It's the Most "Inclusive" Time of the Year

Thank you for listening to the river.

Bend Church podcast Reverb in church exists.

Delete all people to know love and live New Life in Jesus

Christ. We hope that you enjoy this

message. This is week two of our

Christmas series but that doesn't mean you missed anything

that you can't catch up on because we're in a series

called. It's the most blank time of the

year. If you were to have to put one

word in the blank, what would you You say so far as I've been

crazy chaotic has it been you know, joyful how is it being

stressful? Exciting overwhelming, you know

can you keep the kids like under control because Christmas is

coming. Now, I know I've heard that from

a lot of parents like the chaos of keeping my kids, finishing

school, and getting to where we need to go.

It says stuff right now. So I want to give you the big

idea of this series. We understand that we give gifts

at Christmas but that really for believers for followers of

Christ. Stems from the fact that God

gave, but there's a big idea of this series and then we're going

to dive into today's specific message.

But here's a Christmas reality for us because God gave at

Christmas, we get to choose because God gave it Christmas,

we get to choose. And so today what I want to do

is put a choice or an understanding before us a choice

that we get to make, because God gave it Christmas but I'll be

really honest, Pastor confession this morning for a dive into the

Message, I almost didn't bring this message to the table.

I wanted to do something different.

I'd already told God. I was going to do something

different you ever done that before I already told God, like

God, I got this mapped out like it's going to be powerful or

this scripture is going to be so good.

And I started studying in and over the last few weeks, the

Lord started changing my heart. Here's why I wrestled with the

message that I was telling Richard earlier this morning,

there's a handful of people. I mean the house is full here

Oakwood. I know you guys are and so out

of everybody here, there's only a handful of people that this

Messages for, in fact, I might be preaching an entire message

today for one person that's in the room and you go, man.

That's crazy. Like, you're gonna you're gonna,

you're gonna make all the rest of us.

Listen to a message for one person.

Do you want me to be obedient to God or not?

Come on. I can be disobedient to the

Lord. When I, when I get into the

message, I think there's at least one person here today and

it's for you and so if you know it's for you then maybe that's

why I got God. Has been stirring me for three

weeks. One of the hardest messages I've

written because I was wrestling with so much this week in

finishing this up. But here's what I want to say,

here's why I decided to do it one, I know God gave me peace on

it. The other thing, even if it's

not for you, God wants you to hear this because he's got

something for you to do with it, when you get out of here.

So is that a Deal. So for the one person here, man,

we love you. And I'm glad you're here because

I wrote a message just for you today.

But for everybody else here, everybody else at Oakwood, we

need to hear this because God's going to send us out with a new

understanding of what some people are going through.

And so, let me give you the message today and you're going

to stand why, it's kind of a strange message.

Christmas is the most inclusive time of the year and you go man.

That's a weirdest titled Christmas message I've ever

heard my life deal. Like I told the Lord that But

here's what I've learned. And here's, here's why we're

going this direction today with the Christmas story.

There is someone here and you feel left out in the crowd.

What I mean, is it could be like, where your mental health

is. It could be like some emotional

scarring, or it could just be a personality, but you can be in

the midst of a room like this, where there's love and there's

worship in and all that, but internally you feel alone.

God brings you even when you're around people, even when you're

in a big crowd at work, or when you go shopping and when you go

out, like, you still somehow feel like I don't fit in with

everybody else. Why does everybody else

connecting so easy? Why do they have it that way?

But it's just me. That's the one I'm talking to

this morning, the person an externally you put on the show.

Like you're just like everybody else but internally somehow you

feel left out You've even talked yourself out of like I know that

Jesus is good and I know that that he is extended salvation

because he loves me and you may have even accepted that, but

then you go. But these are really accept me

or am I left out? That's the one that I'm talking

to maybe the ones not even here in this room.

Maybe it's you at Oakwood. Maybe the one is sitting there

this morning. What does it feel like though?

Who am I talking to somebody who deals with inner shaming

Brokenness? Even though you've been trying

to get over it? You're still dealing with this

inner shame and Brokenness, you your present.

But it's hard for you to really engage this person that I'm

talking to, you feel misunderstood, and for some

reason you feel alone and you can't put your finger on it.

The Christmas message has something for you today.

Here's the deal because God gave us Jesus, because Jesus came,

guess what? You are included in the gospel

story. Christmas means no one is left

out of God's love. No one is left out of God's

kingdom. No one is left out of redemption

or healing or wholeness. Even if you've Yourself out of

it. Even if you had somebody beats

you down as a child. Are you been in a relationship

that was abusive and you feel Lester them like you can never

recover. Now, listen Christmas tells you

there is healing for you. The one person here, who said,

no, no, not for me Joe. No, this is that you're the one

I'm talking to, because the Lord was putting this on my heart,

tell them. Christmas means that there is

wholeness again for you that you will rise again.

That God doesn't want you to live in your depression, in your

defeat and your loneliness that he has the More in this life for

you than you can even imagine for yourself right now and he

sent this guy, literally sitting at a Panera Bread at 6:00 in the

morning, writing this word right here for you, and he said, it's

for you. So I don't know who you are, but

I'm fired up to share this with you because you need this this

morning church for the rest of us.

We have to extend this kind of hope to people, this Christmas,

you are included. You are included.

I don't care where you've been, what you've done, what you've

chosen in the past, what your wrestling's, and struggles,

Christmas means you are included and we won't shut up.

We refuse to be quiet about this message, that Christmas means

you are included. Now, the message today comes

from the entire Christmas story. Usually, I'll zoom in and I'll

look at one little piece. Like, we'll talk about the wise

men or we'll talk about Mary and Joseph, that's usually kind of

how I like to teach the Christmas story.

But in this exact instance, we're literally going to cover

almost every main character in The Christmas Story.

In a really short time. Time because I zoomed out and I

looked at the whole big picture and it was like, God painted

that picture. I included everyone and I want

to show you through the people. I invited to the Christmas

story. And so today, we're going to

start with the two main characters.

So maybe it'll be a little bit of just like Bible study and

Bible Understanding for you because we're going to look at

these scriptures. But I want to start today with

the main two characters are the first two characters.

We really see in the Christmas story, you see at the Nativity

and I have them here. Here, they are Mary and Joseph,

I know they're leaning a little bit.

I don't know why they got a little lean-to them but no, I

love this nativity set. There's a story.

The first year we came here, we purchased this from a store

downtown and it was created by Randy's, Randy's friends, Randy,

and friends. If you know who they are, I

believe this one specifically is created by some special needs

men and women that came together to do this.

So it's just been really, really special to my heart every year.

I pray when we take Out. I literally pray for those that

that made it in those families. But also it blesses, my heart

just to have this in our home. So we actually have it.

I stole it from our fireplace Courtney.

Let me take it this morning. So this is Mary, don't you like

that head covering it in an incredible Mary and Joseph and

then they already have baby Jesus but when we first start

reading the story, they don't have baby Jesus yet but they're

going to have him eventually but I want to take a quick look 2000

years ago at this event that happened.

Here's what we're told. In Matthew chapter 1.

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

This is how Jesus. Jesus.

The Messiah was born, his mother Mary was engaged in the

old-school. Word is betrothed like promised

to it was actually more stiff than just engage.

It was a it was a promise. This is a done deal.

It just hasn't happened yet. They were engaged.

She was engaged to be married to Joseph but before the marriage

took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant

through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Joseph to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not

want to disgrace her publicly. He decided to break the

engagement quietly. So when we look at this, what

we've done is, we've sanitized and we've taken the pain out of

the Christmas story. We go, aww, look at the cute

little figurines. Mary and Joseph, can I tell you

this marriage started with division in it?

Come on, anybody feeling that today.

Sometimes we feel left out because our marriage is

struggling. Can I just tell you before they

even got married? They almost didn't get married.

He was trying to divorce her before they even got married,

not Jesus his family for sure. Yeah, Jesus His family.

He was about to leave her because I mean, Not only was she

pregnant before marriage, she was pregnant before sex, and

that's a whole other struggle, you know what I mean?

That isn't weird struggle it but here they are and there's

tension in their relationship. Now, this is interesting, you

can read right over this if you look at earlier the angel,

here's the Angel, by the way, the angel came to Mary but

Joseph didn't seem to be there, came to me and said, Mary,

you're going to have a baby. The holy spirit is going to

conceive this child in you. And so, Mary said, yes, Lord, I

receive it whatever you had for me, but at that point Joseph had

not heard from the angel yet. All he had Go on.

Was what Mary Said. So Mary goes to him and says,

hey Joseph. I got something to tell you like

I'm pregnant. But it's God's baby.

Come on, man. That is not easy to hear anybody

ever try that? Like, you're like no, no, that's

not how it works. I'm pregnant, but it's God's

baby. I'm gonna have it so Joseph I

mean he's a righteous man. So he wants to believe, why them

with Joseph say he was going to he was going to kind of divorce

her quietly and not disgrace her.

It's because I think at this point is probably a few months

later and she's starting to show Show.

And he's walking around town and maybe they've been covering it

up and he's trying to believe God, he's trying to believe her

because he loves her and he's a righteous man, but he's

struggling. So finally he goes, you know

what? I could have her Stone but I

love her too much. I'm a writer, I want to just

kind of bow out and just let happen what happens, but then,

right? Then look what happens as he was

thinking about divorcing. Her eight Gabriel shows up and

talks to him. Look what he says as he

considered this an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.

So actually, technically Joseph was sleeping and the angel came

and talked to him. It's so Joe.

He see if you're timid a dream, Joseph son of David.

The angel said, do not be afraid to take.

Mary as your wife for the child within her was conceived.

So this is the affirmation. He was conceived by the Holy

Spirit and she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus.

Now, this is weird because usually, you would name your

firstborn son after you. So his name should have been

what? Joseph, but he said, you're not

going to name him. Joseph, you're going to name him

Jesus. Why?

Because he will save his people. From their sins.

All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through the

prophet. Look, the Virgin will conceive,

a child. She will give birth to a son and

they will call him Immanuel, which means God Is With Us verse

24. Joseph woke up.

He did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his

wife. But he did not have sexual

relations with her until until her son was born and Joseph

named him Jesus in that incredibly SC, powerful.

God's story, right there. Can you sense the Brokenness

that they had to walk through even to get to the birth of baby

Jesus? We can't take the pain and the

Brokenness out of the story. Can we not when you look at it?

Let's just talk about in-laws. How do you think, you know, how

do you think the in-law conversations went like?

Look, look dad, she's pregnant and it's not mine.

It's God's baby. I don't think the conversations

went very well, you can imagine like all the way through their

family. There was tension anybody here.

I have a dysfunctional family, maybe it's for you just to say

God has included, you don't, you know that God does what he does

on purpose. Don't, you know, that God didn't

go. Oh man, I didn't realize the

tension. It was going to cost to have her

be impregnated by the Holy Spirit can see but I didn't

realize the kitchen. Oh God knew it.

You know what he did? He painted us a beautiful

picture of who the gospel includes even in the story of

Mary and Joseph right here. So who did Jesus including

Christmas? Let me just give you this right

here. Here's who Jesus included.

Jesus includes people with broken relationships and he

heals. You could even put another word

if you don't use broken, you could say he includes those with

dysfunctional relationships, he includes those with complicated

relationships. He includes those, you know,

there's people in the house today and you've been divorced

and you're still carrying the pain from it because maybe it

was your fault. Maybe it's their fault, maybe

there was abuse. But here's the thing, there's

always loss and there's always pain and so you could put

yourself and say, you know what, I'm included in the store even

though sometimes I count myself out, I've said, That I'll come.

I can never really be all God wants because I've already blown

it. What if he gave us the Christmas

story to remind you that he included those who have made

mistakes? Or who have been, you know, had

bad things done to them the past those that have been through

really bad situations. You know, maybe those whose

marriages are struggling, and God just wants to come and say

he includes you, you actually need him more.

If your marriage is struggling There are people in the house.

No doubt. Maybe this one's for you.

That kids and parents. Your relationship is strained or

broken. And here's the deal.

That doesn't mean that you need to lean away from the gospel.

You need to lean into it. Those that have Dad or Mom

issues because the things happen, when you were going up,

Jesus includes people with broken relationship strained

relationships. He didn't invite perfect people

to be a part of the Christmas story.

You know, who invited people, who would say, yes.

He invited a young couple and they said, yes, even though

Brought pain on them to be the Earthly parent Joseph to be the

Earthly, father Mary to be the mother.

See there's maybe somebody here and you have believed this lie.

The enemy is said you, you are excluded because of blank, what

do you put in the blank? You'll never be because you're

blinking in, there's a 10 word sense of loss.

And there's a ten-word sense of I don't belong and I don't fit

in and I don't matter so I pray. Today is a healing flow if

that's you over your life to be reminded now fast forward a few

months. It's Mary and Joseph traveled to

Bethlehem. They had to go there for a

mandatory census because that was actually Joseph's Hometown

and so they head there and they get there.

And here's what it says, while they were there.

The time came for her baby to be born.

She gave birth to her firstborn son, she wrapped him snugly, in

strips of cloth, and laid him in a Manger, because there was no

lodging available. For them, that night, there were

shepherds staying in the fields, nearby guarding their flocks of

sheep, son, Like an angel of the Lord appeared.

Among them in the radiance of the Lord's, Glory surround them

and they were terrified, but the angel reassured them.

He said, don't be afraid, I bring you good news.

That will bring great joy to all people and here's the

announcement, the Savior. Yes, the Messiah.

The Lord has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David and

you'll recognize him by the sun. You'll find the baby wrapped in

snugly, in strips of cloth and lying in a Manger.

They hurried to the Village. So right here is where you see

the action point. They heard the story, they were

invited in, hey, you're included.

And now they make the decision. They hurried to the village and

found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby lying in

the manger. After seeing him the shepherd's

told everyone. What had happened?

And what the angel has said to them about this child, all who

heard the shepherd story were astonished but Mary kept these

things that are heart and thought about them often and

then they go back to their pasture.

The shepherd's went back to their flocks but this time

glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and

seen. It was just as the angel had

said, let's talk a little bit about the shepherd's here

because I have these guys here and we don't know if there were

two or ten or Twenty or we don't know, but it had sheep,

obviously, they didn't bring the Sheep.

By the way, we get this, a little, they probably left the

Sheep back with one of the other guys.

It would have not been fun to been that guy like.

Hey, you got to stay here because we're going to see

Jesus. Maybe they drew.

Drawers. I don't know they gambled for, I

don't know what they did. They did something they played

rock paper scissors. But somebody had to stay with

the Sheep but because it's the Christmas story and our Nativity

is include sheet. We put them out there but the

shepherd show up. Do you know who these guys were?

You know, a little bit about who these guys were, most people

would tell you scholar. Why's that study that shepherds

are kind of the lowest of the low in society.

It doesn't mean they were bad people.

Sometimes, maybe they were Scoundrels and thieves, but

you'll hear people write about that.

I've studied it a lot. I'm Sure, that all Shepherds for

like that. I mean, King David was a

Shepherd. Jesus says, I am the Good

Shepherd, sir. I don't think he implied that

like all shepherds in the first century would just rotten,

they're probably worth something.

But here's the truth, it was a lowly lowly job.

I mean, it was, it was kind of like, you know, one of the base

based jobs of society of that day, but yet it was an important

job because they literally couldn't worship.

They didn't have sheep to take to sacrifice.

If there were shepherds the carrier for the sheep.

And so it was a very important job.

But there were Slowly, and here's what we do, know about

him, for the most part, they were the outcasts of society.

I mean, they followed sheep around, they didn't have a lot

of money for the most part. They lived in little bunches,

they wander through the Wilderness, taking care of

sheep. So they were outcasts, do you

know what? The Christmas Story shows us

though. It says at the time, Jesus was

born exactly at that time. There were shepherds right

outside in a field like timing was perfect.

And here's what Christmas shows us.

What does Jesus do, Jesus? Invites the out.

Cast in. Shepherds were social outcasts.

So I think, you know, maybe you feel like, because of your job

or because of, you know, your social status, maybe that's what

makes you feel outcasted. And, and, and that's unfortunate

because it takes every if you're doing what you need to do, where

God's called you to be right now.

It takes all of us working together to make the church, go

even to make our world go, we all must do what's in front of

us to do what our gifts that allows us to do stop playing the

comparison game and just be obedient to what God has in

front of you. But more often than not.

Not it's not our social status or what we do for work and make

us feel Outcast. It's what's going on inside of

us. It's the shame and regret that

we carry, it's our mental and emotional unhealth.

That we carry that makes us feel get this not that we are Outcast

it but you feel that you are one of the enemy's greatest weapons

used to make God's people feel like outcasts when he said

you're included. Christmas shouts, this message

the outcasts are invited in. But here's the thing, did you

notice that action point in the story?

They got invited to see Jesus and what did they have to do?

Choose to believe it and go. She used to say, because I feel

like an outcast because I feel like I don't belong in the city

because I feel like how could this really be God.

Invite me. And they could have said, you

know what? We're just going to write that

off. Yeah, it was amazing when the

Angels showed up, but you know what?

He must have gotten the wrong Shepherds.

He must have come to the wrong pasture.

But what do they do? They took off and they went to

find Jesus and they got to be in the story.

So this is a word for somebody who feels outcasted.

You have to continue to seek Jesus.

You have to continue to follow him.

That's on you because the truth is you are included.

If you feel outcasted the shepherd's reminded year

included, now not only did he invite the outcast at Shepherds?

But several months later, maybe even a year later.

If you look at the Timeline we meet some wise men so here they

are. Moe, Larry and Curly for the

people, old enough to know who the Three Stooges are.

And yes, I know because my grandmother watched it when I

was a kid. No, but these guys right here

now how many wives, how many, how many wise men were there?

Well, don't answer that. We don't know if you look

scripturally speaking. There were three gifts, gold

frankincense and myrrh that we're going to read about, but

we don't know how many wise men there were.

We always make them out to be the three kings.

We don't even know that they were keys.

In fact, we think there were more astronomers than they were

Kings or scientists than they were Kings and so so it's crazy

when you get to study and how over the years we've just made

up stuff and people believe it as if it's scripture, come on,

we do. That all the time we make up

stuff and people come that sounds so good.

It must be God. You better make sure in your

Bible, it's God. Don't you be taking Facebook and

Twitter thinking it's God, you better make sure it's God.

Sorry, that was just a side note for 9:30, this morning, 10

o'clock service. So here's the, here's the guy,

so they these guys, they start actually, if you want to put

them geographically correct in your manger scene, you don't

need to put them in and put them like over to the side because

they came later like they were there.

Whenever Jesus was born, the shepherd's came that night but

they started seeking him so it took them a while.

They had to travel, we don't know.

There's a lot of mystery, we don't know exactly where they

came from, we don't know exactly how they got involved with

following the star. There's a lot of speculation.

You know what, I think, I think the Holy Spirit.

Miles away. The Holy Spirit was working in

their hearts saying, hey, there's gonna be a star and

you're gonna find the savior of the world there.

I want you to sneak him. So they start reading her Bible

and they go, you know what? There's something to this God's

at work. Let's go.

Seek him out. Hey guys, you wanna do something

crazy. Let's go look for Jesus, that's

just my view. No Country Boy interpretation of

it. It's crazy but let's just load

our donkeys and camels and let's just go find them.

And so here's what it says, they were following this star.

It says the star they had seen in the East, guided them to

Bethlehem and went ahead of them and Stopped over the place where

the child was when they saw the star, they were filled with joy.

They entered the house. Now, we know that this is later,

they're no longer at the barn or stable where they were.

It says they entered the house. They saw the child with his

mother so maybe they're staying with a family or they're renting

a room somewhere now and it's at least months if not a year or so

later and he says, they found him with his mother.

They bowed down and they worshiped him.

They opened their treasure chest and this is why we usually

assume there were three. Osman.

When actually, it could have been much more many more or

less, they gave Gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

And so, this is really interesting when I looked at

this. Why why, why?

Because I ask weird questions. Why did God include wise

wealthy, guys, in the invitation to the Christmas story?

Let me tell you why. This is so strange.

When you read the Bible, Jesus seems to go after the poor and

the weak and the outcasts, and that's true.

But you also got to remember he invited Zacchaeus to the

kingdom. He invited.

Matthew who wasn't a poor guy to the kingdom.

He invited Nicodemus to the kingdom, who was a wealthy

leader of the Pharisee. So sometimes we can get in our

minds. That God only goes after those

who are so broken and so lowly. And so outcasted.

No, no, God goes after everyone. His kingdom is for anyone who

will believe, no, matter your social status or bank account.

If you will say yes to Christ, he accepts you But here's the

thing, this is why it's interesting.

I believe that these people in our society are the most

overlooked as. So let me tell you who Jesus

includes in the Christmas story, those who feel are are

overlooked. Outcasted is one thing,

overlooked is another thing I've learned there are so many people

in our world who feel overlooked It's often those who don't have

great needs, see when there's a there's a there's a prayer

crisis for somebody and the whole church is rallying around

them that person knows that they matter when there's a financial

crisis, you watch in our community, Lord forbid.

It should ever happen again, but you watch somebody like lose

their home to a fire. Or you watch a storm?

Come through you watch somebody fall in a really difficult

financial situation and it becomes, we become aware of it.

You know what the church does, you know what, our community, as

we rally around and we do something, but those People feel

that they matter. It's the people who are just

faithful, they're just living their lives.

They don't really have, like, great physical or great needs as

far as money or anything else. But these people, I think are

the ones most often overlooked both back in their day and guess

what? Now, in the church we assume

that you're fine. What do you need?

You have, all your needs met. And so what happens is the enemy

comes in and tells everybody they don't really matter like

they are fine, they don't need you, they don't need friendship,

they don't need a word of Hope of encouragement.

You don't need to reach out to them because they don't have

needs. I'm here to debunk.

That everybody has broken this in their heart.

Everybody has heard these guys needed, Jesus.

Just as much as these guys did. These guys needed Christ as much

as these guys did and I'm telling you, we've got to

remember that church. Jesus didn't just come for those

who fell out, cast it or didn't have their knee.

He came for everybody. So those fateful moms and dads

who just doing their thing. Those faithful single moms and

you just feel overlooked because you're just doing your thing,

you're just working hard and you seem to just ride under the

radar. Nobody ever really reaches out

to you. Here's the thing, Christmas

tells us that you're included. And I want to flip this because

maybe you're the one here that It needs to hear that for

everybody here. We've got to be reminded that

though. There are people all around us

who are getting overlooked and they need to know they matter.

They need to know that the gospel is for them.

They need to know that God loves them.

Say, I'll bet that there's somebody here and this maybe

that one I'm talking to him. You know what?

Oakwood I'm debating. Is it hearers that there were

you guys are. Maybe it's in Oakwood and you

feel overlooked just sitting in the room right now.

And you go man that if you only know, Joe, that new Joe, that's

me, listen, don't you listen to the lies of the enemy Church?

To tell you, you don't matter. You may feel overlooked and

wheat. It's just something we've got to

get better at because God shows us through the Christmas story.

These guys were invited to be a part of his story forever.

Now, there's one very last overlooked couple of people in

the Christmas story and you won't find that they have a

figurine up here. There's nobody to represent them

because in your Nativity, there's not either I am

considering adding them next year, though, because the wise

men came into Jesus life months or a year or so later, we

include them. The shepherd's came, the night

of the birth, we include them, the angel came, technically,

like months, before the birth, we include Gabriel.

Include the angel, but we don't include this power couple and

they're not, they're not like a couple.

It's just a couple of people that I find in the store and

every year when I read it, when I get to their story, I just

smile. I don't know why.

And this year is the first time, God kind of showed me.

I think why I smile when I look at it and I'm going to tell you

what it is, there's two people I want you to meet one.

Is a man named Simeon and the other a woman named Anna and

they are powerful part of the Christmas story.

Included in the story forever. Look at this verse 25, there was

at that time. Now let me You what that time

was that time was Jesus was eight days old.

And as a Jewish boy, they would take him to the temple so that

the priests could circumcise him.

Thank you. Jesus.

That, I don't have to do that today in the church.

Praise You. Lord, if you had to bring your

baby here to me on day eight, we'd be in bad shape.

I'm just saying but they would take their babies.

It was required by law that they take their babies to the priest

like being a preacher. So much better today than it was

in the first century. Just saying, at that time, there

was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon.

He was righteous and devout, he was eagerly waiting for the

Messiah to come AKA. He was looking for Jesus, the

Holy Spirit was upon him. Now, when I read this, this is

where I start smiling. Because at this point, the book

of Acts hasn't happened yet, I figured out one of the reasons I

just feel this man must have been living in such a way that

the spirit of God and the anointed could be on him before

the death of Christ. And before the outpouring of the

spirit, we do know that the spirit moved constantly from

beginning of time. Till now, but the spirit was

poured out over all the church in the book of Acts.

But this guy's already living in the church age before.

The church age, he's living filled with the spirit of God.

It said the spirit was on him. That's one of my prayers.

This week. Spirit Lord let the spirit be on

your people. Some of y'all need to just

experience what? It's like to have the spirit on

you one time and you can almost never turn back again.

That's a whole other message in the Richard.

The Holy Spirit was upon him and he had revealed to him that he

would not die until he had seen the Lord's Messiah.

So the Holy Spirit had made him a promise and he felt sure about

it that day, the spirit. You notice this man is the

spirit this guy's led by the spirit.

He could have stayed home that day.

He could have gone fishing on the lake that day.

He could have done anything but where did the spirit lead him?

The spirit led him to the temple.

Another message for another day. We have to learn to listen to

the leading of the spirit as the church.

So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus, to the

Lord is the law required Simeon, was there?

Check this out. When you listen to the spirit,

you'll be in the right place at the right time.

Let that hit. He took the child in his arms

and praised God saying so it's this kind of a Lion King moment.

He takes, I don't know how this happens.

Either send me and just runs up to Mary and grabs her baby.

That's what Courtney does the babies by the way.

She just runs up to people and grabs her baby starts loving on

him. But this dude, this in the

church like He runs up. He grabs a baby and he holds it

up high like I can see it right now.

Here's what he says, Sovereign Lord.

Now let your servant die in peace, and as you promised for,

I have seen your salvation, which you prepared, for all

people, he is a light to reveal God, to the nation's, he is the

glory of your People Israel. Do you see this guy that could

have been easily overlooked that we don't talk about?

We should talk about in just like everybody else.

I think is he's there. Eight days into Jesus's life.

Now, there's another prayer Warrior, a woman of God named

Anna and she falls into the same category of being in the right

time at the right place because she had been a prayer Warrior.

Here's what it says, Anna a profit.

So, this was a woman of God who had the gift of Prophecy in her

life. God was speaking through this

woman, she may have been one of the PowerHouse preachers of the

day. We don't know, we don't know

anything else about her. All we know she was a prophet.

God had given her a word. She was speaking.

In that word. And so the and a prophet, she

was also in the temple. She was the daughter of phanuel,

from the tribe of Asher. She was very old.

Her husband died. When they've been married, only

seven years and this is sort of sad story.

So maybe she got married it, let's say she got married at 20

years old, we don't know that so she was married for seven years.

She was, let's just say by 27 years old, she lived until she

was Eighty-Four as a widow she didn't get married again.

What did she do then? What did she do with her life?

If she never she never left the temple but stayed there day and

night, worshiping god with fasting and prayer.

I'll be honest with you to most of us that sounds like the most

boring thing that could ever happen.

When the holy spirit of God, gets a hold of your heart and

you get that close to him though you don't want anything else.

And I'm not saying you should marry or not.

Marry, I'm just telling for her, she fell.

So in love with the Lord. At that point.

She said, God, I'm free to just come to the temple.

So she just worshipped and prayed.

Can I tell you what? I know about her, she could

easily be forgotten. Nobody would ever know except

for God. Made sure to inspire her in to

inspire her written into the story.

Look at this, she came along right place at the right time.

Just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph and she began

praising God, God, she talked about the child to everyone who

have been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.

She got to see Jesus, and that was all it.

Took, we don't even know that she held Jesus, she just got to

see Jesus. She had a praise break seeing

the eight year old baby Jesus. She starts preaching him like

crazy at that point. That's him.

That's him. That's the savior.

So when I look at these people who are not included in the

Nativity, who are they in the church today?

Let me tell you. This is what Christmas tells us.

Jesus remembers the Forgotten faithful.

I'm looking at some senior adults in the house today,

probably do quit too. Maybe watching online this

morning. There's some of you guys and you

have been faithful for a long time and you feel like nobody

notices anymore Maybe the Faithfully been generous, maybe

you Faithfully prayed. Do you know what Jesus wanted us

to know through the Christmas story that nobody is forgotten.

There aren't any forgotten faithful now sure sometimes it

may seem for you may seem forgotten but the Christmas

story reminds us God never forgets.

So I'm looking at some of our Legacy members here and you've

been faithful a long time and you feel forgotten.

I wanted to take the opportunity this morning to say, whether

you're, you know, a parent, a grandparent, a great

grandparent. I wanted to look at all of you

guys and say you matter in fact, as far as what God is doing here

at River Bend without what you've done for years and what

you poured out and how the gospel work in different

Generations through you, we wouldn't be exactly what we are.

We wouldn't be a multi-generational church as we

are right now and so I just need to look at you and say thank

you. We don't tell you that enough.

Miss Shirley, I see you. I know you and mr.

Gene and others come in every single week and y'all come down

here. Nobody knows, nobody knows on

Thursday, you know, those bulletins.

You have in your hand right now. Somebody has to put all that

together every week, Ashley, who's on our staff, she has a

volunteer teaming and they're a hoot.

I love cutting out there. You never know what you're going

to hear in there, do you but you know what, every single week

they come down and they Faithfully served, you know what

you can easily feel like I'm the Forgotten faithful.

Just being forgotten and I don't matter.

God just reminded me through this story.

There is nothing wasted. So you may be a young person and

you feel like you're the Forgotten fateful.

Like I could see you being a teenager and going Joe.

What about me? Because I'm trying to live a

purer life and a holy life and I everybody else is doing it

different than I am. And I feel like such an outcast,

I feel overlooked, I feel forgotten, the Christmas story,

reminds you, you need to keep on pressing ahead, keep on seeking

Jesus, Keep on pursuing Holiness because he has not forgot you.

You can be in a tough season of parenting, a tough season, in

your marriage, a tough season wherever You may be whatever us

your status is right now and you can feel like I'm just being

faithful and nobody cares. I don't know if this matters or

not but this is the word. The lord gave me.

You do matter. God sees everything and we're

going to try to celebrate better on this Earth but the truth is

we'll never be able to celebrate it all.

But one day in eternity, God is going to bring the record book

out and he's gonna kind of shocked us as he reveals all the

things that folks did that we never knew about So this is a

word of Hope for you. If you feel left out, if you

feel like you're at a place where you've been forgotten,

keep on praying and serving. I don't know how long they had

to pray and serve all those years San Simeon, and Anna,

until they finally got their moment with Jesus.

And he showed up, and now they're in history forever, and

they will be for eternity because of that faithfulness

that they have. So this is for someone today,

you're included, think about it. God has given us an invitation

to the kingdom. We have to choose whether you're

going to believe this invitation or not for the one that's here

today. Mary and Joseph, they had to

believe in keep the faith in what God had promised him the

shepherd's. They had to decide to go and

seek Jesus. The wise men they had to search

for months. Simeon and Anna.

They had to recognize him when he was before them and not let

doubt take over. Could it be a baby or we looking

for a king? Or we looking for baby king, and

they had to believe, but they all accepted the invitation and

so here's the questions. I want you to consider this

morning church. Have you truly accepted the

invitation to be included. I can't pass over the

opportunity without thinking. Maybe God brought somebody to

just this moment. Just this day to realize that

just like these people who Were included that you've been

included to if you surrendered your life to Christ, do you know

how you accept the invitation to be included?

You have to put your faith in, Jesus Christ, Surrender Your

Life to him, as Lord. That's literally what it means

to put faith in him to say Jesus, I have so much faith that

I'm ready to let you call the shots.

I don't know how that's all going to work.

You can say that, but you can say, Lord best.

I know how, like, I'm ready to turn it over to you and begin to

learn to follow you. So just a moment, I'm going to

give you an opportunity both here and at Oakwood to do that.

Now here's the other question though, if the one person here

is the one who needed to be reminded you were included today

for everybody else. Who do you need to include this

Christmas? Because he I told you this is

for everybody, there is somebody on the brink of getting so low

in depression that they don't even know if they want to be

here anymore. There's somebody in your path.

That's hurting. There's somebody maybe this

financially hurting or somebody that relationally and

emotionally is hurting. If you're not careful, you'll

just head up and plow through the Christmas season.

This is the reminder to the church, to all of us, who do you

need to include? There's probably somebody you

work with right now. Maybe the holy spirit's already

doing that work in your like shoot.

I see him now, I see her right now.

In my mind, there's somebody that I need to be sure to

include them in Christmas, you may even it's crazy sounding.

You may need even need to invite somebody in, to do Christmas,

celebrate Christmas with you this year.

How cool of a picture of the church?

Would it be if you knew there was somebody?

I knew that was going to be alone and you said, hey once you

come celebrate with us, or can we come celebrate with you?

Who do you most identify with this morning, the broken

relationships, the outcast, The Overlook.

There's are the Forgotten faithful.

Wherever you identify with the most, you just need to know like

Christmas is a reminder that you have been included.

You have been included, listen, both here.

And at Oakwood, I want you to Bow your heads, if you will all

over the room, bow with me right now.

Listen, if you know that God has included you today.

Then here's the invitation, I want you to pray with me right

where you are. If you know, Oh, that the

invitation is for you and you know that he's includes you and

you're ready to surrender. Just say this prayer from your

heart to his heart. Just say Jesus, I Surrender my

life to you. I'm ready to follow.

You just tell him Lord, thank you for inviting me to be your

child. Forgive me of my sin and help me

live the new life you have for me, thank you for saving me.

Listen, if you prayed that prayer this morning both here or

at Oakwood Oakwood, you need to let Pastor Michael know in just

a moment come down and let him know.

I prayed that prayer this morning I'm in I know God

including me, listen for me. I'm gonna be hanging out here.

Listen for everybody else both here and at Oakwood today,

there's somebody you need to be praying for.

There's somebody you need to just thank God, he included you.

So we're going to respond with our feet right now.

Is we worship him. So I want to invite you.

If there's somebody, you know, you need to include pray for

him. Now this morning if God's just

Did you? You are included, come and pray

and thank him today at the altar Pastor Michael, you can take it

at the campus. And so father right now, I ask

you to let us be able to respond to this invitation or do you

have invited us because you love us and God for that one person's

here today. And they needed to hear this

Lord, I Thank you. I would do this message all over

again because that's what you said doing.

So God for whoever whoever is heart.

That is today, I'm asking you God, fill them up with joy, fill

them up with the reminder that they matter feel them.

Take away their shame as they surrender to you.

Give them new life as they literally new life as they walk

out of the house today. If the spirits heal the hearts

heal, the emotions, Lord, Heal The Mines, God you can heal

anything. And so Lord, we call on your

healing hand over this place today over every person's heart

mine family marriage relationships.

For those that feel outcasted and overlooked God today remind

them through the power of your spirit they matter and matter to

you they matter to this church. So Lord, as we worship you now,

I pray that you would let us Worship in spirit and Truth in

Jesus name. Thank you for listening to the

river. Bend Church podcast.

Learn more about who we are as a church and how to connect you

can head over to our website Riverbend Church dot life.