The King Is Here
by Kevin Allen
December 7, 2025 · Centerpointe Apostolic Church (Murfreesboro, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2, Luke 2:4, Revelation 21:3, Revelation 3:20, Luke 2:8-11, Psalms 27:4, Luke 10:40-42, Isaiah 9:6, John 15:9, Ephesians 3:17-19, Mark 1:35, Psalms 23:5, Ephesians 3:19, Isaiah 61:1, Matthew 1:21, Psalms 103:12, Romans 8:1, Philippians 4:8, Psalms 34:8

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kevin-allen--the-king-is-here
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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The Christmas story is a story of God drawing near to you and I. That he didn't stay far away. He's not distanced. It's hard to read the scriptures and draw any other conclusion. If you read the word of God from Genesis to Revelations, God's continually closing the distance between himself and humanity. You can see in the scriptures, you see it in the garden when he walked with Adam and Eve. You see it in the tabernacle as he filled that place with his glory in that tent. In the temple, his presence rested among his people. And at Christmas time, God himself took on flesh and dwelt among us. Prophecy foretold of this moment. Isaiah 7:14 says, "Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel. God with us. Micah 5:2, the prophet says, "But you, Bethlehem, though you're little among the thousands of Judea, yet out of you shall come forth to me the one to be the ruler in Israel, whose going forth are from old and from everlasting. The Christmas story itself in Luke 2 verse number four. Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea to the city of David which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and lineage of David to be registered with Mary his betrothed wife who was with child. Just like scripture promised Mary gave birth in that very town. The Bible begins with humanity and it ends with the same vision. Revelations 21 and 3. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle is with men, and he will dwell with them. They shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God." Christmas, ladies and gentlemen, is a clear announcement that God desires nearness.

There's been a word that's just settled down in my spirit the last several weeks as I've been studying both personal devotion time and preparing for today and the rest of this month. And it's a word abide. For whatever reason, I felt like the Lord has just caused me to pause for a moment and think about what it means to abide, to be there, to be aware, to stop all that's going on and just concentrate. He desires fellowship with you and I. He desires and wants to be with us. Jesus is knocking and there's an invitation. In fact, this verse I'm fixing to read to you, Revelations 3 and 20 has just caused me to weep, when I really process what he's saying. Revelations 3 and 20 redlettered words. The words of Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with me." The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords stands at the door and knocks on our lives. Have you stopped to really process what Jesus is saying? That the one who created all, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the creator of the universe, the one who spoke everything that we know into existence is standing at our door knocking. >> Thank you, Jesus. >> Who am I that the king would knock? Who am I that he would even consider me to be worthy to spend any time with? Who am I? I don't deserve that. But he says just as the interpretation went, if any man will hear my voice, you see church, he's always speaking. His desire is always to commune, to communicate with us, to fellowship with you and I. And what he's looking for is for someone to tune in, to listen. But it's impossible unless we are purposely and intentionally trying to. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man will hear my voice, listen to those words. Let it settle in your mind. Spend some time in that verse like I have the last few weeks. And I promise you it will shift the perspective that you have that our great and powerful God is knocking. >> Are you listening to his voice? Are you hearing what he's saying? He doesn't barge in. He doesn't force himself into our lives. He knocks. He invites. And he waits. And the promise is intimacy. If anyone hears and opens the door, I will come and dine with him. What an invitation we have. I promise you, there is no greater invitation in life than that. There's no better appointment than that appointment. There's no nothing better that you could possibly spend time doing than opening the door and inviting him in. >> That's what Christmas is about. THAT GOD CAME. HE DIDN'T have to, but he chose to. >> He still chooses to. That's why we're here today.

I love this season. Even though it has the tendency to be get really busy, get to get really busy and full and we can get preoccupied with so many good things. Good things. I love that we have enjoyed Thanksgiving. So now it's appropriate to listen to Christmas music. I love that we have the decorations out. I think the stage is beautiful and the foyer's nice. I like all these things. Like the reminders of you've heard me say many times over the years during this time. I really enjoy the nativity scenes and sets that are there. We have many at our house and stopping to just look at them. How easy it is to pass by. How easy it is for it to become a common thing to see. But I would encourage you to stop, to just abide, to just be aware in the moment. I would encourage you if you have not done this yet in this Christmas season, I would invite you hopefully you have a nativity at your home, a set that you put out. But if you don't, then there are plenty around as you go through our city. I'm thankful that they're still being put out. And I would invite you and I would encourage you to just stop in front of one for just a minute and just allow God to speak for you to absorb the moment that is there for you to process what it is that was really unfolding.

Scripture shows us that God's desire is for closeness. It's for connection. It's for relationship. Luke 2 shows that the shepherds were startled by the angels. As it says in verse number eight, "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over the flock by night, and behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around about them." And they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Christmas is not merely the story of God arriving. It's the story of God restoring relationship. >> It's the story of God doing what God always does. He keeps his promises. >> He's a God that fulfills every obligation that he has stated he would. He's a God who keeps his word. Are you thankful for that? Yeah. >> A God who desires to sit with us, to speak with us, to commune with us. We were made, you and I, where we're were created to be in his presence. That's why when we are in his presence, it's so our guard goes down. We feel a connection unlike anything else because there is nothing like being in his presence. Amen. >> Nothing feels like that. Nothing satisfies like that. Nothing calms like that. Nothing brings that kind of a peace into our lives like sitting in his presence.

Then I have to ask if that's true and you believe that. If that's a part of your life, then why do we spend so much time outside his presence when that is his desire and that is why we were created. All humanity was designed for closeness with God. Every one of us were designed for this to be in his presence. David expressed this in Psalms 27:4. One thing, everybody say, one thing. >> One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. Really, David? One thing. He didn't say many things. He didn't say five things. He said one thing he have he realized he narrowed it down and figured it out that if I'm missing this one thing none of the rest of it really matters there may be good moments there may have be times of joy maybe a little bit of happiness here but one thing matters above them all that I may dwell in your house that I can be where your presence is because anything outside of your presence I'm missing the important part >> of my existence

Jesus affirmed this in the home of Mary in Martha. Luke 10 verse 40. But Martha was distracted with much serving. There's a sermon right there. She approached him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?" Siblings, right? Therefore, tell her to help me. And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing. There it is. Does everybody say one thing? >> One thing is needed. And Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her. What was the one thing? It was being in his presence. There's always going to be things. There's always going to be stuff. There's always going to be appointments. There's always going to be things that grab our attention. But there's only one thing that matters. Now, we have to work. All right? So, I'm not saying don't work, don't have a job, just dwell on it. You know, if I just be the president, go. Well, Pastor Kevin, if you pay all my bills, I'll just do that. First of all, no, you wouldn't. You'd figure out something to do. But to be reminded, don't allow all of life's activities to cause you to be distracted from the one thing that really matters. being in his presence. That one thing is fellowship with God.

Isaiah 9:6. For unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given and the government will be upon his shoulders and his name shall be called wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace. This verse has already been read once to us today. Every title speaks to his nearness, to his sufficiency, to his presence. See, we don't just need information about God. We need God. >> Knowledge is great, but knowledge alone is not enough. You need his presence in your life. Christmas declares, "You were made for my presence, and I have come to be with you. Abide in my love. Remain in my presence." That's the one thing that matters. >> The king is here. >> That's my sermon title today. The king is here. Are you even aware? Have you even acknowledged him the king is here? If there was some important person in your life, some person of notoriety, some person of status, you know, we would recognize that person if for some they could be a it could be a certain sports star could walk in the back door and be like, "Oh, so and so is here." and we would all pay attention. Or it could be maybe for some of you it could be some politician. Whatever the case may be, there would be somebody of status. Somebody has accomplished something that if that person walked in, you would take notice. You probably would get your phone out. You may even dare I dare say try to get a selfie with them. But in this room today, >> we are blessed to be in the presence >> of the King of Kings and Lord. The King is here. >> Are you aware? Have you acknowledged it? Are you acting like he's here?

John 15:9 contains one of the most staggering statements Jesus ever made. He says, "As the father loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love." Now, we could do a simple definition. You know, we could look on online, Google or chat, GPT, whatever it is you prefer. You would come up with the definition that would be close to this. to remain, to dwell, to stay or continue in a close or an intimate ongoing relationship with staying connected to his presence and his love. Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:1 17. Now, he's again he's talking to the church, right? So, I'm going to ask the question, who's he talking to? >> The church. Okay. He says this in Ephesians 3:17, "That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and the length and the depth and the height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Why would Paul pray that to the church? Why would he have to remind the church to be mindful of the dimensions and the parameters of God's love? Why? Because our hearts drift. Because our attentions wander because even the most committed can grow dull to the wonder of his love. We can get used to it. It can become common place and we can not intentionally but unintentionally become unaware that he is there. Christmas is the ultimate revelation of God's affection that God draws near not out of duty but out of love. He doesn't have to, but he chooses to. That's the part if I'm being honest with you, if I really sat in that for just a minute, it's staggering. It boggles my mind. I don't deserve it. I've not been good enough. I've not lived in a way that is any way deserving of his love to me. And the truth of the matter is neither have you. Neither of you. But he does. So when we see a manger, when we think about Christmas, when we get a card in the mail, we hear the song that talks about what he's we should pause for just a moment and reflect. You came. You decided to leave where you were. That you, if you really studied that out, it says that he basically unguoded himself to come down and be with us. that he left to come down to the mess where you and I live. What love. The king is here. The king is here. He willingly stepped into the chaos and the storm and the wreck of our lives. Not just to show up and point out all of our faults and failures, but no, to grab us and to love us and to say, "I'm here with you. Let me walk with you. Let me change the scenario. LET ME DIE for you." That's what Christmas is.

And yet, even with the breathtaking invitation to abide, many of us still find ourselves distant and distracted and disconnected from the very presence we were made to be in. How is this possible? So if God desires nearness, if he does, if Jesus came for closeness, why does so many struggle to remain close? What are these barriers that seemingly come between us? And as I was praying and working towards this, I feel like I've identified at least four things. There's probably more, but at least four that I feel like are important enough to talk about today. The first one of those is distraction. the noise that drowns out his voice. We live in a culture that is constantly assaulting our attention. Noise has become the normal of our day. Silence feels unnatural. >> We see it everywhere. People have a hard time being in quiet. They've always got something racket going on. Always noise. Always got headphones or AirPods in and they just don't like you. I've asked a few like what's going on? I just I don't like the quiet. It makes me uncomfortable. And some of them don't even know why. There's not like, well, it makes me uncomfortable because of this or because of that. They're just uncomfortable in the silence. But I'm here to tell you, I feel like the enemy has tricked us to not allow there to be any quiet time in our life. Because I'm telling you, if you will push past the uncomfortable and sit in it long enough, you will hear him speaking. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man will listen to my voice, he's knocking. He's always knocking, but we're not always listening. If you're the kind of person, again, I'm not trying to pick on you, but I'm really trying to make you aware. If you're the kind of person that you can't ride in the car without the radio on or a podcast going, I would encourage you to try it, to ask God, Lord, give me the capacity to have some quiet. Now, I know there's probably some young mothers in the room going, I would love a little quiet, pastor, if you'll come take these heathens I got in my house, you can give me 20 minutes of quiet, I would be happy to hear what the Lord has to say to me. There are seasons, right? There are seasons, but even in the toughest of seasons, there's still an opportunity for you to carve out some quiet to find an opportunity because I feel like distractions are keeping us from where we need to be. Screens are always glowing. Notifications never stop. Our schedules are packed. We're drowning in content, swimming in information, and starving for an encounter and a connection with God. >> We're the most informed generation that has ever lived. Yet, our level of stupidity continues to increase. I don't even say that in a funny way. I say that with sincerity. >> We're ignorant.

Here's the danger. Listen to me. Listen to pastor for a minute. Distraction doesn't have to be sinful to be spiritually deadly. It just has to keep you from stillness because stillness is where God still speaks. Jesus modeled a completely different rhythm. Mark 1:35. Now in the morning, having risen a long while before the daylight, he went out and departed to a solitary place and there prayed. Jesus intentionally slipped away from the pressures and the crowds and the ministry demands and the expectations of other people. So I'm asking you, if God and flesh prioritize quiet and solitude, how much more do we need to reclaim it in this world of noise we live in? Pastor, you don't understand I'm not a morning person. Okay, I know not everybody can be a morning person, but there can be some time that you can purposely and intentionally carve out that only belongs to him. It's just his. No one else gets to invade it. No one else gets to prioritize over it. It's just for him. If you acknowledge with me today, and I feel like most in the room will go, that the most important relationship I have is my relationship with God. There is nothing else that even comes as a close second. It's him. But if I'm not making space for him, if he does not have a set calendar appointment with me every day, then I'm failing. I've not prioritized it. Distractions. I promise you, something will always occupy your calendar. If you don't make the priority first, something else will always be there to do. Now again, in me being transparent with you, this always makes my wife uncomfortable because she never knows what I'm gonna say. But in me being transparent with you, there's hardly a day goes by that I don't wake up and there's some excuse for why I should stay in the bed longer instead of going to my prayer time. You heard me right. Pastor said, "Every day I get up and I have to fight my flesh that says sleep longer." But here's something I will tell you. There has never been a time that I got up from prayer and regretted it. But there's been plenty of times that I didn't make space or something else took its spot and I always regret it. You have to have a daily connection with him. There's too many things trying to distract us in this world. Distraction is not an inconvenience. It's a spiritual threat. A noisy soul becomes a numb soul. A busy mind builds a blind mind. And when everything is loud, the gentle voice of God becomes the easiest thing to ignore. And until we learn to silence the competing voices, we will struggle to hear the one voice that matters the most. Create silence so that you can discover the God who is near. So that you can learn how to abide in him.

The second thing is problems. Life brings problems. Anybody noticed that yet? Anybody figured that out? And those problems, they never schedule themselves. They always show up at the most inconvenient times. For many, the greatest threat to abiding isn't disbelief. It's preoccupation with all the problems. We get consumed with the issue that's right in front of us. And when we're in trouble, the problem becomes the meditation of our heart. I'm going to say that again. When we are in trouble, the problem becomes the meditation of heart. It's constantly on. All I can think about is the problem. >> And without realizing it, our attention shifts from God's presence to our crisis. Fear, stress, financial concerns, family tensions, medical issues. These things scream loudly. They demand focus. They feel urgent. But urgency can easily rob us of intimacy. When he says, "I stand at the door and knock." If any man will hear my voice, and we can't hear the voice because of all the problems and all the distractions. Scripture paints a different picture of God's heart towards us when it comes to difficulty. Psalms 23 and5, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Leave that up for just a second. I want you to think about that. David didn't say, "God, you're good. You always remove me from my problems and I get to spend time with you absent from all the struggles and the enemies." No, he says, "No, you prepare a table right in the middle of my fight. Then in the middle of my struggle, in the middle of my struggle, in the middle of my discouragement, in the middle of all that's going in the middle of my failure, you decide to set up a table and say, "COME AND DINE." >> WHAT A GOD WE HAVE. >> HE'S NOT AFRAID of your mess. He's not afraid OF YOUR STRUGGLE. HE'S NOT AFRAID OF YOUR PROBLEM. HE'S NOT SCARED of those things. You may be afraid. You may BE DISCOURAGED. BUT THE ONE GOD WHO WE KNOW TO BE TRUE SAYS, "I'LL SET A TABLE up in the middle of all of that and you and I can commune and I will take away all of the pressures and distractions for a moment >> so that you can hear. I've lived enough life at this point and many of you also in this room have lived enough life to know then in my darkest hour of need when I was able to silence all of the noise and remove the distractions even if it was just for five minutes. I found him there. >> He's there. >> He's the God who's here. The king is here. He lives in the every day of our lives. But far often we don't pay attention because we're allowing everything else to captivate us when the king is here. God invites us to his table while the enemies are still surrounding us. Meaning the place of pressure is often the place of encounter. The place of pressure is the place of encounter. This is exactly what the shepherds experienced in Luke 2 that I read already to you. They were terrified, surrounded by darkness, uncertainty, and fear. But heaven broke through the night and said, "Fear not, for unto you this day is born a savior." In the middle of the chaos, in the middle of that moment where there had been 400 years of silence, 400 years there not been a prophet speak one word. When it felt like all was lost and gone, in the middle of all that struggle, heaven shows up and says, "Don't be afraid. I'm still here." I'm speaking to somebody today. The king is here. The king is here. >> Hallelujah. >> God doesn't wait for us to escape our problems before he speaks. He speaks right in the middle of them. And when problems become our meditation, we drift from abiding. But when God becomes our meditations, even our problems lose their power and grip on us because I'm hanging on to him and not my problem.

The third thing that I know that struggles with when it comes to being aware of his presence is productivity. you trying to earn what is given freely. I know that some drift not because they're rebellious, but because they're busy. Productivity be can become the most socially acceptable form of spiritual decline. Yeah, you heard me. I'm gonna say it again. Productivity can become the most socially acceptable form of spiritual decline. I'm just so busy. We're all busy. Who's not busy in this room? No one dare raise a hand. Their calendars are full. Our schedules are full. Our society, our culture puts this priority on that you always have to be active and busy. There's always things to do. And then since social media has become all it is, those who are plugged into that, there's always this new term we deal with of FOMO, fear of missing out. And the enemy just loves that because he loves to remind you of how everybody else is having a great time but you. We mistake busy for faithfulness, activity for intimacy, and accomplishments for anointing. But scripture teaches that life with God is not sustained by doing. It's sustained by dwelling by abiding in his presence. There's only so much that you can do on your own. And the prodical son left the father's house. For a while, things were great. He had plenty of friends and life worked out the way he wanted it to because he still had his daddy's money. But there came a moment when he ran out and then friends went away and things didn't go the way that he wanted them to do. You know what happened? He left the house where the supply was at. Ladies and gentlemen, I promise you, you can get busy in ministry and get lost in the process. There comes a time when you need to stop and plug back into the source. Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now according to scripture fullness doesn't come from doing more. It comes from receiving more. And you can only receive by being in his presence, by abiding, by being there. It's more than just coming on Sundays. It's more than just coming on Wednesdays. It's a daily process of communing with him, of being connected to him, by being in his presence. Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah in Isaiah 61 and verse number one. The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. Freedom doesn't come from striving, ladies and gentlemen. Freedom comes from surrender. >> It's from throwing your hands up and saying, "God, I just can't." >> Oh, I may keep a few things going, but eventually I run out of my own power and strength. Jesus came to give. He did not come to be earned. When we believe that we must perform for God, we drift away from him. Our value becomes tied to our output instead of being connected in his presence and before long ministry becomes a substitute for intimacy. Trust me, I've been in ministry a long time and you reach a point where you know how to go through the motions and you know how to play the part and you can do those things, but over time you'll realize that you're operating out of your own ability and power and there's no anointing there. You're just going through the motions. At some point, you're going to have to stop and make a connection with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You're going to have to be in his presence because I promise you, without it, you will fail 100% of the time. That's why we have seen many of us so many who seem to be operating at high levels of ministry only to fall away at some point because they stopped connecting to God. They became reliant on their own ability. That's why you got to be careful. You got to be mindful. You ladies and gentlemen, you everybody say you. You have to know your spiritual temperature. You have to know where it's at. Pay attention. Hear me clearly. God wants your heart before he wants your work. He wants your heart. He wants communion before contribution. He wants presence before productivity. Abiding is not a call into inactivity. It's a call to reorder the priorities so that doing flows from dwelling and dwelling is abiding with him.

The fourth, believing that God doesn't want you near because of your failure. Failure. The enemy loves to weaponize our past. But I just want you to know that's why Christmas is so great because Christmas crushes that lie. It crushes it. One of our enemy's most effective tactics is simple. To make you feel unworthy of God's presence. to make you reply and replay the failures over and over again and to make you believe that your past disqualifies you from being in his presence. Lie, lie, lie. Shame whispers. God is disappointed in you've messed up again. You're not the one you should be. But this lie collapses under the weight of scripture because Matthew 1:21 says, "And she will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." >> That's why Christmas crushes that lie. That's why he came to take care of all those things. The very reason that we have a time to celebrate Christmas was he came because of our failure. Did you hear me? He came because of our failure. Our failure didn't prevent him. >> Our failure didn't disqualify him. I'll come anyway. Why? Why did he come? Why did he come? Because he loves us. God's solution for sin wasn't distance. His solution was incarnation. It was leaving the splendor of heaven for the dusty roads of earth from a throne to a manger. The king is here. >> The king is here. That's why we celebrate Christmas. The king is here. Scripture declares Psalms 103:12, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Romans 8:1, there is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. I want you to know something. Shame is a terrible theologian. >> It always exaggerates and diminishes God's grace. It makes you hide from the one who came to heal. Failure is not the opposite of abiding. Failure is the exact reason abiding matters. Is it realizing that without you God, I am the biggest failure of all. But with you, oh, but with you, with you, God, you bring redemption. >> With you, God, you bring restoration. With you, God, I have a purpose. I have a plan. With you, on my own, I don't have those things. BUT WITH YOU, GOD, you give me everything I need to be full and fulfilled in this life. What a God we serve. WHAT A GOD WE SERVE. HE DOESN'T LEAVE US IN the mess by ourselves, but he WILLINGLY STEPS DOWN, WALKS PARTNERS, COMES ALONGSIDE, and what he says is, "I really just want TO SIT AND TALK WITH YOU." But distractions and misplaced priorities and failures, these things, they hinder us. They keep us away. When we fix our eyes on our sin, we drift. And when we fix our eyes on our savior, we draw near.

So let me ask you this question this morning. What are your eyes fixed on? What has you captivated in this moment? What has your thoughts occupied? How often do you think of him? Some of you are so uncomfortable because I went about 20 seconds without saying something. I did that intentionally. I'm going to do it again. How often do you think of him? Maybe the better way to ask this question is, what is it that you think of the most? If you was to journal a day in your life, now be honest in this thought process. If you was to journal a day in your life, because you already know the answer to this question, what would be the thing that you've thought of the most? Is it your job because of the stress and pressures? Is it your family? Is it your finances? Is it your health because every time you move you hurt? What like what is it? What would be down if we just took a day out of your life? What would be the thing you think of the most? Where does he fall on the list of priorities that occupy your mind? because the answer to that question is going to reveal a whole lot about where you are with him.

So, how do we practice this? How do we learn? This is I'm going to quickly come into a close in just a couple minutes because we're going to move towards communion. How do we live aware of his presence? If God has come near, how do we stay near? First of all, I think you need to learn how, as he says in Philippians 4:8, to take thoughts captive. Your mind belongs to God. I'm gonna say that again. Your mind belongs to him. Now, here's the deal. I cannot for everything I've ever tried in my life, and maybe you've done this, but I if you said you did, I'd really have a hard time believing you're not lying. I know I'm not the only one who has crazy thoughts show up. Is there anybody willing to admit today with raising their hand that do you have crazy thoughts come in your mind? >> Yeah. I mean sometimes it comes in and I'm just like that is where in the world did that come from? I mean I out of nowhere I'm just driving down the road all of a sudden zing and I'm like what is wrong with you? You that is wrong. You can't think that >> now. Now, we can't always stop them from entering, but I can stop myself from dwelling. >> The word says, "Take them captive." >> Because what happens more often than not is there some kind of twisting or bending of the truth that's in my mind, and I got to take it captive and bring it back into obedience to the word of God. Amen. >> So, one of the biggest areas that you can improve your ability to be in his presence is take those thoughts captive. >> You know which thought it is, don't you? >> Don't you? Yes, you do. Take it captive.

Second thing I think is important is you need to stop consuming junk. >> Psalms 34:8. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. How do you know he's good if you don't ever taste him? We had this rule at our house with our kids growing up is that whatever was put on the table, you had to have one bite. >> Now, you can imagine how when it was Brussels sprout night, how that went. And that was just me. What happened over time is I actually acquired a taste for him. Now, I don't like them bold. Anything slimy, you shouldn't eat. Just rule thumb. Just going to throw that out there. Like bold okra. God help you people who like bold okra. On my hungriest day, I can pass now. You fry that dude. Little cornmeal. Come on now. I can eat me some okra. We are consuming too much junk. >> And I'm not even preaching about food. I could get on that one for a while right there, too. Temple of God. >> I'll come back over here. I know y'all don't meddling on that, right? What are you putting in your mind? What are you constantly having a steady feed of? And then you wonder why you can't be in his presence is because you have to constantly be entertained. when you are called to entertain him >> and we come into his presence expecting for God to put on a show. When he says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock and if any man will hear my voice, I will come in and commune with him." But we can't because our minds are too preoccupied with stuff that doesn't matter for anything. >> Man, pastor, this is a pretty tough Christmas message. It is because it's time to stop playing church. >> The hour is drawing near when the king is going to return back. And I don't want us caught unaware. We got to be we got to be mindful what goes on. You got to take your thoughts captive. You got to stop consuming junks and you got to establish rhythms of awareness. The third thing, just like Israel had Sabbaths and feasts, you can create rhythms that anchor your heart by acknowledging daily his presence by turning every meal into an opportunity to actually commune with him when you're blessing the food instead of just saying God bless the food as a some kind of a formality to move on from. instead of saying, "Thank you, God, that you actually provided." You know, the problem is we've got a abundance problem in our life. The problem is far too many of us have not went really really went hungry in a long time. And we don't thank him for it because we've not ever had to really go without. You need to protect your daily moments of silence and prayer and pause throughout the day to reenter your heart. Because I promise you, I promise you there is next to no one in this room that can go a day without repentance >> cuz you're still wrapped in flesh just like me. >> And you already rose your raised your hand and admitted to crazy thoughts. So there you go.

As I get ready to end this, here's the truth that Christmas, it presses on us. The one who draws near, the one who knocks, the one who invites, the one who loves, the one who came to dwell among us. He's the king. Isaiah 9 declares that his government and peace will never end. Micah 5 reveals his origins are from ancient of days. The wise men bowed before him in Matthew 2. Simeon held him and said, "My eyes have seen your salvation." In Luke 2, heaven announced his arrival. Glory to God and peace on earth. What were they talking about? The king is here. >> We're not having to wait. He already came >> and we get to live in the abundance and the overflow of what he did. >> The manger was the start. And on the cross, he said, "It is finished." >> Oh. to understand from the moment that he came to this world and that first cry came out in that stable. What whatever it was, we have lots of information, but none of it is completely conclusive whether it was truly a manger, if it was room on the side of a house. All we know is what the word says is they lied laid him in a manger. But I'm here to tell you, heaven heard the cry and so did hell. The enemy who was caught unaware. And if you come back on Wednesday night, you're going to hear a little more about that. You're going to hear about how stupid the devil is. I may even title that the devil's stupid. Kind of like that sermon title. But from the moment he was born and that voice cried out for the first time, it changed. Messiah came. And no longer was it going to be the same. And he went from a stable in a manger to a cross. And they nailed him there. It was the plan all along that he would die to take our place. And he cried out, "It is finished." Why? Because the king was here. Stretched out wide through obedience, sacrifice, and love. He made a way for you and me. that we have that same ability being filled with his spirit. That same spirit that got him out of the grave for those of us who have been filled with the spirit now lives in us. So we are without excuse in living an overcoming life as long as we will purposely and intentionally commune with him today. That same Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks. The king is here now. Not later, not someday. Not when life gets easier, but here. He has come near. He desires fellowship. He invites you to the table. He calls you into his presence. So I wonder as I bring this to a close, are you willing to hear the voice? Are you willing to open the door to sit with him to abide in his love and to live in his presence? Because the king is here. So, open the door. >> What are you waiting for?

>> I love you, Jesus. God, I'm so thankful for you and what you have done that in this Christmas time as we kick off this season, Lord, we could be aware that you came. You didn't have to. You chose to step down in the mess of our world, in the mess of our life to provide a way, Lord, of restoration back into a right relationship with you. Sin had separated us, but you spanned that gulf we could not cross. You said, "I will come." You said, "I will restore." You said, "I will make a way." And you declared it on your cross, "It is finished." And God, I pray before we prepare to take communion this evening, I pray, Lord, that we would be mindful, Lord, of our own spiritual temperature in this moment right now. I pray that God, we would evaluate our hearts and our minds that we would ask oursel, have we kept a place that only belongs to you? Have we prioritized our relationship the way it needs to be prioritized? Lord, I pray that you would evaluate every corner and every closet of our heart and mind and that you would illuminate any area that we need to make sure that we have asked for forgiveness in Jesus name.