1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:29,980 Let's pray. 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:59,980 Let's pray. 3 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:29,980 Let's pray. 4 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:20,000 We're going to get started. Our service is going to be a little bit different, but it'll still be good. We're going to be singing three songs this morning without stop, and if you want to sit at any point, you should do that or stand, whatever you want to do. 5 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:34,000 The kids are going to be lighting the candle today, or the candles today. We are going to have our prayer time, and then we're going to sing again, and then Brandon will preach, and then we'll have our communion after service today. 6 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:42,000 So let's go ahead and stand, and we're going to be reading out. Oh, and Merry Christmas, by the way. It doesn't feel like Christmas. It's weird. 7 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:50,000 But we're going to be reading together out of Isaiah, chapter 9, verses 6 through 7. 8 00:15:50,000 --> 00:16:08,000 And it says, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 9 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:34,000 Of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end. On the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it, with justice and with righteousness, from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this." This is the word of the Lord. Let's pray. 10 00:16:34,000 --> 00:17:00,000 God, we thank you so much that we're able to gather here today and we're able to celebrate your son's birth and what that means for all of us. And we thank you so much for the promises of how what you have established, there will be no end to it, of peace and hope and love and joy and grace and mercy. And we thank you again for those that are watching online. 11 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:10,000 And thank you for just being able to get together and to worship you. Be with our service today and allow it to glorify you. In Jesus name. Amen. 12 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:18,000 All right. So we're going to be singing Christmas songs. And the first one we're going to be singing is "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." 13 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:28,000 We need to push a button. There we go. There we go. 14 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:47,000 Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Glory to the newborn King. Peace on earth and mercy mild. God and sinners reconciled. 15 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:56,000 Joyful on ye nations rise. Join the triumph of the skies. 16 00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:17,000 With the angelic hosts proclaim. Christ is born in Bethlehem. Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Glory to the newborn King. 17 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:37,000 Christ by highest heaven adored. Christ the everlasting Lord. Late in time behold Him come. Offspring of a virgin's womb. 18 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:56,000 Veil in flesh the God has seen. Hail the incarnate Deity. Pleases man with man to dwell. Jesus our Emmanuel. 19 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:06,000 Hark the herald angels sing. Glory to the newborn King. 20 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:28,000 Hail the heavenborn Prince of Peace. Hail the Son of Righteousness. Light and life to all He brings. Risen with healing in His wings. 21 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:57,000 Mild He lays His glory fly. Born that man no more may die. Born to raise the sons of earth. Born to give them second birth. Hark the herald angels sing. Glory to the newborn King. 22 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:01,000 Joy to the world, the Lord is. Let earth sing. Let every heart prepare for the love of God. 23 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:08,000 Let the earth sing. Let every heart prepare for the love of God. 24 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:13,000 Let every heart prepare for the love of God. Let every heart prepare for the love of God. 25 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:20,000 Let every heart prepare for the love of God. Let every heart prepare for the love of God. 26 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:26,000 Let every heart prepare for the love of God. Let every heart prepare for the love of God. 27 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:44,000 Let every heart prepare Him room. And heaven and nature sing. And heaven and nature sing. And heaven and heaven and nature sing. 28 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:55,000 Joy to the world, the Savior reigns. Let all their songs employ. 29 00:20:55,000 --> 00:21:14,000 Wild fields and floods. Rocks, hills and plants. Repeat the sound in joy. Repeat the sound in joy. 30 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:33,000 He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness. 31 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:48,000 And wonders of His love. And wonders of His love. And wonders, and wonders of His love. 32 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:54,000 Alright. Here we go. 33 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:11,000 O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see lie. 34 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:21,000 Above my deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by. 35 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:30,000 Yet in my dark streets shineth the everlasting light. 36 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:40,000 The hopes and fears over years are less in these two nights. 37 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:57,000 For Christ is born of Mary and gathered all above. 38 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:07,000 While mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wandering love. 39 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:16,000 O morning stars together proclaim the holy birth. 40 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:26,000 And praises sing to God the King and peace to men on earth. 41 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:53,000 O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray. Cast out our sin and enter. Be born in us today. 42 00:23:54,000 --> 00:24:15,000 We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell. O come to us, abide with us, O Lord Emmanuel. 43 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:29,640 All right, you may be seated. Russell's not here today, so I have to do prayer time. So, Susan has the flu. 44 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:46,000 Thank you. 45 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:47,000 Thank you. 46 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:48,000 Thank you. 47 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:46,000 Let's pray. 48 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:47,000 Thank you. 49 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:48,000 Thank you. 50 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:16,000 Thank you. 51 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:46,000 Let's pray. 52 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:47,000 God bless you. 53 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:48,000 That's what we are doing. 54 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:49,000 I'm going to take a moment to give you a break. 55 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:50,000 I'm going to take a moment to give you a break. 56 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:51,000 I'm going to take a moment to give you a break. 57 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:20,000 We're going to be singing, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." 58 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:56,000 Come, O Come, Emmanuel, ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear. 59 00:30:56,000 --> 00:31:10,000 Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. 60 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:24,000 O come, thou rod of Jesse, free. Thine own from Satan's tyranny. 61 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:52,000 From depths of hell thy people save. And give them victory, O Lord the great. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. 62 00:31:52,000 --> 00:32:20,000 O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine Advertir. Disperse the purity clouds of night And death's dark shadows put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! 63 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:30,000 Emmanuel shall come to Thee, O Israel. 64 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:57,000 This morning's reading is from Luke. 65 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:05,000 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 66 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:15,000 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria, and all went to register, each to his own town. 67 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:27,000 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, 68 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:37,000 because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 69 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:45,000 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son, 70 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:56,000 and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 71 00:33:56,000 --> 00:34:04,000 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. 72 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:14,000 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were filled with great fear. 73 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:26,000 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 74 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:35,000 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 75 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:44,000 And this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." 76 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:54,000 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, 77 00:34:54,000 --> 00:35:06,000 and on earth, peace among those with whom he is pleased." This is the word of the Lord. Praise be to God. 78 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:22,000 All right, I am using a new Bible this morning, so things go very badly for me, as I'm a creature of habit. The nice thing about this is that I can actually read 79 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:34,000 the words that are on the page, so I'm not just guessing. And so we're going to be in the Word of God in just a moment. Before we do, let's pray. 80 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:50,000 Father in heaven, thank you for Jesus, for his coming to save us. We thank a God who keeps his promises, a God who comes 81 00:35:50,000 --> 00:36:00,000 close to us, and a God who comes to save us. And so this morning, as we direct our thoughts to the incarnation of your Son, 82 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:12,000 would you fill us with joy in a world that's filled with so much heaviness and brokenness and anger that you would 83 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:18,000 show us the peace of your Son. Thank you for Jesus and for grace. It's in his name we pray. Amen. 84 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:28,000 So, this time of year, probably most of us have spent some time at least wrapping presents, 85 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:36,000 and I felt personally attacked a day or so ago because one of our friends sent us this picture, 86 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:46,000 and it showed a guy who had wrapped a turkey leg beautifully in bacon, and then it showed how he wrapped a Christmas present. 87 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:53,000 And the two were very, very different, right? The turkey leg wrapped in bacon was beautiful, it was precise, 88 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:58,000 and the present, you just kind of wrap the paper around, tape down the ends, and you're good to go. 89 00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:07,000 And I felt personally attacked by that because I feel like one of my spiritual gifts is being able to wrap things in bacon. 90 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:13,000 However, I am not very gifted when it comes to wrapping things in paper. 91 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:21,000 And by the grace of God, this year I only had to wrap one present, and it took me three tries, and I did a terrible job, 92 00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:28,000 and I used an entire thing of tape. It was just, it was a tragedy all around. 93 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:37,000 And so when Rachel, we were having coffee the other morning, she said, "Hey, last night after I went to sleep, I wrapped all of the presents." 94 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:45,000 For me, that was good news of great joy, right? Because it was the one thing that frustrates me that I do not do well with. 95 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:50,000 And to hear those words that it's all done was a joyous thing. 96 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:57,000 And in the gospel, we hear the news, the good news. The word gospel literally means good news. 97 00:37:57,000 --> 00:38:06,000 That in Jesus Christ, it is finished. That our salvation is accomplished. 98 00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:12,000 God does not come to us with a to-do list. He comes to us with the gospel. 99 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:16,000 The good news that Jesus has come. 100 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:22,000 He lived a perfect life. He died in our place. He rose for our victory. 101 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:27,000 And in him, he gives us his righteousness. He welcomes us into the family. 102 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:33,000 And he has gone to prepare a place for us. This is good news. 103 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:39,000 And so this morning, in the midst of a world that sometimes feels so discouraging, 104 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:47,000 and I go through times where simply you just have to ignore the news because it's so much suffering on a global scale. 105 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:56,000 And your heart and my heart were not designed to be able to hold the weight of the world's suffering. 106 00:38:56,000 --> 00:39:00,000 And so it begins to weigh upon us. And it begins to crush us. 107 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:04,000 And in the midst of that suffering, there is conflict and strife. 108 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:12,000 Not just sort of in a general societal way between this group and that group, but in our own families. 109 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:18,000 And in our work. And sometimes with our neighbors and with our friends. 110 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:26,000 We live in a world that is filled with difficulty and hurt and sorrow and struggle. 111 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:31,000 And the reality is for a lot of us, some of that hurt is self-inflicted. 112 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:35,000 Some of that conflict is because of us. 113 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:40,000 And so into the darkness and the brokenness of our world, Jesus comes. 114 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:50,000 And He's announced by the angels with these words that there is good news of great joy, and this is the part I like, that will be for all people. 115 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:53,000 And then the angel goes on to tell us what that good news is. 116 00:39:53,000 --> 00:40:00,000 The truth is, is that in the city of David, a Savior is born, who is Christ the Lord. 117 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:11,000 So on this Christmas morning, I just want to point you to three very simple but life-changing things about the arrival and the birth of Jesus. 118 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:18,000 Now, the first part of this good news that we see is that God keeps His promises. 119 00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:30,000 Now, at first glance, for some of us that might not seem that encouraging, because good news about kept promises are only good if the promises are good, right? 120 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:38,000 And maybe I was the only child growing up, but those words from my mom, it's like, "You wait till your father gets home," right? 121 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:42,000 That's not good news of great joy that shall be for all people, right? 122 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:49,000 Because I've obviously done something wrong, and the promise there is not one of, "You're going for ice cream," right? 123 00:40:49,000 --> 00:41:00,000 "You're going for something else." And it's not always good news. And the promises of God who comes, He has promises of judgment, right? 124 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:09,000 We're familiar with that. That His wrath is poured out upon the rebellious and the sinful, and it's not just that God is angry over sin, 125 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:16,000 but that He's justly angry over sin. It's not unfair that God is angry over sin. 126 00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:23,000 And so God has made it clear in Scripture that there are promises of judgment, and so how can we look at the promises of God 127 00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:32,000 and see that there is good news? Especially when we see the sobering reality that you and I deserve wrath. 128 00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:40,000 In Ephesians chapter 2, these first three verses, it says of us that we were dead in our trespasses and sins 129 00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:46,000 in which we once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, 130 00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:54,000 the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, 131 00:41:54,000 --> 00:42:04,000 carrying out the desires of the body and mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind. 132 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:11,000 And I want to focus in just on those words, we were by nature children of wrath, because the point that Paul is making 133 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:18,000 is that we don't just do sin, but that we are sinful. And we understand this distinction, right? 134 00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:26,000 So sometimes, like if I'm being chased by a bear, I will run, but I am not a runner, right? 135 00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:33,000 Now I drive my car, sometimes we drive a long distance, but professionally I am not a driver. 136 00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:40,000 Sometimes I build things, but I am not a builder. Sometimes I fix my car, but I am not a mechanic. 137 00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:45,000 There is a difference between doing something and being something. 138 00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:55,000 And what the Apostle Paul says in these verses is that sin isn't just something that we do, but it has captured the entirety of our identity. 139 00:42:55,000 --> 00:43:00,000 That we are not just sinning, but we are sinful. 140 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:10,000 And that's a terrifying, terrifying thought, to stand before a holy and just God. 141 00:43:10,000 --> 00:43:18,000 And so to the weary soul who comes to Christmas, and they see that they are deserving of judgment, 142 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:23,000 it doesn't seem very helpful to us for our joy that God would keep His promises. 143 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:30,000 It doesn't lift my burdens, instead it adds to them, because I see my brokenness and my sinfulness, 144 00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:39,000 and I see a God who has promised justice, and I don't need justice, I don't want justice, I need mercy, and I need grace. 145 00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:45,000 And into the broken darkness of our souls comes the promise of redemption. 146 00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:53,000 In fact, it begins as God pronounces judgment upon Adam and Eve. In the midst of this, it's called the first gospel. 147 00:43:53,000 --> 00:44:01,000 In Genesis 3:15, there is a glimpse of hope. As God speaks to the woman and to the serpent, He says, 148 00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:08,000 "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring." 149 00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:13,000 And He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. 150 00:44:13,000 --> 00:44:18,000 And for us, sometimes we hear that, and it seems convoluted, and it seems like a long time ago. 151 00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:27,000 What God is saying very simply in those words is that there is a battle going on, a spiritual battle, 152 00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:35,000 and there will come one who is born from a woman who will destroy the serpent, right? 153 00:44:35,000 --> 00:44:43,000 A bruised heel might be painful, but a bruised, or as some translations will say, crushed head, that's fatal. 154 00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:50,000 And the promise in the midst of the brokenness of judgment in Genesis chapter 3, when the world falls apart, 155 00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:57,000 is that God is going to send a Savior who will crush under His feet the serpent. 156 00:44:57,000 --> 00:45:01,000 But it goes more than that. 157 00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:07,000 To Abraham he will say, "Through you all the nations of the earth will be blessed." 158 00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:16,000 And in Galatians 4, Paul says this, "When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman." 159 00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:19,000 Now going back all the way to Genesis 3:15. 160 00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:22,000 Born under the law, and here is what He is going to do. 161 00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:28,000 He is going to redeem those who are under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 162 00:45:28,000 --> 00:45:36,000 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba, Father." 163 00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:40,000 So you are no longer a slave, but you are a son. 164 00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:43,000 And if you are a son, you are an heir. 165 00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:49,000 Through the promises of Christmas. 166 00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:55,000 All of those prophecies from Genesis 3 onward, we see that God keeps His promise. 167 00:45:55,000 --> 00:46:01,000 And His promise to His people is that He would come and He would redeem them. 168 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:08,000 That there would be a child born who would crush Satan under his feet, and God would adopt us into His family. 169 00:46:08,000 --> 00:46:12,000 And we come, not distantly, but we come as children. 170 00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:19,000 And that word "Abba" has a picture with it of a child's cry to their father, informal. 171 00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:24,000 And we would see it as "Dad" or "Daddy" or "Papa." Right? 172 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:30,000 The joy of a child coming to their father is the picture of what Jesus does for us. 173 00:46:30,000 --> 00:46:33,000 In Matthew 1, we hear these words: 174 00:46:33,000 --> 00:46:41,000 "She will bear a son, and you will call His name Jesus, and He will save His people from their sins." 175 00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:46,000 Jesus will say this about the promises of God being fulfilled in Luke chapter 4: 176 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:51,000 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor. 177 00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:56,000 He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, 178 00:46:56,000 --> 00:47:01,000 set at liberty those who are oppressed, and proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 179 00:47:01,000 --> 00:47:10,000 Right? The promise for us who turn to Jesus is not one of wrath, but it's one of hope. 180 00:47:10,000 --> 00:47:15,000 It's not one of punishment and brokenness. It's a promise of restoration. 181 00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:20,000 That He would pick up the crushed. That He would help those who are blind to be able to see. 182 00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:24,000 That He would lift the weight of our sin off of our shoulders. 183 00:47:24,000 --> 00:47:28,000 And those promises are fulfilled through the birth of Jesus. 184 00:47:28,000 --> 00:47:31,000 Sometimes things for us are kind of hard to find. 185 00:47:31,000 --> 00:47:36,000 I was looking for a present for a gift exchange that we are part of. 186 00:47:36,000 --> 00:47:40,000 And I had looked online, and I found something that the person I thought they would like. 187 00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:44,000 And so I was like, "Rachel, let's go to the store." They have one left. 188 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:47,000 It's like 90% off. 189 00:47:47,000 --> 00:47:51,000 So instead of being normally like $140, it was like less than $30. 190 00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:57,000 And we get there, and immediately, right, you walk into a store at this time of year, and everything is in disarray. 191 00:47:57,000 --> 00:47:59,000 And we're just walking around, and I was ready to give up. 192 00:47:59,000 --> 00:48:02,000 I walked in the door, and I'm like, "I'm ready to give up. I don't want to be in this store." 193 00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:05,000 And we looked, and we searched, and we searched. 194 00:48:05,000 --> 00:48:08,000 And if Rachel was by herself, she may have found it. 195 00:48:08,000 --> 00:48:13,000 But I was grumpy, and I was impatient, and we had a time limit to get back to our kids. 196 00:48:13,000 --> 00:48:19,000 And it was just so frustrating to look for that promised thing, and not be able to find it. 197 00:48:19,000 --> 00:48:22,000 And in our hearts, they cry out for redemption. 198 00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:27,000 We see our brokenness, and we know that we need hope and restoration. 199 00:48:27,000 --> 00:48:34,000 And the second good news of Christmas is that Jesus comes close to us, right? 200 00:48:34,000 --> 00:48:37,000 He does not hide from us. 201 00:48:37,000 --> 00:48:43,000 Psalm 19 says that He reveals Himself both through His world and His Word. 202 00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:50,000 Romans chapter 1 talks about how God has proclaimed His greatness through creation, so we're all without excuse. 203 00:48:50,000 --> 00:48:57,000 Acts chapter 17, Paul talking to a bunch of pagans will quote their own philosophers 204 00:48:57,000 --> 00:49:02,000 and talk about how in God we live and we move and we have our being. 205 00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:08,000 What you find is that God is not hiding from us. 206 00:49:08,000 --> 00:49:13,000 But God is also not unreachable or out of touch. 207 00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:17,000 We're so used to, in everything we do, having to qualify, right? 208 00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:19,000 You want to get a credit card? You've got to qualify. 209 00:49:19,000 --> 00:49:21,000 You want to buy a house? You've got to qualify. 210 00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:22,000 You want to buy a car? You've got to qualify. 211 00:49:22,000 --> 00:49:26,000 You want to get a new job? You better have the qualifications. 212 00:49:26,000 --> 00:49:33,000 And we're so used to having to qualify things to make sure we have everything we need. 213 00:49:33,000 --> 00:49:35,000 And I think about this every time I go to the DMV, right? 214 00:49:35,000 --> 00:49:39,000 Because it's not just one little form you have to take, right? 215 00:49:39,000 --> 00:49:43,000 There's got to be a form, and if you're getting a new car, you've got to have a title, and you've got to have this form. 216 00:49:43,000 --> 00:49:46,000 You've got to have ID. You're renewing your driver's license. 217 00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:49,000 You've got to have a piece of mail with your address on it. 218 00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:53,000 And you get there, and it's like they check you before you even get to the counter, right? 219 00:49:53,000 --> 00:49:56,000 Do you have this? Do you have this? Do you have this? Do you have this? 220 00:49:56,000 --> 00:50:03,000 And when you and I come to God, sometimes it feels like we have this list of things, and we look at ourselves, 221 00:50:03,000 --> 00:50:09,000 and we say there is absolutely no way in this world that I would be able to qualify. 222 00:50:09,000 --> 00:50:15,000 There's absolutely no way that I will have everything that I need. 223 00:50:15,000 --> 00:50:22,000 And the question is this: How does a broken, unqualified person get near to God? 224 00:50:22,000 --> 00:50:30,000 Listen to these words from Matthew: "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by his prophet: 225 00:50:30,000 --> 00:50:36,000 Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel." 226 00:50:36,000 --> 00:50:42,000 And then Matthew, just to make sure we get this, he translates it from Aramaic into Greek, 227 00:50:42,000 --> 00:50:47,000 and he says that means God is with us. 228 00:50:47,000 --> 00:50:51,000 The picture here is not that we somehow have sought and found and gone to God, 229 00:50:51,000 --> 00:50:56,000 but rather he has come down to unworthy people. 230 00:50:56,000 --> 00:51:01,000 And we might say in that, yes, he's come to us, but how can he relate to us? 231 00:51:01,000 --> 00:51:08,000 And as you look through Scripture, one of the things, and one of the things this wonderful truth about God being with us means, 232 00:51:08,000 --> 00:51:13,000 is that Jesus can relate. He can relate to your joys and to your sorrows. 233 00:51:13,000 --> 00:51:20,000 He can relate to your wonderful moments in life and those deepest moments of heartbreak. 234 00:51:20,000 --> 00:51:25,000 One of the ways that I think is so helpful, especially this time of year when we're surrounded by family, 235 00:51:25,000 --> 00:51:32,000 is if you read through Jesus' family, there's a lot of struggle, a lot of heartbreak in that family. 236 00:51:32,000 --> 00:51:35,000 One commentator says this about Jesus' family. 237 00:51:35,000 --> 00:51:40,000 He says, "Matthew's genealogy includes the outcast, the scandalous, and the foreigner. 238 00:51:40,000 --> 00:51:48,000 The family Jesus comes from anticipates the family that he has come for." 239 00:51:48,000 --> 00:51:50,000 Jesus came from a difficult family. 240 00:51:50,000 --> 00:51:53,000 And so when he looks at us, who might be difficult, 241 00:51:53,000 --> 00:51:56,000 he says, "I'm used to that. I've experienced that." 242 00:51:56,000 --> 00:52:01,000 He knows where we have walked because he has walked there himself. 243 00:52:01,000 --> 00:52:05,000 God is not distant from you in his understanding of your hurt and brokenness. 244 00:52:05,000 --> 00:52:08,000 One of my favorite preachers, Charles Spurgeon, says this, 245 00:52:08,000 --> 00:52:13,000 "Being with us in our nature, God was with us in life's pilgrimage. 246 00:52:13,000 --> 00:52:20,000 Scarcely you can find a halting place in the march of life at which Jesus has not paused, 247 00:52:20,000 --> 00:52:23,000 or a weary league that he has not traversed. 248 00:52:23,000 --> 00:52:28,000 From the gate of entrance even to the door which closes life's way, 249 00:52:28,000 --> 00:52:31,000 the footprints of Jesus may be traced. 250 00:52:31,000 --> 00:52:34,000 Were you in the cradle? He was there. 251 00:52:34,000 --> 00:52:36,000 Were you a child under parental authority? 252 00:52:36,000 --> 00:52:40,000 Christ also was a boy at home in Nazareth. 253 00:52:40,000 --> 00:52:43,000 Have you entered upon life's battle? 254 00:52:43,000 --> 00:52:45,000 Your Lord and Master did the same, 255 00:52:45,000 --> 00:52:47,000 and though He lived not to an old age, 256 00:52:47,000 --> 00:52:50,000 yet through an incessant toil and suffering 257 00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:54,000 He bore the marred visage which attends battered old age. 258 00:52:54,000 --> 00:52:56,000 Are you alone? 259 00:52:56,000 --> 00:52:58,000 So was He in the wilderness, 260 00:52:58,000 --> 00:53:00,000 on the mountainside, 261 00:53:00,000 --> 00:53:02,000 in the thickest troubles. 262 00:53:02,000 --> 00:53:03,000 Where can you find yourself? 263 00:53:03,000 --> 00:53:05,000 On a hilltop? 264 00:53:05,000 --> 00:53:06,000 Or in the valley? 265 00:53:06,000 --> 00:53:07,000 Or in land? 266 00:53:07,000 --> 00:53:08,000 Or on sea? 267 00:53:08,000 --> 00:53:09,000 Or in the daylight? 268 00:53:09,000 --> 00:53:10,000 In the darkness? 269 00:53:10,000 --> 00:53:12,000 Where, I say, 270 00:53:12,000 --> 00:53:18,000 can you be without discovering that Jesus has been there before you? 271 00:53:18,000 --> 00:53:23,000 We see that God keeps His promise for our redemption. 272 00:53:23,000 --> 00:53:26,000 That God has come close to us. 273 00:53:26,000 --> 00:53:27,000 Revealed Himself to us. 274 00:53:27,000 --> 00:53:29,000 That He knows us. 275 00:53:29,000 --> 00:53:31,000 And He walks with us. 276 00:53:31,000 --> 00:53:35,000 And I want you to think about how Jesus comes. 277 00:53:35,000 --> 00:53:38,000 Because there's a lot of ways in which Jesus could come, right? 278 00:53:38,000 --> 00:53:41,000 In majesty and authority. 279 00:53:41,000 --> 00:53:44,000 He could have come in judgment. 280 00:53:44,000 --> 00:53:46,000 In rightful judgment. 281 00:53:46,000 --> 00:53:50,000 But instead, He steps into our world as a baby. 282 00:53:50,000 --> 00:53:58,000 And when it comes to Christmas, we have two sort of different ways in which we walk when it comes to thinking about the birth of Jesus. 283 00:53:58,000 --> 00:54:01,000 In one way, we sort of romanticize it, right? 284 00:54:01,000 --> 00:54:05,000 It's sort of a postcard picture moment with Mary and Jesus. 285 00:54:05,000 --> 00:54:08,000 And there's this, you know, beautiful looking donkey coming along. 286 00:54:08,000 --> 00:54:11,000 And we sort of romanticize the difficulty of the singing. 287 00:54:11,000 --> 00:54:17,000 We make it maybe less gritty and less difficult and less scary than it was, right? 288 00:54:17,000 --> 00:54:23,000 In fact, we even sing about the little drummer boy, which the idea of the song is that what can I bring to Jesus? 289 00:54:23,000 --> 00:54:26,000 I just have a song and I'll bring it to Him. And that's a good message. 290 00:54:26,000 --> 00:54:32,000 But think about for a moment that if you're a mom who has just had a baby in a stable, 291 00:54:32,000 --> 00:54:37,000 in a stable is the first thing that you want. Some kids showing up with a drum solo, right? 292 00:54:37,000 --> 00:54:40,000 Like you want that baby to go to sleep, right? 293 00:54:40,000 --> 00:54:45,000 And so sometimes we romanticize the birth of Jesus, but then sometimes we go to the other way. 294 00:54:45,000 --> 00:54:51,000 And we talk about how difficult and hard it was. And that's true as well. 295 00:54:51,000 --> 00:54:55,000 The reality of the birth of Jesus lies somewhere in the middle. 296 00:54:55,000 --> 00:55:00,000 Yes, it was difficult. Yes, it was in a stable. Yes, it was a struggle. 297 00:55:00,000 --> 00:55:06,000 It was a struggle. But in that, God provides. God sends help. God has a plan. 298 00:55:06,000 --> 00:55:13,000 And the reason that God steps into human history is as a baby. 299 00:55:13,000 --> 00:55:20,000 Because everywhere in Scripture you see God encountering people. Like there's fear. 300 00:55:20,000 --> 00:55:24,000 Even the representatives of God. Think for a moment about the angels. 301 00:55:24,000 --> 00:55:28,000 Just in the story of Jesus, what's the first word of an angel? 302 00:55:28,000 --> 00:55:32,000 Every time they show up, they say, "Don't be afraid." 303 00:55:32,000 --> 00:55:36,000 Not just in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament. 304 00:55:36,000 --> 00:55:43,000 When God's glory comes out, they see His glory through the clouds descending on Mount Sinai. 305 00:55:43,000 --> 00:55:47,000 They say, "We can't be near the mountain because we're too close to God." 306 00:55:47,000 --> 00:55:56,000 And so when God steps into our world, He doesn't come in great glory, great power, or great judgment. 307 00:55:56,000 --> 00:55:59,000 He comes as a baby. 308 00:55:59,000 --> 00:56:03,000 I want you to think about the reality of that just for a moment, right? 309 00:56:03,000 --> 00:56:08,000 Because in most of the world, like, for example, if a giraffe has a baby, right? 310 00:56:08,000 --> 00:56:12,000 That baby's up and walking just a very short period of time, right? 311 00:56:12,000 --> 00:56:15,000 Because they've got to be able to run from predators and be able to hide. 312 00:56:15,000 --> 00:56:19,000 But think about human children in relation to so much of the rest of the world. 313 00:56:19,000 --> 00:56:24,000 They're pretty helpless, right? My oldest is nine, and they still don't have a job, right? 314 00:56:24,000 --> 00:56:27,000 They don't have a place to live that's on their own, right? 315 00:56:27,000 --> 00:56:30,000 They're still dependent upon us for everything. 316 00:56:30,000 --> 00:56:49,000 Think about that, that God, with all the glory and the honor and the power, steps into our world, not in glory and majesty and judgment, but as a child who is helpless. 317 00:56:49,000 --> 00:57:04,000 Right? The one upon whom we all depend, the one who upholds all things by the word of his power, comes as a baby who is wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. 318 00:57:04,000 --> 00:57:14,000 Why does God come into human history as a baby? Because if he came in any other way, you and I would run into fear. 319 00:57:14,000 --> 00:57:27,000 We would hide. We would fall on our faces. We would say, "God, don't be near me." Remember when Peter just gets a quick glimpse of the power of Jesus and says, "Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man." 320 00:57:27,000 --> 00:57:38,000 You see, God knows. He knows that we are broken and sinful and will run and hide like our first parents, Adam and Eve, from his glory. 321 00:57:38,000 --> 00:57:47,000 And so when he comes to save us, he comes close. He comes in a way that will not cause us to run from him. 322 00:57:47,000 --> 00:57:53,000 You see, the good news of the Gospel is that God has redeemed us. He has kept his promise of redemption. 323 00:57:53,000 --> 00:58:05,000 He has come close and understands and seeks to be understood by us, and he comes in a way that does not cause us to run from him in fear. 324 00:58:05,000 --> 00:58:12,000 We sometimes sing, "O Holy Night," and there's a line that's always stuck with me. 325 00:58:12,000 --> 00:58:20,000 In fact, probably like eight or nine years ago, we had a whole Christmas series about this called "The Weary World Rejoices." 326 00:58:20,000 --> 00:58:26,000 It's about Jesus being born, and the line of the song is simply that: "The weary world rejoices." 327 00:58:26,000 --> 00:58:30,000 And the reality is our world can be weary, and it's a struggle. 328 00:58:30,000 --> 00:58:38,000 But into that weariness steps a Savior who has come to save us. 329 00:58:38,000 --> 00:58:44,000 And in the midst of all of our joys that have happened in this last year, in the midst of all of our sorrows, 330 00:58:44,000 --> 00:58:51,000 there is good news that God has come to save us. 331 00:58:51,000 --> 00:59:00,000 That there is hope, there is joy, there is peace, and there is love that is found in Jesus, the Son of God. 332 00:59:00,000 --> 00:59:06,000 So in just a moment, we are going to partake together of the Lord's Supper. 333 00:59:06,000 --> 00:59:11,000 And one of the remarkable things, you see it in Luke 2, you see it throughout the ministry of Jesus, 334 00:59:11,000 --> 00:59:20,000 that people come and they get a glimpse of God's goodness, and they immediately begin to go and tell others about it. 335 00:59:20,000 --> 00:59:26,000 You see it in Luke 2, in the passage Brent read, the shepherds, they come and see, and then the very next verse, 336 00:59:26,000 --> 00:59:33,000 they go and tell everybody they know. As Jesus begins His ministry, right, some of the disciples of John will run to their friends and say, 337 00:59:33,000 --> 00:59:38,000 "Hey, we found the one whom the prophets have spoke about. Come and see." 338 00:59:38,000 --> 00:59:44,000 And those men become disciples of Jesus who go on to proclaim the good news to the world. 339 00:59:44,000 --> 00:59:51,000 Right, there is this picture in the Gospels that begins with an invitation to come and see the goodness of God, 340 00:59:51,000 --> 01:00:00,000 and then go and speak about it to those around you who are hurting, who are in conflict, who are under the weight of their sin, 341 01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:05,000 that they would see the peace, the hope, the joy, the love, and the goodness of God. 342 01:00:05,000 --> 01:00:10,000 And coming around the table together, right, that's the message of communion, right? 343 01:00:10,000 --> 01:00:15,000 Come and see. Come and remember what Jesus has done for you. 344 01:00:15,000 --> 01:00:20,000 Come and remember the cross, and the sorrow, and the agony. 345 01:00:20,000 --> 01:00:28,000 And see the forgiveness, and the grace, and the mercy that is poured into your life through the body and the blood of Jesus. 346 01:00:28,000 --> 01:00:32,000 But then take that good news. 347 01:00:32,000 --> 01:00:36,000 And go out and tell others about it. 348 01:00:36,000 --> 01:00:46,000 So we'll read from 1 Corinthians 15. We will partake together in this meal. 349 01:00:46,000 --> 01:00:51,000 Father in heaven, thank you for joining us. 350 01:00:51,000 --> 01:01:00,000 His promises to see the good news of the Gospel. 351 01:01:00,000 --> 01:01:03,000 As we look to the cross, to this bread, 352 01:01:06,000 --> 01:01:18,000 in this compass of your peace and your joy to the world. 353 01:01:18,000 --> 01:01:24,000 We thank you for Jesus and for grace. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 354 01:01:24,000 --> 01:01:30,000 You would take the bread with me. 355 01:01:30,000 --> 01:01:36,000 As Paul says, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread. 356 01:01:36,000 --> 01:01:40,000 He said, "This is my body." 357 01:01:40,000 --> 01:01:56,000 Do this as often as you drink it. 358 01:01:56,000 --> 01:01:58,000 Let's drink together. 359 01:02:00,000 --> 01:02:06,000 And then here... 360 01:02:06,000 --> 01:02:18,000 Eat this bread, and you drink this cup. You proclaim the Lord until He comes. 361 01:02:18,000 --> 01:02:22,000 We're going to go ahead. We're going to stand and we're going to sing. 362 01:02:22,000 --> 01:02:24,000 Go tell it on the mat. 363 01:02:28,000 --> 01:02:31,000 We've been adding a verse every week, so this... 364 01:02:31,000 --> 01:02:36,000 And then we're going to have to sing the chorus a couple more times. 365 01:02:36,000 --> 01:02:38,000 So let's sing Go Tell It on the Mat. 366 01:02:38,000 --> 01:02:40,000 Go tell it on the mat. 367 01:02:40,000 --> 01:02:50,000 Go tell it on the mat. 368 01:02:50,000 --> 01:02:52,000 Go tell it on the mat. 369 01:03:04,000 --> 01:03:06,000 Wild shepherds. 370 01:03:06,000 --> 01:03:16,000 Birds kept their watch. 371 01:03:16,000 --> 01:03:18,000 Oh no. 372 01:03:22,000 --> 01:03:24,000 A holy ladder. 373 01:03:24,000 --> 01:03:28,000 The hills and everywhere. 374 01:03:28,000 --> 01:03:35,000 Go. 375 01:03:35,000 --> 01:03:39,000 The shepherds feared and trembled. 376 01:03:39,000 --> 01:03:44,000 The people of the earth. 377 01:03:44,000 --> 01:03:46,000 Rainy angel. 378 01:03:46,000 --> 01:03:48,000 Chorus. 379 01:03:48,000 --> 01:03:50,000 Earth. 380 01:03:50,000 --> 01:03:52,000 Earth. 381 01:03:52,000 --> 01:03:53,000 Earth. 382 01:03:53,000 --> 01:03:54,000 Good on the mountains. 383 01:03:54,000 --> 01:04:06,000 And Jesus Christ is. 384 01:04:06,000 --> 01:04:08,000 Is born. 385 01:04:08,000 --> 01:04:11,000 Down in the low. 386 01:04:15,000 --> 01:04:17,000 We made your hearts. 387 01:04:17,000 --> 01:04:18,000 And. 388 01:04:18,000 --> 01:04:20,000 Touch salvation. 389 01:04:20,000 --> 01:04:21,000 That. 390 01:04:21,000 --> 01:04:22,000 Blessed. 391 01:04:22,000 --> 01:04:23,000 Oh. 392 01:04:23,000 --> 01:04:24,000 Lord. 393 01:04:24,000 --> 01:04:25,000 Go. 394 01:04:25,000 --> 01:04:26,000 Tell it. 395 01:04:26,000 --> 01:04:29,000 On the mountains. 396 01:04:29,000 --> 01:04:30,000 And. 397 01:04:30,000 --> 01:04:34,000 And. 398 01:04:34,000 --> 01:04:35,000 Every. 399 01:04:35,000 --> 01:04:36,000 Wounds. 400 01:04:36,000 --> 01:04:37,000 Then the. 401 01:04:37,000 --> 01:04:38,000 Christ is. 402 01:04:38,000 --> 01:04:40,000 Born. 403 01:04:40,000 --> 01:04:45,000 Good morning. 404 01:04:45,000 --> 01:04:50,000 Just a couple of announcements. 405 01:04:50,000 --> 01:04:56,000 This Wednesday night, we will begin the first Wednesday in January. 406 01:04:56,000 --> 01:05:02,000 We're going to begin a study of the book of James, and so I urge you to come and join us for that. 407 01:05:02,000 --> 01:05:06,000 We're going to be doing something a little bit different with this. 408 01:05:06,000 --> 01:05:12,000 I know I struggle, or for some people who come, they'd like to watch some of the sessions again, 409 01:05:12,000 --> 01:05:15,000 and so we have the ability to share those with you. 410 01:05:15,000 --> 01:05:28,000 So if you're not able to come and would like to as well, we have a little bit of detail this past week, 411 01:05:28,000 --> 01:05:36,000 and we'll keep you updated about that also on Saturday, January 28th, which is strange. 412 01:05:36,000 --> 01:05:39,000 We're almost all the way to January next Sunday. 413 01:05:39,000 --> 01:05:43,000 We're going to have a men's breakfast, and so we'd like to invite you to join us for that. 414 01:05:43,000 --> 01:05:52,000 And guys, invite some friends and come and have some food and fellowship and get together on January the 28th. 415 01:05:52,000 --> 01:06:04,000 So we're going to pray. I'm going to speak from Luke chapter 2, and then we'll have the kiddos come and help. 416 01:06:04,000 --> 01:06:10,000 Thank you for Jesus and for grace and for hope. Thank you for your church and for your people. 417 01:06:10,000 --> 01:06:16,000 Just help us to see your goodness, we pray. Amen. 418 01:06:16,000 --> 01:06:21,000 And so the angels come to the shepherds in Luke chapter 2. 419 01:06:22,000 --> 01:06:43,000 They say, "We bring you the saying that had been told them concerning this child." 420 01:06:43,000 --> 01:06:49,000 You see, they heard from the angels the good men saw, and then they went and told it. 421 01:06:49,000 --> 01:06:51,000 So kiddos, ready to come up and help us sing? 422 01:06:51,000 --> 01:06:54,000 Come on up. 423 01:06:54,000 --> 01:06:58,000 So we're just going to sing the chorus through twice. 424 01:06:58,000 --> 01:07:04,000 Ezra, you want to come?