Christmas Lights Part 3 | No Love? 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. Good. Merry Christmas. Thank you for

joining us from home and for welcoming us into

your space. So just like they said there on the

announcements, next weekend there is no in -person

gatherings. It's our weekend of rest. We take

this last Sunday of the month off. However...

Jess and I recorded the Weekend of Rest video

this past Friday, and let's just say you don't

want to miss it. We took a journey through the

20 years that made HCV, HCV. So be sure to tune

in at one of our three gathering times, 825,

1005, or 1145 with your whole family. Just watch

it together. rest, spend quality time. And then

we'll gather again on January 4th. And of course,

January 4th is our baptisms, right? So if you

want to be baptized, sign up to be baptized.

That will be after our third gathering. And as

many of you know, every new year, we kick it

off with 21 days of prayer and fasting. 26 will

be no different. Starting January 4th, we will

do 21 days of prayer and fasting. Except this

year, I felt God challenged me to do a little

bit more. Is that okay? So during our second

week of the 21 days of prayer and fasting, we're

going to attempt to do 24 -7 prayer for an entire

week. So for 24 -7, right, seven days a week,

we're going to have somebody in this auditorium

or in the worship room praying for a one -hour

time slot. So we need you to sign up. The sign

-up's out by the Pray in Hands wall, and we need

you to take a one -hour slot so that we can cover

a whole week of the new year in 24 -7 prayer

because we believe God's going to do incredible

things this new year. Do you think we can do

it? I think we can. For all you early risers,

take those morning spots first, because I like

to sleep, okay? I don't want it to fall down

on me, so take those early spots to get them

covered. So today, I want to tell you about the

greatest love story of all time. Do you want

to hear about it? Now work with me on this, because

the greatest love story of all time may not be

what you're thinking about right now. The greatest

love story of all time is not Romeo and Juliet.

Now the next one may upset a few of you ladies,

but I need to say it. The greatest love story

of all time is not Noah and Allie from The Notebook.

Okay, that may upset you, but it's truth, okay?

The greatest love story of all time is also not

Jack and Rose from The Titanic. It's just not.

Because we have to admit all those love stories

have a really sad ending. Don't they? I mean,

think about it. Romeo and Juliet, they have a

miscommunication, which all married couples do,

and they both die tragically. Yes, they end up

together, but certainly not the greatest love

story of all time. Then there's Noah and Allie

in the notebook. They endured years of separation

and memory loss. Then what happens at the end

of the movie? They die in each other's arms.

It's beautiful. I get it. But again, not the

greatest love story of all time. And then, of

course, There's Jack and Rose hanging on to a

door in the freezing Atlantic Ocean. And Rose

watches Jack sink to the bottom to his death.

But if you look carefully, there was room on

that door. Right? I mean, come on. Help a brother

out. Snuggle up. Get some body heat. Right? My

man could have lived. Put him on that door. Now,

I just happened to watch Four Christmases a few

days ago. Brad and Kate, I mean, they have their

struggles, right? But at least they ended up

together in the end. Just saying. Those are not

the greatest love stories of all time. In fact,

what I want to say to you today is the greatest

love story of all time doesn't start with once

upon a time. The greatest love story of all time

begins with, for God so loved the world. That's

how the greatest love story of all time starts.

And for those of you who might say, well, Chris,

the main character of that story dies. Yes, Jesus

does die, but three days later when the stone

is rolled away and the tomb was empty because

Jesus was raised from the dead. The greatest

love story of all time doesn't end in death.

It ends in Jesus conquering death, overcoming

death. And I get it. That's the Easter story,

so let's back up. And make sure we stick with

Christmas. We're in a Christmas message series

called Christmas Lights. And if you're new with

us, for the last few weeks, we've been looking

at Advent. If you don't know what Advent is,

it's a historic, very meaningful tradition in

the church that dates all the way back to the

4th century when followers of Jesus would prepare

their hearts with fasting and prayer, looking

forward to where and what we are doing right

now, celebrating the birth of Jesus. Each week

of Advent has a theme, and we've talked about

those four themes. And if you've missed any,

you can go back to our YouTube channel and listen

in. The first week, I lit the candle of hope.

The second week was the candle of peace, and

Rudy shared about peace in the midst of chaos.

Last week, I got to light the joy candle, and

I shared a very meaningful testimony about how

we can find joy in the midst of our everyday

struggles. The love candle. Because today we

are celebrating the love that conquers death.

And we will open with prayer. Let's pray. Holy

Spirit, come. God, we are thankful that we can

gather, that we can worship, that we can celebrate

the birth of Jesus. God, open our minds, our

hearts. To receive all that you have for us,

God, change us. We welcome you into this place.

Move amongst every aisle, Holy Spirit, amongst

every seat. Stir our hearts. We silence distractions

in Jesus' name, and we just pray, God, have your

way. In Jesus' name, amen. We begin this morning

by discussing our first thought. Christmas is

a love story. And it's not the traditional love

story between a man and a woman. Christmas is

a love story about a father. And a son. I mean,

it's amazing to recognize that 700 years before

the birth of Jesus, Isaiah prophesied in what's

now known as the Messianic prophecy. And we read

this in Isaiah 9, 6. For a child is born to us.

A son is given to us. Now imagine for just a

minute, for all eternity, before the world existed,

before time existed, before anything existed,

there was a father and a son. And the heavenly

father loved his son more than any father ever

loved a child. And the son loves his father more

than any child ever loved a parent because they

had an intimacy, an uninterrupted, perfect oneness

for all eternity. In fact, Jesus even said, he

said, I am the father, we are one. Then came

the very first Christmas when the father, he

said goodbye and sent his son. From heaven to

earth. Paul reads it this way in Galatians 4

.4. But when the right time came, God sent his

son, born of a woman, subject of the law. Now

if you have kids, you know at some point what

it's like to send them out. When they go to kindergarten,

what do you do on that first day of school? You

wake up early. You pack their Cinderella or their

Superman lunchbox just right. Full of love. You've

got a wrap and a sandwich and their favorite

chips, a juice box, and of course something sweet

to make them smile. Then you take them to the

front porch, and before you get in the car, what

do you do? You take 52 photos of your little

boy or your little special bug you're about to

send off to school. And then before you go, you've

got to post them online because you've got to

show the world how cute your kid is. Then you

drive them to school. You send them off, they

walk into school, you see their backpack disappear,

then you return to the car where you cry your

eyes out for the next two hours. You cry like

crazy because that's what it's like to be a parent

and to send them off. Send them off into the

unknown. How many of you have learned how difficult

and a struggle it is for your child to learn

to drive? Show me, show me a raise of hand. Oh,

good, you haven't lost your salvation. That's

good. It's a good thing, right? What I've learned

is when your children are old enough to drive,

when they're 16 and you're with them in the car,

suddenly you learn how to speak in tongues for

the first time. If you never did before, just

ride with them then. I remember when Trinity

got her learner's permit. I was thinking about

that this week. We went to the DMV. She passed.

She was all excited. She was so excited. She

said, Dad, can I drive home? I said, sure. Wrong

answer. We take off from the DMV. She's doing

great. Every stop sign, every stop light. And

then I say, hey, Trent, don't forget we have

to take the next left -hand turn. No stop sign

or stop light. Let it be known. She puts on her

left turn signal, and suddenly she turns into

a NASCAR driver because instead of braking to

turn left, she accelerates. She literally accelerates.

We go up on two wheels. I am praying in tongues.

I said, it's over. I'm going to end up in a ditch.

But we made it safely home. And Jess looked at

me and said, are you crazy? Why would you ever

let her do that? I'm like, yeah, I learned that

the hard way. And then, of course, there's college,

right? They go off to college or they decide

to join the Peace Corps or they get married.

It's really hard to say goodbye. Well, it was

incredibly more intimate and tense when God the

Father sent Jesus his son from heaven to earth.

They had never been separated before. And that's

why Christmas is a love story about a father

and a son. But it's not just a love story about

a father and a son. Christmas is also a love

story about a mother and a son. In fact, the

angel said this to Mary in Matthew 1 .21, and

she will have a son. And you are to name him

Jesus, for he will save his people from their

sins. See, Christmas is a love story about a

mother and a son. And how many of you know moms

and dads, they love equally. But they love differently,

right? And you all know what I'm talking about.

A mother's love is different than a father's

love. A mom's love is more nurturing. It's more

comforting. I mean, if one of my kids get hurt

and they come running to me, what am I going

to do? I'm going to give them a little hug, a

little pat on the back. I'm going to rub their

boo -boo on their arm and say, you're all good.

Get back out there. Climb that rope again. Get

up on that playground. They came running to Jess

and it's all different. Oh, baby, let me hug

you. It's okay. I'll pray for your arm. Let me

pray for your arm. Don't worry. I'll take care

of that mean playground. Your father will cut

that rope down. Let me kiss you. Where does it

hurt? Because why? Because a mother's love is

different. They're equal, but different. And

so it's really hard to imagine a little teenage

girl named Mary who finds out she's going to

be a mom when the angel says, You're highly favored.

And the Lord is with you. And you're going to

conceive and give birth to a son who's going

to be named Jesus because he came to save people

from their sins. Then, of course, she goes from

there to tell Joseph, her fiance, hey, I got

to tell you something, Joe. And you better sit

down. Can I get you a drink? Can I get you something

to eat? I need to prepare you for this. I'm pregnant.

But I promise, I promise it's the Holy Spirit.

God told me. An angel visited me. It's the Holy

Spirit. Yeah, sure it is. Now, of course, in

a small town, people begin talking. She's pregnant

before they're married. You all know this story.

I shared it last week. They travel 90 miles on

the back of a donkey. All the way to Bethlehem,

she's miserable. Her feet are swollen. She's

craving kettle -cooked potato chips. She's got

to go to the bathroom every quarter of a mile

behind a bush. And then they make it to Bethlehem

where there's no room in the inn. She gives birth

to her baby in a manger, which, of course, was

a shack or a cave, many scholars believe, then

to make things even worse. Eight days later,

she hadn't gotten any sleep. Joseph hadn't done

anything right. And you say, wait a minute. Chris,

I've never read that in the Bible. Yeah, it's

not in the Bible. But listen, eight days after

a baby is born, the husband does nothing right.

True or false? Amen. Just getting an amen there.

Making sure everybody understands that truth.

But at those eight days, this weird guy comes

forward. His name is Simeon. And he does his

prophecy thing. He says this in Luke chapter

Luke 2 · chapter mention

2. Then Simeon blessed them and he said to Mary,

the baby's mother, this child is destined to

cause many in Israel to fall and many others

to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God,

but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest

thoughts of many hearts will be revealed and

a sword will pierce your very soul. So picture

it. This random guy shows up and prophesies to

Mary. The mother of Jesus, hey Mary, your son,

he was born to die. And I don't know about you,

but no mom ever wants to hear that. Hey, you're

going to give birth to your son, your child,

and the son you love is going to suffer and die

and make matters worse. You're going to watch

it, and the pain is literally going to crush

you. See, this is a love story. The greatest

love story of all time about a mother and a son.

And her son wasn't born to grow up and go to

college and get married and start a family. No,

Mary's son was the savior of the world who was

born to suffer and die for our sins. So today

I tell you the greatest love story of all time.

It's not just the love of a father and a son.

It's not just the love of a mother and a son.

Our next thought, Christmas, is a love story

about Jesus and humanity. Again, Isaiah's prophecy

in Isaiah 9, verses 2 and 6. The people. That's

Isaiah 9:2

right, the people were walking in darkness, but

they will see a great light. For those who live

in the land of deep darkness, a light will shine.

For a child is born to us. Notice, a son is given

to us. The government will rest on his shoulders,

and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty

God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Fast

forward to the New Testament. John writes it

this way in his gospel, John 3, 16. For this

is how God loved the world. He gave his one and

only son so that everyone who believes in him

will not perish but have eternal life. So why

did God send his son? Because of his love. So

that everyone who believes in him will not perish

but have eternal life. And then in verse 17 we

read, for God did not send his son into the world

to condemn you. God's not here to condemn us,

but to save the world through him. That is how

much God loves you. This is the greatest love

story of all time, and this love story is personal.

It's personal to us, it's personal to me, and

it should be personal to you. It certainly was

personal to John. I mean, John, the guy who wrote

John 3 .16, this dude, he needed a whole lot

of love. He had a brother named James. They're

two of the 12 original disciples. And what I

love about these guys is they were the most not

likely. to be chosen to be disciples in this

graduating class. These guys were wild. They

were so wild that Jesus actually gave them a

nickname. Now, on a side note, I just think it's

really cool that Jesus gave out nicknames. Like,

isn't that cool? I liked it so much that I decided

to give our bass guitarist, Stephen, a new nickname,

okay? So the next time you see Stephen out in

the cafe there, he's got his white pants and

his white sneakers on. I said, hey, you got a

new nickname. It's Don, all right? Don Johnson,

all right? You look good. It's Christmas service,

and you're rocking the white. You're ready to

take on Miami Vice, right? Do you know what Jesus

called these brothers? He called these brothers

in Mark chapter 3, James and John, the sons of

Mark 3 · chapter mention

Zebedee. Jesus nicknamed them sons of thunder.

So you know you're not likely to be a disciple

when the son of God, the person you're following,

calls you a son of thunder. And why did he call

them this? Well, Jesus, right, he went into this

town and the people didn't welcome him. And John

said these words in Luke 9, 54. When James and

John saw this, they said to Jesus, Lord, should

we call down fire from heaven and burn them up?

Right, so they just stroll into a town. The town

didn't really want to hear the truth. He says,

let's just burn them all down. Let's just destroy

the whole town. Jesus is like, hey, calm down,

John. Slow it down. Dial it back a little. You're

at a 10. Let's get back to a 5. Let's learn about

grace. So Thunderman was not the most likely

to be chosen to be a disciple, yet Jesus loved

John. The son loved John so much, it literally

changed his identity. You see, after experiencing

the love of Jesus, John was no longer John the

son of thunder. He wasn't John the agitator.

He wasn't John the troublemaker. He wasn't John

who lets everybody down. He got a new name. And

you know what his name was? It was the one whom

Jesus loved. He was the one that Jesus loved.

And because of the love the son had for John,

it became personal. It became real. He was the

one that Jesus loved. He called himself that

again, again, over and over. Now, for the record,

listen, I'm not a fan of you or anyone else speaking

of themselves in third person. I think it's a

little weird. But that's what he did. He spoke

of himself in third person five different times

in the Gospel of John. He talks about himself

in third person being the one whom Jesus loved.

Let's take a quick look at these in John 13.

23, 19, 26, 20 verse 2, 21 verse 7, and 21 verse

20. The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next

to Jesus at the table. When Jesus saw his mother

standing there beside the disciple he loved,

she ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple.

You know the one whom he loved? Then the disciple

Jesus loved said to Peter, it's the Lord. Peter

turned around and saw behind them. the disciple

Jesus loved. See, for John, the love of Jesus

was what? It was personal. And that's why Christmas

is a love story about a father and a son, a mother

and a son, and a son who loves broken people

like you and me. See, this is the greatest love

story of all time. But what I really want you

to hear is every single one of you. that is gathered

here, that's even watching online. I want you

to hear this. I want you to feel it. I want you

to believe it. More importantly, I want you to

receive it and experience. The greatest love

story of all time leads us to our final thought.

Christmas is about God's love for you. Christmas

is about God's love for you and me. And you may

be thinking, well, you don't know my story. You

don't know my thoughts. You don't know what I've

said. You don't know what I've done. You don't

know the people I've hurt. I agree. And guess

what? You don't know about me either, which is

a real good thing because you probably wouldn't

be going to this church if you knew about it.

You'd be like, I need to go somewhere where the

pastor's holy, okay? But Jesus spoke these words

in John 14, 9. Jesus replied, have I been with

you all this time, Philip, and yet you still

don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has

seen the Father. See, Jesus is God. So no matter

what's happened in your life, the greatest love

story of all time is that Jesus loves you. And

if you don't believe me, look at who else Jesus

loved. The Bible teaches us that Jesus loved

this lady who was looking for love in all the

wrong places. There's a woman at a well who wanted

to find love and acceptance and meaning and value

in the arms of another man. But man after man

after man after man broke her heart, let her

down, and crushed her. And then Jesus shows up

and says this in John 4. Go and get your husband,

Jesus told her. I don't have a husband, the woman

replied. Jesus said, you're right, you don't

have a husband, for you have had five husbands.

And you aren't even married to the man you're

living with now. You certainly spoke the truth.

Her heart was opened, her eyes. We're wide recognizing

that this was the Son of God. Jesus then says,

I will give you a living water. I will show you

my love and you will never thirst again. Jesus

loved a woman that society rejected. She was

called in the very act of adultery, a crime.

At that time, remember, church was punishable

by death. And we read this in John 8. Teacher,

they said to Jesus, this woman was called in

the act of adultery. They kept demanding an answer.

So he stood up again and said. All right, but

let the one who has never sinned throw the first

stone. As they all walked away, Jesus then looked

at the woman, made eye contact with the woman,

spoke into her heart and said, Neither do I condemn

you. Go your way and sin no more. Jesus loved

a guy named Peter. And Peter thought very highly

of himself and thought he was the chosen one.

He was the guy that would always be faithful

to Jesus. He would always have Jesus' back. When

all the other loser disciples wouldn't be there,

he would be there to the very end. Yet three

different times he wasn't, John 18. The woman

asked Peter, you're not one of the man's disciples,

are you? No, he said, I'm not. Meanwhile, Simon

Peter was standing by the fire, warming himself.

They asked him again, you're not one of his disciples,

are you? Again, he denied it, saying, no, I am

not. But one of the household slaves of the high

priest, the relative of the man whose ear Peter

had just cut off, asked, didn't I see you out

there in the olive garden with Jesus? I think

she would remember him swinging a sword. Again,

Peter denied it, and immediately the rooster

crowed. And many of us know the story that after

the resurrection, Jesus loved him and said, if

you love me, I'll restore you to ministry. Go

feed my sheep and lead the church. Jesus loved

a guy that was self -consumed, a thief, a tax

collector named Zacchaeus. And Zacchaeus was

spiritually curious, which I believe many of

you are here today. He started looking for Jesus,

and guess what? Jesus found him instead. Luke

Luke 19 · chapter mention

chapter 19, when Jesus came by, he looked up

at Zacchaeus and called him by name. Zacchaeus,

he said, quick, come down. I must be a guest

in your home today. And see, Jesus wants to invade

your heart today. And he's speaking to you by

name, inviting himself in for dinner. Zacchaeus

says, if I've wronged anybody, I'm going to give

back four times what I stole. I'm going to devote

the rest of my life to serving the one who loved

me. Zacchaeus was loved by Jesus and he was supernaturally

changed instantly. And you know what else? Jesus

loved me. A kid who was so insecure that I didn't

know how to tell the truth because I didn't know

the truth was good enough. A kid who was so broken

that I hurt person after person and I found myself

performing for approval and addicted with no

way out. At the age of 22, I found myself broken

and kneeling down in a local church that the

Holy Spirit led me to. Praying a simple prayer

of forgiveness and mercy, desiring a miracle

to be changed and set free. I knelt down as one

person, broken. hurt, lost, and afraid, yet I

stood up completely different, changed from the

inside out, knocked off my horse, and led into

ministry. What the Bible calls a new creation,

the old is gone, the new has come, because the

love of God who extended me forgiveness that

I didn't deserve. It's personal, church. He loves

me, and he loves you. Not in the past, but right

now. He is loving you in this very moment. How

do I know that? Well, Romans 5, 8 says, but God

showed a great love for us by sending Christ

to die for us while we were still sinners. The

greatest love story of all time is not over.

This is about a love that has come and is also

a love that is coming again. And when Jesus comes

back, he's not coming as a sweet little seven

-pound baby in a manger. He's coming as king

on a horse. And on his thigh will be tattooed

king of kings and lord of lords. See, I came

to tell you the greatest love story of all time

about a God who loves you just as you are, even

though you don't deserve it. And this is a love

that doesn't end in death, but this is a love

that has conquered death. The tomb was empty.

And, you know, people ask all the time, and it's

a good question, what's this season all about?

People are searching. Is it happy holidays? To

be politically correct, is it Merry Christmas?

Listen, it's not happy holidays. It's not Merry

Christmas. It's Merry Christmas. It's Jesus at

the center. The center candle that will light

on Christmas Eve to celebrate his birth is known

as the Christ candle. And it's there because

it tells of why Jesus came. Who is Jesus? Jesus

is our hope. Hope now has a name. that we can

look to and be in a relationship with. Jesus

is our peace. It's a perfect peace, a shalom.

Through Jesus' actions on the cross, the shalom,

the peace that was lost in the garden in the

original sin has now been restored and is available

to us today. Jesus is our joy, right? We learned

last week that the joy of the Lord is our strength.

And Jesus is the love above all because Jesus

was born of a virgin, born to die. Who is the

king of all kings. The name above every name.

He's a love that's come. And he's a love that's

coming again. See what's Christmas all about?

What's the season all about? You may have a t

-shirt that says Jesus. Is the reason for the

season. You may have a bumper sticker. Or a magnet

for your car. That you put on in November. You

may have a coffee mug. That you pull out of your

packing wrap. And begin to sip on it. Every morning

during December. Jesus is the reason for the

season. Yes that's true. But let me say this

morning. That's not the only reason. You see

if you go deeper. And if you begin to read and

discover. How much God loves you. What is the

reason for the season? You are the reason. For

the season. How do I know that? Well for God

so loved the world. That he sent his one and

only son. You my friend. Are the one that Jesus

loves. That is what John said. The same John

that was John. Remember the son of thunder. Who

became the one that Jesus loved. This is what

he wrote in 1 John 4 .10. This is real love.

Not that we love God. But that he loved us. And

sent his son as a sacrifice to take away our

sins. That. My friends, it's the greatest love

story of all time. That God's love for you is

never ending. Christmas is all about the love

of a father and a son. The love of a mother and

a son. But more importantly, it's about the love

of God for you. Why? Because you matter. It doesn't

matter what you've done. It doesn't matter how

broken you are. It doesn't matter how far you

feel from God or how addicted you are. Jesus

can set you free this morning. He can break off

the chains of brokenness, of unforgiveness, of

doubt, of fear, of frustration, of anxiety. He

can break it off in an instant. But it's a choice.

It's a choice that we all have to make. And many

of you know that every single Sunday we pray

a simple prayer here at HTV because I was challenged

and convicted by God that there wouldn't be a

Sunday gone by. ever in the history of our community

of faith that as we gather, we will not pray

a simple prayer because I believe that the lost

need to come home. And if you're distant and

you're far from God or you've walked away from

him or you're not in a relationship with him,

we all pray together here. We don't single you

out. We don't make you stand up. I'm not even

going to ask you to raise your hand. We're going

to pray a simple prayer together. And I want

to invite you, if you're in that place this morning

and you're broken, Welcome God. Welcome Jesus

into your heart. And you will never be the same.

Let's pray. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of doubt,

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

believe you're God's son. I believe you died

for me. I believe you rose again. Set me free.

Heal me. Help me, God, to serve others. Fill

me with your spirit. In Jesus' name, amen. So

listen, if you prayed that prayer, see me, I'll

be at that door today. Give me a hug, and you

know what I'm gonna tell you to do? I'm gonna

tell you in two weeks to get baptized. And there's

some of you here seated, you need to public declare

that you're following Jesus because that's the

reason your faith is weak. You haven't publicly

declared that yet. So make sure that on that

New Year's baptism, you choose to declare you're

following Jesus this year, which leads us to

our three simple action steps. How, Chris, do

we experience God's love? Well, it's really simple.

Three simple steps. First, we love God. Remember

what Jesus said in Matthew 22. You must love

the Lord your God with all your heart, all your

soul, and all your mind. And listen, this is

important because it's very challenging to love

others. Okay, you're not going to be able to

love others well without loving God first because

we're going to get in the way of it. In fact,

you're not even going to love yourself if you

don't love God first. And seeking God consistently

is one of the best ways to learn about his perfect

love, to honor him with your worship. And when

you look back and when you look upon a loving

God, you first get to know him by reading the

Bible every day. Listen, I'm going to challenge

you. The New Year's right around the corner.

You've got to get a devotional where you're in

the Bible every day. And you've got to follow

it and make it a priority in your life. Because

when you make it a priority, you learn about

God. And listen, when you gather together in

worship, when you show up here on Sundays, I

want to challenge you to take your worship to

the next level. Don't be intimidated. Don't be

fearful. But honor God with your worship. Pour

your heart out. On Christmas Eve, I'm going to

talk about the three wise men, the magi, that

came to truly worship the newborn king. And I

want to encourage you, prepare your heart to

be changed. You need to daily have conversations

with God in prayer. That's how you get to know

him. And you say, well, Chris, do I kneel down

in my bed? Do I wake up early? No, you have conversations

with him every single day. Right? Everywhere

you go, you're driving in your car. God, help

me. Allow me to be the light of the world. You're

on your way to work. God, allow me to be used

by you today to speak your truth, to speak positivity,

to not be negative, to not be full of fear and

doubt. And as you have those conversations with

God, he will change you. But again, it's a choice

which leads us to our next step. First, you love

God. Second, you've got to love yourself. And

you say, well, Chris, isn't that kind of selfish?

No, because if you don't love yourself, you're

not going to love anybody else. You're going

to be negative and judgmental. That's what you're

going to be. Ephesians 2 .10 says, for we are

God's masterpiece. Look at your neighbor and

say you're a masterpiece. Now look at your other

neighbor and say you're ugly, but you're a masterpiece.

And you know why you're a masterpiece? Because

Ephesians tells us he created us anew in Christ

Jesus so we can do the good things. You all have

a purpose. And if you don't love yourself like

God loves you, you're not going to do anything.

You're going to doubt. You're going to be full

of fear. You're going to second guess yourself.

You're going to question. Do I pray for this

person? Don't I? Do I share the good news? Don't

I? I can't. I'm not good enough. It's because

you don't love yourself. Right? There's always

areas of our life where we need to grow in. This

is a priority. How you view yourself is essential.

God's love for us came with a cost. And now he

calls us sons and daughters. He gives us a future

full of hope to walk in good works. When we choose

to respect, value, and love ourself, you know

what that is? That's honoring to God. God honors

that. Three ways to practice some self -love.

Create habits that nourish your mind, body, and

spirit. Some of you need to create some healthy

habits. You know, there's a reason I work out

every day. There's a reason I eat healthy. There's

a reason I take a regimen of vitamins every single

day because I want to take care of myself. I

believe that when I take care of myself, I feel

better. I have a positive outlook on life. I

have more energy. I'm excited about life. It's

a new year. You need to change some habits. You

need to create some habits that nourish your

mind, body, and spirit. Get off the internet.

Get away from TV. Take a stinking walk because

you will feel better. Daily, ask God to show

you how much he sees and loves you. You know,

there's nothing wrong with saying, you know something,

my name's Chris. I'm the one that Jesus loved.

There's nothing wrong with saying that. I'm not

being arrogant. I'm not being selfish. A disciple

who wrote a gospel said it. If he can say it,

we can say it. You need to put your name in that

sentence and say, no, I'm Chris. I'm the one

Jesus. Because when you do that, then you set

aside time to rest in God's presence. Because

that's when the Holy Spirit is released into

your life, when you see who you truly are. Which

leads us to our final step. You love God, you

love yourself, and then shocker, you love others.

It's the great commandment. Matthew 22, the second

is equally important. Love your neighbor as yourself.

See, when you see yourself the way God sees you,

when you love yourself the way God loves you,

Right? Than God intended for you to have healthy

relationships. Relationships that are compassionate,

sacrificial, and forgiving. Three ways that you

love others. First, you pray for people in your

sphere of influence. Don't go out and try to

save them and hit them in the head with the Bible.

Pray for them. Right? Pray for their hearts.

Pray for their hearts to be open. Pray for their

minds to receive what you're about to share with

them. And then, serve someone. Right? Again,

don't even share Jesus with them. Serve them.

Right? Wash their feet. Do something that shows

them the love of God. Help them move, dear God.

Right? How many people like to help others move?

Don't put your hand down. You're lying. That's

like the worst thing in the world. Hey, will

you help me move? You got a truck. Oh, sorry,

I'm busy. Help them move. And then when you're

helping them move and you're frustrated and it's

three hours in and you're like, wait, you said

it was only going to take an hour and you're

about ready to lose your mind, be quick to listen,

encourage them, and forgive. We have to be really

quick to forgive because in a lot of our relationships,

guess what? Gee, we got to remember that God

said if you don't forgive, then you're not forgiven.

So it's very important that we choose to listen,

encourage, and forgive. Because when we forgive

and we extend that forgiveness, then God just

overwhelms us with his love. And we become that

new creation he promises. Will you stand with

me? Now I was praying for all of you this week.

I was praying about how to close. And as I was

praying for you. It was overwhelmingly true that

I felt that so many of you were going to walk

in these doors. And here's the reality. It's

Christmas. It's the holidays. There's stress.

There's anxiety. There's worry. There's doubt.

You don't have enough finances. Right? You went

out Saturday night and drank too much and your

head hurts. Right? I mean, I'm just being real

here. We make choices that aren't healthy. And

a lot of times we make those choices because

we haven't ever experienced God's love for us.

It's just that simple. We haven't felt it. We

haven't sensed it. And let me tell you, the Holy

Spirit's real. The Holy Spirit's real, and he

desires to connect with you, speak to you, overwhelm

you with God's love. It's a tangible presence

that all of us can feel. I'm not making it up.

I'm not going to push you over. I'm not going

to blow on you because I have bad breath, okay?

But I'm going to invite the Holy Spirit to come

on you. And here's what I want you to do for

me if it's okay. Again, I'm not going to judge

you if you don't. Just put your hands like this.

All this means is I receive. And all I'm going

to do for you is pray a simple prayer that God's

love would come, would invade this place, and

that you would sense for the first time in a

very real way God's love for you. And it's going

to be different for everyone. You may feel a

tingling in your hands. You may get goosebumps.

You may feel heat in your body. You may hear

a gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit saying that

God loves you. You may close your eyes and get

a picture of the cross. You may get a picture

of an ocean or a tree. Here's the reality. That's

how God speaks to us. In a still, small voice.

So if you could all say these words with me.

Come. Holy Spirit. Come, Jesus. Overwhelm each

and every person in this place. God, may we know

and sense that you are real. May we walk in a

new confidence and a new abundance, a new reality

that we are a son and a daughter of God. May

our lives be wrecked and supernaturally changed.

As we draw close to you this holiday season,

God. As we stand in your presence, God. We leave

this place as your chosen ones. Chosen ones that

are called to share this good news, this good

news of love and grace and mercy with the world

that's around us, God. I just pray for each and

every person's sphere of influence, God, that

they'll begin to see healings and miracles happening

as they pray, as they step out in faith. That,

God, lives would be changed. Cancer would be

dried up, God. That bodies would be made whole.

May this be a new year. May this be a 2026 like

we've never seen before. An expectancy that we

are called to go. That we will go and be the

ones that are sent. To those that we love. In

Jesus name. Amen. So listen before we go. No

one run out of here. We're not done. I'm going

to that door. So no one leave on this side. Because

I got to get to that door to say goodbye to you.

There was four words of knowledge I want to share

with you. Our prayer team would be on my right

and my left. Now they're on both sides. This

one is very specific and it could be you. Someone

wearing blue jeans. White sneakers. And is having

trouble standing or walking. God wants to heal

you today. You have sciatic nerve pain in the

lower back or buttocks. Let me just say, if that's

you, there was already a testimony from our first

gathering of a complete healing of a sciatic

pain. You have pain in the back of your right

knee. Pain in the back of your right knee. You

have a growth behind your left ear that is causing

you pain. And listen, I want to encourage you.

I want to challenge you with this. We have Christmas

Eve gatherings this Wednesday. Family gathering

at 3 .30, which is going to be a fun time of

unique worship and kids celebrating what it means

to follow Jesus. Five and seven will be our candlelight

Christmas Eve service. It's an intimate, special

time of hearing this Christmas story read and

worshiping closely to Jesus and his heart for

us. There's still invite cards in that. poster

out there in our cafe. If you have a friend that's

struggling, that's in need of hearing the hope,

take a card, put it in their hand and say, hey,

I will meet you at HCV at five o 'clock, at seven

o 'clock, whenever you can be there and we'll

go together. Because one invite can change an

eternity church. And you are that invite. Be

the church this week and invite includes someone

who experienced life change. Amen. All right,

God bless you guys. Hope to see you on Christmas

Eve. I'm going there. Let me get there. God bless.