"Fruit Worthy of Repentance', December 4,2016 Matthew 3:l-12 Second Sunday ofAdvent

TIIE BIGIDEA: "Change My Heart, O God,,

"Let [God'sJ gloryfill allthe earth!" psalm 72:19 ,,And INTRODUCTION The Chitdren Will Lead."

Joyful Kids choir sang "chunge My rreart', [#2152, The f,'aith we singl dz ring oar Thanksgiving Sunday (11/20/16). Mary Simmons (18yr.) hus been their director since January. she inspired the chitdren who in turn led us to pray, ,,change my heart, o God, make it ever true ,.. may f be hke you." John the Baptist culled out, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is near.,, True ,rchanged', repentance is demonstrated by a heurt and live.

I. NEW JUSTICE (Isaiah 11:1-10) "He will judge the needy with righteousness and decide with equity. " vs. 4

o God's rule is characterized try justice and mercy for all. o True: meaningful living embodies respect for all people.

U. NEW DECISIONS (Matthew 3:t-t}) "Producefruit that shows you have changed. your hearts and lives." vs. B o Jesus is God's truth and love..incarnate.,, o Jesus invites and warns us to make concrete decisions to reorder our lives in ways appropriate to Godrs intentions. III. NEW RELATIONSIIIPS (Romans 15:4-13)

" So welcome each other, in tlte same way that Christ welcomed you, for God's glory." vs.7 o Paul claims the new behavior appropriate to God's new governance is that the strong and the wealq the haves and have-nots, relate to each other in new faithfulness. o 3 life decisions: Relationship, Relationship, Relaiionship.

CONCLUSION '2017llord of the Year: " Advent is our time to spend pondering decision about bringing our daily lifu into sync with God's rule. God sent his only Son, Jesus to confront major "theme" of Jewish - ru The angel heralded his birth with, "Don't not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." l4/e find ourselves over two thousand years later faced with a global "culture of fear."

Dictionary.com picks a Word of the Year that embodies a major theme resonating deeply in the cultural consciousness over the prior 12 months. This year, some of the most prominent news stories have centered around fear ofthe "other." This particular year saw fearrise to the surface of cultural discourse. 'oXenophobia is Dictionary.com's 2016 Word of the Year. Dictionary.com defines as o'fear or hatred of foreigners, people from different , or strangers." It can also refer to fear or dislike ofcustoms, dress, and cultures of people with backgrounds different from our own.

The Bible teaches us " There is nofear in love. But petfect love drives outfear. " (1 John 4:18) Of course the perfectlove which John speaks of is "ugape" (God's unconditional love). This is a lofty goal for our lives. However, there is a Greek word for relational love - "phileo." Using this less thun perfect love let as consider the future Let us make Dictionury.com's 2017 Word of the Year - "Xenophilia." Dictionary.com defines xenophili{t as "an attraction to foreign peoples, cultures, or customs." It can also refer to a "mindset of respect" for people with backgrounds different from our own. "CIIANGE OUR HEARTS, O GOD."