Sermon Tone Analysis
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Today we are beginning our Christmas series, a series we have titled “An MCF Christmas”.
If you’re new to MCF, it would be good for you to know
And If I’m being honest with you, when it comes to Christmas series and messages about Christmas, for me, they tend to be some of the hardest to write.
And they’re hard because from year to year the Christmas story doesn’t really change.
Have you ever noticed that?
That every year when Christmas comes around, Christmas is always about the birth of Jesus.
Now, you might be thinking, “Ok Pastor, I’m not sure I’m tracking with you.
Because shouldn’t that make preaching on Christmas easy?
I mean you already know what you’re going to preach about, right?”
Yes, that’s true.
But the reality is, because Christmas is always Christmas, many times the Christmas story or even the Christmas services can often become predictable and repetitive.
It’s kind of like when you fly on a commercial airline.
Most of us don’t do it very often, but when we do, we already know what’s coming.
We know after getting seated the stewardess is going to show us how to fasten our seatbelts, put on the life preserver, and activate the oxygen masks if the plane goes down.
After the plane takes off, we know the stewardess is going to come by and ask what we’d like to drink.
Not long after that, we know the pretzels are coming.
It’s all very predictable.
And the same is true for Christmas.
The fact is, we all know what the Christmas story is about, and for the most part know what’s coming.
We already know it’s about a young couple named Mary and Joseph.
We already know it’s going to involve some Shepards, a stable, some animals, some Wisemen, and a baby named Jesus.
It continues as Mary and Joseph
And let’s not forget about the Shepards and the Wiseman.
And as a result, for many people, Christmas becomes a repetitive and predictable time of the year, and as a result, people often lose sight of how important it really is.
Like the airplane seatbelt instructions
And honestly, that’s my concern, and the challenge I face each year as we begin our Christmas series.
Because the last thing I want is for Christmas to become predictable and repetitive.
And so this year I decided to approach Christmas a little bit differently.
To approach it in a way that I hope will give all of us a renewed and fresh perspective of the Christmas story.
So, to do that, over the next 3 weeks leading up to Christmas Eve, I want to focus on four major components of Christmas.
Four components that highlight not only the Christmas story, but the benefits and certainties that Christmas provides us.
Certainties that I believe are critical for us to grasp if we truly desire to celebrate Christmas in a Biblical and meaningful way.
So, with that said, today we are going to look at the first component.
A component I’ve labeled “Unshakeable Faith”.
Now, the truth is, when I say the word “Faith”,
And I want to start with Unshakeable faith, because the fact is, for a person to even believe in or celebrate Christmas, it begins with faith.
Faith to believe there was a couple named Mary and Joseph.
This morning we are beginning our Christmas series.
And to be honest, I went back and forth on how I wanted to approach Christmas this year.
And to be honest, I went back and forth on how I wanted to approach Christmas this year.
Faith to believe a child name Jesus was born of a virgin.
Faith to believe that over 2000 years ago, in a stable out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a bunch of animals and some Shepards, the Son of God came down from heaven, and was born into the likeness of mankind.
To believe in Christmas, it takes faith.
And therein lies the challenge, because the truth is, to have that kind of faith requires a specific understanding of what Biblical faith is.
And too be honest, I think a lot of people, including some Christians, struggle with what Biblical faith looks like and what its purpose is in our lives.
And they struggle for a number of reasons:
Some struggle because they’ve simply recieved bad teaching when it comes to Biblical faith.
For example, in the late 20th century a heretical teaching called the “Word of Faith” movement swept across the evangelical and pentecostal world.
A movement that taught that faith is a force or power that a Christian can access in order to bring prosperity, health, and wellness into all areas of their life.
Some refer to it as “name it claim it faith”.
A faith that allows you to claim healing and be healed.
A faith that allows you to claim prosperity and be prosperous.
A faith that allows you to claim and obtain victory over any kind of obstacle or adversity you may face in your life.
And unfortunately many Christians gave themselves to this teaching only to discover, that regardless of their faith; sickness, lack of healing, and death still came.
That regardless of their faith; hardship, poverty, and lack of resource were still present in their life.
And then when they ask
Why? Was it because they didn’t have enough faith?
Was it because they didn’t believe hard enough or long enough?
Well, that’s what the proponents of this false teaching told them.
But that’s not true.
But the reality is, sickness isn’t always overcome.
And prosperity isn’t always attained.
And as a reuslt, for those
The problem with that teaching though is it’s not Biblical.
Because faith isn’t a power or force.
We aren’t Jedi Knights who have the power to manipulate the power of God.
It’s not true because Biblical faith isn’t a power or force.
In other words, being a Christian doesn’t make you some kind of Christian Jedi Knight with the ability to manipulate the power of God at your whim and for your own personal benefit.
That’s now how faith works or the purpose that it serves.
As a result, a true Christian operating in such faith should be able to manipulate the faith-force and become prosperous in all areas of life.
In other words, operating in faith, a Christian should be able to name it and claim it.
The Word of Faith movement is an unbiblical teaching that has led many Christians astray, and in some cases wrecked their faith.
So, that’s why some struggle.
Others struggle with Biblical faith because for them it requires believing in something they haven’t experienced or seen with their own eyes.
In other words, they want proof.
They don’t want to walk blindly into a belief system or idea without evidence.
And then others struggle with Biblical faith because it doesn’t line up with their perception of reality.
In other words, it just seems far fetched.
Others see faith as
For example, when it comes to Christmas, faith requires you to believe in the supernatural.
To believe in an immaculate conception and virgin birth.
To believe that a baby named Jesus was actually the Son of God.
And for some, that’s no different than believing in something like Santa Claus.
The fact is, people struggle with Biblical Faith for a number of reasons.
And so that’s why we need to start with faith.
Because without an understanding of what Biblical faith is, you’ll never understand or experience the true power of Christmas in your life.
So, based on all that, I want to answer three questions this morning.
Questions that I hope will give us a foundation for Biblical faith and ultimately deepen our understanding and appreciation for Christmas:
Question #1 - What is Unshakeable Faith?
In other words, if we were going to define Unshakeable faith, what would that definition look like and why is it unshakeable?
Question #2 - Why is it Unshakeable?
In other words, once defined, what makes Biblical Faith so stable and certain?
Question #2 - What’s its relationship to Christmas?
Question #3 - How do I get it?
Goal #3 -
Question #3 - How do I get it?
In other words, what does it take for a person to obtain and implement this kind of faith into their life?
So, to get us started, we’re going to go to , where we’re actually going to spend most of our time today.
So, let’s get started by answering the first question, “What is Unshakeable Faith?”
And to answer that question we are going to spend the majority our time this morning in where the writer of Hebrews actually has much to say about faith and gives us a working definition.
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