1 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:10,360 This is ERC Sundays, the messages at Emmaus Rd. 2 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:14,240 Church in DeWitt, Iowa. ERC is a Church of people 3 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,320 striving to grow in Jesus and make him known to others through 4 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:21,560 our faith, words and actions. Find out more about our church 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,360 at emmausrdonline.org. Here's this week's message. 6 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,360 We are in week four of our Coming Home for Christmas 7 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:35,400 series, Advent in Isaiah. We're going to be in Isaiah 49 8 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:39,440 today. If you want to bring out your 9 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,240 phones or there's Bibles in the chairs in front of you, it's on 10 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:44,520 page 610 in those Bibles in the seats. 11 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:48,000 If you'd like to follow along, we're going to be in Isaiah 49, 12 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,800 8 through 13. We're going to jump around to 13 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:53,960 some other stuff too, but this is the that's the route of where 14 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:57,480 we're going to get started. So Isaiah 49, starting at verse 15 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:02,760 8, this is what the Lord says in the time of my favor, I will 16 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:04,720 answer you. And in the day of salvation, I 17 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:07,000 will help you. I will keep you and will make 18 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,960 you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and 19 00:01:09,960 --> 00:01:11,840 to reassign its desolate inheritance. 20 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:16,200 Inheritances to say to the captives, come out and to those 21 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:20,440 in darkness be free. They will feed beside the roads 22 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:22,120 and find pasture on every barren hill. 23 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:25,160 They were neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat 24 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:28,720 nor the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them 25 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:33,160 will guide them and lead them. Besides springs of water, I will 26 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:35,320 turn all my mountains into roads, and all my highways will 27 00:01:35,320 --> 00:01:37,880 be raised up. See, they will come from afar, 28 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,720 some from the north, some from the West, some from the region 29 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:44,000 of Aswan. Shout for joy you heavens, 30 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,960 rejoice you earth. Burst into song you mountains, 31 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:51,600 for the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his 32 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:54,480 afflicted ones. This is the word of God. 33 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:04,760 What do you want for Christmas? Honest question, looking for 34 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:05,440 answers. What? 35 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:15,800 What do you want for Christmas? Wow, OK, you are of that age. 36 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:23,840 That makes sense. Good health? 37 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:30,120 A cat? OK, we had pets. 38 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:32,800 No drama. Oh, OK, we're going to talk 39 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:34,080 about dysfunction in a minute. Yep. 40 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,640 Quarters for laundry money. Tangible things. 41 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:48,480 Yes, we do have a spectrum of tangible and intangible things 42 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:50,000 that we want for Christmas. But why? 43 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:58,160 Why do we give gifts? Do we give gifts out of, as 44 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:01,960 we've talked about already this morning, out of love because he 45 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:07,680 first loved us? If we give a gift attached to 46 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:10,360 receiving a gift back, is it really a gift? 47 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:17,000 What happens if we get maybe an unexpected gift? 48 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:19,760 Someone, we weren't planning on giving us a gift. 49 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:22,640 They give us a gift. What's our first reaction? 50 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:29,480 Well, I didn't get you anything. What was the, was there another? 51 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:34,880 I think that's one of two responses. 52 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:37,760 Last service got both of them. Someone yelled out thank you. 53 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:40,000 And someone yelled out, I didn't get you anything at the same 54 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,880 time. Those are two choices. 55 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:50,200 One of those responses focuses on the gift given, and the other 56 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:57,720 response focuses on what I did to be worthy of that gift, what 57 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:02,520 I did to earn or deserve that gift being given to me. 58 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:05,440 And that's not the point of gifts. 59 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:08,520 The point of gifts is to receive. 60 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:18,440 And that's it. In this passage in Isaiah, he 61 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:24,000 frames this time, this coming Messiah deliverance for this 62 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,160 people in exile. If you remember the context of 63 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:30,840 of where we are, this people of Israel, oppressed, captured, 64 00:04:30,840 --> 00:04:36,640 enslaved by their enemies in Babylon, the time has come for 65 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:42,360 them to be delivered from exile. And this passage in Isaiah is 66 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:46,880 talking about both their present circumstance, a coming, lasting 67 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:53,880 Messiah, and it's also words of encouragement for us today as we 68 00:04:53,880 --> 00:05:00,080 feel the burdens of exile in this life, as we feel sin, 69 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:08,800 shame, guilt, dysfunction, as we feel things that make us feel 70 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:16,120 like this world is not our home. Jesus came to earth to make a 71 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:21,560 way to our true home in heaven. In the first verse in our 72 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:25,800 passage today, verse 8, the Lord says, so we should listen. 73 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:30,880 In the time of my favor, I will answer you, and in the day of 74 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:34,120 salvation I will help you. There are some of you here today 75 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:39,040 who feel like you haven't felt God's favor in a while. 76 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:45,560 You're living in exile. You're feeling exiled from God, 77 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:52,040 whether it's things of of your own doing or just experiencing 78 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:57,840 the weight of of sin, the dysfunction of this world, other 79 00:05:57,840 --> 00:06:02,880 people's wrongdoing, all of that hurts and builds up and and 80 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:05,680 gives us this unnatural feeling in this world like we're not 81 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:11,680 meant for this. The Lord says in the time of my 82 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:16,040 favor, I will answer you. This response to this people in 83 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:20,680 exile was incredibly encouraging, but also lasting. 84 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:27,760 Looking ahead, this most favorable time would be when God 85 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:32,040 Jesus sets heaven aside and comes to earth. 86 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:41,920 That is the greatest time of God's favor for us, this day of 87 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:47,720 salvation. Paul quotes this verse in his 88 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:49,280 second letter to the Corinthians. 89 00:06:49,840 --> 00:06:53,200 He encourages the early church by saying in a favorable time, I 90 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:55,800 listen to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you. 91 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:59,400 That's the quote. Now this is Paul's explanation. 92 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:02,080 Behold, now is the favorable time. 93 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:05,360 Behold, now is the day of salvation. 94 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:10,160 So Jesus come to earth for us, God with us. 95 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:15,200 Yes, it was an event that happened 2000 years ago, but 96 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:20,720 it's just as real and fresh for the person today who encounters 97 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:24,600 him. That is their greatest day of 98 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:28,360 God's favor. That is their day of salvation 99 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:32,200 from that day forward. Whatever day that was for you, 100 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:36,800 maybe it's today, you're living in the same Providence, the same 101 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:41,200 favor that was delivered to the people of Israel in Isaiah, that 102 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:44,560 was delivered to the people of the whole earth in Jesus's 103 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:48,720 coming, us included. And it's also on a personal 104 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:56,160 level that when you confess your sins to Jesus, believe that his 105 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:59,080 life was poured out on a cross and he rose three days later for 106 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:06,480 you, that is the most favorable time from God to you. 107 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:13,160 It's a gift. Isaiah then goes on, This is 108 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:15,920 more real life stuff, but I think we can still apply it to 109 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:19,240 to what we have. This wandering people in the 110 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:22,200 desert making their way back to their land. 111 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:24,800 They will feed the side the roads and find pasture on every 112 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:26,600 barren hill. There's going to be Providence 113 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:30,360 even in the midst of desolation. They will neither hunger nor 114 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:33,240 thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun be down on them. 115 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:37,840 He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them 116 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:43,400 beside springs of water. Best of all is His presence. 117 00:08:44,039 --> 00:08:48,640 God goes with them. That's why Jesus come down to 118 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:54,720 earth is so significant. He made a plan, just as we saw 119 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:56,840 with Moses, just as we saw with Joseph. 120 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:04,680 It wasn't so much the how but The Who that God lays out this 121 00:09:04,680 --> 00:09:06,240 plan. And to put the cherry on top, 122 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:08,520 I'm going with you. I will be with you. 123 00:09:08,560 --> 00:09:15,440 I will help you do this, Isaiah goes on. 124 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:17,880 I will turn all my mountains into roads and my highways will 125 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:21,200 be raised up. Every mountain we can't overcome 126 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:24,080 is levelled. Every valley is raised up and 127 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:28,640 away, made see they will come from afar, from the north, from 128 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:30,280 the West, from the region of Aswan. 129 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:33,960 That's that's a region far to the east, some somewhere in 130 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:36,240 Asia. Not so important as the location 131 00:09:36,560 --> 00:09:40,280 as the idea that that this reaching, this deliverance, this 132 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:43,520 Providence would reach the ends of the earth. 133 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:48,000 It would be this all-encompassing, immeasurable 134 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:55,880 deliverance for all people. Paul again quotes a different 135 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:58,680 part of Isaiah later in this same chapter in 2nd Corinthians 136 00:09:58,680 --> 00:10:04,160 6, he quotes Isaiah 52 saying, I will make my dwelling among them 137 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:07,240 and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be 138 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:10,360 my people. Again reminding them of the 139 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:12,560 promise that God is with them and for them. 140 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:16,920 Therefore go out from their myths and be separate from them, 141 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:18,840 says Lord, and touch no unclean thing. 142 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:21,440 Then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you 143 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:25,000 shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. 144 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:32,640 This isn't something to do to earn the gift, but it is 145 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:37,640 prescriptive of what needs to be done in response to the gift. 146 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:42,400 This morning I didn't even plan this, but before the 1st service 147 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:45,640 I came back to my desk and this stuff was on it. 148 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:47,800 This is not liquor, it's vanilla extract. 149 00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:51,040 First service. Someone thought I was just going 150 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:53,160 to take a swig of that. Not right now. 151 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:56,680 So there's no name on this though. 152 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:05,920 I don't know who this is from. I am thankful, but I don't even 153 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:08,920 have it. I can't even oh, I didn't get 154 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:11,360 you anything. I don't know who to give it to. 155 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:13,280 I I couldn't even respond that way. 156 00:11:13,560 --> 00:11:20,880 I can only receive this. Now we do have option. 157 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:23,920 I can, I can receive it or I can leave it. 158 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:28,760 I cannot use it, but I can't do anything to earn it. 159 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:30,920 It's it's already it's already here. 160 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:36,800 It's already given. My options are to use it or to 161 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:40,640 reject it. The second part of this passage 162 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:46,480 in Second Corinthians is what we do in response to the gift. 163 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:50,720 Do we use it? Do we act on it, or do we just 164 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:55,600 let it alone? In Christ you are set apart. 165 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:02,000 You are made holy, washed holy by the blood of Jesus. 166 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:05,840 So therefore the things of this world have to go away. 167 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:12,040 The unclean things have to be separate and gone, and when we 168 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:14,680 do that, I will be a father to you and you shall be sons and 169 00:12:14,680 --> 00:12:21,680 daughters to me, says the Lord. It's not to earn it. 170 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:27,960 It's just lived in response to the gift given how we act on it 171 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:33,880 and how we use it. We went and saw. 172 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:37,160 My family went and saw the David movie yesterday. 173 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:38,560 It's only been out a couple days. 174 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:41,880 You maybe haven't seen it yet, but you should go see it. 175 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:44,560 It was great. It is it's an animated flick. 176 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:47,440 Phil Wickham is the voice of of David. 177 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:50,960 But it was great telling the story of David and Goliath all 178 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:54,000 the way up to the point where he's crowned king of Israel. 179 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:56,280 Really close to the biblical narrative. 180 00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:57,600 They're they stay really true to that. 181 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:02,800 It was really well done. But I was struck as I was 182 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:06,480 thinking about gifts and, and, and, and giving and this sermon 183 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:09,120 this week, as I was watching that movie yesterday, I was 184 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:15,840 struck by the scene. The Philistine army isn't is 185 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:18,160 invading. They've set their camp up. 186 00:13:18,560 --> 00:13:20,600 Goliath has come down and the kings have agreed. 187 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,760 OK, we're just my greatest warrior against your greatest 188 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:26,120 warrior. But Goliath comes out and no one 189 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:28,880 in the Israelites wants to fight Goliath for fear of being 190 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:32,080 killed. David, little shepherd boy. 191 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:35,400 David comes to the army lines bringing supplies for his 192 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:37,200 brothers. His three brothers are part of 193 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:41,520 the army and he comes to the armies gathered and it's like, 194 00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:44,160 what, what's going on? There's no, there's no fighting. 195 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:45,640 There's this giant dude over here. 196 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:48,280 He's throwing insults at you guys and and at our God and, and 197 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:49,800 no one's doing anything. What's going on? 198 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:55,400 So he goes before Saul and, and says, I'll fight, I'll fight for 199 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:56,840 you. And God goes with me. 200 00:13:57,320 --> 00:13:59,280 David said, the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the 201 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:01,600 lion, from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of 202 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:05,400 this Philistine. And Saul said to David, go and 203 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:08,560 the Lord be with you. And then Saul clothed David with 204 00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:11,200 his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his 205 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:13,800 head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 206 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:17,920 This is yet another response to a gift. 207 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:22,960 I think we can have this kind of aligned in my thinking yesterday 208 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:26,520 that this this was an unexpected gift that Saw was receiving. 209 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:29,720 David was coming to him with deliverance, with a plan, with a 210 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:35,840 way out of this seemingly insurmountable darkness giant. 211 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:38,200 This this thing that couldn't be solved. 212 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:44,000 And David had the faith and confidence, belief in God, that 213 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,080 God would go with him and strengthen him in it. 214 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:48,760 And Saul's like, yeah, glad you're here. 215 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:51,320 That sounds great, but let me help. 216 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:54,640 Well, let's let's get you armored up and, and get you on 217 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:56,520 your way. And this is how I would do this. 218 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:03,000 He took the gift and then added to it like this is a this is a 219 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,040 really, this is a stove top potpourri thing that is 220 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:08,400 obviously thought out. There's there's like clove and 221 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:10,040 cinnamon and cranberries and orange in here. 222 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:13,760 If I were to take this and then add like, hey, but I really like 223 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:18,000 peppermint, that would like ruin everything that's going on here, 224 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:19,320 right, right. Like this was the plan. 225 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:22,000 This this was a gift. This was thought out and the 226 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:23,880 solution was done. This will make your house smell 227 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:28,000 nice, right? I could add other things to this 228 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,600 and ruin it. That's what Saul's doing here. 229 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:32,240 He didn't he didn't just receive the gift. 230 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:33,800 He took. It was like, but you know, it 231 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:37,280 would be better if does anyone ever do that? 232 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:40,560 You give them the gift and you're like, well, I like this 233 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:41,840 color. But what would have been better 234 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:44,560 is if you got me this green 1 instead, right? 235 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:49,240 That's what Saul's doing here in receiving this gift. 236 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:54,920 Rather than responding, receiving with the same faith 237 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:59,280 and trust that David had and was offering, he wanted to add his 238 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:02,520 two cents. And there's no part of our 239 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:05,160 salvation. It's not that Jesus did 99% and 240 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:08,160 we added one. Jesus did it all. 241 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:12,800 It's a gift given that can only be received. 242 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:14,720 We can't add to it. We can't earn it. 243 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:18,640 There's nothing that we could do to enhance it. 244 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:28,600 Isaiah then prescribes the response to this gift given. 245 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:33,920 Shout for joy, you heavens, rejoice, you earth burst into 246 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:36,640 song, you mountains. For the Lord comforts his 247 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:40,000 people, and we'll have compassion on his afflicted 248 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:41,760 ones. It's right there. 249 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:47,520 We respond in praise, we respond in joy. 250 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:49,360 Why? For the Lord comforts His 251 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:51,520 people, and we'll have compassion on His afflicted 252 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:55,800 ones. That's His response to our 253 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:59,040 affliction is love, is mercy, is compassion. 254 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:03,400 How many of you are feeling afflicted here this morning? 255 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:11,319 I don't know what it might be. It might be addiction, deceit, 256 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:17,839 family dysfunction, anger, lust. Maybe it's just a lack of 257 00:17:17,839 --> 00:17:21,280 discipline or a tendency for sloth and just to not push 258 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:25,319 forward on a given thing. Maybe it's a lack of trust in 259 00:17:25,319 --> 00:17:30,440 God being who He says he is and doing what He said he would do. 260 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:35,520 Just arriving at a lukewarm point in your faith. 261 00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:42,320 Whatever darkness, whatever giant is standing before you 262 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:46,240 right now, holding you back from just freely receiving this gift 263 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:53,640 this year, this Christmas, don't do what's all did. 264 00:17:56,240 --> 00:18:01,040 Don't try to get this part of your life straightened out and 265 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:04,240 cleaned up so that you can wholly receive Jesus. 266 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:07,800 Well, that's not the point of the gift. 267 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:12,920 The gift is there to bring light and peace and hope to the 268 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:21,000 darkest places of your life. The time of God's favor has come 269 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:25,320 upon you, upon all of us. And that's what this Christmas 270 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:30,520 time is here to remind us. For the gift given in Jesus and 271 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:37,760 the gift of His return to come. He can defeat whatever giant is 272 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:42,360 standing before you. Today's the darkest day of the 273 00:18:42,360 --> 00:18:43,880 year, right? There's the least amount of 274 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:48,000 sunlight today, right? And then we're gradually heading 275 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:52,360 back the other way. Jesus came to be the light of 276 00:18:52,360 --> 00:18:58,120 the world that the darkness would not overcome it. 277 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:07,000 Whenever darkness is surrounding your life today, from this day 278 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:10,160 forward, starting right now in this time of God's favor, if you 279 00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:14,880 understand God's plan of salvation for you, starting 280 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:17,880 today, you got to let the light win. 281 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:25,680 You got to freely receive and stop trying to help. 282 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:30,880 So we can't we can't help. We can't add to it. 283 00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:34,400 It is full and complete. All we can do is receive and 284 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:36,480 respond. So So what does that look like 285 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:38,000 Matt? You're saying a lot of things. 286 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:41,920 And maybe if I just take some fairy dust and wish on a 287 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:43,560 Unicorn, all my problems are going to go away. 288 00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:45,480 Right. Like, we we can't just have this 289 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:48,040 at. OK, God fights for me and he's 290 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:49,920 beside me. Yeah, I believe that. 291 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:52,800 But what does that really look like? 292 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:54,800 Well, first you got to get to like, do you actually believe 293 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:56,880 that, that he's there for you and then he fights for you. 294 00:19:57,520 --> 00:19:59,440 And then what does that actually look like? 295 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:05,280 Paul writes a prescription to the early church in First 296 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:09,160 Thessalonians. Rejoice always. 297 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:13,200 Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all 298 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:17,640 circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for 299 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:20,400 you. One of our responses to a gift 300 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:22,800 was thankfulness, right? Gratefulness. 301 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:27,720 This first part of the passage is the do's. 302 00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:33,840 The second part is the don'ts. Do not quench the Spirit. 303 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:36,000 Do not despise prophecies. Test everything. 304 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:40,000 Hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. 305 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:46,760 If you're real about whatever darkness, whatever giant, 306 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:51,280 whatever insurmountable thing is facing you today, some of it's 307 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:55,800 probably not your fault. Some of it is probably just the 308 00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:59,400 fallout of sin, the brokenness of this world, the stupidness of 309 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:05,680 people. But some of it you've probably 310 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:16,200 brought upon yourself. You've done the don'ts and 311 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:23,200 you're maybe not doing the do's. Are you brought to a place of 312 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:27,240 joy? Do you have joy in the Lord or 313 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:33,960 are you just acting joyful? Do you pray? 314 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:39,200 We have, we have worries. And I know sometimes it feels 315 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:42,720 like we don't even choose to worry, it's just there. 316 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:54,200 But do you choose to pray? If you're going to pray, why 317 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:56,920 worry? And if you're going to worry, 318 00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:03,720 why pray? Pray without ceasing bringing 319 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:06,080 our concerns before a Father who listens. 320 00:22:07,360 --> 00:22:09,480 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the 321 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:14,080 will of God for you. Those are the do's, then the 322 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:17,120 don'ts. Don't do the things that take 323 00:22:17,120 --> 00:22:21,240 you from Him. Don't do the things that He 324 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:24,760 prohibits, that steal your affections away. 325 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:29,280 Abstain from every form of evil. You know yourself best. 326 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:31,480 Whatever's dragging you down, whatever is pulling you away 327 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:48,300 from Him, it's got to go. This year, reminded of this gift 328 00:22:48,300 --> 00:22:54,740 of the coming of Jesus, we can take this gift. 329 00:22:56,300 --> 00:23:00,700 This is how we put Him first in our lives and keep Him there. 330 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:07,840 This is how we respond with a life lived out with a sweet, 331 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:10,200 sweet sound, a response of worship. 332 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:15,280 The word Hallelujah. We said we sang it in one of the 333 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:18,040 first songs and we sing it in songs, but I feel like we don't 334 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:19,760 often enough talk about what it means. 335 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:25,040 It's praise be to God, but it's with an attitude of 336 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:28,360 thankfulness. So literally, it's thanks be to 337 00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:37,640 God for what He has done. This is the prescription to live 338 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:42,400 out a heartfelt Hallelujah in response to the gift, a right 339 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:46,040 attitude of gratitude, of thankfulness in freely receiving 340 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:50,520 this gift. Why? 341 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:55,760 So that the God of peace Himself may sanctify you completely. 342 00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:01,000 May your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at 343 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:02,560 the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 344 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:07,080 He who calls you is faithful, and He will surely do it. 345 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:12,440 Just as with the Israelites in Egypt and the Israelites coming 346 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:21,600 out of exile in Isaiah. This is the direction, this is 347 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:24,840 the promise that He goes with us. 348 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:31,480 So with the heartfelt Hallelujah, we respond. 349 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:41,880 Thanks be to God. Thanks for listening to ERC 350 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:44,360 Sundays. To support the work God is doing 351 00:24:44,360 --> 00:24:45,960 at Emmaus Rd. Church, visit 352 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:48,920 emmausrdonline.org/giving.