God's Gifts to us: Earth, Sun, Moon and Stars – animals, plants, water

Life – flesh and blood, breath and memories

Family – Spouse, children, grandchildren

Every moment of our lives, joy and sorrow, gives us meaning and proves that we are alive!

The Greatest Gift:

​"For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
                                                     Isaiah 9:6

Wonderful Counselor
James 1:5   If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you
Mighty God
Colossians 1: 15-16   15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him

​Everlasting Father
Romans 8: 16-17  16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory
Prince of Peace
Philippians 4:6-7   6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Jesus Came in the Fullness of God's Love:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

​
God became a flesh -- the mystery

​​
 "Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great:
He appeared in the flesh,
    was vindicated by the Spirit,[a]
was seen by angels,
    was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
    was taken up in glory." 1 Timothy 3:16

​Why Did Jesus Come as a Baby?

"During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him." Hebrews 5:7-9

Jesus was always perfect, always complete. But through his birth and life he experienced the frail, sinful life of man. 

The baby grew up!

Ask the Angels  Luke 2:11
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

Ask John the Baptist  John 1:29
 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world

Ask the demons!  Mark 5:7
7 The man spoke with a loud voice and said, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? 

​Ask Paul   Philippians 3: 8
8 Even more than that, I think of everything as worth nothing. It is so much better to know Christ Jesus my Lord. I have lost everything for Him. And I think of these things as worth nothing so that I can have Christ.

Ask the Roman Centurion Matthew 27: 57
The captain of the soldiers and those with him who were watching Jesus, saw all the things that were happening. They saw the earth shake and they were very much afraid. They said, “For sure, this Man was the Son of God.”

Celebrate the baby, celebrate the sacrifice:

The trials and tribulations for Jesus started right away, and never ended
Herod tried to kill him when he was a baby.
Then he grew up and:
Nazareth (hometown) drove him away
He was homeless, hungry, weary, tempted
He was hated, accused, denied and betrayed
He was crowned with thorns, beaten, spat upon, and crucified
And yet…

JOY!

Matthew 28: 8-9
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.


Greetings = Chairete – Χαίρω  Be Full of Joy!

The Resurrection was the completion of the angels’ greeting

​"For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders." Isaiah 9:6

The child is born (man)
The Son is given (God)
The perfect gift, Jesus, wrapped in the wrapping paper of flesh. 

​“God’s love must be wonderful beyond comprehension. God could quite justly have abandoned us to our fate. He could have left us alone to reap the fruit of our wrongdoing and to perish in our sins. It is what we deserved. But he did not. Because he loved us, he came after us in Christ. He pursued us even to the desolate anguish of the cross, where he bore our sin, guilt, judgment, and death… It is more than love. Its proper name is ‘grace,’ which is love to the undeserving. God himself in his Son has borne the penalty for our law-breaking”. -
​                                                                                                                        John Stott, The Cross of Christ

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5     It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous." Psalm 19:1-9

Every single thing in creation is a wonder of God: babies, flowers, bees, trees, our bodies.
For example, 1055 amino acids make up a protein, but those amino acids have to be lined up in one perfect order. For this to happen accidentally, the chance of this happening would be 10 to the 260th power!

God's wonder is laid out all around us. The wonder of God is self-evident.

"But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
    or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
    or let the fish in the sea inform you.
9 Which of all these does not know
    that the hand of the Lord has done this?" Job 12:7-9

Man is the only creation that will deny God.

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." Romans 1:20

The Joy of the Law of God

"The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous." Psalm 19:7-9

The Law gives us and all things guidance.

"My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline, but don't be crushed by it either. It's the child he loves that he disciplies; the child he embraces, he also corrects." Hebrews 12:6

Discipline comes from love. God's ways are always best.

The Love of God in Jesus

God's plan from the very beginning was to make a way for us to be with him -- that way is Jesus.

 "He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”" Mark 4:26-29

1. Our God is alive and working.
2. He loves us enough to discipline us.
3. He loved us enough to send Jesus.
4. We need to be actively growing. We need to be fertile soil.
5. The Creator is still creating.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.​" Romans 5:8

He Demonstrates. Present tense!

We should be faithfully growing daily, never stopping until death or when Jesus comes back.

We should be faithfully planting, never stopping until death or when Jesus comes back.

Jesus will come back for the final harvst.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

Hope brings joy. There are different kinds of joy. Day-to-day we can have joy. All the time.

Mountaintop joy:
"They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna![a]”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[b]
“Blessed is the king of Israel!”" John 12:13

Valley of Shadow:
 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard." Matthew 27:65-66

They were not just separated by death but also Jesus's body was taken away. There was no chance to grieve over the body. We want to have that last chance with the body often when death occurs.

There are times we let "stones" separate us from Jesus.

"So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy." John 16:22

You will suffer but joy will be at the end. 

Mountaintop joy again:
"When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight."
Luke 24:30-31

"While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.'" Luke 24:36

We serve a living God. 

Joy in understanding:
"Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." Luke 24:45

The disciples had been walking around with Jesus, but they didn't understand the Scriptures till then. Maybe didn't see Him in all of scripture until then? 

"When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy." Luke 24:50-52

Mountaintop of the Spirit:
 "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them." Acts 2:1-4

The joy of knowing this isn't all there is. We have hope to give people. Joy is recognition beyond ourselves. If we look for it, we'll see it. If we seek it we'll find it.

"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:8-9

The Joy of Jesus is you and me, us! Saving us!

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." John 15:11

"fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

He will be so joyful when we get there. There will be lots of parties in heaven. 

The Mountaintop of Joy to Come:
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

This is not our home. Heaven is eternal. When we finish we will be with Jesus. Just keep going till you hit the end.

"Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." 1 John 3:2

"Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”" Nehemiah 8:10

God is NEVER begrudging with His love!! 

Four Mothers

Hannah -- A praying mother

18 "Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy [a]wearing a linen ephod. 19 And his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you [b]children from this woman in place of [c]the one she dedicated to the Lord.” And they went to their own [d]home." 1 Samuel 2:18-20

If you have a praying mother, be thankful.

Our mothers were the first ones to show us the love of God.

"Behold, children are a [a]gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward." Psalm 127:3

Eunace -- A Teaching Mother

3 "I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience [a]the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my [b]prayers night and day, 4 longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 [c]For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well." 1 Timothy 1:3-5

If you have a teaching mother, be thankful.

Jochebed -- A sacrificing mother

"Now a man from the house of Levi went and [a]married a daughter of Levi. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw [b]that he was [c]beautiful, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a [d]wicker [e]basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to [f]find out what would [g]happen to him.
5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the [h]basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her. 6 When she opened it, she [i]saw the child, and behold, the [j]boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call [k]a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?”8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go ahead.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she named him [l]Moses, and said, “Because I [m]drew him out of the water.” Exodus 2:1-10

Jochebed sacrificed him to save him.

If you have a sacrificing mother, be thankful.

Mary -- a long-suffering mother

18 "And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart." Luke 2:18-19

What an amazing experience for Mary. 

"When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus *said to her, “Woman, [a]what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother *said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” John 2:3-5

Jesus honored her mother's request even though he told her it wasn't his time. He loved her.

47 "Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.”[a] 48 But [b]Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” Matthew 12:47-48

She gets rejected by her son publicly.

26 "When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”27 Then He *said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household." John 19:26-27

From the cross Jesus took care of his mother. It was one of the last things he did.

14 "These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers." Acts 1:14

​If you have a long-suffering mother, be thankful.

We have a Father who listens and answers prayer.

Christianity is the only faith with a living God and a God who is listening to us.

Pray according to God's will.

14"For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a]in heaven and on earth derives its name." Ephesians 3:14-15

2 ways to learn how to pray: taught or caught

20 "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone." Ephesians 2:20

9"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

We aren't given faith to get things.  Get your feet wet.

What we're asking for should glorify God.

He won't give us something that won't glorify God.

Be strengthened within.

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,"
Ephesians 3:16

​ "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

If we focus on the problem the problem becomes who we are.

Put your heart and mind on the other side. If not where's our witness?


Our inner strength will grow when we focus on Christ.

If you don't push yourself beyond your capability you won't grow.

To do this we must be rooted in Christ.

"so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,"
Ephesians 3:17

Be rooted in Christ.  Power to Serve God.  Ask to fully grasp the love of Christ.

"may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:18-19

Be filled every day.

Be loving toward all all the time.

Without the love we cannot be who we are meant to be.

God is more than we can comprehend.  We are to be filled for His glory daily.  Don't be overwhelmed with life. Be overwhelmed with God.

Desire for us to have this.He loves to see joy in His children. He loves to see His children living to their fullest potential.



​

Human error once again stopped us from sharing with you Shannon's sermon verbally, but we do have some notes. Hope they bless you. See below:

Paul had a list of challenges. He saw Jesus and was struck blind; then had to be led around. He was used to being respected and became an outcast. Even the church didn't trust him at first. He was shipwrecked, flogged, stoned. He knew hunger and cold. He was in prison for many years. Through all this (and not through incredibly "blessed" circumstances) he learned how to be content. 

"I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:12-13

It's not natural to be content. Our natural state is we want more of _______. We never have enough. Satan uses this against us. He says if you do this you'll have more. What a lie!

Satan did this with Jesus in Luke 4. The first temptation was to turn stones into bread -- temptation for necessarities. The second one was proving Himself (throw yourself off the building. Angels will catch you). The third was about having all the stuff you'd ever want (I'll give you the whole world. Just fall down and worship me). 

Jesus could have done any of that but that wasn't why He was sent. If He had given in, if He had cut corners to God's way, He would have negated His purpose. We will do the same if we live our way rather than God's way.   

If we are not living in the moment, we are missing out. You are not creating a memory by videotaping it. You create a memory by living it.

Find your joy on the inside. Can't allow that desire for more control us or we will cut corners when we shouldn't. We will fail. 

If our contentment isn't coming from within material stuff will take control. Without Christ there is no contentment.

​God has all the big things under His control.

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things." Philippians 4:8

Put your mind on the beauty. This is a learned behavior. Look for the beauty!

We don't undersatnd the lack in other parts. We just have to look around and find the joy. 

Little things!

The big secret -- remember what we have. God takes care of the big things. Don't look horizontally for contentment. Look vertically -- look up to God. 

We gotta let go of the past (forgive everyone including yourself). Acknowledge baggage is there so God can deal with it for you. 

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

It isn't about self suffficiency. It isn't about our strength. God gives us strength. This verse is about contentment not about our own strength. We are insufficient. God is sufficient. Self-sufficiency will always fail. 

God doesn't give us unlimited strength. He has unlimited strength. 

It was neat to see the imperfection. When we aren't able to pull, He'll pull. He uses His strength to carry us. I can't do it alone. Be content with this. God's got us.

Life is not a DVD. We cannot fast forward through bad times.

Look at the other side of it. We can learn contentment. 

Chlldren. When they hurt they run to Mom and Dad. They know Mom and Dad will make it all better. This is how we need to be with Father God. We need to run to HIm with everything knowing He will make it better. 

Notes from today, 2/26/2017's service:

Visible haven on the other side.

1 Corinthians 15:12-19.

Everyone knew Jesus' tomb was empty.

If we don't believe in the resurrection of the dead, our faith is worthless.

The knowledge that God exists is not enough.

Too much religion and not enough resurrection.

It's not about being comfortable.

This world is fallen. 

It's easy for us to be comfortable in our faith.

Do you know?

Can you see the house on the other side of the cemetery? Is there evidence in my life where I'm walking?

Purpose vs browsing/strolling.

We cannot stroll in our faith.

#1 Are you living life as if this is all there is?

#2  What's the most important thing to you?

#3 What's the biggest priority in your life?

#4 Do you feel an urgency to call others to Christ?

There's only one person who really went to heaven who could tell us about it -- Jesus!

If we don't take the invitation our place will be empty.  Resurrection is what we'll happen to us.

Daniel 12:2.

People get prepared for a wedding.

We are getting ready to see the Bridegroom. 

Acknowledgement of what we've been given. Our life should be an expression of our faith.

Are we window shopping or living?

1 Corinthians 15:58:28-34.

(Must apologize in advance -- missed part of the sermon so no notes for when I had to take Hawk to the bathroom).

Notes from this morning's sermon:

Life gets heavy.

Matthew 11:28-30.

Oxen and work horses pull heavy loads but they won't be setting any land speed records.

heavy-laden = burden

Jesus says, "I'll trade you. Take my light yoke of following me and I'll take that load of worry you carry on your shoulders."

Jesus says, "Come to Me."

If you're tired, come.

We take our burdens and compound them by worrying about them. You have to let them go without any strings attached that you can pull on later to bring them back.

Some people let their burdens become their identity.

Luke 11:46: The pharisees gave the people burdens.

Proverbs 3:5-6.

Trust Him to do everything. We get so used to a burden we can't let it go.

We often communicate with complaints.

Acknowledge Him.

Psalm 55:22: "Cast your burden."

Cast means we throw it at Him.

Casting a heavy wet net takes lot of strength.

Humble yourself.  Realize you can't do everything. Sometimes we can't do anything.

Start with prayer.

All that worry gives us nothing good. You can worry yourself sick.

Proverbs 34:17.

Isaiah 46:4.

God says He's got this. He will always be there. God is the only one who can bring us to Him. How do we let this go?

In His due time.

Paul's physical problem never went away. Yet, he had joy.

Read His Word. It is full of encouragement and promises of God taking care of us.

We have to get into prayer to get close to Jesus. We have to be in conversation with Him. Constant conversation. Ask. If you knock the door will be opened.

And give your brothers and sisters a chance to help. They want to.
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