1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,360 Let's talk about Christmas. Now, I know there are many 2 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:06,280 Christians who don't celebrate Christmas. 3 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:10,040 They believe it's Pagan. And if we do look at the history 4 00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:13,160 of Christmas, we can't dispute that it is Pagan. 5 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:16,440 There's no two ways about it. And the other thing you've got 6 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:19,440 to remember is this. When we look at, you know, all 7 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:23,360 of the tinsel, all of the lights, all of the trees, Santa 8 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:26,960 Claus, all of it, I think it's the very opposite thing that 9 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:29,520 Jesus came into the world to save us for. 10 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:33,120 He didn't want us to live this life full of glitz and glamour 11 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,920 and basically worldliness. But whether you celebrate 12 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:40,840 Christmas or not, one thing you also cannot deny, and it's this. 13 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:46,280 As an evangelist, Christmas is a tremendous time for us to share 14 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:48,760 the gospel. It's like one of the only times 15 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:51,440 in the year where you will get unbelievers who will come in 16 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:55,240 droves into churches and they will sit under the gospel 17 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:59,760 preaching of a minister. Now sadly, many churches do sell 18 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:01,960 out. They don't share the gospel and 19 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:04,440 they make it more about, you know, chocolate and and 20 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,000 different things. And they don't really share the 21 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:10,480 true message of the Bible. But as an evangelist, I 22 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,640 personally think Christmas, it is a wonderful time to share the 23 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,920 message of the cross, the message from the crib to the 24 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,480 cross where Jesus came into this world and died for sinners. 25 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,480 And that's really what I want to do with you today, if that's OK. 26 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:26,800 I want to tell you a little bit about Jesus. 27 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:31,200 Now, welcome to my kitchen. This is where we make all of our 28 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:33,040 food. And I'm going to just make a 29 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:34,880 little cup of coffee, if that's all right with you. 30 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:36,920 I'm not sure. If you're a coffee fan. 31 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:45,280 I would love to pour you a drink, so maybe this is a good 32 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,680 chance for you to pause the video and also to get a a cup of 33 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:58,000 coffee. I don't know what kind of coffee 34 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,960 you like to drink personally, and my wife's got me into 35 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:04,760 organic coffee, so we're going to be having some organic 36 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:09,360 Colombian roast today. OK, so and let me see if I can 37 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:20,720 multitask as we do this. This is the first time I've ever 38 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:24,160 felt paranoid about making a cup of coffee That I'm being watched 39 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:26,720 by. How many people are watching 40 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:27,760 this video? I don't know. 41 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:36,880 So back to Christmas. If I ask you what is your 42 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:40,920 favorite Christmas song, I wonder what you'll say now 43 00:02:40,920 --> 00:02:42,720 again, you might not celebrate Christmas. 44 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:44,720 You might hate it. And and for a lot of people, 45 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:48,440 let's be honest, Christmas can be a terribly stressful time 46 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:50,480 where you've got to get presents for all of your family. 47 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:52,720 And it can also be a very lonely time. 48 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,400 If you're not married or if you're going through a divorce, 49 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:59,040 Christmas is. It really emphasizes that it 50 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:01,240 zooms in on all the problems of life. 51 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:04,680 But let's just pretend, you know, there are people here who 52 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:07,440 do like Christmas, and this is what I'd say to an unbeliever. 53 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:09,360 I'd ask them, what's your favorite Christmas song? 54 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:14,840 Perhaps you like Mariah Carey. All I want for Christmas is you, 55 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:17,440 and maybe you like the song by Wham. 56 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:19,960 What was that one? It goes like Last Christmas. 57 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:22,280 I gave you my heart. Perhaps. 58 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:27,160 Perhaps your favorite Christmas song is Live 8 Feed the World. 59 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:30,360 What about this one? Finish the line for me. 60 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:36,640 Bing Crosby once sang I'm dreaming of a White Christmas. 61 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:39,680 Now wherever you're watching this in the world, I can 62 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:44,560 guarantee to you that you will 100% have a white Christmas this 63 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:47,120 year. And it's in this verse here in 64 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:50,320 the Bible. Isaiah chapter one, verse 18 65 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:54,600 says, come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. 66 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:59,320 Though your sins are like Scarlets, they shall be as white 67 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:02,560 as snow. Though they are as red, like 68 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:06,280 Crimson, they shall be as white as wool. 69 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:08,800 I don't know whether it will snow this Christmas. 70 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:11,520 If you're watching this in Africa today, I very much doubt 71 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:13,680 it will snow on Christmas Day for you. 72 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:17,000 But I can't promise you this. We can all have a white 73 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:21,760 Christmas because the Son of God can wash away our sins and make 74 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:25,160 as white as snow. So did you catch what that verse 75 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,280 said? God said, Come now, let us 76 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:31,240 reason together. Can I ask you a personal 77 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:33,800 question? If you're not a Christian and 78 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:38,160 you're watching this video right now, what is it that's stopping 79 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:40,680 you from coming to the Lord Jesus Christ? 80 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:44,720 What is it that's stopping you from becoming a Christian? 81 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:47,920 Many people say to me, I don't want to become a Christian 82 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,960 because, you know, I just don't understand why there's so much 83 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:53,240 suffering. Well, there's so much evil in 84 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:56,120 the world. Why is it that good people often 85 00:04:56,120 --> 00:05:01,360 go unrewarded and the evil people, they're able to prosper 86 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:03,880 and they live great lives. Why is that? 87 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:07,720 Perhaps the reason is this, you might say to me, OK, yes, I I do 88 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:10,880 believe there is a God. I can't deny that that God 89 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:13,960 exists. But which gods? 90 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:16,240 How do I not know that the Muslim gods correct? 91 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,240 Or how do I not know that Hinduism? 92 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:21,520 There's truth in that. Why believe that? 93 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:24,720 The God of the Bible? Well, whatever it is that's 94 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:27,680 stopping you from committing your life to the Lord Jesus 95 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:31,040 Christ. Did you know that gods is not an 96 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:35,040 unreasonable God and much of prayer is actually just telling 97 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:37,320 Gods all of our feelings? Yes. 98 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:39,560 When we pray, we come before him and we worship him. 99 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:43,080 But we can also just tell Him, Lord, I'm confused. 100 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:47,280 I don't understand why my mother is in hospital right now. 101 00:05:48,280 --> 00:05:52,400 I don't understand why I lost my job and I work so hard at my 102 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:54,240 job. But my other colleagues, they 103 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,520 were lazy and they've kept their job. 104 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:59,880 Lord, I don't understand. When I look at your Bible, I 105 00:05:59,880 --> 00:06:01,120 don't. Some things, they just don't 106 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:02,720 make sense. They seem so hard. 107 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:04,600 And how can you be this loving God? 108 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:07,360 I don't understand it. God, I don't understand. 109 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:09,720 When I look at science and the world of it and it just seems 110 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:11,240 like there's so very little evidence. 111 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:17,200 Tell God your concerns. Tell him your worries and he'll 112 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:19,720 listen. He's there to to reason with 113 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:21,360 you. Come now, let us reason 114 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:25,440 together, says the Lord. You know Jesus Christ, you know 115 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:27,160 it well that he rose from the dead. 116 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:29,200 That's what we believe as Christians. 117 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,360 But did you know one of his disciples, Thomas, didn't 118 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:35,640 actually believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. 119 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:38,480 You see, all the other disciples had seen the risen Lord. 120 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:42,240 They saw him on that cross nailed and then they saw him at 121 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:45,280 Risen 3 days later. But Thomas wasn't there. 122 00:06:45,280 --> 00:06:51,160 And Thomas said listen, unless I put my finger in the nail prints 123 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:55,000 of his hand, unless I put my finger in his side, I won't 124 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:57,960 believe. For him seeing was believing. 125 00:06:57,960 --> 00:06:59,760 I wonder if you've ever said that yourself. 126 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:04,080 Seeing is believing. Well, listen, the Lord God, 127 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:06,720 Jesus Christ, what did he do with Thomas? 128 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:09,280 He didn't get angry at him. He didn't say, How dare you not 129 00:07:09,280 --> 00:07:11,520 believe in me? He didn't cast him off. 130 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:16,400 No Jesus. Very gently he met Thomas where 131 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:19,520 he was risen, and he took Thomas's hand. 132 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:24,840 He said, Here, take your finger and put it in my nail prints. 133 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:29,280 Here, take your hand and put it in my side. 134 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:34,960 Don't be unbelieving, but believe it's me, Jesus. 135 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:39,320 I've risen from the dead, and that same Christ who met with 136 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:43,720 Thomas is the same Christ who is willing to meet with you today 137 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:46,640 and to save you and to show you. Even though you've got these 138 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:49,680 confusions, He'll meet you exactly where you're at. 139 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:52,360 You don't have to clean yourself up to meet the living God. 140 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:55,440 Just come with all of your issues, all of your problems, 141 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:59,000 and he'll deal with them if you are willing to to come and meet 142 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:09,000 with the Lord. Now, as we sort of think about 143 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:13,080 some things here, I wonder what kind of a life you've lived. 144 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:16,320 I wonder if you're a a nice person. 145 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:19,680 I probably guess the majority of people who are watching this. 146 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:22,280 You're you're good upstanding citizens, aren't you? 147 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:26,040 You've you've done nice things, you've helped the poor, you're 148 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:29,000 good parents, you've raised your children up in the best way 149 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,000 possible. Yes, you've made mistakes, but 150 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:34,400 as much as possible, you've tried to be a good person. 151 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:38,240 But did you know this? You and I, we're actually 152 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:42,000 sinners, you and I. We've actually done wrong. 153 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:46,520 You know, we stand condemned before holy gods, and we have 154 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:50,360 this thing that clings to us, this thing called sin, which 155 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:54,120 separates us from a holy God. Let me try and put this in an 156 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:57,120 analogy for you. We used to imagine you're a 157 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:00,600 child, OK? And you're wearing white 158 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:02,480 clothes. You've got white pants on, 159 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:06,560 you've got a white shirt on, you've got white trainers on, 160 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:08,480 and you knock on your mother's house. 161 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:11,000 She has a white door. She's got a white carpet, white 162 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:13,000 ceilings, white roof. Everything's spotless, 163 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:15,200 everything's clean. And you stand before your 164 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:18,960 mother, and she looks at you at the front door and she notices 165 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:23,120 you've got this tiny little speck of dog muck on your shoe. 166 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:27,240 Will your mother let you enter into that house when she's seen 167 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:30,800 that tiny little stain? She won't, will she? 168 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:34,320 Because you'd ruin the the cleanness of this beautiful 169 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:37,440 house. And so it is with God. 170 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:41,320 Although we might try to do our best, we have sin, don't we? 171 00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:46,160 And just one little Oz, just one tiny bit of sin, is enough to 172 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:47,720 keep us out of heaven. Why? 173 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:52,920 Because we'd ruin the perfect heaven like we've ruined planet 174 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:55,320 Earth. We'd ruin heaven and and stain 175 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:59,440 it and and ruin that holiness that that stains and ruins so 176 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:02,960 much of our lives. And that is why God's standard 177 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:06,040 is perfection. But God knowing that we are 178 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:09,520 sinners, and God knowing how much he deeply loves us, this 179 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:13,840 extravagant love, God's made a way for you and I. 180 00:10:14,560 --> 00:10:19,400 He sent his only begotten Son, his precious Son, the Lord Jesus 181 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:22,120 Christ, to enter into this world. 182 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:28,160 And you know, as I've just said, Jesus was put on a cross, an old 183 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:32,040 rugged cross there. It wasn't glamorous, wasn't 184 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:35,360 precious. It was a it was a dirty, rugged 185 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,360 cross. When a man went out to the 186 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:41,240 Calvary, when he went out to the place of the school, you knew 187 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:44,200 that that man was not coming back because there was an 188 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:48,640 ugliness to that place where the Romans put men up and crucified 189 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:50,720 them. And when that happened, 190 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:55,240 something tremendous happened. The weight of our sin, all of 191 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:58,640 our rottenness, all of our sins, all the wrong things you and I 192 00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:03,800 have done was laid on Christ. And the Bible says that darkness 193 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:05,400 fell on the land. So I don't know if you've been 194 00:11:05,560 --> 00:11:08,760 getting presents and you maybe went on Black Friday to get lots 195 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:11,160 of presents. Well, did you know that the Lord 196 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:15,080 Jesus Christ, he died on a Black Friday where the sun, quite 197 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:18,040 literally there was an eclipse that happened and darkness fell 198 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:21,160 on the land when all of our sins were laid on Christ. 199 00:11:21,560 --> 00:11:26,680 And there God's wrath was poured out and it was placed, It was 200 00:11:26,680 --> 00:11:31,200 embedded on Jesus Christ. And there Christ suffered the 201 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:37,480 darkness of the cross for your sin, for my sin, so that you and 202 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:40,560 I can be forgiven. The Bible says without the 203 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:44,200 shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins. 204 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:49,680 And Jesus Christ on that cross, he shed his blood so that you 205 00:11:49,680 --> 00:11:53,240 and I can be forgiven. My wife, Emma, I'll do this 206 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:55,200 coffee now. I think it's brewed for long 207 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:57,480 enough. My wife Emma actually became a 208 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:01,160 Christian when she was 18 years old. 209 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:05,000 Do you know how she got saved? She was reading the Bible and 210 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,760 she was reading Psalm 51. And perhaps you're familiar with 211 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:10,720 the passage. It's basically where this great 212 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:14,560 King David, he had made a real mess. 213 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:19,600 He'd cheated and he'd taken another man's wife, Uriah's 214 00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:24,600 wife, Bathsheba, for himself. He then had this man put on the 215 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:27,640 front line, so sadly Uriah had died. 216 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:33,480 He committed sins and once he realized is wrong, he felt a 217 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:36,200 sense of guilt and he cried out to the Lord. 218 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:39,960 He asked for forgiveness and what he said was very powerful. 219 00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:43,480 And it was this particular line that saved my wife Emma. 220 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:49,560 And it was this wash me and I should be whiter than snow. 221 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:52,360 Now how is it we get whiter than snow? 222 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:56,600 Well, the blood of Jesus Christ. It has a a cleaning effect. 223 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:58,880 It scrubs it away. There's literally it. 224 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:02,320 It can scrub away our sins. Those stains, although we might 225 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:05,880 not have only one little bit of stain on our on the bottom of 226 00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:09,400 our chute, know from our head to our foot, we're unclean and 227 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:12,720 Christ's blood washes us. It cleans us. 228 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:16,000 It makes us righteous in God's eyes. 229 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:18,480 And that's really what I'm asking you today. 230 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:22,480 Have you come to the cross? And have you asked the Lord 231 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:26,400 Jesus Christ to wash away all of your sins, past, present and 232 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:28,520 future? The sins you've forgotten about, 233 00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:32,400 All those sins that separate you from God, All those sins that 234 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:36,600 you deserve to be punished, dare I say, in a place called hell. 235 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:40,320 And yet Christ died there. So that wouldn't have to happen 236 00:13:40,560 --> 00:13:46,960 if you'll come and receive him. Now, we have talked a little bit 237 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:49,280 about Christmas songs, haven't we? 238 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:52,960 But I wonder if you are a Christmas fan, what's your 239 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:55,840 favorite Christmas film? If you're still with me now, 240 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:57,840 write it down in the comment box. 241 00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:01,120 Perhaps your favorite film is A Christmas Carol. 242 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:02,960 You can't beat A Christmas Carol. 243 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:07,080 Maybe you like, I don't know. What about The Polar Express? 244 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:09,720 Is that a film that you watch in your country? 245 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:12,280 Or maybe you like the Home Alone series? 246 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:15,960 When I was a little boy, people used to say I look like Macaulay 247 00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:18,120 Culkin and my brother even more so. 248 00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:23,080 But I wonder if you you're a fan of the Grinch, you know, the The 249 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:26,080 Grinch that's that's sold that That Stole Christmas. 250 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:27,680 I'm just wanting to have a little taste of this. 251 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:33,040 Let's see how it tastes. That's some good coffee. 252 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:35,760 I hope you're enjoying yours if you've made one at home. 253 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:41,240 Now, what would you think of this idea that imagine Jim 254 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:44,360 Carrey has a premiere for his film The Grinch That Stole 255 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:48,040 Christmas. And imagine, you know, everyone 256 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:52,080 turns up, You've got the the big celebrities, the big A listers, 257 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:55,840 you've got a red carpet, you've got all of this money, all of 258 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:58,800 these things that's been poured into this premiere and 259 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:02,960 everyone's invited. But Jim Carrey isn't. 260 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:06,200 He's not invited to his own premiere. 261 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:09,680 You'd say that's madness, That's ridiculous. 262 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:12,680 This film wouldn't really exist. I mean, they could get another 263 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:15,520 actor, but it wouldn't be the same without Jim Carrey. 264 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:19,360 It's a bit like the whole Now, I don't endorse Harry Potter, but 265 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:21,320 it's like the Harry Potter situation. 266 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:24,920 Do you remember about a year or so ago there was a a reunion of 267 00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:27,800 all the Harry Potter stars? So they had Rupert Grint, they 268 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:31,520 had Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, all these stars that had 269 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:35,800 been made famous by the books that JK Rowling had written. 270 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:39,520 But because JK Rowling had made some comments that people didn't 271 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:44,040 agree with, she wasn't invited to her own celebration. 272 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:47,840 She wasn't invited to her own reunion, which would not exist 273 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:52,480 if it wasn't for her. And that's kind of what I think 274 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:55,320 of when I think of Christmas, when I think of the millions, 275 00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:58,680 even billions around the world who celebrate Christmas. 276 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:02,280 The reason it took off, yes, it had Pagan roots, but the reason 277 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:06,200 it took off, it's because it was a celebration of the birth of 278 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:09,400 the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet, billions of people, 279 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:12,520 they'll get a Turkey, billions of people, they'll cut down a 280 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:14,760 tree and they'll put it in their living room. 281 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:17,200 Billions of people, they'll invite their family, they'll 282 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:18,960 have presents. They'll they'll do all these 283 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:22,360 things. And yet Jesus Christ is not 284 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:25,800 invited to his own birthday celebration. 285 00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:31,480 He's not even welcome when he is the reason behind this season. 286 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:37,400 So here's the big question. Will you have a white Christmas 287 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:39,960 this year? Will you come to the living God 288 00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:42,360 Jesus Christ? And will he be welcome? 289 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:46,320 If you're going to celebrate Christmas, will he be welcome at 290 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:49,680 his own celebration? It's a big question, isn't it? 291 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:53,760 Because many people, they'll do everything but think of Jesus. 292 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:56,920 And I guess if you sit with your unbelieving family members, if 293 00:16:56,920 --> 00:17:00,160 you are a Christian, if you start talking about Jesus, he 294 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:02,880 won't be welcome around the Christmas dinner table, will he? 295 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:07,040 But you do realize this. It is more than just saying a 296 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:09,839 prayer before you get your cranberry sauce and tuck into 297 00:17:09,839 --> 00:17:12,359 the Turkey. It's so much more than that. 298 00:17:12,599 --> 00:17:14,839 You see the idea behind Christmas? 299 00:17:14,839 --> 00:17:18,200 It's this mystery. Here is this great big God, 300 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:22,440 mighty, the God who has created millions of galaxies. 301 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:24,880 This God who is huge, who is massive. 302 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:29,280 And yet this God made himself so small. 303 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:34,400 He encased himself in skin, blood and bones, and he took the 304 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:38,480 form of a man, a baby. Jesus Christ. 305 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:43,640 Christ spirit stepped into a child, and there Christ became a 306 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:47,080 helpless babe again. Here is this living God who 307 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:50,680 formed all of the universe. And yet, think about it. 308 00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:55,480 He needed someone to change him. He needed a mother to feed him, 309 00:17:55,480 --> 00:18:00,160 totally helpless. Yet he did that, that you and I 310 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:04,120 could have a salvation. God didn't just leave us distant 311 00:18:04,120 --> 00:18:07,400 away from us in heaven. Now he stepped in and he took on 312 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:12,120 a flesh and he lived amongst us. And that that little baby grew 313 00:18:12,120 --> 00:18:16,520 up into a boy, grew up into a man, and yet without sin and 314 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:19,560 died on the cross. And this is the crazy part. 315 00:18:20,360 --> 00:18:23,880 If you do choose the Lord Jesus Christ, if you do choose to 316 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:29,520 receive him, this great big God also has another part of him. 317 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:32,280 God in three persons, the Holy Spirit. 318 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:36,920 And the message of the Bible is when you receive the Lord Jesus 319 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:39,920 Christ, you also receive the Holy Spirit. 320 00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:45,640 And the Spirit of God comes and lives inside you and me. 321 00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:49,760 It's a mystery, isn't it? That here is the life of God 322 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:53,560 inside of the soul of man. And that's really what I'm 323 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:56,160 asking you about. Not just to remember Jesus at 324 00:18:56,160 --> 00:19:00,800 Christmas time, but we receive the Lord Jesus Christ that he 325 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:05,240 might come and live inside of you, wash you clean, and give 326 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:09,720 you eternal life. Please, please think about this. 327 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:13,160 And please come to him. Not even at Christmas. 328 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:17,000 Whenever you're watching this, come to him right now and know 329 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:20,080 that the blood of Jesus Christ can wash you whiter than snow, 330 00:19:20,360 --> 00:19:25,160 can clean all of your sins away. I will say this and then I want 331 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:26,640 to talk to you about something else. 332 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:29,080 Snow does have a cleaning effect, doesn't it? 333 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:33,080 I don't know if you've ever, if you have a tip or a rubbish or a 334 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:35,440 junk mound, I don't know what you call it, but where you get 335 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:37,760 all of the rubbish. You know, if I get the packet of 336 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:41,000 coffee there and I put it in in my rubbish, in my trash can, 337 00:19:41,360 --> 00:19:43,880 they get all of that rubbish. Where we are in our wheelie 338 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:46,680 bins, we call them, and then they take it to a place called a 339 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:50,880 tip, and they put it in one big mound, all these smelly bananas, 340 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:53,640 all these Coke cans, all in this big mound. 341 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:56,920 And it stinks. And yet when it snows, which it 342 00:19:56,920 --> 00:20:01,280 often does in my country, when it snows, snow falls on that big 343 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:07,240 mound and it makes that horrible mess look like Mount Everest. 344 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:10,920 It looks beautiful, like this pristine, clean mountain. 345 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:13,960 And that's what Jesus wants to do with you. 346 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:17,400 All of your sin, all of that rottenness, all those things 347 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:21,040 you're ashamed of. God wants to take that and cover 348 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:23,720 it with his blood and make you totally clean. 349 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:26,720 That's the message, and it's there for you. 350 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:31,720 If you want it, you can have it now as I have another sip of 351 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:40,160 coffee. That's some really good coffee. 352 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:42,440 I want to tell you something else. 353 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:48,520 And my plan for this new year is I really hope to go back to 354 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:52,200 weekly videos again on my Off the Curb Ministries channel. 355 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:55,360 Now, if you are a Christian and you watch those videos, If 356 00:20:55,360 --> 00:20:59,240 you're not, please every Saturday we're going to aim for 357 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:04,920 around 9:30 Eastern Time to post a video every single Saturday. 358 00:21:05,360 --> 00:21:07,800 Maybe it'll be a couple of hours later, but that's going to be my 359 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:11,240 goal, to be as consistent as possible this coming year. 360 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:13,480 And I just really hope that you will. 361 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:17,200 If it if it's OK with you, make the time to watch those videos 362 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:19,240 because they do take a lot of time. 363 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:22,360 It can be a little bit difficult every week to try and get them 364 00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:24,360 out. And if you watch them, it helps 365 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:27,440 send them out to more people. And something that people have 366 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:29,680 been saying to me, I see it all the time in the comments. 367 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:31,160 Oh, it's great to have you back, Joe. 368 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:33,520 We've missed you. Well actually I've been posting 369 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:37,760 very regularly recently, but my videos haven't been reaching as 370 00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:40,480 many people. I have got a few reasons for why 371 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:43,800 I think this could be happening, but one of the big things I need 372 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:47,680 to do is go back to consistency every week and I'm going to try 373 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:50,360 and post every week, so if you can turn up for that, that would 374 00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:53,440 be wonderful. Now again, I've been chatting to 375 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:55,840 you about this idea of this second channel that you're 376 00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:58,960 watching right now and I'm in two minds. 377 00:21:59,120 --> 00:22:03,720 Should I post every week on here or should I, you know, just post 378 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:06,280 every now and then? I just need to know your 379 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:08,280 opinion. I could also put these kinds of 380 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:10,600 videos on my main off the Curb Ministries channel. 381 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:13,360 If you can give me advice I'd really appreciate it. 382 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,160 And then the other thing I'm sort of considering is you know 383 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:20,240 how many shorts should I make? You know, I've spent a lot of 384 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:23,960 time this year and and even last year making short form content 385 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:27,720 which is great at reaching the younger generation, but I can't 386 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:29,880 really build that depth. You know, there's no way I could 387 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:31,960 make a cup of coffee if you're still watching now. 388 00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:35,840 I know you're very patient, you're very, can I say, loyal 389 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:39,880 supporters of this ministry and most people won't stick around 390 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:42,360 for that. Everything's so quick and and 391 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:47,440 you know there is definitely a a need to reach those people to, 392 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:51,160 to get them hopefully onto the long form content to consider. 393 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:53,480 Christ, but I just need wisdom really. 394 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:56,200 So do pray for me. I'm also considering how many 395 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:59,040 open airs and St. preaching do I do in the next year. 396 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:03,040 What do I do in 2024? Because I need to pray about 397 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:05,960 these things and and know the the Lord's insight. 398 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:08,000 So if you've got any thoughts, please let me know. 399 00:23:08,360 --> 00:23:11,480 And if you've got any ideas for videos, please let me know. 400 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:15,000 And but just please the the big thing I'm asking for is remember 401 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:17,960 and spread the word, if you can, that you know we're trying to 402 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:21,920 make videos every single week on our Off the Curb Ministries 403 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:25,080 channel where we can reach unbelievers with the gospel. 404 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:30,080 One more final thing. If you did appreciate this video 405 00:23:30,120 --> 00:23:32,800 and if you thought it might be helpful to your unbelieving 406 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:35,000 family members, please share it with them. 407 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,160 I think it would help me and it would help well, it would 408 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:39,640 encourage me. It wouldn't help me, it would 409 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:42,320 encourage me. But above all, I want to see 410 00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:44,200 souls saved. That's my big burden. 411 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:47,680 But the next thing is this. If you're looking for tracks, 412 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:50,040 people often ask me, Joe, where do you get your tracks from? 413 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:52,600 Well, I get them from an organization called 414 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:55,680 tenofthose.com. And there's a tract, actually, 415 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:59,080 which really I got the idea from for this video, which is called 416 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:01,680 White Christmas. And if you'd like to get a copy 417 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:04,880 of that, that's a wonderful track to give out to your non 418 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:08,400 Christian neighbours and family. That just sums up what we're 419 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:11,920 trying to say, that Jesus Christ can wash us whiter than snow. 420 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:14,040 That's all I've got to say today. 421 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:18,120 Thank you for listening. And it's really precious to have 422 00:24:18,120 --> 00:24:21,520 your friendship and your support and all of your love. 423 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:23,240 I really don't take it for granted. 424 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:26,160 Thank you so much for all that you do and for those of you who 425 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:29,480 support the ministry as well. I know I don't talk about this 426 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:30,960 often. I kind of keep it quiet. 427 00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:34,040 But I do want to also thank you also for your help. 428 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:37,640 God bless you all and I hope you have a a great Christmas. 429 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:40,480 Whether you celebrate it or not, I hope you have a wonderful end 430 00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:43,040 to 2023. God bless you all.