1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:29,620 I'll return. 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:47,180 I'll come to Zion with singing, "Everlasting joy shall come to your heads; for they shall come to joy, and sorrow, and sin." This is the word of the Lord. Let's pray. 3 00:00:47,180 --> 00:00:59,280 God, we thank you so much for the opportunity to be here today. We thank you for being here today, and to be reminded of what the joy that we have to your 4 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:16,140 coming, not just in the past, but also what we can look forward to as Christians. And we thank you so much for the gospel and the good news of great joy that you gave to us. Help our service to glorify you today. In Jesus' name, amen. 5 00:01:16,140 --> 00:01:28,560 All right, so you would think we're going to sing the angels we have heard on high. It's not working. 6 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:30,320 It's not working. 7 00:01:30,320 --> 00:01:31,560 Here we go. 8 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:32,560 Okay. 9 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:57,840 Angels we have heard on high, sweet leaves singing o'er the plains, and the mountains in reply, echoing their joyous strains. Gloria. In ex-Chelsea's day. 10 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:12,580 In excelsis Deo Gloria in excelsis Deo 11 00:02:12,580 --> 00:02:26,100 Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong? 12 00:02:26,100 --> 00:02:34,240 What the gladsome tidings be, which inspired your heavenly song. 13 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:54,360 Gloria in excelsis Deo Gloria in excelsis Deo 14 00:02:54,360 --> 00:03:16,620 Come to Bethlehem and seek Him whose birth the angels sing. Come adore on banded knee, Christ the Lord, the newborn King. 15 00:03:16,620 --> 00:03:42,620 Gloria in excelsis Deo Gloria in excelsis Deo Gloria in excelsis Deo 16 00:03:46,620 --> 00:03:50,620 Gloria in excelsis Deo Gloria in excelsis Deo Gloria in excelsis Deo Gloria in excelsis Deo Gloria 17 00:03:50,620 --> 00:03:57,620 in excelsis Deo Gloria. That was probably the first time Buzz Lightyear has ever lit an Advent candle, because I realized Luke still has his costume on. 18 00:03:57,620 --> 00:04:17,620 All right, we're going to be moving into our prayer and share time, and if you're watching online, there will be a phone number for you to text. If you have anything you'd like to share with us, just text that number, and we will share that here, and we're going to be muted during that time for privacy, and so give us a few minutes, and then we'll be back to move on to the rest of our service. 19 00:04:17,620 --> 00:04:22,620 So, as we move into that, we're going to be singing "O Come All Ye Faithful." 20 00:04:47,620 --> 00:05:12,620 Come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, born the King of angels. O come, let us adore Him. O come, let us adore Him. 21 00:05:12,620 --> 00:05:24,620 O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. 22 00:05:24,620 --> 00:05:41,620 Sing, choirs of angels. Sing in exultation. Sing, holy citizens of heaven above. 23 00:05:41,620 --> 00:06:10,620 Glory to God in the highest. O come, let us adore Him. O come, let us adore Him. O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. 24 00:06:10,620 --> 00:06:15,620 All right. You may be seated. 25 00:06:40,620 --> 00:06:42,620 Let's pray. 26 00:07:10,620 --> 00:07:12,620 Let's pray. 27 00:07:40,620 --> 00:07:42,620 Let's pray. 28 00:12:10,620 --> 00:12:12,620 Amen. 29 00:12:40,620 --> 00:12:42,620 Amen. 30 00:13:10,620 --> 00:13:12,620 Amen. 31 00:13:40,620 --> 00:14:05,820 All right. As we move into our time of communion, we're going to be singing "In Christ Alone." 32 00:14:10,620 --> 00:14:40,600 In Christ alone, my hope is full. He is my life, my strength, my soul. This cornerstone, this solid ground, found through the fiercest drowning storm, 33 00:14:40,600 --> 00:15:10,580 what heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when strivings cease. My comforter, my holy hope, here in the love of Christ I stand. 34 00:15:10,580 --> 00:15:40,560 The fullness of God in helpless faith, this gift of love and righteousness, scorned by the ones He came to save. Till on that cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied. 35 00:15:40,560 --> 00:16:10,540 On Him was laid, here in the death of Christ I lay. There in the ground His body lay, light of the world by darkness. Then bursting forth in glorious day, upon the grave He rose. 36 00:16:10,540 --> 00:16:40,520 He rose again. And as He stands in victory, sin's curse has lost its grip on me. For I am His, and He is mine, brought with the precious blood of Christ. 37 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:59,520 No fear in death, this is the power of my destiny. His first cry to final breath, Jesus commends my destiny. 38 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:21,520 No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand. Till He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I'll stand. 39 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:43,520 No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand. Till He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I'll stand. 40 00:17:51,520 --> 00:18:19,520 One of the Gospel accounts that has always captured my imagination is in Mark chapter 5. 41 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:34,520 And in Mark chapter 5, Jesus and his disciples have crossed across the Sea of Galilee. They have arrived on the other side, and instead of finding welcome, they encounter a man who is possessed by demons. 42 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:43,520 And not just one demon, but he says, when Jesus asks him his name, he says, "We are legion, because we are many." 43 00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:51,520 And the contrast and the fear that has to be available, because there's moments in life that sort of shock us, that we weren't expecting to happen. 44 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:57,520 And getting out of a boat with Jesus, and looking up, and there's a guy who has lived in a graveyard. 45 00:18:57,520 --> 00:19:05,520 Scripture tells us he's been bound with chains, he's broke them, he's not wearing any clothes, he's charging down towards you. 46 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:12,520 That has to be one of those moments that will open your eyes. And Jesus doesn't run, he doesn't hide, he doesn't try to avoid, 47 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:20,520 but he confronts this man's brokenness, he casts out the evil spirits, and when the townspeople come to see what has happened, 48 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:25,520 they find him sitting with Jesus, he's wearing clothes, and he is in his right mind. 49 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:30,520 But the remarkable part of this story, to me, is what happens at the very, very end. 50 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:38,520 Jesus is talking to him, and Jesus is getting ready to depart, and this man says, "Jesus, I want to follow you, I want to go with you." 51 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:46,520 And in one sense, that's very understandable, because you have the reputation in your geographic area as being the demon-possessed guy 52 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:55,520 who lives in a graveyard who is uncontrollable, is socially unacceptable, and I wouldn't want to stay with that kind of reputation. 53 00:19:55,520 --> 00:20:05,520 But Jesus says something to him that is remarkable. In verse 19 of Mark 5, it says, "He did not permit him, but said to him, 54 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:12,520 go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has mercy on you." 55 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:21,520 And he went away, and he began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for everyone. 56 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:30,520 Instead of coming with me, I want you to go out and simply tell everyone what the Lord has done for you. 57 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:40,520 The mission Jesus gives this formerly broken, demon-possessed man is the mission of proclamation. 58 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:50,520 And as we come to celebrate the Lord's Supper, many times we focus on what this meal says to us, and that's absolutely essential. 59 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:58,520 To look to the cross at how Jesus saved us from our sins, how there is a new covenant, how through this we are nourished, 60 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:03,520 we are strengthened, we are brought to hope, how God is at work through this meal. 61 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:12,520 But Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, and we read this just about every week, says that this meal is also a proclamation. 62 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:20,520 Like this man in Mark, the fifth chapter, Jesus says, "Go and tell others what I have done for you." 63 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:27,520 This meal is one of the ways in which we proclaim our Savior, that we proclaim our hope, 64 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:34,520 that we proclaim where it is we stand, that we proclaim where our peace is found, where our joy comes from. 65 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:41,520 This isn't simply inward focus, but it's also by us when we break this bread and drink this cup. 66 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:47,520 It's a proclamation of our hope in Jesus. Let's pray. 67 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:56,520 Father, you saved us through Jesus. We thank you that you have redeemed us. 68 00:21:56,520 --> 00:22:01,520 We thank you that we are for grace and mercy upon us. 69 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:08,520 And as we think about these things, may they not just simply be for us intellectual truths, 70 00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:13,520 but that you would nourish the depths of our soul with these truths. 71 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:20,520 And help us to share this good news, this hope and this joy and this peace. 72 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:25,520 Help us proclaim it to the world. Help this meal to remind us 73 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:28,520 of where we stand and where our hope is. 74 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:32,520 That it's not found in us and in our strength, but it's found in Jesus. 75 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:36,520 And that we would proclaim this hope to those who surround us. 76 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:38,520 We ask that you bless this bread and this cup. 77 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:43,520 We thank you for Jesus and for grace. It's in his name we pray. Amen. 78 00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:49,520 If you would take your bread with me, as Jesus did with the disciples, after giving thanks, 79 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:54,520 he said, "This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 80 00:22:54,520 --> 00:23:04,520 And as Jesus took the cup with his disciples, and he said, "This is the new covenant in my blood. 81 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:08,520 Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me." 82 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:17,520 And then, as we just mentioned, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, 83 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:21,520 you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." 84 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:39,520 This morning's reading is from Romans 8. 85 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:52,520 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, 86 00:23:52,520 --> 00:24:04,520 how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? 87 00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:21,520 It is God who justifies. Who is it to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died. More than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, 88 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:34,520 who indeed is interceding for us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, 89 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:50,520 or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or swords? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all day long." We are regarded as sheep 90 00:24:50,520 --> 00:25:00,760 to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 91 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:10,860 For I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things 92 00:25:10,860 --> 00:25:21,040 to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else, in all creation, will be 93 00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:29,540 able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is the word of the 94 00:25:29,540 --> 00:25:49,760 Lord. Now, you might, as Brent may have done when I gave him this morning a Scripture reading, look at 95 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:56,240 this and say, "Well, what does this have to do with Christmas?" And then this may come as a surprise to 96 00:25:56,240 --> 00:26:09,240 some of you, but sometimes I'm grumpy, and maybe more often than sometimes. And when I am grumpy, and somebody tells me to be joyful, do you 97 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:15,800 know what my general response is? "What's there to be joyful about?" Or, you know, somebody, you know, greet me in the grocery 98 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:23,940 store. You know, it's a wonderful day. Well, what's so wonderful about it, right? And most of us, from time to time, can find us in this 99 00:26:23,940 --> 00:26:31,940 place where we look sort of at what's around us and say, "Well, what's there to be joyful about? What's there to be thankful 100 00:26:31,940 --> 00:26:38,940 about? What's there to celebrate?" And so in times like this, I don't know about you, but what I need to do is what Dr. 101 00:26:38,940 --> 00:26:47,940 Martin Lloyd-Jones called "preaching the gospel to ourselves" from Psalm 42, where the psalmist will say, "Why are you downcast, O my 102 00:26:47,940 --> 00:26:54,940 soul?" And he will go on to say, "Hope in God." And so those moments where I look, for example, as we talk 103 00:26:54,940 --> 00:27:00,940 about the joy that comes in the arrival of Jesus, it can be easy to look at all of the brokenness that 104 00:27:00,940 --> 00:27:08,940 surrounds us, all the hurt that seems to pile up, the conflict that seems constant, and say, "What is there to be 105 00:27:08,940 --> 00:27:15,940 joyful about?" And so what I want us to do, more specifically for me, is to preach the gospel this 106 00:27:15,940 --> 00:27:21,940 morning to ourselves. So I'm going to pray, and then we will dive right into it. Father 107 00:27:21,940 --> 00:27:29,940 in Heaven, thank you for hope. Thank you for the peace that you have established in our 108 00:27:29,940 --> 00:27:39,940 hearts. We thank you for joy. And so often we lose sight of the fact that you have given us 109 00:27:39,940 --> 00:27:47,940 joy in the midst of brokenness and persecution and suffering and sorrow and conflict, that there is joy 110 00:27:47,940 --> 00:27:56,940 in you. So help us this morning. Help the birth of your Son to point us to the goodness of joy. Establish 111 00:27:56,940 --> 00:28:03,940 our hearts in joy. Establish our hearts in you. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 112 00:28:03,940 --> 00:28:12,940 So one of the things that I very much love about our children is the fact that, by and large, they're pretty joyful. 113 00:28:12,940 --> 00:28:23,940 And they're often joyful about things that, to me, maybe seem small. For example, a couple of weeks ago, they wanted to go through the car wash. 114 00:28:23,940 --> 00:28:29,940 I don't think Luke had ever been through an actual car wash because I have a hose and I don't need to spend, you know, 115 00:28:29,940 --> 00:28:39,940 $10 or $15 on a car wash because I can just use a hose to wash my car. But we went through, and the joy that was experienced in this moment, 116 00:28:39,940 --> 00:28:48,940 it was a little bit contagious. And it helps me when I see the joy of, for example, my children. 117 00:28:48,940 --> 00:28:58,940 It helps me to maybe put aside some of my sort of innate grinchiness or grumpiness and realize that there are things to be joyful about. 118 00:28:58,940 --> 00:29:07,940 And so this morning, as we look at this passage in Romans chapter 8, I'm somebody who always likes to ask why, especially about joy. 119 00:29:07,940 --> 00:29:17,940 And I think what we'll see as we move through this passage this morning is that there are a lot of reasons to be joyful in the wonder of the birth of Jesus. 120 00:29:17,940 --> 00:29:27,940 And so our text this morning starts with a very familiar and a very wonderful promise, and that promise is probably most of us know this 121 00:29:27,940 --> 00:29:37,940 or have heard this. If God is for us, who can be against it? These are words that have encouraged Christians since they were written. 122 00:29:37,940 --> 00:29:49,940 They've brought courage to those who were fearful. They've brought hope to the hopeless. They've brought rest to the exhausted and joy to the struggling and broken. 123 00:29:49,940 --> 00:29:56,940 These words, if God is for us, who can be against us? And one of the reasons 124 00:29:56,940 --> 00:30:03,940 that they bring joy and hope and rest and peace to us is because one of the things that this tells us is that 125 00:30:03,940 --> 00:30:13,940 all of these things are no longer on our shoulders, but they rest on the shoulders of the Creator of the universe. 126 00:30:13,940 --> 00:30:20,940 So most of us probably have somebody when they show up or we've been in a situation where somebody showed up 127 00:30:20,940 --> 00:30:25,940 and we said, "You know what? There's somebody else here. Everything is going to be okay." 128 00:30:25,940 --> 00:30:30,940 In my last year of college, I was driving, and I've shared part of this story with some of you before, 129 00:30:30,940 --> 00:30:36,940 and I was driving to the church that I preached at on Sunday mornings, and I was in the absolute middle of nowhere, 130 00:30:36,940 --> 00:30:43,940 super early in the morning, and a guy comes over the hill and completely in my lane, ends up hitting me. 131 00:30:43,940 --> 00:30:50,940 His car goes over the bank. I get my car to the side of the road, and then I look around because there was not a lot of cell phones. 132 00:30:50,940 --> 00:30:54,940 I certainly didn't have a cell phone. I can't even see his car. 133 00:30:54,940 --> 00:31:00,940 I managed to get out of my car. I run to this one house that looked like it was 90% vacant. 134 00:31:00,940 --> 00:31:05,940 I pounded on the door for a good five minutes, it seemed like. It may have been shorter. 135 00:31:05,940 --> 00:31:09,940 And nobody answered. I'm sitting here, and there's nothing I can do, right? 136 00:31:09,940 --> 00:31:15,940 There's no cars. There's no people. And then, perchance, I looked down to where my car was, 137 00:31:15,940 --> 00:31:22,940 and I saw a car that I recognized because there was another guy from school going to preach a few minutes from where I was going, 138 00:31:22,940 --> 00:31:31,940 and he, by the grace of God, left after me, normally left before me. And he sees my car, and so he stops, and he's looking for me. 139 00:31:31,940 --> 00:31:38,940 And at that moment, all of the adrenaline just sort of went out. It's like, I don't have to deal with this by myself anymore, right? 140 00:31:38,940 --> 00:31:50,940 There's somebody else who is there to help. And one of the reasons that this verse has strengthened and helped and brought peace 141 00:31:50,940 --> 00:31:55,940 to Christians throughout the centuries is because one of the things that tells us at the very first is that 142 00:31:55,940 --> 00:32:02,940 it's no longer resting on your shoulders, right? We might be in the midst of all of these things, and in fact, 143 00:32:02,940 --> 00:32:10,940 Paul will talk about some of them, but the point is that you are not alone. And it's not just that somebody random 144 00:32:10,940 --> 00:32:19,940 has showed up to help, right? It's God who is for us, right? Psalm 145, which we read this morning, talks about 145 00:32:19,940 --> 00:32:26,940 how the people will praise God's name forever and ever because His greatness is unsearchable. One 146 00:32:26,940 --> 00:32:32,940 generation shall commend your works to another, and it goes on to extol the greatness of God. And one 147 00:32:32,940 --> 00:32:37,940 of the ways, if you want to sort of practically see this in your life, in the book of Job, starting 148 00:32:37,940 --> 00:32:43,940 in chapter 38, Job, God has listened to Job's complaints and his friends' arguments, and God 149 00:32:43,940 --> 00:32:50,940 finally says, "Enough." And he will say to Job, "Dress for action like a man, and I will 150 00:32:50,940 --> 00:32:55,940 question you." And God then begins to question Job, saying things like, "Where were you when 151 00:32:55,940 --> 00:33:00,940 I laid the foundations of the earth? Where were you when I spread out the lines that divide 152 00:33:00,940 --> 00:33:05,940 the inhabitants of the world? Where were you when I created this? Where were you when I plumbed 153 00:33:05,940 --> 00:33:11,940 the depths of the ocean?" And you begin to see the greatness and the bigness and the power 154 00:33:11,940 --> 00:33:18,940 of God. And that's God's intention for Job, because Job's vision has become so narrowed to his area 155 00:33:18,940 --> 00:33:26,940 of brokenness and hurt that he has missed the greatness and the power of God. We see it in the 156 00:33:26,940 --> 00:33:32,940 ministry of Jesus as Jesus heals the broken. He loves the hurting. He takes a tiny lunch and 157 00:33:32,940 --> 00:33:39,940 feeds 5,000 with it. He walks on the water. He heals the sick. The blind see. He raises the dead. We get a glimpse 158 00:33:39,940 --> 00:33:46,940 of the greatness and the power of God. And what Paul says is that he is with us. Not just somebody 159 00:33:46,940 --> 00:33:56,940 random, but the God of all creation is with us. And that's a wonderful, powerful, encouraging 160 00:33:56,940 --> 00:34:04,940 thing. But I would like to point out to you this morning that that is not a passive with us. We all 161 00:34:04,940 --> 00:34:09,940 understand a passive with us because we're probably with a lot of things in a passive manner. 162 00:34:09,940 --> 00:34:14,940 If you've ever gone and watched sports, you're rooting for your team, and you're like, "Man, I am 163 00:34:14,940 --> 00:34:19,940 for them." Well, what are you going to do? They're not tagging you in as quarterback. You're 164 00:34:19,940 --> 00:34:24,940 not going to pull you out of the stands and take over on defense. We are with them sort 165 00:34:24,940 --> 00:34:32,940 of in spirit. We support them from a distance. We root for them. When you and I hear that God is 166 00:34:32,940 --> 00:34:37,940 with us, this is not a passive, from the stands, at a distance, looking at you and 167 00:34:37,940 --> 00:34:43,940 saying, "Man, I hope they succeed. I'm really rooting for that guy." But God is 168 00:34:43,940 --> 00:34:49,940 with you. In fact, isn't that one of the wonderful promises of the incarnation of 169 00:34:49,940 --> 00:34:55,940 Jesus? His name will be called Emmanuel, which means that God is with us, that God 170 00:34:55,940 --> 00:35:00,940 did not stand at a distance, but he stepped into the brokenness of our world, into a 171 00:35:00,940 --> 00:35:07,940 broken family, a broken world. Jesus knew what it was like to struggle with hurt and 172 00:35:07,940 --> 00:35:13,940 his family and with his friends, and conflict and betrayal. He knew what it was like to be 173 00:35:13,940 --> 00:35:23,940 tired and hungry. He was truly and is truly with us. And so you have this picture and 174 00:35:23,940 --> 00:35:29,940 this promise that God is with us. And immediately, maybe you've developed this 175 00:35:29,940 --> 00:35:34,940 same kind of skepticism. We might immediately say, "What's the catch?" 176 00:35:34,940 --> 00:35:39,940 Because we're used to just about everything having a catch. If you've 177 00:35:39,940 --> 00:35:43,940 ever seen an advertisement for medicine on the TV, what happens? "Hey, this will 178 00:35:43,940 --> 00:35:48,940 alleviate all of your symptoms and make life better." And then the like 45 seconds 179 00:35:48,940 --> 00:35:53,940 out of the 60 second commercial is some guy reading absolutely as fast as he can 180 00:35:53,940 --> 00:35:57,940 all the things that are going to go wrong if you take this medicine, right? And it 181 00:35:57,940 --> 00:36:01,940 always ends the same, right? It may end in death. And so we've 182 00:36:01,940 --> 00:36:05,940 become accustomed to asking, right, "What's the catch?" 183 00:36:05,940 --> 00:36:09,940 We're used to people trying to put one over on 184 00:36:09,940 --> 00:36:13,940 us. I remember for me when I was probably 185 00:36:13,940 --> 00:36:17,940 in junior high or high school, and I got this little flyer in the mail, and I always 186 00:36:17,940 --> 00:36:21,940 loved books. And it was for this book club where you would get like nine 187 00:36:21,940 --> 00:36:25,940 or ten books free. And I was like, "Yes, I'm on board with this," right? 188 00:36:25,940 --> 00:36:29,940 And maybe you remember how these work. It's like, "Yeah, but you have to buy four more books at regular 189 00:36:29,940 --> 00:36:33,940 price." And regular price was like two or three times what you pay for it in the store 190 00:36:33,940 --> 00:36:37,940 over the next two years, right? So then I've got to buy these books that I didn't 191 00:36:37,940 --> 00:36:41,940 really want because I wanted the free ones. There's a catch. 192 00:36:41,940 --> 00:36:45,940 We're used to seeing 193 00:36:45,940 --> 00:36:49,940 and looking and trying to find the fine print. 194 00:36:49,940 --> 00:36:53,940 And so maybe when we hear this good news, 195 00:36:53,940 --> 00:36:55,940 that God is with us, 196 00:36:55,940 --> 00:36:57,940 you might say, "Well, 197 00:36:57,940 --> 00:36:59,940 what's the catch?" 198 00:36:59,940 --> 00:37:01,940 Maybe it's too good 199 00:37:01,940 --> 00:37:03,940 to be true. 200 00:37:03,940 --> 00:37:05,940 You see, our world has conditioned 201 00:37:05,940 --> 00:37:07,940 us to question 202 00:37:07,940 --> 00:37:09,940 all of the amazing promises 203 00:37:09,940 --> 00:37:11,940 that we hear. And we have this 204 00:37:11,940 --> 00:37:13,940 statement, "God of all creation is for us. 205 00:37:13,940 --> 00:37:15,940 Who can be against us?" Right? 206 00:37:15,940 --> 00:37:17,940 Nothing can come close because 207 00:37:17,940 --> 00:37:19,940 His power and His love, His mercy 208 00:37:19,940 --> 00:37:21,940 and His grace, He protects His people. 209 00:37:21,940 --> 00:37:23,940 He strengthens. He works 210 00:37:23,940 --> 00:37:25,940 even in the midst of brokenness. 211 00:37:25,940 --> 00:37:27,940 And we go, "Well, what's the catch?" 212 00:37:27,940 --> 00:37:29,940 And we begin to have some lingering 213 00:37:29,940 --> 00:37:31,940 doubts about whether this promise 214 00:37:31,940 --> 00:37:33,940 is truly for us. 215 00:37:33,940 --> 00:37:35,940 And our 216 00:37:35,940 --> 00:37:37,940 doubts, I think, can be summed up 217 00:37:37,940 --> 00:37:39,940 in one word. And Paul understands this. 218 00:37:39,940 --> 00:37:41,940 In fact, he works those 219 00:37:41,940 --> 00:37:43,940 doubts a little bit into this verse 220 00:37:43,940 --> 00:37:45,940 because what does he say? If 221 00:37:45,940 --> 00:37:47,940 God is for us. 222 00:37:47,940 --> 00:37:49,940 And that's the question I have. If. 223 00:37:49,940 --> 00:37:51,940 Is God for us? 224 00:37:51,940 --> 00:37:53,940 If he's for us, yes, this is true. 225 00:37:53,940 --> 00:37:55,940 But how do I know 226 00:37:55,940 --> 00:37:57,940 that he's for me? 227 00:37:57,940 --> 00:37:59,940 Because I don't know about 228 00:37:59,940 --> 00:38:01,940 you, but I've experienced broken promises 229 00:38:01,940 --> 00:38:03,940 from people. 230 00:38:03,940 --> 00:38:05,940 I've broken promises myself. You've broken promises. 231 00:38:05,940 --> 00:38:07,940 We know that, by and large, 232 00:38:07,940 --> 00:38:09,940 even people with good motives 233 00:38:09,940 --> 00:38:11,940 will break 234 00:38:11,940 --> 00:38:13,940 their promises to us. 235 00:38:13,940 --> 00:38:15,940 And so we hear a promise like this, 236 00:38:15,940 --> 00:38:17,940 and we say, "Well, is it really for me? 237 00:38:17,940 --> 00:38:19,940 It's for me." 238 00:38:19,940 --> 00:38:21,940 I've been burned before. 239 00:38:21,940 --> 00:38:23,940 People have said good things 240 00:38:23,940 --> 00:38:25,940 and have never done them. 241 00:38:25,940 --> 00:38:27,940 And maybe we doubt 242 00:38:27,940 --> 00:38:29,940 this promise 243 00:38:29,940 --> 00:38:31,940 because we're so small 244 00:38:31,940 --> 00:38:33,940 and God is so great. 245 00:38:33,940 --> 00:38:35,940 It was in November of last year 246 00:38:35,940 --> 00:38:37,940 that the population of Earth 247 00:38:37,940 --> 00:38:39,940 hit 8 billion, 248 00:38:39,940 --> 00:38:41,940 and I had to try to visualize this 249 00:38:41,940 --> 00:38:43,940 because those numbers are so big 250 00:38:43,940 --> 00:38:45,940 that it's hard to visualize. 251 00:38:45,940 --> 00:38:47,940 There are visualizations of this. 252 00:38:47,940 --> 00:38:49,940 If you were to take a grain of rice 253 00:38:49,940 --> 00:38:51,940 for every single person on Earth, 254 00:38:51,940 --> 00:38:53,940 it would fit a 255 00:38:53,940 --> 00:38:55,940 large two-story house. 256 00:38:55,940 --> 00:38:57,940 You'd fill it to the top 257 00:38:57,940 --> 00:38:59,940 with these grains of rice, right? 258 00:38:59,940 --> 00:39:01,940 And we're not talking about, you know, 259 00:39:01,940 --> 00:39:03,940 you just got bags staffed everywhere. 260 00:39:03,940 --> 00:39:05,940 We're talking about you open the front door 261 00:39:05,940 --> 00:39:07,940 and rice just pours out of this house. 262 00:39:07,940 --> 00:39:09,940 And here we are, one little grain of rice 263 00:39:09,940 --> 00:39:11,940 in this two-story house. 264 00:39:11,940 --> 00:39:13,940 We go, "I'm so insignificant. 265 00:39:13,940 --> 00:39:15,940 There's a billion people here. 266 00:39:15,940 --> 00:39:17,940 Why me?" 267 00:39:17,940 --> 00:39:19,940 Why would God make this promise to me? 268 00:39:19,940 --> 00:39:21,940 But more than that, 269 00:39:21,940 --> 00:39:23,940 not just that God made this promise to me, 270 00:39:23,940 --> 00:39:25,940 but I'm not a good person. 271 00:39:25,940 --> 00:39:27,940 None of us 272 00:39:27,940 --> 00:39:29,940 are good people, right? 273 00:39:29,940 --> 00:39:31,940 We are sinful, and God is holy. 274 00:39:31,940 --> 00:39:33,940 Right? 275 00:39:33,940 --> 00:39:35,940 We're constantly living in fear 276 00:39:35,940 --> 00:39:37,940 that someday maybe our sin 277 00:39:37,940 --> 00:39:39,940 will catch up with us. 278 00:39:39,940 --> 00:39:41,940 I remember the very first time I was driving to school, 279 00:39:41,940 --> 00:39:43,940 and we were driving along 280 00:39:43,940 --> 00:39:45,940 and behind us, you know, a police car pulled out 281 00:39:45,940 --> 00:39:47,940 behind me, and I'm sitting there, 282 00:39:47,940 --> 00:39:49,940 and all of a sudden, especially when you're a brand new 283 00:39:49,940 --> 00:39:51,940 driver, you start driving real carefully, 284 00:39:51,940 --> 00:39:53,940 you know, all of a sudden using all the 285 00:39:53,940 --> 00:39:55,940 turn signals, you're very gentle 286 00:39:55,940 --> 00:39:57,940 with the accelerator. 287 00:39:57,940 --> 00:39:59,940 I mean, you can ask my brother, I was always very gentle with the accelerator, 288 00:39:59,940 --> 00:40:01,940 but in this case, even more so. 289 00:40:01,940 --> 00:40:03,940 And I'm sitting there, and all of a sudden, right, 290 00:40:03,940 --> 00:40:05,940 those lights come on behind me, and I'm just like, 291 00:40:05,940 --> 00:40:07,940 "Oh, world's over for me." 292 00:40:07,940 --> 00:40:09,940 So I go ahead and pull over, and he just takes off 293 00:40:09,940 --> 00:40:11,940 around me to get somebody else. 294 00:40:11,940 --> 00:40:13,940 That's kind of the way we feel 295 00:40:13,940 --> 00:40:15,940 when we encounter a holy God. 296 00:40:15,940 --> 00:40:17,940 I know there's something. 297 00:40:17,940 --> 00:40:19,940 He has every right 298 00:40:19,940 --> 00:40:21,940 to come to a sinful person 299 00:40:21,940 --> 00:40:23,940 with judgment. 300 00:40:23,940 --> 00:40:25,940 And so we hear this promise, 301 00:40:25,940 --> 00:40:27,940 "If God is for us, 302 00:40:27,940 --> 00:40:29,940 who can be against us?" 303 00:40:29,940 --> 00:40:31,940 And we go, "Yeah, if..." 304 00:40:31,940 --> 00:40:33,940 I'm small, I'm insignificant, 305 00:40:33,940 --> 00:40:35,940 I'm not righteous. 306 00:40:35,940 --> 00:40:37,940 And Paul knows this, 307 00:40:37,940 --> 00:40:39,940 and this is one of the things I love about how 308 00:40:39,940 --> 00:40:41,940 Paul writes, 309 00:40:41,940 --> 00:40:43,940 inspired by the Holy Spirit, 310 00:40:43,940 --> 00:40:45,940 is the rest of this chapter, 311 00:40:45,940 --> 00:40:47,940 verses 32, 33, 312 00:40:47,940 --> 00:40:49,940 34, 35, that section 313 00:40:49,940 --> 00:40:51,940 all the way down to 39, are just 314 00:40:51,940 --> 00:40:53,940 reasons for us to know 315 00:40:53,940 --> 00:40:55,940 that this is true, so that we 316 00:40:55,940 --> 00:40:57,940 might have joy in the 317 00:40:57,940 --> 00:40:59,940 goodness of God. And so you say, 318 00:40:59,940 --> 00:41:01,940 "How can I know that 319 00:41:01,940 --> 00:41:03,940 God is for me?" Paul says, 320 00:41:03,940 --> 00:41:05,940 "First of all, He's shown you that He's 321 00:41:05,940 --> 00:41:07,940 for you. He 322 00:41:07,940 --> 00:41:09,940 who did not spare His own 323 00:41:09,940 --> 00:41:11,940 Son, but gave 324 00:41:11,940 --> 00:41:13,940 Him up for us all, how 325 00:41:13,940 --> 00:41:15,940 will He, not with Him, 326 00:41:15,940 --> 00:41:17,940 graciously give us all 327 00:41:17,940 --> 00:41:19,940 things?" He says, "How do I 328 00:41:19,940 --> 00:41:21,940 know that this is for me?" And 329 00:41:21,940 --> 00:41:23,940 Paul will say, "Have you seen what 330 00:41:23,940 --> 00:41:25,940 God has done through the incarnation 331 00:41:25,940 --> 00:41:27,940 of the Son, as He gives 332 00:41:27,940 --> 00:41:29,940 us the Son?" And this is so 333 00:41:29,940 --> 00:41:31,940 big that 334 00:41:31,940 --> 00:41:33,940 we struggle to wrap our heads around it. I remember 335 00:41:33,940 --> 00:41:35,940 the first time I encountered 336 00:41:35,940 --> 00:41:37,940 leaving something that I really, really 337 00:41:37,940 --> 00:41:39,940 cared about. Maybe not the first time that that happened, but 338 00:41:39,940 --> 00:41:41,940 I remembered it. Rachel and I had just 339 00:41:41,940 --> 00:41:43,940 adopted our dog, Rigby. 340 00:41:43,940 --> 00:41:45,940 She's a very sad-looking boxer dog. 341 00:41:45,940 --> 00:41:47,940 She really needed 342 00:41:47,940 --> 00:41:49,940 to go visit the groomer. 343 00:41:49,940 --> 00:41:51,940 And so we dropped her off, and we were like 344 00:41:51,940 --> 00:41:53,940 parents dropping our kid off at kindergarten. 345 00:41:53,940 --> 00:41:55,940 We're like, "Do you think she's okay? 346 00:41:55,940 --> 00:41:57,940 Do you think she's okay? She's so scared." We're like, "Don't use the 347 00:41:57,940 --> 00:41:59,940 hair dryer on her, because she's terrified." 348 00:41:59,940 --> 00:42:01,940 And I thought it was like, "Wow, this is kind of 349 00:42:01,940 --> 00:42:03,940 a big deal to drop my dog off." And then, 350 00:42:03,940 --> 00:42:05,940 I remember when Evelyn was little 351 00:42:05,940 --> 00:42:07,940 and the first time we left 352 00:42:07,940 --> 00:42:09,940 her with grandparents, right, it's like, 353 00:42:09,940 --> 00:42:11,940 "Should we call and check on her? Should we make sure it's okay?" 354 00:42:11,940 --> 00:42:13,940 It's like, "Well, it's two in the morning. I'm sure 355 00:42:13,940 --> 00:42:15,940 if something was wrong, they would call us, right?" 356 00:42:15,940 --> 00:42:17,940 And that was just for overnight stays. 357 00:42:17,940 --> 00:42:19,940 But when 358 00:42:19,940 --> 00:42:21,940 God gives his son, it's not just sending 359 00:42:21,940 --> 00:42:23,940 him to the grandparents, right? He sends 360 00:42:23,940 --> 00:42:25,940 Jesus into this world. 361 00:42:25,940 --> 00:42:27,940 And the prophecy to 362 00:42:27,940 --> 00:42:29,940 Joseph in the dream is that he will 363 00:42:29,940 --> 00:42:31,940 save his people from their sins. 364 00:42:31,940 --> 00:42:33,940 And the way that he saves people from 365 00:42:33,940 --> 00:42:35,940 their sins is by dying 366 00:42:35,940 --> 00:42:37,940 on the cross. 367 00:42:37,940 --> 00:42:39,940 How do 368 00:42:39,940 --> 00:42:41,940 you know that this promise is for you? 369 00:42:41,940 --> 00:42:43,940 Because God 370 00:42:43,940 --> 00:42:45,940 sends his son 371 00:42:45,940 --> 00:42:47,940 into this world to save you 372 00:42:47,940 --> 00:42:49,940 by going to the cross. 373 00:42:49,940 --> 00:42:51,940 He doesn't 374 00:42:51,940 --> 00:42:53,940 just say he's for us, he demonstrates 375 00:42:53,940 --> 00:42:55,940 that the passage in Romans chapter 376 00:42:55,940 --> 00:42:57,940 5, "For while we were still weak 377 00:42:57,940 --> 00:42:59,940 at the right time, Christ died 378 00:42:59,940 --> 00:43:01,940 for the ungodly. 379 00:43:01,940 --> 00:43:03,940 Though perhaps for a good person, 380 00:43:03,940 --> 00:43:05,940 for one will scarcely die for a righteous person 381 00:43:05,940 --> 00:43:07,940 although for a good person, someone might 382 00:43:07,940 --> 00:43:09,940 dare even to die. 383 00:43:09,940 --> 00:43:11,940 But God shows his 384 00:43:11,940 --> 00:43:13,940 love to us in that while we were 385 00:43:13,940 --> 00:43:15,940 yet sinners, Christ 386 00:43:15,940 --> 00:43:17,940 died for us." 387 00:43:17,940 --> 00:43:19,940 And you have this picture 388 00:43:19,940 --> 00:43:21,940 here, where Paul 389 00:43:21,940 --> 00:43:23,940 says there are some things in this world that God 390 00:43:23,940 --> 00:43:25,940 will, that people will give their lives 391 00:43:25,940 --> 00:43:27,940 for, right? A good cause or a good person. 392 00:43:27,940 --> 00:43:29,940 And he says, "We are neither 393 00:43:29,940 --> 00:43:31,940 of those. We are neither a good cause, nor 394 00:43:31,940 --> 00:43:33,940 a good person. We are weak, and 395 00:43:33,940 --> 00:43:35,940 we are ungodly, but God demonstrates 396 00:43:35,940 --> 00:43:37,940 his love in that while we were yet sinners, 397 00:43:37,940 --> 00:43:39,940 Christ died for us." 398 00:43:39,940 --> 00:43:41,940 How do I know this promise 399 00:43:41,940 --> 00:43:43,940 is for me? Because God 400 00:43:43,940 --> 00:43:45,940 has given us his Son. 401 00:43:45,940 --> 00:43:47,940 How do I know this promise is for 402 00:43:47,940 --> 00:43:49,940 me? Because Jesus has 403 00:43:49,940 --> 00:43:51,940 removed the accusations that 404 00:43:51,940 --> 00:43:53,940 are against us. Who shall bring 405 00:43:53,940 --> 00:43:55,940 any charge against God's elect? 406 00:43:55,940 --> 00:43:57,940 It is God who judges. 407 00:43:57,940 --> 00:43:59,940 Right? A charge is an 408 00:43:59,940 --> 00:44:01,940 accusation of wrongdoing. 409 00:44:01,940 --> 00:44:03,940 And it's not sort of 410 00:44:03,940 --> 00:44:05,940 asking for payment in a nice 411 00:44:05,940 --> 00:44:07,940 way, right? We've all been out to eat, 412 00:44:07,940 --> 00:44:09,940 and the waiter or waitress will come by 413 00:44:09,940 --> 00:44:11,940 and say, "I'm just going to leave the bill with you. You guys need any refills? 414 00:44:11,940 --> 00:44:13,940 Get back with me." That's not 415 00:44:13,940 --> 00:44:15,940 the picture of this charge 416 00:44:15,940 --> 00:44:17,940 against us, right? 417 00:44:17,940 --> 00:44:19,940 This is the charge of judgment. 418 00:44:19,940 --> 00:44:21,940 You have done wrong. I have 419 00:44:21,940 --> 00:44:23,940 done wrong, and we must pay. 420 00:44:23,940 --> 00:44:27,940 Have you ever felt 421 00:44:27,940 --> 00:44:29,940 accused? 422 00:44:29,940 --> 00:44:31,940 Whether that accusation is right and true 423 00:44:31,940 --> 00:44:33,940 or whether it's absolutely false, 424 00:44:33,940 --> 00:44:35,940 it never feels good, right? 425 00:44:35,940 --> 00:44:37,940 In fact, there's a tendency 426 00:44:37,940 --> 00:44:39,940 to hide and 427 00:44:39,940 --> 00:44:41,940 run from our accusations. 428 00:44:41,940 --> 00:44:43,940 In fact, one of the great promises 429 00:44:43,940 --> 00:44:45,940 of the new heavens and the new earth 430 00:44:45,940 --> 00:44:47,940 is this: "I heard a loud 431 00:44:47,940 --> 00:44:49,940 voice in heaven saying, 432 00:44:49,940 --> 00:44:51,940 now the salvation and power and the kingdom 433 00:44:51,940 --> 00:44:53,940 of our God, Christ 434 00:44:53,940 --> 00:44:55,940 have come, for the accuser of 435 00:44:55,940 --> 00:44:57,940 our brothers has been thrown 436 00:44:57,940 --> 00:44:59,940 down, the one who accuses them 437 00:44:59,940 --> 00:45:01,940 day and night before our God. 438 00:45:01,940 --> 00:45:03,940 They have conquered Him by 439 00:45:03,940 --> 00:45:05,940 the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their 440 00:45:05,940 --> 00:45:07,940 testimony. They have loved not their 441 00:45:07,940 --> 00:45:11,940 lives even to death." 442 00:45:11,940 --> 00:45:13,940 There's this accusation, 443 00:45:13,940 --> 00:45:15,940 and the worst part 444 00:45:15,940 --> 00:45:17,940 is that this accusation 445 00:45:17,940 --> 00:45:21,940 is accurate. 446 00:45:21,940 --> 00:45:23,940 Notice what Paul says: "Who shall 447 00:45:23,940 --> 00:45:25,940 bring any charge against God's 448 00:45:25,940 --> 00:45:27,940 elect?" It is God who 449 00:45:27,940 --> 00:45:29,940 justifies. Paul doesn't 450 00:45:29,940 --> 00:45:31,940 say, "You're justified." He points 451 00:45:31,940 --> 00:45:33,940 us to the goodness of God, who 452 00:45:33,940 --> 00:45:35,940 is the one who justifies 453 00:45:35,940 --> 00:45:37,940 us. 454 00:45:37,940 --> 00:45:39,940 The one who can do it fully 455 00:45:39,940 --> 00:45:41,940 and completely. We know that 456 00:45:41,940 --> 00:45:43,940 God is for us because He sent His Son, 457 00:45:43,940 --> 00:45:45,940 because He removes the 458 00:45:45,940 --> 00:45:47,940 charges against us, but also 459 00:45:47,940 --> 00:45:49,940 because He removes our guilt. 460 00:45:49,940 --> 00:45:51,940 Who is to condemn? 461 00:45:51,940 --> 00:45:53,940 It is Christ Jesus is the one who died. 462 00:45:53,940 --> 00:45:55,940 More than that, who was raised, who is at the right 463 00:45:55,940 --> 00:45:57,940 hand indeed interceding 464 00:45:57,940 --> 00:45:59,940 for us, right? There's a difference between 465 00:45:59,940 --> 00:46:01,940 accusation 466 00:46:01,940 --> 00:46:03,940 and condemnation, right? 467 00:46:03,940 --> 00:46:05,940 Accusation is the finger pointing. You did 468 00:46:05,940 --> 00:46:07,940 this. Condemnation 469 00:46:07,940 --> 00:46:09,940 is the fact that you are 470 00:46:09,940 --> 00:46:11,940 guilty. 471 00:46:11,940 --> 00:46:13,940 Just removing 472 00:46:13,940 --> 00:46:15,940 the accusation does nothing about our guilt 473 00:46:15,940 --> 00:46:17,940 at the end of the day. 474 00:46:17,940 --> 00:46:19,940 It would be like saying, "I need new brakes on my car, 475 00:46:19,940 --> 00:46:21,940 so I'm going to go get it painted 476 00:46:21,940 --> 00:46:23,940 and make it look really nice." 477 00:46:23,940 --> 00:46:25,940 It may remove the outside blemishes, 478 00:46:25,940 --> 00:46:27,940 but it has done nothing about the 479 00:46:27,940 --> 00:46:29,940 problem that is within. 480 00:46:29,940 --> 00:46:31,940 And so God, first of all, 481 00:46:31,940 --> 00:46:33,940 removes the charge that is against 482 00:46:33,940 --> 00:46:35,940 us because of our sin, 483 00:46:35,940 --> 00:46:37,940 and He removes ultimately our 484 00:46:37,940 --> 00:46:39,940 accuser. But we still 485 00:46:39,940 --> 00:46:41,940 face this problem that even though 486 00:46:41,940 --> 00:46:43,940 our accusers, we're still guilty. 487 00:46:43,940 --> 00:46:45,940 And so what 488 00:46:45,940 --> 00:46:47,940 happens? 489 00:46:47,940 --> 00:46:49,940 Who gets to condemn? 490 00:46:49,940 --> 00:46:51,940 Christ Jesus is the one who has died, 491 00:46:51,940 --> 00:46:53,940 more than that was raised, 492 00:46:53,940 --> 00:46:55,940 who is at the right hand of God. 493 00:46:55,940 --> 00:46:57,940 This picture 494 00:46:57,940 --> 00:46:59,940 is wonderful. 495 00:46:59,940 --> 00:47:01,940 It's a picture of complete 496 00:47:01,940 --> 00:47:03,940 and total restoration. 497 00:47:03,940 --> 00:47:05,940 The condemnation 498 00:47:05,940 --> 00:47:07,940 can be removed, not because God simply 499 00:47:07,940 --> 00:47:09,940 looks at us and says, "I'm not going to hold 500 00:47:09,940 --> 00:47:11,940 against them anymore." It's removed 501 00:47:11,940 --> 00:47:13,940 because Jesus takes our brokenness 502 00:47:13,940 --> 00:47:19,940 to the cross. 503 00:47:19,940 --> 00:47:21,940 The weight of the burdens 504 00:47:21,940 --> 00:47:23,940 that you and I carry. 505 00:47:23,940 --> 00:47:25,940 And He pays the price for them. 506 00:47:25,940 --> 00:47:27,940 The reason there is no longer 507 00:47:27,940 --> 00:47:29,940 any condemnation against you 508 00:47:29,940 --> 00:47:31,940 is because Jesus was condemned 509 00:47:31,940 --> 00:47:33,940 in your place. And you say, 510 00:47:33,940 --> 00:47:35,940 "How can I know that God 511 00:47:35,940 --> 00:47:37,940 is for me?" 512 00:47:37,940 --> 00:47:39,940 He's sent His Son. He's removed 513 00:47:39,940 --> 00:47:41,940 the accusations against you. 514 00:47:41,940 --> 00:47:43,940 He's paid the price for your sins. 515 00:47:43,940 --> 00:47:45,940 And there is no condemnation for those 516 00:47:45,940 --> 00:47:47,940 who are in Christ Jesus. 517 00:47:47,940 --> 00:47:49,940 And then you see this 518 00:47:49,940 --> 00:47:51,940 beautiful picture 519 00:47:51,940 --> 00:47:53,940 that He removes our fear. 520 00:47:53,940 --> 00:47:55,940 Right? So we have 521 00:47:55,940 --> 00:47:57,940 this fear that the thing we desperately want 522 00:47:57,940 --> 00:47:59,940 will disappear. 523 00:47:59,940 --> 00:48:01,940 Just a couple weeks ago 524 00:48:01,940 --> 00:48:03,940 one of our children had been saving 525 00:48:03,940 --> 00:48:05,940 for a toy they wanted. 526 00:48:05,940 --> 00:48:07,940 And they've been working and doing a little extra thing 527 00:48:07,940 --> 00:48:09,940 so they could get a little extra money to go buy 528 00:48:09,940 --> 00:48:11,940 this thing that they wanted. So we finally went 529 00:48:11,940 --> 00:48:13,940 to buy it, and it was gone. 530 00:48:13,940 --> 00:48:15,940 Right? We'd seen it in the store before, but it was gone. 531 00:48:15,940 --> 00:48:17,940 And it was one of those scenarios 532 00:48:17,940 --> 00:48:19,940 and I had forgotten this. 533 00:48:19,940 --> 00:48:21,940 Is that at Christmas time 534 00:48:21,940 --> 00:48:23,940 there are certain toys that are very, very popular. 535 00:48:23,940 --> 00:48:25,940 So people go in and buy them 536 00:48:25,940 --> 00:48:27,940 and then turn around and sell them online. 537 00:48:27,940 --> 00:48:29,940 So I'm looking everywhere trying to find 538 00:48:29,940 --> 00:48:31,940 this one thing. 539 00:48:31,940 --> 00:48:33,940 It's not available. 540 00:48:33,940 --> 00:48:35,940 At 9 o'clock at night, I pulled the Target out 541 00:48:35,940 --> 00:48:37,940 and said, "Let's just see if anything's happened." 542 00:48:37,940 --> 00:48:39,940 And I looked, and there it was. 543 00:48:39,940 --> 00:48:41,940 And so the kids and I, maybe to the disapproval of mom, 544 00:48:41,940 --> 00:48:43,940 jump in the car and go to Target 545 00:48:43,940 --> 00:48:45,940 at 9 o'clock at night to grab this 546 00:48:45,940 --> 00:48:47,940 because what would happen if we could wait until 547 00:48:47,940 --> 00:48:49,940 the next morning? It would be gone. 548 00:48:49,940 --> 00:48:51,940 Right? And we fear this. 549 00:48:51,940 --> 00:48:53,940 Maybe not for some kind of special 550 00:48:53,940 --> 00:48:55,940 toy, but our lives 551 00:48:55,940 --> 00:48:57,940 reflect this fear. Do you remember at the beginning 552 00:48:57,940 --> 00:48:59,940 of the pandemic, the one thing 553 00:48:59,940 --> 00:49:01,940 that was really hard for everybody to find, 554 00:49:01,940 --> 00:49:03,940 right? Your favorite brand of toilet paper? 555 00:49:03,940 --> 00:49:05,940 Because everybody's like, "It's gonna be gone! 556 00:49:05,940 --> 00:49:07,940 Let's stock up! Let's get 557 00:49:07,940 --> 00:49:09,940 as much as we can because 558 00:49:09,940 --> 00:49:11,940 we're worried that it will run out." 559 00:49:11,940 --> 00:49:13,940 You and I live in a constant 560 00:49:13,940 --> 00:49:15,940 fear that the things we have 561 00:49:15,940 --> 00:49:17,940 will disappear, will 562 00:49:17,940 --> 00:49:19,940 run out. 563 00:49:19,940 --> 00:49:21,940 And we come to this point where we look 564 00:49:21,940 --> 00:49:23,940 at the goodness of God. And we say, 565 00:49:23,940 --> 00:49:25,940 "Okay, God is for us 566 00:49:25,940 --> 00:49:27,940 because He sent His Son. God is for us 567 00:49:27,940 --> 00:49:29,940 because He's removed 568 00:49:29,940 --> 00:49:31,940 the charges against us. God is for us 569 00:49:31,940 --> 00:49:33,940 because He has 570 00:49:33,940 --> 00:49:35,940 taken away my condemnation. 571 00:49:35,940 --> 00:49:37,940 But how long will this last? 572 00:49:37,940 --> 00:49:39,940 Everything in my life wears 573 00:49:39,940 --> 00:49:41,940 out. You gotta repair your house. 574 00:49:41,940 --> 00:49:43,940 You gotta repair your car. You gotta buy new clothes 575 00:49:43,940 --> 00:49:45,940 and new shoes because they wear out. 576 00:49:45,940 --> 00:49:47,940 Things go out of stock all the time. 577 00:49:47,940 --> 00:49:51,940 How can I trust 578 00:49:51,940 --> 00:49:53,940 that in all 579 00:49:53,940 --> 00:49:55,940 of my life this will 580 00:49:55,940 --> 00:49:57,940 continue? These 581 00:49:57,940 --> 00:49:59,940 good things that God is 582 00:49:59,940 --> 00:50:01,940 for us. This God is 583 00:50:01,940 --> 00:50:03,940 for me, but for how long? 584 00:50:03,940 --> 00:50:05,940 What happens if He's not 585 00:50:05,940 --> 00:50:07,940 there? Look 586 00:50:07,940 --> 00:50:09,940 at what the Apostle Paul says. 587 00:50:09,940 --> 00:50:11,940 What shall 588 00:50:11,940 --> 00:50:13,940 separate us from the love of 589 00:50:13,940 --> 00:50:15,940 Christ? Shall 590 00:50:15,940 --> 00:50:17,940 tribulation, distress, 591 00:50:17,940 --> 00:50:19,940 or persecution, or 592 00:50:19,940 --> 00:50:21,940 famine, or nakedness, or hunger, 593 00:50:21,940 --> 00:50:23,940 or the sword, as it is 594 00:50:23,940 --> 00:50:25,940 written, for your sake 595 00:50:25,940 --> 00:50:27,940 we are being killed all the day long. 596 00:50:27,940 --> 00:50:29,940 No, we are regarded as sheep to be 597 00:50:29,940 --> 00:50:31,940 slaughtered. And here's the objection. All 598 00:50:31,940 --> 00:50:33,940 these things are happening to me, 599 00:50:33,940 --> 00:50:35,940 and it feels like I'm a sheep led 600 00:50:35,940 --> 00:50:37,940 to be slaughtered. How can God 601 00:50:37,940 --> 00:50:39,940 be for me? 602 00:50:39,940 --> 00:50:41,940 How can He have removed 603 00:50:41,940 --> 00:50:43,940 the accusations and sent His Son and 604 00:50:43,940 --> 00:50:45,940 remove my condemnation if I'm going 605 00:50:45,940 --> 00:50:47,940 through this brokenness? 606 00:50:47,940 --> 00:50:49,940 How does this last 607 00:50:49,940 --> 00:50:51,940 when it feels like everything's falling apart? 608 00:50:51,940 --> 00:50:53,940 Look at what the Apostle Paul writes. 609 00:50:53,940 --> 00:50:55,940 No, in all these things 610 00:50:55,940 --> 00:50:57,940 we are more than conquerors through 611 00:50:57,940 --> 00:50:59,940 Him who loved us. 612 00:50:59,940 --> 00:51:01,940 For I am sure that neither death 613 00:51:01,940 --> 00:51:03,940 nor life, nor angels, 614 00:51:03,940 --> 00:51:05,940 nor rulers, 615 00:51:05,940 --> 00:51:07,940 nor things present, nor things to come, 616 00:51:07,940 --> 00:51:09,940 nor powers, 617 00:51:09,940 --> 00:51:11,940 nor height, nor depth, nor 618 00:51:11,940 --> 00:51:13,940 anything else in all 619 00:51:13,940 --> 00:51:15,940 of creation can separate us 620 00:51:15,940 --> 00:51:17,940 from the love of God in Christ 621 00:51:17,940 --> 00:51:19,940 Jesus our Lord. 622 00:51:19,940 --> 00:51:21,940 What He's saying to us who fear 623 00:51:21,940 --> 00:51:23,940 that things run out, 624 00:51:23,940 --> 00:51:25,940 circumstances change, things disappear. 625 00:51:25,940 --> 00:51:27,940 He's saying, 626 00:51:27,940 --> 00:51:29,940 that's not true of Jesus. Yes, it may look 627 00:51:29,940 --> 00:51:31,940 in the world as if things are 628 00:51:31,940 --> 00:51:33,940 falling apart, but what can 629 00:51:33,940 --> 00:51:35,940 end what God has 630 00:51:35,940 --> 00:51:37,940 done for you? He says, it doesn't matter 631 00:51:37,940 --> 00:51:39,940 how high or how low. 632 00:51:39,940 --> 00:51:41,940 It doesn't matter whether it's physical rulers 633 00:51:41,940 --> 00:51:43,940 in your world, or whether the power 634 00:51:43,940 --> 00:51:45,940 of evil forces arrayed against 635 00:51:45,940 --> 00:51:47,940 you. It doesn't matter whether you're alive 636 00:51:47,940 --> 00:51:49,940 or you're dead. That nothing 637 00:51:49,940 --> 00:51:53,940 He's very clear about this. 638 00:51:53,940 --> 00:51:55,940 That nothing 639 00:51:55,940 --> 00:51:57,940 can separate us 640 00:51:57,940 --> 00:51:59,940 from the love of God in Christ Jesus our 641 00:51:59,940 --> 00:52:01,940 Lord. How can I know that God 642 00:52:01,940 --> 00:52:03,940 is for us? 643 00:52:03,940 --> 00:52:05,940 I know that God is for us. 644 00:52:05,940 --> 00:52:07,940 That He's for me. 645 00:52:07,940 --> 00:52:09,940 That He's for you, because 646 00:52:09,940 --> 00:52:11,940 He sent His Son. And through 647 00:52:11,940 --> 00:52:13,940 that Son, He's removed 648 00:52:13,940 --> 00:52:15,940 the accusations and the guilt 649 00:52:15,940 --> 00:52:17,940 and through that Son 650 00:52:17,940 --> 00:52:19,940 there is nothing 651 00:52:19,940 --> 00:52:21,940 that can separate me from 652 00:52:21,940 --> 00:52:23,940 the love of God in Christ Jesus 653 00:52:23,940 --> 00:52:25,940 the Lord. 654 00:52:25,940 --> 00:52:27,940 The good news of the Gospel is that God 655 00:52:27,940 --> 00:52:29,940 is for us. 656 00:52:29,940 --> 00:52:31,940 Sometimes when we come to our brokenness 657 00:52:31,940 --> 00:52:33,940 we might say, "Well, it's not a big deal." 658 00:52:33,940 --> 00:52:35,940 We try to minimize it. 659 00:52:35,940 --> 00:52:37,940 Sometimes we'll come and maybe we'll try 660 00:52:37,940 --> 00:52:39,940 some self-improvement projects to fix 661 00:52:39,940 --> 00:52:41,940 it. Sometimes we'll 662 00:52:41,940 --> 00:52:43,940 just simply try to cover it up 663 00:52:43,940 --> 00:52:45,940 or hide it. 664 00:52:45,940 --> 00:52:47,940 Sometimes we'll just simply run 665 00:52:47,940 --> 00:52:49,940 and hide. 666 00:52:49,940 --> 00:52:51,940 We've come to brokenness. 667 00:52:51,940 --> 00:52:53,940 And it's a struggle 668 00:52:53,940 --> 00:52:55,940 all of us. 669 00:52:55,940 --> 00:52:57,940 Every single one of us has. 670 00:52:57,940 --> 00:52:59,940 How can I put this back together? 671 00:52:59,940 --> 00:53:01,940 What can I do in my life 672 00:53:01,940 --> 00:53:03,940 to make things better? 673 00:53:03,940 --> 00:53:05,940 The good news of the Gospel 674 00:53:05,940 --> 00:53:07,940 is that you can't, 675 00:53:07,940 --> 00:53:09,940 but Jesus has. 676 00:53:09,940 --> 00:53:11,940 We can try 677 00:53:11,940 --> 00:53:13,940 every self-improvement project, 678 00:53:13,940 --> 00:53:15,940 every plan 679 00:53:15,940 --> 00:53:17,940 falls short. 680 00:53:17,940 --> 00:53:19,940 But Jesus, 681 00:53:19,940 --> 00:53:21,940 not just can, 682 00:53:21,940 --> 00:53:23,940 but Jesus has. 683 00:53:23,940 --> 00:53:25,940 It was the message of the cross. 684 00:53:25,940 --> 00:53:27,940 Jesus will say, 685 00:53:27,940 --> 00:53:29,940 "It is 686 00:53:29,940 --> 00:53:31,940 finished." 687 00:53:31,940 --> 00:53:33,940 These things we hear about, 688 00:53:33,940 --> 00:53:35,940 about our redemption, 689 00:53:35,940 --> 00:53:37,940 and this accusation that was against us, 690 00:53:37,940 --> 00:53:39,940 and the condemnation, 691 00:53:39,940 --> 00:53:41,940 that has been... 692 00:53:41,940 --> 00:53:43,940 finished. 693 00:53:43,940 --> 00:53:45,940 Jesus has saved us. 694 00:53:45,940 --> 00:53:47,940 The Gospel is, 695 00:53:47,940 --> 00:53:49,940 that there is something you and I desperately need. 696 00:53:49,940 --> 00:53:51,940 We've tried to figure it out, 697 00:53:51,940 --> 00:53:53,940 and in every attempt, we've made it worse. 698 00:53:53,940 --> 00:53:55,940 We're not just failing, 699 00:53:55,940 --> 00:53:57,940 but we're making it exponentially worse. 700 00:53:57,940 --> 00:53:59,940 And Jesus 701 00:53:59,940 --> 00:54:01,940 comes, 702 00:54:01,940 --> 00:54:03,940 and restores us 703 00:54:03,940 --> 00:54:05,940 completely. 704 00:54:05,940 --> 00:54:07,940 You see, the hope, 705 00:54:07,940 --> 00:54:09,940 and the peace, and the joy in Christmas, 706 00:54:09,940 --> 00:54:11,940 is that there is good news 707 00:54:11,940 --> 00:54:13,940 in the fact that 708 00:54:13,940 --> 00:54:15,940 God is for us, 709 00:54:15,940 --> 00:54:17,940 and we see it through the gift 710 00:54:17,940 --> 00:54:19,940 of His Son. Let's pray. 711 00:54:19,940 --> 00:54:21,940 Father, as we face 712 00:54:21,940 --> 00:54:23,940 the struggles and brokenness 713 00:54:23,940 --> 00:54:25,940 of the world in which we live, 714 00:54:25,940 --> 00:54:27,940 help us to see 715 00:54:27,940 --> 00:54:29,940 the good news as we 716 00:54:29,940 --> 00:54:31,940 consider Jesus, 717 00:54:31,940 --> 00:54:33,940 as we see 718 00:54:33,940 --> 00:54:35,940 His arrival in His life, 719 00:54:35,940 --> 00:54:37,940 as we see 720 00:54:37,940 --> 00:54:39,940 His death and His resurrection. 721 00:54:39,940 --> 00:54:41,940 Help us 722 00:54:41,940 --> 00:54:43,940 to see that You are for us, 723 00:54:43,940 --> 00:54:45,940 and that as we look at 724 00:54:45,940 --> 00:54:47,940 this world and we say, "What is there to be joyful 725 00:54:47,940 --> 00:54:49,940 about?" that You would help us to see 726 00:54:49,940 --> 00:54:51,940 Your restoration, 727 00:54:51,940 --> 00:54:53,940 Your forgiveness, Your grace, 728 00:54:53,940 --> 00:54:55,940 and Your power at work 729 00:54:55,940 --> 00:54:57,940 in our lives. Move us to joy. 730 00:54:57,940 --> 00:54:59,940 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 731 00:54:59,940 --> 00:55:03,940 As we consider Jesus, 732 00:55:03,940 --> 00:55:05,940 we're going to go ahead and stand 733 00:55:05,940 --> 00:55:07,940 and sing Joy to the World. The wonderful thing 734 00:55:07,940 --> 00:55:09,940 about this song 735 00:55:09,940 --> 00:55:11,940 is that it doesn't just encapsulate 736 00:55:11,940 --> 00:55:13,940 the joy and rejoicing 737 00:55:13,940 --> 00:55:15,940 you find around the birth of Jesus. 738 00:55:15,940 --> 00:55:17,940 In fact, those who see Jesus 739 00:55:17,940 --> 00:55:19,940 as He's announced, 740 00:55:19,940 --> 00:55:21,940 the shepherds rejoice. The wise men rejoice. 741 00:55:21,940 --> 00:55:23,940 Simeon in the temple 742 00:55:23,940 --> 00:55:25,940 rejoices. 743 00:55:25,940 --> 00:55:27,940 This also points us 744 00:55:27,940 --> 00:55:29,940 to a day when He returns 745 00:55:29,940 --> 00:55:31,940 and we rejoice. 746 00:55:31,940 --> 00:55:33,940 So we're going to sing Joy to the World. 747 00:55:33,940 --> 00:56:01,940 Joy to the World. The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room. 748 00:56:01,940 --> 00:56:29,940 And heaven and nature sing. And heaven and nature sing. And heaven and heaven and nature sing. Joy to the world the Savior brings. Let all their songs employ. 749 00:56:29,940 --> 00:56:47,940 Jesus said, "Footsteps and floods. Rocks, hills and plains." Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat, repeat the sounding joy. 750 00:56:47,940 --> 00:56:57,940 He rules the world with truth and grace. And makes the nations prove. 751 00:56:57,940 --> 00:57:23,940 The glories of His righteousness. And wonders of His love. And wonders of His love. And wonders and wonders of His love. 752 00:57:23,940 --> 00:57:51,940 Just a couple of announcements before we sing our praising and sing our closing song. First of all, we're here Wednesday night for Bible study. This week we're going to be talking a little bit about the arrival of Jesus. We've seen how He steps in the last couple Wednesday nights. We've seen the sovereignty of God working all things according to His will. We've talked a little bit about how Jesus comes into the midst of a world of broken people last week. 753 00:57:51,940 --> 00:58:19,940 And so we're going to continue taking a look at Jesus. Now next Wednesday night, this is the Wednesday before Christmas, we're going to do things a little bit differently, and we're going to do things a little bit earlier. We're going to put together kind of a meal for that Wednesday night, kind of an early Christmas Eve, Eve, Eve, Eve dinner. And so we would like you to come and join us for that. We'll send out some details and reminders. 754 00:58:19,940 --> 00:58:34,940 First part of this week to let you know about that, but we'd like to invite you to come share a meal with brothers and sisters in Christ and just be encouraged in each other and in the fact that our hope is in Jesus. 755 00:58:34,940 --> 00:58:47,940 Is there anything else I'm forgetting, Rachel? Off the top of my head. It seems like I'm forgetting everything. Just a very long-term announcement. On January, what did we say, 28th? 756 00:58:47,940 --> 00:58:54,940 We're going to do a men's breakfast here at the church. We'll have more details about that coming, so that's just long, long-term to get you thinking about it. 757 00:58:54,940 --> 00:59:03,940 I saw a statistic the other day that we have to hear or see something like seven to ten times before it clicks, so we're going to repeat that for the next several weeks as well. 758 00:59:03,940 --> 00:59:14,940 All right, so I'm going to pray, and then we'll read a little bit of what Simeon says about Jesus in the temple, and then we will sing a verse of "Go Tell It on the Mountain." 759 00:59:14,940 --> 00:59:29,940 Father in heaven, thank you for Jesus and grace and hope and peace. We thank you for joy. Just be with us, care for us, help us not just to hear these things for ourselves, but to proclaim the good news into the world. 760 00:59:29,940 --> 00:59:32,940 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 761 00:59:32,940 --> 00:59:41,940 Simeon will say this about Jesus: "My eyes have seen your salvation, that you have prepared in the presence of all people a light of revelation to the Gentiles, 762 00:59:41,940 --> 00:59:45,940 and for glory to your people Israel." 763 00:59:45,940 --> 00:59:52,940 So we're going to sing the chorus, and the first verse, we're kind of adding a little more each week, to "Go Tell It on the Mountain." 764 01:00:01,940 --> 01:00:18,940 Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere. Go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born. 765 01:00:18,940 --> 01:00:26,940 While shepherds kept their watching, or silent flocks by night, 766 01:00:26,940 --> 01:00:49,940 behold, throughout the heavens, there shone a holy light. Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere. Go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born. 767 01:00:49,940 --> 01:00:56,940 Let's pray. 768 01:00:56,940 --> 01:01:01,940 Let's pray. 769 01:01:19,940 --> 01:01:47,940 Let's pray.