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Sermon Summary
Matthew 1:21 (ESV)
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.\\u201d
In this week\\u2019s message, Pastor Chris asked, \\u201cWhere are you looking for Joy, this Christmas?\\u201d He challenged us to discern the difference between the secular and sacred Christmas celebrations around us. He inspired us with the idea of believers discovering deeper meaning in the birth of Christ, and those searching for truth responding to the message of the nativity. Are we simply enamored with the baby Jesus the way we fawn over a newborn? Or, are we astounded and humbled that God came in the flesh as an infant to live a sinless life, embody the good news, die a torturous death, and rise from the dead, so that we might have a restored relationship with our Father in Heaven?! That is the audacity of the message of Bethlehem\\u2019s holy child!
The consumerism of Christmas has a strong agenda, pulling people away from its true meaning. Getting wrapped up in the material gifts can bring pleasure, but blind us from seeing pure Joy in God\\u2019s gift to the world. God\\u2019s design for Christmas is for all to have an encounter with Christ that will fill us with His Spirit and bless us with everlasting life.
At Christmas, worship and praise songs are piped-in all around us \\u2013 in commercials, elevators, radio stations, department stores, and malls. Consider the theology of this beloved carol, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, which answers vital life questions with theological aplomb:
Where we are looking will be the level of our Joy this Christmas. Like the wise men seeking the newborn king by looking intently at the brightest star in the heavens, there is a direct correlation between our focus and our joy.
Isaiah 9:6\\u20137 (ESV)
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
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Five Thoughts on How Jesus\\u2019 Name Impacts our Lives
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Psalm 8:3\\u20134 (ESV)
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
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Psalm 73:24 (ESV)
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.
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James 1:5 (The Message)\\xa0
5 If you don\\u2019t know what you\\u2019re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You\\u2019ll get his help, and won\\u2019t be condescended to when you ask for it.\\xa0
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Philippians 4:13 (ESV)
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
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Philippians 2:12\\u201313 (NLT)
Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
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Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
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Philippians 4:7 (The Message)
7 Before you know it, a sense of God\\u2019s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It\\u2019s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
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Luke 2:14 (ESV)
14 \\u201cGlory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!\\u201d
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Philippians 4:6\\u20137 (NLT)
6 Don\\u2019t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God\\u2019s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
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Discussion Questions
Does it have anything to do with the worldly pleasures?
Could you be putting your hope in something that brings disappointment?
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Application Questions
How will He be your Mighty God, Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, and Everlasting Father?