WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:02.569 Let's read Isaiah chapter nine, verses one through 00:00:02.569 --> 00:00:06.290 seven. But there will be no gloom for her who 00:00:06.290 --> 00:00:09.570 was in anguish. In the former time, he brought 00:00:09.570 --> 00:00:12.050 into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land 00:00:12.050 --> 00:00:14.970 of Naphtali. But in the latter time, he has made 00:00:14.970 --> 00:00:17.829 glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond 00:00:17.829 --> 00:00:21.230 the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people 00:00:21.230 --> 00:00:23.969 who walked in darkness have seen a great light. 00:00:24.530 --> 00:00:27.390 Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness on 00:00:27.390 --> 00:00:30.820 them has light shown. You have multiplied the 00:00:30.820 --> 00:00:33.520 nation. You have increased its joy. They rejoice 00:00:33.520 --> 00:00:38.000 before you as with joy at the harvest, as they 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:42.560 are glad when they divide the spoil. For the 00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:45.079 yoke of his burden and the staff for his shoulder, 00:00:45.179 --> 00:00:47.780 the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as 00:00:47.780 --> 00:00:52.140 on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping 00:00:52.140 --> 00:00:55.119 warrior in battle to molt and every garment rolled 00:00:55.119 --> 00:00:57.719 in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 00:00:57.899 --> 00:01:03.679 For to us, a child is born. To us, a son is given 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:05.939 and the government shall be upon his shoulder 00:01:05.939 --> 00:01:09.159 and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, 00:01:09.159 --> 00:01:12.799 Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 00:01:13.659 --> 00:01:17.319 Of the increase of his government and of peace, 00:01:17.400 --> 00:01:22.200 there will be no end. On the throne of David 00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:25.480 and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold 00:01:25.480 --> 00:01:28.859 it with justice and with righteousness from this 00:01:28.859 --> 00:01:33.599 time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:38.739 of hosts will do this. Let's pray. Father God, 00:01:38.840 --> 00:01:42.219 we're so grateful that right now we get to take 00:01:42.219 --> 00:01:46.540 time. For the Christ follower, we get to take 00:01:46.540 --> 00:01:49.359 an entire season of the year to just remember 00:01:49.359 --> 00:01:52.099 that the Redeemer has come, that the Restorer 00:01:52.099 --> 00:01:57.019 has come, that Christ has come. And so, God, 00:01:57.040 --> 00:01:59.920 as we reflect on the promise you made to Israel 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:02.700 so long ago, and as we look at the New Testament 00:02:02.700 --> 00:02:05.280 and see where Christ has fulfilled that promise 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:07.840 and the new promises that he has made that you 00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:11.599 have made, God, I pray that we will see that 00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:17.150 great light. That we will know no gloom. That 00:02:17.150 --> 00:02:23.009 the reign of your peace will hold. That joy will 00:02:23.009 --> 00:02:28.509 overtake us. That love will be our law. And God, 00:02:28.550 --> 00:02:31.990 that we would be citizens of your kingdom until 00:02:31.990 --> 00:02:35.810 Christ comes again. Father, may your word reign 00:02:35.810 --> 00:02:38.750 and rule in our hearts this morning. May your 00:02:38.750 --> 00:02:41.750 gospel be preached. May our lives be changed. 00:02:42.539 --> 00:02:46.680 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. The last few 00:02:46.680 --> 00:02:48.379 weeks we've been talking about the Israelite 00:02:48.379 --> 00:02:51.219 people in the midst of war. They've been in the 00:02:51.219 --> 00:02:53.900 midst of invasion and their lives are full of 00:02:53.900 --> 00:02:57.719 chaos and their reality is death. Their reality 00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:00.319 is sorrow. It's unrest. It's displacement. It's 00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:03.860 uncertainty. But the emphasis wasn't on the Israelite 00:03:03.860 --> 00:03:06.919 suffering. The focus, hopefully, has been on 00:03:06.919 --> 00:03:10.990 the light in the midst of darkness. Because while 00:03:10.990 --> 00:03:13.569 Israel was in this time of darkness, while they 00:03:13.569 --> 00:03:15.770 were in this time of suffering, what they are 00:03:15.770 --> 00:03:18.449 being reminded of by the prophet Isaiah, the 00:03:18.449 --> 00:03:21.530 words of God being spoken through him is don't 00:03:21.530 --> 00:03:25.689 worry. The light is coming. Don't be afraid. 00:03:26.509 --> 00:03:30.050 A Savior is coming. For the Israelites in Isaiah's 00:03:30.050 --> 00:03:33.189 time, hope meant clinging to this promise, this 00:03:33.189 --> 00:03:35.669 promise of a Savior, a Savior who would come 00:03:35.669 --> 00:03:37.830 one day that would end their suffering, that 00:03:37.830 --> 00:03:41.669 would bring peace to their unrest, that would 00:03:41.669 --> 00:03:45.849 bring an end to death. He would bring an end 00:03:45.849 --> 00:03:49.280 to sorrow. See, the Israelites, they knew the 00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:51.740 history of this promise keeping God. They had 00:03:51.740 --> 00:03:53.699 been taught the history since they were children. 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:56.300 Think of it the same way you learned history 00:03:56.300 --> 00:03:58.719 in elementary school and middle school and in 00:03:58.719 --> 00:04:00.379 high school. And for some of you in college, 00:04:00.439 --> 00:04:02.719 you learned the things that happened not just 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:04.719 in our country, but the things that happened 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:06.919 in other countries. You've learned things like 00:04:06.919 --> 00:04:09.979 how societies began and you learned about the 00:04:09.979 --> 00:04:11.840 medieval periods. And then you learned about 00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:15.849 the. the industrial revolution and you, you learned 00:04:15.849 --> 00:04:17.670 about all the wars, you learned about all the 00:04:17.670 --> 00:04:19.209 presidents, you learned about all the rulers, 00:04:19.290 --> 00:04:22.490 you learned history. And so now if somebody asks 00:04:22.490 --> 00:04:24.829 you a question about world war two or the great 00:04:24.829 --> 00:04:26.930 depression, you might can tell them a little 00:04:26.930 --> 00:04:29.250 bit of something about it. You maybe can't tell 00:04:29.250 --> 00:04:31.129 them all the facts about it, but you can tell 00:04:31.129 --> 00:04:33.550 them a little bit. The Israelite people would 00:04:33.550 --> 00:04:35.810 have known their people's history probably a 00:04:35.810 --> 00:04:37.550 little bit better than that because their education 00:04:37.550 --> 00:04:39.730 was a little bit better than ours. Right? So 00:04:39.730 --> 00:04:43.610 they knew their history. They knew about this 00:04:43.610 --> 00:04:46.329 promise keeping God. They knew about how Adam 00:04:46.329 --> 00:04:48.329 and Eve sinned and got kicked out of the garden. 00:04:48.470 --> 00:04:51.430 They knew about how murder was brought into the 00:04:51.430 --> 00:04:53.689 world through Cain and Abel. They knew about 00:04:53.689 --> 00:04:56.589 their people being in captivity. They knew about 00:04:56.589 --> 00:05:00.829 all of these things. What they knew was that 00:05:00.829 --> 00:05:06.040 God rescued Israel from Egypt. They knew about 00:05:06.040 --> 00:05:09.240 the many battles that God gave their people victory 00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:12.160 in, that they had no business having victory 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:15.980 in. They knew about the promise keeping God. 00:05:16.180 --> 00:05:19.920 They maybe couldn't tell you every detail about 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:23.500 it, but they knew that all throughout their people's 00:05:23.500 --> 00:05:27.000 history, they have suffered. God has rescued. 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:30.279 They have been fearful. God has rescued. They've 00:05:30.279 --> 00:05:33.300 been in captivity and God has rescued. They knew 00:05:33.300 --> 00:05:39.660 their history of a promise keeping God. And remembering 00:05:39.660 --> 00:05:43.500 that God keeps his promises should give them 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:48.220 reason to patiently await fulfillment of this 00:05:48.220 --> 00:05:52.399 promise. And they would need patience. Because 00:05:52.399 --> 00:05:55.480 it would be about 700 years between the time 00:05:55.480 --> 00:05:58.180 that this promise was made and the time that 00:05:58.180 --> 00:06:02.480 the Savior arrives. There was some gap there. 00:06:02.540 --> 00:06:05.240 I think we can all imagine 700 years is a long 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:09.519 time. To give you reference, America is not 700 00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:12.579 years old. But we feel like it's been here for 00:06:12.579 --> 00:06:16.600 a long time. There's a 700 year gap between the 00:06:16.600 --> 00:06:19.600 promise and the fulfillment. Israel waited through 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:23.589 centuries of hardship. An apparent silence from 00:06:23.589 --> 00:06:27.170 God. Israel waited. They endured conquest by 00:06:27.170 --> 00:06:29.569 enemies. They endured exile from their land. 00:06:29.709 --> 00:06:32.230 They had to deal with generations under foreign 00:06:32.230 --> 00:06:34.689 rule and oppression. They lived without national 00:06:34.689 --> 00:06:37.550 freedom. And for nearly 400 years, they lived 00:06:37.550 --> 00:06:41.069 without a recognized prophetic voice. A voice 00:06:41.069 --> 00:06:46.329 from God. And in the midst of all of this, the 00:06:46.329 --> 00:06:50.189 faithful did their best to keep the Scriptures. 00:06:51.069 --> 00:06:53.470 They did their best to pray the promises and 00:06:53.470 --> 00:06:56.829 wait patiently. But by the time the Savior arrived, 00:06:57.029 --> 00:07:00.470 Israel was weary. Israel had grown tired and 00:07:00.470 --> 00:07:04.149 they had felt this oppression and maybe they 00:07:04.149 --> 00:07:08.470 had grown weary of longing. Not just for relief, 00:07:08.589 --> 00:07:11.829 but for rescue. And you know how that feels. 00:07:12.410 --> 00:07:14.709 You've prayed and you've prayed and you've prayed. 00:07:15.949 --> 00:07:20.819 You've waited. But it seems like. God never answers. 00:07:22.100 --> 00:07:25.480 You've dealt with the pain and you thought maybe. 00:07:26.189 --> 00:07:28.389 If I just hold on a little bit longer and if 00:07:28.389 --> 00:07:30.689 I just trust the doctors just a little bit longer, 00:07:30.810 --> 00:07:33.670 healing will come. And if I if I just hold a 00:07:33.670 --> 00:07:35.810 scripture and if I fast and if I pray and if 00:07:35.810 --> 00:07:38.730 I meditate and I spend time with God, he'll do 00:07:38.730 --> 00:07:41.430 what I need him to do. And we try to do what 00:07:41.430 --> 00:07:45.129 we can to make God work on our time. But it doesn't 00:07:45.129 --> 00:07:47.189 work that way. God works on his time. But as 00:07:47.189 --> 00:07:51.009 we talked about last week, he always works. He 00:07:51.009 --> 00:07:53.550 always fulfills his promises, even if you have 00:07:53.550 --> 00:07:58.699 to wait 700 years. It may not be the timing you 00:07:58.699 --> 00:08:03.500 want, but it will be perfect timing. And so we 00:08:03.500 --> 00:08:08.360 remember what God promised. In the midst of the 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:11.279 suffering, the Israelites can look back to Isaiah 00:08:11.279 --> 00:08:14.740 nine and they can read for to us, a child is 00:08:14.740 --> 00:08:17.480 born to us, a son is given and the government 00:08:17.480 --> 00:08:20.420 will be upon his shoulder and his name will be 00:08:20.420 --> 00:08:24.279 called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting 00:08:24.279 --> 00:08:30.160 Father, Prince of Peace. You know, in a world 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:32.220 where you're struggling with the government, 00:08:32.379 --> 00:08:35.740 in a world where you're not sure what your society 00:08:35.740 --> 00:08:38.139 is going to look like 10 years from now, much 00:08:38.139 --> 00:08:40.480 less tomorrow, in a world where you're not sure 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:42.899 what tomorrow holds for you and your family, 00:08:42.919 --> 00:08:45.299 your community, your country, your world, in 00:08:45.299 --> 00:08:48.480 a world where life is very uncertain and you 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:56.370 read the words, a son is given. And everything 00:08:56.370 --> 00:09:01.470 will be upon His shoulder. And He'll be called 00:09:01.470 --> 00:09:08.529 Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government. 00:09:08.730 --> 00:09:12.049 Of His government. Not the world's. Not yours. 00:09:12.289 --> 00:09:16.610 His rule. That government will increase and of 00:09:16.610 --> 00:09:27.119 peace there will be no end. Justice. righteousness 00:09:27.119 --> 00:09:30.519 forevermore. We know this world isn't perfect. 00:09:31.620 --> 00:09:34.860 We're very aware of that. And in fact, on most 00:09:34.860 --> 00:09:36.799 days, we probably look at the world and say it 00:09:36.799 --> 00:09:40.860 is anything but perfect. But the perfect is coming. 00:09:42.180 --> 00:09:44.919 That's what Isaiah promises. He says to us, a 00:09:44.919 --> 00:09:46.600 child is born. The government's going to be up 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:48.360 on his shoulder. He's going to be called all 00:09:48.360 --> 00:09:50.740 of these wonderful things like Counselor, Mighty 00:09:50.740 --> 00:09:53.659 God, Everlasting Father, Lord of Hosts. Y 'all, 00:09:53.659 --> 00:09:55.799 this is not just any child that's going to be 00:09:55.799 --> 00:09:59.750 born in some manger. This is God. That language 00:09:59.750 --> 00:10:01.889 there is king language. I want you to hold on 00:10:01.889 --> 00:10:04.029 to that understanding and remember that phrase, 00:10:04.149 --> 00:10:06.669 for to us a child is born as we look at the Luke 00:10:06.669 --> 00:10:09.389 2 passage. And in the same region, there were 00:10:09.389 --> 00:10:11.529 shepherds out in the field keeping watch over 00:10:11.529 --> 00:10:13.789 their flock by night, and an angel of the Lord 00:10:13.789 --> 00:10:16.429 appeared to them. And the glory of the Lord shone 00:10:16.429 --> 00:10:18.129 around them, and they were filled with great 00:10:18.129 --> 00:10:21.889 fear. And the angel said to them, Fear not, for 00:10:21.889 --> 00:10:25.289 behold, I bring you good news of great joy that 00:10:25.289 --> 00:10:28.190 will be for all the people. Here it is. For unto 00:10:28.190 --> 00:10:32.570 you is born this day in the city of David a Savior 00:10:32.570 --> 00:10:37.370 who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign 00:10:37.370 --> 00:10:39.909 for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling 00:10:39.909 --> 00:10:43.269 clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there 00:10:43.269 --> 00:10:46.169 was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly 00:10:46.169 --> 00:10:49.710 host praising God and saying, Glory to God in 00:10:49.710 --> 00:10:53.809 the highest and on earth peace. Among those with 00:10:53.809 --> 00:10:57.590 whom he is pleased, the Savior is born, but he's 00:10:57.590 --> 00:11:00.669 going to be found in a lowly manger. The Savior 00:11:00.669 --> 00:11:03.690 has arrived, but the announcement of his birth 00:11:03.690 --> 00:11:07.289 would be made not to kings, but to shepherds. 00:11:07.950 --> 00:11:11.549 The Lord of hosts is here, but this great news 00:11:11.549 --> 00:11:13.669 would be delivered in a pasture, not a palace. 00:11:13.690 --> 00:11:17.049 See, God fulfills his promises in unexpected 00:11:17.049 --> 00:11:22.029 ways and unexpected places to unexpecting people. 00:11:22.669 --> 00:11:25.490 We think of these grand announcements like they 00:11:25.490 --> 00:11:28.009 should be made to the people that deserve to 00:11:28.009 --> 00:11:31.309 know. You know, when you think about the special 00:11:31.309 --> 00:11:33.210 things that are going to happen in this world, 00:11:33.289 --> 00:11:35.909 the announcements always happen to the insiders 00:11:35.909 --> 00:11:38.269 or to the people that are on the inside club, 00:11:38.470 --> 00:11:40.509 the people that are maybe the biggest donors. 00:11:40.750 --> 00:11:44.149 Right. The announcements are made to the high 00:11:44.149 --> 00:11:48.879 officials. First and then to the lowly people 00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:51.279 like us. But when God decides I'm going to fulfill 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:53.820 this great promise that everybody's been waiting 00:11:53.820 --> 00:11:56.340 on for hundreds of years, I'm going to make this 00:11:56.340 --> 00:12:00.259 happen today. When he decides it's time, he doesn't 00:12:00.259 --> 00:12:02.379 make the announcement to the king. He doesn't 00:12:02.379 --> 00:12:04.240 make the announcement to the government. He doesn't 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:06.120 make the announcement to the rich people. He 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:08.759 makes it to the shepherd in the pasture. And 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:12.639 what I'm saying is, is God fulfills his promises, 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:18.370 but it's always in a very unexpected. And I've 00:12:18.370 --> 00:12:20.649 got to tell you, I don't know about y 'all, but 00:12:20.649 --> 00:12:22.889 I feel like I'm one of those shepherds. I'm not 00:12:22.889 --> 00:12:26.409 a king. I don't live in a palace. I'm not the 00:12:26.409 --> 00:12:28.830 wealthiest man. I'm not the most powerful man. 00:12:29.070 --> 00:12:32.090 And so when I think about God fulfilling his 00:12:32.090 --> 00:12:35.230 promises to unexpecting people, I think, man, 00:12:35.370 --> 00:12:37.809 there's hope for me because I'm one of them. 00:12:39.190 --> 00:12:41.570 And so I keep praying and I keep waiting and 00:12:41.570 --> 00:12:44.629 I keep trusting that God will fulfill his promises. 00:12:45.549 --> 00:12:49.990 But it may not happen exactly how the world thinks. 00:12:51.490 --> 00:12:54.049 See, this announcement itself is magnificent. 00:12:55.070 --> 00:12:59.190 It's unmistakable that this is from God. Who 00:12:59.190 --> 00:13:01.230 else could make something like this happen? Who 00:13:01.230 --> 00:13:03.289 else could do something like that? I mean, an 00:13:03.289 --> 00:13:05.950 angel of the Lord appeared and the glory of the 00:13:05.950 --> 00:13:08.149 Lord shone around them. Suddenly there was with 00:13:08.149 --> 00:13:11.549 the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts. I challenged 00:13:11.549 --> 00:13:13.710 you a few weeks ago to imagine what that might 00:13:13.710 --> 00:13:17.070 look like. But this week I had AI generate an 00:13:17.070 --> 00:13:19.250 image based on the text here in Luke 2. And this 00:13:19.250 --> 00:13:21.970 is what it gave me. I want you to just look at 00:13:21.970 --> 00:13:23.750 that for a moment and put yourself in the shoes 00:13:23.750 --> 00:13:27.470 of the shepherd. When this promise that you've 00:13:27.470 --> 00:13:30.529 been waiting on, that you've been praying for, 00:13:30.690 --> 00:13:35.669 that you've been longing for, is finally announced 00:13:35.669 --> 00:13:38.669 that it's going to be fulfilled, this is the 00:13:38.669 --> 00:13:42.570 announcement. You're out in the field, just doing 00:13:42.570 --> 00:13:48.370 your job. And bam, God shows up in a glorious 00:13:48.370 --> 00:13:54.370 light. Your people have been suffering. You've 00:13:54.370 --> 00:13:57.360 been displaced. You've been oppressed. You've 00:13:57.360 --> 00:14:01.100 been hurting. And at some points, maybe most 00:14:01.100 --> 00:14:03.440 points, you've been doubting if God even keeps 00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:07.639 his promises. And then suddenly in the darkness 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:11.279 of night, the world around you is lit up with 00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:15.720 an announcement from God saying it's time. The 00:14:15.720 --> 00:14:19.779 fulfillment is here. Now, I want to bring you. 00:14:21.159 --> 00:14:25.149 I want to bring this to our world today. You're 00:14:25.149 --> 00:14:27.289 sad at the loss of a loved one. You're not sure 00:14:27.289 --> 00:14:29.850 what tomorrow holds, if you even get a tomorrow. 00:14:30.529 --> 00:14:33.269 You're enduring pain today that you've been praying 00:14:33.269 --> 00:14:35.929 for for who knows how long that you just don't 00:14:35.929 --> 00:14:38.289 know how to keep enduring. You're tired from 00:14:38.289 --> 00:14:40.509 all the pain and injustice you see other people 00:14:40.509 --> 00:14:42.629 experiencing in the world. You're just weary. 00:14:43.309 --> 00:14:47.950 And the world around you is dark. But God breaks 00:14:47.950 --> 00:14:53.000 through our darkest nights. And he says, I still 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:57.220 make good on my promises. In your wandering, 00:14:57.419 --> 00:15:00.779 God promises to guide you home. In your hunger, 00:15:00.879 --> 00:15:03.620 he says, I can feed you. In your battles, I can 00:15:03.620 --> 00:15:05.620 defend you. In your uncertainty, I can give you 00:15:05.620 --> 00:15:08.120 peace. In your sorrow, I can bring you joy because 00:15:08.120 --> 00:15:12.019 that is exactly what the arrival of Jesus Christ 00:15:12.019 --> 00:15:16.509 means for all people. The king of the universe 00:15:16.509 --> 00:15:19.889 steps down into this darkness and he offers to 00:15:19.889 --> 00:15:23.769 light up the world. Now, please hear this carefully 00:15:23.769 --> 00:15:28.009 because it's very important. That night in Bethlehem 00:15:28.009 --> 00:15:32.049 was not just the fulfillment of the promise. 00:15:32.629 --> 00:15:35.820 It was the beginning of the next chapter. in 00:15:35.820 --> 00:15:39.000 God's restoration plan and his redemption story 00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:41.720 for his creation. Isaiah said of the increase 00:15:41.720 --> 00:15:44.259 of his government and of peace, there will be 00:15:44.259 --> 00:15:46.639 no end. That means when Christ was born, the 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:49.059 kingdom didn't fully arrive all at once. It's 00:15:49.059 --> 00:15:52.019 just getting started, right? The kingdom of God 00:15:52.019 --> 00:15:55.480 is getting its roots planted and it's getting 00:15:55.480 --> 00:15:57.919 the groundwork done, but it's not here all at 00:15:57.919 --> 00:16:00.279 once. There's some work still to be done to build 00:16:00.279 --> 00:16:03.799 up this magnificent kingdom of God. I used to 00:16:03.799 --> 00:16:06.000 love the show Home Improvement. I don't know 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:07.419 if any of you ever watched that one. That's a 00:16:07.419 --> 00:16:11.840 good one, right? And I love this hot rod that 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:14.259 Tim, the tool man, Taylor, he's restoring throughout 00:16:14.259 --> 00:16:16.759 the seasons of the show. And, you know, he gets 00:16:16.759 --> 00:16:19.820 these parts in. He goes into the garage to work 00:16:19.820 --> 00:16:22.019 on it. And, you know, it's like every time he 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:24.200 goes to work on it, he messes something up because 00:16:24.200 --> 00:16:26.679 clearly he's not really that good with tools. 00:16:27.309 --> 00:16:29.669 I am Tim, the tool man, Taylor, right? I relate. 00:16:30.049 --> 00:16:32.769 So he goes to fix something, but it doesn't always 00:16:32.769 --> 00:16:35.190 go. But he eventually gets, you know, some progress 00:16:35.190 --> 00:16:38.110 made. And eventually he gets that hot rod done, 00:16:38.230 --> 00:16:40.950 right? And he takes it on a cruise. And that's 00:16:40.950 --> 00:16:42.769 what I think of when I think of the kingdom of 00:16:42.769 --> 00:16:46.210 God. God is restoring his creation slowly, but 00:16:46.210 --> 00:16:48.330 surely. It's not just all going to be done at 00:16:48.330 --> 00:16:50.169 once. He's got to go in the garage and tinker 00:16:50.169 --> 00:16:52.490 with it. Now, the good thing about God is he 00:16:52.490 --> 00:16:55.830 doesn't mess up on his projects, but he's working 00:16:55.830 --> 00:16:58.960 on it. He's restoring this this world that he 00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:01.980 created to live in, to enjoy. But we messed it 00:17:01.980 --> 00:17:05.180 up. And so God's working. He's working. And one 00:17:05.180 --> 00:17:09.859 day it's going to be ready. See, the king has 00:17:09.859 --> 00:17:12.480 come to earth. His reign has started. You know, 00:17:12.500 --> 00:17:15.500 we can see that that reign beginning and we can 00:17:15.500 --> 00:17:17.839 see it working in the way that the church has 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:20.720 grown and grown through centuries. If you think 00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:24.700 about it, the church starts with 12 people. And 00:17:24.700 --> 00:17:28.509 now. The the population of Christians in the 00:17:28.509 --> 00:17:32.410 world is two point three billion. Now we can 00:17:32.410 --> 00:17:34.910 have our conversations about what Christian means, 00:17:35.089 --> 00:17:38.009 but people that claim to follow Jesus Christ 00:17:38.009 --> 00:17:40.289 is the definition we're going to use this morning. 00:17:40.390 --> 00:17:45.789 Two point three billion people. I would say the 00:17:45.789 --> 00:17:48.730 reign of Christ has started. I would say it's 00:17:48.730 --> 00:17:51.819 taken hold a little bit. Right. The light has 00:17:51.819 --> 00:17:54.480 broken into the darkness. You know, today I looked 00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:57.900 up some statistics. Today, an estimated 400 ,000 00:17:57.900 --> 00:18:01.680 missionaries are mobilizing education, health 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:05.720 and development work all over the world. 400 00:18:05.720 --> 00:18:09.200 ,000 people are working to bring Christ into 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:13.750 civilization. Christian hospitals provide essential 00:18:13.750 --> 00:18:16.390 care in developing regions. Christian schools 00:18:16.390 --> 00:18:19.630 educate tens of millions of students where education 00:18:19.630 --> 00:18:22.730 might otherwise be scarce. And that doesn't even 00:18:22.730 --> 00:18:24.630 count the Christians living as the hands and 00:18:24.630 --> 00:18:27.150 feet of Jesus every day. Even here in Blairsville, 00:18:27.210 --> 00:18:29.190 you know, I think of I try to think of some of 00:18:29.190 --> 00:18:31.430 the things that go on just in our congregation. 00:18:31.910 --> 00:18:34.309 Jackie and Brittany and all those who help with 00:18:34.309 --> 00:18:37.259 the food pantry. Or Catherine Nelson and her 00:18:37.259 --> 00:18:39.039 work in the schools with the mentoring program. 00:18:39.259 --> 00:18:41.240 You think of Noah and his work with the youth. 00:18:41.319 --> 00:18:43.839 Tim and his leadership and benevolence. Linda 00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:45.900 and the ladies class and their efforts for Panama 00:18:45.900 --> 00:18:48.200 missions. Y 'all, that is kingdom work. That 00:18:48.200 --> 00:18:51.220 is the kingdom taking root in this world. That 00:18:51.220 --> 00:18:56.440 is the work of Christ beginning his kingdom efforts. 00:18:57.599 --> 00:19:00.819 But the darkness clearly doesn't disappear overnight, 00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:03.279 which is why we still need that work to be done. 00:19:05.130 --> 00:19:08.670 See, the peace of Christ was secured, but it's 00:19:08.670 --> 00:19:12.730 not yet perfectly experienced. We don't have 00:19:12.730 --> 00:19:18.230 it fully yet because it's not done. The throne 00:19:18.230 --> 00:19:21.849 was claimed, but not yet visibly established. 00:19:22.109 --> 00:19:25.130 The kingdom has come, but not yet in its fullness. 00:19:26.250 --> 00:19:29.589 There's a phrase, it's already, but not yet. 00:19:29.980 --> 00:19:31.920 So I want you to remember already, but not yet. 00:19:31.940 --> 00:19:34.319 The kingdom of God is already here, but it's 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:38.740 also not yet here. As in we have it, but it's 00:19:38.740 --> 00:19:41.480 not perfect. It's not done because there's so 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:44.059 much more. You know, people say, well, if God 00:19:44.059 --> 00:19:45.920 has done this redeeming work and if the church 00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:48.259 is so big and expansive and good, well, then 00:19:48.259 --> 00:19:50.299 how can we solve suffering? We're not done yet. 00:19:50.859 --> 00:19:53.180 There's so much more. And that should bring you 00:19:53.180 --> 00:19:56.960 hope. Because to think of how much good the church 00:19:56.960 --> 00:19:58.839 has already done, and I'm talking about church 00:19:58.839 --> 00:20:00.880 universal. If you think about how much good the 00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:03.599 church has already done and we say it's not done 00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:07.319 yet. That's a hope inspired statement to say 00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:10.039 that there's so much more good that God wants 00:20:10.039 --> 00:20:13.680 to do in this world. And if we can understand 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:17.359 that, we can understand why the angels could 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:23.769 sing about peace while Rome still ruled. That's 00:20:23.769 --> 00:20:26.130 why the Savior could be born while suffering 00:20:26.130 --> 00:20:29.529 still existed. That's why hope could arrive even 00:20:29.529 --> 00:20:35.150 when darkness remained. Because God is doing 00:20:35.150 --> 00:20:37.289 something deeper than changing circumstances. 00:20:37.470 --> 00:20:40.589 He's changing the world. God is renewing the 00:20:40.589 --> 00:20:44.990 world from the inside out. He's restoring it. 00:20:45.490 --> 00:20:51.130 And one day his kingdom will fully reign on earth. 00:20:51.849 --> 00:20:54.630 See, Jesus didn't come first to overthrow governments. 00:20:54.950 --> 00:20:58.130 He came to overthrow sin. He didn't come first 00:20:58.130 --> 00:21:00.309 to remove suffering. He came to redeem people 00:21:00.309 --> 00:21:03.130 through their suffering. Isaiah was a promise. 00:21:03.250 --> 00:21:06.529 Luke 2 was a foretaste. But both point to what 00:21:06.529 --> 00:21:10.130 is true now and what will be fully seen one day. 00:21:11.329 --> 00:21:16.009 Yeah, I think about when you've got kids. Last 00:21:16.009 --> 00:21:19.049 night was a rough night with Easton. Love that 00:21:19.049 --> 00:21:21.819 kid, but man, he. I don't know what his deal 00:21:21.819 --> 00:21:25.460 was last night. And so we had some spankings. 00:21:25.460 --> 00:21:27.460 We had some time out. We sent him to his room. 00:21:27.519 --> 00:21:30.640 I mean, it was a rough night. But by the end 00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:32.940 of the night, I laid down with him for a little 00:21:32.940 --> 00:21:36.079 bit. And I had to use that phrase that every 00:21:36.079 --> 00:21:41.140 parent uses. The, I'm sorry it has to be this 00:21:41.140 --> 00:21:45.220 way, but one day you'll understand. One day you'll 00:21:45.220 --> 00:21:48.119 understand why you can't just kick people. One 00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:49.700 day you'll understand why you can't just throw 00:21:49.700 --> 00:21:52.500 stuff in the air and hit the ceiling fan. One 00:21:52.500 --> 00:21:55.140 day you'll understand why you can't run around 00:21:55.140 --> 00:21:58.319 with no clothes on. One day you'll understand 00:21:58.319 --> 00:22:01.579 why we've got to have things the way we have 00:22:01.579 --> 00:22:07.420 them now. One day, all of this that we've been 00:22:07.420 --> 00:22:09.480 going through is going to make sense. And what 00:22:09.480 --> 00:22:13.160 that means, if we can understand that, if we 00:22:13.160 --> 00:22:16.019 can hold on to that, is that if Christ has come, 00:22:17.099 --> 00:22:22.299 Hope isn't a wish. It's a certainty. If the kingdom 00:22:22.299 --> 00:22:25.779 has begun, then darkness doesn't get the final 00:22:25.779 --> 00:22:30.299 word. What that means is if God kept his promise, 00:22:30.380 --> 00:22:34.299 then he will finish what he started. He will 00:22:34.299 --> 00:22:38.359 redeem his people. So we live today in the space 00:22:38.359 --> 00:22:40.940 between the promise fulfilled and the promise 00:22:40.940 --> 00:22:44.000 completed. We still hurt. We still struggle. 00:22:45.019 --> 00:22:47.640 We hurt with the joy from the assurance of Jesus. 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:53.720 We still wait, but we wait with hope of our Savior 00:22:53.720 --> 00:22:56.339 returning. We still strain, but we strain with 00:22:56.339 --> 00:22:59.599 the peace of Christ in our hearts. Because the 00:22:59.599 --> 00:23:02.299 same Jesus who came humbly from heaven to this 00:23:02.299 --> 00:23:05.279 broken earth will return in glory bringing His 00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:11.460 new perfect home. The same King laid in a manger 00:23:11.460 --> 00:23:14.349 in Bethlehem will one day sit. on his rightful 00:23:14.349 --> 00:23:19.230 throne in the new Jerusalem. And the peace and 00:23:19.230 --> 00:23:22.250 the joy announced by angels will one day cover 00:23:22.250 --> 00:23:28.750 the entire earth, not just sections of it. You 00:23:28.750 --> 00:23:31.569 see, the birth of Christ tells us a few things. 00:23:32.170 --> 00:23:35.309 It tells us that God always keeps his promises. 00:23:35.450 --> 00:23:38.710 It tells us that even in our darkest nights and 00:23:38.710 --> 00:23:43.029 our most fearful times, God will light it up. 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:48.579 And it tells us that God's not done. He's only 00:23:48.579 --> 00:23:52.180 just got started. See, we've been talking about 00:23:52.180 --> 00:23:55.059 Christmas lights and the effect that they have 00:23:55.059 --> 00:23:59.480 on darkness. Especially this dark, cold season 00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:02.380 that we're in right now. Throughout this series, 00:24:02.500 --> 00:24:05.460 my prayer is that you've heard or been reminded 00:24:05.460 --> 00:24:08.099 of the true light. Because there's a lot of lights 00:24:08.099 --> 00:24:11.849 in this world. A lot of hope. And a lot of people 00:24:11.849 --> 00:24:14.369 that give promises and a lot of people and religions 00:24:14.369 --> 00:24:16.869 and things that tell you this is the way. But 00:24:16.869 --> 00:24:20.250 there is only one way. And he came in the most 00:24:20.250 --> 00:24:23.109 unexpected way to the most unexpected people 00:24:23.109 --> 00:24:26.490 at the most unexpected time. There is only one 00:24:26.490 --> 00:24:29.809 light that can bring you home. There is only 00:24:29.809 --> 00:24:33.509 one redeemer that can set everything straight. 00:24:34.670 --> 00:24:37.230 The light that brings hope, the light that brings 00:24:37.230 --> 00:24:40.190 a peace that even we are told in Scripture, the 00:24:40.190 --> 00:24:43.109 world cannot offer and a joy that the world cannot 00:24:43.109 --> 00:24:46.430 offer. This light that has come is coming back 00:24:46.430 --> 00:24:49.250 and he's coming back in a glorious way. He always 00:24:49.250 --> 00:24:51.730 does. We may not be expecting it when it happens. 00:24:51.829 --> 00:24:54.650 It may not be the way we want it to, but I promise 00:24:54.650 --> 00:24:58.250 you it is going to be amazing. And my only question 00:24:58.250 --> 00:25:01.970 is, will you be a part of the group that gets 00:25:01.970 --> 00:25:05.470 to go home? Will you be a part of the people 00:25:05.470 --> 00:25:09.309 that can say I followed the light out of this 00:25:09.309 --> 00:25:12.250 dark wilderness? Will you be a part of the people 00:25:12.250 --> 00:25:15.170 that can say I lived the illuminated life that 00:25:15.170 --> 00:25:19.509 only Christ offers? I want you to think about 00:25:19.509 --> 00:25:23.410 a very dim flashlight, maybe even a candle. Let's 00:25:23.410 --> 00:25:26.369 use a candle. A candle gives you a little bit 00:25:26.369 --> 00:25:29.109 of light. And me personally, I like dark like 00:25:29.109 --> 00:25:31.410 I like to be in a dark room. I like when my office 00:25:31.410 --> 00:25:33.670 is dark. I don't love to have a lot of lights 00:25:33.670 --> 00:25:38.470 on. So I'm good with the dim lighting. Right 00:25:38.470 --> 00:25:40.950 now, what we've got is we've got the dim light. 00:25:42.190 --> 00:25:44.849 Because, yes, Christ has brought us a light and 00:25:44.849 --> 00:25:47.269 that light can offer us some peace. It can offer 00:25:47.269 --> 00:25:49.329 us some hope. It can offer us some joy. And that 00:25:49.329 --> 00:25:51.670 light is enough to get us through the dark wilderness. 00:25:51.950 --> 00:25:58.200 But one day. The LEDs are going to come on. One 00:25:58.200 --> 00:26:01.599 day that light is going to shine so bright that 00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:04.319 we go back to that Isaiah passage where he says, 00:26:04.440 --> 00:26:11.339 no gloom. Because a great light has shown. No 00:26:11.339 --> 00:26:16.019 more sorrow. No more wandering. No more fear. 00:26:16.119 --> 00:26:19.559 No more worry. No more stress. The light has 00:26:19.559 --> 00:26:22.920 come. We've got a little bit of that light. But 00:26:22.920 --> 00:26:27.359 one day, Jesus is going to come back. And he 00:26:27.359 --> 00:26:32.119 is going to blind everyone who hadn't started 00:26:32.119 --> 00:26:37.380 getting adjusted to the kingdom light. So will 00:26:37.380 --> 00:26:41.799 you follow? Will you embrace the light that has 00:26:41.799 --> 00:26:45.920 already come? Will you prepare for the light 00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:50.200 that is coming? This is a perfect time. to talk 00:26:50.200 --> 00:26:53.019 about the true light, the gospel, the good news 00:26:53.019 --> 00:26:55.859 of Christ coming down from heaven to redeem and 00:26:55.859 --> 00:27:00.039 restore the world. And so my question is simply, 00:27:00.279 --> 00:27:04.380 will you follow it? Will you follow that gospel 00:27:04.380 --> 00:27:09.119 light? If you haven't accepted Christ as your 00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:12.819 savior, if you haven't accepted his redeeming 00:27:12.819 --> 00:27:15.839 light, if you haven't started living that illuminated 00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:18.420 life and you would like to, or if you just need 00:27:18.420 --> 00:27:20.420 prayers because it is a dark time and you're 00:27:20.420 --> 00:27:22.900 struggling to see it, wherever you're at today, 00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:25.839 whatever you need, my prayer is that you'll come 00:27:25.839 --> 00:27:27.420 as we stand and as we sing.