The Goodness of God 2024.

   

Date of Sermon Delivery: 29.12. 2024

Place of sermon Delivery:  Delhi, India

Sunday Worship Service 

Speaker: Brother Jatin  

Title: The Goodness of God 2024.

Bible Psalm 103:1-5

Key verse 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

1. Praise the lord, my soul, all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2. Praise the lord my soul, and forget not all his benefits (a single blessing)

3. Who forgives all your sins, and heals all your diseases.

4. Who redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with love and compassion,

5. Who satisfies your desires with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s

 

18. give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Praise the Lord, my lovely brothers and sisters in Christ.

I am so glad to have each of you here today as we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Day.

I hope that you all had a good Christmas time with the Lord and His people. Also, the Lord has renewed your heart through his messages, songs, fellowship, carol nights, and whatever else you did for His name.

Thank you all so much for working together this Christmas. You all did very well, and may God bless you all.

Thank you very much to God, who does not ignore our pray but listens to all our prayers and is faithful in them.

Jeremiah says in Lamentations 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

God is always great in his faithfulness; he never stopped showing his faithfulness.

He is always ready to make visible all the works in our lives that reveal His greatness.

My tears cannot stop when I know Him to be faithful in all the prayers that I put before Him. Last week, when I opened your notebook, where there are long lists of people's prayers, church events, and trips to Pratapgarh, and Bible tract distribution, when I was looking at them, I found that God loves us very much, and He is a trustworthy/faithful God.

We have a wonderful Lord, the Lord of Lords, whose name is Jesus Christ.

I encourage you, whether someone remains faithful to you or not, but I assure you on the basis of Hebrew 13:8 that Jesus will be faithful even in 2025.

Hebrews 13:8: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 

Let us pray to God.

 

I am very grateful to the Lord that he led us throughout the year to his promised word Isaiah 43:18-19 Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing, now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

I believe that in your life you have experienced new things happening, and God must have done things where it seemed impossible.

I experienced it throughout these whole years, and it is not only about my outer life, but I could also see many new things happen in my inner life too.

This promise is not just for you this year, 2024, but for your entire life this year, that God will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Today is the last Sunday of the year 2024.

We have titled today as thanksgiving Sunday for God’s protection and guidance for this year.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

16. Rejoice always,

17. Pray continually,

18. give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

 

We are rejoicing and thanking God for the precious days of 2024.

The Bible does not ask us to give thanks to God for all circumstances but rather in all circumstances. No matter how terrible we may feel in some of our circumstances, we are told to give thanks in all things, because in it Jesus is with us.

Once a missionary went to an old multioccupancy house, a house where many old people would stay. There was an old lady believer who lived in that house in a very pathetic way (sad, weak, or helpless). So, this missionary went to her and said, Aunty, I know you are struggling with sickness and about to die. Can I help you with something? She said, Thank you. I have Christ; I have all I need.

When this missionary went back to his place, he wrote these words: in the heart of London city, amid the dwellings of the poor, these bright golden words were uttered: I have Christ; what do I want more?

When other people went to meet her, she died, and her last words were, I have Christ; what I want more?

Dear brothers and sisters, we are in a materialistic world; we want gadgets, we want dresses, we want lands, we want vehicles, we want houses, we want jobs, we want to travel, but many times to get many things in our lives, we forget the source who gave us all these things in our lives, and we forgot to thank God in our lives.

God loves when people give thanks. Can you say with deep thanksgiving, I have Christ; what I want more?

 

As we end these years, some of you have reasons to be thankful about the people who had been good to you. Maybe someone has given you the support without which you could not have overcome the crisis you were in

 

As we end these years, every one of us has a great list of things to be thankful to God for.

If you look back on this year, you will find that God has done a lot in your life.

Whether it is a small prayer or a big prayer, whether it is an immediate answer to your prayer or a short delay, you will find that God has done his work in a wonderful way.

 

Today let us see from the Bible some principle of thanksgiving.

King David was a man with a great heart of thanks to God.

King David was the person in the Bible who gave thanks to God again and again in the Old Testament.

David was a shepherd boy before he became the hero of a nation.

A man who fled a nation and became its king

A condemned sinner and murderer who became a man after God’s own heart.

Let us begin by seeing how David thanked God, and in Psalm 1013 David begins with words of thanksgiving.

 

1. Praise the lord, my soul, all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2. Praise the lord my soul, and forget not all his benefits (a single blessing)

He begins in verse 1 by talking to himself, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

He is speaking to himself and telling himself to praise God with all that he is.

It seems like David is trying to break out of his apathy/uninterest and trying to awaken his heart to worship.

He says bless his Holy name with all that is within me; it seems like David wants to praise God with every fibre of his being.

In verse 2, David commands himself to give thanks to God, and he also commands himself to do so while remembering all of God’s blessings.

We can see through verses 1&2 David deeply loved the Lord and wanted to give thanks to him with every part of his being.

David did not want to do it by half measures; he did not want to worship or thank God with only half of his affections.

He did not want to love the Lord his God with half of his heart, mind, and strength, but rather with all his heart, mind, and strength.

As a follower of Christ, do we have this same kind of desire to thank our God?
Do we long to bless the Lord with all that is within us?

Do we seek to love him with all our heart, mind, and strength?

Do we live lives that are devoted to bringing glory and honour to our God?

I know that we all have answers to these questions, and we find them when we look at ourselves.

David wanted to bless the lord with every fibre of his being, and then he told himself not to forget God’s benefits, what these benefits are.

For every benefit (upkar)/single blessing, David is just praising God. He is thankful to God with all his being for everything.

 

1. Thank God for forgiving our sins : Verse 3 Who forgives all your sins.

David begins by thanking God for being a God who forgives all his sins. David knew what was important to God.

David reminds himself that God has forgiven all of his sin. Every bad thing that David had done had been forgiven.

He doesn’t begin by thanking God for making him king.

He doesn’t mention that Israel had become the strongest nation in the world during his reign. He does not thank God for his family first.

No, first of all, David thanks God for forgiving his sins.

See, Jesus died for our sins. Jesus did not die on the cross to give us a good family or a good job. It can be the benefits of following Christ. But primarily Jesus died to forgive our sins.

David speaks again in this psalm of God’s forgiveness. In v.12 he says, as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Therefore, thanksgiving has to begin by asking God to forgive our sins. 

I believe that if we look at our sins and shortcomings in 2024 and ask God to forgive, then God will forgive our sins, and I believe that we should all thank the Lord that He forgives all our sins and helps us start 2025 without guilt and sin.

 

2. Thank God for your health and family’s health : who forgive all your sins, and heals all your diseases.

 

David didn’t know anything about diseases or infections; he did not know much about health, as in those days science was not that developed. All he knew was that when the people of Israel obeyed God’s laws that they didn’t have the plagues that killed thousands.

But when troubles did arise and people were sick, they called upon God for help, and He was always there to heal them.

You may not be able to fully understand everything that happened in your life in 2024. But one thing I am pretty convinced of is that even without your knowledge, God has protected you, and he has healed you. How amazing it will be to say that you were not hospitalised in these years. God was our great physician in 2024. He knew where we needed healing, whether it be physical, psychological, emotional, or spiritual, and he has guided us with his great hand. I’m so thankful to God for his healing hand upon our church and upon our church members families too.

Come on, give a clap offering to God for his healing hand upon us.

 

3. Thank God to redeems your life from destruction : Verse 4. Who redeems your life from the pit.

In other words, a pit you, if you fell in, could not get yourself out of; this could be describing various troubles we found ourselves in.

We fall into a pit, and we are unable to get out of it, and only Jesus can save us. (Story of two people digging a pit)

Maybe many times we might have moved around this year like a lost sheep or like a prodigal son. But be thankful to Jesus that he was there standing all the time to save our lives.

As John 10:11 Jesus says, I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, and he cares for each of his sheep, and he will seek out his sheep till he finds it.

We all are important for Christ; therefore, we are in his house. Christ cares for each of us, not only as a group but also individually.

Each of Christ’s sheep is very precious in His sight.

Psalm 107: 13 says then they cried out to the lord in their troubles and he saved them out of their distresses.

Give thanks to God, because he redeemed us from our dark lives pit.

He is so amazing, God.

 4. Thank God for his love and compassion : Verse 4. Who redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with love and compassion.

Thankful to God for his love and compassion this year, over to you. God loved you with a covenantal love that did not fail, due to our time, emotional, heart,

We have loving relationships in our lives, even the best spouse, child, parent, or friend, but maybe their love failed according to the situation, but thanks to God, because he loves you with a perfect, unfailing kind of love that never ends, neither in the past nor in 2024 nor in the years to come.

5. Thank God for your material blessing : Verse 5. Who satisfise your desires with good things.

David was thankful to God, who satisfised him with all good things. Maybe you got job, business progress, high on salary, daily food, a house to live in and clothes to wear.

Deuteronomy 8:10-14

¹⁰ When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. ¹¹ Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. ¹² Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, ¹³ and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, ¹⁴ then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

 

God expects us to list everything he has given to us and give thanks to him.

If we will not list it and give thanks to God, God looks at us as person of pride. If we are not give thanks to God for whatever we have, and however we are living, then it will produce a pride in us, even we will have selfish nature.

If we do not list and give thanks to God, we are in fact giving credit to ourselves for our blessings.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18

You may say to yourself, my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me. But remember the lord your God, for it is he who give you the ability to produce wealth and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

There I would like you to list down every blessing that God has given to you through out 2024 and give thanks to God.

 

6. Praise God and thank God for tough and bad times : There can be some of us, who are suffering, who are weak, struggling with family relationship, struggling with financial problem, struggling with some kind of sickness, and even still has unanswered prayers. But still we can give praise and thanks to God even though bad things happen to us or some kind of struggling.

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be joyful in God, my saviour.

In this time Israel incurred great losses; that particular year they had no crop, no cattle, and people were literally starving, and their economy was bad; even in such a great loss there were praising and thanking God.

Psalm 23:4 says

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, comfort me.

Maybe some of you are struggling or might have struggled a lot during this entire year, but you are not the only ones; you are not the only ones hurting. There are people who do not know God outside who are also struggling and hurting, but the difference is that when you were struggling or hurting by something, God was with you to help you.

God knows every cry that comes from the lips of his people and every prayer from the depths of our hearts.

I am very thankful to God, who forgave my sins, who kept me healthy this year, who redeemed and protected me from falling into the pit, who kept me under his love and compassion, and I am so thankful to God, who provided me everything that was required to live on this earth. 

Dear brothers and sisters.

This morning you may have many reasons to thank God for. We must thank him because he is a faithful God, but first of all, let us thank God for forgiving our sins, thank God for our good health, thank God for protecting us, thank God for his blessing upon us, thank God for his love, and finally thank God for all the tough we went through in 2024.

Let us thank God for whatever he has done in our lives in 2024 and try to learn from all our failures with the help of the Holy Spirit, and let us begin 2025 with Jesus; He is the right person to start your year with.

(prabhu mai tere paas)

Let us pray.

 

God's love gift : Jesus Christ

  

Date of Sermon Delivery: 22.12. 2024

Place of sermon Delivery:  Delhi, India

Sunday Worship Service 

Speaker: Brother Jatin 

Title: God’s love gift:  Jesus Christ.

Bible: Isaiah 9:6

 

Praise the Lord & Merry Christmas.

We have come to the last days of the year along with Christmas.

Sometimes, I don't know why time passes so fast, but I am glad that you and I are still walking with that cross. It is not because you and I have great physical strength but because the Lord Jesus is with us.

Sometimes I think about my life without Jesus.

Do you ever think about life without Jesus? If you ever ask this question to yourself, you will find yourself closer to his love and realize how much of an impact he has on your life.

Many times I ask myself this question: What would my life be like without Jesus?

So, I find that I am nothing without him.

These changes that he has made in my life probably would not have happened to me because the life that he talks about and the life that he encourages me to live, we have never found in the knowledge of this world.

Maybe we can never understand His love with a hard heart; that is why He sent His Son Jesus Christ to this earth to explain that love.

So that we can come to righteousness through His sacrifice and understand His love with a new heart that He loves us so much.

The love between two people happens only through the connection of the heart.

Without the connection of the heart, there is no love.

Similarly, when we love God, it is important to be with the heart; it is possible only when we believe that Jesus Christ came for us and died for our sins and was raised again on the third day for us, and now, He's coming again for us.

So let us celebrate this day with great joy, and may the light of Christ shine brightly in your life this Christmas and throughout the coming year.

Let us pray. 

Christmas is the celebration of God’s gift of love.

Christ coming to earth was not to establish the economic madness, but it was to crush the head of that old serpent.

It was to break the chains that enslave us,

It was the fulfilment of the promise God made in the book of Genesis.

Genesis 3:15 The seed of the woman shall crush the head of the serpent that is the devil.

I want to encourage you: Christmas was the beginning of a major league to fight for your soul, and Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose from death victorious over the death of hell in the grave.

Let us look at the awesome word from the mouth of prophet Isaiah concerning the birth of Christ. Isaiah 9:6 for to us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, Everlasting father, prince of peace.

For to us, a child is born. Us who? Us everybody

No, Isaiah is speaking only to believers.

Why? Because a gift must be received before it is yours.

If I am giving you a gift but you are not receiving it, then it is still mine.

In John 3:16 for God so Loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God loved everyone, He gave Jesus to everyone, but whoever believer/whoever received him only has eternal life.

Jesus Christ is for everyone but whoever has received him and has faith in him has life.

When do we say something that is mine? when we receive it or take it.

If you have not received Christ, he is not yours, but if we have received him then Christ is yours.

Going to church does not make us believers, singing a song, delivering a sermon, or giving gifts, does not make us believers.

But we become believers only when we follow the Son of God. God wants us to become followers of His Son because you receive him as God’s gift to you.

If we do not confess him as a savior and God then there is no salvation, there is no hope, there is no eternal life and he is not yours.

In simple words, you are not living until you know Jesus.

There is no authority to divine.

There is no divine prosperity.

There is no claim to Joy.

There is no peace.

There is no love and there is no home in heaven.

My Question to you in this morning. Have you received God’s gift Jesus Christ into your life?

If you have, then you are on your highway(way) to heaven.

If you have not, you are never going to be there.

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, this speaks of Christ's Humanity.

He began his life like any human an infant born naked in a cave.

The government was trying to tax his mother and father therefore they were making a road trip to be taxed by Caesar.

Hebrews 4:15b says he was tempted with every temptation, just as we are, yet he did not sin.

He wept as we weep.

He felt what we felt.

He experienced slander/disgrace.

His birth was questioned then and now.

He suffered religious persecution

He suffered from racial hatred because he was a Jewish man living in the Roman Gentile world.

He was betrayed because his disciple Peter denied him often.

A judicial system against him, when Pilate said, I find no fault in this man, and according to Roman law, the trial should have been over.

Pilate was not seeking the truth, but he was seeking to please the people.
Pilate turned Jesus loose into the hands of madmen who wanted to kill him.

He experienced rejection.

He experienced shame, yet he was loyal to his father.

In the darkest moment, representing you in the garden of Gethsemane, he said, Yet not my will but yours be done.

He walked to the cross as the champion and died; through that, the gift of God brings eternal life to you and gives you peace. You experience in the darkest valley his light is guiding you, and when you call him, he appears to you because he is the wonderful, mighty, almighty, resurrected son of God.

Isaiah 9:6 next phase is saying, “To us a son is given.”

Not born, but it is given.

Why is that word?

This speaks to the pre-existence of Jesus Christ.

He existeded before his birth; therefore, he was given.

God so loved the world that he gave his only son.

Jesus was there on creation’s morning.

Jesus was there when angels drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden to eat the forbidden fruit.

He was there when Abraham climbed Mount Moriah.

He was there when Moses placed his rod into the Red Sea and the water (Red Sea) was divided into two parts, and millions of Israelites walked across on dry ground.

He was there when the three Hebrew men walked into the fire, and he appeared asthe fourth person.

He was there when you wept last time with your broken heart.

He was there when you lost your dearest friend or your relative.

He felt what you feel.

He was there when the doctor said that there was no solution to this disease.

He is there because his name is Jehovah Shammah. It means the Lord is there.

He will be there when you need him. Jeremiah 33:3 call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

Whisper the mighty name of Jesus, and the angels of heaven flock to your defense.

यीशु के शक्तिशाली नाम को फुसफुसाएं और स्वर्ग के देवदूत आपकी रक्षा के लिए जुट जाएंगे।

he stands there in the highest heavens, prepared to meet your need.

वह सर्वोच्च स्वर्ग में आपकी आवश्यकता को पूरा करने के लिए तैयार खड़ा है

Isaiah 9:6 next says the government shall be upon his shoulder.

Daniel 2:44 In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, it will itself endure forever.

Even our lord’s prayer says, for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

His kingdom is not going to end.

When Christ comes again, he will set up his kingdom on the temple mount of Jerusalem.

Kings and authorities will come from all the corners of the earth and knee bow down before him, and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord.

In the fields, the wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together, and a little child will lead them. There will be no war, there will be no need for an army, the jails will be empty, and the hospital will be vacant because there will be no sickness. Jesus Christ will rule and reign from the city of Jerusalem. That is all written in the revelation.

Isaiah 9:6 next says, “His name shall be called wonderful.

He was full of wonder at his birth. He was born of a virgin, he was announced by angels, he was surrounded by shepherds and kings, and he was wonderful in power.

He commanded the winds and waves of the Sea of Galilee.

He commanded demons to come out with a word.

He looked at the sick and said, Rise and be healed.

Whatever their suffering, they immediately healed.

He walked to the cave of his friend Lazarus and said, Lazarus, come forth (out), and a dead man walked out from his grave because he was full of wonder that the God we serve right now is still full of wonder.

He is still having all power in the heavens and the earth.

He is still the way maker; He is still the king of kings and lord of lords.

Give him a shout of praise.

When he saved us from our sins, at that he was full of wonder.

When he blessed you with prosperity, he was full of wonder.

When he made a way, where there seemed to be no way, he was full of wonder.

When he took your shattered life and your broken dreams and beautifully rebuilt your life, he was wonderful, and he is still wonderful.

Merry Christmas.

Isaiah 9:6 says his name shall be called the counselor

A counselor is someone who has the answers to the greatest questions of life.

Jesus said in John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life.

But, in our secular humanist society, most people look everywhere for guidance except Jesus Christ.

Are you looking for answers? Let me give it to you very simply: Jesus Christ has the answer, Jesus Christ himself in our answer, everything you are looking for, every secret of life, every secret of health, every secret of prosperity, every secret of family unity, every secret of eternal life is in this Book (Bible).

Isaiah 9:6 says he is a mighty God.

His name is above every other name.

All high-sounding titles that earthly commanders give to each other are full of vanity and ego.

Alexander the Great is a high-sounding title for a man, but he died at the age of 32 of typhoid fever. He was not great; he could not conquer himself.

There is one man who walked across the stage of history, whose greatness is greater than the man tongue can tell.

He is the great, he is the great physician, he is the great shepherd of the sheep who guides and provides.

Never in human history was there a child who was born a living God from the womb of a virgin but Jesus did.

Never in history was there a man wounded by Satan yet who crushed the head of Satan, but Jesus did.

Never in human history was there one who was the saviour of men, yet he was crucified by man, but Jesus did.

Never in history was a man who died, was buried, and rose on the third day, just as he said he would.

He is our joy; he is our hope; he is our salvation.

But the question is, do you know him?

But the question is, do you love him?

The question is, had you accepted him as your lord and savior?

Do you serve him?

Isaiah 9:6 says he is the everlasting father.

Jesus is the everlasting father, which proves that Jesus and the Father are the same.

Hebrews 5:9 says, He became the author of eternal salvation.

He is the author of eternity. He is the father of eternity.

The Son of Man has a beginning, but as the Son of God, he has no beginning.

He is the author of everything that ever was.

That is why we can read these powerful words: Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.

You may have lost someone, but if they knew Jesus Christ, if they knew the everlasting father, be assured you will one day be reunited.

Isaiah 9:6 says he is the prince of peace.

The night the prince of peace was born, the angels announced peace on earth.

Because of Jesus, we have peace with God! When Christ went to the cross, He made it possible for us to have peace with God by paying off the debt of guilt on our souls.

Peace with God is only possible through the shed blood of Jesus.

Dear brothers and sister

At Calvary Jesus conquered the power and principalities and he shouted it is finished.

The angel said to marry you shall call his name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.

What does it mean to be saved?

It means you have accepted the gift of Jesus Christ.

Until you receive the gift, there is no Merry Christmas for you, not now and not ever.

But still receive that gift, because for it is he will save you.

Abraham cannot save you; Paul cannot save you; humanism cannot save you; socialism cannot save you; education cannot save you; brotherhood cannot save you; the degree cannot save you. Financial status cannot save you, but only Jesus can save your soul, that is the gospel, and that is the good news of great joy.

Isaiah 45:22 says turn to me (look at me) and be saved, all you end of the earth; for I am God and there is no other.

All you end of the earth, mean everyone who is far from God, no matter how big a sin they had done.

Isaiah 1:18b Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

The blood of Jesus Christ has washed away all your sins and removed all the stains from your life, and it has become white as snow, and buried in the deepest sea never to be remembered again.

1 John 1:7b the blood of Jesus, his son, purifies us from all sin (the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin, all sin. How much? all sins.

Micah 7:19 b he will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

We are pure as the blood of Jesus can make us.

Hallelujah.

Dear brothers and sisters very soon the trump of God is going to sound.

Jesus Christ is going to rise, and we who are alive and remain should be caught up in heaven to be with the Lord forever.

The most high God is coming soon, merry Christmas.

The king is coming, merry Christmas for to us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, Everlasting father, prince of peace.

there was none like him, there is none like him and there will be none like him.

I hope you may receive God’s love gift Jesus Christ in your life.

I pray you may allow him to be lord of your life.

Let us prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, I ask you to forgive me of all my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I receive Jesus Christ as a gift of my life, that cleanses me, that lives within me.

And I will love him and adore him and worship him.

In Jesus' name, We pray amen.

 

 

 

What does Christmas teach us?

Date of Sermon Delivery: 1.12. 2024

Place of sermon Delivery:  Delhi, India

Sunday Worship Service 

Speaker: Brother Jatin  

Title: what does Christmas teach us?

Bible: Matthew 2:1-12

Key Verse: On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

 

1.     After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem

2.     and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3.     When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

4.     When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.

5.     “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6.     ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

7.     Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.

8.     He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9.     After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

10.  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

11.  On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

12.  And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

 

 

Good morning and Happy Lord’s Day.

I welcome you all to this new morning and pray that you can feel His presence and love as you are in His fellowship.

It is by the grace of the Lord that we are gathered together for His name.

You all are looking very beautiful; you all are looking happy this morning; your faces are very bright, and this is because our Saviour is born in this world, and if Jesus had not been born, then we would not have had this glow on our faces.

So, on this new morning and the first day of December, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas.

Christmas reminds us of the incredible grace God offers through His son Jesus. This story of salvation begins with the starry night of Bethlehem that opened the way of light for people that was closed by ancient sin.

I hope that through this time you will be very thankful to God and this time may become the reason for increasing your faith.  

May the Lord bless you all greatly this Christmas season and draw you closer to Him.

Come, let’s greet Christmas together and thank the lord with applause.

Let us pray to God.

 

Heavenly father,

We come before you with grateful hearts and thanking you for the opportunity to gather in your name. May your Holy spirit fill this place and open our hearts and minds to receive the message you have for us.  

Lord, I pray for myself and brother Sachin that our words may reflect your truth and love.

It my inspire, challenge and encourage us all to grow closer to you.

We also lift up those who are present today. May they feel your presence and touched by your grace.

Let this time together be a moment of transformation and renewal.

Thank you, Lord for everything, we surrender this time to you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.

Amen.  

 

 

The world celebrates this Christmas in two ways: worldly and biblically.

Some people come just to see Christmas, or if they have not been able to meet people throughout the year, then they think, Let's meet everyone today.

But if Believers also say that he has come to see Christmas, then there is something wrong because sometimes we just want to see the water of life but do not want to drink it.

We just want to see the bread of life but don't want to eat it and want to see the way of life from a distance but don't want to walk on it.

we just want to see Jesus but do not to be like Jesus.

In John 6:68 Peter answered him, Lord, to who shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (NIV)

Many times, people want to see the person (Jesus) who tells them about their life but do not want to accept his words.

They want to see him from a distance but don't want to establish a relationship with him.

So, Christmas is not just a thing to see; there will be good decoration, good light will be there, refreshment will be there, different types of activities will be there, and enjoyment will be there.

All these things seem good, but the meaning of Christmas is something else, and this morning we will learn some things from the lives of those astrologers (wise men) that what Christmas teaches us.

To see this, I want to focus your attention on today's Bible Matthew 2.

Let's read it together.

 

Many historians and biblical scholars believe that the magi, or wise men, were from the Zoroastrians, one of the first monotheistic religions. Zoroastrians believe there is one god called Ahura Mazda (wise lord), and he created the world.

So, while the magi (wise men) did not believe in the same God as the Hebrews, they were astrologers who studied the sky and stars.

So, when they saw a new star in the sky, they found that this is not an ordinary star, but it has a connection with a very great prophecy and personality.

And when they studied on it, they came to know that the God for whom everyone had been waiting for a long time had been born, and they started following that star and arrived in Jerusalem.

Their numbers were very high; some say they were in the thousands, and all of them were coming from countries east of Israel.

For what purpose are they coming?

They are coming to worship Him (Jesus).

As it is written in the scriptures that they fell down and worshipped him.

Christmas, when we come to the house, or whether we ever come, we come so that we can worship God.

Christmas demands from every believer that when we come to meet God or to talk to Him, then we do not just look at Him or wander here and there but go after worshipping Him and thanking Him. Give him your offering and tell him that I am very thankful that you came into this world for me, but do it in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

Otherwise, sometimes Christmas becomes traditional; people are very happy, there is a Christmas vibe for a month, songs are being sung, there is fog outside, and everything is good, but if it is only for one day and one month, then it is not good. But it is important that in this one day and one month, we should bring out heartfelt gifts for the Lord from our hearts; we should bring out such worship from our hearts that it may impact our hearts for years. 

So, Christmas teaches us that our hearts should draw true worship for Him.

 

The second Christmas teaches us to show our commitment to the Lord and connect with him in a relationship.

How long do you think these people would have travelled?

How much time do you think it would have taken for them to reach here from Iran, Iraq, or Asia Minor?

It took them 2 to 3 years to reach Jesus Christ.

And if we have to come to a church that is 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 2 hours away, and if this time increases even a little, our mind gets distracted.

But they waited; they travelled 2 to 3 years to meet Jesus Christ.

From this we can see their hunger and desire to meet Jesus or celebrate Christmas. Christmas can also mean meeting Jesus; Christmas can mean connecting with Jesus, and if I am connecting with Jesus in Christmas, because I can sing the song, Jesus aaya hai, Jesus aaya hai. But if I do not have a commitment, then Christmas means nothing to me.

 

But looking at their commitment, it has been so long since they left their houses; they were away from their family, maybe the roads would not be so good, and there were no vehicles like today.

It may have rained on the way, it may have been hot, it may have even snowed, but they had a commitment that they would not go back home without meeting the Saviour and establishing a relationship with Him; they would not go back home without offering Him their hearts.

And maybe some of them might have gone back because the ration might have ended, maybe they might have missed their family, some might have fallen ill, and some might have started missing their family members.

But those who were committed would have moved forward.

We need to know in which group we are.

When we come to Jesus Christ, do we see our circumstances, do we come seeing our troubles, do we see our comfort, do we see our day, do we see our time? And if we do not find it, then should we give up Christmas?

Christmas is the time when the one who finds him meets him.

Christmas is the time when, in our hearts, Jesus takes birth.

Although Jesus was born 2000 years ago in Bethlehem.

But if he is not yet born in my heart, then my Christmas is incomplete.

Many of them must have been turned back because it might not have been so easy for them; it might not have been so easy for them to go to Bethlehem because of weather, food, travel, missing family, and tiredness.

Similarly, many times in today's age, people turn away from the Lord. We are tired, we are defeated, we are not worthy, it is very difficult for us, and we now want to turn back towards the world.

When Lot’s wife moved out from Sodom, but her heart was on Sodom, and he was looking backward to Sodom, I could not move forward; I could not follow the lord's voice more; I wanted to go back. And when she turned her face back, the Bible says she became a pillar of salt.

 There is nothing more sad than turning back after taking a step forward for Christ.

Luke 9:62 (NLT) But Jesus told him, Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.

But these wise men who came to Jesus and decided that now living is Christ and dying is also Christ, so they set out in search of Him, and those who seek Him are never ashamed.

Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed (Psalm 34:5 ESV). Jeremiah 29:13 says if you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

Jesus definitely finds them, those who seek him, and he does not leave them.

If you are taking one step towards him, then he is taking 10 steps towards you so that he can meet you.

They kept their courage and kept moving forward. It may have rained many times, it may have been cold, it may have been very hot, but they kept moving forward, they were committed.

When we have decided to walk with Jesus Christ, we need to make a commitment to walk with him.

Once we think that Jesus, we are yours, then there is no need to turn your back.

We should not just be those who see Christmas and, thinking that there will be good atmosphere, we will take some photos, we will have good food, we will meet some good people, we will enjoy, and then come back home.

But it is more important that we become more committed to the Lord through Christmas.

 

Next Christmas, teach us to bow down in front of Christ—when they met Jesus, they bowed and worshiped him.

Christmas teaches us to bow before Christ and teaches us to surrender to him.

They were rich people; they were wise people, but when they came in front of the saviour, they  bowed down their faces.

But today many times our education, our status, our position, our skills, our money, and our connections are preventing us from bowing before our God.

When Saul became king, his life changed.

Now he wanted his own respect in front of people; now he did not care about God, but he liked his own respect more than God’s respect.

I SAMUEL 15:30 Saul said, I have sinned, but please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel, come back with me, so that I may worship the lord your God.

King Saul did sin, but he said to prophet Samuel, Please honour me because I am king.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Always remember that our education, our money, our big house, our salary, our business, and our job should never take us to a place where we find it difficult to bow before God.

Many times, when the level of people becomes high, they do not even clap while worshipping; they do not sing.

If the status in the society is high, then we do not pray in front of everyone because what will people say about me?

 

David, he was a great king of Israel, but he danced before the lord; he was dancing out of the goodness of the lord. He did not care who was watching or what people were saying; he did not care about how he looked to them. He did not mind looking like a fool because he did not dance to please people, but he danced to please God.

But when his wife (Michal) saw him, she hated him after watching him dance, and she was not the only one, but there is something within us that rejects/fears such joy, passion, and love.

The devil comes and says that you cannot do it. What will others say about you? Do you not have some status? If you dance in gospel songs, then the one there will see you, or the one here will see.

But I want you to see the love of our Lord. It is written that when the son went away and when he gave up everything and started going to his father's house, he thought that he would get the life of a servant in his father's house.

And when he was coming, the father saw his son from a distance, and he ran and hugged the son.

It was a very shameful thing for a respectable person and an elderly person to run, but our God has done it for us; he has made himself zero for me and for you.

2 Corinthians 8:9 for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

 

Therefore, Jesus came so that we could be saved. When an angel went to shepherd those who were watching over their flocks at night and said, Do not be afraid; I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

What is the great good news in this world?

If a daughter/son is born in our house, then we consider it as good news, and we go everywhere and share sweets.

If we purchase a car, then we consider it as good news.

If we go abroad, then we consider it as big news, and we discuss it in 10 places.

If someone's son goes abroad, the mother tells everyone.

This all news is good, but the greatest good news of this world.

John 3:16 for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so whoever believe in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

This good news we have to share with everyone.

Christmas teaches us to surrender, and it comes through our belief in Jesus.

Next Christmas teach us that we should offer our offering to God.

Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.(11b)

Offered him gold (king), frankincense (His name will spread everywhere), and myrrh (His body will never demolish).

 

Next Christmas teach us that about life of faith.

When they moved from their house, there would be a question: Where were you going?

 

We are going on a trip.

How long is the journey? do not know

When will you come back? Do not know

What kind of nonsense are you talking? People must have told him.

Maybe some family members might have told them not to go.

But they must have said that we have to go.

Where do we have to go? where this star will take

Many may have made fun of them, but in faith they were strong.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

John 20:29 Because you have seen me, you have believed, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

 

You are also among those who have not seen but have believed.

We have not seen Him with our physical eyes, but still we say that our Saviour is born, and He is our life.

Therefore, our faith must be strengthened by Christmas.

 

 

So when they met Jesus, they worshipped him, bowed before him, surrendered to him, made offerings to him, and believed in him.

Then angels came and said to them, Do not go back to Herod. They returned to their country by another route. Changed your way.

Dear brothers and sisters,

When we meet Jesus Christ, when we experience Christmas

After that, when we leave from here, then we should change our route.

That day the Magi travelled a long distance and came to that small house. It took about 2 or 3 years for them to come to Jesus.

Jesus Christ was in the house at that time, but Jesus was born at an inn, in the area set aside for animals and not in a house.

Therefore, the wise men arrived sometime after Jesus's birth. It appears the wise men arrived sometime between one to two years later.

Why one to two years?

Matthew 2:16 (Herod passed an order to kill all the male children who were in Bethlehem from two years old and under).

 

They reached the house, they worshipped him, bowed before him, surrendered to him, made offerings to him, and believed in him.

But when they went out, they did not go back the same way they came, but they went back by a new way.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Does not matter; who were we? But the matter is that we have received him when we learn the meaning of Christmas, when Jesus entered our hearts. Now when we are going out, we may go with new creation.

I pray this Christmas not be a Christmas in name only, but may this Christmas be the Christmas that brings Jesus into our lives.

Amen