In Paul’s farewell address to the leaders of churches in Ephesus he talks about his past activity with them, his ambition while there, his advice to them, and his affection for them. They are my thoughts in this, my final message as Sr. Pastor. Let me sum it up with four thoughts: live with courage, live with compassion, live with conviction, and live with commitment.
To God be all the glory!
Ah, the shepherds. They play a big role in the narrative of Christ’s birth. They were the first to hear the news about the birth of the Messiah, the first to see the Messiah after he was born, and the first to herald his birth to others. God said he would exalt the humble. God took one of the lowest groups of people in society and used them for the honor of making the birth of the Savior known. Their privilege is ours as well. Let’s go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born. People still need to hear it and believe it.
I absolutely love the Christmas hymns. I look forward every year to singing many of them. If I had to pick one favorite it would be O Holy Night or Joy to the World. Do you have a favorite Christmas song? Are there times when you just spontaneously start singing? Mary was. Her greeting by Elizabeth welled up inside and out came a song of praise about God’s mercy toward those who fear Him. That she had been chosen to be the mother of the Messiah was praiseworthy and she gives us a beautiful song that is personal, practical, and prophetic. By my calendar, it’s almost Christmas. We have good reason to sing praise. Open up, and let it out!
What kind of reputation do you have? If we were to ask your friends or people who know you, what kind of reputation would they say you have? Reputation can be based on fact or fallacy or a bit of both mixed together. Your reputation can also change. Galilee and Nazareth both had a reputation depending on who you talked to. Joseph and Mary also developed reputations. Joseph had one opinion about Mary, which changed when he found out she was pregnant, and then it changed again when he found out the truth about how it happened. It’s possible that some still held an erroneous reputation about them for many years. But the real truth is centered around the fact that Mary was the chosen vessel by which God would enter this world as an infant. He is the one of whom the angel said would save His people from their sins. You can believe what you want about Jesus, but the truth is found in the Word of God. He is our hope of salvation.
What is your view of time? Most of us probably think we don’t have enough of it. There never seems to be enough time to get everything done on our list. We may even conclude that what we don’t get done today, can be done tomorrow, but none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. Our view of time is certainly different than God’s view of time. He is ever so patient for just the right time. That’s what we find out in our passage, which tells us that He sent His Son at just the right time to redeem us so that we could become part of His forever family. It’s a guarantee that was sealed by the Holy Spirit. If you don’t know Christ as your Savior, today is the time for you to make that all important and eternal decision. Do it while you still have time.
The psalmist invites us to sing a new song. Not necessarily one that is new because it was just written, but one that is new because every day we wake up with a new sense of wonder at God and the salvation He has given us. One that is new because His mercies are new today. One that is new because we revel in the fact that we were made a new creation through Christ. This psalm tells us we are to sing with passion, sing with purpose, and sing with perspective. One day Christ is going to return and that is something we can sing about now. His reign will be with holiness. What a day of rejoicing that will be.
Do you have different clothes that you wear in public from what you wear at home or when you’re working outside? I do. Paul tells us that when it comes to our character there should be one set of clothes. We should wear the character of Christ wherever we are and in whatever we are doing. Do people see His character reflected in everything you do? It should be evident. In that way, God gets the praise.
I love your new car. I love to eat at this restaurant. I love your outfit. I love to watch the sunset. I love my spouse. Those are all things we say we love and we mean different things by them. From the text in I Peter 1:22-2:3 Rev. Dan Green talks about two things that we should absolutely love. From what Peter tells us in this passage we should love the saints and we should love the Word of God. When it comes to the things you love, where are those two on the list?
When you pray, do you include thanks to God for others? Do you thank Him for their faith? Do you thank Him for their love for others? Do you thank Him for the hope they have in what is yet to come? Paul did. He was grateful to God for what he had heard from his friend and fellow servant Epaphras. Yet Paul has somethings that he prayed for on their behalf. He wanted them to grow in understanding the will of God and to be strengthened in their faith. Those are things we can pray about for each other as we give God thanks. It’s my prayer for you.
In this message, Elias Abdi, missionary with Child Evangelism Fellowship, shares from Acts 16 about Paul’s call to go into Macedonia with the gospel. While there, he had a conversation with an influential woman who worshipped God but needed to know about salvation. After hearing Paul’s explanation about her need for a Savior and she responded in faith. Following that experience, Paul and his traveling companion Silas, were imprisoned. While giving praise to God through prayer and singing, the jail was rocked causing all the doors to break open. Through their testimony afterward to the jailer, he and his whole family came to believe in Christ. The Word of God has the power for salvation. Do you have faith to believe what it says about your need for a Savior?