Every year at Christmas service I have been talking about the birth of Jesus.
Today we are going to look at the story of Christmas in a bit of a different perspective and I will give a message in a way of a challenge.
Today’s message: Don’t lose Jesus!
Let’s read Luke 2:41 to 50
41 “His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; 44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” 49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.”
Luke 2:41-50
Today is our Christmas service, the world is celebrating Christmas, the town is full of lights, people are buying a lot of food and preparing for Christmas.
How about you? How are you going to celebrate? What are your plans for Christmas? Is everything ready? Did you buy a lot of gifts? And spent a lot of money?
What I can see is: Many people are celebrating Christmas without Jesus and I want to talk for a few moments on this subject: Don’t lose Christ at Christmas.
Sometimes rather than being drawn to Christ at Christmas we actually get pushed further away from Jesus. It seems that in the midst of all the celebration we lose Jesus.
The text we read tells us about a 12 years old Jesus going with his parents to celebrate Passover. If we want to get down to it, Passover was all about Jesus. Jesus is the Passover lamb and they lost Him during a celebration which was to be about him.
They lost him in the midst of the celebration.
I think that can happen to us if we’re not deliberate about keeping Christ in our Christmas. We can lose Jesus. It’s possible to lose Him in the midst of the Christmas Celebration.
How can we lose Him? I’m talking about fellowship. Mary was still His mother even though she had lost him for 3 days. Joseph was still His earthly father, even though he had not had any fellowship with Him in three days.
It’s possible to be a Christian but not be in fellowship and in relationship with Him. Many are celebrating Christmas but are not in an intimate relationship with Him, they are not in love and don’t know Him in an intimate and powerful way.
I’m saying to you that I can lose my fellowship with Him and if I lose my fellowship then it’s possible for me to lose my relationship with Him if I don’t do something about it.
Joseph and Mary lost fellowship with Jesus for three days.
Noah lost it, David lost it for a season in his life , Sampson lost it for a season in his life, Peter did too and so can you!
Don’t deceive yourself.
1 Co 10:12 says
“If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.”
1 Corinthians 10:12
It’s possible for you to lose Jesus even when celebrating Christmas. It’s possible to come to church and hear from Jesus , and sing songs about Jesus but not be in close relationship and fellowship with Him.
Where do we lose Jesus?
In a bar, in a club? They lost Jesus in the midst of a religious celebration. You see, Passover is about Jesus in the same way that Christmas is about Jesus and it’s possible, in the midst of all the Celebration of Christmas you can become so distracted that you lose your fellowship with Jesus Christ in the midst of celebration.
Mary and Joseph lost Jesus.
I love this season, I love Christmas, I love decorations, the lights, the parties, the food, being with my family, the exchanging of gifts, but what I can see Jesus is not in the middle of His own birthday party.
We let the celebration of Christmas take Christ from Christmas and that’s not how it should be!
Christmas is about Jesus Christ and somehow we end up losing Jesus!
How did Mary and Joseph lose Jesus? They didn’t lose Him by being against Him, they didn’t lose Him by denying Him , they lost Jesus by taking him for granted.
The Bible said that they just assumed that He was in the middle of their religious celebration.
“But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.”
Luke 2:44
They just assumed Jesus was with them, they didn’t know for sure, they just assumed it.
I’m saying to you that you cannot have the joy of Christmas without the worship of Jesus. You can have all the celebration of the lights , the decorations, gifts but you cannot have the joy of Christmas without the worship of Jesus.
The Bible says they went a on day’s journey, getting further and further away from Jesus in the middle of a Jesus Celebration (because that’s what Passover was)
No love should be greater than your love for Jesus Christ. No other focus should be greater than your focus on Jesus Christ. Allow no distractions this Christmas. I want to be in true fellowship with Him.
How long has your journey gone for without fellowship with Him? 3 days?
For some of you it’s 30 days, for some of you 3 months and for some of you 3 years!
How long have you been away from him?
How long has it been since you lost Jesus?
How many more weeks are you going to go without him? How many more days? How many more months?
How do we find Jesus again if we have lost Him?
Joseph and Mary found Him right where they left Him! Jesus didn’t leave them, they left Jesus.
Jesus didn’t leave you, you left Him. Come back to where you left Him and that’s where you will find Him.
They found Him in the temple. Where they first lost Him. If you are not in a close relationship or if You are not in love with Him, come back to the Temple, come back to the church meetings that you don’t take part in anymore. In the Temple you will find Jesus. Come back to the altar, come back to the prayer meetings, come back to the Cell Meetings that you don’t go.
You know where you left Him, you know where you got away from the Lord. If you open your heart He will show you where you lost Him.
It’s so tragic if you let the very celebration of His birth draw you away from Him. Make a conscious decision this Christmas: I will not lose Christ at Christmas.
What we are celebrating it’s not a tree , not presents, good food or a family party: it’s Jesus!
In this text that we read in the Bible it’s about the lost Christ! The most unlikely person to lose Jesus was Mary, His mother. She had a close relationship with JESUS and yet she lost Him.
Don’t fool yourself, you can lose Him doing religious things. You can lose Him sitting on a church seat and coming to church and doing a bunch of religious things and not having a true fellowship and relationship with Jesus Christ.
You will lose Him if you are not careful over what you handle, where you go, the people you hang out with, what you talk about, the things you allow to occupy your heart, fill your ears, your eyes, your mind!
And we need to be careful so that we don’t lose Him and assume that He is still with us.
You cannot live off yesterday’s touch, you can’t live on last year’s blessing, you need a close relationship today.
Please don’t act like you can’t lose Jesus, cause you have been in church for 5, 10 or 20 years. Those are the ones who lose Him because they just assume He is there, you can’t assume just because you take part in a Sunday service.
It’s not about being religious, it’s about a close relationship and fellowship with Jesus Christ.
The most unlikely people in the world became the first to lose Jesus.
Not only did they lose Him, but Mary and Joseph didn’t know they had lost Him! I wonder if you know?
You can lose Him and not know it! Why? Maybe because you became carnal, because you became religious.
““Look! I stand at the door and knock.”
Revelation 3:20 NLT
Jesus said to the church in Laodicea you are rich, you have many things: I’m standing outside knocking on the door while you’re inside the church celebrating me! They had lost Him and didn’t even know.
How can we have a Church without Christ? We want Christ in our life, we want Christ in our church, we want Christ in our Christmas.
They lost Him and they didn’t know it! You can lose Him and not know it!
Sampson lost Him but didn’t know it. He woke up and wished the Spirit had not departed from him.
I’m telling you, if you are not very very careful you can lose the precious anointing of God. You can lose the fellowship and the presence of God.
The presence of God upon your life is worth more than anything this world can offer.
When we take the Lord’s Supper, the Bible says we should examine ourselves, in the same way we need to examine our body in the natural world… If you find a lump and can save your life.
When was the last time you examined yourself spiritually?
And you noticed that you are not the same as you used to be, you don’t pray as you used to pray, and maybe you have lost Jesus in the middle of religious celebration.
You don’t have to be an extravagant sinner to lose Jesus. You don’t have to smoke, you don’t have to commit adultery or smoke weed. They lost Him among religious people. They lost Him in the middle of the temple, worshiping, singing, teaching.
The preacher can lose Him , the worship team can lose Him, we can lose that vital fellowship with Jesus Christ if we don’t carefully examine ourselves.
You have to pray: look into my heart Lord, see if there is anything in me Lord because I don’t want anything to rob me of your presence.
A church without Christ is a religious organisation, a preacher without the anointing is a joke (or performer)! We need to be desperate for God because it’s the presence of Jesus in the Church that will make the difference!
Don’t lose Christ this Christmas. How long have you been without Him?
Mary was without Him for three days! How long have you been without Him? One month? One year? Five years? How long?
Today you can find Him where you lost Him!
Where did the prodigal son find the father? Where he left Him! He returned to his father’s house.
Where did Mary find Jesus? Right where she left Him in the temple.
““Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.” “Yes, we will come to you, for you are the Lord our God.” Jeremiah 3:22
God is saying: Return to me and I will heal you, I will cure your backsliding!
If I failed, if I neglected Him, if I left Him, if I tried to live without Him, He is not mad at me: He is saying: Return to me and I will heal your backsliding!
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”
Psalms 103:8 NIV
I love you freely, says the Lord and you can have this joy again, you can have Christ in your Christmas and in your family again.
His Grace is greater than our sin and He says to you: If you want me you will find me right where you left me.
So examine yourself, examine your Christmas! Don’t lose Christ in the midst of a religious celebration.
Let’s turn our hearts from backsliding, evil and sin and go back to His presence!
You can begin again, He is merciful and He says to you: return to Me! He has Grace, He has forgiveness.
This is the message of Christmas, return to Jesus, return to your first love, return from your celebration without Christ! Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
True Christmas is when we give Him a Christmas gift! What could you give Him? What He wants is your broken heart!
Return to me! This is God’s voice to you !
Pray and Jesus is going to hear your cry, He is going to cleanse you of the guilt, the condemnation and the shame!
Happy Christmas and may the Lord bless and keep you!