“Lights, Camera, Christmas!”
Luke 2:1-20 Matthew 2:1-12
In 2006 the greatest Christmas verse in the Bible may be ...
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith
In Luke 2:1-20 and Matthew 2:1-12 ...
1. An Angel of the Lord brought Good News
Luke 2:9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them
2. The Glory of the Lord shone
Luke 2:9 the glory of the Lord shone around them
3. The shepherds Glorified and Praised God
Luke 2:20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen
4. The Star showed the way
Matthew 2:9 the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was
5. The Magi worshiped him
Matthew 2:11 they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts
TODAY we have no angels, no star, no shepherds and no magi. WHO then has God instructed to take their place?
We need to share the Good News
Romans 10:14,15 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
We need to be Light in a Dark World
Matthew 5:14,15 You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
We need to show the Way
2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this allsurpassing power is from God and not from us.
Philippians 2:14-16 Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life
We need to Glorify and Praise God
Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
We need to Recommit ourselves to Genuine Worship
John 4:23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this allsurpassing power is from God and not from us.
Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.