Jesus Is God Among Us

If you would, open your Bibles to the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 1.

We'll start in verse 18. Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 1, verse 18.

Now the birth of... Sorry, I'll let you guys get there. I still hear pages going.

My wife always tells me I go too fast. Hear now the word of the living and the true

God. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother

Mary had been betrothed to Joseph before they came together, she was found to be with child from the

Holy Spirit. And her husband, Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take

Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name

Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the

Lord had spoken by the prophet, behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name

Emmanuel, which means God with us. When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the

Lord commanded him. He took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son, and he called his name

Jesus. As far as the reading of God's holy and inspired word, let's pray together as God's people.

Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for this gift. Thank you for your son. Lord Jesus, we thank you that you condescended, that you laid aside so many prerogatives, that you humbled yourself and became obedient even to death for unworthy, unrighteous people such as us.

We give you praise for your advent, for coming to be among us.

You, God, the creator of everything, coming to this speck, not even a speck in the universe, because you love your people.

We give you praise and we pray you bless today the hearing of your word. In Jesus' name, amen. So here we are,

Matthew, Gospel according to Matthew, the most Jewish of all the Gospels in terms of its clear understanding and constantly alluding to and quoting from the

Old Testament revelation of God. Here's the key thing. God has spoken. This message of Jesus the

Messiah is not a novelty in the first century. It wasn't something that was new and surprising, and we didn't expect this sort of thing.

As a matter of fact, it was anticipated because God had spoken. He had spoken and condescended in history before and spoken to his people.

He created a people for himself, and he spoke to them, and he showed his power and his glory, his majesty, his supremacy over all the false gods that humans create in that he always displayed his power.

He would display his providence and his control over all things, and God sets himself apart from all the false gods in history, gods which do not see, cannot speak, cannot hear.

These are lifeless idols, stone idols. He sets himself apart from them by saying he declares the end from the beginning.

He's the sovereign. He does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and nothing, no one can stay his hand and say, what have you done?

No one can thwart this God. The amazing thing here is that God has condescended and given revelation.

He's spoken. He's worked with his people, blessed his people, performed miracles with his people, and here's the key issue.

They were still longing for and waiting for Messiah.

The Old Testament revelation, the entire thing, all of those books, all those authors, all those different geographical locations, all that time that went by, the whole revelation is centered upon Jesus, this

Messiah who's coming, this prince of peace, this servant of God who will take upon himself the sins of his people, this unique Messiah that is so different than all the prophets and even the heroes of the

Old Testament. This one who is coming would do something glorious. He would, as the song says, make his blessings flow as far as the curse is found.

And really that's the whole story. The Bible opens with that story about God, this glorious, incomprehensible, powerful

God that creates this unbelievable creation that we can't even begin to fathom.

It is so ginormous. There's not even a word to describe how big this universe is and how just crazy complex it is.

This God creates unique creatures. He's just an artist, and he is so powerful.

He speaks it into existence. He speaks into nothingness, and then there is somethingness.

There are amazing things that we don't have time to delve into today, but the glory of this story is that that God creates image bearers.

He creates unique creations, you and I, that are so distinct and different from everything else in creation, things about us that are unique that even make the angels say, wow, we're in God's image, and yet in our first parents we rebelled in a garden against God.

He made a commandment, and in Adam all of us fell. There was disobedience, and then there was curse.

And the Bible opens up in Genesis 3 with the first report the Messiah is coming to save.

He's going to destroy the work of the enemy. The first promise of Jesus is in those first chapters of Genesis.

As soon as the curse enters in, as soon as there is sin, there is destruction,

God promises first to save. This one who is coming is going to be the woman's seed, and he will crush the head of the serpent, deliver the mortal wound, and yet in the process he'll be bruised, he'll be wounded on his heel.

The promise is there from the very start. Curse enters, and yet that will ultimately be destroyed by the work of Messiah.

They were anticipating it. They knew it was coming. They were committed to it, and they were waiting and longing for it, and waiting and waiting, and there were times of sin against God and betrayal, and there was exile and destruction of their temple.

There was all of this time and anticipation, and they're waiting for Messiah.

They know that first book of the Bible, Genesis, tells us, Genesis 49 -10, that there is one who is coming, and to him shall be the obedience of the nations.

They knew the promise to Father Abraham, the central figure of their faith. It all comes from Father Abraham and that covenant

God made with Abraham to do what? To give Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars, like the sand on the seashore.

They knew it's coming. It's coming. They didn't know exactly when at the start, but they knew it was coming, and the entire

Old Testament is chock full of prophecy, like the one quoted here in Matthew 1 -23 by Matthew from Isaiah.

It's chock full of prophecy that tells us the when, the where, the why, the what, the how.

The when, in terms of Daniel 9, Messiah would come into the world. He'd make atonement.

He'd make an end of sin. He'd bring an everlasting righteousness, and yet he'd be cut off.

He'd die a violent death before the destruction of the second temple. All of this had to happen at a particular plot in the timeline of human history, and that second temple was destroyed fully and finally in 70

A .D., so as I often say, if Jesus isn't Mashiach, there is no Mashiach.

There is no Messiah. God tells us the when, down to the detail. There's even a countdown clock, by the way, which is why

I believe that there was so much fervor in the first century for Messiah.

So much fervor. Why? Because they knew that this was the time. They're looking for Messiah because they can count.

They knew this had to take place soon. Where's the Messiah? Who is the Messiah? Is this guy the Messiah? There was this fervor in the first century because here it is.

Revelation. God had spoken. It wasn't a novelty. He told them the story long before it happened, showing that he actually is the master storyteller.

He's the controlling author of history. He wrote it. He declared it, and he's bringing it to pass.

And in the Gospels, you see these writers have an eye on that. This story is something that God told.

I'm only now on the receiving end of viewing everything that was prophesied before it actually took place.

Details like the when of the Messiah. Details like the where of the Messiah. Micah 5, 2.

This Messiah was coming. Something unique about this Messiah, though. His goings forth are from old, yea, even from eternity.

Something very unique about this figure, this Messiah. His goings forth are from old, yea, even from eternity.

And yet also we learn the where. He's going to be coming from Bethlehem.

Bethlehem. And I often point this out. I think it actually is significant. We have to consider this. Mary and Joseph aren't in Bethlehem.

They're not in Bethlehem. And yet, in God's providence, he controls even pagan nations and unjust taxation to the degree,

I think he wants to end it, by the way, but he still controls it, to the degree that Mary and Joseph have to return to Bethlehem, which is the birthplace of Messiah.

Every detail about the Messiah's life is written ahead of time. You can take someone into all the details of Messiah's life through just the

Old Testament itself. Give every detail about his life necessary to know him as Lord and Savior before you even get to the

New Testament revelation. We can point all those things out. The why of the

Messiah. Why? And the answer is that curse. The answer is, in that revelation of God, the beginning story is that problem.

Your problem. Your problem. Mine. Sin.

Rebellion against this holy and righteous good God. This God who doesn't change, who is a

God of justice and love, whose mercies are new every morning. This powerful God that is, we will be searching him out for all eternity and still not fathom because we're creatures.

This God had told us why. Isaiah 53.

The whole story of Jesus and what's going to happen and the why is all there foretold hundreds and hundreds of years before Jesus even comes.

They're just reading this, and it's peculiar to them because there's so many things in Isaiah that describe a victorious kingdom.

Isaiah 2, the nation streaming up to God's mountain. Isaiah 42, God establishing justice in the earth and the coastlands waiting for his law.

There is this victory, victory, and Isaiah 53, wait! The Messiah being crushed,

God laying on him the iniquity of us all, the Lord being pleased, which doesn't make a lot of human sense.

None of us have this in us. The Lord being pleased to crush his son for rebels, for enemies.

It's a powerful story. God counting him as the guilty and justifying the many as he bears their iniquities.

The why is there. The what is there. What's going to take place exactly? It's in Isaiah 53 too, yes, but the psalm that was read here by Tim in Psalm 22, my

God, my God, why have you forsaken me? That he'd be surrounded by dogs and they'd revile him and they'd cast lots for his clothing, but that story ends with something victorious.

Did you hear the end of that psalm? As Tim read it, the end of that psalm says, all the families of the earth will return to worship

God. You see, that's the victory they were anticipating. A king was coming to save, and yet something amazing.

As Matthew opens, it's the genealogy, which let's be honest, most people go skipping that, but it needs to be there because son of David, the

Messiah had to be from David's lineage and Abraham, son of David. This isn't a novelty.

It's not disconnected. It ought not surprise them when he arrives, but it did surprise them in terms of, oh, it's

Yahweh himself and that's what he was saying the whole time. David's line, that kingly line.

Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus, naming him, calling him his own.

By the way, it's an interesting thing in Christian theology in terms of adoption. You're adopted.

I'm adopted into God's family. Adoption is central to the gospel in so many ways, but I think it's powerful that as God gives us this story,

Jesus was an adopted child by his stepfather or by his adoptive father and Joseph is told by the angel, you name him and in naming him, he takes ownership of Jesus as his father, as his earthly father.

He names him Jesus, but yet he's through this kingly line through both

Mary and Joseph. Joseph, he gets this royal right to the throne via the adoption, him naming

Jesus, calling him his own, but you see in Luke's narrative, you also have Mary's lineage and so Jesus is fulfilling all of this.

God sovereignly wields this story together, but this point here, call him

Immanuel, which means God with us. It was there the whole time. It's there from Genesis.

The woman seed, which is an unusual way to talk about offspring in that culture, but the woman seed will crush the head of the serpent and then there's this mark there in the

Old Testament, Isaiah chapter seven, that he would be God with us, a virgin conceiving

God with us. It's not the only place it talks about God among us.

It's quoted as you look at Matthew chapter four, move over, you'll see that Matthew has an eye on this.

As soon as Jesus leaves the temptation and the trial and he has victory over Satan in the wilderness where Israel failed, they were there for the 40 and they disobeyed.

Jesus, the true and perfect Israelite is in the wilderness for the 40 and he defeats the tempter.

He defeats the adversary. He has victory over him. He's offered by Satan all the kingdoms of the world, which is by the way what he came for and then

Jesus after being ministered to by the angels, he leaves and the first words are what?

Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. God's kingdom has arrived. But it's quoted in Matthew chapter four verse 15.

Start at 14 actually. So that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea beyond the

Jordan, Galilee of the Galilees, the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death on them a light has dawned.

And Jesus came, you can see starting in verse 23, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, the gospel of the kingdom, the kingdom they were anticipating, they were waiting for, they were rejoicing over God finally healing and saving and bringing the nations and establishing righteousness and salvation and justice.

But Isaiah is quoted here. Matthew chapter four, Isaiah is quoted after the trial in the wilderness and to see the significance of it, go to Isaiah chapter nine.

Isaiah chapter nine. You know most of the verses already.

In Isaiah chapter nine, you can see, I'll read the first part of it here and then the part we're all familiar with.

Isaiah nine verse one. But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish in the former time he brought in to contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.

But in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness on them has light shown.

You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy. They rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest as they are glad when they divide the spoil.

For the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian for every boot of the trampling warrior and battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.

And here it is. By the way, did you catch it? That's what Matthew was quoting from was the first part of Isaiah nine about light and darkness and now on to the verse that we're all familiar with.

For to us a child is born, for to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

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. There's your confidence, by the way. Side note.

How is God going to have victory over the world when there seems to be so much evil and so much darkness? The zeal of the

Lord of hosts will do this. God is going to accomplish this. God is going to establish it and uphold it with justice and with righteousness.

But did you note the angel's declaration to Joseph, Son of David, because Jesus is taking that Davidic throne, the

Messianic throne. And did you also note the peculiar nature of this prophecy that, let's be honest, had to confuse some monotheistic

Jews. Only one God. He's the creator. He's distinct. There's no one like Him.

There's none before Him, none after Him. He doesn't even know of any other gods. He's the sovereign.

He controls all things. We're creatures made by God, spoken into existence by God.

And this is weird. A child is born. A son is given.

Makes sense. We're humans. We know how that works. God created male and female. Babies come. Human beings work that way.

But here's what's strange. The names that are being called here are the names of Yahweh, the only

God, the eternal God, the God who's distinct, the

God who's transcendent, the God who is incomprehensible yet apprehendable, understandable in terms of when

He reveals Himself. But here's the names of this son and this child. Mighty God.

One chapter later, Isaiah refers to Yahweh, the only God, as El Gibor, the mighty

God. So that's a name of God, the eternal God. Confusing again for a monotheistic Jew. There is only one

God. He's the creator. I'm the creature. He's distinct. And yet the son and the child is

El Gibor, the mighty God, the father of eternity. Let's be honest.

Back then they were probably like, a lot of this story is kind of confusing. Different facets of the

Messiah's life and His victory. The whole world is His. All the families, everybody obeys and the nations come to God.

He establishes justice and He suffers and dies for the sins of God's people.

They had to be confused about that. Let's just give Him some grace. A lot of this story had to be confusing to them.

Not make a whole lot of sense. They probably, many of them, they did actually lean one direction in terms of, hey, if He wins the world and He's on David's throne and He's a king, it's military might, baby.

He's coming to fight Rome and to take names. That's how He'll do it.

And yet, there's this other aspect of this suffering servant and this gentle, lowly

Messiah who's going to accomplish this through salvation and the forgiveness of sins.

It just must have confused them. And so we see in the New Testament not only the arrival of God with us, but also now the explication, the understanding from God of this is what the story was about.

It's God with us. There's a certain degree of theological instruction and abstract thought and all these different things you can do to explain to somebody this is the story, but it all had to make so much more sense to them when they could touch

His face. It had to make so much more sense to them when they sat and slept with and walked with the

Messiah who was God and man. He had peculiar insight into the thoughts of others around Him.

He knew the future, and yet He also walked among them and ate with them.

Here's what we need to think about God with us, the incarnation. God's coming to save His people from their sins.

That's the central part of the story, and yet it's the God we've offended. He's the Holy One. And we need to take this out of the realm of the out -there thinking and high spiritual thoughts and bring it down to where God came, here into the dirt and in flesh.

Jesus walked among us. I was talking to my kids about this this week and reading the story of Mary and what happened here, and I was talking about one of the things that I've always been fascinated with is just little details that aren't recorded for us in Scripture.

This is real life. It's historical narrative. We're getting the inspired revelation of God, but there's details here we have to think about.

We can't put our feet down completely, but I think it's fun to speculate and say, what was that like?

Why did she say that? When Mary is enduring all of this, and this happens, and she's young, and now she's pregnant, and an angel has to come tell

Joseph. No, no, it's okay. Trust me. It's fine. This is real. This is what was prophesied.

They're in this story, and people are trying to kill her son, and they're fleeing, and they're going to Nazareth, and she's raising

God as a little boy. Talk about pressure. Raising God as a little boy, and the text even says that he submitted to his parents, and he was obedient to them, so that had to throw him off.

With their other kids, they're like, why can't you be more like Jesus? Maybe that's why

James didn't actually accept Jesus right away, because he still had a grudge, right? But I always think about just the flesh on this story, like the incarnation.

Jesus was truly God, and yet truly man. Jesus had pimples probably.

He would have had pimples, endured those. Jesus would have endured stomachaches.

You ever had a really bad stomachache? He knows what that's like. Jesus walked among us, and he lived among people and experienced life as an image bearer of God as a human.

That's something really to contemplate. I think a lot of times we think Jesus was hovering in the sky in the clouds all throughout his life, and that's just not the case.

Jesus was punched. He bled. He had his back ripped open.

He was abused. He was abandoned by his closest friends and followers. People lied about Jesus.

He felt everything you and I have felt and way worse. And I think about Mary and like her raising

God as a man. And this interesting story, you remember the story of the first public, you have to say that, the first public miracle of Jesus.

How do I know it wasn't the first miracle of Jesus? Because of what Mary did. It's the first public miracle of Jesus where they're at a celebration, right?

And there's like a party going on, and there's legit wine. And Mary is the one that comes to Jesus, and she's the one like, hey, you know, there's the whole story of the water turning into the wine.

But I love how when she comes to Jesus and Jesus talks to her, she then says to people, she says, do whatever he tells you to do.

Like what did Mary see when Jesus was being raised as a boy? What experiences did she have when she was raising the

God man? That when she's at a wedding and they're out of wine, she's like, hey, do whatever he tells you, trust me, right?

What was it like? Like I was talking to my kids this week, I was like, what was it like to have God as a man in your home?

Moments probably that were kind of weird, like if you were thinking thoughts that you shouldn't, like look over and there's

Jesus on the couch looking over at you. Weird moments like that. Truly, yes,

I understand. But there's also probably some amazing moments in the life of Jesus where Mary knew who she had so she can say these.

And I know this is all like me just guessing, but I think we need to think about the flesh on this story where Mary knows who he is.

She knows the miraculous events that brought him about. She knows the virgin birth. She raised him from childhood all the way to adulthood.

She knows what happens. Were there healings in Jesus' life? Did like maybe one of his brothers like break their arm and Jesus just, whoop,

I'll put it together? No need for Obamacare or any Medicare. When you have

Jesus healing bones in the family, right? Or if someone got ill or sick, did Jesus touch them?

And what was it like that she got to experience that she knew? She got to experience the flesh of the incarnation in a way that many of us will never understand, never completely understand.

And it was such a tremendous gift. But this is what the story's about. God with us.

God with us to do what? Save us from our sins. We have to take that into account.

There's a part of the story that we celebrate God with us to save, but also a part of the story you have to contemplate to save his people from their sins.

Apparently the angel was Calvinist to save his people from their sins, okay? But that's another story, okay?

We won't bring that into Advent. I still want you guys to be able to eat with your family who are visiting here, okay? But the contemplation of sin, so it makes

Christmas celebrations so glorious when we think about together and we collectively celebrate the incarnation together.

What makes it so glorious is just in that contemplation. It's because of my sin that God took on flesh.

He endured everything, but he goes to that cross after living the life of substitution and representation that I couldn't possibly live and he dies a death.

You deserve to die. You need to stop and think about it. From the Christian perspective, this is death penalty.

This is God affirming the death penalty in many ways. The central part of our story is justice is so necessary and so deserved that we deserve to die.

Not a slap on the hand, not a fine, not a good vigorous talking to.

You deserve to die and be separated from God forever. That's the central story to understand the glory of Christmas, Advent, God with us.

Is that I'm a sinner, I'm a rebel against God. I deserve hell. And that death that God as a man died, he died for his people on that cross to take what they deserve.

And then he conquers our greatest enemy. Death rises again. And he's seated on that promised throne now making his blessings flow as far as the curse is found.

You just have to hear that today. That's the central thing. You're a sinner. You deserve judgment.

God became a man to save sinners. Perfect life, a death in their place and rose again.

And the call of the good news is to turn and believe. Turn from your sin.

Turn from your unrighteousness. Turn from your injustices. Turn from your self -righteousnesses.

Come to God naked with nothing in your hands. Come receive the gift of the

God man and all that he gives to unworthy people. The call of the gospel is believe, trust in Christ.

Turn from your sin. Trust in the one who has the ability to save.

And in turning to Christ who is God with us, you receive a righteousness and perfection that allows you to stand.

It allows you to stand and to live before the God that all of us have offended.

The just God who will be just and must be just. There is only one way to salvation.

It is through God with us. Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life.

No man comes to the Father but by me. This gift is for all who turn from sin to trust in Jesus.

It's the gift of righteousness. It's the gift of eternal life. And something I said here in the bulletin,

I'll end with this. Think about this. When Christians, and by the way, I find it sheer amazement when people say,

Oh, don't celebrate Christmas. It's a pagan holiday. Celebrating God becoming a man to save his people from their sins is pagan?

That's interesting. But when Christians try to put flesh on our celebration of God becoming a man, what do we do?

We put lights on trees. Jesus is the light of the world. We eat food.

We laugh. We feast. We sing songs. Why? Is it just commercial?

It's just something we do? No. Christians have celebrated the incarnation and the advent, God becoming a man, and we have flesh on our theology.

We're letting all these things, the celebrations, the lights, the music, the smells, the feasting, the laughing, all of that is the echoes.

It's the echoes out into the world of what's really inside of us. This truth of God becoming a man.

This celebration of God coming to save. All these things are expressions. They're symbols and signs and telling a story that God is with us.

God became man to save his people from their sins. And that's the most important story you'll ever hear.

You understand? The greatest story ever told. That's true. It'll never change.

And it starts with advent. It starts with that good news. Of God becoming a man to save.

So this is the time for the kids to come forward. I always have the privilege annually to read the narrative of the birth of Christ to our children.

You guys can all sit right here, children. And most of them are in their pajamas, which is awesome.

That's how it should be done. You guys can sit all through here.

Have a seat, guys, all through here. There are a lot of kids in this church.

Go ahead and have a seat, guys. Go ahead and have a seat. You guys can sit on the stairs, too.

You can move up on the stairs. Move up on the stairs. Just go ahead and have a seat anywhere you want.

If you need to make space, you can come a little higher on the stairs if you want. Man, those are some precious kids, goodness.

I have a problem with cute aggression. All right, guys.

You guys excited? Yes? You guys look wonderful. He's like, me? I'm going to read us all.

Oh, man, you are precious. Do you want to sit right here on the stair? You can sit right here.

I'm going to read you a story. There you go. All right,

I'm going to read us all the story of Jesus' birth. In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called

Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region, there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were filled with great fear.

And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I will bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is

Messiah the Lord. And this will be the sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths 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 among those with whom he is pleased.

When the angels went from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the

Lord has made known to us. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger.

And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in their hearts.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them.

Isn't that amazing? Did you guys ever think about this? You're hearing the story about Jesus and His birth, but you're also hearing about Mary and what she did.

Luke, at the beginning of this, when he's telling you the story of Jesus' birth, he says that he interviewed eyewitnesses.

He got their stories to put in this. This is God's revelation.

And it tells you what Mary thought. So the story you're reading here, I believe, is not only

God's Word and it's revealed by God, but also it's the story very intimately given by Mary, probably to Luke, because he's telling you what

Mary did in her heart, stored these things up in her heart. So this is true and real, and this message of Jesus is about salvation, and it's the most important thing any of us could ever consider is trusting in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Amen? Merry Christmas, guys. Let's all pray together, okay? Then you'll go back to your seats.

Let's pray. Father, we thank You for Jesus. We thank You for this salvation You've given us in Jesus.

We thank You, Lord Jesus, for You, the gift, the gift of God with us, and the gift of eternal life that You give through faith in You.

We love You. We praise You. Thank You for walking among us and saving sinners like us.