Monday, December 20, 2010

Six Again

Audio Link - http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=12201075458

A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching his wife, who was looking at herself in the mirror. He began pondering what he should get here for Christmas. They were pretty well off so she didn’t really need anything she had everything she could want. He finally asked her what she'd like to have for her Christmas. 'I'd like to be six again', she replied, still looking in the mirror. On Christmas morning, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Lucky Charms cereal, and then took her to Six Flags theme park. He had spared no expense. He had arranged for a private opening of the park. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park; the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Roller Coaster, everything there was. And no lines. Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down. He then took her to a McDonald's where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake. Then it was off to a movie, popcorn, a soda pop, and her favorite  candy, M&M's. What a fantastic gift! Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted. He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, 'Well Dear, what was it like being six again?" Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed. ''I meant my dress size!!!"
What do you get the person who has everything?
When I was six years old, my family lived in Dover, England. As Christmas was approaching we received a big box sent by family back home in the states. One of the items that came out of that big box was a U.S. Army pedal car for me. It was a great christmas because I thought that was the greatest Christmas gift possible.
Matt 7:9-12 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Message on a Christmas Card - "If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator.  If our greatest need had been for reformation, God would have sent us an innovator.  If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.  But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior."
I.          If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an Educator.

a. Matt 5:1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them,

b. Matt 11:1 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

c. Mark 2:13-14 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them.
A chaplain who was ministering to a seriously wounded soldier was requested by the dying man to write a letter to his former Sunday school teacher.  "Tell her I died a Christian because of what she taught me in that class in church.  The memory of her earnest pleas and the warmth of her love as she asked us to accept Jesus has stayed with me.  Tell her I'll meet her in Heaven."  The message was sent, and some time later the chaplain received this reply: "May God forgive me.  Just last month I resigned my position and abandoned my Sunday school pupils because I felt my work had been fruitless.  How I regret my impatience and lack of faith!  I shall ask my pastor to let me go back to teaching.  I have learned that when one sows for God, the reaping is both sure and blessed!"
II.       If our greatest need had been reformation, God would have sent us an innovator.
Matt 9:16-17 "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."
Rom 6:4-11 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Have some of your carefully created castles been washed away? Mine have. Several times along my life's journey, I had nowhere to turn except into my heavenly Father's arms. There I remained quiet, soaking up his love for as long as I needed. Then I saw his hand begin a new creation for my life, a new direction, a new service for him and his kingdom. Waves need not always destroy. We must allow our heavenly Father to use them to redirect our lives.
III.    If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.
Matt 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money .
Matt 25:14-30  "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money , to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money . 19 "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' 21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. come and share your master's happiness!' 22 "The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' 23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 24 "Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' 26 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
If a man runs after money, he's money-mad; if he keeps it, he's a capitalist; if he spends it, he's a playboy; if he doesn't try to get it, he lacks ambition. If he gets it without working for it, he's a parasite; and if he accumulates it after a lifetime of hard work, people call him a fool who never got anything out of life.
God solves the problem …
      … everything we have comes from Him and so belongs to Him. He only asks us to give a small portion back to Him!

IV.    But our greatest need was for forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior

a. Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

b. Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

c.  Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

d. John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

e.  Mark 2:10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins “
Each year in Washington, D.C., someone rents a hall, hires an orchestra, and advertises a sing-along production of Handel's Messiah. People stand in line to get tickets. The choir numbers five thousand. They pay for the privilege of singing Messiah. Of course, it is always a privilege to sing of the Christ or to speak of the Christ. Why do we not take advantage of our opportunities to do it?
Early Christians wisely decided to celebrate the birth of Christ on a day that was already a recognized holiday, December 25. Celebrating on this day would keep them from suspicion and danger. The Romans called December 25 "The Birthday of the Unconquered SUN" because it was so close to December 21, the winter solstice. For Christians it became "The Birthday of the Unconquered SON."