“INTERNALIZING THE
CHRISTMAS LIGHT BY LEARNING TO SAY NO TO LESS IMPORTANT EXTERNALS”
Mike Barnett,
·
In the
OldTestament, there are many prophecies promising that Jesus coming into the
world would bring salvation and thereby make life more purposeful for humanity
both in this world and in the new world to come.
Isaiah 53:1-7 (pg. 523) says:
1
Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD
been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us
to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should
desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with
suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was
upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is
silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
·
This prophecy
speaks of Christ coming into the world and dying for our sins so we can walk in
freedom.
The following verse,
Jesus quoted word for word when he started his public ministry.
Isaiah 61:1-3 (pg.
529) says:
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the
prisoners, [a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
·
Jesus started
his earthly ministry by quoting this prophecy in Luke 4:16-21
In
Matthew 11:28-30 (pg. 689) Jesus said:
28"Come
to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
·
The “yoke”
spoken of here is not of an egg, it is the wooden harness placed on livestock
many years ago for plowing the fields.
·
God does not
give us any more than we can bare.
·
Yet even the
average Christian seems overloaded.
·
Overloaded
with work.
·
Overloaded
with family obligations.
·
Overloaded
with task others want us to do.
·
Overloaded
with temptation and sin.
·
Overloaded
with guilt, shame and condemnation.
·
Could it be
that we are carrying loads that God did not put on us?
·
If God did
not put such heavy loads on us then who did?
·
Could it be
that we are carrying loads that we, others, the world has piled on us?
·
If Jesus came
to live among us and ultimately to reside within us to set us
free from such burdens, then why do we live as if CHRISTMAS never happened.
·
We celebrate
Christmas in that we put up lights, decorations and a tree.
·
We buy
presents and receive presents.
·
And we do all
the stuff the world does to celebrate Christmas.
·
BUT DO WE
CELEBRATE AND EXPEREINCE THE FREEDOM JESUS CAME TO GIVE?
NOTE: CHRISTMAS IS REALLY
ABOUT __________________(CELEBRATING) THE
__________________(SALVATION) AND __________________(FREEDOM) THAT ONLY
_______________(JESUS) CAN GIVE!
In John
8:12-13 (pg. 757) Jesus says:
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows
me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
·
Why is it
then that so many professing Christians walk in dark confusion then?
·
Why is it that Billy Graham says that 85% of all Christians live
defeated lives?
·
Why is it, that Christians get divorced just as much as non
Christians?
·
Some studies
say divorce among professing Christians is even higher that non-Christians.
·
Why is it, that Christians experience sleepless nights, anxiety and
depression just like the world does?
·
Why is it,
that even most Christians report that the Holidays zaps energy from them and
they get distracted from the real reason for the season: JESUS
·
I thought
that Jesus came to make a difference and to set the captives free.
·
Jesus himself
said that he came to establish the kingdom within our own hearts, minds and
souls.
Luke 17:20-21 (pg. 742)
says:
20Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the
kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The
·
The Apostle
Paul said “We Christians have the mind of Christ – the mind of God”
·
Then why do
so many Christians seem to have the mind of this world and not the mind of the
indwelling Christ?
·
JESUS HIMSELF
MODELED HOW A CHRISTIAN CAN BE CONNECTED TO GOD’S MIND AND THEREBY LIVE IN
PERFECT HARMONEY WITH GOD in Mark 1:35-39
Mark 1:35-39 (pg. 707) says:
35Very
early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and
went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36Simon and his
companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they
exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
38Jesus
replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach
there also. That is why I have come." 39So he traveled
throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. Mark
1:35-39
·
Jesus was
busy, but as he was healing people and ministering to people, he found the time
to get away to a solitary place to rest, reflect and
pray.
·
It appears
the prayer is more than speaking and also involves listening, because after his
prayer time received direction to go somewhere else.
Illus: In 1967 a
testimony before the Senate, it was claimed that by 1985 people could be
working 22 hours a week or 27 weeks a year or could retire by age 38…however
since 1973, leisure has decreased by 37%. Likewise work weeks have increased
from 41 hours a week to 47 hours a week.
Richard Swansen says:
“Something is
wrong. People are frazzled. People are anxious and depressed. People don’t have
time to heal anymore. There is physic instability in our day that
prevents peace from implanting itself very firmly in the human spirit. And
despite the skeptics this instability is not the same old nemesis recast in a
modern role. What we have here is a brand new disease”. Richard Swansen
What is the answer
in resolving this pain of carrying a burden God never gave us?
THE SOLUTION TO HAVING
ENOUGH TIME AND RESOURCES TO DO GOD’S WILL IS:
_____________(MARGIN). MARGIN is
defined as: Having enough resources such as time, love, energy, and strength to
do more than is needed at any given time.
·
Margin is the
____________(space) that exist between ourselves and
our limits.
·
Margin acts
as a __________(buffer) that protects us from over
exhaustion and protects us from ________ ___________(burn out).
·
MARGINLESS is
defined as: Being so _______________(overextended)
that I cannot do one more thing regardless of its _______________(significance)
because I am already a candidate for burnout.
·
Such a person
is too busy and too exhausted to listen to God.
·
They are the
perpetual hamster on the wheel.
NOTE: In marginless living, no space exists between ourselves and
our limits and therefore friction occurs, which can grind us down over time
because the buffer is gone.
·
The enemy of
margin is not Progress itself, but how it is used!
Richard Swansen says:
“Those cultures with the
most progress have the least margin. Margin was stolen away and progress
is the thief. We must have some room to breath. We need freedom to
think and permission to heal”. Richard Swansen
NOTE: This message
is not an anti- technology message. Thank God for progress and thank God for
technology.
·
A lot of good
has come out of the progress we have made in this technological age.
·
Thank God for
computers and e-mail this can be used to save time.
·
But if we are
not careful, the very technology created to supposedly save us time can enslave
us and become our master.
·
As a
Christian, I must have __________________(boundaries)
in my life that would protect me from this cultures over - business.
MOST OF OUR
PROGRESS HAS OCCURRED IN THE:
1. ______________(Physical)
environment (the material world) – wealth, technology, health).
2. ____________(Cognitive) environment (the intellectual world) –
knowledge, information).
Most of our pain
has occurred in the:
1. ____________(Social)
environment (the societal world) – family, friends, neighbors, church.
2. ____________(Emotional) environment (the psychological world) –
feelings, attitudes.
3._____________(Spiritual) environment (God’s world) – the eternal and
transcendent.
NOTE: The 21st
century trend: Stresses, expectations, and pressures have _______________(increased), while social and emotional support systems
have _______________(decreased).
Clearly in our high tech,
fast paced world, our relationships have suffered in two realms:
1. __________(God) &
2._____________(people).
Illus: 4 out of 10
people are lonely.
INVISISBLE LILLERS OF
RELATIONSHIPS WITH GOD & PEOPLE:
1. ____________Activity)
___________(overload) – In an attempt to squeeze more
things in, we try to do multiple tasks at one time.
2. _____________Change) ___________(overload)
– “Nothing defines our age more than furious and relentless increase in the
rate of change”. Author M. Schlesinger.
3. __________________(Choice) ____________(overload)
– In 1978 there were 11,767 items in the average supermarket; today the number
is 24,531…We are racing toward over choice.
4. ____________________(Commitment)
___________(overload) – Most of us have more commitments than time.
5._____________________(Competition) ____________(overload) – It is embedded in
our culture.
6. _____________________(Decision) ____________(overload_
– Every year we have more decisions to make and less time to make them.
7. ______________________(Information) ____________(overload) – A singular edition
of the New York Times contains more information than a seventeenth century
Britisher would encounter in a life time.
8. _____________________(Noise) ____________(overload) – 50% of the U.S population
is exposed every day to noise that interferes with speech or sleep”.
9. ______________________(Problem) ___________(overload) – The progressing of
civilization has not succeeded in diminishing our problems. We solve one
problem to only create another or two or three.
10. ______________________(Possession) ___________(overload) – We have more “things
per person” than any other nation in history. Everything I own, owns me.
Why would I want more?
11. ________________________(Work) ____________(overload) – Work is God ordained. Work
overload however was not apart of the original plan.
Families today are
overworking and under relating.
12. _____________(Entertainment)
_______________(overload) – The average American home has their TV on 30 hours
a week.
Why are people so
overloaded today?
Perhaps it is an
Attempt to keep up with progress
·
The world in
which we live in measures progress in terms of creating new technologies that
will make life more efficient – the emphasis is on making money.
“Most need is
manufactured by creative advertising. The reality that we really do not
need much at all is viewed by advertisers as an obstacle to overcome. They must
manufacture the need in order to make money”. Richard Swensen.
·
God want us
to abhor the world definition of progress – which is acquiring more things I
don’t need.
1 John 2:15-17 (pg. 862)
says:
15Do not
love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of
the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world—the cravings
of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and
does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and
its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 1
John 2:15-17
ILLUSTRATION:
ALL THERE IS TO
HAVE_____________________________
Education, looks,
money, job, possessions, family, house, cars, toys, prestige, power, friends
ect.
WHAT WE HAVE
NOW_______________________________
As the top line
rises, the gap between what we have now and all that there is to have becomes
greater. Often our discomfort becomes greater as well. Progress perceives
this as a duty – to give us more and more, thus the top line never stops
rising, but our resources do. This tension creates discontent and
pressure to make more money to purchase the things we want, but don’t
need. In the process we overload ourselves.
·
The
Christians response to the world’s definition of progress is to:____________________(not
buy into it).
Philippians
4:9-14 (Pg. 832) says:
“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from
me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
10I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed
your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no
opportunity to show it. 11I am not saying this because I am in need,
for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I
know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned
the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or
hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything
through him who gives me strength. 14Yet it was good of you to share
in my troubles.” Philippians 4:9-14
·
The world
measures success in a lot of different ways like who has the biggest house,
nicest car and the most expensive clothes and so forth.
·
God measures
progress in the form of the _______________(Kingdom)
of ______________(God) _______________(advancing) both _______________(inside)
and _______________(outside) of me.
·
God measures
progress in terms of people coming to Jesus Christ and Christians becoming more
like him!
Matthew 28:18-20 says:
18Then
Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the
age." Matthew 28:18-20
·
God wants us
to cling to his definition of progress
GOD MEASURES
PROGRESS IN TERMS OF:
1.________________(Evangelism) – People trusting in Christ as Lord and Savior.
2.________________(Discipleship) - Spiritual Growth and maturity in the form
of becoming more like Jesus and less like the world.
·
God wants us
to progress in our pursuing a holy life and becoming more like Christ and less
like the world.
·
God wants us
to progress in becoming more like ______________(Jesus)
and less like the ______________(World).
Ephesians 4:22-24 (pg.
828) says:
22You
were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self,
which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to
be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put
on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
·
The emphasis
is on spiritual growth which requires margin to be restored in my life in order
for my relationships with God and people to make progress in giving and
receiving unconditional love.
QUESTION: What is
the secret to restoring margin in my life and thereby receiving God’s peace?
·
Like Jesus I
need to awakened as early as I need to in the morning to spend a daily “______________
___________(Quiet time) with my Heavenly Father.
35Very
early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and
went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36Simon and his
companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they
exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
38Jesus
replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach
there also. That is why I have come." 39So he traveled
throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. Mark
1:35-39
IN HIS DAILY QUIET TIME:
1) Jesus received________________(direction) from God for his day.
2)This direction allowed
him to say __________(no) to the _____________(good) so that he could say
_______(yes) to God’s ___________(best).
The Jesus Principle
applied to Mary and Martha:
Luke 10:38-41 (pg.
735) says:
38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came
to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She
had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.
40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to
be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister
has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
41"Martha,
Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many
things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it
will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-41
·
Martha wanted
her sister Mary to help her make preparations for the party that night.
·
39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's
feet listening to what he said.
·
Martha
expected Jesus to tell her lazy sister to help her clean the house and cook the
meal.
·
Instead,
Jesus rebuked Martha because she had her priorities out of place.
·
Jesus,
instead commended Mary for having her priorities straight.
·
Mary chose to
spend time with Jesus listening to him.
·
We know that
Jesus evidently told her about his coming crucifixion because months later she
anointed his body with oil in preparation for burial while he was still alive.
Mark 14:3-9 (pg. 719)
says:
3While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in
the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar
of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the
perfume on his head.
4Some of
those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of
perfume? 5It could have been sold for more than a year's wages[a] and the money given to the poor." And
they rebuked her harshly.
6"Leave
her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a
beautiful thing to me. 7The poor you will always have with you, and
you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8She
did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my
burial. 9I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached
throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of
her." Mark 14:3-9
·
While sending
time with Jesus as his feet, listening to him, Jesus must have told her about
what was about to happen to him.
·
She evidently
listened very well!
·
Jesus
commended her on her faith, in preparing his body for burial.
·
During that
culture, at that time, the Jews prepared the dead for burial by anointing the
body in perfume.
·
The fact that
Mary did this before Jesus had died showed that she had great faith in what
Jesus told her.
·
FAITH COMES
BY HEARING – HEARING THE WORD OF GOD.
“Faith comes from
hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ”
Romans
So faith comes from
hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ”. Romans
LIKE MARY, IN ORDER
TO DEVELOP FAITH IN JESUS THAT BRINGS GREAT PEACE INTO OUR LIVES, WE MUST:
1) Spend time __________(daily)
in God’s presence ________________(listening) to Jesus/Holy Spirit.
·
A Quiet time
consisting of bible reading, prayer, meditation, thanks giving, solitude etc.
2) Instead of working out your problems in the flesh,
_____________(cast) your _______________(anxieties) on
Christ and let him do the work in you and through you so you can go free from
your pain.
Philippians 4:4-8 (pg. 832) says:
4Rejoice in the Lord
always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your
gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not
be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the
peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers,
whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—think about such things.
John
“Peace I leave with
you; my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your
hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”. John 14:27
QUESTION: DO I STAY
IN
3) Learn to say no to the _______________ _______________(unrealistic expectations) and demands of others.
·
Mary said no
to Martha’s demand because she put time with Jesus first above everything else.
3) Avoid the “tyranny of the urgent” by thinking
“___________ _________ ____________” (long term purpose), instead of “short
term fix”.
5) Know your limitations and prioritize accordingly by
drawing healthy_______________ (boundaries) that create margin in your life
that allows you to experience God’s ______________(peace).
TRUTH: SAYING ____(NO) AT THE RIGHT TIME, FOR THE RIGHT REASON ALLOWS ME TO _________(GIVE)
______________(MORE) OF MYSELF, NOT LESS!
“Be still and know
that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted among the
earth”. Psalm 46:10
·
Being still
allows me to experience God’s peace.
THE CHRISTMAS STORY TELLS US TO _________(SLOW) ___________(DOWN) AND LOOK FOR __________ (JESUS) THE
_______________(LIGHT) IN THE
John
8:12-13 (pg. 757) says:
12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said,
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life."
Matthew 5:14-16 (pg.
683) says:
14"You
are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither
do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its
stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In
the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good
deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Luke
20Once,
having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus
replied, "The
Micah 5:1-5 (pg. 656) says:
Marshal your troops, O city of troops,n
for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike
on the cheek with a rod.
MIC 5:2
"But you,
though
you are small among the clansn of
out of you will come for me
one
who will be ruler over
whose originsn are from of old,
from ancient times.n "
MIC 5:3
Therefore
until the time when she who is in labor gives birth
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
MIC 5:4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
MIC 5:5
And he will be their peace. Micah 5:1-5