True Christians are people who have been shown

God's mercy and display it to others. Real mercy is

compassion in action and displays itself in

forgiveness. It is impossible to be a true follower of

Jesus and not display mercy to others. (Matthew 5:7)

The old saying, "You are what you eat," is true in

the physical sense, but it's also true in the

spiritual sense. Jesus instructed His followers to

seek first the Kingdom of God and His

righteousness (Matt. 6:33). Chase anything else

& we will be empty. (Matthew 5:6)

It is so hard to experience life this side of heaven

and be truly satisfied. That is why it takes a

supernatural work of the Holy Spirit to produce

meekness in us. The meek, and only the meek,

will inherit the earth. What does it mean to be

meek? (Matthew 5:5)

It's one thing to intellectually recognize our

spiritual poverty; it's an entirely different thing

to mourn over sin. One involves the head and one

involves the heart. Both are necessary for us to

follow Jesus. We must understand what breaks

God's heart. (Matthew 5:4)

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is His most famous

sermon. The Sermon on the Mount teaches us

what it means to be citizens of the Kingdom of

Heaven. We can't be citizens of the Kingdom of

Heaven without first recognizing our spiritual

poverty. (Matthew 5:1-3)

We each need at least one Paul in our life

(mentor/discipler), we each need at least one

Timothy in our life (protage/disciplee), we each

need "Barnabai" in our life (partners). (Acts 9:26-27)

What is it about Jesus that makes Him someone

worth celebrating? Jesus Christ is our Savior, who

died in our place, as The Gift that keeps on giving.

He is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. (Luke 2:8-18)

As he stood on trial before Pilate, Jesus reflected upon His birth, and why He came into the world. Jesus came so that we might know the truth. He is the truth. His birth was a cause for celebration, salvation and reconciliation. (John 18:33-38; Luke 2:8-18)

It's so easy to forget what really matters in the

hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. This

sermon challenges Christians with four truths

that we need to hold onto this side of heaven. To

experience joy, this Christmas season, we need

to look up! (Colossians 3:1-4)

Week one in our Advent series deals with the joy

of expectation. No baby in the history of the

world has ever been looked forward to as much

as Jesus, the Messiah. Prophesied for thousands

of years, Jesus was and is the Messiah. He is the

great light that people who walk in darkness

need to see. (Isaiah 9:2-7)