CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE 2013

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE 2013

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

{slide 1} - WELCOME

I would like to welcome you all to the 8^th annual Christmas Eve Service here at the House of Faith Church.

Tonight, we will be paying homage to God the Father for the Messiah, and His promise of redeeming humankind.

Though we know that December 25^th is not the actual day of Christ’s birth, it is the day many have chosen to celebrate His coming into our world, and His ultimate sacrifice to pay our debt, and to reconcile us to God, allowing us who believe in Him to have eternal life.

Tonight is a special night for friends and family to gather, give reflection, praise and worship to our King.  Not baby Jesus, but Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Lord of Lord’s and King of King’s, our savior.

CALL TO WORSHIP

So as we celebrate this evening, let the songs fill your soul with the love and joy of Jesus.

Tonight, as we celebrate His coming, give thanks to God for the love He has shown, and given us.

Let us celebrate Christmas in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, who came to us from the heart of God’s own being, in the form of a servant, born in human likeness.

Let us celebrate God’s entering into our lives, bringing light to the entire world.

Tonight, may love be reborn in our hearts as we worship God together.

OPENING PRAYER: Pastor Bruce Shields

{slide 2} - SCRIPTURE READING

†         1 John 4:9-10

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

{slide 3} - SCRIPTURE READING

†         Galatians 4:4-5

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

{slide 4} - SCRIPTURE READING

And the people cried out for the Messiah to come, the one that God promised, the one that the prophets spoke of.  They sang out, Emmanuel, which is two Hebrew words, El, meaning God, and Immanuel, meaning with us.

O’ come, Emmanuel is a cry for God to come and be with us.

{slide 5} - SONG: O’ Come, O’ Come Emmanuel

{slide 6} - SCRIPTURE READING

†         Luke 1:26-38

 ²⁶In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

 ²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. ³¹You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

 ³⁴"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

 ³⁵The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God...

... ³⁸"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

{slide 7}

†         Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

{slide 8} - SONG: Let the Peace of God Reign

{slide 9}

†         Luke 2:8-15
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” ¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

{slide 10} - SONG: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

{slide 11}

†         Luke 2:16-18

 ¹⁶ So the shepherds hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

{slide 12}

†         John 3:16 - 18
"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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.”

{slide 13} - SONG: Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem

1.      CHILDREN'S PLAY

a.      NARRATION

                                                             i.      {slide 14} - CHILDREN SING: O Come, All Ye Faithful

b.     NARRATION

                                                             i.      {Song 1 on CD} - SONG: Mary Did You Know? - Special Music by Mark Barr

c.      NARRATION

                                                             i.      Light on Manger

                                                          ii.      {slide 15} - CHILDREN SING: Away in a Manger

                                                       iii.      {slide 16} - CHILDREN SING: Happy Birthday Jesus

{slide 17}

John 1:14 & 16,17

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

{slide 18} - SONG: The First Noel

{Slide 19 } - SONG: Joy to the World

{Slide 20}

Jesus took the disciples in Matthew 28, and gave them the “Great commission”, which instructs that the light that Jesus brought, would be shared with the world through the Body of Christ, which is us, the believers and followers of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 5:14

“You are the light of the world...”

The Word of God tells us that we are this light.  Jesus Himself said to take this light, and share it with the world.

{Deacons Come Forward}

As we sing Silent Night, let us pass this light from one to another, and let it represent the lives we are living in the world, and how we share the Gospel and light with others around us daily.

{slide 21} - SONG: Silent night

We will now close with our final song of the evening, afterwards, I will close with prayer, and you are all welcome to stay and have snacks and coffee and fellowship together.

{slide 22} - CLOSING PRAYER

·        Thank you for this evening, and each one here

·        Bless each for coming

·        Pray that each one takes with them tonight, Hope, Peace, Joy and Love of God

·        Most of all, the Love and light of Christ, which they will share with all around them

·        Pray that each one here tonight, takes this Light that Christ has given us, and shares it with the world as He commanded in His Word

To Judge Ourselves Part 17 – Neither Hot nor Cold

To Judge Ourselves

Part 17 – Neither Hot nor Cold

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

INTRODUCTION

We spent the last year looking at what the Book of Acts had to say about the founding, operation and behavior that the Lord expects from us as individuals, and as a church, or congregation of believers.

We then spent a few weeks looking at the letters that Jesus sent to the seven churches in Revelation, telling them where they were going right, and wrong, as well as what the punishments and rewards would be.

A few weeks ago, I took all of those letters, and compiled them into one letter from the Lord, to us.

Our new series will take a look at each of the points Jesus made in that letter, and we will not only examine our church as a whole, but ourselves as individuals.

2 Corinthians 13:5 "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!"

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

2 Peter 2:4-10 "For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell^[a] and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; ⁵ if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; ⁶ if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;^[c] 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked ⁸ (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); ⁹ then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, ¹⁰ and especially those who indulge^[e] in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority."

We have already looked at Jesus speaking to us about hard work, not tolerating wicked people in the church, and testing those who claim to be apostles, but are nothing more than false prophets, and last week we spoke on perseverance, and enduring hardships for His name, Spiritually Rich during times of affliction and poverty, Slander, Not Being Afraid, Where Satan Rules, Faithfulness, Deeds, The Open Door, First Love, Repentance and Salvation, False Doctrine, Jezebel, Wake Up.

Last week we looked at Strengthen What Remains.

This week we will look at the warning about being Neither Hot nor Cold.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

Revelation 3:15-20 (Literal Translation)

 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

¹⁹ Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

I.                   BE HOT OR COLD

a.      Be one or the other

                                                             i.      lukewarm is neither

b.     Form an opinion

                                                             i.      Where do you get your morals?

                                                          ii.      What is your view of Righteousness based on?

                                                       iii.      What are true values?

                                                         iv.      Should these be based on our education and advancements in science?

                                                            v.      rather, they should be based on what the Creator has established since He is the Author of life, and the Judge of all

c.      Otherwise, there will be Divine Rejection

II.               YOU SAY

a.      Our perception of ourselves

                                                             i.      We usually do not examine ourselves as we ought

                                                          ii.      Laodicea believed because they were materialistically and financially rich, that equaled Spiritual Blessing from God

b.     However, they were wrong

                                                             i.      The Lord corrects their distorted view of themselves.

                                                          ii.      This can go both ways.

1.      If we view ourselves more highly than we should

2.      and if we view ourselves to poorly

                                                       iii.      Remember, the Lord reminded the church in Smyrna that they were Spiritually Rich

c.      What they say

                                                             i.      The Church in Laodicea said, "‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’"

                                                          ii.      However, the Lord pointed out to them, "you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." vs17

                                                       iii.      While the church gloated over material wealth, it was unconscious of her spiritual poverty; which is indicative of the modern church.

d.     Jesus gives them the answer

                                                             i.      I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich;

1.      What is this gold that has been refined in the fire?

                                                          ii.      white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness (which is the white garments, the Righteousness of Christ)

                                                       iii.      and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. (open their eyes to Spiritual Matters)

                                                         iv.      THEN, a person can truly be RICH!

III.   THOSE WHOM I LOVE

a.      Jesus speaks to us about His correction to the church.

                                                             i.      Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. 

                                                          ii.      So be earnest and repent. 

CONCLUSION

The Lord wants us to have our minds made up and opinions formed on matters of the world.

He does not want us to be wishy-washy, back-and-forth, double minded, or Luke-Warm.

James 1:5-8 "⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do."

What should we base our values, morals and righteousness on? God's Word.

Psalm 119:112-114 " ¹¹² My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.

¹¹³ I hate double-minded people, but I love your law.
¹¹⁴ You are my refuge and my shield;  I have put my hope in your word."

James 4:7-8 "⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

Want to learn more about Salvation and Getting Saved?    CLICK HERE!     

To Judge Ourselves Part 16 – Strengthen What Remains

To Judge Ourselves

Part 16 – Strengthen What Remains

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

INTRODUCTION

We spent the last year looking at what the Book of Acts had to say about the founding, operation and behavior that the Lord expects from us as individuals, and as a church, or congregation of believers.

We then spent a few weeks looking at the letters that Jesus sent to the seven churches in Revelation, telling them where they were going right, and wrong, as well as what the punishments and rewards would be.

A few weeks ago, I took all of those letters, and compiled them into one letter from the Lord, to us.

Our new series will take a look at each of the points Jesus made in that letter, and we will not only examine our church as a whole, but ourselves as individuals.

2 Corinthians 13:5 "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!"

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

2 Peter 2:4-10 "For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell^[a] and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; ⁵ if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; ⁶ if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;^[c] 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked ⁸ (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); ⁹ then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, ¹⁰ and especially those who indulge^[e] in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority."

We have already looked at Jesus speaking to us about hard work, not tolerating wicked people in the church, and testing those who claim to be apostles, but are nothing more than false prophets, and last week we spoke on perseverance, and enduring hardships for His name, Spiritually Rich during times of affliction and poverty, Slander, Not Being Afraid, Where Satan Rules, Faithfulness, Deeds, The Open Door, First Love, Repentance and Salvation, False Doctrine, Jezebel.

Last week we looked at Wake Up.

This week we will look at the warning to Strengthen What Remains.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

Revelation 3:2-3 (Literal Translation)

² become watching, and strengthen the rest of the things that are about to die, for I have not found your works fulfilled before God.

³ `Remember, then, how you have received, and heard, and be keeping, and reform: if, then, you do not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon thee.

I.                   BECOME WATCHING

a.      Become watching

                                                             i.      The Lord calls us to look into our REAL condition

                                                          ii.      not what others say about us

                                                       iii.      not what we "think" about ourselves

                                                         iv.      but what our REAL condition is

b.     Strengthen what is about to die

                                                             i.      We need to return to Christ and His doctrines, or risk losing our way

                                                          ii.      Where we are weakest, we must work to strengthen

                                                       iii.      We cannot become stronger, if we never examine our weakness

                                                         iv.      Examine yourself!

c.      I have not found your works fulfilled before God

                                                             i.      Their works were based on dead faith, which always produces dead works

                                                          ii.      They were working for the praise of men, rather than service to God

                                                       iii.      Therefore, dead faith=dead works

                                                         iv.      They received the praise of men, which in turn, was their only reward.

Matthew 6:1-4 "6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. (INTENTION) If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

II.               REMEMBER

a.      Remember how you have received

                                                             i.      How have they received forgiveness and salvation?

1.      Not by works

2.      By Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross to pay our sin-debt!

3.      Cannot be worked for, or earned by deeds.

Ephesians 2:1-9 "2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast."

b.     Keep that! (doctrine)

                                                             i.      Don't follow other teachings

1.      saved by works

2.      earn salvation

3.      earn a place in heaven

4.      work for forgiveness

5.      etc... these are "false doctrines"

                                                          ii.      Keep what Christ taught

1.      Sin described by Commandments

2.      Debt due for sin, spiritual death

3.      Debt for sin paid for by perfect sacrifice, Jesus

4.      Forgiveness for sin found in Him Alone!

5.      Confess and repent, and you will have forgiveness

6.      Salvation through this "New Covenant" is not actually "new", rather the completion of God's plan from the beginning of time.

c.      and "reform" (change)

                                                             i.      Christ calls us to "change" from our former selves.

1.      Ephesians 2 - you were dead in your sins when you lived in the world.

2.      You have accepted Christ and the new covenant?  Good, now let the Holy Spirit begin a work in you!

a.      Philippians 1:6 "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."

3.      Renew your heart!

a.      Ezekiel 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them.”

b.     Psalm 119:11 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

4.      Renew your mind!

a.      Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” 

b.     Romans 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

c.      Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things."

5.      Renew your body!

a.      1 Corinthians 6:20 "For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

6.      Renew your soul!

a.      Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

b.     1 Corinthians 3:16 "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?"

III.   IF YOU DO NOT WATCH

a.      I (Jesus), will come upon you as a thief

                                                             i.      2 Peter 3:10 "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed."

1.      Judgment Day

                                                          ii.      Revelation 16:15 “Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”

1.      Those who are saved are covered by the white garment of Christ.

b.     You will not know what hour I come

c.      THE PROMISE

                                                             i.      v5 He who is "overcoming" (staying awake, watching, examining himself)

1.      Shall be arrayed in white garments

2.      I will not blot his name from the book of life

3.      I will confess his name before my Father

4.      and before His messengers (heavenly angels)

CONCLUSION

We must be watchful, examine ourselves and our motivations, remembering that FORGIVENESS and SALVATION does NOT come from what we DO, but WHY WE DO.

We must remember to confess and repent, and we will be forgiven, thus keeping the WHITE GARMENT of Christ, which covers us, making us PURE and HOLY before God on Judgment Day.

Allow God's Holy Spirit to do a work in you, renewing your heart, mind, body and soul.

Allowing God to do this work in you, is the action of LOVE. Jesus said, if you love me, you will obey what I have commanded.

Jesus commanded in Matthew 22:37, "..Love the Lord your God with all your heart. Love him with all your soul, and love him with all your mind."

Want to learn more about Salvation and Getting Saved?    CLICK HERE!