Time to Change

I want to talk about Jesus and His kingdom. There are some here who are wondering about Jesus Christ, the church, Christianity. This word will cause you to be involved with Jesus Christ.

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What do I mean by that? Some here have been looking on, and Christmas is a good time for that to come into focus. It comes down to an individual’s relationship with Jesus Christ. It comes down to you as an individual – what do I think about Jesus Christ? What is relevant to me? The answer is everything.

Luke 1:26-27

We know Joseph was of the house of David – see the genealogy at the start of Matthew.

Luke 1:28-31

Jesus means saviour.

Matthew 1:21

He was to save people from their sins. That was the meaning of His name.

Luke 1:32-33

Philippians 2:5-11

He shall be great, son of the Most High. He will perpetuate the throne of David forever. It doesn’t matter what you think of Jesus Christ, because when He comes again to this earth, heralding the New Jerusalem, everyone will acknowledge Him as Lord. They may not know Him as Saviour, but they will have no choice but to acknowledge Him. Everyone on this earth will bow. Everyone will say, “You are Lord”, but not everyone will have Him as Lord of their life. He’s at the right hand of God in heaven, interceding for us. He’s alive.

We live in a time now where ... is He Lord for you, or is He just a name? Does His name trip out as a swear word?

Luke 1:32

This was referred to in the time of David.

1 Kings 9:1-5

There’s something about the people of God, the Jewish nation. God cherished that people. But it became apparent that the Saviour to come would come not just for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles. What was He coming for? To save His people from their sins. That gets personal! “His people” includes you. It’s not His people on a map somewhere. It’s personal to you.

Luke 1:29-33

Jacob fathered the twelve tribes. This Jesus, the Saviour of the world who would save His people from their sins ... God would establish His throne forever. Out from the Jewish nation, from the twelve tribes, to those that God would call, and that includes you.

It says in the Bible that faith comes by hearing the Word of God being preached. He takes the words by His spirit and uses those words as though He were speaking to you personally. It’s a curious way of doing things, but it’s the way He works.

At the end of the Bible it gives us a glimpse of what heaven is like.

I was talking to someone the other day and they were saying that things you valued when you were young lose their value, and you start to think ahead. As you do that, you need to have things right inside. You need the right relationship with God. He needs to be Lord of your life. You need the power of sin broken in your life.

Revelation 21:1-2

This earth will pass away and a new Jerusalem, a holy city, will come down from heaven. The bride is the church, New Jerusalem. The bridegroom is Jesus Christ. We’ll see shortly that Jesus talks about the kingdom of God in terms of a bride and bridegroom.

Revelation 21:3-12

Revelation 21:22-27

His kingdom forever – something over which a king rules. Are you part of His kingdom? Are you part of His kingdom on this earth right now? This was of concern to Jesus when He spoke to people.

Jesus often spoke in parables to make sure things were clear to those who wanted to hear.

Matthew 25:1-4

They all had a lamp. All ten went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them made the effort and put oil in their lamps. Five put it off for another time. Some people treat Jesus Christ like that. Time and again He’s been faithful. He’s come by His Holy Spirit to speak to you. You’ve faced Him and known that you need to sort things out, but you’ve put it off – “I think I’ll leave it for the time being.”

Matthew 25:5-12

Would God really do that? Jesus is saying this. Jesus was the one who came to save His people from His sins. He was conscious of who He was speaking to, and is conscious of who He is speaking to now. You are here for a reason.

The bridegroom came at a time they didn’t expect. How long are you going to sit on the fence, pushing things away and pushing things away – all the time knowing it’s time to get involved? It is the goodness of God which leads us to repentance – which leads us to want to live the right way, to go God’s way, to have His power inside you, to have sin dealt with. You try to live right, but you can’t. There are habits of life you have and you just go wrong. Jesus Christ came into this world to save His people from their sins. The bridegroom came at midnight, unexpectedly. How long have you got?

“That’s a bit in your face!” Well, I’m beginning to learn that in this role, I don’t want to be responsible for something I should have said and didn’t. What’s it going to be? Jesus is saying this.

Matthew 25:13

Watch therefore. When you hear preaching which conveys to you the idea you need a relationship with Jesus Christ which is clean, wholesome and true ... you need to be the light before God, not using the church as a cover for your sin. If your life is based on a lie, my word to you, as God is my witness, is that your life needs changing, and He is here this morning to face you up with the foundation of your life. It’s time to change.

Fear not Mary, you’ll bear a son, and He’ll be great, ... and of His kingdom there shall be no end.

Luke 1:38

Let’s be clear. As we celebrate this Christmas the coming of Jesus Christ, we’re not just talking about the infant. We’re talking about why Jesus came – and He came to save you from your sin, to take you from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, and it is getting to the point where you cannot put it off any longer. Or indeed, we are not getting to the point, but at it. You need to acknowledge the Word of God which has been preached this morning, acknowledge what the Holy Spirit has been saying. It’s no longer acceptable for you to hide in the kingdom of darkness. You need to acknowledge that, and acknowledge Jesus Christ and the fact that He has come to save you from your sin.