Biblical Principles of Giving

   

Pastor Rick wrestles with and carefully addresses the important concept of Biblical Giving.  Pastor Rick discusses firstfruits, offerings, and tithes.  We profoundly hope this message will help you with your perspective and your stewardship of the resources with which you are blessed.

A Meditation on Psalm 27

Sermons are often appropriate for the spiritual moments of our lives.  God enlightens our minds to understand a passage of Scripture: teaching us, convicting us, calling us, changing us.  Sermons take many forms and follow many structures.  But sometimes, we need the strength that comes from simply focusing on and meditating upon the words of the Word.  For today, I felt my heart drawn to Psalm 27.  It is a passage of only 14 verses.  We will read it together responsively in the King James version and then I will step through it in the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) as we meditate upon it.

1. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
 2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
 4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
 5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
 6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
 7 ¶ Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
 8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.
 9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
 10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.
 11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
 12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
 13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
 14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. (KJV)

Adam Clark outlined it this way:

• Freedom from Fear with Confidence in God (1-3)
• Love to God and His ways (4-6)
• Prayer for Assistance & Support (7-13)
• Exhortation to Dependence on God (14)

That is as good an outline of the passage as any I’ve seen.  If you want to snap a picture of that, feel free to do so.  So let’s ponder this for a little bit this morning.  And as I walk through this I encourage you to relax your mind and let it think on these good things.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom should I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life – whom should I dread?
2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid; though a war breaks out against me, I will still be confident.

David was a warrior: one of the most valiant & successful warriors in the history of Israel.  This Psalm is full of military terminology and perspective.  Some scholars suppose that this Psalm was written by him after the events of 2 Samuel 21:15-22 where David was almost killed by the Philistine giant Ishbibenob.  One of his men, Abishai, came to David’s aid and killed the giant before he could use his new sword with deadly effect.  After this close call, David’s men said to him, “Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.”  In other words, “David, you are our hope and inspiration.  You are to be king.  We cannot risk you being in such mortal danger again.” Some suppose that David then penned these words as part of his response or reaction to that sentiment.  “The Lord is my light and my salvation.  The Lord is the strength of my life, whom should I dread?”  Whether or not this is the background of this Psalm, there is no way for us to know.  But I pose the exclamatory questions to you today: “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom should I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life – whom should I dread?”

Can you say emphatically in faith with the Psalmist that you are not afraid of evildoers?  Can you state with confidence that your enemies will not prevail?  Can you express assuredly that you are not afraid of even the armies arrayed against you – because you are not trusting in yourself but in the Lord?  Too often we say with our mouths that we are trusting in the Lord, but we don’t really mean it.  We mean that we are trusting in our own strength most of the time and today we feel good about it.    Unfortunately, that is not the same thing.  David is not saying “Today I feel like worshipping God so I am expressing my faith and praise.  No.  He is saying that in the toughest of times – in the fiercest battles when I should fear all is lost, I don’t fear.  For I am not trusting in my own strength; I am trusting in the strength of the self-existent eternal Jehovah God!  I am not resting behind hastily constructed defensive positions of shallow sand, sticks, and rock.  I am taking refuge in the mighty stronghold of God. 

When soldiers take up a defensive position from enemy fire, they are limited to whatever cover they can find in the immediate environment: whether it is a shallow ditch, a wall, a building, a tree, they will hug the ground and hunker down behind whatever they can.  If they have a few moments of time they will scoop out a shallow hollow to help them get lower and hopefully out of the reach of enemy fire.  This is what it is like if we trust in our own strength…it may get us through for a little bit, but it can’t last as a defensive position.  For true defensive positions, walls are erected, barbed wire is strung, guard posts are elevated, gates are placed, barriers are spaced about, bunkers are dug, weapons are positioned at key locations with intersecting fields of fire, and a watch is set.  It becomes a heavily fortified place of defense, refuge, and safety.  This is the comparison David was making.  “The eternal God is my light in the darkness and my salvation.  He is not my foxhole – He is my stronghold: whom should I dread?  Whatever comes – no matter how fierce the battle or how strong the enemy, I need not be afraid for I am safe in the hand of the Lord.”

4 I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple.
5 For he will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity; he will hide me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6 Then my head will be high above my enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord.
This section the passage is interesting to me.  At first it seems David is now turning his thoughts away from battle and war and difficulty and instead focusing on worship and praise.  But we quickly discover that is not the case.  As he begins to talk of the beauty of the Lord, we discover that He is not contemplating an absence of adversity or imagining a life without enemies.  Rather, he is expressing his reliance on God in spite of them.  His is not an expectation of peace without struggle but rather a rest amid the battle that comes from utter trust in God.  He wants to remain God’s presence continually, fixing his heart upon Him.  He wants to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and rejoice in His glory.  He wants to anchor every moment of living – even the battles – in eternity. 

When the enemies surround, when trouble comes, when hardship besets him, he takes refuge in the tabernacle of God.  God is his camouflage, his shelter, and his protection.  He also continues his military terminology: “He will set me high on a rock” & “my head will be above my enemies around me.”  For thousands of years, holding the high ground has been recognized as an important military tactic.  The ancient strategist Sun Tzu advised military leaders to take the high ground and force enemies to attack from the lower position.  Not only does it provide a superior position to observe and fire upon the enemy, it also forces large heavy armor whether elephants or tanks to stop because they cannot climb in steep terrain.  It also forces cavalry to dismount and attack on foot whether in chariots or Strykers.  What he is saying, is that “I will hold the high ground.”  Strategically I will have the advantage over my enemies when I trust in the Lord.

Whether it be physical enemies, emotional enemies, or spiritual enemies, as believers, we must go to the high ground of faith, trust, and worship.  When the battle is fiercest, then is when you need to run to the shelter of His arms.  You see, when we are in the midst of the battle with its chaos and fear and destruction, Satan wants to separate us from our sanctuary.  He wants to inhibit our prayers.  He wants to interfere with our worship.  He wants obstruct our faith.  But in the middle of the fiercest battles, we need God more than ever.  Ask Mr. Jesse sometime what it is like to radio for fire support and receive it!  When under fire, infantry units will call for artillery fire or for close air support and in will come the Air Force or Navy pilots to support and suppress the attack of the enemy.  We have the same option as believers in God.  We can cry out to Him and call in that “air support.”  Sadly, we too often do not.  We rely on our strength.  We sweat and struggle and stress and shout instead of taking refuge in Him and letting Him have control.  Instead of letting Him hold the high ground.

May I encourage you today to stop struggling so hard and center your heart directly on God?  Cry out to him.  Let Him take you into His tabernacle.  Let Him shelter you in the fortress of His arms.  Rest in His strength.  Let Him fight the battle for you. And never forget, these battles are temporary – for we are eternal beings serving an eternal God and we will leave these temporary battles behind to be with Him forever.  Rest in Him!  Sing with joy and worship in your heart placing all of it in His capable hands!

7 Lord, hear my voice when I call; be gracious to me and answer me.
8 My heart says this about you: “Seek his face.” Lord, I will seek your face.
9 Do not hide your face from me; do not turn your servant away in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave me or abandon me, God of my salvation.
10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me.

I love this because the Psalmist gets even more real here.  He honestly confesses his fears and worries.  He talks about his fear of abandonment, his lost earthly relationships, and his concern that God might be angry with him.  He admits that his heart had been convicted to seek God and that he is responding to that urging of conscience and praying to Him now.  He relies on the graciousness of God.  He confesses his deep need of God and expresses his faith that God will hear and answer his prayer. 

Did you know that it is okay to be real with God?  Prayer is not supposed to be limited to only our fanciest words and most worshipful phrases.  Prayer is not some sort of creative writing exercise whereby we please God and impress our friends.  Prayer is supposed to be visceral and real and right where we are.  We should always pray with respect and reverence for Who God is, but we should also talk to Him honestly and genuinely.  It’s okay to pray, “God, I’m angry with you!” “God, I’m hurting right now!” “God, I feel alone!”  “God, I’m lost – I don’t know what to do!”  “God, I don’t understand!”  “God, I don’t want to forgive.”  “God, I want you to take revenge upon my enemies!”  “God, help!”  How do I know it’s okay to pray this way?  Because the Scriptures – and especially the Psalms – are full of such prayers as people cried out to God whether in faith or despair. 

We need to be the same way.  If you’ve been trying to figure out how to impress God with your prayers or pray fancy things so other people think you are spiritually special, STOP IT!  Talk to God!  Get real with Him.  Stop thinking of Him as imaginary and far away.  He is real and He is HERE.  He is listening and ready to hold a conversation with you if only you will be honest with Him and then listen when He whispers His reply.  Seek His face.  He is our helper and He will not abandon us.

11 Because of my adversaries, show me your way, Lord, and lead me on a level path.
12 Do not give me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing violence.

We are going to face adversity.  Whether from human context or spiritual warfare, we are in a battle.  We need to have level footing for our feet in order to fight.  We need to be stable as we enter combat.  All too often Christians are not balanced in their battles.  We are not fixing our eyes on Christ.  We are not listening to the whisper of the Holy Spirit.  We are not concentrating on the Word.  We are not living in a place of constant worship.  As a result, when the battle begins, when the combat comes, we are not balanced with stable footing.  Our feet are not set.  We are not on the level path of the Lord.  Because of this we stumble, we falter, we fail, we fall.  The only way to avoid this is to be walking with the Lord in His way on His path. 

The conflict is fierce.  The skirmishes are hot.  Violence is the order of the day in the battles we face.  Have you experienced physical violence…emotional violence…spiritual violence?  You say, well, “Pastor Rick, “I don’t know.  I mean, I’m just facing life like everyone else.”  Well, let me ask you this: when life goes “wrong” or things don’t go right…what is happening in your heart?  When your car doesn’t work or your body doesn’t work or people fail you or relationships struggle, what are you tempted to do?  You are tempted to give up on relationships.  You are tempted to give up on living.  You are tempted to give up on worship.  You are tempted to give up on God.  You are tempted to stay away from all that is good because things just aren’t going like you expected or planned.  You want to escape the violence of the battle.  You want to run away.  You want to leave behind the struggle. In these moments we must stop relying in our own strength.  It is in these moments we need God most of all.  We cannot begin to imagine we can triumph alone.  We cannot win on our own.  We must have our feet anchored on the Solid Rock of Christ Jesus and be balanced by living in His presence and walking in His ways.  We need to be on the level path!

13 I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.

Here, the Psalmist expresses a powerful faith: “I am certain, confident, sure that I will see the Lord’s goodness and joy here on earth while I am alive.”  This is not just some vague hope or confidence that the future will be better by and by.  This is not an expression of future faith that all will be right in the end.  This is not saying, I know that God will redeem all things in eternity.  This is an expression of faith in the present goodness of God. 

It reminds me of the story of Lazarus after he had died.  Martha, the sister of Lazarus hears that Jesus is coming and runs out to meet him.  An interesting conversation ensues.
“John 11:21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.  But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.”
Jesus replies, “Thy brother shall rise again.” 
Martha says, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus says, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”
She replied, “She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.” Then she went to call her sister.  I think she scarcely comprehended at all what Jesus was saying.  Jesus was saying, “You are about to see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living” – not just in the future eternity but in the here and now!

Are you trusting in the Lord for help and strength refuge and comfort in the here and now or is He some imaginary person you pretend to talk to and claim to believe?  Trust Him for His goodness to be extended to you now in the land of the living!

The Psalmist concludes with a simple exhortation: “Wait on the Lord: and he shall strengthen thine heart: when all around your soul gives way, let Him be your hope and stay – wait on the Lord.”  May I gently ask today how much you have been waiting on God?  Have you been seeking refuge in His presence – I don’t just mean desperate calls for help as you are drowned by life – I mean the intentional waiting upon Him and seeking His face?  Get out of your self-made foxhole and run to the high ground and seek sanctuary in the fortress He is.  Retreat from the battle you’ve been fighting in your own strength and let Him take over.  He has superior fire power!   Call in His air support!  Let Him be your light and salvation.  Stop being afraid.  Stop being fearful.  Stop trusting in yourself and trust in Him.  Be real and tell Him how you really feel.  Pray with honesty and faith.  Let your feet walk His balanced and level pathway.  Find peace in worshiping Him.  Discover His goodness here and now in your life.  Be strong and courageous – but not in your own strength – rather in the strength that comes when you wait on the Lord. 

I hope this meditation is a strength and help to you today.  Rest in the Lord.  He is good even in the present, in the land of the living. 

The Power of Confession & the Freedom of Forgiveness

Wherever you are on the curve, I would like to invite you today to rediscover the power of confession and freedom of forgiveness.  If you are an unbeliever, would you confess your sins and be born again?  If you are a believer struggling against your own nature, would you confess your need, submit to the Lordship of Christ, and be filled with the Spirit?  If you are saved and sanctified but wrestling with broken relationships or the temptations to sin, would you confess your sins to God and man and discover forgiveness?  And, if you are harboring unforgiveness toward anyone today, would you confess it and relinquish it – let it go – so that you may once again know the freedom and power of forgiveness in your heart and life?  Would you once again walk in the way of peace?  Rediscover the power of confession and freedom of forgiveness.

Hard Things Series 2 - Called to Freedom

On the 4th of July weekend, Pastor Rick shared another message with us from the Hard Things Series exploring the implications of true freedom and choice.

"In the beginning of time when God made humans, He hallowed freedom when he created us with the power to choose or we call it free will or free moral agency.  In this sense, God endowed us with a sacred freedom which He has permitted to remain inviolate no matter the horrors that have resulted throughout history as a result.  For though freedom by its very nature exposes opportunity for great evil, it is only in the context of freedom that true and meaningful good may be discovered or accomplished."

The Gospel of John Series - God SO Loved

Listen as Pastor Rick shares perspective on the most famous verse in Scripture: John 3:16. Word by word Pastor Rick draws out the beauty of this verse.  Do you realize how MUCH God loves you?  No matter your sin, God loves you and gave His only begotten son for you.  Will you surrender to Him?

Born Free

Listen as Pastor Rick begins with Acts 22:28 and elaborates on what it means to be born free in Christ.  Are you delivered from the chains of sin? Are you a citizen of Heaven?

The Finest Declaration in the History of the World (Beside the Gospel!)

I love this document!

 

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

 

 

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

Enslaved

This message was shared the morning of January 29, 2012.  

Synopsis:  Freedom from the slavery of sin means becoming a slave of righteousness.  Does this mean we are indeed slaves to God? The message concludes with a magnificent truth! Listen to find out more!

But It Didn't!

Immaculate conception.  That’s what theologians would later call it.  But right then it meant shame, excommunication, and possible death for a teenage girl.  If not for the obedience of a just and righteous man named Joseph, the story might have ended there.  But it didn’t.

From a manger he went to a humble home soon visited by foreign dignitaries who were commissioned by a ruthless king to locate the babe for his disposal at will.  If it were not for the obedience of worshipping magi, the story might have ended there.  But it didn’t.

From a weeping city, they fled to the land of Egypt where history itself might have swallowed them.  But for the obedience of a faithful father and mother, it might have ended there.  But it didn’t.

From the common rude city of Nazareth to the Jerusalem temple they came with the boy Jesus for a rite of passage.  Questioned by teachers and lawyers for days, he was almost lost to his family.  But for frantic loving parents, it might have ended there.  But it didn’t.

From a carpenter’s shop to the river Jordan and on into the wilderness the man Jesus faced some of the greatest temptations ever known on earth.  But for the Word of God itself, the man Jesus might have failed.  It might have ended there.  But it didn’t.

Through three years of teaching and experiencing both adulation and hate, Jesus walked on toward a fate He knew and understood but no one else seemed to grasp.  Once they tried to throw him off a cliff and more than once they tried to crown him king.  It could have ended there.  But it didn’t.

From a donkey’s back amid a cheering crowd, to an intimate supper in an upper room, then to a Garden where he sweat great drops of blood, but for the solace of Heaven, it might have ended there.  But it didn’t.

From a midnight kangaroo court, to a Roman whipping post, steadfastly onward to a cross of untold agony where legions of angels waited in vain to set him free, everyone thought it ended there.  But it didn’t.

Three days later, the Lord of Glory asserted His heavenliness over his earthiness.  His life triumphed over death.  His power triumphed over all principalities of the earth.  He restored his disciples. He reinforced his resurrection to hundreds of known witnesses.  He commissioned His followers.  He returned to Heaven to sit at the right hand of His Father, victorious over sin, death, hell, and the grave.  It might have ended there but it didn’t.

Commissioned by their Lord and Savior and filled with His Spirit of Comfort, across the nations and generations in the millennia since that first Christmas His disciples have spread the glorious message of the Gospel of Christ: good news for all mankind.  And today nearly the whole earth celebrates His birth whether they know it or not. It could end there.  But it doesn’t.

Today we continue to spread the message of His love in our community and around the world.  We do this as we await the sound of trumpets heralding the return of the Christmas Baby from so long ago who will arrive this time – not damp with afterbirth in the stench of a stable – but on a cloud of Glory to catch us - His bride - away!  It might end there.  But it won’t.

 

On and on for all eternity we will rejoice in His presence and fellowship with all who have gone on before us and the run the race with patience unto the receiving of the prize.  This is why we celebrate all we do at Christmastime!  Thank you for your participation and praise today.  It is my prayer as Pastor that you will continue your rejoicing throughout this season.