Receiving Jesus
Series: Prepare Him Room
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 14th December 2025
00:00:00 --> 00:00:12 Well, good morning, everyone. Welcome to church this morning. My name is Steve. I've not met you before. Lead pastor here at St. Paul's. I'd be grateful if you had your Bibles open at that point at Matthew 1.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:36 As we enter into this Christmas season, a season of presents and joy and Christmas pageants. In fact, I read the story this past week of a boy who was desperate to play Joseph in the Sunday school pageant for his church.
00:00:36 --> 00:00:45 And he sort of planned for it. I think he'd been working on it for a little bit and he figured he was the prime candidate to be Joseph.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:56 But instead, the head of the Sunday school cast him as the landlord of the inn in Bethlehem, you know, with one line. That's it.
00:00:56 --> 00:01:06 And so this, you know, poor boy was just so, so disappointed. He protested, you know, the fact that he had this role and he should in fact be Joseph.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:20 But to no avail, he was stuck being the landlord of the inn. And all, he was really disappointed, but he really didn't let it show too much due to all the rehearsals.
00:01:20 --> 00:01:29 So, you know, when it came time for his little bit, he would say his famous line, you know, with a bunch of enthusiasm.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:33 No, there is no room in the inn for him.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:41 However, on the day of the Christmas pageant, he got his revenge.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:51 So, packed house. And when it got to his moment in the spotlight, Mary and Joseph, you know, knocked on the door, asked if there was any room.
00:01:52 --> 00:02:00 And the boy smiled and said, yes, we have lots of room in the inn tonight.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:04 And apparently, it was just pause.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:06 You know, everyone was just silent.
00:02:06 --> 00:02:10 The Sunday school, you know, director was all like, big gasp in the room.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:11 Everyone was shocked.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:16 And then awkward silence until all of a sudden the audience erupted.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 We laughed because Mary and Joseph, look around, what do we do now?
00:02:20 --> 00:02:26 Anyway, I suppose if you want to, if you're a male and you want to party at a Christmas pageant,
00:02:27 --> 00:02:34 you know, Joseph is the guy who, on one level, has more of a spotlight on him than anyone else.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:40 Even though, on the most part, he's sort of sitting there in the background.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 He doesn't say too many things at all.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:48 Although, he is at the centre of the action.
00:02:49 --> 00:02:58 What is a bit unusual, though, is that in the biblical text, we see a slightly different picture.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:08 And it is a little bit odd, if you like, that in a patriarchal society like first century Palestine,
00:03:09 --> 00:03:19 Joseph, on the most part, plays a passive role in all the biblical narratives and the Christmas narrative in particular.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:30 In fact, once we are clear of the Christmas scenes, Joseph is hardly mentioned at all in the New Testament.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:43 And yet, an angel did come to Joseph and told Joseph something that, in fact, only Joseph was told this.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 Only Joseph.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:53 And that is because Joseph, as the male, had naming rights to the child.
00:03:54 --> 00:04:03 And the angel said, verse 23, the child is to be called Emmanuel, God with us.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:10 And so, here's what we learn from the name Emmanuel.
00:04:10 --> 00:04:15 Well, three things, it's on the St. Paul's app, which you can download, if you haven't got it.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:22 But on the St. Paul's app, Jesus is God, Jesus is human, and Jesus is with us.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 And that's our trajectory today.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 So, first thing we learn is that Jesus is God.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:34 In verse 20, the angel tells Joseph that the human life growing inside of Mary has come not from any human being,
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 but from God, from the Heavenly Father.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:43 And Joseph will be Jesus' father, if you like, in a secondary sense.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:48 That is, God is the real father of this child.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:56 However, the most direct statement of Jesus' identity comes in that verse 23.
00:04:56 --> 00:05:05 And in that, Matthew is quoting, himself a Jew, is quoting from Isaiah chapter 7, verse 14.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:14 The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel, which means God with us.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:22 Now, for centuries leading up to this moment, ever since Isaiah wrote those words,
00:05:23 --> 00:05:30 that Jewish scholars had known about it, but they had never thought to take those words literally.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:44 And so, what is promised here in Matthew 1, what is declared here, is greater than anyone would imagine,
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 even for Jewish scholars.
00:05:47 --> 00:05:53 Jesus Christ, this baby in this manger, is God with us.
00:05:53 --> 00:06:01 And that statement is absolutely startling for the Jewish worldview.
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 In fact, for any worldview.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:13 Eastern religions believed God was an impersonal, infinite force,
00:06:14 --> 00:06:20 which permeated all things in the created order.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:27 It wasn't unusual for Eastern religions, and still isn't today,
00:06:27 --> 00:06:36 to regard some human beings as being particularly great manifestations of the divine,
00:06:37 --> 00:06:40 such as Buddha, a manifestation of the divine.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 Western religions, on the other hand,
00:06:44 --> 00:06:54 and believes that gods could disguise themselves as human beings for their own purposes.
00:06:56 --> 00:07:01 And so, they believed in a personal God on one level.
00:07:03 --> 00:07:11 And therefore, a personal God in the Western religion could appear to a degree,
00:07:11 --> 00:07:16 in some form, momentarily, amongst human life.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:22 And so, there is references throughout Greek religions in the past,
00:07:23 --> 00:07:28 the Greek history, that this particular person was a manifestation,
00:07:28 --> 00:07:33 or potentially, it was Zeus amongst us for just this moment.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:38 Jews, on the other hand, were neither Eastern or Western,
00:07:39 --> 00:07:43 but they believed that God was both personal and infinite.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 God was not a being within the universe,
00:07:52 --> 00:07:57 but was that God was outside of the universe and the source of the universe.
00:07:57 --> 00:08:02 And so, the Hebrew worldview was, in fact, against the idea
00:08:02 --> 00:08:08 that a human being, in any way, could be God.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:17 In fact, Jews would not even use the name of God.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 They still don't to this day.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 Won't even spell it.
00:08:21 --> 00:08:28 And yet, Jesus Christ, by a Jew, by his life, by his claims,
00:08:28 --> 00:08:36 by his resurrection, managed to convince his closest Jewish followers
00:08:36 --> 00:08:43 that he was much more than a prophet telling them about God,
00:08:44 --> 00:08:45 how to find God,
00:08:45 --> 00:08:49 but that he was, in fact, God himself,
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 come to find us.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:57 He blew the categories of Eastern, Western, and Jewish worldview.
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 And, in fact, all of his main Jewish followers
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 declared it in his lifetime.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:12 And, of course, the opinions of these authors
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 would not mean a whole lot at all
00:09:14 --> 00:09:20 if Jesus hadn't declared himself his divine identity
00:09:20 --> 00:09:24 all through the biographical accounts,
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 which is what sets Jesus apart from the likes of Buddha.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 Buddha never declared that he himself,
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 even though characteristics of the divine
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 never declared himself to be divine,
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 whereas Jesus did.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 And what we have with Jesus
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 is his constantly forgiving sin,
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 which the Jews knew that only God could do,
00:09:48 --> 00:09:49 and he also claims,
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 I'm going to come back and I'm going to judge the earth,
00:09:53 --> 00:09:56 and they also knew that only God could do that.
00:09:57 --> 00:10:00 And so, at many times and in various ways,
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 Jesus Christ, a Jewish man,
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 declared to his Jewish audience,
00:10:05 --> 00:10:08 I am God.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:12 And thousands, thousands believed him
00:10:12 --> 00:10:16 and came to worship him as God.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:20 Acts chapter 2, verse 41.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:24 And so, every Christmas,
00:10:26 --> 00:10:31 people all over the world give lip service
00:10:31 --> 00:10:36 to that reality without actually thinking through
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 what the implications are for it.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:41 What does it mean?
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 We've just sung it just then.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:43 What does it mean?
00:10:43 --> 00:10:47 If Jesus really is God,
00:10:47 --> 00:10:50 what does it actually mean for us practically?
00:10:52 --> 00:10:55 So, first, it's an intellectual turning point.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:59 Now, some have argued that the supreme miracle
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 of Christianity is not the resurrection of Jesus,
00:11:03 --> 00:11:06 but the incarnation of Jesus,
00:11:07 --> 00:11:12 the coming of God into his world as a human being.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 So, the late theologian J.I. Packer puts it like this,
00:11:17 --> 00:11:20 God became man, the divine son became a Jew,
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 the almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby,
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 unable to do more than just lie and stare
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 and wriggle and make noises,
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 like any other child.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 The more you think about it,
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 the more staggering it gets.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:42 Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:49 The only way that we can know God
00:11:49 --> 00:11:54 is as if God comes and writes himself
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 into the story of history
00:11:56 --> 00:12:00 so that the rest of us,
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 the characters of history,
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 could know the author of the story.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:12 The claim of Christmas,
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 the claim of Christianity,
00:12:15 --> 00:12:18 is that God is not the author of history,
00:12:19 --> 00:12:22 but he's also written himself
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 into the storyline of history
00:12:24 --> 00:12:28 so that we might know the unknowable.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:32 And so, the claim that Jesus is God
00:12:32 --> 00:12:34 is an intellectual turning point,
00:12:34 --> 00:12:37 but it also causes a personal crisis.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 You see, whenever you see Jesus
00:12:40 --> 00:12:43 acting in the Gospels,
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 what he does is he evokes
00:12:45 --> 00:12:48 extreme responses from people.
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 People are so furious with him at points
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 that they want to throw him off a cliff.
00:12:55 --> 00:12:57 They plot to kill him.
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 Others are so terrified by his presence,
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 they tell him to depart,
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 get away from me.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 Others fall down before him
00:13:05 --> 00:13:08 and worship him as God.
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 What you have here with Jesus
00:13:10 --> 00:13:13 is extreme reactions recorded.
00:13:13 --> 00:13:16 And those extreme reactions
00:13:16 --> 00:13:22 are not because of the good things he does.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:26 Like telling people to love their neighbour
00:13:26 --> 00:13:28 as you might love yourself.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:34 Those extreme reactions are always
00:13:34 --> 00:13:38 because of who he claims to be.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:42 He claims to be the God
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 who created all things,
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 the source of all life,
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 the one who defines all reality.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 And if he is,
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 then what that means is
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 it's all about him.
00:13:58 --> 00:14:01 And it means that our lives,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 as he is our creator,
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 are defined by him
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 and our life must be centred on him.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:12 However, if Jesus is not who he says he is,
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 if he's not God,
00:14:15 --> 00:14:20 then he's not someone to be admired at all
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 in any way.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 He is someone to be hated.
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 He is someone to run away from,
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 to escape,
00:14:31 --> 00:14:35 because he is the greatest fraud in history
00:14:35 --> 00:14:39 and he is extremely dangerous for your life.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 What we see in the Gospels
00:14:42 --> 00:14:45 on the claim of who Jesus is
00:14:45 --> 00:14:48 is not this passive middle area
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 where we can just admire the guy.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 That category does not exist.
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 He is either God or he isn't.
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 He's either crazy and dangerous
00:15:00 --> 00:15:04 or he is infinitely wonderful to be worshipped.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 That's the only two responses.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 And it's a personal crisis for us all.
00:15:14 --> 00:15:14 But,
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 thirdly,
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 the claim that Jesus is God
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 gives us the greatest possible hope.
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 You see,
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 the one who creates,
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 the one who determines,
00:15:27 --> 00:15:29 the one who defines all reality
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 says that our world
00:15:31 --> 00:15:34 is not all that there is.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:38 That there are a life
00:15:38 --> 00:15:40 and there is love
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 after death
00:15:41 --> 00:15:44 and that evil and suffering
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 will one day end.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:48 And that is the hope
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 that we need
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 in 2025.
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 Hope in a world
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 with all its unending problems
00:15:57 --> 00:16:00 and hope for you and me
00:16:00 --> 00:16:03 with all our unending failings.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 That's what makes
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 Christianity so unique
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 and it's what makes
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 the biblical accounts of Jesus
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 and what he says
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 so crucial
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16 that we do not redefine it.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 That we make God
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 something different
00:16:19 --> 00:16:19 in our minds
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 and in our hearts.
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 You see,
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 a God who was,
00:16:24 --> 00:16:26 a God who's just perfect,
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 a God who's just
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 all about justice,
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 a God who's gonna
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 smite evil
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 and make everything right
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 that's wrong.
00:16:34 --> 00:16:34 You know,
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 the God who is
00:16:36 --> 00:16:39 a hard taskmaster
00:16:39 --> 00:16:43 would not have come down to us
00:16:43 --> 00:16:47 this God would not have arrived.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 He would have simply demanded
00:16:51 --> 00:16:54 that we pull ourselves together,
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 do a bunch of moral good,
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 obey a bunch of laws
00:16:58 --> 00:17:01 and earn the right
00:17:01 --> 00:17:04 to be loved by him.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:08 On the other hand,
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 a God
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 that was
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 an all accepting,
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 God of all accepting love
00:17:14 --> 00:17:17 would not have come down
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 to us either.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 Would never have arrived.
00:17:22 --> 00:17:22 You know,
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 the God of the modern
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 Western imagination
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 would have just,
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 there's no point of him
00:17:27 --> 00:17:29 coming into his world
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 because he's just gonna
00:17:30 --> 00:17:32 overlook every sin
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 and every wrong
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 and every evil
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 and just embrace us
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 for who we are
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 and just let us
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 do our thing.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 Neither of those gods
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 would have bothered
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 with Christmas.
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 The biblical God,
00:17:51 --> 00:17:51 however,
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 is infinitely good
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 and perfect
00:17:53 --> 00:17:56 and so our sin
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 could not just be
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 shrugged off
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 as if it doesn't matter
00:17:59 --> 00:18:02 but he's also
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 infinitely loving
00:18:03 --> 00:18:06 and he knows
00:18:06 --> 00:18:08 that we could never
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 ever climb up
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 to him.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 We could never be good enough
00:18:13 --> 00:18:15 to get to him
00:18:15 --> 00:18:18 and so he had to come to us.
00:18:18 --> 00:18:22 God had to come down
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 and do what we cannot do
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 and so Christmas
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 is full of hope
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 for us.
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 The second thing we see here
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 that Jesus is human.
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 This interaction
00:18:37 --> 00:18:39 between Joseph
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 and the angel
00:18:40 --> 00:18:43 reveals the humanity
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 of Jesus
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 and what difference
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 does that make
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 in the way that we live?
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 Let me just quote Packer
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 again on this one.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 For the Son of God
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 to empty himself
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 and become poor
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 meant a laying aside
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 of glory,
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 a voluntary restraint
00:18:59 --> 00:18:59 of power,
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 an acceptance
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 of hardship,
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 isolation,
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 ill treatment,
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 malice
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 and misunderstanding.
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 Finally,
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 a death
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 that involves
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 such agony,
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 spiritual
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13 even more than physical
00:19:13 --> 00:19:15 that his mind
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 nearly broke
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 under the prospect
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 of it.
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 It meant love
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 to the utmost
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 for unlovely people.
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 And so,
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 the Christmas spirit
00:19:27 --> 00:19:29 does not shine out
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 in the Christian snob.
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 For the Christmas spirit
00:19:33 --> 00:19:33 is a spirit
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 of those
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 who like their master
00:19:35 --> 00:19:38 live their whole lives
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 on the principle
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 of making themselves poor,
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 spending
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 and being spent
00:19:44 --> 00:19:46 to enrich
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 their fellow humans
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 giving time,
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 trouble,
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 care
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 and concern
00:19:53 --> 00:19:55 to do good
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 to others
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 and not just
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 their own friends
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 in whatever way
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 there seems need.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 You see,
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 the fact that
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 God
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 became human
00:20:07 --> 00:20:10 and emptied
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 himself
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 of his glory
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 means
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 that we should
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 not want
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 to hang out
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 just with people
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 who are going
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 to enrich us
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 and advance us
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 in some way.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 People who are
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 just going to
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 open the doors
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 for us.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 We need
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 to be willing
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 to go
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 to the
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 people
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 without the power,
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 without the beauty,
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 without the money
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 all because
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 God
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 became
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 one
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 of us.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 And the fact
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 that
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 he became
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 one of us
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 human
00:20:44 --> 00:20:48 it means
00:20:48 --> 00:20:48 that
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 there's
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 infinite
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 comfort
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 in our
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 suffering
00:20:52 --> 00:20:54 right now.
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 Hebrews
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 chapter 2
00:20:56 --> 00:20:56 verse 17
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 says that
00:20:57 --> 00:20:57 Jesus
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 made like us
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 fully human
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 in every way
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 and the very
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 next verse
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 tells us
00:21:02 --> 00:21:02 what that
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 means for us
00:21:03 --> 00:21:05 because he
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 himself
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 suffered
00:21:06 --> 00:21:06 when he
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 was
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 tried
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 and tested
00:21:08 --> 00:21:10 he is
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 able
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 to help
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 those
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 who are
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 being
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 tried
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 and
00:21:14 --> 00:21:14 tested.
00:21:16 --> 00:21:16 You see
00:21:16 --> 00:21:16 when something
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 bad happens
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 and real
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 suffering
00:21:18 --> 00:21:18 comes to
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 us
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 one of
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 the
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 consequences
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 of
00:21:21 --> 00:21:21 suffering
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 in our
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 world
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 is this
00:21:23 --> 00:21:25 a deep
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 sense of
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 loneliness
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 that comes
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 with it.
00:21:29 --> 00:21:29 You know
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 as if I'm
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 walking this
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 myself
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 no one's
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 been on this
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00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 the way
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 that I've
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 been on
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 this
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00:21:35 --> 00:21:38 and what
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 happens
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 in the
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 midst
00:21:39 --> 00:21:39 of
00:21:39 --> 00:21:39 suffering
00:21:39 --> 00:21:42 is that
00:21:42 --> 00:21:42 people
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 around us
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 express
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 some
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 level of
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 sympathy
00:21:46 --> 00:21:51 but deep
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 down
00:21:51 --> 00:21:53 it doesn't
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 seem to
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 help a
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 lot.
00:21:55 --> 00:21:57 it's
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 great to
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 know that
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 people are
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 there and
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 they're
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 acknowledging
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 your pain
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 but it
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 doesn't
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 seem to
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 help a
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 lot
00:22:02 --> 00:22:05 but then
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 we meet
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 someone
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 who's been
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 through a
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 similar thing
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 that we've
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 been through
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 and we
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 pour our
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 heart out
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 to that
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 person
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 and they
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 listen
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16 they
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 listen
00:22:17 --> 00:22:20 there's a
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 connection
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 and we
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 start to
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 listen to
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 their
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 opinions
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 because
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 they've
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 been
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 through
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 the
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 same
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 thing
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 it's
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 like
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 you
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 journey
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 with
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 them
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 in
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 that
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 moment
00:22:30 --> 00:22:33 the
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 coming
00:22:34 --> 00:22:34 of
00:22:34 --> 00:22:34 God
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 into
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 this
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 world
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 ultimately
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 means
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 that
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 he
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 suffered
00:22:39 --> 00:22:41 and
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 that
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 he
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 in
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 fact
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 triumphed
00:22:43 --> 00:22:43 through
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 suffering
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 and
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 therefore
00:22:46 --> 00:22:46 he
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 has
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 infinite
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 power
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 to
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 comfort
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 the
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 sufferer
00:22:51 --> 00:22:54 this
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 God
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 is
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 unlike
00:22:55 --> 00:22:55 the
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 God
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 of
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 any
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 other
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 faith
00:22:58 --> 00:22:58 in
00:22:58 --> 00:22:58 this
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 world
00:22:59 --> 00:23:04 so
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 have
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 you
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 been
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 betrayed
00:23:05 --> 00:23:08 do you
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 feel
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 abandoned
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 and
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 lonely
00:23:09 --> 00:23:12 have
00:23:12 --> 00:23:12 you
00:23:12 --> 00:23:12 been
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 destitute
00:23:13 --> 00:23:15 facing
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 death
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 even
00:23:17 --> 00:23:19 so
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 has
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 he
00:23:19 --> 00:23:21 he's
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 been
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 through
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 it
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 all
00:23:22 --> 00:23:26 Jesus
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 has
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 been
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 all
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 the
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 places
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 that
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 you
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 are
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 right
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 now
00:23:31 --> 00:23:34 including
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 mental
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 health
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 his
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 mind
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 nearly
00:23:37 --> 00:23:37 broke
00:23:37 --> 00:23:40 in the
00:23:40 --> 00:23:40 garden of
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 Gethsemane
00:23:41 --> 00:23:49 he's
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 been
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 in
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 the
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 darkness
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 that
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 you
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 are
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 now
00:23:51 --> 00:23:53 and
00:23:53 --> 00:23:53 much
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 more
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 he
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 has
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 suffered
00:23:56 --> 00:23:58 and
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 he
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 has
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 the
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 power
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 to
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 comfort
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 he
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 has
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 the
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 power
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 to
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 strengthen
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 and
00:24:02 --> 00:24:02 he
00:24:02 --> 00:24:02 has
00:24:02 --> 00:24:02 the
00:24:02 --> 00:24:02 power
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 to
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 bring
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 you
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 through
00:24:04 --> 00:24:04 it
00:24:04 --> 00:24:08 because
00:24:08 --> 00:24:08 thirdly
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 he's
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 with
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 us
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 not
00:24:10 --> 00:24:10 just
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 momentarily
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 but
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 he
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 is
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 with
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 us
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 you
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 see
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 God's
00:24:15 --> 00:24:15 plans
00:24:15 --> 00:24:15 were
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 infinitely
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 greater
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 than
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 a
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 short
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 visit
00:24:19 --> 00:24:21 gifting
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 us
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 with a
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 good
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 example
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 of how
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 to live
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 life
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 and
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 a
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 bunch
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 of
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 helpful
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 teaching
00:24:26 --> 00:24:28 his
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 plan
00:24:28 --> 00:24:30 in
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 becoming
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 human
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 was
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 to
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 always
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 be
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 human
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 and
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 to
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 always
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 be
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 with
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 us
00:24:37 --> 00:24:39 Jesus
00:24:39 --> 00:24:39 chose
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 a
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 12
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 apostles
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 disciples
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 initially
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 and
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 appointed
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 them
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 so that
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 they
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 would
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 be
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 with
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 him
00:24:47 --> 00:24:49 chosen
00:24:49 --> 00:24:49 to be
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 in
00:24:50 --> 00:24:50 his
00:24:50 --> 00:24:50 presence
00:24:50 --> 00:24:52 conversing
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 with
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 him
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 learning
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 from
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 him
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 having
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 his
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 comfort
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 moment
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 by
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 moment
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 you
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 see
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 in
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 Jesus
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 the
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 unapproachable
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 God
00:25:01 --> 00:25:04 becomes
00:25:04 --> 00:25:04 a
00:25:04 --> 00:25:04 human
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 being
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 who
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 can
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 be
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 known
00:25:07 --> 00:25:07 and
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 loved
00:25:08 --> 00:25:10 and
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 frankly
00:25:10 --> 00:25:13 that
00:25:13 --> 00:25:13 reality
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 does not
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 stun us
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 as much
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 as it
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 should
00:25:16 --> 00:25:18 moment
00:25:18 --> 00:25:18 by
00:25:18 --> 00:25:18 moment
00:25:18 --> 00:25:20 you see
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 in the
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 Old
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 Testament
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 God
00:25:22 --> 00:25:22 appears
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 to
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 Abraham
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 as a
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 smoking
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 furnace
00:25:25 --> 00:25:27 to
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 Israel
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 his
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 people
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 as a
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 pillar
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 of
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 fire
00:25:30 --> 00:25:30 to
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 Job
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 as a
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 hurricane
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 and
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 when
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 Moses
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 asked
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 to
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 see
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 the
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 face
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 of
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 God
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 he
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 was
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 told
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 if
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 I
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 showed
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 myself
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 to
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 you
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 it
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 would
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 kill
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 you
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 so
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 great
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 and
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 high
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 and
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 holy
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 is
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 and
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 unproachable
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 is
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 God
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 and
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 yet
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 the
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 message
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 of
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 Christmas
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 means
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 that
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 through
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 Jesus
00:25:53 --> 00:25:55 you
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 can
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 see
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 God
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 you
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 can
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 meet
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 God
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 you
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 can
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 know
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 him
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 personally
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 without
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 any
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 terror
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 at
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 all
00:26:03 --> 00:26:07 when
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 God
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 showed
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 up
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 in
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 Jesus
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 Christ
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 he
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 was
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 a
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 baby
00:26:09 --> 00:26:12 this
00:26:12 --> 00:26:12 time
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 he
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 came
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 not
00:26:14 --> 00:26:14 to
00:26:14 --> 00:26:14 bring
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 judgment
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 but
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 in
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 fact
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 to
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 bear
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 judgment
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 to
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 pay
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 the
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 penalty
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 for
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 our
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 sin
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 to
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 take
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 away
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 the
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 barrier
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 between
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 humanity
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 and
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 God
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 so
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 that
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 when
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 humanity
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 faced
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 God
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 if
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 that
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 barrier
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 stayed
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 we
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 would
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 be
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 obliterated
00:26:31 --> 00:26:34 Jesus
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 is
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 God
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 with
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 us
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 and
00:26:37 --> 00:26:37 so
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 I
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 ask
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 you
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 are
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 you
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00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 do
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 you
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00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 or
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 just
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 about
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 him
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 !
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 God
00:26:44 --> 00:26:47 there
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 is
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 one
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 crucial
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00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 necessary
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 for
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00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 a
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 personal
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 relationship
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 with
00:26:53 --> 00:26:53 Jesus
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00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 crucial
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 trait
00:26:55 --> 00:26:57 and
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 in
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 actual
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 fact
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 it's
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 probably
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 the
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 trait
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 that
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 is
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 most
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 overlooked
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 an
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 intimate
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 relationship
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 with
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 Jesus
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 always
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 requires
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 courage
00:27:09 --> 00:27:11 courage
00:27:11 --> 00:27:15 we
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 cannot
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00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 Jesus
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00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 I've
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 just
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 outlined
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00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 unless
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00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 the
00:27:25 --> 00:27:25 courage
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00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 admit
00:27:27 --> 00:27:29 that
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 we
00:27:30 --> 00:27:30 are
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 sinners
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00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 flawed
00:27:33 --> 00:27:35 admit
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 that
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00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 have
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 chosen
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 to
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 live
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 life
00:27:39 --> 00:27:41 rejecting
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 our
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 creator
00:27:42 --> 00:27:42 God
00:27:42 --> 00:27:42 and
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 live
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00:27:44 --> 00:27:44 you
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00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 Jesus
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 entire
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 mission
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 is
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 summed
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 up
00:27:47 --> 00:27:47 there
00:27:47 --> 00:27:47 in
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 verse
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 21
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 he's
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 Emmanuel
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 God
00:27:50 --> 00:27:50 with
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00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 from
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00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 you
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00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 first
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 and
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 foremost
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 that's
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 what
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 he
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 came
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 for
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00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 took
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 on
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 human
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 flesh
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 to
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 forgive
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 us
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 and
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 so
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 it's
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 courage
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 it
00:28:04 --> 00:28:04 takes
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 a lot
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 of
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 courage
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 to
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 admit
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 I
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 am
00:28:07 --> 00:28:09 a
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 moral
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 failure
00:28:10 --> 00:28:12 I
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 don't
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 love
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 God
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 with
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 all
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 my
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 heart
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 my
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 soul
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 and
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 my
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 strength
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 and
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 my
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 mind
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 I
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 don't
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 love
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 my
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 neighbor
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 as
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 myself
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 and
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 therefore
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 I
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 am
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 guilty
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 and
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 I
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 need
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 forgiveness
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 and
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 pardon
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 before
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 anything
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 else
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 that's
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 what I
00:28:25 --> 00:28:25 need
00:28:25 --> 00:28:25 from
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 God
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 God
00:28:26 --> 00:28:28 it
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 takes
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 an
00:28:29 --> 00:28:29 enormous
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 amount
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 of
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 courage
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 to
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 admit
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 those
00:28:31 --> 00:28:31 things
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 it
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 means
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 throwing
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 out
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 the
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 old
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 self
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 image
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 that
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 you've
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 made
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 for
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 yourself
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 and
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 getting
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 a new
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 one
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 through
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 Jesus
00:28:40 --> 00:28:42 and
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 that
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 admission
00:28:43 --> 00:28:45 that I
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 am
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 morally
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 flawed
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 and I
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 need
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 Jesus
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 as
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 my
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 savior
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49
00:28:49 --> 00:28:51 is
00:28:51 --> 00:28:51 the
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 very
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 foundation
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 for
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 all
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 the
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 other
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 things
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 that
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 this
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 God
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 wants
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 to
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 bring
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 into
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 your
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 life
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 all
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 the
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 comfort
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 all
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 the
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 hope
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 all
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 the
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 joyful
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 humility
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 and
00:29:03 --> 00:29:03 everything
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 else
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 the
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 only
00:29:06 --> 00:29:06 way
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 that
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 we
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 would
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 have
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 such
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 courage
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 the
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 only
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 way
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 we
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 would
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 get
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 the
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 strength
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 to be
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 courageous
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 and
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 admit
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 that
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 is
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14 by
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14 looking
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 to
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 Jesus
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 himself
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 he's
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 the
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 only
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 source
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 of
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 that
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 courage
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 he's
00:29:19 --> 00:29:19 not
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 just
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 the
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 source
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 of
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 our
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 comfort
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 and
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 our
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 salvation
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 and
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 our
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 hope
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 but
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 he
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 is
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 the
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 source
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 of
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 the
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 courage
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 you
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 see
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 if
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 it
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 takes
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 courage
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 to
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 be
00:29:29 --> 00:29:29 with
00:29:29 --> 00:29:29 him
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 consider
00:29:30 --> 00:29:32 consider
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 that
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 it
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 took
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 infinitely
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 more
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 courage
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 for
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 him
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 to
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 be
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 with
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 us
00:29:37 --> 00:29:39 infinitely
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 more
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 courage
00:29:40 --> 00:29:42 apart
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 from
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 Christianity
00:29:43 --> 00:29:45 no
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 other
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 religion
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 says
00:29:47 --> 00:29:47 that
00:29:47 --> 00:29:47 one
00:29:47 --> 00:29:47 of
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 the
00:29:48 --> 00:29:48 attributes
00:29:48 --> 00:29:48 of
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 the
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 divine
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 is
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 courage
00:29:51 --> 00:29:54 he
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 became
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 mortal
00:29:55 --> 00:29:57 he
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 became
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 vulnerable
00:29:58 --> 00:30:00 so
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 that
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 he
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 could
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 suffer
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 be
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 betrayed
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 and
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 killed
00:30:05 --> 00:30:07 he
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 faced
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 our
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 darkness
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 so
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 that
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 we
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 can
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 have
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 the
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 light
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 of
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 life
00:30:11 --> 00:30:13 and
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 that
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 means
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 that
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 because
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 he's
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 done
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 that
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 for
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 us
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 it
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 enables
00:30:17 --> 00:30:17 us
00:30:17 --> 00:30:17 to
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 face
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 any
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 darkness
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 ourselves
00:30:20 --> 00:30:22 and
00:30:22 --> 00:30:22 still
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 have
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 the
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 light
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 of
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 hope
00:30:24 --> 00:30:26 and
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 he
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 did
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 it
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 all
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 willingly
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 for
00:30:28 --> 00:30:28 us
00:30:28 --> 00:30:30 it's
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 there
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 actually
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 in the
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 Christmas
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 carol
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 we haven't
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 sung it
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 well I'm
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 sure we're
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 going to
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 sing in
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 the next
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 few
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 weeks
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 but
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 the
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 Christmas
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 carol
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 hark
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 the
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 herald
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 angels
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 sing
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 there's
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 a line
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 in
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 that
00:30:41 --> 00:30:41 carol
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 which
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 where we
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 sing
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 mild
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 he lays
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 his glory
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 by
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 what that
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 means
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 is
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 he
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 voluntarily
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 did it
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 he
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 willingly
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 did it
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 he
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 lovingly
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 did it
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 no one
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 forced him
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 to lay
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 his glory
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 aside
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 to come
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 into this
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 world
00:31:02 --> 00:31:02 and love
00:31:02 --> 00:31:02 us
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 he faced
00:31:03 --> 00:31:05 unimaginable
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 pain
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 and death
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 and darkness
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 out of love
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 for humanity
00:31:09 --> 00:31:12 and so
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 why did
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 Jesus have
00:31:14 --> 00:31:14 the courage
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 to do
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 what he
00:31:16 --> 00:31:16 did for
00:31:16 --> 00:31:16 us
00:31:16 --> 00:31:19 love
00:31:19 --> 00:31:21 how do
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 we get
00:31:22 --> 00:31:22 the courage
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 to admit
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 that we're
00:31:24 --> 00:31:24 sinners
00:31:24 --> 00:31:24 and we
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 need his
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 forgiveness
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 and a
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 relationship
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 with him
00:31:27 --> 00:31:29 exactly
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 the same
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 way
00:31:30 --> 00:31:33 by looking
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 to him
00:31:33 --> 00:31:35 and seeing
00:31:35 --> 00:31:37 all that
00:31:37 --> 00:31:37 he has
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 done
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 for us
00:31:39 --> 00:31:42 that
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 consistently
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 looking at
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 him
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 and what
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 it cost
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 him
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 will
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 draw
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 out
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 love
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 for him
00:31:49 --> 00:31:52 and then
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 we will
00:31:53 --> 00:31:53 have the
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 courage
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 to put
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 him
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 into the
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 centre
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 of our
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 lives
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 and then
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 he will
00:31:58 --> 00:31:58 be
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 with you
00:31:59 --> 00:32:02 and you
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 with him
00:32:03 --> 00:32:05 that's
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 Christmas
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 and so
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 two
00:32:08 --> 00:32:10 really quick
00:32:10 --> 00:32:10 implications
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 for us
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 this morning
00:32:12 --> 00:32:15 if you're
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 someone
00:32:16 --> 00:32:16 here
00:32:16 --> 00:32:16 and you
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 don't
00:32:17 --> 00:32:17 know
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 Jesus
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 I want
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 to call
00:32:20 --> 00:32:20 you to
00:32:20 --> 00:32:20 be
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 courageous
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 this
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 morning
00:32:21 --> 00:32:24 he has
00:32:24 --> 00:32:24 come to
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 you
00:32:25 --> 00:32:27 come to
00:32:27 --> 00:32:27 him
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 this
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 morning
00:32:28 --> 00:32:30 admit
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 that you're
00:32:31 --> 00:32:31 a moral
00:32:31 --> 00:32:31 failure
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 come to
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 him
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 and find
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 in him
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 mercy
00:32:36 --> 00:32:36 and grace
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 and love
00:32:37 --> 00:32:37 and forgiveness
00:32:37 --> 00:32:39 secondly
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 if you're
00:32:40 --> 00:32:40 someone
00:32:40 --> 00:32:42 who does
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 know
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 Jesus
00:32:43 --> 00:32:43 you've
00:32:43 --> 00:32:43 already
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 come to
00:32:44 --> 00:32:44 him
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 I want
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 to call
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 you to
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 have
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 courage
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 this
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 Christmas
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 I want
00:32:49 --> 00:32:49 you to
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 have
00:32:50 --> 00:32:50 courage
00:32:50 --> 00:32:52 to pray
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 for someone
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 that they
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 might
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 come to
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 Jesus
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 this
00:32:57 --> 00:32:57 Christmas
00:32:57 --> 00:32:59 and courage
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 to follow
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 through with
00:33:01 --> 00:33:01 that
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 personally
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 and invite
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 them to
00:33:04 --> 00:33:04 church
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 and so
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 we've got
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 the Christmas
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 invites
00:33:07 --> 00:33:07 out there
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 on the
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 Christmas
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 station
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 near the
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 kitchen
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 and can
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 also
00:33:11 --> 00:33:11 there's a
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 little
00:33:12 --> 00:33:12 basket
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 there
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 these are
00:33:14 --> 00:33:14 feet
00:33:14 --> 00:33:14 by the
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 way
00:33:15 --> 00:33:17 it's a
00:33:17 --> 00:33:17 bit hard
00:33:17 --> 00:33:17 to cut
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 the toes
00:33:18 --> 00:33:18 out
00:33:18 --> 00:33:21 so
00:33:21 --> 00:33:22 what I'd
00:33:22 --> 00:33:22 encourage
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 you to
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 do
00:33:23 --> 00:33:25 is to
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 have
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 courage
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 and to
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 go there
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 get one
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 of these
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 and put
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 the name
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 of the
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 person
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 just their
00:33:30 --> 00:33:30 first name
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 or a
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 you know
00:33:32 --> 00:33:34 whatever
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 a friend
00:33:35 --> 00:33:35 of mine
00:33:35 --> 00:33:37 and put
00:33:37 --> 00:33:37 their name
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 and just
00:33:38 --> 00:33:38 stick it
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 on the
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 wall
00:33:39 --> 00:33:41 this is the
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 person that
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 I'm praying
00:33:42 --> 00:33:42 for for
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 Christmas
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 this is the
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 person I'm
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 going to
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 invite this
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 Christmas
00:33:45 --> 00:33:47 so do that
00:33:47 --> 00:33:47 after the
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 service
00:33:48 --> 00:33:48 let's pray
00:33:48 --> 00:33:51 invite the
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 band up
00:33:52 --> 00:33:57 gracious
00:33:57 --> 00:33:59 loving
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 heavenly
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 father
00:34:00 --> 00:34:00 we thank
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 you for
00:34:01 --> 00:34:02 sending
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 your one
00:34:03 --> 00:34:03 and only
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 son
00:34:04 --> 00:34:04 the
00:34:04 --> 00:34:04 Lord
00:34:04 --> 00:34:04 Jesus
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 Christ
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 we thank
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 you for
00:34:07 --> 00:34:07 his love
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 his mercy
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 his forgiveness
00:34:09 --> 00:34:11 we thank
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 you
00:34:12 --> 00:34:14 that you're a
00:34:14 --> 00:34:14 God not
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 just of
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 justice
00:34:16 --> 00:34:18 but a
00:34:18 --> 00:34:18 God of
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 deep mercy
00:34:19 --> 00:34:19 and forgiveness
00:34:19 --> 00:34:21 and so
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 if there are
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 any here
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 this morning
00:34:24 --> 00:34:26 who are
00:34:26 --> 00:34:26 wavering
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 with that
00:34:27 --> 00:34:27 courage
00:34:27 --> 00:34:29 to come
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 to you
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 Holy
00:34:31 --> 00:34:32 Spirit
00:34:32 --> 00:34:35 send the
00:34:35 --> 00:34:35 light of
00:34:35 --> 00:34:35 life
00:34:35 --> 00:34:37 into their
00:34:37 --> 00:34:37 hearts right
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 now and
00:34:38 --> 00:34:38 bring them
00:34:38 --> 00:34:38 to you
00:34:38 --> 00:34:40 and for
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 those of us
00:34:41 --> 00:34:41 who do
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 know you
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 help us
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 to courageously
00:34:44 --> 00:34:44 take our
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 next step
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 leading into
00:34:46 --> 00:34:46 your love
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 this Christmas
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 and we ask
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 it for your
00:34:49 --> 00:34:49 sake
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 Amen