At the Movies: Christmas Edition

Christmas at Venture

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parable - earthly story with a heavenly meeting

I. There is power in an invitation.

As a church, we want to look for and see the one among the many.

John 1:35-45 NIV

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Your invitation matters.

Give someone the gift of your attention.

Matthew 19:14 NIV

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

I. There is power in an invitation.

II. Seeing the one starts with your heart.

John 1:42 NIV

And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

Jesus not only saw who Simon was but who he was becoming.

God looks beyond the surface of your present or your past, and He responds to you with unfailing love, forgiveness, and hope for your future.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Psalms 51:10 NIV

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Don't minimize what God can do.

Genesis 2:7 NIV

Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

We can't create a bigger heart; only God can.

God creates a new heart that is now sensitive to sin, sensitive to grace, and sensitive to forgiveness that is found only in Jesus.

Psalms 51:12 NIV

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Psalms 51:16-17 MSG

Going through the motions doesn’t please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice. Going through the motions doesn’t please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.

Your pain, distance, hurt, need, and heart haven't escaped God's notice.