College Hour

“The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.” Genesis 39:2-3 (ESV) It’s easy to wonder if we’re missing some mystical, great, noble purpose that’s supposed to squeeze into our ordinary lives. We might feel numb. Or bored. We ask questions like: I’m in. I am all surrendered to God. But now what? What does He wants me to do? God’s goal for our lives is that we live in complete and utter surrender to and dependence on Him. He built us to need Him. And it’s always His mercy to show us that need, whatever the cost. Living on mission with the Creator of the Universe is the most beautiful, purposeful thing we could do with our short time on earth. This is your purpose: to know God and make Him known. As we read the story of God through Scripture, we know we are to love, without hesitation, every person God puts in our paths. And we are to love God more than anything. Are you searching for your calling in life? If you’re reading this, you have the opportunity for ministry right under your nose, never needing to move or change a thing. Life is too short to spend time worrying about where on this planet you should be. As Jim Elliott, the great missionary-then-martyr said, “Wherever you are, be all there.” Rather than becoming paralyzed with fear that you might move when you should stay or stay when you should move, pray and commit your ways to the Lord. And then go do something! God invites us into His will like a loving dad in a swimming pool, asking his little child to jump. Whether that child jumps really far or barely scoots into the pool, that dad will move to catch him. So don’t be afraid. God’s will is moving, and if we will just jump, His will is going to catch us. Joseph did this so beautifully. God had shown him that He would do awesome things, and rather than worry about being stuck in prison or as a slave in Potiphar’s house, Joseph did great things with God wherever he was. You can do great works wherever you are. Likewise, don’t be afraid to go — or be afraid to stay. In heaven, even the most adventurous missionaries among us won’t be rewarded because of an earthly location; they’ll be rewarded for their obedience and faithfulness. Those who spent most of their lives in cubicles and driving in carpool lines will stand beside them receiving similar crowns. It’s not our place of ministry that matters most; it’s what we do in our places. For Joseph, his calling and God’s purpose for his life took determination and a conscious choice to surrender. He gave everything he had to serve well, even as a slave and a falsely accused inmate. Genesis 39:2-4 reminds us, “The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.” If we know that no place, no job, no marriage, no child is going to perfectly fulfill us, we can choose to quit fighting for happiness and start fighting for God’s glory instead. It takes determination to trust Him while you’re still in your place, doing the seemingly mundane tasks of life. Let’s assume that if we’re breathing, then we have a purpose for being here. Every one of us with breath in our lungs still has something left to do. TRUTH FOR TODAY: Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (NIV)

  We are living in a world where bad news and sadness seems to be prevalent all of the time…. I don’t know about you but I am in love with the good news. I’m also in love with the joy that children bring into our lives. You see I am one of the Grandparents that know that I have the cutest grandkids in the world…. What about you? Kids are so funny and they can teach us a lot of things…. A Sunday school teacher asked her class, "What was Jesus' mother's name?" One child answered, "Mary." The teacher then asked, "Who knows what Jesus' father's name was?" A little kid said, "Verge." Confused, the teacher asked, "Where did you get that?" The kid said, "Well, you know they are always talking about Verge n' Mary.'' A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, ! if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am." A Sunday school class was studying the Ten Commandments. They were ready to discuss the last one. The teacher asked if anyone could tell her what it was. Susie raised her hand, stood tall, and quoted, "Thou shall not take the covers off the neighbor's wife." Six-year-old Angie and her four-year-old brother Joel were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang, and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church." "Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers." A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5 and Ryan 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'" Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus!" A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?" Yep! That’s why I love children, they speak truth…and they teach us and learn many things from us… This year I want my grand babies to know the reason for the season….Don’t you? The bible says about the greatest baby there ever was…. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Background: Dr. Luke, the great physician writing this text, is writing for a gentile audience who wants to know the story of Christ and the history of his lineage—how did he get here, why did he come, and what was his purpose? Luke reveals the supernatural back-drop of his triumphant entry into the world…. Here we find that Christ himself had a heavenly escort that came before him, they were angels and they proclaimed the word of the Lord where the people of Judea, the shepherds that day, would find the living Savior. That’s why we’re celebrating this great month, because December reminds us of the birth of Christ and why he came into the world. [What a baby he was] Scripture says that God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him would not perish, but have everlasting life. The most important thing to me about this text is that within it we see something marvelous.  

• When the angels gave the good news to the shepherds, the angel said, ‘this will be a sign to you, you will find a babe in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.
• And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
• The angels were declaring a promise for us today and I want to declare the same promise to you and to my children and my children’s children…..

  That’s my prayer for you; that in your hearts, in your mind, we would proclaim this good news ….and that God would be glorified and that there would be peace and goodwill toward you today. Let me pray for you now: Father God, thank you for this wonderful reminder of the Christmas story. Thank you for these witnesses Lord …would you be praised this season by our proclamation  and may there be peace and goodwill on earth toward all men. We love you and we thank you for this advent season. In Jesus’ name, Amen.      

John 3:16 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Introduction: Over the past few weeks I have noticed that “The world” has truly got it twisted when it comes to celebrating Christmas. For many people believe that Christmas is a time of partying, gambling, and letting your hair down.

1. Some believe that it is all about the presents and the tree.
2. Some believe it is about the children or doing good deeds “this one time of year”.
3. Some believe it is about the alcohol or the getting high moments, or perhaps even getting into debt for the ones you love.

As your Pastor I stop by to tell you today, that Christmas is not about any of these things. Christmas is not about you getting credit card bills, worldly thrills, temporary frills and even relational chills. Christmas is not about what you see on T.V or at Wall-mart. It is not about the lights, cakes or pies. It is not about getting something new or something old. The reason that the world has Christmas today, and the reason that we celebrate the birth of Christ is found right here in this passage of scripture. Christmas is really all about “The great advent of God”! Emmanuel, God HIMSELF coming down to dwell with us. This wonderful season of love and giving comes from God. It was God’s Love for man that caused Him to intervene on our behalf and break into time to save us from our SIN. The reason for the season today is two fold today.

1. Christmas is about God revealing Himself to us.
2. Christmas is about God revealing His plan of salvation for man.

Why did God decide to do this? Well in the very beginning of time (as we know it) Man once dwelled with God in a perfect environment. The bible teaches that the very first man and woman, Adam and Eve sinned against God, and rebelled against him by disobeying his command. And when they did this they fell from their relationship with Him, into what we call SIN. God had promised them that if they ever did this they would surely die. When they sinned against God, they not only died spiritually, but they caused the entire world to be condemned. This condemnation of all came into existence because of their one act of rebellion and disobedience against God! And now because of their SIN all of mankind must die, ever since the fall of man, everybody ever born was born wrong, we were all born into sin, born to die, and born enemies of God. Their one act of Sin demanded payment, it was rebellion against a Holy God and his order of righteousness for the world. Sin is the enemy of God, and directly opposes his will for mans life. Sin is therefore costly, because humanity was never designed to live in rebellion against their maker. As a result of sin, life can be horrible:

• Because of sin, we got unwanted pain and pressure in the world.
• Because of sin, we have trouble and evil in the world.
• Because of sin, babies are killed in the womb before they have a chance at life.
• Because of sin, children kill their parents and parents kill their children.
• Because of sin there is universal calamity, and death all over the world.
• Because of sin man has fallen from God’s original plan for his life.
• Because of sin Man is cursed with rebellion against his creator.

Note: Adam and eve had a choice in the Garden of Eden to obey God and live forever in a perfect relationship with him, or to rebel and do things their own way. They chose to rebel against God’s plan, by eating the forbidden fruit, (which God warned them not too) because of their choice, death entered into the world and passed unto all generations. Now every man, woman, boy and girl, from the crack house to the white house, the poor house to the rich house, Alabama to Zimbabwe are born enemies of God who live in rebellion against him and his plan for their lives. (Sin cost man everything!)

• Because of sin, every child is born to die.
• Because of sin, someone you know is on drugs or alcohol.
• Because of sin, we have prisons, hospitals, police, and burglar alarms.
• Because of sin, we fight wars we don’t begin.
• Because of sin, we hate people we have never seen.
• Because of sin men would rather be women and women would rather be men.
• Because of sin, we steal what we want and take what’s not ours.
• Because of sin, there are tear-stained pillows and broken hearts in every corner of the world.
• Because of sin, poverty and hunger run rampant in our world.

Not only has sin destroyed mankind, but the effects of sin has devastated creation.

• Because of sin, Flowers bloom to die.
• Because of sin, animals kill one another.
• Because of sin, the earth quakes, the sea roars, and the winds howl.
• Because of sin the sea gets angry and tsunamis occur.
• Because of sin, the wind and rain team up and create hurricanes.

Sin is wicked and it has destroyed the original plan of life for you and me. But even in all of this tragedy, God, through His divine love came up with a plan to save all those who desired to be saved from the penalty of sin and death. This plan consisted of sending his only begotten Son" Jesus" down to earth and have him to become sin for us and sacrifice his very life in our place as a offering unto the Father. This is why we celebrate Christmas, This is the true reason for the season; this is what Christmas is all about. It is about God Loving, God giving, God sending, God forgiving and God Saving. Let’s examine this text:

1. The Love of God

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

1. The text says that God “So Loved” (agappao) this word for Loved in the Greek is the word that describes the creators Love for the thing he has created. (There are 3 words for love in the Greek language.
2. Eros (Erotic love)
3. Phileo (Brotherly love)
4. Agape (Godly love)

Because of God’s Love for us He was moved to act on our behalf while we were trapped in Sin. This word is written in what we call an Aorist tense; this means that the writer when he used this language used this particular word because it had no regard for the past, present of future time. It was a love that was continual, He never stopped loving us. This text implies that God was so madly in love with us that even before we rebelled against Him He loved us. His Love was and has always been unconditional, even in our present mess-ups God keeps on loving us. When He saw Adam and Eve had rebelled against Him, it was His love that sought them out and restored them back into a relationship with Him. Agape Love literally means to be fond of, well pleased with and dearly in love with. This is a love that sees past the junk in your heart, the mess in your mind, the issues of life and is compelled to act on your behalf.

1. The text says that God So Loved “The World”

The world here is the cosmos, it is the universe and beyond. It is the entire Human race. It is the object of God’s love!

• It does not mean just one race of people.
• It does not mean just one class of people.
• It does not mean those who don’t smoke, drink or chew.
• It does not mean those who have a certain income and who live in a certain part of town.

This word includes the liar, drug addict, thief, prostitute, politician, policeman, judge, teacher, lawyer, doctor, electrician, plumber, journeyman, laborer, nurse and even the unemployed. It covers those from the white house to the drug house. This is a picture of the scope of God’s Love. Not only does God’s love search for man, but He keeps on loving man in spite of his condition throughout the course of time. He loved the suicide bomber in Iraq, while he was committing suicide! He loved the drive by shooter in L.A, while he was hanging out of the window pulling the trigger! He loved the child molester in Birmingham, the thief in New York, before they were born, while they were sinning and after the sin had occurred. “ONLY GOD CAN LOVE LIKE THIS”! Why because they are apart of his creation living in His “cosmos” made in his image. Agape Love has no boundaries. Application:

• Some of you were worst than this!
• Some of you remember where you were doing some of the stuff you did.
• Some of you know it was the Love of God that kept you from going crazy.
• Loosing your babies, loosing your minds, loosing your health, loosing your possessions, and loosing all hope in life.

1. The Labor of God

The text says that God So Loved the World, that “He Gave”.

• The word gave in this text is the greek word didomi.It is the word that says what the Love of God did for man.
• Because of God’s Love he was compelled to give.
• Because of God’s Love he saw a need that only He could fulfill for man, and was moved to meet that need.

This word Didomi, means to give something to someone with no strings attached, it is giving that has a divine motive, because it is developed in the heart of a loving giver! It is also written in what we called the aorist tense. This means that the writer when he used this language used this particular word because it had no regard for the past, present of future time. It was a one time gift that was continual; the giving heart of God has never stopped. He gave before time began, when time began and after time began, and He continues to give now.

• God according to this verse is generous!
• God according this verse is motivated to give!
• God according this verse can’t help himself in giving!

And I notice that He gives in spite of us, or because of us, or with us in mind. It his in His character to give. Application:

• Has God ever given you something?
• Has given you another chance?
• Has given you life over death?
• Has he given you eyes to see when you were once blind?
• Has he given you health and strength?
• Has he given you peace when you had none?
• Has he given you hope?
• Has he given you light in your darkness?
• Has he made a way of escape for you, from the storms of life?
• Has God ever gave you anything, if so you ought to say AMEN!

The text says that God So Loved the World, that “He Gave” His only begotten Son, that “Whosoever Believes” in Him .

• Here we find the word Mono-Genes (It is the one of a kind)
• There is no other Emmanuel, there is no other Jesus-Christ.
• There is no other savior for mankind.
• Jesus was God’s only answer for the world.
• He is 100% man and 100% God.
• God did not have a second option on his mind, He did not have another Plan.
• Jesus is God’s only Son, Sacrifice and Savior all rolled into one.

The word Believes in this text is the word pisteuo and it is another powerful word;

1. It means to be persuaded to place your trust and confidence in Christ.
2. In other words a person must place all their trust in Jesus if they say that they believe in Him.
3. They have no trust in the stock market, no trust in the virgin Mary, St. peter, St. Paul, Muhammad, Buddha, Civil rights, Black Power, White Power, Grand Mother or Grand Father, or any other source, steps, or programs for their salvation.

It must be trust alone in Christ Alone for salvation. In the Greek language it is written in the present tense, which means it is happening right now! Even though the act occurred along time ago, if one acts by believing right now something wonderful will take place. I Like this because it explains what God did for the world. (His Labor) He sent his Son 2000 years ago, but today he yet uses faith to draw all of the world to himself. So even though you and I were not there When HE came, if we Believe in HIM, we can still receive the wonderful reward that everyone else receives, because the reward is by faith. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. The word Perish in this text means to be sent to an eternal misery in Hell. If you are declared to perish you are being sentenced to be “put to death”. Jesus is saying here that God’s love for the world was so powerful that he gave up his only sacrifice to save those that trust in Him and if they trust in Him they are not sent to an eternal death in Hell. The word eternal life is the opposite for the eternal death. If a person trusts Christ for salvation they receive the eternal life. If a person rejects Christ and will not trust in Him, They will receive eternal death in Hell, because, they have rejected their ticket out of Hell! Jesus is the only way out of the eternal punishment! Jesus alone can save you from your sin and sentence in Hell. My Story: Brothers and Sisters I was on my way to hell, I was born in Sin and separated from a Holy God. Drugs had my mind, Gangs had my heart, and Sin had my flesh! But when I heard the gospel inside of a jail cell, I knew it was God’s good news for my weary soul! And today I am not confused about what the reason for the season is! Christmas is for me to worship God for what he did to save me from Hell! Christmas is for me to celebrate the God of Heaven and earth paying the ultimate price of salvation that I might be saved. Christmas started in a manger but it ended on a cross! You see there is no salvation without a sacrifice. Our sin had to be punished! God is too holy to look on Sin, and the wages of sin is death. So out on the old rugged Cross Jesus was crucified for you and me. They stretched him high, dropped him low, pierced his head, and his hands. He was stripped and beat, buried in a borrowed grave, But early Sunday morning, he rose with all power of heaven and earth in his hands. He started in a manger, but he didn’t stay there! Jesus ain’t a baby no more! When he comes back for His church, he is coming as the conquering King!