1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,000 Hallelujah. 2 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:02,000 Hallelujah. 3 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:11,100 King of kings, Lord of lords. 4 00:00:11,100 --> 00:00:14,900 The Lion of the tribe of Judah. 5 00:00:14,900 --> 00:00:18,820 Amen, amen, amen. 6 00:00:18,820 --> 00:00:21,780 You better grab a Bible. 7 00:00:21,780 --> 00:00:25,340 Hallelujah. 8 00:00:25,340 --> 00:00:35,240 Go back to 1 Thessalonians 5, 16, 17, and 18. 9 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:45,600 As you get there, you'll want to hang a left and go to Isaiah 9 and we'll read verse 2. 10 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:47,600 Hallelujah. 11 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:49,560 Man. 12 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:57,240 And these past weeks just been rich. 13 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:02,920 I've thought about Sunday all week. 14 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:07,480 And I just keep hearing it in my mind over and over. 15 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:11,800 I know and I have taken note. 16 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:14,080 I just can't get away from that. 17 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:19,920 The Holy Ghost said, I know, I'm watching, I see you, and I'm taking note. 18 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:21,760 And I'll be with you. 19 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:23,200 Isn't that what he said? 20 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:26,200 I'll be with you. 21 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,640 Man. 22 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:37,000 From my position, I have a little more insight than most of you, so I really know what that 23 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,760 means to a lot of people. 24 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:45,880 To hear the Spirit of the Lord interrupt our service, our worship, our time. 25 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:51,840 To hear him break in and speak a word like that over you. 26 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,640 Man, I just rejoice with you. 27 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:57,640 Because I know what a lot of that is. 28 00:01:57,640 --> 00:01:59,920 I know what he's taking a note of. 29 00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:05,360 We don't know all of our troubles and trials and afflictions, but I know more than most. 30 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:09,720 And so when the Holy Ghost said that to you, I rejoiced with you. 31 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:11,200 Because I rejoiced with myself. 32 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:15,240 Because he knows my plight as well. 33 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:17,240 So good to see you in the house of the Lord. 34 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:19,040 Thank you for being here today. 35 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:26,520 Let's look back in our text at 1 Thessalonians 5. 36 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,620 Verse 16 reads, rejoice evermore. 37 00:02:29,620 --> 00:02:32,440 Pray without ceasing. 38 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:39,520 And everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 39 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:46,960 Isaiah 9 and 2, the prophet writes, the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. 40 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:53,160 Those who dwell in a land of deep darkness on them has the light shined. 41 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:54,160 Hallelujah. 42 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:58,200 How many need some light to shine? 43 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:02,360 How many need a little light to burst forth into your darkness? 44 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:04,180 Well I just felt the help show up. 45 00:03:04,180 --> 00:03:05,800 So let's pray. 46 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:07,280 Father, I love you this morning. 47 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:11,000 I thank you for your goodness and your mercy, the abundance of your love and grace. 48 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:17,720 And so thankful for your divine nearness this morning as you're here with us because of the 49 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:19,760 praise of your people. 50 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:22,200 You have come to encamp about us. 51 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:26,300 Now Father I pray as we've broken the bread of life, which is your word, you would help 52 00:03:26,300 --> 00:03:32,240 me to be expedient for the moment and Lord to follow the unction that you placed in my 53 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:35,800 heart and my life for this very day. 54 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:38,120 I'll be quick to give you the praise for it all. 55 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:41,920 In Christ's name, the church say amen and amen. 56 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:42,920 You can be seated. 57 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:49,360 We want to continue with the thought, the ingredients for a thankful life. 58 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:55,120 And it falls pretty well on this morning as we begin the Christmas season. 59 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:57,320 It's okay you can start playing the music now. 60 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:59,320 It's December. 61 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:01,480 Amen. 62 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:04,800 It's okay to play it now. 63 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:05,800 And you're good. 64 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:08,080 You're good to go on that. 65 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:11,280 We've made it through our Thanksgiving season. 66 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:17,680 And too many times one of the most important seasons of the year for a believer gets washed 67 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:18,680 out. 68 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:21,320 It gets washed out. 69 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:28,720 It's so close that we lose the emphasis of Thanksgiving as we're looking forward to Christmas. 70 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:33,320 So when we think about this morning, the last passage of scripture that we read from the 71 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:39,640 prophet Isaiah as he writes of the birth and the life and the reign and the rule of Christ 72 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:46,400 more so than any other of the Old Testament prophets, he sees with the eagle eye clarity 73 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:54,280 of revelation as the spirit imparts to him words that must be recorded throughout eternity 74 00:04:54,280 --> 00:04:58,200 for you and I to take a grasp of. 75 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:02,960 And as he begins to write and to record about this light that has come to the earth as we 76 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:09,400 know him, he sets him forth as the fulfillment of all of God's promises. 77 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:15,640 I think we need to understand that Christ supersedes all of the Old Testament values, 78 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:20,600 all the types and the shadows he fulfills and supersedes them all. 79 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:23,260 They all simply pointed toward him. 80 00:05:23,260 --> 00:05:24,520 Now he's here. 81 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:25,620 Hallelujah. 82 00:05:25,620 --> 00:05:27,700 His presence is with us. 83 00:05:27,700 --> 00:05:33,280 It would be Isaiah further in chapter nine who would tell us that his name would be called 84 00:05:33,280 --> 00:05:37,520 Emmanuel God with us. 85 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:43,040 It would be Isaiah who would tell us in verse six that he would be a wonderful counselor 86 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:44,940 and a mighty God and a prince of peace. 87 00:05:44,940 --> 00:05:51,040 It would be he who would proclaim to us that a child will be given and a son would be born. 88 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:55,880 It would be Isaiah who tells us that he would be wounded for our transgressions. 89 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:57,040 Amen. 90 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:01,240 That the chastisement that brought us peace was upon him. 91 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:06,040 It would be Isaiah the prophet who would tell us that the spirit of the Lord was upon him 92 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:11,160 and he come to preach to the captives and to declare liberty and the acceptable year 93 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:12,160 of the Lord. 94 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:13,160 Hallelujah. 95 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:14,160 That's you and I. 96 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:15,160 Amen. 97 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:21,080 It would be Isaiah who would forego and tell us that a child that would be born, that son 98 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:26,280 that would be given would be the redeemer of all of humanity and all those who would call 99 00:06:26,280 --> 00:06:29,760 upon him in their hour and time of need. 100 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:36,480 While we are not yet certain when Christ was born, we are certain that he was born. 101 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:39,200 Let me just take a little side note here today. 102 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:44,440 As I know that there is an attack in the world and in our culture and in our society, attack 103 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:49,240 against Christmas, the attack needs no aiding from the family of God. 104 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:55,240 I said the attack needs no aiding, no assistance from the church, the believers, the living, 105 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:56,920 those who are called out of God. 106 00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:57,920 What are you saying? 107 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:01,840 If you don't want to celebrate and do some of the things that have been caught up in 108 00:07:01,840 --> 00:07:04,920 the celebration, by all means, don't do it. 109 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:09,920 But what I will encourage you and implore you to do today is to recognize that Christ 110 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:10,920 was born. 111 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:11,920 Hallelujah. 112 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:14,480 It doesn't matter if it was December or April. 113 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:17,120 He might have been conceived about April. 114 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:18,120 Hello? 115 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:21,880 Conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary. 116 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:24,120 I'm looking for some witnesses today. 117 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:26,360 If you don't want garland, don't hang up garland. 118 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:29,280 But don't put out and despair the light. 119 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:32,320 Let's rejoice in that Christ was born. 120 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:38,360 If we go and do a history and a stroll through history, you'll see how our season, our tradition 121 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:43,160 of our Christmas celebration has made its way out of the darkness and tried to interject 122 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:48,280 light in one of the darkest seasons, the darkest celebration of the known pagan world. 123 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:50,120 Well, don't that make us pagans? 124 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:51,120 No. 125 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:53,480 It makes me one who elevates the Christ. 126 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:55,720 It makes me one who lifts him up. 127 00:07:55,720 --> 00:08:00,640 It draws my attention to the light that came into the darkness that the eagle-eyed prophet 128 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:02,000 said would come. 129 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:06,160 It draws my attention evermore to Bethlehem's manger. 130 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:09,080 It draws me evermore to Nazareth's scape. 131 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:15,200 It draws me to know that Christ has come, that the son was born that was given. 132 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:21,400 It draws my attention and it gives me opportunity to tell people around me, Merry Christmas. 133 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:26,000 Oh, it loves, I love it when it goads the anti-Christ. 134 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:30,160 I love it when it goads the anti-God. 135 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:35,840 When I see the agnostic and I look at him at a retail store and I tell him, Merry Christmas, 136 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:41,880 after I buy something and you can see it just doesn't strike well, it gives me reason that 137 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:43,920 I do not have to pause. 138 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:51,320 That in this season of the year, Christ for the next 25 days can be elevated by you. 139 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:53,920 Tell everybody you run into Merry Christmas. 140 00:08:53,920 --> 00:09:00,080 Hey, tell everybody you see that he was foretold to come and when the fullness of time had 141 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:03,120 come upon Mary, he came into this world. 142 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:08,120 He was that babe who was wrapped in swaddling clothes and as the prophet declared would 143 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:09,840 be laid in the manger. 144 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:15,360 He is that light that comes and shines upon those who are in darkness throughout the dark 145 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:19,800 ages, four centuries come and gone without a prophetic word. 146 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:25,600 But not the word was prophesied only, but the word himself was made manifest on the 147 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:26,600 earth. 148 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:27,600 Hallelujah. 149 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:30,640 I wish somebody would get happy about Christmas. 150 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:32,160 It's Christmas time. 151 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:37,120 I wish somebody would help me celebrate the birth of the son of the living God. 152 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:44,440 I wish somebody would help me glorify him who came from glory down to earth. 153 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:48,440 Somebody give him praise. 154 00:09:48,440 --> 00:10:07,840 The world don't need any help from the church disparaging the celebration of Christmas. 155 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:16,960 They do well enough on day on if they don't need us to give them any ammunition. 156 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:24,480 While we are not certain when, we are certain that he was conceived. 157 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:27,480 Well, I don't understand that. 158 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:28,960 Well, maybe you're not supposed to understand it. 159 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:33,120 There's some things that you're not going to understand, but let me help you here just 160 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:34,520 a minute. 161 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:43,140 If you think that was hard, you ought to have been there on the first day when he didn't 162 00:10:43,140 --> 00:10:47,120 have a woman to put the seed in. 163 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:48,120 What are you talking about? 164 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:50,220 I'm talking about creation. 165 00:10:50,220 --> 00:10:57,280 If you think this conception by the Holy Ghost was an impossibility, you should have been 166 00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:01,840 there the day he scooped up a handful of dirt. 167 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:06,600 You should have been there that day when he began to form an likeness of his fashion. 168 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:11,560 You should have been there the day that he breathed into the nostrils of a clay being 169 00:11:11,560 --> 00:11:17,160 on the ground and it became a living soul. 170 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:22,120 If you think that's something, oh, I love the contest between the scientific world and 171 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:23,120 the supernatural. 172 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:26,400 They say, oh, making a baby is nothing. 173 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:32,080 We can take and we can form and we can grow them in test tubes and we can grow human life. 174 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:37,560 I love it when God would intervene and say, okay, go get your own dirt. 175 00:11:37,560 --> 00:11:41,320 My God, wouldn't that just put a stump to it right there? 176 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:47,560 You can take a cell, you can take a seed and you can put it in your own scope and you can 177 00:11:47,560 --> 00:11:50,480 try to bring that seed together. 178 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:53,200 Maybe you can grow it, but you can't create it. 179 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:57,240 You've got to understand that he is the creator of it all. 180 00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:04,680 My Lord, when we think about the gospels and the Christmas story, Mark never mentions the 181 00:12:04,680 --> 00:12:06,240 birth. 182 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:09,560 Matthew gives us the lineage of his heritage. 183 00:12:09,560 --> 00:12:10,560 Why was that important? 184 00:12:10,560 --> 00:12:14,480 Well, because you remember he came unto his own. 185 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:16,280 Hello? 186 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:18,760 He came unto the seeds and the descendants of Abraham. 187 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:21,000 That's who he came to first. 188 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:22,760 But God so loved the world. 189 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:27,280 Oh my God, you missed a good opportunity to shout right there. 190 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:29,920 You missed it. 191 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:33,080 He came unto his own and his own received him not. 192 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:38,280 But as he would come and be the Christ, the son of the anointed, the living one who would 193 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:42,680 bring again reconciliation between lost humanity. 194 00:12:42,680 --> 00:12:49,120 We see Matthew making the point of his tracing his lineage all the way back to Abraham. 195 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:50,600 He comes through David. 196 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:51,600 Amen. 197 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:55,960 He comes through the one who it was prophesied of that the scepter would never depart from 198 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:56,960 his hand. 199 00:12:56,960 --> 00:12:57,960 Oh, are you with me? 200 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:03,080 That there would always be one on the throne of Israel out of the loins of David. 201 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:07,920 So Matthew makes it plain and he gives us the pedigree of the Christ. 202 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:10,880 But Luke would give us the story of the birth. 203 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:11,880 Amen. 204 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:17,000 Because he being the physician, he was more concerned and entailed and inspired to let 205 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:19,360 us know exactly how it happened. 206 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:24,120 Oh, John mentions the birth somewhat, but he takes it on a whole other level. 207 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:28,880 When John would say, in the beginning was the word, my Lord, he just plum went beyond 208 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:29,880 the manger. 209 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:31,200 He went beyond the lineage. 210 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:34,000 He went all the way back to the beginning. 211 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:35,760 In the beginning was the word. 212 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:36,760 And the word was God. 213 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:40,400 I wish somebody would help me preach a Christmas message this morning. 214 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:45,000 Oh, John would tell us about his beginning and the auspice of his start. 215 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:47,040 In the beginning was the word. 216 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:48,560 What does that declare, pastor? 217 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:50,120 He always was. 218 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:51,720 He always is. 219 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:53,600 And he always will be. 220 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:54,600 Hallelujah. 221 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:57,860 He's no longer the babe in swaddling clothes. 222 00:13:57,860 --> 00:14:02,360 And I'm here to tell you this morning, he's no longer the crucified Christ, but he is 223 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:03,360 the risen. 224 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:05,320 He is the one exalted. 225 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:08,480 He is the one at the right hand of the heavenly father. 226 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:15,800 He is one waiting the command to go and get my children and bring them home. 227 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:19,240 That's who he is. 228 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:24,960 When you look at a manger, as you go about the festivities of the year, when you walk 229 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:28,800 by, you drive by, you're going to see folks with them in their yards. 230 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:30,820 You're going to see them lit up. 231 00:14:30,820 --> 00:14:34,960 You may even go by some churches who have live nativities. 232 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:40,800 But when you get to the manger scene and whatever they've got, they've got some baby borrowed, 233 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:42,280 he might be kicking and screaming. 234 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:43,280 I hope it's a he. 235 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:47,680 I hope they ain't got a she in the manger. 236 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:50,360 Hello. 237 00:14:50,360 --> 00:15:02,480 But if some small country church is trying to do a nativity and the last baby born was 238 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:07,160 a little girl, God bless her because she's going in the manger. 239 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:08,160 Hello. 240 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:14,360 I'm going to sit out there and wrap her up, put a little buddy heater by her, and you're 241 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:18,000 going to drive by and you're going to see, all you're going to see is a baby. 242 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:22,520 But I pray that there's an explicit image that I form in your mind this morning that 243 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:27,760 takes you past both before and after this manger scene. 244 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:30,960 I hope you're with John when you see him in the beginning. 245 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:34,600 Oh, we haven't beheld him and we can't see his glory. 246 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:39,360 But I want you to know today that the angelic host that came to the heavens on the night 247 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:44,960 the shepherds were sitting on the hillside and that glorious choir began to sing and 248 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:47,440 the glory of God began to shine. 249 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:52,320 It was just a mere, mere drop of his glory that he departed. 250 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:58,360 You got to understand where he came from and where he went to and where he returned unto. 251 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:04,760 He came out of glory's heaven wrapped in splendor to be wrapped in the womb of humanity, to 252 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:11,800 be born, to be wrapped in swaddling clothes, later to be vestured with a purple robe, later 253 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:18,040 to be stripped of the robe and strapped to this body, later to be crucified, nailed to 254 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:21,400 an old Roman cross, to be elevated. 255 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:29,640 To be elevated was to suspend between heaven and earth my God, salvation and reconciliation. 256 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:37,760 When you see this baby, my God, let your mind rush forward to your reconciliation. 257 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:41,680 My God, get off the garland. 258 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:43,400 Get off the Christmas tree. 259 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:48,360 Get off the fancy paper and see the Christ. 260 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:53,160 Woo! 261 00:16:53,160 --> 00:17:00,280 No wonder the Lord didn't let me write all this down. 262 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:03,920 I might have been afraid to tell you what he's want me to tell you this morning, I doubt 263 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:12,680 it but I might have had a reservation or two, a thought about your offense because the Lord 264 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:15,440 knows I love you. 265 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:17,520 Amen. 266 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:20,680 He knows that. 267 00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:31,000 Christ wrapped in the womb of humanity to be birthed, to live a life, to know what it 268 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:33,440 means to be hungry. 269 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:36,480 Hello? 270 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:44,280 To know what it means to be ridiculed for no reason, persecuted without cause, beaten 271 00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:46,880 without mercy. 272 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:49,040 He knows. 273 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:56,960 But let me just let you in on a little secret, he knew it before he came. 274 00:17:56,960 --> 00:18:00,360 How do we know pastor he knew it before he came? 275 00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:05,000 Because that same eagle-eyed prophet that looked through eternity's end by the revelation 276 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:10,240 of the spirit would tell us he would be beaten beyond recognition. 277 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:14,200 He would be beaten so severely that his mom wouldn't recognize him. 278 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:18,600 There would be nothing about him that would draw man's attention to him other than that 279 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:22,960 he was the sacrifice for our sins. 280 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:27,760 Think about that, those swaddling clothes is the first wrapping paper for you and I 281 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:28,760 to know. 282 00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:31,920 The first gift to be wrapped was swaddling. 283 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:36,800 My Lord think about him being wrapped for your well-being. 284 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:42,960 Think about his coming out of splendor and glory to earth's humanity, a man to be born, 285 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:44,320 a man away from home. 286 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:48,120 He wasn't at home, he wasn't in the comfort of his mother and dad's home. 287 00:18:48,120 --> 00:18:53,280 They were traveling because of Caesar Augustus' decree to go and be counted and be accounted 288 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:56,480 for and to pay their taxes and get their names listed. 289 00:18:56,480 --> 00:19:01,880 Oh but my while he's there and the birth is about to happen we see those who have been 290 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:07,440 drawn from afar as Matthew would give us insight to those Magi who would come. 291 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:12,120 Oh there was more than three or maybe less than three, we don't know that either. 292 00:19:12,120 --> 00:19:18,160 But come Christmas playtime we'll get three and they'll have gold, frankincense and myrrh. 293 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:19,160 Amen. 294 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:24,200 There are the skeptics of our day who try to confuse the synoptic gospels and say that 295 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:29,600 it cannot be the same story because Matthew's tale is different than Luke's tale and so 296 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:33,400 time is coming about and time does not add up. 297 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:36,960 The biblical timeline is not sequential so it cannot be. 298 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:42,000 So therefore they try to disperse and despair the belief of the birth. 299 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:48,000 Well when you go through and look that Mary had to come back after 40 days to show herself, 300 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:51,680 she had to come back and show her purification and her cleanliness. 301 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:56,880 Eight days later after his birth he had to be presented for circumcision and his name 302 00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:58,240 to be given unto him. 303 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:04,440 My Lord, my, my, my, my they couldn't call him Joseph because Joseph wasn't a daddy. 304 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:08,040 Come on somebody how did they have to name him? 305 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:13,720 Oh because of the inspiration that was given that shout called his name Jesus because he 306 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:18,400 is the savior of his people and the savior of this world. 307 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:30,680 Isaiah said his name is Emmanuel for it is God who is with us. 308 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:36,760 Timeline adds up if you know the history and the events. 309 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:43,160 Luke 2 somewhere around 22 somewhere in there you see when Joseph and Mary come back and 310 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:49,840 they bring the offering for his birth they couldn't afford the lamb so evidently the 311 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:57,400 Magi hadn't made it to town yet because they had to get the turtle of offerings. 312 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:03,920 Come on the offering required was a lamb offering but they couldn't afford a lamb offering that 313 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:07,040 lets me know the gold hadn't showed up just yet. 314 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:11,800 The frankincense hadn't made it just yet because the two Greek words between the two stories 315 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:16,280 when the Magi get there they find a young child so it could have been a year and much 316 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:21,640 as a year later when they come to see Christ and to worship him but I do know this when 317 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:27,040 they did arrive they paid for the journey that was ahead because Joseph had been commanded 318 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:29,920 take that boy down into Egypt hallelujah. 319 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:35,600 I guarantee you though if they had already been there if they had already been by Joseph 320 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:40,840 would have purchased the lamb for the sacrifice instead of having to get the poor man's offering. 321 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:43,440 Come on somebody what are you saying? 322 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:47,560 Well you got three dollars and you give one that's what I'm talking about when you come 323 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:52,240 to church and it comes offering time I never did like to see the plate go by I've borrowed 324 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:56,920 dollars I've done everything from people beside me give me something to put in I didn't want 325 00:21:56,920 --> 00:22:02,000 it to go by without putting something in but I assure you had the wise men already been 326 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:06,720 by the Magi been through and the gold had been presented he would have took the very 327 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:12,120 best offering that was required which was a lamb to be sacrificed but he give what he 328 00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:18,480 had he give what was required of him but my god the journey that was ahead was provided 329 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:23,960 for by the Lord let me interject into you this morning because of the birth of the Christ 330 00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:29,560 the price for the journey that is ahead for you has already been paid he's already lended 331 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:37,600 to you what you need is a resource to make your way to the end hallelujah. 332 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:46,480 He is the Christ the son of the living God and as we focus our celebration these next 333 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:53,940 few weeks upon his birth my mind will be looking beyond his birth and I shall see his return 334 00:22:53,940 --> 00:23:03,000 in my imagination I'm looking for his return celebrating his coming celebrate his coming 335 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:08,400 on this earth celebrating his sacrifice the gift that he gave so that I may stand here 336 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:17,320 in free pardon of sin today grateful and thankful but I'm looking not at a manger but I'll close 337 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:25,080 my eyes and see glory in the eastern heavens I'll see that bright and shining and I'll 338 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:31,240 hear in my mind's voice that let the trumpeters trumpet oh amen let them play their songs 339 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:36,520 but as I close my eyes in 23 and look and celebrate toward Christmas with all that's 340 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:41,640 going on around us and the darkness that is shining about I already know according as 341 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:48,360 Isaiah prophesied that the light has shined upon us and you need to take hold of the light 342 00:23:48,360 --> 00:23:53,800 more than any miracle of his doing more than any of the miracles of his providing the greatest 343 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:59,880 miracle for you and I is that God himself provided the sacrifice and the gift for you 344 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:06,520 and I and I am so thankful this morning that that gift has been given and gladly received 345 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:11,960 how many of you have gladly received that wonderful gift of reconciliation and redemption 346 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:18,880 through God's son Jesus Christ and I am so so glad that we have the opportunity now to 347 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:27,560 celebrate that wonderful giving I know the over commercialization of Christmas leaves 348 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:36,360 a bad taste in our mouth but you don't have to participate in it I encourage you to pray 349 00:24:36,360 --> 00:24:44,720 and seek God what God would have you do this Christmas season what gifts he may have you 350 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:51,680 give may not be in the direction that you are so accustomed to giving he may actually 351 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:58,740 ask of you to go outside of your circumference as you and many of ours are already abundantly 352 00:24:58,740 --> 00:25:09,400 blessed to bless those who are not is that not what he did you think about who the angelic 353 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:17,600 hosts saying to the lowest of society of their day the shepherds everybody looked down on 354 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:30,080 the shepherds but everybody needed the shepherd everyone looked down on the shepherds but 355 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:37,560 everybody had to have a lamb if they was going to church they had to have their sacrifice 356 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:44,320 the lowest of society of their day the nomadic shepherds they were on that hillside that 357 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:52,800 night it not just like the heart of the father he always had a heart for the shepherd he 358 00:25:52,800 --> 00:26:01,680 found the king of Israel tending the flock he found little David didn't he he had a heart 359 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:09,440 for shepherds so it would be to them that he would make his announcement it wasn't to 360 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:14,120 the Pharisees it wasn't to the Sadducees it wasn't to the religious Levites of their 361 00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:23,320 day wasn't the high priest it was the lowly on the hillside who no doubt were longing 362 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:38,080 for the coming of the Christ and then the heavens open go look rush in for unto you 363 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:54,960 this day is born and then suddenly there was a host who joined the angelic messenger proclaiming 364 00:26:54,960 --> 00:27:07,200 peace on the earth and in fact the wording is I read it is on earth peace on earth peace 365 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:19,400 peace personified peace delivered peace given peace for humanity not that there wouldn't 366 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:29,220 be turmoil but that the soul could be at rest not that the world wouldn't be in turmoil 367 00:27:29,220 --> 00:27:37,280 but that humanity in the world could find peace and rest and I think that's what we 368 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:51,480 need this 2023 Christmas season on the earth peace not that there's another ceasefire 369 00:27:51,480 --> 00:28:05,360 demanded but that on this earth peace is once again proclaimed how so pastor as you go about 370 00:28:05,360 --> 00:28:17,040 what is today the third 22 more days as you go about the routines of life for this season 371 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:26,400 make it a point to proclaim peace in people's lives what if they don't want it they'll let 372 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:38,880 you know but what if they do 40,000 feet in the air reading your Bible privately to be 373 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:50,520 questioned is that a Bible yes it is well what do you think about that you really want 374 00:28:50,520 --> 00:29:04,040 to know you really want to know he heard 22 days to let the world know why we do what 375 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:13,440 we do 22 days to let them know why you'll wrap a light around a tree it's so that all 376 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:20,360 knows that he is the light of the world why would you put a star on top or an angel on 377 00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:30,800 top of a tree so that I can tell you that his star was seen and that his message was 378 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:48,240 heard search the history of Christmas and you may not be near so critical Christ has 379 00:29:48,240 --> 00:30:11,600 come Christ has come we can forsake all but not forsake him 2023 take an inner focus 380 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:19,480 as to why you do what you do candles in the window what's the deal with that look it up 381 00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:28,840 you may be surprised the Bible says we're not supposed to put trees in our homes that 382 00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:48,320 is not a totem pole know what is instructive it's about the Christ and the moment it becomes 383 00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:59,880 about any of the other becomes idolatry what's a hard Christmas message pastor yes it is 384 00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:14,640 draw our focus to the Christ that we are reminded every gift that you open may you see in your 385 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:26,920 mind's eye a blanket wrapped around the greatest gift every time you see it with a bow may 386 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:46,280 you know that he is the supreme of it all stay with me this morning I'm finished as 387 00:31:46,280 --> 00:31:58,360 we look toward I'm looking forward to our candlelight communion service together on 388 00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:06,200 that Christmas Eve morning I have been asked are you having church on Christmas Eve I said 389 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:24,680 that's like saying we're not going to have church on Easter Sunday as we'll come and 390 00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:35,960 sit at the table to be reminded on that 24th morning we're going to worship with the hymns 391 00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:52,680 of old glorify him and across this front will be tables with chairs for families well I'm 392 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:59,640 by myself no you're not look around you're not alone I don't have any other family here 393 00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:12,960 well yes you do look are we not brothers and sisters in Christ find an empty seat and sit 394 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:25,880 with the family of God and we will commune at his table be reminded of his birth celebrate 395 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:35,840 his life and resurrection we give you all the glory just bow your heads in the house 396 00:33:35,840 --> 00:34:03,360 this morning give you all the glory re-christen the Lord oh come us adore him oh come let 397 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:25,440 us adore him oh come let us adore him Christ Christ the Lord sing it again oh come let 398 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:50,760 us adore him oh come let us adore him oh come let us adore him Christ the Lord heavenly 399 00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:59,240 father over our church family I pray blessings and as we approach the season and as the days 400 00:34:59,240 --> 00:35:11,960 draw closer we celebrate the giving of your son the birth of our Savior the life that 401 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:30,920 he lived and gave for us may my focus be toward him these next days and on him alone thank 402 00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:39,120 you Lord for your visitation this morning thank you for your presence I thank you for 403 00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:51,240 each one under the sound of my voice and I pray father God you bless them watch over 404 00:35:51,240 --> 00:36:00,640 Graham and Tabitha tomorrow as we're expecting the greatest gift we can have in this life 405 00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:13,520 little Graham watch over and keep them we praise you and honor you in Christ's name 406 00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:30,880 Amen and Amen.