Daniel’s Vision of the End: Why Your Future is Secure in Christ

[00:01:04] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Let us pray.

[00:02:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Hello, good morning and Merry Christmas.
[00:02:04] It is Megan and Glenn.

[00:02:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Good morning, folks.

[00:02:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
How are you doing?
[00:02:09] We are happy to see you today.
[00:02:11] So happy for you to join us.
[00:02:14] I have a question, Glenn.
[00:02:15] Yes.
[00:02:15] Do you have any traditions that you and your family do on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

[00:02:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Christmas Eve, we all get to open up one gift.

[00:02:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
That's fun.
[00:02:25] That's fun.
[00:02:26] My family does that too.
[00:02:28] Typically, don't listen to this, children.
[00:02:30] If you are from my household, you will get pajamas on Christmas Eve.

[00:02:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
That's another thing that we're starting to do this year.

[00:02:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
And then we also, the other thing that we do is we take out Chinese food and then we watch a Muppet Christmas Carol.
[00:02:44] Nice.
[00:02:45] Yep, so then and wrap presents because that's what parents do.
[00:02:48] So anyway, all that to say, I hope you have some fun traditions.
[00:02:52] Feel free to drop down into the comments.
[00:02:54] Let us know what some of your family traditions are.
[00:02:56] We would love to hear them because maybe we can incorporate them into our own lives.

[00:03:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
You know, I'm starting something this year, you know, with everything that I've been through.
[00:03:04] Prayer works.
[00:03:05] Amen.
[00:03:06] Let me tell you something.
[00:03:07] That's been a big part of my journey right now is to pray.
[00:03:12] Pray every night before I go to bed and pray with my wife together.
[00:03:16] And with that, today we want to interact with you.
[00:03:21] Type in the comments, God is good.
[00:03:23] Type it in the comments, God is good.

[00:03:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
We want to hear from you.

[00:03:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Absolutely.

[00:03:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
All right, a few notes before we get into the service.
[00:03:30] Our Christmas Eve service is on, you guessed it, Christmas Eve.
[00:03:33] That's December 24th at 5 p.m. We would love to see you there.
[00:03:39] It's not going to be too extravagant.
[00:03:40] We're going to be making it down, like just feeling at home.
[00:03:44] Hanging out, worshiping the Lord and celebrating His birth.
[00:03:48] So the other thing is, this is our last online streaming of the year.
[00:03:54] Don't worry.
[00:03:54] Don't worry.
[00:03:55] I know you are.
[00:03:56] We will be back in 2026.

[00:03:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
I should hope so.

[00:04:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
I hope so.
[00:04:02] But that being said, we will not be streaming next week, the 28th.
[00:04:06] We'd love to see you here in person.
[00:04:10] Yeah, we would love for you to come in in person.
[00:04:13] But we also know that it's really busy at the holidays, so if you can, please come and join with us.
[00:04:19] We would love to see you.

[00:04:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Absolutely.
[00:04:21] We miss you here in the sanctuary.
[00:04:24] Yes, we do.

[00:04:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
We definitely do, yes.

[00:04:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
We're glad that you're here online because you're part of the First Baptist family, but we would love to see your face here on the 28th because it's in person only.

[00:04:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Yes, so we are getting ready to start the service.
[00:04:37] We got about 20 seconds or so before they grab your coffee, grab your coffee, grab your Bible, get ready to worship and praise the Lord.
[00:04:45] Amen for that.
[00:04:46] God, please be with us today.
[00:04:47] Help us worship you to the best of our abilities and to bring you glory.
[00:04:52] We love you so much, God.
[00:04:54] Thank you for sending your Son to save us.
[00:04:56] In Jesus' name we pray.
[00:04:58] Amen.

[00:04:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Amen.

[00:05:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
The Held Angels Sing Glory to the newborn King

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled Joyful all ye nations rise Join the triumph of the skies With angelic hosts proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem Hark the herald angels sing Glory to the new
[00:06:02] Christ by highest heaven adored Christ the everlasting Lord In time behold Him call Offspring of the virgin's womb Veiled in flesh the Godhead
[00:06:24] Incarnate Deity, Pleases man with a man to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel, Hark!
[00:06:33] the herald angels sing, Glory to the new born King!
[00:06:40] So we sing Hallelujah!
[00:06:44] Our Redeemer has arrived!
[00:06:48] We sing Hallelujah!
[00:06:50] Let the King be
[00:06:56] We praise the one who comes to save.
[00:07:12] The heaven-born Prince of Peace Hail the Son of Righteousness Blood and life to all He brings Risen with healing in His hands Out He lays glory by Born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth Born to give in second birth Hark the herald angels sing
[00:07:39] Jealousy, Glory to the Lord So we sing Hallelujah Our Redeemer has arrived We sing Hallelujah Let the King be lifted up We join with the heavens Praise the One who comes to save We sing Hallelujah We sing Hallelujah
[00:08:16] We sing hallelujah We sing hallelujah We sing hallelujah

[00:08:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Merry Christmas, everybody.
[00:08:50] Welcome to Uptown.
[00:08:51] We're so glad you're here today.
[00:08:52] It is going to be an awesome day.
[00:08:56] And why is it going to be awesome?
[00:08:58] Molly's here.
[00:09:00] So glad to have Molly.
[00:09:01] Would you all welcome Molly back from Liberty University.
[00:09:04] We're so glad to have her home for a little bit.
[00:09:07] And Molly is going to be with us also on Christmas Eve.
[00:09:11] And she's singing an amazing song.
[00:09:14] On Christmas Eve that we cannot wait for.
[00:09:19] And the really cool part of that is she's going to be singing right before her dad, Josh, shares God's word with us on Christmas Eve.
[00:09:27] It's going to be an amazing day.
[00:09:28] I hope you're going to come join us.
[00:09:30] Welcome, everybody.
[00:09:31] We're glad you're here.
[00:09:32] Welcome to Charlotte.
[00:09:34] Welcome to First Baptist Charlotte.
[00:09:35] If you're visiting for the first time, we hope you find a home here.
[00:09:39] We hope you feel loved here.
[00:09:40] We hope you experience the community that many of us have been experiencing for a long, long time.
[00:09:47] This is a place to call home, not because we're anything special, but because we believe God is doing something special here in the heart of the city, here in Uptown Charlotte.
[00:09:57] Look around, everybody.
[00:09:59] See if there's somebody you'd like to meet or you haven't met before.
[00:10:02] We're going to continue worshiping here in just a few moments.
[00:10:12] All right, if you're joining us online for the first time, we want to welcome you here.
[00:10:16] We're so glad that you're here.
[00:10:17] If you're joining us on charlottefbc.org or on Facebook or on YouTube Live, just welcome.
[00:10:26] Merry Christmas to all of you.
[00:10:28] Hope you'll stay with us for the entire morning.
[00:10:30] Pastor John's got an amazing message and something really cool is going to happen towards the end of the service.
[00:10:36] Pastor John's going to do a Q&A talking about some of the things that he's been teaching on from the book of Daniel.
[00:10:44] Just hang in there with us.
[00:10:45] It's going to be an awesome, awesome morning.
[00:10:47] Merry Christmas, everybody.

[00:11:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
of God, Creator of the world, Creator of the world.
[00:11:40] Behold what light has come, and the dark cannot contain, the Savior
[00:11:56] You know this.

[00:12:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Oh God, let us adore Him.
[00:12:08] God, let us adore Him.
[00:12:09] For He is Lord.
[00:12:46] He's not there, Lord, He is risen Every heart prepared for Him

[00:13:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
We give you all the glory We give you all the glory We give you all the glory in Christ the Lord We give you all the glory We give you all the glory

[00:13:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Give you all the glory Christ the Lord
[00:15:28] O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant O come, ye, O come ye to Bethlehem
[00:15:55] The King of Angels O come let us adore Him O come let us adore Him O come let us adore Him
[00:16:28] In the presence of angels
[00:17:32] Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning, Jesus, to Thee be the glory given.
[00:17:56] Word of the Father, now with flesh of
[00:19:20] Let's just sing acapella.

[00:19:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
O come, let us adore
[00:19:43] O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him Christ the Lord For He alone, for He alone is mercy

[00:20:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Christ the Lord.

[00:20:32] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
O come, let us adore Him.
[00:20:39] O come, let us adore Him.
[00:20:48] Christ the Lord in Christ the Lord.

[00:21:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
All right, if you have a Bible, go with me to the book of Daniel.
[00:21:36] We'll be in Daniel chapter 12.
[00:21:38] We're going to conclude our time this morning in the book of Daniel, Daniel chapter 12.
[00:21:43] And I do want to let you know this before we jump into the text.
[00:21:46] We are going to have at the end of the service a Q&A.
[00:21:49] We've done a couple of these through the book of Daniel, but if you have questions that have come up over the last several weeks or a question that comes up today,
[00:21:56] We'll be in Daniel chapter 12 and verse 1 here in just a second.
[00:22:17] You know, so much of
[00:22:19] The love of Christmas that we see in our country and the traditions of Christmas that we see in the culture really have gotten to the point where they don't need Jesus at all.
[00:22:31] If you think about like the best Christmas movies, like people's favorite Christmas movies, and I'm talking more about like since I was born, like my generation, I'm not talking about like black and white Christmas movies, but like
[00:22:46] You know, the Christmas movies that have come out over the last, you know, few decades, like Home Alone or Elf, The Grinch or Die Hard, you know, like the best Christmas movies out there, they act like
[00:23:03] The incarnation of Jesus, Jesus coming to earth doesn't really matter at all for the Christmas season, right?
[00:23:11] Jesus could have not been born, He could have not died on a cross, He could have not been raised from the dead, and it doesn't really affect those movies at all.
[00:23:20] Jesus is completely unnecessary for the plots of Home Alone, of Elf, of Die Hard.
[00:23:26] But here's what we're going to see this morning from the book of Daniel.
[00:23:30] The truth is, without Jesus, there is nothing to celebrate.
[00:23:34] Without Jesus, there is nothing to celebrate and deep down in every human heart, we know that the Christ of Christmas is the answer to those longings that we have.
[00:23:51] In fact, if you think about these movies,
[00:23:56] You think about Home Alone and love Home Alone and love the, you know, him setting up all the booby traps and getting the robbers, you know, kind of entangled in all that comedy.
[00:24:07] But like deep down at root, what is the movie Home Alone really about?
[00:24:12] You have this conversation that Kevin has with the guy that he thinks is the ice shovel, you know, killer.
[00:24:18] And what is the movie about?
[00:24:20] The movie's about the need for reconciliation in families.
[00:24:25] Like Kevin needs to be reconciled to his family.
[00:24:28] This guy needs to be reconciled to his family.
[00:24:31] There needs to be forgiveness.
[00:24:32] There needs to be unity within the family.
[00:24:34] Well, the truth is you can't really have reconciliation without Jesus.
[00:24:40] That's why Jesus came to earth.
[00:24:43] When you think about the movie Elf, like what is Elf?
[00:24:46] All the, you know, the comedy of Will Ferrell, and it's a pretty funny movie and a very funny storyline.
[00:24:51] But again, at root, at the longing of his heart, what is that movie about?
[00:24:55] It's about
[00:24:56] This guy who doesn't belong anywhere.
[00:24:58] He doesn't know what his identity is.
[00:25:00] He doesn't know what his purpose is.
[00:25:02] He doesn't know where he fits in.
[00:25:03] And the gospel has answers for that question.
[00:25:07] The gospel tells us who we are, really, and where we fit in and where we can find community.
[00:25:13] Even the movie Die Hard is, again, all the action and those kind of things.
[00:25:18] is about a marriage that needs to be fixed, that needs to be put back together.
[00:25:22] Jesus is the answer to all of those questions.
[00:25:26] Without Jesus, there's nothing to celebrate, but with Jesus, everything starts to make sense.
[00:25:32] Let's see what the Bible says here in Daniel chapter 12 about the coming of Jesus at Christmas and even beyond and see how this gives us reason to celebrate.
[00:25:43] Look what the Bible says there starting in verse 1.
[00:25:47] shall arise Michael the great prince who is charge of your people and there shall be a time of trouble such as never has been since there was a nation till that time but at that time your people shall be delivered everyone whose name shall be found written in the book and many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt
[00:26:16] Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.
[00:26:27] But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end.
[00:26:33] Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.
[00:26:37] May God bless the reading of His Word.
[00:26:40] Three things I want us to see this morning about
[00:26:44] The meaning of Christmas and how we have reason to celebrate with Jesus.
[00:26:47] The first one is this.
[00:26:49] With Jesus, the Bible says that your trouble is temporary.
[00:26:53] With Jesus, your trouble is temporary.
[00:26:57] Daniel chapter 10 through chapter 12 really is one prophecy.
[00:27:02] There's a lot of detail.
[00:27:03] There's a lot of different events that are foretold by Daniel in chapters 10 and 11 leading up to Daniel chapter 12, which we were just told is about the end of the world, okay?
[00:27:13] and the context is in Daniel chapter 10 and Daniel chapter 11 he's really expounding or giving more detail to the things that he's already talked about the things that we've covered over the last several weeks and those things are this Daniel 10 and 11 foretell
[00:27:30] Years and years of trouble, persecution, suffering for God's people.
[00:27:36] This pattern that we've been talking about that the book of Daniel really has been like unfolding for us is that throughout the generations there are going to be people and there are going to be cultures that rage against God, that rage against God's people.
[00:27:51] There are going to be attacks on our faith.
[00:27:53] There's going to be attacks on the Word of God and the truthfulness of the Word of God.
[00:27:56] We are going to suffer for our faith in Jesus.
[00:27:59] Like all of these things, the book of Daniel is saying this is the way that things are going to operate until the end of the world.
[00:28:08] But as Daniel begins to wrap all of that up, again, the history of the book of Daniel has shown us how Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego have been attacked for their faith over and over and over again, and yet God has delivered them.
[00:28:19] And then in the prophecy section, he's saying, look, it's going to be like this.
[00:28:23] It's gonna be like this.
[00:28:24] They're gonna hate you.
[00:28:25] They're gonna malign you.
[00:28:27] They're gonna accuse you of all kinds of things.
[00:28:29] This is the way that it's going to be, but it will not last forever.
[00:28:34] In chapter 12, he is really driving home the point that in the end, God is going to win and God is going to deliver his people.
[00:28:43] He says that they will be, those who are written in the book are gonna be raised to eternal life.
[00:28:49] Eventually, God is going to wipe away every tear from our eyes.
[00:28:53] That's what the Christmas story is all about.
[00:28:56] I think of my kids are getting older, but when they were younger during Christmas, we would always, we'd move past the point like where we get them toys, okay?
[00:29:05] The toys that we get them now are a lot more expensive than they were when they were little.
[00:29:10] But when they were little, you know, we'd like get Judson like a bike or get him, you know, like a tricycle or something.
[00:29:17] And typically when we were, you know, wherever we were, it was,
[00:29:22] All of these things were always like warm enough to be able to go outside and to ride on those things.
[00:29:26] And he would try to find a hill, you know, and go down that hill as fast as he could so he could build up speed.
[00:29:35] He would tip the bike over and he would fall down and he would scrape his knee and he would get upset.
[00:29:40] And what would we do when that happened is that we would go over to him, pick him up, dust him off, and make sure that he was okay.
[00:29:48] That's what the Christmas story is about is that God does not remain distant from the problem of
[00:29:54] the suffering of His people.
[00:29:56] God enters into our existence.
[00:29:58] He comes after us.
[00:30:00] He comes to get us.
[00:30:01] He stoops down in all of our trouble and all of our mess and all of our brokenness and lifts us up out of it and promises that one day He's going to wipe away every tear from our eyes.
[00:30:12] And so the Bible tells us with Jesus, your trouble is temporary.
[00:30:17] That as verse 1 tells us, they will be delivered, everyone whose name is written in
[00:30:24] The second thing we see in Daniel chapter 12 is this.
[00:30:27] With Jesus, your future is secure.
[00:30:32] Your future is secure.
[00:30:34] Daniel chapter 12 is talking about the end of the world.
[00:30:39] It's talking about what's going to happen at the end of the world.
[00:30:42] What do the last days look like?
[00:30:44] What does the end of the world look like?
[00:30:46] In verse 2, he tells us that the end of the world looks like judgment.
[00:30:52] There's this separating that's going on, this distinction that's being made.
[00:30:56] Who is in and who is out?
[00:30:59] Who is part of the people of God and who is not a part of the people of God?
[00:31:02] There's gonna be judgment, a sorting at the end.
[00:31:06] And also at the end, there is going to be resurrection from the dead.
[00:31:12] So he says at the end of the world after all of this trouble after all of this rage against God and his people there's going to be this separation that takes place some are going to be in some are going to be out and there's going to be resurrection from the dead now what we need to understand what the new testament tells us is that this end of the world
[00:31:36] that is being foretold here in Daniel chapter 12, God actually moves the end of the world forward and makes it happen in the middle of human history.
[00:31:48] On Easter morning 2,000 years ago, when the corpse of Jesus stood up and walked out of that borrowed tomb, we entered into the last days.
[00:31:58] We entered into the end of the world.
[00:32:02] That's why if you read in the book of Acts, for example, when you read the apostles in the book of Acts, they're all of the time talking about how the end of the world has already occurred.
[00:32:12] That's why Paul can say, listen, the reason why I'm on trial right now is because the resurrection of the dead.
[00:32:19] That's why Peter at Pentecost is looking at these people who've been saying, we're waiting for all of these promises to happen.
[00:32:28] We're waiting for the final judgment.
[00:32:31] We're waiting for our vindication where God says, you are the people who belong to me and I'm going to wipe away every tear from your eyes.
[00:32:38] You've been waiting for the resurrection of the dead.
[00:32:42] Well, guess what?
[00:32:45] All of this happened and it happened to the guy that you made fun of, the guy that you rejected, and the guy that you handed over to the Romans and said, crucify him.
[00:32:57] They're saying, listen, all of these things that you've been waiting for, they've happened, but you missed it because you missed Jesus.
[00:33:06] If you are in Christ, the Bible tells us,
[00:33:09] then what is going to happen at the end of the world being delivered being told you're in you're vindicated being raised from the dead the bible says if you're in christ that has already happened for you you have been raised up ephesians chapter 2 tells us and you have been seated in the heavenly places in christ jesus the first advent
[00:33:33] With Jesus coming into the world, with Him dying on the cross, and with Him being raised from the dead, God moved the end of history into the middle of history.
[00:33:43] The judgment has already happened.
[00:33:44] It happened to Jesus.
[00:33:46] The resurrection has already happened.
[00:33:48] It happened to Jesus.
[00:33:49] And here's the bottom line.
[00:33:50] If you will put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, what is true of Jesus is going to be true of you.
[00:33:56] that that judgment that you should undergo because you're a sinner it's already happened it happened to jesus at calvary that resurrection from the dead that you want to happen jesus shares that with you he shares that new life with you if you will believe in him your name will be written the bible tells us in the book of life but here's the bottom line what you do with jesus at his first coming determines what will happen to you at his second coming
[00:34:24] There is going to be, at the end, there is going to be judgment.
[00:34:28] There's going to be books opened up.
[00:34:31] And if you're a believer in Christ, then your name is written in the book of life and you will be raised, the Bible says, to everlasting life.
[00:34:41] If you're not, if you've not trusted in Jesus, if you've not dealt with Him, then you are going to be raised.
[00:34:48] This text tells us, and this is really important given the
[00:34:52] Current climate of things in American Christianity, this text says that if you're not in Christ, you will be raised to everlasting contempt, everlasting judgment.
[00:35:05] I don't know if you've seen this in the last couple of weeks.
[00:35:10] I say Mike Seaver, that was his name on Growing Pains.
[00:35:13] Kirk Cameron, famous actor from the 80s and 90s, very solid Christian believer but has come to the conclusion or at least is wrestling with whether or not hell is eternal and is kind of flirting with the idea that hell doesn't last forever and what a doctrine that's called annihilation.
[00:35:33] As much as I wish that that were true, the Bible does not give us that option.
[00:35:37] The Bible says that the length of the punishment for those who are not in Christ will be the same as the length for the reward for those who are in Christ.
[00:35:49] Everlasting life or everlasting contempt.
[00:35:54] So without Jesus, there is no pie in the sky, reason to celebrate.
[00:35:58] There's no hope.
[00:36:00] There's no joy at Christmas.
[00:36:01] But if you are in Christ, this text says you will be raised to eternal life.
[00:36:06] Yes, there is a judgment that is coming.
[00:36:09] Like our consciences testify to us, even if we won't admit it, that we're heading towards a reckoning day.
[00:36:15] We will give an account.
[00:36:15] There will be a sorting that takes place.
[00:36:18] Some will be in, some will be out.
[00:36:22] We get glimpses of this kind of thing in our culture.
[00:36:26] Yesterday and Friday night you had the first round of the college football playoffs and there is a sorting that takes place before the playoffs.
[00:36:35] There's a committee and they have all these different resumes of teams and they look at those resumes and they decide, based on your resume, you're either in the playoff, you've done enough, or you're out of the playoff.
[00:36:47] And so there's a judgment, there's a sorting, or if you watch
[00:36:51] You know reality kind of game shows like Dancing with the Stars or American Idol.
[00:36:55] There's a judgment that takes place.
[00:36:57] Who's going to be in?
[00:36:58] Who's going to go on to the next round?
[00:36:59] Who's going to be out?
[00:37:01] The problem is what the Bible is telling us again is what you do with Jesus at his first coming is going to determine what happens at the second coming.
[00:37:09] There isn't this like with the college football committee or whatever.
[00:37:12] There isn't this like comparing yourself.
[00:37:15] Okay, my resume.
[00:37:16] I know I'm not perfect but
[00:37:20] I've got more quality good actions than this other person and so I should get in and they maybe they should be left out there's no comparison of yourself with somebody else there's no man did I attain enough on my record to be able to get in the question is what have you done with Jesus have you trusted in him have you put your faith in him have you asked him for mercy or have you ignored him there's no arguing your case we're going to give an account
[00:37:50] Everything that is hidden will be revealed.
[00:37:54] The Bible says if you want to be prepared, if you want to know that your future is secure, then you need to be united to Christ by faith.
[00:38:00] Because here's the bottom line.
[00:38:02] If you are united to Christ by faith, then your judgment has already happened 2,000 years ago at Calvary.
[00:38:10] Christ's cross counts as your hell.
[00:38:14] And you've already been vindicated.
[00:38:15] God has already said, this one belongs to me.
[00:38:18] Because when Jesus walked out of the tomb, the Bible says that you walked out with him in Christ.
[00:38:23] You've been raised up.
[00:38:24] You've been seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
[00:38:27] Your name is written in the book.
[00:38:28] And when the roll is called up yonder, you'll be there.
[00:38:33] With Jesus, your future is secure.
[00:38:36] The last one is this.
[00:38:38] With Jesus, your mission is clear.
[00:38:42] With Jesus your mission is clear.
[00:38:44] He tells us in verse 3, Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.
[00:38:58] What he's telling us in verse 3, and he moves into verse 4 about the time of the end, he's telling us this,
[00:39:06] Between the first coming of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus, we have an opportunity to be on mission to turn people towards righteousness, to turn people towards Jesus.
[00:39:19] If you are a believer, if you are one of these who's gonna be raised to eternal life, if your name is written in the book, then he says, one of the ways that you evidence that
[00:39:33] is by turning other people to righteousness, by sharing your faith with other people.
[00:39:40] We have an opportunity between the first coming of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus to evangelize people, to share the good news.
[00:39:47] And there's two ways in this verse that we share the good news.
[00:39:52] One is by witness, okay?
[00:39:54] We turn people towards righteousness with our declaration, with us sharing the gospel.
[00:39:58] The other way, he says, is by wisdom.
[00:40:02] by the pattern of our life.
[00:40:06] The first is this, witness.
[00:40:08] He says, we are called to turn many to righteousness.
[00:40:12] You know, the thing is, for so many of us, we love turning people on to things that we love and care about, right?
[00:40:25] Like, if there's a new show on Netflix and you think it's awesome, what do you do?
[00:40:30] You tell all your friends, this show is awesome, you need to check it out.
[00:40:34] Or if you have a new restaurant that you like and you're like, man, this restaurant has this, man, they've got the best shrimp and grits you've ever had in your life, you need to go to this restaurant.
[00:40:44] Like, when we are excited about something, when we think something is great, when we think something is the best, when it's our favorite, we love turning people on to it.
[00:40:54] But why in the world is it that we don't love turning people on to Jesus, the one who can make us righteous?
[00:41:03] We have an opportunity to turn people towards the only hope that they have.
[00:41:10] Again, the only hope, like the answer to the deepest longings of the human heart.
[00:41:16] Reconciliation.
[00:41:16] Where do I belong?
[00:41:17] What is my identity?
[00:41:18] What is my purpose?
[00:41:21] Can these relationships that I'm isolated from be fixed?
[00:41:24] And Jesus is the answer to all those questions.
[00:41:27] And so we have an opportunity through our witness to turn many people to righteousness by inviting people to come with us to church, by sharing our faith, by sharing our testimony.
[00:41:37] Let me tell you what Jesus has done in my life.
[00:41:40] We have an opportunity to turn people towards righteousness, but we also have an opportunity
[00:41:45] to evangelize people with, he says there, with wisdom, that those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the sky above, that this is light, that if we live in accordance with the wisdom of God that we find in the Bible, this will be a light to the people around us that will be attractive and cause them to want to walk in the same ways that we're walking.
[00:42:15] Like this is one of those things that I've seen, for example, on the mission field.
[00:42:21] One time I was in a Muslim country and was hanging out with the missionaries there and we were talking about their ministry and some of the things that they were seeing that were being effective.
[00:42:31] And one of the things that these missionaries told me that was really effective, they had a little boy at the time, he was maybe three, four, five years old, and just a great little kid.
[00:42:41] And they said, you know, one of the most effective things that we have in terms of
[00:42:47] Telling our neighbors about Jesus is that our little boy
[00:42:52] says yes sir and no sir and yes ma'am and no ma'am and has actually really behaved because in the Muslim world for a lot of people a lot of places in the Muslim world they they value males so much that they let them do whatever they want and so when they have little boys in the home they don't discipline them they don't hold them accountable at all they just let them kind of run wild and so they they these this couple was telling me that like one time their neighbors were at their house
[00:43:19] For dinner, and their son was doing something that he shouldn't do, and the dad looked at him and goes, hey, cut that out.
[00:43:25] And the boy said, yes, sir, and stopped.
[00:43:28] And the Muslims looked at the dad and they go, how in the world did you get him to do that?
[00:43:34] And the dad was like, what do you mean?
[00:43:36] He's like, how did you get him to do that?
[00:43:38] And he's like, well, if he didn't stop doing it, I would have whooped his tail.
[00:43:44] like we he's like you actually discipline him he's like yeah we discipline them he's like why do you do that he said because we because we love him because we want him to to know the right things to do because we want him to walk in the right ways and that that wisdom of like living in accordance with the design of the bible opened up a door for them to share the good news of jesus christ with these people and we have that opportunity right now we live in a world that is so chaotic
[00:44:13] and so confused that doesn't even know what a man is and what a woman is.
[00:44:20] We live in a world that's so chaotic and so confused and people are looking for something solid to build their life on.
[00:44:27] And the Bible tells us it has wisdom.
[00:44:31] If we'll build our life on the rock of the wisdom of this book,
[00:44:36] Then we'll be able to cut through all the confusion, cut through all the chaos, cut through all the storms.
[00:44:41] And not only will it help us be anchored, but it'll actually be attractive to the people around us and give them something that they want to be a part of.
[00:44:50] And so with Jesus, our mission is very clear.
[00:44:54] But without Jesus, there is nothing to celebrate.
[00:44:57] There's nothing to celebrate.
[00:45:00] With Jesus, you have wisdom for the deepest longings of the human heart.
[00:45:05] Again, that's what Christmas is all about.
[00:45:06] That's what Christmas is all about.
[00:45:09] Can you find family reconciliation?
[00:45:11] Can you find your identity and your purpose?
[00:45:14] Can you go from being isolated and lonely to being part of a family and being part of a community?
[00:45:20] Yeah, all of those things are possible, and all of those things are possible because of what Jesus has done for us.
[00:45:28] With Jesus,
[00:45:30] The pain and the suffering and the hardship that you're going through doesn't have to last forever.
[00:45:35] It can go away.
[00:45:36] God can wipe away the tears from your eyes.
[00:45:39] And with Jesus, you can know that your future is certain.
[00:45:44] And with Jesus, you can have a purpose right now.
[00:45:49] Without Jesus, there's nothing to celebrate.
[00:45:50] But with Jesus, we have the answer to everything that people are asking.
[00:45:57] Let me ask you to bow your heads and close your eyes.
[00:46:00] I'm going to pray and we're going to stand and sing and have a moment of response and invitation.
[00:46:05] I'll be down here at the front.
[00:46:08] And listen, if you've never given your life to Jesus, if you've never put your faith and trust in Him, I'd love to talk to you about giving your life to Jesus.
[00:46:16] If you're here and you would say, man, I've given my life to Jesus, but I've never been obedient in baptism.
[00:46:21] I've never identified with Him publicly.
[00:46:23] I need to do that.
[00:46:24] I'd love to talk to you about baptism.
[00:46:26] Maybe you would say, I'm a believer, but I'm not part of a church home.
[00:46:29] I don't have a church family, a community of faith where I can have a sense of belonging, purpose, be on mission with a group of people trying to reach this city and beyond.
[00:46:39] We'd love to talk to you about First Baptist.
[00:46:42] Maybe you want to come and pray at these steps.
[00:46:44] Maybe you're going through some hardship right now and you just need to pray and ask God to help you just believe and to trust it's not going to be like this forever.
[00:46:53] The sufferings of this present life aren't worth comparing to the glory that's going to be revealed to us.
[00:47:00] Or maybe you need to come and pray and ask the Lord to help you in some area of your life.
[00:47:04] You're not walking in accordance with the wisdom of God's Word and you need to.
[00:47:08] You need to for yourself.
[00:47:09] You need to for your family.
[00:47:11] You need to for your friends.
[00:47:14] Ask God to help you.
[00:47:16] Maybe there are people in your life that you know, that you love.
[00:47:19] This Christmas season is a reminder that they are far from God.
[00:47:24] and you want to share with them the hope that's available in Jesus Christ you just don't know how to do it you don't know where to start you can start with prayer maybe you want to come to these steps and you want to pray for the people that you know maybe family members that you know and love who just aren't walking with Jesus right now maybe they're far from God this is a time for us to respond and for us to really grab hold of the hope
[00:47:51] that we have in Jesus and in Jesus alone.
[00:47:54] Father, I pray in the name of Christ for everybody who is here, for those who are watching online.
[00:48:00] Father, thank you for Jesus.
[00:48:01] Thank you for this season that reminds us that you did not leave us to ourselves, that you sent your Son, you came after us, came to seek and to save us when we were lost because you want us to be part of your family.
[00:48:17] Father, we also live
[00:48:21] Longing for, rejoicing in the truth that Jesus is going to return in power and in glory to set all things right.
[00:48:32] So Father, give us hope in the midst of pain.
[00:48:36] Give us clarity in the midst of chaos.
[00:48:40] God, give us purpose in the midst of disorder.
[00:48:42] Use us, we ask, in Jesus' name.
[00:48:46] Amen.
[00:48:46] Will you stand to your feet?
[00:48:47] We're going to sing.
[00:48:47] If you have a decision to make, you come right now while we sing.

[00:48:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
There was a moment when the lights went out Where death had claimed its victory The King of love had given up his life
[00:49:25] The darkest day in history There on a cross they made for sinners For every curse is blood atone One final breath and it was finished But not the end we could have known

[00:49:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
The earth began to shake And the veil was torn What sacrifice was made As the heavens roared All hail King
[00:50:27] All hail the Lord of heaven and earth All hail King Jesus All hail the Savior of the world

[00:51:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
I was on the move, for in a dark cold tomb, where our Lord was His name, one miraculous prayer.

[00:51:48] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
All hail to Jesus All hail the Lord of heaven and earth All hail to Jesus All hail to Jesus
[00:52:12] of the world, Hallelujah, Jesus, Hallelujah,

[00:53:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Sing it.
[00:53:42] All hail King Jesus All hail Lord All hail King Jesus
[00:54:01] All hail our Savior!

[00:54:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
You can take your seat.

[00:54:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
All right, we have a couple questions that have come in.
[00:54:21] You can text in if you didn't ask your question.
[00:54:24] So, let me go ahead and answer a couple of these.
[00:54:26] Oh, I meant to grab my Bible.
[00:54:29] Hold on just a second.
[00:54:31] How good's your arm?
[00:54:34] Yeah.
[00:54:35] All right.
[00:54:36] All right.
[00:54:36] First question is this.
[00:54:38] In light of Daniel 10, namely verse 13, how was prayer life and communication with God different in the Old Testament than after Christ?
[00:54:49] And how was the Holy Spirit involved in prayer life before Christ?
[00:54:53] Let me read Daniel 10 and verse 13.
[00:54:58] In fact, let me read, if you have a Bible, Daniel...
[00:55:02] Let's start in verse 2 and then we'll go down to verse 13 and 14.
[00:55:08] So it says, In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks.
[00:55:13] I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all for the full three weeks.
[00:55:20] And then go down to verse 13.
[00:55:22] The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia.
[00:55:32] and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days for the vision is four days yet to come.
[00:55:38] So let me explain first what's happening and then answer those questions.
[00:55:42] So Daniel is fasting and praying for three weeks, all right?
[00:55:47] And for three weeks, he's not getting an answer to his prayer or his request.
[00:55:54] And then he's told in verse 13,
[00:55:58] he's given this vision okay and he's told in verse 13 that the prince but by this angel that he sees the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days but Michael one of the chief princes came to help me for I was left there with the kings of Persia so what he what Daniel chapter 10 is talking about this is complicated is talking about basically spiritual warfare behind the scenes so when he says the prince of the kingdom of Persia he's talking about
[00:56:27] essentially an angelic being a demon, and that there's this war going on behind the scenes in the unseen places, in the spiritual places, and the archangel Michael has to come and bring help to release this other angel so that he can come and give Daniel this vision and give him an answer to his prayer and to his petition that he's making.
[00:56:53] Okay, so again, kind of complicated stuff, but first let me explain that.
[00:56:58] is one there are unseen realities and there are there is spiritual warfare that is going on behind the scenes that we are not privy to that we do not know or that we can't under understand fully and our prayer life is impacted by and affected by it and our prayer life impacts and affects it okay and so so both of those things are are true
[00:57:25] Now just be very clear because some at least previously popular Christian authors would take verses like this and construct entire like org charts of demons and org charts of territorial spirits and all these different things and Frank Peretti and all this all this stuff okay all of that stuff I'm not saying you should never read those books but all of that stuff is
[00:57:51] Massive guesses and conjecture based on very little biblical information, okay?
[00:57:58] So we're not given a whole lot of information about territorial demons and all that kind of stuff.
[00:58:02] What we do know is this.
[00:58:04] In the Old Testament, prayer was effective and God heard prayer and God responded to prayer, okay?
[00:58:12] James 5 tells us this, right?
[00:58:14] Elijah was a man just like us.
[00:58:16] When he prayed, it didn't rain for three and a half years.
[00:58:18] Okay, so prayer was heard.
[00:58:20] and it was effective in the Old Testament.
[00:58:23] And again, our prayer life is one of the ways that we can participate in the spiritual warfare that is going on behind the scenes.
[00:58:31] that is shaping and influencing events that happen in history, okay?
[00:58:36] So prayer is really important and prayer is really effective.
[00:58:39] Now, how it's different in the Old Testament than in the New Testament is really about direct versus indirect access, temporary versus permanent access, and that kind of thing, okay?
[00:58:58] Because in the Old Testament, primarily,
[00:59:01] As we talked about last week with Daniel, Daniel had to, even when he was in exile, set his face toward Jerusalem and toward where the temple was and had to pray in that kind of way.
[00:59:13] And then typically, people had to go to the temple and they had to have a human mediator, like a priest, offer their prayers before God in order for them to be heard.
[00:59:26] Okay, that's in the Old Testament.
[00:59:28] And the Spirit...
[00:59:30] The Spirit of God was not permanently living inside of every single believer within the Old Covenant community, and the Spirit would kind of come and go.
[00:59:41] You see phrases in Judges, for example, where the Spirit rushes on Samson, or the Spirit rushes on Gideon.
[00:59:52] The Spirit would be with Saul, and then the Spirit would leave Saul.
[00:59:59] Maybe when I was here the first time, I talked about this.
[01:00:01] Let me give you just maybe an illustration that will help you remember kind of the difference between how the Spirit operated in the Old Testament and the way the Spirit operates in the New Testament.
[01:00:09] The Spirit in the Old Testament operated like the star power in Mario.
[01:00:15] Okay?
[01:00:16] Have you ever played Super Mario Brothers?
[01:00:19] The star power is something that you would get and it would make you invincible for like 10 seconds.
[01:00:28] and Nothing Could Hurt You, but only the main characters, right?
[01:00:32] Only like Mario could get it and he didn't have it forever, okay?
[01:00:36] That's the way the Spirit operated in the Old Testament.
[01:00:38] Kings, prophets, priests got the Spirit and the Spirit, He would be there sometimes but not be there all the time.
[01:00:48] In the New Testament, the New Covenant,
[01:00:51] We're told in the book of Joel, and then it tells us the fulfillment of that in the New Testament, is the Spirit dwells inside of every believer.
[01:00:59] It says, doesn't matter if you're a servant or you're a king, doesn't matter if you're male or female, doesn't matter if you're young or you're old, the Spirit is poured out on all flesh, all who are believers in Jesus, receive the Spirit.
[01:01:11] The Spirit stays with you permanently.
[01:01:13] He never leaves you.
[01:01:14] and because of the Spirit and because of Jesus as the mediator who has torn the veil, we now have direct access to God anytime that we want.
[01:01:26] And that wasn't the case in the Old Testament.
[01:01:28] That is the case for New Testament believers.
[01:01:31] So hopefully that helps answer that question.
[01:01:35] All right, next question is, we are told as Christians to submit to God.
[01:01:42] How do we explain to a non-believer that this word of submission is not toxic to our relationship with God?
[01:01:50] Okay, that's a great question.
[01:01:51] So one of the things that we have to do
[01:01:54] is we have to explain to people that authority does not mean slavery and that authority is actually a really good thing, okay?
[01:02:07] And we have to help them understand that, right?
[01:02:12] So one of the easiest ways to help people understand that is to say when you're a parent
[01:02:19] and you have little children in the home and you tell your son or your daughter, do not take your finger and stick it in a light socket.
[01:02:30] Are you doing that because you hate them or because you love them?
[01:02:36] Love, okay, thanks, all right.
[01:02:40] Okay, and are you doing that because you're trying to restrict their fun or because you're trying to like maximize the amount of actual joy and fun that they can have?
[01:02:52] Trying to maximize the amount of joy and fun they can have.
[01:02:54] That authority that you have over your children protects them from danger
[01:03:00] and actually helps them enjoy life the very best that they can that's what god's word is like too many people see god's word as like oppressive and restrictive and it's literally just god saying i love you and i don't want you to hurt yourself okay and so we need we need to be able to like all authority the reason why uh for example again i've i've listened to you uh i'm you know i'm
[01:03:28] Transient, I travel into the city of Charlotte and then travel out of the city of Charlotte.
[01:03:33] Talking to many of you about crime in the city of Charlotte, it's like, man,
[01:03:40] We wish that there was more authority holding people accountable for the things that they did.
[01:03:47] It would be a safer and better place to live if we lived in a city that had more authority and more accountability.
[01:03:54] Well, that's what the Word of God is like.
[01:03:57] That's what the Word of God is for.
[01:03:58] It's not God saying, hey, I don't want you to have any fun.
[01:04:02] It's God saying, I love you, I want what's best for you, and so I'm gonna tell you the way that life really works.
[01:04:07] and so that's that's how i would explain to people like the word of god is not restrictive it's not oppressive and it's not enslaving it's actually freeing because it helps us to live the best life possible that's that's going to be uh blessed and that's going to be that's going to lead us to human flourishing all right so uh
[01:04:33] What is your recommended published Bible study on the book of Daniel?
[01:04:40] This is probably going to sound very self-serving.
[01:04:44] My dad has written a book on the book of Daniel.
[01:04:46] I'd encourage you to get my dad's book, okay, called Exalting Jesus in Daniel.
[01:04:51] And so I think that's a really good one.
[01:04:55] Yeah, I think it's the best one.
[01:05:01] Not just because, you know, I'm in the will or whatever.
[01:05:08] Why is it that back then they had to come to the temple and follow this ritual to pray to the Lord, but now we pray anytime, anyplace?
[01:05:16] Is our current way of praying effective?
[01:05:18] Our current way of praying is effective, provided that you are praying, okay?
[01:05:24] Because the Old Testament, the Old Testament was...
[01:05:30] Preparatory for the coming of Jesus and for the fullness of what God was going to do in Christ.
[01:05:37] And so that's why it was provisional until Christ came.
[01:05:45] Now we can talk about, it'd be a very complicated thing for us to talk about like why
[01:05:51] Why there needed to be an Old Testament and then a New Testament?
[01:05:54] Why did God choose to do what is called progressive like revelation that He's piece by piece unveiling more and more about Himself and about what He's intending to do in the world?
[01:06:06] That's a pretty complicated question for us to answer, but that in many ways Old Testament
[01:06:14] The Old Testament is not bad.
[01:06:16] The Old Testament is good.
[01:06:16] The Old Testament has been written by inspiration of God and is inerrant and infallible, but it is also preparatory for something better.
[01:06:26] It's why the New Testament says the Old Testament is like shadows, and then the New Testament is the substance that the shadow is pointing to.
[01:06:33] And so, that's why
[01:06:36] Jesus when Jesus comes on the scene John 4 if you think about this he's having this conversation with the woman at the well the Samaritan woman at the well and they're talking about how they're arguing over the place of worship because the Samaritans thought it was somewhere else and the Jews thought it was in Jerusalem and she's like we go to this place and you go to this place and Jesus says I'm telling you the hour is coming when you will worship God and in spirit and in truth and you'll be able to worship him wherever you are
[01:07:06] There's going to be no, you know, cut off access.
[01:07:10] You're going to have access anytime that you want.
[01:07:12] And that's going to happen because I've shown up.
[01:07:16] Because Jesus coming into the world fundamentally changed the way that the world operated.
[01:07:20] So what I was talking about today,
[01:07:22] is again this idea of the end of the world being brought forward into the middle of human history that's when Jesus says if you're in Christ you're a new creation like new creation is where we're heading at the end of the world Bible says that Jesus has done that now and so it's an already not yet we have direct 24 7 365 access to God right now because of Jesus
[01:07:54] but when Jesus returns and heaven comes to earth and we have this new creation it's going to be we're going to have that same kind of 24 7 365 access but it's going to be even greater than it is right now okay and what we have right now is greater than it was in the old testament and so that's i think that's why he's he's set things up in that way last question is this um
[01:08:19] I think the final verse of Daniel is a remarkably encouraging and reassuring verse for older believers like me.
[01:08:27] Would you care to comment more on that?
[01:08:29] Let's read the final verse.
[01:08:31] It's a good way to set this.
[01:08:33] Let me just go back up into verse 10, and we'll read down through verse 13.
[01:08:40] Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise
[01:08:49] shall understand and from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up there shall be 1,290 days.
[01:08:57] Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days but go your way till the end
[01:09:08] and you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of days yeah i think so he's he gives all these things to daniel and he says seal up this until these these things actually take place and then he's he is giving a word of assurance uh to daniel daniel is somebody he's told him multiple times you have this vision that you're highly favored that you're loved by god and so because of that even though all daniel if you think about
[01:09:37] Two, three weeks ago, we looked at when Daniel was given this vision initially of all of this suffering that God's people are going to go through, he was sick and in bed for days.
[01:09:48] He couldn't get up.
[01:09:50] He was so heartbroken by the things that he saw that he couldn't really function.
[01:09:55] And so the book is ending with this note of encouragement like, hey,
[01:10:04] God's going to win in the end.
[01:10:05] Same way that you were brought out of the lion's den, the same way Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were brought out of the fiery furnace, all of these people are going to suffer these things that our believers are going to be vindicated, they're going to be brought out, and at the end, they're going to stand through all of those things and be vindicated.
[01:10:21] Okay?
[01:10:23] That is a great verse of reassurance for people who are older, who feel like they have less time, but that doesn't mean, like, there are verses as you get older that become more precious to you.
[01:10:36] It doesn't mean if you're younger and you're facing hardship right now, it should be a reassurance to you as well that it's not always gonna be like this and God is going to make sure that you stand firm through all the things that are going to come, all right?
[01:10:52] Awesome.
[01:10:53] Great questions.
[01:10:53] Ask our deacons if they would to come forward to get ready to take up the offering.
[01:10:58] We'll do the Q&A again at some point in the future.
[01:11:04] As they come and they get ready to take up the offering, let me just say again, thank you so much for the way that you give so faithfully and generously to make sure that we can do all of the ministry and mission that we do.
[01:11:17] We're grateful for it, and we know that God is going to bless it and use it to make an incredible impact.
[01:11:22] So deacons, if you would, go ahead and take up the offering.
[01:11:26] And as they do that, let me give you just a couple of different things.
[01:11:30] We have Christmas Eve service coming up on the 24th at 5 p.m. in this room.
[01:11:35] It's going to be a great time together of singing hymns, celebrating the Lord's Supper, lighting candles, hearing from God's Word.
[01:11:43] And so I really want to encourage you to come, make it part of your Christmas tradition, be here, bring your family and your friends with you.
[01:11:50] It's going to be a really impactful time.
[01:11:53] So that's on Christmas Eve at 5 p.m. And then
[01:11:57] Next Sunday, the 28th, we are not going to live stream the service because we want to give all of our audiovisual people who serve so faithfully every single week a break so they can worship and so they can be a part of the worship experience without having to put in service hours during that time.
[01:12:19] Let me ask if you would to stand to your feet we do have today
[01:12:49] Some of our pastor's favorite words is, what's your favorite word, Brian?
[01:12:55] Potluck.
[01:12:56] All right.
[01:12:57] We're going for Jesus, but we'll take potluck second.
[01:13:00] I'm just kidding.
[01:13:02] There's a potluck right after this.
[01:13:05] Please come and enjoy food and fun time together.
[01:13:09] Get to know people.
[01:13:10] Maybe sit with somebody that you don't normally sit with.
[01:13:13] Just an awesome time for us to eat and to celebrate the Christmas time together.
[01:13:17] So grateful for you.
[01:13:19] Pray that God will give you a great Christmas and you are dismissed.
[01:13:23] Have a great week.