Fill Up

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Christmas Eve 2010 Good Evening and welcome to our Christmas Eve service My name is Rob Willey – I’m the SP here at Harvest Bible Chapel . . . And I’m glad you’ve chosen to worship with us on this special occasion

And it wasn’t b/c they decided it would be that way – it wasn’t by the will of the flesh – some built-in desire they had . . . Or the will of man – an act of their own determination Nor was it a physical thing of blood, like their natural birth

When you get right down to it, this service is a celebration of anticipation A time to come together with those you love, and worship (or celebrate) the One whose birthday we anticipate; It’s a celebration of anticipation

Becoming a child of God is a spiritual transformation brought about by the will of God, in those who believe in his Son, and receive him as their Savior To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

And I trust that as we do that, as we tune our hearts to sing his praise . . . I trust that your heart will swell with the goodness and greatness of God, in sending his Son to be the light of the world The very one that the angels announced by saying – Gloria, in excelsis deo; Glory to God in the highest And I think it’s appropriate that we do the same; Let’s stand -----------(Video – He Came; right after the worship set) He came, as a light shining in darkness the Bible says The light of the world; The light of life (John 1:11-13) [In fact,] he came [the Bible says] to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. He came to his own; His own people Not egotistically with a bunch of fanfare, but quietly as the video said Not routinely, but miraculously; Not proudly, but humbly; Not grudgingly, but willingly And he came to love the unlovable, heal the terminal, and serve the impossible To redeem those in bondage, renew those in despair, and save those in peril He came to his own, and yet his own did not receive him They rejected him; They despised him; They mocked him; They crushed him They neither saw him for who he was, nor followed him for what he did  But to all who did receive him To all who did accept him; To all who did embrace him To all who believed in his name – who trusted and accepted him as God in the flesh, Savior of the world, and Lord of all . . . To those, he gave the right to become children of God it says To those, he gave the right to be a part of God’s family, God’s people The ones he calls his own With the full benefits of “childhood,” including protection, provision, and an inheritance – in this case, an inheritance of eternal life To all who believed in his name, he gave the right to all the privileges of being a child of the living God

 That’s the way it was in John’s day, and that’s still the way it is in ours If you believe in Jesus – i.e. if you believe that he is who he says he is, and that he’s done what he says he’s done . . . And receive him by faith – to rescue you from your darkness, and save you for life . . . If you believe and receive – he will adopt you into his family, and call u one of his own That’s why he came Stepping out of eternity and into time – so we could step out of time and into eternity He came from heaven to earth – so we could go from earth to heaven He came from power to poverty – so we could go from poverty to power; the poverty of our spirit, to the power of his He came, out of light and into darkness, so we could step out of darkness (lights out) and into light The light of life; If you believe, and receive  Pray – Lord, though we dwell in a land of darkness, on us you have shined (Is 60:1) (Light candle; Leadership Team come forward) We’ve seen your light and we believe And for those who are believing and receiving your Son Jesus for the very first time, may you flood their hearts with the light of life . . . And find them so shining before others that they too may see, and believe Lord Jesus we worship you with a celebration of anticipation Remembering your birth, and the reason you came – on this Silent but Holy night (Leaders light candles after prayer; Rob remains on stage) Isaiah said – Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. (Is 60:1) Let’s stand and worship (O Holy Night; Silent Night) Close – God bless you; Sleep in heavenly peace, and have a Merry Christmas You Are Loved (Blow out candles; Pause briefly before bringing up lights and music)