Michael Low 0:00
Well, God bless you all. To me, this is a rare privilege. And I’m honored to be in your presence. You know, people asked me well, you know so much of the word because normally, when I’m talking to people I’ll quote Scripture is something because that’s normally what’s on my mind. But what I’m thinking is I’m humbled in you guys’s presence, because you guys teach me. There’s a poem, it’s called, sermons we see. And the theme of that poem is, I’d rather see a sermon than here when any day and that’s who you are to me. Your sermons we see because the Bible says we’re all living epistles known and read of all men, as I’m humbled in your presence. You guys teach me all the time, because the word of God is profitable for doctrine, how to believe rightly right, believing for reproof, that tells us where we’re not believing rightly, and how to get back to right believing correction. We don’t like these two words reproof and correction, but correction means to restore to an upright position. That’s why we’re here to restore one another to an upright position. Then when we have our upright position, our vertical position in line with God, our horizontal relationships are much more enjoyable. So it’s great to be with all y’all because you guys teach me doctrine, reproof and correction, which is instruction righteousness all the time. So I’m also honored to have my son Aaron, and his son, Caden, my son and my grandson here from North Carolina.

And having them here reminds me of for him, Bill had mentioned for him for him is a is is a discipleship training program where we train and disciple one another. The theme of for him is, as you have received Christ, Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and grounded and built up in him and established in the faith that you have been taught, abounding there, and with thanksgiving, and the birth that comes to mind when people asked me you will with 4am about the verse that comes to mind is Second Timothy chapter two, verse two, where it says, that wish thou has heard of me, among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also, that’s the definition of for him, because in that one short verse, there’s four generations. And that’s what my son and my grandson reminded me of, you know, I was honored to do my dad’s eulogy. Eulogy. The word eulogy is like a benediction. The word eulogy means good word. And what my dad taught me, he was a man of God. I remember every Christmas, we would, there were sick kids in our family. So mom was always running around getting presents and gifts for all the kids. But dad would always say, before we buy any Christmas presents, we’re gonna give to the work of the Lord. We had a special offering every Christmas, it was called the Lottie Moon Christmas offering for foreign missions. And we’ve heard from missionaries today. But that always said that before we’re giving gifts to anybody, first we’re going to give to the church, because God’s the one who’s blessed us. And we had to bless God with the first fruits of our increase. That’s what dad taught me. He said, You always put God first. And this four generations thing in that short verse, that which thou, you’re the second generation has heard of me, this is Apostle Paul. So Paul was first generation, you’re the second generation among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, that third generation, who shall be able to teach others also the fourth generation. So my dad taught me the word, I’m teaching it to my son, and he’s teaching it to his son. There’s four generations there. God is a God a blessing. Glad to know said don’t get too emotional. He said, I know you will. But rest assured, the song says Joy to the world, the Lord has come. And so if I get a little bit emotional, rest assured, these are tears of joy. I was asked to speak on on Christmas, broad topic. When you pull on one thread of Scripture, the whole thing unravels because the whole scripture is interconnected through the cross of Christ. He’s the theme of the Word of God, because he’s the Word of God made manifest. The Christmas story is about The love of God and the Word of God. And that’s what we’re gonna be talking about this morning. So we’re gonna be talking about the purpose of Christmas and the meaning of Christmas. That’s what we’re going to be talking about this morning. And actually, I did prepare a few notes. And since I’m speaking, as I’ve said before, y’all have to take your own notes. And Pastor Pete says, I can’t wait to hear what you’re about to say. And I said to Pete, well, neither can I. Because right now I’m going off script.

Anyway, so I’ll say Merry Christmas to all y’all. I used to love Christmas, several years ago, because when I was first introduced to influencers, this was in Oh, seven or so y’all. many of y’all have been here, long before that. But in oh seven, I was introduced to influencers. And I would come on Christmas week. And I would come the day after Thanksgiving, those were the two times of year that I could come to influences because I had to work. I couldn’t get off on Fridays, until I started working for for one company that let me have Friday’s off. But so I would come twice a year. So the day after, or the day before Christmas, or the week of Christmas was one of the only times that I could spend time with all y’all. And I was always so blessed to be here. You know, what makes something precious is because it’s rare. And it was a rare experience, to be able to get together with all y’all, because that’s why we’re here. We’re here to build one another up. We’re here to meet together. We’re here to fellowship one with another, to link together as like minded men, and the like mindedness is with the love of God, and the Word of God because Jesus Christ is Lord. And because the Bible is our sole rule of faith and practice, that’s who we are and what we do, we link together with like minded men, because we’re like minded in the love of God and in the Word of God. So this morning, we’re going to talk about the purpose of Christmas, and the meaning of Christmas. And before we do, I’d like to open with a word of prayer. So Father, we thank You for this morning, this day that you’ve given us to rejoice and be glad in it. Thank you, Father, for this Christmas season, where we can understand what it means to be a son of God and a brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, and why Jesus Christ came, and his purpose and the meaning of his coming. Thank you, Father, that your word lives within us. And more importantly, Father, that Christ lives within us because he’s the Word of God made manifest. And you’ve given us your Holy Spirit, so that we can know you and so that we can know the truth that sets us free. Because Jesus Christ said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man, commit them to the Father, but by me. So thank you, Father, today for this Pentecostal gift. Not just the gift of speaking, but especially the gift of hearing. Because the day of Pentecost, all men heard the wonderful works of God in their own tongue. So thank you, Father, for speaking to our hearts today. And that we can understand the reason for the season, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. So Christmas is a great time of year. I’m blessed to be able to speak to the children in our church. That’s one of the things that I do at church I, I help with the Children’s fellowship with with Sunday school on Sunday morning, so I really ever get to listen to the pastor speak. But it’s such a blessing to be able to talk to the children. And we’ve been talking about the Christmas story and about the coming of Jesus Christ this Advent season. And one of the things that I asked the children is, what do you like most about Christmas? And of course, there, they all raise their hands. And normally they’ll say, I love getting Christmas presents. That’s what I love the most is is all these Christmas presents, because I’ve, I’ve wanted these things all year and I wrote down all the things that I wanted for Christmas and then on Christmas morning, I run down the stairs, tear open the packages, and there’s exactly what I wanted. I’ve been waiting all year for this special present that I’ve been given. And what I said to the children is one thing to To appreciate Christmas presidents. But there’s another Christmas presents. There’s another Christmas present. That’s the greatest president of all. That’s Jesus Christ. He’s the reason for the season. The presence of God in Christ in you is the reason for the season, their Christmas presents. But then there’s the presence of God and Christ in you the hope of glory. You know, the Bible says that the reason the Jesus came, that’s the message that I’m going to share this morning. Why did Jesus come?

He came because God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish but have everlasting life. He came, because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, He was the gift. Jesus Christ was a gift, not because we deserved gift. Because what is a gift anyway, we were talking about the wrap that the our friend here did was about grace. When when I had the grace of God, I saw his face, because only by the grace of God, that we can see the face of God, By grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourself as a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast? If you look at this word, Grace, sometimes I like to look up the Greek because we speak English. But if we’re speaking English, we’re normally speaking the world’s vernacular. And the problem with speaking the world’s vernacular is that the world calls good, evil and evil good. So you have to look up the biblical definitions of the words. And if you look up the word gift, the word gift is a derivation of this word, Grace. The word The Greek word is the word. Charisse gift is charisma or charismata. Grace is a word charis, gifts are always a grace. Grace is not because we deserve it. Grace is a gift, because the giver loved us. See, we we didn’t deserve a gift, we actually deserve death, the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We weren’t given the gift of eternal life, we were not given the gift of Jesus Christ, Christ in you the hope of glory, the spirit of our living God, we weren’t given that gift because we deserved it. We were given that gift, not because of who we are, we deserve death, the wages of sin is death. We were given that gift not because of who we are. But because of who God is. God is a giver. Not because of who we are, but because of who God is. Several months ago, I was blessed to be able to share about the difference between fusion and confusion. Maybe you heard that message, maybe it didn’t. But the essence of the message, diffusion versus confusion is, there’s a verse of Scripture that says, The thief, the devil, Satan, the adversary, this is John 1010, come at not but for to steal and to kill him to destroy, but I Jesus Christ, and come that they might have life in that they might have it more abundantly. The difference between confusion and fusion is confusion is of the devil. What he does is he blows things apart. He, that’s what he does. He blows things to smithereens. His job is to divide and conquer. His primary job is to separate our heart from God’s heart. That’s what the adversary does. That’s confusion to blow apart, to explode to atomize. But what Jesus Christ did is he came to fuse our hearts back together with God’s heart, because there’s one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, Jesus Christ, is the mediator. He’s the one who chooses our heart with God’s heart, in the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. The spirit is Christ in you the hope of glory. If you read in the first three gospels, there’s there’s three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Those will tell you about the historical record of Jesus Christ. But then there’s also the Gospel of John, the theme of the Gospel of John is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So it looks at the birth of Jesus Christ, not from a physical perspective, but from a spiritual perspective. The spiritual perspective is Jesus Christ is the word of God made manifest. He’s the word God revealed. He’s the Word of God in the flesh. That’s who Jesus Christ is. What the devil did when he caused the fall of man, if you remember the fall of man,

the devil did two things. to beguile Eve, this word, but guile and means he tricked Eve, and he got Eve to doubt, God. When you doubt God, at that point, you’re in the devil’s ballpark. So what the way the devil did is he came to Eve, and said, Did God really say? Because God had given Adam and Eve only one commandment? Do you remember the one commandment from Genesis that God gave Adam and Eve, God had said to Adam and Eve, of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. From the day thou eatest thereof, thou shall surely die. That was a one commandment that God gave Adam and Eve, He said, Don’t eat it, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, if you do on that day, on that very day, toe Yom. In the Hebrew, thou shall surely die that very day. And then the adversary came to even he said, it got really say, Thou shalt not eat at the tree of knowledge, good and evil. The first thing that the adversary did, to beguile Eve was to question the Word of God, because who is God is his word. God is his Word, the Word of God. God is faithful to His word. He is his word. He’s not independent of His word. He is His Word. God is his word. He’s as good as his word. Did God really say, the first thing that the devil did was questioned the Word of God. The second thing the adversary did was to question the love of God, God doesn’t really love you. He wants you to be ignorant. He doesn’t want you to know the knowledge of good and evil. He knows that if you take a bite, just take a bite of this Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil or the fruit of the tree of knowledge, good and evil, then you’re going to be like God, you’ll have your eyes open, you won’t be ignorant. God’s word is not true. And God doesn’t love you. He questioned the Word of God and the love of God. What is the meaning Christmas? Jesus Christ? is a word of God made manifest? Do you want to know the Word of God? You know, people would say, you know so much of the Word of God, I tell people. You know, I studied with the biblical research and teaching ministry, because I love the word. I like blue letter bible.org. I used to have a stack of books, Young’s analytical concordance, Strong’s exhaustive concordance, there’s Bible Dictionary, interlinear, Greek New Testament and old, Hebrew interlinear Old Testament, I used to have a stack of books in a Bible Atlas. And because I loved reading the Word, and I like to study the Word and understand the word of God, because it’s precious to me. And every time you go to the Word, you learn something else, thy words were found, and I did eat them. That’s what Jeremiah said, and they were liking isn’t to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart. So I love the Word of God. That’s what I learned in church, and in this biblical research and teaching ministry that I studied with but people ask me well what what did influencers teach you? I tell them influencers taught me to love Jesus Christ. Because beat put this band on my this little bracelet on my hand, says, Man of God, He anointed my head with all he put this band on my arm that says, Man of God, man of God, and I was thinking to myself, I took a little bit of Latin, but what does that man of God thing mean? And then I thought to myself, haha, of God, in Latin, that’s called the genitive of possession. Influencers taught me that it’s not who we are. It’s who’s we are that matters, whose we are a man of God means God’s man. In English, we say, God’s man, apostrophe s. That’s who we are. That’s who’s we are. Who’s we are. Jesus Christ as Lord, Lord means owner.

Influencers taught me to love God. It’s one thing to love the word. It’s another thing altogether to love Jesus Christ, and our Father, God, our heavenly Father. That’s what influencers taught me was to love Jesus Christ. And if, unless you KNOW Jesus Christ, you can’t love him to know him is to love him. That’s what influencers taught me was this relationship with Jesus Christ. And that’s what all y’all taught me as well, and are teaching me every day. Because it’s the love of God made manifest in our hearts. So, what Jesus Christ did the purpose of the coming of Jesus Christ. Aaron was saying, Well, what are you going to share with the people this morning, and I’m way off script, by the way, but that’s fine. Because I expect God to call an audible. That’s what Pete says, I can’t wait to hear what you’re gonna say. And I said, I can’t either. I I’d love to hear what what God’s gonna say. But my son was saying, What what are you going to share with the people? And then he, of course, he quoted Luke chapter two. Luke chapter two, I remember I learned in the sixth grade, I went to public school just like y’all did. And I had a teacher named Winnie Garretson. I remember Winnie Garrison, because she said, you’re going to learn scripture this year. And if your mom doesn’t like it, have her come talk to me. Because I’ll tell your mom, what we’re studying in school this year is literature. The Bible is not the literature of the moment. The Bible is a literature of eternity is the word of God, the literature of eternity. She says, If your mom has a problem, have her come talk to me. And we’ll have a discussion about the meaning of literature. And that God is above all, because there’s a law above the law. Let every soul be subject to the higher power. The law above the law is the law of God, Jesus Christ, the Word of God made manifest. So my son asked me, well, what are you going to share? And so of course, he quoted Luke chapter two, he says, I learned Luke Chapter Two from watching a Charlie Brown Christmas every year. And in Luke chapter two, it says, Mary brought forth her firstborn son and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them at the end. And there were in the same country, shepherds biting in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shown round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not. For behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy which will be unto all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ’s the Lord, and this shall be assignment to you. And you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. So what is the significance of Christmas? unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior? You ever looked at that word, Savior? Savior? The word Jesus means Savior, Yeshua, my brother from another mother, Lando Orlando. Jesus means Savior, a Savior. If you look up the word Savior, the Greek word comes from the word Zozo. Or Sotiria is a verb form and noun form of this word, Savior to save savior. Salvation is it’s a whole topic in systematic theology, this topic of soteriology with the Greek word it’s the word Shozo. The essence of the word SOS Oh, me too be made complete. That’s why Jesus came and year completed him.

Who is the head of all things your complete in Jesus Christ Guess what you just guys came, because he’s our Savior, He makes us complete. The implication is that before we were born again of God’s Spirit, we were incomplete. Because we were born body and soul. The the first prophecy of the coming of Jesus Christ was in Genesis chapter three, verse 15. You can look that up for yourself. I’ve got it in my notes here. But I’m going way off script, like I said, in Genesis 316, is a verse about God is confronting Adam and Eve because they’ve eaten the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and had disobeyed the word God and had questioned Of course, the love of God. And when you doubt the Word of God, and the love of God, at that point, you’re no longer in God’s ballpark, you’re in the devil’s ballpark, you’re in his domain at that point. The downfall of man was doubting the Word of God, and doubting the love of God. Because then your actions are in line with your heart and if your heart is in the wrong place, if you’ve got another Lord, other than Jesus Christ, if you’re making, if you’re making yourself Lord of your own life, because I want this knowledge of good and evil, I want to be like God, I don’t need God, I want to be like God, he doesn’t love me, and his words, not true. At that point, they died that day, but of course, they lived on and on and on. So Genesis 315, is about God confronting Adam and Eve, what happened here? Of course, he said, The serpent began me and I did eat. He made me question the Word of God and the love of God, and I doubted in my heart, he beguiled me and I did eat. And so God said to Satan, the serpent, you’re going to crawl on your belly, and you’re going to be cursed all the days of your life. And there will be coming, another one, who will, and you’ll bruise His heel, but he’s gonna crush your head, the first Popsy of the coming of Jesus Christ, it was about the seat of the woman. And if you study biology, you understand that, in order to have life, you got to have 23 pairs of jeans of chromosomes, one compliment from your mom, and one compliment of 23 chromosomes from your dad. And that’s how you have the egg from the mom fertilized with the sperm from the dad. And that’s the way that that you reproduce. This is reproduction. Because God said, Be fruitful and multiply. But the problem is, that they died the day that they ate the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The question is what died that day, what died, was the Spirit of God, within them, that’s what died, because man was made body soul and spirit, three part being body, soul, and spirit. And he they met, we all inherit body and soul from Adam. Because from Adam, our fathers contributed the complement 23 chromosomes to the mom’s egg. And that’s how we how we got here is by the word of life. DNA is the word of life. It’s a message written in base for code, ATCG, deoxy, ribose, deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA. That’s how we got here. That was God’s divine design, for body and soul. But we were incomplete, because on the day that they aged the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they died that day, their spirit died. That’s what Jesus Christ came to make available. With the Spirit of God in Christ in us being born again. We were born in the first time, we were born of Adam seed passed down, through through the male line, from our dads all the way back to Adam from Adam seed. But when we were born again, we were born again, not of corruptible seed of DNA, this Deoxyribonucleic base for word of man through the ages, but we’re born again, not of corruptible seed, that DNA is a message of word as well, a word from God and the Word of God, to pass on body and soul.

But when we were born again, of God’s Spirit, we’re born again by the word of God, not a corruptible seed DNA, but an incorruptible, and then in the King James that leaves out the word seed It’s a figure of speech called ellipsis. To place the emphasis not on the seed, but on the interoperability of the seed, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. That’s why Jesus Christ gave the message of Christmas, and the meaning of Christmas. And the significance of Christmas is Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh, For by grace, or you say, through faith, that not of yourselves into the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we’re God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, and to good works, which he’s for deigned that we should walk in them. We’re talking about our, our missionary friend here, was talking about a purpose. He said, Mom, you conceived me and You bore me, and you bought me out, you know me? What is my purpose for life? Well, what is the purpose for life? The purpose, ultimately, is a we would beat the praises of the glory of God’s grace, because he’s the one who made us acceptable in the Beloved. That’s why we’re here. When the rich young ruler came to Jesus Christ, he went to Jesus Christ, because he wanted a pat on the back. He wanted Jesus Christ to acknowledge all the good stuff that he had done in his life. So he came to Jesus and he said, Good Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And of course, Jesus, knowing what was in the heart of man said, Why call us thou me good? There’s none good, but God. And what he was talking about was something that the rich young ruler didn’t understand. Because this word good. You look up the word good. It’s the word agathos. I think of Agatha, the woman’s name Agatha. The word good, has to do with purpose. The word good means fit for a particular purpose. What was our purpose? The reason that Jesus Christ came the reason for Christmas, the purpose for Christmas? What is our purpose? Our purpose is that we should be to the praise of the glory of God’s grace. You see, there were two things that the devil did to separate man’s heart, from God’s heart because that’s what the adversary does, he divides and conquers. He splits things up. He pits factions, one against the other. That’s what the adversary does. He’s the author of strife and contention and confusion, and where there’s confusion. There’s every evil work, because that’s what the adversary does. But Jesus Christ came to make available the Spirit of God in Christ in us a new birth, that thou shall confess with by mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in my heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved, Greek word soza. For He shall save His people from their sins. That’s why Jesus Christ came that we might be made complete the Spirit of God in Christ in you. So the adversary did two things. He questioned the Word of God. And he questioned the love of God. And why did Jesus Christ came, because he is a word of God made manifest. And he’s the love of God made manifest. And what else did the angels say? This this morning in prayer, I didn’t get a chance to go to the prayer meeting, because I was doing sound checks and whatnot. But I was told that that in the prayer meeting this morning, Pastor Pete, open with this thing about what the world considers success is upside down from what the Bible considers success. We’ve been talking about the Beatitudes. Since when was poverty, mourning, persecution, purity, meekness, humility. When were these things success like criteria? In the world standards? They’re opposite from from what the world considered success. What I was thinking is that the angels

they they they only appeared to some lowly shepherds. On the Judean hillside, they were the ones who got the invitation,

because their hearts ready. Who was Jesus Christ? He was the perfect Lamb of God. What did the shepherds do? That was your job, to raise a lamb without spot, without blemish. So that on the Passover, the Hebrews could have a lamb to sacrifice to take away their sin. That was who Jesus Christ was, he was a perfect Lamb of God. You know, my dad taught me a lot of stuff, but I’m thinking I learned so much from from my son, probably more, he’s probably taught me more than I’ve taught him. I remember when they might, my son said, Well, what was the significance of Jesus’s death? He said to me, Dad, you know, they’ve been so many people that have died for a worthy cause. They’ve died for freedom, they’ve died for their family. He said, Well, you know, even even the guys that flew those planes into the twin towers on 911. They died for their cause, is the planes went down as they were hitting the building. They said, Allah Akbar, well, what does that mean? That means God is great, God is good. But what they were because of course, they worship the wrong god. There say, the Essence of Allah Akbar is my gods greater than your God, I’m going to show you, America, who’s God. And it ain’t the God of wealth and the God of materialism, in it at the God of self and self absorption, that you Americans worship. Materialism will show you whose God is greater. They died for a cause. My My son said to me what, what was different about Jesus Christ did what my son said is the difference. Jesus Christ shed innocent blood, the operative word is innocent. Because the Bible says, All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And the wages of sin is death. If you ever think well, I deserve my just deserves, well, you’re just deserves, it’s six feet under. That’s you’re just deserved, because the wages of sin is dead, because our blood is guilty. But Jesus Christ, shed innocent blood, because he who is without sin, was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf, that we might be made. The righteousness of God in Him. Jesus Christ, is the word of God made manifest and the love of God made manifest. He unifies us back to God, because there’s one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, not because of who he we are, but because of who we got it. Because of who God is. God is the love of God. And Jesus Christ is a love of God made manifest. There’s an old poem, maybe you’ve heard it, maybe you haven’t, is attributed to a rabbi from from way back in the olden days. But this poem, they said, they found it in an insane asylum when they were tearing down an insane asylum. It’s amazing how God works. He takes the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, the foolish things to the world to confound the wise. And this poem is about the love of God. And the poem goes, if, if we could we with the oceans fill, and word the skies of parchment made, where every stock on Earth, the quill, and every man ascribed by trade, to write the love of God above, would drain the oceans dry. Nor could this crow contain the whole, those stretched from sky to sky. The love of God is beyond words, an ephah bliss sublime I had to look up this word ineffable. It means indescribable. That’s the love of God.

The Book of John shows the life of Christ, not from a worldly perspective, not about the things that he did and the thing it talks about the miracles of Jesus Christ, but the emphasis is on the spiritual reality of who Jesus Christ is. The Word of God made manifest. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. That’s the book of John. The Book of John ends with If I were to describe all the things that Jesus Christ did, there would not be enough volumes in the all the books of all eternity, to fill the volumes that would be required to talk about Jesus Christ, because the love of God is the essence of God Himself. Jesus Christ is the word of God made manifest in the love of God made manifest. What’s the significance of Christmas? The significance of Christmas is the love of God. And the Word of God made manifest. You know, I was asking my friend Orlando there because you know, are blessed by Neil. Unfortunately, I don’t speak the language of the majority. I think a little bit of French. French is a great language as well. But I asked Orlando and I asked some of the Sunday school teachers where I teach the kids at church. Well, what does Christmas mean? And of course, one of the girls at church, she says, Chris, what does Christmas mean? en Espanol. Polska or because I don’t know how to speak Espanol. She says Christmas in Espanol. That means the least NaVi died. And I said, Well, that may be the Gospel according to Jose Feliciano, but that wasn’t my question. My question, What does Christmas mean? in Espanol? My my sister God bless her heart. She’s from North Carolina as well. My My sister said, Have you ever looked at the words Christmas, Christ Mass? And you know what that means to spend your Christmas means more of Christ. Desperate Christmas beans. That’s what John the Baptist said. When when John the Baptist he had a great following a preacher in the wilderness and camels here and a grasshoppers, Akuna kata. But he had a great following, because he was a first prophet of God after Malikai. For 400 years there had not been a prophet from God. He was the first prophet in for 100 years and he had the word of life. And his followers came to him and said, we see that Jesus is baptizing people. Is he taking away your congregation? Is he cannibalizing your demographic here? What’s this Jesus Christ? Are you guys complete competing for lost souls on this baptism thing? And what John the Baptist said, he said, you know, something, I’m not the bridegroom. I’m only here, they introduced the Bride of Christ, Israel, to her bride, groom, Jesus Christ, it’s a bride groom. He says, I must decrease so that he might increase. That’s Christos Moss, more of Christ, and less of me. So Father, we thank You for this Christmas season. Thank you, Father, that You sent Your Son Jesus Christ. So that would be more of the unless of me, that he might increase the we might decrease, because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world, including our own selves that we inherited from Adam. Thank you, Father, for this band of brothers. Thank you, Father, for having called us from the darkness of this world into the glorious light of your gospel of truth. Thank you, Father, for the words of the angels that said, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. Thank you, Father, that we can have peace, the reconciliation between God and men, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His birth we celebrate this Christmas season, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Thank you guys.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Joy to the World the Lord is Come

Christmas looks back at God’s promise of our Saviour, our Redeemer Jesus Christ. It also looks forward to when he shall come again as king of kings and Lord of Lords.

Joy to the World was written by Isaac Watts when he was inspired to rejoice about the ultimate victory…. when we shall see him as he is… for eye hath not seen nor ear heard the things that God has prepared for them that love him.

Joy and rejoicing in the Lord is not the result of a fleeting momentary feeling… instead, joy is a command… Rejoice evermore… pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks. For this is the will of the Lord concerning you. The commandment of Jesus Christ is that my joy may be in you. Jesus said, ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full.

Joy is The theme of the book of Philippians. Warren Wiersby says that In each of the four chapters, there is a thief that will steal your joy. Whereas happiness depends on circumstances, joy is not happy happenstances, rather, as Suzan said, Joy is not the absence of pain, but the presence of the Lord. Regardless of the tribulations of this world, our joy is in the Lord. He is our comfort and strength, he is our sufficiency in all things… he is our all in all, working all things together for good to those who love him.

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were preaching in the city of Philippi and Lydia, a prominent business woman, a seller of purple invited them to stay in her house. While Paul and Silas were teaching, a young slave girl followed them around. This slave girl was possessed with a devil spirt and her masters used her to make money by fortune telling. Paul and Silas cast out the devil spirit. When her masters found out, they realized that they had lost their source of income so they instigated an uprising against Paul and Silas in the town square. In the midst of the riot, the authorities took Paul and Silas, threw them into prison and charged them for inciting the riot. In jail, Paul and Silas were singing praises to God when the doors of the prison were miraculously opened.

Paul said, despite tribulation and persecution, my joy is in the Lord. Joy is a deliberate, purposeful, and intentional choice. Paul’s mission and commission was to live his life “as it becometh the gospel of Christ… for we preach not ourselves but Jesus Christ and him crucified to deliver us from sin and the consequences of sin.

If you are not joyful, then you have allowed one of the four joy-thieves to steal your joy. The joy thief in the first chapter of Philippians is people…. Who is it that has hurt and wounded you and you have built up anger and resentment against them. This root of bitterness will steal your joy. Who have you hurt whom you did not ask for forgiveness? The blessing is focusing on ourselves instead seeking to forgive and bless others… People will disappoint you. If you look at others you’ll be distressed. If you look into the mirror, you’ll be depressed, but if you look to the Lord you will be blessed. Every relationship in this life will end in sorrow except one. However God has said, whatever comes to pass, I will never leave you nor forsake you.

In Chapter 2, the joy thief is strife and division in the church. We experience the Joy of the Lord when we are joined together in the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. When we forsake our selfish pride and look unto the Lord, old things have passed away and behold all things have become new. Philippians 2:2 says, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

God is the God of new beginnings. Contrary to popular opinion, the trials of life are a blessing…. James 1:2-4 says, My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. According to Romans 5, for tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the Holy Spirit is given to you. Through the he trials of his refining fire, God will reveal his true character in us. He will teach us the meaning of hope and love. He will prove his nature in us in the fire, by the fire and through the fire.

In Chapter 3, the joy thief is things. What is it that you hold dear… what do you value in this life. Paul said, whatsoever things I have counted gain for me, I count them but rubbish that I may gain Christ. Therefore treasure treasures in heaven and not treasures upon earth. Everything that is seen is here today and gone tomorrow… This too shall pass. Everything in this world will come to naught. The things of this world will soon be past, only that which is done in Christ shall last.

In Chapter four, the joy thief is worry. Therefore rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say rejoice. Let your kindness and yieldingness in insignificant things be made known unto all men, the Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Rejoicing in the Lord is a command. It is a choice to rejoice, not in the things of this world, but in the Lord….. he is the same yesterday, today and forever. His joy transcends the fleeting broken relationships, trials, and things of this world.

Joy thieves relentlessly pursue us without mercy. In our own power we have no defense against the adversary, the thief who comes to steal, kill and to destroy. However, When we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ we will fulfill his purpose that we might have life more abundantly. When we walk in the light as he is in the light the blood of Jesus Chrsit will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Despite the troubles of this world, what shall separate us from the love of Christ…. shall tribulation, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Therefore, Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King….

That we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Joy to the World

Pastor Pete requests prayer for traveling mercies this Christmas season as he travels to New York next week and then to Scotland the following three weeks. This is the first time in three years that he’s been able to visit his sons and their families.

Joy is a major theme of this time of year when we celebrate the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. The angels who announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds on a Judean hillside proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Christmas carols focus on the Joy of the Lord. Isaac Watts took the lyrics from Psalm 98, and even though there is nothing in this song about the birth of Jesus, Joy to the World the Lord is Come focuses on God’s work of redemption and salvation that began on that special night… O Holy Night when Christ was born… The birth of Jesus Christ ushered in a new era for all mankind… an era of joy and peace. Joy to the world, the saviour reigns… he comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found…

As Pete’s wife Suzan often said, Joy is not the absence of pain, rather, Joy is the presence of the Lord. Even though children anticipate Christmas presents, the greatest present of all is God’s greatest gift. It is a different type of present… The greatest Christmas present the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ… For God so loved that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Unspeakable joy is in the joy of the Lord… Not because of what he gave us but because of who he is. He is the source of our joy and rejoicing. Paul wrote Philippians, the epistle of Joy, by God’s divine inspiration. Philippians 1:12 and following says: “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13. So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; 14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”

Paul’s rejoicing was in the progress of the gospel taking root in the hearts and lives of those born again of God’s spirt. Joy does not depend on circumstances and the situations of life… Jesus said to his disciples in John 15, If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love…. these things have I spoken to you that your joy may be full. The joy is in keeping his commandments and thereby abiding in the Love of Christ. In abiding in Christ, this is the joy of the Lord in us and through us as we walk together in the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

Despite the wounds inflicted by the world around us, our rejoicing is in the Lord and not in the world’s so-called comfort. Our deep seated joy in the Lord is not affected by trials, tribulation, pain, suffering, illness, and broken relationships that the world inflicts.

In the book of Philippians there is a thief in every chapter that will steal your joy. These include: Circumstances, People, Things, and Worry… Fear and anxious thoughts separate our hearts from God’s heart. The world tempts us to escape the troubles of this world through temporarily satisfying the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Some turn to drugs, money, power, or the forbidden poison fruit of ilicit relationships.

Paul said to Timothy, When we hear foolish speculation, don’t let it steal your joy. When one man was asked how he was doing he said, “under the circumstances I’m OK.” The question is “why are you underneath your circumstances?”

How do we defeat joy-stealing thieves? The answer is in Philippians 4:5-8…. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. Let your moderation (Your charity and yieldingness in insignificant points) be made known unto all men, the Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God that passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

There is no peace without the Prince of Peace. For Jesus said in John 14:27, My peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Joy is not in circumstance… Our joy is in the Lord… Therefore, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross and is set down upon the right hand of the throne of God.

Our Joy is in the object of our joy… Our joy is in the Lord. He is the reason for the season… Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

That we may ever live tot he praise of the glory of His grace,
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Accepting His Gift

In Matthew 5:20 Jesus said, For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus said, I haven’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Jesus called his true followers to a higher standard… Jesus Christ himself is the standard for he is the word of God made manifest. Jesus said, the self righteousness of the Pharisees is not the kind of righteousness required to approach a holy God. To approach God’s throne of grace, reqauires repentance…. to turn from ourselves and unto the Lord.

In the following verses Jesus said six times, you have heard it said…. but I say unto you. The Pharisees taught that in their own performance and in their own actions they were justified and righteous… They thought that the tassels on their robes indicated that they were more spiritual than others.

Sin is missing the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Without the sin nature that we inherited from Adam’s original sin, there would be no need for reconciliation, redemption, and salvation…. there would be no need for Jesus Christ who became perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf. What shall wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. O blessed is the flow that makes me white as snow… No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus!

The message of salvation is not politically correct. The “PC Police” will accuse Christians of “intolerance.” However, God’s way of salvation though his son Jesus Christ is the exclusive way. He is the narrow gate and the narrow way that leads to repentance unto salvation. If there were any other way to justify and make righteous those born in sin, why would God have offered up his beloved only begotten son? Jesus Christ’s innocent blood is the just payment to balance God’s scale of justice in exchange for our guilty blood. For in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.

When Jesus called disciples to follow him, he gave them unilateral terms that most people were not willing to follow. He said, unless you forsake mother and father and sister and brother, you cannot follow me. Following Jesus is like getting married…. it means to forsake all others to live with the one with whom and to whom you have committed your life.

Christianity persistently and constantly shows us that a life of vigorous self denial is the path to surrender our own wills to his will… to be submitted to our Lord Jesus Christ. Christianity is a willing compliance and complete acquiescence to him who gave his life so that we can live in the newness of life.

To know thy enemy is to know thyself. I have found the enemy and he is me. In my flesh dwelleth no good thing. I’m not a sinner because I sin, but I sin because I’m a sinner… it is the nature I inherited from Adam’s fall. I cannot help but sin because in my flesh there is none good, no not one. In my flesh there is pride and self centeredness. The devil tempts me to sin and then accuses me when I do. He tricks me into this viscous circle of degradatation, depraviton, disgust and self destruction. This viscous cycle separates my heart from God’s heart… so that I cannot do the things I woulda, shoulda and coulda done. It’s these “subjunctive moods” of life that separates my heart from God’s heart. The greatest sins are sins of omission…. things I should have and could have done but didn’t. The first and great sin is counter to the first and great commandment…  The greatest sin is  not loving God above all. My sin hardens my heart by loving myself more than I love God.  Sin is disobedient, ungrateful, brutal, conceited and self serving self gratification…. sin focuses on myself and makes me become a victim of my own selfish lustful heart.

What shall wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Only Jesus Christ has the power to overcome sin. The solution to sin is to love God above all… for love covers a multitude of sins. Who loved whom? He loved us first… not because of who we are but because of who He is. Unconditional love is the nature of God himself. In that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly… We could not love God unless he first loved us.

It’s not the wrath of God but the goodness of God that calls a man to repentance. Jesus Christ did not come to judge the world guilty of sin. He came not to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.

In order to approach a holy God, we must approach his throne of grace on his terms not ours. Salvation is a gift, but acceptance of his gift is according to his terms… How do we accept his gift? Accepting His gift is according to his terms of salvation in Romans 10:9….confessing that Jesus is Lord and believing in our hearts that God has raised him from the dead.

Sin separates our hearts from God’s heart. Repentance returns our heart back to God… As David prayed, search my heart O God and see if there is any evil thing in me.

For there is no peace without the Prince of Peace. Peace reconciles our heart with God’s heart, making of Twain, one new Nam… for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

When we approach his thone of Grace by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, then we can rejoice with the angels who proclaimed the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will to men!

That we may praise God together in thanksgiving for his gracious gift of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Pete McKenzie 0:00
Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not get into heaven. Merry Christmas How do you tie those two together? Merry Christmas and unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Yeah, well, I need somebody who would want to answer I want an answer to that question, I got the answer. Wayne, I’ll be holding a seminar over here afterwards. But you know, there would be no Christmas without sin. There would be no need for Christmas without sin. The Scripture teaches that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The Pharisees had taken the law of God and when you’re going to share your, the gospel. You share the Gospels starting with the holiness of God. You start with the law. You start with understanding what sin is and when you’ve sinned, and I remember my son asking me after being a year in Scotland when his first year over there as a missionary. He said that how do you share the gospel with people who have no concept of sin. And I believe that God’s put it in every man’s heart, I said, just share the Gospel, the word itself will convict him of sin, to share the word. Don’t worry about whether they say they believe in it or not. Or that’s their doctrine, a nod to their belief or not just share the Gospel, God’s word will have its way with them. And that’s the way that works. God gave us the 10 commandments, let me review them with you shall have no other gods before you. You shall make no idols. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Keep the Sabbath day holy. Honor your father and mother. You shall not murder or commit adultery or steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, You shall not covet it. By the time you get to the end of that you go well, I’m toast. Can’t do that. Even when I do keep it I feel so good about myself. I’m sinning. And so what’s the guy do? And we can never really understand His salvation. Unless we understand the law and sin and breaking the law. And we got a problem with that, can I get an amen with the congregation? Before you get out of here, you’ll probably think something or say something or do something. Maybe you’ll make it to your car before you get in trouble. But we have this sin nature. Now when we come to know Jesus Christ, God’s taking care of the sin nature. God deals with that. But that doesn’t mean I never sin again. And so Paul, in Romans seven, you’ll recall, Paul goes, you know, I got a problem with things I know I should do. I just don’t do not consistently not like I should. And the things I shouldn’t do, I really love doing and I do them all the time. And then he got to this place where wretched man that I am who saved me from the truth of this, who will save me from this life of sin. And so, God had a plan and God started to work his plan when Jesus came, but he came to take care of a problem that we had and that the problem was sin. So we enjoy Christmas when the lights in the trees and the decorations and all that goes along with Christmas. But there would be no Christmas if there wasn’t a sin nature. If God didn’t have to come and deal with that, and so we see, we sing Christmas carols and songs. Hark the herald angels sing glory to the newborn king, peace on earth in mercy mile. God and sinner reconciled. It says it right there done it. The whole point of Jesus coming was to reconcile men to God and men were not reconciled to God because we’re sinners. It’s a gospel. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is dead.

You know, no one taught more about hell than Jesus. Sin is a real problem because if they were people die and their sins haven’t been forgiven in Christ, they go to hell. He didn’t stutter. He didn’t. But shy away from that he didn’t say, well, people don’t want to hear about hell. So I’ll leave that alone. He just hit it right out. Hale was such a terrible place in his sin is such a desperate terrible thing that John 316 summed it up. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. And we call that when the Incarnation God becoming man. It Christmas time as we call it. In the wages of sin being death, that’s eternal separation from God for eternity. In hell. It’s a big deal. You know, it’s such a big deal. I did some research on it a few years ago, and shared it with you guys. And it’s something that I need to review all the time. And I think if I do, and maybe you do.

It’s about five pages, and I’ll spare you all five. But I’m going to read a few. Two, in what it is, it’s just explaining sin and giving you a definition of sin and the destructiveness of sin, the wide scope of sin. The disposition of sin is not immorality and wrongdoing. But the disposition of Self Realization. It’s that guy that says, I am own god, I’ll do my own thing. Know yourself and know your enemy, for they’re the same. The Bible teaches at all have sinned, which means that I’m a sinner by nature. I have the disposition of sin since my birth, and it’s my natural DNA. Because of this, I know there’s no goodness or righteousness in me. I’m a slave to sin, and cannot find freedom in my own self effort. I cannot fix or save myself, and I’m spiritually helpless and hopeless. My sin does not make me a sinner. A sin because I am a sinner. My sin is not something I do. It’s something I am. The root of my sin is pride and selfishness. I cannot defeat my sin by focusing on it. At a feat by focusing on Jesus Christ, Jesus deals with sin and redemption. But meanwhile, my sin nature is independent from God and is outright rebellion against Him. As a bonafide genuine sinner. I love the darkness because my deeds are evil. The result of my sin is death in hostility to a loving God who offers me life. I’m capable of committing the most awful heinous sins and atrocities. My sinful heart in mind does not desire to submit to God. It’s all about me. As a sinner, no matter how hard I try, I cannot earn my salvation or get God to love me, or accept and approve of me. It’s because he already does. Without the Spirit of Christ in me, I’m controlled by and kept in bondage by the devil in his demons, to desire to do His will. And Second Timothy, two at the end of the chapter, Paul was coaching Timothy up. He said, Timothy, you’re going to have people in church and they’re going to give you a hard time. They will resist you, they will resist your leadership there was this the word that you teach, but you need to refuse foolish, ignorant speculation knowing it only leads to quarrels. For the Lord’s bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind of all, unable to teach in patient when wronged, gently correcting those in opposition, if perhaps, which means it may not happen, but if it is going to happen, if perhaps God may grant them repentance, leading to the knowledge of the truth, that they might come to their senses in escape to snare the devil who holds them captive to do His will. That’s what we find in our sin nature. We have a devil who comes along and fans that flame he tempts us and sometimes we feel pretty good because we have you ever heard a guy say, Well, you know, I was tempted but I feel pretty good because I didn’t fall. Well, that’s good to a point. But why do you want to do it in the first place? Because you have a sin nature. Why are you so easily tempted? Because our nature has been in that direction. Aren’t you glad we’re not hopeless? Aren’t you glad there? We’re not sitting here? Oh, there’s no answer. The thing the problem you’ve got is they tell Susan, this cancer will take your life. We’ll extend your life as long as we can make you as comfortable as we can. But this cancer will take your life, it’s terminal. And are we glad that sin is not terminal for us? Aren’t we glad? And even when the doctors would tell us that we knew that we had a supernatural God and if God wants us to be terminal, then we’re going to thank him for it. Lord gives a Lord takes away bless it be the name of the Lord. But at the same time, I got the supernatural God. He cuz he’s a healer. And some of the Christmas carols talk about with healing in His hands. Without the Spirit of Christ in me, I’m controlled and kept in bondage by the devil in his demons, to desire to do His will. The devil tempts me to sin then accuses and shames me when I do.

I ruthlessly defend myself is self control oriented right to myself. Apart from the grace of God, I’m in spiritual darkness, and my best efforts will not get me out. If you really want to have a Merry Christmas, just think about how sinful you are and how great forgiveness is. How great grace is unmerited favor given toward those who don’t deserve it by one who didn’t have to give it. He will have a Merry Christmas when you start praising God for your salvation, when you have to, don’t have to but you have the joy of finding yourself in the company of those who know Christ. Those who have been forgiven. Those who are walking with God, not perfect will never be perfect and sinless. Do we get to heaven, in Christ, were sinless. When he sees you and you are in Christ, and you’ve been forgiven, and His blood is cleansed you from all sin. And you put your faith in that. He doesn’t look at you and see a weak Center. He looks at you and sees the righteousness of Christ covering you. The blood of Christ, it’s cleansed you. And when you stand before Him in heaven. He’ll see the righteousness of Christ. And that’s why we get to the gate. There’s a small gate in a narrow way. And when you show up in the white robes of righteousness of Christ, not in your own goodness, not in your own things that you’ve done and accomplished. It’s all his glory. We don’t do anything that he doesn’t do in us into us. We don’t go anywhere that he’s already there when we get there. We can’t run away from him Psalm 139. He’s everywhere all the time. The amazing thing about God is grace is limitless. He don’t run out of grace for us when we’re repented and broken and contrite and we confess our sin, He said, I’ll be faithful. I’ll be righteous. I’ll forgive your sin. Let’s have a Merry Christmas. Because that’s where forgiveness is. That’s where redemption is. That’s where deliverances that’s where peace is found. The Prince of peace they call him he was born on Christmas Day. He came to bring praise and reconcile men to God and to each other. He makes friends out of enemies. He does the changing in our hearts If any man’s in Christ he’s a new creature old things are passed away new things have come. In my deceptive and sin nature, I can be spirit in spiritual darkness thinking I’m in the light. My sin hurts others and sometimes I care. My sin separates me from God and others because it’s all about me. My sin breaks hearts steals betrays loss covets, hates in lies. My son deceives and cons and mask and cheats and manipulates and disrespects others. Some of the most dangerous sin is sin that we don’t even realize that sin is that acceptable sin. It’s that minor sin it’s not major. It’s a little foxes that spoil the vineyard. It’s a little disobedience. Those things that we don’t even see that need to be confessed. In the heart is deceitful above Of all things and desperately wicked, who can understand it? My sin causes me to hide and wear a mask, which robs me of my dignity and self worth and value. My sin robs me of spiritual authority and makes me timid and fearful rather than bold. My sin blinds my eyes so that I cannot see my sin and know or do the truth. The truth my sin rationalizes my crimes justifies my actions and minimizes my guilt. My sin hardens My heart is unloving and unforgiving and boastful, proud, arrogant, rude, rash, abusive, disobedient, ungrateful, unholy, slanderous, without self control, brutal and treacherous, mean violent, conceited, unavailable for anything but self gratification. Sometimes when we think about sin, we don’t think about the depth of sin, the destructiveness of sin in our lives, the death and the doom and the gloom and the heartache in the broken hearts, that sin leaves in the consequences of sin. Sin is so complicated. It just complicates our life. It complicates relationships in marriages. It complicates relationships, fathers and son and family relationships.

It breaks up homes, like breaks hearts. It’s come it’s every kind of sin you can imagine. My sin can focus on another Christian sin against me, to the point that I now see them as a sinner and not as a child of God and God give myself permission to hate and reject them. My sin must protect my outward image and reputation and threatened and silence those who assault it. The guilt of my sin causes me to flee when no one chases me. That’s one of the consequences of sin. You always feel guilty, you feel ashamed and you feel like people are after you when they’re not. And you run when no one’s chasing you. It’s called guilt and shame. You’re afraid to be found out. But God has given us this avenue. This child that was born in Bethlehem. He predicted it. He said it would happen. He named the town. It happened. He grew up in favor with God and men when he was 12 years old. He was lecturing the Pharisees in the temple in the synagogue. He grew up to be about a man of 30 years old. And he started his public ministry. He didn’t make any bones about it. He didn’t beat around the bush. John the Baptist came and started it. You need to repent because there’s one coming that I’m not qualified or worthy, tada, shoes of sandals. Repent in change. The Pharisees came out to hear this guy in the desert, John de Baptists, and he looked at the inside who to told You brood of serpents, you vipers. To flee from the wrath to come, you go and do the deeds that keep the repentance and then come back to be baptized. He made it crystal clear. My pride faux sin makes me defensive needing to explain myself to make excuses to become a victim rather than honestly taking responsibility for my mistakes and wrongdoings. maffulli Sin is quick to claim my rights in any demon will make sure I get them. My sin causes me to expect much more from others. But little for myself is exceedingly sinful, the exceeding sinfulness of sin that’s what Christmas is all about. It’s about God sending His only Son to take care of our sin problem to reconcile us to himself, have you been reconciled to God? The understand what it means to be a new creature in Christ? Have you experienced the forgiveness that comes when you believe in Jesus that you need to be born again and in the only way you can be born again is putting your faith in Jesus Christ and His death on the cross? The blood he shed his we put our faith in that in that alone and nothing else not my good works not myself effort. Not my accolades, not what I’ve accomplished, not what I’ve got hanging on the wall, my trophies and plaques. It means nothing when it comes to salvation. When it comes to salvation, the only thing that matters is Christ. But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. It’s the gospel guys, it always will be always has been. It’s all it matters. So the only reason we’re here now, we’re here for the sake of the gospel. We’re not here to build companies, although we build them, we build them for the glory of God. We’re not here to make a lot of money or make a name for ourselves. Not if we’re in Christ. We’re here to take everything we have everything God’s given us, within ourselves and about ourselves, and use those for the purpose of the gospel. Helping other men be reconciled to God as we have been. It’s a great commission. And it started in the heart, God’s heart in heaven, and it worked out on Earth where Jesus Christ left heaven. I wonder if they’ll show us what it was like when he left heaven to become a man to be born a baby in a manger?

What a God. He could have been born in the best hospital in Jerusalem. He was born at a stable it was nothing to brag about. No parents had anybody ever heard off a young girl and the Joseph who we don’t know much about. A carpenter son from Nazareth. And he’s a king of kings in the Lord of lords. Can anything good come out of Mad inaccuracy? dadgum. Right. Some pretty good came out of Nazareth. So when we celebrate Christmas this year, Lis celebrated God who came to reconcile us to Himself is don’t forget the gospel. This don’t forget that it was my sin and your sin that put him on the cross. He came to take care of that. He came to let his blood wash it clean. He came to suffer. And he was born to die. If any man’s in Christ is a new creature and if we can identify with Paul I am crucified with Christ. It’s no longer I who live Christ lives in me. Can I get a hallelujah from the congregation? Christ lives in me imagine that. That the Holy Spirit of God has come to live in my heart and disciple me to make me like himself. So when someone slaps me on the cheek, I can turn the other I have the power to do that I don’t have a power of timidity, but power and love and discipline. So when someone strikes me on the cheek, I got the strength and the power to be able to not feel the room for uppercuts. But turn the other cheek. When someone forces me to go one mile, I can volunteer to go to and do it with a good attitude and a good heart. And the good attitude and good heart comes from the gospel. Caring about that guy that’s forcing you to go that one mile. And it’s very evangelistic to go the second mile with a good attitude. Bless those who persecute you crawl through your own blood to kiss her feet. Pray for your enemies. That’s what Jesus Christ came to do to make us like himself. And when he was reviled, He reviled not when he suffered, he uttered no threats. He feel the room for the lover cuts. He just loved people. He loves sinners, he loved people that were the worst despicable. The worst that you can think of every child molester, every sex trafficker. Every Finn now, dealer, drug dealer. He died for us all. And He changes us all. And we are story after story throughout our lifetime, and we have our own story of what he’s done in our life, how He’s changed us how he’s used the worst thing that’s happened to us in our life and he’s turning them to good for he works all things together for good for those who love Him. that never leaves us in a pile. We see no way out, we see no reason. And I sit with a mother who lost her son this week. devastated. And she was saying, Why, why, why? And God takes those wise and he turns them into blessings. God works behind the scenes. And he uses everything in our life, for good for those who love Him, and are called according to his purpose. He goes before us, and he closes us behind. He’s always for us, I don’t have to work harder to get him to love me. I don’t have to give more, serve more, do more good things. He already loves me. In the more good things I do, he can’t love me any more than he loved me when I wasn’t doing anything. He just loves me period. He didn’t love me because I do things. He just loves me. And it makes me want to do things makes me want to be like my dad. And now he’s my dad. And I want to be like him. That’s what he does in a man’s heart. When it comes to know, Jesus, that man wants to become like his dad.

And we got a great dad. We got a great God in heaven. And he’s worthy of everything that we can give him. He’s worthy of our very lives. And that’s what he’s called us to do to be crucified with Him. So we can identify with dying to self, we can identify with giving up giving up our own goals, our own ways, our own plans. And then coming alive to his plan in his ways. And he told us in Isaiah 55. Look, guys, My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts. You cannot think like I think and you don’t understand my ways. But I’m going to show you my way, and I’ll lead you in my way. My thoughts are higher than your thoughts. I have goals that you don’t have, that I’m going to give you in a and b a year ago. And that’s to be my light at the world in the salt of the earth. Make people hungry for me, by the way you live and treat them. Do you just love those who love you? What good is that? Even tax scalars do that. And so he’s called us to a higher lifestyle. He lived it. He taught it. He never sinned. And he said, I’m going to give you that same spirit. And when you say and I’ll be faithful and righteous to forgive your sin, you confess it, you bring it before me. And now forgive it and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. So let’s go we got a job to do. Let’s go today. Let’s make it happen. So as Christmas comes, this remember the gospel. Let’s remember a God who sent His only son who was born a baby in a manger, who came to reconcile the world who his father who came to take care of our sin nature, and our sin problem. Richard man that I am he’ll save me from the body of this death. Praise be to God for the Lord Jesus Christ. So let’s get out there and give them heaven this Christmas. Let’s reconcile people to each other, let’s re be reconciled to God. Let’s be God’s emissaries that show the world what it’s like to have peace, true peace, the Prince of Peace. Let’s ask God to reconcile our homes and our families, our children. They sit around a Christmas dinner and give glory to God. And thank him for our salvation in Christ. Let’s check out all our family members and make sure they’re in the family. Make sure they know Christ. I remember James Dobson telling his son, make sure you’re there. Be there as well. I’m going to tell my son’s again. Make sure you’re there. Be there and that’s what I tell everybody at every Memorial Service I’ve had the privilege of doing. If they were if you if your loved one is gone ahead of you make sure you’re there to join them. They would say trust Christ and they would rebuke me if I didn’t share the gospel with you. So on their behalf and on behalf of Christ in your behalf, except Christ, His Lordship. So let’s get out there and give them Heaven is be God’s men. You’re his Emissary. You’re his ambassador. You’re the light of the world, the salt of the earth. Get out there and get the job done. Go get it done. Be God’s man. Be a man of repentance and brokenness before God so he can lift you up. So he can use you and bless you and make you a blessing. Amen. Father, that’s why we pray now as we close. We just asked you to help us be those guys. Thank you for Christmas. Thank you for the God who came to reconcile man to God centers to God, that would be us. Thanks for reconciling us. Thanks for forgiving our sins. Thanks for giving us some ministries, things to do to serve you and get the word out to other people all over the world. Thanks for Jack and Jasper and Glen and Zimbabwe as a watch in and all those others that are watching in today.

prepare our hearts to have the best Christmas we’ve ever had. Let us see people come to Christ. Let us share the gospel in the love of Christ with our loved ones and our friends. And we’ll give you all the glory for you alone are worthy and airy all God’s men said Amen. Now give them heaven guys.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai