In Every Situation, In Every Heart...jesus

IN

EVERY

S I T U A T I O N

,

F O R

E V E R Y

H E A R T

…JESUS

Daniel A. Brown, PhD

We’re delighted to spend Christmas Eve with you, gathered around the gorgeous tree and all the sparkling lights that remind us of the Light of the World, Who hung once-for-all-time on a Tree outside of Jerusalem. Since that turning point in human history, many things have changed in our world—but what God accomplished through Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection continues to heal, restore and redeem individual people from every corner of the planet, every strata of society and every walk of life. I know school’s out, but we can have fun learning interesting facts about the world around us, right? Let’s see how we do…starting with where we fit in the cosmos. CAN YOU NAME ALL NINE PLANETS? Even though the world keeps getting smaller in terms of transportation and communication, the number of people living on planet earth gets larger and larger with each passing year. In 1824 the world’s population was 1 billion. Today, 6 billion people inhabit the earth, and by year 2013 it will be 7 billion. W HAT WOULD YOU IMAGINE WAS THE WORLD’S POPULATION WHEN JESUS WAS BORN? Did you know that there are 6,809 languages spoken in the world right now? Abnaki, Osage and Tolowa are 3 of 417 nearly extinct languages. CAN YOU GUESS IN WHICH COUNTRY THEY’RE SPOKEN? Speaking of countries, DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY (Independent) COUNTRIES THERE ARE IN THE WORLD? Isn’t it incredible to realize God knows everything about everyone, everywhere? He loves each of us equally, no matter how young or old we are, no matter where we live or what language we speak. In Heaven, we will gather around God’s throne with people from every nation, tribe and tongue—because Jesus was born the Savior of all the world. That’s what the angel told the shepherds near Bethlehem; and what Simeon prophesied when Jesus was dedicated in the Temple: But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a Light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” Luke 2:30-32

Jesus was conceived and born according to God’s plan and power, in order to be our Savior! That’s how He got His name. Before Jesus was born, an angel told Joseph, His earthly father, to name Him GodSaves [trans. Jesus] because Jesus was going to save people like us from our sins. What does that mean? To understand that a little better, TRY EXPLAINING TO SOMEONE WHAT IT MEANS TO:  SAVE A BOTTLE FROM FALLING OFF A TABLE.  SAVE SOMEONE FROM DROWNING.  SAVE A PLACE FOR SOMEONE AT THE MOVIES.  SAVE A BASEBALL GAME FOR THE STARTING PITCHER. What would happen in each case without a savior?

THE COASTLANDS, Aptos Foursquare Church

Being “lost” means at least one of three things: 1. You had no idea which direction to head because no landmarks looked familiar; 2. You didn’t know how to get where you were going; and/or 3. Someone really important (like your mother) couldn’t find you. Soon it will be harder to get lost—at least in the first two ways—because of a new technology called Global Positioning System (GPS) that uses 24 continuously orbiting satellites (11,000 miles above earth), 5 ground “control stations” and a simple, but big-sounding mathematical principle called “3D-trilateration” to pinpoint the exact location of a GPS Receiver (like in your Palm-Pilot). We’ve all heard stories of people lost in the mountains who get found by rescuers. With a reference point high above the earth, the lost can easily be found. W HY DO YOU THINK GOD EVEN KNOWS THE NUMBERS OF HAIR ON YOUR HEAD, AND WHY IS HE SO GOOD AT KNOWING HOW TO SAVE YOU?

Every year the Red Cross asks people to donate blood to help people who require more blood than their own bodies can produce (for surgery or a transfusion). In order to safely give blood or to receive it, we have to pay attention to blood types. All blood types are not compatible with one another. Did you know that cows have 800 different blood-types, and cats have 11? HOW MANY BASIC BLOOD TYPES DO HUMANS HAVE? (HINT: Don’t forget about positive and negative). The most common blood type is O+ (40%)and the least common is AB- (1%). As a general rule, you can safely receive blood only from your own type. The one exception to this are those people (6% of the population) with O- blood. Their blood is the most sought-after by the Red Cross because it can be given to everyone—regardless of their blood types! That’s why it’s referred to as THE UNIVERSAL DONOR. We could just as easily call it THE DONOR OF THE WHOLE, WIDE WORLD. No matter where we end up, no matter what happens in our life—or in the world around us—Jesus is our Savior. To Him we are never just a # among the billions; He knows how to “speak our language”; He offers us citizenship in another country, called Heaven; He will save us when we cannot save ourselves; He will rescue us when we get lost; and He has donated His blood to save our eternal life. Because of Christmas, we can confidently say, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea… Psalm 46:1-2 Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. Psalms 90:1-2

THE COASTLANDS, Aptos Foursquare Church