WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.080 Well, Merry Christmas to everybody. I'm so blessed 00:00:03.080 --> 00:00:06.200 to be here with you this morning to celebrate 00:00:06.200 --> 00:00:10.060 what is the beginning of everything that changed 00:00:10.060 --> 00:00:12.359 everything. The birth of our Lord and Savior 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:16.399 and His coming into this world. And gosh, what 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:18.800 a thing to celebrate as a church. What an opportunity 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:23.980 to... set aside even our personal little family 00:00:23.980 --> 00:00:25.899 moments and stuff to say we're going to come 00:00:25.899 --> 00:00:28.699 together as the church, the body of Jesus Christ, 00:00:28.980 --> 00:00:32.020 to celebrate him together. And what a blessed 00:00:32.020 --> 00:00:34.859 opportunity this is. If you don't know who I 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:37.979 am, I am Pastor Nathan. And, you know, today 00:00:37.979 --> 00:00:41.229 we're here to celebrate together. It is Christmas. 00:00:41.450 --> 00:00:43.630 You know, a lot of us have already had our mornings. 00:00:43.689 --> 00:00:46.689 We got up this morning and had a tree full of 00:00:46.689 --> 00:00:50.009 gifts, and my grandson James ran out, and he's 00:00:50.009 --> 00:00:52.469 at that age of life right now where if a gift 00:00:52.469 --> 00:00:57.429 is wrapped, it must be for him. And so, and of 00:00:57.429 --> 00:00:59.590 course, they were all for him, and so he had 00:00:59.590 --> 00:01:03.130 a wonderful morning and was so excited. And it's 00:01:03.130 --> 00:01:05.549 just so fun to be a part of that. You know, every... 00:01:06.010 --> 00:01:09.129 Every Christmas season, we're surrounded by gifts. 00:01:09.290 --> 00:01:11.609 We're surrounded by the thought of what are we 00:01:11.609 --> 00:01:13.390 going to get and who are we going to get it for? 00:01:13.769 --> 00:01:16.730 Our whole world is wrapped around this idea of 00:01:16.730 --> 00:01:19.549 gifts. Retailers count on it. It's like often 00:01:19.549 --> 00:01:22.870 retailers make most of their money during the 00:01:22.870 --> 00:01:25.170 Christmas season more than they make in the whole 00:01:25.170 --> 00:01:28.310 year. Families are planning for this. The unwise 00:01:28.310 --> 00:01:31.510 go into debt for it. Kids love it, right? It's 00:01:31.510 --> 00:01:34.640 just this wonderful, wonderful time. But with 00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:38.019 all of it, we always have to just be careful 00:01:38.019 --> 00:01:41.680 to not get distracted by all of that from what 00:01:41.680 --> 00:01:45.099 Christmas is really all about. And that's not 00:01:45.099 --> 00:01:48.340 new. It's been happening for centuries. Most 00:01:48.340 --> 00:01:50.959 people, if you talk to them about the real meaning 00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:53.359 of Christmas, even non -believers around the 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:56.060 world, most people kind of know where the Christmas 00:01:56.060 --> 00:01:58.840 celebration comes from. They're familiar with 00:01:58.840 --> 00:02:02.459 the concept of baby Jesus and all of that. And 00:02:02.459 --> 00:02:05.500 there's cards and there's carols and songs and 00:02:05.500 --> 00:02:07.739 stuff. And all of that is just so beautiful and 00:02:07.739 --> 00:02:10.199 so wonderful. And, you know, some people start 00:02:10.199 --> 00:02:13.539 decorating in January and, you know, just God 00:02:13.539 --> 00:02:15.900 bless them, you know. They're just excited about 00:02:15.900 --> 00:02:19.680 this season. Even though we see cards and carols 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:22.240 and Hallmark movies and all this stuff, some 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:25.659 of it isn't all that accurate when it comes to 00:02:25.659 --> 00:02:30.500 Christmas. We sing songs like Silent Night, right? 00:02:30.659 --> 00:02:34.020 Beautiful song. But if you imagine the moment, 00:02:34.340 --> 00:02:37.439 I don't think it was a very silent night. There 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:40.319 was a census going on. Bethlehem was packed full 00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:43.759 of people. Every possible inn and place to sleep 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:47.150 was... full. There was nowhere for Joseph and 00:02:47.150 --> 00:02:50.030 Mary to bed down for the night. And it just, 00:02:50.110 --> 00:02:52.330 there was a lot of activity going on. And then, 00:02:52.370 --> 00:02:54.750 of course, you have the multitude of the angels 00:02:54.750 --> 00:02:57.990 singing into the sky, you know, to the shepherds. 00:02:57.990 --> 00:03:00.590 And then, of course, you have this newborn baby 00:03:00.590 --> 00:03:03.300 crying out into the night. You know, it's like 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:05.479 silence might be the last word you would describe 00:03:05.479 --> 00:03:08.800 or use to describe the night. But perhaps no 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:12.120 Christmas story is more misunderstood than the 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:14.900 story of the wise men, right? We have songs about 00:03:14.900 --> 00:03:16.939 that. And, you know, when we think of the wise 00:03:16.939 --> 00:03:19.539 men in the Christmas story, it's often pictured 00:03:19.539 --> 00:03:23.319 as, you know, three kings riding camels, kneeling 00:03:23.319 --> 00:03:25.699 beside a manger on the night Jesus was born. 00:03:25.759 --> 00:03:28.259 And, you know, if we're going to be scripturally 00:03:28.259 --> 00:03:31.919 accurate, Scripture says none of that. It says 00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:33.979 that there was wise men from the east, but it 00:03:33.979 --> 00:03:37.219 doesn't tell us how many showed up. We just assume 00:03:37.219 --> 00:03:40.740 three because there was three gifts, right? It 00:03:40.740 --> 00:03:43.740 never calls them kings. It calls them wise men. 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:46.780 It calls them magi. But it does make it clear 00:03:46.780 --> 00:03:50.120 that they didn't arrive the night he was born. 00:03:50.180 --> 00:03:53.520 They arrived sometime after when he was a young 00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:57.500 child, no longer a baby. But regardless, they're 00:03:57.500 --> 00:04:00.719 in the story of the arrival. of the Savior of 00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:03.960 the world. They're in the story because it's 00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:08.120 deeply, deeply meaningful and theological, and 00:04:08.120 --> 00:04:10.780 they brought the gifts, the gifts that we always 00:04:10.780 --> 00:04:13.460 talk about, the frankincense, the gold, the myrrh, 00:04:13.460 --> 00:04:16.779 and all of these gifts speak into the tradition 00:04:16.779 --> 00:04:20.279 of gift -giving at Christmas. That's where it 00:04:20.279 --> 00:04:23.540 all comes from, is the idea that these wise men 00:04:23.540 --> 00:04:26.459 brought gifts to the Savior of the world. And 00:04:26.459 --> 00:04:29.420 so we follow along with that as we get gifts 00:04:29.420 --> 00:04:31.279 from one another during the season. And so I 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:32.980 want to look at those gifts this morning as we 00:04:32.980 --> 00:04:35.500 remember, you know, what gift giving is all about 00:04:35.500 --> 00:04:38.879 and celebrate the most important gift of all, 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:43.420 and that was Jesus. The gift to us who brought 00:04:43.420 --> 00:04:45.699 the free gift of salvation and reconciliation 00:04:45.699 --> 00:04:49.100 with our Creator, our Lord, our Father in heaven, 00:04:49.139 --> 00:04:53.639 and just that is priceless. and has changed everything 00:04:53.639 --> 00:04:55.740 for us. But before we get into all that, we're 00:04:55.740 --> 00:04:58.399 going to spend some time worshiping God because 00:04:58.399 --> 00:05:01.680 it's always good to start that way. We want to 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:04.560 start by just praising Him and showing Him how 00:05:04.560 --> 00:05:07.000 much we love Him and singing to Him in worship 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:10.759 and praise that we appreciate Him, that we're 00:05:10.759 --> 00:05:12.720 grateful for Him, that we love Him. And then, 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:15.180 of course, we want to do so in some of the familiar 00:05:15.180 --> 00:05:17.899 songs that celebrate this time of the year and 00:05:17.899 --> 00:05:19.660 what it's all about. But first, let's pray. If 00:05:19.660 --> 00:05:21.079 you all bow your heads and join me in prayer. 00:05:21.160 --> 00:05:25.649 Father, We're so grateful for you, and we're 00:05:25.649 --> 00:05:27.410 so grateful that you sent your son into this 00:05:27.410 --> 00:05:33.189 world who is God, Jesus Christ, who came to live 00:05:33.189 --> 00:05:38.250 as a man and die as a man without ever having 00:05:38.250 --> 00:05:42.110 sinned, ever done anything wrong, Lord, and yet 00:05:42.110 --> 00:05:45.089 he was a gift that you gave to us, Lord, that 00:05:45.089 --> 00:05:47.110 we would be able to, through his sacrifice on 00:05:47.110 --> 00:05:51.389 the cross, to be saved. to have our relationship 00:05:51.389 --> 00:05:54.209 with you restored, to have his perfect life accredited 00:05:54.209 --> 00:05:59.110 to our account. Lord, it's more than we can imagine 00:05:59.110 --> 00:06:01.250 and more than we could ever possibly hope to 00:06:01.250 --> 00:06:04.149 earn or pay for. And God, that's what makes the 00:06:04.149 --> 00:06:07.949 gift so wonderful. It was a free gift. It wasn't 00:06:07.949 --> 00:06:10.610 something we had to work for. It wasn't something 00:06:10.610 --> 00:06:13.810 that we had to do good deeds for, God. It was 00:06:13.810 --> 00:06:15.829 something that you chose to do because you loved 00:06:15.829 --> 00:06:18.689 us. And you knew that in our sin, there was just 00:06:18.689 --> 00:06:23.800 no hope for us. So you did everything. And Lord, 00:06:23.879 --> 00:06:27.100 the reality of this gift is we have to receive 00:06:27.100 --> 00:06:31.620 it. You don't force it upon us. You offer it. 00:06:31.740 --> 00:06:34.399 And Lord, we pray that this Christmas, Lord, 00:06:34.459 --> 00:06:36.180 for any that are here with us this morning or 00:06:36.180 --> 00:06:39.519 watching online that have never made a commitment 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:41.819 to you or maybe they made a commitment at one 00:06:41.819 --> 00:06:44.339 point in their life and they've walked away from 00:06:44.339 --> 00:06:48.579 that for years at this point. God, that they 00:06:48.579 --> 00:06:52.129 would hear. what it's all about. They would remember 00:06:52.129 --> 00:06:54.850 what it's all about, and they would come back 00:06:54.850 --> 00:07:00.189 to the place of receiving that gift, holding 00:07:00.189 --> 00:07:02.589 it close and applying it to their lives, using 00:07:02.589 --> 00:07:05.389 it, just, Lord, everything that we hope people 00:07:05.389 --> 00:07:08.689 do when we give them a gift, Lord, that we would 00:07:08.689 --> 00:07:12.250 be blessed. But God, we want to start by worshiping 00:07:12.250 --> 00:07:14.970 you and praising you, Lord, because this is a 00:07:14.970 --> 00:07:20.579 celebration. This is a birthday. This is a time 00:07:20.579 --> 00:07:22.959 where we just want to celebrate you. We thank 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:25.459 you so much. We love you. It's in Jesus' name 00:07:25.459 --> 00:07:32.540 we pray. Amen. All right. You guys ready? Let's 00:07:32.540 --> 00:07:39.300 do it. I love it. Well, I want to begin our look 00:07:39.300 --> 00:07:43.439 at the wise men with the... with a very fun rendition 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:47.120 of the story and the associated carols that we 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:50.699 usually connect to it. This is... something our 00:07:50.699 --> 00:07:54.120 founding pastor, Pastor Gary Ansdell, who is 00:07:54.120 --> 00:07:58.160 now our pastor emeritus, did for years as a part 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:00.240 of the Christmas story here and our celebration 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:03.800 here on Sundays. And so, you know, the secular 00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:06.319 world around us, every once in a while, kind 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:09.720 of gets things biblically kind of right, not 00:08:09.720 --> 00:08:12.959 all the way right, but there's a... a proper 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:16.939 level of celebration and whatnot. And so in honor 00:08:16.939 --> 00:08:20.220 of Pastor Gary this year, and as our church is 00:08:20.220 --> 00:08:24.500 a gift to you, Pastor Gary, we want to bless 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:27.720 the kids this morning and bless the body as well 00:08:27.720 --> 00:08:31.540 with the Little Drummer Warners by the Animaniacs. 00:08:35.259 --> 00:08:42.159 So yeah, a fun, fun rendition. For years, I used 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:45.700 to talk about learning the drum solo and performing 00:08:45.700 --> 00:08:48.919 that whole thing just for Pastor Gary one Christmas. 00:08:49.100 --> 00:08:51.460 And we never quite got to it, but there's still 00:08:51.460 --> 00:08:55.159 time. So we'll see in future years to come. I 00:08:55.159 --> 00:08:57.320 wanted to kind of walk through the story of the 00:08:57.320 --> 00:09:01.000 wise men and their visit to Jesus as a young 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:03.919 child and kind of look at this whole idea of 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:07.600 gifts and why we follow this tradition and why 00:09:07.600 --> 00:09:09.379 we celebrate. We're going to be in Matthew chapter 00:09:09.379 --> 00:09:12.059 2 if you want to follow along in your Bible there. 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:15.139 But starting in verse 1, it says, After Jesus 00:09:15.139 --> 00:09:18.360 was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of 00:09:18.360 --> 00:09:22.899 King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in 00:09:22.899 --> 00:09:26.120 Jerusalem. Now, this part of the Christmas story, 00:09:26.200 --> 00:09:28.659 it just opens with a very simple statement of 00:09:28.659 --> 00:09:32.159 fact here. And that's all we're told. We're not 00:09:32.159 --> 00:09:35.039 given any backstory to these wise men. We're 00:09:35.039 --> 00:09:38.289 not given really... any explanation of what from 00:09:38.289 --> 00:09:41.509 the east means. It's just suddenly, poof, out 00:09:41.509 --> 00:09:44.690 of nowhere, these wise men appear on the story 00:09:44.690 --> 00:09:48.149 coming into Jerusalem and they start looking 00:09:48.149 --> 00:09:51.769 for this newborn baby king. In verse two, they 00:09:51.769 --> 00:09:54.950 said, where is he who has been born king of the 00:09:54.950 --> 00:09:58.690 Jews? For we saw his star as it's rising and 00:09:58.690 --> 00:10:02.549 have come to worship him. Now this was a very 00:10:02.549 --> 00:10:06.269 startling question for Jerusalem at the time. 00:10:06.330 --> 00:10:09.909 It was a question that shook the whole city because 00:10:09.909 --> 00:10:14.720 there was already a king. His name was Herod, 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:18.899 King Herod. And he was an authority that had 00:10:18.899 --> 00:10:22.200 been installed there by Rome. He was somebody 00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:25.600 that was very hedonistic. He really didn't care 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:28.679 or worship God. Wasn't even a Jew, as we'll get 00:10:28.679 --> 00:10:31.399 to that. But, you know, authority in the area 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:33.299 at the time, because Rome controlled the whole 00:10:33.299 --> 00:10:36.539 world, authority was something that was overseen 00:10:36.539 --> 00:10:39.460 and greatly influenced by Rome. And so the thought 00:10:39.460 --> 00:10:43.299 of another king possibly arriving on the scene 00:10:43.299 --> 00:10:46.899 outside of the normal process of kingship, that 00:10:46.899 --> 00:10:51.259 was worrisome. And that was problematic and potentially 00:10:51.259 --> 00:10:53.940 dangerous if Rome got involved and said, wait 00:10:53.940 --> 00:10:56.840 a second, who's this king that we didn't vet, 00:10:56.960 --> 00:10:59.679 that we didn't approve? And so people got worried 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:02.360 that these wise men from the east are showing 00:11:02.360 --> 00:11:05.139 up going, hey, where's the new king who was just 00:11:05.139 --> 00:11:09.230 born? Who were these wise men, right? We talked 00:11:09.230 --> 00:11:11.529 about in the songs and stuff, they referred to 00:11:11.529 --> 00:11:14.730 as we three kings and all this stuff, but who 00:11:14.730 --> 00:11:17.970 were they? Why would they come looking for a 00:11:17.970 --> 00:11:21.259 Jewish king? That's a very important question, 00:11:21.340 --> 00:11:23.960 and we have to kind of go back hundreds of years 00:11:23.960 --> 00:11:27.200 for the answer to that question. These wise men 00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:32.539 were also known as Magi, and they were a hereditary 00:11:32.539 --> 00:11:36.480 priestly caste from the Medo -Persian world. 00:11:36.740 --> 00:11:39.600 And so if you imagine the map and where Israel's 00:11:39.600 --> 00:11:42.120 at, if you go to the east, you go through what 00:11:42.120 --> 00:11:44.419 is modern -day Iraq and into modern -day Iran, 00:11:44.519 --> 00:11:46.879 and that was the Persian and the Medo -Persian 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:50.580 empires of the time. men from that area. They 00:11:50.580 --> 00:11:54.259 were scholars. They were astronomers. They were 00:11:54.259 --> 00:11:57.799 interpreters of dreams. But most importantly, 00:11:57.960 --> 00:12:01.840 in their homeland, they were kingmakers. What 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:05.419 I mean by that is no Persian king ruled in the 00:12:05.419 --> 00:12:08.940 Medo -Persian Empire without the approval of 00:12:08.940 --> 00:12:13.730 these wise men, these magi. Now, centuries earlier 00:12:13.730 --> 00:12:16.629 during the Babylonian captivity, there was a 00:12:16.629 --> 00:12:19.730 Jewish prophet named Daniel. There is a book 00:12:19.730 --> 00:12:22.490 in the Bible that is named after him. And in 00:12:22.490 --> 00:12:26.549 Daniel 5, verse 11, it tells us this, that King 00:12:26.549 --> 00:12:30.929 Nebuchadnezzar appointed him chief of the magicians, 00:12:31.090 --> 00:12:36.129 mediums, Chaldeans, and diviner. In other words, 00:12:36.129 --> 00:12:39.860 this Jewish prophet that was in captivity in 00:12:39.860 --> 00:12:43.360 Babylon was named by King Nebuchadnezzar the 00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:49.139 chief magi, or the chief of the wise men. Well, 00:12:49.179 --> 00:12:51.559 what do you imagine this Jewish prophet, this 00:12:51.559 --> 00:12:54.200 believer and follower of God Almighty, might 00:12:54.200 --> 00:12:57.259 have taught some of these magi and the people 00:12:57.259 --> 00:13:00.190 in this priestly clan? Well, we know from the 00:13:00.190 --> 00:13:02.389 book of Daniel that Daniel was well -respected 00:13:02.389 --> 00:13:05.129 as an interpreter of dreams. He was a prophet. 00:13:05.370 --> 00:13:08.149 And historically and archaeologically, we know 00:13:08.149 --> 00:13:12.649 that his prophecies were well -known around the 00:13:12.649 --> 00:13:17.710 major empires of the day. It's not hard to surmise 00:13:17.710 --> 00:13:20.850 that these magi, these wise men from the Persian 00:13:20.850 --> 00:13:24.970 Empire were taught by Daniel all about the prophecies 00:13:24.970 --> 00:13:28.850 and the terms of the Jewish religion. And one 00:13:28.850 --> 00:13:31.149 of those things was specifically the promise 00:13:31.149 --> 00:13:33.429 that the Jewish people, the Jewish nation hoped 00:13:33.429 --> 00:13:36.470 in that a ruler would one day come with a kingdom 00:13:36.470 --> 00:13:39.830 that would never end. And so generation after 00:13:39.830 --> 00:13:44.549 generation, these... Magi, these wise men from 00:13:44.549 --> 00:13:48.149 the Persian Empire, were primed to look for signs 00:13:48.149 --> 00:13:51.830 in the heavens of this coming ruler of the entire 00:13:51.830 --> 00:13:54.649 world. And when that sign in the heaven appeared, 00:13:54.909 --> 00:13:59.070 they knew exactly what it meant. And so these 00:13:59.070 --> 00:14:02.850 wise men left their homeland to go pay homage 00:14:02.850 --> 00:14:06.789 to this ruler. This king of the whole world that 00:14:06.789 --> 00:14:08.789 they had believed was coming and had been told 00:14:08.789 --> 00:14:11.490 was coming and had been looking for for year 00:14:11.490 --> 00:14:14.309 after year after year and generation after generation. 00:14:15.649 --> 00:14:18.909 And it's just kind of a sad picture because it's 00:14:18.909 --> 00:14:24.509 pagan priests who are looking for the king when 00:14:24.509 --> 00:14:28.340 many in Jerusalem were not even interested. When 00:14:28.340 --> 00:14:30.519 many of the Jewish people were not even looking 00:14:30.519 --> 00:14:33.279 out for their Savior to come, they were hoping 00:14:33.279 --> 00:14:35.720 for it, they were waiting for it, but nobody 00:14:35.720 --> 00:14:38.059 was really searching and looking, and yet these 00:14:38.059 --> 00:14:41.179 pagan priests show up asking, where is he who 00:14:41.179 --> 00:14:44.419 was born King of the Jews? Now Herod, he was 00:14:44.419 --> 00:14:47.200 shook. Look at verse 3. When King Herod heard 00:14:47.200 --> 00:14:50.159 this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem 00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:53.970 with him. As we said, any thought of political 00:14:53.970 --> 00:14:56.450 power coming into the arena outside of Rome's 00:14:56.450 --> 00:14:59.309 influence could be a problem. So he assembled 00:14:59.309 --> 00:15:01.370 all the chief priests and scribes of the people 00:15:01.370 --> 00:15:03.590 and asked them where the Messiah would be born. 00:15:04.509 --> 00:15:07.769 In Bethlehem of Judea, they told him, because 00:15:07.769 --> 00:15:10.789 this is what was written by the prophet. And 00:15:10.789 --> 00:15:13.309 you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, are by 00:15:13.309 --> 00:15:38.659 no means least among the rulers of Judah. Now, 00:15:38.659 --> 00:15:43.019 the details here. when they say child, this word 00:15:43.019 --> 00:15:46.460 is a word that can refer to a kid up to two years 00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:50.360 old. And that's why commonly from a scholastic 00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:52.460 point of view is that these wise men appeared. 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:56.059 Jesus could have been up to two years old at 00:15:56.059 --> 00:15:58.539 this point, being considered a young child for 00:15:58.539 --> 00:16:01.120 the word that is used here. And so the idea is, 00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:04.039 when did this sign appear? Some say that it appeared 00:16:04.039 --> 00:16:07.200 at his birth, as we read, and that that's when 00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:10.399 they left their homeland. And it took them however 00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:13.259 long it took them to get to Jerusalem to see 00:16:13.259 --> 00:16:17.120 the baby Jesus. Now, all of this is speculation 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:19.679 and conjecture. There's been some really interesting 00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:24.159 mathematics done on scaling back the movement 00:16:24.159 --> 00:16:25.899 of the stars in the heavens, because we could 00:16:25.899 --> 00:16:28.500 do that with computers now, and pinpointing when 00:16:28.500 --> 00:16:31.440 there'd be certain astronomical events and stuff 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:33.460 that would be these bright, shining stars. And 00:16:33.460 --> 00:16:35.820 it's really interesting stuff, but, you know, 00:16:35.840 --> 00:16:37.960 the point is, is that they saw these signs they 00:16:37.960 --> 00:16:39.379 knew to look for them, and they had followed 00:16:39.379 --> 00:16:42.340 them to find the king of the Jews. Now, King 00:16:42.340 --> 00:16:45.820 Herod, as I said, he was shook by this. It was 00:16:45.820 --> 00:16:47.960 a threat to his power. It was a threat to his 00:16:47.960 --> 00:16:51.059 control. Now, King Herod himself, he wasn't even 00:16:51.059 --> 00:16:54.220 a Jewish man. He was an Edomite. An Edomite was 00:16:54.220 --> 00:16:57.019 a descendant of Esau. As we've been studying 00:16:57.019 --> 00:16:58.879 through the book of Genesis, we remember that 00:16:58.879 --> 00:17:02.200 Jacob and Esau were brothers, and Jacob is the 00:17:02.200 --> 00:17:04.400 one who the covenant promise came through, the 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:07.319 promise of the line of the Messiah. And Esau 00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:10.700 was kind of... Cast out in that sense. He went 00:17:10.700 --> 00:17:13.700 about his own life and his people flourished. 00:17:13.740 --> 00:17:16.160 And at this point, we have one of his descendants 00:17:16.160 --> 00:17:19.900 installed by Rome as the king over this area 00:17:19.900 --> 00:17:23.059 in the Jewish promised land. Now, King Herod 00:17:23.059 --> 00:17:26.859 was a very paranoid man. He clung to his power 00:17:26.859 --> 00:17:29.859 and his rulership with great paranoia and bloodshed. 00:17:30.700 --> 00:17:33.319 To keep his power because he felt threatened, 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:36.990 he killed his own wife. He killed his two sons. 00:17:37.369 --> 00:17:41.910 I mean, the man was crazy. And there was a saying 00:17:41.910 --> 00:17:44.289 in the days of Herod that it was safer to be 00:17:44.289 --> 00:17:49.150 Herod's pig than his child. And so, very bloodthirsty 00:17:49.150 --> 00:17:51.849 man. And he had no intention of going to worship 00:17:51.849 --> 00:17:54.710 the new king of the Jews. What he wanted to do 00:17:54.710 --> 00:17:58.250 was to eliminate another threat. So he hears 00:17:58.250 --> 00:18:03.079 this. There's a new king? Who? Where? He consults 00:18:03.079 --> 00:18:05.079 with the religious leaders, and the religious 00:18:05.079 --> 00:18:07.759 leaders there in the Jewish lands, they know 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:10.420 the scriptures. They quote Micah. They quote 00:18:10.420 --> 00:18:12.279 what the word of God says, and they said, yeah, 00:18:12.359 --> 00:18:14.859 we know where the Messiah is going to be born. 00:18:14.900 --> 00:18:18.319 He's going to be born in Bethlehem. But what's 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:21.500 sad is here are those people who were God's chosen 00:18:21.500 --> 00:18:24.829 people. They had God's word. They knew God's 00:18:24.829 --> 00:18:27.250 word. They were even able to say, oh, we know 00:18:27.250 --> 00:18:29.430 exactly where the Messiah is supposed to be born. 00:18:29.710 --> 00:18:32.410 Here are wise men from the east going, the king 00:18:32.410 --> 00:18:35.769 of the Jews has been born. Where is he? And yet 00:18:35.769 --> 00:18:37.490 these Jewish religious leaders, although they 00:18:37.490 --> 00:18:40.250 know the truth, they don't even go to see if 00:18:40.250 --> 00:18:43.549 it's true. They don't even bother to go there 00:18:43.549 --> 00:18:46.589 and check this out. So, you know, as believers, 00:18:46.809 --> 00:18:49.430 we just know that knowledge without obedience 00:18:49.430 --> 00:18:53.309 doesn't do anything. It leaves us unchanged, 00:18:54.089 --> 00:18:57.369 right? You might be a person who's like, oh, 00:18:57.410 --> 00:19:00.609 I know all about Christmas. Oh, baby Jesus. Great. 00:19:01.109 --> 00:19:07.089 You have knowledge. But unless you obey God's 00:19:07.089 --> 00:19:10.210 word and do what God says, you're unchanged. 00:19:11.559 --> 00:19:15.059 There's no salvation in knowledge. There's salvation 00:19:15.059 --> 00:19:18.420 in faith in who Jesus Christ is. And, you know, 00:19:18.420 --> 00:19:20.539 sadly, these religious leaders, although they 00:19:20.539 --> 00:19:23.779 had knowledge, didn't even go to check it out. 00:19:23.859 --> 00:19:25.819 And eventually, the wise men find the child. 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:29.359 And then Matthew, he gives us the story of their 00:19:29.359 --> 00:19:31.579 arrival, right? He's very, very careful with 00:19:31.579 --> 00:19:34.460 his words. In verse 9 of Matthew 2, it says, 00:19:34.519 --> 00:19:36.400 After hearing the king, they went on their way, 00:19:36.500 --> 00:19:40.079 and there it was, the star they had seen at its 00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:43.740 rising. It led them until it came and stopped 00:19:43.740 --> 00:19:47.099 above the place where the child was. When they 00:19:47.099 --> 00:19:50.420 saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 00:19:51.339 --> 00:19:56.359 Why? Because they believed the prophecy. They 00:19:56.359 --> 00:19:59.160 knew what it meant. They knew what it entailed. 00:19:59.900 --> 00:20:02.440 And so verse 11, entering the house, they saw 00:20:02.440 --> 00:20:05.339 the child with Mary, his mother, and falling 00:20:05.339 --> 00:20:08.220 to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they 00:20:08.220 --> 00:20:10.240 opened their treasures and presented him with 00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:13.140 gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And being 00:20:13.140 --> 00:20:15.500 warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they 00:20:15.500 --> 00:20:18.240 returned to their own country by another route. 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:25.039 Notice, they enter a house. They see the child. 00:20:26.180 --> 00:20:28.440 The star was right there. They're overwhelmed 00:20:28.440 --> 00:20:31.059 with joy. Everything they had been told down 00:20:31.059 --> 00:20:33.259 through the generations, it's here, he's here. 00:20:33.980 --> 00:20:36.480 It's all as it is, but before they do anything 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:38.599 else, they enter the house, the first thing they 00:20:38.599 --> 00:20:43.779 do is worship. Take note of that. The first thing 00:20:43.779 --> 00:20:48.000 they do is worship. It's after they fall down 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:51.440 before him, after they acknowledge who he is 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:55.259 and respond accordingly, after they give him 00:20:55.259 --> 00:20:58.279 homage as king of kings and all that they have 00:20:58.279 --> 00:21:01.859 believed, it's after that they offer gifts to 00:21:01.859 --> 00:21:08.160 him. The order matters. Worship always precedes 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:12.480 giving. It should always precede giving. Before 00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:17.299 God wants what's in your hands, he wants your 00:21:17.299 --> 00:21:21.500 heart. Before God wants what you bring to him 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:25.640 and say, look, I did this for you, he wants you 00:21:25.640 --> 00:21:30.299 and your obedience and your faith. He even says 00:21:30.299 --> 00:21:32.319 that throughout Scripture. I desire obedience 00:21:32.319 --> 00:21:37.380 over sacrifice. You see, our relationship with 00:21:37.380 --> 00:21:40.500 God is one about understanding this gift we were 00:21:40.500 --> 00:21:42.660 given in Jesus, a gift we didn't deserve, a gift 00:21:42.660 --> 00:21:46.599 we don't earn, a gift we can never earn. And 00:21:46.599 --> 00:21:49.259 when we say, I believe in that, and I believe 00:21:49.259 --> 00:21:51.299 that he is God, and I believe he died for my 00:21:51.299 --> 00:21:56.619 sins, we are given salvation, eternal life. The 00:21:56.619 --> 00:22:01.059 response to that The response to the, he is God 00:22:01.059 --> 00:22:03.359 and I worship him and I pledge my life to him, 00:22:03.420 --> 00:22:07.980 my heart is yours, is then the obedience of, 00:22:08.099 --> 00:22:10.759 God, I'm gonna do what you've called me to do 00:22:10.759 --> 00:22:13.599 and I'm gonna offer my time and I'm gonna offer 00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:16.240 my resources, but not the other way around. And 00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:20.559 sometimes we get that mixed up. I wanna bring 00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:24.720 him gifts, but not give him my life. And we think 00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:28.599 that the gift will appease God somehow. And we 00:22:28.599 --> 00:22:31.240 see the order here with his wise men that they 00:22:31.240 --> 00:22:35.160 worship first. Our time and our talent and our 00:22:35.160 --> 00:22:38.099 treasure, it's all meant to flow out of surrendered 00:22:38.099 --> 00:22:44.339 worship, not replace it. And that's why gatherings 00:22:44.339 --> 00:22:46.299 like this are so important, right? We are here 00:22:46.299 --> 00:22:49.819 to worship Jesus. Now, if you already gave all 00:22:49.819 --> 00:22:52.119 your gifts out this morning, there's no hope 00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:55.140 for you. No, just kidding. That's not my point. 00:22:58.530 --> 00:23:01.990 But we had our time, right? We got up, for those 00:23:01.990 --> 00:23:04.349 of you that do Christmas morning and maybe you 00:23:04.349 --> 00:23:06.190 had your hot chocolate and your gifts and you 00:23:06.190 --> 00:23:08.230 had this wonderful time. And then we go, you 00:23:08.230 --> 00:23:10.869 know what? We may have other stuff going on for 00:23:10.869 --> 00:23:13.250 the rest of the day and celebrations and some 00:23:13.250 --> 00:23:15.549 of you have like two, three, four, ten family 00:23:15.549 --> 00:23:18.789 stops you gotta do. But you took the time this 00:23:18.789 --> 00:23:23.630 morning to say, God, you are most important in 00:23:23.630 --> 00:23:26.809 my life. And I recognize the gift you gave me 00:23:26.809 --> 00:23:30.069 is more important than anything else in my life. 00:23:30.130 --> 00:23:33.230 And so I'm going to set time aside to come together 00:23:33.230 --> 00:23:36.789 with the rest of my family and to celebrate you. 00:23:37.869 --> 00:23:44.019 And that is such a wonderful thing to do. Christmas, 00:23:44.140 --> 00:23:46.440 right, of all things to come together and celebrate, 00:23:46.559 --> 00:23:50.180 of all things to let the world see that we as 00:23:50.180 --> 00:23:51.980 his people will go, yeah, I got dinner and I 00:23:51.980 --> 00:23:54.220 got lunch and I got this and I got that, but 00:23:54.220 --> 00:23:57.079 I want to come together with my family because 00:23:57.079 --> 00:24:01.299 we're going to celebrate him. What a beautiful 00:24:01.299 --> 00:24:03.940 witness that is to the world, the opportunity 00:24:03.940 --> 00:24:08.799 that we get to do this. And so that's why we 00:24:08.799 --> 00:24:10.500 gather. You know, there's a lot of churches in 00:24:10.500 --> 00:24:12.880 the world today like, oh. We don't do church 00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:15.759 Christmas morning. That's family time, and I 00:24:15.759 --> 00:24:21.220 get that. But what more important thing to do 00:24:21.220 --> 00:24:24.660 on Christmas Day is there than to come together 00:24:24.660 --> 00:24:28.279 for a moment, for a time, as the body to celebrate 00:24:28.279 --> 00:24:33.059 Jesus? And then we get to go and have our lunch 00:24:33.059 --> 00:24:34.779 and our food and all our Christmas celebrations 00:24:34.779 --> 00:24:37.829 and all of that. But he's the point. He's the 00:24:37.829 --> 00:24:40.930 foundation. He's the everything. So the wise 00:24:40.930 --> 00:24:42.829 men, they come, they fall down, they worship 00:24:42.829 --> 00:24:45.829 him. They go, you're the king of kings. You're 00:24:45.829 --> 00:24:50.069 it. And then they offer these gifts to him. And 00:24:50.069 --> 00:24:52.470 the first gift it tells us they offered him was 00:24:52.470 --> 00:24:56.210 gold. Why gold? What's a baby going to do with 00:24:56.210 --> 00:24:59.410 gold, right? Now I'm not going to lie. I would 00:24:59.410 --> 00:25:01.250 have appreciated somebody giving me gold when 00:25:01.250 --> 00:25:03.690 I was a baby. Because it would probably be worth 00:25:03.690 --> 00:25:06.730 a lot now, right? You know? But gold, what is 00:25:06.730 --> 00:25:09.170 the idea? What are they offering to this young 00:25:09.170 --> 00:25:12.509 child who probably doesn't yet even understand 00:25:12.509 --> 00:25:14.829 money and the concepts of all these things? Well, 00:25:14.910 --> 00:25:19.410 gold is kind of a universal symbol, and in the 00:25:19.410 --> 00:25:21.430 ancient world, it was especially a universal 00:25:21.430 --> 00:25:25.369 symbol of royalty, right? It was a picture of 00:25:25.369 --> 00:25:28.259 royalty. It was like the color purple. It was 00:25:28.259 --> 00:25:30.160 such an expensive color in the ancient world 00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:33.500 that people that had purple must be very wealthy, 00:25:33.619 --> 00:25:36.519 very powerful. Gold was a symbol like that. And 00:25:36.519 --> 00:25:39.900 so in those times of kings and monarchs, if you 00:25:39.900 --> 00:25:42.740 were to approach a king in a kingdom, whether 00:25:42.740 --> 00:25:44.660 you were a subject of that kingdom or a guest 00:25:44.660 --> 00:25:48.210 or a visitor, You didn't approach without a gift 00:25:48.210 --> 00:25:50.589 of some kind. There was some type of gift to 00:25:50.589 --> 00:25:53.410 honor the authority and the power of the person 00:25:53.410 --> 00:25:55.970 you were coming before. And so, you know, approaching 00:25:55.970 --> 00:25:59.049 with gold was like one of the best gifts you 00:25:59.049 --> 00:26:06.430 could bring a king. So what we have here is Gentile 00:26:06.430 --> 00:26:13.009 kingmakers bringing royal tribute before the 00:26:13.009 --> 00:26:18.480 one true king. acknowledging him as the king, 00:26:18.660 --> 00:26:23.180 the king above all. And the Bible supports this 00:26:23.180 --> 00:26:25.259 whole concept, not just through prophecy, but 00:26:25.259 --> 00:26:29.259 Jesus was announced as king at his birth. He 00:26:29.259 --> 00:26:31.960 was declared king at the cross. He was revealed 00:26:31.960 --> 00:26:34.440 as the king of kings in glory. You go into the 00:26:34.440 --> 00:26:36.160 book of Revelation, and that's who it tells us 00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:39.640 he is, the king of kings. See, the question that 00:26:39.640 --> 00:26:43.819 we all face at Christmas, the question that our... 00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:46.940 friends and family face who may not know Jesus, 00:26:47.099 --> 00:26:52.440 may have not come to that place yet, is not whether 00:26:52.440 --> 00:26:57.339 Jesus is king. The question is, is he your king? 00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:03.420 Is he king of your life? Is he sitting on the 00:27:03.420 --> 00:27:05.440 throne of your life, or are you sitting on the 00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:07.819 throne of your life? Very important question. 00:27:10.369 --> 00:27:12.829 Jesus, you are my everything. You are my all 00:27:12.829 --> 00:27:17.369 in all. You are my number one. Great. But I'm 00:27:17.369 --> 00:27:19.630 really not going to sacrifice my time, talent, 00:27:19.690 --> 00:27:23.970 or treasure for you. Because my needs, my plans 00:27:23.970 --> 00:27:27.569 are more important. Well, it doesn't seem like 00:27:27.569 --> 00:27:30.849 he's king then, is he? Lord, you've called me 00:27:30.849 --> 00:27:32.789 to do this. You called me to serve here. You 00:27:32.789 --> 00:27:35.390 called me to do that. You're my king. You're 00:27:35.390 --> 00:27:38.250 the king of kings and lord of lords. But only 00:27:38.250 --> 00:27:43.849 on Sunday. The rest of my week, you're my friend. 00:27:46.670 --> 00:27:51.009 It's a question that Christmas begs of us. It's 00:27:51.009 --> 00:27:53.349 a reminder for us as Christians that is he king? 00:27:54.769 --> 00:27:59.150 Is he your king? Now, we don't really understand 00:27:59.150 --> 00:28:01.029 in our modern world, especially here in the West, 00:28:01.269 --> 00:28:06.579 what a king is. We have a president, we have 00:28:06.579 --> 00:28:10.460 Congress, we have this republic that is our government. 00:28:11.839 --> 00:28:14.720 But most of us have never lived under a true 00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:20.539 monarchy. But when we read history books and 00:28:20.539 --> 00:28:22.980 we study things, we get a glimpse of what it 00:28:22.980 --> 00:28:27.000 meant to have someone as your king. In the old 00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:30.339 days of kingdoms and monarchs, the king literally 00:28:30.339 --> 00:28:33.779 owned you as a subject in his kingdom. that he 00:28:33.779 --> 00:28:35.500 had the power of life and death over you. He 00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:37.660 could decide, I don't want you to live anymore, 00:28:37.799 --> 00:28:40.539 and he was absolutely justified in that authority. 00:28:41.240 --> 00:28:43.519 Not that it's right to kill people, but as a 00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:45.960 king, he had the authority to make those decisions. 00:28:46.160 --> 00:28:48.140 He had the authority to say, I want you to do 00:28:48.140 --> 00:28:49.819 this, and you have to do it, because he's the 00:28:49.819 --> 00:28:57.519 king. Is Jesus your king? And it's a serious, 00:28:57.599 --> 00:29:01.119 important question. Think of all the areas of 00:29:01.119 --> 00:29:05.960 your life. Is he king in your Is he king in your 00:29:05.960 --> 00:29:08.420 finances? Is he king in your business? Is he 00:29:08.420 --> 00:29:11.519 king in your work life? Is he king in your marriage 00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:16.099 and your parenting? He wants to be king, and 00:29:16.099 --> 00:29:20.339 he is a good king. He's not some crazy monarch. 00:29:23.500 --> 00:29:27.140 And he knows what's right and best. And that 00:29:27.140 --> 00:29:29.180 is why we're encouraged as Christians in the 00:29:29.180 --> 00:29:32.319 Word and stuff to say, you know, this baby that 00:29:32.319 --> 00:29:37.619 was born, He was born to be not just the sacrifice 00:29:37.619 --> 00:29:39.640 and all these things, but he is the authority. 00:29:39.640 --> 00:29:42.339 He is the example. His life is one where to live 00:29:42.339 --> 00:29:46.319 and emulate. And then he, as God, we have his 00:29:46.319 --> 00:29:48.480 word and his word is final and it's authority. 00:29:48.680 --> 00:29:53.640 It's not for us to question. It's for us to go, 00:29:53.720 --> 00:29:56.059 okay, let me understand what he's saying, but 00:29:56.059 --> 00:30:01.480 then to obey. And again, it's not because we're 00:30:01.480 --> 00:30:05.740 these abused subjects. It's because He paid for 00:30:05.740 --> 00:30:10.880 my sin. He gave me a gift that is beyond imagining. 00:30:11.740 --> 00:30:15.059 Of course, I want to do everything I can to live 00:30:15.059 --> 00:30:17.680 a life of gratitude to him. And that's what this 00:30:17.680 --> 00:30:20.759 gift, this gold represented, them acknowledging 00:30:20.759 --> 00:30:23.339 his kingship. And then the second gift here we 00:30:23.339 --> 00:30:28.480 have is this frankincense. Frankincense is a, 00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:33.609 was, is, maybe, I don't know. It's a very rare, 00:30:33.730 --> 00:30:37.009 expensive resin that at the time was imported 00:30:37.009 --> 00:30:41.849 by caravan from Arabia. In Israel, at the time, 00:30:41.849 --> 00:30:44.170 it was used almost exclusively by the priests. 00:30:44.349 --> 00:30:48.029 It was burned on the altar. It was mixed with 00:30:48.029 --> 00:30:52.069 oil for anointing. As it would burn, it would 00:30:52.069 --> 00:30:54.509 offer up a sweet aroma, and they would talk about 00:30:54.509 --> 00:30:57.880 this aroma that would rise up to the Lord. And 00:30:57.880 --> 00:31:02.200 so it's this really just beautiful picture of 00:31:02.200 --> 00:31:07.859 this scent offered up, given. And so the picture 00:31:07.859 --> 00:31:11.779 here is you have these priests, right? They weren't 00:31:11.779 --> 00:31:14.039 just kingmakers, these wise men. They were priests 00:31:14.039 --> 00:31:21.400 from the east bringing priestly incense to this 00:31:21.400 --> 00:31:25.539 child. This child who would one day be recognized 00:31:25.539 --> 00:31:30.319 and called our great high priest. So he wasn't 00:31:30.319 --> 00:31:33.980 just king, but he was also our high priest. The 00:31:33.980 --> 00:31:36.720 book of Hebrews, the whole book is about making 00:31:36.720 --> 00:31:39.660 this case about who Jesus is as our high priest. 00:31:39.859 --> 00:31:42.119 You know, Jesus is the one who represents us 00:31:42.119 --> 00:31:45.680 before God. The Bible tells us that, right? He's 00:31:45.680 --> 00:31:49.779 our mediator between us and the Father. He's 00:31:49.779 --> 00:31:53.049 the one in the court. courtroom picture where 00:31:53.049 --> 00:31:54.529 we're standing there before the Father and the 00:31:54.529 --> 00:31:56.849 Father's like, here's the litany of things you've 00:31:56.849 --> 00:31:58.690 done wrong. And the devil's like, yep, see, I've 00:31:58.690 --> 00:32:01.069 got an even longer list. Oh, you didn't get the 00:32:01.069 --> 00:32:03.950 full list, right? And it's all true. We've sinned. 00:32:03.970 --> 00:32:06.130 We've done all these things. And then Jesus is 00:32:06.130 --> 00:32:09.990 the one that goes, yeah, but I already paid the 00:32:09.990 --> 00:32:15.910 price for all of that. And the Father goes, you're 00:32:15.910 --> 00:32:20.150 right. Not guilty. He intercedes for us. He's 00:32:20.150 --> 00:32:22.980 the one. that stands in between as our priest, 00:32:23.059 --> 00:32:24.740 as the priest did here on earth. He's the one 00:32:24.740 --> 00:32:27.099 that sympathizes with our weaknesses, right? 00:32:28.940 --> 00:32:32.339 He gets it. Jesus is in this wonderfully unique 00:32:32.339 --> 00:32:36.059 position where, you know, if some people look 00:32:36.059 --> 00:32:38.000 at the Father as this like stern, unyielding 00:32:38.000 --> 00:32:40.299 Father, and the Bible says that God is spirit, 00:32:40.500 --> 00:32:43.710 right? And there's a... a character and a personality 00:32:43.710 --> 00:32:45.549 to the Father, and then you have God the Son, 00:32:45.609 --> 00:32:48.329 part of the Trinity, right? And the Son is the 00:32:48.329 --> 00:32:51.369 one who kind of stands there, and when we screw 00:32:51.369 --> 00:32:53.710 up, we mess up, we do something terrible, you 00:32:53.710 --> 00:32:55.809 know, he'll turn to the Father, and he goes, 00:32:55.950 --> 00:32:59.289 Dad, I know what that temptation's like. It's 00:32:59.289 --> 00:33:03.109 hard. It's not justified, but I get it. I died 00:33:03.109 --> 00:33:09.240 for that one, too. Not guilty. He offered himself 00:33:09.240 --> 00:33:11.859 as the sacrifice, is what the priests did in 00:33:11.859 --> 00:33:15.539 Judaism. They would be the ones who took the 00:33:15.539 --> 00:33:17.680 sacrifice. The people would say, I offer this 00:33:17.680 --> 00:33:20.779 as payment for my sin, and the priests would 00:33:20.779 --> 00:33:22.619 take it, and they would be the ones that would 00:33:22.619 --> 00:33:25.380 offer that sacrifice to God, and Jesus offered 00:33:25.380 --> 00:33:29.680 himself. It tells us that he is the only perfect 00:33:29.680 --> 00:33:31.819 atonement, and then he sat down at the right 00:33:31.819 --> 00:33:36.440 hand of the Father for the work of... restoring 00:33:36.440 --> 00:33:38.119 that relationship with God, it was finished. 00:33:38.400 --> 00:33:40.819 It's finished forever. We don't have to keep 00:33:40.819 --> 00:33:42.559 going back to the temple every year and keep 00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:45.680 making sacrifices every year. No, instead, we 00:33:45.680 --> 00:33:48.500 come to times like this, Christmas and Easter, 00:33:48.579 --> 00:33:50.039 and we come together and remember it's done. 00:33:51.640 --> 00:33:54.140 I'm forgiven, done, and forever. Hallelujah. 00:33:56.720 --> 00:33:58.680 Now, the Old Testament priests, they never sat 00:33:58.680 --> 00:34:02.329 down. You go back in the Old Testament, you read 00:34:02.329 --> 00:34:04.210 about the tabernacle and all the stuff that was 00:34:04.210 --> 00:34:07.490 in there. Guess what you don't find? Chairs. 00:34:08.710 --> 00:34:11.889 No chairs in the tabernacle, right? Because the 00:34:11.889 --> 00:34:15.829 work of the priests was never done. Because the 00:34:15.829 --> 00:34:20.170 offering of man's hands can't possibly atone 00:34:20.170 --> 00:34:22.309 for sin. And so it was just this constant work 00:34:22.309 --> 00:34:31.659 of sacrifice. Day after day. No union. No, here's 00:34:31.659 --> 00:34:36.559 your break. It was just shift after shift. And 00:34:36.559 --> 00:34:38.820 yet what Jesus did for us as our high priest 00:34:38.820 --> 00:34:44.659 was once and for all. He offered that which was 00:34:44.659 --> 00:34:50.219 perfect and holy to satisfy a holy God, to satisfy 00:34:50.219 --> 00:34:52.519 the justice of a holy God who would look on his 00:34:52.519 --> 00:34:55.480 creation and go, the creation has sinned against 00:34:55.480 --> 00:34:57.199 me. They're selfish, they're sinful, they're 00:34:57.199 --> 00:35:01.150 hateful, they're hurtful. And he said, yeah, 00:35:01.250 --> 00:35:07.829 but I offered myself. That sacrifice is complete. 00:35:08.590 --> 00:35:11.090 It's done. And yet the wonderful thing about 00:35:11.090 --> 00:35:13.630 Jesus is he wasn't a sacrifice that was offered, 00:35:13.710 --> 00:35:16.010 burnt up, and gone forever. The Bible says, no, 00:35:16.070 --> 00:35:18.789 he rose from the dead and he ever lives to intercede 00:35:18.789 --> 00:35:21.329 for us. That he is permanently the bridge, the 00:35:21.329 --> 00:35:23.690 perfect bridge between heaven and earth, the 00:35:23.690 --> 00:35:27.469 perfect mediator. The only one who is fully God 00:35:27.469 --> 00:35:29.489 and fully man at the same time, that's who Jesus 00:35:29.489 --> 00:35:31.690 was. And when they bring this frankincense, this 00:35:31.690 --> 00:35:37.750 priestly implement, offering it to him, it's 00:35:37.750 --> 00:35:40.989 you are king, the gold, and you are priest, the 00:35:40.989 --> 00:35:46.150 highest priest. And then the third gift was myrrh. 00:35:48.780 --> 00:35:51.559 This is the most sobering gift because myrrh 00:35:51.559 --> 00:35:54.280 was used for a lot of things at the time. It 00:35:54.280 --> 00:35:57.500 was used as a perfume. It was used as a medicine. 00:35:57.820 --> 00:36:02.760 It was used for pain relief. But the thing myrrh 00:36:02.760 --> 00:36:06.900 was used most often for was for burial. It was 00:36:06.900 --> 00:36:13.480 an embalming resin. And so imagine being Jesus' 00:36:13.679 --> 00:36:19.219 parents there. Right? The Warners just got done 00:36:19.219 --> 00:36:27.119 doing their jazz. And they bring this gold, right? 00:36:27.840 --> 00:36:31.860 Wow, gold, that's royalty. Frankincense, man, 00:36:31.960 --> 00:36:35.960 we're familiar with that from the temple. And 00:36:35.960 --> 00:36:37.559 then they lay down this myrrh, and you're like, 00:36:37.639 --> 00:36:42.039 whoa, whoa, whoa, what's up with that? That's 00:36:42.039 --> 00:36:48.820 for burial. That's like embalming fluid. Like, 00:36:48.820 --> 00:36:51.360 what are you doing here? Ancient Jewish tradition. 00:36:52.800 --> 00:36:56.500 Myrrh, it was well known, was associated specifically 00:36:56.500 --> 00:37:00.820 with sacrificial death, right? It was associated 00:37:00.820 --> 00:37:03.239 with stories of like Mount Moriah where Abraham 00:37:03.239 --> 00:37:06.199 was going to sacrifice Isaac, right? It wasn't 00:37:06.199 --> 00:37:08.679 just burial embalming fluid. It was associated 00:37:08.679 --> 00:37:10.719 with something that was offered as a sacrifice. 00:37:14.219 --> 00:37:17.960 And the message is unmistakable. That as these 00:37:17.960 --> 00:37:20.739 wise men are offering these gifts and the myrrh 00:37:20.739 --> 00:37:24.019 is laid down, that the message is this child, 00:37:24.159 --> 00:37:29.820 this king, this high priest is born to die. Was 00:37:29.820 --> 00:37:33.639 born to be a sacrifice. You see the manger, that 00:37:33.639 --> 00:37:36.280 feeding trough that he was born in, that very 00:37:36.280 --> 00:37:41.239 low and humbling experience. It always pointed 00:37:41.239 --> 00:37:45.840 to the cross. It always pointed to what he would 00:37:45.840 --> 00:37:50.940 do for us. And we can't forget that at Christmas. 00:37:51.480 --> 00:37:53.599 That's why it's funny when I see the world, you 00:37:53.599 --> 00:37:55.099 know, they talk about baby Jesus, baby Jesus, 00:37:55.219 --> 00:37:57.239 and they make a big, you know, goofy, funny thing 00:37:57.239 --> 00:37:59.940 out of it, and you're like, you're missing what 00:37:59.940 --> 00:38:04.039 it all points to. The fact that that baby Jesus 00:38:04.039 --> 00:38:06.500 is going to have to go die on that cross because 00:38:06.500 --> 00:38:13.820 you're a sinner. You've broken God's law. It's 00:38:13.820 --> 00:38:19.679 not the teachings of Jesus that save us. It's 00:38:19.679 --> 00:38:22.659 not following his example that saves us. It's 00:38:22.659 --> 00:38:25.800 not knowing what Christmas is really all about 00:38:25.800 --> 00:38:30.719 that saves us. Salvation came only through his 00:38:30.719 --> 00:38:34.360 death and our faith that that death atones for 00:38:34.360 --> 00:38:39.559 our sins. Myrrh as a resin, as a fragrance, it... 00:38:40.409 --> 00:38:42.909 its aroma would only come out when it was crushed. 00:38:44.090 --> 00:38:47.789 And that's exactly what happened to Jesus. So 00:38:47.789 --> 00:38:50.570 when the wise men, they saw the star, it told 00:38:50.570 --> 00:38:54.510 us in the verses that they rejoiced with incredibly, 00:38:54.510 --> 00:38:58.130 exceedingly great joy. When they saw the child, 00:38:58.269 --> 00:39:02.650 they worshiped. Joy and worship, that is the 00:39:02.650 --> 00:39:05.070 right response and still is the right response 00:39:05.070 --> 00:39:10.909 to Christmas. For salvation has come. These wise 00:39:10.909 --> 00:39:14.050 men, these priests, these kingmakers from the 00:39:14.050 --> 00:39:16.110 east, the authority, the power, all that they 00:39:16.110 --> 00:39:19.489 had, they knew their place. They knew that as 00:39:19.489 --> 00:39:23.909 important as they might be among men, that they 00:39:23.909 --> 00:39:29.389 stood before and then should bow before an all 00:39:29.389 --> 00:39:33.750 -important king. Kingmakers kneeling before the 00:39:33.750 --> 00:39:38.619 king of kings. It's a beautiful story. It's a 00:39:38.619 --> 00:39:42.159 beautiful picture of the response that we should 00:39:42.159 --> 00:39:47.519 have to the king of kings and his birth. Then 00:39:47.519 --> 00:39:49.199 it tells us that they went home, and when they 00:39:49.199 --> 00:39:51.199 went home, they were warned in a dream, don't 00:39:51.199 --> 00:39:54.219 go back to Herod. He's a big jerk. He's going 00:39:54.219 --> 00:39:57.960 to do something really horrifically evil. And 00:39:57.960 --> 00:40:01.460 so it says they went home by another route. I 00:40:01.460 --> 00:40:03.800 love that detail because if you look at the picture 00:40:03.800 --> 00:40:08.500 as a whole here, the story, It is always the 00:40:08.500 --> 00:40:16.179 case when we come to Jesus in worship, recognizing 00:40:16.179 --> 00:40:18.980 who he is, celebrating that, putting him as the 00:40:18.980 --> 00:40:22.179 priority in our life as king, trusting in him 00:40:22.179 --> 00:40:26.699 as our high priest, doing everything that saves 00:40:26.699 --> 00:40:31.039 us, that secures our salvation, of acknowledging 00:40:31.039 --> 00:40:33.199 and appreciating his death and what that meant 00:40:33.199 --> 00:40:35.519 as a full payment for us. When we come to that 00:40:35.519 --> 00:40:43.219 place, We never leave the same way we came. When 00:40:43.219 --> 00:40:48.639 you truly come to know Jesus Christ, born as 00:40:48.639 --> 00:40:52.219 a man, living a life, dying on the cross, all 00:40:52.219 --> 00:40:55.159 of it, when you come to believe in that and understand 00:40:55.159 --> 00:40:58.440 that, you don't leave the same way you came. 00:40:59.619 --> 00:41:03.760 You can't because you're different. Your heart's 00:41:03.760 --> 00:41:08.429 different. Your life's different. Your understanding, 00:41:08.610 --> 00:41:10.750 it's all different. It doesn't mean you're perfect. 00:41:10.809 --> 00:41:15.510 It doesn't mean you get it all. But there's a 00:41:15.510 --> 00:41:20.210 change that takes place. And so gold, frankincense, 00:41:20.210 --> 00:41:23.690 myrrh, these were the gifts given to Jesus. But 00:41:23.690 --> 00:41:27.170 of course, Christmas, it's ultimately about the 00:41:27.170 --> 00:41:32.670 gift given through Jesus for all of us. The book 00:41:32.670 --> 00:41:35.730 of Romans, as Paul the Apostle wrote, he developed 00:41:35.730 --> 00:41:38.610 this idea that Adam, the first man, brought sin 00:41:38.610 --> 00:41:43.190 and death. But Jesus Christ, called the second 00:41:43.190 --> 00:41:46.389 Adam, brought forgiveness and life. Adam, in 00:41:46.389 --> 00:41:48.309 the fall when they sinned against God and chose 00:41:48.309 --> 00:41:52.090 to disobey, ruined the image of God in man because 00:41:52.090 --> 00:41:56.150 we were made in God's image. And yet Jesus Christ 00:41:56.150 --> 00:42:00.739 restores that image in our life. The gift of 00:42:00.739 --> 00:42:06.199 Jesus to the world means that you are loved. 00:42:07.980 --> 00:42:14.360 It means that God sees you. It means that God 00:42:14.360 --> 00:42:24.340 knows. And yet he still loves you. It means that 00:42:24.340 --> 00:42:28.400 you could be forgiven. The gift of Jesus means 00:42:28.400 --> 00:42:34.079 that you can live forever. When you die in this 00:42:34.079 --> 00:42:36.840 life, that there's the hope of heaven and eternity. 00:42:37.019 --> 00:42:41.960 That's what the gift of Jesus means. It means 00:42:41.960 --> 00:42:46.579 that this life isn't all there is. And a lot 00:42:46.579 --> 00:42:49.019 of people struggle with that, with all the hurt 00:42:49.019 --> 00:42:53.260 and the hate and the just evil and wickedness 00:42:53.260 --> 00:42:56.219 in the world. And they go, is this it? This is 00:42:56.219 --> 00:42:59.909 terrible. Well, the truth is, this isn't it. 00:43:00.949 --> 00:43:02.849 And all that wickedness you see in the world 00:43:02.849 --> 00:43:07.610 is a result of sin. And God did something about 00:43:07.610 --> 00:43:09.530 that. One, to set us free from its power and 00:43:09.530 --> 00:43:12.409 control. To set us free from the penalty of sin. 00:43:13.909 --> 00:43:16.389 And there's this whole wonderful book called 00:43:16.389 --> 00:43:19.269 the Bible that talks all about these promises. 00:43:20.849 --> 00:43:25.099 But like any gift, it has to be received. You 00:43:25.099 --> 00:43:28.019 don't benefit from this gift by admiring it. 00:43:28.780 --> 00:43:30.300 Oh, wow, that was a pretty gift. Look at that 00:43:30.300 --> 00:43:36.880 wrapping. You know, like, I don't wrap gifts, 00:43:36.960 --> 00:43:42.679 I'll be honest. I'm like, what's the point? Right, 00:43:42.760 --> 00:43:44.880 this morning, grandson's walking out. You know 00:43:44.880 --> 00:43:47.559 what he didn't do? Oh, my gosh, that wrapping 00:43:47.559 --> 00:43:54.070 paper is so beautiful. Oh, the bow. It's so pretty, 00:43:54.150 --> 00:43:56.090 I can't stand it. You know what he did? He shredded 00:43:56.090 --> 00:43:58.969 all of it. Ripped it away as fast as he could. 00:43:59.030 --> 00:44:01.210 Why? Because he wanted to get to what was inside. 00:44:02.510 --> 00:44:04.429 And so that's why I'm like, I love Amazon. They 00:44:04.429 --> 00:44:07.809 ship things pre -wrapped. And people go, oh yeah, 00:44:07.869 --> 00:44:09.230 they have the gift wrapping option. I'm like, 00:44:09.269 --> 00:44:11.909 no, no, no, they ship it in a box. And you go, 00:44:11.909 --> 00:44:14.429 here you go, here's your gift. Open the box, 00:44:14.570 --> 00:44:21.280 right? That's me. But you have to. receive something. 00:44:21.360 --> 00:44:23.480 You can't just admire it. You can't just know 00:44:23.480 --> 00:44:25.940 about it. Oh, hey, I know that's a gift. So what? 00:44:26.539 --> 00:44:31.460 You didn't open it. I respect that's a gift. 00:44:32.460 --> 00:44:38.019 Great. But you haven't. received what it is until 00:44:38.019 --> 00:44:40.079 you open it and take it to yourself. You have 00:44:40.079 --> 00:44:42.300 to take it and receive it and claim it. And that's 00:44:42.300 --> 00:44:45.679 what the gift of Jesus Christ is. That's what 00:44:45.679 --> 00:44:49.619 Christmas is about. That's why we remember this 00:44:49.619 --> 00:44:51.840 moment in the gifts, that yeah, gifts were given 00:44:51.840 --> 00:44:55.599 to him, but he is the gift to us. The gift that 00:44:55.599 --> 00:44:59.260 changed everything. The gift that could heal 00:44:59.260 --> 00:45:02.159 marriages. The gift that can change your life. 00:45:02.300 --> 00:45:04.460 The gift that can set you free from addictions. 00:45:04.519 --> 00:45:11.980 The gift that can Name it. It's Jesus. And so 00:45:11.980 --> 00:45:17.099 today, don't just celebrate the season. Do that. 00:45:17.179 --> 00:45:25.280 Enjoy. But receive the Savior. As we go about 00:45:25.280 --> 00:45:28.340 the rest of our day and possibly to other family 00:45:28.340 --> 00:45:32.860 events and stuff, remind people of that. It's 00:45:32.860 --> 00:45:35.760 not just about celebrating the season. It's about 00:45:35.760 --> 00:45:39.340 receiving the Savior. As I give you this gift, 00:45:39.480 --> 00:45:42.619 whatever it may be, I also want to encourage 00:45:42.619 --> 00:45:44.840 you to receive the free gift that is Jesus Christ. 00:45:45.920 --> 00:45:47.659 Because that's the one that's really going to 00:45:47.659 --> 00:45:50.380 change everything. Rejoice. Christians, rejoice. 00:45:51.420 --> 00:45:56.079 Worship. Bow down to him. He is king. He is high 00:45:56.079 --> 00:45:59.519 priest. He is the one who died for you. And if 00:45:59.519 --> 00:46:01.880 you've never done this and you've never given 00:46:01.880 --> 00:46:04.440 your life to him, receive the gift that is offered 00:46:04.440 --> 00:46:09.039 to you because when you do, just like myself 00:46:09.039 --> 00:46:12.380 and so many people in this room and watching 00:46:12.380 --> 00:46:14.780 online and maybe it's your friends or your family 00:46:14.780 --> 00:46:16.480 and maybe you're here with them today or sitting 00:46:16.480 --> 00:46:18.039 with them in your living room watching this, 00:46:18.179 --> 00:46:22.039 when you receive that gift, you will not go home 00:46:22.039 --> 00:46:26.820 the same as you came. You will be changed forever. 00:46:27.880 --> 00:46:32.900 Let's pray. God, we're so grateful for this gift 00:46:32.900 --> 00:46:38.420 that is you. Lord, we acknowledge the season 00:46:38.420 --> 00:46:41.559 and all that this is about, and yet, Lord, there 00:46:41.559 --> 00:46:44.900 are so many that go about celebrating this, and 00:46:44.900 --> 00:46:47.820 maybe they even have an awareness of why. Oh, 00:46:47.880 --> 00:46:52.199 yeah, Christmas is about Jesus, but they haven't 00:46:52.199 --> 00:46:56.860 thought about, contemplated that whole... What 00:46:56.860 --> 00:47:04.019 is the gift giving about? Like why do we do it 00:47:04.019 --> 00:47:05.719 on this one season if there's no meaning? Why 00:47:05.719 --> 00:47:08.519 don't we just give gifts every day of every month 00:47:08.519 --> 00:47:12.639 of the whole year? Why do we wait till this time? 00:47:15.760 --> 00:47:18.460 It's because there's a purpose and a meaning, 00:47:18.579 --> 00:47:22.719 Lord, behind Christmas that is more than just 00:47:22.719 --> 00:47:27.340 trees and lights and gifts and carols. It is 00:47:27.340 --> 00:47:30.639 about us and our lives and our eternity. And 00:47:30.639 --> 00:47:34.599 so, God, I just pray for anybody here that knows 00:47:34.599 --> 00:47:39.619 they need you. Maybe they look at their life 00:47:39.619 --> 00:47:41.579 and they're going, you know, if I'm honest, my 00:47:41.579 --> 00:47:47.500 life is a mess. And I'm selfish and I'm mean. 00:47:48.519 --> 00:47:51.699 Or maybe it's I'm addicted to this or that, or 00:47:51.699 --> 00:47:54.980 my relationships are terrible, and maybe I look 00:47:54.980 --> 00:47:56.960 forward to this year to, oh, here's a gift. Maybe 00:47:56.960 --> 00:47:59.300 that'll fix everything. And year after year, 00:47:59.360 --> 00:48:01.760 it hasn't fixed anything. God, maybe today is 00:48:01.760 --> 00:48:05.280 the day that they're realizing. Because it's 00:48:05.280 --> 00:48:07.659 more than the gift that they give. It's about 00:48:07.659 --> 00:48:11.480 the gift they need to receive. A changed heart, 00:48:11.619 --> 00:48:16.320 a changed mind, a saved and forgiven soul, pardoned 00:48:16.320 --> 00:48:21.780 guilt being wiped away. the hope of heaven. Having 00:48:21.780 --> 00:48:24.179 an old stone heart taken out and a new heart 00:48:24.179 --> 00:48:26.539 put in, one that could love the way you love 00:48:26.539 --> 00:48:29.280 us, God, the way that you've called us to love 00:48:29.280 --> 00:48:34.000 with a pure and unselfish and unconditional heart, 00:48:34.079 --> 00:48:38.579 God. And so, Lord, I pray if there's any here 00:48:38.579 --> 00:48:40.559 today and any watching that need you, that they 00:48:40.559 --> 00:48:44.719 would simply say, Jesus, I don't understand everything 00:48:44.719 --> 00:48:51.440 about you and the Bible. but you're speaking 00:48:51.440 --> 00:48:57.800 to my heart. And this is resonating with me. 00:48:58.739 --> 00:49:01.699 Lord, I want to receive the gift you have for 00:49:01.699 --> 00:49:09.260 me. I want to look at Christmas as what it is, 00:49:09.320 --> 00:49:15.559 a celebration of your birth. And I acknowledge 00:49:15.559 --> 00:49:20.880 that that birth meant That you, God, being born 00:49:20.880 --> 00:49:27.380 into this world, came for me. That you lived 00:49:27.380 --> 00:49:32.900 a perfect life for me. That you died on the cross 00:49:32.900 --> 00:49:38.519 for me. So that the creator of the entire universe, 00:49:38.599 --> 00:49:40.900 my creator, would be able to look at me and go, 00:49:41.039 --> 00:49:46.519 all the stuff I've done wrong. All the error. 00:49:46.639 --> 00:49:50.389 All the... All of the things I've done that deserve 00:49:50.389 --> 00:49:57.710 punishment. That punishment was paid by you. 00:49:58.610 --> 00:50:02.630 And my guilt is wiped away. God, I receive that 00:50:02.630 --> 00:50:08.610 today. Change me. I don't want to leave the same 00:50:08.610 --> 00:50:13.929 way I came. And so I receive this gift. I receive 00:50:13.929 --> 00:50:17.260 this gift of salvation. and forgiveness and grace 00:50:17.260 --> 00:50:22.380 and mercy. Thank you for loving me so much. I 00:50:22.380 --> 00:50:25.599 don't even really understand it yet, but I want 00:50:25.599 --> 00:50:30.440 to understand it more. Thank you for loving me, 00:50:30.480 --> 00:50:37.139 Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. And for the 00:50:37.139 --> 00:50:39.679 rest of us that know the Lord and we're here, 00:50:39.800 --> 00:50:44.619 I just pray you're blessed. You know, I know 00:50:44.619 --> 00:50:46.719 the Lord is blessed that you came today to celebrate 00:50:46.719 --> 00:50:51.739 him. It's his birthday after all. You know, and 00:50:51.739 --> 00:50:54.260 now we get to go out and continue to celebrate 00:50:54.260 --> 00:50:57.280 this day with him. This day that's about him. 00:50:57.460 --> 00:50:59.780 And take that light, take that hope, take that 00:50:59.780 --> 00:51:03.380 message. Give your gifts, eat your food. Yeah, 00:51:03.599 --> 00:51:07.159 all of that. But remember what it's in remembrance 00:51:07.159 --> 00:51:09.900 of, what it's reflecting. Take the opportunities 00:51:09.900 --> 00:51:13.400 to share that where you can. Let people know. 00:51:14.360 --> 00:51:16.519 Yeah, yeah, every year I tell you Christmas is 00:51:16.519 --> 00:51:18.059 really about Jesus. I'm going to tell you one 00:51:18.059 --> 00:51:23.460 more time. Because God loves you. God loves you 00:51:23.460 --> 00:51:26.280 as He loves me. And He died for you as He died 00:51:26.280 --> 00:51:31.099 for me. And man, the peace and the joy that I 00:51:31.099 --> 00:51:32.940 have that surpasses our understanding, He wants 00:51:32.940 --> 00:51:35.239 that for you too. And that's why I tell you every 00:51:35.239 --> 00:51:38.619 year at this Christmas thing. Because I love 00:51:38.619 --> 00:51:40.969 you that much. I want you to know what I know. 00:51:41.030 --> 00:51:43.409 I want you to have the salvation that I have. 00:51:44.429 --> 00:51:46.730 Oh, and by the way, here's a PlayStation 5 or 00:51:46.730 --> 00:51:50.869 whatever you're going to do. If you have an extra 00:51:50.869 --> 00:51:52.969 PlayStation 5, I'll take it, but no, just kidding. 00:51:55.210 --> 00:52:01.969 Be blessed today. Merry Christmas. Our Lord, 00:52:02.110 --> 00:52:06.969 our Savior has been born. Hallelujah. Amen? Amen. 00:52:07.050 --> 00:52:07.809 God bless you guys.