Pastor Bill's Blog

Luke 2:8-20(NLT) 8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

1. Bringing heaven to earth
Adam and Eve – the Garden of Eden
Abraham – friend of God – Genesis 18 – God with two angels
Moses – burning bush – Exodus 3 – cleft of the rock – Exodus 33
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – fiery furnace
The Lord’s Prayer – thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven
2. A transformational experience
Birth of Cecily
Sherri and my wedding
Moving to Florida and to Indiana
Life Bridge – Cross in Dagger – Heroes
3. The focus of celebration

Nestled amidst wooded landscape of Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Georgia – Fantasy In Lights is the Southeast’s most spectacular holiday light and sound show with more than eight million twinkling lights celebrating the holiday season. This spectacular show has attracted almost two million visitors since it opened in 1992.

Jesus in the beginning – Jesus in the manger – Jesus earthly ministry – Jesus the Savior – Jesus the intercessor – Jesus coming King

Matthew 2:1-12(NLT)   Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, ² “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”  ³ King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. ⁴ He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”  ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:  ⁶ ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”  ⁷ Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. ⁸ Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”  ⁹ After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! ¹¹ They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  ¹² When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

 Recognized the greatness of Jesus as greater than their own – brought royal gifts to the King – followed the star – traveled a great distance– the trap of Herod – they found Jesus – All three gifts are ordinary offerings and gifts given to a king. Myrrh being commonly used as an anointing oil, frankincense as a perfume, and gold as a valuable.

 1.     The spirit in generosity

 2 Corinthians 9:6-7(NLT)  ⁶ Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. ⁷ You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

 Biblical principle of tithing

Biblical principle of over and above giving

2.     The pursuit of generosity

 Proverbs 11:24-25(NLT)  ²⁴ Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.  ²⁵ The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

 Looking for opportunities to be generous

Live from those opportunities rather than limitations

3.     The hindrances to generosity

 Amos 3:5(NLT)  ⁵ Does a bird ever get caught in a trap that has no bait?  Does a trap spring shut when there’s nothing to catch?

 The trap of greed

The trap of stinginess

The trap of a poverty mindset – Broke is a temporary condition – poor is a state of mind

4.     The rewards for generosity

 2 Corinthians 9:10-11(NLT)  ¹⁰ For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.  ¹¹ Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.

 God provides the seed and the bread from the seed

His harvest of generosity

You release the spirit of generosity as you give

 Bernie Madoff – began his investment business in 1960 with $5000 – the amount lost by his clients was around $65 billion – sentenced to 150 years – the rest of his life lived in shame

 S. Truett Cathy – began the Dwarf Grill in 1946 – personal wealth now $1.2 billion – has given over $23 million in college scholarships – established homes for foster children – marriage retreat – to name a few – restaurants closed on Sunday

 Contrast of Herod and Wisemen – Madoff and Cathy