1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,400 Amen. Would you please stand for the 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:07,320 reading of God's Word this evening we will be in the Gospel 3 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:10,680 of Luke reading this birth narrative. 4 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:16,720 I'll begin at verse 8 of Luke chapter 2 and read through verse 5 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:21,400 20. And in the same region there 6 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:24,840 were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock. 7 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:29,000 By night an Angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory 8 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,400 of the Lord shown around them. They were filled with great 9 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:35,720 fear. The Angel said to them, you're 10 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:37,840 not. For behold, I bring you good 11 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:41,600 news of great joy that will be for all the people. 12 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,440 For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who 13 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:50,120 is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you. 14 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,600 You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a 15 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:56,160 Manger. And suddenly there was with the 16 00:00:56,160 --> 00:01:00,160 Angel the multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and 17 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:04,959 saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace 18 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:07,640 among those with whom he is pleased. 19 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:11,440 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherd 20 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:15,400 said to one another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this 21 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:19,920 thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us. 22 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:24,320 And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph and the 23 00:01:24,320 --> 00:01:28,360 baby lying in a Manger. And when they saw it, they made 24 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:31,640 known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 25 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,480 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherd's told them, 26 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:40,680 that Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her 27 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:43,200 heart. And the shepherds returned, 28 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:47,680 glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as 29 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:51,720 it had been told them. This is the word of the Lord. 30 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:56,680 Thanks be to God. Please be seated, Father, as we 31 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,920 come to this time of Your Word preached. 32 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:04,960 Only You can change us. Holy Spirit, we pray that You 33 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:09,320 would give us new eyes, new ears, hearts to beat for You, 34 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:11,160 and a mind that thinks correctly. 35 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:18,720 Holy Spirit, remove anything, boredom, distraction, 36 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:25,920 discomfort, noise of any kind outside or inside that keeps us 37 00:02:25,920 --> 00:02:31,640 from hearing the wonder of this true story. 38 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:37,040 The Lord Jesus Christ, the only Savior being born. 39 00:02:37,640 --> 00:02:50,840 We pray this in your name, Amen. Many of you tomorrow are going 40 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:56,240 to hear words that you have heard, probably most of your 41 00:02:56,240 --> 00:03:00,080 Christmases. You've said it and you've heard 42 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,920 it. And the statement is this is the 43 00:03:03,920 --> 00:03:10,760 best Christmas ever. See, you know, you've said it. 44 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:16,840 You'll hear it. I'm one of five children, and 45 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:18,680 now I'm a father of five children. 46 00:03:18,920 --> 00:03:23,400 I can't remember a Christmas or someone in our family didn't 47 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:27,600 make that statement. 1976 was a big year. 48 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:31,600 I remember specifically what made me say this is the best 49 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,680 Christmas ever. It was a specific bike, which 50 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:37,320 I've talked about before, but that wasn't the only thing under 51 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:42,800 the tree. 1976, the toy maker Kenner had come out with 52 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:47,880 essentially a doll for boys. It wasn't what would eventually 53 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:49,560 come. Something called My Buddy, which 54 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:53,360 I never had, but this was Stretch Armstrong. 55 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:59,800 This was a doll superhero made of latex. 56 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:03,520 And if you opened it up, which many of us did, to see what was 57 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:10,320 inside, corn syrup and sawdust, what was its purpose? 58 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:16,040 To grab it and to stretch it as far as you could. 59 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:20,640 He was built like a bodybuilder. You would grab a sibling or a 60 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:22,280 friend and you would see how far. 61 00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:24,680 And they said you could stretch it up to 7 feet. 62 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,400 And we did. My wife recently said, you know, 63 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:31,080 you only talk about the toys you received at Christmas. 64 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:33,560 What about all the women in the church? 65 00:04:34,280 --> 00:04:37,560 Well, let's talk about what you had under the tree in 76. 66 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:44,000 Many of you had a baby doll, a doll which toy companies were 67 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,520 competing to see who could make the most realistic doll, could 68 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:49,640 simulate things that real babies do. 69 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:54,360 And in 1973, three years before Kenner came out with Stretch 70 00:04:54,360 --> 00:05:00,000 Armstrong, they created a baby that would actually eat food, 71 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:03,360 food that was in a package that you would have to continue to 72 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:06,080 buy, that you would then mix with water and with a real 73 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:08,600 spoon, you would feed the child. And if you push the level on the 74 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:12,400 baby's back, that baby would chew. 75 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:17,080 That food would not be digested, but it would empty into a real 76 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:18,520 diaper. And then you would have the 77 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:21,520 privilege of changing that baby's diaper. 78 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:25,400 How many of you had that? A lot of women are raising their 79 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:31,920 hands. I wonder what names fought to 80 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:36,800 win the title of that toy. What won this title? 81 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:41,480 Baby alive. Thank you. 82 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:48,640 This is the best Christmas ever. Three sisters. 83 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:50,320 Each of them had their own baby alive. 84 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:52,760 Each of them played with it endlessly. 85 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:59,280 The best Christmas ever. Past few weeks if we As we've 86 00:05:59,280 --> 00:06:02,480 looked at the fullness of the incarnation, I've made the 87 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:09,080 statement in each service that the older we are in Christ, the 88 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:13,560 greater Christmas should be. Not just the older that we are, 89 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:19,080 but the older we are in Christ. Spurgeon says it this way. 90 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:24,600 After you have heard this story of the birth of Christ for 50 91 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:30,720 years, you see more of the fullness of the incarnation than 92 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:35,200 you did it first. And that's why for us who have 93 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:39,640 been walking with Jesus for a long time, this should be the 94 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:43,600 best Christmas ever. And next December 25th, the 95 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:46,520 same. And on and on until Christ 96 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:51,160 returns and we actually do see him in His fullness. 97 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:55,520 For many of us, though, we tend to think I've heard the story. 98 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:03,560 What can be added to the story? What's added to the story isn't 99 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:10,520 the elements, it's the eyes of the Sinner saved by Grace being 100 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:17,040 opened to the awe and wonder that he saved a Sinner like me. 101 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:22,240 I want you to think for a moment about what you just heard me 102 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:28,440 read and what had to take place in order for us to gather to 103 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:31,600 celebrate. I don't mean the hours of 104 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:35,840 practice, the hours of study, you scheduling and getting your 105 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:42,240 friends and family here. I'm talking about God's plan to 106 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:47,440 save his people. When sin entered the world, 107 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:49,200 we're told about it in Genesis 3. 108 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:54,600 God's plan was to rescue, to redeem his people, and the only 109 00:07:54,600 --> 00:08:01,320 way it was going to happen is if Christ Jesus became a man in the 110 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:06,360 fullness of time when God Himself desired for it to 111 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:09,920 happen. There were shepherds out in the 112 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:14,040 field doing what they had been trained to do. 113 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:18,960 They had no idea that what they were about to experience was 114 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:22,040 going to happen. There was no prediction that 115 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:28,520 this would be the night, but when each of those shepherds 116 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:34,480 were being knit together in their mother's womb, God knew 117 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:39,440 that this is the one when I'm ready, that will hear the 118 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:42,640 angel's voice. This is another one, and this is 119 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:45,520 another one. And they're going to hear that 120 00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:50,120 angel's voice that says today in the town of David as Savior is 121 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:52,160 born. And they're the ones that are 122 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:56,280 going to be overwhelmed with fear, and they're the ones that 123 00:08:56,280 --> 00:09:03,520 are going to see this multitude of angels and hear them say 124 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:09,560 glory to God in the highest. Those were real men, real 125 00:09:09,560 --> 00:09:12,760 shepherds. And it shows us in Luke's 126 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:18,480 account of how God works. When He is ready, He reveals 127 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:23,080 himself and He reveals himself through His word. 128 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:26,560 And if you're a believer in Jesus Christ, at some point in 129 00:09:26,560 --> 00:09:29,400 your life, He revealed His word to you. 130 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:33,600 You didn't deserve it, Neither did I. 131 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:38,920 But He revealed it to you, and He offered you in that moment 132 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:43,720 irresistible grace that caused your heart that wasn't just sick 133 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:48,400 and immoral to beat. For Him to suddenly see that 134 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:52,720 these words about Jesus are true, that He truly is the one 135 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:56,320 who came when God demonstrated His own love for us, and this 136 00:09:56,440 --> 00:10:00,600 while we were still sinners. Christ died that night. 137 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,800 The shepherds, when they heard what was said, received that 138 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:05,560 word. They received that message. 139 00:10:05,560 --> 00:10:07,960 If you're in Christ, there was a moment in your life where you 140 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:13,400 received that word and you rested in Jesus alone and by 141 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:16,400 God's grace, because you were made new, a new creation. 142 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:22,240 You wanted to follow him. You wanted to seek Him. 143 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:30,160 Luke tells us that when the angels had gone back into 144 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:37,880 heaven, the shepherd said to one another, let us go and see this 145 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:40,120 thing that we've been told about. 146 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:47,240 They went with haste. Verse 16 says, and they found 147 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:51,440 Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a major. 148 00:10:53,080 --> 00:11:00,840 I want you to hear this. Most of us have wrong ideas 149 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:05,960 about the incarnation. Throughout history there have 150 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:09,840 been wrong ideas about the incarnation because people 151 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:16,120 couldn't comprehend and can't comprehend that this baby and 152 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:27,240 the Manger is truly and fully a baby, 100% human baby. 153 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:34,000 He cried like you cried. He nursed like you nursed. 154 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:42,400 He slept like you slept. And while at the same time, this 155 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:49,520 baby was fully and truly God. Unless God opens our eyes and 156 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:51,600 our ears to believe this, we never would. 157 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:56,040 It's inconceivable, but it's still true. 158 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:03,160 When the shepherds got there, Luke tells us that the word that 159 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:08,160 was revealed to them, the word that they received, they now 160 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:11,960 have responded and they're present with the one to whom 161 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:15,560 those angels spoke. They see Jesus, they see this 162 00:12:15,560 --> 00:12:21,640 baby, they see the mother of this child, they see the earthly 163 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:29,520 father of this child. We're told that they speak about 164 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:32,320 what they had been told concerning this child. 165 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:37,160 And verse 18 says, and all who wondered at it, what the 166 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:41,080 shepherds told them, but I wanted you to see verse 19. 167 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:43,240 I really want you to anchor here. 168 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:49,240 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in their 169 00:12:49,240 --> 00:12:52,000 heart, in her heart. I want you to think about this 170 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:59,160 for a moment. Tonight God planned from all 171 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:05,840 eternity this moment when the angels would descend, when they 172 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:08,640 were proclaimed that this child had been born. 173 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:18,560 The child is just like any other child that's ever been born, 174 00:13:18,560 --> 00:13:21,520 except there's no sin in him. That's why it had to be 175 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:23,960 conceived by the Holy Spirit and a virgin. 176 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:30,080 But in every way he's human. But he's also fully God. 177 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:35,080 He took on that which was not his flesh, and that flesh he 178 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:38,800 still has this day risen, ascended, reigning as our king. 179 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:43,800 But when the shepherds got there, Speaking of what they had 180 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:47,840 seen, revealing to Mary and Joseph what had been said, Luke 181 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:50,280 tells us something really significant about Mary. 182 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:53,720 Now think about Mary for a moment. 183 00:13:55,000 --> 00:14:02,840 She's just given birth, real birth, real birth that humans 184 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:05,800 have been giving since the beginning. 185 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:14,680 Pain, anguish, exhaustion in the midst of a city that is noisy 186 00:14:14,680 --> 00:14:19,080 and loud in a stall because there's no room in the end. 187 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:23,160 And what does she do? Luke tells us that she treasured 188 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:27,400 these things and pondered them in her heart. 189 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:35,280 Most of us don't do this very well, and it's why Christmas for 190 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:40,880 Christians doesn't continue to get better every year and even 191 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:44,320 every day. Each day with Jesus is not 192 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:46,960 necessarily sweeter than the day before because of what it means 193 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:51,320 to live in this fallen world. But when we are pondering Him, 194 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:55,840 treasuring Him, our affection for Him swells. 195 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:04,920 The word ponder means to weigh. It means to consider. 196 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:08,720 Many of you are mothers or grandmothers. 197 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:11,840 Many of you will become mothers and grandmothers. 198 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:15,720 Some of you want to be mothers. And that's not been what God has 199 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:16,560 willed. At this point. 200 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:27,920 It's hard holding a child. This mother, Mary, is not 201 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:34,960 holding anyone that has ever been born like him. 202 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:38,200 You couldn't tell that from a distance. 203 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:43,160 His cry, his hunger. He's a real baby. 204 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:50,120 He's not a pretend baby. He's not partly God and partly 205 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:54,960 baby human. He's fully human, fully God. 206 00:15:56,160 --> 00:16:02,000 This child is Mary holds him. I want you to imagine what she's 207 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:06,040 pondering. I imagined Mary went back to the 208 00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:08,680 first words the Angel spoke to her. 209 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:13,000 Fear not you're going to conceive a child. 210 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:18,520 I imagine she remembered what Elizabeth said to her when she 211 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:24,320 went to see Elizabeth, when she said, the mother of my Lord, 212 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:30,240 Speaking of the child growing inside her nine months. 213 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:34,760 It wasn't faster than that. This child Jesus was knit 214 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:40,320 together in her womb. And now as she holds him to her 215 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:46,840 chest and she ponders and weighs all that has been said about him 216 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:52,120 that the shepherds have said tonight a savior has been born. 217 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:54,920 What does it mean that he will be a savior? 218 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:00,760 I want you to hear this, and I want you to think deeply about 219 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:07,800 what you hear. A moment ago, we confess our 220 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:12,440 sins publicly, and then Rob encouraged us. 221 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:24,280 In a season of private sin, sin is not just a few bad decisions. 222 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:27,720 Sin is not just missing the mark. 223 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:36,960 Spurgeon said this about sin and it connects to the Incarnation. 224 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:40,840 Please lean in and listen to what he says. 225 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:48,080 He who came to save men today in the town of David as Savior is 226 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:51,840 born. He who came to save men is no 227 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:57,920 other than God. Therefore he alone is capable of 228 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:02,960 viewing sin from God's standpoint and of understanding 229 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:12,240 what was due to God because of man's sin, Spurgeon says. 230 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:18,640 You think, perhaps, that you comprehend sin, but you and I 231 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:23,760 cannot do anything of the kind. We often think we can comprehend 232 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:29,600 other people's sin, but you and I cannot do anything of the 233 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:34,800 kind. Sin is an evil too monstrous for 234 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:39,640 the human mind fully to know its heights and depths, its links, 235 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:44,480 its breaths. But Christ, who is God 236 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:48,560 Incarnate, fully knew what sin meant. 237 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:53,360 He had plumbed it to the very bottom and knew how deep it was. 238 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:57,160 He had gazed up on it and felt all the horror of its 239 00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:00,880 unrighteousness, ingratitude and turpitude. 240 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:05,960 It's sinfulness struck his sinless mind with all its awful 241 00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:11,360 force, and overwhelmed his holy soul with a horror which none 242 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:16,720 but he could bear. And that's why he had to be God 243 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:25,160 and that's why he had to be mad. The baby that Mary is holding 244 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,720 took a first breath just like you did. 245 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:35,360 Most people average between 20 and 22,000 breaths a day. 246 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:43,160 Jesus breathed like a normal human until the word tells us He 247 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:46,880 breathed his last. Just after he said into your 248 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:54,680 hands I commit my spirit. Jesus Christ was born to live 249 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:57,480 the life that you and I were called to live but never could. 250 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:02,840 And he did it perfectly. Jesus Christ was born to die the 251 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:09,840 death we all deserve to die. And that is the gift of this 252 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:12,440 Savior. This man. 253 00:20:13,360 --> 00:20:17,040 Mary doesn't understand all that is going to happen in the next 254 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:23,760 33 years. But that night, she's pondering, 255 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:28,320 weighing, chewing on the things that she's heard. 256 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:35,480 Do you know how to ponder? Do you know how to treasure 257 00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:37,520 something? Yes, you do. 258 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:45,400 Pondering is meditation. We as believers should be 259 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:49,760 meditating up on what God's Word says about His glory, about His 260 00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:55,000 greatness, about His goodness. So often our pondering is 261 00:20:55,000 --> 00:21:03,160 centered on anxiety, and anxiety is meditation. 262 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:10,480 It's meditating on all that's broken, all that could be lost. 263 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:16,600 There's no question that as a human mother, Mary would have 264 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:22,040 had moments of anxiety. But in her pondering, those 265 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:26,760 things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of his glory 266 00:21:27,120 --> 00:21:33,840 and his grace. I imagine most of you this 267 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:37,360 season have felt the anxiety of it, the busyness of it. 268 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:46,560 Tonight my prayer is that you would leave this place, maybe 269 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:51,440 even just pondering that one verse unto you. 270 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:56,600 This night a savior is born. Maybe you came to this place 271 00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:58,880 tonight not knowing you need a savior. 272 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:05,400 Or maybe you came to this place tonight not thinking you need a 273 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:08,000 savior. Or maybe that there are many 274 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:11,440 saviors. But this is the truth. 275 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:15,640 There aren't many saviors and there aren't many gods. 276 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:21,560 There is one, and the God is the one to whom this night we 277 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:26,400 celebrate His birth. That word was revealed to the 278 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:29,680 shepherds. They received it and responded 279 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:34,920 by moving with haste to Bethlehem about telling Mary and 280 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:37,720 Joseph what they heard about this child that today in the 281 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:39,440 town of David, his Savior's been born. 282 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:45,600 This baby's the Savior. Mary pondered those thoughts and 283 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:47,280 imagine all the thoughts she pondered. 284 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:52,520 Imagine that she looks at his little toes. 285 00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:59,040 Imagine. Imagine is she feels his hand 286 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:05,320 grasp her finger and while this baby is grasping his finger, 287 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:10,960 this same baby is upholding the entire universe by the word of 288 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:15,000 his power. That is awesome. 289 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:24,440 I'm not sure how much time the shepherd spent there, but when 290 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:30,560 they left, they left praising and glorifying God. 291 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:35,520 Why? Because what had been revealed 292 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:43,560 to them was shown to be true. And tonight, whether you 293 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:52,880 expected it or not, the same word has been revealed to you in 294 00:23:52,880 --> 00:24:00,240 song, in liturgy, in prayers, in the public reading of Scripture 295 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:05,160 and a sermon. Have you received that word? 296 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:10,000 And the word is not just instruction. 297 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:13,800 The word is not just a list of exhortations. 298 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:20,360 It is a person, the only person who could save you. 299 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:29,840 You might have thought for a moment tonight, after publicly 300 00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:35,120 confessing our sins and then having a season of private 301 00:24:35,120 --> 00:24:40,560 confession, and then having the words of assurance spoken from 302 00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:48,240 the gospel, that what a strange thing to sing, so joyful a song 303 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:50,200 is. Go tell it on the mountain. 304 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:59,280 But that's the point. You have been forgiven if you're 305 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:05,000 in Christ. The sin that you and I have is 306 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:09,400 no longer held against it us. The penalty has been paid. 307 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:12,880 The greatest gift that could be given has been given. 308 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:17,080 Indeed, heaven could give no more. 309 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:24,160 If this is brand new to you, we would love nothing more than to 310 00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:29,280 tell you more about Jesus. Even this night as we continue 311 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:33,960 in worship and clothes in a moment in prayer. 312 00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:39,360 This could be the night that you receive what has been revealed. 313 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:44,280 If that happens, tell someone. But for those who've already 314 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:50,400 received, who've already believed, it's very easy to just 315 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:55,000 move through the motions. Treating Christianity is this if 316 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:59,120 it's nothing more than a worldview, instead of this 317 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:07,240 intimate union with Christ, the transcendent and personal God. 318 00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:13,680 If this Christmas you can't say this is the best Christmas ever, 319 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:22,040 there's one remedy. Ponder, Ponder him. 320 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:25,680 Ponder his word. Treasure up him. 321 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:31,480 Last thing I'll say those two words, treasure and ponder, 322 00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:36,240 written in the imperfect mean that it's an activity that is to 323 00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:41,720 continue. Most likely you're not pondering 324 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:44,960 the great things of the Lord because you're pondering and 325 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:50,200 treasuring lesser things. And if you contended to ponder 326 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:55,400 and treasure lesser things, then indeed each day with Jesus, each 327 00:26:55,400 --> 00:27:00,840 Christmas we celebrate His birth will not be better than the one 328 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:05,960 before. But if you surrender to Him, and 329 00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:11,520 you look at his word, and you humbly come and say every day 330 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:20,600 there's so much about you I don't know, teach me. 331 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:28,640 Lord your word, He will, He promises. 332 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:34,840 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for 333 00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:40,640 they would be filled, filled by the one who was lying in the 334 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:45,960 Manger when those shepherds arrived. 335 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:52,760 Father in Heaven, what a gift for us to be together tonight, 336 00:27:54,120 --> 00:28:00,400 to remember, to rehearse, to anticipate, to encourage each 337 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:03,600 other. Father, if there are those 338 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:08,920 present who for the first time in their life have heard things 339 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:12,360 that they've never known, overwhelm them. 340 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:15,680 Bring them to yourself. Friend, if you want to know what 341 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:20,040 it means to have a relationship with Jesus, just simply pray, 342 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:25,080 telling Christ that you're a Sinner in need of a Savior and 343 00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:29,120 that there is only one. And simply pray for Christ to 344 00:28:29,120 --> 00:28:32,960 forgive you and rest in Him alone for salvation. 345 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:36,920 If that is a prayer you pray this night or sometime soon 346 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:41,440 after, tell someone who is a faithful follower of Jesus that 347 00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:44,880 they may encourage you. And friend of tonight you can't 348 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:50,440 came and you admit I just am checking a box, Pray even now. 349 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:56,080 Oh Lord, teach me to ponder. Teach me to chew on Your word. 350 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:00,880 Teach me to know that as I do it, because I'm in You. 351 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:03,560 You are living in me through Your Spirit. 352 00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:09,520 Oh Lord, lift our eyes to behold once again the glory of this 353 00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:17,040 birth, this life, this death, this resurrection, this rain, 354 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:21,720 and Your promised return. We pray this in Jesus name, 355 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:22,800 Amen.