The Truth about Christmas

It’s Not about You

Micah 5:2 – “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Isaiah 7:14 – Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

These were written AT LEAST 300 years prior to the first Christmas.  It was written…and then it happened.  It had a beginning.  It had a purpose.  It had a reason. Christmas didn’t used to always exist.  It had a beginning.  And it still has a purpose.  It has a reason.  Santa didn’t start it.  Getting presents wasn’t the purpose.  What was the reason it started?  What was the initial reason it was celebrated?  Most importantly, what’s the reason YOU celebrate Christmas?  What do you think about first when you hear the word “Christmas” spoken?

The Real Christmas Story

*A clip from a Christmas Story  ....What a Christmas Classic!

THE Christmas Story:

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while^[a]Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:1-20

2 December Challenges

Challenge # 1 –

Tell God thank you every day from this point forward throughout the rest of December.  There are not that many days left. DO IT. Talk to Him about how thankful you are (or want to be) for Him sending a part of Himself to Earth in the form of a human.  Take special time to do this for the rest of this month beyond however long you usually take to have focused talks with God.

Challenge #2 –

Buy a gift for someone you normally wouldn’t and include this verse on the wrapping/tag/card: 

Isaiah 7:14.  God did something out of the ordinary for us on the 1^st Christmas.  You can’t pay it back, so pay it forward.  Instead of giving a physical gift, perhaps DO SOMETHING that requires a sacrifice of time to someone who you normally wouldn’t……to someone from whom you do not expect repayment.

Luke 6:32-34 – “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.”

Remember, God did something for you that He knew you could never repay.  So pay it forward.

Dallas Ozone loves y'all. Praying for a safe, joyful, blessed Christmas break! We will see you next year! It's been real 2013.

Hope Y'all had a great Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

What are you thankful for? Do you wake up feeling thankful that God breathed life into you another day!? Do you thank God for the ability to gather with family, with plenty to eat?

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”- 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Jesus is a Friend of Sinners

• Luke 19:1-10 As Jesus passed through Jericho, a man named Zacchaeus desperately sought to see who he was. Because he was small in stature, he climbed into a sycamore tree. Jesus came to him and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.“ Zacchaeus hurried down from the tree and received him joyfully. When the town saw that Jesus was going to stay with Zacchaeus, they all grumbled, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is sinner.” The town was upset because Zaccheus was a chief tax collector and very rich. Now, not only did he collect money from people, but he would take more than supposed to, and would keep some for himself. After this interaction between the two, Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Jesus came HERE to this EARTH as a man, a sinless, perfect man, to bridge the gap between his Father and the sinners of this world. Who is a sinner? ALL OF US (Romans 3:23). Jesus came for you and for me, he came to eat dinner with tax collectors and sinners just like us to demonstrate his great love for us.
What does that mean for us?
Jesus doesn’t need us to clean up our lives before we come to him. He called US knowing that we are sick, lowly, weak and sinners. He knows who we are! We don’t need to clean up our lives, do things right, “perform” for him because He already knows and already died for the worst of our days.
Jesus was a friend of sinners – Zacchaeus, Matthew and so many more – Jesus leaned into relationships with people that were messed up, broken and straight up bad. Just like he called up into the tree that Zacchaeus was sitting in, Jesus is calling you – wherever you’re hiding. He’s calling you to come down, to eat with him despite your shortcomings and your dirt. Jesus is friend of sinners, which means he’s friends of you and me.
Other similar stories: [Luke 7:36-50, John 4:7-26, Matthew 9]

Jesus is Empathetic

• Empathy: the ability to feel deeply for someone, despite not sharing the actual experience.

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but One who has been tempted in all things we are, yet without sin.” – Hebrews 4:15

Matthew 4:1-11: Here are three situations in which Jesus was faced with temptations, yet did not sin.

• “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The temper came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell those stones to become bread.‘ Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man should not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
• “…the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.” For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ Jesus answered, ‘It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.“
• “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.“

In the first scenario, the devil tempts Jesus to squelch his hunger, we face these same self gratification experiences where we try to fix our own problems. In the second scenario, the devil tempts Jesus to prove that God will save us-just as we try to protect ourselves when we face problems. In the third scenario, the devil tempts Jesus to give into his desires-and we struggle with believing God is faithful in his timing.

So the empathy here that we are referring to in Hebrews is that Jesus has never sinned. Oh, this guy was tempted. He had many opportunities to sin, but rose against that temptation. Since he’s never actually shared in the experience of sin, Jesus empathizes with our experiences.

We are all going to face temptation. We are equipped to endure and resist them. To combat temptation, Jesus refers back to scripture (Deuteronomy). God has prepared us to face struggles of this world, and we will not be able to overcome them ALL…but we are given grace through Jesus to help us avoid them.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

We’ve all experienced empathy. Those days when we are upset about something, we just want someone to come by our side and understand how we are feeling. It is important, that we as Christians, empathize and care for others. Just like Jesus, we will meet many people who have struggles we do not understand. You may have a friend at school who has faced sins you just simply don’t get. What is next? How do we help them?

Ideally, we should hope that when others see the way we live and treat others, it is the result of theGod who loves us and our Jesus who has redeemed us. Are you emulating the empathy of Jesus, who loves you despite every sin you’ve ever committed?

Jesus is Servant

#1: Jesus is a big deal.
If we haven’t really made that apparent, just gonna throw that in there. This week’s talk, we focus on the servant heart of Jesus. This, among many other things is simply amazing. We talk about Jesus’ righteous qualities, how he has the power to heal, and can calm a storm.. yet goes beyond that to teach us a bigger lesson in life.
Jesus is SERVANT

• John 13:1-5, 12-17: Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father, “he had come from God and was returning to God.” He poured water in a basin and washed his disciples feet. When he finished washing their feet, “do you understand what I have done for you? You call me teacher and Lord and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.”

So…let’s first understand this… The very last thing Jesus wanted to do before he died was wash his disciples feet. The very people that had been following Jesus and learning from him. Picture these feet.. They probably didn’t have chacos or sperrys.. if they actually did have any kind of footwear, I have doubts their feet were a pleasant sight.
What would you do on your last day? Spend all your earnings? Complete your bucket list? Jesus teaches us that this world is bigger than our own happiness. Will we make something of our days? Will we serve others the way Jesus has served?

Philippians 2:3-8 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interest of the other. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself…”

You are important. You are beautiful and God created you unique from every other person in the entire world. BUT.. your importance does not differ from anyone else. You are not more important than the people around you. Your happiness is not more important than that of your teachers, parents, friends. Jesus teaches us that we can serve others in our consideration and kindness.

 Summary

Before the death Jesus knew he was about to endure, he wanted to love his disciples. Jesus knew his fate, he wasn’t trying to gain their favor, these are people that have been faithfully following him. He wanted to teach them how to live their lives, and to serve others selflessly.
Our challenge for you: look at the way you live your life, are you serving others well? Consider the interests of others, and humble yourself in all things.
This act speaks volumes about who the character of Jesus. He was Creator and King, he had every right to demand to be served-rather, he came to earth to serve and give his life for us. Praise him in all your days, Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice and was a model servant.

Jesus is Healer

Jesus is HEALER

• Luke 8:49-56 – While Jesus is making his way through the town to reach Jarius, the ruler of the synagogue, he is touched by an ill woman. “Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.” After this miraculous event, Jesus exclaimed ‘Who touched Me?’ He felt power go out from him and wanted to know who would reach out and touch him in such a way. The woman fell at the feet of Jesus admitting it was she. Jesus simply said,“Daughter, your faith has been healed.”

Isn’t that just an odd response. When I read this story, I’m thinking Jesus’ response will be something like, “You have now been restored to health, spread the word about my works in you.” NO. He just says, “…your faith has been healed.” He doesn’t even mention the part about being the only human capable to heal her bleeding wound. Jesus was put on this Earth to bring glory to God and make people believers for their own wellbeing. The reason he heals others is not to help their physical state, but ultimately, to restore faith in our God.

• In John 9:1-7, we meet a man blind from birth. As Jesus passed him, his disciples said to him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus responds, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me…” And with that, Jesus spat on the ground and made clay with his saliva with which he anointed the eyes of the blind man. “So he went and washed, and came back seeing.”

I love this story. The key to this entire miracle is what Jesus hammers home to his disciples, “…but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” WOW. This man was made blind, so that through his adversity, he could share the righteousness and the power of God through Jesus.


So in these stories, Jesus healed people back to a “normal state” (blind may see, and bleeding cease). But in Nick Vujicic’s case, he stopped praying for arms and legs. He came to know that God healed him in other ways. He says, “God is not like my parents. They couldn’t heal me, couldn’t change anything or heal my heart..but God did.” Healing of the brokenness in our lives isn’t always as easy as changing something back to the way it was before (blind having sight). Sometimes God doesn’t simply restore things back to the way they were, but rather, manifests a new wholeness in us that we may not have envisioned. Did God cure him of his missing arms and legs? No. Was Nick granted a new form of wholeness? Definitely. Instead of being disabled by his situation, he used his abilities, given from God, to bless others.
We can’t understand the ways of God. We can ask for his healing abilities in our life, but we cannot come to expect any time frame or outcome that he may produce. He is a smart God, and he prepares things to happen in our lives for the perfect reason, that we cannot always understand. If God took away suffering whenever we asked for it and exactly how we imagined it, we would follow him only because of what he could do for us. We have to follow Jesus, knowing that through him we can have a relationship with the most loving and wonderful God!
There are many times in the bible that Jesus performed miraculous healing of the body, mind and spirit, here are a few more biblical examples for ya! Take your pick!
[ Matthew 8:2-4 and 5-13, Matthew 9:27-31, Matthew 20:30-34, Mark 2:1-12, Mark 7:32-37, Luke 13:10-17, Luke 14:1-6, Luke 17:11-19, John 5:1-18 ]

Jesus is Fully God and Fully Human

Who is this Jesus character..

Many of y’all asked me about this video we showed, this just happens to be one of my favoritevideos of the gospel of Jesus

I love this video. It paints the picture of our sin and redemption in Christ! It exemplifies our constant struggle of searching for happiness and fullness in things of this world, that then destroys us. It shows us as plates, falling onto concrete and breaking. It then paints Jesus as the same plate, a plate that looks identical even. It comes all the way to the ground and fails to crack…until Jesus took on our sin, traded his perfection for the sins of humanity. He breaks, and redeems our souls to the Father. What a GUY!

This Jesus guy was not made in the likeness of man, he was made human to pay for the sins of humanity.

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We believe that as much as we need to seek understanding of God, it is just as vital that we understand Jesus, our savior and ultimate bridge to God.

Our mission is to look at what Jesus did while he was here on this Earth, and what that means for us TODAY in the year 2013. We will look at some stories of Jesus’ life within the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.)

Jesus is FULLY GOD

• Jesus Calms the Storm-Mark 4:35-41: within this story, we see Jesus crossing the 680 ft. Sea of Galilee with his disciples. As they are sailing, a storm begins to brew and his disciples, that ARE experienced fisherman, turn to Jesus in fear. They panic because of Jesus’ calm demeanor as he remained asleep through the storm and said, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Then Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be Still!” and the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and waves obey him!”

So I ask you, can you physically silence the winds with your voice, or calm the waters with a swift motion of your hand? The obvious answer here is no. There is no human out there that has authority over creation. That authority is reserved for the Creator, God, and his one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

This was not the only story of Jesus being powerful in ways we compare to God. There are SO many stories in the bible that show the mighty power of Jesus.

Jesus is FULLY HUMAN

• Matthew 26:36-49   (parallel story in Mark 14:32-36)“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little further, he fell with his face on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will”

In this story, Jesus felt emotions, he wept and he talked with God. It is important to understand that Jesus wasn’t any kind of man… He was still God, meaning he was still perfect. He led a perfect, sinless life – a life blameless like no other man that has walked this earth.  He didn’t give up his divinity to become a human — he just PUT on flesh. One early theologian puts it, “remaining what he was, he became what he was not.”

here are more biblical examples of Jesus being Fully Human: [ Matthew 4:2, Luke 2:52, Luke 2:7, John 4:6, John 11:33-35, Galatians 4:4 ]

Summary:

So just as it is uber important to know God and see his works in our life on Earth, we should also get to know this Jesus guy he regards so highly. So what should we gather from all of this text up top. God, our creator and highest power, sent his son down to earth to live 33 perfect-sinless years, to die on the cross for our sinless ways. Jesus was God, but he was also human, which meant he knew the weight of our sins. He had this perfect duality of Human & God (Hypostatic Union)

We should desire to live our lives, in the image of Jesus. We should live knowing that we were created by a God who loved us so much that he would send an ultimate sacrifice for our ways. I want to challenge you to read these stories with an open mind. Open your mind and see how these stories relate to your life, 2013.

God Created You

So here’s the lowdown.

God created everything

• he created it perfect & complex
• he loves his creation
• we stray from him, we mess up
• he still loves us
• he forgives us, sends his son to the Earth
• Jesus is human sacrifice for our ways

We hope that through this semester, you will learn the redemptive power of Jesus Christ, and how loved you are. We have a God that loves each and every one of us. That is mind-blowing.
God created us to be with him. He desires to be in unity with us. God wants us to live in harmony with him, which means he wants us to live a life of morality and uphold good character each day. However, the difference between this and our relationship with God is, no matter what good deeds we do, we remain sinners. Collectively, humans choose to turn our gaze from him. We should thank God that he sent Christ to make up for it all.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”- John 3:16
Maybe you’re sitting there reading this thinking,  ”i’m too busy for God right now.” or “I’m not sure if he is real.”
That is okay. Part of our human nature is doubt. We want to know for ourselves if something is real. Well, God is never too busy for you. He is the creator of the universe yeah, and he keeps the entire universe in motion yeah, but he also keeps his eye on every one of his children. For those of you questioning, please know that we are here for you. We want to talk about your questions and we want to know your struggles. Take time to think about who God is and how you he is real to you.
Maybe you’re sitting there thinking, “God wouldn’t want me, I’m too messed up.”
God desires YOU! He wants to know your heart and help you through everything. Think you’ve been through too much, life been too hard on you? Wrong. There isn’t a sin too large that God would turn you away.
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:8