1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:01,800 How are you? You good. 2 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:04,640 I just want to highlight that crossover service that's coming 3 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:09,080 up on New Year's Eve because it's going to be great and you 4 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:11,400 should all be there. It's the first time that we are 5 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:13,280 doing something like this at Verso. 6 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:17,320 And so if you are available, if you're like me, you haven't made 7 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:20,120 plans yet, then come along. It would be so good to see you 8 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:23,520 there. But first Christmas, we have 4 9 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:27,440 sleeps to go, 4 sleeps. Are you guys ready? 10 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:29,880 You ready? I don't know about you, but I've 11 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:32,080 been asked that question so much this week. 12 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:33,960 Are you ready? Are you ready for Christmas? 13 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,440 And I feel like the fact that you're asking me that means that 14 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:41,600 I really should be ready. And I guess I'm halfway there in 15 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,080 the sense that the kids are broken up from school. 16 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,160 Great, no more clubs in the evening. 17 00:00:47,160 --> 00:00:51,160 Even better Christmas presents we're kind of mostly there with. 18 00:00:51,480 --> 00:00:54,080 But there's still a few things we have to do in our household. 19 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:58,360 Our house needs to be tidied and then we are actually going to 20 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:02,040 Devon for Christmas this year. And so it means packing up this 21 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,519 afternoon and getting ready to drive down to Devon tomorrow. 22 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:09,400 And so I guess for me, it's when I pull up at my parents house, I 23 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,800 walk through the front door, breathe a big sigh of relief. 24 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:15,040 That is when I can say I am ready. 25 00:01:15,960 --> 00:01:18,800 I can finally be in the moment and enjoy Christmas. 26 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,000 But you know what? I think there's something a 27 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,760 little bit wrong with that because this year God has been 28 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:28,200 teaching me a different way, a better way, I think. 29 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:31,400 You know, I don't think that we have to have it all together, 30 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:36,520 have everything in place and just so before we can embrace 31 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:40,360 the season, because that's not why Jesus came, is it? 32 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:44,840 He came so that he can be present with us in all of it. 33 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:48,800 In the stress, in the endless lists and the feeling of being 34 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:52,400 completely overwhelmed in the late nights and the long days, 35 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,680 in the school events, the Christmas parties, in the 36 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:59,840 excitement and the challenges that this time of year brings. 37 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:02,800 He wants to be invited into it all. 38 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:06,640 And this Christmas series that we've been in, it's been 39 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,039 reminding me once again of this truth. 40 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:13,800 You know, the moment in history where everything changed, where 41 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:17,400 the glory of heaven broke through into our world and into 42 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:20,200 our lives. Not when everything was good and 43 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:23,160 people were ready, but when the world was dark. 44 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:27,000 And over the last two weeks we've been unpacking this 45 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,760 together across our sites. In the first week we read of the 46 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:32,800 announcement of the birth of Jesus. 47 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:35,400 You know how it didn't come to the people that we would have 48 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:38,760 expected the powerful or the prestigious, but it came to the 49 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:42,840 shepherds, The Dirty, smelly outsiders, the the guys that 50 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,520 were overlooked. God brings his extraordinary 51 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:50,880 message to and through very ordinary people. 52 00:02:51,920 --> 00:02:56,600 And last week we spent time in John's Gospel and this beautiful 53 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:01,680 mystery of the incarnation, the Word himself, Jesus Christ, who 54 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:06,240 was there at the very beginning of time with God and who was God 55 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:11,040 and the incredible truth that he chose to give up the riches of 56 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:15,080 heaven and become a man. He chose to step into our world 57 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:19,920 to walk the the walk that we walk, to experience all that we 58 00:03:19,920 --> 00:03:23,480 experience. God chose to come near to you 59 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:27,640 and me, and this week we're going to look at how the world 60 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:32,600 responds when he arrives. That moment when Jesus was born, 61 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:36,520 when heaven touched earth, when everything changed. 62 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:39,400 What was the response? And so I'm going to pray. 63 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:44,200 Father, I want to thank you for this morning. 64 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:47,200 I thank you for the joy it is that we can come together to 65 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:51,040 worship you and to remember the reason for this season. 66 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:53,960 Mother, I thank you for all that you've been doing in us up until 67 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:57,120 this point through this series. And God, I pray for open hearts 68 00:03:57,120 --> 00:03:59,440 this morning. God that you would speak through 69 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:02,320 my words, through what I've prepared, and you would reveal 70 00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:06,400 yourself in a fresh way to us this morning in Jesus name. 71 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:13,000 OK, so we are going to turn to Matthew 2 verses one to six. 72 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,600 We're going to read kind of a bit more of that, but for now 73 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:17,600 we're going to read verses 1:00 to 6:00. 74 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:19,839 So if you've got a Bible, you can turn there, otherwise it 75 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:21,640 will come up on the screen behind me. 76 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:28,520 So Matthew 2 verses one to six. And Jesus was born in Bethlehem 77 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:31,240 in Judea during the time of King Herod. 78 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:35,120 Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, Where is 79 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:37,120 the one who has been born king of the Jews? 80 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,920 We saw his star when it rose, and we've come to worship him. 81 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:45,000 When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem 82 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:47,440 with him. When he had called together all 83 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:50,720 the peoples, chief priests and teachers of the Law, he asked 84 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:54,680 them where the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, in Judea. 85 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:58,200 They replied, for this is what the prophet has written. 86 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,280 But you, Bethlehem in the land of Judah are by no means least 87 00:05:02,280 --> 00:05:05,720 among the rulers of Judah. For out of you will come a ruler 88 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:08,360 who will shepherd my people, Israel. 89 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,520 And so here we read about about the Magi. 90 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:17,240 You know, these are guys from the east who have heard about 91 00:05:17,280 --> 00:05:19,240 Jesus birth and they've come to find him. 92 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:24,160 They are Gentiles, not Jews, and so they are not part of Israel. 93 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:29,320 So again, another type of outsider Magi were likely to be 94 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:33,560 astrologers and they were probably from Persia or Babylon. 95 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:35,560 So this wouldn't have been a short journey for them. 96 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:38,760 This would have would have taken them months actually to travel 97 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:41,880 to Jerusalem. And so this isn't happening on 98 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:45,880 the night of Jesus birth like the nativity story at school. 99 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:48,680 Maybe you would have you believe Jesus would have actually been 100 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:53,000 about 6 to 18 months old here when they were coming to find 101 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:55,440 him. And they're following a star. 102 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:58,880 We read that in this passage, verse 2, it says where is the 103 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:00,920 one who has been born king of the Jews? 104 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:04,480 We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. 105 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:08,560 And you know, the star is symbolic because in the ancient 106 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:13,680 Eastern world, stars symbolized the birth or the rise of rulers. 107 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:17,480 And so when the magi see this star, they're saying we know 108 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:20,480 that a king has been born. And in fact, we read here it 109 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:23,080 says they recognize him as the King of Jews. 110 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:27,720 They knew the significance of his birth so much that they were 111 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:32,040 prepared to travel all that way, not just to say congratulations, 112 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:34,600 Mary and Jesus, but to worship him. 113 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:39,960 And I love this that God uses something so familiar to the 114 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:41,800 Magi. They were astrologers. 115 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:46,920 He used to * to use something that would they would understand 116 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:52,600 to draw them to Jesus, to the one person that deserves all of 117 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:56,880 their worship. You know Jesus is born exactly 118 00:06:56,880 --> 00:06:59,240 as the scriptures say he would be. 119 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:05,480 There are over 300 prophecies given about Jesus birth and he 120 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:11,040 fulfilled every single one and one of them is referenced here 121 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:14,400 in verse 6. They're actually quoting Micah 122 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:20,880 52 which is a prophecy that was given 700 years before that 123 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:24,440 Jesus would be born in Bethlehem 700 years before. 124 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:28,080 Now none of this is random or coincidental. 125 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:31,520 Jesus is born exactly as it was promised. 126 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:36,640 A king who was promised to the Jews that would one day come to 127 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:41,000 restore Israel, to save them from their sins, to save them 128 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:45,640 from death. Jesus Christ, this is good news. 129 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:49,640 It's good news for us today, and it was good news for the people 130 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:54,200 of the time as well, especially because things were particularly 131 00:07:54,400 --> 00:08:00,000 difficult and dark during this time when Jesus was born in 132 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,840 Isaiah 9. So Isaiah is a prophet who 133 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,000 speaks about Jesus birth way before it happened. 134 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:09,400 In Isaiah 9 verse 2, it says this. 135 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:13,760 It says the people walking in darkness have seen a great light 136 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:16,760 on those living in the land of deep darkness. 137 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:22,280 A light has dawned. There was deep darkness in the 138 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:25,800 land at the time. There was political oppression, 139 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:30,240 national humiliation, injustice, corruption. 140 00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:34,039 People were living in fear and despair. 141 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:38,679 God seemed silent and there was this sense that he had abandoned 142 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:45,840 his people, until on that night, the glory of heaven, the light 143 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:51,640 of heaven, pierced the darkness. Light broke through Jesus 144 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:56,040 Christ, light of the world and there is joy. 145 00:08:56,640 --> 00:08:59,480 We see that from the magi in their response, how they how 146 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:02,720 they come to worship him. The angels even announce I bring 147 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:06,240 good news that will cause great joy for all people. 148 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:12,040 But when the light arrives, it doesn't just bring joy because 149 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:15,200 there's someone else in this passage who wasn't quite so 150 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:19,000 thrilled at the news of Jesus. We read it in verse 3. 151 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:23,280 It says when King Herod heard this, he was disturbed and all 152 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:28,200 Jerusalem with him. That word disturbed in Group in 153 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:33,960 Greek means shaken or agitated like this King was not happy. 154 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:39,440 King Herod or Herod the Great, at the time he ruled Judea, 155 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:43,200 Galilee and all the surrounding regions, and he was known to be 156 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,240 particularly violent and to rule with fear. 157 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:49,760 Now Herod wasn't born into royalty. 158 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:52,520 He was appointed king by the Romans. 159 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:55,680 And so because of that, he was highly sensitive to any 160 00:09:55,680 --> 00:09:58,440 potential rivals. You could say he had a bit of 161 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:02,800 impostor syndrome, like, he was highly insecure and paranoid. 162 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:06,800 That's the kind of king he was. You know, he even executed his 163 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:10,240 wife because he was convinced that she was conspiring against 164 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:12,640 him. And he killed three of his own 165 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:16,160 sons for a similar reason. Like this guy was ruthless, 166 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:19,880 especially when he thought there was a threat to his throne. 167 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:24,600 And so he hears this news of this new king, king of the Jews. 168 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:27,800 And not only that, these magi want to go and worship him. 169 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,880 King Herod, who was a king that ruled with darkness, was 170 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:35,840 threatened by the light that had arrived. 171 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:41,360 It's interesting that we're told that not just Herod was 172 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:46,040 disturbed by this news. It says all Jerusalem with him. 173 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:49,320 So why would all of Jerusalem be troubled? 174 00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:53,160 And this is because they knew Herod's brutality. 175 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:57,240 And so for them, this wasn't a joyful anticipation. 176 00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:02,040 It was fear because they knew that Herod's insecurity about 177 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:04,920 potential threats was going to lead to violence. 178 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:09,000 And we read, don't we, later, how Herod reacted. 179 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:10,920 We're going to pick it up from verse 7. 180 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:16,840 It says Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from 181 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:20,000 them the exact time the star had appeared, sent them to 182 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:23,240 Bethlehem, and said, Go and search carefully for the Child. 183 00:11:23,560 --> 00:11:26,760 As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I may go and 184 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:30,160 worship him. After they heard the King, they 185 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:33,000 went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went 186 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:36,240 ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child 187 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:39,040 was when the star. When they saw the star they were 188 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,720 overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw 189 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:44,560 the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and 190 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:47,240 worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures 191 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:50,240 and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and bear. 192 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:53,120 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, 193 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:55,400 they returned to their country by another route. 194 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:58,600 When they'd gone, an Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a 195 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:01,000 dream. Get up, he said, take the child 196 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:02,920 and his mother, and escape to Egypt. 197 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:06,160 Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the 198 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:10,120 child to kill him. So he got up, took the child and 199 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:13,360 his mother during the night, and left for Egypt, where he stayed 200 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:16,320 until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the 201 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:19,440 Lord had said through the prophet out of Egypt I called my 202 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:21,880 son. When Herod realised that he had 203 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:25,640 been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders 204 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:29,360 to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its and its 205 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:32,680 vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with 206 00:12:32,680 --> 00:12:34,480 the time that he had learned from the Magi. 207 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:39,680 The light had disturbed the darkness. 208 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:45,240 When light disturbs the darkness, it exposes. 209 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:52,680 It exposes hatred, it exposes injustice, it exposes sin and 210 00:12:52,680 --> 00:12:56,360 hypocrisy. It exposes people's hearts. 211 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:01,840 On hearing this news, Herod starts plotting how he can get 212 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:05,720 rid of Jesus, this new baby on the block that people are 213 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:09,160 calling king. He makes a plan that involves 214 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:15,240 deception and murder. When light shines, it exposes 215 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:19,240 things that were once hidden, and we see things for what they 216 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:21,640 really are. And when light disturbs the 217 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:26,480 darkness, it also confronts. You know, Jesus came to comfort, 218 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:32,640 but he also came to confront, to push back darkness by bringing 219 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:35,560 truth. And it's the truth that brings 220 00:13:35,560 --> 00:13:37,720 freedom. But darkness doesn't like that. 221 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:39,880 And so there's always a reaction. 222 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:45,480 You see, See, this is the raw and real truth of the Nativity, 223 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:49,520 that the birth of Jesus. It wasn't some cute, fluffy 224 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:53,680 moment in history, but it was a cosmic confrontation of light 225 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:59,080 clashing with darkness, the arrival of the one true King 226 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:02,920 interrupting piercing darkness. Of course there's going to be a 227 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:06,680 reaction. Herod is disturbed, political 228 00:14:06,680 --> 00:14:11,600 powers are threatened. There is a resistance and 229 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:14,200 nothing has changed. Like we still see this today. 230 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:18,240 Where Jesus is, there is light, and when the light breaks Into 231 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:22,760 Darkness, things are exposed and He confronts sin with His truth. 232 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:27,320 And so I have a question for you this morning. 233 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:31,840 Where is Jesus confronting something in your life that 234 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:36,320 you've resisted? If you were to allow Him again 235 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:42,000 this morning to shine His light, to expose your heart, what is 236 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:43,680 there that He wants to deal with? 237 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:47,960 Not because He wants to humiliate you or to shame you. 238 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:52,080 In fact, the opposite. His love is purifying. 239 00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:56,200 And when you allow Him to reveal any sin that is there, when you 240 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:59,160 bring it into the light, you receive freedom. 241 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:06,120 You know, I was, I remember when I was about 2223, not that long 242 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:10,480 ago, and I was at this worship event. 243 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:12,080 It was like a kind of weekend thing. 244 00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:16,680 And I was there one evening and I remember just like completely 245 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:20,880 unexpectedly, out of nowhere, this thing that I was carrying 246 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:24,240 came to the surface. And it was sin. 247 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:27,840 It was something that when I thought about it, I felt 248 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:30,240 disappointment. I felt like I disappointed 249 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:32,040 myself. I disappointed God. 250 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:34,520 And I just felt this kind of shame. 251 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:36,360 And I was like, do you know what? 252 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:38,760 I just don't really want to think about that. 253 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:42,400 And in this moment, I just as I say, out of nowhere, it felt 254 00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:45,200 like God just shone a light on what it was. 255 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:49,000 And I had a choice in that moment, you know, I could have, 256 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:52,360 I could have shut the door and I could have continued to bury it, 257 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:57,000 or I could have brought it to God and brought it out to him 258 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,320 and spoken at, spoken it out, acknowledged it, said sorry to 259 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:02,840 him. And I chose to do that, to 260 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:05,480 repent in that moment. It was difficult decision to do, 261 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,240 but I knew that I had to do it, that he was inviting me to. 262 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:12,200 And as I did that it wasn't some huge thing. 263 00:16:12,200 --> 00:16:15,880 It was just a quiet recognition and acknowledgement of what what 264 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:19,400 I'd done. And as I did that, the tears 265 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:23,360 came. I felt this overwhelming 266 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:28,440 likeness and freedom. And you know, I had a revelation 267 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:32,560 of God in that moment that has stayed with me ever since 268 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:37,600 because I know now that I can take anything to Jesus. 269 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:42,160 When He exposes something in me, a sin in me, or something that I 270 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:46,640 have done, it's an invitation from Him to walk in freedom. 271 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:49,680 It's not so He can pile shame on me. 272 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:54,120 Shame is heavy, you know, and sometimes things are buried so 273 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:55,760 deep we don't even know it's there. 274 00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:59,600 But I know now that because of that moment, I can bring that 275 00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:02,400 stuff to Him. And there's only freedom waiting 276 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:06,280 on the other side of it. And So what it is, what is it 277 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:10,240 this morning maybe, that God is exposing in you? 278 00:17:10,839 --> 00:17:14,440 What do you need to bring before Him so that you can leave this 279 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:18,599 place feeling lighter? You see when the light comes it 280 00:17:18,599 --> 00:17:23,839 requires a response and we see the different responses in this 281 00:17:23,839 --> 00:17:27,640 passage in Matthew 2 that we've read and I wonder this morning 282 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:31,360 maybe which one you can relate to. 1st we have the Magi. 283 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:34,480 You know when they heard the news of Jesus birth they were 284 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:38,000 moved into action. They packed up their things, 285 00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:41,240 they chose a special gift, and they travelled for months to 286 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:44,720 search for this king, desperate to find him. 287 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:47,960 And they were not going to stop until they found him. 288 00:17:49,080 --> 00:17:54,720 People far from Israel, yet drawn by divine light, recognise 289 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:58,480 that he was special and that he was worthy of their worship. 290 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:02,760 And then we have Herod. You know, he feels threatened 291 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:06,720 and he reacts with hatred. He is not going to give up 292 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:10,280 control. He will do anything to keep the 293 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:14,400 power that he has over the people and the situation. 294 00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:17,280 But do you know what? Hostility doesn't always have to 295 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:21,080 be loud, doesn't have to always be plotting to kill someone, and 296 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:24,080 deception. It sometimes and often shows up 297 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:30,200 as defensiveness, control, or resistance to transformation. 298 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:34,880 When Jesus light threatens something that we want to hold 299 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:39,440 onto, we want to keep because it can make us feel uncomfortable 300 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:43,000 if we feel like that's being threatened in some way. 301 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:48,080 We also have the religious leaders, verse 4, it says that 302 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:51,400 Herod called together and consulted with the chief priests 303 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:54,000 and the teachers of the law to see what they thought about it 304 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:56,240 all. And they said, yes, this is 305 00:18:56,240 --> 00:18:58,840 true. They quote Scripture in fact, 306 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:02,320 which prophesises that a ruler of Israel will be born in 307 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:04,400 Bethlehem. And you can imagine, can't you, 308 00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:07,720 in that moment, almost like the penny dropping, like surely this 309 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:10,320 can't be a coincidence, like this is actually happening. 310 00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:15,040 These guys knew the Scripture. They could see the prophecy was 311 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:17,560 fulfilled, and yet they chose to stay. 312 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:21,720 They chose not to speak up. They were indifferent. 313 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:25,840 They knew the truth, but it never moved them. 314 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:30,480 You see, indifference doesn't always look like rejection. 315 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:35,480 It can look like preoccupation. It can look like disengagement. 316 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:40,600 It can look like you know the story, you enjoy the season, not 317 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:45,560 going to continue to live life unchanged, never moving towards 318 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:50,040 worship and obedience. And so how are you going to 319 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:56,720 respond to Jesus this Christmas? We are invited to not only 320 00:19:56,720 --> 00:20:00,800 acknowledge the baby in the Manger, or even just to adore 321 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:05,480 the baby in the Manger, we're actually invited to crown him as 322 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:12,240 king, the one true king and. That is who Isaiah is describing 323 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:16,320 in Chapter 9. The light reveals the true king. 324 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:22,680 Isaiah 9 verse 6 says for us, for to us a child is born, to us 325 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,120 a son is given, and the government will be on his 326 00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:29,400 shoulders and he will be called wonderful counsellor, mighty 327 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:33,280 God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 328 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:35,280 I love how we sung that this morning. 329 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:38,800 Of the greatness of His government and peace, there will 330 00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:41,960 be no end. He will reign on David's throne 331 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:44,640 and over His Kingdom, establishing and upholding it 332 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:49,640 with justice and righteousness. From that time on and forever, 333 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:52,960 the zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. 334 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:57,160 Verse 6. The government shall be on His 335 00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:01,760 shoulders. The ultimate responsibility will 336 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:06,880 rest on him through this child that has been born to us. 337 00:21:07,120 --> 00:21:11,920 All authority, the weight of responsibility will be on him. 338 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:17,240 And it goes on to say what kind of ruler he will be. 339 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:20,200 He will be called wonderful counsellor. 340 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:23,280 You know that word wonderful in Hebrew? 341 00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:29,480 It doesn't just mean nice, it means extraordinary beyond human 342 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:33,280 explanation. So it's saying here that he is 343 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:36,800 going to reveal truth. He is going to guide people into 344 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:42,640 life beyond human explanation. Everlasting Father. 345 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:45,800 Now this is not saying that the Messiah is God the Father, but 346 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:49,120 it's saying that he's going to rule with fatherly care, 347 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:54,560 protecting, nurturing, providing, offering security 348 00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:59,800 that is everlasting. 1 He is going to be the Prince of Peace. 349 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:04,800 He will establish true peace by bringing healing and 350 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:08,560 restoration. He is going to establish a 351 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:12,120 different kind of government, one that is no longer ruled by 352 00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:17,640 fear or dominance and violence, but one of justice and 353 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:22,360 righteousness and peace, light instead of darkness. 354 00:22:24,120 --> 00:22:26,960 Verse 7, it says of the greatness of his government and 355 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:32,480 peace, there will be no end. Isaiah is saying here that this 356 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:34,960 is not going to be a temporary regime. 357 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:40,040 This is it guys. This is eternal, which means 358 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:44,800 that it's still true for us today when we come under His 359 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:48,440 Kingdom and under His rule. This is available for each of 360 00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:51,240 us. So I wonder, do you need to 361 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:55,280 receive him as your wonderful counsellor again this morning? 362 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:59,800 Or your everlasting father? Or maybe you need his peace? 363 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:04,480 I think it's so easy at this time of year to lack peace. 364 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:07,720 I know that's true for me. And you know what? 365 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:11,400 I thought I'd do a bit of an experiment because you guys have 366 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:16,320 heard of ChatGPT, right? I mean, I'm new to it, but I'm 367 00:23:16,320 --> 00:23:18,520 pushing 40. And so basically it's like the 368 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:21,320 next Google, right? It's the new Google, So I've 369 00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:23,520 heard. And so I thought I'd ask it a 370 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:26,560 question. And I was surprised at how 371 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:32,160 profound the answer was. I asked ChatGPT, if you were the 372 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,440 devil, how would you destroy my peace this Christmas? 373 00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:39,880 And this is what it said, said if I were the devil trying to 374 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:42,480 ruin your Christmas, I wouldn't bring chaos. 375 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:47,400 I'd bring subtlety. I'd weaponize expectations by 376 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:52,120 whispering that this Christmas must feel magical, meaningful, 377 00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:54,920 perfect. And then I'd make sure reality 378 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:58,080 can't keep up so you feel disappointed even when things 379 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:02,800 are fine. I'd resurrect old comparisons by 380 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:06,840 reminding you of how Christmas used to feel, of how other 381 00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:11,320 people's holidays look online, of who's happier, richer, more 382 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:15,280 loved, because nothing kills joy faster than measuring it. 383 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:22,640 I'd bring ghosts to dinner, old arguments, old regrets, old 384 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:25,800 versions of yourself. I'd make sure they sit quietly 385 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:27,840 in your head while everyone else is laughing. 386 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:32,240 I'd rush you. Too many plans, too many 387 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:37,040 obligations, no space to rest or to feel just performance. 388 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:41,600 I'd convince you that rest is laziness, that if you slow down, 389 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:44,760 you're failing someone, that peace must be earned. 390 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:50,080 Instead of aloud, I'd focus you on what's missing, the person 391 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:54,040 who isn't there, the thing you can't afford, the life you 392 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:58,680 thought you'd have by now. I'd make silence uncomfortable 393 00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:02,520 so you'd never actually hear what you need, only noise, guilt 394 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:08,440 and distraction. Wow. 395 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:14,480 Like I think, I don't know about you, but I think many of us, if 396 00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:17,240 not all of us here, can relate to this. 397 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:20,440 I know I can. And so I want to remind you 398 00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:25,800 again this morning of the promise we have in Isaiah of the 399 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:28,720 greatness of his government and peace. 400 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:32,480 There will be no end. Jesus. 401 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:38,120 Perfect peace is promised to us. Not the world's peace, not 402 00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:41,120 circumstantial peace, not holiday peace that comes through 403 00:25:41,120 --> 00:25:44,840 performing, but the very Prince of Peace himself. 404 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:50,240 The peace that exists even when the table is messy, even when 405 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:54,800 our hearts are crushed and are heavy, even when the story is 406 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:59,160 unfinished. Because peace is a person that 407 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:01,520 we receive and his name is Jesus. 408 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:03,920 And so we can declare that again this morning. 409 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:06,240 Because what was true then, what we read in Isaiah as a 410 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:10,080 declaration of who Jesus is, He is still that today. 411 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:14,520 And so we can declare that again this morning for us, that he is 412 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:18,840 the Prince of Peace, that his peace extends into every 413 00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:23,640 situation. And it brings me on to my final 414 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:27,400 point that the light calls for surrender. 415 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:36,000 Name Jesus literally means the one who saves and then the name 416 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:39,200 Messiah or Christ. They both mean the same thing. 417 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:44,680 They both mean the anointed 1. And so Jesus Christ, when we say 418 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:49,400 his name, we are saying that He is the anointed 1 to save us. 419 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:56,520 He is given a name that declares His identity and his mission 420 00:26:56,920 --> 00:27:03,880 before he ever speaks a word, a name that points to why He came. 421 00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:07,800 There is no one else who can save us but Jesus. 422 00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:11,040 No one else can pay the penalty of sin and death. 423 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:14,800 No one else can bring us back into that right relationship 424 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:19,480 with God. God himself became a man, 425 00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:22,800 humbling himself to be born in a Manger. 426 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:27,320 And it was this humility at birth that mirrors his obedience 427 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:29,920 to death. We read about that in 428 00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:35,720 Philippians 2. Did you know that the Manger was 429 00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:40,680 traditionally used to put perfect, unblemished newborn 430 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:44,080 lambs in? They were wrapped in swaddling 431 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:47,880 in swaddling cloth, and they were placed in a stone Manger 432 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:51,200 for protection, ready to be used for temple sacrifice. 433 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:53,760 That's where they used to keep the perfect lambs. 434 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:57,760 So then the people of God would take these perfect, unblemished 435 00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:00,120 lambs and they would take them to the temple, and they would 436 00:28:00,120 --> 00:28:03,200 sacrifice them for the forgiveness of their sins. 437 00:28:03,360 --> 00:28:06,640 Except we know, don't we, that it was never enough. 438 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:10,360 It was never enough to pay our debt in full. 439 00:28:10,360 --> 00:28:16,200 We needed a perfect sacrifice as a man, and his name was Jesus. 440 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:21,600 You see, the crib is inseparable from the cross. 441 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:27,560 Jesus died on the cross to deal with sin once and for all. 442 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:31,800 And not only that, three days later he rose from the grave. 443 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:35,360 Death couldn't hold him. The grave couldn't hold him. 444 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,320 And so if we believe in our hearts and confess with our 445 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:43,720 mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, then we get 2 to be resurrected 446 00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:49,600 into new life with Him, the crib, the cross and the crown. 447 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:54,120 We know. We may know Jesus as the baby in 448 00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:56,760 the Manger. We may we may even know him as 449 00:28:56,760 --> 00:28:59,800 our Saviour. But have we made him King? 450 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:05,320 Is he Lord over our life? Because this is something we 451 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:07,440 need to do. We need to surrender to Him 452 00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:12,200 daily, not just as a one off, but every single day. 453 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:14,680 We need to surrender back to Him. 454 00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:19,160 And so where is it this morning that you need to surrender again 455 00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:22,440 to Him? What areas of your life do you 456 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:25,600 need to make him king over? Where has the crown been 457 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:27,560 misplaced and it's been put on other things? 458 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,400 And you need to this morning remove that crown and put it 459 00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:35,760 back on to Jesus. Acknowledge him again as your 460 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:41,120 Lord, because from the very beginning, the outcome was never 461 00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:45,000 in doubt. Jesus, light of the world, who 462 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:49,280 was there at the very beginning before time, who came as a baby 463 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:54,120 to disturb the darkness of this world, and who is reigning today 464 00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:59,520 on the throne, pushing back darkness, extending His Kingdom. 465 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:03,480 John 15. The light shines in the 466 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:06,880 darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 467 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:08,760 Amen. Amen. 468 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:09,840 Would you guys stand?