The Christmas Opportunity of a Lifetime | Pastor Randy Goldenberg | FCF Church

Devotional

Day 1: The Opportunity of a Lifetime: Partner with God

You have one life, and it is a standing invitation to be God’s partner. Jesus has already won your trust—He made the universe, proved His love on the cross, offers real forgiveness, and welcomes you into His eternal kingdom. Decide, regardless of what anyone else chooses, to align your life with His intentions, plans, promises, and principles. This is not about earning His approval; it’s about responding to His goodness with a willing, all-in heart. Let your whole life become a “yes” to Him, today and every day. [04:15]

Matthew 1:18–25 — Before Mary and Joseph came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, a just man, planned a quiet separation until God sent a messenger in a dream: “Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife; what’s in her is from the Spirit. She will bear a son—name Him Jesus, because He will rescue His people from the grip of their sins.” All this fulfilled the promise of “God with us.” Joseph woke, obeyed, took Mary home, and named the child Jesus.

Reflection: What one concrete habit could you begin this week that says, “I’m partnering with God,” in your time, relationships, or decisions?

Day 2: Trials Are Training, Not Punishment

Less-than-ideal conditions are not signs that God is angry; they are His training ground to grow you strong. Like resistance in a gym, hardships create the spiritual muscle you cannot gain any other way. As you persevere, your trust matures, your character steadies, and your joy becomes less dependent on circumstances. God uses pressure to form Christlikeness, not to crush you. Receive the hard season as purposeful, and let it do its good work in you. [25:43]

James 1:2–4 — When many kinds of trouble meet you, treat them as opportunities for joy, because they prove and strengthen your trust in God. Let perseverance run its full course, so you become mature and whole, lacking nothing essential.

Reflection: Name one current pressure you face; how will you respond this week in a way that practices perseverance rather than escape?

Day 3: Eternity in Our Hearts Fuels Holy Longing

That inner ache for a flawless world is not fantasy; God planted eternity in the human heart. We instinctively compare everything to a standard of perfect love, justice, health, and peace, and we feel the gap because we were designed for His kingdom. Don’t shame that longing—aim it. Let it anchor your hope in God’s timetable and steady your faithfulness in the present. Live today as a partner in His work, even while you wait for the world He has promised. [17:52]

Ecclesiastes 3:11 — God makes everything fitting in its season, and He has placed a sense of eternity inside the human heart. Even so, we cannot see the whole of His work from beginning to end.

Reflection: Where do you most feel the ache for “how things should be,” and what hopeful practice could help you live faithfully while you wait for God’s perfect future?

Day 4: Faithful in Obscurity, Fruit in God’s Time

Joseph and Mary were chosen, yet they lived with misunderstanding, upheaval, and decades without validation. They endured danger, refugee years, and whispers—but they simply stayed faithful in their calling. Greatness in God’s sight often looks like steady obedience in small, hidden assignments—like parenting well, serving quietly, or refusing to quit. Don’t grow weary; harvest comes in God’s season, not ours. Keep doing good, especially for the family of faith, and entrust the results to Him. [32:36]

Galatians 6:9–10 — Don’t get tired of doing what is good; if we don’t give up, we will reap at the right time. So, as opportunities arise, do good to everyone—especially to those who belong to the household of faith.

Reflection: Which quiet assignment in your life feels thankless right now, and what is one specific act of good you will persist in this week?

Day 5: Comforted to Comfort; Chosen to Proclaim

God meets you in every trouble so you can meet others in theirs. Your scars become a language of credibility, and your story helps others trust His goodness. Ordinary people who remain faithful in less-than-ideal conditions become instruments for extraordinary grace. Say yes to being His chosen witness—proclaiming His excellencies by the way you love, serve, and walk with people in pain. Partner with Him for the rest of your days and watch what He can do through a faithful life. [41:18]

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 — Praise to the Father of compassion and the God who comforts every kind of distress. He consoles us in all our troubles so that we can pass along that same comfort to anyone in any trouble.

Reflection: Who in your circle is walking through something you’ve survived, and how will you come alongside them this week with the comfort you have received?

Sermon Summary

We live in a world we both love and dislike—where fruitcake and traffic sit right next to carols and joy. That tension isn’t accidental; it’s the reality of a world where good and evil still coexist. Into that reality, God sets before each of us the opportunity of a lifetime: to be His partners. Not spectators, not consumers—but partners. I asked you to consider a decisive yes: I will live my one life as God’s partner—becoming who He wants me to be, doing what He wants me to do, in His way and His timing.

Joseph and Mary show us what that partnership often looks like in real time: less-than-ideal conditions. Misunderstanding. Suspicion. Hard travel. Refugee life. Years without validation. Yet hand-in-hand with God, they quietly did the next faithful thing. That road is still the road. Jesus came not merely to remove a future penalty, but to rescue us from the destructive patterns that distort our design right now—so we can live the way God lives and love the way God loves.

Why is it so hard? Because God is maturing us. Trials aren’t punishment; they are training. They produce perseverance, and perseverance grows us into Christlike people who are less controlled by circumstances and more anchored in character. Think of the gym of the soul: resistance hurts, but it builds strength we cannot gain any other way. In that same laboratory, God comforts us in our troubles so we can comfort others in theirs; our scars become a language of mercy.

We carry an ache for a perfect world because eternity is planted in our hearts. That ache makes us critical of imperfections, but it is really a homesickness for the kingdom. Until the kingdom fully comes, we refuse to grow weary in doing good. We are a chosen people—ordinary people—entrusted with extraordinary credibility to tell of God’s goodness, not because we’re impressive, but because He has been faithful to us. So I laid down a challenge: release the need to be understood, admired, or sheltered. Choose to be faithful in less-than-ideal conditions. That’s where God does His best work through ordinary lives.

Key Takeaways

1. Choose partnership with God now Partnership isn’t a title; it’s a settled decision that shapes the rest of your days. Say yes to becoming who God wants you to be and doing what He wants done, even when it costs clarity or comfort. That decision reframes your problems and focuses your purpose. The opportunity of your lifetime is your lifetime. [02:58]
2. Jesus saves us from ourselves Salvation begins now as Jesus rescues us from patterns that sabotage our joy and harm others. Sin isn’t merely rule-breaking; it’s living against our design. He leads us into a life that actually works because it aligns with who we were made to be. Let Him save you from what is quietly ruining you. [09:34]
3. Trials train us toward maturity Trials aren’t divine payback; they are divine pedagogy. God uses resistance to form perseverance, and perseverance to forge Christlike character. As we grow, our joy becomes less fragile because it is anchored in who we’re becoming, not what we’re feeling. Training—not punishment—explains the terrain. [21:56]
4. Resistance is the soul’s gym Less-than-ideal conditions are not enemies to evade, but equipment to engage. Resistance builds strength we cannot gain by ease alone—emotional, relational, and spiritual resilience. Don’t cover the machine with clothes; climb on. Let discomfort do its good work. [24:59]
5. Ordinary faithfulness changes the world Joseph and Mary didn’t do flashy things—they did faithful things for a long time without applause. God loves to take that kind of steady obedience and multiply it beyond our sightline. You may not see the harvest now; don’t quit sowing. Extraordinary impact often wears ordinary clothes. [40:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:15] - Christmas likes and dislikes
[02:58] - Opportunity to partner with God
[04:48] - Embracing less-than-ideal conditions
[05:44] - Joseph and Mary’s crisis begins
[09:09] - Angel’s word: saved from our sins
[13:12] - Partnership means being misunderstood
[17:03] - Eternity planted in our hearts
[19:40] - Trials grow Christlike maturity
[21:56] - Training, not punishment
[24:59] - The gym of the soul
[31:47] - Don’t grow weary in doing good
[34:29] - Comforted to comfort others
[40:18] - Ordinary faithfulness, extraordinary impact

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Bold Matthew 1:18–25

Observation questions

In Matthew 1:19, what was Joseph’s initial plan in response to Mary’s pregnancy, and what detail shows his concern for her?
According to Matthew 1:21, why is the child to be named “Jesus,” and what does that name say about His mission?
List the three concrete actions Joseph took after the dream in Matthew 1:24–25.
How long did Joseph and Mary live with little to no public validation of their story before Jesus’ ministry began? “They got no validation…for pretty much…the first 30 years of his life” [29:01]

Interpretation questions

Matthew 1:21 says Jesus will “save his people from their sins.” How does this point to rescue from destructive patterns now, not just a future penalty? “He wants to save us from ourself…from the thing that is ruining our lives” [09:34]
If hardship is “training” and not payback, how should that reshape a believer’s attitude during tough seasons? “This trouble you’re in…it isn’t punishment; rather, it’s…training” [22:31]
If “eternity” is planted in the human heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11), why are people so critical of imperfect situations, and how could that ache be redirected toward hope in God’s kingdom? “He has planted…eternity in the human heart” [17:03]
Why does ordinary, steady obedience often carry more credibility with others than dramatic spiritual moments? “God works through ordinary people…in less than ideal conditions…to achieve extraordinary things” [40:18]

Application questions

Make the partnership choice concrete. In what specific area of life will you say a clear yes to God this week, and what is your next faithful step? “I have made up my mind…I am going to live my life as a partner with God” [03:28]
Where are you facing “less-than-ideal conditions” right now—misunderstanding, misjudgment, or being overlooked? What would doing the next faithful thing look like without defending yourself? “Being misunderstood, misjudged, maligned, mocked” [13:12]
Name one current pressure that feels like resistance (at home, work, church). How could you “get on the machine” instead of avoiding it—through prayer, perseverance, asking for help, or a hard but loving conversation? “Spiritually speaking…It is the gymnasium of our souls” [26:45]
Where are you most tempted to quit doing good? What would “keep up” look like for the next seven days in that exact spot? “Let us not grow weary of doing what is good…if we don’t give up” [31:47]
Think of a scar God has comforted you through (grief, addiction, divorce, illness). Who could you comfort this month with the comfort you received, and how will you reach out? “Who comforts us in all our troubles…so that we can comfort those in any trouble” [34:29]
Which do you most feel you “need” from others: to be understood, admired, or sheltered? What is one small practice this week to release that need (e.g., silent service, anonymous generosity, choosing not to explain yourself)? “I don’t need to be understood…admired…sheltered” [39:12]
Is there a place you’re faithful but unseen (parenting, caregiving, serving, giving)? How will you keep sowing even if you don’t see results yet? “Often when we partner with God…we don’t get to see the results right away” [31:01]

Sermon Clips

He offers us the opportunity of a lifetime. But it will call for learning to live in what? Less than ideal conditions. That we don't like. There are things about Christmas we like. There are things about Christmas we don't like. So, what if this opportunity of a lifetime necessitates my willingness, your willingness, our willingness to say, you know what? I'm going to learn to be content for a while. I'm going to anticipate the perfect existence that God originally intended and created us for. But I'm going to lock into his timetable. [00:04:57] (36 seconds) #ContentInSeason

He wants to save me from myself. He wants to save us from ourself. He wants to save us from the thing that is ruining our lives, which is what God calls sin. When God calls something sin, he is simply telling us it's living discordant to the way we are designed. We are designed to live the way God lives and love the way God lives. And when we don't, God calls that sin. It is destructive to ourselves. It deprives us of the highest happiness that God wants us to have. And it hurts other people. [00:09:35] (30 seconds) #SavedFromSin

The opportunity of a lifetime is not going to be easy breezy. It's not going to be smooth sailing. It's not going to be the ball always bounces in our direction. We've got to grow up. We've got to have realistic expectations to start with. So how do we perceive? How should we be thinking about this? What might it look like? What might it involve? [00:14:46] (17 seconds) #GrowthOverComfort

You, I, we, every human that's ever lived on this planet, we don't want just a good life. We don't want just the best life possible. We want an absolute perfect existence. We want to be liked perfectly, understood perfectly, loved perfectly. We want to have perfect health. We want to have perfect economic situation. We don't want any worry. We don't want any pain. We don't want any stress. We don't want any disease. We don't want any death. We don't want any crime. We don't want any war. [00:18:33] (25 seconds) #YearnForPerfection

This trouble you're in isn't, what is the first word? A lot of times when things go wrong, when less than ideal conditions occur in our lives, we think, oh man, God's mad at me. He's punishing me. I must have said something wrong or did something wrong or thought something wrong. Not true. This trouble you're in, it isn't punishment. Rather, it's what? Training the normal experience of children. [00:22:15] (25 seconds) #NotPunishmentButTraining

We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us. So why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? God is doing what is, what does it say? Not what's comfortable for us. What's best for us. Training us to, what does it say? Live like God's holy. I am meant, you are meant to live the way God lives and love the way God loves. God is not asking us to do or be anything that he doesn't do or be himself. [00:22:40] (30 seconds) #EmbraceGodsTraining

What if the key to the highest happiness, the best life possible, is in fact trusting Christ, following Christ, partnering with God, allowing His word, His will to change us progressively. We actually listen to what He says. We put off our old ways and our old self and we learn His new ways and new self. And as we start to actually be transformed from the inside out, meaning I don't just like Christ, I desperately want to be like Christ. [00:27:22] (26 seconds) #BecomingChristlike

I'm not doing this to get God off my back and on my side. I'm doing this because I have seen someone so beautiful, so wonderful, so rational, I cannot help myself but to want to be like Him and to run after Him as hard as I can. What if that's the key to actually the best life possible? Less than ideal conditions are not our enemies, they are our friends. [00:27:48] (24 seconds) #LoveDrivenFaith

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

How does Jesus save us from our sins?

How can suffering equip us to comfort others?

Why do humans long for a perfect world?