1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:03,880 We're going to read together from the Scriptures. 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:08,840 I'm going to read a portion that was read last Sunday evening at 3 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:14,440 the Carroll service and that is from Luke chapter 2, verses 8 4 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:20,920 through to 14. I was tempted to ask one of the 5 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:24,720 young men, but then I would be springing it on them and that 6 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:28,920 wouldn't be fair. Luke chapter 2 And we're reading 7 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:33,040 from verse 8. Let's hear the word of God. 8 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:39,880 It says, look to verse 8. And they were in the same 9 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:43,200 country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over 10 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:47,400 their flock by night. And Lord, the Angel of the Lord 11 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:51,640 came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, 12 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:56,080 and they were so afraid. And the Angel said unto them, 13 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:00,880 Fear not, for behold you bring you good tidings of great joy, 14 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:04,800 which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in 15 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,480 the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 16 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:13,000 And there shall be a sign unto you, you shall find to be 17 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,600 wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a Manger. 18 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:20,800 And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the 19 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:26,080 heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the 20 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:32,520 highest, and an earth peace goodwill toward men. 21 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:35,480 We know that God will stamp with His own approval and blessing 22 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:44,960 this reading of His own precious and infallible word in this 23 00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:49,240 morning. My text is taken from Luke 24 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:55,880 chapter 2 and in the verse 14 and have entitled this theme 25 00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:00,120 Gospel Lessons from the Christmas Truths. 26 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:06,200 Every Christmas we hear the angels words peace and earth. 27 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:08,280 They appear in our Christmas cards. 28 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,640 We sing them in our carols. They're found in our 29 00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:14,560 decorations. They're spoken on our lips. 30 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:19,160 So often we even sing them warmly and gladly, yet without 31 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:24,760 thinking about them. However, if we're honest, peace 32 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:29,880 on earth can often be like a sound bite to us. 33 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:34,440 It perhaps is even one of the most unrealistic lines in the 34 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,240 Bible we were singing and reading. 35 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:39,600 Glory to God in the highest and on earth. 36 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:44,640 Peace, goodwill to men. Look at our world. 37 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:49,240 It's a world of conflict. Look at our history, the history 38 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,640 of war and conflict. Look at our homes and our own 39 00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:55,120 lives. Conflict seems more common than 40 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:59,080 true peace, hate to the fore more than true love. 41 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:06,560 Surely division comes more easily than a spirit of 42 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:10,760 reconciliation. Fear speaks louder than hope. 43 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:16,880 Today I want to take you to a place where pithoners appeared 44 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:22,760 in the most unexpected way, in the most unusual of places. 45 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,960 Now the Christmas truth I want to talk about is connected to a 46 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,960 football match. Young people here like football. 47 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,680 We get asked the question, did you hear about the match? 48 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:40,480 And immediately they asked for who was playing who, where was 49 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:44,240 the match played, when was it played, who won. 50 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:45,960 Loads of questions. You see. 51 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:50,520 Now this football match is connected to the Christmas truth 52 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:55,080 on the muddy battlefields of World War One. 53 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:57,440 I want you to get The Time Machine out. 54 00:03:57,440 --> 00:03:59,840 Press the button. We're going back to Christmas 55 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:05,080 Day 1914. You see, late in December 1914, 56 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:09,760 soldiers on the Western Front ceased hostilities, laid down 57 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:15,120 their weapons to celebrate Christmas together on No Man's 58 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:17,720 Land. Did you know that Sainsbury's 59 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:21,720 one year put out an advert from No Man's Land? 60 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:28,520 The scene opened with the booming of artillery, the noise 61 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:33,120 of the shells exploding. A soldier by the name of Tommy, 62 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:36,240 a British soldier, appears to open a parcel in the British 63 00:04:36,280 --> 00:04:39,840 trenches. The snow begins to fall and 64 00:04:39,840 --> 00:04:41,960 inside the parcel is a photograph. 65 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:46,040 It's also a bar of chocolate. And then the sound of singing is 66 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:48,800 heard. The strain of Silent Night in 67 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:53,200 German and then in the English trenches as well. 68 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:57,480 The soldiers climb out of their trenches, they meet in No Man's 69 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:01,240 Land, the guns are silent, the soldiers exchange gifts of 70 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:06,040 chocolate and they also play a football match on Christmas Day. 71 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:11,040 And the scene closes with the strains of the song leaning on 72 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:14,360 the everlasting arm. See, warfare in World War One 73 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,240 was not high tech. It was often hand to hand 74 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:21,400 combat. Hundreds of thousands of young 75 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:25,720 men were dead already in the few months that the war had begun in 76 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:29,400 June 1914. Trenches were sometimes yards 77 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:33,960 apart, cold places, muddy rat infested, blood soaked places. 78 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:37,760 Soldiers stood and slept standing up. 79 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:43,520 The Western Front took in hundreds of miles Flanders Song, 80 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:49,920 Belgium all the way to the town of Yeats and Menes 1914 to 1918. 81 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:55,080 World War One saw 25,000,000 casualties and on Christmas Eve 82 00:05:55,120 --> 00:06:00,560 1914 about 8:30 a Royal Irish Rifleman noticed the Germans 83 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:04,600 decorating their trenches with paper lights Christmas trees, 84 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:08,360 wishing each other Christmas greetings, Happy Christmas. 85 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:11,560 They could hear the singing of the Christmas carols, Silent 86 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,440 Night. First Noel, The scouts went out 87 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,560 into No Man's Land. They couldn't resist wishing 88 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:21,520 each other happy Christmas and soon hundreds of soldiers joined 89 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:24,120 them. Enemies morphed into a 90 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:26,680 fraternity. Hands were shook, carols were. 91 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,480 Some gifts were exchanged. A football match was played. 92 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,040 Nothing was organised. I don't know if it was left on a 93 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:35,320 side or not. So between these two opposing 94 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:40,120 sides, on a strip of land called No Man's Land, a place of 95 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:45,280 danger, a place of death, a stiff frost had descended on 96 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:49,160 Christmas Eve, turning No Man's Land into a a white Christmas 97 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,040 scene. And on Christmas Day, for a 98 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:55,760 brief moment, the war stopped. On Christmas Day there was a 99 00:06:55,760 --> 00:07:01,160 football match. It's wonderful that during the 100 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:05,320 summer there, when I was in Minea's, I got a picture taken 101 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:08,200 at the monument where the match was actually played. 102 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:12,000 This Christmas story is truly historical. 103 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:15,600 It's inspired artwork, statues, adverts. 104 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:19,560 It pictures a British soldier and a German soldier greeting 105 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:26,000 each other with a football. Not a weapon, not a flag, but a 106 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:28,960 football. There in that place, the theatre 107 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:33,120 of war. Soldiers kicked the ball back 108 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:35,120 and forth. Men who were supposed to be 109 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:39,480 enemies ran after the ball. They laughed, they played for a 110 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:43,440 time, they forgot the divisions that divided them and will ask 111 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:48,760 the question, why a football? Why is the monument in the nares 112 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:53,080 so significant? What lessons can we learn from 113 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:56,800 what happened on that Christmas Day 1914? 114 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:00,360 Let's think about it for a few minutes. 115 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:03,080 Think of the period when the match was played. 116 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:06,640 When was it played? I've already told you Christmas 117 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:10,440 Day 1914, there was a start time. 118 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:14,400 I don't know when it started, probably started with a whistle 119 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:16,600 blowing. I don't think there was a 120 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:20,720 national anthem. A time to kick off and then a 121 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:24,160 time to stop. And between the start time and 122 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:27,840 the stoppage time, whatever time it was that they played Lebanon 123 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:32,640 side football, these British and German soldiers played their 124 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:35,039 football match. You've got to think of the 125 00:08:35,039 --> 00:08:37,280 period when the match was played. 126 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:41,520 And isn't that a picture of life, the journey of life? 127 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:46,280 We have a start time, a day of birth, a special day. 128 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:50,600 And just as we have a birthday, then we'll also have a death 129 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:53,200 day. Not death day could come at 21 130 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,880 or 91. And in between those two days is 131 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:00,520 the journey of life, and life is precious. 132 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:02,800 We can ask the question, where did we come from? 133 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:05,680 Who made us? And of course the answer is that 134 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:08,800 that God made us. Remember what we read in the 135 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:13,760 book of Acts in Acts 17 it says in verse 26, And hath made of 136 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:16,920 one blood of all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of 137 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:20,280 the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and 138 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:25,280 the bound of their habitation. It says in verse 28, In Him we 139 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:27,400 move and live and have our being. 140 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:29,480 Do you know today that you're special? 141 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:33,560 Do you know today that you've been created by Almighty God? 142 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:36,520 Do you know that your life is dependent on Him? 143 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:39,920 In Him you move and being, in Him you breathe. 144 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:43,880 He is the true source of your life and you're not only made by 145 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:47,800 Him and dependent on Him, but you're also accountable to Him. 146 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:49,600 And one day you'll stand before Him. 147 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:53,600 Everyone of us will and that Romans 14 and 12 says so. 148 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:58,040 Then everyone of us shall give an account of Himself to God in 149 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:01,080 that journey of life. Man's chief goal, as the 150 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:04,800 Catechism says, man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him 151 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:09,160 forever. He must says prepare to meet thy 152 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:11,400 God. Many of these young soldiers, 153 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:15,040 you know what age they were, 17/18/19 and 20, not much older 154 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:17,320 than some of the young people here in our church. 155 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:20,560 One of them was 15, a private Studwick. 156 00:10:20,560 --> 00:10:23,720 We visited his grave, we laid a poppy wreath there. 157 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:27,360 You see, many of those young men believed in God. 158 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:30,600 They knew Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. 159 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:35,280 They read their Bible, they knew how to pray, they were found in 160 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:37,400 a right relationship. And when the hymns were sung, 161 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:41,280 Silent Night, the First Noel once in Royal David's city, they 162 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:44,440 knew the hymns. They knew that man that was born 163 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:47,760 a woman is a few days and full of trouble as the sparks fly 164 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:50,080 upward. They knew, as it says in the 165 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:54,680 book of Job and in the verse 10 of chapter 14. 166 00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:02,720 But man dieth and wasteth away. Yeah, man giveth up the ghost. 167 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:07,360 And where is he? And even the Lord Jesus Christ 168 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:10,360 identifies with us on this journey because there was a day 169 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:12,400 when he was born. And I'm not saying it was 25th 170 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:14,640 day of December. I don't know when he was born, 171 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,720 but there was one Day in History when he was born. 172 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:22,040 And he lived to life, sinless life, glory to God. 173 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:25,480 He can alone say, I do always those things that please the 174 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:27,280 Father. And he was put to death at the 175 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:30,960 age of 33. That was his journey of life. 176 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:36,240 A period when the match was played, a start time and a 177 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:39,760 stoppage time teaches me about the journey of life. 178 00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:42,840 A period when the match was played very quickly. 179 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:46,440 The purpose as to why the match was played. 180 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:51,600 Why was it played? Well, it was Christmas Day, a 181 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:55,840 special day, a popular day, a well known day. 182 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:58,640 Why? Because it's in this one day 183 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:02,360 that we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one 184 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:05,520 who was wonderful councillor, the mighty God, the everlasting 185 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:08,720 Father, the Prince of Peace. Christmas is one of the most 186 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:12,080 blessed times of the year. Think of the little song I I 187 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:13,880 don't know who sang it. Brother Alan will be able to 188 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:16,360 tell us. I wish it was Christmas every 189 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:21,040 day. You see, Christmas is a time for 190 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:24,200 giving and sharing. It's a festival of gifts. 191 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:26,720 You've already exchanged gifts with one another. 192 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:29,800 I, I trust I I didn't get to the shops. 193 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:33,280 I'm sorry but I I haven't any gifts to exchange at at this 194 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:36,600 time. But most gifts of course are 195 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:40,600 given in love. Most gifts are specially chosen 196 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:43,480 as far as their value is concerned. 197 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:47,880 A lot of thought and effort and hope goes into a gift. 198 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:52,800 The gift then is joyfully offered and hopefully gladly 199 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:55,400 received. You think of that first 200 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:59,120 Christmas whenever they were told in that night. 201 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:03,240 For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, 202 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:06,120 which is Christ the Lord. Fear not for the old I bring you 203 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:09,120 good times of great joy, which shall be to all people. 204 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:12,560 For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, 205 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:15,760 which is Christ the Lord. It's meant to be a day of joy 206 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:19,560 and peace, a day of gratitude, a day of Thanksgiving, a day not 207 00:13:19,560 --> 00:13:22,680 just of celebration, but of reflection, as I said in the 208 00:13:22,680 --> 00:13:26,240 prayer, a day of giving and receiving, a day of caring and 209 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:28,720 sharing. And despite these soldiers with 210 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:33,880 different backgrounds, despite the war, despite the bloodshed, 211 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:41,800 to them on Christmas Day, they had heard and received the best 212 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:44,040 news of all. Because they knew in their 213 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:46,680 hearts, even though they give bars of chocolate buttons, I 214 00:13:46,680 --> 00:13:51,240 don't know what else they gave. One gift transcends all other 215 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:54,840 gifts. Jesus Christ is the best gift of 216 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:57,800 all. He's a chosen gift. 217 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:01,560 You know, people say to me, the state of the world, the world's 218 00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:03,440 at war. Why doesn't God do something 219 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:06,120 about it? Why doesn't God stop the war in 220 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:10,960 Ukraine and and Russia? I have an answer. 221 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:14,960 Here's the answer he already has. 222 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:17,600 Here's the greatest intervention. 223 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:21,600 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, 224 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:24,400 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have 225 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:27,480 everlasting life. But when the fullness of the 226 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:35,880 time was come, God sent forth his Son into the world made of a 227 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:39,400 woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the 228 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:41,520 law. That's the greatest intervention 229 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:44,480 ever, the incarnation and the virgin birth. 230 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:46,320 I remember saying to a we woman in Scotland. 231 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:48,280 He asked me what has God ever done for me? 232 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:51,400 And I told her that Jesus Christ was born for us, lived the 233 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:55,440 sinless life for us, died an atoning death for us, rose again 234 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:59,960 bodily from the dead, prays for us and is coming for us. 235 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:02,080 She just went in and slammed the door. 236 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:05,400 See, many don't want to think about that, but that's the 237 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:07,520 reality. That's what God has done. 238 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:11,520 And remember, Paul was able to say, but God commended his love 239 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:13,520 toward us. And while we were yet sinners, 240 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:17,800 Christ died for us in verse 10. For if, when we were enemies, 241 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:20,520 were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more 242 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:23,480 being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 243 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:28,720 A most appropriate gift, chosen not for family, not for friends, 244 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:34,960 but for his enemies to reconcile enemies to himself, Enemies who 245 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:38,040 hated him, enemies who didn't want him, enemies who didn't 246 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:40,520 know him, enemies who were ignorant of him. 247 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:44,520 He's also a costly gift. What did he give? 248 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,760 The best he had his only begotten Son, one who is 249 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:53,640 precious, one who is powerful, one who is most personal. 250 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:58,200 In our text, the Angel said, And this shall be a sign unto you 251 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:01,120 shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a 252 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:04,160 Manger. Not strips of cloth as modern 253 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:06,600 versions tell us. I don't like that translation. 254 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:09,080 But swaddling clothes? Why? 255 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:14,040 Because swaddling clothes were actually the cloth that was used 256 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:17,560 to wrap up a dead body. In it was a shroud. 257 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:23,480 If you picture that when he was born, it was a sign. 258 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:26,280 You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes 'cause this 259 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:30,760 babe had come to pay a price. You see, a gift is not free and 260 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:33,680 it cost him. It cost him an act of 261 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:35,480 humiliation. God became man. 262 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:38,720 God became human, one of us. He was made in the likeness of 263 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:41,520 sinful flesh. It it, it cost him his, his 264 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:44,040 life's blood. And God didn't provide a 265 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:46,320 reformer or a statesman or a politician. 266 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:49,280 He provided A saviour. Unto you is born this day, a 267 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:51,320 Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 268 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:52,960 Why? Because we need a saviour to 269 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:58,120 save us from sin. That's also a claim gift. 270 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,520 You see, a gift that's given must be received. 271 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:05,800 Many don't want it. Many think that they don't need 272 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:08,400 Christ. They live in their sin, don't 273 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:12,440 realise that sin separates them from God, don't realise that sin 274 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:15,280 keeps them in a state of bondage, don't realise that sin 275 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:17,960 will keep them out to heaven, don't realise that their sins 276 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:20,400 not forgiven, they'll never ever be in heaven. 277 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:23,640 God's perfect gift is to be received. 278 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:26,200 The Bible says behold, now is the accepted time. 279 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:31,280 Now is the day of salvation. You see, there's a period when 280 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:35,320 the football match was played. There was a purpose as to why it 281 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:37,800 was played. Christmas Day was about the 282 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:41,360 birth of Christ, the greatest of all gifts that transcends every 283 00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:43,960 other gifts. But I finish with this, a 284 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:49,360 particular way the match was played in no man's land. 285 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:54,800 The enemies became friends, the enmity was put away and give way 286 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:58,120 to fraternity. The bloodletting gave way to 287 00:17:58,120 --> 00:18:01,640 peace. Making a truce happened, even 288 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:06,880 though it was for a brief time, because soldiers on Christmas 289 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:11,440 Day didn't see each other as monsters, but as human beings. 290 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:18,200 They saw each other as brothers, sons, friends, husbands, and our 291 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:20,440 Lord Jesus Christ came in a particular way. 292 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:24,240 The incarnation is necessary. The virgin birth was necessary 293 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:26,560 because He came to take on flesh. 294 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:30,680 He shared our humanity. He stood as it were in our no 295 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:34,240 man's land to be a bridge between heaven and earth. 296 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:38,000 The Bible proclaims them in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 14. 297 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:42,160 He is our peace and on earth peace. 298 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:46,360 To me the word peace here should be of a capital because it 299 00:18:46,360 --> 00:18:51,720 speaks of Christ. He's the personification of 300 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:53,840 peace. And as they played their 301 00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:55,720 football match, it was a friendly game. 302 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:58,320 I believe it was probably played by some rules. 303 00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:03,120 There were 5000 professional footballers and the English 304 00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:06,720 soldiers who were out at the Western Front. 305 00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:10,880 There were probably fouls and free kicks and penalties, but it 306 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:15,240 was played in a relationship. And you see, your greatest need 307 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:18,120 is not religion. Your greatest need is a 308 00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:20,400 relationship with God. And you can have a relationship 309 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:22,480 with God through faith in Jesus Christ. 310 00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:25,680 And I know we're called upon in the rules, according to the 311 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:28,040 summary of the 10 commandments, to love God with all your heart, 312 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:30,680 soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbour as yourself. 313 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:33,760 But the reality is you can't and you don't live that way. 314 00:19:35,120 --> 00:19:39,720 You have to be honest, and you'll only begin to follow the 315 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:43,920 rules when you're in a relationship, when you're 316 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:48,200 reconciled to God. Abraham was a friend of God. 317 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,600 Hi, by faith. And what is faith? 318 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:54,320 Forsaking all. I trust him. 319 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:58,680 It was a friendly game. It was a fruitful game. 320 00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:03,880 Why? Because it was played from the 321 00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:09,280 heart. It was played in a spirit of 322 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:15,200 goodwill and love. And at the heart of all the news 323 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:19,120 of Christmas Day is the news about a person. 324 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:25,160 It's all because of a person, the God man who became the Son 325 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:30,360 of Man, the Son of Mary, the Son of David, who was revealed to us 326 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:33,360 as the only begotten Son of the everlasting Father, bone of our 327 00:20:33,360 --> 00:20:37,880 bone and flesh of our flesh. And yet a true God, very God of 328 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:41,920 very God. These soldiers had the courage 329 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:44,640 to sing, to step out of the trenches, to meet each other 330 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:48,560 face to face. Christ came to meet us face to 331 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:50,960 face. What a message, a divine person. 332 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:54,160 That's what we're singing about, a divine power. 333 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:57,680 Christ is the power of God unto salvation. 334 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:00,320 That's why we go into all the world and preach the gospel to 335 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:03,200 every creature. The preaching of the cross is a 336 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:07,160 power even to those who are dead and sin, to those who are blind 337 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:09,400 and can't see, to those who are diseased. 338 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:13,520 This power comes. And at the heart of this good 339 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:19,280 news is a divine peace. Peace with God, the peace of 340 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:21,840 God, peace on earth. Why? 341 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:24,160 Because the Prince of Peace have come. 342 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:28,200 We can have peace in our world. You can have peace in your home. 343 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:30,880 When you have peace in your heart. 344 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:36,120 You see, it's wonderful. This is the way God works. 345 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:40,600 A baby in a Manger, fishermen chosen to be disciples, A cross 346 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:45,600 1st instead of a throne to bring about peace on earth. 347 00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:48,160 Peace on earth. You're called to it. 348 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:52,480 There has to be a commitment, but there has to be a choice. 349 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:56,200 And the choice involves receiving this news about this 350 00:21:56,440 --> 00:22:01,680 divine person and this divine power and this divine purpose. 351 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:06,520 Can I ask you today to allow Christ to step into your heart 352 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:12,240 and your life, to deal with your sin, to bring about the end of 353 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:17,800 your conflict and struggle and allow Him to help you and give 354 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:20,720 you grace as you journey through life? 355 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:30,200 The Christmas truths a particular period, a particular 356 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:35,520 purpose, a particular plan. May the Lord bless you as you 357 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:37,640 have listened to our Christmas message. 358 00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:38,160 We're going to.