Mark Driscoll Audio

Nothing in Abebe's life was going well—nothing. Then one day, his wife asked him, what if this lack of joy was because he'd been refusing a call God had placed on his life to preach? Today, Abebe pastors a church of 69 people in an area dominated by Islam. By the grace of God, people are meeting Jesus—and yet the pastors are aching to do more. This is where you come in. Abebe is one of 20 church planters Mars Hill Global supports in Ethiopia. Please prayerfully consider how you can support church planters in Ethiopia, India, and Chile today as part of our extended church family by giving to Mars Hill Global. http://marshill.com/global

Paul writes to the church in Ephesus and starts by saying they are saints in Christ. A Christian’s identity is primarily saint, not sinner. You will sin some of the time, but you are a saint all of the time in Christ. A saint is remorseful over sin, receiving conviction from God; there is no condemnation for the saint. A saint is faithful and powerful over sin through the empowering grace of God.

Birhanu is a church planter in the Bench Maji region of western Ethiopia to the Surma tribe, well known for the large lip plugs worn by the women. Birhanu and his wife have been called by Christ to bring the good news of his gospel to lost souls because, as he says, "They have no good news." Birhanu asks for prayer for three things, and Pastor Sutton closes by praying for Birhanu, an emotional moment for him.

There are only two categories of human beings: those who are in Adam, and those who are in Christ. Are you in Adam or in Christ? In Ephesians 1, Paul says that if you are in Christ, you can be faithful, you are blessed, you were chosen and made blameless, you are forgiven, you can know the will of God, you are reconciled, you have an inheritance, you have hope, and you have the Holy Spirit.

Who do you think you are? God says you are made in his image and likeness; you’re a revelation receiver who is humbly honored, made to mirror, and blessed to bless. Satan lies and tempts our pride to believe that we can achieve an identity (e.g., through Items, Duties, Others, Longings, Sufferings), rather than simply receive it from God. This is identity idolatry, worshiping created things rather than the Creator.

We learn in the remaining verses of Matthew chapter 2 that Herod is a king and a killer, overseeing the slaughter of innocents (like many of us today); that God is sovereign and supernatural, and he speaks and sends; that Jesus is the greater Moses, the greater Israel, the greater King, and he provides the greater Exodus; and that Jesus’ people experience difficulties, duties, and delights.

Works righteousness is in fact unrighteousness. We are not saved by our good works; we are saved by the gift of Jesus’ work on the cross. Our unrighteous sin goes to him, and his righteousness comes to us. Do not trust in yourself as the works righteousness man in the parable did. Trust in the Lord as the repentant, humble sinner who received the gift righteousness did. Confess your sin to Jesus. Receive the righteousness of God in Christ. And then celebrate with joy.

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but why was he born? Jesus was born so that we could be born again. Once you’ve been born again, everything changes; you have a new Lord and you become a new person with a new identity, new power, a new mind, a new community, and new desires. This is the gift exchange: give Jesus your sin, be born again, and receive these gifts he gives.

The first responses to Jesus were selfish interest (like Herod), disinterest (like many Jews), and genuine interest (like the wise men). We don’t know much about the wise men, but they were wise to seek Jesus and worship him with their wealth. For them, the pursuit of Jesus was the most important thing (more than their comfort, security, wealth). Meeting Jesus is more important than anything else.

Christmas is about Jesus’ birth, when God came into human history as part of a family. Mary and Joseph were young and poor, yet godly examples of faith. Joseph accepted the script and family that God handed him, even though he had not envisioned a pregnant, virgin Mary. Jesus was the prophesied Son who would save his people from their sins. He is Immanuel, God with us, and he is still with us today. In this season of gift-giving, give your sin to Jesus and receive the gift of salvation.

For every one person who attends a Mars Hill Church Sunday service each week, 20 sermons are listened to online by people around the world. If you’re one of them, then you are our Extended Family! Find out more here: http://marshill.com/global

Does your family include incest? Does it include adultery? Does it include prostitution? Does it include murder? Jesus’ family does. The Bible is honest about it and invites you to be honest as well, so that you can see the sins of your family and know that you all need a Savior. Jesus welcomes you to be adopted into the family of God—the church—and together, as a family, grow to be more like him.

As God’s people in Persia experience salvation, they respond with celebration, the Jewish festival of Purim. All the stories, deliverances, promises, foreshadowings, and types of the Bible—including those in the Old Testament and Esther—lead us to Jesus. When we see deliverance and salvation, we think of the greater deliverance and salvation that Jesus brings. The whole Bible is about Jesus.

In life and at the cross, God works through reversals. Repentance from us plus reversals from God equals rejoicing. God’s people in Persia were sentenced to death, but in a reversal, they put their enemies to death. With this reversal, God’s people went from mourning and fasting to rejoicing and feasting. Our sin brought us death, but in the greatest reversal, Jesus’ death brought us life.

If you’re a Christian, you’re a missionary, sent into school, work, business, or neighborhood. Esther and Mordecai weren’t in vocational ministry—they were politicians—but they were effective missionaries because they were in the pagan culture. To be a missionary is to be simultaneously faithful to the Word of God and to be in the context of pagan people, like Jesus was. Who are you evangelizing?