Born To Preach | Pastor Jason Mick | United City Church

Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room. And heaven and nature sing. And heaven and nature sing. And heaven and heaven and nature sing. Cry out joy to the world. Joy to the world, the Savior reigns. Let men their songs employ. While fields and floods, rocks, hills and flames, repeat the sounding joy. Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat, repeat the sounding joy. Joy to the world, joy to the world. He rules the world with truth and grace. And makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness. And wonders of His love. And wonders, wonders of His love. Sing it out. Joy to the world. Joy to the world. It's more than a feeling. Joy to the world, our Savior reigns. Our Savior reigns. Joy to the world. Joy to the world. Well, good morning, 1130. It's good to see all of you. You can have a seat. If we've not had the opportunity to meet yet, my name is Bruce Poole. I'm responsible and lead the vision team here at United City. And I just want to extend my welcome to you this morning. It's so good to see all of you this morning. I want to extend a special welcome to our guest. If you're a guest, thank you so much for spending your Sunday morning with us. That's a commitment. We always say it's a commitment you make on a Saturday night to spend your Sunday morning. And what you're going to do there Sunday morning, and we're glad you've chosen to spend that time here with us this morning. We just would ask that if you have want to keep in touch with all that's going on here at the church, the best way to do that is to text the word guide to 55498. That way you'll get a little digital note sent to you and you can keep up with all that's happening here at the church. There's a lot going on as we enter this Christmas season. That's the best way to know all that's happening around here. You can also give that way. If you're like me and you like to give online, you can give by texting the word UC gift to 55498. And it's really simple to give that way. So I'll just ask our serve team if you'll make your way on down. And speaking of giving church, you've been so generous and so faithful with your gifts all year long. and I just want to say thank you for that. 2025 has been an amazing year. Our financial situation is very strong. We're in a very good place, but it's because of your giving that we've been able to say yes to so many opportunities as they've come up throughout the year, many of which we didn't plan for, we didn't think about,

but God presented those to us. And because of your generosity, we've been able to say, yes, God, we will do that. And because of that, people have been able to hear the gospel. We've seen lives changed. We had three baptisms here this morning. We've had over 300 this year, but it's not just here. We've said, always say, when you give to United City, you're giving through United City. So those funds have been able to impact people for the gospel all over the world. And so, because of that, we know that God's gonna do even more next year. We are expected for what God's gonna do for us next year and the opportunities that he's going to give us. And we want to be able to say yes to those opportunities. So we just ask you to consider if you would double your tithe in December. So whatever you give in December, if you would just consider doubling that, that would put us in a great situation when we started in 2026. And all those opportunities that present themselves that we're not thinking about, but God is, we'll be able to say, yes, God, we'll be obedient and we will be able to fulfill those. So thank you for that consideration. Would you join me in prayer? Dear God, we just thank you so much for this day.

God, we just thank you that we're able just to gather here in your house and just to worship you and lift your name up in praise. God, I just pray that expectantly for what you're gonna do, not just as we go forward, but even here today. God, I just pray that the word that you've given to Pastor Jason, I just pray that you would remove all distractions and all the things that might be clouding our minds and our hearts. I just pray that those will all be removed today. And that we would receive the message that you have for us. God, I thank you for being at a church where your people are so generous. To just, Father, to give back to you a portion of what you've given to them so that we can execute on ministry opportunities that you've brought before us. God, in ways that we're able to present the gospel to people and confront them with who you are and see so many lives changed, not just here in our church or in our community, but all around the world. I just pray that as we get ready to take this offering, that you would bless it. God, I just pray that you would bless those who give and that you would just give us wisdom and how we can use these resources to better serve and honor you. And just ask all these things in Jesus' name, amen.

♪ Jesus, Jesus, Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus, Jesus ♪ ♪ There's just something about that name ♪ ♪ Oh, Master, Savior, Jesus ♪ ♪ Like a fragrance after the rain ♪ ♪ Oh, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus ♪ ♪ Let all heaven and earth proclaim ♪ ♪ Kings and kingdoms will all pass away ♪ ♪ But there's something about ♪ ♪ There's just something about that name ♪ ♪ There's just something about that name ♪ And amen. Have me ask our prayer team to go ahead and get in place. If you can, we've got folks that are gonna have little yellow lanyards that's gonna represent that are on the prayer team. What we're gonna ask you to do is we're gonna move into a time of prayer. And we're just gonna simply go before the Lord. We recognize, I read this past week, that in the month of December, that the issue of loneliness is higher than it is any other time throughout the rest of the year, which is wild because so many of us are surrounded by people constantly, yet we feel alone. I want you to know today, you're not alone. We wanna pray with you, we wanna pray for you. This could be a time of year that is exciting, but it also represents what you don't have. Maybe you're finding yourself in a.

financial crisis, maybe you're finding yourself in a financial need, yet you know you have so much that you want, yet you're still trying to figure out how to pay for last month. We wanna pray for you today. Maybe some of you are dealing with family issues, maybe loss, and this time of year just reminds you of the family that is not together. We wanna pray for you today. Maybe you're here today and you've got a medical diagnosis. You don't know how many of these Christmases you're gonna have left. As a result of that, you just wanna go before the Lord. We want you to know this, the Lord sees you, the Lord hears you, the Lord knows you. John chapter 14, verse 13 and 14 says, "'Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, "'that the Father may be glorified in the Son. "'If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.'" We just talked about there's something about the name of Jesus, and we don't wanna treat it like somehow it's a slot machine where we just put in our request, we pull the lever, and we get whatever we want. But instead, it's a prayer of alignment where we begin to take what our needs, we put them at the feet of Jesus, and we say, God, your will be done, and may your kingdom come. Folks, I wanna give you the opportunity

to be prayed with, to be prayed for today. Father, in Jesus' name, I pray that you would move in these moments as we speak the name of Jesus. Father, as we bring these needs before you, I pray, God, that we would be able to lay them down so that we could receive your mercy and your grace. In Jesus' name, I pray, amen. Our team is all over the room. You go where you find them, and let's pray together. Come on. ♪ I just wanna speak the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Over every heart and every mind ♪ ♪ As I know there is peace within your presence ♪ ♪ I speak Jesus ♪ ♪ I just wanna speak the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Till every dark addiction starts to break ♪ ♪ You claim that there is hope and there is freedom ♪ ♪ I speak Jesus ♪ ♪ Your name is power, your name is healing ♪ Sing it out. ♪ Your name is life ♪ Bring it in strong, Lord. ♪ Your all-holding shining star ♪ ♪ Burn like a fire ♪ ♪ I just wanna speak the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Over fear and all anxiety ♪ ♪ To every soul held captive by depression ♪ ♪ I speak Jesus ♪ ♪ Your name is power, your name is healing ♪ ♪ Your name is life ♪

♪ Break every stronghold, shine through the shadows ♪ ♪ Burn like a fire ♪ ♪ Your name is power, your name is healing ♪ ♪ Your name is life ♪ ♪ Break every stronghold, shine through the shadows ♪ ♪ Burn like a fire ♪ ♪ Shout Jesus from the mountains, Jesus in the streets ♪ ♪ Jesus in the darkness over every enemy ♪ ♪ Jesus for my family, I speak the holy name, Jesus ♪ ♪ Shout Jesus from the mountains, Jesus in the streets ♪ ♪ Jesus in the darkness over every enemy ♪ ♪ Jesus for my family, Jesus for my family ♪ ♪ I speak the holy name, Jesus ♪ ♪ Your name is power, your name is healing ♪ ♪ Your name is life ♪ ♪ Break every stone, shine through the shadows ♪ ♪ Burn like the fire, your name is power, yes it is ♪ ♪ Your name is power, your name is healing ♪ ♪ Your name is life ♪ ♪ Break every stone, shine through the shadows ♪ ♪ Burn like the fire, your name is power, yes it is ♪ ♪ We speak his name, we bless your name, yes it is ♪ ♪ Jesus, we make way for you, take your rightful place ♪ ♪ There was a moment when the lights went out ♪ ♪ One day they claimed his victory ♪ ♪ The king of love had given up his eye ♪ ♪ The darkest day in history ♪ ♪ There are all across the lake for sinners ♪ ♪ For every curse is blood atoned ♪ ♪ One final breath and it was finished ♪

♪ But not the end we could ignore ♪ ♪ For the earth began to shake and the veil was torn ♪ ♪ What sacrifice we made as the heavens fell ♪ ♪ Lord, all you see just lift your hands and sing ♪ ♪ All hail Jesus, all hail the Lord of heaven and earth ♪ ♪ All hail Jesus, all hail the Savior of the world ♪ ♪ Savior of the world ♪ ♪ Something about your name, oh yeah ♪ ♪ There was a moment when the sky lit up ♪ Come on, let's tell the story. ♪ A flash of light breaking through ♪ ♪ When all was lost, he crossed eternity for you and me ♪ ♪ For the king of life was on the night ♪ ♪ For the earth began to fall, where our Lord was laid ♪ ♪ One miraculous breath and we're forever happy ♪ ♪ Today, oh, all hail King Jesus, we make way ♪ ♪ All hail, all hail, all hail, all hail King Jesus ♪ ♪ All hail the Savior of the world, all hail King Jesus ♪ ♪ All hail, all hail, all hail, all hail the Savior of the world ♪ Come on, would you lift your voice this morning to the King of Kings, the Lord of Hosts, the Savior of the world. Singing holy, singing holy, we're so holy. Cry out holy, yeah. Singing holy. Holy. All hail King Jesus. All hail Lord of heaven and earth. All hail King Jesus. All hail the Savior of no come less adored. Oh, come less. Come less adored.

Christ the Lord. And for you alone are worthy. For you alone are worthy. For you alone are worthy. Christ the Lord. And we'll give you all the glory. We'll give you all the glory. We'll give you all the glory. He Christ, Christ the Lord. And we'll give you all the glory. We'll give you all the glory. We'll give you all the glory. Well, good morning, church. If you've got your Bibles, open up with me to Luke chapter 4. Luke chapter 4. We had an opportunity to meet before. My name is Jason Mick. I get to serve you as our executive pastor here at United City Church. Thrilled that we get to kick off together our brand new series here in the month of December, Born with a Purpose. And if you're taking notes today, the title of today's sermon is Born to Preach. Born to Preach. Thanksgiving is behind us and it is culturally acceptable and it's okay to say Merry Christmas. So United City Church, Merry Christmas. Go ahead and look to your neighbor to your left, to your right and just say it's Christmas time. It certainly is Christmas time.

Now, the message of Christmas has not and will not change because Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. But can I ask us a perspective question this morning? Morning. How will Christmas 2025 be different for you? How will Christmas this year be different? So that we don't just casually go through the motions and check the boxes of Christmas. Now, listen, I think I like to think that I'm in the same boat as you where how many all like to receive gifts? Anybody like to receive gifts? Okay, how many like to give gifts? And okay, great. We've got Christmas lists and there's shopping and there's the busyness and there's the Hallmark movies. Thank you, Lord, for your mercy and grace. There's the parties and all the social things that we get to do and the busyness that is attached to it as well. Erin and I, my wife, were just talking the other day and she just dropped just a calendar bomb on me. She said, you realize over like the next 21 days, we have something every night. And like, wow, praise God. But Pastor Chris even mentioned a moment ago, this might even be a season of loneliness, of hopelessness. Maybe your upbringing of Christmas wasn't nostalgic. It was negative.

And that brings up a whole mix of emotions during this particular time. While some are saying it's the most wonderful time of the year, you're just wondering if there's hope. And can I tell you right now that there is hope and his name is Jesus. And this is why we celebrate. Because Christmas is more than just nostalgia. It's more than lights. It's more than the feels and the warms and the gifts and all that. It is God's purpose of stepping down from heaven to the earth to rescue, redeem and to gift us himself for his glory. My friends, the manger of Christmas is not just sentimental, it's strategic. The sentiment around the manger is cool, but there was divine eternal strategy. And these next few weeks in this series, Born with a Purpose, and as we lead up to our Christmas candlelight, Christmas Eve candlelight services, we're gonna unpack how Jesus was born with a purpose. Now, if you would just take a moment. Can everyone grab one of these? I believe it was in your seat, under your seat, around your seat, but go ahead and just find one for a moment. Just entertain me and just make me feel good about myself right now, less insecure

that you actually have one. Perfect. Now, if you've been here and perhaps you are a guest with us at the movies or you're a member of United City Church and you're here regularly like, hey, Pastor Jason, this is like the third straight week. I've got like a whole stack of these. Praise God, I've got six in my family, so you should see our stack, okay? Now, you know what that stack reminds me of? It's like a pebble in my shoe that when I walk, it gets a little uncomfortable, but it reminds me to go, oh yeah, do something about it. And so this right here is not just a printed piece of paper that we print just for, oh, hey, Christmas. These are personal invitations put in your hands to personally invite other people. You've got a neighbor, a coworker, a friend, someone is anticipating unbeknownst to you and awaiting the invitation from you. And how amazing and how miraculous it will be when someone says yes to your invite and says yes to coming. And then they eventually hear the good news and they say yes to King Jesus, because he was born with a purpose to save, redeem those who are far from him. We're gonna unpack in this series how Jesus was born to destroy the works of the devil, how he was born to be the perfect sacrifice,

born to seek and to save the lost. And we are reminded because Christ came with a purpose, we too can live with a purpose. This is why we're asking, why did Jesus come? Certainly Christmas is a time of celebration and salvation and reconciliation, but it's also expectation. The fact that Christ came, Christ rose from the grave and he lives, he's seated at the right hand of the father. We also remember the fact that he is one day coming again, church. He's coming again, and maybe, just maybe. That's why some of us celebrate Christmas year round. It's not the busyness, it's not the bills, it's not the shopping, it's not the noise and the chaos that we love about Christmas. It's the hope, it's the wonder. It's the worship. Now, I have to confess, notice I said some of us celebrate Christmas year round. I unapologetically celebrate Christmas year round. Now, I didn't say I celebrate the commercialization of Christmas year round, but people who hate on Christmas, like what's wrong with Christmas? Jesus came for you. We can celebrate Christmas, say Merry Christmas all day, every day. I'm all about it. As a matter of fact, it might be in the middle of July,

and I've got my to-do list, and all the things I'm working on. And if you were to walk into my office, you might just hear me jamming to some Christmas music. Kind of anchors me in the hope I have in Christ. And then I'll sing some Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or Feliz Navidad. But there's something about it. I mean, I've got a friend who created a Spotify Christmas playlist. It doesn't just have 50 songs or 250 songs, it has 650 Christmas classic songs. And honestly, it's glorious. It's amazing. There's songs on there I've never heard before, and it's great. I mean, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, you name it, and I'm jamming to it. You got Joy to the World that we just sang earlier. And did you know that Joy to the World was actually not written as a Christmas song? It was written and authored as a song, giving proclamation and rejoicing that Jesus is coming back. Joy to the World. So Christmas reminds us of a lot of things, but it reminds us that we need the gospel. It reminds us that the gospel isn't just what we need to get into heaven. The gospel is what we need to live out our purpose

here on this side of eternity. It's a calling back to the gospel. And Jesus came down because we needed to hear and receive this good news. And Jesus was born to preach it. And Jesus did preach it. My friends, if you're taking notes, jot down the fact that when you and I lose sight of our purpose, Christmas reminds us of his. So how can Christmas 2025 be ever so different this year, but perhaps in a big, impactful way in your life? Is that if you feel like you're wandering, backslidden, you've taken your eyes off of Jesus, let's fix our eyes on him, the author and perfecter of our faith, and allow him to remind us of why he came. Luke chapter four, beginning in verse 42. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place, and the people sought him and came to him and would have kept him from leaving them. But he said to them, I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well, for I was sent for this purpose. Now, Jesus had been doing ministry for roughly a year at this point. He'd been doing healing, miracles, all in Capernaum, but now he's in the synagogue of Nazareth. And Jesus said those powerful words, I must preach. He didn't just stay where it was comfortable in Capernaum,

he literally left because he was so burdened to preach. And Jesus didn't come to be popular, he came to be purposeful, and he walked away from the applause of man so that he could walk towards the assignment the father gave him. His message was the mission. He didn't simply come to perform miracles, he came to proclaim mercy, he came to preach. My friends, taking notes, Jesus was born to preach the good news. Jesus was born on purpose, with a purpose, and that purpose was to preach the good news. In my family, we have, there are have tos before you get tos, right? For instance, before you go to bed, you have to brush your teeth. I think that should be a non-negotiable and a standard for every single one of us, right? But also in our home, it's like, okay, you have to do your homework, you have to study before you get screen time and electronics. There are a myriad of have tos that precede our want tos. Can I just say that Jesus modeled this? There was a lot that he could do, but he must and had to live out his mission and the purpose of which he was born. It was clear, undeniable, and unavoidable. Mark chapter one speaks to this in verse 38.

He said to them, let us go to the next towns that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out. Galatians four, verses four through five. Paul pens and he says, but when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law. To redeem. It's the blood of Jesus that redeems us, y'all. And he says, to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. The manger isn't just sentimental, it was strategic. The manger wasn't the beginning of a Christmas holiday, it was the launch of a rescue mission. And Jesus came to proclaim this life-changing news and what he would one day preach, this good news that he would one day preach was spoken over the shepherds in the field by night in Luke chapter two, verse 10. And in this Advent season, as we're reminded of this beautiful Christmas story, the angel proclaimed this purpose too. The angel said, fear not, for behold, I bring what? You good news of great joy that will be for all the people. If you've got breath in your lungs today, would you take a deep breath for a second? Hopefully you brush your teeth. Can you feel the pulse, the blood circulating in your veins this morning? If you can hear the sound of my voice,

would you just put your hand up ever so slightly? Some of you are confused, it's okay. What I wanna recognize is that God has given you breath, God has given you blood, God has given you purpose. And when the angel proclaimed that over the shepherds in the field by night, that was a truth that we can even hold on to today, that the truth, this good news is for all of us. Breathing, having a pulse, and here today, the good news that's being proclaimed and preached to you and to me is exactly what every single one of us need, it's for every single one of us. Every single one of you, this good news is for you. From the announcement in the manger to the celebration in the synagogue, Christ had a purpose and it was good news. And he didn't just preach it, he embodied it, which leads us to the next point, is that Jesus is the good news. Jesus is the gospel, not just a way, he's the way. And if you were to flip back with me in Luke chapter four, verse 17, we see in this moment, in this particular setting and context, the prophet of Isaiah being fulfilled from 700 years ago in Isaiah chapter 61, and Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy. And when we read these words, they're waiting because Jesus isn't just reading authority, Jesus is authority. Look with me, Luke chapter four, verse 17.

And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him and he enrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written. The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering the sight to the blind and to set at liberty those who are oppressed to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. 700 years before his birth, this was prophesied. And Jesus rolls into the scene and rolls into the synagogue and begins proclaiming this truth and he represents this truth. I mean, literally, reads it, rolls it up, hands it over, mic drop, boom. And people are going, what in the world did he just say? Did he just say that he is that person? He's the Messiah? This is Mary's son, this is a carpenter, carpenter's boy. What in the world is taking place? Jesus wasn't just revealing a message, he was revealing that he is the message. He didn't just read the good news, he didn't just proclaim it,

he fulfilled it. And this good news, as we've attested to, is for you, it's for all. But notice the descriptives that were given to us in Luke chapter four here. Who did Jesus come for? Well, number one, he talks about the poor. This wasn't on account of their bank accounts and how much they had in their chaste savings. It literally had everything to do with those who are spiritually bankrupt because of their sin. Our sin gives us a debt to the Lord that we cannot pay. And he came for the poor in spirit because Jesus brings fullness where there is lack and grace for those who know they can't save themselves. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminds us, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God. Listen, there ain't no, I'm paying my way. I'm gonna do enough good things. How much is good? How much can you outweigh? If you want the kingdom of God, it becomes at the beginning, at the end of yourself, that if you want to save your life, you must lose your life. And Jesus came for those who were poor in spirit. He said, what? I came for the captives,

people who are bound by shame and enslaved to sin. Jesus proclaimed release and undoing bondage from the inside out. John chapter eight, verse 36. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. He came for the blind, spiritual blindness. And sure, there were physical healings where Jesus restored the sight to people, but Jesus is referring to those who are unable to recognize God's truth. And Jesus gives sight, revealing the kingdom of God. John chapter nine, 39. Jesus said, for judgment I came into this world that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind. The oppressed, spiritually oppressed. In this room, in this synagogue, it would have been a moment where people were feeling the oppression of the government of Rome. And Jesus says, I come to free the oppressed, not from the reign of Rome, but from the ruin of sin. This is why Jesus came. Every word, every step, every act he took was gospel embodied. Some of you know that we just moved back here to Northeast Houston in July, and we were able to buy a home and I'm sure you've done the same, that when you buy a home or you move into an apartment or whatever it is that you're moving into, you say, how can we make it our own?

And so I'm sure we painted and we did various projects. And there was one particular project that Erin said we're gonna do. And she said, we're gonna replace all the doorknobs. Thank you, YouTube. And it wasn't as if I'm like opposed to it. I'm like, okay, that's what Erin wants. I think it's gonna be great. We need that. And I had a couple of questions. The first was being like, okay. Okay, it's a lot of doorknobs. And then I'm like, all right, hey, Erin, just remind me again, like, I know you want it. Yes, ma'am. But tell me why do we need new doorknobs? Because I don't wanna have like four different keys to get into the house. Anybody else have that problem? Like my son can teach you how to change a doorknob now too. It literally was one of those things where, Erin, just tell me why you want it. She's like, I just wanna have one key. One key to get into the house, not a bunch of other keys and I'm fiddling around trying to get in one key. Jesus proclaims in John chapter 14, verse six, I am the way, the truth and the life and nobody comes to the Father except through me. Jesus is the key.

He's the good news. He's the good news for your bad news that you were dead in sin, but in Christ, you can be made alive in Him and spend all of eternity with Him if you put your faith and trust in Him and Him alone. Matthew 5, 17 says, do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I've not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. John, Jesus paid the debt that you and I owe. He died the death that you and I deserve and led the life that we couldn't. And He shows us that our attempt at perfection and righteousness fall short. He was born to preach the good news and He is the good news. And this is a powerful, powerful statement that has huge implications for us. Since Jesus was born with a purpose and born to preach, since He is the good news, and for those of us who have been born again, we are born again to preach Jesus. Born again to preach Jesus. Look with me on the screens at 2 Corinthians 5 when Paul was saying these very same words as an account of the work of Jesus being bought again. He says, 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 brought, who thought, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us this 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, making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ. Be reconciled to God. Saved people are sent people. You have been born again. You have been bought with the price, redeemed, and given this gift of salvation to go tell it on the mountain, to go sing joy to the world that Jesus has come, but he's coming again. To go tell people that there's hope for the hopelessness. You've been saved and sent, and now you are sealed by the power of the Holy Spirit, and you are sustained and empowered by the Holy Spirit to go be ambassadors of good news. You know, it's interesting that word ambassadors, we'll see here in just a moment, too, another similar word is witnesses. You know, ambassadors, we don't represent ourselves, we represent the King, and we proclaim his news. We share it. It is Christmas time, and so inevitably,

I hope that you have an opportunity to go to a party or a function or two, where inevitably, someone's gonna say, we're gonna have a white elephant gift exchange. Now, that can mean a whole lot of things. Some may say, like, well, there's a $10 limit, or $20, or some is just like, yeah, just bring something. Like, for some of you, you're like, just bring something, you're like, cool, I have a closet and a whole thing of things that just we can grab and just wrap it up and say, yeah, white elephant gift all day. Some of you are like, yeah, that's me. Some of you are like, you went to a Christmas party a few days ago, and you're like, ooh, I got this gift, but I'm never gonna use this gift, and so, white elephant gift, boom. I'm not saying I've ever done that. And then it's Christmas time, so I'm also thinking about, like, Clark Griswold, who walks up in the attic on that cold day, he's searching around, and he reaches back, and he finds an old gift. It's actually a Mother's Day gift that he had put up there to hide so no one would find it, and it collected dust, and as he's up there, he just decides, well, I'm just gonna hunker down, dress up, stay warm, reflect, and remember all these old nostalgic movies and films.

My friends, this gift, it's not meant to be thought of as a cheap white elephant gift that maybe you'll repackage. It's not meant to be stored away where dust collects on it. It's not meant to be sat on and hunkered down and just say, well, this is a good thing for me. No, this gift of salvation was given to you that you may bless and share and give away. This gospel gift, this gospel gift that came to you because it was headed to someone through you. How sad will it be this Christmas in 2025 that we would take God's greatest gift to us and just sit on it, and we wonder why we're not just sitting on it and why there's people walking around hopeless and don't know Jesus is because the people who follow Jesus aren't sharing Jesus, not speaking Jesus. If you've been reconciled, you've been recruited. And at United City Church, we say this, we believe this, lost people matter. Lost people matter. Your earthly job is temporary, my friends, but your calling to Christ is eternal. Who will be in heaven one day because of your faithfulness? You can't save anybody. You don't have the power to save, only Jesus can, but you do have the responsibility to share.

Our message is not that we have it all together. Our message is simple. It's the gospel. It's the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we point our people and people that we come across to the one who does have it all together and the one who is perfect. God doesn't need our perfection. He needs our yes. My friends, don't carry the regret, carry the gospel. Don't carry shame over what you didn't do, but pick up the boldness for what you will do. God's not asking for your guilt over yesterday's shortcomings. He's asking for your yes today. Paul encouraged us, all of us in Romans 1.16. He says, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation, y'all. Who's it for? For everyone who believes. In Acts 1.8, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. As Jesus is ascending into heaven, he's promising that the Holy Spirit would come. He said, when you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and all Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. That word power in the Greek is dynamis, which we got our English word dynamite. It's powerful, life-changing.

And if you can testify to the person of Jesus and the work of Jesus in your life, you know exactly what I'm talking about, how he took you from death to life. He didn't just make you a better person, he made you a changed person, a new person. Good people don't go to heaven, saved people do. You know the power which I'm talking about. He says, when you are born again, you receive this power. Now go, be my witness, go be my ambassador of this message of reconciliation that Christ came with a purpose to redeem those who were lost. Listen, you know what your prerequisites are for this? You don't need a seminary degree, you just need to change life. You don't need eloquence of words, you need obedience. You don't need perfection, you need Jesus. If those are your prerequisites, you're gonna do great. Give it a shot, go for it. Begs the question, Christmas will be different in 2025 and we hear about Jesus born to preach and born with a purpose, so what? Can I challenge us in these three areas? If you're taking notes, number one, to pray, to preach, and to provide. Pray for boldness, even Paul who saw Jesus face to face asked the church to pray that he would speak to them the gospel fearlessly.

You know, we make Christmas lists. How many all have made a Christmas list? Okay, all 10 of you, good job. Some of you are gonna get presents. How many all have received a Christmas list? Okay. We are really good at making lists. We're really good at executing lists. Some of you took to heart Pastor Chris's message to us before the At The Movie series and began writing down people by name who you're gonna pray for and bring to At The Movies and we saw so many people come to At The Movies and experience and hear Jesus. Can I ask you to do something right now if you're taking notes or perhaps you're not, go ahead and get your phone out or whatever it is you need to take a note with. I'm gonna give you 30 seconds to do this. But I'm gonna ask you to purposely and intentionally write down the name or names, one, two, three, four, friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, that you would say, God, would you begin breaking my heart because I know they're far from God? God, would you begin emboldening me, giving me this power? God, I pray that these people would come to you, come to faith in you. Would you put down some names

that you're gonna begin praying for and that you're gonna seek out to invite to join you perhaps next Sunday for worship or life group, to join you for our Christmas Eve candlelight services. In a world that's full of hopelessness and in darkness and isolation, here we are, the truth bearers and ambassadors to God's greatest gift. Let's go tell it on the mountain, y'all. Let's go share, let's go invite, let's pray. Number two, to preach Jesus. And by preach, I don't mean a stage necessarily, I'm talking about a conversation, a coffee, asking questions, sharing the testimony of God's work in your life and his redeeming power. And again, I'm thankful how Pastor Chris reminded us of the Life on Mission app that you can download on your phone. It's as simple as putting it on your device, pulling up the three circle method, Life on Mission, that literally just walks us through and reminds us from God's design and sin and separation, us seeking out the things of this world in our brokenness, but only Jesus can fulfill that need. And while we're still sinners, Christ came and died for us. If we would repent of our sin and confess him as Lord that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved and back in perfect relationship with him, walking with him, telling others about him. If I can just celebrate what God has done

at the movie season, I mean, just one simple thing is, we saw hundreds of first time guests, but do you know that we saw 99 first time guests in our kids' ministry at the movies, y'all? Praise God for that. We just looked at the three circle method and I slowly went through it in about 30 seconds. Some of y'all got some phenomenal Christmas recipes that you've got stored away somewhere on an index card or a Rolodex, if you know what that is, I see you. Or you've got it on a note in your phone. And you could spat it off, you could go to the grocery store like, oh yeah, I need this, I need this. Why is it that we're better at a Christmas cookie list than the gospel? We're good at baking dough, but we got to sow seeds of all of eternity. Cookies will come and go, but the word of Jesus will last forever. How will they hear if we don't preach? How will they believe if they have not heard? I pointed out the Christmas card invitation. Some of y'all folded it up, some of y'all put it under your seat. Some of y'all said, oh, someone else is gonna do that. Newsflash, you're gonna do that. Oh, that's someone else's job. That's the pastor's job to share the gospel.

That's someone else's job to bring them to church. I'm just here. Well, praise God that God brought you here by divine appointment to hear this challenge and say you are a part of God's plan and movement to tell people of the hope of Jesus. Praise God that he's got a plan and purpose for your life. Praise God, and I want to talk about this one that we get to provide for this mission in other ways with our time, treasures, and talent, but you can provide for the mission by providing and supporting and sending others who can go preach in other places that perhaps you can't get to yet. Do you know in 2026, we want to send out more short-term missionaries than ever. You're like, well, I don't want to send out Pastor Jason, I don't know how I can do it financially. Why don't you put your yes on the table and see what God does? Some of you have never been on a mission trip. Some of you have never shared the gospel and you've known Jesus for years. It's time to provide encouragement. It's time to provide financial means. It's time to provide more assets into the game because when you're funding the, listen, when you're providing, you're not just funding a budget, you're fueling the mission. Can I share with you some incredible kingdom impact wins

in 2025 through United City Church? $95,000 given to church plants from Houston to across the United States. $40,000 invested into global church planning efforts. $50,000 given to prison ministries across Houston and surrounding areas. And can I tell you, just a couple of days ago, some of our serve team members went out to the prisons and baptized 53 inmates, y'all. $50,000 to God Behind Bars, helping reach nearly half a million inmates nationwide through the Pando app. $65,000 given to local ministry partners serving refugees and immigrants and the impoverished and abortion minded women. Y'all, your funding, your prayers, your preaching, it all fuels the mission. You've got purpose. And if you've lost sight of it, remember why Christ came. He came to preach the good news. This is why it matters. John 3, 16, for God so loved the world, He first so loved you that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but would have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son to condemn it, but to save, to reconcile and redeem it through Him. Ephesians 2, eight through nine reminds us, for by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God.

Not a result of works that no one may boast. My friends, this gift, it's so unique, it's so wonderful, it's so beautiful. It's the costliest gift, Jesus paid it all. He laid down His life so that you may have salvation and have life. This gift is so unique, it's the only one that will last forever. And this gift is so unique, it's the only gift you'll ever use every day of your life. So how will Christmas 2025 be different? For some, it's by answering this next question. Have you received the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ? If not, what's holding you back? What are you waiting for? Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to be forgiven and redeemed. Jesus came to preach the good news. And if you've been born again, it's time to speak, Jesus. Every head bowed and every eye closed, this is the time of invitation and response. I'm gonna ask that no one move, no one leave. We need prayer partners in the room. Some of you in this room today say, I need to profess Christ as Lord and receive this gift of salvation. Today is your moment. And in just a minute, when we stand and sing, I'm gonna invite you to unashamedly walk down one of these aisles

and shake a staff member's hand on one of our prayer team members' hands and say, Jesus saved me. And we'll say, welcome to the family. Others of you, you need to take your next step. We've seen four baptized today in other services. And today, you need to talk with someone about your next step in believer's baptism. We'll get that scheduled. Don't wait till 2026, let's get that done in 2025. Some of you have been checking out United City Church. This is the day where you come and you partner and link arms with this church. It's not a perfect church, but one who is following after the one who is, who's on mission to advance the kingdom of God together. And others of you simply just need prayer. Perhaps even as Pastor Chris encouraged you, you didn't come forward, but now you wanna pray with someone. Or maybe there's someone on your list that you wrote down today that you wanna begin praying for by name and out loud with someone. Well, now's your chance and now's your moment. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. We can't wait to see you next week for any of our services at 8.30, 10, 11.30, or Espanol at one o'clock.