Jesus is for Everyone

1. INTRODUCTION
1. (Jesus is for Everyone slide)
2. Merry Christmas!
3. My name is David Sorn, and I’m the Lead Pastor here at Renovation Church
1. We’re so glad you’re here today.
4. I don’t know what comes to mind for you when I mention the ship Titanic.
1. (Titanic)
2. Maybe you picture a sinking ship
3. Maybe an iceberg
4. Maybe you just start singing Celine Dion
5. But on the real Titanic, people were divided between 3 different classes of people.
1. There was the first class (the wealthy class),
1. Which included people like John Jacob Astor IV…one of the richest people alive at the time.
2. There also was a Macy’s Department Store Owner,
3. Famous tennis player
4. A famous actress
2. Then there was the 2nd class
1. These were leisure tourists, academics, and middle class folks.
3. And then the 3rd class
1. The 3rd class was comprised of mostly immigrants who had scrapped together everything they had to get a ticket in the lower decks to hopefully start a new life in America
6. And yet despite their very different classes and statuses, they all had to face the same catastrophe, and they ALL needed to be saved.
1. No matter who they were.
1. And we’re going to see the same thing in our Christmas story today.
2. (Jesus is for Everyone)
2. That Jesus comes to rescue everyone who is willing to be rescued.
3. And we’re going to see that in the Bible today
4. PASSAGES
1. Speaking of that, go ahead and grab a Bible.
1. There is a Bible at your chair.
2. Luke 2:8-18
3. Page 699
1. You are at what is called a Bible-Teaching Church, so every week, we open up the Bible together and read what it has to say for our lives.
1. We’re going to join the Christmas story right after Jesus has been born and laid in the manger.
2. Once you get to page 699, find the big number 2 (that’s for the chapter), and then find the little number 8 (that’s for the verse), and you’ll be in the right spot.
4. (Luke 2:8-18) – NIV
5. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
   13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
   14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
       and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
   15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
   16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
6. (Jesus is for Everyone
1. So God sends angels to the shepherds, and they are the first to come and see Jesus
5. But there is another famous group who comes to see Jesus at a young age.
1. Now, this group actually appears quite a bit later, but they came nonetheless.
6. And we see that in the Book of Matthew in our Bibles
1. Matthew 2:1-12
2. Page 657
7. There are actually 4 different books in the Bible about the life of Jesus from 4 different authors (that’s why we’re going backwards in the Bible)
1. We’re going to another book about Jesus, Matthew’s Book about Him.
1. And in Matthew, we’re going to read about a different group that came to see Jesus.
2. So we’re at the start of the chapter now, so just find the big number 2
8. (Matthew 2:1-12) – NIV
9. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
   3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
   6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
       are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
   for out of you will come a ruler
       who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
   7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
   9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose, went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
10. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE YOU COME FROM
1. (Jesus is for Everyone)
2. Let me tell you what I see in these two passages:
1. It’s that Jesus is for everyone.
1. Everyone who is willing to seek Him.
1. And I see that in a couple of different ways
2. Jesus Came For:
3. #1: The low and the high classes
1. We’re going to see today that Jesus came to earth on a rescue mission.
1. That’s his main purpose.
4. And on this important mission, God chooses for Jesus to be seen first by the shepherds
1. And the shepherds are like the people down on the lower decks of the Titanic, in the 3rd class
1. Because, in those days in Israel, Shepherds were basically on the lowest rung of the social ladder.
1. They were excluded out in their fields.
1. A shepherd is what you became when you had no other fall-black plan.
2. They were poor and uneducated people.
5. But in contrast, the Magi, were almost the complete opposite.
1. Unlike, the shepherds, they were so educated that today we typically don’t call them The Magi, but what?
1. Wise men!
2. The wise men were actually priests in ancient Persia (think like modern day Iran and Iraq)
1. But they were so much more than priests…
1. …they were typically the leading experts on religion, science, and astrology, which explains why they might have noticed this star.
1. Along with the prophecies most likely passed down to them from the Jewish prophet, Daniel.
3. But these were men of great influence and significant financial resources
1. Many scholars think they came in a Caravan of 50 people.
3. So think about this: God reveals Himself to poor Jewish shepherds, and the wealthy Gentile Elite.
4. This would be like God today saying, “I am coming back in 5 years for a special visit, and my first two visitors will be a homeless person, and secondly, Jeff Bezos, or some other rich, powerful person.”
1. Why does God do this in the Bible?
1. He’s showing you the extreme contrast.
2. (Jesus is for Everyone)
1. It doesn’t matter who you are.
2. It’s like God is saying, “From A to Z,” to “richest to poorest,” from “the PhD to the person who didn’t get their GED”
1. Jesus is for everyone...
1. …everyone who will invite Him in.
3. And the message of Jesus is for you.
1. You could be sitting in those seats right now as the CEO of your own company.
2. Or you could be unemployed and wondering how you’re going to pay the bills.
1. It doesn’t matter.
2. Jesus is for both of you.
1. And both of you need Jesus.
11. IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW CLOSE YOU CURRENTLY ARE TO HIM
1. Let me show you another thing that jumps out in the juxtaposition of these two passages
1. Jesus Came For:
2. #1: The low and the high classes
3. #2: The near and the far
2. So think about this.
1. The shepherds are not far from Jesus.
1. We read in Luke 2 (verse 8) that they were in their fields “nearby”
1. And right after the angels appeared to them, they went right into Bethlehem, and were at the manger shortly.
2. But on the other hand, most scholars think the Magi’s journey from Persia took them somewhere between 6-12 months.
1. Plus, unlike the shepherds, who probably grew up hearing about the coming Messiah…
1. …growing up in cities like Jerusalem & Bethlehem.
2. The Wise Men were not only coming from far away geographically, but they were coming from far way in their own religious understanding.
1. They knew enough to seek the star, and that it represented a great king worthy of worship…
1. …but they weren’t near at all in their understanding of who the King really was and what He represented.
3. And here too, God is communicating a truth to our hearts.
1. …no matter where you’re coming from.
2. Jesus came for you whether you are near or far from the Truth of His Message
1. Some of you in here, you grew up in church
1. Went to Sunday school, youth group, or got confirmed.
1. And then as you got older, life happened.
1. Maybe you got busy
2. Maybe you made mistakes.
3. Maybe you even got mad at God
2. But like the shepherds, you’re not far away.
1. You know about God.
1. You just need to come back.
1. Jesus is for you, my friend.
2. He’s waiting for you, not with folded arms, but with open arms.
3. You can come back…
1. No matter what you did, or what you even said to God.
4. He forgives you, come back.
2. But others of you here, you’re more like the Magi
1. You don’t actually know all that much about Jesus
2. You feel like the wise men who in a land far away, saw a sign (a star), and they thought that meant they should go after it…
1. …but of course, they couldn’t have been sure.
1. No way.
1. They went in faith.
3. And for some of you, you feel like God is maybe real, and you’re starting to pursue Him, but you’re not sure.
1. And that’s okay.
1. I’m super glad you’re here.
1. I think that’s really admirable.
2. And God wants you to know, that He is for you.
1. And He wants you to know Him and pursue Him.
1. Because He’s pursuing you.
12. IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW MESSY YOUR LIFE IS OR NOT
1. Let me show you a third thing we should notice when we look at these two Christmas passages together
1. Jesus Came For:
2. #1: The low and the high classes
3. #2: The near and the far
4. #3: The messy and the meticulous
2. When we think about shepherds from the Bible today, lots of times we picture them in a nice, clean white robe, with their iconic hook staff.
1. And their clean white, fluffy sheep bouncing right behind them.
1. But that picture is all wrong.
2. Shepherding was a complete mess.
1. Sheep are dirty, and loud, and messy.
1. Your life as a shepherd would have felt like a constant mess.
2. In fact, the religious leaders of their day even told the shepherds this.
1. They considered the shepherds “religiously unclean” because the shepherds (due to taking care of their flocks all the time) couldn’t observe all of the religious hand-washing routines the religious leaders had made up
1. And so other people often thumbed their noses in the air at the Messy Shepherds.
3. And maybe your life feels like that.
1. Maybe you feel like that’s how people look at you.
2. Maybe you’re the black sheep of the family.
3. Maybe you’re the person who actually hates Christmas-family-get-togethers because you don’t want answer “what you’ve been up to this past year,” from Crazy Aunt Jackie or whomever.
1. …because well, honestly, this last year has been just one series of mistakes after another.
1. IF that’s you, Jesus is for you.
1. He came for you like He came for the Shepherds
4. I just love that everyone’s looking down at the shepherds, but then God says, “Oh you’re looking down on them, well guess who I’m showing up to first?”
1. The shepherds.
1. Jesus came for you, my friend.
2. Jesus is for everyone.
5. When the angels announce the good news to the shepherds (in verse 10 of Luke 2), the lead angels says, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for ALL the people”
1. ALL the people. Even the ones whose lives have been messy.
1. He came for you.
3. But notice I said that Jesus came for the messy and the meticulous
1. That is…those who think through everything, and every detail of their lives looks good.
1. Because some of you in here, people look at you, and they don’t see a mess.
1. Like the Magi, you’re not the black sheep of the family, you’re the poster-child of the family.
1. Life, on the outside, anyway, has gone fairly well for you
4. I remember wrestling with this in my life before I became a follower of Jesus.
1. I felt like I was a pretty good person.
1. I did (really) well in school.
2. Made what I thought were decent choices.
2. And yet…I was missing something.
1. I was missing what I was made for: A relationship with God.
1. You were literally created by God in such a way that the deepest joy you can know is a relationship with Him.
2. But many people don’t know that, so they always feel like something is missing.
3. And on top of that, I didn’t understand the core message of Jesus.
1. If you would have asked me, “Why did Jesus come in the first place at Christmas?”
1. I couldn’t have answered you.
1. Because I thought I was a pretty good person, I didn’t really see much of a need for Jesus.
1. And this is where, we must realize that Jesus is for everyone.
1. Even those who think they don’t need Him.
13. GOSPEL
1. Because the true story of the Bible is that we all need Him.
1. Because every person in here is like a passenger on the Titanic
1. When your body gets flung into the ice cold water, it doesn’t matter how smart you are, or how poor you are, or how rich you are…
1. Your only hope of salvation is the rescue ship.
2. And the same is true spiritually.
1. No matter who you are, or what you’ve done (or not done)…your only hope of rescue is Jesus.
3. That’s because every one of us has sinned against God.
1. No one in here is perfect.
2. (Romans 3:23) – NIV
3. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
1. We’ve all made mistakes.
1. Anyone in here do everything right this past year?
2. You brought love and peace to everyone you met?
3. Joy to the world?
4. You never did anything wrong?
1. We all did.
4. We’ve all sinned.
1. No matter who we are.
2. And our sin, creates a chasm, a gap between us and God.
3. (Romans 6:23) – NIV
4. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1. What that means is that Jesus Christ created a way for you to be made right with God.
5. (CrossBridgeIllustration)
1. I often think of it this way.
1. Without God, we are in chains to our sin.
1. Our addictions, our anger, our bitterness, our pride, selfishness, you name it.
2. And that sin separates us from God, from forgiveness, even from heaven.
2. But Jesus Christ came to earth on Christmas, so He could make a way for us to cross that bridge.
1. And He grew up on earth to not only show us (and teach us) how to love each other, and how to follow God, but He gave his life for us, dying on the cross.
1. And the reason He did that is He was dying for our sins.
1. He was taking the punishment that we deserved.
2. And the Bible says that when you believe in that (that Jesus died in your place)…
1. And when you repent, and renounce your old ways, and instead make Jesus the Lord and Leader of your life.
1. You can be forgiven, have a relationship with God, and eternal life in heaven.
4. And God offers this to everyone.
1. Rich, poor, educated, uneducated, near, and far.
5. But just like the wise men and the shepherds… you have to decide if you want to go seek him out…if you want to follow Him.
1. And I want to give you an opportunity to make that decision today.
6. Just like many of you are going to be opening gifts this week…
1. …the gifts will be passed over to you, but you have to decide if you want to open it.
1. Now, you might be thinking, “why wouldn’t I open a gift?!”
2. I’m saying the same thing to you!
1. “Why wouldn’t you open this gift?!
2. Do YOU believe?
3. Do you believe He is for you?
4. That He can change your life? And save you when you believe in Him?
1. If so, I can’t encourage you enough to give your life over to Him.
14. So I’m going to ask that everyone in the room just close your eyes for a minute or so. And bow your head. In fact, let’s do this.
15. If you need to make this decision for the first time today…to tell Jesus that you need His forgiveness for your sins…to make Him the Leader of your life…to accept His gift of Eternal life…And to invite Him in to have a relationship with you
1. In just a minute, I’m going to ask you to quietly stand where you are
1. No one’s going to be looking at you at all, that’s why we had everyone close their eyes.
2. This is an opportunity for you to surrender. And invite Him in to save you.
16. And so if you need to tell God for the first time today that you do believe, and you want to follow Him and be forgiven.
1. Then I invite you to stand up wherever you are right now.
17. The Bible tells us that in this moment we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths.
18. Repeat after me
19. Dear God
1. I confess to you, that I have sinned against you.
2. But God I believe, that you sent your Son Jesus, to take my place
1. And God I thank you, for forgiving my sins.
3. And now I commit, to following you, with my life.

(NEXT STEPS)

1. As everyone still has their eyes closed, for those of you standing up, you just made the most important decision of your life, and I believe that requires some more information…
2. I want to give you some extremely important resources & next steps to get you started on the most important journey of your life
1. So what I’d like you to do now is to start walking over to my friend over there (point to Amplify OR Worship Center Doors), and then I’ll come personally meet you there in a second and get you some resources and you’ll be able to come back in the service after that.
1. All right, I’m going to pray, and I’ll meet you there in a second.
1. Go ahead. Let’s pray