Topic: Christmas

The world cannot take away what the world cannot give. The world cannot take away what it cannot give to us. The world cannot take away deep rich promises because the world cannot give deep rich promises. The world can’t take away your security, the world can’t take away your peace because the world cannot give security, and the world cannot give peace. It can’t take away this hope that serves as an anchor for our souls, because this world was never designed to give us hope. Not that kind of hope. The world can’t take away what the world can’t give. And you can’t lose what only Jesus gives. He gives life, you can’t lose it. Love, freedom, joy, salvation, you can’t lose it. He gives peace. He gives promises you can’t lose. He gives assurance you cannot lose. What Jesus gives Jesus, the Rescuer of His people, gives hope. The world can’t take that away. What the world can’t give, and you can’t lose only Jesus gives. This is the story of Christmas, the hope of Christmas. It’s not a feeling. It’s not a desire. Hope is a person. He is Jesus the Rescuer, the Savior of His people.

If you ever get fed up with you. And if you ever get fed up with something that seems to control you. If you ever get fed up with the self-destruction that you bring on yourself and the self-destructive habits that destroy the relationships that are most important to you. Christmas is a standing invitation from your Father in heaven. You have been invited into a relationship where sin no longer has to be your master, because you’re not under law, you’re under grace. You are a candidate for the gift of Christmas.

God staged a demonstration and documented it so the world would know. Because He knew we needed to see it to believe it. And it wasn’t enough to say it. He had to send His Son to pay the price that we owed in such a way that once we embraced the truth of the story, and once we embraced who Jesus was, we would never, ever, ever, ever doubt God’s love for us. He had to be with us so that we could know He was for us. We needed a demonstration.

Through Christmas, we are reminded in the most remarkable way imaginable that God is active, even when it seems like He’s not that God.

At the core of Christmas is an offer that has been made by God. And the question is, will you accept or doubt His offer? … You must personally repent of your sin. You must personally receive Jesus. You must personally commit to follow Him all the days of your life. And this is good news. Why? Because you don’t get a better offer.

We live in a world that says party like there’s no tomorrow as if there’s no heaven, no hell and no hope. Peter’s telling us turn the telescope back around and magnify… Eternity. Get things right in your life.

You have a Savior. He came at Christmas so that He would fulfill Easter, which is huge. It makes a difference to have Jesus as my Savior here and now because He gives me the power to live a life of faith over fear.

Many of us get stuck in a child view of Christmas, of Christ and never really grow up through our doubts into an adult view of Christ, an adult view of Christmas. In fact, if you think Christmas is about a baby in a manger instead of a King on a throne you need to begin to doubt some more. You need to rethink Christmas. You need to engage in some honest doubt and get to the Truth.

Sermon by Tracy Marsh, youth pastor Text: Luke 2:4-7