1 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:11,040 Hi and welcome to the Via Zion Sermon Podcast. 2 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:14,160 We are a local church based here in Chennai, India. 3 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:17,440 We are so glad you are with us and hope that this will 4 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:21,840 encourage, inspire, and instill fresh faith in you as we 5 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:23,960 complete our advent. Series we look at how. 6 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:27,440 In Jesus, grace abounds as the truth abides. 7 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:30,760 We wish you a very Merry Christmas and hope that you will 8 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,520 enjoy the gift of having. God with you. 9 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:37,800 In you and for you. Hi Church, a very Merry 10 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:40,920 Christmas to each one of you, your families, your loved ones. 11 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,040 Even as we get into God's word today, you know that we have 12 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:46,560 been looking at the book of John, the Gospel of John and it 13 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:50,040 has been mind blowing how God has been leading us through this 14 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:51,960 Advent series. It's been so organic. 15 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:54,840 We we just knew we had to look at the book of John, John 16 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,960 chapter 1 specifically. But the way God has LED us 17 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:02,320 through every verse and exposed to us who God is, who Jesus 18 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:05,360 really is, has been amazing. And I know Geshum and I both 19 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:08,320 have been so impacted by the sermons we have preached. 20 00:01:08,320 --> 00:01:11,600 And today I've titled my message this Christmas. 21 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:15,560 Grace abounds when truth abides. That's what my title is. 22 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:21,040 And even as we get into this, this the word that we have for 23 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:23,840 today, I want to begin with this, you know, when I was 24 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:26,560 growing up, because this is my birthday month, Christmas was a 25 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,000 magical time. You know, the 25th was, you 26 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:31,360 know, the aim, it was the goal, it was the destination. 27 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:36,080 But as I got older, I found that this was as ordinary as the rest 28 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:38,280 of the months of the year. Yes, the house was decorated. 29 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:40,760 Yes, we were eating a lot more plum cake than we should have. 30 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:45,080 Yes, we had a lot of gifts being wrapped and given, but it's 31 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:47,040 still essentially was like the rest of the year. 32 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:48,920 We still had the same struggles of the rest of the year. 33 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,240 We still had those setbacks. We still had those bills to pay. 34 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,840 Nothing really changed, but the environment somehow had been 35 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:58,480 recreated to something festive. And I want to encourage you 36 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,760 today if you're stepping into this Christmas Day completely 37 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,800 alone, fall on just absolutely confused about what's next or 38 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:08,680 maybe you just had a huge blow struck to you. 39 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:13,120 Whatever it is, I want you to just look at how Christmas 40 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:16,520 really represents the light of the world coming into a very 41 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:20,000 dark situation and making it bright as day and that you know 42 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,080 day is coming. Your situation will change, 43 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:26,600 things will move. Should you give room for Jesus, 44 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:30,000 everything can change in a second, and I want to encourage 45 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:32,360 you with that. John chapter 1, verses 10 to 18 46 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:33,800 is what we're going to be looking at today. 47 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:37,080 Reading from the NIV translation, it says He was in 48 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:40,120 the world, and though the world was made through him, the world 49 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:42,760 did not recognize him. He came to that which was His 50 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:45,080 own, but His own did not receive Him. 51 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:49,000 Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His 52 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,320 name, He gave the right to become children of God, children 53 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,240 born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's 54 00:02:56,240 --> 00:03:00,680 will, but of God. The Word became flesh and made 55 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,280 His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the 56 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,800 glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full 57 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:10,560 of grace and truth. John testified concerning him. 58 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:13,880 He cried out, saying, This is the one I spoke about when I 59 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:17,880 said, He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was 60 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:20,720 before me. Out of His fullness we have 61 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:25,440 received grace in place of grace already given, for the Law was 62 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:28,360 given through Moses. Grace and truth came through 63 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:31,520 Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but 64 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:35,680 the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest 65 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:38,920 relationship with the Father, has made Him known. 66 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,240 Whatever your situation this December has looked like, 67 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:45,600 whatever the last 11 months have looked like, what we can rejoice 68 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,560 in today is that in Jesus God was made known. 69 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:52,360 In looking at Him, the fullness of the Godhead, the deity, has 70 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:54,760 been revealed and we're no longer in the dark. 71 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:56,640 We're no longer distant from God, but we are. 72 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:00,360 He's close at hand. And the beautiful thing is that 73 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:04,760 grace already abounded to us even before we accepted Jesus. 74 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:06,720 What does that mean? You know, you look at humanity, 75 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,920 you look at the people of the world, you see war-torn areas, 76 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:13,000 you see epidemic struck lands, famine, drought struck lands. 77 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:15,920 People are still surviving. Are they thriving? 78 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:17,760 Maybe not, but they're surviving. 79 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:21,480 And there's a basic human survival instinct, and I believe 80 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:23,040 that is the grace of God in itself. 81 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:26,560 But here it says in Jesus you get grace upon grace. 82 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:29,520 You get this added grace. It's a saving grace which 83 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:33,920 changes your life completely. And then Jesus himself is 84 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:38,640 personified as grace and truth. Because up until then, up until 85 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:42,600 you know Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the people who are 86 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,160 waiting for this Messiah who would be born of a virgin, who 87 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:48,520 would be everlasting counsellor, mighty God, Prince of Peace, 88 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:51,280 that he would rule the government, up until then, they 89 00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:53,440 were just waiting. And they didn't know when it 90 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:55,920 would all happen. They didn't know when, you know, 91 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:58,400 all of those prophecies would find their fulfillment. 92 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:02,160 And so until then, they had the Mosaic law, the Torah was what 93 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:04,520 they read, they meditated on, they had the law, they had the 94 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:06,680 prophets. And for them that was their 95 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:09,920 truth. But in Jesus coming to earth, 96 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:13,720 the truth became a person because he was the living Word 97 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:17,120 like we saw. And so it talks about how He is 98 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:20,720 grace and truth. And so today we're going to be 99 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:25,520 looking at how grace abounds when truth abides. 100 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:27,320 We're going to understand that, unpack it a bit. 101 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:31,400 But before we go through that, I want to just read a very 102 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:34,760 unlikely passage to kind of put in a nutshell what Christmas is 103 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:37,040 all about. And most unlikely because it's 104 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:40,120 written by the apostle Paul in Romans chapter 8. 105 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:42,440 I'm going to read 8 verses and it's from the Message version 106 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:45,680 because it's just written so beautifully, but it basically 107 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:52,360 tells us how Jesus came as the solution for a sinful fallen 108 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:55,000 world. Like I said, the law existed 109 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:57,840 before the law was the truth. The law was from God. 110 00:05:57,840 --> 00:06:00,480 It was given to guide his people, to protect them. 111 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:04,960 But human as we are, keeping all of the law was difficult because 112 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:07,440 let's face it, we, we forget to look at the heart of the law. 113 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:10,520 We look at each of its, you know, statutes and precepts and 114 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:11,920 we're trying to learn that by heart. 115 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:13,640 We're trying to figure out how to do it. 116 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,160 But they missed the people of Israel, missed looking at the 117 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:21,320 heart of God behind those commands and in Jesus. 118 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:23,040 Jesus revealed to us the heart of God. 119 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:26,000 And so it became so much more easier to grasp these 120 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:29,880 commandments because now the Spirit of God lives in US, and 121 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:32,440 the covenant is written on hearts and minds rather than on 122 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:34,800 stone tablets. And so Paul writes so 123 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:39,120 beautifully about what God did with sending Jesus, and it's the 124 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:42,200 most beautiful explanation of the Christmas story. 125 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:43,320 So let me just read that for you. 126 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:47,280 Romans 8 verses 1 to 8 in the message version, with the 127 00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:50,720 arrival of Jesus the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is 128 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:53,400 resolved, the fateful dilemma of sin. 129 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:57,240 Those who enter into Christ being here for us no longer have 130 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:00,320 to live under a continual low lying black cloud. 131 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:03,800 A new power is an operation. The spirit of life in Christ, 132 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:06,960 like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, 133 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:11,120 free you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands 134 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:14,520 of sin and death. God went for the jugular when He 135 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:17,240 sent His own Son. He didn't deal with the problem 136 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:21,400 as something remote and unimportant in His Son Jesus. 137 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:24,840 He personally took on the human condition, entered the 138 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:28,440 disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it 139 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:32,440 right once and for all. The Law code, weakened as it 140 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:36,160 always was by fractured human nature, could never have done 141 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:38,880 that. The Law always ended up being 142 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:43,240 used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of deep healing it. 143 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:46,760 And now what the Law could asked for but couldn't, we couldn't 144 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:50,480 deliver, is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own 145 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:53,880 efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in US. 146 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:57,680 Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed 147 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:01,080 with measuring their own moral muscle, but never get around to 148 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:05,680 exercising it in real life. Those who trust God's action in 149 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:09,840 them find that God's Spirit is in them, living and breathing 150 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:12,240 God. Obsession with self in these 151 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:15,880 matters is a dead end. Attention to God leads us out 152 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:19,200 into the open, into a spacious, free life. 153 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:22,520 Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. 154 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:26,720 Anyone completely absorbed in self, ignores God, ends up 155 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:28,800 thinking more about self than God. 156 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:34,039 That person ignores who God is and what he is doing, and God 157 00:08:34,039 --> 00:08:39,520 isn't pleased at being ignored. When you look at the original 158 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:43,120 Christmas story of what unfolded in Bethlehem, and then two years 159 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:47,040 later what unfolded when the kings visited, none of them were 160 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:48,880 obsessed about themselves. In that story. 161 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:50,720 The shepherds heard from the angels. 162 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:53,040 They could have sat on that hillside for a day or two and 163 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:54,520 gone. Why us? 164 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,320 Oh my goodness, did we really, you know, see angels? 165 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:03,160 Did it really happen to us? They got up and went to see what 166 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:06,240 was told. They went and trusted God's 167 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:09,800 action in fulfilling his words. And they're so obsessed in 168 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:14,160 worshipping the newborn king. It's amazing because sometimes 169 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:18,640 we are obsessed with ourselves over being obsessed with the 170 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:21,360 things of God. Obsessing with God, he says 171 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:24,480 focusing on self is the opposite of focusing on God. 172 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:27,600 I love that. Those 3 or 4 Magi who came from 173 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:31,640 the east who didn't make the journey about their hardships or 174 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:34,840 the the the detours or the struggles of losing the star now 175 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:38,240 and then or even of Herod, but they made it all about 176 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:40,160 worshipping this king that they were coming for. 177 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:45,680 Ultimately, when you look at this whole thing, God was sent, 178 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:50,920 Jesus was sent to Tabernacle with his people. 179 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:54,320 He came to live among them and today he lives in US. 180 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:58,880 And that is the greatest gift that God could ever give. 181 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:01,680 If that is not what grace is, I don't know what is. 182 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:05,760 When we sometimes look at the word truth, Jesus himself said, 183 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:07,920 I am the way, the truth and the life. 184 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:11,480 And the word for truth has one alternate meaning apart from the 185 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:13,880 absolute truth. It also means reality. 186 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:18,120 And so often we try to haggle about the reality of God. 187 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:20,440 We begin at the Christmas story and say, you know what? 188 00:10:20,680 --> 00:10:24,120 Why did he come as a baby? There's no facts to reference 189 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:26,320 this. We can't check this up, but the 190 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:30,280 truth is historians have put down the birth of this child. 191 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:34,080 We have seen history split into two based on the arrival of the 192 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:38,520 Messiah, BC and AD. No matter what people are trying 193 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:41,120 to change in terms of the compilation, the name of these, 194 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:44,640 these eras, it doesn't change the fact that this is our 195 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:47,800 reality. We live in the new covenant. 196 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:53,040 Jesus came, lived, died, rose again, lives in the heavens, 197 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:56,360 will return one day to take us all home, but he will return as 198 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:58,080 a judge. This is our reality. 199 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:01,160 This is a reality we live in. No point denying it. 200 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:04,600 My husband was recently at a shoot. 201 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:08,000 He was doing a huge media project and when they were 202 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,320 filming it, he, they were about to start the set design. 203 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:14,640 OK, so this is before they started filming and one of my 204 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:18,240 husband's directors was at the site and they were actually in a 205 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:21,560 shoot flow just kind of creating a set out of nothing. 206 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:24,960 And as they were erecting the walls of the set, they sent us 207 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:26,400 this video. And I want you to have a look at 208 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:29,600 this video before I explain to you what I got out of it. 209 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:05,760 So as we saw in this video, there's this huge wall of wood 210 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:10,120 being erected to form this house set up for the shoot. 211 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:13,800 And if you saw there were two guys who are using these huge 212 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:19,440 poles to push this wood up. But the interest and that's very 213 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:21,000 visible. It's very visible, right? 214 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:24,200 But if you looked at the back of the video, there were a couple 215 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:28,120 of guys standing with ropes, and these ropes actually were 216 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,200 holding the board in place. You know, they were kind of 217 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:33,000 supporting it. They were found forming the 218 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:35,840 foundation on which this was being pulled up, like a pivot, 219 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:38,840 so to speak. And these guys were it needed so 220 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:41,760 many men to push it up. And as I was watching this 221 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:44,400 video, my husband sent it to me. I wanted me to have a look at 222 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:46,240 the the magnitude of the work happening. 223 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:49,600 And as I was looking at it, I felt like it showed and 224 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:53,960 demonstrated to me what it looks like in our lives when Jesus is 225 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:58,080 grace and truth. You know, John says he was grace 226 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:00,320 and truth personified. And what does that look like 227 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:02,160 when you look at that wall going up? 228 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:06,920 Grace is what holds it up. Grace is what is obvious to 229 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:10,520 others, but truth is the scaffolding that holds it under. 230 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:12,080 It's the undergirding to our lives. 231 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:14,840 It's what keeps our life in place rather than going all over 232 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:18,040 the place. We'll get more into this, but 233 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:21,480 the truth is this our lives, if you were to liken your life to 234 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:25,520 that wall which is being rebuilt by God himself, grace is the 235 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:29,280 thing that holds it up. Grace is the thing that is 236 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:31,640 evident to the world. They'll ask you, how did you get 237 00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:33,680 through that sickness? And you will say this very 238 00:13:33,680 --> 00:13:35,400 simple thing, or it was only God's grace. 239 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:37,360 You will say, how did you do that exam? 240 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:38,920 And you had so much of other stuff to do. 241 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:42,880 It was God's grace. How did you look after your 242 00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:44,440 family in the midst of that hardship? 243 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:47,960 It was just God's grace. You see what I'm saying? 244 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:51,600 Grace is the evidence of God at work in us, but the truth is 245 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:55,320 what holds our lives together. The truth of who Jesus is. 246 00:13:55,320 --> 00:13:57,920 The truth that God is good and He does good. 247 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:00,360 The truth that His Word is life giving. 248 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:04,680 The truth that prayers work. These are the things that hold 249 00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:07,520 our lives together and grace is on display. 250 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:13,280 Grace upon grace was initiated from that very first night in 251 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:16,280 Bethlehem. God chose ordinary people. 252 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:21,920 Mary Joseph, a teenage girl, a young man, no accolades, no big 253 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:24,160 degrees, no experience in parenting. 254 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:27,520 He chooses them to bring His Son into the world. 255 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:31,080 Grace was seen when men and women who ordinarily were 256 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:35,760 overlooked. Anna Simeon, the shepherds to 257 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:38,360 witness his birth, to witness his dedication. 258 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:44,200 Grace was in abundance when Jesus at age 30 selected 12 259 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:46,480 ordinary guys to journey with Him. 260 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:52,320 And grace was poured out even more when those 1111 of those 12 261 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:56,960 were entrusted with His truth to spread it around the world. 262 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:02,640 Grace upon grace, that is what it looks like every single day 263 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:04,840 that we live and breathe as children of God. 264 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:07,120 Grace is just poured into our lives. 265 00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:11,560 Favor that we didn't deserve. Favor that I didn't deserve. 266 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:14,920 He keeps pouring it out. Grace abounds. 267 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:17,720 And so today, I want to leave three things with you. 268 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:21,360 Just three things and it's based out of Matthew chapter 6, verse 269 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:23,360 33. Matthew chapter 6, verse 33. 270 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:26,000 We know this Sunday school song, it says seek ye first, the 271 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:29,360 Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these 272 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:32,480 things will be added to you. It was written at the end of a 273 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:35,880 chapter where he was writing to those who are worried about what 274 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:37,840 you will eat, what you will wear, don't run after these 275 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:39,800 things. The pagans run after it, but 276 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:42,000 those of you who trust God, seek His Kingdom first. 277 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:44,720 That's what he was saying. And you might ask me, but what 278 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:46,240 does that have to do with the Christmas story? 279 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:48,800 But it has everything to do with the Christian life. 280 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:54,400 When we come to the end of a year, I love that Christmas is 281 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:56,440 just placed on this cusp of a new year. 282 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:00,560 So as we celebrate Jesus, we are bringing him into our lives and 283 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:02,880 saying, God, look at this, this is my year. 284 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:05,880 For some of you, it might have been a great year, a year of 285 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:08,760 fruitfulness, of increase, of blessing, and praise God for 286 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:10,160 that. For some of you, it may have 287 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:13,320 been nothing like that. But whatever it is, you take the 288 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:15,520 remains of your year and you're bringing it to him as an 289 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:19,560 offering and saying God, this is where I'm at the next year, 290 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:22,520 2025, I'm scared. I don't know if I have enough in 291 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:24,120 my bank account. I don't know if I can pay my 292 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:25,920 kids school fees. I don't know if I can finish 293 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:27,760 college. I don't know if you'll give me a 294 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:29,760 job. I don't know if my parents 295 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:32,000 health is going to get better. I don't know. 296 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:36,400 But yet I will choose to seek you first and your Kingdom and 297 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,040 your righteousness. That is the position that I want 298 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:43,160 to bring you to today because it is in this, it is in this 299 00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:48,680 absolute trust that we experience His grace the most. 300 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:51,920 So what are these three things? I'm going to read Matthew 301 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:54,880 chapter 6 verse 33 from the message version for us to get 302 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:58,000 those 3 treasures out for our own lives. 303 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:01,160 Matthew chapter 6, verses 30 to 34. 304 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:04,720 If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers, 305 00:17:05,079 --> 00:17:08,359 most of which are never even seen, don't you think He'll 306 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:10,599 attend to you? Take pride in you, do His best 307 00:17:10,599 --> 00:17:13,079 for you. What I'm trying to do here is to 308 00:17:13,079 --> 00:17:16,160 get you to relax. Do not be so preoccupied with 309 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:19,599 getting so you can respond to God's giving. 310 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:24,680 People who don't know God and the way He works fuss over these 311 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:28,359 things, but you both know both God and how He works. 312 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:33,280 Steep your life in God. Reality, God initiative, God 313 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:35,560 provisions. Don't worry about missing out, 314 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:39,560 you'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. 315 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:44,040 Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now and 316 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:46,760 don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. 317 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:50,040 God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up 318 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:55,640 when the time comes. I love that he talks. 319 00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:59,440 He says this beautiful thing of saying don't be so preoccupied 320 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:03,160 with getting so you can respond to God's giving. 321 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:06,440 Most of us the minute we come into our faith with Jesus, we 322 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:09,400 realize that in Jesus are all the blessings. 323 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:11,440 Every spiritual blessing is in Jesus. 324 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:14,640 And so our prayers are so tailor made to say, God, you said I can 325 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:16,640 ask for anything. So here I here I go. 326 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:20,000 I'm asking you for this, asking him for that, which is great. 327 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:23,480 Please ask God for things. Ask Him for all that is on your 328 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:26,720 heart. But there's a point which comes 329 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:30,240 at least in the season of the year when we need to bring come 330 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:34,000 to God and say, God, you know already all that I need, but I 331 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:39,400 want to rest and just receive what you give, what you choose 332 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:42,520 to give me. You know, we have kids. 333 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:45,680 Then for each birthday, each of them give us a list of the 334 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,080 things they like. And I'm yet to find one of them. 335 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:53,000 Tell me you get me anything you want, I'll be happy with it. 336 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:55,680 Never. And none of us are like that 337 00:18:55,680 --> 00:19:00,520 because I feel I need to tell God what I need and I miss out 338 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:03,400 on receiving what He knows I surely need. 339 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:09,120 And so I want us to come to this place of resting before we go 340 00:19:09,120 --> 00:19:10,960 any further. If you could take a deep breath 341 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:15,800 in and a deep breath out and say, Lord, I'm ready to receive 342 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:18,880 what you're giving. You already know what I need. 343 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,040 So let's leave that on the side. I just want to receive what 344 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:26,360 you're giving. Grace is one such gift that is 345 00:19:26,360 --> 00:19:29,400 just given you and I didn't deserve salvation. 346 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:33,320 It was a free gift. All it required was me to say, 347 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:38,200 Lord, forgive me, I'm a Sinner, come into my life and the rest 348 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:40,760 is history. Everything was given to me on 349 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:43,440 this beautiful platter. And that is the picture of 350 00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:46,240 grace. Favour I didn't deserve. 351 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:50,560 And so with that in mind, when you're just in this attitude of 352 00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:54,000 receiving whatever it is God wants to give you, there are 353 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:57,280 three things that you need to soak yourself in, immerse 354 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:00,360 yourself in. The first thing is God reality. 355 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:05,120 Second thing is God initiative. Third thing is God provision, 356 00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:09,920 God reality. I want to ask you, what is your 357 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:12,360 reality? We live in a time of virtual 358 00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:15,880 reality, augmented reality, where everything can be shaped 359 00:20:16,120 --> 00:20:19,240 and changed. Made it look so artificial, but 360 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:22,120 it look real. It'll feel real sometimes. 361 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:25,960 But here's the thing, our reality only we know. 362 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:28,520 Have you had a hard year health wise? 363 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:31,680 That's your reality. Have you been lonely because 364 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:34,040 your spouse walked out? That's your reality. 365 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:37,080 Did you go through a job loss or did you have a hard time with 366 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:38,760 your boss this year? That's your reality. 367 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:41,920 Jesus is not calling you to deny your reality. 368 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:48,000 Instead, He's asking you to see it through the lens of heaven. 369 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:50,560 He's asking you to see through the lens of eternity. 370 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:54,880 So what does that look like? How do I change my reality to a 371 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:56,440 God reality? This is how. 372 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:02,000 It's seeing yourself as somebody who needs to cast their burdens 373 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:06,040 on someone else. Feeling heavy, you need to cast 374 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:07,560 your burdens, for he cares for you. 375 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:11,320 Feeling sorrowful, He's saying He will give you beauty for 376 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:13,680 ashes. He will give you oil of joy 377 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:16,160 instead of mourning. Maybe you've been so 378 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:18,520 disappointed because the things you asked for didn't came, 379 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:22,680 didn't come, but it's laying your disappointments down and 380 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:26,360 choosing to hope again. Maybe it's the anger that has 381 00:21:26,360 --> 00:21:30,440 been beneath the surface bubbling up, but it's probably 382 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:32,760 saying, you know what, God, I'm choosing forgiveness. 383 00:21:33,120 --> 00:21:34,840 I'm choosing to bless my enemies. 384 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:39,360 Maybe it's the loneliness that was debilitating this year, but 385 00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:41,080 it's saying, you know what? I was lonely. 386 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:42,800 But God, I thank you that you're Emmanuel. 387 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:45,680 You are God with me and God in me. 388 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:48,040 Maybe it's walked. You've walked through sickness. 389 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:50,400 You're so tired of the medicines, you're so tired of 390 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:52,520 the hospital visits. You're tired of the different 391 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:56,520 reports. But it's knowing that by his 392 00:21:56,520 --> 00:22:00,480 wounds you are healed. Maybe not today, maybe not 393 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:05,200 tomorrow, but soon. God, reality is not denying 394 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:07,160 where you're at. It's not denying what you're 395 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:09,240 going through this December 25th. 396 00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:13,000 You are not denying what you are walking through, but instead 397 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:15,920 you're looking at it to the lens of God Himself and you're 398 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:18,080 seeing, you know what? In the midst of this, God's 399 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:22,360 grace was so evident. I can stand testimony to that. 400 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:26,960 2024 was one of the hardest years yet, but when I look back 401 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:30,880 I think, Oh my goodness, I wouldn't have made it through if 402 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:34,840 not for the grace of God which got me up every morning, which 403 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:37,720 trained me in his word, which trained me to pray, which 404 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:41,080 trained me to forgive, trained me to release, trained me to 405 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:46,360 speak up when I needed to. The reality is that his grace is 406 00:22:46,360 --> 00:22:48,960 sufficient. That is a God reality. 407 00:22:49,120 --> 00:22:53,320 It's a reality that who he says he is, he is. 408 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:58,440 He is faithful to his word. That is God reality, God 409 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,320 initiative. You need to be immersed in God 410 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:04,280 initiative. The very fact that we are saved 411 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:06,640 and called children of God was the initiative of God. 412 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:09,120 I didn't do anything to initiate that. 413 00:23:09,120 --> 00:23:11,520 I didn't initiate salvation at all. 414 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:16,480 Right from the book of Genesis. Grace is like that invisible 415 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:19,520 thread through the Bible, through every book. 416 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:23,560 You look at the book of Esther, there may not may not be much of 417 00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:28,280 A mention of God, but there's this beautiful intertwining of 418 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:31,360 where God's grace came in to save his people through an 419 00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:35,120 ordinary girl. Every book in the Bible has 420 00:23:35,120 --> 00:23:40,640 grace placed, evidently. And The thing is, we're so often 421 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:43,600 so stressed from striving. We want to do things for God. 422 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:46,280 We want to serve people. We want to do good works. 423 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:51,040 Or maybe maybe you've done so much already, you're burnt out 424 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:54,320 and you can't do more. Or maybe you've been working 425 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:58,920 hard at trying to please God and and receive his blessing when in 426 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:05,480 reality anything you or I ever do, we are just following up on 427 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:07,320 what God has already done for us. 428 00:24:08,360 --> 00:24:12,440 You need to remember this verse. It says while we were still 429 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:16,720 sinners, Christ died for us when we were in darkness. 430 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:18,960 Ignorance had no clue which side was up. 431 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:24,160 That was when God saved us. We came into that knowledge that 432 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:28,360 salvation at a later date. And so anything I try to do, 433 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:33,000 anything I try to give has already been done and given by 434 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:35,840 God himself. And so the very fact that you 435 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:37,600 walk in faith is a God initiative. 436 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:43,160 So, so often we are so hung up like this verse says, you're so 437 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:47,520 preoccupied with getting. So stop that. 438 00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:49,720 Relax and respond to what God's give. 439 00:24:51,120 --> 00:24:54,400 The very act of being a believer in Jesus, following him where he 440 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,120 says requires that he take the lead. 441 00:24:57,600 --> 00:24:59,720 He takes the initiative you follow. 442 00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:02,640 So many times our mess ups that we make in our lives as 443 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:05,760 believers is because we run ahead of God and tell Him to 444 00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:07,680 follow us. Lord, let my will be done on 445 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:11,440 earth as it is in heaven, but God wants us to reframe our 446 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:14,560 lives. Anything that we do for God, 447 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:17,800 anything that we want from God will always be a follow up to 448 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:23,440 what He has already done for us. I've written this huge little, 449 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:26,680 I've done a huge painting which I leave in my room. 450 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:28,720 It's on my shelf for me to see every day. 451 00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:33,480 And it says I will joyfully anticipate what God is going to 452 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:37,360 do because what God has already done for me, and I don't just 453 00:25:37,360 --> 00:25:40,800 mean in my life in terms of my healing or my restoration or my 454 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:43,680 blessing. No, what He did on that cross 455 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:47,640 cover is everything I will ever go through in this life. 456 00:25:47,640 --> 00:25:50,440 Nothing in my life that I will go through over the next 40 457 00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:56,240 years, say if I live to about 80, nothing will match up to 458 00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:57,680 what He did for me on that cross. 459 00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:02,400 The initiative God took on my behalf, the source of all grace, 460 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:04,800 should cover me for the rest of my life. 461 00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:10,320 It's too often we're so caught up in serving Him, doing things 462 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:13,320 for Him, that it becomes burdensome or awesome. 463 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:16,560 But it needs to move to a place where I abide and dwell in the 464 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:19,280 fact that God is with me, Emmanuel. 465 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:22,200 He is with me. He is in me, He is speaking to 466 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:24,760 me, He is cherishing me. He loves me deeply. 467 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:29,800 And out of that love, anything I do for Him becomes easier. 468 00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:33,160 Anything I do for Him is so fulfilling. 469 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:36,800 It's not burdensome. I do it out of a place of joy. 470 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:41,000 The third thing that you and I need to immerse ourself in is 471 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:44,800 God provision. When you look back at this year, 472 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:47,560 what were some of the things you needed? 473 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:51,000 Was it finances? Was it love? 474 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:57,840 Was it compassion, empathy, validation, rest, success, 475 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:02,600 miracles, science wonders? What was it you needed? 476 00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:07,360 I love that verse. It says God gives such attention 477 00:27:07,360 --> 00:27:11,160 to the wildflowers, most of which I never even seen. 478 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:15,120 Don't you think He'll attend to you, take pride, and you do His 479 00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:18,640 best for you. We're so desperate for the 480 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,320 validation of people. We're so desperate to be liked 481 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:24,120 by everyone. We're so desperate to have what 482 00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:26,960 we need in our bank account. We're so desperate to get that 483 00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:30,120 car or that house. While all of these may not be 484 00:27:30,120 --> 00:27:37,080 the worst desires, what if I first look to God for my 485 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:40,720 provision, God provision? To be steeped in it is to look 486 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:44,560 to Jesus for everything. And I find that when I look at 487 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:47,200 all these things we may have needed in the last year, the 488 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:49,880 source and the answer for all of it is Jesus. 489 00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:52,360 Did I need finance? He's Jehovah Jireh, He's my 490 00:27:52,360 --> 00:27:54,200 provider. He will give me that which I 491 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:57,880 need according to His riches in Christ Jesus. 492 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:00,280 Did I need empathy? Did I need compassion? 493 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:03,160 As high as the heavens are above, so great is His love for 494 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:07,240 me. Did I need forgiveness? 495 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:09,720 He says as far as the east is from the West. 496 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:12,880 So far have I thrown your transgressions, I have forgotten 497 00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:16,000 them. Did you need rest? 498 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,520 He says come to me, all you who are burdened and heavy laden, I 499 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:22,320 will give you rest. Did you need empathy? 500 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:24,800 He says he is the counselor of the Spirit of truth. 501 00:28:25,120 --> 00:28:29,040 He will comfort you. Did you need miracles? 502 00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:31,880 He is a miracle worker. Did you need science to be 503 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:34,280 confirmed so that you could take that step? 504 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:36,640 He's the one who says I will guide you with my eye. 505 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:40,200 I will speak in your ear. This is the way I walk in it. 506 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:43,840 God provision. If you're worried about 2025, I 507 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:46,840 want to encourage you. He's already in 2025. 508 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:48,080 He knows what is going to happen. 509 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:51,040 He knows what's going to unfold and He is the God is going to 510 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:53,880 provide. You need to steep yourself in 511 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:58,600 this place of saying everything I ever need will be found in 512 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:00,160 Jesus. Everything. 513 00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:03,600 Do you need a bit of rest? You've had a hectic season. 514 00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:05,360 He's your shepherd. He will lead you. 515 00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:08,960 Besides still waters. This is who he says he is. 516 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:12,680 You know, the problem is, you know, why some of us are so 517 00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:16,600 tired at the end of a year, why we're so exhausted and weary is 518 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:19,760 because we have tried to be all of these things for ourselves. 519 00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:22,480 I want to be the one who increases our finances. 520 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:24,640 I want to be the one who heals our diseases. 521 00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:28,160 I want to be the one who brings empathy to myself. 522 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:32,280 And that's where I fail. Because when I'm so aware of God 523 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:36,320 provision, I'm not looking to be the saviour of the world, but 524 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:38,000 I'm content to say, Jesus, you're enough. 525 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:42,200 You will bring healing. You will do the miraculous how 526 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:43,920 you do it, when you do it where you do it. 527 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:48,160 I don't, but I will trust you. So no matter we it doesn't 528 00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:51,040 matter at all if you didn't do that. 2024, we have another year 529 00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:56,520 to do it in a different way. It's interesting because so many 530 00:29:56,520 --> 00:30:02,280 times we have lived life on our terms rather than living it on 531 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:06,440 God's terms. When you look at a tea bag, you 532 00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:09,800 know, and you have a hot glass of water, you dip the tea bag 533 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:13,040 in, right? The tea bag has to be allowed to 534 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:15,120 rest in it for maximum, you dip it a bit. 535 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:16,560 So it's just kind of, you know, in the water. 536 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:18,200 You don't keep taking it out and putting it in. 537 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:23,000 Then it's so important in order to get the most essence out of 538 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:25,960 those leaves in that little, small little bag is to let it 539 00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:35,560 rest, is to let it abide. And so often we are content to 540 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:37,600 have Jesus in and out of our lives. 541 00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:40,440 The fact is, He is in our lives. He's already in US. 542 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:43,880 The Spirit of God lives in us. But our awareness of Him, our 543 00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:47,400 need of Him, our ability to recognize Him in a given 544 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:49,920 situation is so temporary. Because a lot of times I take 545 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:51,920 him out of the mix. And I'm trying to do all of 546 00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:56,240 these things myself. But in order for us to 547 00:30:56,240 --> 00:30:59,560 experience abounding grace, which is readily available in 548 00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:05,040 Jesus, I need to abide. Let the truth abide, which means 549 00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:09,120 I need to let the truth sit like that tea bag, which needs to sit 550 00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:12,240 there for its full essence to come into the to the water. 551 00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:17,560 I need Jesus to stay in me. I need to allow him to just seep 552 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:19,960 deeply in me. And that is when when I'm 553 00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:24,800 immersed in Jesus that I have this understanding of God 554 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:27,760 initiative, God reality. I start to look at things 555 00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:30,040 through his his vision because now he's in me. 556 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:32,840 I'm soaked in him. God, I see this happening. 557 00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:35,560 You have a plan. It feels unexpected. 558 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:38,000 It feels like it came out of left feet, that conversation. 559 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:40,640 But God, I'm trusting you that you know what you're doing. 560 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:45,440 This God initiative. I feel like I need to do all 561 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:48,200 this for you, but God, you've already done so much for me. 562 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:52,800 Help me to do it out of a place of responding to your love 563 00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:54,400 rather than trying to prove something. 564 00:31:55,680 --> 00:32:00,240 When I'm soaking in Him, I start to trust Him for the big and the 565 00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:04,520 small details of my life. Nothing is beyond His purview. 566 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:07,600 Everything in our lives, everything. 2025 will not shock 567 00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:10,680 him. 2025 is not going to have surprises to him. 568 00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:16,200 He knows all you can do is rest and abide in the truth so that 569 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:25,560 grace will abound as I conclude. Some of us here are so cynical. 570 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:29,000 We have to celebrate Christmas with our families because, well, 571 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:32,160 it's a family affair. You have to decorate your home 572 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:35,120 because probably you have kids like mine who enjoy decorating 573 00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:36,920 their home. Or maybe you're just someone 574 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:40,400 who's gets carried away by all the thrilling and the fanciful 575 00:32:40,920 --> 00:32:45,280 side of Christmas, but your heart isn't in it because you're 576 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:49,360 probably prematurely decided that you know who Jesus is. 577 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:53,640 And we want to come back to this thought of Jesus, the truth. 578 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:58,760 Here's our reality. When I look back on 2024, if I 579 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:04,840 look at 2024 outside of the reality of Jesus, it looks like 580 00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:08,480 a difficult year. But when I put on my Jesus lens, 581 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:11,400 when I asked the Holy Spirit, show me what this year was 582 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:15,160 about, it was a powerful year. It was a year of growth. 583 00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:18,840 It was a year of tremendous stretching, tremendous blessing, 584 00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:23,120 tremendous increase in spiritual authority, tremendous changes on 585 00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:26,840 a spiritual realm that I never anticipated participated would 586 00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:28,480 have asked for all those setbacks. 587 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:31,080 No, I wouldn't have, but it was good. 588 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:36,640 The problem is that too many of us are deciding to live my 589 00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:38,600 truth. This is the latest thing. 590 00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:42,080 I'm living my truth. You do you, I'll do me. 591 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:47,520 And using that, we're using that as license and saying I'll do 592 00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:50,600 me, I'll live my truth. We're choosing promiscuity. 593 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:53,000 We're choosing greed. We're choosing corruption. 594 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:57,160 We're choosing unfaithfulness, but here's the truth, your truth 595 00:33:57,160 --> 00:34:00,320 and my truth is not the truth. It is fabricated. 596 00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:03,800 It's an augmented reality. It's not the truth. 597 00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:07,080 The truth is Jesus. It is found in the person of 598 00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:08,880 Jesus. It is found in his word. 599 00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:12,840 And when we have that as the scaffolding of our lives, like 600 00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:16,679 in that that video, what undergirds our life, our life is 601 00:34:16,679 --> 00:34:19,320 in a good place. I want to encourage you, if your 602 00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:22,719 truth has been misplaced, today would be a good place to say 603 00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:27,199 Lord Jesus. I want you to come back in as 604 00:34:27,199 --> 00:34:32,280 the sole truth. You cannot decide prematurely on 605 00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:34,800 who Jesus is. You cannot base it on hearsay. 606 00:34:34,800 --> 00:34:37,719 What someone else said about him, you need to taste and see 607 00:34:37,719 --> 00:34:41,159 who he is. Some of us have made-up our mind 608 00:34:41,159 --> 00:34:43,960 about God because, well, you think you've seen it all. 609 00:34:45,639 --> 00:34:47,159 You've seen everything and you know what? 610 00:34:47,159 --> 00:34:49,080 This is evidence. There's no God because you know 611 00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:51,159 good God won't allow this. Well, you don't know the half of 612 00:34:51,159 --> 00:34:55,600 it because most of the things that happen in our lives is in 613 00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:59,280 the unseen realm and faith is trusting in the unseen realm. 614 00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:03,000 Some of us have made our lives about us. 615 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:06,520 We made it all about us. Every dot that's joined was 616 00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:10,600 about us. The truth is, even our history 617 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:13,240 is his story. It's not about us. 618 00:35:16,080 --> 00:35:20,720 I want to ask you today, what have you been abiding in? 619 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:25,440 Has the truth abided in you? Has it soaked into you? 620 00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:29,520 2024 Was it a year when Jesus had soaked so thoroughly through 621 00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:32,480 you that when something was happening, all that came out was 622 00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:34,760 blessing, not cursing? All that came out of you was 623 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:38,120 joy, not sorrow? I can honestly say that I messed 624 00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:41,360 up many times. But we're a work in progress, 625 00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:43,480 and that is where grace comes in. 626 00:35:43,720 --> 00:35:48,200 When the truth undergirds our life, race abounds. 627 00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:52,600 My grandma. When I was growing up, one of 628 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:55,440 her favorite gifts for people was lace handkerchiefs. 629 00:35:56,120 --> 00:35:59,240 And I I looked for one and I unfortunately didn't find any of 630 00:35:59,240 --> 00:36:02,760 the handkerchiefs she had made for me before she passed away. 631 00:36:02,760 --> 00:36:05,640 But I remember she even knitted for my daughter. 632 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:08,200 You know, dresses made of cotton and lace. 633 00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:10,560 So when you say lace handkerchiefs, you assume the 634 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:12,120 entire thing is lace, but it isn't. 635 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:15,280 The centre, you know, the square or the rectangle is made of 636 00:36:15,280 --> 00:36:20,960 cotton and the softest cotton, but the edges are laced with 637 00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:24,040 this beautiful Italian lace that she would stitch on. 638 00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:27,560 And as I was thinking about it, this was the image that I 639 00:36:27,560 --> 00:36:29,360 thought of and I want to leave it with you. 640 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:37,200 Jesus, when He is the truth that holds your life together, He is 641 00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:40,960 like that beautiful cotton fabric holds your life together. 642 00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:44,120 Remember that the Bible says that the truth will set you 643 00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:47,600 free, that the Spirit of truth will lead you into all truth, 644 00:36:48,400 --> 00:36:51,280 right? The truth is what holds our 645 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:54,120 lives together. Jesus is the one who holds our 646 00:36:54,120 --> 00:36:57,720 life together, not you or me. It's not our smartness, our 647 00:36:57,720 --> 00:36:59,400 brilliance that is holding our lives together. 648 00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:02,680 It's Jesus. But the beautiful thing is, 649 00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:07,040 grace is like that lace that surrounds that beautiful, 650 00:37:07,040 --> 00:37:13,160 beautiful piece of cloth. Grace holds everything in place. 651 00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:17,120 Grace is what displays God's beauty to a watching world. 652 00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:21,280 When people look at you at the end of this year, they're going 653 00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:23,920 to go, whoa, how did you walk through that? 654 00:37:24,520 --> 00:37:27,080 How did you come out of that fire without smelling burnt? 655 00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:32,280 Well, that was God's grace. It's as beautiful as the lace 656 00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:35,400 lining on a handkerchief because that is what grace is. 657 00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:37,560 Grace is the evidence of a living God. 658 00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:41,720 Grace upon grace, Grace and truth together. 659 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:44,840 That is what Jesus is to us as we pray. 660 00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:49,400 As we pray, I want you to come back to this place of examining 661 00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:55,000 what truth you have been living by and have you truly been 662 00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:59,640 abounding in grace because grace is is very present. 663 00:37:59,640 --> 00:38:02,080 It's not something you have to ask for because he already gives 664 00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:06,680 it to you. But here's the thing, Do I live 665 00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:11,440 with God initiative, God reality, God provision? 666 00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:13,720 That is the question we need to ask ourselves. 667 00:38:13,720 --> 00:38:15,400 Let's pray. Father, I just thank you for 668 00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:16,920 this time. I thank you for what you are 669 00:38:16,920 --> 00:38:18,920 doing. I thank you for how much you 670 00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:20,920 love us. I thank you for sending your Son 671 00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:24,760 Jesus and God, even today. We just come before you asking 672 00:38:24,760 --> 00:38:29,000 that you will show us if there's any false truth in our lives, if 673 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:33,160 we have been founding our life on a on a fake truth that you 674 00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:36,640 would reveal it to us. God, I pray that each of us Lord 675 00:38:36,640 --> 00:38:42,240 will be so soaked in God provision, God reality, God 676 00:38:42,240 --> 00:38:45,200 initiated that Lord, we will stop making it about ourselves. 677 00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:51,080 We will stop insisting on getting but just relax and and 678 00:38:51,080 --> 00:38:53,480 just receive what you want to give us. 679 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:57,920 God, I pray for those whose reality has been so harsh they 680 00:38:57,920 --> 00:39:01,000 have no other view. I pray for a fresh perspective, 681 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:04,680 fresh vision. Spirit of God, open blind eyes, 682 00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:08,600 open blocked tears of God, I pray that Stony hearts would 683 00:39:08,600 --> 00:39:12,160 break today and that you would give us hearts of flesh that 684 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:15,280 imbibe your truth that live by your truth. 685 00:39:15,280 --> 00:39:19,120 Father, I pray for anyone who has been living a life that is a 686 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:21,840 shadow of the real self. If they've been living in the 687 00:39:21,840 --> 00:39:25,080 darkness, I pray that Jesus, light of the world, you would 688 00:39:25,080 --> 00:39:29,320 bring them into the light and that they would receive a fresh 689 00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:34,960 breath of life in them. Watch over us, bless us, give us 690 00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:36,920 an amazing time. Lord of rest. 691 00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:41,320 Father, I pray, no matter what our situation looks like, I pray 692 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:46,040 that we will have the experience of Emmanuel, God with us. 693 00:39:46,320 --> 00:39:49,120 In Jesus name I pray, Amen, Amen. 694 00:39:49,120 --> 00:39:51,200 God bless you and a very Merry Christmas to you. 695 00:39:52,480 --> 00:39:54,320 Thanks for listening to this message. 696 00:39:54,720 --> 00:39:58,160 We hope you were blessed to hear more messages like this. 697 00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:02,520 Make sure to subscribe and check out our podcast channel for past 698 00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:04,840 episodes. If you like what you are 699 00:40:04,840 --> 00:40:09,400 hearing, consider rating us, subscribing and even sharing it 700 00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:12,880 with friends. That would really help us for 701 00:40:12,880 --> 00:40:17,280 more content from Via Zion. And to connect with us, go to 702 00:40:17,280 --> 00:40:22,440 viazion.in. Remember, whoever finds Jesus 703 00:40:22,680 --> 00:40:23,520 finds life.