Love Divine

Love Divine

• I wonder what Christmas means to a mother who has lost her husband, who must take care of 3 or 4 children, working every day, never quite getting everything done, never making ends meet? What does Christmas mean to her?


• I wonder what Christmas means to the little children in the Horn of Africa, living in a hut, who knows nothing of shopping malls or Christmas trees? What does Christmas mean to them?


• I wonder what it means to missionaries who are half a world away from families & friends, who are sacrificing so much to take the precious gospel message to others who have never heard? What does it mean to them?

• I wonder what it means to those families that are at loved ones beds side as they are struggling to take a breath and contemplate if they should stop the machines.

I’m sure that it means different things to different people.

To merchants it is the busiest time of the year. Stores stay open longer, & hire extra people to accommodate all the shoppers. It means more profit, hopefully enough profit to see them through lean times ahead.

For some employees it means a Christmas bonus, a little more money in their pockets to do things that they want to do.

For many teen-agers & adults it is a time of fun & parties. For children it is a time of impatience, with time seeming to pass so slowly, as they wait for Christmas morning.


This morning I want to ask you what does this Christmas mean to you.
Luke 2:8-14:
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

The fact that God made the announcement to shepherds helps us to understand the real meaning of Christmas. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son," & He chose to announce that to shepherds first of all.

Shepherds were at the opposite end of the social strata from King Herod & all the influential people of the day. They lived in the fields with their animals. They weren’t respected. They had no power or prestige. Yet, God’s angel came to them & said, "Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ, the Lord." Unto shepherds a Savior was born.

In that one simple announcement God made known some very important truths.

I. GOD KNOWS YOU, AND YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO HIM

First of all, it tells us, "No matter how insignificant you may think you are, God knows you, & you are important to Him."

A. All throughout scripture we see God honoring & using people & things that the world often overlooks or ignores.

1 Corinthians 1:26-28:
26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world…
B. So when God decided to select a mother for His Son, He went past the fashion salons & beauty parlors.
He went past the furs & diamonds & gold, & went to an insignificant village called Nazareth. He found a peasant girl.
She did not dress in designer clothes. She did not have a sophisticated education. But she was pure, & God selected her to be the mother of His only begotten Son.

II. YOUR LIFE MATTERS, BECAUSE GOD LOVES YOU

The second thing this passage teaches us is that life matters. Not only you, but your life counts with God.

A. I imagine those shepherds must have sat around the campfire many times & wondered if life was really worthwhile or not. "What difference does it make if we watch the sheep or not?"

Maybe we wonder, too, "What difference does it make if I get up every morning or not? It seems as if my life is an endless cycle of things that really don’t mean anything. I just wonder if life is worth living at all?"

When God comes & makes His announcement to shepherds, He is also saying to us, "Your life is worthwhile. It is My gift to you. Therefore live every golden moment of it, because your life does matter to Me."

B. You see, every life matters. We should know that. It’s impossible to live, even for a few moments on this earth, & not influence somebody in one way or another. We are always influencing someone, either for good or for bad.

APPL. You see, everybody’s life counts for something.

ILL. Some years ago, a cartoon appeared in newspapers across the land. It pictured two farmers in Kentucky, standing in a field as snow fell softly. One turned to the other & asked, "Anything exciting happen today?" "Nah, nothing exciting," said the other farmer. "Oh, there was a baby born over at Tom Lincoln’s home, but nothing exciting ever happens around here."

But that baby born in the home of Tom Lincoln one day became the President of the United States. He changed the course of history & liberated the slaves. One life can make a difference!

I wonder if there were people in Bethlehem on that night so long ago, asking, "Anything exciting happen today?" Maybe they were told, "No, nothing much. Oh, I hear some woman gave birth to a baby in a stable, but nothing exciting ever happens around here." Except that a baby was born, a baby that changed the world.

III. YOUR FAITH MATTERS, TOO

A. Finally, this. Your faith matters, too. Shepherds were men of faith. They probably had more faith than some of the scribes & Pharisees who went to the synagogue every day.

They prayed over & over again, "Let the Messiah come. Let Him come today!" They prayed that prayer for hundreds of years, & they must have wondered, "Is our faith worth anything? Does God hear our prayers? Does God keep His promises? Will the Messiah ever come?"
There must have been many who quit praying, & quit having faith. But when the announcement came to shepherds, God was saying, "Your faith matters, & it is not in vain. I am a God who hears & who keeps His promises. Now the Messiah has come, & I have kept My promise."

B. How about us? Sometimes we become weary. There may be times when we wonder if it is worthwhile going to church. There are times when we wonder if it is worth sacrificing for God.

Will you allow the Lord to use You?

Will you Allow the Lord to use you?
Luke 1:38:
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Sometimes we don’t really understand all that God is doing in our lives but that isn’t any reason to doubt.
Many times especially in the beginning we have no idea, all we need to know is that God is in full control and we just have to have faith.
From the story of Mary we see her great step of faith.
• A young unmarried girl who became pregnant risked disaster.

• Unless Joseph agreed to marry her, she would probably remain unmarried for life.


• If her own father rejected her, she could be forced into begging or prostitution in order to earn her living.

• And Mary, with her story about becoming pregnant by the Holy Spirit, risked being considered crazy as well.
Still Mary said, despite the possible risks,” May everything you have said about me come true.”
All she knew was that God was asking her to serve Him, and she willing obeyed.
Don’t wait to see the bottom line before offering your life to God.
Heb 11:1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
The beginning point of faith believes in Gods character: He is who he says.
The end point believes in Gods promises: He will do what He says.
When we believe that God will fulfill His promises even though we don’t see those promises materializing yet, we demonstrate true faith.
Offer yourself willingly, even when the outcome seems disastrous.
1. Our Response
God’s announcement of the birth of a special child was met with various responses throughout Scriptures.
• Sarah, Abraham’s wife laughed(Gen 18:9-15)
• Zechariah doubted (Luke 1:18)
By contrast, Mary graciously submitted.
She believed the angel’s words and agreed to bear the child, even under humanly impossible circumstances.
God is able to do the impossible.
Our response to His demands should not be laughter or doubt but willing acceptance.
2. The Cleansing and Call
Isaiah 6:5-8:
5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”
I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
Isaiah realized that he was sinful before God, with no hope of measuring up to Gods standard of holiness.
When Isaiah’s lips were touched with a live burning coal, however, he was told that his sins were forgiven.
In response, Isaiah submitted himself to Gods service.
No matter how difficult his task would be, he said, “Here I am. Send me”
The painful cleansing process was necessary before Isaiah could fulfill the task to which God was calling him.
Before we accept Gods call to speak for Him to those around us, we must be cleansed as Isaiah was, confessing our sins and submitting to Gods control.
Letting God purify us may be painful, but we must be purified so that we can truly represent God, who is pure and holy.
So I ask you church will you answer the call that God has placed on your life?
Are you up to the challenge? The reward of choosing to be obedient far out ways the sacrifices to living a pure and holy life. Are you willing to lay it all down for Him as He was for you?

Walk Victorious

Walk Victorious
1. Go with God
Psalm 27:1:
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
so why should I tremble?

Ever feel that the Holy Spirit was directing you to something?
But all you could see were the gigantic reasons why you couldn’t do it.
Ever felt as if you didn’t feel qualified?
Well you have two choices. You could shrink back into your comfort zone or step out in faith, knowing that Almighty God was on your side.
No one says it will be easy, and Satan will lie and tell you that you can’t do it.
But we must decide and believe that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.
2. Be Consistent
Proverbs 16:7:
7 When people’s lives please the Lord,
even their enemies are at peace with them
Are goal in life shouldn’t be to please others but to please God. By striving to please God we find ourselves moving in the right direction.
Many times though we take one step forward in faith and then two steps backwards.
Ever know anyone who is happy and in a good attitude one day, then the next day they are negative and depressed. Have you ever been that person?
We make a little progress, and then we back up, for many will never experience the victories that God has in store for them.
Church we must be consistent. Are attitude needs to always be: I refuse to go backwards. I am going forward with God. I am going to be the person He wants me to be. I am going to fulfill my destiny.
If you will maintain that mind-set, God will continually work in your life.
If you will trust in God, He’ll fight your battles for you.
3. Stand Strong
Mark 11:22:
22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God.
It doesn’t matter what you’re going through, or how big your opponents are.
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Rom 8:31
Keep an attitude of faith, stay calm, stay in a positive frame of mind and don’t try to do it all your own way.
Let God do it His way. If you will simply obey His commands, He will change things in your favor.
The Bible says don’t get weary and faint in your mind. Heb 12:3
Remember, stand strong. When negative thoughts come, reject them and replace them with Gods thoughts.
You may not see anything happening with your natural eyes, but in the unseen realm, in the spiritual world, God is at work.
And if you’ll do your part and keep believing at the right time, God will bring you out with the victory.