1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,380 of the privilege this morning of reading God's word publicly 2 00:00:04,380 --> 00:00:07,920 and we're going to be reading from Matthew chapter one. 3 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:09,760 If you haven't opened a Bible before, 4 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:13,000 it is the first book of the New Testament 5 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:16,320 and we'll be starting from verse 18 6 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,000 and I'll be reading through to the end of the chapter. 7 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:24,160 Matthew chapter one. 8 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:29,160 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about. 9 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:35,160 His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, 10 00:00:35,160 --> 00:00:37,560 but before they came together, 11 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:41,960 she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 12 00:00:43,140 --> 00:00:46,760 Because Joseph, her husband was faithful to the law 13 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:50,240 and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, 14 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,540 he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 15 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:56,880 But after he had considered this, 16 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:00,800 an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream 17 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:04,240 and said, Joseph, son of David, 18 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:07,640 do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife 19 00:01:08,660 --> 00:01:11,160 because what is conceived in her 20 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,100 is from the Holy Spirit. 21 00:01:14,320 --> 00:01:17,160 She will give birth to a son 22 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:21,040 and you are to give him the name Jesus 23 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:25,080 because he will save his people from their sins. 24 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:28,360 All this took place to fulfill 25 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:31,440 what the Lord had said through the prophet. 26 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:35,400 The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son 27 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:38,500 and they will call him Emmanuel, 28 00:01:38,500 --> 00:01:41,360 which means God with us. 29 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:44,680 When Joseph woke up, 30 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:47,720 he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him 31 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,520 and took Mary home as his wife. 32 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:54,040 But he did not consummate their marriage 33 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:56,800 until she gave birth to a son 34 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,840 and he gave him the name Jesus. 35 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,080 As I said before, it's absolutely delightful 36 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:10,680 to be together this morning 37 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:14,080 on this very special Christmas day 38 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:16,600 where all Christians around the world 39 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:21,600 reflect on the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 40 00:02:21,920 --> 00:02:25,560 And it's my great privilege on this beautiful Christmas day 41 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:29,360 to explain to you the passage that our text 42 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:32,080 just yesterday was pointing to, 43 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:37,080 the prophecy of Isaiah found in chapter seven, verse 14. 44 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:41,240 A virgin will conceive and give birth to a son 45 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:43,780 and he will be called Emmanuel. 46 00:02:43,780 --> 00:02:45,520 So church, let's do that now. 47 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:47,680 Let's step back a bit and have a think 48 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:50,240 about what God wants us to know 49 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:54,160 about this child born to this virgin 50 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:56,480 of whom Isaiah spoke about 51 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,360 and to whom Matthew writes on in the passage 52 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:01,520 we just heard read for us. 53 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:03,280 But before we do any of that, 54 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:07,400 let's ask God to help us in our understanding 55 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:10,280 of this wonderful, wonderful mystery. 56 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:15,960 Would you please join me in prayer? 57 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:20,960 Father, we are indeed in awe of the birth 58 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:23,600 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 59 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:28,760 And we asked this morning as we look at these words 60 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:32,080 from you to us, your people, 61 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,000 that you would help us to understand, 62 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:41,000 to grasp the magnitude of your work in this world. 63 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:47,560 We ask, Father, that you would give us ears to hear, 64 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:52,560 hearts to receive, that you would hold Christ high among us 65 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:56,360 and that you would draw all manner 66 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,800 of man and woman to yourself. 67 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:03,560 We ask this for your glory and in the name of Jesus, amen. 68 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:07,280 Okay, so first things first, 69 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,480 Matthew wants us to know that Jesus 70 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,480 is so much more than a man. 71 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:18,440 That much is clear as we see in verses 18 and 20 72 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:20,440 of our text this morning. 73 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,520 I mean, think about what Matthew was telling us here. 74 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:28,520 Jesus' mother, she was a pregnant virgin. 75 00:04:28,740 --> 00:04:31,320 Now, in saying that, he makes sure to tell us 76 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:34,240 she wasn't pregnant through anything dodgy, 77 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:37,800 but that Jesus was actually conceived in her 78 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:41,600 by the very spirit of God. 79 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:43,400 So with that understanding, 80 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:48,400 Jesus is physically and biologically Mary's son, 81 00:04:48,780 --> 00:04:52,740 meaning he is a very real human, 82 00:04:52,740 --> 00:04:57,740 but also completely and very really God. 83 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:00,060 So that's the first thing to note here. 84 00:05:00,060 --> 00:05:02,820 Matthew wants us to know that Jesus 85 00:05:02,820 --> 00:05:05,600 is so much more than just a man, 86 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,360 but I also want you to notice the second thing 87 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:11,040 that Matthew wants us to know. 88 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:13,960 And that's why Jesus came. 89 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:17,320 We see that in verse 21 and Matthew couldn't be 90 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:19,000 any more clearer. 91 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:24,000 Jesus came to save people from their sins. 92 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:28,520 Church, that is why Jesus came into this world. 93 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:33,120 That's why he was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 94 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:37,760 That's why God providentially bought all of this about. 95 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:41,960 It was to save people from their sins. 96 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:48,520 Now, let's not miss this wonderful news this morning. 97 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:53,720 That's why Jesus had to be conceived by the Holy Spirit 98 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:56,200 and born to the Virgin Mary, 99 00:05:56,200 --> 00:06:00,440 because it is God who saves and not man. 100 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:03,920 Meaning there is nothing you and I can do 101 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:06,240 to save ourselves from our sins, 102 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:10,160 meaning salvation is not a work of man. 103 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:13,000 No salvation from beginning to end 104 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:16,680 is the supernatural work of God. 105 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,240 And this is made evident from the very way 106 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:23,600 that Jesus entered into our world. 107 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:27,880 He came as fully God and fully man. 108 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:31,880 It says the church has always confessed 109 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:35,120 and made clear in the Nicene Creed. 110 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:38,200 We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, 111 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,320 the only Son of God, begotten from the Father 112 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:45,360 before all ages, God from God, light from light, 113 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:48,960 true God from true God, begotten not made 114 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:51,720 from the same essence as the Father. 115 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:54,120 Through Him all things were made. 116 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:57,280 For us and for our salvation, 117 00:06:57,280 --> 00:06:59,080 He came down from heaven. 118 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:02,840 He became incarnate by the Holy Spirit 119 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:06,440 and the Virgin Mary and was made human. 120 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:11,120 Now, before we go on, I just wanna say 121 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:14,280 a little bit more about Jesus being made human 122 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:17,560 because it's very important that we understand 123 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:21,560 why Jesus became fully human. 124 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:24,640 The writer, through the Hebrews, says it like this 125 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:27,680 in the second chapter of his book. 126 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,440 Since the children have flesh and blood, 127 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:34,240 he too shared in their humanity. 128 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:37,400 So that by his death, he might break the power of him 129 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:41,440 who holds the power of death, that is, the devil. 130 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:45,560 And free those who all their lives were held in slavery 131 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:47,600 by their fear of death. 132 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:51,120 For surely it's not angels he helps, 133 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:53,680 but Abraham's descendants. 134 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:58,680 For this reason, he had to be made life them, 135 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:02,640 fully human in every way, 136 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:05,960 in order that he might become a merciful 137 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:09,520 and faithful high priest in service to God 138 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:12,840 and that he might make atonement 139 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:15,200 for the sins of the people. 140 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:19,240 Hear what the writer to the Hebrews is saying here. 141 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:22,240 Jesus is fully human in every way 142 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:25,640 in order that he might become a merciful 143 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:30,000 and faithful high priest in the service of God 144 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:34,600 and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 145 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:38,760 All this to say, church, Jesus is not unlike us 146 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:42,920 trying to do something for us. 147 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:46,640 No, Jesus is a true representative of us 148 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:50,400 before the heavenly father, our heavenly father. 149 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:53,880 Meaning we have a savior, a high priest 150 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:58,600 who is very, very much familiar with our struggles, 151 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:02,320 physically, mentally and emotionally. 152 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:05,880 We have a savior who is familiar with our sorrows 153 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:10,880 and trouble who knows intimately what we are going through. 154 00:09:11,060 --> 00:09:14,880 We have a savior who is familiar with suffering 155 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:17,600 who is able to identify with you and me 156 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,480 because he was physically born of a woman 157 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:26,480 in that little town of Bethlehem just 2000 years ago. 158 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:29,800 He was born like us, 159 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:32,040 meaning he possesses the full range 160 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:36,040 of human characteristics like us. 161 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:41,040 Yet in saying all of that, Jesus is fully divine. 162 00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:44,280 We see that in our passage this morning, 163 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:48,120 his humanity and his deity together. 164 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:50,960 Jesus is fully man like us, 165 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:53,640 but, and this is incredibly important to get, 166 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:57,480 he is also fully God. 167 00:09:57,480 --> 00:09:59,680 Now we could go all through the New Testament 168 00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:02,920 and see this as he was able to forgive sin 169 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:05,560 and was sinless himself. 170 00:10:05,560 --> 00:10:08,600 We can see that he was able to heal diseases 171 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:12,680 and give sight to the blind with just the word of his mouth, 172 00:10:12,680 --> 00:10:14,520 that he had command over nature 173 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:19,040 and could rebuke demons and make them flee in a word, 174 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:22,560 that he could even bring people back from the dead, 175 00:10:22,560 --> 00:10:26,800 not to mention the clear and plain teaching 176 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:30,480 that we heard just read in our midst this morning, 177 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:33,720 which tells us in the beginning was the word 178 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:38,720 and the word was with God, the word was God. 179 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:43,720 It's clear, Jesus isn't just a man, 180 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:48,840 but fully God. 181 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:52,000 And this passage that we have before us this morning, 182 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:56,720 this extraordinary miracle gives us an insight 183 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:00,240 into what we call the incarnation, 184 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:03,280 that interesting word that we heard just read now 185 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:05,200 in the Nicene Creed. 186 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:07,840 That's what we have before us. 187 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:10,760 Matthew was showing us that this Jesus, 188 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:15,760 this babe born in a manger, this child born to a virgin, 189 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:20,280 well, he wasn't just a man, but God, 190 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:25,280 fully man, fully God in the one person of Jesus Christ. 191 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:29,080 Now, if you're sitting there this morning 192 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:33,320 and thinking to yourself, how does this all fit together, 193 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:36,400 this God and man and Jesus? 194 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:38,560 Well, you're not alone. 195 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:43,440 Don't feel like you have to totally understand 196 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:46,320 this great mystery that you are hearing this morning. 197 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:51,640 Church, this is why we ask for God's help 198 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:54,200 to understand this word. 199 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:59,000 His mystery is revealed to us because they are just that, 200 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:02,560 things that are not part of our everyday life. 201 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:06,360 This is a miracle. 202 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:09,800 In fact, it's one of the most incredible miracles 203 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:12,120 that we are talking about this morning. 204 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:16,080 God becoming man and dwelling with us. 205 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:19,720 It's little wonder that the apostle Paul said it like this, 206 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:22,360 beyond all question, the mystery 207 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:25,240 from which true godliness springs is great. 208 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:29,000 He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the spirit, 209 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,160 was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, 210 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:36,320 was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. 211 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:38,040 First Timothy 3.16. 212 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:44,600 Yet in saying that, just because we don't fully understand 213 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:49,000 what's going on here, just because this is a mystery to us, 214 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:53,800 it never means that we should discard or deny it. 215 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:54,640 Why? 216 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:57,360 Because God has revealed to us in his word 217 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:00,600 that this Jesus, well, he didn't just appear 218 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:02,480 out of thin air. 219 00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:04,280 Now we clearly see it here in our text. 220 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:07,560 This morning, he was conceived of the Holy Spirit 221 00:13:07,560 --> 00:13:09,280 and born to a woman. 222 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:13,800 This is the wonder and awesome mystery of our God. 223 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:18,800 In his perfect wisdom and in his creative sovereignty, 224 00:13:20,560 --> 00:13:24,920 he ordained a virgin birth to be the avenue 225 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:29,000 through which Jesus would come into this world. 226 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:34,000 So that he would be fully man from the virgin 227 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:37,480 and fully God from the Holy Spirit. 228 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:41,980 Also that he could save us from our sins. 229 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:44,480 That's what we're meant to see. 230 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:47,440 And it is indeed glad tidings 231 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,320 on this wonderful Christmas morning. 232 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:55,120 Now I just wanna say one last thing about all of this. 233 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:59,120 And I hope that you'll be encouraged by it. 234 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:01,800 You see, Matthew makes it clear to us 235 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:06,800 that whenever God makes a promise in his word, 236 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:10,880 he fulfills it in his world. 237 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:11,760 Let me say that again. 238 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:15,400 Whenever God makes a promise in his word, 239 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:18,760 he fulfills it in his world. 240 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:21,720 And that's what I wanna end on here. 241 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:26,720 You see, that's why Matthew includes Isaiah chapter seven, 242 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:28,560 verse 14 for us. 243 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:31,760 Let me explain what I'm trying to say here. 244 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:34,520 You see, just as we heard yesterday, 245 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:39,360 nearly 700 years before Jesus walked the earth, 246 00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:43,080 there was a prophet in Israel named Isaiah. 247 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:46,560 And through him, God made a promise to the king 248 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:49,400 at that time that a virgin would conceive 249 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:51,680 and bring forth the sun. 250 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:55,560 And essentially, the promise was made to ensure the king 251 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:59,040 that God wouldn't let Israel's enemy come in 252 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:02,760 and trample them so that they could remember 253 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:05,760 to be still and know that he is Lord. 254 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:09,080 Now for whatever reason, there's no chapter in verse 255 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:10,640 in the rest of the book of Isaiah 256 00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:14,040 that seems to completely fulfill what was said 257 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:17,320 on that day to that king. 258 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:20,120 But what is absolutely clear is this. 259 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:25,120 Matthew, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 260 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:31,000 shows us here in his gospel that Isaiah's prophecy 261 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:34,480 finds its fullest expression, 262 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:38,560 its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. 263 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:40,320 That's what's important. 264 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:44,680 That 700 years before Jesus came on the scene, 265 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:47,760 God gave a promise to his people 266 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:50,280 that a virgin would conceive and have a son 267 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:54,600 and that people would call him Emmanuel, 268 00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:59,360 which means God with us. 269 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:03,320 And church, Matthew says that that was fulfilled 270 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:06,520 in the person of Jesus Christ. 271 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:12,160 Brothers and sisters, if you walk away from anything 272 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:16,200 with anything this morning, then it's this. 273 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:21,200 The infinitely great God who is mighty in power 274 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:25,120 and awesome in wonder out of his love for us 275 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:28,400 has come to us for us. 276 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:32,720 That's right, our almighty God has come to us 277 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:35,480 to save us from our sins. 278 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:39,960 That's what Matthew wants us to see here in this passage. 279 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:42,800 God and Jesus came into this world 280 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:46,560 and came to rescue the lost. 281 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:51,360 And this is the incredible reality of the gospel, 282 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:53,920 the good news, the glad tidings. 283 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:58,640 God took on flesh and came into a sin-stained world 284 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:00,040 for you and me. 285 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:04,800 Stained, shattered, broken men and women like you and me 286 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:08,800 to take the penalty of our sin in our place. 287 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:11,520 Think about that for a moment. 288 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:14,080 You and I with our sinful nature, 289 00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:17,520 naturally separated from God, condemned before God, 290 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:22,120 cut off from God, deserving wrath and eternal death. 291 00:17:22,120 --> 00:17:24,640 Well, God didn't leave us. 292 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:27,680 God didn't forsake us. 293 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:31,440 No, he promised to come and he came to us 294 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:33,720 in the virgin birth. 295 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:37,600 Brothers and sisters, he came among us to us 296 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:42,040 and lived the life we never could. 297 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:46,000 He died the death we deserved 298 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:50,760 and then rose from the grave, conquering the enemy 299 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:52,080 we never could. 300 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:57,360 Church, there is no greater story. 301 00:17:57,360 --> 00:18:02,360 There is no greater reality than seeing the truth of this. 302 00:18:03,120 --> 00:18:06,280 There is eternal consequences. 303 00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:09,960 This is our God, this is Jesus Christ, 304 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:11,360 this is the gospel. 305 00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:16,040 So how does any of this apply to us this morning? 306 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:18,760 Well, I just wanna say two things here. 307 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:23,320 First, if you have never called upon the name of the Lord, 308 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:26,600 then friend, you are here by no accident 309 00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:30,440 on this wonderful Christmas morning. 310 00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:35,440 In God's sovereignty over all there is, over all history, 311 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:39,880 you have been led here this morning to hear glad tidings, 312 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:44,840 forgiveness of sins, reconciliation to your creator, 313 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:48,800 the gift of eternal life. 314 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:54,760 It is really, truly being held out to you this morning. 315 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,880 I would plead that you don't walk out of this place 316 00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:04,240 without asking more questions about what that means. 317 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:09,040 If that's you, if you want to know how to receive Christ, 318 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:11,880 then please come and speak to me after the service. 319 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:15,760 Second, brothers and sisters, 320 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:17,520 for those who would confess Christ, 321 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:20,040 who would say, yes, Jesus is Lord. 322 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:23,120 Well, we've seen something this morning. 323 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:27,720 The God, our God who spoke a promise 324 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:31,120 in the seventh century before Christ, 325 00:19:31,120 --> 00:19:34,840 he fulfilled it in Christ. 326 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:37,400 And so with that picture, 327 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:40,960 we can know right where we're sitting this morning, 328 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:45,960 that the God who gives us his promises in his word, 329 00:19:47,040 --> 00:19:51,480 even though we might not see it clearly in the present, 330 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:55,880 will always prove faithful to what he has said. 331 00:19:55,880 --> 00:20:00,680 The God who says, I will never leave nor forsake you, 332 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:04,760 will absolutely prove faithful to that promise. 333 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:10,080 The God who says, I will supply all your needs 334 00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:14,560 according to the glorious riches of Christ Jesus, 335 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:18,040 will prove faithful to that promise in your life. 336 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:22,800 The God, our God who says neither death, 337 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:25,800 nor life, neither angels nor demons, 338 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:27,320 or the present or the future, 339 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:29,760 or any powers, neither hide nor death, 340 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,840 nor anything else in all creation, 341 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:37,000 will ever be able to separate us from his love, 342 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:40,800 will absolutely be faithful to that promise. 343 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:45,200 And the God who has promised that there is coming a day 344 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:49,640 to wipe away every tear from our eyes, 345 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:51,800 where there will be no more mourning, 346 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:55,760 no more crying, no more war, no more pain, 347 00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:57,680 no more sickness, no more sin, 348 00:20:57,680 --> 00:20:59,880 with the all gone and the new come, 349 00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:04,440 the God who promised that will prove faithful 350 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:05,640 to that promise. 351 00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:11,680 You can, dear ones, no matter what it looks like right now, 352 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:18,160 bet your life for all eternity on the reality 353 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:23,400 that God will always, always be faithful to his promises. 354 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:28,000 And we see that no more clearly than in the life, 355 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:31,880 death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. 356 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:34,600 Would you pray with me this morning? 357 00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:39,600 Father, we are indeed thankful 358 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:42,800 for these wonderful truths. 359 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:45,880 Truths that we haven't made up, 360 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:50,000 truths that we haven't conceived ourselves, 361 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:51,920 but truths that you have given us, 362 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:53,880 that you have held out to us. 363 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:57,080 Father, we began our time by asking 364 00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:01,240 that you would hold your son high in our midst this morning, 365 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:04,240 that you would draw all manner of people to yourself. 366 00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:07,800 Father, you know the hearts and minds 367 00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:10,280 of every single person in this room. 368 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:14,280 We ask that you would reveal Christ, 369 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:16,240 that they would know Christ, 370 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:19,720 that we would love Christ, 371 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:23,240 that you would change us, conform us to the image 372 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:24,560 of our Lord and Savior. 373 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:28,320 Father, we thank you for your mercy. 374 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:30,600 We thank you for your grace. 375 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:33,200 We thank you for the birth of Jesus, 376 00:22:33,200 --> 00:22:34,920 fulfilling your promises. 377 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:38,960 We thank you that he died on the cross for our sin. 378 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:42,480 And that eternity in your presence 379 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:45,040 is what we have to look forward to. 380 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:49,240 We thank you for all of this in Jesus' name, amen.