THE JOY OF WORSHIP AT CHRISTMAS

WORSHIP IS DECLARING  

the worth and greatness of God.  

1. THE ANGELS WORSHIPED BY  

singing.  

“There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in the fields, taking care of their flocks. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid, but the angel said to them, ‘Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David's town your Savior was born—Christ the Lord! And this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great army of heaven's angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God: ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!’”Luke 2:8-14 (GNB)  

2. THE SHEPHERDS WORSHIPED BY  

sharing the good news.  

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen [Jesus], they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them . . . The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”Luke 2:15-20 (NIV) 

3. THE WISE MEN WORSHIPED BY  

giving. 

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied . . . [The wise men] went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of frankincense and of myrrh.”Matthew 2:1-11 (NIV) 

— GOLD REPRESENTED JESUS’  

royalty. 

(see 2 Chronicles 9:1,9,14,24)

— FRANKINCENSE REPRESENTED JESUS’  

divinity.  

(see Exodus 30:8; 1 Kings 9:25; 2 Chronicles 2:4; Malachi 1:11)

— MYRRH REPRESENTED JESUS’  

humanity. 

(see John 19:39-40)

• FIRST THEY OFFERED  

themselves

THEN THEY OFFERED  

gifts. 

“These people claim to worship me, but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else. Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions, which they have simply memorized.”Isaiah 29:13 (GNB)  

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30 (NIV) 

• WHAT GOD WANTS MOST FROM ME IN WORSHIP IS ME.    

me. 

GOD’S PROMISES ABOUT GUIDANCE

 

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, in paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them and rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, and I will not leave them undone.”Isaiah 42:16 (NASB)  

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8 (NIV) 

“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” Proverbs 4:18 (NIV) 

“Your road led through the Red Sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there!” Psalm 77:19 (NLT) 

HOW DOES GOD GUIDE ME?

• HE GUIDES ME BY  HIS SPIRIT.  

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Psalm 143:10 (NIV) 

“When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth . . . He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”John 16:13-14 (NIV) 

“No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God . . . We have [received] the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us . . . The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned . . . But we have the mind of Christ.”1 Corinthians 2:11-16 (NIV) 

• HE GUIDES ME BY HIS WORD.   THE BIBLE IS NOT LIKE A MAP, BUT A COMPASS.  

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105 (NIV) 

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT) 

• HE GUIDES ME BY HIS PEOPLE.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another. . .” Colossians 3:16 (NIV) 

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17 (NLT) 

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Hebrews 10:24 (NIV) 

• HE GUIDES ME BY CIRCUMSTANCES (CLOSED AND OPEN DOORS). 

“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NIV) 

• HE GUIDES ME BY HIS STILL SMALL VOICE.   IT IS TO A PATH.  NOT A DESTINATION.   

  

“[Elijah] went into a cave to spend the night. Suddenly the Lord spoke to him, ‘Elijah, what are you doing here?’ He answered, ‘Lord God Almighty, I have always served you—you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left—and they are trying to kill me!’ 

‘Go out and stand before me on top of the mountain,’ the Lord said to him. Then the Lord passed by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks—but the Lord was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing, and then there was an earthquake—but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire—but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the soft whisper of a voice. When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, ‘Elijah, what are you doing here?’”1 Kings 19:9-13 (GNB) 

“You will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)  

“In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths.”
 Proverbs 3:6 (NKJV) 

• WHERE I END UP IN LIFE IS NOT NEARLY AS IMPORTANT AS HOW I GOT THERE.

“And the Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”Isaiah 58:11 (NIV) 

GOD’S WAKE-UP CALL

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.Romans 13:11 (NIV) 

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.Romans 13:11 (NIV) 

The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:12 (NIV) 

• KAIROS:  
A  

TURNING POINT

THAT MUST BE PRESSED THROUGH TO ACHIEVE ITS

GOD INTENDED PURPOSE

God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of his Son, whom he loves. His Son paid the price to free us, which means that our sins are forgiven.Colossians 1:13-14 (GW)  

Don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing!Romans 13:11 (Message) 

Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. 2Joshua said to all the people . . . “Now, fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”Joshua 24:1-2, 14-15 (NIV) 

• THE CHOICE IS  

INTENTIONAL

“Choose for yourselves.” 

• THE CHOICE IS  

URGENT

“Choose for yourselves this day.” 

• THE CHOICE IS  

UNAVOIDABLE

“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”  

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”Matthew 6:24 (NIV) 

• THE CHOICE IS  

GENERATIONAL

“As for me and my house . . .” 

Then the people answered . . . “We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God . . . We will serve the Lord.” Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord” . . . “Now, then, throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord.” And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”Joshua 24:16-24 (NIV) 

• GODS OF EGYPT =  

THE GODS OF MY PAST

• GODS OF THE AMORITES =  

THE GODS OF MY CULTURE

Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. Jonah 2:8 (NIV) 

They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves. 2 Kings 17:15 (NIV) 

Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)  

Put to death, therefore, the evil desires at work in you, such as sexual immorality, indecency, lust, evil desires, covetousness and greed, which is idolatry.Colossians 3:5 (GNB/NIV) 

• HOW DO YOU GET RID OF AN IDOL?  

STARVE IT TO DEATH

On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws. And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the LORD. “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the LORD has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.” Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.Joshua 24:25-28 (NIV)