What should our church look like?

The first church in the book of Acts

    They were DEVOTED

Are we devoted to Jesus?

3 Things that defined their devotin

   1. The Word of God

         *Simple Challenge: Read your Bible all the way through this year

   2.To Fellowship

         It's about relationship

   3. to Prayer

What kind of church are we going to be?

What's our intention: Reaching and Restoring families to a real life in Christ.

How will that look:

     1. Worship

     2. Community

     3. Serving

WHO WILL JOIN ME IN THE PURSUIT OF BEING THIS KINF OF CHURCH.

We don't make peace

        1.  True peace comes as a result of knowing and trusting in God's salvation

        2.  God's presence brings his peace for all life

        3.  God's peace in Christ becomes a witness to the world

Why do we give glory to God?



     1.  God's glory reflects God's grace

          *He is immanuel- God with us!  He came to become one of us.

          *Romans 3:23-- All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.



     2.  God's glory is recognized by true faith

             *Christmas must be more than sentimenalty

   *One surprise was that Bethleham was chosen as the place for Jesus to enter the world



   *Then there was the surprise of Elizabeth's pregnancy at such an old age

  *Today we consider Mary's surprise-- That God would choose a humble peasant teenager, who was unmarried, to give birth to the very Sn of God!

*This song is often called the "Magnificant", from the first words of Mary in the latin translation of the bible portion. Mary begins her song with the words

     "My soul magnifies the Lord"

*God chose her because of His mercy

Mary magnifies the Lord and his mazing love

God magnifies us in his love

*Today the Lord extends his mercy to us. He came to us in person of his son to be born, to die on a cross, to rise again from the grave, and to give us victory over Satan, sin, and death.

We magnifiy God's amazing love

*But how do we magnifiy Him during this Christmas season?

          *Like Mary, we praise and thank God in faith for providing for all our needs.

*Mary's son points us to God's goodness and love so that we are moved to thanksgiving

HOW DO WE MAGNIFIY GOD'S AMAZING LOVE?

           *By telling others about Him

This is what Christmas is all about. It is about telling poeple of God's amazing love.

* The Bible

       * Written over 1600 years

       * Over 40 authors

       * Three languages were used

       * Sixty-six separte books

*Prophesies

     #1  He would have a forerunner or predecessor

     #2  His virgin birth

     #3  His name

     #4  The town of His birth

     #5  His lineage

     #6  He would come out of Egypt

     #7  There would be death of other children

     #8  He would be called a Nazarene

     #9 The wise men would seek Him

*The odd one man could fulfill just these nine of the three hundred prophesies is:  1038

(1 in 100 billion, billion, billion, billion)

*With God all things are possible

*Benedictus=Blessed Be the Lord

*The Lord made a promise to send a Savior-- He fulfilled it

*He established a covenant-- and maintained it

*God swore an oath-- He kept it

*In the coming of God's Son we celebrate the fulfillment of God's promise

*God made good on his word in coming to us!

*Divinity clothed itself in dust. God visited us!



*The Horn= symbol of victorous strength

*The Amazing Gift Comes to Shine into Our Darkness

*The Amazing Gift Comes to Guide our Feet

*the time to give thanks for divine favor and spiritual blesssings

*the time to give and extend into the lives of others



*The driving force should be for the lost

*Jesus will go to any length

*You are worth searching for

*Sin will leave you empty

*You CAN start over

*God is the God of grace

1. What we once were:

    -Romans 6:16              Slave to Sin



    -Romans 6:19              Offers himself to impurity



    -Romans 6:20-21          Free from righteousness



    -Romans 6:23               His wages are death



    -Romans 8:5-7             Mind is death

                                      Hostile toward God

                                      Cannot please God

                                      Does not belong to God

   -Romans 8:13               You will die

Colossians 3:5-8 and Galations 5

                      BUT WE ARE FREE!!!

2.  What we are now:

   -Romans 6:6-18               Life leads to righteousness

                                          Whole-heartedly obeys

                                         Free from sin

                                         Slave to righteousness

                                        Brings hope

    -Romans 8:6                   Mind has life and peace

3. What can we do to remain free?

    -STOP OFFERING OURSELVES TO SIN!

    - When tempted to sin say...

       I AM A SLAVE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS