GIFT EXCHANGE
Discovering God’s Gifts at Christmas
Pastor Mike Bailey
mike@cityunited.church
INTRODUCTION
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year! But let’s face it, it is one of the most stressful times as well. Many will wait with expectation to exchange tangible gifts from under the Christmas tree, but many will also miss the intangible gift that was given to us on THE TREE (the cross).
God is the exchanging God. He desires to exchange your imperfect feelings for His perfect “gift.” He takes those who have nothing and gives them everything. He takes your negative feelings and exchanges them for something far better. He takes your fears and exchanges them for His peace.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” —James 1:17 (NKJV)
In this teaching series you will discover:
Dec. 1 Exchanging Grief for Joy
Dec. 8 Exchanging Greed for Generosity
Dec. 15 Exchanging Hurts for Healing
Dec. 22 Exchanging Worry for Peace (Christmas Sunday)
Dec. 24 Exchanging Hopelessness for Hope (Christmas Eve)
Dec. 29 Exchanging Discouragement for Encouragement
TEXT: John 11:1-44 (NLT, New Testament)
TODAY’S TAKEAWAY:
Even though we hurt, God still has a plan.
GIFT EXCHANGE WEEK 3:
EXCHANGING HURTS FOR HEALING
A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. —vs. 1
Name your Lazarus: (vs. 1)
I. OUR
IS NOT DETERMINED BY OUR CURRENT
. (vs. 2)
This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. —vs. 2
II. OUR
IS NOT FOUND IN WHAT GOD DOES OR DOES NOT DO, BUT IN
HE IS. (vs. 3-6)
3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”
4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” 5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, 6 he stayed where he was for the next two days. —vs. 3-6
III. OUR
OF WHAT IS HAPPENING SHOULD NOT STOP US FROM
HIM. (vs. 7-18)
7 Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”
8 But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”
9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. 10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.” 11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”
12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.
14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”
16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”
17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, —vs. 7-18
IV. OUR
(vs. 19-22)**CANNOT BE FOUND IN ANYTHING BUT OUR
. (vs. 19-22)
19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” —vs. 19-22
V. OUR
CANNOT BE FOUND IN ANYTHING BUT
. (vs. 23-32)
23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” 28 Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” 29 So Mary immediately went to him.
30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. 31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. 32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” —vs. 23-32
VI. OUR PLACE OF
IS OFTEN WHERE WE
THAT GOD IS WITH US. (vs. 33-38)
33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them.
They told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”
38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. —vs. 33-38
VII. OUR
IS NEVER TOO
FOR GOD. (vs. 39-44)
39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.
But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”
40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!” —vs. 39-44
CONCLUSION:
Are you ready to trade your Hurts for God’s Healing?
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