When Jesus came to earth, few understood who He really was. Angels attempted to tell Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, but they still were unable to grasp the complete meaning of God’s message. People are still confused about Jesus’ identity. Who is He?

Isaiah 9:6 foretold that He would be our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace.

Wonderful Counselor. Jesus came to be our Counselor. He is always available to listen to us. When we’re lonely, He’s our Friend. When we’re discouraged, he lifts us up. When we’re confused, He gives us guidance and wisdom.

Mighty God. Jesus came to give us power. He gives us salvation and sets us free from sin. He loosens us from the bondage of fleshly desires. He shields us from Satan’s attacks. He protects us from temptation. Psalm 103:1-5 says He forgives, heals, and delivers us. He is the Mighty God, and He still works miracles today!

Eternal Father. John 10:30 says that Jesus is both eternal and one with the Father. Colossians 2:9 says that the fullness of deity dwells within Him. He is just as divine as the Father and the Spirit. They are co-equal, co-eternal, and co-existent with one another.

Prince of Peace. John 14:27 says that Jesus came to give us the kind of peace He had while He was on earth. Romans 5:1 says that in Him we have peace with God through salvation, and Philippians 4:6-7 says we have the peace of God as we pray. Because His peace is perfect, we can sit at His feet and enjoy utter calmness.

May this Christmas season find you more in love with Jesus Christ than ever before. Worship and adore Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God. He is God’s special gift to us all.

 Observations from Luke 17:12-19

 1. 10 lepers ASK for help.

 2. 10 lepers RECIEVED help.

 3. Only one expressed GRATITUDE.

Expressing gratitude is not based on BLESSINGS.

 4. Jesus was AMAZED.

A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves!

How To Grow Your Gratitude:

 1. Express gratitude as a discipline INDEPENDENT OF FEELINGS.

 True gratitude involves the heart as well as the lips.

 But sometimes when our hearts are cold our words can be sparks that kindle us again.

“Let every detail in your lives, words, actions, whatever, be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.” Col 3:17

 2. Express gratitude for the SMALL & ORDINARY Things.

 “If you learn to appreciate more of what you already have, you will find yourself having more to appreciate.” -Michael Angier

What you appreciate will appreciate

 The more you COMPLAIN, the less you’ll OBTAIN.

“Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude.” Col 4:2

 Lucado wrote, “The devil doesn’t have to steal anything from you, all he has to do is make you take it for granted.”

3. Express gratitude especially in the midst of ADVERSITY.

God doesn’t ask us to be thankful for the sorrows that come our way, but He does want us to demonstrate trust in His care by thanking Him in spite of them.

 The Apostle Paul said, “Give thanks in all circumstances,” not for all circumstances (1 Thess 5:18).

 When we are grateful, FEAR disappears and FAITH appears.

Turn your attention from your PROBLEMS to God’s

PRIORITIES in your life. How?

Not what happens to me But what happens in me!

(1) Look beyond yourself and see the BIG-PICTURE.

 (2) Surrender yourself and acknowledge your DEPENDANCE on God.

When your over your head it really doesn’t matter how deep it is.

 (3) Forget yourself and CARE FOR OTHERS.

 This message is really helping the person on your left. Aren’t you glad you bought them.

 4. Express gratitude toward others in TANGABLE WAYS.

 “Silent gratitude isn’t much good to anyone.” -Gladys Stem

“I came that you might have life and live it in high definition.”

John 10:10 (Pastor Tim’s Translation)

Jesus Defines the Hi Def Life: Luke 4:18-19

I. Live life in TRUE CLARITY.  Your Life will Change when you meet Jesus Christ

“My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you…” Prov 3:21-22

God’s Truth Brings:

A. PHILOSOPHICAL clarity. Worldview Changes

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” Col 2:8

B. MORAL clarity.

“May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in You.” Ps 25:21

C. SPIRITUAL clarity.

“We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true . And we are inHim who is true — even in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20

II. Live life in GENUINE WARMTH. Pulls you in God’s Love

“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16

God’s Love Brings:

A. Healing to our SOULS.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”Ps 147:3

B. Healing to our RELATIONSHIPS.

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Col 3:13-14

C. Healing to OTHERS.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Cor 1:3-4

III. Live life in VIBRANT COLOR.

“For whoever finds Me finds life and receives favor from the LORD.” Prov 8:35

God’s Favor Brings:

A. PEACE.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:7

B. CONFIDENCE.

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil 1:6

C. JOY. They Celebrated

“You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.” Ps 16:11

WELCOME to the “LIGHT”

Prov. 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

“Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.” Ps 90:12

“Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”1 Thess 5:18

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” James 1:19

“Lord, help me control my tongue; help me be careful about what Isay.” Ps 141:3 (NCV)

Think before you speak.

T  –  is it   TRUTHFUL.

H  -  is it   HELPFUL.

I   -   is it   INSPIRATIONAL.

N -  is it     NECESSARY.

K -  is it     KIND.

How to Speak Life into People

1. APPRECIATE People.

“No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thess 5:18 (NLT)

2. ENCOURAGE People.

“Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thess 5:11

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today…” Heb 3:13

3. PRAY for People.

“Pray at all times and on every occassion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.” Eph 6:18 (NLT)

“The tongue has the power of life and death…” Prov 18:21

The Bible is amazing and I never cease to be amazed at all the wonderful promises that God has for us. I was recently doing a study on God’s promises to prosper the work of our hands.
One of the things that stood out to me, that I think many Christians miss is that most of these verses about prospering are contingent on something. For example, in Psalm 1 it is says that we need to be doing things God’s way and staying in the Word and then what we put our hand to prospers.

It’s easy to say that we want God to prosper what we are doing, but I have noticed that most times in my life when things aren’t prospering like I want, it isn’t because God didn’t hold up His end of the bargain, but that I didn’t hold up mine. Usually after prayer and re-evaluation, I can quickly figure out what I was or wasn’t doing that was preventing things from prospering like I wanted.