bar code on it and they're calling for a price check, and we all know there ain't nobody back in that department bringing no price check up there! And we're sitting there forever! And I'm like, my joy is gone! And maybe you can feel that way sometimes. And you know, that's a silly example but man, many of times there's things that are much more wearisome that can ste al and rob us of our joy. And we just find ourselves not feeling joyful. For me, as I begin to look at this song, I begin to ask this question, I wonder who it is that Jesus calls? And the good news is, it's not exactly, the faithful joyful term, it is n't exactly who he calls at the onset. In fact, I want to take a look today, if you're taking notes, at who it is that Jesus calls. The first thing if you're taking notes is that: Jesus calls the weary and the burdened. We see this in Matthew, Ch apter 11, where Jesus says: Come to me, all you who are... What? Help me out, all you who are: ...weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. So, Jesus calls the weary and the burdened. The second thing, if you're taking notes, is that: Jesus calls the sinners. In Matthew, Chapter Nine, the Bible says: On hearing this, Jesus said, It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick...For I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners. You see, it's almost like you cou ld rewrite this song a little bit and have it say, O come all ye sinners...ye weary and burdened, come to Bethlehem. But here's the thing, the good news is that Jesus doesn't leave you there. He may call you in a state of being weary and burdened or realiz ing that man, I've tried everything else that I know to try and it's just not working for me. And you realize, I need Jesus. And when you call on him, the Bible, something beautiful happens. Scripture tells us in Second Corinthians, Chapter 5:17 that, righ t there in your notes, you can see that: If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone...

And I began to hear it new, and that is our prayer for you. During this series, Do You Hear What I Hear, as we look at these different beloved carols throughout time, that you will begin to hear something new; a truth that God has placed in the very lyrics of these songs.

And help me out, what does it say? ...The new is here! And today, for many of you across all of our campuses, and for those of you a t Church Online, you've been invited by somebody, you've got a little CD that somebody handed you or sent you a link to iTunes to take a look at it. And you know what? You have come here today to realize that God is wanting you to know that you can become a new creation, the old is gone and the new is here. Okay? So, Jesus helps us to become this new creation, right? Which begs the question, if he doesn't leave us there, what does he then help us become? If we become this new creation, where does he take us ? And that is a great question, and I want to talk about that a little bit. Let's talk about what it is that Jesus helps us to become. The first thing, if you're taking notes, is this: That Jesus helps us to become more faithful. In fact, in Hebre ws 12:2, the Bible says: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, who is the author and the perfecter of our faith. So, our faith comes from the one who authors it, it's Jesus. He gives it to us and then he goes about the work of perfecting it. How? Glad you as ked! Romans 10:17, it says: So faith comes from hearing... But hearing what? ...hearing the word about Christ. Hearing God's word, it builds our faith. When we hear God's word it builds our faith. Don't believe me? Let me give you an example: December 30, 2005, that is the day my Father passed away from cancer. Bad timing, it's bad for anybody. You know it's never a good time to pass away. The holidays, it just really blows when that happens. Okay? Because you're going through a holiday seas on where you don't feel faithful, you don't feel joyful. You know, we spent much more time in an ICU unit than we did at a Christmas tree or anything like that. I do want to acknowledge that there are those of you that are logged on at the Wi - Fi in a hospi tal, and you're sitting right next to a loved one and you're watching Church Online, and I just want you to know that man, God will build your faith. I want to share with you this story. I can remember being there in that ICU unit. And just late one ni ght having a lot of questions entering into my head about, I wonder why this is happening? What God are you wanting to do in me and my family in this time and this process? Because man, it's just not fun. I got an e - mail late one night. And for those of you who maybe, you know what? You're experiencing that right now, you drove to a location from a hospital where there's a loved one and your faith is challenged. Or maybe you lost

Today, in week two, we are going to be looking at the carol,

someone earlier this year and you're going through the first Christmas with out that person. Or, maybe it's not a loss, maybe it's the death of a dream or whatever, but your faith is finding yourself being very tried. Let me read this Scripture for you that comes from , and feel this. As this has being read, feel your faith be built. Those of you who are having a faith trial, listen to God's Word. Isaiah, Chapter 43, the Bible says: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames, they will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Those of us who have believed in Jesus and have that new creation inside of us, when you hear those wor ds you can feel it, they build your faith. And I remember that night as I read those words that my friend Scott had sent me in an e - mail during the time of questioning, this was the Scripture that he sent me that night. And I can remember it building m y faith. And I remember the next morning being awakened by a nurse who was bringing in a meal tray that morning, and I really don't know why, because my Dad had long past since eaten in that time, but they brought it none the less. And at this specific hos pital, they always had a little Scripture that was folded up and sat on the tray. So, I walked up over to it and I picked up the Scripture and what was it? Isaiah, Chapter 43. God was trying to say, 'Listen, in the midst of all of this pain and hurt, the p ain will not set you ablaze, the waters will not sweep over you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel.' And in that process as I heard God's Word, my faith was built. And Jesus helps us to become more faithful as we are in His Word and as it gets inside of us and God's Word just permeates our being. Jesus helps us to become more faithful. The second thing if you're taking notes is that: Jesus helps us to become more joyful. We actually see joy talked about in the Scripture as a fr uit of the Spirit. In Galatians Five, the Bible says that the fruit of the spirit is love and that it is joy. Now, what are we talking about here? Well, Pastor Craig many times will talk about the fact that we, it's like an apple tree producing an apple right? An apple tree produces an apple because it's an apple tree. It's not having to try any harder to produce an apple! It can't just squeeze out an apple, it doesn't work. And it's that same way with us, our joy comes from a right relation with God, it 's not something that we can produce on our own. In fact, that new creation we talked about, the Bible says that when we receive Christ, God puts His Spirit inside of us, the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. And a fruit of that Spirit living i n us is love and joy. But please understand that joy and happiness are worlds apart. And I like to say it this way, is that, if you're taking notes write this down: Happiness depends on happenings, but joy depends on Jesus.

O Come All Ye Faithful

Happiness depends on happe nings; what's going on with me right now, do I really like what's going on with me right now? Do I not like what's going on with me right now? And that determines my state of happiness. But joy, that comes from Jesus. That comes from way down deep. Tha t comes from something that's not a part of this world, that comes from something that is placed in you by the living God and put inside of your spirit. And out of that overflow, a fruit of the Spirit of love and joy comes out, because happiness depends on happenings, but joy depends on Jesus. We see this in the Christmas story. In Luke Chapter Two, the Scripture where the angels have come and are proclaiming to the shepherds who are out watching over their flocks by night. The Christmas story picks up h ere in Luke, Chapter Two, and the Bible says: But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause... Help me out, it's going to cause: ...great joy for all of the people. Why? Because: ...Today today in the to wn of David a Savior has been born to you... And to you and to you. A Savior has been born, and that causes great joy. And Jesus can help us to become more faithful. Jesus helps us to become more joyful. And point number three if you're taking notes, and you see where this is going: Jesus helps us to become more triumphant. Now, to feel more triumphant, sometimes we have to have another person in our life, someone else who can kind of help us to feel that way, don't we? Because many times we ca n feel like we talked about earlier, a lot more defeated. In fact, I can remember a time that this was true for me. I went to a movie with my older brother, Brian. This has been a while back, I was in high school and he was in college. He was a college football player I was not, I was a college basketball player. But back then, man, I was really thin. You think I'm thin now, man it was really bad. He used to run around and he used to call me, all of his friends, they all called me a pirate. And I never u nderstood, and so I asked him one day, Why are you calling me a pirate all of the time? Because you're always running around looking for your sunken chest! And that's just wrong! All you little brothers in the house, everybody on Church Online, you' re little brothers are feeling my pain right now, you know what I'm talking about! And so, but he was a big guy. He was about 6'x7, weighed in at about 260, and he was ripped, he was thick. So, we go to this movie theater to go see this actor who doesn 't do a lot of movies now, but back in the day he used to do all of

Now, it was originally written in Latin and it was given the title, Adeste Fideles. It was written by John Francis Wade, who was an 18th century hymnist. It was translated in English in 1841 by a guy named, Frederick Oakeley. And that's where we get O Come All Ye Faithful. It is a carol that has stood the test of time and has just been sung throughout the ages.

these martial arts films. It was Steven Segeal. And we went in there because it was just like, you know, guys just love that kind of stuff! So, we go together and we get there a little bit late. We found some seats in the center and we had to do the scoochy slide, I like to call it; you know kind of like this, you know to kind of get where...well that all works good for a thin little frame like mine, but you start getting my brother try ing to come through there and that creates all sorts of problems because he's got legs that look like tree trunks and he's trying to scoot behind, Excuse me ma'am, you know, and he's moving through. And this is back that have those seats that rocked a bit in theaters, you all remember that? And his thighs bumped the seat of the guy in front of us, and it made the chair kind of rock a little bit. Well, this ole' boy, he's sitting like this and this is what he does to us, he goes like this, he sitting there a nd he goes...it was just awkward, it just kept going this long and I'm sitting there like, Whoa! This guy, he must have just watched a fight scene or something because he wants some and I don't want to give him any! And I've got a coke and if he turns arou nd I'm going to throw my coke in my hand and I'm going to look for the exits and I'm out of here! I'm busting out, because if I get into a fight, I'm going to get snapped like a twig! So, I'm trying to figure out where the closest exits are and all of that . Well, my brother goes to sit down and he looks up and he sees the guy and he's kind of like, Whatever, I ain't going to pay no attention..! Hands me my popcorn, he looks back and I mean, it's going on for an inordinate amount of time, this guy's just sitting there starring at us. And I'm like, Oh no! Well, my brother looks at him and finally, my brother get's up about this far from his face and he just says, You got a problem? And the whole theater was like whoa! Because it was loud! And that gu y about made a puddle on the floor in front of him, because he didn't know what he had bitten off! And I'm like, Yea, you got a problem? What, you want some? You want a little of this? What on earth happened? I went from cowering in my chair, looking f or exits, throwing cokes on people, to You want a little of this? What happened? I realized that there was a 260 pound, six foot seven football player that got my back, that's what happened! But here's the thing, many times we don't realize who it is t hat has our back, because it is the living God who has our back. We read a prophecy written about Jesus hundreds of years before His birth, it came out of the text in Isaiah, Chapter Nine, where the Scripture reads: For to us a child is born, to us a so n is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Might god, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and o ver his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. That's pretty triumphant right there. And that Scripture is prophesying about a young baby, who as we see today born in this manger scene. And w e look on and we see these porcelain figures in this pristine little environment. And we see Mary and Joseph and this little angelic being, and this precious little baby there

Now, maybe you're a little bit like me and you hear this song and it’s a little bit daunting actually. I mean the first line of the song really kind of smacks in the face of some of our lives. Truthfully all of our lives at different time. That first line kind of gets me sometimes:

right? But please understand this, that little baby, as he lays there in that ma nger, He is the King of kings and He is the LORD of lords, He is the Alpha, He is the Omega, He's the Beginning and the End, He's the Author of life, He's the Prince of Peace, He's the Author of our faith, the perfecter of it. He is the One who spoke every thing into existence. He is the bread of life, He is our salvation, He is the lifter of our head. And as the song says, He is born the King of angels and we come to adore Him, for He is Christ the Lord. That's pretty triumphant. We have to understand w ho it is that fights with us. And my prayer is that as you hear this truth that has been ringing throughout the ages in the lyrics of this song, it's O Come all ye faithful. Why? Not because we are but because He is. So, O come all ye faithful, be joyful a nd triumphant! Come to Bethlehem, and come and see born the King of Angels: O come, let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, for He is Christ the Lord. At all of our locations, let's all pray together. Father, we just thank you that you sent your Son as Emanuel, God with us. God, we just celebrate that during this Christmas season, that you are so good that you sent Him here for us. Today as you're praying, maybe as you've listened you've thought, You know what? I could definitely use help in th e joy department, or in helping my faith be built up a little bit, or maybe in coming to understand who it is that's with me and feel a little bit more triumphant about my circumstance. Maybe you're here today and you say, You know what? That's me! At all of our locations, those of you at Church Online, just lift up your hand. Church Online, just click right below me. Yes, all of you across the room who are saying, Yes, that's me! Let me just pray for you. Father, I just want to pray for those of us who are feeling a little bit of a faith struggle right now. I pray that you would send the right Scripture at the right time to build our faith, to help us to become more faithful. I pray for those of us who are lacking a little bit of joy right now. And I pray that you would help us to know that our joy is found in you and that you would remind us that it's in your presence that true joy is found. And Father, I pray for those of us who are not feeling as triumphant as we need to and we don't know and remem ber who it is that is with us. I pray that you would impress upon us this Christmas season the majestic nature of who you are, the power of your presence, and that we would understand who it is that is with us. Continuing today in an attitude of prayer, there are those of you who would say, You know what? Man, I don't know if I feel much faith or joy, or much triumph at all! Let me tell you why. The reason is because you're not in a relationship with Jesus Christ. We talked about it earlier, Jesus ca lls the weary and the burdened. And maybe you feel that a little bit today. Maybe you've been on a journey and you've tried a few things and it just ain't working for you. Let me tell you what does work. What does work is Jesus. When Jesus comes in, God se nt Him as a Babe in a manger, as Emanuel God with us, to die on a cross one day. Why? Because the Bible says that we've all sinned and fallen short of God's standard. That separates us from God, that's what that means. But we are

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!

reconciled, or brought bac k to God by the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross. Not because we've done anything good because we haven't. It's because of His goodness and His love for us that He sent His Son to die in our place on the cross so that we could be forgiven of our sin s. And that is what works. And when you say, Yes, Jesus come in and take over! What happens? You become a new creation, where the old is gone. All of that stuff that didn't work, all of that stuff that you've been trying, it doesn't work. But what does work is Jesus, and He brings a new creation, which, that Spirit lives inside of you and helps to bring love and joy and peace and patience. Things that we can't obtain on our own, but we can obtain through a right relationship with God. And today, the re are those of you whom God has brought you here to hear that truth. And you will respond today and receive the greatest Christmas present that you could ever receive right here today, and that is new life in Jesus Christ. At all of our locations, thos e of you who would say, You know what? That is me, that is why I'm here! Lift up your hands boldly right now! Say, Yes Jesus! Meet me eye - to - eye, those of you who say, Man that's me! Jesus come in, take over, be my Lord, be my Savior! Lift your hands r ight now and say, Yes Jesus, take over, help me to be a new creation, to find joy in you! Yes, back over here to my right, welcome into God's family. Others of you who would say, You know what? That is me! Say, Yes Jesus, come in, take over! Those o f you at Church Online, just click right below me right now and say, Yes Jesus, a new creation is what I look to be! Those of you who would say, That's me! Lift your hands boldly right now. Let's join with those who are making that decision today, let's all join our voices together. Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus as Emanuel, God with us. Jesus, come into my life, forgive me for my sin. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. Help me to live for you, help me to become a new creation and to be more faithful and to be more joyful and to be triumphant. It's in Jesus' name we pray. And everyone said, Amen!

And the reason is because many times, especially during this Christmas season, we can feel anything but faithful, joyful and triumphant. In fact, many times we feel doubtful, depressed, or defeated. And we can kind of feel like, Man, I don't know that I'm the one who is supposed to come because I don't always feel that.

Wait, maybe it's in the faithful side of things. Maybe it's, you know what, you knew God called you to do something, but once you got here it's much more difficult than you first thought. And it's like, Man, God, did you really call me to do this? Just kind of struggling through that faith issue, or maybe it's just some other faith trial that's just causing doubt. A lot of trials and things we go through begin to force us to question are we doing right. Are we where we are supposed to be. Did I hear God correctly? And we can find ourselves becoming a little bit doubtful.

Maybe it's in being triumphant, a word we don't actually use a whole lot today because many times we feel more defeated, don't we? We look on at our finances and we're like, I thought I'd be in a better position than I am today, and I just don't feel triumphant in that! Or maybe it's in your marriage and you're like, I figured that after 20 years that I would be at a different place in marriage than we are. How did we get here? And you can feel much more defeated.

Maybe it's in the joyful side of things. I don't know if you're like me, but joy can get sucked out of a room really quickly. I don't enjoy shopping all that much to begin with, but anybody who goes shopping this time of year, it can be a trial and a tribulation for you! In fact, my deal is I get to the end and I'm ready to check out and I can look on at two different lines, and they have the exact same number of people in them and I'm like, Mmmm? And every time, I pick the wrong one!

I don't know if you can relate, but I end up in the line with the person who is writing a check! And you're like, who writes checks anymore? And they start writing a check, and then the coupon lady's in my line! And then, I've got the person that picked up an item that doesn't have a bar code on it and they're calling for a price check, and we all know there ain't nobody back in that department bringing no price check up there! And we're sitting there forever! And I'm like, my joy is gone! And maybe you can feel that way sometimes.

And I know, that's a silly example but man, many of times there are things that are much more wearisome that can steal and rob us of our joy. And we just find ourselves not feeling joyful.

For me, as I begin to look at this song, I begin to ask this question, I wonder who it is that Jesus calls? Am I worthy to come and praise and worship. Because today I am not feeling faithful, joyful or triumphant. So it must not be me that is being called come. But the good news is, it's not exactly, the faithful joyful or the triumphant in the moment who he calls at the onset. In fact, I want to take a look today, if you're taking notes, at

Who is it that Jesus calls?

The first thing if you're taking notes is that:

Jesus calls the weary and the burdened.

Matthew 11:28–30 NKJV

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28

Matthew 11:28–30 NKJV

Matthew 11

We see this in Matthew, Chapter 11, where Jesus says: Come to me, all you who are... What? Help me out, all you who are: ...weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. So, Jesus calls the weary and the burdened.

I feel so wearisome. I feel so burden. Perfect. He is calling you. I feel wore out. Great, He is calling you.

The second thing, if you're taking notes, is that:

Jesus calls the sinners.

Matthew 9:12–13 NKJV

When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Matthew 9:12–13 NKJV

Matthew 9:12-13

You see, it's almost like you could rewrite this song a little bit and have it say, O come all ye sinners...ye weary and burdened, come to Bethlehem. But here's the thing, the good news is that Jesus doesn't leave you there. He may call you in a state of being weary and burdened or realizing that man, I've tried everything else that I know to try and it's just not working for me. And you realize, I need Jesus. He calls you in that state, because we are all in it. That is the only state to which you can come to Him. Is weary, burdened, and a sinner. It is impossible to come when you have it all together because without Him you cannot have it all together. And when you call on him, the Bible, something beautiful happens.

Scripture tells us in

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

The old is gone and the new has come.

And today, for many of you here and for those of you watching Online, you've been invited by somebody, you've got a little book And you know what? You have come here today to realize that God is wanting you to know that you can become a new creation, the old is gone and the new is here. Okay? So, Jesus helps us to become this new creation, right? Which begs the question, if he doesn't leave us there,

And help me out, what does it say? ...The new is here! And today, for many of you here and for those of you watching Online, you've been invited by somebody, you've got a little book And you know what? You have come here today to realize that God is wanting you to know that you can become a new creation, the old is gone and the new is here. Okay? So, Jesus helps us to become this new creation, right? Which begs the question, if he doesn't leave us there,

What does He help us become?

If we become this new creation, where does he take us? And that is a great question, and I want to talk about that a little bit. Let's talk about what it is that Jesus helps us to become.

The first thing, if you're taking notes, is this: That Jesus helps us to become more faithful.

In fact, in

Hebrews 12:2 NKJV

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

So, our faith comes from the one who authors it, it's Jesus. He gives it to us and then he goes about the work of perfecting it. How? Glad you asked!

Hebrews 12:2 NKJV

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Romans 10:17 NKJV

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

, the Bible says: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, who is the author and the perfecter of our faith. So, our faith comes from the one who authors it, it's Jesus. He gives it to us and then he goes about the work of perfecting it. How? Glad you as ked! , it says: So faith comes from hearing... But hearing what? ...hearing the word about Christ. Hearing comes from the word of God. Let me be clear too that doesn’t mean this word of God. It means this word of God. Which is why Jesus said those of you who have an ear let hear. God is the one who gives an ear. Pray for the ear to hear so that hearing can happen and faith can come.

So, our faith comes from the one who authors it, it's Jesus. He gives it to us and then he goes about the work of perfecting it. How? Glad you asked!

Hearing comes from the word of God. Let me be clear too that doesn’t mean this word of God. It means this word of God. Which is why Jesus said those of you who have an ear let hear. God is the one who gives an ear. Pray for the ear to hear so that hearing can happen and faith can come.

Romans 10:17 NKJV

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

, it says: So faith comes from hearing... But hearing what? ...hearing the word about Christ. Hearing comes from the word of God. Let me be clear too that doesn’t mean this word of God. It means this word of God. Which is why Jesus said those of you who have an ear let hear. God is the one who gives an ear. Pray for the ear to hear so that hearing can happen and faith can come.

Let me give you an example: March 22th, 2012 that is the day my Father passed away from cancer. Bad timing, it's bad for anybody. You know it's never a good time to pass away. The holidays, it just really blows when that happens. Okay? Because you're going through a holiday season where you don't feel faithful, you don't feel joyful. You know, we spent much more time in an ICU unit than we did at a Christmas tree or anything like that. Late night questions about why me, why now, why didn’t you, why did you, why weren’t you there. Then this year with the death in our family. Same questions. Joy gone. Triumph not apparent. And for sure that I am not feeling faithful. But look at what

Isaiah 43:1–2 NKJV

But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

Isaiah 43:1–2 NKJV

, and feel this. As this has being read, feel your faith be built. Those of you who are having a faith trial, listen to God's Word. Isaiah, Chapter 43, the Bible says: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames, they will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Those of us who have believed in Jesus and have that new creation inside of us, when you hear those words you can feel it, they build your faith. And I remember as I read those words in the days to come. And I can remember it building my faith. So, I walked over into the chapel one day at the hospital and I picked up the Scripture and what was it? Isaiah, Chapter 43. God was trying to say,

'Listen, in the midst of all of this pain and hurt, the pain will not set you ablaze, the waters will not sweep over you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel.' And in that process as I heard God's Word, my faith was built. And Jesus helps us to become more faithful as we are in His Word and as it gets inside of us and God's Word just permeates our being. Jesus helps us to become more faithful.

The second thing if you're taking notes is that:

Jesus helps us to become more joyful.

We actually see joy talked about in the Scripture as a fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22 NKJV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Galatians 5:22 NKJV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

In Galatians Five, the Bible says that the fruit of the spirit is love and that it is joy.

Now, what are we talking about here? Well I have many times talked about the fact that we, it's like an apple tree producing an apple, right? An apple tree produces an apple because it's an apple tree. It's not having to try any harder to produce an apple! It can't just squeeze out an apple, it doesn't work. And it’s that same way with us, our joy comes from a right relation with God, it’s not something that we can produce on our own. In fact, that new creation we talked about, the Bible says that when we receive Christ, God puts His Spirit inside of us, the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. And a fruit of that Spirit living in us is love and joy. But please understand that joy and happiness are worlds apart. And I like to say it this way, is that, if you're taking notes write this down:

Happiness depends on happenings, but joy depends on Jesus.

We see this in the Christmas story. In Luke Chapter Two, the Scripture where the angels have come and are proclaiming to the shepherds who are out watching over their flocks by night. The Christmas story picks up here in Luke, Chapter Two, and the Bible says: But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause... Help me out, it's going to cause: ...great joy for all of the people. Why? Because: ...Today today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you... And to you and to you. A Savior has been born, and that causes great joy. And Jesus can help us to become more faithful. Jesus helps us to become more joyful.

And point number three , and you see where this is going:

Jesus can help us feel more triumphant.

Now, to feel more triumphant, sometimes we have to have another person in our life, someone else who can kind of help us to feel that way, don't we? Because many times we can feel like we talked about earlier, a lot more defeated. In fact, I remember a time when I wasn’t feeling very triumphant. I had just been beaten up by my step father. It was a day or two prior to me seeing my dad. So my dad picks me up from school and loves on me. I am trying to forget that event but he ask me, did he hit you? He had heard about my mother and her being in the hospital. I said no. I lied. Because I knew my dad didn’t play and he would not have cared to go to jail over me if that is what it took. But my dad didn’t care about my response he wanted to go have words with my step father. So I was told to stay in the car. He went in the church and asked my step father to come out side. So he did. My step father is about 5’9 he was about 245 maybe. My dad however was 6’4” and easily weighed 280-290. Not fat chubby but just muscular. Set a whole ice machine on top a bin by himself kind of strong. So he is towering over this man. He ask him what happened between he and my mother. So he tells the story. My dad tells him that He has no baring over what he does to her that is not his place. But that if he laid a finger on me, it would be the end. I went from at that moment a scared kid to a kid who knew who was rooting for him and who had his back. I didn’t get cocky with it. I wasn’t a bad kid. I just wasn’t afraid of him anymore.

But here's the thing, many times we don't realize who it is that has our back, because it is the living God who has our back. We read a prophecy written about Jesus hundreds of years before His birth, it came out of the text in

Isaiah 9:6–7 NKJV

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 9:6–7 NKJV

Isaiah, Chapter Nine, where the Scripture reads:

That's pretty triumphant right there. And that Scripture is prophesying about a young baby, who as we see today born in this manger scene. And we look on and we see these porcelain figures in this pristine little environment. And we see Mary and Joseph and this little angelic being, and this precious little baby there right? But please understand this, that little baby, as he lays there in that manger, He is the King of kings and He is the LORD of lords, He is the Alpha, He is the Omega, He's the Beginning and the End, He's the Author of life, He's the Prince of Peace, He's the Author of our faith, the perfecter of it. He is the One who spoke everything into existence. He is the bread of life, He is our salvation, He is the lifter of our head. And as the song says, He is born the King of angels and we come to adore Him, for He is Christ the Lord. That's pretty triumphant. We have to understand who it is that fights with us. And my prayer is that as you hear this truth that has been ringing throughout the ages in the lyrics of this song, it's O Come all ye faithful. Why? Not because we are but because He is. So, O come all ye faithful, be joyful and triumphant! Come to Bethlehem, and come and see born the King of Angels: O come, let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, for He is Christ the Lord.

Let's all pray together. Father, we just thank you that you sent your Son as Emanuel, God with us. God, we just celebrate that during this Christmas season, that you are so good that you sent Him here for us. Today as you're praying, maybe as you've listened you've thought, You know what? I could definitely use help in the joy department, or in helping my faith be built up a little bit, or maybe in coming to understand who it is that's with me and feel a little bit more triumphant about my circumstance. Maybe you're here today and you say, You know what? That's me! Those of you hear and watching online. Yes, all of you across the room who are saying, Yes, that's me! Let me just pray for you. Father, I just want to pray for those of us who are feeling a little bit of a faith struggle right now. I pray that you would send the right Scripture at the right time to build our faith, to help us to become more faithful. I pray for those of us who are lacking a little bit of joy right now. And I pray that you would help us to know that our joy is found in you and that you would remind us that it's in your presence that true joy is found. And Father, I pray for those of us who are not feeling as triumphant as we need to and we don't know and remember who it is that is with us. I pray that you would impress upon us this Christmas season the majestic nature of who you are, the power of your presence, and that we would understand who it is that is with us. Continuing today in an attitude of prayer, there are those of you who would say, You know what? Man, I don't know if I feel much faith or joy, or much triumph at all! Let me tell you why. The reason is because you're not in a relationship with Jesus Christ. We talked about it earlier, Jesus calls the weary and the burdened. And maybe you feel that a little bit today. Maybe you've been on a journey and you've tried a few things and it just ain't working for you. Let me tell you what does work. What does work is Jesus. When Jesus comes in, God sent Him as a Babe in a manger, as Emanuel God with us, to die on a cross one day. Why? Because the Bible says that we've all sinned and fallen short of God's standard. That separates us from God, that's what that means. But we are reconciled or brought bac k to God by the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross. Not because we've done anything good because we haven't. It's because of His goodness and His love for us that He sent His Son to die in our place on the cross so that we could be forgiven of our sin s. And that is what works. And when you say, Yes, Jesus come in and take over! What happens? You become a new creation, where the old is gone. All of that stuff that didn't work, all of that stuff that you've been trying, it doesn't work. But what does work is Jesus, and He brings a new creation, which, that Spirit lives inside of you and helps to bring love and joy and peace and patience. Things that we can't obtain on our own, but we can obtain through a right relationship with God. And today, there are those of you whom God has brought you here to hear that truth. And you will respond today and receive the greatest Christmas present that you could ever receive right here today, and that is new life in Jesus Christ. who would say, You know what? That is me, that is why I'm here! Lift up your hands boldly right now! Say, Yes Jesus! Meet me eye - to - eye, those of you who say, Man that's me! Jesus come in, take over, be my Lord, be my Savior! Lift your hands right now and say, Yes Jesus, take over, help me to be a new creation, to find joy in you! Yes, back over here to my right, welcome into God's family. Others of you who would say, You know what? That is me! Say, Yes Jesus, come in, take over! Those of you at Church Online, just click right below me right now and say, Yes Jesus, a new creation is what I look to be! Those of you who would say, That's me! Lift your hands boldly right now. Let's join with those who are making that decision today, let's all join our voices together. Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus as Emanuel, God with us. Jesus, come into my life, forgive me for my sin. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. Help me to live for you, help me to become a new creation and to be more faithful and to be more joyful and to be triumphant. It's in Jesus' name we pray. And everyone said, Amen!

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