Moving from Good Grief to Good Grace!
Charlie Brown Christmas; will fail, Christmas story, children, jazz, laugh, G Grief!
World pressures to think good grief, but God has grace, which means surprise, resignation
Seven Steps to thriving this Christmas, his greatest interaction, became it!
Feast Firstfruits, after Passover, brought first harvest, great faith, fullness to come
The firstfruits festival began connected to a place, a land, a dwelling
Deuteronomy 26:2 …take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the land… Then go to the place your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name
It was a celebration, trusting the place God gave you, a promise about a place
1 Corinthians 15:20 Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Jesus celebrated FF, then became the FF, then empowered us to become the FF
James 1:18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
But too many are still living Charlie Brown’s good grief, not Jesus’ good grace
Biblical cave motif, even in Christmas is a picture of the cave Jesus was born
Cave our story, Adam is driven out to a cave a shelter, from the garden to the cave
Magi did not find Jesus in a cave, left the cave, only to return to destroy it, dead sin
Some stuck cave; accepted lie meant for the caves of life; I’m Charlie Brown, grief
Caves are for the dead, hiding, darkness, danger
Is your life stuck in a cave of doubt, fear, sin, regret, sickness or shame?
Powerful image OT Elijah stayed in the cave missed who God really was
Don’t miss God’s mercy and grace; come out of the cave, how?
Expect His Better!
We have worldly and small expectations that keep us in the worldly caves of life!
Magi thought King would be born in a palace, so they stop following after 2 years
Wrong expectations, God won’t do that, cave expectations new creation…
Live His Promises!
Glaring lights from the promises of this world keep us in the caves of life!
Magi were pulled toward the wrong lights, the bigness, action, people, surely here
The world seems so inviting, but only God’s promises are sure
2 Corinthians 7:1 Since we have these promises, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Living holy is directly connected to living in his promises; firstfruits
When was the last time you stood on a promise? Not slink back into a cave of resignation
Trust His Power!
Magi stopped trusting the star, and rely on human effort; star was hard follow, travel at night
John 11:38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
Jesus’ power broke the cave, get out, not just now, but eternally; resurrection broke
2 Thess 2:13 …God chose you as firstfruits…
God chose you to live not good grief but His good grace