Bulletins - First Baptist Church of Huntersville West Virginia

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
O Holy Night
Matthew 1:18–23 CSB
18 The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit. 19 So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. 20 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.”
God’s love moves toward us.
God didn’t wait for us to come to Him - in reality we could not make it even if we tried.
The Father named Jesus, Immanuel… literally it means “God with us”
The King left glory for a cradle, trading heaven’s throne for human flesh.
Love doesn’t stay comfortable, it crosses boundaries.
True love found in Christ moves toward the hurting.
The greatest gift of love wasn’t sent from a distance… it came near.
God’s love redeems the unworthy.
John 3:16–19 “16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. 19 This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.”
The love of God is more than mere sentiment - it’s a sacrifice.
Love gives more than it receives
God’s love is inclusive (who(ever) believes)
The world tells us “you’re fine as you are” but God’s love says, “I love you too much to leave you that way.”
God’s love defines our response to the world.
1 John 4:7–11 “7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.”
We loved because God loved us first.
Love begins with God and overflows through His people.
We reflect His love to the world
John 1:4–5 “4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.”
Jesus is the light of the world - Isaiah 9:2 “2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.”
We need to let the light of Christ shine in this dark world.
You may think your light is not enough (turn off lights)
But when each one of us lets our light shine…. eventually the darkness dwindles and the light reaches the dark places
This Christmas - celebrate the birth of our Savior, rejoice in the Hope found in the baby born in Bethlehem… shine the light of Christ to all the world.
- - Matthew 1:18–23CSB
Silent Night Holy Night

God’s love moves toward us.

God’s love redeems the unworthy.

God’s love defines our response to the world.

We need to let the light of Christ shine in this dark world.

Matthew 1:18–23CSB