The Promise of Christmas - A sermon on the real Nativity

A sermon on Luke 1 & 2, The Promise of Christmas

Receive Christ as your king

If we want to know the true joy of Christmas, the true peace that Christ brings then we need to receive Christ as our King. It says in Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.

And then in Isaiah 9:7

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom

Governments in Brunei and Somalia have banned Christmas. In the US there are the usual silly atheists who think nativity plays and the light pose an imminent danger to life as we know it. There seem to have been fewer of tales in the UK this year of councils objecting to any mention of Christmas. But in one sense the governments of Brunei and Somalia and the silly atheists have grasped more of the truth than many of us have. The true Christmas story is a power struggle, it is about the overthrow of one kingdom and replacing it with another.

Let us be ones who bow down to Jesus the king of kings, may we let His rule and peace increase without end in our own lives, and may it flow out from our lives into the world around us. Whether you have been a Christian for many years, or if you are not a Christian at all, there is an amazing transformation that can take place in our lives if only we will join the shepherds and the wise men in bowing down to the king.

Unveiled - the secret to a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit

Want a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit? Well here are four things that we should do:

1. Study the Bible more
2. Pray more
3. Spend more time worshiping the Lord with other Christians
4. Obey the Lord more

Not much of a secret? No it isn't because the way to knowing God is open to all and the best thing of all is that God Himself wants to have a deeper relationship with us. He wants it so much that He came to live among us. He wants it so much that He sent His Son to die for us. Jesus returned to the Father so the Holy Spirit could come to us.

The four "secrets" listed above have been tried and tested by saints throughout the ages. There is no secret, God revealed the extent of His love for us two thousand years ago when He sent His Son Jesus to be with us.

Christmas thoughts

The miracle of Christmas is that God came to dwell amongst us. He came not as some sort of superbeing or an angel, but He came as a man.

Why did He do this? Because He had created us in His image. We are the high point of God’s creation, a wonderful and treasured possession.

But we decided we didn’t need God, we decided that we could decide for ourselves what was right and what was wrong. We decided we didn’t need our Creator and we have been paying the price of our folly ever since.

Yet God loves us so much that He was prepared to dwell among us as a man. He loves us so much that He was prepared to go to the cross to die to take the judgement that should be ours.

Jesus came to call us back to Himself. So often we are reluctant to admit our need of God, to admit the failings and sins in our own life, reluctant to humble ourselves. But Jesus was prepared to humble Himself so that we might have life.

Realise how precious you are, realise how much you mean to God, and return to Him, the only one who can give you life.