The Christmas Story, Life-Altering Journeys to Jesus, Part 3 The Shepherds

Scriptures: Luke 2:8-20; Psalm 23; John 10:11-16

Main Points:

1. The God of One Day.

2. The Message of Hope.

3. The God of Tomorrow.

Sermon Notes: One of the most encouraging things about God, is that he only needs one day to change everything. However, this can be deflating when we are waiting for our day! The very first prophecy of the Messiah had come somewhere around 700 years before Jesus was born through the Prophet Isaiah (Is. 53). I don’t know about you, but that’s a long time to wait! God is a good shepherd! He provides for us. He protects us. He strengthens us. He leads us. He anoints us. He blesses us! Jesus is The Good Shepherd! He lays down his life for the sheep and he gathers those who are not yet his. He won’t rest until they are under his care. He is pursuing them with an everlasting love! He died and rose again for people who were not worthy. We were like sheep without a shepherd (Matt. 9:36) and he rescued us. We were wandering around aimlessly, with no one to care for us. Then… ONE DAY… Jesus became our shepherd. He gave us his promise and sealed it with his blood. He gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins. He laid down his life so we don’t have to die for our sins! This is the message of hope! It’s a life-changing, life-giving message! Why aren’t we sharing it?

The Christmas Story, Life-Altering Journeys to Jesus, Part 2 The Kings

Scriptures: Micah 2:12-13; Micah 5:2-5; Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 2:12-16; Revelation 17:14

Main Points:

1. The Servant King

2. The Fearful King

3. The Insecure Kings

4. The King of Kings

Sermon Notes: Within this story, there are four kings. The first King in the story is the the easiest to discuss. His name is Jesus. We see in scripture that he is heralded as a coming king who will change the world. His coming was foretold for hundreds of years. His journey to Earth is not something that we can so quickly glance over. While the rest of us are on a life-altering journey to Jesus, he was on an unbelievable journey of humiliation and blessing. The other three kings of this story are the Parthian Emperor Phraates IV, the Roman Emperor August Caesar and the King of the Jewish territory, Herod the Great. The book of Revelation describes the ending of everything as we know it. It’s the end of the world. It’s the end of human suffering. It’s the end of sin and evil’s dominion. It’s the time when the King of all Kings defeats every enemy of the world, past, present and future, and established eternal peace for his people. It is a battle won for the Glory of God and only those who are “with” him will be the victors. So, why do we keep fighting against him? Why do we scheme to maintain a façade of control in our lives, thinking that we could never truly surrender to God? The only way we win is if we lose.

The Christmas Story, Life-Altering Journeys to Jesus, Part 1 The Magi

Scriptures: Matthew 2:1-12, John 3:12-15, 1 Corinthians 1:26-28, Matthew 13:44-46,

Main Points:

1. Intellectual Journey

2. Earthly Wisdom vs Heavenly Wisdom

3. Don’t forget where you came from or where you’re trying to go.

4. An intellectual journey to Jesus takes a lot of time and effort.

5. Discover the value of knowing Jesus.

Sermon Notes: The Magi represent those who have a more intellectual approach to seeking Jesus. They want the answers. They want the clues. They want the proof. If they see proof, they will follow up the lead, but they aren’t taking anything on faith. There are several interesting aspects of their discovery which led them to Jesus. We have evidence of this today. Is there an intellectual journey to Jesus that we can take to find him? Yes! However, there are a few guidelines we must carefully consider along the way. The first is evidenced in a conversation that Jesus had with a man named Nicodemus. He was a teacher of the law, a Pharisee. He was well-educated in the scriptures and had spent his entire life pursuing an understanding of the things of God. He was teaching the law and highly regarded. Yet, when Jesus steps on the scene he is confounded by the things Jesus says. Jesus makes one thing very clear to him in his conversation that we can read in John 3. To be clear… both exist. There is wisdom that can be found, interpreted and applied here on earth. The book of Proverbs, the teaching of Solomon and a lot of Jesus’s teaching attest to this truth. There is a pursuit of earthly wisdom and understanding that is important. However, this must be accompanied by a pursuit of Heavenly wisdom. This kind of wisdom is not as easy to ascertain and understand. It’s not as easy to comprehend or teach. It is part of the journey to Jesus.