Is believing all there is to it?

 

                                                                                                                            Epiphany Sunday!

                                                                          Matt. 2: 1-16

Introduction:

A.        Today is Epiphany Sunday!

            1.         An epiphany is an ah-hah moment!  It is a moment when the light bulb

comes on and we come to a realization.

                        2.         The wisemen had an epiphany.  It was that this baby was a king, so they

took him gifts fit for a king!

 

B.        As we read in Matt. 2 we see that Herod believed that Jesus was the Messiah or

king.    I guess we could say Herod had an epiphany too!

 

C.        From all indications, he was so sure that in verse 16 he had all the male children

under 2 yrs. old in Bethlehem killed!

 

D.        He believed, but he reacted the wrong way on this belief.  Look what he tried to

do!  Was this pleasing to God?

 

Trans:

What should our belief bring us to?  That's what I want to look at this morning!

 

                                                                         Prayer

I.          First, we do have to believe!

A.        Before we can be right with God, we have to believe that God came in Jesus to do

for us what we can=t do for ourselves, forgive our sins and give us a new start!

 

B.        Before we can ever hope to make a difference for God, we have to believe that he

can make a difference today!

 

C.        But then what?

 

II.        Then, this belief must bring us to the right action!

A.        Just to believe in general that God came in Christ does nothing for us until we make

it personal and believe and receive that God did it for me in particular, asking God

to forgive us of our sins.  It must become something personal. We must act on

what God has done for us!

 

B.        Just to believe that Jesus can make a difference today is not enough!

1.         If we don't yield our lives to Christ for service.

read  Jas. 2:17 - 20

2.         God has chosen to use people to get the Kingdom work done in the world

today!  Without us, it will not get done.

                        3.         Methodists come from a tradition that believes very much in doing

something with our faith.  That is why John Wesley started the small

groups in the Church of England.

 

C.        Do you believe?  What are you doing with that belief?

 

III.       Some are reacting like Herod!

A.        They believe in God and may even believe in Jesus, but they are taking the wrong

actions upon those beliefs.

 

B.        Few people when you point blank ask them will tell you they don=t believe in God,

but they haven't accepted that God came in Christ for them, and they feel guilty.

 

C.        Because of this guilt, they lash out at Christianity!

1.         They try to bring Christians down to make themselves look better.

2.         They try to make the church look bad.

a.         If they hear any bad news, they are sure to tell it.

b.         If they can tell a joke that makes the church look stupid, they will.

                        3.         God isn=t for them a personal thing; God is a by-word and isn=t something

                                    to be taken very seriously.

 

IV.       But others believe and are going about doing the Lord's business.

            A.        They are claiming the promises that they can make a difference. They are lovingly

                        trying to do that!

B.        They are working and serving, and they are seeing fruits for their labor.

C.        They feel a purpose and are happy with their Christian lives.

 

V.        Churches that are growing are blessed with some of these believers.

A.        They believe God can make a difference, and they are excitedly working for the

Lord!  They are being used of God to share God’s love!

 

B.        They aren't defeated with the belief that "nothing will work today."

 

C.        Instead, they "know" something will work, and they are busy trying to find ways to

minister to the needs of people today that do work!!

 

Conclusion:

The Epiphany this morning it that God came in Christ.  That is the ah-hah moment: this

Baby is God in the flesh.  The first question that we have to deal with then is, ADo we

Believe that?@ The 2^nd is, AWhat are we going to do because of that belief?@

 

A.        Do you believe this morning?

 

B.        What are you doing because of that belief?

 

C.        Is God pleased with it?

 

 

D.        As we encounter Christ at the table this morning, we can ask God to help us with

our unbelief and to help us act appropriately on that belief!

 

E.         After you receive communion and since we are starting a new year, you will be

given the opportunity to have your hands anointed, thereby saying “God, use these hands in accordance with your will this year!”

 

                                            Prayer of Confession & Blessing of the Oil

 

Service of Communion and Anointing of Hands