JESUS- Living Hope
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What Christmas is to me personally
What Christmas is to me personally
2020 crazy year
regardless of background
keeping up
One thing has stayed constant - the promise of Christmas- What is that
Darkness around us
Darkness around us
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
GOD IS WITH US- not changed. He is with us still
in 2020
he has never left the scene
of all the things we dwell on this christmas. traditions
God will never leave us
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
When John is telling the story
-in him was life
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.
JESUS CAME for people like you and me.
He says I will bring light in your darkness
Hitting close to home
present darkness in my face
IT MUST BE REAL.cannot be a story
WE WERE PART OF THE DARKNESS
remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
Why i dont talk only about baby jesus-
the far off have been brought close.
we now have the right to be called children of God
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
think about this....
Might feeel like everything is a mess
heading in a bad direction
I dont know where God is in all this.
I want to encourage you with this simple truth
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
the light of Jesus never left.
I dont want to just talk about christianity, the baby Jesus, or how Christmas makes everything better.
There is hope. real hope.
HOPE IS ETERNAL
To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Christ is in us
we are so used to seeing things only with our natural eyes.
we need to look past just the things
Pray- Lord open my eyes to see
as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
God I want to see it
1. Bear Witness
1. Bear Witness
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world." (John 1:6-9)
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
2. Walk in the Light - Follow by Example
2. Walk in the Light - Follow by Example
"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'" (John 8:12)
for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
3. Put Yourself Out There
3. Put Yourself Out There
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)