WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:02.290 So last week I told you that I'm scared of the 00:00:02.290 --> 00:00:07.769 dark. I have no shame in that. But even though 00:00:07.769 --> 00:00:10.070 I'm scared of the dark, I told you I love daylight 00:00:10.070 --> 00:00:12.810 savings time where it gets dark at 5 p .m. because 00:00:12.810 --> 00:00:15.130 when it starts getting dark early, it tells me 00:00:15.130 --> 00:00:18.350 one thing, and that means Christmas time is here, 00:00:18.489 --> 00:00:21.149 and that means I get to see all the pretty Christmas 00:00:21.149 --> 00:00:24.500 lights. I love Christmas lights and cold weather. 00:00:24.539 --> 00:00:26.039 I was just talking to someone this morning about 00:00:26.039 --> 00:00:28.179 how much I love cold weather. I grew up on the 00:00:28.179 --> 00:00:31.399 beach. I don't care for the heat. I mean, I spent 00:00:31.399 --> 00:00:34.939 18 years plus in it, and then I lived in Montgomery, 00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:37.780 Alabama, which isn't much cooler. So I'm done 00:00:37.780 --> 00:00:39.859 with the heat. I'm glad to be up here where it's 00:00:39.859 --> 00:00:43.460 cool all the time. It's awesome. So cold weather 00:00:43.460 --> 00:00:46.929 and Christmas lights come out. When it gets to 00:00:46.929 --> 00:00:49.649 daylight savings time. And so when I was a kid, 00:00:49.710 --> 00:00:51.789 no matter what was going on around me, no matter 00:00:51.789 --> 00:00:55.509 what chaos was surrounding me or my family, or 00:00:55.509 --> 00:00:58.130 what fear I had of the dark in general, I knew 00:00:58.130 --> 00:01:00.549 that at Christmas time things were going to be 00:01:00.549 --> 00:01:04.189 better. I could always count on that. Because 00:01:04.189 --> 00:01:07.569 there was a season of goodness. I don't know 00:01:07.569 --> 00:01:11.609 what causes people during Christmas time to just 00:01:11.609 --> 00:01:14.530 be nicer. Even people that don't believe in God, 00:01:14.650 --> 00:01:17.670 that don't celebrate Christ, they believe that 00:01:17.670 --> 00:01:19.409 there's something, or maybe they don't believe, 00:01:19.549 --> 00:01:21.390 there's just something comes over them. That 00:01:21.390 --> 00:01:24.689 in this season, they become nicer people. So 00:01:24.689 --> 00:01:27.349 Christmas time brings about some good feelings. 00:01:27.489 --> 00:01:30.030 And in this series, we're looking through this 00:01:30.030 --> 00:01:32.150 amazing little passage in this Old Testament 00:01:32.150 --> 00:01:35.530 book of Isaiah. Isaiah is one of the prophets, 00:01:35.730 --> 00:01:40.090 meaning that this is God's words spoken through 00:01:40.090 --> 00:01:43.409 a man. Through a human. And so what Isaiah says 00:01:43.409 --> 00:01:46.609 in this prophecy is, well, I want you to hear 00:01:46.609 --> 00:01:48.950 this first. When you hear prophecy today, when 00:01:48.950 --> 00:01:52.069 I say the word prophecy, I want you to not think 00:01:52.069 --> 00:01:55.569 of some mythical, mystical message that you hear 00:01:55.569 --> 00:01:57.870 that you have to interpret. I want you, when 00:01:57.870 --> 00:02:00.650 you hear prophecy, to think of promise. Okay? 00:02:00.849 --> 00:02:03.489 Prophecy doesn't always mean promise, but... 00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:06.200 Today, when we're talking about this prophecy 00:02:06.200 --> 00:02:09.199 from Isaiah, we are getting a promise from God 00:02:09.199 --> 00:02:14.419 through Isaiah. So in this promise, I want you 00:02:14.419 --> 00:02:17.139 to hear God's words in Isaiah chapter 9, verses 00:02:17.139 --> 00:02:18.960 1 through 7. We're going to read it this morning, 00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:21.020 then we'll pray, and then we'll get into the 00:02:21.020 --> 00:02:25.020 message. But there will be no gloom for her who 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:27.819 was in anguish. In the former time, he brought 00:02:27.819 --> 00:02:30.500 into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land 00:02:30.500 --> 00:02:33.199 of Naphtali. But in the latter time, he has made 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:36.060 glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond 00:02:36.060 --> 00:02:39.159 the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people 00:02:39.159 --> 00:02:41.439 who walked in darkness have seen a great light. 00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:44.319 Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:47.919 them has light shone. You have multiplied the 00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:50.500 nation. You have increased its joy. They rejoice 00:02:50.500 --> 00:02:53.780 before you as with joy at the harvest, as they 00:02:53.780 --> 00:03:11.189 are glad when they divide the spoil. Wonderful 00:03:11.189 --> 00:03:27.639 Counselor. mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince 00:03:27.639 --> 00:03:32.300 of Peace. Of the increase of His government and 00:03:32.300 --> 00:03:34.819 of peace, there will be no end. On the throne 00:03:34.819 --> 00:03:37.539 of David and over His kingdom to establish it 00:03:37.539 --> 00:03:40.159 and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:44.120 from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:46.560 of the Lord of hosts will do this. Let's pray. 00:03:47.460 --> 00:03:50.219 Father God, we are so grateful for Your promise, 00:03:50.419 --> 00:03:53.819 for Your promises. We're grateful that you have 00:03:53.819 --> 00:03:56.039 proven to be a promise -keeping God, that you 00:03:56.039 --> 00:03:59.520 have proven to be a faithful God. And today, 00:03:59.539 --> 00:04:02.680 in this season where we celebrate the birth of 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:04.939 Christ, we know that that birth has already happened. 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:08.060 But we know, and I hope that we believe and we 00:04:08.060 --> 00:04:10.699 trust, that because of the birth, the coming 00:04:10.699 --> 00:04:14.439 of the Messiah, we now have access to your kingdom. 00:04:14.939 --> 00:04:18.879 And we can know and be sure that your reign of 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:21.740 justice and righteousness will reign forevermore. 00:04:22.329 --> 00:04:25.550 God, today we celebrate that. We praise you for 00:04:25.550 --> 00:04:28.509 it. And I pray that we will believe and trust 00:04:28.509 --> 00:04:31.430 in the peace that it brings. It's in Jesus' name 00:04:31.430 --> 00:04:36.209 we pray. Amen. So what exactly has God promised 00:04:36.209 --> 00:04:39.029 Israel? I told you prophecy today is going to 00:04:39.029 --> 00:04:41.310 equal promise. But what's the promise? Well, 00:04:41.410 --> 00:04:44.269 he starts out in Isaiah chapter 9 with verse 00:04:44.269 --> 00:04:47.250 1 saying, There will be no gloom. I don't know 00:04:47.250 --> 00:04:50.269 about you, but some people, I don't. Some people 00:04:50.269 --> 00:04:54.529 feel like dark days. cold and gray days is gloomy. 00:04:54.610 --> 00:04:57.850 And gloom equals sadness, right? It's this kind 00:04:57.850 --> 00:05:00.589 of depressing feeling. And some people are just 00:05:00.589 --> 00:05:03.370 naturally gloomy people. I've been told that 00:05:03.370 --> 00:05:05.769 I'm just a naturally sad person. I'm okay with 00:05:05.769 --> 00:05:08.949 that. I like sad stuff. I like sad music. I like 00:05:08.949 --> 00:05:12.290 sad movies. I like sad TV shows. I like sad stories. 00:05:12.509 --> 00:05:16.100 I'm okay with that. But what God promises Israel, 00:05:16.199 --> 00:05:18.060 he says there's not going to be any more sadness. 00:05:18.379 --> 00:05:20.199 Sadness isn't going to be a part of your life. 00:05:20.279 --> 00:05:22.920 You might not even know the word sadness anymore. 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:26.480 There will be no gloom. The people of God, the 00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:30.579 Israelites, in this context, they have been suffering 00:05:30.579 --> 00:05:33.920 because they've been invaded. They've been suffering 00:05:33.920 --> 00:05:37.579 through war and invasion and feeling unsafe and 00:05:37.579 --> 00:05:40.660 unsettled. They have no security. And so you 00:05:40.660 --> 00:05:45.639 can imagine there's a lot of sadness. Because 00:05:45.639 --> 00:05:48.319 maybe there's a father who didn't come home from 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:52.720 battle. Maybe their grain has been burned. Maybe 00:05:52.720 --> 00:05:55.360 their food savings have been pillaged. All of 00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:57.160 these things that have been happening and all 00:05:57.160 --> 00:05:59.680 of this uncertainty has led to sadness. And so 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:03.139 God starts the promise saying, no more. There 00:06:03.139 --> 00:06:06.540 will be no more gloom. All the things that make 00:06:06.540 --> 00:06:10.589 you sad, they don't have any rain anymore. No 00:06:10.589 --> 00:06:13.209 more gloom. And so then he says in verse 2, there 00:06:13.209 --> 00:06:17.350 won't be any more darkness. Why? Because a great 00:06:17.350 --> 00:06:22.670 light has shone. I was kind of disappointed this 00:06:22.670 --> 00:06:25.129 week. Last week I ordered some Christmas lights 00:06:25.129 --> 00:06:28.470 because I needed more Christmas lights. And I 00:06:28.470 --> 00:06:32.110 got on Amazon, like every person does nowadays, 00:06:32.230 --> 00:06:34.670 and I just looked up Christmas lights. And I 00:06:34.670 --> 00:06:37.269 come across 400 and something feet of Christmas 00:06:37.269 --> 00:06:39.050 lights. First of all, I should have measured 00:06:39.050 --> 00:06:41.889 the house. Because I didn't need 400 and I think 00:06:41.889 --> 00:06:44.850 it was 436. I didn't need that many lights, okay? 00:06:45.029 --> 00:06:47.589 So I get the lights, they come in, they're LED 00:06:47.589 --> 00:06:49.829 and the picture on the, you know, the listing 00:06:49.829 --> 00:06:52.930 shows like this bright scene, right? And so I 00:06:52.930 --> 00:06:55.790 go and I hang them up and I had to do like three 00:06:55.790 --> 00:06:58.930 laps because they were so long. So I hang them 00:06:58.930 --> 00:07:01.990 up and I endured the cold to do this, right? 00:07:02.250 --> 00:07:05.410 And then I, you know, as you do, you plug them 00:07:05.410 --> 00:07:08.649 in. And I plug them in, and it's daytime, so 00:07:08.649 --> 00:07:10.050 I'm like, okay, you know, you can't really see 00:07:10.050 --> 00:07:12.529 them because it's daytime, right? Nighttime comes, 00:07:12.790 --> 00:07:15.470 and I'm so excited because the boys have been 00:07:15.470 --> 00:07:17.269 at school all day. Eliza's been to work all day. 00:07:17.509 --> 00:07:19.350 And so I'm like, they're going to come home and 00:07:19.350 --> 00:07:22.629 see these awesome Christmas lights. We get home, 00:07:22.670 --> 00:07:27.110 you can't see Jack. Nothing. I was so mad. I 00:07:27.110 --> 00:07:29.230 was so mad. I was like, where are my lights? 00:07:29.490 --> 00:07:31.949 Right? I spent all that time in the cold putting 00:07:31.949 --> 00:07:34.050 up these lights. So I took them down. I'm going 00:07:34.050 --> 00:07:36.110 to send them back to Amazon. I had a lot to go 00:07:36.110 --> 00:07:38.750 to Walmart and buy traditional Christmas lights 00:07:38.750 --> 00:07:40.790 because, you know, you can trust Walmart. You 00:07:40.790 --> 00:07:44.990 can't trust Amazon. But in our darkness, we had 00:07:44.990 --> 00:07:48.949 no light. And it was so disappointing. And I'm 00:07:48.949 --> 00:07:50.689 not going to lie. I was kind of sad about it. 00:07:50.689 --> 00:07:52.589 I was bummed. And Easton was bummed because he 00:07:52.589 --> 00:07:54.870 wanted to take a picture in front of the lights. 00:07:55.360 --> 00:07:57.879 And he was so excited about it. And so today, 00:07:58.000 --> 00:07:59.480 this afternoon, that's what I'm going to do. 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:01.220 I'm going to hang up some Christmas lights, and 00:08:01.220 --> 00:08:03.639 tonight we're going to see some really good stuff. 00:08:03.819 --> 00:08:08.160 But Israel has been suffering. And they've had 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:10.639 people come along and say that they're hope, 00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:12.480 that they're the bringers of hope. They've had 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:14.240 people come along and claim to be the Messiah, 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:17.939 that have claimed to be the light. And they all 00:08:17.939 --> 00:08:21.180 don't really pan out. They're not who they say 00:08:21.180 --> 00:08:25.470 they are. They don't match the listing. But what 00:08:25.470 --> 00:08:29.629 God promises here in Isaiah is He says the light 00:08:29.629 --> 00:08:33.389 is shown. It's shown. There's no more darkness. 00:08:33.929 --> 00:08:36.570 This is the real deal. A great light has shown 00:08:36.570 --> 00:08:38.870 for those suffering, those people in these dark 00:08:38.870 --> 00:08:42.190 times. God is promising light. He's saying that 00:08:42.190 --> 00:08:44.509 there is going to be something that lights up 00:08:44.509 --> 00:08:47.549 the sky. And you won't have to be in darkness 00:08:47.549 --> 00:08:50.309 anymore. There will be no more sadness. I'm a 00:08:50.309 --> 00:08:52.230 firm believer that every bit of the Old Testament 00:08:52.230 --> 00:08:54.669 gives a foretaste of what's to come in the New 00:08:54.669 --> 00:08:57.350 Testament. It's a foreshadowing of the promise. 00:08:57.549 --> 00:09:00.610 The truths revealed to the Israelites are amplified 00:09:00.610 --> 00:09:04.029 for us in the gospel of Christ. And I say that 00:09:04.029 --> 00:09:08.590 because I do believe that we Christians We believe 00:09:08.590 --> 00:09:11.330 that this promise made to the Israelites by a 00:09:11.330 --> 00:09:13.950 perfectly promise -keeping God was fulfilled 00:09:13.950 --> 00:09:18.250 in the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus came as promised 00:09:18.250 --> 00:09:24.389 and did exactly as promised. See, last week we 00:09:24.389 --> 00:09:26.350 talked about how Christ's coming brought hope. 00:09:27.350 --> 00:09:29.830 Because when it's dark and you can't see and 00:09:29.830 --> 00:09:31.149 you don't really know where you're going, you 00:09:31.149 --> 00:09:33.230 can't find your way, you get a little scared, 00:09:33.269 --> 00:09:35.230 right? And you start to feel a little hopeless 00:09:35.230 --> 00:09:36.870 and you feel like you're never going to get out 00:09:36.870 --> 00:09:38.809 and you're never going to find your way. But 00:09:38.809 --> 00:09:41.830 when the light comes in, now you can see the 00:09:41.830 --> 00:09:44.549 path in front of you. Now you can see where you're 00:09:44.549 --> 00:09:46.970 supposed to be going. This week we're going to 00:09:46.970 --> 00:09:50.009 focus on verses 4 -7 and the peace that this 00:09:50.009 --> 00:09:54.610 light brings. Because light brings peace. I told 00:09:54.610 --> 00:09:57.450 you before that I didn't have the best childhood 00:09:57.450 --> 00:09:59.129 growing up. It wasn't the worst by any means, 00:09:59.190 --> 00:10:01.549 but it wasn't great. And so there was always 00:10:01.549 --> 00:10:03.889 a lot of chaos. But one thing I could know for 00:10:03.889 --> 00:10:07.669 certain is when Christmas time came around, things 00:10:07.669 --> 00:10:10.350 were going to be a little bit better. And I could 00:10:10.350 --> 00:10:13.389 be at peace knowing that things would be a little 00:10:13.389 --> 00:10:15.710 bit better. And we'll take a little bit better 00:10:15.710 --> 00:10:18.429 when life is chaos, right? And you know that 00:10:18.429 --> 00:10:21.629 feeling when things just seem to never be good. 00:10:22.049 --> 00:10:25.629 You'll take okay. When things just always feel 00:10:25.629 --> 00:10:29.289 bad, you'll take all right. And so when Jesus 00:10:29.289 --> 00:10:32.750 comes and he brings light, that light brings 00:10:32.750 --> 00:10:35.009 peace because you can have peace knowing that 00:10:35.009 --> 00:10:36.990 things are going to be just a little bit better. 00:10:37.529 --> 00:10:39.870 Let's read verses 4 through 7 again. For the 00:10:39.870 --> 00:10:42.029 yoke of his burden and the staff for his shoulder, 00:10:42.149 --> 00:10:44.590 the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as 00:10:44.590 --> 00:10:47.070 on the day of Midian. We'll talk about that later 00:10:47.070 --> 00:10:49.190 because that's important. For every boot of the 00:10:49.190 --> 00:10:52.049 tramping warrior in battle to molt, every garment 00:10:52.049 --> 00:10:54.629 rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the 00:10:54.629 --> 00:10:58.870 fire. For to us, a child is born. To us, a son 00:10:58.870 --> 00:11:03.629 is given. And the government shall be upon his 00:11:03.629 --> 00:11:05.879 shoulder. and his name shall be called Wonderful 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:08.960 Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:11.840 of Peace. Of the increase of his government and 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:14.679 of peace, there will be no end on the throne 00:11:14.679 --> 00:11:17.899 of David and over his kingdom to establish it 00:11:17.899 --> 00:11:20.720 and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness 00:11:20.720 --> 00:11:24.559 from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:29.299 of the Lord of hosts will do this. Think of the 00:11:29.299 --> 00:11:31.740 fear you feel when walking through your darkest 00:11:31.740 --> 00:11:35.899 times. The uncertainty. Not only the fear, but 00:11:35.899 --> 00:11:40.080 the anxiety, the stress. I'm afraid of the dark 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:42.799 because I'm anxious and unsure about what's there. 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:46.679 I don't have really any fears of things that 00:11:46.679 --> 00:11:50.080 I can see. Because if I can see you, I can handle 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:52.980 you. And we'll leave it at that. If I can see 00:11:52.980 --> 00:11:55.419 the thing, the bear, the scary thing that's in 00:11:55.419 --> 00:11:58.639 front of me, I can handle that. I can't handle 00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:01.500 things I can't see. Things I'm not prepared for. 00:12:01.539 --> 00:12:03.899 Things I don't know about. And so it brings this 00:12:03.899 --> 00:12:06.940 anxiety, and your heart gets to racing, and you 00:12:06.940 --> 00:12:09.000 start sweating, and your head just can't think 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:13.120 straight, and you're starting to stress. That's 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:16.320 what happens in darkness. And so when you have 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:21.759 this darkness around you in life, The circumstances 00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:24.639 that you can't control, the things where you 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:26.779 don't really know what's going on, the things, 00:12:26.899 --> 00:12:29.200 the moments where you can't explain what's happening, 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:31.740 where you don't have control. I'm a control freak. 00:12:31.860 --> 00:12:34.379 I like to be able to make sure that what I need 00:12:34.379 --> 00:12:36.639 to happen or what I want to happen happens how 00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:39.100 it's supposed to happen, right? Anybody else 00:12:39.100 --> 00:12:42.200 like that? Just me? All right, well, pray for 00:12:42.200 --> 00:12:45.600 me. I like to know that I've got a little bit 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:47.440 of control, and when I don't have control, it 00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:51.019 terrifies me. But the truth is, is that's how 00:12:51.019 --> 00:12:53.799 life is. We don't have control over everything. 00:12:54.059 --> 00:12:56.460 I used to get so mad when football coaches would 00:12:56.460 --> 00:12:59.340 say, control what you can control. Do your 111th. 00:12:59.340 --> 00:13:01.419 No, coach, I want to make sure everybody else 00:13:01.419 --> 00:13:04.259 is doing what I need them to do. But that's not 00:13:04.259 --> 00:13:07.220 how life works. And so we have to deal with the 00:13:07.220 --> 00:13:09.759 things that happen that we can't control. And 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:15.039 that is terrifying. The Israelites didn't have 00:13:15.039 --> 00:13:19.340 a lot of control. They didn't have a lot of control. 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:22.059 Ways to explain why these things that are happening 00:13:22.059 --> 00:13:24.440 were happening. They couldn't explain why they 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:26.519 could never have peace. They couldn't explain 00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:29.039 why they could never just have a good night's 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:30.720 sleep without having to worry about their town 00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:34.559 being raided. They did not have the control over 00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:38.960 their circumstances. And the truth is, this is 00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:41.620 probably not what they thought was going to happen 00:13:41.620 --> 00:13:44.299 when they found out that they were entering into 00:13:44.299 --> 00:13:47.389 the promised land. Because they were now living 00:13:47.389 --> 00:13:49.789 in the promised land, this place that God had 00:13:49.789 --> 00:13:52.070 taken them out of Egypt and they had wandered 00:13:52.070 --> 00:13:54.129 through the wilderness for and they had endured 00:13:54.129 --> 00:13:56.669 all of these battles for to get into the promised 00:13:56.669 --> 00:13:59.350 land, flowing with milk and honey of splendor. 00:13:59.509 --> 00:14:03.570 This is probably not what they expected. But 00:14:03.570 --> 00:14:05.330 this is the life that they have to live. This 00:14:05.330 --> 00:14:08.490 is the cars that they're dealt. Even in this 00:14:08.490 --> 00:14:11.350 wonderful home that God had given them, the truth 00:14:11.350 --> 00:14:13.850 is they were still on earth and they were still 00:14:13.850 --> 00:14:16.330 human. And as long as we are on this earth and 00:14:16.330 --> 00:14:19.029 as long as we are human, we'll have to deal with 00:14:19.029 --> 00:14:21.690 war. As long as we're on this earth and as long 00:14:21.690 --> 00:14:23.690 as we're human, we'll have to deal with death. 00:14:24.590 --> 00:14:27.269 We'll have to deal with fear. We'll have to deal 00:14:27.269 --> 00:14:29.809 with anxiety. We'll have to deal with uncertainty. 00:14:29.889 --> 00:14:34.470 We'll have to deal with poverty. As long as we're 00:14:34.470 --> 00:14:37.830 human and as long as we are on this earth, we 00:14:37.830 --> 00:14:43.919 will have to deal with that wicked nature. Because 00:14:43.919 --> 00:14:46.860 on earth, nothing and no one is safe from greed. 00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:50.179 Nothing and no one is safe from evil. It's always 00:14:50.179 --> 00:14:54.899 going to be that way until Christ comes. So the 00:14:54.899 --> 00:14:57.860 Israelites, they're no strangers to this wickedness. 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:03.220 This is a life that they've become used to. Their 00:15:03.220 --> 00:15:05.120 enemies have invaded. They're trying to wipe 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:07.899 them out. This is a constant thing for Israel. 00:15:09.059 --> 00:15:11.559 And we know that to be a constant thing for us. 00:15:12.360 --> 00:15:16.899 In this life, you'll have pain. We know that 00:15:16.899 --> 00:15:21.259 to be true. But what God promises in Isaiah, 00:15:21.460 --> 00:15:25.100 he says, the weight your oppressors have put 00:15:25.100 --> 00:15:29.399 on you, I'll break it. The staff used to control 00:15:29.399 --> 00:15:32.320 you, I'll break it. The rod used to harm you, 00:15:32.419 --> 00:15:35.320 I will break it. He says, just as on the day 00:15:35.320 --> 00:15:38.580 of Midian. So if you get the reference, God is 00:15:38.580 --> 00:15:42.090 referring to way back. to Gideon in the battle 00:15:42.090 --> 00:15:45.450 of the Midianites, where it's just Gideon and 00:15:45.450 --> 00:15:48.269 his 300 men and they battle the Midianites and 00:15:48.269 --> 00:15:51.929 there are 32 ,000 men. And because of God's power, 00:15:52.090 --> 00:15:55.929 Gideon's army is able to have victory. It's only 00:15:55.929 --> 00:15:57.470 by the power of God. That's the only way you 00:15:57.470 --> 00:15:59.769 can explain it. I mean, we did the math. We talked 00:15:59.769 --> 00:16:02.690 about this a few months ago. If you took the 00:16:02.690 --> 00:16:06.190 32 ,000 and divided that by 300, you get a really 00:16:06.190 --> 00:16:09.490 large number per person, right? And so Gideon's 00:16:09.490 --> 00:16:12.529 army is way outnumbered. They don't have any 00:16:12.529 --> 00:16:15.129 reason to have victory, but because of the power 00:16:15.129 --> 00:16:21.330 of God, Midian is broken. God says, I'm going 00:16:21.330 --> 00:16:24.570 to break the arms of oppression just like I did 00:16:24.570 --> 00:16:28.049 back then. Think of all the times that God has 00:16:28.049 --> 00:16:30.860 provided you victory. Think of all the times 00:16:30.860 --> 00:16:32.919 that God has led you out of the darkness, all 00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:35.419 of the times that he's taken you out of captivity, 00:16:35.659 --> 00:16:38.460 all of the times that God has proven to be faithful 00:16:38.460 --> 00:16:42.879 and merciful. The promise to the Israelites then 00:16:42.879 --> 00:16:45.200 is the same promise we have now. God says, I'm 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:50.379 going to break those chains. I'm going to take 00:16:50.379 --> 00:16:54.419 you away from that danger. I'm going to destroy 00:16:54.419 --> 00:17:01.379 the things that seek to destroy you. And this 00:17:01.379 --> 00:17:04.660 defeat over the enemy is going to be final. See, 00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:06.579 the Israelites, like I said, they're no strangers 00:17:06.579 --> 00:17:08.880 to conflict. They're no strangers to war. Because 00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:13.259 it just keeps happening. They keep having these 00:17:13.259 --> 00:17:19.119 battles. But this victory that God promises, 00:17:19.319 --> 00:17:23.000 this victory, this breaking of the staff and 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:26.319 the breaking of the rod and the breaking of the 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:30.660 weight, this victory is final. Verse 5. Talks 00:17:30.660 --> 00:17:33.779 about every boot, every blood stained garment 00:17:33.779 --> 00:17:36.640 being burned. Well, burning something reduces 00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:39.019 it to a state that cannot be healed. It can't 00:17:39.019 --> 00:17:42.259 be restored. If you burn a log and it gets down 00:17:42.259 --> 00:17:45.200 to ash, you can't make it back into a log. God 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:47.779 is saying everything that has sought to harm 00:17:47.779 --> 00:17:50.140 you, everything that has hurt you, everything 00:17:50.140 --> 00:17:52.539 that has taken you from your home, everything 00:17:52.539 --> 00:17:56.599 that you have fear of, I'm going to destroy it. 00:17:56.700 --> 00:18:01.680 Final, complete. It will be gone. Which brings 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:05.539 us to the heart of today's message. Verses 6 00:18:05.539 --> 00:18:12.420 -7. Because a child is born. A son is given. 00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:15.700 And the government shall be upon his shoulder. 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:19.380 And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor. 00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:24.640 Mighty God. Everlasting Father. Prince of, there's 00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:29.220 the word, peace. Of the increase of his government. 00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:34.640 And of... Peace. There will be no end. It won't 00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:41.599 end. It won't go away. On the throne of David 00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:44.640 and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold 00:18:44.640 --> 00:18:47.359 it with justice and with righteousness from this 00:18:47.359 --> 00:18:50.559 time forth and forevermore, the zeal of the Lord 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:52.920 of hosts will do this. When Gideon defeated the 00:18:52.920 --> 00:18:57.259 Midianites, It was a strong fought battle between 00:18:57.259 --> 00:19:00.819 Israel's 300 men and the Midianites' 32 ,000 00:19:00.819 --> 00:19:05.799 men. This was a very unsuspecting victory. Because 00:19:05.799 --> 00:19:11.000 it doesn't make sense. You hear in sporting events, 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:13.900 like you watched football yesterday, and you 00:19:13.900 --> 00:19:19.059 have the on paper, this team should win. Going 00:19:19.059 --> 00:19:21.480 into the football season, I thought on paper, 00:19:21.579 --> 00:19:23.799 LSU should win the national championship. Boy, 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:28.859 was I wrong. On paper, I have all the ability. 00:19:29.059 --> 00:19:30.500 You know, you look at your resume. On paper, 00:19:30.619 --> 00:19:32.880 I have all of the ability and all of the experience 00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:35.000 and all of the talents to get the job, but you 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:39.359 don't get the job. On paper, my bill of health 00:19:39.359 --> 00:19:42.259 is as good as it can be. I should live until 00:19:42.259 --> 00:19:47.039 fill in the blank, but you don't. You have these 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:50.240 things where on paper it makes sense in a logical, 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:54.150 worldly sense, but it doesn't. And what happens 00:19:54.150 --> 00:19:58.410 here is on paper, Midian should destroy Israel, 00:19:58.529 --> 00:20:03.369 but Israel wins. What Isaiah is prophesying, 00:20:03.390 --> 00:20:05.490 what he's promising here is going to be God's 00:20:05.490 --> 00:20:08.670 best work because God loves to work in the unsuspecting. 00:20:08.670 --> 00:20:12.329 God loves to be on the side of the on paper loser. 00:20:12.569 --> 00:20:17.369 God works here through a baby, a child that is 00:20:17.369 --> 00:20:21.910 going to reign. Can you imagine? I love the movie 00:20:21.910 --> 00:20:25.509 Boss Baby. Don't ask me why. I don't know. But 00:20:25.509 --> 00:20:27.349 I just think it's really funny that this little 00:20:27.349 --> 00:20:33.569 fat baby runs the show. A baby is going to reign. 00:20:33.630 --> 00:20:36.930 The government is going to answer to him. He'll 00:20:36.930 --> 00:20:42.369 be called Wonderful Counselor. Mighty. Everlasting. 00:20:42.470 --> 00:20:46.269 Prince. Those are royal, extravagant, spectacular, 00:20:46.809 --> 00:20:50.339 high and mighty. And this is what we're going 00:20:50.339 --> 00:20:57.319 to call this child everlasting. Prince. But did 00:20:57.319 --> 00:21:02.099 you notice what he's going to be prince of? Prince 00:21:02.099 --> 00:21:07.680 of, say it with me. Peace. Christ's coming is 00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:10.960 a promise of ultimate peace that will have no 00:21:10.960 --> 00:21:14.420 end. Raise your hand if you'd love to experience 00:21:14.420 --> 00:21:18.279 some peace that has no end. I would. Because 00:21:18.279 --> 00:21:21.500 I know every single day there are things that 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:24.019 stress me out. There are things that make me 00:21:24.019 --> 00:21:26.799 fearful. There are things that terrify me. There 00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:29.460 are things that make me angry. And I just don't 00:21:29.460 --> 00:21:32.640 know if I can say that every day I experience 00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:38.079 unending peace. I know I should. I know I need 00:21:38.079 --> 00:21:40.759 to. And I know that I can with the help of the 00:21:40.759 --> 00:21:43.920 Holy Spirit. But the truth is, I don't feel that 00:21:43.920 --> 00:21:47.710 all the time. I want to. We talk about the fruits 00:21:47.710 --> 00:21:50.750 of the Spirit. Fruit, singular, of the Spirit. 00:21:51.130 --> 00:21:54.509 And one of those flavors of that fruit is peace. 00:21:57.089 --> 00:22:00.349 Christ's coming is a promise of ultimate peace. 00:22:00.990 --> 00:22:03.750 Now I can imagine Israel hearing this message 00:22:03.750 --> 00:22:06.769 from Isaiah and knowing what they're going through 00:22:06.769 --> 00:22:09.150 and experiencing what they're experiencing and 00:22:09.150 --> 00:22:10.970 feeling what they've been feeling. And I can 00:22:10.970 --> 00:22:12.890 imagine them hearing him and saying, whoa, whoa, 00:22:12.890 --> 00:22:17.299 whoa, stop. Pause on that word. Peace? Do you 00:22:17.299 --> 00:22:19.400 not? see what's going on around us? Do you not 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:21.839 smell the smoke of all our buildings that they've 00:22:21.839 --> 00:22:23.900 burned down? Do you not see the blood in the 00:22:23.900 --> 00:22:25.440 streets from the people that they've killed? 00:22:25.559 --> 00:22:27.819 Do you not see the children crying because they're 00:22:27.819 --> 00:22:29.799 hungry because we don't have food anymore? How 00:22:29.799 --> 00:22:32.299 can you talk about peace when this is what we're 00:22:32.299 --> 00:22:34.579 dealing with? And preachers get up here on Sundays 00:22:34.579 --> 00:22:37.740 every year or every day or every Sunday all over 00:22:37.740 --> 00:22:39.500 the world and they talk about peace and people 00:22:39.500 --> 00:22:41.500 say, do you not know about the children that 00:22:41.500 --> 00:22:43.480 are starving? Do you not know about the women 00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:45.299 that are being abused by their husbands? Do you 00:22:45.299 --> 00:22:47.039 not know about the people that are being killed? 00:22:47.180 --> 00:22:49.700 In other countries, do you not know what's going 00:22:49.700 --> 00:22:52.420 on around us? How can you talk about peace? And 00:22:52.420 --> 00:22:55.579 Isaiah says, my God, who has proven over and 00:22:55.579 --> 00:22:58.359 over and over and over and over again to keep 00:22:58.359 --> 00:23:00.920 his promises is promising you peace. So guess 00:23:00.920 --> 00:23:05.880 what you're going to have one day? Peace. How 00:23:05.880 --> 00:23:08.000 can you talk about peace? Because my God says 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:11.960 so. And he has kept his promises for all time. 00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:15.059 And I believe that he's going to keep them still. 00:23:15.849 --> 00:23:24.130 So what will I have one day unending? All of 00:23:24.130 --> 00:23:31.950 that fear. All the stress, the worry. Gone. I 00:23:31.950 --> 00:23:34.390 told you, I believe the Old Testament is a foretaste 00:23:34.390 --> 00:23:36.130 of the future. And I mean that when I say it. 00:23:36.210 --> 00:23:39.470 See, Isaiah is looking forward 700 years later. 00:23:40.049 --> 00:23:44.140 That child is going to be born. Isaiah sees that 00:23:44.140 --> 00:23:46.119 promise because God has allowed him to see it. 00:23:46.140 --> 00:23:48.799 He sees that promise kept clearly even though 00:23:48.799 --> 00:23:51.619 neither he or Israel can actually feel it just 00:23:51.619 --> 00:23:54.440 yet. But then in the darkness of Roman rule, 00:23:54.579 --> 00:23:57.720 in a world of fear, of division and political 00:23:57.720 --> 00:24:01.539 tension, light breaks in. The promise is kept. 00:24:01.660 --> 00:24:06.009 The Messiah is born. This is where the New Testament 00:24:06.009 --> 00:24:08.250 picks that promise right back up in Luke chapter 00:24:08.250 --> 00:24:10.869 2 verses 8 through 14. And in the same region, 00:24:10.930 --> 00:24:13.069 there were shepherds out in the field keeping 00:24:13.069 --> 00:24:15.670 watch over their flock by night. And an angel 00:24:15.670 --> 00:24:17.750 of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of 00:24:17.750 --> 00:24:19.690 the Lord shone. Hey, there's that word again, 00:24:19.769 --> 00:24:22.869 shone around them. And they were filled with 00:24:22.869 --> 00:24:25.170 great fear. And the angel said to them, hey, 00:24:25.230 --> 00:24:30.490 don't fear. For behold, I bring you good news 00:24:30.490 --> 00:24:33.630 of great joy that will be for all the people. 00:24:34.920 --> 00:24:38.279 For unto you is born this day in the city of 00:24:38.279 --> 00:24:42.400 David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this 00:24:42.400 --> 00:24:44.420 will be a sign for you. You will find a baby 00:24:44.420 --> 00:24:47.720 wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:51.519 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude 00:24:51.519 --> 00:24:55.119 of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, 00:24:55.240 --> 00:24:58.779 Glory to God in the highest and on earth. Peace, 00:24:58.920 --> 00:25:05.069 peace among those with whom he is pleased. Of 00:25:05.069 --> 00:25:07.269 all people, I find it funny that God goes to 00:25:07.269 --> 00:25:09.490 the shepherds first. Notice he doesn't go to 00:25:09.490 --> 00:25:11.210 the influencers. He doesn't go to the kings. 00:25:11.410 --> 00:25:13.390 He doesn't go to the officials. He doesn't go 00:25:13.390 --> 00:25:15.789 to the religious elites. He goes to the shepherds, 00:25:15.789 --> 00:25:18.250 these ordinary guys, just trying to make it through 00:25:18.250 --> 00:25:21.490 another night shift. I can imagine they're sitting 00:25:21.490 --> 00:25:23.910 there. They're drinking their coffee. They're 00:25:23.910 --> 00:25:26.190 watching the sheep, hoping nothing comes to try 00:25:26.190 --> 00:25:28.690 to eat the sheep. And they're just chilling. 00:25:28.809 --> 00:25:31.579 And all of a sudden, big white... Angel, hey, 00:25:31.660 --> 00:25:33.180 don't be afraid even though this is a really 00:25:33.180 --> 00:25:38.079 terrifying sight. A child is born. The Savior. 00:25:39.099 --> 00:25:43.539 The Messiah. I can imagine they spill their coffee 00:25:43.539 --> 00:25:44.819 and they're freaking out. They're trembling. 00:25:46.819 --> 00:25:51.359 And then it says the heavenly host appeared. 00:25:53.200 --> 00:25:56.299 God kind of pulls back the curtain and shows 00:25:56.299 --> 00:25:59.740 them, hey, this is for real. This is serious. 00:26:01.390 --> 00:26:05.069 The light has come. You don't have to be afraid. 00:26:05.789 --> 00:26:14.750 You can have peace. Peace. The exact thing Isaiah 00:26:14.750 --> 00:26:19.109 said would have no end. The exact thing Israel 00:26:19.109 --> 00:26:22.829 had been waiting for and hoping for for centuries. 00:26:24.170 --> 00:26:26.329 And honestly, the exact thing that we're all 00:26:26.329 --> 00:26:29.660 craving right now. Because I know every single 00:26:29.660 --> 00:26:31.519 one of you, including myself, wherever you're 00:26:31.519 --> 00:26:33.200 sitting, you've got your thing that you're dealing 00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:35.299 with. You've got your thing that you're worried 00:26:35.299 --> 00:26:37.200 about, that you are stressing about. And right 00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:39.299 now, it's probably running through your mind. 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:45.940 And Christ comes and says, you can let that go 00:26:45.940 --> 00:26:51.720 because you have peace. But notice what the angels 00:26:51.720 --> 00:26:54.779 don't say. They don't say peace will come once 00:26:54.779 --> 00:26:58.039 you get control. They don't say peace will come 00:26:58.039 --> 00:27:00.019 when your enemies love you and stop trying to 00:27:00.019 --> 00:27:01.980 kill you and they leave you alone. It doesn't 00:27:01.980 --> 00:27:04.500 say peace will come when everything finally works 00:27:04.500 --> 00:27:07.140 out the way that you think it should. No, it's 00:27:07.140 --> 00:27:09.640 not that because Isaiah and the angels, they're 00:27:09.640 --> 00:27:12.779 not announcing a feeling. They're announcing 00:27:12.779 --> 00:27:15.940 a person. They're announcing a presence. And 00:27:15.940 --> 00:27:21.420 that is the holy presence of God among us. Peace 00:27:21.420 --> 00:27:25.240 has come because Christ has come. Because the 00:27:25.240 --> 00:27:30.250 light. The Apostle Paul later says it this way 00:27:30.250 --> 00:27:33.829 in Ephesians 2, verse 14. He says, he, talking 00:27:33.829 --> 00:27:37.970 about Jesus, himself is our peace. He doesn't 00:27:37.970 --> 00:27:41.369 say Jesus gives good advice that will help you 00:27:41.369 --> 00:27:44.289 have a peaceful life. He doesn't say Jesus helps 00:27:44.289 --> 00:27:48.049 you find peace. He doesn't say Jesus will show 00:27:48.049 --> 00:27:50.809 you how you can obtain peace. peace. He doesn't 00:27:50.809 --> 00:27:53.049 say Jesus will accept money from you so that 00:27:53.049 --> 00:27:57.190 you can have peace. He just says he is our peace. 00:27:58.190 --> 00:28:00.710 Peace isn't something you chase. Peace isn't 00:28:00.710 --> 00:28:02.990 something you earn. It's not something that you 00:28:02.990 --> 00:28:05.809 can go out and find. Peace is someone who is 00:28:05.809 --> 00:28:09.250 chasing you, who has found you, who has grabbed 00:28:09.250 --> 00:28:13.130 a hold of you. And when you allow him to, you'll 00:28:13.130 --> 00:28:17.720 have peace. And then Jesus, near the end of his 00:28:17.720 --> 00:28:20.579 ministry, tells his disciples in John 14, verse 00:28:20.579 --> 00:28:25.880 27, Peace I leave with you. So the presence, 00:28:26.220 --> 00:28:29.559 you know, Jesus is going up to heaven to stay 00:28:29.559 --> 00:28:34.420 until he's time to come, come back. But he says, 00:28:34.440 --> 00:28:38.500 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. 00:28:39.279 --> 00:28:43.559 Not as the world gives do I give to you. And 00:28:43.559 --> 00:28:45.700 when I read that, what I think he's saying is, 00:28:45.779 --> 00:28:47.319 you know, the world gives peace that depends 00:28:47.319 --> 00:28:50.980 on circumstances. Peace, according to the world, 00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:54.240 depends on quotas. Peace, according to the world, 00:28:54.279 --> 00:28:56.299 depends on the paycheck. It depends on the diagnosis. 00:28:56.559 --> 00:28:58.880 It depends on the drama settling down. It depends 00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:01.779 on the person accepting you. But Jesus gives 00:29:01.779 --> 00:29:03.859 a peace that lasts even when the circumstances 00:29:03.859 --> 00:29:06.500 aren't right, even when nothing else makes sense, 00:29:06.519 --> 00:29:10.720 just like Gideon's victory. Just like Isaiah's 00:29:10.720 --> 00:29:14.200 prophecy, just like a baby in a manger saving 00:29:14.200 --> 00:29:16.779 the world, because that makes zero sense. But 00:29:16.779 --> 00:29:19.960 when Jesus says, this is the peace that I'm giving 00:29:19.960 --> 00:29:23.799 to you, he means it. Because again, Jesus is 00:29:23.799 --> 00:29:28.220 promise keeper. And our God has proven over and 00:29:28.220 --> 00:29:30.640 over and over again to keep his promises. So 00:29:30.640 --> 00:29:34.140 here's what I hope we can see this morning. If 00:29:34.140 --> 00:29:37.339 Isaiah tells us that peace is coming. and the 00:29:37.339 --> 00:29:39.920 New Testament tells us that peace has arrived, 00:29:40.180 --> 00:29:43.160 then the question we have to ask is this. Have 00:29:43.160 --> 00:29:47.400 we actually allowed the prince of peace to rule 00:29:47.400 --> 00:29:51.700 in the places where fear still rules us? Because 00:29:51.700 --> 00:29:57.680 back in Isaiah, he says the government will be 00:29:57.680 --> 00:30:00.589 on his shoulders, as in... He will be over the 00:30:00.589 --> 00:30:03.170 government. He will have reign there. His kingdom 00:30:03.170 --> 00:30:05.829 will have no end. He will be the prince of peace. 00:30:06.029 --> 00:30:11.710 Again, he is royal. He is high and mighty. So 00:30:11.710 --> 00:30:16.309 if he has reign, then why don't we have peace? 00:30:17.529 --> 00:30:19.630 Because if I don't have peace, then I have to 00:30:19.630 --> 00:30:23.569 ask myself, does he really have reign? And I 00:30:23.569 --> 00:30:26.230 think the truth is, for me, I won't speak for 00:30:26.230 --> 00:30:29.509 you. The truth is, There's a lot of days where 00:30:29.509 --> 00:30:32.269 he doesn't reign. In fact, I would say there's 00:30:32.269 --> 00:30:34.849 a lot of moments in days where he doesn't reign. 00:30:36.150 --> 00:30:38.869 At least maybe not the Prince of Peace, Jesus. 00:30:39.630 --> 00:30:43.170 You know, I love the Jesus that cleanses me from 00:30:43.170 --> 00:30:46.130 my sins, Jesus. I love that one. I love the Jesus 00:30:46.130 --> 00:30:49.230 that promises me everlasting life. I love that 00:30:49.230 --> 00:30:52.789 one. I love the Jesus that says, you can keep 00:30:52.789 --> 00:30:54.450 doing what you're doing. I'm going to forgive 00:30:54.450 --> 00:30:57.650 you. And then one day you'll be with me. I love. 00:30:58.029 --> 00:31:00.990 That Jesus. But for some reason, the Jesus that 00:31:00.990 --> 00:31:04.069 says, hey, calm down. Stop worrying about everything. 00:31:04.289 --> 00:31:06.390 Quit stressing over what the government's going 00:31:06.390 --> 00:31:08.170 to do. Quit worrying about what your enemies 00:31:08.170 --> 00:31:10.410 are going to do. Quit thinking about all of the 00:31:10.410 --> 00:31:13.150 things that could go wrong at work and stop fearing 00:31:13.150 --> 00:31:17.210 every little inconvenience and just let me reign. 00:31:17.390 --> 00:31:20.509 The Prince of Peace, Jesus, let that one reign. 00:31:22.160 --> 00:31:24.779 Because the promise wasn't, hey, life's going 00:31:24.779 --> 00:31:28.279 to get easier now. The promise wasn't, you're 00:31:28.279 --> 00:31:30.319 going to not have any trouble. The promise was 00:31:30.319 --> 00:31:33.119 of the increase of his government and of peace, 00:31:33.240 --> 00:31:37.740 there will be no end. Where Christ's rule increases, 00:31:37.940 --> 00:31:42.400 his peace increases. When I surrender control, 00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:47.680 his peace grows. When I trust him with every 00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:50.299 moment and every circumstance of my life, his 00:31:50.299 --> 00:31:54.720 peace roots. See, Christmas isn't just the story 00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:57.599 of God coming into the world. It's not just the 00:31:57.599 --> 00:32:01.259 story of a baby being born in a manger. Christmas 00:32:01.259 --> 00:32:07.319 is the story of God coming into your world. God 00:32:07.319 --> 00:32:10.720 stepping into your home. God stepping into your 00:32:10.720 --> 00:32:14.059 stress, your schedule, your fears, your unanswered 00:32:14.059 --> 00:32:16.539 prayers, your unknowns. And he speaks the same 00:32:16.539 --> 00:32:20.700 word now that the angel spoke then. Say it with 00:32:20.700 --> 00:32:27.869 me. It is a scary, cold, and dark world out there. 00:32:28.849 --> 00:32:32.009 You don't have to be scared. You don't have to 00:32:32.009 --> 00:32:34.950 be cold. You don't have to live in the dark. 00:32:36.710 --> 00:32:41.730 Because the true light, not the cheap LED junk 00:32:41.730 --> 00:32:46.269 lights from Amazon, the good old incandescent 00:32:46.269 --> 00:32:49.750 lights, Christmas lights from Walmart, like they're 00:32:49.750 --> 00:32:55.180 supposed to be, Those lights, that true light, 00:32:55.240 --> 00:33:00.500 the Messiah, the Savior has come to bring. And 00:33:00.500 --> 00:33:04.140 that light is available to us all. If you're 00:33:04.140 --> 00:33:06.140 worried about something, if you are fearful today, 00:33:06.259 --> 00:33:09.940 if you are stressed because life is not safe, 00:33:10.099 --> 00:33:12.519 if you're worried because you just don't know 00:33:12.519 --> 00:33:14.799 what life holds for you tomorrow, if you're not 00:33:14.799 --> 00:33:17.220 sure what life holds for you today, if you need 00:33:17.220 --> 00:33:20.809 anything. if there's a fear and anxiety in you 00:33:20.809 --> 00:33:22.829 because you don't know where your soul lies, 00:33:23.150 --> 00:33:25.650 we want to pray with you. We want to pray for 00:33:25.650 --> 00:33:27.630 you. We want to love on you and support you. 00:33:27.990 --> 00:33:30.690 Wherever you're at today, if you just need the 00:33:30.690 --> 00:33:32.930 peace of Christ, I shouldn't say just, if you 00:33:32.930 --> 00:33:36.710 need the peace of Christ that never ends, that 00:33:36.710 --> 00:33:39.690 reigns forever, we offer you an invitation to 00:33:39.690 --> 00:33:41.730 come and receive prayer. Be prayed with.