New Series — Christmas at Community
Christmas can be a fun and festive season — lights, trees, gifts,
food, music, and tradition — but beneath all of that…Christmas is
actually about a SHIFT (one God had been planning for centuries)
This plan began in the beginning…right after Eve is deceived by
the serpent and her and Adam eat the forbidden fruit…
God speaks to the serpent and says…One Day…
Genesis 3:15 Her son will crush your head. And you will bite his heel.
• Revelation 13 says that the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world — meaning Jesus was always God’s plan
This lets us know that the coming of Jesus was not spontaneous…it was not a surprise twist in the story…
• No! It was promised by God and prophesied by many others!
• Over a dozen prophets, across hundreds of years, give over
300 prophesies that point to the coming of Christ and Jesus fulfills every single one of them.
Isaiah 9:2;6-7a The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine….6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end.
After Jesus lived his life, died on the cross, and had been resurrected from the grave…Paul writes these words…
Galatians 4:4a But when [in God’s plan] the proper time had fully come, God sent His Son…
• God’s Ultimate GIFT created a SHIFT for the entire world.
• But the arrival of Jesus didn’t just SHIFT things 2,000 years ago…It has consistently SHIFTED things for 2,000 years.
Good news for you today is that…
• His arrival THEN…can SHIFT things for you NOW!
The Story of Christmas is about how things shift:
• A virgin becomes a mother…A manger becomes a throne…Theordinary becomes holy…And the impossible becomes reality.
The Story of Christmas is God saying to us…
•You don’t have to keep living the way you’ve been living.
I came NEAR so you could live NEW.
Here are 3 Christmas Shifts that have to happen for you to live
differently tomorrow than yesterday.
Christmas Shifts: My Identity, My Perspective, and My Direction.
CHRISTMAS SHIFTS MY IDENTITY
Galatians 4:4-5 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. Jesus didn’t just come to redeem humanity by hanging on a tree…
He came to put YOU in HIS FAMILY TREE. (Sinners become sons…)
John 3:3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
Born Again — Born into a NEW FAMILY with a NEW IDENTITY!
Before God changes how you act, He changes who you are.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].
Christmas is Heaven Shouting — “YOU BELONG”
Christmas Shifts My Identity — I AM A CHILD OF GOD
• NCC – Declaration starts with Identity
• When you identity is FIRM…your future has a chance to TURN.
CHRISTMAS SHIFTS MY PERSPECTIVE
Perspective = a mental view
• The lens which your mind sees through (spectacles of mind)
Perspective and Spectacle — come from same Latin word “Spec”
• Means “to look or to see”
Spectacles sharpen what you see.
Perspective shapes how you see.
Spectacles correct your vision.
Perspective corrects your interpretation.Perspective is the internal framework your mind uses to understand, interpret, and respond to the circumstances of your life.
And that framework can be remembered with one simple word —
BELIEVE. Because what you BELIEVE shapes what you SEE.
Beliefs – what you hold to be true about God, yourself, & others.
Experiences – what you have lived through in the past
Lessons – the conclusions, takeaways, & patterns you’ve learned
Identity – who you believe you are — worth, belonging, abilities
Expectations – what you anticipate and predict will happen next
Values – what matters most to you – principle and priorities
Emotions – feelings that color your interpretation of situations
Perspective doesn’t change your situation, but it does change how you live in it.
Example:
• Two people lose a job:
• One sees failure.
• One sees a fresh start.
• Two people get stuck in traffic:
• One gets angry and aggravated.
• One sees the extra time as a blessing to pray and worship.
• OT — 12 spies went into the Promised Land
• Ten focused on the giants.
• Two focused on the giant opportunity.
When you SHIFT your perspective…you can LIFT your experience.
Isaiah 9:2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.
Christmas shifts my perspective by shining light into darkness.
• Jesus arrived into the world at night…in midst of dark season…
and (John 1:9 say) He came into the world as the True Light that gives light to everyone.
The Story of Christmas reframes darkness.
• It doesn’t deny that darkness exists.
• It doesn’t pretend life isn’t challenging and full of adversity.
• But it declares something greater…Darkness doesn’t have the
final word.
Let’s be clear about one thing — Jesus didn’t come to decorate
your December…He came to dominate your darkness!
Christmas is God saying:
“Your night is not permanent. My Light is stronger.”
His Light shines into your heart so that your perspective can shift and you can see clearly!
When God shifts who you are and how you see…then He can shift where you go!
CHRISTMAS SHIFTS MY DIRECTION
The story of Christmas is a story full of MOVEMENT…
• The shepherds hurried off to find Him
• Joseph arose and obeyed the angel’s instruction.
• Mary stepped into God’s assignment for her.
• The wise men followed the star to Him
Christmas is not just a moment to ADORE…it’s a moment to ADJUST. (Adore Him but Adjust You)
God showed up so you could get up and move in a new direction, towards a new purpose.Christmas declares:
• You’re not meant to live with the same limitations.
• You’re not meant to stay in the same patterns.
• You’re not meant to stand still.
When God comes near…He calls you forward.
• It happened to Abraham, Moses, and Samuel in OT.
• It happened to Peter, James, and John in NT.
• “Follow Me…I will make you fishers of men”
Jesus doesn’t just REDEEM where you’ve been…He REDIRECTS where you’re going.
Christmas is heaven saying:
I came to guide your steps, not just forgive your sins.
God wants to use this Christmas to reposition your heart, reset your direction, and realign your steps with His purpose.
Three Questions for New Direction:
1. What steps need to stop?
2. What steps need to start?
3. What obstacles are standing in my way?
Christmas isn’t about the POTENTIAL GIFT…It’s about the
POSSIBLE SHIFT.