Thank you for listening to the river.
Bend Church podcast Reverb in church exists.
Delete all people to know love and live New Life in Jesus
Christ. We hope that you enjoy this
message. This is week two of our
Christmas series but that doesn't mean you missed anything
that you can't catch up on because we're in a series
called. It's the most blank time of the
year. If you were to have to put one
word in the blank, what would you You say so far as I've been
crazy chaotic has it been you know, joyful how is it being
stressful? Exciting overwhelming, you know
can you keep the kids like under control because Christmas is
coming. Now, I know I've heard that from
a lot of parents like the chaos of keeping my kids, finishing
school, and getting to where we need to go.
It says stuff right now. So I want to give you the big
idea of this series. We understand that we give gifts
at Christmas but that really for believers for followers of
Christ. Stems from the fact that God
gave, but there's a big idea of this series and then we're going
to dive into today's specific message.
But here's a Christmas reality for us because God gave at
Christmas, we get to choose because God gave it Christmas,
we get to choose. And so today what I want to do
is put a choice or an understanding before us a choice
that we get to make, because God gave it Christmas but I'll be
really honest, Pastor confession this morning for a dive into the
Message, I almost didn't bring this message to the table.
I wanted to do something different.
I'd already told God. I was going to do something
different you ever done that before I already told God, like
God, I got this mapped out like it's going to be powerful or
this scripture is going to be so good.
And I started studying in and over the last few weeks, the
Lord started changing my heart. Here's why I wrestled with the
message that I was telling Richard earlier this morning,
there's a handful of people. I mean the house is full here
Oakwood. I know you guys are and so out
of everybody here, there's only a handful of people that this
Messages for, in fact, I might be preaching an entire message
today for one person that's in the room and you go, man.
That's crazy. Like, you're gonna you're gonna,
you're gonna make all the rest of us.
Listen to a message for one person.
Do you want me to be obedient to God or not?
Come on. I can be disobedient to the
Lord. When I, when I get into the
message, I think there's at least one person here today and
it's for you and so if you know it's for you then maybe that's
why I got God. Has been stirring me for three
weeks. One of the hardest messages I've
written because I was wrestling with so much this week in
finishing this up. But here's what I want to say,
here's why I decided to do it one, I know God gave me peace on
it. The other thing, even if it's
not for you, God wants you to hear this because he's got
something for you to do with it, when you get out of here.
So is that a Deal. So for the one person here, man,
we love you. And I'm glad you're here because
I wrote a message just for you today.
But for everybody else here, everybody else at Oakwood, we
need to hear this because God's going to send us out with a new
understanding of what some people are going through.
And so, let me give you the message today and you're going
to stand why, it's kind of a strange message.
Christmas is the most inclusive time of the year and you go man.
That's a weirdest titled Christmas message I've ever
heard my life deal. Like I told the Lord that But
here's what I've learned. And here's, here's why we're
going this direction today with the Christmas story.
There is someone here and you feel left out in the crowd.
What I mean, is it could be like, where your mental health
is. It could be like some emotional
scarring, or it could just be a personality, but you can be in
the midst of a room like this, where there's love and there's
worship in and all that, but internally you feel alone.
God brings you even when you're around people, even when you're
in a big crowd at work, or when you go shopping and when you go
out, like, you still somehow feel like I don't fit in with
everybody else. Why does everybody else
connecting so easy? Why do they have it that way?
But it's just me. That's the one I'm talking to
this morning, the person an externally you put on the show.
Like you're just like everybody else but internally somehow you
feel left out You've even talked yourself out of like I know that
Jesus is good and I know that that he is extended salvation
because he loves me and you may have even accepted that, but
then you go. But these are really accept me
or am I left out? That's the one that I'm talking
to maybe the ones not even here in this room.
Maybe it's you at Oakwood. Maybe the one is sitting there
this morning. What does it feel like though?
Who am I talking to somebody who deals with inner shaming
Brokenness? Even though you've been trying
to get over it? You're still dealing with this
inner shame and Brokenness, you your present.
But it's hard for you to really engage this person that I'm
talking to, you feel misunderstood, and for some
reason you feel alone and you can't put your finger on it.
The Christmas message has something for you today.
Here's the deal because God gave us Jesus, because Jesus came,
guess what? You are included in the gospel
story. Christmas means no one is left
out of God's love. No one is left out of God's
kingdom. No one is left out of redemption
or healing or wholeness. Even if you've Yourself out of
it. Even if you had somebody beats
you down as a child. Are you been in a relationship
that was abusive and you feel Lester them like you can never
recover. Now, listen Christmas tells you
there is healing for you. The one person here, who said,
no, no, not for me Joe. No, this is that you're the one
I'm talking to, because the Lord was putting this on my heart,
tell them. Christmas means that there is
wholeness again for you that you will rise again.
That God doesn't want you to live in your depression, in your
defeat and your loneliness that he has the More in this life for
you than you can even imagine for yourself right now and he
sent this guy, literally sitting at a Panera Bread at 6:00 in the
morning, writing this word right here for you, and he said, it's
for you. So I don't know who you are, but
I'm fired up to share this with you because you need this this
morning church for the rest of us.
We have to extend this kind of hope to people, this Christmas,
you are included. You are included.
I don't care where you've been, what you've done, what you've
chosen in the past, what your wrestling's, and struggles,
Christmas means you are included and we won't shut up.
We refuse to be quiet about this message, that Christmas means
you are included. Now, the message today comes
from the entire Christmas story. Usually, I'll zoom in and I'll
look at one little piece. Like, we'll talk about the wise
men or we'll talk about Mary and Joseph, that's usually kind of
how I like to teach the Christmas story.
But in this exact instance, we're literally going to cover
almost every main character in The Christmas Story.
In a really short time. Time because I zoomed out and I
looked at the whole big picture and it was like, God painted
that picture. I included everyone and I want
to show you through the people. I invited to the Christmas
story. And so today, we're going to
start with the two main characters.
So maybe it'll be a little bit of just like Bible study and
Bible Understanding for you because we're going to look at
these scriptures. But I want to start today with
the main two characters are the first two characters.
We really see in the Christmas story, you see at the Nativity
and I have them here. Here, they are Mary and Joseph,
I know they're leaning a little bit.
I don't know why they got a little lean-to them but no, I
love this nativity set. There's a story.
The first year we came here, we purchased this from a store
downtown and it was created by Randy's, Randy's friends, Randy,
and friends. If you know who they are, I
believe this one specifically is created by some special needs
men and women that came together to do this.
So it's just been really, really special to my heart every year.
I pray when we take Out. I literally pray for those that
that made it in those families. But also it blesses, my heart
just to have this in our home. So we actually have it.
I stole it from our fireplace Courtney.
Let me take it this morning. So this is Mary, don't you like
that head covering it in an incredible Mary and Joseph and
then they already have baby Jesus but when we first start
reading the story, they don't have baby Jesus yet but they're
going to have him eventually but I want to take a quick look 2000
years ago at this event that happened.
Here's what we're told. In Matthew chapter 1.
This is how Jesus. Jesus.
The Messiah was born, his mother Mary was engaged in the
old-school. Word is betrothed like promised
to it was actually more stiff than just engage.
It was a it was a promise. This is a done deal.
It just hasn't happened yet. They were engaged.
She was engaged to be married to Joseph but before the marriage
took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Joseph to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not
want to disgrace her publicly. He decided to break the
engagement quietly. So when we look at this, what
we've done is, we've sanitized and we've taken the pain out of
the Christmas story. We go, aww, look at the cute
little figurines. Mary and Joseph, can I tell you
this marriage started with division in it?
Come on, anybody feeling that today.
Sometimes we feel left out because our marriage is
struggling. Can I just tell you before they
even got married? They almost didn't get married.
He was trying to divorce her before they even got married,
not Jesus his family for sure. Yeah, Jesus His family.
He was about to leave her because I mean, Not only was she
pregnant before marriage, she was pregnant before sex, and
that's a whole other struggle, you know what I mean?
That isn't weird struggle it but here they are and there's
tension in their relationship. Now, this is interesting, you
can read right over this if you look at earlier the angel,
here's the Angel, by the way, the angel came to Mary but
Joseph didn't seem to be there, came to me and said, Mary,
you're going to have a baby. The holy spirit is going to
conceive this child in you. And so, Mary said, yes, Lord, I
receive it whatever you had for me, but at that point Joseph had
not heard from the angel yet. All he had Go on.
Was what Mary Said. So Mary goes to him and says,
hey Joseph. I got something to tell you like
I'm pregnant. But it's God's baby.
Come on, man. That is not easy to hear anybody
ever try that? Like, you're like no, no, that's
not how it works. I'm pregnant, but it's God's
baby. I'm gonna have it so Joseph I
mean he's a righteous man. So he wants to believe, why them
with Joseph say he was going to he was going to kind of divorce
her quietly and not disgrace her.
It's because I think at this point is probably a few months
later and she's starting to show Show.
And he's walking around town and maybe they've been covering it
up and he's trying to believe God, he's trying to believe her
because he loves her and he's a righteous man, but he's
struggling. So finally he goes, you know
what? I could have her Stone but I
love her too much. I'm a writer, I want to just
kind of bow out and just let happen what happens, but then,
right? Then look what happens as he was
thinking about divorcing. Her eight Gabriel shows up and
talks to him. Look what he says as he
considered this an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.
So actually, technically Joseph was sleeping and the angel came
and talked to him. It's so Joe.
He see if you're timid a dream, Joseph son of David.
The angel said, do not be afraid to take.
Mary as your wife for the child within her was conceived.
So this is the affirmation. He was conceived by the Holy
Spirit and she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus.
Now, this is weird because usually, you would name your
firstborn son after you. So his name should have been
what? Joseph, but he said, you're not
going to name him. Joseph, you're going to name him
Jesus. Why?
Because he will save his people. From their sins.
All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through the
prophet. Look, the Virgin will conceive,
a child. She will give birth to a son and
they will call him Immanuel, which means God Is With Us verse
24. Joseph woke up.
He did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his
wife. But he did not have sexual
relations with her until until her son was born and Joseph
named him Jesus in that incredibly SC, powerful.
God's story, right there. Can you sense the Brokenness
that they had to walk through even to get to the birth of baby
Jesus? We can't take the pain and the
Brokenness out of the story. Can we not when you look at it?
Let's just talk about in-laws. How do you think, you know, how
do you think the in-law conversations went like?
Look, look dad, she's pregnant and it's not mine.
It's God's baby. I don't think the conversations
went very well, you can imagine like all the way through their
family. There was tension anybody here.
I have a dysfunctional family, maybe it's for you just to say
God has included, you don't, you know that God does what he does
on purpose. Don't, you know, that God didn't
go. Oh man, I didn't realize the
tension. It was going to cost to have her
be impregnated by the Holy Spirit can see but I didn't
realize the kitchen. Oh God knew it.
You know what he did? He painted us a beautiful
picture of who the gospel includes even in the story of
Mary and Joseph right here. So who did Jesus including
Christmas? Let me just give you this right
here. Here's who Jesus included.
Jesus includes people with broken relationships and he
heals. You could even put another word
if you don't use broken, you could say he includes those with
dysfunctional relationships, he includes those with complicated
relationships. He includes those, you know,
there's people in the house today and you've been divorced
and you're still carrying the pain from it because maybe it
was your fault. Maybe it's their fault, maybe
there was abuse. But here's the thing, there's
always loss and there's always pain and so you could put
yourself and say, you know what, I'm included in the store even
though sometimes I count myself out, I've said, That I'll come.
I can never really be all God wants because I've already blown
it. What if he gave us the Christmas
story to remind you that he included those who have made
mistakes? Or who have been, you know, had
bad things done to them the past those that have been through
really bad situations. You know, maybe those whose
marriages are struggling, and God just wants to come and say
he includes you, you actually need him more.
If your marriage is struggling There are people in the house.
No doubt. Maybe this one's for you.
That kids and parents. Your relationship is strained or
broken. And here's the deal.
That doesn't mean that you need to lean away from the gospel.
You need to lean into it. Those that have Dad or Mom
issues because the things happen, when you were going up,
Jesus includes people with broken relationship strained
relationships. He didn't invite perfect people
to be a part of the Christmas story.
You know, who invited people, who would say, yes.
He invited a young couple and they said, yes, even though
Brought pain on them to be the Earthly parent Joseph to be the
Earthly, father Mary to be the mother.
See there's maybe somebody here and you have believed this lie.
The enemy is said you, you are excluded because of blank, what
do you put in the blank? You'll never be because you're
blinking in, there's a 10 word sense of loss.
And there's a ten-word sense of I don't belong and I don't fit
in and I don't matter so I pray. Today is a healing flow if
that's you over your life to be reminded now fast forward a few
months. It's Mary and Joseph traveled to
Bethlehem. They had to go there for a
mandatory census because that was actually Joseph's Hometown
and so they head there and they get there.
And here's what it says, while they were there.
The time came for her baby to be born.
She gave birth to her firstborn son, she wrapped him snugly, in
strips of cloth, and laid him in a Manger, because there was no
lodging available. For them, that night, there were
shepherds staying in the fields, nearby guarding their flocks of
sheep, son, Like an angel of the Lord appeared.
Among them in the radiance of the Lord's, Glory surround them
and they were terrified, but the angel reassured them.
He said, don't be afraid, I bring you good news.
That will bring great joy to all people and here's the
announcement, the Savior. Yes, the Messiah.
The Lord has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David and
you'll recognize him by the sun. You'll find the baby wrapped in
snugly, in strips of cloth and lying in a Manger.
They hurried to the Village. So right here is where you see
the action point. They heard the story, they were
invited in, hey, you're included.
And now they make the decision. They hurried to the village and
found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby lying in
the manger. After seeing him the shepherd's
told everyone. What had happened?
And what the angel has said to them about this child, all who
heard the shepherd story were astonished but Mary kept these
things that are heart and thought about them often and
then they go back to their pasture.
The shepherd's went back to their flocks but this time
glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and
seen. It was just as the angel had
said, let's talk a little bit about the shepherd's here
because I have these guys here and we don't know if there were
two or ten or Twenty or we don't know, but it had sheep,
obviously, they didn't bring the Sheep.
By the way, we get this, a little, they probably left the
Sheep back with one of the other guys.
It would have not been fun to been that guy like.
Hey, you got to stay here because we're going to see
Jesus. Maybe they drew.
Drawers. I don't know they gambled for, I
don't know what they did. They did something they played
rock paper scissors. But somebody had to stay with
the Sheep but because it's the Christmas story and our Nativity
is include sheet. We put them out there but the
shepherd show up. Do you know who these guys were?
You know, a little bit about who these guys were, most people
would tell you scholar. Why's that study that shepherds
are kind of the lowest of the low in society.
It doesn't mean they were bad people.
Sometimes, maybe they were Scoundrels and thieves, but
you'll hear people write about that.
I've studied it a lot. I'm Sure, that all Shepherds for
like that. I mean, King David was a
Shepherd. Jesus says, I am the Good
Shepherd, sir. I don't think he implied that
like all shepherds in the first century would just rotten,
they're probably worth something.
But here's the truth, it was a lowly lowly job.
I mean, it was, it was kind of like, you know, one of the base
based jobs of society of that day, but yet it was an important
job because they literally couldn't worship.
They didn't have sheep to take to sacrifice.
If there were shepherds the carrier for the sheep.
And so it was a very important job.
But there were Slowly, and here's what we do, know about
him, for the most part, they were the outcasts of society.
I mean, they followed sheep around, they didn't have a lot
of money for the most part. They lived in little bunches,
they wander through the Wilderness, taking care of
sheep. So they were outcasts, do you
know what? The Christmas Story shows us
though. It says at the time, Jesus was
born exactly at that time. There were shepherds right
outside in a field like timing was perfect.
And here's what Christmas shows us.
What does Jesus do, Jesus? Invites the out.
Cast in. Shepherds were social outcasts.
So I think, you know, maybe you feel like, because of your job
or because of, you know, your social status, maybe that's what
makes you feel outcasted. And, and, and that's unfortunate
because it takes every if you're doing what you need to do, where
God's called you to be right now.
It takes all of us working together to make the church, go
even to make our world go, we all must do what's in front of
us to do what our gifts that allows us to do stop playing the
comparison game and just be obedient to what God has in
front of you. But more often than not.
Not it's not our social status or what we do for work and make
us feel Outcast. It's what's going on inside of
us. It's the shame and regret that
we carry, it's our mental and emotional unhealth.
That we carry that makes us feel get this not that we are Outcast
it but you feel that you are one of the enemy's greatest weapons
used to make God's people feel like outcasts when he said
you're included. Christmas shouts, this message
the outcasts are invited in. But here's the thing, did you
notice that action point in the story?
They got invited to see Jesus and what did they have to do?
Choose to believe it and go. She used to say, because I feel
like an outcast because I feel like I don't belong in the city
because I feel like how could this really be God.
Invite me. And they could have said, you
know what? We're just going to write that
off. Yeah, it was amazing when the
Angels showed up, but you know what?
He must have gotten the wrong Shepherds.
He must have come to the wrong pasture.
But what do they do? They took off and they went to
find Jesus and they got to be in the story.
So this is a word for somebody who feels outcasted.
You have to continue to seek Jesus.
You have to continue to follow him.
That's on you because the truth is you are included.
If you feel outcasted the shepherd's reminded year
included, now not only did he invite the outcast at Shepherds?
But several months later, maybe even a year later.
If you look at the Timeline we meet some wise men so here they
are. Moe, Larry and Curly for the
people, old enough to know who the Three Stooges are.
And yes, I know because my grandmother watched it when I
was a kid. No, but these guys right here
now how many wives, how many, how many wise men were there?
Well, don't answer that. We don't know if you look
scripturally speaking. There were three gifts, gold
frankincense and myrrh that we're going to read about, but
we don't know how many wise men there were.
We always make them out to be the three kings.
We don't even know that they were keys.
In fact, we think there were more astronomers than they were
Kings or scientists than they were Kings and so so it's crazy
when you get to study and how over the years we've just made
up stuff and people believe it as if it's scripture, come on,
we do. That all the time we make up
stuff and people come that sounds so good.
It must be God. You better make sure in your
Bible, it's God. Don't you be taking Facebook and
Twitter thinking it's God, you better make sure it's God.
Sorry, that was just a side note for 9:30, this morning, 10
o'clock service. So here's the, here's the guy,
so they these guys, they start actually, if you want to put
them geographically correct in your manger scene, you don't
need to put them in and put them like over to the side because
they came later like they were there.
Whenever Jesus was born, the shepherd's came that night but
they started seeking him so it took them a while.
They had to travel, we don't know.
There's a lot of mystery, we don't know exactly where they
came from, we don't know exactly how they got involved with
following the star. There's a lot of speculation.
You know what, I think, I think the Holy Spirit.
Miles away. The Holy Spirit was working in
their hearts saying, hey, there's gonna be a star and
you're gonna find the savior of the world there.
I want you to sneak him. So they start reading her Bible
and they go, you know what? There's something to this God's
at work. Let's go.
Seek him out. Hey guys, you wanna do something
crazy. Let's go look for Jesus, that's
just my view. No Country Boy interpretation of
it. It's crazy but let's just load
our donkeys and camels and let's just go find them.
And so here's what it says, they were following this star.
It says the star they had seen in the East, guided them to
Bethlehem and went ahead of them and Stopped over the place where
the child was when they saw the star, they were filled with joy.
They entered the house. Now, we know that this is later,
they're no longer at the barn or stable where they were.
It says they entered the house. They saw the child with his
mother so maybe they're staying with a family or they're renting
a room somewhere now and it's at least months if not a year or so
later and he says, they found him with his mother.
They bowed down and they worshiped him.
They opened their treasure chest and this is why we usually
assume there were three. Osman.
When actually, it could have been much more many more or
less, they gave Gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
And so, this is really interesting when I looked at
this. Why why, why?
Because I ask weird questions. Why did God include wise
wealthy, guys, in the invitation to the Christmas story?
Let me tell you why. This is so strange.
When you read the Bible, Jesus seems to go after the poor and
the weak and the outcasts, and that's true.
But you also got to remember he invited Zacchaeus to the
kingdom. He invited.
Matthew who wasn't a poor guy to the kingdom.
He invited Nicodemus to the kingdom, who was a wealthy
leader of the Pharisee. So sometimes we can get in our
minds. That God only goes after those
who are so broken and so lowly. And so outcasted.
No, no, God goes after everyone. His kingdom is for anyone who
will believe, no, matter your social status or bank account.
If you will say yes to Christ, he accepts you But here's the
thing, this is why it's interesting.
I believe that these people in our society are the most
overlooked as. So let me tell you who Jesus
includes in the Christmas story, those who feel are are
overlooked. Outcasted is one thing,
overlooked is another thing I've learned there are so many people
in our world who feel overlooked It's often those who don't have
great needs, see when there's a there's a there's a prayer
crisis for somebody and the whole church is rallying around
them that person knows that they matter when there's a financial
crisis, you watch in our community, Lord forbid.
It should ever happen again, but you watch somebody like lose
their home to a fire. Or you watch a storm?
Come through you watch somebody fall in a really difficult
financial situation and it becomes, we become aware of it.
You know what the church does, you know what, our community, as
we rally around and we do something, but those People feel
that they matter. It's the people who are just
faithful, they're just living their lives.
They don't really have, like, great physical or great needs as
far as money or anything else. But these people, I think are
the ones most often overlooked both back in their day and guess
what? Now, in the church we assume
that you're fine. What do you need?
You have, all your needs met. And so what happens is the enemy
comes in and tells everybody they don't really matter like
they are fine, they don't need you, they don't need friendship,
they don't need a word of Hope of encouragement.
You don't need to reach out to them because they don't have
needs. I'm here to debunk.
That everybody has broken this in their heart.
Everybody has heard these guys needed, Jesus.
Just as much as these guys did. These guys needed Christ as much
as these guys did and I'm telling you, we've got to
remember that church. Jesus didn't just come for those
who fell out, cast it or didn't have their knee.
He came for everybody. So those fateful moms and dads
who just doing their thing. Those faithful single moms and
you just feel overlooked because you're just doing your thing,
you're just working hard and you seem to just ride under the
radar. Nobody ever really reaches out
to you. Here's the thing, Christmas
tells us that you're included. And I want to flip this because
maybe you're the one here that It needs to hear that for
everybody here. We've got to be reminded that
though. There are people all around us
who are getting overlooked and they need to know they matter.
They need to know that the gospel is for them.
They need to know that God loves them.
Say, I'll bet that there's somebody here and this maybe
that one I'm talking to him. You know what?
Oakwood I'm debating. Is it hearers that there were
you guys are. Maybe it's in Oakwood and you
feel overlooked just sitting in the room right now.
And you go man that if you only know, Joe, that new Joe, that's
me, listen, don't you listen to the lies of the enemy Church?
To tell you, you don't matter. You may feel overlooked and
wheat. It's just something we've got to
get better at because God shows us through the Christmas story.
These guys were invited to be a part of his story forever.
Now, there's one very last overlooked couple of people in
the Christmas story and you won't find that they have a
figurine up here. There's nobody to represent them
because in your Nativity, there's not either I am
considering adding them next year, though, because the wise
men came into Jesus life months or a year or so later, we
include them. The shepherd's came, the night
of the birth, we include them, the angel came, technically,
like months, before the birth, we include Gabriel.
Include the angel, but we don't include this power couple and
they're not, they're not like a couple.
It's just a couple of people that I find in the store and
every year when I read it, when I get to their story, I just
smile. I don't know why.
And this year is the first time, God kind of showed me.
I think why I smile when I look at it and I'm going to tell you
what it is, there's two people I want you to meet one.
Is a man named Simeon and the other a woman named Anna and
they are powerful part of the Christmas story.
Included in the story forever. Look at this verse 25, there was
at that time. Now let me You what that time
was that time was Jesus was eight days old.
And as a Jewish boy, they would take him to the temple so that
the priests could circumcise him.
Thank you. Jesus.
That, I don't have to do that today in the church.
Praise You. Lord, if you had to bring your
baby here to me on day eight, we'd be in bad shape.
I'm just saying but they would take their babies.
It was required by law that they take their babies to the priest
like being a preacher. So much better today than it was
in the first century. Just saying, at that time, there
was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon.
He was righteous and devout, he was eagerly waiting for the
Messiah to come AKA. He was looking for Jesus, the
Holy Spirit was upon him. Now, when I read this, this is
where I start smiling. Because at this point, the book
of Acts hasn't happened yet, I figured out one of the reasons I
just feel this man must have been living in such a way that
the spirit of God and the anointed could be on him before
the death of Christ. And before the outpouring of the
spirit, we do know that the spirit moved constantly from
beginning of time. Till now, but the spirit was
poured out over all the church in the book of Acts.
But this guy's already living in the church age before.
The church age, he's living filled with the spirit of God.
It said the spirit was on him. That's one of my prayers.
This week. Spirit Lord let the spirit be on
your people. Some of y'all need to just
experience what? It's like to have the spirit on
you one time and you can almost never turn back again.
That's a whole other message in the Richard.
The Holy Spirit was upon him and he had revealed to him that he
would not die until he had seen the Lord's Messiah.
So the Holy Spirit had made him a promise and he felt sure about
it that day, the spirit. You notice this man is the
spirit this guy's led by the spirit.
He could have stayed home that day.
He could have gone fishing on the lake that day.
He could have done anything but where did the spirit lead him?
The spirit led him to the temple.
Another message for another day. We have to learn to listen to
the leading of the spirit as the church.
So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus, to the
Lord is the law required Simeon, was there?
Check this out. When you listen to the spirit,
you'll be in the right place at the right time.
Let that hit. He took the child in his arms
and praised God saying so it's this kind of a Lion King moment.
He takes, I don't know how this happens.
Either send me and just runs up to Mary and grabs her baby.
That's what Courtney does the babies by the way.
She just runs up to people and grabs her baby starts loving on
him. But this dude, this in the
church like He runs up. He grabs a baby and he holds it
up high like I can see it right now.
Here's what he says, Sovereign Lord.
Now let your servant die in peace, and as you promised for,
I have seen your salvation, which you prepared, for all
people, he is a light to reveal God, to the nation's, he is the
glory of your People Israel. Do you see this guy that could
have been easily overlooked that we don't talk about?
We should talk about in just like everybody else.
I think is he's there. Eight days into Jesus's life.
Now, there's another prayer Warrior, a woman of God named
Anna and she falls into the same category of being in the right
time at the right place because she had been a prayer Warrior.
Here's what it says, Anna a profit.
So, this was a woman of God who had the gift of Prophecy in her
life. God was speaking through this
woman, she may have been one of the PowerHouse preachers of the
day. We don't know, we don't know
anything else about her. All we know she was a prophet.
God had given her a word. She was speaking.
In that word. And so the and a prophet, she
was also in the temple. She was the daughter of phanuel,
from the tribe of Asher. She was very old.
Her husband died. When they've been married, only
seven years and this is sort of sad story.
So maybe she got married it, let's say she got married at 20
years old, we don't know that so she was married for seven years.
She was, let's just say by 27 years old, she lived until she
was Eighty-Four as a widow she didn't get married again.
What did she do then? What did she do with her life?
If she never she never left the temple but stayed there day and
night, worshiping god with fasting and prayer.
I'll be honest with you to most of us that sounds like the most
boring thing that could ever happen.
When the holy spirit of God, gets a hold of your heart and
you get that close to him though you don't want anything else.
And I'm not saying you should marry or not.
Marry, I'm just telling for her, she fell.
So in love with the Lord. At that point.
She said, God, I'm free to just come to the temple.
So she just worshipped and prayed.
Can I tell you what? I know about her, she could
easily be forgotten. Nobody would ever know except
for God. Made sure to inspire her in to
inspire her written into the story.
Look at this, she came along right place at the right time.
Just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph and she began
praising God, God, she talked about the child to everyone who
have been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.
She got to see Jesus, and that was all it.
Took, we don't even know that she held Jesus, she just got to
see Jesus. She had a praise break seeing
the eight year old baby Jesus. She starts preaching him like
crazy at that point. That's him.
That's the savior.
So when I look at these people who are not included in the
Nativity, who are they in the church today?
Let me tell you. This is what Christmas tells us.
Jesus remembers the Forgotten faithful.
I'm looking at some senior adults in the house today,
probably do quit too. Maybe watching online this
morning. There's some of you guys and you
have been faithful for a long time and you feel like nobody
notices anymore Maybe the Faithfully been generous, maybe
you Faithfully prayed. Do you know what Jesus wanted us
to know through the Christmas story that nobody is forgotten.
There aren't any forgotten faithful now sure sometimes it
may seem for you may seem forgotten but the Christmas
story reminds us God never forgets.
So I'm looking at some of our Legacy members here and you've
been faithful a long time and you feel forgotten.
I wanted to take the opportunity this morning to say, whether
you're, you know, a parent, a grandparent, a great
grandparent. I wanted to look at all of you
guys and say you matter in fact, as far as what God is doing here
at River Bend without what you've done for years and what
you poured out and how the gospel work in different
Generations through you, we wouldn't be exactly what we are.
We wouldn't be a multi-generational church as we
are right now and so I just need to look at you and say thank
you. We don't tell you that enough.
Miss Shirley, I see you. I know you and mr.
Gene and others come in every single week and y'all come down
here. Nobody knows, nobody knows on
Thursday, you know, those bulletins.
You have in your hand right now. Somebody has to put all that
together every week, Ashley, who's on our staff, she has a
volunteer teaming and they're a hoot.
I love cutting out there. You never know what you're going
to hear in there, do you but you know what, every single week
they come down and they Faithfully served, you know what
you can easily feel like I'm the Forgotten faithful.
Just being forgotten and I don't matter.
God just reminded me through this story.
There is nothing wasted. So you may be a young person and
you feel like you're the Forgotten fateful.
Like I could see you being a teenager and going Joe.
What about me? Because I'm trying to live a
purer life and a holy life and I everybody else is doing it
different than I am. And I feel like such an outcast,
I feel overlooked, I feel forgotten, the Christmas story,
reminds you, you need to keep on pressing ahead, keep on seeking
Jesus, Keep on pursuing Holiness because he has not forgot you.
You can be in a tough season of parenting, a tough season, in
your marriage, a tough season wherever You may be whatever us
your status is right now and you can feel like I'm just being
faithful and nobody cares. I don't know if this matters or
not but this is the word. The lord gave me.
You do matter. God sees everything and we're
going to try to celebrate better on this Earth but the truth is
we'll never be able to celebrate it all.
But one day in eternity, God is going to bring the record book
out and he's gonna kind of shocked us as he reveals all the
things that folks did that we never knew about So this is a
word of Hope for you. If you feel left out, if you
feel like you're at a place where you've been forgotten,
keep on praying and serving. I don't know how long they had
to pray and serve all those years San Simeon, and Anna,
until they finally got their moment with Jesus.
And he showed up, and now they're in history forever, and
they will be for eternity because of that faithfulness
that they have. So this is for someone today,
you're included, think about it. God has given us an invitation
to the kingdom. We have to choose whether you're
going to believe this invitation or not for the one that's here
today. Mary and Joseph, they had to
believe in keep the faith in what God had promised him the
shepherd's. They had to decide to go and
seek Jesus. The wise men they had to search
for months. Simeon and Anna.
They had to recognize him when he was before them and not let
doubt take over. Could it be a baby or we looking
for a king? Or we looking for baby king, and
they had to believe, but they all accepted the invitation and
so here's the questions. I want you to consider this
morning church. Have you truly accepted the
invitation to be included. I can't pass over the
opportunity without thinking. Maybe God brought somebody to
just this moment. Just this day to realize that
just like these people who Were included that you've been
included to if you surrendered your life to Christ, do you know
how you accept the invitation to be included?
You have to put your faith in, Jesus Christ, Surrender Your
Life to him, as Lord. That's literally what it means
to put faith in him to say Jesus, I have so much faith that
I'm ready to let you call the shots.
I don't know how that's all going to work.
You can say that, but you can say, Lord best.
I know how, like, I'm ready to turn it over to you and begin to
learn to follow you. So just a moment, I'm going to
give you an opportunity both here and at Oakwood to do that.
Now here's the other question though, if the one person here
is the one who needed to be reminded you were included today
for everybody else. Who do you need to include this
Christmas? Because he I told you this is
for everybody, there is somebody on the brink of getting so low
in depression that they don't even know if they want to be
here anymore. There's somebody in your path.
That's hurting. There's somebody maybe this
financially hurting or somebody that relationally and
emotionally is hurting. If you're not careful, you'll
just head up and plow through the Christmas season.
This is the reminder to the church, to all of us, who do you
need to include? There's probably somebody you
work with right now. Maybe the holy spirit's already
doing that work in your like shoot.
I see him now, I see her right now.
In my mind, there's somebody that I need to be sure to
include them in Christmas, you may even it's crazy sounding.
You may need even need to invite somebody in, to do Christmas,
celebrate Christmas with you this year.
How cool of a picture of the church?
Would it be if you knew there was somebody?
I knew that was going to be alone and you said, hey once you
come celebrate with us, or can we come celebrate with you?
Who do you most identify with this morning, the broken
relationships, the outcast, The Overlook.
There's are the Forgotten faithful.
Wherever you identify with the most, you just need to know like
Christmas is a reminder that you have been included.
You have been included, listen, both here.
And at Oakwood, I want you to Bow your heads, if you will all
over the room, bow with me right now.
Listen, if you know that God has included you today.
Then here's the invitation, I want you to pray with me right
where you are. If you know, Oh, that the
invitation is for you and you know that he's includes you and
you're ready to surrender. Just say this prayer from your
heart to his heart. Just say Jesus, I Surrender my
life to you. I'm ready to follow.
You just tell him Lord, thank you for inviting me to be your
child. Forgive me of my sin and help me
live the new life you have for me, thank you for saving me.
Listen, if you prayed that prayer this morning both here or
at Oakwood Oakwood, you need to let Pastor Michael know in just
a moment come down and let him know.
I prayed that prayer this morning I'm in I know God
including me, listen for me. I'm gonna be hanging out here.
Listen for everybody else both here and at Oakwood today,
there's somebody you need to be praying for.
There's somebody you need to just thank God, he included you.
So we're going to respond with our feet right now.
Is we worship him. So I want to invite you.
If there's somebody, you know, you need to include pray for
him. Now this morning if God's just
Did you? You are included, come and pray
and thank him today at the altar Pastor Michael, you can take it
at the campus. And so father right now, I ask
you to let us be able to respond to this invitation or do you
have invited us because you love us and God for that one person's
here today. And they needed to hear this
Lord, I Thank you. I would do this message all over
again because that's what you said doing.
So God for whoever whoever is heart.
That is today, I'm asking you God, fill them up with joy, fill
them up with the reminder that they matter feel them.
Take away their shame as they surrender to you.
Give them new life as they literally new life as they walk
out of the house today. If the spirits heal the hearts
heal, the emotions, Lord, Heal The Mines, God you can heal
anything. And so Lord, we call on your
healing hand over this place today over every person's heart
mine family marriage relationships.
For those that feel outcasted and overlooked God today remind
them through the power of your spirit they matter and matter to
you they matter to this church. So Lord, as we worship you now,
I pray that you would let us Worship in spirit and Truth in
Jesus name. Thank you for listening to the
river. Bend Church podcast.
Learn more about who we are as a church and how to connect you
can head over to our website Riverbend Church dot life.