1 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:08,200 Thank you for listening to Riverbend Church's podcast. 2 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:11,560 To find out more about this message or Riverbend Church, 3 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:14,920 connect with us online at Riverbend Church dot live. 4 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,760 Merry Christmas to you all. Is this your first time at 5 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:23,120 Riverbend? Welcome. 6 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:25,800 Thank you so much for choosing to be with us. 7 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:29,200 Hey, listen, we would love to connect with you, love to 8 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:32,040 connect you with some other people, maybe similar age and 9 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:35,240 stage of life. Probably the easiest way for 10 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:37,280 that to happen is through that connect card. 11 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:41,080 So like I said, if you're new with us, again, thank you so 12 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,480 much for choosing to spend your Sunday morning with us. 13 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,240 We would just ask that you take that connect card out. 14 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:50,040 Whatever info you feel comfortable passing on on that 15 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,160 connect card, you'll just drop it into the giving stations on 16 00:00:53,160 --> 00:00:54,880 your way out. And we look forward to 17 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:56,680 connecting with you. It also and lets us know where 18 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:00,160 to ship a small thank you gift out into the mail to you if we 19 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:01,240 haven't had the chance to meet yet. 20 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:04,239 My name is Ben. Get to serve as the lead pastor 21 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,520 here. Love this season, absolutely 22 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:09,880 love this season. Have a lot going on. 23 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,520 I'm sure all of us do This morning. 24 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,160 We have already had the opportunity to worship with with 25 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:19,760 families here at the 8:00 service. 26 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:23,040 We'll get to worship with some more families here at the 11:00 27 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:25,040 service. One of the things that I'm 28 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:27,680 excited about this morning is being able to worship with our 29 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:29,680 kids. Our kids are are in here 30 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:33,080 worshiping with us. Just kind of one of the quick 31 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:36,080 shout outs to the kids. If you're a kid in here, you're 32 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:39,480 normally in River Kids, but you are in here with us now. 33 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:41,280 Here's your chance to make some noise. 34 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:43,120 So when I count to three, let me hear you. 35 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:47,760 Kids 123. They're all over here. 36 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:53,080 All right, good job. Hey, also, if you're a kid, I 37 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:57,240 hope that you got one of the packets on the way in that has 38 00:01:57,240 --> 00:01:59,600 kind of an activity sheet. That activity sheet will kind of 39 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,360 help you kind of follow along with where we're going this 40 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:04,640 morning. It on the back of it has a 41 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:08,400 pretty cool scavenger hunt. Dads, leave your kids scavenger 42 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:10,360 hunt alone. Don't take it from them. 43 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,680 Get your own. But that scavenger hunt, one of 44 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,240 the things that you're you'll be doing is kind of listening out. 45 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:20,200 If I say a word, you'll be able to color in that space or cross 46 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:21,680 it off or however you want to mark it. 47 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:25,680 So for example, if I say the word angels, you would go ahead 48 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:28,600 and mark that one off. So now everybody has a freebie. 49 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:35,480 So adults, you get a note sheet. But anyway, it is so good just 50 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:37,360 being able to to worship with you. 51 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:40,600 Just kind of as a quick note is we're going to be able to come 52 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:45,400 back in here on Wednesday night, Christmas Eve from 5:00 to about 53 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:50,280 5:45, just being able to just celebrate Jesus together. 54 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,040 So you don't have to sign up. You don't need to register, just 55 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:55,800 show up. Great opportunity to come. 56 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:59,360 So this is something that we're new that we're doing this year. 57 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,160 So look forward to being able to worship with you. 58 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:07,520 But here we are in our Christmas series called presents called 59 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,720 Presents. And I think that this season, if 60 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:14,480 we could, for many of us, if we could kind of tack on one word 61 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:18,760 and we weren't kind of trying to impress church people, we would 62 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,240 use the word overwhelming, wouldn't we? 63 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:24,560 Overwhelming in, in, in so many different regards. 64 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:26,320 A lot of times it's just overwhelming. 65 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:31,560 I was reading this past week. In the 1600's the Puritans 66 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:37,840 actually took the stance and took the step to ban Christmas 67 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:42,120 for a series of years. They began to get so frustrated 68 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:46,360 with all the busyness, with all the hurry with with with all the 69 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:49,400 distractions of Christmas that they just chose to ban it. 70 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,000 For that reason. If you parts of England and 71 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:55,440 parts of colonial America in the 1600s, if you were caught 72 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:58,720 celebrating Christmas decorations, parties, gifts, 73 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:02,120 festivities during the season, you could actually be fined. 74 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:07,240 Churches went on normal services, businesses, shops were 75 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:10,200 open normal hours. It's just that Christmas was 76 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:12,960 banned. No decorations, no gifts, no 77 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:15,840 festivities. Now I know that some of the 78 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:19,399 parents in here, you threaten to do the same thing with your 79 00:04:19,399 --> 00:04:21,880 kids. When your kids are all hyped up 80 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,520 on Pixie sticks and Mountain Dew, you threaten them that 81 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:27,240 Christmas ain't coming. I think that we would. 82 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:32,400 However, we would all agree that the problem, the problem was 83 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:36,200 never Christmas. The problem is what people made 84 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:38,400 Christmas into. And the same thing is true for 85 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:40,560 us now, right? The problem like the sense of 86 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:44,240 overwhelm and busyness and, and, and always being rushed and 87 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:46,720 stressed out and anxiety and all the above. 88 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:50,160 The problem is not Christmas. The problem is, is, is kind of 89 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,440 us. And isn't it ironic that the 90 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,920 time and the season that is meant for us to really focus in 91 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:00,960 on the fact that Christmas is really about Jesus, God with us 92 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:06,800 is the very season that we make, make it all make it seem like it 93 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,920 all depends or it all rides on us. 94 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,120 And because of that, we're, we're in the season, many of us, 95 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:15,720 we, we are experiencing, experiencing a sense of 96 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:17,760 overwhelm. And I'm not going to ask that 97 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:19,440 you raise your hand or anything like that. 98 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,840 And maybe you're you're, you're like this with this online to 99 00:05:22,840 --> 00:05:26,760 where if you feel overwhelmed during this Christmas season, 100 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:30,280 chances are pretty good that you came into this Christmas season 101 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:34,200 with a sense of overwhelm. So here's the question before 102 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:36,880 us. How in the world do we navigate? 103 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:40,560 How do we navigate Christmas and how do we navigate the remainder 104 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:45,520 of the Christmas season with feeling so overwhelmed? 105 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:50,120 And I think it really starts with us coming back to a bedrock 106 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:54,320 foundational truth about Christmas about this time of the 107 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:56,280 year. And if you're taking notes with 108 00:05:56,280 --> 00:05:59,480 us, this bedrock foundational truth actually serves as our big 109 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:00,720 idea. And here it is. 110 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:03,600 Christmas isn't just the story of Jesus's birth. 111 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:08,320 It's the story of God's heart. Christmas is not just the story 112 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:11,080 of Jesus birth. It isn't simply just a story of 113 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:15,600 Jesus birth, as incredible and miraculous and earth shattering 114 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,200 as that is. It's not simply about Jesus 115 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:20,360 birth. It's really it's the story of 116 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:23,440 God's heart. It's the story of God's heart. 117 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,920 And like we talked about last week, I think that we would do 118 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:30,000 really well to understand what God desires for us. 119 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,920 Every single one of us in the room online, every single one of 120 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:34,160 us. If you're new to church, if you, 121 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:36,560 if you're a veteran to church, you're in church all the time. 122 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:39,080 Maybe you're just coming back to church for the first time in a 123 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:43,040 long time. God's desire for you is not that 124 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,000 you would look back in, in a couple weeks and go, I had a 125 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:47,880 Merry Christmas and a happy New year. 126 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:52,520 God's, God's greatest desire for us is that we would discover and 127 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:56,520 maybe even rediscover God's heart for us, God's heart for 128 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:59,640 us. So where do we discover and 129 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:02,440 sometimes rediscover his heart for us? 130 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,800 We discover it in his Word to us. 131 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:09,440 So if you have a Bible with you, I would invite you to find Luke 132 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,280 chapter 2. Luke chapter 2 with me this 133 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:14,640 morning. And it's going to be a pretty 134 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:18,120 popular passage around the Christmas time. 135 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:20,160 If you don't have a Bible, no worries. 136 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:22,960 The passage is on the screen in front of us. 137 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:26,200 And what we're going to be reading is we're going to start 138 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:31,240 to read and we're going to start to see the ways in which we can 139 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:35,720 so easily become overwhelmed. But more importantly, the hope 140 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:38,840 that we have you. You see none of us in this room. 141 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:42,960 This is not about like, hey, you're Mary and you're Joseph, 142 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:45,880 all, all of us in this room. You are you. 143 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:49,240 I am. I am me, but we still serve the 144 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:52,360 same God in the same God that was with Mary and Joseph then is 145 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:56,600 the same God that's with us now. So if you have Luke chapter 1, 146 00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:00,600 let's pick it up in verse one. It says in those days the decree 147 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:03,680 went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be 148 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:06,000 registered. This was the first registration 149 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,280 when Quinarius was governor of Syria and all went to be 150 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:14,240 registered each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from 151 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:18,120 Galilee, from the town of Nazareth to Judea to the city of 152 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:21,920 David, which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and 153 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:25,120 lineage of David to be registered with Mary, his 154 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:27,520 betrothed. Don't miss this last phrase. 155 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:32,320 Who was with child? Who was with child? 156 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,240 So here's what I want to do if you're taking notes with us. 157 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:41,280 I want to look at 3 common reasons that you and I can so 158 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:44,440 easily become overwhelmed. Here's the first one. 159 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:47,480 If you're taking notes with us, It's when we feel unprepared. 160 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:51,920 It's when we feel unprepared again, if we look back at, at, 161 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:56,960 at Mary and Joseph, there is so much stress packed into those 5 162 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:59,880 verses, isn't there? There's so much stress packed 163 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:04,160 into those 5 verses here. Here you have a, a, a, a young 164 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:07,640 woman by the name of Mary that very few, if any people don't 165 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:12,400 consider a liar because she is bold enough to say I'm pregnant, 166 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:14,760 but I'm carrying the, the, the Messiah. 167 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:18,560 I'm still a virgin, but I, I, I conceived by the through the 168 00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:20,480 power of the Holy Spirit. And people are like, yeah, 169 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:23,000 right. So you got a young woman that 170 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:25,080 that very few, if any don't consider a liar. 171 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:27,640 You got a young man and Joseph that very few if any don't 172 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:30,440 consider an idiot. They go, Joseph, are you really 173 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:36,080 buying that? Come on, man, come on. 174 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:39,840 And they're, they're expecting their first time parents. 175 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:43,120 You, you remember, if you're, if you're a mom or a dad, you 176 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:46,600 remember, you remember that, that, that, that first baby, you 177 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:48,440 remember everything that goes along with it. 178 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:53,640 Oh, and, and by the way, they had to pack for a trip. 179 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:58,320 They had to pack for a trip that was go to going to pay taxes. 180 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:03,400 Is there any one of us that would raise your hand and go? 181 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:07,400 I love to pay taxes. As a matter of fact, I love it 182 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:09,160 so much. I want to pay more taxes. 183 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:11,800 And I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll be honest with you. 184 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:14,400 I love how my tax money is being spent. 185 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:17,760 Can I get an Amen? No, no. 186 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:23,160 Now multiply that out by about 100, if not 1000. 187 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:28,400 And Mary and Joseph had to make this trip because the Roman 188 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:33,960 Emperor Augustus Caesar, Caesar Augustus was declaring that 189 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:38,600 every single man and his family had to return to their own, to 190 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:42,760 their hometown to be counted for the purposes of taxation. 191 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:46,880 Now, you may or may not know this, but in that time the Roman 192 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:50,200 Empire was occupying, they were the, they were the occupying 193 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:54,400 force over the nation of Israel. They were kind of like the, the, 194 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:57,200 the, the ones that conquered the nation of Israel. 195 00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:00,560 So Mary and Joseph are having to make this trip to pay taxes. 196 00:11:00,760 --> 00:11:04,480 And that tax money they know is going to pay the salaries of the 197 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:07,040 Roman officials and the Roman soldiers that are there 198 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:10,680 occupying them. I can't think of anything 199 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:13,480 anybody thinking I want to sign up for that. 200 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:18,040 So here they are from Nazareth having to go to Bethlehem 201 00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:22,240 packing for a trip. Now look not to like start a 202 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:26,280 fight within husbands and wives and and and and moms and dads. 203 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:29,160 But remember when you were packing for for vacation, maybe 204 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:32,880 this summer and remember kind of that that stressful time of, of 205 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:35,120 just the packing. And then you're always 206 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:36,400 wondering, did I forget something? 207 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:39,160 Did we forget something? Did, did did you remember to 208 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:40,800 bring this? Or did you remember to lock the 209 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:42,400 doors? Or Are you sure that you turn 210 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:44,760 the oven off? Or you know, did did you are you 211 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:47,760 made sure that that you know you, you locked you locked the 212 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:51,720 doors? Imagine that with Mary and 213 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:53,520 Joseph. They still have that same 214 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:56,200 feeling. And oh, by the way, not only is 215 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:59,720 Mary pregnant, she's pregnant with the Son of God, the 216 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:04,640 long-awaited Messiah. How in the world do you prepare 217 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:08,880 to be the mom and the mother figure of the Son of God? 218 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:12,120 How in the world do you even begin to feel prepared to be the 219 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:14,720 earthly father figure for the Son of God? 220 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:19,080 So no wonder they felt such a deep sense of overwhelm. 221 00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:22,720 Now, even though we can't really identify with Mary and Joseph, I 222 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:26,320 think that a lot of times we get so overwhelmed because we feel 223 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:29,440 unprepared as well. Let me give you an example. 224 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:32,880 Maybe you're a, maybe you're a young family and maybe you have 225 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:36,880 a little baby in your home. So you, you kind of know kind of 226 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:39,840 that sense of unpreparedness. Nothing prepares you for a baby 227 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:44,560 like actually having a baby or, or, or maybe the, the, the 228 00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:50,200 season, the, the demands of the season, relational and emotional 229 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:53,000 and financial. They, they've come really, 230 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:55,560 really fast and really, really hard to where you, you've have 231 00:12:55,560 --> 00:13:01,280 felt unprepared for this season. Maybe you feel unprepared for 232 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:06,440 that sense of exhaustion that has set in and looks like it's 233 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:10,120 here to stay as a result of you running so hard and so fast for 234 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:13,000 so long. You just feel unprepared. 235 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:15,520 And because you feel so unprepared, you feel really, 236 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:18,560 really overwhelmed. Listen, one of the one of the 237 00:13:18,560 --> 00:13:21,120 main reasons that we start to feel overwhelmed is a sense of 238 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:25,520 being unprepared. But there's another reason I 239 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:30,480 believe that we can so easily become overwhelmed and I want to 240 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:33,080 look at it with you back in Luke chapter 2. 241 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:39,840 Let's pick it up in verse 6. While they, Mary and Joseph were 242 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:41,920 there, they finally made it to Bethlehem. 243 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:45,480 The time came for her to give birth and she gave birth to her 244 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:48,160 first born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid 245 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:52,040 him in a Manger because there was no place for them in the 246 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:54,920 end. So I think that the second 247 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:58,680 reason that we start to feel so overwhelmed is we experience the 248 00:13:58,680 --> 00:14:02,120 unexpected. We experienced the unexpected. 249 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:11,040 I want to just make a, a quick educated guess with you this 250 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:15,000 morning. I don't think, I don't think 251 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:20,640 that Mary's contractions, her labor started once they hit the 252 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:24,760 Bethlehem city limits. I think that Mary's contractions 253 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:28,520 probably started on that journey before they got to Bethlehem. 254 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:35,080 Here you have a man and a woman, Mary and Joseph, They know that 255 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:39,160 they have to travel somewhere between some scholars say 7 to 9 256 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:43,080 days, that slow, arduous journey. 257 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:47,360 Somewhere along that journey, she feels the first contraction. 258 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:51,640 She starts to panic. She's experiencing the 259 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:54,960 unexpected. And you know, Joseph, if you're, 260 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:58,480 if you're a dad in here, you know, it's all unexpected to US 261 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:03,480 dads and US men. You can, you can just imagine 262 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:07,640 that Joseph trying, trying to, trying to help his wife and, and 263 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:09,920 calm his wife's nerves. Be like, Mary, it's going to be 264 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:11,520 OK. We're, we're, we're going to be 265 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:13,520 there soon. Once we get to Bethlehem. 266 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:16,320 That was kind of the theme of the last leg of the journey. 267 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:18,720 And you can just imagine they kind of like dream together. 268 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:22,240 Once we get to Bethlehem, You know, we, we, we can, we can get 269 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:25,800 you a room and you can lay down in a bed and, and we'll get you 270 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:27,680 some, we'll get some medical help. 271 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:32,000 And once, once we get to Bethlehem, you know, our, our, 272 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:37,080 our baby boy is, is going to be born and it's going to be great. 273 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:41,960 And you'll be able to rest just once we get to Bethlehem. 274 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:52,720 Yep, when they got to Bethlehem in after, in after in no 275 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:56,760 vacancy, I don't think that the innkeepers and I don't think 276 00:15:56,760 --> 00:16:01,480 that the that the, the hotel desk workers, I don't think that 277 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:03,440 they were being jerks by denying them. 278 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:07,440 I think they just had literally no room to put them. 279 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:12,360 And yet in the midst of going from place to place and no 280 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:17,920 vacancy to no vacancy, Mary's contractions start to intensify 281 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:19,840 and they start to come closer together. 282 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:24,760 And the only place that Joseph could find for his wife to give 283 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:27,840 birth wasn't in a hotel room. It wasn't in a hospital, 284 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:32,120 certainly wasn't in a palace. It was in a stable or a cave 285 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:37,280 where animals slept and ate. So through screaming and tears, 286 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:43,080 Mary delivers her baby boy in no way that in that she had ever 287 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:48,000 dreamed of. And instead of wrapping the Son 288 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:53,880 of God, Emmanuel, God with us, this little baby boy and clean 289 00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:58,760 birthing blankets, I think that Joseph just pulled out some of 290 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:02,000 the clothes that they had packed with them that probably weren't 291 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,160 very clean and certainly weren't sterilized. 292 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:07,480 And that's what they wrapped Jesus in and laid him. 293 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:09,480 There's no crib. They laid him in a feeding 294 00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:14,880 through for the animals. In no way, shape or form did 295 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:17,079 that night turn out the way that they thought that it would. 296 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:20,520 You got to believe that they felt such a deep sense of 297 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:25,480 overwhelm. I think for us that that deep 298 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:28,520 sense of overwhelm because we experienced the unexpected. 299 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:31,920 Maybe there's some of us in here this morning that have just come 300 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:34,440 out of the last few days or last couple weeks. 301 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,040 Or maybe we're in a season to where we feel that our world is 302 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:41,080 rocked because we've been experiencing the unexpected. 303 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:45,000 Maybe there's a relationship that was once close that now 304 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:49,040 it's distant and silent, and now there's tension and conflict in. 305 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:51,520 It's completely. Unexpected. 306 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:58,600 Maybe there was a a medical diagnosis that was told to you 307 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:03,240 by by your doctor, or maybe a close friend of yours or 308 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:06,800 somebody that you deeply care about or love opened up their 309 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:10,440 patient portal and they got some some news. 310 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:13,200 It's a diagnosis. It's an. 311 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:16,160 Unexpected diagnosis that seems to have rocked your world and 312 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:20,200 now it's overwhelmed you. There's a million and eight 313 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:23,560 different things that we can face this unexpected in our 314 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:25,480 lives that bring us to a sense of overwhelm. 315 00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:29,280 But then there's a third way that I think that we can so 316 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:32,480 easily get overwhelmed. And this third one, I, I think 317 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:38,120 this is the most important in a lot of ways, but it's, it's, 318 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:42,920 it's beyond positive. The first, the first 2, not so 319 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:45,000 much, but this third one is beyond positive. 320 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,560 And it kind of set the stage for this third way that we can get 321 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:50,400 overwhelmed. I want to bring us back to Luke 322 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:54,680 chapter 2. The night is the same, yet the 323 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:58,600 setting kind of shifts a little bit outside of the city limits 324 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:01,200 of Bethlehem. In verse 8 it says in the same 325 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:04,040 region there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over 326 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:06,280 their flock by night, and an Angel of the Lord appeared to 327 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:09,200 them, and the glory of the Lord shown around them, and they were 328 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:12,040 filled with great fear. And the Angel said to them, fear 329 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:14,920 not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will 330 00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:17,640 be for all people. For unto you is born this day in 331 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:21,280 the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord, and this 332 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:25,320 will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in 333 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:27,320 swaddling clothes and lying in a Manger. 334 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:30,520 And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the 335 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:33,920 heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the 336 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:37,240 highest and on earth, peace among those with whom he is 337 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:39,760 pleased. When the angels went away from 338 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:42,880 them into heaven, the shepherd said to one another, Let's go 339 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,960 over to Bethlehem and see this thing that's happened which the 340 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:48,840 Lord has made known to us. And they went with haste, and 341 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:51,800 found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a Manger. 342 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:56,480 And when they saw it, they made known the word saying, made 343 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:59,240 known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 344 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:02,240 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherd's told them. 345 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:05,960 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her 346 00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:07,800 heart. And the shepherd's return, 347 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:12,080 glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as 348 00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:17,480 it had been told them. I think the third way that you 349 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:20,440 and I can experience a sense of overwhelm, be overwhelmed during 350 00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:23,600 the season is this when we're confronted directly with the 351 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:25,920 overwhelming. We can. 352 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:28,760 Experience a sense of overwhelm when we're confronted directly 353 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:31,960 with the overwhelming. It would be such a gross 354 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:34,280 understatement to say that the shepherds that night, the 355 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:36,360 shepherds in the field that night, were confronted directly 356 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:40,960 with the overwhelming. Here's what you, you, you need 357 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:43,280 to know. And maybe you already knew this, 358 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:44,720 maybe you didn't. But here's something that we 359 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:46,840 need to know and need to remember about the Shepherds. 360 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:50,280 No. Kid in that day and age grew up 361 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:54,040 wanting to be a shepherd. That was not the desired career 362 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:56,560 path. As a matter of fact, if you were 363 00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:59,160 a shepherd, it was for one of two reasons. 364 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:03,280 It was because A you couldn't do anything else because you 365 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:07,600 weren't skilled enough, whether that was socially or manually or 366 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:10,920 or or or or whatever. You couldn't do anything else 367 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:15,120 because you weren't skilled enough or B, nobody would hire 368 00:21:15,120 --> 00:21:18,600 you because of your previous record. 369 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:22,360 You see, these were the unskilled laborers, laborers. 370 00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:25,160 These were the outcast of society. 371 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:27,680 These were where the violent offenders. 372 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:31,480 Once they served their time either officially or by 373 00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:34,160 reputation, they became shepherds. 374 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:39,360 Outside of the lepers of Jesus day, which at least had the pity 375 00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:43,600 of people, shepherds were considered to be the lowest of 376 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:47,160 the lowest rung of the social pecking order. 377 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:49,880 And you know who knew this most about shepherds? 378 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:54,440 Shepherds. They knew it about themselves. 379 00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:59,040 So Can you imagine the sense of overwhelm that of everybody in 380 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:01,440 the world, they were the first to receive the birth 381 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:04,720 announcement of the long-awaited Messiah. 382 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:10,080 An Angel showed up in the field, and that Angel began to tell 383 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:15,240 them that on this day, tonight, the Savior has come, the Messiah 384 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:18,840 has been born, and this is how you will be able to recognize 385 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:20,720 him, and we'll tell you where to find him. 386 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:25,080 And then the sky begins to light up with thousands upon thousands 387 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:30,680 of angels all singing and unison, glory and praise to God. 388 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:36,760 And then the sky goes dark and they go on to Bethlehem. 389 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:42,320 They were 1000% overwhelmed by the overwhelming. 390 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:45,880 I think that there are certain times and moments in our lives 391 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:49,120 that you and I, we can be, we can be overwhelmed by the 392 00:22:49,120 --> 00:22:52,720 overwhelming. Maybe you're in the room with 393 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:55,800 us, or maybe you're online. Can you think back to a time to 394 00:22:55,800 --> 00:23:00,720 where you experienced mercy? You were given mercy even though 395 00:23:00,720 --> 00:23:04,800 you didn't deserve it and you were given grace. 396 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:08,360 You, you, you were given grace when you didn't deserve it. 397 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:11,160 With. Mercy you receive. 398 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:14,320 You didn't receive what you did deserve with grace. 399 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:16,640 You received something that you didn't deserve. 400 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:19,560 Or maybe have you ever been at a point in time in your life to 401 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:22,240 where you've experienced somebody actually loving you 402 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:25,720 when you yourself saw yourself as so unlovable? 403 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:31,800 You've been so overwhelmed by the by the overwhelming and it's 404 00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:39,160 that sense of awe and wonder and overwhelmed that can drive us 405 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:42,000 into the season and can drive us closer to the heart of God. 406 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:46,920 You know, I don't, I don't know everybody's story in the room or 407 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:50,560 online. You may be going through a deep 408 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:54,920 overwhelming season right now. Or maybe if it's not you, maybe 409 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:57,640 you know somebody that you're near and dear to, that you're 410 00:23:57,640 --> 00:23:59,840 very close to, that you love, that you care a lot about. 411 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:02,680 That's being greatly overwhelmed this season. 412 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:06,800 I want to give you a word of hope. 413 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:09,320 And. Then in the remainder of our 414 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:13,560 time, I want to give us some handles to hold on to in this 415 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:18,000 season as we navigate the sense of overwhelm. 416 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:20,760 Here's the word of hope that I want to give you. 417 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:23,760 And if you're taking notes with us, encourage you to jot it 418 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:25,720 down. Even though it may not feel like 419 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:29,720 it, God still got you. And even though it may not feel 420 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:33,280 like it, even though it may feel like it, God's not finished with 421 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:36,440 you. I think there's some of us this 422 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:39,560 morning again, whether you're live with us in the room or live 423 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:44,400 with us online or watching this all back online, wherever you 424 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:50,440 may be, that you are convinced that God doesn't have you 425 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:55,760 anymore, that you're too far gone from God, let me assure you 426 00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:57,640 word of hope throughout this season. 427 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:00,280 This is the word of hope for Christmas for you. 428 00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:02,320 Even though it may not feel like it. 429 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:05,240 Listen, God still got you. God's still got you. 430 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:07,680 And even though it may feel like it, there's some of us in the 431 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:10,880 room and some of us online that feel like God is finished with 432 00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:12,840 us. That, you know, God is like kind 433 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:14,360 of like a three strikes and we're out. 434 00:25:14,360 --> 00:25:17,800 And you know, we've already used up all the strikes that God's 435 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:19,760 already finished with us. Let me assure you that's not the 436 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:23,240 case at all. The message of Christmas is 437 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:25,440 this. Even though it may not feel like 438 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:27,760 it, God has got you. And even though it may feel like 439 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:31,440 it, God is not finished with you. 440 00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:34,760 So how can we remind ourselves what are? 441 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:38,920 What are three handles that we can hold on to during the latter 442 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:43,040 part of this Christmas season? What are three handles of hope? 443 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:47,480 How can we fight for peace? How can we have peace when life 444 00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:51,920 begins to feel heavy? If you're taking notes with us, 445 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:55,640 here's the first way #1 reminding ourselves that God has 446 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:58,920 already given me everything that I will need to follow Him today. 447 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:05,680 God has given me everything that I will need to follow him today. 448 00:26:06,360 --> 00:26:09,640 Again, let's go back to the picture of, of Mary and Joseph 449 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:13,520 and the two of them kind of getting ready for that journey 450 00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:18,040 ahead, that 7 to 9 day journey from time to time. 451 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:21,560 You, you got to know that Mary, she wanted to help pack, but 452 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:23,960 Joseph kept telling her, Mary, you need to sit down. 453 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:28,560 You need to take it easy. They had 7 to 9 days ahead of 454 00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:30,880 them and they were worried about like, do we pack this? 455 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,600 Do we pack that? You know, should we leave the 456 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:36,960 toaster and the and the coffee maker at home or surely the 457 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:38,800 hotel will have one when we get there? 458 00:26:40,360 --> 00:26:43,240 And, and, and, and their mind is just running wild with all the 459 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:48,240 with all the what ifs and they feel so unprepared. 460 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:51,240 And you know, I don't know if they gave voice to it to one 461 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:55,840 another, but you know that deep down within each of them, they 462 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:59,200 had to think, I can't let Mary know that I'm thinking this. 463 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:01,880 And she probably thought, I can't let Joseph know that I'm 464 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:04,280 thinking this. But what in the world are we 465 00:27:04,280 --> 00:27:10,400 going to do with a baby? How, how, how in the world we 466 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:13,960 don't know what we're doing that that was that was Mary and 467 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:16,440 Joseph. But did you know at no point in 468 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:19,440 time to God ever look at Mary and Joseph and wonder if he made 469 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:23,440 a mistake? Did you know at no point in time 470 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:27,320 did God ever look at Mary and Joseph and go not sure if those 471 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:28,680 two crazy kids are going to make it? 472 00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:35,680 God knew what He was doing when He called Mary and Joseph, when 473 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:39,680 He selected Mary and Joseph. Can I give you the same word of 474 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:42,560 encouragement? At no point in time, no matter 475 00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:44,720 how overwhelmed you may feel by life. 476 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:48,920 Due to. Whatever factors, at no point in 477 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:51,600 time does God ever look at you and think he made he made a 478 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:56,960 mistake when he made you. At no point in time does God 479 00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:00,800 ever look at you and go man, don't know if that crazy kids 480 00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:05,720 ever going to make it. God loves. 481 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:10,840 You God loves you so much. He loves you so much that He 482 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:15,480 does promise to consistently and to constantly and to faithfully 483 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:18,920 provide everything that He knows that we will need for the day 484 00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:21,320 ahead. That's a word of encouragement, 485 00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:22,960 but that's also a word of frustration. 486 00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:25,640 Here's why I say that. It's a word of frustration. 487 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:30,160 I want God to unroll for me a 10 year road map of my life. 488 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:35,960 I'll settle for for three, but I'd really like 5. 489 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:42,280 Has God quick survey in here? Has God ever sat any of us down 490 00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:44,000 and said, hey, hold on, buckle up. 491 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:46,800 I'm about to roll out the five year road map of your life. 492 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:49,920 Anybody in here? All right, good. 493 00:28:49,920 --> 00:28:53,040 We're in good company. He doesn't do that, does he? 494 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:57,400 Anybody else get frustrated by that? 495 00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:05,920 I do, and then I'm reminded God never promises to roll out the 496 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:09,040 three, the five, the 10 year road map of my life ahead of me. 497 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:12,720 But what He does promise is to faithfully, consistently and 498 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:16,560 constantly provide what He knows, that I will need to be 499 00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:19,160 faithful and to follow Him for the day ahead. 500 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:23,920 I believe that's what the prophet Jeremiah meant when he 501 00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:25,760 wrote this in the book of Lamentations. 502 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:28,320 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. 503 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:29,840 His mercies never come to an end. 504 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:31,760 Check out the beginning of verse 23. 505 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:35,920 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness, O 506 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:37,960 God. The Lord is my portion, says my 507 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:40,520 soul. Therefore I will hope in Him. 508 00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:44,280 That meant that when you and I, when we woke up today, there are 509 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:46,640 some parts of today that we knew that we're going to be 510 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:48,440 happening. We had a pretty good idea that 511 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:50,160 would be happening. There are other parts of the day 512 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:51,760 that we have no idea, but God does. 513 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:54,760 It means that when every single 1 is when we woke up today, we 514 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:57,800 woke up with a perfectly proportioned amount of 515 00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:00,400 everything that God knew that we would need for today. 516 00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:02,400 And guess what? When we go to sleep tonight, we 517 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:05,280 can lay our heads down on our pillows and go to sleep in peace 518 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:07,680 knowing that when we wake up in the morning, God knows 519 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:11,680 everything that I will need to be faithful and obedient to Him 520 00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:13,720 in the morning. And guess what? 521 00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:17,440 It will be perfectly portioned out for me in the morning. 522 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:23,320 The great word of hope and encouragement is this is that 523 00:30:23,320 --> 00:30:26,760 God already knows exactly. He's already given me everything 524 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:29,120 that I will need to follow Him today. 525 00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:33,480 That also means second handle. God has already gone before me 526 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:37,320 beyond my unexpected. God has already gone before me 527 00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:40,160 beyond my unexpected. Let me kind of spend a little 528 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:43,360 bit of time sitting down on that and I'm packing that for a 529 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:45,800 second. Remember Mary and Joseph along 530 00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:49,560 this seven and nine day journey. Nothing went right once they 531 00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:51,160 went. Once they got to Bethlehem, 532 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:58,480 nothing went their way. No room, no hotel, no bed, no 533 00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:01,240 medical help, just the two of them. 534 00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:04,760 They had no idea what they were doing and they were having to 535 00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:09,000 give birth to their son, who, oh by the way, is the Son of God, 536 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:13,760 the long prophesied Messiah, in either a stable or a cave, 537 00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:16,640 either way a place to where animals eat and sleep. 538 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:21,160 There was no crib for him. They laid Jesus into in a 539 00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:24,240 Manger. I'm. 540 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:27,240 Convinced. I'm convinced that it wasn't so 541 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:30,400 much the innkeepers and the and the front desk clerks at these 542 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:34,160 Inns and hotels just being jerks to Mary and Joseph going, hey, 543 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:36,560 sorry, no room in the inn, no room in the inn, no room in the 544 00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:38,040 inn. I think that it was God's 545 00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:42,920 guiding hand because he wanted his Son to come into this world 546 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:47,560 being born in a stable. Make no mistake about it. 547 00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:52,080 If God wanted his son to be born in a hospital, it would be no 548 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:54,360 big thing for Jesus to be born in a hospital. 549 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:57,520 If God wanted his son to be born in a hotel, he could have 550 00:31:57,520 --> 00:32:00,120 created a hotel. He could have if the God that 551 00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:02,480 made all the universe made everything. 552 00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:05,040 That is. He could have saved a room for 553 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:06,840 Mary and Joseph. No big deal to God. 554 00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:11,280 If God wanted Jesus to be born in a palace ballroom, he would 555 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:12,640 have been born in a palace ballroom. 556 00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:17,280 Yet God wanted his only son to come into this world, being born 557 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:20,680 in a stable, laid in a feeding through for an animal. 558 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:27,120 Why? Because God wanted us to know 559 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:31,440 that none of us have to clean ourselves up in order to come to 560 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:33,800 Jesus. None of us have to get our act 561 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:35,920 together. None of us have to make special 562 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:39,000 reservations. We come as we are. 563 00:32:39,320 --> 00:32:43,080 Jesus came into the mess for our mess. 564 00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:46,960 And it's a beautiful thing when you start to realize that God 565 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:53,560 all along is setting the stage. For example, 730 years before 566 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:56,720 Jesus was born, God gave the word to the prophet Isaiah. 567 00:32:56,720 --> 00:32:59,840 A virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and he shall be 568 00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:03,600 called Emmanuel. God with us. 730 years before 569 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:08,160 Jesus was born. 1000 years before Jesus was born, God gave 570 00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:11,440 King Solomon the words that Solomon wrote down, and we know 571 00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:14,640 him as Psalm 72. Talking about kings from a 572 00:33:14,640 --> 00:33:19,000 distant land would come and bring the Savior gifts from 573 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:23,560 afar. 700 years before Joseph and Mary made the journey from 574 00:33:23,560 --> 00:33:27,240 Nazareth to Bethlehem, God gave the word to the prophet Micah in 575 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:30,440 Micah 52. The Messiah would come into the 576 00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:34,800 world, be born into Bethlehem. Not only was that 700 years 577 00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:38,280 before the birth of Jesus, it was literally centuries before 578 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:44,640 the Roman Empire was everything God prepared the way for Jesus. 579 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:47,800 Long before Jesus, long before Mary and Joseph ever hit the 580 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:50,200 road for the first time. He was before them. 581 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:52,360 He was with them. And guess what? 582 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:56,760 He was always going to be guiding them to His plans for 583 00:33:56,760 --> 00:34:00,200 him. Here's the great hope. 584 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:03,640 God has already gone before me beyond my unexpected. 585 00:34:04,080 --> 00:34:06,040 Got to see this play out this past week. 586 00:34:06,280 --> 00:34:10,719 There's a lady in our church that I got to pray for before 587 00:34:10,719 --> 00:34:14,400 they took her back into surgery. Got to pray. 588 00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:16,840 That God would would. Guide the doctor's hands that 589 00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:21,320 thank him for for gifting the the surgeons and the and the 590 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:25,120 nurses and the medical professionals in so many 591 00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:27,840 different ways and just praying that God would enable them to do 592 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:31,239 what he had so gifted them to do but I remember. 593 00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:32,239 Us. Us talking. 594 00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:35,040 There was a sweeping piece that kind of fell over that room 595 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:38,440 because I looked. At her and I said you know I. 596 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:42,639 Don't say this flippantly, but did you know that years ago God 597 00:34:42,639 --> 00:34:45,840 knew that we would be right here, right now, praying to Him 598 00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:50,400 about this? God is already on the. 599 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:55,159 Other side of your surgery, the same God that has guided you 600 00:34:55,159 --> 00:34:58,120 this far is the same God who's with us now, and he's the same 601 00:34:58,120 --> 00:34:59,920 God that's already on the other side of it. 602 00:35:01,240 --> 00:35:02,440 Let me give you a. Word of hope. 603 00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:05,440 Church, I don't know what may be going on in your life right now. 604 00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:07,240 I don't know all the insurance and outs and the details. 605 00:35:07,240 --> 00:35:09,400 Here's where I would tell you. God's already, already on the 606 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:13,080 other side of that situation. And just as he has always been 607 00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:15,720 faithful, just as He is faithful, he always will be 608 00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:19,080 faithful. So when you find yourself kind 609 00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:22,880 of sinking into that deep and being covered up with a deep 610 00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:26,880 sense of overwhelm, remind yourself of God's faithfulness 611 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:30,440 and that he is already beyond the current situation. 612 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:33,200 There's a third way, third handle. 613 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:35,560 And I think that this is probably the most important for 614 00:35:35,560 --> 00:35:37,760 us this morning. It's an encounter with God 615 00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:41,960 always requires a personal response to God that. 616 00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:45,600 Go back to Luke. Chapter 2 The shepherds no doubt 617 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:48,720 had an encounter with God forever changed their lives. 618 00:35:49,720 --> 00:35:52,520 You know, I happen to believe that most, if not all of those 619 00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:55,400 shepherds that night, you know what they did the following 620 00:35:55,400 --> 00:35:58,960 night probably went out to that same field and shepherd 621 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:03,200 shepherded their flock. But you got to know that every 622 00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:06,160 time that they went out into the field and they looked up into 623 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:09,160 the night sky, they never saw that night sky the same, did 624 00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:11,160 they? You got to know. 625 00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:13,560 From time to time, those. Shepherds would would have to go 626 00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:16,840 back into town and and run errands and I think from time to 627 00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:19,080 time they would probably pass that, that stable and they 628 00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:21,560 passed that, that, that feeding through. 629 00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:24,960 But it was not. It was never just a mere stable 630 00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:28,120 and and feeding through to them ever again. 631 00:36:30,640 --> 00:36:33,800 You see, we're we're. Recorded or we're given to us in 632 00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:37,480 Luke chapter 2. We know that the shepherds 633 00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:42,360 responded their response to the to the news that they had seen 634 00:36:42,360 --> 00:36:46,800 and and heard. We know this because we can see 635 00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:48,280 how it says let us go to Bethlehem. 636 00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:50,240 See this thing that's happened which the Lord has made known to 637 00:36:50,240 --> 00:36:51,520 us. When they saw it, they made 638 00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:53,760 known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 639 00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:56,320 The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God all 640 00:36:56,880 --> 00:37:00,040 for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them they 641 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:02,960 were never the same. When you and I have an 642 00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:07,080 experience with God. We can never be the same. 643 00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:10,080 There will always be a response required Required of us. 644 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:12,680 Now where? We are right now. 645 00:37:13,520 --> 00:37:17,320 There's three possible responses whether you're in the room or 646 00:37:17,320 --> 00:37:20,760 with us online. We will all fall into one of 647 00:37:20,760 --> 00:37:26,720 three categories this morning when it comes to what we do, how 648 00:37:26,720 --> 00:37:28,400 we respond to what we just heard. 649 00:37:29,360 --> 00:37:36,440 Category 1 You are well within your rights to view everything 650 00:37:36,440 --> 00:37:40,920 that we talked about as just a religious narrative and a 651 00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:48,200 religious fairy tale, and in so doing, reject your only source, 652 00:37:48,200 --> 00:37:51,880 your only hope for. Peace. 653 00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:55,320 And love and forgiveness and purpose. 654 00:37:56,440 --> 00:38:00,680 You can do that. Option two, you can chalk up 655 00:38:00,680 --> 00:38:03,520 everything that we just talked about this morning as just a, a 656 00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:07,480 warm fuzzy religious moment. It wasn't so good to come to 657 00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:09,920 church this morning and talk about Jesus at church. 658 00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:12,480 It was just a good, good warm fuzzy moment. 659 00:38:13,240 --> 00:38:16,520 Can I tell you something as your pastor, warm fuzzy religious 660 00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:19,120 moments don't really change anything. 661 00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:25,680 Essentially a kind of worthless or we. 662 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:29,680 Can choose to. View what we just read together 663 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:34,480 in Luke chapter 2 and we can see the invitation of a loving God 664 00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:39,320 that says, I love you so much. Come to me just as you are. 665 00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:45,960 If you're new to church, or maybe you've been looking for 666 00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:50,440 forgiveness and hope and love and mercy and grace and 667 00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:55,120 forgiveness and purpose, Listen. You've been looking your entire. 668 00:38:55,120 --> 00:38:57,240 Life you Here's where you'll find it. 669 00:38:59,600 --> 00:39:02,760 By surrendering your life to. Jesus, which basically just 670 00:39:02,760 --> 00:39:06,560 means God. I'm tired of going my own way. 671 00:39:07,200 --> 00:39:10,200 I want to give you my life and I want to give you control of my 672 00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:13,600 life. God, will you forgive me? 673 00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:17,200 Will you change me? Will you guide me? 674 00:39:18,200 --> 00:39:21,160 That's it. And the Bible says that if you 675 00:39:21,160 --> 00:39:24,040 believe in your heart, you confess with your mouth that 676 00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:28,320 Jesus is Lord, That means that his boss of your life you will 677 00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:30,440 be saved. And at that. 678 00:39:30,440 --> 00:39:33,040 Moment you will experience. The forgiveness that you've been 679 00:39:33,040 --> 00:39:36,120 looking for, and the grace and the mercy and the hope and the 680 00:39:36,120 --> 00:39:39,080 love and the purpose that you've always been looking for. 681 00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:42,480 Maybe you're here with us this morning and you've. 682 00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:44,480 Already surrendered your life to Jesus, but there's something 683 00:39:44,480 --> 00:39:49,200 that you're still holding on to. Maybe it's maybe you've come in 684 00:39:49,200 --> 00:39:50,320 here. This morning, you're just 685 00:39:50,320 --> 00:39:53,200 really, really overwhelmed out of the three reasons that we 686 00:39:53,200 --> 00:39:54,880 talked about. Or maybe there's another reason 687 00:39:55,120 --> 00:39:57,600 that you're just overwhelmed and maybe there's one of those 688 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:02,880 handles that you need to kind of grasp onto and hold onto by 689 00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:07,000 faith this morning. Regardless of what it is. 690 00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:12,360 Here's what I want to do is turn the corner and about to wind 691 00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:13,960 down. I want to direct your attention 692 00:40:14,880 --> 00:40:18,200 to that Connect card that you received on your way in. 693 00:40:18,560 --> 00:40:23,160 On the front of that Connect card, there's three, there's 694 00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:28,040 three boxes there. One is I'm new to Riverbend. 695 00:40:28,040 --> 00:40:30,440 Another is I'm placing my faith in Jesus. 696 00:40:30,720 --> 00:40:34,480 Another is I would like to be baptized if this. 697 00:40:34,480 --> 00:40:37,800 Morning if this morning is the. 1st morning, first time that 698 00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:42,680 you've ever realized I need to turn control of my life over to 699 00:40:42,680 --> 00:40:45,480 Jesus or I want to find out more about what that means. 700 00:40:45,720 --> 00:40:47,240 I just want to ask that you do something. 701 00:40:47,720 --> 00:40:50,760 Just check that middle box. Check that middle box. 702 00:40:50,920 --> 00:40:53,960 Make sure that you give us your name and best contact info. 703 00:40:54,720 --> 00:40:57,640 And then as we leave in just a few moments, you'll slide that 704 00:40:57,640 --> 00:41:00,200 into the slot of the any of the giving stations outside the 705 00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:02,280 doors. And what that does is that lets 706 00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:06,480 one of our pastors to know to to personally contact you to, to 707 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:09,320 help you in any way to help answer any questions that you 708 00:41:09,320 --> 00:41:12,080 may have. Maybe it's something else going 709 00:41:12,080 --> 00:41:15,080 on in your life that you want us to pray with you for. 710 00:41:15,400 --> 00:41:19,920 Pray, pray, join you and praying over then the back. 711 00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:22,200 Of that the the prayer. Request section on the back. 712 00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:24,680 I would encourage you to to jot something down. 713 00:41:24,680 --> 00:41:27,200 We love praying with you and for you and over you. 714 00:41:29,040 --> 00:41:30,480 But here's how we're going to end this. 715 00:41:30,480 --> 00:41:33,280 Morning. We're about to end with an 716 00:41:33,280 --> 00:41:35,520 opportunity just to be able to sing one more time and there's a 717 00:41:35,520 --> 00:41:36,680 song that we're going to be singing. 718 00:41:37,320 --> 00:41:40,960 It's called Noel. It's called Noel. 719 00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:45,520 Do you know what Noel means? I didn't. 720 00:41:45,520 --> 00:41:46,840 Until I had to look it. Up. 721 00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:52,760 It actually can mean several things in in French, it can mean 722 00:41:52,760 --> 00:41:56,720 Merry Christmas. In Latin it. 723 00:41:56,720 --> 00:42:03,080 Can mean birthday and I love what we're about to sing is 724 00:42:04,440 --> 00:42:08,560 Christmas. Christmas is really all about 725 00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:14,560 celebrating the birth of Jesus. So after I pray, I'm going to 726 00:42:14,560 --> 00:42:16,760 encourage us to to stand and sing together. 727 00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:19,400 But as you, as you stand and sing, I would just want to ask 728 00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:23,320 to the very best of your ability to block out all the 729 00:42:23,320 --> 00:42:27,080 distractions that may be going on around you, to block out all. 730 00:42:27,080 --> 00:42:29,160 The thoughts of the. Places you got to go and the 731 00:42:29,160 --> 00:42:32,600 things you got to do to just. Really. 732 00:42:32,600 --> 00:42:34,920 Rest in. This moment to rest and reflect 733 00:42:34,920 --> 00:42:38,800 in this moment about Jesus coming into this world for you. 734 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:43,720 God, we love you and we thank. You so much for. 735 00:42:43,720 --> 00:42:49,160 Loving us first, God, Your love for us is clear in the sending 736 00:42:49,160 --> 00:42:52,600 of Jesus into this world. God, we thank you for the 737 00:42:52,600 --> 00:42:59,240 reminder of His coming during this season. 738 00:43:02,200 --> 00:43:08,000 God, I pray that you would help us to understand that all the 739 00:43:08,000 --> 00:43:11,840 different nuances and all the different details under which 740 00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:14,920 your son came into this world. God, none of them were by 741 00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:16,160 accident. None of them were by 742 00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:19,840 coincidence, none of them were were forced by any type of 743 00:43:19,840 --> 00:43:21,560 situation. God, they were all guided by 744 00:43:21,560 --> 00:43:26,960 your hand and God, your hand directs us to your heart, and 745 00:43:26,960 --> 00:43:30,600 your heart for us is to remind us that no. 746 00:43:30,600 --> 00:43:33,560 One none. Of us have to clean ourselves up 747 00:43:33,560 --> 00:43:35,400 to come to you. We don't have to get our act 748 00:43:35,400 --> 00:43:36,760 together. We don't have to get our ducks 749 00:43:36,760 --> 00:43:39,000 in a row. We don't have to do this or 750 00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:41,640 that. We just simply come as we are. 751 00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:46,320 So God, I pray that. We would do just that. 752 00:43:47,640 --> 00:43:49,560 We would come as we come, as we are. 753 00:43:50,120 --> 00:43:53,600 We'd respond to you the way that you're calling us, God that we 754 00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:56,920 would lean into you, God that we would press into you, God, that 755 00:43:56,920 --> 00:44:00,400 we would depend on you like never before for everything that 756 00:44:00,400 --> 00:44:02,080 we're going through in this life and more. 757 00:44:02,640 --> 00:44:04,240 And it's in Jesus name that we pray. 758 00:44:04,800 --> 00:44:11,120 Amen. Thank you for listening to 759 00:44:11,120 --> 00:44:12,960 Riverbend. Church's podcast. 760 00:44:13,000 --> 00:44:16,320 To find out more about this message or Riverbend Church, 761 00:44:16,440 --> 00:44:19,720 connect with us online at Riverbend Church dot live.