The Gifts of Christmas

Matthew 2

"Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him."

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?"

5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they said, "for this is what the prophet wrote:

"'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel."

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh."

1 Timothy 6:15

"For, at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords."

Hebrews 4:14-15

"So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."

John 12:46

"I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark."

Christmas at DTC Church

"There are two ways to live life. One, there are no miracles, or two,

everything is a miracle! I choose to believe the latter."

Albert Einstein

Miracles, Signs and Wonders

Isaiah 7:14

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

John 20:30-31

"Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

Luke 2:12

"This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Luke 1:38

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said."

He became one of us so that we might become one with him.

Psalm 77:14

"You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the peoples."

At The Movies

Alone No More

Luke 15:13-14

"A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve."

Luke 15:17

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!"

Colossians 3:13

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

At The Movies

Great Triumphs Require Great Sacrifices

John 15:16

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last"

Vision

Vision is the driving force of future accomplishments.

Proverbs 29:18

"Where there is no vision, people perish"

Matthew 28:19-20

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

Sacrifice

Great triumphs require great sacrifices.

Acts 20:22-24

"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace."

Faith

Joshua 1:9

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Teamwork

I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot;

together we can do great things.

Mother Teresa

At The Movies

Diamond In The Rough

God doesn't see us as we are but as what we can become.

Romans 5:3-4

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation."

Ephesians 2:10

"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us to do."

You + God = Maximized Potential

God doesn't see us as we are but as what we can become.

I've Got Issues

You Are Stronger Than You Think You Are

2 Corinthians 10:3-4

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."

You Are Stronger Than You Think You Are

John 14:16-17

"I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever. 17 That helper is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it doesn't see him or know him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be in you."

You can't do God's will without God's power.

Matthew 26:41

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

You can't do God's will without God's power.

1 John 4:4

"The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

Romans 8:11

"The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you."

You Are Stronger Than You Think You Are

Win The Day

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."

You can win the battle if you win the day.

Win The Day With Your Thoughts

2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Psalm 34:19 "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.."

James 4:7 "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

You can win the battle if you win the day.

Win The Day With Your Words

Judges 6:15 "But Lord," Gideon replied, "how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!"

Jeremiah 1:6-7 "O, Sovereign Lord," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am too young." 7 But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am too young.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you."

Win The Day With Your Actions

James 1:14-15 "Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death."

You can win the battle if you win the day.

I've Got Issues

The Choice Is Yours

Romans 7:18

"For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out."

Matthew 5:3

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

The key to overcoming your sinful nature is

faith in Christ not faith in yourself.

Galatians 3:1-3

"Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ's death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to finish by your own human effort?"

Romans 8:5-6

"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what the sinful nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind controlled by the sinful nature leads to death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit leads to life and peace."

The Choice Is Yours

Galatians 5:25

"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."

I've Got Issues

I Am My Own Worst Enemy

Romans 7:15-19

"I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

Galatians 5:17

"For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want."

Romans 8:7-8

"For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will. 8 That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God."

Romans 8:6

"The mind controlled by the sinful nature leads to death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit leads to life and peace."

Romans 7:24

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?

Romans 7:18

"For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out."

Romans 7:25

"Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord."

I've Got Issues

Stop running from your issues and start facing them head on.

Romans 7:15-25

"I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord."

Psalm 51:5

"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."

Stop running from your issues and start facing them head on.

I've Got Issues

Stop running from your issues and start facing them head on.

Romans 7:15-25

"I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord."

Psalm 51:5

"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."

Stop running from your issues and start facing them head on.