Voice of the Nazarene 12-24-23

I'm coming to you from North Central Ohio, we share with you the voice of the Nazarene, a week by week venture into the Word of God sponsored by the Bucyrus, Ohio Church of the Nazarene. We join our Pastor Reverend Ray Lasalle and the voice of the Nazarene.

James is talking the half brother Christ, chapter one, verse 17. And he said, Every good gift and every perfect gift cometh from above. Cometh down from the Father of lights. Do you know that 98% of Americans celebrate Christmas? 98%. Even agnostics celebrate Christmas.

That means that atheists celebrate Christmas. What's interesting 97% celebrate Christmas with the exchange of gifts. They give gifts one to another. Now nothing is in the Bible just to be in the Bible.

This is the inerrant, infallible, immutable Word of God. And when you read the Christmas story, there are some people gathered around the scenes that we talk about at Christmas time. And I believe these people every one of them share with you and I in our times, some gifts. Not just in the Bible to be in the Bible.

But they share some gifts that teach us something. I thought of the shepherds and the gifts they give to us, that teach us something What do they teach us?

Well, what they teach us is very important. They teach us first of all that God loves all people. These are the lowlyest of the lowly. Shepherds, were not even allowed into the city because of their body odor.

Shepherds, were not allowed to share testimony in a court of law. Shepherds were not even allowed to vote on political issues. Shepheds, very uneducated. Fact of the matter, here's what the Egyptians said about him over in Genesis chapter 46, verse 34, said we have traded around in cattle, but these shepherds they deal in sheep and they said that for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians, an abomination. The Lonely of the lonely and yet, get this look what the Bible says that we're in the same country shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flock by night, and lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shown around about them and they were so afraid chapter two of Luke. Now I would have thought when God made that announcement and an introduction of his son, that he would have done so through the intellectuals and in Athens.

Genesis 46:34

Personally, I would have thought when God made an announcement that Christ was about to be born, he would have did it to the religious people there in the capital Jerusalem. I would have thought that when God announced the birth of his own son that he would have done so through the dignitaries of Rome.

But God makes the introduction and the announcement of the birth of his son to the lowly shepherds. Whats that teach us?

That God loves all people. Did you know that God loves that person that's so addicted to drugs and alcohol? Tells me that God loves all people. That homosexual that somehow got off track. I'm not trying to perpetuate anything here. I do know that God didn't tell Adam and Steve to multiply and replenish the Earth. But say what you want to God if you don't God still loves that gay person. God loves all people.

That man thats a fornicator.

God loves him. He loves all people. That man that's committing adultery right now and maybe sitting in some church congregation thinking nobody knows, God does but God still loves you. The Bible tells us that God loves all people.

That's why Jesus came. That's what the shepherds teacher us.

And the shepherds also teach us that the sacrifice for sin is over. Now, if you will study your Bible you'll remember there's so much said about shepherds. Moses was a shepherd and David was a shepherd. Now, what were the shepherds doing, they were keeping watch over their flock by night, we hear all this talk about shepherds.

Why? Because when you study temple worship, the offerings that would keep people out of hell, and would atone for their sin was through those shepherds out there and those darkened nights watching sheep. Those animals would serve to be their sacrifice, to cover their sin.

That's why it very important. I studied, I researched, the least I could find there had to be 1,367 sacrifices of lambs offered every year, and it may have been hundreds, maybe 1000s more than that, but that's the very least. Why? Because without the shedding of blood, there's no remation for sin. And so the temple worship was a very bloody occurrence that took place blood from the animals being slaughtered, would go down to the holes in the floor and go through all the drains would drain out into that Kidron Valley into that little brook that flowed until it'd be red with blood. When angels came that night and announce the birth of a savior, was talking about the Lamb of God. And those angels were simply say, Hey, you're going to be out of business pretty soon, you better be looking around for another job, because John is going to announce real soon. Behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. That lamb you're offering is only a covering for today's sin. It only provides a covering for this week sin, provides a covering for this month sin, provides a covering for this year's sin. But when Jesus died, it wasn't just for recovery. But it was to take away the sin of the world. And so the shepherds teach us that God loves all people. The shepherds teach us that the sacrifice for sin is all over because Jesus is the one and only lamb. Shepherds teach us that opportunities come to the faithful. Now, you may not believe what I believe, but I think when you leave you'll believe that I believe what I believe, or I wouldn't be preaching it. I can tell you right up front that. I know that a lot of young couples getting married these days, they want in four months what it took their parents 40 years to acquire. But I want you to know opportunity come to the faithful. Those who work job after job, hour in hour out, week in week out ,year in year out until you acquire some things. Opportunities come to those who are faithful. Look at what the scripture says that we're in the same country.

Shepherds, what were they doing?

Abiding in the field. What were they doing? They were doing the same thing they've done every night for 4000 years, watching sheep. But one night an angelic announcement was made. They were just faithfully abiding in the field, watching their sheep, but opportunities come to the faithful. And if you will do what you can with what you have, God won't leave you where you are, but he'll increase what you have. I'm talking about being faithful opportunities come to the faithful. I've had young preachers come up to me even on this district and elsewhere, and say, I'd like to be doing what you're doing. And I wanted to say Well, are you willing to do what I did? A lot of you people want to have what you do, but they're not willing to do what you did in order to be doing what you're doing. Opportunities come to the faithful. God's looking for the faithful. You say Well, I'd like for God to use my life. I'd like for God to bring me in the ministerial things teaching a class and annointing me. Well, you need to hear what Timothy said in chapter one verse 12. He said God considered me faithful putting me into the ministry.

You say, Well, I'd like to get into the ministry and I'd be faithful. No, it doesn't work that way. You've got to be faithful before God can use you.

Young guy dated a girl. Now the young people are listening. And old people are remembering. And he fell in love with her. He wanted to marry her. And he asked her, Would you marry me?

And problem was he got drafted into the military. You know what he decided to do? He said, I want you to wait for me one year, but he said, I'm going to write you a letter every day.

I'm going to sit down, I'm going to write a steamy hot love letter to you every day and put it in the mail, you will get 365 letters of love. When I come home, we'll be married. And 365 days later, after 365 letters, she got married to the postman.

If you'e will be faithful to deliver the mail, and to be a faithful Christian and be a faithful servant God will use you. Now, let's go a step further. There were some scholars that gave some gifts, not just shepherds.

And the scholar has given us this gift. And let me say I'm talking about the wisemmen here.

Matthew two verse one. Now, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, or Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east, to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he born King of the Jews. We've seen his star in the east and we've come to worship him. Let me lay a little groundwork not much I've already tried to do over the last few Sundays. These men were astronomers. They were in Babylon and the Bible said they saw star in the east. You say, Well, Pastor, what do you know about these guys? I know first of all, the Bible said they were wise men. I know by the example they said they were wealthy men. I believe they were well birthed descendants probably of Daniel. They never came to a manger because when Christ was born, it was when they saw the star. And by the time they follow the star, 1,500 miles, nearly two years past, they found him in a house. They had to cross the desert, they had to cross the Euphrates River, they probably didn't come by camel. They were wealthy, they probably came riding Arabian horses. I believe it was a large entourage because not only was that little pencil neck Terran traveled, the entire city of Jerusalem was troubled. It must have been a great caravan.

Now, here's what those wise men teach us. Always keep your eyes on Jesus. You're going to look for anyone look for Jesus. Fact of the matter, I might mention he's coming back again. When we celebrate communion tonight, in that four o'clock service we're doing so with the idea that he's going to come back again. Now because of the Earth's rotation, stars travel East to West.

You'll follow from East to us because of the Earth's rotation.

Now get this. They said when we saw the star in the East and they follow that star 1,500 miles. They were astronomers incidentally, something interesting I read this week.

Did you know that you know that 90% of astronomers are Christians are believers? Why wouldn't they be? The Bible said The heavens declare the glory of God that'd make anybody want to serve the Lord, don't you think?

Pastor, Why did they when they got got there why did they say where's he at? Where's this king at? Well stars travel from East West and God invented nature.

They stopped at Jerusalem and why would they not, Jerusalem is only five miles north of Bethlehem? They probably thought it were coming to see a king he'll be there in the capitol.

He'll be over everything and no wonder they showed up a Jerusalem and then God did an amazing thing. He calls that star to move not East to West, but North to South five miles down to that house. But here's the message. We get into trouble when we get our eyes off of the star and off of the Son of God.

That's when we get in trouble.

Only been discouraged and disillusioned and disenchanted when I got my eyes on somebody else, and something else other than Jesus. And I felt like quitting. You get your eyes on circumstances and you get your eyes on viciousness it'll cause you to want to quit. But if you keep your eyes on Jesus, you'll be encouraged. And you'll get your eyes on him. You can be encouraged as well. The wise men teach us secondly, your direction for life is in the Bible. You say, well Pastor, I need some direction. I want to know something well, you will not get your direction from the psychic network. I just heard that the psychic network has gone broke. You would have thought the psychics would have seen it coming. And you will not get your directions by reading all these little newspaper columns either. Dear Abby, Dear Abigail. The one wrote Dear Abby, said the boy I've been dating for a long time we're about to get married and I just found out he had a wooden leg.

She said do you think ought to break it off?

Be good pastor, I'm trying. So these wise men they follow the star for 1,500 miles they get the Jerusalem they asked where's he at? Now Heron didn't have a clue. He was so paranoid. He he was so worried that he lose his little dinky throne. He loses his position. And he gets all his Bible guys. I'm talking about the guys that write scripture. The scribes. Fact of the matter, You can read it there and Matthew two beginning in verse four. And the question is asked by Herod, where's he born at? And they answered, he's born in Bethlehem according to what the prophets had to say.

Now, if the wise men hadn't read the Bible, probably they did.

They could have read Micah chapter five verse two, for it says out of Bethlehem, the littlest of the nation shall arise a ruler from everlasting.

No doubt within five miles, I think probably they had read that scripture. 95% of the direction that you get will be out of the Word of God. You say, Well, can we have a vision? Yes you can have a nightmare too.

Can we have a dream? Yes. Does God's speak to us? Yes. But 95% of the direction you get in your life is from right out of the Word of God. And that's why you need to be daily in the Word of God. That's why it's good to be in a real healthy, spiritual, small group. That's why everybody ought to treat church not as just a possibility but as a priority. We ought to say we're gonna be in God's house.

Preachers going to preach out of the Bible. Now I can find direction for this week. Here's the third thing that we're taught from these wise men, don't let your circumstances steal your joy. I want to tell you something. It was a great day in my life when I determined it didn't matter what happened to me I get to determine though, what happens in me. Made up my mind I'm not letting circumstances steal my joy. I can rejoice by choice. I can choose. These wise men didn't let their circumstances determine their outcome. And we've got to be like those three Hebrew boys. They said Our God can deliver us but if he doesn't, we still are going to serve him. We're not bowing are knee to images. Are you listening? If God touches my body, or he doesn't touch my body, I'm still going to serve Him. If my companion or my baby if it dies, or it lives it doesn't matter I'm still going to serve God. If my kids don't come around, and they don't return back to the good things whether they do or they don't, I'm still going to serve God. If my husband didn't come back or if he does come back, I'm still going to serve God. Pastor, you don't know if these wise men were discouraged or not? Well, why do you think they went to Herod's palace? Because they were looking for a king. When they found that he was a child living in a small, little house wise men didn't let it steal their joy. And I want to tell you something. I don't know what you're going through right now.

And I know this is a touchy time of the year if you're dealing with issues, but God is good.

And we need to keep praising him. Here's a fourth thing those wise men teach us. Keep giving your best. They got there, there was no palace. There was no great entourage there was no great throne. There was no silver or gold, just a small little house with humbled parents and the child about two years of age but they still didn't lose their joy. Maybe your marriage isn't going so well but I want to say to you keep giving your best. My ministry stopped doing well, my class is not growing, keep giving it your best. I'm trying to have a home like heaven and my kids live like it's hell.

Keep giving it your best. What do you Pastor when people disappoint you? Keep giving it your best. Don't give up when things go wrong as they sometimes will. When the road you're trudging seems all uphill. When the funds are low and the debts are high, and you want to smile but you have to sigh. When care is pressing you down a bit rest of your must but don't you quit. Success is failure turned inside out.The silver tin of the clouds of doubt. You never can tell how close you are and maybe near what it seems afar, so stick to the fight when your hardest hit is when things seem worse you must not quit. A quitter never wins and a winner never quits.

Preacher, How did you survive 31 years at one church? I just didn't quit. I figured it's easier for somebody to change their membership than me to move all my belongings. You got to have a little humor or you won't survive. The saints. The shepherds teach us something the scholars teach us something. But the saints give us some gifts.

What are those gifts Joseph teaches us to believe in people.

The Bible said that he was just man, read it. Matthew one verse 13. He could have made a public example out of Mary. The Bible said that if you thought that they had committed adultery and you thought he even had proof, you can literally stone them to death. But he was a just man, Kind. I'm glad Jesus had a kind stepfather. And Joseph believed in people, he believed in Mary.

Now psychologists tell us that if you ask someone to write down their strengths, they'll maybe give you one or two. But if you ask them to write down their weaknesses, they'll put down two to three times as many.

Here's what people need. They need somebody to believe in them. People need somebody who believe in them before they'll believe in themselves.

Can I just say to you this Christmas believe in people, give people the benefit of the doubt. Don't always think the worst. I just text somebody a little earlier this morning, because I was thinking about this and I said look today for the best in people. Somebody said what holds people back is not what they think they are but what they think they're not. And dads as a pastor, may I say to you, there are some things that your child needs to hear whether they're 15 or 50. And some of them will go through life crying out for it and never will hear it. Tell him I'm proud of you.

Now, I can't say I'm proud of me because pride is wrong. But there's nothing wrong with saying I'm proud of you and I'm convinced this Christmas time and this New Year coming up that if we'll be proud of one another and encourage one another and say good things to one another, it will deal a whole lot with his pride issue that we have among us as a people. Joseph teaches us a message believe in people. Mary teaches us about three things. I think first of all, Mary teaches us how to be happy. Some people, need to get happy. I let her staff member go one time, because I just felt like they needed to be happy.

Well, that didn't make you happy, did it? I wish I could tell you what I'm thinking. Mary teaches us how to be happy.

There in chapter two of John, she and Jesus were about to attend a wedding down there in Cana of Galilee, and they had a shortage of supplies. And instead of thinking about herself, she thought of others.

You want to get happy, get your mind off yourself. It helps me when I help others. If we would give more flowers away, if would atleast leave a fragrance in our hands. Quit always thinking of yourself. Quit always talking about yourself, quit talking about how sick you are, quit talking about situations in your life. Secondly, she teaches us how to be holy. You say Pastor, I want to be holy? Well, Mary said there's a shortage. And she said to Jesus, we need to help these folks at this wedding. And so they gathered some servants around and Jesus gave some instructions to them and catch what Mary said, whatsoever he saith unto thee, do it. You want to be holy, do what the Lord is showing you to do. That's all you've got to do. You can get haapy folk and you can get it holy, quit analyzing and scrutinizing and visualizing and slicing and dicing and all that, just do what God says to do.

Well, good preaching, moving along. She teaches us also how to go to heaven. I'm glad she talks to me about being happy and talks to me about being holy, but I want to know how to go to heaven. And here in John 17, verse 26, Jesus is on a cross. And his disciples standing by whom he loved, he say unto his mother, the disciple whom he loved. You ever wonder who wrote that? His name was John. John didn't say, he likes me better than the rest of you. He said, the disciple whom he love. Jesus turned, and he said to that disciple that he trusted, I want you to behold mother, and Mama, I want you to behold your son. Now Jesus is not talking about himself. He's dying right now on a cross. He's almost drained of blood. He's withstood the pain of 39 stripes on his back and nails through his hands and through his feet.

John 17:26

In a little while, there'll be a spear driven into his side, but by that time, life was going out. And he looked down and he said, Mother, and he looks towards John and said, Behold, thy son not talking about himself. You see, I'm no longer your son today, I want to be your Savior. For 33 years I was your child, but now you're about to become my child. If Mary can't go to heaven without accepting Christ, you and I can't get into heaven without accepting Christ to. He had to be more than just a son born of her. She had to accept him as a savior. Mary may have been a good woman, but everybody needs Salvation. All sin all come short of the glory of God. You can't go to heaven, ladies and gentlemen, unless you accept Jesus Christ. In your home, no doubt there's a tree under that tree there's many presents.

Least that's what the kids hope when they show up. But when God gave the world the greatest present that he had, he didn't put it under a tree, put it on a tree. And Jesus is on a Cross.

And Jesus dies on that tree for my sins and for your sins. And Mary's messages is you can get happy now. You can be holy.

Don't let anyone ever tell you you have to live a sinful life all the time you can be holy.

And her message to us, you can go to heaven if you'll accept Jesus Christ as your savior, just like I did, she said. You want to go to heaven? I'm not trying to make a church member out of you. I'm not trying to make anything out of you. But if you want to go to heaven, I just want to tell you on this Christmas Eve, at some point, you better accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. You can repent but if you don't quit your sins don't do much for you.

But if you will accept Christ, as your sacrifice for sin as your lamb offering, God in heaven will forgive you your sins and your past and give you a start for heaven. And nobody ever got to heaven without making a start. If you haven't made that start this morning is a good startup time. You can get your feet off the starting line and make a move toward the other end toward the finish line. But you have to start, you have to start. If you haven't, I beg you, I urge you accept Christ as your Savior. I'm not good enough, you're not good enough. And I'll reach for the present on the tree. I'd accept that as my gift for the forgiveness of sin, and that turn all the sins in my life over to Him, for the only reason he died on that tree was to take my place in your place so that I can take his place and have my sins forgiven.

Thanks for being a part of the voice of the Nazarene. Visit us every Sunday at 9am with BNC's Pastor Ray LaSalle. For more information regarding BNC visit Bucyrus nazarene.org.