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THE
CORRECT SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS Introduction: As we are have put most of the cleaning, running, shopping and wrapping behind us, it is indeed time to take inventory and ask ourselves, “Do we have the true spirit of Christmas?” What good is Christmas if we haven’t entered into the true meaning of Christmas? I believe that the True Spirit of Christmas is reflected in the Words of the Angels in our text. The true spirit of Christmas is Have you
noticed how much faith was involved in the first Christmas? · Zacharias was disciplined by God because he didn’t believe the message that he would be the Father of John the Baptist. · Mary was visited by the Angel and told that she would be the mother of God’s Son. It took faith for her to believe and accept this. · Joseph was told by God that his intended wife was pregnant through the work of God’s Holy Spirit. It took faith for Joseph to accept and believe that. · Simeon was told that he would not die until he saw the Lord’s Christ. That required faith. · The Wise Men followed a star by faith, looking for the Promised Messiah. ·
And the shepherds. They
received a message from angels that the Savior, Christ the Lord was born
in Listen again to the message of the Angel to the shepherds (v.11) The spirit of Christmas is the Spirit of faith. You can’t truly enter into the Spirit of Christmas with out having faith that a Savior has been born, and that A.
He’s Your
Savior. You are
a sinner who has broken God’s law. You deserve eternal punishment. But
God in His love sent His sinless Son, to receive the punishment you should
receive (1 Cor.15:3-4) B.
The Price For Your Sin Has Been Paid. It requires faith on your part to apply that payment for sin to your account. You must accept Jesus as your Savior, as the one who paid for your sin. If you haven’t entered into the true spirit of Christmas by trusting the Lord Jesus as your Savior, I beg you to do so today! And I want to remind those of us who know Jesus as our Savior that… C.
He Is Also “Christ, The Lord” That is
something you and I must accept by faith. If Jesus is the Messiah,
and if Jesus is Lord (and He is!), then we must accept that by faith and
allow Him to be Lord of our lives. II. IS THE SPIRIT OF JOY
(V.10) God intended Christmas to be a time of joy. If anybody should have the Spirit of joy at Christmas it should be Christians. Not only in remembering the birth of our Savior but we should have joy: A.
Practicing The Presence
Of Jesus In Our Lives. B.
Sharing The Saving Message Of Salvation. C.
Longing And Looking For His Return. Philippians
4:4 - Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Nehemiah
III. THE SPIRIT OF PEACE
(V.14) Jesus
brought peace. Sin Produces Separation.
Because of his sin, man is God’s enemy. Jesus shed His blood for us so
that we can be declared right with God, or justified. Romans 5:9
Regeneration Brings Reconciliation.
When a person trusts Jesus as Savior and is declared right with God,
he is no longer God’s enemy, but God’s child. John A. We Fail To Focus On God. We focus
on business instead of focusing on Jesus. We focus on fun instead of
focusing on Jesus. We focus on our problems instead of focusing on Jesus.
But when we focus on Jesus everything else will fall into perspective and
we will have peace. (Isa 26:3-4) "Thou
wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he
trusteth in thee. {4} Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD
JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:" · If you don’t focus on reading God’s Word you’re not focused on Jesus. · If you don’t focus on meditating on Scripture, you’re not focused on Jesus. · If you don’t focus talking about the things of God, you’re not focused on Jesus. ·
If you don’t focus on prayer,
you’re not focused on Jesus. This leads to the second reason for a lack of peace. B. We Fail To Commit All Our Problems To The Lord In Prayer. (Phil 4:6-7) "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. {7} And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." To have
the true spirit of Christmas, you must have peace. Focus on the Lord
and commit everything to Him in prayer. IV. THE SPIRIT OF GOOD
WILL (V.14) One of
my favorite Christmas stories is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. At
the end of the story Scrooge is a changed man. He then starts showing
good will toward men by buying his employee Bob Cratchit a turkey, and
generously sharing with people in need. He also raises Cratchit’s salary
and he pays for medical attention for Tiny Tim. And that’s generally our
idea of good will towards men. But for the Christian good will towards men
goes further than that. Yes, we are to do kind deeds to those in need
(Galatians A. Ceasing From Anger. B.
Forgiving Others And Not Holding Grudges
Against Them. Ephesians
4:26-27, Ephesians 4:31-32 If you are unforgiving and/or bitter, you do
not have the correct spirit of Christmas! C. Seeking The Spiritual Well Being Or All Christians
and non-Christians alike. A non-Christian can not be truly happy without
Jesus. A Christian can not be truly happy without walking and growing in
Jesus. You can help each of them with your personal concern and input into
their Spiritual well-being. Conclusion:
Make sure this Christmas that you have the spirit of Christmas. The
Spirit Of Christmas Is The Spirit Of Faith The
Spirit Of Christmas Is The Spirit Of Joy The
Spirit Of Christmas Is The Spirit Of Peace The
Spirit Of Christmas Is The Spirit Of Good Will
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