What Christmas Is All About: Gospel for All

Devotional

Day 1: What Christmas Is Really All About: God With Us

Christmas is not the tree, the parties, or the pressure to perform; it is God coming near, taking on flesh to live among us. The announcement came to people no one expected—shepherds in the dark—because the good news is for all people, not just the polished and prepared. When God draws near, fear gives way to joy, and confusion yields to a simple, steady hope. You can carry that hope into every room you enter this week. Slow down long enough to receive it, and then let it reorder what you celebrate and why. Let the nearness of Jesus be the center of your season, and not the noise that swirls around it [35:20].

Luke 2:8–14 — Out in the fields at night, shepherds kept watch when an angel stood before them, and the brightness of God’s glory surrounded them, frightening them. The messenger said, “Don’t be afraid—this is joyful news for everyone: today in David’s town a Rescuer has been born, the Anointed Lord. Here’s your sign: you’ll find a baby wrapped and resting in a feed trough.” Suddenly a vast choir from heaven praised God, saying that the highest honor belongs to God and that His peace and kindness are arriving on earth.

Reflection: Which part of your December tends to drown out the nearness of Jesus, and what simple change could you make this week to center your heart on Him each morning?

Day 2: The Last Become First in God’s Kingdom

God delights to begin with those the world overlooks. The shepherds heard first, reminding us that status has no leverage with heaven—repentance and trust do. If you’ve been passed over, know that in Christ you are chosen, loved, and brought near. He came not for the self-sufficient but for the sick, the weary, and the honest. Lift your head; your story is being rewritten by grace, and your place at the table is secure. In Jesus, being “last” in the world becomes “first” in God’s eyes [38:33].

1 Corinthians 1:26–31 — Remember your calling: not many of you had impressive credentials by the world’s standards. God intentionally picked what looks foolish to embarrass the so-called wise and chose what seems weak to shame the strong, so no one can brag before Him. In Christ, God has become our wisdom, our righteousness, our holiness, and our rescue; therefore, the only worthy boast is in the Lord.

Reflection: Who in your daily world feels overlooked, and what specific act of honor could you offer them this week to reflect the heart of Jesus?

Day 3: From Religion to Relationship: Led by the Spirit

Tradition can be helpful, but it must never replace the voice of God through His Word and Spirit. You are invited to open Scripture for yourself, to pray, to wrestle, and to listen until truth lands in your bones. The Holy Spirit is not merely near you—He lives in you, guiding you into what is true and uniting you with others who belong to Jesus. This frees you to stop scoring debates and start loving brothers and sisters even when you differ. When insulted or trolled, you can return mercy because you know Whose you are. Walk humbly, listen deeply, and let the Spirit lead you into practiced, patient love [44:22].

John 14:16–17 — Jesus promised to ask the Father to give another Helper who would stay forever—the Spirit of truth. The world can’t receive Him because it neither recognizes nor knows Him, but you know Him because He stays with you and will live inside you.

Reflection: What teaching or tradition have you been accepting by default that you will test this week by setting aside two unhurried times to read Scripture and ask the Spirit for clarity?

Day 4: Hear, Hurry, and Tell: Faith That Moves

When heaven spoke, the shepherds didn’t drag their feet; they moved with haste and then made the news widely known. Real faith listens, obeys, and shares. Sometimes that will draw you into messy, time-consuming places—supporting an addict, walking with the broken, or sitting with someone who’s losing hope. Don’t rush past God’s whisper; be still long enough to hear, then go where He points you. The Spirit strengthens your steps, and the joy of forgiveness fuels your courage. Someone needs the hope you carry today, so take it to them without delay [51:49].

Luke 2:15–17 — After the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us.” They hurried, found Mary, Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger, and after seeing Him, they spread the word about what had been told them concerning this child.

Reflection: Who is one person in your life currently bound by fear, sin, or addiction, and what one concrete step will you take within 48 hours to bring them hope in Jesus’ name?

Day 5: Worship and Gratitude in the Middle of Trials

Praise is not denial of pain; it is a defiant trust that God is present and working. Gratitude steadies the soul, especially when circumstances shout otherwise. The same power that raised Jesus strengthens you to stand, to serve, and to keep going when you feel cast down. As you bless the Lord at all times, you’ll find fear losing its grip and hope returning to your chest. Let worship be your first response and your steady practice. Lift your voice today and watch how God lifts your heart [57:55].

Psalm 34:1–4 — I will bless the Lord at every moment; His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in Him, and the weary will take courage. Come, join me in lifting His name; together let’s exalt Him. I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He pulled me out from the prison of my fears.

Reflection: Where is one specific place of pressure in your life right now, and what words of praise will you speak to God each time that pressure rises this week?

Sermon Summary

I took us back to December 1965, to a little animated special that somehow carried a big Gospel. As a kid, I didn’t understand why Linus’s reading from Luke moved me so deeply, but it did—and it still does. Christmas isn’t trees, lights, parties, or even nostalgia; Christmas is God coming near, God taking on flesh, God stepping into our mess to save us. That’s why the shepherds matter. He didn’t announce the Savior to elites in palaces or priests in temples. He came to the overlooked, the necessary but unwanted, and said, “To you is born a Savior.”

I talked about escapes—how as a child I survived by finding little breaks from a hard reality. A lot of us still do that: scrolls, screens, busyness. But Christ is the ultimate do-over. In Him, you don’t have to escape reality—you get a new one. That’s also why I’m swinging a hammer at religion. We’ve settled for traditions, snippets, and talking heads. Pick up the Book. Sit with the Spirit. We can disagree and still be a family if Jesus is first.

Love wins arguments you never have to fight. If someone trolls you, bless them. Our aim isn’t to be right—it’s to be redemptive. That’s what those shepherds teach us: when heaven breaks in, we move with haste, and then we tell it widely. The Gospel is for all people—the assured can be assured, the addict can be free, the ashamed can be clean. But it still begins with repentance, with turning—not just from bad behavior, but toward a Person.

I urged us to make Jesus first in everything: decisions, desires, schedules, budgets. Don’t ask God to bless the mess you made without Him; ask Him first. Then watch how He leads you, sometimes into the messy places—helping the bound, serving your family in practical ways, standing up and being responsible. Worship isn’t an escape, it’s a strength. Praise in the storm doesn’t deny the storm; it declares who commands the wind.

So, like those shepherds, hear, move, see, tell, and then worship. And let’s walk out into a hurting world with the light of Christ, trusting the Spirit who goes with us.

Key Takeaways

1. Christmas is God drawing near Christmas is not about sentiment; it’s about the incarnation. God didn’t shout solutions from a distance—He stepped into our dust, our fear, and our limits. Only Christianity dares to say the Creator became a crying infant to rescue us from the inside out. If God came that close, there’s no place He won’t meet you now. [38:33]
2. In Christ, you get a do-over Grace doesn’t pretend the past didn’t happen; it breaks its power to define you. A do-over in Jesus means a new heart and a new start, not just a new habit. You’ll still feel weight, but the Spirit strengthens your shoulders to lift it and walk free. Stop escaping—receive the life He’s handing you. [41:27]
3. Tear down religion; seek Scripture and Spirit Traditions aren’t evil, but they’re poor substitutes for truth encountered and obeyed. Read whole passages, not just snippets that prop up your preferences. The Spirit who is in you is faithful to lead you into truth, and He makes room for family disagreements without breaking fellowship. Unity in Christ is stronger than uniformity in opinion. [44:22]
4. The last shall be first with God Heaven’s announcement bypassed the “important” and landed in a field. God delights to reverse the scoreboard, to seat the overlooked at the head table. If you’ve been passed over, take heart—your name is known before the foundation of the world. Humility is not a penalty box; it’s the path to promotion in the Kingdom. [57:55]
5. Move with haste, then tell it widely When heaven speaks, delay is disobedience dressed up as caution. The shepherds ran, saw, and then became the first evangelists—simple men with a simple story about a real Savior. Obedience opens your mouth and your calendar; testimony is love on the move. Don’t carry forgiven sins like luggage—trade them for a message of hope. [80:21]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[35:20] - Charlie Brown and first Gospel
[38:33] - Christmas: God came to us
[41:27] - Escapes vs. a do-over in Christ
[44:22] - Beyond religion—seek Scripture and unity
[49:18] - The real Jesus we follow
[53:21] - Why shepherds heard first
[57:55] - The last shall be first
[66:31] - Assurance: good news for all
[74:29] - Christ first in everything
[80:21] - Haste and the first evangelists
[87:09] - Hearing God and carrying good news
[90:24] - Messy ministry to the addicted
[97:25] - Worship through hardship
[109:29] - Sent into a hurting world

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Luke 2:8-20

Observation questions
- In Luke 2:8-20, who received heaven’s announcement first, and what were they doing when it came?
- What two phrases in the angel’s message show both the scope and the intimacy of the gospel?
- What sign were the shepherds given, and what specific actions did they take after hearing and seeing? Trace the verbs in verses 16-20.
- How were shepherds viewed in their culture—what kind of work and reputation did they have? ([53:21])

Interpretation questions
- What does it reveal about God’s heart that He sent angels to shepherds first? How does this connect to the Kingdom pattern that the last will be first? ([57:55])
- “To you is born…a Savior” makes the good news personal. How does that confront our tendency to run to escapes or distractions when life is heavy? ([41:27])
- The shepherds “went with haste.” Why is speed an appropriate response when God speaks, and how can “caution” sometimes just be disobedience in disguise? ([01:20:21])
- The angels said the news is “for all people.” How should that shape reactions when mocked or trolled—aiming to be redemptive rather than “right”? ([51:49])

Application questions
- Make Jesus first in everything. Name one decision, desire, schedule item, or budget line this week that needs to be surrendered to Jesus first. What will it look like to ask, “What does Scripture say? How would the body of Christ counsel me?” Commit to one concrete step before next meeting. ([01:14:29])
- Trade escapes for a do-over. What are your top two “escapes” (scrolls, screens, busyness)? What swap will you make this week (for example, 15 minutes in Luke 2 or quiet prayer instead of scrolling)? Who will you tell so they can encourage you? ([41:27])
- Scripture and Spirit over snippets. Choose one Bible book to read straight through (even over a few weeks). What plan will you follow? How will you handle disagreements in the group—with humility and love that keeps fellowship intact? ([47:10])
- Move with haste, then tell it widely. What one fresh thing has Jesus done in your life this month? Who will you tell this week, and when? What would “haste” look like tomorrow? Put a time on the calendar. ([01:22:56])
- Step toward the overlooked and the messy. Who around you is “necessary but unwanted” (the overlooked at work, a neighbor, someone bound in addiction)? What is one small, inconvenient step you can take this week to serve them? Who will go with you? ([01:30:24])
- Worship in the storm. Name the storm you’re in. What simple praise practice will you adopt (for example, pray through Psalm 34 aloud each morning)? When and where will you do it? ([01:37:25])
- Begin with repentance—turn toward a Person. What do you need to turn from right now, and how will you turn to Jesus in that specific area? What accountability do you want from this group? ([01:03:42])

Sermon Clips

the holy spirit is 100 right 100 of the time and he can teach you better than any preacher or bible teacher ever comingdown the pike there was no one greater than jesus christ as a bible teacher and when he went home he said i'm going to send you somebody and he's going to be called the holy spirit and not only is he going to be with you he's going to be in you and guess what he said he would do he would lead us into all truth [00:44:10] (30 seconds) #LedByTheHolySpirit

you want to really rip somebody out of the frame let somebody be hating on you all you do is give back to them love and grace and mercy because you know because you know who you are and how you've been forgiven and you know that they need to find the love of christ and that's my motivation not to win an argument but to win somebody for christ that's the point [00:52:06] (23 seconds) #WinSoulsWithLove

i heard a fool on the stinking internet the other day say you don't have to repent no morethat all that was wrong i'm like the gospel opens with the word repentance john the baptist the forerunner of the christ the one that's preparing the way his message was repent lord have mercy all the prophets what did they say repent i'm going to tell you something before i listen to a guy that's got a half a million followers on facebook i'm going to pay attention to the prophet jeremiah who has beenin the best-selling book of all time for a couple of thousand years because he's never been wrong [01:03:33] (51 seconds) #RepentanceIsEssential

the announcement was for all people and he started with the lowest first he didn't go to the king's palace he didn't go to the temple he didn't go anywhere to a business leader or a government official he came to the lowest of the low and he said to them i'm bringing you joy today because today in the city of david christ the lord your savior has been bornborn [01:09:04] (26 seconds) #GoodNewsForEveryone

is jesus christ first in everything in your lifewhen you get ready to make a decision is the first thing you think of is what did jesus think about this is the first thing you think of is this the word of god what does the word of god say about this decision is the first thing you think about what does the body of christ think about this decision are you thinking about christ before anything else see so many of us go and make decisions and then we want god to ratify it we want god to come and bless the mess after we've already decided [01:15:48] (34 seconds) #PutChristFirst

christian why are you still carrying it with you if jesus christ is who he says he is and i believe him to be a hundred percent of who he says he is why do you continue to carry the pastsin with you when you have been forgiven for itwhy do you want to keep carrying it why do you keep talking about it like it's just happening it's 30 years ago [01:23:58] (26 seconds) #LetGoYouAreForgiven

i'm wondering were you as hungry today as you were 20 years ago are you seekinghim with great zealousness are you willing to tarry in his presence until you get the answer are you willing to fast and pray and scour the scriptures instead of grabbing your phone and scrolling endlessly on this mindless candy that we've been given are you playing games are you getting seriousi'm gonna tell you what we're getting late we're getting late in the game christian we're getting late [01:24:49] (34 seconds) #SeekWithUrgency

they're stuck in their sin they're in the hopelessness of it they're in the i don't know if you've ever dealt with anybody that's been in the chain of addiction but that is a hell place to be to be chained to a a bottle or chained to a a drug or chained to a pill or chained to something that you can't get away from and desperately want out but areso helpless that they can't get out of it because it's just overwhelming them and they need a supernatural force to come into their life and break the chain so they can be free you have that message inside of you christian go and tell somebody [01:30:00] (39 seconds) #BreakTheChainsOfAddiction

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