Dr. Tony Evans is known as a relevant expositor and is a pastor of pastors and a father in the faith.
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Dr. Tony Evans | Tony Evans - The True Light of Christmas | December 22, 2024
- ...
- 00:00:00.633 --> 00:00:01.317
- Tony evans: when they saw god's star over bethlehem, they came
- 00:00:01.751 --> 00:00:05.522
- Looking for jesus even at the inconvenience of the journey,
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- Because he is worthy of whatever distance we have to travel
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- To get to where he is.
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- So the question in the new year: is jesus worthy of your worship
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- Even if you have to be inconvenienced to get to it?
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- ♪♪♪
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- Tony: there's some folks who discovered christmas
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- And that's what i want to talk to you about today.
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- The folks who found christmas, and some of the awesome lessons
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- That we learn from the folks who found christmas.
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- Lessons for them, but lessons for you and me as well.
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- The purpose of light is to help you see things clearly.
- 00:00:59.676 --> 00:01:04.047
- The opposite of light is darkness, where you do not see
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- Things clearly.
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- Light is necessary to dispel darkness so that you are
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- Illuminated to reality.
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- The bible makes it clear that men live in darkness.
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- They don't see things clearly.
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- That's why we do the sins we do, make the mistakes we do,
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- Have the failures we do, because we don't see things
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- As they ought to be seen.
- 00:01:34.744 --> 00:01:36.312
- We just think we do.
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- Jesus is the light of the world.
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- His job is to bring reality to our darkness.
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- We live in a world illuminated by the s-u-n, the sun.
- 00:01:49.459 --> 00:01:57.033
- But we don't benefit from the sun just because we look
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- At the sun.
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- We benefit from the s-u-n because we see everything else
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- Because of it.
- 00:02:07.076 --> 00:02:08.645
- In other words, because there is an s-u-n, we see all that earth
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- Has to offer because there is an s-o-n.
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- We not only can look at the sun, but we see everything else
- 00:02:19.956 --> 00:02:24.861
- When we look at everything else in light of the s-o-n.
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- What the physical sun is, the s-u-n, is to the physical world,
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- The s-o-n, son, is to our spiritual reality.
- 00:02:37.974 --> 00:02:45.081
- So when you do not look at things through the visor
- 00:02:45.081 --> 00:02:50.053
- Of the s-o-n, you will not see it clearly because you will be
- 00:02:50.053 --> 00:02:55.158
- Limited to your five senses.
- 00:02:55.158 --> 00:02:59.462
- So to really catch christ this christmas is to be able to see
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- Your life as it ought to be seen, evaluated as it ought
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- To be evaluated, and benefit from clear sight lines rather
- 00:03:11.741 --> 00:03:17.880
- Than the darkness that we've gotten
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- Used to operating in.
- 00:03:19.215 --> 00:03:22.518
- So let's tour some folks who ran into jesus and see what they saw
- 00:03:22.518 --> 00:03:27.991
- So that you can see what you see.
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- The first person i'd like to talk about is mary,
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- Jesus's mother.
- 00:03:37.166 --> 00:03:40.403
- In chapter 1 of the book of luke, an angel comes
- 00:03:40.403 --> 00:03:47.343
- To mary and tells mary she's gonna have a baby,
- 00:03:47.343 --> 00:03:55.485
- And this presents a biological dilemma because mary says
- 00:03:55.485 --> 00:04:02.792
- In verse 34 of chapter 1,
- 00:04:02.792 --> 00:04:05.094
- "how can this be, since i am a virgin?"
- 00:04:05.094 --> 00:04:11.301
- Now, i would call that a practical question.
- 00:04:11.301 --> 00:04:15.238
- "i've never been intimate with a man.
- 00:04:15.238 --> 00:04:19.142
- I am a virgin, but you just told me i'm gonna be pregnant.
- 00:04:19.142 --> 00:04:25.181
- Logically, biologically, scientifically, angel, what you
- 00:04:25.181 --> 00:04:33.523
- Just said can't happen.
- 00:04:33.523 --> 00:04:37.060
- How can this thing be?"
- 00:04:37.060 --> 00:04:39.762
- The angel tells her that the holy spirit is
- 00:04:39.762 --> 00:04:42.999
- Going to come up--come on, you got to be kidding.
- 00:04:42.999 --> 00:04:46.302
- "the holy spirit is going to come upon you,
- 00:04:46.302 --> 00:04:49.572
- And when the holy spirit comes upon you," verse 35,
- 00:04:49.572 --> 00:04:52.975
- "the power of the most high is gonna overshadow you.
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- And for this reason, the holy child shall be
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- Called the son of god."
- 00:05:00.750 --> 00:05:03.052
- But i want you to notice something.
- 00:05:03.052 --> 00:05:06.322
- The angel tells her something that i don't want you to miss
- 00:05:06.322 --> 00:05:11.027
- In verse 37.
- 00:05:11.027 --> 00:05:13.529
- He says, "the reason you need to buy this, mary,
- 00:05:13.529 --> 00:05:17.867
- Is because nothing is impossible with god."
- 00:05:17.867 --> 00:05:22.271
- You see, one of the lessons of christmas is don't put god
- 00:05:22.271 --> 00:05:26.509
- In a box, because when god wants to do something he can transcend
- 00:05:26.509 --> 00:05:31.981
- Logic to do it.
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- He can transcend your education to do it.
- 00:05:34.283 --> 00:05:37.820
- I want to contrast mary with zacharias.
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- Now, zacharias is married to elizabeth.
- 00:05:42.658 --> 00:05:46.562
- Elizabeth is a relative of mary.
- 00:05:46.562 --> 00:05:50.366
- Zacharias is old.
- 00:05:50.366 --> 00:05:53.102
- An angel comes to zacharias in this same chapter and says,
- 00:05:53.102 --> 00:05:58.841
- "you're going to be the father of a baby."
- 00:05:58.841 --> 00:06:02.745
- Zacharias has a big question because zacharias said
- 00:06:02.745 --> 00:06:09.218
- To the angel, "how will i know this for certain?"
- 00:06:09.218 --> 00:06:12.755
- Now that's the same question mary had, "how can this
- 00:06:12.755 --> 00:06:15.324
- Thing be?"
- 00:06:15.324 --> 00:06:17.126
- Zacharias goes logical like mary did.
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- Mary said, "i am a virgin."
- 00:06:21.497 --> 00:06:23.199
- That's logical.
- 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:24.767
- Zacharias says, "how can this thing be, that i'm gonna have
- 00:06:24.767 --> 00:06:28.971
- A baby, my wife's gonna have a baby?
- 00:06:28.971 --> 00:06:31.107
- I'm an old man."
- 00:06:31.107 --> 00:06:33.476
- He says, "this is not possible.
- 00:06:33.476 --> 00:06:35.378
- I'm an old man.
- 00:06:35.378 --> 00:06:36.979
- Not only that, but my wife is advanced in years.
- 00:06:36.979 --> 00:06:41.617
- She's already been through menopause.
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- She's an old lady now.
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- You're telling me i'm going to have a baby through my
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- Wife elizabeth?
- 00:06:49.892 --> 00:06:51.494
- That's not logically possible."
- 00:06:51.494 --> 00:06:54.764
- Look at what the angel tells him.
- 00:06:54.764 --> 00:06:57.266
- The angel says to zechariah in verse 20 of luke 1,
- 00:06:57.266 --> 00:07:02.171
- "and, behold, you shall be silent, and unable to speak,
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- Until the day when these things take place, because you did not
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- Believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time."
- 00:07:12.348 --> 00:07:16.652
- Wait a minute now.
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- We got the same kind of scenario and impossibility, something
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- That can't happen.
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- Zacharias is too old, his wife is too advanced in years
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- For her to get pregnant.
- 00:07:30.867 --> 00:07:32.235
- Biology says that can't happen.
- 00:07:32.235 --> 00:07:35.171
- Mary is a virgin.
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- She can't get pregnant because there's no man
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- On the scene.
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- Logic says that can't happen.
- 00:07:40.643 --> 00:07:43.746
- So we've got the similar situation, but we've got
- 00:07:43.746 --> 00:07:47.783
- Two different reactions.
- 00:07:47.783 --> 00:07:50.186
- The angel tells zachariah, "because you did not believe,
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- You will not be able to speak until it happens."
- 00:07:55.791 --> 00:08:00.630
- But the angel tells mary, "get ready, because you're
- 00:08:00.630 --> 00:08:06.302
- Getting ready to experience a supernatural reality."
- 00:08:06.302 --> 00:08:10.006
- But both of them had doubts and had questions.
- 00:08:10.006 --> 00:08:14.076
- So the issue is, when you are facing an impossibility,
- 00:08:14.076 --> 00:08:17.713
- Something that does not make sense, that is revealed by god,
- 00:08:17.713 --> 00:08:23.219
- What's the difference between a doubt that brings
- 00:08:23.219 --> 00:08:27.456
- Discipline and a doubt that brings a miracle?
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- Because they both had a doubt, they both had a question,
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- Because it wasn't logical.
- 00:08:34.397 --> 00:08:36.265
- Here's the difference.
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- It's shown in chapter 1, verse 38.
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- When the angel said nothing is impossible with god, mary said,
- 00:08:41.904 --> 00:08:46.876
- "'behold, the bondslave of the lord; may it be done
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- To me according to your word.'
- 00:08:52.582 --> 00:08:54.383
- And the angel departed from her."
- 00:08:54.383 --> 00:08:56.886
- You see, both would require a miracle, but zacharias's doubt
- 00:08:56.886 --> 00:09:02.625
- Was a miracle that led him to unbelief.
- 00:09:02.625 --> 00:09:06.762
- Mary's doubt was a miracle that led her to submission.
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- Even though mary said, "i don't understand it, even though it
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- Doesn't fit my biological reality, because it came from
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- God, i'm going to be your bondservant, and do to mama
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- Whatever you want to do.
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- Because if god said it, i don't have to understand it,
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- I don't have to figure it out.
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- I just have to embrace it.
- 00:09:32.955 --> 00:09:34.890
- And when i embrace it, the supernatural enters
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- Into the natural."
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- Don't go into the new year with your natural thinking.
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- Don't go into the new year with your human understanding.
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- Don't go into your new year with your education and your
- 00:09:49.071 --> 00:09:53.943
- Information, as though that would determine what god can do,
- 00:09:53.943 --> 00:09:58.514
- Is able to do, will do, won't do, because the angel told mary
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- To tell me to tell you that nothing is impossible with god.
- 00:10:03.986 --> 00:10:11.594
- You must enter the new year if you understand christmas
- 00:10:11.594 --> 00:10:16.899
- With an understanding that god can blow your box, god can
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- Mess up your thoughts, god can reverse your direction.
- 00:10:23.339 --> 00:10:26.842
- And he can do it on a dime because the angel came
- 00:10:26.842 --> 00:10:30.246
- To mary out of nowhere.
- 00:10:30.246 --> 00:10:34.517
- So, elizabeth, zachariah's wife, gets pregnant.
- 00:10:34.517 --> 00:10:41.357
- Mary comes to visit her.
- 00:10:41.357 --> 00:10:43.426
- And i just want to make this side point in verse 41.
- 00:10:43.426 --> 00:10:47.697
- "when elizabeth heard mary's greeting, the baby leaped
- 00:10:47.697 --> 00:10:52.735
- In her womb; and elizabeth
- 00:10:52.735 --> 00:10:55.037
- Was filled with the holy spirit."
- 00:10:55.037 --> 00:10:56.806
- So, mary is pregnant, she comes to meet elizabeth who's
- 00:10:56.806 --> 00:11:04.680
- Pregnant, and when mary comes to elizabeth, the baby
- 00:11:04.680 --> 00:11:10.319
- In elizabeth's womb jumps because jesus has entered
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- Into the vicinity in the womb of mary.
- 00:11:16.425 --> 00:11:19.662
- Now, the second group that didn't miss jesus on christmas
- 00:11:19.662 --> 00:11:25.801
- Were the shepherds.
- 00:11:25.801 --> 00:11:28.637
- We're told in chapter 2, verse 8 that "in the same region there
- 00:11:28.637 --> 00:11:33.876
- Were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping
- 00:11:33.876 --> 00:11:38.114
- Watch over the flock by night."
- 00:11:38.114 --> 00:11:40.282
- And here we go with another angel.
- 00:11:40.282 --> 00:11:42.918
- An angel shows up, i'm gonna say something about that
- 00:11:42.918 --> 00:11:45.688
- In a moment, of the lord, and guess how he showed up?
- 00:11:45.688 --> 00:11:49.391
- Suddenly.
- 00:11:49.391 --> 00:11:51.127
- So suddenly the angel comes, and there are these shepherds
- 00:11:51.127 --> 00:11:55.898
- And they're scared to death.
- 00:11:55.898 --> 00:11:59.268
- The angel says, "do not be afraid,"
- 00:11:59.268 --> 00:12:01.670
- Because they're scared.
- 00:12:01.670 --> 00:12:03.005
- They haven't seen anything like this before.
- 00:12:03.005 --> 00:12:07.443
- "do not be afraid; for behold," somebody say "behold."
- 00:12:07.443 --> 00:12:11.781
- There are a lot of scary things that is going to happen
- 00:12:11.781 --> 00:12:14.984
- And you're going to face in the new year.
- 00:12:14.984 --> 00:12:17.119
- And when you face fear, he tells them, because they are afraid,
- 00:12:17.119 --> 00:12:21.223
- He tells them to behold.
- 00:12:21.223 --> 00:12:23.359
- That means look intensely at.
- 00:12:23.359 --> 00:12:25.628
- What are they to behold?
- 00:12:25.628 --> 00:12:26.996
- "i bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the
- 00:12:26.996 --> 00:12:30.166
- People; for today in the city of david has been born for you
- 00:12:30.166 --> 00:12:33.035
- A savior, who is christ the lord."
- 00:12:33.035 --> 00:12:35.437
- The more scared you get, the more you need to focus on jesus.
- 00:12:35.437 --> 00:12:39.942
- He tells scared shepherds, "look to jesus, and that will calm
- 00:12:39.942 --> 00:12:44.346
- Your fear, and it will turn fear into good news and fear into joy
- 00:12:44.346 --> 00:12:49.318
- If you look to jesus."
- 00:12:49.318 --> 00:12:51.287
- So whatever scares you in the new year, focus on jesus,
- 00:12:51.287 --> 00:12:56.125
- Who can give you peace in the midst of a storm.
- 00:12:56.125 --> 00:12:59.161
- So get your focus straight in the new year so that jesus can
- 00:12:59.161 --> 00:13:03.365
- Turn fearful situations, anxiety, and anxiousness
- 00:13:03.365 --> 00:13:08.204
- Into stability, calm, peace, and joy.
- 00:13:08.204 --> 00:13:11.974
- But let's go deeper.
- 00:13:11.974 --> 00:13:13.843
- He says that the savior's going to be born in the city of david.
- 00:13:13.843 --> 00:13:18.347
- "and i'm gonna give you a sign," verse 12 says.
- 00:13:18.347 --> 00:13:23.085
- "you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger."
- 00:13:23.085 --> 00:13:32.127
- Now, at first that doesn't seem like much.
- 00:13:32.127 --> 00:13:35.664
- You're gonna see a baby, okay?
- 00:13:35.664 --> 00:13:37.633
- A lot of babies.
- 00:13:37.633 --> 00:13:40.069
- You're gonna see a baby with cloth on him.
- 00:13:40.069 --> 00:13:43.739
- Okay, well any baby's gonna be wrapped in something.
- 00:13:43.739 --> 00:13:47.743
- You're gonna be found a baby in a manger.
- 00:13:47.743 --> 00:13:50.212
- Well, that's a little different, but that's sort of like a crib.
- 00:13:50.212 --> 00:13:52.882
- It was a feeding trough, but it's sort of like a crib.
- 00:13:52.882 --> 00:13:54.917
- And if there was no room in the inn,
- 00:13:54.917 --> 00:13:57.486
- You got to put the baby into something.
- 00:13:57.486 --> 00:13:58.954
- So, how is that a sign?
- 00:13:58.954 --> 00:14:02.458
- Because i see a baby, baby's got cloth on him,
- 00:14:02.458 --> 00:14:06.161
- And the baby's lying in a different kind of lying
- 00:14:06.161 --> 00:14:09.064
- But it's lying in a trough.
- 00:14:09.064 --> 00:14:10.766
- But how is that a sign that he's the savior?
- 00:14:10.766 --> 00:14:16.038
- What is unique about that?
- 00:14:16.038 --> 00:14:18.140
- What is special about that?
- 00:14:18.140 --> 00:14:21.277
- I think the king james says he will be wrapped
- 00:14:21.277 --> 00:14:23.879
- In "swaddling clothes."
- 00:14:23.879 --> 00:14:26.682
- Well, who is he talking to?
- 00:14:26.682 --> 00:14:28.817
- He's talking to shepherds.
- 00:14:28.817 --> 00:14:30.219
- What are shepherds doing?
- 00:14:30.219 --> 00:14:31.587
- They're watching over lamb and sheep, right?
- 00:14:31.587 --> 00:14:33.055
- Let me tell you about the shepherds.
- 00:14:33.055 --> 00:14:35.858
- These are not just general shepherds.
- 00:14:35.858 --> 00:14:38.894
- The shepherds that the angel comes to are shepherds that are
- 00:14:38.894 --> 00:14:43.565
- Watching over the lambs that would be offered
- 00:14:43.565 --> 00:14:46.335
- As sacrifice on the altar for the sins of the people.
- 00:14:46.335 --> 00:14:51.640
- The lambs had to be without spot or wrinkle.
- 00:14:51.640 --> 00:14:54.944
- They could not have any blemishes, any cuts,
- 00:14:54.944 --> 00:14:57.780
- Any scars on them.
- 00:14:57.780 --> 00:15:00.215
- So back in jesus's day, what they would do is they would wrap
- 00:15:00.215 --> 00:15:04.320
- A newborn lamb in cloth so that as the lamb began to move
- 00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:10.626
- Around, it wouldn't rub off of something and get a scar on it,
- 00:15:10.626 --> 00:15:14.897
- Because then it would be no good.
- 00:15:14.897 --> 00:15:16.598
- You couldn't offer it anymore.
- 00:15:16.598 --> 00:15:18.200
- So when the shepherds heard that they were to find a baby
- 00:15:18.200 --> 00:15:22.571
- That would be wrapped like one of the lambs that they
- 00:15:22.571 --> 00:15:25.307
- Would normally wrap, because this baby was born
- 00:15:25.307 --> 00:15:28.811
- To die, they would know that this is the savior
- 00:15:28.811 --> 00:15:32.982
- Because this is the lamb of god come to be offered
- 00:15:32.982 --> 00:15:37.019
- As the sacrifice for mankind.
- 00:15:37.019 --> 00:15:43.559
- So that's why the wrapping was so important, and it was
- 00:15:43.559 --> 00:15:46.996
- The wrapping of a baby like the wrapping of a newborn lamb,
- 00:15:46.996 --> 00:15:50.432
- Because jesus had to be the son of god without spot
- 00:15:50.432 --> 00:15:54.737
- Or blemish, the sinless son of god.
- 00:15:54.737 --> 00:15:59.208
- And so they come, and now the angels come forth
- 00:15:59.208 --> 00:16:03.579
- And they're singing, "and the shepherds," verse 20,
- 00:16:03.579 --> 00:16:08.650
- "went back, glorifying and praising god for all
- 00:16:08.650 --> 00:16:12.321
- That they had heard and for what they had been told."
- 00:16:12.321 --> 00:16:15.991
- Each of these could be a sermon within itself.
- 00:16:15.991 --> 00:16:18.894
- These shepherds experience the miracle of jesus's birth.
- 00:16:18.894 --> 00:16:24.800
- Why?
- 00:16:24.800 --> 00:16:26.135
- Because they recognize the uniqueness of the savior
- 00:16:26.135 --> 00:16:28.604
- And responded accordingly.
- 00:16:28.604 --> 00:16:31.040
- Let me show you somebody else who didn't miss christmas.
- 00:16:31.040 --> 00:16:35.544
- His name is simeon, chapter 2, verse 25.
- 00:16:35.544 --> 00:16:40.516
- "there was a man in jerusalem whose name was simeon; and this
- 00:16:40.516 --> 00:16:43.919
- Man was a righteous and devout--he was righteous
- 00:16:43.919 --> 00:16:46.855
- And devout, looking for the consolation of israel," that is,
- 00:16:46.855 --> 00:16:50.259
- Looking for the savior, "and the holy spirit was upon him.
- 00:16:50.259 --> 00:16:55.397
- And it had been revealed to him by the holy spirit that he
- 00:16:55.397 --> 00:16:58.567
- Would not see death before he had seen the lord's christ.
- 00:16:58.567 --> 00:17:03.338
- And he came in the spirit into the temple; and when the parents
- 00:17:03.338 --> 00:17:08.977
- Brought in the child jesus, to carry out for him the custom
- 00:17:08.977 --> 00:17:13.115
- Of the law," circumcision on the eighth day, "then he took
- 00:17:13.115 --> 00:17:16.218
- Him into his arms, and blessed god."
- 00:17:16.218 --> 00:17:20.222
- Simeon didn't miss christmas.
- 00:17:20.222 --> 00:17:23.258
- The reason he didn't miss christmas, he says he
- 00:17:23.258 --> 00:17:25.727
- Was righteous and devout.
- 00:17:25.727 --> 00:17:27.696
- In other words, he had committed his life to the lord.
- 00:17:27.696 --> 00:17:32.067
- Secondly, he didn't miss christmas because he was looking
- 00:17:32.067 --> 00:17:34.470
- For jesus.
- 00:17:34.470 --> 00:17:36.939
- So if you really want to experience god in the new year
- 00:17:36.939 --> 00:17:40.742
- And you really want to make the most out of christmas,
- 00:17:40.742 --> 00:17:43.946
- Live a life that seeks to please him.
- 00:17:43.946 --> 00:17:46.915
- It's called righteousness.
- 00:17:46.915 --> 00:17:48.851
- Be fully committed to him.
- 00:17:48.851 --> 00:17:50.853
- It's called being devout.
- 00:17:50.853 --> 00:17:52.821
- And then keep your eyes open for him,
- 00:17:52.821 --> 00:17:55.090
- Because he was looking for jesus.
- 00:17:55.090 --> 00:17:57.426
- He was looking for the consolation of israel.
- 00:17:57.426 --> 00:17:59.995
- He was looking for jesus to show up.
- 00:17:59.995 --> 00:18:03.298
- And it's a beautiful thing, he was told he wouldn't see death
- 00:18:03.298 --> 00:18:06.902
- Until he saw jesus.
- 00:18:06.902 --> 00:18:08.737
- Oh, this is deep, this is deep.
- 00:18:08.737 --> 00:18:12.708
- You see, when it comes time for you to die, you want
- 00:18:12.708 --> 00:18:15.077
- To be able to see jesus.
- 00:18:15.077 --> 00:18:18.914
- Now, i must warn you, let me warn you, because he's
- 00:18:18.914 --> 00:18:24.186
- Going to give us a warning here.
- 00:18:24.186 --> 00:18:25.954
- He gives us the warning in verse 34.
- 00:18:25.954 --> 00:18:35.097
- "and simeon blessed them and said to mary his mother,
- 00:18:35.097 --> 00:18:40.002
- 'behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rise of many
- 00:18:40.002 --> 00:18:45.674
- In israel, and for a sign to be opposed--and a sword will pierce
- 00:18:45.674 --> 00:18:52.481
- Even your own soul--to the end that thoughts from many hearts
- 00:18:52.481 --> 00:18:58.720
- May be revealed.'"
- 00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:00.322
- Whoa.
- 00:19:00.322 --> 00:19:03.659
- Simon says commitment to jesus will be polarizing.
- 00:19:03.659 --> 00:19:10.599
- Many will rise and fall at his name.
- 00:19:10.599 --> 00:19:16.038
- Too many of us as christians are safe because we don't want
- 00:19:16.038 --> 00:19:20.943
- To offend anybody.
- 00:19:20.943 --> 00:19:22.277
- I don't mean being offensive, that's not what i mean.
- 00:19:22.277 --> 00:19:26.215
- But we don't want to be offending by being too close
- 00:19:26.215 --> 00:19:31.286
- To jesus, so we stay generic god.
- 00:19:31.286 --> 00:19:35.290
- Let me tell you what jesus's answer is.
- 00:19:35.290 --> 00:19:38.227
- He says in matthew chapter 10, "if you deny me before men,
- 00:19:38.227 --> 00:19:41.096
- I will deny you before my father.
- 00:19:41.096 --> 00:19:43.865
- If you affirm me before men, i will affirm you
- 00:19:43.865 --> 00:19:46.034
- Before my father."
- 00:19:46.034 --> 00:19:47.836
- So don't--"if you're embarrassed to be associated with me, you
- 00:19:47.836 --> 00:19:51.707
- Don't want your friends to know you believe in me, you don't
- 00:19:51.707 --> 00:19:53.976
- Want people to know you're committed to me, you don't want
- 00:19:53.976 --> 00:19:56.345
- People to know i'm your savior, you skip me because i'm
- 00:19:56.345 --> 00:19:59.982
- An embarrassment to you, then just tagging on
- 00:19:59.982 --> 00:20:03.452
- 'in jesus's name' to your prayer won't mean a thing.
- 00:20:03.452 --> 00:20:06.321
- You must be willing to be identified with me."
- 00:20:06.321 --> 00:20:11.560
- That's why he says in philippians 2 that at the name
- 00:20:11.560 --> 00:20:15.197
- Of jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess
- 00:20:15.197 --> 00:20:20.602
- That jesus is lord, to the glory of the father.
- 00:20:20.602 --> 00:20:24.172
- It is your identification with jesus, and not merely your
- 00:20:24.172 --> 00:20:27.843
- Belief in god, that makes christmas with a little juice
- 00:20:27.843 --> 00:20:31.580
- In it.
- 00:20:31.580 --> 00:20:32.914
- That makes christmas potent.
- 00:20:32.914 --> 00:20:35.217
- That makes christ real.
- 00:20:35.217 --> 00:20:38.820
- He says, "this child is gonna cause a problem."
- 00:20:38.820 --> 00:20:42.324
- Because when you go out with jesus and you get away
- 00:20:42.324 --> 00:20:45.427
- From generic god, you're gonna have some folk that's not gonna
- 00:20:45.427 --> 00:20:48.030
- Buy you now.
- 00:20:48.030 --> 00:20:49.564
- So jesus is okay right now, but when you cross the calendar
- 00:20:49.564 --> 00:20:53.235
- Over and you still will treat it like christmas, like jesus is
- 00:20:53.235 --> 00:20:56.338
- Something special, like he's the son of the living god,
- 00:20:56.338 --> 00:20:59.841
- That he is your savior and your lord, if you go out there like
- 00:20:59.841 --> 00:21:03.278
- That, you're gonna have a problem.
- 00:21:03.278 --> 00:21:06.081
- He tells mary, "i just want you to know that, yeah, he's all
- 00:21:06.081 --> 00:21:11.086
- That, but he will create a problem."
- 00:21:11.086 --> 00:21:14.489
- But he says, "not only will many rise and fall," he says,
- 00:21:14.489 --> 00:21:19.661
- "he's gonna create a problem for your soul."
- 00:21:19.661 --> 00:21:23.165
- So he's gonna have a problem--he's gonna be a problem
- 00:21:23.165 --> 00:21:26.234
- For you.
- 00:21:26.234 --> 00:21:27.669
- Not just for the folk around you, he's gonna be a problem
- 00:21:27.669 --> 00:21:30.138
- For you, because you're gonna want to do some things
- 00:21:30.138 --> 00:21:32.774
- That jesus won't agree with.
- 00:21:32.774 --> 00:21:34.810
- You're gonna wanna go somewhere that jesus doesn't want you
- 00:21:34.810 --> 00:21:37.379
- To go.
- 00:21:37.379 --> 00:21:38.714
- You're gonna wanna be something that jesus doesn't want you
- 00:21:38.714 --> 00:21:40.615
- To be.
- 00:21:40.615 --> 00:21:41.983
- And so you and jesus are gonna have a problem.
- 00:21:41.983 --> 00:21:44.152
- He says jesus will oppose your soul.
- 00:21:44.152 --> 00:21:47.089
- So jesus is a problem because he will bring you
- 00:21:47.089 --> 00:21:50.692
- Into conflict with yourself, where you will have to say no
- 00:21:50.692 --> 00:21:55.030
- To you and yes to him.
- 00:21:55.030 --> 00:21:57.699
- But when you say no to you and yes to him, you get more
- 00:21:57.699 --> 00:22:01.870
- Of him in you, but not until you say no to you and yes to him.
- 00:22:01.870 --> 00:22:08.777
- So you see, christmas brings a conflict within you
- 00:22:08.777 --> 00:22:13.949
- And without you, and it's all about jesus.
- 00:22:13.949 --> 00:22:18.487
- Finally, the final persons who found jesus are the wise men
- 00:22:18.487 --> 00:22:25.060
- In matthew chapter 2.
- 00:22:25.060 --> 00:22:26.995
- First of all, all these nativity scenes where
- 00:22:26.995 --> 00:22:29.097
- You see wise men around the manger?
- 00:22:29.097 --> 00:22:34.403
- No, not true.
- 00:22:34.403 --> 00:22:37.939
- There were no wise men at the manger at the end
- 00:22:37.939 --> 00:22:42.310
- With the shepherds because chapter 2, verse 11
- 00:22:42.310 --> 00:22:48.450
- Says, "and coming into the house they saw the child."
- 00:22:48.450 --> 00:22:53.155
- So when the wise men get there, jesus is not in the manger,
- 00:22:53.155 --> 00:22:58.126
- He's in the house.
- 00:22:58.126 --> 00:23:00.061
- Two, he's not a baby, he's a child.
- 00:23:00.061 --> 00:23:01.863
- The greek word for "child" means "toddler."
- 00:23:01.863 --> 00:23:04.866
- So he's not a infant anymore.
- 00:23:04.866 --> 00:23:07.102
- He's over one years old, okay?
- 00:23:07.102 --> 00:23:11.139
- Now, the wise men saw his star when the child was born.
- 00:23:11.139 --> 00:23:17.279
- It says they came from the east on camel, on horse.
- 00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:22.751
- There were no 747s, okay, so they didn't fly there.
- 00:23:22.751 --> 00:23:28.824
- They had to walk there with camels and horses and donkeys.
- 00:23:28.824 --> 00:23:34.629
- So if you're coming from the far east
- 00:23:34.629 --> 00:23:38.467
- To the middle east on horseback and camel and donkey, you don't
- 00:23:38.467 --> 00:23:44.773
- Do that in a week or a month.
- 00:23:44.773 --> 00:23:48.009
- It takes a bunch of months to make that trip.
- 00:23:48.009 --> 00:23:52.481
- But when they saw the shekinah glory, when they saw god's star
- 00:23:52.481 --> 00:23:58.587
- From the east over bethlehem, they came looking for jesus,
- 00:23:58.587 --> 00:24:03.725
- Even at the inconvenience of the journey.
- 00:24:03.725 --> 00:24:07.662
- We don't want to drive 20 minutes to worship.
- 00:24:07.662 --> 00:24:12.667
- They took over a year to get to jesus because they decided
- 00:24:12.667 --> 00:24:16.771
- He's worthy of the inconvenience of the trip.
- 00:24:16.771 --> 00:24:20.675
- He's worthy because they said, "we have come to worship him
- 00:24:20.675 --> 00:24:25.480
- Because he is worthy of whatever distance we have to travel
- 00:24:25.480 --> 00:24:29.818
- To get to where he is.
- 00:24:29.818 --> 00:24:31.653
- And he's worthy of our frankincense,
- 00:24:31.653 --> 00:24:33.622
- He's worthy of our myrrh, he's worthy of our worship.
- 00:24:33.622 --> 00:24:38.226
- We have come to worship him."
- 00:24:38.226 --> 00:24:40.462
- So the question in the new year is: is jesus worthy
- 00:24:40.462 --> 00:24:44.499
- Of your worship?
- 00:24:44.499 --> 00:24:45.867
- What do you think about the king of kings,
- 00:24:45.867 --> 00:24:48.136
- The lord of lords, and the christ who is born
- 00:24:48.136 --> 00:24:51.840
- In bethlehem?
- 00:24:51.840 --> 00:24:53.208
- He is worthy of your worship.
- 00:24:53.208 --> 00:24:57.946
- So give him his worth this christmas.
- 00:24:57.946 --> 00:25:03.251
- And what did they get in return?
- 00:25:03.251 --> 00:25:06.755
- Verse 12, "and having been warned by god in a dream not
- 00:25:06.755 --> 00:25:12.327
- To return to herod, the magi," the wise men, "left for their
- 00:25:12.327 --> 00:25:16.898
- Own country by another way."
- 00:25:16.898 --> 00:25:19.067
- Oh, did you see that?
- 00:25:19.067 --> 00:25:20.702
- "having been warned in a dream."
- 00:25:20.702 --> 00:25:23.738
- You see, when you get jesus in the right place and give him
- 00:25:23.738 --> 00:25:28.643
- The right worship, he can tell you which direction you ought
- 00:25:28.643 --> 00:25:32.247
- To take.
- 00:25:32.247 --> 00:25:35.083
- They were warned in a dream.
- 00:25:35.083 --> 00:25:37.652
- "don't go back this route because herod is looking
- 00:25:37.652 --> 00:25:40.455
- After you, and he wants to kill you, and he wants
- 00:25:40.455 --> 00:25:42.023
- To kill the baby.
- 00:25:42.023 --> 00:25:43.358
- You need to take another route."
- 00:25:43.358 --> 00:25:44.759
- See, what god wants to give you, if you recognize jesus and give
- 00:25:44.759 --> 00:25:48.263
- Him the worth that he's deserve, is your personal internal gps
- 00:25:48.263 --> 00:25:53.134
- To be able to direct you.
- 00:25:53.134 --> 00:25:54.502
- "no, don't do this," "don't take that opportunity,"
- 00:25:54.502 --> 00:25:57.672
- "don't go to that situation," "no, because i'm not in that.
- 00:25:57.672 --> 00:25:59.407
- I'm over here."
- 00:25:59.407 --> 00:26:00.775
- "it looks good, but it won't be good five years from now,
- 00:26:00.775 --> 00:26:03.311
- So don't go there."
- 00:26:03.311 --> 00:26:04.646
- See, god wants to steer you, but he won't steer you either
- 00:26:04.646 --> 00:26:07.182
- Directly or through a voice or through a dream if you're not
- 00:26:07.182 --> 00:26:09.784
- Willing to come and worship him.
- 00:26:09.784 --> 00:26:12.153
- They got led because they were willing to do what it took
- 00:26:12.153 --> 00:26:15.523
- To give him the praise that he deserves.
- 00:26:15.523 --> 00:26:19.060
- Jesus is the light of the world.
- 00:26:19.060 --> 00:26:22.030
- He wants to illumine your light in the new year.
- 00:26:22.030 --> 00:26:26.234
- And the folks who found jesus found guidance, found miracles,
- 00:26:26.234 --> 00:26:29.971
- Found the supernatural.
- 00:26:29.971 --> 00:26:32.173
- So you can go into the new year with a plain ordinary life
- 00:26:32.173 --> 00:26:35.944
- And just use your own human understanding and do
- 00:26:35.944 --> 00:26:38.647
- The best you can.
- 00:26:38.647 --> 00:26:39.981
- Or you can decide, no, this christmas i'm banking
- 00:26:39.981 --> 00:26:41.850
- On the supernatural.
- 00:26:41.850 --> 00:26:44.219
- I'm not gonna lean to my own understanding.
- 00:26:44.219 --> 00:26:46.855
- I'm gonna bank on this christ child who is now risen
- 00:26:46.855 --> 00:26:50.291
- From the dead because jesus is the light of the world.
- 00:26:50.291 --> 00:26:55.964
- ♪♪♪
- 00:26:55.964 --> 00:27:15.917
- ♪♪♪
- 00:27:05.907 --> 00:27:30.001