The Ugliness Of Christmas

Christmas Message by Pastor John MacArthur

Title:                         The Ugliness of Christmas

Online Source:  oneplace.com

                                    http://www.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/Archives.asp

Speaker:                Pastor John MacArthur

Introduction:

          Scripture Passages:

                    Matthew 1:21 

            (NKJV)

21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”

          1 John 3:5

            (NKJV)

5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

          1 John 4:14

(NKJV)

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.

            1 Timothy 1:15

 (NKJV)

15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

What is the Central point of John MacArthur’s Message ?

The dark and ugly side of Christmas is ________________!

The heart of Christmas is this:  Christ came into the world to save ___________!   

FIVE QUESTIONS REGARDING SIN:

1.         WHAT IS SIN ?

            John Bunyan

            1 John 3:4

            Romans 7:12

2.         WHAT IS SIN LIKE ?

            A.        Sin is Defiling. 

                        1 Kings 8:38

                        Zechariah 3:3

                        Zechariah 11:8

                        Ezekiel 40:23

                        2 Corinthians 7:1

                        Thomas Goodwin, The Puritan wrote:

            B.        Sin is Defiant.           It is defying God.

                        Leviticus 26:27

                        Psalm 12:4

                        Jeremiah 2:31  ( Hebrew word “pasha” = “rebellion” )

                        Jeremiah 44:17

            C.        Sin is Ingratitude.

                        Acts 17:28

                        Matthew 5:45

                        2 Samuel 16:17  “Is this thy kindness to thy friend ?”

            D.        Sin is Humanly Incurable.

                        Jeremiah 13:23

                        Isaiah 1:4

            E.        Sin is Hated by God

                        Jeremiah 44:4

            F.         Sin is hard work

                        Jeremiah 9:5            

                        Psalm 7:14

                        Ezekiel 24:12

                        Genesis 19:1-11                   Men of Sodom

3.         HOW MANY PEOPLE DOES SIN AFFECT ?

            Romans 3:23                        “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

            Romans 3:10                        “ There is none righteous, no, not one;”   

            Romans 5:12

Job 14:4

Psalm 58:3

Psalm 51:5

1 John 3:5    

2 Kings 5                   Sin clings to us like Namaan’s Leprosy

Romans 7:25                       

Romans 6:23                        “For the wages of sin is death,”

Romans 7:14-20      Even after salvation sin remains a problem for the Christian

            1 John 1:8-10           If you say that you have no sin, you make God a liar

4.         WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF SIN ?

            What does sin cause ?

            A.        Sin causes evil to over power us.

                        Jeremiah 17:9

                        1)         Evil dominates the mind

                                    Ephesians 4:17-18              Understanding Darkened

            1 Corinthians 210-16

            Romans 1:28                                    The Mind “Reprobate / debased mind”

2).        Evil dominates the will

            Jeremiah 44:17

                        3)         Evil dominates the affections

                                    John 3:19-20 “Men loved darkness rather than light”

            B.        Sin brings us under the domination of Satan

                        Ephesians 2:1-3      

                        John 8:44

                        John 8:32 and 36     The only way to be truly free

            C.        Sin makes a person an object of God’s Wrath

                        Psalm 90:11

                        Proverbs 14:9

                        Hebrews 10:31         “It is a fearful thing”

            D.        Sin subjects a persons to all the miseries of life

                        Job 5:7

                        Romans 8:20

                        Proverbs 28:1

            E.        Sin damns people to Hell

                        Rev 20:11-15

CONCLUSION  /  APPLICATION: