WEBVTT 00:00:03.559 --> 00:00:06.440 Hello, Oak Ridge friends and family. This is 00:00:06.440 --> 00:00:11.300 David here with Ivani Munoz and Aubrey Ward. 00:00:11.859 --> 00:00:13.679 They're gonna be reading a couple of scriptures 00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:17.100 for us today. But before we do that, I would 00:00:17.100 --> 00:00:19.820 like for you guys to share something that points 00:00:19.820 --> 00:00:23.600 you to Christ during this holiday season. Hello, 00:00:23.739 --> 00:00:29.879 I'm Ivani Munoz and what my mind goes to during 00:00:29.879 --> 00:00:34.049 this season has to be Perhaps the more somber 00:00:34.049 --> 00:00:37.490 Christmas carols that come about of, well maybe 00:00:37.490 --> 00:00:41.689 not somber, but they do put, I guess, lower tone, 00:00:41.710 --> 00:00:45.109 right, in the heart. That is, right, songs like 00:00:45.109 --> 00:00:50.890 Silent Night and Okami Manual, right. I'm a stickler 00:00:50.890 --> 00:00:55.609 and a big fan of the sadder hymns, right, within 00:00:55.609 --> 00:00:59.329 our catalog. And I don't know, it just highlights 00:00:59.329 --> 00:01:02.390 something about... Christ's birth and, of course, 00:01:02.429 --> 00:01:05.209 his passion and his death and resurrection that 00:01:05.209 --> 00:01:10.150 just is not found elsewhere, right? That it gives 00:01:10.150 --> 00:01:14.709 a seriousness to. And I just love it. I just 00:01:14.709 --> 00:01:16.629 love it. It strikes the same chord every single 00:01:16.629 --> 00:01:20.650 season. And Christmas is not the same without 00:01:20.650 --> 00:01:24.189 these songs, right? These, I'll just say, melancholic 00:01:24.189 --> 00:01:27.680 songs. Well, I couldn't have said it better myself, 00:01:28.079 --> 00:01:31.120 Ivani, thank you. I'm Aubrey Ward, and I definitely 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:34.359 agree with Ivani. But I would say my favorite 00:01:34.359 --> 00:01:37.200 song is the first Noel, but it is the music that 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:40.379 really brings the feeling of Christmas for me, 00:01:40.379 --> 00:01:46.159 I would say. So I'll be reading 2 Samuel 7, 1 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:50.400 through 17. After King David moved into his house, 00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:53.340 the Lord gave him some relief from all of his 00:01:53.340 --> 00:01:56.099 enemies around him. King David said to Nathan 00:01:56.099 --> 00:01:59.420 the prophet, look, I am living in a fancy house 00:01:59.420 --> 00:02:02.560 made of cedar wood, but God's holy box is still 00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:06.640 kept in a tent. Nathan said to King David, do 00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:09.000 whatever you want to do. The Lord will be with 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:12.120 you. But that night, the Lord's word came to 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:15.919 Nathan. Go and tell my servant, David, this is 00:02:15.919 --> 00:02:18.740 what the Lord says. You are not the one to build 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:21.580 a house for me to live in. I did not live in 00:02:21.580 --> 00:02:24.539 a house at the time I took the Israelites out 00:02:24.539 --> 00:02:27.740 of Egypt. No, I traveled around in a tent. I 00:02:27.740 --> 00:02:30.580 used the tent for my home. I never told any of 00:02:30.580 --> 00:02:32.860 the tribes of Israel to build me a fancy house 00:02:32.860 --> 00:02:35.960 made from cedar wood. You must say this to my 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:39.020 servant David. This is what the Lord all -powerful 00:02:39.020 --> 00:02:42.919 says. I choose you while you are out in the pasture 00:02:42.919 --> 00:02:46.699 following the sheep. I took you from that job 00:02:46.699 --> 00:02:49.539 and made you the leader of my people, the Israelites. 00:02:49.930 --> 00:02:52.990 I have been with you every place you went. I 00:02:52.990 --> 00:02:56.050 have defeated your enemies for you. I will make 00:02:56.050 --> 00:02:59.689 you one of the most famous people on earth. And 00:02:59.689 --> 00:03:02.569 I choose a place for my people, the Israelites. 00:03:03.069 --> 00:03:06.530 I planted the Israelites. I gave them their own 00:03:06.530 --> 00:03:09.050 place to live so that they will not have to move 00:03:09.050 --> 00:03:12.370 from place to place anymore. In the past, I sent 00:03:12.370 --> 00:03:15.629 judges to lead my people, but evil people gave 00:03:15.629 --> 00:03:19.009 them many troubles. That will not happen now. 00:03:19.150 --> 00:03:21.629 I'm giving you peace from all of your enemies. 00:03:22.069 --> 00:03:24.590 I promise that I will make your family a family 00:03:24.590 --> 00:03:27.830 of kings. When your life is finished, you will 00:03:27.830 --> 00:03:30.370 die and be buried with your ancestors, but then 00:03:30.370 --> 00:03:33.310 I will make one of your own children become the 00:03:33.310 --> 00:03:35.729 king. He will build a house for my name and I 00:03:35.729 --> 00:03:38.449 will make his kingdom strong forever. I will 00:03:38.449 --> 00:03:41.330 be his father and he will be my son. When he 00:03:41.330 --> 00:03:44.389 sins, I will use other people to punish him. 00:03:44.629 --> 00:03:47.729 They will be my whips, but I will never stop 00:03:47.729 --> 00:03:50.740 loving him. I will continue to be loyal to him. 00:03:51.039 --> 00:03:53.879 I took away my love and kindness from Saul. I 00:03:53.879 --> 00:03:57.620 pushed Saul away when I turned to you. Your family 00:03:57.620 --> 00:04:00.740 of kings will continue. You can depend on that. 00:04:01.139 --> 00:04:03.479 For you, your kingdom will continue forever. 00:04:04.039 --> 00:04:07.340 Your throne will stand forever. Nathan told David 00:04:07.340 --> 00:04:09.800 about that vision, told David everything God 00:04:09.800 --> 00:04:21.420 had said. The law held us as prisoners. We had 00:04:21.420 --> 00:04:24.259 no freedom until God showed us the way of faith 00:04:24.259 --> 00:04:27.740 that was coming. I mean the law was the guardian 00:04:27.740 --> 00:04:31.660 in charge of us until Christ came. After he came, 00:04:32.019 --> 00:04:34.399 we could be made right with God through faith. 00:04:34.819 --> 00:04:37.939 Now that the way of faith has come, we no longer 00:04:37.939 --> 00:04:40.860 need the law to be our guardian. You were all 00:04:40.860 --> 00:04:44.959 baptized into Christ, and so you were all clothed 00:04:44.959 --> 00:04:48.199 with Christ. This shows that you are all children 00:04:48.199 --> 00:04:51.759 of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Now, in 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:54.939 Christ, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or 00:04:54.939 --> 00:04:59.620 a Greek, a slave or free, male or female. You 00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:02.779 are all the same in Christ Jesus. You belong 00:05:02.779 --> 00:05:05.899 to Christ, so you are Abraham's descendants. 00:05:06.439 --> 00:05:09.339 You get all of God's blessings because of the 00:05:09.339 --> 00:05:11.180 promise that God made to Abraham.