1 00:00:01,160 --> 00:00:05,520 He's over here, brother Alex and I working on Friday with this 2 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:14,640 new screen television monitor. Whatever you want to call it, I 3 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:16,840 don't care. I'm as similar to what Jesus 4 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:27,320 Christ I'll call it the TV but and life just gets so like 5 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:31,520 crazy. I missed taking my son to a 6 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:35,520 haircut appointment and got him there late. 7 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:40,040 Apologized profusely for being late to her and wanted to know 8 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:44,880 that her time was valuable and gave her extra money because I 9 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:49,080 felt bad. Forgot my guys devotional for 10 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:52,160 that for that day that's in a connect group till later in the 11 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:56,560 night. Then come find out tissue paper 12 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:58,360 in our house in the bathrooms was scarce. 13 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:05,160 I forgot to get some Monday when I did grocery shopping and the 14 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:07,360 list seemed like it went on and on. 15 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:11,160 Things I forgot just because of the time of year. 16 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,200 I guess it I'm going to blame it on the time of year. 17 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:18,480 Everything's just busy so you should be glad. 18 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:20,720 I just even remembered to come here this morning. 19 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,160 I'm going to be turning to Matthew chapter 26 today. 20 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:30,760 If you didn't stand for me for the reading of the Word, again, 21 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:34,400 just honor to the Word. We have scriptural precedence 22 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,080 for doing that. Amen. 23 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:44,680 God's been good to us. Matthew 26 and verse 26 through 24 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:46,840 28. I want to read in your hearing 25 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:51,560 this morning. Bible says and as they were 26 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:57,000 eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, break it, gave it to 27 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:59,120 the disciples and said take, eat. 28 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:04,560 This is my body folks, I'm sorry to do this, but you know what 29 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:07,880 else happened this week? I took my son to get to the 30 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:11,200 dentist and it wasn't the day for him to be there. 31 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,320 They looked at me and they said that's next week. 32 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:21,720 So if we could fit you in, we can fit you in. 33 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:23,520 I said, no, that's fine. It well, I'm just right here in 34 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:24,440 town. It's good. 35 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:26,760 So that's another thing I forgot. 36 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:30,200 Just happened to remember it. Sorry. 37 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:32,920 Take and eat. This is my my body. 38 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:37,040 And he took the cup in verse 27 and gave thanks and gave it to 39 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:42,880 them saying drink ye all of it. For this is my blood of the New 40 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:48,080 Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 41 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:51,880 I said all that because when we go to the prey here in a moment, 42 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:53,360 I need you to pray for me, right? 43 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:58,120 Amen. I want to minister this the 44 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:04,680 perfect Christmas gift, the perfect Christmas gift. 45 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:08,440 I was reading this week in the book of Romans chapter 4 and 46 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:11,040 again I'm reading from the home and Christian standard Bible for 47 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:13,040 the re spot one because that's what I was reading through this 48 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:17,200 year and there was a verse in chapter before that's word like 49 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:19,800 this. It said now to the one who 50 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:27,560 works, pay is not considered as a gift but as something owed. 51 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:36,520 So that tells me when you have no work involved, it's not 52 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:40,040 something owed you truly as a gift. 53 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:44,040 So I want to talk to you today about the perfect Christmas 54 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:47,680 gift. Can we pray together tonight or 55 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,240 this morning? See, here we go, Lord Jesus, 56 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:53,680 help us, God. I pray, Lord, in the next little 57 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:56,280 while that you have annoying our hearts and our minds. 58 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,760 Mark any air, Lord, from my mind and from my lips. 59 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:02,680 I pray Lord Jesus, today you able to strengthen us. 60 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:06,280 God, let your spirit, Lord, I feel it already in this place in 61 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:08,840 a special way. God, let it meander, Lord, 62 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:11,080 mingle, Lord among the people this morning. 63 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:14,320 God, let your perfect will be done and will not fail to give 64 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:19,040 you praise and glory and honor. Lord Jesus in this place because 65 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:22,840 to you, you alone we give Lord God all of the recognition and 66 00:04:22,840 --> 00:04:26,040 the acknowledgement in the lovely name of the Lord Jesus 67 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:30,800 Christ that I pray Hallelujah Amen of the church Amen. 68 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:41,160 You may be seated this morning in Jesus name in December back 69 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:49,680 in 2022, Ipsus Poe that it's just a type of Poe was revealed. 70 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:55,400 A few things that 3/4 of Americans agree that people have 71 00:04:55,400 --> 00:05:02,360 forgotten the real meaning of Christmas with about 2/5 or 42% 72 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:06,320 saying that they strongly agree with that statement that people 73 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:09,280 have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas. 74 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:13,600 I even look further back and there was a odor poll taken 75 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,160 several years ago by the Baptist Press. 76 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:20,160 In the article they were reporting Lifeway Research. 77 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:24,520 Does some research impose as well that concerned church and 78 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,960 things of that nature. And then it said that 9 out of 79 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:31,840 10 Americans personally celebrate Christmas. 80 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:34,640 And then they broke that down just a little bit more 81 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:40,000 interestingly that a majority of agnostics or those claiming no 82 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:45,080 preference, no, no religious preference, if you will, 89% did 83 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:48,240 individuals claiming other religions that were not 84 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:52,560 Christian religions, 62% of those people celebrated 85 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:58,600 Christmas. Even atheist, 55% celebrate 86 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:02,880 Christmas along then with the majority of a 90 percentile of 87 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:06,600 Christians. And so as I pondered on this, I 88 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:10,840 thought that, Bishop, the real meaning of Christmas has to have 89 00:06:10,840 --> 00:06:16,600 been clouded or denied when atheists who do not believe in 90 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:25,040 God celebrate Christmas. Did not Gabriel say to Joseph in 91 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:31,760 Matthew 123, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall 92 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:35,800 bring forth a son, and they shall call his name? 93 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:42,360 Emmanuel being interpreted is God with us. 94 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:46,120 So it's difficult for me this morning to begin to process that 95 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:50,120 there would be some people that claim they don't even believe in 96 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:56,760 God celebrating an event when God was with humanity in a more 97 00:06:56,760 --> 00:07:01,640 tangible way than ever before. The Lifeway Research also 98 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:06,160 reported that 62% strongly agree with this statement. 99 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:11,600 I believe Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season, while 100 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:17,440 only 28% read or told the Christmas story from the Bible, 101 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:21,800 meaning that there's a great percentile of people that 102 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:27,480 acknowledge him as the source without rehearsing his story. 103 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:31,800 Americans have a pulse then it would seem, even through the 104 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:35,280 polls that they have a pulse on an alleged problem. 105 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:38,720 But I'm not even sure as Americans or even as Christians 106 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:41,840 that we want to correct it. And please don't get me wrong 107 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:45,200 this morning, I'm not here to do a Christmas bashing and take all 108 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,880 your Amazon packages off of your porch or anything like that. 109 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:52,400 But what I'm saying is this, I, I like our holiday traditions. 110 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:58,320 I love, I love lights and I love the atmosphere of, of Christmas 111 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:01,840 and just seems to be even the personalities of people that you 112 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:05,440 deal with seem to be a little bit maybe lighter or, or, or 113 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:08,480 more accepting and able to embrace. 114 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:10,520 There's just a good feeling in the air. 115 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:13,360 I like to eat. I, I like to sit down and eat 116 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:17,200 what we have as, as traditions at those meals. 117 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:21,720 And, and I don't mind to give gifts and even receive gifts. 118 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:24,080 And I like and our candlelight service. 119 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:27,880 And I like those things that center around our holiday 120 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:30,120 traditions. I like all of those things. 121 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:33,240 But I'm here to emphatically tell you this morning, but I 122 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:38,200 love the Christmas message. I like all the greenery and all 123 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:41,280 the lights and all those things that accentuate different 124 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:44,200 things. But I love the Christmas message 125 00:08:44,560 --> 00:08:47,760 and I'm not convinced this morning that Jesus was born on 126 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:51,080 December the 25th and when that would be a side conversation. 127 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:56,520 But I am confident that he was born, confident that he was 128 00:08:56,520 --> 00:08:58,920 born. And so there's many today even 129 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:01,520 in our world. Christmas is not just now a 130 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:05,280 religious holiday as much as it is also a cultural holiday 131 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:07,560 today. Studies have even shown that 132 00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:10,760 I've read this week a generational decline in the 133 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:13,680 belief of the traditional Christmas story. 134 00:09:13,680 --> 00:09:16,560 That would be the story that's in the Scripture. 135 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:19,960 And so I believe it's it's important today that we need to 136 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:23,560 know the real meaning of Christmas. 137 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:27,120 So I've come just as a void on this Sunday morning in the month 138 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:30,520 of December, trying to acquaint us once again with the real 139 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:33,840 meaning of Christmas. Bishop even alluded to it the 140 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:38,120 other night as he was preaching. He discussed how words have 141 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:41,360 changed in meaning and that there were some differences 142 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:44,600 between some of his older dictionaries and modern ones. 143 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:48,200 And that's a real phenomenon. I I've read a book even with a 144 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:50,960 chapter just dedicated to that before. 145 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:55,280 They say that language is fluid and that there is not like 146 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:58,800 standard meaning of a word, but it changes with generation what 147 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:03,400 people bring meanings to words. And so meanings change because 148 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:08,600 we alter many times how a word is used or the context that it 149 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:10,720 is used in. I mean, some of the these young 150 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:13,280 folks are using words that I have the slightest idea what 151 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:16,920 they're meaning. I know what that word mean, but 152 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:20,400 it means something different to them than what it meant to me a 153 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:23,560 generation ago. And so meanings are shifting at 154 00:10:23,560 --> 00:10:27,520 the reflecting, if you will, the modern perceptions of how we 155 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:30,320 look at or consider a word or its use. 156 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:34,480 And so with that, we come to a place where we also alter the 157 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:38,160 meanings that are attached to holidays and traditions based 158 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:42,640 upon how the current generation or the current society has 159 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:45,320 learned them. And one thing is for sure, the 160 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:50,880 only way to stay true to the original intent of anything is 161 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:55,240 by giving a repetition of what it meant when it first came on 162 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:58,360 score. I believe that's reason why Jude 163 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:01,640 and Jude one and three had these words to Penn. 164 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:05,280 He was related to Christ. He said, Beloved, when I gave 165 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:10,120 all diligence to write to you of the calm and salvation, he said, 166 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:15,080 it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye 167 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:21,080 should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered 168 00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:25,000 unto the Saints. Jude had learned something from 169 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:29,720 predecessors, a man that had come even in the Old Testament. 170 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:33,240 He had learned from others that in order to keep the original 171 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:37,160 intent of the meaning there, you got to repeat it and rehearse it 172 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:40,760 within the ears of those who you want to know it. 173 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:46,040 We read in the Old Testament that Moses was even encouraged 174 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:51,880 to write the law in a book and it said rehearse it in their 175 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:54,080 ears. We have the books like 176 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:58,200 Deuteronomy, which it's name means the book of Remembrance, 177 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:01,880 and books like the Chronicles which are nothing more but a 178 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:06,800 record of events and happenings. Just for something to go back to 179 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:11,200 a archaic file and refresh what took place and what was 180 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:14,880 adequately remembered. When we do not talk about things 181 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:17,560 from the perspective of the original design. 182 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:22,080 I understand today that meanings get lost and sometimes they 183 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:27,840 become all together forgotten. The psalmist in Psalms chapter 184 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:32,760 #78 and through other places. He was very purposeful about 185 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:35,640 God's fingerprint on Israel's lives. 186 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:38,280 What God had done for the nation of Israel. 187 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:41,280 He wanted that to be generational knowledge. 188 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:44,400 He didn't want that just to have an impact upon the generation 189 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:47,400 that experienced those things. But even on their children, 190 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:49,480 their grandchildren, those that would go forward. 191 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:52,960 He wanted them to understand what God had did for a nation, 192 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:56,000 how he delivered a people, how they went in as a family and 193 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:59,320 came out as a nation. And so with that, we hear 194 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:02,600 different things in Scripture how the psalmist desired. 195 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:07,240 Amen to emphasize that and allow the original intent of all what 196 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:10,200 that meant to continue from age to age. 197 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:13,800 He says in Psalm 78 and 4. If you will indulge me for a 198 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:17,440 little bit of Scripture reading. He says, We will not hide them 199 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:21,840 from their children, shewing to the generation to come the 200 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:26,360 praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful 201 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:30,880 works that he have done. For he established a testimony 202 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:35,160 and Jacob and anointed a law in Israel which he commanded our 203 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:39,840 fathers, that they should make them known to their children 204 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:43,560 that the generation to come might know them, even the 205 00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:47,960 children which should be born who should arise and declare 206 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:52,840 them to their children, that they might set their hope in God 207 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:58,240 and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments. 208 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:01,120 He was saying this is information that we're going to 209 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:04,680 make for sure our children and our children's children know 210 00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:06,920 we're we're not going to withhold this from them. 211 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:09,360 This is vital. This is important. 212 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:12,560 This is a part of their legacy and a part of their heritage. 213 00:14:12,560 --> 00:14:15,840 We're going to explain it other places in Psalm, he said, so 214 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:19,240 that it would be written for the generation to come. 215 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:23,560 He says in other places that one generation shall praise thy 216 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:27,880 work, Speaking of God's works to another generation. 217 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:32,000 And so that the very transference of this information 218 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:36,760 was so vitally important, so much so that the psalmist in the 219 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:41,800 Psalms even pleaded at one time with God or or at least asked 220 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:45,680 for extension. He basically said, God let me 221 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:49,840 live just a little bit longer because I have something I need 222 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:52,400 to share. You look at it in Psalm 71 and 223 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:54,120 verse 18. Listen to what the psalmist 224 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:58,640 says. Now also, when I am old and Gray 225 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:05,880 headed, oh God forsake me not until I have shewed thy strength 226 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:13,120 unto this generation, and thy power to everyone that is to 227 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:15,480 come. What what the summer says. 228 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:19,680 I don't, God, if you just give me lengthen my days, if I'm not 229 00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:23,720 told it yet, give me a little bit more time on the counter. 230 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:26,840 I know I'm old, my hair's Gray, and my body is feeble. 231 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:29,080 Things are not operating like they used to. 232 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:32,400 But God, if I've not yet shared this message, if, if, if I've 233 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:36,520 not yet told this story, if I'm not yet instilled this into the 234 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:40,600 next generation, I'm asking for a little bit more time to show 235 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:43,840 them your strength and show them your power. 236 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:47,200 Folks, there's something we must understand though, about this 237 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:50,400 versus Scripture. This is more than the psalmist 238 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:54,680 telling them about all the exploits of God through the Old 239 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,200 Testament. It's more than telling them the 240 00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:01,400 stories of how he proved himself strong in battle. 241 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:04,600 He brought food to those that were impoverished. 242 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:08,560 I'm here to tell you today that the psalmist is also telling 243 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:12,920 them about his strength in that he wanted to reveal to that 244 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:20,240 generation, Amen, about a Messiah that was yet to come. 245 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:22,480 Just follow me here a little bit today. 246 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:26,200 If you read the book of Psalms, there are several psalms in the 247 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:29,880 Old Testament that are known as messianic Psalms. 248 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:32,880 They are writing and then there's words that are coming 249 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:36,280 forth, but those words are actually Speaking of a time and 250 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:39,640 a place beyond the present. It is speaking about the 251 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:43,280 Messiah, or if you will, the Lord Jesus Christ. 252 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:48,040 And it's in those Psalms that we catch glimpses of the one that 253 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:52,600 at that standpoint would come and they would foreshadow what 254 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:56,760 would happen to and with the one that would come. 255 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:00,200 And whatever David or the psalmist rather is saying, don't 256 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:03,760 give me some time here until I can share with them thy 257 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:06,680 strength. And this generation, he for sure 258 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:09,880 is speaking and has in mind the Messiah. 259 00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:13,880 Because in New Testament Scripture, what do we oftimes 260 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:16,280 see? And then we see it even whenever 261 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:21,160 Stephen is being stoned at the hands of those that would that 262 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:24,480 cause him harm. He's the first martyr of the New 263 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:26,839 Testament church. And the Bible says he had a 264 00:17:26,839 --> 00:17:29,280 vision. He opened his eyes and he said, 265 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:31,760 because he said, I've seen Christ standing at the right 266 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:34,200 hand of God. You see that terminology all 267 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,120 throughout Scripture, Amen. Christ standing at the at the 268 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:40,920 right hand of God, Amen. Of course we understand this, 269 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:44,360 that throughout Scripture, the right hand always was a place of 270 00:17:44,360 --> 00:17:46,840 power. It was a place of strength. 271 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:50,840 And so whenever David in the psalmist is saying, Hey, don't 272 00:17:50,840 --> 00:17:55,160 let let me die till I shoot them your strength, he's talking 273 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:59,400 about the role of Christ, Jesus the Messiah upon the earth. 274 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:01,680 What's so power? What's so powerful about the 275 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:04,640 Messiah? Is this What's so powerful about 276 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:07,400 Jesus Christ? Is this The earth was in a 277 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:12,960 dilemma without a right sacrifice to right the wrongs of 278 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:16,000 humanity? We were in a dilemma and we 279 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:20,160 needed some blood and we needed remission and we needed a 280 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:22,640 cleansing. And God, though, according to 281 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:27,240 John 4, God's a spirit, a spirit don't have flesh and bones and 282 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:29,520 blood. And so we had a dilemma on our 283 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:31,680 hands. God says, you know what, I'm 284 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:34,960 going to make this old word flesh and it's going to do well 285 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:37,880 among them, and they're going to be held the glory as the only 286 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:39,480 begotten of the Father. You know what? 287 00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:41,960 David is prophesying. The psalmist is prophesying. 288 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:46,240 I don't want He sent me to die until I can already tell this 289 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:50,840 generation about one that is to come about the Lord Jesus 290 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:56,320 Christ, because He is Thy strength and thy power. 291 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:59,920 Concerning the role that he served, the psalmist wanted to 292 00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:03,240 show his generations God's strength and power. 293 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:05,480 Amen. And that surpassed the victories 294 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:08,080 that we read in the Old Testament, that surpassed all 295 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:11,800 the ingenuity of creation. He wanted to show them God's 296 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:21,840 Son, Emmanuel, God with them. Wait, Psalms 22 is one of those 297 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:26,280 thinged messianic Psalms. You can turn there if you 298 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:28,120 desire. You can even start reading 299 00:19:28,120 --> 00:19:33,360 through some of Psalms 22. But it speaks of that strength 300 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:37,080 that the psalmist wanted to speak of that person, if you 301 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:40,800 will, that was during the time of suffering and very 302 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:45,000 vulnerable. You can read it in verse #1 he 303 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:49,400 tells us that this individual felt forsaken. 304 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:54,600 In verse #7 he tells us that he felt like everybody was laughing 305 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:58,720 him to scorn. In verse 15, it says that his 306 00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:02,840 tongue clay, but to his jaws, like your tongue sticking to the 307 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:06,640 roof of your mouth. Verse 16 says that they pierced 308 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:08,880 his hands and his feet. Does that sound? 309 00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:14,320 Familiar verse #18 says they parted his garments and cast 310 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:16,880 laws. David, or the Psalmist is 311 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:21,560 writing about something still yet to come, almost 1000 years 312 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:23,840 before Christ was ever crucified. 313 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:27,280 These words were written in scripture, for that matter, 314 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:31,720 before there was ever a well before there was ever even such 315 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:38,120 a thing as a Roman crucifix. These words were written Amen. 316 00:20:38,120 --> 00:20:42,800 Because he's trying to convey to his generation, he he wants an 317 00:20:42,800 --> 00:20:47,160 original message and meaning and intent to be tied to something 318 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:49,760 He wants them to know. He doesn't want it to fall 319 00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:51,840 through the cracks. He wants them to know about the 320 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:53,640 Messiah. He wants them to know about 321 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:55,920 Christ Jesus. He wants them to know about what 322 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:58,240 he's going to suffer. He wants them to know about how 323 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:00,480 he's going to come. He wants them to know about all 324 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:03,360 these things because we celebrate Easter and I'm 325 00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:05,960 thankful for Easter. But something and we must get in 326 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:09,200 our hearts and minds when we think about Christmas is this is 327 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:12,160 what died on the cross was born in a Manger. 328 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:16,600 What culminated on Golgotha started in Bethlehem. 329 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:22,040 Know someone say man, before they stripped him of his 330 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:25,840 garments, he was a babe that was wrapped in swaddling clothes. 331 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:29,840 Before people mocked angels saying hey man, before they 332 00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:33,840 sarcastically put above his head the King of the Jews. 333 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:36,640 He was proclaimed the Savior of the world. 334 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:41,000 Before the adult Jesus cried on the cross and said it is 335 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:43,200 finished. The baby Jesus cried in 336 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:47,080 Bethlehem and pierced the darkness of a holy night before 337 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:50,280 he told John to take care of Mary. 338 00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:52,960 Mary had taken care of him from the womb. 339 00:21:55,400 --> 00:22:03,320 So would say yes. And so Christ identifies Calvary 340 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:07,280 with this song. He does. 341 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:09,440 You know the wording, you know the story. 342 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:13,320 Christ hanging on the cross. Everybody's listening, right? 343 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:16,240 We can do studies on the seven last sayings of Christ. 344 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:17,880 They're there, right? What he spoke. 345 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:19,320 I thirst. All these different things, 346 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:21,880 right? One of them though, is this. 347 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:27,960 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 348 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:32,560 The first verse of Psalms 22 is my God. 349 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:37,840 My God, what is that? Well, if we were to do a little 350 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:41,880 survey ourself this morning, if I start this. 351 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:46,320 For God so loved the world that he gave. 352 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:56,360 You familiar with that as he hung on the cross and they're 353 00:22:56,360 --> 00:23:01,040 saying my God, my God. Just as you picked up on John 354 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:11,400 316, the people in that crowd picked up on Psalms 22, how that 355 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:15,200 which was written speaking about his tongue cleaving to the roof 356 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:19,160 of his mouth, what he's thirsty about his hands being pierced 357 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:23,920 through, about his garments being taken off and them casting 358 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:26,000 laws. He's bringing a remembrance. 359 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:30,480 Christ identified Calvary, Amen, all the way back with that Psalm 360 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:34,320 from the Christ from the cross. He said that, Amen. 361 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:37,240 And we do the same with Scriptures today, a Psalm that 362 00:23:37,360 --> 00:23:40,920 that is focused extensively on Calvary. 363 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:46,160 Calvary extensively on the cross in Psalms 22, though it also 364 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:51,240 hints at his birth because you can look at the Scripture of 365 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:55,360 Psalms 22 verses 9 and 10. And in those verses it is 366 00:23:55,360 --> 00:24:00,640 mentioning things about how he was cast up, cast upon the Lord 367 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:04,360 from the womb. And he begins to speak about his 368 00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:09,560 mother's belly and he begins to speak about his mother's breast. 369 00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:12,520 And he meant he in this thing of all crucifix. 370 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:16,760 Then there's a reflection back to his birth, His infancy. 371 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:18,480 Amen. When it all began. 372 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:20,880 And So what I'm saying this morning, this is common phrase, 373 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:22,400 this is nothing new, but it's OK. 374 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:28,120 What I'm saying today we must speak equally if not more about 375 00:24:28,120 --> 00:24:31,200 the gift on the tree, yes, rather than the gifts under the 376 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:33,600 tree. But we also must remember that 377 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:39,040 the gift on the tree came in its packaging and Bethlehem's 378 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:44,720 Manger. It's more, listen, the gift that 379 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:48,280 came in Bethlehem, it was more than wrapped in swaddling 380 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:51,160 clothes. There was a certain aspect of it 381 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:54,840 that was wrapped in mystery and wrapped in intrigue. 382 00:24:55,120 --> 00:24:57,920 That's the reason why throughout the Scriptures of the Gospels 383 00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:02,520 you have people saying, what manner of man is this man, that 384 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:05,640 even the sea and the wind obey him. 385 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:10,440 There's a little bit of mystery and intrigue that this man was 386 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:16,920 wrapped and it took a lifetime. It took 33 1/2 years to unwrap, 387 00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:21,000 if you will, this gift, to unwrap, if you will, this 388 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,520 present. But whenever that violent 389 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:27,920 unwrapping started to take place, it revealed on the tree, 390 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:31,880 Amen, with certainty, as a centurion was standing there and 391 00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:35,560 he says, Charlie, this was the son of God. 392 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:40,320 It's in that moment that every eye caught a glimpse of what he 393 00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:49,200 was and who he who he was. Someone say Amen. 394 00:25:50,120 --> 00:25:54,160 Someone say the flesh. The flesh. 395 00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:59,920 Listen. Stripping Jesus of His clothes 396 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:02,600 wouldn't be enough to unwrap this gift. 397 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:13,880 Lacerations on the back, those would be necessary. 398 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:22,760 The flesh had to be torn. Flesh had to be pierced. 399 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:27,840 I don't mean to be grievant, but the flesh had to be peeled back. 400 00:26:30,360 --> 00:26:33,640 There's nothing delicate. I know today, you know, some 401 00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:36,360 people really conscious of bows and ribbons and paper and bags 402 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:41,000 and boxes because we're going to use them next year, right? 403 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:48,680 There was nothing concerning being cautious about the 404 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:54,240 unwrapping of this gift. Nothing cautious, for one. 405 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:58,360 There was no need for a present after this year. 406 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:05,680 There's nothing cautious about how this thing was handled and 407 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:09,400 how it was unraveled and how it was unwrapped. 408 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,080 Amen, the flesh. And please understand when I say 409 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:15,080 it and I'll get to my I haven't forgot about where we started. 410 00:27:15,360 --> 00:27:19,440 The flesh, Amen that this thing was wrapped in wasn't the gift 411 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:20,880 per SE. I know we haven't. 412 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:22,280 Our tree. Oh, look at that gift and has 413 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:24,160 bows and has paper and boxes and all that. 414 00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:27,120 And look, that's your gift. And yes, I understand that. 415 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:30,600 But in reality, the papers and the boxes and the bows isn't the 416 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:33,960 gift per SE. They are just the container that 417 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:40,800 makes the gift accessible. They're just, they're just the 418 00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:44,040 container that makes the gift accessible to you. 419 00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:46,680 If I can say it. And my sister, sometime in the 420 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:49,280 past few weeks, she sent a verse of Scripture in it. 421 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:52,680 My mind went back to it here as I was studying this week. 422 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:56,720 The real gift, Amen, of Bethlehem's Manger, the real 423 00:27:56,720 --> 00:28:01,400 gift of Christ Jesus, the real gift of Christmas, is the blood, 424 00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:07,920 blood that was in that body. The blood that was in that body. 425 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:12,560 Old Testament precedent gives it to us over and over that the 426 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:16,880 life of the flesh is in the blood. 427 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:20,560 The life of the flesh is in the blood. 428 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:23,680 That's the reason why they slaughtered their bull and they 429 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:27,080 slaughtered their lamb, but it could only take care of it for 430 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:31,120 one year. But the life of his blood that 431 00:28:31,120 --> 00:28:38,880 was in his flesh once and for all when I wake. 432 00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:58,640 The body made the blood available. 433 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:02,880 The spirit has no blood, but the body had blood. 434 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:05,520 The body makes the blood accessible. 435 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:10,720 It's the wrappings, it's the paper, it's the box, it's the 436 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:13,640 container, but the gift is the blood. 437 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:29,390 I want to under score that just a 438 00:29:29,390 --> 00:29:39,720 little bit more because Acts 20 tells us that his church was 439 00:29:39,720 --> 00:29:50,520 purchased. Not silver, not gold, not some 440 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:55,200 trade off if you will of chickens and bulls. 441 00:29:56,760 --> 00:30:01,760 No, the church was purchased by his own. 442 00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:10,600 That's the gift. That's the gift, and Hebrews 443 00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:12,920 tells us, and that goes Leviticus. 444 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:20,480 Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. 445 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:26,040 Or if I can define that, removal of sins. 446 00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:33,840 And yet you and I all have sinned and come short of the 447 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:35,760 glory. That's the gift. 448 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:42,280 That's the gift. And yet Leviticus also says 449 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:49,640 these words that blood makes atonement for the soul, or blood 450 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:55,520 makes the soul at one again. Atonement at 1:00, at 1:00, 451 00:30:55,520 --> 00:31:00,400 again with God, you can't get that any other way that comes 452 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:02,000 through. No, no other venue. 453 00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:05,680 There's not a substitute for it or a Plan B for it. 454 00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:12,240 It requires blood, The blood someone came in. 455 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:21,600 Not only that, we read in Isaiah, we read in Peter what by 456 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:26,800 his stripes he two places, which is I love this. 457 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:32,560 One of those passages say by his stripes ye were healed. 458 00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:36,520 Another passage says by his stripes ye are healed. 459 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:45,920 Always love that because one is present and one is past and as 460 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:48,720 long as you keep healing in those two areas, the future is 461 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:59,680 taken care of. But stripes the bleeding or the 462 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:05,840 causing to bleed the blood brings, if you will, the best 463 00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:12,760 medicine for our healing. To top it all off, Peter even 464 00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:19,400 said and calls the blood of the human body of Christ Jesus. 465 00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:27,520 Note now precious blood. No, no blood's precious on any 466 00:32:27,520 --> 00:32:30,080 level. I understand that you only got 467 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:32,280 so many liters of it in your body. 468 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:35,800 I looked up just to make sure about I thought it was. 469 00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:38,000 I just looked up yesterday to make sure they're still. 470 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:40,680 I know we have heart replacements, lung replacements, 471 00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:44,760 all this stuff, but the blood of any human body still remains 472 00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:47,160 irreplaceable. They don't have a substitute. 473 00:32:51,840 --> 00:32:54,760 And I'll tell you this, if there's no substitute for my 474 00:32:54,760 --> 00:33:07,190 human blood, rest assured there is no substitute for so, So, So 475 00:33:07,190 --> 00:33:08,950 what? What's the real, real meaning of 476 00:33:08,950 --> 00:33:11,110 Christmas? The old hymn? 477 00:33:12,390 --> 00:33:26,680 What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. 478 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:39,960 What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. 479 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:53,040 Oh precious, here's the flow that makes me white hats. 480 00:33:53,720 --> 00:34:04,160 No, no other fount. I know nothing but the blood 481 00:34:10,330 --> 00:34:19,960 because of the perfect gift and the sin that it remits and the 482 00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:24,520 church that it buys and the healing that it offers and the 483 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:29,679 redemption that it gives because of the perfect Christmas gift. 484 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:36,120 That means a healthy bride without spot or wrinkle or any 485 00:34:36,120 --> 00:34:39,000 such thing. That means a bride that's in 486 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:42,760 good standing with her groom. And it's all largely 487 00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:47,600 underwritten by a gift that was presented in Bethlehem and 488 00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:58,120 unwrapped on Calvary. Jesus said in our text, yes, our 489 00:34:58,120 --> 00:34:59,280 text. It's still there. 490 00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:09,880 For this is my blood of the New Testament, the word Testament 491 00:35:09,880 --> 00:35:16,240 covenant interchangeable here in the Scripture covenants, 492 00:35:16,240 --> 00:35:22,840 Testaments, Old New alike, they were often ratified or confirmed 493 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:26,840 by blood. When the covenant was made, they 494 00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:29,800 would sacrifice, slaughter an animal and that blood would 495 00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:34,120 oftimes be sprinkled in order to make the covenant binding, 496 00:35:35,320 --> 00:35:38,680 ratify the covenant. Truth is why in the Old 497 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:42,840 Testament, you see Moses, he's made a covenant with the people 498 00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:47,560 and concerning the law, it talks about him taking blood and 499 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:51,120 sprinkling that blood upon the altar and upon the people and he 500 00:35:51,120 --> 00:35:54,920 called it this. The blood of the covenant or the 501 00:35:54,920 --> 00:36:00,760 blood of the Testament Jesus is holding. 502 00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:08,400 I'm sure his cup looked better than a painted koozie, but hey, 503 00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:16,520 who am I to criticize? Jesus is holding a cup of the 504 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:22,720 fruit of the vine that represented his blood. 505 00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:34,800 Listen, Calvary hasn't happened yet in our text here, Calvary 506 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:36,880 hasn't happened. It's still in the future. 507 00:36:38,200 --> 00:36:42,280 But he's holding the cup of the fruit of the vine representing. 508 00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:49,040 He's even making it plain to them his blood, Christ's cross 509 00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:53,800 isn't standing upright on Golgotha's heel yet, but he says 510 00:36:53,800 --> 00:36:56,120 here's the cup. This is my, this is my blood. 511 00:36:56,320 --> 00:36:59,280 This is the blood of the New Testament. 512 00:37:01,720 --> 00:37:11,200 Notice that Christ did not say this will be my blood, but he 513 00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:19,320 says this is my blood. Why are you talking like that 514 00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:24,880 Lord? Because the gift was there, it 515 00:37:24,880 --> 00:37:34,720 just needed unwrapped. It was there, it was present, no 516 00:37:34,720 --> 00:37:40,560 pun intended. It was holding the cup, it was 517 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:44,400 readily available. It just needed unwrapped. 518 00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:51,400 And he goes hard to say, this is this is, this is my blood of the 519 00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:59,000 New Testament, and it is shed for many. 520 00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:02,480 No crowns been placed upon his head. 521 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:07,240 No, no cat of nine tailspins laid to his back. 522 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:11,440 No, no, no scourging. No, no spear has went through 523 00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:13,160 his side, and blood and water has come. 524 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:17,520 Not even the first snail has been put in his hands or in his 525 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:20,640 feet. And yet, he says the blood is 526 00:38:21,160 --> 00:38:24,680 shed. How so? 527 00:38:26,080 --> 00:38:30,760 Listen to me very clearly, because no one ever intends for 528 00:38:30,760 --> 00:38:41,520 a gift to remain wrapped. Correct me if I'm wrong. 529 00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:44,920 There'd be a problem at your house when all the festivities 530 00:38:44,920 --> 00:38:50,240 are over if you stumbled across a Stillwell packaged gift. 531 00:38:54,440 --> 00:38:57,400 And maybe your dilemma is even greater because the name tags 532 00:38:57,400 --> 00:38:59,400 fell off. Or perhaps your name was Paul 533 00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:00,920 McGee and you forgot to even put one on. 534 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:06,000 That will be my case. What's going to be the thing? 535 00:39:07,480 --> 00:39:10,720 Somebody has a gift here, you're not just going to like, oh, I 536 00:39:10,720 --> 00:39:12,680 guess we'll put it up with everything and get it out next 537 00:39:12,680 --> 00:39:17,360 year. No, because everybody knows a 538 00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:25,960 gift is intended. He could say is shed because he 539 00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:28,160 knows a gift doesn't go unwrapped. 540 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:34,200 The blood, the Old Testament, New Testament matters not. 541 00:39:34,440 --> 00:39:37,400 It seals the New Testament, the new covenant. 542 00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:41,600 The writer of Hebrews talks about that New Testament, that 543 00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:44,000 new covenant. He said that thing, Amen. 544 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:48,480 That his blood sealed. He said it is giving us a man a 545 00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:52,920 better covenant than what we had, a better testament than 546 00:39:52,920 --> 00:39:55,160 what we had. He goes on to say, the writer of 547 00:39:55,160 --> 00:39:58,200 Hebrews, he said if the first covenant would have been good 548 00:39:58,200 --> 00:40:00,480 enough, we wouldn't have needed a second one. 549 00:40:00,680 --> 00:40:02,240 He said. But this is the blood. 550 00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:05,680 Amen of the new covenant of the New Testament. 551 00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:07,600 Amen. And it's going to be better, 552 00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:11,400 folks. That's our perfect Christmas 553 00:40:11,400 --> 00:40:18,000 gift this morning. Peter said we understand the 554 00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:20,560 Scripture. Christ was the perfect lame of 555 00:40:20,560 --> 00:40:23,400 God. He knew no sin, right? 556 00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:29,640 It's made in all ways like you and I are tempted, tested, but 557 00:40:29,640 --> 00:40:33,840 without sin. But Peter said that he bare 558 00:40:33,840 --> 00:40:38,320 though he bore, he bare our sin in his body. 559 00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:45,920 So when I get from this perfect gift is this He bears our sin in 560 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:49,800 his body, but he bears our redemption in his blood. 561 00:40:52,920 --> 00:41:02,680 Body and blood, bread and cup, the perfect Christmas gift. 562 00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:06,480 If you can stay with me this morning. 563 00:41:13,580 --> 00:41:14,660 Why are you saying all this, Brother McGee? 564 00:41:14,660 --> 00:41:18,980 I'm saying this because if we have such a large margin of 565 00:41:18,980 --> 00:41:23,340 people, whether connected to Christianity or not, and 566 00:41:23,700 --> 00:41:26,220 evidently people that don't even believe in God, celebrating 567 00:41:26,220 --> 00:41:32,780 Christmas, then I cannot go this season without talking about the 568 00:41:32,780 --> 00:41:39,120 true message of Christmas. Can't fall silent. 569 00:41:40,920 --> 00:41:47,880 Listen, it is too vital for even one generation to go without 570 00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:58,080 hearing about the perfect Christmas gift, the birth of 571 00:41:58,080 --> 00:42:00,040 Christ. It's just not a tale of history, 572 00:42:00,840 --> 00:42:03,080 right? The the the writer of the New 573 00:42:03,080 --> 00:42:06,400 Testament, Paul even said one area, he said, whenever I'm 574 00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:09,960 talking, I'm not talking about some canonly devised fable, 575 00:42:10,480 --> 00:42:12,960 right? This is not some pseudo fake 576 00:42:13,000 --> 00:42:15,640 artificial truth. So I'm telling you the truth. 577 00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:19,360 And I think it's important today to reacquaint ourselves with the 578 00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:24,400 truth of this gift, right? It's the it's the remedy for for 579 00:42:24,400 --> 00:42:27,200 our sin. It's the remedy for humanity. 580 00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:29,360 And the amazing thing about, you know, we say it all the time. 581 00:42:29,560 --> 00:42:31,840 Well, this is it's the gift that keeps on giving. 582 00:42:35,240 --> 00:42:37,120 We bow our heads this morning to this place. 583 00:42:37,120 --> 00:42:43,120 It came as a carefully wrapped gift. 584 00:42:44,200 --> 00:42:47,080 There's nothing in Scripture that indicates that there was a 585 00:42:47,080 --> 00:42:50,440 10 toes and 10 fingers. Like new parents, you know, 586 00:42:50,440 --> 00:42:53,440 check when that newborn comes and they're looking very 587 00:42:53,440 --> 00:42:55,880 carefully. He was a carefully wrapped gift. 588 00:42:55,880 --> 00:42:58,320 He did not take upon the nature of an Angel. 589 00:42:58,600 --> 00:43:03,240 The Bible says he took upon the nature of the seed of Abraham, 590 00:43:03,600 --> 00:43:06,560 right? He came down, he condescended, 591 00:43:06,560 --> 00:43:10,920 and he became a man among. And like humanity, he who was 592 00:43:10,920 --> 00:43:14,840 rich became poor, that through his Amen poverty we might be 593 00:43:14,840 --> 00:43:19,880 made rich. He came, but his humanity, his 594 00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:23,800 wrappings, all this stuff was concealing his divinity. 595 00:43:23,800 --> 00:43:28,960 Like all gifts, they got caught glimpses of maybe what it was 596 00:43:29,320 --> 00:43:33,240 when a blind eye was opened by him, caught glimpses of what it 597 00:43:33,240 --> 00:43:36,280 was when a dead Lazarus came forth from the grave. 598 00:43:36,640 --> 00:43:40,640 They caught glimpses of it all. But ultimately, when his body 599 00:43:40,640 --> 00:43:45,800 was per SE broken and when that blood was shed and poured out 600 00:43:46,480 --> 00:43:51,920 for her redemption, there was no guesswork now that this was the 601 00:43:51,920 --> 00:43:57,600 perfect, the perfect gift. Can we just start talking to the 602 00:43:57,600 --> 00:44:01,560 Lord this morning? We are in yes, as they oftimes 603 00:44:01,560 --> 00:44:04,560 say, the most wonderful time of the year. 604 00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:08,920 But I'm asking us on this Sunday morning, as we get caught up in 605 00:44:08,920 --> 00:44:13,200 the hustle and the bustle of a season and all of the other 606 00:44:13,200 --> 00:44:17,800 cultural things that pull us in every direction and every way. 607 00:44:18,280 --> 00:44:21,680 All the different lists that we have to keep track of this and 608 00:44:21,680 --> 00:44:24,880 at what night we're going here and what time this function is 609 00:44:24,880 --> 00:44:26,800 at. I'm asking if just on this 610 00:44:26,800 --> 00:44:31,000 Sunday morning, we could have a holy pause and remember the 611 00:44:31,000 --> 00:44:36,440 perfect Christmas gift. Am I urging to you this morning 612 00:44:36,440 --> 00:44:39,040 is this. You, like me, have been born 613 00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:43,360 into this Adamic nature. You, like me, have been born 614 00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:48,480 into this world as a Sinner. You, like me, fail. 615 00:44:48,960 --> 00:44:52,200 We succumb to temptation. We succumb to impurity. 616 00:44:52,200 --> 00:44:54,320 We succumb, if you will, to mishaps. 617 00:44:54,320 --> 00:44:59,880 And we have our fallacies. But it's all bound in that gift. 618 00:45:01,160 --> 00:45:03,000 It's all bound in that packaging. 619 00:45:03,720 --> 00:45:06,400 Blood for the purchase price of the church. 620 00:45:07,160 --> 00:45:09,600 Blood for the redemption of humanity. 621 00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:12,720 Blood for the healing of the body. 622 00:45:13,320 --> 00:45:18,560 Blood, Blood. There's life in the blood. 623 00:45:22,160 --> 00:45:24,680 Can I tell you that the cup is still full? 624 00:45:26,360 --> 00:45:28,760 Uh huh. That cup is still full. 625 00:45:29,480 --> 00:45:32,640 His blood is still the blood of this new covenant. 626 00:45:33,600 --> 00:45:35,600 It's a covenant that he wants to involve you in. 627 00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:38,600 It's a covenant that he wants to make a joint arrangement with 628 00:45:38,600 --> 00:45:42,800 you, Sir, with you, ma'am, wherever you may be, whatever 629 00:45:42,800 --> 00:45:47,360 your path past may have been. He's extending the cup right in 630 00:45:47,360 --> 00:45:49,640 that moment. His blood to Matthew, who was a 631 00:45:49,640 --> 00:45:52,480 tax collector. He's extending his cup to the 632 00:45:52,480 --> 00:45:55,280 fisherman. Hey, man, he's extending his cup 633 00:45:55,520 --> 00:45:58,760 in that moment to people of different segments of life. 634 00:45:59,160 --> 00:46:03,960 He's he's extended that cup to a political man, Simon the zealot. 635 00:46:05,480 --> 00:46:09,080 It's still there today because it's the perfect gift that you 636 00:46:09,080 --> 00:46:12,560 can ever receive. You may have your list and you 637 00:46:12,560 --> 00:46:15,760 may, you may have your wants and you may have your aspirations. 638 00:46:15,760 --> 00:46:18,680 If I ever get this someday, man, there just be a sense of 639 00:46:18,680 --> 00:46:21,200 satisfaction. Let me tell you Sir, ma'am, you 640 00:46:21,200 --> 00:46:24,880 will never have the satisfaction you need until you avail 641 00:46:24,880 --> 00:46:28,760 yourself of the gift that came in Bethlehem's Manger and unwrap 642 00:46:28,760 --> 00:46:32,000 it for yourself. Unwrap it for yourself. 643 00:46:32,480 --> 00:46:35,640 Peel back the layers and see the love. 644 00:46:35,920 --> 00:46:38,600 That wasn't meant just for a 1st century church. 645 00:46:38,880 --> 00:46:42,160 That wasn't just meant for 12 guys that were His disciples. 646 00:46:42,560 --> 00:46:49,080 It was a love for you he became, he became Amen, a ransom for all 647 00:46:49,320 --> 00:46:54,600 for many Amen, even his name that the Angel told Joseph and 648 00:46:54,600 --> 00:46:57,000 Mary, you're going to call him Jesus. 649 00:46:57,120 --> 00:47:02,400 The tagline is for he shall save his people from their sins. 650 00:47:02,720 --> 00:47:06,600 Folks, that's the most perfect Christmas give. 651 00:47:06,880 --> 00:47:09,520 You don't know the Lord this morning the way that I'm 652 00:47:09,520 --> 00:47:13,160 describing to you. I'm trying to be of Solmus in my 653 00:47:13,160 --> 00:47:17,760 hour and say, God, give me a little bit more time until I can 654 00:47:17,760 --> 00:47:24,280 tell this generation about your strength and about your power of 655 00:47:24,280 --> 00:47:27,280 who you are, what you are, what you've come to do for us. 656 00:47:27,560 --> 00:47:31,280 This altar is open today. Hey, man, the gift is here. 657 00:47:31,640 --> 00:47:34,240 The gift is here. It's here, if you will. 658 00:47:34,240 --> 00:47:38,240 It's accessible. Hey, man, it's accessible, but 659 00:47:38,240 --> 00:47:41,480 you got to reach out to it. Just like the Old Testament 660 00:47:41,480 --> 00:47:45,120 blood that was in a basin from a perfect lamb on the day of 661 00:47:45,120 --> 00:47:48,160 passage, silver that was put up on the lid on the doorpost. 662 00:47:48,400 --> 00:47:52,080 It could have been a dead lamb and blood innovation, but it 663 00:47:52,080 --> 00:47:55,800 didn't serve the families until someone applied it. 664 00:47:56,000 --> 00:47:59,600 Someone applied it, perhaps today you need to come to where 665 00:47:59,640 --> 00:48:03,800 the gift is and get your hands in the gift and allow that 666 00:48:03,800 --> 00:48:08,640 blood, allow that purpose, allow that future to be applied to. 667 00:48:08,640 --> 00:48:15,280 It's the most perfect Christmas gift, Brother Mason, if we can 668 00:48:15,280 --> 00:48:19,960 go to song right now and if we can just praise the Lord and 669 00:48:20,640 --> 00:48:23,280 acknowledge him. He's in this place. 670 00:48:23,280 --> 00:48:26,080 I feel the witness of his Spirit. 671 00:48:26,600 --> 00:48:27,600 Amen. Here today. 672 00:48:27,640 --> 00:48:28,600 I love you, Jesus.