“Listen carefully to my words; let your ears take in what I say…” Luke 9:44

This bible quote encourages us to find a place of tranquility where we can take in God’s Word and take out God’s strength!  In the hectic day to day race that most people find themselves in, it is good to remember that we must take in God’s Word so that we may take out the kind of life He desires for us. This morning I am praying that each one of you would find time to enjoy God’s presence.

Remember we can find His presence in the simple things of life. One fall after a number of weeks of outreach in the radiation red zone just North of Chernobyl, I stepped out of the hotel into this grey Soviet era landscape. In between two 20 story buildings in the far distance was a little tree not more than 6 feet tall. On its branches were bright red leaves. I remember blurting out, “Look everyone! Isn’t that beautiful!?” The crowd around me was strangely confused looking for anything of beauty, but there in the distance was that bright autumn tree.

I encourage you today in the midst of your busy life to make a moment that refreshes your heart and your spirit. Maybe it is gazing at a special picture, taking a walk on the beach, or even throwing a few snowballs. Regardless, remember—take in His life and take out His presence!  Special moments come when we stop and glance at the beautiful landscapes of life!

The wonderful facts of Christianity raise us from nobody to somebody, from simple to wise, from weak to courageous. These unmatched facts become living realities in a person when that person hears and chooses to believe them. What makes us like God and not like robots, is our ability to choose!

We can choose to see wonderful days ahead. We can choose to expect good favor coming our way. We can choose to anticipate everything lining up in our lives as we rejoice in our Maker.

The alternative is to live in fear. We can choose to fear that the economy will go down and take us with it. We can choose to fear that the doctor’s reports of cancer, heart disease, or a thousand other diagnoses are the final word. We can choose to fear tomorrow and fold up.

Or, we can spread our wings of faith and exclaim that everything will work out! The facts of our faith put us in the realm of God. Jesus said, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23).

The story is told of a man who purchased passage on a cruise liner for himself and his family, paying the full fare for their grand adventure across the ocean.

Each day he and his family huddled in their quiet little berth consuming the sparse provisions they had packed for their trip. One day a steward noticed their emaciated faces and asked them why they were not enjoying the banquet with the other passengers. The father told him that he had only purchased passage on the ship but not the meals.

The steward explained to the man that his ticket covered passage and meals for his entire family. After dining on mere morsels for days, the family joyfully sat down to enjoy what had belonged to them all along.

David tells us in Psalm 103:2-3, “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.”

Millions of people around the globe today, perhaps even billions, celebrate this Christmas Christ who lives in the heart.

This Christmas season, in whatever situation you find yourself, remember—Christmas is not a brightly decorated, commercial season, but it is rather a moment of time when God determined to put on human flesh and dwell among us.

Remember, the God who is the Creator of the universe and all that we see is not some ethereal, cosmic, mystic being. No!  He is God with us, Emmanuel—the One who has come to live and dwell in our hearts!

We say to you: Merry Christmas! And may Christ dwell in your heart, and in your family!

Imagine giving a gift, something very precious which you have taken painstaking effort to prepare for the one you love so much. You’ve taken time, money and energy to plan the specific moment you will present your gift. AND THEN, the unthinkable happens—the gift is rejected. The answer is NO. The reality dawns on you. This person whom I love so much is not interested in me or my gift.

I wonder how God feels? He sent His precious Son to carry our burdens, to take away our sins, to be beaten for our diseases. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. This amazing substitution is God’s gracious and loving gift for us. It cannot be earned. It is a free gift! Yet multitudes still reject His love!

Today, I encourage you to remember what Jesus has done for you! Receive this free gift! Simply dare to believe that He died for you and that He rose from the dead. You will never be the same!

Christmas to me is about peace at home, with family and in Christ! I remember that the glory of Christmas is the glory of a story with eternal value that never wanes.

I am mindful of the greatest gift of all—Jesus Christ! God, who loved us so much, gave His all for each one of us. Perhaps this Christmas you find yourself unemployed, with waning health or simply needing encouragement. Remember that God gave His all when He gave His Son. The scripture tells us that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). The blood of the Father flowing in the veins of a new born child—Emmanuel—God with us!  God putting on humanity for each one of us, identifying with us!

This Christmas receive PEACE—receive HIM. This is the Gift of God for each one of us!

Some time ago we held a Tent Festival in Karaganda (Kazakhstan), and I preached about healing based on Matthew 18:19: “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.”

I taught that we can agree to ask for something in prayer and the Bible guarantees that the Father will give us everything we ask for. Two elderly women in the tent were friends. One of the ladies had eyeglasses with very thick lenses. She told me, “I’ve not been able to see anything without my glasses for forty years.” Her friend who had come with her had had pain in her legs and had been walking with a cane for almost twenty-five years.

Both women listened to my sermon and believed in the Word of God. They decided to agree in prayer for their healing. They said, “OK. We are agreeing in prayer and asking you, God, to heal us. We believe that what you said is true and if we agree right now in prayer, you will heal us. Father, we are agreeing in the name of Jesus that our eyes and legs are being healed right now! Amen.”  Both of them were healed the same moment and that is why I know their story. They started shouting right away, “I can see!” “I am walking! I can walk! My pain is gone!”

Just like these elderly women, you can receive your healing. Believe in God’s word and confess it with your mouth, say aloud, “By Jesus’ stripes I am healed!” It is very important to say the words of faith. You are not lying, you are saying what God says. It is important to speak it because your heart fills with faith that you are healed.

Call a friend and ask him or her to pray and agree with you to ask God for healing, and the Father will respond to your faith!

Discovery is a powerful word that opens up vast opportunity. Children have no limits on their curiosity or willingness to try out new things. In fact, their openness is so great that it could cause personal injury or peril. As we grow older, we seem to lose the ‘YES’ in life, and words like ‘routine,” institution,’ ‘insurance,’ ‘protection,’ and ‘safety’ become commonplace in our vocabulary.

I remember moving to Russia and finding a society that was based on the word “NO.” How could it be that this dynamic, creative society was cloaked in such negative expectation? Yet, for many of us today, regardless of our society, we allow the phrases “No! You can’t!” “No! You shouldn’t!” “No! That’s not right!” “No! It’s not possible!” to control our destinies!

Let’s realize today that Christ takes the parentheses off our lives. He puts a plus on our future because He says, All things are possible, only believe! Mark 9:23 paraphrased

Joshua Blayhi says he had an encounter similar to the biblical account of Saul on the road to Damascus, where a bright light appeared and Jesus spoke, telling Blayhi to stop killing or he would die. Saul of Tarsus, who became Apostle Paul, was a persecutor of Christians and orchestrated the stoning of the first recorded Christian martyr, Stephen.

How could this be? How could these men break free of the desire to murder over and over again? How could their hearts and imaginations be so totally changed? The Apostle Paul would later state in the scriptures that we have all sinned, falling short of God’s glory. Certainly, not all are killers—but all are sinners. In the accounts of these two men we find the death of a sinner…but we also see the resurrection of a saint!

Becoming truly free not only required God’s forgiveness, but both Saul and Joshua Blayhi had to forgive themselves. Self-forgiveness is often a bitter pill to swallow. Although God’s grace had forgiven both, each daily faced the effects of their sin.

Neither Paul nor Joshua demonstrates any fear in declaring the good news. One man lived 2,000 years ago, the other lives today, but the same truth delivered both men and gave them strength to face their sin and devote themselves to helping people—and, in Joshua’s case, to seek restitution!  Paul said to the church at Rome, “I am not ashamed of the gospel (good news), for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes!”

Today, Jesus offers you freedom from your past and hope for your future! You can be forgiven and you can forgive yourself!

How many evils committed could disqualify you from God’s mercy? How many murders would be unforgivable and banish you to eternal suffering? Joshua Blahyi, a former Liberian warlord, knows something about God’s grace. Raised to be a tribal priest, he began conducting weekly human sacrifices at age 11.  As an adult, he became one of the most feared warlords of Africa. After giving his life to Christ in 1996, and beginning his ministry in 1999, Blahyi renounced his violent past and confessed to murdering nearly 20,000 people during Liberia’s 14-year civil war.

Still feared by many, he was the subject of a PBS documentary. Curious about this radical conversion, the filmmakers followed Blahyi for 5 years as he sought forgiveness from those he had harmed.

Though the consequences were unknown, Blahyi agreed to admit his crimes before Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. According to The Christian Post, he says, “I went to the TRC because I wanted to reconcile with my country and free my conscience.” Fortunately, the commission recommended amnesty.

How could a person change so dramatically? How could one’s conscience be cleansed from such horrific actions?