December 15, 2024 • 12 mins
This episode of The Greater Guild Loading Screen features a special Christmas sermon titled It’s Hard To Believe from our series The Gift. Explore the challenge of belief in God’s promises through the lens of the Christmas story, geek culture, and practical faith. Discover how faith transforms our lives and equips us for life’s battles.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Greater Guild Announcer (00:03):
Welcome to the Greater Guild Loading
Screen. The podcast where welevel up together in faith, geek
out over scripture, and explorehow God's word intersects with
our everyday lives. Today, we'recontinuing our Christmas series,
The Gift, with a message titled,it's hard to believe. Faith can
feel like an epic quest full ofchallenges and uncertainties.
(00:23):
But today, we'll dive into theChristmas story to see how God's
promises transform our strugglesinto something extraordinary.
So grab your favorite coffee,sit back, and let's jump into
this week's message.
Pastor Brandon Holm (00:38):
Welcome to another journey through The
Gift, our Christmas series thatdives into the heart of God's
ultimate present to humanity,Jesus Christ. Today we're
tackling something that feelsvery real, especially in our
modern world, belief. Belief canbe as tricky as being the final
boss when your health bar isminuscule to trying to catch a
(01:00):
rare Pokemon with 1 Poke Ballleft. Sometimes believing is
something unseen feels harderthan any raid you ever
attempted. But what if beliefitself is the key to unlocking
the greatest treasure of all?
Let's dive in today's message.It's hard to believe. Now let me
set the stage with the Christmasstory that is repeated this
(01:22):
month on every TV streamingchannel wherever you watch
entertainment, and we all knowit. But let's just rehash it for
a second here. And it's aboutMary and Joseph who faced a
moment where believing God'spromise seemed impossible.
And in Luke chapter 1 verses 26to 38, we read, the angel went
(01:45):
to her and said, greetings, youwho are highly favored. The Lord
is with you. Mary who wasgreatly troubled at his words
and wondered what kind ofgreeting this might be, and
especially if you've seen manythree d videos out there of what
angels look like according toEzekiel. There's a little bit
behind that, troubled, aspect.But the angel said to her, do
(02:11):
not be afraid, Mary.
You have found favor with God.You will conceive and give birth
to a son, and you are to callhim Jesus. You will be great and
will be called the son of themost high. Now pause here.
Imagine you're Mary.
Again, you just saw this Ezekiellike angel. It says, do not be
(02:34):
afraid. But again, Mary is justan ordinary person in an
ordinary town, but now is thrustinto an extraordinary situation.
Again, being like a level onecharacter in any RPG, and
suddenly you're told you're thechosen one destined to save the
realm. Sounds like every RPG attimes, especially whenever
(02:58):
winter nights.
The leap from ordinary to chosenis massive, and it's no surprise
that Mary's first reaction isconfusion and fear. Probably,
you would need a proper changeafter seeing an angel like that,
but I digress. The angel's wordsdo not be afraid are more than
just a comforting line. They'rea reminder that God's plans
(03:19):
often challenge ourunderstanding. Easy to believe
in what we can see, touch, feel,and also control.
But believing in God's promises,I can feel as daunting as facing
an unbeatable raid boss withoutyour best gear or team. The
struggle isn't unique to Mary.How about Joseph? In Matthew 1
verses 18 to 21, Joseph findsout Mary is pregnant and has to
(03:43):
decide whether to believe herstory or quietly divorce her.
And an angel again appears tohim in a dream saying, Joseph,
son of David, do not be afraidto take Mary home as your wife
because what is conceived in heris from the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a son,and you are to give him the name
(04:03):
Jesus because he will save hispeople from their sins. Joseph
belief, re does require a lot ofcourage. He had to trust God's
word over the judgment ofsociety, over his own doubts,
and over what seemed logical.Belief drives action. And if you
remember Samwise Gamgee in Lordof the Rings, Sam doesn't just
(04:26):
believe Frodo can destroy theone ring.
He stakes everything on it. Hechooses loyalty and faith even
when the path seems hopeless.Similarly, belief in God isn't
just a mental exercise. It'sabout trusting enough to take
action even when fear and doubtcreep in. The Christmas story
invites us to see belief not asa, not as something easy, but
(04:49):
it's something vital.
It's the beginning of thejourney. The decision to trust
in a promise that might feel asdistant and unbelievable as a
fairy tale, but it's throughthis belief that the greatest
story, the story of salvationunfolds. Now why is belief hard
but not impossible? God doesn'task us to leap into the dark
(05:10):
without guidance. He providesevidence of his promise.
The and this evidence is woventhroughout scripture showing us
that God's plans are trustworthyeven when they challenge our
understanding. In Isaiah 714,the prophet declares, therefore,
the Lord himself will give you asign. The virgin will conceive
(05:31):
and give birth to a son and willcall him Immanuel. This prophecy
given centuries before Jesus isborn is like the setup for an
epic story arc in any video gamemovie or even an anime. You
don't always know how the pieceswill come together, but when the
moment arrives it feelsinevitable.
(05:51):
God's plan unfolded throughhistory step by step to fulfill
this promise. Now let's fastforward again to the gospel of
Matthew where this prophecy isexplicitly connected to Jesus'
birth. All this took place tofulfill what the Lord had said
through the prophet. The virginwill conceive and give birth to
(06:12):
a son, and they will call himImmanuel, which means God with
us. And that comes from Matthew1 verses 22 and 23.
This isn't just a randomcoincidence by the way. It's God
showing us that his word can betrusted. Prophecies like this
are evidence that God has a planand that he's always working
behind the scenes to bring it tofruition. But here's the thing.
(06:35):
Evidence doesn't alwayseliminate doubt.
We can see this on x. If younotice a lot of, Christian
gamers are having to, you know,rebuke a lot of, people who
don't believe. But as gamers, welove lore and backstory. We, you
know, we crave it. In fact,that's something that we're
lacking in our modern day, gamesright now.
(06:56):
And if you look at the Legend ofZelda, the prophecy of the
chosen hero is there. But again,every time Link marks on his
journey, the stakes are real.There's no guarantee of success
until the adventure is complete.And believe me, if you've played
those games, it can be difficultto complete them. And the same
is true with faith.
(07:17):
Even with evidence belief stillrequires trust. As Jesus said in
John chapter 20 verse 29, thenJesus told him, because you have
seen me you have believed.Blessed are those who have not
seen and yet have believed.God's promises are like the
ultimate lore that builds ourfaith. The evidence is there.
(07:38):
Prophecies fulfilled, liveschanged, but the decision to
trust still lies with us. It'slike holding a treasure map. You
can see the path, but you haveto take the journey to discover
the treasure. Let's rememberthat God doesn't leave us
without evidence. His he's givenus his word, his promises, and
ultimately his son as proof thathe is faithful.
(08:01):
Question is into whether theevidence exists. It's whether
you're willing to trust it and,you know, let's explore how
belief transforms us. Faithisn't just about acknowledging
God's existence or nodding alongto a Christmas carol. The gift
that radically reshapes ourlives, giving us purpose,
strength, and hope. In Ephesianschapter 2 verses 8 through 9,
(08:24):
Paul writes, for it is by graceyou have been saved through
faith.
And this is not from yourselves.It is the gift of God, not by
works so that no one can boast.Faith is described here as a
gift. Something God freely givesus, not something we earn.
Imagine playing a game where youreceive a powerful item or very
(08:45):
special you and unique ability,and it's not because you grind
for hours but because the game'screator designed it for you.
That's what faith is like. It'sa divine power up, equipping us
to face challenges we couldnever handle on our own. This
gift doesn't just save us, itchanges us. It gives us a new
(09:05):
way of seeing the world. InRomans 1513, Paul writes, may
the God of hope fill you allexcuse me.
Fill you with all joy and peaceas you trust in him that you may
overflow with hope by the powerof the Holy Spirit. Faith brings
joy and peace that overflow intoevery part of our lives. Think
(09:27):
about this in terms of ourculture as geeks. In role
playing games, you often have toequip certain items or abilities
to survive in the game world,And without them, every
encounter feels like a losingbattle especially happy if you
have a really, sadistic DM. Butwith the right gear, you're
empowered to take on even thetoughest challenges.
(09:49):
Faith is that essential gear offor life. It doesn't mean we
don't face hard times. Far fromit. It does mean we'll be
equipped to endure them in thefuture. One of the most
beautiful aspects of faith isthat it invites us into a
community.
Just like in gaming wheremultiplayer raids require
teamwork and trust, faithconnects us with others who are
(10:11):
on the same journey. Andtogether, we encourage each
other, share our experiences,and remind one another of God's
promises. Finally, let's notforget that faith is active. In
James chapter 2, verse 17, we'rereminded faith by itself is if
it is not accompanied by actionis dead. Faith isn't something
(10:35):
we just think or feel it'ssomething we live out.
It's like leveling up in a game.Your character might gain new
abilities, but it's up to you touse them. God gives us the gift
of faith so we can step into thelives he's called us to lead
equipped to face life's battleswith courage and hope. This
Christmas, as we reflect on thegift of Jesus, let's also
(10:57):
celebrate the gift of faith. Agift that really transforms us,
sustains us, and connects us tosomething far greater than
ourselves.
I ask you this, where do youstand? Is belief hard for you?
Well, guess what? You're notalone. Even Mary and Joseph had
their moments of doubt but theirfaith in God's promises, you
(11:18):
know, carried them through.
So remember, that belief isn'tabout having all the answers.
It's about trusting the one whoholds them. Faith may be hard,
but it's also the greatest gift.A gift that transforms lives and
equips us for battles we neverthought we could win.
Greater Guild Announcer (11:39):
Thank you for joining us on this
week's episode of the GreaterGuild loading screen. I hope
today's message, it's hard tobelieve, encouraged you to trust
in God's promises, even whenbelief feels like the toughest
battle. If this messageresonated with you, don't forget
to share it with your friends,squad, or guild. Let's spread
the word together and make faitha part of our everyday lives.
(12:02):
You can find more sermons andlive streams from the Greater
Guild Church on YouTube, Twitch,and wherever you enjoy your
favorite content.
Be sure to subscribe so younever miss an episode. Until
next time, may the God of peaceand joy fill your hearts as you
trust in him. See you next week.
Welcome to the Greater Guild Loading
Screen. The podcast where welevel up together in faith, geek
out over scripture, and explorehow God's word intersects with
our everyday lives. Today, we'recontinuing our Christmas series,
The Gift, with a message titled,it's hard to believe. Faith can
feel like an epic quest full ofchallenges and uncertainties.
(00:23):
But today, we'll dive into theChristmas story to see how God's
promises transform our strugglesinto something extraordinary.
So grab your favorite coffee,sit back, and let's jump into
this week's message.
Pastor Brandon Holm (00:38):
Welcome to another journey through The
Gift, our Christmas series thatdives into the heart of God's
ultimate present to humanity,Jesus Christ. Today we're
tackling something that feelsvery real, especially in our
modern world, belief. Belief canbe as tricky as being the final
boss when your health bar isminuscule to trying to catch a
(01:00):
rare Pokemon with 1 Poke Ballleft. Sometimes believing is
something unseen feels harderthan any raid you ever
attempted. But what if beliefitself is the key to unlocking
the greatest treasure of all?
Let's dive in today's message.It's hard to believe. Now let me
set the stage with the Christmasstory that is repeated this
(01:22):
month on every TV streamingchannel wherever you watch
entertainment, and we all knowit. But let's just rehash it for
a second here. And it's aboutMary and Joseph who faced a
moment where believing God'spromise seemed impossible.
And in Luke chapter 1 verses 26to 38, we read, the angel went
(01:45):
to her and said, greetings, youwho are highly favored. The Lord
is with you. Mary who wasgreatly troubled at his words
and wondered what kind ofgreeting this might be, and
especially if you've seen manythree d videos out there of what
angels look like according toEzekiel. There's a little bit
behind that, troubled, aspect.But the angel said to her, do
(02:11):
not be afraid, Mary.
You have found favor with God.You will conceive and give birth
to a son, and you are to callhim Jesus. You will be great and
will be called the son of themost high. Now pause here.
Imagine you're Mary.
Again, you just saw this Ezekiellike angel. It says, do not be
(02:34):
afraid. But again, Mary is justan ordinary person in an
ordinary town, but now is thrustinto an extraordinary situation.
Again, being like a level onecharacter in any RPG, and
suddenly you're told you're thechosen one destined to save the
realm. Sounds like every RPG attimes, especially whenever
(02:58):
winter nights.
The leap from ordinary to chosenis massive, and it's no surprise
that Mary's first reaction isconfusion and fear. Probably,
you would need a proper changeafter seeing an angel like that,
but I digress. The angel's wordsdo not be afraid are more than
just a comforting line. They'rea reminder that God's plans
(03:19):
often challenge ourunderstanding. Easy to believe
in what we can see, touch, feel,and also control.
But believing in God's promises,I can feel as daunting as facing
an unbeatable raid boss withoutyour best gear or team. The
struggle isn't unique to Mary.How about Joseph? In Matthew 1
verses 18 to 21, Joseph findsout Mary is pregnant and has to
(03:43):
decide whether to believe herstory or quietly divorce her.
And an angel again appears tohim in a dream saying, Joseph,
son of David, do not be afraidto take Mary home as your wife
because what is conceived in heris from the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a son,and you are to give him the name
(04:03):
Jesus because he will save hispeople from their sins. Joseph
belief, re does require a lot ofcourage. He had to trust God's
word over the judgment ofsociety, over his own doubts,
and over what seemed logical.Belief drives action. And if you
remember Samwise Gamgee in Lordof the Rings, Sam doesn't just
(04:26):
believe Frodo can destroy theone ring.
He stakes everything on it. Hechooses loyalty and faith even
when the path seems hopeless.Similarly, belief in God isn't
just a mental exercise. It'sabout trusting enough to take
action even when fear and doubtcreep in. The Christmas story
invites us to see belief not asa, not as something easy, but
(04:49):
it's something vital.
It's the beginning of thejourney. The decision to trust
in a promise that might feel asdistant and unbelievable as a
fairy tale, but it's throughthis belief that the greatest
story, the story of salvationunfolds. Now why is belief hard
but not impossible? God doesn'task us to leap into the dark
(05:10):
without guidance. He providesevidence of his promise.
The and this evidence is woventhroughout scripture showing us
that God's plans are trustworthyeven when they challenge our
understanding. In Isaiah 714,the prophet declares, therefore,
the Lord himself will give you asign. The virgin will conceive
(05:31):
and give birth to a son and willcall him Immanuel. This prophecy
given centuries before Jesus isborn is like the setup for an
epic story arc in any video gamemovie or even an anime. You
don't always know how the pieceswill come together, but when the
moment arrives it feelsinevitable.
(05:51):
God's plan unfolded throughhistory step by step to fulfill
this promise. Now let's fastforward again to the gospel of
Matthew where this prophecy isexplicitly connected to Jesus'
birth. All this took place tofulfill what the Lord had said
through the prophet. The virginwill conceive and give birth to
(06:12):
a son, and they will call himImmanuel, which means God with
us. And that comes from Matthew1 verses 22 and 23.
This isn't just a randomcoincidence by the way. It's God
showing us that his word can betrusted. Prophecies like this
are evidence that God has a planand that he's always working
behind the scenes to bring it tofruition. But here's the thing.
(06:35):
Evidence doesn't alwayseliminate doubt.
We can see this on x. If younotice a lot of, Christian
gamers are having to, you know,rebuke a lot of, people who
don't believe. But as gamers, welove lore and backstory. We, you
know, we crave it. In fact,that's something that we're
lacking in our modern day, gamesright now.
(06:56):
And if you look at the Legend ofZelda, the prophecy of the
chosen hero is there. But again,every time Link marks on his
journey, the stakes are real.There's no guarantee of success
until the adventure is complete.And believe me, if you've played
those games, it can be difficultto complete them. And the same
is true with faith.
(07:17):
Even with evidence belief stillrequires trust. As Jesus said in
John chapter 20 verse 29, thenJesus told him, because you have
seen me you have believed.Blessed are those who have not
seen and yet have believed.God's promises are like the
ultimate lore that builds ourfaith. The evidence is there.
(07:38):
Prophecies fulfilled, liveschanged, but the decision to
trust still lies with us. It'slike holding a treasure map. You
can see the path, but you haveto take the journey to discover
the treasure. Let's rememberthat God doesn't leave us
without evidence. His he's givenus his word, his promises, and
ultimately his son as proof thathe is faithful.
(08:01):
Question is into whether theevidence exists. It's whether
you're willing to trust it and,you know, let's explore how
belief transforms us. Faithisn't just about acknowledging
God's existence or nodding alongto a Christmas carol. The gift
that radically reshapes ourlives, giving us purpose,
strength, and hope. In Ephesianschapter 2 verses 8 through 9,
(08:24):
Paul writes, for it is by graceyou have been saved through
faith.
And this is not from yourselves.It is the gift of God, not by
works so that no one can boast.Faith is described here as a
gift. Something God freely givesus, not something we earn.
Imagine playing a game where youreceive a powerful item or very
(08:45):
special you and unique ability,and it's not because you grind
for hours but because the game'screator designed it for you.
That's what faith is like. It'sa divine power up, equipping us
to face challenges we couldnever handle on our own. This
gift doesn't just save us, itchanges us. It gives us a new
(09:05):
way of seeing the world. InRomans 1513, Paul writes, may
the God of hope fill you allexcuse me.
Fill you with all joy and peaceas you trust in him that you may
overflow with hope by the powerof the Holy Spirit. Faith brings
joy and peace that overflow intoevery part of our lives. Think
(09:27):
about this in terms of ourculture as geeks. In role
playing games, you often have toequip certain items or abilities
to survive in the game world,And without them, every
encounter feels like a losingbattle especially happy if you
have a really, sadistic DM. Butwith the right gear, you're
empowered to take on even thetoughest challenges.
(09:49):
Faith is that essential gear offor life. It doesn't mean we
don't face hard times. Far fromit. It does mean we'll be
equipped to endure them in thefuture. One of the most
beautiful aspects of faith isthat it invites us into a
community.
Just like in gaming wheremultiplayer raids require
teamwork and trust, faithconnects us with others who are
(10:11):
on the same journey. Andtogether, we encourage each
other, share our experiences,and remind one another of God's
promises. Finally, let's notforget that faith is active. In
James chapter 2, verse 17, we'rereminded faith by itself is if
it is not accompanied by actionis dead. Faith isn't something
(10:35):
we just think or feel it'ssomething we live out.
It's like leveling up in a game.Your character might gain new
abilities, but it's up to you touse them. God gives us the gift
of faith so we can step into thelives he's called us to lead
equipped to face life's battleswith courage and hope. This
Christmas, as we reflect on thegift of Jesus, let's also
(10:57):
celebrate the gift of faith. Agift that really transforms us,
sustains us, and connects us tosomething far greater than
ourselves.
I ask you this, where do youstand? Is belief hard for you?
Well, guess what? You're notalone. Even Mary and Joseph had
their moments of doubt but theirfaith in God's promises, you
(11:18):
know, carried them through.
So remember, that belief isn'tabout having all the answers.
It's about trusting the one whoholds them. Faith may be hard,
but it's also the greatest gift.A gift that transforms lives and
equips us for battles we neverthought we could win.
Greater Guild Announcer (11:39):
Thank you for joining us on this
week's episode of the GreaterGuild loading screen. I hope
today's message, it's hard tobelieve, encouraged you to trust
in God's promises, even whenbelief feels like the toughest
battle. If this messageresonated with you, don't forget
to share it with your friends,squad, or guild. Let's spread
the word together and make faitha part of our everyday lives.
(12:02):
You can find more sermons andlive streams from the Greater
Guild Church on YouTube, Twitch,and wherever you enjoy your
favorite content.
Be sure to subscribe so younever miss an episode. Until
next time, may the God of peaceand joy fill your hearts as you
trust in him. See you next week.
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