1 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:03,480 Well good morning Crossing Church. 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:05,400 How are you doing today? Doing all right. 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:08,480 Awesome. It's good to see you. 4 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:13,000 I don't know about your house but my house is a mess this time 5 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:15,560 of year. It just kind of goes crazy. 6 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:20,400 All the Amazon boxes. I mean you know what do we do 7 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:26,680 with all the cardboard? It's just it's just nuts and and 8 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:32,600 and we get try to get prepared for it and it's just clean up on 9 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:38,480 aisle 7 all the time. But that's kind of what the 10 00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:41,960 Christmas season is all about. It's all kind of a about this 11 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:47,240 whole messy thing that that we experience together and church 12 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:49,440 is a messy place. Have you ever noticed that? 13 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:52,320 I mean, we're a bunch of messy people and we're and we're in a 14 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:57,440 messy place, but God is is an incredible God when it comes to 15 00:00:57,440 --> 00:00:59,920 messes. And Speaking of messes, I want 16 00:00:59,920 --> 00:01:04,200 to welcome all of our locations joining us from all over this 17 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:08,000 region in three States and how God has been cleaning up messes 18 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:11,920 in our lives for all these years and he continues to do that. 19 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:14,640 And that's awesome. If you're inside or online, we 20 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,320 are thankful for each and every one of you and all the messes 21 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:21,000 that you bring, because God is bigger than all of our messes. 22 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:25,920 And that's the series we are in, in the middle of the mess and 23 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:32,360 we're looking at these different characters in the story of the 24 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:36,360 birth of Jesus Christ and what a mess it was and how God was 25 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:40,680 glorified incredibly in the midst of it. 26 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,560 So when we get into the Christmas season, we start 27 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:50,080 singing Christmas songs, right? We sang Joy to the World this 28 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,680 morning at all of our locations. You know, that song was written 29 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,160 in 1719. I mean it's all like a like a 30 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:01,760 300 year old song. And a lot of the songs of the 31 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:06,840 Christmas season are are very old songs and a lot of them, you 32 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:10,320 know, we originally sang them out of a hymn book, right, 33 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:15,920 Because they just go back and and they're not as easy to use 34 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:18,840 as worship songs than conventional worship songs. 35 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,760 You kind of, you kind of have to work them a little bit 36 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:26,040 different, different genre. And not only that, you know, the 37 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:29,840 shelf life of a worship song today is pretty short, right? 38 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:32,200 I mean, if we've been singing a song that's 10 years old, it's 39 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:33,720 like why are we still singing that song? 40 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:36,200 But it isn't that way with Christmas songs. 41 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:40,160 I mean they go back, don't they can go way, way back. 42 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:44,640 And so to become a a great Christmas song, you've you've 43 00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:49,920 got to be put up against some pretty heavy hitters, not just 44 00:02:50,640 --> 00:02:54,160 these more, you know, hundreds of year old songs like we read 45 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:56,760 in the hymnal. But even some of the more 46 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:00,320 contemporary songs, and I'll say they're contemporary Christian 47 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:03,120 songs, we call them contemporary and they're like almost 100 48 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,800 years old. And we still, we still like to 49 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:08,880 hear them. We still like to sing them. 50 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,960 Like Walking in a Winter Wonderland 1934. 51 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:19,360 What? Yeah, Little Drummer Boy 1941, 52 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:25,480 White Christmas 1942. The Christmas song Chestnuts 53 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:29,840 Roasting on an Open Fire, Right? 1946 Rudolph the Red Nosed 54 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:35,160 Reindeer 1949. A lot of those songs are a 55 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:39,000 little more secular in nature, and it's really rare that you'll 56 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:43,360 actually have a new song that sticks with people and at the 57 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:49,240 same time it communicates the actual meaning of Christmas. 58 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:59,000 That actually happened in 1991 with a new song that came out 59 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:00,680 that did. Both of those things captured 60 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:04,880 the essence of not just like the season of Christmas, but the 61 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:07,840 story of Christmas and the birth of Christ. 62 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:12,600 So the words were written by Mark Lowery in 1984. 63 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:17,600 Actually, he was putting together a musical, the musical 64 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:22,560 part of a living Christmas tree. And while he was doing that, he 65 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:28,560 had a conversation with his mother about one of the 66 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:30,640 characters in the Christmas story. 67 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:36,440 And it started all of this, you know, creativity inside him. 68 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:40,480 And he wrote poetry about it. He wrote that poetry in the form 69 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:43,160 of 18 questions. And he tried him. 70 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:48,200 He's a musician, so he tried to put music with the words and he 71 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:52,600 just wasn't able to capture the right music to connect with the 72 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:57,320 words that he'd written and and that went that way for seven 73 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,160 years. He wrote it in 1984, but it 74 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:03,920 wasn't until 1991 that he shared it with a friend of his who was 75 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:06,440 really good on the harmonica of all things. 76 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:11,560 And his name's Buddy Green. And Buddy Green looked at it and 77 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:15,600 he said, I I've come up with something called Mark Lowry on 78 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:19,000 the phone and said, let me just hum this to you. 79 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:20,560 Let, let me, let's let you hear it. 80 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:23,800 And Mark said, that's it, that's it. 81 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:29,400 In 1991, the words and the music came together. 82 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:35,320 Now, this song is so popular, it's been covered by Kenny 83 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:41,000 Rogers and Wynona Judd and Clay Aiken, Cee Lo Green, Pentatonix, 84 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:45,920 Jordan Smith, Carrie Underwood, Dolly Parton and most recently 85 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:50,120 by Maverick City Music. I know a bunch of you know what 86 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:51,560 song I'm talking about. What is it? 87 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:55,320 Just say it. Mary, did you know? 88 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:02,400 I want you to think about the words in these 18 questions that 89 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:06,760 Mark Lowery came up with in the discussion he had with his 90 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:10,760 mother? Mary, did you know that your 91 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:14,160 baby boy would one day walk on water? 92 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:19,840 Mary, did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and 93 00:06:19,840 --> 00:06:22,960 daughters? Did you know that your baby boy 94 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:27,760 has come to make? You knew the child that you 95 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:30,520 delivered would soon deliver you? 96 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:35,600 Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a 97 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:39,320 blind man? Did you know that your baby boy 98 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:42,080 will calm the storm with his hand? 99 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:47,880 Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? 100 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:52,920 And when you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God? 101 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:57,680 The bridge of that song says, the blind will see, the death 102 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:03,120 will hear, the dead will live again, the lame will leap, the 103 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:06,480 dumb will speak the praises of the lamb. 104 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:09,160 And then back to those questions. 105 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:13,520 Mary, did you know your baby boy is the Lord of all creation? 106 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:18,400 Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the 107 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:22,160 nation's? Did you know that your baby boy 108 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:27,400 is heaven's perfect lamb? At the sleeping child you're 109 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:34,760 holding is the great I am. It's a haunting and beautiful 110 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:37,880 song. It's written in a minor key with 111 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:42,600 these magnificent rhetorical questions and what they do. 112 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,760 Even though I know that people, since it's a popular song, 113 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:50,400 they've used it for memes and all kinds of other things, it 114 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:54,640 leaves you to contemplate just how awesome the Christmas story, 115 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:56,840 the true Christmas story really is. 116 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:01,640 Each concept that these questions evoke from us, they're 117 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:05,760 so uplifting and they're so powerful and there's so much a 118 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:09,640 part of the story. But my question is, is that the 119 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:15,120 whole story we're in, the series called In the Middle of the 120 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:19,000 Mess, and Clayton shared last week about Joseph. 121 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:24,160 And when when this came down in Joseph's world and in his life, 122 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:28,360 it made an incredible mess of his life. 123 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:31,160 I would encourage you to listen to that if you haven't heard 124 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:32,360 that. It was incredible. 125 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:38,720 And that mess was down in Joseph's lower story. 126 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:43,159 And I started thinking about what I was assigned the topic of 127 00:08:43,159 --> 00:08:46,160 Mary. And immediately this song came 128 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:49,080 into my mind. And the questions that are posed 129 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:55,920 in that song made me wonder, how much did Mary actually know when 130 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:58,360 this story began to unfold in her life? 131 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:03,080 And I think that's an honest question and it and you can get 132 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:05,200 an honest answer from it just by reading. 133 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:09,200 So if we are going to Luke, chapter one and we start in 134 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:13,280 verse 26, we can read the beginning of the story. 135 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:17,560 It says in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. 136 00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:22,080 Now Elizabeth is Mary's cousin, and she's six months pregnant 137 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:27,320 with John the Baptist. God sent an Angel, the Angel 138 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:32,320 Gabriel, to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to 139 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:36,080 be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. 140 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:41,920 The virgin's name was Mary. The Angel went to her and said 141 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:44,960 greetings. You are highly favored. 142 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:49,400 The Lord is with you. Mary was greatly troubled at his 143 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:52,400 words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 144 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:56,480 But the Angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary. 145 00:09:57,080 --> 00:10:02,240 You have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth 146 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:05,280 to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 147 00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:09,280 He'll be great and he'll be called the Son of the Most High 148 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:12,760 and the Lord God will give him the throne of his Father David 149 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:16,720 and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever. 150 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:21,840 His Kingdom will never end. How can this be? 151 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:26,320 Mary asked the Angel. Since I'm a virgin, the Angel 152 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:29,000 answered. The Holy Spirit will come on 153 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:32,480 you, and the power of the Most High will over shadow you. 154 00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:36,200 So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. 155 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:41,320 Even Elizabeth, your relative, is going to have a child in her 156 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:45,760 old age, and she was said to be unable to conceive as in her six 157 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:50,080 months. For no word from God will ever 158 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:54,080 fail. I am the Lord's servant, Mary 159 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:57,640 answered. May your word to me be 160 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:01,800 fulfilled. Then the Angel left her. 161 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:05,880 So what did she know? That's the question, right? 162 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:08,560 That we're looking to God's word for an answer. 163 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:14,680 She knew that God favored her. She knew that God was with her. 164 00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:20,520 She knew that she was going to have a child, a son, and that 165 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:25,760 God was going to 'cause it, even with her being a virgin. 166 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:30,680 That his name would be Jesus, that he would be great, that he 167 00:11:30,680 --> 00:11:35,440 would be called the Son of God, that he would reign on David, 168 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:38,800 the ancient King's throne, forever. 169 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:43,200 And she knew that the Holy Spirit would over shadow her to 170 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:47,600 conceive. She knew all of that. 171 00:11:47,680 --> 00:11:50,160 We get all of that from Gabriel's words. 172 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:54,520 But my question is, what didn't she know? 173 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:01,360 She didn't know what Joseph's response would be. 174 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:06,440 She didn't know what her parents response would be. 175 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:10,360 She didn't know what her community's response would be. 176 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:14,080 She didn't know what all of that would cost her. 177 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:19,640 She didn't know that she would have to travel 90 miles on foot 178 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:24,920 in her 9th month of pregnancy. She didn't know that she would 179 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:31,040 deliver her first child without any help from her family save 180 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:36,000 Joseph, that there would be no one there to really help her. 181 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:40,400 She didn't know that she would have to run for her life and the 182 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:44,000 baby's life to Africa soon after he was born. 183 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:50,000 There was a lot that she didn't know, but I don't think for a 184 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:56,280 minute that that meant she was naive in the sense that she 185 00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:59,280 didn't know that there would be hardships, there would be 186 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:03,640 trouble, there'd be challenges, and there would be pain. 187 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:10,640 A lot that she didn't know, but maybe an overarching 188 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:14,520 understanding that those things would be coming, as well as all 189 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:18,200 the good things she heard. And what was her response? 190 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:23,160 Well, it's recorded and it's recorded. 191 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:26,360 Her response is recorded a little bit of time afterward, 192 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:30,560 and I really appreciate that because she goes to visit her 193 00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:33,960 cousin Elizabeth. Now, there's a number of 194 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:36,120 reasons. I believe she visited her cousin 195 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:40,120 Elizabeth because I believe that Mary was the type of a woman, if 196 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:43,280 she was highly favored by God, she was the type of a woman that 197 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:47,200 would be honest with Joseph and she would be honest with her 198 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:52,360 parents and imagine her having to say that to her parents. 199 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:58,120 I was visited by an Angel who told me this and how her parents 200 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:00,640 would respond to that. I think it's pretty obvious 201 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:04,480 because even though her parents also had to register in 202 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:07,880 Bethlehem, when she had to register in Bethlehem, they 203 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:16,840 weren't together, were they? Mary and Joseph were alone in 204 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:21,920 that stable in Bethlehem. No family there to support her, 205 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:24,720 So I don't think they took it very well. 206 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:28,040 We obviously know from last week's sermon that Joseph didn't 207 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:32,840 take it very well and he needed for an Angel to speak to him, to 208 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:34,360 get his head turned around, right? 209 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:39,560 It was a mess. It was a horrible mess. 210 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:43,560 And so when she goes to visit Elizabeth, we know that it's 211 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:47,200 somewhere in that first trimester of her pregnancy, 212 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:49,800 right? Because we know that John the 213 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:52,240 Baptist hasn't been born yet to Elizabeth. 214 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:57,200 And we know that when Gabriel came, she, Elizabeth was in her 215 00:14:57,200 --> 00:14:59,760 6th month. So it was somewhere in that 216 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:02,960 first trimester and it would take you a little while to get 217 00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:06,520 down all the way into Judea, that 90 mile trip. 218 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:14,160 So how did she feel about it? Because by that time she had had 219 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:18,960 some reflection time, and she'd already endured some of those 220 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:22,320 things that she probably didn't know just how deep they would go 221 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:26,200 with her parents and with Joseph and even with the community. 222 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:37,760 But we read about it in the 46th verse of Luke One, it says, And 223 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:45,240 Mary said, My soul glorifies the Lord, and my Spirit rejoices in 224 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:48,600 God my Savior. For he has been mindful of the 225 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:53,680 humble state of His servant. And from now on all generations 226 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:58,200 will call me blessed. For the Mighty One, listen, has 227 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:08,880 done great things for me. In the middle of the mess she 228 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:13,720 said those words. The Mighty One has done great 229 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:16,160 things for me. Holy is his name. 230 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:20,040 His mercy extends to those who fear him from generation to 231 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:22,480 generation. He has performed mighty deeds 232 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:25,680 with his arm. He has scattered those who are 233 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:30,440 proud in their inmost thoughts. He's brought down rulers from 234 00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:32,480 their Thrones, lifted up the humble. 235 00:16:32,600 --> 00:16:34,760 He's filled the hungry with good things. 236 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:38,040 He sent the rich away empty. And he has helped his servant 237 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:41,600 Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his 238 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:47,240 descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors. 239 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:51,760 Mary's song is called the Magnificat, and the reason it 240 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:53,800 is, it's taken from the first line. 241 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:58,040 My soul magnifies the Lord, and it's pretty obvious. 242 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:06,000 Here she is, full, absolutely full of joy, overflowing with 243 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:10,000 joy, overwhelmed by joy. Think about that. 244 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:18,560 She tells you God's chosen me. He understands my humble 245 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:20,800 circumstance and he's exalted me. 246 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:25,760 She sees herself from an eternal upper story perspective, she 247 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:29,240 said. All generations will call me 248 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:30,640 blessed. All generations. 249 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:34,560 She's not just looking at her moment, she's looking at all 250 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:38,720 moments. She views her circumstance as a 251 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:41,680 great thing, and not just a great thing, but a great thing 252 00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:44,640 for her. And then she presents this 253 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:49,320 flurry of praise for God, as evidenced by all the good things 254 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:59,320 that he's done that is amazing. Just amazing. 255 00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:06,000 And then my first question for me and I, I would pose it to you 256 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:10,440 as well as how do we, you and I, interpret the circumstances of 257 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:16,880 our lives. So a lot of us, you know, when 258 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:19,800 we're asked the question, how are you doing or what's going 259 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:23,280 on, a lot of us will begin with three words. 260 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:25,360 I've heard it many, many times in my life. 261 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:29,960 And these are the three words. Under the circumstances, how 262 00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:33,240 many of you heard that before? Well, under the circumstances, 263 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:35,640 right. Think about what those words 264 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:37,960 mean. It means that we're OK Where are 265 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:40,400 you in relationship to the circumstances? 266 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:43,920 The circumstances are over you, Right? 267 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:47,920 Because I'm under them. And a lot of times we feel the 268 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:51,680 circumstances pushing us down, weighing us down. 269 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:56,360 Right. I don't think you'd heard that 270 00:18:56,360 --> 00:19:00,080 from Mary. I think that Mary was living in 271 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:03,840 a different place. I think Mary was living over her 272 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:07,120 circumstances. And that is the essence of the 273 00:19:07,120 --> 00:19:10,600 difference between the lower story and the upper story. 274 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:14,840 Mary refused to live in the lower story. 275 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:18,600 Sure, there was a mess in her life, right? 276 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:21,960 She was in the middle of a mess. Those were the circumstances of 277 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:25,920 her life. But she chose to get above those 278 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:29,240 circumstances. She interpreted that in a 279 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:31,520 different way than many of us do now. 280 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:35,280 Unlike Mary, many of the hardships and challenges and 281 00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:39,520 pain that we have in our lives are of our own doing. 282 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:42,480 And this was not of Mary's doing. 283 00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:46,240 This is something that came to her. 284 00:19:46,360 --> 00:19:48,560 This is not something that was her. 285 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:54,400 And a lot of times the pain that maybe either we've done or maybe 286 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:57,480 it was other people around us that hurt us. 287 00:19:57,640 --> 00:19:59,720 Well, there were plenty of people around Mary during that 288 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:04,720 time that were hurting her. Obviously plenty of 289 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:07,840 circumstances with regards to people that she had loved and 290 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:12,480 trusted that were causing her pain. 291 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:20,280 But she kept kept her focus on God and kept her focus on how 292 00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:25,440 God viewed her. And I I have to ask myself this 293 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:27,120 question. I want you to ask yourself this 294 00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:29,280 question. How much of your attitude, How 295 00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:34,920 much of my attitude comes from how other people around me view 296 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:37,320 me or other people around you view you? 297 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:40,600 How much of your attitude comes from how you view yourself? 298 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:46,440 And how much of your attitude comes from how God views you? 299 00:20:49,120 --> 00:20:54,080 Because I think that is the essence of what we see in Mary 300 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:57,400 here. Because Mary is looking at how 301 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:01,400 God views her. Her song makes that really 302 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:04,840 clear. She knows that people are going 303 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:06,320 to view her in a completely different way. 304 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:10,600 But she chooses to focus on how God views her. 305 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:17,160 And her response to that interpretation of circumstance 306 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:21,800 can be understood in two ways. Thankfulness and gratitude. 307 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:25,000 She's thankful and she's grateful. 308 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:27,760 And you know what? She made that choice. 309 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:30,840 She didn't have to make that choice. 310 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:36,680 How many of us make that choice when the circumstances of our 311 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:40,760 lives make a mess of our lives? Are we making a choice to be 312 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:45,920 thankful and to have gratitude? Mary has so much strength in 313 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:47,880 that choice. You think about her, she's 314 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:51,520 probably, what, 1415 years old when this all happens, when this 315 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:54,440 all goes down in her life, just a young teenager, not even 316 00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:56,040 halfway through her teenage years. 317 00:21:56,280 --> 00:22:01,360 And this is how she responds. Maybe that helps us to 318 00:22:01,360 --> 00:22:04,960 understand a little bit why Gabriel would say you are highly 319 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:07,400 favored among women. And on Thursday night, I was 320 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:09,480 preaching this. And I said, you know, ladies, 321 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:12,040 there's a lot of great ladies that I'm talking to, but none of 322 00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:13,680 none of you are as great as this one. 323 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:15,840 This is the greatest lady of all time. 324 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,040 And then I took it back because I thought it was sexist. 325 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:20,560 She's not just the greatest lady. 326 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:22,720 She's one of the greatest people of all time. 327 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:28,320 I mean, she puts me to shame. Did she put you to shame in how 328 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:31,480 she interprets the circumstances of her life? 329 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:39,000 With thankfulness and with gratitude had to be one of the 330 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:43,280 reasons God favoured her. She is truly a person who keeps 331 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:46,680 her eyes on the upper story instead of being dragged down 332 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:49,320 into the lower one. And you know what? 333 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:52,880 Thankfulness and gratitude. That's your choice as well, just 334 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:56,600 like it was hers. Now, I'm I'm sure in your life 335 00:22:56,600 --> 00:23:01,360 there are plenty of reasons that you could give on why it's OK 336 00:23:01,360 --> 00:23:05,480 for you to be bitter or discouraged or disillusioned. 337 00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:13,120 But is it possible that you're choosing not to concentrate on 338 00:23:13,120 --> 00:23:17,520 all the good things that God has done and all the things that God 339 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:25,400 continues to do for you? Mary kind of puts us in our 340 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:29,480 place, doesn't she? And you know what? 341 00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:34,800 It's not just true then, but as you watch Mary's life unfold in 342 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:39,920 the pages of the New Testament, she is consistent in her choice. 343 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:44,120 I want you to think about when the wise men came, OK? 344 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:48,880 Jesus was not the wise men didn't come to the to the 345 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:51,160 Manger. It was a little later. 346 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:53,360 They were in a house at the time. 347 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:55,640 He was a toddler's under the age of two. 348 00:23:56,360 --> 00:23:59,000 And the wise men came, but they they didn't come to her house 349 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:02,200 first. They actually went to Herod. 350 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:06,520 First King Herod. King Herod. 351 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:10,480 And they said, where is he was born King of the Jews. 352 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:15,040 Now, if you're King Herod, and you hear these people from a 353 00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:17,280 distant land go, where is he was born. 354 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:18,800 King of the Jews. You're going. 355 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:21,800 Hey, hold on a minute. I'm the king of the Jews. 356 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:26,040 Well, Herod was an appointed king by the Roman government. 357 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:30,200 He was a puppet king. But they're saying who was born 358 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:32,800 king. Well, that got Herod's 359 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:34,920 attention. The Bible says that all 360 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:41,840 Jerusalem had their attention. When they said that, they didn't 361 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:46,360 realize it, but they were making a mess for Mary and Joseph 362 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:52,040 because this guy's nuts. Herod the Great killed 46 363 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:57,880 members of his own family. That's how important it was for 364 00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:04,480 him to retain control and power. And so he puts on this show for 365 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:08,160 these wise men saying, you know, I want to go worship him too. 366 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:12,520 So let's figure this out. And at the time, all of the 367 00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:16,000 genealogies of the nation of Israel were housed in the 368 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:18,000 temple. And I'm sure he took the priests 369 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:21,240 and the scribes and they went to find out who would this person 370 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:24,640 be. Now, two of the most boring 371 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:29,080 passages in your New Testament are Luke chapter one, Excuse me, 372 00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:31,120 Luke chapter 3 and Matthew chapter one. 373 00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:35,760 Because those two chapters say this and so and so begat so and 374 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:37,040 so. Who begat so and so? 375 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:39,120 Who begat so and so? Who begat so and so? 376 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:41,840 Who begat so and so. And you can't pronounce half the 377 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:45,480 names and they're like 5 syllables long and way too many 378 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:50,400 consonants, right? Actually, those are incredibly 379 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:53,680 important scriptures. Matthew chapter one is the 380 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:57,040 genealogy of Joseph. And you're going, wait a minute, 381 00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:00,480 Joseph was not the natural father of Jesus, but he was. 382 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:05,160 But he was the legal father. He was the legal father of 383 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:07,760 Jesus. And Matthew one shows that 384 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:11,280 Joseph's lineage goes back through all the Judean kings, 385 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:16,200 all the way to David's throne and then back to Abraham, which 386 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:20,480 meant that from birth, Jesus had a legal right to the throne. 387 00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:24,880 There was a curse to that line. I'm not going to get into that 388 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:28,200 right now. Hence Luke chapter 3. 389 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:32,680 Luke chapter 3 has a different set of names than Matthew 390 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:35,520 chapter one. What you find out is that Luke 391 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:39,880 chapter 3 isn't a genealogy of Jesus through Joseph, it's the 392 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:46,400 genealogy of Jesus through Mary. They didn't even use those 393 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,120 genealogies. They use the males for 394 00:26:49,120 --> 00:26:51,880 genealogy. And yet that's her genealogy, 395 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:56,280 because her line was not cursed. And it shows that her line goes 396 00:26:56,280 --> 00:26:59,720 all the way back to David as well. 397 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:05,360 So here is this confluence of the legal right to the throne 398 00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:06,560 and the blood right to the throne. 399 00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:10,480 By the way, Jesus didn't have one drop of Joseph's blood in 400 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:12,320 his veins. They were all merry. 401 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:24,240 It's all merry, no curse. And in 70 AD, every genealogical 402 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:27,600 record of the Jewish nation was destroyed when the Temple was 403 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:30,640 destroyed. And there is only one genealogy 404 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:34,640 that stands up 2000 years later to prove once and for all 405 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:38,480 there's only one king. There's only one king who could 406 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:42,040 be king with the legal right, with the blood right and the Son 407 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:44,480 of God, and that's Jesus Christ and Christ alone. 408 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:49,160 He can prove it. Well, Herod figured that out, 409 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:54,640 and he decided to have every baby that was two years old or 410 00:27:54,640 --> 00:28:01,520 younger murdered in Bethlehem. How did Mary feel about that? 411 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:03,680 Did that mess up her life? Well, it sure did. 412 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:10,480 But do you know what the Bible says about her when she thought 413 00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:13,560 of these things? Uses this word. 414 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:18,440 She treasured them in her heart. Does that sound like a negative 415 00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:19,920 word? Does that sound like a bitter 416 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:21,200 word? Does that sound like a 417 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:23,120 disillusioned word? Does that sound like a 418 00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:24,640 discouraged word? What is that? 419 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:26,600 She treasured these things in her heart. 420 00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:33,520 When the wise men left Mary and Joseph and the young Jesus, they 421 00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:36,800 left gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. 422 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:41,920 What do you think funded their escape to Egypt? 423 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:46,360 I'm sure that Mary looked at that as God's provision. 424 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:54,040 When Jesus was presented in the temple on his eighth day, he had 425 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:57,120 to be redeemed. That's where we find out how 426 00:28:57,120 --> 00:29:00,280 poor they were. And he was circumcised that day. 427 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:05,040 And there was an old man named Simeon that came up to Mary and 428 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:07,400 he prophesied. And he said, now God can close 429 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:11,080 my eyes in death, for I have seen the salvation of the Lord 430 00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:12,280 when he looked at this little baby. 431 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:15,880 That's not all he said. He looks at Mary and he goes, A 432 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:18,880 sword is going to Pierce your soul as well. 433 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:23,400 Well, that's so uplifting. So glad to hear that. 434 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:26,840 I wonder if they have a Hallmark card that says something about a 435 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:33,720 sword piercing your soul. She was under no illusions that 436 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:38,640 her life had been and would continue to be very difficult. 437 00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:45,960 But there is a consistency in Mary, even though tough times 438 00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:49,080 were ahead, even though she didn't know how tough they would 439 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:52,120 be. Throughout her life we see this 440 00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:56,560 consistency, whether it was becoming a widow, which she did 441 00:29:56,760 --> 00:30:00,080 because you read about Joseph being there when Jesus was 12, 442 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:04,280 but not when he's 30 being widowed. 443 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:07,600 She's a single parent, and not just to Jesus, but to his 444 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:11,400 brothers and sisters as well. A whole house full. 445 00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:16,000 Not easy to take care of that family. 446 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:20,520 Easy to get bitter, discouraged or disillusioned. 447 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:26,680 You don't hear it. And if nothing else, witnessing 448 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:30,560 the brutality and the torture that happens to her son when 449 00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:33,440 he's 33. And then to have to be there and 450 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:37,960 witness and see with your own eyes this horrible death of her 451 00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:44,320 son, only to be replaced with the euphoria of his resurrection 452 00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:47,080 from the dead. To receive him back from death 453 00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:51,800 and then to lose him again 40 days later when he ascends into 454 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:54,880 heaven. Talk about an emotional 455 00:30:54,880 --> 00:31:02,160 rollercoaster. And then later on with John, the 456 00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:06,600 Apostle having to leave her country for a foreign land, 457 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:13,440 Ephesus in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey, You know what she 458 00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:16,440 does. She stays locked in on that 459 00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:21,560 upper story and the faithfulness of God, as she said, who will 460 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:29,480 always keep his word. And I doubt if any of us has 461 00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:32,200 ever had to endure difficulties like Mary did. 462 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:38,280 I'm sure that we can connect on some level with some things, but 463 00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:41,680 nothing to the level that she endured. 464 00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:48,320 She was truly in the middle of a mess, but only from a certain 465 00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:53,880 point of view. And my question to you today is 466 00:31:53,880 --> 00:32:05,080 what is your point of view? There's an old poem has two 467 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:08,840 lines to it. It says two men look through 468 00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:13,040 prison bars. One sees the mud and the other 469 00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:17,280 sees stars. It all depends on the direction 470 00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:23,320 you're looking. And Mary chose to look up 471 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:28,600 instead of the look down. She chose to live over her 472 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:33,440 circumstances instead of under them, and the way that she 473 00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:37,120 managed that was through gratitude and thankfulness. 474 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:42,360 I want you to think today about what God has done for you. 475 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:46,000 I want you to think about what He has given you. 476 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:53,600 Who He considers you to be is children and the purpose that 477 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:57,720 He's called you to. There is no doubt that there 478 00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:02,080 will be messes, but you can choose to lift up your eyes 479 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:06,120 above the mess. And like Mary, you can see that 480 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:09,080 God has something better for you. 481 00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:12,120 We're moving to a time of decision. 482 00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:26,400 Look pretty nice. Don't I put a jacket on, you 483 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:29,440 know, And you look really great too. 484 00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:34,200 Just want to say, isn't it a good thing that you can't really 485 00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:40,440 see past my being cleaned up? And isn't it great that I can't 486 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:45,880 see past yours? Because the truth is, I'm a mess 487 00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:53,560 and so are you. And some of you might be going 488 00:33:53,560 --> 00:33:57,800 why? Why would God ever put up with 489 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:01,160 me in the mess that I am? Oh, that's nothing. 490 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:05,320 Just take the whole crossing, all of our locations and 491 00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:09,320 everybody's watching about 12,000 people and pile all of 492 00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:12,600 our messes up together. That's a pretty big hill, isn't 493 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:14,679 it? That's like a big old hill. 494 00:34:14,679 --> 00:34:19,040 Mess. Yeah, stinky mess. 495 00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:28,719 What if you were to take all of our communities, Not just the 496 00:34:28,719 --> 00:34:30,560 ones that go to church, but the ones who don't? 497 00:34:30,560 --> 00:34:34,960 Oh my goodness. Get some Febreze out here. 498 00:34:36,120 --> 00:34:40,199 What a mess. What about the whole world? 499 00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:44,120 How you are you feeling good about the condition of the world 500 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:46,080 right now? Don't you just feel like, well, 501 00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:49,440 we've got it together, don't we? It's so good. 502 00:34:50,400 --> 00:34:52,400 No, you know better. I do too. 503 00:34:52,679 --> 00:34:58,760 What a mess. Couple that, not just in the 504 00:34:58,760 --> 00:35:01,880 moment, but in all of human history. 505 00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:08,400 And that was the mess that Jesus died for on the cross. 506 00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:11,720 Some of you are here and you are so arrogant, You are so 507 00:35:11,760 --> 00:35:16,760 egotistical that you actually believe, which is the dumbest 508 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:19,840 thing I think I could. It's in my head that you can 509 00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:25,200 actually fix your mess. You can't do it. 510 00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:28,960 You never have. You can't fix it. 511 00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:34,400 And the sad thing about people who don't have a relationship 512 00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:38,560 that's intimate and personal with Jesus Christ is you don't 513 00:35:38,560 --> 00:35:41,640 have anybody to help you. You're on your own. 514 00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:47,400 You got to figure it out yourself, and and you're not. 515 00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:51,680 I can tell you ahead of time, you're not going to figure it 516 00:35:51,680 --> 00:35:53,880 out. You're going to fail at this. 517 00:35:54,560 --> 00:35:57,200 You have been failing. You'll continue to fail. 518 00:35:57,520 --> 00:36:01,320 And the pathway to your help is a door that is locked to you. 519 00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:05,520 It is locked to you. But I'm here to tell you good 520 00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:10,120 news today because Jesus came to this world because of what he 521 00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:15,080 did when he died on the cross. And when he rose from the dead, 522 00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:18,920 he opened a door that you could never open. 523 00:36:19,800 --> 00:36:23,520 The Book of Revelation. He said I was dead and I'm alive 524 00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:27,240 again, and I hold the keys to death and hell. 525 00:36:27,240 --> 00:36:30,720 The door that was locked to you is now open through Jesus 526 00:36:30,720 --> 00:36:33,320 Christ. He uses a lot of metaphors to 527 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:36,960 describe himself, and one of the metaphors he uses is I'm the 528 00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:42,600 door of the sheep. He says the things that I open 529 00:36:42,720 --> 00:36:46,200 no one can shut, and the things that I shut nobody can open. 530 00:36:47,320 --> 00:36:50,640 And he has opened a door to you. But you have to come through 531 00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:54,240 Christ. You have to come through Jesus, 532 00:36:55,240 --> 00:36:58,560 because he's the one holding the keys and he's the door. 533 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:04,840 There is nothing in your way at this moment in time and 534 00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:08,440 eternity, nothing in your way except for you. 535 00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:15,280 And if you want to walk through that door and to have the help 536 00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:19,520 you need, someone who can come and clean up the mess. 537 00:37:20,960 --> 00:37:23,000 You can do that today. There'll be somebody right over 538 00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:26,400 there by that baptistery love. Nothing more than to show you 539 00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:30,240 the way. Many of you. 540 00:37:32,240 --> 00:37:34,480 You're here today and you're like, well, I accepted Jesus as 541 00:37:34,480 --> 00:37:39,840 my savior, Jerry. So there, I'm going to let you 542 00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:42,720 in on a little secret. I didn't need a savior just 543 00:37:42,720 --> 00:37:47,440 once. I have to have a savior in three 544 00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:50,360 tenses. I have to have a savior that 545 00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:53,520 saves all the stuff I've done. I have to have a savior that 546 00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:56,560 saves all the stuff I'm doing. And I have to have a savior that 547 00:37:56,560 --> 00:37:58,200 saves all the stuff that I'm going to do. 548 00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:01,120 And if you're even the least been honest with yourself, 549 00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:03,280 you're in the same boat that I'm in. 550 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:06,200 I need a savior in all three tenses. 551 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:13,080 And he is so you can bring all of the mess that you have today 552 00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:17,040 up here to these steps, lay it down, and let him have lordship 553 00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:24,680 over it right now. Jesus taught us that. 554 00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:30,960 He said Bring all your burdens and your cares to me because I 555 00:38:30,960 --> 00:38:33,720 care for you. Bring your burdens to Jesus. 556 00:38:34,240 --> 00:38:37,960 Let him have him. Let him have the mess. 557 00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:41,200 My God is a God who cleans up messes. 558 00:38:43,080 --> 00:38:47,160 My God is a God who takes broken and ruined things and he makes 559 00:38:47,160 --> 00:38:50,680 them better than new. And he can do that with your 560 00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:54,560 life because he loves you. And for all the mess that is in 561 00:38:54,560 --> 00:38:59,680 this whole world, all of the power of that mess, it is 562 00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:04,280 nothing compared to the incomparable love that Jesus has 563 00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:06,200 for you. Just you. 564 00:39:08,400 --> 00:39:12,160 Would you stand with me, Heavenly Father in Jesus name, 565 00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:18,760 would you please take this moment Quiet all the white noise 566 00:39:19,760 --> 00:39:22,880 around us. Help us just to to hear you. 567 00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:31,320 I've sung this next song in the two previous services. 568 00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:36,800 At the end of last service, the song that we're about to sing, 569 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:40,360 Heavenly Father. It was like I was hearing Mary 570 00:39:40,360 --> 00:39:47,560 sing it, and I want to be like her. 571 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:53,600 I want to be the person you want me to be. 572 00:39:55,200 --> 00:40:01,480 Oh God, help me just to hold on tight to your son Jesus, because 573 00:40:01,480 --> 00:40:07,920 he fills all the gaps, puts broken things together, 574 00:40:09,080 --> 00:40:12,160 including me, all my brothers and sisters. 575 00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:15,520 Here we go to him and to you now. 576 00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:18,880 In Jesus name, Amen.