Many times people wonder about the gifts the wise men brought Jesus

Each of the gifts had specific meaning, and the wise men knew this

Gold, as a gift, was only given to those in a royal line

Kings were given gold, and this was a symbol of their royalty

Today, we know that Jesus is king of kings, but how did the wise men know this?

These magi were not from Jerusalem or Bethlehem or anywhere close by

Scripture says they were from the east. This is talking about the far east sometimes referred to as the orient

This area included the lands of Babylon and surrounding areas

Prominent Jew with much influence lived there and his name was Daniel

Daniel had been given the vision concerning the Messiah, so certainly he would have taught that

The magi were part of a group that Daniel would have had influence over

It is important to know that Jesus was born to be King

This prophecy clearly shows Jesus taking the throne of David and ruling forever

Jesus, Himself, during His earthly ministry, said He was King

You see, the wise men, who learned from Daniel, knew that Jesus was a King; so they gave the appropriate gift

For us today it is important to remember that, as Timothy said, Jesus is King of Kings

Our world is so crazy sometimes to stop and remember that God is still in control and Jesus is still King brings peace

Remembering that Jesus is King also helps us as we are faced with many things that want our attention

Matthew 6:24 says no one can serve two masters

This means for us to keep Jesus’ Kingship in mind and serve Him alone is paramount

We see Jesus as King in Revelation as well

When the end comes and the battle is over, Jesus is still King of Kings

The wise men knew this and celebrated this with the gift of Gold

Do you call Him King today?

You can!

The Prophecy:
Isaiah 7:14 NASB

The prophecy of a coming Messiah had been passed down for centuries before Jesus’ birth

While it may not have been an afterthought, it was truly a miracle

God chose to provide a sacrifice to pay the price of sin for every person

He provided His Son Jesus through a virgin so that all would know this was a miracle

He provided an earthly father to look after Jesus until His time had come

It was a miracle that Joseph listened to the angel instead of saving face with people

I want you to understand that every part of this familiar story is a miracle

A young woman’s miracle conception that she probably didn’t really understand

The fiancé that went against his instincts to protect them both and became an object of ridicule

All of this was done as God had designed

He made the preparation for man’s salvation from the moment He decided to give us free will

We say the words “From the manger to the cross” but sometimes it is hard to really grasp that reality

What if you were told you were going to have a child and that child’s purpose was to die

That would be unimaginable

But God

He loved the world so much that He gave His only Son

This miracle that we call Christmas is the celebration of the most important gift to the world

So I’m begging you all, this year, please don’t let the miracle of Christmas become an afterthought in your celebration

We decorate our homes, we buy wonderful gifts, we make delicious food and all these things are good

But what if the true miracle of Christmas becomes lost in the celebration

I saw a scene once that had all these giant secular objects to celebrate and off to the side a tiny manger scene

That is how the world sees Christmas if the manger exists in the celebration at all

The miracle that will never be repeated has been pushed into the background

By Christians

If we don’t actively celebrate the Miracle of Christmas the world will forget it was even a thing

The question for you today is, do you believe in the miracle called Christmas

If you believe, the scripture says you shall be saved by this miracle

Will this be the year that you truly celebrate the miracle of Christmas?

Hebrew 9:27 says “it is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgement”

In the last 8 days I have been a part of three funerals

Knowing this was the week ahead, I began to think about eternity and how many people live like there isn’t one

I found an article about a service in South Korea that is offered to all

Free funerals for the living

Since it began in 2012 more than 25000 people have participated in “living funerals”

These simulated death ceremonies are designed to help you appreciate life and inspire gratitude and even forgiveness

Death is the destiny of everyone and the living should take it to heart

I saw many pictures at the funeral home this week that were different

One had a coffin being transported to the grave in a fishing boat

Another had a set of golf clubs leaned against the coffin

I’ve even heard of someone being buried with their rifle in the coffin

While all of these things were meant to show the things people loved to do in life, they were sad to me

Because there is no hunting, fishing, golf or football in heaven

If there is a service for me one day, the only item I want people to see is my Bible

Because, if death is the destiny of everyone, then, as a living person, we need to understand what really matters

So why do I say funerals for good living? To remind us that we only have a finite amount of time here

That should help to remind us do what Matt 6:20 says and store up treasures in heaven

This is saying, instead of living in this life to pleasure ourselves, we need to remember what is ahead

Think about this…if you die today what would your funeral look like?

Would people be talking about what a great football fan you were?

Maybe they would even say you were a good person and many other nice things

But what about you….do you know what is going to happen after your death?

Have you laid up any treasure in heaven?

Will you be in heaven?

It isn’t automatic that you are going to heaven

When we spend time at funerals, it makes us think about our own mortality

One day death will come for you. So, the question is: Are you ready for what happens after that?

Have you ever given your life to Christ and accepted the salvation that He offers?

Let the Funeral help you live better by trusting in God and living every day for Him

Will you give your life to Jesus today?

Have you ever heard someone say “I got a better offer”

Sometimes people say that and others looking on don’t think it is a better offer

Sometimes it is just taking an offer in a moment when it wasn’t thought through

Often times that better offer ends up being much less than what you could have had

Don’t settle for less!

He wanted them to understand that, even if he was in prison, they could still be filled with the Holy Spirit

Surely after Paul was put in prison they may have felt as if all was lost

Maybe what they had was as good as it was going to be

He was praying in 16 that they would be blessed and strengthened through the Holy Spirit

He knew there was more and he didn’t want them to lose heart and settle for less

Sometimes it isn’t losing heart as much as it is losing sight of the things ahead

Believers sometimes get so wrapped up in the here and now they forget about the eternal

The problem with doing that is we are settling for something temporary

Instead of striving for something more

John 10:10 Jesus says “I came that they might have life and have it abundantly”

That believers would see the breadth and length, height and depth

Before we settle for the tiny things this life has to offer we need to see how much more we could have

The prince of this world, satan, tries desperately to make this world beautiful and pleasing to you

He knows that if you look past this world you will not settle

If we allow ourselves to be satisfied in this world, we have not received that fullness God offers

When we are only partially filled, it is much easier for satan to make us ineffective by settling for less

The only thing that will lead to is buyers remorse

Do you long for a life that is full and abundant?

Do you know the one that can give it to you?

Don’t settle for less when the best is available!

Division

This seems to be the word of the 21st century

Every time you read a news story some group is angry at another group and unwilling to come together

We know that the lost world will always be this way but it is not how the church is called to be

In today’s world the church is just as much divided as the lost world

Do you know that almost anyone can do demolition but it takes skill to build

Let’s be builders within the church and those outside the church will notice

When I say the church, I’m speaking of the church universal, meaning all God’s people

This is something that 21st century Christians do not do very well. Build across the spectrum of all believers.

Are you getting this, we are to build up the whole body not just one arm and demo is not a good thing

As I said before it takes skill to be a builder

You aren’t going to find a video on YouTube on being a builder of the body.

There isn’t a book at Lowes or Home Depot that can teach you.

How do I attain the skills to be a builder of the body?

Notice the first steps are “rejoice always” and “pray without ceasing”

If we follow those two steps, then what we are really doing is living in Jesus so he can teach us.

Something modern believers find very hard to do is give thanks in “everything”

We only want to be thankful for the “good stuff”

God uses all things to teach us how to be good builders

Vs 21 – 22 sound so easy but in this world these are areas we struggle in

When we do not abstain from evil we are tearing down and not building up

Satan is throwing everything he can at you to help you fail

But ultimately we are the ones that give in to evil or not

When we overcome the evil, through constant prayer it is God sanctifying us to continue to build

Are you a demolition specialist or are you ready to build?