If Jesus had been the bland, politically-correct Jesus of Christmas cards, Herod's first Christmas would probably have been jolly. But the true Christ of the Incarnation was a Christ who troubled Herod and continues to trouble all who refuse to bow in unconditional surrender to Him. When we put the real Christ back into Christmas (and into the rest of our lives) we may find other religious people around us similarly troubled. Herod believed in a real historical Jesus, he believed in the supernatural, and he believed the Messiah had been born — but he was not saved, and he did not rejoice in the the challenge to his will that the real Jesus presented. This sermon is a challenge to make sure you don't believe in Jesus the way Herod did, and a call to rejoice in the very things that trouble the Herods of this world.
The role of the Holy Spirit in the First Advent, and the importance of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. This sermon shows the ways that God poured out His Spirit into the key players of the Christmas story, and how the same spirit of adoration, of preparation, of joy, of giving, of empowerment, of prophecy, of guidance, and more, can be poured out on us as well.
This sermon untangles the controversies over the prophecy of Jesus being from Nazareth, the prophetic significance of being a Nazarene, the connection to all the passages describing the coming Messiah as "the branch," and more.
The Father sent Jesus to earth with a mission and purpose. Then Jesus said, "As the Father has sent Me, I am also sending you." This sermon compares the Father's purpose for sending Christ into the world with the Father's purpose for us, and gives a call to be more and more driven by the Father's mission for our lives. Jesus knew exactly what His mission on earth was. Do you know His? Do you know yours?