12/21/25 10:30 || Go Tell It on the Mountain

Devotional

Day 1: Good news of great joy has come

Christmas celebrates the God who stepped into our world—born in a manger, crucified in our place, raised from the grave, and now alive and active. This is not a story to admire from a distance; it is news to respond to with surrendered lives and grateful hearts. You can let this week revolve around Jesus, not just the gifts and food, because He is the true gift for all people. As you move through your routines, pause often to say, “Thank you, Jesus, for who You are and what You’ve done.” Let your worship this week be a simple, joyful “thank you” to the One who is alive and active in your life today [44:31]

Luke 2:8–11 — Out in the fields at night, shepherds were guarding their sheep when an angel appeared and God’s glory surrounded them, and they were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid; I’ve come with good news that brings great joy to everyone. Today, in David’s town, a Savior has been born for you—He is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Reflection: Who is one person you’ll share the gospel with this week, and what is the first sentence you’ll use to start the conversation beyond “Merry Christmas”?

Day 2: Jesus came for everyone, no favoritism

God first announced the birth of His Son to shepherds—people most would overlook. That choice shouts that the gospel is for everyone, not just the well-known, the well-off, or the well-behaved. In subtle ways we can drift into favoritism, even passing it on to our children without realizing it. Jesus invites you to love every person you meet with the same open-armed welcome He has shown you. Ask Jesus to teach you to love without partiality this week, seeing each person as someone He came for [47:00]

Acts 10:34–35 — Peter said, “Now I truly see it—God doesn’t play favorites. He welcomes people from every nation who honor Him and practice what is right.”

Reflection: Where do you tend to show quiet preference—at work, school, family plans, or church—and what is one concrete way you will extend equal honor this week to someone you usually overlook?

Day 3: Great joy is deeper than happiness

Great joy doesn’t always look like a smile; sometimes it looks like steady trust when life is hard. God’s peace can settle your heart even when circumstances won’t cooperate. When anxiety rises, you can turn it into prayer and thanksgiving, and God’s peace will guard your heart and mind. Let your tears, your fatigue, and your questions be carried straight to Him today. Joy grows as you hand Him what you cannot hold [48:37]

Philippians 4:6–7 — Don’t let worry rule you; in every situation talk to God, thank Him, and ask for what you need. Then God’s peace—bigger than your understanding—will stand guard over your heart and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

Reflection: What specific worry keeps looping in your mind right now, and how will you practice handing it to God today (for example, a two-sentence prayer and a 60-second pause before you check your phone)?

Day 4: Everyone must and can turn to Jesus

The invitation of Christmas is not just for others; it is for you—turn to God in repentance and trust Jesus. No one is excluded, and no one is beyond His reach. As you give gifts and share meals, don’t leave people without Jesus; bring the good news with you in gentle, honest words. A short prayer, a brief story of what He’s done for you, or reading Luke 2 together can open a heart. The gospel travels best on the path of simple, loving courage [50:43]

Acts 20:21 — I kept telling both Jews and Greeks that they should turn back to God, changing their hearts and lives, and place their trust in our Lord Jesus.

Reflection: Think of one loved one who needs hope—what is one small, specific step you will take this week to invite them toward Jesus (read Luke 2 before gifts, share your testimony in two minutes, or offer to pray with them)?

Day 5: You are enough; Jesus meets you here

Jesus isn’t waiting for you to become someone else or accomplish one more thing before He welcomes you. He does not condemn you; He calls you home and offers rest for your soul. You don’t have to travel to a special place or get your life perfectly aligned—He is near and ready to carry your burden. Lay down the pressure to perform and receive the grace He already purchased for you. Come to Him right where you are and rest [53:01]

Matthew 11:28–30 — “Come to me, all of you who are worn out and weighed down, and I will give you rest. Take on my way of life and learn from me—I am gentle and humble—and you’ll find rest deep in your soul. What I place on you is good, and what I carry with you is light.”

Reflection: Where do you feel you need to “do one more thing” to be okay with God, and what small action today would embody resting in Jesus instead (for example, confessing and receiving forgiveness, or setting aside ten quiet minutes with Him)?

Sermon Summary

Angels told shepherds in the night, “I bring you good news of great joy for all the people.” That’s where I started, because that’s where our hope starts: Jesus came, not as an idea, but in a manger, and went all the way to the cross and the empty tomb. He is alive and at work right now. That’s the good news. And the joy attached to it isn’t a forced smile; it’s the deep peace God plants when everything is shaking. Joy can sit beside tears and still say, “I trust You,” because the Lord guards our hearts with a peace we can’t explain.

“All the people” means all the people. God announced Jesus to shepherds—those who smelled like their work and didn’t carry status—so we wouldn’t forget that no one is outside the invitation. Scripture confronts our favoritism: Peter needed a vision to see it, and James called out the way we seat the rich and sideline the poor. This week, let’s love like the gospel sounds—no sorting by worthiness, no quiet exclusions. Let the kids lead us on this; they often get it faster than we do.

And here’s the pattern Scripture gives: everyone must turn to God in repentance and faith in Jesus—and everyone can. No one here is disqualified, and no one is automatically in. So I gave three assurances. First, Jesus is for you, no matter what you’ve done. He didn’t come to condemn you; He came to save you. Second, Jesus is for you, no matter what you’ve accomplished. You don’t need one more achievement to finally be “enough.” The widow’s two coins remind us He isn’t measuring our worth by what we bring, but drawing us to Himself. Third, Jesus meets you right where you are. You don’t have to fix five things before you come. His invitation is now: “Come to Me… and I will give you rest.”

So take this season as a sending. Go tell it on the mountain—over your table, on a shopping line, with your neighbor. Carry gifts if you want, but don’t leave Jesus behind. If you belong to Him, live as a child of the King. If you don’t yet, today can be the day. To all who receive Him, He gives the right to become children of God.

Key Takeaways

1. Great joy is deeper than happy Joy isn’t a mood you muster; it’s the settled confidence that Christ has you when nothing else does. It may not reach your face as a grin, but it can steady your heart like ballast in a storm. God’s peace can guard you before your circumstances change, not after. Let joy be the posture of trust, not the performance of cheer. [50:43]
2. The gospel refuses all favoritism God announced Jesus to shepherds and rebuked partiality in the church; He’s still pressing His people to love without sorting. Favoritism is subtle—who we greet, where we seat, who we “have time for.” The poor widow and the polished donor stand before the same Savior with the same need. Let your love be guided by the cross, not by status. [54:56]
3. Everyone must—and can—turn to Jesus Repentance isn’t punishment; it’s the doorway into life with God. Faith isn’t achieving; it’s receiving the grace Jesus already purchased. No family history, failure, or success exempts anyone from this call—or excludes anyone from this hope. Speak this plainly over your own heart and over your people this week. [59:34]
4. You are enough for Jesus Performance makes cruel masters of our gifts, goals, and guilt. Jesus doesn’t love the version of you that finally “arrives”; He loves you and calls you now. The widow’s “not enough” was everything in His eyes because He measures surrender, not sums. Rest from the treadmill of “one more thing.” [62:04]
5. Jesus meets you where you are You don’t have to relocate your life to reach Him; He comes to weary, burdened people with rest. Delay often masquerades as wisdom—“after we get through this”—but it keeps the soul hungry. Come as you are; He will do the remaking from the inside out. His yoke is easy because He carries the weight with you. [65:47]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:45] - Luke 2:8–11 read aloud
[44:31] - Prayer: “Speak, Lord, we’re listening”
[47:00] - Family updates and Christmas joy
[48:37] - Health note and generosity update
[50:43] - Great joy is deeper than happy
[53:01] - Jesus came for everyone
[54:56] - Favoritism confronted: James 2
[57:20] - Children remind us: “For everyone”
[59:34] - Turn to Jesus: repentance and faith
[62:04] - You are enough for Jesus
[63:56] - Widow’s two coins perspective
[65:47] - Jesus meets you where you are
[69:55] - Invitation: repent, return, rejoice
[72:34] - Worship and altar call

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- LUKE 2:8–11

Observation questions

In Luke 2:8–11, why do you think God sent the angel to shepherds at night, and what does the phrase “for all the people” tell us about the scope of the good news?
The phrase “good news of great joy” was unpacked as “great joy doesn’t always bring a smile to your face, but it always brings a peace to your heart.” What does that suggest about joy in hard times? [50:43]
What simple statement was repeated to drive the point home about who Jesus came for? “Jesus came for everyone.” [50:43]
James 2:1–4 was read as a warning against favoritism. What specific behavior in that passage shows favoritism (think about where people were seated and who got attention)? [54:56]

Interpretation questions

God announced Jesus’ birth to shepherds first. What does that reveal about God’s heart toward people who don’t carry status, and how should that shape the way a church welcomes people? “Jesus came for everyone.” [50:43]
If “great joy” can be present without a smile because God’s peace guards our hearts, how can a believer carry both sorrow and joy at the same time? “Your peace…is going to guard my heart.” [50:43]
Acts 20:21 was cited: “they must turn to God in repentance and have faith.” Why is repentance not punishment but the doorway into life with God? How might that change someone’s view of returning to God today? [57:20]
How does the widow’s two coins (Mark 12:41–44) challenge the way people measure worth and usefulness in the kingdom of God? What does it say about surrender versus achievement? [01:03:56]

Application questions

Where is life shaking for you right now? What would it look like this week to practice joy as trust—naming your anxiety to God and asking for His guarding peace? “Great joy…always brings a peace to your heart.” [50:43]
Where might subtle favoritism show up in your week—who you greet, who you make room for, who you “have time for”? Name one specific change you will make in seating, greeting, or scheduling to love without sorting. [54:56]
Everyone must—and can—turn to Jesus. What is one concrete area to repent of today, and one act of faith you will take this week (a call, a confession, a step of obedience)? [57:20]
Where are you living on the performance treadmill—trying to “do one more thing” to feel acceptable to God? What is one “rest” practice you will adopt this week to receive grace (a daily 10-minute quiet, shutting the laptop, saying no)? “You are enough for Jesus.” [01:02:04]
Where are you weary and burdened? How will you come to Jesus as you are—today, not “after things settle down”? Name the time and place you’ll meet with Him and what you’ll lay down. [01:05:47]
Take this season as a sending. Who are two or three people you will “go tell” this week (family, a neighbor, someone in a checkout line)? What simple way will you share Jesus—sharing your story, praying for them, or inviting them to receive Him? “Do not…leave them without Jesus.” [59:34]

Sermon Clips

And the God of the universe says, hey, I'm going to send my son as a savior of the world. Who should I tell first? Let me think. There's some rich people down there. Some Kings down there. There's some people with all the social media accounts. There are people that have all the followers. No, no, I think I'm going to tell the shepherds out in the field. [00:51:55] (16 seconds) #ShepherdsFirst

Every person that you come in contact with this week needs Jesus. And you can take them Christmas presents and you can take them at Christmas ornaments and you can take them a Christmas ham if you want to. And you can take them all the things and you can feed them and love on them. All the things. But do not do any of that and leave them without Jesus. Take the gospel with you and shout it from the mountaintops wherever you go this week. [01:00:03] (24 seconds) #BringTheGospel

Jesus is for you. Watch this. No matter what you have acquired or accomplished. Listen, I'm going to tell you this. This is the statement that I just need you to hear. Some of you need to hear this. You are enough for Jesus. Hear that. Hear that. Some of you think you got a lot of stuff you need to do so Jesus will come around. And Jesus does not care about the stuff that you do. He's not waiting on you to accomplish one more thing. He's not waiting on you to make a little bit more money so he can come in and bless you in some way. Jesus does not love you according to the stuff you bring to the table. [01:02:17] (38 seconds) #YouAreEnoughForJesus

Listen to me. None of us bring anything to the table. None of us got up this morning and thought, you know what? I'm the one that's going to bring something to the table today. The rest of these people need to clear the path. I'm coming. Ain't none of us got anything to bring to the table. So if we understand that and just recognize that we all start with nothing and all we get is Jesus, then we can recognize that when we sit and think, man, I just got to do a little bit more. No, you don't. I got to work a little bit harder. No, you don't. [01:02:55] (28 seconds) #JesusMeetsYouWhereYouAre

It ain't about you working harder. It's not about you getting one nicer house and one next car and one next this and one more one of those. It's not about that. It is about Jesus surrendered his life, came in a manger, made it to the cross, hung out in the tomb, and is alive at the right hand of the Father so that you can be saved. And it does not matter what you have or what you do not have or what you've given and what you've taken. None of that matters because Jesus says that is not what it's about. [01:03:28] (29 seconds) #AboutJesusNotStuff

And maybe it runs together. Those of you that raise your hands with me, maybe it runs together because I also sometimes think I got to do one more thing for Jesus. And Jesus is saying the same thing to me that those people that get these gifts are, hey, look, look, look, it's enough. It's okay. So for us that we try to live that way and you're trying to live in that way of, man, I got to do one more thing for Jesus. I got to get one more thing done. Just recognize that when he came and died and was born in that manger and climbed up on that cross, you had nothing then, you have nothing now. It's just him. [01:05:39] (32 seconds) #NoMoreToEarn

Now, some of you have a lot of stuff you can do. Some of you have very little stuff you can do, but that is not the thing that determines how Jesus loves us. We're enough. Number three, Jesus is for us right where we are. Listen, you don't have to go anywhere else to meet Jesus. You don't have to take another trip. You don't have to get to that one spot. You don't have to become this. You don't have to, man, if my family was really all together, then I could get to Jesus. Man, we're going to get the kids to a certain age and then we'll get back into Jesus. [01:06:11] (31 seconds) #TurnToJesusToday

Jesus is not waiting on you to come to him. He's saying, man, I'm right here. I'm right here. He will come right where you are. We can have testimony. I know for a fact I've heard him. We've had testimony after testimony in this room of people that were sitting in a jail cell, people that were driving down the road. They were stuck in their car weeping and not knowing where to go. When Jesus met them right where they were and said, I'm going to take you and save you. [01:06:45] (24 seconds) #JoyBeyondHappiness

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