1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:02,720 Well, good morning guys. My name is Mike. 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:07,360 For anybody that I have not met and I'm abandoning this right 3 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:10,640 now. Just letting you know Eric, it 4 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:12,680 you know what me it complicates me. 5 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:16,760 Well, listen, you know, John was just talking about the 6 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,640 announcements there about our Christmas Eve service. 7 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,080 And if you're not, if that's not already on your, on your 8 00:00:22,080 --> 00:00:27,400 calendar, I, I just, you know, would remind you to, to put it 9 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:30,040 there and to consider coming and joining us that it's a very 10 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,759 wonderful service. I, I'm really excited for that. 11 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:36,280 I, I, I really hope you plan to, to join us because I look 12 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:40,560 forward to that service every year, especially knowing that 13 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,600 we're going to meet some, some new guests and, and you'll come 14 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,120 alongside them as, as they recognize that there is 15 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:51,800 something about Christmas and particularly Christmas Eve for a 16 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:55,000 lot of us that pulls us to hear about Jesus. 17 00:00:55,480 --> 00:01:00,280 And Speaking of guests, I, I recently learned about this, 18 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:04,319 this play, this ancient play called Agamemnon. 19 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:07,600 And maybe, maybe you've heard of it, maybe not by it was written 20 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:10,600 by somebody named Aeschylus and it's from the 5th century BC. 21 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:18,200 And in this play, Crimson robes are are laid down for a king to, 22 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:21,640 to walk on, right. And, and it was a demonstration 23 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:26,240 of, of wealth and, and status in the culture, in the community 24 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:29,840 because of the cost and the, the rarity of red dyes and things 25 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:31,040 like that. And over the centuries, that 26 00:01:31,320 --> 00:01:35,960 practice was adopted for royalty and and politicians. 27 00:01:35,960 --> 00:01:39,760 And then even later on than that, you know, companies and 28 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:41,880 corporations and and stuff would use it. 29 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:45,000 The railroads and theaters would would use it to give off a 30 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:48,560 special vibe for higher paying ticket holders and special 31 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:50,840 guests. And now it's a common practice 32 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:55,280 in Hollywood for celebrities as they arrive to some sort of an 33 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:57,720 awards show or a movie premiere or whatever. 34 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,760 That's where we get that term. Roll out the red carpet, right? 35 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:06,720 Meaning to extend special treatment to Avip guest last 36 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:12,000 week we we learned that from the very beginning there's been a 37 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:16,720 prophecy of a coming Messiah a very special guest right and 38 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:21,240 Eric talked about the the covenant of Christmas and a 39 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:25,680 promise embedded here of redemption for lost humanity. 40 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:30,440 See, throughout the Old Testament, Israel was, was 41 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:34,600 looking forward to this coming Messiah, this coming king that 42 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:36,600 would save them from their predicament. 43 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:39,800 And as they saw it, it was perpetual enslavement, right? 44 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:44,200 And, and because they were physically and, and socially and 45 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,560 economically oppressed through most of their existence, most 46 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:51,120 Jewish faithful believe that they were anticipating A savior 47 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:54,400 that that would come and physically conquer the 48 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,640 government and their oppressor. So you might think that they 49 00:02:57,640 --> 00:03:01,040 would be ready to sort of roll out the red carpet for this 50 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:05,240 coming Messiah, but they had not fully anticipated the humble 51 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:09,920 nature of his arrival, even though such a humble arrival was 52 00:03:09,920 --> 00:03:12,800 prophesied. They were expecting someone 53 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:17,120 greater than the than the kings and the judges that they had 54 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:18,840 grown up learning about in their history. 55 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,880 Legends of of mighty men and rulers that conquered armies and 56 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:27,640 nations, somebody that would arrive with parades and fanfare. 57 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:34,320 So today I want to look at how I want to look at how although 58 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:38,440 Israel had been watching and anticipating the Messiah for 59 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:42,600 thousands of years, many of them still miss him when he arrived 60 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:48,480 quietly at their doorstep. Now here's our primary passage 61 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:50,000 that we're going to look at today. 62 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:55,200 It's we're going to look at Luke 2, four through 12 primarily 63 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,200 today. And it says, and Joseph also 64 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:01,720 went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to 65 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:04,840 the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was 66 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:07,440 of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with 67 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:11,320 Mary his betrothed, who was with child. 68 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:14,120 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth, 69 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:17,959 and she gave birth to her first born son and wrapped him in 70 00:04:17,959 --> 00:04:21,160 swaddling clothes and laid him in a Manger, because there was 71 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:25,840 no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there 72 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:28,280 were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock 73 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:30,360 by night. And an Angel of the Lord 74 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:32,880 appeared to them in the glory of the Lord, shone around them, and 75 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:34,360 they were filled with great fear. 76 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:37,840 And the Angel said to them, fear not, for behold, I bring you 77 00:04:37,840 --> 00:04:40,680 good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 78 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:45,200 For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who 79 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:48,240 is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you. 80 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:52,320 You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a 81 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:58,000 Manger. So the main idea in this in this 82 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:03,160 passage is that Jesus arrived quietly at the first Advent, 83 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:07,080 despite the fact that that it was the fulfillment of of much 84 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:13,120 anticipated divine prophecy. In this passage we see two 85 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:16,520 different examples of how Jesus is received and how he is 86 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:19,120 regarded. And I think that same dynamic 87 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:22,960 exists today within the hearts of mankind. 88 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:27,960 We can we can disregard him because he isn't what we want 89 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:32,600 him to be, or we can recognize him as our Messiah and King. 90 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:36,120 And so the first point here today is I want to I want to 91 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:41,880 look at his humble arrival and how that red carpet wasn't laid 92 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:46,320 out there for him. So in our passage here, Joseph 93 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:49,640 and Mary are are in Bethlehem for the purpose of allowing the 94 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:53,920 government to to define who they are and what they are worth to 95 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:57,680 it for their own purposes, right for to to for taxing and things 96 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:02,120 like that. And a decree from Caesar is not 97 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:06,800 that's not easily disregarded or or disobeyed, right, Even if 98 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:10,640 your young bride is, is in the advanced stage of pregnancy. 99 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:16,240 So they are legally they are legally married here. 100 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:20,160 This word betrothed that we see means something more than what 101 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,600 we can kind of come to understand the word engaged in 102 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,120 our culture right now. We can we can know that they're 103 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,000 legally married because in in Matthew chapter 1, which I'm, I 104 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,760 don't have up here. But in Matthew chapter 1, we see 105 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:37,280 that that Joseph is planning a quiet divorce when he finds out 106 00:06:37,280 --> 00:06:41,160 that Mary is pregnant. But the Angel appears to him and 107 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:46,040 says not to fear taking her as his wife, that she has conceived 108 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:51,400 by the Holy Spirit, which is in itself a fulfilled prophecy from 109 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:57,080 Isaiah 714, that says, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a 110 00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:01,280 sign, Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and 111 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:06,720 shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us. 112 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:12,760 So they are legally married, though the marriage has not been 113 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:17,080 consummated yet and and wouldn't be until after she gave birth. 114 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:26,040 Joseph is is from Bethlehem, even though they now live in 115 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:31,040 Nazareth in Galilee. Joseph is a a descendant of 116 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:36,800 David of King David as as we see in the 1st 16 verses of Matthew 117 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:40,800 and which in itself also fulfills prophecy that we see in 118 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:45,760 first Samuel and in Isaiah 11. So already we see fulfilled 119 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:48,520 prophecy in this in this passage, which is no small 120 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:52,920 thing. But there are some some other 121 00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:56,080 important things that we see here that that actually tell us 122 00:07:56,080 --> 00:08:00,240 about the heart of God. So the text says that Mary and 123 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:04,120 Joseph were turned away from the inn because there was no room, 124 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:05,720 right? We've all heard, we've all heard 125 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:10,200 that. Now, just understanding the the 126 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:12,400 situation here. It was, it was almost certainly 127 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:16,160 too cold to be, you know, giving birth to a a little baby 128 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:18,880 outside. Now, although the climate in 129 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:23,840 Bethlehem isn't as as extreme as as it is here, sometimes there 130 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:26,640 are only a couple months of the year where the average night 131 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:32,280 time temperature is over 50°, and in December it's usually in 132 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:35,600 the 30s and 40s at night. Now, now I'm in case you're 133 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:38,640 wanting to point this out, we can't say for certain that Jesus 134 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:41,799 was born in December, but I will tell you that early church 135 00:08:41,799 --> 00:08:46,960 theologians, Tertullian, Julius Africanus and Hypolitis, who 136 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:51,040 each lived in the 2nd and 3rd century, all individually 137 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:53,360 calculated it to be December 25th. 138 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:57,360 Now the exact date doesn't really matter. 139 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:01,240 In fact, it it doesn't matter at all because God chose not to 140 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:04,680 share that with us. What does matter is the 141 00:09:04,680 --> 00:09:08,760 information that he did give us that Jesus was laid in a Manger 142 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:12,240 and swaddling clothes. And why is that important? 143 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:16,480 Well, certainly with all the people in town for the census, 144 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:21,000 that would explain why they were turned away. 145 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:26,480 But in an apparent act of of mercy with, you know, with Mary 146 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:29,080 being on the verge of giving birth, the innkeeper seems to 147 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:32,160 have offered up an animal pen for them to sleep in. 148 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:35,800 Now, if you kind of think about what you usually look at or what 149 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,440 you usually imagine with the nativity, you're thinking of a, 150 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:41,880 a Manger as like maybe this wooden structure with this 151 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:46,080 beautiful, pristine, perfect hay and straw in there and, and some 152 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:49,400 clean animals laying there. But the, the Manger itself is, 153 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:53,200 is generally a like a large rock or, or something where the top 154 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:57,840 has been, has been carved out as a basin to hold animal, you 155 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:00,960 know, for the water and, and, and feed and that sort of thing. 156 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:07,760 So so he's actually laid in that and our our our verse that we're 157 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:11,440 looking at it says she gave birth to her first born son and 158 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:14,560 wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a Manger. 159 00:10:15,680 --> 00:10:18,880 Now, the fact that Jesus is wrapped in swaddling clothes is 160 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:22,400 mentioned twice in this in this passage that we're looking at 161 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:24,880 the first part and at the end. And I believe that God gave us 162 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:28,480 every word of Scripture for a reason and with value. 163 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:33,800 So as I read this verse, what occurs to me is the humanity of 164 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:40,520 Jesus here. He he is small and cold and in 165 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:44,880 need of care. God himself embodies the same 166 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:48,840 frailty and helplessness that every single one of us did at at 167 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:51,600 birth. And so the, the, the meaning of 168 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:54,680 that name that we just saw in that passage from Isaiah, 169 00:10:54,960 --> 00:11:00,240 Emmanuel, meaning God with us is it's demonstrated here in our 170 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:03,040 excuse me, in our in our passage. 171 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:08,720 Now if you're if you care for the theological, you know word 172 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:11,360 here it's something called the hypostatic union. 173 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:15,560 My wife loves it when we bring hypostatic union up in this and 174 00:11:15,560 --> 00:11:19,400 and hypostatic meaning or hypo hypostatic union meaning that 175 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:23,440 Jesus is simultaneously God and man. 176 00:11:25,680 --> 00:11:32,200 Now we are given no information to suggest that anyone else was 177 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:35,480 was with her other than perhaps Joseph. 178 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:40,000 Now if when you look at that it, it says that she wrapped him and 179 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:43,520 laid him in the Manger, it doesn't say that Joseph did any 180 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:45,960 of it or a midwife or or anyone else. 181 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:50,640 Mary is possibly alone. Now, maybe I'm reading a little 182 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:53,760 bit more into it than I need to, but it's I'll tell you guys. 183 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:57,360 It's not a stretch to say that this was a terribly humble 184 00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:03,680 birth, a terribly humble, humble reception for a king right now 185 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:08,200 out out here, we have a whole bunch of new babies that are 186 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:11,480 part of our our church family. And I'm quite certain that the 187 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:15,760 idea of exposing those new babies to germs and gross stuff 188 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:19,520 ranks really high on the list of the things that moms are, are 189 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:21,760 always aware of. And in fact, as I'm talking 190 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:24,600 about germs and and all that kind of stuff in your baby, some 191 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:26,720 of you might be clutching some wet wipes right now to make sure 192 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:29,240 that you're ready to attack any germs nearby. 193 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:32,840 But but there's important context and meaning behind 194 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:39,320 laying a a brand new vulnerable baby in a gross cold animal 195 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:42,920 through let alone a king because it paint it. 196 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:46,760 It clearly paints a picture of humility. 197 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:53,600 Now, as I was studying this, I, I came across this this on from 198 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:58,200 gotquestions.org, which is a, which is a helpful website that 199 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:00,400 you know, if you've not familiar with it, it's a, it's a good one 200 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:02,400 to check out. But this is something that that 201 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:05,040 they said in an article. It said this humble birth 202 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,560 conveys an amazing message to creation. 203 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:11,600 The transcendent God condescended to come to us 204 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:15,200 instead of coming to earth as a pampered, privileged ruler. 205 00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:19,000 Jesus was born in meekness as one of us. 206 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:22,840 He is approachable, accessible, available. 207 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:28,200 No palace gates bar the way to him, no ring of guards prevents 208 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:32,400 our approach. See, what we're looking at here 209 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:38,160 is is that although Jesus is God, he didn't hold on to this. 210 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:41,200 His right to be honored that way. 211 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:46,400 If you remember two weeks ago I I I shared Philippians 26 and 212 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:50,560 seven that says Jesus, though he was in the form of God did not 213 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:54,360 count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied 214 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:58,600 himself by taking the form of a servant being born in the 215 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:02,720 likeness of men. Guys, that is God with us. 216 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:08,520 He didn't come in in vanity or with pomp and circumstances 217 00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:11,960 like, you know what, like what we might think, right? 218 00:14:12,560 --> 00:14:16,880 Although he deserved to be the center of attention of the whole 219 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:21,400 world, he didn't demand. It says that he was born in the 220 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:26,600 likeness of men, but he was born well beneath the common 221 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:33,120 circumstance of most men. Being born in an animal pen was 222 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:37,960 not a common occurrence. Even in 1st century Bethlehem. 223 00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:41,680 He voluntarily stepped into a humble life. 224 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:47,840 And why would he do that? Like I mentioned before, it 225 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:51,200 tells us something about the heart of God. 226 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:55,160 He was born in the meekest of ways, in the worst part of the 227 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:59,560 smallest city. See, this was no accident that 228 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:02,360 Jesus was was Born This Way. Think about this. 229 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:09,040 Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, some 70 miles north. 230 00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:12,680 Mary is obviously far along in her pregnancy. 231 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:17,280 And the the only reason that they took this very long 232 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:23,360 difficult trip was because of the decree to register in their 233 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:26,520 hometown, in Joseph's hometown of of Bethlehem. 234 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:29,800 That's the only reason that they were that they would be prompted 235 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:33,360 to go at this at this time where she's so far along right. 236 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:38,720 They lived under this ruler named Caesar Augustus, who was 237 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:43,840 the heir to Julius Caesar and he was the first emperor of Rome. 238 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:48,720 His title Augustus carried a a certain meaning of of royalty 239 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:53,080 appointed by gods. So when the people of the Roman 240 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:57,920 Empire are told to make a difficult, expensive journey for 241 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:01,720 the purpose of of paying taxes to their oppressors so that they 242 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:07,640 continue to oppress you, do it. But here's what I mean that it 243 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:11,800 was it was no accident. In Micah 52 we see this 244 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:14,760 prophecy. It says, But you, O Bethlehem 245 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:17,560 Ephrathah, I can't say that I've tried all week. 246 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:23,240 Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah from 247 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:27,080 you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, 248 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:34,080 whose coming forth is from old from ancient days to a a part of 249 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:38,200 the humble nature of his arrival was that he would be born in 250 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:44,560 Bethlehem, which in itself would be considered a a slight on on 251 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,400 someone important. And we know that from the 252 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:51,840 reference of its of its lack of size, meaning its lack of power 253 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:57,600 and its lack of status, right. But this is a good demonstration 254 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:01,920 of why we can trust the Bible, because this prophecy that we 255 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:07,440 see in Micah was written more than 700 years before Jesus 256 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:09,960 birth. And and even this prophecy 257 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:14,160 references an even more ancient prophecy. 258 00:17:14,599 --> 00:17:20,240 The census was was no accident. Our all knowing God used that to 259 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:24,440 fulfill prophecy and to demonstrate the truthfulness of 260 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:28,520 his word. So yes, Caesar Augustus decreed 261 00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:32,760 the census, but he did it according to the will of God, 262 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:37,240 something that we are blessed to better understand through the 263 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:40,160 the gift of seeing these fulfilled prophecies. 264 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:44,280 And to that point, in just the first two chapters of, of 265 00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:50,880 Matthew, we see, we see that God foretold the, the, the virginal 266 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:56,080 conception of the Messiah who would be born in Bethlehem. 267 00:17:56,240 --> 00:17:59,800 Yet in some way it, it, it tells us in those in those two 268 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:04,080 chapters that he would come out of Egypt and he would be called 269 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:07,760 a Nazarene. Now facts matter, though, right? 270 00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:11,800 And at first glance, one might look at the at at those passages 271 00:18:12,120 --> 00:18:15,760 I think that Jesus coming from Egypt or Jesus being called a 272 00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:20,560 Nazarene are somehow in contrast to him being born in Bethlehem. 273 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:24,360 But when you know the whole story, you see that they are all 274 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:29,200 true accounts of his origin, far too complicated to be 275 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:32,720 coincidence. Years ago when I was a police 276 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:36,080 officer, I used to have to investigate crimes and compare 277 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:39,840 witness statements and and when multiple witnesses for who come 278 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:42,920 at something from different perspectives share similar 279 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:46,680 information, it lends credibility to their statements. 280 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:51,600 And and we see that here Jesus birth story can be trusted 281 00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:55,800 because it would be impossible for phonies to get their stories 282 00:18:55,800 --> 00:19:01,200 to align on different continents and, and in different centuries. 283 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:07,520 Now, I think it would be easy to apply a, a certain amount of of 284 00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:12,440 guilt or responsibility on the innkeeper here for not making 285 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:19,280 room for this obviously pregnant mother to not have a comfortable 286 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:22,600 place to sleep, let alone forcing her to give birth with 287 00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:24,960 the the pigs and the and the goats. 288 00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:29,760 In reality, guys, we don't know anything more about the the 289 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:34,880 whole situation, but I dare say that in general, the, the people 290 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:37,520 there, they weren't living their lives as though the King of 291 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:41,480 kings could be born in their stable at any moment. 292 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:45,760 They they simply were not looking for his arrival that 293 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:49,040 way, even though they had been taught about him their whole 294 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:53,160 lives. Alfred Edersheim, who was a a 295 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:56,160 19th century biblical scholar, he wrote a book called the Life 296 00:19:56,160 --> 00:20:00,320 and Times of Jesus Messiah. He found 456. 297 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:03,920 Verses in the Old Testament that referenced the Messiah or his 298 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:08,600 times and there's more than 300 prophecies that ultimately are 299 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:11,000 fulfilled in Jesus life and ministry. 300 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:15,880 But as I mentioned a bit ago, the Jews were awaiting a 301 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:20,640 powerful warrior king to arrive and to to fight for them. 302 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:25,480 And so. So where would that idea come 303 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:29,640 from? Well, as we just learned about 304 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:34,000 Augustus, about Caesar Augustus, they lived in a world where 305 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:39,960 power was usually a very visible thing through conquest and, and 306 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:49,000 war and, and, and so for centuries, Israel was the nation 307 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:52,880 that was faithful to God, while the Gentile nations lived in 308 00:20:53,120 --> 00:20:56,400 spiritual darkness. And although they did study the 309 00:20:56,520 --> 00:21:01,080 the prophecies, they seem to have focused primarily only on 310 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:06,720 those that spoke of a glorious victory rather than passages 311 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:11,160 like Isaiah 53. That that says he had no former 312 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:15,200 majesty that we should look at him and no beauty that we should 313 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:20,920 desire him passages That that say he was despised and we did 314 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:26,080 not esteem him, or that says he was born like a lamb to be led 315 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:31,680 to the slaughter. The innkeeper did not recognize 316 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:35,520 the reality of of the the baby at the doorstep because they 317 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:40,480 hadn't prepared for the Messiah to be something outside of their 318 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:47,440 preconceived ideas about him. But we can have preconceived 319 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:53,400 ideas about Jesus too, right? A lot of people, maybe some of 320 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:57,840 us here in in the room, have gotten our ideas from secular 321 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:00,480 places at least to some degree, right? 322 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:07,360 Maybe TV or or school or family, even Christian family and 323 00:22:07,360 --> 00:22:10,960 friends that misunderstand who Jesus is. 324 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:15,480 We might think that Jesus is a a good teacher or a a dynamic 325 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:18,960 leader or maybe a rabble rouser or a troublemaker or something 326 00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:22,480 like that. But but but they miss or they 327 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:30,680 ignore that he is God with us. This humble birth demonstrates A 328 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:36,720 vulnerable, accessible God that came to reach a messy and and 329 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:43,640 obstinate and ignorant people. He came to be known by us. 330 00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:49,120 So yeah, Jesus birth was fairly quiet and it was largely 331 00:22:49,360 --> 00:22:53,960 unknown, but it wasn't his intention to stay that way, nor 332 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:59,440 was it completely unnoticed. He came with a purpose and an 333 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:01,680 Angel to announce it. And that's what I want to get 334 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:06,680 into our in our second part here is, is the message of good news. 335 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:13,760 What is what is that message of of good news in our the second 336 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:21,040 part of our passage in verses 8 through 12 it says and in the 337 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:23,760 same region there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch 338 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:27,120 over their flock by night and an Angel of the Lord appeared to 339 00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:30,200 them in the glory of the Lord shown around them and they were 340 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:33,280 filled with great fear. And the Angel said to them, fear 341 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:36,720 not for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be 342 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:39,800 for all the people. For unto you is born this day in 343 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:42,480 the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. 344 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:46,080 And this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in 345 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:48,960 swaddling clothes and lying in a Manger. 346 00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:51,520 So let's start off here by looking at something that I 347 00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:59,040 think is is very important. In verse 10, it says the Angel 348 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:04,600 said, fear not for I bring you good news of, of great joy. 349 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:09,560 Now angels are from our, our human perspective, I think 350 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:12,600 pretty scary. If you look at what, what 351 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:16,320 scripture says, the Bible says that some of them have 4 wings, 352 00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:20,120 some of them have 6:00. They have four faces. 353 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:23,760 Often when when you read about them in Scripture, often the 354 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:26,240 first thing that they say to the people that they interact with 355 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:31,400 is don't be afraid right in it. But the Bible also makes it 356 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:34,360 clear that they are also very beautiful. 357 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:39,520 So this isn't a discrepancy or an inconsistency. 358 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:47,480 They are breathtaking and brilliant and intimidating and 359 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:52,360 imposing because they are messengers of the king. 360 00:24:52,360 --> 00:24:57,720 And then in that passage, it says, it says the glory of the 361 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:01,800 Lord shown around them. Now the word for that is, is 362 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:06,520 Shekinah, Shekinah glory. Now it's not a, a word that 363 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:10,280 you'll find in in Scripture, but that's the, the, the, the way 364 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:13,600 that this is, is described. And according to the Old 365 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:17,800 Testament, when we see this, the Shekinah was the visible 366 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:21,560 manifestation of the invisible God. 367 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:26,840 The Shekinah was a radiant cloud often or brilliant light within 368 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:31,560 a cloud that signalled the immediate presence of God. 369 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:38,400 But something occurred to me as as John was was reading our our 370 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:44,640 passage before the before the the service from Luke chapter 371 00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:46,400 one. What he was reading was it's 372 00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:49,000 called the Magnificat. And and it's, it's a, it's like 373 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:56,120 a, a praise hymn that that Mary reads or, or sings, right. 374 00:25:56,480 --> 00:26:00,480 And I see something similar there, although it, it's not 375 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:04,400 necessarily describing a visible glory, but but that baby that 376 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:07,080 was in Elizabeth's belly was John the Baptist. 377 00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:11,800 And John the Baptist seems to have perceived the glory of God. 378 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:20,040 When when Jesus in Mary's womb is is in their presence, which 379 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:26,720 you know side note tells us that babies are are fully alive and 380 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:30,880 are aware and are precious and are valuable in the womb. 381 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:39,520 So we need to ask what about what about Jesus birth and the 382 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:42,560 messenger sent to announce his glory? 383 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:48,600 What about that could be both terrifying and beautiful at the 384 00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:52,040 same time? Well, I think it I think it 385 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:54,880 tells us right away. It says for unto you is born 386 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:59,400 this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. 387 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:04,920 So besides the glory of God shining around them, I imagine 388 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:10,800 there's a certain weightiness of an authority that comes along 389 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:15,120 with a message from God announcing the arrival of a 390 00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:23,560 long-awaited Messiah. But if you were here last week 391 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:29,280 with us, you know that this isn't just a proclamation of 392 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:33,080 some warrior king that would lead to a rebellion against 393 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:37,720 Rome. Some people in, in, in, you 394 00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:41,720 know, of that day may have still believed that, but not us. 395 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:47,320 We walked through Genesis 3 last week and we learned about sin 396 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:51,080 entering the world and separating us from God. 397 00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:55,800 And then in verse 15, we see something that was that was 398 00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:59,600 referenced in in that passage in Micah that I, I, I showed 399 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:03,600 earlier the coming from ancient of days that was foretold in 400 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:08,480 Genesis 3, verse 15 that says, I will put enmity between you and 401 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:11,440 the woman and between your offspring and her offspring. 402 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:15,400 He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. 403 00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:22,480 The good news of great joy is the birth of that spring here to 404 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:29,720 fulfill that prophecy. The good news is that Jesus the 405 00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:35,640 Messiah was here not to rise up in rebellion against Rome, but 406 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:41,800 to crush sin and death. And that was a world shaking 407 00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:48,040 announcement. And this brings us great joy to 408 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:53,960 know, guys, that this was always His plan as well, the promise of 409 00:28:53,960 --> 00:29:00,920 redemption for lost humanity. Because in Ephesians 1, excuse 410 00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:11,200 me, 4 through 6, that's not it. In Ephesians 1/4 through 6 says 411 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:14,280 even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the 412 00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:18,160 world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him in 413 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:21,480 love, He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons 414 00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:26,440 through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to 415 00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:31,040 the praise of His glorious grace with which He has blessed us in 416 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:37,680 the Beloved. In eternity past, Jesus wanted a 417 00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:43,720 relationship with us now. He did this because it serves 418 00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:47,680 His will and His good purposes. We see that there. 419 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:52,720 He didn't do it because of anything that you or I did. 420 00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:55,680 He did it in spite of what we've done. 421 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:05,040 I am a wretched Sinner. I have never brought to God 422 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:10,680 anything to do with my salvation except for the sin that made it 423 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:17,400 necessary. And in Psalm 113, verse 7, and 424 00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:21,200 this is in the King James, it says he raises up the poor out 425 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:24,880 of the dust and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill. 426 00:30:31,180 --> 00:30:35,700 Imagine that. I mean, I'm don't imagine it too 427 00:30:35,700 --> 00:30:40,540 much, but imagine that like to, to the idea of, of raising us up 428 00:30:40,540 --> 00:30:43,300 out of the dust and the dunghill. 429 00:30:43,300 --> 00:30:50,320 Like that's what we deserve. When we understand that we are 430 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:55,760 sinners, every one of us, we are sinners with no hope of 431 00:30:56,800 --> 00:31:01,960 redeeming ourselves, then we get what it means to be raised up 432 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:08,320 out of a dunghill. We know that we are sinners 433 00:31:08,320 --> 00:31:12,560 already sentenced to eternal torment, but that the whole 434 00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:15,240 reason we celebrate Christmas is because. 435 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:20,720 Because God loved us so much that he sent us a substitute God 436 00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:26,920 in the flesh to be LED like a lamb to the slaughter so that we 437 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:28,680 could have eternal life with Him. 438 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:38,160 It doesn't just glorify God, but it gives us the opportunity to 439 00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:44,400 participate in his glory, to be looked at as blameless in his 440 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:48,440 eyes on the day of judgement to be received as a son. 441 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:53,560 Because I want you to hear this. I want you to hear his message. 442 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:57,480 I want you to hear him because I want you to know him. 443 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:02,280 And here's why. Here's what it says in in John 444 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:08,240 17 three and this is eternal life, that they might know you, 445 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:14,240 the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 446 00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:20,600 Now we, you know, we can't know everything about Jesus, but what 447 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:27,560 we need to know is that Jesus was given to us in his humble 448 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:34,000 cradle so that he could be sacrificed for us at the cross 449 00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:39,840 so that we could be victorious with him for eternity. 450 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:48,120 We have to trust and rely on that because we can't rely on 451 00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:55,560 ourselves not one little bit. I can't make myself righteous. 452 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:05,440 Genesis 15-6 it tells us that Abraham's faith, his 453 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:09,640 anticipation of this this promised Messiah one day, 454 00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:14,880 Abraham's faith was counted as righteousness to God. 455 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:18,040 That was before the the first advent. 456 00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:23,320 And I want you guys to know that your faith in Jesus Christ alone 457 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:28,200 can be counted as righteousness before the 2nd Advent. 458 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:33,360 And if you don't know Jesus yet, or, or maybe you're apprehensive 459 00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:37,000 about, about believing, let me just, let me just say that I 460 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:39,760 can, I can respect your hesitancy. 461 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:45,760 Maybe you're a person who has, you know, been confused with, 462 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:50,360 you know, religion over the years from hearing from a a 463 00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:53,640 hypocrite preach about perfection and and 464 00:33:53,640 --> 00:33:57,160 sanctification. Maybe you're just waiting for it 465 00:33:57,160 --> 00:34:01,400 all to to to just click and and make perfect sense in your mind. 466 00:34:03,280 --> 00:34:07,800 Maybe you're not absolutely against believing in Jesus, but 467 00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:11,520 you're still wondering what all the fuss is about him. 468 00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:14,159 Why should you make him Lord of your life? 469 00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:18,120 Well, let me just tell you guys, if that's if one of those 470 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:21,440 questions, if you can relate to that, let me just tell you that 471 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:24,560 that that big decision. That's not that's not new. 472 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:27,520 You're not the only one who's who's, you know, ever been 473 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:35,080 presented with that in Matthew 16 verses 13 through 19 says now 474 00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:37,920 when Jesus came into the district of Cesare Philippi, he 475 00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:40,800 asked his disciples, who do people say that the Son of man 476 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:43,080 is? And they said some say John the 477 00:34:43,080 --> 00:34:46,320 Baptist, others say Elijah and others Jeremiah are one of the 478 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:49,320 prophets. He said to them, but who do you 479 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:53,440 say that I am? Simon Peter replied, You are the 480 00:34:53,440 --> 00:34:55,880 Christ, the Son of the living God. 481 00:34:56,960 --> 00:35:01,360 And Jesus answered him, Blessed are you Simon Barjona, for flesh 482 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:04,600 and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in 483 00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:08,240 heaven, and I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will 484 00:35:08,240 --> 00:35:11,200 build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail 485 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:13,280 against it. I will give you the keys of the 486 00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:16,200 Kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound 487 00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:17,880 in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth 488 00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:22,960 shall be loosed in heaven. This conversation took place not 489 00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:26,960 too long before Jesus crucifixion on the cross. 490 00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:30,040 People were still getting him wrong. 491 00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:33,080 In fact, they'd be so wrong about him that they would nail 492 00:35:33,080 --> 00:35:35,760 him to a cross and torture him to death. 493 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:40,440 But Peter's declaration here is important. 494 00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:45,280 Think about this. The the, the, the empire thought 495 00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:50,720 that Caesar Augustus's decree was powerful, But Jesus makes it 496 00:35:50,720 --> 00:35:56,080 clear that this body of Christ followers here, his church, 497 00:35:56,600 --> 00:36:00,000 This, this body of Christ followers that proclaims Jesus 498 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:03,840 as the Messiah and the Son of God is even more powerful 499 00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:08,440 because of him. One day he'll return and kick 500 00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:12,840 down the doors of hell as he gathers his church, those 501 00:36:12,840 --> 00:36:16,760 followers that proclaimed him as the Messiah. 502 00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:24,960 As we as we close here today, I want to I want to look at this 503 00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:27,160 last verse in our in our passage. 504 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:32,640 It says it's verse 12 and it says, and this will be a sign 505 00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:35,320 for you. You will find a baby wrapped in 506 00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:37,400 swaddling clothes and lying in a Manger. 507 00:36:38,240 --> 00:36:42,480 Now as I said before, this verse is given to us for a reason, 508 00:36:42,480 --> 00:36:45,280 just as it was given to the shepherds it was it was 509 00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:49,840 something exceptional that a newborn infant should be found 510 00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:56,000 not in a cradle but in a Manger, and still stranger that this 511 00:36:56,000 --> 00:37:00,560 baby would be the heir of the House of David and their 512 00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:05,000 long-awaited Messiah. There may certainly were 513 00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:09,080 probably other babies in Bethlehem, but the info that 514 00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:13,200 they needed to find him was given to them. 515 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:19,840 Now, often by Christmas time, we can hear people from all angles 516 00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:23,360 kind of criticizing the the holiday, right? 517 00:37:23,360 --> 00:37:26,600 It's just a Pagan holiday that the church has Co opted or, or 518 00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:30,960 it's just about commercialism and and materialism or, or it 519 00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:33,840 makes me so depressed or, or something like that, right? 520 00:37:34,200 --> 00:37:36,720 But guys, I want you to, to really remember that when you 521 00:37:36,720 --> 00:37:42,000 see, you know, the, the nativity decoration in your in your 522 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:46,920 neighbor's yard or, or something like that, it is a reminder that 523 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:54,440 God gave us everything that we need to find the Messiah in 524 00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:56,560 Bethlehem. All those years ago. 525 00:37:56,560 --> 00:37:59,320 People weren't living their lives as though the King of 526 00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:04,400 kings could be born in their humble stable at any moment. 527 00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:09,120 But we had better live our lives as though He could return at any 528 00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:14,720 moment as victorious King. Some missed him at his humble 529 00:38:14,720 --> 00:38:17,480 cradle. Others missed him at his 530 00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:20,480 humiliating cross. But you must not miss him when 531 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:24,160 he returns with His conquering crown. 532 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:29,200 You must acknowledge your sinfulness, repent of it, and 533 00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:32,720 proclaim Jesus as your resurrected Lord and Savior. 534 00:38:34,640 --> 00:38:38,920 But guys, you only have the rest of your life to make that 535 00:38:38,920 --> 00:38:42,560 choice. And that decision that you make 536 00:38:42,560 --> 00:38:44,720 will be either terrifying or beautiful. 537 00:38:44,720 --> 00:38:46,880 And when I say you only have the rest of your life. 538 00:38:47,360 --> 00:38:50,240 Now, if, if, if you were sentenced to, you know, prison 539 00:38:50,240 --> 00:38:52,480 for the rest of your life, that would seem like a long, long 540 00:38:52,480 --> 00:38:55,800 time. But in this context, when I say 541 00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:58,440 that you only have the rest of your life to make that decision. 542 00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:03,280 And after that, it's too late and you don't know how much more 543 00:39:03,280 --> 00:39:07,480 time you've got. I hope it's a long time, but we 544 00:39:07,480 --> 00:39:10,960 don't know how much more time that you've got. 545 00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:13,840 And so that decision that you make, like I said, will be 546 00:39:13,840 --> 00:39:21,880 either terrifying or beautiful. It'll be eternity in a place of 547 00:39:21,880 --> 00:39:26,800 torment with the the weeping and gnashing of teeth or resting for 548 00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:31,480 eternity in that Shekinah glory of of God. 549 00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:36,960 Romans 10/9 says because if you confess with your mouth that 550 00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:40,560 Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him 551 00:39:40,560 --> 00:39:43,040 from the dead, you will be saved. 552 00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:47,920 True faith as it says in Ephesians 3. 553 00:39:47,920 --> 00:39:53,200 The Holy Spirit will dwell within your heart and this 554 00:39:53,200 --> 00:40:00,880 Christmas as we as we contemplate Jesus being turned 555 00:40:00,880 --> 00:40:04,520 away from. The the door at that in we can 556 00:40:04,520 --> 00:40:08,680 celebrate the good news of great joy that we don't have to be 557 00:40:08,680 --> 00:40:10,680 turned away. Will you guys pray with me? 558 00:40:13,360 --> 00:40:18,600 Lord, God, I, I thank you again for the gift of, of that 559 00:40:20,760 --> 00:40:24,640 innocent baby that that was given all those, all those years 560 00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:27,240 ago. And, and then, Lord, as we, as 561 00:40:27,240 --> 00:40:33,560 we understand the full context of what his life and ministry 562 00:40:33,560 --> 00:40:37,520 would be, as I said before, it's so overwhelming to know that you 563 00:40:37,520 --> 00:40:41,240 could love us that much. And, and so Lord, I, we know 564 00:40:41,240 --> 00:40:43,800 that that many people missed him. 565 00:40:44,440 --> 00:40:49,520 They missed you at that, at that moment of of birth and that you 566 00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:53,040 didn't receive the the welcome that we would think that you 567 00:40:53,040 --> 00:40:55,280 deserve. And yet you Lord, it was within 568 00:40:55,280 --> 00:40:58,160 your plan. It was a because it demonstrated 569 00:40:58,160 --> 00:41:02,240 something about your heart that is so crucial for us to know 570 00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:08,880 that a God of of such magnificent magnificence could 571 00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:15,080 love us and our and our brokenness to that you could 572 00:41:15,080 --> 00:41:18,560 love us so much that you would be back that you would make a 573 00:41:18,560 --> 00:41:21,240 way for us to be back in relationship with you is 574 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:24,200 beautiful and wonderful Lord, and we we just hope that you 575 00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:28,480 will really truly be recognized as the reason for this season as 576 00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:32,080 we go about our our lives this week, Lord, that if we haven't 577 00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:36,520 come to that place where we have put our full trust in you that 578 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:39,440 we would that we would do that if we have to drop down on our 579 00:41:39,440 --> 00:41:43,440 knees, Lord, and and surrender our lives to you, Lord, that we 580 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:47,600 would do that and that we would be in that right relationship 581 00:41:47,600 --> 00:41:49,720 with you. So we can really truly celebrate 582 00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:54,840 everything that this that this Christmas is about or we love 583 00:41:54,840 --> 00:41:57,600 and thank you so much in Jesus name, Amen.