Learning From the Songs of Christmas
Silent Night, Holy Night
Isaiah 9:1-7; John 1:1-5

The story of this Christmas carol is one of how God provided in an amazing and unusual way to meet a pressing need. It is a beautiful illustration of God’s provision for us through Christ.

The celebration of his birth on December 25th has a long and complicated history. No wonder, then, that we depend upon our Christmas carols to draw a fuller picture of the birth of Jesus.

One form of silence that may have been evident that night would have been the troubled silence of the masses.

Another, very different form of silence this night, would have been that of the faithful who continue to quietly cry out to the LORD for His strength, wisdom and salvation!

Even midst all the pain and confusion of child birth in a stable, the uncertainties of the future and the controversies and whispers of disdain about her pregnancy and child, this teenage mother was given a peace that surpasses all understanding!

May Christmas remind us all that, in Christ and because of Christ, we may all “sleep in heavenly peace” no matter the times, world or circumstances in which we live. The world is absolutely in Christ’s Hands, “all power and authority” has been given unto Him and He has already done all that is necessary to secure our present and future salvation!

The peace of all humanity is not dependent on the present state of our world. Rather, it is dependent upon in whom and what our faith truly lies!

Jesus knows how we feel. He became on of us. Because He was one of us, but without sin, he was able to rescue us.

From the time of the Fall of mankind, the world has known only spiritual darkness. But the birth of Jesus, the Anointed Savior of the world, produces a new dawn! He was born in darkness, but the light soon followed Him.

Whereas the angels worshiped in a chorus of song, the shepherds worship was through seeking personal experience with the Christ and then spreading the good news of great joy to all who have ears.

There is no place Jesus will not go and bring His Light, so long as He is welcome!

All I Want For Christmas Is…Forgiveness
Advent 2010 Week 4

David and Goliath
Nothing to Prove — Nothing to Lose
I Samuel 17

1. God is not the author of fear.
2. God has given us a spirt of power, love and self-discipline.
3. We must ask, “How do we defeat the giants of our lives?”
4. David lived a simple principle to defeat the giants of his life. He had nothing to prove and nothing to lose.
5. Everything he was and everything that he had belonged completely to God.
6. Saul’s soldiers ran away in fear.
7. The more they delayed, the more intimidated they became.
8. The more intimidated they became, the harder the problem became for them to handle.
9. We get so caught up in the battle that we do not see beyond ourselves.
10. God is bigger than our giants.

Three Strategies For Battling Your Giants

1. Never assume that what worked for somebody else to defeat their giant will automatically work for you.
2. Trust first in the Lord and not just in the weapons that you have been given.
3. Celebrate your victories.

Quote To Remember

Mother Teresa said, “I’m not called to be successful. I’m simply called to be faithful.”

The life of Moses can be divided into three periods of time of 40 years each:

• Palace: pomp and privilege.
• Wilderness: preparation.
• Leadership: leading the Children of Israel.

Moses protested and gave God four reasons why he would not be able to complete that task:

1. He was unworthy — he was a murderer.
2. He was ignorant — he had no godly training.
3. He lacked the eloquence of being able to speak well.
4. He believed no one would believe him.

Moses threw the staff down as God told him to do and it became a snake. Gold told him to pick it up by the tail and it became a staff.

God did a lot with Moses’ staff:

• Exodus 7:17 — Nile turned to blood.
• Exodus 8:5 — Frogs came out of the water.
• Exodus 9:23 — He brought down thunder, hail and lightning.
• Exodus 10:13 — A plague of locusts appeared.
• Exodus 17:6 — He struck a rock and water came out.
• Exodus 17:9 — Moses held it high in the air and the warriors were victorious.