The Bible App is completely free, with no advertising and no in-app purchases. Get the app
Linked UP Church
Sunday, December 16, 2018
We all were created to live a fulfilling life that brings glory to God. At Linked UP Church, our Vision is to Connect people to God, Family, Purpose, and Community.
Locations & Times
Linked UP Church
4331 Brownsville Rd, Powder Springs, GA 30127, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 11:00 AM
Today's Message On-Demand
http://linkedupchurch.com/sermons
Christmas Worship Celebration
Linked UP Church Connection Card
Are You Ready to take your Next Steps? Whether you desire prayer or would like a member of our team to contact you about taking the next steps in your spiritual journey, we are here for you.
http://bit.ly/LUCConnectionCard
Connect 21 - Days of Prayer Sign up below
Connect 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting
Click here to sign up to receive the daily emails and the prayer book.
http://bit.ly/CONX21
Why Believe?
Pastor Joel E. Gregory
“Why Believe?”
That is the question every one of us face every Christmas. Is this story of the Son of God coming as a human, born of a virgin, living a life of sinless love, and dying for sinners that all who believe might have eternal life true? Is this story a creation of human imagination because we need it to be true? Or is it true, and therefore we need to believe it?
So, I want to look at six witnesses who speak and testify to why the Son of God came into the world. The witnesses are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, and the writer to the Hebrews. The answers they give are six reasons for Jesus' coming:
3. He came to give true vision to the morally blind.
- John 9:35-41 NKJV
- John 12:42-48 NKJV
- 2 Peter 1:5-9 NKJV
- 2 Corinthians 4:1-4 NKJV
Jesus did not merely come to ransom and to call; he also came to open people's eyes so that they can see the light and walk in it. Our problem is not just slavery needing a ransom, and lostness needing a call. Our problem is also moral blindness needing the gift of sight. We are simply blind to some spiritual realities that are utterly crucial to see and embrace.
This is why Christ came: That those who do not see may see. This is the meaning of Christmas.
“Why Believe?”
That is the question every one of us face every Christmas. Is this story of the Son of God coming as a human, born of a virgin, living a life of sinless love, and dying for sinners that all who believe might have eternal life true? Is this story a creation of human imagination because we need it to be true? Or is it true, and therefore we need to believe it?
So, I want to look at six witnesses who speak and testify to why the Son of God came into the world. The witnesses are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, and the writer to the Hebrews. The answers they give are six reasons for Jesus' coming:
3. He came to give true vision to the morally blind.
- John 9:35-41 NKJV
- John 12:42-48 NKJV
- 2 Peter 1:5-9 NKJV
- 2 Corinthians 4:1-4 NKJV
Jesus did not merely come to ransom and to call; he also came to open people's eyes so that they can see the light and walk in it. Our problem is not just slavery needing a ransom, and lostness needing a call. Our problem is also moral blindness needing the gift of sight. We are simply blind to some spiritual realities that are utterly crucial to see and embrace.
This is why Christ came: That those who do not see may see. This is the meaning of Christmas.
4. Christ came to bring division.
- Matthew 10:34-39 NKJV
The point of this word is not that God loves division and strife. The point is that strife and division caused by true allegiance to Jesus are better than no strife and division with no allegiance to Jesus. The point is that when a person is ransomed and called and given sight, something really radical happens to them.
They see everything differently with that new sight, and they have a new master that causes them to think differently and feel things differently and act differently. And for some in the family, that can be very threatening, and so tension develops. For this, Jesus came into the world. That, too, is the meaning of Christmas.
- Matthew 10:34-39 NKJV
The point of this word is not that God loves division and strife. The point is that strife and division caused by true allegiance to Jesus are better than no strife and division with no allegiance to Jesus. The point is that when a person is ransomed and called and given sight, something really radical happens to them.
They see everything differently with that new sight, and they have a new master that causes them to think differently and feel things differently and act differently. And for some in the family, that can be very threatening, and so tension develops. For this, Jesus came into the world. That, too, is the meaning of Christmas.