“So, how would taking a different view of God affect the way we live our lives? If you fail to see God as deserving all the glory, you will soon become your own god. You will exchange the true God for yourself. Because all things are from Him, and through Him, and to Him we must live completely for Him. We must be real.”
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Romans 11:33-36
John 1:14
Plato wrote “Never can God and man meet.” Thanks to God he was wrong!!
Truth to take home: Jesus Christ is your only hope of knowing God
personally
I. He used a personal median – he took on flesh/became a man.
II. He lived where we could see him/he dwelt among us. (He did not
live on Mt. Olympus.)
A. He “tabernacled” among us.
B. He was not pretentious, but loved the people.
III. He showed us God’s glory
A. He didn’t just reflect God’s glory, it was the real thing
B. Christ revealed God’s beauty and grace
C. He revealed God completely
D. He revealed God’s character.
The real purpose of Christmas is so that sinful man can know God.
I. Satan’s goal – to defeat individual believers
II. Satans’ purpose – to frighten and weaken them
III. Satan’s power – lies in the self-confidence of the believer
IV. Satan’s downfall – Christ prayed for Peter (Jn. 17)
“If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.”
—Robert Murray M’Cheyne, Robert Murray M’Cheyne, ed Andrew Bonar (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth: 1960), 179
“Do you ever think that your sins are too bad, and that forgiveness for those sins requires you to get your act together first? If so, you don’t fear God. You are minimizing his forgiveness. You are acting as though his forgiveness is ordinary, just like that of any person or make-believe god. In contrast, the fear of the Lord leads us to believe that when God makes promises too good to be true, they are indeed true.”
– Ed Welch, Running Scared (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2007), 195.
Jesus Christ is stronger!
Stronger than my fears about the future or my shame over a past that cannot be altered though I wish so much I could do some things differently.
Stronger than my tired prayers with well-worn phrases and weary pleas.
Stronger than my need to know now, and have the trial terminated.
Stronger than the enemy of my soul who would discourage me with my own failings and disillusion me with the faults of others.
Such a simple truth—Jesus Christ is Stronger. ‘Stronger than what,’ you ask? Stronger than whatever would cause you doubt or discouragement today.”
—James McDonald, “Jesus Christ is Stronger”
(HT: Tim Challies)
“If you want rest come to Christ in Gethsemane, to Christ on Calvary, to Christ risen, to Christ ascended. If you want rest, O weary souls, ye can find it nowhere until ye come and lay your burdens down at his dear pierced feet, and find life in looking alone to him.”
– Charles Spurgeon, Rest, Rest
Sometimes things just happen and life and we say, “Why me?” Such as this past week, I (Crystal) having worked for long, long, LONG hours on my 25 page paper for theology class was almost done and the computer went to sleep and decided not to wake up….Needless to say that my paper was late but my professor had mercy and allowed me to turn it in anyway. So, that was a disaster averted (who wants to write the exact same paper twice?). Then we went several days with very cold water (our water heater broke) and with it becoming snowy outside, (and by the way, the heater in our home wouldn’t work either..) cold shower were not a huge relief after a long, hot day. =) Seth and I made it through these things just fine, and none worse the wear. But let me change the direction of the “Why me” question to the positive light: We should be saying “Why me?” when thinking of why Christ saved us from our sins, “Why me?” when he gave us loving families, “Why me?” when He blesses us abundantly every day! Next time the common grumble of “Why me” starts to come out of our mouths, we should think of God’s blessings!
“Before you can ever make a clean and unamended confession of your sin, you have to first begin by confessing your righteousness. It’s not just your sin that separates you from God; your righteousness does as well. Because, when you are convinced you are righteous, you don’t seek the forgiving, rescuing, and restoring mercy that can be found only in Jesus Christ.”
– Paul David Tripp, Whiter Than Snow (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2008), 22.
“If Stupidity got us into this mess, then why can’t it get us out?” Will Rogers