Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton,
the official podcast of Cross Christian Fellowship,
Route 66, in the heart of Albuquerque, New Mexico,
where Burton is the lead pastor. We're glad you're
here. Father, we thank you for this time. We
thank you for this day. And it is a day that
you made, so we're going to rejoice. We're going
to be glad in it. We ask that you open our hearts
and our minds to everything that you have to
speak to us and teach us today and show us how
to apply it to our lives in Jesus' name. Amen.
Well, as we said during announcements, this is
it. This is Christmas week. Happy Christmas,
everybody. It's just a few days away. It's an
exciting time for sure. For some of us, it's
a little stressful. Some of us still have a little
shopping to do, that kind of stuff. So sometimes
it could be a little... Right. It's also one
of those weeks where we kind of had that ever
changing planner. Right. We think we have things
lined up. And the next thing we know, there's
a curveball and we've got something else that
we've got to take care of as well. Right. So
so it could be exciting. However, of course,
you know, we're all gathered here. We've got
to keep at the forefront of everything, no matter
what's going on and all the fun stuff we have
planned or all the aggravations that come up
and all that. We have to keep the reason for
the season at the forefront of everything. It's
Jesus, right? So on that note, let's go ahead
and let's open up our Bibles or Bible app or
whatever it is that you're using to Luke chapter
2. And we're going to start off right here at
the front. So Luke chapter 2. Nerds like me like
the Bible app anyway, because you just click
on it. Boom, there it is. I also have like five
Bibles at home with all different translations.
But Luke chapter 2, verses 1 through 3. And the
word says, And it came to pass in those days.
that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that
all the world should be registered. This census
first took place while Quirinius was governing
Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone
to his own city. Of course, this time of year,
this is one of those things that we talk about
a lot. There's a census that was ordered by Caesar
Augustus of the Roman Empire. And the censuses
were typically done for two reasons. One, to
find citizens to serve in the Roman army. That
was a big one right there. Of course, Jews didn't
have to serve in that. So the second reason was
for tax purposes, because the Jews still had
to pay their taxes just like everybody else,
just like you and I do today. Who enjoys paying
taxes, by the way? I don't know. I'm doubting
that one, brother. i see that treasure cat smile
on your face that raised hand i love you man
but no um those were the two reasons why why
uh typically they had the census the census was
a mandatory thing and of course that's what led
joseph taking his pregnant wife to go and register
right everybody had to you know who came from
a certain line had to go back to a specific place
to register right think of it as a clan or a
tribe It's the best way to think of it in today's
terms. You know, it wasn't like today where you
could just mail it in or hop online in some places,
right? Like you had to physically go and show
up. And for some people, it was quite the trip.
And you think about it, for Joseph and Mary,
and it's a pregnant woman. You know, some people
argue, well, it doesn't say in the Bible. It's
like, well, sometimes, you know, God expects
us to use the common sense he gave us. When someone's
due to give birth at any moment, how comfortable
is it for them in any sense of the word a lot
of the time, let alone having to travel a long
distance? Not very comfortable, right? So, but,
you know, even though they didn't live in Bethlehem,
Mary and Joseph both came from the line of David.
So they had to travel there to register for the
census. Now, of course, the prophecy said that
the Messiah would be born in the line of David.
Wow, okay. Cool, it's already there. You go back,
you can actually trace it. I know there's some
places in the Bible where some of us are like,
oh, we're at that point. And it's like this name
and this name and this name. And it's like three
chapters of names. And that's why. Because the
Jews were very proud of their lineage and where
they came from. They could trace it back. And
it was no different for them. They still had
that lineage. They could still trace it. is very
important you know some of us we get we like
to go out and we like to hop online and do the
you know uh the little um heritage thing you
know it's like what you know what's my bloodline
where's my name come from and all that and traces
it back so far back then they already had it
they had it down it's one of those things they
took a lot of pride and they passed it down from
generation to generation it's like you need to
know where you come from you need to know who
your ancestors are So, and like I said, Joseph
and Mary, they were both at that line of David.
And so this decree positioned Mary exactly where
she needed to be to give birth to Jesus. This
very place was actually prophesied hundreds of
years earlier. We turn to Micah chapter five,
verse two. Micah five, verse two. So Micah 5,
2, the word says, but you, Bethlehem, I can't
even pronounce this word right now. There we
go. There, though you are small among the clans
of Judah, out of you will come for me one who
will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are
from of old, from ancient times. You see, this
is the same town. This is the same place. where
King David was born, raised, and ruled as king.
I'm sorry, was anointed as king. Now Jesus, God
entering our world as fully man, in the line
of David, just as prophesied, the same place
as where David had originated. And much like
the return of Jesus, his birth was a long time
coming. His return, a long time coming, right?
we're still waiting on that we're excited for
that that's going to be great well for those
of us who are believers anyway all right so we're
going to keep uh honing in on the on the picture
here bringing it into focus let's go back to
luke 2 we're going to pick up where we left off
so luke 2 verses 4 through 7. so luke 2 verses
4 through 7 where it says joseph also went up
from galilee out from the city of nazareth into
judah into judea to the city of david which is
called bethlehem because he was of the house
and lineage of david to be registered with mary
his betrothed wife who was with child so it was
that while they were there the days were completed
for her to be delivered and she brought forth
her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling
clothes and laid him in a manger because there
was no room for them in the end before i go any
further here i want to point out here that it
does say firstborn son there are those out there
that will argue that she still remained you know
pure afterwards where it tells us firstborn here
and if we go further in we know that jesus had
half brothers as well Not saying that to harp
or poke fun at anybody. It's just something for
clarity and actually understand the scripture
and everything. It's something that we can all
look in and find very easily for ourselves. But
moving along, this is God's way. Jesus could
have been born anywhere. He could have been born
at any time. But this was the place that God
chose. And while people change, tend to change
their minds this way and that, depending on which
way the wind blows, God's mind doesn't change.
He stays right where he was. He's made a decision,
and he says, this is what is going to happen.
That is what's going to happen, right? Plain
and simple. When he makes a decree, he stands
by it, which we see in Hebrews 13 .8. Same here.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and
forever. Right? We see it in other parts of Scripture
as well. It doesn't change, but we tend to get
caught up in things. We lose our focus, and we
start focusing on the world, all this stuff that
gets thrown at us. We take our eyes off of Jesus.
In the whirlwind of all this stuff, we start
to wonder, why aren't things getting any better
out there? You know, we're doing all this. We're
seeing all these things, right? And it's kind
of the things a lot of people get caught up on
when they first get brought into a church, especially
if it's someplace that has kind of poor theology,
right? Like, oh, you come in, you do this, and
you say this, and everything's going to be great.
That's not what the Word teaches us, is it? Instead,
we get focused on all this stuff, and we take
our eyes off of Jesus. Everything around us becomes
a whirlwind, right? It's its own storm. And so
it's a wonder that we aren't already, you know,
start thinking, why aren't things getting better
out there? You know, and it's because we start
thinking about me and not he, right? We're thinking
about ourselves and not him. Our eyes come off
of Jesus. Jesus didn't come into the world. looking
for comfort. He didn't come in to make everything
easy, to glaze it over, to sugarcoat it, make
it easy to swallow. Now, if we look back, you
know, at verses four and five there, Mary is
ready to give birth at any moment, right? It's
one of those things like, man, she's ready to
pop at any time. She didn't have the comfort.
Or the creature comforts, as we call them today,
to get her there. She didn't have a car. She
didn't have a van. She didn't have a truck. She
didn't have an ambulance to come and pick her
up. Instead, she was like everybody else at that
time. The means of transportation were limited.
She got to walk. Moms, that can be pretty uncomfortable,
can't it? At that point. Or she could ride on
an animal. That's not that much better. I'll
tell you what. Maybe, maybe there'd be a cart
there to ride in, right? Dirt roads are, for
us, got a nice car with big rubber tires filled
with air and shocks and suspension and all that
are still pretty rough. You think of an old cart
going down these dirt roads, going over rocks
and potholes and washouts and everything else
under the sun. Right? Not comfortable. Let alone
animals stopping here and there and jerking at
things. Moving along these bumpy dirt roads,
stone roads, some paths definitely smoother than
others, but nothing comfortable by any stretch
of the word, by any stretch of the imagination
even. Right? God didn't soften this road. that
he had Joseph taking his family down. And God
could have done it, right? Like, hey, this is
my son. You know what? Smooth sailing. You got
roads of gold getting you all the way there.
No, he didn't do that, though. Instead, he used
it as a way to give them strength, something
to endure. As Philippians 4 .13 says, I can do
all things through Christ who strengthens me,
right? Jesus didn't promise us the easy road.
He did tell us God's way, though. He told us
the way God wants us to go through life. And
he told us things will be rough, just as it was
rough for his entrance into the world. When it
comes to the easy stuff, life is going to be
hard. We are going to find discomfort. We're
going to find rocky, rough roads. That we've
been told that we will be inconvenienced. And
anyone who says otherwise, I can promise you
they haven't actually read the Bible or looked
at the context of it. However, it is these hardships,
it is these discomforts, these pains, these inconveniences
that God uses to mold us and shape us and build
our character to remind us that we need to lean
into him and depend on him. for all the things
that we need in life. And not only that, as our
character is shaped and molded, he's better able
to use us to serve him and to sow into the kingdom.
Right? He gives us that testimony where we go
out and we could talk to others and bring them
to Jesus. Bec, hey, let me introduce you to my
Lord and Savior. And he can be your Lord and
Savior as well. Coin the phrase, they turn the
light on in the window for them right whereas
i was at motel six is it right we'll leave the
light on for you right i think there's only maybe
one person in this room who shouldn't understand
that reference now the census of course there
were a lot of travelers people tend to forget
they think oh you know mary and joseph were just
cruising on into bethlehem they forget this is
something ordered for everybody there were a
lot of people on the road How different is that
from us this season? People travel for Christmas,
do they not? I remember when I was little, I
looked forward to Christmas because if I wasn't
with my grandparents, I was probably coming here
to Albuquerque and I was going to my uncle's.
I loved going to my uncle's. That guy's house
is like a zoo. He's a big time hunter. He had
animals stuffed and all over the place, heads
mounted and all that. It's very much like, what's
the name of that place up in Farmington with
all the animals? But black bullocks, yeah if
you have it It's like an animal museum this guy's
a big hunter all sorts of stuffed animals of
stuff you go in and like Big game that you wouldn't
find here and like just for all around the world
stuff is amazing stuff But as a kid you go in
there and like wow You know some of those animals
who looked up in there pretty cool I remember
he had this moose that was bigger than my car.
That thing terrified me. I was always scared
to death that it was going to fall on me because
I had to sleep on the couch right underneath
it. It was so big, my uncle had to have a steel
beam put into the wall to support it. It's huge,
right? But I digress. Rabbit trails, right? That's
what I do. People were on the road. They were
traveling. One just for all it wasn't for a holiday.
Unfortunately, it was for this census. So there's
a lot of people out there rooms worth filling
up Joseph's travel agent must not have been very
good at his job I'll tell you what cuz they get
to the end and what happens they go up tombo
day or boat It wasn't there because the light
shirt certainly wasn't left off for him. It's
like uh, yeah We're pretty full up but there's
a barn out back make yourself comfortable Right?
Knock yourself out. You know, pull up some extra
hay if you want to. It's okay. And this guy,
he wasn't even about to try to look for room
because he knew that they were at capacity. There
was a lot of people. So they sent him out back.
Right? The light was definitely not left on for
him. You know, this is one of those, sorry, maybe
you could squeeze between the cows and the horses.
You know, the donkey's pretty warm and soft to
lean up against. Go for it. Not real cozy. Not
the kind of place that you're thinking is going
to be good for a pregnant woman. You know, and
most of us think, oh, you know, Barry was probably
waiting out in the car. No. I can pretty much
assure you, they all walked in together. That's
just how places were back then. That's how people
traveled back then. Right? It wasn't going to
be like, hey, it's a little cold out there. I'm
going to stay in here and keep it warm. So the
odds of him knowing that Mary is pregnant are
probably pretty high. Joseph, in talking to him,
probably would say, my wife's pregnant, come
on. Can't you find us a place for her at least,
right? But what husband wouldn't do that? But
instead, they get to go out to a barn. And we're
not talking about like a nice red barn. Maybe
some bridles hanging up over here. Some bales
of hay stacked up nice and neat over there. You
know, animals in these perfect little... you
know holes made for them no we're talking about
essentially a shallow cave but was used back
then almost commonly oh yeah they built up some
structures but for the most part it was like
a shallow cave right and he's like trials that
were carved out into the wall it's not this like
the images that we have are these nice stacked
up wooden little you know feeding troughs with
hay and stuff the baby jesus laid in it no it
was stone these are the things that they put
the food in and the water in so if things were
already uncomfortable enough they just got a
little more uncomfortable it's like hey you're
pregnant guess what you go in there there's going
to be just a little mint a little bit to keep
you out of the elements lean up against the rock
good luck right good luck chuck It was a dark,
dirty, smelly, smelly. So you think about it,
that's where the animals are. That's where the
animals lie. You know, all the comforts of the
inn, they're gone. Instead, this is the same
place where the animals go and they feed and
they live and they give birth and they defecate
and everything else. And sure, someone's going
to go up there and scoop at some, but if you've
never been to those areas, you can only do so
much, right? It's kind of like you have a dog
and you have grass. You had grass. They go out
and they start peeing. What happens? You got
brown grass. It's done, right? These trials weren't
any different, right? These stalls weren't any
different. You got donkeys. You got horses. You
got cows. You got all sorts of stuff out there.
Petting zoos kind of give you a taste of that.
Ever been on a ranch? I could tell you, yes,
it can get worse. It can get a lot worse. And
this is the place where Jesus was going to be
born? How many of us would even want to go to
such a spot if we're pregnant or our loved one's
pregnant, right? Knowing that they're due at
any time and that it might just happen here.
That's kind of a grim thought, right? But they're
making due. They adapted and they overcame, right?
God empowered them. So it's like, you know what,
this is a bad situation, but at least we have
a place to sleep. We have a safe place to sleep
tonight. That's really what it came down to.
We certainly don't think it of being a place
that royalty was going to be born into. But that's
exactly what happened. Now we think of the world
as we live in it, shrouded in the darkness of
sin. The innkeeper turned Joseph and his pregnant
wife away because there was no room. He wasn't
about to even look to try to make room. Matter
of fact, for where they were, he probably couldn't
even recommend a place down the road. Like, yeah,
everybody's booked up. Everyone's in time for
the census. Should have been here three hours
ago. Instead, they got this little place, gave
them a little protection from the elements. Think
of it this way. How do we treat others that are
in need? How do we treat others that are in need?
How do we talk to them? How do we help provide
for them, let alone even minister to them? For
the most part, you go somewhere, and here comes
someone who's down and out on their luck, and
what is it? Get out of here, right? Scram, you
bum. I'm going to call the cops. I'm going to
get you trespassed. We turn them away. We turn
a cold shoulder to them. Instead of asking if
we can pray for them at least. I was like, you
know what? Maybe I don't have anything to give
you, but I can pray for you. I could treat you
as a human being. And that's a gift in itself
right there, isn't it? So when we think of it,
with all the blessings that we have, how do we
like it when people treat us as less than? When
someone comes up and they're unclean. Right?
Because they're unshowered. They're living on
the streets. What do we do? We treat them like
lepers. I'm clean. I'm clean. Get away from me.
That's not the way we're supposed to do it. Not
at all. Not the way we're asked to minister to
them. Let's turn to Matthew 25. Matthew 25 verses
41 through 45. It talks exactly about this. Jesus
said, and he will also say to those on the left
hand, depart from me, you cursed into the everlasting
fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For
I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty
and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and
you did not take me in. Naked and you did not
clothe me. Sick and in prison, and he did not
visit me. Then they will answer him, saying,
Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or
a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and
did not minister to you? Then he will answer
them, saying, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch
as you did not do it to one of the least of these,
you did not do it to me. We're all honest with
ourselves. Every single person in this room is
guilty of that at some point. At some point in
our lives, in our comings and goings, maybe we're
in a hurry, who knows? But at some point, we
turn a cold shoulder to the least of these, and
in doing so, we turn a cold shoulder to Jesus
Christ. Sometimes it's not easy. Sometimes we
look at somebody and they scare us. There's some
scary dudes out there. There's some scary women
out there. Let's be honest. But we shouldn't
turn a cold shoulder to them. Maybe you're not
comfortable talking to them by yourself. That's
okay. Pray for them. You can still pray for them.
Because if you do it lovingly and earnestly,
even throw it up there, like, Lord, I'm afraid
to even go and talk to them by myself. Maybe
if somebody was with me, but... I'm terrified
because it happens. It's human. It's called being
human. You admit your guilt, you admit your weakness,
and you still pray for them. That's still something.
And if you mean it, then it matters. I said at
some point we're all guilty of this. Some of
us regularly are still guilty of this. Being
like those people that Jesus was talking about
here. I said, sometimes we're too busy. It's
not safe, right? It's like this person looks
like they're high as a kite. I'm not going to
go talk to them. Sometimes we get caught up in
things and we have that mindset like we did with
Scrooge when we're going through our Scrooge
series, right? Yeah, everybody's just out to
take advantage of me. Like, I'm not going to
take my time. It's like, yeah, right? You know,
I've even talked about, you know, I once served
at a church where the lead pastor, senior pastor,
if you will, is just like, why should I give
them my hard -earned money? They can go out and
get a job just like I can, right? We've all had
that mindset at some point. We go up and we see
somebody panhandling on the quarter and a median,
right? It's like, well, they got money for smokes.
I'm not going to give them money. That's okay.
Maybe you have some food with you. You could
give them smile wave You don't have to give people
money to take care of them Let's see We can do
so many things to take care of people So many
things Maybe you have a maybe you're like me
right now. You got an unopened bag of pork rinds
sitting on your passenger seat next to you You
see a guy out there on the corner, looks kind
of hungry. You know what? Most guys like pork
rinds. Give him that bag of pork rinds. Right?
There's a lot we can do. And the answer is simple.
You know, this pastor asked that question, why
should I? And the answer, simple. Because of
Jesus. Because of Jesus, what he has done for
you. What he's continuing to do for you, what
he's going to do for you because he's promised
to. Not because anybody deserves it. You didn't
deserve it. I didn't deserve it. But because
of Jesus, because Jesus told us to love on our
neighbor like we would want to be loved ourselves,
right? The golden rule. Right there is your answer.
Because of Jesus. It's not because of you. It's
not because of your selfishness. Put that in
your pocket, walk away, go and repent of it.
We do it because of Jesus, because it is the
right thing to do. Clean and simple. You know,
this time of year, we like to say Jesus is the
reason for the season. Yes, Jesus absolutely
is the reason for the season. But you know what?
He's the reason for every single day. He is the
reason for every single blessing in your life.
He is the blessing and he is the reason for every
opportunity that comes up in your life for you
to minister to somebody else, whether you recognize
it or not. Why you? Why not you? Because, again,
it's not about you. It is about him. It's not
about me. It is about Jesus. We need to remember
that. We need to pause and we need to ask ourselves,
am I doing what Jesus would have me do? Am I
serving them the way Jesus would have me serve
them? If it's not an automatic yes, and you're
having to stop and think about it, the answer
is a no. If it's not an automatic yes, it is
already a no, period. Because as soon as you
stop to think about it, because you're not sure,
You start putting in your own justifications
for why you're doing what you're doing. And it
no longer becomes about him, but it becomes about
you. So again, am I doing the right thing? Am
I letting his light shine in me for others to
see? Am I turning down my light so that his has
more room to shine? Am I leaving the light on?
Instead, we need to be like those who he's speaking
about just a few verses before, earlier. Right?
Same place. Just go back a few verses, 35 through
40. Jesus said, for I was hungry and you gave
me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink.
I was a stranger and you took me in. I was naked
and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited
me. I was in prison and you came to me. Then
the righteous will answer him saying, Lord, when
did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty
and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger
and take you in or naked and clothe you? Or when
did we see you sick or in prison and come to
you? And the king will answer and say to them,
assuredly, I say to you in as much as you did
it for one of the least of these, my brethren,
you did it to me. Not looking for a reward, not
looking for an attaboy, not looking to elevate
your status, you know, get that little pat on
the back. No self high fives there, right? None
of that. Not looking for payment. Instead, we
should be reaching out and doing these things
because we want to, from the kindness of our
hearts, because we genuinely love our fellow
man and we want what is best for them. That's
part of being Christ -like. We put ourselves
to the side and let Jesus shine. We do it because
we care. We do it because we love. We love others
the way Jesus loves us. We do it because it's
the right thing to do. It's what we're called
to do. At a certain point, It's not even a compulsion.
It's automatic. It's automatic. Because it's
just like in our giving. We're not supposed to
be compelled to do things. You know, it's kind
of like exercising, right? Certain other things
in life. Yeah, at first you're kind of like,
ah, man, this sucks. Not looking forward to this.
But you go and you do it. And after a while,
it gets easier. And easier and easier. And then
after a while, I was like, no, this is my time.
I got this to do. I'm looking forward to it.
Taking care of your fellow man is no different.
Looking out for others, ministering to others
is no different. Yes, it can be hard at first.
But you know what? That's your ministry. Ministry
is messy. I know there's people in here definitely
don't understand what I'm talking about. All
right? Pastor Mike, Darren, Brian. Everybody
in here should actually know what I'm talking
about. It's messy. You're not going to get it
right every time. It's not going to be perfect
every time. Matter of fact, you're going to go
up and you're going to be doing your best. You're
going to put that best foot forward. You're going
to have a smile on your face. You're looking
at this guy. Oh, I know what. I got something
special for this guy. He's going to love it.
And what do they do? Get away from me. Don't
touch me. Why are you looking at me? Mom, he's
breathing my air. Right? You know what? It's
okay. You still did the right thing. They turned
you away. Just like we saw in the previous verses.
They turned Jesus away. That's okay. You still
tried. You put forth the best effort. There's
no need to cast pearls before swine. No one to
make your exit. Don't get hung up in it. It's
not that complicated. We make things a little
bit more complicated than they need to be, though,
don't we? We do it because we're there for others
just as Jesus was there for us. We do it because
we can be there. And because we want others to
trust us enough that we're able to introduce
them to Jesus Christ. And that right there is
the biggie. So that we can introduce them to
Jesus Christ. Leave the light on. Leave the light
on. Put the candle up in the window. Or as Jesus
said in Matthew 5, verse 16, let your light shine.
So you let your light so shine before men that
they may see your good works and glorify your
father in heaven. Let them see he who is in you.
In other words, right? Let that light shine so
bright that they don't see you, but they see
Jesus in you. They see the Holy Spirit in you.
But make room for Jesus. I promise y 'all we're
heading for home. This is the last section. Following
Jesus is hard. It is. He told us it was going
to be hard and he wasn't lying. Sadly, people
will only follow him for a short period of time
in their lives. We turn to John 6, verse 66.
So John 6, 66, probably the saddest verse in
all the Bible. I'm already hearing a woe and
I haven't even read it yet. You can see it behind
me. This is probably the saddest verse in all
the Bible. It says, from that time, many of his
disciples went back and walked with him no more.
See, we tend to think about The disciples is
just those at the last supper with him, right?
We think of the 12, right? No, no, no. When we
read through, there were a lot more, a lot more,
several more. And at this point, people found
him offensive, absurd. They looked at him like,
man, someone flew off the cuckoo's nest. He needs
to go and join the rest of the dodo birds. That's
how people looked at him. They just didn't understand
him, though. They didn't understand what he was
trying to say because they didn't want to listen.
Right? It's like the word tells us, the enemy
will tickle the ears. Right? They weren't hearing
what they wanted to hear. They were hearing,
hey, you need to change. You're wrong. They didn't
like it. He was saying things. Reclaiming himself
as the Lord. That was a big one right there.
If they didn't understand, it was because they
lacked faith altogether. They didn't trust him.
They didn't trust what he was saying. Especially
once they realized that he was not the conqueror,
at least not in the sense that they were hoping
for. Right? So we have to remember, they were
looking for a conqueror. They were looking for
basically a military general. Someone to come
and run the show and run roughshod off over all
their enemies. Right? They were looking for blood.
Jesus was not looking for blood. He wasn't going
to give in to their selfish requests. Right?
Like we go into the fall. What happens at Starbucks?
Pumpkin spice comes out. Jesus over there is
like, no, I'm not turning your water into pumpkin
spice. Okay, I made that up. He doesn't say that.
But still, you know what I'm saying? Right? He
wasn't going to give in to their selfish request.
And people had a lot of selfish requests. His
teaching was difficult. It was difficult to understand,
let alone to hear. Believing isn't always easy.
That's one of those things, faith. That's one
of those words that we can use kind of interchangeably.
Because when we think of faith, we need to remember
faith is trust. Trust is believing, right? Somebody
says something, I don't know if I believe that,
buddy. I'm thinking you're full of baloney. We
don't trust what they're saying. We don't have
any faith in what they're saying. Faith in Jesus,
faith in God, it's the same thing. We need to
remember those words are interchangeably. Sometimes
we mix them up a little bit and try to take them
and make them mean something else. Something
mystical and magical. There's nothing mystical
or magical about it. It's trust. That's what
belief is. Following Jesus, like I said, it's
not always easy. Today, we respond much in the
same way as they did. back then. We try to frame
him in these cookie cutter molds. Right? We use
this phrase like my Jesus. Last time I checked,
we don't have ownership over him. He has ownership
over us. Our Lord and Savior. Right? Not my Jesus.
Don't get me wrong. I like the song. Let me tell
you about my Jesus. She's saying something good.
But we tend to put it in that framework, right?
That cookie cutter mold. Like, oh, this is the
image we have of him. And anything outside of
that is unacceptable. We hold Jesus to our own
selfish expectations. Our own selfish wants.
And then we get upset when those don't come into
fruition. When things don't work out the way
we want them to. We don't get the relationship
that we're wanting. And what's sad is people
will still go out there and they will go after
these things hot and heavy. Like, oh, no, no,
no. I've been praying. I've been doing everything
that I can. Why won't the Lord give me this?
Because it's not about you. It's about him. First
and foremost, it's not about you. It's about
him. Secondly, you're doing it out of selfish
greed. Your own selfish wants. You're continuing
to pursue after it when everybody around you,
including your own family, has told you this
is toxic. You need to get away from it. But people
cling to that stuff, right? Whether it's a relationship,
that's really bad. Rugs, alcohol, gambling, porn
addictions, or any other addictions, right? You
got somebody that go out. Hey, I just got paid.
I got bills due. Oh, but you know what? There's
a celebrity in town. I want to go to their meet
and greet and get their signature. That bill
can wait. It's going to be late. And you go to
their house. They're behind on their bills. The
house is run down. But they got all these pictures
lying in the wall. All these toys stacked on
shelves. It's no different. It's the exact same
stuff. It's just a different addiction. It's
a different idol because that's what happens
is we give into the world of the stuff we want.
And we put it first. We get upset because we
don't have control over the things we feel we
should have control over. And we don't want to
turn those reins over to Jesus. The expectations
aren't met. And the relationships fall apart.
We get upset because we feel we're entitled to
them. I'm telling you, if you're one of those
people and you're hearing this, you're outlining
or online and you're hearing this, and maybe
it's hitting a little hard, it's because you
need to hear this. Stick with me. Because all
that hurt that you have, all those failed expectations,
those wants that you confused with needs that
weren't fulfilled, all those missed standards,
it's because you put faith in men. and not in
our Lord. Your faith was in somebody else and
what they said and not in God and what he has
said and what he has promised. But your faith
needs to be in Jesus. Jesus came to bring down
the division in our lives. There's a lot of division
and we see it oh so greatly today. He came to
bring down that division and reunite us with
the Father. Not to give us something just because
someone took a piece of scripture, took it out
of context, twisted it, and I can tell you right
now, that is Satan or one of his ministers, and
they convince people, you name it, you want it,
you claim it, it's yours. You say this or you
do this, and I'll give it to you. It doesn't
work that way. And this season, the focus needs
to be on Jesus. And all too often, it's on Jesus'
baby, right? We talked about this a little bit
last week. I remind you that our Lord and Savior
has grown up. In fact, he grew up. He took lashes
for us. He took a beating. He took torture for
us. He went to the cross for us with our sin,
took the punishment that we deserve unjustly.
He took what should have been for us. He took
it on himself. Went to that cross, he died, was
buried, rose again three days later, came back,
promised to see to be returned, ascended to heaven,
and he will return for us. Our Lord does not
break his promises, ever. We've seen it time
and time again. He comes through. It may not
be in the timeline we expect, but that's okay
because his timing is perfect. So we need to
remember that. Especially in this season, because
we do, we get caught up in everything around
us. All these things that become distractions
and take our eyes off of him, right? Travel and
meals and friendships and families and all this
stuff that we need to do. You know, we all have
these long lists of stuff that we need to get
done all the way up to Christmas Eve or maybe
even into Christmas Day. Some people going all
the way through Christmas Day because they have
friends and family and all this other stuff going
on, right? All these distractions, these various
forms of entertainment that are out there. We're
talking about before service, what was it during
the countdown? About football and basketball
because of one of the trivia questions, right?
All this stuff. And all this stuff in and of
itself can absolutely be good. It could be wonderful,
joyful stuff. But more often than not, it takes
our eyes off of Jesus. And when that happens,
it becomes an idol. Something takes your eyes
off of Jesus. You need to make a change. Plain
and simple. Revelation. This is our last piece
of scripture and this will only take a couple
minutes. We're almost done, I promise you. I
think I heard a tummy grumbling over here. Revelation
3, verse 20. Behold, I stand at the door and
knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the
door, I will come in to him and dine with him
and he with me. Me. Don't be the innkeeper who
turns Jesus away. Don't do it. Instead, make
room in your heart. Make room right here. Make
time to spend with Jesus. Like my wife said,
we're all going to be gathering in here on Christmas
Eve to celebrate someone, right? Celebrate the
birth of Jesus. Make time to spend with him.
He wants to fellowship with you. He wants a relationship
with you. Yeah, he's annoying, but he doesn't
want to just sit there and be like, oh, I know.
He wants to hear from you. He wants to converse
with you. He wants to talk with you. He wants
to be able to be like, you know what? You've
got this going, but you need to do this. Right?
He wants to be able to guide you and help you.
Like, you've got this going on in your life,
but this is what's getting in the way of this.
So how about we adjust fire on that and we do
this instead? That's relationship. He's already
come and done so much. He wants that relationship.
He wants you to be saved, to be reunited with
the Father because he loves you. God sent Jesus
here because he loves you, because he wants you
to come back to the table, to be united with
him forever. The sacrifice has already been made
for you in blood. All for you. And a promise
has been made for you. Be still and know that
I am God. Be still and listen for what he has
to say to you. Turn off the TV, turn off the
radio, turn off all the noise. That's why people
say, oh, go into the prayer closet. Why? Because
it's a nice, quiet, secluded place. Close the
door. Pray. And then wait patiently. to hear
what he has to say to you. He's coming back for
you. All you have to do is accept his gift above
all others. On that note, let us pray. Father,
today we get so caught up in life that we forget
too often that we need to come to you. We forget
that we should be moving through life with you.
Not just coming to you because we're struggling
to move through life. We need to remember that
we need to call on you regularly and share things
throughout the day with you. Not calling on you
just because it's convenient. Today and every
day from here moving forward, we ask that you
be the light in our heart and help us to keep
that light shining bright for others to see.
not to pull down the curtains or anything that
might get in the way, but to dim our own light
and to shine your bright so brightly that others
see it so that people see you and not us. We
ask you to help us push out all the things that
are getting in the way of just that, all the
things that we don't need in our lives and all
the things that we have there that limit you
because we try to put shackles on you and do
it in our own power instead of letting you do
the power. Help us to release that control that
we're so desperately holding on to so that you
can fully and perfectly do your work without
us getting in the way. Because it is us getting
in the way. Help us so that we remember to keep
that light on for all to see. Be that light on
the hill as you've called us to be. We thank
you for your examples. We thank you for your
sacrifices. We thank you for your love. We thank
you for your promises. Guide us and move us all
the days of our lives, as all of his people said.
Amen and amen. Remember, as you leave here, you
are loved and you are blessed, so go and be the
church. Until next time, take care and God bless.