Sermon Central
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Love Came Down
Contributed by Dan Cormie on Dec 8, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: When the time had fully come, God sent His Son... A Christmas sermon which poses the question, "How have you received Him?"
Dakota Community Church
December 07, 2008 (am)
Love Came Down
1What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. 4But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
When the time had fully come, God sent His Son.
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
His own did not receive Him.
Love came when the time was right. God did not misread the political conditions and mess up the timing.
Love came to the right people. God foretold this event and prepared a people for Himself.
In spite of this:
Love was not received by all of those to whom He was sent.
There are still many who refuse to receive Him.
In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus owns the goats as well as the sheep.
Salvation has been secured for the entire human race, humanity has been redeemed or bought back, still there are many who reject Him.
11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Those “born of a woman”, those “born of human decision”; must be born of God!
Jesus said you must be born again because that is the way to come into a new family with a new father. Those who are not born again remain in the old family under their father “the devil”.
This creates a problem for some who cannot accept their need of God.
From an article by Mallory Simon on CNN.com
(CNN) -- It’s beginning to look a lot like -- a war over Christmas.
Alongside a Nativity scene at the Legislative Building in Olympia, Washington, a sign put up by an atheist organization celebrates the winter solstice. (See Slide)
In Washington, D.C., the American Humanist Association began a bus ad campaign this month questioning belief in God.
"Why believe in a God?" the advertisement asks. "Just be good for goodness sake." (See Slide)
Maybe you have already heard the You Tube Hit by Glenn Beck:
“Happy RamaHanuKwanzMas”
Have a RamaHanuKwanzMas - It’s the P.C. time of year.
Every holiday displayed, because of morbid fear.
Happy RamaHanuKwanzMas
Yeah, we know the name is queer.
Oh good golly, Can’t offend nobody on (bleep)’mas this year!
In light of these things I want to say that I do not think it is wise or even a part of God’s plan for the church to try to force Christian ideals or morals or holidays on non-believers. Rather than trying to enforce a pseudo Christian lifestyle on society I think we should let society go the way it is determined to go and just concentrate on preaching the gospel, that is Christ crucified to save sinners; this message is always does effective in dark places and times because it is the only message we have that really matters.
