How did you find God? 

More accurately I would ask, "How did God reveal Himself to you?"

The truth is, God has to manifest himself to us in order for us to know Him. Anything you know about God He had to show you. One of the truths we can find in the story of Jesus' coming to Earth is that He reveals Himself in different ways. This is most easily seen when you consider the Wise men and the Shepherds.

The Wise Men 

Matthew 2:1-2 - "Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him." [Holy Bible, New Living Translation] 

To these great minds, God was a mystery to be resolved, a set of stars shining in the night with some cosmic message.Consider how they would have had to map and chart the skies, night after night. They would have had to research the star maps from years before to see the difference.
They would have found the star in the East to be a BEACON - like a beacon on light house, leading them closer and closer and ever closer to the King of Kings. And once they had discovered this cosmic message. They would have made weeks, even months of preparation for the long journey across the dessert and many foreign lands. 

To these men - God was a mystery to be discovered. He left these men clues and signpost to follow. God showed them some amazing star patterns and left one star enough of a mystery that these men had to seek it out and believed God was calling them from heaven to follow the star.
And follow they did, until they found Jesus. 

The Shepherds 

Luke 2:8-20 - "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9) An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10) But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11) Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12) This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13)  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14) "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15) When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16) So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17) When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18) and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19) But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20) The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.  [NIV]

There was no mystery in their revelation. God had an angel appear to them. SHAZAAMM. POOF! One brilliantly shining angel surrounded by God's glory. When ONE ANGEL appeared... the GLORY of the LORD appeared with the Angel (all around the shepherds). (Like a SCI-FI energy mass, field maybe). And with there hearts pounding out of their chest the Angel told them "Don't be afraid, I have good news of GREAT JOY!  Today in Bethlehem (City of David) a Savior is born - Christ the Lord.

Then so they could find the baby and know it was real - There is a sign, search for a baby lying in a manger. Note how different this revelation is... Spirit being, surrounded by the Glory of God.. tell them GREAT THEOLOGICAL TRUTH - followed by practical realities that help them connect the dots. All in Same Night...  no long searching..weeks of research.

Now after this CLEAR, complete THEOLOGICAL and PRACTICAL Explanation - A large group, called a heavenly host of angels appeared praising God  and saying GLORY to GOD in the HIGHEST - and on earth PEACE to men on whom his favor rest!" 

One angel now supported by thousands... speaking of God's glory and man's benefits. This revelation was spectacular

Soon as angels left - they said.. lets' go see it... which the Lord told us about.

For the Shepherds, the News was for ALL the PEOPLE but the Shepherds heard it first. and SPREAD THE NEWS! (are you spreading the News?)

But the results of God's love and the reason He sent Jesus to earth is accomplished in both stories.
God didn't Just send Jesus to Earth for Us, God sent Jesus to Earth so that He could be glorified by us! He sent Jesus for His GLORY! The Wise men - searching and curious find Jesus and worship Him. The Shepherds, stunned and certain, find Jesus and worship Him.

I wonder how God is revealing Himself to you this year. I wonder will you find a supernatural revelation that can only be explained by God or clues that lead you to search for God in unlikely places until you find the One who can make all things new?

Either way, when God manifest himself you are forever changed!  And the good news is the JOY is possible. To all my friends who struggle to find JOY. Jesus came to give JOY and the angel announced it to the simple blue-collar/ no collar shepherds. Joy is possible.
Find Jesus, get to know Him and you will find JOY. 

I know you’re all really busy this time of the year, so I promise to keep this short and to the point. Here are three things that you can do to make this Christmas season easier for yourself. These things will help you to make Christmas more like it should be! 

First: Slow Down 

Just make it happen. Teach your kids to slow down. Stop running around at breakneck speed. Miss some parties if you have to. But find a way to slow down. Your family and your children need to see you enjoy the holidays. They won’t benefit from seeing you stressed about the holidays. 

Here are five things that you and your family can do to slow down: 

• Build some puzzles — this simple, fun and slow. 
• Play some boardgames — great for family time. 
• Break out some coloring books! I’m 53 years old and I still love to color! 
• Make some craft items for your friends or grandparents. Lots of construction paper, Elmer’s Glue and scissors can be a blast for your kids as long as you don’t get OCD about it all. Let them be creative! Do you have older kids? Let them build a model or a basic piece of wooden furniture. YouTube videos can help! 
• Take a tour of your city’s lights. Load up in the car with your family and walk the best-lighted neighborhoods in your area. But, be sure to teach your kids about the Maker of Light — the Father of Lights. (James 1) 

Second: Simplify Things 

Simple things were meant to be enjoyed. Wanting Christmas to be bigger and bigger every year has become the curse of our American culture. We try to have bigger and better lights and bigger and better gifts. We try to impress more and more people every year. But, Christmas is not about impressing others. It’s time to get off that train. Ask yourself, “How can I make Christmastime simple this year?” 

Once mom and dad have slowed down, make some hot chocolate for everyone, gather the family around the TV and watch A Charlie Brown Christmas. Make some stringed popcorn tree decorations. You’ll only spend about three dollars, but you’ll have made a lasting memory for your children. Make a conscious effort to simplify your plans and your schedule. Enjoy good holiday movies like “Santa Clause Is Coming To Town” [the animated version], “Miracle on 34th Street,” “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” and “The Christmas Carol.” These are some superb suggestions for Christmastime family entertainment. 

Third: Speak of the Savior 

Christmas is about Jesus loving us so much that He saved us from our sins. Tell your family about that baby in the manger. But, be sure to mention the reason that He’s in the manger — one day He will become the suffering Savior on the cross and, three days later, the resurrected Christ. Christmas is a great time to tell the full story of Jesus to your family and, especially, your children. Grandparents, please don’t let this great holiday go by without telling your grandkids the full story of Jesus — His birth, life, crucifixion and His resurrection. Teach your children that Christmastime is about giving to others. Model it. Practice it. Take them with you when you do it. 

A Final Warning: Three Things That Steal Christmas From Us

Commercialism. Don’t fall for the hype. “More" is not better. “More” is often clutter and financial pressure that you will dread for years to come. Don’t fall for the hype. 

Keeping Up With The Joneses. The Joneses don’t expect you to keep up with them. No one says that you have to! If you’re not careful, this will turn into narcissism. You don’t have to have the same house, car, phone, computer, tablet, yard, dinette set or jewelry as your brother, sister, neighbor or church deacon. You don’t have to! 

Consumerism. Having stuff just because it’s there is not always a good thing. If you’re not careful, you’ll have to start buying totes to store all of your stuff! This will lead to bigger totes. And before you know it, you’re buying or building storage units! This is very much like a warning found in  the Scriptures about the man who kept building bigger barns. Don’t be that guy! (Luke 12:18-21) Be rich toward God! 

Christmas is supposed to be all about Jesus, not about us. Don’t let your kids think that it’s all about them. It will simplify your holiday season! 

From my message "The Not-So-Secret Secret to the Christian Life." 

A Candid Confession

So here's a candid confession: I was raised in some very conservative Christian circles and and Pentecostals, Charismatics, and Holiness groups freaked me out a bit.  For a time in my Bible college education there were even warning about these groups being on the fringe of the faith and basing most of their theology in the emotions of their upbeat services rather than building their theology on the Word of God.  Of course in some cases this was true especially in the 70's and 80's while the local church was going through many changes and fighting to find a way to reach a rebellious and open generation of young adults.  

A simple Truth

The Bible is very clear that the Holy Spirit indwells all who truly believe on Jesus as the means of their salvation. If you are saved by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8-10) then the Bible says you also have the Spirit of God dwelling in you (John 14:17; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16). This is not a controversial issue. This is simple and powerful truth. I have taught it many times. I believe the very Spirit of God lives within me. The Scriptures teach us to walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), to be taught by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14) and to be lead by the Spirit (Romans 8:9). All of this I have woven into dozens of sermons. I have also taught on the passage of being "filled by the Spirit, from Ephesians 5:18-20. You probably remember this passage. It's the one that says you shouldn't get drunk. 


"Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." - Holy Bible, New Living Translation 

We emphasis lots of truth from this passage. We tell all our good-ole-boy friends this is why you shouldn't drink heavy every weekend.  And, we talk about being filled with the Spirit. But I want to confess that for years I have equated this with the indwelling of the Spirit. I think perhaps because I was so afraid of being labeled something denominationally I feared to look closely at this passage.

A Closer Look. 

But here the Apostle Paul is telling the true Christ followers in Ephesus, who already are indwelt by the Spirit of God to make a definitive effort to be "filled by the Holy Spirit."
Indwelling and filling are different. If you are a Baptist, indwelling and filling are different. If you are a Pentecostal, indwelling and filling are different.  All Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, but not all Christians are filled by Spirit of God.  In fact, many Christians never seek or try to be filled, they are satisfied with the indwelling. The indwelling gets you safely home to heaven. But don't you want more? 

Look closely at the results of the filling. There are four behaviors that happen when we are filled.  The Bible says we will be continually:

• speaking to others in spiritually uplifting ways (psalm, hymns, spiritual songs)
• Singing with a light heart
• Giving Thanks - Always giving thanks for all things (for and in all things)
• submitting to one another in the fear of Christ

Do your co-workers describe you in any of these terms? Does your family talk about you with these attributes as your most common behavior?  I know it is a hard question! It is something as Christ-followers we must wrestle with in our daily lives. We need to grow up in all aspects as unto Christ and become more Christ like. So rather than be a Christian who speaks discouragingly, we should speak encouragingly to and about others. Rather than murmuring and carrying a heavy heart, we should sing to the Lord continually. Rather than complain about what we don't have, and demand or expect more we should be continually expressing thanks and we should submit to others in our work place, and home rather than be combative or resistant. 

This is the filling of the Spirit alive in us! 

So how do I get filled if I am indwelt?

Here are some good verse to help you. 

• Ask - Luke 11:13
• Believe- Galatians 3:2
• Surrender -Romans 12:1-2
• Obey - ACTS 5:32

For more study on this, you can access Northside's sermon audio by clicking on the PODCAST tab at the top of this site or by visiting the podcast directly on iTunes here. You can also download messages on our BuzzSprout profile here.