Speaker 1: Very few people were in on the first Christmas. Two
Speaker 1: thousand years later, the entire world knows what Christmas is.
Speaker 1: Billions of people will go to worship service, will celebrate
Speaker 1: the birth of Christ, but not at the first one.
Speaker 1: So what made those people marry Joseph, the shepherds, the
Speaker 1: wise man. What made them so special that they got
Speaker 1: to be in on the very first one? How does
Speaker 1: God choose who he is going to bless? And I
Speaker 1: want to just think for a second about who God
Speaker 1: chooses and uses the kind of person that God can bless.
Speaker 1: The fact is, if you'll get blessable, God will bless you.
Speaker 1: And if you'll do the things that Mary and Joseph
Speaker 1: and the shepherds and the wise men do did, if
Speaker 1: you'll do it now, this will be a blessed Christmas
Speaker 1: for you too, Because when you look at it, Joseph cooperated,
Speaker 1: and the shepherds celebrated, and Mary contemplated, and the wise
Speaker 1: man dedicated. What does that mean? Well, let's just start
Speaker 1: with Joseph. Joseph is the most underestimated and underreported and
Speaker 1: often overlooked character in the Christmas story. He's kind of
Speaker 1: supporting cast. We don't know a whole lot about him.
Speaker 1: But Joseph was just a normal guy. He's a young guy,
Speaker 1: he's poor, he doesn't have money, he has probably a
Speaker 1: menial job in a very small village. And that's about
Speaker 1: all we know about him except this. He was engaged
Speaker 1: and one day his fiancee comes to him Mary and says, honey,
Speaker 1: you're not gonna believe the story. I know, but it's true.
Speaker 1: And she says, I'm pregnant. Now. I know we haven't
Speaker 1: had any relations, but I want you to know I
Speaker 1: have been faithful to you and I haven't ever had
Speaker 1: any relations with anybody else. Right. Oh, and there's one
Speaker 1: other part of the story. The father of my baby
Speaker 1: is God. Guys, if your fiancee told you that, would
Speaker 1: you believe it? That's the most preposterous, outrageous, illogical story
Speaker 1: ever ever given. But it was true. But here's what
Speaker 1: the Bible says Matthew Chapter one. Joseph was a good man,
Speaker 1: and he didn't want to publicly disgrace Mary, so he
Speaker 1: planned to quietly divorce her. Now, he said, well, how
Speaker 1: can you divorce when you're just engaged? In those days,
Speaker 1: an engagement was like a marriage. It was a binding contract.
Speaker 1: You were. Legally, you couldn't just break off an engagement.
Speaker 1: You actually had to do in a divorce to break
Speaker 1: off the engagement. It was like marriage. It's just you
Speaker 1: hadn't had relations yet with your spouse. So he planned
Speaker 1: a quietly divorce her. But an angel appeared to him
Speaker 1: in a dream, and when Joseph woke up, he did
Speaker 1: exactly what the Angel of the Lord had commanded him
Speaker 1: to do, and he took Mary home as his wife.
Speaker 1: Now that took great faith to believe the most impossible,
Speaker 1: improbable story and to trust that God had a bigger
Speaker 1: and better plan for his life that he would ever imagined.
Speaker 1: Now here's the first point I want you to get.
Speaker 1: These are quick points. If you want to be blessed
Speaker 1: by God. You want God's blessing on your business, on
Speaker 1: your marriage, and your relationships, and your friendships and your finances.
Speaker 1: Here's what you must do. You must do what Joseph did.
Speaker 1: You write this down. Cooperate with God's plan for your life.
Speaker 1: You stop following your plan for your life, you start
Speaker 1: following God's bye. This is a total you turn in
Speaker 1: Joseph's life. He had his life all planned out with Mary,
Speaker 1: and God said I've got other plans, but my plans bigger,
Speaker 1: and my plans better. You cooperate with God's plan for
Speaker 1: your life. And here's the key. Even if it doesn't
Speaker 1: make sense, it would make sense later on. But it
Speaker 1: certainly didn't make sense to Joseph when the angel showed
Speaker 1: up and said, go ahead and marry the girl. I've
Speaker 1: got a bigger plan. God's got a bigger plan. The
Speaker 1: Bible says this in Jeremiah twenty nine to eleven. God says,
Speaker 1: I know what I'm doing. I know what I'm doing.
Speaker 1: I have it all planned out, good plans to take
Speaker 1: care of you, not to hurt you. God is a
Speaker 1: good God. My plans will give you the future you
Speaker 1: hope for. Okay, do you trust God or you trust yourself?
Speaker 1: You trust God's plan and you trust your plan. If
Speaker 1: you want the blessing of God in your life, you
Speaker 1: have to cooperate with God's plan for your life. That's
Speaker 1: what Joseph did. That's why he got to be at
Speaker 1: the First Christmas, and others didn't. Okay, what about shepherds.
Speaker 1: The shepherds really are the bottom of the social ladder
Speaker 1: in the Roman Empire, and yet God went from the
Speaker 1: highest of the lowest in who he invited to his
Speaker 1: son's birth. And so he invites the shepherds. And they're
Speaker 1: out there relaxing in the fields. And you know, they're
Speaker 1: not sleeping at home, they're not sleeping in a motel.
Speaker 1: They're sleeping out on the grass every night with their
Speaker 1: sheep to protect them from the wolves and other predators.
Speaker 1: And the Bible says this, look up here on the screen.
Speaker 1: The angel shows up in the middle of the night.
Speaker 1: All of a sudden, the skylights up, and the Angel
Speaker 1: said that the shepherds, don't be afraid. I bring you
Speaker 1: good news of great joy, good news of great joy
Speaker 1: that will be for all people. Christmas is not simply
Speaker 1: for Christians, It's for all people. Jesus did not come
Speaker 1: and die for just certain people, certain class, certain ethnic background.
Speaker 1: He died for everybody. This is good news for all people.
Speaker 1: And he says, today in the town of David, a
Speaker 1: savior has been born for you. It's for your benefit,
Speaker 1: and he is Christ, the Lord. So what did they do.
Speaker 1: The shepherds literally run to Bethlehem. The next verse, they're
Speaker 1: on your outline says this shepherd turied to Bethlehem and
Speaker 1: there they found Mary and Joseph and the baby who
Speaker 1: was lying in a manger. And when they had seen him,
Speaker 1: it says they returned to their fields, singing praises and
Speaker 1: thanking God. They're having a party. They're singing praises. They're
Speaker 1: thanking God for all that they had seen and heard,
Speaker 1: which happened just as the Angel had told them. What
Speaker 1: are they doing. They're celebrating. They're celebrating. Joseph had to cooperate,
Speaker 1: but the shepherds had to celebrate. They're having a party.
Speaker 1: Christmas is a festival. It's not a funeral. That's why
Speaker 1: we say Merry Christmas, like not Sad Christmas, because it's
Speaker 1: not sad. It's good news of great joy, which is
Speaker 1: for all people. For Undue is born this day in
Speaker 1: the City of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord.
Speaker 1: That's the best news. You can have your past forgiven,
Speaker 1: you can have a purpose for living, you can have
Speaker 1: a home in heaven because of Christmas. It's party. Now.
Speaker 1: Here's the second point. If you're taking notes, if you
Speaker 1: want to be blessed, then you've got to be like
Speaker 1: the shepherds, and that is celebrate that God is here
Speaker 1: with us celebrate that God is here with us. It's
Speaker 1: interesting that during Christmas season people will celebrate everything else.
Speaker 1: It will be all kinds of Christmas parties, and Jesus
Speaker 1: is never ever mentioned. But the whole purpose of the
Speaker 1: celebration of Christmas is God is with us. He's come
Speaker 1: to earth. We're not alone in the universe. He has
Speaker 1: a plan and a purpose for our lives. He loves you,
Speaker 1: He knows everything about you. There's a whole lot to celebrate.
Speaker 1: He loves you, and he forgives you, and he has
Speaker 1: a plan for your life. Now, not only did they celebrate,
Speaker 1: they communicated. They celebrated and they communicated, said they told everybody,
Speaker 1: who have you told? How long has it been since
Speaker 1: you told somebody the good news? Have you ever? Have
Speaker 1: you ever ever told anybody the best news in the world.
Speaker 1: If I had the cure for cancer and I didn't
Speaker 1: share it, that would be criminal. They should lock me
Speaker 1: up and put me in prison. If I had the
Speaker 1: cure for HIV and AIDS and I didn't share it,
Speaker 1: that would be criminal. But will you and I have
Speaker 1: something even better? The good news? As I said, how
Speaker 1: your past can be forgiven, how you can have a
Speaker 1: purpose for living and how you can have a home
Speaker 1: in heaven? Where else are you going to get that?
Speaker 1: Have you shared the good news? It says the shepherds
Speaker 1: told everybody they came in contact with, so they celebrated,
Speaker 1: just like Joseph cooperated. Now let's look at Mary. Mary
Speaker 1: had to be scared to death. What are my parents
Speaker 1: gonna think? What are my girlfriends gonna think? I'm pregnant,
Speaker 1: I'm single, nobody has kids out of wedlock in those days?
Speaker 1: Will anybody believe this fantastic story that I'm carrying the
Speaker 1: son of God? Nobody's gonna believe that. But the thing
Speaker 1: about Mary, she didn't panic. She was young, but she
Speaker 1: didn't panic. And the reason she didn't panic because what
Speaker 1: she was thinking about was God's promises to her. And
Speaker 1: while Joseph cooperated and the Shepherd's celebrated, Mary was contemplating,
Speaker 1: and what she was doing was thinking about God's word. Now,
Speaker 1: I want you to know this next verse Luke, chapter two.
Speaker 1: Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and when
Speaker 1: the angels had said to them, and what the angel
Speaker 1: had said to them about this child. Everyone else who
Speaker 1: heard the shepherd's story were amazed. But Mary treasured up
Speaker 1: all the words that she heard and continued to quietly
Speaker 1: ponder them in her heart. Why did God choose Mary
Speaker 1: out of all the young women he could have chosen
Speaker 1: to be the mother of the Son of God? What
Speaker 1: did Mary do right? She paid attention to God's word.
Speaker 1: When God spoke, she listened. She didn't just listen, She
Speaker 1: wrote it down, she remembered. She pondered, that means to
Speaker 1: meditate me, so seriously think about She continued to quietly
Speaker 1: ponder everything. Everybody else heard what the angel said, and
Speaker 1: they wondered, But Mary pondered. Big difference.
Speaker 2: If you want to make your time in prayer the
Speaker 2: best it can be, then you're going to want to
Speaker 2: get a copy of the Daily Hope Prayer Journal. The
Speaker 2: theme is Growing your Prayer Life. This vegan leather, full
Speaker 2: color prayer journal has sections to pray for specific people
Speaker 2: in situations, as well as space to express your gratitude
Speaker 2: and personal prayer request to God. Each page is beautifully
Speaker 2: designed and filled with inspiring Bible verses, photos and artwork.
Speaker 2: The Growing Your Prayer Life Prayer Journal is a spiritual
Speaker 2: growth tool designed to help you enjoy a vibrant prayer life,
Speaker 2: connect with the Lord. Strengthen your prayer practice, and establish
Speaker 2: a consistent daily prayer time. When you give a financial
Speaker 2: gift to this ministry, we'll send you the Daily Hope
Speaker 2: Prayer Journal to say thanks. Quantities are limited, so don't wait.
Speaker 2: By the way, this month, only any gift you give
Speaker 2: will be matched up to one hundred thousand dollars.
Speaker 1: If you want to be blessed like Mary, you must
Speaker 1: contemplate continually on God's word. It says she continued to
Speaker 1: quietly ponder the things she heard that God said in
Speaker 1: her heart. Contemplate continually on God's word. Now, this is
Speaker 1: a promise not just for women. Let's promise for men.
Speaker 1: Let me show you a couple verses up here on
Speaker 1: the screen. James Chapter one, verse twenty five says this,
Speaker 1: if you keep looking and carefully study God's perfect word,
Speaker 1: which sets you free. The truth sets you free. And
Speaker 1: if you do what it says and you don't forget it.
Speaker 1: In other words, you remember it, you write it down,
Speaker 1: you will be what blessed. You will be blessed by
Speaker 1: God for doing it. You get blessed by reading, studying, memorizing, meditating,
Speaker 1: thinking about pondering, applying, and doing the word. Anybody in
Speaker 1: this place could be blessed. It has got to be blessable.
Speaker 1: Cooperate with God's plan, celebrate God's son, and contemplate God's word.
Speaker 1: Think about it. He says. If you do that, you
Speaker 1: will be blessed by God for doing it. Let me
Speaker 1: show you another verse Joshua, Chapter one, verse eight. Study
Speaker 1: this book continually. That's what Mary did. She continually pondered
Speaker 1: what God had said, remember it and meditate on it
Speaker 1: night and day, day and night, so you'll be sure
Speaker 1: to do everything. So it says, remember, study, meditate, do
Speaker 1: then you will prosper and you will be successful. Now,
Speaker 1: what about this last group, the wise men, These guys,
Speaker 1: the wise men, the magi, they're the a list. They're
Speaker 1: the brightest people. They're the scientists. They're far educated, more
Speaker 1: than everybody else is not. A caravan to Bethlehem from
Speaker 1: either Iraq, Iran, Persia or Babylon would require a lot
Speaker 1: of money. But they were wealthy and it would require
Speaker 1: a lot of their time. But they did this because
Speaker 1: it was an intellectual pursuit. They'd seen the star in
Speaker 1: the sky that God had placed there. This is a
Speaker 1: unique star. We don't even know what it did was.
Speaker 1: And they studied the scriptures, and they study the manuscripts,
Speaker 1: and they study the traditions, and they go, oh, this
Speaker 1: is a sign that the savior of the world is
Speaker 1: to be born in Bethlehem. So, at great expense of
Speaker 1: time and money, they traveled to Bethlehem, the exact opposite
Speaker 1: of the shepherds. What are they doing. They're seeking the truth,
Speaker 1: They're seeking God. That is always a wise thing to do.
Speaker 1: Wise men still seek Jesus. Wise men always seek Jesus.
Speaker 1: It's fools who don't seek him. It's fools who go
Speaker 1: through life unprepared for something they know is inevitable death.
Speaker 1: It's fools who go all through life unprepared for is
Speaker 1: there a God? Does he exist? And does he have
Speaker 1: a plan for my life? And don't even care enough
Speaker 1: to figure it out? Wise men still seek Jesus. Now,
Speaker 1: the Bible says this about the wise men Matthew chapter two,
Speaker 1: verse eleven. When the wise men saw the child with
Speaker 1: his mother Mary, they bowed down and worshiped him. Then
Speaker 1: they opened their treasure chest, and they presented him with
Speaker 1: gifts of gold and incense and mirk and being warned
Speaker 1: by God in a dream. They that wise men headed
Speaker 1: home by a different way. Anytime you've been with Jesus,
Speaker 1: it changes your direction. Anytime you've been with God, it
Speaker 1: changes the way you walk, It changes the way you work.
Speaker 1: You can't have somebody as big as God come into
Speaker 1: your life and it not change you. If you think
Speaker 1: you've got God in your life and it that didn't
Speaker 1: change you, you got something, but you didn't get God.
Speaker 1: Because God is so big, he can't come into your
Speaker 1: life without it changing your direction. Now, come into Jesus
Speaker 1: cost him a lot, but when they saw him, they
Speaker 1: worshiped him. Now here's the fourth lesson. If you want
Speaker 1: to be blessed, you want your life to be blessed,
Speaker 1: you want to be blessed, then you be like the
Speaker 1: wise man. And that is this. Dedicate my time and
Speaker 1: my gifts to Jesus to seeking him and then giving
Speaker 1: my time and my gifts. They brought gifts to Jesus,
Speaker 1: and he will multiply. All the things you've got in
Speaker 1: your life are given to you by him. Anyway, you
Speaker 1: wouldn't have anything without God. It's just giving back to
Speaker 1: God what he gave to you. And then he takes
Speaker 1: it and multiplies it back. Let me show you a
Speaker 1: couple verses on the screen. The Bible says in Romans
Speaker 1: chapter twelve, offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God. Dedicated.
Speaker 1: There's the word dedicated to his service and pleasing to him.
Speaker 1: So I dedicate my time, and I dedicate my life,
Speaker 1: and I dedicate my gifts to Jesus. And then here's
Speaker 1: another verse, Romans chapter six, verse thirteen. Give yourselves completely
Speaker 1: to God. I mean, what's more wise than that. Give
Speaker 1: yourself not to something that's not gonna last. Give yourself
Speaker 1: something that is going to last. God's gonna last forever.
Speaker 1: Give yourself completely to God, every part of you. For
Speaker 1: you want to be tools in the hands of God,
Speaker 1: to be used for his good purposes. Now let me
Speaker 1: wrap this up and just ask you the question, what
Speaker 1: are you going to give Jesus for Christmas? It's his birthday.
Speaker 1: Can you imagine going to a birthday party where you
Speaker 1: go to the birthday party, everybody gives gifts to each
Speaker 1: other except to the birthday boy. What kind of party
Speaker 1: is that? The most important gift you give this ear
Speaker 1: at Christmas is the gift you give to Jesus. It's
Speaker 1: his birthday. What are you going to give him? Have
Speaker 1: you even put any thought into it? You say, well,
Speaker 1: what do you give a gift? What kind of gift
Speaker 1: you give the guy who's got everything? Well, he doesn't
Speaker 1: have everything. I could give you a couple hundred things.
Speaker 1: He doesn't have unless you give it to him. He
Speaker 1: doesn't have your love unless you give it to him.
Speaker 1: He doesn't have your trust unless you give it to him.
Speaker 1: He doesn't have your life unless you give it to him.
Speaker 1: He doesn't have your attention unless you give it to him.
Speaker 1: What are you going to give Jesus in this new year?
Speaker 1: What are you going to give him for his birthday?
Speaker 1: That's the most important Christmas gift. By the way, you
Speaker 1: know why we give Christmas gifts because the wise men
Speaker 1: started the tradition. They brought gifts to Jesus, and now
Speaker 1: we give gifts to each other. But the whole gift
Speaker 1: giving pain came because God so loved the world that
Speaker 1: he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in
Speaker 1: him should not perish but have everlasting life. God gave
Speaker 1: the first Christmas gift. He was a gift to you.
Speaker 1: He didn't have to give it. He did it because
Speaker 1: he loves you and he wants you to know him,
Speaker 1: and he wants you and his family. Now, of these
Speaker 1: four things that Mary and Joseph and the Shepherds and
Speaker 1: the angels, i mean, the wise men did, is there
Speaker 1: one that really particularly sticks out to you. Maybe you
Speaker 1: need to be like Joseph. You need need to start
Speaker 1: cooperating with God's plan instead of trying to push through
Speaker 1: your plan for your life. And maybe this Christmas you say, God,
Speaker 1: I'm going to stop trying to push in my plan.
Speaker 1: I'm going to start cooperating with your plan for my life.
Speaker 1: You tell me what to do and I'll do it.
Speaker 1: That's a gift. Or maybe you need to be like
Speaker 1: the shepherds and you need to start celebrating God's gift
Speaker 1: to you. They had a party. We're forgiven, we have
Speaker 1: a savior. We're not out here in the universe by ourselves.
Speaker 1: We are loved as a pastor president and a future
Speaker 1: plan for our lives. Need to celebrate that. Maybe you
Speaker 1: need to have more gratitude and less griping this year.
Speaker 1: Maybe you need to have more thanksgiving and more trusting,
Speaker 1: less complaining, And you say I'm gonna start celebrating God's
Speaker 1: gift to me. Maybe you need to be like Mary.
Speaker 1: You start thinking about the Word of God daily, start
Speaker 1: contemplating his word. So I'm not going to go a
Speaker 1: single day without being in this book. God has spoken
Speaker 1: to you, and the promises for your prosperity, your success,
Speaker 1: your life, your health, your relationships, all these things are
Speaker 1: in this word. But God doesn't have your attention unless
Speaker 1: you give it to or maybe you need to be
Speaker 1: like the wise men. You just need to seek him.
Speaker 1: You know I have not been seeking you. I've been
Speaker 1: seeking my own success. I've been seeking my own fame.
Speaker 1: I've been seeking my own fortune, I've been seeking my
Speaker 1: own future, spouse. I've been seeking all these other things
Speaker 1: that I haven't been seeking you. It's wise to seek
Speaker 1: God first. You say this Christmas, that's going to be
Speaker 1: my Christmas gift to you. That's power heads. Would you've
Speaker 1: prayed this prayer in your heart, you know, said aloud?
Speaker 1: Just say, Dear God, I want to be closer to
Speaker 1: you this Christmas. I want to get to know you
Speaker 1: better and God Like Joseph, I want to learn to
Speaker 1: cooperate with your plan even when it doesn't make sense,
Speaker 1: even when I don't understand it, even if it seems illogical.
Speaker 1: I'm going to trust that you are a good God
Speaker 1: and you have a plan for my life that is
Speaker 1: good and God. I also want to start celebrating all
Speaker 1: the good you've done for me, the gift of freedom,
Speaker 1: the gift of forgiveness, the gift of salvation, the gift
Speaker 1: that I will never go through life by myself but
Speaker 1: you are with me, the gift of your presence. Then
Speaker 1: you might want to say God, I want to be
Speaker 1: a woman of the word like Mary. I want to
Speaker 1: be a man of the word like Joseph. I want
Speaker 1: to look to your words for guidance, for direction, for hope,
Speaker 1: for instruction that I might be the person you want
Speaker 1: me to be and succeed in the areas you want
Speaker 1: me to succeed. And then say God, I want to
Speaker 1: dedicate myself to seeking you, and like the wise men,
Speaker 1: I want to find you, and I want to know you,
Speaker 1: and I want to give you the gifts of my
Speaker 1: time and my life and the talents that you've given
Speaker 1: to me. Lord, Thank you for Christmas, Thank you for
Speaker 1: the joy that we share. Thank you that it is
Speaker 1: a merry Christmas. Even with so many things that are
Speaker 1: bad in the world, that you shine as a light
Speaker 1: in the darkest part of the year. We love you
Speaker 1: and we thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. Hi, everybody,
Speaker 1: this is Pastor Rick. I would like to thank you.
Speaker 1: Thank you for being a part of our Daily Hope family.
Speaker 1: I don't get to say that often enough, but your
Speaker 1: generosity is helping us share the hope of Jesus with
Speaker 1: people here at home and literally all around the world,
Speaker 1: even in places where it's difficult and even dangerous to
Speaker 1: get the good news. You know. I recently heard from
Speaker 1: a woman named Eunice in Cameroon. Cameroon is a country
Speaker 1: in Central Africa, and she wrote to me. She said,
Speaker 1: Pastor Rick, I lost both my son and my daughter
Speaker 1: in the war, and now I'm raising four grandchildren on
Speaker 1: my own. I was overwhelmed with grief. But then she says,
Speaker 1: but through the Daily Hope devotionals, I have found strength
Speaker 1: and comfort and peace in God's word. So thank you
Speaker 1: for helping me hold on to hope. Wow. That's powerful.
Speaker 1: That's powerful, and that happened because your giving is helping
Speaker 1: Eunus find the strength to carry on to raise her
Speaker 1: grandchildren and to keep trusting God even through the deep
Speaker 1: loss of her kids. Now, right now, I want to
Speaker 1: tell you about this because we have a special opportunity.
Speaker 1: There's some generous friends who have offered a matching grant
Speaker 1: that will double your gift. What that means is whatever
Speaker 1: you give will be doubled. Okay, they'll match it. That
Speaker 1: means whatever you give today will go twice as far
Speaker 1: to reach even more people with God's word. So can
Speaker 1: I ask you a favor? I want to encourage you
Speaker 1: and give your best gift you can and today, together
Speaker 1: let's keep bringing the hope of Jesus Christ to people
Speaker 1: like unus and to the billions of other people who
Speaker 1: still need to hear. There are still people who've never
Speaker 1: heard the name of Jesus. We want to keep expanding
Speaker 1: to get the message to the whole world. And I
Speaker 1: am so grateful that we are in this mission together.
Speaker 1: God bless you.
Speaker 2: When you give a gift today, your gift will be
Speaker 2: doubled by the matching grant up to one hundred thousand dollars,
Speaker 2: and will send you the Daily Hope Prayer Journal to
Speaker 2: say thanks.
Speaker 1: D