Why Christmas?
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As we have been going through the gospel of Mark he continues to display Jesus with His authority over this created world. Revealing that Jesus was unlike any other man that has walked upon the face of this earth. His coming has brought life, freedom, and redemption to many. What exactly does this mean and how does this apply to our lives here this morning?
But the question that must be begged is why do we celebrate Christmas? Why do you celebrate Christmas?
Is it for the lights that go up on the house?
The cocoa brewing on the stove top?
Is it the Christmas tree?
The decorations?
The movies? Like Elf, Santa Clause, its a wonderful life, rudolf, star, Christmas vacation, halmark classics?
What about the giving of gifts?
Family gatherings?
The parties that are thrown?
Which one in this list can you not live without at this time of year for it not to be Christmas?
I’m not labeling any of these as evil or wrong but what if they have greatly distracted our minds from the true meaning and purpose of Christmas.
Read :45-56
Pray.
This is an account of Jesus walking on water and healing a blind man so that he may see.
Is it for the lights that go up on the house?
The cocoa brewing on the stove top?
What if we have become blinded to the reality that our hearts have grown dull to the ultimate reason for the season to focus rather on the lesser things.
Is it the Christmas tree?
The decorations?
The movies? Like Elf, Santa Clause, its a wonderful life, rudolf, star, Christmas vacation, halmark classics?
What about the giving of gifts?
Family gatherings?
The parties that are thrown?
Which one in this list can you not live without at this time of year for it not to be Christmas?What if we have become blinded to the reality that our hearts have grown dull to the ultimate reason for the season to focus rather on the lesser things.
Willing to sacrifice on the altar of our agendas and wants the greater to delight in the lesser.
Can you forget the gifts and still have Christmas?
What about the lights, the trees, the parties, the family gatherings.
Those things are great but not the focal point of Christmas.
When this is the case it is a great problem in our lives. This is when those thing i mentioned have become evil not in and of themselves but in our hearts.
I pray this morning that we would evaluate our hearts and see if we have forgotten God at the curb this time of year and may we get back to it.
We need to recalibrate.
God walking on water.
What an account that was recorded here for the disciples and ours edification that we may truly know the personhood of Jesus and who He truly was.
3 miracles transpire in this amazing revelation of Jesus walking on water.
Jesus walks on water
They thought that He was a ghost. Would make sense since only a ghost would be able to do such things.
In the matthew account Peter walks on water as well.
And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
Matthew 14:28-
Jesus calms the wind
Let us not forget they were rowing all night, and hadn’t gotten anywhere.
They appear at shore in the account of John suddenly.
Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.
Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.
Mark 6:
Jesus in part continue to pull back the curtain to his disciples blinded eyes and hardened hearts to reveal who He truly was.
For they still didn’t fully understand even about the loaves.
Jesus is graciously putting pieces together that they may see.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
Measured heaven with a span
And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?
Weighed the mountains in scales
And the hills in a balance?
This is not a complicated task to defy gravity if you have created it.
As we are going to get here in the near future we see this is the King. The creator, The ruler of heavens and earth that is walking upon the waters
As soon as they crossed and came to the shore (after rowing all night) the crowds saw jesus recognized him and brought to him the sick.
The blind man healed.
He makes the deaf to hear and the blind to speak.
Jesus was unlike any man that had come before or after him.
He was the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.
These were not just mere stories that men heard about but rather as john said the word became life and we beheld his Glory.
Peter And john testified that we only write of those things in which we have seen with our own eyes.
For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
Peter 2:18
1 John 1:1-
And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Luke 4:
This is good right?
Healing for the brokenhearted
sight for the blind
liberty for the oppressed
This is like saying their is a cure for your cancer. It has been found. Would you keep it silent?
Go tell it on the mountain. This was a message that the apostles and many many other disciples were willing to give their lives for. That the world may know not just the messiah is here but has come to lay down his life sacrificially that we may live.
A man who found a field
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
This was the author, the creator, the founder, the perfecter, the only way.
This is counting the cost of following Christ. He is the ultimate possession of any man. The bread of life, the well of living water, the source and satisfaction for our depraved souls.
It is interesting to note that John reveals that his own rejected him. This should of been a season of jubilee as the word comes to flesh, a deliverer for his people. Instead of rejoicing (for he didn’t come as they expected) He was rather rejected.
why do we celebrate Christmas? Why do you celebrate Christmas?
Is it for the lights that go up on the house?
The cocoa brewing on the stove top?
Is it the Christmas tree?
The decorations?
The movies? Like Elf, Santa Clause, its a wonderful life, rudolf, star, Christmas vacation, halmark classics?
What about the giving of gifts?
Family gatherings?
The parties that are thrown?
Which one in this list can you not live without at this time of year for it not to be Christmas?What if we have become blinded to the reality that our hearts have grown dull to the ultimate reason for the season to focus rather on the lesser things.
Willing to sacrifice on the altar of our agendas and wants the greater to delight in the lesser.
Can you forget the gifts and still have Christmas?
What about the lights, the trees, the parties, the family gatherings.
Those things are great but not the focal point of Christmas.
When this is the case it is a great problem in our lives. This is when those thing i mentioned have become evil not in and of themselves but in our hearts.
I pray this morning that we would evaluate our hearts and see if we have forgotten God at the curb this time of year and may we get back to it.
We need to recalibrate. Refocus and keep Jesus at the center of lives in a time of year, though about him, gets lost in the noise.
It is to easy to neglect this reality.
To many have gotten burned out on the holidays and this is not because of understanding the true meaning and celebrating in such light but rather because of the stigma in which our culture says is how we are to observe this time of year.
As we reflect this years celebration may we do so with joyful hearts, on mission to our communities, our homes and even our own hearts to proclaim the goodness of Gods mercy in sending his son.
This by no means is a time of mourning but rather that of rejoicing. Emmanuel is His name which means God is with us.
Proven by His words and works.
He has caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear. He walks and waters and testifies of the path to life. He was and is the spotless lamb that takes away the sins of the world. He saves the vilest of sinners and brings hope to the weary. He brings the dead to life. Seek the Lord this morning.