IN HIM - Part 10 - Christmas The Word Became Flesh

We're living in victory! The battle's won in victory! We've overcome whatever comes our way! No one can change the sea! We're living in victory! Through our Lord Jesus Christ! Hello brothers and sisters, this is Mike Kennedy with the Living in Victory broadcast. We're going to continue our series today titled, In Him. This is part 10 of the series. If you haven't heard the first messages, I encourage you to go back. Amen? The title of today's message is Christmas, The Word Became Flesh. Now keep in mind, we're still talking about who we are in Christ Jesus. What we have in Christ Jesus. Amen? And we wouldn't have any of these things, the victory, the healing, the eternal life. Amen? The financial provision without Christmas. Of what Jesus did when he became flesh. Came onto the earth to die for you and me. Without that, we wouldn't have any of these benefits. Glory to God. Thank you, Father. This series is based upon Philemon chapter, well there's only one chapter. Philemon chapter 1, verse 6. That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgement of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. Now you don't have this power, this effectual working power in you if you have not received Jesus. You're doing things in your own ability, not in God's ability in you. Amen? These three short words, I've said it on every message, but I'd like to make sure that we get it in us. These short words, three words, in Christ Jesus are the most important, ever written, ever inspired, ever. To express the relationship of the believer, the Christian, and the Messiah, Jesus Christ, our Savior. Because of that, we need to understand what they mean in Christ Jesus. What we have in them, the authority we have in these words as children of the Most High God.

Amen? The Creator of heaven and earth. Glory to God. Ephesians chapter 6, verse 10. It says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, not your might, His might. Which is one of the reasons why you have to have your name written in heavenly books. As children of the Most High God. And then it says, Put on the armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. The NIV says against the devil's schemes. Their strategic lies of the enemy. His schemes are lies. Their targeted strategic lies to deceive us. Their tricks of Satan is what the Living Bible says. Deception is his weapon. Amen? Satan is motivating people to lie. Spirits are behind things that lie. People that lie. Ephesians, verse 6, 12 says, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. Why? Because Satan, the father of lies, is motivating them to get into strife. To lie, to steal, to cheat. Amen? That's why we resist the spirits that are attacking. Not people. Our fight's not against people. We take authority over the spirits that are motivating them, that are behind them. It goes on to say, But against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. Stand therefore. So we're supposed to resist. Put on the armor of God. You need to be part of the resistance. Amen? In previous messages, we've covered the armor of God, the first five items. Where truth protects against lies. Amen? Righteousness protects against condemnation. The third one is shod with the gospel of peace. That protects against missing opportunities.

I don't want to miss out on good opportunities. Amen? of faith guards us against one of Satan's deadliest weapons, doubt. The fifth item, the helmet of salvation protects the head, amen, which is where our thought life is, battlefield of the mind, it protects our thoughts. Six is where we're going today, the sword of the Spirit, it's the Word of God, amen. Ephesians 617, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, it's the written Word of God. Many people don't even have a Bible or if they do, the pages are stuck together, amen, they got a sheath with no sword in it, they're unarmed, we're not in a pillow fight, we're in a fight of life and death, eternal life and death. You don't want to be like Barney Fife, have a gun with no bullet in it, you don't want to have a gun, maybe you got a Bible but you don't even know how to use it, so you're like Barney Fife and he puts a bullet in it and goes to cock it and a bullet falls out, doesn't even know how to load it to use it, that's what this series is about, that's what all these messages about on our broadcast is how to utilize the written Word of God that became flesh to win, every time to live in victory, amen, you need to get into your Bible, amen. Not shoot duds, know how to cock it, aim it, fire it, and hit the target. What I mean by that is how to use God's Word properly, how to rightly divide it, amen. The sword can rip apart enemy's plans. The Greek word for sword that Paul used when he was talking about the sword came from the Greek word machera and it was about a 19-inch blade, razor-sharp on both ends, but it had a little knurl on the end that curved up so that when you swung it and hit somebody then you can jerk it back and rip their internals out, rip their guts out, amen, their bowels, their heart, organs, that's what the enemy is trying to do to you, he's trying to gut you, get you from the inner core and rip you apart, amen, but we've got the sword, the Word of God that destroys his strategies, his plans, his lies, his strongholds, amen, it sets people free, amen. The Bible is the only way that you can defeat the schemes of the enemy. The Word that became flesh, destroyed Satan, brought him the knock, he's a big old zero, amen. I had a guy, he ended up giving his life to the Lord before we went to prison. He had 666 tattooed on his

forehead. When he gave his life to the Lord, he's like, but what am I gonna do about this? I said, dude, you've already got a tattoo, just go get a red circle on it with a line through it. He thought that was the coolest thing because Satan is a big old knot, four-knot, brought to knot, that means he's nothing but a loser. Satan probably has a big L tattooed right on his forehead, the loser, amen. Why people want to serve the loser? They don't have revelation in light of who Jesus is and how to serve the King of Kings and when you do, you become a son of God. You serve Satan, you become a son of his and he's a loser, that means you become a loser. Serve God and you become a king. Glory to God eternally. Thank you, Father. Glory to God. Few people honor the written Word of God, but I do and you should too if you want victory in your life. John 1 14 says, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. We know John 3 16, for God so loved the world that He gave the greatest gift you can give, Jesus Christ. God gave His only Son, that's what love does, it gives, amen. He gave His only begotten Son and the Word says that Jesus came from heaven and He became flesh, the Word became flesh, amen. The word Christmas comes from the root word Christ. It's not about a fake fat man in a red suit, it's about the gift, the gift from God. What we can do with the gift, what we have due to the gift and Him, amen. The fallacy based upon Santa Claus originates from a godly man, Saint Nicholas. He was a 4th century Greek bishop from what we would call today modern-day Turkey. He was famous for gift-giving, not just gift-giving, secret gift-giving in generosity. The Dutch ended up bringing the tradition that was started for gift-giving without any, just you know, started at Santa Claus, the Dutch brought to the U.S. and they started with benevolent gift-giving amongst their friends. Then in 1823, a poem was written and the original title was A Visit from Saint Nicholas because when he came, he was bringing and bearing gifts, just like the wise men. We talk about three wise men? No, there was more than three. Every man or woman since that comes to Jesus Christ is a wise man. Are you a wise man? Are you a wise woman? You could be today.

Come to him and receive him as your Lord, amen? So this poem that was written in 19 or 1823 by Washington Irving called A Visit from Saint Nicholas became known, they changed the name, The Night Before Christmas. And this is where it started out and he jokingly put a gift-bearing man with images of reindeer on the cover. He joked about there being reindeer involved with gift-giving. It was a joke back then in 1823 and it became a tradition with a fat man, red suit with reindeer. Then in the 1930s, Coca-Cola made it a cemented it into what Santa Claus is as a man with a red suit flying as advertising to make money to sell Coca-Cola. But let me tell you about where this is today. So it started out with a godly man blessing people, hence giving gifts based on John 3 16. For God so loved the world that he gave, amen? But it turned out to create a naughty and nice list. You're either good or bad. It started out from that aspect with a red man that could do miracles, charging no fees for the gifts. It was devilish and strategic that over a couple hundred years it would go from a focus on Christmas being the day of the first Noel, our Savior, our Lord, to being about a fat man in a red suit. Devilish, strategic over a couple hundred years. See, Sainton, he cares about the long term but we know the truth and the truth will set us free, amen? About this red man in a suit doing miracles. No, the only miracle worker is Jesus through the Holy Spirit, amen? There can be miracles in your life because of who you are in Him, the mercy of God, the goodness of God. Isaiah says, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. The government shall be on his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, amen? So a child was born, a son was given. He's my salvation. He's King of Kings. He's the risen Savior. He's the soon coming again Lord of Lords, hallelujah. Luke chapter 2 talks about Jesus coming and Joseph, his father. In verse 4 it says, Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea to the city of David which is Bethlehem. Now Bethlehem was just a little country town because he was of the house and of the lineage of David to be registered with Mary, his betrothed's wife, who was with child. So it was that while they were there, the

days were completed for her to be delivered, to have this child. And she brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. The NLV calls it strips of cloth. What are swaddling clothes? They're strips of cloth. You may think of them as a pieces of a diaper. Yes, but that's not what it was for. The that were used by the rabbis when a new sheep was born that was without spot or blemish to keep them from getting damaged from hitting the rocks because back then the places where they kept the lambs that were going to be used for sacrifice were caves. There was protection against lions, tigers, bears, weather and they would rub up against the dark caves and they'd run into rocks and well they can't be used anymore. So they were protected with these strips of cloth, swaddling clothes. That's what our Lord and Savior was wrapped in when he was born. The same strips that were used for the lambs that were used as sacrificial lambs. Jesus became our sacrifice, amen, our sacrificial lamb. The mangers that Jesus was born in, people see the little wooden sheds with a manger in it? No, the mangers back then were hewed out of rock and they'd lay them on this cold hard rock. Another reason why you need the swaddling clothes is to not just keep them warm but because they were laying in rock. It was a cushion so that they would not get hurt, they would not get damaged and they could still be used as sacrificial lambs, amen. So the sacrificial lambs were to protect them so they would be without spot, without blemish and they could be used for the sacrifice. Jesus was the Lamb of God. He came to take away the sin of the world and glory to God he's taken away my sin. We've talked about the breastplate of righteousness,

being made right. You can be made right right now like you've never sinned before just by asking Jesus for forgiveness, for repentance. Repentance, a tremendous gift. Without it, we would have some serious challenges. We would have to take and do sacrifices every year but Jesus washes us clean, amen. He doesn't just cover our sins, he washes us clean, hallelujah. 1 Peter 1.19, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. John 1.29 says, John the Baptist declared, behold the Lamb of God. He came to be a sacrifice for you and for me. This is the greatest gift of all time. I believe this word of God, it's true. He said that this Virgin Mary was born and had a child. She conceived by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God. That's why whenever we receive Him, we're new creatures born of Him, born of God, amen. He was born from glory, giving glory to God. The word became flesh, that's Emmanuel, God with us because of Jesus. We receive repeatedly in the word that Jesus is called the heavenly gift. John 3.16, we talked about, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 4.10, Jesus answered and said to her, if you knew the gift of God, Jesus is a gift and people have been rejecting Him. Ephesians 2.8, for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Hebrews 6.4, for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and tasted the heavenly gift. 2 Corinthians 9.15 says, thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift. Jesus is a gift, receive the gift, amen. That gift allows us to have eternal life, salvation, amen. Romans 8.32 says,

that He that spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things. Because of that gift, He will give us healing, He will give us protection, He will bring us out, He will give us mercy when we make mistakes, amen. Glory to God, He didn't hold back on His own Son. Why would He ever consider holding back on His blessings, amen. He gave us a gift, Jesus. You can do a couple things with a gift. You can give a gift, you can receive a gift, but people can also refuse a gift. That's not nice. It's rude, amen. There are numerous tribes all over the world in Africa, part of the Pacific, where if you bring a gift, a buried gift, and you give it to somebody and they reject it, that's something that can create death out of that situation. You have rejected them, that's like spitting in their face and wanting to cut their throat. As a result of that, you're liable to get knives pulled on you, guns pulled on you for rejecting the gift, amen. And people are rejecting the gift of God. The greatest gift that was ever given was given by our Creator for us. Don't reject the gift today, amen. Receive Him. I'm not a rejecter of Jesus Christ. I know I've got eternal life because I received the gift, amen. 2nd Corinthians 9 15, thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift. What does that mean? That means that we still not, in this time frame, have all the understanding of what that gift means. But I know this much, it means that I have eternal life, hallelujah, in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 1 7 says, in Christ Jesus you were redeemed and forgiven for all your sins. Forgiven, like you had no trespasses. You didn't do anything wrong. You have been made right before Him. Now that's a gift, amen. Not just signed off saying, okay, you've done your time, you're not gonna have to do any more time. No, washed like you never did. He pardons it like you never did. It can't be held against you. You know, Satan tried the accuser, he'll try to bring it up. God, look what he did and here's the proof and he'll bring out the sheets of the proof and all the pictures are gone, the pages are clean. He's like, what happened?

Washed by the blood, amen. Glory to God. That's because of Jesus and what He did and that's why we sell Christmas, the day Christ came, amen. In Christ Jesus, you're justified. You've been made right. You can go before Him boldly and request the goodness of God, the things of God. 2nd Corinthians 5 21 says, for our sake God made Christ to be sin who knew no sin so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God or be made the righteousness of God. No matter what you've done, you can be made right standing with Him. It doesn't matter if you've stolen, if you've murdered, committed adultery, anything. None of that matters if you receive repentance and cleansing from Jesus, amen. Now, don't go back and do it again. As Jesus told the prostitute, go and sin no more, amen. In Christ, you can receive strength, quickening, amen. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Now, we need to rightly divide the Word. That means that we also need to be led by the Spirit according to Romans 8 14. Led by His Word, led by His Spirit. If He tells us to do something, then by Him and through Him and in Him, He will strengthen us so that we can fulfill the call and do what He's told us to do, amen. In Christ, we have the power to prosper. Deuteronomy 8 18 says, and you shall remember the Lord your God for it is He who gives you the power to get wealth. I'm prospering, amen. God is bringing me up. He's showing me how to invest, what to do, how to conserve money, glory to God. Matthew 8 18, in Christ Jesus, we have power to bind into loose. It says, verily I say unto you, whatever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven, amen. We bind up the enemy, we loose ministering spirits to go forward, amen, and conquer and do things for us. Again, I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them for my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them. See, when Jesus left the earth, He sent the Holy Spirit, so He is here with us. He's in us when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. In Christ, we have victory. We have triumph. 2nd Corinthians 2 14. This is one of my favorite verses.

It says, But thanks be to God who in Christ, but thanks be to God who in Christ always leads us in triumph as trophies of Christ's victory and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere. That's the amplified version. That word misunderstanding in today's language. That word triumph doesn't mean that we're getting ready to go out for battle and we expect a triumph. No, the word triumph here means that we're fighting from victory. He's already given it to us. We're fighting from a place that we won. We just got to go out and fight. In other words, that means we just got to show up. It's like a team who didn't show up, they forfeited. And the other team showed up, so they won. They didn't even have to fight or play the game. That's what this is talking about. He leads us to the triumph or the celebration after the battle is won. Glory to God. In Christ Jesus, we've been made sons. Galatians 3 26. In Christ, you are all sons of God. Hallelujah. Sons of God. We're heirs of Jesus in what He has already bought and paid for. Hallelujah. In Romans 8 16, the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs. Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Joint heirs. What that means, not co-heirs, we are joint heirs. In other words, equal possession because of equal position. If a family leaves a house and the kids are joint heirs, then they all have 100% access to it. If they're co-heirs, then they sell it. One person gets 33, the next one gets 33, the next one gets 33. We are joint heirs. We get 100% as kings. Amen. Jesus is the king. We are kings of Him. Kings of kings. Lord of lords. And we get to share in the victory for eternity. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord because of what Jesus did on the cross. Because what He did,

which is what we celebrate on Christmas, and of course, Resurrection Sunday, the day that He rose from the dead, victorious. But He came and was born as a child knowing that He was going to be slaughtered, hung on the cross for you and for me. I encourage you, brother, sister, don't reject the gift. You can receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior right now and have eternal life with me. Say, Heavenly Father, I believe in You. I believe in Your Son, Jesus, that He was born from a virgin mother. I ask You, Lord, to be my Lord, my Savior. Come into my heart. Forgive me and cleanse me of my sins. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. I believe it. Father, I thank You for it. In the name of Jesus. Amen. Well, hallelujah. You are now a child of the Most High God. Glory to God. Remember, during Christmas, be thankful for what Jesus has done. Have a blessed day and a Merry Christmas. Remember, for whatever is born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. 1 John 5.4.