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It’s a time for reflection on Jesus’ sacrifice and the implications of our redemption in view of history. Are you forgiven of your sins? Do you know that Jesus is Lord of your life? If you aren’t sure, then take the next step and reach out. We would love to help you explore a relationship with a heavenly father who has the power to forgive you and save you from eternal judgement. Burnthickory.com/next

Is there anything that would keep you from giving your heart to Jesus right now? Do you want to know more about what it means to have faith and be saved? Then take the next step with us and ask any question you’d like – burnthickory.com/next

Pastor Matt show us through Judas’s story that there is a big difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus. We learn that Satan actively pursues those who show interest in Jesus, and if we are not in relationship with Christ, we are vulnerable, even before those closest to us notice. Jesus wants a relationship with us so that we might be saved. Do you have questions, or would like to talk to someone about what being in relationship with Jesus means? Then great! Take the next step and visit burnthickory.com/next or text “next” to 678-506-2462 to get answers. Luke 6:12-16: 12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Pastor Matt points out that when we follow Jesus at a distance, mask our identity to fit in with the crowd we are approaching denying Christ. But it’s not fatal when we fall toward Jesus. Can people look at you and know that you have been with Jesus? Maybe you’ve slipped into not placing your full identity in Jesus or you have questions about what it means to follow Him. Take the next step and reach out to one of our pastors - https://www.burnthickory.com/next Matt. 16:13-19 13 “…Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matt 16:21-23 21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Luke 22:31-34 31“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”33 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.

We see in Ephesians 4 - “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” This shows s that truth is supremely important, but so is the way to deliver that truth. John 13:21-25 21 …Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” 22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” 25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” John 18:15-17 15 Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, 16 but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in. 17 “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.” John 19:25-27 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

3 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to [a]ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Special Guest: Thomas Hamond.

As God holds all human life as His workmanship and as reflecting His image, it should be sacred to us. We also see in scripture that we are formed with this image from inside our mother's womb. The goal of exploring this in scripture is not to condemn anyone, but to show how we should reflect God's view of humanity, and learn that everyone is precious. John 1:4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Gen. 2:7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Eph. 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ps. 139:13-14 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. Gen. 1:25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Gen. 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Our service to the King must be centered around some counter cultural truths: That Jesus is the only savior worth following, that Jesus is the only pure example of what glorifies God, and that Jesus calls us to get of the throne of self-advancement and become a true servant. In God's kingdom, the standard of greatness is measured in service, not in authority or in accomplishment. We see this throughout Mark as well as in Philippians... Phil. 2:1-8 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Mark 10:43-45 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Remember the anticipation as a child of what gifts would await us on Christmas morning or the heartwarming thoughts of spending time with family and friends? This time of year might being memories flooding back to us. Think about a gift you received from someone who knows you better than you know yourself, or getting something that was your hearts desire. What is the ultimate gift? Maybe Christmas is a hard time for you. The burdens, unmet expectations, and even abusive and toxic experiences might leave you wondering why celebrate anything? Your hope is gone, and it's tough even just to function and get through the holiday without breaking down. No matter your circumstance, as a Christian, we get to look forward in celebration of Christmas, not for the worldly gifts, but for the greatest gift, God with us. Christ was born. God became man. That may seem like a weird thing to celebrate, but in light of what God's plan is - it's worth responding to. Christ became man so that He could bear our sins on a cross as our punishment, and died in our place - to save us. He takes the penalty of our sins and our punishment away, and all you have to do is believe and accept Him as lord of your life. Christmas is the perfect time of year to stop and consider what is there to be hopeful in this world. Especially in an ever changing and dark day we live in right now. What brings hope for life? What do we have to look forward to? If you have nothing to hope for, then take time to listen to this message, about Jesus Christ and what He has done. He wants you to be saved. He died for your sin. You can call our prayer hotline - 770-590-0372, or reach out by taking the next step - https://www.burnthickory.com/next. Someone will reach out to you.

Not only was myrrh used in biblical times for a perfume, it was also a painkiller. Remember in Mark 15:23 when Christ is hanging on the cross, the roman guards offer myrrh, and He didn’t take it. He wanted to take the punishment meant for us and he died feeling the full measure of our sin. More significant, myrrh was used to prepare dead bodies for burial - it was known as the death spice. Later in John chapter 19, we see Joseph of Arimathea ask Pilate for Christ's body so that it could be wrapped and anointed for burial. It's a beautiful foreshadowing of Christ’s death on the cross as substitute for us, by bestowing Him with the death spice at His birth.

Frankincense it was a standard tool of worship used it in sacrifice for the priest. It represents the priest who was the middleman between God and man as being set apart for service. Frankincense was also used to present a pleasing odor to God, and it symbolized the people obedience in worship. As we look to why the Maji presented this to Christ, we see that He is our priest, our go between, our mediator to God the father on our behalf. The Maji knew the Jesus was the ultimate high priest as foretold in scripture. You can accept Jesus today as your savior by taking the next step - burnthickory.com/next

When we read of the account of the birth of Christ in the bible, we see that it was not a silent night, and there were not just 3 wise men from the orient seeking Him. We see that these Maji are seeking the King of Kings to worship Him. In the same manner, we are not the same after our encounter with Christ. We must recognize His call as King, and bestow Him with worthy gifts, our best!

We see in Philippians that Paul's telling the church, in these remarkably awful times that we have right now, the way everyone is going to see Christ is through your gentleness and your grace. It's through the gentle grace that God has given us that we reciprocate that to everybody else. It's God through us. What are our social media interactions showing those around us? It's almost like we have this arrogant notion that if we can kind of clean ourselves up good enough in the sight of the Lord, then maybe we can run from the bad stuff in this world. Paul's telling us in scripture to come to God with a grateful attitude, and that's something so key for our relationship with Him. Our goal as Christians is not to avoid or eliminate unpleasant and tough circumstances, but to renew our minds, trust in God's goodness, and stay positive.

Church is not an event. A church is not a necessarily a location. The church is the group of redeemed people that God wants to speak to and through, and as a result of that, the church is the hope of the world. Church should be a refuge for broken, a place to find healing, and learn of the promises of God. We enable that by linking our lives intentionally together and we strive to be known. If you are looking for a church to call home, to be known and loved, to be taught and find refuge, then consider joining Burnt Hickory. Take the next step and discover what membership looks like – www.burnthickory.com/next

Why is God not hurrying in His judgment? Because God doesn't have to hurry, He's already there. You don't have to hurry to a place that you're already in. In God wanting people to come to repentance, He is tarrying in His return. You wait in your return. God doesn't desire anyone to fail, He doesn't want us to fall. He wants us to come to repentance in Him. It should affect us even more knowing that His judgment is coming. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." He's saying, hey, there is another kingdom, seek that kingdom. That's what holy living looks like. That's what holy life looks like.

We talk most often about the things that mean most to us. You ever met somebody that just stepped into a new relationship and they just won't shut up about it? How about somebody that got a new house or a new car? You can always tell a lot about a person through what they speak about the most. Peter says true believers speak of Christ, speak to Christ, speak what he has done, and what he's going to do. Are you living a counterfeit life? Based on the message today, what is your next step to live as a true believer?

"For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of His Majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying this is My Son in whom I love and with Him I am well pleased. We ourselves heard this voice that came from the heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain." Peter looks at the believers all around him and he says I know there's a lot of noise, I know there's a lot going on. I know a lot is happening, but if you're setting your minds in a direction to live a godly life then you're setting your minds to live a life of legacy. People that have a problem with certain parts of the Bible are always the people that are not living that part of the Bible. They're taking their context, and they're taking their life and then they're beginning to filter that into the Bible. That's the wrong direction. It never goes that way. The Bible always is the truth and filters to our life therefore college students, when you decide to move in with your boyfriend, girlfriend, when you decide to get drunk every night of the weekend and when you decide to sleep around and do whatever you want to listen, the Bible is still the Bible and you're wrong. You're wrong. If you want to be a disciple of Jesus, trust the Word of God. And when you trust the Word of God, it changes you.

Jesus gives us divine power, generosity, promises and an inheritance with an escape from the world's corruption. He has called us as servants, which means that He is Lord, we are not, and what He asks of us is of supreme importance. It may seem overwhelming, but He has also equipped our faith by giving us faith filled goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, Godliness, mutual affection and love. We reach this point beyond the middle of the road when we totally rely on Jesus for His peace and presence.

Jesus said, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” That is a characteristic of disciples of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10 says, "For though we live in this world, we don't wage war as the world does." The weapons we fight with, they're not the weapons of the world. If you're so caught up in worldly wars that are going on, you're going to miss the bigger picture. On the contrary, what we fight with, we have divine power, not temporary worldly power, divine power to do what? To demolish strongholds.

Our perspective of the bigness of God is often overshadowed by our prideful look at ourselves. We see everything around us and assume God's place as lord over our life. When we learn to see God's transcendence, we see things in the correct order of importance. A right view of the transcendence of God elevates our reverence to God. Isaiah 55:8 & 9 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts." The God of the Bible is no abstract deity that is removed from and uninterested in His creation. The Bible is the story of God's involvement with His creation, and particularly with the people in it.