WEBVTT

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a couple days after Christmas. I hope all of

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your Christmases were enjoyable, whether you

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spent them with family or were, what? Or, yep,

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you can't talk. So anyways, I hope they were

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enjoyable. I have no announcements, but I'm going

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to do something right now. Tyler, there's a bag

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on my seat. We bring up your seat. Just one announcement.

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Squeaky. Thank you, sir. All right, so Christmas

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was Friday, and there are two very special people

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in this room that they give endlessly, and they

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serve tirelessly, even if they do get tired sometimes,

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I'm sure. So, Pastor Dan, Miss Sherry, on behalf

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of New Heights Fellowship, we have a gift for

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you. And in this gift, there's something that

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you can do. out together and there's something

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that you can do home together as a family. So,

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for you both, that's for us. All right. And without

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any further ado, RJ, will you open us up in prayer?

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Father, I want to thank you for this time. Thank

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you for the ability for us to be here. Thank

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everyone for coming out. God, I pray for those

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who are struggling right now because with everything

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going on this year, it's just been rough. But

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Lord, we know that You're still in charge and

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that You still look over us and You still protect

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us. And God, I just pray that we hear Your Word

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today and that we learn something and grow in

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some way, somehow. In Jesus' name, amen. Okay.

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This was born in Bethlehem. And you know what

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that word hallelujah or hallelujah means, right?

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Praise the Lord. And so we sing songs of praise,

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but we also speak praises. And one way that the

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Lord is praised is when we speak what the Lord

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would have us to speak, right? So you let God

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use you to deliver his message. Maybe he spoke

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to you in some way through his word, or he showed

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you something as you were traveling along. or

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He blessed you in some way, and you just need

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to tell others that you're blessed. Whatever

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it might be, one way that we praise Him is to

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witness for Him. Our key verse for our church

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is, we proclaim what we have seen and heard,

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that you may have fellowship with us, and our

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fellowship is with God the Father and His Son,

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Jesus Christ. Sometimes I put them in the wrong

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order, but yeah, that's right. Okay? It's 1 John

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1 .3. And so we proclaim what we have seen and

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heard. So I hope you've seen and heard something

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this last week, and you'd like to tell us about

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it now. That's kind of what this time is all

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about. So what did you see, what did you hear,

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what did you read, what have you studied, what

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did you see along the way this last week? Who's

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got something? It's been very busy. It's been

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a little bit of a whirlwind for some folks. It

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went by in a blur, but right now you're accessing,

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I hope, the last seven days. Okay, what happened?

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What was that all about? I got something, but

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I haven't had time to look it up. Okay, go ahead.

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We'll help you. I'll share a message for you.

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Okay, share a message. So, I started about a

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week ago, eight days ago actually, and I finished

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it yesterday, which tells you it was a six -day

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Bible study, and I finished it in eight days.

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And I finished it yesterday. I started a Bible

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study on manhood restored. Biblically speaking,

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what does it mean to be a man? What does it mean

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to have a man's relationship with other people,

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a man's relationship with God? That's a pretty

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good Bible study. We did it through YouVersion,

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which is the Bible app. If you've never checked

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that out, but you're capable of using your smartphone,

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I highly recommend you do that. I'm not a super

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fan of the Bible studies on there because a lot

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of them come from companies that produce Bible

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studies or specific... church ministries and

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things like that, and sometimes they're not really

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doctrinally correct. They're really more of a

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commercial for that ministry than they are about

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the Bible. I ran into too many of those in a

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row, and so I sort of stopped doing them. But

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then the Lord led me back around there this week,

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and then I found out that Lifeway, which is,

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if you didn't know this, Lifeway, which had the

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Life of the Christian stores all across the U

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.S., but they closed them this last year, ironically,

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right before COVID roared, which is an interesting...

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timing, that's the way God worked it out. But

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LifeWay is owned by Southern Baptist, which means

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indirectly through some intermediaries, we own

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it. We own LifeWay. Because our agents then participate

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at the national level and the national convention,

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which we're a part of, owns LifeWay. And so I

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thought, well, they're going to be doctrinally

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correct because we believe in the Baptist faith's

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message. So I looked at this Bible study and

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it was really good. And I'll probably do more

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Bible studies on there that are LifeWay Bible

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studies and sort of avoid some others that I

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don't know for sure where they come from. Anyway,

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so I found this Bible study and I'm doing it.

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And I don't even remember which day it was. Somewhere

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in the middle. So probably three, four, something

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like that. It struck me that... So we talk a

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lot about how people are looking for Jesus, right?

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And there's a gaping hole inside people who don't

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know Jesus. And that's the way I was before I

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got saved. There was a gaping hole inside me.

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And that hole was causing me to do a lot of destructive

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things. sometimes involving people around me,

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so I was leading them to do destructive things,

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or consuming the people around me, right? So

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manipulating them, lying to them, doing things

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behind their back, you know, whatever, because

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I had this gaping hole inside me that was looking

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for something, and it didn't have Jesus. So we

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talk about that. And then in this Bible study,

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it was talking about how Christian men... Now,

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in theory, the hole is filled with the living

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water that is Christ, right? And so now there

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is the opportunity to live as a man in a way

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that God intended. And the first couple of Bible

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studies were about how to get there, right? So

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it's a fall in Genesis, how man and God had a

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breaking relationship, man and people had a breaking

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relationship, man and creation had a breaking

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relationship. A man and himself had a breaking

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relationship and all that happened in Genesis

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and then the Gospel. And now we're getting to

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living with other people without having that

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bad relationship that you used to have. And I

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thought, that's it. That's the whole rest of

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life. And I'm thinking about that. And I thought,

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I have people in my life that I love. And if

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I'm going to be a man, This is about just being

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a man. If you're going to be a man, then you're

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going to treat them a certain way. It's about

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integrity. So you don't lie, you don't deceive,

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you don't manipulate. You don't get angry and

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loud to get them to do what you want because

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even though that may get them to do what you

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want, it's damaging or destructive. It's the

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wrong way to go. You can oppose their wrong actions

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like God does. You fight back a little bit. You

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can resist allowing them to do things with their

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kids especially, but as an adult, you can resist

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allowing them to take you in a certain direction.

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So, hey, let's go over here and party. You can

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say, no, no, that's not for me. So then I got

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to thinking about the first book I wrote, which

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goes back to the day I got saved, and it tells

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the story of how I got saved. And I thought,

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that's what God told me when I first got saved.

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before I got saved, and actually Sherry asked

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me, she said, what's that going to mean when

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you accept Jesus Christ, when you begin to follow

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Jesus, what's that going to mean? And I said,

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I don't know exactly, but this much I know, it's

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going to change everything. So as I'm doing that

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Bible study, I thought, I was thinking to myself,

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that was supposed to change everything. And I

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said, did it change everything? And I started

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thinking, well, no, it really didn't change everything.

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It was supposed to change everything, but it

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did change everything. And then this is what

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God said to me. In His great grace, He says,

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don't worry, I'm still working on it. And I thought,

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I've still got a long way to go. I'm still being

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changed by God from the inside out. I'm still

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growing. And so sometimes when people offend

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you, or they do what wouldn't really be right,

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or wouldn't really help you along, or whatever,

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as a man, you have to be able to say for yourself,

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hey, you know, God's still working on me, I still

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make mistakes, and humbly say about that other

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person, God's still working on them, they still

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make mistakes too. And that's what it means to

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be a man. To recognize our own mortality, because

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that's being a man, you're mortal, to recognize

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our own failures and weaknesses, and then to

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give, I want to say, even more grace to others

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in their failures and weaknesses because you

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recognize your own. And last week in my sermon,

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this is God's beautiful timing, last week in

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my sermon I read that song, Hand in the Hand.

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What's it called? Put Your Hand in the Hand.

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Yeah. And in there it says, take a look at yourself

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and you can look at others differently. And you'll

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see others differently. And that's it. So if

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we recognize that where we were and where God

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is taking us to and that we're still on that

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journey, then we can give other people even more

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grace. And that's what it means to be a man.

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It does not mean getting in your way. It does

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not mean being loud. It does not mean being mean

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when someone is mean to you. It doesn't even

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mean defending yourself violently when someone

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comes after you violently. That is something

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you might have to do. You might have to defend

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yourself violently. But that is not the definition

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of being a man. It does not mean being better

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at sports. It does not mean not being able to

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pick a paint color. It does not mean leaving

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your underwear laying on the floor. It means

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doing what's right the best you know how and

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giving others even more grace than you give yourself.

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How do I know that? I know that because Jesus

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was a man. And that's what he did. He gave us

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all that grace while we were yet sinners. Christ

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died for us. And while he was on the cross, those

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who were crucifying him, he prayed for them.

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Lord, forgive them for they do not what they

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do. That's what Jesus did. And he could even

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say he was still on the journey even though he

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never sinned. So that was my Bible study. I was

00:20:00.740 --> 00:20:03.279
in the middle of the Bible study. It ended with

00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:05.859
some additional thoughts on how to carry that

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out. But I don't know that God expressly spoke

00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:12.079
to me at that time, but He spoke to me when He

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said, don't worry about it. I'm still working

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on it. And we're still a work in progress. Praise

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God. Okay, I saw you may be queuing up a video.

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Do you have a video that you'd like to say something

00:20:21.960 --> 00:20:26.059
about? Alright, I'll move back here. Video, go!

00:20:42.429 --> 00:20:49.470
I don't see you like I should You look so misunderstood

00:20:49.470 --> 00:20:57.430
And I wish I could help But it's hard when I

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hate myself arms open if this is it then i feel

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hopeless and i wish i could help but it's hard

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when i hate myself That's more deceit, more defeat.

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This is really what I'm born to be. That's what

00:21:37.319 --> 00:21:39.140
you keep on thinking you're unique. So poor,

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but I'm so wealthy. Need help, but you can't

00:21:41.240 --> 00:21:43.420
help me. What else can the world tell me? Tell

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me lies. I still buy them like they're going

00:21:45.180 --> 00:21:48.759
out of stock, but it's not healthy. I don't see

00:21:48.759 --> 00:21:53.819
you like I should. You look so misunderstood.

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And I wish I could help, but it's hard. I'm so

00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:13.119
glad this is it, that I feel hopeless. And I

00:22:13.119 --> 00:22:18.059
wish I knew how, but it's hard when I ain't lost.

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Yeah, they might see the best in me. They know

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how to get to me. Suicide dogs, come and go,

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look at destiny. But I don't want to die, I just

00:22:25.240 --> 00:22:27.099
want to get relief. So don't talk to me, what

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you did was so successful. What is success? When

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hope is left you, I am not a spokesman. See you

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like I should You look so misunderstood And I

00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:06.380
wish I could help But it's hard when I hate myself

00:23:06.380 --> 00:23:13.000
Praying that with my arms open This is it then

00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:23.339
I feel hopeless And I wish I could I walk through

00:23:23.339 --> 00:23:25.460
the ashes of my passions Reminiscing with the

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baggage in my casket Getting lost in the questions

00:23:27.700 --> 00:23:30.279
I can't answer Can't stand who I am but it don't

00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:32.519
matter We scream to be free but I stay captured

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Knee deep in defeat of my own actions Feel weak

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with the peace that I keep lacking Keep speaking

00:23:37.299 --> 00:24:49.880
to me but I can't It's kind of hard when I hate

00:24:49.880 --> 00:24:57.859
myself. I hate myself. It's hard when I hate

00:24:57.859 --> 00:25:15.410
myself. does this song is because he writes about

00:25:15.410 --> 00:25:18.650
how he feels. He writes about things in his life

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that he's actually struggling with, which is,

00:25:20.289 --> 00:25:24.230
for some people, very hard to do. I've struggled

00:25:24.230 --> 00:25:27.470
with that my whole life. I'm not a very open

00:25:27.470 --> 00:25:30.130
person. I don't like being an open person because

00:25:30.130 --> 00:25:36.789
I feel vulnerable. And one of the lyrics in this

00:25:36.789 --> 00:25:40.759
song... It says, suicide thoughts come and go

00:25:40.759 --> 00:25:43.059
like a guest to me, but I don't want to die,

00:25:43.160 --> 00:25:46.299
I just want to get relieved. So don't talk to

00:25:46.299 --> 00:25:48.799
me like you think I'm so successful. What it

00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:55.220
says when hope has left you. So he's what a lot

00:25:55.220 --> 00:25:57.240
of people would see as a very successful artist.

00:25:57.299 --> 00:26:00.000
He's had songs that went multi -plagued, and

00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:03.299
he's well -known all across the country, and

00:26:03.299 --> 00:26:07.579
even across the seas, but he says that what is

00:26:07.579 --> 00:26:10.539
hope? What is success when there's no hope? If

00:26:10.539 --> 00:26:14.160
you lose the hope inside you to keep moving,

00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:18.740
if you lose that, then no matter what, you're

00:26:18.740 --> 00:26:21.779
never going to get successful. There's another

00:26:21.779 --> 00:26:26.480
song that he writes, and one of the lyrics is,

00:26:26.759 --> 00:26:30.579
if you wake up every morning thinking you're

00:26:30.579 --> 00:26:32.059
going to be defeated, then you're going to get

00:26:32.059 --> 00:26:35.339
defeated. You're going to set yourself up to

00:26:35.339 --> 00:26:39.180
fail. Something that I've been trying to instill

00:26:39.180 --> 00:26:41.700
in my kids is you can't set yourself up to fail.

00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:44.559
No matter how down you get, no matter how hurt

00:26:44.559 --> 00:26:46.500
you get, no matter how hard something seems,

00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:49.900
you have to keep pushing on. If you automatically

00:26:49.900 --> 00:26:51.759
tell yourself, I'm not going to be able to do

00:26:51.759 --> 00:26:53.880
it, then you're not going to do it because you're

00:26:53.880 --> 00:26:57.859
setting yourself up to fail. So one of the things

00:26:57.859 --> 00:27:02.640
that I like that I think I've done decent anyways

00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:06.000
is a lot of the times when I get to a point and...

00:27:06.509 --> 00:27:08.849
Some things, not all things, but some things

00:27:08.849 --> 00:27:10.849
I get to a point where it's really hard and I'm

00:27:10.849 --> 00:27:12.069
like, you know what, I just got to keep going.

00:27:12.289 --> 00:27:15.349
You got to keep that push forward. But if you

00:27:15.349 --> 00:27:19.490
lose that, then there is no amount of money,

00:27:19.589 --> 00:27:21.490
no amount of success in this world that will

00:27:21.490 --> 00:27:25.009
ever make you happy. So you have to remember

00:27:25.009 --> 00:27:30.450
who you are inside. You can't lose that because

00:27:30.450 --> 00:27:33.569
that is the only thing that is going to make

00:27:33.569 --> 00:27:38.250
you successful is you. You can't let others push

00:27:38.250 --> 00:27:39.769
you down. You can't let others get in your way,

00:27:39.809 --> 00:27:42.170
but you also can't let yourself get in your way.

00:27:42.849 --> 00:27:45.849
And when I was younger, that is something I struggled

00:27:45.849 --> 00:27:48.369
with. I struggled with that a lot when I was

00:27:48.369 --> 00:27:50.670
younger. I got myself in the way, and I'm like,

00:27:50.730 --> 00:27:53.109
no, I can't do that. It's too hard. And then

00:27:53.109 --> 00:27:55.710
as I got older, and the military actually helped

00:27:55.710 --> 00:27:58.049
me out a lot with that, but it showed me that

00:27:58.049 --> 00:28:01.470
you are capable of doing so much more than you

00:28:01.470 --> 00:28:05.380
give yourself credit for. When we're walking

00:28:05.380 --> 00:28:08.759
with God and we're praying to God and we're trying

00:28:08.759 --> 00:28:11.180
to find His direction, just keep going forward.

00:28:11.640 --> 00:28:13.420
Don't worry about what happened in the past.

00:28:13.460 --> 00:28:15.160
The past is the past. You can't change it anyways.

00:28:15.900 --> 00:28:19.019
So don't be so walled up in the past of what

00:28:19.019 --> 00:28:21.640
you did before. Just look at that and be like,

00:28:21.660 --> 00:28:23.160
okay, well, what I learned from that and what

00:28:23.160 --> 00:28:25.240
you take away from that will help you move forward.

00:28:28.929 --> 00:28:30.769
We're going to pray together at this time. I

00:28:30.769 --> 00:28:32.849
do want to do a quick, just kind of inserted

00:28:32.849 --> 00:28:37.289
into your mind, and that is that we are now going

00:28:37.289 --> 00:28:41.230
to do our next spiritual discipline emphasis,

00:28:41.309 --> 00:28:44.089
and it is on stewardship. So we decided in our

00:28:44.089 --> 00:28:45.970
team meetings we would focus on stewardship between

00:28:45.970 --> 00:28:51.250
now and May. In May, we will be five years constituted.

00:28:51.410 --> 00:28:53.349
And so soon we'll be talking about trying to

00:28:53.349 --> 00:28:55.470
figure out how under COVID protocols and all

00:28:55.470 --> 00:28:58.319
that good jazz. that we can celebrate our five

00:28:58.319 --> 00:28:59.900
-year anniversary at the Constantine Church.

00:29:02.279 --> 00:29:04.259
And I'd like to go back maybe and invite some

00:29:04.259 --> 00:29:07.400
folks that the Lord has led to move on and things

00:29:07.400 --> 00:29:09.079
like that to participate with us. I think that

00:29:09.079 --> 00:29:11.960
would all be a very good experience. But with

00:29:11.960 --> 00:29:13.940
the stewardship emphasis, I just want to throw

00:29:13.940 --> 00:29:16.500
these things out there. Number one, over this

00:29:16.500 --> 00:29:17.859
next week, I want you to pray about and think

00:29:17.859 --> 00:29:20.200
about what is it that you have. And by have,

00:29:20.200 --> 00:29:21.799
I mean have control of, right? Because it really

00:29:21.799 --> 00:29:24.200
all belongs to God. But what is it that you have?

00:29:25.420 --> 00:29:28.160
where did it come from? What is it that you have

00:29:28.160 --> 00:29:31.299
and where did it come from? And based on those

00:29:31.299 --> 00:29:32.720
two questions, what you have and where did it

00:29:32.720 --> 00:29:34.819
come from, what are you going to do with it?

00:29:34.980 --> 00:29:37.460
And I think in its very simplest form, that is

00:29:37.460 --> 00:29:39.940
the definition of stewardship. Knowing what you

00:29:39.940 --> 00:29:42.920
have and where it came from and then what are

00:29:42.920 --> 00:29:44.980
you going to do with it based on those two things.

00:29:45.700 --> 00:29:48.900
If God gave it to you, then that last one should

00:29:48.900 --> 00:29:51.640
line up with God's priorities, right? Somehow

00:29:51.640 --> 00:29:53.299
or other, you know what you have and you know

00:29:53.299 --> 00:29:55.109
where it came from. What are you going to do

00:29:55.109 --> 00:29:56.829
with it? All right, so we're going to pray together

00:29:56.829 --> 00:29:58.549
this time in tithes and offerings, a little more

00:29:58.549 --> 00:30:01.450
worship, and then into the Word. And we don't

00:30:01.450 --> 00:30:03.750
often get this opportunity, but I'm going to

00:30:03.750 --> 00:30:06.750
ask Alicia, would you pray for us today as we

00:30:06.750 --> 00:30:13.410
go forward? Dear Heavenly Father, I want to thank

00:30:13.410 --> 00:30:15.630
you once again for this day, for bringing us

00:30:15.630 --> 00:30:19.109
here to worship together, even in this crazy

00:30:19.109 --> 00:30:21.930
time right now, Lord. I thank you for protecting

00:30:21.930 --> 00:30:24.450
those of us that are here. in bringing us through

00:30:24.450 --> 00:30:26.630
this pandemic, and I ask that you continue to

00:30:26.630 --> 00:30:30.750
do so and help us in doing ministry and reaching

00:30:30.750 --> 00:30:33.630
out to those. I also pray for the tithes and

00:30:33.630 --> 00:30:35.769
offerings that we're going to give today that

00:30:35.769 --> 00:30:39.869
may be used for your will, that we give to the

00:30:39.869 --> 00:30:42.890
best of our ability, that we give more than we

00:30:42.890 --> 00:36:40.150
feel we can. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. God

00:36:40.150 --> 00:37:27.389
bless you. lay down his sweet bed. The stars

00:37:27.389 --> 00:37:34.650
in the sky look down where he lay. The little

00:37:34.650 --> 00:37:48.050
Lord Jesus asleep on the day. Beneath the Lord

00:37:48.050 --> 00:38:44.750
Jesus I ask you to you does Christmas or the

00:38:44.750 --> 00:38:49.269
Christmas season actually end? I heard a little

00:38:49.269 --> 00:38:52.590
devotional a long time ago about leaving your

00:38:52.590 --> 00:38:55.269
Christmas lights up. And there was a guy who

00:38:55.269 --> 00:38:58.489
wrote the devotion who was quite angry with people

00:38:58.489 --> 00:39:00.889
who leave their Christmas lights up until March

00:39:00.889 --> 00:39:05.130
or April and then take them down. And his anger

00:39:05.130 --> 00:39:06.849
is a little misplaced, of course, because it's

00:39:06.849 --> 00:39:08.449
none of his business as far as when people leave

00:39:08.449 --> 00:39:10.960
their Christmas lights up too. The bottom line

00:39:10.960 --> 00:39:13.880
is, he expressed his frustration with people

00:39:13.880 --> 00:39:15.900
who put Christmas lights up at Christmas time,

00:39:15.980 --> 00:39:18.000
and sometimes they put them up in early November,

00:39:18.219 --> 00:39:20.920
even at Halloween time, and leave them all the

00:39:20.920 --> 00:39:23.199
way up to March. And he said he had a neighbor

00:39:23.199 --> 00:39:25.400
who lived across the street from him, a few houses

00:39:25.400 --> 00:39:28.860
down, and he asked his neighbor, what the heck,

00:39:28.860 --> 00:39:30.420
man, why do you have your Christmas lights up

00:39:30.420 --> 00:39:33.320
five months out of the year? Christmas time is

00:39:33.320 --> 00:39:35.539
not five months out of the year. And the man

00:39:35.539 --> 00:39:37.739
went on to explain to him, he said, the funny

00:39:37.739 --> 00:39:40.199
thing about Christmas is, people don't really

00:39:40.199 --> 00:39:43.920
realize it wasn't meant to end December 26th

00:39:43.920 --> 00:39:46.440
or right after you get done making all your trips

00:39:46.440 --> 00:39:48.880
to deliver gifts or after you've opened all your

00:39:48.880 --> 00:39:53.360
gifts or after you've cleaned up the mess or

00:39:53.360 --> 00:39:56.019
whatever. And he said that was such a good answer.

00:39:56.099 --> 00:39:57.440
It got him thinking about it and he went and

00:39:57.440 --> 00:39:59.699
prayed about it. And the Lord said that the man

00:39:59.699 --> 00:40:01.360
who was leaving his Christmas lights up for five

00:40:01.360 --> 00:40:03.980
months had a better understanding of the extension

00:40:03.980 --> 00:40:06.940
or the lasting nature of Christmas than the guy

00:40:06.940 --> 00:40:08.940
who was frustrated about his neighbor leaving

00:40:08.940 --> 00:40:10.800
his lights up. And so if you're frustrated about

00:40:10.800 --> 00:40:13.239
people prolonging Christmas or continuing Christmas

00:40:13.239 --> 00:40:16.059
on when Christmas is over, hey, we got it done.

00:40:16.139 --> 00:40:17.860
We got it over with. You might want to ask yourself,

00:40:17.940 --> 00:40:20.659
when does Christmas really end? Does it end when

00:40:20.659 --> 00:40:22.840
all the gifts are open? Does it end when the

00:40:22.840 --> 00:40:25.119
Christmas tree is taken? down and put out by

00:40:25.119 --> 00:40:26.739
the road to be picked up by the refuse people

00:40:26.739 --> 00:40:29.159
or burnt out by the burning can? Does it end

00:40:29.159 --> 00:40:31.239
when all the lights are boxed up neatly for next

00:40:31.239 --> 00:40:33.900
year when all the ornaments are put away? When

00:40:33.900 --> 00:40:37.539
people stop saying Merry Christmas? I had a man

00:40:37.539 --> 00:40:40.179
who messaged me Merry Christmas on Christmas

00:40:40.179 --> 00:40:42.820
Eve and I never saw the message and so I messaged

00:40:42.820 --> 00:40:46.809
him Merry Christmas back this morning. And I

00:40:46.809 --> 00:40:48.690
thought, well, I should put Merry Belated Christmas.

00:40:48.909 --> 00:40:50.590
Like when it's somebody's birthday and you forget

00:40:50.590 --> 00:40:52.010
and then you go the next day, maybe it's Merry

00:40:52.010 --> 00:40:54.250
Belated Christmas. And then I thought, no, in

00:40:54.250 --> 00:40:55.829
light of my sermon this morning, I better just

00:40:55.829 --> 00:40:58.030
put Merry Christmas. When does Christmas end?

00:40:58.449 --> 00:41:00.710
When I was a kid, I had an uncle who was my best

00:41:00.710 --> 00:41:03.389
and favorite uncle. He would play with me. We

00:41:03.389 --> 00:41:05.469
made cardboard houses and crawled between, even

00:41:05.469 --> 00:41:08.440
though he was 20 years older than me. He was

00:41:08.440 --> 00:41:10.840
the youngest of his brothers and quite a bit

00:41:10.840 --> 00:41:12.460
younger than my dad. He would play. We played

00:41:12.460 --> 00:41:14.420
hide -and -seek. We played cops and robbers and

00:41:14.420 --> 00:41:17.820
all kinds of things. On Christmas Eve, we would

00:41:17.820 --> 00:41:19.719
meet at my grandparents' house and we would open

00:41:19.719 --> 00:41:21.460
gifts with my grandparents. He would always buy

00:41:21.460 --> 00:41:23.780
me a gift. I remember going there on Christmas

00:41:23.780 --> 00:41:27.059
Eve and thinking, of course, he was going to

00:41:27.059 --> 00:41:29.949
buy me the best. Christmas gift because he was

00:41:29.949 --> 00:41:31.389
the one who always played with me. He understood

00:41:31.389 --> 00:41:34.050
me the best. He cared about me and my strange

00:41:34.050 --> 00:41:36.170
perception the most. I thought maybe even more

00:41:36.170 --> 00:41:38.469
than my parents, you know, because he was always

00:41:38.469 --> 00:41:40.110
there playing and we were having fun together

00:41:40.110 --> 00:41:43.289
and all these things. And in my small child mind,

00:41:43.469 --> 00:41:44.789
I thought maybe that meant he cared about me

00:41:44.789 --> 00:41:47.050
more and I got a Christmas gift from him. And

00:41:47.050 --> 00:41:50.389
it was a pretty good gift. But it wasn't great.

00:41:50.769 --> 00:41:53.599
And I was a little let down. Does Christmas end

00:41:53.599 --> 00:41:56.300
when the person that you thought would give you

00:41:56.300 --> 00:41:58.559
the best gift actually gives you one that's kind

00:41:58.559 --> 00:42:01.280
of trite? Or maybe something that doesn't fit?

00:42:02.440 --> 00:42:04.460
When I was younger, I remember Christmas. I don't

00:42:04.460 --> 00:42:05.880
know if you remember these days. I don't think

00:42:05.880 --> 00:42:08.260
they're around as much anymore, but I remember

00:42:08.260 --> 00:42:10.139
right after Christmas, starting on the 26th,

00:42:10.159 --> 00:42:11.840
my mother would get out all the gifts that we

00:42:11.840 --> 00:42:13.400
got that were the wrong size, and there were

00:42:13.400 --> 00:42:14.900
quite a few of them, or that we already had,

00:42:14.980 --> 00:42:16.440
there were quite a few of them, and we would

00:42:16.440 --> 00:42:19.059
go around and hit all the stores and return all

00:42:19.059 --> 00:42:21.380
the gifts or exchange the gifts. One year I got

00:42:21.380 --> 00:42:24.039
a coat, a winter coat for Christmas, and it didn't

00:42:24.039 --> 00:42:27.400
fit me. It was too small, maybe like I was in

00:42:27.400 --> 00:42:30.099
a 10 -12 and it was like a 7 -8 or something.

00:42:30.139 --> 00:42:32.510
It was quite a bit too small. And she went to

00:42:32.510 --> 00:42:34.489
go return it to Kmart over on Navarre. And they

00:42:34.489 --> 00:42:36.269
said, you can't return it. It doesn't have the

00:42:36.269 --> 00:42:37.750
tag on it. She said, well, I received it as a

00:42:37.750 --> 00:42:39.230
gift. Of course it doesn't have the tag on it.

00:42:39.250 --> 00:42:40.190
And he said, well, you can't return it. It doesn't

00:42:40.190 --> 00:42:43.110
have the tag on it. And my mom, being the indominant,

00:42:43.110 --> 00:42:46.789
not giving up person that she was, indomitable,

00:42:46.949 --> 00:42:49.369
she went out to the car and left the coat in

00:42:49.369 --> 00:42:51.510
the car, went back in and bought a coat just

00:42:51.510 --> 00:42:53.110
like the one that I received for Christmas, but

00:42:53.110 --> 00:42:55.960
in my size. Then she went out to the car and

00:42:55.960 --> 00:42:57.940
took the tag off the coat that she bought that

00:42:57.940 --> 00:43:00.400
was my size and she put it on the coat that was

00:43:00.400 --> 00:43:02.579
not my size and she took it back in and she returned

00:43:02.579 --> 00:43:06.639
it for cash. And as she was walking to the car,

00:43:06.699 --> 00:43:09.320
she said, good, now we're done with Christmas.

00:43:09.500 --> 00:43:12.320
When does Christmas end? That's the question.

00:43:12.639 --> 00:43:15.400
And I'm going to submit to you that for Mary,

00:43:15.619 --> 00:43:19.519
for a human Mary, For a Mary that understands

00:43:19.519 --> 00:43:23.360
God, but now has to get on to business, it sort

00:43:23.360 --> 00:43:25.800
of ends in the story that we're going to read

00:43:25.800 --> 00:43:29.059
today. I think that she will eventually learn

00:43:29.059 --> 00:43:32.019
it didn't end here, but she feels like it did.

00:43:32.420 --> 00:43:35.619
And so grab your Bibles if you will. Maybe say

00:43:35.619 --> 00:43:38.000
Amen, Hoot, Holler, Yahtzee, Uno, whatever your

00:43:38.000 --> 00:43:40.800
favorite game is. Or just say I won, or I will

00:43:40.800 --> 00:43:43.980
win, or Jesus, or something. Say something as

00:43:43.980 --> 00:43:48.119
we go to Luke 2, verse 21. Thank you for those

00:43:48.119 --> 00:43:51.300
of you who participated. When we were worshiping,

00:43:51.300 --> 00:43:52.639
I had to come over and ask you to be quiet. And

00:43:52.639 --> 00:43:54.079
I asked you to be loud and you didn't say nothing.

00:43:54.179 --> 00:43:57.599
What's going on? Alright. Okay, now everybody

00:43:57.599 --> 00:43:59.739
be quiet for a second. Karina, we're going to

00:43:59.739 --> 00:44:02.219
go to Luke chapter 2. Come on. Alright, there

00:44:02.219 --> 00:44:04.980
we go. We're in, baby. Luke chapter 2, verse

00:44:04.980 --> 00:44:08.619
21. Here we go. Alright. And it says, And when

00:44:08.619 --> 00:44:12.139
eight days had passed, so this is eight days.

00:44:12.880 --> 00:44:15.139
after the first part of Luke 2, which was when

00:44:15.139 --> 00:44:17.300
Jesus was born in Bethlehem. And when eight days

00:44:17.300 --> 00:44:20.000
had passed before his circumcision, his name

00:44:20.000 --> 00:44:22.480
was then called Jesus, the name given by the

00:44:22.480 --> 00:44:24.960
angel before he was conceived in the womb. And

00:44:24.960 --> 00:44:27.159
when the days for their purification according

00:44:27.159 --> 00:44:29.119
to the law of Moses were completed, they brought

00:44:29.119 --> 00:44:31.380
him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.

00:44:31.460 --> 00:44:32.900
So they had to wait a certain period of time.

00:44:32.920 --> 00:44:36.369
That was kind of the rule of... of the temple,

00:44:36.449 --> 00:44:39.090
if you will, and they brought Jesus up to present

00:44:39.090 --> 00:44:41.829
him to the Lord. Verse 23. In parentheses it

00:44:41.829 --> 00:44:44.190
says, As it is written in the law of the Lord,

00:44:44.269 --> 00:44:46.269
every firstborn male that opens the womb shall

00:44:46.269 --> 00:44:48.010
be called holy to the Lord. Why do you think

00:44:48.010 --> 00:44:50.449
that was? It's an interesting thing. That's not

00:44:50.449 --> 00:44:51.449
what we're going to get into today, but it's

00:44:51.449 --> 00:44:53.809
interesting that every firstborn male would be

00:44:53.809 --> 00:45:00.449
called holy unto the Lord. It goes back to coming

00:45:00.449 --> 00:45:04.099
out of Egypt, right? Alright. And the fact that

00:45:04.099 --> 00:45:06.380
one firstborn male would eventually become the

00:45:06.380 --> 00:45:09.079
Messiah. And to offer a sacrifice according to

00:45:09.079 --> 00:45:11.400
what was said in the law of the Lord. A pair

00:45:11.400 --> 00:45:14.219
of turtle doves or two young pigeons. So they're

00:45:14.219 --> 00:45:17.119
going to go up and make this sacrifice. Basically,

00:45:17.199 --> 00:45:20.880
it's praising God, right? Purification is pretty

00:45:20.880 --> 00:45:23.559
much done. It's basically praising God for what

00:45:23.559 --> 00:45:26.099
He's done. 25. And there was a man in Jerusalem

00:45:26.099 --> 00:45:28.820
whose name was Simeon. And this man was righteous

00:45:28.820 --> 00:45:31.460
and devout. That's a great description. Looking

00:45:31.460 --> 00:45:33.539
for the consolation of Israel. He was waiting

00:45:33.539 --> 00:45:35.460
for the way that God was going to take care of

00:45:35.460 --> 00:45:38.139
everybody. And the Holy Spirit was upon him.

00:45:38.260 --> 00:45:41.940
This is a guy. And it had been revealed to him

00:45:41.940 --> 00:45:43.980
by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death

00:45:43.980 --> 00:45:47.300
before he had seen the Lord's Christ. I would

00:45:47.300 --> 00:45:49.019
like God to say to me, this would be awesome,

00:45:49.139 --> 00:45:51.119
if God would say to me, in fact, it would probably

00:45:51.119 --> 00:45:52.920
heighten my message a little, if God would say

00:45:52.920 --> 00:45:54.820
to me, look, you will not physically die. Your

00:45:54.820 --> 00:45:57.420
body will not stop working before Jesus comes

00:45:57.420 --> 00:45:59.599
back again. I would like that, because that means

00:45:59.599 --> 00:46:02.030
I won't die. I'll go straight to heaven. That

00:46:02.030 --> 00:46:04.309
would be great. And also, I think it would heighten

00:46:04.309 --> 00:46:06.550
your awareness. You'd live for the Lord daily

00:46:06.550 --> 00:46:09.889
if you know. So if it's only at most, say, 40,

00:46:09.969 --> 00:46:11.849
50 years, however old I'm going to live to be,

00:46:12.030 --> 00:46:14.289
then I better live those years pretty good. And

00:46:14.289 --> 00:46:16.670
this guy is doing that. He has been told that

00:46:16.670 --> 00:46:20.070
he will see the Lord's Christ before he dies.

00:46:20.469 --> 00:46:24.190
Verse 27. And he came in the Spirit into the

00:46:24.190 --> 00:46:26.130
temple. So this is Simeon. He comes into the

00:46:26.130 --> 00:46:28.639
Spirit. The Holy Spirit on him. He comes in the

00:46:28.639 --> 00:46:30.500
Spirit into the temple. And when the parents

00:46:30.500 --> 00:46:32.579
brought in the child Jesus to carry out for him

00:46:32.579 --> 00:46:35.260
the custom of the law, then he took him into

00:46:35.260 --> 00:46:37.360
his arms. Okay, we'll stop there for one second.

00:46:37.460 --> 00:46:39.960
So this is Simeon. This is this old guy who has

00:46:39.960 --> 00:46:42.679
been promised he would see Jesus, the coming

00:46:42.679 --> 00:46:45.059
Messiah, the consolation of Israel, before he

00:46:45.059 --> 00:46:47.219
dies. And he walks in, Holy Spirit on him, and

00:46:47.219 --> 00:46:51.099
he takes Jesus into his arms to carry out for

00:46:51.099 --> 00:46:54.130
him the custom of the law. Then he took him into

00:46:54.130 --> 00:46:57.610
his arms and blessed God and said, so he speaks

00:46:57.610 --> 00:47:00.630
well of God, and said, Now, Lord, you are releasing

00:47:00.630 --> 00:47:02.889
your bondservant to depart in peace. In other

00:47:02.889 --> 00:47:04.789
words, now he can die. Because now he's seen

00:47:04.789 --> 00:47:06.590
the coming of the Messiah. He says, according

00:47:06.590 --> 00:47:09.090
to your word. And here is, by the way, one of

00:47:09.090 --> 00:47:11.710
the most clearest pronouncements in Scripture

00:47:11.710 --> 00:47:15.550
that God's will and his speaking into the heart

00:47:15.550 --> 00:47:21.119
of men is his word. The word is logos. Even though

00:47:21.119 --> 00:47:24.300
we know there's no more Bible. There's no Bible

00:47:24.300 --> 00:47:26.539
after this. This is it. Genesis through Revelation.

00:47:26.980 --> 00:47:29.480
But when people try to say to you, there's no

00:47:29.480 --> 00:47:32.639
more word, that's not true. There is a living

00:47:32.639 --> 00:47:35.619
word who is Christ, and there is a God's will

00:47:35.619 --> 00:47:37.579
word who is spoken into the hearts of men. In

00:47:37.579 --> 00:47:39.199
fact, he said he would write it on the hearts

00:47:39.199 --> 00:47:44.250
of men. And so the word of God came to Simeon

00:47:44.250 --> 00:47:46.130
and now he says, Now, Lord, you are releasing

00:47:46.130 --> 00:47:47.929
your bondservant to depart in peace according

00:47:47.929 --> 00:47:51.570
to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation.

00:47:52.070 --> 00:47:54.489
See, he had seen Jesus. Now, now I have seen

00:47:54.489 --> 00:47:57.469
it, he says, which you have prepared in the presence

00:47:57.469 --> 00:47:59.829
of all peoples. God did this in front of everybody.

00:48:00.230 --> 00:48:03.329
A light of revelation to the Gentiles. That's

00:48:03.329 --> 00:48:05.750
the part of the gospel that in this day sort

00:48:05.750 --> 00:48:09.510
of... smacks a Jew man in the face because they

00:48:09.510 --> 00:48:12.869
really felt they were the only ones by now. All

00:48:12.869 --> 00:48:15.750
those prophecies in the Old Testament that the

00:48:15.750 --> 00:48:18.710
Messiah would be for both Jew and Gentile, but

00:48:18.710 --> 00:48:23.309
in this day, they have kind of turtled up. They

00:48:23.309 --> 00:48:25.510
won't speak even to a Samaritan, which would

00:48:25.510 --> 00:48:27.170
be a half -blood, half -Jew, half -something

00:48:27.170 --> 00:48:29.449
else. They won't even literally be in their presence.

00:48:29.610 --> 00:48:32.769
They would travel miles around through the desert

00:48:32.769 --> 00:48:35.409
to stay out of Samaria because Jews are holy.

00:48:35.960 --> 00:48:40.000
But he says, a light of revelation to the Gentiles

00:48:40.000 --> 00:48:45.519
and the glory of your people Israel. And his

00:48:45.519 --> 00:48:48.159
father and mother were amazed at the things which

00:48:48.159 --> 00:48:50.480
were being said about him. Okay, now this is

00:48:50.480 --> 00:48:52.659
good. Up until this point, this is really good,

00:48:52.780 --> 00:48:54.760
isn't it? It's like the continuation of Christmas.

00:48:56.119 --> 00:48:58.659
They're really still unwrapping the gift. They're

00:48:58.659 --> 00:49:00.960
really still figuring out exactly how awesome

00:49:00.960 --> 00:49:03.980
this gift of God, who is Jesus, is. So it's really

00:49:03.980 --> 00:49:06.579
good up until here. And they're amazed. And it

00:49:06.579 --> 00:49:09.360
isn't amazed like baffled. It's amazed like,

00:49:09.440 --> 00:49:14.820
wow. This is awesome. I'm so pleased. In fact,

00:49:14.880 --> 00:49:21.059
the word here that is translated amazed has an

00:49:21.059 --> 00:49:24.179
undertone of appreciation. Like you received

00:49:24.179 --> 00:49:26.739
the gift you really, really wanted, and then

00:49:26.739 --> 00:49:28.519
not only was it what you really, really wanted,

00:49:28.599 --> 00:49:30.380
but on top of that, it has features you didn't

00:49:30.380 --> 00:49:33.219
even know it had. And that's where they're at.

00:49:33.320 --> 00:49:37.239
They are amazed at what is being said about Jesus.

00:49:37.920 --> 00:49:41.940
But hang on. 34. And Simeon blessed them. So

00:49:41.940 --> 00:49:44.519
he blesses Mary and Joseph. And said to Mary

00:49:44.519 --> 00:49:48.300
his mother, Behold! You're amazed at that? Watch

00:49:48.300 --> 00:49:51.940
this. Behold! This child is appointed for the

00:49:51.940 --> 00:49:57.039
fall and rise of many in Israel. In other words,

00:49:57.119 --> 00:49:59.519
He is going to cause something. He is going to

00:49:59.519 --> 00:50:01.900
be something. Something is going to happen that

00:50:01.900 --> 00:50:04.599
will cause for the fall and rise of many. The

00:50:04.599 --> 00:50:06.619
fall is when somebody moves out of grace. When

00:50:06.619 --> 00:50:08.420
somebody moves from their position to a lower

00:50:08.420 --> 00:50:10.559
position. The fall is when somebody falls, right?

00:50:11.039 --> 00:50:13.000
And the rise is when somebody is lifted up. He's

00:50:13.000 --> 00:50:15.980
going to reverse the order of things. There's

00:50:15.980 --> 00:50:17.579
going to be a change. Some who are up are going

00:50:17.579 --> 00:50:19.139
to go down and some who are down are going to

00:50:19.139 --> 00:50:22.179
go up. And that's a little bit of a mixed blessing

00:50:22.179 --> 00:50:23.619
depending on whether you think you're down or

00:50:23.619 --> 00:50:25.590
up. Right? If you're up, you go, some are going

00:50:25.590 --> 00:50:27.510
to fall. I don't want that to be me. If you're

00:50:27.510 --> 00:50:28.889
down, you go, some are going to rise. I want

00:50:28.889 --> 00:50:31.280
that to be me. If you start thinking you're up,

00:50:31.280 --> 00:50:34.400
be careful. You might not actually be. And so

00:50:34.400 --> 00:50:38.460
she's told now that he will be appointed for

00:50:38.460 --> 00:50:40.300
the rise and fall of many in Israel. And that

00:50:40.300 --> 00:50:42.139
would be kind of a mixed blessing. And then he

00:50:42.139 --> 00:50:44.960
says, and for a sign to be opposed. That's kind

00:50:44.960 --> 00:50:47.940
of rough. Now Jesus is going to be a sign who

00:50:47.940 --> 00:50:49.800
will be opposed. He's going to have enemies.

00:50:50.019 --> 00:50:51.559
He's going to have people that are against him.

00:50:51.739 --> 00:50:53.619
People that are going to try to stop him from

00:50:53.619 --> 00:50:57.400
doing what it is that he is trying to do. that's

00:50:57.400 --> 00:50:58.980
definitely not really a mixed blessing. That's

00:50:58.980 --> 00:51:02.639
just bad. I mean, he's going to live in the limelight.

00:51:02.699 --> 00:51:04.360
He's going to be seen, so that might be good.

00:51:04.480 --> 00:51:05.940
But then he's going to be opposed. That's not

00:51:05.940 --> 00:51:09.039
so good. And things start to kind of go bad here,

00:51:09.119 --> 00:51:13.599
right? And then he says in 35, and a sword will

00:51:13.599 --> 00:51:20.679
pierce even your own soul. Ouch! So Mary's soul

00:51:20.679 --> 00:51:25.960
will be pierced because of Jesus. And then specifically

00:51:25.960 --> 00:51:28.280
because he says, to the end, this is how all

00:51:28.280 --> 00:51:31.139
this will come out, that thoughts from many hearts

00:51:31.139 --> 00:51:33.400
may be revealed. Which is interesting because

00:51:33.400 --> 00:51:35.500
the one thing you really can't do with people,

00:51:35.599 --> 00:51:37.480
and everybody seems to always be trying to do,

00:51:37.659 --> 00:51:40.179
is understand the thoughts of people's hearts.

00:51:40.519 --> 00:51:43.000
We're constantly questioning people's motivations,

00:51:43.219 --> 00:51:45.719
right? He called me up to check on me, but does

00:51:45.719 --> 00:51:49.820
he really want something from me? You know? He

00:51:49.820 --> 00:51:52.260
says happy birthday, but is he really out to

00:51:52.260 --> 00:51:54.059
get something or is she really out to get something?

00:51:54.440 --> 00:51:58.219
Why did he get mad when I said that? We're constantly

00:51:58.219 --> 00:52:00.579
questioning people's motivations all the time.

00:52:00.699 --> 00:52:04.300
And Jesus would be used, this is the process

00:52:04.300 --> 00:52:05.780
explained, we'll come back to it in a second,

00:52:05.840 --> 00:52:09.659
but to the end that thoughts from many hearts

00:52:09.659 --> 00:52:12.059
may be revealed. We're going to read just a little

00:52:12.059 --> 00:52:15.280
bit more so that you understand how this went

00:52:15.280 --> 00:52:18.030
down. And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter

00:52:18.030 --> 00:52:20.570
of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who was, I

00:52:20.570 --> 00:52:23.090
think, the eighth son of Jacob, and that was

00:52:23.090 --> 00:52:24.469
the beginning of the founding of the tribe of

00:52:24.469 --> 00:52:26.050
Asher, still exists, and they could trace their

00:52:26.050 --> 00:52:28.489
lineage back, and she was of the tribe of Asher,

00:52:28.610 --> 00:52:31.489
this older woman. She was advanced in years,

00:52:31.590 --> 00:52:34.070
and had lived with her husband seven years after

00:52:34.070 --> 00:52:36.329
her marriage. So she'd been married for seven

00:52:36.329 --> 00:52:39.710
years, and then as a widow to the age of 84.

00:52:39.829 --> 00:52:41.929
So afterwards she never remarried until she was

00:52:41.929 --> 00:52:44.849
84 years old. She never left the temple, so all

00:52:44.849 --> 00:52:46.760
the time. She is in the temple serving night

00:52:46.760 --> 00:52:49.699
and day with fastings and prayers. At that very

00:52:49.699 --> 00:52:52.039
moment, she came up. Now this is kind of like

00:52:52.039 --> 00:52:55.900
where the dad says, listen, I'm going to punish

00:52:55.900 --> 00:52:58.739
you. And the mom comes up and says, but know

00:52:58.739 --> 00:53:01.119
that he loves you. He really does love you. He's

00:53:01.119 --> 00:53:02.659
going to punish you for what you did wrong, but

00:53:02.659 --> 00:53:04.460
he's not doing it. So now they're going to get

00:53:04.460 --> 00:53:08.159
a little comfort from her after they got this

00:53:08.159 --> 00:53:10.519
kind of rough news bringing their joyous time

00:53:10.519 --> 00:53:14.269
of amazement to end. or could. At that very moment,

00:53:14.309 --> 00:53:17.360
she came up and began giving thanks to God. So

00:53:17.360 --> 00:53:20.699
she rejects the whole conversation about Mary's

00:53:20.699 --> 00:53:23.460
going to be upset and stabbed through the soul

00:53:23.460 --> 00:53:26.260
with a sword. She doesn't say it's not true.

00:53:26.360 --> 00:53:28.500
It's definitely true. But she says, don't dwell

00:53:28.500 --> 00:53:30.880
on that. Don't dwell on that there's suffering

00:53:30.880 --> 00:53:32.960
involved. Don't get wrapped up in the difficulty

00:53:32.960 --> 00:53:36.380
of this situation. But instead, bless God. Let

00:53:36.380 --> 00:53:39.059
us give thanks to God. And she continued to speak

00:53:39.059 --> 00:53:41.300
of Him, that is Jesus, to all those who were

00:53:41.300 --> 00:53:45.130
looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. Now

00:53:45.130 --> 00:53:47.449
before we get into the message for a moment,

00:53:47.530 --> 00:53:49.630
we just should see that Anna's message is extremely

00:53:49.630 --> 00:53:54.190
encouraging and very timely. Because it seems

00:53:54.190 --> 00:53:57.110
like for Mary, Christmas, as we think of Christmas,

00:53:57.190 --> 00:53:59.449
the coming of Jesus, is coming to an end. She's

00:53:59.449 --> 00:54:01.869
getting the rude awakening that the gift does

00:54:01.869 --> 00:54:07.210
have a severe downside. Right? But this encouraging

00:54:07.210 --> 00:54:12.230
message is very timely that this woman brings.

00:54:13.840 --> 00:54:16.079
Mary could have been crushed under the weight

00:54:16.079 --> 00:54:20.619
of Simeon's message. But here comes an encouraging

00:54:20.619 --> 00:54:24.400
message and let us praise God. And then also

00:54:24.400 --> 00:54:26.239
I want you to notice here that Anna then goes

00:54:26.239 --> 00:54:28.880
out and she's telling everyone who was looking

00:54:28.880 --> 00:54:30.840
for the redemption of Jerusalem about the coming

00:54:30.840 --> 00:54:34.659
of this baby. So I want you to think for a second.

00:54:34.699 --> 00:54:35.940
We're just going to go aside for one second.

00:54:36.780 --> 00:54:44.659
Jerusalem. Herod. Anna. She's telling everyone

00:54:44.659 --> 00:54:47.039
in the temple about the coming of this baby who

00:54:47.039 --> 00:54:51.039
will be the redemption, right? Somewhere in there,

00:54:51.219 --> 00:54:54.099
you've got to figure, Herod could have heard,

00:54:54.239 --> 00:54:56.699
certainly if he was looking for the redemption

00:54:56.699 --> 00:55:02.500
of Jerusalem, right, he would have heard. Then

00:55:02.500 --> 00:55:04.960
later, we're not going to go there, but later

00:55:04.960 --> 00:55:08.780
when the Magi come, he reacts in a very interesting

00:55:08.780 --> 00:55:11.860
way. If he had just been looking for the redemption

00:55:11.860 --> 00:55:14.369
of Israel, He'd have heard about the coming of

00:55:14.369 --> 00:55:17.050
Jesus here, and then he either could have said,

00:55:17.210 --> 00:55:19.289
well, yeah, as long as you understand this guy's

00:55:19.289 --> 00:55:20.929
not king, that's cool, and he could have embraced

00:55:20.929 --> 00:55:23.409
Jesus. But he really wasn't looking for the redemption

00:55:23.409 --> 00:55:26.570
of Israel, of Jerusalem, was he? He really wasn't

00:55:26.570 --> 00:55:28.449
looking for God's will to be done. He wasn't

00:55:28.449 --> 00:55:30.989
looking for the Messiah and so on. We see the

00:55:30.989 --> 00:55:33.929
difference there between Herod and Anna and Simeon

00:55:33.929 --> 00:55:36.849
and how God did this thing right under everyone's

00:55:36.849 --> 00:55:39.929
noses. And then it takes a couple years for Herod

00:55:39.929 --> 00:55:41.409
to catch up and want to do something about it.

00:55:41.800 --> 00:55:43.800
In here it says that Jesus would be appointed

00:55:43.800 --> 00:55:47.559
for the fall and rise of many in Israel and for

00:55:47.559 --> 00:55:50.670
a sign to be opposed. And a sword will pierce

00:55:50.670 --> 00:55:53.389
even your own soul to the end that thoughts from

00:55:53.389 --> 00:55:55.550
many hearts may be revealed. And those are the

00:55:55.550 --> 00:55:57.570
points of the sermon. So if you're a note taker

00:55:57.570 --> 00:56:01.329
or amazingly somehow a sermon memorizer or if

00:56:01.329 --> 00:56:02.650
you're a preacher and you want to pick apart

00:56:02.650 --> 00:56:05.050
my style, those are the points of the sermon.

00:56:05.230 --> 00:56:07.969
The first is that Jesus would be appointed for

00:56:07.969 --> 00:56:10.989
the fall and rise of many in Israel. The fall

00:56:10.989 --> 00:56:13.269
and rise. We've already talked about how you

00:56:13.269 --> 00:56:15.170
can't fall unless you're up and you can't rise

00:56:15.170 --> 00:56:17.789
unless you're down. You might think you're up,

00:56:17.789 --> 00:56:19.420
you're not actually, and you rise up, right?

00:56:19.579 --> 00:56:21.179
But the bottom line is unless you are mistaken

00:56:21.179 --> 00:56:23.440
about your position, you cannot fall or rise

00:56:23.440 --> 00:56:27.539
unless you are actually up or down. Jesus would

00:56:27.539 --> 00:56:30.960
be a stumbling block for a lot of folks and that

00:56:30.960 --> 00:56:34.000
becomes a major concern in the New Testament.

00:56:34.619 --> 00:56:37.059
And I submit to you that anything that is a major

00:56:37.059 --> 00:56:38.940
concern of the New Testament is a major concern

00:56:38.940 --> 00:56:41.460
to us because we are New Testament Christians.

00:56:41.980 --> 00:56:44.099
We are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ after

00:56:44.099 --> 00:56:46.639
His death, His burial, and His resurrection in

00:56:46.639 --> 00:56:48.880
presence of the Holy Spirit and filled with living

00:56:48.880 --> 00:56:51.099
water. We are worshipers in spirit and truth.

00:56:51.239 --> 00:56:52.940
And if that is who we are, then anything that

00:56:52.940 --> 00:56:54.599
becomes a major concern of the New Testament

00:56:54.599 --> 00:56:57.099
is a major concern for us. And Jesus would be

00:56:57.099 --> 00:56:59.480
appointed for the fall and the rise of many in

00:56:59.480 --> 00:57:07.679
Israel. Is that a bad thing? Peter would write

00:57:07.679 --> 00:57:09.980
it this way, and coming to Him as a living stone

00:57:09.980 --> 00:57:13.179
which has been rejected by men, but as choice

00:57:13.179 --> 00:57:15.239
and precious in the sight of God, you also as

00:57:15.239 --> 00:57:16.980
living stones are being built as a spiritual

00:57:16.980 --> 00:57:19.400
house for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual

00:57:19.400 --> 00:57:21.719
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

00:57:22.380 --> 00:57:25.320
For this is contained in Scripture. And he's

00:57:25.320 --> 00:57:30.900
quoting Isaiah. Behold, I lay in Zion. a choice

00:57:30.900 --> 00:57:33.159
stone, a precious cornerstone, and he who believes

00:57:33.159 --> 00:57:35.619
in him will not be disappointed. This precious

00:57:35.619 --> 00:57:38.699
value then is for you who believe, but for those

00:57:38.699 --> 00:57:41.940
who disbelieve, the stone which the builders

00:57:41.940 --> 00:57:44.679
rejected, this became the very cornerstone, and

00:57:44.679 --> 00:57:46.500
a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.

00:57:46.780 --> 00:57:48.739
For they stumble because they are disobedient

00:57:48.739 --> 00:57:53.139
to the word, and to this doom they were also

00:57:53.139 --> 00:57:55.719
appointed. Do you hear that? There are people

00:57:55.719 --> 00:57:59.260
that are not going to believe in Jesus. Now we

00:57:59.260 --> 00:58:00.980
need to give everybody an opportunity to believe

00:58:00.980 --> 00:58:03.139
in Jesus. You should be a witness and if possible,

00:58:03.239 --> 00:58:05.400
spread the good news. But the bottom line is

00:58:05.400 --> 00:58:06.420
there are people that are not going to believe

00:58:06.420 --> 00:58:08.800
in Jesus. And people who disbelieve or refuse

00:58:08.800 --> 00:58:13.340
to believe in Jesus are appointed to stumble

00:58:13.340 --> 00:58:17.380
because they are disobedient to the Word. But

00:58:17.380 --> 00:58:19.320
you are a chosen race. It's talking about us.

00:58:19.380 --> 00:58:21.420
A royal priesthood. A holy nation. A people for

00:58:21.420 --> 00:58:23.139
God's own possession so that you may proclaim

00:58:23.139 --> 00:58:25.480
the excellencies of Him who has called you out

00:58:25.480 --> 00:58:28.170
of darkness into His marvelous light. For you

00:58:28.170 --> 00:58:30.449
once were not a people, but now you are the people

00:58:30.449 --> 00:58:33.130
of God. You had not received mercy, but now you

00:58:33.130 --> 00:58:35.409
have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as aliens

00:58:35.409 --> 00:58:37.989
and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which

00:58:37.989 --> 00:58:41.550
war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent

00:58:41.550 --> 00:58:44.050
among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which

00:58:44.050 --> 00:58:45.730
they slander you as evildoers, in other words,

00:58:45.730 --> 00:58:48.130
that which they think you are wrong, they may,

00:58:48.210 --> 00:58:50.670
because of your good deeds as they observe them,

00:58:50.730 --> 00:58:53.750
glorify God in the day of visitation. Now may

00:58:53.750 --> 00:58:56.050
our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord

00:58:56.050 --> 00:58:59.030
direct our way to you. He wanted to come unto

00:58:59.030 --> 00:59:02.030
them. And may the Lord cause you to increase

00:59:02.030 --> 00:59:04.349
and abound in love for one another. Listen to

00:59:04.349 --> 00:59:07.110
this. And may the Lord cause you to increase

00:59:07.110 --> 00:59:10.050
and abound in love for one another and for all

00:59:10.050 --> 00:59:13.170
people, just as we also do for you. And then

00:59:13.170 --> 00:59:15.190
13, and this is the most important one, so that

00:59:15.190 --> 00:59:17.510
He may establish your hearts without blame in

00:59:17.510 --> 00:59:20.050
holiness before our God and Father at the coming

00:59:20.050 --> 00:59:22.860
of our Lord Jesus Christ. with all His saints.

00:59:24.639 --> 00:59:28.440
What is that which allows God to establish you?

00:59:28.460 --> 00:59:30.400
Remember, this is about the fall and rise. Do

00:59:30.400 --> 00:59:34.099
you want to fall? Or do you want to rise? Right?

00:59:34.539 --> 00:59:36.940
You've got to have a firm surface to rise from.

00:59:37.699 --> 00:59:39.599
You've got to have somewhere to stand in order

00:59:39.599 --> 00:59:43.639
to climb. Right? Even if you're climbing a rope,

00:59:43.679 --> 00:59:46.679
it's a lot easier with a knot. to climb on, or

00:59:46.679 --> 00:59:49.159
at least a thick rope to get a good grip. When

00:59:49.159 --> 00:59:50.500
you're climbing a rope and there's nothing below

00:59:50.500 --> 00:59:54.460
you, the grip itself is what you stand on. Do

00:59:54.460 --> 00:59:58.760
you want to fall? Or do you want to rise? Peter

00:59:58.760 --> 01:00:03.480
says, this is it. This is the thing. So that

01:00:03.480 --> 01:00:06.539
He may establish your hearts without blame in

01:00:06.539 --> 01:00:08.659
holiness before our God and Father at the coming

01:00:08.659 --> 01:00:13.099
of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. We already

01:00:13.099 --> 01:00:15.579
talked about how you'll stumble at the stumbling

01:00:15.579 --> 01:00:17.420
block if you disbelieve or are not obedient to

01:00:17.420 --> 01:00:20.280
His Word. Those are not the qualifiers. That

01:00:20.280 --> 01:00:22.940
wasn't where he went. He actually said, and may

01:00:22.940 --> 01:00:26.260
the Lord cause you to increase and abound in

01:00:26.260 --> 01:00:30.440
love for one another and for all people just

01:00:30.440 --> 01:00:33.119
as we also do for you so that He may establish

01:00:33.119 --> 01:00:36.639
your hearts without blame and holiness. It's

01:00:36.639 --> 01:00:40.889
the loving others The loving one another that

01:00:40.889 --> 01:00:44.949
allows God then to establish us in the presence

01:00:44.949 --> 01:00:48.710
when Jesus comes. In holiness before our God

01:00:48.710 --> 01:00:51.130
and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with

01:00:51.130 --> 01:00:56.090
all His saints. It doesn't stop. It doesn't say,

01:00:56.190 --> 01:01:00.690
if you believe today, you'll be good then. It

01:01:00.690 --> 01:01:03.329
doesn't say that. Now that may be true. We believe

01:01:03.329 --> 01:01:06.349
that if you earnestly believe in Jesus, you will

01:01:06.349 --> 01:01:10.570
have eternal life. I was talking to Ariana during

01:01:10.570 --> 01:01:13.429
her devotional. In fact, it was last night. And

01:01:13.429 --> 01:01:17.530
we were talking about forgiveness and how God

01:01:17.530 --> 01:01:20.769
forgives sins. And in the devotional, it talked

01:01:20.769 --> 01:01:24.469
about how you should pray to God or talk to God

01:01:24.469 --> 01:01:26.250
after you sin. You realize you sin, you talk

01:01:26.250 --> 01:01:28.929
to God and confess your sins to God and let God

01:01:28.929 --> 01:01:32.550
forgive you of those sins. And she said, but

01:01:32.550 --> 01:01:34.949
actually, Daddy, we don't have to do that, right?

01:01:35.250 --> 01:01:37.730
And I said, What do you mean, exactly? She said,

01:01:37.750 --> 01:01:39.809
well, because we have believed in Jesus as Lord

01:01:39.809 --> 01:01:42.670
and Savior, all of our sins are forgiven. Past,

01:01:42.809 --> 01:01:45.050
present, and future. Now, this is a six -year

01:01:45.050 --> 01:01:48.489
-old, right? And I'm like, well, yeah, that's

01:01:48.489 --> 01:01:50.929
true. It is true, right? So you will definitely,

01:01:51.010 --> 01:01:52.710
if you have believed in Jesus, if you have accepted

01:01:52.710 --> 01:01:54.929
Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will definitely

01:01:54.929 --> 01:01:57.849
go to heaven. So you have a forgiveness, if you

01:01:57.849 --> 01:01:59.670
will, that you will definitely go to heaven.

01:02:00.629 --> 01:02:03.469
John writes then that you should confess, you

01:02:03.469 --> 01:02:06.289
should admit. So if you do something wrong, you

01:02:06.289 --> 01:02:08.710
have to admit that you did it wrong. To lie about

01:02:08.710 --> 01:02:10.210
it would be to do something additional wrong.

01:02:10.449 --> 01:02:12.349
So let's say mom and dad told you to go to bed,

01:02:12.469 --> 01:02:14.010
and instead of going to bed, you went and played.

01:02:14.929 --> 01:02:17.039
And then I said... I come out. You jump in your

01:02:17.039 --> 01:02:18.539
bed real quick. And I said, have you been in

01:02:18.539 --> 01:02:20.139
bed? And you said, yeah, I've been in bed. I

01:02:20.139 --> 01:02:21.880
said, Arianna, you've not been in bed. I heard

01:02:21.880 --> 01:02:23.699
you playing. And you said, no, no, I wasn't playing.

01:02:23.780 --> 01:02:26.780
I was in bed. So now, not only did you not do,

01:02:26.880 --> 01:02:28.480
you disobeyed in the first place, but now on

01:02:28.480 --> 01:02:31.239
top of that, you're lying about it. Right? And

01:02:31.239 --> 01:02:32.920
I actually read her the passage from 1 John.

01:02:33.000 --> 01:02:35.719
We talked about how we confess our sins. But

01:02:35.719 --> 01:02:37.519
you notice in there, He is faithful and just

01:02:37.519 --> 01:02:41.300
to forgive us. Jesus. Right? So we're forgiven.

01:02:41.480 --> 01:02:44.000
But then also to cleanse us of unrighteousness.

01:02:44.179 --> 01:02:46.360
So when you will not admit, when you not confess

01:02:46.360 --> 01:02:48.539
that you have a sin, I explained to her, you

01:02:48.539 --> 01:02:50.619
want to be cleansed of the effect of the sin.

01:02:50.820 --> 01:02:53.199
You want to put it away. You want to feel better.

01:02:53.480 --> 01:02:55.159
You don't want to have the ramifications of it.

01:02:55.199 --> 01:02:56.800
You don't want to be stuck in it and keep going.

01:02:57.260 --> 01:03:00.199
Right? And doing more. You want to stop. So you

01:03:00.199 --> 01:03:02.619
confess to God. Okay, God, I admit that I have

01:03:02.619 --> 01:03:04.900
this sin. Actually, that same passage of Scripture

01:03:04.900 --> 01:03:07.679
goes on to say that if you lie about it and you

01:03:07.679 --> 01:03:10.380
say you don't have sin, then you make God out

01:03:10.380 --> 01:03:14.400
to be a liar. And if God is a liar, by the way,

01:03:14.420 --> 01:03:18.980
then none of us are saved. Because we're saved

01:03:18.980 --> 01:03:21.980
by the promises that God gave to Abraham and

01:03:21.980 --> 01:03:24.699
displayed and brought through Jesus to us. We

01:03:24.699 --> 01:03:28.659
are saved by the seed of Abraham. Right? That's

01:03:28.659 --> 01:03:30.840
what we read last week in Romans. Alright, so

01:03:30.840 --> 01:03:33.619
the fall and the rise of many. You want to stand

01:03:33.619 --> 01:03:35.460
or be established at the moment. Here's what

01:03:35.460 --> 01:03:37.840
I want to say to you. That because people will

01:03:37.840 --> 01:03:41.119
not love others, they do not continue in ongoing,

01:03:41.300 --> 01:03:44.480
abiding, unstopping, always loving, because they

01:03:44.480 --> 01:03:46.579
don't do that, then in the moment that Jesus

01:03:46.579 --> 01:03:48.940
comes, they will not be established in holiness

01:03:48.940 --> 01:03:52.059
at the coming of Jesus. So there are people who

01:03:52.059 --> 01:03:54.199
sort of love themselves, but it's not a very

01:03:54.199 --> 01:03:56.380
good way. And they sort of love others, but it's

01:03:56.380 --> 01:03:58.519
not a very good way. and then when Jesus comes,

01:03:58.639 --> 01:04:01.099
He says, get away from me, I never knew you.

01:04:02.719 --> 01:04:06.159
Because they don't love after having been loved

01:04:06.159 --> 01:04:09.820
by God. We love because He first loved us. So

01:04:09.820 --> 01:04:11.980
then we leave the love out and when you leave

01:04:11.980 --> 01:04:14.179
the love out, then Jesus comes and there will

01:04:14.179 --> 01:04:17.610
be the rising and the falling of many. Don't

01:04:17.610 --> 01:04:19.929
you remember the parable of the sheep and the

01:04:19.929 --> 01:04:21.690
goats that Jesus said in Matthew 7? He said,

01:04:21.730 --> 01:04:23.329
there will be those who say unto me, Lord, Lord,

01:04:23.409 --> 01:04:25.550
but will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Those

01:04:25.550 --> 01:04:27.690
people did a lot of amazing things and they said

01:04:27.690 --> 01:04:30.110
they believed. They called Him Lord. But they

01:04:30.110 --> 01:04:32.679
don't get to go in. What's really interesting

01:04:32.679 --> 01:04:34.699
is the response of people. Jesus says, you come

01:04:34.699 --> 01:04:36.559
in because I knew you and they're coming in.

01:04:36.739 --> 01:04:39.199
And he said, you took care of me. You did this

01:04:39.199 --> 01:04:40.300
for me and you did this for me. And they said,

01:04:40.340 --> 01:04:42.440
Lord, when do we see you and do those things

01:04:42.440 --> 01:04:44.320
for you? And what are the things he's talking

01:04:44.320 --> 01:04:46.820
about? He's talking about expressions of love.

01:04:47.519 --> 01:04:50.119
Right? And John writes and says, if you love

01:04:50.119 --> 01:04:51.840
another, we read this last week, if you love

01:04:51.840 --> 01:04:55.329
another, then... You are loving as God loves.

01:04:55.429 --> 01:04:58.570
You truly love. You are in love. And being in

01:04:58.570 --> 01:05:01.250
love, being encompassed, or abiding in love is

01:05:01.250 --> 01:05:03.989
how we know that we are saved. And this is how

01:05:03.989 --> 01:05:07.289
they will know that you are His disciples by

01:05:07.289 --> 01:05:09.860
the way you love one another. So the bottom line

01:05:09.860 --> 01:05:13.340
is, Jesus will be the perfect example of love,

01:05:13.559 --> 01:05:16.119
and He will mark out how there will be a falling

01:05:16.119 --> 01:05:18.280
and a rising of many. And it is not as simple

01:05:18.280 --> 01:05:21.179
as, it definitely is based in, and it's fundamental,

01:05:21.420 --> 01:05:24.099
it has to have belief, but it's that belief then

01:05:24.099 --> 01:05:27.639
flowing into the love, becoming the love. If

01:05:27.639 --> 01:05:29.699
Jesus loved you so much that He would die for

01:05:29.699 --> 01:05:32.239
you, how much should you love those that Jesus

01:05:32.239 --> 01:05:36.739
loves the same way? It's about the love. If there's

01:05:36.739 --> 01:05:41.730
no love, Get ready for a fall. I understand it's

01:05:41.730 --> 01:05:44.530
about belief as well. God says He's the only

01:05:44.530 --> 01:05:46.630
begotten Son, so whosoever believes. But the

01:05:46.630 --> 01:05:48.429
belief is translated into actual love. Now that

01:05:48.429 --> 01:05:51.210
talks a lot about last week. But here is Mary

01:05:51.210 --> 01:05:55.389
in the temple being told by Simeon that He will

01:05:55.389 --> 01:05:58.889
be a sign for the fall and the rise of many.

01:05:59.829 --> 01:06:02.030
appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel.

01:06:02.130 --> 01:06:03.489
So there are going to be people who are devout

01:06:03.489 --> 01:06:05.570
Jews who claim the name of Abraham, claim the

01:06:05.570 --> 01:06:07.969
name of Jacob, claim the name of God's people,

01:06:08.070 --> 01:06:10.030
God's favored people, and because they will not

01:06:10.030 --> 01:06:16.170
believe in Jesus, they will fall. And that's

01:06:16.170 --> 01:06:18.070
not all that bad of a thing, really, because

01:06:18.070 --> 01:06:22.429
she's a poor girl. She's going to flee and run.

01:06:23.690 --> 01:06:25.449
She's going to go through some real hard times.

01:06:26.610 --> 01:06:32.289
She's young. But I want to say to you that Jesus

01:06:32.289 --> 01:06:37.230
was appointed that she would rise. And maybe

01:06:37.230 --> 01:06:39.809
it's the same thing for us. Notice, secondly,

01:06:39.889 --> 01:06:46.590
that he would be assigned to be opposed. An indeterminate,

01:06:46.650 --> 01:06:50.949
seeming, unendless effort goes into teaching

01:06:50.949 --> 01:06:54.889
against the truth that is Jesus and his provided

01:06:54.889 --> 01:07:00.420
salvation. We were watching... Power Rangers,

01:07:00.699 --> 01:07:03.119
one of my sons, Ariana was really watching it,

01:07:03.139 --> 01:07:04.400
and this is what happens with Power Rangers,

01:07:04.500 --> 01:07:06.360
and she watches it, and the whole family will

01:07:06.360 --> 01:07:08.159
eventually get sucked into watching Power Rangers.

01:07:08.559 --> 01:07:10.860
And so we're watching, and one of my sons says

01:07:10.860 --> 01:07:12.940
to me, I just don't understand why the robots

01:07:12.940 --> 01:07:17.119
just don't win. They never have to sleep. They

01:07:17.119 --> 01:07:19.920
could fight 24 hours a day. There's no reason

01:07:19.920 --> 01:07:23.780
why they just don't win. And I said, well, actually,

01:07:23.880 --> 01:07:25.559
it's interesting you say that. Most of the shows

01:07:25.559 --> 01:07:28.900
have built into it a reason why the robots can't

01:07:28.900 --> 01:07:30.619
fight 24 hours a day. They don't have enough

01:07:30.619 --> 01:07:33.059
fuel to make enough robots. One is destroyed

01:07:33.059 --> 01:07:34.639
and they have to wait to make another one or

01:07:34.639 --> 01:07:36.480
things like that. There are reasons. But some

01:07:36.480 --> 01:07:38.920
of them don't. And the fact is, if the enemy

01:07:38.920 --> 01:07:44.860
in the show never quits, never sleeps, never

01:07:44.860 --> 01:07:49.630
stops, then... Nobody should resist. Eventually

01:07:49.630 --> 01:07:53.070
you will lose. If you face a bigger number and

01:07:53.070 --> 01:07:54.809
they never quit, they never stop, and they're

01:07:54.809 --> 01:07:57.829
powerful, you will eventually lose. And that

01:07:57.829 --> 01:08:00.949
is exactly what we are facing. An indeterminate,

01:08:01.030 --> 01:08:03.909
seemingly unendless effort goes into teaching

01:08:03.909 --> 01:08:06.429
against the truth that is Jesus and His provided

01:08:06.429 --> 01:08:13.309
salvation. I want to read briefly from 1 Corinthians

01:08:13.309 --> 01:08:15.449
written by the Apostle Paul to the church at

01:08:15.449 --> 01:08:19.270
Corinth. It's in chapter 1. verses 20 -31, and

01:08:19.270 --> 01:08:22.609
it says this, Where is the wise man? Where is

01:08:22.609 --> 01:08:25.510
the scribe? Where is the debater of this age?

01:08:25.909 --> 01:08:30.210
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

01:08:30.590 --> 01:08:32.909
For since in the wisdom of God the world through

01:08:32.909 --> 01:08:34.989
its wisdom did not come to know God, in other

01:08:34.989 --> 01:08:37.470
words, they had access to the wisdom of God,

01:08:37.630 --> 01:08:40.470
and then they interpreted it their way, and they

01:08:40.470 --> 01:08:43.029
didn't come to know God. God was well pleased

01:08:43.029 --> 01:08:45.189
through the foolishness of the message preached

01:08:45.189 --> 01:08:48.659
to save those who believe. For indeed, Jews ask

01:08:48.659 --> 01:08:51.260
for signs and Greeks search for wisdom. But we

01:08:51.260 --> 01:08:54.260
preach Christ crucified to Jews a stumbling block

01:08:54.260 --> 01:08:56.699
and to Gentiles foolishness. I hope you understand

01:08:56.699 --> 01:08:58.979
the context of what he's saying here. He's saying,

01:08:59.039 --> 01:09:01.380
as smart as you may ever be, as much learning

01:09:01.380 --> 01:09:03.800
as you may ever get, as practiced as you might

01:09:03.800 --> 01:09:06.779
be in various steps of religion, whatever, this

01:09:06.779 --> 01:09:10.880
crucifixion that wins the day, it's baffling.

01:09:11.239 --> 01:09:15.250
It's amazing. It's blinding even for those who

01:09:15.250 --> 01:09:17.489
just will not accept that sins must be paid for.

01:09:17.630 --> 01:09:20.970
That propitiation can only be through blood.

01:09:21.390 --> 01:09:24.949
That a sacrifice, that all those sacrifices that

01:09:24.949 --> 01:09:28.029
they did all those days and years in the temple

01:09:28.029 --> 01:09:31.229
were all pointing to one sacrifice. If you can't

01:09:31.229 --> 01:09:35.489
grasp that concept, then this crucifixion of

01:09:35.489 --> 01:09:38.649
Jesus that pays for sins becomes a stumbling

01:09:38.649 --> 01:09:42.760
block. It becomes... Seems like foolishness.

01:09:44.260 --> 01:09:46.680
We preach Christ crucified to Jews a stumbling

01:09:46.680 --> 01:09:49.439
block and to Gentiles foolishness. But to those

01:09:49.439 --> 01:09:52.079
who are the call, both Jews and Greeks, Christ,

01:09:52.140 --> 01:09:54.739
the power of God, and the wisdom of God. In other

01:09:54.739 --> 01:09:57.119
words, if you are the ones, if you are willing

01:09:57.119 --> 01:09:59.479
to accept, to believe, and to live out what Jesus

01:09:59.479 --> 01:10:01.640
would have you to do, if you are the ones favored

01:10:01.640 --> 01:10:04.399
by God to believe and continue in the faith,

01:10:04.600 --> 01:10:08.100
then... It is the power of God and the wisdom

01:10:08.100 --> 01:10:10.300
of God, this crazy message that we have that

01:10:10.300 --> 01:10:13.079
one died for all. Because the foolishness of

01:10:13.079 --> 01:10:16.520
God is wiser than men. And the weakness of God

01:10:16.520 --> 01:10:20.000
is stronger than men. For consider your calling,

01:10:20.100 --> 01:10:22.640
brethren, that there were not many wise according

01:10:22.640 --> 01:10:24.739
to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble.

01:10:24.920 --> 01:10:28.359
But God has chosen the foolish things of the

01:10:28.359 --> 01:10:30.939
world to shame the wise. And God has chosen the

01:10:30.939 --> 01:10:33.180
weak things of the world to shame the things

01:10:33.180 --> 01:10:36.420
which are strong. and the base things of the

01:10:36.420 --> 01:10:39.680
world, and the despised, that means look down

01:10:39.680 --> 01:10:44.180
on, God has chosen the things that are not, so

01:10:44.180 --> 01:10:47.340
that He may nullify the things that are, so that

01:10:47.340 --> 01:10:50.300
no man may boast before God. But by His doing,

01:10:50.359 --> 01:10:53.920
you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom

01:10:53.920 --> 01:10:56.239
from God, and righteousness and sanctification,

01:10:56.340 --> 01:10:58.600
that means progressively becoming more holy,

01:10:58.640 --> 01:11:01.760
or holiness, sanctification is holiness, and

01:11:01.760 --> 01:11:05.649
redemption, brought back. So that just as it

01:11:05.649 --> 01:11:09.390
is written, let him who boasts, boast in the

01:11:09.390 --> 01:11:13.930
Lord. Listen to me. If the enemy army opposes

01:11:13.930 --> 01:11:16.270
the truth, Jesus was assigned to be opposed.

01:11:16.350 --> 01:11:18.869
If he opposes the truth, I want you to ask yourself

01:11:18.869 --> 01:11:21.130
now, I want you to decide in your own heart,

01:11:21.289 --> 01:11:24.710
who is stronger? Every worldly person in the

01:11:24.710 --> 01:11:31.649
world? Every worldly TV station? Every demon

01:11:31.649 --> 01:11:37.109
and every evil spirit? Or you? Who's stronger?

01:11:38.470 --> 01:11:42.949
But greater is He who is in you than he that

01:11:42.949 --> 01:11:45.369
is in the world in every context and in every

01:11:45.369 --> 01:11:48.029
piece. I know as a Christian you want to say

01:11:48.029 --> 01:11:50.550
you're stronger, but let's be realistic. It is

01:11:50.550 --> 01:11:53.729
not me that's stronger. I'm not stronger than

01:11:53.729 --> 01:11:58.069
a demon. I'm not stronger than Satan. But God's

01:11:58.069 --> 01:12:01.250
power in me is stronger. See, Jesus would be

01:12:01.250 --> 01:12:03.989
assigned to be opposed, and oh, he has been opposed.

01:12:05.829 --> 01:12:09.550
I think you sometimes get a picture of this opposition

01:12:09.550 --> 01:12:12.670
when you examine what happens in the political

01:12:12.670 --> 01:12:16.489
or social arena. Whether it be running for president,

01:12:16.609 --> 01:12:19.489
or whether it be becoming a popular movie star,

01:12:19.590 --> 01:12:22.210
people become very popular. And then somebody

01:12:22.210 --> 01:12:27.770
goes after them. And scandals happen. No one

01:12:27.770 --> 01:12:30.609
cares to scandalize me or you because we're just

01:12:30.609 --> 01:12:33.069
not popular enough. The people who become popular

01:12:33.069 --> 01:12:35.050
or politically correct, they get scandalized.

01:12:35.109 --> 01:12:38.029
And if you started leading people to Jesus, and

01:12:38.029 --> 01:12:40.270
if you start telling them about Jesus, and they

01:12:40.270 --> 01:12:42.350
start getting saved, this is what will happen.

01:12:42.470 --> 01:12:44.329
Through evil spirits, through your flesh nature,

01:12:44.550 --> 01:12:46.569
through the ways of the world, you too would

01:12:46.569 --> 01:12:49.649
be scandalized. The enemy wants to stop you.

01:12:49.750 --> 01:12:52.909
You better decide right up front that Jesus is

01:12:52.909 --> 01:12:56.390
assigned to be opposed. There is opposition.

01:12:57.100 --> 01:12:58.920
in the world. There are people that hate God.

01:12:59.140 --> 01:13:01.659
The enemies hate God and because they hate God,

01:13:01.800 --> 01:13:04.319
they can't get God. They can't win over God because

01:13:04.319 --> 01:13:06.359
God has already won. It's already settled. So

01:13:06.359 --> 01:13:09.180
they will come after the one that God loves and

01:13:09.180 --> 01:13:11.560
that's Christians or even non -Christians. They're

01:13:11.560 --> 01:13:13.380
making every effort to keep people from coming

01:13:13.380 --> 01:13:18.079
to Christ and have a proper relationship. I think

01:13:18.079 --> 01:13:19.960
it's very interesting, the song that RJ played.

01:13:20.260 --> 01:13:23.000
I was really grateful that the artist repeated

01:13:23.000 --> 01:13:26.079
the lyrics like, what, four times because he's

01:13:26.079 --> 01:13:27.579
so fast, I couldn't understand what he was saying

01:13:27.579 --> 01:13:29.819
and I couldn't read fast enough because he was

01:13:29.819 --> 01:13:32.520
going faster than I can read, right? But he repeated

01:13:32.520 --> 01:13:34.619
the lyrics like four times. But it's really interesting

01:13:34.619 --> 01:13:37.359
that he was talking about how somebody who hates

01:13:37.359 --> 01:13:40.659
themselves has a hard time seeing others in the

01:13:40.659 --> 01:13:42.800
difficulty that they're in and caring about them.

01:13:45.119 --> 01:13:48.000
It's interesting, isn't it? Now, it's a little

01:13:48.000 --> 01:13:50.500
worldly to say you have to love yourself first

01:13:50.500 --> 01:13:52.119
before you love others. I don't even think that's

01:13:52.119 --> 01:13:55.199
biblical. I do think maybe it's biblical to say

01:13:55.199 --> 01:13:56.880
you have to love God first before you can truly

01:13:56.880 --> 01:14:00.140
love others and understand what love is. We love

01:14:00.140 --> 01:14:02.079
because He first loved us and we learned how

01:14:02.079 --> 01:14:03.920
to love from Him. And I want you to look at the

01:14:03.920 --> 01:14:07.720
example of Jesus and compare it to the example

01:14:07.720 --> 01:14:12.319
of most of the people that we know. And how many

01:14:12.319 --> 01:14:14.579
people are going around loving people the way

01:14:14.579 --> 01:14:19.159
Jesus loved people? So your brother, your sister,

01:14:19.279 --> 01:14:21.180
your cousin, your mother, your uncle, your friend,

01:14:21.260 --> 01:14:23.500
the person you work with, never carries a burden

01:14:23.500 --> 01:14:26.800
alone. If you have ever carried a burden alone,

01:14:27.020 --> 01:14:28.640
except with Jesus, obviously if you're saved,

01:14:28.680 --> 01:14:30.840
Jesus is with you. He walks with everybody and

01:14:30.840 --> 01:14:32.899
helps with the burdens. If you have ever carried

01:14:32.899 --> 01:14:34.840
a burden alone, just you and Jesus, then you

01:14:34.840 --> 01:14:37.520
know there was probably somebody who claims to

01:14:37.520 --> 01:14:39.819
be a Christian who should have been there for

01:14:39.819 --> 01:14:43.500
you to help you carry that burden. That's pretty

01:14:43.500 --> 01:14:46.960
interesting. Christians are not loving people

01:14:46.960 --> 01:14:50.319
the way Jesus loves people. And we need to repent

01:14:50.319 --> 01:14:52.720
and turn to God and understand that if we do

01:14:52.720 --> 01:14:54.779
not learn to love people the way Jesus loves

01:14:54.779 --> 01:14:57.659
people, that we may not be established in holiness

01:14:57.659 --> 01:15:03.989
at the coming of Jesus. Jesus would be assigned

01:15:03.989 --> 01:15:06.710
to be opposed. Because there is opposition, there

01:15:06.710 --> 01:15:09.510
must also be allies. I want to be your ally.

01:15:09.630 --> 01:15:11.550
Others in this room want to be your ally. The

01:15:11.550 --> 01:15:13.729
church is a unified body of Christ representing

01:15:13.729 --> 01:15:15.649
Jesus in this world and we are supposed to work

01:15:15.649 --> 01:15:17.949
together. Every time you use your spiritual gift

01:15:17.949 --> 01:15:19.729
in the body, it strengthens other believers.

01:15:20.029 --> 01:15:21.710
Every time you choose not to use your spiritual

01:15:21.710 --> 01:15:23.770
gift in the body, you weaken other believers

01:15:23.770 --> 01:15:26.989
and that is not love. Every time you get too

01:15:26.989 --> 01:15:29.329
busy in your own life to show up and serve, give,

01:15:29.529 --> 01:15:31.630
care, every time you think you need the money

01:15:31.630 --> 01:15:34.489
more than God, should get the money every time

01:15:34.489 --> 01:15:37.409
you think you have an appointment that keeps

01:15:37.409 --> 01:15:40.310
you out of worship or that you have a friction

01:15:40.310 --> 01:15:42.029
or a struggle in your spouse and you come with

01:15:42.029 --> 01:15:44.609
the wrong heart to worship or the list just goes

01:15:44.609 --> 01:15:46.869
on. Every time you allow anything of the world,

01:15:46.930 --> 01:15:49.789
and believe me, there is a very active opposition.

01:15:50.069 --> 01:15:52.189
So the truth is, you could have found a hundred

01:15:52.189 --> 01:15:54.130
reasons not to be here today. Some of you are

01:15:54.130 --> 01:15:56.609
thinking of reasons right now why you should

01:15:56.609 --> 01:15:58.270
not have been here today because that's what

01:15:58.270 --> 01:16:01.069
the enemy does. There are more reasons not to

01:16:01.069 --> 01:16:04.350
follow Jesus, more reasons not to follow the

01:16:04.350 --> 01:16:07.380
Lord, love the Lord, follow and love others,

01:16:07.619 --> 01:16:11.319
serve, give, stretch yourself, sacrifice yourself.

01:16:11.539 --> 01:16:13.579
There are more reasons not to do that than there

01:16:13.579 --> 01:16:15.859
are to do it. And the enemy is perfectly happy

01:16:15.859 --> 01:16:23.119
to point them all out to you and to me. Jesus

01:16:23.119 --> 01:16:25.319
would be assigned to be opposed and that's painful

01:16:25.319 --> 01:16:29.039
enough. But then also, a sword would pierce even

01:16:29.039 --> 01:16:35.439
her own soul, he said to Mary. The woman who

01:16:35.439 --> 01:16:41.300
said, Lord, your maidservant I am, do whatever

01:16:41.300 --> 01:16:45.920
you would. Just go ahead and invite it. Essentially

01:16:45.920 --> 01:16:47.760
invite it, although she was told it was going

01:16:47.760 --> 01:16:49.760
to happen, but essentially invited God to come

01:16:49.760 --> 01:16:52.859
into her bed if that's where she was and to impregnate

01:16:52.859 --> 01:16:55.600
her without a man and to set her on this amazing

01:16:55.600 --> 01:16:57.819
journey which she could have been stoned to death,

01:16:57.920 --> 01:16:59.960
but of course God provided and He spoke to Joseph

01:16:59.960 --> 01:17:03.859
and made a way and it just all goes on. But when

01:17:03.859 --> 01:17:10.800
would that soul of Mary be pierced? I submit

01:17:10.800 --> 01:17:16.100
to you, it began maybe on Christmas night. It

01:17:16.100 --> 01:17:18.159
began when she received what she thought was

01:17:18.159 --> 01:17:22.079
an awesome gift from God that she thought she

01:17:22.079 --> 01:17:25.659
knew. And she thought, man, this is going to

01:17:25.659 --> 01:17:30.020
be awesome. We've come to see the child. For

01:17:30.020 --> 01:17:31.859
an angel appeared to us and said, I am bringing

01:17:31.859 --> 01:17:34.760
you good news of great joy for all people. To

01:17:34.760 --> 01:17:37.380
you is born this day in the city of Savior, who

01:17:37.380 --> 01:17:40.039
is Messiah the Lord. Then a chorus of angels

01:17:40.039 --> 01:17:42.300
began to sing to us. This is the shepherd speaking,

01:17:42.439 --> 01:17:44.920
of course. Glory to God in the highest in heaven

01:17:44.920 --> 01:17:48.380
and on earth. Peace among those whom he favors.

01:17:49.140 --> 01:17:56.460
Man, that's good wrapping paper. And there she

01:17:56.460 --> 01:18:00.060
was set up, if you will. And here she begins

01:18:00.060 --> 01:18:09.000
to see the pain in relief. But what was Mary's

01:18:09.000 --> 01:18:11.920
piercing? Was it we have to leave our home and

01:18:11.920 --> 01:18:14.180
everything we can't put on the back of a camel

01:18:14.180 --> 01:18:16.520
or two or a donkey or two. We're going to use

01:18:16.520 --> 01:18:18.659
just the money and gifts that the Magi bought

01:18:18.659 --> 01:18:20.380
and whatever we have and we're going to flee

01:18:20.380 --> 01:18:22.760
to Egypt. We're going to leave everyone and everything

01:18:22.760 --> 01:18:27.220
we know and really only just me and you and the

01:18:27.220 --> 01:18:31.090
baby. And maybe a couple of others or whatever,

01:18:31.189 --> 01:18:34.069
but we're all going to leave here and flee to

01:18:34.069 --> 01:18:37.449
Egypt and leave our life behind. Or was it just

01:18:37.449 --> 01:18:41.329
getting the word that every baby around her that

01:18:41.329 --> 01:18:43.789
was less than two years old was going to be killed?

01:18:44.409 --> 01:18:47.890
Including hers. Would that have pierced your

01:18:47.890 --> 01:18:51.050
soul if you were a mother? That sounds pretty

01:18:51.050 --> 01:18:55.890
harsh. Was it as Jesus came up? Was it when she

01:18:55.890 --> 01:18:59.409
said, Honey, can you make this water into wine?

01:18:59.489 --> 01:19:01.590
Because we seem not to have gotten enough. And

01:19:01.590 --> 01:19:07.149
he said, but mother, it's not my time yet. But

01:19:07.149 --> 01:19:09.489
then he did make the water into wine, didn't

01:19:09.489 --> 01:19:13.750
he? Was it when he came on the scene and everyone

01:19:13.750 --> 01:19:16.550
was speaking against him? And she started hearing

01:19:16.550 --> 01:19:20.470
all the rumors? Was it when she decided? Remember,

01:19:20.869 --> 01:19:24.149
she decided after everything, all of this. She

01:19:24.149 --> 01:19:29.710
decided that her son Jesus was nuts. Was it when

01:19:29.710 --> 01:19:32.850
she decided that he was crazy and she and his

01:19:32.850 --> 01:19:35.750
brothers came to take him home? Or was it when

01:19:35.750 --> 01:19:38.189
Jesus himself said, and by rumor it was passed

01:19:38.189 --> 01:19:40.970
to her, and he said, no, these who gather around

01:19:40.970 --> 01:19:43.390
me and listen, they are my mother and brothers.

01:19:45.050 --> 01:19:51.510
So if your child said to you, no, Mary Kay is

01:19:51.510 --> 01:19:54.319
my mother. If Rayleigh grew up and became a teenager

01:19:54.319 --> 01:19:57.060
and said, no, you're not my mother. Mary's my

01:19:57.060 --> 01:20:01.579
mother. Would that not run a sword through your

01:20:01.579 --> 01:20:08.159
soul as a parent? Was it when he came home to

01:20:08.159 --> 01:20:13.319
visit and all the miracles that he had done in

01:20:13.319 --> 01:20:15.100
so many places, but when he came back to where

01:20:15.100 --> 01:20:18.420
he kind of came from, He could do very few miracles

01:20:18.420 --> 01:20:20.760
because the people around him were despising

01:20:20.760 --> 01:20:22.220
him. They were thinking so little of him and

01:20:22.220 --> 01:20:24.199
thinking, well, it's just Joseph, the carpenter's

01:20:24.199 --> 01:20:27.560
son. He's nobody special. And he only did a few

01:20:27.560 --> 01:20:30.619
healings there. And she thought, man, when he

01:20:30.619 --> 01:20:33.119
comes back home, he can't hardly do anything.

01:20:33.680 --> 01:20:35.220
But elsewhere, everywhere else in the world,

01:20:35.239 --> 01:20:38.260
to all the strangers, he's great. But to me,

01:20:38.399 --> 01:20:43.239
to us here, was it when she came to the cross

01:20:43.239 --> 01:20:46.979
or watched him? beaten, his skin filleted off

01:20:46.979 --> 01:20:48.899
his back and she could see the tendons hanging

01:20:48.899 --> 01:20:55.439
out, carrying his cross to Golgotha, was that

01:20:55.439 --> 01:20:59.199
when the sword ran through her soul? It was when

01:20:59.199 --> 01:21:00.840
she stood at the bottom of the cross and he was

01:21:00.840 --> 01:21:02.739
clearly and evidently going to die and he was

01:21:02.739 --> 01:21:07.060
suffering horribly for those six hours, I think

01:21:07.060 --> 01:21:11.739
it was, and he couldn't exhale. And she had to

01:21:11.739 --> 01:21:14.279
watch him push with his feet off the nail in

01:21:14.279 --> 01:21:17.079
the cross and grind the flesh off his back some

01:21:17.079 --> 01:21:19.640
more in order to be able to let his breath out

01:21:19.640 --> 01:21:21.659
so he could take another breath and then sag

01:21:21.659 --> 01:21:24.880
back down in agony with a crown of thorns. Is

01:21:24.880 --> 01:21:31.300
that when a sword was run through her soul? Maybe

01:21:31.300 --> 01:21:35.000
yes, maybe all of it. So many words spoken against

01:21:35.000 --> 01:21:37.479
Jesus. Jesus hung on the cross. Jesus beaten

01:21:37.479 --> 01:21:42.659
just short of death. Was it when He hung on the

01:21:42.659 --> 01:21:44.920
cross just short of death and her heart's in

01:21:44.920 --> 01:21:47.479
bitterness and she's losing her son and He prayed,

01:21:47.579 --> 01:21:50.819
Lord, forgive them for they know not what they

01:21:50.819 --> 01:21:58.279
do. And suddenly, she realized that everything

01:21:58.279 --> 01:22:02.000
that she had ever been told about Jesus was now

01:22:02.000 --> 01:22:07.340
coming true and that He loved those who were

01:22:07.340 --> 01:22:11.640
crucifying Him. Because I guarantee you, she

01:22:11.640 --> 01:22:17.239
didn't. Well, I don't know the answer to that

01:22:17.239 --> 01:22:21.220
question. But I know for a fact that the prophecy

01:22:21.220 --> 01:22:24.579
was fulfilled. A sword would pierce even her

01:22:24.579 --> 01:22:34.039
soul. So Jesus was appointed for the fall and

01:22:34.039 --> 01:22:37.260
rise of many in Israel. For a sign to be opposed.

01:22:38.920 --> 01:22:42.020
And the opposition has been much and continues

01:22:42.020 --> 01:22:48.279
unendingly without lack of endurance. And a sword

01:22:48.279 --> 01:22:53.840
would pierce even her own soul. To the end, that

01:22:53.840 --> 01:22:56.279
thoughts from many hearts would be revealed.

01:22:56.800 --> 01:23:01.239
God knows. And in the end, if I could say it

01:23:01.239 --> 01:23:05.939
this way, everyone will know. On the day when

01:23:05.939 --> 01:23:09.789
all is settled and done. everyone will know.

01:23:10.569 --> 01:23:13.050
Everyone will know whether you were lying about

01:23:13.050 --> 01:23:14.770
being a follower of Jesus. Everyone will know

01:23:14.770 --> 01:23:16.689
whether you were loving others or just doing

01:23:16.689 --> 01:23:18.989
things to try to get ahead, manipulate, whatever.

01:23:19.250 --> 01:23:21.869
Everyone will know about your anger outbursts

01:23:21.869 --> 01:23:24.109
that you try to conceal or try to play off as

01:23:24.109 --> 01:23:26.630
no big deal. Everyone will know about your stingy

01:23:26.630 --> 01:23:31.829
heart or your nasty preferring yourself or preferring

01:23:31.829 --> 01:23:37.529
your certain loved ones over others. And everyone

01:23:37.529 --> 01:23:43.439
will know. Because that is why Jesus came. Because

01:23:43.439 --> 01:23:51.340
in the hearts of men, there are truths that simply

01:23:51.340 --> 01:23:57.100
must be revealed. You could go to heaven and

01:23:57.100 --> 01:23:59.380
go, it's not fair. Pastor Dan didn't make it

01:23:59.380 --> 01:24:03.760
in. He preached the Gospel. I heard. It's not

01:24:03.760 --> 01:24:07.909
right. He's not here. He seemed to love me so

01:24:07.909 --> 01:24:09.829
much. He seemed to stand up for me so much. But

01:24:09.829 --> 01:24:12.689
listen to me. If by some chance that would happen,

01:24:12.729 --> 01:24:17.670
understand, the truths of hearts will be revealed.

01:24:19.989 --> 01:24:22.449
You may be surprised at who doesn't make it in,

01:24:22.529 --> 01:24:28.170
but you won't be baffled as to why. Because every

01:24:28.170 --> 01:24:32.550
heart will be exposed to the end that thoughts

01:24:32.550 --> 01:24:36.029
from many hearts may be revealed. 1 Thessalonians

01:24:36.029 --> 01:24:39.310
3, 11 -13 says it this way, Now may our God and

01:24:39.310 --> 01:24:42.189
Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our

01:24:42.189 --> 01:24:44.449
way to you, and may the Lord cause you to increase

01:24:44.449 --> 01:24:46.590
and abound in love for one another and for all

01:24:46.590 --> 01:24:49.470
people, just as we also do for you, so that He

01:24:49.470 --> 01:24:51.529
may establish your hearts without blame and holiness

01:24:51.529 --> 01:24:55.770
before our God and Father at the coming of our

01:24:55.770 --> 01:25:00.109
Lord Jesus with all His saints. I want to go

01:25:00.109 --> 01:25:04.130
in. I'm begging God to teach me to love other

01:25:04.130 --> 01:25:06.920
people. We began by asking ourselves, when does

01:25:06.920 --> 01:25:15.479
Christmas end? When does Christmas end? Why don't

01:25:15.479 --> 01:25:19.279
we love all year long like we supposedly love

01:25:19.279 --> 01:25:23.359
at Christmas? A couple months back we were at

01:25:23.359 --> 01:25:26.800
the life station and we consistently give away

01:25:26.800 --> 01:25:30.140
groceries. and we were giving away groceries

01:25:30.140 --> 01:25:32.140
then on delivery every two weeks, and we give

01:25:32.140 --> 01:25:34.159
away groceries. People can come for a referral

01:25:34.159 --> 01:25:35.640
to Front Door monthly, and then plus they can

01:25:35.640 --> 01:25:37.699
come get pantry support weekly. And I had somebody

01:25:37.699 --> 01:25:40.260
come, and they said, well, so -and -so is running

01:25:40.260 --> 01:25:42.560
a pop -up pantry down there, and they've got

01:25:42.560 --> 01:25:44.420
all this stuff they're giving away. And they

01:25:44.420 --> 01:25:46.319
said, well, why don't you give away that much

01:25:46.319 --> 01:25:49.300
stuff? Because they were giving away more than

01:25:49.300 --> 01:25:51.380
we were. They were comparing what they were giving

01:25:51.380 --> 01:25:54.619
away that day to what we were. And I said, I'm

01:25:54.619 --> 01:25:56.479
sorry, we don't have it. this, that, and the

01:25:56.479 --> 01:25:58.000
other, what you just described. I said, well,

01:25:58.020 --> 01:25:59.560
we do have all of this, and we're happy to give

01:25:59.560 --> 01:26:01.239
it to you, and we want to serve you. And I said,

01:26:01.260 --> 01:26:09.300
also, next week, you can come back again. Did

01:26:09.300 --> 01:26:11.140
you rush out and buy Christmas presents for your

01:26:11.140 --> 01:26:15.079
family? Did you rush out and buy, or did you

01:26:15.079 --> 01:26:17.159
plan ahead? Judy used to start buying her Christmas

01:26:17.159 --> 01:26:21.039
presents in May, and finish up about the beginning

01:26:21.039 --> 01:26:24.350
of November. Not because she was specifically

01:26:24.350 --> 01:26:25.949
trying to follow Jesus, but because she just

01:26:25.949 --> 01:26:30.270
really liked to shop for people. You know? She

01:26:30.270 --> 01:26:32.109
really liked to think about how awesome it's

01:26:32.109 --> 01:26:33.310
going to be when they open that gift and they

01:26:33.310 --> 01:26:35.050
see it and how good it feels. Did you do that?

01:26:36.130 --> 01:26:39.750
Why do you only do that in December? Do you want

01:26:39.750 --> 01:26:41.050
to try to make the statement? Do any of us want

01:26:41.050 --> 01:26:42.930
to try to make the statement that that kind of

01:26:42.930 --> 01:26:45.449
giving, that saving up money and buying nice

01:26:45.449 --> 01:26:48.029
gifts and unwrapping things, that that somehow

01:26:48.029 --> 01:26:53.979
honors Jesus on His birthday? That that's specifically

01:26:53.979 --> 01:26:59.380
about Jesus' gift to us. Now this would honor

01:26:59.380 --> 01:27:05.020
Jesus if you did that every day. Could you do

01:27:05.020 --> 01:27:07.180
it every day? No. Because we've made such a process

01:27:07.180 --> 01:27:10.210
out of it. We've made it such a big deal. This

01:27:10.210 --> 01:27:11.609
is how Sherry and I started. We said, well, we've

01:27:11.609 --> 01:27:13.149
got this much money. We have a spending plan.

01:27:13.210 --> 01:27:14.470
We've accumulated this much money and we want

01:27:14.470 --> 01:27:16.069
to buy it. We tried to make a list of everybody.

01:27:16.149 --> 01:27:17.670
We for sure absolutely wanted to. And then we

01:27:17.670 --> 01:27:19.609
added people on throughout because we found other

01:27:19.609 --> 01:27:21.750
people that were like, oh, I think they would

01:27:21.750 --> 01:27:23.350
love that. I want to buy that for them. I just

01:27:23.350 --> 01:27:25.210
want to do that. I just feel led of the Lord

01:27:25.210 --> 01:27:28.130
to do that. And so the list kept being amorphous.

01:27:28.130 --> 01:27:30.649
It wasn't settled. And then there were even some

01:27:30.649 --> 01:27:33.090
people on the list that, and I'm just going to

01:27:33.090 --> 01:27:35.050
be plain to you, I don't buy junk presents. I

01:27:35.050 --> 01:27:37.180
don't buy stuff just to buy stuff. I don't believe

01:27:37.180 --> 01:27:39.420
in that. I think that dishonors Jesus. So I had

01:27:39.420 --> 01:27:41.460
a couple people on my list that I really wanted

01:27:41.460 --> 01:27:42.600
to buy for, but I just couldn't think of what

01:27:42.600 --> 01:27:44.079
to buy for them, so I didn't buy them anything,

01:27:44.239 --> 01:27:45.720
because if God wanted me to buy them something,

01:27:45.760 --> 01:27:47.539
He would have shown me what to buy. And that's

01:27:47.539 --> 01:27:48.500
the way you're supposed to do it. You should

01:27:48.500 --> 01:27:51.000
buy gifts that are meaningful, because Jesus

01:27:51.000 --> 01:27:54.359
is a very meaningful gift. But wait, I think

01:27:54.359 --> 01:27:55.819
we've already determined that the whole buying

01:27:55.819 --> 01:27:57.619
of gifts thing and giving it on Christmas Day

01:27:57.619 --> 01:27:59.800
or Christmas Eve probably isn't about Jesus anyway,

01:27:59.920 --> 01:28:03.159
right? If it was, we'd be doing it all year long.

01:28:03.619 --> 01:28:05.100
You say, but I don't have the money to do it

01:28:05.100 --> 01:28:12.449
all year long. Maybe that's because we think

01:28:12.449 --> 01:28:15.649
that you have to buy something in the store and

01:28:15.649 --> 01:28:18.090
give them a gift receipt and wrap it up and give

01:28:18.090 --> 01:28:20.010
it to them in order to express love to them or

01:28:20.010 --> 01:28:23.069
in order to express how Jesus came. Or something,

01:28:23.210 --> 01:28:26.470
I don't understand. Use your spiritual gift in

01:28:26.470 --> 01:28:31.270
the church. Give of your time year -round. Listen

01:28:31.270 --> 01:28:34.210
to me. I want to say, this the Lord says, Holy

01:28:34.210 --> 01:28:36.949
Spirit backed, I believe this 100%. If you hear

01:28:36.949 --> 01:28:39.850
about a need in the church, a brother or a sister

01:28:39.850 --> 01:28:42.149
that is struggling, doesn't matter what it is,

01:28:42.270 --> 01:28:44.930
they need it, even if it's their fault, and you

01:28:44.930 --> 01:28:48.609
hear about a need, don't assume somebody else

01:28:48.609 --> 01:28:50.449
knows, don't assume somebody else is going to

01:28:50.449 --> 01:28:52.350
do something about it, and don't stop until the

01:28:52.350 --> 01:28:57.899
problem is solved. That's how Jesus loved. That's

01:28:57.899 --> 01:29:00.079
the love that he's talking about when he says

01:29:00.079 --> 01:29:03.939
we need that in us, acted out through us in order

01:29:03.939 --> 01:29:05.899
to have a firm foundation and be established

01:29:05.899 --> 01:29:08.600
in holiness on the day that Jesus comes. If you

01:29:08.600 --> 01:29:11.159
don't do it that way, if you hear a brother or

01:29:11.159 --> 01:29:14.460
sister who is in need and you don't, the bare

01:29:14.460 --> 01:29:15.960
minimum if you pray about it, but I submit to

01:29:15.960 --> 01:29:17.520
you if you pray about it, that's just the beginning.

01:29:18.199 --> 01:29:19.880
Then out of that you should have some kind of

01:29:19.880 --> 01:29:21.920
solution, some kind of step you can take. If

01:29:21.920 --> 01:29:23.819
you can't figure it out, you go to Brother Tony

01:29:23.819 --> 01:29:25.819
because that's kind of like his, that's his,

01:29:26.529 --> 01:29:29.289
That's what He can figure it out. He can do it.

01:29:29.289 --> 01:29:30.989
If He can't figure it out, He knows who He can

01:29:30.989 --> 01:29:34.350
ask. We've got to just step up and cover the

01:29:34.350 --> 01:29:39.050
bases and make sure that our people are not suffering

01:29:39.050 --> 01:29:40.729
needlessly and definitely not suffering alone

01:29:40.729 --> 01:29:43.430
because Jesus does not allow people to suffer

01:29:43.430 --> 01:29:45.149
needlessly and He does not allow them to suffer

01:29:45.149 --> 01:29:50.170
alone. If you spend $150 on presents for somebody

01:29:50.170 --> 01:29:54.500
at Christmas time, why not spend... $15 a month

01:29:54.500 --> 01:29:57.479
on them all year round. And buy a meaningful

01:29:57.479 --> 01:29:59.359
gift every time. And if you miss a month because

01:29:59.359 --> 01:30:02.619
you can't think of a meaningful gift, then spend

01:30:02.619 --> 01:30:04.899
$30 on them the next month. You say, I can't

01:30:04.899 --> 01:30:06.920
do that because I have to pay my bills. If that's

01:30:06.920 --> 01:30:08.779
true, then you just blew it with Christmas because

01:30:08.779 --> 01:30:11.880
you spent $150 on Christmas that you actually

01:30:11.880 --> 01:30:13.600
are saying you couldn't afford to spend year

01:30:13.600 --> 01:30:21.020
round. When does Christmas end? God gave us Jesus'

01:30:21.180 --> 01:30:25.619
gift. When did He take Him back? When does Christmas

01:30:25.619 --> 01:30:31.520
end? Christmas Jesus' way, Christmas God's way,

01:30:31.640 --> 01:30:36.899
does not end. I was talking with a young man

01:30:36.899 --> 01:30:38.680
who told me that he really isn't that fond of

01:30:38.680 --> 01:30:41.039
Christmas carols. And I said, well, there are

01:30:41.039 --> 01:30:43.039
some Christmas carols I love, and there are some

01:30:43.039 --> 01:30:46.279
Christmas carols I could give or take. And I

01:30:46.279 --> 01:30:48.539
said, I know exactly what the difference is.

01:30:49.600 --> 01:30:52.100
The difference is, I love the Christmas carols

01:30:52.100 --> 01:30:57.590
that are about Jesus. And a Christmas carol that's

01:30:57.590 --> 01:31:00.210
about Jesus isn't a one month out of the year

01:31:00.210 --> 01:31:03.050
or a two month out of the year thing. It includes

01:31:03.050 --> 01:31:05.270
the message. Have you listened to the lyrics

01:31:05.270 --> 01:31:08.789
of Hark the Herald Angels Sing? Do you know what

01:31:08.789 --> 01:31:13.350
in excelsis Deo means? Glory in excelsis Deo

01:31:13.350 --> 01:31:16.310
means glory to God in the highest or in the absolute

01:31:16.310 --> 01:31:18.550
most amount. We went to a Christmas concert a

01:31:18.550 --> 01:31:20.170
few years ago back at Northwood. They sang that

01:31:20.170 --> 01:31:22.430
song. It was more than a few years ago. I think

01:31:22.430 --> 01:31:25.789
it was Amalia was back there then. Maybe you

01:31:25.789 --> 01:31:27.310
and Alicia too. It was about five, six years

01:31:27.310 --> 01:31:29.989
ago in the choir. They sang that song. And guess

01:31:29.989 --> 01:31:32.170
what happened? 300 people in the audience, 250

01:31:32.170 --> 01:31:35.810
people, whatever. They all sang it. Atheists,

01:31:35.810 --> 01:31:41.449
people who hate Jesus, people who hate the church,

01:31:41.689 --> 01:31:45.010
the entire audience sang Gloria in Excelsis Deo

01:31:45.010 --> 01:31:48.390
because God did this right in front of everybody.

01:31:49.630 --> 01:31:52.770
I submit to you, He's still doing Christmas right

01:31:52.770 --> 01:31:57.279
in front of everybody. There's only one day of

01:31:57.279 --> 01:32:01.819
the year that I would ever consider not celebrating

01:32:01.819 --> 01:32:09.119
Christmas. And it's Easter. Because that's the

01:32:09.119 --> 01:32:13.100
day we celebrate specifically the death, burial,

01:32:13.140 --> 01:32:16.460
and resurrection of Christ. When does Christmas

01:32:16.460 --> 01:32:19.460
end? The answer is, according to God, it does

01:32:19.460 --> 01:32:24.210
not. Jesus was sent. He was sent. for the rise

01:32:24.210 --> 01:32:29.569
and fall of many, and by the way, still. So it

01:32:29.569 --> 01:32:33.869
began, and so it continues. He would be assigned

01:32:33.869 --> 01:32:37.829
to be opposed. Is Jesus assigned to be opposed?

01:32:38.149 --> 01:32:43.270
Yes. So it began, and so it continues. And a

01:32:43.270 --> 01:32:50.359
sword would pierce even Mary's own soul. So it

01:32:50.359 --> 01:32:52.340
is for all the favorite of God who have to go

01:32:52.340 --> 01:32:54.020
through the kinds of things. There is sorrow

01:32:54.020 --> 01:32:57.539
and sighing on the highway of holiness. When

01:32:57.539 --> 01:32:58.939
we get to heaven, there will be no more tears.

01:32:59.199 --> 01:33:03.779
But in the meantime, you will suffer. I will

01:33:03.779 --> 01:33:10.199
suffer. Bad things will happen. And all of this

01:33:10.199 --> 01:33:12.800
is to the end that thoughts from many hearts

01:33:12.800 --> 01:33:15.840
may be revealed. So if there is an answer to

01:33:15.840 --> 01:33:18.729
the question of when Christmas happens, What

01:33:18.729 --> 01:33:20.789
is the answer? When it ends, what is the answer?

01:33:21.770 --> 01:33:25.489
It ends on the judgment day. That's when it ends.

01:33:25.630 --> 01:33:28.010
Because that's when the process of revealing

01:33:28.010 --> 01:33:31.630
the truth of the hearts of men will be concluded.

01:33:33.130 --> 01:33:35.550
That's when Christmas ends. Put your Christmas

01:33:35.550 --> 01:33:38.590
lights up. Go ahead. Wrap your presents. Go ahead.

01:33:39.130 --> 01:33:41.010
Put the Christmas tree in there. Keep it alive

01:33:41.010 --> 01:33:44.529
for as long as you can. But let us not forget.

01:33:45.479 --> 01:33:48.420
That Christmas doesn't end on December 26th or

01:33:48.420 --> 01:33:50.239
with the giving of a bad present or forgetting

01:33:50.239 --> 01:33:53.359
something or after all the cleanup and everything's

01:33:53.359 --> 01:33:55.739
put together and all the returns are done. Christmas

01:33:55.739 --> 01:34:02.859
doesn't end until Jesus comes again. Let me pray

01:34:02.859 --> 01:34:08.159
for you. Father in heaven, you are our awesome

01:34:08.159 --> 01:34:17.369
father. You orchestrated this. You did this in

01:34:17.369 --> 01:34:20.329
front of everybody. And some folks blinded by

01:34:20.329 --> 01:34:23.090
the God of this age simply will not believe.

01:34:28.130 --> 01:34:37.729
I believe, Lord. Help me with my unbelief. Help

01:34:37.729 --> 01:34:42.939
me practice the giving, loving spirit. That people

01:34:42.939 --> 01:34:46.340
try to embody in a fat man in a red suit with

01:34:46.340 --> 01:34:48.960
a corncob pipe and the ability to scoot up and

01:34:48.960 --> 01:34:52.319
down chimneys. Help me practice the living and

01:34:52.319 --> 01:34:58.960
giving, loving spirit that is practiced on Christmas

01:34:58.960 --> 01:35:06.340
every day of the year. Help me never set aside

01:35:06.340 --> 01:35:11.399
a need. Without speaking to you about it and

01:35:11.399 --> 01:35:17.659
determining how I can make a difference. I know

01:35:17.659 --> 01:35:19.819
already because I've seen it so many times that

01:35:19.819 --> 01:35:25.939
when I get tired, you will recharge me. I know

01:35:25.939 --> 01:35:27.699
already because I've seen it so many times that

01:35:27.699 --> 01:35:33.100
when I am under attack, you will defend me. I

01:35:33.100 --> 01:35:36.359
know already because I've seen it so many times

01:35:36.359 --> 01:35:41.170
that when I am dismayed, or feel like I am, I

01:35:41.170 --> 01:35:43.109
will be reminded that I should not be dismayed.

01:35:43.630 --> 01:35:49.090
And your word will come again. Your spirit will

01:35:49.090 --> 01:35:56.569
exhibit himself again. Your people will step

01:35:56.569 --> 01:36:05.850
up again. Lord, in the middle of the craziness

01:36:05.850 --> 01:36:14.789
that has been 2020, The gospel under attack.

01:36:15.810 --> 01:36:23.430
Even our way of life, outside the gospel, seditiously

01:36:23.430 --> 01:36:27.390
under attack. Now living in a world where people

01:36:27.390 --> 01:36:29.630
think they can just redefine words, and they

01:36:29.630 --> 01:36:31.670
have enough authority, enough followers on Twitter,

01:36:31.789 --> 01:36:34.210
they can take a word like love, or a word like

01:36:34.210 --> 01:36:36.750
marriage, or a word like serving, or whatever,

01:36:36.909 --> 01:36:39.970
that we see as a principle from scripture, and

01:36:39.970 --> 01:36:43.520
they can totally redefine it. And they can begin

01:36:43.520 --> 01:36:50.159
to force it on anybody they want. You set our

01:36:50.159 --> 01:36:56.039
definitions. You govern us. You send us. You

01:36:56.039 --> 01:37:00.939
strengthen us. You protect us. And you give us

01:37:00.939 --> 01:37:07.300
a job to do. And let us be reminded very plainly

01:37:07.300 --> 01:37:14.949
today. That whether or not we are standing firmly

01:37:14.949 --> 01:37:24.409
in holiness, the next coming of Jesus, of course,

01:37:24.409 --> 01:37:30.670
requires belief. But it's really wrapped up in,

01:37:30.710 --> 01:37:34.149
really determined by whether or not we love one

01:37:34.149 --> 01:37:41.329
another and others who might come to you. Help

01:37:41.329 --> 01:37:45.659
us, Father. or we've pitched the wrapping paper,

01:37:45.760 --> 01:37:49.300
we've burnt the wrapping paper, in a number of

01:37:49.300 --> 01:37:52.600
days we'll put the tree away or put it out by

01:37:52.600 --> 01:37:57.020
the curb. We'll be done giving gifts for the

01:37:57.020 --> 01:38:04.619
2020 Christmas soon. And we've mistakenly believed

01:38:04.619 --> 01:38:07.920
that another Christmas will have come and gone.

01:38:10.880 --> 01:38:13.199
And that's not what happens at Christmas time.

01:38:15.149 --> 01:38:19.270
It doesn't come and go. There is only one Christmas.

01:38:21.069 --> 01:38:26.090
And it's still going on. Our Christmas time is

01:38:26.090 --> 01:38:31.649
just a time when we try to remember. We try to

01:38:31.649 --> 01:38:33.069
act out and do the things that we're supposed

01:38:33.069 --> 01:38:39.869
to do. Sometimes compelled to buy gifts that

01:38:39.869 --> 01:38:42.829
we wouldn't even buy left to our own devices.

01:38:43.720 --> 01:38:48.720
Because a holiday is coming. Sometimes compelled

01:38:48.720 --> 01:38:56.279
to spend money. And I can't count enough Christmas

01:38:56.279 --> 01:38:59.119
gifts that I received when I was a child to even

01:38:59.119 --> 01:39:03.260
feel my fingers and toes. But I do remember the

01:39:03.260 --> 01:39:05.380
time that was spent and the expressions of love.

01:39:06.159 --> 01:39:09.760
And I believe that we can do that all year round.

01:39:12.460 --> 01:39:16.119
That we can care. That we can love the way we

01:39:16.119 --> 01:39:22.399
were loved. And now we will. I believe we must.

01:39:24.539 --> 01:39:30.619
I believe if we do not, that we will be amongst

01:39:30.619 --> 01:39:34.000
those who fall rather than amongst those who

01:39:34.000 --> 01:39:42.239
rise at the coming of our Jesus. Forgive us,

01:39:42.239 --> 01:39:47.619
Lord, for we knew not what we were doing. Help

01:39:47.619 --> 01:39:56.840
us to love this way. Pour out upon us the Holy

01:39:56.840 --> 01:40:02.880
Spirit of love, the Holy Spirit of peace. Make

01:40:02.880 --> 01:40:08.800
us generous and compassionate, kind, forgiving,

01:40:09.180 --> 01:40:13.729
humble, Let's start finding out when people's

01:40:13.729 --> 01:40:16.189
birthdays are. Let us find out what people's

01:40:16.189 --> 01:40:19.310
favorite candy bar is. Let us start finding out

01:40:19.310 --> 01:40:23.789
what people's struggles are. Let us start finding

01:40:23.789 --> 01:40:28.369
out what kind of words most encourage us individually.

01:40:29.869 --> 01:40:34.050
Let us start finding out how to show up and practice

01:40:34.050 --> 01:40:38.970
the love that is celebrated on Christmas Day.

01:40:40.079 --> 01:40:42.500
but has been going on since that first Christmas

01:40:42.500 --> 01:40:46.699
so long ago. Let us proclaim what we have seen

01:40:46.699 --> 01:40:49.539
and heard so that others may have fellowship

01:40:49.539 --> 01:40:52.859
with us and let our fellowship be with you, Father,

01:40:53.000 --> 01:40:56.659
and your Son, Jesus Christ. We pray this in his

01:40:56.659 --> 01:40:59.479
name. Amen. I ask the praise team to come forward

01:40:59.479 --> 01:41:02.539
then and we're going to sing Closing Hymn. But

01:41:02.539 --> 01:41:03.920
if you're here today and the Lord has spoken

01:41:03.920 --> 01:41:05.699
to your heart and you need to share what he has

01:41:05.699 --> 01:41:07.649
said, If you either get my attention where you

01:41:07.649 --> 01:41:09.189
are or walk forward in front of the room, I'll

01:41:09.189 --> 01:41:11.869
give you an opportunity to speak. If you're here

01:41:11.869 --> 01:41:13.489
today and you would say, I need to accept Jesus

01:41:13.489 --> 01:41:15.130
Christ as my Lord and Savior and begin to live

01:41:15.130 --> 01:41:17.170
for Him in earnest for the first time ever, regardless

01:41:17.170 --> 01:41:19.310
of what anybody else thinks, I am following Jesus.

01:41:19.710 --> 01:41:21.829
And you make this decision today to know what

01:41:21.829 --> 01:41:23.770
it is. If you're already a follower of Jesus,

01:41:23.850 --> 01:41:25.329
but you realize today that you have not been

01:41:25.329 --> 01:41:26.909
loving the way that Jesus would have you to love,

01:41:27.010 --> 01:41:28.390
and it kind of scares you to think that you're

01:41:28.390 --> 01:41:31.109
not on stable ground, and that Jesus would come

01:41:31.109 --> 01:41:33.810
and you would not be considered established in

01:41:33.810 --> 01:41:36.869
holiness when He comes. then you turn to God

01:41:36.869 --> 01:41:38.829
today. You're not turning to me or this sermon

01:41:38.829 --> 01:41:41.710
or even the Bible, but you turn to God today

01:41:41.710 --> 01:41:45.050
and let God forgive you and cleanse you of all

01:41:45.050 --> 01:41:47.489
unrighteousness. And then I would suggest proclaim

01:41:47.489 --> 01:41:49.989
that and say, hey, God has done that in me today.

01:41:50.229 --> 01:41:53.109
As we sing the song, would you stand with us?

01:41:53.170 --> 01:41:56.109
And this is our final hymn. And then this is

01:41:56.109 --> 01:41:58.029
your opportunity also to make public any decision

01:41:58.029 --> 01:42:01.729
that you have made today. What an appropriate

01:42:01.729 --> 01:44:59.859
song it is. are concluding our services at this

01:44:59.859 --> 01:45:01.460
time, and we'll have a short break, and then

01:45:01.460 --> 01:45:02.939
come back in for the membership meetings. The

01:45:02.939 --> 01:45:05.359
membership meeting is where we talk about, quote,

01:45:05.380 --> 01:45:07.800
important things that all members should know

01:45:07.800 --> 01:45:09.720
and have an opportunity to speak to, understand,

01:45:09.859 --> 01:45:12.279
vote on, that kinds of things. And so everyone

01:45:12.279 --> 01:45:15.180
is welcome, whether you're a member or not. And,

01:45:15.279 --> 01:45:17.539
in fact, we welcome your input. We've had a number

01:45:17.539 --> 01:45:19.779
of times over the years where non -members have

01:45:19.779 --> 01:45:22.439
been present and felt like God really spoke through

01:45:22.439 --> 01:45:24.539
them, and the body said, yes, that's exactly

01:45:24.539 --> 01:45:26.020
what we need to know. So we definitely welcome.

01:45:26.560 --> 01:45:28.720
need to be with us. That is also the place at

01:45:28.720 --> 01:45:30.560
which you would handle any membership questions

01:45:30.560 --> 01:45:32.840
like if you wanted to join the church or if you

01:45:32.840 --> 01:45:34.720
were transferring your membership or if you had

01:45:34.720 --> 01:45:36.520
accountability, something you were doing with

01:45:36.520 --> 01:45:38.460
somebody and it reached the point of bringing