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We could ask 10 people why Jesus came and most certainly get 10 different answers. Even his first disciples would have initially debated the reason Jesus came. It was evident for a while they were expecting something different than what they got. Maybe that’s why the world didn’t recognize Him when He came, they were expecting something else. Oh, but what we got was so much greater than anything we could have ever expected. So, why did Jesus come to earth? Why was he made flesh to dwell amongst us?

Luke 19:1-10

Jesus Comes to Zacchaeus’ House

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”

8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”

9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

(Verse 1-2) In the scripture we are introduced to a tax collector named Zacchaeus. The first thing we should understand is what the Jewish people thought of tax collectors. See these people were actually Jews but the collected taxes for the Roman Empire. That would be all well and good except for this, they were allowed to collect a fee for themselves, well above what was required. They were hated by the Jews and considered on the same level as thieves and prostitutes.

“During the time of Jesus in first century Israel, there were publicans and tax collectors who could walk up to a man and tax him for what he was carrying, and much more. These tax collectors were hated and despised because they were usually fellow Jews who worked for Rome. There were many taxes needed from the provinces to administrate the Roman Empire. These taxes paid for a good system of roads, law and order, security, religious freedom, a certain amount of self government and other benefits.” (Ref. http://www.bible-history.com/sketches/ancient/tax-collector.html)

(Verse 3-4) It must have been difficult being Jewish and being a tax collector. This is a culture steep in tradition. As a people they stick together. To become a tax collector means to turn against all you are, to turn against your own family and friends. I i

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Have you ever wondered why the world seems to be such a different place the closer we get to Christmas? There seems to be a shared sense of Joy and excitement in the air. Not only is there more joy and excitement, but people seem to be nicer and certainly more generous. This is evident by the increased donations and volunteer hours in the month of December at places such as the Salvation Army and other outreach organizations. There seems to be an intensified sense of joy in the world. Today we are going to examine that joy and identify when it came into the world and discuss how we can tap into this joy year round.

Luke 1:39-45 Mary Visits Elizabeth

Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

The first thing we notice (V39) is that Mary went to see her cousin Elizabeth. It says, she went into the hill country with haste meaning, she was in a hurry to see Elizabeth.  Let’s think about what was going on here. Mary was visited by an angel and is the recipient of this amazing news. In the process of learning that the Savior of the World will be her son, she also learns her cousin Elizabeth has been visited by an angel too and that a miracle birth will take place with her as well. So, what is young Mary thinking? I’ve got to see Elizabeth as soon as possible. She was excited and filled with Joy. She wanted to get to the one person she was pretty sure could relate to what happened to her, Elizabeth.

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Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and wondered if they were really there? They heard the words you were speaking but weren’t listening. They seemed to be somewhere else or worse, they didn’t care what you had to say? You could sense the absence of their presence.

It really makes a difference to be able to sense a person’s presence doesn’t it? Healthy relationships grow stronger by having an engaging presence.

The same is true in our spiritual lives. We need that close spiritual relationship with Jesus. That’s why Jesus injected Himself into our world, to be with us. “God with US”. The goal of every believer, at Christmas and throughout the year, should be to live in the presence of God.

Matthew 1:18-25

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

 24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

“This is a well-known part of the Christmas story. Almost everybody knows something about the details. Joseph is a working-class, single adult living in a little town called Nazareth, just west of the southern point of the Sea of Galilee, up in the mountains on the way to nowhere. He’s engaged to be married to a young woman, and she surprises him with the news that blows his mind and changes his life forever.  While he’s thinking about what he should do he’s visited by an angel who helps him understand what’s going on. The angel tells Joseph that the baby will be called “God with us.” Here’s the truth that leaps off the page: God has gone to extraordinary lengths to have a relationship with you.”

In the business of the Christmas season, what does Christmas really mean? It’s simple. All the decorations, all the songs, all the celebrations are about one thing: God is with us.

When the angel came to Joseph he was distraught. His world probably felt as if it were crumbling down. He knew Mary all his life and to say he was surprised by her news of being pregnant wa

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Christmas

Are there things in your life you would consider impossible? Do you have challenges that are just too big to overcome?

Do you believe in miracles or the supernatural? Are they fables, or real and true for all times? If we don’t believe in the supernatural then we can’t believe in God because He is supernatural. Each year we celebrate Christmas to remember the birth of Christ and to remember He is coming again.  Christmas should also be a reminder that with God ALL Things Are Possible!

Luke 1:26–38 Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then 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 bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; 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 of His kingdom there will be no end.”

 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”

 38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

The setting of this Christmas miracle was the small village of Nazareth. You would think a city such as Rome would be a more appropriate setting. However, God demonstrated His miracles can be found anywhere.

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Thanksgiving Day is usually a time of the year when we consider our blessings and offer up thanksgiving to God for all we have. However, the Bible teaches us that we are to have an ongoing mindset of thanksgiving. It should be at the core or our character and the attitude we choose daily.

A Psalm of Thanksgiving

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

The first verse in this passage suggests that we make a joyful shout to the Lord. Have you ever been so excited about something that you shouted? Having an attitude of true thanksgiving for what God has done for us and who he is, should evoke excitement and joy. The passage goes on to remind us we do this because God is good!

Verse 3 teaches us God is worthy of our thanksgiving and praise because He is our creator. For that reason alone God deserves our praise and thanksgiving, but there’s so much more to God, He is also good.

We are to give thanks because God has always been merciful and always will be merciful. Finally, we should give thanks because God’s truth endures to all generations. That means everything we know about God; who he is, what he’s about, his promises to us and his love for us, will never fail.

 1 Thessalonians 5:18 teaches us, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

“Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull. Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence. The storming bull followed in hot pursuit, and it was soon apparent they wouldn’t make it. Terrified, the one shouted to the other, “Put up a prayer, John. We’re in for it!” John answered, “I can’t. I’ve never made a public prayer in my life.” “But you must!” implored his companion. “The bull is catching up to us.” “All right,” panted John, “I’ll say the only prayer I know, the one my father used to repeat at the table: O Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.'”

Some might interpret 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to mean, no matter what happens to be thankful it happened. God never suggests we should be thankful because we were abused, hurt or fell on financial hardship. God doesn’t say be thankful when evil comes our way. Rather in spite of our circumstances we choose to recognize God as God and honor Him as always worthy of our praise.

 Hebrews 12:28 – Therefore, si

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For a while now I’ve been struggling with a particular person. This person is a Christian but they always manager to get in my way, they are very stubborn, opinionated and at times very selfish. Just when I think everything is going smooth in the church this person comes along and causes problems. The person I’m speaking of is me. I am my own worst enemy.

Have you found that to be true with yourself? We have an enemy inside each of us and it’s called self. At times the Bible refers to it as the old man, other times the Bible refers to it as the flesh.What makes this enemy so dangerous is that no matter where we are, there it is.

Today we are going to examine living in victory and how the flesh (Our Enemy) battles to prevent us from entering into victory.

Before we get too much further we need to understand something about Jewish history or the Old Testament. First off you need to know that Jewish history is more than just history, it’s a revelation of the Christian life. 1 Corinthians 10:11 teaches us that all the Israelites went through was an example for us today.

We know that God led the Jews out of Egypt and due to their lack of faith and disobedience they spent 40 years in the desert. We also know that their final destination was Canaan which was the promise land full of milk and honey. This is much more than history; this is God’s revelation of the Christian life to come. You see, Egypt represents the world and Pharaoh who was the king of Egypt represents Satan. God brought the Jews out of Egypt and this represents salvation. God’s intent was for the Israelites to go directly to Canaan.  Now Canaan doesn’t represent heaven, Canaan represents victorious life, it’s the spirit filled life or the abundant life. It is victory and where we as Christians should be living.

8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

So who was this person Amalek? Well, he was the grandson of Esau. Remember Esau sold his birthright? Esau was also at odds with God. In fact, the Bible teaches that his descendants would always be at odds with God because Esau cared more about worldly material things than he did spiritual matters. Esau represents the flesh as does his descendants and as such Amalek represents the flesh rising up against the Israelites.

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Matthew 5: 1-16

The Beatitudes

5 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Believers Are Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5-7 is what is known as the Sermon on the Mount and is the longest recorded message delivered by Jesus. The sermon is delivered to His disciples and intended for believers, both Jews and Gentiles. The message is how to live as a believer not how to become a believer.

Matthew 5: 1-16 is referred to as the Beatitudes. The term “Beatitude” is derived from the Latin word for happy or blessed. Most scholarly definitions of this word include references to divine joy or happiness. Blessing is God’s favor extended to an individual, resulting in positive emotion or reward.

In his book, The Applause of Heaven, Max Lucado writes: “Blessing is sacred delight. It is God doing what gods would be doing only in your wildest dreams. It is good news coming through the back door of your heart. It is what you have always dreamed but never expected. It’s the too-good-to-be-true coming true. It is having God as your biggest fan, and your best friend. It is sacred because only God can grant it. It is delight because it thrills.”

In verses 1-13 Jesus is directing His disciples,

To understand what they are—the salt of the earth, and the lights of the world (v. 13-16).

Malachi 3:10-11

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,

That there may be food in My house,

And try Me now in this,”

Says the Lord of hosts,

“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven

And pour out for you such blessing

That there will not be room enough to receive it.

11 “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,

So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,

or shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,

”Says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi was a prophet who this book was named after. He was speaking to the people of Judah delivering a message from God. They had turned away from the Lord and God wanted to get their attention and get them to turn back to Him. While this book comes across as a bit hard it is actually filled with hope and promises of a better life.

Tithing is one area Christians really seem to struggle. According to a recent study, less than 3% of Christians tithe consistently. That number is staggering. The Bible calls for us to tithe and while there is some controversy as to whether we are commanded to tithe or if its merely suggested, there is overwhelming evidence that tithing has its benefits.

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, (or Church)

Hebrews 13:16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Proverbs 19:17  The one who is gracious to the poor lends to the LORD, and the LORD will repay him for his good deed.

Proverbs 3:9-10 tells us,

“Honor the LORD with your possessions and with the first fruits of your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”

Leviticus 27:30

30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.

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1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Praying without ceasing doesn’t mean that we are to have our head bowed and talking to God all the time. To pray without ceasing means we have a continuous attitude of prayer. “It’s living in continual God-consciousness, where everything you see and experience becomes a kind of prayer, lived in deep awareness of and surrender to Him. It should be instant and intimate communication-not unlike that which we enjoy with our best friend.” It goes along with what Paul stated in Colossians 3:2, that we should set our minds on things above, not on things on the earth.

Philippians 4:6 – Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Colossians 4:2 – Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

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Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-9

3 Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. 2 And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, 3 and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernaclea]">[a] of the Lordwhere the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, 4 that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!” 5 So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”

And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down.

6 Then the Lord called yet again, “Samuel!”

So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 (Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.)

8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.”

Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Does God speak to us? John 10:27 says “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”  Yes, God speaks to us. Scripture gives us many examples of God speaking to His people.

 Examples include:

Moses – God spoke out of a burning bush

Daniel – God spoke through visions

Paul – God spoke out of a bright light

Adam – God spoke face to face

Elijah – God spoke from a still small voice

“Consider how the Lord continued to call young Samuel until Eli helped him understand he was he