One of the aspects of Christmas that we all enjoy are gifts. The question that is often heard this time of year is: Are you ready for Christmas? Most of the time, ready means is the tree up, the presents bought and the meal prepared? But a more important part of being ready is the spirit in which we celebrate. We are so busy this time of year doing the things about Christmas that we miss the most important thing. The most important thing is that He came. In Luke, the angels announced to the shepherds that they brought news of great joy. We are all familiar with the Christmas story: The shepherds, the wise men, and the manger. If we look at the details of the story, we might be able to find something new that would truly speak to us. Our text is not normally used as part of the Christmas story. It is not about wise men or shepherds, but it is as important as any of that. The story of Christmas begins with a genealogy. Many of these 46 people are only mentioned in this verse, but they all are important to the story. The reason that the story begins with the family tree is to show that He is one of us. The genealogy traces all the way back to Abraham. Luke takes it even further, and chronicles all the way back to Adam. God could have come in many forms as He had done before, but this time He chose to come in the form of a human being. Being human, He can relate to all of our lives. He experienced all that we have and more. The stable was a symbol of humility. He is willing to go anywhere in order to reach us. No matter how dirty, smelly or uncomfortable our lives are, He is willing to endure all of that for us. He comes to where we live. For most of us, if we were to trace our ancestry, we would find some unsavory characters The list of Jesus’ family tree includes some surprises. I biblical times, a genealogy would have only mentioned men. Not so in Jesus’ story. Rahab was in this list. She was a harlot, and yet because of her act of faith, God included her in the lineage. Ruth was also in this list. She was not a Jew but a Moabite who were considered less than the jews. Then a woman name Tamar is noted. She was a deliberate seducer and adulterer. Then there is Bathsheba who became involved in an adulterous relationship with King David. Matthew shows us many things in this list that illustrate that Jesus came to this Earth for all of us. He came to remove the barriers in life that separated us by race, gender and even a sinful past. The literal opening words of the gospel show how all inclusive the love of God is. No matter the background or the skeletons in the closet, Jesus loves and loves unconditionally. No matter what our past is, God has a future for us. That is one of the greatest gifts of this season.

One of the aspects of Christmas that we all enjoy are gifts. The question that is often heard this time of year is: Are you ready for Christmas? Most of the time, ready means is the tree up, the presents bought and the meal prepared? But a more important part of being ready is the spirit in which we celebrate. We are so busy this time of year doing the things about Christmas that we miss the most important thing. The most important thing is that He came. In Luke, the angels announced to the shepherds that they brought news of great joy. We are all familiar with the Christmas story: The shepherds, the wise men, and the manger. If we look at the details of the story, we might be able to find something new that would truly speak to us. Our text is not normally used as part of the Christmas story. It is not about wise men or shepherds, but it is as important as any of that. The story of Christmas begins with a genealogy. Many of these 46 people are only mentioned in this verse, but they all are important to the story. The reason that the story begins with the family tree is to show that He is one of us. The genealogy traces all the way back to Abraham. Luke takes it even further, and chronicles all the way back to Adam. God could have come in many forms as He had done before, but this time He chose to come in the form of a human being. Being human, He can relate to all of our lives. He experienced all that we have and more. The stable was a symbol of humility. He is willing to go anywhere in order to reach us. No matter how dirty, smelly or uncomfortable our lives are, He is willing to endure all of that for us. He comes to where we live. For most of us, if we were to trace our ancestry, we would find some unsavory characters The list of Jesus’ family tree includes some surprises. I biblical times, a genealogy would have only mentioned men. Not so in Jesus’ story. Rahab was in this list. She was a harlot, and yet because of her act of faith, God included her in the lineage. Ruth was also in this list. She was not a Jew but a Moabite who were considered less than the jews. Then a woman name Tamar is noted. She was a deliberate seducer and adulterer. Then there is Bathsheba who became involved in an adulterous relationship with King David. Matthew shows us many things in this list that illustrate that Jesus came to this Earth for all of us. He came to remove the barriers in life that separated us by race, gender and even a sinful past. The literal opening words of the gospel show how all inclusive the love of God is. No matter the background or the skeletons in the closet, Jesus loves and loves unconditionally. No matter what our past is, God has a future for us. That is one of the greatest gifts of this season.

Bro James Hughes speaks to men about their role as priests of their family.

Bro James Hughes speaks to men about their role as priests of their family.

We do not know who wrote the Psalm that is our text tonight. It is believed that it was written as Israel returned from Babylonian captivity. The Psalmist felt like he had already gone past the point of no return. The mercy of God held him up and did not let him slip. Even his thoughts were troubling. He said his anxious thoughts multiplied. Here is a man who was disturbed, distressed and overwhelmed almost to the point of giving up. These kinds of thoughts are relentless. They come in waves and overwhelm us. We can protect ourselves from outside problems, but when the troubles get into our mind and come from within, it is almost unbearable. The Psalmist discovered that he was still there not because anything that he did, but by what God did. The singer found a key to life in this statement: “Thy comforts delight my soul.” The Psalmist was able to survive because of the everlasting arms of an almighty God. Our thoughts may overwhelm us at times, but His power is greater than our thoughts. God didn’t take away the burden, but He allowed him to endure it. One of God’s consolations to the psalmist was the realization that thoughts cannot kill us. How many have thought it was too late? How many have thought that the failures of their past are too much? How many have thought how will I ever make it? Our thoughts are never greater than His comfort. For every negative thought that enters our mind, for every lie that our mind tells us, God has an answer. That knowledge is how to dance in the midst of our worries.

We do not know who wrote the Psalm that is our text tonight. It is believed that it was written as Israel returned from Babylonian captivity. The Psalmist felt like he had already gone past the point of no return. The mercy of God held him up and did not let him slip. Even his thoughts were troubling. He said his anxious thoughts multiplied. Here is a man who was disturbed, distressed and overwhelmed almost to the point of giving up. These kinds of thoughts are relentless. They come in waves and overwhelm us. We can protect ourselves from outside problems, but when the troubles get into our mind and come from within, it is almost unbearable. The Psalmist discovered that he was still there not because anything that he did, but by what God did. The singer found a key to life in this statement: “Thy comforts delight my soul.” The Psalmist was able to survive because of the everlasting arms of an almighty God. Our thoughts may overwhelm us at times, but His power is greater than our thoughts. God didn’t take away the burden, but He allowed him to endure it. One of God’s consolations to the psalmist was the realization that thoughts cannot kill us. How many have thought it was too late? How many have thought that the failures of their past are too much? How many have thought how will I ever make it? Our thoughts are never greater than His comfort. For every negative thought that enters our mind, for every lie that our mind tells us, God has an answer. That knowledge is how to dance in the midst of our worries.

We live in a fast paced world. We cannot slow down for fear of being run over. Because we are moving at such a rapid pace in life we miss things. The immediate and pressing things are all that get our attention while we forget the essential and necessary things. In our text, they were not in one place very long before they moved on. They got off of one boat and quickly got onto another boat. In their haste, they forgot to buy bread for their journey. Jesus talks to them about the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod. He was referring to the influence of the Pharisees and Herod, but they misinterpreted His words to mean that He was chiding them for forgetting bread. The Pharisees were a group of people who taught the right things and had good intentions, but they did not live what they preached. The core of their teaching was not wrong, but their practice was. Jesus was telling the disciples that there had to be more to them than just what they said. They not only had to process it, they had to live it. We need people who live what the word says. Jesus was reaching deeper than just bread, but about hidden influences. Leavening is a small thing, but it has a great effect. Jesus’ message was that we have to be careful about the gradual, small influence of things over time. Wrong thinking, wrong attitudes and a wrong outlook on life will have an affect on us over time. The whole loaf is affected by just a little leaven. Rising bread is full of hot air. Jesus was saying that he needs people that are full of more than just hot air. If there was ever a day that God needs people to be more than hot air, it is now. It does not take much leaven to have an affect. It is estimated that there were 5-6 million Jews in old testament times, but there were only 5-6 thousand Pharisees. Just a little bit affects a lot. Just a little bit of anger affects a lot. Just a little bit of jealousy can have a big effect. We see this effect in modern culture. Christian faith and values have been under attack for the past few decades. The things we are seeing in our culture now demonstrate the subtle slow deterioration of what we call old fashion values. More than just culturally, we see in our own lives, subtle changes. Something small will attack our faith and before we know it, spiritually we find ourselves miles away from where we once were. Jesus was trying to talk to the disciples about serious things. They were being influenced by subtle things around them that could influence their faith.

What are the undermining things life? One can be the timing of God’s work in our life. God works in His own time, and that often is too long for our liking. God can give us a promise, but the time between the promise and the delivery of that promise causes many to lose faith that it would ever happen. We get so impatient with God, but He has a purpose for everything that He does and the timing with which He does it. Another thing that can undermine faith is the mean that God uses to accomplish His purpose. Joseph had a promise that all would bow to him, but the path that it took to get there lead through slavery, false imprisonment and abandonment. Don’t let anything gradually unravel what God is doing in our life. Don’t let the world lull us into complacency about what God is doing.

We live in a fast paced world. We cannot slow down for fear of being run over. Because we are moving at such a rapid pace in life we miss things. The immediate and pressing things are all that get our attention while we forget the essential and necessary things. In our text, they were not in one place very long before they moved on. They got off of one boat and quickly got onto another boat. In their haste, they forgot to buy bread for their journey. Jesus talks to them about the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod. He was referring to the influence of the Pharisees and Herod, but they misinterpreted His words to mean that He was chiding them for forgetting bread. The Pharisees were a group of people who taught the right things and had good intentions, but they did not live what they preached. The core of their teaching was not wrong, but their practice was. Jesus was telling the disciples that there had to be more to them than just what they said. They not only had to process it, they had to live it. We need people who live what the word says. Jesus was reaching deeper than just bread, but about hidden influences. Leavening is a small thing, but it has a great effect. Jesus’ message was that we have to be careful about the gradual, small influence of things over time. Wrong thinking, wrong attitudes and a wrong outlook on life will have an affect on us over time. The whole loaf is affected by just a little leaven. Rising bread is full of hot air. Jesus was saying that he needs people that are full of more than just hot air. If there was ever a day that God needs people to be more than hot air, it is now. It does not take much leaven to have an affect. It is estimated that there were 5-6 million Jews in old testament times, but there were only 5-6 thousand Pharisees. Just a little bit affects a lot. Just a little bit of anger affects a lot. Just a little bit of jealousy can have a big effect. We see this effect in modern culture. Christian faith and values have been under attack for the past few decades. The things we are seeing in our culture now demonstrate the subtle slow deterioration of what we call old fashion values. More than just culturally, we see in our own lives, subtle changes. Something small will attack our faith and before we know it, spiritually we find ourselves miles away from where we once were. Jesus was trying to talk to the disciples about serious things. They were being influenced by subtle things around them that could influence their faith.

What are the undermining things life? One can be the timing of God’s work in our life. God works in His own time, and that often is too long for our liking. God can give us a promise, but the time between the promise and the delivery of that promise causes many to lose faith that it would ever happen. We get so impatient with God, but He has a purpose for everything that He does and the timing with which He does it. Another thing that can undermine faith is the mean that God uses to accomplish His purpose. Joseph had a promise that all would bow to him, but the path that it took to get there lead through slavery, false imprisonment and abandonment. Don’t let anything gradually unravel what God is doing in our life. Don’t let the world lull us into complacency about what God is doing.

When Abraham was an 75 years old, God told him to pick up and go. He didn’t disclose where, He did not offer any more plans other than just go. Abraham did not hesitate, he went. God made Abraham and Sarah a promise that he would be the father of many nations and that all of the people of the earth would be blessed. So Abraham left believing in the destiny that God had for him. As he entered the land of Canaan, God tells him to look in all directions and that all the land that he could see would be given to him and his offspring. There was a couple of problems: Abraham and Sarah had no children and they were very old. Once again, God reminds Abraham of his destiny and the promise. Abraham and Sarah tried to “help” God out by having a child with her servant Hagar. Ismael proved to be a distraction to the plan God had. When Abraham was 90, God fulfilled his promise and gave Abraham and Sarah a child. The destiny that God promised, arrived just when He wanted it to. Through his life, Abraham demonstrated great faith. Event to the point of offering his only son Isaac, Abraham believed in God. Abraham’s faith was the key to his life. In times when he did not understand how God was working, he continued to follow the direction he was given. Abraham knew what we need to understand today: Don’t Doubt Destiny.

When Abraham was an 75 years old, God told him to pick up and go. He didn’t disclose where, He did not offer any more plans other than just go. Abraham did not hesitate, he went. God made Abraham and Sarah a promise that he would be the father of many nations and that all of the people of the earth would be blessed. So Abraham left believing in the destiny that God had for him. As he entered the land of Canaan, God tells him to look in all directions and that all the land that he could see would be given to him and his offspring. There was a couple of problems: Abraham and Sarah had no children and they were very old. Once again, God reminds Abraham of his destiny and the promise. Abraham and Sarah tried to “help” God out by having a child with her servant Hagar. Ismael proved to be a distraction to the plan God had. When Abraham was 90, God fulfilled his promise and gave Abraham and Sarah a child. The destiny that God promised, arrived just when He wanted it to. Through his life, Abraham demonstrated great faith. Event to the point of offering his only son Isaac, Abraham believed in God. Abraham’s faith was the key to his life. In times when he did not understand how God was working, he continued to follow the direction he was given. Abraham knew what we need to understand today: Don’t Doubt Destiny.