Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd
like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward
slash connect. If you feel called to give, go
to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at
any time you feel called to make a change in
your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the
message. Good. Merry Christmas. Thank you for
joining us from home and for welcoming us into
your space. So just like they said there on the
announcements, next weekend there is no in -person
gatherings. It's our weekend of rest. We take
this last Sunday of the month off. However...
Jess and I recorded the Weekend of Rest video
this past Friday, and let's just say you don't
want to miss it. We took a journey through the
20 years that made HCV, HCV. So be sure to tune
in at one of our three gathering times, 825,
1005, or 1145 with your whole family. Just watch
it together. rest, spend quality time. And then
we'll gather again on January 4th. And of course,
January 4th is our baptisms, right? So if you
want to be baptized, sign up to be baptized.
That will be after our third gathering. And as
many of you know, every new year, we kick it
off with 21 days of prayer and fasting. 26 will
be no different. Starting January 4th, we will
do 21 days of prayer and fasting. Except this
year, I felt God challenged me to do a little
bit more. Is that okay? So during our second
week of the 21 days of prayer and fasting, we're
going to attempt to do 24 -7 prayer for an entire
week. So for 24 -7, right, seven days a week,
we're going to have somebody in this auditorium
or in the worship room praying for a one -hour
time slot. So we need you to sign up. The sign
-up's out by the Pray in Hands wall, and we need
you to take a one -hour slot so that we can cover
a whole week of the new year in 24 -7 prayer
because we believe God's going to do incredible
things this new year. Do you think we can do
it? I think we can. For all you early risers,
take those morning spots first, because I like
to sleep, okay? I don't want it to fall down
on me, so take those early spots to get them
covered. So today, I want to tell you about the
greatest love story of all time. Do you want
to hear about it? Now work with me on this, because
the greatest love story of all time may not be
what you're thinking about right now. The greatest
love story of all time is not Romeo and Juliet.
Now the next one may upset a few of you ladies,
but I need to say it. The greatest love story
of all time is not Noah and Allie from The Notebook.
Okay, that may upset you, but it's truth, okay?
The greatest love story of all time is also not
Jack and Rose from The Titanic. It's just not.
Because we have to admit all those love stories
have a really sad ending. Don't they? I mean,
think about it. Romeo and Juliet, they have a
miscommunication, which all married couples do,
and they both die tragically. Yes, they end up
together, but certainly not the greatest love
story of all time. Then there's Noah and Allie
in the notebook. They endured years of separation
and memory loss. Then what happens at the end
of the movie? They die in each other's arms.
It's beautiful. I get it. But again, not the
greatest love story of all time. And then, of
course, There's Jack and Rose hanging on to a
door in the freezing Atlantic Ocean. And Rose
watches Jack sink to the bottom to his death.
But if you look carefully, there was room on
that door. Right? I mean, come on. Help a brother
out. Snuggle up. Get some body heat. Right? My
man could have lived. Put him on that door. Now,
I just happened to watch Four Christmases a few
days ago. Brad and Kate, I mean, they have their
struggles, right? But at least they ended up
together in the end. Just saying. Those are not
the greatest love stories of all time. In fact,
what I want to say to you today is the greatest
love story of all time doesn't start with once
upon a time. The greatest love story of all time
begins with, for God so loved the world. That's
how the greatest love story of all time starts.
And for those of you who might say, well, Chris,
the main character of that story dies. Yes, Jesus
does die, but three days later when the stone
is rolled away and the tomb was empty because
Jesus was raised from the dead. The greatest
love story of all time doesn't end in death.
It ends in Jesus conquering death, overcoming
death. And I get it. That's the Easter story,
so let's back up. And make sure we stick with
Christmas. We're in a Christmas message series
called Christmas Lights. And if you're new with
us, for the last few weeks, we've been looking
at Advent. If you don't know what Advent is,
it's a historic, very meaningful tradition in
the church that dates all the way back to the
4th century when followers of Jesus would prepare
their hearts with fasting and prayer, looking
forward to where and what we are doing right
now, celebrating the birth of Jesus. Each week
of Advent has a theme, and we've talked about
those four themes. And if you've missed any,
you can go back to our YouTube channel and listen
in. The first week, I lit the candle of hope.
The second week was the candle of peace, and
Rudy shared about peace in the midst of chaos.
Last week, I got to light the joy candle, and
I shared a very meaningful testimony about how
we can find joy in the midst of our everyday
struggles. The love candle. Because today we
are celebrating the love that conquers death.
And we will open with prayer. Let's pray. Holy
Spirit, come. God, we are thankful that we can
gather, that we can worship, that we can celebrate
the birth of Jesus. God, open our minds, our
hearts. To receive all that you have for us,
God, change us. We welcome you into this place.
Move amongst every aisle, Holy Spirit, amongst
every seat. Stir our hearts. We silence distractions
in Jesus' name, and we just pray, God, have your
way. In Jesus' name, amen. We begin this morning
by discussing our first thought. Christmas is
a love story. And it's not the traditional love
story between a man and a woman. Christmas is
a love story about a father. And a son. I mean,
it's amazing to recognize that 700 years before
the birth of Jesus, Isaiah prophesied in what's
now known as the Messianic prophecy. And we read
this in Isaiah 9, 6. For a child is born to us.
A son is given to us. Now imagine for just a
minute, for all eternity, before the world existed,
before time existed, before anything existed,
there was a father and a son. And the heavenly
father loved his son more than any father ever
loved a child. And the son loves his father more
than any child ever loved a parent because they
had an intimacy, an uninterrupted, perfect oneness
for all eternity. In fact, Jesus even said, he
said, I am the father, we are one. Then came
the very first Christmas when the father, he
said goodbye and sent his son. From heaven to
earth. Paul reads it this way in Galatians 4
.4. But when the right time came, God sent his
son, born of a woman, subject of the law. Now
if you have kids, you know at some point what
it's like to send them out. When they go to kindergarten,
what do you do on that first day of school? You
wake up early. You pack their Cinderella or their
Superman lunchbox just right. Full of love. You've
got a wrap and a sandwich and their favorite
chips, a juice box, and of course something sweet
to make them smile. Then you take them to the
front porch, and before you get in the car, what
do you do? You take 52 photos of your little
boy or your little special bug you're about to
send off to school. And then before you go, you've
got to post them online because you've got to
show the world how cute your kid is. Then you
drive them to school. You send them off, they
walk into school, you see their backpack disappear,
then you return to the car where you cry your
eyes out for the next two hours. You cry like
crazy because that's what it's like to be a parent
and to send them off. Send them off into the
unknown. How many of you have learned how difficult
and a struggle it is for your child to learn
to drive? Show me, show me a raise of hand. Oh,
good, you haven't lost your salvation. That's
good. It's a good thing, right? What I've learned
is when your children are old enough to drive,
when they're 16 and you're with them in the car,
suddenly you learn how to speak in tongues for
the first time. If you never did before, just
ride with them then. I remember when Trinity
got her learner's permit. I was thinking about
that this week. We went to the DMV. She passed.
She was all excited. She was so excited. She
said, Dad, can I drive home? I said, sure. Wrong
answer. We take off from the DMV. She's doing
great. Every stop sign, every stop light. And
then I say, hey, Trent, don't forget we have
to take the next left -hand turn. No stop sign
or stop light. Let it be known. She puts on her
left turn signal, and suddenly she turns into
a NASCAR driver because instead of braking to
turn left, she accelerates. She literally accelerates.
We go up on two wheels. I am praying in tongues.
I said, it's over. I'm going to end up in a ditch.
But we made it safely home. And Jess looked at
me and said, are you crazy? Why would you ever
let her do that? I'm like, yeah, I learned that
the hard way. And then, of course, there's college,
right? They go off to college or they decide
to join the Peace Corps or they get married.
It's really hard to say goodbye. Well, it was
incredibly more intimate and tense when God the
Father sent Jesus his son from heaven to earth.
They had never been separated before. And that's
why Christmas is a love story about a father
and a son. But it's not just a love story about
a father and a son. Christmas is also a love
story about a mother and a son. In fact, the
angel said this to Mary in Matthew 1 .21, and
she will have a son. And you are to name him
Jesus, for he will save his people from their
sins. See, Christmas is a love story about a
mother and a son. And how many of you know moms
and dads, they love equally. But they love differently,
right? And you all know what I'm talking about.
A mother's love is different than a father's
love. A mom's love is more nurturing. It's more
comforting. I mean, if one of my kids get hurt
and they come running to me, what am I going
to do? I'm going to give them a little hug, a
little pat on the back. I'm going to rub their
boo -boo on their arm and say, you're all good.
Get back out there. Climb that rope again. Get
up on that playground. They came running to Jess
and it's all different. Oh, baby, let me hug
you. It's okay. I'll pray for your arm. Let me
pray for your arm. Don't worry. I'll take care
of that mean playground. Your father will cut
that rope down. Let me kiss you. Where does it
hurt? Because why? Because a mother's love is
different. They're equal, but different. And
so it's really hard to imagine a little teenage
girl named Mary who finds out she's going to
be a mom when the angel says, You're highly favored.
And the Lord is with you. And you're going to
conceive and give birth to a son who's going
to be named Jesus because he came to save people
from their sins. Then, of course, she goes from
there to tell Joseph, her fiance, hey, I got
to tell you something, Joe. And you better sit
down. Can I get you a drink? Can I get you something
to eat? I need to prepare you for this. I'm pregnant.
But I promise, I promise it's the Holy Spirit.
God told me. An angel visited me. It's the Holy
Spirit. Yeah, sure it is. Now, of course, in
a small town, people begin talking. She's pregnant
before they're married. You all know this story.
I shared it last week. They travel 90 miles on
the back of a donkey. All the way to Bethlehem,
she's miserable. Her feet are swollen. She's
craving kettle -cooked potato chips. She's got
to go to the bathroom every quarter of a mile
behind a bush. And then they make it to Bethlehem
where there's no room in the inn. She gives birth
to her baby in a manger, which, of course, was
a shack or a cave, many scholars believe, then
to make things even worse. Eight days later,
she hadn't gotten any sleep. Joseph hadn't done
anything right. And you say, wait a minute. Chris,
I've never read that in the Bible. Yeah, it's
not in the Bible. But listen, eight days after
a baby is born, the husband does nothing right.
True or false? Amen. Just getting an amen there.
Making sure everybody understands that truth.
But at those eight days, this weird guy comes
forward. His name is Simeon. And he does his
prophecy thing. He says this in Luke chapter
2. Then Simeon blessed them and he said to Mary,
the baby's mother, this child is destined to
cause many in Israel to fall and many others
to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God,
but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest
thoughts of many hearts will be revealed and
a sword will pierce your very soul. So picture
it. This random guy shows up and prophesies to
Mary. The mother of Jesus, hey Mary, your son,
he was born to die. And I don't know about you,
but no mom ever wants to hear that. Hey, you're
going to give birth to your son, your child,
and the son you love is going to suffer and die
and make matters worse. You're going to watch
it, and the pain is literally going to crush
you. See, this is a love story. The greatest
love story of all time about a mother and a son.
And her son wasn't born to grow up and go to
college and get married and start a family. No,
Mary's son was the savior of the world who was
born to suffer and die for our sins. So today
I tell you the greatest love story of all time.
It's not just the love of a father and a son.
It's not just the love of a mother and a son.
Our next thought, Christmas, is a love story
about Jesus and humanity. Again, Isaiah's prophecy
in Isaiah 9, verses 2 and 6. The people. That's
right, the people were walking in darkness, but
they will see a great light. For those who live
in the land of deep darkness, a light will shine.
For a child is born to us. Notice, a son is given
to us. The government will rest on his shoulders,
and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Fast
forward to the New Testament. John writes it
this way in his gospel, John 3, 16. For this
is how God loved the world. He gave his one and
only son so that everyone who believes in him
will not perish but have eternal life. So why
did God send his son? Because of his love. So
that everyone who believes in him will not perish
but have eternal life. And then in verse 17 we
read, for God did not send his son into the world
to condemn you. God's not here to condemn us,
but to save the world through him. That is how
much God loves you. This is the greatest love
story of all time, and this love story is personal.
It's personal to us, it's personal to me, and
it should be personal to you. It certainly was
personal to John. I mean, John, the guy who wrote
John 3 .16, this dude, he needed a whole lot
of love. He had a brother named James. They're
two of the 12 original disciples. And what I
love about these guys is they were the most not
likely. to be chosen to be disciples in this
graduating class. These guys were wild. They
were so wild that Jesus actually gave them a
nickname. Now, on a side note, I just think it's
really cool that Jesus gave out nicknames. Like,
isn't that cool? I liked it so much that I decided
to give our bass guitarist, Stephen, a new nickname,
okay? So the next time you see Stephen out in
the cafe there, he's got his white pants and
his white sneakers on. I said, hey, you got a
new nickname. It's Don, all right? Don Johnson,
all right? You look good. It's Christmas service,
and you're rocking the white. You're ready to
take on Miami Vice, right? Do you know what Jesus
called these brothers? He called these brothers
in Mark chapter 3, James and John, the sons of
Zebedee. Jesus nicknamed them sons of thunder.
So you know you're not likely to be a disciple
when the son of God, the person you're following,
calls you a son of thunder. And why did he call
them this? Well, Jesus, right, he went into this
town and the people didn't welcome him. And John
said these words in Luke 9, 54. When James and
John saw this, they said to Jesus, Lord, should
we call down fire from heaven and burn them up?
Right, so they just stroll into a town. The town
didn't really want to hear the truth. He says,
let's just burn them all down. Let's just destroy
the whole town. Jesus is like, hey, calm down,
John. Slow it down. Dial it back a little. You're
at a 10. Let's get back to a 5. Let's learn about
grace. So Thunderman was not the most likely
to be chosen to be a disciple, yet Jesus loved
John. The son loved John so much, it literally
changed his identity. You see, after experiencing
the love of Jesus, John was no longer John the
son of thunder. He wasn't John the agitator.
He wasn't John the troublemaker. He wasn't John
who lets everybody down. He got a new name. And
you know what his name was? It was the one whom
Jesus loved. He was the one that Jesus loved.
And because of the love the son had for John,
it became personal. It became real. He was the
one that Jesus loved. He called himself that
again, again, over and over. Now, for the record,
listen, I'm not a fan of you or anyone else speaking
of themselves in third person. I think it's a
little weird. But that's what he did. He spoke
of himself in third person five different times
in the Gospel of John. He talks about himself
in third person being the one whom Jesus loved.
Let's take a quick look at these in John 13.
23, 19, 26, 20 verse 2, 21 verse 7, and 21 verse
20. The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next
to Jesus at the table. When Jesus saw his mother
standing there beside the disciple he loved,
she ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple.
You know the one whom he loved? Then the disciple
Jesus loved said to Peter, it's the Lord. Peter
turned around and saw behind them. the disciple
Jesus loved. See, for John, the love of Jesus
was what? It was personal. And that's why Christmas
is a love story about a father and a son, a mother
and a son, and a son who loves broken people
like you and me. See, this is the greatest love
story of all time. But what I really want you
to hear is every single one of you. that is gathered
here, that's even watching online. I want you
to hear this. I want you to feel it. I want you
to believe it. More importantly, I want you to
receive it and experience. The greatest love
story of all time leads us to our final thought.
Christmas is about God's love for you. Christmas
is about God's love for you and me. And you may
be thinking, well, you don't know my story. You
don't know my thoughts. You don't know what I've
said. You don't know what I've done. You don't
know the people I've hurt. I agree. And guess
what? You don't know about me either, which is
a real good thing because you probably wouldn't
be going to this church if you knew about it.
You'd be like, I need to go somewhere where the
pastor's holy, okay? But Jesus spoke these words
in John 14, 9. Jesus replied, have I been with
you all this time, Philip, and yet you still
don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has
seen the Father. See, Jesus is God. So no matter
what's happened in your life, the greatest love
story of all time is that Jesus loves you. And
if you don't believe me, look at who else Jesus
loved. The Bible teaches us that Jesus loved
this lady who was looking for love in all the
wrong places. There's a woman at a well who wanted
to find love and acceptance and meaning and value
in the arms of another man. But man after man
after man after man broke her heart, let her
down, and crushed her. And then Jesus shows up
and says this in John 4. Go and get your husband,
Jesus told her. I don't have a husband, the woman
replied. Jesus said, you're right, you don't
have a husband, for you have had five husbands.
And you aren't even married to the man you're
living with now. You certainly spoke the truth.
Her heart was opened, her eyes. We're wide recognizing
that this was the Son of God. Jesus then says,
I will give you a living water. I will show you
my love and you will never thirst again. Jesus
loved a woman that society rejected. She was
called in the very act of adultery, a crime.
At that time, remember, church was punishable
by death. And we read this in John 8. Teacher,
they said to Jesus, this woman was called in
the act of adultery. They kept demanding an answer.
So he stood up again and said. All right, but
let the one who has never sinned throw the first
stone. As they all walked away, Jesus then looked
at the woman, made eye contact with the woman,
spoke into her heart and said, Neither do I condemn
you. Go your way and sin no more. Jesus loved
a guy named Peter. And Peter thought very highly
of himself and thought he was the chosen one.
He was the guy that would always be faithful
to Jesus. He would always have Jesus' back. When
all the other loser disciples wouldn't be there,
he would be there to the very end. Yet three
different times he wasn't, John 18. The woman
asked Peter, you're not one of the man's disciples,
are you? No, he said, I'm not. Meanwhile, Simon
Peter was standing by the fire, warming himself.
They asked him again, you're not one of his disciples,
are you? Again, he denied it, saying, no, I am
not. But one of the household slaves of the high
priest, the relative of the man whose ear Peter
had just cut off, asked, didn't I see you out
there in the olive garden with Jesus? I think
she would remember him swinging a sword. Again,
Peter denied it, and immediately the rooster
crowed. And many of us know the story that after
the resurrection, Jesus loved him and said, if
you love me, I'll restore you to ministry. Go
feed my sheep and lead the church. Jesus loved
a guy that was self -consumed, a thief, a tax
collector named Zacchaeus. And Zacchaeus was
spiritually curious, which I believe many of
you are here today. He started looking for Jesus,
and guess what? Jesus found him instead. Luke
chapter 19, when Jesus came by, he looked up
at Zacchaeus and called him by name. Zacchaeus,
he said, quick, come down. I must be a guest
in your home today. And see, Jesus wants to invade
your heart today. And he's speaking to you by
name, inviting himself in for dinner. Zacchaeus
says, if I've wronged anybody, I'm going to give
back four times what I stole. I'm going to devote
the rest of my life to serving the one who loved
me. Zacchaeus was loved by Jesus and he was supernaturally
changed instantly. And you know what else? Jesus
loved me. A kid who was so insecure that I didn't
know how to tell the truth because I didn't know
the truth was good enough. A kid who was so broken
that I hurt person after person and I found myself
performing for approval and addicted with no
way out. At the age of 22, I found myself broken
and kneeling down in a local church that the
Holy Spirit led me to. Praying a simple prayer
of forgiveness and mercy, desiring a miracle
to be changed and set free. I knelt down as one
person, broken. hurt, lost, and afraid, yet I
stood up completely different, changed from the
inside out, knocked off my horse, and led into
ministry. What the Bible calls a new creation,
the old is gone, the new has come, because the
love of God who extended me forgiveness that
I didn't deserve. It's personal, church. He loves
me, and he loves you. Not in the past, but right
now. He is loving you in this very moment. How
do I know that? Well, Romans 5, 8 says, but God
showed a great love for us by sending Christ
to die for us while we were still sinners. The
greatest love story of all time is not over.
This is about a love that has come and is also
a love that is coming again. And when Jesus comes
back, he's not coming as a sweet little seven
-pound baby in a manger. He's coming as king
on a horse. And on his thigh will be tattooed
king of kings and lord of lords. See, I came
to tell you the greatest love story of all time
about a God who loves you just as you are, even
though you don't deserve it. And this is a love
that doesn't end in death, but this is a love
that has conquered death. The tomb was empty.
And, you know, people ask all the time, and it's
a good question, what's this season all about?
People are searching. Is it happy holidays? To
be politically correct, is it Merry Christmas?
Listen, it's not happy holidays. It's not Merry
Christmas. It's Merry Christmas. It's Jesus at
the center. The center candle that will light
on Christmas Eve to celebrate his birth is known
as the Christ candle. And it's there because
it tells of why Jesus came. Who is Jesus? Jesus
is our hope. Hope now has a name. that we can
look to and be in a relationship with. Jesus
is our peace. It's a perfect peace, a shalom.
Through Jesus' actions on the cross, the shalom,
the peace that was lost in the garden in the
original sin has now been restored and is available
to us today. Jesus is our joy, right? We learned
last week that the joy of the Lord is our strength.
And Jesus is the love above all because Jesus
was born of a virgin, born to die. Who is the
king of all kings. The name above every name.
He's a love that's come. And he's a love that's
coming again. See what's Christmas all about?
What's the season all about? You may have a t
-shirt that says Jesus. Is the reason for the
season. You may have a bumper sticker. Or a magnet
for your car. That you put on in November. You
may have a coffee mug. That you pull out of your
packing wrap. And begin to sip on it. Every morning
during December. Jesus is the reason for the
season. Yes that's true. But let me say this
morning. That's not the only reason. You see
if you go deeper. And if you begin to read and
discover. How much God loves you. What is the
reason for the season? You are the reason. For
the season. How do I know that? Well for God
so loved the world. That he sent his one and
only son. You my friend. Are the one that Jesus
loves. That is what John said. The same John
that was John. Remember the son of thunder. Who
became the one that Jesus loved. This is what
he wrote in 1 John 4 .10. This is real love.
Not that we love God. But that he loved us. And
sent his son as a sacrifice to take away our
sins. That. My friends, it's the greatest love
story of all time. That God's love for you is
never ending. Christmas is all about the love
of a father and a son. The love of a mother and
a son. But more importantly, it's about the love
of God for you. Why? Because you matter. It doesn't
matter what you've done. It doesn't matter how
broken you are. It doesn't matter how far you
feel from God or how addicted you are. Jesus
can set you free this morning. He can break off
the chains of brokenness, of unforgiveness, of
doubt, of fear, of frustration, of anxiety. He
can break it off in an instant. But it's a choice.
It's a choice that we all have to make. And many
of you know that every single Sunday we pray
a simple prayer here at HTV because I was challenged
and convicted by God that there wouldn't be a
Sunday gone by. ever in the history of our community
of faith that as we gather, we will not pray
a simple prayer because I believe that the lost
need to come home. And if you're distant and
you're far from God or you've walked away from
him or you're not in a relationship with him,
we all pray together here. We don't single you
out. We don't make you stand up. I'm not even
going to ask you to raise your hand. We're going
to pray a simple prayer together. And I want
to invite you, if you're in that place this morning
and you're broken, Welcome God. Welcome Jesus
into your heart. And you will never be the same.
Let's pray. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of doubt,
shame, regret, sin. Change me. Forgive me. I
believe you're God's son. I believe you died
for me. I believe you rose again. Set me free.
Heal me. Help me, God, to serve others. Fill
me with your spirit. In Jesus' name, amen. So
listen, if you prayed that prayer, see me, I'll
be at that door today. Give me a hug, and you
know what I'm gonna tell you to do? I'm gonna
tell you in two weeks to get baptized. And there's
some of you here seated, you need to public declare
that you're following Jesus because that's the
reason your faith is weak. You haven't publicly
declared that yet. So make sure that on that
New Year's baptism, you choose to declare you're
following Jesus this year, which leads us to
our three simple action steps. How, Chris, do
we experience God's love? Well, it's really simple.
Three simple steps. First, we love God. Remember
what Jesus said in Matthew 22. You must love
the Lord your God with all your heart, all your
soul, and all your mind. And listen, this is
important because it's very challenging to love
others. Okay, you're not going to be able to
love others well without loving God first because
we're going to get in the way of it. In fact,
you're not even going to love yourself if you
don't love God first. And seeking God consistently
is one of the best ways to learn about his perfect
love, to honor him with your worship. And when
you look back and when you look upon a loving
God, you first get to know him by reading the
Bible every day. Listen, I'm going to challenge
you. The New Year's right around the corner.
You've got to get a devotional where you're in
the Bible every day. And you've got to follow
it and make it a priority in your life. Because
when you make it a priority, you learn about
God. And listen, when you gather together in
worship, when you show up here on Sundays, I
want to challenge you to take your worship to
the next level. Don't be intimidated. Don't be
fearful. But honor God with your worship. Pour
your heart out. On Christmas Eve, I'm going to
talk about the three wise men, the magi, that
came to truly worship the newborn king. And I
want to encourage you, prepare your heart to
be changed. You need to daily have conversations
with God in prayer. That's how you get to know
him. And you say, well, Chris, do I kneel down
in my bed? Do I wake up early? No, you have conversations
with him every single day. Right? Everywhere
you go, you're driving in your car. God, help
me. Allow me to be the light of the world. You're
on your way to work. God, allow me to be used
by you today to speak your truth, to speak positivity,
to not be negative, to not be full of fear and
doubt. And as you have those conversations with
God, he will change you. But again, it's a choice
which leads us to our next step. First, you love
God. Second, you've got to love yourself. And
you say, well, Chris, isn't that kind of selfish?
No, because if you don't love yourself, you're
not going to love anybody else. You're going
to be negative and judgmental. That's what you're
going to be. Ephesians 2 .10 says, for we are
God's masterpiece. Look at your neighbor and
say you're a masterpiece. Now look at your other
neighbor and say you're ugly, but you're a masterpiece.
And you know why you're a masterpiece? Because
Ephesians tells us he created us anew in Christ
Jesus so we can do the good things. You all have
a purpose. And if you don't love yourself like
God loves you, you're not going to do anything.
You're going to doubt. You're going to be full
of fear. You're going to second guess yourself.
You're going to question. Do I pray for this
person? Don't I? Do I share the good news? Don't
I? I can't. I'm not good enough. It's because
you don't love yourself. Right? There's always
areas of our life where we need to grow in. This
is a priority. How you view yourself is essential.
God's love for us came with a cost. And now he
calls us sons and daughters. He gives us a future
full of hope to walk in good works. When we choose
to respect, value, and love ourself, you know
what that is? That's honoring to God. God honors
that. Three ways to practice some self -love.
Create habits that nourish your mind, body, and
spirit. Some of you need to create some healthy
habits. You know, there's a reason I work out
every day. There's a reason I eat healthy. There's
a reason I take a regimen of vitamins every single
day because I want to take care of myself. I
believe that when I take care of myself, I feel
better. I have a positive outlook on life. I
have more energy. I'm excited about life. It's
a new year. You need to change some habits. You
need to create some habits that nourish your
mind, body, and spirit. Get off the internet.
Get away from TV. Take a stinking walk because
you will feel better. Daily, ask God to show
you how much he sees and loves you. You know,
there's nothing wrong with saying, you know something,
my name's Chris. I'm the one that Jesus loved.
There's nothing wrong with saying that. I'm not
being arrogant. I'm not being selfish. A disciple
who wrote a gospel said it. If he can say it,
we can say it. You need to put your name in that
sentence and say, no, I'm Chris. I'm the one
Jesus. Because when you do that, then you set
aside time to rest in God's presence. Because
that's when the Holy Spirit is released into
your life, when you see who you truly are. Which
leads us to our final step. You love God, you
love yourself, and then shocker, you love others.
It's the great commandment. Matthew 22, the second
is equally important. Love your neighbor as yourself.
See, when you see yourself the way God sees you,
when you love yourself the way God loves you,
Right? Than God intended for you to have healthy
relationships. Relationships that are compassionate,
sacrificial, and forgiving. Three ways that you
love others. First, you pray for people in your
sphere of influence. Don't go out and try to
save them and hit them in the head with the Bible.
Pray for them. Right? Pray for their hearts.
Pray for their hearts to be open. Pray for their
minds to receive what you're about to share with
them. And then, serve someone. Right? Again,
don't even share Jesus with them. Serve them.
Right? Wash their feet. Do something that shows
them the love of God. Help them move, dear God.
Right? How many people like to help others move?
Don't put your hand down. You're lying. That's
like the worst thing in the world. Hey, will
you help me move? You got a truck. Oh, sorry,
I'm busy. Help them move. And then when you're
helping them move and you're frustrated and it's
three hours in and you're like, wait, you said
it was only going to take an hour and you're
about ready to lose your mind, be quick to listen,
encourage them, and forgive. We have to be really
quick to forgive because in a lot of our relationships,
guess what? Gee, we got to remember that God
said if you don't forgive, then you're not forgiven.
So it's very important that we choose to listen,
encourage, and forgive. Because when we forgive
and we extend that forgiveness, then God just
overwhelms us with his love. And we become that
new creation he promises. Will you stand with
me? Now I was praying for all of you this week.
I was praying about how to close. And as I was
praying for you. It was overwhelmingly true that
I felt that so many of you were going to walk
in these doors. And here's the reality. It's
Christmas. It's the holidays. There's stress.
There's anxiety. There's worry. There's doubt.
You don't have enough finances. Right? You went
out Saturday night and drank too much and your
head hurts. Right? I mean, I'm just being real
here. We make choices that aren't healthy. And
a lot of times we make those choices because
we haven't ever experienced God's love for us.
It's just that simple. We haven't felt it. We
haven't sensed it. And let me tell you, the Holy
Spirit's real. The Holy Spirit's real, and he
desires to connect with you, speak to you, overwhelm
you with God's love. It's a tangible presence
that all of us can feel. I'm not making it up.
I'm not going to push you over. I'm not going
to blow on you because I have bad breath, okay?
But I'm going to invite the Holy Spirit to come
on you. And here's what I want you to do for
me if it's okay. Again, I'm not going to judge
you if you don't. Just put your hands like this.
All this means is I receive. And all I'm going
to do for you is pray a simple prayer that God's
love would come, would invade this place, and
that you would sense for the first time in a
very real way God's love for you. And it's going
to be different for everyone. You may feel a
tingling in your hands. You may get goosebumps.
You may feel heat in your body. You may hear
a gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit saying that
God loves you. You may close your eyes and get
a picture of the cross. You may get a picture
of an ocean or a tree. Here's the reality. That's
how God speaks to us. In a still, small voice.
So if you could all say these words with me.
Come. Holy Spirit. Come, Jesus. Overwhelm each
and every person in this place. God, may we know
and sense that you are real. May we walk in a
new confidence and a new abundance, a new reality
that we are a son and a daughter of God. May
our lives be wrecked and supernaturally changed.
As we draw close to you this holiday season,
God. As we stand in your presence, God. We leave
this place as your chosen ones. Chosen ones that
are called to share this good news, this good
news of love and grace and mercy with the world
that's around us, God. I just pray for each and
every person's sphere of influence, God, that
they'll begin to see healings and miracles happening
as they pray, as they step out in faith. That,
God, lives would be changed. Cancer would be
dried up, God. That bodies would be made whole.
May this be a new year. May this be a 2026 like
we've never seen before. An expectancy that we
are called to go. That we will go and be the
ones that are sent. To those that we love. In
Jesus name. Amen. So listen before we go. No
one run out of here. We're not done. I'm going
to that door. So no one leave on this side. Because
I got to get to that door to say goodbye to you.
There was four words of knowledge I want to share
with you. Our prayer team would be on my right
and my left. Now they're on both sides. This
one is very specific and it could be you. Someone
wearing blue jeans. White sneakers. And is having
trouble standing or walking. God wants to heal
you today. You have sciatic nerve pain in the
lower back or buttocks. Let me just say, if that's
you, there was already a testimony from our first
gathering of a complete healing of a sciatic
pain. You have pain in the back of your right
knee. Pain in the back of your right knee. You
have a growth behind your left ear that is causing
you pain. And listen, I want to encourage you.
I want to challenge you with this. We have Christmas
Eve gatherings this Wednesday. Family gathering
at 3 .30, which is going to be a fun time of
unique worship and kids celebrating what it means
to follow Jesus. Five and seven will be our candlelight
Christmas Eve service. It's an intimate, special
time of hearing this Christmas story read and
worshiping closely to Jesus and his heart for
us. There's still invite cards in that. poster
out there in our cafe. If you have a friend that's
struggling, that's in need of hearing the hope,
take a card, put it in their hand and say, hey,
I will meet you at HCV at five o 'clock, at seven
o 'clock, whenever you can be there and we'll
go together. Because one invite can change an
eternity church. And you are that invite. Be
the church this week and invite includes someone
who experienced life change. Amen. All right,
God bless you guys. Hope to see you on Christmas
Eve. I'm going there. Let me get there. God bless.