1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:03,800 You're listening to the Bridgetown Church Podcast with 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,840 Pastor Casey Kendall, where our vision is Jesus, our mission is 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:09,760 people, and our cause is love. Thanks for tuning in. 4 00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:14,200 Let's dive in. Philippians chapter 4 beginning 5 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,440 in verse 4. The Apostle Paul is writing to a 6 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:22,160 church in a city called Philippi, and he writes these 7 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:27,800 words to the church. He says, we'll read it out loud 8 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:34,880 together on 3123. Rejoice in the Lord always. 9 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:38,640 And again I will say, rejoice once again. 10 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:41,520 Let's read this out together. I think we just need to speak 11 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:46,040 this to each other. Today is rejoice in the Lord 12 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:51,720 always and again I say rejoice. Can you just say this with me 13 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:54,120 one more time? If there's one Christmas message 14 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,200 I want you to leave with today. It is a message of rejoicing 15 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:02,280 because God is the God of the unconventional and he's not 16 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:05,840 moving in your ways. He might not be moving in your 17 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:08,480 time. He might not be moving according 18 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:12,800 to how your was set, but he is still moving. 19 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:17,000 And thus the apostle Paul says to the church at Philippi, 20 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:23,320 rejoice in the Lord always. And again I will say rejoice, go 21 00:01:23,320 --> 00:01:26,120 ahead and take a seat. And as you're taking your seat 22 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:32,400 in the Gospel of Luke chapter 2, there is a story recorded for us 23 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:37,120 beginning in verse 8 of the Gospel of Luke. 24 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:41,880 Now, if you take note, all of the gospels were written to 25 00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:48,240 specific groups to give them a specific picture of the person 26 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:51,440 of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Matthew, if you 27 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:56,080 take note, was written to a Jewish crowd, a company of 28 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:58,960 people who in the Gospel of Matthew. 29 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:02,760 Matthew wants to make sure that he points out to these Jewish 30 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:08,160 people that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, He is the Son of God. 31 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:13,160 If you were to go into from Matthew into Mark, Mark is 32 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:17,080 writing to a Gentile community and he's writing to these 33 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:22,360 Gentiles, and he wants to paint the picture that Jesus Christ is 34 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:27,080 the servant of all. If you go to the Gospel of Luke, 35 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:33,320 Luke is again writing another Gentile community and he writes 36 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:37,160 the gospel painting Jesus in his humanity. 37 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:42,240 In the Gospel of John, John's writing to both Jews and Greeks, 38 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:46,400 and he is painting the picture of Jesus as deity. 39 00:02:46,920 --> 00:02:53,320 The Christmas story that we are about to read and what we see 40 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:56,600 throughout the New Testament is only going to be found in two 41 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,080 gospels. It's going to be found in the 42 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:04,840 Gospel of Matthew and in the Gospel of Luke. 43 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:11,240 And I want you to see the unconventional way that God 44 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:18,600 desires and designs to relay the message of the birth of His Son 45 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:23,440 to the world. It is the first message that is 46 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:29,200 given in a very unconventional way to very unconventional 47 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:32,280 people. Now, here's my crime. 48 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:36,160 When it comes to Christmas time, normally as a pastor I get 49 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:41,600 filled with a lot of anxiety because you're bringing friends 50 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:44,400 and family members to Christmas services and you're saying, 51 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,440 Casey, you better be preaching your best Christmas message. 52 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:53,760 As I come into this place, I've realized that there is only so 53 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,840 much I could say about Christmas. 54 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:01,120 And I think sometimes in my mind as a pastor, I have made it more 55 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:03,280 perplexed where God has made it more plain. 56 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:07,800 And I want to just bring us back that maybe today you don't need 57 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:12,840 to be instructed about a deeper new thing about Christmas. 58 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:17,200 Maybe you just need to be reminded about some things in 59 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:21,640 the Christmas story. And in this way, God desires to 60 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:27,040 give to us this message that He gives to people who were called 61 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:30,520 in verse 8 of Luke chapter 2, shepherds. 62 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:35,240 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in 63 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:39,320 the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 64 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:45,400 And behold, an Angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory 65 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:50,640 of the Lord shown around them, and they were greatly afraid. 66 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:54,160 Then the Angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I 67 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:58,320 bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all 68 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:03,440 people, for there is born to you this day in the city of David a 69 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:07,640 Savior who is Christ the Lord, and this will be the sign to 70 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,680 you. You will find a babe wrapped in 71 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:14,720 swaddling cloth, lying in a Manger. 72 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:17,800 And immediately and suddenly there was with the Angel a 73 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:21,440 multitude of the heavenly host, praising amazing God, insane 74 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:27,280 glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace and goodwill 75 00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:30,040 toward men. And so it was when the angels 76 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:33,840 had gone away from them into the into heaven, that the shepherd 77 00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:37,680 said to one another, Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this 78 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:41,080 thing that has come to pass which the Lord has made known to 79 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:42,960 us. And they came with haste, and 80 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:46,480 they found Mary and Joseph and the Babe lying in a Manger. 81 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:51,760 And now when they had seen him, they made widely known the 82 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:57,160 saying which was told them concerning this child. 83 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:01,000 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which 84 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:06,440 were told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, 85 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:10,600 and pondered them in her heart. But notice this Then the 86 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:17,400 shepherd's returned, glorifying and praising God for all the 87 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:22,160 things that they had heard and seen as it was told them. 88 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:25,480 Once again, that last verse. And then the shepherd's 89 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:29,600 returned, glorifying and praising God. 90 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:35,360 Notice this for all the things that they had heard and seen as 91 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:40,640 it was told them. I got a vivid picture yesterday 92 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:43,880 during the parade. As we were preparing for the 93 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:49,640 parade, we were actually trying to attach this blow up to the 94 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:57,640 top of Ron's Ford pickup truck. And as we went to the top of 95 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:02,320 this truck, we thought to ourselves, it, we, we, we need 96 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:05,880 to get this message out. And you can't see it now, nor do 97 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:09,120 you realize it now. But on this message, there's a 98 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:13,800 nativity scene and there is the word joy. 99 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:18,880 Joy. That should be the attitude of 100 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:21,960 Christmas, right? So we were stressed out. 101 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:27,360 I was probably not anybody else because the joy wasn't really 102 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:31,120 sticking that well. And because the joy wasn't 103 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:34,520 really sticking that well. We had people up on the the 104 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:43,120 Ron's truck that were tying down the word joy, but it was so 105 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:51,840 deflated that we had to have two people holding up the word joy 106 00:07:54,000 --> 00:08:02,080 until we made a executive decision and moving this joy to 107 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:11,480 another spot that was closer to the cross at the parade. 108 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:20,600 We had to move the area of this closer to the cross to 109 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:28,080 experience the joy of the cross. Not just the joy of the cross, 110 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:32,240 but the joy of the Savior who was born to die upon that cross. 111 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,960 On the left hand and the right hand there were two specific 112 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:42,480 people holding up joy. On the left hand I had a man 113 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:47,400 that you might know by the name of Dave O'Brien holding up with 114 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:50,720 one hand the letter J and with another the letter O. 115 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:55,240 On the other hand, there was Lindsay Gomer, who was trying to 116 00:08:55,240 --> 00:09:00,440 hold up the why. And in that we thought that if 117 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:06,000 we could just hold up the word joy, everybody could experience 118 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:10,600 joy. And that's exactly what's 119 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:16,440 happened to you this Christmas. You have made it other people's 120 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:23,080 responsibility to hold your joy, which is your own 121 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:27,160 accountability. And because they can't hold up 122 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:33,080 your joy, you feel just as deflated as this. 123 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:40,440 And because of that, the world is not getting the message that 124 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:46,080 it needs to get because we're unwilling to take the 125 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:51,240 responsibility for our own message of joy to the world. 126 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:55,000 Listen, it's not your husband's responsibility or your wife's 127 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:57,320 responsibility. It's not your friend's 128 00:09:57,320 --> 00:09:59,920 responsibility. It's not your coworkers 129 00:09:59,920 --> 00:10:02,200 responsibility. It's not your boss's 130 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:04,080 responsibility, your grandma's responsibility. 131 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:07,680 It's not your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your best friend, 132 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:10,800 your enemy's responsibility to hold your joy up. 133 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:15,400 The Bible says you rejoice in the Lord always. 134 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:21,960 And again I say rejoice. The shepherds left the place of 135 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:28,480 the Manger rejoicing and praising God, not because their 136 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:34,280 lives were necessarily good, but because they saw something that 137 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:38,160 altered their life. Now you might have walked into 138 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:42,880 this place thinking that all of Christmas is going to be about 139 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:46,200 all the things that you're going to get, all the things that you 140 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:49,560 don't have. And some So many times Christmas 141 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:53,480 comes to me. I love Christmas, but I just got 142 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:56,760 to tell you what in my life, Christmas just isn't about the 143 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:01,280 passole Ole and the tamales. It's not. 144 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:05,040 Christmas for us isn't just about the presents, it's not 145 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:09,280 just about the gifts. It's about you being able to 146 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:14,960 rejoice in Jesus Christ. Christmas for us as we celebrate 147 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:20,280 Christmas today, because we celebrate the person of Jesus 148 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:25,600 Christ today. I don't know why there's only 149 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:29,600 four people clapping about that, but it's important that we 150 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:34,080 understand that we have complicated and confused, I 151 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:38,480 believe we dismantled and we've distracted people from the point 152 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:42,720 of the story of Christmas. And the point of the story of 153 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:46,000 Christmas is the person of Jesus Christ. 154 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:51,080 And I got to come back to this point in the story where I'm 155 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:54,800 willing to bring myself back to the person of Jesus Christ. 156 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:57,560 If I don't have Jesus, I don't have peace. 157 00:11:57,680 --> 00:12:00,040 If I don't have Jesus, I don't have grace. 158 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:02,440 If I don't have Jesus, I don't have mercy. 159 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:05,720 If I don't have Jesus, I don't have the saving power of the 160 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:09,360 forgiveness of my sins. If I don't have Jesus, I don't 161 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:12,640 have joy. And it's going to be vital for 162 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:18,360 us to plug ourselves in to the right source to give the right 163 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:22,160 message to the world. But God is going to do this in a 164 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:26,440 very unconventional way. He does this in an 165 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:30,240 unconventional way and you might be walking through a season of 166 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:33,160 your life that just seems unconventional. 167 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:36,360 It is at a time we didn't expect. 168 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:44,600 He gives the message to unlikely and in society unlovable and not 169 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:50,040 too good looking people. Who did the message come to 170 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:54,080 notice the Bible tells us and I'm glad you're looking and 171 00:12:54,080 --> 00:12:58,120 studying your Bible verse 8 Now there was in the same country 172 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:03,720 just right before this Mary gives birth to Jesus and the 1st 173 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:09,480 place of the announcement, the first place of the announcement. 174 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:13,320 I had the privilege and the honor to set up my daughter's 175 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:17,120 baby shower with a great group of people. 176 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:21,080 We had the flowers that were being prepared and the 177 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:24,280 fellowship. We had the lattes and the love 178 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:26,000 coming. We had everything. 179 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,800 But they said you have to send out the announcement, the 180 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:31,880 announcement. I asked my daughter, what do you 181 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:34,760 want on it? And so I began to pick out the 182 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:38,200 announcement that she wanted. The announcement was she wanted 183 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:41,120 these little cute Tangerines with smiley faces. 184 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:44,400 And then she said, I want you to put the information, the date, 185 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:47,520 the time, and then you put the name. 186 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:53,680 So I put the name Nolan Logan, and I sent it to her. 187 00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:55,960 I said, how does this look? This is the announcement. 188 00:13:56,720 --> 00:14:02,440 She said, Dad, Dad, she said we don't want his name getting out 189 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:05,800 yet. Is there something? 190 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:09,280 Is something switched in like the twenty 20s or something? 191 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:15,760 You don't want his name out yet. He's the person with you that 192 00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:19,080 we're celebrating. She said yeah, can you just put 193 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:27,480 baby Logan? I submitted and surrendered, but 194 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:29,440 that's not how it works in Luke chapter 2. 195 00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:33,920 It's not that we're not going to get the name in this 196 00:14:33,920 --> 00:14:38,480 announcement. This comes to notice this the 197 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:42,280 Bible says in the same country it came to shepherds and they 198 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:45,440 were living out in the fields keeping watch over their flock 199 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:47,960 by night. Notice this, this message came 200 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:51,840 to good. This message came to. 201 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:56,240 Notice how many times the word shepherd it is used. 202 00:14:56,240 --> 00:14:58,880 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in 203 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:03,040 the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 204 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:06,920 And behold, an Angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory 205 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:11,600 of the Lord shown around them, and they were greatly afraid. 206 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:15,480 And then the Angel said to them, Notice this, this is all going 207 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:19,000 to the shepherds. I bring you good tidings of 208 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:23,120 great joy, which will be for all the people, for there is born to 209 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:28,440 you this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the 210 00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:31,240 Lord. And notice this in verse 13. 211 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:34,200 And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of heavenly 212 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:37,760 hosts praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and 213 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:40,440 on earth, peace, goodwill towards men. 214 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:44,160 So it was when the Angel had gone away from them into heaven 215 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:48,320 that the shepherds notice this said to one another, Let us now 216 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:51,400 go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass. 217 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:54,640 And they came with haste, the shepherds. 218 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:59,720 And when they verse 17 had found, they made widely known 219 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:02,440 the same which was told to them concerning this child. 220 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:06,160 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which 221 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:10,640 were told to them by the shepherds. 222 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:13,400 Look at verse 20. Then the shepherds. 223 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:15,440 The Bible says that the the shepherds. 224 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:17,320 Now I want you to understand this. 225 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:21,040 The first announcement of the birth of Jesus. 226 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:25,440 Who, who we know Christmas has a name and the name is not Santa 227 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:27,760 Claus. The name is not Buddy the Elf 228 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:31,800 that the name is not going to be found in in in Jingle all the 229 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:35,640 way that the name of Christmas is Jesus. 230 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:41,280 And this announcement came to the shepherds. 231 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:44,560 Now, now, if I had it my way, I would do it a little bit more 232 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:46,840 conventionally. If I was God. 233 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:53,680 And if I could, I would have brought this to royalty in Rome. 234 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:58,960 Announcement, a king has been born. 235 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:04,680 I would have gone to the high priest in Jerusalem and told 236 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:07,680 them the announcement that the shepherd was born. 237 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:10,760 I would have gone a little bit further. 238 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:14,040 I would have at least gone to King Herod in his palace. 239 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:16,560 Listen, Herod, you're not the king, buddy. 240 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:19,599 There's one who is greater than you. 241 00:17:19,599 --> 00:17:23,319 If I was God, I, I would have gone to the Pharisees and the 242 00:17:23,319 --> 00:17:26,960 scribes, the religious elite that were waiting for the 243 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,080 fulfillment of this prophecy. I would have went to those who 244 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:33,320 are praying and fasting for this moment that they were all 245 00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:36,240 waiting for, for the Messiah to come into the world. 246 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:42,720 But God, he moves in an unconventional way and he goes 247 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:49,000 directly to the shepherds. Now, this doesn't really jolt us 248 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:54,720 in 2025 when I tell you that God came to the shepherds because we 249 00:17:54,720 --> 00:18:02,400 don't know much about shepherds. Shepherds were on the lowest 250 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:06,160 rung of the ladder in the society. 251 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:15,080 They were so low, their testimony was not viable in the 252 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:20,320 court system. The shepherds were so at the 253 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:24,920 bottom of the barrel that they wouldn't be the people that you 254 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:30,640 were inviting over for dinner. Shepherds were considered 255 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:34,640 unclean. Unclean. 256 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:41,680 And in this moment is God bringing the message of 257 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:47,040 Christmas to those who are the marginalized and the outcast. 258 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:52,680 Amen. That is the message of 259 00:18:52,680 --> 00:19:01,120 Christmas. A crying baby in the Manger and 260 00:19:01,120 --> 00:19:04,120 the shepherd's receive this announcement. 261 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:11,000 The people who are at the lowest now understand shepherds smelled 262 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:15,760 like sheep. They didn't have the Gucci 263 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:21,240 Cologne, they didn't have the Ralph Lauren, they didn't have 264 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:29,560 the Estee Lauder Lauder Louder. They smelled like they're sheep. 265 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:34,760 Can I just give you, wherever you go in your life, just a word 266 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:36,880 for ministry? If your pastor doesn't smell 267 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:41,400 like they're sheep, they're probably not in close proximity 268 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,320 to them. Your pastor doesn't need another 269 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:48,600 bodyguard or armor bearer. We need we're, we're amongst the 270 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:54,280 sheep and we're in this moment where the shepherds are the 271 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:57,440 outcast and stained of their society. 272 00:19:57,680 --> 00:20:01,040 They couldn't even go into the temple and worship. 273 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:06,160 But God came to them in the fields. 274 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:14,280 So you might be asking, and I'm glad you are, not just to whom 275 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:17,080 this was given, but notice where they are. 276 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:22,800 Notice the Bible says in verse 8 that these shepherds were living 277 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:28,040 out in the fields. Notice that the shepherd was not 278 00:20:28,120 --> 00:20:31,600 this nine to five job. And then they would go home. 279 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:36,800 The shepherd was not someone who posted himself up out on the 280 00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:39,680 outside of his sheep necessarily. 281 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:45,960 They were actually living, notice this, out in the fields. 282 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:50,720 Now notice this, they were keeping watch over their flock 283 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:56,080 by night. So they live there 24/7. 284 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:58,600 And I want you to get this because this is important. 285 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:07,200 We're coming to shepherds who live in a field, and the field 286 00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:15,760 is filled with sheep. Don't miss us. 287 00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:23,680 The shepherds are living in the field, and the field is filled 288 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:31,320 with sheep. Normally when you're in the 289 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:37,520 field that's filled with sheep, it's also filled with other 290 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:39,880 stuff. Can I push it? 291 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:48,840 Can I push it a little bit? They're living in a field that's 292 00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:56,920 filled with sheep and some other stuff. 293 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:01,720 Sheep don't go shepherd. Can I use the restroom right 294 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,240 now? I'll, I'll go out into the porta 295 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:07,760 potty for lambs. No, they just drop it like it's 296 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:08,960 hot. Right where they're at. 297 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:12,120 They're right in the middle of that. 298 00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:15,000 And listen to where the shepherds are living. 299 00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:22,920 They're living right in the middle of all of this. 300 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:26,880 To whom is given the shepherds? Why? 301 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:32,840 Because every shepherd is worthy of the gift of Jesus. 302 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:36,480 And you might have come in here thinking I don't know if I'm 303 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:39,320 really worthy of this. I'm really saying that I really 304 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:42,920 smell. I have this, this about myself. 305 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:47,520 But but notice this, they're coming to the shepherds who are 306 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:53,200 in a field filled with sheep and they're also in that field. 307 00:22:53,360 --> 00:22:57,640 It's filled with stuff that it just might smell Where, where 308 00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:00,880 you're at today. It doesn't smell pretty. 309 00:23:01,360 --> 00:23:05,200 It doesn't smell attractive. It doesn't smell like something 310 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:09,960 where you are going, praise God, this Christmas, I'm here. 311 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:13,800 Anybody. No, you don't have to raise your 312 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:17,480 hand. Anybody find themselves this 313 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:23,560 season where you're wondering why am I here in that spot? 314 00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:26,760 This is exactly the unconventional people and 315 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:31,560 unconventional place that God meets the shepherds at. 316 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:37,520 Now notice this, they get a message and behold, an Angel of 317 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:40,880 the Lord stood before them. Can you imagine out? 318 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:44,760 There's no St. lights, there's no field lights, there's no 319 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:49,160 lights for them. It's pitch black, dark, and all 320 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:54,680 of a sudden an Angel of the Lord appears to them. 321 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:58,520 Now, when we think of angels, we often think of chubby, naked 322 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:03,160 little babies with wings. That's not a biblical account 323 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:07,200 for angels. Angels are warriors for God. 324 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:12,160 They're strong. They do spiritual battle for 325 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:15,160 God. Can you imagine this Angel in 326 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:19,720 the darkness of night comes and all of a sudden the glory of the 327 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:24,120 Lord shone around them. Notice the Bible doesn't say 328 00:24:24,120 --> 00:24:26,480 that the glory of the Lord shone on them. 329 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:30,280 The glory of the Lord shone around them. 330 00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:34,120 Because sometimes we need the glory of the Lord to cause us to 331 00:24:34,120 --> 00:24:39,400 look around and see what He's doing and what the glory of the 332 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:42,320 Lord is highlighting is everything that's happening 333 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:45,280 around them now. Sometimes we're like glory of 334 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:47,320 God. Let your glory shine on me. 335 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:50,920 The Bible says that God's glory is in you. 336 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:53,480 The the kabad of God is the temple. 337 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:56,920 But in this moment, the glory of the Lord shown around them. 338 00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:02,560 How many times do we need the light of God to determine the 339 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:06,280 lens of our life, to see and be thankful for everything that's 340 00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:09,840 happening around us? Sometimes we're such in the 341 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:12,680 thick of it, in a field that's filled with sheep and some other 342 00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:17,920 stuff, that we forget to notice what God is doing all around us. 343 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:23,000 Notice it's the glory of God that's shown around them and I 344 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:27,440 believe it is the glory of God that shines around you in your 345 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:31,160 life with this message, the Angel said to them, do not be 346 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:35,120 afraid. Notice the first mention in this 347 00:25:35,120 --> 00:25:39,600 area of the gospel is that you would not fear at all. 348 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:46,480 No noticing in your Bible right now recorded for us right now 349 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:52,640 where we're at, the word joy is used 139 times. 350 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:58,720 The word encouraged is used 145 times. 351 00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:06,360 The word peace is used 134 times, but the words fear not 352 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:12,000 are used 365 times in your Bible. 353 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:19,040 That is one fear not for every day that you choose to live and 354 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:22,960 this is the message to God that he would give to the the 355 00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:27,360 shepherds as do not be afraid for behold that this is I want 356 00:26:27,360 --> 00:26:29,360 you to pay attention. That's what the word behold 357 00:26:29,360 --> 00:26:32,000 means. I bring you notice this good 358 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:35,920 tidings of great joy which will be to all people, for there is 359 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:39,800 born to you this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ 360 00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:42,080 the Lord. In some of your Bible versions 361 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:46,360 it says unto you this day, but what the Bible is literally 362 00:26:46,360 --> 00:26:52,640 saying is this is for you. Come, I want you to see this is 363 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:58,360 for you. This is for you. 364 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:06,680 This is not just unto you. This is actually God is for you. 365 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:11,600 No, no notice if you would the the angels message for there is 366 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:16,320 born to you this day. This is for you today. 367 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:19,200 This is for you today in the city of David. 368 00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:22,240 We just learned about David, Saul. 369 00:27:22,360 --> 00:27:25,880 King Saul, the first king of Israel pointed to another king 370 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:29,960 by the name of David. David became in the city of 371 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:32,920 David as Jerusalem. David pointed to a greater king 372 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:35,880 who is Jesus. Do you see all of that coming 373 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:39,120 together from first Samuel into Luke chapter 2? 374 00:27:39,360 --> 00:27:42,320 And all of this is happening at a spot in a time. 375 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:45,480 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a 376 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:49,280 Savior. Notice this, who is Christ the 377 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:52,520 Lord. Now I know sometimes you, you 378 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:56,760 might take that the name of Jesus is Jesus Christ. 379 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:01,200 Jesus is his first name and Christ is his last name. 380 00:28:02,120 --> 00:28:05,880 That's not that's not right. We will correct that in our 381 00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:09,240 thinking. Jesus is Yahweh, God is 382 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:13,040 salvation. The word Christ is meaning. 383 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:20,600 He's the anointed one. The word Lord is meaning for us, 384 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:26,960 the one who is the curious, if I say that right, Dora, curious. 385 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:31,080 Thank you for correcting my Greek Curious. 386 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:33,880 The one who has absolute authority, the one who has 387 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:36,440 supreme strength, and the one who's in complete control. 388 00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:40,240 Now notice this. For unto you in the city of 389 00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:46,280 David, there's a Savior, who is Christ, the Anointed One, the 390 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:49,520 one who has absolute authority, supreme strength, and complete 391 00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:52,960 control. Interesting enough, during this 392 00:28:52,960 --> 00:29:01,880 time Caesar was called Lord. That's why the Apostle Paul 393 00:29:01,880 --> 00:29:04,240 would say in Philippians chapter 3 that one day every knee will 394 00:29:04,240 --> 00:29:07,760 bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is 395 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:10,520 Lord. When the new believers became 396 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:13,480 born again by the Spirit of God and they began to follow the 397 00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:21,120 way, which was Jesus's way, they stopped telling Caesar that he 398 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:24,520 is Lord. That's why they lost their heads 399 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:27,520 and they were thrown into the with the lions because they 400 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:32,840 would no longer confess that Caesar is Lord in this dark 401 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:34,640 time. That's unconventional in this 402 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:37,000 moment. Now the shepherd's 403 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:44,440 unconventional people here for the very first time that God is 404 00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:50,480 on their side. I don't know if you've ever 405 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:55,920 experienced that as a parent. My, my daughter, she came into 406 00:29:55,920 --> 00:30:00,480 our room and if you know me, I'm a very light sleeper. 407 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:02,200 So I get up real quick, like, what's wrong? 408 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:05,560 What's going on? She said, Daddy, I, I had a 409 00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:10,120 nightmare. She said, do you need to get you 410 00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:12,040 a glass of water? Do you want me to turn the light 411 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:14,800 on for you? She said no daddy, I just need 412 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:19,840 to sleep on your side and I'll be OK. 413 00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:27,760 The shepherds for the very first time would hear that God is on 414 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:34,160 their side. Real joy and real rest comes 415 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:39,120 from believing that God is still on my side. 416 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:42,040 Did you? Are you getting this? 417 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:44,280 Am I running out of time just yet? 418 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:47,280 Not yet. God is on your side. 419 00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:50,240 And it comes to such a place where they said to them, the 420 00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:56,600 Angel said there is a savior. Not another businessman, not 421 00:30:56,600 --> 00:31:01,360 another salesman, not another ruler or dictator, not just 422 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:07,000 another educator. There's a savior. 423 00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:13,640 The heart of the matter was the matter of my heart that God 424 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:20,720 would ransom by his own blood plainly through the baby that 425 00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:26,560 would be lying in the Manger. And he comes to this 426 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:29,000 unconventional people of shepherds. 427 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:33,680 He comes to this unconventional place in the field that's filled 428 00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:37,680 with sheep, and the sheep are leaving some other stuff, and he 429 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:40,480 gives them this unconventional message. 430 00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:43,120 This is not a normal message that shepherds would hear. 431 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:46,720 And I think a lot of our problems in life are the 432 00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:50,640 narratives that we've created in our own head that have not come 433 00:31:50,640 --> 00:31:55,480 from this book. We're believing a message that's 434 00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:59,000 not true. And in that moment, the 435 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:04,320 shepherds hear that Jesus has come. 436 00:32:04,760 --> 00:32:09,560 And in this place, the Bible gives us these words. 437 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:12,200 Verse 12, this will be assigned to you. 438 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:17,960 You'll find a babe wrapped in swallowing cloth lying in a 439 00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:20,560 Manger. Did you get that? 440 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:25,280 The angels didn't just say you need to go. 441 00:32:28,080 --> 00:32:30,320 You see all of this and you hear all of this. 442 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:32,960 The angels didn't say you need to go. 443 00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:36,000 All they said is this will be assigned to you. 444 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:40,480 You're going to find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloth lying 445 00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:49,320 in a Manger because the evidence of seeing all of this is going 446 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:54,840 to where Jesus is at. Now notice this, that this is 447 00:32:54,840 --> 00:33:00,600 important. All of the sudden, the Angel now 448 00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:05,440 breaks out into a multitude of heavenly host who are praising 449 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:10,160 God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace 450 00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:14,760 and goodwill toward men. Notice that one Angel now turns 451 00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:19,200 into hundreds of angels out in the field. 452 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:27,200 They're they're having worship in a field that's filled with 453 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:32,080 sheep, that's filled with some other stuff. 454 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:38,120 And the angels break out in song. 455 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:45,200 They begin to proclaim something that they don't even gain from, 456 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:50,840 and we're silent about how God has purchased us. 457 00:33:52,000 --> 00:33:58,240 You get that? The angels, they know God, but 458 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:04,200 they weren't ransomed by God. And they in the night sky 459 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:11,000 lighted up for the glory of God. But we who have been redeemed 460 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:19,000 and ransomed find it very hard to get in life to talk about the 461 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:23,480 one who's ransomed us. Why is that? 462 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:27,800 I believe it's not because you have fear. 463 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:33,120 It's because maybe we don't have a big enough view of Jesus. 464 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:43,719 The angels know God, and in this moment we can be so distracted 465 00:34:43,719 --> 00:34:49,679 in the season by some things that don't even matter. 466 00:34:52,679 --> 00:34:57,600 And you all are about to go into houses and invite people into 467 00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:03,400 your house that are offensive, that are rebellious, that don't 468 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:07,880 know Jesus. And you have an opportunity like 469 00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:13,680 the angels to bring the glory of God into that table. 470 00:35:15,240 --> 00:35:19,600 I was at a graduation party and I was in line and I, I looked 471 00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:22,600 over at this lady and I said, Oh, are you, are you a born 472 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:27,800 again Christian? Because she was connected to 473 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:29,680 this family. And so I was just out of the 474 00:35:29,680 --> 00:35:30,880 blue. I was talking to her and then it 475 00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:35,800 got into the Christianity and, and then she started, I asked 476 00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:37,960 her another question because I wanted to kind of poke the bear. 477 00:35:40,480 --> 00:35:43,120 I said, oh, who did you vote for the last election? 478 00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:54,560 I wanted to stir up some type of conversation that that does, so 479 00:35:54,560 --> 00:35:57,520 listen, she told me in line she saw there's two things I don't 480 00:35:57,520 --> 00:36:03,640 talk about, religion and politics. 481 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:08,080 I said, I just want to talk about your eternity. 482 00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:16,080 Don't ask that question. That's probably not the best 483 00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:19,720 question I could have asked her. But can I encourage you this 484 00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:23,360 Christmas? Ask questions, ask some 485 00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:27,200 questions. If you were to die today, do you 486 00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:28,680 know if you'd spend eternity in heaven? 487 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:30,720 Do you have any spiritual beliefs? 488 00:36:30,720 --> 00:36:32,600 Do you believe in a heaven? Do you believe in a hell? 489 00:36:34,520 --> 00:36:37,600 If you were wrong about your beliefs, because there's a big 490 00:36:37,600 --> 00:36:39,400 thing going around right now that people are saying they're 491 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:41,040 spiritual, what does that even mean? 492 00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:44,360 I'm just spiritual. That means they believe in 493 00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:47,880 rocks, they believe in leaves, they believe in trees, they 494 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:51,040 believe in Allah, who is not God. 495 00:36:51,760 --> 00:36:54,360 They believe in Buddha, who's not God. 496 00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:58,000 But they immediately when you bring up the name of Jesus, it's 497 00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:00,760 like all the hairs on the back just go up. 498 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:05,720 You know why? Because Christmas and preaching 499 00:37:05,720 --> 00:37:09,520 Christ is an act of spiritual warfare. 500 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:14,360 The angels came in the darkness of night. 501 00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:18,480 That's when they came. And I wonder if you find 502 00:37:18,480 --> 00:37:21,880 yourself in that same darkness even now, in the darkness of 503 00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:27,400 this night, that all of a sudden the angels are now surrounding. 504 00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:32,280 And all of the sudden, notice this happened when at night God 505 00:37:32,360 --> 00:37:36,640 takes his direct GPS and he knows exactly where the 506 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:38,440 shepherds are. They're not in the temple. 507 00:37:38,840 --> 00:37:41,920 They're not making sacrifices. They're out of in the field 508 00:37:41,920 --> 00:37:46,440 filled with sheep and some other stuff, and God knows exactly 509 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:50,680 where they're at. I've been so moved recently by 510 00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:56,960 the story of Hagar. The promised son was coming 511 00:37:56,960 --> 00:38:00,520 through a woman by the name of Sarah and Abraham. 512 00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:04,200 Hagar was the woman that Sarah said. 513 00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:06,840 Hey, let's have a quick a response to this. 514 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:11,320 We do need children. And here's my maidservant and I 515 00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:15,200 want you to have a baby with her. 516 00:38:15,880 --> 00:38:18,680 So the baby is born by the name of Ishmael. 517 00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:28,000 Sarah treats Hagar in a in a way of provoking her and it says 518 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:30,760 that Hagar is out running away. She's hungry. 519 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:39,920 And the Bible gives God a name in that story, El Roy, the God 520 00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:49,240 who sees the God saw Hagar. God saw the shepherds. 521 00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:54,400 God saw where they were at. God saw that they were outcast 522 00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:56,960 and marginalized. God saw the dirt. 523 00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:01,440 And all the sudden the Lord says you're going to find a babe 524 00:39:01,440 --> 00:39:03,880 wrapped in swaddling cloth lying in a Manger. 525 00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:07,880 And all of a sudden this praising breaks forth. 526 00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:12,360 And when it was when the angels had gone away that they stayed 527 00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:16,720 in the fields marveling at what God had done. 528 00:39:16,720 --> 00:39:20,800 Nope. They stayed in the sanctuary. 529 00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:23,640 And they said that was great to do outreach at the parade. 530 00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:27,840 We stayed in the sanctuary and said, oh man, we've experienced 531 00:39:27,840 --> 00:39:30,320 Jesus today. You know what they did when they 532 00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:32,720 saw the angels and the angels left? 533 00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:35,120 The Bible says that they said this. 534 00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:38,520 Let us now go to Bethlehem. Why? 535 00:39:39,360 --> 00:39:42,880 Because we need to see this thing that's come to pass that 536 00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:47,280 the Lord has made known to us. What the religious elite missed, 537 00:39:47,360 --> 00:39:52,080 the shepherds found because God found them. 538 00:39:54,320 --> 00:39:57,080 And in that moment, notice what happens. 539 00:39:57,680 --> 00:40:02,840 The Lord comes directly to where they're at, and they go from 540 00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:05,880 where they're at and they go directly to Bethlehem. 541 00:40:05,880 --> 00:40:07,360 Now. Now, here's the irony of the 542 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:08,320 story. Are you ready? 543 00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:15,880 They didn't even take a shower. They didn't get cleaned up. 544 00:40:19,240 --> 00:40:24,960 Now, if I'm invited to go see President Trump or Marco Rubio 545 00:40:24,960 --> 00:40:28,800 or. An official at Glendora, you're 546 00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:33,600 going to be sure that I'm going to wash up and get clean because 547 00:40:33,600 --> 00:40:39,600 the last thing that I want to smell like when I see Jesus is 548 00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:43,800 dirty. They didn't take a shower. 549 00:40:44,960 --> 00:40:47,960 The Bible says that when they heard these things, they said to 550 00:40:47,960 --> 00:40:51,360 each other, let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing and 551 00:40:51,360 --> 00:40:53,480 they came with haste. It doesn't say that they clean 552 00:40:53,480 --> 00:40:55,360 themselves up. They just came. 553 00:40:56,160 --> 00:40:57,680 And guess what they smelled like? 554 00:41:00,520 --> 00:41:04,720 They smelled like other stuff. They smelled like sheep. 555 00:41:06,120 --> 00:41:13,120 But where was Jesus born? In a Manger filled with animals, 556 00:41:14,240 --> 00:41:18,520 possibly even sheep? And could it be them even coming 557 00:41:18,520 --> 00:41:23,840 into this place at that place also smelled like sheep and some 558 00:41:23,840 --> 00:41:26,960 other stuff. God's not saying I want you just 559 00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:29,480 to clean everything up real quick and come. 560 00:41:29,720 --> 00:41:35,320 He's just saying just just come, just come, just come and, and I 561 00:41:35,320 --> 00:41:37,400 want you to come. So, so where, where does all of 562 00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:40,360 this lead me? Because it's so important in in 563 00:41:40,360 --> 00:41:44,480 my life that that I understand where, where did all of this 564 00:41:44,480 --> 00:41:46,840 take the shepherds in this unconventional way? 565 00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:48,720 Here's where it took the shepherds. 566 00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:52,040 They begin a journey towards Jesus. 567 00:41:53,720 --> 00:41:58,240 Even though God calls us in the field, he calls us to go to the 568 00:41:58,240 --> 00:42:02,320 Manger. I got to say that again because 569 00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:08,360 I think that just flew over your head like a like like a rocket. 570 00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:13,400 Even though God calls us in a field, he calls us to go to the 571 00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:17,400 Manger. And the shepherds had the 572 00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:21,040 audacity to go and see Jesus dirty. 573 00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:25,920 Isn't that the way of the Good Shepherd? 574 00:42:27,520 --> 00:42:32,600 He calls us in all of our dirt and he washes us with all of his 575 00:42:32,600 --> 00:42:36,800 grace. So unconventional. 576 00:42:37,800 --> 00:42:42,720 And here Jesus moves them from the field to the Manger. 577 00:42:43,960 --> 00:42:48,600 And as they go to the Manger, they journey, notice this, to 578 00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:50,880 Jesus. Can I just submit this to you? 579 00:42:52,840 --> 00:42:55,320 God's not looking for your perfection, but he is looking 580 00:42:55,320 --> 00:43:00,960 for your progress. They journeyed to Jesus and they 581 00:43:00,960 --> 00:43:06,960 came to Jesus. And then all those who heard it, 582 00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:09,400 they marveled at the things which the shepherds told them. 583 00:43:09,400 --> 00:43:12,120 So not only did they begin this journey to Jesus, they, they 584 00:43:12,120 --> 00:43:15,080 began to, if you're taking note, they share what they saw. 585 00:43:16,080 --> 00:43:18,960 They share what they saw and the people are marvelling. 586 00:43:18,960 --> 00:43:23,440 And then when the shepherds returned, they returned 587 00:43:23,600 --> 00:43:30,280 rejoicing and praising God. But notice this, although they 588 00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:33,160 journey to Jesus and they share what they saw. 589 00:43:33,920 --> 00:43:36,400 I want you to write this down. They returned rejoicing. 590 00:43:37,600 --> 00:43:42,600 Where did they return back to? They returned back to that same 591 00:43:42,600 --> 00:43:48,520 field, filled with the same sheep and filled with the same 592 00:43:48,800 --> 00:43:54,480 other stuff. They returned back to the same 593 00:43:54,680 --> 00:43:59,960 exact place. Just because they experienced 594 00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:05,680 Jesus did not mean that the place that they went back to 595 00:44:05,680 --> 00:44:10,160 changed, but their perspective changed in the place they were 596 00:44:10,160 --> 00:44:19,720 going back to. So in a world that is waiting 597 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:29,320 for some people to hold up your joy and it feels so deflated 598 00:44:29,320 --> 00:44:33,280 today, the only way joy can be really experienced is to be 599 00:44:33,280 --> 00:44:38,240 grounded and founded in the person of Jesus Christ. 600 00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:43,840 I was reading the story of a man by the name of William Cowper. 601 00:44:45,840 --> 00:44:51,000 He lived at a time that he was working with a man by the name 602 00:44:51,000 --> 00:44:58,120 of John Wesley. William Calper lost his mom at 603 00:44:58,120 --> 00:45:01,880 six years old. Severely bullied. 604 00:45:03,200 --> 00:45:09,480 Severely bullied in his 20s. He was placed in an insane 605 00:45:09,480 --> 00:45:12,240 asylum because he attempted suicide three times with his 606 00:45:12,240 --> 00:45:18,640 life. He met Jesus in that insane 607 00:45:18,640 --> 00:45:25,480 asylum the very first time, and he wrote this hymn that John 608 00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:32,000 Wesley made very popular. It begins like this, that God 609 00:45:32,240 --> 00:45:39,960 moves in mysterious ways. He was saved. 610 00:45:41,680 --> 00:45:45,480 He was delivered. He wrote worship songs. 611 00:45:45,600 --> 00:45:49,280 He came out of this insane asylum. 10 years later, he's 612 00:45:49,280 --> 00:45:51,720 still battling depression severely. 613 00:45:53,280 --> 00:45:55,960 He tried to commit suicide another 10 times. 614 00:45:59,280 --> 00:46:06,040 He ended up drowning. And what I want you to know in 615 00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:13,520 all of this from the testimony of his life, is that God still 616 00:46:13,520 --> 00:46:19,600 moves in mysterious ways. And if you want to read the 617 00:46:19,600 --> 00:46:24,040 words of that hymn, look it up, do some homework. 618 00:46:25,800 --> 00:46:31,760 But even in depression and panic and anxiety, God receives your 619 00:46:31,760 --> 00:46:36,520 praise. And so we come into this 620 00:46:36,520 --> 00:46:42,040 Christmas season, for some of us a bit deflated, for some of us a 621 00:46:42,040 --> 00:46:45,080 bit dirty, for some of us even a bit depressed. 622 00:46:46,400 --> 00:46:50,400 And in that moment, God saying, I want to meet you there because 623 00:46:50,400 --> 00:46:55,160 I am the God of the unconventional and I am still 624 00:46:55,160 --> 00:46:59,080 moving, even though you don't see it at all. 625 00:47:00,800 --> 00:47:03,400 We hope you enjoyed this message and we'd love for you to join us 626 00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:05,560 in person every Sunday at 10:30 AM. 627 00:47:06,080 --> 00:47:07,960 For more information and updates, visit 628 00:47:07,960 --> 00:47:10,600 wearebridgetown.com. Thanks for tuning in and we'll 629 00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:11,440 see you next week.