Matthew 13:18-23The kingdom of God is all about the heart! A heart to receive the message of grace and a heart to share the message of grace.The urgency for grace is obvious in the conditions of the heart.The resistant heartThe deceived heartThe reluctant heartthe receptive heartThe evidence of grace is a changed heart.

1 Peter 2:9-10Followers of Jesus Christ are different from everyone else!We have an eternal and spritual identity that seperates us from all others.We have the unique mission of reflecting God's Grace to everyone

1 Peter 2:4-5Jesus is the rock we run to.God builds His spiritual house on Jesus for everyone to see.People can reject Jesus and experience indescribable ruin OR people can run to Jesus and enjoy incredible blessings.

1 Peter 1:13-25Followers of Christ can be spiritually and morally different in a decaying world.HOLY means to be set apart or seperated for a special or unique purpose.We can be dynamically different because of our relationship with God, not keeping the rules of religion and tradition.We can be distinctively different in how we respond to others.

1 Peter 1:1"Hope is not merely wishful thinking, it is confident expectation that is focused on the person and promises of Jesus Christ."There are some principle we can learn from the ups and downs of Peter's life.Failure in our past does no always dismiss purpose in our future.A broken heart is great preparation for helping broken lives.Any expression of hope gives more encouragement than countless thoughts never expressed.

Luke 2:7It is so easy to do everything at Christmas that we miss the main thing about Christmas - Jesus!We get distracted by other things.We get disturbed at what we might lose.Many people want a God who is on call but not a God who is in control.We get deceived by believing intellectual knowledge is enough.

John 1:14-17

Luke 2:8-20Why were the shepherds the ones God chose to be the first to hear the announcment that His Son had been born? What hope does the story of the shepherds bring to us? This week, Eric explains what God is saying to us this Christmas through the story of the shepherds.

John 1:14Christmas is the expression of God's love for everyone.Christmas is the celebration of a life that changes life.