Foundations Ownership of this Thing

If you have more than 1 Child at Christmas "Mine!"

Church: "Our family were Charter members, so…"

"I'm talented and good At what I do So treat me that way!"

"I had this when we Got married…" "I make this much" "So this is mine!"

The Real Christmas Changes that… Completely

Christmas is about God Reclaiming what's His And entrusting it to People who know it's His

Mine becomes His Ownership becomes Entrustment

Jesus enters Jerusalem He cleanses the temple

Jesus enters Jerusalem He cleanses the temple Whose temple?

They ask, "By whose authority Do you do this?" Who are you to do this To our temple?

Right after… Give to God what's his Pay to Caesar what belongs To Caesar (It's not yours)

The widow's mite She didn't consider it hers But trusted God

Sandwiched right in-between

“A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country

“A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country Labored. Whose is it?

When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard Where does it go from here?

And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed

Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully

And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed You can't have it. It's ours

This is Jesus Telling the story Of Christmas

Christmas He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son’

But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours’ Crucifixion

And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard

What will the owner of the vineyard do?

He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others

Christmas is about God Reclaiming what's His And entrusting it to People who know it's His

Have you not read this Scripture: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone Have you not read this Scripture: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone

Built on Jesus Else it's not true (square, right)

…this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” God uses what men reject

Not ours! - People That's OK. Mine! And "mine" trumps "yours" Every.Time.- God

If you know who you are And whose you are You got nothing to prove To anybody Jesus is our example

And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away - Mark 12:1-12

The Story of the Christmas And all the Scriptures

God creates all of it It is all…?

God creates all of it It is all his The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it - Psalm 24:1

God's creation shouts, "Mine!" - Eat the fruit - Decide on their own offerings - Try to control their own lives And the lives of others

"I'll think about what you said, God. And if it fits my life I'll apply it. If not, I won't" - Christianity, 2015

God gives creates a people for himself. He gives land and says, "I've made you mine For my glory" "This land is mine For my glory"- Isa. 43, Ezekiel

They say, "This is ours to do as we wish!" Worship false gods Make treaties with enemies Sacrifice their own children

God sends prophets To say, "God's. Not yours. Repent And follow God again" They imprison, beat, kill The prophets (Vineyard)

God sends his Son An owner That's Christmas They will kill him Because they've decided It belongs to them

The Parable of the Vineyard: What belongs to God Is going to those who know It isn't theirs And who will manage it For His glory alone

Parable of the Vineyard: What will the owner of the Vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others

Christmas is about God Reclaiming what's His And entrusting it to People who know it's His

It belongs to Jesus All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made - John 1:3

It belongs to Jesus But he willingly lays His power, fame, ease aside To come reclaim what's his Not because he needs it… But we do

Jesus…though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped… Fame, Fortune, Power

…but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross…

Could have said, "Mine!" But instead he gave it up for Rebellious creation and said, "I'm willing to suffer and Die to make you mine. Because I love you"

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life Christmas

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God - John 3:16-18

Whoever believes in him - His! Not mine… …whoever does not believe - Mine! Hands off…

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God - John 3:16-18

Jesus gave up what belonged To him in order to Rescue us and make us his - Philippians 2

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus… Sacrifice is not just for Jesus It's also for his followers We don't get to shout, "Mine!"

…complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind Put aside ego and pride And unite with fellow believers

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves

God opposes the…? But gives grace to the…? Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves

Want to experience God? This. This is what it means Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others - Philippians 2

Be like Jesus. Give up "Mine!" To serve their needs Because you're His

Vineyard (Christmas): They treated servants badly Who reminded them That they didn't own it

God sent his Son to rescue and Give it to people who are Called to know better

Response to Christmas= Not mine! His. All his. For his glory alone And for their blessing through my sacrifice. That's our faith

God opposes the proud- Mine! But gives grace to the humble- Yours!

More than 1 Child at Christmas "Mine!" The answer? What Christmas is…gratitude For what you don't deserve

It's not your church Your family didn't die for it Church: "Our family were Charter members, so…"

All your talents come from God So act that way "I'm talented and good At what I do So treat me that way!"

"I had this when we Got married…" "I make this much…this is mine" It comes from God Who calls you "One Flesh" It's his. Share freely…

What's yours? Ready to recognize The truth?

As a church It's all his We seek to serve him As he leads us And to be faithful with what He entrusts to us

Pray Questions, Comments Disagreements

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