Don't Miss Christmas

Today with all the Bowl games and NFL. NBA and on and on, many teams have to travel on or around Christmas. A few years ago, one team made advanced arrangements so that their players would not miss Christmas. One play said, no game is worth missing Christmas for…

But the reality is, that people miss Christmas all the time. You may think, How is that possible? because it the most advertised event of the year… decorations ahve been out since Oct… It’s the most anticipated time of the year… stores make the majority of their profit during this time too.

You would think that it’s pretty hard to miss.

decorations are up all over the place… Hal-mark Christmas movies have been playing since July…

But people still miss Christmas… all the time. How is that? People today miss Christmas for the same reasons people missed the first Christmas.

Why do people often miss Christmas?

1. People miss Christmas because of Busyness

This was the Innkeeper’s mistake that 1st Christmas.

Innkeeper

You know the story… In the last week of her pregnancy, Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem for a Roman Taxation Census. Joseph checks at the local hotels and inns and they are all full… NO VACANCIES.

Luke 2:7 TEV

7 She gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger—there was no room for them to stay in the inn.

Now if you are the Innkeeper, this is a goods thing. Business is booming, you are making money right and left. It was a busy time of year and lots of people needed a place to stay.

He had no place for this couple and their baby & NO IDEA who he was snubbing.

Listen, Busyness caused him to miss his greatest opportunity.

He could have met God… been used by God… to be a good part of history…

Imagine the PR. He would of course hang a sign… SOG born here

Q Are you to busy with YOUR business to make room for Jesus? Do you have room in your schedule? plans? budget? thoughts?

Psalm 10:4 NCV

4 The wicked people are too proud. They do not look for God; there is no room for God in their thoughts.

You could be so busy at Christmas that you miss meeting GOD!

2. People miss Christmas because of Familiarity or Indifference

You have heard it all before.

You have celebrated Christmas all your life… nothing special.

You know all the stories… songs and traditions...

You have become jaded… bored… lacking enthusiasm

You can become so familiar with something that it doesn’t AMAZE you anymore. You miss the beauty of something… take it for granted.

You see it, but don’t do anything about it.

This is what the Religious Leaders did.

Religious Leaders

Check this out. When the wise men arrived from the east, they ask HEROD in Jerusalem, where is the baby? He has no idea so he gathers the Religious Scholars together...

Matthew 2:4–5 The Living Bible

4 He called a meeting of the Jewish religious leaders. “Did the prophets tell us where the Messiah would be born?” he asked. 5 “Yes, in Bethlehem,” they said, “for this is what the prophet Micah wrote:

Norice - These people knew about the prophecies of Jesus, the Savior, the KOK… they knew where he would be born. They knew the scripture from memory. But they were not impressed enough to go and see for themselves… Ho HUm...

Think about it! Foreign dignitaries show up. There is an unusual star in the sky. then Herod calls them for an emergency meeting. but none of them cared to check it out.

None of them checked it out!

They had the right answers, but they did not do anything about it. It didn’t change their lives. They didn’t even bother to go check it out in case it was true.

They would rather debate about the Savior than go see him. Bethlehem was only 5 miles from Jerusalem. That’s amazing that they knew all this about the coming Messiah, but didn’t go check it out.

ILL - I see blue flashing light, we go check it out… call dispatch to see of help is needed. These guys didn’t do anything,

Background: For centuries, Israel was waiting for the Savior… the Messiah, promised by God… it was talked about… debated … studied…

But there was no room in their theology for God to Show Up.

All kinds of traditions had been tacked onto what the prophets fortold. Over time, people paid more attention to the traditions than God. Sound familiar?

Today: Intelligent people will participate in all the Christmas traditions… yet show no concern at all for checking out WHY Jesus came at Christmas and WHAT he came to do.

You can hang up all the lights you can and still be in the dark.

Ephesians 4:18 NLT

18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.

3. People miss Christmas because of fear.

It doesn’t make sense to most of us, but some people miss Christmas because they are afraid of it. It’s why they fight it… oppose it… file lawsuits against it.

This was King Herod’s Problem.

King Herod

He was afraid of Christmas! He was paranoid because he was appointed as King… he wasn’t really a king. He was afraid that everyone was after his throne. He was ruthless against anyone he suspected. killed his wife… brother in law.... 2 sons. Five days before he died, he killed the rest of his sons and many prominent people in Jerusalem so that people would weep when he died.

When the Wise Men showed up from the East, asking, where is the king of the Jews to be born, Heron went off…

Matthew 2:3 NLT

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.

Herod’s fear finally led him to murder or massacre every baby born in Bethlehem. It was his attempt to wipe out any competition to his throne. Kathy and I have been to the place in Bethlehem where they discovered the bones.

Fear keeps a lot of people from getting to know God

People think they will lose their freedom… fun… (story of Chic at the bar) …

Herod was afraid that he would lose control. No one was going be KING except him.

1 Timothy 6:21 The Living Bible

21 Some of these people have missed the most important thing in life—they don’t know God. May God’s mercy be upon you. Sincerely, Paul

These are some of the people and some of the reasons why people miss Christmas. So how do we NOT Miss Christmas?

What We Can Do To Not to Miss This Christmas

It’s a simple as stop… look … listen

STOP filling your life with less important things.

Don’t let busyness keep you from knowing God.

Psalm 39:6 The Living Bible

5 My life is no longer than my hand! My whole lifetime is but a moment to you. Proud man! Frail as breath! A shadow! And all his busy rushing ends in nothing. He heaps up riches for someone else to spend.

He is talking about the RAT RACE many people find themselves in.

So many people are sooo busy making a living… going to dance class… ball games…

Beware of the emptiness of busyness.

Busyness fills your calendar, but it tears apart a family.

The worst thing of all… people become too busy for the Lord.

How do you fix it?

STOP RUNNIG & SLOW DOWN

Psalm 46:10 NLT

10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”

It’s interesting that the first people given the GOOD NEWS were the Shepherds. Ever wondered why?

One possible reason is they were not too busy to listen. They were just sitting around on a starry night with their sheep. When the angel showed up, they didn’t have anything else to do… they listened.

If you are thinking or saying, I don’t have time to get to know God, you are too busy.

Proverbs 10:27 The Living Bible

27 Reverence for God adds hours to each day; so how can the wicked expect a long, good life?

What ever you are in need of, put god first in that area. You have to make room in your schedule.

FACT: The innkeeper could have done something to make room for Mary and Joseph… for Jesus. You can too.

Whenever Jesus comes into your life, something else has to go.

LOOK closely at why Jesus came

Make every effort to check it out. Investigate Jesus. (Simon Greenleaf)

Who is he… what did he say and do?… why does he matter?

That is what herod told the wise men to do.

Matthew 2:8 TEV

8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem with these instructions: “Go and make a careful search for the child, and when you find him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him.”

We call these guys the Wisemen. What made them wise? They too the time to check out Jesus.

They studied the same prophecies the Religious leaders did… they saw the same star in the sky, but unlike others, they checked it out. Others were closer, but missed Christmas. The wisemen took the time to stop and look

Don’t be one of those people who celebrate Christmas traditions and don’t take the time or make the effort to check out Jesus. Don’t miss Christ.

Jeremiah 29:13 NLT

13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

Be a seeker… a detective… an investigator. Check out Jesus.

Read a NT book and ask God to show you who Jesus really was and is.

It’s ok to have doubts, as long as those doubts motivate you to look for the truth.

Study who Jesus was.

It’s not enough for you to stop and look,

LISTEN to the Good News of Christmas!

Don’t be afraid of it.

Luke 2:10–11 NLT

10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

What is the good news? Why did Jesus come to earth? into our world?

John 10:10 NLT

10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Most people just exist. Jesus came to give us a rich and satisfying life.

You lose your fear when you realize what Jesus came to do.

John 3:17 The Living Bible

17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.

He came not to scare us, but to save us.

I don’t know what you have gone through or are going through, but my advice… RUN TO GOD… NOT AWAY.

Let me ask you…

What could cause you to miss Christmas this Christmas?

Busyness?

You have too many things to focus on...

Indifference?

not even going to check him out…

Fear?

Afraid to give up control to God? You want to be king of your life… doesn’t work.

For a New Life at Christmas

Stop

1 Peter 2:24 NCV

24 Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross so we would stop living for sin and start living for what is right. And you are healed because of his wounds.

Look

Isaiah 45:22 NLT

22 Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other.

Listen

2 Corinthians 6:2 TEV

2 Hear what God says: “When the time came for me to show you favour I heard you; when the day arrived for me to save you, I helped you.” Listen! This is the hour to receive God’s favour; today is the day to be saved!

Close w 2 Questions

Have you received God’s Christmas gift to you? purpose, peace, joy, power...

What gift will you give Jesus this year on His Birthday? give him your LIFE… TRUST… LOVE