Thank you for making Milestone a part of your weekend. We are glad you’re here! Below are the notes for teaching on December 24th 2023.

John 10:7-18

⁷ So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. ¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³ He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. ¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Four questions that we could ask about life:

1. Why Do We Need Life?

Notes

2. How Does He Give Us Life?

Notes

3. What Is Abundant Life?

Notes

4. How Do We Receive Life?

Notes

Conclusion

Why are do we gather and we sing songs about a person and an event from over 2,000 years ago? We are gather because, we believe and trust that long ago the eternal Son of God was born of a virgin, lived at perfect life, laid down that perfect life, took up that perfect life at the resurrection, and is now in heaven lively reigning at the side of the eternal Father.
Why did he do this? He did it so that you and me could have an abundant, great, and exceedingly superfluous life now and in the age to come. The birth of Jesus reminds us that to long for an abundant life is not wrong; that to long for an exceedingly good life is not wrong.
But, the problem is that we have seek it in all of the wrong places. We seek protection and care in our money and power; we seek intimacy and companionship in worldly and lustful relationships; and we seek peace and unity through compromise or segregation. However, we gather on Christmas Eve to remind ourselves that the greatest gift exchange that has ever and will ever happen is that Jesus laid down his life so that we could have life. We gather because Christ abandoned his life so that we would have abundant life.

Notes

Thank you so much for worshipping with us today. If you have any questions or if God is asking you to make a decision to take a new step in your spiritual journey, you can fill out our Connect Card to let us know.

If you want to worship through giving you can do so by giving online. Its quick and simple to set up. If you wish to mail your offerings you can do so by sending it to: P.O. Box 475 Natick, MA 01760