1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,280 I want us to just pray one more time as we open God's Word and 2 00:00:03,280 --> 00:00:07,560 seek His voice at this time for us as His people. 3 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:13,120 Father, it is with great gratitude that we get to gather 4 00:00:13,120 --> 00:00:20,360 here and to reflect upon Your love in the person of Christ and 5 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:22,080 Lord. We just ask that the familiarity 6 00:00:22,080 --> 00:00:25,080 of this time would not allow us to sleep, but that we would be 7 00:00:25,080 --> 00:00:28,840 attentive and that we would be alert to hear what your word has 8 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:32,080 to say to equip us. And so, Lord, we seek you, and 9 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:35,360 we trust that you will indeed with precision and power, 10 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:38,840 minister to our hearts. In Jesus name we pray. 11 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:40,800 Amen. Amen. 12 00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:45,640 It's not difficult to imagine how the festivities and the 13 00:00:47,160 --> 00:00:52,440 commercialization of this time can distract and even dilute the 14 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:54,480 spiritual significance of the season. 15 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:57,720 That is not the case for us because we as Christians 16 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:01,680 understand that this time of the year, this month, traditionally 17 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:04,280 invites us to turn our attention with greater focus and 18 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:08,080 meditation upon the person of Jesus Christ. 19 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:14,160 God the Creator. God, the Sustainer of the 20 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:18,560 universe, entered into His creation 2000 years ago to 21 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:22,920 rescue us from the power, to rescue us from the penalty, and 22 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:26,200 to rescue us ultimately from the presence of sin. 23 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:31,720 But listen, even as believers who understand that truth can 24 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:35,840 lose our grasp on the significance of what we know to 25 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:40,400 be the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, how important is 26 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:42,680 it to understand and believe this truth? 27 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:47,120 What kind of contribution does this reality, this historical 28 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:53,920 event, make on our faith? So important is this truth of 29 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:58,400 God becoming man that it has been viciously assaulted and 30 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:01,240 contended against since the inception of the Church. 31 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:06,840 It was the Apostle John and Second John who tells us the not 32 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:12,600 few but many have gone out into the world to deceive and to 33 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:16,640 attempt to disprove the reality of this truth that you and I are 34 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:18,960 celebrating today. And I want you to see his words 35 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:24,960 for yourself in the Epistle of Second John in verse 7, to look 36 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:27,760 at this in detail and to understand just how serious it 37 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:33,440 is to understand, believe, and adhere to this foundational 38 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:39,760 tenet of our faith. And second, John verse 7. 39 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:45,760 The apostle of love writes for many deceivers have gone out 40 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:50,600 into the world those who do not profess or confess, rather the 41 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:55,440 coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. 42 00:02:56,040 --> 00:03:00,680 Such a one is the deceiver and the Antichrist. 43 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,760 Highlight that last part in your mind, the last part of the first 44 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:07,880 sentence, that there are those who do not confess the coming of 45 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:11,880 Jesus Christ. Three important words in the 46 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:17,440 flesh. Now some would say that John is 47 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:22,320 explaining that there are some then and even now who do not 48 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:26,480 believe, who deny that Jesus Christ, though eternally 49 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:30,920 existing as God, was never born to be a true human, and if there 50 00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:34,120 was any manifestation of this Jesus Christ in our world, then 51 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:39,320 it was merely a human appearance and not an actual embodiment. 52 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,560 There are others who would say What John is explaining is that 53 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,480 there are those who I do not believe that Jesus Christ 54 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:51,960 currently possesses a body, and they base that out of the fact 55 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,080 that when he says coming in the flesh, that word coming is a 56 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:57,960 present participle which would translate as still being 57 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:04,240 manifested in the flesh. While there are others that John 58 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:08,800 is warning about who would say that Jesus Christ is not 59 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:15,520 returning in the flesh, He's not coming back physically, and our 60 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:19,120 friendly Jehovah Witness neighbors adhere to that truth 61 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,560 that when Jesus resurrected, it was a spiritual resurrection, it 62 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:27,640 was an invisible ascension, and his return also was invisible. 63 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:29,880 So this is not just some ancient thing that has no relevance, 64 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:31,800 this is something that is affecting people today. 65 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:35,000 And what are all those explanations have in common? 66 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:40,120 One simple foundational concept there is an ultimate rejection 67 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:44,480 of the notion that God he became a man. 68 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:49,560 That God took on flesh, a denial of what John testified in his 69 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:53,480 Gospel account, that the Word became flesh, and later in that 70 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:58,240 same gospel account that he rose in the flesh again. 71 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:01,440 This is not a denial of the existence of the person of Jesus 72 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:05,480 Christ, but rather that he never became truly human. 73 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:10,320 And if there was historically a person named Jesus Christ, then 74 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:15,520 he's not what Christians claim him to be, namely, God 75 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:20,440 Incarnate. And so serious again is the 76 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:24,960 attempt to dispute that or to deny that willingly, that John 77 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:28,440 goes on to say in concluding with that explanation that such 78 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:33,320 a person is the deceiver and the Antichrist. 79 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:39,880 This is not merely a matter of opinion, innocent subjective 80 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:42,920 understanding. This is a matter of dangerous 81 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:47,120 satanic influence. That is not to say that such a 82 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:50,720 person is the anticipated Antichrist of the last days, but 83 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:54,080 it is to say that who the he who propagates this heresy then and 84 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:59,160 now, they reflect the opposing spirit and the evil nature of 85 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:03,040 the Antichrist to come. So John is using familiar 86 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:05,320 language, something that you and I might have heard or even said 87 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:08,480 when we try to maybe describe or point out the vileness of 88 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:10,960 someone's behavior or character, and we say that person's the 89 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:14,000 devil himself, that person is Satan. 90 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:17,640 What John essentially is saying by the Holy Spirit, the person 91 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:20,840 who says that Jesus Christ did not come in the flesh, is the 92 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:26,880 deceiver, is the Antichrist and the evil. 93 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:31,200 One hates this truth to such a degree that he even attempts to 94 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:35,280 go into our Holy book, the truth of God's Word to try to disprove 95 00:06:35,280 --> 00:06:38,880 it. And the objections concerning 96 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:42,440 Jesus Christ becoming flesh are objections that still are 97 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:45,560 resounding today and are sweeping the masses to believe a 98 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,560 false Christ. And this is going to be a 99 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:50,520 different kind of Christmas message. 100 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:54,840 I know usually Christmas messages are are more light and 101 00:06:54,840 --> 00:06:58,240 warm hearted. But listen, Jesus being in a 102 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:02,120 Manger is not just a fuzzy idea. It's not just to make us cozy 103 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:06,720 and comfortable and to and to feel kind of pure hearted and 104 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:08,600 light and to kind of forget our troubles. 105 00:07:08,840 --> 00:07:12,680 This is essential to our faith. This is concrete. 106 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:15,400 This is a mission. This is something that from 107 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:19,280 eternity past has been planned and was ultimately performed for 108 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:22,600 a purpose greater than you and I having more holidays out of the 109 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:25,360 year. This is about salvation. 110 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,920 This is about eternal life. This is about the redemption of 111 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:33,120 man's soul. And so today, and I want to 112 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:39,280 speak to you about 5 common objections to God being man to 113 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:43,080 God becoming man. 5 common objections to what you and I are 114 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:46,680 celebrating today. And hopefully this will make you 115 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:49,680 and I equipped. It will cause you and I to 116 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:53,280 rejoice that the Bible in fact declares this truth, And that 117 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:56,800 more than that, in God's goodness and favor and grace, he 118 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,720 would probably use this to help others see the light as well. 119 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:02,800 Concerning this. But before you and I established 120 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:05,440 this, before we answer these five common objections, let me 121 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:08,240 let me just explain something else. 122 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:12,600 Christ becoming man was not a temporary stunt. 123 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:16,840 It was not something that he did for a moment and then shut it 124 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:19,760 off and then continued where he began. 125 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:25,040 The extent of his sacrifice in Redeeming Man includes the fact 126 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:30,840 that Jesus Christ, glorified, immortal, indestructible, is 127 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:36,159 body. Now he's in the flesh as we 128 00:08:36,159 --> 00:08:39,840 speak, ascended, seated at the right hand of God. 129 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:44,280 Yes, sharing in the same divine glory of the Father, yes, but 130 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:50,120 forever embracing and displaying the tokens of his love with a 131 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:53,240 body, with the pierced hands and pure side and pierced feet for 132 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:56,200 us to marvel at for ages and ages to come. 133 00:08:57,160 --> 00:08:58,360 And I want to show you that from the Bible. 134 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:04,280 I just want to do a quick rapid fire explanation of how it is 135 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:07,200 that Jesus Christ believed in the Bible and to believed on by 136 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,440 Christians that he is in fact man today. 137 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:14,800 That God, man, not purely man, not less God, but God, man. 138 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:19,400 Acts 1730 and 31. I encourage you take note of 139 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:21,480 these references. I'm sure that they will come in 140 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:24,680 handy at some point and I'm sure that they will build your faith 141 00:09:24,680 --> 00:09:30,120 even now. Acts 1730 and 31 Paul is 142 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:35,080 preaching, and he says the times of ignorance God overlooked. 143 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:39,600 But now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he 144 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:43,760 has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness 145 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:50,160 by a man, by a man whom he has appointed. 146 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:54,360 And who is that man? Of this he has given assurance 147 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:56,840 to all by raising him from the dead. 148 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:00,320 So there is a man coming to judge the world in 149 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:03,600 righteousness. Not a spirit body, not a spirit 150 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:08,120 being, but a real man. A unique man, Yes, not purely, 151 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:12,200 merely man, sure, but man, the God. 152 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:15,800 Man, Jesus Christ. Paul also says in First Timothy 153 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:20,160 chapter 2, verse five and six. For there is one God, and there 154 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:22,640 is one mediator between God and man. 155 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:26,680 The man. The man Christ Jesus. 156 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:31,120 Not merely the Savior, not merely Lord, not merely God. 157 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,440 The man Christ Jesus. He is currently today the 158 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:38,480 mediator between God and men. The man Christ Jesus, who gave 159 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:42,280 himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at 160 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:45,320 the proper time. Here's one of my favorite ones 161 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:51,640 at the end of our divine library, Revelation 2216. 162 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:55,640 This is Jesus himself speaking and Revelation 2216. 163 00:10:55,640 --> 00:11:01,000 He says, I, Jesus, have sent my Angel to testify to you about 164 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:07,160 these things For the churches, I am the root and the descendant 165 00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:10,680 of David. I am the root and the descendant 166 00:11:10,680 --> 00:11:12,600 of David, the bright morning star. 167 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:15,320 Now I would understand if Jesus says I am the root of David. 168 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:18,600 I am the foundation of David. I am the source of David. 169 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:22,680 I am before David. But he's not just the root. 170 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:27,160 He is also the descendant of David, implying physical 171 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:32,200 lineage, implying that he came down from the seed of David. 172 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:35,600 Did Jesus say this in the Gospel of John? 173 00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:37,320 No, he said this in the Book of Revelation. 174 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:38,880 Where's Jesus in the Book of Revelation? 175 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:42,280 He's not on earth. He declared this from heaven, 176 00:11:43,680 --> 00:11:46,160 again implying what? That he is still the descendant 177 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:48,120 of David? Meaning what? 178 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:53,880 That he is still flesh. That he's still connected to the 179 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:56,320 lineage and the heritage of David. 180 00:11:56,520 --> 00:12:00,800 I am the root, and I am the descendant of David now. 181 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:04,760 And if it doesn't get any clearer than that, that may we 182 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:08,200 look to the upper room where Jesus appeared shortly after his 183 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:11,640 resurrection and looked at those terrified disciples who were 184 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:17,360 baffled at the site. And Jesus says in Luke 2439, see 185 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:20,600 my hands and my feet that it is I myself. 186 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:26,200 Touch, touch me and see. For a spirit does not have flesh 187 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:30,520 and bones as you see that I have A spirit does not have flesh and 188 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,280 bones in Luke 2439. So you can touch me and you will 189 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:35,280 touch flesh. You can touch me and you will 190 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:37,880 feel bone. This is Jesus after his 191 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:40,920 resurrection, and with that same body he went up into heaven. 192 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:47,760 Jesus Christ is the God man, not was he is the God man. 193 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:50,320 And here's a taste of the significance of that for us 194 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:52,320 today. The resurrection of the Lord 195 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:54,600 Jesus Christ is the unquestionable statement of 196 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:59,000 God's approval that the payment of the Son of God has been 197 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:02,480 approved has been accepted. Think about it this way. 198 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:07,280 Since the wages of sin is death, including the death of our 199 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:12,480 bodies, then Jesus Christ raising from the dead is the 200 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:15,720 proof that his redemption was able to effectively cancel that 201 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:20,160 curse. He overcame the grave with a 202 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:27,320 body, and this is for you and I to be assured that in Jesus 203 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:31,280 raising from the dead with a body, he was able to nullify 204 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,960 what has overwhelmingly kept us bound. 205 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:40,040 And now you and I, looking to the resurrection of Jesus with a 206 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:43,840 physical body, can be guaranteed that we will have the same grave 207 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:47,400 conquering fate. I too will be resurrected. 208 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:50,960 I too will be not partially but completely redeemed. 209 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:54,400 You see, the extent of Jesus salvation is not just to redeem 210 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:57,920 your soul and your spirit, but even your body, that body that 211 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:00,320 has been corrupted, that body that has been polluted with 212 00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:05,120 filth and rebellion and sin, also that body, it won't be put 213 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:07,240 away with. It will be transformed, 214 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:12,880 incorruptible, immortal, indestructible, with our God, 215 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:14,960 man, Jesus Christ, forever and ever. 216 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:20,320 Five common objections to Jesus Christ coming in the flesh. 217 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:25,720 You ready? Number one, God cannot be a man. 218 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:31,200 God cannot be a man. And the Scripture that's often 219 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:35,520 used for this is Numbers 2319. And with that, if you're taking 220 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:41,800 notes for Samuel 15, verse 29, and Hosea 11, verse 9. 221 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:43,360 But the main one is Numbers 2319. 222 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:45,280 And here's what is said in Numbers 2319. 223 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:52,880 God is not man, that he should lie or a son of man. 224 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:56,400 That he should change his mind. God is not man. 225 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:59,920 Here's the objection. You Christians claim that Jesus 226 00:14:59,920 --> 00:15:04,040 Christ was truly man, and you also claim that he is truly God. 227 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:08,520 Then how is it that you can also, with this verse, reconcile 228 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:11,120 those things? If we were told that God is not 229 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:13,160 man, then how can you say a man is God? 230 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:15,640 The quick answer to this is very simple. 231 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:18,440 We do not believe a man became God. 232 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:21,840 We believe God became a man. And there's nothing in this 233 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:25,520 verse that would deny the possibility that God could 234 00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:31,560 become a man, that God could become flesh, and interestingly, 235 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:34,320 no true Christian would ever claim if they understand their 236 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:37,920 Bible right? I hope that God eternally 237 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:39,560 existed as flesh. No. 238 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:43,520 We know by nature he is spirit, but we also know that at one 239 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:47,840 point in history he descended into our world and he became 240 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:50,440 flesh and blood for a very specific purpose. 241 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:54,680 So keep in mind that this also is an Old Testament scripture 242 00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:56,320 along with the other references I mentioned. 243 00:15:56,320 --> 00:15:59,160 Christ does not become man till much later. 244 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:02,080 So you can even say at this time, yeah it's true, God is not 245 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:05,280 man. But with the incarnation in 246 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:09,160 view, no one disagrees that God's essential nature is spirit 247 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:12,400 and not flesh. God is not man. 248 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:14,200 What do you think Moses even trying to say? 249 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:19,120 What do you think the narrator is trying to explain by saying 250 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:23,560 this? Is he trying to denote that it's 251 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:26,640 impossible for our God again to become man? 252 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:31,240 Now he is making a case that God's character is not that a 253 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:36,240 fallen, inconsistent, corrupt humanity. 254 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:38,880 That is what he is trying to explain. 255 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:41,840 And that's why he follows that statement with what God is not 256 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:46,960 man, that he should lie, that he should lie. 257 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:50,040 Unlike man, he keeps his word in his faithful. 258 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:52,560 Unlike man he does not deceive or manipulate. 259 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,400 Unlike man, he has no need to repent of sin. 260 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:59,240 This is what Moses is saying. And as we know, hundreds of 261 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:02,720 years after the time of Moses we are told of a prophecy, one that 262 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:05,160 you and I are very familiar with in Isaiah 9/6. 263 00:17:05,319 --> 00:17:10,119 For to us a child is born, a son is given, and all these amazing 264 00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:13,119 titles are ascribed to this child, and one of them being 265 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:21,000 what mighty God? A child, mighty God, how can 266 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:23,280 this me? I had a conversation with a 267 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:25,440 Muslim about this and when I brought up the scripture I said 268 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:28,400 explain this. I may not be able to explain the 269 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:33,320 intricacies of the Trinity and even the complexities of the 270 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:38,080 dual nature of Jesus Christ, but I believe it because I see it in 271 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:40,360 my Bible. So explain to me how a child can 272 00:17:40,360 --> 00:17:41,640 be born and be called Mighty God. 273 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:43,360 You know what his response was? No, no, no. 274 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:45,400 That's a prophecy about Hezekiah. 275 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:49,080 OK? Even if it's about Hezekiah. 276 00:17:49,080 --> 00:17:52,400 So Hezekiah is God. That didn't answer anything. 277 00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:56,760 This is in fact about the Lord Jesus Christ, and it's 278 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:59,880 irrefutable if you're honest and humble to receive it as it is 279 00:17:59,880 --> 00:18:02,680 declared. God cannot be a man. 280 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:04,840 Remember Christian, we do not believe, and you have to be very 281 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:08,880 careful with your wording. We do not say a man became God. 282 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:13,480 We say God became a man. God cannot be a man. 283 00:18:14,360 --> 00:18:16,160 The second common objection is this. 284 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:20,600 God cannot change. God cannot change. 285 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:24,160 In other words, if Christians believe that God at some point 286 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:26,560 chose to become a man, then that would necessitate A drastic 287 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:29,760 change of some sort and would be irreconcilable with the 288 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:31,600 assertion of His unchanging nature. 289 00:18:32,120 --> 00:18:34,840 And one of the go to versus proof texts for this argument is 290 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:38,440 in Malachi chapter 3, verse 6, where the Lord Himself says 291 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:43,280 something that you and I are familiar with, for I the Lord do 292 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:48,000 not change. Therefore, you or children of 293 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:52,960 Jacob are not consumed. I, the Lord do not change. 294 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:54,920 And I've had people bring this up to me as well. 295 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:57,720 Your God says He doesn't change. Well, isn't the fact that he 296 00:18:57,720 --> 00:19:03,360 becoming man demonstrated in a very obvious and explosive 297 00:19:03,360 --> 00:19:07,560 manner that he did change? And then they'll quote Malachi. 298 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:11,800 Do you know how you can clarify a lot of confusion and even 299 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:14,200 arguments from those who do not believe in our gospel? 300 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:20,080 One simple thing, Context. You can make a cult out of 301 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:24,640 taking one verse from the Bible and separate it from its 302 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:26,200 surroundings. You can you can come up with a 303 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:27,960 whole different religion if you want. 304 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:32,880 What's the context of Malachi? A majority of Malachi is mainly 305 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:35,640 describing Israel's sin and God's declaration of judgment 306 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,280 toward them. And when you read this book, you 307 00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:41,280 realize that there are many ways that Israel has heaped up 308 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,840 offences against God to the point that eventually called for 309 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:47,840 divine chastisement. And yet, with all the 310 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:50,720 indictments that God declared through Malachi, you come to the 311 00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:53,840 near the end of this book and the Lord all of a sudden says, 312 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:58,120 I, the Lord do not change. What's the relevance? 313 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:03,560 Why is God, in the midst of this very intense confrontation with 314 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:07,720 his people, wants to profess his changeless nature? 315 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,960 Well, there is relevance when you connect it to the rest of 316 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:16,600 the verse, for I, the Lord do not change therefore. 317 00:20:17,120 --> 00:20:21,880 Therefore, you, O children of Jacob are not consumed. 318 00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:25,120 So there's something about the changeless nature of God and the 319 00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:29,120 fact that as a result of that, the children of Jacob are not 320 00:20:29,120 --> 00:20:30,960 consumed. Well, it makes sense now when 321 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:34,040 you understand the broader text. Here's what is being 322 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:37,160 communicated. The One would be weary of your 323 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:41,960 constant wickedness and would be content to cast you off forever. 324 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:44,480 I have made a covenant with your Father's. 325 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:47,680 I made a promise to them. And because of my changeless 326 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:51,200 nature, even though I will punish you, even though I will 327 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:54,280 refine you, I will not ultimately allow you to be 328 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:58,280 consumed. You will not be consumed even 329 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:03,520 under my loving chastisement, because I, the Lord, do not 330 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:06,720 change Again. It's it's echoing what we read 331 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:09,520 in Numbers 2319. God, when He says something, He 332 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:11,320 means it. He doesn't. 333 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:12,840 He doesn't take back his promise. 334 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:16,920 He doesn't change his mind. He is somebody who is reliable, 335 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:20,080 someone that we can look to and believe that if he said it, he 336 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:24,680 will, He will keep it. And for those who would go to 337 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:29,720 Malachi 36 to try to disprove the deity of the Lord Jesus 338 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:32,600 Christ don't realize, I have a feeling they don't realize that 339 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:35,920 the same text actually confirms the deity of Jesus Christ. 340 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:40,680 So you look at Malachi 36. The Lord says I the Lord do not 341 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:42,080 change. You just scroll back a few 342 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:46,320 verses and we're told of another prophecy in Malachi 31. 343 00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:49,360 Behold, I send my messenger now. This is the Lord speaking, this 344 00:21:49,360 --> 00:21:53,160 is Yahweh speaking. Behold, I send my messenger and 345 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:57,160 he will prepare the way before me. 346 00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:00,080 This is God speaking that messenger that I'm going to 347 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:01,720 send. He's going to prepare the way 348 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:05,960 before me. And how is the Lord going to 349 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:08,080 appear? What is this preparation for? 350 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:13,520 And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. 351 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:16,280 So there's going to be some kind of a manifestation, something 352 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:18,440 that they're able to see and witness with their own eyes. 353 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:20,560 And the Lord says, there's going to be a time where there's a 354 00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:23,600 messenger who's going to go before me, the Lord Yahweh, and 355 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:28,680 I will suddenly come to the temple and you'll be able to 356 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:31,440 recognize it. And the messenger of the 357 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:33,840 covenant, in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the 358 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:35,640 Lord of hosts. So the Lord of hosts says 359 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:38,120 somebody's coming, and he's going to prepare the way before 360 00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:39,760 me. And you will know because he 361 00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:42,400 will suddenly come to his temple who was a speaker. 362 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:46,760 God and Jesus Christ, our Lord, our precious Savior, paraphrase 363 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:53,080 this prophecy when he sought to clarify and confirm the identity 364 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:55,960 of his good friend and relative John the Baptist. 365 00:22:57,320 --> 00:22:59,800 And if you want to take this down as a reference, you can but 366 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:02,800 listen to these powerful words as Jesus pays homage to John. 367 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:06,720 He says here in Luke 727 an incredible thing. 368 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:10,440 This is he Jesus says in Luke 727. 369 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:13,520 This is he of whom it is written. 370 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:18,440 Behold, I send my messenger before your face who will 371 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:22,240 prepare your way before you. And then he goes on to say, I 372 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:25,000 tell you, among those born a woman, none is greater than 373 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:27,240 John. Why is John greater? 374 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:30,760 John is greater because he served a role in redemptive 375 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:34,080 history where he would prepare the way he would fulfill Malachi 376 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:37,280 3 one and preparing the way for Yahweh. 377 00:23:39,360 --> 00:23:41,640 If the one who is leasing the Kingdom of God is greater than 378 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:44,200 he saying how does that confirm the deity of Jesus Christ? 379 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:46,240 Well think about it. If John is the messenger who 380 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:49,400 prepared the way for Yahweh, and we know that Jesus was the one 381 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:52,320 who followed the ministry and the message of John the Baptist, 382 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:55,200 then how and who do we identify Jesus with? 383 00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:59,840 He's Yahweh. He is Yahweh. 384 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:02,480 Do you understand what Jesus is declaring about himself as he's 385 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:05,640 paying homage to John? John is the one who was sent to 386 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:09,800 prepare the way for God. He is that messenger. 387 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,800 Did you get the hint? If he's the messenger and I 388 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:21,320 followed him and he rejoiced in me eclipsing him, then realize 389 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:23,480 who I am in light of Malachi's prophecy. 390 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:28,120 So don't go to Malachi 3 and say God cannot change. 391 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:33,320 God cannot become a man when Malachi says that the God of 392 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:36,320 this book, the Hebrew scriptures, will one day visit 393 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:40,000 his people and he would show it and prepare the people by 394 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:43,240 sending a messenger First, God cannot change. 395 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:45,360 Yes, he cannot change in terms of his character, his nature, 396 00:24:45,360 --> 00:24:48,000 and his essence, but that does not mean that he cannot manifest 397 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:52,080 himself the way he pleases. Third objection. 398 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:56,560 Third common objection to God taking on flesh. 399 00:24:57,360 --> 00:25:04,520 God cannot be tempted. God cannot be tempted according 400 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:06,360 to who? Apparently, according to James. 401 00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:11,760 We're in James one verse 13. We are told, Let no one say when 402 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:14,440 he is tempted. I'm being tempted by God. 403 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:20,560 For God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no 404 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:23,960 one. And here's how people try to 405 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:25,800 draw a contradiction from James's statement. 406 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:30,680 Jesus. If you claim Jesus as God, you 407 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:32,840 also believe that he was tempted in every way. 408 00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:36,520 In fact, there are there are chapters in different gospel 409 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:39,160 accounts where Satan himself tempts Jesus. 410 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:43,000 And yet later in your same book we are told indefinitely that 411 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:46,120 God cannot be tempted. So then how can Jesus be God if 412 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:51,160 Jesus himself was tempted? You want to make it more 413 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:54,600 complicated when you read the Hebrew scriptures. 414 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:58,120 In some instances you will actually read that God was 415 00:25:58,120 --> 00:26:02,400 tempted. This will be especially clear if 416 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:05,800 you hold the King James Version in your hands, and maybe the NHB 417 00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:11,880 and the new King James. The ESV uses the word test, But 418 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:15,000 for the longest time the English world had only one translation 419 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:18,160 and so it would read this way. Listen to these references in 420 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:23,400 Psalm One, O 6 verse 14 But lusted exceedingly in the 421 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:26,600 wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. 422 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:32,920 Tempted God in the desert. Deuteronomy 616. 423 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:37,600 In the King James. Ye shall not tempt the Lord your 424 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:45,880 God, as ye tempted him in Masa. God cannot be tempted. 425 00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:49,440 Well, I had my devotions in Psalm One O 6 14 and I felt like 426 00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:52,720 using the King James today. And I read that God was tempted 427 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:55,200 in the desert. Earlier I was reading 428 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:57,400 Deuteronomy 616. I realized that they were 429 00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:00,280 commanded not to tempt the Lord your God because they did tempt 430 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:04,160 him earlier in master. So never mind this issue of 431 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:07,240 Christ now we probably have a contradiction in our bibles. 432 00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:11,640 That is not the case. The way we make sense of this is 433 00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:14,760 simply in the following manner. The answer lies in our 434 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:18,480 understanding of the function of temptation and the function of 435 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:21,840 temptation. There are two ways you and I can 436 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:26,040 be enticed to sin. There's an internal enticement 437 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:31,880 and an external enticement. The internal enticement comes 438 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:35,360 from our sin nature. You have evil and I have evil 439 00:27:35,360 --> 00:27:38,480 imaginations. We have lustful inclinations. 440 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:41,480 We have fantasies. We have plots. 441 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:46,440 We have visitations of ideas that break God's law, and we are 442 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:50,320 not in need of external sources to arouse those temptations, 443 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:54,800 right? They can be further inflamed and 444 00:27:54,800 --> 00:28:01,760 excited through external means. But stick man on an island with 445 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:05,160 no technology and leave him there just with his heart and 446 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:08,200 his mind, and he can indeed feel temptation. 447 00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:11,200 This is the internal and testament enticement. 448 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:13,080 There is the external, of course, that comes from the 449 00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:18,520 enemy of our souls, namely Satan, the world, other people. 450 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:22,840 And what James is explaining here concerning God not being 451 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:26,480 tempted is solely the description of the impossibility 452 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:31,920 of an internal enticement. God cannot be tempted in that 453 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:34,840 there are no inclinations in him to sin. 454 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:38,400 The ones that you and I are familiar with are completely 455 00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:41,160 foreign to God because he is perfectly good and perfectly 456 00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:44,920 holy. And so God cannot be tempted and 457 00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:47,880 succumb to sin in the way you and I can through what's 458 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:52,000 happening inside of here. Because inside of God is pure 459 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:56,280 and clean and without spot or blemish, saying, well, that's a 460 00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:58,560 very nice way of explaining it. But is that what the text says? 461 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:02,680 Yes. James says in in James 113 God 462 00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:04,640 cannot be tempted. And then he continues to thought 463 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:06,240 in James 114. What is he saying? 464 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:09,120 James 114 in light of temptation, this conversation 465 00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:12,760 about sin. But each person is tempted when 466 00:29:12,760 --> 00:29:18,320 he is lured and enticed by what his own desire. 467 00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:22,720 So what James is focusing on now in this, in this idea of 468 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:26,280 temptation and God not being tempted is internal allurement, 469 00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:30,240 internal enticement, internal stirrings. 470 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:32,320 Those things are not true of God. 471 00:29:33,760 --> 00:29:36,320 And so it's totally possible to understand that Jesus, while 472 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:40,600 walking on the earth, was tempted externally, that there 473 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:43,760 are outside sources trying to bring him to a place of 474 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:47,640 dishonouring the Father, with his heart being completely pure 475 00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:50,680 and clean before his Father and before the world. 476 00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:55,960 God cannot be tempted, of course, internally. 477 00:29:57,480 --> 00:29:59,760 But men have attempted to test and tempt God in the Old 478 00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:01,160 Testament. They try to do it when he came 479 00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:04,120 in the flesh. So this is no objection when you 480 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:06,240 understand the depth of Scripture. 481 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:11,560 Now when these basic arguments are usually given, enemies of 482 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:14,240 the gospel will tend to reach further into their arsenal and 483 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:17,640 pull out ammunition from the doctrine of the Trinity. 484 00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:22,080 And they try to cast doubt and to cause confusion. 485 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:25,000 And those who believe this truth, the truth that this Bible 486 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:28,680 testifies of. And so with that is this 4th 487 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:31,120 common objection about God becoming flesh. 488 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:32,640 One. We talked about God cannot be a 489 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:35,680 man. Two, we talked about God cannot 490 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:37,840 change. Three we talked about God cannot 491 00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:45,960 be tempted. 4th God cannot be multi personal, God cannot be 492 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:50,000 multi personal and one of the go to proof texts though we cannot 493 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:52,480 spend too much time under this category. 494 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:55,640 One of the things that people love to latch onto and bring 495 00:30:55,640 --> 00:31:01,120 before Christians is what Jesus says in many instances and one 496 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:03,480 of the things that he said it was in John 1428. 497 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:05,800 Let me read it to you, and you can turn there if you'd like. 498 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:10,880 And in John 1428, Jesus declares you have heard me say to you, I 499 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:12,960 am going away, and I will come to you. 500 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:18,800 If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to 501 00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:25,240 the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 502 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:33,680 The Father is greater than I from the lips of Jesus himself. 503 00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:36,920 I don't mean to challenge you. I don't want to come off 504 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:39,280 aggressive here, but I want you to be stirred at this time. 505 00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:42,000 If somebody comes up to you says how do you believe Jesus is God? 506 00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:44,400 Jesus himself said God is greater than him. 507 00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:49,920 How would you explain it? We need to know what we believe. 508 00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:52,640 We need to understand these things. 509 00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:56,320 Somebody asks you, hey, Jesus says God is greater than 510 00:31:56,360 --> 00:31:57,920 himself. How can he be God? 511 00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:00,360 Here's the objection. No one is greater than God 512 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:02,600 himself. You Christians claim that Jesus 513 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:05,080 is God. Then how can Jesus assert that 514 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:07,720 there is someone greater than him, namely God? 515 00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:13,720 Isn't it clear? So we read this and we might be 516 00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:17,880 disturbed. And I would say if God, if God 517 00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:21,120 is one in essence. Listen very carefully. 518 00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:26,720 If God is one in essence while also being one in person, then 519 00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:30,080 such an objection is valid. But that's not our understanding 520 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:31,880 of God. We believe God is one in 521 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:37,240 essence, but he is also three Co equal Co eternal yet distinct 522 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:39,920 persons. And if that is our view of the 523 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:43,440 Godhead, then what Jesus is doing here makes complete sense. 524 00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:49,200 With the biblical view of God, we understand that no one is 525 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:52,680 greater than Him, but that does not negate the possibility of 526 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:58,680 there being a ranking structure within the Godhead without one 527 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:01,600 of the persons being pinned against the other as being 528 00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:07,320 greater in value or worth. Because the word greater, as you 529 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:08,920 know, not just in the original language. 530 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:11,480 The word greater, and even in the English language, can mean 531 00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:15,600 something besides someone being superior in terms of nature and 532 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:19,440 essence, right? I can use the word greater. 533 00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:23,320 And it doesn't have to mean that this person is worth more. 534 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:28,280 This thing is greater in value. And you have that in the same 535 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:31,960 text in John 1428. This is what Jesus says. 536 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:34,640 But he says something earlier in John 1412 with the same word 537 00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:37,760 greater that he used in the verse that we just read in John 538 00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:39,400 1412. Look what he says to the same 539 00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:41,760 disciples. Truly, truly, I say to you, 540 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:45,760 whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and 541 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:50,280 greater works than these will He do greater works? 542 00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:54,080 The same word will will they do because I am going to the 543 00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:56,720 Father. Now here's, here's what we have 544 00:33:56,720 --> 00:33:58,120 to conclude. We have to make a decision. 545 00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:01,440 Here is Jesus explained that after His resurrection, 546 00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:05,360 ascension, and the empowerment of His church that the disciples 547 00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:07,880 and the apostles will go out into the world and do greater 548 00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:12,000 works in terms of quality, that they'll perform greater 549 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:15,960 miracles, greater demonstrations of divine power. 550 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:22,080 Or is Jesus explaining by saying they will do greater works that 551 00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:26,800 they would do so in greater not quality but quantity, That being 552 00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:30,679 more in number and having more time on the earth, they would be 553 00:34:30,679 --> 00:34:34,000 able to reach more people and have more opportunity than the 554 00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:36,120 Lord Jesus did with his three-year tenure? 555 00:34:36,159 --> 00:34:40,440 Which one makes more sense? So already we can understand 556 00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:43,320 here that the word greater does not necessarily mean greater in 557 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:46,320 terms of quality, but in quantity. 558 00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:48,199 And Jesus even makes that clear here. 559 00:34:48,199 --> 00:34:51,000 There's there's no debate around those two possible explanations. 560 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:54,159 Because what What does he say? He says whoever believes in me 561 00:34:54,159 --> 00:34:56,679 will also do the works that I do. 562 00:34:57,320 --> 00:34:59,920 That's the quality. They're going to do the same 563 00:34:59,920 --> 00:35:02,320 works that I've done. They're going to heal the sick. 564 00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:03,400 They're going to cast out devils. 565 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:05,640 They're going to raise the dead. But here's where they're going 566 00:35:05,640 --> 00:35:08,400 to do it in a greater way, Greater works in terms of 567 00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:11,440 numeric value. They will spread across the 568 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:13,960 globe and reach places that I have not reached, and they will 569 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:16,880 do much more than I did while on earth. 570 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:22,080 The definition and application of greater already we can learn 571 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:24,400 does not necessarily have to mean superior. 572 00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:27,520 And that definition is expanded even more in the Bible. 573 00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:32,560 So we heard about John the Baptist when Jesus said that no 574 00:35:32,560 --> 00:35:34,880 one was greater than him, but those who are least in the 575 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:38,200 Kingdom of heaven will be greater than him in Matthew 576 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:39,800 1111. I'll just read it again for your 577 00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:43,080 memory sake, he says, Truly, I say to you, among those born of 578 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:45,760 woman, there is arisen no one greater than John the Baptist, 579 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:48,400 yet the one who is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater 580 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:49,800 than he. Matthew 1111. 581 00:35:51,640 --> 00:35:56,040 Jesus said with the same word greater. 582 00:35:56,560 --> 00:35:59,440 No one born of woman is greater than him, but those should be 583 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:01,880 under the category. Those would be included in the 584 00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:03,920 Kingdom of heaven. By faith they would be greater. 585 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:09,320 How is that? Is Jesus saying that John the 586 00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:12,520 Baptist is more human than others? 587 00:36:13,280 --> 00:36:16,920 That John the Baptist is someone who holds greater human dignity 588 00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:20,280 from those before him and those who would come after him? 589 00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:24,680 Let me ask you this way. Is it totally acceptable for me 590 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:27,360 to say that the mayor of Chicago, no matter what your 591 00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:31,960 opinion about him is, the mayor of Chicago is greater than me. 592 00:36:33,440 --> 00:36:36,160 Yes, you can say that. You know why you can say that? 593 00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:40,280 Because in terms of status, position, and rank, he is 594 00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:44,160 greater. But I am no less human than the 595 00:36:44,160 --> 00:36:47,880 mayor of Chicago. I'm not least deserving less, 596 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:52,120 deserving of dignity and respect, and so it's totally 597 00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:54,960 possible for me to use the word greater and denoting that 598 00:36:55,080 --> 00:36:59,160 someone can have and possess greater rank than myself while 599 00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:02,440 still holding the same intrinsic value and worth. 600 00:37:04,560 --> 00:37:07,160 And what Jesus said about John in terms of John being greater 601 00:37:07,160 --> 00:37:10,400 and those in the Kingdom being greater than, he is very similar 602 00:37:10,400 --> 00:37:12,680 to how he's applying that in relation to the Father while he 603 00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:17,360 was on earth by virtue of becoming man and humbling 604 00:37:17,360 --> 00:37:22,120 himself to the point of being a slave, Jesus could say in terms 605 00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:27,760 of position, rank and honor, the Father is greater than I, and in 606 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:31,240 the same way with the Mayor of Chicago myself as an example, I 607 00:37:31,240 --> 00:37:34,040 am no less human than him. Jesus, in saying that the Father 608 00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:37,800 is greater, is no less God. He is no less divine. 609 00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:41,800 He's no less worthy of worship and respect and submission. 610 00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:47,760 Jesus could say the Father is greater than I and still retain 611 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:52,560 the status of deity. And there will be a day, and 612 00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:55,800 that day has already come, where Jesus even prayed in John 17 and 613 00:37:55,800 --> 00:37:58,520 asked the Father that he would be restored to the glory that He 614 00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:00,880 shared with them before the world even began. 615 00:38:01,440 --> 00:38:06,280 And that He would be in that environment, after enduring 616 00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:10,120 successfully his humiliation on the earth to receive praise and 617 00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:13,720 recognition. And that great status that he 618 00:38:13,720 --> 00:38:16,280 laid aside so that he can come into this world and save a 619 00:38:16,280 --> 00:38:20,000 broken humanity. He's there now and he will be 620 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:23,960 there forever more. So Jesus could say the Father is 621 00:38:23,960 --> 00:38:27,480 greater than I and it does not imply that the Father is gone 622 00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:29,800 and that he is not. In the same way you can say 623 00:38:29,800 --> 00:38:31,920 greater in terms of numeric value and greater in terms of 624 00:38:31,920 --> 00:38:34,920 position and rank. So this is not a proof text to 625 00:38:34,920 --> 00:38:38,840 say that Jesus is not divine and there are so many texts. 626 00:38:38,840 --> 00:38:42,400 We know so many people take Jesus's words out of context and 627 00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:44,960 if you want to, you go further than that with with John 1420. 628 00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:48,480 Just read the whole chapter and you will come out with this 629 00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:52,840 undeniable unquestionable conclusion that he is God. 630 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:54,520 Pray and ask my name and I'll answer it. 631 00:38:55,360 --> 00:38:58,200 All these different things he says in John 14 that 632 00:38:58,240 --> 00:39:02,080 emphatically defines his omnipresence and omnipotence. 633 00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:08,600 He is God. God cannot be multi personal. 634 00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:13,440 Of course you can be He's God. And lastly, for the sake of 635 00:39:13,440 --> 00:39:18,600 time, God cannot be man. God cannot change. 636 00:39:18,720 --> 00:39:21,720 God cannot be tempted. God cannot be multi personal. 637 00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:28,880 God #5 cannot die. God cannot die. 638 00:39:29,080 --> 00:39:32,720 This is what the objection is and many people's understanding 639 00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:34,840 of death, their definition of death. 640 00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:40,800 They would say that to die is to cease to exist completely, To 641 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:43,600 cease to exist completely completely. 642 00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:46,040 And that's where the strength of the argument lies. 643 00:39:46,040 --> 00:39:50,400 You believe that Jesus is God. How in the world can you also 644 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:58,880 say that God died on a cross? Died God, the eternal 1 645 00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:05,120 self-sufficient died. And this is where mockery and 646 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:10,560 scorn tends to follow. But is it possible for us to die 647 00:40:10,560 --> 00:40:14,720 and to continue to exist? Absolutely. 648 00:40:16,560 --> 00:40:18,000 To be absent from the bodies to what? 649 00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:20,440 Be present with the Lord. We believe that about ourselves. 650 00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:23,800 And Jesus made these claims about his own death. 651 00:40:25,720 --> 00:40:30,080 That confirms that even though his flesh did in fact die a real 652 00:40:30,080 --> 00:40:32,360 death, he did not cease to exist. 653 00:40:32,360 --> 00:40:37,320 You remember what he said in John 219 to 21, right where he 654 00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:41,520 said destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. 655 00:40:42,720 --> 00:40:44,760 And then later on that same text we're told that this temple he 656 00:40:44,760 --> 00:40:47,520 spoke of his body. Did you hear Jesus words 657 00:40:47,520 --> 00:40:53,360 carefully in John 219 to 21 destroy this body and who will 658 00:40:53,360 --> 00:40:55,400 raise it up? Who? 659 00:40:55,960 --> 00:40:57,840 Who's going to raise up Jesus body? 660 00:40:58,200 --> 00:40:59,480 He said. I'm going to do it. 661 00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:02,960 I myself, I'm going to do it. And it's a Trinitarian effort. 662 00:41:02,960 --> 00:41:05,720 We know that the Father did it. We know that the spirit, Romans 663 00:41:05,720 --> 00:41:08,560 8, the same Spirit who raised Christ Jesus from the dead, 664 00:41:08,680 --> 00:41:09,800 lives in us. We know that. 665 00:41:09,920 --> 00:41:13,400 But Jesus at that point at that juncture said, I will raise up 666 00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:17,120 this body, destroy it, do whatever you would with it, but 667 00:41:17,120 --> 00:41:18,920 I will raise it up. Implying what? 668 00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:21,560 Well, hold on, your body's destroyed, but you're how are 669 00:41:21,560 --> 00:41:23,640 you going to raise it up? Because though his body was 670 00:41:23,640 --> 00:41:25,800 destroyed, he was still conscious and still in control. 671 00:41:29,440 --> 00:41:33,360 So even Jesus nailed on the tree does not mean that he ceased to 672 00:41:33,360 --> 00:41:36,360 exist as God. He said I would raise it up. 673 00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:37,440 Well, how are you going to raise it up? 674 00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:42,280 Because I'm still in control. I'm still conscious. 675 00:41:43,040 --> 00:41:45,280 This is going according to my plan perfectly. 676 00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:49,600 I had a conversation with somebody who reached out to me 677 00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:53,000 years ago. They found me online, I guess, 678 00:41:53,000 --> 00:41:56,200 and they knew my, my family from many years before I was even 679 00:41:56,200 --> 00:41:59,800 born, I guess. And based on the language of 680 00:41:59,800 --> 00:42:02,160 this person who is reaching out online, I thought, oh, this 681 00:42:02,160 --> 00:42:04,720 person's a Christian. So began to speak Christianese, 682 00:42:04,720 --> 00:42:08,120 you know. And I quickly realized that this 683 00:42:08,120 --> 00:42:14,400 person is not a Christian. And this person wasn't reaching 684 00:42:14,400 --> 00:42:17,640 out to really have an encouraging conversation. 685 00:42:17,640 --> 00:42:22,040 But they have a debate, an informal one, because I guess 686 00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:25,400 they heard what these messages were all about. 687 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:28,640 And we hope to proclaim Jesus Christ and him crucified. 688 00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:33,760 You believe Jesus is God? Yes, of course I do. 689 00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:39,000 One objection after the next, one objection after the next. 690 00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:43,720 And it was just back and forth. And at that time something just 691 00:42:43,720 --> 00:42:47,360 rushed into my mind. And this is pretty much the end 692 00:42:47,360 --> 00:42:56,840 of the conversation. Can God die? 693 00:42:58,680 --> 00:43:00,560 Of course not. God is spirit. 694 00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:02,440 God is eternally existing. OK, OK. 695 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:08,640 Does God have blood? That was the question. 696 00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:15,920 Does God have blood? Of course he doesn't have blood. 697 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:20,800 He's spirits, and on and on and on, I said. 698 00:43:20,800 --> 00:43:24,120 Then explain to me this verse, and this is the verse that I 699 00:43:24,120 --> 00:43:30,280 call you to turn to in Acts 20 and verse 28. 700 00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:40,840 Paul the Apostle to the elders of the Church of Ephesus. 701 00:43:42,240 --> 00:43:45,440 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock 702 00:43:46,240 --> 00:43:50,320 in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. 703 00:43:50,720 --> 00:43:54,720 To care for the Church of God, to care for the Church of God, 704 00:43:54,720 --> 00:44:00,240 to care for the Church of God which he obtained with his own 705 00:44:00,240 --> 00:44:04,520 blood. Whose blood are we speaking 706 00:44:04,520 --> 00:44:08,160 about here? The blood of God in the person 707 00:44:08,160 --> 00:44:10,640 of Jesus Christ. Does God have blood? 708 00:44:10,800 --> 00:44:14,840 Yes, in nature His Spirit. But he took on a body, and in 709 00:44:14,840 --> 00:44:18,560 that body there was blood, and that blood would be shed. 710 00:44:19,120 --> 00:44:21,400 And through that shed blood there would be forgiveness, 711 00:44:21,400 --> 00:44:24,120 redemption, restoration, salvation. 712 00:44:24,760 --> 00:44:33,880 Yes. And so in that there was like 713 00:44:33,880 --> 00:44:35,280 the text bubble. No text bubble. 714 00:44:35,280 --> 00:44:36,400 Text bubble. No text bubble. 715 00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:40,080 That was it. Because the Bible declares that 716 00:44:40,080 --> 00:44:43,600 our God did become man and he became man. 717 00:44:43,600 --> 00:44:47,280 Because in his great love for men he died. 718 00:44:48,960 --> 00:44:53,120 And that dying you would have life, and dying you would have 719 00:44:53,120 --> 00:44:55,480 hope, and dying you would have forgiveness of sin. 720 00:44:55,480 --> 00:45:01,800 And dying you would have a body glorified, prepared to enjoy the 721 00:45:01,800 --> 00:45:07,200 bliss and the joy that can only emanate from a good and perfect 722 00:45:07,560 --> 00:45:11,680 and holy God. A body prepared to be embraced 723 00:45:11,680 --> 00:45:15,040 by this God who we will look at forever. 724 00:45:15,880 --> 00:45:17,880 And when we see His hands and it's tight in his feet, we will 725 00:45:17,880 --> 00:45:22,160 always remember what he did for us to be in His presence. 726 00:45:25,080 --> 00:45:27,680 Do you know this Jesus Christ whom I declare to you today? 727 00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:30,640 Or you might be familiar with him. 728 00:45:30,920 --> 00:45:33,040 Yet you can be familiar with celebrities and your favorite 729 00:45:33,040 --> 00:45:35,400 sports teams and know where they went to college, what their 730 00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:37,400 stats are. It doesn't mean they know you or 731 00:45:37,400 --> 00:45:39,280 you know them. I'm not asking if you know 732 00:45:39,280 --> 00:45:42,920 statistics about Christianity, nor am I asking you if you are 733 00:45:42,920 --> 00:45:45,320 familiar with the truths about Jesus. 734 00:45:45,360 --> 00:45:46,840 Maybe you knew everything that I just said. 735 00:45:46,920 --> 00:45:52,160 You can know all these things and still go to hell because 736 00:45:52,160 --> 00:45:56,640 your faith is demon faith. It's not a faith that submits to 737 00:45:56,640 --> 00:45:57,840 God. It's not a faith that recognizes 738 00:45:57,840 --> 00:46:01,680 His Lordship that causes you to repent and to put your trust in 739 00:46:01,680 --> 00:46:05,440 him. And so you might be able to 740 00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:07,600 prove the Trinity, you might be able to wax eloquence of 741 00:46:07,600 --> 00:46:09,120 concerning the person of Jesus Christ. 742 00:46:09,120 --> 00:46:14,200 But does he live in your heart? Does he live in your heart? 743 00:46:14,840 --> 00:46:19,760 Are you assured that this Christ who cannot be refuted this book, 744 00:46:19,760 --> 00:46:23,720 this truth that has gone through scrutiny throughout human 745 00:46:23,720 --> 00:46:27,040 history, still stands today? Are you convinced that if you 746 00:46:27,040 --> 00:46:29,800 stand before this holy loving God that he will know you? 747 00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:36,840 If you are not confident of that, what's more important to 748 00:46:36,840 --> 00:46:39,000 this God than you having a wealth of knowledge, even 749 00:46:39,000 --> 00:46:41,920 theological knowledge, is if you know him, If you have bended the 750 00:46:41,920 --> 00:46:45,040 knee and surrendered to him and said I need forgiveness, and you 751 00:46:45,040 --> 00:46:46,960 know that he's given to you because his word says so. 752 00:46:48,200 --> 00:46:50,360 And now you know your heart has been made new because when you 753 00:46:50,360 --> 00:46:53,120 say yes to Christ, he doesn't just come and stamp something on 754 00:46:53,120 --> 00:46:54,880 you invisibly. He transforms you from the 755 00:46:54,880 --> 00:46:57,080 inside out and people say what happened to you? 756 00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:02,000 Now you have this insatiable desire for the word of God. 757 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:05,680 Now things that were so boring and dull and grim to you are the 758 00:47:05,720 --> 00:47:08,040 ultimate thing for you in this life. 759 00:47:08,240 --> 00:47:11,120 To worship him, serve him and make him known perfectly. 760 00:47:11,120 --> 00:47:13,280 No, we're imperfect. Thank you for the blood. 761 00:47:15,640 --> 00:47:18,280 Christianity is not about you become instantly perfect, but it 762 00:47:18,280 --> 00:47:23,720 is about you having new heart, direction, and it's all based 763 00:47:23,720 --> 00:47:26,760 upon faith. It's all the gift of grace. 764 00:47:26,760 --> 00:47:27,920 What's this Christmas season about? 765 00:47:29,880 --> 00:47:32,680 It's about what you just heard. Christ coming into the world, 766 00:47:33,600 --> 00:47:37,160 taking on flesh, humbling himself as a babe, growing up as 767 00:47:37,160 --> 00:47:40,640 a child and then a teenager and then into adulthood so his body 768 00:47:40,640 --> 00:47:43,800 would be prepared to be a sacrifice for you. 769 00:47:44,640 --> 00:47:47,480 That's what this is about. I know it's cute, I know it's 770 00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:49,520 warm and fuzzy. I know we decorate and it's 771 00:47:49,520 --> 00:47:51,240 nice. I know we have jingles in the 772 00:47:51,240 --> 00:47:55,720 air and it's it's light hearted. But Christmas is about blood. 773 00:47:59,600 --> 00:48:03,360 It is. It's about God having a body so 774 00:48:03,360 --> 00:48:05,760 that he can bleed. And that blood would cover you 775 00:48:05,880 --> 00:48:09,360 and wash you of all your sins. That's what Christians would 776 00:48:09,360 --> 00:48:16,320 love. So if you've not received Jesus 777 00:48:16,320 --> 00:48:20,160 Christ as Lord, that is the greatest gift you can receive on 778 00:48:20,160 --> 00:48:23,760 this side of heaven. And as much as it is a free 779 00:48:23,760 --> 00:48:25,560 gift, can I tell you something in great love? 780 00:48:25,920 --> 00:48:31,280 It has an expiration date on it. We are not universalists. 781 00:48:31,600 --> 00:48:33,600 We're God and His great love, No matter what you believe will one 782 00:48:33,600 --> 00:48:37,360 day bringing everybody into the fold, No, there is a time limit 783 00:48:37,360 --> 00:48:41,840 and while you have breath, you can accept this gift. 784 00:48:42,320 --> 00:48:46,320 But the moment that you are absent from this body and you 785 00:48:46,320 --> 00:48:48,720 stand before him, you won't be able to have that chance to 786 00:48:48,720 --> 00:48:50,680 receive the gift. That's why you need to answer 787 00:48:50,680 --> 00:48:53,760 this today and give your life to Christ. 788 00:48:53,800 --> 00:48:57,760 Believer, do not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 789 00:48:58,440 --> 00:49:01,000 Do not be intimidated by objections. 790 00:49:02,040 --> 00:49:04,320 If this book is true, we believe it is true. 791 00:49:04,480 --> 00:49:08,160 All it requires is some investigation and some hunger to 792 00:49:08,360 --> 00:49:12,960 to know more. And you will be further assured 793 00:49:13,160 --> 00:49:16,720 that you are serving and following the true God, Jesus 794 00:49:16,720 --> 00:49:19,960 Christ as Lord Lord. We thank you for this time and 795 00:49:19,960 --> 00:49:23,840 we worship you as a family. Thank you for the word that has 796 00:49:23,840 --> 00:49:28,080 nourished us. Thank you, Lord, that though 797 00:49:28,080 --> 00:49:30,400 this is in fact about the gospel, we have every right to 798 00:49:30,400 --> 00:49:35,920 feel warm and at peace and excited this time of the year, 799 00:49:36,520 --> 00:49:39,960 and maybe always for the reason that you intended it to be, that 800 00:49:39,960 --> 00:49:43,480 we would remember our salvation is in Christ and Lord. 801 00:49:43,480 --> 00:49:45,680 We ask for the visitor who might not know you. 802 00:49:46,200 --> 00:49:49,080 They would leave here with the overwhelming sense that they 803 00:49:49,080 --> 00:49:53,760 must seek you and they will give their lives to you. 804 00:49:54,160 --> 00:49:57,000 We pray, Lord, that your spirit will do what no man can do in 805 00:49:57,000 --> 00:50:00,280 dealing with the human heart, the deepest parts of who we are. 806 00:50:00,520 --> 00:50:04,040 Again for the believer, the believer who might be familiar, 807 00:50:04,040 --> 00:50:08,720 may there be fresh fire in their bellies to realize again that we 808 00:50:08,720 --> 00:50:11,120 have the truth in our hands and we serve the true and living 809 00:50:11,120 --> 00:50:13,000 God. We pray for our neighbors, our 810 00:50:13,000 --> 00:50:16,040 friends who do not know Christ, who might even have given these 811 00:50:16,040 --> 00:50:18,920 objections to us at some point. Would you touch them this 812 00:50:18,920 --> 00:50:21,480 Christmas season? Would you open their eyes to see 813 00:50:21,480 --> 00:50:25,320 that salvation can only come from God, not by our own efforts 814 00:50:25,320 --> 00:50:28,200 or participation? May they realize it, Lord, may 815 00:50:28,200 --> 00:50:31,400 they realize that somehow, someway in your Providence, use 816 00:50:31,400 --> 00:50:36,280 pastors across this land, church services across the world, and 817 00:50:36,280 --> 00:50:39,400 may you providentially lead lost souls in those places so that 818 00:50:39,400 --> 00:50:42,440 they can hear the gospel and beyond church services. 819 00:50:42,440 --> 00:50:45,520 Lord, use our lives. Help us be equipped so that we 820 00:50:45,520 --> 00:50:49,280 can be light and that people can see that we in fact do have the 821 00:50:49,280 --> 00:50:55,080 truth. Lord, for those this season who 822 00:50:55,080 --> 00:50:57,800 do not anticipate this time of the year because it invites 823 00:50:57,800 --> 00:51:04,640 memories of pain and loneliness, but would you comfort them? 824 00:51:05,880 --> 00:51:07,800 Family members who are no longer with us? 825 00:51:09,640 --> 00:51:13,720 Maybe situations and family that have caused hurt and division 826 00:51:13,720 --> 00:51:16,440 and separation. Lord, we just ask that your 827 00:51:16,440 --> 00:51:19,760 presence, Lord, would flood every home and that we would be 828 00:51:19,760 --> 00:51:23,520 comforted by you. We just ask for those who are 829 00:51:23,880 --> 00:51:27,120 hurting now. And though they might have 830 00:51:27,120 --> 00:51:29,880 salvation, we pray that they would receive your healing touch 831 00:51:29,880 --> 00:51:32,360 and that they would know that you are with them and that you 832 00:51:32,360 --> 00:51:35,520 love them, and that you see every tear, you see every ache 833 00:51:35,520 --> 00:51:38,600 of the heart, and that, Lord, you have not forgotten about 834 00:51:38,600 --> 00:51:41,720 them. Lord, we need you more than 835 00:51:41,720 --> 00:51:43,360 gifts, more than the newest and the latest. 836 00:51:43,360 --> 00:51:45,880 We need your presence. Give us your presence. 837 00:51:46,240 --> 00:51:48,280 In Jesus name we pray. Amen. 838 00:51:48,560 --> 00:51:50,680 Amen. Amen. 839 00:51:50,680 --> 00:51:59,160 Yes, my heart is so full to see you here worshipping the Lord 840 00:51:59,160 --> 00:52:01,560 Jesus with us. And at this time we will give a 841 00:52:01,560 --> 00:52:05,640 final song to him and give him glory. 842 00:52:06,000 --> 00:52:08,280 I want to encourage you today that if something touched you in 843 00:52:08,280 --> 00:52:10,800 the service where you say I want to give my life to Christ, 844 00:52:10,800 --> 00:52:12,520 here's the beauty about what we believe. 845 00:52:12,520 --> 00:52:16,040 You can speak to God even now. You don't have to go through any 846 00:52:16,040 --> 00:52:17,360 minister. You don't have to go through any 847 00:52:17,360 --> 00:52:20,480 person, any religious hoops. In this time, as the song is 848 00:52:20,480 --> 00:52:23,680 being played and people are singing, you can speak to the 849 00:52:23,680 --> 00:52:25,400 Lord Jesus who is alive and well. 850 00:52:26,240 --> 00:52:28,400 And the moment that you give your heart to him, you will be 851 00:52:28,400 --> 00:52:31,680 justified, you'll be forgiven, you'll be redeemed. 852 00:52:31,800 --> 00:52:35,200 And if it's a true confession followed by repentance, then you 853 00:52:35,200 --> 00:52:37,240 will leave here knowing that you have been changed. 854 00:52:37,240 --> 00:52:40,440 The Bible says that the spirit of God bears witness with our 855 00:52:40,440 --> 00:52:42,000 spirit that we are children of God. 856 00:52:42,640 --> 00:52:45,600 There will be a supernatural confirmation the depths of your 857 00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:49,480 soul that you have been saved. Just speak to him, confess your 858 00:52:49,480 --> 00:52:51,240 sin to him. Repent, believer. 859 00:52:51,280 --> 00:52:53,760 You've been saved and you're reminded that this month. 860 00:52:53,760 --> 00:52:55,960 So give him glory. Let's stand together and give 861 00:52:55,960 --> 00:52:56,440 him glory.