HAPPY BIRTH DAY
A CHRISTMAS STORY PART I
INTRO: Christmas Shoes (If there is a copy of song/video to use, it would help)
It was almost Christmas time
There I stood in another line
Trying to buy that last gift or two
I’m really in the Christmas mood
Standing right in front of me
Was a little boy waiting anxiously
Pacing around like little boys do
And in his hands he held
A pair of shoes
And his clothes were worn and old
He was dirty from head to toe
And when it came his time to pay
I couldn’t believe what I heard him say
Sir I wanna buy these shoes for my Momma please
It’s Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry Sir?
Daddy says there’s not much time
You see, she’s been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes will make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful
If Momma meets Jesus, tonight.
They counted pennies for what seem like years
And cashier says son there’s not enough here
He searches is pockets franticly
And he turned and he looked at me
And he said Momma made Christmas good at our house
Most years she just did without
Tell me Sir
What am I gonna do?
Some how I’ve got to buy her these Christmas shoes
So I layed the money down
I just had to help him out
And I’ll never forget
The look on his face
When he said Momma’s gonna look so great.
Sir I wanna buy these shoes, for my Momma please
It’s Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry Sir?
Daddy says there’s not much time
You see, she’s been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes will make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful,
If Momma meets Jesus tonight.
I knew I caught a glimpse of heavens love as he thanked me and ran out.
I know that God had sent that little boy to remind me
What Christmas is all about
Sir I wanna buy these shoes for my Momma please
It’s Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry Sir?
Daddy says there’s not much time
You see she’s been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes will make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful
If Momma meets Jesus tonight
I want her to look beautiful
If Momma meets Jesus tonight
Transition: I love this song, every year during the Christmas season, I feel like a cry when I hear it. As a father, I cannot imagine what it would be like for my own wife to go home to be with Jesus. Thrilled for her, I would be devastated. This morning, we are going to talk about a different mother who meets Jesus, Mary.
GOD GAVE US A GIFT…HIS CHILD…JESUS
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 1: 18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin shall be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel,” which means “God with us.”
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
I. THE PLEDGE: Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph.
Pledge: The word pledge in the English language, meant engagement. Like an engagement ring given to someone in marriage, it means a deep commitment to each other. But in those days, pledge meant betrothment, they were betrothed to each other. Essentially, they were married in everyone’s point of view.
David Hasselhoff: Famous announcer on TV Show on America’s Got Talent. He’s the “hot host,” he’s “the Hoff.” In an earlier day, he was famous for the TV Show “Baywatch” and when your as old as me, “Knight Rider.” Technically, he has been in 20 different TV shows, 20 different movies, and even has some song albums that he is created. But in his most important decision: his marriage, it failed.
Divorce: In 2006, Hasselhoff and his wife sadly filed for divorce from his wife/actress Pamela Bach. Not to go into details, but alcohol and physical abuse was the problem, and they determined it was irreconcilable. It seems, if he was asked honestly, he would say that he would turn in all his success, for a chance at redeeming his marriage, for the chance to keep his pledge, his promise. And this marriage wasn’t even his first, it was his second. Hasselhoff spoke of his religious beliefs – "Amid all the adversity, whenever I had problems, God always said ’Here’s Chicago, here’s a book, here’s the No. 1 TV show, here’s the No. 1 movie, here’s a recording deal, here’s two million downloads. I’m gonna make you the biggest star in the world, David, and I’m going to give you responsibility with that, and you can either take it or you can {mess it all up, I took it, and messed it all up}." The message is don’t mess it up.
Your Pledge: Have you pledged your life to Christ? Have you given all your life to Christ? If we had a list of priorities numbered from 1-10, where would Christ be on your list? The problem is that we as humans tend to fail at our promises. And once we fail at one promise, we fail at others. As we let down one promise, others fall. As we fall, others around us fall. And it all falls until we end up in a wrecked life surrounded by wrecked lives, sort of like an auto junkyard.
And that is what Joseph was looking at, clear in the face. But then he received a promise.
BIBLE VERSE: Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD is indeed going before you—he will be with you; he will not fail you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged!
II. THE PROMISE: You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save people from their sins.
How would you like to be the man God chose for his Son? That is unbelievable.
Promise Keepers: Promise Keepers is an organizational designed to help men keep their promises, keep their vows. They got together to discus what needs to be done specifically to keep men in ministry from falling. They brought together a list on how to keep a promise. This is what they came up with during their discussions:
A. Christ: David Bryant, founder of Proclaim Hope stated “one crisis (that) plagues our churches today (is) a deficiency in how people see the Christ, seek the Christ, and speak for Christ.” The first step to keeping a promise, is to saturate yourself with Christ, talk about Christ, be a broken record for Christ. QB Kurt Warner of the Rams years ago was criticized for talking so much about Christ, people said he was like a broken record. That is the first step toward making a commitment.
B. Cleanse: Matthew 23:26 states First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean. How can we save the world when we refuse to clean out our kitchen? Seriously, do we think God chose Mary & Joseph because He liked how well they partied? Or how well they ignored their parents? No way! We have to honestly clean up our act, and cleaning is a current ongoing process that never ceases.
C. Challenge: Let’s look a seldom told Old Testament story, the story of the Shunamitte Woman. After watching the prophet Elisha pass by on a regular basis, she states in 2 Kings 4:9 that I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. That phrase, “holy man of God” is significant. When people speak of you, us, do they say, here comes a “holy man of God?” If not why? We need to earnestly challenge our own walks, and stay on each other, in the same way weight lifting partners challenge each other.
D. Care: H.B. London is the vice president of Pastoral Ministries at Focus on the Family. He states “20 names involved in moral failure have crossed my desk in the past four weeks. It happens quite regularly. Drilling down into {their} lives, we find the same three things: 1. There is no one they’re accountable to. 2. There are unresolved conflicts at home. 3. Their intimacy with God is minimal.
III. THE PROPHECY: Now that we understand Pledges & Promises, let’s bring this lesson back to where it started, baby Jesus.
BIBLE VERSE: Isaiah 9:6 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.
This was spoken 700 years before Christ was born. Think about it. God who created the whole world in 6 days, all the universe, all the land, the waters, and even that crazy lizard with the big ears that runs on water, came as a baby. He didn’t come with 100 angels, massive trumpets, big flowing robe, a giant military arsenal, big explosions, heck he could have come like the beginning of the 2008 Bejing Olympics. But he didn’t, he came as a feeble and helpless baby.
BIBLE VERSE: Isaiah 42:2-3 He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. (The messiah will be meek and mild).
BIBLE VERSE: Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (How the heck could the world fake that one out?).
BIBLE VERSE: Micah 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, 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. (What are the odds of this prophecy actually taking place, seriously, how many cities were around during these ancient times? 1000? 10,000? A Million? Seriously, who knows? And that’s just one prophecy).
IV. THE PEACE: When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him.
Personal Testimony (Use Your Own Personal Testimony Here, it could be of an engagement, a gift you received, or the “good and faithful servant” you received when you follow what God commanded).
Sources:
Promisekeepers.org. Archived Articles: Pastors Huddle at Clergy Link.
Wikipedia.com keyword: David Hasselhoff.
NAME: _______________________________________
HAPPY BIRTH DAY
A CHRISTMAS STORY PART I
INTRO:
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 1: 18-25
I. THE PLEDGE: Mary was _________________________________ to be married to Joseph.
DH: ______________________________________________________________________________
Divorce: ___________________________________________________________________________
Your Pledge (Your Commitments): 1. _______________ 2. _______________ 3. _______________ 4. _______________ 5. _____________ 6. _______________ 7. _______________ 8. _______________ 9. _______________ 10. ____________
BIBLE VERSE: Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD is indeed going before you—he will be with you; he will not ___________________________ you or ______________________ you. Do not be afraid or discouraged!
II. THE PROMISE: You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will _________ people from their sins.
Promise Keepers List For Keeping Your Promises to God: A. _________________: _________________________________________________________________ B. _________________: Matthew 23:26 First clean the _____________ of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean. C. _________________: 2 Kings 4:9 I know that this man who often comes our way is a ____________________________ of God. D. _________________:
Three Aspects that Must Be Drilled Into Life in order to remain strong without failing: 1. _____________________________________ 2. _____________________________________ 3. _____________________________________
III. THE PROPHECY: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet.
BIBLE VERSE: Isaiah 9:6 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.
OTHER VERSES: Isaiah 42:2-3 Isaiah 7:14 Micah 5:2
The Odds of Micah 5:2 ________________________________________________________________
IV. THE PEACE: When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him.
Personal Testimony: