As the year comes to a close, you’ll find many houses with decorative presents placed outside in preparation for the holidays. But while they may look beautiful on the outside, they’re still empty on the inside. Well, Dr. Tony Evans says this empty present is no different from the Christmas you’ll get when Christ isn’t at the center, and in Don’t Miss Christ this Christmas, he’ll show you the results of those who remembered or overlooked celebrating the birth of the Savior. Don’t Miss Christ this Christmas – Sermon by Tony Evans #sermon #Christmas #TonyEvans
do you know your answer could be sitting
right next to you but you’ll never know
it
until god is ready to reveal it
god says if you come back home you’ll
see
i haven’t gone anywhere
so you draw near to him and he will draw
near to you because he’s the one who’s
never left if you walk in the spirit or
walk by means of the spirit he will open
up the hole for you to get through it
the snake is going to try to stir stuff
up the snake is gonna try to get you
away from god there is a serpent in the
garden and your job keep him out
sometimes he brings a little something
that’s a little cute to let you know
keep on going keep on trusting because i
hear
[Music]
you last week we
talked about people who missed christmas
but there are some folks who found
christmas
there are some folks who discovered
christmas
and that’s what i want to talk to you
about today
the folks who found christmas
jesus is the light of the world his job
is to bring reality
to our darkness
so to really catch christ this christmas
is to be able to see your life as it
ought to be seen
evaluate as it ought to be evaluated and
benefit from
clear sight lines
rather than the darkness that we’ve
gotten used to operating in
so let’s tour some folks who ran into
jesus and see what they saw
so that you can see what you see
the first person i’d like to
talk about is
mary
jesus’s mother
in
chapter one of the book of luke
an angel comes to mary
and tells mary she’s gonna have a baby
and this presents a biological dilemma
because mary says
in verse 34 of chapter 1 how can this be
since i am a virgin
now i would call that a practical
question
i’ve never been intimate with a man
i am a virgin
but you just told me i’m gonna be
pregnant
logically
biologically
scientifically
angel
what you just said can’t happen
how can this thing
be
the angel tells her
that the holy spirit is gonna come on
come on you got to be kidding
the holy spirit is gonna come upon you
and when the holy spirit comes upon you
verse 35
the power of the most high is going to
overshadow you
and for this reason the holy child shall
be called the son of
god but i want you to notice something
the angel tells her something that i
don’t want you to miss
in verse 37.
he says
the reason you need to buy this mary is
because nothing is impossible with god
you see one of the lessons of christmas
is don’t put god in a box
because when god wants to do something
he can transcend logic to do it
he can transcend your education to do it
i want to contrast mary
with zacharias
now zacharias is married to elizabeth
elizabeth is a relative of mary
zacharias is old
an angel comes to zacharias in the same
chapter
and says you’re going to be the father
of a baby
zacharias
has a big question
because zachariah said to the angel
how will i know this for certain now
that’s the same question mary had how
can this thing be
zacharias goes logical
like mary did
mary said i am a virgin that’s logical
zechariah says how can this thing be
that i’m gonna have a baby my wife’s
gonna have a baby
i’m an old man
he says this is not possible i’m an old
man
not only that but my wife is advanced in
years
she’s already been through meso
menopause
she’s an old lady now
you’re telling me i’m going to have a
baby
through my wife elizabeth
that’s not logically
possible look at what the angel tells
him
the angel says to zechariah in verse 20
of luke 1 and behold you shall be silent
and unable to speak until the day when
these things take place
because you did not believe my words
which will be fulfilled in their proper
time
wait a minute now
we got the same
kind of scenario and impossibility
something that can’t happen
zacharias is too old his wife is too
advanced in years for her to get
pregnant
biology says that can’t happen
mary is a virgin she can’t get pregnant
because there’s no man on the scene
logic says that can’t happen so we’ve
got the similar situation but we’ve got
two different reactions
the angel tells zachariah
because you did not believe
you will not be able to speak
until it happens
but the angel tells mary
get ready
because you’re getting ready to
experience a supernatural reality
but both of them had doubts and had
questions
so the issue is when you are facing an
impossibility something that does not
make sense
that is revealed by god
what’s the difference between a doubt
that brings discipline
and a doubt that brings a miracle
because they both had a doubt they both
had a question because it wasn’t logical
here’s the difference
it’s shown in chapter 1 verse
38
when the angel said nothing is
impossible with god
mary said behold
the bond slave of the lord may it be
done to me according to your word and
the angel departed from her
you see
both would require a miracle
but zacharias’s doubt was a miracle that
led him to unbelief
mary’s doubt was a miracle that led her
to submission
even though mary said i don’t understand
it even though it doesn’t fit my
biological uh reality
because it came from god
i’m going to be your bond servant and do
to mama whatever you want to do because
if god said it i don’t have to
understand it i don’t have to figure it
out i just have to embrace it and when i
embrace it the supernatural enters into
the natural don’t go into the new year
with your natural thinking don’t go into
the new year with your human
understanding don’t go into your new
year with your education and your
information as though that would
determine what god can do is able to do
will do won’t do because the angel told
mary to tell me to tell you that nothing
is impossible with god
you must enter the new year
if you understand christmas
with an understanding that god can blow
your box
god can mess up your thoughts
god can reverse your direction and he
can do it on a dime because the angel
came to mary out of nowhere
so
elizabeth zachariah’s wife gets pregnant
mary comes to visit her
and i just want to make this
side point in verse 41
when elizabeth heard mary’s greeting
the baby leaped in her womb
and elizabeth was filled with the holy
spirit so
mary is pregnant
she comes to meet elizabeth who’s
pregnant
and when mary comes to elizabeth
the baby in elizabeth’s
womb jumps
because jesus has entered into the
vicinity in the womb of mary
now the second group
that didn’t miss jesus on christmas
were the shepherds
we’re told
in chapter 2 verse 8 that in the same
region
there were some shepherds
staying out in the fields and keeping
watch over the flock by night
and here we go with another angel
an angel shows up i’m going to say
something about that in a moment
of the lord and guess how he showed up
suddenly
so suddenly the angel comes and they’re
these shepherds
and they’re scared to death
the angel says do not be afraid because
they’re scared
they haven’t seen anything like this
before
do not be afraid for behold somebody say
behold
there are a lot of scary things that is
going to happen and you’re going gonna
face in the new year and when you face
fear he tells them because they are
afraid he tells them to behold
that means look intensely at what are
they to behold i bring you good news of
great joy which will be to all the
people for the day in the city of david
that has been born for your savior who
is christ the lord
the more scared you get the more you
need to focus on jesus
he tells scared shepherds
look to jesus and that will calm your
fear and it will turn fear in the good
news and fear in the joy if you look to
jesus so whatever scares you in the new
year focus on jesus who can give you
peace in the midst of a storm so get
your focus straight in the new year so
that jesus can turn fearful situations
anxiety and anxiousness into stability
calm peace and joy but let’s go deeper
he says that the savior is going to be
born in the city of david
and i’m going to give you a sign
verse 7 12 says
you will find a baby wrapped in claws
lying in a manger
now at first that doesn’t seem like much
you’re going to see a baby okay a lot of
babies
you’re going to see a baby with cloth on
them
okay well any baby is going to be
wrapped in something
you’re going to be found a baby in a
manger well that’s a little different
but that’s sort of like a crib it was a
feeding trough but it’s sort of like a
crib and if there was no room in the end
you got to put the baby into something
so
how is that a sign
because i see a baby baby’s got cloth on
them and the baby’s lying in her
a different kind of crib but it’s
lagging a trough but how is that a sign
that he’s the savior
what what what is unique about that what
is special about that
i think the king james says he will be
wrapped in swaddling clothes
well who is he talking to he’s talking
to shepherds
what are shepherds doing they’re
watching over lamb and sheep right let
me tell you about the shepherds
these are not just general shepherds
the shepherds that the angel comes to
are shepherds that are watching over the
lambs that would be offered as sacrifice
on the altar for the sins of the people
the lambs had to be without spot or
wrinkle they could not have any
blemishes any cuts any scars on them
so back in jesus’s day what they would
do is they would wrap a newborn lamb
in cloth
so that as the lamb began to move around
it wouldn’t rub up
off of something and get a scar on it
because then it would be no good you
couldn’t offer it anymore so when the
shepherds heard
that they were to find a baby that would
be wrapped like one of the lambs that
they would normally wrap because this
baby was born to die
they would know that this is the savior
because this is the lamb of god come to
be offered as the sacrifice for mankind
so that’s why the rapping was so
important and it was the wrapping of a
baby like the wrapping of a newborn lamb
because jesus had to be the son of god
without spot or blemish
the sinless son of god
and so they come
and now the angels come forth and
they’re singing
and
the shepherds verse 20
went back glorifying and praising god
for all that they had heard
and for what they had been told
each of these could be a sermon within
itself these shepherds
experience
the miracle of jesus’s birth why because
they recognize the uniqueness of the
savior and responded accordingly
let me show you somebody else who
didn’t miss christmas
his name is simeon chapter 2
verse 25.
there was a man in jerusalem whose name
was simeon
and this man was a righteous and devout
he was righteous and devout looking for
the consolation of israel that is
looking for the savior
and the holy spirit was upon him
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
and he came in
in the spirit into the temple
and when the parents brought in the
child jesus to carry out for him the
custom of the law circumcision on the
eighth day then he took him into his
arms and blessed god
simeon didn’t miss christmas
the reason he didn’t miss christmas he
says he was righteous and devout
in other words he had committed his life
to the lord
secondly he didn’t miss christmas
because he was looking for jesus
so if you really want to experience god
in the new year
and you really want to make the most out
of christmas
live a life that seeks to please him
it’s called righteousness
be fully committed to him it’s called
being devout
and then keep your eyes open for him
because he was looking for jesus
he was looking for the consolation of
israel he was looking for jesus to show
up
and it’s a beautiful thing it’s he was
told he wouldn’t see death until he saw
jesus
oh this is deep
this is deep
see when it comes time for you to die
you want to be able to see jesus
now i must warn you
let me warn you because
he’s going to give us a warning here
he gives us the warning
in verse
30 uh in verse 34.
and simeon blessed them and said to mary
his mother
behold this child
is appointed for the fall and rise of
many in israel
and for a sign to be opposed
and a sword will pierce even your own
soul
to the end that
thoughts from many hearts
may be revealed
whoa
simon says
commitment to jesus will be polarizing
many will rise and fall
at his name
too many of us as christians are safe
because we don’t want to offend anybody
i don’t mean being offensive that’s not
what i mean
but we don’t want to be offending
by being too close to jesus
so we stay generic god
let me tell you what jesus’s answer is
he says in matthew 10 if you deny me
before men i will deny you before my
father
if you affirm me before men i will
affirm you before my father so don’t if
you’re embarrassed to be associated with
me
you don’t want your friends to know you
believe in me you don’t want people to
know you’re committed to me you don’t
want people you to know i’m your savior
you skipped me because i’m an
embarrassment to you then just tagging
on in jesus name to your prayer won’t
mean a thing
you must be willing to be identified
with me
that’s why he says in in philippians 2
that at the name of jesus
every knee will bow and every tongue
will confess that jesus is lord to the
glory of the father it is your
identification with jesus and not merely
your belief in god that makes christmas
with a little juice in it
that makes christmas potent
that makes christ real
he says this child is going to cause a
problem
because when you go out with jesus and
you get away from generic god
you have some folk that’s not going to
buy you now so jesus is okay right now
but when you cross the calendar over and
you still treat it like christmas like
jesus is something special like he’s the
son of the living god that he is your
savior and your lord if you go out there
like that you’re gonna have a problem
he tells mary i just want you to know
that yeah he’s all that but he will
create a problem
but he says not only will many rise and
fall
he says he’s going to create a problem
for your soul
so he’s going to have a problem
he’s going to be a problem for you
not just for the folk around you he’s
going to be a problem for you because
you’re going to want to do some things
that jesus won’t agree with
you’re going to want to go somewhere
that jesus doesn’t want you to go
you’re going to want to be something
that jesus doesn’t want you to be and so
you and jesus are going to have a
problem
now tell the truth for shame the devil
have you and jesus ever had a problem
jesus is one thing and you want another
thing it’s called the battle between the
flesh and the spirit the human nature
and the divine nature and the two come
into conflict he says jesus will oppose
your soul
so jesus is a problem
because he will bring you in the
conflict with yourself
where you will have to say no to you and
yes to him
but when you say no to you and yes to
him you get more of him in you
but not until you say no to you
and yes to him
so you see christmas
christmas brings the conflict within you
and without you
and it’s all about jesus
finally
the final
persons who found jesus are the wise men
in matthew chapter two
first of all all these nativity scenes
where you see wise men
around the manger
no
not true
there were no wise men
at the manger at the end with the
shepherds
because
chapter 2 verse 11 says
and coming into the house they saw the
child
so when the wise men get there jesus is
not in the in the manger he’s in the
house
two he’s not a baby he’s a child the
greek word for child means toddler
so he’s not a infant anymore he’s over
one years old
okay
now
the wise men saw his star when the child
was born
it says they came from the east
on camel
on horse there were no 747s
okay so they didn’t fly there
they had to walk there with camels and
horses and donkeys
so if you’re coming from the far east
to the middle east
on horseback and camo and dunkey
you don’t do that in a week
or a month
it takes a bunch of months
to make that trip
but when they saw the shekinah glory
when they saw god’s star
in from the east
over bethlehem
they came looking for jesus even at the
inconvenience of the journey
we don’t want to drive 20 minutes to
worship
they took over a year to get to jesus
because they decided he’s worthy of the
inconvenience of the trip
he’s worthy because they said we have
come to worship him because he is worthy
of whatever distance we have to travel
to get to where he is and he’s worthy of
our frankincense he’s worthy of our
mirror he’s worthy of our worship we
have come to worship him so the question
in the new year is in jesus worthy of
your worship what do you think about the
king of kings the lord of lords and the
christ
who was born in bethlehem
he is worthy
of your worship
so give him his worth
this christmas
and what did they get in return
uh verse 12
and having been warned by god in a dream
not to return to herod
the magi the wise men left for their own
country by another way or did you see
that
having been warned in a dream
you see
when you get jesus in the right place
and given the right worship
he can tell you which direction you
ought to take
they were worn in a dream
don’t go back this route cause herod is
looking after you and he wants to kill
you and he wants to kill the baby you
need to take another route see what god
wants to give you if you recognize jesus
and give him the word that he deserves
is your personal internal gps
to be able to direct you no don’t don’t
do this don’t take that opportunity
don’t go to that situation no cause i’m
not in that i’m over here it looks good
but it won’t be good five years from now
so don’t go there see god wants to steer
you but he won’t steer you either
directly or through a voice or through a
dream if you’re not willing to come and
worship him
they got led because they were willing
to do what it took to give him the
praise that he deserves
jesus is the light of the world
he wants to illumine your light in the
new year
and the folks who found jesus found
guidance found miracles found the
supernatural
so you can go into the new year with a
plain ordinary life
and just use your own human
understanding and do the best you can
or you can decide no this christmas i’m
banking on the supernatural
i’m not i’m not gonna lean to my own
understanding
i’m gonna bank on this christ child who
has now risen from the dead
because jesus
is the light
of the world
wherever you go during christmas season
you see christmas lights
they show up at night in the midst of
the darkness giving us some brightness
at nighttime
but there’s a lot of night time around
us right now there’s a lot of darkness
there’s a lot of problems and fears and
frustrations and anxiety
and it makes things feel dark
but the true light has entered the world
jesus christ is the light of the world
and if we would focus on the light
it does not eradicate the reality of
darkness but it does change what we see
we’re going to make it in this world in
this life with this trouble
we need some clear light we need to see
things as they really are
that’s why jesus came
keep your eyes on jesus this christmas
and he will help you to be guided
correctly
through the dark roads of this world
until you arrive at eternity
jesus is the true light of christmas
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you
Thank you, fir group, am encouraged, revived and restored by Dr. Tony’s messages. Awe-inspiring. God bless Dr. Tony in Jesus name.
amen