One of the surprises we find in the Christmas story comes when we discover who God invited to greet the newborn Savior. One would think that powerful people, foreign dignitaries, the rich, and the powerful would be invited to come and welcome this newborn King. Instead, it was a bunch of lowly shepherds to whom the Lord extended the one and only invitation.

After being told that God was about to destroy the city of Sodom, Lot amazingly hesitated when the angels gave him and his family an opportunity to escape. He had trouble taking God seriously when He said judgment was coming. In fact, Lot's wife struggled so much with taking God seriously that she didn't make it out alive.

In the first message of our series entitled "Christmas Surprises," we learn of one of the greatest surprises we could imagine. This shocking surprise is a baby with a sword.

Two angels from God arrived at Sodom on a mission from God. Lot was the first person to greet them when they arrived at the city. He invited them to stay in him home while they were visiting Sodom. While they were in Lot's home, a mob arrived that demonstrated the level of depravity in the city. Unfortunately, living in a cesspool of sin had an effect on Lot.

This world is broken. It is full of darkness. However, when Jesus came into the world, he defeated the darkness. The problem is that it doesn't appear that the darkness is defeated. That's where His followers come in. He uses His people to push back the darkness in this world.

It's easy to praise God when everything is going well. However, when we're faced with overwhelming circumstances and it feels as if there's no hope, that's when we need to praise Him the hardest. King Jehoshaphat learned to praise God in the midst of an overwhelming foe, and we can learn from his example.