Christian maturity is living with Christ at the centre of life with his cross being crucial for salvation and all of life.  Some claim to follow God and yet oppose the message of the cross and thus live earthly lives rather than as citizens of heaven.

The greatest and most important thing in life is to know Christ.  Paul tells us elements of this great endeavor. 

Paul had been exceptional in his attempt for self-made goodness, and yet he says that all of this is rubbish.  Our personal qualifications and righteousness achieve nothing for us compared to what Jesus has done in our place.

Paul begins with a command: "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus."

This is not just a general call to be humble. It's an invitation to adopt the very attitude of Jesus. But what exactly does the "mind of Christ" look like?

Jesus, although He was the Son of God, lowered Himself to become a servant to humanity dying on the cross for them.

The three wise men brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  These showed what sort of Saviour Jesus would really be.

The angel Gabriel told Joseph two wonderful things about who Jesus would be, a) the One who would save the people from their sins, and b) He would be called Immanuel, God with us.

The genealogy of Jesus tells us great truths about Jesus and actually brings us freedom and healing as the Christmas message breaks in on the world.

Derek speaks about how we can live according to the Gospel and not of ourselves.

In this message Derek looks at the questions, "What's so important?  What have you got that's worth living for?  Paul answers these questions with his famous statement, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."