“We love because He first loved us.”

1 John 4:19 (NIV)

“Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ ‘What did Moses command you?’ he replied. They said, ‘Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.’ ‘It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,’ Jesus replied. ‘But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.’ Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’”

Mark 10:2-9 (NIV)

1. Let your eyes be your guide.

“God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7 (NCV)

1. Cheat on your spouse.

“Drink water from your own cistern, water flowing from your own well. Should your springs flow in the streets, streams in the public squares? They should be for you alone and not for you to share with strangers.”

Proverbs 5:15-17 (NIV)

1. Ignore the elephant in the room.

“If you are angry, do not let it become sin. Get over your anger before the day is finished. Do not let the devil start working in your life.

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NLV)

1. Don’t make time for one another.

“So remember where you were before you fell. Change your hearts and do what you did at first.”

Revelation 2:5 (NCV)

1. Expect your spouse to complete you.

“So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

Colossians 2:10 (NLT)

“You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV)

1. All are accepted at the table.

“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me and be my disciple,’ Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with such scum?’”

Matthew 9:9-11 (NLT)

1. Problems lose power at the table.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

Psalm 23:5 (NIV)

1. Forgiveness is found at the table.

“For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NRSV)

“You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV)

At the water’s edge…

1. A bitter experience can become sweet.

"Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter (That is why the place is called Marah). So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, 'What are we to drink?' Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became *sweet."

Exodus 15:22-25 (NIV & *KJV)

1. A hopeless situation can change.

“Then one of them said, 'Won't you please come with your servants?' 'I will,' Elisha replied. And he went with them. They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax-head fell into the water. 'Oh no, my lord!' he cried out. 'It was borrowed!' The man of God asked, 'Where did it fall?' When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. 'Lift it out,' he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it."

2 Kings 6:3-7 (NIV)

1. The old can be made new.

“Simon answered and said, ‘Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, ‘Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!’”

Luke 5:5-8 (NASB)

“You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV)

“At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’ At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.”

Mark 1:9-13 (NIV)

In the wilderness, I must remember:

1. How God sees and feels about me.

“And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’”

Mark 1:11 (NIV)

“Give thanks to him who led his people through the wilderness. His faithful love endures forever.”

Psalm 136:16 (NLT)

1. I’m not in control; keep close to the one who is.

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.”

Matthew 4:1-2 (NASB)

“He split open the rocks in the wilderness to give them water, as from a gushing spring.”

Psalm 78:15 (NLT)

1. A painful season is often a preparation season.

“...and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with wild animals, and angels attended him.”

Mark 1:13 (NLT)

“You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture, and the hillsides blossom with joy.”

Psalm 65:11-12 (NLT)

“You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV)

On the mountain, we can…

1. Receive a calling from God.

“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush... When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush.”

Exodus 3:1-2; 4 (NIV)

1. Be recharged by God.

“...(Elijah) traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’ The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’”

1 Kings 19:8-11 (NIV)

“Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go back the way you came.’”

1 Kings 19:15 (NIV)

1. Glimpse the glory of God.

“Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them, His face shone like a white light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus... While he was still speaking a bright light enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’”

Matthew 17:1-3; 5 (NIV)

“‘Does not my word burn like fire?’ says the Lord. ‘Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?’”

Jeremiah 23:29 (NLT)

“Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by His power at work within us.”

Ephesians 3:20 (CEB)

 “Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.”

Psalm 34:10 (NLT)

“Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive.”

Titus 3:14 (NLT)

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’”

Matthew 2:1-2 (NIV)

As you look forward to Christmas, be sure to…   

1. Search for the Savior.

“When King Herod heard this he was disturbed and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born, ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet had written.’”

Matthew 2:3-5 (NIV)

1. Surrender the King.

“After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”

Matthew 2:9-10 (NIV)

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

Mathew 2:11 (NIV)

It’s the Most RADIANT Time of the Year!

“Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness a light will shine.”

Isaiah 9:1-2 (NLT)

The lights of Christmas reminds us…

1. God always keeps His promise.

“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them, ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news of great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David.’”

Luke 2:8-11 (NLT)

1. Jesus will always guide our path.

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, ‘I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.’”

John 8:12 (NLT)

1. We should always brighten our world.

“You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)

“You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.”

2 Corinthians 8:9 (NLT)

1. Say “No!” to Christmas debt.

“Then (Jesus) said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

Luke 12:15 (NIV)

1. Give Christmas memories rather than gifts.

“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

Luke 2:16-19 (NIV)

1. Be Christmas for someone.

“Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more; and they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem.”

2 Corinthians 8:1-4 (NLT)

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)

When I am stressed, I tend to…

1. a) Run myself ragged.
2. b) Lose patience with people.
3. c) Give God my leftovers.

From Stress to Rest:

1. Reduce the distractions.

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

1. Share the struggles.

“Take my yoke upon you… For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Matthew 11:29; 30 (NLT)

“Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace.”

Matthew 6:6 (MSG)

1. Increase the kindness.

“Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Matthew 11:29 (NLT)