TROUBLED

Have you ever noticed that others often perceive what you consider good news as bad news?

It can be something as simple as a basketball game where your favorite team won and theirs lost. There are always those rooting for the other side.

It is no different when it comes to the celebration of Jesus’ birthday.

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Matthew 2:3 (NASB)

• We look at the world around us and are amazed that Charlie Sheen sings ungodly lyrics to a favorite Christmas carol.
• We are amazed when stores like Target, Loews and others call their decorations “holiday” decorations and eliminate Christ’s name from everything.
• We are astounded at the suggestion that “One nation under God” be taken out of the Pledge of Allegiance.

The truth of the matter is we should already expect those things. Jesus himself told us that only those that belonged to Him could hear His voice. Only those that believe in Christ can accept the Truth of the scriptures (John 10:26-27).

Our job is to live our lives in such away as to glorify Jesus Christ. We are to reflect His light in this dark world. As it has been said, we may be the only Jesus that some will see. We may be the only scriptures that some will “read.”

So next time someone is bashing Christmas, remember that they do not know the Jesus that you know. Pray for them. Introduce them to him. But don’t be angry with them. They can not hear His voice. You need to be the voice of Christ to them, keeping in mind that it is indeed a loving voice, for God is love.

Many unsaved people will be “troubled” by the Christ of Christmas this year. Help them to get to know His tremendous love by loving them and praying for them.

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WORSHIP

Have you ever had a chance to meet someone famous? Perhaps it was a musician, a politician, an author or a television personality. If not, maybe you have witnessed someone else meeting someone famous.

The reactions usually range from “You’re the greatest ___________ I’ve ever known” to “I’ll never wash that hand again!” We tend to look up to celebrities. People still drive hundreds (and some fly) even thousands of miles to see the house where Elvis Presley lived.

Some foreign scholars felt it was worth it to travel a great distance to see Jesus when he was very young. Matthew 2:2 records the event:

“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

They traveled to see someone they had only read about in the prophecies of the Old Testament scriptures. What they read told them that this child was worthy of worship.

While worship can mean many things, the word used here literally means “to bow down.” When we bow to something, though not very common in our culture today, we are saying that we are nothing and the one we are bowing to is greater. They are worthy of our placing ourselves in the humble position of bowing.

Can we bow in other ways? How about "bowing" our wills to Jesus, our Lord? What about bowing in humility before His awesome Word and placing ourselves in submission to Him?

As you continue to prepare your heart for the birthday of Christ the King, ask Him what areas in your life are still in need of “bowing,” of being laid at His feet acknowledging that He alone has the answer, that He alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Worship the Lord in humility and acknowledge the true Master of the Universe.

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SEEK

You hear that a new DVD has been released and you run down to the store in hope of renting it.

There is a new job opening up that is supposed to pay really well. You hurry down to put in your application because it is definitely worth going after.

You had a problem at school when you were younger. The first thing you did was to seek out your mom or your dad and ask for help.

Some astrologers from an eastern country saw a star that they believe signaled the arrival of the King of the Jews. They left there homes and families to seek him out. The story is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:1 - 2 (NKJV)

We will seek after things that are of no consequence like a new DVD, the latest mp3 player or fashion and yet, when it comes to God, we are somewhat less passionate.

As we prepare our hearts for the celebration of the birth of Christ Jesus, we need to earnestly seek his will for our lives.

Consider the advice King David gave to his son Solomon:

“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the LORD sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 1 Chronicles 28:9 (NLT)

In a world that wants to take the Christ out of Christmas, seek to know the Christ for which the day is named.

His promise is clear. If we seek Him, we will find Him. What better Christmas could there be than to enjoy sweet fellowship with Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords? What a sweet eternity we shall enjoy as we worship and serve him with our whole heart and our willing mind.

Seek the Christ of Christmas. He is waiting for you, not just to accept Him, but to fellowship with Him, to love Him and to follow Him.

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD…

ETERNAL

There are only twelve days remaining until we celebrate the birthday of Jesus. As we continue to prepare our hearts and hopefully the hearts of others, we turn to the Gospel of John.

The writer of this Gospel starts with the eternal nature of Christ. He takes us to a point before even time began and says here is the Messiah, the Christ. He was there in the beginning of beginnings. He was not only with God, he was God. Jesus was the instrument of Creation and had a part in all that exists. Jesus was, and is, the picture of perfection against which we cannot measure up.

It is for all these reasons that we acknowledge Him as King of kings, Lord of lords and joyfully accept His offer of eternal life. These are the reasons that we continue to celebrate the birth of a baby, a baby that was already older than everyone who ever lived and who had the power to create life.

God had come down to earth in the form of man, His own creation, to rescue him from his failings.

John 1:1 - 5 (NASB) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us… John 1:14

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OBEDIENT

It is one thing to know what you should do.

It is an entirely different thing to do it.

Two things that keep us from acting on what we know to be true and right are:

• Fear
• Selfish desires

The second one, selfish desires, is an easy one to see. We simply do not want to do it. We believe that it would not bring us as much satisfaction to do the right thing so we choose the other option ignoring any possible consequences.

The Christian Motorcycle Association has defined fear as:

False

Evidence (that)

Appears

Real

God’s Word says that,

…Perfect love casts out fear… (1 John 4:18)

Joseph heard the angel of the Lord speak and DID what he said.

And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. Matthew 1:24-25 (NASB)

The fear of what others might have said could have stopped him.

The selfish desire to father Mary’s first child might have stopped him.

They did not.

Joseph did what God told him to do. As a result, Jesus had an earthly father to teach him and love him.

We hear from God through His Holy Word whenever we read it. We have the same choice that Joseph did, obey or not.

Choose God’s way.

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FORETOLD...

It seems that quite a few people are interested in Psychics these days. Call a toll free number and somebody you never met before will tell you what is going to happen in your life. Of course, there is always the person willing to read you palm to predict your future. Today there seems to be a preoccupation with speaking to the dead reflected in the programming on television.

God’s Word denounces these things. They are not of God. If you want to read what He says start with Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deuteronomy 18:11 and Jeremiah 27:9.

God does however talk to his people through prophets. What’s the difference? Psychics, mediums and fortune tellers deal with what the individual person consulting them wishes to know. Prophets deal with what God wishes to convey to his people and may in fact be far out in the future.

Isaiah was a prophet of God who spoke approximately 700 years before the birth of Christ. Here are his words from Isaiah 7:13 - 14 (NASB):

Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well? 14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

His prophecy would appear in scrolls for 700 years before it’s fulfillment which we read about in the Gospel of Matthew. An angel of the Lord had just appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him that Mary would conceive a child by the power of the Holy Spirit.

“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” Matthew 1:21-25

The birth of the Christ of Christmas had been foretold 700 years earlier.

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MESSAGE

He had just found out that his fiancée was pregnant. What thoughts had to have run through, not only his mind but also hers. They hadn’t even slept together!

While contemplating what to do he doses off for just a few seconds…but what an incredible few seconds it was.

Matthew 1:20 - 21 (KJV) But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

An angel, a messenger of God, talking to him; this was big. He had to be from God, he knew his name. He even knew who his great, great, great grandfather was! How could he help but believe what the angel said about how she got pregnant? This had to be from God.

Now, the angel was telling him what to name the baby! He was to call him Jesus. This last part of the message, what could that possibly mean? He was going save his people from their sins?

One could possibly believe that the baby might become a mighty general and lead the people in a successful revolt against the oppression of the Roman Empire but…

Save them from their sins…

This was indeed incredible, so much to think about. Yet, there was no doubt that God had sent the message.

Every one of the prophets has said that all who have faith in Jesus will have their sins forgiven in his name. Acts 10:43 (CEV)

Believe the message. Accept the Savior. He is coming again….

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