Dec. 19, 2021 - The Christmas Elephant
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• First things first… Before we MEET AGAIN – NEXT Sunday….Christmas will have passed…
· And so just wanna say to everyone – Merry Incarnation!
· I have NO DOUBT that as most of you listened last week to Joe’s “Not So Ordinary Sermon” on Christmas…
· That you were potentially anxious about where he was going with it.
· And I ASSUME – that as he made his way through it…
o You were able to BREATHE easier KNOWING that he wasn’t calling you to turn your trees into firewood…
o Or your Christmas PLANS – into OLD plans.
See the point of last week’s sermon was to highlight – THE REALITY of Christmas
· It’s EASY for us to get – SWEPT away in the current of POPULARISM…
· To FIND OURSELVES surrounded on every side – by the MAJORITY…
· And inoculated with POPULAR THOUGHT!
· And Christmas is a prime example of this.
AT THE SAME TIME – what we heard in the sermon last week is that there’s FREEDOM in CELEBRATING – the birth of Christ, or His resurrection….or His eventual second coming…!
· We are FREE to WORSHIP God – IN Christ…
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
· AND SO - - there’s freedom.
· Freedom to celebrate…
· BUT
· If you remember – the sermon last week highlighted – THE REALITY of Christmas…
· IN LIGHT OF – the world’s response to it.
AND BECAUSE – THAT – was the focus….
· It leaves us THIS WEEK – with this….
SLIDE: Sermon Title
A Christmas Elephant – In the Room of This World
· Based on the REALITY of Christmas – and the World’s Response to It…
There REALLY is a Christmas Elephant in the Room of This World!
And based off of THAT Elephant – we’re going to be able to ARM ourselves today…
· Arm ourselves with some TRUTHS to wield against the world.
· We just recently came out of looking at the ARMOR of GOD…
· Well today – we’ll get to maybe put some Arrows in our Quiver…
The first thing we need to do is UNWRAP the Christmas Elephant in the Room of the World…
· We’re not gonna save the PLOT TWIST for the end…
· We need to get right to it – SO – we can properly PREPARE ourselves …
· So we can properly ARM ourselves…
· And so - - WHAT IS IT?
What’s the Christmas Elephant in the Room of This World??
SLIDE:
The lost soul that celebrates Christmas, celebrates its own separation from God.
In other words - the lost soul that celebrates Christmas - celebrates its own destruction...
· NOW – BECAUSE that’s true…
· WE - can ARM ourselves with the implications OF that truth!
• I have 3 kids at home, and when it comes time during our day for A SNACK…
· Which actually happens probably 27 times a day…
· Most times, it turns into – 20 questions!
• Why?...
• Because…
1. My kids can be picky eaters…
2. My kids don’t like to give a lot of detail when telling you what they want to eat…
• It might sound like this…
• “Dad, I’m hungry…”
me: Ok, you’re hungry - makes sense…BUT what do you want to eat?
Tia: I want food…
Me: I know…BUT WHAT do you want to eat?
Tia: What do we have?
Me: We have, this, and that, this, and that…
Tia: I don’t want any of that… can have gum?
Me: No – you’re hungry, you need FOOD, BUT what do you want?
TIA: Never mind
OK- you get the point…
• A lot of times, kids like to leave out – Important information!
• And sometimes we adults will do the same…
· Sometimes we leave out the IMPORTANT information…
• When we deal with IMPORTANT issues, and yet someone leaves us with only GENERALITIES...we seek to dig deeper!
· We seek to ASK the questions we need to ask…to gain the info we need!
· But even THAT can be a problem for us!
· A LOT of times – we as a people – just DON’T ask questions… (Penguins of Madagascar Movies – “We question NOTHING!!”)
· It’s this IDEA that we just – DO as we’re told and we DO NOT question things…
- And I think this can be VERY prevalent in things that are SOO common to us – we just GO WITH THE FLOW (HENCE – the “Not So Ordinary Christmas Sermon” – from last week)
• The problem is - when something becomes SOOOO COMMON, such as Christmas, it can be easy for us to FOLLOW the crowds and fail to UNWRAP the Elephants in the room…
SO - today, we're going to UNWRAP the Christmas Elephants in the ROOM…and ARM ourselves for the benefit of the world!
WE KNOW - that - a lost soul that celebrates Christmas, is celebrating its own separation from God (destruction / death)
And SO - what do we do about it?
We ARM ourselves with QUESTIONS...
QUESTIONS to ask those LOST SOULS around us - that are SO close to our hearts!!
The first ELEPHANT we’ll look to UNWRAP - the first question we’ll look to ARM ourselves with is this...
In speaking to that LOST SOUL....we ask
SLIDE:
Yes you’ve heard of the birth of Jesus, but do you know why He was even born?
Why did Jesus come?
WHY was He born?
Answer?
Let’s focus on 2 REASONS...
Because SIN separated us FROM God...
Because BEING separated from God - WE ARE - DEAD!
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
MANY, many people do not believe this...
The world certainly does not!
SIN came into the world - Adam and Eve CHOSE to SIN and in doing so - USHERED sin to HUMANITY!
RESULT? 2 of them...
2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
SIN - SPIRITUALLY separates us from God! - - SPIRITUAL REALITY!!
AND - We see the PHYSICAL representation of this - in the GARDEN!!
What happened?
22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”
23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Here we have a PHYSICAL separation - REPRESENTING the Spiritual separation
Prior to the FALL of MANKIND - we know another fall happened as well...
WHat was it?
The Fall of Satan and the Angels...
A Spiritual FALL -
Spiritual forces - FALL / separated from God!
And THEN....a physical representation of that happens - IN THE GARDEN!!
But that wasn’t the only RESULT of SIN!
Romans 5:12 told us that - something spread to ALL men…what was it?
DEATH!
SIN - KILLS!!
God said - Eat of this tree and you will - SURELY die!!
They ATE - and they SURELY died!!
Spiritually! - And how do we KNOW?
WELL - Because the PHYSICAL representation of that truth - Entered HUMANITY as well that day!
Physical death came to men as well!!
And so WHY did Jesus come? Why was Jesus BORN?
If SIN separated us from God - WHAT WOULD BRING US BACK TO GOD?
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
JESUS - brings us BACK to the Father!!
Jesus is the REMEDY to our Separation FROM GOD!!
BUT WHAT ELSE?
If SIN - ALSO - KILLED US - rendering us UNABLE to understand Spiritual things…(1 Cor 2)
UNABLE to SEEK for God (Romans 3)
THEN WHAT would bring us back to life??
Because LISTEN - We don’t just need to THINK differently!!!
7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
We WERE DEAD - Spiritually...
We NEEDED life...
What happened?
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
What does this say - It says - whoever is not a believer - DOES NOT SEE - life.
By UNDESERVED FAVOR - from God - Jesus came into the WORLD - to bring us back to God…
HOW?
By MAKING us ALIVE!
By RAISING us from the dead (spiritually).
Is there a Physical representation of this Spiritual truth - in the Bible?
Of COURSE - Jesus CALLS Lazarus out of the GRAVE!
Jesus - MADE HIM alive! - - Not JUST in causing him to BE BORN into this world...
But listen - CAUSING him to be - BORN AGAIN!
SO YES - the world celebrates Christmas - without giving a THOUGHT as to why Jesus was EVEN BORN!!
It’s an ELEPHANT in the Room of this World!
Another ELEPHANT in the Room of this World...
SLIDE:
Yes you seek to enjoy Christmas lights, but do you stand in awe of the Light of the world?
This idea of LIGHT - in the Bible - brings with it… AT LEAST 2 different meanings... ...
JUDGMENT
LIFE
Regarding JUDGMENT...
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
We can see in the Bible that because LIGHT is ACTIVE in judgment -
Darkness then - refers to EVIL…to SIN
· Jesus Christ – the Light of the World – comes and judges the world…
And so what this verse tells us is that – BY NATURE – people LOVE the darkness…they LOVE their sin… AND SO – hate the light!
They LOVE their sin - THEREFORE - they hate the light
· They HATE being judged up [against] what they LOVE!
*I’m sure that we all know or HAVE known – someone who was addicted to alcohol…
· How do addicts usually respond when they are CONFRONTED...
… WITH their addiction – BY YOU – confiscating their alcohol – OR preventing them from accessing it?
· Answer = ANGER!
· Why?
· Because they are being judged (according to what they LOVE)
· When we LOVE SIN – we will HATE the Light / RIGHTEOUSNESS that exposes it!
20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
· SEE – Righteousness and SIN - DON’T MIX!!
· Righteousness that is tainted with the SLIGHTEST of sin – is NO LONGER – righteousness!
· That’s a SPIRITUAL REALITY!!
· And yet – we have a PHYSICAL representation of this that we see – EVERY DAY!
4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
· Light and Darkness don’t mix - A candles flame does not produce a shadow… WHY?
Because light hitting light produces no darkness!
· Good and Evil don’t mix
· Righteousness and Sin don’t mix
The LIGHT of God – The LIGHT of the world – Jesus Christ – judges the world
· See – Jesus came to earth on a MISSION…
· His MISSION was a MISSION of – LIGHT!
· As we said – DARKNESS refers to the COVERING of SIN over mankind…
· And the MISSION of Christ was to come INTO this DARKENED world…
o And AS the LIGHT of God – judge the DARKNESS…the EVIL
46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.
· To reject Jesus is to REMAIN – IN Darkness!!
· And so HERE we ARE – Christmas 2021 –
The world sees BABY JESUS everywhere – celebrates how they celebrate…
And in doing so –
· They are ACTUALLY celebrating the DARKNESS they RESIDE in!!
As they SEEK to ENJOY – Christmas lights – they REMAIN – IN – the darkness of SIN
WHY? - because they REJECT the Light of the World
· To BELIEVE in Jesus – in the LIGHT of the world – is to be FREED from the darkness of SIN…
And so THIS IS WHERE the LIGHT brings not only judgement – but – LIFE!
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
· The LIGHT of the world – BRINGS LIFE to the DARKENED – dead soul!!
- If you’re a believer in here - you’ve experienced this!
- BUT EVEN THEN - the light’s not done – the light of Christ STILL has an impact on us…
· Even on US as believers!!
· In John - Jesus says this...
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
· The Light of the World – Jesus – guides us through this world!
*Changing guitar strings with Trey in the dark
8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
· Christmas lights? - - Ehh...They’re nice…
· BUT…
· The Light of Christ –
o Judges the World
o Brings LIFE to men thru FAITH
o And…
o lights our path in this world…
SO - - [WORLD]….There’s an ELEPHANT in the room!
Yes, you SEEK to enjoy Christmas lights, but do you stand in awe of the Light of the World?
It’s another Christmas Elephant in the room of this world!
But we’re not done!!
Our final Christmas Elephant we’ll look at today (there are many more)…is this...
SLIDE:
Yes, you have many gifts under your tree, but do you have God's righteousness in your heart?
We talk about this all the time but it’s important to know...
It’s important to know that PERFECTION is required to get to heaven!
NOT 95% perfection...NOT 99% perfection...BUT 100% perfection...UTTER perfection is required...to get to heaven...
Jesus says
48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Now...we SHOULD hear this and think.....UH OH!
Right?
Who can measure up to that standard?
God Himself measures up to this standard!
Jesus CAME to earth...God in the flesh...and He DIED for our sins...His death - His blood COVERS our sin...
7 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.
See, sin has to be dealt with...
When God forgives us of our sin....He doesn't merely OVERLOOK it...
That's NOT THE WHOLE STORY!
If you are SAVED in this room...If you've put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ...
When you stand before God after you die...
He's not JUST going to look at you and say - I forgive you
He's going to look at you and say - You're NOT GUILTY!
How does THAT happen?
Here's how that will happen...
5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
Our FAITH in Jesus will be credited to us as - RIGHTEOUSNESS...Who's righteousness??
Christ's Righteousness!
Christ will get our sin...we will get His righteousness....His perfection...
God will look at the one who had faith in Jesus....and God will see UTTER PERFECTION!!
The requirement that's needed to get into heaven (perfect righteousness) will be credited to those who had faith in Jesus...
it will be GIFTED to those who had faith in Jesus...And it will ONLY be gifted to those who have FAITH in Jesus!
WHY? - - Because it's only the righteousness of Jesus that MEETS the STANDARD!
This is why we need to STOP looking TO ourselves....to SAVE ourselves...
We need to STOP thinking:
Ok, I've never killed anybody...therefore I'm going to go to heaven when I die.
I'm not a BAD person...therefore God will accept me because of that...
I go to church more than my neighbor, therefore God will accept me...
We need to stop thinking that WE CAN BE GOOD ENOUGH to get to heaven...to get to God...
4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.
what is this saying?
It's saying - LISTEN - If you believe that you are MORAL enough to get to heaven...you won't GO TO HEAVEN...
SLIDE - Verse comparison (Galatians / Ephesians)
WE can't be good enough....Jesus not only CAME to earth for you...but He LIVED for you....AND He DIED for you...
And so...today - December 19, 2021 - In the middle of another CHRISTMAS SEASON...
With nativity scenes ALL over the place
With Christmas lights DRAWING men to themselves
And with Christmas gifts WRAPPED and ready
SIX DAYS from another Christmas...
The Christmas Elephant sits in the Room of the World!
And it’s this!
The lost soul that celebrates Christmas, celebrates its own separation from God.
And because this is TRUE…we can ARM ourselves today with powerful questions for our friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors...
SUMMARY
You’ve heard of baby Jesus, but do you know why He was even born?
The Scriptures know us better than we know ourselves.
We are all SINNERS...
We all have fallen short of the Glory of God...
And so because of sin - we are SEPARATED from God...
His judgement (the LIGHT) has come and has rendered us DEAD...
BUT - the LIGHT of the world - JESUS CHRIST - also BRINGS LIFE!!
And so -
You seek to enjoy Christmas lights, but do you stand in awe of the Light of the world?
The light of Christ does expose our sin - BUT it also brings LIFE...
THROUGH FAITH!
That by FAITH ALONE...
In Christ ALONE...
to the glory of God ALONE...
we are UNITED with Christ and receive Eternal Life!!
And so...
You have many gifts under your tree, but do you have God’s righteousness in your heart?
When we put our faith in Jesus - He gets our sin..and punishment...
But WE get His righteousness!
We get His goodness - His perfection APPLIED to our account!!
Perfection is required to get to GOD - and so ...
WHY was Jesus born?
Why a Baby in a Manger?
So that THAT baby would grow up, live a PERFECT LIFE - for YOU!
Die FOR you!
Take the wrath of God UPON HIMSELF - FOR you!
And RISE again - conquering death - as LORD - FOR you!
All that is REQUIRED - HE provides…!
There’s an ELEPHANT in the room of this world!
May we unwrap the Elephant…and take the name of Jesus both near and far!
Let’s pray!