Why · Part 2

0:00 The theme of this entire four-part series is found here in the book of Acts. So let's stand together, if you would. And it's only three verses. You can read verse number two together. But I just love this. You say, Jack, that's not a traditional Christmas passage. And I know it's not. But I told you guys at the beginning before last Sunday that we were going to be looking at Christmas with an apologetic meaning. an argumentation that is an argument from the Bible as to why all these things are true. We're avoiding the Christmas story and we're talking about the Christmas facts. And so, as I mentioned last Sunday, the book of Acts is written by none other than our author of the Gospel of Luke. He's the same guy and he writes, by the way, Luke's Gospel to Theophilus as he writes the opening lines to the book of Acts to Theophilus again.

1:01 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach. Until the day in which he was taken up, after he, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen. to whom he also presented himself alive after his suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during 40 days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And all God's people said, Amen. You may be seated, everybody. And as we're looking at the theme, why, it's not so much that we're asking a question, we're answering a statement. And what we're looking at tonight is building upon these many infallible proofs. And I just love the certainty of all of that.

1:57 And the great apostle Paul was called by God to be a minister to the Gentiles. We know that. We've been studying the book of Romans on Sundays. But also we remember that Peter is the apostle that is called to the Jewish believers. Isn't that interesting? Now, there's other apostles, but these two apostles are the primaries because the ministry of Paul was very, very exclusively to the Gentile world. And Peter's calling was very much directed to the Jews. And we see them working in tandem together. I'll give you some examples. Again, all of this as we worship the Lord in Christmas in this celebration. 1 Peter chapter 1 tells us there in verse 20, he indeed was foreordained. I want you to be confident and excited about this, that Christ Jesus, remember we're talking about beyond the baby born in Bethlehem.

3:01 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, meaning Christ was going to come and that was ordained by God before anything was ever created in eternity, but was manifest in these last times for you, who through him believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God. That is a profound statement, folks. That is a very strong declaration of Christmas truth, that Christ came into the world for you and I to be able to connect, to dwell with, to enter into the presence of Almighty God forever. You want to talk about a gift? That's the gift that he gives. Now that's Peter speaking to the Jewish community, but announcing, of course, to all. And now we look at 2 Timothy 3, verse 1 it is, I think, or verse 16, I should say. All scripture is given by inspiration of God.

4:06 So that means when you hear a Bible verse, you put it one on top of another. God's awesome eternal word, his truth. So powerful. Back to the man Peter. In 2 Peter chapter 1, verse 19. I love this. This is fun. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed. In other words, God tells the future in advance. He spoke about Christmas in advance. which you do well to heed as the light that shines in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star, reference to Jesus, rises in your hearts. Knowing this first, that no prophecy or revelation of scripture is of any private interpretation. I sure appreciate that statement. That prevents people. When somebody comes up to you and says, hey, I know the Bible says this, but God told me something new.

5:03 Yeah, no, uh-uh. No, no private interpretation. Can't make it up. You know when people say, well, that's your interpretation of it. No, just make sure you're biblically based. Make sure that it's the biblical interpretation and not a private one. Verse 21, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit. And then, how about, listen, that was Peter and that was Paul. How about, you got to put this in. I'm sorry, I had to think about this. Do you guys remember Peter, Paul, and Mary? Do you remember that? It's an actual, it's a music group, like from about the 1800s, I think. But I just had to put this together because it fits. We heard from Peter. We heard from Paul. And in John chapter 2, verse 5, I find this remarkable.

6:06 His mother said to the servants at the wedding of Canaan, remember this, his mother said to the servants, whatever he says to you, do it. Did you know that's Mary's last recorded words in the Bible? You ever think about that? What's Mary's last word to mankind? Whatever my son says, do it. Isn't that great? I just love that. So you heard it from Peter, you heard it from Paul, and you heard it from Mary. And I think that's appropriate. And so our context tonight for what we're going to be looking at, we saw on Sunday, we looked at a chunk of Luke. And tonight I'll read to you a chunk of Matthew. And there's going to be a reason as we get into the study, why Luke, why Matthew. And so we'll start here on the screen, Matthew chapter 1. I'll read it. You can relax.

6:58 So all the generations from Abraham to David are 14 generations. From David until the captivity in Babylon are 14 generations. There's a reason why this is being said. And from the captivity of Babylon until the Christ are 14 generations. Before I leave off from this, friends, listen. You and I may not think so much about that right now. You and I. We don't really care about that. We just don't, when's the last time you spent weeks studying that one? We just read it and we move on. Let me tell you something.

7:38 Matthew, when God begins to pour out his Holy Spirit upon the Jewish people again, and he's going to do it, he has to do it. Acts says he's going to do it, book of Acts. Joel, the prophet says he's going to do it. these generations, 14 generations times three, will blow the Jewish mind. Because when they begin, and to them it's very important, genealogical records are so important. When they begin to look back and count back and research, the reason why the Holy Spirit put in the 14 generations times three, it's a key factor to the future of Jews believing in Jesus as Messiah. Now, you and I might look at that and say, I don't get it.

8:31 Don't worry about it. But if you're Jewish, and if you care enough, you ought to start looking at this now, because it will freak you out about the accuracy of God's word. Now, the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. after his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph before they came together, that is, you know, before they had more kids. I know my Catholic friends, I know there's many of you right here right now. But the Bible says in numerous places that Joseph and Mary had kids. And they're even named in parts of Scripture. I didn't say that. The Bible says it. Okay, I just want you to know. I just want you to know that. Joseph and Mary did not get together physically until after Jesus was born. It says it right here.

9:21 And so before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Verse 19, then Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. That is, when you're engaged in Israel, when you're engaged to break the engagement, you have to file for a divorce because the promise is as binding as any judge or any clergy.

9:51 In other words, let your yes be yes and your no be no. Wow. Pretty powerful, right? I think God takes the word seriously. Verse 20,

10:43 Now folks, that's Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14. And again, in the future, Jews reading Matthew, this is going to really matter. Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel commanded him and took to him his wife and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn son and he called his name Jesus. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king. Behold, wise men, magi, more specifically, from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Before I read verse 4, there's a good reason why Herod's troubled.

11:37 we know very little about the magi we mentioned that on Sunday but don't think for a moment based on your nativity scene at your house that there was only three of them I don't know why we get that we think three we call them three kings that's not the bible that's a song we assume there's three kings because there's three gifts there could have been three gifts piled up a pile of myrrh a pile of frankincense and a pile of gold we don't know but we do not know nobody knows how many magi came but the ancient records of magi in Babylon these were the top of the top of brains and power.

12:36 These guys did not travel nearly a thousand miles, the three of them. This was a massive entourage, probably with those of nobility. They probably had a small army to protect them going across such a vast, violent region of desert. This is different than what we've ever seen in any movies. This is a big deal. No wonder why Herod is shook. He's shook for a lot of reasons.

13:09 He's seen this massive motorcade pull up, all of them in black donkeys with tinted windows, and probably, again, with bodyguards, highly skilled and well-armed, coming from the east, from a foreign land. They came into Judea. and then they say, where's the one that's been born king of the Jews? Are you kidding me? Herod would say, what are you, nuts? I'm the king of the Jews. This guy's got to be flipping out. No wonder why all of Jerusalem is troubled. Very, very concerning. Verse 4,

14:33 Whatever the star is, and it's very fun to read books on this. Oh, it was Venus coming into our orbit. Everybody's got these natural explanations and what they think. Okay, here's, there's no record of any changing of the celestial heavens.

14:53 This is my opinion. I think the star was either an angel itself, but I better, I more approve of, I more like, I more like, I more like. Me what? Do you remember in the book of Numbers when God broke up the camp of Israel, when they began to move, how would they move? The glory of God would move away from the ark and would start leading them through the desert and they followed the glory of the Lord. And when the glory stopped, they stopped. It's my opinion that the star of Bethlehem is none other than the Holy Spirit. I think it's a manifestation of the glory, the Shekinah of God, operating obviously differently in a one-time event. Because listen, the star, when you read the biblical accounts in the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the star leads them across the wilderness to Jerusalem, not Bethlehem.

16:02 You find that shocking, don't you? Read it later. It leads them to Jerusalem where Herod is. and then, then over to Bethlehem, which is several miles away. It's no big deal. But I think this is not only God orchestrating this, I think God is leading by his glory. And so verse 8, and so sent them to Bethlehem and said, go and search carefully for the young child. And when you have found him, bring back word to me that I may come and worship him also. Yeah, right, sure. With a sword, probably. When they heard the king, they departed, and behold, the star which they had seen in the east went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was.

16:58 By the way, it says young child. Anybody know how old Jesus possibly was by this time? Say what? Two years old two years old. By the way, he was born in a stable, well, he was born in probably in Bethlehem in a cave. Bethlehem, many of us have been to Bethlehem. It's nuts. The hillsides, you got to watch out because you can fall into a hole that's caves everywhere. Because there was no room in the end, baby Jesus was probably born in a cave because they were used for stables. They were used to place your animals in and stuff in. That said, two years later, watch this. And I'm sorry I'm blowing up your nativity scene. But when it says in verse 10, and when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

17:55 Watch. And when they had come into the house. you ever see that before not the nativity scene not a cave not some other location so it looks as though Joseph and Mary stayed for a short period of time in Bethlehem and then from here we know that he will have to be taken into Egypt because Herod will seek to kill him and they saw the young child with Mary his mother and fell down and worshiped him. Wow. These incredibly powerful entourage of men bearing gifts fall down before this baby. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to him. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold, royalty, frankincense, priesthood, myrrh, sacrifice, death.

18:53 Then being divinely warned in a dream, they, that's the Magi, should not return to Herod. they departed for their own country another way. What a remarkable event. What technical things. Last time together we saw why Christmas is Christmas. We saw why Christmas had to be in Bethlehem. We saw why Christmas is the message. But let's remember by many infallible proofs, number four is why Christmas is a rescue mission. Still to this day, it was back then, it is today. Christmas as a rescue mission. I want you to think about that for a moment. We think of these cute little glittery nativity moments, but it was a rescue mission. God had come in the person of the son and born as a baby, helpless child.

19:48 But I would submit to you that an invasion was underway. The God of the Bible was invading Satan's realm. If you know the book of Revelation, who holds the title deed to the earth? The Bible tells us that, yes, the evil one, Satan. By the way, you need to remember that. When you see all the bad stuff going on in this world, you need to give credit where credit's due, folks. Everybody wants to blame God. Read your Bible more carefully. Satan is the, listen, he thinks he has got control of this globe, and it also says that he's the prince of the power of the air, or the atmosphere.

20:28 So when baby Jesus is born, it's an invasion from heaven. So that's kind of a cockeyed invasion, isn't it? Kind of weak, isn't it? Just wait. It's like that little girl. There's a little girl who said to her mom at Christmas time, she's six years old. She said, they went by the nativity scene down in the town square, and she said, Mom, who's that in the manger she said well you know who that is that's baby Jesus she said well I saw him last year and the little girl said when's he gonna grow up Well, he's all grown up now.

21:22 I can't tell jokes, so I'll fumble this one, I'm sure. But I heard this years ago. And, you know, it's kind of Christmas time, so, right? So this little boy, he's been praying, God, I want a new bicycle. I want a new bicycle. All my friends have a new bicycle. God, I have to have a new bicycle. So he's dropping notes to his mom and dad. He's hinting and he's really close to Christmas and all the gifts. He's pretty much figured it out. He's been shaking the gifts, looking at things. But after all, none of the stuff is in the shape of a box that would hold a bicycle. He went and did some recon into the garage. No bicycle. He's getting really tense about it. And so it's Christmas Eve and his mom's got to run down to the store to get something. And she says, you need to come with me. And so he goes.

22:14 And back in those days when life was beautiful, we used to ride in the front seat without a car seat. In fact, that's right. Some of us who own old cars, they didn't even come with seat belts. And on top of it with a metal dashboard just to make it even better. And so mom pulls up to the dime store, whatever it was, the drug store, and the little kid's sitting there, and on the dashboard, there's a Mother Mary holding baby Jesus. You know that. You've seen that, haven't you? and so mom goes into the store and the little kid's looking around and he gets this little snap of gleam over his, gets an idea. He looks to the left, looks to the right and he grabs Mary there stuck on the dashboard and snaps her right off at the ankles and puts Mary and baby Jesus in his lunch bag and seals up the lunch bag and says, God, I want a bicycle for Christmas and if you ever want to see your son again, you make sure I have a bicycle.

23:28 Prayer doesn't work that way, folks. I just want you to know that. But when we talk about a rescue mission, I did some quick research. I'm going to run through this part really quick. This is kind of cool. I actually got this, I think, off the U.S. Coast Guard website. A rescue mission requires a plan, key steps to a rescue mission, Preparation, assets, mission risk. Identify potential hazards and vulnerabilities in the area. Why don't you think about this? Jesus came in a rescue mission into this world to save us. There's got to be a plan. What is the first thing you do? You make an assessment of what are the risks to this plan. You want to know what God's risk was to this plan, if you could call it that? This is impossible for us to fathom. The big risk is that when Jesus Christ would come in, in conception in the womb of Mary, and be delivered, there was no going back, folks, and I'm not saying that to be funny.

24:33 There was no going back that God would put on human flesh. Tonight, seated at the right hand of God the Father, is a man, the man Christ Jesus, the glorified Christ, who is wearing the same glorified skin that you're going to wear when you are glorified in resurrection. The Bible tells us in 1 John that we do not know what we will be like when we see him, but we know this, that when we see him, we shall be like him. And it's a reference to his resurrection glory. You are going to receive his resurrection glory when God raises you from the dead or the rapture happens tonight or tomorrow or tonight. Resources. Obtain assets needed. Ensure all necessary powers and resources are available to achieve the rescue mission's goals. Think about the Bible verses we've been looking at. Select, equip, personnel, confirm all mission team members know the purpose of the mission and the mission's targets, rescue victim or victims. The Bible tells us even the angelic host works on God's behalf regarding us who are the heirs of salvation. Wow.

25:56 the grace that God has spent to save and to forgive and to love on you and I is amazing to me next communication establish and maintain clear channels effective communication among team members and with all emergency service services think about prayer think about fellowship think about connecting with God in a personal way. Communication, execution, stay calm, remain composed, avoid panic during the operation at all costs. Think about how we're supposed to be. So that as to maintain mission integrity, adhere to protocols, adherence to the predefined rescue plan must not be compromised. To maintain mission success, all communications must be maintained with command before, during, and while exiting area of evacuation. Wow. If they go through that much detail and rehearse and rehearse, how much more God's put a plan together to bring your soul from a lost condition to a born again condition, secured, safe, and sound into the presence of God forever. Talk about a rescue mission. That baby born in Bethlehem came to redeem men and women and boys and girls from the pit of hell, from the grip of the grave, and God was not messing around.

27:16 The ultimate rescue mission. And then debrief. I like this. And I added a little thing at the end. Post-mission sweep, they call it. Supply, offer physical, emotional, and psychological support to all rescued individuals. And I threw heaven in there. That for us, our citizenship, as the Bible says is in heaven. We look forward to that. The final debrief, our debrief is forever. Our debrief is with God forever. But think of it as a rescue mission Christ came. In Ephesians chapter 1 verse 4, it says, just as he chose us in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world. let that settle in when did you get saved? tell me when somebody when?

28:10 2000 what? 19? somebody? 9? 2009? okay so that's when you woke up to the realization of who Christ was you repented and accepted him as Lord and Savior when did God know that you were going to be saved? before the physical universe was ever created. God has always known this about you.

28:39 Well, that's kind of, I mean, that's kind of big. It's bigger than big, folks. God, listen, he can't learn anything. He didn't like, oh, Jack just got saved. Gabriel, look, he got saved. I didn't see that one coming. No, he knew. He knew before the world was ever created that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. What? Yes. Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. That is a rescue mission. That's how our rescue mission is defined. What about Ephesians chapter two, verse seven? Listen to this. That in the ages to come for all eternity, he, that is God, might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace, that means you can't earn it, can't be good enough, can't buy it, can't barter for it.

29:38 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Merry Christmas, not of works, lest anyone should boast. for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. That is so glorious. God announces in advance, I'm your salvation. I'm going to save you. Believe in me, trust in me, because you're, and he knows, he knows those who are his, you're going to come to me. And oh, by the way, you should know this, that I've also given your life a great purpose for you to walk in that path and live out your life for that purpose. You say, what is that? I don't know. You have to know for you.

30:26 You find out for you. and that purpose, by the way, that God prepared before and that we should walk in them, that should catapult you out of bed in the morning. You say, Pastor, you don't know where I work. I work for the county. God has you there as his representative in the county or on the construction site or at the hospital.

30:52 Thank God you're there at the county. But a rescue mission, you know, you think about when it's, by nature, a rescue mission identifies who the lost individual is. Some years ago, we were on vacation and we were vacationing in Monterey. And I can tell you, in fact, I can tell you exactly when it was. It was 2018. I remember that because I was suffering from severe insomnia.

31:27 And it was crazy because I was walking along the beach. It was about two, between two and three a.m. And in Monterey Bay, there was a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter out there. You could see the lights flashing and stuff. And they were, these guys were jumping into the ocean. And then they were going through, I don't know, they were bringing a dummy up or somebody up, but they were doing this and then flying around and then doing it again. I was watching that going on. And they were practicing and practicing rescuing somebody. And I was watching that. and a rescue team's intent is to rescue you before it becomes a recovery mission.

32:17 It's very hard for those who are committed to rescuing someone to come to that moment and say, we're now changing the status of our mission to recovery. They don't want to say it. Maybe you're here tonight, and you don't know Jesus Christ. You've never accepted Christ, ever. You've just been religious, but nobody knows you're a follower of Jesus. in fact when you you believe in God but when you mention hear about Jesus being mentioned or whatever you kind of shy away from him and you don't have that confidence you don't have that assurance that if somebody were to come in here tonight which the way the world's going who knows denounce Christ or die imagine if that moment were to happen like it is in Africa,

33:10 in Nigeria and Sudan right now, and parts of northern Mali. Deny Christ or die. I tell you what, man. Reality hits real quick, huh? and where would you be with that? Now, I can tell you right now, look, none of us want to sign up to be tortured, but here's what I hope is my plan, that if it ever happens to me, my plan is I believe that God will give me supernatural grace to go through that. I want to honor him in however I live and die, and I think you feel the same way but listen a person who's religious that doesn't have the anchor they can't do that because Satan said it right Satan said skin for skin a man will do anything to save his own skin the only way that you can give up your own skin is if you've got something greater to live for than your skin and I hope you understand that but if you can't confess Jesus Christ publicly right now while it's safe, I guarantee you friend you'll abandon him when time gets rough the truth will come out you just be thinking about where you are and who you might be Hebrews chapter 2 verse 14 tells us and as much then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood look around, that's all of us he himself likewise shared in the same Merry Christmas that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage or actually subject to the bondage of the fear of death.

35:09 Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, according to the Bible, what Jesus Christ came and did for us releases us from the fear of death. the Christian who knows the Lord Christ is no longer afraid of death it's not wishful thinking there are doors 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, or 14. I missed one. Doors going in and out of this place.

35:46 Those doors take you from one room to the next. Death for the believer is a door that opens up and swings wide into the very presence of Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Incredible. Awesome. The fifth argument, why is this? Why Christmas is uniquely, mark it down, here it comes, is uniquely hostile. Oh, I had to put that down. I mentioned invasion earlier, the baby born in Bethlehem. Christmas is uniquely hostile. See, what do you mean hostile? Hebrews chapter 13, verse 21 says, working in you what is well-pleasing, God is doing this, in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever, amen. Listen, the coming of Jesus Christ and you being the prize of salvation and redemption, this is a hostile act by almighty God to take you out of the realm of Satan, to take you back.

36:53 Satan's a slave owner. And he holds his slaves under great, great... what, captivity? That's not even a strong enough word. Bondage. That's it. And Jesus comes, and by his coming into this world, though he enters as a baby, the whole thing about his life is warfare. Didn't Herod try to kill him? flees to Egypt, comes back. All along the way, Satan's attacking the temptation in the wilderness, Satan's seeking to trip him up. What's the big deal? It was all because of you. That's the big deal. Satan's not stupid. Satan knew that Jesus was his creator in eternity. There's nothing he to do about that? Think about it. What was Satan attempting to do? He was dealing with his very creator in human flesh in the wilderness of Judea to try to get him to mess up to not follow the father. Why? What sense does that make? I hope this gets you excited. Am I yelling? I'm comforted by this. If you think about it, Jesus could have said, yeah, you know what, Satan? And he would have been gone, and Jesus could have just gone back to heaven. He didn't do it. He took all the temptations. He took all of the hits for you, for me. That's it. Satan attacked Jesus because he wanted to get to you.

38:43 He wanted to keep you bound in depression, bound in defeat, bound in your sins, bound in the grave until you breathed your last, and then he would turn you loose in hell where he could have fun with you like a cat does with a mouse. he never gives up though why does he just give up the bible says he's defeated why does he just pack up because if he can inflict pain by blinding you and keeping you from coming to the cross and to Christ, if he can blind you,

39:24 he hurts the heart of God and he loves that. You have never met wickedness. until you meet Satan. And if you meet Satan someday, wow, I have no intention of meeting him. Martin Luther met Satan, according to his writings, and wrote about it.

39:55 The great reformer. according to Luther I may mess this up but it was either a vision or a dream that he had that Satan was writing down actual sins that Luther said that he was guilty of and it was going on and on and on and the paper filled up and in the dream or in the vision Luther said are you done and he said not even and Satan turned the page and started writing all these other sins of Martin Luther here. Are you done? Not even close as the dream or vision went. and then at some point, are you done? I'm done for now, I'm done. And Martin Luther and the dreamer and the vision responded and said, if I confess the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior, He is faithful and just to forgive me of my sins and to cleanse me from all, He said, unrighteousness.

41:07 That's how you answer Satan. You don't talk to him. You give him Bible. Christmas is uniquely hostile. probably haven't heard Christmas like that described. Christmas is an act of war. 1 John chapter 3 verse 8. 1 John 3.8. You guys okay? I'm hurrying. You guys all right? For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, made flesh, that he might destroy the works of the... Let's give God thanks for that. That's what the Bible says. Jesus Christ, that's it. The baby born in Bethlehem, it's warfare. It's awesome. The hostility is this, that God was going to defeat and destroy the strongholds of Satan to set man free. Luke chapter 10, verse 16.

42:06 Luke 10, 16 says, here, he who hears, Jesus is speaking, he who hears you, hears me. He's talking to his disciples, sending them out on a missionary venture. He who rejects you, rejects me. And he who rejects me, rejects him who sent me. That is the Father. Verse 17. Then the 70, those evangelists that went out, returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. And he, Jesus, said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. That is warfare, friends.

43:03 Beautiful. Romans 16, verse 20. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Wow. What a farewell address that is. Colossians chapter 1, verse 15. Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He created, or he existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation. Or through him, God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. And made the things we can see and the things we can't see. Such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, authorities, and the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.

43:59 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Friends, that's warfare. That's God revealing the truth so that we might be saved. In Luke chapter 10, verse 19, I think we already read it, but let me have it again, because I put it up there for a reason. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy. Look at that. All the power of the enemy. Speaking of satanic powers. I don't have time to get into it now. We're gonna get to our last point. I gotta end very shortly. But folks, listen. There's a lot of stuff going on right now in our world and frankly I'm sick and tired of it being addressed wrongly. We need to get down to the bottom of this very, very soon. All this stuff about mental illness, mental illness this, mental illness that, all this stuff.

44:57 Listen, there is mental illness. There's no doubt about it. But I think demonic activity is hiding often under that label. The rise of Satanism and occultism and drug use, that's why the Bible uses the word pharmakai for the word drug use in the Bible. The Greek word is pharmakai. The Bible doesn't say drugs. The Bible says you shouldn't use drugs. The Bible says you shouldn't use pharmakai. The word means hallucinogenic or mind-altering or personality-altering things. God's not trying to quench you out. He just doesn't want me to have a good time, man.

45:45 Listen, you do a drug, And you open yourself up to a spiritual realm that God says is the term pharmakai. Pharma. I don't think I need to elaborate on that. Pharmakai. It alters who you are and it opens a door to demonic activity. and Satan's taking advantage of that right now there's a lot going on I don't want to blame everything on Satan we can get in trouble all alone on our own But these last days, the demonic rise is being underestimated. it's a dangerous time and your child or somebody it's just pot it's innocent it's just it always opens the door to something else besides I don't care listen isn't it funny we're such a stupid culture oh yeah man do all the pot you want yeah do that vape man you can do that and then the same people who legalize it scream and cry bloody murder over air quality and smog controlled.

47:10 You cannot build homes anymore that burn wood. Why? It'll mess up the environment. Who cares? It could kill you. And then the same legislator turns around and approves pot. Does that make any sense? Makes no sense to me. It's absolutely crazy. and number six we close with this one i say we close with this we are closing with this one i'm i'm actually terrified of point six because i'm going to mess it up christmas has a perfect identity and we're going to walk through i'm going to show you this more than talk about it but when we talk about the identity of christmas of course we're talking about the identity of christ and i mentioned this the other day sunday maybe in one of the services but i'm going to lean heavily on the screens right now to walk you through this. The book of Matthew records the genealogy of Jesus Christ by or through the legal line of Joseph. Joseph. I'm not talking about Joseph of the Old Testament. I'm talking about Joseph and Mary. You guys, are you awake? I need you to be awake. We're almost done. The book of Matthew records the genealogy of Jesus Christ, who again, in the future, the Jewish people are going to freak out over this.

48:31 Because it shows you the legal line of Jesus. In other words, the royal line that comes through Joseph. Joseph was Jesus' legal stepfather, stepdad. So why do you say that? Just wait.

48:52 Joseph and Mary were married. This is a big deal to God. Luke records the genealogy of Jesus Christ by or through the biological line of Mary listen, Mary had a legal line watch, watch Mary and Joseph both had legal line access through King David okay by the way they wouldn't have gotten married either that was not the case watch this Mary is the only one out of the two that has biological approval from God in the scripture to produce the Messiah not Joseph Joseph could not produce the Messiah everybody only Mary could next slide why is that the case why the two listen why the two and why the difference why the two genealogies technically there's three i'll give you the last one in a moment but let's look at the main two mark doesn't have one by the way you want to know why jesus is presented as the servant in the book of mark more mirror shortest gospel most miracles jesus serves the most he is viewed as a servant of the most high god and it's the only gospel that doesn't have a genealogy because slaves didn't have genealogies.

50:19 You say, but I thought, wait, what? I thought you said there's two. Yeah, there's one in John, but that's easy. Next slide. Matthew records the genealogy of Jesus Christ by or through the legal line of Joseph. We just said that. Matthew's gospel traces the genealogy from Jesus back to Abraham. Do you remember what we were reading earlier? and Jeconiah, listen, the man Jeconiah was the departure point. Joseph was in the bloodline of Jeconiah. He's in the Old Testament. We'll read about it in a moment. Which in turn rendered Joseph's blood off limits to the throne of David and thus Jesus. Next slide.

51:02 Jeremiah 22, 29, and 30. this is why Mary had to be pregnant by the spirit of God with no man in or no male intervention especially Joseph for this reason oh earth earth earth hear the word of the Lord thus says the Lord write this man childless Jeconiah or Jehoiachin same guy a man that shall not prosper in his days, for no man of his seed, genealogy, DNA, shall prosper sitting upon the throne of David and ruling anymore in Judah. And when that happened, Satan must have went, we did it. We just messed it up. We messed it up. We messed up the royal line. we got him that guy sinned against God upset God so much God pronounces a curse on his bloodline and no king from David and that line will ever sit upon the throne we got him there must have been a party in hell but God next slide Luke's gospel traces the genealogy of Jesus to Adam and Nair is the abiding point this man, Nair.

52:27 Because Mary was in the bloodline and through Nair, thereby avoiding completely the curse and preserving the throne of David for Jesus. Jeconiah, his blood, that guy was cursed and Mary had none of that. There was a, you know what a bifurcation is? You know a Y on the road? God was at work in his technique and Satan couldn't see it and God pulled off an incredible, awesome thing. Real quick, one more slide. I'm one minute over. Legal lineage versus biological lineage. Matthew's genealogy lineage is legal through Joseph as by royal inheritance. This is great. Luke's genealogy lineage is legal biologically through Mary, thereby providing the way for Jesus of Nazareth to inherit the throne of his biological descendant, David.

53:22 That's why Jesus is called the son of David. Without being directly affected by the curse that was upon David's bloodline through Jeconiah, which belonged to Joseph. You see the brilliance of God? The engineering of God? And then here's that final third genealogy that's in the Bible. Final one is this. It's in John chapter 1.

54:11 God made flesh at this celebration of Christmas. So when anybody asks you, what's with the genealogy is? Now you know how to answer them, the one in Matthew, so beautifully technical. Luke, so technical. God redeems going to war for you and I, working all kinds of angles to make sure that you would make it to heaven. And then to just put a cherry on top. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh. Father God, we praise you for your greatness. We praise you, Lord, for the awesome message that Satan tried over and over and over again. And you thwarted him every single time. all for us Lord I don't know I don't know what it's going to take pour out your Holy Spirit upon us snap your fingers hit us upside the head I don't know what it's going to take but we ought to be the noisiest people on the planet when it comes to how much we're loved and that there's forgiveness in Jesus Christ at the cross for anyone who will come to him?

55:36 if we come to him we honor the father who sent him if we refuse to come to him we dishonor the father who sent him to us my dear friend God knows who you are do you want him then stand for him not stand for him how about this he doesn't need your help stand with him stand in association with him. Acknowledge him.

56:13 Tell people. if you don't want him it's because God knew in eternity that when you would hear the gospel that Christ died for you and rose again from the dead and that you need to repent of your sin and ask him to forgive you God knew that when you would hear that you'd say not for me that's a joke I don't need it God knew that you wouldn't be in heaven with him before you were ever born He didn't make you choose that course that you chose, but he knew that you would choose it. How sad. You don't want Jesus? Guess what? He's gonna answer your prayer. You won't have him. But if tonight you're saying, I want him, then you tell him tonight right where you're at. Jesus Christ, move into my life. Save me from my sins.

57:06 I give you my life tonight. I've now decided to walk with you, God. to be a brand new person because I believe Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again from the dead. And I put my trust in him and all God's people.