None of us knows what the future holds. We may speculate (and many do). We may hope (and most of us probably do). I would dare to say if some of us could have looked ahead to this past year: 1) We would have avoided some things; 2) We would have done some things differently. It is a part of our human nature to want to know what the future holds for us. Millions are spent each year on “psychics,” seers, fortune tellers, etc. in an attempt to know the future. Daily there are people who read their horoscopes and plan their activities by them. It is this desire that has made people like California Psychics are well known. For some the future is a place of anticipation and optimism. For others it is miserable and filled with pessimism. Depending upon your outlook, the future is either very bright or very dark. As we make this trip into the new year that is ahead of us, we need to do so with a plan. James offers us some reminders as we plan for the coming year. Let’s note:

I. THE FUTURE IS CLOUDED BY HUMAN SPECULATION -- VV 13-14.

II. THE FUTURE IS CONNECTED TO DIVINE SUPERVISION -- VS. 15.

III. THE FUTURE IS TO BE COMMITTED IN FAITHFUL SATISFACTION -- VV. 16-17.

The birth of Jesus into this world is the most significant birth that has ever taken place. There have been many great men, by the world’s standards, born, but none of these can even begin to compare to Jesus. There have been leaders - some great and some not so great - and teachers born, but none of them can even begin to compare to Jesus. Why? What makes the coming of Jesus into the world so significant? We answer that question when we sing those words in “Hark, The Herald Angels Sing” - “VEILED IN FLESH THE GODHEAD SEE. HAIL TH’ INCARNATE DEITY!” God has made Himself known to men by living among them in the person of Jesus Christ. In John 14:9 Jesus said, “. . . Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” A proper appreciation of Christ’s coming and the significance of the events surrounding His birth should cause each one of us to have a greater love for God and a idea of what Christmas really means to us. As we examine some of the people, places, and events around Christ's birth we see:

I. THERE IS SIGNIFICANCE TO THE PURPOSE OF HIS VIRGIN BIRTH.

II. THERE IS SIGNIFICANCE TO THE PLACE THAT JESUS WAS BORN.

III. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANCE TO THE PEOPLE THAT HEARD OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS.

IV. THERE IS SIGNIFICANCE TO THE PRESENTS THAT WERE BROUGHT.

Many people come to this time of year and expect to worship a baby in a manger, the baby Jesus. However, if that baby had not grown into manhood and completed the work the Father gave Him to do, we would all be in our sin today. Those who wear the title “Christian” (whether self-imposed or assigned by the world about them) observe, celebrate, honor, commemorate, remember Jesus and celebrate His birth. (We celebrate His birth, and we honor His death, burial and resurrection.) We are certainly thankful the Son of God came into this world, and that He was born of a virgin as God had said. And God had told Israel many times and in many different ways that He would send a Savior into the world. In Isaiah 7:14 He said, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Also, Isaiah 9:6 tells us, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” And then we have in our text God’s announcement of the very place He would be born. But Israel looked for a military man, a ruler, a political figure and ignored the Baby born in a manger. As I begin this message, I want to assure you that December 25th IS NOT the beginning of Jesus. It is the date that we observe, celebrate, etc. His coming into this world in human flesh 2000 years ago. He has existed for a lot longer than 2000 years. In fact, we know that Jesus is just as eternal as God is. And what I want to do in this brief period of time today is present to us:

I. The Eternal Jesus.

II. The Preeminent Jesus.

III. The Coming Jesus.

Some other verses on faithfulness:

I Corinthians 1:9: “God is faithful by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I Corinthians 4:2: “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

Luke 16:10-11: “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11 If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?”

Several years ago I wrote and shared an article with you titled “Love Jesus, Love The Church.” It was in response to an article from the Barna Research Group website titled "Meet Those Who 'Love Jesus But Not The Church.'" That attitude is much akin to the thinking some have set forth that a person can be a “Christian” with no or only sporadic church attendance. As I stated then, that sentiment cannot be substantiated biblically. That attitude is equivalent to saying, “I like to play baseball, but I don’t care to be on a team.” The Lord did not intend for believers to be “freelancers,” working by our own authority (of which we have none) and for personal benefit, when it comes to His Kingdom work. Allow me to share some heartbreaking statistics with you.

Only 63% of Americans identify as “Christians.”

The decline of “Christians” in the U.S. has been matched by a rise in the religiously unaffiliated.

Their number has almost doubled since 2007—from 16% to 29%.

Just 47% of Americans are members of a “house of worship.”

Religious membership fell from 70% in 2000 to 47% in 2020.

Only 3 in 10 unchurched Americans say a “Christian” has shared the gospel with them.

(Few unchurched Americans have ever had someone explain exactly how to become a Christian or why they should think about doing so.)

Only 3 in 10 (29%) say a Christian has ever shared with them one-on-one how to be saved.

Only slightly more (33%) say a Christian has told them about the benefits of participating in a local church, or the benefits of becoming a Christian (35%).

And 38 percent indicate of pastors say they have considered quitting full-time ministry within the past year. This percentage rose 9 full points (from 29%) since Barna asked this same question at the beginning of 2021.

In this message today we will get back to basics as we deal with the issue of whether one can truly be considered “Christian” when they willingly and without providential hindrance absent themselves from the assembling together of the Lord’s church (where they are members).

As we prepare to observe the birth and first coming of Jesus into this world, we need to pause and remember that He is coming back. I believe that thought was daily on the minds of those early believers, and it should be on ours. In Matthew 24:44 Jesus said, “for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” In the books of Matthew and Luke He gave examples of those who lived without giving thought to God and His judgment. In Noah’s day “. . . They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:27). In the days of Lot “they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; (29) But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:28-29). Then He says, “Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed” (vs. 30). So as we think about the coming of Christ we ralize that there are some things we know. Jesus is coming back -- John 14:1-3 ; Acts 1:11. When He comes, we who are saved will go to be with Him -- I Thessalonians 4:16-18 ; I Corinthians 15:51-52. The saved will ultimately stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ -- II Corinthians 5:10 ; Romans 14:10. And we look for new heavens and a new earth “wherein dwelleth righteousness” -- II Peter 3:13 ; Revelation 21:1. Then we realize there are some things we do not know. We don’t really know what the glorified body will be like -- I John 3:2. We don’t know how the change to glorified bodies will occur, or the glory we will share - I Corinthians 2:9. And we certainly do not know the day nor the hour of the Lord’s return. In Matthew 24:36 Jesus said that no man knows. That is reserved for the Father. And then there are some things we may know. According to Luke 21:29-33 we can know the “season” of Christ’s return. We may understand there are certain signs, certain indicators that His coming is near. Many of these relate to the condition of the Lord’s churches in these last days. I want to share some of these with you from God’s Word and reveal how they apply, not to the lost world, but to professed saved people. They are: 1) Abounding iniquity; 2) Abandoned truth; 3) Abated power (ability). God’s Word says there will be:

I. ABOUNDING INIQUITY -- MATTHEW 24:12.

II. ABANDONED TRUTH -- II THESSALONIANS 2:3.

III. ABATED POWER (ABILITY) -- II TIMOTHY 3:5.

How many present would say, “I want to live a more Christ-like life on a daily basis?” So, I will ask: What is your spiritual potential? Do you know? With reference to Christian service, I believe each of us has a different potential. It will vary according to: 1) The abilities God has given each of us; 2) What we do with those abilities; and 3) The opportunities that come to us to use them. However, in Christian character we each have the same potential. It is the potential for Christ-likeness. It is the potential of producing a full harvest of the “fruit of the Spirit” - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. As we think of each of these qualities in detail, one may say, “That is beyond me.” Not so! That is your spiritual potential. You are a potentially fruitful child of God. Let’s do a little personal assessment and ask ourselves (and be honest with ourselves and attentive to the answer of the Spirit). What percentage of my spiritual potential am I now reaching? How would I measure my fruitfulness? Can I honestly look at my life and see signs that I am moving toward Christ-likeness? Have I seen spiritual growth that would encourage me to believe I am moving toward my potential? These are important considerations, for growth in the Christian life is growth in these very areas. With this potential for fruitfulness in mind, Paul comes to our text verses. Our fruitfulness is dependent upon the truths stated in these two verses. To the degree that these are applied in our lives, we will be moving toward our potential. We're not going to make a giant leap and suddenly change our spiritual potential, but we need to be moving toward it. If we are going to live up to our spiritual potential, we must:

I. REALIZE THAT THE FLESH HAS BEEN CRUCIFIED - VS. 24.

II. RELY UPON THE LIFE OF THE SPIRIT - VS. 25.

I fully intended to post this message yesterday (11/24), but I got side-tracked and failed to do so. Since this is the "Thanksgiving season" I will share it today.

Psalm 100 concludes a series of Psalms that began with Psalm 91 and look ahead to the coronation of the King, the Lord Jesus Christ. Its true setting is the millennial Kingdom of Christ. When the world will be filled with righteousness. When men everywhere will exalt the Name of the Lord. His glory and His praises will fill the earth (as they should at all times.) While these things are future, there is an application in this Psalm for us because it is a call to Thanksgiving. The title literally reads, "A Psalm Of Shouting." It's a plea to its readers to look to the Lord and exalt His Name! We see:

I. OUR ENTRANCE INTO HIS PRESENCE -- VV. 1-2.

II. ENLIGHTENMENT CONCERNING HIS PERSON -- VS. 3.

III. THE EXPRESSION OF HIS PRAISES -- VV. 4-5.

It is impossible to live the Christian life without faith. We come into this life by faith – Ephesians 2:8-9. And we are to live this life by faith – II Corinthians 5:7. We cannot please God without faith. But not only do we need to possess faith, we need a faith that possesses us. We are not talking about a “blind faith.” And we are not talking about the power of positive thinking. Yes, as believers we need to be a positive people. I don’t enjoy being around negative people, the “Woe is me. Everybody is against me” type. But just thinking positively about something isn’t going to change it. Faith must have an object, and the object of our faith is the Lord Jesus Christ. We trust Him. The Bible teaches us to pray in faith -- James1:5-6: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (6) But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” None of us is immune from this wavering. All I have to do is look back to some of my FB memories from 10 years ago and see how weak my faith was. (Those are the memories I don’t share.) What does the rest of that reference in James 1 say? Vs. 7 – “For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” So we are to ask in faith . . . But what happens when we have faith, and it seems to fail? Sometimes we pray for very specific things. We try to have faith. We try to trust. But the answer does not come exactly as we think it should or as soon as we think it should. In fact, the very opposite we have asked happens. Example: From the day Mother was diagnosed with cancer, I prayed for her healing. I didn’t just pray occasionally, but I almost constantly with “strong crying and tears.” I suggested doctors and treatments to my dad, and they were followed. But about 3 months after her diagnosis she passed away. Had my faith failed? NO! (I will address that thought in a few minutes.) Sometimes trials, temptations, tribulations, heartaches, tears, and fears come, and faith just does not seem to remove them. Sometimes the answer in found in James 4 – you have not because you ask not; you ask ask and received not because you ask amiss (for the wrong reason, with the wrong motive). Sometimes the answer is found in James 1:3: “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” God is growing us, maturing us, and we know “And patience, experience; and experience, hope . . . ” (Romans 5:4). We know that the book of Hebrews was written necause there were some who were ready to quit Christ and go back under the Mosaic Law because of persecution. But, in chapter 11 these were confronted with “so great a cloud of witnesses,” Old Testament figures who stayed true to the Lord even during difficult trials of their faith. Some of these are mentioned in Hebrews 11:32-39. In vs. 32 the writer names Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae; David, Samuel, and the prophets. In vs. 35 he mentions women who received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, “not accepting deliverance.” Vv. 36-37 speak of others who “had trial of cruel mockings and scourging . . . of bonds and imprisonment:  (37) They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented . . . ” But today many believers and church members have faith only in the good times. When some trial or some crisis comes, the “cut and run.” They quit. That is because many of these do not have a strong faith.  Instead, they have an immature faith. For the remainder of this message we will see what a strong, mature faith in God will do. We see that:

  I.  STRONG FAITH TRUSTS THE POWER OF GOD.

 II.  STRONG FAITH BOWS TO THE PURPOSES OF GOD.

III. STRONG FAITH IS BASED ON THE PROMISES OF GOD.

We know that the Bible is the divinely inspired and inerrant Word of God. That means that every book, every chapter, every word in the Bible is significant. I believe even the “Amen” at the end of the book of Revelation is significant and inspired of God. After seeing and recording all that was to come upon this earth before, during, and after the Tribulation, John said, “Amen. So be it.” And, there are many more chapters and verses in the Bible that have a special significance in regard to the greatest need of mankind, and that is salvation. One of those is Isaiah 53. We need to remember that the book of Isaiah was written about 700 years BEFORE the birth of Christ. It is written with such amazing accuracy and detail concerning the Messiah that it could have only come from God. Most of our Jewish friends miss this description of Jesus. Dr. James Tour is an American chemist amd nanotechnologist. He is a Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Materials Science and Nanoengineering, and Professor of Computer Science at Rice University in Houston. He is also a saved Jew. He has a wonderful testimony of the power of God’s Word and of his own salvation, which you can find on the internet. He gave the following explanation of this 53rd chapter of Isaiah in relation to his Jewish brethren: “Most Jews do not read this portion. They may say they have read it because they assume it is on the yearly reading list.” Then he explains, in every synagogue they will read the same passage from the Torah and the take a complimentary passage from the Psalms or the prophets. Isaiah 53 is speaking about Jesus Christ. God’s Word makes that clear in Acts 8. Vs. 30 tells us that Philip ran to the Ethiopian eunuch “and heard him read the prophet Esaias . . . " In Vs. 32 we read, “The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth . . . ” Vs. 34 says the eunuch asked Philip, “of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?” Vs. 35 says, “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at  the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.” Actually, Isaiah begins speaking of Him earlier in the book: Isaiah 7:14 talks about the birth of Jesus: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 9:6 says: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” I believe it is easy for us today to read Isaiah 53 and miss so many wonderful lessons about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We see:

I. THE PRESENTATION OF THE SERVANT - 52:13-53:1.

II. THE BIRTH OF THE SERVANT - ISAIAH 53:2a.

III. THE APPEARANCE OF THE SERVANT - VV. 53:2b-6.

IV. THE SUFFERING OF THE SERVANT - VV. 7-9.

V. THE PROSPERITY OF THE SERVANT - VV. 10-12.

There are many accounts in the Bible of people’s lives that serve as an example and an encouragement to our hearts, and the book of Ruth is no exception. Many look at this book and see nothing more than a love story. It may be love story of sorts, but that is the most shallow interpretation of this book. The bigger picture is that of a lost sinner who, through divine providence, is brought into a committed relationship with God and is made to be an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are living in a day when real commitment is a rare item. Young adults (and even some older) don’t want to commit themselves in marriage but choose instead just to live together in fornication. Employees often seem to just “want a paycheck” and are not committed to their jobs, etc. Even among God’s people there seems to be little true commitment to the Lord and His church. One of my great fears as a pastor is that as we see some church members fall by the wayside that their unfaithfulness will discourage and affect others who will then follow their example. I have seen it happen. I have shared the testimony of one young lady who got caught up in that very thing. Some may say, “You don’t trust God.” It’s not that. I know people, and I know how we often react when we feel like everyone else has deserted us and left us alone Remember Elijah? Remember what he said in I Kings 19:4, 10: “O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers . . . (10) I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” Of course, we know the Lord said (vs. 18): “I have left me seven thousand in Israel . . . which have not bowed unto Baal . . . ” In the verses of our text today, and throughout this book, we see in Ruth a tremendous example of commitment, faithfulness, and a steadfast life. She teaches us about remaining faithful even when others around us do not. So, let's look into these verses and see “What To Do When Others (Around You) Are Quitting.”

  I. RUTH’S CONDITION -- Vv. 1-7.

 II. RUTH'S CHALLENGE -- VV. 8-15.

III.  RUTH’S COMMITMENT -- Vv. 16-22.