FBCPS
Sermons, teachings, and podcasts from First Baptist Church in Powder Springs, Georgia.
FBCPS
Christmas for Every Day, Ordinary People | Matthew 1:18-25
Celebrating the Christmas season often brings chaos, especially when juggling family and church life. Just like any other family, ours isn't perfect, but through embracing faith and community, we find profound meaning and joy. We're thrilled to welcome our friends, Jonathan and Melissa DeMotch, who will be sharing their gifts of preaching and singing during a special service at First Baptist Church in Powder Springs. Together, we will wrap up our enlightening series, "Before All Things," with a focus on the Christmas message found in Matthew chapter one.
Join us as we explore the transformative power of faith and obedience through the inspiring stories of Joseph and Mary. Discover how their journey reflects the promise of salvation embedded in Jesus’s name—an invitation for a personal relationship with God. We delve into the significance of declaring Jesus as Lord, as outlined in Romans 10:9, and encourage listeners to take the next steps in their faith journey, be it baptism or becoming part of a supportive community. Experience a powerful sense of worship and transformation through heartfelt prayers and the enduring message of Emmanuel, "God with us.
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Well, welcome to First Baptist Church, powder Springs. Merry Christmas to Eve. Go and look at somebody next to you and tell them Merry Christmas Eve. We love you. We're so thankful that you're here. If you're a first-time guest with us, if you've never been here before, raise your hand. If you're a first-time guest, this is your first time here ever with us. Would you put your hands together for our first-time guest? Maybe you're online, it's your first time.
Speaker 1:We just wanna say thank you for being here with us, being here all together, and God has just been working in our church in just incredible ways over this year. We're so excited just to finish the year in this way and because God is again, he's just been so good and we are just so grateful. We're so thankful and I always want you to know just opportunities in what God is doing in our church and what God can do in your life as well. So, first of all, I want you to know next Sunday everybody say next Sunday Next Sunday, december 29th some personal friends of mine, jonathan and Melissa DeMotch their family. They're gonna be coming in, jonathan's gonna be preaching for us, melissa's gonna be singing for us. They coming in, jonathan's going to be preaching for us. Melissa's going to be singing for us. They're absolutely incredible. You're going to love them. I would love to see you back next Sunday. Also, I want you to know the first Sunday of the year, go ahead and look at somebody and say happy new year. Go ahead and tell them that right now, the first Sunday of the year, january the 5th our new sermon series we're going to be talking about your best year yet, or in other words, how to have your best year yet. I believe that there are some truths in the Bible for you that God wants you to know, because I believe that God wants to bless you with your best year yet.
Speaker 1:I also want you to know that on Wednesday night, january the 8th, we're going to be having a night of prayer because we want to see God move. We don't want what we want, we want what God wants for us. Can I get an amen? So we wanna see God move in our life. We wanna see God move in our families. We wanna see God move in our church. We wanna see God move in our community. We wanna see God move in our country. We wanna see God move in our world. We wanna see revival.
Speaker 1:Put your hands together if you believe that that God wants to move in us, in us, let's pray, heavenly Father. We just pray, lord, that you would use your word. This is not our word, this is your word. God, we are your people. God, this is your church. God, this is your time, jesus is your son, and so we just pray, god, that you would speak to us in your way, change our lives. We ask in Jesus' name. In all God's people said amen.
Speaker 1:Well, what I want to talk with you about this evening, we're going through a series right now this is actually our last of our series that we're calling Before All Things. It's a part of a big, mega Jesus series that we're doing right now. We're just talking about Jesus from Christmas all the way to Easter. So you can stick with us in that and this evening, this is the message that I want to talk to you about Christmas for everyday, ordinary people. Look at somebody and tell them you're an everyday, ordinary person. Go and tell them that right now, you're an everyday, ordinary person. Now I was reading through our passage. You can go and open up to Matthew, chapter one, or it's going to be on the screens for you tonight, but I was just reading this passage and I was so struck I felt like that God gave me a word for my life. I felt like God gave me a word for your life of what a reminder that we are all just everyday, ordinary people, and there is nothing like being reminded that you're an everyday, ordinary person than the kids in your life.
Speaker 1:So my wife and I, we've got three kids. We've got Brooklyn, we've got Cruz. Brooklyn's five, cruz is two and Eliana is seven months, and we thought it'd be a great idea just to bring them to our Christmas celebration just a couple of weeks ago. And so you think, you know, I'm a pastor, so you would think that my family is perfect. That is far from the case.
Speaker 1:And we were on the front row and I just remember my wife was holding Eliana, seven months old, and Brooklyn, our five-year-old, is beside me and Cruz is between me and my wife and I remember Brooklyn. I mean Brooklyn. You would think we've got this girl like in order, but she's not yet and she's just the whole time like she's crying for snacks the entire time, making all kinds of noise on the front row. So I'm just feeding her snacks, so I mean just trying to keep her as quiet as possible, right? And Eliana, she's squirming, she's seven months, she just wants to crawl around on the floor.
Speaker 1:And then it comes to be my part. So we're, like you know, to handle like gorillas here in this front pew. And then it's time for me to go up and it's time for me to preach in this concert. And so I go up and my boy Cruz, two years old, he's in a daddy phase right now. So I go up and he just wants to go right up after me, right? And so my wife grabs him by the shirt tail and Cruz is on all fours on the floor of the carpet scratching, screaming daddy, daddy, daddy, and of the carpet scratching, screaming daddy, daddy, daddy.
Speaker 1:And so I just want you to know, man, our family is just an everyday, ordinary family. We put the fun in, dysfunctional, just like your family and, man, we're just having a great time Everyday, ordinary people. Here's what we have in common is we all feel a little overwhelmed at times. We have some stress in our life. We have struggles that we are going through in our life. We have some stress in our life. We have struggles that we are going through in our life. We have some hurt in our past. But another thing that we all share is that Jesus loves every single one of us.
Speaker 1:If you believe that, say yeah, man, jesus loves every single one of us. So here's, I just want you to see. We're going to do this very quickly. I want you to see five things that Jesus is doing in your life. Five things that Jesus is doing in your life from the Christmas story. Number one Jesus works in your life. Everybody say works, jesus works in your life.
Speaker 1:Matthew, chapter one, verse 18, says when his mother, mary had been betrothed to Joseph before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Now we're diving into the Christmas story, but I want you to know that even before that, that we know the word of God says now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. Aren't you thankful that God put how Jesus came to earth, how he was born, in the Bible, or else we would have no idea? Aren't you thankful that you know that Jesus Christ, his very name Jesus, means that he will save you from your sins. The very word Christ, his title, christ, means that he's the anointed one, he's the Messiah. He is not only the son of God. He's also God, the son that Jesus Christ stepped down out of heaven into your home, into our world, and he lived in your place so he could die for your sin, so he could become your resurrection, so that he could ascend back to the heavenly Father and one day, if you believe in him, he is coming back for you again. Put your hands together right now for all that Jesus is doing in your life. And just as I was studying this week, I was just reminded that Mary and Joseph had no idea what God was doing in their life, just like you have no idea what God's doing in your life, like I have no idea what God's doing in my life. It's amazing how Jesus is working in the background and he is bringing everything together. Even when you don't see it, he's working. Even when you don't feel it, he's working. I love that song. He never stops. He never stops working.
Speaker 1:When Mary, his mother, when Jesus' mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, even before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Here's what we see from this passage. From this passage, we know that Mary typically in that culture back then, thousands of years ago. Typically in that culture you were betrothed. It was like an engagement time to be married and she was probably around the ages of 12 to 13. Joseph was probably a late teenager, we don't know 17, 18, 19, we're not exactly sure, but typically that was when couples would be betrothed. It was typically from an arranged marriage. Did you know that arranged marriages even today have less divorce rates than marriages that find one another right? And so it was an arranged marriage. They were betrothed. They actually went through an official ceremony to be betrothed Again, closest to our engagement. But they would even call each other husband and wife. But they hadn't even lived together yet, they're not living together and they haven't consummated the marriage yet. So it says, before they even came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Now, matthew doesn't tell us a lot about that, but Luke does. We won't jump into it tonight, but you can read it for yourself.
Speaker 1:Luke, chapter one says that Mary, just an everyday, ordinary girl, one day has an angel that shows up in her life and the angel says Mary, the Holy Spirit of God is gonna overshadow you and you're gonna conceive and you're gonna have a son, and it's gonna be Jesus and he is gonna be the son of God. And Mary is freaked out right, she can't believe it. Mary runs to her cousin's house, doesn't even talk to Joseph about it. Runs to her cousin's house. Her cousin is miraculously pregnant somewhere in her 50s with John the Baptist and they get together and they're just amazed with all that God is doing in their life. And again, joseph has no idea what's going on. She's just gone. She comes back three months later. She is some three to four months pregnant and she's showing. And Joseph has gotta be wondering Mary, where have you been, mary? What have you been doing, mary? Who have you been doing it with? Mary? What is going on right now? What is happening?
Speaker 1:And it's interesting, in verse 19, it says her husband, joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But he considered these things in his heart. In other words, joseph is an everyday, ordinary guy, just like all the men in this room, and Mary probably tried to explain to him. No, it wasn't a guy, it was the Holy Spirit. Yeah, right. And so he has such a hard time grasping this, he has such a hard time comprehending this, that he decided. Because the Bible says he's a just man, which means he's a good man, which means he's a righteous man, which means he's a man that loves God.
Speaker 1:In this passage, here we see the grace of God that is working out through this man, joseph. When Joseph has every right, even in that culture, this is crazy to have her stoned. Joseph is saying I love her, I love her and I just wanna just do this quietly so that no one harms her. And the Bible says but he considered these things. When it says he's considered these things, that Greek word considered is enthu me, oh my. Or in other words, you can just remember it as oh me, oh my.
Speaker 1:What is going on right here? So Joseph is considering these things in his heart. It is deep internal reflection, contemplation, pondering, deliberating or mulling over something with serious or emotional intent. Joseph is trying to work out in his mind what exactly is happening. She is telling me it's God. It doesn't seem to be that way. But he's thinking to himself I know Mary, I love Mary. I could not imagine her lying to me. I couldn't imagine her being unfaithful to me. How could this possibly be? And aren't you thankful that Jesus speaks into your life right at the time that you need it.
Speaker 1:Everybody say speaks. See, jesus loves to speak into your life. Jesus will use whatever means necessary to get through to you. The question is not if Jesus is speaking to you. The question is are we listening to Jesus? See, he says here in Matthew 1.20,.
Speaker 1:He says behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. Back then, angels would bring people the word of God. Why, why don't angels do it today? Why did they do it then? It's because the Bible back then was not finished. Yet the Bible wasn't completed, the New Testament had not been written, so they didn't have the full counsel of God's word. So the best way for God to get his word to people was that he would send an angel, and the Greek word angel just simply means messenger.
Speaker 1:Behold, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream saying Joseph, son of God, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived is from the Holy Spirit. Aren't you thankful that Jesus speaks when you need him to speak? And, by the way, don't wait for an angel. Back then it was more customary. Back then it was more common. But please hear me and listen to me. You know the way that God speaks to you today the most common, everyday, ordinary way, but as powerful and miraculous that God speaks into your life. If you ever need the voice of God, if you ever need a message of God, if you ever need God to tell you what you need to hear, then here's what you do you open up the word of God Because the word of God is the voice of God. In fact, the Bible says in Hebrews, chapter one, verses two and three it says that God speaks to us through his very son, jesus Christ, through his word. Second Peter, chapter one, verses three and four, says the scriptures are all that we need for life and godliness.
Speaker 1:The God was telling Joseph through the angel do not fear, take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. In other words, here's what God is telling us tonight. Here's what he's telling me. Here's what he's telling you Whatever it is that is going on in your life, don't fear. God is saying just listen to me, just come to me, just pray to me, just open up my word, get around people that can give you biblical counsel and just do what I'm calling you to do. In other words, god is saying just do the right thing, just obey my word, just do what it is that I'm calling you to do. And God is saying and I am going to work it all out what is it that is going on in your life that God is telling you don't fear, just obey me. Because Jesus loves to speak into our life. Next, why does he love to speak into our life? Because Jesus loves to save us from our sin. Everybody say save, he loves to save us. So he said.
Speaker 1:The angel told Joseph. What did the angel say? The angel said Mary, she will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus and he will save his people from their sin. In other words, god loves to do miracles through everyday, ordinary people just like me and just like you. Could you imagine what it would feel like to be Mary and Joseph? Mary did not do anything to earn or to deserve the right to be the mother of God. Joseph did not do anything to be in that fatherly-like position in Jesus' life. But God chose Mary to bear Jesus as the son of God in her womb. And in the same way, god chooses me and God chooses you to bear and to carry Jesus in our hearts. What a miracle that God is saying I want you to be a part of my story. God is saying that God is saying I want you to be a part of my story. God is saying I want you to be a part of the story in which that I wanna change the world and change communities, to change literally our families, to change our life Through everyday, ordinary people. God brought Jesus into the world, like Mary and Joseph, and through everyday, ordinary people. God wants to use us to take Jesus throughout the world, to everyone. Why? Because his very name is what he does.
Speaker 1:I told our church just a couple of weeks ago that we named our well, we named our kids. We've just been amazed how God is kind of bringing out their life because their name's Brooklyn, brooklyn, rose. Brooklyn means brokenness, rose means beauty. We adopted Brooklyn out of a very difficult, broken situation. Brooklyn has cerebral palsy, she's got a little wheelchair, she's got some difficulty in her life, she's got some weakness in her life, but God is working in her life and he is bringing beauty out of that little girl, our little boy, cruz, richard, two years old. Cruz, we didn't realize it at the time. It's Spanish for the cross. Richard is strong leader and our prayer is that God would have his hand on Cruz's life so that Cruz would be a strong leader for the cross, the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:Eliana Joy, eliana. We named her Eliana because it means the Lord has answered. We struggled with infertility for nine years. Brooklyn was adopted. Cruz was our fifth and final fertility attempt. He was a frozen embryo, our last embryo, a frozen embryo for a year. If God blessed us with a boy, I wanna name him Olaf, or a girl, I wanna name her Elsa, right Because he was frozen. My wife wouldn't let me. We named him Cruz. Richard, eliana Joy we learned we were pregnant with her on our first full day, that we moved to Georgia in 2023. Eliana means the Lord has answered. He's answered our prayers. Joy we're amazed. She is the happiest baby, the smiliest baby that we have absolutely ever seen.
Speaker 1:Jesus's name means he will save his people from their sins. Every time they would speak the name of Jesus in that culture, they would be reminded that it is only Jesus who could forgive them. Every time that we worship Jesus, every time that we read the name of Jesus, every time that we pray to Jesus, every time that we read the name of Jesus, every time that we pray to Jesus, every time that we talk about Jesus, his very name means that God takes away our guilt, god takes away our shame, god takes away our sin and God forgives us and he purifies us and he cleanses us and he gives us a home in heaven. That salvation is found in Jesus alone. If you believe that, put your hands together right now Every time we mention his name and he saves us from our sins. For what purpose? Because Jesus wants to give you a relationship with God. Everybody say relationship. He wants to give you a relationship with God. You, he wants to give you a relationship with God.
Speaker 1:It's kind of like when I married my wife. I didn't marry her because I wanted a cook and for someone to clean. She didn't have to cook a meal the rest of her life. I'll just take her on dates the rest of her life. I'm great with that. I didn't marry her because of something I wanted her to do for me. I married her because I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, because I loved her, because I want a relationship with her. We didn't want kids just so that we could have people, little people, in our home to tear everything up. Right, we had kids because we wanted to offer relationship to them.
Speaker 1:In the same way, why does Jesus want to save us from our sins? Because he wants to give us a relationship with God. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. Behold, the virgin Mary shall conceive and she shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us. In other words, a question that I would wonder is why all these different names of Jesus? Name him Jesus, name him Christ, name him Emmanuel. All these different names, why all these different names for Jesus in the Bible? Here's why Because there's not one name that can do Jesus justice for all that he is and for all that he does in your life. If you believe that, say amen, man. Jesus has all these names because all these names we can call on him and they all mean different things and he is all of those things he loves. It is that name. The very name Emmanuel means God with us, or, in other words, only through Jesus is God with you, only through Jesus is God with you, only through Jesus is God for you, only through Jesus is God in you. Jesus is your opportunity for you to have God, the God of the universe, the only one true, eternal God, in your life and on your side and leading your way and speaking into your life. That's what Jesus loves to do, because Jesus has a relationship with his father. He wants you to have a relationship with his father too.
Speaker 1:And then number five, and I'm done. He does all of that because he has a mission for you to accomplish. Everybody say mission. You realize we all have a mission for our life. We all have an agenda for our life. We all have a goal for our life. We all want things for our life. Do you realize that Jesus wants more for you than you want for you? That Jesus' mission is better for you than your mission for yourself, for your life? It says when Joseph woke up from sleep I love this he just obeyed. He did exactly that. The angel of the Lord commanded him to do so. What did he do? He took his wife Mary, said Mary, I'm gonna marry you. But he knew her not Until she had given birth to a son. And Joseph did exactly what God called Joseph to do he named his son Jesus.
Speaker 1:Somebody needs to hear this today. God brought you here to hear this. What is the point of Christmas? That Jesus came to save you from your sin? Because he's been working in your life. He's been speaking to you, because he wants you to have a relationship with God, because he has something very important for you to accomplish with your life. Just like God was doing through everyday, ordinary people like Mary and Joseph, he wants to do miracles of his mission through everyday, ordinary people just like me and you. Joseph did what he was supposed to do, just like Jesus. Jesus lived and he died and he did everything that he was supposed to do. He died for you so that we can do everything that we're supposed to do in the way that we live for him. Jesus did everything he was supposed to do. He died for you so that you can do everything that you're supposed to do to live for him. Jesus is working in your life. He's speaking in your life. He's speaking in your life. He wants to save us. He wants to give us a relationship with God so that he can offer us a mission to accomplish.
Speaker 1:I've got a good friend in this room. His name is Clayton. One year ago today. One year ago today, clayton came to our Christmas Eve service last year. It was his first time in church in 20 years he heard a message like this. He gave his life to Jesus. God radically changed his life. He was obedient to the Lord, he got baptized and Clayton is a changed man and now he lives his life to worship Jesus as the Savior.
Speaker 1:Clayton, would you stand up and just wave to everybody? Can we put our hands together for Clayton? We're so thankful for what God has done in Clayton's life, and I believe there's other Claytons in this room. I believe that's why you're here. Can we all just bow our heads and close our eyes, with every head bowed and every eye closed? Maybe you're here tonight and God brought you here just to remind you that he's working in you, he's speaking to you. He just wants to save you from your sins, give you a relationship with God, because he has something more important for your life than you could ever have for your own life. Maybe right here, right now, you just need to say a simple prayer to God. I can't save you, I can't pray this prayer for you, but if you want to finally and fully and forever give your life to him, then I can help you.
Speaker 1:From your own heart and your own words, you can pray to God. You can tell him this God, I believe in you, god, I need you. From your own heart and your own words, you can tell him God, I believe that Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sins. I'm asking you to forgive me of all my sin, my past, my present. You can tell him my future sin. From your own heart and your own words, you can tell him God, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead. He's alive, he's real. Here we go, god. I believe that Jesus rose from the dead. He's alive, he's real. Here we go, god. I want him in me.
Speaker 1:The Bible says Romans 10, 9,. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. So right here, right now, just confess and say Jesus, be the Lord of my life, be my God, be my Savior. Jesus, be my Lord. Jesus. We believe that. We thank you for that. We love you. We pray these things in Jesus' name and all God's people said put your hands together right now for anybody that prayed that prayer. The Bible says that heaven rejoices every time that a sinner repents and gives their life to Jesus.
Speaker 1:I just want to remind you that there is a next step card right in front of you, and one of those options is you can tell us that you gave your life to Jesus. Today you received Jesus. You can indicate that on the card. You can bring it to me, you can put it in any of our black boxes. You can take it to our next step station. We just want to walk alongside you. We want you to know that you never have to be alone. We just want to assist you in your journey with Jesus. We want to help you in any and every way that we can. Any other decision Maybe you need to be baptized.
Speaker 1:Maybe you need some believers in your life to encourage. You need to be a part of a group. Maybe you need to be a part of one of our ministries and serve Whatever it is that the Lord's laying on your heart. You can indicate that on the card and give it to again one of us. We would love to help you out in that way. Let's all stand together. I'm gonna pray one more time. Let's stand, we're gonna sing.
Speaker 1:The Bible says when the wise men came to see Jesus, jesus was a two-year-old toddler. The Bible says as soon as they walked into the presence of Jesus, they fell on their knees and they worshiped him. I wanna encourage you, more than you ever have before, from the depth of your heart worship Jesus with all that you are. Heavenly Father. We love you, god. We thank you for Jesus. God, we thank you that he works in our lives, he speaks into our lives. He saves us from our sins. He gives us a relationship with God, the Father. He has a mission for us to accomplish. And so, god, we just pray in Jesus' name that your spirit would fall, you would move during this time, you would speak into our hearts, you would change our lives. God, would you do what nobody else can do, god, would you just bring redemption and reconciliation and forgiveness into our lives. God, we pray, lord, we love you In Jesus' name, amen. Let's all sing it together.