1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:03,840 Morning Church. Today's scripture reading comes 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:07,560 from Matthew 2. You can find that on page 758 if 3 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:12,160 you're reading from the Bibles under your seats starting in 4 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:15,040 verse 13. Now when they had departed, 5 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,000 behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, 6 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:21,320 and said, Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to 7 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:24,720 Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, For Herod is about to 8 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:26,400 search for the child, to destroy him. 9 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:29,880 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and 10 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:32,800 departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. 11 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:36,120 This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet 12 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:38,040 out of Egypt. I called my son. 13 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:41,680 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise 14 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:45,720 men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children 15 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:49,280 in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or 16 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:51,880 under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the 17 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,400 wise men. Then was fulfilled what was 18 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:58,120 spoken by the prophet Jeremiah. A voice was heard in Rama 19 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,920 weeping and loud lamentation. Rachel weeping for her children. 20 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:04,480 She refused to be comforted because they are no more. 21 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:08,400 But when Herod died, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared in a 22 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,960 dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Rise, take the child and 23 00:01:11,960 --> 00:01:13,840 his mother, and go to the land of Israel. 24 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:15,840 For those who sought the child's life are dead. 25 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:18,960 And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the 26 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:22,040 land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus 27 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:24,840 was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was 28 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:27,480 afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he 29 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:29,160 withdrew to the district of Galilee. 30 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:33,040 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what 31 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,960 was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be 32 00:01:35,960 --> 00:01:38,320 called a Nazarene. This is the word of the Lord. 33 00:01:44,100 --> 00:01:45,940 What's going on? Port City family and friends. 34 00:01:45,940 --> 00:01:47,780 How we doing? Good. 35 00:01:47,780 --> 00:01:49,620 My name is Tanner. I'm the lead pastor here. 36 00:01:49,620 --> 00:01:52,020 It's a joy to be with you. Merry Christmas to you. 37 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:56,560 May you eat all the sugar your body can handle this week and 38 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:58,920 have a lot of fun. We are a church y'all that just 39 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:01,800 loves Norfolk, loves Jesus. You don't have to have your 40 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,480 whole life figured out. You just got to love those 41 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:06,520 things to rock with us. And if you're looking for a 42 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:09,840 church family to to be a part of, we would love to have you. 43 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:13,040 And next week we're starting a new series in Psalm 119. 44 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:15,480 Ron's going to deliver a word. It's going to be awesome. 45 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:18,240 I hope you'll join us and, and maybe even just give us a few 46 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:21,040 weeks to see what it's like in the normal rhythm of life here 47 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:23,280 in our church to, to get to know us a little better. 48 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:27,120 So I'm going to dive into prayer one more time before we, we, we 49 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:29,600 roll with our texts for today. OK, Pray with me. 50 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:32,960 Our Father, we're so grateful just for this true story, this 51 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:35,680 Christmas story. God, open our minds to 52 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:37,600 understand. God, we need understanding. 53 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:41,040 Lord, you're after our heart, but the path to our heart is 54 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:42,920 through our ears, through our understanding, through our 55 00:02:42,920 --> 00:02:44,120 minds. So God, we need help. 56 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:47,800 Give us humility as we consider these things. 57 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:50,880 So Lord, what we know not right now, would you teach us what we 58 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:52,160 have not? Would you please give us and 59 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:54,240 what we are not? Would you make us let the words 60 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,880 of my mouth, the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your 61 00:02:56,880 --> 00:02:58,600 sight? And God, we just pray you would 62 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:02,320 get the glory that you deserve from our time today. 63 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:04,800 And everybody who agrees with that said Amen. 64 00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:09,640 I don't know about y'all, but I I just love sagas. 65 00:03:09,640 --> 00:03:12,360 The long series, the movies, the books. 66 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:14,360 I love them all. I think the greatest is Lord of 67 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:16,080 the Rings. But more recently I've been 68 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:18,720 getting into, I'm into the Planet of the Apes series. 69 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:20,960 OK. I like any Creed movie. 70 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:22,960 The Rocky franchise. They could put out another one 71 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,800 right now where Rocky is 80 and fight somebody and I would watch 72 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:27,400 it. OK. 73 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,720 There's something about the long series that just we just 74 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:35,280 resonate with them, right? Like we it taps into what life 75 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:37,760 feels like. Life feels like a saga, Life 76 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,240 feels like a story, like it's going somewhere. 77 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:46,040 And y'all, that is because God is the ultimate author. 78 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,440 That's who he is. God is the ultimate storyteller. 79 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:53,000 And what's unique about Christmas is at Christmas, the 80 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:57,440 author enters the story. This would be equivalent to the 81 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:00,480 the the writer of Lord of the Rings Jr. 82 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:03,840 Tolkien or the director of the Creed series getting in the 83 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:07,400 movie, getting in the book. And what's so hard for our minds 84 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,800 to understand is the author doesn't cease to be who they are 85 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:13,480 outside the story by entering it, right? 86 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:15,920 It is that they're outside the story that they could put 87 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:19,160 themselves in it, right? So he could be God and man in 88 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,400 one person, be in the story and be outside the story kind of 89 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:26,160 blows our mind. But that's what we celebrate is 90 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:31,400 that the God who is unbound and timeless enter time and space, 91 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:33,160 right? The the, the God who created 92 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:38,600 volcanoes and and sharks and upholds every blood vessel in 93 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:42,560 your body right now went through the weak baby neck phase. 94 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,120 You know what I mean? Like his neck had to be 95 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:48,320 supported like the one who created the concept of a neck 96 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:50,360 went through the weak neck phase. 97 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:54,880 That it it's just a a mind blowing but true story of the 98 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:59,160 world and what I believe the Lord has brought us here today 99 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:03,280 to consider from Matthew chapter 2 for just a few minutes is that 100 00:05:03,280 --> 00:05:09,000 this Jesus, this eternal Son of God who became Mary's son came 101 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:13,720 in such a hidden way that if we don't pay attention we're going 102 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:18,800 to miss him we're going to miss him and I don't want you to miss 103 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:22,400 King Jesus. I don't to my kids out there one 104 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:25,480 of my favorite movies is Mulan in Mulan. 105 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:27,680 Do y'all remember the scene where Mulan is about to shoot 106 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:32,680 the little rocket and is aiming at the mountain but Mushu thinks 107 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:36,040 she was aiming at the the bad guy coming right at her and she 108 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:37,720 shoots to the mountain and he goes. 109 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:41,520 You missed, how could you miss? He was 3 feet in front of you as 110 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:43,080 he's launching off onto the mountain. 111 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:46,760 That's kind of how it feels like it's that obvious what's in 112 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:48,360 front of us if we'll pay attention. 113 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:51,160 Are you with me? We just got to pay attention to 114 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:53,440 what this story is and to who this king is. 115 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:56,200 And we'll recognize this is who we've been looking for. 116 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:58,240 OK? So my prayers that we will walk 117 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:00,960 out of here hidden in Christ, OK? 118 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:02,760 That that is that is my my dream. 119 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:05,560 For us to get there. We got to look at 2 hidden 120 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:09,160 themes and 1 hidden king, 2 hidden themes, 1 hidden king. 121 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:11,520 If you are ready, let me hear you say I'm ready. 122 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:18,720 OK, first hidden theme, Jesus begins the new exodus. 123 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:24,840 OK look with me in verse 13. Now when they had departed, 124 00:06:24,840 --> 00:06:28,120 behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream 125 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:32,440 and said, rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt 126 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:34,480 and remain there until I tell you. 127 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:38,400 For Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him. 128 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:41,840 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and 129 00:06:41,840 --> 00:06:46,560 departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. 130 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:50,040 This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet 131 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:51,880 out of Egypt. I called my son. 132 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:55,040 Verse 16. Then Herod, when he saw that he 133 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:58,920 had been tricked by the wise men, became furious and he sent 134 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:02,360 and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that 135 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:06,160 region who were two years old or under, according to the time 136 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:08,120 that he had ascertained from the wise men. 137 00:07:08,840 --> 00:07:12,880 OK, if you weren't with us last week, we we saw the first part 138 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:16,120 of the story where the wise men from the East come to Jerusalem 139 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:18,560 to find out where is he who's been born king of the Jews. 140 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:21,040 And they end up in Bethlehem. They bring him gold and 141 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:23,240 frankincense and myrrh. And we made the joke that 142 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:27,560 although we love the Kirk Franklin song, we 3 kings have 143 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:30,680 traveled so far. That's not really historically 144 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:32,480 accurate. We don't know that it was 3 and 145 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:35,120 they weren't kings, OK, They were wise men. 146 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:39,320 They were think astrology, think stargazers, think they're just 147 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:42,000 on the lookout for truth. That's who they were, OK? 148 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:43,840 And they stumbled upon a prophecy. 149 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:47,240 They see a star, they connect some dots and they end up in 150 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:48,560 Bethlehem. OK. 151 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:53,680 Now what is happening here in our text today is that we are 152 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:57,760 picking up in Bethlehem. An Angel appears to Joseph. 153 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:01,440 OK, after this has taken place, it says it's time to go. 154 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:04,240 OK Herod is about to search for your son. 155 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:06,440 Who is my son, Right? And you're going to go down to 156 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:08,320 Egypt. And then by the end of our story 157 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:11,280 today, they're going to leave Egypt and go up to Nazareth. 158 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:12,760 Are you all with me of just the geography? 159 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:15,840 We got Bethlehem, we got Egypt, we got Nazareth. 160 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:20,600 Kind of makes a triangle. OK, Now this is the work we got 161 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:22,240 to do. OK, So just stay with me for a 162 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:25,120 few minutes. Look at verse 15 at this word 163 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:28,600 fulfill. It says this was to fulfill what 164 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:30,160 the Lord had spoken out of Egypt. 165 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:33,960 I called my son, you're going to see that word fulfill 3 times 166 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:35,559 today. Everybody say fulfill. 167 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:38,799 If you just stare at the word fulfill, go ahead circle it in 168 00:08:38,799 --> 00:08:41,240 your Bible. If you see it, if you look at 169 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:43,440 it, it's kind of 2 words. Okay, full fill. 170 00:08:43,919 --> 00:08:45,480 Imagine if you flipped it backwards. 171 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:47,440 What does it look like? Fill full. 172 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:50,760 OK, to full fill means to fill full. 173 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:54,720 So imagine like a bucket, OK, and it's empty, and to fulfill 174 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:58,360 it means you're filling it up like with water or something. 175 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:02,040 So what Matthew's trying to get us to see is that what's 176 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:04,760 happening in front of our eyes is something's being filled up. 177 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:07,560 So the question becomes, what's being filled up, right? 178 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:09,360 That's where we got to talk about the exodus. 179 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:13,320 Somebody say Exodus. Now, if you don't know the 180 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:15,040 Bible's super deep, you don't know Exodus. 181 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:17,560 You don't know some of what the details are of what I'm about to 182 00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:18,600 talk about. That's OK. 183 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:21,880 The wise men knew probably less than you know right now. 184 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:25,600 What's keeping you from King Jesus isn't just what you know, 185 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:27,960 OK? It's once you learn things, what 186 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:29,840 your heart does with what you learn, OK? 187 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:32,520 It's your heart that keeps you from the Lord even more than 188 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:36,160 your mind. OK, but in time you will learn 189 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:38,560 the story more and more. But I want to break down the two 190 00:09:38,560 --> 00:09:40,920 things you need to know about the exodus here in just a 191 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:42,680 second. For now, think about the Old 192 00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:46,560 Testament as a whole. Like when a road project goes on 193 00:09:46,560 --> 00:09:49,600 off y'all ever notice this? Like it'll be a giant set of 194 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:52,000 trees and it's just this area where they plan to put a road. 195 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:55,440 OK to get that road built they got to clear it out. 196 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:58,000 Are y'all with me? There's a clear out project that 197 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:00,880 has to go down. Think of the Old Testament like 198 00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:04,040 things being cleared and the road being built. 199 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:06,040 OK. What we learn in the Old 200 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:09,040 Testament is where we come from, what's wrong with us, and how 201 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:12,280 God wants to make it right. His goal is to fellowship with 202 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:14,760 us once again, to be in relationship with us. 203 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:17,880 So He imagines us and Him walking on this road that He has 204 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:20,000 cleared out. So what we see in the Old 205 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:21,560 Testament is the clearing being built. 206 00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:24,000 Some symbols, some pictures, some ways were made right, all 207 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,760 this stuff. The problem is nobody ever walks 208 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:28,480 the road in the Old Testament. Are you with me? 209 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:30,960 The, the, the path gets cleared out. 210 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:33,440 The road is built, but nobody's walking it. 211 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:35,280 There's no fellowship going on. OK. 212 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:39,560 So what Jesus is coming to do is walk that road for the first 213 00:10:39,560 --> 00:10:43,240 time, and we'll talk a little bit about how his death plays 214 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:45,680 into that and what it looks like for us to get on that road. 215 00:10:45,680 --> 00:10:48,040 OK? But for now, just think of that 216 00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:50,680 image and what's being filled up in front of us. 217 00:10:50,680 --> 00:10:53,560 The road being built has to do with this Exodus theme. 218 00:10:53,560 --> 00:10:57,240 All right, so with that as a backdrop, what Matthew is doing 219 00:10:57,240 --> 00:10:59,920 is he's quoting from a book called Hosea, where he says out 220 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:02,280 of Egypt, I called my son, somebody say Egypt. 221 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:05,960 All right, there's two pictures. I got to get in your head about 222 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:07,240 the Exodus, and then we'll be good to go. 223 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:10,480 OK. In Egypt, God's people were 224 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:12,440 slaves to Pharaoh. OK? 225 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:15,320 That's what was happening. So you've got the people dynamic 226 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:18,000 and then the the rescuer, the people and the rescuer. 227 00:11:18,680 --> 00:11:21,000 This is the key that some of you all have got to got to lock. 228 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:24,760 Maybe that know your Bibles OK, in Exodus 4, you can write that 229 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:25,720 down. We're not going to look at it. 230 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:29,680 Make a little note. Exodus 4, all of God's people, 231 00:11:29,680 --> 00:11:31,880 all of them. The collective bunch is known as 232 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:35,120 God's son. OK, all of them like together. 233 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:38,680 Imagine them making one person. So, so stay with the imagery. 234 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:42,520 Once Upon a time God led his people out of Egypt and his 235 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:45,160 people as his son. He let his son out of Egypt 236 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:47,080 through the the 10 plagues, all the stuff. 237 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:51,400 And in our text today he's going to bring his son out of Egypt. 238 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:52,880 Are you with me? Do you see that one to one 239 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:54,960 correlation? He's going to lead his son down 240 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:56,840 to Egypt and then to Nazareth out of Egypt. 241 00:11:56,840 --> 00:11:59,360 I called my son once and now I'm doing it again. 242 00:11:59,680 --> 00:12:01,560 Y'all see that one to one link out of Egypt? 243 00:12:01,560 --> 00:12:04,360 I called my son. Now, the second thing that our 244 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:07,240 text has in common with the original Exodus story is the 245 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:10,560 rescuer side. You might have noticed Herod's 246 00:12:10,560 --> 00:12:14,440 reaction to finding out he'd been tricked was to try to kill 247 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:17,360 all the babies in that region who were two years old or under. 248 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:21,400 That sounds very similar to some of us of what happens in Exodus 249 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:24,360 chapter one, right? In an attempt to control the 250 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:28,560 people of God, God's Son, he tries to kill God's son Once 251 00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:31,520 Upon a time by having all the babies killed. 252 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:34,040 Are you with me? So it's like history is 253 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:37,680 repeating itself, but this time he's trying to get rid of God's 254 00:12:37,680 --> 00:12:39,200 singular son. Are y'all with me? 255 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:41,040 So that's kind of the two pieces. 256 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:45,000 And what God did to rescue his people then was to, under the 257 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:48,000 nose of Pharaoh, raise up a rescuer who made it through 258 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:49,400 though they were trying to kill him. 259 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:53,200 And who was that baby Moses? OK, He made it through in the 260 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:56,200 basket and shout out the Prince of Egypt, which is actually a 261 00:12:56,200 --> 00:13:01,080 pretty good movie, OK, and Moses makes it through well here in a 262 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:05,400 similar way, though, Herod is trying to snuff out King Jesus, 263 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:08,040 the Son of God. He's going to make it out. 264 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:11,480 Are y'all tracking of the 1:00 to 1:00, the sun side and the 265 00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:14,600 rescuer side? Notice that Jesus is playing two 266 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:18,200 roles at once. You see that He's like the sun 267 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:22,560 that needs to be LED out. He's reliving the people side 268 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:24,760 and he's reliving the rescuer side. 269 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:26,200 OK, do y'all see how he's doing both? 270 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:30,600 That's because he's got a man. What Matthew is doing, what God 271 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:34,840 is doing by having the story replay itself, but new is he's 272 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:39,200 saying a bigger exodus is happening and a more full rescue 273 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:41,320 needs to happen. Are y'all with me? 274 00:13:41,560 --> 00:13:45,040 So even though it happened once, what happened wasn't enough. 275 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:48,560 They might have gotten out of slavery to a place, but we got a 276 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:52,160 bigger slavery going on that the Son of God came to undo. 277 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:54,840 Are you with me? So what we've got to hear the 278 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:58,920 Christmas story, y'all is not an inspiring cute story. 279 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:04,000 It's a rescue story. It's a story about the king, the 280 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:07,000 sun coming to set the people free. 281 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:10,920 It's about a rescuer greater than Moses coming to help people 282 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:14,480 in a bigger issue than the people of God once were in 283 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:18,680 Egypt. OK, to my kids, y'all ever y'all 284 00:14:18,680 --> 00:14:20,800 ever played dodgeball at school? Anybody. 285 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:22,600 That was when we played dodgeball. 286 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:25,720 I would just, I would turn up OK. 287 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:28,560 Like I just was like, yes. But then the question became, 288 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:29,920 which version are we going to play? 289 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:31,440 You know what I mean? Like, are we just going to line 290 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:34,840 them up and just have at it? My favorite was always a 291 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:37,600 jailbreak version. OK, Jailbreak is when you would 292 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:39,920 get hit and then you would go stand in the paint of the 293 00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:43,280 basketball court and you had to wait and somebody had to throw a 294 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:46,960 dodgeball and hit the backboard. And I liked it when the teachers 295 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:48,520 made it. You have to make it not just hit 296 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:50,480 the backboard. You got to make the shot. 297 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:52,280 And then everybody goes free you all. 298 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:54,600 The Christmas story is a jailbreak story. 299 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,960 The Christmas story is that there are people in prison, so 300 00:14:57,960 --> 00:14:59,280 to speak. OK. 301 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:02,240 And we're not in prison in Egypt. 302 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:06,560 So the question becomes if we're we're the trapped people, what 303 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:10,560 are we trapped by? What the scriptures teach is we 304 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:15,960 are stuck in sin. Somebody say sin, sin. 305 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:18,640 Basically, when you stuck in sin, you are stuck with 306 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:21,720 yourself. The consequence of sin is self 307 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,240 to fall into sin itself. And the consequence, it's like 308 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:28,000 your resource itself and what you get is yourself. 309 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,320 It's like the only ammo you got itself, which is why the 310 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:33,320 Christmas season tends to be, we have a lot of hope going to the 311 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:35,720 new year and all that. But it's also sad because we 312 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:38,720 realize it's another year where I'm my own worst enemy. 313 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:40,760 You know what I mean? Everything that's wrong in my 314 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:45,880 life is because of me, my cycles of anxiety, my cycles of 315 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:49,200 thinking these thoughts, my cycles of pride, my cycles of 316 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:52,040 these things. And it's like we think in the 317 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:54,880 next week between that New Year's, my willpower will Get Me 318 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:56,440 Out of where I got me. And guess what? 319 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:58,280 Next year you're going to be feeling that again. 320 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:01,800 Because what what this time of year does is it shows the power 321 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:05,320 that sin has, which is it's addictive, it's rhythmic, and it 322 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:09,320 just keeps us stuck. We're just stuck with ourselves. 323 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:12,560 You are not made to be turned in on yourself the way that you 324 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:16,320 naturally feel. But you can't break out of that. 325 00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:19,800 That's what sin does. It just keeps you self absorbed, 326 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:24,000 self-centered, and addicted to your cycles of trying to rescue 327 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:27,560 yourself from yourself. And you can't because you need a 328 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:31,080 rescuer. You need a jailbreaker. 329 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:35,200 And y'all, What's hidden about the Christmas story is not only 330 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:38,720 that Jesus came as rescuer, but how he came to rescue. 331 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:44,600 Y'all, to use the road imagery, what we think is that he walks 332 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:47,280 the road and then he coaches us how to walk the road, right? 333 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:49,280 Like I walked it, now you guys walk it. 334 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:52,480 That is not the Christmas story. You know what the, what the 335 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:57,560 Bible teaches is that this Jesus, this baby would live with 336 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:00,840 God in perfect fellowship, not consumed with self, OK? 337 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:04,119 He would not live stuck in self. He would live free as we were 338 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:07,280 designed to be. And he walks that path in that 339 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:11,240 road, not to teach us how to do it, but to give us what we can 340 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:14,560 never do for ourselves. That's the Bible is that 341 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:16,880 salvation is a gift, not a reward. 342 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:19,359 It's what Christ did, not what you do. 343 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:21,319 This is about Jesus, not about you. 344 00:17:21,359 --> 00:17:24,440 The good news of Christmas is about him, not us. 345 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:27,240 Christmas should be a relief, not a burden. 346 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:29,760 So the Christmas story starts with a question. 347 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:33,120 Do you agree that you are trapped? 348 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:39,960 You can't miss that Jesus came to set trapped people free, but 349 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:41,880 you can't be free if you don't think you trapped. 350 00:17:41,880 --> 00:17:46,160 It's just pretty basic. Only trapped people can be 351 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:48,800 freed. You know, I always love the 352 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:51,120 jokers in the dodgeball game that would act like they didn't 353 00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:53,600 get hit and then the rest of the game they out there still just 354 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:55,400 beaming people. I'm not getting out because 355 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:57,040 you're invalid. Like you don't even count. 356 00:17:57,040 --> 00:17:58,320 You should be in jail over there. 357 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:00,160 Like this is not. You don't even count. 358 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:01,840 You know what I mean? That's us. 359 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:05,280 Many times we're in denial and it doesn't set us free to be in 360 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:06,320 denial. Amen. 361 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:10,400 The freedom comes on the backside of truth coming, OK. 362 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:12,640 And the truth is we need a rescuer. 363 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:17,760 The truth is we're trapped. The second hidden theme in our 364 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:20,440 text here today has to do with exile. 365 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:24,200 Jesus brings the end of exile near. 366 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:25,800 We're going to see another fulfillment here. 367 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:26,840 You're going to be like, what is this? 368 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:27,840 And I'm going to explain it to you. 369 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:32,800 Look with me at verse 17. Then was fulfilled. 370 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:35,600 So you can circle that again. This is our second time here 371 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:37,280 today. What was spoken by the prophet 372 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:41,320 Jeremiah, A voice was heard in Rhema, weeping and loud 373 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:44,160 lamentation. Rachel weeping for her children. 374 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:47,400 She refused to be comforted because they are no more. 375 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:52,080 What led to this fulfillment, this filling full moment was 376 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:54,440 that Herod chose to kill the babies, OK? 377 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:59,280 And Jeremiah 31 is a moment in Israel's history where now they 378 00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:01,560 don't live in Egypt. So years later they're in the 379 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:03,120 promised land. OK. 380 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:06,440 They were supposed to be the people of God that showcased to 381 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:10,080 the world how good Jehovah is. And we got it made so much. 382 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:12,200 Y'all should have flocked to Jerusalem to get in on the 383 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:14,440 action and then go back. We got it made. 384 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:18,400 But they were so not walking the road of fellowship with God that 385 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:19,720 there was nothing special about them. 386 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:21,760 They became just like the nations around them. 387 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:24,600 And so quite literally, the land was spitting them out in 388 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:27,160 something called exile. Somebody say exile. 389 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:32,360 So in Jeremiah 31, imagine like the mom of all the people, you 390 00:19:32,360 --> 00:19:34,960 know, like the group mom, that that group mom is Rachel. 391 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:38,160 OK, Rachel was one of the first moms in Israel back in the book 392 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:40,960 of Genesis. But here, in a poetic way, it's 393 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:44,320 imagining her weeping over her people being carried off. 394 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:47,640 It's like she's standing, watching them being taken out as 395 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:49,080 slaves to exile. Does that make sense? 396 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:51,960 That's the imagery. So what what's happening? 397 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:54,360 What's being filled full? Another bucket being filled full 398 00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:57,960 right in front of us here in this text is that there's a 399 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:01,400 weeping nature to Herod killing these babies right like that. 400 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:03,640 That is another moment in history where God's people are 401 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:06,200 being tyrannized by somebody like a Herod. 402 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:09,840 OK, but the second thing that's being filled full is why 403 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:14,520 Jeremiah wrote that in chapter 31 was because God said a day 404 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:16,920 will come where your weeping needs to stop. 405 00:20:17,360 --> 00:20:20,760 Because somebody's going to come who's going to make it right and 406 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:22,560 y'all will come back into the land. 407 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:26,600 OK, so the image is once that person comes, it's time to stop 408 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:29,520 crying. So by quoting it, what Matthew 409 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:34,680 is saying is Jesus is that king. Jesus is that guy that makes the 410 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:36,000 crying stop. Are you with me? 411 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:38,080 For those of y'all who know the lion, the witch and the 412 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:41,480 wardrobe, it's kind of like the, the, the ice is thawing. 413 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:43,240 Are you with me? Like this is the moment where 414 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:47,600 like, it's not over yet, but something has shifted because 415 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:51,000 the ice has thought, right? So what's happening here in 416 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:55,080 Matthew 2 is Matthew is showing us that's what's happening. 417 00:20:55,520 --> 00:21:00,400 Jesus is the king who will end stuff like the exile in Jesus. 418 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,320 The reason to stop crying has come. 419 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:07,920 What that means for us y'all is that your gut that life is 420 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:12,600 busted is a correct gut. If you ever felt like something 421 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:16,200 just ain't right, well, you right that something ain't 422 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:17,800 right. Let me tell you that something 423 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:21,040 ain't right. The Herods of the world 424 00:21:21,120 --> 00:21:24,520 sometimes run the world. They get what they want. 425 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:27,800 They execute an order that seems unjust and it happens. 426 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:31,400 They have control, they have power, they get what they want 427 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:35,680 done, done. And exile is a good word to 428 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:38,720 describe what that feels like. It feels like it's not what it 429 00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:41,840 should be. This isn't our final home, 430 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:44,520 right? And what's tricky with the exile 431 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:48,600 theme is we do partially live in it, sort of as victims to a 432 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:51,800 Herod, but we also sort of 'cause it you. 433 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:54,960 You see that, right? Like in our sin, when you 434 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:57,840 gossip, you are part of why nobody trusts nobody. 435 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:00,240 Does that make sense? Why don't you trust me? 436 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:02,400 Because you're always talking trash, that's why. 437 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:04,960 And I bet you're doing it about me behind my back, too, OK. 438 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:11,240 When we buy things that are not good for people, it perpetuates 439 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:13,640 those people to keep selling them at lower and lower prices. 440 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:18,000 So everything we do that is sinful leads to exile. 441 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:20,400 So we both live in exile. And we 'cause it. 442 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:23,520 You see how that works? We are the cause and effect. 443 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:25,960 Chicken and the egg. It's like, do I live in it 444 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:27,960 'cause it is it? Yes. 445 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:30,880 Is it it 'cause I did it? Yes. 446 00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:35,960 Merry Christmas, OK, We live in exile of our own making and also 447 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:38,880 we feel like we need to be delivered from that which we 448 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:41,800 live in. If you agree with everything I 449 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:44,120 just said that something ain't right and somewhat you to blame 450 00:22:44,120 --> 00:22:46,800 for it, I got one question. Just something for you to be 451 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:48,280 ruminating over this Christmas season. 452 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:54,040 Does the secular culture we live in provide the story that makes 453 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:56,920 sense of why things are not right or how it gets made right? 454 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:02,440 Does karma in energy and universe make sense of why 455 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:04,840 things are the way they are and how they get restored? 456 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:08,680 I would say absolutely not. It's randomness. 457 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:13,720 It's it's lacking a story, lacking a hero that would make 458 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:15,640 these things the way they ought to be. 459 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:21,480 And you all the Bible isn't offering what's so cool about 460 00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:23,120 the story here that we're reading. 461 00:23:23,120 --> 00:23:26,360 It's not offering a cheap fix. Those babies were killed. 462 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:32,000 That is a weepable thing. Mourning makes sense in exile. 463 00:23:32,360 --> 00:23:35,920 OK, where I I love the example of men in black is one of my one 464 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:38,400 of my favorite movies. Those little things are like 465 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:40,760 look right here, ma'am. After like devastation goes down 466 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:43,720 and Cha ching and then nothing happened. 467 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:45,840 Just a squirrel got in here. Don't worry about it. 468 00:23:46,360 --> 00:23:49,520 No, no, no bad things happened. Just you need to go to the 469 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:51,760 store, get some new friends, brush your teeth and buy a new 470 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:54,200 dress. And it would always be funny, 471 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:57,360 but it was like, I can't make sense of what happened, so I'll 472 00:23:57,360 --> 00:23:58,720 just make something up. That's kind of what it 473 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:00,800 represents, right? That's not the Christmas story. 474 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:03,520 It looks at paying for what it is. 475 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:07,760 The Bible is about redemption. It's about taking brokenness and 476 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:10,720 making it beautiful. It's not erasing what happened. 477 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:12,960 It's redeeming what happened. OK. 478 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:15,960 So that's part of what we have in the Scriptures as well, that 479 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:17,720 much of the other stuff out there. 480 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:19,320 Secularism at the top of the list. 481 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:24,000 Can't do so. Take heart today, friends, that 482 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:27,080 Jesus will win. Exile will end. 483 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:28,520 That's part of the Christmas story. 484 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:33,840 This is not our forever home. That's such good news. 485 00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:37,520 The same hero who rescues from slavery is the one who puts an 486 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:41,600 end to exile. And part of what's hidden y'all 487 00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:45,000 is how he wins. Y'all. 488 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:48,560 Jesus beats Herods without becoming a Herod. 489 00:24:48,560 --> 00:24:53,320 Do y'all see that he does not fight power with power the way 490 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:55,520 we see it. He doesn't flex harder than 491 00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:56,720 Herod does. He doesn't. 492 00:24:56,880 --> 00:25:00,800 That's part of what's so miraculous about who Jesus is, 493 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:05,840 is he wins, but he doesn't fight the way we fight. 494 00:25:06,360 --> 00:25:10,240 The cross is a symbol of power and weakness at the same time. 495 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:12,760 It's a power. It's a symbol of defeat, but 496 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:16,800 it's victory, you know, it's a, it's a, it's an amazing upside 497 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:19,240 down. It blows our mind a little bit. 498 00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:21,320 How was that victory? You died. 499 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:25,120 You know the Romans laughed at a God who would die. 500 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:28,240 That's not power, right? Herod is power. 501 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:31,160 Herod has the power. He builds the palaces. 502 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:34,680 Herod is awesome. And Jesus just allows himself to 503 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:38,360 be a toddler by the end of this story and be carried away while 504 00:25:38,360 --> 00:25:42,320 Herod just dies. I heard one song that says, 505 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:43,760 yeah, that's the way that God do it. 506 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:44,960 Thank you. Getting away with murder. 507 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:47,960 There's another side to it. Herod's look like they're 508 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:50,640 winning. They play our game, our way. 509 00:25:51,080 --> 00:25:56,080 And Jesus is a baby and waits him out and rises up, becomes a 510 00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:58,400 king. Like this is who our God is. 511 00:25:58,400 --> 00:26:01,240 And it can be a little hidden. If you're looking for a Herod, 512 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:04,080 you will miss Jesus. Are you with me? 513 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:08,320 OK, Third thing that's hidden that I want you to see is that 514 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:14,760 Jesus is the king you long for. Jesus is the king you long for. 515 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:19,520 Verse 21. And he rose and took the child 516 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:22,560 and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 517 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:26,560 But when he heard that Archelos was reigning over Judea in place 518 00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:28,600 of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. 519 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:31,680 And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of 520 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:33,480 Galilee. And he went out and lived in a 521 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:37,960 city called Nazareth so that what was spoken by the prophets 522 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:42,040 might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. 523 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:46,440 Now, the first thing I just want us to just, Jesus is so 524 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:49,960 different than the way we would have drawn up our hero. 525 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:53,920 And the way this story goes is just not what we would think. 526 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:55,240 OK. I just want to show you some of 527 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:58,080 the sheer time and geography in our text here today. 528 00:26:58,360 --> 00:27:01,600 So remember, we got Bethlehem, Egypt, Nazareth. 529 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:03,320 If we got that map, throw that thing up there. 530 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:10,240 No map. OK, listen, imagine a map. 531 00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:13,920 It makes like a triangle. You can go look this up. 532 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:18,680 Bethlehem, Egypt, Nazareth. And what's what happens in this 533 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:23,080 text is you've got 200 plus miles each trip, two to three 534 00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:27,120 weeks, OK. So imagine a two to three. 535 00:27:27,120 --> 00:27:30,400 It's not again, God, Jesus is God. 536 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:34,280 He made everything. He made the concept of roads, he 537 00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:39,360 made oceans of volcanoes and he doesn't like I'm feeling Egypt. 538 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:42,520 We're in Egypt, you know, like it took two weeks to get there 539 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:44,600 and then they're in Egypt and it's let's go to Nazareth. 540 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:46,520 It's not a snap of fingers and we're in Nazareth. 541 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:50,480 What I'm trying to point out is Jesus lived life on life's terms 542 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:53,920 just like you do, had to be held. 543 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:56,080 By the time they left, he was probably a little toddler, might 544 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:58,200 have been walking like go ahead Jesus, go ahead. 545 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:01,040 Like probably, I mean just like it would be for you to go on a 546 00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:02,160 long journey. I don't know about you. 547 00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:04,040 Car rides with kids are difficult. 548 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:08,640 They were going on a long journey, a 2-3 week journey 549 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:12,360 y'all. Jesus did not circumvent what it 550 00:28:12,360 --> 00:28:17,160 means to be human to save us. He is God and he is man and he 551 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:20,960 saved us within the confines of life the way we feel it. 552 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:25,720 He didn't like escape reality as we know it to save us in it. 553 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,520 Does that make sense? He entered time and space like 554 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:32,280 it's an amazing thing that he did it the way he did it. 555 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:35,640 And I want to draw your attention to our third use of 556 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:37,800 the word fulfilled here. Circle that if you see it, 557 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:40,640 something else is being filled full, but this one's a little 558 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:43,040 different. So 1/3 bucket being filled up. 559 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:48,280 In this case, it says in verse 23, it says so that what was 560 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:52,480 spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be 561 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:54,240 called a Nazarene. That's a little different than 562 00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:56,520 the other two. In those two cases, it was a 563 00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:58,280 quote, it was Hosea, it was Jeremiah. 564 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:00,760 In this case, it's pointing to all of the prophets. 565 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:03,920 There were many of them. OK, So it's not quoting a 566 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:06,240 particular verse. You can't go look up exactly 567 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:08,320 what it is. So scholars debate what does 568 00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:09,920 that mean if it's not pointing to one verse? 569 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:12,760 What does he mean by all of the prophets saw that he would be a 570 00:29:12,760 --> 00:29:15,840 Nazarene if none of them said it, OK. 571 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:18,320 And the two kind of best theories are these right here. 572 00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:22,840 The word Nazarene sounds a lot like this Hebrew word that I'm a 573 00:29:22,840 --> 00:29:25,080 butcher called Netzer. And it looks like the word 574 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:27,720 branch. OK, so it it's rooted in Isaiah 575 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,840 11. Jesus is from the Davidic line. 576 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:33,240 OK? So be like saying you're a a 577 00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:35,600 twig from the the David tree, OK. 578 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:40,600 And Twig is almost this demeaning reference to Jesus 579 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:44,720 affiliation with that line. OK, so anytime he's called a 580 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:48,440 Nazarene, it's basically saying he's from the David tree, which 581 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:51,000 makes sense because from the lineage of King David, right? 582 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:57,120 The second theory that I I think more feels what the scriptures 583 00:29:57,120 --> 00:30:00,200 have in mind because the the first theory kind of taps into 584 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:02,160 Isaiah and Jeremiah the most, in case you're wondering. 585 00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:05,480 The other one I think is just saying all of the prophets 586 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:10,880 foresaw the type of Messiah that will be irrelevant because 587 00:30:10,880 --> 00:30:13,560 Nazareth is an irrelevant place. Are you with me? 588 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:17,560 Nazareth is a place where it's like you're from where Nazareth 589 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:19,440 it. Some of you know, in John 590 00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:23,480 chapter 1, like this dude, Nathaniel kind of makes fun of 591 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:24,960 Jesus. Hey, that's the map. 592 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:27,520 Y'all check it out. I told you. 593 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:29,160 Imagine like a triangle where they're going down. 594 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:31,920 They actually walked at y'all. Yeah. 595 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:35,200 And then remember everything I said while looking at that. 596 00:30:35,200 --> 00:30:42,480 OK, so all all of the prophets foresaw that the type of 597 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:46,160 reaction you would have to hearing about the chosen one who 598 00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:48,520 made all things in enter time and space would be like he's 599 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:51,200 from where can't be him. Does that make sense? 600 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:53,080 And here's what I'm trying to get you to see. 601 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:56,600 Here's what's here's what's hidden to me about the God of 602 00:30:56,600 --> 00:30:59,640 the Bible. But it's so amazing is if God 603 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:03,480 wrote himself in a story, he would write himself in a place 604 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:06,040 that you would overlook. And if you're in Christ, that's 605 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:07,640 exactly what you think he would do. 606 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:09,800 Does that make sense? But if you're on the outside, 607 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:10,880 you're like, why would he do that? 608 00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:16,360 So it's kind of like once you see it, you can't Unsee. 609 00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:19,160 That's exactly who God is, because he's not like us. 610 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:22,160 Are you with me? He would allow himself to grow 611 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:25,560 up in a place and be referred to, dismissed, considered 612 00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:28,320 irrelevant. But the more you get to know the 613 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:30,840 Lord, that makes a lot of sense to you. 614 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:33,800 Because Jesus is OK with being overlooked. 615 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:36,680 When they would make fun of him for being a Nazarene, he 616 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:38,560 wouldn't go well. You know I'm from the lineage of 617 00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:43,040 King David from Bethlehem right? He never once flexed information 618 00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:44,520 you didn't know and needed to know. 619 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:47,520 Y'all know that we do that constantly, right? 620 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:50,760 You looking out of shape? Well, I used to play on a wreck 621 00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:54,240 team five years back. We used to be in shape. 622 00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:56,760 Then I busted my leg and then my knee and then my elbow. 623 00:31:56,760 --> 00:32:00,160 And we, we're constantly giving you the information you need to 624 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:01,800 know to see me accurately, right? 625 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:05,080 You don't have the full picture. You weren't there when I did 626 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:06,800 X&Y&Z. Jesus never like. 627 00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:07,800 Well let me stop you right there. 628 00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:11,320 I may be from Nazareth, but I created volcanoes, you know? 629 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:14,240 Did you know sharks have whatever amount of teeth? 630 00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:17,560 Which one of my kids could probably answer he wasn't like 631 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:20,640 flexing. He wasn't insecure if you 632 00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:24,960 overlooked him. This is crazy all he would let 633 00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:27,880 you. That's who God is. 634 00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:32,520 That's who Jesus is. He's not a flexing, insecure, 635 00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:36,680 power hungry. He is a power holding, secure 636 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:40,200 fulfiller of all that we long for in need. 637 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:44,720 And he just could vibe in a room and you not even see him. 638 00:32:47,080 --> 00:32:49,760 Here's the last thing I want to say to you as we begin to move 639 00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:53,080 towards closing. Don't miss the Christmas story 640 00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:56,840 and its hero Jesus. Don't miss them. 641 00:32:57,520 --> 00:33:00,240 I want you to turn with me to John chapter one for a minute. 642 00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:06,400 If you're using our Bibles as page 844, one of my favorites, 643 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:09,920 Just just think about this line. We about to read y'all think 644 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:15,520 about this. We're going to start in verse 9 645 00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:18,320 and just read through verse 13, OK. 646 00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:23,600 The true light which gives light to everyone was coming into the 647 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:25,760 world. He was in the world and the 648 00:33:25,760 --> 00:33:29,760 world was made through Him, yet the world did not know him. 649 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:34,480 He came to his own and his own people did not receive him. 650 00:33:35,320 --> 00:33:37,840 But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He 651 00:33:37,840 --> 00:33:40,000 gave the right to become children of God who were born 652 00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:42,400 not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, 653 00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:46,360 but of God. I had a friend that led me to to 654 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:50,040 faith in Jesus back in college. He would say Jesus is hidden in 655 00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:52,760 Plainview. All these years later, I'm like, 656 00:33:52,760 --> 00:33:54,240 why didn't you say hidden in plain sight? 657 00:33:54,720 --> 00:33:58,280 Like, I don't know, but maybe there's something I don't see 658 00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:00,920 yet that he sees, you know? But I love that image. 659 00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:05,000 Like he's right there, you know. But even when he walked this 660 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:07,440 earth and did the things and the miracles and the healings and 661 00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:09,800 all the stuff, some people missed it. 662 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:14,840 We themed this this Christmas service Hidden in Christ, one of 663 00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:17,480 my my favorite songs. You can look it up Hidden in 664 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:20,600 Christ by a dude named Flame talking about this story. 665 00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:22,840 In the story he said star in the sky, let it guide you. 666 00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:25,080 Prophecy or lie. What should I choose? 667 00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:26,920 Every nation, every tongue, every tribe too. 668 00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:30,440 Herod tried to find him. Herod couldn't find him, but he 669 00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:33,159 tried to let him hide you, let him hide you. 670 00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:34,960 Hidden in the Christ, let him hide you. 671 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:39,080 Here's the idea in the Christmas story here in Bethlehem, you 672 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:43,320 have Herod searching Jesus to find him for his own gain, to 673 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:44,880 destroy him. He's searching. 674 00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:47,840 Can't find him, right? And then the people who look for 675 00:34:47,840 --> 00:34:50,199 him in faith travel hundreds of miles. 676 00:34:50,199 --> 00:34:52,360 The three wise men do find him. You see that? 677 00:34:53,120 --> 00:34:55,920 There's this play on Jesus being hidden. 678 00:34:55,920 --> 00:34:58,560 If what you're looking for is more of you, you won't find him. 679 00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:03,680 But if you see him for who he is, he will transform you. 680 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:05,840 Y'all, this is the story we need. 681 00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:09,640 This is the hero we need and one of the ways that we miss Jesus 682 00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:11,560 in our our secular moment right now. 683 00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:12,840 Y'all might have heard these phrases. 684 00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:14,920 I'm, I'm spiritual but not religious. 685 00:35:15,160 --> 00:35:19,160 This phrase, oldest phrase, what our culture is pushing us to 686 00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:22,280 want. Y'all is a spiritual experience 687 00:35:22,280 --> 00:35:25,280 without a actual narrative of reality. 688 00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:28,560 We are allergic to the grand narrative of where we came from, 689 00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:33,120 of an actual story that is true and make sense of what we see 690 00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:35,720 and where things are going and who's right and wrong and law 691 00:35:35,720 --> 00:35:38,800 and these things. But we want to feel good about 692 00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:39,800 ourselves. We want a spiritual. 693 00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:42,360 I want to be spiritual. Like it's almost cool to say 694 00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:46,680 you're spiritual, but most times that comes with an allergy to a 695 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:49,240 grand narrative. Y'all what the Christmas story 696 00:35:49,240 --> 00:35:54,760 is is about reality. Reality is we're trapped and 697 00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:58,640 need to be freed. Reality is we're not home and 698 00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:00,240 home is coming. There is an exile. 699 00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:02,280 We need help. We need a deliverer, we need a 700 00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:06,400 rescuer, we need a restorer. So I just want to push you that 701 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:09,800 this Christmas, what you don't need is a cool spiritual 702 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:13,560 experience. What you need is a true story 703 00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:16,680 with a God who is a person for you to submit to. 704 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:21,360 The most spiritual thing you can do is submit to God. 705 00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:24,480 That submission is what God is after. 706 00:36:24,720 --> 00:36:28,840 Love fellowship with Him. The way the Bible sees being 707 00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:34,400 spiritual is to agree with God, agree with him about who you 708 00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:38,600 are, about what it means to need his rescue, that you need him. 709 00:36:39,840 --> 00:36:43,480 Y'all this hero, this Jesus, he is wooing you. 710 00:36:44,040 --> 00:36:48,440 Let this Nazarene, this guy from nowhere who is God and man, let 711 00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:52,200 him woo you over. That's what the cross is about 712 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:57,280 is what Jesus is doing is He's living your life that you fail 713 00:36:57,280 --> 00:37:00,760 to live. He is perfection in every way. 714 00:37:01,040 --> 00:37:04,120 He is humility, He is love, He is mercy, He is justice, he is 715 00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:07,640 kindness, he's all of it. And He is walking the road none 716 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:11,200 of us can nor will walk. And at the end of his life He 717 00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:17,160 would die as if he lived like you and I, so that in His 718 00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:21,000 resurrection He is establishing the gift He can give you. 719 00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:24,360 And there is fellowship. There's an experience of walking 720 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:25,960 with God. Don't, Don't hear me knocking 721 00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:27,320 you. You're seeking an experience 722 00:37:27,320 --> 00:37:29,680 that's great. There's an experiential nature 723 00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:33,240 to walking with God, but it's in submission to who He is and has 724 00:37:33,240 --> 00:37:36,680 revealed Himself to be to you. That's where the experience 725 00:37:36,960 --> 00:37:40,840 comes from and what Jesus came to do for everybody. 726 00:37:40,840 --> 00:37:44,760 This grand jailbreak, this grand exile ending is very personal. 727 00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:47,680 Like he wants to hide you in himself. 728 00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:49,080 You're like, what does that mean? 729 00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:52,200 It basically means what Jesus would go on to say. 730 00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:54,160 He wants to live in you and you in him. 731 00:37:54,360 --> 00:37:58,520 He wants to hide you in him. He wants to save you from you 732 00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:02,720 and show you the true you. The the reality is he knows the 733 00:38:02,720 --> 00:38:05,720 real you. You don't, and He wants to take 734 00:38:05,720 --> 00:38:09,960 who you truly are, make you new. The old has died, the new has 735 00:38:09,960 --> 00:38:11,560 come. He died in your place. 736 00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:15,360 It's almost as if when you trust in Christ, it is as if you died 737 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:20,160 2000 years ago and then you come to your true self in Him because 738 00:38:20,160 --> 00:38:23,480 you are quite literally in Him. It's like where He starts and 739 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:26,640 you start, that you are bound up in one another. 740 00:38:26,720 --> 00:38:28,320 It's like you're a little Christ. 741 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:30,680 That's sort of the idea. You're sealed with the Spirit. 742 00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:35,160 You are in Him. So if you are not in Christ here 743 00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:38,960 today, I just want to say, let Jesus hide you in him. 744 00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:44,200 He wants to personally transform everything about your life. 745 00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:46,400 He wants to save you from your sin. 746 00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:48,480 He wants to teach you how to live again. 747 00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:50,560 You're like, what do I need to learn again? 748 00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:54,280 Everything you need to learn how to be human again in him. 749 00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:58,440 He's going to transform you from the inside out, but it starts 750 00:38:58,440 --> 00:39:01,760 with a green with him about why he came in the first place. 751 00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:06,320 And if you are a believer here today, I just want you to hear 752 00:39:06,320 --> 00:39:10,000 you're hidden in Christ. Sometimes the season can just 753 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:12,120 bring we just get in our feelings. 754 00:39:12,320 --> 00:39:14,280 It can almost like our culture almost pushes us. 755 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:16,120 Getting in your feelings can be like, cool, you know what I 756 00:39:16,120 --> 00:39:17,280 mean? Like let's get in our feelings, 757 00:39:17,520 --> 00:39:21,640 you know, and I just want to say like, you're not behind. 758 00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:24,560 This might be another year. You feel behind, you're not 759 00:39:24,560 --> 00:39:28,480 behind, you're not missing out. You're hidden in Christ. 760 00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:33,200 You have all that you need in Him, even if your dreams have 761 00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:36,920 not come true yet. You have Christ, you have all 762 00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:40,960 you need, you have the King. You are free from slavery. 763 00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:43,960 Exile is over. The best days are still to come. 764 00:39:43,960 --> 00:39:46,120 And I just want to call you to lift your eyes up. 765 00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:50,840 Don't fall in on yourself. Let let let Jesus hide you in 766 00:39:50,840 --> 00:39:52,320 Him. I want to read Colossians 3 over 767 00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:56,320 you and then I'm done. OK, let me read a few verses 768 00:39:56,320 --> 00:40:00,160 from Colossians 1. If then you have been raised 769 00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:03,040 with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is 770 00:40:03,040 --> 00:40:06,440 seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that 771 00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:08,120 are above, not on things that are on earth. 772 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:13,320 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 773 00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:16,720 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will 774 00:40:16,720 --> 00:40:22,240 appear with Him in glory. You'll Part of what Christmas is 775 00:40:22,240 --> 00:40:25,560 supposed to do is just make you forget yourself. 776 00:40:26,880 --> 00:40:32,360 Just look at Jesus. Just look at him, this champion, 777 00:40:32,360 --> 00:40:36,760 this rescuer, this exile ending hero who is hidden. 778 00:40:36,760 --> 00:40:39,960 The more you focus on him, the more you will become you. 779 00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:43,520 But many times we miss him because we're so mesmerized with 780 00:40:43,520 --> 00:40:44,520 us. Does that make sense? 781 00:40:44,760 --> 00:40:47,280 Just flip it. This Christmas, focus more on 782 00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:50,120 him than yourself and your joy will increase. 783 00:40:50,160 --> 00:40:54,200 Amen. Let's pray our Father. 784 00:40:54,360 --> 00:40:58,200 Thank you for this. Great, this great Christmas 785 00:40:58,200 --> 00:41:01,840 story of what what you've done for us, what you came to do God, 786 00:41:01,840 --> 00:41:05,600 we we just want to declare that we agree with you that we are 787 00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:07,960 trapped and need to be set free. God that this place is not 788 00:41:07,960 --> 00:41:08,880 right. It is busted. 789 00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:12,480 Even on our best day, there's so much pain, so much ain't right. 790 00:41:12,480 --> 00:41:15,840 So much of it we bring. But then there's so much stuff 791 00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:19,160 out there that's big and beyond us that just is not the way it 792 00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:22,120 should be. And Father, thank you that in in 793 00:41:22,120 --> 00:41:26,640 your son being sent full of the spirit just among us, God, that 794 00:41:26,640 --> 00:41:29,720 we see that we're right. Those instincts are right that 795 00:41:29,720 --> 00:41:31,480 we're not right. That is not right out there. 796 00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:33,880 And you want to set us free. You want to make things right. 797 00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:37,200 So God, just give us faith to agree with you. 798 00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:40,080 God, open our eyes. I pray for somebody, maybe all 799 00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:44,160 of 2025 they have been fighting and resisting. 800 00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:46,880 God, would they agree with you? Would they submit to you? 801 00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:49,840 And for the first time in their life, would they just worship 802 00:41:50,160 --> 00:41:52,400 you? God, I think there's somebody 803 00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:54,960 under the sound of my voice who continues to think that if you 804 00:41:54,960 --> 00:41:58,880 love them, God, that they would. You would make sense of 805 00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:00,320 everything about their life for them. 806 00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:04,360 But God, help them to see you. Help them to see your Son on the 807 00:42:04,360 --> 00:42:06,200 cross. Help them to understand these 808 00:42:06,200 --> 00:42:09,920 things and how it unlocks joy. God, what we don't need is all 809 00:42:09,920 --> 00:42:12,680 of our circumstances to go the way we think it should go. 810 00:42:12,880 --> 00:42:15,840 God, would this be the moment? Would this be the time in their 811 00:42:15,840 --> 00:42:19,720 life where that just clicks God where it just flips and we see 812 00:42:19,720 --> 00:42:24,320 you for who you are. So Father help us give us faith. 813 00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:26,600 God it is so quick. Our eyes pull down under 814 00:42:26,600 --> 00:42:29,000 ourselves so quickly. Got to pray for your church 815 00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:30,200 here. Would you lift our eyes? 816 00:42:30,200 --> 00:42:33,080 Would we worship you? God where there is just holding 817 00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:36,160 on to sadness and disappointment. 818 00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:40,080 God teach us to weep and mourn there things that that that are 819 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:43,040 to be mourned over. But God then lift our eyes get 820 00:42:43,040 --> 00:42:46,840 our eyes onto you. Please Lord, please help us to 821 00:42:46,840 --> 00:42:50,920 see you God and may we just be transformed by our sight of you. 822 00:42:51,240 --> 00:42:53,480 God, teach us what it means to be hidden in you. 823 00:42:54,920 --> 00:42:57,440 Bless the rest of our time. Now we pray in Jesus name, Amen.