CHRISTMAS LESSON - Are You RECEIVING or REJECTING the Savior God Sent to You?Receiveng is better than giving.
Welcome To BARAH MINISTRIES a Christian Church
Rory Clark Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning! And Merry Christmas!
This is the time when Christians throughout the world celebrate the birth of the God-Man…the Lord Jesus Christ…100% God and 100% Man in one Person forever…the uniquely born One…the only Being ever to come from the miracle of a virgin conception…the Sovereign God of the Universe…the only begotten One, born as a Son of God the Father, not adopted as sons as we believers are…the Savior of the whole world…and the Jewish Messiah. There is so much we can say about my favorite Being!
Jesus Christ is God. At Barah Ministries, we make a difference by teaching His exact thinking, the Word of God, from God’s perspective and not from man’s perspective.
THE BARAH MINISTRIES CHRISTMAS LESSON Are You RECEIVING or REJECTING the Savior God Sent to You?
LESSON INTRODUCTION
That’s the single most important question every person must answer in this life? How many people do you think are bothering to even think about that question during this holiday season?
The lure of commercialism is seductive! Mistletoe and holly, shopping, lights, Christmas trees, and gingerbread houses…the sounds and smell of Christmas are much more real to people than the Messiah. What makes Christmas merry for me is Christ…Isaiah, Chapter 9, Verse 6…
ISAIAH 9:6 For a Child will be born to us…a Son will be given to us…and the government will rest on His shoulders…and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. If you ever wondered where the term Christmas comes from…it comes from Christ!
CHRISTMAS
CHRIST the MASsiah
Jesus Christ is the Messiah…He is God…Deity, in His very Person taking on the form of true humanity…living here on planet earth for thirty-three years to accomplish a divine mission. John, Chapter 1, Verse 14…
JOHN 1:14 And the Word (the Lord…God the Son) became flesh (Jesus Christ) and He lived among us for a while…and we (John referring to himself in the third person) beheld His glory (John was an apostle and the apostles saw this one-of-a-kind glory…the resurrected Jesus Christ)…glory as of the only Son from God the Father…full of grace and full of truth.
Jesus was born in a little town called Bethlehem, which means, “The Bread of Life” as Jesus described Himself in John, Chapter 6, Verses 33 and 35…
JOHN 6:33 “For the bread of God the Father is the bread which comes down out of heaven and gives the resurrection life (eternal life) to the world.”
JOHN 6:35 Jesus said to the crowd, “I AM the bread of life…he who comes to Me will not hunger…and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
Every one of you who is listening to this message is a fabulous creation of the Almighty God. John, Chapter 1, Verse 3 says…
JOHN 1:3 All things ever created came into being through the Lord, God the Son…and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being (including you).
In Psalm 139, Verse 14, King David says…
PSALM 139:14 I will give thanks to You, Lord…for I am uniquely and marvelously made… wonderful are Your works…and my soul knows it very well.
God has a personal plan for your life according to Matthew, Chapter 10, Verse 30…
MATTHEW 10:30 …the very hairs of your head are all numbered…
A privilege of this life is to learn God’s plan for all mankind and His personal plan for you.
The bad news is you were born with a problem. You were born a sinner. You were born physically alive and spiritually dead. You were born on the wrong side of a barrier, called sin, a barrier that keeps you from having a relationship with God. You were born without hope, and you are helpless to do anything to solve this destiny-altering dilemma on your own. In First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22, the Bible says…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22a For all in union with Adam at physical birth (and that is every human who comes to earth) are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire…
That's the meaning of "in Adam, all die" … the way the first part of First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22 is translated in most versions of the Bible. Spiritual death is a barrier to your relationship with God. Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 12 says…
EPHESIANS 2:12 …remember…at that time you Gentiles were separate from Christ… excluded from the nation of Israel…and strangers to the covenants of the promise (the Abrahamic…Palestinian...Davidic…and New Covenants)… having no hope…and without (a relationship with) God in the world (you were in a desperate situation).
The good news is that God the Father, the compassionate parent that He is to all mankind, sent God the Son into the world as the ONLY solution to your sin problem. Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8 says… ROMANS 5:8 God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankind…in that while we were yet sinners (while we were unrighteous, ungodly, unbelievers) … Jesus Christ died (a sacrificial death) for us.
As Jesus Christ told a religious Pharisee in John, Chapter 3, Verse 3…
JOHN 3:3 “Truly, truly, I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you (Nicodemus), unless you are born again (the spiritual birth) you cannot see the kingdom of God the Father (in heaven).”
To receive the gift of eternal life, you must reject spiritual death. Jesus Christ is the way out of spiritual death….John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…
JOHN 14:6 Jesus said to the doubting apostle, Thomas, “I AM the way (to salvation)… and I AM the truth (through the gospel message…the Word of God)…and I AM the resurrection life…and no one comes to God the Father (in heaven) but through believing in Me.”
John, Chapter 3, Verse 17…
JOHN 3:17 For God the Father did not send God the Son into the world (as the Lord to become Jesus Christ) to judge the world…but God the Father sent the Son into the world that the world might be saved through Him.
You live in a world that encourages you…all day…every day…all year…to REJECT a relationship with your Savior. Do you? You live in a world that encourages you to have a do-it-yourself spiritual lifestyle. Is it your choice to work to save yourself? God has provided holidays all throughout the world…a pause…an invitation for you to stop for a moment to make a life-changing decision. In the United States, the holidays are called Christmas and Easter, and the Word of God makes your holiday task clear in John, Chapter 20, Verse 31…
JOHN 20:31 …the things written here in the Bible have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Jewish Messiah)…the Son of God (in human form)…and that by believing in Him you may have the resurrection life (eternal life) in His name.
The single most important decision you make in this life is whether you will REJECT or RECEIVE a relationship with the Savior sent to you by God the Father to rescue you from your life-altering dilemma. What’s your choice? Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 encourages you to…
ACTS 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
If you REJECT the Savior whom God the Father has sent to you, there are eternal consequences. John, Chapter 3, Verse 36 warns…
JOHN 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life (eternal life) right at that moment… but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”
God does not want ANYONE to go to the Lake of Fire…Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9…
SECOND PETER 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvation, as some accuse Him of…instead, He is patient toward unbelievers…not wishing for any of you to perish (in the Lake of Fire) but for all of you to come to repentance (a change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).
If you RECEIVE the Savior whom God the Father has sent to you, there is an eternal celebration. John, Chapter 1, Verse 12…
JOHN 1:12 But WHOSOEVER received Him, to them the Lord Jesus Christ gave the right to become children of God the Father, even to those who believe in Christ’s name…
We’re here to celebrate the great decision we have made, as believers in Christ, to RECEIVE His “so great salvation.”
We’re here to invite those who have rejected Jesus Christ to make the same great decision as we have. This is the significance of Christmas. This is the holiday we celebrate at this most wonderful time of the year.
SONG INTRODUCTION
Despite all the trials and tribulations Job went through, he still knew the truth…that the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to be our REDEEMER… here's what Job had to say in Job, Chapter 19, Verse 25…
JOB 19:25 “As for me (Job)…I know that my Redeemer lives…and at the last He will take His stand on the earth.”
As our Redeemer, the Lord accomplished our redemption. What is redemption? It is…
REDEMPTION To be released by payment…to be freed by ransom…freedom from whatever is holding us captive…and it takes a payment to do it.
We celebrate Jesus’ first coming as a baby where He freed us from our slavery to sin. We celebrate Jesus’ second coming as the King of kings and the Lord of lords when He will take back control of planet earth. Job was right! Indeed, our REDEEMER lives! Here’s June Murphy to tell us about the Lord’s mission…He came FROM CHRISTMAS TO THE CROSS.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
FROM CHRISTMAS TO THE CROSS June Murphy
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
Heavenly Father, we come before You today with hearts full of gratitude because You see fit to fill our lungs with air today so that we may have life…both physical life and a resurrection life…
…we appreciate it that You sent Your Son…our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…to be the propitiation for our sins…He satisfied Your need for the just handling of the sin problem…He kept us from being targets of Your wrath…His work at the Cross…the shedding of His blood as the payment for sins…is the only satisfactory sacrifice for sin in Your eyes…there is no way for us to repay You or Your Son for Your generosity…
…as we recall His birth and his life on earth today, help us to understand the significance of the Your Son’s first advent and encourage us to share His gospel message with the whole world, one person at a time…
We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit...in Christ’s name...Amen.
THE BARAH MINISTRIES CHRISTMAS LESSON Are You RECEIVING or REJECTING the Savior God Sent to You?
Do you have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you RECEIVED His free gift of salvation? John, Chapter 1, Verse 12 says…
JOHN 1:12 But WHOSOEVER received Him (that is, accepted His invitation to believe in Christ) to them the Lord Jesus Christ gave the right to become children of God the Father, even to those who believe in Christ’s name…
Many who have inhabited the earth have rejected the offer of salvation. Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 20…
ROMANS 1:20 For since the creation of the world the Lord’s invisible attributes, His eternal power and His divine nature, keep on being clearly seen by everyone, being understood even through what has been made (as reflected in the things of nature), so that all mankind is without excuse (in the matter of knowing of the existence of the Lord).
However, Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 25 describes the rejection…
ROMANS 1:25 For those practicing ungodliness and unrighteousness (unbelievers) exchanged the truth of God for a lie…and worshiped and served the creature (Satan) rather than the Creator (the Lord) who created the creature…He who is blessed forever. Amen.
It’s puzzling, once you examine the evidence, why anyone would reject a relationship with Christ.
The coming of the Lord was foretold by the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah, Chapter 7, Verse 14…
ISAIAH 7:14 “Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you (religious Jews) a sign (concerning what to look for in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ)… behold, a virgin will be with child and will bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”
Immanuel means, “God with us.” The world knew what to look for! A virgin, whose name was Mary, would give birth to the Lord. Mary is not the mother of God as Roman Catholics believe. Mary is a woman no different than women today. She’s like the women sitting right here. She was selected by God to be the mother of Jesus Christ’s humanity as a gift.
Before the birth of Jesus Christ, there was a miraculous occurrence, outlined in Matthew, Chapter 1, Verses 18 to 25. How did the virgin get pregnant? Let’s find out…
MATTHEW 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph…and before they had sexual intercourse…she was found to be “with child” by the agency of God the Holy Spirit.
MATTHEW 1:19 And Joseph her husband (literally her betrothed man)…being a righteous man (a believer in Christ)…and not wanting to disgrace her…planned to divorce her secretly.
MATTHEW 1:20 But when Joseph had considered this (secret divorce while pondering the dilemma he was in), behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream…
MATTHEW 1:20 …saying, “Joseph, son of David (a reminder to him that he is nobility from the lineage of a king…David), do not be afraid because it’s not a problem to take Mary as your wife (literally as his betrothed woman)…for the Child who has been conceived in her is from the source of God the Holy Spirit.
MATTHEW 1:21 “(Mary) will bear a Son…and you shall call His name Jesus…for He (and no other) will save His people from their sins.”
MATTHEW 1:22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet (in ISAIAH 7:14)…
MATTHEW 1:23 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND (Joseph) SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL (as he was instructed),” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”
MATTHEW 1:24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife…
MATTHEW 1:25 …but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son…and Joseph called His name Jesus.
The non-spiritual world has a name for this phenomenon…it’s called…
PARTHENOGENESIS The development of an egg without fertilization by a male
When we return from the break, we'll take the offering…during the break, we'll hear a couple of great Christmas songs…
MUSIC BREAK CHRISTMASTIME IS HERE Ray Parker Jr.
MUSIC BREAK THE CHRISTMAS SONG Nate King Cole
THE BARAH MINISTRIES CHRISTMAS LESSON Are You RECEIVING or REJECTING the Savior God Sent to You?
This is the season of receiving, not giving. God the Father loved the world so much that He gave His Son so that we would RECEIVE Him and all His benefits. When you give to Barah Ministries you make it possible for people all over the world to receive the gospel message concerning what is available to receive from believing in Jesus Christ. Be generous, just as our God is generous with you. You can donate in person, or on our APP, or on our website at barahministries.com. Let's welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with the offering message. THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
FIRST CORINTHIANS 6:19 Or DO YOU NOT KNOW that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is indwelling you (believers in Christ) … whom you have from God the Father? You are not your own!
OFFERING VERSE
FIRST CORINTHIANS 6:20 For you believers in Christ have been bought with a price! Therefore… (a command)…glorify God in your body!
OFFERING SONG JOY TO THE WORLD Nat King Cole
THE BARAH MINISTRIES CHRISTMAS LESSON Are You RECEIVING or REJECTING the Savior God Sent to You?
It was God the Holy Spirit…not Joseph…who got the virgin pregnant. It was divine fatherhood, not human fatherhood that produced the uniquely born God-Man, the only-begotten One of the Father…the Lord Jesus Christ…the Savior of the whole world.
Here’s how Luke describes it in Luke, Chapter 1, Verses 26 to 37…using the Wuest Translation…
LUKE 1:26 (Wuest Translation) Now, in the sixth month of the pregnancy of Mary’s relative Elizabeth, the angel Gabriel was sent on a mission from God the Father to a city of Galilee named Nazareth…
LUKE 1:27 (Wuest Translation) …to a virgin promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. And the name of the virgin was Mary.
Couples who were “betrothed” during this time in human history… “promised” as the verse says…were already legally married.
LUKE 1:28 (Wuest Translation) And having come to her, Gabriel said, “Keep on rejoicing Mary, because you have been encompassed with favor, a grace gift from God. The Lord is with you.”
LUKE 1:29 (Wuest Translation) But Mary was greatly agitated by reason of the words said by Gabriel, and began reasoning what sort of an exotic greeting this might be.
LUKE 1:30 (Wuest Translation) And the angel said to her, “Stop fearing, Mary, for you have a grace gift of favor in the presence of God.”
LUKE 1:31 (Wuest Translation) “And behold…you shall conceive in your womb and you shall give birth to a Son…and you shall call His name Jesus.” Next, five things the Lord was given by His Father in return for the sacrifice of His life for us…
LUKE 1:32 (Wuest Translation) (1) “This One, Jesus shall be great, and (2) He shall be called the Son of the Most High, and (3) God the Father, our Lord, shall give to Jesus the throne of David His father during Jesus’ Millennial reign…”
LUKE 1:33 (Wuest Translation) “…and (4) Jesus shall reign as King over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever and (5) of His kingdom there shall not be an end.”
LUKE 1:34 (Wuest Translation) But Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be possible, since I have not had sexual intercourse with a man?”
LUKE 1:35 (Wuest Translation) And the angel answering said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you…wherefore also the holy One which is being conceived shall be called Son of God.”
LUKE 1:36 (Wuest Translation) “And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, also herself conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month of pregnancy for her who is called sterile…”
LUKE 1:37 (Wuest Translation) “…for in the presence of God not a thing shall be impossible.”
LUKE 1:38 And Mary said, “Behold (in me) the bondslave of the Lord…may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Because God has an enemy…Satan…the ruler of this world…and a liar who deceives the whole world…some people are influenced into REJECTING a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. In Matthew, Chapter 2, Verses 1 to 6 we see a leader of the time, Herod, rejecting a relationship with Christ…
MATTHEW 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, Magi (astronomers) from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying…
MATTHEW 2:2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
MATTHEW 2:3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him (was troubled).
MATTHEW 2:4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, Herod inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
MATTHEW 2:5 The chief priests and scribes said to Herod, “The Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem of Judea…for this is what has been written by the prophet…
MATTHEW 2:6 “‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH…FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’”
Everyone has ALWAYS known about the coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Continuing at Matthew, Chapter 2, Verses 7 to 12…
MATTHEW 2:7 Then Herod secretly called the Magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.
MATTHEW 2:8 And Herod sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child…and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”
MATTHEW 2:9 After hearing the king, the Magi went their way…and the star…which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.
MATTHEW 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
MATTHEW 2:11 After coming into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother…and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him with gifts fit for a King…gold (for His Deity)… frankincense (for His life)…and myrrh (for His humanity, a fragrance identifying Him with His death).
MATTHEW 2:12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the Magi left for their own country by another way.
This made Herod mad…Matthew, Chapter 2, Verse 16 to 18…
MATTHEW 2:16 And when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the Magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the Magi.
MATTHEW 2:17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled…
MATTHEW 2:18 “A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH…WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING…RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN…AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED BECAUSE HER CHILDREN WERE NO MORE.”
So which one are you? This Christmas, are You RECEIVING or REJECTING the Savior God the Father sent to You? John, Chapter 10, Verses 9 and 10…
JOHN 10:9 “I (the Lord Jesus Christ) am the door (of salvation)…if (3) anyone enters through (through receiving) Me (maybe you will and maybe you won’t…you have a choice)…he will be saved by God…and will go in (to the Plan of God) and will go out to find pasture (through the truth of the Word of God).”
JOHN 10:10 “The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) came so that believers in Christ may have the resurrection life (eternal life) and have it abundantly.”
The choice is yours. Make the right choice! Be among the “whosoever” who receive freely, and free of charge, the gift CHRIST…John, Chapter 1, Verse 12…
JOHN 1:12 But whosoever received Him, to them the Lord Jesus Christ gave the right to become children of God the Father, even to those who believe in Christ’s name…
First Timothy, Chapter 1, Verses 15 to 17…
FIRST TIMOTHY 1:15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I (Paul) am foremost of all.
FIRST TIMOTHY 1:16 Yet for this reason (the fact that I was the foremost of all sinners) I found mercy from God the Father, so that in me as the foremost sinner, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life (the resurrection life). FIRST TIMOTHY 1:17 Now to the King of kings and Lord of lords…the Lord Jesus Christ…to the eternal, immortal, invisible One, to the One and Only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Here’s June Murphy to remind us what happened on that O HOLY NIGHT!
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
O HOLY NIGHT June Murphy
CLOSING VERSES A Doxology of Praise to Our God
ROMANS 15:5 Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another (to think the exact same way…operating in harmony) according to your union with Christ Jesus…
ROMANS 15:6 …so that with one accord believers in Christ may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
ROMANS 15:7 Therefore, keep on accepting one another…and keep on receiving one another…just as Christ also keeps on accepting us (in unconditional love)…to the glory of God the Father.
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
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