Revealing Christ

Jacob and Esau. Family troubles... wanting a child, wanting godly spouses for your children. Was Jacob a pansy? Did God really hate Esau like we define hatred today?

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil". Do you ever feel in life like you are just along for the ride? If God is driving, what's up with all the bumpy roads? How can we pray 'lead us not into temptation' when we lead ourselves there on purpose?

John said you must 'receive Christ'. There is a BIG difference between 'believing' and 'receiving'. Accepting a truth does not mean you 'receive' it. I believe Joe Biden is President, I don't necessarily 'receive' it! The Greek word 'receive' lambanō means "to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, to be amazed by, to attain, catch, to take by the hand, to take up a thing to be carried!" IF that is your commitment to Christ, THEN you're are a child of God.

If I force you to give money or coats or food, it's not called 'giving' anymore. It's called THEFT! But what should I do? Jesus and John both shared similar requests... give. How does Jesus say He is going to know who are His?

John the Baptist refused to baptize some people. Not until he saw some fruit of repentance. No wonder Baptist Preachers aren't very popular! Just because your daddy is a preacher, or your momma is the best Christian woman since Mother Mary herself, is no guarantee that you are a Christian yourself.

The gift of God… the natural overflow of His personality, is to bestow love upon us… and His desire is for us to love Him back by extending that gift to others.

Why doesn't the book of Luke mention the ugly side of Christmas? Why is Rachel weeping in Ramah? Who are the meek that inherit the earth? Let's put all this together!

The Magi traveled for two years to see the Christ child. The locals couldn't make it 6 miles down the road, even though the Bible makes it clear His birth was widely known . Why was no one interested? It's because Jesus was poor. Herod 'the Great' wasn't concerned until he saw men of 'stature' and cash gifts involved.

Being a Parent isn't easy. Mary had her hands full. This short sermon hardly touches the magnitude of a mother's heartbreak, but it explains that a mothers love is to be respected and admired. Luke 2:35 "yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."I believe all mothers, and good fathers, can relate to this truth.

Matthew 16:4, where did Jesus immediately go after He died? To Paradise? Or to the belly of the earth? The answer is clear in the Bible and it may surprise you! One of my favorite studies! Hell, Sheol, Gehenna, Hades, and Paradise.