WEBVTT 00:00:04.110 --> 00:00:06.570 As one drives cross -country, occasionally one 00:00:06.570 --> 00:00:10.050 comes to a sign along the interstate that says, 00:00:10.109 --> 00:00:14.710 scenic view. And there's the temptation to pull 00:00:14.710 --> 00:00:18.329 off to the side, spend a few moments relaxing, 00:00:18.589 --> 00:00:22.370 perhaps resting, and looking at the view that 00:00:22.370 --> 00:00:26.289 is offered. We have been on a long journey in 00:00:26.289 --> 00:00:28.969 Romans, having been there since sometime last 00:00:28.969 --> 00:00:32.630 spring. We're going to take a few weeks now for... 00:00:33.049 --> 00:00:35.689 a rest and relaxation from that to look at the 00:00:35.689 --> 00:00:38.689 scenery particularly as it relates to the season 00:00:38.689 --> 00:00:41.670 of the year that we're in right now some people 00:00:41.670 --> 00:00:45.850 bemoan christmas arrival they feel that it's 00:00:45.850 --> 00:00:48.329 so commercial that's lost its meaning and in 00:00:48.329 --> 00:00:50.409 some respects i guess that's true but i'm one 00:00:50.409 --> 00:00:53.149 of those who really enjoys christmas i enjoy 00:00:53.149 --> 00:00:55.990 getting into it i'm glad for any opportunity 00:00:55.990 --> 00:00:59.350 we have to present the savior and during this 00:00:59.350 --> 00:01:02.390 time of the year people are more oriented that 00:01:02.390 --> 00:01:06.329 way, I guess, to receive that kind of input. 00:01:06.890 --> 00:01:09.469 So I think we should take every advantage that 00:01:09.469 --> 00:01:12.909 we can for Christmas. By the way, we're going 00:01:12.909 --> 00:01:15.049 to be having some very special music here next 00:01:15.049 --> 00:01:16.989 Sunday night, and our choir and orchestra will 00:01:16.989 --> 00:01:19.090 be presenting 90 minutes of Christmas music. 00:01:19.310 --> 00:01:21.310 I hope that you can come and join us then, and 00:01:21.310 --> 00:01:24.409 invite someone to come along and share. Sometimes 00:01:24.409 --> 00:01:27.030 people who aren't prone to visit church at other 00:01:27.030 --> 00:01:28.890 times of the year will come at Christmas time. 00:01:29.530 --> 00:01:31.230 This will be an opportunity for you to invite 00:01:31.230 --> 00:01:33.109 that friend, perhaps, that you've been wanting 00:01:33.109 --> 00:01:37.290 to invite for some time. But as we take a look 00:01:37.290 --> 00:01:39.790 at the scenery this morning, we're going to do 00:01:39.790 --> 00:01:45.310 so by starting in Luke chapter 24. If you're 00:01:45.310 --> 00:01:47.709 looking for God, the place to find him is in 00:01:47.709 --> 00:01:51.129 the Bible. If you want to meet him in person, 00:01:51.310 --> 00:01:55.810 then read about Jesus Christ. I heard a story 00:01:55.810 --> 00:01:58.090 several years ago about a Russian cosmonaut. 00:01:58.890 --> 00:02:01.269 who upon arriving back on the earth from his 00:02:01.269 --> 00:02:05.010 orbits around the world, proclaimed arrogantly, 00:02:05.090 --> 00:02:08.409 well, I didn't see any God up there. Someone 00:02:08.409 --> 00:02:11.629 made the reply, if he had only taken time to 00:02:11.629 --> 00:02:13.810 step out of his capsule without his space suit 00:02:13.810 --> 00:02:16.909 on, he would have seen God. Well, of course, 00:02:16.909 --> 00:02:20.669 that's true, I suppose. But if we want to see 00:02:20.669 --> 00:02:23.870 God, we see him in his son, Jesus Christ. And 00:02:23.870 --> 00:02:26.449 Luke chapter 24 gives us a verse that's going 00:02:26.449 --> 00:02:29.939 to be a touchstone for us. as we proceed through 00:02:29.939 --> 00:02:33.039 the next three weeks with the theme, An Old Testament 00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:36.939 Christmas. Jesus said, search the scriptures. 00:02:37.919 --> 00:02:41.840 These bear witness of me. He also says in verse 00:02:41.840 --> 00:02:46.360 44 of this chapter we're looking at, these are 00:02:46.360 --> 00:02:49.699 my words which I spoke to you while I was still 00:02:49.699 --> 00:02:54.000 with you, that all things which are written about 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:59.159 me in the law of Moses, and the prophets and 00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:03.819 the Psalms must be fulfilled. So our Lord tells 00:03:03.819 --> 00:03:07.539 us that in each section of the Old Testament 00:03:07.539 --> 00:03:10.520 scriptures, as the Jews commonly divided the 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:13.680 Old Testament, there were things written about 00:03:13.680 --> 00:03:18.099 him. That is, as we go to the Law of Moses, we 00:03:18.099 --> 00:03:21.759 should find Jesus Christ there. The prophets 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:25.780 tell us about him. As we read the Psalms, he 00:03:25.780 --> 00:03:29.280 is there. That's the division for the next three 00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:31.800 weeks. Today we're going to look at the Law of 00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:36.199 Moses and discover some Christmas truths in the 00:03:36.199 --> 00:03:40.439 Pentateuch. Would you turn with me first, please, 00:03:40.439 --> 00:03:44.620 to Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, as we examine 00:03:44.620 --> 00:03:48.060 some of the prophecies in the Law of Moses about 00:03:48.060 --> 00:03:53.680 Christ's first advent. Genesis chapter 3 records 00:03:53.680 --> 00:04:03.860 the historical fall of man. into sin. When God 00:04:03.860 --> 00:04:07.080 came into the garden after man's disobedience, 00:04:07.379 --> 00:04:11.060 he spoke to each of those involved. First the 00:04:11.060 --> 00:04:17.779 serpent, which was indwelt by Satan, then to 00:04:17.779 --> 00:04:28.000 Adam, and finally to Eve. In verse 15, in the 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:32.939 section dealing with Satan, the serpent, we have 00:04:32.939 --> 00:04:38.259 this word. I will put enmity between you and 00:04:38.259 --> 00:04:43.040 the woman and between your seed and her seed. 00:04:44.519 --> 00:04:48.279 He shall bruise you on the head and you shall 00:04:48.279 --> 00:04:54.069 bruise him on the heel. I would like to say that 00:04:54.069 --> 00:04:56.250 there's more there in that verse than saying 00:04:56.250 --> 00:04:57.949 that people are going to be afraid of snakes 00:04:57.949 --> 00:05:01.629 and try to kill them when they see them. And 00:05:01.629 --> 00:05:05.350 that may well be involved here. I certainly dislike 00:05:05.350 --> 00:05:08.889 snakes and try to send them to the reward every 00:05:08.889 --> 00:05:13.949 chance I get. But there's a lot more here in 00:05:13.949 --> 00:05:18.750 the story of snakes and mankind. This verse is 00:05:18.750 --> 00:05:22.829 called the Protevangelium. That is a word that 00:05:22.829 --> 00:05:27.810 simply means the first gospel or the first word. 00:05:29.050 --> 00:05:32.689 It is the beginning of messianic prophecy. That 00:05:32.689 --> 00:05:37.649 is prophecy that a Messiah or a Redeemer would 00:05:37.649 --> 00:05:42.350 come for mankind. This is not the first thought 00:05:42.350 --> 00:05:45.730 that God had about man's redemption. In fact, 00:05:45.750 --> 00:05:48.850 the Bible tells us that before God even created, 00:05:50.540 --> 00:05:53.360 He had already planned out how he was going to 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:58.439 redeem mankind. Jesus Christ, his son, is called 00:05:58.439 --> 00:06:02.639 the lamb who was slain from when? Before the 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:06.120 foundation of the world. So before the world 00:06:06.120 --> 00:06:11.620 was even laid, the plan of Calvary, the cross, 00:06:11.860 --> 00:06:14.699 his blood being shed, the resurrection, was all 00:06:14.699 --> 00:06:17.740 in God's mind and God's purpose. So this is not 00:06:17.740 --> 00:06:20.959 the first thought that God had. about our redemption, 00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:23.819 but it is the first prophecy or the first word 00:06:23.819 --> 00:06:27.779 about it in his revelation. One of the things 00:06:27.779 --> 00:06:30.100 we need to keep in mind about the Bible is that 00:06:30.100 --> 00:06:34.319 it is a progressive revelation. That is, God 00:06:34.319 --> 00:06:37.500 throughout the book progressively reveals truth 00:06:37.500 --> 00:06:41.160 to us. And that's why it's dangerous to go to 00:06:41.160 --> 00:06:44.100 any one verse or one section and build a whole 00:06:44.100 --> 00:06:47.870 doctrine on that verse or section. We need to 00:06:47.870 --> 00:06:50.470 see what the whole Bible teaches about it. This 00:06:50.470 --> 00:06:53.569 is the first verse that deals with the doctrine 00:06:53.569 --> 00:06:56.769 of salvation. If you have a good study Bible, 00:06:56.930 --> 00:06:59.990 it probably has references that will start you 00:06:59.990 --> 00:07:01.829 here, will lead you right through the book of 00:07:01.829 --> 00:07:04.350 Revelation, studying the doctrine of salvation. 00:07:04.889 --> 00:07:07.569 But this is called the Protevangelium because 00:07:07.569 --> 00:07:11.730 it is the first word about salvation for man. 00:07:12.230 --> 00:07:15.189 Just as man had brought destruction, so a man 00:07:15.189 --> 00:07:19.180 would bring... redemption, and restoration. Now, 00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:21.620 there are three specific prophecies given in 00:07:21.620 --> 00:07:25.980 verse 15. First, the prophecy about enmity, a 00:07:25.980 --> 00:07:29.980 very strong word. Literally, it means blood lust. 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:35.279 That is, it is a hatred, it is an enmity to the 00:07:35.279 --> 00:07:40.180 point of shedding blood. It says that there will 00:07:40.180 --> 00:07:43.660 be enmity between the serpent and the woman, 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:49.720 The seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. 00:07:51.100 --> 00:07:56.240 The second prophecy is that he, the seed of the 00:07:56.240 --> 00:08:03.060 woman, shall bruise you on the head. In other 00:08:03.060 --> 00:08:06.379 words, the seed of the woman, who is prophesied 00:08:06.379 --> 00:08:11.139 here, would literally crush the head of the serpent. 00:08:11.180 --> 00:08:15.259 That is to utterly destroy him. Now, it's not 00:08:15.259 --> 00:08:17.500 just the snake that is being spoken to here, 00:08:17.579 --> 00:08:20.860 but it is Satan who is in the serpent. I think 00:08:20.860 --> 00:08:24.980 you understand that. And then the last prophecy, 00:08:25.079 --> 00:08:28.000 the third one is, you shall bruise him on the 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:33.799 heel. In other words, you, serpent, Satan, will 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:38.700 cause suffering to the seed of the woman. Speaking 00:08:38.700 --> 00:08:42.179 about the suffering, the passion of our Lord 00:08:42.179 --> 00:08:46.120 Jesus Christ. Those are three specific prophecies 00:08:46.120 --> 00:08:49.340 that we find here in this text. I'd like to make 00:08:49.340 --> 00:08:51.460 two or three observations on the text, and then 00:08:51.460 --> 00:08:55.460 we'll move on to another location. First, what 00:08:55.460 --> 00:08:59.059 is said here is a declaration of war for all 00:08:59.059 --> 00:09:03.960 of time. Although Satan claimed the first victory 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:08.740 there in the Garden of Eden, the war was not 00:09:08.740 --> 00:09:13.360 to be his. In fact... The war's outcome is already 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:17.639 declared here. Though the serpent Satan had achieved 00:09:17.639 --> 00:09:21.240 the first victory in causing Eve to be deceived 00:09:21.240 --> 00:09:26.840 and Adam then to sin, the war was not his. The 00:09:26.840 --> 00:09:32.200 battle was his. The war belongs to the seed of 00:09:32.200 --> 00:09:36.639 the woman, Jesus Christ. His is the victory, 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:40.490 for he would crush, utterly destroy, The serpent, 00:09:40.590 --> 00:09:44.990 Satan. A second observation. We have here the 00:09:44.990 --> 00:09:49.409 first suggestion of the virgin birth of the seed 00:09:49.409 --> 00:09:52.690 that was to come. Because he says it is the seed 00:09:52.690 --> 00:09:57.710 of the woman. It is her seed. Normally, when 00:09:57.710 --> 00:10:00.490 the Bible uses that kind of terminology, it speaks 00:10:00.490 --> 00:10:04.809 about the seed of a man. As far as I know, this 00:10:04.809 --> 00:10:06.830 is the only place in the Bible where this kind 00:10:06.830 --> 00:10:09.230 of imagery is used in the seed of the woman. 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:13.340 And the reason for that is clear, because Jesus 00:10:13.340 --> 00:10:17.600 Christ was born fully human, but only of Mary. 00:10:17.799 --> 00:10:22.279 There was no man involved. Mary conceived by 00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:25.919 the Holy Spirit. So he could not be called the 00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:30.940 seed of a man, the seed of Adam, but accurately 00:10:30.940 --> 00:10:34.059 the seed of the woman. And so we have here the 00:10:34.059 --> 00:10:37.480 first suggestion of the virgin birth. It is later 00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:39.940 specifically prophesied as well as fulfilled. 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:45.000 A third observation is this, that just as the 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:52.519 woman's seed is a person, so I believe ultimately 00:10:52.519 --> 00:10:57.840 the seed of the serpent or Satan will be a person. 00:10:59.320 --> 00:11:03.440 And I speak of the Antichrist, the one who will 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:07.639 come and embody evil. He will personify lawlessness. 00:11:08.649 --> 00:11:11.809 He will be a man who will be Satan indwelt to 00:11:11.809 --> 00:11:17.009 come upon the scene at the end of time, at the 00:11:17.009 --> 00:11:20.250 end of this time, the last days, the end of this 00:11:20.250 --> 00:11:26.549 age. The outcome of the battle will be just as 00:11:26.549 --> 00:11:30.570 it is prophesied here. Antichrist and his armies 00:11:30.570 --> 00:11:32.730 will be utterly crushed and destroyed with the 00:11:32.730 --> 00:11:36.870 second coming of Jesus Christ. And he, Antichrist, 00:11:36.870 --> 00:11:40.289 will be cast alive into the lake of fire to be 00:11:40.289 --> 00:11:42.549 followed a thousand years later, according to 00:11:42.549 --> 00:11:48.190 Revelation chapter 20, by Satan himself. And 00:11:48.190 --> 00:11:50.549 so the seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, will 00:11:50.549 --> 00:11:54.970 return to the earth in power and glory and victory 00:11:54.970 --> 00:12:01.009 and utterly destroy the dominion of Satan, ultimately. 00:12:01.529 --> 00:12:05.029 In the meantime, though... The battle wages. 00:12:06.070 --> 00:12:11.509 The victory, however, is sure. And so we have 00:12:11.509 --> 00:12:16.370 in Genesis 3 .15 something written about Jesus 00:12:16.370 --> 00:12:19.450 Christ and the law of Moses, just as Jesus said 00:12:19.450 --> 00:12:23.009 we would find here. But there's more. Turn over 00:12:23.009 --> 00:12:26.950 a few pages to Genesis chapter 12. The prophecy 00:12:26.950 --> 00:12:30.320 about the coming Redeemer. begins to be more 00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:33.240 specific in Genesis 12 with the call of Abraham 00:12:33.240 --> 00:12:37.519 out from his family, his background, his idolatry, 00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:43.440 to know the true God. And God gives great promises 00:12:43.440 --> 00:12:47.460 to Abraham. We have in verses 1, 2, and 3 of 00:12:47.460 --> 00:12:51.879 Genesis 12 a marvelous promise to him. I will 00:12:51.879 --> 00:12:54.899 read only verse 3, though, where it says, And 00:12:54.899 --> 00:12:58.399 I will bless those who bless you. And the one 00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:03.299 who curses you I will curse. And in you, says 00:13:03.299 --> 00:13:07.700 God, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 00:13:08.399 --> 00:13:10.940 What a marvelous statement this is to make to 00:13:10.940 --> 00:13:16.259 any man. To Abraham, God says, in you all the 00:13:16.259 --> 00:13:19.759 families of the earth will be blessed. Now we 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:21.759 will see in a few moments the significance of 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:24.240 that statement. But for the time being, just 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:26.740 turn over a page or two to Genesis chapter 15. 00:13:27.629 --> 00:13:30.230 We find here another word from God to Abraham. 00:13:31.649 --> 00:13:35.149 God promises Abraham in this vision a great reward. 00:13:36.789 --> 00:13:39.830 Abraham laments the fact that he has no heirs. 00:13:41.110 --> 00:13:43.610 God said, yes, Abraham, you will have an heir. 00:13:44.710 --> 00:13:47.610 And in verse 15, he took him outside and said, 00:13:47.690 --> 00:13:50.769 now look toward the heavens and count the stars 00:13:50.769 --> 00:13:54.950 if you're able to count them. And he said to 00:13:54.950 --> 00:14:00.970 him, so shall your descendants be. And so to 00:14:00.970 --> 00:14:03.409 Abraham is given this great promise, not only 00:14:03.409 --> 00:14:05.389 would the families of the earth be blessed through 00:14:05.389 --> 00:14:08.549 him, but his own descendants would be like the 00:14:08.549 --> 00:14:12.669 stars of the heavens in their number. And then 00:14:12.669 --> 00:14:17.690 over to chapter 22. In this chapter, we find 00:14:17.690 --> 00:14:23.570 the offering up of Isaac. And after that experience, 00:14:23.690 --> 00:14:27.090 it says in verse 15, the angel of the Lord called 00:14:27.090 --> 00:14:29.769 to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, 00:14:30.350 --> 00:14:34.889 By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because 00:14:34.889 --> 00:14:37.429 you have done this thing and have not withheld 00:14:37.429 --> 00:14:41.070 your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly 00:14:41.070 --> 00:14:45.850 bless you and I will greatly multiply your seed 00:14:45.850 --> 00:14:50.509 as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which 00:14:50.509 --> 00:14:53.789 is on the seashore. and your seed shall possess 00:14:53.789 --> 00:14:58.649 the gate of their enemies. And in your seed all 00:14:58.649 --> 00:15:02.929 the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because 00:15:02.929 --> 00:15:07.029 you have obeyed my voice. Here God says something 00:15:07.029 --> 00:15:10.830 further to Abraham. He says it will be in your 00:15:10.830 --> 00:15:14.730 seed that all the families of the earth will 00:15:14.730 --> 00:15:18.690 be blessed. What is the meaning of that? Why 00:15:18.690 --> 00:15:21.070 does God say to Abraham, it will be in your seed? 00:15:22.090 --> 00:15:25.250 that all the families would be blessed. We have 00:15:25.250 --> 00:15:28.610 the answer to that in the New Testament. Turn 00:15:28.610 --> 00:15:34.669 with me to Galatians chapter 3. We'll come back 00:15:34.669 --> 00:15:37.889 to Genesis in a moment, but first let's look 00:15:37.889 --> 00:15:41.870 at the New Testament explanation of these words 00:15:41.870 --> 00:15:47.509 to Abraham. In Genesis chapter 3, let me point 00:15:47.509 --> 00:15:54.399 out to you first verse 8. Galatians 3 .8 And 00:15:54.399 --> 00:15:57.299 the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify 00:15:57.299 --> 00:16:02.840 the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand 00:16:02.840 --> 00:16:07.980 to Abraham, saying, All the nations will be blessed 00:16:07.980 --> 00:16:13.419 in you. Let's skip down to verse 16. Now the 00:16:13.419 --> 00:16:18.340 promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. 00:16:20.490 --> 00:16:23.470 And then the Apostle Paul, and the Holy Spirit 00:16:23.470 --> 00:16:26.490 speaking through him, comments upon that thought. 00:16:28.009 --> 00:16:33.269 He does not say, and to seeds, as referring to 00:16:33.269 --> 00:16:41.090 many, but rather to one, and to your seed, that 00:16:41.090 --> 00:16:47.720 is whom? Christ. And so the apostle says it is 00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:52.299 Jesus Christ who is the promised seed of Abraham, 00:16:52.620 --> 00:16:57.000 through whom the blessing would come to all the 00:16:57.000 --> 00:17:02.840 families of the world. A marvelous thing. And 00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:05.900 if you know your Bible, you know that God kept 00:17:05.900 --> 00:17:10.059 that line clear. From Abraham it passed down 00:17:10.059 --> 00:17:16.519 to which of his two sons? Isaac. Ishmael was 00:17:16.519 --> 00:17:20.720 set aside because he was born of the flesh. But 00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:26.200 Isaac was a supernaturally born child. The lion 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:31.960 came through Isaac and then to Jacob. Isaac's 00:17:31.960 --> 00:17:36.500 other son, Esau, was set aside. God chose Jacob. 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:40.119 So half of the family again was lopped off, put 00:17:40.119 --> 00:17:44.960 away. After Jacob, the line of the Messiah passes 00:17:44.960 --> 00:17:50.779 to which of his 12 sons? To Judah. To Judah. 00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:54.000 And so 11 twelfths of the family then are set 00:17:54.000 --> 00:17:58.380 aside, and God zeroes in on Judah and his tribe. 00:17:59.099 --> 00:18:03.440 And on it goes through the Old Testament, finally 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:08.630 to come to the famous David. And on it goes down 00:18:08.630 --> 00:18:11.809 to Jesus Christ. And you find the full genealogy 00:18:11.809 --> 00:18:15.250 and lineage of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1 and 00:18:15.250 --> 00:18:18.289 in Luke 3. You can trace it there, right back 00:18:18.289 --> 00:18:21.569 through the Old Testament. Jesus Christ is the 00:18:21.569 --> 00:18:25.710 promised seed. It is through him that the blessing 00:18:25.710 --> 00:18:27.869 will be fulfilled. And I would say to you today 00:18:27.869 --> 00:18:32.269 that what God promised to Abraham in terms of 00:18:32.269 --> 00:18:35.410 blessing as well as a geographical possession. 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:41.819 real estate will yet be his and that of his earthly 00:18:41.819 --> 00:18:48.099 descendants. It will be his when the seed, Jesus 00:18:48.099 --> 00:18:51.380 Christ, comes back to the earth to reign over 00:18:51.380 --> 00:18:54.099 the kingdom. We call that the millennium, the 00:18:54.099 --> 00:18:57.740 thousand -year reign of Christ. What God promised 00:18:57.740 --> 00:19:01.519 to Abraham was an irrevocable covenant, which 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:05.410 he will fulfill and must fulfill. because of 00:19:05.410 --> 00:19:11.250 Jesus Christ, Abraham's seed. And so we see in 00:19:11.250 --> 00:19:13.990 the law of Moses that Jesus Christ is seen in 00:19:13.990 --> 00:19:17.509 the protevangelium, in the first word of redemption 00:19:17.509 --> 00:19:21.309 in Genesis 3. Jesus Christ is found in the promised 00:19:21.309 --> 00:19:24.089 seed, the blessing that would come to Abraham, 00:19:24.369 --> 00:19:27.809 Genesis 12. And now turn with me to the book 00:19:27.809 --> 00:19:37.019 of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter 18, another 00:19:37.019 --> 00:19:43.700 of the books that Moses penned. Deuteronomy is 00:19:43.700 --> 00:19:47.900 sometimes called the constitution of Israel's 00:19:47.900 --> 00:19:52.539 theocracy. It outlines for the nation how they 00:19:52.539 --> 00:19:54.680 were to be governed and how they were to live 00:19:54.680 --> 00:20:00.750 as God reigned over them directly. Deuteronomy 00:20:00.750 --> 00:20:02.970 was the favorite book of the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:20:03.210 --> 00:20:06.230 apparently. And did you know it is quoted more 00:20:06.230 --> 00:20:08.349 often in the New Testament than any other book? 00:20:08.450 --> 00:20:11.029 That is, in more books of the New Testament than 00:20:11.029 --> 00:20:15.170 any other book. I think some 17 books of the 00:20:15.170 --> 00:20:17.430 New Testament have quotations from the book of 00:20:17.430 --> 00:20:21.109 Deuteronomy. How much time do you spend in Deuteronomy? 00:20:21.829 --> 00:20:24.829 Our Lord spent a lot of time here. In chapter 00:20:24.829 --> 00:20:29.880 18, verse 15, we have... a reference to him. 00:20:30.779 --> 00:20:34.720 Moses says, The Lord your God will raise up for 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:39.200 you a prophet like me from among you, from your 00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:43.579 countrymen. You shall listen to him. And in verse 00:20:43.579 --> 00:20:46.200 17 he says, And the Lord said to me, They have 00:20:46.200 --> 00:20:49.279 spoken well. I will raise up a prophet from among 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:52.339 their countrymen like you, and I will put my 00:20:52.339 --> 00:20:55.500 words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them 00:20:55.500 --> 00:20:58.460 all that I command him. And it shall come about 00:20:58.460 --> 00:21:01.380 that whoever will not listen to my words, which 00:21:01.380 --> 00:21:04.920 he shall speak in my name, I myself will require 00:21:04.920 --> 00:21:09.759 it of him. So there's a strong word of exhortation 00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:15.079 to listen to this prophet who was to come. The 00:21:15.079 --> 00:21:17.940 Jews, frankly, did not understand this to be 00:21:17.940 --> 00:21:22.279 a messianic prophecy. Let's take time to look 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:24.720 in John chapter 1 and prove that for just a moment. 00:21:25.460 --> 00:21:31.559 John chapter 1. Some of the leaders of the Jews 00:21:31.559 --> 00:21:38.880 come to John the Baptist here. And they ask him, 00:21:38.900 --> 00:21:41.920 who are you? Verse 19. He confessed, did not 00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:45.740 deny. He confessed, I am not the Christ. John 00:21:45.740 --> 00:21:49.700 1 .20. And they asked him, what then art thou, 00:21:49.700 --> 00:21:53.380 Elijah? He said, I am not. Are you the prophet? 00:21:54.250 --> 00:21:58.390 He answered, No. Then down in verse 25, And they 00:21:58.390 --> 00:22:01.329 asked him and said to him, Why then are you baptizing 00:22:01.329 --> 00:22:05.049 if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the 00:22:05.049 --> 00:22:09.490 prophet? So you see there clearly the Jews identified 00:22:09.490 --> 00:22:12.549 this prophet with someone other than the Christ, 00:22:12.690 --> 00:22:19.250 the Messiah. Do we have then any authority for 00:22:19.250 --> 00:22:22.589 saying that Deuteronomy 18 .15 refers to Jesus 00:22:22.589 --> 00:22:27.269 Christ? Yes, we do. Turn to the book of Acts. 00:22:32.430 --> 00:22:35.809 In chapter 3 of Acts, we have a sermon of Peter, 00:22:35.930 --> 00:22:44.430 the Jewish leaders. He recounts for them some 00:22:44.430 --> 00:22:48.609 of the events of the recent days in Jerusalem. 00:22:48.630 --> 00:22:53.170 In verse 19 of Acts 3, He says, repent therefore 00:22:53.170 --> 00:22:56.589 and return that your sins may be wiped away in 00:22:56.589 --> 00:22:59.910 order that times of refreshing may come from 00:22:59.910 --> 00:23:03.049 the presence of the Lord and that he may send 00:23:03.049 --> 00:23:07.609 Jesus the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven 00:23:07.609 --> 00:23:09.930 must receive until the period of restoration 00:23:09.930 --> 00:23:13.650 of all things, about which God spoke by the mouth 00:23:13.650 --> 00:23:17.289 of his holy prophets from ancient time. Moses 00:23:17.289 --> 00:23:20.900 said, The Lord shall raise up for you a prophet 00:23:20.900 --> 00:23:24.200 like me from your brethren. To him you shall 00:23:24.200 --> 00:23:27.900 give heed in everything he says to you. And it 00:23:27.900 --> 00:23:31.000 shall be that every soul that does not heed that 00:23:31.000 --> 00:23:33.380 prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among 00:23:33.380 --> 00:23:36.480 the people. And so he quotes from Deuteronomy 00:23:36.480 --> 00:23:39.259 and applies it to Jesus Christ. And that's made 00:23:39.259 --> 00:23:41.700 clear by the following three verses concluding 00:23:41.700 --> 00:23:44.940 that chapter. And so we have authority to say 00:23:44.940 --> 00:23:48.339 from the Holy Spirit himself. that Jesus Christ 00:23:48.339 --> 00:23:53.279 is that prophet that is pointed to by Moses in 00:23:53.279 --> 00:23:57.160 Deuteronomy. Now, what did Moses mean when he 00:23:57.160 --> 00:24:00.359 said, the Lord God will raise up from among you 00:24:00.359 --> 00:24:05.119 a prophet like me? What is the significance of 00:24:05.119 --> 00:24:09.799 that, like me? Well, it seems to me that Moses 00:24:09.799 --> 00:24:16.059 filled two important offices for the Jews. First, 00:24:16.079 --> 00:24:21.019 he was their deliverer. It was he that God chose 00:24:21.019 --> 00:24:24.500 to go back to Egypt and to bring the people out 00:24:24.500 --> 00:24:28.180 by his mighty power. They were redeemed under 00:24:28.180 --> 00:24:31.940 his leadership. He was their captain, as it were, 00:24:32.039 --> 00:24:38.559 to bring them out from bondage to liberty. And 00:24:38.559 --> 00:24:42.619 secondly, he was the revealer of God to them. 00:24:44.519 --> 00:24:47.420 He was the one who went to the top of Mount Sinai 00:24:47.420 --> 00:24:51.539 and received the Ten Commandments. It was through 00:24:51.539 --> 00:24:55.880 him that God spoke to the people. In fact, the 00:24:55.880 --> 00:24:58.740 word prophet is used of Moses in Deuteronomy 00:24:58.740 --> 00:25:05.240 34. Do you see how those two offices are fulfilled 00:25:05.240 --> 00:25:09.960 in Jesus Christ? He is the deliverer of all men, 00:25:10.140 --> 00:25:16.150 those who trust him. He is the Redeemer who leads 00:25:16.150 --> 00:25:19.089 the one who trusts him out of bondage and sin 00:25:19.089 --> 00:25:21.710 into the glorious liberty of the children of 00:25:21.710 --> 00:25:26.089 God. And he is the one who reveals God fully 00:25:26.089 --> 00:25:30.849 and completely to us. God, who in various ways 00:25:30.849 --> 00:25:35.529 and times spoke in days past to the fathers by 00:25:35.529 --> 00:25:39.509 the prophets, has in these last days spoken unto 00:25:39.509 --> 00:25:46.220 us by his whom? His Son. In John 1 .18 it says, 00:25:46.279 --> 00:25:48.579 No man has seen God at any time, but that Jesus 00:25:48.579 --> 00:25:53.900 Christ has exegeted him. In other words, he has 00:25:53.900 --> 00:25:58.339 revealed God. Jesus said, He who has seen me 00:25:58.339 --> 00:26:02.920 has seen the Father. He says, I do not speak 00:26:02.920 --> 00:26:05.839 words for myself, but everything that my Father 00:26:05.839 --> 00:26:11.259 says, that's what I speak. And so you see, he 00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:15.769 is the prophet. in that sense, the consummating 00:26:15.769 --> 00:26:19.450 sense, the fullest, most complete sense. He is 00:26:19.450 --> 00:26:23.089 the prophet, and he is the one that Moses spoke 00:26:23.089 --> 00:26:26.309 of in Deuteronomy 18. And that's why Jesus was 00:26:26.309 --> 00:26:30.630 able to say in Luke 24, things are written about 00:26:30.630 --> 00:26:37.549 me in the law of Moses. I've often wondered about 00:26:37.549 --> 00:26:43.029 the manger scene in this last week. I just wondered 00:26:43.029 --> 00:26:47.630 what went through Mary's mind. There's no answer 00:26:47.630 --> 00:26:49.690 to this. It's just one of those things you wonder 00:26:49.690 --> 00:26:52.990 about. Like the song says at Christmas, I wonder 00:26:52.990 --> 00:26:55.369 as I wonder. Well, I do a lot of wondering of 00:26:55.369 --> 00:27:01.309 both kinds. I wonder what went through Mary's 00:27:01.309 --> 00:27:03.970 mind as she looked down in the face of that child 00:27:03.970 --> 00:27:07.349 and the child opened his eyes and looked into 00:27:07.349 --> 00:27:12.809 her eyes for the first time. As their eyes first 00:27:12.809 --> 00:27:18.869 met, she realized, because of what the angel 00:27:18.869 --> 00:27:24.990 said, who this child was. What must have gone 00:27:24.990 --> 00:27:27.849 through her mind as she looked into his eyes 00:27:27.849 --> 00:27:31.470 and realized that this is the revelation of God 00:27:31.470 --> 00:27:39.380 in this person, this baby. I tell you, that's 00:27:39.380 --> 00:27:43.200 a mystery. My soul shrinks back in awe at the 00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:48.180 very thought of that. Jesus Christ is the one 00:27:48.180 --> 00:27:54.619 that Moses spoke about in Deuteronomy 18. Finally, 00:27:54.619 --> 00:27:57.279 I'd like for us to think about the tabernacle. 00:27:58.079 --> 00:28:01.339 The tabernacle was God's provision for worship 00:28:01.339 --> 00:28:06.039 for Israel. He desired to dwell among his people, 00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:10.430 but There had to be a sacrificial system established 00:28:10.430 --> 00:28:13.650 so that their sins could be atoned for and he 00:28:13.650 --> 00:28:17.910 could be there. So he established that priesthood, 00:28:17.950 --> 00:28:20.950 the priesthood of Aaron. And he had them build 00:28:20.950 --> 00:28:26.109 a tabernacle as part of that. The tabernacle 00:28:26.109 --> 00:28:31.950 was a tent. It was a tent that was only 15 feet 00:28:31.950 --> 00:28:37.809 wide, 45 feet long, and 15 feet high. There was 00:28:37.809 --> 00:28:40.750 a tent that would fit in this auditorium today, 00:28:40.930 --> 00:28:44.170 right where you're sitting. It was not a large 00:28:44.170 --> 00:28:49.690 tent, 15 by 45 by 15 was its size. Around it 00:28:49.690 --> 00:28:55.390 was a fence, a fence that was 7 feet high, that 00:28:55.390 --> 00:29:02.509 was 150 feet long and 75 feet wide. The tabernacle 00:29:02.509 --> 00:29:06.269 had two rooms. The first room was called the 00:29:06.269 --> 00:29:09.890 holy place. It was 15 feet wide and 30 feet long. 00:29:10.150 --> 00:29:14.089 That's not very big, is it? But the holiest, 00:29:14.130 --> 00:29:19.069 or the holy of holies, was only 15 by 15. It's 00:29:19.069 --> 00:29:24.029 a cubicle. Think of that. In that 15 -foot place 00:29:24.029 --> 00:29:28.970 there is where God chose to dwell and to reveal 00:29:28.970 --> 00:29:33.599 his presence by the Shekinah, the glory. The 00:29:33.599 --> 00:29:41.440 visible expression of his presence. The tabernacle 00:29:41.440 --> 00:29:46.400 was a tent that on the outside was covered by 00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:51.900 goat skins and ram skins that were dyed red. 00:29:52.740 --> 00:29:56.799 There was nothing very attractive about it. But 00:29:56.799 --> 00:30:01.740 on the inside, a different story. It was exquisitely. 00:30:02.240 --> 00:30:08.839 woven and crafted, beautiful colors and threads, 00:30:09.220 --> 00:30:15.380 silver and gold that would be worth multiplied 00:30:15.380 --> 00:30:23.440 millions today. It was all a part of the tabernacle. 00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:28.220 Did you know that the tabernacle itself is a 00:30:28.220 --> 00:30:35.369 picture or a type? of Jesus Christ? Let me just 00:30:35.369 --> 00:30:40.450 explain it in one simple way. On his exterior, 00:30:40.710 --> 00:30:43.569 Jesus Christ was not particularly attractive. 00:30:44.650 --> 00:30:47.390 Isaiah the prophet said, he has no stately form 00:30:47.390 --> 00:30:49.670 or majesty that we should look upon him, nor 00:30:49.670 --> 00:30:51.650 appearance that we should be attracted to him. 00:30:52.410 --> 00:30:55.910 When you looked at Jesus Christ, you looked at 00:30:55.910 --> 00:31:01.150 one who appeared to be just another man. but 00:31:01.150 --> 00:31:06.230 on the inside, something different. For he was 00:31:06.230 --> 00:31:11.190 perfectly holy and righteous inwardly, and within 00:31:11.190 --> 00:31:16.309 him dwelt the Shekinah of God, just like the 00:31:16.309 --> 00:31:22.670 tabernacle. Those who looked beyond the flesh 00:31:22.670 --> 00:31:27.980 and saw him perceived. who he was. Peter, for 00:31:27.980 --> 00:31:30.259 example. Jesus said, who do you say that I am? 00:31:30.680 --> 00:31:34.279 Peter said, you're the Christ, the Son of the 00:31:34.279 --> 00:31:37.799 living God. See, Peter looked beyond the exterior. 00:31:38.500 --> 00:31:40.579 In fact, there was even one time, wasn't there, 00:31:40.599 --> 00:31:43.099 when the interior burst through the exterior 00:31:43.099 --> 00:31:49.059 and the glory was made visible on his skin. That 00:31:49.059 --> 00:31:52.079 was the transfiguration. That was one occasion. 00:31:52.740 --> 00:31:55.359 The rest of the time, the exterior, very plain. 00:31:56.109 --> 00:32:02.190 But the interior, absolutely unique. Within the 00:32:02.190 --> 00:32:10.190 tabernacle, inside this holiest place, this little 00:32:10.190 --> 00:32:13.750 15 -foot cubicle, was one piece of furniture. 00:32:14.690 --> 00:32:18.150 It was called the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark 00:32:18.150 --> 00:32:24.829 was a box or a coffer. was three feet, nine inches 00:32:24.829 --> 00:32:28.970 long, two feet, three inches high and wide. And 00:32:28.970 --> 00:32:35.950 within that box were three things. There was 00:32:35.950 --> 00:32:39.869 the rod that Aaron had which budded, one of the 00:32:39.869 --> 00:32:44.210 miracles in the wilderness. But then it was a 00:32:44.210 --> 00:32:47.289 pot of manna that was preserved from the wilderness 00:32:47.289 --> 00:32:52.670 wanderings. and also the two tablets of the law. 00:32:55.329 --> 00:33:00.470 The Ark was made simply out of acacia wood that 00:33:00.470 --> 00:33:06.730 was overlaid with pure and solid gold. The top 00:33:06.730 --> 00:33:10.990 of it was solid gold and was the mercy seat where 00:33:10.990 --> 00:33:14.329 the blood was sprinkled for the atonement of 00:33:14.329 --> 00:33:18.170 the people's sin. That was the Ark of the Covenant. 00:33:18.799 --> 00:33:22.099 Did you know that that also, that piece of furniture, 00:33:22.180 --> 00:33:25.519 speaks of Jesus Christ in numerous ways? Let 00:33:25.519 --> 00:33:28.500 me point out just one. It relates basically to 00:33:28.500 --> 00:33:30.559 the Christmas story. That's why I point this 00:33:30.559 --> 00:33:36.180 out. The makeup of the ark was of wood and solid 00:33:36.180 --> 00:33:41.400 gold. That speaks about the two natures that 00:33:41.400 --> 00:33:44.599 were united in Jesus Christ in that one person. 00:33:45.960 --> 00:33:51.740 The wood speaks of his humanity, overlaid with 00:33:51.740 --> 00:33:56.720 the solid gold which speaks of his deity. He 00:33:56.720 --> 00:34:02.000 was perfect humanity and full deity in one person, 00:34:02.160 --> 00:34:08.900 united and that forever. I think, too, it's significant 00:34:08.900 --> 00:34:13.380 that the gold overlaid the wood because his deity 00:34:13.380 --> 00:34:17.639 overshadowed his humanity. That's why he could 00:34:17.639 --> 00:34:20.760 not have sinned in the temptation. And because 00:34:20.760 --> 00:34:23.179 he could not have sinned in the temptation, his 00:34:23.179 --> 00:34:27.699 temptation was worse, was more extreme than any 00:34:27.699 --> 00:34:30.880 you and I have ever known. Now, if you have a 00:34:30.880 --> 00:34:32.579 question about that, ask me afterward. Maybe 00:34:32.579 --> 00:34:34.539 I can explain it more fully, but time permits 00:34:34.539 --> 00:34:39.280 me to develop that. His deity overshadowed his 00:34:39.280 --> 00:34:42.760 humanity, but the two were blessedly united. 00:34:46.159 --> 00:34:48.800 And so we see him in the tabernacle, we see him 00:34:48.800 --> 00:34:54.139 in the Ark of the Covenant. By the way, in Jesus 00:34:54.139 --> 00:34:57.000 Christ is resurrection life as pictured by the 00:34:57.000 --> 00:35:02.940 rod. In Jesus Christ is heavenly provision for 00:35:02.940 --> 00:35:07.059 man's need as pictured in the pot of manna. In 00:35:07.059 --> 00:35:11.639 Jesus Christ is perfect righteousness as represented 00:35:11.639 --> 00:35:14.219 by the two tablets of the law within the Ark. 00:35:14.619 --> 00:35:17.460 So there again you have a parallel to Jesus Christ. 00:35:18.400 --> 00:35:22.219 But I want to talk finally about the veil. The 00:35:22.219 --> 00:35:26.599 veil was a curtain that separated these two compartments, 00:35:26.679 --> 00:35:31.280 the holy place from the holiest place, the holy 00:35:31.280 --> 00:35:35.099 of holies. It was a veil. It was a veil of blue 00:35:35.099 --> 00:35:39.539 and purple and scarlet made of fine linen. All 00:35:39.539 --> 00:35:42.559 of that symbolically speaks of Christ's heavenly 00:35:42.559 --> 00:35:46.019 origin, his royalty. The scarlet points to his 00:35:46.019 --> 00:35:48.960 being a sacrifice. The fine linen in the scriptures 00:35:48.960 --> 00:35:54.099 represents perfect righteousness. But in Hebrews 00:35:54.099 --> 00:35:58.539 chapter 10, we are told that the body, the flesh 00:35:58.539 --> 00:36:02.340 and blood body of Jesus Christ, is the parallel, 00:36:02.460 --> 00:36:06.679 is the fulfillment of the veil in the tabernacle. 00:36:06.900 --> 00:36:09.900 For just as the veil was put there to hide the 00:36:09.900 --> 00:36:13.800 glory of God, So Jesus Christ, when he was born 00:36:13.800 --> 00:36:17.940 into the world, allowed his glory as God to be 00:36:17.940 --> 00:36:22.820 veiled within our humanity, though sinless. And 00:36:22.820 --> 00:36:26.519 when he died upon the cross, when his body was 00:36:26.519 --> 00:36:31.800 broken for us, what happened to the veil that 00:36:31.800 --> 00:36:35.420 was in the temple at that time? It was torn. 00:36:37.579 --> 00:36:41.000 Before the veil separated God in his presence 00:36:41.000 --> 00:36:45.860 from sinners, but when Jesus Christ died, the 00:36:45.860 --> 00:36:48.659 way into God's holy presence was opened up for 00:36:48.659 --> 00:36:52.420 all who will come through him. So you see, the 00:36:52.420 --> 00:36:57.079 veil itself represents his coming in flesh, in 00:36:57.079 --> 00:37:00.139 a body, which was offered on the cross for our 00:37:00.139 --> 00:37:03.840 sins. And after he had been offered, there was 00:37:03.840 --> 00:37:07.989 no need any longer for a veil. It was rent forever. 00:37:08.530 --> 00:37:11.449 And now all who will may come into the very presence 00:37:11.449 --> 00:37:16.750 of God and know him. Now after seeing all of 00:37:16.750 --> 00:37:21.429 this Christmas in the law of Moses, let me just 00:37:21.429 --> 00:37:23.690 give you a couple of applications before we leave. 00:37:24.250 --> 00:37:27.889 Application number one. What we have seen this 00:37:27.889 --> 00:37:30.150 morning should lead us to a deeper appreciation 00:37:30.150 --> 00:37:36.139 of the Bible. That it is divinely authored. of 00:37:36.139 --> 00:37:39.840 God himself. As someone has said, the new is 00:37:39.840 --> 00:37:43.940 in the old concealed. The old is in the new revealed. 00:37:45.059 --> 00:37:49.440 The new is in the old contained. The old is in 00:37:49.440 --> 00:37:53.739 the new explained. Wherever you open this book, 00:37:53.800 --> 00:37:58.159 it brings you to Jesus Christ and to God himself. 00:37:58.579 --> 00:38:04.300 It is God's revelation of who he is. Do you respect 00:38:04.300 --> 00:38:08.539 your Bible? You say, Pastor, I dust it all the 00:38:08.539 --> 00:38:14.699 time. How tragic if that's your answer. Because, 00:38:14.739 --> 00:38:19.360 you see, respect for the Bible is indicated by 00:38:19.360 --> 00:38:23.619 how much time we spend in it, not by whether 00:38:23.619 --> 00:38:26.000 it sits on the prominent place on the coffee 00:38:26.000 --> 00:38:32.440 table or whether we carry it to church. Our respect 00:38:32.440 --> 00:38:34.699 for the Bible is not even indicated by how much 00:38:34.699 --> 00:38:37.900 time we spend in it doing lessons for some class 00:38:37.900 --> 00:38:43.219 in college. Our respect for the Bible is indicated 00:38:43.219 --> 00:38:47.659 by how much time we personally spend in it fellowshipping 00:38:47.659 --> 00:38:52.679 with God. How much time have you spent in the 00:38:52.679 --> 00:38:58.300 Bible in that personal way this last week? Will 00:38:58.300 --> 00:39:00.820 you respond to what we have seen this morning? 00:39:01.900 --> 00:39:06.159 by saying to God, I will spend 15 minutes a day 00:39:06.159 --> 00:39:10.480 at least in this book. Will you do that beginning 00:39:10.480 --> 00:39:14.300 today and through the rest of this week? Maybe 00:39:14.300 --> 00:39:17.000 that will become a habit of your life. I pray 00:39:17.000 --> 00:39:22.039 it will. Because you see, this book is divinely 00:39:22.039 --> 00:39:26.139 authored. We see how it fits together in what 00:39:26.139 --> 00:39:29.219 we've looked at today. Then a second application. 00:39:29.980 --> 00:39:32.079 I pray that what we have said here today will 00:39:32.079 --> 00:39:34.460 lead us to a greater worship of Jesus Christ 00:39:34.460 --> 00:39:38.079 so that we recognize that history is his story. 00:39:38.780 --> 00:39:41.800 He is the thread that ties it all together. He 00:39:41.800 --> 00:39:44.500 is the most significant figure of all history. 00:39:45.159 --> 00:39:48.960 He is the focus of all of God's purpose. God 00:39:48.960 --> 00:39:55.280 has purpose to glorify himself in his son. We 00:39:55.280 --> 00:39:59.730 do well if, like the wise men, we seek him. and 00:39:59.730 --> 00:40:02.710 offer our gifts to him. If like the shepherds, 00:40:02.710 --> 00:40:08.570 we respond by worshiping him. Are you worshiping 00:40:08.570 --> 00:40:14.690 him? How much time do you spend with Jesus Christ? 00:40:15.250 --> 00:40:17.909 Before we were talking about your time in the 00:40:17.909 --> 00:40:20.530 word, let's talk about how much time you spend 00:40:20.530 --> 00:40:27.550 in prayer and fellowship with God. Will you give 00:40:27.550 --> 00:40:30.539 yourself? to greater worship of Jesus Christ 00:40:30.539 --> 00:40:36.800 because of who he is? Will you? Will you this 00:40:36.800 --> 00:40:42.960 week tell him more that you love him? Our worship 00:40:42.960 --> 00:40:47.360 of him is also indicated by our obedience. If 00:40:47.360 --> 00:40:49.719 our lives are being lived in disobedience, then 00:40:49.719 --> 00:40:53.739 we cannot claim to worship him. Jesus said, why 00:40:53.739 --> 00:40:58.019 do you call me Lord? And do not the things that 00:40:58.019 --> 00:41:03.519 I say. It's a contradiction. You can't worship 00:41:03.519 --> 00:41:07.260 him as Lord unless we're obeying him. Does the 00:41:07.260 --> 00:41:09.820 word obedience express where your heart is today? 00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:14.179 Where your lifestyle is? If not, will you commit 00:41:14.179 --> 00:41:18.280 yourself today to obedience? By repenting of 00:41:18.280 --> 00:41:22.980 the direction you're moving in? Coming to Jesus 00:41:22.980 --> 00:41:25.579 Christ and giving yourself to him afresh and 00:41:25.579 --> 00:41:31.969 anew? Finally, I'd like to apply this to anyone 00:41:31.969 --> 00:41:35.909 who's here and has never trusted Christ. I hope 00:41:35.909 --> 00:41:38.289 that today's message will give you a sense of 00:41:38.289 --> 00:41:41.030 renewed urgency regarding your salvation decision. 00:41:42.210 --> 00:41:45.329 Because to reject, or perhaps even worse, to 00:41:45.329 --> 00:41:49.750 neglect Jesus Christ is to turn away from the 00:41:49.750 --> 00:41:53.030 only redemption that God has ever promised, the 00:41:53.030 --> 00:41:55.929 redemption he began to reveal back in the garden. 00:41:57.230 --> 00:42:00.130 To reject Jesus Christ is to miss out on the 00:42:00.130 --> 00:42:04.170 blessing that he has promised to give all nations 00:42:04.170 --> 00:42:09.329 through Abraham's seed. To reject Jesus Christ 00:42:09.329 --> 00:42:13.289 is to fail to grasp and to appreciate the full 00:42:13.289 --> 00:42:18.909 revelation of God himself. To reject Jesus Christ 00:42:18.909 --> 00:42:22.230 is to give up the only provision that God has 00:42:22.230 --> 00:42:25.190 made for you to know him and to come into his 00:42:25.190 --> 00:42:30.489 presence. Perhaps the most famous Christmas cartoon 00:42:30.489 --> 00:42:34.090 of history was drawn by Von Shoemaker many years 00:42:34.090 --> 00:42:36.929 ago. It's a cartoon that has appeared for a number 00:42:36.929 --> 00:42:39.929 of years on the front page of Chicago Daily News 00:42:39.929 --> 00:42:42.849 every Christmas Eve. It's a very simple cartoon 00:42:42.849 --> 00:42:45.650 with just a Christmas tree and one package that's 00:42:45.650 --> 00:42:50.070 left with a beautiful ribbon on it. And at the 00:42:50.070 --> 00:42:52.889 bottom of the cartoon it says, The Unopened Gift. 00:42:53.730 --> 00:42:58.539 And on the box it says, Eternal Life. And in 00:42:58.539 --> 00:43:01.400 the background of the cartoon it says, For God 00:43:01.400 --> 00:43:04.920 so loved the world that he gave his only begotten 00:43:04.920 --> 00:43:09.480 Son that whosoever believes on him should not 00:43:09.480 --> 00:43:13.860 perish but have eternal life. Will you receive 00:43:13.860 --> 00:43:18.480 that gift today? Father, I pray that you will 00:43:18.480 --> 00:43:21.000 apply this message as it needs to be in our lives. 00:43:21.340 --> 00:43:23.300 For Jesus' sake, amen.