1 00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:05,000 To all of you joining at all of our different locations, to 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:09,240 those of you watching online and inside, from our family to 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:14,760 yours, Merry Christmas. I also want to wish a very 4 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:19,880 special Merry Christmas to our newest location launching right 5 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:27,120 now in Weaver, Iowa. I'm getting reports that it is 6 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:29,800 standing room only in that place right now. 7 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:38,160 To those of you in Weaver, we have been praying for you. 8 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:41,920 We have been rooting for you. And we are in your corner as you 9 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:45,320 try to make that region the hardest place on planet Earth to 10 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:48,280 get the hell from. And we are so glad to have you a 11 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:50,600 part of this community of believers. 12 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:53,800 They are some of the very best people on planet Earth. 13 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:58,440 Now, when it comes to Christmas, I believe that all people fall 14 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:02,320 into one of three categories, and I'm going to have you 15 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:06,880 identify which category you are in before I tell you whether or 16 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:11,240 not you are wrong. No lying if you are the first 17 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,600 group of people are the people who they decorate their house 18 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:17,320 for Christmas. They decorate the outside, they 19 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:20,720 decorate the inside. They go way beyond a tree with 20 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:24,240 some lights and some ornaments. They have some totes in their 21 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:26,800 house that they pack up all their Christmas stuff. 22 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:29,800 And if you are a Christmas decorator at all of our 23 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:32,080 locations, would you put your hand up so we can see you? 24 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:35,280 God bless you. We're so thankful for you. 25 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:39,680 If it wasn't for you, those of us in Group number two would not 26 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:42,800 have as great of a Christmas. Group 2 are the people who we 27 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:46,160 just put up a tree and some ornaments and a couple lights on 28 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:48,440 the tree, but we don't do anything with the house. 29 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:52,080 We just drive around and admire your handiwork. 30 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:54,040 How many of you are in Group number two? 31 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,480 God bless you. These are my people on my 32 00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:00,200 neighborhood. I, my house is the one that is 33 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:04,800 the least decorated. Now there is group #3 these are 34 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:08,800 the people who decorate their house for Christmas, and then 35 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:13,680 they drive around and judge all the other houses where those 36 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:15,720 bold people at. You guys are liars. 37 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:19,520 OK, now to those of you in Group number two, it's Christmas. 38 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:22,240 And when it's Christmas, it's customary for there to be an 39 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,840 exchange of gifts. And I came today bearing gifts 40 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,480 to those of you who are in Group number two, or for those of you 41 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:34,040 who are in Group number one who want to save yourself some time 42 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:36,400 next year. There are a couple ideas that 43 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:39,640 I've curated over the years that I think might be advantageous 44 00:02:39,640 --> 00:02:42,480 for you as you plan your 2025 Christmas. 45 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:47,120 Here is solution number one. To those of you who live next to 46 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,600 somebody who goes all out, all you have to do to decorate is 47 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,720 just put a little Ditto sign with an arrow pointing to your 48 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:57,000 obnoxious neighbour. The best part of this is you can 49 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,640 do this for like 150 bucks at Home Depot and your house on the 50 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:03,880 neighbourhood will be the house that everybody else talks about. 51 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:06,800 So that neighbour who's going above and beyond is just going 52 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:09,400 to get made fun of by everybody else on the neighbourhood. 53 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:11,840 This is a Gold Star move if you want to take it. 54 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:14,320 Now, for those of you who are going, I want a little bit more 55 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:18,040 of a festive arc to my creative decorating for Christmas. 56 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:21,400 I've got a solution for you. Check out this guy. 57 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:25,560 This person's a pure genius. Here's what you have to do. 58 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,240 You just have to get yourself a Grinch sign hanging out there. 59 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:30,720 Hang some lights, make it look like the Grinch is in fact, 60 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:32,320 stealing Christmas. And people are going to be like, 61 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:33,920 you're so witty, you're so clever. 62 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:35,480 I don't know why I didn't think of this. 63 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:38,000 Now, here's a couple failures that this guy made. 64 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:41,920 He put some of the lights on the roof, which means he had to get 65 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:44,000 a ladder out. This is not, We don't want to 66 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:46,480 decorate with ladders. Here's what he should have done. 67 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:48,880 He should have gone to Home Depot or Lowe's or Menards or 68 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:52,040 wherever it is that you guys go, and he should have just got the 69 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,280 lights, didn't even unwrap them out-of-the-box. 70 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:57,040 Just pull the box off, plug them in and just Chuck them over the 71 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:00,040 bushes and you're done. 30 seconds and you're the talk of 72 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:02,520 the neighborhood. However, one of my all time 73 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:05,440 favorite decoration stories when it comes to getting your house 74 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:07,960 ready for Christmas comes from an Austin family. 75 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:12,520 In 2018, they lived in Austin, TX and they decided that they 76 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:17,000 wanted to win their neighborhood Christmas decorating contest and 77 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:20,519 they went all out. They took a page out of National 78 00:04:20,519 --> 00:04:24,240 Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. You know, where Clark Griswold 79 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:27,600 is clinging to the gutter on the second floor of his home after 80 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:29,680 he's been putting the lights all over the roof. 81 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:35,680 And this is what they created. This is a top tier job. 82 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:40,840 In fact, they did such a good job that a man was walking by 83 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:45,520 while everybody was at work and he saw the dummy hanging from 84 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:50,040 the roof and he ran to help. He tries to start moving the 85 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:53,160 ladder to get the guy to get the ladder in place, but the ladder 86 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:54,680 is he's having a difficult time with it. 87 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:58,080 He's screaming and shouting at the dummy hanging from the roof 88 00:04:58,280 --> 00:05:00,640 and getting no reply. So he pulls out his phone. 89 00:05:00,840 --> 00:05:04,800 He calls 911 and they start sending help to this house. 90 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:08,720 While he's on the phone with with 911, he goes out into the 91 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,240 street and starts stopping traffic to get people and help 92 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:16,040 him on his rescue mission. All of this is caught on their 93 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:20,160 Ring doorbell, and so they can see this entire rescue effort 94 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:24,720 going for this guy who appears to just be barely hanging on. 95 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:28,040 I don't know what's been going on in your life over the past 96 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:31,040 year, the past month, or maybe even the last week. 97 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,880 But I'm willing to wager that in a couple areas of your life, if 98 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:37,800 you were to be honest, you have a lot in common with Clark 99 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,560 Griswold. You're just barely hanging on. 100 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:44,760 You've been trying to do life right, and it just doesn't seem 101 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:47,200 to be going your way. And if you were to describe 102 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:50,320 yourself today as you sit here listening to my voice, you would 103 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:53,480 say, Clayton, I'm just hanging on. 104 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:56,440 Maybe for some of you, it's at work. 105 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:58,160 You have the best of intentions at work. 106 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:00,720 And if you're being honest, though, the way work has kind of 107 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:03,320 been going, you're just hanging on. 108 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:06,800 Maybe some of you are, you have the best of goals when it came 109 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:09,800 to your finances, but the way things have kind of worked 110 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:12,440 themselves out as the year progressed, if you were to 111 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:15,120 describe yourself financially right now, you'd go, I'm just, 112 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:18,920 I'm just kind of hanging on. For some of you, it might be 113 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:20,360 cutting a little bit deeper than that. 114 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:22,880 You have the highest of hopes for your marriage. 115 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:27,080 But if you were to be honest about what's going on in your 116 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:30,480 marriage right now, either you would say or you're pretty sure 117 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:35,760 your spouse would say, we're just barely hanging on some of 118 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:37,760 you. You had the highest of dreams 119 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:41,880 when it came to your kids and your parenting, but based off 120 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:44,400 the way things have been going recently, you're going when it 121 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:47,720 comes to my relationship with my kids or my kids relationship 122 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:51,440 with God, I feel like I'm just barely hanging on. 123 00:06:52,280 --> 00:06:54,880 For some of you, it might be when it comes to your health, 124 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:56,400 you've had all the right disciplines. 125 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:59,080 You've been doing the right things and eating the right 126 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:01,600 things. But the recent test results came 127 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:03,240 back. And if you had to describe your 128 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:06,960 health right now, you would say, well, the tests say that I'm 129 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:10,720 just barely hanging on. Some of you, you remember having 130 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:13,920 deep, rich, abundant relationships. 131 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:17,920 But over time, things are fading relationally. 132 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,080 Isolation is setting in. And if you were to describe 133 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:25,080 yourself relationally right now, you would say, Clayton, I'm, I'm 134 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:28,440 barely hanging on. And the sad truth is that the 135 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:34,120 longer you hang on, the more weary you become. 136 00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:38,240 I don't have to prove it to you. You guys already know this. 137 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:41,720 There is no hiding the fact that behind all the Christmas lights 138 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:44,320 and Christmas carols and Christmas cards arriving at your 139 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:48,520 house and behind all the presents underneath the tree, we 140 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:51,760 are a weary people living in a weary world. 141 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:55,760 Maybe that is what was in the mind of a French wine 142 00:07:55,760 --> 00:08:00,480 distributor outside of Paris by the name of Placid when he wrote 143 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:05,400 a poem called Cantique de Noel in 1847. 144 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:10,280 The poem was eventually turned into a song that would captivate 145 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:14,600 a country, bring peace for a night in the middle of a war, be 146 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:18,360 banned by the French Catholic Church, become a rally cry for 147 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:21,880 the North in the middle of the Civil war, and eventually become 148 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:26,440 a favorite at Christmas Eve services all around the globe. 149 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:29,960 The song? Well, you already know it. 150 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:35,600 It is Oh holy night. And the first verse goes like 151 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:40,039 this. O holy night, the stars are 152 00:08:40,039 --> 00:08:43,480 brightly shining. It is the night of our dear 153 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:50,160 Savior's birth. Long lay the world in sin and 154 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:57,120 error, pining till he appeared, and the soul felt its worth. 155 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:01,720 A thrill of hope. The weary world rejoices, For 156 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:05,800 Yonder breaks a new and glorious mourn. 157 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:13,840 Fall on your knees, O hear the Angel voices, O night divine. 158 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:22,920 O night when Christ was born, O night, O holy night, O night 159 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:27,440 divine. It took me days to write this 160 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:30,840 message. Even though I don't know all of 161 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:34,680 you in an inexplicable way, I love you deeply. 162 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:39,480 I care about your hurts and your hang ups, your questions, your 163 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:42,200 doubts, your struggles, your pain. 164 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:45,720 I care about your marriages and your parenting and your friends 165 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:48,320 who don't know Jesus. And I know that there are some 166 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:50,920 of you listening to my voice right now and you are already 167 00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:53,440 looking at the clock on your phone going when is this going 168 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:55,280 to be over? But I know that there are others 169 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:58,320 of you in here who are in need of something, anything, in a 170 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:02,240 desperate kind of way. Plus, he wrote this poem that 171 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:07,320 became a song as he was reading Luke chapter 2, which describes 172 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:10,840 the birth of Jesus. And no wonder he begins by 173 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:15,520 calling it a holy night because this was no ordinary night. 174 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:18,000 Something special, something extraordinary, something 175 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:22,720 different, something special, something divine, something holy 176 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:26,120 about that night. You see, for far too long the 177 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:32,120 world has been and the world was wrapped in sin and error. 178 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:35,160 And we see that everywhere we look. 179 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:40,160 We see the pain and the chaos caused by sin, and we see it the 180 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:43,760 easiest in others. It's so easy to point out the 181 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:48,240 failures and the shortcomings in our politicians, in our bosses, 182 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:52,920 in our spouse, in our kids, in our friends. 183 00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:58,440 However, the more mature of us realize our own failures, our 184 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:04,160 own shortcomings, our own sins and the pain that it causes. 185 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:09,240 Maybe that is why Placid uses the word pining. 186 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:15,320 Long lay the world in sin and error pining. 187 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:19,640 It carries with this this connotation of a deep physical 188 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:24,000 and mental decline because of a broken heart. 189 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:29,440 He sees no more than that. He feels the mental and physical 190 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:33,040 decline because he has a broken heart. 191 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:42,080 And maybe, maybe you do too. Then in one line, the poem, 192 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:46,160 which would become a song, takes flight from the lowest of lows 193 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:51,120 to the highest of highs. Till he appeared and the soul 194 00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:56,240 felt It's worth. There are a lot of places for 195 00:11:56,240 --> 00:12:02,280 you and I to find our worth. Some of us, we find our worth in 196 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:04,600 our job. The joy of the promotion, 197 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:07,640 finally getting the job we've been working our whole life to 198 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:09,920 get. And we find our worth increases, 199 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:13,240 Our responsibilities increase. But what happens when you no 200 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:16,640 longer have the job? What happens when you lose the 201 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:19,600 job? What happens to your worth then? 202 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:25,600 If your worth is in your job? Some of us, we find it in our 203 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:28,880 money. We find our worth is tied to how 204 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:31,680 much we make. And we enjoy the cars and the 205 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:35,800 houses and the vacations and the clothes and the freedom and the 206 00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:38,360 margin. But what happens to your hope? 207 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:43,080 What happens to your worth when you don't make what you used to 208 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:46,440 make and you can't do what you used to do and you can't afford 209 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:48,720 what you used to be able to afford? 210 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:52,600 And if your if your worth is tied to what you make, what 211 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:55,400 happens when you don't make it anymore? 212 00:12:57,040 --> 00:13:01,360 Some of us, we find our worth in our marriage. 213 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:07,040 We finally got somebody to agree to spend the rest of their life 214 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:12,200 with us. You got somebody to look at you 215 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:15,720 and say, till death does US part. 216 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:19,920 And then many years later, you find out that the math that they 217 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:23,880 were using was different than the math that you were using. 218 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:29,680 And if your worth is tied to your marital status, what 219 00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:33,400 happens when you no longer have marital status? 220 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:38,040 Some of us, we find it in our health, but what happens when 221 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:45,680 our bodies begin to fail us? If your worth is tied to your 222 00:13:45,680 --> 00:13:49,000 health, what happens when you get the diagnosis? 223 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:52,400 Maybe for some of us, it isn't our health that we're concerned 224 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:55,480 about, but we are definitely concerned about our looks. 225 00:13:56,760 --> 00:13:59,320 And right now, I'm going to speak especially to those of you 226 00:13:59,680 --> 00:14:04,240 in your 20s and 30s Enjoy it. You guys look great. 227 00:14:04,560 --> 00:14:07,600 We're super happy for you. But I want you to know what day 228 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:11,000 is coming, where there's going to be a line item for makeup in 229 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:14,880 your budget, and the clothes that you like right now from the 230 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:18,280 place where you like to get them will stop carrying your size. 231 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:22,800 You're going to have to find another store like a farm and 232 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:27,080 home. Hi, I hope Carhartt makes these. 233 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:30,920 What happens when gravity begins to win? 234 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:37,160 All of a sudden you look in the mirror and what is looking at 235 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:40,880 you in the mirror doesn't look like what it used to look like. 236 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:45,960 The mirror hasn't changed. You have, and if your worth was 237 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:49,920 tied in how you looked, what happens to your worth when your 238 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:55,280 looks change? Some of us, we find it in our 239 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:58,240 athletic achievements. But I got to be honest with you, 240 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:01,880 I don't see a lot of 40 year old men going into work wearing 241 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:03,480 their letterman's jacket anymore. 242 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:08,120 I was talking to AD 1 football player who played a full with 243 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:13,120 played fullback and he had spent his entire life excelling at 244 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:17,760 football and it had led him to the D1 stage. 245 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:21,000 It was there that he had scholarships and he got 246 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:23,760 preferential treatment when he walked into the training room 247 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:25,840 and people wanted to talk to him when he was on his way to 248 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:28,840 classes and schools want to invite him in so kids could get 249 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:32,280 something autographed by him. But then in the senior year, he 250 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:35,960 suffers a career ending injury and he came into my office and 251 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:38,920 he was talking to me because he didn't know what to do. 252 00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:43,800 For his entire life he had introduced himself with his name 253 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:48,800 and then he would talk about him being a football player and he 254 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:52,760 had never introduced himself without the next sentence. 255 00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:59,480 And he was trying to figure out what to do with his worth 256 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:05,160 because his worth had been tied up in football and football was 257 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:11,320 no longer a part of his life. Some of you are listening right 258 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:14,080 now and you're going, Hey, Clayton, real quick, This is 259 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:16,480 Christmas Eve and we came here for a good pick me up. 260 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:19,200 We want to smile. We kind of want to get out of 261 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:21,120 here. And right now, all you've 262 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:24,280 successfully done is made us very frustrated and depressed. 263 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:29,840 Good. I wanted every single person in 264 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:34,440 here good and lost with the hopes that some of you might be 265 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:38,760 saved. I am so I'm glad that you are 266 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:41,320 here today because I want you to know this. 267 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:45,880 Your worth is not found in the things of this world. 268 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:51,520 Your worth is found in the fact that God came down. 269 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,160 And when you realize that God came down for you, you will 270 00:16:55,160 --> 00:17:00,960 finally realize your worth. Till he appeared, and the soul 271 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:05,200 felt it's worth. Little Johnny was in Sunday 272 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:09,280 school class and he was learning about the Bible as you do in 273 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:12,920 Sunday school class, and the teacher was taking them through 274 00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:16,480 the creation narrative. And so he heard the teacher talk 275 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:18,960 about how God spoken to the expanse. 276 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:22,640 And all of a sudden there were Suns and moons and stars and 277 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:25,280 galaxies, and God continued to speak. 278 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:28,480 And there was water and there was land, and there were birds 279 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:31,200 and there were fish and there were animals. 280 00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:34,520 And then God went about making man, and he spooled the dust 281 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:38,760 together and breathed into his nostrils, and Adam became a 282 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:42,520 living being. And then God went to make Eve 283 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:46,320 Adam's wife, and he pulled one of the ribs that he had given 284 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:49,120 Adam, and out of that rib he made woman. 285 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:53,000 And Johnny, like most young boys, wasn't paying that much 286 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:54,400 attention. But he was paying enough 287 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:58,120 attention that day that later on in the week, his mom came into 288 00:17:58,120 --> 00:18:01,200 the living room and saw Johnny laying on the floor clutching 289 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:03,680 his side. She could tell that he wasn't 290 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:05,280 feeling well. And she goes, Johnny, what's 291 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:08,200 wrong? He goes, mom, I got a pain in my 292 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:10,520 side. I think I'm going to have a 293 00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:14,600 wife. You know what I love about that 294 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:19,440 story? It's because Johnny believed 295 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:22,680 God. And I want you to know Johnny's 296 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:25,440 not the only person who believes that God is who he says he is 297 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:28,160 and will do what he says he will do and has done what he has done 298 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:31,400 on our behalf. I believe it too. 299 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:35,960 That's why when it says in John chapter 3 verse 16, which many 300 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:41,960 of you know these words, for God so loved the world that he gave 301 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:49,240 his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall 302 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:53,680 not perish but have eternal life. 303 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:58,000 You need to know that when the Bible says it, I believe it. 304 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:03,120 I believe that God loves you and that your worth can be found in 305 00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:04,760 him. And I know that there are some 306 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:06,760 of you right now who are going whoever. 307 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:11,640 You can't possibly mean whoever. Clayton Oh, yes, I do. 308 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:15,080 I believe that whoever believes in Jesus can be saved. 309 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:17,480 Why? I'll tell you why. 310 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:21,360 Because God said it, Jesus showed it, the Holy Spirit 311 00:19:21,360 --> 00:19:24,800 sealed it, the apostles preached it, and I've seen it. 312 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:28,360 So can I talk to for just a second to all the whoever's that 313 00:19:28,360 --> 00:19:31,480 are listening to my voice, to the whoever's who have ever told 314 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:34,360 a lie, and to the whoever's are living a lie. 315 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:37,800 If you believe in Jesus, you can be saved. 316 00:19:38,120 --> 00:19:42,360 Your worth can be found in him that God came down on your 317 00:19:42,360 --> 00:19:44,200 behalf. To the whoever's that are 318 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:47,520 listening to my voice right now that have been divorced, going 319 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:50,040 through a divorce or contemplating one. 320 00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:53,480 To the whoever's out there. If you believe in Jesus, you can 321 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:55,840 be saved. To those of you who have 322 00:19:55,960 --> 00:20:00,440 whoever's been a bully and to whoever has been bullied. 323 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:04,960 To the whoever's. To the whoever's who have been 324 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:08,000 abused. To whoever's are being abused 325 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:13,120 and to the whoever's who are being the abuser, God sent His 326 00:20:13,120 --> 00:20:17,920 son down so that you and I could find our worth and our hope in 327 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:19,640 him. To the whoever's that are 328 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:23,600 listening to my voice right now. To whoever has been addicted, is 329 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:27,360 still battling their addiction, or is in denial about their 330 00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:29,200 addiction. To the whoever's. 331 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:33,040 I came today to preach a very simple message to the whoever's. 332 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:35,840 To the whoever's who have had it all and lost it, and to the 333 00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:38,120 whoever's who have never had anything to lose. 334 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:41,040 To the whoever's who have had nasty things said about you 335 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:45,440 online and you think that your value is based on what other 336 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:48,480 people have said about you. I'm here today to tell you that 337 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:51,680 your value is not found and what others people say about you but 338 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:54,600 about what God said about you when he sent his son. 339 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:58,200 And I also came to deliver a message to the whoever's are the 340 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:02,720 ones that say the nasty things. Your sin does not have to define 341 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:05,040 you. Jesus death on the cross can 342 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:08,120 define you and you can be made right and righteous in him. 343 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:10,760 I came to preach a message to the whoever's. 344 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:14,440 To the whoever's that are struggling with faith and doubt. 345 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:17,160 To the whoever's who have more questions than they have 346 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:18,400 answers. To those of you. 347 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:21,160 To the whoever's that are navigating depression and 348 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:26,000 anxiety and fear and isolation. To the whoever's that are mad at 349 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:30,680 God don't believe in him. To the whoever's who don't want 350 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:34,400 anything to do with him. To the whoever's who have been 351 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:38,640 running from God. I came to talk to the whoever's, 352 00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:44,440 to the whoever's who have been hurt, still hurting, and to the 353 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:49,800 whoever's who caused the hurt. To those of you that are in 354 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:57,760 pain, and to those of you who caused it, God ripped open 355 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:02,800 heaven and sent his Son so that you could know your worth and 356 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:06,360 experience his love. No wonder the very next line. 357 00:22:06,360 --> 00:22:08,520 And the song says, the thrill of hope. 358 00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:12,600 The weary world rejoices. For Yonder breaks a new and 359 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:16,400 glorious mourn, because our worth is found in Him. 360 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:19,120 Why is this weary world rejoicing? 361 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:22,120 Why are we experiencing this new and glorious mourn? 362 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:26,200 Because on that night, that holy night, that divine night, the 363 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:29,320 thing that you and I and desperately needed came, A 364 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:33,840 Savior was born. And he is Christ the King. 365 00:22:34,120 --> 00:22:37,880 And because our worth is found in him, the God who knows 366 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:44,680 everything about us, all of our secrets, all of our sins, 367 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:49,360 knowing everything that is wrong about us, knowing everything 368 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:54,680 that would make other people run from us, our worth is found that 369 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:59,920 God saw it and sent the answer to it and his Son, Jesus Christ. 370 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:06,080 And this new and glorious mourn exists because hope has entered 371 00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:13,080 the world in 19 O 6. Reginald Fessenden was a 33 year 372 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:15,440 old university professor in Pittsburgh. 373 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:19,200 He was also the former chief chemist for Thomas Edison. 374 00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:23,600 And on a Christmas Eve night, he did something long thought 375 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:27,640 impossible because of the utilization of a new generator. 376 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:31,400 Fessenden spoke into a microphone, and for the very 377 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:35,080 first time in all of human history, a man's voice was 378 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:39,040 broadcast over the airwaves. These are the words that he 379 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:42,080 said. And it came to pass in those 380 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:45,480 days that Cesar Augustus issued a decree. 381 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:49,920 He began in a clear, strong voice, hoping that it would 382 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:53,080 carry the necessary distance for other people to hear. 383 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:58,680 Shocked radio operators on ships astonished wireless owners at 384 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:01,680 home. Newspaper set slack jawed as all 385 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:07,720 of a sudden the coded impulses of dot dot dot dot dot dot dot 386 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:11,320 dot dot were interrupted by a man reading from the Gospel of 387 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:16,800 Luke and to those who caught the broadcast it must have seemed 388 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:21,120 like a Christmas miracle, hearing a voice somehow turned 389 00:24:21,120 --> 00:24:24,480 into electrical waves and transmitted far away. 390 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:29,240 Fessenden was probably unaware of the chaos that he was causing 391 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:31,840 and the sensation that was happening to all of those who 392 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:36,320 are listening. Ships at sail on a dark night. 393 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:38,960 Offices. He couldn't have known that 394 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:41,640 women were rushing around their house trying to figure out where 395 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:46,360 the voice was coming from. After he finished his recitation 396 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:50,240 of the birth of Christ, he picked up his violin and he 397 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:54,680 played a song. And the song that he played, the 398 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,800 very first song that was broadcast over the radio. 399 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:04,520 Well, you know that song it is. Oh, holy night, I'm no idiot. 400 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:07,920 I know that there are some of you that are here today because 401 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:10,440 this is your church. I know that others of you are 402 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:13,640 here today because this is just how you celebrate Christmas. 403 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:16,040 You find a church and you go there for Christmas Eve. 404 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:19,480 I also know that there are some of you that are here simply 405 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:22,520 because your mom or your grandma asked you to and you just didn't 406 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:24,840 want to get into a fight before they got around to giving you 407 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:27,360 presents and this was like an insurance bet for you. 408 00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:31,680 And we're so glad you're here. I also know that there are some 409 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:34,200 of you in here today because someone deeply loves you. 410 00:25:35,120 --> 00:25:39,440 They've been praying for you. They invited you because they 411 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:44,080 see you and they know you're just barely hanging on. 412 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:49,960 And my biggest fear is that this could just be another Christmas 413 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:54,800 message and that all you've heard so far was dot dot dot dot 414 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:59,080 dot dot dot dot. But I have been praying for this 415 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:03,960 moment right here, that you would not hear my voice, but you 416 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:10,680 would finally hear His voice so that your worth could be found 417 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:14,200 in Him. That you could experience the 418 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:17,920 thrill of hope. That your weary world could 419 00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:22,360 begin to rejoice because God loves you, sent His Son to die 420 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:26,160 on the cross for you so that you could begin an intimate, 421 00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:31,000 personal relationship with Him. And I hope you'll do that. 422 00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:33,040 We're moving to a time of decision. 423 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:45,120 To those of you that are in this room and to those of you who are 424 00:26:45,120 --> 00:26:50,480 watching online who you don't yet have, what we would describe 425 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:53,240 an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 426 00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:57,040 I feel compelled to make you aware of two things. 427 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:01,120 When it comes to my intimate personal relationship with Jesus 428 00:27:01,120 --> 00:27:02,560 Christ. I can tell you this. 429 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:05,800 It is the single greatest decision that I've ever made. 430 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:10,600 And I would also tell you that my biggest regret is that I 431 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:15,080 didn't do it sooner. And you might be thinking, of 432 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:17,360 course, Clayton, you're the preacher at the church. 433 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:20,720 Of course, that's your story. But your story isn't my story. 434 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,000 But you don't have to take my word for it. 435 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:26,960 I want you to take the word of the testimony of the people 436 00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:29,760 around you. So can I ask a question? 437 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:32,560 And if you agree, would you raise your hand to those of you 438 00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:35,040 in here who would say that the single greatest decision that 439 00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:38,000 you ever made was making Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior, 440 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,920 and stepping into an intimate personal relationship with Him? 441 00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:43,680 Would you raise your hand? You don't have to just believe 442 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:44,720 me. You can believe them. 443 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:48,880 And would you also say that the biggest regret that you have is 444 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:51,480 that you didn't start that relationship with Him sooner? 445 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:54,560 Would you raise your hand? Listen, you don't have to listen 446 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:55,800 to me. You can listen to them. 447 00:27:57,200 --> 00:27:58,600 You might be going with Clayton. I have a pass. 448 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:00,480 So do they. So do I. 449 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:03,320 I've made some pretty bad mistakes. 450 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:05,120 You don't know the stories of all those hands that were 451 00:28:05,120 --> 00:28:12,960 raised, but I know some of them. And you'd have lost a lot of 452 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:16,600 money on whether or not they would be showing up at church 453 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,480 one day. People would have lost a lot of 454 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:22,560 money betting that their life would be transformed and 455 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,320 redeemed and that they would have the newness of life. 456 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:32,560 I've seen them do it over and over and over again, which is 457 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:35,880 why, with confidence, I believe that He can do it in you. 458 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:44,240 And so before you leave today, if you've never started that 459 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:48,080 intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I want you to 460 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:53,280 know you can take a step today. You can come up in just a few 461 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:55,880 moments when the people around you stand and pray and some of 462 00:28:55,880 --> 00:28:58,160 them are singing and some of them come to the steps and pray. 463 00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:01,040 I'm going to encourage you to walk right over here underneath 464 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:03,480 that screen next to the baptistry and talk to somebody. 465 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:06,360 Ask the question that's been holding you back. 466 00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:09,640 If you don't want to talk to us, talk to somebody who brought 467 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:12,040 you, somebody in your row. Talk to somebody who you saw 468 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:14,440 their hand raised and say, tell me your story because I got to 469 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:17,160 know. Can God do in you or in me what 470 00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:19,800 he's done in you? To the rest of you in the room, 471 00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:22,440 to those of you who have a relationship with Jesus Christ, 472 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:25,040 I love how the the first verse ends. 473 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:30,440 The song ends by telling us to fall on our knees to hear the 474 00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:32,560 Angel voices. And would you spend just a 475 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:36,320 little bit of time praying to God and thanking him for his 476 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:41,800 kindness and his goodness to you and the person and work of Jesus 477 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:43,400 Christ? Would you stand with me? 478 00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:52,480 God, you are aware of every story that's represented in this 479 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:56,040 room. There's no sin that's hidden 480 00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:59,080 from your sight. There's no pain that you're not 481 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:03,480 aware of. God, you know what's going 482 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:08,440 through every single person's mind and God right now. 483 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:12,640 I know that there are people that are right on the edge of 484 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:15,960 making a decision for you. I know that there are people 485 00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:18,520 that are, I've been contemplating it for a long 486 00:30:18,520 --> 00:30:21,520 time, whether or not they were going to start getting serious 487 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:24,880 about their faith. I know there are people in here 488 00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:28,600 that have found their worth in all of the wrong places, and 489 00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:30,440 it's time for them to find their worth in you. 490 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:34,400 And so God, I pray that you'd give every person that can hear 491 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:37,200 me a clear understanding of what it is that you want them to do 492 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:39,400 and then give them the courage to do it. 493 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:42,040 In your name I pray. Amen.