WEBVTT 00:00:07.900 --> 00:00:11.099 Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:15.019 like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward 00:00:15.019 --> 00:00:18.100 slash connect. If you feel called to give, go 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:21.980 to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at 00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:23.920 any time you feel called to make a change in 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:29.399 your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the 00:00:29.399 --> 00:00:31.719 message. Good. Merry Christmas. Thank you for 00:00:31.719 --> 00:00:33.700 joining us from home and for welcoming us into 00:00:33.700 --> 00:00:37.479 your space. So just like they said there on the 00:00:37.479 --> 00:00:40.780 announcements, next weekend there is no in -person 00:00:40.780 --> 00:00:43.140 gatherings. It's our weekend of rest. We take 00:00:43.140 --> 00:00:45.700 this last Sunday of the month off. However... 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:49.359 Jess and I recorded the Weekend of Rest video 00:00:49.359 --> 00:00:51.719 this past Friday, and let's just say you don't 00:00:51.719 --> 00:00:54.079 want to miss it. We took a journey through the 00:00:54.079 --> 00:00:58.359 20 years that made HCV, HCV. So be sure to tune 00:00:58.359 --> 00:01:00.859 in at one of our three gathering times, 825, 00:01:01.140 --> 00:01:04.739 1005, or 1145 with your whole family. Just watch 00:01:04.739 --> 00:01:08.769 it together. rest, spend quality time. And then 00:01:08.769 --> 00:01:11.930 we'll gather again on January 4th. And of course, 00:01:11.950 --> 00:01:15.390 January 4th is our baptisms, right? So if you 00:01:15.390 --> 00:01:17.129 want to be baptized, sign up to be baptized. 00:01:17.170 --> 00:01:19.489 That will be after our third gathering. And as 00:01:19.489 --> 00:01:22.829 many of you know, every new year, we kick it 00:01:22.829 --> 00:01:26.549 off with 21 days of prayer and fasting. 26 will 00:01:26.549 --> 00:01:29.250 be no different. Starting January 4th, we will 00:01:29.250 --> 00:01:31.609 do 21 days of prayer and fasting. Except this 00:01:31.609 --> 00:01:34.310 year, I felt God challenged me to do a little 00:01:34.310 --> 00:01:37.950 bit more. Is that okay? So during our second 00:01:37.950 --> 00:01:40.629 week of the 21 days of prayer and fasting, we're 00:01:40.629 --> 00:01:44.290 going to attempt to do 24 -7 prayer for an entire 00:01:44.290 --> 00:01:48.450 week. So for 24 -7, right, seven days a week, 00:01:48.590 --> 00:01:50.549 we're going to have somebody in this auditorium 00:01:50.549 --> 00:01:53.090 or in the worship room praying for a one -hour 00:01:53.090 --> 00:01:56.549 time slot. So we need you to sign up. The sign 00:01:56.549 --> 00:01:59.909 -up's out by the Pray in Hands wall, and we need 00:01:59.909 --> 00:02:02.950 you to take a one -hour slot so that we can cover 00:02:02.950 --> 00:02:06.989 a whole week of the new year in 24 -7 prayer 00:02:06.989 --> 00:02:08.789 because we believe God's going to do incredible 00:02:08.789 --> 00:02:11.349 things this new year. Do you think we can do 00:02:11.349 --> 00:02:15.539 it? I think we can. For all you early risers, 00:02:15.560 --> 00:02:17.819 take those morning spots first, because I like 00:02:17.819 --> 00:02:20.039 to sleep, okay? I don't want it to fall down 00:02:20.039 --> 00:02:23.039 on me, so take those early spots to get them 00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:26.900 covered. So today, I want to tell you about the 00:02:26.900 --> 00:02:30.979 greatest love story of all time. Do you want 00:02:30.979 --> 00:02:33.719 to hear about it? Now work with me on this, because 00:02:33.719 --> 00:02:36.680 the greatest love story of all time may not be 00:02:36.680 --> 00:02:39.300 what you're thinking about right now. The greatest 00:02:39.300 --> 00:02:42.819 love story of all time is not Romeo and Juliet. 00:02:43.849 --> 00:02:46.370 Now the next one may upset a few of you ladies, 00:02:46.469 --> 00:02:49.129 but I need to say it. The greatest love story 00:02:49.129 --> 00:02:52.030 of all time is not Noah and Allie from The Notebook. 00:02:53.810 --> 00:02:56.310 Okay, that may upset you, but it's truth, okay? 00:02:56.669 --> 00:03:00.129 The greatest love story of all time is also not 00:03:00.129 --> 00:03:03.590 Jack and Rose from The Titanic. It's just not. 00:03:03.849 --> 00:03:06.870 Because we have to admit all those love stories 00:03:06.870 --> 00:03:10.840 have a really sad ending. Don't they? I mean, 00:03:10.840 --> 00:03:12.780 think about it. Romeo and Juliet, they have a 00:03:12.780 --> 00:03:15.280 miscommunication, which all married couples do, 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:19.340 and they both die tragically. Yes, they end up 00:03:19.340 --> 00:03:21.639 together, but certainly not the greatest love 00:03:21.639 --> 00:03:24.300 story of all time. Then there's Noah and Allie 00:03:24.300 --> 00:03:27.259 in the notebook. They endured years of separation 00:03:27.259 --> 00:03:30.419 and memory loss. Then what happens at the end 00:03:30.419 --> 00:03:32.300 of the movie? They die in each other's arms. 00:03:32.780 --> 00:03:35.719 It's beautiful. I get it. But again, not the 00:03:35.719 --> 00:03:37.919 greatest love story of all time. And then, of 00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:41.819 course, There's Jack and Rose hanging on to a 00:03:41.819 --> 00:03:45.180 door in the freezing Atlantic Ocean. And Rose 00:03:45.180 --> 00:03:48.199 watches Jack sink to the bottom to his death. 00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:52.400 But if you look carefully, there was room on 00:03:52.400 --> 00:03:57.819 that door. Right? I mean, come on. Help a brother 00:03:57.819 --> 00:04:03.360 out. Snuggle up. Get some body heat. Right? My 00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:07.770 man could have lived. Put him on that door. Now, 00:04:07.789 --> 00:04:09.750 I just happened to watch Four Christmases a few 00:04:09.750 --> 00:04:12.469 days ago. Brad and Kate, I mean, they have their 00:04:12.469 --> 00:04:15.349 struggles, right? But at least they ended up 00:04:15.349 --> 00:04:19.889 together in the end. Just saying. Those are not 00:04:19.889 --> 00:04:21.990 the greatest love stories of all time. In fact, 00:04:22.810 --> 00:04:25.410 what I want to say to you today is the greatest 00:04:25.410 --> 00:04:27.629 love story of all time doesn't start with once 00:04:27.629 --> 00:04:29.790 upon a time. The greatest love story of all time 00:04:29.790 --> 00:04:34.040 begins with, for God so loved the world. That's 00:04:34.040 --> 00:04:36.019 how the greatest love story of all time starts. 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:37.920 And for those of you who might say, well, Chris, 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:42.839 the main character of that story dies. Yes, Jesus 00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:45.060 does die, but three days later when the stone 00:04:45.060 --> 00:04:47.959 is rolled away and the tomb was empty because 00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:51.000 Jesus was raised from the dead. The greatest 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:54.120 love story of all time doesn't end in death. 00:04:55.519 --> 00:04:58.339 It ends in Jesus conquering death, overcoming 00:04:58.339 --> 00:05:00.839 death. And I get it. That's the Easter story, 00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:03.519 so let's back up. And make sure we stick with 00:05:03.519 --> 00:05:06.079 Christmas. We're in a Christmas message series 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:08.920 called Christmas Lights. And if you're new with 00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:11.079 us, for the last few weeks, we've been looking 00:05:11.079 --> 00:05:14.139 at Advent. If you don't know what Advent is, 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:16.740 it's a historic, very meaningful tradition in 00:05:16.740 --> 00:05:19.240 the church that dates all the way back to the 00:05:19.240 --> 00:05:21.939 4th century when followers of Jesus would prepare 00:05:21.939 --> 00:05:25.839 their hearts with fasting and prayer, looking 00:05:25.839 --> 00:05:28.759 forward to where and what we are doing right 00:05:28.759 --> 00:05:32.670 now, celebrating the birth of Jesus. Each week 00:05:32.670 --> 00:05:35.310 of Advent has a theme, and we've talked about 00:05:35.310 --> 00:05:37.569 those four themes. And if you've missed any, 00:05:37.569 --> 00:05:39.750 you can go back to our YouTube channel and listen 00:05:39.750 --> 00:05:42.930 in. The first week, I lit the candle of hope. 00:05:43.269 --> 00:05:46.250 The second week was the candle of peace, and 00:05:46.250 --> 00:05:49.069 Rudy shared about peace in the midst of chaos. 00:05:49.629 --> 00:05:52.910 Last week, I got to light the joy candle, and 00:05:52.910 --> 00:05:55.329 I shared a very meaningful testimony about how 00:05:55.329 --> 00:05:58.329 we can find joy in the midst of our everyday 00:05:58.329 --> 00:06:06.689 struggles. The love candle. Because today we 00:06:06.689 --> 00:06:10.730 are celebrating the love that conquers death. 00:06:11.370 --> 00:06:16.430 And we will open with prayer. Let's pray. Holy 00:06:16.430 --> 00:06:20.670 Spirit, come. God, we are thankful that we can 00:06:20.670 --> 00:06:23.009 gather, that we can worship, that we can celebrate 00:06:23.009 --> 00:06:27.430 the birth of Jesus. God, open our minds, our 00:06:27.430 --> 00:06:30.819 hearts. To receive all that you have for us, 00:06:30.839 --> 00:06:32.899 God, change us. We welcome you into this place. 00:06:32.939 --> 00:06:36.339 Move amongst every aisle, Holy Spirit, amongst 00:06:36.339 --> 00:06:39.600 every seat. Stir our hearts. We silence distractions 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:42.360 in Jesus' name, and we just pray, God, have your 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:48.139 way. In Jesus' name, amen. We begin this morning 00:06:48.139 --> 00:06:50.939 by discussing our first thought. Christmas is 00:06:50.939 --> 00:06:54.160 a love story. And it's not the traditional love 00:06:54.160 --> 00:06:57.199 story between a man and a woman. Christmas is 00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:00.819 a love story about a father. And a son. I mean, 00:07:00.839 --> 00:07:04.720 it's amazing to recognize that 700 years before 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:07.399 the birth of Jesus, Isaiah prophesied in what's 00:07:07.399 --> 00:07:10.600 now known as the Messianic prophecy. And we read 00:07:10.600 --> 00:07:15.060 this in Isaiah 9, 6. For a child is born to us. 00:07:15.100 --> 00:07:19.319 A son is given to us. Now imagine for just a 00:07:19.319 --> 00:07:22.279 minute, for all eternity, before the world existed, 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:25.439 before time existed, before anything existed, 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:29.149 there was a father and a son. And the heavenly 00:07:29.149 --> 00:07:31.970 father loved his son more than any father ever 00:07:31.970 --> 00:07:36.910 loved a child. And the son loves his father more 00:07:36.910 --> 00:07:40.170 than any child ever loved a parent because they 00:07:40.170 --> 00:07:43.810 had an intimacy, an uninterrupted, perfect oneness 00:07:43.810 --> 00:07:47.250 for all eternity. In fact, Jesus even said, he 00:07:47.250 --> 00:07:51.509 said, I am the father, we are one. Then came 00:07:51.509 --> 00:07:54.670 the very first Christmas when the father, he 00:07:54.670 --> 00:07:57.660 said goodbye and sent his son. From heaven to 00:07:57.660 --> 00:08:00.759 earth. Paul reads it this way in Galatians 4 00:08:00.759 --> 00:08:05.259 .4. But when the right time came, God sent his 00:08:05.259 --> 00:08:09.180 son, born of a woman, subject of the law. Now 00:08:09.180 --> 00:08:11.939 if you have kids, you know at some point what 00:08:11.939 --> 00:08:14.879 it's like to send them out. When they go to kindergarten, 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:18.579 what do you do on that first day of school? You 00:08:18.579 --> 00:08:22.379 wake up early. You pack their Cinderella or their 00:08:22.379 --> 00:08:26.000 Superman lunchbox just right. Full of love. You've 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:28.339 got a wrap and a sandwich and their favorite 00:08:28.339 --> 00:08:31.500 chips, a juice box, and of course something sweet 00:08:31.500 --> 00:08:34.299 to make them smile. Then you take them to the 00:08:34.299 --> 00:08:36.320 front porch, and before you get in the car, what 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:40.779 do you do? You take 52 photos of your little 00:08:40.779 --> 00:08:44.139 boy or your little special bug you're about to 00:08:44.139 --> 00:08:46.620 send off to school. And then before you go, you've 00:08:46.620 --> 00:08:49.700 got to post them online because you've got to 00:08:49.700 --> 00:08:52.879 show the world how cute your kid is. Then you 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:56.200 drive them to school. You send them off, they 00:08:56.200 --> 00:08:58.879 walk into school, you see their backpack disappear, 00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:01.860 then you return to the car where you cry your 00:09:01.860 --> 00:09:05.100 eyes out for the next two hours. You cry like 00:09:05.100 --> 00:09:07.820 crazy because that's what it's like to be a parent 00:09:07.820 --> 00:09:12.120 and to send them off. Send them off into the 00:09:12.120 --> 00:09:17.940 unknown. How many of you have learned how difficult 00:09:17.940 --> 00:09:20.600 and a struggle it is for your child to learn 00:09:20.600 --> 00:09:23.299 to drive? Show me, show me a raise of hand. Oh, 00:09:23.340 --> 00:09:25.240 good, you haven't lost your salvation. That's 00:09:25.240 --> 00:09:29.340 good. It's a good thing, right? What I've learned 00:09:29.340 --> 00:09:32.559 is when your children are old enough to drive, 00:09:32.759 --> 00:09:36.320 when they're 16 and you're with them in the car, 00:09:36.419 --> 00:09:38.259 suddenly you learn how to speak in tongues for 00:09:38.259 --> 00:09:42.940 the first time. If you never did before, just 00:09:42.940 --> 00:09:46.600 ride with them then. I remember when Trinity 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:48.480 got her learner's permit. I was thinking about 00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:52.029 that this week. We went to the DMV. She passed. 00:09:52.169 --> 00:09:54.570 She was all excited. She was so excited. She 00:09:54.570 --> 00:09:57.889 said, Dad, can I drive home? I said, sure. Wrong 00:09:57.889 --> 00:10:02.529 answer. We take off from the DMV. She's doing 00:10:02.529 --> 00:10:05.950 great. Every stop sign, every stop light. And 00:10:05.950 --> 00:10:07.450 then I say, hey, Trent, don't forget we have 00:10:07.450 --> 00:10:09.750 to take the next left -hand turn. No stop sign 00:10:09.750 --> 00:10:12.970 or stop light. Let it be known. She puts on her 00:10:12.970 --> 00:10:15.990 left turn signal, and suddenly she turns into 00:10:15.990 --> 00:10:18.669 a NASCAR driver because instead of braking to 00:10:18.669 --> 00:10:25.889 turn left, she accelerates. She literally accelerates. 00:10:25.889 --> 00:10:29.269 We go up on two wheels. I am praying in tongues. 00:10:29.370 --> 00:10:32.149 I said, it's over. I'm going to end up in a ditch. 00:10:33.830 --> 00:10:38.610 But we made it safely home. And Jess looked at 00:10:38.610 --> 00:10:40.830 me and said, are you crazy? Why would you ever 00:10:40.830 --> 00:10:43.289 let her do that? I'm like, yeah, I learned that 00:10:43.289 --> 00:10:49.029 the hard way. And then, of course, there's college, 00:10:49.269 --> 00:10:51.769 right? They go off to college or they decide 00:10:51.769 --> 00:10:53.669 to join the Peace Corps or they get married. 00:10:54.230 --> 00:10:57.570 It's really hard to say goodbye. Well, it was 00:10:57.570 --> 00:10:59.830 incredibly more intimate and tense when God the 00:10:59.830 --> 00:11:02.029 Father sent Jesus his son from heaven to earth. 00:11:02.870 --> 00:11:05.909 They had never been separated before. And that's 00:11:05.909 --> 00:11:08.350 why Christmas is a love story about a father 00:11:08.350 --> 00:11:11.029 and a son. But it's not just a love story about 00:11:11.029 --> 00:11:13.950 a father and a son. Christmas is also a love 00:11:13.950 --> 00:11:17.090 story about a mother and a son. In fact, the 00:11:17.090 --> 00:11:20.370 angel said this to Mary in Matthew 1 .21, and 00:11:20.370 --> 00:11:23.210 she will have a son. And you are to name him 00:11:23.210 --> 00:11:25.350 Jesus, for he will save his people from their 00:11:25.350 --> 00:11:28.490 sins. See, Christmas is a love story about a 00:11:28.490 --> 00:11:31.669 mother and a son. And how many of you know moms 00:11:31.669 --> 00:11:34.720 and dads, they love equally. But they love differently, 00:11:34.879 --> 00:11:37.580 right? And you all know what I'm talking about. 00:11:37.620 --> 00:11:39.519 A mother's love is different than a father's 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:42.879 love. A mom's love is more nurturing. It's more 00:11:42.879 --> 00:11:45.899 comforting. I mean, if one of my kids get hurt 00:11:45.899 --> 00:11:47.299 and they come running to me, what am I going 00:11:47.299 --> 00:11:49.240 to do? I'm going to give them a little hug, a 00:11:49.240 --> 00:11:51.100 little pat on the back. I'm going to rub their 00:11:51.100 --> 00:11:53.139 boo -boo on their arm and say, you're all good. 00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:57.039 Get back out there. Climb that rope again. Get 00:11:57.039 --> 00:11:59.799 up on that playground. They came running to Jess 00:11:59.799 --> 00:12:04.299 and it's all different. Oh, baby, let me hug 00:12:04.299 --> 00:12:07.240 you. It's okay. I'll pray for your arm. Let me 00:12:07.240 --> 00:12:09.639 pray for your arm. Don't worry. I'll take care 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:12.059 of that mean playground. Your father will cut 00:12:12.059 --> 00:12:18.000 that rope down. Let me kiss you. Where does it 00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:21.000 hurt? Because why? Because a mother's love is 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:25.200 different. They're equal, but different. And 00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:27.279 so it's really hard to imagine a little teenage 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:29.919 girl named Mary who finds out she's going to 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:32.759 be a mom when the angel says, You're highly favored. 00:12:33.240 --> 00:12:35.100 And the Lord is with you. And you're going to 00:12:35.100 --> 00:12:37.480 conceive and give birth to a son who's going 00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:40.799 to be named Jesus because he came to save people 00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:44.820 from their sins. Then, of course, she goes from 00:12:44.820 --> 00:12:48.139 there to tell Joseph, her fiance, hey, I got 00:12:48.139 --> 00:12:51.580 to tell you something, Joe. And you better sit 00:12:51.580 --> 00:12:55.360 down. Can I get you a drink? Can I get you something 00:12:55.360 --> 00:12:59.279 to eat? I need to prepare you for this. I'm pregnant. 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:03.519 But I promise, I promise it's the Holy Spirit. 00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:08.059 God told me. An angel visited me. It's the Holy 00:13:08.059 --> 00:13:12.639 Spirit. Yeah, sure it is. Now, of course, in 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:15.120 a small town, people begin talking. She's pregnant 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:18.059 before they're married. You all know this story. 00:13:18.179 --> 00:13:21.240 I shared it last week. They travel 90 miles on 00:13:21.240 --> 00:13:24.649 the back of a donkey. All the way to Bethlehem, 00:13:24.649 --> 00:13:27.269 she's miserable. Her feet are swollen. She's 00:13:27.269 --> 00:13:31.389 craving kettle -cooked potato chips. She's got 00:13:31.389 --> 00:13:33.490 to go to the bathroom every quarter of a mile 00:13:33.490 --> 00:13:36.470 behind a bush. And then they make it to Bethlehem 00:13:36.470 --> 00:13:40.830 where there's no room in the inn. She gives birth 00:13:40.830 --> 00:13:43.269 to her baby in a manger, which, of course, was 00:13:43.269 --> 00:13:46.289 a shack or a cave, many scholars believe, then 00:13:46.289 --> 00:13:49.250 to make things even worse. Eight days later, 00:13:49.490 --> 00:13:52.960 she hadn't gotten any sleep. Joseph hadn't done 00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:56.559 anything right. And you say, wait a minute. Chris, 00:13:56.600 --> 00:13:58.759 I've never read that in the Bible. Yeah, it's 00:13:58.759 --> 00:14:02.539 not in the Bible. But listen, eight days after 00:14:02.539 --> 00:14:05.580 a baby is born, the husband does nothing right. 00:14:06.179 --> 00:14:09.500 True or false? Amen. Just getting an amen there. 00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:11.879 Making sure everybody understands that truth. 00:14:13.039 --> 00:14:15.679 But at those eight days, this weird guy comes 00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:18.269 forward. His name is Simeon. And he does his 00:14:18.269 --> 00:14:21.009 prophecy thing. He says this in Luke chapter 00:14:21.009 --> 00:14:24.009 2. Then Simeon blessed them and he said to Mary, 00:14:24.169 --> 00:14:26.809 the baby's mother, this child is destined to 00:14:26.809 --> 00:14:29.330 cause many in Israel to fall and many others 00:14:29.330 --> 00:14:32.509 to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, 00:14:32.570 --> 00:14:35.590 but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest 00:14:35.590 --> 00:14:37.950 thoughts of many hearts will be revealed and 00:14:37.950 --> 00:14:42.110 a sword will pierce your very soul. So picture 00:14:42.110 --> 00:14:45.210 it. This random guy shows up and prophesies to 00:14:45.210 --> 00:14:48.299 Mary. The mother of Jesus, hey Mary, your son, 00:14:48.539 --> 00:14:52.620 he was born to die. And I don't know about you, 00:14:52.659 --> 00:14:55.419 but no mom ever wants to hear that. Hey, you're 00:14:55.419 --> 00:14:57.539 going to give birth to your son, your child, 00:14:57.720 --> 00:15:00.779 and the son you love is going to suffer and die 00:15:00.779 --> 00:15:02.700 and make matters worse. You're going to watch 00:15:02.700 --> 00:15:06.840 it, and the pain is literally going to crush 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:10.639 you. See, this is a love story. The greatest 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:13.299 love story of all time about a mother and a son. 00:15:13.820 --> 00:15:16.080 And her son wasn't born to grow up and go to 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:18.879 college and get married and start a family. No, 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:21.039 Mary's son was the savior of the world who was 00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:25.100 born to suffer and die for our sins. So today 00:15:25.100 --> 00:15:27.159 I tell you the greatest love story of all time. 00:15:27.639 --> 00:15:29.980 It's not just the love of a father and a son. 00:15:30.039 --> 00:15:32.519 It's not just the love of a mother and a son. 00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:35.139 Our next thought, Christmas, is a love story 00:15:35.139 --> 00:15:38.919 about Jesus and humanity. Again, Isaiah's prophecy 00:15:38.919 --> 00:15:42.649 in Isaiah 9, verses 2 and 6. The people. That's 00:15:42.649 --> 00:15:45.690 right, the people were walking in darkness, but 00:15:45.690 --> 00:15:48.429 they will see a great light. For those who live 00:15:48.429 --> 00:15:50.789 in the land of deep darkness, a light will shine. 00:15:51.789 --> 00:15:56.789 For a child is born to us. Notice, a son is given 00:15:56.789 --> 00:15:59.190 to us. The government will rest on his shoulders, 00:15:59.230 --> 00:16:01.590 and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty 00:16:01.590 --> 00:16:05.710 God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Fast 00:16:05.710 --> 00:16:07.610 forward to the New Testament. John writes it 00:16:07.610 --> 00:16:10.809 this way in his gospel, John 3, 16. For this 00:16:10.809 --> 00:16:13.570 is how God loved the world. He gave his one and 00:16:13.570 --> 00:16:15.450 only son so that everyone who believes in him 00:16:15.450 --> 00:16:19.009 will not perish but have eternal life. So why 00:16:19.009 --> 00:16:22.669 did God send his son? Because of his love. So 00:16:22.669 --> 00:16:25.610 that everyone who believes in him will not perish 00:16:25.610 --> 00:16:28.889 but have eternal life. And then in verse 17 we 00:16:28.889 --> 00:16:30.889 read, for God did not send his son into the world 00:16:30.889 --> 00:16:32.990 to condemn you. God's not here to condemn us, 00:16:33.110 --> 00:16:37.009 but to save the world through him. That is how 00:16:37.009 --> 00:16:39.820 much God loves you. This is the greatest love 00:16:39.820 --> 00:16:42.960 story of all time, and this love story is personal. 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:47.139 It's personal to us, it's personal to me, and 00:16:47.139 --> 00:16:49.919 it should be personal to you. It certainly was 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:52.960 personal to John. I mean, John, the guy who wrote 00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:56.259 John 3 .16, this dude, he needed a whole lot 00:16:56.259 --> 00:16:59.679 of love. He had a brother named James. They're 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:02.759 two of the 12 original disciples. And what I 00:17:02.759 --> 00:17:05.740 love about these guys is they were the most not 00:17:05.740 --> 00:17:08.910 likely. to be chosen to be disciples in this 00:17:08.910 --> 00:17:12.529 graduating class. These guys were wild. They 00:17:12.529 --> 00:17:15.569 were so wild that Jesus actually gave them a 00:17:15.569 --> 00:17:19.809 nickname. Now, on a side note, I just think it's 00:17:19.809 --> 00:17:23.069 really cool that Jesus gave out nicknames. Like, 00:17:23.069 --> 00:17:27.029 isn't that cool? I liked it so much that I decided 00:17:27.029 --> 00:17:30.210 to give our bass guitarist, Stephen, a new nickname, 00:17:30.430 --> 00:17:33.960 okay? So the next time you see Stephen out in 00:17:33.960 --> 00:17:36.359 the cafe there, he's got his white pants and 00:17:36.359 --> 00:17:38.559 his white sneakers on. I said, hey, you got a 00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:41.220 new nickname. It's Don, all right? Don Johnson, 00:17:41.619 --> 00:17:44.359 all right? You look good. It's Christmas service, 00:17:44.440 --> 00:17:46.839 and you're rocking the white. You're ready to 00:17:46.839 --> 00:17:50.799 take on Miami Vice, right? Do you know what Jesus 00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:53.500 called these brothers? He called these brothers 00:17:53.500 --> 00:17:56.759 in Mark chapter 3, James and John, the sons of 00:17:56.759 --> 00:18:00.099 Zebedee. Jesus nicknamed them sons of thunder. 00:18:02.059 --> 00:18:04.359 So you know you're not likely to be a disciple 00:18:04.359 --> 00:18:07.099 when the son of God, the person you're following, 00:18:07.259 --> 00:18:09.839 calls you a son of thunder. And why did he call 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:13.759 them this? Well, Jesus, right, he went into this 00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:16.940 town and the people didn't welcome him. And John 00:18:16.940 --> 00:18:20.200 said these words in Luke 9, 54. When James and 00:18:20.200 --> 00:18:23.240 John saw this, they said to Jesus, Lord, should 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:25.240 we call down fire from heaven and burn them up? 00:18:27.640 --> 00:18:30.779 Right, so they just stroll into a town. The town 00:18:30.779 --> 00:18:33.220 didn't really want to hear the truth. He says, 00:18:33.220 --> 00:18:35.759 let's just burn them all down. Let's just destroy 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:38.900 the whole town. Jesus is like, hey, calm down, 00:18:39.079 --> 00:18:41.940 John. Slow it down. Dial it back a little. You're 00:18:41.940 --> 00:18:44.740 at a 10. Let's get back to a 5. Let's learn about 00:18:44.740 --> 00:18:49.440 grace. So Thunderman was not the most likely 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:52.660 to be chosen to be a disciple, yet Jesus loved 00:18:52.660 --> 00:18:58.019 John. The son loved John so much, it literally 00:18:58.019 --> 00:19:01.289 changed his identity. You see, after experiencing 00:19:01.289 --> 00:19:03.990 the love of Jesus, John was no longer John the 00:19:03.990 --> 00:19:06.569 son of thunder. He wasn't John the agitator. 00:19:06.589 --> 00:19:09.670 He wasn't John the troublemaker. He wasn't John 00:19:09.670 --> 00:19:13.710 who lets everybody down. He got a new name. And 00:19:13.710 --> 00:19:17.009 you know what his name was? It was the one whom 00:19:17.009 --> 00:19:21.130 Jesus loved. He was the one that Jesus loved. 00:19:21.430 --> 00:19:24.250 And because of the love the son had for John, 00:19:24.390 --> 00:19:28.670 it became personal. It became real. He was the 00:19:28.670 --> 00:19:31.369 one that Jesus loved. He called himself that 00:19:31.369 --> 00:19:34.470 again, again, over and over. Now, for the record, 00:19:34.529 --> 00:19:37.910 listen, I'm not a fan of you or anyone else speaking 00:19:37.910 --> 00:19:39.990 of themselves in third person. I think it's a 00:19:39.990 --> 00:19:44.150 little weird. But that's what he did. He spoke 00:19:44.150 --> 00:19:47.349 of himself in third person five different times 00:19:47.349 --> 00:19:50.009 in the Gospel of John. He talks about himself 00:19:50.009 --> 00:19:53.269 in third person being the one whom Jesus loved. 00:19:53.329 --> 00:19:55.150 Let's take a quick look at these in John 13. 00:19:55.799 --> 00:20:00.579 23, 19, 26, 20 verse 2, 21 verse 7, and 21 verse 00:20:00.579 --> 00:20:04.599 20. The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next 00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:07.740 to Jesus at the table. When Jesus saw his mother 00:20:07.740 --> 00:20:09.980 standing there beside the disciple he loved, 00:20:10.259 --> 00:20:14.079 she ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple. 00:20:14.079 --> 00:20:18.400 You know the one whom he loved? Then the disciple 00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:22.759 Jesus loved said to Peter, it's the Lord. Peter 00:20:22.759 --> 00:20:25.900 turned around and saw behind them. the disciple 00:20:25.900 --> 00:20:31.400 Jesus loved. See, for John, the love of Jesus 00:20:31.400 --> 00:20:35.619 was what? It was personal. And that's why Christmas 00:20:35.619 --> 00:20:40.000 is a love story about a father and a son, a mother 00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:44.140 and a son, and a son who loves broken people 00:20:44.140 --> 00:20:47.180 like you and me. See, this is the greatest love 00:20:47.180 --> 00:20:49.740 story of all time. But what I really want you 00:20:49.740 --> 00:20:53.279 to hear is every single one of you. that is gathered 00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:55.099 here, that's even watching online. I want you 00:20:55.099 --> 00:20:57.200 to hear this. I want you to feel it. I want you 00:20:57.200 --> 00:20:58.779 to believe it. More importantly, I want you to 00:20:58.779 --> 00:21:01.460 receive it and experience. The greatest love 00:21:01.460 --> 00:21:03.940 story of all time leads us to our final thought. 00:21:04.660 --> 00:21:08.460 Christmas is about God's love for you. Christmas 00:21:08.460 --> 00:21:11.640 is about God's love for you and me. And you may 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:14.299 be thinking, well, you don't know my story. You 00:21:14.299 --> 00:21:16.319 don't know my thoughts. You don't know what I've 00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:17.940 said. You don't know what I've done. You don't 00:21:17.940 --> 00:21:20.500 know the people I've hurt. I agree. And guess 00:21:20.500 --> 00:21:23.269 what? You don't know about me either, which is 00:21:23.269 --> 00:21:25.450 a real good thing because you probably wouldn't 00:21:25.450 --> 00:21:27.769 be going to this church if you knew about it. 00:21:27.789 --> 00:21:29.990 You'd be like, I need to go somewhere where the 00:21:29.990 --> 00:21:34.430 pastor's holy, okay? But Jesus spoke these words 00:21:34.430 --> 00:21:38.730 in John 14, 9. Jesus replied, have I been with 00:21:38.730 --> 00:21:41.210 you all this time, Philip, and yet you still 00:21:41.210 --> 00:21:44.670 don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has 00:21:44.670 --> 00:21:49.579 seen the Father. See, Jesus is God. So no matter 00:21:49.579 --> 00:21:51.880 what's happened in your life, the greatest love 00:21:51.880 --> 00:21:55.339 story of all time is that Jesus loves you. And 00:21:55.339 --> 00:21:58.400 if you don't believe me, look at who else Jesus 00:21:58.400 --> 00:22:01.460 loved. The Bible teaches us that Jesus loved 00:22:01.460 --> 00:22:04.279 this lady who was looking for love in all the 00:22:04.279 --> 00:22:07.599 wrong places. There's a woman at a well who wanted 00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:10.779 to find love and acceptance and meaning and value 00:22:10.779 --> 00:22:14.569 in the arms of another man. But man after man 00:22:14.569 --> 00:22:17.210 after man after man broke her heart, let her 00:22:17.210 --> 00:22:20.170 down, and crushed her. And then Jesus shows up 00:22:20.170 --> 00:22:23.710 and says this in John 4. Go and get your husband, 00:22:23.869 --> 00:22:26.450 Jesus told her. I don't have a husband, the woman 00:22:26.450 --> 00:22:28.210 replied. Jesus said, you're right, you don't 00:22:28.210 --> 00:22:30.869 have a husband, for you have had five husbands. 00:22:31.230 --> 00:22:33.190 And you aren't even married to the man you're 00:22:33.190 --> 00:22:35.490 living with now. You certainly spoke the truth. 00:22:36.430 --> 00:22:41.059 Her heart was opened, her eyes. We're wide recognizing 00:22:41.059 --> 00:22:44.740 that this was the Son of God. Jesus then says, 00:22:44.819 --> 00:22:46.740 I will give you a living water. I will show you 00:22:46.740 --> 00:22:50.440 my love and you will never thirst again. Jesus 00:22:50.440 --> 00:22:53.359 loved a woman that society rejected. She was 00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:55.539 called in the very act of adultery, a crime. 00:22:55.619 --> 00:22:58.259 At that time, remember, church was punishable 00:22:58.259 --> 00:23:00.859 by death. And we read this in John 8. Teacher, 00:23:00.940 --> 00:23:02.960 they said to Jesus, this woman was called in 00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:06.339 the act of adultery. They kept demanding an answer. 00:23:06.440 --> 00:23:08.990 So he stood up again and said. All right, but 00:23:08.990 --> 00:23:10.990 let the one who has never sinned throw the first 00:23:10.990 --> 00:23:15.509 stone. As they all walked away, Jesus then looked 00:23:15.509 --> 00:23:17.569 at the woman, made eye contact with the woman, 00:23:17.630 --> 00:23:20.650 spoke into her heart and said, Neither do I condemn 00:23:20.650 --> 00:23:25.670 you. Go your way and sin no more. Jesus loved 00:23:25.670 --> 00:23:29.170 a guy named Peter. And Peter thought very highly 00:23:29.170 --> 00:23:32.329 of himself and thought he was the chosen one. 00:23:32.730 --> 00:23:35.490 He was the guy that would always be faithful 00:23:35.490 --> 00:23:39.039 to Jesus. He would always have Jesus' back. When 00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:41.660 all the other loser disciples wouldn't be there, 00:23:41.859 --> 00:23:45.180 he would be there to the very end. Yet three 00:23:45.180 --> 00:23:48.740 different times he wasn't, John 18. The woman 00:23:48.740 --> 00:23:50.799 asked Peter, you're not one of the man's disciples, 00:23:51.019 --> 00:23:54.339 are you? No, he said, I'm not. Meanwhile, Simon 00:23:54.339 --> 00:23:56.380 Peter was standing by the fire, warming himself. 00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:58.960 They asked him again, you're not one of his disciples, 00:23:59.119 --> 00:24:01.859 are you? Again, he denied it, saying, no, I am 00:24:01.859 --> 00:24:04.599 not. But one of the household slaves of the high 00:24:04.599 --> 00:24:07.380 priest, the relative of the man whose ear Peter 00:24:07.380 --> 00:24:11.200 had just cut off, asked, didn't I see you out 00:24:11.200 --> 00:24:13.220 there in the olive garden with Jesus? I think 00:24:13.220 --> 00:24:16.240 she would remember him swinging a sword. Again, 00:24:16.299 --> 00:24:18.980 Peter denied it, and immediately the rooster 00:24:18.980 --> 00:24:21.799 crowed. And many of us know the story that after 00:24:21.799 --> 00:24:24.740 the resurrection, Jesus loved him and said, if 00:24:24.740 --> 00:24:27.980 you love me, I'll restore you to ministry. Go 00:24:27.980 --> 00:24:32.380 feed my sheep and lead the church. Jesus loved 00:24:32.380 --> 00:24:34.700 a guy that was self -consumed, a thief, a tax 00:24:34.700 --> 00:24:37.339 collector named Zacchaeus. And Zacchaeus was 00:24:37.339 --> 00:24:39.519 spiritually curious, which I believe many of 00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:42.680 you are here today. He started looking for Jesus, 00:24:42.759 --> 00:24:46.140 and guess what? Jesus found him instead. Luke 00:24:46.140 --> 00:24:48.700 chapter 19, when Jesus came by, he looked up 00:24:48.700 --> 00:24:51.500 at Zacchaeus and called him by name. Zacchaeus, 00:24:51.500 --> 00:24:53.880 he said, quick, come down. I must be a guest 00:24:53.880 --> 00:24:57.220 in your home today. And see, Jesus wants to invade 00:24:57.220 --> 00:25:01.099 your heart today. And he's speaking to you by 00:25:01.099 --> 00:25:05.079 name, inviting himself in for dinner. Zacchaeus 00:25:05.079 --> 00:25:07.619 says, if I've wronged anybody, I'm going to give 00:25:07.619 --> 00:25:10.339 back four times what I stole. I'm going to devote 00:25:10.339 --> 00:25:12.920 the rest of my life to serving the one who loved 00:25:12.920 --> 00:25:17.519 me. Zacchaeus was loved by Jesus and he was supernaturally 00:25:17.519 --> 00:25:22.799 changed instantly. And you know what else? Jesus 00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:26.059 loved me. A kid who was so insecure that I didn't 00:25:26.059 --> 00:25:27.920 know how to tell the truth because I didn't know 00:25:27.920 --> 00:25:30.980 the truth was good enough. A kid who was so broken 00:25:30.980 --> 00:25:34.160 that I hurt person after person and I found myself 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:36.480 performing for approval and addicted with no 00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:39.940 way out. At the age of 22, I found myself broken 00:25:39.940 --> 00:25:42.319 and kneeling down in a local church that the 00:25:42.319 --> 00:25:45.200 Holy Spirit led me to. Praying a simple prayer 00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:47.420 of forgiveness and mercy, desiring a miracle 00:25:47.420 --> 00:25:51.220 to be changed and set free. I knelt down as one 00:25:51.220 --> 00:25:55.230 person, broken. hurt, lost, and afraid, yet I 00:25:55.230 --> 00:25:57.809 stood up completely different, changed from the 00:25:57.809 --> 00:26:01.750 inside out, knocked off my horse, and led into 00:26:01.750 --> 00:26:05.910 ministry. What the Bible calls a new creation, 00:26:06.069 --> 00:26:08.609 the old is gone, the new has come, because the 00:26:08.609 --> 00:26:11.690 love of God who extended me forgiveness that 00:26:11.690 --> 00:26:16.130 I didn't deserve. It's personal, church. He loves 00:26:16.130 --> 00:26:20.690 me, and he loves you. Not in the past, but right 00:26:20.690 --> 00:26:24.710 now. He is loving you in this very moment. How 00:26:24.710 --> 00:26:27.009 do I know that? Well, Romans 5, 8 says, but God 00:26:27.009 --> 00:26:29.710 showed a great love for us by sending Christ 00:26:29.710 --> 00:26:32.410 to die for us while we were still sinners. The 00:26:32.410 --> 00:26:34.730 greatest love story of all time is not over. 00:26:35.210 --> 00:26:37.690 This is about a love that has come and is also 00:26:37.690 --> 00:26:40.769 a love that is coming again. And when Jesus comes 00:26:40.769 --> 00:26:43.390 back, he's not coming as a sweet little seven 00:26:43.390 --> 00:26:46.170 -pound baby in a manger. He's coming as king 00:26:46.170 --> 00:26:49.690 on a horse. And on his thigh will be tattooed 00:26:49.690 --> 00:26:52.920 king of kings and lord of lords. See, I came 00:26:52.920 --> 00:26:55.099 to tell you the greatest love story of all time 00:26:55.099 --> 00:26:59.599 about a God who loves you just as you are, even 00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:02.279 though you don't deserve it. And this is a love 00:27:02.279 --> 00:27:04.359 that doesn't end in death, but this is a love 00:27:04.359 --> 00:27:09.039 that has conquered death. The tomb was empty. 00:27:09.619 --> 00:27:12.180 And, you know, people ask all the time, and it's 00:27:12.180 --> 00:27:14.619 a good question, what's this season all about? 00:27:15.140 --> 00:27:19.119 People are searching. Is it happy holidays? To 00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:21.200 be politically correct, is it Merry Christmas? 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:25.359 Listen, it's not happy holidays. It's not Merry 00:27:25.359 --> 00:27:29.279 Christmas. It's Merry Christmas. It's Jesus at 00:27:29.279 --> 00:27:32.480 the center. The center candle that will light 00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:36.420 on Christmas Eve to celebrate his birth is known 00:27:36.420 --> 00:27:39.900 as the Christ candle. And it's there because 00:27:39.900 --> 00:27:43.859 it tells of why Jesus came. Who is Jesus? Jesus 00:27:43.859 --> 00:27:47.599 is our hope. Hope now has a name. that we can 00:27:47.599 --> 00:27:50.480 look to and be in a relationship with. Jesus 00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:53.279 is our peace. It's a perfect peace, a shalom. 00:27:53.500 --> 00:27:56.480 Through Jesus' actions on the cross, the shalom, 00:27:56.640 --> 00:27:59.880 the peace that was lost in the garden in the 00:27:59.880 --> 00:28:02.579 original sin has now been restored and is available 00:28:02.579 --> 00:28:06.779 to us today. Jesus is our joy, right? We learned 00:28:06.779 --> 00:28:10.000 last week that the joy of the Lord is our strength. 00:28:10.339 --> 00:28:13.759 And Jesus is the love above all because Jesus 00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:16.920 was born of a virgin, born to die. Who is the 00:28:16.920 --> 00:28:19.619 king of all kings. The name above every name. 00:28:20.039 --> 00:28:23.099 He's a love that's come. And he's a love that's 00:28:23.099 --> 00:28:26.099 coming again. See what's Christmas all about? 00:28:26.740 --> 00:28:28.940 What's the season all about? You may have a t 00:28:28.940 --> 00:28:31.450 -shirt that says Jesus. Is the reason for the 00:28:31.450 --> 00:28:34.150 season. You may have a bumper sticker. Or a magnet 00:28:34.150 --> 00:28:36.450 for your car. That you put on in November. You 00:28:36.450 --> 00:28:39.509 may have a coffee mug. That you pull out of your 00:28:39.509 --> 00:28:42.589 packing wrap. And begin to sip on it. Every morning 00:28:42.589 --> 00:28:45.150 during December. Jesus is the reason for the 00:28:45.150 --> 00:28:48.329 season. Yes that's true. But let me say this 00:28:48.329 --> 00:28:50.950 morning. That's not the only reason. You see 00:28:50.950 --> 00:28:53.529 if you go deeper. And if you begin to read and 00:28:53.529 --> 00:28:56.690 discover. How much God loves you. What is the 00:28:56.690 --> 00:29:00.450 reason for the season? You are the reason. For 00:29:00.450 --> 00:29:03.509 the season. How do I know that? Well for God 00:29:03.509 --> 00:29:07.150 so loved the world. That he sent his one and 00:29:07.150 --> 00:29:10.450 only son. You my friend. Are the one that Jesus 00:29:10.450 --> 00:29:13.970 loves. That is what John said. The same John 00:29:13.970 --> 00:29:16.289 that was John. Remember the son of thunder. Who 00:29:16.289 --> 00:29:18.089 became the one that Jesus loved. This is what 00:29:18.089 --> 00:29:20.970 he wrote in 1 John 4 .10. This is real love. 00:29:21.670 --> 00:29:24.670 Not that we love God. But that he loved us. And 00:29:24.670 --> 00:29:26.690 sent his son as a sacrifice to take away our 00:29:26.690 --> 00:29:29.869 sins. That. My friends, it's the greatest love 00:29:29.869 --> 00:29:33.849 story of all time. That God's love for you is 00:29:33.849 --> 00:29:36.549 never ending. Christmas is all about the love 00:29:36.549 --> 00:29:39.750 of a father and a son. The love of a mother and 00:29:39.750 --> 00:29:42.349 a son. But more importantly, it's about the love 00:29:42.349 --> 00:29:46.430 of God for you. Why? Because you matter. It doesn't 00:29:46.430 --> 00:29:48.369 matter what you've done. It doesn't matter how 00:29:48.369 --> 00:29:51.029 broken you are. It doesn't matter how far you 00:29:51.029 --> 00:29:53.750 feel from God or how addicted you are. Jesus 00:29:53.750 --> 00:29:57.140 can set you free this morning. He can break off 00:29:57.140 --> 00:30:00.000 the chains of brokenness, of unforgiveness, of 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:03.579 doubt, of fear, of frustration, of anxiety. He 00:30:03.579 --> 00:30:07.079 can break it off in an instant. But it's a choice. 00:30:08.039 --> 00:30:11.099 It's a choice that we all have to make. And many 00:30:11.099 --> 00:30:12.940 of you know that every single Sunday we pray 00:30:12.940 --> 00:30:15.779 a simple prayer here at HTV because I was challenged 00:30:15.779 --> 00:30:18.180 and convicted by God that there wouldn't be a 00:30:18.180 --> 00:30:21.390 Sunday gone by. ever in the history of our community 00:30:21.390 --> 00:30:23.970 of faith that as we gather, we will not pray 00:30:23.970 --> 00:30:27.069 a simple prayer because I believe that the lost 00:30:27.069 --> 00:30:29.710 need to come home. And if you're distant and 00:30:29.710 --> 00:30:31.630 you're far from God or you've walked away from 00:30:31.630 --> 00:30:33.430 him or you're not in a relationship with him, 00:30:33.589 --> 00:30:36.630 we all pray together here. We don't single you 00:30:36.630 --> 00:30:38.369 out. We don't make you stand up. I'm not even 00:30:38.369 --> 00:30:40.130 going to ask you to raise your hand. We're going 00:30:40.130 --> 00:30:41.829 to pray a simple prayer together. And I want 00:30:41.829 --> 00:30:44.869 to invite you, if you're in that place this morning 00:30:44.869 --> 00:30:48.500 and you're broken, Welcome God. Welcome Jesus 00:30:48.500 --> 00:30:50.859 into your heart. And you will never be the same. 00:30:51.299 --> 00:30:56.019 Let's pray. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of doubt, 00:30:56.180 --> 00:31:03.140 shame, regret, sin. Change me. Forgive me. I 00:31:03.140 --> 00:31:07.660 believe you're God's son. I believe you died 00:31:07.660 --> 00:31:12.660 for me. I believe you rose again. Set me free. 00:31:13.279 --> 00:31:18.559 Heal me. Help me, God, to serve others. Fill 00:31:18.559 --> 00:31:23.680 me with your spirit. In Jesus' name, amen. So 00:31:23.680 --> 00:31:25.680 listen, if you prayed that prayer, see me, I'll 00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:29.039 be at that door today. Give me a hug, and you 00:31:29.039 --> 00:31:30.079 know what I'm gonna tell you to do? I'm gonna 00:31:30.079 --> 00:31:32.440 tell you in two weeks to get baptized. And there's 00:31:32.440 --> 00:31:35.460 some of you here seated, you need to public declare 00:31:35.460 --> 00:31:37.480 that you're following Jesus because that's the 00:31:37.480 --> 00:31:40.000 reason your faith is weak. You haven't publicly 00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:43.140 declared that yet. So make sure that on that 00:31:43.140 --> 00:31:45.559 New Year's baptism, you choose to declare you're 00:31:45.559 --> 00:31:48.299 following Jesus this year, which leads us to 00:31:48.299 --> 00:31:50.940 our three simple action steps. How, Chris, do 00:31:50.940 --> 00:31:53.000 we experience God's love? Well, it's really simple. 00:31:53.339 --> 00:31:57.460 Three simple steps. First, we love God. Remember 00:31:57.460 --> 00:32:00.119 what Jesus said in Matthew 22. You must love 00:32:00.119 --> 00:32:01.839 the Lord your God with all your heart, all your 00:32:01.839 --> 00:32:05.420 soul, and all your mind. And listen, this is 00:32:05.420 --> 00:32:08.579 important because it's very challenging to love 00:32:08.579 --> 00:32:10.900 others. Okay, you're not going to be able to 00:32:10.900 --> 00:32:13.200 love others well without loving God first because 00:32:13.200 --> 00:32:15.460 we're going to get in the way of it. In fact, 00:32:15.539 --> 00:32:17.519 you're not even going to love yourself if you 00:32:17.519 --> 00:32:20.759 don't love God first. And seeking God consistently 00:32:20.759 --> 00:32:23.799 is one of the best ways to learn about his perfect 00:32:23.799 --> 00:32:28.240 love, to honor him with your worship. And when 00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:31.319 you look back and when you look upon a loving 00:32:31.319 --> 00:32:34.119 God, you first get to know him by reading the 00:32:34.119 --> 00:32:36.430 Bible every day. Listen, I'm going to challenge 00:32:36.430 --> 00:32:38.069 you. The New Year's right around the corner. 00:32:38.230 --> 00:32:40.549 You've got to get a devotional where you're in 00:32:40.549 --> 00:32:43.130 the Bible every day. And you've got to follow 00:32:43.130 --> 00:32:45.670 it and make it a priority in your life. Because 00:32:45.670 --> 00:32:47.450 when you make it a priority, you learn about 00:32:47.450 --> 00:32:50.390 God. And listen, when you gather together in 00:32:50.390 --> 00:32:53.109 worship, when you show up here on Sundays, I 00:32:53.109 --> 00:32:54.910 want to challenge you to take your worship to 00:32:54.910 --> 00:32:57.650 the next level. Don't be intimidated. Don't be 00:32:57.650 --> 00:33:00.670 fearful. But honor God with your worship. Pour 00:33:00.670 --> 00:33:02.950 your heart out. On Christmas Eve, I'm going to 00:33:02.950 --> 00:33:07.069 talk about the three wise men, the magi, that 00:33:07.069 --> 00:33:10.890 came to truly worship the newborn king. And I 00:33:10.890 --> 00:33:13.250 want to encourage you, prepare your heart to 00:33:13.250 --> 00:33:16.049 be changed. You need to daily have conversations 00:33:16.049 --> 00:33:18.750 with God in prayer. That's how you get to know 00:33:18.750 --> 00:33:21.250 him. And you say, well, Chris, do I kneel down 00:33:21.250 --> 00:33:23.950 in my bed? Do I wake up early? No, you have conversations 00:33:23.950 --> 00:33:26.910 with him every single day. Right? Everywhere 00:33:26.910 --> 00:33:29.049 you go, you're driving in your car. God, help 00:33:29.049 --> 00:33:32.480 me. Allow me to be the light of the world. You're 00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:35.960 on your way to work. God, allow me to be used 00:33:35.960 --> 00:33:39.779 by you today to speak your truth, to speak positivity, 00:33:39.940 --> 00:33:42.579 to not be negative, to not be full of fear and 00:33:42.579 --> 00:33:45.220 doubt. And as you have those conversations with 00:33:45.220 --> 00:33:48.059 God, he will change you. But again, it's a choice 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:49.880 which leads us to our next step. First, you love 00:33:49.880 --> 00:33:52.880 God. Second, you've got to love yourself. And 00:33:52.880 --> 00:33:54.440 you say, well, Chris, isn't that kind of selfish? 00:33:54.720 --> 00:33:57.000 No, because if you don't love yourself, you're 00:33:57.000 --> 00:33:59.079 not going to love anybody else. You're going 00:33:59.079 --> 00:34:00.700 to be negative and judgmental. That's what you're 00:34:00.700 --> 00:34:03.440 going to be. Ephesians 2 .10 says, for we are 00:34:03.440 --> 00:34:06.359 God's masterpiece. Look at your neighbor and 00:34:06.359 --> 00:34:10.380 say you're a masterpiece. Now look at your other 00:34:10.380 --> 00:34:12.340 neighbor and say you're ugly, but you're a masterpiece. 00:34:17.320 --> 00:34:25.449 And you know why you're a masterpiece? Because 00:34:25.449 --> 00:34:27.869 Ephesians tells us he created us anew in Christ 00:34:27.869 --> 00:34:30.869 Jesus so we can do the good things. You all have 00:34:30.869 --> 00:34:34.969 a purpose. And if you don't love yourself like 00:34:34.969 --> 00:34:36.510 God loves you, you're not going to do anything. 00:34:38.010 --> 00:34:40.050 You're going to doubt. You're going to be full 00:34:40.050 --> 00:34:42.449 of fear. You're going to second guess yourself. 00:34:42.570 --> 00:34:44.210 You're going to question. Do I pray for this 00:34:44.210 --> 00:34:46.190 person? Don't I? Do I share the good news? Don't 00:34:46.190 --> 00:34:48.530 I? I can't. I'm not good enough. It's because 00:34:48.530 --> 00:34:51.329 you don't love yourself. Right? There's always 00:34:51.329 --> 00:34:54.800 areas of our life where we need to grow in. This 00:34:54.800 --> 00:34:57.920 is a priority. How you view yourself is essential. 00:34:58.639 --> 00:35:01.619 God's love for us came with a cost. And now he 00:35:01.619 --> 00:35:04.380 calls us sons and daughters. He gives us a future 00:35:04.380 --> 00:35:07.860 full of hope to walk in good works. When we choose 00:35:07.860 --> 00:35:10.940 to respect, value, and love ourself, you know 00:35:10.940 --> 00:35:13.719 what that is? That's honoring to God. God honors 00:35:13.719 --> 00:35:16.199 that. Three ways to practice some self -love. 00:35:16.840 --> 00:35:19.260 Create habits that nourish your mind, body, and 00:35:19.260 --> 00:35:21.380 spirit. Some of you need to create some healthy 00:35:21.380 --> 00:35:23.829 habits. You know, there's a reason I work out 00:35:23.829 --> 00:35:26.190 every day. There's a reason I eat healthy. There's 00:35:26.190 --> 00:35:28.389 a reason I take a regimen of vitamins every single 00:35:28.389 --> 00:35:31.010 day because I want to take care of myself. I 00:35:31.010 --> 00:35:32.989 believe that when I take care of myself, I feel 00:35:32.989 --> 00:35:35.309 better. I have a positive outlook on life. I 00:35:35.309 --> 00:35:38.730 have more energy. I'm excited about life. It's 00:35:38.730 --> 00:35:41.690 a new year. You need to change some habits. You 00:35:41.690 --> 00:35:43.409 need to create some habits that nourish your 00:35:43.409 --> 00:35:45.150 mind, body, and spirit. Get off the internet. 00:35:45.230 --> 00:35:48.789 Get away from TV. Take a stinking walk because 00:35:48.789 --> 00:35:53.739 you will feel better. Daily, ask God to show 00:35:53.739 --> 00:35:57.380 you how much he sees and loves you. You know, 00:35:57.400 --> 00:35:59.719 there's nothing wrong with saying, you know something, 00:35:59.860 --> 00:36:01.880 my name's Chris. I'm the one that Jesus loved. 00:36:03.300 --> 00:36:05.539 There's nothing wrong with saying that. I'm not 00:36:05.539 --> 00:36:08.480 being arrogant. I'm not being selfish. A disciple 00:36:08.480 --> 00:36:12.739 who wrote a gospel said it. If he can say it, 00:36:12.800 --> 00:36:16.300 we can say it. You need to put your name in that 00:36:16.300 --> 00:36:20.539 sentence and say, no, I'm Chris. I'm the one 00:36:20.539 --> 00:36:24.630 Jesus. Because when you do that, then you set 00:36:24.630 --> 00:36:27.510 aside time to rest in God's presence. Because 00:36:27.510 --> 00:36:29.050 that's when the Holy Spirit is released into 00:36:29.050 --> 00:36:31.690 your life, when you see who you truly are. Which 00:36:31.690 --> 00:36:33.710 leads us to our final step. You love God, you 00:36:33.710 --> 00:36:35.989 love yourself, and then shocker, you love others. 00:36:36.010 --> 00:36:39.289 It's the great commandment. Matthew 22, the second 00:36:39.289 --> 00:36:41.130 is equally important. Love your neighbor as yourself. 00:36:41.650 --> 00:36:44.130 See, when you see yourself the way God sees you, 00:36:44.190 --> 00:36:46.349 when you love yourself the way God loves you, 00:36:46.860 --> 00:36:49.579 Right? Than God intended for you to have healthy 00:36:49.579 --> 00:36:52.699 relationships. Relationships that are compassionate, 00:36:52.840 --> 00:36:56.260 sacrificial, and forgiving. Three ways that you 00:36:56.260 --> 00:36:58.440 love others. First, you pray for people in your 00:36:58.440 --> 00:37:00.719 sphere of influence. Don't go out and try to 00:37:00.719 --> 00:37:02.179 save them and hit them in the head with the Bible. 00:37:02.360 --> 00:37:05.500 Pray for them. Right? Pray for their hearts. 00:37:05.519 --> 00:37:07.639 Pray for their hearts to be open. Pray for their 00:37:07.639 --> 00:37:09.940 minds to receive what you're about to share with 00:37:09.940 --> 00:37:13.739 them. And then, serve someone. Right? Again, 00:37:13.860 --> 00:37:16.179 don't even share Jesus with them. Serve them. 00:37:17.230 --> 00:37:21.150 Right? Wash their feet. Do something that shows 00:37:21.150 --> 00:37:24.489 them the love of God. Help them move, dear God. 00:37:24.849 --> 00:37:27.250 Right? How many people like to help others move? 00:37:27.809 --> 00:37:31.110 Don't put your hand down. You're lying. That's 00:37:31.110 --> 00:37:32.469 like the worst thing in the world. Hey, will 00:37:32.469 --> 00:37:34.570 you help me move? You got a truck. Oh, sorry, 00:37:34.829 --> 00:37:40.500 I'm busy. Help them move. And then when you're 00:37:40.500 --> 00:37:43.099 helping them move and you're frustrated and it's 00:37:43.099 --> 00:37:45.500 three hours in and you're like, wait, you said 00:37:45.500 --> 00:37:47.300 it was only going to take an hour and you're 00:37:47.300 --> 00:37:49.820 about ready to lose your mind, be quick to listen, 00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:55.440 encourage them, and forgive. We have to be really 00:37:55.440 --> 00:37:58.000 quick to forgive because in a lot of our relationships, 00:37:58.239 --> 00:38:00.659 guess what? Gee, we got to remember that God 00:38:00.659 --> 00:38:02.679 said if you don't forgive, then you're not forgiven. 00:38:04.519 --> 00:38:07.539 So it's very important that we choose to listen, 00:38:07.599 --> 00:38:10.800 encourage, and forgive. Because when we forgive 00:38:10.800 --> 00:38:12.800 and we extend that forgiveness, then God just 00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:15.980 overwhelms us with his love. And we become that 00:38:15.980 --> 00:38:18.039 new creation he promises. Will you stand with 00:38:18.039 --> 00:38:24.440 me? Now I was praying for all of you this week. 00:38:24.500 --> 00:38:28.400 I was praying about how to close. And as I was 00:38:28.400 --> 00:38:32.469 praying for you. It was overwhelmingly true that 00:38:32.469 --> 00:38:34.250 I felt that so many of you were going to walk 00:38:34.250 --> 00:38:38.070 in these doors. And here's the reality. It's 00:38:38.070 --> 00:38:42.369 Christmas. It's the holidays. There's stress. 00:38:42.389 --> 00:38:44.989 There's anxiety. There's worry. There's doubt. 00:38:45.130 --> 00:38:47.690 You don't have enough finances. Right? You went 00:38:47.690 --> 00:38:49.530 out Saturday night and drank too much and your 00:38:49.530 --> 00:38:53.489 head hurts. Right? I mean, I'm just being real 00:38:53.489 --> 00:38:58.280 here. We make choices that aren't healthy. And 00:38:58.280 --> 00:39:00.199 a lot of times we make those choices because 00:39:00.199 --> 00:39:03.659 we haven't ever experienced God's love for us. 00:39:04.280 --> 00:39:06.460 It's just that simple. We haven't felt it. We 00:39:06.460 --> 00:39:08.260 haven't sensed it. And let me tell you, the Holy 00:39:08.260 --> 00:39:11.300 Spirit's real. The Holy Spirit's real, and he 00:39:11.300 --> 00:39:14.599 desires to connect with you, speak to you, overwhelm 00:39:14.599 --> 00:39:17.219 you with God's love. It's a tangible presence 00:39:17.219 --> 00:39:19.679 that all of us can feel. I'm not making it up. 00:39:19.760 --> 00:39:21.619 I'm not going to push you over. I'm not going 00:39:21.619 --> 00:39:23.780 to blow on you because I have bad breath, okay? 00:39:25.009 --> 00:39:27.090 But I'm going to invite the Holy Spirit to come 00:39:27.090 --> 00:39:29.690 on you. And here's what I want you to do for 00:39:29.690 --> 00:39:31.769 me if it's okay. Again, I'm not going to judge 00:39:31.769 --> 00:39:34.269 you if you don't. Just put your hands like this. 00:39:34.630 --> 00:39:38.130 All this means is I receive. And all I'm going 00:39:38.130 --> 00:39:40.250 to do for you is pray a simple prayer that God's 00:39:40.250 --> 00:39:43.949 love would come, would invade this place, and 00:39:43.949 --> 00:39:45.969 that you would sense for the first time in a 00:39:45.969 --> 00:39:48.610 very real way God's love for you. And it's going 00:39:48.610 --> 00:39:51.449 to be different for everyone. You may feel a 00:39:51.449 --> 00:39:53.369 tingling in your hands. You may get goosebumps. 00:39:53.510 --> 00:39:57.030 You may feel heat in your body. You may hear 00:39:57.030 --> 00:39:59.730 a gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit saying that 00:39:59.730 --> 00:40:02.969 God loves you. You may close your eyes and get 00:40:02.969 --> 00:40:05.889 a picture of the cross. You may get a picture 00:40:05.889 --> 00:40:09.210 of an ocean or a tree. Here's the reality. That's 00:40:09.210 --> 00:40:13.829 how God speaks to us. In a still, small voice. 00:40:15.550 --> 00:40:17.590 So if you could all say these words with me. 00:40:17.710 --> 00:40:29.920 Come. Holy Spirit. Come, Jesus. Overwhelm each 00:40:29.920 --> 00:40:32.019 and every person in this place. God, may we know 00:40:32.019 --> 00:40:36.639 and sense that you are real. May we walk in a 00:40:36.639 --> 00:40:39.559 new confidence and a new abundance, a new reality 00:40:39.559 --> 00:40:44.039 that we are a son and a daughter of God. May 00:40:44.039 --> 00:40:46.559 our lives be wrecked and supernaturally changed. 00:40:47.469 --> 00:40:50.170 As we draw close to you this holiday season, 00:40:50.210 --> 00:41:01.110 God. As we stand in your presence, God. We leave 00:41:01.110 --> 00:41:06.190 this place as your chosen ones. Chosen ones that 00:41:06.190 --> 00:41:08.849 are called to share this good news, this good 00:41:08.849 --> 00:41:11.510 news of love and grace and mercy with the world 00:41:11.510 --> 00:41:15.159 that's around us, God. I just pray for each and 00:41:15.159 --> 00:41:17.139 every person's sphere of influence, God, that 00:41:17.139 --> 00:41:20.039 they'll begin to see healings and miracles happening 00:41:20.039 --> 00:41:23.460 as they pray, as they step out in faith. That, 00:41:23.500 --> 00:41:25.460 God, lives would be changed. Cancer would be 00:41:25.460 --> 00:41:27.980 dried up, God. That bodies would be made whole. 00:41:29.199 --> 00:41:32.800 May this be a new year. May this be a 2026 like 00:41:32.800 --> 00:41:37.400 we've never seen before. An expectancy that we 00:41:37.400 --> 00:41:41.320 are called to go. That we will go and be the 00:41:41.320 --> 00:41:46.210 ones that are sent. To those that we love. In 00:41:46.210 --> 00:41:51.489 Jesus name. Amen. So listen before we go. No 00:41:51.489 --> 00:41:52.949 one run out of here. We're not done. I'm going 00:41:52.949 --> 00:41:55.670 to that door. So no one leave on this side. Because 00:41:55.670 --> 00:41:57.010 I got to get to that door to say goodbye to you. 00:41:57.429 --> 00:41:59.590 There was four words of knowledge I want to share 00:41:59.590 --> 00:42:02.010 with you. Our prayer team would be on my right 00:42:02.010 --> 00:42:04.530 and my left. Now they're on both sides. This 00:42:04.530 --> 00:42:06.650 one is very specific and it could be you. Someone 00:42:06.650 --> 00:42:10.050 wearing blue jeans. White sneakers. And is having 00:42:10.050 --> 00:42:13.210 trouble standing or walking. God wants to heal 00:42:13.210 --> 00:42:16.530 you today. You have sciatic nerve pain in the 00:42:16.530 --> 00:42:19.949 lower back or buttocks. Let me just say, if that's 00:42:19.949 --> 00:42:22.929 you, there was already a testimony from our first 00:42:22.929 --> 00:42:25.130 gathering of a complete healing of a sciatic 00:42:25.130 --> 00:42:29.690 pain. You have pain in the back of your right 00:42:29.690 --> 00:42:33.550 knee. Pain in the back of your right knee. You 00:42:33.550 --> 00:42:35.929 have a growth behind your left ear that is causing 00:42:35.929 --> 00:42:38.719 you pain. And listen, I want to encourage you. 00:42:38.739 --> 00:42:40.900 I want to challenge you with this. We have Christmas 00:42:40.900 --> 00:42:44.059 Eve gatherings this Wednesday. Family gathering 00:42:44.059 --> 00:42:46.480 at 3 .30, which is going to be a fun time of 00:42:46.480 --> 00:42:49.280 unique worship and kids celebrating what it means 00:42:49.280 --> 00:42:52.659 to follow Jesus. Five and seven will be our candlelight 00:42:52.659 --> 00:42:54.940 Christmas Eve service. It's an intimate, special 00:42:54.940 --> 00:42:58.880 time of hearing this Christmas story read and 00:42:58.880 --> 00:43:02.579 worshiping closely to Jesus and his heart for 00:43:02.579 --> 00:43:06.139 us. There's still invite cards in that. poster 00:43:06.139 --> 00:43:08.219 out there in our cafe. If you have a friend that's 00:43:08.219 --> 00:43:10.420 struggling, that's in need of hearing the hope, 00:43:10.500 --> 00:43:12.760 take a card, put it in their hand and say, hey, 00:43:12.800 --> 00:43:16.239 I will meet you at HCV at five o 'clock, at seven 00:43:16.239 --> 00:43:17.659 o 'clock, whenever you can be there and we'll 00:43:17.659 --> 00:43:20.460 go together. Because one invite can change an 00:43:20.460 --> 00:43:25.099 eternity church. And you are that invite. Be 00:43:25.099 --> 00:43:28.340 the church this week and invite includes someone 00:43:28.340 --> 00:43:30.690 who experienced life change. Amen. All right, 00:43:30.730 --> 00:43:32.269 God bless you guys. Hope to see you on Christmas 00:43:32.269 --> 00:43:34.230 Eve. I'm going there. Let me get there. God bless.