Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #20221225 - A Son Is Given - Isaiah 9:6-7
Transcript
- 0:04Welcome to the study of God's word with pastor and author.
- 0:08Ed, Taylor recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora,
- 0:11Colorado to learn more about the many resources available,
- 0:14through abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream
- 0:17Services. Visit us online at Calvary, Co
- 0:21dot church or download our free Calvary Church app.
- 0:25Now, here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
- 0:30Amen. Amen.
- 0:32Would you open your Bibles to two places?
- 0:34Luke's gospel. We'll look at the traditional
- 0:37Christmas Story and Isaiah chapter 9, Luke Chapter 2 and
- 0:43Isaiah chapter 9. Today is a day.
- 0:47We commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, and I love
- 0:50Christmas. I'm sure you do as well, in many
- 0:53ways. It just seems to be a general
- 0:55happiness around. Yeah, there's all kinds of
- 0:58resistance and challenges. And we understand that but man,
- 1:02people are generally happier more encouraged, more willing to
- 1:06help and give encouragement and gifts and it's beautiful and
- 1:10where Mark, we have the Christmas story marked by Luke
- 1:15beginning in verse 1 of chapter 2 where it says it came to pass
- 1:20in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that
- 1:24all the world should be registered, the census took
- 1:27place while quirinius was governing Syria.
- 1:30So all went to be registered everyone to his own City.
- 1:33And Joseph also went up From Galilee out of the city of
- 1:36Nazareth into Judea to the city of David, which is called
- 1:40Bethlehem because he was of the House of the lineage of David to
- 1:44be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with
- 1:47child. So it was that while they were
- 1:49there. The days were completed for her
- 1:51to be delivered, and she brought forth her firstborn son, and
- 1:55wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a Manger because
- 1:59there was no room for them. In the end.
- 2:02Now, there were in that same country Shepherds living out in
- 2:05the fields. Keeping watch over their flock
- 2:08by night. And behold an angel of the Lord
- 2:11stood before them and the glory of the Lord Shone around them
- 2:14and they were greatly afraid. The angel said to them, do not
- 2:19be afraid before. Behold I bring you good tidings
- 2:21of great joy which will be to all people for.
- 2:25There is born to you this day in the city of David, a savior who
- 2:30is Christ the lord. And this will be the sign to
- 2:33you. You'll find a babe wrapped in
- 2:35swaddling clothes, lying in a Manger.
- 2:38Suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the
- 2:41Heavenly Host, praising God, and saying, glory to God in the
- 2:44highest and on Earth, peace, Goodwill toward men.
- 2:49And so it was when the Angels had gone away from them into
- 2:52heaven, that the shepherd's said, to one another, let us now
- 2:55go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass
- 2:59which the Lord has made known to us and they came with haste and
- 3:03found Mary and Joseph and the Babe lying in a Manger.
- 3:06Now when they had seen him, they Made widely known the saying
- 3:09which was told them concerning this child and all those who
- 3:13heard it marveled at the things, which they were told them by the
- 3:15Shepherds. But Mary kept all these things,
- 3:20And pondered them in her heart and the shepherd's returned
- 3:23glorifying and praising God for all the things that they heard
- 3:27and seen. As it was told to them a come
- 3:31back to Isaiah chapter 9 with me.
- 3:34Isaiah is prophesying speaking to the nation of Judah in a very
- 3:39challenging difficult time in their life and he's preaching a
- 3:41message of Hope a message that that is intended to cause them
- 3:47to trust in the Lord. And And in verse 6, it speaks of
- 3:52for us for unto us. A child is born, unto us a son
- 3:57is given and the government will be upon his shoulder.
- 4:00And his name will be called wonderful, counselor, and mighty
- 4:04God. Everlasting father, Prince of
- 4:07Peace and I love verse 7 of the increase of his government and
- 4:12peace. There will be no end upon the
- 4:15throne of David and over his kingdom.
- 4:18To order it and establish it with judgment and Justice from
- 4:22that time forward, even forever. For the Zeal of the Lord of
- 4:26hosts will perform this And we gather together in worshiping
- 4:32and remembering the birth of Jesus, just bringing it to the
- 4:35Forefront of our minds in a very busy season, and it's
- 4:38encouraging. I'm, especially gripped with, as
- 4:41we looked at yesterday. But today, I'm especially a
- 4:44gripped at his name. Will be called The Prince of
- 4:47Peace and how important it is for us to enjoy the peace of
- 4:51God. How important it is for us to
- 4:54have peace with God. You know, you'll never
- 4:57experience the peace of God. A true settled contentment.
- 5:00Can't until you experience peace with God until you come to the
- 5:05place that the Christmas story is not just simply a neat little
- 5:09story about a baby in about God, and about the church and
- 5:12religion. But rather, it's a true story of
- 5:16God. Loving you so much that he would
- 5:19send his only begotten son to die on your behalf.
- 5:22And it's beautiful that starts out with a baby, but that baby
- 5:25came to bring you peace. I'm reminded of the promise that
- 5:29we have in the Bible. To be anxious for nothing.
- 5:34But in all things by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving,
- 5:38where to make our requests be made known to God.
- 5:41And, you know, the bible promises that the peace of God,
- 5:44which surpasses all understanding will then guard
- 5:47your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus.
- 5:52And there's a piece that's available to you today by faith.
- 5:56And I think that there's a sense where when we get caught up in
- 5:59the holidays that we get caught. Up in a sense of peace and joy,
- 6:03we see people happy and we become happy with them or we see
- 6:07someone sad and we want to come alongside and encourage them.
- 6:11And so here you are today. Reorienting, your week, as we do
- 6:17week after week and month after month, worshiping Jesus singing
- 6:22songs that are festive and encouraging and you're starting
- 6:26to sense. There's a general happiness
- 6:28among us, but the real question is, why why are we happy?
- 6:35Why are the followers of Jesus? Why are they able to not only
- 6:40have joy but a real happiness. Well, the Bible says Psalm 144.
- 6:45The Bible says, happy are the people who are in such a state.
- 6:50Happy are the people whose God is the Lord and in the midst of
- 6:56everything that's going on, not only are we asking why?
- 7:00Why are we happy? But we also have to ask the
- 7:02question. Why was Jesus born?
- 7:08Why was he born? I mean, why is it become such a
- 7:11big deal? Why do countries?
- 7:14And people around the world celebrate the same day the same
- 7:20event. And I know there are a lot of
- 7:23why questions even in the room today, listening on the radio or
- 7:26watching online as if you were in the room with us right now.
- 7:31I mean, a lot of why questions, why the pain, why the suffering
- 7:34in the world there are even a few if questions, you know, if
- 7:38God and then why doesn't he do this?
- 7:41And if God, why isn't he doing that?
- 7:43And there's so many questions, some can be answered and some
- 7:48well they're not so easy to answer.
- 7:50But I do know this, we can answer the question.
- 7:53Why did Jesus come? Why was he born?
- 7:57And I want to give you a couple things to consider, as you head
- 7:59out this afternoon. Why was Jesus born and why do we
- 8:03celebrate his birth? Number one, Jesus was born to
- 8:07seek and to save the lost so Christmas time should have waken
- 8:13us awaken in us. An awareness of the lostness of
- 8:18men and women apart from God. There is a true lostness and the
- 8:23reason why there is a lostness is because of sin.
- 8:28Sin is a reality, an independent factual truth.
- 8:34That really isn't dependent upon, whether you believe it or
- 8:37not. Sin has wrecked Life After Life
- 8:41After Life. And the main issue that sent a
- 8:44tax listen is relationship sin brings distance.
- 8:51Sin. I know it's not a popular word
- 8:53today, but the word literally means in the original language.
- 8:56It literally means to miss the mark.
- 8:58It was used of an Archer that would take the bow and arrow in
- 9:01hand and pull it back and shoot at the Target.
- 9:05And if they were to miss the Target, that would be referred
- 9:08to as a sin in the original Greek language with.
- 9:10The Bible was written in the New Testament to miss the mark.
- 9:14Now, when we look at our own lives, we tend to measure our
- 9:18own lives like, you know, I'm not that bad.
- 9:20And we almost always find someone that's like a million
- 9:23times worse than us to make that point.
- 9:25So now, you know, I might be, I may not be perfect, but I'm not
- 9:28like so, and so and you would be true.
- 9:30We're all glad you're not like, so, and so you're right.
- 9:33But the reality still stands that we have all sinned and
- 9:37fallen short of the glory of God.
- 9:39All of us have there isn't one Among Us, that's innocent.
- 9:43Now, send maybe a heavy word for you to use.
- 9:45So I always suggest to start out with an easier word and as you
- 9:49examine your life, I'm sure that you could come to the conclusion
- 9:52and if not you someone close to you would help you come to this
- 9:56conclusion that in the entirety of your life.
- 9:59You've made mistakes. I mean, certainly you've made
- 10:02mistakes. Not.
- 10:03None of us, really? I mean, I really haven't met
- 10:05anybody. That really believed that they
- 10:07were perfect, although, you know, kind of perfect, but they
- 10:10always were admit that they did some wrong things sometime in
- 10:13their life. I mean, our life is filled with
- 10:16mistakes, and it's very easy for us to admit that.
- 10:20I mean, it's Very easiest for us to say, yeah, done that.
- 10:23And yeah, I blew it over there and I had a bad day and we have
- 10:25a lot of ways to express that now sin is more than a mistake.
- 10:30Although it is a mistake, sin is much more sin, is a willful act
- 10:36against a holy and righteous God.
- 10:39And we must do something about it.
- 10:42There isn't, we can't just ignore these issues in our
- 10:45lives. Jesus came to seek you out.
- 10:48That little baby was born to find you.
- 10:51And there is episode after episode after episode in the
- 10:54Bible of him, doing just that if you have a Bible and you want to
- 10:57turn it with me, turn over to Luke's gospel again.
- 11:00Way back from chapter, 2 to go to chapter 19, and I want to
- 11:04introduce you to a man by the name of Zacchaeus, a man a real
- 11:08man that met This because Jesus sought him out, Jesus was born
- 11:13to seek and to save the lost. And so before you put the
- 11:18category of lost people as someone else, I want you to
- 11:21consider yourself today, even in the life of Zacchaeus, what a
- 11:26hopeless condition sin has left us in it, destroys us from the
- 11:30inside out and for some of you in your resistance, you're so
- 11:35far from God, And I think sometimes you get so far from
- 11:40God, that you would readily admit it.
- 11:43And so, we have the privilege of re inviting you to consider the
- 11:48claims of Jesus. Notice what he does here in
- 11:51chapter 19. Jesus entered it says, in verse
- 11:541 and passed through Jericho and behold, there was a man named
- 11:58Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and
- 12:02he was rich and he sought to see who Jesus was but could not
- 12:07because of the crowd for he was short stature.
- 12:10So he ran ahead climbed up into a sycamore.
- 12:13More tree to see him for, he was going to pass that way.
- 12:17And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him
- 12:20and said, Zacchaeus make haste and come down for today.
- 12:24I must stay at your house and so he made haste and came down and
- 12:28received him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all
- 12:31murmured saying he is gone to be a guest with a man who is a
- 12:35sinner and Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord look Lord I
- 12:39give half of my goods to the poor and if I've taken anything
- 12:42from anyone, One by false accusation.
- 12:44I restore full four fold. And Jesus said to him today,
- 12:48salvation has come to this house because he also is a son of
- 12:51Abraham and here's the key. The son of man has come to seek
- 12:57and to save that which was lost Zacchaeus was known as a sinner.
- 13:05And although, the text doesn't say, I'm sure if you asked him,
- 13:09he would admit it. His job was a tax collector
- 13:12which basically made him an employee of the Roman government
- 13:16and he was viewed, not only as a thief but also as a traitor.
- 13:21So he resolved to live his life as the tax collector, living his
- 13:25life. Separate from all the religious
- 13:27system of the day and just settle in as a sinner.
- 13:31Something about Jesus was intriguing to him and he wanted
- 13:34to meet him and talk to him. And so Zacchaeus he went up into
- 13:37a tree to see so he can get a better view but really this is a
- 13:41true story not of Zacchaeus wanting to see Jesus but of
- 13:44Jesus wanting to find Zacchaeus And he came to seek and to save
- 13:48the Lost. Jesus knows, he's a simple man.
- 13:51And that's exactly why he came there.
- 13:53Ask him, doesn't he know he's a sinner and the answer is.
- 13:56Yes course, he knows he came to save, sinners.
- 14:02And you know, one of the easiest times for us to forget of the
- 14:07love of Jesus, is in a busy time like this so much is going on.
- 14:12And we got so many places to go and so many places to visit and
- 14:16so many Traditions to uphold and and we forget the real reason of
- 14:21why we worship to begin with. Everything Changes, Everything
- 14:26Changes when you invite Jesus into your home.
- 14:30And into your family and to your singleness and into your
- 14:32marriage. You know, Jesus came to seek you
- 14:36out. And he has found you.
- 14:40This Christmas can be more about his presence in your life, then
- 14:43the presence that we share with one another The greatest moments
- 14:48of the holidays aren't really the ones we build up in our
- 14:51minds or the Nostalgia we have. But rather the in-between
- 14:54moments the times even now today is you recalibrate your life and
- 15:00set the stage for the rest of the day and even the rest of the
- 15:03week. Why did Jesus come number one
- 15:06seek and save the lost? People like Zacchaeus people
- 15:08like me. And you number two, Jesus was
- 15:11born and this is amazing so that we might become friends with
- 15:15God. Friends with God, you know, we
- 15:17gather together on the weekend Saturday and Sunday as a church
- 15:20to study the Bible and worship. But we also gather on Wednesdays
- 15:23and gather together, we're studying in the Book of Genesis
- 15:26right now, the origins of everything from God, starting in
- 15:30verse 1, chapter 1, verse 1 and we worked our way.
- 15:32I think we're in chapter 21 by now, but one of the people were
- 15:36studying right now is Abraham and he's literally known for
- 15:41many, many things in his life. Like he is a man to follow and
- 15:44to study, he's known as the father, Father of faith.
- 15:47And that's wonderful but he's also known and this is amazing.
- 15:51I mean you just think about, we take it for granted but Abraham
- 15:54is known as the friend of God. See that separation that sin
- 15:59brings is bridged through the birth of Jesus Christ.
- 16:04And Jesus came so that you and I can become friends with God
- 16:09friends with the almighty creator of the universe desires
- 16:14relationship with you. And with me, now, here's the
- 16:18other side of this. Everyone living today separate
- 16:23from God, the Bible declares an enemy of God.
- 16:29Actually even uses the word enmity with God.
- 16:34Now I know you. Look at your life right now.
- 16:36You go on. I don't have anything against
- 16:38God. I'm not his enemy.
- 16:39I'm not fighting against him. But I think a careful
- 16:42examination of your life would find many ways, your life fights
- 16:46against God's Will and desire for you.
- 16:51If you're not a friend of God today through Jesus Christ in
- 16:54the Bible, declares you at enmity with God and it's really
- 16:58not a place. Any of us want to be you go,
- 17:00come on Pastor. You're laying on a little thick.
- 17:03I'm not. It's a simple truth of the
- 17:05Bible. You know, one of the reasons why
- 17:08the Bible is not read today is because when you open it up it's
- 17:10like a mirror. Actually the Bible describes
- 17:13itself like a mirror and so you're reading and you go, oh,
- 17:17oh, that sounds like me or that looks like me both on the
- 17:21positive side but also on the negative side and the Bible,
- 17:26opening it up reading that you're at enmity with God, you
- 17:30have to come to terms with where are you and your relationship
- 17:33with God? Because Jesus Christ was born.
- 17:36The end goal is for you to be a friend of God to be in
- 17:40relationship with him surrendered to him.
- 17:43Not only sharing the gospel through your lies but literally
- 17:47Living the Life. Giving gospel the good news that
- 17:51your sins can be forgiven and the shame and guilt can be wiped
- 17:55away. I love this, let me read it to
- 17:58you at from the New Living Translation.
- 18:01The Bible says God showed his great love for us.
- 18:04By sending Christ to die for us while we were still Sinners.
- 18:08And since we've been made right in God's sight by the blood of
- 18:13Christ, he will certainly save us from God's condemnation, for
- 18:18since our friendship with God would restored by the death of
- 18:21his son. While we were still his enemies,
- 18:23we will certainly be saved through the life of his son.
- 18:26So now, we can rejoice in our wonderful, new relationship with
- 18:31God. Because our Lord Jesus Christ
- 18:33has made At us friends of God. So here in Romans chapter 5,
- 18:39those are the two options if God sent his son.
- 18:42Jesus Christ, who died for us while we were enemies.
- 18:45Well, in listen, now, in this new relationship, God has made
- 18:48us friends. And to me, that's just amazing.
- 18:53The birth of Jesus Christ. Well, led to the death of Jesus
- 18:57Christ and his resurrection, and he's alive today inviting you
- 19:02into relationship. But You have to come to terms
- 19:05with the reality of your life. You can walk in and out of these
- 19:10doors and never have life change, or you can walk in the
- 19:13doors of this building. Watch online and listening from
- 19:17afar. When you turn away from your
- 19:20sins and repent and receive the Forgiveness of Jesus Christ,
- 19:24through his shed blood, your life can be radically
- 19:27transformed. I mean, imagine that you walk in
- 19:30an enemy of God. You leave a friend.
- 19:33That's the promise that's given to you.
- 19:35Why was Jesus born? Well, not only to seek and to
- 19:38save the lost and to make us friends with God.
- 19:41But thirdly, Jesus was born to give us life in its fullness
- 19:47because everyone suffers in the world.
- 19:51There isn't a person on the planet.
- 19:52Earth has escaped some side of sort of suffering followers of
- 19:56God suffer. Enemies of God, suffer everybody
- 20:01suffers. But only those in relationship
- 20:05with Jesus suffer with a purpose and with hope that there's more
- 20:11to this life than just this life.
- 20:14We looked at it a little bit yesterday when we studied Isaiah
- 20:169 and we were looking at all of the attributes that a name means
- 20:22with Jesus. And remember his name will be
- 20:26called wonderful. And wonderful speaks of the
- 20:30fullness of life member. We looked at a time where Jesus
- 20:33was talking about the devil and he called him a thief and had
- 20:37this great contrast where Jesus is their teaching, and just
- 20:40says, you know what guy the thief, he hasn't come except to
- 20:43kill, steal, and destroy, and certainly, many of us have
- 20:47experienced exactly the thievery and the lies, and the
- 20:50destruction of the devil in our own lives and in our families
- 20:55lives stealing joy and peace and harmony.
- 20:59And so much more, but in contrast to the devil, Jesus
- 21:02says, but I have come that you might have life and life more
- 21:10abundant of fullness of life. A life in its fullness.
- 21:17You know those that are dedicated to Medical Science.
- 21:19Many of you in the scientific field you have stedy cated your
- 21:23life to adding Years to Life and we're grateful for that all
- 21:27these medical breakthroughs and medications and things.
- 21:30We are so grateful for those in the scientific field that spend
- 21:35all every waking moment, wanting wanting to add Years to Life.
- 21:40But Jesus does something that the medical community.
- 21:43And the scientific Community cannot do while the scientific
- 21:46Community, they add Years to Life, only Jesus can add life to
- 21:50your years and give fullness to who you are and purpose and
- 21:56Direction. Jesus is indeed the Savior.
- 22:00As we read in Luke Chapter 2 and by definition, a savior is
- 22:04someone who rescues someone, who saves someone who redeems?
- 22:09Who Serves and protects, and Jesus is ready to save you today
- 22:15and maybe even R invite you, you know, in a time like, you know,
- 22:19Christmas and Easter, we have very strong messages about
- 22:22salvation and about forgiveness, but we, as followers of Christ,
- 22:25we can't just quickly dismiss that it's important, that you
- 22:29examine your life. Where are you today?
- 22:32Where have you been? And listen, where do you want to
- 22:36go? Where is it that God is leading.
- 22:40You that he met in this time. Call you back to the fullness of
- 22:43a commitment and following him like you were one place.
- 22:48But now, where are you today? And how did you get there?
- 22:53You know, people that wander away and wander off?
- 22:55It doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't just like oh man
- 22:59we're how did we get so lost its one step after another in the
- 23:03opposite direction? And you know what God is ready
- 23:06to receive you as well. In the days in which we live.
- 23:10So tumultuous and trying and challenging, its generationally
- 23:17the most difficult part. It is the most difficult season
- 23:20in this generation. And the question that we've been
- 23:24asking in our church for the last year or so is, what kind of
- 23:26church are we going to be? What type of followers of
- 23:31Christ? Is he calling us to in the days
- 23:33in which we live? What will make the most impact
- 23:37for the gospel in personal lives?
- 23:41Connecting people with people, being a tangible, touch of the
- 23:45love of God. And so before we go out, for
- 23:49those of you who are visiting or watching, or even here
- 23:52downstairs in the Overflow, You may not have this relationship
- 23:56with Jesus today. And you find yourself in a
- 24:00position of isolation, you know, in the holidays loneliness and
- 24:04sadness, depression rates go through the roof.
- 24:08But as we sing let every heart, prepare him room.
- 24:11You need to make room for Jesus in your life and it's not just
- 24:15kind of little compartment where you have an idea.
- 24:17Well, you know, all I'm here, you know, I'm here, I'm in
- 24:20church, that's the room I'm making but rather a surrender to
- 24:23life. Following him.
- 24:27Listen, you can believe in Jesus right now.
- 24:32Maybe the reality of the forgiveness for your own life.
- 24:37The example you leave for your kids, your grandchildren, the
- 24:41days in which you live have stirred you up.
- 24:45But now what God is stirring up is for you to become committed
- 24:49to him, following in serving him, and God is knocking on your
- 24:54heart right now, the door of your heart asking for a
- 24:56response. And I know we live in a country
- 24:59where this message is common. It's a pretty much a weekly
- 25:03excitation or a weekly stirring. Even in this church talking
- 25:07about the faithfulness of God, a call to follow him, a call to
- 25:11repentance and salvation were blessed to hear this over and
- 25:15over again. It's everywhere.
- 25:16It's on YouTube, on television or radio the gospel.
- 25:18The good news, goes out over and over and over again.
- 25:23But the real question is, why do you still resist?
- 25:28If you've heard it before and it's common and you kind of even
- 25:31anticipated, it's going, okay, I'll be in church and I already
- 25:35know when I'm going to hear, what if you already know, then,
- 25:37why do you keep resisting? If you're already in a place
- 25:41where God has brought you right to the edge, then, why don't you
- 25:43surrender? When you know that, God loves
- 25:46you and that it's demonstrated. Like there is a, the Bible says
- 25:51that God, demonstrated his love for us that while we you're
- 25:54still yet. Sinners Christ died for us.
- 25:56We look to the cross and the faithfulness of God.
- 26:00Make today, the day of least resistance, God has a gift for
- 26:04you. If you're ready to receive it.
- 26:07That sweet little baby. Who was born in a manger, grew
- 26:11up to be a man. He was torturously and viciously
- 26:15murdered. For his loving life taken down
- 26:19off a Roman cross and thrown into an empty cave.
- 26:24Burial site Stone rolled over and everyone got back to life,
- 26:30went back to what they were normally doing.
- 26:33You know, not only did Jesus died and was buried but he was
- 26:36abandoned by the people that loved him.
- 26:37The most they were confused is a very disorienting time but three
- 26:43days later. The Bible says that Jesus rose
- 26:45again from the dead and began to set things in order, especially
- 26:49to those that were closest to him.
- 26:51And we love very much. Jesus is inviting you to admit
- 26:56your lostness today. Jesus is inviting you to
- 27:01recognize the reality of his gift of Salvation.
- 27:06He's inviting you to receive him personally to become a friend of
- 27:11God. To enjoy life in its fullness.
- 27:15No matter what you're facing today and there's a lot going
- 27:17on, you know, I know, you know that stories that just come
- 27:21through this small Church of the pain in the hardship.
- 27:25That's carried by so many of you.
- 27:27I'm a we just pray. I pray multiple times today that
- 27:30the God of All Comfort would come for you.
- 27:33That he would encourage you because he indeed is the God of
- 27:36all comfort and you will make it through day by day step by step.
- 27:43But apart from Jesus, it's only going to get harder and more
- 27:47challenging, not only now, but for eternity.
- 27:51Listen, if you confess with your mouth, the Lord Jesus.
- 27:55And you believe in your heart, that God raised him from the
- 27:57dead, you will be saved for with the heart.
- 28:00One Believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession
- 28:03is made unto salvation. For the Bible says, whoever
- 28:07believes on him will not be put to shame for.
- 28:10There is no distinction between Jew or Greek.
- 28:13For the same Lord, over all is Rich to all who call upon him
- 28:16for whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
- 28:21Now, one more thing. You don't get the vantage point
- 28:27that I get, when I stand behind the pulpit, because I stand
- 28:31behind it, and you sit down there.
- 28:33But on the pulpit here in the corner, I have written, I had a
- 28:38typed up and taped here. So whether I'm standing here or
- 28:42another Pastor standing here, someone's giving a testimony
- 28:45here. They'll see this right here in
- 28:47the corner. It's not covered up.
- 28:48It's always staring me in the face whenever I stand in the
- 28:51Pulpit because this is the reason why we're here any time
- 28:55we see. Stand in the Pulpit, I have it
- 28:57there. So if I quoted and I miss quoted
- 29:00I can always have it and read it specifically from the Bible.
- 29:03If you confess with your mouth, the Lord Jesus and believe in
- 29:06your heart, that God raised him from the dead.
- 29:08You will be saved. It's right here.
- 29:10And it's the message continually reminding us that that is the
- 29:14purpose of our gathering. You're in a room with people
- 29:17that love God and worship him, and we enjoy him, we had all
- 29:22kinds of things going on in our life and all kinds of
- 29:25difficulties. He's and all kinds of bad
- 29:26decisions. I mean, it's a room filled with
- 29:29normal people, but I'll tell you this, we also have a deep
- 29:32desire. Deep deep deep desire to see
- 29:35your life transformed, because each of us can say the same
- 29:38thing. God entered changed our life
- 29:40forever. Jesus talked about it being born
- 29:43again. I mean, it's like that.
- 29:44It's like a brand-new life even as an adult, a brand new life.
- 29:51Through the Forgiveness of your sins.
- 29:52So I invite you to make that decision today.
- 29:55Father, we pray as we head out of here into the rest of our day
- 29:59and week. We're so grateful that you've
- 30:01given us the privilege to gather That we can worship you and
- 30:06truly. To whatever degree you're
- 30:09working in US Lord. We want to be more usable for
- 30:12you and just acknowledge that we love you.
- 30:16We don't have it. All together is so much happen
- 30:19in the devil's trying to rip us off, and we're making bad
- 30:21decisions. And we're just Lord asking for
- 30:24more of your grace and your love and your mercy in our lives.
- 30:29But I know in the heart of hearts of the men and women that
- 30:31are here that know you, I know deep down just like, man, we
- 30:35want to follow you. Lord you are everything to us
- 30:39and we're so grateful, you interrupted Our Lives, you
- 30:43sought us out. Found us made us a friend of
- 30:48God, that we might live life in its fullness and we just say,
- 30:53thank you, Lord today. As we think of your birth.
- 30:58What an amazing thing, it would have been.
- 31:02Just so good today. If you're here, and you've never
- 31:05given your life to Jesus. I want to invite you to do, just
- 31:08that. So if today you'd say Ed Pastor,
- 31:11I want to follow God, would you just stand to your feet?
- 31:13I want to pray with you that you want your sins forgiven.
- 31:16I want to invite you publicly to confess your sins to express the
- 31:21belief that's in your heart, and let's just follow Jesus here on
- 31:25this Christmas Day. I mean, what a day talking about
- 31:28gifts to receive the gift of Salvation, both, Near and far,
- 31:33you guys that are listening live on Grace FM, what a privilege
- 31:36that were right with you and your car and your hospital room
- 31:39or even in that prison cell. We're grateful to be with you or
- 31:43watching online on your phone or tablet that you would enter into
- 31:48the family of God on Christmas Day. 2022.
- 31:51What a privilege. And so for those of us that are
- 31:55right here in front of me, if that's you today, I invite you
- 31:58receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Express your faith and belief in
- 32:03him today. Turn away from your sinful past.
- 32:09God bless you and turn to following him today.
- 32:15Join the family of God, become a friend of God.
- 32:22And allow his work to begin. And so those that responded near
- 32:30and far, let me help you do what I said here in the Bible confess
- 32:34with your mouth. God bless you, I see you as
- 32:36well. Even the ones I don't see bless
- 32:38you be encouraged. So I want to help you talk to
- 32:42God. So you can confess with your
- 32:44mouth and you could repeat after me, something like this.
- 32:47You could say, God, I admit that I've sinned against you.
- 32:52And I ask you to forgive me of all of my sins.
- 32:56I believe you sent Jesus Christ. To live for me.
- 33:03To die for me and I believe Jesus.
- 33:08Rose again from the dead. To save my soul.
- 33:13And I turn away from my sinful past.
- 33:20And I choose to follow you. And father, I know that anyone
- 33:26anywhere. That would draw near to you.
- 33:31You say you draw near to them. And from the lips of those.
- 33:38Maybe inside there, even mines and then inside, like, silent
- 33:41prayer with God, you know, the hearts of men and women and
- 33:46those that were touched to turn to you today.
- 33:50Both those that we see in those that we don't.
- 33:53Me receive their prayer God and answered, according to your
- 33:56will. And I pray God, even today for
- 33:59those that have been wandering. Just kind of been out and about.
- 34:06Those that have been away. Those that have been struggling,
- 34:11God. I pray for the widows and
- 34:16widowers and our church, both new.
- 34:19And also those that been grieving for a while. lord, it's
- 34:24been a year of great gains but it's also been a year of great
- 34:27loss And on this final Sunday service of the Year, God may you
- 34:32pour out your spirit on us and would you show Mercy to our
- 34:36church? God, would you so mercy and not
- 34:39giving us what we deserve? But continuing to be gracious
- 34:43with us, That we might enjoy your forgiveness that we would
- 34:48be less like God you would increase and really we would
- 34:52believe it. We would decrease the you might
- 34:56consume us a new and fresh ways that we might live.
- 35:00Truly, a life of fullness in you, which means some things in
- 35:04our lives. Just got to go changes.
- 35:06Need to be made, but I love what your word says.
- 35:09It says that U-Boat you work in us, both to Will, and to do So,
- 35:15thank you God, for both giving us the desires to follow you,
- 35:19but also the power to do it. So bless us, Lord, we pray for
- 35:23your blessings, not for our own consumption, God.
- 35:26But that in the blessing, we might be a blessing to others.
- 35:30Thank you God for the privilege of knowing you serving you.
- 35:34We pray these things in Jesus name, amen.
- 35:37Amen. Bless you.
- 35:39We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible.
- 35:42Study delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church for
- 35:45prayer. Call us at 877, 30 Grace.
- 35:50That's eight 77304, 2:53 to listen to this message in its
- 35:56entirety or to join us for our live stream services.
- 36:00Visit us online at Calvary. Co dot church or download our
- 36:05free Calvary Church app be blessed as you worship Jesus
- 36:08this week. Visit us online at Calvary.
- 36:02Co dot church or download our free Calvary Church app be
- 36:07blessed as you worship Jesus this week.