This is “Christmas Eve Candlelight”. Christmas is truly a season of giving. Sometimes the stress of “giving” takes the joy out of the Holiday as parents, friends and family who want so badly to give the very best gifts are left feeling like they can’t do enough. But what if all your loved ones want from you is, well, you. In a world that is focused on exalting self—self-esteem, self-awareness, self-confidence, self-image, self-sufficiency, self-improvement, and even selfies!—what if you humbled yourself? What if this Christmas, you put self on the shelf and focused on the interests of others? How would that change your marriage, your children, or even your job? The greatest gift you can give Jesus on his birthday is yourself. It’s the greatest gift you can give your parents, your children, your spouse …. And if you want to give all of yourself to those you love, you have to start by giving all yourself to Jesus.
♪ ♪
>> Merry Christmas, everyone.
We’re so glad that you’ve
joined us on
Kingdom Connection today.
Cherise and I pray that
this season will be filled
with God’s joy,
and God’s peace for you
and your family.
Every year we have an annual
event at Free Chapel
that is one of our
favorite traditions.
It’s the Christmas
Candlelight service.
Before we go into this service
that you’re going to have
with us right there wherever
you’re watching this program,
I simply want to say thank you
to all of you who have
generously supported
this ministry this year.
What a year we’ve all
gone through,
but your support has allowed us
to preach the gospel
to literally millions of people
on a weekly basis.
It’s why we’re here,
to tell the world about a man
named Jesus and a place
called Calvary
and the amazing plan that God
has for each and every
one of us.
Again, I want to wish you
a very Merry Christmas.
Let’s go into this
Candlelight Service.
♪ ♪
>> I have a crazy little
thought I wanna give you.
Over in Marietta, Georgia.
It’s down the road.
There was a mother who had
two daughters, true story,
and she used to tell them
a story about an elf
that she made up.
She made a little doll,
a little elf like this,
and she would set it up
on a shelf, and she told them
the story that elf is always
watching them whether they’re
good or they’re bad.
And while they sleep,
he takes a nocturnal journey
to the North Pole and tells
Santa Claus and comes back,
and when he comes back,
he’s always in a different
place than when they
went to sleep and when
they wake up, they’re amazed.
You say, well,
why do I care about that?
Well, just hold on.
I’m the preacher.
You’re not.
Just hold on.
And she had this idea,
told the story to her children
every Christmas
as a family tradition.
Every morning they would wake up
and sure enough,
the little elf,
and that was proof that he had
gone on a journey and come back,
and to make a long story short,
it became a phenomenon in 2005.
A little mother down here
in Marietta hit it big.
The two daughters grew up
and become business-minded
entrepreneurs.
They built this little package
with a book and everything
in it called
“The Elf on the Shelf”,
and to make a long story short,
it sells $10 million a year
since 2005 off of that.
Turn to somebody and say
I wish you were that smart
to come up with that.
Would you do that?
$10 million a year off
of “The Elf on the Shelf”.
There’s no elf watching you
every day and with you
every day, but you do have
self with you every day,
and I wanna just talk about
how that the world is all
about self and maybe
what could happen this Christmas
is you could put self
on the shelf,
and you could find out
that there’s so much more
to life than self,
living a life of just
all about self.
The world tells us that
it’s about self-esteem.
It’s about self-awareness,
self-confidence, self-image.
All these things are fine,
but when you begin to make
all life about self,
self-improvement,
self-interest,
self-sufficiency,
self-reliance, and if that
wasn’t enough, selfies.
But the Bible talks about
self-pity and self-conceit
and self-importance
and self-will
and self-destruction.
Religious people have an issue
because they think it’s
all about self-righteousness,
self-justification.
I’m good.
I’ve done this.
Therefore, I deserve.
But God’s word says
that it’s about self-control,
self-denial, self-examination,
and self-sacrifice.
And so many words I wanna change
it just a minute and say
that really Christmas
is about put self on a shelf
and let Jesus take the throne
of your heart.
Galatians 6:3, “For if a man
thinks himself to be something
he’s deceiving himself.”
If you’re eaten up
with your own ego,
your own pride, and you think
that everybody has a problem
and self is great,
the Bible said if you think
yourself to be something
when you’re not,
you’re deceived.
Romans 12:3 said,
“Don’t think of yourself
more highly than you ought.”
Put self on the self.
Humble yourself.
You need a Savior.
You need forgiveness.
You need God’s help.
You need God’s life
in your family.
You need Jesus.
Put self on the shelf
or you’ll live a selfish life.
2 Corinthians 10 says,
“We dare not compare ourselves
among ourselves.”
You want a miserable life?
Compare yourself all the time
with other people.
Compare yourself
with what they have.
Compare yourself with what
other people are doing
at Christmas and what
you’re not doing and what you
don’t have, and you’ll live
a miserable life.
That’s why need to put self
on the shelf and put Jesus
as the center of everything
and then purpose and meaning
and true, true, true destiny
kicks in when Jesus
is Lord of your life.
Luke 9 said, and it sums up
everything that I wanna say
here in this last five minutes
of my talk.
“If any man will come after me,
let him deny himself.
Put himself on a shelf.
Put his will on a shelf.
Put his dream on a shelf
and let me be Lord.
When you say,
“Thy Kingdom come,”
you’re saying my kingdom go,
and you put self on a shelf,
and you die to your will.
That’s what it means
to know Jesus.
That’s the message of Christmas
is if any man will come
after me, let him deny himself,
take up his cross daily,
and follow me.
Give up like Moses did.
Empty yourself like David did.
He emptied himself.
Like Noah did,
he emptied himself.
Like Mary did at that first
call of God.
She said,
“Not my will but Thine be done.
Nevertheless, be it unto me
according to your word,”
and she put self
and self-reputation
and all the plans of her life,
she put it on a shelf,
and God used her mightily
for His glory.
Self is in charge when Jesus
is not the center of your life.
I would like to say
to Christians,
put self on a shelf when it
comes to your standing with God.
Don’t judge yourself.
Don’t write the end
of your story because
you mess up because this
has never been about us
performing perfect and if
I work so hard,
I deserve God’s love.
When it comes to receiving
salvation, you have to put
self on the shelf.
I’ve got all these issues,
and I still have these problems
in my life and these things,
but it’s not about me
earning salvation,
so you put self on a shelf,
and you receive
the finished work
of Jesus Christ and the Blood
that He shed.
It was precious Blood
because it washes away all
of your sin,
and you don’t earn a bit of it.
When you understand that,
it sets you free.
Don’t make it about what people
think of you.
Don’t make it about
what you think of you.
Put self on a shelf.
All that matters is what
Jesus thinks of you.
And when you understand
what I’m preaching about,
the apostle Paul said,
“Every day I die daily.”
And when you put self
on a shelf, marriages are being
destroyed because it’s all
about self, but when you
begin to live on for another
and put self on the shelf,
when families are willing
to reconcile only because
there’s been trouble
in the family and fights
and offenses in the family
and along as self is in control,
self won’t humble.
Self won’t be humbled.
Self won’t ask for forgiveness.
Self won’t reach
across the aisle.
Self is always about me
and how wrong I’ve been done,
but Jesus is the model.
The whole story of Christmas
is Jesus was King of Glory.
As a matter of fact,
Philippians 2 said that,
“He being in the form of God,”
Verse 6, “thought it not robbery
to be equal with God.”
Do you understand
what that means?
That means he was not some
God Junior and the Father,
and the Holy Spirit were
the top executives,
and he was a junior executive.
He was equal.
He was God, mighty,
powerful God, and He put Himself
on a shelf and walked down
the star-studded steps
of glory to a barnyard
in Bethlehem.
He put all of His majesty
and millions of angels
and power and glory,
and Colossians said that “all
the Earth is held together by
the power of this King’s word,”
and he put it all on a shelf
and came down as a baby
born in a manger.
And when you understand
what Philippians is saying,
“who being in the form of God
thought it not robbery
to be equal with God
but made Himself
of no reputation,”
put all of that power,
possession, position —
put it all on a shelf
and became a servant,
took on the form of a servant,
was made in the lowly likeness
of man and being found
and fashioned as man,
He humbled Himself
and became obedient.
It got worse.
After being born in a stable,
after being a nobody
for 30 years except
a hard-working carpenter.
Nobody ever knew who He was.
He’s just so —
He put self on —
how long, how long?
For 30 years He does nothing.
No miracles.
No healings.
Just puts all that on a shelf
so that He could feel
what you feel so He could hurt
like you hurt so He could feel
shame and pain
and anguish and fear.
And then, it says
in Philippians,
“He humbled Himself and became
obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross.”
Now watch,
and I conclude with this.
When you put self on the shelf,
when you stop living for self,
when you stop making life
about you, me, myself, and I,
and you put self on the shelf
and you make Jesus the Lord
of your life,
watch what happens in Verse 9,
“Wherefore,” that means
because He put self on the shelf
and humbled Himself,
watch, “Wherefore God
has highly exalted Him.”
If y’all don’t shout on this,
I’m gonna get my money
back rebate.
Come on now.
Are you ready?
That’s prepping you
for a response.
Are you ready?
“Wherefore God is highly exalted
Him and given Him a name
which is above every name
that at the name of Jesus,”
that’s it.
I wanna hear it.
“At the name of Jesus,
every knee should bow
of things in Heaven
and of things in Earth
and of things under the Earth
and that every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord to the glory of God,
the Father.”
Now shout if you
believe the Gospel.
Shout if you believe the Gospel.
Shout if you know
it changed your life.
Shout if you know everything
changed when Jesus comes.
The tempter’s power is broken.
Woo!
Hallelujah!
I’m saying Hallelujah!
The name is written
in the Book of Life.
Oh, my past is pardoned.
My present is powerful.
My future is promise.
Nothing can separate me.
From the love of God.
Just stand up on your feet.
You’re in a Pentecostal church
whether you knew it or not.
We don’t even have to light
our candle.
We’ve got enough fire.
It’ll just, boom!
Come on.
So, I conclude the greatest gift
you could give Jesus
on His birthday is yourself.
The greatest gift you could give
to your family is put self
on a shelf and make Jesus
the Lord of your life.
The greatest gift you
could give your parents
is to put self on a shelf
and make Jesus Lord.
The greatest gift you
could give your husband
is not a Bass boat
or whatever it is.
That would be a close second.
Some of you men are…
but the greatest gift you could
give your husband is put self
on a shelf and receive Jesus.
The greatest gift you could
give you wife is she could
actually walk out of here
with a new man, a better daddy,
and a better husband.
Not a perfect person,
but a person who truly
wants Jesus to transform
and make Him more like Christ.
Put yourself on a shelf.
Humble yourself.
Receive Jesus as your Lord
and Savior this Christmas,
and everything will change.
So, I’m sensitive tonight
that there are people who are
here and for many of us,
it’s another
Candlelight Service,
but for somebody it’s where
the light is going to pierce
the darkness
that you’ve been in.
I really feel the darkness
is trembling.
The darkness of despair
and discouragement
and depression and hopelessness
is trembling because Jesus
is here.
Emmanuel is here.
God with us is here.
And so tonight, as we sing
these songs and we light
these candles,
you can whisper a prayer right
where you’re standing.
I’ll lead you in that
in just a moment,
but let’s just worship.
Let’s just lift Jesus high,
and I’m gonna light this candle,
and I want my family.
I’m so blessed to have my —
almost all my family —
missing two.
One’s coming in tomorrow
and their family,
and Chris and Ben
and their family, and Courtney
and Tyler and their babies
are sick tonight,
but got some of my family.
Cherise, y’all come on up.
All my family up on the stage.
♪ I adore Three ♪
♪ I adore Thee ♪
♪ I exalt Thee ♪
♪ Oh, oh, Lord ♪
♪ I exalt Thee ♪
♪ I exalt Thee ♪
♪ I exalt Thee ♪
You’re singing good.
Lift your voice everybody.
Let’s just worship Jesus
in this place.
That’s what this service
is about.
Tell Him.
♪ I exalt Thee ♪
♪ I exalt Thee ♪
♪ I exalt Thee ♪
♪ Oh, Lord ♪
♪ I exalt Thee ♪
♪ I exalt Thee ♪
♪ I exalt Thee ♪
♪ Oh, Lord ♪
Sing this
♪ I stand, I stand ♪
♪ In awe of You ♪
♪ I stand, I stand ♪
♪ In awe of You ♪
♪ Holy God to who ♪
♪ all praise is due ♪
I stand in awe of you.
Everybody sing it.
♪ I stand, I stand ♪
♪ In awe of You ♪
♪ I stand, I stand ♪
♪ In awe of You ♪
Yes I do, Jesus.
♪ I stand, I stand ♪
♪ In awe of You ♪
♪ Holy God to who ♪
♪ all praise is due ♪
♪ I stand, I stand ♪
Let’s sing it to Jesus
one more time, everybody.
♪ I stand, I stand ♪
♪ In awe of You ♪
I really do.
♪ I stand, I stand ♪
♪ In awe of You ♪
♪ Holy God Holy God ♪
♪ to who ♪
♪ all praise is due ♪
♪ I stand ♪
♪ In awe of You ♪
I want everybody to pray
this prayer with me
knowing that God so loved
the world that He gave
His only begotten Son
that whosoever would believe
on Him would not perish.
Isn’t that great news?
When we die,
we don’t perish but have
everlasting life through
Jesus Christ.
So, hold that candle up
and pray this prayer.
If you mean it from your heart,
a miracle is gonna happen
in your life this Christmas.
Everyone say Lord Jesus
I believe the Gospel.
I believe you came
born of a Virgin.
You were God in skin.
You lived a perfect life
without sin, but then you
carried all my sin
and nailed it to the cross.
The Blood you shed
has cleansed me.
It power washes me of all
my sins past, present,
and future.
I am forgiven.
I can’t earn it.
I can’t deserve.
I just receive it.
By faith in Jesus’s name
I believe you rose again.
Because of that I have
eternal life.
I receive you, Jesus.
I receive the light
into the darkness.
Let me carry the light
into my home to my family
and into all the world.
I receive a new light
in my soul.
I’m a soul on fire
for Jesus Christ.
Amen and praise the Lord!
♪ ♪
>> I really pray today
that this service that we’ve
had together has touched
your heart and your family
and even now you feel
the presence of God
right there where you are.
Do you have His peace?
Do you know Him as your savior?
Do you need Him
in your life today?
Somebody’s hurting,
somebody’s reaching,
somebody’s just looking
for an opportunity to change
your life.
It happens when the Changer
comes in.
His name is Jesus.
Pray this prayer.
Jesus, save me.
Jesus, cleanse me in the blood
you shed on Calvary.
I receive it.
Bless my family and help us
and heal us and deliver us
from all our fear
this Christmas in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
You can’t call on Him
and use that name, Jesus,
and He not respond.
And our team has prepared
an amazing special kit
designed for your new walk
with the Lord.
It’s a 21 day devotional
that will bless you,
and guide you,
and strengthen you
in your new journey.
Whatever the season that you
may be in,
you will not be the same
when you begin
to put God first.
His presence, His peace,
and His goodness will begin
to bless your life.
Every year as a ministry
we begin the year with
a 21 day fast.
And if you’ve never fasted
before, I strongly encourage
you to join us to seek God
and put God first
the first 21 days
of the New Year.
We have free resources
to encourage and build
your faith,
and they’re all available
on our website,
and it’s free.
And it’ll be a blessing to you
and it’ll help you prepare
in a special way.
We also have a special
Fasting Kit for 2021
that I believe will bless you
as you support this ministry
and help us get started
into a new year.
Pouring our lives into
ministering to hurting people
all over the world through
this telecast.
Please know that your gift
of support to this ministry
helps us do three things.
We keep preaching the message
of Jesus Christ, number one,
to nations all over the world.
We create inspirational
resources and we use what’s left
to support amazing projects
like the ones in Israel
and Haiti, and right here
in the United States of America.
Thank you for being generous.
We can’t do ministry like this
without your help.
Ask God what He would have
you give, and I believe
it’ll be just enough to be
what we need to touch
other people’s lives.
May God bless you,
and may God bless your family.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
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>> Cherise and I
wanna invite you to join us
on our Holy Land Tour.
It’s an amazing trip,
unlike anything
you’ve ever experienced,
and we’ll be on the trip,
we get on the busses,
our family will be on there,
and I promise you,
it will change your life.
You’ve been thinking about it,
you’ve been praying about it,
this is the year to go.
God’s gonna open your eyes
to things you’ve never
seen and experienced before
in the holy land.
Get signed up today.
>> We hope you’ve enjoyed
this teaching
by Jentezen Franklin,
and thank you
for your continued support
of this ministry.
Your prayers
and financial support
make these programs possible.
For more information
about this message,
and other ministry resources,
visit us online at
JentezenFranklin.tv
♪ ♪