SERMON: THE PEOPLE OF CHRISTMAS
SPEAKER: GREG HALES
Luke 1, Matthew 1
MARY – The news seemed too good to be true (Luke 1:26-38)
Where God guides, He
Where God
JOSEPH – The situation looks bad… the news sounds good, but can I trust it. (Matt. 1:18-25)
Faith is not simply trusting for the outcome you want, but trusting that God will bring the outcome He knows is best for His greater purposes in your life.
WISE MEN – They saw signs of the good news and were committed to experiencing it (Matt. 2:1-2, 10-11)
Successful seeking of Jesus requires full surrender.
To truly find the Savior you need to know why you are searching Him.
HEROD – The Good News was nothing but Bad News (Matt. 2:3-8)
Jesus is the only One who can give our broken life an eternal makeover.
The problem with “turning over a new leaf” is that the slightest gust of wind can blow that leaf back over.
RELIGIOUS PEOPLE – What News? (Matt. 2:5-6)
Don’t get all caught up in Church and miss Christ.
When worship gets cold or ritualistic we will stay in Jerusalem instead of running to Bethlehem to be in awe of Jesus.
Discussion Questions
a. Of the 5 “people” we looked at, which interests you the most? Why?
b. Which of the 5 describes you at a specific time in your life? Explain.
c. As a Christian how can we guard against being life the “religious”?
d. What does the news of Jesus birth mean to you?