Our Proper Response to Christmas
Once Upon A Time
Time flies – Christmas is just a little under a month away..
Christmas – celebrate the arrival of Jesus Christ
-The once upon a time start to the Gospel story”
-Once upon a time in a stable in Bethlehem”
-It’s the once upon a time beginning of your salvation story
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We have added to so many things to this incredible event…
The time, the shopping, Santa Claus, tree’s and decorations..
Not going to deliberate your family or personal traditions.
NOT a Santa bashing series
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Series based on what should our living response to Christ coming be?
What should our heart do when we think of Him leaving His heavenly home.
Romans 12 Almost verse by verse discussion…
Taken discussions with onliness from all over the world and have put this message together…
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Romans 12:1-2
Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.
2 Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.
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Change our Minds
Set in our ways..
We have created our own sets of responses and rules
Locked in
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Give up sacrifice our rules and thoughts and judgements
Next week: The Delights and the Power
Week 3: The Worship
Week 4: Satisfied
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2 Corinthians 10:3-4
For though we live in the world, we do notwage war as the world does.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have
divine power to demolish strongholds.
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Divine power – Romans 12 – one of the gifts Jesus came to give us
If strongholds are in the mind, and Romans 12 tells us we need to change our mind….
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RESPONSE 1: We break strongholds
Old beliefs, rules we judge others by
Religious beliefs and practices that bind us and do not release us
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Dunamis —Explosive power of God!
Ochuroma —fortified, military stronghold, strong walled fortress!
Fortress or a prison—
Prisoner locked by deception.
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Satan was the first Grinch
He wanted to steal Christmas so you would not be given the Mercy of being able to break strongholds (Change your mind)
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What does our enemy do?
Shapes your thinking—One rock at a time—Prison of lies!
You can’t trust
Won’t succeed
Always broke
Never amount anything (Failed resolutions)
God doesn’t care about you
Can’t let them know struggles
Reject you
Keeps you in the traditions – “Its how we have always done it”
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2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make itobedient to Christ
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Better/Worse:
The life you have is a reflection of the thoughts you think.
Change your thinking – Change your life
Your life will always end up in the place that you think about the most…
Your life is always moving in thedirection of your strongest thoughts
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Proverbs 23:7
For as he thinks in his heart so is he…
Think you can’t—Probably won’t.
Think can—Probably will.
Dwell problems—Overwhelm you.
Look solutions—See some.
Feel like victim—Become one.
Believe overcome with Jesus—Can.
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Most of life’s battles are won or lost in the mind.
Mind is a battlefield: God’s truth to you and Satan’s
lies about you
.
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Changing your mind:
Worried
They think—Children—Future—Money—Job—Health.
vs.
Secure God’s promises
Do what you can—Trust—Full of peace.
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Negative
Critical people, Find fault, Discontented. Hard. Busy.
vs.
See positive
: Believe best people, Life if good. Optimistic future.
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Mind consumed w/this life
: Material possessions. Liked by people.
vs.
Eternal difference
: Given gifts—Reach people—Job/Calling.
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Religious rules
Deeds bring pleasure to God and try an earn his attention
vs.
Grace filled
Live by the righteous principles of God and develop a personal relationship within
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The ability to change our minds is a mercy given to us.
Mercifully He made the way out for us to break Strongholds
Our reposes to that is to CHANGE OUR MINDS
Jesus came to set the captives free – Our response is to be free!
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