Victory Life KY

Celebrating Him II

Episode Summary

This is why Christmas still remains our greatest celebration we take part in, so lets make sure Christ stays at the center of our celebrating. But without a doubt, CELEBRATE!

Episode Notes

• Isaiah 9:6,NKJV-“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And HIS NAME will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

• Jesus told us that He would do whatever we ask in His name, He will do anything in His name, that every knee will bow at His name. There’s no other name under heaven by which man can be saved.

• Mark 16:17-18,NKJV-  “And these signs will follow those who believe: IN MY NAME they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

• Jesus was God’s plan from the beginning, He is the Lamb slain before the foundations of the world. So knowing the power of free will, God wanted a family that would willingly choose Him.

• This is why Christmas still remains our greatest celebration we take part in, so lets make sure Christ stays at the center of our celebrating. But without a doubt, CELEBRATE!

• Remember, the whole reason Jesus came to the planet was for us to have a life with Him beyond humanity. To have and enjoy the good life in Christ with the blessed assurance of eternal life.

• And even if the world around us drifts further away from the real reason we celebrate Christmas, let’s make sure we help each other, not only acknowledge but share what Jesus did for us.

• Think about it, Jesus wants to use your style, your personality, and as long as we're connected to Him, He said He would make us stand out like a city on a hill. Like a light on a lamp stand.

• Because of the way God designed us, He knows that in the heart of every human lies the desire to be connected to Jesus, even if they don't realize it yet.

• So never underestimate the power of the gospel working through anyone who will trust in it more than their own abilities.

• This Christmas, let the people you come in contact with experience Christ in you. Things like peace, joy, love, God’s goodness and blessing.

• Deuteronomy 28 tells us that when the people of the earth see the goodness of God on our lives, they will know that we are called by His name.

• Listen to what Peter says, Because Jesus we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven, and the future starts now!

• This is why Christmas still remains our greatest celebration we take part in, so embrace your life in Him.

• John 10, “...I came that you may have and enjoy an abundant, excessive, extraordinary life.”

• He left His world and came to ours, giving His life that we could not only become citizens of His world, but joint heirs of His kingdom.

• This is why it’s so important that every believer stays aware of the fact that God has predestined us to be conformed to Jesus' image.

• So, the next time you start thinking you’re not whatever, you can't make it, or you can't overcome this, remind yourself of who's you are.

• Remind yourself, you’re born of Heaven, heirs of the throne, sons and daughters of the Almighty. And to top it off, called by Jesus Himself to represent Him in the earth now.

• Ephesians 1:5,MSG- Long before He laid down earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love. Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ. 

• This Christmas, let the Holy Spirit inspire your thinking. After all, we are celebrating the fact that the Savior came for us.

• 1 John tells us, embracing a life with God, us living in Him, and Him in us, means our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s.

• Think about it, what better time than Christmas to be an expression of our Savior.

• After all, it was Jesus that told us we’re a light on a lamp stand, a city on on a hill, anointed to inspire others. A Christmas inspiration!

• Remember, Jesus didn’t come to our world to condemn it but to save it.

• Regardless of how you may celebrate Christmas, ultimately there's only one reason this holiday even exists.

• Christ left His world to come to ours to make a way for us to go to His.

• Jesus actually told us, "I came so you could have life like me."

• Christmas is above all things, a Salvation Celebration. A celebration of a brand new life.

• Listen to the angels words out of the gospel of Luke. I'm telling you the greatest thing humanity has ever heard. And it will bring great joy to all who receive it. The Savior, ourLord, has been born today in Bethlehem! 

• And the incredible thing about this new life Jesus made for us is that just like a Christmas gift, God's abundant grace and gift of righteousness only has to be received.

• 2 Corinthians 5 paraphrase, When we look inside, we see that anyone united with Christ gets a fresh start, they become a new creation. The old life is gone; a new life is underway. 

• This is why Christmas will never be just another holiday for the Christian because we know that Christmas proclaims we have a Savior.

• The Psalmist wrote, "This is the day God acted, so let's celebrate."

• We don't just celebrate what Jesus saved us from, but what He saved is to. 

• Seriously , how often do you think about eternity? A place of no more pain or suffering, no more death, it's definitely worthy of celebrating.

• This Christmas, as we always do, we gather around the Lord’s table. So keep in mind, it’s not just a baby in a manger, it stand as a memorial of an empty cross and an abandoned grave.

• I personally believe Christmas is one of the most special times we can gather around the Lords table.

• Communion takes each of us back to when His incredible gift of grace changed our lives forever.

• And for everyone here today, come knowing His table is for the broken, the seemingly forgotten, the one feeling unworthy, even the confused.

• And whether it’s your first time or 100th, let this Christmas communion  be a turning point in your life with Him.

• He'll replace frustration with peace, guilt and shame with forgiveness, worry and anxiety with confidence, depression with hope, emptiness with purpose, confusion with clarity.

• Today we celebrate the greatest thing humanity can ever be a part of, Jesus is alive.

• Something for all of us to remember as we celebrate, as we worship and honor Him, is that our lives are light to all those around us.

• And I believe one of the best things we can do is to simply live our lives like we are the light Jesus says we are.

• So the next time you find yourself questioning your relationship, wondering if your okay with God, questioning your eternity, if you’ve blown it too bad this time, simply come back to the Lords table.

• It stands as an eternal reminder of God's love and grace.

• Maybe this is why God told the apostle Paul, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness."

• It's a pretty humbling thing to realize the God of all creation picked us.

• Truth is, our new life in Christ boils down to fact that by His grace, He made it so we couldn't mess it up, all we have to do is believe it.

• Yielding to this kind of undeserving power is what enables every believer to rise above their old nature.

• And become the new person Christ died that we could be.

• Peter says this out of the Message, What a God we have... Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now!

• This is why Christmas will never be just another holiday for us.

• And there’s no better way for us to honor the birth of our Savior  than by gather around His table this Christmas.