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LESSONS FROM THE WISEMEN Pardon The Interruption – Part 1 12/17/2023 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. Matthew 2:1-12 NIV All too often we make Christmas not a celebration of Jesus but a celebration of ourselves. It is time to interrupt the cycle of self-centeredness. 3 Things To Learn If We Want To Experience Jesus This Christmas 1. Wise Men Seek Him They are coming to Him because He has already come to them. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. John 1:1,14 NIV Are you willing to respond to the move he has already made? 2. Wise Men Worship Him When we worship, we open up our hearts and offer treasures to Him. • Gold - When you worship you see Jesus for the King that he is. • Frankincense – When you worship you see Jesus for the High Priest he is. • Myrrh – When you worship you see Jesus as a sacrifice for our sin, our Savior. 3. Wise Men Turn and Follow Him They went home a different way. The Son has come and He is too big to ignore.

Give Online: https://pushpay.com/pay/gatecitychristian Website: https://www.gatecitychristian.com/ Decision Card: https://gatecity.churchcenter.com/people/forms/371658 PREPARED TO LOVE Now What? – Part 11 12/10/2023 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ESV Be Prepared To Love By: I. Choosing To Love Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25-27 ESV The church is likened to the bride of Christ from which many similarities to marriage can be drawn. He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. Matthew 19:4-6 ESV We are joined to Christ and not meant to be separated from him. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 3-6 ESV There is one Wedding Day. One day of Salvation. A separation from our past pointing to a new future. Your first anniversary does not come after 365 wedding days. It takes 364 days after your wedding to get there. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35 ESV Jesus has issued a clear command that we are to love one another. Just as our love for our spouse must grow – so should our love for others. II. Cultivating a Loving Spirit If love came naturally, we wouldn’t need the Holy Spirit But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 ESV Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, Colossians 3:12 ESV Allow the Holy Spirit to shape your character and develop a loving disposition III. Acting in Love “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:18 ESV 1. The action is between you and God 2. The action increases desire 3. The action is how you grow It isn’t love till you actually take action

Give Online: https://pushpay.com/pay/gatecitychristian Website: https://www.gatecitychristian.com/ Decision Card: https://gatecity.churchcenter.com/people/forms/371658 WORLDLY DESIRES Now What? – Part 10 12/3/2023 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15-17 ESV DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD What is the world? Possessions Culture/Trends Entertainment Ideas/Philospohy MONEY Why? 1. It is not your real life They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. John 17:16 ESV 2. It will not last - meaning it ultimately does not matter Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19–21 ESV 3. It poisons your heart For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? Mark 8:36–37 ESV And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15 ESV Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 ESV Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. Proverbs 11:4 ESV LIVE FOR WHAT MATTERS MOST Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Col. 3:2 What does God care most about? What holds the greatest value? What is worth sacrificing everything? PEOPLE MATTER MOST God cares most about people so INVEST in people But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Isaiah 43:1–4 ESV SHARE but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 1 Peter 3:15 ESV GIVE Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Hebrews 13:16 ESV Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. Luke 6:30 ESV SACRIFICE Greater love has no one than this, rthat someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13ESV SERVE Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4 ESV Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10 ESV “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:31–40 ESV But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 1 Timothy 6:6–8 ESV

Give Online: https://pushpay.com/pay/gatecitychristian Website: https://www.gatecitychristian.com/ Decision Card: https://gatecity.churchcenter.com/people/forms/371658 I AM ACCOUNTABLE Now What? – Part 9 11/26/2023 The Need for Relational Accountability And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13 NIV Accountability Is: Honesty, Availability, Teachability, Transparency, Vulnerability... The Realities of Accountability: 1. We learn through obedience, not information. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:23-25 NIV 2. Accountability helps us stay obedient. Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Gal. 6:1 NIV My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20 NIV • Accountability is not Disclosure! • Accountability is not Transference! 3. Accountability is Empowering Someone to Grow – Really! • Accountability helps us stay focused on what is true, so that we can grow. Where do I start? You Need ESP 1. Encourage one another – Toward spiritual realities. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV 2. Serve one another – Modeling Christ’s love. You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:13-14 NIV 3. Protect one another – Pastoring those who need help. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13 NIV We Model Christ’s Love to the World in Our Relationships… By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:35 NIV Accountability helps us to look at ourselves and shows us where to grow.

Give Online: https://pushpay.com/pay/gatecitychristian Website: https://www.gatecitychristian.com/ Decision Card: https://gatecity.churchcenter.com/people/forms/371658 NEW Now What - Part 8 11/19/2023 NEW kainos - newness in sense of fresh existence neos - newness in the sense of renovation, repairing something NEW CREATION Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17–21 ESV Truth: I am a creation that didn’t exist previously Application: I am not bound by same constraints as before I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 ESV NEW LIFE/SELF Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:17–24 ESV (see also Col. 3:5-10) We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4 ESV Truth: God breathed new life in me through the Holy Spirit Application: My strength and power now comes from the Spirit Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV NEW HEART And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. Ezekiel 36:26–27 ESV Truth: What matters most to me has and is changing Application: I find joy in new places, new experiences, and new purposes’ The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5 ESV Warning: What the heart does and is exposed to matters Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23 ESV Maintaining a New Heart 1) You must remove yourself from the equation 2) Trust the Lord 3) Find joy outside yourself in His purposes and presence 4) Feed your heart what is pure 5) Obedience is not optional 6) Surround yourself with people of the same heart 7) Expect rejection (Rom. 12:21 “overcome evil with good”) 8) Seek every chance to grow GOD made me a New Creation GOD is my source of New Life GOD gives me a New Heart And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5 ESV

Give Online: https://pushpay.com/pay/gatecitychristian Website: https://www.gatecitychristian.com/ Decision Card: https://gatecity.churchcenter.com/people/forms/371658 DARE TO SHARE Now What – Part 7 11/12/2023 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20a NIV You Are Challenged To Go and Make “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 NIV “Jerusalem” = the people closest to me “Judea/Samaria” = people near but different from me “Ends of the earth” = everybody else! “This was God's plan for all of history which He carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ephesians 3:11 GW 1. I Must Share With Those In My World “’Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:39 NIV “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” 2 Peter 3:9 NIV 2. I Must Dare To Reach Beyond My World “I was hungry, and you fed Me. I was thirsty, and you gave Me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited Me into your home. I was naked, and you gave Me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for Me. I was in prison, and you visited Me.” Matthew. 25:35-36 NLT 3. I Must Care About The Whole World. "And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.” Mark 16:15 NLT “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.” Mark 8:35 NLT “… David had served God’s purposes in his own generation...” Acts 13:36a NIV The 6- Week Challenge: Share Jesus One on One Excuses for not taking the challenge: 1) I don’t know who to talk to. 2) I’m not ready to share. 3) I don’t think I can do it. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.’” Matthew 16:24 NIV “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8 NIV The Challenge Is Personal and The Rewards are Eternal DARE TO SHARE Now What – Part 7 11/12/2023 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20a NIV You Are Challenged To Go and Make “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 NIV “Jerusalem” = the people closest to me “Judea/Samaria” = people near but different from me “Ends of the earth” = everybody else! “This was God's plan for all of history which He carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ephesians 3:11 GW 1. I Must Share With Those In My World “’Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:39 NIV “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” 2 Peter 3:9 NIV 2. I Must Dare To Reach Beyond My World “I was hungry, and you fed Me. I was thirsty, and you gave Me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited Me into your home. I was naked, and you gave Me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for Me. I was in prison, and you visited Me.” Matthew. 25:35-36 NLT 3. I Must Care About The Whole World. "And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.” Mark 16:15 NLT “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.” Mark 8:35 NLT “… David had served God’s purposes in his own generation...” Acts 13:36a NIV The 6- Week Challenge: Share Jesus One on One Excuses for not taking the challenge: 1) I don’t know who to talk to. 2) I’m not ready to share. 3) I don’t think I can do it. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.’” Matthew 16:24 NIV “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8 NIV The Challenge Is Personal and The Rewards are Eternal