12/10 Fundamental Thoughts - Sermons

Where The CHRISTmas Story Begins

John 1:1-3  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  (2)  The same was in the beginning with God.  (3)  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

 Introduction:      As Christmas arrives; there are several things that we as Christians must keep in mind: 

              First, we must keep in mind that the celebration of the birth of Christ is not something that God's Word instructs us to observe.

              Early Americans refused to observe the day of Christ's birth.

              Second, we must keep in mind that too often the focus of Christmas is directed to the giving and receiving of gifts.  Not that that is bad in it’s self, it is the focus, when Jesus the Christ should be the focus.

              The Christmas story is obviously much too big and far too important to God's story of redemption to reduce it to a dry recitation of historical facts, or to trivialize it into a carnival event. 

              Where is the spiritual content?

What good does all that we do for anyone when the historical facts are divorced from the reality of who that babe born and placed in a manger is?

              So, today, I want to take you back to where the Christmas story begins.  And where does the Christmas story begin?  At the beginning.                            

             

First
 I.           WE SEE THE IDENTITY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

"In the beginning was the Word"

Here, John is making reference to the Second Person in the Holy Trinity, God the Son. 

              A.      Why Is The Lord Jesus Christ Designated “the Word?' 

(Revelation 1:8)  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

                                1.           He, Jesus is God’s alphabet, the   beginning and the end

                                           i.            He, is God’s spokesman

                                           ii.           He, Christ Jesus made the un-understandable, understandable

                B.           The Holy Bible Is The Word of God.

                               1.           The Scriptures reveal God's mind,

                                           i.            Express His will,

                                           ii.           Make known

                                                          a.           His perfections, and

                                                          b.           Lay bare His heart. 

              C.           This Is Precisely What The Lord Jesus Has Done For

                             The Father.

                             1.           “Word” is a means of manifestation. (visibility)
                             2.           “Word” is a means of communication. 
                             3.           “Word” is a method of revelation. 

              D.           Christ Revealed God! 

                             1.           He displayed His power,

                             2.           He manifested His wisdom,

                             3.           He exhibited His holiness,

                             4.           He made known His grace,

                             5.           He unveiled His heart. 

              E.           In Christ, And Nowhere Else, Is God Fully And Finally

                             Explained.

Next,

II.           WE SEE WHERE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS LOCATED

"and the Word was with God"

A.           The Word Was In The Presence Of God. 

1.           Jesus lived in fellowship with God. 

(Proverbs 8:22)  The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

2.           Reveals the blessed relation, which obtained from all eternity between the   

              Word and God.

3.          The fellowship, which existed between the Word and God before, ever the            

             world was. 

(Proverbs 8:30)  Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

Third,
III.         WE SEE THE DEITY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

"and the Word was God"

A.              Or, and God was the Word. 

1.           The Holy Spirit goes on to say, “and the word was with God,”

i.            Which denoted:

ii.           His separate personality, and 

iii.          Intimated His essential relation to the Godhead. 

2.        And, as though that were not strong enough,

i.            The Holy Spirit expressly adds, “and God was the word.” 

 Fourth,
IV.         WE SEE THE ETERNITY OF THE LORD JESUS  CHRIST

"The same was in the beginning with God."

A.           The “same,” that is, the Word;

1.               “Was,” that is, existed,

2.               Not began to be; “in the beginning,”

3.               That is, before time commenced; “with God,” that is,

i.                As a distinct Personality. 

B.           He was God, the Son, manifest in flesh. 

1.           And so fully and so perfectly did He reveal God, He could say,

(John 14:9)  Jesus saith unto him, … he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

C.            If the believer is to enter into a better,

 1.          Deeper,

2.           Fuller,

3.           Knowledge of God,

4.               He must prayerfully study the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ as revealed in the Scriptures! 

D.     Let this be made our chief business,

a.             Our great delight,

b.             To reverently scrutinize and

C            Read about our Divine Saviour

       i.            As they are displayed upon  the pages of  the Holy Bible,

       ii.           Then, and only then, shall we

(Colossians 1:10)  That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

(2 Corinthians 4:6)  For God, who commanded … to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Finally,

V.           WE SEE THE CREATIVITY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

A.           Notice, that the whole of creation is here

ascribed to the Word –

1.               This would not be true if He were

i.                Himself a creature,

a.      Even though the first and the highest creature. 

2.               Just as He was before all things, and therefore, eternal;

3.               So was He the Originator of all things, and therefore, omnipotent."

CONCLUSION: It is His coming from there to here that gives us cause to celebrate Christmas, does it not?  And Christmas is the event of His arrival from somewhere else to here.

              Where was He in the beginning?  Who was He in the beginning?  What was He is the beginning?

              In the beginning, way back at the start, in eternity past, He is the Word.  He is always from the beginning with God.  He is always from the beginning Himself God.  This means that He is eternal.  And He created everything. What will you do with Christmas? 

              There are some things that need thinking about this Christmas season.  There are some issues to ponder.  There is a Savior to embrace. 

              Who He is now He has always, from eternity past, been. 

(Hebrews 13:8)  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

              Consider Him on that basis and it is more likely that you will celebrate Christmas correctly.

12/8 Fundamental Thoughts-Sermons

Searching for the Perfect Gift

Luke 2:11            For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Introduction:  Do you have all your shopping done yet?

              There are some folks that are hard to shop for

- You have no idea what they need or want

- You don't know what size or color

- They are just plain picky

              But, God knows exactly what we need. He gives us good and perfect gifts. Just to help us keep our spiritual perspective in these last days leading up to Christmas let us be reminded of some of God's gifts to us.

I.               THE GIFT OF THE SAVIOR-      "Unto YOU"

Luke 2:11            For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

If there ever was a gift where "everybody needs one", "one size fits all", or "you can't do without it", this is it.

              A.           It was a promised gift-

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

              B.           It is a perfectly timed gift-

Galatians 4:4      But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

II.           THE GIFT OF SALVATION

              A.           A Personal Relationship With The Living God-

  John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Ephesians 2:8-9  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Romans 6:23      For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

III.            THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT-

John 14:16-18   And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; ¹⁷Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.   ¹⁸I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

John 14:26          But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

                 A.              An indwelling Being

1.           He dwelleth with you

  B.              An empowering Being

1.           The Father will send in My Name

                 C.              An educating Being

1.           He shall teach you all things

IV.         THE GIFTS OF GRACE -

              A.              Giving –

2 Corinthians 8:19 And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind:

              B.           Serving-

Ephesians 3:7-8   Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.    ⁸Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

 V.           WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A GIFT?

 I suppose every parent has had the experience of searching for some special gift for their child and then after all that effort seeing the child spend more time playing with the box the gift came in than the gift itself.

              The feeling you have at that time approximates the feeling God must have about some of His children with their attitude towards His gifts to us.

              A.           Thank God for it-

2 Corinthians 9:15           Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

              B.           Use it-

1 Timothy 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

              C.           Share it-

2 Timothy 1:6-7  Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.   ⁷For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

  

              D.           Add to it-

2 Peter 1:2-8       Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, ³According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:  ⁴Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.   ⁵And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;  ⁶And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; ⁷And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.   ⁸For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Conclusion:  It was the week before Christmas. Parking spaces were hard to come by. There were long lines, crowded stores, rude people, and grossly inflated prices. In one long checkout line, one man was heard to say, "They should kill the guy who started Christmas." One wise and godly woman in the line said, "They did - they hung Him on a cross."

Therein lies the REAL Christmas story. 

Do you know Him?                          Is He your Lord and Saviour?

12/7 Fundamental Thoughts-Sermons

HERE IS NO OTHER NAME LIKE HIS

Isaiah 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Luke 2:11  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Introduction:

1.               Isaiah 9:6 is a great verse concerning our Saviour.  It tells us He is a child and He is a son. 

2.               He was born a child but he was always the Son of God.  The child had to be born but the son had to be given.

3.               This verse shows the significance of both the “child” and the “son”.

4.               In this verse we see the “coming of the king”— yet to come

5.               Through Jesus everything is taken care of in life.

6.               Isaiah Looked down the years of time called “future” and saw our wonderful lamb.

I.               His Name Is Wonderful    -             Unwavering

A.              Wonderful Heart to Love Us

(John 15:13)  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

1.               His Love is  Unmerited

i.            Unselfish

ii.           Unending

II.              His Name is Counselor - Unerring NO Fault

A.              He is the eternal God with the fullness of the Godhead.  

(Proverbs 8:22)  The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

B.              He is patient with us

C.              He knows our hearts

D.              He ever lives for us   

(John 17:20)  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

III.            His Name Is Mighty God   - Unquestionable Deity 

A.           Might in His power.  Many things affected by His might.

B.           Power toward men

1.               People healed

2.               Dead raised

3.               Available to any today

IV.            His Name Is Everlasting Father – Eternal Forevermore

                 A.              The Jewish word for Father means “originator of” or  “author of”

B.              In eternity our residence will be in beautiful mansions

In eternity will have the removal of memories

In eternity we will reign with our beloved master

In eternity the requirement will be blood bought

C.              In sending His Son, God invaded time with eternity

1.               He spake as no man spake

 V.              His Name Is The Prince of Peace – Unrivaled

A.           Christ is our Peace—His Character

B.           Peace with God and man – The Cross    

(Colossians 1:20-22)  And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.  21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight: 

1.               Took blood to make peace with God

2.               Peace with God makes possible peace with each other

C.           Peace on earth—Coming

1.           There is peace in Heaven

2.           There is peace in the heart

There will be no peace to the heathen till He come to them

VI.         His Name Is Jesus - Immanuel

(Luke 1:31)  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

(Matthew 1:23)  Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

(Isaiah 7:14)  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

CONCLUSION:  As we look at all that we have before us.

Isaiah 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

We note the first thing said “For unto us a child is born.”  This birth is a birth that for our Salvation is required.   Otherwise we will have no blood given for our sins. 

              God has given “unto us a son is given” without what God has given where would we be, all of us heading straight to hell, with no way out.  No redemption

              Only through the Birth of this God/Man, this baby Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, He was born so He could hang on that cross for our sins.  Not only die for our sins but also claim victory over death and Satan, with His resurrection.

              As we approach this CHRISTmas Season, let us remember what God has done for each of us, through this Virgin birth of His Only Begotten Son, our Saviour Jesus the Christ.

              The amazing part is that He did it all for a people as good as filthy rags, people not concerned about what He had done in the past, nor were they concerned about what was happeneing.

              He did it all for the “possibility” that we would accept His Son Jesus.

              Have you accepted Him?