Steven Furtick Makes Christmas About YOU Rather Than the Birth of Our Savior

Fighting for the Faith

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Well, it's getting to be about that time when you're gonna be hearing Christmas sermons now

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I know much of evangelicalism has no clue what Advent is so I'm not even about to go there with that but During this time if your pastor preaches a sermon anything closely resembling

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What it is that you are about to be listening to you need to find another church because the

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Bible's about Christ It's not about you Yeah, so the name of the message we'll be listening to is entitled embrace the change

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And this is the Christmas message that was delivered at Elevation Church Last year.

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Yeah, this was last year's Christmas Message and it is a hot mess of Narcissus Now if you've never heard the phrase

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Narcissus before let me explain what Narcissus is Basically, it's reading the love of yourself into every biblical text

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And if you're gonna read yourself into the biblical text It really stands out like a sore thumb when you do it with texts that are clearly about Jesus Yeah, and so during the

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Christmas season This is a simple time of year to spot the what's wrong with the

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Bible teacher kind of stuff going on And so we're gonna go back in time if you would but we'll do this without our time machine today and I'm looking at the the video of Furtick and this was before he began his

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Lou Ferrigno bodybuilding routine So he's still the scrawny little guy that he used to be but now he's like in Lou Ferrigno, but so without any

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Further ado. Here is Stephen Furtick and Embrace the change

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Christmas at Elevation. This is what not to do as far as sermons

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During Christmas time. Here we go. Just by singing your gratitude to God It's one of the most precious gifts that you can give to God this

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Christmas is to thank him for all the gifts that he's given to you and Just to take inventory of your life this

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Christmas and and thank him for all the things that he's brought you through and all the promises that he's made you and all of the things that he put up with from you and to look at his love for you and just Contrast that with what you deserve

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And it should result in in praise and thanksgiving and worship

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And giving glory to God in the highest. I Mean he sounded like he started off on the right foot, but I know what's coming

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So at this yeah, he heads off in the right direction and then makes an abrupt. Yeah, like you turn.

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Yeah What a wonderful way to spend our Christmas getting prepared just by making room for Jesus Christ in our lives singing songs together

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It's been a very beautiful time in God's presence and I get the privilege now To preach a

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Christmas sermon to you and I'm excited to do it Yeah, how much you want to bet it's not about Jesus How much you want to bet it's about Stephen Furtick and you how many of you need a good preaching

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That's what you need elevation is like the last place you should go I want to read the

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Scripture from Luke the gospel of Luke where it describes the birth of Jesus.

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All right, so there's our biblical text we're in the gospel of Luke and This is the birth of Christ all right, so Get ready

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Cuz it ain't really gonna be about Jesus when this is all done It's interesting because Luke was a doctor and so he knew a lot of details about the human body, but when he when he describes the birth of Jesus, he's relatively straightforward and simple and Want to give you this scriptures just a couple of verses

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May be familiar. Maybe you've never actually read it, but Notice the sappy music playing in the background the sappy music.

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That's an emotional manipulation technique. Yeah Furtick is the king of the emotional manipulators

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Describes how Jesus was born and I'm reading from Luke chapter 2 Verses 4 through 7.

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All right, Luke 2 4 through 7 got it be on the screens for you to follow along The scripture says so Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth and Galilee to Judea To Bethlehem the town of David because he belonged to the house and line of David He went there to register with Mary who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child

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And while they were there the time came for the baby to be born and she gave birth to her firstborn a son and she wrapped him in cloths and Placed him in a manger because there was no guest room available for them

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Again the greatest event in human history Just summed up so simply

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Right, that's right. This is the birth of our Savior the

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Jesus Christ the creator of all things The Alpha the

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Omega the one who is going who's come to earth born of the Virgin Mary To die for our sins so that we might be saved and reconciled to God Yeah, I mean this is an important thing.

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So Don't mess it up It's just like that and Yet I want to call your attention to something in verse 6

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I Detect a bad segue here. Yeah, he was talking about the greatest event in history the birth of our

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Savior You want to call our attention to something in verse 6? Oh Simple on the surface, but yeah, it says that while they were there.

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Yeah, you know, they were going on their way There was a census being taken so they had to go to Bethlehem to register

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Yeah, but while they were going about their business The scripture says the time came

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For the baby to be born right and I like that little phrase the time came because to me it's it's a metaphor

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For how when God wants to do something in your life He does it and you may not always feel ready for him to do it

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But just like he did it for Mary and Joseph. They didn't have a sonogram. They didn't know the due date They were just doing their thing

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Going about their business Hang on. I gotta pick my jaw off the the desk.

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What is he doing? I mean, did you I mean, did you see that?

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I mean, I would like to draw your attention to something in Luke chapter 2 verse

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Luke chapter 2 verse 6 and It says the time came for her to give birth and he likes the phrase and the time came

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Because that means that God is getting ready to do something in your life.

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Oh You cannot make this nonsense up Yeah, um, do you know what the phrase means the time came for her to give birth?

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Yeah, it means that the time came for Mary to give birth Yeah, that's what it means.

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It's not a metaphor About something in your life and Wow, this is blasphemously bad

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And then the scripture says the time came Yeah And I wanted to let you know that I believe in my heart for a lot of people who have attended this

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Christmas experience At all of the Christmas experience. Yeah, they're having a God encounter, you know occasions today

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I Believe the time has come For something great that God wants to do in your life right, so because it says in Luke Cannot make this up Luke 2 6 the time came for her to give birth

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That means that God the time has come the God wants to do something great in your life Yeah, notice we aren't preaching

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Jesus here. We're not you know, yeah Oh, man, this is awful

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So I I wonder if the Elevation Church Christmas carols, you know are

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Are about Stephen Furtick and you Uh -huh Yeah, come let us adore me.

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Come let us. Yeah. Uh -huh. We continue The time has come

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And and I just think we ought to make an announcement, you know that We might not feel totally prepared and we're never really gonna feel totally prepared

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Yeah, I I don't feel prepared I mean just like Mary probably didn't feel prepared at all to you know, give birth to her first child

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I mean that first pregnancy, I mean ready or not here here comes parenthood. Yeah, she probably didn't feel prepared

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You know, so I but got you probably don't feel prepared for the big thing that God wants to do in your life either

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Yeah, notice we're not preaching about Christ might not have everything in our lives together But what

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I love about God, yeah, is that when it's time It's time

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Yeah, wow, that's So deep it's unfathomable Wow, yeah when it's time

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Yeah, it's time. Yeah, that's not what Luke 2 is about and nothing can stop him from doing what he wants to do

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Yeah, right cuz that's not what Luke 2 teaches when it's time It's time

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I Wish you'd shake somebody next to you and tell them when it's time. It's time when it's time

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Yeah, start shaking people and let them know it, you know when it's time You know, it's it's time time

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It's time. Yeah, come on. It's time for joy and peace and love and grace

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The first form in your life today. Yeah, it's time for these things, you know

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You know and now notice the manipulative music is now building to a crescendo.

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It's all part of the manipulation It's time for you know restoration of redemption, right?

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Yeah, what are those words mean in the sentence that you're shouting? It's time to Yeah, let's take a look at that text now and just do a little comparative work here because that's what we do here at fighting

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For the faith if you have your Bible open up to Luke chapter 2 We'll read the text and let's see if Yeah, if this is all a metaphor about what's going on in your life in those days decree went out from Caesar Augustus That all the world should be registered

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This was the first registration when Quirinius was the governor of Syria and all went out to be registered each according each to his own town and Joseph also went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea to the city of David which

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Is called Bethlehem? because he was of the house in the lineage of David to be registered with Mary his betrothed who was with child and While they were there the time came for her to give birth and she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes

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Laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the end Actually, I think a better translation would be you know in the guest room

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That would be a good way to translate the Cataluma there but and In the same region there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night and an angel the

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Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were filled with great fear and the angel said to them fear not for behold

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I Bring you good news of great joy That will be for all people for unto you is born this day in the city of David a

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Savior who is Christ the Lord and This will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising

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God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those

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Whom he is pleased and when the angels went away from them into heaven the shepherds said to one another

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Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened Which the Lord has made known to us and they went with haste and found

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Mary and Joseph and the baby Lying in a manger and when they saw it They made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them

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But Mary treasured all these things pondering them in her heart the shepherd returned shepherds returned glorifying and praising

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God For all that they had heard and seen as it had been told to them

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Well, it's fascinating the angels appeared to the shepherds and They announced for unto you is born this day in the city of David a

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Savior who is Christ the Lord and Stephen Furtick's great big emotional manipulative

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Crescendo and the thing he wants to let everybody there at Elevation Church know at Christmas is

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That it is it's time It's time for them to have something amazing happen in your life

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Yeah, I I think that it is time is a far cry for unto you is born in the city of David a

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Savior Who is Christ the Lord? One is a message of true. Hope one is a message of true joy and the other is just a plastic banana manipulative narcissistic nonsense that takes the glory away from Christ and Puts it on well men like Stephen Furtick Think you get the point

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So this Christmas season if you find yourself in a church and the pastor pulls a narcissist on you

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And you know starts preaching about himself and preaching you rather than proclaiming that unto you is born a

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Savior Which is the important message of Christmas? And the reason it is an important message is because each and every one of us is born

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Dead and trespasses and sins Enslaved to the devil under the dominion of darkness

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With no hope at all But God has stepped into human history God himself born of the

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Virgin Mary comes to die and be our Savior take our sins upon himself and propitiate the wrath of God Yeah, that's good news what

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Stephen Furtick was talking about. I don't know what that was But it had nothing to do with the

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Christmas story at all You know I'll say this a lot of people a lot of people are getting all upset about the so -called

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Christmas wars we talk about this from you know, pretty much every year and you know, well they get all bent out of shape because you know, the

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Jewish lady at Walmart who's working behind the checkout stand didn't say to you. Merry Christmas and Everyone's complaining we need to put

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Christ back into Christmas. There's a big slogan, you know, and so, you know This is the big thing to have the fight over Yeah before you put

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Christ, you know, you're gonna be successful putting Christ back into Christmas It's time to get rid of pastors like Stephen Furtick so that we can put

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Christ back into Christianity Something to think about. All right, we're up on our second break

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If you'd like to email me regarding anything you've heard on this edition or any previous editions of fighting for the faith

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You can do so my email address is talk back at fighting for the faith comm or you can subscribe on Facebook Facebook .com

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forward slash pyro Christian. Follow me on Twitter. My name there at pyro Christian quick break when we come back and Izzy de

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Kersigny Sermon yeah, I don't know what to call this thing. Stay tuned. I want to miss it.

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We'll be right back No itching ears are scratched here.