WEBVTT 00:00:01.129 --> 00:00:04.269 Thank you, Zoma. Along with you, I'm grateful 00:00:04.269 --> 00:00:06.870 for all of our musicians this afternoon for the 00:00:06.870 --> 00:00:09.250 lovely work that they have done in presenting 00:00:09.250 --> 00:00:15.750 this music to us. I'd like for you to take your 00:00:15.750 --> 00:00:17.550 Bible, if you have it with you, and turn with 00:00:17.550 --> 00:00:21.050 me to Luke chapter 2 as we think together concerning 00:00:21.050 --> 00:00:27.269 the story of Bethlehem. In Luke chapter 2, verse 00:00:27.269 --> 00:00:32.719 1, it says, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:34.899 a census should be taken of the entire Roman 00:00:34.899 --> 00:00:38.539 world. This was the first census that took place 00:00:38.539 --> 00:00:42.820 while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone 00:00:42.820 --> 00:00:47.039 went to his own town to register. So Joseph also 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:49.820 went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee 00:00:49.820 --> 00:00:54.840 to Judea to Bethlehem, the town of David, because 00:00:54.840 --> 00:00:58.399 he belonged to the house and lineage of David. 00:00:59.210 --> 00:01:01.469 He went there to register with Mary, who was 00:01:01.469 --> 00:01:03.990 pledged to be married to him and was expecting 00:01:03.990 --> 00:01:07.150 a child. While they were there, the time came 00:01:07.150 --> 00:01:10.469 for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to 00:01:10.469 --> 00:01:13.849 her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in clothes, 00:01:14.150 --> 00:01:17.810 cloths, and placed him in a manger because there 00:01:17.810 --> 00:01:23.109 was no room for them in the inn. Twelve years 00:01:23.109 --> 00:01:26.049 ago, at this very hour, in fact, it was my... 00:01:26.459 --> 00:01:29.579 privileged to walk through the streets of Bethlehem 00:01:29.579 --> 00:01:33.099 of Judea. I remember on that Christmas Eve, the 00:01:33.099 --> 00:01:37.900 full moon giving light to the darkened streets. 00:01:39.439 --> 00:01:41.840 Around the Church of the Nativity, a great deal 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:43.939 of activity with choirs from all over the world 00:01:43.939 --> 00:01:46.680 singing, and thousands of people who had come 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:49.719 in a pilgrimage to the city of Bethlehem, there 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:52.900 to see the place where tradition says, in the 00:01:52.900 --> 00:01:56.489 basement of a church now. where Jesus was born. 00:01:57.030 --> 00:01:59.870 But in that day it was not that way. It was a 00:01:59.870 --> 00:02:03.069 cave, most likely, a stable, a place for animals. 00:02:05.390 --> 00:02:09.949 This was accomplished in the city of David, Bethlehem, 00:02:09.949 --> 00:02:14.169 according to the prophecy of God. In Micah chapter 00:02:14.169 --> 00:02:17.009 5, hundreds of years before the event took place, 00:02:17.270 --> 00:02:20.430 God said that Bethlehem would be the place where 00:02:20.430 --> 00:02:23.849 the Messiah would be born. This was clearly understood 00:02:23.849 --> 00:02:29.030 in the days of Jesus. For Herod the king asked 00:02:29.030 --> 00:02:31.550 the wise men where the Messiah should be born. 00:02:31.849 --> 00:02:35.330 And they, those religious Jews, pointed to the 00:02:35.330 --> 00:02:38.050 scriptures of the Old Testament and said that 00:02:38.050 --> 00:02:41.729 he should come out of Bethlehem of Judea. Now 00:02:41.729 --> 00:02:43.949 it was important to say Bethlehem of Judea because 00:02:43.949 --> 00:02:46.669 there were two Bethlehems in Palestine in that 00:02:46.669 --> 00:02:51.639 day. And so the Bethlehem was pointed to. And 00:02:51.639 --> 00:02:57.479 from that village, Jesus came forth. The town 00:02:57.479 --> 00:02:59.960 of Bethlehem is located about six miles to the 00:02:59.960 --> 00:03:03.900 southwest of Jerusalem. It is probably the best 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:07.400 -known village of its size in the whole world. 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:13.900 The name Bethlehem means house of bread. It is 00:03:13.900 --> 00:03:16.360 mentioned a number of times in the Old Testament. 00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:20.819 Sometimes it is called Ephrath. Other times it 00:03:20.819 --> 00:03:25.280 is called Bethlehem. By tracing the significant 00:03:25.280 --> 00:03:29.639 events that occurred in Bethlehem, we are able 00:03:29.639 --> 00:03:34.280 to see the story of Bethlehem and to notice that 00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:37.560 in this story there is a picture of the work 00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:42.080 of Jesus Christ. The first reference to Bethlehem 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:44.280 is in the book of Genesis, and so I invite your 00:03:44.280 --> 00:03:48.039 attention there to Genesis chapter 35. Anytime 00:03:48.039 --> 00:03:50.500 something is mentioned for the first time in 00:03:50.500 --> 00:03:54.840 the Bible, it is significant. In Genesis chapter 00:03:54.840 --> 00:03:58.240 35, we have the first mention of this little 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:06.659 village. In this chapter, Jacob meets with God 00:04:06.659 --> 00:04:12.419 at Bethel. And then Jacob and his large party 00:04:12.419 --> 00:04:35.329 moved on. And it says, As she breathed her last, 00:04:35.490 --> 00:04:40.129 for she was dying, she named her son Ben -Onai, 00:04:40.350 --> 00:04:45.220 but his father named him Benjamin. So Rachel 00:04:45.220 --> 00:04:49.000 died and was buried on the way to Ephrath, that 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:52.939 is, Bethlehem. Over her tomb, Jacob set up a 00:04:52.939 --> 00:04:56.100 pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel's 00:04:56.100 --> 00:05:01.620 tomb. Long ago now, that tomb disappeared in 00:05:01.620 --> 00:05:04.779 its exact location, but still today there is 00:05:04.779 --> 00:05:07.779 a domed structure on the outskirts of Bethlehem 00:05:07.779 --> 00:05:11.339 that traditionally is pointed to as Rachel's 00:05:11.339 --> 00:05:14.589 burying place. It is interesting that the first 00:05:14.589 --> 00:05:17.370 time Bethlehem is mentioned in the Bible, it 00:05:17.370 --> 00:05:21.050 is in connection with the birth of a child. On 00:05:21.050 --> 00:05:23.410 this occasion, it is the birth of a child to 00:05:23.410 --> 00:05:27.769 Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, the grandson 00:05:27.769 --> 00:05:33.050 of Abraham. Rachel had already born to Jacob 00:05:33.050 --> 00:05:37.230 one son, whose name was Joseph. She had desired 00:05:37.230 --> 00:05:40.689 another child by him, and this child was a boy. 00:05:42.809 --> 00:05:45.430 They anticipated undoubtedly the coming of this 00:05:45.430 --> 00:05:47.589 child into the world, but when the child came, 00:05:47.730 --> 00:05:51.430 there was a problem in the delivery, and it resulted 00:05:51.430 --> 00:05:56.029 in the death of Rachel. It says, as she breathed 00:05:56.029 --> 00:05:59.829 her last, that is, as she spoke her last words 00:05:59.829 --> 00:06:04.350 in this world, she named her son, and she called 00:06:04.350 --> 00:06:10.129 him Ben -Onai. That name, Ben -Onai, means son 00:06:10.129 --> 00:06:18.720 of my trouble. Jacob, upon hearing the name that 00:06:18.720 --> 00:06:21.699 was given to him, decided to change the name 00:06:21.699 --> 00:06:25.720 of this son. He loved Rachel so much that he 00:06:25.720 --> 00:06:28.199 transferred that love for Rachel to this boy 00:06:28.199 --> 00:06:31.560 and did not want to call him son of my sorrow 00:06:31.560 --> 00:06:35.600 all of his life. Because of the exalted place 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:38.939 that Rachel had had in his heart, he renamed 00:06:38.939 --> 00:06:44.680 this son Benjamin, which means son of my right 00:06:44.680 --> 00:06:50.100 hand, the place of honor and authority. In the 00:06:50.100 --> 00:06:54.319 names given to this young child, we are able 00:06:54.319 --> 00:06:58.220 to witness two aspects of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:06:59.579 --> 00:07:02.860 In the name Ben -Onai, which means son of my 00:07:02.860 --> 00:07:08.069 sorrow, we see the suffering Messiah. It points 00:07:08.069 --> 00:07:11.310 to the suffering aspects of Christ's work for 00:07:11.310 --> 00:07:16.829 us. Hundreds of years after this boy, Ben -Onai, 00:07:17.009 --> 00:07:20.829 was born to Rachel, there was another son of 00:07:20.829 --> 00:07:23.949 Jacob who was born in the town of Bethlehem. 00:07:24.709 --> 00:07:27.910 He would grow up to be called a man of sorrows 00:07:27.910 --> 00:07:31.769 who was acquainted with grief. And the reason 00:07:31.769 --> 00:07:35.209 for his suffering and sorrow was that he bore... 00:07:35.660 --> 00:07:40.019 the reproach of men, and on the cross bore the 00:07:40.019 --> 00:07:46.579 sins of mankind. That is the reason that he came. 00:07:47.339 --> 00:07:52.199 He came born in a manger that he might, as a 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:56.240 young man, be hung upon a cross and there become 00:07:56.240 --> 00:08:02.060 sin for you and for me. He was born Benoni, as 00:08:02.060 --> 00:08:06.819 it were, the son of sorrow. of trouble, and of 00:08:06.819 --> 00:08:09.980 suffering. But then in the name that was given 00:08:09.980 --> 00:08:16.360 to this same boy by Jacob, Benjamin, we see another 00:08:16.360 --> 00:08:20.540 aspect of the work of Jesus Christ, and that 00:08:20.540 --> 00:08:26.519 is his reigning ministry. The name Benjamin, 00:08:26.660 --> 00:08:31.000 as we said, means son of my right hand. The place 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:33.399 of authority was given to Benjamin and that family. 00:08:33.909 --> 00:08:37.509 the place of honor. And so after the Lord Jesus 00:08:37.509 --> 00:08:41.929 Christ had died for our sins, he was raised from 00:08:41.929 --> 00:08:45.350 the dead and is today exalted. And in the New 00:08:45.350 --> 00:08:47.649 Testament, in a number of places, it is stated 00:08:47.649 --> 00:08:51.450 that he is at the right hand of God, the place 00:08:51.450 --> 00:08:55.269 of equality and the place of supreme authority. 00:08:56.190 --> 00:08:59.789 And so the Lord Jesus Christ, having accomplished 00:08:59.789 --> 00:09:03.289 redemption, is now seated at the very right hand 00:09:03.289 --> 00:09:08.049 of God. That parallel of suffering followed by 00:09:08.049 --> 00:09:10.350 glory can be traced throughout the prophets of 00:09:10.350 --> 00:09:13.190 the Old Testament. It is traced into the New 00:09:13.190 --> 00:09:16.970 Testament. In the book of Hebrews, Peter, too, 00:09:17.090 --> 00:09:19.330 for example, spoke of the sufferings of Christ 00:09:19.330 --> 00:09:23.889 and the glory that should follow. In this first 00:09:23.889 --> 00:09:26.190 mention of the little town of Bethlehem in the 00:09:26.190 --> 00:09:29.919 Bible, we see both aspects. the suffering aspect 00:09:29.919 --> 00:09:33.659 of Christ's work when he died for our sins, and 00:09:33.659 --> 00:09:36.460 then the glorifying aspect of his work when he 00:09:36.460 --> 00:09:38.700 was raised from the dead and exalted to the right 00:09:38.700 --> 00:09:43.419 hand of God the Father. Another significant mention 00:09:43.419 --> 00:09:47.000 of Bethlehem in the Old Testament is found in 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:50.000 the account of Ruth. And I invite your attention 00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:53.179 there to the book that bears the name of that 00:09:53.179 --> 00:10:04.460 lady. In Ruth chapter 1, it says, In the days 00:10:04.460 --> 00:10:08.299 when the judges ruled, there was a famine in 00:10:08.299 --> 00:10:12.600 the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, 00:10:12.779 --> 00:10:18.299 together with his wife and two sons, went to 00:10:18.299 --> 00:10:22.120 live for a while in the country of Moab. The 00:10:22.120 --> 00:10:26.080 rest of the chapter tells how that the husband 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:30.240 died. and the two sons who had married in the 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:36.559 land of Moab also died, leaving Naomi, the mother 00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:39.539 -in -law, and her two daughters -in -law to exist. 00:10:40.740 --> 00:10:43.960 The time came when Naomi decided to return to 00:10:43.960 --> 00:10:48.100 her homeland, Palestine. The one daughter -in 00:10:48.100 --> 00:10:52.679 -law stayed behind in the land of Moab, but the 00:10:52.679 --> 00:10:56.700 other daughter -in -law, Ruth, desired greatly 00:10:56.700 --> 00:11:00.720 to stay with Naomi and accompanied her back to 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:05.320 Bethlehem. And in verse 19 of this chapter, we 00:11:05.320 --> 00:11:08.000 have the record of their coming. It says the 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:10.779 two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. 00:11:12.879 --> 00:11:15.220 They were welcomed into the city of Bethlehem, 00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:18.539 and there the two of them took up residence. 00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:23.139 The book of Ruth proceeds to tell about a man. 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:25.600 who came into the story, for the book of Ruth 00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:28.279 is actually one of the most beautiful love stories 00:11:28.279 --> 00:11:34.840 in all of history. The man's name was Boaz. Boaz 00:11:34.840 --> 00:11:38.960 became the great -grandfather of King David, 00:11:39.120 --> 00:11:43.659 but he himself had an interesting ancestry, for 00:11:43.659 --> 00:11:48.100 he was the son of Rahab, the harlot who was spared 00:11:48.100 --> 00:11:51.639 from the condemnation of Jericho. because of 00:11:51.639 --> 00:11:56.720 her faith in the Lord God of Israel. Boaz lived 00:11:56.720 --> 00:12:01.120 in the town of Bethlehem. When Naomi returned 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:05.460 to her home in Bethlehem, it was necessary for 00:12:05.460 --> 00:12:08.899 her to dispose of her property because she was 00:12:08.899 --> 00:12:13.220 in poverty. There was a custom in that day called 00:12:13.220 --> 00:12:19.379 the kinsman redeemer, a near relative to Naomi. 00:12:20.849 --> 00:12:25.210 was obligated under Jewish law to redeem the 00:12:25.210 --> 00:12:28.950 land for her so that the land that she was having 00:12:28.950 --> 00:12:33.570 to sell in her poverty would not leave her family. 00:12:35.789 --> 00:12:39.590 Boaz acted as the kinsman redeemer, for he was 00:12:39.590 --> 00:12:44.210 related to her. He redeemed the land, and then 00:12:44.210 --> 00:12:52.039 he married Ruth. the young lady from Moab. In 00:12:52.039 --> 00:12:54.759 this love story, once again, we have a picture 00:12:54.759 --> 00:13:00.159 of the Lord Jesus Christ. For he is our kinsman 00:13:00.159 --> 00:13:05.080 redeemer. Just as that land, that property, was 00:13:05.080 --> 00:13:09.899 to be sold and disposed of, so we were the lost 00:13:09.899 --> 00:13:13.840 inheritance. Jesus Christ came into the world 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:19.149 born of a woman. so that he could be our kinsman 00:13:19.149 --> 00:13:25.830 redeemer and save us from our lostness. And then 00:13:25.830 --> 00:13:33.610 just as Boaz took a Gentile bride, Ruth, so the 00:13:33.610 --> 00:13:36.850 Lord Jesus Christ in this age in which we live, 00:13:37.049 --> 00:13:41.230 though he is the Messiah of Israel, is taking 00:13:41.230 --> 00:13:45.389 to himself a Gentile bride, essentially, in the 00:13:45.389 --> 00:13:49.139 church. This is made clear from a number of New 00:13:49.139 --> 00:13:52.580 Testament references in Acts 15, verse 14, Romans 00:13:52.580 --> 00:13:57.840 1, verse 5, 1 Peter 2. It is clear that during 00:13:57.840 --> 00:14:02.480 this age, God is calling out a people for his 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:06.059 name, a people which is predominantly Gentile. 00:14:06.840 --> 00:14:09.299 And so there's a beautiful picture again in the 00:14:09.299 --> 00:14:12.179 second major mention of Bethlehem in the Old 00:14:12.179 --> 00:14:15.190 Testament. A beautiful picture of the work of 00:14:15.190 --> 00:14:19.250 Jesus Christ as our kinsman redeemer, as Boaz 00:14:19.250 --> 00:14:24.490 was for Naomi. And as our husband, as Boaz was 00:14:24.490 --> 00:14:29.669 for Ruth. And then there is a third major mention 00:14:29.669 --> 00:14:32.970 of Bethlehem in the Old Testament. And after 00:14:32.970 --> 00:14:36.009 this mention, the city of Bethlehem diminishes 00:14:36.009 --> 00:14:40.730 in its fame. This is found in 1 Samuel chapter 00:14:40.730 --> 00:14:46.610 16. In this chapter we have the record of Samuel 00:14:46.610 --> 00:14:50.090 coming to Bethlehem to anoint the next king of 00:14:50.090 --> 00:14:54.990 Israel. Saul had proven himself unworthy. The 00:14:54.990 --> 00:14:57.549 Lord said to Samuel, How long will you mourn 00:14:57.549 --> 00:15:00.210 for Saul since I have rejected him as king over 00:15:00.210 --> 00:15:03.110 Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your 00:15:03.110 --> 00:15:07.330 way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. 00:15:07.429 --> 00:15:11.909 I have chosen one of his sons to be king. And 00:15:11.909 --> 00:15:14.870 those of you who have read the Bible know that 00:15:14.870 --> 00:15:18.149 Jesse's sons were brought before Samuel, and 00:15:18.149 --> 00:15:20.210 the ones that he brought before Samuel initially 00:15:20.210 --> 00:15:23.330 were not indicated by the Lord to be the next 00:15:23.330 --> 00:15:26.970 king. And finally Samuel said to Jesse, do you 00:15:26.970 --> 00:15:29.070 have any more sons? And he said, yes, one more. 00:15:29.929 --> 00:15:32.330 In essence, he said he's the runt of the lot. 00:15:33.149 --> 00:15:36.669 He's out shepherding sheep. Samuel said, bring 00:15:36.669 --> 00:15:41.679 him here. David was brought to that room. And 00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:44.820 there, privately, he was anointed by Samuel to 00:15:44.820 --> 00:15:48.179 be the next king of Israel. His reign did not 00:15:48.179 --> 00:15:51.639 actually begin, practically speaking, for some 00:15:51.639 --> 00:15:55.059 time. But from that point on, he was God's anointed 00:15:55.059 --> 00:15:59.259 king. And so once again, in this incident which 00:15:59.259 --> 00:16:02.360 took place at Bethlehem, we draw a parallel with 00:16:02.360 --> 00:16:06.340 the work of Jesus Christ. In the first incidents 00:16:06.340 --> 00:16:10.460 in Genesis, it was the parallel of his suffering. 00:16:11.019 --> 00:16:13.600 resurrection and exaltation to the right hand 00:16:13.600 --> 00:16:16.980 of God. In the second reference in the book of 00:16:16.980 --> 00:16:20.919 Ruth, it is a parallel to his present work of 00:16:20.919 --> 00:16:23.440 redeeming his people and calling out a bride 00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:27.220 for his name's sake. And in this third reference 00:16:27.220 --> 00:16:30.100 to Bethlehem in the Old Testament, there is the 00:16:30.100 --> 00:16:33.919 parallel of his coming again to reign as David's 00:16:33.919 --> 00:16:38.200 son. David was promised a son who would reign 00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:43.970 over the kingdom of Israel. And that rain would 00:16:43.970 --> 00:16:48.970 be an everlasting rain, said the Lord. None of 00:16:48.970 --> 00:16:51.789 David's natural sons was able to fulfill that, 00:16:51.809 --> 00:16:55.490 of course. But in his greater son, the Lord Jesus 00:16:55.490 --> 00:17:01.690 Christ, for Jesus is of the line of David, David's 00:17:01.690 --> 00:17:05.509 promise will be fulfilled. For Jesus Christ will 00:17:05.509 --> 00:17:07.609 come, as we have heard sung a few moments ago, 00:17:07.809 --> 00:17:11.819 and will reign upon the earth. And the promises 00:17:11.819 --> 00:17:14.799 made to David and to ancient Israel will all 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:20.059 be fulfilled in him, the son of David. As Isaiah 00:17:20.059 --> 00:17:26.200 the prophet said, unto us a child is born, unto 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:29.420 us a son is given, and the government shall be 00:17:29.420 --> 00:17:33.559 upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:37.019 Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:40.329 Father, the Prince of Peace. and of the increase 00:17:40.329 --> 00:17:46.529 of his government there shall be no end. Isaiah 00:17:46.529 --> 00:17:48.970 spoke, too, of this king who would come, this 00:17:48.970 --> 00:17:51.069 king who is pictured in this third reference 00:17:51.069 --> 00:17:56.549 to Bethlehem in the Old Testament. And then we 00:17:56.549 --> 00:17:58.769 come to the narrative of the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:17:58.869 --> 00:18:01.970 for that is the next major event that took place 00:18:01.970 --> 00:18:05.589 in Bethlehem. It was the birth of this one spoken 00:18:05.589 --> 00:18:10.529 of in Genesis. and pictured in Ruth, and promised 00:18:10.529 --> 00:18:14.349 again to David in 1 Samuel. The culmination of 00:18:14.349 --> 00:18:17.269 Bethlehem's history is found in the birth of 00:18:17.269 --> 00:18:21.069 Jesus Christ on that first Christmas Eve 2 ,000 00:18:21.069 --> 00:18:25.450 years ago. In the history of Bethlehem, we are 00:18:25.450 --> 00:18:29.410 able to discover in broad strokes a painting 00:18:29.410 --> 00:18:33.829 of the work of Jesus Christ. He is the theme 00:18:33.829 --> 00:18:36.210 of all of Scripture, and not just the town of 00:18:36.210 --> 00:18:42.250 Bethlehem. He is also God's Christmas gift. God's 00:18:42.250 --> 00:18:45.349 Christmas gift to the world, for God so loved 00:18:45.349 --> 00:18:50.130 the world, you and me, that he gave his only 00:18:50.130 --> 00:18:53.650 begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him 00:18:53.650 --> 00:18:56.589 should not perish, but have everlasting life. 00:18:57.230 --> 00:19:01.690 He is God's gift to you, my friend. And God's 00:19:01.690 --> 00:19:05.210 promise is, as many as received him, Jesus Christ. 00:19:06.059 --> 00:19:09.099 To them gave he the authority to become the children 00:19:09.099 --> 00:19:13.019 of God, even to them that believe on his name. 00:19:13.579 --> 00:19:18.160 The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus 00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:22.359 Christ our Lord. As we have spoken about Bethlehem 00:19:22.359 --> 00:19:25.160 today, and as our minds naturally think about 00:19:25.160 --> 00:19:28.380 what took place on those quiet streets 2 ,000 00:19:28.380 --> 00:19:31.839 years ago, I hope that someone here today has 00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:34.019 come to a new understanding of what that was 00:19:34.019 --> 00:19:37.119 all about. And that you sense in your heart your 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:41.740 need for this gift of eternal life. That's the 00:19:41.740 --> 00:19:45.599 reason that Jesus came. Not just so that we could 00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:48.619 meet together and have a service, but so that 00:19:48.619 --> 00:19:52.200 you personally might have forgiveness of sin 00:19:52.200 --> 00:19:56.380 and eternal life. And our invitation at the end 00:19:56.380 --> 00:19:59.200 of this service is very simple. It is that if 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:01.980 you have never received God's love gift given 00:20:01.980 --> 00:20:06.579 for and to you, That right now you would open 00:20:06.579 --> 00:20:09.859 your heart and receive that love gift. Let's 00:20:09.859 --> 00:20:15.640 bow together in prayer. With our heads bowed 00:20:15.640 --> 00:20:19.619 and our eyes shut, as we ponder the meaning of 00:20:19.619 --> 00:20:24.799 God's love gift, right where you sit this afternoon, 00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:28.640 you can receive this love gift from God. You 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:33.539 need not do a thing except open your heart by 00:20:33.539 --> 00:20:38.119 faith. and received Jesus Christ. As many as 00:20:38.119 --> 00:20:43.079 received him, to them gave he the power to become 00:20:43.079 --> 00:20:47.200 the children of God, even to them that believe 00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:50.859 on his name. All of your life you've heard about 00:20:50.859 --> 00:20:55.039 Bethlehem and Christmas, the manger, the wise 00:20:55.039 --> 00:20:59.420 men, the shepherds, but have you ever personally 00:20:59.420 --> 00:21:02.319 trusted Jesus Christ as your own Lord and Savior? 00:21:03.819 --> 00:21:06.880 If not right now, you can simply say something 00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:12.940 like this, Lord, I sense in my heart my need, 00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:19.500 for I am a sinner. Thank you for your love gift 00:21:19.500 --> 00:21:24.880 in Jesus Christ. I thank you that Jesus died 00:21:24.880 --> 00:21:30.579 for my sin and rose again. And right now I receive 00:21:30.579 --> 00:21:35.660 Jesus Christ into my heart. I take this gift 00:21:35.660 --> 00:21:39.740 of salvation that you offer freely as my own. 00:21:41.059 --> 00:21:47.559 Thank you. My friend, if you prayed that or words 00:21:47.559 --> 00:21:53.140 similar to that, if you meant it, I want to assure 00:21:53.140 --> 00:21:56.119 you that God is not an Indian giver. God does 00:21:56.119 --> 00:22:02.109 not take back what he promises to give. For whosoever 00:22:02.109 --> 00:22:04.289 shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be 00:22:04.289 --> 00:22:09.269 saved. Now if in this service, in the last few 00:22:09.269 --> 00:22:13.869 moments, you prayed for the first time this prayer 00:22:13.869 --> 00:22:16.430 and received Jesus Christ as your own Savior, 00:22:16.630 --> 00:22:19.170 I'd like to be able to pray for you in closing. 00:22:20.170 --> 00:22:22.349 I'm not going to point you out or embarrass you 00:22:22.349 --> 00:22:25.670 in any way, but by the uplifted hand, you can 00:22:25.670 --> 00:22:29.259 say to me, Pastor Call, today... On this Christmas 00:22:29.259 --> 00:22:33.880 Eve, I have received God's love gift, and I've 00:22:33.880 --> 00:22:37.440 asked Jesus to come into my heart. Please pray 00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:41.119 for me in closing that I will now grow as a Christian. 00:22:41.900 --> 00:22:44.180 Is there one here who would say that by the uplifted 00:22:44.180 --> 00:22:47.180 hand today? Yes, I prayed and received Jesus 00:22:47.180 --> 00:22:51.059 Christ as my Savior. Just put it up and then 00:22:51.059 --> 00:22:58.250 slip it back down. Father, with... truly grateful 00:22:58.250 --> 00:23:04.470 hearts, we pause to say once again how thankful 00:23:04.470 --> 00:23:10.109 we are for the Son of God and for the salvation 00:23:10.109 --> 00:23:16.369 that you have purchased for us through him. And 00:23:16.369 --> 00:23:19.190 I pray that as we as individuals, as families, 00:23:19.230 --> 00:23:22.690 as friends, meet together during these happy 00:23:22.690 --> 00:23:28.339 hours of Christmas, that this The real meaning 00:23:28.339 --> 00:23:31.019 of Christmas will not be lost in the rush of 00:23:31.019 --> 00:23:40.019 it all. And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:48.400 I want to thank you for coming and sharing in 00:23:48.400 --> 00:23:52.640 this service this afternoon. If we can be of 00:23:52.640 --> 00:23:54.859 spiritual help or counsel to you, I hope that 00:23:54.859 --> 00:23:57.119 you will feel free to call me or... any of our 00:23:57.119 --> 00:23:59.799 staff members here at the church, and we'll be 00:23:59.799 --> 00:24:03.420 glad to chat with you on the phone or come to 00:24:03.420 --> 00:24:05.460 your home, or you may come here and see us, that 00:24:05.460 --> 00:24:08.859 we can help you spiritually. And before we go, 00:24:08.900 --> 00:24:11.700 one of our elders is here from the church, Dave 00:24:11.700 --> 00:24:14.579 Kelby, and Dave has a word of greeting to bring 00:24:14.579 --> 00:24:22.680 to us from our elders. Dave? I wonder if Pastor 00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:26.299 Dave Sulak would come up as well. You know, this 00:24:26.299 --> 00:24:30.640 has been a super year for the members of our 00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:33.380 congregation, all of us, and we have been blessed 00:24:33.380 --> 00:24:37.640 so much. It's been unbelievable. And I think 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:39.880 one of the biggest parts of our blessing has 00:24:39.880 --> 00:24:44.339 been what's happened here at Roseville. When 00:24:44.339 --> 00:24:47.859 I think of God's blessing to us as a congregation, 00:24:48.220 --> 00:24:52.420 I think that by sending us Pastor Call,