Pastor Franklin’s message, Follow The Star, is not just an account of the wise men finding Jesus. It’s a reminder that God places “stars” in our lives to guide us toward Him. He uses us as His light to lead others. And we are to give Him our best gifts of worship no matter where we are. What exactly does it mean to be “Starstruck”? To recognize Christ is King and follow Him!
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connection hello and welcome to kingdom
connection thank you so much for joining
us and Merry Christmas everyone I just
hope that you and your family are
blessed this Christmas season the
message today is really going to touch
you it’s an encouraging word we’re in a
series called starstruck here at the
church and God is just really using it
in a powerful way many souls have been
saying I want to encourage you to that
if you can get to one of our free chapel
locations and campuses we’re in a
wonderful time and on December the 22nd
I’ll be leading the candlelight services
and it’s amazing time bring a word and
then worship and it’s just a beautiful
time I always break my saxophone out
pull my sax out we sing some of the old
hymns and it’s a very emotional powerful
service that you will be blessed I’m
going to be leading that in-person life
on in Georgia on the 22nd and then out
in California at our Orange County
campus in the 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. service
I would love to see you there on
December the 22nd bring your whole
family it’ll be a moving experience well
let’s open up our lives and our hearts
and our ears today let’s go into a
service recorded life at free chapel let
this message speak to you and become
starstruck
look with me in Matthew chapter 2
Matthew chapter 2 and I’ll begin reading
with verse 9 when they heard the King
they departed and behold the star which
they had seen in the East went before
them till it came and stood over where
the young child was and they saw the
star and rejoiced with exceeding great
joy and when they came into the house
they saw the young child with Mary his
mother fell down and worshiped him and
when they had opened their treasures
they presented gifts to him gold
frankincense and myrrh and being warned
in a dream that they should not return
to Herod they departed for their own
country a different way it says when
they saw the star that star began to
attract them and turn them to move in
the direction of where the Savior was
that star out of billions of stars
God chose one star and lit it up
especially bright so that it would get
the attention of these kings that
according to history were living in
India and that light was so bright on
that one star that God chose that they
followed that star from India to
Jerusalem and then from Jerusalem to
Bethlehem the star was bright because of
its close proximity to the Sun because
it was closer to the Sun than the other
stars
it had a brighter shine and it was that
shining light that gave direction to the
seekers and the searchers the people who
were in other religions but when they
saw the star the star was the Travel
Guide that God would use to get them to
the Savior in the manger it had a
brighter light there was something about
it that made it stand out and popped and
made them notice it
in their minds when they finally got to
Bethlehem and they bow down in worship
in all worshiping the Savior knowing the
heaviness of the moment I’m sure in
their mind they probably were thinking
I’m so glad God put that star in my path
if God had not used that star as a
Travel Guide I would have never found
the Savior I would not be here today I
would have missed the greatest moments
of my life and it’s all because God put
a bright shining star in my path that he
used as a travel guide when I was
searching and seeking to get me to the
Savior and I thought about how that none
of us are here by accident that all of
us have been starstruck if we know Jesus
Christ that God used somebody because of
their close proximity to the Sun not the
S UN but the SOE n of God somebody some
granny some daddy some mama some brother
some sister some preacher some somebody
a colleague at work got so close to the
Son of God that their light began to
shine and it began to get our attention
that there’s something different about
that star it shines brightly there’s
something different about that person I
can’t put my finger on it and when you
were in sin and when you were lost and
some of you were on drugs and some of
you were deep in alcoholism but God in
His mercy lit up some Christian brightly
and they got your attention and God used
them as a Travel Guide to get you to the
Savior and you wouldn’t be here this
morning but their light was brighter
than other people’s they stood out in
the crowd they were your Travel Guide
you might have been on drugs you might
have been in a in a sinful life but you
noticed them maybe a colleague at work
but there was something different about
them
it may have been apparent it may be
someone who’s in heaven this morning but
the truth is if their light had not been
bright then nobody would have followed
them including you and found the Savior
I was thinking about how that God uses
the little things it’s not the big deals
but it’s when as a parent I want to ask
you is your light bright enough that
your children are using your life as a
Travel Guide to get to the Savior I
thought about my dad and Christmas
growing up in a pastor’s home he was a
preacher in little town in Henderson
North Carolina we passed her to church
of about a hundred people called North
Henderson Church of God and we didn’t
have a lot of people but on Christmas
Sunday and Easter we had our biggest
crowds and that would attract up to a
hundred and twenty people and I’m
telling you that little country church
look jam-packed it was the most exciting
thing we loved Christmas Sunday here’s
why we always had the glorious Christmas
play what we would do is run a steel
wire across the front of the building
and they would take bedsheets
and use clothespins to to make curtains
and then we got high-tech and got shower
rings and put them on a few years later
so we could pull the curtains like
professionals do I remember it like it
was yesterday in that little church
finally the time had come it was
Christmas and we would peep out the
curtain and every place was filled the
Pew was packed and we had never seen a
crowd like that this was big-time to us
and and we were so excited and finally
that moment came the lights went out
everything went black and that was the
Sun to the to mean kids that were too
mean to get apart on the stage the only
thing they were good for was to open the
curtain but they never got the right
message at the right time and they were
supposed to open the curtain because the
deer-like we couldn’t afford a spotlight
and they would have a deer light and
they would shoot it up on the curtain
and they were supposed to open
bonnie would open it and ultimately what
would happen is the director of the play
usually my mother would reach her hand
out and just open the curtain and the
glorious christmas play would begin and
if if you watched long enough mary and
joseph in their bathrobes holding a
plastic baby Jesus would come out and
and Joseph had a cardboard donkey that
had been cut out from a box up under his
arm because she had to have a donkey and
we couldn’t afford a real one but he
would carry it across the stage and then
was my part I always had a sheep or a
cow and I would put cotton on the sheep
and glue it to it and we would pick it
up and at some point we would move and
set it down and we had to make the sheet
no noise bad bad and somebody else would
say Moo Moo and we would move across the
stage and I’m telling you sounds so
corny and so silly but when we would get
in get into that manger scene finally
and Mary would hold the baby up and
everybody would light a candle and start
to sing in that little church silent
night holy night and it would move us
and sometimes I’d be behind the sheep
just crying and you know it’s just
something about it just touched my heart
but my favorite part of Christmas Sunday
I was just thinking about this yesterday
was when Daddy would finish with an
altar call and then he would say
everybody stay where you are and he
would walk down that little middle aisle
hardwood floors and he would go to the
back of the church and there were boxes
and boxes and boxes of little brown bags
that the Franklin family owned Saturday
had filled up with fruit and candy I can
tell you exactly what was in every bag
because we had packed a hundred and
fifty of them one orange one tangerine
one Apple one box of raisins small box
some candy canes and the best part if
you were a kid
a sneaker or a milky way and if the
tithes and offerings had been good
we might get one or both but it just
depended on how the budget had gone that
year and it’s the weirdest thing but the
thing that I remember the most his dad
would stand out in the lobby and he
would personally take a bag in his hand
because he had told us
nobody is gonna come to my church on
Christmas Sunday and not get a gift and
a hug and so he would he would cause a
traffic jam at the door but he would put
a bag of candy and fruit hug and neck
and the next one would step up and I
don’t know why that’s so impressed me as
a child i sat there and I watched him
love his congregation throw his arms
around those children and old folks and
people that were there and I they act
like he was given out diamonds and that
bag people were smiling and so happy and
to this day I was thinking about it
yesterday it was the most exciting
happiest time
his light was shining and I wouldn’t be
here today had God not used him as a
travel guide to bring me to Jesus and
then one Sunday night and Rocky Mountain
North Carolina my brother Richie
got up and he had spent all afternoon
fasting and praying all afternoon I’ve
noticed that the lunch table that he was
not there and somebody said where’s
Richie and somebody mumbled he’s fasting
again and he was fasting for me because
he knew I wasn’t living right and he got
up and he started singing at the cross
at the cross
and his light began to shine so bright
that I couldn’t stand it anymore
and even though I was sitting in the
back of the church and nobody was given
an altar call I got up out of my seat
cuz his life was the Travel Guide and it
said you got to move now and I got up
without an invitation being offered and
walked down the aisle and went to the
left side of the sanctuary and dropped
to my knees and started weeping and I
receive Jesus Christ as my savior and
I’m here today because God put some
shining bright stars in my life that led
me to the Savior I think we ought to
take a moment you got somebody that you
could put in that Sun and just put your
hands together and thank the Lord for
the shining lights where would you be so
I want to quickly come to an end here
but I want to say that God wants us to
be shiny stars there are people who are
searching and seeking what if what if I
have walked into that Sunday night
service and nobody had had a burden
nobody had got close enough to the Son
of God that that their light would shine
bright enough that it would touch me
sitting on the back seat of the church
you can be that light to your family you
can be that light to people on the job
you can be that shining star that they
become starstruck and it’s not for you
it’s not for your glory or your honor
all you are is the one pointing them to
the Savior but he’s got to use somebody
and when they got to the star then they
found that Jesus was in the stable they
were not expecting him to be in the
stable that’s why they went by Herod’s
palace they expected the king of the
universe to be in the palace but instead
they followed the star and it didn’t
lead
to the palace it led them to the stable
what do you do when you follow the star
and it leads you to the stable what do
you do when you have a dream and you
follow Jesus and you think that all that
he’s going to do is make your life one
happy clappy exciting life where no
problems come and you follow the star
the ultimate star Jesus and you end up
in a stable sometimes we almost think
that if we’re not in the palace God’s
not with us if we’re not living the
palace life with everything coming our
way and everything going our way and
every blessing hid in our life that
somehow we must not be in the will of
God but the truth is when you follow the
real star Jesus Christ yes thank God for
the palace days and the times when
you’re living high and God is blessing
you and everything’s on a mountaintop
but I want you to not forget that
sometimes you follow the star and you
end up in a stable a couple is following
the star of marriage and they’re so
beautiful and they’re holding hands and
they’re exchanging vows and it’s
picture-perfect but a few years later
infidelity heartbreak and suddenly they
followed the star and now they’re in the
stable what do you do what do you do
when you take all that you own and you
follow the star and you prayed about it
and you start your own business but the
economy shifts and you were following
the star but you ended in the stable
what do you do when your health is gone
and you’re sick and suffering and you
end up in the stable you do what those
wise men did they begin to look for God
in the stable because I’ve come today to
preach to somebody that God is not just
there in the high days when you’re
living the palace life but you’ll find
Jesus closer and nearer and dearer to
you when you’re in the stable when
you’re going through the lowest seasons
of your life when when nothing’s going
right that’s where you’ll find you
I’m saying to some of you that the only
way that God could have ever had you
find Jesus is he had to allow you to
move from the palace to the stable
because as long as you were on top of
the world you didn’t need him but when
he allowed you to go from the palace to
the stable you can actually say lord
thank you for the stable because this is
where I found Jesus and they meant it
for my evil but God meant it for my good
and somehow God has taken a mess and
turned it into a message and a testimony
for his glory come on somebody and give
the Lord a shout of praise this is what
you do when when you follow a star and
you end up in a stable you look for God
because standing somewhere in the
shadows you’ll find Jesus and he’ll
never be closer to you you’ll never be
as close to God in the palace as you
will be in the stables of life then not
only that what amazes me is these wise
men when they got in the stable they
offered their best worship in the stable
the natural inclination would be in this
filthy damp dirty stable would be the
Rif hold your best I’m not gonna give
the gold here it doesn’t belong here
this is nasty I’m not gonna give them
frankincense and the myrrh this is
expensive worship and it shouldn’t be in
the stable it should be in the palace
I’m gonna give my best worship when
everything’s going right and I’ll give
God the glory and he’ll really find that
I love him but these wise men were wise
because they said God is in the stable
and we’re gonna give our best worship in
unpleasant circumstances what you need
to learn to do is to worship God not
just when you’re in the palace life but
when you’re in the stables of life if
you can ever learn to give the best pray
in unpleasant circumstances you will see
God move mightily when you praise him
because the praise that cost the most
counts the most they begin to worship
with expensive worship in a nasty filthy
place in life the worship that God
really looks for in your life is not
when you’re in the palace but it’s when
you’re in the stable and your heart is
broken and your life is shattered you
don’t know what the future holds but all
you know is you can look back and see
the faithfulness of God and see how that
he had stars just when you almost went
the wrong way forever a star he started
shining and it turns you back and
somehow he maneuvered all the hail meant
to destroy you with God said it’s
working for you good and you’re more
than a conqueror and I’m gonna get glory
out of this and somehow I’m gonna get
you back on your knees at the feet of
the Savior and I’m gonna raise you up
from the stable and I’m gonna do great
things in your life
and you’re going to become a bright
shining light because of what you’ve
been through that’s gonna touch your
children and your children’s children
for generations
lily-of-the-valley
let your sweet aroma feel
Rose of Sharon show me
how to grow in beauty and God’s eyes
fairest of 10,000
make me a reflection of your life
oh they star shine down let your love
shine through me in the night
just leave me love I’ll follow anyway
you know
let your word speak to
show me what never seen
want to be witness
can take what’s wrong and make around
making
tage stars shine down
let your love shine to me
one more time
Oh
I surrender all to you
just speaks life to me
show me why
witness you can take what’s wrong
smegal
a pretty stash and
discussion
legend ah
in somebody’s start9
she’s a shy girl only let your love
shine through me
in the night
I’m believing today that the light of
Jesus Christ is shining in every dark
place of your life I don’t believe
you’ve been watching this program and
listening to this message and hearing
this song today by chance jesus loves
you turn your life over to him he knows
where you are he knows what you’re going
through you may be in the stable of
addiction you may be in the stable of
pain and hurt and darkness and gods
there look for him he’s in there and he
has a miracle for you today he cares
about you and your family turn
everything over to him cast all your
cares on him pray this prayer Lord Jesus
I give you my life today I surrender
be my Savior in Jesus name Amen
I believe the star the stable and the
Savior is more real to you than he’s
ever been before and I’m praying for you
and love to hear from you so dial the
number on the screen get in touch with
us write us let us know about what has
happened to you and our closing moments
together I want to thank all of you
wonderful friends and partners who are
responding in a magnificent way to our
marketplace miracle in Haiti we are
seeing a miracle take place we’ve
already been able to send over two
hundred thousand dollars to this project
and a total of a million is what we have
committed and you are helping feed the
hungry you are providing food for life
you are being and ministering to the
poor the widows and the orphans and what
a profound difference you’re making in
that nation as we provide the miracle
marketplace thank you thank you thank
you and help us those of you who can
either pray for us or give or do both
and we promise you will use the
resources to preach the gospel and to
help those in need thank you so much
Merry Christmas everybody hope to see
you December the 22nd at our wonderful
candlelight service go online and check
it out we’ll see
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