MATTHEW 4:8-10

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”

In 2020 commit to pursue what brings the greatest ________________.

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;  nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

In 2020 commit to pursue more meaningful ________________.

Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals.

In 2020 commit to pursue a deeper relationship with ________________.

Psalm 92:12-14 The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, They will flourish in the courts of our God.  They will still yield fruit in old age; They shall be full of sap and very green…

“Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & the Son & the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

VISION

We are building disciples who impact our world by leading people to KNOW Christ, GROW in Christ, and GO for Christ.

CORE VALUES

Authentic Community – meaningful connections where everyone matters

Acts 2:44a And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common.

Bold Faith – faith driven, sacrificial living

Luke 21:24 And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.”

Compassionate Teaching – grace filled, biblical teaching

Ephesians 4:15  …speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head…

Faithful Prayer – commitment to obedient prayer

James 5:16b  …The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Gospel Transformation – living the gospel within our community/world

Romans 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Honest Conversations – life of integrity

Proverbs 27:17  Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

Selfless Service – people over process with service over self

Mark 10:45  “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Spiritual Development – growing disciples while building strong families

Hebrews 5:13-14 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

LUKE 2:8-20

Worship is the natural result of Christmas when we grasp that Jesus has ____________ to earth.  v8-11

2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 

1 Timothy 3:16 By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.

Worship is the natural result of Christmas when we grasp that Jesus has come for ____________ people.  v11

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 

Worship is the natural result of Christmas when we grasp that Jesus can be found by anyone if they truly ____________.  v10-20

Isaiah 55:6 Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.

Matthew 2:1-18

Christmas is the most joyful and wonderful time of the year. This is the time of the year when there are more celebrations, parties, money spent, happiness, and joy.

However, it’s not the most joyful and wonderful time of the year for everyone. Some people are currently battling cancer, losing a job, going through a divorce, having a financial crisis, or loneliness. It’s not joyful or wonderful for some because they are simply miserable people. This was true during the very first Christmas there ever was.

Who was Herod?

A descendant of EsauA cruel, ruthless, crafty murderer Hated by the Jewish people

Why did Herod try to kill the first Christmas?

Why did Herod try to kill Jesus?

Matthew 2:1-2a Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? 

This statement rattled Herod. He wanted to be King of the Jews. As king, he would have all the power, control, and authority.

Matthew 2:2b For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.

This statement took a shot at Herod’s ego. If these wise men were recognizing this new-born baby as the rightful king worthy of worship, many more would follow.

Herod responded to Jesus by trying to have Him killed.

The Wise Men responded to Jesus’ birth by acknowledging Jesus as the one true King and seeking to worship Him.

Will you respond to Jesus like Herod or the Wise Men?

LUKE 1:26-38; 46-48

46 And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 

34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;

God’s ________________ is upon you.

Ephesians 1:5-6 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Jesus has ________________ you from sin and ________________ as Lord.

Colossians 1:13-18 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Holy Spirit ________________ in you with power. 

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses…