WEBVTT 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:16.219 For another moment, why don't you lift your hands 00:00:16.219 --> 00:00:19.579 and magnify that name above every other name. 00:00:19.960 --> 00:00:22.739 The presence of God is here in this room today. 00:00:23.500 --> 00:00:26.079 If we're going to get what God has for us, we 00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:30.460 have to surrender to him. If we're going to get 00:00:30.460 --> 00:00:34.179 what God has for us, our focus has to be completely 00:00:34.179 --> 00:00:38.340 on our holy God. We worship you, Jesus. We give 00:00:38.340 --> 00:05:15.279 you praise today, God. You are worthy. Attune 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:19.879 your ears. I am speaking. Open your ears. I am 00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:23.199 speaking. I am speaking to you. Hear my words. 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:26.459 The work that I do, the work that I will do, 00:05:26.579 --> 00:05:30.500 I do in you and through you. Open your ears and 00:05:30.500 --> 00:05:33.399 hear. I am speaking. I am leading. I do a new 00:05:33.399 --> 00:05:37.220 thing. I pour out. I open doors. I lead and I 00:05:37.220 --> 00:05:41.199 direct. I am speaking. Hear my words and follow 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:45.120 me. Oh, mighty God, we love you. Thank you, George. 00:05:45.680 --> 00:05:49.360 Thank you, Lord, for speaking to us today. Thank 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:51.779 you, God, for your presence that's in this place. 00:05:53.319 --> 00:06:02.259 Our ears are open to you, mighty God. God, I 00:06:02.259 --> 00:06:04.360 pray that your word finds a lodging plate in 00:06:04.360 --> 00:06:07.160 every heart and in every mind, Lord God. We want 00:06:07.160 --> 00:06:11.019 to receive from you. We surrender to you, mighty 00:06:11.019 --> 00:06:32.240 God. Would you help me thank the Lord for speaking 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:35.480 to us today? Would you thank God for his spirit? 00:06:35.899 --> 00:06:39.600 He's so rich in this place right now. I believe 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:41.579 God's going to do something great in our time 00:06:41.579 --> 00:06:45.100 together because our ears are open to what God 00:06:45.100 --> 00:06:48.699 is doing. Our hearts and our minds are ready 00:06:48.699 --> 00:06:53.300 for anything that God is ready to do. Pray that 00:06:53.300 --> 00:06:55.519 God has his will in this place today in the name 00:06:55.519 --> 00:06:58.680 of Jesus. I'll move quickly to the word of the 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:01.629 Lord today. We're going to focus our thoughts 00:07:01.629 --> 00:07:04.790 using the Christmas story. We'll be in the second 00:07:04.790 --> 00:07:08.790 chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Luke 2, and we'll 00:07:08.790 --> 00:07:30.959 begin at verse 6. Verse 6 says, While they, this 00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:33.920 is talking about Joseph and Mary, were there, 00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:37.319 this is Bethlehem, the days were accomplished 00:07:37.319 --> 00:07:40.779 that she should be delivered. And she brought 00:07:40.779 --> 00:07:45.139 forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling 00:07:45.139 --> 00:07:48.959 clothes and laid him in a manger because there 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:53.480 was no room for them in the inn. The Savior of 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:58.980 the world was born in a manger. That's a feeding 00:07:58.980 --> 00:08:01.740 trough that you would find in a barn. It was 00:08:01.740 --> 00:08:06.899 around animals. It was filthy. It was wild. It 00:08:06.899 --> 00:08:10.779 was chaotic and loud. That's not really the ideal 00:08:10.779 --> 00:08:14.120 circumstances for anyone, but that's how the 00:08:14.120 --> 00:08:18.259 baby Jesus was born into this world. The wise 00:08:18.259 --> 00:08:20.740 men said that he would be born king of the Jews, 00:08:21.019 --> 00:08:24.879 but in this case, he wasn't born in a palace. 00:08:25.480 --> 00:08:27.939 He was the God of heaven, but he was born as 00:08:27.939 --> 00:08:32.539 a man here on earth. There was no splendor. There 00:08:32.539 --> 00:08:37.299 was no glamour, no fanfare at all. The baby Jesus 00:08:37.299 --> 00:08:41.580 was lowly, meek, and mild. And so today we're 00:08:41.580 --> 00:08:43.539 going to borrow our title from the lyrics of 00:08:43.539 --> 00:08:47.460 a popular Christmas carol. Mild he lays his glory 00:08:47.460 --> 00:08:53.230 by. Mild he lays his glory by. Just for one more 00:08:53.230 --> 00:08:55.149 moment, would you lift your hands and just tell 00:08:55.149 --> 00:08:58.730 God, whatever you have for me, God, I receive 00:08:58.730 --> 00:09:03.230 it. Whatever you have for me in this place, God, 00:09:03.350 --> 00:09:06.350 I receive it. If it's a word of encouragement, 00:09:06.529 --> 00:09:10.909 I claim that. I need it, God. If it's a word 00:09:10.909 --> 00:09:14.289 of direction, God, I'm ready. You say the word, 00:09:14.429 --> 00:09:16.970 God, I'll say yes. Say the word and I will go. 00:09:17.870 --> 00:09:20.610 If it's correction, mighty God, my heart and 00:09:20.610 --> 00:09:28.929 my mind are open to you. Whatever you have for 00:09:28.929 --> 00:09:34.330 us, God, we receive it right now. Whatever you 00:09:34.330 --> 00:09:41.070 have for us, God, I receive it. In the name of 00:09:41.070 --> 00:09:47.940 Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ. In 00:09:47.940 --> 00:09:50.220 Jesus' name, the Lord bless you. You may be seated 00:09:50.220 --> 00:09:55.519 today. Our title comes from the popular hymn, 00:09:55.659 --> 00:10:00.779 Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Verse 1, Hark the 00:10:00.779 --> 00:10:04.659 Herald Angels Sing. Glory to the newborn King. 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:09.379 Peace on earth and mercy mild. God and sinners 00:10:09.379 --> 00:10:14.259 reconciled. Joyful all ye nations rise. Join 00:10:14.259 --> 00:10:18.639 the triumph of the skies. With angelic host proclaim, 00:10:18.919 --> 00:10:23.720 Christ is born in Bethlehem. This hymn, Hark 00:10:23.720 --> 00:10:26.899 the Herald Angels Sing, is one of the most famous, 00:10:26.940 --> 00:10:29.919 one of the most familiar hymns in history. It 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:34.299 was written in the year 1739 by a man named Charles 00:10:34.299 --> 00:10:39.440 Wesley. He was from England. While he is a famous 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:42.179 man in his own right, he is perhaps most famous 00:10:42.179 --> 00:10:45.750 for being the brother of John Wesley. who of 00:10:45.750 --> 00:10:48.470 course was a famous theologian and founder of 00:10:48.470 --> 00:10:51.529 Methodism. It was his teachings that led to the 00:10:51.529 --> 00:10:55.129 United Methodist Church and the African Methodist 00:10:55.129 --> 00:10:57.129 Episcopal Church, the Church of the Nazarene. 00:10:57.269 --> 00:10:59.570 Obviously his namesake would be the Wesleyan 00:10:59.570 --> 00:11:02.409 Church. There are many others. John and Charles 00:11:02.409 --> 00:11:05.570 were in England, of course, but in their young 00:11:05.570 --> 00:11:07.809 life, before they were famous, before this hymn 00:11:07.809 --> 00:11:10.850 was written, they actually came to America when 00:11:10.850 --> 00:11:13.820 it was still under British rule. They came to 00:11:13.820 --> 00:11:17.100 be chaplains and settlements in Georgia, which 00:11:17.100 --> 00:11:20.940 at the time, Georgia was a debtor's colony in 00:11:20.940 --> 00:11:24.080 British America. They came here for just under 00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:28.190 one year. When they were on their way here to 00:11:28.190 --> 00:11:31.269 America, John and Charles and everyone else that 00:11:31.269 --> 00:11:34.330 was on those ships that journey with them, they 00:11:34.330 --> 00:11:37.490 ran into some pretty severe storms. They thought 00:11:37.490 --> 00:11:40.529 that the end was near. Even one of the masts 00:11:40.529 --> 00:11:43.330 on one of the main ships broke in two in the 00:11:43.330 --> 00:11:46.580 middle of this storm. And it was because of that 00:11:46.580 --> 00:11:49.559 experience that both John and Charles wrote extensively 00:11:49.559 --> 00:11:54.220 about people on that ship that had an impact 00:11:54.220 --> 00:11:57.139 on them. They called them the Germans. We know 00:11:57.139 --> 00:12:01.399 them as the Moravians. They mentioned, both John 00:12:01.399 --> 00:12:04.659 and Charles, many times that the Moravians, even 00:12:04.659 --> 00:12:08.000 in the midst of this storm, had peace and contentment 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:11.259 and humility. They were singing hymns. They were 00:12:11.259 --> 00:12:13.480 praying. While everybody else was losing their 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:15.820 mind, there was something about the Moravians 00:12:15.820 --> 00:12:18.419 that stood out to John and Charles that they 00:12:18.419 --> 00:12:21.440 were just simply and quietly trusting in the 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:24.840 Lord. It was really only about a year that the 00:12:24.840 --> 00:12:28.039 Wesleys stayed in America. It was not really 00:12:28.039 --> 00:12:31.360 a very successful mission for them. The people 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:33.720 of the sediments did not really receive their 00:12:33.720 --> 00:12:36.179 ministry. And so it was less than a year and 00:12:36.179 --> 00:12:38.779 they headed back to Europe. But those same Moravians 00:12:38.779 --> 00:12:41.259 that they came over with, they were in Georgia 00:12:41.259 --> 00:12:44.379 for about five years as missionaries. And then 00:12:44.379 --> 00:12:47.259 after that, those Moravians and many others that 00:12:47.259 --> 00:12:50.340 had come to join them, they moved to Pennsylvania. 00:12:51.820 --> 00:12:54.840 they worked with a man named George Whitefield. 00:12:54.919 --> 00:12:57.659 Remember that name, George Whitefield. They worked 00:12:57.659 --> 00:13:02.159 together at his estate to have an orphanage for 00:13:02.159 --> 00:13:04.779 children that were without parents. They had 00:13:04.779 --> 00:13:07.600 an orphanage there. More Moravians came, and 00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:10.720 that's where the settlements of Bethlehem and 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:13.799 Nazareth come from in Pennsylvania. But as more 00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:17.159 Germans came, as more Moravians came to America, 00:13:17.340 --> 00:13:20.500 they started to migrate here to North Carolina. 00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:24.460 about 10 years later. Their leader actually came 00:13:24.460 --> 00:13:26.759 down with a couple thousand of them. They bought 00:13:26.759 --> 00:13:31.740 a 100 ,000 acre tract from an Austrian man named 00:13:31.740 --> 00:13:34.700 Count Zinzendorf. You may recognize that name. 00:13:34.940 --> 00:13:39.159 That plot of land was called Wachau. And in the 00:13:39.159 --> 00:13:41.240 Anglicized version, modern American English, 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:44.279 we call that Wachovia. And so they built the 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:47.000 settlement Bethania. Then they built the settlement 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:49.600 Bethabara. And then as they continued to grow, 00:13:49.659 --> 00:13:51.970 they needed a new center of commerce, and that's 00:13:51.970 --> 00:13:54.610 when they founded Salem, which later was part 00:13:54.610 --> 00:13:57.350 of that merger that creates this city we know 00:13:57.350 --> 00:14:00.370 and love, Winston -Salem. The Moravians helped 00:14:00.370 --> 00:14:03.009 build our community, but their influence does 00:14:03.009 --> 00:14:06.570 not stop there. They influenced these men, the 00:14:06.570 --> 00:14:08.970 Wesley brothers, but also George Whitefield, 00:14:09.049 --> 00:14:12.169 that influenced the world. The hymn continues 00:14:12.169 --> 00:14:16.960 with verse 2. Christ, by highest heaven adored. 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:21.500 Christ, the everlasting Lord. Late in time, behold 00:14:21.500 --> 00:14:26.200 him come. Offspring of the virgin's womb. Veiled 00:14:26.200 --> 00:14:29.879 in flesh, the Godhead see. Hell, the incarnate 00:14:29.879 --> 00:14:34.820 deity. Pleased with us in flesh to dwell. Jesus, 00:14:34.820 --> 00:14:40.100 our Emmanuel. Charles Wesley wrote over 6 ,000 00:14:40.100 --> 00:14:42.980 hymns. That makes him the most prolific male 00:14:42.980 --> 00:14:46.299 writer of hymns in history. There was a lady 00:14:46.299 --> 00:14:48.899 actually named Fanny Crosby who wrote over 8 00:14:48.899 --> 00:14:51.879 ,000 hymns. Her most famous hymn would be Blessed 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:55.639 Assurance. Wesley's most famous hymn, by a lot, 00:14:55.679 --> 00:14:58.860 was Hark the Herald Angels Sing, this song that 00:14:58.860 --> 00:15:01.700 we know and love, but it was not originally worded 00:15:01.700 --> 00:15:04.940 that way. In fact, he worded it this way. The 00:15:04.940 --> 00:15:13.519 original lyrics were, That word welkin, which 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:15.559 I had never heard of before preparing for this, 00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:19.039 means the heavens. And of course, here in 2025, 00:15:19.379 --> 00:15:23.120 we don't use the word welkin. But even in 1739, 00:15:23.419 --> 00:15:28.519 this word was very unfamiliar. This word was 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:31.039 kind of awkward. And so this hymn really didn't 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:34.080 take off as soon as he wrote it. It was actually 00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:38.019 15 years later that a man named George Whitefield, 00:15:38.120 --> 00:15:40.679 that same man in Pennsylvania who later worked 00:15:40.679 --> 00:15:43.679 with the Moravians in that orphanage, he's the 00:15:43.679 --> 00:15:46.659 one that changed the lyrics to be Hark the Herald. 00:15:46.919 --> 00:15:50.179 In fact, he's the first one to ever put pen to 00:15:50.179 --> 00:15:53.860 paper and call Jesus the newborn king. That was 00:15:53.860 --> 00:15:56.980 George Whitefield. Still, this hymn was not in 00:15:56.980 --> 00:16:00.379 its final form. Really, this was still the beginning. 00:16:00.519 --> 00:16:04.220 It was over a century later when a composer named 00:16:04.220 --> 00:16:09.840 Felix Mendelssohn set this hymn to song. He had 00:16:09.840 --> 00:16:12.059 already written this tune for a political cantata, 00:16:12.200 --> 00:16:15.120 but when he read this poem, which he loved, he 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:18.039 set it to song and used his triumphant melody 00:16:18.039 --> 00:16:21.879 to make it the song that we now know and love. 00:16:22.340 --> 00:16:24.879 And so Charles Wesley wrote the original lyrics. 00:16:25.039 --> 00:16:29.080 George Whitefield added clarity. And Felix Mendelssohn 00:16:29.080 --> 00:16:31.899 said it to song. And that's the final product 00:16:31.899 --> 00:16:36.379 that we sing here in 2025. Verse 3, it says, 00:16:36.580 --> 00:16:40.360 Hell, the heaven -born prince of peace. Hell, 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:44.299 the son of righteousness. Light and life to all 00:16:44.299 --> 00:16:48.500 he brings. Risen with healing in his wings. This 00:16:48.500 --> 00:16:51.899 is what I want to celebrate today. Mild he lays 00:16:51.899 --> 00:16:56.759 his glory by. Born that man no more may die. 00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:01.700 born to raise the sons of earth, born to give 00:17:01.700 --> 00:17:05.099 them second birth. This is what we're celebrating 00:17:05.099 --> 00:17:08.779 today. The one on the throne, he descended to 00:17:08.779 --> 00:17:13.519 our lowly estate. The one who was exalted, he 00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:17.059 humbled himself to be just like you and me. The 00:17:17.059 --> 00:17:20.180 one who was rich, the Bible says that he became 00:17:20.180 --> 00:17:24.299 poor. The one with splendor and majesty and glory. 00:17:24.990 --> 00:17:29.869 He's the one that lays that glory by. That is 00:17:29.869 --> 00:17:32.869 the beauty of Christmas. That is why we're standing 00:17:32.869 --> 00:17:35.829 here today. It doesn't have too much to do with 00:17:35.829 --> 00:17:38.849 the carols and the parties and the gifts. It 00:17:38.849 --> 00:17:41.500 doesn't even have to do with... with just the 00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:44.279 nativity scene and the community programs. It 00:17:44.279 --> 00:17:47.240 is more than that. It is the creator that stepped 00:17:47.240 --> 00:17:51.480 in to the creation. It is the eternal God that 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:55.319 came into time. It is the almighty God that took 00:17:55.319 --> 00:18:03.740 on human weakness. The Bible says that God robed 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:08.299 himself in flesh to experience temptation. and 00:18:08.299 --> 00:18:11.579 hunger, and fatigue, and pain, and ultimately 00:18:11.579 --> 00:18:15.279 death. He came down to us, but it was not because 00:18:15.279 --> 00:18:18.500 we deserved it. We could never deserve that. 00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:21.920 It's not because he was forced to do it. Not 00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:25.400 so. It's not because he lost his power, but it's 00:18:25.400 --> 00:18:29.200 because God loves you and I so much that he came 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:33.279 down to where we are to live and to die and to 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:37.359 make a way for you and for me. I want you to 00:18:37.359 --> 00:18:40.740 note that scripture does not portray a divided 00:18:40.740 --> 00:18:44.220 deity. It does not portray co -equal persons 00:18:44.220 --> 00:18:48.319 negotiating a plan. There is not one person sending 00:18:48.319 --> 00:18:51.559 another. There is not a committee deciding who 00:18:51.559 --> 00:18:55.019 will go. The Bible says that God himself came 00:18:55.019 --> 00:18:59.220 down. Colossians 1 and 15 tells us that the invisible 00:18:59.220 --> 00:19:04.200 became visible. John 1 and 14 tells us that the 00:19:04.200 --> 00:19:08.960 Word became flesh. 1 Timothy 3 and 16 tells us 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:14.180 that God was manifest in the flesh. It was prophesied 00:19:14.180 --> 00:19:16.740 in the Old Testament, and it was fulfilled at 00:19:16.740 --> 00:19:19.380 the beginning of the New Testament. Matthew 1 00:19:19.380 --> 00:19:23.039 and 21, His name is Jesus, for He shall save 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:27.539 His people from their sins. Verse 23, he shall 00:19:27.539 --> 00:19:31.079 be called Emmanuel, which means God with us. 00:19:31.380 --> 00:19:35.180 The almighty God of glory, the creator of the 00:19:35.180 --> 00:19:38.420 heaven and earth, came down to live as you and 00:19:38.420 --> 00:19:43.559 I live. Mild he lays his glory by. But he didn't 00:19:43.559 --> 00:19:46.079 stand to earn anything from this. He didn't stand 00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:49.259 to get ahead this way. He did all this just for 00:19:49.259 --> 00:19:51.180 one thing, and that's for a relationship with 00:19:51.180 --> 00:19:55.079 you. It's because He loves you so incredibly 00:19:55.079 --> 00:19:58.039 much. We were nothing without Him. We couldn't 00:19:58.039 --> 00:20:00.740 do anything without Him, but He laid His glory 00:20:00.740 --> 00:20:04.359 by. He came to live as we live, and because of 00:20:04.359 --> 00:20:08.539 His sacrifice, we can have victory today. A virgin 00:20:08.539 --> 00:20:12.839 conceived, a son was born, and God became present 00:20:12.839 --> 00:20:17.500 in a form that humanity can see, can touch, and 00:20:17.500 --> 00:20:22.730 can hear. Emmanuel, God with us. But I want you 00:20:22.730 --> 00:20:25.150 to know today that we are not talking about weakness. 00:20:25.789 --> 00:20:29.549 We're talking about willingness. God was not 00:20:29.549 --> 00:20:33.150 diminished when he took on flesh. He did not 00:20:33.150 --> 00:20:37.430 lose his divinity when he took on humanity. God 00:20:37.430 --> 00:20:40.190 did not send someone else to die for our sins. 00:20:40.309 --> 00:20:44.690 God came himself. The king of glory came as a 00:20:44.690 --> 00:20:49.309 common man, just like you and just like me. And 00:20:49.309 --> 00:20:51.809 so when you go back to verse 3 of this hymn, 00:20:51.849 --> 00:20:58.109 you can see three reasons why mild he lays his 00:20:58.109 --> 00:21:03.009 glory by. The next three lines tell us, born 00:21:03.009 --> 00:21:08.829 that man no more may die. Born to raise the sons 00:21:08.829 --> 00:21:13.450 of earth and born to give them second birth. 00:21:14.039 --> 00:21:17.140 Why did God descend? Why did he humble himself? 00:21:17.500 --> 00:21:21.579 Why did God become poor? It's that so we can 00:21:21.579 --> 00:21:25.339 live and so that we can rise and so that we can 00:21:25.339 --> 00:21:29.740 be born again. Back to that first point, Charles 00:21:29.740 --> 00:21:34.599 Wesley writes, born that man no more may die. 00:21:35.180 --> 00:21:37.440 When we look in the book of Hebrews, this is 00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:41.519 chapter 2, it tells us our problem. Humanity 00:21:41.519 --> 00:21:44.759 was meant for glory, but we, in our fallen nature, 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:48.259 we forfeited it. Sin brought death, and death 00:21:48.259 --> 00:21:51.259 reigned over every generation. Nobody could loosen 00:21:51.259 --> 00:21:55.640 themselves from the grip of sin and death. But 00:21:55.640 --> 00:22:01.299 the writer says in verse 9, we see. We see Jesus. 00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:04.240 He's the one, this verse says, that came lower 00:22:04.240 --> 00:22:07.299 than the angels. He's the one that stepped into 00:22:07.299 --> 00:22:11.140 mortality. He's the one that tasted death for 00:22:11.140 --> 00:22:15.539 every man. Jesus was born so that he could live, 00:22:15.579 --> 00:22:18.740 and he lived so that he could die, and he died 00:22:18.740 --> 00:22:23.619 for you. That's why Charles Wesley wrote, born 00:22:23.619 --> 00:22:27.839 that man no more may die. Death entered the human 00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:31.480 race through Adam, but life entered through Jesus 00:22:31.480 --> 00:22:36.519 Christ. And so how did life come exactly? It 00:22:36.519 --> 00:22:39.440 wasn't because God shouted from heaven and it 00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:42.319 wasn't because God sent someone else. It wasn't 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:45.680 because God was distant. No, life came through 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:49.160 a manger. Life came through poverty. Life came 00:22:49.160 --> 00:22:53.259 through obscurity. Life came through... Humility, 00:22:53.259 --> 00:22:58.559 mild he lays his glory by. He became weak so 00:22:58.559 --> 00:23:01.579 weakness could be redeemed. He tasted death, 00:23:01.859 --> 00:23:06.839 this verse says, so that we can taste life. Now 00:23:06.839 --> 00:23:09.859 to that second point, Charles Wesley writes, 00:23:10.119 --> 00:23:15.079 born to raise the sons. I want you to know today 00:23:15.079 --> 00:23:18.180 that God wants us to do more than just survive. 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:22.200 God has put us here to thrive. It is God's will, 00:23:22.380 --> 00:23:25.339 not only John 10 and 10 says that we would have 00:23:25.339 --> 00:23:28.799 life, but that we would have it more abundantly. 00:23:29.160 --> 00:23:31.880 That's the purpose of what God has done for us. 00:23:31.980 --> 00:23:35.220 Not just so we can scrape by, not just so we 00:23:35.220 --> 00:23:38.019 can have just enough to get through, but I want 00:23:38.019 --> 00:23:40.299 you to know that God has a purpose for your life. 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:43.660 God has a calling on your life. There is a deeper 00:23:43.660 --> 00:23:47.980 meaning to what you go through. There's a deeper 00:23:47.980 --> 00:23:50.859 meaning to all of that. God has a purpose for 00:23:50.859 --> 00:23:54.779 your life. That's why Jesus came. He came to 00:23:54.779 --> 00:23:58.660 raise us from the earth. Jesus did not simply 00:23:58.660 --> 00:24:02.940 come to keep us from dying, but Jesus came to 00:24:02.940 --> 00:24:06.480 conquer everything that death and sin produced. 00:24:06.819 --> 00:24:10.019 We could never climb up to God, and that's why 00:24:10.019 --> 00:24:13.339 God had to reach way down to pick us up out of 00:24:13.339 --> 00:24:16.400 the miry clay, out of our situation, out of our 00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:19.799 sin. We could never. Man cannot become God, so 00:24:19.799 --> 00:24:25.450 God became man. Mild he lays his glory by. Jesus 00:24:25.450 --> 00:24:29.109 did not descend only to rescue. I want you to 00:24:29.109 --> 00:24:32.410 know that Jesus descended to our lowliest state 00:24:32.410 --> 00:24:35.670 so that he could restore us, so that he could 00:24:35.670 --> 00:24:39.069 redeem us and revive us, so he could give us 00:24:39.069 --> 00:24:44.190 a purpose and a meaning. He came to raise you 00:24:44.190 --> 00:24:47.049 from more than just the grave. He came to raise 00:24:47.049 --> 00:24:50.630 you from sin and from shame. God came to this 00:24:50.630 --> 00:24:53.630 earth to raise you from addiction, to raise you 00:24:53.630 --> 00:24:58.009 from complacency and mediocrity. Jesus came to 00:24:58.009 --> 00:25:01.970 raise the sons of earth. Philippians chapter 00:25:01.970 --> 00:25:06.130 two tells us all about it. Verse seven says that 00:25:06.130 --> 00:25:10.240 he made himself of no reputation. When Jesus 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:13.279 came to this earth, he did not come as the king 00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:16.099 that he had every right to be. He did not come 00:25:16.099 --> 00:25:18.180 as that conqueror. He very easily could have 00:25:18.180 --> 00:25:20.980 pulled that off, but he made himself of no reputation. 00:25:21.339 --> 00:25:24.960 He was just another common man. He was just another 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:28.420 face in a sea of faces. He didn't come with power. 00:25:28.559 --> 00:25:31.200 He didn't come on the throne. He came just like 00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:34.940 you and me. He came in a way, this verse says, 00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:38.920 he made himself of no reputation. But then the 00:25:38.920 --> 00:25:42.700 verse says that he took upon him the form of 00:25:42.700 --> 00:25:45.240 a servant. I want you to know today that those 00:25:45.240 --> 00:25:48.180 very same hands that formed the galaxy, those 00:25:48.180 --> 00:25:51.779 very same hands that created the entire world, 00:25:51.920 --> 00:25:54.339 they're the hands that washed the feet of his 00:25:54.339 --> 00:25:57.200 disciples. Those are the hands that touched the 00:25:57.200 --> 00:26:00.400 leprous man and healed him. Jesus took on him 00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:04.359 the form of a servant. With all humility, with 00:26:04.359 --> 00:26:17.480 all sincerity, he met him. This verse continues, 00:26:17.740 --> 00:26:21.599 he was made in the likeness of men. The book 00:26:21.599 --> 00:26:24.440 of Hebrews tells us that he came to this earth 00:26:24.440 --> 00:26:28.359 and he had flesh just like you and I do. And 00:26:28.359 --> 00:26:32.240 so he experienced the same temptations that we 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:34.640 experience. He went through all the same stuff 00:26:34.640 --> 00:26:37.460 that we go through. He was 100 % God, that's 00:26:37.460 --> 00:26:39.819 true. But I want you to know today, we can't 00:26:39.819 --> 00:26:43.220 skip past the fact that he was 100 % man. Whatever 00:26:43.220 --> 00:26:45.900 you have going on in your life, I don't know 00:26:45.900 --> 00:26:48.519 your story, but God knows your story. And I want 00:26:48.519 --> 00:26:51.259 you to know that he went through similar things. 00:26:51.720 --> 00:26:55.039 But Jesus proved once and for all, he overcame 00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:57.460 all of it. When he went to the cross, he was 00:26:57.460 --> 00:27:00.980 a spotless, sinless sacrifice. The Bible says 00:27:00.980 --> 00:27:04.579 that he, in heaven, maketh intercession for us. 00:27:04.970 --> 00:27:08.349 His sacrifice bridges that gap that we can never 00:27:08.349 --> 00:27:11.529 do by ourself. But it wasn't because he just 00:27:11.529 --> 00:27:14.109 shouted down from heaven. It wasn't because he 00:27:14.109 --> 00:27:16.430 just snapped his finger and it was done. The 00:27:16.430 --> 00:27:19.890 Bible says that he came in the likeness of men, 00:27:20.049 --> 00:27:23.029 just like you and me. And he died a perfect, 00:27:23.089 --> 00:27:27.369 spotless, sinless sacrifice so that we can be 00:27:27.369 --> 00:27:30.890 redeemed, so that he can raise us from the earth. 00:27:31.210 --> 00:27:34.039 Continuing with verse 8. Philippians chapter 00:27:34.039 --> 00:27:38.119 2 tells us that he was found in fashion as a 00:27:38.119 --> 00:27:41.509 man. And then it says these three words that 00:27:41.509 --> 00:27:45.390 I have read about 64 ,000 times in my life. But 00:27:45.390 --> 00:27:47.809 this past week or two, these words just about 00:27:47.809 --> 00:27:51.609 slapped me in the face. It says, he humbled himself. 00:27:51.990 --> 00:27:54.490 I don't want you to think today that Pontius 00:27:54.490 --> 00:27:57.549 Pilate humbled God. I don't want you to think 00:27:57.549 --> 00:28:00.470 that the Roman centurions, that was his humility. 00:28:00.769 --> 00:28:03.470 It wasn't the crowd that was mocking him and 00:28:03.470 --> 00:28:06.930 spitting on him and scourging him. No, no, no, 00:28:06.930 --> 00:28:10.490 no, no. God humbled himself. The king of glory 00:28:10.490 --> 00:28:14.529 humbled himself. He didn't have to do that. Nobody 00:28:14.529 --> 00:28:18.130 could humble him. Nobody could defeat him. Nobody 00:28:18.130 --> 00:28:21.430 could push him down. Nobody could cause him to 00:28:21.430 --> 00:28:26.470 descend. Nobody could cause him to give up his 00:28:26.470 --> 00:28:30.529 glory. He chose himself. The Bible says he humbled 00:28:30.529 --> 00:28:33.849 himself. Jesus loves you so much that he left 00:28:33.849 --> 00:28:38.099 all of the glory. He laid it all aside. And he 00:28:38.099 --> 00:28:41.539 humbled himself. This verse says he was obedient 00:28:41.539 --> 00:28:45.019 unto death, even the death of the cross. He didn't 00:28:45.019 --> 00:28:47.299 just humble himself to serve. He didn't just 00:28:47.299 --> 00:28:50.160 humble himself to live as you and I did. He humbled 00:28:50.160 --> 00:28:54.440 himself even to the death of the cross. The ultimate 00:28:54.440 --> 00:28:58.019 humiliation. The ultimate torture. But that's 00:28:58.019 --> 00:29:02.079 how much Jesus loves you. Mild he lays his glory 00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:05.970 by. But not for the sake of doing that, just 00:29:05.970 --> 00:29:09.009 to say he did it. No, he did it because he doesn't 00:29:09.009 --> 00:29:11.009 want you to die. But not just that you wouldn't 00:29:11.009 --> 00:29:14.650 die. He wants you to thrive. Not just that you 00:29:14.650 --> 00:29:18.490 wouldn't die. He died for you that he could raise 00:29:18.490 --> 00:29:22.569 the sons of earth. Please notice in Philippians 00:29:22.569 --> 00:29:27.029 chapter 2 that every step down for him is a step 00:29:27.029 --> 00:29:31.549 up for us. Because he became a servant, we can 00:29:31.549 --> 00:29:34.549 become the sons. And daughters of Jesus Christ. 00:29:34.670 --> 00:29:38.430 Because he humbled himself. We can be exalted. 00:29:38.549 --> 00:29:42.009 Because he descended to earth. One day we're 00:29:42.009 --> 00:29:44.769 going to ascend into heaven. But it's not because 00:29:44.769 --> 00:29:47.789 of our righteousness. It's not because of our 00:29:47.789 --> 00:29:50.750 holiness. But it's because God humbled himself. 00:29:51.349 --> 00:29:55.240 And laid his glory by. Please don't go about 00:29:55.240 --> 00:29:57.440 this Christmas season thinking that there isn't 00:29:57.440 --> 00:29:59.819 a meaning to your life. Please don't go through 00:29:59.819 --> 00:30:02.180 this Christmas season thinking that the reason 00:30:02.180 --> 00:30:04.759 for the season is the hustle and the bustle and 00:30:04.759 --> 00:30:07.039 the shopping and trying to keep everybody happy 00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:09.640 and trying to keep up with the Joneses. Before 00:30:09.640 --> 00:30:12.240 we start the rest of this Christmas season, I 00:30:12.240 --> 00:30:14.960 want somebody to know today that the reason for 00:30:14.960 --> 00:30:19.259 the season is Jesus. Jesus came to redeem you 00:30:19.259 --> 00:30:22.740 and to restore you. Jesus loves you so much. 00:30:23.470 --> 00:30:26.950 No matter where you are today, consider today 00:30:26.950 --> 00:30:30.430 the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Consider that 00:30:30.430 --> 00:30:35.529 even the Christmas story, even being born, what 00:30:35.529 --> 00:30:38.490 a downgrade for our Lord and Savior. But he did 00:30:38.490 --> 00:30:40.789 it, not because of anything that is going to 00:30:40.789 --> 00:30:42.650 benefit him. He's the king of glory. He doesn't 00:30:42.650 --> 00:30:45.210 need anything. But he wants relationship with 00:30:45.210 --> 00:30:48.869 us that bad. He loves us so much that mild he 00:30:48.869 --> 00:30:54.640 lays his glory by. Man cannot become God, and 00:30:54.640 --> 00:30:58.440 that's why God became man. We do not deserve 00:30:58.440 --> 00:31:01.680 any kind of glory, and that's why God mild he 00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:04.799 laid his glory by so that we could have relationship 00:31:04.799 --> 00:31:09.180 and communion with him. That's why in 2 Corinthians 00:31:09.180 --> 00:31:14.440 8, verse 9, it tells us we know the grace of 00:31:14.440 --> 00:31:18.759 our Lord Jesus Christ, though he was rich. He 00:31:18.759 --> 00:31:21.319 became poor, but it doesn't say he became poor 00:31:21.319 --> 00:31:23.619 for the sake of being poor. It says he became 00:31:23.619 --> 00:31:27.660 poor for your sakes. Why? So that through his 00:31:27.660 --> 00:31:31.569 poverty. you can become rich. Jesus came to this 00:31:31.569 --> 00:31:34.769 earth and he laid all of his glory by so that 00:31:34.769 --> 00:31:38.309 he could raise the sons of earth. Jesus does 00:31:38.309 --> 00:31:40.650 not want you to be content with just getting 00:31:40.650 --> 00:31:43.450 by. It's not God's will that you would do just 00:31:43.450 --> 00:31:46.009 enough to check it off the list. God wants you 00:31:46.009 --> 00:31:48.809 to be your very best self. God wants you to follow 00:31:48.809 --> 00:31:52.049 his will and purpose for your life. He's come 00:31:52.049 --> 00:31:54.690 to raise you up beyond what you could do by yourself. 00:31:55.440 --> 00:31:58.019 But because he came, because he humbled himself, 00:31:58.279 --> 00:32:02.059 you can be exalted in his presence. God can do 00:32:02.059 --> 00:32:06.539 more with you than you can do by yourself. And 00:32:06.539 --> 00:32:09.799 now to that last line. Mild he lays his glory 00:32:09.799 --> 00:32:13.720 by, born that man no more may die, born to raise 00:32:13.720 --> 00:32:16.799 the sons of earth. And I'm thankful today that 00:32:16.799 --> 00:32:21.559 he was born to give us second birth. Is anybody 00:32:21.559 --> 00:32:25.140 thankful for salvation in this place? We could 00:32:25.140 --> 00:32:28.299 not do it by ourselves. We couldn't begin to 00:32:28.299 --> 00:32:31.779 earn it. It is a free gift from God. One day 00:32:31.779 --> 00:32:33.680 we're going to be dancing on streets of gold, 00:32:33.740 --> 00:32:36.240 but it's not because of anything we did. It's 00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:39.480 because God humbled himself and he died for us 00:32:39.480 --> 00:32:43.539 and he made a way for us. And the purpose of 00:32:43.539 --> 00:32:46.539 that is that you would live again. The purpose 00:32:46.539 --> 00:32:51.099 of that is that you would be born again. Forgive 00:32:51.099 --> 00:32:53.579 me for being so blunt, but if we read the Christmas 00:32:53.579 --> 00:32:57.140 story and we understand what Jesus did and we 00:32:57.140 --> 00:33:00.099 even say that we appreciate it, but somehow we 00:33:00.099 --> 00:33:03.299 just leave it as a story in Luke chapter 2. Somehow 00:33:03.299 --> 00:33:05.220 we just say, oh yeah, that's what we talk about 00:33:05.220 --> 00:33:08.859 in December. And we don't look to the word of 00:33:08.859 --> 00:33:11.539 God and figure out what second birth is. Then 00:33:11.539 --> 00:33:14.480 we have quite literally wasted the Christmas 00:33:14.480 --> 00:33:18.400 story. Jesus came to this earth to be born so 00:33:18.400 --> 00:33:22.359 that he could live. He could die and in his resurrection, 00:33:22.500 --> 00:33:25.740 in his rising again, you can rise again. Please 00:33:25.740 --> 00:33:28.019 today, don't go on with your Christmas season 00:33:28.019 --> 00:33:31.259 and forget that the main point is that you can 00:33:31.259 --> 00:33:34.079 have a relationship with Jesus Christ. The main 00:33:34.079 --> 00:33:37.160 point is that you could repent of your sins and 00:33:37.160 --> 00:33:40.660 be baptized in Jesus' name and receive the gift 00:33:40.660 --> 00:33:44.180 of the Holy Ghost in the name of Jesus. That's 00:33:44.180 --> 00:33:47.279 why he laid his glory by. Not for the sake of 00:33:47.279 --> 00:33:50.079 doing it. He did it for you and for me. Not just 00:33:50.079 --> 00:33:51.980 so that we wouldn't die, but know that we would 00:33:51.980 --> 00:33:55.140 thrive. But most importantly, we need to live 00:33:55.140 --> 00:33:57.640 again. We need to be born again. We need to be 00:33:57.640 --> 00:34:01.259 caught up to meet the Lord in the air. In Jesus' 00:34:01.359 --> 00:34:03.920 name, I ask you to stand all across this room 00:34:03.920 --> 00:34:07.420 today. I want to look to the book of John. This 00:34:07.420 --> 00:34:10.199 is John chapter 3. I want to talk about the second 00:34:10.199 --> 00:34:17.750 birth. Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night. And 00:34:17.750 --> 00:34:20.730 he asked how he can be saved, how he can get 00:34:20.730 --> 00:34:24.110 into heaven. And this is verse 3. Jesus answered 00:34:24.110 --> 00:34:27.909 and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto 00:34:27.909 --> 00:34:32.489 thee, except a man be born again, except a man 00:34:32.489 --> 00:34:35.210 have second birth. I need you to get this. He 00:34:35.210 --> 00:34:40.010 cannot see the kingdom of God. I'm sorry to interrupt 00:34:40.010 --> 00:34:42.269 the fun Christmas message to let you know, but 00:34:42.269 --> 00:34:45.710 I have a burden today. If you are not born again, 00:34:45.809 --> 00:34:50.090 Jesus says it so plainly, you cannot see the 00:34:50.090 --> 00:34:57.530 kingdom of God. And then Nicodemus, he's confused. 00:34:57.690 --> 00:35:01.150 And if we haven't been in church our whole life 00:35:01.150 --> 00:35:03.230 in Pentecostal lingo, it is kind of a funny way 00:35:03.230 --> 00:35:05.409 of wording it. So I'm not picking on Nicodemus. 00:35:05.510 --> 00:35:07.969 He asked a very fair question in verse four. 00:35:08.110 --> 00:35:11.590 He basically says, okay, so born again. Is that 00:35:11.590 --> 00:35:14.630 somehow I'm able to reenter my mother's womb 00:35:14.630 --> 00:35:16.710 and be born again? I don't follow you there, 00:35:16.789 --> 00:35:19.590 Jesus. And Jesus explains, he takes it a step 00:35:19.590 --> 00:35:22.070 further. We need to get this. This is verse five. 00:35:22.130 --> 00:35:35.369 Jesus answered, verily, verily, I say, I want 00:35:35.369 --> 00:35:38.030 you to know today that being born of the water 00:35:38.030 --> 00:35:42.090 is water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. 00:35:42.750 --> 00:35:44.969 It's already been mentioned in this service, 00:35:45.150 --> 00:35:48.389 but you are at a church today that believes in 00:35:48.389 --> 00:35:50.710 the name of Jesus. That's the only name that 00:35:50.710 --> 00:35:55.440 can save you. It's the only name. That can clean 00:35:55.440 --> 00:35:57.579 you and can wash you and can make you whole. 00:35:59.440 --> 00:36:03.900 We have robes ready right now. The water is warm 00:36:03.900 --> 00:36:06.880 right now. It's very comfortable. It's literally 00:36:06.880 --> 00:36:09.780 as convenient as it could possibly be made. If 00:36:09.780 --> 00:36:13.139 you have not been baptized in the name of Jesus 00:36:13.139 --> 00:36:16.539 Christ, I don't want you to go any closer to 00:36:16.539 --> 00:36:19.139 Christmas without your life being completely 00:36:19.139 --> 00:36:22.420 changed by the power of the blood of the Lamb. 00:36:22.780 --> 00:36:25.840 I want to urge you today, if you are not born 00:36:25.840 --> 00:36:28.579 of the water, you cannot enter the kingdom of 00:36:28.579 --> 00:36:32.539 heaven. If you are not baptized in Jesus' name, 00:36:32.639 --> 00:36:37.260 you cannot have second birth. And then he says 00:36:37.260 --> 00:36:41.000 that we have to be born of... the spirit. I want 00:36:41.000 --> 00:36:43.539 you to know today that being born of the spirit 00:36:43.539 --> 00:36:47.619 is receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. That's 00:36:47.619 --> 00:36:51.699 God's spirit, literally God himself living on 00:36:51.699 --> 00:36:55.239 the inside of you, not just hanging out, but 00:36:55.239 --> 00:36:58.340 literally taking up residency, leading us and 00:36:58.340 --> 00:37:02.659 guiding us, giving us a joy and a peace and contentment 00:37:02.659 --> 00:37:05.579 that would be impossible in our flesh. If you 00:37:05.579 --> 00:37:08.619 today have never received the gift of the Holy 00:37:08.619 --> 00:37:30.519 Ghost, Jesus gave all of his glory up. This song 00:37:30.519 --> 00:37:35.820 says, Mowed he laid his glory by. Born that man 00:37:35.820 --> 00:37:40.329 no more may die. born to raise the sons of earth, 00:37:40.570 --> 00:37:46.030 born to give them second birth. God's called 00:37:46.030 --> 00:37:49.269 to us today. He did all of this because he wants 00:37:49.269 --> 00:37:52.130 relationship with us. He did all of this because 00:37:52.130 --> 00:37:55.309 he loves us. He did all of that so we could live 00:37:55.309 --> 00:37:58.909 and so that we could rise. But most importantly, 00:37:58.989 --> 00:38:01.929 please don't leave out that last part. Jesus 00:38:01.929 --> 00:38:06.690 was born here on this earth so that you, can 00:38:06.690 --> 00:38:10.250 be born again. I'm asking everybody in the church 00:38:10.250 --> 00:38:13.710 today to come right now with faith and with expectation. 00:38:14.309 --> 00:38:17.190 If you have never been baptized in the name of 00:38:17.190 --> 00:38:20.210 Jesus Christ, you can meet us over here at this 00:38:20.210 --> 00:38:23.190 column. There is a team that will take you right 00:38:23.190 --> 00:38:26.650 now. It takes just a few minutes. You can be 00:38:26.650 --> 00:38:30.190 water baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for 00:38:30.190 --> 00:38:34.019 the remission of all of your sins. If you have 00:38:34.019 --> 00:38:36.900 not received the gift of the Holy Ghost, I want 00:38:36.900 --> 00:38:39.760 you to find somebody beside you, and I want you 00:38:39.760 --> 00:38:42.559 to just tell them, I have never spoken in tongues. 00:38:42.760 --> 00:38:45.239 I don't have the Holy Ghost. I don't want to 00:38:45.239 --> 00:38:48.000 leave this place without God's Spirit on the 00:38:48.000 --> 00:38:54.340 inside of me. I wonder if everybody right now 00:38:54.340 --> 00:38:57.019 could pray with passion. Even if you're not praying 00:38:57.019 --> 00:38:59.579 for yourself right now, I wonder if you would 00:38:59.579 --> 00:39:02.800 even pray. intercessory prayer right now for 00:39:02.800 --> 00:39:05.780 somebody beside you. God is speaking to somebody 00:39:05.780 --> 00:39:13.099 today. God is speaking to us today. It's not 00:39:13.099 --> 00:39:19.420 God's will that we would leave the same way that 00:39:19.420 --> 00:39:20.000 we came.