WEBVTT 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:05.559 Christmas is interwoven throughout the Scriptures. 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:10.820 You'll recall that after His resurrection, our 00:00:10.820 --> 00:00:13.779 Lord Jesus walked with two of the disciples on 00:00:13.779 --> 00:00:18.000 the road to Emmaus. And as they walked along, 00:00:18.359 --> 00:00:21.820 it says that He explained to them the things 00:00:21.820 --> 00:00:26.140 concerning Himself in all the Scriptures, beginning 00:00:26.140 --> 00:00:31.609 with Moses. In other words, in the very first 00:00:31.609 --> 00:00:36.270 division of the Old Testament, the writings of 00:00:36.270 --> 00:00:41.409 Moses, the Pentateuch, we see truth about himself. 00:00:42.729 --> 00:00:46.630 We've been looking at the Christmas story in 00:00:46.630 --> 00:00:49.009 the Pentateuch, and today we look at the book 00:00:49.009 --> 00:00:53.609 of Leviticus. The name means pertaining to the 00:00:53.609 --> 00:00:59.079 Levites. Pertaining to the Levites. You say, 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:02.939 Levi who? Well, we're not talking here about 00:01:02.939 --> 00:01:07.439 genes, although in a sense we are talking about 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:11.359 genes, because the Levites, you see, were the 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:18.219 descendants of Jacob through his son Levi. Aaron 00:01:18.219 --> 00:01:22.959 and Moses, for that matter, were Levites, and 00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:27.609 their tribal family... was the one called by 00:01:27.609 --> 00:01:32.849 God to serve as priests and caretakers of Israel's 00:01:32.849 --> 00:01:37.629 order of worship. The book of Leviticus that 00:01:37.629 --> 00:01:39.909 we look at this morning is a book of regulations 00:01:39.909 --> 00:01:45.030 regarding the various sacrifices and other duties 00:01:45.030 --> 00:01:50.469 performed by the Levites or the priests of Israel. 00:01:51.430 --> 00:01:55.010 In this book alone you find the word priest used. 00:01:55.659 --> 00:02:00.760 at least 189 times. In this book you find the 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:07.079 word holy used 87 times, the word blood 86 times, 00:02:07.579 --> 00:02:11.539 the word atonement 45 times, the word sacrifice 00:02:11.539 --> 00:02:16.460 42 times. It is a book of regulations pertaining 00:02:16.460 --> 00:02:21.199 to the Levites. Thus it is called Leviticus. 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:25.520 To give you an idea of how the book flows, let 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:27.819 me just give you a suggested outline for the 00:02:27.819 --> 00:02:32.539 book. In chapters 1 through 7, we have regulations 00:02:32.539 --> 00:02:36.840 regarding the offerings of Israel. We're going 00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:39.719 to touch upon some verses in those chapters this 00:02:39.719 --> 00:02:43.300 morning. In chapters 8 through 10, regulations 00:02:43.300 --> 00:02:47.759 regarding the priesthood. In chapters 11 through 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:53.810 15 and 17 through 22... We have regulations about 00:02:53.810 --> 00:02:58.090 purity among the people of Israel. In chapter 00:02:58.090 --> 00:03:02.610 16, regulations about the Day of Atonement and 00:03:02.610 --> 00:03:06.870 how it was to be observed. In chapter 23, one 00:03:06.870 --> 00:03:08.830 of my favorite chapters in the book, we have 00:03:08.830 --> 00:03:12.889 regulations regarding the annual festivals of 00:03:12.889 --> 00:03:17.469 Israel called the Feasts of the Lord. In chapter 00:03:17.469 --> 00:03:21.680 24, regulations about the oil and bread. that 00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:25.340 were a part of the observances in the tabernacle. 00:03:26.199 --> 00:03:29.580 In chapter 25, we have regulations regarding 00:03:29.580 --> 00:03:34.460 the sabbatical year and the year of Jubilee, 00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:39.120 which occurred every 50 years. And it's in this 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:42.000 chapter that we find that verse that says, Proclaim 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:45.400 liberty throughout all the land unto all the 00:03:45.400 --> 00:03:47.860 inhabitants thereof. That is the motto that is 00:03:47.860 --> 00:03:51.870 on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. It comes 00:03:51.870 --> 00:03:55.550 from this chapter of Leviticus. I guess that 00:03:55.550 --> 00:03:57.430 was before they knew about separation of church 00:03:57.430 --> 00:04:00.750 and state when they put that on there. And then 00:04:00.750 --> 00:04:04.050 in chapters 26 and 27, we have regulations regarding 00:04:04.050 --> 00:04:08.629 obedience, vows, and tithes. And so it is a book 00:04:08.629 --> 00:04:10.770 of regulations. You say, well, how important 00:04:10.770 --> 00:04:13.949 really is this book to a New Testament Christian? 00:04:15.689 --> 00:04:17.829 Well, let me suggest to you that the book of 00:04:17.829 --> 00:04:22.410 Leviticus is referred to at least 90 times in 00:04:22.410 --> 00:04:26.290 the New Testament. At least 90 times. And so 00:04:26.290 --> 00:04:28.350 there are some things in this book that we need 00:04:28.350 --> 00:04:31.550 to take note of. It's true that we're no longer 00:04:31.550 --> 00:04:36.490 under the regulations which related to Israel's 00:04:36.490 --> 00:04:42.709 worship. The blessed book of Hebrews in the New 00:04:42.709 --> 00:04:46.040 Testament. especially chapters 5 through 10, 00:04:46.220 --> 00:04:49.639 tell us that we are under a new covenant with 00:04:49.639 --> 00:04:52.879 better sacrifices than those that are mentioned 00:04:52.879 --> 00:04:57.600 in Leviticus, and that the law was a mere shadow 00:04:57.600 --> 00:05:02.220 of the reality which was to come, referring to 00:05:02.220 --> 00:05:07.519 Christ and to the perfect sacrifice that He offered 00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:11.139 for our salvation, a sacrifice that was offered 00:05:11.139 --> 00:05:15.040 once and for all times. So we're no longer under 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:18.959 the regulations which related to Israel's worship, 00:05:19.040 --> 00:05:23.399 but we do in this book observe something about 00:05:23.399 --> 00:05:27.180 the promised Redeemer which must not escape our 00:05:27.180 --> 00:05:32.339 notice. There were numerous and various kinds 00:05:32.339 --> 00:05:36.879 of sacrifices enumerated in the book of Leviticus, 00:05:36.939 --> 00:05:41.160 but they all had one thing in common, and that's 00:05:41.160 --> 00:05:45.870 what we need to note. The one thing they had 00:05:45.870 --> 00:05:52.209 in common was that all sacrifices had to be perfect. 00:05:56.750 --> 00:05:59.470 Nothing could be offered to the Lord that had 00:05:59.470 --> 00:06:03.709 any blemish in it. There could be no defect. 00:06:06.069 --> 00:06:08.269 Now I'd like to illustrate that for you just 00:06:08.269 --> 00:06:12.170 by sampling some verses. So turn to Leviticus 00:06:12.170 --> 00:06:15.550 chapter 1. where we find regulations regarding 00:06:15.550 --> 00:06:18.509 the burnt offering, one of the five different 00:06:18.509 --> 00:06:23.470 kinds of offering that are mentioned here. Now, 00:06:23.490 --> 00:06:27.310 in Leviticus 1, in verse 3, it says, If his offering 00:06:27.310 --> 00:06:31.490 is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer 00:06:31.490 --> 00:06:38.029 it a male without defect. Look at verse 10. But 00:06:38.029 --> 00:06:41.920 if his offering is from the flock, Of the sheep 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:44.439 or of the goats for a bird offering, he shall 00:06:44.439 --> 00:06:51.560 offer it a male without defect. Chapter 2. Here 00:06:51.560 --> 00:06:54.379 we have the green offering. It says in verse 00:06:54.379 --> 00:06:57.120 1, When anyone presents a green offering as an 00:06:57.120 --> 00:07:00.000 offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:05.839 fine flour. That is, flour that was beaten and 00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:09.509 perfect. And he shall pour oil on it and put 00:07:09.509 --> 00:07:13.389 frankincense on it. It had to be perfectly prepared. 00:07:14.850 --> 00:07:18.730 Chapter 3, verse 1, the peace offering. If his 00:07:18.730 --> 00:07:21.129 offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if 00:07:21.129 --> 00:07:23.709 he is going to offer out of the herd, whether 00:07:23.709 --> 00:07:27.370 male or female, he shall offer it without defect 00:07:27.370 --> 00:07:30.889 before the Lord. Now I could go on and on and 00:07:30.889 --> 00:07:34.829 on in this book. with example after example that 00:07:34.829 --> 00:07:37.230 says that the offerings that were brought to 00:07:37.230 --> 00:07:40.329 the Lord must be without any blemish whatsoever. 00:07:42.149 --> 00:07:48.629 The offerings had to be perfect. And so as we 00:07:48.629 --> 00:07:51.069 think of Christmas in the Pentateuch, let's just 00:07:51.069 --> 00:07:56.509 review. In Genesis, we saw the promise of the 00:07:56.509 --> 00:08:00.269 Redeemer, the seed of the woman who would crush 00:08:00.269 --> 00:08:03.980 the head. of the serpent, the promised Redeemer. 00:08:04.660 --> 00:08:08.819 In Exodus, we saw the picture of the Redeemer 00:08:08.819 --> 00:08:13.920 in that tabernacle. And as we come to Leviticus, 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:21.060 we observe the perfection of the Redeemer. Think 00:08:21.060 --> 00:08:23.500 with me about the fact that Christ was perfect 00:08:23.500 --> 00:08:30.519 in His birth. He was without defect in His birth. 00:08:31.920 --> 00:08:34.179 To see this, turn with me to the New Testament, 00:08:34.220 --> 00:08:41.700 to Luke chapter 1, to a portion that was read 00:08:41.700 --> 00:08:45.059 for us earlier in the service. Luke chapter 1, 00:08:45.220 --> 00:08:50.419 we'll pick up the words of Gabriel to Mary in 00:08:50.419 --> 00:08:54.399 verse 32, where it says, He, this baby to be 00:08:54.399 --> 00:08:57.940 born, whose name would be Jesus, will be great 00:08:57.940 --> 00:09:00.580 and will be called the Son of the Most High. 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:04.279 and the Lord God will give him the throne of 00:09:04.279 --> 00:09:08.620 his father David, and he will reign over the 00:09:08.620 --> 00:09:12.779 house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will 00:09:12.779 --> 00:09:16.779 have no end. Now there's something very interesting 00:09:16.779 --> 00:09:20.679 that we observe here. This one who was to be 00:09:20.679 --> 00:09:27.779 born of Mary would also be called the son of 00:09:27.779 --> 00:09:33.519 the Most High. That is, the Son of God. Both 00:09:33.519 --> 00:09:37.919 of these titles are equally descriptive of him. 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:47.360 He could be called truly the Son of Mary. And 00:09:47.360 --> 00:09:51.519 at the same time, the Son of the Most High. How 00:09:51.519 --> 00:09:57.139 can this be? It means that he must have two natures. 00:10:00.909 --> 00:10:03.389 He must have the nature of man in order to be 00:10:03.389 --> 00:10:08.409 called the Son of Mary. He must be human. At 00:10:08.409 --> 00:10:10.850 the same time, he must be truly and genuinely 00:10:10.850 --> 00:10:15.970 the Son of God. He must have the nature of God. 00:10:17.210 --> 00:10:22.029 And so we have the truth of the person of Jesus 00:10:22.029 --> 00:10:28.529 Christ. He was one person, but wondrously united 00:10:28.529 --> 00:10:34.909 in that one person. were two natures, that of 00:10:34.909 --> 00:10:47.110 man and God, sinless man and eternal God. He 00:10:47.110 --> 00:10:51.809 was perfect in his birth, without sin, that is, 00:10:51.889 --> 00:10:58.990 so that as a man he might be united in one person. 00:11:00.779 --> 00:11:06.679 with eternal God. You say, how can that be? Well, 00:11:06.700 --> 00:11:08.940 Mary asked the same question, you will notice. 00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:14.419 Her question in verse 34 does not reflect unbelief 00:11:14.419 --> 00:11:18.840 on her part, but rather curiosity. It is in contrast 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:22.539 to Zacharias, who earlier in this chapter was 00:11:22.539 --> 00:11:26.320 given word about a birth, and he said, how? And 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:30.330 it was a question of unbelief. And as a consequence 00:11:30.330 --> 00:11:35.429 of that, God struck him dumb until his son was 00:11:35.429 --> 00:11:39.549 born. Mary asked the same question, how? But 00:11:39.549 --> 00:11:42.730 it's faith on her part. For out of curiosity, 00:11:42.870 --> 00:11:45.750 she wonders, how can this be that my son should 00:11:45.750 --> 00:11:50.950 be called the Son of God? Well, Luke tells us 00:11:50.950 --> 00:11:55.029 the answer to that. The angel responded to Mary 00:11:55.029 --> 00:11:58.960 by saying, the Holy Spirit. will come upon you, 00:11:59.059 --> 00:12:04.340 and the power of the Most High will overshadow 00:12:04.340 --> 00:12:08.279 you. For that reason, the Holy Offspring shall 00:12:08.279 --> 00:12:12.919 be called the Son of God. Seven times in the 00:12:12.919 --> 00:12:15.299 first two chapters of his Gospel, Luke mentions 00:12:15.299 --> 00:12:19.159 the Holy Spirit. This is one of them. And here 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:23.100 he says the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and 00:12:23.100 --> 00:12:26.919 the power of the Most High will overshadow you. 00:12:27.320 --> 00:12:32.179 What an interesting thought, overshadow. It is 00:12:32.179 --> 00:12:35.460 the very same word that Luke chooses to use later 00:12:35.460 --> 00:12:39.940 when writing about the transfiguration in chapter 00:12:39.940 --> 00:12:44.879 9 and verse 34, where the Shekinah glory of God 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:51.460 overshadowed the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration. 00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:56.659 It is the same word that is used in Exodus chapter 00:12:56.659 --> 00:13:01.659 40 and verse 35. When after Moses and the people 00:13:01.659 --> 00:13:04.120 had built that tabernacle that we talked about 00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:09.000 last week and constructed it and so on, and it 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:12.879 says that the glory of God settled upon it, it 00:13:12.879 --> 00:13:18.799 overshadowed it. The overshadowing of God is 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:26.200 his powerful personal presence. In response to 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:29.519 the question, how will this be? Gabriel says, 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:35.080 powerfully and personally, God will reveal Himself 00:13:35.080 --> 00:13:39.899 to you. And the result will be that He will engender 00:13:39.899 --> 00:13:47.860 a child within your womb. And that child will 00:13:47.860 --> 00:13:54.919 be called holy. Verse 35 says, holy. offspring, 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:59.940 or holy child. Not merely holy because he was 00:13:59.940 --> 00:14:04.120 separated to God's purpose, but in the context 00:14:04.120 --> 00:14:08.379 here, the holiness refers to his purity, his 00:14:08.379 --> 00:14:14.080 sinlessness. To accomplish this would take a 00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:17.340 great miracle. For never in the history of the 00:14:17.340 --> 00:14:20.019 world had anything like this happened. And by 00:14:20.019 --> 00:14:23.850 the way, never since has it happened. that a 00:14:23.850 --> 00:14:29.450 virgin would conceive. And yet the Holy Spirit 00:14:29.450 --> 00:14:34.549 caused Mary to be with child, and there within 00:14:34.549 --> 00:14:42.850 her womb, in that embryo, were united the natures 00:14:42.850 --> 00:14:48.669 of man and God. And because God counts the sinfulness 00:14:48.669 --> 00:14:53.080 of man through the male seed, And Jesus was born 00:14:53.080 --> 00:14:57.179 without the implantation of that seed. He was 00:14:57.179 --> 00:15:02.799 born as sinless, without the transgression and 00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:07.279 the sin of Adam being passed on to him. Therefore, 00:15:07.379 --> 00:15:13.220 he was truly the holy offspring of God. Verse 00:15:13.220 --> 00:15:18.360 37 says, Nothing will be impossible with God. 00:15:20.679 --> 00:15:26.559 It took a miracle to do this. And God, by His 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:34.000 power, caused Jesus to be born perfectly. Dr. 00:15:34.139 --> 00:15:37.500 Walter Liefeld says this is one of the most reassuring 00:15:37.500 --> 00:15:41.879 statements in all of Scripture, verse 37. Mary 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:45.500 says, how will this be? With God, nothing is 00:15:45.500 --> 00:15:50.240 impossible. Can you allow that word regarding 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:52.860 God just to settle on your heart for a moment 00:15:52.860 --> 00:15:57.220 this morning? In whatever circumstance you find 00:15:57.220 --> 00:16:00.440 yourself and you say, how can this be? How will 00:16:00.440 --> 00:16:04.700 I get through this? How can I face it? How can 00:16:04.700 --> 00:16:12.200 I do it? The word from God is that nothing is 00:16:12.200 --> 00:16:16.440 impossible with Him. Or to say it another way, 00:16:16.519 --> 00:16:21.419 with God, all things are possible. He even caused 00:16:21.419 --> 00:16:31.480 a woman who was a virgin to be with child. Christ 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:33.700 was perfect in His birth, and as a result of 00:16:33.700 --> 00:16:36.500 that, there was nothing of sin that was a part 00:16:36.500 --> 00:16:42.740 of His person. Nothing. Those of you who have 00:16:42.740 --> 00:16:46.759 experienced the wonder of birth know what a special 00:16:46.759 --> 00:16:49.440 time it is when you hold that baby in your hands. 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:55.379 And you look down at that little body and you 00:16:55.379 --> 00:16:58.179 peer into those eyes that are blinking up at 00:16:58.179 --> 00:17:06.619 you. And you understand something of a miracle. 00:17:10.410 --> 00:17:15.470 How the love of you and your spouse could bring 00:17:15.470 --> 00:17:23.549 to pass such a marvelous thing. But when you 00:17:23.549 --> 00:17:27.109 look at that little baby, you're looking at a 00:17:27.109 --> 00:17:32.109 sinner. You're looking at a sinner. It may take 00:17:32.109 --> 00:17:33.869 a while for it to be expressed, but it won't 00:17:33.869 --> 00:17:38.990 be long. Much shorter time than you think. That 00:17:38.990 --> 00:17:44.309 baby is a sinner. You say, wasn't Mary a sinner 00:17:44.309 --> 00:17:48.430 here? Didn't Jesus become contaminated with her 00:17:48.430 --> 00:17:52.289 sin? Well, in response to that, the Roman Catholic 00:17:52.289 --> 00:17:57.509 Church has created a doctrine called the Immaculate 00:17:57.509 --> 00:18:02.569 Conception of Mary. We had a church in my hometown 00:18:02.569 --> 00:18:06.609 in Kansas by that name, the Church of the Immaculate 00:18:06.609 --> 00:18:08.839 Conception. They're not talking about Jesus' 00:18:09.019 --> 00:18:11.400 conception. In their theology, they're talking 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:14.619 about Mary's conception, that she was without 00:18:14.619 --> 00:18:19.200 sin. But Mary's own words in this chapter contradict 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:24.220 such an idea that she was without sin. She talks 00:18:24.220 --> 00:18:27.519 about the grace of God. Mary saw herself as a 00:18:27.519 --> 00:18:29.460 servant of God, but she was not without sin. 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:33.920 To me, to pass the buck back one generation doesn't 00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:36.200 really solve the question, how did Mary then 00:18:36.200 --> 00:18:41.480 get born without sin? You see, part of the miracle 00:18:41.480 --> 00:18:45.140 of the virgin birth is that God shielded the 00:18:45.140 --> 00:18:50.259 Lord Jesus from Mary's sin as well. And legally 00:18:50.259 --> 00:18:52.539 he protected him because he was born without 00:18:52.539 --> 00:18:58.009 a human father. When Mary and Joseph held the 00:18:58.009 --> 00:19:01.190 baby Jesus in their arms, they looked into the 00:19:01.190 --> 00:19:06.829 eyes of a unique child. They looked into the 00:19:06.829 --> 00:19:13.390 eyes of a child that had no sin. For just a moment, 00:19:13.410 --> 00:19:15.930 imagine yourself as a sinner raising a child 00:19:15.930 --> 00:19:21.349 without sin. Can you foresee any complications 00:19:21.349 --> 00:19:25.440 in life? Can you imagine any tensions in life? 00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:30.700 It's bad enough when the child thinks he can't 00:19:30.700 --> 00:19:35.420 do wrong, which all of us have experienced. But 00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:37.380 what do you do when the child does no wrong? 00:19:39.799 --> 00:19:43.779 And you're a sinner. There was nothing of sin 00:19:43.779 --> 00:19:47.019 in the Lord Jesus Christ by His birth. He was 00:19:47.019 --> 00:19:50.180 perfect in His birth. Now, it's important for 00:19:50.180 --> 00:19:52.000 us to understand also that He was perfect in 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:57.470 His life. Leviticus tells us the Redeemer must 00:19:57.470 --> 00:20:02.809 be without defect. And there was nothing in all 00:20:02.809 --> 00:20:07.869 of his life of sin. Luke tells us just a glimpse 00:20:07.869 --> 00:20:10.509 about his childhood, and only Luke gives us this 00:20:10.509 --> 00:20:12.849 much insight, so we should thank the good doctor. 00:20:13.650 --> 00:20:15.789 But we could wish he would have told us a little 00:20:15.789 --> 00:20:17.730 more. There are lots of legends that have grown 00:20:17.730 --> 00:20:21.069 up about the boyhood of Jesus. We only have one 00:20:21.069 --> 00:20:25.049 brief glimpse of him. When at the age of about 00:20:25.049 --> 00:20:28.069 12, he was in the temple. Beyond that, we know 00:20:28.069 --> 00:20:32.369 nothing of his childhood and his teenage years, 00:20:32.630 --> 00:20:35.789 his early adulthood. But notice what Luke does 00:20:35.789 --> 00:20:43.349 tell us in Luke chapter 2 and verse 51. It says, 00:20:43.410 --> 00:20:48.130 And he, Jesus, went down with them, his parents, 00:20:48.309 --> 00:20:52.579 Mary and Joseph, and came to Nazareth. And he 00:20:52.579 --> 00:20:57.220 continued in subjection to them. That gives us 00:20:57.220 --> 00:20:59.420 a wonderful insight into what it means to have 00:20:59.420 --> 00:21:05.660 a sinless child. You have a child who is in a 00:21:05.660 --> 00:21:11.819 perfect kind of subjection to the parents. A 00:21:11.819 --> 00:21:14.319 subjection that is not denied by what happened 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:16.220 in the earlier verses just before these were 00:21:16.220 --> 00:21:19.579 reading in Luke 2. Jesus was not disobeying his 00:21:19.579 --> 00:21:23.960 parents. in being in his father's house. And 00:21:23.960 --> 00:21:26.559 it says his mother treasured all these things 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:28.740 in her heart. Now we know where Luke got this 00:21:28.740 --> 00:21:33.140 information. When he wrote his gospel, Mary was 00:21:33.140 --> 00:21:35.140 still living and shared with him some of the 00:21:35.140 --> 00:21:37.660 things that happened regarding the announcement 00:21:37.660 --> 00:21:40.440 to her and the birth of Jesus and this event. 00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:46.859 And it says in verse 52, And Jesus kept increasing 00:21:46.859 --> 00:21:51.579 in wisdom and stature, That word means more than 00:21:51.579 --> 00:21:55.740 a physical body. It means in maturity, as a person, 00:21:55.880 --> 00:22:02.920 and in favor with God and man. On your own time, 00:22:02.940 --> 00:22:06.039 look up Proverbs 3, verses 3 and 4, where it 00:22:06.039 --> 00:22:09.180 talks about the son who listens to his father. 00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:15.519 And because of that, kindness and truth fills 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:19.299 his life, and he has long life. Kindness and 00:22:19.299 --> 00:22:23.759 truth reminds us of the grace and truth that 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:27.619 were found perfectly in this child, the Lord 00:22:27.619 --> 00:22:33.000 Jesus. This one who grew to be a man, perfect 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:39.339 man. He grew up perfectly. Everything about him 00:22:39.339 --> 00:22:43.500 was balanced. He was in favor with men, but God 00:22:43.500 --> 00:22:48.740 as well. Now look in chapter 3. We have John's 00:22:48.740 --> 00:22:51.339 testimony regarding him. John, you remember, 00:22:51.500 --> 00:22:55.180 was his half -cousin. He is the one that was 00:22:55.180 --> 00:23:02.200 born to Zacharias and Elizabeth. And it says 00:23:02.200 --> 00:23:04.960 in verse 16, John answered and said to them, 00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:08.259 As for me, I baptize you with water, but one 00:23:08.259 --> 00:23:14.920 is coming who is mightier than I. and I am not 00:23:14.920 --> 00:23:20.240 fit to untie the thong of his sandals. John was 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:23.859 the most holy man in all of Israel, calling the 00:23:23.859 --> 00:23:28.359 people to repentance. But John confesses, I am 00:23:28.359 --> 00:23:31.920 not even worthy to stoop down and put his shoes 00:23:31.920 --> 00:23:36.779 on. That's what John thought about him. John 00:23:36.779 --> 00:23:39.339 said, I baptize you with water to prepare you. 00:23:39.900 --> 00:23:42.339 but there is one who is coming who will baptize 00:23:42.339 --> 00:23:48.140 you with the Holy Spirit and fire. He says this 00:23:48.140 --> 00:23:50.859 one who is coming has the ability to give to 00:23:50.859 --> 00:23:55.140 you the Holy Spirit. Tells you what John thought 00:23:55.140 --> 00:24:00.119 of him. Did Jesus and John know each other in 00:24:00.119 --> 00:24:03.839 their childhood? Well, we would assume yes. We 00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:06.359 would assume that there were occasions when they 00:24:06.359 --> 00:24:08.359 were together, maybe even played together as 00:24:08.359 --> 00:24:14.869 children. And John saw firsthand the perfection 00:24:14.869 --> 00:24:24.009 in this one. And we see God's testimony in verse 00:24:24.009 --> 00:24:28.710 22 when at Jesus' baptism, the Holy Spirit descended 00:24:28.710 --> 00:24:32.789 upon him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice 00:24:32.789 --> 00:24:38.609 came out of heaven, Thou art my beloved Son. 00:24:39.430 --> 00:24:45.109 In thee... I am well pleased. So God's testimony 00:24:45.109 --> 00:24:48.809 of Jesus, now an adult about 30 years of age, 00:24:49.009 --> 00:24:54.609 he's perfect. I am well pleased with everything 00:24:54.609 --> 00:24:59.349 about my beloved son. There is no defect in him. 00:25:02.329 --> 00:25:09.609 Then Jesus began his ministry. And Luke... tells 00:25:09.609 --> 00:25:13.970 about his ministry in chapter 4. Luke excludes 00:25:13.970 --> 00:25:17.490 about a year of ministry before he picks it up. 00:25:17.509 --> 00:25:20.130 But it's interesting where he picks it up. In 00:25:20.130 --> 00:25:25.630 chapter 4 and verse 34, shortly after Jesus begins 00:25:25.630 --> 00:25:29.990 his ministry, as Luke records it, what he chooses 00:25:29.990 --> 00:25:32.289 to say about it. In verse 34, we have the word 00:25:32.289 --> 00:25:36.319 of a demon. and not just any demon, but here 00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:43.400 is an unclean spirit, a filthy, unclean spirit 00:25:43.400 --> 00:25:50.839 who has possessed a man. He sees Jesus, and he 00:25:50.839 --> 00:25:57.240 says, Ha! What have we to do with you, Jesus 00:25:57.240 --> 00:26:03.299 of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know 00:26:03.299 --> 00:26:09.500 who you are, the Holy One of God. So here's a 00:26:09.500 --> 00:26:14.420 voice from the dark side. Believe me, if there 00:26:14.420 --> 00:26:17.539 were any defect in Jesus, this demon would have 00:26:17.539 --> 00:26:20.740 known about it and would have shouted it. But 00:26:20.740 --> 00:26:23.099 the only thing that he could honestly confess 00:26:23.099 --> 00:26:29.420 about Jesus was that he was holy. And he knew 00:26:29.420 --> 00:26:33.400 who he was. And he knew about him, and he knew 00:26:33.400 --> 00:26:39.500 his destiny, his mission. And he questions the 00:26:39.500 --> 00:26:42.819 timing of it, but he says, the Holy One of God, 00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:48.200 he was perfect and without defect. In chapter 00:26:48.200 --> 00:26:51.359 5, we have a word from one of Jesus' disciples, 00:26:51.660 --> 00:26:56.160 Peter. There had been a miracle of the catching 00:26:56.160 --> 00:27:00.849 of fish. And it was so amazing, so miraculous, 00:27:01.269 --> 00:27:04.809 that Simon Peter, when he saw this, fell down 00:27:04.809 --> 00:27:09.390 at Jesus' feet, verse 8. And he said, Depart 00:27:09.390 --> 00:27:14.710 from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. You see, 00:27:14.769 --> 00:27:16.710 Peter recognized there is something different 00:27:16.710 --> 00:27:20.289 about this man. And he's certainly different 00:27:20.289 --> 00:27:23.970 than I am. I am a sinner. And being in the presence 00:27:23.970 --> 00:27:26.210 of one that he looked upon as perfect, he says, 00:27:26.599 --> 00:27:29.200 Depart from me. Go away from me. I'm a sinner. 00:27:30.859 --> 00:27:35.980 That was Peter's testimony. Well, let's think 00:27:35.980 --> 00:27:38.519 about some concluding remarks, some bottom line 00:27:38.519 --> 00:27:43.380 statements. What about John? John, who was the 00:27:43.380 --> 00:27:46.420 closest to Jesus of all the disciples, perhaps. 00:27:47.740 --> 00:27:51.539 And John, in his writing in 1 John 3, verse 5, 00:27:51.579 --> 00:28:01.480 says, was no sin. Now here's John, who was with 00:28:01.480 --> 00:28:05.119 Jesus in the most intimate of moments, who walked 00:28:05.119 --> 00:28:09.200 with him two or three years, who saw him as an 00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:11.559 adult, who heard every word that came out of 00:28:11.559 --> 00:28:14.740 his mouth, who saw him in the private moments, 00:28:14.980 --> 00:28:22.160 and he says, in him was no sin. Peter likewise 00:28:22.160 --> 00:28:26.680 says regarding him in 1 Peter 2, 22, he committed 00:28:26.680 --> 00:28:33.880 no sin. That's what Peter said. The apostle Paul 00:28:33.880 --> 00:28:42.980 says, he who knew no sin. 2 Corinthians 5, 21. 00:28:44.500 --> 00:28:47.480 The writer of Hebrews who is unknown to us may 00:28:47.480 --> 00:28:56.750 be Apollos. said, he is holy, harmless, pure, 00:28:56.890 --> 00:29:01.910 set apart from sinners, perfect in his life. 00:29:03.390 --> 00:29:05.690 But I want to close this morning by pointing 00:29:05.690 --> 00:29:09.970 to the fact that the Redeemer is perfect in his 00:29:09.970 --> 00:29:15.690 sacrifice. Peter says regarding our redemption, 00:29:15.869 --> 00:29:25.660 we were redeemed by blood. Of a lamb, but not 00:29:25.660 --> 00:29:32.099 the kind in Leviticus. Human blood. But it's 00:29:32.099 --> 00:29:37.200 like the blood of a lamb, says Peter. Holy and 00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:42.619 without blemish. You see, the reason the Lord 00:29:42.619 --> 00:29:46.579 Jesus was perfect in his birth and perfect in 00:29:46.579 --> 00:29:50.559 his life was so that as a perfect sacrifice, 00:29:51.440 --> 00:29:54.880 He could go to the cross and there pay the price 00:29:54.880 --> 00:30:01.160 for sinners like you and me. Writing about that, 00:30:01.200 --> 00:30:04.940 the Apostle Paul says, He who knew no sin was 00:30:04.940 --> 00:30:13.579 made sin for us. A profound statement of identification 00:30:13.579 --> 00:30:19.680 between Jesus and those for whom he died. It 00:30:19.680 --> 00:30:22.140 does not say there really that he became a sinner, 00:30:22.200 --> 00:30:28.380 but he became sin itself. Dr. Murray Harris writes, 00:30:28.599 --> 00:30:31.799 So complete was the identification of the sinless 00:30:31.799 --> 00:30:35.799 Christ with the sin of the sinner, including 00:30:35.799 --> 00:30:39.140 its dire guilt and its dread consequence of separation 00:30:39.140 --> 00:30:43.539 from God, that Paul could say profoundly, God 00:30:43.539 --> 00:30:52.980 made him to be sin for us. Leviticus tells us 00:30:52.980 --> 00:30:57.160 that the Redeemer had to be perfect. And we find 00:30:57.160 --> 00:31:00.039 that in every aspect of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:31:01.140 --> 00:31:06.960 He was, hear me, the perfect Christmas gift. 00:31:07.980 --> 00:31:13.099 The perfect Christmas gift. The work of sacrifice 00:31:13.099 --> 00:31:17.019 was perfect. Nothing needs to be added to it 00:31:17.019 --> 00:31:22.109 today. The gift of salvation is perfect. It includes 00:31:22.109 --> 00:31:26.990 everything we will ever need. The way to have 00:31:26.990 --> 00:31:32.990 it is also perfect. It requires nothing of us 00:31:32.990 --> 00:31:37.630 except to receive it. We don't have to contribute 00:31:37.630 --> 00:31:43.670 anything but only to believe. This perfect Christ, 00:31:43.869 --> 00:31:50.160 my friend, is all you need. To be saved. All 00:31:50.160 --> 00:31:55.299 you need to be right with God. This perfect Christ 00:31:55.299 --> 00:31:59.380 is all you need to take you safely to heaven. 00:32:00.900 --> 00:32:06.220 All you need. And those of us who found that 00:32:06.220 --> 00:32:10.359 wonderful truth and believed it, and who are 00:32:10.359 --> 00:32:14.220 God's children through faith, this Christmas 00:32:14.220 --> 00:32:18.339 season we worship a perfect Redeemer. A perfect 00:32:18.339 --> 00:32:20.779 Redeemer who is worthy of our total devotion 00:32:20.779 --> 00:32:25.720 and our faithful service. Let's give it to Him. 00:32:27.920 --> 00:32:31.880 I came across some words that I found moving 00:32:31.880 --> 00:32:36.160 recently. Words written by a lady in our city. 00:32:36.779 --> 00:32:39.640 Actually spoken by her, but written down from 00:32:39.640 --> 00:32:43.759 a statement she had made at a conference. Her 00:32:43.759 --> 00:32:47.089 name was Linda Rios Brooke. Maybe you recall 00:32:47.089 --> 00:32:49.950 that she was, at the time that she made this 00:32:49.950 --> 00:32:55.130 statement, the manager of Channel 11 here in 00:32:55.130 --> 00:33:01.150 town. At a conference of Christians, she said, 00:33:01.269 --> 00:33:05.130 I have come to a turning point in my life where 00:33:05.130 --> 00:33:07.769 the options that are available to me are not 00:33:07.769 --> 00:33:11.750 particularly attractive. For in order to be acceptable 00:33:11.750 --> 00:33:14.250 to some who believe that Christians in media 00:33:14.250 --> 00:33:18.549 are somehow suspect, I must either be silent 00:33:18.549 --> 00:33:21.809 about my Christian faith or risk being thought 00:33:21.809 --> 00:33:26.210 a fool, a zealot, and even a bigot by people 00:33:26.210 --> 00:33:30.250 whose approval I greatly desire. While I may 00:33:30.250 --> 00:33:33.289 be again badgered in the tabloid press for what 00:33:33.289 --> 00:33:36.009 I am about to say, I will nevertheless say it. 00:33:36.890 --> 00:33:41.779 I am not ashamed. of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:33:43.440 --> 00:33:47.359 It is my intention to teach about him and to 00:33:47.359 --> 00:33:51.119 speak about him on my personal time to those 00:33:51.119 --> 00:33:55.519 who invite me to do so until I die, even if it 00:33:55.519 --> 00:33:57.700 means giving up other things that I've worked 00:33:57.700 --> 00:34:02.339 my whole life to achieve. As I stand at this 00:34:02.339 --> 00:34:05.750 crossroads in my life, I am betting my life that 00:34:05.750 --> 00:34:09.429 God has his hand on this situation and that God 00:34:09.429 --> 00:34:13.710 has his hand on me. And if that devotion to Jesus 00:34:13.710 --> 00:34:16.929 makes me appear foolish to the secular world 00:34:16.929 --> 00:34:21.170 where my livelihood is, then a fool I am willing 00:34:21.170 --> 00:34:26.989 to be. I want to tell you that's a great statement. 00:34:28.050 --> 00:34:30.690 And within a few days of making it, she was fired 00:34:30.690 --> 00:34:42.849 from Channel 11. My friend, our perfect Redeemer 00:34:42.849 --> 00:34:48.050 deserves this kind of commitment. He deserves 00:34:48.050 --> 00:34:51.690 nothing less than our best, our full devotion. 00:34:55.369 --> 00:35:01.869 He is perfect. Let's desire that what we give 00:35:01.869 --> 00:35:06.010 Him in the sacrifice of our lives may be well 00:35:06.010 --> 00:35:11.840 -pleasing. to this wonderful God whom we know 00:35:11.840 --> 00:35:18.239 and serve. Let's pray. Our heads bowed and our 00:35:18.239 --> 00:35:22.500 eyes closed as we just allow the Spirit of God 00:35:22.500 --> 00:35:26.639 to speak for a moment, to bring to conclusion 00:35:26.639 --> 00:35:29.599 perhaps some process of thoughts or events in 00:35:29.599 --> 00:35:36.000 our lives. I remember as a child seeing this 00:35:36.000 --> 00:35:44.460 statement, on my pastor's desk. It said, I'm 00:35:44.460 --> 00:35:53.380 a fool for Christ. Whose fool are you? Linda 00:35:53.380 --> 00:35:56.420 Brooke was willing to be made a fool in the secular 00:35:56.420 --> 00:36:00.559 press because of her desire to be faithful to 00:36:00.559 --> 00:36:03.579 Jesus Christ and be not ashamed of his gospel. 00:36:05.219 --> 00:36:07.920 Are you willing even to be thought a zealot, 00:36:07.920 --> 00:36:12.340 a bigot? or a fool to be faithful to this Lord. 00:36:15.199 --> 00:36:21.559 Surely, as we understand his perfection and the 00:36:21.559 --> 00:36:25.920 wonderful gospel that includes his coming into 00:36:25.920 --> 00:36:28.760 the world in such a miraculous way, we can do 00:36:28.760 --> 00:36:34.079 nothing less than give him our all. For he is 00:36:34.079 --> 00:36:41.300 all that we need. Lord Jesus, we worship you. 00:36:42.440 --> 00:36:47.000 We acknowledge to you our imperfections and the 00:36:47.000 --> 00:36:52.820 sin that still erupts in our lives. We repent 00:36:52.820 --> 00:36:55.480 of that. We acknowledge its presence with confession 00:36:55.480 --> 00:37:02.139 and sorrow. We desire to be cleansed, to be invigorated 00:37:02.139 --> 00:37:07.630 with a healthy commitment. that will stand the 00:37:07.630 --> 00:37:13.409 tests that we face in our lives right now. So 00:37:13.409 --> 00:37:20.489 our perfect Redeemer, enable us that our devotion 00:37:20.489 --> 00:37:27.929 to you may reach toward perfection. You may receive 00:37:27.929 --> 00:37:32.210 from us our all, for that's what you deserve. 00:37:33.869 --> 00:37:38.710 Amen. I'd like to sing in closing a verse of 00:37:38.710 --> 00:37:45.510 443. The Lord Jesus had only one lifetime in 00:37:45.510 --> 00:37:51.369 this world. And in that one lifetime, he lived 00:37:51.369 --> 00:37:56.369 perfectly and did the will of God. And this song 00:37:56.369 --> 00:37:58.829 tells us that you and I have only one life, too. 00:37:59.590 --> 00:38:03.230 We offer it best when we offer it to him. Let's 00:38:03.230 --> 00:38:05.349 stand and sing just the last verse, please, of 00:38:05.349 --> 00:38:06.409 443.