Video Bible Lesson - The Essential Message of Christmas by Greg Laurie

The Essential Message of Christmas 

by Greg Laurie

1/2 Hour of God’s Power with Scott Ralls

12/25/19

#Jesus, #Christian, #Bible, #Salvation, #Heaven, #God, #HolySpirit

A Prayer for Christmas Peace

A Prayer for Christmas Peace
By SARAH GERINGER

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

O Mighty God,
this Christmas Day,
we praise and thank You
2,000 years after Jesus
became Immanuel —
God with us.

Before the world began,
You saw Him as a tiny baby
surrounded by rough straw,
wrapped in cloth strips
and lying in an animal’s feed trough.

The King of the world
laid aside His crown
to become flesh and blood like us
so we may have peace.

The One through whom all things
are created
became part of creation.
The One who made the stars
aligned them to lead wise men
from far lands to Bethlehem.

The Lord of heaven’s armies
sent His angels to earth
to proclaim peace to all His people.
The Lord of heaven and earth
sent a holy invitation to lowly shepherds
and led them to worship.

You laid aside Your might and power
by putting on humility
so that all of us
would feel welcome
in Your presence.

O Everlasting Father,
thank You for the gift of Your Son.
We bless Your Name
for sending Him as a sacrifice
so we can become Your daughters and sons.

You sit on the throne of majesty
in perfect holiness,
watching over all the world
with perfect sovereignty,
understanding our hearts and minds
with perfect knowledge.

Yet we can boldly approach Your throne of grace
because the Son of God
and Son of Man
tore down the barrier between heaven and earth
when He died for our sins
and rose victorious over the grave.


O Wonderful Counselor,
we worship You
as our Advocate who fights for us,
our Comforter who strengthens us,
our Intercessor who prays for us,
our Helper who works on our behalf.

Holy Spirit, grant us Your peace today.
Guide us in all our situations
as we celebrate with family,
rejoice in our victories,
sift through disappointments
and grieve our losses.

You understand our joys and sorrows
from a heavenly perspective.
Give us Your insight
so we can see this Christmas
through Your eyes
instead of our own.

O Prince of Peace,
we praise You that all the governments of the world
rest on Your shoulders.
All the galaxies in space
and the tiniest atoms on earth
are held together by You.
You rule over every aspect of our lives,
offering peace in each situation.

We can trust You
because You walk beside us every day
protecting us with Your rod and staff
like a loving shepherd.

Reign in our hearts today, Jesus.
You are worthy of all our praise
on this Christmas Day.
In Your Name we pray, Jesus,
Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
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.” (NIV)

John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (NIV)

John 8:12, “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, ‘I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.’” (NLT)

Learning Obedience through Suffering

Learning Obedience through Suffering

By Dr. Charles Stanley

Hebrews 5:7-8

Have you ever wondered why Jesus had to suffer so much when He came to earth as a man? One might expect that the Son of the living God would live a comfortable life and die a peaceful death. After all, wouldn't His blood have paid for our sins whether it was shed painlessly or torturously?

But Jesus took on human flesh and came to earth not just to die for our transgressions but also—with the exception of sin—to identify with us in every area of our lives. And that includes suffering (Heb. 2:17-18). How would a Savior who had no experience with pain help us when we hurt? Also, when it's difficult for us to obey the Lord, we need the help of One who learned obedience from the things He suffered.

Unlike us, Jesus didn't move from being rebellious to becoming obedient. Rather, He learned by personal experience the pathway we have to walk when God calls us to do something difficult or painful.

In His humanity, Christ struggled with the assignment that lay before Him: death on the cross. Even though the Father heard His cries, the plan was not changed, and Jesus walked through all of it in complete submission, just as He had done with every divine "assignment" throughout His earthly life.

The only reason you and I have salvation is because Jesus always did what pleased His Father—had He rebelled in that one area, all hope for lost humanity would be cancelled. If His obedience in suffering resulted in such a great benefit, just imagine what is in store for us when we do what God wants.

Want vs. Need

Want vs. Need
by Laura MacCorkle

Did you get what you wanted for Christmas today? Or did you get what you needed?

What we want and what we need do not often go hand in hand. I should know. There are things that I have wanted in my life for a long time now, that apparently the Lord has not seen to be necessities. At least not yet.

I know he knows what is best for me, but it is still hard to wait. And it is difficult not to look longingly at what others have received and wonder why I, too, cannot be the recipient of such things in my life.

This kind of struggle is not new to any of us. And Hannah, who we read about in the first chapter of 1 Samuel, is a great example of how to live when what you want is not yet something God says you need. 

For years Hannah had wanted to become a mother. To bear a child. To give her husband, Elkanah, a son—just like his other wife, Peninnah.

Being barren was considered a disgrace for a woman in those times, so Hannah most likely felt ashamed and alone and perhaps like a societal outcast. Instead of turning away, though, Hannah took her sorrow and her request for what she wanted to the Lord. 

We don't know for sure how long she waited (perhaps years)—and we don't know the exact purposes of God's timing in her life—but we can still learn a great deal from Hannah's example …

• She was persistent and continually sought the Lord. She did not give up and stop asking the Lord for what she wanted. Like clockwork, Hannah kept bringing her request to God, year after year at the temple in Shiloh (v. 7). No doubt her want continued to drive her to the Father and most likely deepened her relationship with him.
• She was blessed with a lifeline. I am quick to forget that the beauty in the midst of Hannah's pain is that Elkanah loved her very dearly (if not more than Peninnah). I am sure this buoyed Hannah to make it through the years when she may have wondered if God would ever answer her prayer for a child. God was gracious in giving her a loving husband (v. 5, 8).
• She did not give in to ridicule or naysayers. Even when Peninnah (who was fruitful and had children) provoked her and taunted her because she was barren, Hannah did not add insult to injury (v. 7). She did not become nasty and retaliate when ridiculed for her condition or her faith. 
• She shared her "want"  and was encouraged by others. When the high priest Eli observed Hannah praying in the temple and inquired as to her condition (he thought she was intoxicated because she was praying silently, but her lips were moving—v. 14), she shared with him what she was asking of the Lord. When Eli saw what was really going on, he encouraged her and asked God to answer her request (vv. 12-17).
• She gave back to God what he had given to her. When God blessed Hannah with a child, she did not cling tightly to him. She kept her promise, let her son go and dedicated him to the Lord (v. 11, vv.21-28). How unbelievable is that? To accept and then release back to God something he has given to you that you have prayed and prayed and prayed for? That is model faith!

Like Hannah, are you waiting on the Lord to give you something you want in your life today? A new job? Reconciliation in your marriage? Blessing in your finances? A cure from illness? To find your soul mate? Victory over an addiction? A baby? 

Each of us has something we want in our lives. But is up to God to decide if this is something we really need. May we continue to come to him with joy and thankfulness, as we acknowledge that he knows what is best for us in our lives.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  Do you know that God has already given you what you need for this very day? Ask him to help you accept his plans and timing for your life—even when you don't understand. Then, make a list of all the lifelines he has given you while you wait (people, circumstances, things, etc.). Post this somewhere you can see it, while you continue to lift your requests to him.

Do You Believe in Christmas Miracles?

Do You Believe in Christmas Miracles?
By Lynette Kittle

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). — Matthew 1:23

Have you noticed how many Christmas movies focus on receiving a Christmas miracle?

Although many center on Santa Claus making things happen, still Christmas is portrayed as a time for long-awaited hopes and dreams to be fulfilled.

Rightly so, too, because Christmas is all about miracles!

It’s a celebration of the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus, God come to earth in human form, to live among mankind and save people from their sins. What could be more miraculous than that?

So how do you approach Christmas? Are you hoping for God to do the impossible in your life? Do you believe what Jesus said, that all things are possible with God? (Mark 10:27)

If you aren’t expecting God to do the impossible at Christmas or any other time of the year, perhaps it’s because of past disappointments, of times where you had great hope and anticipation but didn’t see your prayers answered?

If so, ask God to renew your expectancy in Him, to revive your faith despite your disappointments. Choose to base what you believe about God on what Scripture says about Him, rather on past discouraging experiences.

If former letdowns are holding you back from having faith in God, James 1:6 encourages you to believe with all your heart and not doubt God because doubt inhibits the impossible.

Scripture explains what happened when Jesus visited His hometown and the residents doubted Him. Their disbelief effected what they were able to receive from Jesus. As Matthew 13:58 explains, “And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”

If you’re lacking faith in believing God is able to do the impossible, ask Him to increase your faith. Hebrews 11:1 explains, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Consider how everything you see created was once impossible without God. As John 1:3 explains, “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.”

As Jeremiah 32:17 describes, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.”

Colossians 1:16 further describes, “For in Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.”

At Christmas and all year long, choose to believe that nothing is too difficult for God to bring about in your life by stepping out in faith and asking Him to transform your impossibilities into possibilities.

A Prayer for Christmas Day: Celebrating Our Savior

A Prayer for Christmas Day: Celebrating Our SaviorBy Debbie McDaniel

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

In a time of deep darkness, God promised to send a great Light. Isaiah prophesied these words long ago, and time went by...700 long years.

And then at just the right moment, Jesus came.

Miracle birth.

Light-bringer.

Hope-instiller.

Savior and Lord.

Given to “us.” To you. And to me.

He came to dwell among us.

He came to set us free.

He came that we might have life, more abundantly.

If you have big needs today, be assured, He is a big God. Nothing is too difficult for Him to handle. And He cares about all that concerns you. Maybe you’ve experienced deep loss this year, or you feel all alone this season, and fear or despair have gripped your heart…you can bring it to Jesus. All of it, the brokenness, the questions, and the pain.

When we're troubled and hurting, when we feel lonely or afraid, He is our Wonderful Counselor.

When we need to see a miracle in life, when we need someone to fight for us, He is our Mighty God.

When we forget who we belong to, when we need to be reminded that we're greatly loved and cared for, He is our Everlasting Father who loves to give good gifts to His children.

When we feel anxious and worried, when we need a reminder that our future is secure no matter what swirls around us, He is our Prince of Peace.

His very presence in our lives gives us such great reason to celebrate. For amidst the chaos and busyness of the season, in the loss and brokenness that many have experienced this year, in both the joys and struggles of daily life, or the uncertainties that tomorrow holds, we can find rest and peace in Him.

In His Presence.

In His Truth.

For He is Immanuel…God with us. Always with us.

And He never changes.

Dear God,

Thank you for the gift of Jesus! We celebrate the treasure of all that He is in our lives, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and so much more. We recognize His Powerful Presence over all, and we worship Him as King of Kings and Lord and Lords.

We thank you that you made a way for us to be set free through the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. Thank you for giving us the gift of eternal life, to all that have believed in Your Name. We bring to you today, every need and concern that we have, every fear and pain of loss we’ve experienced this year. We ask for your healing and grace, for your strength and your peace to fill us afresh.

We draw near to you, and thank you that you are close. 

Our Immanuel…God with us.

In Jesus’ Name, 

Amen.