How To Keep Jesus At The Center of Your Christmas Luke 2:19 (NKJV)

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "How To Keep Jesus At The Center of Your Christmas Luke 2:19 (NKJV)"

Paulina Weaver
5 years ago
Views:

1 Message for THE LORD'S DAY MORNING, December 21, 2014 Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister A Christmas Message TOPIC: Christmas How To Keep Jesus At The Center of Your Christmas Luke 2:19 (NKJV) Please turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2. And I would like to read just one verse...verse 19. Luke 2:19 (NKJV) But Mary kept allthese thing and pondered them in her heart. P R A Y E R **************************************************** Introduction ILLUSTRATION I was reading an article the other day written by a grandmother about an experience she had recently with one of her little grandsons. She had gotten all her Christmas decorations down out of the attic to decorate her home. And among all her decorations was her Nativity set that she put on display each year. She carefully unwrapped all the ceramic Nativity figures and left them on the table while she went to do some other decorating. When she returned awhile later, she found her little grandson with the Nativity figures she had left lying on the table. He had put Joseph and Mary, and all the shepherds, and the Wise Men, and the cows and donkeys in a circle...and in the center of the circle he had put baby Jesus lying in the manger. The grandmother then realized a very profound truth and that is: Even a little child can understand that JESUS belongs in the CENTER of CHRISTMAS!

2 I believe one of the greatest challenges we Christians face every Christmas is keeping Christ in the center of our Christmas. We have to make a really concentrated effort to stay focused on JESUS and not get so distracted by all the sights and sounds and worldly traditions that have become such a part of the Christmas celebration. This morning for just a few minutes I would like for us to consider some very practical ways we can Keep Jesus At The Center of Your Christmas. But before we get to that I would like for us to answer a very important question and that is... I. Why Should You Keep Jesus At The Center of Your Christmas? 1. One of the beautiful songs you are going to hear when the Choir sings its Christmas Cantata in just a little while is a song entitled: Jesus At The Center. If you will listen very carefully to the words of that song it reminds us of a very profound scriptural truth, and that is: JESUS IS AT THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING! (A) For one thing, Jesus Is At The Center of God's HEART. Do you remember what God said about His Son when JESUS was baptized by John in the Jordan River? Matthew 3:17 (NKJV) And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. GOD loves everyone of us! We are His adopted children. But GOD holds a very special place in the center of His heart for JESUS, His Only Begotten Son.

3 (B) Jesus is at the CENTER of CREATION. COLOSSIANS 1:15-18 (NKJV) 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. When Paul says, He is before all things, and in Him all things consist he is telling us Jesus is at the center of all creation...he is the glue that holds the whole universe together. Jesus is like the hub on a wheel, if you remove Him, the wheel of all creation falls apart. JESUS IS AT THE CENTER OF GOD'S HEART. JESUS IS AT THE CENTER OF CREATION. (C) Jesus is at the center of THE BIBLE. It has been said, If one took a scalpel and cut into any Book of the Bible it would bleed with the blood of the Lamb. If you were to do a careful study of all sixty six books of the Bible you would find the person of Christ enfolded into each one of them in one form or another. In GENESIS, Jesus is the offspring of woman. In EXODUS, Jesus is the Passover Lamb. In LEVITICUS, Jesus is the Atoning Sacrifice. In NUMBERS, Jesus is the bronze snake. In DEUTERONOMY, Jesus is The Promised Prophet. In JOSHUA, Jesus is The Commander of The Lord's Army. In JUDGES, Jesus is Our Deliverer. In RUTH, Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer. In SAMUEL, KINGS AND CHRONICLES, Jesus is our Promised King. In EZRA and NEHEMIAH, Jesus is The Restorer of The Nation. In ESTHER, Jesus is Our Advocate. In JOB, Jesus is Our Redeemer. In PSALMS, Jesus is Our All in All. In PROVERBS, Jesus is Our pattern.

4 In ECCLESIASTES, Jesus is Our goal. In THE SONG OF SOLOMON, Jesus is Our beloved. In ALL THE PROPHETS, Jesus is The Coming Prince of Peace. In MATTHEW, Jesus is CHRIST, THE KING. In MARK, Jesus is CHRIST: THE SERVANT OF MAN. In LUKE, Jesus is CHRIST: THE SON OF MAN. In JOHN, Jesus is CHRIST: THE SON OF GOD. In ACTS, Jesus is CHRIST: THE RISEN SAVIOR. In ALL THE NEW TESTAMENT LETTERS, Jesus is CHRIST: OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST, OUR MEDIATOR and ADVOCATE BEFORE GOD. And in REVELATION, Jesus is CHRIST: THE COMING KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS WHO REIGNS FOREVER AND EVER. Jesus Is At THE CENTER OF GOD'S HEART! Jesus Is At THE CENTER OF CREATION! Jesus Is At THE CENTER OF THE BIBLE! (D) Jesus Is The Center of CALVARY. John 19:17,18 (NKJV) And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called, the Place of A Skull, which in the Hebrew is called, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and JESUS IN THE CENTER. Why was Jesus crucified in the center between two thieves? We must remember that center cross was originally intended for Barabbas, the condemned criminal who was released instead of Jesus. That center cross was the cross of substitution. Jesus didn't just die as the substitute for Barabbas. He died as the substitionary sacrifice for you and me, and all the world. That's why Jesus was at the CENTER of CALVARY. Jesus Is At THE CENTER OF GOD'S HEART! Jesus Is At THE CENTER OF CREATION! Jesus Is At THE CENTER OF THE BIBLE! Jesus Is At THE CENTER OF CALVARY!

5 (E) Jesus Is At The Center of His CHURCH. Ephesians 5:22-24 (NKJV) Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the LORD. For the husband is the head of the wife, as also CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore just as THE CHURCH IS SUBJECT TO CHRIST, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Without Jesus Christ, there is NO CHURCH! Jesus is the Founder of the Church! Jesus is the Foundation of the Church! Jesus is the Builder of the Church! Jesus is the Husband of The Church, His Bride. Jesus is coming back to get His Church! And Jesus will reign forever and ever with His Church! Jesus is at the center of the Church's worship. Jesus is at the center of the Church's preaching. Jesus is at the center of the Church's mission. Remove Jesus from the Church and the Church becomes nothing more than a dead corpse. He is the heart and soul and life and breath of the Church. JESUS is at the center of GOD'S HEART! JESUS is at the center of CREATION! JESUS is at the center of THE BIBLE! JESUS is at the center of CALVARY! JESUS is at the center of HIS CHURCH! (F) Jesus Is At The Center of HISTORY This brings us right back to our celebration of the birth of Jesus. Carnegie Simpson once said, Jesus is not one of the group of the world's great men. Talk about Alexander the Great, and Charles the Great and Napoleon the Great if you will. JESUS is apart. (ed. He stands alone) He is not the Great. He is the Only!

6 If you have any doubt that JESUS is the CENTRAL FIGURE of all HISTORY look at the impact CHRIST'S BIRTH on how man dates time. The years before His Birth are dated B.C. meaning Before Christ. And the years after His Birth are dated A.D. for anno domini. Many under the false assumption that A.D. stands for After Death referring to After Christ's Death. But actually Anno Domini is Latin for In the Year of Our Lord. We are about to conclude The Year of Our Lord 2014 and enter into The Year of Our Lord Now, if Jesus Is At The Center of GOD'S HEART...and Jesus Is At The Center of CREATION......and Jesus Is At The Center of THE BIBLE...and Jesus Is At The Center of CALVARY...and Jesus Is At The Center of HIS CHURCH...and Jesus Is At The Center of HISTORY......Shouldn't JESUS be at the very center of OUR LIVES at Christmas? The question is, HOW DO WE DO THAT? II. How Can We Keep Christ At The Center of Our Christmas? 1. I believe the secret is found in that verse of scripture we read at the outset of the message from Luke 2:19 (NKJV) But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. The New International Version says, But Mary TREASURED UP all these things and pondered them in her heart.

7 2. Imagine if you will, Mary holding little baby Jesus in her arms, and as she stares into His beautiful face... She remembers the words of the angel the night he told her she was going to be with child by the Holy Spirit and how she would give birth to the One who would save the world. She remembers that she had been instructed to name her baby Jesus. She remembers Joseph's initial reaction when he learned she was pregnant and how he wanted to divorce her quietly so as not to publically humiliate her. She relives that long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and how they wound up in a stable because there was no room for them in the Inn. She glances into the eyes Joseph and smiles as she thinks about how he had been right there by her side and held her hand through every painful moment of labor and delivery. Then Mary shakes her head and smiles as she remembers the look on the faces of those shepherds who had left their flocks to come welcome THE CHRIST-CHILD into the world.

8 3. Brothers and sisters, if we are to keep Christ at the CENTER of CHRISTMAS this year, we must do what Mary did; we must treasure up all these things about the BIRTH OF CHRIST and ponder them in our hearts. 4. Here's some practical suggestions on how to do that: (A) One of the best things you can do is go back and re-read those pasages of scripture about the birth of JESUS. (Matthew 1 and 2; and Luke 1 and 2) Don't just skim over them! Ponder or meditate on these scriptures. Pay close attention to details you have may have missed before. (B) Another suggestion would be to: read The True Story of Christmas before you and your family open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. (Matthew 1:18-25 and/or Luke 2:1-20) (C) Another suggestion: Sing Happy Birthday to Jesus

9 (D) Another suggestion would be to have your family chip in and give an anonymous monetary Christmas Gift or Gift Card to an individual or family in need. Because they won't know who the gift came from guess who they will thank? That's right, they will thank THE LORD! (E) Play Christ-centered Christmas music in your home... Give a Christmas pardon to someone who has wronged you...make a donation to the local FOOD BANK...Leave a bag of Christmas goodies for your mail carrier and newspaper carrier...put Christ-centered Christmas stickers on the back of your Christmas card envelopes... You see, there's lots of things we can do to Keep Christ In The Center of Our Christmas if we'll just use a little creativity and put forth a little effort. **************************************************************************** C O N C L U S I O N Our Greatest Need If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior. Let's not just keep Christ at the center of our Christmas, but at the center of our lives!

WHEN ALL HOPE IS GONE Mark Beaird 3-98

Text: Luke 24:13-35 WHEN ALL HOPE IS GONE Mark Beaird 3-98 We've all faced times when God does not do what we think that He is going to do -- or for that matter what we think He should do. We become frustrated