Christmas is the moment where the _____________ breaks the ___________________.

[John 1:9] The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

When God reveals His _____________, nothing stays the _____________.

[Micah 5:2] But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.

God is never _____________.

[Luke 2:6-7] And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. [7] She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

God didn't _____________ for us to come to Him.

[Philippians 2:6-7] Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. [7] Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form.

Everyone is _________________ at the ________________.

[Isaiah 59:2a] It's your sins that have cut you off from God.

God’s solution to ___________________ is a Person.

[Luke 2:8-10] That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. [9] Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, [10] but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.

God reveals His Light to the ones the world _____________.

[Luke 2:15] When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

[John 1:12] But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

Every superhero has a _________. [Judges 13:5] You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.” You don't need to _________ strong to _________ strong. [Judges 15:16] NIV Then Samson said, "With a donkey's jawbone I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey's jawbone I have killed a thousand men." Every strong person has a _________. [Judges 16:15-17] Then Delilah pouted, “How can you tell me, ‘I love you,’ when you don’t share your secrets with me? You’ve made fun of me three times now, and you still haven’t told me what makes you so strong!” [16] She tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it. [17] Finally, Samson shared his secret with her. “My hair has never been cut,” he confessed, “for I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else.” Samson was strong _________ but weak _________. [Judges 16:20-21] Then she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” When he woke up, he thought, “I will do as before and shake myself free.” But he didn’t realize the Lord had left him. [21] So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and forced to grind grain in the prison. Disobedience to God will result in losing your _________. Those things that _________ us can eventually _________ us. [Judges 16:22] But before long, his hair began to grow back. God can restore what was _________. [Judges 16:28] Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.” Never underestimate the _________ on the inside!

Even when you ___________________ God to move, you still have to ___________________ for Him.

[Psalm 130:6 NIV] I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

God often grows the miracle in ___________________ places before He reveals it in ___________________ places.

Waiting ___________________ us while the thing God is doing in you is still ___________________ to others.

[Psalm 27:13-14 NIV] I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. [14] Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

After the ___________________ comes the waiting.

Faith is believing God is ___________________ even when you can’t ___________________ it.

[Matthew 1:19-21] Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. [20] As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. [21] And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

How you _____________ while you wait says more about your ___________________ than how you act after God comes through.

[Luke 1:46-49] Mary responded, "Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. [47] How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! [48] For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. [49] For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.

_______________ sustains your __________ while you wait.

[Isaiah 40:29-31 ESV] He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. [30] Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; [31] but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

_________ holds people back more than anything else. [1 Samuel 21:10-15] So David escaped from Saul and went to King Achish of Gath. [11] But the officers of Achish were unhappy about his being there. “Isn’t this David, the king of the land?” they asked. “Isn’t he the one the people honor with dances, singing, ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” [12] David heard these comments and was very afraid of what King Achish of Gath might do to him. [13] So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard. [14] Finally, King Achish said to his men, “Must you bring me a madman? [15] We already have enough of them around here! Why should I let someone like this be my guest?” [Psalm 56:1-4] For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time the Philistines seized him in Gath. To be sung to the tune “Dove on Distant Oaks.” 1 O God, have mercy on me, for people are hounding me. My foes attack me all day long. [2] I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me. [3] But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. [4] I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? Faith is a conscious decision in spite of the _____________. [Psalm 27:1-3] The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? [2] When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. [3] Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. Don't trust in your _______________, trust in God. [Psalm 23:1-4] The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. [2] He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. [3] He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. [4] Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. The only way ______ of the valley is ______________ the valley. The antidote to fear is not courage, it’s _________ in God. [Psalm 34:1] I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. _______ and worry cannot be simultaneously in your mouth. [2 Timothy 1:7] YLT for God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind; I will trust God to ___________ me.

God is ___________________ long before you see Him ___________________.

[Isaiah 40:3-5 NIV] A voice of one calling: "In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. [4] Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. [5] And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

[Matthew 3:1-2] In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, [2] "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."

God uses the ______________________ to prepare you.

[Luke 3:15] Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah.

Repentance is turning away from _________________ and towards what God is ___________________ to do.

[John 1:5-7, 9] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. [6] God sent a man, John the Baptist, [7] to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. [9] The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

Preparation is living with ___________________ even before you see it.

The preparation always comes before the ______________.

[Hebrews 11:8] It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.

The Lord never asked for a ___________________ heart, He asked for a ___________________ one.

[Psalm 130:5 NIV] I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.

The ________________ of yesterday often become the ________________ of today. [Acts 9:1-2] Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. [2] He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains. God gets the glory when he uses people with a ________________ past. [Philippians 3:12-14] I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. [13] No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. The longer I run this race, the further I will get from my _________, and the closer I will get to the _________. There's a big difference between ________________ your past and ________________ your past. We break the ________________ of the past by living for the ________________. [Psalms 103:12] He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. God wants us to ________________ our past, not be consumed by it. [Isaiah 43:18-19] “Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old [19] Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. Don't let your ________________ keep you from living the life God has for you! Your past does not ________________ who you are, your future does.

[Isaiah 9:1] Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.

Darkness doesn't always mean __________________.

God does some of His best work in the ________________.

[Isaiah 9:2 NIV] The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

Faith isn’t denying the __________________, it’s declaring the __________________.

[Isaiah 9:6 NIV] For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

God’s Light rarely arrives the way we __________________, but always in the way we __________________.

[Daniel 8:13-14] Then I heard two holy ones talking to each other. One of them asked, "How long will the events of this vision last? How long will the rebellion that causes desecration stop the daily sacrifices? How long will the Temple and heaven's army be trampled on?" [14] The other replied, "It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the Temple will be made right again."

[John 8:12] Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."

The Light that came into the world still _________________, still breaks through, and still __________________.

[John 1:4-5 NIV] In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Darkness doesn't _________________ a ________________ against the light!

[2 Corinthians 4:6-7] For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. [7] We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

[Judges 6:11-12] Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. [12] The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” God doesn't call us who we are, he calls us who we will ______________. [Judges 6:14] Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” You have more _________________ than you think you have. [Judges 6:15-16] “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” [16] The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” Gideon didn't realize that God was looking for someone ____________. [1 Corinthians 1:26-29] CSB Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. [27] Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. [28] God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, [29] so that no one may boast in his presence. God may ask you to do something that seems _____________. [Judges 7:19-22] It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars. [20] Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” [21] Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape. [22] When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. It doesn't take a whole lot of ___________ to defeat the ______________. God specializes in ________________ when the odds are against you. You may feel ______________, but with God you are ____________________! [Romans 8:31 CSB] What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?