In addition to INFORMING culture and TRANSFORMING culture, Christmas also FORMS A NEW CULTURE.

We have a culture that is being manipulated by fear, distortion, generalization that is bringing division in our nation and people are getting hurt.

Our world is groaning for Christmas – longing for the fullness of a new culture to arrive – desperate for Jesus to bring the fullness of His kingdom.

Well, when Christmas Collides with Culture… all of that changes…

Finally, Jesus calls us to PRAY for God's kingdom to collide with our world. And so, the Spirit and bride say COME LORD JESUS. Come and bring the fullness of your kingdom.

NOTE: This message also takes a look at the brokenness of our current culture with a personal look at the division and mutual fear between the black community and law enforcement.

We must remember that, Christ is still showing up. He is still bringing eternal impact. Christmas is still colliding with mankind. Let’s take a look at how…

1. CHRISTMAS INFORMS THE CULTURE (Luke 2:8-14)

Christmas informs the culture that the Savior of the world (Jesus) has come, He is here, and He is making all things new.

And we (those who know Jesus) are here for such a time as this; for the purpose of informing our present-day culture with the good news of Christ who is alive and who is the hope of our generation.

In addition to informing the culture, we also discovered that…

2. CHRISTMAS TRANSFORMS THE CULTURE (2 Cor. 5:17)

Christmas is changing the world because Christ is the ultimate change agent - Jesus continues to make all things new (transforming one life at a time and even bringing transformation to whole nations).

And like Christ (who didn’t retreat from culture), we too are called to intentionally engage our world and bring the transforming grace of Christ to our culture, our community, and our country.

Remember, culture is not our enemy;

rather the culture is our mission field.

This the final sermon of our study through 1st John and the focus is on prayer.

14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. – 1 John 5:14-15

1. PRAY GOD’S WILL

God listens and He cares, but notice that the Lord puts a limitation on what He will answer. The limitation is His will.

How do we know His will? - His Word and spending time with the Lord.

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. – Matt. 7:7-8

God has 3 answers to prayer: yes, no, and wait.

When we get God’s heart and come into agreement with His will, we will…

2. PRAY FOR OTHERS

16 If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. – 1 John 5:16-17

When we see sin robbing our brothers and sisters, we are called to take up this powerful weapon called prayer and pray for each other.

“I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. – Matthew 18:18

Rest assured, God is in the sin forgiving & restoration business, but we need to acknowledge our sin before Him.

Let’s remember what HE promised…

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9

And so, we pray.

We can KNOW that we are “in the faith.” And John has helped us with the process of examining our lives & knowing that we are in the faith. There is evidence.

Evidence #1–We Obey (we cooperate with God)

Evidence #2 - We Overcome (when we do things God’s way – we WIN)

Evidence #3–We Testify (We proclaim the testimony of Jesus)

1 John 4:11-21

God’s Love will have a serious affect on us:

Affect #1–We have a new Nature -when we are Born Again in Christ, something supernatural and complete happens – this aspect of the divine nature (speaking of God’s love) becomes part of who we are.

Affect #2 - We Produce New Fruit - love changes us. Love (now being our new nature – our new DNA) changes how we think, how we act, and ultimately how we treat others.

Affect #3–We have New Joy - God desires for us that we would know the completeness of His love and live in the completeness of JOY!

Affect #4–We have a New Confidence (God’s love has pushed out fear). - • Fear will keep us from walking in our purpose and fulfilling God’s plans.

• Fear will keep us from glorifying God and enjoying Him.

Why? Because fear causes us to hold back. Fear keeps us from going all-in with God. Fear keeps us from walking in faith and all that God has for us…

God doesn’t want us living in this kind of fear; rather, God wants us living in confidence.

1 John 4:7-10

God's Word answers 3 questions for us...

Question #1, “Where does love come from?” John provides the revelation…

1. TRUE LOVE COMES FROM GOD - “Love comes from God” – V.7

Question #2, “What is love?"

2. GOD IS LOVE – “God is love.” - V.8

Question #3: “What does love look like?”

3. JESUS IS THE PERFECT EXPRESSION OF GOD’S LOVE

But God (who is love), expressed love by sending His only Son into this broken and sinful world, but as a sacrifice (propitiation) for our sins.

This means that Jesus came to bear our punishment for sin and thus be the one who removes the wrath of God from us.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

God's love is unconditional.

Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to lead us into the fullness of life in Christ!

“And this is how we know that he lives in us (that we are truly living in the fullness of Christ): We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” – 1 John 3:24

And the Holy Spirit opens up our spiritual ears and helps us actually hear the voice of God and leads us to be those prophetic people that are declaring God’s Word, which we know does not return void.

This passage of Scripture and this assurance of God's Spirit at work in our lives should drive us to the place of prayer where we wait upon the Lord, hear His voice, and rise up prophesying His Word.

1 John 3:11-18

1. LOVE ONE ANOTHER

2. REAL LOVE INDICATES SALVATION

3. REAL LOVE TAKES ACTION

Love is not simply an emotion; love is not simply kisses and embraces; Love is not simply a decision or a happy thought; rather, love is ACTION.

4. REAL LOVE COMES FROM OVERFLOW

5. What does Real Love in Action look like?

Jesus showed His love to us by taking action – laying down His life and also serving others. Jesus humbled Himself, He emptied Himself, AND He gave. Jesus is calling us to do the same.

1 John 3:1-10

"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work."– 3:8

More specifically, Jesus appeared and destroyed sin, thus setting us free. So, Jesus brings life and salvation through destruction – this act of destruction is God’s act of love toward us!

This passage excites us with the truth that sin is no longer our default – sin is longer our way of life; rather, Christ has given us His grace (His power) to actually choose what is right.

The Apostle John simplifies things as he points out that everyone is either Pro-Christ or Anti-Christ.

Anyone who rejects Jesus outright OR denies His divinity by denying that He is indeed the Christ is an antichrist. And John tells us that there are many who fall into this category.

1. The antichrists are those who depart from the fellowship - 1 John 2:18-21

2. The antichrists are those who deny that Jesus is the Christ - 1 John 2:22-25

3. The antichrists are those who would deceive the anointed - 1 John 2:26-27

John is reminding the church that we have received an anointing. Jesus sent the church the Holy Spirit so that we might be anointed (baptized) in Him – baptized (anointed) in the Holy Spirit.

This anointing is the very presence of a God moving in and through our lives. In Isaiah 10:27 it declares that, “The anointing breaks the yoke.” The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives breaks the yoke of slavery, of sin, of the world, and the anointing breaks the yoke of the antichrist.

Yes, we have the Assurance of the Antichrist, BUT we chose to live in the ASSURNACE OF THE ANOINTING!