An Angel’s Perspective: The Christmas I Remember

[00:07:32] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
and more.
[00:08:15] of the Holy Spirit
[00:09:41] Let's pray

[00:10:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
I live in a country in East Asia with three million people.
[00:10:56] Many of those are nomadic herdsmen who still live in a vast wilderness where the gospel has never been able to penetrate.
[00:11:07] And they live in a structure called a ger.
[00:11:10] It's a large round felt tent that they can pick up and move.
[00:11:14] Many of these families move
[00:11:16] you know up to 11 times in a year and just pack everything up and and put it on a camel and we'll move across the country it is a passion of mine to be able to take the gospel to those who've never had the opportunity to hear the name of christ how we do that is we through national believers we're able to meet physical needs and in ways that shows the love of christ whether it's by
[00:11:44] Replacing a gear that's been burned down.
[00:11:47] Giving coal in the wintertime whenever it's negative 40 degrees outside and they have nothing to heat their home.
[00:11:54] Whether it's giving hay to herdsmen to be able to keep their livestock alive.
[00:12:00] These things are just a small part of what we do to show the love of Christ in a way to open up the door to be able to share the gospel.

[00:12:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
I want to share this gospel with you.

[00:12:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Meeting their physical needs can open up doors to these families and through that we're able to share creation to Christ and then move that into them being able to hear discipleship lessons and finally with the end goal of seeing churches in some of these areas that have never been able to experience the gospel.

[00:12:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
We know Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Son of God, and we worship Him.
[00:12:48] We pray to Him that we may receive the good news from Him.

[00:12:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
We pray to Him that we may receive the good news from Him.

[00:13:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Through this, we've been able to see herdsmen come to know Christ, to accept Him.
[00:13:12] We're able to see them being baptized in a vast wilderness.
[00:13:17] It's because of your giving through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering that we're able to go to these places.
[00:13:23] We're able to share the gospel with these people who've never had a chance to hear.

[00:13:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]:
You will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.

[00:14:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]:
Ring out the news, ring out the news, Jesus is born!
[00:14:20] Ring out the news, ring out the news, Jesus is born!
[00:14:23] We have the news, let us rejoice
[00:15:23] Holy infant so tender and mild Sleep in heavenly peace
[00:15:59] Sing out the news, Jesus is born!
[00:16:02] Sing out your praises and lift up your voice!
[00:16:07] Ring out the news, ring out the news!

[00:16:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]:
Psalm 98.4 Shout with joy to the Lord all the earth, burst into songs and prayers.
[00:16:40] Psalm 98.4

[00:16:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]:
The Lord is come Let earth receive her King Let every heart prepare Him room And heaven and nature sing And heaven and nature sing And heaven and nature sing
[00:17:26] and more.
[00:17:29] While fields and floods rise in praise, repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat.

[00:18:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Let's continue our worship here at Trinity this morning with O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
[00:18:06] Let's stand together as we sing.
[00:18:08] O come, O come, Emmanuel

[00:18:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Rejoice!

[00:19:00] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Rejoice!
[00:19:00] Amen!

[00:19:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
and Recompense.
[00:19:36] Let us pray.
[00:19:51] Recompense, Recompense, Recompense, Recompense, Recompense,
[00:20:26] Rejoice!

[00:20:49] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Rejoice!
[00:20:50] Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

[00:21:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel!

[00:21:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Amen.
[00:21:48] Well, good morning, Trinity Baptist Church.
[00:21:50] How we doing?
[00:21:52] Good morning.
[00:21:52] Good morning, morning.
[00:21:53] I can't help but wonder, what would we sound like if everyone was as excited about singing as my little boy was up here this morning?
[00:22:04] I appreciate all the singing, but that especially touched my heart, and I know it touches our Father's heart when he hears his children singing.
[00:22:11] I want to welcome you to Trinity Baptist Church.
[00:22:13] My name is Robert Leto, and I serve under our esteemed pastor, Pastor Mark, as the associate pastor here.
[00:22:19] And I'm told he is out and about connecting with a very close friend, and when I mean close, I mean very close.
[00:22:26] This friend has traveled not just many miles, but millennia, apparently, to be here today.
[00:22:31] So I know you're in for a special treat there.
[00:22:34] But in case you are visiting, I want to give you a warm welcome on behalf of Trinity Baptist Church.
[00:22:38] And not just visiting here in person, physically, but also online.
[00:22:43] Welcome here to 221 Irvin Road in Mooresville, North Carolina.
[00:22:46] So glad that you're here.
[00:22:47] As a matter of fact, if you are visiting with us today, typically our deacons have a gift for you.
[00:22:52] We have some gift bags.
[00:22:53] And also in the pew, you might notice a card.
[00:22:56] If you'd be so kind as to fill out that card.
[00:22:59] and drop it in the offering plate it's just an opportunity for us to get to know you and all you have to do is just slip up your hand just high enough for them to see you and give you that bag and it's just our gift of appreciation to you for you being here today
[00:23:14] Again, and for a very special treat, this is the Sunday before Christmas, and we have come, we have gathered to lift high the name of Jesus.
[00:23:22] That's the same throughout every Sunday morning, but this one's special in the sense of it's the Sunday prior to the celebration of his birth, Advent.
[00:23:30] And with that being said, we have a special way of celebrating Advent.
[00:23:34] We have Zach and Munraj that are gonna come up and light the love candle for Advent, so I'm going to turn it over to them, thank you.

[00:24:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
On this fourth Sunday in Advent, we light the candle of love to remember that the greatest act of love is that God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that we may have an opportunity to come to Him and have eternal life.
[00:24:20] John 4 verses 9 to 10 states,
[00:24:23] In this, the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
[00:24:33] In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

[00:24:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
Let us pray.
[00:24:47] Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you today and we just ask that you take the preaching that we hear today and just lay it on our hearts.
[00:24:54] We just ask that you be with us over Christmas, watch over us as we travel.
[00:24:58] We thank you so much for all your many blessings and the ability to see another year.
[00:25:02] Again, we just ask that you always be with us, keep us safe, and just let us not forget the true meaning of Christmas.
[00:25:09] In Jesus' name I pray.
[00:25:11] Amen.

[00:25:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Thank you.
[00:25:14] If you do have a child that's in preschool through third grade,
[00:25:17] at this time of the service we're going to ask if they would like to go to our children's church if they will exit to my right and your left with Miss Terry and our wonderful children's choir they're going to make their way to children's church but let's stand here at this moment and let's welcome each other here in this house this morning

[00:27:45] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
The Gospel of the Apostles
[00:28:48] of Christ Jesus Christ of Latter Day.
[00:29:16] and Glory.

[00:29:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee

[00:30:16] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him.

[00:30:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
In the darkness, love exploded from heaven's eyes.
[00:31:06] See, our world has found a proclaiming in heaven's song.
[00:31:07] Our joy arises, love, love, born unto you, our Savior, love, love, glory to God on high.
[00:31:13] God who promised love and mercy in the day See the glow in the eyes of his Father What is in him and what he's saying Love, love, promise that we should live this life Love, Jesus, Emmanuel Love has done me ever
[00:31:44] You may be seated.

[00:32:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Well, this is a time in our service when we bring our tithes and offerings to the storehouse.
[00:32:23] and we do it with grateful hearts joyful hearts and those that prefer to give online can do it at trinitybaptist.com and that's the moorsville location you know or there's a box in the hallway if you prefer to do that so let's pray father in heaven we give thanks to the many blessings that jesus continue to pour out upon us we thank you for this day that you've given us together with fellow believers to praise to worship you and
[00:32:48] Lord, we just continue with our worship by bringing our tithes and offerings to the storehouse as you commanded us to do.
[00:32:54] You've blessed us so much both individually and as a church family and I pray that we'll be found faithful in spreading the gospel message to others and be good stewards of what you've entrusted us to.
[00:33:06] You've placed us here in our mission field in Mooresville and we also pray for those that are out on the mission field in foreign countries that we support with our Lottie Moon offering.
[00:33:15] We pray for their
[00:33:16] We just pray for opportunities to share.
[00:33:36] Our faith with others, maybe through leading in a blessing meal or just sharing around the table.
[00:33:42] I just pray that we'll be found faithful as those opportunities arise.
[00:33:46] Now speak to us and let us feel your presence in the remainder of the service as we hear about how that first Christmas changed the world.
[00:33:54] Let us draw closer to you and just be better prepared to be your witnesses and to share that good news with those that we come in contact with.
[00:34:00] Lord, we offer these prayers in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
[00:34:04] Amen.

[00:34:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
God's only Son, the angels shouted in the night that Christ had come
[00:34:51] Let the heavens sing Him whose birth the angels sing Come adore on bended knee Christ the Lord, the new-born King Glory to God in the highest Peace on earth
[00:35:18] Recompense, Recompense, Recompense, Recompense, Recompense
[00:35:45] Alleluia!

[00:36:13] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Alleluia!
[00:36:13] Alleluia!
[00:36:13] Alleluia!
[00:36:13] Alleluia!
[00:36:14] Alleluia!

[00:36:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Alleluia to the Lord Amen Alleluia to the Lord Amen Alleluia to the Lord

[00:36:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Thank you so much Pastor Grant and worship team, choir.
[00:37:23] Wonderful, amazing.
[00:37:25] Well, church, this morning I was told that our special guest had a request before he came up and shared a message that was on his heart.
[00:37:33] He wanted us to read from the Sacred Scrolls this morning, so if you've got a copy of God's Word with you, I want to encourage you to turn to the book of Isaiah and head to the ninth chapter, Isaiah chapter 9.
[00:37:47] As we prepare our hearts to receive this message this morning, would you be so kind as to stand out of the honor of the reading of God's word as we're going to be reading from Isaiah chapter 9 verses 1 through 7.
[00:37:58] Behold the word of the Lord.
[00:38:10] But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish.
[00:38:15] In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.
[00:38:21] But in the later time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
[00:38:31] The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
[00:38:36] Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
[00:38:42] You have multiplied the nation.
[00:38:45] You have increased its joy.
[00:38:46] They rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
[00:38:55] For the yoke of his burden and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
[00:39:06] For every boot of the trampling warrior in battle-tormult, and every garment rolled in blood, will be burned as fuel for the fire.
[00:39:18] For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
[00:39:35] Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
[00:39:40] Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.
[00:39:45] And on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
[00:39:56] The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will do this.
[00:40:01] Would you pray with me?
[00:40:04] Holy Heavenly Father, God, we thank you for your word.
[00:40:09] It is truth.
[00:40:11] Father, we thank you for the word that became flesh and dwelt among us, the mystery of this incarnation.
[00:40:18] Father, we thank you for your son, the child that was given to us, heaven's greatest gift.
[00:40:26] Help us, Father, this Christmas to receive him, to rejoice in him.
[00:40:33] and Father ultimately to rest in Him as the source of our salvation.
[00:40:39] Prepare our hearts and our minds for this message today.
[00:40:42] May we worship you today in spirit and truth and we ask this in the mighty and the matchless name of Jesus Christ our Messiah.
[00:40:49] Amen.
[00:40:50] Thank you.
[00:40:50] You may be seated.

[00:40:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Dear Isaiah, so willing and so proud to step out and tell of his visions.
[00:41:02] But it's good to be reminded, though, when you've been around as long as I have, it really all starts to run together.
[00:41:10] But all of these events described by Isaiah, these I remember well, because these were the greatest events that would ever happen to your kind.
[00:41:24] You see, I say your kind because as you may be able to tell, I'm not exactly like you.
[00:41:31] I mean, I've been taken on the form of a man today for now, but I want you to know it's only temporary.
[00:41:40] I've been allowed to take on this form as a messenger to all of you this morning.
[00:41:46] You see, that is what my kind do.
[00:41:50] But allow me to give a more formal introduction, if you will.
[00:41:55] I am the angel Gabriel, the messenger of the Lord.
[00:42:01] In fact, my name, Gabriel, means mighty one of God, or God's hero.
[00:42:09] And I've been sent here this morning with a very, very special purpose in mind.
[00:42:17] It's to remind you
[00:42:19] That the light that Isaiah described as the man just read has come to earth.
[00:42:26] And ladies and gentlemen, he is real and alive among you this very morning.
[00:42:36] And I've come to share it.
[00:42:38] And it is no doubt.
[00:42:39] I am sure that you need reminding.
[00:42:42] I'm always amazed at mankind's ability to doubt what is put literally right in front of him.
[00:42:51] And I understand that there are those among your kind who say that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God.
[00:43:00] I even hear that there are those among your kind who give all sorts of arguments and human reasoning for why God himself doesn't exist.
[00:43:14] Have they never looked around them?
[00:43:19] Has the existence of the Lord not been revealed in creation itself?
[00:43:27] Well, let me begin by giving those of you who do believe some assurance.
[00:43:34] And to those of you who do not believe, a warning.
[00:43:40] I have stood in the presence of the Most High.
[00:43:46] I have seen the wonders of heaven and heard the voice of the Lord resound like thunder.
[00:43:57] I have stood at the foot of his throne and basked in the blazing glory that roars like a fire and shines like the sun.
[00:44:07] So from the lips of one who has actually spoken to the Ancient of Days, let me assure you, the Lord is alive and well.
[00:44:22] But there's tendency to doubt.
[00:44:25] This lack of understanding is not simply a modern occurrence in 2025.
[00:44:34] It is true that often things of heaven are difficult to comprehend here on this earth.
[00:44:47] I remember
[00:44:49] When the Lord sent me to the prophet Daniel in the land of Babylon to interpret a vision, even Daniel, an incredibly wise and incredibly godly man, could not fathom all that the Lord wanted to reveal to him.
[00:45:08] He actually needed some assistance, a little help, so that he could see the meaning of it all.
[00:45:15] So I want you to understand that's my purpose in being here with you today.
[00:45:22] To give you a little help.
[00:45:24] To give you a little understanding of what this season that you folks call Christmas really means.
[00:45:36] And to do so, I have to take you back to the Christmas that I remember.
[00:45:46] Anticipation.
[00:45:50] That was the word.
[00:45:52] Anticipation.
[00:45:54] That was the word that would describe the environment in heaven 2,000 years ago.
[00:45:59] Just before the arrival of the baby.
[00:46:03] I still remember the buzz and excitement, whispers throughout the angels that something was happening.
[00:46:10] That there were strange things that were beginning to stir on earth.
[00:46:16] that perhaps the time had come.
[00:46:22] You see, please know angels are not omniscient.
[00:46:27] We're not all knowing.
[00:46:29] We are granted supernatural authority by the Lord to do His bidding.
[00:46:35] But we rely totally on His instruction.
[00:46:41] Nevertheless, there were some things that were revealed to us that were not revealed on earth.
[00:46:49] We knew that a Messiah must come.
[00:46:54] And we knew that this Messiah would be a savior, a sacrifice, if you will.
[00:47:02] But frankly, we did not know the details.
[00:47:06] The Lord would have to do it his way
[00:47:10] and in His time.
[00:47:14] We also knew that before the coming of the Messiah, the Savior, another must come.
[00:47:21] and that it would be a prophet that would prepare the way of the Lord.
[00:47:26] And so there was whisper that had begun in heaven.
[00:47:30] In fact, word got out that Elijah had been called into the holy presence.
[00:47:37] Perhaps, we thought, things were about to be set into motion.
[00:47:43] It was at this time amongst all of the whispering that I was called into the holy presence myself.
[00:47:53] I was given instructions that I was to appear to an older couple in the land of Judea, a member of the tribe of Levi, and let him know that indeed the prophet was coming.
[00:48:10] and that he was to be their child.
[00:48:16] I must be honest, I could barely contain my excitement.
[00:48:21] See, mankind, humanity is so often caught up in the present, in the trivialities of life, if you will.
[00:48:28] Your kind has real trouble seeing the big picture.
[00:48:35] But this was it.
[00:48:37] This was God's plan that was being put into motion, a plan that had been slowly revealed over the annals of history.
[00:48:48] It was a plan that marked the redemption of all mankind, all humanity.
[00:48:55] And I, Gabriel, was given the task of delivering the news that the time of mankind's salvation had come.
[00:49:06] And even for one who had stood in the presence of the Lord, I must confess, I was overwhelmed and honored and humbled.
[00:49:19] So I went.
[00:49:21] I still remember showing up at the temple, and I did not reveal myself at first.
[00:49:27] I located, as we often do, the man I was looking for, Zechariah, who was going about his business in the temple.
[00:49:36] I will tell you the first thing that struck me about this man was he was old.
[00:49:44] I mean he was very old.
[00:49:46] His face where you could see the lines of a man that had been worn by the wind and the rain of many years.
[00:49:54] And his eyes were set behind these deep wrinkles.
[00:49:59] His beard was long and gray and his hands were steady as could be as they fulfilled his priestly duties.
[00:50:06] But nevertheless, his hands were wrinkled and spotted with age.
[00:50:14] Looking into his eyes,
[00:50:18] I couldn't help but think back to the last time that I had been sent to deliver news about the coming of a son.
[00:50:29] You see, I had come with two others to a man who was even older than this man, Zechariah.
[00:50:37] And that man's eyes had the same deep, wrinkled look to them, worn by years of travel in the hot desert sun.
[00:50:45] You see, when we arrived to tell Abraham that his son Isaac was soon to be born, little did I know that this is how all of this would ultimately play out.
[00:50:58] That this nation that would spring forth from Abraham would bring forth mankind's redemption.
[00:51:08] Oh, but the Lord knew.
[00:51:09] Mmm.
[00:51:11] The Lord God.
[00:51:13] He always knows.
[00:51:18] So I watched Zechariah.
[00:51:21] I watched him performing his duties.
[00:51:24] And as he finished and he began to head toward the exit, I made myself known to him.
[00:51:32] Now I have to say, this can be a little frightening when I make myself known.
[00:51:38] I don't really mean for it to be, but between the sudden appearance and these bodies, really, they just can't completely hide our heavenly glory.
[00:51:49] I must be a surprising sight to anybody when I show up.
[00:51:53] In fact, one of my worst fears has always been that I would appear to someone, especially as old as Zechariah, and the appearance itself would frighten them to where he would literally just drop over dead.
[00:52:05] Try taking that report back to the Holy Presence.
[00:52:09] No.
[00:52:11] But as I made myself over to Zechariah, thankfully, he didn't fall over dead.
[00:52:18] But I will tell you, however, he was very afraid.
[00:52:21] I just kept trying to keep him calm and then delivered my message.
[00:52:30] His wife, Elizabeth, would conceive a son.
[00:52:38] He would be a great prophet in the spirit of Elijah.
[00:52:42] He would bring the children of Israel to repentance.
[00:52:46] And I told him he was to name that child John.
[00:52:54] The old man looked confused at first.
[00:52:58] I still remember.
[00:52:59] And then his confusion was quickly replaced by skepticism.
[00:53:05] He looked at me and said, how will I know this?
[00:53:09] My wife and I are already advanced in years.
[00:53:14] Well again, my mind immediately went back to Abraham in those tense thousand years before.
[00:53:22] I could hear the ringing laughter in the other room.
[00:53:24] Sarah, Abraham's wife, cackling as she heard the words to Abraham of Isaac's imminent birth.
[00:53:34] I have to ask, what is it with you humans?
[00:53:39] Even angels appear to you?
[00:53:42] And you won't take the Lord at His word?
[00:53:46] Why must you constantly doubt Him?
[00:53:55] My response to Zechariah was quite candid.
[00:54:01] and quite short, albeit his doubt had made me justifiably perturbed.
[00:54:09] I stand in the presence of God, I responded to Zechariah and was sent to bring this good news to you.
[00:54:20] You see the Lord, the Lord has given us divine authority to deliver the message and thus I decided right then and there I must teach Zechariah an important lesson.
[00:54:35] So I told Zechariah he would be unable to speak until the time that the baby would be born.
[00:54:47] Why did I do that?
[00:54:49] I did this so Zechariah would understand something.
[00:54:55] Doubting the Word of God has consequences.
[00:55:04] Doubting the Word of God always has consequences.
[00:55:12] Folks, when we live and exist in these two different realms
[00:55:18] The human, the physical, and the heavenly or the spiritual, believing the Word of God is paramount.
[00:55:29] Because listen, disbelief in the Word always leads to disobedience in the actions.
[00:55:45] Let me tell you,
[00:55:47] When I finished with Zechariah that day, and upon my return to heaven, it was a buzz.
[00:55:55] I mean, if I thought that the anticipation was great before the news of the prophet that would come named John, there was even greater anticipation now.
[00:56:05] You see, at this point, we all knew that John would be a prophet, one who would pave the way for the Messiah.
[00:56:14] But what we did not know was how long that stretch of time would be.
[00:56:19] How long would it last before the Messiah would actually come?
[00:56:25] and the whispers were that in fact it would only be a very short time.
[00:56:34] The Messiah was going to come at nearly the same time as John.
[00:56:45] So as soon as I arrived, you guessed it, I was called back into the Holy Presence.
[00:56:54] There, these whispers were confirmed to me.
[00:56:59] The Lord relayed to me that the Messiah indeed was coming, and that I would have the honor of delivering the good news.
[00:57:09] Once again, I was overwhelmed and humbled, but the Lord had more to share, and He began to reveal to me the nature of His plan.
[00:57:22] Now listen closely.
[00:57:24] He, the Lord explained, would be coming to mankind.
[00:57:33] Now this was not necessarily or completely strange.
[00:57:38] After all, the Lord had come to earth in various forms before.
[00:57:43] You remember, he was speaking to Moses from a burning bush.
[00:57:47] He was wrestling with Jacob, for instance.
[00:57:50] I thought that perhaps the Lord was going to be coming to earth to help deliver or share the news.
[00:57:59] Knowing my thoughts, the Lord explained more.
[00:58:06] He would not be coming to earth to deliver any news.
[00:58:12] He, the Lord explained, would be the Messiah.
[00:58:21] Stay with me.
[00:58:24] He himself was going to take on the form of man.
[00:58:31] And in this form,
[00:58:34] Fully human and fully divine, he would sacrifice himself to redeem mankind.
[00:58:52] Suffice it to say, I did not understand.
[00:58:55] Once again, we angels are not omniscient.
[00:59:00] We're not all knowing the Lord.
[00:59:04] Become a man?
[00:59:05] Become one of these lowly, sinful, doubting creatures?
[00:59:13] No offense.
[00:59:17] But how could this be?
[00:59:18] The Lord said He would make it plain in due time.
[00:59:26] But for now, I had my task.
[00:59:30] I was to announce that the Lord was coming to save all mankind.
[00:59:37] And that announcement, that led me to Mary.
[00:59:42] The woman honored above all.
[00:59:48] As sweet and as innocent a girl as I had ever seen in my life.
[00:59:57] As I arrived in the family's small home in Nazareth that was actually more like a hut than a home, it was like Zechariah, her age, that struck me the most.
[01:00:13] You see, if Zechariah was too old to bear a child, Mary seemed altogether far too young.
[01:00:24] Her eyes were bright and thoughtful.
[01:00:28] And she had a certain softness about her.
[01:00:31] And so when I arrived and I saw Mary, I knew why the Lord had chosen her above all the others.
[01:00:42] Once again, when the time was right, I made my presence known to her.
[01:00:46] I remember what I said.
[01:00:49] Rejoice!
[01:00:52] Rejoice!
[01:00:54] For you are blessed among women.
[01:01:00] She was obviously taken aback at my appearance as usual, but she seemed rather more confused than frightened.
[01:01:11] I proceeded to deliver my message that she would conceive a son and that she was to call him Jesus.
[01:01:19] I told her that he would be called the Son of the Highest and that he would reign over the house of Jacob forever.
[01:01:26] I remember she took all this in with a wide-eyed look of confusion.
[01:01:38] In fact, I'm not real sure she heard anything else I said after I told her that she would give birth to a son.
[01:01:46] Because slightly shaking her head,
[01:01:49] She looked at me and responded, How can this be?
[01:01:55] I've never been with a man.
[01:02:00] Perhaps it was her softness, maybe her young age, but for some reason, I was much more forgiving of this doubt.
[01:02:13] After all, virgin birth, somewhat difficult to comprehend.
[01:02:20] The Holy Spirit will come upon you, I explained to her, for nothing is impossible with God.
[01:02:32] I watched as Mary's eyes began to comprehend.
[01:02:36] I noticed in her eyes that the doubt melted into confusion and then into understanding.
[01:02:46] Then I saw this look flash across her face.
[01:02:51] It was fear.
[01:02:54] It was as if all at once Mary understood what this would mean.
[01:03:02] The shame of being pregnant without being married.
[01:03:09] What would it do to her soon to be husband Joseph?
[01:03:13] And how would she feel now as an outcast or worse even thought to be crazy?
[01:03:21] After all, how was she to explain this to you doubting people?
[01:03:26] That an angel came?
[01:03:28] Yeah, right.
[01:03:33] All of this just passed over her face in this look of disbelief, shame, terror, and really the slightest hint of refusal
[01:03:52] But then, all at once, just like that, it melted away.
[01:04:01] Her face softened into a faith that was filled with submission.
[01:04:09] And I'll never forget her words.
[01:04:12] Behold the Lord's maidservant.
[01:04:17] That's what she said.
[01:04:19] Let it be.
[01:04:21] As you have said.
[01:04:26] Just like that, I knew why the Lord had chosen her.
[01:04:32] Above all the women in the world, He had chosen her.
[01:04:39] You see, in your Bible, the Gospel of John, first chapter, first verse, In the beginning was the Word,
[01:04:51] And the Word was with God.
[01:04:54] And the Word was God.
[01:04:58] And then down in verse 14 of that same chapter it says, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
[01:05:10] So now, we had to wait.
[01:05:15] We had to wait.
[01:05:17] But I want you to know those nine months in reality flew by.
[01:05:22] While the anticipation built, there were still preparations to be made.
[01:05:27] I was sent to Joseph and had to instruct him to take Mary as his wife.
[01:05:31] He responded dutifully and the two were married.
[01:05:35] Then there was Caesar Augustus who called a census for the Roman Empire which meant, get this, Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem to register the city that had been prophesied as the birthplace of the Messiah.
[01:05:55] I'll let you in on something.
[01:05:57] I'm not gonna say either way if I had a hand in Caesar's decision
[01:06:04] On that census, let's just say we'll leave that one to one of the mysteries of the Lord, how all that came to pass.
[01:06:15] Nevertheless, Mary and Joseph made that long, grueling journey all the way to the town till they found themselves in a stable in Bethlehem.
[01:06:30] With the baby's arrival,
[01:06:32] And as I arrived at the stable, Mary was beginning to go into labor.
[01:06:38] There was a woman from the inn, in fact, that was helping with Joseph, and all at once, just like that, I mean, it was just like that, thousands of years of history had been waiting for that one moment in time when that baby was born.
[01:07:00] I'm not sure what I was expecting, really.
[01:07:05] I mean, having stood in the Holy Presence, perhaps I expected the baby to be glowing or something like that.
[01:07:15] But perhaps I expected the moment to feel more climatic.
[01:07:23] But as that baby was born, I have to tell you,
[01:07:28] I was most struck by the fact that this was just a baby.
[01:07:37] Simply a baby.
[01:07:41] That was God?
[01:07:44] How could it be?
[01:07:45] The mystery was difficult to fathom for even an angel.
[01:07:52] But I didn't have time, honestly, at that moment to even ponder the mysteries of the Incarnation for I had been given another task.
[01:08:01] Believe it or not, I was instructed along with a host of other angels to go and appear to some shepherds that were nearby in a field and to announce this birth.
[01:08:13] When we arrived at the fields, the shepherds were mostly asleep, just one or two of them that were on watch with the other sheep, and I made my appearance first.
[01:08:23] And perhaps, I don't know, maybe it was the excitement of the Messiah's coming, but I tell you the glory of heaven burst forth from me as I stood before those shepherds.
[01:08:36] Those that were asleep jumped awake.
[01:08:39] They were all scared to death, filled with terror at my presence.
[01:08:44] As always, I told them, don't be afraid, please.
[01:08:48] And I announced the good news that Christ was born.
[01:08:52] Go to him, I said, and you'll find him in a manger.
[01:08:56] Then the other angels, they appeared with me, and we began to sing and speak praise to God.
[01:09:05] Oh, don't you understand, ladies and gentlemen?
[01:09:08] Years and years of anticipation just burst forth from us in light and in speech.
[01:09:16] We could not help but glorify God and share the good news
[01:09:21] At last, peace on earth had come.
[01:09:25] God has shown His good will to mankind.
[01:09:29] At last, thousands of years of sin and despair and darkness now could be defeated.
[01:09:37] Oh, even just like now, we got louder and louder, lifting our anthem at the top of our lungs.
[01:09:51] And at last we faded from their sight.
[01:09:56] The other angels returned to heaven, but I followed the shepherds through the streets of Bethlehem.
[01:10:03] It was almost humorous to watch.
[01:10:06] They went from inn to inn.
[01:10:07] They went from house to house, home to home, looking for this baby in swaddling clothes in a manger.
[01:10:17] I remember when they finally were pointed to the housing
[01:10:22] That stable where Mary and Joseph, and then seeing the baby, I remember they walked and peeked in that door.
[01:10:39] Joseph, as any good protective father would do, quickly met them at the door.
[01:10:48] He asked them if they would please leave because Mary needed her rest.
[01:10:53] But then one of the shepherds described my appearance and what they had just seen and heard.
[01:11:01] And as he was describing it, Joseph's eyes widened.
[01:11:07] He looked over at Mary, and she simply nodded.
[01:11:14] I remember that one shepherd, when he came into the stable, he asked if he could hold
[01:11:23] The baby.
[01:11:26] This was granted.
[01:11:29] And that older shepherd took the baby, wrapped in rags in his arms, and I still remember him saying, Savior.
[01:11:45] Savior.
[01:11:48] Just over and over again as he looked at that baby, Savior.
[01:11:57] And then I noticed with his eyes filled with tears and his chin quivering, he said, My Savior.
[01:12:13] My Savior.
[01:12:18] I looked on this scene unfolding, and if I could not grasp the mystery of God incarnate,
[01:12:29] I realized how much less that I could grasp that this baby was a Savior.
[01:12:39] I didn't know what it meant to be saved.
[01:12:43] I've never needed to be saved from anything.
[01:12:47] I stood in the presence of God.
[01:12:50] I've worshipped with thousands upon thousands of angels.
[01:12:54] I've done His bidding at every turn because that's what I was created to do.
[01:13:00] That's what I was made to do.
[01:13:03] And this required no kind of saving.
[01:13:09] But your kind, your freedom allows you such choice.
[01:13:23] Don't miss that.
[01:13:25] Your freedom allows you such choice.
[01:13:31] You can doubt and disobey, and you can do so on a regular occasion.
[01:13:39] Humanity needs a Savior.
[01:13:42] And as I watched that old shepherd with tears in his eyes looking at the one he called the Savior,
[01:13:53] I did realize this.
[01:13:57] I realized the incredible love that God has for your kind.
[01:14:11] In your doubting and in your disobedience, God gave Himself to save you.
[01:14:23] It was a kind of love that I, despite standing in His presence, quite frankly, had never felt and to this day can never feel.
[01:14:37] A love for humanity that was so deep and so strong that eventually that little baby would grow into a man and sacrifice his own life
[01:14:52] For humanity.
[01:14:56] You mean Gabriel for doubters?
[01:14:59] Yes.
[01:15:01] For those who don't believe?
[01:15:04] Yes.
[01:15:06] For those who continually disobey Him?
[01:15:11] Yes.
[01:15:14] God brought His light into the world
[01:15:20] So that all of you who dwell in this darkness called earth may see once again.
[01:15:34] You see, the hope is that one day you may join me in heaven and you'll join me lifting our voices in praise.
[01:15:43] that one day every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that He is Lord and that all of creation would cry out with one voice, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty.
[01:16:02] Don't you see?
[01:16:03] That's why He sent the light.
[01:16:14] That's why He sent the light.
[01:16:18] And now, my time is done.
[01:16:24] But as I return to heaven, just so you know, there's a great anticipation that's going on right now.
[01:16:36] We're anticipating the day when this same Jesus is going to come again
[01:16:45] And he's not going to be coming as a baby this time.
[01:16:51] He's going to be coming as a King of Kings and Lord of Lords to claim his bride.
[01:17:02] There's great anticipation in heaven.
[01:17:07] So, while that's the Christmas that I remember, I just hope you understand
[01:17:17] that until he comes this Christmas it's up to you and you and you and you and you and you and you it's up to all of you to simply spread the light so that everybody in your family everybody you work with everybody you engage with this Christmas
[01:17:46] may know why He came.

[01:18:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
A message of that magnitude
[01:18:17] Demands a response.
[01:18:20] So this morning as we close out the service, we just want to open up an opportunity for you to have a response to such a message.
[01:18:30] What have you done with God's Son?
[01:18:33] What have you done with Heaven's greatest gift?
[01:18:38] you know we opened up the service with the passage from Isaiah chapter 9 in verse 6 it talks about for to us a child is born for to us a son is given gifts are given and we see that come to fruition John 3 16 for God so loved the world that he gave
[01:19:04] He gave that gift.
[01:19:06] What is that gift?
[01:19:08] Well, the Bible talks about, for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus, His Son.
[01:19:21] So much of Christmas surrounds gifts.
[01:19:25] And just like the Gospel, if you think about it, the gifts are found by going to the tree.
[01:19:34] But it's not underneath the tree where you're going to find this gift.
[01:19:39] No, God's greatest gift was hung upon the tree.
[01:19:43] That's where the light is.
[01:19:45] If you look to the tree, that's where the everlasting green, you can see that the life flows from.
[01:19:51] That's where the light shines to it.
[01:19:54] And just like how the story kind of went a rave in the beginning, taking something off of a tree, rejecting the Word of God, taking something off of it,
[01:20:05] and consuming it and eating it.
[01:20:07] Conversely, how is it fixed?
[01:20:10] Listening to the word of God, responding to the word of God, putting something back on the tree.
[01:20:16] But the call is the same, take up and eat.
[01:20:20] Bethlehem, house of bread, where was this king born?
[01:20:25] In a manger, in a feeding trough, right?
[01:20:29] Where animals come to eat the bread of life broken for you.
[01:20:34] The Holy Spirit is here to fill you.
[01:21:02] It's not anything we do.
[01:21:03] The Bible says that we are saved by grace through faith so that no man may boast.
[01:21:07] This is not of your own doing.
[01:21:10] Romans 4, 5 says, And to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, your faith will be counted as righteousness.
[01:21:22] Without righteousness you can't see God.
[01:21:24] So this morning we want to implore you, invite you, if you've never
[01:21:29] Receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.
[01:21:33] I want to invite you to do that today.
[01:21:34] You know, the angel came and made a proclamation, Behold, I bring you great tidings and good news and great joy.
[01:21:40] And he says that there's peace with God, but there's a catch, if you read it in the book of Luke.
[01:21:46] It says, Peace with those of whom God is well pleased.
[01:21:52] Are you in a right standing relationship with God?
[01:21:56] Have you went to the cross?
[01:21:57] Have you went to Christ to receive your reconciliation?
[01:22:00] Your sin placed on Him, His righteousness placed on you.
[01:22:04] If not, let today be the day.
[01:22:09] Come receive your gift of salvation through life in His name.
[01:22:14] Maybe your response is something else.
[01:22:15] Maybe you've been a believer for years.
[01:22:17] Maybe God's been pressing upon your heart to be a member of this church.
[01:22:21] You can still do that today.
[01:22:23] Simply walk the aisle and we'll receive you into membership today if God's been stirring your heart to do that.
[01:22:29] and I don't know maybe you want to take the one of the last things the the messenger said today and just get alone with God and plead with him pray to him on behalf of your loved ones who are near to you but far from God today's an opportunity to do that as well we just want to open up this time right now for the Lord to move and for you to respond to it between you and him however you see fit so would you bow your heads and pray with me Father God we thank you for your word
[01:22:59] We thank you for the messenger of your word, God.
[01:23:04] Lord, we don't just want to be hearers of it.
[01:23:06] We want to be doers of it, Lord.
[01:23:09] We want to receive this message, but also, Lord, respond to it.
[01:23:14] And Father, what does that response look like?
[01:23:16] You know.
[01:23:17] Within the hearts and the minds of believers today who have heard this message, or unbelievers who have heard it,
[01:23:23] Father, may we receive this message.
[01:23:25] May we rejoice in the gift that is Jesus Christ, the true meaning of Christmas.
[01:23:31] Help us to revel in it, God.
[01:23:34] Help us to rest in it.
[01:23:36] Help us to share it with others this Christmas season.
[01:23:40] Father, we pray that the Holy Spirit would move in a way that you see fit.
[01:23:45] May your perfect pleasing will be done as we close out this service today.
[01:23:49] Allow hearts and minds to respond to this message.
[01:23:53] Help us open up our hearts and prepare him room.
[01:23:58] Help us not be like the innkeeper and say, there's no room for you here.
[01:24:02] Go to the next door.
[01:24:04] Father, keep knocking.
[01:24:06] Keep drawing men and women to yourself.
[01:24:09] Lord, we love you.
[01:24:10] And we thank you for your love that you've lavished upon us.
[01:24:14] Help us to respond to it appropriately today.
[01:24:15] We ask this in Christ's mighty name.
[01:24:18] Amen.
[01:24:19] Will you stand and sing?

[01:24:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Excelling, Joy of heaven to earth come down Fixed in us thy humble dwelling All thy faithful mercies crown Jesus

[01:25:07] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
of Christ Jesus Christ of Latter Day.

[01:25:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
and Prophecy.

[01:26:10] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Take away the love of sinning, of the land, the way of being.
[01:26:12] In the faith that is within, set our hearts at liberty.
[01:26:13] Come, O

[01:26:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
All things we seek suddenly appear.
[01:26:47] Amen.

[01:27:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Just a few announcements as we close out our time today.
[01:27:05] One is, if you didn't have an opportunity to get a Bible reading plan, we have printed more for you.
[01:27:09] Praise the Lord, they sold like hotcakes.
[01:27:11] I don't know if it was David Benton out there handing them out or what, but they went quick.
[01:27:15] We have a couple more left.
[01:27:16] Be sure to grab one.
[01:27:18] Also, this Wednesday night, 5 p.m., we have a candlelight service.
[01:27:22] You don't want to miss that.
[01:27:22] It's going to be a special time of worship.
[01:27:24] And then lastly, and probably most importantly because it's closest to us and you don't want to miss this, tonight, 5 p.m., we're going...
[01:27:31] If you want to come here at 5 p.m., you're going to get some of Dan Helton's world-famous hot cocoa.
[01:27:37] You'll also get some cookies.
[01:27:39] Get all sugared up and then be sent out.
[01:27:41] And we're going to go love on our community.
[01:27:43] We're going to go visit a lot of loving hand individuals.
[01:27:46] Individuals who are near and dear to us, but for whatever reason, whether it be health or circumstances, can't attend the church service.
[01:27:52] So we're going to bring the church to them.
[01:27:54] We're going to go worship with them, love on them.
[01:27:56] So please come here 5 p.m. for that.
[01:27:58] Brother Trevor is going to close us out with a benediction and prayer.

[01:28:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
Thank you and God bless.
[01:28:21] The time of the year when non-believers are most willing to attend a church service.
[01:28:26] So invite your friends, invite your neighbors that you don't think will ever attend a church service.
[01:28:30] Invite them Christmas Eve.
[01:28:32] It's going to be an awesome time.
[01:28:33] I would love to see the sanctuary full of candlelight.
[01:28:37] Our benediction is going to be a passage that we've already read a couple times this morning.
[01:28:40] Isaiah 9 verse 6.
[01:28:42] It says this,
[01:28:46] To us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulder, and his name will be Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
[01:29:01] Let's pray together.
[01:29:01] Lord Jesus,
[01:29:03] Thank you for being that son.
[01:29:05] Thank you for coming down from your throne onto this earth to save sinners like us, Lord Jesus.
[01:29:10] And Lord, if there's anyone in this room that hasn't given their life to you, Lord, I pray that they would give their life to you this morning.
[01:29:16] In Jesus' name we pray.

[01:29:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Amen.
[01:29:36] Holy Spirit of the Lord There are sweet expressions on your face And I know that it's the presence of the Lord Sweet Holy Spirit Sweet Holy Spirit
[01:30:06] Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy

[01:33:25] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Thank you for watching!
[01:34:18] Let's pray.