The Seven Words of Christmas

God gave 7 prophetic words around the birth of His Son. Prophecy is God speaking.  What was God speaking at the time of Jesus's birth?

1. Salvation (Zacharias)

Luke 1:67-69 NKJV

67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 68 “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,For He has visited and redeemed His people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David,

Luke 1:76-77 NKJV

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, 77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins,

Christmas represents salvation.  Jesus means "I am" Savior, or I am God your Salvation.  

2. Favor (Mary)

Luke 1:26-30 NKJV

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin (very young) betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Favor means Grace.  Christmas is God's time of Grace.  Favorite means one on whom favor rests. God has more than one favorite.    

3. Blessed (Elizabeth)

Luke 1:39-45 NKJV

39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

Blessed means happy.  Jesus came to make us happy which lasts.    

Acts 3:26 NKJV

26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”

I use Explanation, Amplification, and Illustration when I teach.  Different speakers have different rhythms. 

4. Guidance (Joseph)

Matthew 1:19-20 NKJV

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 2:13 NKJV

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

Matthew 2:19-23 NKJV

19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

God's going to guide you.  You don't have to be worried or upset because God's going to guide us. This is what Christmas means.  Guidance Protection Services =GPS. God speaks to us through His Word, and even in dreams.  

5. Joy (Shepherds)

Luke 2:8-10 NKJV

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

Jesus is the reason for the season.  Joy is the cause of Joy which does not depend on circumstances.  Satan attacks during tragedies especially during Christmas.  Christians can grieve and rejoice at the same time.   We grieve in hope.  

6. Redemption (Anna)

Luke 2:36-38 NKJV

36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years (you're never too old to be used by God), who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Redeem means to buy back again.  Read Hosea 1 and 3.  Hosea buys a wife out of prostitution twice.  Even when we leave, God is there to redeem us all over again.  

7. Peace (Simeon)

Luke 2:25-29 NKJV

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,According to Your word;

Luke 2:33-35 NKJV

33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall (stumbling) and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Mary begins to realize that this is going to be tough.  Even though it's going to be tough you can still have peace. 

Salvation, Favor, Blessing, Guidance, Joy, Redemption, Peace

What is the Holy Spirit saying to me through this message?

Robert Morris, Gateway Church

http://gatewaypeople.com/ministries/life/events/individual-messages-2018/session/2018/12/08/the-seven-words-of-christmas

How to Hear God's Voice

How do you hear the voice of God?

Who you are becoming defines your life.  

God assigns honor by who you are becoming.

Your identity is not achieved, but received.  

It's received by the person who speaks the loudest in your life.  

When the world calls you something, listen to what God calls you.  

Redeemed. 

Saved. 

Justified. 

You have to be very careful by whom you allow assigning your identity to. 

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

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

God identifies you beforehand as a doer of good works.  

What you want leads to what you are.  

It gets to the heart of what you are.  

We want our way.  

We are fine if others do it our way. 

Lord, I want what you want for me? 

The disciples had one request, which is not how to walk of water, but how to pray.    

Luke 11:1 (ESV)

11 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

The Lord's prayer is a recipe for prayer.  It starts with worship. 

2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come. 

We look at life through our own eyes not God's. 

Prayer is making it about Him.  

We're yielding our worship and our will in prayer.  

It's not about God yielding to our will.  

Actually, we don't want to hear from God until we're desperate to hear from Him.  

Why do we have to get desperate in our circumstances to want to hear from God?

Do you believe that God still speaks?

He speaks to us through His word. He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. 

   

John 14:16-17 English Standard Version (ESV)

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.  

Why don't we hear from God more?

1. Busyness.  Computers, Cell Phones, the Media.  We're not paying attention.  We must be still and know that God is God. You've got to remove the distractions from your life.   

Luke 10:39-40 English Standard Version (ESV)

39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”

We need to get into the Word, and hear from Jesus.  We have to be self feeders in God's Word.  

2. Competing voices. When we overload in our ears, it effects our sight.  Our overloading on electronics is drowning out our hearing from God. 

3. Unprepared hearts. He's giving us nuggets, but our hearts are not prepared for them. There's nothing wrong with the seed, but the problem is you.  You have to prepare your heart to hear what He is saying.

1 Samuel 3:1-4 (ESV)

3 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 

3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

4 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!”

We must get around God and His house, so  You can hear Him.  You must be around the right people and stay away from the wrong people.     

How do I cultivate my heart?

1. God speaks as we read His word. 

Psalm 119:105 English Standard Version (ESV)

Your word is a lamp to my feet
    and a light to my path.

2. God speaks as we cultivate His presence. God is looking for worshipers.  John 4:21

3. God speaks when we get planted in His Church. You can't love the husband and hate His wife.   

  

Psalm 92:11-13 English Standard Version (ESV)

11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
    my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree
    and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the Lord;

    they flourish in the courts of our God.

Positioning is everything.

Notes from Jeremy Foster, Hope City Church.  

https://hopecity.com/sermons/fill-blank-part-2/ 

How to Know if You Are Filled with the Holy Spirit

1. A Spirit Filled Believer is not dominated by their circumstances.

2. A Spirit Filled Believer responds to stress in a way pleasing to God.

3. A Spirit Filled Believer might be tempted to respond in an ungodly way, but yields to the Holy Spirit's guidance anyway.

4. A Spirit Filled Believer follows the Spirit's leadership and acts like the recreated person that they really are and not selfishly.

5. A Spirit Filled Believer receives empowerment to do God's will because it flows through his or her surrendered will from the Holy Spirit.

6. A Spirit Filled Believer surrenders voluntarily to the Spirit's moment by moment and step by step direction.

7. A Spirit Filled Believer recovers from sin quickly.  

8. A Spirit Filled Believer responds to the initial promptings of the Holy Spirit inside of them.

9. A Spirit Filled Believer refuses to allow the world to steal from him or her the qualities that God has put inside of them.

10. The question is not whether you can identify whether someone else is a Spirit Filled believer, but can you identify a Spiritual Filled Believer in you?

(Charles Stanley)