To You Is Born

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Again, good morning redeeming grace Church So this is going to be recorded for the
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Saints are not able to attend with us today, and I'm so humbled The Lord Praise God, I just think
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I'm thankful today. I'm not the same man. I once was but I'm not who I need to be so pastor called me on Wednesday night said
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Keith I got to work and and I said well, what greater?
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passage to turn to than Luke chapter 2 the adoration of the Lord Jesus Christ his incarnation and it's so beautiful because It's so it to me is mind -blowing because you see heaven
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You see the glory of God and his humiliation kiss and that's mind -blowing
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Heaven and his glory Exaltation and humiliation kissing
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So let us turn this morning to Luke the physician Luke. This is the third of the synoptic
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Gospels and Luke chapter 2 this morning this morning. I'm gonna read in context verses 1 through 21 and but then we're gonna focus in on 8 through 21 and This morning
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Luke is As you know, he's a physician he gives a great detail account of the birth of the
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Lord Jesus Christ It's almost as if seeing in it just came on and he's running up to Mary just asking her, you know
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He's like it's such an eyewitness account and it's so detailed. It's so beautiful We've got so many little details and nuggets throughout this study.
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I started and immediately I just fell on my knees and started praying Lord. I need help. This is not key
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I won't defend the flame of your people love you more and that's all I just want to bring glory to him and read his
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Word and the things that he's shown me in the throughout the study in the last three days I just want to bring it forth and and hopefully
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We can have a greater Joy and appreciation for Christmas this season this day.
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So let us read. I was starting in Luke chapter 2 verse 1 Hear the
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Word of God And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar of Gustus that all the world should be registered
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This census first took place while cranius was governing Syria So all went to be registered
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Everyone to his own city Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth and to Judea to the city of David Which is called
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Bethlehem because he was the house He was of the house and lineage of David to be registered with Mary his betrothed wife who was with child
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So it was that while they were there the days were completed for her to be delivered she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and Laid him in a manger because there was no room for him in the end now therefore
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There were in the same country Shepherds lying out in the fields keeping watch over their flock by night and behold an angel of the
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Lord stood before them and The glory of the Lord shone around them and they were greatly afraid
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Then the angel said to them do not be afraid for behold. I bring you good tidings of great joy
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Which will be to all people? For there is born to you this day in the city of David a
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Savior who is Christ the Lord and This will be a these sign to you.
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You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising
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God and saying Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and goodwill toward men
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So it was when the angels had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass which the
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Lord has made known to us and They came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger
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Now when they had seen him they made widely known the saying which was told Them concerning this child and all those who heard it
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Marveled at those things which were told by by the shepherds, but Mary Kept all these things and pondered them in her heart then the shepherds returned glorifying and praising
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God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told them and When the eight days were completed for the circumcision of the child his name was called
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Jesus The name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb Let us pray
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Lord God, this is your word. I just pray father that your Holy Spirit will illuminate your truth
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Lord God without the unction of your Holy Spirit Lord We will still continue to worship the same and be the same unless you teach us
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Lord speak unto us. Oh God. I ask you help us all Lord Lord God, this is such a beautiful truth.
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I ask this in Jesus name. Amen So this morning as I said,
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I'm gonna give a quickly an interview in a kind of overview of verses 1 through 7, which is the backdrop of this birth, so Here we have if you look at it
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Caesar Augustus He is Emperor. This is the Caesar Augustus is the grand nephew of Julius Caesar I Want to share with you in this?
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he Caesar Augustus was also known as Octavian His character is hard to be analyzed
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Because he did make an ordinance that passed about a torture being a crime, but he himself still violated that So you can see that man you can put so much on the outward appearance
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But if the heart's not changed you can have all the good intentions So can you see this also in his climb to power?
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He was ruthless so We're not want to say that this man.
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I mean he in any way. He was a Christian. He won many battles And but to the backdrop of Herod the great, you know, he was a beast so Octavian is not as Yeah, I mean any better but nevertheless he's
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Emperor that the census has gone out that there should be a taxation taxation was used as a purpose for of course gaining money and Also to show power.
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I am ruler over this world I am king and I'm gonna set a census and I'm gonna show you and you all have to be registered
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So being also shared with me this morning a lot of people it was native to do that They go back to their hometown basically their birthplace
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To be registered. So that meant if you I want to show you I was looking up this and reason why they just didn't do
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It in Jerusalem Ben was sharing with me as well that there would have been a mob. There would have been too much So a lot of people they dispersed them so it wouldn't be too much at one time
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So if you look at this journey, here's Galilee. This is Nazareth. This is the
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Jordan River Dead Sea And the Sea of Galilee, this is Bethlehem here, so this is a 90 mile journey if you take this radius here this this
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Scale here. This is 90 miles they journey 90 miles imagine she's with child 90 miles and it's during the rainy season and can you imagine this?
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Cannot be a comfortable ride rain. And so this is a About a week track for 90 miles
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There's a peak that runs all the way down from From Nazareth.
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It's a mountain peak Bethlehem was actually on a steep slope and I didn't know that I mean it just makes me picture
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David out there and and I could imagine As they they're coming into the town of Bethlehem where they thinking the
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Lord is my chef So as we continue they're going back
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This is a man I also want to share something with you that I Bethlehem Bethlehem the name of the
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Bethlehem signifies the house of bread What a beautiful thing
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I was like and who was being born The bread of life. Amen, and I was like, this is beautiful.
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And so I Want you to turn to Micah 5 to with me this is next to famous Amos Micah the prophet
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I didn't know I Just give you a little quick backdrop as we turn to Micah Micah was called from his rustic home to be a prophet
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He lives he leaves his familiar surroundings He's burning by that.
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He's burdened by the abusive treatment of the poor by the rich and the influential the prophet turns his verbal rebukes upon anyone in their sins within their country
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So basically this is just another mundane man He's from a rustic small little town and God is using this prophet to tell them.
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So let's look at Micah This is the prophecy that I really wanted to and this prophecy talks about the coming
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Messiah So Micah 5 to but you Bethlehem Ephra Though you are little among the thousands of Judah Yet out of you shall come forth to me
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The one to be ruler in Israel who's going forth are from are from of old from everlasting
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Sounds like the covenant made to Abraham Everlasting covenant from you the nations will be blessed.
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So Moving forward that's the backdrop the last thing I want to share with you
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Look at verse 7 real quick and she brought forth her firstborn and wrapped him in swaddling cloths so You know, and I know there's there's best
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Western and there's all kind of sorts of stuff around town and in welcomes all comers
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And in welcomes all comers so the end is full because the taxation period people traveling people usually traveled in groups during this time because of People they're rebellious predators
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Nevertheless, I See right here. You look at this swaddling cloths. They come to the end.
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These are poor Joseph and Mary are not rich They're poor if they were rich they would have made a place for him
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Money will buy you But they're poor and they basically sometimes they
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I don't Some commentators some say that this end was a double level upper room upper like a so the animals were down below And then the end was up top.
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So that's the kind of what I'm picturing or some say it was a separated from it And the manger where the animals were stayed while the people they didn't have cars involved those so they don't get a horse
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So nevertheless, it was full But what I was thinking about here here
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Him he wrapped him in swaddling cloths Cloths were also used in that manger to also hold up the udders of the cow
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For the infants for the for the babe for nourishment
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So you look at this right here in a manger manger is a feed trough a feed trough.
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Can you imagine? this is God manifested in the flesh being born put in a trough and My question is, you know for us to all examine our hearts.
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He's in Bethlehem City of bread. He's in a trough So what are we eating from today?
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What are we eating from our to celebrate us to fuel the fan our flame So I look at this and I think about this this is the one thing it makes me so beautiful He came into his own his own didn't receive him.
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There was no place for him and in welcomes all comers Jesus goes out there He hangs a sign up and he hangs a sign of love over the banner and says come
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Coming by without money without price come to me That's what he tells us
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That's what he tells us There's no room in here. I'm gonna go over here because because when it's full, you know,
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I Will be rejected so you won't have to be you come unto me
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He hangs his sign out on that banner. It doesn't say no vacancy. It says come with no price and stay zero whoo
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So let us continue. So that's our backdrop right there 700 years goes by this prophecy to fill all
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God's promises are yes, and amen, and they will never fail 700 years all through the silence the
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Old Testament ends and occurs and the promised Messiah is here It is here heart the herald angel.
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So here it is the scene right here moving forward glory in the highest What is his highest glory?
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It's redemption is redemption Our Problem is brothers and sisters sin has martyred so bad that we don't understand often who we are
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But here it's gonna show us It's gonna show us to let's look at verse 8.
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I want to give you a quick outline It took me forever to come up with this outline I was like am I ever gonna finish this but uh,
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I just kept praying Lord help me So here it is verse 8 you have unlikely
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Recipients verse 9 heaven descends Versus 10 11 and 12 is the royal announcement
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Versus 13 through 20 are the responses to the message versus 21 that beautiful name
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So let us look right now at the first point My first point right here is unlikely recipients.
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Let us read this again now there We're in the same country shepherds living out in the fields keeping watch over their flock by night these shepherds
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I just want to give you a quick overview many. You know this already. These are blue -collar workers These are like your sanitation workers working out on the trash truck digging ditches car any
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I mean just normal I Mean really they're outcast. I mean they were the low the mundane they were looked at they were they they were just shepherds a lot of times
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They were young men that couldn't find any job anywhere else Reminds me sometimes of construction just the people that just have just got out of jail.
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They can't do anything but sweep a floor But God's gonna show God's gonna show us something and so these shepherds were really looked upon down by the religious zealots by these religious
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Self -righteous people by saying they can't even keep the Sabbath. They're out here with their sheep They came because they were their job was protection of the sheep.
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They wouldn't leave them. They would they wouldn't be a derelict shepherd It says right here look at this right here.
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They were living out in the field with them They weren't shepherding with a helicopter They knew them they smelled like them that means we should smell like one another we should smell like our shepherd
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So looking at that moving forward keeping watch over them their flock by night It's shepherds plural
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It's not one shepherd. It's shepherds plural. If you look at this living out in the fields keeping watch they want to sleep
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Suddenly it says in the next verse behold an angel the Lord stood before them and the glory of the
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Lord shone around them and They were greatly afraid Heaven descends upon these lowly outcasted shepherds
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The question I have for you this morning Here is the greatest Announcement man can ever receive my question to you is who would you choose this morning for this announcement?
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Would it be these lowly people would it be just the mundane people of this world? No God I mean
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Man looks on that Howard think about how Israel they always wanted a king They wanted let's get
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Saul come on. He's good -looking. He's big He's he stands above all else and that God gave him what they wanted
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And praise God God is not like man And I look at this the question is look at our
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God what he does I'm gonna read a verse and please turn with me. I love this verse miss
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Lillian He said quote it to me all the time first Corinthians 1 and I'm gonna read these four 26 through 31 first Corinthians 1 first Corinthians chapter 1
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And I'll wait for you. This is I'm just gonna read these all of them and just let it speak for itself
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So here it is. This is a Apostle Paul the once Pharisee terrorist
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For you see you're calling brethren that Not many wise according to the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called.
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What is this called many are called But few are chosen But God everybody should have that two words anytime somebody comes to you with a story listen to them listen to them
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Counsel as but there's always a but God that but God must be a part of our life but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put the shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of this world to put the shame the things which are mighty and the base things of this world and the things which are despised and Which are despised
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God has chosen and the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are that no flesh
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Should glory absolutely no flesh should glory in his presence, but of him You are in Christ Jesus who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness of sanctification and redemption
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That it is written he who glorifies him he who glories let him glory in the
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Lord So Heaven descends behold an angel.
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It's not it's not it's not many angels. It's just one Many can assume previously it could have been an angel
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Gabriel, but we're not sure it doesn't say I'm so I'm not gonna Pour something into the text. It's not here.
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So it says an angel descends So suddenly means be ready be watchful.
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We don't know when the presence of the Lord may come So that suddenly they weren't wait They what
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I mean, they weren't caught off guard, but they this is their response an angel of the
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Lord a messenger an agent Comes to these these shepherds plural around them and they were greatly afraid
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It doesn't that seem like a theme throughout the Bible Glory, if you look at this word all that word is so deep if you ever want to just do a study
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Man can understand all these deep truths. You can quote it from Aedes to revelation
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You can know everything about all the doctrines. You can have it all here. And if you don't see
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God's glory You won't see the cross. You'll miss it all and that's the thing that Glory means the manifestation of his presence and his power the weight glory means how valuable is it?
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How valuable is he? So that's what we want to keep in mind the glory his power shone forth to them
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Anytime think about it Moses come off the mountain Think about all the people
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Isaiah when they were came in the presence of the Lord There's always been great fear and trembling but look at the antidote the antecedent to calm them
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Because God comes to us Listen to this Here it is.
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So we see we have seen in verse 8 Unlikely recipients verse 9 we see heaven descends and here's the message.
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This is the royal announcement So here it is. Then the angel said to them do not be afraid for behold
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I bring you good tidings of great joy Which will be to all people for there is born to you this day in the city of David a
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Savior who is Who is Christ the Lord and this will be the sign to you?
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You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and a lying manger
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What a beautiful word. So here it is and I want to look at verse 10 as You know faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the
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Word of God Romans 10 17 tells us so here it is So what's the message to these shepherds?
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Here's the message Do not be afraid stop being afraid Don't be frightened but behold behold means come up come and observe with great pleasure
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Come Come I bring you good tidings This word means good news
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Evangel the angels are evangelizing to these shepherds these lowly so here it is right here.
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What is this good news? salvation through Jesus Christ alone so here it is
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I Come to bring you good tidings of great joy. Whoa. Yeah, it sounded familiar
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I came to give life and life more abundantly we go from glory to glory deep calls upon deep
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So here it goes. You know what this great joy, it doesn't stop. It's not just one deposit, but it keeps increasing
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The more you know of him the more you praise him. So here it goes What greater joy could there be?
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through the sacrifice of his only son Then he had a solution for the world's greatest problem sin
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Sin and only God's children. This is only reserved for God's children God doesn't promise us that we won't endure hardships
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He doesn't promise these things actually Alma says Your salvation will be made perfect through suffering
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That's what he promises so I Want you to continue with me now, uh
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Let's look at verse 11 right here For this for there is born to you this day the city of David a
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Savior who is Christ the Lord So the title of this message is to you is born
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We have received the greatest gift you have received the greatest gift you can ever receive
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It's already been given It's already been given It's already been given sounds like you remember we just read unto us a son is born unto us a child is given and the
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Government shall rest upon his shoulders and his name shall be called wonderful counsel everlasting father mighty
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God and Prince of Peace So we just that was last week. And so I thought Wow pastor just read this unto us
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Okay to you. This is to you. This is to us
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To let us remember we have been given the greatest gift we could ever receive in the person.
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It's a person So moving forward Literally, I want you to this word right here unto us
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This is when I started reading this more in the Greek context The literally reading of this means born to you this day as if it was saying long ago promised
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Promised and promised now finally that promise has came So right here, this is what these three words mean
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Savior it says right here the city of David the city of David's Bethlehem Also the city of David will also called the city of Zion And I think it's like I can't remember a book in the
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Old Testament. I'm gonna say it's in Kings, but it says Basically says the
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Lord will take stronghold of Zion. He will take hold of his church He will take that's his bride
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He would take stronghold of his bride and kings But looking at this, what do these names mean?
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Savior Who is Christ the Lord Savior? This is only one place in the
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God synoptic Gospels that this is mentioned It's also mentioned in John several times, but this is the only time it's mentioned in the
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Gospels hit the synoptic Gospels, which is Matthew Mark and Luke and then John talks about God's deity is a son of man son of God Christ here is the
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Messiah the Anointed One And so just a good way to remember this remember these three peas so Christ first of all, he
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The city of David a Savior. This is his pardon in name Who is
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Christ? This is his promise Messiah and this is Lord the preeminent name
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So I'm gonna say it again so we can remember this who is Savior. That's his pardon in name
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Who is Christ his promise Messiah? Who is the Lord the preeminent name?
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so Lord also master Master we're reading John MacArthur's book has been so encouraging to understand heroes
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KYRI OS means master And also do loss means slave and what a beautiful thing.
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It is to be a slave of the Lord I want you to continue look at verse 12. This is the last verse for the royal announcement
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It says and this will be a sign to you and this will be the sign in the New King James Version The is a definite is saying that this is this sign is gonna be very helpful to you
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Hey, you can't put this in Matt quest. I Mean, this is not very good. I mean listen to this now
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It sounds like a something we've heard seeking you shall find Listen to this and this will be the sign to you.
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You will search a babe. No, no, you will find He already tells them you're gonna find it before you even go
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Because with the power with the command comes the power It's not us It's not us and this will be the sign to you.
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You will find a babe capital babe Wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger.
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Look they're gonna be many other babies born throughout Bethlehem many other babies But you know what?
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There's not gonna be any baby laying in a manger and that's when it's gonna be the significant key
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That's the detail that the angels that I believe Guided them with in leading them to Bethlehem Bethlehem.
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They were really close. These shepherds are said in the same country. So they were close So let us continue now we've seen the unlikely recipient
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Verse 9 we see heaven descend the arm of heaven reaches to earth Now we see we've heard the royal message
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Now, let's look at these responses to this message. These are our responses and I just want to share this with you.
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I Stop, I'm gonna stop for a second and plug this in our familiar ways. We celebrate Christmas.
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We hang trees We decorate we get we sing carols or drink hot chocolate.
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We put lights on our house Is this is anything wrong with it? No, I think it's great to celebrate whatever the greater thing there is to celebrate but uh you know many of us we do so much and but This is the first Christmas This is the first Christmas.
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This is our blueprint So We could just tip our hat and say we're just gonna continue to worship horizontally
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Or we can humble ourself and take a look at this blueprint say this is how it's done So look at this these are the responses with the first Christmas message, okay, here it is and suddenly
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This is so powerful and suddenly with a swiftness there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising
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God Singing glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and goodwill toward men.
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Oh This is a doxology heaven breaks out. I want you to think about this. This is uh, so beautiful because look in Salt and the
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Psalms you remember the Lord said he remembers our frame. He remembers. We're nothing but a dust from the dirt
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He doesn't send the multitude first one angel and they're trembling Just One he gives us a little bit so we can handle it say come on a little bit further we can do it
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You know the trials in our life. We've been through it up. You brought me through that. Yeah your palm and it strengthens us
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And you look back. So this is what the Lord is doing. He remembers our frame In Revelation, this is not a song.
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We won't know he wants us to know this song Revelation 14 3 this is song they everyone that angels the doxology
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What are the angels saying? God didn't take on the likeness of an angel took on the likeness of men and angels are in awe that a holy
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God would transcend to earth and they're in awe That he left all the riches.
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This is God He made everything was from him for him and unto him through him All things are made through him and for him the
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Lord Jesus Christ and here he is Being born in a manger and they're in awe who is this who are the recipients of this and they're in awe
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So There's a holy jealousy that these angels have right now because they don't get the experience what we're experiencing
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The redemption the love of God the depth of that love that oh that deep deep love
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So right here the multitudes are here so right now just think of that setting we have a multitude of angels we have shepherds
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We have Mary and Joseph with a babe So here it is.
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I Want you to look at this real quick real quick glory to God in the highest not glory to men first That's glory to God first God first then men
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Okay, men is second you see this so in this I Get so excited talking about I run away from these notes and I want to make sure you
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So Do you remember the the angels Angels associated with Christ in heaven and and knew about Jesus's glory and riches
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Think about this God meets us where we're at These remember the Gentiles you remember the wise men
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They were met with a star a star doesn't shine on us on the shard a star is a reflection of the
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Sun And so these wise men get a revelation from a star these
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Jewish shepherds get a revelation and met Through the angels so God meets us and in converses with us where we're at On the level that we can understand
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These these wise men were studies are of astronomy so he met them where they're at You remember he says the woman of the well if you knew you would ask me for water
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He meets us where we're at he meets us in our trials. He meets us in our ugliness.
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He meets us in our lowly state So here it is Continuing so you see a doxology from heaven and they're shouting they are shouting
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But my thing is what is this piece? What is this piece? The piece is right here the resurrection there
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I'm sorry the reconciliation between God and man and the believers assurance of this reconciliation
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That's the piece the goodwill towards men Brothers and sisters.
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I want you to please realize this goodwill towards men if you read this in its truly context
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It says of God's goodwill of his good pleasure who he so wills this to men.
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This is he doesn't owe us nothing This is the doctrine of election.
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This is the doctrine of predestination right here It's right here Of God's good pleasure towards me and goodwill towards men.
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It's not the goodwill not not men not the goodness in men It's a goodness of God So, uh, we have a doxology heaven this is so the heaven angelic
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They hear the message and they break out and start singing the multitudes come so Um moving forward now i'm going to look in uh
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Verse 14, uh verse 15. Now. This is uh, it says so it was when the angels had gone away
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So they went back ascended back up into heaven The shepherd said to one another let us now go to bethlehem and see
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This thing that has come to pass which the lord has made known to us So it was when the angels had gone away you see here the shepherd said to one another
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They were saying back and forth Let us now Let you remember pastor said is a word of submission
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Let us not let me Let us Let us come on brother.
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Let's go Come on let's go now Not tomorrow now
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Right now the sense of urgency Look, they hold on now. These are shepherds They could easily say how about here's the thing
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We hear the message god is telling us to come and believe come and behold We could say no, this is just another story.
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It's just another birth. It's just another child. This is just another person But these shepherds could have said
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I can't come I got sheep out here. I can't I can't leave them But look, they didn't make excuses
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We you know, what are the excuses? Oh, this is strange. Whoa these poor people
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Strange place obscure parents obscure town bethlehem is a small place. It ain't atlanta.
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It ain't midtown It's nothing out there Bethlehem So here it is um in verse 15
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I Come and believe this is the response The angels do leave
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I want to share something with you. Remember this And please listen to me here the preacher has delivered his sermon
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With the listeners including myself take it to heart The doctor has prescribed the medication will the patient follow the prescription?
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The government officials have given a law not to speed and go over 55 Yeah, man, I want you to realize this right here they said let us now go to bethlehem this is the first christmas rush
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This is the first christmas rush Right here. It's here. They rushed. Let's not go
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This is the first christmas rush. You see it here. This is biblical Some people rush for the wrong thing
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You need to be rushing to the person the right person not the thing Say it's right here. It's they're rushing
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So Luke shows us that these devout men never hesitate. They could have came out with so many several excuses
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Let us not have excuses to to To take upon and feast upon that bread of life
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We're going to continue forward now I want you to look at verse 16 and they came with haste and found mary and joseph and the babe
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Lying in a manger Right here uh
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They came with haste. There's this so this so we see they came they believed They they they did it with haste.
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They were obedient. God blesses us when we're obedient and uh, The blessings come through obedience quick obedience
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So they so we they come they believe They're obedient And here's the urgency haste haste
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This brings blessings These men hide nothing and they tell their story. They're so convicted and they don't fear being ridiculed
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They don't fear being ridiculed. Merry christmas. Do you know what you're saying? Do you know what you're saying?
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Do you know what you're saying? So I want you to turn with me to jeremiah 20 verse 9 and this is uh, the sense of urgency that I want to talk about jeremiah speaks of this uh verse, uh jeremiah chapter 20 verse 9
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When you're a child of god and you shut up god's word and don't and don't say anything. Let's let's look at jeremiah's response
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This is what he said jeremiah's unpopular ministry verse 9
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Then I said I will not make mention of him Merry christmas. I'm not gonna say nothing.
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Nah, I don't keep my mouth shut I Will not make mention of him nor speak any more in his name
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But here it is that but but his word was in my heart Like a burning fire shut up in my bones and I was wary of holding back and I could not
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And I could not And I could not uh continuing verse 18
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This is these are more responses. This response is amazement of awe So look at verse 18 and all of those who heard it marveled at those things which were told by the shepherds
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Just think of the wonderful wonderful things that have happened already the empirical decree
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We have an apparent ruler that says i'm gonna tax everybody We have an apparent ruler.
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I'm strong. I'm mighty versus the sovereign ruler Saying i'm gonna i'm gonna bring about this taxation and i'm gonna and i'm gonna bring
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Mary and joseph back to bethlehem the city of david and will fulfill this prophecy He's thinking i'm just gonna tax him
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Just gonna put some money in my pocket Oh so little does he know So, uh
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In this right here, we see the empirical decree angelic message messengers heaven descends and we see divine direction
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We see divine direction Amazement is so great But the truth should lead us to action
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The truth should lead us to action And what is that truth Let's look at mary what she did with this truth
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And this is so beautiful But mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart
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Think about this for a second What has she been through? She's a virgin
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Virgin She was born with child. She's a virgin though And her husband left her For a short time until the angel spoke to him so her her virtue is is almost in In decline from a worldly standpoint
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She doesn't defend herself So here it is.
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She takes all these things. She sees she starts. Can you imagine what she's chewing on? You look over in verse, uh chapter one verses 46 and 47 what mary said my soul magnifies the lord
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And my spirit has rejoiced in god my savior She's starting to put all these things together.
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What he's saying is bring to remembrance ponder everything Ponder what i've been doing
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Ponder and chew on it chew on it nourish yourself Meditate is not to empty yourself of thoughts.
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It's to fill yourself with the word of god and to chew it So ponder this treasure it treasure it
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I'll never forget when a man told me the wise invest in things that have eternal weight Store up those treasures in your heart store it up And god will bring it to remembrance at that time.
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I he says I will give you the words to say Store it up. Just download it eat it eat it eat it
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Jeremiah said I found god's word and I ate it and it was a joy and rejoicing of my soul. What is he saying?
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he he I mean Even the pharisees tried to put honey on it and I mean but still their heart was far from god
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He's saying store it up Store me up and treasure I'm the pearl of great price
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So in verse 20 you see mary amazement the amazement Uh, i'm, sorry the pondering so we've already seen these are the responses to the royal message
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We've seen come and believe they came their obedience to the message They witnessed the message they came with haste with our great urgency
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This is our first christmas blueprint. This is the blueprint of celebrating and then the last we're pondering pondering pondering
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Let's continue verse 19. I mean verse 20 here We have the shepherd's response the shepherds these devout low lowly men of the society
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Poor here they are in verse 20. Then the shepherds returned glorifying
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And praising god for all the things they had heard and seen And it was told that it was told to them
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These were shepherds they returned Instead of complaining no more they're glorifying and praising
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These shepherds, I mean, can you imagine these dumb sheep? Why can't they do right? I mean
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You know sheep are really stubborn. I used to work on a farm throughout It was a hard time in my life.
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God ordained allowed me to manage Organic farm in hiawassee, georgia in between two valleys at the highest peak in georgia and I thought it was
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So rough and I look back and it was one of the most beautiful times in my life My mother's passed.
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I just went through a divorce almost killed my father my sister and my family rejected me I just got out of psychiatric hospital and here
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I found myself shoveling cow manure just to lay my head down And I look out i'm shoveling manure
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In the peace of god that surrounded me And I look back and I think of this these shepherds and i'm like You know, he chooses the mundane and you know,
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I But not one of us is worthy of this and uh
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So, you know, I once celebrated football games when university of georgia would lose my whole weekend would be ruined uh and just things like that used to move me and convict me and so I ask you this morning what
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Captivates you what dominates you what what do you meditate upon most because we see here the response to the first christmas
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This is our blueprint We can get busy doing all these things, but let us get focused back in while we're on the brink
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Of right here on the christmas of 2018 in closing so now that beautiful name
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The name above all names. There's no sweeter name A name meant something to the jews
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And this name right here. I want you to see this right here. And when eight days time goes on eight days
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They were fulfilled as a part of fulfillment of the law And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the child
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His name was called jesus And the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb
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He was the israelite of israelites this circumcision
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My question is was there a need for circumcision? He was without sin This was just a fulfillment.
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He didn't come to abolish the law but to fulfill it To fulfill it So this is we look back this this right here being born right here.
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This is the alpha and omega This is the bright morning star
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This is the rose of sharon This is the jehovah jireh. Jehovah nisi
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You name it. This is what this whole book is about right here this name. This is the gospel is a person
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And charles spurgeon said if if a man doesn't preach christ that should be his last That should be his last
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Can you imagine standing for a holy god? He said every idle word Will be judged
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Every idle word will be judged But I want to refocus on because this is a celebration a time of celebration
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This name is key In his willingness to submit to the circumcision
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We see the savior's passive obedience In his baptism, we see his active obedience
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This savior this is the greatest of all men The lord jesus christ he still bears the same name today
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For we must trust in him This is our great. This is where hope is found He is our champion he he is the lord of all he's the one that conquered what conquered you and I Which is sin?
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So To bring this to a closing. So just remember here we this
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So you see unlike your recipients god comes to the mundane We see heaven to sin with a message a royal announcement
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Then we see the responses we have the results of this message and then we have The pinnacle of that message is all a person typically in the hebrew and the in their literary terms
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Doctrine duty and they always climax up to a point and then they said not go and do it
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So it goes up to like a crescendo a climax the name of jesus right here
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Is saying he is He is the mountain he is at he is the mountain that's why
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Majority of the sermons that the greatest sermons ever preached was on mountains because he wants his name to be glorified
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So I think it's in isaiah says get thee high up into the mountains What he's saying is magnify me
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The more we know about god the more we're praising. I think as tozer said what comes to mind
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What comes to your mind is it is the greatest thing about you is the most important thing about you
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So what comes to your mind about that single name is the most important thing about you In closing,
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I want to bring this to a close here and give application to this. Uh This wonderful truth this wonderful birth.
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Uh So as I mentioned before I want you to remember this
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Christ he hangs that banner of love out on that end and he says
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Come come and buy without price without money Come So I ask you what amazes you again?
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Is christ not your soul affection? Is he not everything to you? If you just tip your hat this morning and just horizontally continue to worship
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I want you to I want you to hear something And this is powerful. It comes from uh sinners in the hands of angry god
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By jonathan edwards The bow of god's wrath is bent And his arrow is made ready on the string and justice directs the bow to your heart and strains it at the bow
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And it is nothing but the mere pleasure of god That an angry god without any promise or obligation at all
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That keeps the arrow from one moment being made drunk with your blood so in saying this
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I let us lift up our hearts in adoration and homage to the the name above all names and uh
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I want you to be so encouraged this christmas year this christmas season to Just remember this remember
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To witness to remember it's urgent to believe this message Because salvation comes through no other person and we have a great we have a great
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Uh burden christ said his burden he looked out upon jerusalem and and He wept because they had no shepherd
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You know in revelation it says that The nations that are leave the leaves will be a healing to the nations
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Do you know right now? We're the only healing as you if you're a believer in christ jesus you put your faith in christ alone
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And we are a healing to the nation. We are a balm of gilead to the nations When they come into our presence they come into a hospital
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They come to a hospital So my question would be what would happen? Could you fathom what would happen if if a hospital people just kept coming in and they get sicker and sicker?
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They went to the hospital and just they got worse going to the hospital sooner or later. They're gonna shut that hospital down So that's what
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I want you to remember we've been entrusted with such a beautiful truth treasure and earthen excrement pots
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God cares for the mundane. He shops at the landfill instead of nordstrom
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And so let us be encouraged we see here And I just want you to remember this is one of the carl bart.
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He was I mean Do you know who carl bart is? Carl bart was a Some old historian or he was something
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Of the past they thought he had a brilliant mind carl bart and they asked carl bart and they said
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What is this most significant thing that the human mind can entertain? And I want you to hear me real quick.
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And this is what he said He paused for a second. He said carl bart. You you've got a great mind
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What is the greatest thing the human mind can entertain and I want you to hear what he said? Charles bart said this in closing
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Jesus loves me this I know for the bible tells me so So, uh, let us rejoice this christmas season and uh, let's uh, uh
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Close in prayer real quick Father god, we thank you for this time together.
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We thank you for your word. We thank you father We see the first blueprint of christmas Father I thank you that we see
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Oh god, the humiliation of the lord. Jesus christ Lord god, you're seated on the throne right now.
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Lord. Jesus All the nations belong to you your father. You've been given this inheritance
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Lord satan tried to give you the same thing without a cross Lord, I thank you for your birth
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This is so so important That lord god you had a remedy for our greatest problem
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Thank you lord god that we can uh rejoice now And we have peace
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That we can be reconciled to god to be saved to god and to be saved from god Lord, I just pray as we go out and go our different ways to stay
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I just pray lord that we will love you more and hate our sin more Lord as we have prayed for baraka earlier, we pray for our little flock
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These little shepherds lord, they just gathered where they were in worship Lord god you do a great mighty thing through the little
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Help us never despise these things Help us lord to to treasure and ponder
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I believe the central outside of being the incarnation. We see mary pondering these things
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We see a transition here said but mary ponder these things Lord god help us to ponder more of you
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Help us to get our minds off of what we want and need We need nothing more than to feed upon that bread of life that was came to earth laid in a manger
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Lord god you you're you're so amazing so humbling Lord, I thank you for this time in jesus name.