hello to all of our locations all of our family in dupat all of our family in yakal all of our family in
bellw all of our family online all of our family right here in Tacoma Merry Christmas to all of
you today I don’t know if you have seen our family Christmas card yet but I wanted
to just show you our family Christmas card I think this is my favorite family
photo of all time why because I’ve always wanted to be
tall and as you can see ju just for reference my daughter is 510 my son-in-law is
6’2 so what does that make me like dreams come true hang in there
dreams come true and thank you to the photographers who helped make that
happen okay we’ve been in a series the last couple of weeks and I want to just for a few minutes I want to talk about
your story his glory say that with me your story story his glory his
glory scripture says in Luke 2:8 it says there was in the same country Shepherds
living out in the the field keeping watch over their flock by night and behold an angel of the Lord stood before
them and they were greatly and the glory of the Lord Shone around them and they were greatly afraid and then the angel said to themo not be
afraid for behold I bring you good tidings everybody say Good Tidings Good Tidings everybody say great
joy which will be for all people everywhere from every back background from every Walk of Life people with
various and different stories this is for all people there’s born to you this day in the city of David a savior who is
Christ the lord and this will be the sign to you you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a
manger and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly hosts praising
God and saying glory to God God in the highest glory to God in the highest I know that is sounds King James
oldfashioned say it with me right now say glory to God glory to God in the highest high one more time glory to God
glory to God in the highest glory to God is the
highest of all calls that we are called to and it is a call to recognize the
supremacy of God the sovereignty of God the reality of his deity and to see him as the source of
everything good in your life to bring God glory means to honor
him and to worship him and to praise him there were different kinds of people
that gathered around in Bethlehem on the that first Christmas and each of them had their own unique
background and childhood different experiences and circumstances and then all of their
stories intersected on one magnificent opportunity to bring glory to
God they all had Stories the Shepherds had stories they were foreigners usually and didn’t socialize much with people
outside their Circle typically uneducated and then there was a young man named Joseph who was engaged to a virgin girl named
Mary she told him she was going to have a baby now now that’s a story yeah what what a
story Joseph considered divorcing her what a story right the drama the
trauma the challenge the lack of understanding there was an inkeeper
in the story and he he was uh he was in Bethlehem it seemed like he was the one who made room for them in the stable he
made room as far as we can tell and know when it was it not convenient what what a
story what a story there was the magad guy they weren’t just star
Chasers but for Generations they had studied the skies and they had studied the stars and the ancient ient prophe
prophetic writings and a lot of people think well how did they know what did they know
well they had studied so much that they knew when a star appeared that hadn’t been
there and then they referred to scriptures like Daniel chapter 9 which provided a timetable actually it
was called I won’t get deep into it but it was called seven sevens from the rebuilding of Jerusalem to when the Messiah would come I’m just giving you a
little bit of background like they didn’t just like all of a sudden it sounds cute almost but it’s far from
just being star Chasers they were people with a story since the time of jesus’ birth
there’s been a lot of people countless amounts of people all with different stories who have heard and responded to
the call to bring glory to God and here’s what I want you to understand today is that the idea and purpose for
your life is that you would glorify God the idea and purpose of your life is
that you would glorify God if if there’s a lack of fulfillment in your life it could be
that you’re not walking in the purpose of God which is to glorify him you see the Bible says
everything comes from God everything lives by his power and everything is for His
glory everything is for His glory in your success and in your failure in your struggle and in your
strength in your setback and your comeback on your bad days and your good days you were born to give God glory to
give him glory in the valley give him glory on the Mountaintop give him glory when you like what’s happening when you don’t like
what’s happening the idea of our life is to give God
glory and everyone has a story you have a story your childhood
your your parents your relationships the color of your skin your School
teachers and your enemy wants to use your story against you to confuse you to
discourage you to defeat you to provoke you are you are you listening to this preacher on Christmas Eve the enemy
wants to use bits and pieces and this and that and what they said and they did and what happened to you against you but God wants to use your story to put his
goodness on display he wants to use it for his
glory there was a man who one day when Jesus was walking with his disciples they came across th this
blind man he’d been blind from his from his birth and the disciples get into this debate theological debate who’s to
blame for this man’s condition and his blindness was it his parents and or was it this man and there’s mysticism
involved in all of that I don’t want you to look at what Jesus said in the middle of all that he said neither this man nor his parents sin but that the works of
God might be on display in him blind for what for
purpose there’s a purpose in your struggle there’s a purpose in your
situation so what did Jesus do he spat on the ground put mud on his eyes told him go wash in the pool of soone
he got healed that day and the works of God were on display in that man’s life everybody say my story my story his
glory that’s exactly what God wants to do for you today if you’ve not been treated fair if you’ve been taken
advantage of don’t make the mistake of getting caught in a Blame Game finding fault placing blame anybody can do that
you’re a son and daughter of God and God wants to use your story to give him
glory you might say well pastor Kevin how do we how do I do that how do I make how how do I give God glory with my
story I’m going to give you three quick things today number one make it all about him make it all about him I can’t help
myself I my wife showed me a funny video and I got to play it this morning cuz it’s just funny I want you to look at
it I’ve been here 18 years and have suffering through some weird thematic Christmases a Honolulu Christmas A P
fiction Christmas a Muslim Christmas Moroccan Christmas moaca Christmas I don’t want it Christmas is Christmas
it’s Christmas it’s Christmas I don’t want no quaner Reef I don’t need a drle in my face that’s its own thing and who’s that black Santa for I don’t care
I know Santa ain’t black I could care less I want Christmas just give me plain
baby Jesus lying in the manger Christmas you ever felt that way come on
you guys just give me plain old baby Jesus lying in a Manger Christmas that
funny make it all about him tell your neighbor make it all about
him but really when Mary was visited by the angel and he told her hey this is your life it’s not going to be fun it’s not
going to be easy but there you’re not you’re not married and you’re going to be under suspicion and people are going to have all kinds of things to say about
you and you’re going to feel rejection and all that because you are about to have a baby what did Mary say so be it
unto me according to your word wow wow wow that’s her way of
saying it’s not about me it’s about you make it
about him that’s how you give him glory the number one rank golfer in the
world right now is a guy named Scotty Shefler and I love the story when he was a couple of years ago he was closing in
on his first Master’s golf tournament win he wakes up early on Sunday morning
three days of golf behind him he’s doing really well and as he wakes up and he’s sitting in his hotel
room he starts to cry he breaks down crying and he says to his wife I don’t think I’m ready for this kind of
pressure in my life and Meredith his wife stepped in calmed him down told
him Scotty who are you to say that you’re not ready so good who are you to say what’s
best for you your life Sheffer after he won the Masters
that day he told this little story he said the whole conversation this morning was about how God is with me God’s
always been with me if today is my time to win so be it if today is my time to
lose so be it and here’s what he said either way I will use it for his
glory somebody say for God’s glory say it again for God’s glory god say my
story his glory glory the second way that we give him glory is to change your
story so make it about him make it all about him and change your story now I’m not saying that you can change your
experience but you can change how you see it and how you tell it because you’re story is not just
what’s happened to you I’m helping somebody right now if you will listen to me I’m helping you
it’s not just what’s happened to you it’s how you see it how you say it what you name
it what some people name a problem other people name an opportunity what some people name a
curse others name a blessing and when you start to see God in your story your story
changes you don’t see him absent you see him there in the messy in the goofy in the
hard in the circumstances in the uncertainty in your time of failure in your weakness in the
crisis you see him there and when you see him there you change your story
right maybe you’ve heard of Nick I’m going to try to say his name vuik I might be getting it wrong
but Nick was born with a rare disorder causing him to have no arms and legs and when he was 17 years old just 17 years
old he started giving inspirational talks wow inspirational talks for every young
person and teenager who when somebody says how you doing look up
Nick inspirational talk 17 years old inspiring other people that graduated from college at
age 21 with a double major in accounting and financial planning then he went in founded his own Ministry called life without
limbs he’s written several books but the biggest seller is a book called Life Without
Limits yeah a guy with no arms yeah and no legs how’s that for changing your
story I said how’s that for changing your story how’s that for going from a pity party to giving God
glory come on somebody somebody shout I’m blessed I’m blessed somebody say God is good God is
good all the time all the time Nick travels and speaks about his testimony of faith in
Christ wow one thing is for sure today is that no matter what your story is
God’s Not glorified in negativity he’s not glorified in Fault finding he’s not
glorified in bad mouthing he’s not glorified in complaining he’s not glorified in grumbling he’s not glorified in
criticizing God is glorified when we have an optimistic Faith filled attitude
in our life in all circumstances and
situations God’s glorified when we stay confident when we encourage ourselves when we show gratitude to those around
us I hate to say this but some of you who are here today at one of our location you know when if you don’t change something right now you’re you’re
the people you’re getting with on the holiday are are actually not looking forward to being with you if you don’t get a different look on
your face a little bounce in your step and a smile come on there there’s some people going oh man I’m I’m with Uncle
Joe today again haven’t seen him in a long time and there’s a reason for that like but he’s coming over yeah there’s some
people cuz everybody in church don’t get this you don’t get that you are blessed you are a child of God you are here to
Proclaim his goodness in your life he is above all through all in
all and that’s why we’re here to be thankful we’re here to make him the
center of our life to declare his Supremacy his superiority what does that mean Pastor Kev that means that when
things don’t go your way to just look to the heaven say but God you know better than I do and God I know that in all
things you are working right now for my good because you are God I’m not God you are the Creator I am the
creation when you change what you see and say about your story you literally
change not only your story but you change your life and lastly when you ask how can I bring
glory to God number three is you declare his glory you declare his suprem out of your
mouth you declare as reality you declare as deity
there’s people today who are attending a church service and and God God wants so
much for you to declare like it’s why you’re here on
Earth what’s that mean Pastor Kevin refer to him as your source of every good thing go ahead honor him it feels awkward maybe some of you aren’t used to
it but just honor him great like those arms they’re squeaky when you start to move move them but go
ahead your neck go ahead and put it back God you are good I’m just telling
you what what happens is that the presence of God will come over your life something will change because you are created
being who is here to glorify God
Amen look at a couple scriptures real quick and we’ll I’ll wrap up my part we’ve got a a great time coming here in the last
few minutes of our service we’re going to light candles we’re going to worship God but let me just tell you about declaring his glory the writer says from the rising of the
Sun to the place where it sets the name of the Lord is to be praised that’s God’s that’s glorifying God getting up
in the morning and saying God you’re good Lord I Thank you thank you for life thank you for for breath Psalm 145 says
one generation shall commend your Works to another when kids are complaining and teenagers don’t understand they’re
moping around and kids are you know hey hey son hey come on calm down you remember that guy at church the
pastor showed us he didn’t have any arms you’ve got two so how about we thank the Lord right now for what he has done for you re
remember remember that God’s good and you’re here and you have like that’s what it says one generation will commend your works oh God to
another and we’ll declare your Mighty acts and I love this one it’s Romans 12 and 2 it’s in the message version just
kind of summarizes my message of the purpose of your life and my life today it says here’s what I want you to do God
helping you take your everyday ordinary life you’re sleeping you’re eating you’re going to work you’re walking
around life and place it before God as an offering to
him remember this is literally the big idea of everything right it’s the Fulfillment of your
purpose in just a moment we’re going to light candles and we’re going to we’re going to Worship the Lord
together it’s a perfect time for you to pray and
to turn heavenward and in your own voice in your own way just glorify God it’s a
perfect time for you to pray a prayer of new beginnings there’s some of you God’s talking to today and he’s saying hey how
about you just start walking with me following
me make me the center of your life glorify me how about you just start doing life
my way watch what I can do if you’re here today and you say pastor Kevin I want a new beginning in
my life my relationship with God we’re all going to pray this simple prayer I just ask you to invite us and then or or or to pray with us and then
I’m going to encourage you to in the aftermath of that worship him with your own voice your own way say
with me right now say Lord Jesus Lord Jesus my life is yours my life is
yours beginning today beginning today I ask you to be I ask you to be my leader
my leader and my Lord my Lord forgive me of all my sins forgive me of all my S make me new make me
new I’m here I’m here for your purpose for your purpose
to honor you to hon you and to glorify you glorify you in Jesus name in Jesus
name merry Christmas everybody God bless
you