If you missed our Christmas series you can view them on demand at the links below.
This Christmas we focused on the fact that God is inviting us to join him in fulfilling His mission. He wants to use us individually in our unique situation. The fundamental reason for the season is the gift of salvation. We must not forget to focus on this fact.
First Sermon – God Remembers Me: Accepting God’s Invitation – Luke 1:5-24 (Zechariah & Elizabeth)
http://betheltempleofpraise.org/?wpfc_sermon=accepting-gods-invitation-christmas-message-part-1
Second Sermon – Divine Interruption: God wants to interrupt your life for his Glory – Luke 1:26–38 (The Virgin Mary)
http://betheltempleofpraise.org/?wpfc_sermon=divine-interruption-christmas-part-2
Third Sermon – The Wait is over: God is going to reward your faith but not how you imagined it to be – Luke 2:22-38 (Simeon the prophet and Anna the prophetess)
http://betheltempleofpraise.org/?wpfc_sermon=the-wait-is-over-christmas-message-part-3
These three stories surrounded the Christmas story was centered around individuals that possessed certain qualities. They were invited to partner with God to bring salvation to the world. They demonstrated:
- Faithfulness
- Devotion
- Patience
- Righteousness
The greatest thing that one can be involved in is to be involved in the mission of God. In these stories we saw how God used people who were not in the mainstream of things but those who were on the margin. God saw their heart and desires and invited them to allow him to use their current circumstance to help advance his mission.
Just because you are following God does not means everything is going to be alright or that all your desires will be met or met according to your timing. When your time has come it does not matter where you are or the odds surrounding your success. When God gets ready to use you, after you have been tested and tried, nothing, no one or no circumstance will stop you from getting your invitation.
As we think of Christmas our minds are filled with plans. We are often times consumed with passion that drives us to be centrally focused. Our plans often times do not focus on God’s plans for our lives.
We become preoccupied with the day-to-day plans that we have for our lives. This often resulted in impatience.
I want to challenge us today to see that the God of the universe wants to partner with us to bring salvation to the world. The reason for Jesus entrance into this world and for him to take on the sinfulness of mankind is because he wants to bring salvation to us. In turn he invites those that have tasted this salvation to become the conduit of this message to those who have not yet received it. God used a man, a prophet named Simeon and a prophetess named Anna to help advance the story of Christmas and the message of salvation that has come to the world.
As a child we would often sneak a peek at the gifts to see if we could tell which one was ours and what was in the box. The impatient child was not going to wait until the appointed time but was willing to risk whatever punishment was to come because of their impatient. In this world we live, waiting has become a bad word. Kids are driven with an untamed impatience. The instant gratification is the badge of honor they live by. They want quick money and fame. This is even more pronounced in the popular hollywood sagas. The life of the entertainment world has now become the bench mark of the excellent. In the Christian world we are encouraged to wait on God. Waiting, patient and faith are all words that describe a devout Christian. Unlike the characteristic of the world we are challenged daily to wait on God.
We know that with God there are no time limits.