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

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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

♪ ♪