GOD MAKES HIMSELF SMALL TO LIVE IN US

Luke 2:11-12 (NIV)   Today in the town of David a Saviour 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." 

What is the message of Christmas? 

• God makes Himself small and weak, because He wanted to become one of us, because He wanted to be close to you and me, because He loves us infinitely and eternally.

As Jesus grew up and became a strong man, He did not take upon Himself the infinite power that was His by right, or the glory which He had manifested for all eternity before He became a baby in Bethlehem. 

Philippians 2:6-8 (NIV) Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 

• but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 

When He began His public preaching ministry, the Heavenly Father sent His wonder working power upon His dear Son and He began to work astonishing miracles.

Luke 3:21-22 (NIV)  When all the people were being baptised  Jesus was baptised too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." 

Before that, Jesus had lived a perfect life, full of love and goodness but He had not been known for miracles. 

After His baptism, Jesus was released into a supernatural ministry empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:38 (NLT)   And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 

Jesus was an astonishing miracle worker but He was still living as a man, using His faith in the Father in the same way as the Old Testament prophets did.

• He raised the dead, but Elijah and Elisha did the same.

• He stilled the storm but Moses parted the Red Sea.

Jesus was showing us how to live by faith. He was living as our role model.

John 14:12 (NLT)  “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 

Jesus is calling us to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, as He was, to grow in holiness and love, to be like him, and to exercise supernatural spiritual gifts from the Father, as He did.

Even on the day of Pentecost, God the Holy Spirit made Himself small to live human bodies. 

The Holy Spirit is the infinite God, whom even the universe cannot contain, yet He chooses to make Himself small to live in you and me and give His unlimited power to us to serve Jesus.

WITHOUT LOVE, CHRISTIANITY IS NOTHING BUT COLD, EMPTY RELIGION

If you have faith in Jesus Christ, God no longer looks upon your sins and failings but He looks at your trust in His Son and He adopts you as His own son or daughter.

Romans 5:1 (NLT)  Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 

BUT WE HAVE OFTEN SEEN FAITH REDUCED TO A RELIGIOUS FORMULA: 

• YOU SAY A PRAYER, ARE DECLARED TO BE SAVED 

• AND THEN JOIN A CHURCH WHERE YOU LEARN A FORM OF EVANGELICAL RELIGION

• James 2:19 (NKJV)  You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble! 

• 1 Corinthians 13:2 (NKJV)   And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, 

• but have not love, I am nothing. 

Without LOVE, Christianity is just empty religion.

1Jn 4:16 (NKJV)  And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. 

God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 

• The faith that puts us right with God is a decision to trust in the mercy of God who loves you with all of his heart.

1Jn 4:10 (NLT)  This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 

A Gospel that does not reveal the love of God is not the Good News of Jesus Christ.

• It is not your love which brings you to God but HIS love for you.

Romans 5:7-8 (NLT)  Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.

• But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 

What is the good news of Jesus Christ?

Jn 3:16 (NKJV)  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

The source of salvation is the Love of God. 

But what is salvation?

• It is a free gift from the God who loves you.

Romans 6:23 (NLT)   For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. 

God loves you but He is serious about sin. 

There is no sin in heaven and your human nature cannot get into God’s home. 

You can only have a home in heaven if your sins are forgiven. 

When Jesus died on the cross, He was intentionally suffering the punishment that you and I deserved for rejecting the God who loves us, for trying to live separated from Him, for not deeply caring about Him.

Jesus died to pay the price for ALL of your sins but your forgiveness is not automatic. 

Jesus died intentionally for you. 

• YOU must intentionally receive His forgiveness and trust in Him to reunite you with God.

God loves you so much that He is willing to accept you as you are. 

• But He is not willing to leave you the way you are. 

A Christian is not just a forgiven sinner. 

If you are really a Christian, you trust God to change you, to fill you with His love and transform you into His own likeness, to make you like Jesus.

Romans 5:5 (NLT)  And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. 

If you have really trusted in Jesus to forgive you and change your human nature, He gives you His own Divine Spirit to live in you and transform you from the inside out.

• If you have never trusted in Jesus, why not ask Him to come into your life now? 

• If you have believed but never seriously changed why not ask Him to fill you with His love and transform your whole life NOW?

A NEW TIME IS COMING

Ps 3:1 (NKJV)  A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son. LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. 

David was the true King of Israel, appointed by God, a man after God’s own heart but he was running for his life, driven from his throne by his own rebellious son Absalom. 

• This psalm also speaks of Jesus, the only Son of God, the Son of David and the Eternal King of Israel, betrayed and crucified by His own people.

• This psalm also speaks to us today. 

God has appointed the followers of Jesus to be the legal representatives of Heaven on Earth.

2Co 5:20 (ESV)  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 

We are ambassadors for the Messiah, the Son of God but even in West, formerly known as Christendom, Jesus and His followers are marginalised and looked down on.

• In America, founded by devout followers of Jesus, prayer is declared illegal in government schools and Happy Christmas is now “Happy Holiday.” 

• In Western Europe and the former British Empire, the core beliefs of the Bible are maliciously attacked and key biblical concepts are insidiously redefined. 

David wrote:

Ps 3:2 (ESV)  many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah 

In Muslim and Communist countries tens of thousands of faithful Christian believers are murdered for their faith every year. 

Romans 8:36 (ESV)  As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 

• In some European cities with large Muslim populations God’s Jewish people are constantly subject to violent intimidation.

Nevertheless we must not lose heart. 

• Ro 8:31 (ESV)  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

• Ro 8:35 (ESV)  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 

As he fled for his life, King David did not lose hope and he did remain the King of Israel.

• Ps 3:3 (ESV)  But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 

God will stand with His own faithful people.

We are in an intense spiritual battle and we cannot walk away from it. 

• The full force of the invisible armies of darkness are mobilised. 

• All around the world everything good and decent is under attack. 

But God has called His chosen people to do battle with Him and for Him and to take part in His ultimate victory. The climax of the battles of the ages is very near.

• The infinite power of Almighty God is on your side. If you are with Him, He will be with you all the days of your life and He can never be defeated.

• You have an invincible weapon, PRAYER.

Ps 3:4 (ESV)  I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah 

• When God spoke, the Universe was created, appearing out of nothing.

• When God’s sons and daughters speak with the faith He gives us, nothing can stop the mighty hand of God as He comes to our aid.

Of course there are millions who pray and nothing happens but when we trust our Heavenly Father, HE ANSWERS.

God answers by speaking to you, in words, in visions, by impartation of wisdom, faith and confidence. Then you can sleep in peace while the storm rages around you.

Ps 3:5 (ESV)  I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. 

But God not only speaks to you and gives you peace. HE ACTS.

Ps 3:7 (ESV)  Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! Selah 

Therefore dear brothers and sister in faith...

let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Gal 6:9 (ESV)

YOU CAN SAVE MANY LIVES

When Jesus called Peter and his other Apostles, he did not call them to wear robes and sit on thrones. 

He called them to save lives.

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

• Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Mt 4:18 (NKJV) 

Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God who died to pay the penalty for your sin? 

"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. Jn 3:16 (NIV) 

• For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us! 2Co 5:21 (TLB) 

If you really know Jesus, you will want others to know Him too. 

• We can only have peace with God through Jesus.

So now, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith in his promises, we can have real peace with him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Romans 5:1 (TLB)  

We can only escape God’s judgement and eternal hell through Jesus.

He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Jn 3:18 (NKJV) 

But there is a problem. 

Many Christians hate confronting people and most people don’t like being pressured, not by salesmen or by aggressive evangelists. 

• Are there solutions to this problem?

YES THERE ARE.

Jesus attracted people because He was full of love. 

• He radiated the love of God because that was His character. He also lived in constant loving companionship with His heavenly Father.

If you and I live in the presence of our loving God, and if we let go of narrow judgemental religious attitudes to people, 

• if we decide to really love people and accept them, then people will feel loved and they will feel touched by our kindness.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Mt 5:16 (NKJV) 

If you love people, you will see each person as an eternal spiritual being created in the image of God. 

• Even a person living a bad life has a unique God given potential.

A missionary in Los Angeles wanted to reach the owner of a sex shop with the love of Jesus. 
He prayed for inspiration and God gave him this message. 

The pornography dealer had a gift and a calling from God to comfort and encourage people but he was giving the wrong kind of comfort. 

When the shop keeper heard this message, his spiritual eyes were opened and he accepted Jesus and the pardoning love of God. 

God has deposited heavenly treasure in every human being.

• A person’s life might be a shipwreck and the treasure may be lost but a loving servant of Jesus can even salvage shipwrecks with the power and loving wisdom of God. 

If you want to save people, don’t feel obliged to copy some evangelistic method. 

• Be yourself. There are different types of evangelist.

• God can use THE INTELLECTUAL TYPE to discuss scientific, historical and theological problems with deep thinkers who may be more open than they appear to be.

• God can use STORY TELLERS to tell people what He has done in their lives.

• God can use FRIENDLY people to form loving friendships with people in need of love and understanding.

• HELPFUL people can win people with practical acts of kindness.

• HOSPITABLE PEOPLE can invite people to meet other believers. You can show wonderful videos in your own home.

• COMMUNICATIVE PEOPLE can initiate wonderful discussions. When you listen to people respectfully, they are often more open than you think.

• PRAYERFUL PEOPLE can release the power of God. If God answers your prayer for neighbours or colleagues, they experience the reality of God’s love for themselves and they can become open to the message of Jesus.

NO ONE IS ORDINARY

There is no such thing as an ordinary Christian or an ordinary person. 

In the beginning God created Adam and Eve to be like Himself, special representatives of God on earth, immortal spiritual beings created to be like God Himself, created in the image and likeness of God.

How can a perfect and glorious immortal spiritual being be ordinary? 

We know that Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and they lost their immortal glory. Every man and woman since then has been born full of faults and defects.

Imagine an artistic masterpiece, a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Suppose it is lost, damaged by fire, torn and covered with dirt. 

It might start to look ordinary. But it is not ordinary. 

Supposing an artistic genius were to find the damaged art work. He gets to work and cleans it, repairs the canvass and fully restores the masterpiece.

• It is clearly not ordinary and it never was ordinary.

You and I are the damaged art works of the greatest of all creative masters, God.

You and I were so badly damaged, that we were fit only for destruction. But Jesus died on the cross and opened the way for you and me to be restored.

Jn 3:16 (NKJV)  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

When you allow God to change your heart and you place your entire life in the loving hands of Jesus, something extraordinary happens.

2Co 5:17 (NKJV)  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 

If you are a new creation of God, you cannot be ordinary. 

• Who would dare say an original masterpiece of Leonardo da Vinci was an ordinary painting?

If you have been guilty of thinking you are just an ordinary Christian, it is time to repent! Change your mind. 

• Open your heart and let God show you who He is and who You really are.

You are enormously precious and wonderful because you are created in the image of God who is glorious beyond human imagination. 

I don’t want you to become proud. You did not make yourself but you were created by God.

You are special but so is every other believer special. And the people around you who have not yet believed are also special beyond measure, even though they are badly damaged because they were also created in the image of God.

We need to change our thinking and the way we speak about ourselves and about other people.

James 3:9-11 (NIV)  With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.

• Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 

Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 

God does not like everything about you and me BUT he is working to restore us day by day. 

He is not happy about everything in our lives but He loves His children and that is what we are if we belong to Jesus by trusting Him.

If you belong to Jesus through faith, God not only loves you but He likes what He has done in your life. He likes the real you inside. You are special and God created you with a special purpose in mind. No one else on earth is quite like you. 

God does not despise or hate people. 

• He even sees bad people as His lost children. 

• He longs to restore them and bring them home. 

If you seek to know the heart of God and you search with all your heart, He will show you His heart and He will show you how He sees you. 

• He will show you wonderful things that will transform your life. 
• God will change you into a world changer.

ARE EXTREME MIRACLES FOR TODAY?

When the Hebrews were trapped in the desert by the Egyptian army, God held back the waters of the Red Sea and Moses led a nation of 2 million people to safety. 

• Some people suggest the water was extremely shallow but it was deep enough to drown the army that tried to pursue them. 

In The Complete Book of Bible Lists, H. L. Willmington lists 36 miracles performed by Jesus before He went to the cross. Many of these are recorded in two or three different Gospel accounts. 

• When God repeats Himself, He wants you to pay close attention. 

There are many who admit there are many miracles recorded in the Bible but they suggest miracles are not really so important. 

• Jesus did not think this way at all.

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Jn 14:10.

Jesus calls His miracles the works of the Father. 

Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. Jn 14:11

The Apostle John concludes his Gospel with the same thought.

  Now Jesus did MANY other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 

• but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30-31

So what about us? Should we only admire the miracles of Jesus as historical events as some suggest? God forbid!

 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 

• If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:13-14

This is familiar teaching to anyone who has been to Sunday school. 

• However, many Christians say they believe this but at the same time attack preachers who emphasise miracles.

The familiar text about answered prayer follows directly after this startling text.

 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Jn 14:12

God’s plan for the followers of Jesus is that we should expect and experience many extreme miracles.

Many protest that this is promoting sensational preachers who want to get rich and glorify themselves. 

• Sadly this has sometimes happened but the misuse of God’s truth does not make God’s truth untrue.

Jesus warned that believers who misused spiritual gifts for their own selfish gain or glory should not expect even to enter heaven.

Matthew 7:22-23 (ESV)  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

• And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ 

But that does not mean we should not prophesy or cast out demons?

• No, but be sure to love God and others. True love produces great faith when you need it.

This world NEEDS extreme miracles.

• When a young woman is lost and homeless on the streets, her heartbroken parents NEED extreme miracles.
• When poor people suffer constant agony with rotten teeth, they NEED extreme miracles. 

C Peter Wagner was a conservative Bible teacher who had been taught not to expect extreme miracles but he heard of revivals in South America where people routinely testified they had received gold fillings by the power of God. 

He visited the revival and checked the stories with scientific care. He returned to his Bible school as a confirmed believer in miracles.

• Has your child disappeared or been taken from you?

• Have you lost your health, your marriage or your house? 

Believe for extreme miracles!