Have we made Christmas more about presents, than His presence; gifts given rather than the gift already received.

1. Matthew 1:18-19
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about:
His mother Mary was pledged to be married to
Joseph, but before they came together, she was
found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous
man and did not want to expose her to public
disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
www.networkbible.org

2. Matthew 1:20-21
But after he had considered this, an angel of the
Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take
Mary home as your wife, because what is
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will
give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the
name Jesus, because He will save His people
from their sins.”
www.networkbible.org

3. Matthew 1:22-23
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had
said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with
child and will give birth to a son, and they will
call Him Immanuel’ –which means, ‘God with us.’
www.networkbible.org

4. Matthew 1:24-25
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of
the Lord had commanded him and took Mary
home as his wife. But he had no union with her
until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him
the name Jesus.
www.networkbible.org

5. A child born points to His HUMAN nature; a son
given His DIVINE nature
Joseph knew the WORD of the Lord and is walking
in the WAY of the Lord.
HUMILITY and OBEDIENCE walk hand in hand in
welcoming His presence.
Have we allowed Christmas to
become more about PRESENTS
than His PRESENCE?

6. Saving us from sin means that we won’t receive
what are sins deserve and that it is POSSIBLE to
live in the presence of God.
Names have SIGNFICANCE.

7. All sin is ULTIMATELY against God.
“The INFINITE became and INFANT” (Charles
Spurgeon)
God…through Immanuel invites us into an intimate
RELATIONSHIP with Himself.
Jesus can only give the
PRESENT of forgiveness
because He is the PRESENCE of
God.

8. Mary and Joseph chose the DISGRACE of the world
for God’s favor.
Which are you seeking more, His PRESENTS or His
PRESENCE?
God’s presence comes with a
COST

9. Please take a moment to fill out your
Communication Card
My Next Step Today is to:
( ) Do the home life help (in bulletin)
( ) Evaluate if my traditions help me to focus on
Christ
( ) Examine how well I obey the Word of God I
know
( ) Humbly seek God
( ) Embrace Christ whatever the cost
( ) Other________________________