Embracing the Joy and Transformation of Christmas

What you've been in and what you've done in your life, the addiction you've gone through, the divorce you've gone through, the pain you've gone through, the doubt you've gone through, the hurt you've gone through, all that stuff does not dictate the promise and the purpose God has on your life. It's not about the size of your past. It's about where you're going in your future that matters. [00:51:45] (22 seconds)


Nobody in the room today. We'd look and go, you know what? I don't feel insignificant at times. And the reality is, is Jesus, the Savior of the universe, the one that would give his life so that we could be redeemed and restored back to a relationship with God. Watch this. He was born in a town that was so small that it couldn't fight for the well-being of its nation. [00:52:32] (22 seconds)


And so there's power in the nuances. He's from Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth. And then you know this part, right? In Luke, in Luke chapter 2, Luke chapter 2, in verses 4 through 7, my kids read the whole thing earlier and all this. And it says that she, verse 7 says, She wrapped him in cloths and laid him. In a what? You know the story. Come on, you don't have to be skeptical. It's okay. We're in church. We like to talk back. He laid him in a, in a manger. They laid him in a, in a manger. Here's the truth about a manger that's interesting. A manger is not a crib. [00:53:14] (33 seconds)


Feeding and watering trough for animals. It wasn't sanitary. It wasn't. It wasn't clean. It wasn't good. It was only there to feed and water the animals. And so whenever somebody, the animals, y 'all know how animals are. If you got a dog or a cat or anything, when you fill up their bowl with food, what do they do? Bam, I'm going to eat. It's the same thing for them. When they saw a human putting something in their feeding trough, they ran to go get the food they needed for sustainment or the water they needed for long-term sustainment. Now watch. This is interesting. If you flip over to John. [00:53:58] (34 seconds)


And then he says in John chapter 4 in verse 14. Here's what he says. He says, But whoever drinks of the water, that I will give him shall never thirst. But the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. So watch this. You've got to see what's happening. The baby was laid in something that was meant to feed and water for the sustainment of an animal's soul. An animal's life. And Jesus comes along and he goes, Hey, I was born in something that provided everything that those animals needed. And now I died on the cross to become everything. [00:54:56] (38 seconds)


I give you the sustainment. I give you the fulfillment. The manger was a foreshadowing, I believe, of the life of Jesus for us. That he will be the bread of life and he will be the water that never runs dry. And I don't have to live off the acceptance of everyone else in my life. I can live off the sacrifice of his life for me, no matter who I am, no matter what I've done. Because my past does not dictate my future. It's only his love for me that does. And he laid in that thing as a baby, but he died as the fulfillment of it all. [00:55:34] (33 seconds)


And what the stable is, there's two types of stables in that day. One was in a cave. That's not what this one is. And two was in the basement of a house. And what would happen is, is the animals would come in to that place to stay warm, to get food and to have a place of safety to sleep that is away from the elements. And so when it says that he stayed in a stable, he stayed in an inn. Can I tell you that the king of kings was not born in dignitaries to where dignitaries stay. The king of kings, the king of kings, did not have a card that you swipe to get to the executive suite at the top of the room. The lord of lords did not stay where the best of the best stayed. The lord of lords was in a place where literally animals went to sleep. [00:58:06] (38 seconds)


Nothing about a mess intimidates the savior. Nothing about your past, nothing about your present, nothing about what you go through, nothing about your divorce, nothing about your mourning, nothing about your sadness, nothing about your celebration, nothing about your addiction, nothing about your questions, nothing about your confusion, none of your mess intimidates Jesus. [00:59:31] (23 seconds)


And we like to say it like this around here, that God loves us right where we are, but way too much to leave us there. And he takes us on a journey of getting better with him and going to more with him. The Savior was exposed to any kind of disgusting thing that you could think of, and I'm here to tell you that there's nothing disgusting in your life that turns him away. [01:00:00] (21 seconds)


There should have been no spotlight, but yet he allows us to have peace and rest in the midst of chaos in this life. There should have been no spotlight yet. He protects us from any. And. And everything that we could ever go through because he's willing to embrace the mess with us. That is Jesus. And here's what I want you to know today is this Christmas, you may feel like that I need to hide some of the things in my life. I need to hide this and I need to hide that. And I can't show this to God and I can't show this and I are that, and I can't be a part of this thing. And I need you to know that no matter where you are, no matter if you're in the midst of mourning or in the midst of celebration, no matter if you're in the midst of a relationship with him or you haven't yet. Get entered into that no matter if you're in a place to where addiction is overcoming your life or it's not. I just need you to know he will find you where you are, but he will not leave you there because he embraces the mess. And it is not too intimidating for the savior, the king of kings and the Lord of lords to take everything that stinks to you. [01:01:41] (61 seconds)


And the greatest decision that any of us can make any of us, and it doesn't matter if you were raised in church or not, the greatest thing that we could do is look at Jesus and go, that is what I need in my life because I've tried to be my own savior. [01:03:14] (16 seconds)