All right everybody, welcome to my bad anchor Baptist church, still getting used to it.
Welcome to anchor Baptist church, let's do it right.
You would take your hymns and turn to hymn number 420.
There's a song in the air, hymn number 420.
We'll go ahead and start there right on the first.
There's a song in the air, there's a star in the sky.
There's a mother's deep prayer and a baby's low cry.
And the star rains its fire while the beautiful sing.
For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a king.
There's a tumult of joy or the wonderful birth.
For the virgin sweet boy is the Lord of the earth.
And the star rains its fire while the beautiful sing.
For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a king.
In the light of that star, by the ages in pearl.
And that song from afar has swept over the world.
Every hearth is a claim and a beautiful sing.
In the homes of the nations that Jesus is King.
We rejoice in the light and we echo the song.
That comes down through the night from the heavenly calm.
And we shout to the lovely event till they bring.
And we greet in his cradle our Savior and King.
Good singing will open in a word of prayer.
Dear Father, thank you for this church and this opportunity that we have to sing praises unto you
and to rejoice over your son's birth.
I pray that you fill us with your spirit for the rest of the service
and help us to be edified by the singing as well as the preaching Lord.
In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
For our next hymn, if you would turn in your hymnals to hymn number 421.
Just flip the page.
The first Noel, hymn number 421.
hymn 421.
We'll go ahead and start there right on the first.
The first Noel the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherd in fields where they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel
And by the light of that same star
Free was it came from country far
To sing for a king was their intent
And to follow the star wherever it went
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel
It's our true night to the Northwest
For Bethlehem it took its rest
And there it did
Oh, stop and stay
Right over the place where Jesus lay
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel
Then entered in those twice men free
Oh, reverently upon their knee
And offered there in His presence
Their golden fur and frankensets
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel
Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Anchor Baptist Church.
We'll go through some announcements. If you don't have a bulletin, go ahead and raise your hand.
On the front there is a Bible memory passage of the week, Hebrews 6, 18, just a couple more weeks left to learn this chapter.
And once we're done with the last verse, there is going to be a grace week.
So you still have several weeks. It's still very doable if you have not started yet or you haven't completed yet.
On the inside is our service times listed, as well as our soul winning times.
All those meet here at the church building. Great job soul winning today.
I believe we had a total of eight salvations.
That's something to rejoice about, especially during the cold weather.
So great job on that.
Nursing home ministry schedule is there.
If you take part of that ministry, please make note of those times and dates.
Our year to date statistics for the year, as well as our church email.
You could report those salvations there or in our signal group.
Either one is fine.
And on the right side there, you see our expecting ladies.
Please be in prayer for Miss Whitney Reed.
We did today have the first practice of the children's choir.
That was a lot of fun watching them sing.
And I think in a couple of weeks, they're going to get even louder and sound even better.
So keep up the good work.
Parents at home, sing with them, help them to learn those lyrics.
And we're looking forward to them performing for us.
They're going to be performing for us the Sunday before Christmas.
Just because a lot of people are out of town on Christmas Day,
so we want to make sure that the kids are here.
And as many people as here can be here as possible to hear them sing.
So that is going to be Sunday morning.
The kids will do that.
Tomorrow, adults is your chance to sing and kids' chances to sing
at our Christmas caroling event.
We're going to meet here at 6.30.
If for some reason you're going to be late,
you don't think you can make it to the church building.
I'll also put the address of where we're going to actually go out and meet.
That way, if you're running late at work, you still want to join us.
You're more than welcome to.
The more the merrier for stuff like this.
So please do join us tomorrow.
December 20th is the ladies' Christmas party.
Dads, make sure you schedule that night to watch the kiddos.
That's going to be a great time for the ladies to have fellowship.
You know, us men, we got the men's retreat in August
where we go out in the heat and punish ourselves
and make ourselves hate our lives.
But the ladies, they get to have a nice meal
and enjoy each other's presence.
So let's make sure we watch the kids so that they can enjoy
that time as much as we enjoy ours.
December 21st is our Christmas soul winning push.
That's Saturday morning at 10 am.
10 am is when the rally starts.
9 o'clock is when the food is going to start.
So please join us for that Saturday.
December 31st is going to be our New Year's Eve party
and service no Wednesday service that week.
Tuesday will be immense preaching night
and then a time of fellowship food games after.
You're more than welcome to stay and bring in the new year at church.
Highly recommend it.
Giving is listed there.
If you'd like to give, there's that QR code.
Some details for the ladies' party.
And on the back is our prayer list.
Please do email me if you have any requests you'd like prayed for.
That's going to be it for announcements this evening.
Let's go ahead and go to our third song.
All right for our third song.
If you would take your hymnals and turn to hymn number 422.
Thou didst leave thy throne.
Hymn number 422.
We'll go ahead and start there right on the first.
Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown.
When thou came as to earth for me.
But in Bethlehem's home was there found no proof
for thy holy nativity.
O come to my heart for Jesus.
There is proof in my heart for thee.
Edmunds' arches rang when the angels sang
proclaiming thy royal decree.
But of holy birth didst thou come to earth
and in great humility.
O come to my heart for Jesus.
There is proof in my heart for thee.
The foxes found rest and the birds there nest
in the shade of the forest green.
But thy couch was the sawl, the son of God
in the deserts of Galilee.
O come to my heart for Jesus.
There is proof in my heart for thee.
Thou came as no lord with the living word
that should set thy people free.
But with mockings forward and with crown of thorn
they pour thee to Calvary.
O come to my heart for Jesus.
There is proof in my heart for thee.
When the heavens shall ring and the angels sing
at thy coming to victory.
But thy voice call me home saying yet
there is room, there is room at my side for thee.
My heart shall rejoice for Jesus
when thou comest and callest for me.
Amen.
Good evening.
Romans 14, the Bible reads,
him that is weak in the faith, receive ye,
but not to doubtful disputations.
For one believeth that he may eat all things,
another, who is weak, eateth herbs,
let not him that eateth, despise him that eateth not,
and let not him which eateth not, judge him that eateth,
for God hath received him.
Who art thou that judges another man's servant?
To his own master he standeth or falleth,
yea, he shall be holding up,
for God is able to make him stand.
One man esteemeth, one day above another,
another esteemeth every day alike,
let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
He that regardeth the day,
regardeth it unto the Lord,
and he that regardeth not the day,
to the Lord, he doth not regard.
He that eateth, eateth to the Lord,
for he giveth to God thanks,
and he that eateth not to the Lord,
he eateth not and giveth God thanks.
For none of us liveth to himself,
and no man dyeth to himself,
for whether we live, we live unto the Lord,
and whether we die, we die unto the Lord,
whether we live, therefore, or die,
we are the lords.
For to this end,
Christ both died and rose,
and received and revived,
that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
But why dost thou judge thy brother,
or why dost thou set at not thy brother,
for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ,
for it is written,
as I live sayeth the Lord,
every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.
So then, every one of us
shall give account of himself to God.
Let not, let us not, therefore,
judge one another any more,
but judge this rather,
that no man put a summoning block
on occasion to fall in his brother's way.
I know, and am persuaded,
by the Lord Jesus,
that there is nothing unclean of itself,
but to him that is seemeth anything
to be unclean to him, it is unclean.
But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat,
now walk his thou, not charitably,
destroy it not him with thy meat,
for whom Christ died.
Let not, then, your good be evil spoken of,
for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink,
but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
For he that in these things serveth Christ
is acceptable to God and approved of men.
Let us, therefore, follow after the things
which make for peace,
and things where with one may edify another,
for meat destroy not the work of God,
all things indeed are pure,
but it is evil for that man
who eateth with offense.
It is good, now that to eat flesh,
nor to drink wine,
nor anything whereby thy brother's stomach
or is offended or is made weak,
hast thou faith, have it to thyself before God,
happy is he that condemneth not himself
in that thing which he alloweth.
And he that doubteth is damned if he eat,
because he eateth not of faith,
for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
That's Bower Heads for Word of Prayer.
Father in Heaven, we thank you for this day,
and all the souls saved out today.
And we just ask that you be with those people
that were saved and help them to get into a church.
Good church.
Amen.
All right, well, we are in the time of year
known as the holiday season,
and I want to preach a applicable sermon
this evening about this time of year.
The title of my sermon is called
Holiday Season Sins.
And of course, sin is a problem in our lives
all time of the year.
But around the holidays, there could be
certain sins that rear their ugly head
a little more this time of year
than at other times of year.
And so I want to talk about four things
that you should avoid around the holidays.
Four attitudes or sinful practices
that people should avoid.
Four attitudes or sinful practices
that people should avoid.
Four attitudes or sinful practices
that people sometimes have
around this time of year.
And number one is this.
Don't be judgmental
towards other Christians
that celebrate Christmas.
Because there's a group of Christians out there
that somehow think that Christmas is sinful.
And it's not like, hey,
that's just their private persuasion.
That's just their belief.
But oftentimes, they try to go out of their way
to tell you that you're wrong
or they would condemn our church
for having lights on the wall
or for having a wreath
or for having a Christmas tree.
These people are out there
and this is a bad attitude to have.
Let me show you why.
Romans chapter 14 verse 4
the Bible says
Verse 5
So look, the Bible is saying here,
some people esteem,
they recognize,
they lift up a certain day
above other days in the year.
And guess what? There's nothing wrong with that.
There's nothing wrong with celebrating a birthday.
There's nothing wrong with celebrating a holiday
so long as the holiday itself
is not inherently sinful.
There's other people that they choose
to esteem every day alike.
They celebrate holidays, they're just going to view
every day as the same.
The Bible says
So there's nothing wrong
with celebrating Christmas on one hand.
There's also nothing wrong with choosing
not to celebrate Christmas.
But usually it's not the people who celebrate Christmas
condemning people that don't.
It's usually vice versa, right?
It's someone that wants to say,
well Christmas is pagan, Christmas is wicked,
Christmas is serving false gods
That's the type of people that I'm really talking about.
Look at verse 6, it says
He that regardeth the day
regardeth it unto the Lord
and he that regardeth not the day
to the Lord, he doth not regard it.
He that eateth, eateth to the Lord
for he giveth God thanks
and he that eateth not to the Lord, he eateth not
and giveth God thanks.
Look, as long as whatever you're doing
as long as you're regarding it unto the Lord
you're safe.
I mean if you decide not to celebrate Christmas
but just like any other day
you wake up and you thank God for life
and you read the Bible and you praise the Lord
hey that's great, there's nothing wrong with that.
But if you choose to set apart December 25th
and say this is a day
that we're just going to think about the Lord Jesus Christ
we're going to be thankful that God
gave us the gift of his Son
the perfect Lamb of God to come down
in human form to live a perfect life
for us to die on the cross
to raise again from the dead
and you know we're celebrating the Lord Jesus Christ today.
The Lord could be wrong with that.
You know it doesn't make any sense yet there's Christians
that don't like Christmas.
It's very strange right?
I mean it's a Christian holiday but
people will judge you for this and it's a wrong attitude
to have.
Now I haven't really met too many people like this
before but when it comes to
okay where are they coming from
saying that Christmas is bad
Christmas is pagan you know where are they
getting this from?
Well sometimes they'll get it from this place
in Jeremiah chapter 10
and I've seen this stretch made
from Jeremiah 10
saying
here's where God condemns
Christmas trees. Now let me just stop right here
you don't have to have a Christmas tree if you don't
want one. You don't have to have a Christmas tree
in your house you know Christmas
the Christmas tree is not like a symbol of
Jesus or anything like that. I think it's just
cool. I just think it smells good
it looks good you know it's a cool tradition
there's nothing sinful about it but here's where
I say it is sinful it's from this
passage. Let's learn what it's actually saying
verse 2
Thus saith the Lord learn not the way of the
heathen and be not dismayed at the
signs of heaven for the heathen
are dismayed at them
so the heathen are usually what
superstitious right
they look at an idol
or they look at a
sign in heaven and think that it's some sort
of omen from God right and the Bible
saying when you see these things don't be dismayed
at them because that's what the heathen are like
verse number 3
4 the customs of the people
are vain for
1 cutteth a tree out of the forest
the work of the
hands of the workmen with an axe
and this is where people say see this is a
Christmas tree right here look at verse 4
they deck it with silver and
gold uh oh silver and
gold we're talking about Christmas right
they fasten it with nails and with
hammers that it move
not they are upright as the palm tree
but speak not they must needs be born
because they cannot go be not
afraid of them for they cannot do evil
neither also is it in them to do
good so the Bible is talking
about people here that they take a tree
out of the forest the work
of the workmen's hand and they
place it they nail it
and you know they're decking it with silver
and gold and you could kind of see how
someone who just doesn't know anything about the Bible
could just on a really quick surface level
like man that kind of sounds like a Christmas tree
but hold on hold on keep
reading okay let's read verse 5 again
slowly they are upright
as the palm tree we're talking
about the tree right now but speak
not now did you need me to tell
you that Christmas trees don't speak
no you didn't really need me to tell you that right
they must needs be born meaning they have to be
carried because they cannot
go you all knew that right I hope
be not afraid of them
for they cannot do evil
neither also is it in them to do
good now who in here
has ever been afraid of a Christmas tree
hopefully no one right because
this is not talking about a Christmas tree
you know this is talking about it's talking
about an idol that's what this is
someone took wood from out of the forest
they cut it down and then
the work of the workmen worked on it
to where it's made into some sort of image
of the likeness of something under heaven
a carved image likely
you know a face of some sort
you see the idolatry of pagan culture
some sort of like demonic face
or some sort of you know beast
and that actually makes sense to be like
hey this thing you need to carry this thing
I know it looks like a living thing
but you actually have to carry it
I know it has a mouth but it can't speak
and by the way don't be afraid of it
now it actually makes sense if it's an idol
you can see how someone might get superstitious
over an idol the bible is saying not to do that
don't be superstitious of it
don't be afraid of it
it's a man's hands that's all it is
this is not a Christmas tree
Christmas trees are not
idols now what actually is
an idol go to exodus chapter 20
exodus chapter 20
see idolatry is not just whatever you
make it up to be
people just want to call everything an idol
the bible actually describes what an idol is
verse number 4 of exodus 20
the bible says thou shalt not
notice this word make
unto thee
notice graven image
now do you make
a Christmas tree or is a Christmas tree
just something you cut off the bottom
and you just put into your house you didn't make that
right now an idol you make
you have to get some sort of carving device
and you have to work on that until it's in the form
of something that's why it says a
graven image because you have to
engrave that thing to look like
anything notice what it says or the
likeness of
anything that is in heaven above
or that is in the earth beneath
or that is in the water under
the earth notice this thou shalt
not bow down thyself to them
nor serve them
for I the lord thy god
am a jealous god visiting
the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth generation
of them that hate me
see an idol is something that
man's hands made
it's something that's wooden that man has
engraved and it's something that people
bow down at that they worship
at you know the Catholics do this they have
a statue of Mary
and they're bowing down and they're praying to
Mary that is idolatry
but I hope no one has ever kneeled
down before their Christmas tree
and you know pray oh Christmas tree
please bring that would be weird right
but look a Christmas tree is not an
idol it's just a tree
and it being inside of a building is no
different than it being outside of a building
wherever it grows in nature you know
that is fine there's nothing sinful about
a Christmas tree
go to Psalm 135
Psalm 135
look at verse number 15
the bible says
the idols of the heathen
are silver and gold
notice again the work
of men's hands
they have mouths
but they speak not
eyes have they but they see not
they have ears but they hear not
neither is there any breath in their mouths
see that's what an idol is
someone that's making something
to look like something else that has a mouth
that has eyes that has ears right
but the bible saying these things are dumb
that's why the bible calls them dumb idols
they can't speak they can't see
they can't hear you know the proverbial
chinese restaurant that has the idol
that idol is never going to eat it
no idol is ever going to receive that
in India they do that same thing
giving food to the idols
and guess what you have to carry them right
because they're not real when I went to Mexico
when you're crossing the border back into the United States
all these Mexicans
are walking up and down your car trying to sell you stuff
and what a ton of them are trying to sell you
is all these Mexican idols
why because
Mexico is a Catholic country
and of course a bunch of suckers go over there
and fall for that stupid religion
and buy their idols
but what I notice about those idols is that they're not walking on their own
why because they have to be born by men
they're graved by men
that's what an idol is
that's not what a Christmas tree is
now go to Luke 12
I'll read for you 1 Corinthians 8.4
the bible says as concerning therefore
the eating of those things
that are offered in sacrifice unto idols
we know
that an idol is nothing in the world
and that there is none other god
but one
so the New Testament sheds light saying
hey we know that an idol is nothing
there's no special power
that any idol has
the pagans the heathens of this world
they're the ones that are kind of superstitious
and dismayed about certain statues
or idols that's why in Jeremiah
God's saying hey don't learn the way of the heathen
don't be dismayed at the signs of heaven
and don't be afraid
of their idols
don't pay any attention to them
because we know that they're nothing
there's all throughout history
there's these special idols that people say
well this statue is the god of this
and this statue is the god of that
but really it's just wood
at the end of the day
it's just wood, it's just metal
it's just a carved device
it means nothing
so number one don't get judgmental over Christians
celebrating Christmas
there's nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas
celebrating the devil on Halloween
you know that's obvious
but Christmas is not one of those
number two around this time of year
don't get covetous
this time of year
the companies of this world
are spending millions of dollars on ads
trying to get you to want their product
trying to get you to buy their product
now let's look at the bible says
Luke 12 15
Jesus said this
beware of covetousness
for a man's life
consists if not in the abundance
of the things which he
possessive
Jesus told us beware
think about this
let this be in your mind
remember that your life is not measured
in happiness or success
based on how much things you have
and today our American
mentality has been so infected
by the love of money
by covetousness that many people
when they think Christmas
their first thought is how much
stuff am I going to get
how many material possessions
can I get from mom and dad this year
from grandma and grandpa
and look I'm going to talk a little bit about how
there's nothing wrong with buying things
there's nothing wrong with giving gifts
but we have to remember this warning from Jesus Christ
to beware
to beware of covetousness
and to remember that a man's life
is not in the abundance of the things
which he possessive
the amount of things that you have
should not determine whether or not
you're going to have good Christmas this year
the attitude that you should have
is that hey if I got nothing
from mom and dad this Christmas
which let's be honest you probably will kids
or if I got no presents
from my friends or from my grandparents
or anything like that
that I will still be happy
because Christmas is about Jesus Christ
this year thank God Christmas falls
on a church day
on Wednesday hey come to church on Christmas
I mean of all the years
of all the days to skip church
why would you skip church on Christmas
it's the day where we celebrate Jesus Christ
how much sense does that make
oh I'm not going to church today because it's Christmas
I'm sorry did you think this was
like a Buddhist temple or something
this is where we worship Christ
of course you should come to church on Christmas
rather than just be worried about all the things
that you can get now
I found this article that said this
this is statistics from 2022
said Americans spent
929.5
billion dollars
on holiday related purchases
in 2022
for comparison that amounts
to over 3.3
times the national
yearly GDP of Finland
so Americans in Christmas
just spent more money on Christmas in one year
then the entire
gross domestic product of Finland
three times over
just on Christmas okay
that's a lot of money right there
it says let's break down the categories
of goods that customers spend
money on for Christmas
which amounted to a total
of 833 dollars
per person in 2022
that includes decorations
cards candy food presents
so in America
average person spent
833
dollars per person
in their family
for Christmas so for my family
if I was doing if I was following the exact
American model okay my family
this is what Christmas would have costed me in
2022 if I followed this this model
$4998
now who just has an extra
just cool you know don't raise your hand please
who just has extra cool like five grand
just laying around in the bank if you do God bless you
Lord that's that's great but I don't
okay and I'm not going to just open up
a credit card and just go
$5,000 into debt just so I can
make sure I'm keeping up with the Joneses
and doing everything that every other America does
and make sure that my kids
have the hoverboards and the
drones and the helicopters and all
and look there's nothing wrong with buying
those things I don't want you to misunderstand what I'm saying
it's nothing wrong with spending money on Christmas
there's nothing wrong in buying your kids a bunch of gifts
but there is something wrong
with feeling this pressure like I have to
like here you are you don't want to
you don't have the money to
but because well Americans
we have to spend $833
per person to
here comes the credit card debt you know the Jews are just excited
for Christmas they hate Christ
but they love Christmas because Americans
are just racking up debt
you know that is ridiculous
and we have to remember what Jesus said beware
of covetousness
the abundance of a man's you know
is not based on what you possess is what Jesus was saying
now here's the thing
if you can afford it and you want to
go for it have the biggest Christmas
you want to you say hey I've got
the means I want to do more than the $833
per family member
that's your prerogative and there's nothing wrong with that
right there's kind of two extremes that comes
to money amongst Christians
some people just think like having any money is bad
being rich is inherently
evil spending money is inherently wrong
that's not true what's wrong is having
a love of money in your heart that's what's wrong
what's wrong is coveting something
that doesn't belong to you
that's not rightfully yours that's not something
that you could obtain that's what's wrong
okay we have to beware of
covetousness then verse number
16 if you're still there it says this
and he spake a parable unto them saying
the ground of a certain rich
man brought forth plentifully
and he thought within himself saying what shall I
do because I have no
room where to bestow
my fruits this guy has so many Christmas presents
he doesn't even know where to put them
this is where you know storage units came into play
in the United States because he's got no more room
verse 18 and he said this will I do
I will pull down my barns
and build greater
and there will I bestow all my
fruits and my goods
and I will say to my soul soul
now I hope you don't talk to yourself
like that it's really creepy soul
thou hast much goods
laid up for many years take thine
trees eat drink
and be merry that's the American dream
right this is what people think
that life is all about
success is when you could come to a place
in your life where you've got so much stuff
you don't even have room to put it anywhere
and you could just eat drink
and be merry this is the American
dream for a lot of people today
but look this is not a godly desire
this is not something the Bible talks about
not desiring to be rich
not laboring to be rich there's nothing
being rich but when your desire
is just to be able to eat drink
and be merry every day that is not
wise
verse 20 but god said unto him
thou fool
this night thy soul
shall be required of thee
then whose shall those things
be which thou hast provided
so is he that layeth up
treasure for himself and is not
rich toward god
see this man had spent his entire
life building wealth
gathering material goods
setting himself up financially
so that he could just eat drink and be merry
and at the time where he thinks
I'm doing so well I've got to pull down
these barns and I've got to rebuild
to bestow my fruits
God says you're a fool because tonight
your soul is going to be required of you
and you know it's a very foolish thing to look at the holiday seasons
and all you're doing is just thinking about
how much money can I get
how much money can I spend
when I receive when you don't even know
if you're going to live to the new year
you don't even know when God's going to require
your soul of you and is all the money
that you have is all the possessions
that you've accumulated throughout life
is any of that going with you when you die
no it's not
so you know what if you have money
praise the Lord thank God for that
but when it comes to the Christmas season
think about Jesus Christ
think about reading your Bible
think about going to church on Christmas day
reading other people gifts
rather than just thinking about how much you can get
you know think about spiritual things
being rich toward God
there's nothing wrong with being rich
but there is something wrong with not being rich
toward God
go to Acts chapter number 20
Acts chapter number 20
Acts chapter 20 verse 33
I have coveted
no man's silver
or apparel
yea yourselves know that these hands have
ministered unto my necessities
and to them that were with me
I have showed you all things
how that's so laboring you ought to support the week
and to remember the words
of the Lord Jesus how he said
it is more blessed
to give than to
receive
you know what if we actually just changed our way of thinking about Christmas
rather than like the
average American just thinking about how much
stuff they could buy for themselves
or how many free gifts they can get
from other people but to think about
what Jesus said that it's actually more blessed
to give than to receive
you know a lot of people are not looking at Christmas that way
and you know
if you are someone that God is blessed
really you know well financially
you should consider saying hey God's blessing with this stuff
I should try to bless my friends
I should try to bless my children
and my family members and other people
rather than just thinking about how you can just consume it all
on yourself
and you say well Pastor Oz I don't have any money
but you know what you still have spiritual gifts that you could give
to other people around this time of year
how about going out and giving the gospel to people this Christmas
you know they may not realize it
but if you're going out in the holidays
preaching the gospel and you're getting someone saved
you're giving them the best gift
ever
and they may not even realize it and they say well hold on
you know you didn't spend thousands of dollars on this gift
yeah but it's the most
priceless gift that could possibly be obtained
salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ
you know you don't have to be rich to go preach the gospel
it's free
and I'll give you a ride to go out there too
if you can't afford the gas I got you let's go soul winning
let's give people the gift of eternal life
this Christmas
let's remember that it's more blessed to give
than to receive
Matthew chapter 2 go to Matthew chapter 2
you know if you remember the great song that the kids
sang this morning
for God so loved the world
that he gave
his son
you know Christmas is about the fact that
God gave the world a gift
and you know the whole reason why
you know I believe that the tradition
of gifts being exchanged
during Christmas is to symbolize the fact that
hey God gave us his son Jesus Christ
God loved us so much
that he gave us a gift
and we in our lives we usually
go to the people that we love
and we give those people a gift
you know that is a beautiful thing when it's done from the right heart
when it's done with the right mentality
but again today it's like well you have to
spend $5,000 on Christmas
otherwise you're a bad parent or something like that
and also you have to get
presents for your first cousins, your second cousins
your third cousins
the kids you went to elementary school with
all of your family members on
ancestry.com or you're just a terrible person
and it's like hey man
I'm a single family
I'm a single income family with four kids
and a stay at home wife
very Christmas
there's my Christmas present for you
I'll sing you a hymn or something like that
I'm not going to be spending a bunch
I mean what if I just spent like $20
$10 on just every family member I have
and my kids
and my friends
and my church members
I mean the Jews would be having a pay day
from the bank they would be so excited
but look that's just not feasible
that's just not realistic
so just don't give into this weird pressure
person you've ever known
look if I don't give you a gift this Christmas
that doesn't mean I don't like you
it just means that we've lived in Joe Biden's economy
for the last four years
don't take it personally if you don't get a gift
from me
Matthew chapter 2
it says
when they saw the star
they rejoiced with exceeding great joy
these are the wise men
verse 11
when they were come into the house
they fell down and worshiped him
and when they had opened their treasures
they presented unto him
gifts
gold and frankincense and myrrh
notice when the wise men came
to the Lord Jesus Christ
the babe and the manger they didn't say
alright Jesus where's my gift card
alright Jesus where's my money
where's my presents you know what they said
we're coming to give gifts to you the Lord Jesus Christ
why cause God already gave us the gift
it is that babe right there
that is the gift to the world
and these men what did they do
they actually came to bring gifts
to the Lord Jesus Christ
and again I just want to reiterate
what if we just changed our mentality
and instead of just thinking about Christmas
as how much we can get from other people
think about how much we can give back to the Lord
how we can render good things to the Lord
for all of the benefits that he's done
for us
go to Psalm 116
Psalm 116
verse 12
this question is asked
in verse 12
what shall I render unto the Lord
for all his benefits
towards me
that's a very deep question
when you think about all the benefits
that God has rendered towards us
the fact that he has saved us from hell
the fact that we live in a great state
we have a great church
we have a spouse
we have children
we have friends we have all these great things that God has given to us
have you ever just sat down and just thought
what can I render to God
for all of his benefits that he's given me
that is a deep question right there
but look at verse 17
he kind of answers that question a little bit
in verse 17 he says
I will offer to thee
the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and we'll call upon the name
of the Lord
what can we render to God
one thing we can do is by simply being thankful
being thankful
is something that's kind of going out of style
in our country unfortunately
it doesn't seem like parents are really teaching
their kids to be thankful
it seems like thank you notes are like the dinosaurs now
writing a thank you note
being appreciative for someone
when they do something for you
the Bible is saying here what can we render to God
for all the benefits that he's given to us
one thing is that we can just offer thanksgiving to him
just saying rather than
God give me more, no hold on
God thank you for all that you've already given me
God thank you for my health
God thank you for my house
thank you for my family
thank you for my church
I mean so often we're just so focused on all the things
that we don't have
that we want to have but do you ever sit around
and think about what God already has given you
do you ever sit down and actually thank God
for what he's done for you
do you look at Christmas and say thank you God
for the Lord Jesus Christ
I want that new toy man I want that new smart phone
and look I hope you get that stuff
but I hope that your heart
is thankful to Jesus Christ
for all of the things that you get in this life
spiritual
physical you know whatever it is that God gives you
I hope that you're thankful to him for that
and you know looking back
on my childhood
my grandparents were very well to do
financially and I remember
my grandpa always just went crazy
on Christmas and spoiled the heck
out of me and my brothers
but you know now that I'm an adult
and now that my grandpa has passed away
I don't look back at those things
man it was so cool
how many toys I got
how many great things my grandfather gave me
but I'm just thankful for my grandfather
that's what I look back on
I look back on just being thankful
for my grandpa loving us
and investing in us and caring about us
you know you gotta realize that the gift
that you get in Christmas don't really matter
is the people that get you those gifts
hey kids let me just tell you something
when you're older you're not gonna care about these presents
that you're getting under the tree this Christmas
but you will care about mom and dad
and someday when you're old and mom and dad are gone
when mom and dad are in the grave
you're gonna look back and be thankful
for those times with them
you know we should just think about that now
before those times come saying like
hey thank you God that I get to spend some time
with my family
you know thank you God those of you
parents thank God for that
appreciate them
thank God for your parents, thank God for your children
thank God for everything that he's done for us
because honestly it's innumerable when you think about it
verse number 18
says
I will pay my vows unto the Lord now
in the presence of all his people
notice 19
in the courts of the Lord's house
in the midst of thee O Jerusalem
praise ye the Lord
hey what shall you render to the Lord
for all of his benefits
how about just being in the courts of God's house
you know that's one way you could render back
to God the benefits that he's giving you
is simply by coming to church
that is something that God
desires us to do
quite honestly demands us to do
and when he sees God's children being thankful
for all that they have
and you know wanting to be in the house of God
that's something that he is pleased with
because you often see like
throughout the Bible the children of Israel
you know God does something really great for them
God delivers them
God gives them the promised land
but then the next generation what do they do
they are not thankful for God's deliverance
they take for granted
all the blessings that God has given them
and then what do we see God takes away
those blessings from them
they're not you know thankful for the man of God
that God has sent in their life through a preacher
like Jeremiah through a preacher like Isaiah
you know God will send some sort of profit to them
and they'll just not listen to them
they'll stiffen their neck
they won't be thankful and you see God start
removing blessings
here's the thing about being thankful
is that being thankful actually allows you
to keep the blessings that you have
but when you just you know put at light
put at not the blessings that God
has given you in your life
you're not thankful for them
those blessings can be taken away
you know I think this church is a blessing
I think this is a great church
but you know what if this is just
thankful to God for it
do you really think that the next generation is going to care about this
no
in even America our own country
God blesses us financially
God makes us the greatest nation on earth
and then now we're living in a generation of a bunch of spoiled brats
that aren't thankful for our heritage
that aren't thankful for our founding
and what are we starting to see
we're starting to see America being lost from us
taken away from us losing our freedoms
losing our culture
go to Hebrews 13
while you're turning there
2nd Corinthians 9 7 says
every man according as he purposeth
in his heart so let him
give not grudgingly
or of necessity
for God loveth a cheerful
giver you know also when it comes to gifts
only give a gift if you want to
you know God says that he loves a cheerful
giver don't feel
the pressure like you have to go spend
money you have to buy a gift for this person
you want to do it but God loves
a cheerful giver
Hebrews 13 5 let your conversation
be without covetousness
and be content
with such things as he have
for he hath said I will never
leave thee nor
forsake thee stay there James
117 every good gift
and every perfect gift is from above
and cometh down from the father of lights
with whom is no variableness neither
shadow of turning you know we gotta remember
that that really good that really perfect gift
that God gave us is
his son Jesus Christ so number two
don't get covetous this time of year
number three don't drink
alcohol don't
drink alcohol this time of
year people just throw their
sobriety out the window and start
consuming alcohol I'm going to read a couple articles for you
this article is called
drinking increases during the
holidays here's how the extra
booze affects your health according to a doctor
Americans drink
double their typical amount
of alcohol during the holiday season
according to estimates which could
have serious impact on your health
on CBS morning plus Tuesday
CBS news chief medical correspondent
doctor john lapook wrote down
what broke down
what to know before throwing back
the extra booze this time of year
the world health organization said there is
no safe amount
of alcohol there's
no safe amount of alcohol
you say did you get that from a fundamental
Baptist website no that's the world
health organization medical
professionals the world health organization
is saying there is zero
consumption level of alcohol
that is safe or healthy or good
for you you know the lie that you
heard maybe a couple decades ago
oh having a glass of wine with dinner
is good for your health no no right here
they're saying there is no safe
level of alcohol consumption that
is you know good for you but
yet in the holiday season what did this article
say that the consumption of alcohol
doubles in the united states
you know that is a crazy
thing and of course
that has effects on our society it
says this nationwide alcohol
impaired fatalities
in 2021
represented 31%
of the total
traffic fatalities so
31% of all the deaths that happen
on the road are because of alcohol
consumption
during the 2021 Christmas
holiday period 36%
of fatalities
involved in alcohol impaired driver
and that's that's crazy
to think about because most people stay home
at Christmas most people aren't really traveling a whole lot
at least I don't and most people I
know don't yet 36%
jumped up there
here's an article that says this
mother of infant killed
by drunk driver in
Christmas night
Louisiana State Police says driver was
arrested a family is mourning
the loss of a new mother after
she was struck by a drunk driver
now a two month old is
without his mother family
told D sorry WDSU's
Shay O'Connor
that 26 year old Dacia Carter
and her boyfriend Ibrahim
Gray were leaving
a Christmas pajama party on December
26th around 1 a.m.
they headed to their son
when they were struck from behind by a drunk driver
going extremely fast
the speed limit was about
70 she said we were going
about 65 to 67
all of a sudden it felt like a
rocket hit us I couldn't prepare
I couldn't do anything it was
the grace of God because the railing kept us
from flipping over the bridge Gray said
Gray said after the impact
all he could do next was try to help his girlfriend
and the mother of their infant son
Dacia Carter
who was knocked unconscious
Gray said I crawled over to her and noticed
the back of her head was bleeding
mine was bleeding too
but since she was knocked out I tried to attend to her
I took a shirt and pressed it behind her head
photos show how the couple's car
looked after the crash
investigators said a man driving under the influence
rear-ended them at a high rate of speed
Callanda Carter the aunt of Dacia Carter said
he made a decision
to get on the road highly intoxicated
and drive his vehicle at that
type of speed and it's torn us apart
the 26 year old was
taken to a hospital where she would later die
of her injuries Carter is described
as a kind-hearted person who knew
no stranger or enemies she was
especially excited about being a mother for the
first time in her life her son
Messiah will now spend the rest of his life
without knowing her love
her son will be able to tell
will be able to tell him about her and
show pictures to him but he'll never be
able to feel that love from his mom
he'll never be held by her again
that's what happens
every day in this country
but you know what that happens extra around
the holidays where people are deciding
to be selfish idiots
drinking poison
ingesting poison into their bodies
and then getting behind a wheel
when they have their judgment impaired
where they're going to go drive on the road
and kill a little baby's mother
for their own stupidity and selfishness
you know it's absolutely shameful
and woe unto any Christian
that consumes alcohol
woe unto any Christian that would be so selfish
and so wicked
as to get behind the wheel and drive
a car while being drunk
it's disgusting
and you know someone that just negligently
gets drunk
and just gets behind the wheel
and just goes and kills someone
should be put on trial for murder
and you know if they're convicted of that murder
it's a punishment that murderers deserve
in the Bible
and you know people often say like
oh man there's all these DUI traps
of cops good I hope there's more of them
I hope that cops have zero mercy to drunk drivers
because drunk drivers
ruin people's lives for the rest of their life
I mean could you imagine if you had your wife
taken away from you
by a drunk driver or your mom
or your dad or your husband
or your brother or your little child
not for anything that
some idiot decided to drink
and get behind the wheel you know what it's disgusting
go to Proverbs chapter 20
Proverbs 20
Proverbs chapter 20
you know alcohol is just
accepted by our society
I mean it's just a given like
oh yeah of course it's the holidays we just drink alcohol
it's just totally normal no big deal
look at Proverbs 20 verse 1
wine is a mocker
strong drink is raging
and whosoever is deceived thereby
is not wise
let me bring this to our modern vernacular for you
the bible saying anyone that drinks alcohol
is an idiot
is a moron is a fool
why because why would you drink something
that's just poison
what if I just said hey man I have this bottle of poison
you want to drink it what kind of an idiot would say yes to that
well it's everyone that goes to the store
and buys Bud Light
it's everyone that goes to the store and buys Coors
and Whiskey
what other kind of crap there is out there for alcohol
you know people that drink that stuff
you are an idiot
and by the way drunkards are to be kicked out of church
this church hates alcohol
the bible hates alcohol
and if someone is found out to be a drunk
you are not welcome to come to anchor baptist church
why because I don't want a fellowship with someone
that might go get behind the wheel
and kill someone's child kill someone's mother
no you're not my friend you have no fellowship
with us until you get that fixed
put the stupid bottle down
Christmas is not an excuse to get drunk
Christmas is not an excuse to drink alcohol
why would people take the birth of our savior
and say hey this is a great day to drink alcohol
so stupid
go to Proverbs 31
while you're turning there I'll read Isaiah 28
7
but they also have erred through wine and through strong drink
are out of the way
the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink
they are swallowed up of wine
they are out of the way through strong drink
they air and vision
they stumble in judgment
all tables are full of vomit and filthiness
so that there is no place clean
you know I don't want my Christmas season
to be described
by losing my judgment
having places just full of filthiness
full of vomit
that's what alcohol parties are like
a bunch of people just throwing up
getting sick all over themselves
all over other people
that's not a God honoring way to live your life
that's not something that honors the temple of God
that is indwelled by the Holy Spirit
no it's wicked
Proverbs 31 verse 4
says it is not for kings
Olemuel
it is not for kings to drink wine
nor for princes strong drink
why?
lest they drink and forget the law
and pervert the judgment
of any of the afflicted
the Bible says when you drink
two things happen to you
you forget the law
that can be in reference to the Bible
and it causes you to pervert
the judgment of any of the afflicted
your judgment is affected
under the effects of alcohol
why would you want to consume something
it's like hey Christian
hey person that believes in Jesus Christ
hey someone indwelled by the Holy Spirit
you want to drink this thing that's going to cause you to forget the Bible
to forget God
I mean when we are saved
when we have the Holy Spirit
why would we ever want to forget God
you know who actually wants to drink alcohol
is the next verse it says
give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish
and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts
let him drink and forget his poverty
and remember his misery
no more
alcohol is for losers
alcohol is for people that have miserable
lives with nothing to live for
those that are ready to perish
but guess what
those of us that have believed in Jesus Christ
are never going to perish
no we should have the joy of the Lord
for the Christmas season we are celebrating Christ
we are celebrating the birth of Jesus
no we are not just these miserable people
that need to drink something that causes us to forget
we exist
and it's funny how people will make fun of Christianity
and be like oh fundamentalists
are so
backward and they live lives that are so boring
and so sad
well that's weird because I don't have to drink alcohol to forget my life
because I actually like my life
I am actually thankful for all that God has done for me
but you
doesn't want to go to church
you don't want to serve God
your life is so great
you have to drink until you forget how much it sucks
oh but you're living a better life
okay you're a hypocrite
actually you're what the Bible says
an idiot a fool
someone that's not wise
someone that's been deceived by alcohol
go to Daniel chapter 5
Daniel chapter number 5
let's read a story of a man
drinking alcohol
Daniel chapter 5 verse 1
this is not what you want
your Christmas party to look like right here
Daniel 5 verse 1
Belshazzar the king made a great feast
to a thousand of his lords
and notice drink wine before the
thousand he's drinking alcohol
Belshazzar while he tasted the wine
commanded
to bring the golden and silver vessels
which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple
which was in Jerusalem
that the king and his princes
and his concubines might drink therein
so now what happens when you drink alcohol
what do you do? you forget the law
you pervert judgment
so he went from drinking alcohol
to now blaspheming God
by taking the articles of the temple
and filling them with this poison alcohol
so that he and all of his comrades
can drink out of it
then they brought the golden vessels
that were taken out of the temple
of the house of God which was at Jerusalem
and the king and his princes
and his concubines drank in them
they drank wine
and praised the gods of golden
of silver of brass of wood
of iron and wood and of stone
and then skipped down to verse 30
this is the end result of this crazy night
we're not going to go to the whole chapter for a sake of time
but look at verse 30 it says this
in that night was Belshazzar
the king of the Chaldeans
slain
and you know there is a ton
a ton of alcohol related
deaths that happen every day in America
whether that comes from
people playing with firearms while they're drunk
I mean you know how often
people get drunk start playing with firearms
and kill themselves accidentally
or kill their friend
accidentally or they get behind the wheel
of a car and kill themselves
or you know what might happen sometimes
especially to saved Christians
especially to Christians that know the Bible
to Christians that have been in church
you know what might happen is God might just judge you himself
maybe God would kill you himself
you don't think that God has killed people
in the Bible
you don't think God has saved
killed saved people in the Bible
you know I'm not going to drink alcohol
because number one it's stupid
number two because it's dishonoring to God
number three because it's going to cause me to lose my judgment
it's going to cause me to be perverted
in my judgment to forget the law of God
but you know what it also might just piss God off
so much that he would either
chastise me in such a severe way
or maybe even kill me
you know I'm not going to play around with that stuff
and kids don't ever play around with alcohol
don't think man my parents
are really strict but as soon as I get out of the house
I'm going to experiment with that stuff
you know what God might kill you the first time you do it
you say well man God sounds mean
look I don't care what you say he is
just be afraid of him
oh he's mean well think he's mean then
but he still might kill you whether you think he's mean or nice
so just be afraid of him
go to Proverbs chapter 23
Proverbs chapter 23
and think about this
this church
you just heard the preaching about how we feel about alcohol
there's churches all over the world
that will literally serve you alcohol
in communion
I mean could you imagine looking at these verses that we just read
and then saying not only are we just going to go home
and drink at our own Christmas parties
but then to serve alcohol in church
the devil's drink
the poison of serpents
really unbelievable
number four
things to avoid during the holidays
don't be a glutton
now again this is something
that in America is just totally
normalized
and when I say the word drunkard
you know us as Christians we probably
have a certain feeling about that word
I hope you haven't been so desensitized
to where you hear the word drunkard and you just don't even care
you don't even feel anything
but a lot of people I feel like when they hear the word glutton
they just don't care at all
has just not really been talked about in our culture
this isn't something that we're thinking
about as Americans
we're just thinking about filling our bellies
to the max as much as possible
as often as possible in our country
and what's funny is when I went to Germany
one of the things that shocked me right away
was their portion size
it was bizarre
but I didn't see a single fat person in Germany
and then one of my German friends
he came to the United States
he was fleeing persecution over there
and he was like these plates are massive
he was like what's going on
it's just kind of an American thing
to just shove our faces
as much as humanly possible
that's just kind of an American thing
but here's the thing
just because it's a cultural thing here
just because it's an American thing here
doesn't necessarily make it right
look at Proverbs 23 verse 20
what the Bible says
Proverbs 23 verse 20
be not among wine bibbers
eaters of flesh
you know I just
I picture like a cartoon of just
you know some sort of beast just like going into something
and it's just like gone in a few seconds
just like a riotous eater of flesh
someone that's just stuffing their face
verse 21 for the drunkard
and the glutton
shall come to poverty
and drowsiness shall clothe
a man with rags
you know someone that is a drunkard
and someone that is a glutton
usually is someone that does not have any discipline
does not have any self control
and if you're a person that doesn't have any discipline
doesn't have any self control
you're probably going to be someone living in poverty
why? because you don't have the ability to tell your flesh
no when that alarm clock
goes off at 5.30 in the morning
that thing goes off and you're thinking well I would just rather sleep
okay well if that happens
what you're going to be drowsiness
shall clothe a man with rags
so of course there's just
surface level sin of drinking alcohol
it's just on the surface it's wrong
being a glutton it's just on the surface
it's wrong but it also has
consequences down the road
that'll lead you to a lifestyle that you don't want to go down
I mean no one wants to be in poverty
no one wants to be
clothed with rags
go to Deuteronomy chapter 21
Deuteronomy chapter 21
but again
you know our society doesn't really view gluttony as a big deal
a lot of Baptists
even kind of glorify it
you know it's really weird
but a lot of Baptists will even glorify
the fact that they're so fat
they're so out of shape
they are so unathletic
they can't do anything except stand up here and breathe super hard
it's like dude this is not something
to brag about
now look everyone has their sins everyone has their struggles
but there's a difference between
struggling with something
and realizing that it's wrong and trying your best
and just like glorying in your shame
that's weird
yeah everyone has problems
everyone struggles, everyone's a sinner
but not everyone just brags about their problems
that's just strange
it should be a shame unto you
let me show you how serious this is in the Bible
Deuteronomy 21 18
if a man have a stubborn and rebellious son
which will not obey the voice of his father
or the voice of his mother
and that when they have chastened him
will not hearken unto them
then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him
out unto the elders of the city
and unto the gate of his place
and they shall say unto the elders
of the city so now the parents
are going to list their grievances that they have with their son
this our son is stubborn
and rebellious
he will not obey our voice
notice he is a glutton
and a drunkard
and all the men of his city shall
stone him with stones that he
die so shall thou put
evil away from among you
this real shall hear and fear
you know I think when we read this story
and this is a very controversial passage of scripture
atheists really hate this passage
but you know I think when we usually
read this passage we are focusing on the fact
that this child is so rebellious
this child is wicked
this child is disobedient to their parents
they are lazy they are drinking alcohol
but I don't think we often focus on the fact
that one of this kid's problems is that he is a
glutton
he is a glutton
the combination of problems
with this kid is actually so
severe that the bible is saying
you know what the fix for this person is
and all the men of his city shall stone him
with stones
now look I'm not saying that glutton should be stone with stones
or I don't make some stupid clip friendly
atheist or whatever you know that's not what I'm saying
what I'm saying is that gluttony
is such a big deal
in the eyes of god that when all
this combination of factors
were taken into account for this person
that this was a person that was worthy of death
because again someone that
is a glutton they usually have tons
of other problems related to that
lack of self control right
if someone can't restrain their flesh
from food you know what oftentimes they can't
restrain their flesh from fornication
they often can't restrain their flesh from
adultery they often can't restrain their flesh
from being stubborn and rebellious
and not obeying their parents you know
it actually is a spiritual issue not just a physical
issue it's not an eating disorder
no it's a sin okay
not an eating disorder it's a
sin against god is what it is
that's what gluttony is
go to proverbs again proverbs chapter 25
proverbs 25
now here's the thing I'm not saying
to not enjoy the holiday season
by eating great food I'm not saying
don't eat dessert I'm not getting up here
like some weirdos teach saying sugar
is sinful or you have to fast
or anything like that no no no look what the bible says
proverbs 25 16
it says
honey eat so much as
is sufficient for thee
lest thou be filled therewith
and vomit it now here's the
there's nothing wrong with honey in fact
honey is something that's very good let me show you that
in proverbs 24 look back proverbs 24 verse 13
my son
eat thou honey because
it is good and the honeycomb which is
sweet to thy taste
so on one hand we have the bible saying hey
honey honey is good it's
sweet but on the other hand we see
hey don't eat too much honey
eat what's sufficient for you otherwise
you're going to be vomiting it out
and you know I don't know exactly
where the line is where god
looks down from heaven and says like this person
is a glutton or this person is
engaged in the sin of gluttony
but let me tell you where the line for sure is
if you're eating so much that you're
vomiting you for sure have crossed
that line okay that is not
healthy that is not pleasing to god
no eat honey hey eat the ham
eat the desserts eat all the wonderful
Christmas things but don't go
so overboard to where you're becoming a
glutton hey the birth of our lord Jesus
Christ is not an excuse to sin
it's not an excuse to drink alcohol
it's not an excuse to become a glutton
it's not an excuse for those things
you know what else is not an excuse for
number five this will be my last point this evening
don't get lazy
during the holidays don't get lazy
during the holidays oftentimes this time
of year people just completely
stop caring about everything
stop caring about their job
stop caring about their church stop caring
about their family like look just still
work hard throughout the holidays
Ecclesiastes chapter 10 you should be close
to it Ecclesiastes chapter 10
verse 18 says by much slothfulness
the building decayed
and through idleness of the hands
the house dropped through
laziness brings forth
decay and during
the holiday season you don't want
your career to start decaying
right men you're out working
hard you're out providing for a family
oftentimes on a single income
that takes a lot of work you know if you've
got a good job that's something that I hope
is very valuable to you that you take
with a lot of care and pride in your work
and you know what you should not let that start to
decay in your life just because it's
the holiday season still at work
give it all you got at work
obey your boss try to do the best
job that you can try to produce as much
as you can for the company don't just say
like hey it's the holiday season I'm just done
working know what that's going to cause
is the building to decay
go to 1st Corinthians 15
1st Corinthians 15
but most importantly
obviously keep working hard at your job
but keep working hard for the
spiritual things keep doing
works for God keep doing works at this church
look at 1st Corinthians 15
58 says therefore
my beloved brethren
be ye steadfast
unmovable notice
always abounding
in the work of the Lord for as much as you know
that your labor is not in vain
in the Lord you say hey
what is the right time of year to quit church
there is no right time of year
hey when is it when do I get a break from reading my Bible
you don't well when can I
just take a season of life where I
should stop praying to God when should I
you know stop going soul winning there's never an
appropriate time for that the Bible says
all ways abounding in
the work of the Lord you know we don't take
vacations from God
yeah take vacations from your work do the
best while you're there but when it's time to be
offshore take vacation relax
rest but you know what never take a vacation
from God never just say well you know
it's cold outside it's Christmas season
we're just not going to church this Sunday you know that's not right
well you know Christmas falls on a Wednesday
this year so we're not going to church
that makes no sense
no continue to abound in the work of God
stay there I'll read for you this
Proverbs 24 says
the sluggered will not
plow by reason of the cold
therefore shall he beg and
harvest and have nothing
hey keep soul winning in the
winter time
keep soul winning in the winter time
God says that the slugger
easy person doesn't
plow by reason of the cold
you know what be steadfast
always abounding in the work of the Lord
yeah it's cold out there but guess what
praise God our church had 8
salvations today out in the cold
those people were headed to a devil's hell
where they were going to spend all of eternity
but we had some people today that said
yeah I know it's cold but you know what
they make these things called base layers
and they make these things called jackets
and gloves and hats and masks and scarves
and you know I think brother Ben in Texas
was telling me about like an electric suit
like a body heated suit I mean I don't care
what you have to do stay warm
we want you to be warm and healthy and all that
but keep going soul winning
don't give up on soul winning
go to Romans 13 this will be the last place we turn
just because
it's winter doesn't mean
that all of a sudden we start drinking alcohol
being a glutton
being lazy you know it doesn't make sense
this is the timing year if anything we should sharpen things up
and say hey this is Christmas
this is when we're celebrating the birth
of the Lord Jesus Christ
hey what am I doing for the Lord to render under him
for all of his benefits towards me
am I quitting church, am I quitting soul winning
that does not make any sense
here's what we should do last verse
Romans 13 13
let us walk honestly
as in the day
not in rioting
and drunkenness
not in chambering and wantonness
strife and envying
but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ
and make not provision
for the flesh to fulfill the lusts
thereof
hey during the holiday seasons
continue to walk honestly
as in the day
and not allow a time
that should be glorifying to God
that should be a blessing to us
where we have some time off work
not taking that and just squandering it
and allowing it to be an excuse to sin more
you know if anything we should take it as a time to reflect
and to double down on our efforts
for Christ
number one don't be judgmental towards other Christians
about celebrating Christmas
number two don't get covetous
number three don't drink alcohol
number four don't be a glutton
Lord thank you for this day
thank you for this great time of year
we do thank you for the birth of your son
I just pray that we would always remember
that Christmas is about him
it's not about how many things we can get
and how many things we can do on the holidays
and help us to continue to be spiritual people
throughout them
we love you in Jesus name we pray
amen
alright for our last hymn
if you would grab your hymnals
and turn to hymn number 423
joy to the world
hymn number 423
we'll go ahead and start there right on the first
joyful to the world
the Lord is come
let earth
receive her king
let every
heart
let every heart
And Heaven and Nature sing, and Heaven and Nature sing, and Heaven and Nature sing.
Join to the world, thus save your reign, let then their song employ.
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,
Repeat the sounding joys, repeat the sounding joys, repeat, repeat the sounding joys.
No more the sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns if past the ground.
He comes to make his blessings flow, far as the curses drown, far as the curses drown, far as, far as the curses drown.
He rules the world in truth and grace and makes the nations true.
The glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love, and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.