God With Us | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

What an honor it is to be able to celebrate our lord and savior. What a precious privilege and grace for us to be able to gather together, around one common desire, I hope, and that's to exalt the person of Jesus Christ. The hearing and the proclamation and prayerfully in the obedience to the word of God. I hope you have your bibles tonight, because I encourage you to turn with me in your copy of God's word in the gospel of Matthew chapter one. What a day to be a Christian.

Let's pray one more time, shall we? We thank you. We thank you that in so much darkness, we can sense your light. We thank you that as we are surrounded by so much chaos and confusion, we sense your anchoring peace. We feel secure.

We feel hopeful. And Lord, in this moment tonight, we pray that you would only intensify that that sense of glory. Lord, we already admit that we will fail in attempting to describe your beauty and your majesty and your wisdom, but we ask that with our limited language and our limited capacity minds, and that you would help us see Christ, Christ incarnate, Christ in coming into this world to rescue men. We pray, Lord, that there would be redemption tonight, that there would be We pray, Lord, that there would be redemption tonight. That there would be genuine salvation.

That there would be even revival. Lord, we pray that this Christmas weekend would serve as a revival. That you would rejuvenate our faith and our devotion going into the new year with new mandates, with new standards, with a new way of life. Lord, we need a fresh touch from heaven. Lord, kill lukewarmness tonight.

Destroy unbelief. Rescue us from any sin that has dominance over us. And Lord, we just pray that you would be exalted. You would be exalted. Lord, we do not take it for granted that we are in a church building tonight.

We are extremely grateful. Grateful for people that wanna be here. Grateful for people that are not afraid of sickness. Help us. Help us remain fearless in a fearful time.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. The gospel of Matthew chapter one beginning in verse 18, we read, now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel. Don't answer audibly, but how many babies do you think are born worldwide every single day?

Please don't answer audibly. If you guessed close to 400,000, you're right. There are 385,000 babies born worldwide every single day. By midnight tonight, there will be close to 400,000 children entering into this world. And what's amazing about that though, it is a large number.

It does not diminish the intrinsic value that each child carries, and it does not dilute the almost miraculous event of a baby that was inhabiting another human's womb for nine months, all for a sudden comes comes into this world flesh and blood, so innocent, so vulnerable, so dependent. And it causes us to wonder, even though it is so common, it still causes us to be in awe because such a thing points to a divine architect. And there is no doubt that when we when we realize and contemplate conception, and we realize and contemplate the birth of a of a child, it is extraordinary. And as extraordinary as every single birth of a child may be, even though there may be close to 400,000 a day, there is still one birth that surpasses them all. There is one birth that stands out in all of history, And it is the birth of a person named Jesus of Nazareth.

As Christians, we do not merely observe the birth of Jesus Christ as we do our fellow loved ones. Many cultures, including our own, take time and effort to invest in the birthday of of another to show them how much we appreciate and love them and how grateful we are that they are present with us today. But recognizing the birth of Jesus Christ demands so much more than mere appreciation. It is much more significant than that. Because his arrival two thousand years ago goes beyond him just making an impression on certain hearts during his lifetime.

Oh, yes, it does. The arrival of Christ into this world demands more than just some songs, Demands more than just, an attendance. It demands true heartfelt worship. True. A surrendered life.

Sense of and we're bowing down continually as we reflect on the fact that God became a man. Because this birth, two thousand years ago, destinations of those who would choose to believe in him. There's no other birth like that. There is no other man like this. The birth of Jesus Christ is not disconnected from his redemptive plan for humanity.

In fact, it is an integral part for salvation to even be a possibility for us. And tonight, as we're gathered together, I wanna contemplate, I wanna just consider three elements of the birth of Jesus Christ. Number one, the manner of his birth. Number two, the reason for his birth. And number three, the fulfillment of his birth.

And so we read in verse 18 down to verse 20, as you heard, the manner of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. After spending 17 whole verses to describe the human genealogy of Jesus, Matthew spends half of one verse to tell us about his divine origins. This author inspired by the Spirit of God had to give necessary real estate to tell us exactly where Jesus Christ came from in a legal sense to prove that he was in fact linked to the Davidic royal line. But then when it comes to his eternal nature, we are merely told that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit. It reminds us of the brevity of the creation account, doesn't it?

I always tell people it's amazing how much attention is given to a structure called the tabernacle. Close to 50 chapters in the whole Bible is about a building that we don't even relate to and yet one and a half chapters are given to us concerning creation. That doesn't really satisfy the curious mind, does it? But it's by divine design. And as we come here, we realize that so much is given to the fact that Jesus Christ, which is important concerning his humanity, his historical background, not as much is given.

There's not much expansion given to the fact that this is God becoming man. How little detail is given to us about how that process went about. Just like how we would want to know, how did God create everything from nothing? We want to know. You gave us one and a half chapters.

And you've given us 50 chapters of a building with every measurement that we don't even need anymore in the new covenant. Here we are. We're told God became man, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Well, how? How how does that take place?

It's a mystery. It's the mystery of the incarnation. And if you sit on it long enough, if you if you give your attention to it more than just your verse of the day, you'll find yourself wandering into amazing imaginations that are in light with scripture. You know when a baby is born, the loved ones and the parents celebrate new life. Something that wasn't or someone that wasn't now is.

And that's the miracle of of a of a birth. That's the miracle of conception. And we praise God for his wisdom that he orchestrated humanity to flourish in this way. But in light of the the birth of Christ, we don't celebrate new life. We celebrate the fact that God always was.

He always existed. He didn't become someone as some would falsely suggest. This God who was the king and still is the king of glory, the Ancient of Days, the beginning and the end, he became a boy. We don't celebrate Jesus coming into existence. He always did exist.

We celebrate the fact that he wrapped himself with flesh and blood. Think about it longer and you realize that the God who created Mary is now the God who would be carried in Mary's arms. And it was Charles Spurgeon who said, longer and you realize that he who holds the systems of the universe and the structure of our globe would one day be nurtured by two imperfect parents. And this God, by the power of his word, would have his little fingers held by a young virgin girl, breast. Deep meditation on this truth will humble us, because as you reflect on it, you are beholding a humble god.

And, though we are not given much information about the process, how this went about, how JEUS was fully God, fully man, truly God, truly man. There's a ceiling in our mind to even get to the foothills of such a thought. And, so, the foothills of such a thought. All we are told by God's wisdom is that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And in God's perfect wisdom, that is sufficient for every reader to be totally convinced that this Jesus of Nazareth was sinless.

Though he was quietly woven in the womb of Mary, being fashioned to be as human as any of us, yet without the lacing of sin that we all inherit at birth. What Matthew by the spirit is saying, yes, he is human, but he is not corrupt with Adam's sin. The Holy Spirit himself constructed him, fashioned him, designed him. And yes, this King of Glory at one point became an embryo. Why is understanding what we read in verse 18 down to verse 20?

Why is this important? Why is this detail so crucial? And how does it relate to us? Well, let me tell you this. The conception and the birth of Jesus Christ was not a supernatural stunt void of purpose.

In fact, it was a necessary execution in order to secure or even make possible your redemption and mine. Why? Because the life of Christ was substitutionary. In other words, the sinlessness of Jesus doesn't just stand in contrast to our sinfulness. No, more than that.

It is the perfection, his perfection that becomes our perfection upon the transfer of faith. You see, the righteousness that God demands is only found in the possession of Christ's person. There is no other life that will satisfy God's righteous demands other than the person of Jesus Christ. And this is important because that perfection found in Christ ever since he gave his first cry as a human to the moment where he hung his head and gave his final breath, all of that perfection from beginning to end becomes ours, becomes the possession of the soul who realizes that he needs the transferable obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when you come into faith to Jesus Christ, when you give yourself to him, what happens is that you stand before God with his record.

You stand before God as though you lived the life of Christ. In other words, the fact that he was perfect from the moment that he entered into this world to the moment that he exited this world, everything in between that, a spotless and blameless record now has your name on it upon faith. And so Christ being born of the Holy Spirit wasn't just something to show that God can make a child without the intimacy of a man and a woman. It was the ingredient that it was necessary for you to even have a chance to stand before a holy god. And we see here that Jesus was born in the holy spirit, being a crucial pillar to the Christian faith.

You can't be a Christian if you don't believe this. But consider the practical truth behind it. We are told in verse 18 how the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. And Matthew, what he's doing here, he's giving Joseph's perspective on this event. He's giving Joseph's perspective on this event.

When his mother Mary had been betrothed, engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. So there was a moment where Joseph realized something about his fiancee. She's pregnant. And we didn't get married yet before they came together. Now you and I know that this pregnancy was inspired by the hand of God.

Joseph didn't know it at the moment. In fact, his mind went to what your mind would go to if you were surprised with such a news. She was unfaithful to me. She was unfaithful to me. And and this suspicion would follow Mary and not just follow Mary.

The gospel tells us that it would follow Jesus and his critics and the skeptics and his enemies would even use this to scorn him and to mock him and to ridicule him. And so this woman here had a reputation. Somehow word got around that Mary got pregnant and she didn't marry Joseph yet. And Joseph finds out for himself. And it almost makes you think, doesn't it?

Why did God do it in this way? Why did God do it in such a way that he put Mary in a position to even be questioned? To even be a target of slander and gossip. Could not have God done it any other way. Well, we already heard one reason why he did it this way.

But I believe God is providing a principle for all generations. The core principle is the theological pillar of the sinlessness of Jesus. But I look at this and I realize that Mary is an example, an illustration that there is a high price to be used by God. You want to be an instrument for God's service. Great.

Maybe you already know it, maybe you don't. Let me remind you. There is a price to pay. And this Mary in God's eyes and all the hosts of the angel armies was highly favored, was blessed. The face of God shined on her with great great great favor.

But if you wanna be used by God, you want God's hand to be on your life, you want God to use you for great things, you want God to launch you into something, realize that as his face will shine upon you, other faces will shun you. You ready to be judged? You're you're ready to be misunderstood? You're ready as you're trying to faithfully serve God for people to gossip and to slander you and to even hate you and mock you and even criticize you of doing something that you never did. You want that?

Lord. But you read Mary, and you never see her complaining about it. You never see her trying to defend herself. You never see her trying to retaliate. You know why?

Because who cares what men say. When God has his light on you, and his favor on you, and his hand upon you. When you know that your life is pleasing your Lord. Say what you want. But this is more about Joseph's perspective than Mary's.

And we read here that Joseph comes, he learns this news. And we are told, but he was a just man. In the NASB, it uses the word righteous. He was a righteous man. He was a righteous man.

And his righteousness was proven in this way that when he had figured out, when he was told that this was this was taking place, that something happened with Mary, He decided that he's going to make this as private as possible. He made a decision that although he could not marry her, he would not scandalize her. He would not embarrass her. He would not expose her. And I read that and I realized something very, very important.

If you go with the translation that says righteous, when you come to the New Testament, after you finish the Old Testament library, the first book is Matthew, and the first chapter is what we're covering today. And in the first time in the New Testament library, you and I see the word righteous attributed to a man's actions. The first mention of righteousness in connection to a man and his conduct has to do with a decision not to shame somebody in their sin. A person who knew how to graciously handle the failures of others. Seek revenge here.

Joseph doesn't try to hurt Mary, even though he's a man. He's definitely hurt in this moment because his mind is not is not seeing the supernatural behind this. He he's seeing the humanity of it. And so this man realizes what's going on here, but he chooses because he's a righteous man to keep it as low key as possible and to just move on with his life. If you and I want an indicator tonight of where we stand in terms of reflecting God's character, can I encourage you to ask this question to yourself?

What do I do when I find out about somebody's sin? What do I do when somebody sinned against me? And you know what's amazing about this? As somebody commented, I thought it was great. Imagine the embarrassment that Joseph would have felt if he had publicized what Mary had done, apparently, Only to realize that he was wrong.

Only to realize that all of that was actually God's doing. What a wise man. What a wise man. He chose to keep it as private as possible. And although this man was not the actual father of the Lord Jesus Christ, he was the legal father.

And I believe that he serves as an illustration of the attitude of Jesus Christ who would soon be born in his household. Which brings us to our next point. We covered the manner of his birth. Now we consider the reason for his birth. We're told in verse 21, after an angel of the Lord clarifies to Joseph about what is really happening with Mary, we are told she will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus.

Why? For he will save his people from their sins. He did not come to shame his people in their sins. He came to save his people from their sins. And we see that even the verses prior to this with the genealogy.

You know this, that Christ intentionally links himself with four different women who did not have the most impressive resumes in our bibles. Most of them are connected with idolatry. Many of them are connected with sexual sin, unfaithfulness, and even perversion. And yet Jesus from another world chose to include them in this why? Because he wants to even say through his genealogy, I did not come to shame people in their sin, but to save them.

And I am not afraid to associate my name with them. Not because I condone it, but I've come to rescue people like this. And what's amazing here is that oftentimes when we read this verse, we immediately recognize that when the angel said this, that Jesus would come, become a man, and by becoming a man, he would receive the guilt of man's sin, be the object of God's wrath, and then cancel the record of any of those who would give themselves to him. But listen, if that's that's how you understand this verse, you've limited the saving power of Jesus Christ. Legal demands that your transgression and mind call for, you have limited the saving plan of Jesus Christ.

And oftentimes when we present the gospel, that's what we tell people. Christ will come and erase your record. True. Hallelujah. Amen.

But if this verse only meant that, then perhaps the word that would have been used is for he will forgive his people from their sins. Does it say that? No. Does it include that? Absolutely.

And again, hallelujah. But it says he will save them from their sins. Saved them from their sins. Save them from what? Well, Phil and the Blaine.

For he will save his people from the love of money. He will save his people from anger and hatred. He will save his people from pride and arrogance. He will save his people from jealousy and envy. He will save his people from idolatry, selfishness, self exalting worship.

He will save his people from actual sin, reigning and ruling over your life. That's a complete gospel. That's the purchase of Christ, that there is a present reality to his saving work and not just some future thing that we hope for. You're saying, what do you mean? I mean this.

When the angel says he will come and save, it does not mean that he will just cancel our sin, but he will also cleanse our hearts. That precious blood on the beam of that cross on the Hill Of Calvary does not just go into heaven and be sprinkled upon an altar that would give us entrance into glory. That precious blood floods the soul and makes it white as snow. And I've said it before and I will say it again, that if you claim that Jesus Christ has saved you but Jesus Christ did not change you, then Jesus Christ did not save you. He didn't.

He didn't. There is no way. You cannot tell me that this blood has been applied to your life and your priorities haven't changed. And your passions haven't changed. And your attitude towards sin hasn't changed and your love for righteousness hasn't been enhanced, hasn't been made alive.

How can it be? Because we've been told something about the saving work of Jesus. He will save his people from their sins. Is there any ambiguity there? Is there any ifs and buts?

It's a promise. In other words, if we've claimed that he has saved us, but there is no changing in us, then somebody's a liar. Somebody's a liar. I'm gonna go with Jesus being truthful. And I will not diminish the power of the gospel to accommodate what people are comfortable with.

This idea that I can claim that Jesus is my savior, but I can be hesitant with my obedience to him. No such thing. This gospel says that he will save you from their sins. And what's amazing here is that you shall call his name Jesus. That was a command.

That was an instruction. You have to make sure that Mary calls this Jesus. The Greek form of the Hebrew word name Joshua. Joshua, which means Yahweh is salvation. And those before this moment who have bore the name, through their name testify God is the one who truly brings deliverance.

Oh, but when Jesus bore the name, he was not testifying to God being the deliverer. He was testifying I myself am the God who delivers. Yahweh is salvation. I am Yahweh. But it's amazing here because you know the story of Joshua, I'm sure.

That wonderful Israelite leader that led the people into the Promised Land, that led them into the goodness of God, the deliverance of God, the place where he, he purchased for them to dwell. And I believe that the reason why Jesus, more than just the definition of the name, I believe Jesus was associated with the name Joshua because you and I have the right to parallel the leadership characteristics of Joshua of old and the Jesus who is our savior. What do I mean by that? Think about it this way. Joshua was the man that God chose to lead the people into the promises of God, to lead the people to know victory, to lead the people to be exactly where God wanted them to be.

And how did how did Joshua do that? Was it instantaneous? Was it just one step over into the Jordan River and everything was just into the hands of the Israelites? Or or was it what you see in the book of Joshua that's step by step, bit by bit, corner by corner, stronghold after stronghold. It was a process of seeing the people led by him to know victory.

And the Joshua of the new covenant, the captain of our salvation leads us in the same way when he saves us from our sins. How? When you choose to be led by the Lord Jesus Christ, he leads you the same way Joshua led Israel step by step. He empowers you. He provides the wisdom.

He provides the encouragement to pull down strongholds like Jericho and to see greater dominance over sin, to know greater righteousness and holiness, to know greater transformation, to know the greater promises that have been purchased by Christ. He is the greater Joshua and that's how he saves, the same way Joshua led the people into the goodness of God and to the will of God. And so why do I bring that up? Because I'm not here to guilt you that if you have not been transfigured into Christ likeness the moment you became a Christian, then you're not a Christian. No.

You just put your hand in the hand of Christ and you let him lead you step by step. And you are more like Christ than you were two years ago. And you're more like Christ, more in love with Christ than you were five years ago. And what is that called? That's called Jesus saving you.

Saving you. Day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year. It's a process. And that's an encouragement. But then we come as we cover the manner of his birth and the reason of his birth to the fulfillment of his birth.

We are told here in verse 22, all this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. You and I tonight are looking back thousands of years ago, how Jesus became a man, but there was a time when there were people anticipating the birth of the Messiah. Looking forward, wondering when it would be that the Messiah, the Anointed One, would would come and rescue the nation of Israel. Satisfaction of that prophetic declaration. And that declaration is very clear that God would become a man, and he would dwell with man.

He would actually breathe the same air as man, and he would eat the same food as man. And he would know

the same weaknesses as man. And he would actually feel the temptations and the pull of man. And he would actually feel the temptations and the pull of man.

And he would actually feel the feel the temptations and the pull of man, but never succumbing to it. Jesus Christ fulfills it. But the meaning of this name tells us so much more than just the glorious mystery of God becoming a man. And it tells us so much more that God, when he says something, he will accomplish it. Even if he said it hundreds of years ago, it means so much more than that.

It speaks of his heart. Emmanuel, God with us. God with us. Showing us what? That God was willing to be with us.

God was willing to leave a place where he received perfect worship and perfect reverence to come into this world to be questioned and doubted and even mocked and spat upon. God with us. God willing to leave the hallways of heaven's holiness to travel through the slums of a sinful, dark, and with us. Willing to reach down and to grab our hand from the muck and the mire and pull us out, instead of looking down and saying, you find your way to get to me because I'm too holy to go down there. God with us.

You're saying, why? God with us because God wants us to be with him. God entered into time and lived thirty three years so that if you would believe on him, you would enter heaven and live with him forever. God was born of a virgin so that you would be born again. God was willing to come into time when before this moment, he supervised time.

He was above time. He chose to enter into time so that he can make a transaction with humanity, and that you would have a security to know that I'm escaping time, and I'm going to be with him for eternity. God with us. And although Jesus Christ fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy of the incarnation that that, yes, God actually came and he planted his feet on the earth, and more than that, he actually had to learn how to walk learn how to talk. And he developed in wisdom, and he grew in stature.

Though that prophecy is fulfilled, the experience of what the name means is yet to be known. Experienced. God with us. Yes, we celebrated two thousand years ago, but God is still waiting to be with us. This is not the only place where we are told that God dwelled with man.

I'm reading this and I'm closing here in Revelation 21 verse one and three. You don't have to turn there. I'm just gonna read it. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. God with us. God came into this world, so that one day you would be with him. But that's not a universal promise.

It's not a universal application. Some would like to comfort themselves in thinking that Jesus is so loving that you don't have to believe in him, or you can have a different name for him, or you can celebrate and recognize who he is in your own way, and he will still accept you. Isn't that nice? Idea. He is too glorious and majestic for you to make an equal with Allah, or with Buddha, or anybody else that claims to be divine, or to be a prophet of a different god.

He's too precious, he's too mighty, he's too loving, he's too true. He is exclusive. He is transcendent. He is perfect. He is above and beyond.

And all those names that I just mentioned and the ones that I forgot to mention will bow their knee to him. And shame on anybody that would suggest otherwise after God has done so much to make that way possible. Those who would even entertain the thought that there is a different way have to answer to the god who chose to come into the womb of a virgin girl and live there for nine months. And to be born of that woman, and to succumb to all the things that limit us, and to be a servant unto man, and to be a sacrifice on a cross. I'm here to remind you, for those who are watching and those who might be here who don't know, maybe never heard what I'm saying, there's only one way.

And if you don't go through that way, there is no way. And the only way for you is eternal hell, judgment. And I will not apologize for that after my God has done so much to get a hold of you and to get a hold of me. We should not apologize for the gospel. We should not be ashamed of the gospel.

We should not try to diminish the exclusivity of the gospel. Tonight in this covid stricken world, where whether or not you can even go to a restaurant the way you desire is determined by somebody else. Oh, you thought you were sovereign over your life. Now you have to wear something over your mouth all the time. And soon enough, you might have to put something into your body if you want to live regularly as you once knew.

Let this be a lesson that as much as you thought that you were in control, you're not in control. And if you're not in control of this life, I can guarantee you this, you're not gonna be in control of where you go in the next one. All of those that we think are so proud and intellectually giants, they will look like babies when they stand before Christ. They will look like little children begging for mercy when they stand before the one who gave them a chance to repent and believe, but they mock the idea. But tonight you're here.

Tonight you're here. Remind me, did we have Christmas in person last year? Did we? My memory is not serving me right. Well, there are places in this world right now because of what's happening, they can't meet in person.

And here you are, God by his grace and mercy allows you to hear the gospel one more time. You probably heard it from your mom a thousand times. You probably heard it in Awana, a billion times. Probably heard it in Sunday school. You probably heard it from your friend.

Maybe you've never heard it. Maybe this is like your fourth time hearing it. Maybe this is your first time hearing it. But let me tell you this. God is so just and holy.

He has every right to damn a man after hearing it once and refusing it. You think that the ultimate thing in life is for you to create your little utopia here in America? No. You're headed for eternity. You're headed for eternity, and God is sending off the fireworks to get your attention.

This world will never know peace. This world with all the minds combined will never be able to create what Christ will only be able to usher in. And so as a ministry, we have a duty to tell you whether you're uncomfortable tonight and thought you were just going to hold a fake candle and sing some nice songs. We're going to do that in a moment. It's going to be wonderful.

But more importantly, I wanna tell you and make sure that your soul is secure in the hands of a gracious God. Do you know Christ? Do you know the saving work of have you been saved? Have you repented and believed on him? Have you made a decision to say, I need his obedience to be my obedience.

I need his life to represent my life. I need my sin to be covered by his blood. Did you make that choice? If not, what are you waiting for? I always ask this question, and I'll ask it to you tonight.

What's holding you back from following Jesus Christ? Are you angry at him tonight? Did you have expectations that he would do something? And because he hasn't performed it, he's not worthy? He's not worthy for your life to be surrendered to him?

Let me tell you this. Are you better at managing your own life? Are you more sovereign and wise than he? Do you love your sin tonight so much? You'd be amazed to know how many people are gonna be going to services, whether in virtual reality world or in person, toys of this world, and the experiences of this world, and the sensuality of this world.

They can't give it up. They will disappoint you if they haven't already, and they will not deliver you, and you will be able to never know a peace that only Christ can offer. You will not know a satisfaction, a wholeness that only Jesus can supply. You were created for his glory. And unless you live for his glory, you will always feel incomplete.

Because you are not operating by the design manual for your life. You've created your own manual and you're trying to make it work, and it will never work. Do you believe that you can attain your own righteousness tonight? Do you believe that your performance will persuade God? Are you relying upon what a priest said over your life?

Are you relying over what some man said that if you just repeat a simple magical prayer, then you're in? Or is your confidence based on what Christ said and his apostles and his prophets have said? Does your heart testify and is it in line with what scripture says because this is the final authority? On that day, this will be upheld and this will be the very thing that will hold us accountable. So does, does your testimony, does your faith align with this?

And this will tell you that you can never attain your own righteousness and that you must surrender your pursuit of perfection and receive Christ perfection by the transaction of repentance and belief. Have you done that? Tonight's your night. And if you respond to this tonight, it will be the best gift you will ever receive. I don't care what you're getting for this Christmas.

All of that will rot. All of that is susceptible to being stolen, tarnished. And as you know, easily replaceable by the newest next year. But this gift, as Paul says, is inexpressible. You can't even communicate how wonderful it is.

Where are those Christians that can say, Christ in me in inexpressible glory? That you would say, yes, I want to be saved. Yes, I want to be delivered. Yes, I want to know that I have eternal life. What are you waiting for, my friend?

Not going to get any better anytime soon. And so I admonish you. I plead with you. You may not like me. You may feel like this is intense, but I have a mandate to make sure that every person in this place, mask or no mask, that your heart is washed in the blood of Christ.

And one day we will see him. And one day we will realize every sermon, including this sermon tonight, failed to describe him. Fell so short to declare how glorious and wonderful he is. But we submit the words that have been declared tonight into the hands of a wise and gracious king who was able to save even with stammering lips. The heart who's willing to humble themselves and say, I need this Jesus.

Would you bow your heads with me tonight? In that blessed young woman, where God chose to come and to be fashioned by the Holy Spirit To be a Jewish boy. That would be greater than a teacher, greater than a prophet, greater than a miracle worker, but our atonement, make Christ live in our hearts. Lord, we thank you for the piercing light of this gospel truth as we feel the darkness only getting thicker above us. We thank you, oh Lord, that this joy that you deposit in a soul cannot be taken by anything or anyone.

And we pray God that even one in here who doesn't know you would make that decision to know you and to be known by you. That there is a God who loves me and who came himself. He didn't send an angel. He didn't send a prophet. He he came himself to rescue me.

And we pray, Lord, that we would all sense that rescue. We would all be reminded that we have been saved by grace. And so, Lord, we worship you tonight. We worship you for our salvation. And we pray, oh God, that you would only add to the celebration tonight, because a soul would come to Christ.

Only you can make that happen. Lord, we step back and we say there's only so much we can say, so much we can declare, so much we can try to prove. Your Holy Spirit has to do the work to save a heart. And we submit that to you tonight, not just in this church, but in churches all across this world. Have your way.

Have your way. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Can we stand and worship the Lord together?