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Dec 23, 2012

What to Get for the the Man Who has Everything

Passage: Luke 2:1-18

Series: All I Want for Christmas Is...

Category: Holiday, Faith

Keywords: faith, greed, christmas, bethlehem, star, magi, wise men, herod

Summary:

What happens when God’s Word is proclaimed supernaturally into your life? Does it change you? Why didn't it change King Herod? What did King Herod miss that you can get?

Detail:

What Do You Get for the Man Who Has Everything?

Prologue

Has everybody done Christmas shopping yet? Tomorrow is the last day. Who do you have the most trouble getting gifts for? Then there’s the age old question, what do you get for the guy who has everything? That’s the title of today’s message. I’ll explain a bit because I might not be talking about who you think I’m talking about today. I might be talking about you. As dive into the text, I want you to be thinking about that, “how does this message? This part of the Christmas story have meaning to my life?”

In this sermon series “All I Want for Christmas…” we’ve been looking at some of the key players in the first Christmas story. Those people, Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah, they didn’t know about Christmas trees and presents, and Black Friday. They didn’t know about the Catholic church and Christ-mass.  The last few weeks though we’ve been pondering what they may have been expecting of their immediate future in relation to what they thought was going to happen. Joseph, maybe he was looking forward to marriage, starting a life with young bride. Mary, maybe raising a family, stability, fulfillment over her cultural role in society—being the Proverbs 31 wife, Proverbs 31:28–31 (NASB95)

Maybe that is a good thing for her to want. Zechariah and Elizabeth? To live out their days in service to the Lord? They are certainly not expecting to have a family, a son.

What happens to them though? God’s Word is proclaimed supernaturally into their lives and it changes them. Can you remember a time when words spoken changed your day? Your week? Your life? There are certain words and phrases that can have a profound effect on our lives. What types of words or phrase are day changers? What about life changers?

“It’s terminal.” “You’re going to have a baby.” “Will you marry me?” “No.”

Written words also, especially when they come to at your job written on pink piece of paper. You know I fired on my answering machine once. Words can change our plans, our way of thinking…all that. There was a man who was having some vision problems and so he goes to the doctor and tells the doctor that frequently before he goes to work, he has trouble breathing and sees spots before his eyes. The doctor assumes that is stress related and prescribes some pharmaceuticals and runs a battery of tests, all of which prove ineffectual. The doctor finally says that the guys some rare terminal disease with a Latin sounding name. “how long do I have?” The doctor says, “six months”. So, our hero cashes out his retirement, and goes about trying to live like there is no tomorrow. He spends thousands of dollars and he realizes he needs a new wardrobe as well. So, he goes to get a tailor made suit and the tailor is measuring him and tells him he’ll get him a shirt with a 16 inch collar. Our guy says, “pardon me sir but I have a 15 inch collar.” The tailor says, “no sir, you have 16 inch collar.” “Look mister, I’ve been dressing myself every day for work wearing a shirt with a 15 inch collar.” To which the tailor says, “Sir if you do that, you’ll have trouble breathing and see spots before your eyes.

Words can change our lives. When our players from the Christmas Story hear God’s Word about the first Christmas, it changes their lives, transforms them. Now Joseph and Zechariah had a little problem believing those words, Joseph had a mind to divorce Mary (and that’s only because he heard the words second hand.) Zechariah doubts and gets a conversational time out for 9 months. But when Elizabeth as the kid and people are doubting Elizabeth’s choice for a name for the boy “John”, Zechariah responds in faith by writing, “His name is John.” Confirming what he’d heard from the Angel. God’s revelation is often difficult to receive. It should be because God’s ways are not are ways. If at any time, you think God’s word is easy to receive, maybe you misunderstood it. So, these people, Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah received God’s Word and allowed themselves to be transformed by it.

Not everyone who was a major player in the story was so. Let’s pray.

Text

Matthew 2:1–12 (NASB95)

The Visit of the Magi

    1   Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

    2   “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

    3   When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

    4   Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

    5   They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

    6         ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,

Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;

For out of you shall come forth a Ruler

Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

    7   Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.

    8   And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”

    9   After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

  10   When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

  11   After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

  12   And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

Message

So, this is kind of after the fact. Jesus has been born already in Bethlehem, circumcised, named, all that. And practically nobody knows about it. There’s no Christmas cards, nobody really knows about it except the families and some anonymous shepherds. There’s not a photo album on Facebook nor is there YouTube video of the cow accidentally kicking over the manger with Jesus still in it. Otherwise there’d be lot more verses to Away in a Manger.

Point is, in this case, God’s Word comes late. This struck me when I read the first three verses,

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

    2   “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

    3   When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

There are a number of reasons this is disturbing to King Herod. The most obvious is that this is Herod’s pink slip. I made reference earlier to a pink slip as a something you may get when you are fired from a job. Can anybody tell why a pink slip is pink? Right, official papers are done in triplicate and their carbon copies. So, the pink slip is not the original, or the top copy, it’s down toward the bottom. Which means? When you get fired, other people know before you do. That’s what’s going here. Three foreigners come into town on their camels, “Hey, where this king of the Jews?”

Herod says, “I’m the king of the Jews.”

To which they say, “no, we’re talking about the NEW king of the Jews.” Can you say, “awkward.”

See, Herod was the King of the Jews. Which is kind of odd because he wasn’t Jewish, or of any tribe of Israel for that matter. He was an Edomite, basically, a descendent of Israel’s (Jacob’s) brother Esau. He wasn’t held in high esteem by the Jews of whom which he was king. So, how did he get to be king? Good question.

Background-Herod

The Jewish line kings stopped at Jeconiah at the time of the exile. All the sons of Israel are kicked out of their land as kind of a 70 year time but because God is still faithful, they come back, they just don’t have a king and they aren’t really allowed to play with sharp objects anymore. The the reason for this is that other much more powerful nations are ruling the general area—the Persions, the Greeks and eventually the Romans. Israel is puny and for this time period is being tossed about from power to power. God doesn’t reveal anything to any prophets during this time. The old prophecies are still written down somewhere about a messiah and such but in the meantime Israel was at the mercy of the Gentile nations. They revolted against the Greeks though successfully, led by a man named John “The Hammer” Maccabee because I guess he was also a pro wrestler. Any, Judea wins for itself the status of an independent state. He had some help from foreign powers. I think it was the French, just kidding, Rome. This is really more complicated than I’m making it. But what’s important is, these guys, these Maccabean revolters are Jewish. They became the ruling class of Jews. This Maccabean ruling family was called the Hasmonean Dynasty. Simon Maccabee is named High Priest and Prince of Judea by his own people and they are recognized by Rome because they don’t like the Greeks from their independence was won. Simon’s third son, John Hyrcanus, he made everybody Jewish in the area, including the Edomites, all were forced to undergo circumcision, including a man named Antipater who was an official in the Hasmonean Dynasty. So, he has rank and influence, he’s also technically of the Jewish faith. Antipater became an advisor to John Hyrcanus II (grandson of Hyrcanus I). But Hyrcanus II was weak and Antipater was a Roman puppet…intrigue, intrigue, intrigue. Anipater is made Roman Procurator of Judaea, while Hyrcanus II gets to wear the funny hat and call himself High Priest. Antipater uses and supports Hyrcanus II because it allows him to be a power broker, installing  Phasael and Herod appointing them governors of Jerusalem and Galilee respectively. A bunch of other events of historical import  take place in between, Antipater is poisoned, Hyrcanus tries to get rid of Herod, Caesar is assassinated, et tu Brute, Parthians invade, the Sadduccess try to overthrow Hyrcanus II, Pompey settles the in fighting by relieving Judea of its independence. Billy Joel could write a song about it, we didn’t start the Hannukah. In this fabulous shuffle bada boom bada bing Herod is made king. Herod is not Jewish except by an external expression of faith. He is named King of the Jews by the Roman Senate. That was his title, not governor, not procurator but King. He was a brutal man who proved himself worthy of being able to control a rebellious territory.

He just a bad apple though. He tried to legitimize himself as a Hasmonean by marrying into that family. But marrying a Maccabean princess didn’t make him Jewish just like me walking into a McDonald’s doesn’t make me a Big Mac. I’d have to eat the Big Mac for that to happen.

That is how Herod came to be king. This didn’t sit well with the Jews. For a while there was hope, there were Jewish rulers (stewards if you will) in power, in hope of the coming messiah. That hope was crushed.

So, not only is he not the messiah or a Jewish king, but he’s a scary guy. A few years ago, John, Charlie Greer from the Seaside church and myself went through a book together called, The Dark Side of Leadership by Gary McIntosh and Samuel Rima. The book talks about the darker tendencies that leaders gravitate towards—compulsivity, paranoia, passive-aggressiveness, narcissism, co-dependency, etc. It’s good book and kind of nailed us in one of those categories and for $100 I’ll tell ya John’s. Just kidding. Anyway, usually a leader has one of these darker traits but Herod, he had all of them. On the one hand paranoid about losing the leadership he’d already fought tooth and nail for even killing members of his own family, and on the other trying to please the Jews buy building them an extravagant temple.

Herod was scary and paranoid, scaranoid. He appointed his nephew Aristobulos III as High Priest before the Jews could appoint Aristobulus III as King of the Jews, then one year later, has him drowned at a party. He killed his own wife and his mother-in-law in spite of the fact that his mother-in-law testified against her own daughter. Granted, they were conspiring against him but did he not create that type of environment around himself?

I was watching a documentary about Jim Jones a while back after John had made a reference to him in a sermon and there was an instance where Jim Jones wife tried to enlist the help of her mother-in-law and son to help Jim with his drug problem to which they replied, “how do you tell God he has a drug problem?” Its kind of the same, how do you serve the paranoid king his pink slip? You don’t, you can’t, unless you’re stronger than him. So, basically, Rome or God could do it. And God did. When this supernatural event happened and the star men came, the the scriptures confirmed it. Words can change your day. There were other times when this happened, when God stepped in with a supernatural sign to inform a potentate that his time was up. In the book of Daniel, Belshazzar, king of Babylon is partying with all the plunder from Jerusalem’s temple and all of sudden he sees a hand out of nowhere writing on the wall. He freaks out, his loins loosened and his knees smote one another.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Can’t you see the writing on the wall, that’s where this comes from.” Belshazzar does see the writing on the wall and calls for . . . he calls for the Magi, these type of dudes that Herod has standing in front of him, guys who interpret things, magicians, astrologers/astonomers, we Christians like the translation wise men because to point out that they were pagan, casts shadow on the gospel and we don’t want to go crashing that party. I’d like to think that somehow the full gospel message gets to them They were pagan astrologers just like in Belshazzars time. Belshazzar goes to the Magi for an interpretation, they can’t do it but they know a certain Jew who can, his name is Daniel. And like it or don’t, he was considered the top Magi because he worshiped not the stars but the creator of them. Daniel shares the meaning of the writing on the wall with Belshazzar, explaining about how God and humbled his father but

Daniel 5:22–31 (NASB95)

  22   “Yet you, …. Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this,

  23   but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways, you have not glorified.

  24   “Then the hand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out.

  25   “Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘MENĒ, MENĒ, TEKĒL, UPHARSIN.’

  26   “This is the interpretation of the message: ‘MENĒ’—God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.

  27   “ ‘TEKĒL’—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.

  28   “ ‘PERĒS’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”

  29   Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.

  30   That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain.

  31   So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.

Why that sidetrack? How did Belshazzar react when he heard God’s Word? He died. At least he honored his word and gave the reward to Daniel that he said would. I would say that Belshazzar believed what Daniel said, otherwise he probably would just have Daniel killed. Maybe he even thought that by rewarding Daniel it would stay his execution. What doesn’t he do? Right, he doesn’t repent. Believing God’s judgment of sin is not repentance. Giving an explanation or excuse for your sin is not repentance. Simply put, repentance is a changing of your heart that results in a changing of your ways. It’s not just agreeing God about your sin, that’s part of it, we call that confession, repentance is confession AND changing your ways. What if Belshazzar had said, “Dude, you are so right, I have sinned against God and man and please don’t kill me, I will change my ways from now on.” Might God have changed his verdict? Granted, at the time of this exchange, The Medes were already invading through the sewers but There is precedence for God changing his judgment.

2 Chronicles 33:10–13 (NASB95)

Manasseh’s Idolatry Rebuked

  10   The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention.

  11   Therefore the Lord brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon.

  12   When he was in distress, he entreated the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.

  13   When he prayed to Him, He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

Okay, so the proper response to God calling you out on your sin is to repent, change your ways. Let’s go back and see how Herod reacted to news of his upcoming replacement.

Fast forward five hundred and eighty something years. Here is Herod confronted with a  supernatural sign from God that everybody can see and men who have interpreted the sign. Not only that but he gathers his own wise men, the scribes and the chief priests and asked them about this and they confirmed the birthplace as where the star was leading them to.

6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,

Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;

For out of you shall come forth a Ruler

Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

The Star and the Magi

And believe you me I have a lot of questions about the nature of this star. Too many to try to answer in this message. It is troubling. I don’t think this “star” hung out in place just parked above Bethlehem. Based on cursory reading of the text, it seems to have the nature of something contrary to an entity that was millions of light years away. Herod asks them when did the star appear? How come he didn’t know, because he didn’t see it. Why didn’t see it? because only they could see it where they came from in Persia somewhere. Think about, a bunch of Venezuelans come up from South American on some burros or llamas or whatever and they make it to D. C. and they say we would like see the president.  They’re not just going to be ushered into the oval office. What’s more, no matter how funky they’re dressed, nobody in DC is really going to be troubled over them, unless, unless, unless they have a star with them.

“I’m here to the see the president.” “Yeah, well who are you?” “I’m the most interesting man in the world and this is my star.” You get the celestial treatment.

 

I don’t know what looked like, a comet, but we whatever it was in the sky it was there for 1 ½  years or a little less. It was a supernatural event like God’s moving pillars of cloud and fire in Exodus. This was something different that you don’t explain with a telescope or a textbook, and it was troubling. And also, why didn’t Herod just say, “sit tight guys, have a drink.” And then send his soldiers where the star was hanging out in Bethlehem, kill the baby, and then report back to Herod and then says, hey look, no more star, no more king, take your drugs and go home.

So, the message to Herod is, “the time of the Christ is here, the true king of the Jews is being born, your days are numbered.”

How does he react? 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”

Yeah right.

After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

  10   When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

  11   After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

  12   And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

Now this is another reason I’d like to refer to them as Magi and not wise men. If they had to be warned in a dream by God that Herod was not on the level, I have my doubts about their collective wisdom. What kind of King says that he’s truly excited about being replaced by someone else’s son?

Spiritual Warfare

Meanwhile, back at the ranch,

Matthew 2:13–15 (NASB95)

The Flight to Egypt

  13   Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”

  14   So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.

  15   He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

I think the Angels in heaven were really excited when cell phones were invented. Texting and e-mail would have made their jobs so much easier.  All that running around appearing to Mary, you’re gonna have a baby, Zachariah, you too, to which he says, shut up, to which the angel says, “you first” then to Joseph, “Mary’s telling truth, you’re going to be the most famous adoptive father without paperwork.” Then to give some anonymous shepherds an outdoor concert. Then to the wise guys, “Herod was lying to you.” Then back to Joseph, “go to Eqypt, just do it.” Never mind what you read in history books about key events throughout time. World War II? Colombus reaching North America? Gun powder or the printing press being invented. This is it, this time period of Jesus birth is one of the most important in history. There was so much spiritual activity going on here. We see a star, a city, a baby, nativity set with the shepherds, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, a lamb, a cow and the wise men…who are not really supposed to be there yet. We have a quaint image of what it looked like. Here is what it looked like from the Angels’ point of view:

Revelation 12:1–6 (NASB95)

The Woman, Israel

    1   A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;

    2   and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

The Red Dragon, Satan

    3   Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.

    4   And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

The Male Child, Christ

    5   And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.

    6   Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

This passage from Revelation is a picture of the church age but it uses elements of the advent story to communicate it.

Yes, Herod is the Red Dragon, filled with Satan. One of many throughout history. This concept of a king or human potentate (that means power) being so filled with Satan that they are addressed and treated as such is not unique to that passage in Revelation.

In Ezekiel the King of Tyre is rebuked as if he were Satan, even referred to as being in the Garden of Eden, which he wasn’t.

How does the dragon react when he finds out that his plan to devour the child is thwarted?

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VHOz6Ssv30

If he wasn’t filled with Satan, I don’t know who is.

Some scholars date Jesus birth at 4 B.C. but we can’t really know for sure because Joseph wasn’t an important king or official. We can try to date it based Roman records of a census, etc. but we don’t know how long it took to take that census or how long it took for Joseph and Mary to get to Bethlehem, when they decided to go, we just know she was great with child, etc. We do know when Herod died. He died in 4 B. C. in Jericho in excruciating pain according to Josephus. So if he died in 4 B. C. Jesus must have been born a year or more earlier. So, all our calendars are off a bit and that’s why the world didn’t end on Friday.

Application

So, what does this really have to do with Christmas as we know it today? What does this have to do with us?

Earlier I posed the question, “What do you get the guy who has everything?” Herod was that guy. He had everything he could want and that he fought for. He asked Rome if he could be king, he was made king. These events take place toward the end of his life. It wasn’t so much that he was greedy for what he didn’t have. He was greedy for what he DID have. That’s a problem also. He was so focused on holding onto what was his that it wasn’t even on his radar what he might be able to have from God. Would you trade the kingdoms of this earth for eternal life? Herod tried to. Herod couldn’t even see eternal life? What if he really meant that he wanted worship Christ? What if he had been ready to repent?

What about Israel at this point? Since that Maccabean revolution, I’m sure there was a period of hope. They reestablished the priesthood, two political-religious factions, the Sadducees and the Pharisees. They did this without a Word from God condoning it or helping it. It was all them and who do they get as king? The self-made man of all self-made men, Herod the Great. They became a kingdom built on man’s effort not God’s blessing.

Herod represents the spirit of anti-Christ. He fought to earn a kingdom he could not hold onto. Jesus Christ was given a kingdom that will not pass away. Herod killed anyone who he felt threatened by or was no longer useful to Him. Jesus died for those who threatened and reviled him and made useful those who were formerly useless. Herod promised his kingdom to one of his sons only to later change his mind and roll him under the Roman bus and have him executed. Jesus Christ’s promises are not changeable, He who started a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.

Therefore since we have such promises and such a good king, consider well what you are holding onto that prevents you from further blessing from God? Self-reliance? How is that working for you? Addiction? A relationship? A job? A career plan? What is holding  you back from giving yourself completely to king Jesus?

Gospel Presentation

For those who don’t consider themselves Christian or don’t understand the concept of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I put this out to you, “do you want to be a part of something great? Do you want to have a fulfilling life where you know you are part of a larger more important plan than you could conceive of? Do you want to live your life free of shame?”

  • The Bible teaches us that everybody sins. Romans 3:23 (NASB95)
  •    23           for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
  • Romans 6:23 (NASB95)
  •    23           For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
  • Romans 5:8 (NASB95)
  •    8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

We were helpless. Man proposes nothing—UL Grant. Understanding our helplessness before God is a good thing.

  • Romans 10:9–10 (NASB95)
  •    9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
  •    10           for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

That’s what makes you a Christian by the way, belief and trust in Jesus Christ, not how good you are, not how well you behave, how hard you try, how often you come to church, whether its every Sunday or twice a year. Conversely, if you are ‘well behaved’, come to church to every Sunday, fill the offering basket, do good deeds, but DON’T trust in Jesus Christ as your savior, don’t think you need his forgiveness for your sins, you’re going to hell. God made it really easy, you either need to be perfect or you need to have Christ. Choose wisely. 

Folks, this graphic and Menesia and I developed, these are good things to want, they are not the best things though. Wanting to be a king is not a bad desire. Herod also did some good things while he was king—built a nice temple for the Jews, built an artificial bay, and cut taxes in time of famine. There are reasons he stayed in power for so long and had the support of Rome.

But if what the world can offer you is the best you hope for at Christmas time or anytime, you’re not far from Herod--

For those who have accepted Christ as your Savior, know that He has put it in you to do great things for His kingdom,. Ephesians 2:10 (NASB95)

  10   For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

What is stopping you from doing those great works? What are your excuses? Are you like Mary, “I’m too young and experienced.” Are you like Joseph? “That goes against your current beliefs.” Are you like Zechariah? God can’t bless me, you think you’re too old. Are you like Elizabeth, too ashamed? Are you like Herod? You just want to hold onto what you already have and won’t give it up.

So, what do you get the person who has everything? Jesus. Because if you don’t have Jesus, you don’t have anything of lasting value.

If you want to talk to someone about what it means to have Jesus, talk to me afterwards or John or any number or the person that invited you.