Christmas Lights Part 4 | Christmas Talk | No Direction? Know God. with Chris Schlotterbeck

Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd

like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward

slash connect. If you feel called to give, go

to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at

any time you feel called to make a change in

your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the

message. Hey, if you're joining us from home,

thank you for welcoming us into your space. We're

glad you chose to tune in and gather with us

on this Christmas Eve. So you heard Rhett mention,

I just want to follow that up. This weekend is

our weekend of rest. We're taking a Sabbath from

gathering in person. I want to encourage you

to tune in and watch the video that will play

at our regular gathering times, 825, 1005, and

1145. It's a journey through 20 years of HCV.

So don't miss it. I was watching a little bit

of it last night and found myself tearing up

watching myself, which was a little weird, but

I guess it happens. So being that it's Christmas

Eve, I would like to open with a question for

you to ponder as I share with you for a few minutes.

What are you seeking? What are you seeking? These

are actually the first words that Jesus spoke

in the Gospel of John when he asked two of his

eventual disciples, why are you following me?

And it's a very important question for all of

us to ponder because here's the reality. When

you're dedicated to something, or dare I say,

when you worship something, you will do some

crazy things for it. I mean, this definitely

can be seen in the world of professional sports.

This past Sunday night, I was gifted some tickets

to the Ravens game. Took the whole family. And

at one point in the game, I actually had to go

use the restroom. And as I was in the restroom,

I realized they had a game day radio broadcast

in the bathrooms. So while I was in the bathroom,

one of the Ravens receivers dropped the ball.

And all of the guys in the bathroom literally

began to boo. I was looking around thinking,

we're not even watching the game. I was like,

wow, that is dedication. See, when you're dedicated

to something, you do some wild and crazy things.

I mean, just think about early on in your dating

life, how you would go the extra mile for that

girlfriend or that boyfriend or that person you

were trying to oppress. Right? When you're committed

to something, you'll do some crazy things for

it. And what I want to call us back to this Christmas

Eve. is a call back into real, authentic worship

and love for God. See, with all the busyness

and distractions that this season brings, we're

pulled in so many different directions. I want

to pause for just a few minutes and put our attention

back on him. And we see that in the life of the

wise men. Let's read Matthew 2, verses 1 through

Matthew 2:1–2

2. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during

the reign of King Herod. And about that time,

some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem.

They asked the simple question, where is the

newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as

it rose, and we have come to worship him. And

when hearing this story, in our minds, we immediately

have this idea of what these men look like. Three

guys on camels wearing turbans, robes, traveling

through the desert, and then they show up to

see Jesus on the night he was born. Let me just

say, all of that is wrong. Just a few common

misconceptions that all of us have been raised

on regarding these wise men. The first one is

that there was three of these men. We always

see it, whether it be on a postcard or in the

nativity set. But we don't see it anywhere in

the Bible that there was three people. It could

have been two. It could have been 50. We know

that there was three gifts given, and that is

how people assume that there was three people.

We also have been taught that they were kings.

We sing songs like we three kings of Ori and

Ar. The reality is nowhere in the scriptures

are these men referred to as kings. They're called

magi. Which means they were scholars and astrologers.

They're not royalty in any way. Then we see in

the manger scenes how they arrived the night

Jesus was born. Again, a common misconception.

Just picture it, the night of Jesus' birth. Six

o 'clock, the shepherds show up. Eight o 'clock,

the wise men visit. All these people are showing

up to the stable and Mary and Joseph, their heads

are spinning and they're thinking, why are all

these random people just showing up? But the

Bible actually tells us that these men visited

a child, not a baby, and they arrived at a house.

This would have been weeks, if not months, or

even a year or two later after Jesus' birth.

See, they did not visit Jesus in the stable.

Even though that's what manger scenes show us,

the Bible tells us they showed up at a house.

And the last one is that these men knew exactly

what they were doing. They knew where they were

going. and they have come to worship. Yes, they

had come to worship, but the Bible tells us that

they first showed up in Herod's palace. Why?

Because that's where a king would be born. They

were going to visit the Messiah, but they were

actually mistaken, quickly realizing he wasn't

in a palace, but actually in a common house.

See, these men did not know everything. They

didn't even know where they were going. They

were simply walking by faith. What do we actually

know about these men? We know that these men

were wise men from the east. This was probably

ancient Babylon or Persia. Somewhere between

800 and 1200 miles they would have traveled through

the desert. It would have taken them weeks if

not months for them to arrive at this destination.

How did they know the Messiah was to be born?

Well if you go back around 700 years you would

discover that Daniel the prophet lived in Babylon.

He would have brought and taught about the messianic

prophecies that the Messiah would come. That

would have been handed down from generation to

generation to generation until finally these

men saw the signs and they would follow these

signs that would lead them to Jesus. What is

the lesson for all of us to learn in this this

evening? The lesson is this. If you are seeking

truth, you will find it in Jesus. If you are

seeking for truth, you will find it in Jesus,

which leads us to our first thought. Jesus is

truth. See, I don't know what you're searching

for in this life. But if you intently pursue

truth, it's always going to lead you to Jesus.

Why? Because Jesus himself declared in John 14,

6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No

one comes to the Father except through me. See,

truth is not found in our good works. Truth is

not found in books we read. Truth is not found

in people we connect with. The only truth that's

worth pursuing is a relationship with Jesus.

See, Jesus isn't just the teacher of the truth.

He is the truth. And the more you know Jesus,

the more you will know truth. Because see, the

Bible says in Jeremiah 29, 13, if you look for

me wholeheartedly, church, you will find me.

And I don't know where you are on this journey,

but like these wise men, if you intently set

out to find and discover truth, you're going

to always end up at Jesus. I mean, that's probably

why you're gathered here at HCV tonight. God

has actually brought you to this place where

you can find him and meet with him, a place where

you will find the truth in your life, which leads

us to our next thought, our second thought. Jesus,

he deserves our worship. Notice Matthew 2, 2.

Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw

his star as it rose and we have come to worship

him. And this is the whole purpose of our passage

tonight. See, these men intently with a purpose

set out to worship Jesus. And this is the first

instance in the Bible that someone came to worship

Jesus. And notice. It wasn't after he had performed

miracles. It wasn't after he spoke truth. It

wasn't after he was raised from the dead. It

was when he was a child or a toddler in this

house. Now the word used for worship in this

instant is the same word that is used throughout

the New Testament. It's used around 60 times

in the New Testament. And worship means to kneel,

to submit, to adore, and to revere. Now think

about this. Worshiping a toddler that was only

a year or two old. These men would go on a journey

for over 800 miles through the desert, through

dangerous territory, to find this child and do

what? Worship him. Now that word worship was

normally used for royalty. And it literally meant

to kiss the ring. A person that would walk into

a palace and stand before a king. would first

kneel down and submit and adore. Then the person

would kiss the king's ring as a sign of submission.

And that's what these men were doing for Jesus.

Why? Because they knew he was the Messiah. They

knew he was the Savior of the world sent from

God to us. Remember, Jesus is Emmanuel, God with

us. And all throughout the New Testament, we

see this word worship. Matthew chapter 8 verse

Matthew 8:2

2, And behold, a leper, a man that was sick and

outcast, came and worshipped him, saying, Lord,

if you are willing, you can make me clean. As

Jesus ascended into heaven, Luke 24, 51 to 52,

while he was blessing them, he left them and

was taken up to heaven. So they, meaning the

disciples gathered, they worshipped him and then

returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy.

In Revelation 5, verse 12, this would be us.

Revelation 5:12

This is what John saw in the future. In a loud

voice, they were saying, worthy is the lamb who

was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom

and strength and honor and glory and praise.

See, this is the word for worship. And we need

to understand our lives were created to give

God what? To give God worship. And when you truly

understand who Jesus is, Worship actually is

the only response that makes sense. And listen,

if you get your eyes on Jesus, you'll live a

life of true worship honoring him in every area

of your life. Not just on a Sunday morning, not

just on a Christmas Eve, which leads us to three

simple lessons we can learn from these wise men

tonight, which will help us to live a life of

worship that God desires for us. First, worship.

starts by recognizing who God is. Remember, these

men were raised in pagan Babylon, an area and

a culture that was anti -God, anti -religion.

Yet somehow, they recognize there has to be more

in life. There has to be a truth out there that

is more than what this culture is telling us.

Very similar to today. We are so convicted in

what people believe, yet God is inviting us to

worship him. And what did these men do? They

chose to follow the truth, and God got a hold

of their hearts. Look at Matthew 2 .2. Where

is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star.

We saw his star. And what is this star? Well,

there's actually a lot of debate about what this

star was and what it actually did at this point

in time. Here's the reality. I have no clue what

it was. It could have been a comet. It could

have been shooting stars. It could have been

a planet. But here's the reality. None of that

matters. The most important aspect of what this

star was doing is this. It was God's way of getting

these men's attention. See, these men were focused

on what is truly important. And for so many people

in our culture, they look to themselves for all

the answers. They look to themselves for solutions

to life's problems. For other people, they focus

on the government or those in authority to all

the answers for life's problems. Listen, it doesn't

matter who you vote for, they're all going to

let you down. We are not called to have our focus

within. We're not called to have our hope in

others. We are called as people to lift our eyes

to the one who created us and sustains us. He

is the savior of the world. He is the one who

will rescue us and lead us into a life of abundance.

These men, they were paying attention and God

sent them a sign saying, this is the way I want

you to go. And listen, I truly believe that God

is trying to get some of your attention tonight.

He is speaking directly to you through the Holy

Spirit. He's trying to get you to move toward

the calling he has on your life. And if you're

here tonight and you're struggling with an issue,

it could be a relationship, it could be your

job, it could be finances, it could be an addiction

or a habit that you're trying to beat. Maybe,

just maybe, this is God's way of trying to get

your attention. Matthew chapter 2, verses 9 to

Matthew 2:9–10

10. After this interview, the wise men went their

way. And the star they had seen in the east guided

them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them. and

stopped over the place where the child was. Now

notice this. When they saw the star, they were

filled with joy. And see, this is what happens

when you follow God. You are filled with joy.

And why? Because of who Jesus is. And Paul says

it this way in Philippians 2, Therefore God elevated

him, Jesus, to the place of highest honor and

gave him the name above all other names, that

at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in

heaven and on earth and under the earth and every

tongue declare that Jesus is Lord to the glory

of God the Father. See, the wise men recognized

who Jesus was and they were committed to pursuing

him and finding him. And my challenge to you

tonight is, Don't miss the signs. Don't miss

the signs of what God is calling you into right

now. Don't miss the moments that God leads you

into your life. That is where true worship starts,

which leads us to our second lesson. Worship

is sustained when distractions are removed. So

much is vying for your attention in this world.

I mean, even right now. All of you or most of

us have these phones in our pockets that are

constantly going off, constantly ringing. We

have kids. We have schedules. We have stuff that

we have to take care of. We have jobs that we

go to work to every day. There's so many distractions

in this life. And for some of you, you can't

even get through worship without checking your

phone. I mean, you literally, we literally can

be in the presence of God worshiping, and the

phone vibrates, and instead of worshiping, you

immediately respond by checking it. We have these

notifications for Instagram and Facebook, and

you know what they cause us to do? They cause

us to look away from God. They cause us to focus

on a device. And some of you are listening right

now and looking up for the first time because

I'm calling you out. And we laugh about it. But

here's the reality. I want all of you to hear

this. The enemy knows the power of distracting

your life. The enemy knows the power of distractions

in your life. So the magi, they get to Jerusalem.

They're looking for Jesus. And a distraction

comes their way, Matthew 2, 7 through 8. Then

Herod, oh, King Herod, called for a private meeting

with these wise men. And he learned from them.

When the star first appeared. And then he told

them. Oh go to Bethlehem and search carefully

for the child. And when you find him come back

and tell me. So I can go and worship him too.

Now here's the reality. Herod didn't want to

worship Jesus. Herod was insecure. Overwhelmed

with his position. And wanted to kill this baby.

He didn't want to lose his position and his power.

And then sure enough, God would speak to the

men again, Matthew 2, 9 and 12. After the interview,

the wise men went their way. The star they had

seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It

went ahead of them and stopped over the place

where the child was, where they worshipped. And

when it was time to leave, notice they returned

to their own country by another route, for God

had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

See, this is so important for us to understand

when it comes to our lives. We're about to launch

into a new year, 2026, and it's only going to

get crazier. And if you're going to fully give

yourselves to the things of God, you're going

to have to say no to the distractions of this

world. You're going to have to say no. Colossians

3, 2. Think about the things of heaven, not the

things of the earth. And these distractions are

everywhere, church. They're in our families.

They're in our careers. They're on our phones.

They're in the mirror when we stare at it and

think to ourselves, I don't look good, I'm overweight,

I need a diet, I need this, I need that. There's

so much vying for your attention. And listen,

if the enemy can't destroy you and pull you down,

he's going to settle for distracting you. And

there's so many Jesus followers that are so distracted

that they're simply not making a difference for

the kingdom of God. They're not impacting their

families. They're not impacting their communities.

They're not serving in their churches. They're

not making a difference. Why? Because they are

so distracted by the things of this world. And

they're putting priority on the things of this

world rather than Jesus. And listen, we were

created by God and for God to live a life of

worship for him. And everything else is secondary.

We are called to change the world. We are called

to be the church that forcefully advances. And

I want to challenge you in moving into this new

year. Let's not get distracted. Which leads us

to our final lesson. See, worship starts by recognizing

who God is. Worship is sustained when we remove

distractions. And finally, worship requires sacrifice.

These men arrive at the house. Matthew 2 .11.

They entered the house, saw the child with his

mother. Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped

him. Then they opened their treasure chests and

gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

And notice these men came bearing gifts. They

didn't show up and look at Jesus and say, we

traveled so far. We almost died. It was such

a hard journey. No, they said, we have gifts.

They came bearing gifts because true worship

involves sacrifice. And when we truly love something

or are dedicated to something, guess what? We'll

wake up early for it. We'll overpay for it. We'll

save up for it. We'll dream about it. We'll think

about it. We'll talk about it. Why? Because it

consumes our lives. And this is what God has

called us to do with him, not with the things

of the world. I mean, think about the first time

you lifted your hands in worship. Or maybe you

haven't gotten there yet. Right? I remember when

I first gave my life to Jesus, I was so insecure

to raise my hands. Like I wanted to, but I kept

looking around. I was worried about everyone

else. And then I had a moment where I felt the

Holy Spirit inviting me to be sacrificial. It

wasn't about the song. It was about the person

of Jesus. And it didn't start like this. This

is what it looked like. This is what it looked

like. You look around. And then God gets a hold

of your heart and you're feeling all extra bold.

So you move from here to here. Like you move

from Presbyterian to Baptist, right? And then

eventually you hang around HCV long enough, you

get full on charismatic right here, right? You

just get on full on charismatic. You're just

like, let it go. Now some of you, you're not

even here yet. And my challenge to you tonight

is we're going to close with worship. You're

thinking, yeah, we're going to sing joy of the

world. We're going to light the candle. Yeah,

we're going to do that. But we're going to do

a little bit more than that. And it's amazing

how God changes your life when you're willing

to be sacrificial with him. And it's not about

hands raised. It's about surrendering to God.

That's all this means. God, I'm surrendering

to you. That's all it means. And the wise men,

they bowed down and they worshiped. And they

brought gifts. And I quickly want to show you

what these gifts were. The first gift, what was

it? It was gold. A gift for royalty, a gift for

a king. Why? It was a declaration that Jesus

is my Lord. Then they gave frankincense, which

is an incense used in temple worship. And again,

it was a declaration saying, Jesus is my God.

Jesus, you are God of the universe, the God that

was and is to come, and nothing else. We'll get

my worship but you. And finally they gave myrrh.

And myrrh is a burial spice. And little did they

know that that gift that they would bring would

later be used to repair his body for a burial.

And eventually the resurrection of Jesus would

become the sacrifice for our sins. And these

men were declaring, Jesus is my Savior. See,

my salvation, our salvation comes from no other.

And I want to challenge you. He deserves our

worship. And when we realize these three truths,

we realize worship is less. It's less about the

song, and it's more about worshiping the King

of Kings. Paul writes it this way, Romans 12,

1. My brothers and sisters, I plead with you,

give your bodies to God because of all he has

done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice,

the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly

worship. See, these wise men showed up to worship

a child. Jesus had not yet before miracles spoke

truth or had been risen from the grave. The purest

form of worship is when you come to God asking

nothing in return and simply wanting to worship

him for who he is. And my challenge to you tonight

is this. Let's come before him and let's truly

worship him for who he is. Amen. Will you stand

with me as we close? Now listen, we're going

to light our candles here in a second and we're

going to sing joy to the world like we always

do in our traditional candlelit service. But

I asked our team, I said, let's take it a step

further. Yeah, I want to sing joy to the world,

but I want to add some worship into it. And I

want to challenge some of you. You got a candle

in your hand so you got an excuse you can lift

your hand tonight. Right? You don't have to be

embarrassed. You don't have to worry about what

anybody thinks. You can raise it high and experience

that freedom. But before you do that, listen.

Hey, come back to me. I know it's Christmas.

I know it's Christmas and you're all giddy and

excited to open your gifts. Listen. This is a

moment. Where God has brought you into a place

of worship. And it's a holy moment. And we don't

want to lose the fact and the reality that we

are here to worship the King. Amen? Everything

else can wait. See how quickly distractions set

in? Oh, church is over. Let me go talk to everybody.

Oh, yeah. What are you laughing about? You're

the one doing it. Listen. Listen. Let's worship,

right? But before we do, I want to pray a simple

prayer because God highlighted in my heart that

some of you, some of you, just being honest,

God is calling you back. God's calling you home.

He's calling you to return your heart to Him.

Get rid of the distractions and make Him a priority

in your life. Amen? All right, so we're going

to pray a simple prayer like we pray every single

gathering here at HCV. If you've never prayed

it, I'm going to invite you to pray it with us

and to recommit your life back to God. Let's

pray. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of doubt, shame,

regret, sin. Change me. Forgive me. I believe

you're the Son of God. I believe you died for

me. I believe you're alive today. Set me free.

Fill me with your spirit. Help me, God, to serve

others. In Jesus' name, amen. So if you prayed

that prayer for the first time or you recommitted

your life to Jesus, see Rudy or me because I'm

going to tell you in 10 days to get baptized

because we have a New Year's baptism on January

4th after our third gathering. And there's probably

half of you in here that need to make that commitment.

So if it is, sign up, register, and let's have

the largest baptism we've ever had at HCV. Amen?

All right, let's light our candles.