2. What is all of THIS for? What is its purpose? Most people say: “It’s FOR ME!”

3. God would say… “It’s FOR ME!”

4. The “stewardship” mindset: oikonomos (Gk.) – ”one who oversees or manages the household or civic affairs of another.”

5. God rewards us: A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. - Luke 12:42-44

6. We get messed up: But what if the servant thinks, “My master won’t be back for a while,” and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant in pieces and banish him with the unfaithful.

7. We get messed up: And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished…When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. -Luke 12:45-47, 48b (NLT)

8. Great organizations: World Vision www.worldvision.org Compassion International www.compassion.com International Justice Mission www.ijm.org

9. Kingdom math: 300 Adults X $100

10. $30,000 buys… -2 (almost 3) deep water wells

11. $30,000 buys… -2 (almost 3) deep water wells -1 orphanage

12. $30,000 buys… -2 (almost 3) deep water wells -1 orphanage -2 churches

13. $30,000 buys… -2 (almost 3) deep water wells -1 orphanage -2 churches -A hospital ($39,000)

14. $30,000 buys… -2 (almost 3) deep water wells -1 orphanage -2 churches -A hospital ($39,000) -Hurricane Sandy relief

15. Christmas is FOR ME… 1)Because I am a sinner. “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” -Romans 5:12 (NLT)

16. Christmas is FOR ME… 1)Because I am a sinner. “For everyone has sinned we all fall short of god’s glorious standard.” -Romans 3:23

17. Christmas is FOR ME… 1) Because I am a sinner. “…all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say, ‘No one is righteous—not even one.’” -Romans 3:9-10 (NLT)

18. Christmas is FOR ME… 2)Because I am incapable of saving myself.

19. Prior to Christmas: Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. -Eph 2:1-3 (NLT)

20. Christmas is FOR ME… 3)Because God really wants me to be saved. “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them all.” -1 Tim 1:15 (NLT)

21. Christmas is FOR ME… 3)Because God really wants me to be saved. “God doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent and be saved.” -2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)

22. Christmas is FOR ME… 4)Because it is God’s redemptive plan! “I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” -Gen 3:15 (NLT)

23. Christmas is FOR ME… 4)Because it is God’s redemptive plan! “The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” -Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)

24. God Incarnate: In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

25. God Incarnate: Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” -Luke 1:26-33 (NLT)

26. At just the right time: But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. -Gal 4:4-5 (NLT)

27. The glory of the Lord: So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. -John 1:14 (NLT)

28. He saved us: The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. -Romans 8:3 (NLT)

29. Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see - such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. -Col 1:15-17 (NLT)

30. Christmas is FOR ME… 5)Because Jesus IS the gift I need the most! “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 6:23 (NLT)

31. For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. -John 3:16-17 (NLT)