Cornerstone Church With Dustin Bates

Purposeful Abundant Life

The Question WHY

• Frustrating when kids ask

But a REALLY GOOD QUESTION
WHY do you do what you do?

WHY Are you here?

• WHY do you exist?

What is your WHY?

• We all have one

Abundant Life is a PURPOSEFUL LIFE

John 10:10

10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.
Last week…

What is abundant life?

Abundant life is a life full of the spiritual gifts of God’s Holy Spirit given to His faithful followers

 

Current Statistics:

2023 Harvard Graduate School of Education

More than half of young adults (58%) reported that they lacked “meaning or purpose” in their lives in the previous month and half of young adults reported that their mental health was negatively influenced by “not knowing what to do with my life.”
There are many other factors that may contribute to feelings of meaninglessness and purposelessness as well as to anxiety and depression, including:

• The increasing focus on the self in our culture;
• Difficulties making choices given new, rapidly changing, and sometimes undefined career paths;
• Young adults marrying at older ages
• Declines in religious participation
• High social media use and other forms of digital media use
• A media ecosystem that floods us with frightening messages
• Higher expectations than their predecessors for finding meaning and purpose

“Religious communities can provide you with a meta story, can give you a sense of meaning, a place across geographic boundaries and time,” Weissbourd said. “So I’m not again saying we should become more religious, but we should think about how we create some of these aspects of religion in secular life.”

 

2 Rules for having a PURPOSEFUL ABUNDANT LIFE

Rule 1: Your purpose cannot start with you

“What’s my WHY?” is the wrong question for the Christian
Scripture teaches that…

True purpose is found in God Alone

God Created ALL THINGS on purpose for a purpose

2 Types of Purpose

General Purpose:

The chief end of man is to Glorify God with your life

 

1 Corinthians 10:31

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
This is the FOUNDATION of your WHY

You exist to GLORY GOD with your WHOLE LIFE
You cannot bypass this to get to your “Specific purpose”
Specific Purpose/Calling:

Empowered by specific gifts of the Holy Spirit

• Lived out through the FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Can be:

• Something right now
• Something Later in life

Tips to knowing your specific calling:
Grow where you are planted

Luke 16:10

Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much.

• Healthy things grow

Whether you are a…

• Parent
• Student
• Spouse
• Employee
• Leader
• Teacher

Your calling will often follow your gifts/passions

• But the Lord can “ADD TO” the meet what He has purposed you for

 

Your Purpose is for you but not ABOUT YOU

• Bigger than you
• Will take FAITH/OBEDIENCE

 

Rule 2: God’s Purpose for your life Is a PROCESS, Not a PLACE

 

God’s purpose for your life is not linear
Romans 8:20

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
Process = Sanctification

Sanctification:

The process of being made into the image of Christ in your life

 

Joseph in Potiphar’s house

• Summarize up to this point
• Joseph’s dreams

 

Genesis 39

1 Now Joseph had been taken to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guards, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful, 4 Joseph found favor with his master and became his personal attendant. Potiphar also put him in charge of his household and placed all that he owned under his authority. 5 From the time that he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph. The Lord’s blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields. 6 He left all that he owned under Joseph’s authority; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

 

Rule #1 in action: Your purpose cannot start with you
If your purpose starts with you, you can never live higher than your circumstances
Joseph – Doing all things to the GLORY OF GOD

• God blessed him

But he wasn’t fulfilling his “SPECIFIC CALLING”

• The dreams

Being faithful in his difficulty paved the way for future purpose
New Troubles are on the way…

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome. 7 After some time his master’s wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”

 

8 But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has put all that he owns under my authority. 9 No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do this immense evil, and how could I sin against God?”

 

10 Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her. 11 Now one day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were there. 12 She grabbed him by his garment and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his garment in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.
She kept his garment and lied to her husband
19 When his master heard the story his wife told him—“These are the things your slave did to me”—he was furious 20 and had him thrown into prison, where the king’s prisoners were confined. So Joseph was there in prison.
Rule #2: God’s Purpose for your life Is a PROCESS, Not a PLACE
When you are living in God’s purpose, the enemy will ALWAYS send you a “POTIPHAR’S WIFE“

 

2 things:

• Distraction
• Easier way

If your WHY is found in the right thing, you can say NO to the wrong things
When our purpose is grounded in God, it allows us to let God shoulder the burden

• When we choose OUR OWN purpose, we become responsible

Rule 1: Your purpose cannot start with you

Rule 2: God’s Purpose for your life Is a PROCESS, Not a PLACE

Reclaiming Abundant Life

Reclaiming hearts & minds
Not with Physical swords but THE SPIRITUAL SWORD
Hebrews 4

12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Not just DEFENSIVE but OFFENSIVE
Matthew 16

18 …and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

 

Series:

RECLAIMING ABUNDANT LIFE
John 10:10

10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.
Key question:

What is Abundant Life?
Abundant life is NOT:

Wealth/Health/Fame

• Make life easier but not more abundant

Cynthia Heimel, “Tongue in Chic” column in The Village Voice, January 2, 1990.

Atheist/feminist writer in the 90s/2000s

“I pity celebrities, no I really do – [celebrities] were once perfectly pleasant human beings. But now their wrath is awful. I think when God wants to play a really rotten practical joke on you he grants you your deepest wish and then laughs merrily when you realize you want to kill yourself. You see [these people] wanted fame. They worked, they pushed and the morning after each of them became famous they wanted to take an overdose. Because that giant thing they were striving for, that fame thing that was going to make everything OK, that was going to make their lives bearable, that was going to provide them with personal fulfillment and happiness had happened and they were still them. The disillusionment turned them howling and insufferable.”

 

Power/Authority

• Just hungry for more power
• No one ever said, “This is enough power”

 

Pleasure/Satisfaction

• Become numb… Always need more

Anna Lembke, professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine

“Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence”

“The paradox is that hedonism, the pursuit of pleasure for it’s own sake, leads to anhedonia. Which is the inability to enjoy pleasure of any kind.”

 

An Arrival point

• Life changes. Things happen

 

A lack of struggle

• Many have found deep joy in the struggle

Note:

These things are TOOLS, but they are NOT where abundant life is FOUND
The enemy wants us to trade GOD for GIFTS

 

Context of Jesus’ statement:

John 10

1 “Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

7 Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Jesus is:

• The Gate – The Only Way in (Protection)
• The Shepherd – The Only Way Out (Authority)

 

Key Question:

What is ABUNDANT LIFE?
What is the “THEIF”

• False abundant life

What is the Abundant Life of Jesus?

• True abundant life

Galatians 5

19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious:

sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity,…

20 idolatry, sorcery,…

hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger,…

selfish ambitions,…

dissensions, factions,…

21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar.

I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

When brought to light – Disgusting, gross, vile
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
There are a few things to note about the fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT

1: Only available to the Christian believer

• Common grace means all can experience “SOME,” but only the Christian can experience the “FULL WORK AND BLESSING OF THE SPIRIT”

2: Not Behavior Modification but SPIRIT TRANSFORMATION

• Both are a process; only one is REAL CHANGE

3: Fruit of the Spirit are not “Weak”
Love = Sacrifice

Joy = The Natural reaction to the work of God, whether promised or fulfilled

Peace = Lacking any anxiety

Patience = slow to anger as we wait for God to provide comfort and justice

Kindness = Righteous, genuine Concern for another

Goodness = Selflessly acting on behalf of others

Faithfulness = believing that God is Who He says He is and continuing in that belief despite the challenges of life

Gentleness = Might restrained through Humility and grace.

Self-control = Moderation, constraint, and the ability to say “no” to our baser desires and fleshly lusts

 

Imagine:

• This kind of Parent
• This kind of boss
• This kind of church
• This kind of world

 

Are you looking for an Abundant Life?
Questions to ask yourself:

1: Am I allowing the thief to convince me to trade the fruit of abundant life for cheap substitutes
2: Am I acting as my own god by trying to achieve my personal version of abundant life?
Conclusion:

A truly abundant life is one full of the spiritual gifts of God that are given to His faithful followers.

Healthy Things Grow

Fighting in a relationship
The “problem” usually isn’t the “problem”

• Is a symptom of a Deeper issue

Deeper Issue:

• Selfish
• Hurt
• Bitterness
• Anger

In order for the relationship to FLOURISH, you have to get to the ROOT CAUSE

• This makes the relationship healthy

Something we all know…

Healthy Things grow

• Fruit trees produce fruit

Also…

When we are healthy, the important things in our lives grow fruit

• Relationships
• People/Kids
• Ideas
• Actions
• Etc…

It is the time of year when we all take stock of where we are

• Health
• Finances
• Friendships
• What is important to us
• Do more of
• Do less of

As Christians, we ask different questions
What does God’s Word say about being healthy?
Takes clues from Paul…

Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
To be spiritually healthy, we must grow by the “Making New” of our minds
The important question is…

HOW

• How is our Mind renewed?

 

What is our MIND?

• The way we…
• Think
• Feel
• Act
• React

WHY behind the WHAT

The reason this is important is because our culture has answers for this…

Manifesting/Visualizing what you want

• Manifestation is the idea that you can bring a positive outcome into your life by simply “claiming” it as your own and believing it will happen

 

Scripture has another answer

Let’s look at a parable Jesus told
What is a parable?

Parable = A short moral story that tells of a spiritual and theological truth

 

Also found in:

Mark 4 & Matthew 18
Luke 8

4 As a large crowd was gathering, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, he said in a parable, 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it. 6 Other seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it withered away, since it lacked moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 Still other seed fell on good ground; when it grew up, it produced fruit: a hundred times what was sown.” As he said this, he called out, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

 

Find there are 3 possible outcomes/responses:

1: NO GROWTH (Unhealthy)

2: SOME GROWTH – NO FRUIT (Sick/Diseased)

3: HEALTHY GROWTH WITH FRUIT

 

Jesus tells the meaning of His parable…

Luke 8

11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.

• The learned truth and revelation of God to us, His people

This Truth is

Spoken, read, heard, learned
2 Timothy 3

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, 15 and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Back to Jesus’ Parable…

Luke 8

12 The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

 

1: NO GROWTH (Unhealthy)

Not those that “have believed and lost their salvation”
These are those who have HEARD TRUTH — and REJECTED IT

• Our culture

They are “HARDENED” by sin/disbelief

• Hard Heart

Rather believe the lie than receive truth
OUR RESPONSE:

Pray for the hard hearts to soften to God’s truth and salvation

Luke 8

13 And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy. Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing. 14 As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit.

 

2: SOME GROWTH – NO FRUIT (Sick/Diseased)

Both show a different side of…

SHALLOW FAITH
Seed on the rock – Shallow when Hard time Come

• There is no strength to stand strong
• Wise and foolish man

Seed in the thorns – Shallow when Temptation comes

• The Child who chooses the easy things NOW over better things to come
• Prodigal son

Pay close attention here…

This is the category of MANY CHRISTIANS
Don’t see any fruit in their life because their faith is SICK/DISEASED
OUR RESPONSE:

What’s your fruit?
Are you?

• Jealous or Content
• Complainer or Thankful
• Bitter or Forgiving
• Impatient or Steadfast
• Proud or Humble

Finally…

Luke 8

15 But the seed in the good ground—these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, produce fruit.

3: HEALTHY GROWTH WITH FRUIT

Healthy things grow…
We established that…

To be spiritually healthy, we must grow by the “Making New” of our minds

 

Our minds are made new through…

Faith – Trusting (Hearing the word with an honest and good heart)

Faithfulness – Persevering (Enduring to produce fruit)

Final Challenge:

Determine the Atmosphere of your heart/mind

The Atmosphere is the…

• Patterns
• Processes
• Environments

That you live in regularly

 

What you:

• See
• Hear
• Consume

 

Who you are:

• Surrounded by
• Influenced by
• Lead by

 

Jesus’ Warning

Luke 8

16 “No one, after lighting a lamp, covers it with a basket or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in may see its light. 17 For nothing is concealed that won’t be revealed, and nothing hidden that won’t be made known and brought to light. 18 Therefore take care how you listen. For whoever has, more will be given to him; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

Start Strong!

Make church attendance a PRIORITY

Make reading your Bible a PRIORITY

Make regular prayer a PRIORITY

The JOY Of Christmas

The GLORY Of Christmas

Christmas is about a CHOICE

• The most important choice any of us will ever make

Series: SONGS OF CHRISTMAS
HOPE – Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel

STORY – Go Tell It on the Mountain
Our song this week…

Oh Come all Ye Faithful
This song speaks of God’s GLORY
Before we look at the song, we need to do a little Theology

First, Let’s define GLORY

GLORY:

Beauty, power, or honor: a quality of God’s character that emphasizes His greatness and authority

The word is used in 3 senses:

1: God’s moral beauty and perfection of Character

Psalm 113:4

The Lord is exalted above all the nations, his glory above the heavens.
We all fall short of this version of God’s glory…

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

2: The Audible honor and praise of His creation

Revelation 5:13

I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say, Blessing and honor and glory and power be to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!
The last and for us today, most important…

3: The manifestation of God’s Presence

Leviticus 9:23-24

23 Moses and Aaron then entered the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 24 Fire came from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell facedown.
There was a problem though…

• Only a few could approach this version of God’s Glory
• Was very dangerous
• Because of Israel’s rebellion, God removed His Glory
• Vision in Ezekiel

For generations, God’s Glory/presence seemed gone from the world…

until…
John 1

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
This in Christian theology is called…

THE INCARNATION:

The act of being made flesh. That Jesus, being fully God, took on human flesh, also becoming fully human

Now, with that understanding, let’s look at this week’s song

O come all ye faithful (Just 3 verses)

1. O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem. Come and behold him, born the King of angels;

2. True God of true God, Light from Light Eternal, lo, he shuns not the Virgin’s womb; Son of the Father, begotten not created;

3. Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation; O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above! Glory to God, all glory in the highest;

Refrain: <<OUR RESPONSE>>

O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Back to our this or that Game

• Choices made based on preference

Christmas is a reminder of the choice that lies before each of us… Before the world

 

Story of the Wise Men

• Wisemen from the east came looking for the “ONE BORN KING OF THE JEWS”
• Came following a star

 

Herod was king of Jerusalem

• A puppet king through Rome
• Ruthless and evil

Herod was also clever…

Tricked the Wisemen…

Matthew 2

7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.”

9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.
Herod flew into a rage and demanded that all boys under 2 in Bethlehem be put to death
What does this story teach us?

• The same thing O Come All Ye Faithful

The Glory of God Demands Response
The enemies of God try to convince the world that you can NEUTRAL

• You don’t have to pick any side

But God has INTERRUPTED this world with the birth of Jesus

• Nothing will be the same
• God’s GLORY has COME AGAIN

What is our only response to the GLORY OF GOD?

We either WORSHIP Him or HATE Him

• Worship or kill him

Let’s play THIS OR THAT – Luke 2 edition

Worship Jesus like the Wisemen

• Brought valuable things recognizing the GLORY of Jesus

Choose to remain the “KING” and destroy anything that threatens your authority

• Like Herrod

You may say…

“But I’m not trying to be King…”

 

Here’s the key question

What are you regularly surrendering to God in recognition of his GLORY?

• Presence and perfection/power

The gifts of the Magi were things of VALUE

What are some things of VALUE that we should be giving to God?
Maybe some physical things

• Money/resources
• Time

God is not as interested in those things as He is in other things…

• Dreams – Willing to give those to God?
• Trauma – Willing to give it to God?
• Sexuality – Willing to give it to God?
• Fears – Willing to give it to God?

Those are pretty terrible gifts…

But it’s what he wants
This is not the only time we have seen this

Chief priests to Pilot

John 19

15 They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Should I crucify your king?” “We have no king but Caesar!” the chief priests answered. 16 Then he handed him over to be crucified.
At it’s heart, Christmas is a season of RESPONSE

• What are we responding to?

John 1

14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The GLORY of the Lord made known to us in Christ Jesus
What is our response?

O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

The STORY Of Christmas

Every Culture has it’s Stories

• What matters
• Who or what holds value\importance
• How to fit in
• Etc

The stories that we believe in have REAL IMPACTS in our life

• Forms our value system
• Forms our identity
• Forms our morality

 

We are in the middle of a “STORY REWRITE” in our culture

• Forcing you to choose which story to be a part of

This week, our song is…

Go Tell It on the Mountain
Go Tell It on The Mountain

1 While shepherds kept their watching o’er silent flocks by night,

behold, throughout the heavens there shone a holy light.

2 The shepherds feared and trembled when lo, above the earth

rang out the angel chorus that hailed our Savior’s birth.

3 Down in a lowly manger the humble Christ was born,

and God sent us salvation that blessed Christmas morn.

[Refrain]

Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills, and ev’rywhere;

go, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born.
SONG HISTORY:

• Born Pre Civil war in the spiritual songs of enslaved African-Americans
• Similar to “Swing low sweet chariot
• Sung at Christmas time

Later publish by John Wesley Work Jr in Late 1800s

 

Based on this passage…

Luke 2:8-20

8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!

15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. 17 After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.

1: Christmas Tells Us God’s Story

Luke 2

13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!
This is GOD’S STORY

This is HIS WORLD

We are HIS PEOPLE
We should think of it this way…

Christmas is FOR us, but it’s not ABOUT us
It’s the moment in time what God chose to put on flesh and become one of us
Philippians 2:5-11

5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Christmas is the TURNING POINT in the STORY
It’s about Christ coming as KING

God coming to us, not him being separated

God is CLOSE, not far away

 

But it’s all GOD, the whole thing
Again

Christmas is FOR us, but it’s not ABOUT us

 

A song like “Go Tell It On The Mountain” understands this

• It’s all about Jesus
• There’s no “ME” in it

There is a lot of “ME” in our Christmas, which makes Christmas…

• Cheap
• Selfish
• Uninteresting

How can we help change that?

• By remembering…

Christmas is FOR us, but it’s not ABOUT us
But there is something else that this Story and this Song teaches us

• Not only does Christmas tell us God’s Story, but…

2: Christmas invites us into God‘s story

The Christmas Story in an INVITATION

 

Invitation into something BIGGER than yourself

• Invitation to get past yourself
• Past your problems
• Past just your wants and desires

Invitation to be a part of GOD’S STORY
There are MANY way for us to be involved in that story, but the most fundamental is…

BY TELLING THE STORY
Luke 2:17

17 After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

If you truly understand the story, it compels you to tell anyone and everyone

The power of a song like “Go Tell It On The Mountain”

• Written and Sung by enslaved people who understood their story as part of a much LARGER story
• They understood Christmas far more than we do

The Christmas story tells us what REALLY MATTERS

• People
• Especially those who are often on the “OUTSIDE” of who we think is important

Christmas is an INVITATION to see the heart of our GOD

• What matters to HIM
• The lengths that He is willing to go for us

So what is the STORY OF CHRISTMAS?
Christmas is FOR us, but it’s not ABOUT us
The Christmas Story in an INVITATION

• To be a part of what KING JESUS is doing in the world

The HOPE of Christmas

In our modern world, Christmas is all about… ANTICIPATION

Anticipation: Waiting eagerly for something you know is going to happen

• Gifts
• Food
• Gatherings
• Lights

The Story of Christmas is actually about a DIFFERENT type of waiting… LONGING

Longing: A strong desire, especially for something unattainable

Let’s talk about longing before we get to how it is a part of Christmas
We have all experienced some sort of longing

Nostalgia – Longing for a time in the past

Sorrow – Longing for something lost

Grief – Longing for someone who is gone
We can long for…

• An opportunity that may never come
• Health outcome
• Financial windfall
• Etc

 

Longing – The Cracked Bowl

• Regardless of how much is put in, it always runs low

Our hearts/souls also leak

• We are constantly needing to FILL BACK UP
• This leak is LONGING

The trouble is…

Our world offers MANY things that claim to “FILL OUR BOWL”

• To fix the longing

Things like…

Stuff – But it is never enough (The bowl leaks)

Relationships – But we always get let down (The bowl leaks)

Physical pleasure – We always have to have more (The bowl leaks)

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” ~C.S. Lewis

New Series Called…

THE SONGS OF CHRISTMAS
More than any other holiday, Christmas is defined by it’s MUSIC

• Some are “Jingle Bells”
• But some speak a powerful truth…

Each week…

Taking a different song and discovering it TRUTH
SONG:

O come, O come, Immanuel
History:

• Over 1,200 years old
• Originally written in Latin
• Sung for centuries of Christians speaking to the LONGING of our souls and world

Let’s look at a few lines from the song…

1 O come, O come, Immanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

4 O come, O Branch of Jesse’s stem, unto your own and rescue them! From depths of hell your people save, and give them victory o’er the grave.

5 O come, O Key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home. Make safe for us the heavenward road and bar the way to death’s abode.

6 O come, O Bright and Morning Star, and bring us comfort from afar! Dispel the shadows of the night and turn our darkness into light.

7 O come, O King of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind. Bid all our sad divisions cease and be yourself our King of Peace.
But then there is the REFRAIN

Refrain:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
You can feel the LONGING

• Not at home
• Something we wait for but cannot get ourselves

How should we respond to a song like this?
John 4

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. “Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her, 8 because his disciples had gone into town to buy food.

9 “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked him. For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.

10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.”

11 “Sir,” said the woman, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do you get this ‘living water’? 12 You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.”

13 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. 14 But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.”

15 “Sir,” the woman said to him, “give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and come here to draw water.”

16 “Go call your husband,” he told her, “and come back here.”

17 “I don’t have a husband,” she answered. “You have correctly said, ‘I don’t have a husband,’” Jesus said. 18 “For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
Jesus points out the area of LONGING in her life

• It’s uncomfortable for her
• It’s uncomfortable for us

The Longing in our heart must be filled with something… So make sure it’s the right thing

• Jesus is the answer to the Longing of our hearts

19 “Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
She tries to shift the conversation off of herself

• She’s uncomfortable
• Having your heart examined by God is UNCOMFORTABLE

21 Jesus told her, “Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.”
This should be our goal every day. To Worship God in…

• SPIRIT: In the Spirit, by the Holy Spirit. Not driven by our own emotions but deeply emotional
• TRUTH: The revelation of God in Jesus Christ. There is no other truth but Him

 

25 The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Jesus told her, “I, the one speaking to you, am He.”
She knows that the answer to the LONGING in her heart is not all these relationships

How do we respond?

1: Every Christmas, we RECOGNIZE the longing in our hearts and in the world

• This is why our world is so broken, just a bunch of letdowns and heartbreaks

We constantly examine ourselves to make sure that our longing is not driving us to TEMPORARY THINGS

 

2: Every Christmas, we ANSWER our longing with the HOPE of JESUS – Immanuel – God with us

 

We have a HOPE-FILLED LONGING

• Christ HAS COME, He will COME AGAIN

 

The HOPE of Christmas is…

ALL OUR LONGING IS FILLED IN THE HOPE OF JESUS
CLOSING PRAYER

Father in Heaven, You know my hopes, dreams, and disappointments. I have deep needs that only you can meet. Please forgive me for putting my confidence in so many other things instead of in You, the Giver of life. Help me know that You see me and know me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

What I'm Most Thankful For

Thankfulness changes as you age…

• Stuff
• Relationships
• Health

KEY QUESTION:

Why is Thankfulness/Gratitude so important?

• Not your easy Sunday school answer
• Why do we teach it to our kids?

Because…

Being thankful is POWERFUL
It is well-documented that GRATITUDE and ANXIETY cannot exist in our brains at the same time
It also…

• Releases Toxic emotions
• Reduces physical pain
• Improves sleep quality
• Regulates stress
• Reduces depression

This shouldn’t surprise us…

Psalm 92:1–4

1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praise to your name, Most High, 2 to declare your faithful love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, 3 with a ten-stringed harp and the music of a lyre. 4 For you have made me rejoice, LORD, by what you have done; I will shout for joy because of the works of your hands.

 

True thankfulness is pointed at God
A study at Pepperdine University found…

First, those with religious gratitude reported markedly higher levels of nonreligious gratitude.

More centrally, however, religious beliefs may provide unique opportunities to experience gratitude. While interpersonal gratitude (i.e., gratitude to another human being) can occur in the absence of religion, gratitude towards God can, by definition, only occur in the context of religion or spirituality. Further, even positive happenstance (e.g., finding money on the street) or the simple recognition of blessings in one’s life (e.g., the capacity to walk) may be catalysts for gratitude towards God, though such events are less likely to facilitate interpersonal gratitude. Religion may thus uniquely facilitate the emotion gratitude through the perception of a larger set of agents, and the broadening of circumstances in which gratitude can occur.

It was further observed that the religious gratitude group fared better on measures of happiness, life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, and mental health than those with secular gratitude. All differences between groups were moderate to large in magnitude…
God created us with the CAPACITY and the NEED to be thankful

• It finds its fullness in Him

DEFINITIONS

Gratitude + Thankfulness

It’s one thing to be grateful. It’s another to give thanks. Gratitude is what you feel. Thanksgiving is what you do. ~ Pastor Timothy Keller

 

Title of this message is…

“What I’m MOST Thankful For”
The challenge for us is to think DEEPER about thankfulness

• How it should SHAPE OUR LIVES

1: I’m Thankful for the GIFT of Thankfulness

Let’s look at a quick story…

Genesis 4

Now Abel became a shepherd of flocks, but Cain worked the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain presented some of the land’s produce as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but he did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he looked despondent.

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent? 7 If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
Unthankfulness is a DOORWAY for the Enemy to come in and take advantage in your life
The opposite of thankfulness isn’t just “Ingratitude” or “Unthankfulness”…

• Bitterness
• Jealousy
• Hatred/spite

This is why Paul teaches Christians…

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray constantly, 18 give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
I’m thankful for the GIFT of thankfulness because it reminds me of God’s GOODNESS and MERCY as well as keeps me from the SIN of INGRATITUDE and SELFISHNESS

 

2: I’m Thankful for the DISCIPLINE of Thankfulness

Philippians 4

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
The Bible taught the benefits of thankfulness LONG before philosophers or psychiatrists
Paul says… “BUT IN EVERYTHING”

• Relationships
• Tasks
• Job
• Health

Being grateful doesn’t mean you pretend that everything is good

• We’re grateful DESPITE everything being good

“BUT IN EVERYTHING…”

• This is DISCIPLINE
• Training our hearts and minds to healthy habits

This is how we pray

• Don’t start with “GIMME!”
• Start with “THANK YOU”

3: I’m Thankful for the MATURITY of Thankfulness

Philippians 4

10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly because once again you renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it. 11 I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. 12 I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. 13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.

 

What we are thankful for shows our MATURITY in the LORD

• What a child is thankful for vs an older Saint

Maturity is realizing that thankfulness is not dependent on a SEASON or CIRCUMSTANCE
Maturity is also knowing that…

Thankfulness is a WEAPON in our battle for SIN and for the SOULS OF OTHERS
2 Corinthians 2:14-15

14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in Christ’s triumphal procession and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of him in every place. 15 For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

Fighting For A Lost Cause

Thriving In Babylon | Thriving Nations

Last Week – Living in the tension
We do that by understanding the NATURE of politics in this world…

Politics are downstream of philosophy (how we think) and morality (what we do)

Sum up of Daniel’s story

Chapter 1: Captivity

• Introduced to Daniel and his friends
• Captives take from their home by invading Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar
• Given new identities – Names of new pagan Gods
• Educated in the ways of Babylon but remain faithful
• God rewards them…

Daniel 1

17 God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind. 18 At the end of the time that the king had said to present them, the chief eunuch presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king interviewed them, and among all of them, no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they began to attend the king. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and mediums in his entire kingdom.

Chapter 2: Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

• Nebuchadnezzar has a disturbing dream
• He orders all his “wise men” to interpret, but they cannot
• Decrees…

 

Daniel 2

5 …“My word is final: If you don’t tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be made a garbage dump.
Daniel gathers his friends to pray for God to give them wisdom and direction

• God answers by giving Daniel both the DETAILS of the dream and the INTERPRETATION
• Daniel Goes before Nebuchadnezzar…

Daniel 2

26 The king said in reply to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its interpretation?”

27 Daniel answered the king, “No wise man, medium, magician, or diviner is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days.
Daniel give the correct interpretation

Daniel 2

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell facedown, worshiped Daniel, and gave orders to present an offering and incense to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.

Chapter 3: Fiery furnace

But How quickly kings forget…

Sometime in the future…

• Nebuchadnezzar builds a gold statue of himself for people to worship
• Makes a decree that all must worship it at a specific sound, and those who do not will be killed
• Some wise men plot against the Jews and tell the king of their rejection of worship
• Nebuchadnezzar confronts them…

 

Daniel 3

15 Now if you’re ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum, and every kind of music, fall down and worship the statue I made. But if you don’t worship it, you will immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire—and who is the god who can rescue you from my power?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. 17 If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king. 18 But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

Chapters 4-5: King’s judgment

Story of what happens to those who worship power and authority

• Turns them into beasts
• Nebuchadnezzar turns into one

Chapter 6: Lions Den

New King

• Daniel was put into one of the highest seats of authority
• Causes jealousy in his peers
• They trick the new king

Daniel 6

10 Daniel went into his house when he learned that the document had been signed. The windows in its upstairs room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
We know the rest of the story

• Daniel doesn’t get eaten
• The king turns to the Lord

The book of Daniel ultimately teaches us a PATTERN and a PROMISE

Pattern:

Worldly people and kingdoms become BEASTS when they don’t acknowledge God’s rule and Kingdom

 

Promise:

God will one day DEFEAT the beasts and rescue His world

• This is the tension…

We should be asking this question…

HOW could Daniel live in this TENSION?
Find that answer here…

Daniel 9

2 In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be seventy. 3 So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
This is what Daniel was reading…

Jeremiah 29:1

1 This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining exiled elders, the priests, the prophets, and all the people Nebuchadnezzar had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon. 3 …The letter stated:

4 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles I deported from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Find wives for yourselves, and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease. 7 Pursue the well-being of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive.”

11 For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

12 You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you”…

How do Christians help the nations to thrive?

1: Christians help nations thrive by understanding Authority

1st, Christians understand that ALL authority begins with God

 

John 19

10 So Pilate said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you?” 11 “You would have no authority over me at all,” Jesus answered him, “if it hadn’t been given you from above.

 

2nd, Christians understand that God has given rulers/governments authority

 

Romans 13

1 Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. 2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. 4 For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. 5 Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath but also because of your conscience. 6 And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s servants, continually attending to these tasks. 7 Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.

 

We understand that God uses both the righteous and the wicked for his purposes

 

BIBLICAL DISOBEDIENCE

• We follow God’s authority over ANY OTHER AUTHORITY
• Even at a great cost

 

3rd, Christians understand that authority should be used to help nations flourish but should never be worshiped

• Daniel did not run from authority
• But he did not trade his character to keep it

When the city we are in thrives, we will thrive

• We pursue human flourishing ANYWHERE, and ANY TIME we are

There is always a risk that those who are given authority will bend to worshiping it

• we are not those people

2: Christians help nations thrive by being a prophetic voice

Prophetic: Speaking the revelation God’s truth, word, and way
Daniel spoke the truth to EVERY KING IN POWER

• Even at the cost of his life

We speak truth to ALL those in charge and remind them WHO they will be accountable to

• God’s kingdom over political affiliation

We do not cozy up to those in authority, but ALWAYS SPEAK TRUTH TO THEM

• We are bound to God’s truth

This is the LIGHT IN THE DARK

• Salt of the earth