Rev. David Holwick ZP
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
December 12, 1999
Luke 2:1-7
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I. Christmas can be a time of upheaval.
A. The first Christmas.
1) Young couple moving due to government's whim.
2) Magi crossing deserts.
3) Shepherds in forced to do a graveyard shift.
4) No one was where they were supposed to be.
B. This Christmas.
1) Not enough time to do everything.
2) Overwhelming pressure.
C. Upheaval seems to mark our age.
1) Everything is coming apart.
"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men,
couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again."
What a perceptive parable of our generation.
We live in a society in which everything nailed down
is coming loose.
Things that people said could not happen are happening.
Thoughtful though unsaved people are asking,
'Where is the glue to reassemble the disintegration
and disarray?'...
Then we usually seek someone to blame.
Howard Hendricks saw an intriguing piece of graffiti in
the city of Philadelphia some time ago.
Scratched across the wall were these words:
"HUMPTY DUMPTY WAS PUSHED."
#3088
2) Situations in our personal lives, beyond Christmas hassle.
a) Some face Christmas with a family falling apart.
b) Serious illness may be afflicting loves ones.
c) Kids off at college - who is this guy I'm married to?
Do I even like him?
d) Finances may be collapsing.
e) Your moral integrity, which you were always so proud of,
may be a shambles now.
D. How can we put it all back together?
II. How do you react in times of upheaval?
A. Failure more common than we want to admit.
1) Rapid change (Roxbury) can lead to sense of isolation.
a) "No one knows me - I can do what I want..."
b) There is less social pressure to stay married, much
less faithful.
c) Very little accountability.
2) Result is divorce, drugs, road rage...
[wild car on Route 80, shifting across 4 lanes]
B. Upheaval can also lead to spiritual awakening.
1) It is a time when many people first turn to God.
The famous English preacher, John Stott, did a survey of
his congregation.
He found that the majority of them were saved after a time
of personal desperation, a sense of being at the end
of their resources.
#2476
I am positive it would be the same in our church.
2) If your life seems like a shambles right now, praise God!
a) You may discover what real faith is all about.
b) It worked for the shepherds and Magi and Mary.
1> It can work for you.
III. Jesus is the expert in handling upheaval.
A. He was consistently at peace in the midst of turmoil. #4242
1) Crowds pestered him.
a) Strangers grabbed his clothing.
b) People disturbed his sleep.
c) They interrupted his sermons.
2) One day in the life of Jesus: Matthew 14:13-36
a) He went on a boat trip. 14:13
b) Healed the sick. 14:14
c) Fed the 5,000. 14:19
d) Helped a friend through a storm. 14:27
e) Healed more sick, who pawed him. 14:35
f) All this, and he still had time to be alone
with his Father! 14:23
B. Jesus had supernatural help.
1) "By myself I can do nothing." John 5:30
2) He lived a life of unbroken fellowship with the Father.
3) Each time he healed, he was drained. Mark 5:30
a) He had to be refilled through Spirit.
C. Where is our help?
IV. One day at a time.
A. We must have a personal relationship with Jesus.
1) Magi and shepherds and even Mary had to make a decision.
a) They were called, but had to answer.
2) Not church membership or family heritage.
B. We must abide in him. John 15:4
1) Many have a traumatic period and believe.
2) Trauma is over, they drift away from God.
3) Being a Christian means following Jesus for the long haul.
C. Daily trust for help and peace.
1) "Do not worry about tomorrow." Matthew 6:34
2) "Give us each day our daily bread." Luke 11:3
a) Charles Spurgeon -
"He only permits us to pray for daily bread, and only
promises that as our days our strengths shall be."
D. Connection to others.
1) Jesus had a way of bringing people together.
2) Loneliness is one of our greatest curses.
3) God's answer is the church - the way it is supposed to be.
V. Rise above your circumstances.
A. Jesus promises us a new attitude toward life.
B. We are not slaves of our circumstances.
C. Do you feel this sense of peace? Really???
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
#3088 "The Art Of Positive And Negative Preaching," by Craig Brian
Larson, Leadership Magazine, Winter 1995, page 78.
#2476 "Blessed Are Those Who Mourn," sermon by Rev. David Holwick,
December 16, 1984; (original source unknown)
#4242 "At Peace In The Whirlwind," by Lorraine Pintus, Discipleship
Journal, #97, January-February 1997, page 60.
These and 5,000 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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