Advent Week 3 2019

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joe.

But before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the holy spirit because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law. And yet did not want to expose her to Public Disgrace. He had in on the board quietly.

But after he had considered this an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said Joseph son of David do not be afraid to take Mary home to your wife.

Because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit?

She will give birth to a son.

And you are to give him the name Jesus. Because he will save his people from their sins.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said the prophet.

The Virgin will conceive and give birth to a son. And they will call him Immanuel. Which means god with us?

when Joseph woke he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

But he did not consummate their marriage.

Until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

If you remember the first week, we talked about the first 18 verses of Matthew. This is where Matthew was going through the lineage of Jesus. We traced all the way back to Abraham and David. We said that Jesus was the Messiah because he was the son of David. We also said that he was an Israelite because he was the son of Abraham. What brought it all together? for us was the fact that we can relate directly to Jesus. Because we two should be able to trace our lineage all the way back to Abraham. Remember I said that bf ancestry.com went back that far. We should all be able to do that. This is also where we talked about the begats. So Matthew went through his first 18 verses by saying this person begats that person.

There's actually a song I told you about that. It's by Andrew Peterson and it's called. Matthew's begats and Andrew doesn't butcher the Old Testament names quite like I did so probably a little bit better than what I would had read. This is also a time for the anticipation of the arrival of Jesus. I told you that advent literally translates to arrival.

And we should all be making preparation for the arrival of Jesus with great anticipation. Even though Jesus is not coming in the flesh as he did. We should prepare our hearts for the arrival. And then that way it into last week sermon remember this took place in Mark. We said that Mark didn't talk about the birth like the other disciples did. Not because he didn't consider Jesus very important person. Obviously you did. But the birth of a carpenter's son. In his thought in a lot of people's thoughts that day was not a significant event to have happened.

So he didn't adore Jesus any less. He just skip the point that he didn't feel whole was a necessary part of the story. Instead he talked about John the Baptist making way for Jesus. This was not just a time for anticipate anticipation of the arrival of Jesus. But that we should all be making preparations for the Savior by repentance.

We need to make our hearts pure in order to receive the savior's Grace. Which he is bringing with him.

Remember that repentance in Greek is metanoia. Which translates to a concern for the rightness of a situation or the guilt for doing wrong? We should be self-examining ourselves and asking what ways we could be more Christ.

Where we have sinned and how we can change that repentance must involve change.

Not simply recognizing we have done wrong.

Psalm 51 is an excellent example of this. This is David's confession for sinan. I'll read that for those that are at home. If you have your Bibles, I'm going to be reading from the Christian Standard Bible. We're not going to have it up on the screen right now. I'm a little shorthanded in the tech department but Psalm 51 goes like this. Be gracious to me God according to your faithful love according to your abundant compassion blot out. My Rebellion completely wash away my guilt and cleanse me from sin.

Or I am conscious of my rebellion and my sin is always before me against you you alone. I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. So you are right when you pass sentence, you are blameless when you judge indeed. I was guilty when I was born. I was simple when my mother conceived me surely you desire Integrity in the inner self. And you teach me wisdom deep within. Purify Me with hyssop and I will be clean wash me and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness what the bones you have crushed rejoice. Turn your face away from my Sims and blot out all my guilt. God create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast Spirit Within Me Do not banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. restore the Joyce Sears me restore the joy of your salvation to me and sustain Me by giving me a willing Spirit then I will teach the rebellious your ways and sinners will return to you.

Save me from the guilt of Bloodshed God God of my salvation. And my tongue will sing of your righteousness Lord open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise.

You do not want to sacrifice or I would give it your not pleased with a burnt offering the sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled hard guide.

In your good pleasure, cuz I on to prosper build the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will Delight in righteous sacrifices whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will be offered on your altar. This is David's confession of sin.

and That's where we should be in this Advent season. We should be with hearts of repentance

seems only fitting that we've connected to Jesus and we've repented in preparation for his arrival that now we're going to get his promise of a charade forgiveness and that's where we're starting in week 3 here. This is not something that was accidental. This isn't like Jesus came and By the way, he's here you you get to be forgiven. Now this was very intentional. God had planned this from the very beginning and we can see that remember just two weeks ago. We saw how it had been planned from the very beginning when we look at his lineage Abraham was the father of man. Why? Because that was the way that got it planted he knew from the very beginning that we were going to need a savior and so over thousands of years. He made it possible for this to happen or been if if God is all-powerful and all-knowing then aren't we really just robots? I mean did we really need Jesus to be here? Since he had a plan for this from the very beginning aren't aren't we just saved by happenstance?

Isn't God just driving us into repentance?

Is it just the odds that I believe in God because he willed it and you don't because he will that also.

It's easy to say that we're not robots, but couldn't we all just be trapped inside the Matrix and we're just waiting on someone to unplug us.

But here's an example of that. Dr. Frank Turek likes to use and I haven't like this example. We we say that God is all-knowing and all-powerful. We want to know then why his will doesn't influence our decisions. How do we know that we really have free will is the question how do we know that? It's not just God moving his ponds around and that we actually have that free will.

So let's take the example that Frank uses and let's say let's take the Monday Night Football game or whatever sport or reality television show that you use our with would like to use reality TV. Probably isn't the best example cuz come on. We all know that it's not actual reality. But let's just say let's just take this example of the Monday Night Football game end. It's the Cowboys versus the Steelers, by the way. I have absolutely no concern over either one of those so

but you really want to watch this game like like this is the game of the season.

But you have to work that evening. So you do what any other red-blooded American does and you you DVR a Triton? now the next day you and you avoid all of the media you ask your friends and your co-workers to please not say anything about the game you managed to avoid any and all knowledge about the game until you're ready to go home Tuesday night and watch your team play and hopefully when

now the media has for knowledge about the outcome in comparison to you.

Your friends and coworkers. Have more knowledge about the game. in comparison to you In fact anyone that accidentally happened on an ESPN ESPN channel or a radio broadcast or newspaper headline or anything like that has four knowledge about the outcome in comparison to you. so the question then is does that mean? When you're watching the game. That those players don't have free will to move up and down the field in a manner in which they see fit. Or does ESPN make them move in whichever way they see fit because they have knowledge outside of what you have.

Of course, the answer is that the players have the free will to move. This is the same thing that happens with God every day. He knows exactly what's going to happen. But that doesn't mean that you don't have the choice that you don't have the free will. To move the ball up and down the field in the way that you see fit.

It just means that he already knows what's going to happen.

And so he sent his only son in order to save us from ourselves because he knew that we were going to need it and we don't have to accept this salvation. We still have that free will.

We don't have to take that. He's just giving us the opportunity.

You can. go through life without believing in Jesus and nothing's going to happen to you. Other than you're going to end up in a place called hell.

and what's not mistake this Hell is not a place where you burn for eternity. Maybe it is I don't know. I've never been there.

That's what they tell us when we're kids to scare us away from it. And then maybe that's what happens but the definition of hell. Is the absence of God?

It's not getting to be with him forever.

And unfortunately God loves you too much to force you to let him back.

If you don't want to that's fine.

But you don't get to be with him for eternity.

The angel came and told Joseph. You're going to name him Jesus Shakespeare once asked what's in a name as we've seen in previous illustration names are very important in the Bible. Remember? I told you that when someone asked you who you were in biblical times. That was really something.

Who you were, you know, it wasn't just a lime been. That's who I am. It in biblical times your lineage was your identity. Who are you? Well, I'm Ben. I'm the first and only son of Mark who was the second son of Charles. And so on and so on that's who I am.

Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph and we can trace the lineage back to Abraham through them. over the generations of people

That's who he was.

It's a little bit more difficult these days. For starters, no one cares about their lineage anymore.

Second we have a lot more people these days 7.7 billion people on this rock floating in the middle of space. is not crazy just think about that if we if we say People average a hundred 50 lb, let's just take a hundred fifty pound average.

I think that's probably a good number. Maybe I'm a little high. I don't know but let's let's just say that for insolence. that's over a trillion pounds of just people that isn't taking into account all of the dirt and the natural metals and the fabricated products and buildings and houses and stores and products and food and other animals and on and on and on that's 577 million tons. I've just people.

How amazing is that?

And yet some scientists will say that just happened.

Like all of a sudden gravity just happened in and held 577 million tons of people onto the Earth. Just by happenstance. I'm regressing. So this Angel comes and tells Mary and Joseph to name their baby Jesus. Would it surprise you that it didn't actually happen quite like that. You see Jesus wasn't actually named Jesus. In fact, Jesus is the Latin version of his Greek name.

Is actual Greek name was Yeshua.

If you translate that into English, that's Joshua.

and Joshua translated by meaning MTG salvation

the gods planning all of this stuff out.

and

he's saying to himself. Hey, you know what? People are kind of dumb. And they're going to need someone to bail them out because they obviously can't do it themselves. So I'm going to send my son down there to make it happen. I've already tried to wipe them out and that didn't work and I have given him chance upon chance upon chance and and that didn't work.

This time I'm going to make it super easy. So I'm going to send my my son there.

His Earthly parents. I'm I'm going to tell them to name him salvation.

And all these guys have to do is believe in him and they can be saved. That's it.

And we can't even seem to do that, right?

Don't tell me about God's patience.

Don't tell me that. God of the Old Testament was mean.

He made it so easy for us and we can't even do that.

First 23 tells us that Mary will conceive a child. And they will call him Emmanuel which means god with us see this solidifies the idea that only Jesus could save us. This tells us right here that Jesus is God. They will call him Immanuel. Which means god with us?

That's what they're going to call him.

Emmanuel Emmanuel

his name is called Emmanuel. God With Us revealed in US His name is called Emmanuel.

And so here's what happened. Not only did Jesus come to die for us, but he left his Spirit the spirit of God. with us In order that we would have a guide to guide us through the remainder of our lives. So not only did Jesus come and die for us.

But he said hey, you know what? I'm not just going to do that. All you have to do is believe in me and my spirits going to stay there with you.

Wow, right.

So God plans out this even you know, that is this that it's going to happen. and I'm going to send my son to them and

I'm going to let them know. That all they have to do is believe in him. But that's not going to happen.

They're way too ignorant to do that just because I say it just because I'm God and I say so. They won't do that till they're going to kill him. my only son

if that's okay.

Because his blood is going to wash away their sins.

have to think about What's going through God's head at that time?

He's going to know what this is my only son, but that's okay that they're going to kill him.

Because I love them enough to send my only son.

doobie born of these peasants carpenters and and his wife I love them enough to do that.

To have him born into poverty to have everyone kill him.

Because it's going to be his blood that that saves them.

But that's not going to do it either. They're still not going to get it. Since too strong and they can't help themselves. So for the ones that believe in him, I'm going to leave my spirit with them. To live and guide through their lives.

Not only that but as they're talking about me to others as they're trying to convince. The other Sinners to believe in my son, which is all they have to do to. On that one way ticket into heaven and be with me forever. My spirit is going to go out and it's going to touch some of those people as well. It's going to it's going to win them over.

I will call him Emmanuel, which means god with us.

You see from the from the very beginning when when God knew. That we couldn't do it in alone.

When he tried to wipe us out and start anew. When he tried to get the list so many chances upon chances to save ourselves. When we couldn't do it by ourselves.

And so he formed this plan to bring his one and only son to save us from ourselves.

when those things happens

Emmanuel

God was with us.

You know, what? What an amazing gift he gave us I was I was listening to Albert ate some time ago. He was preaching a sermon on on John 3:16.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Imagine an entire sermon on John 3:16 those the 25 words. But he did it though. And it was fantastic. It was one of the best friends I've ever heard.

and while we were sitting there listening to this sermon, I began crying I mean

I was like I was like full-on. I wasn't willing but the tears were streaming anyway, and I couldn't stop them.

This was right around the time that I baptize my son. And I was listening to the sermon.

and I was thinking God gave up his only son for me.

How much does he have to love me for that?

Because I can't imagine the pain. Torments the anger the unbearable unforgiveness that I might feel toward those people.

I mean, it's God. Think about that.

We got off pretty easy. I mean we just killed God's son.

You could have turned us off like a light switch.

Even still he could have made us suffer a thousand a thousand deaths. I can't imagine having to watch my son go through a bully teasing him. I certainly can't imagine. Watching his soldiers tear the flesh from his body and him crying out in pain and praying for it all to end.

Knowing that he could do it at any time that he wanted to and yet.

The soldiers laugh as his blood spills on the earth and his insides are exposed. It was such an intense empathy that I shared with God that day as I listen to Albert. Tell us why God sent his only son.

3 torture for us that I couldn't help but weep.

And it went on well past service. We had gone to the mall for some particular store that the family needed to go into and and I just barely managed to pull it together before we went in long after the service was over.

We're in this season of giving the season of presents

on Christmas morning the children will open up their gifts.

And we do a pretty good job. Like I have to say that my wife is an amazing planner and it's all her it has nothing to do with me. Jesus choose the one

The kids are crazy. Happy on Christmas morning. I have pictures. of happy kids from every Christmas We've never had a Christmas where the kids were disappointed about something under the tree.

And I do pretty well too. I'll give my wife up a gift that she's really happy with and and a few other things that she's moderately okay with.

all of those gifts and all of those smiles

and it's nothing.

Because what an amazing gift that he gave us.

He gave us his son.

He gave us his son. So that we could kill him.

And even after all of that he stayed with us and forgave us.

That's the true gift of Christmas.

It's not wool socks or the latest PlayStation game or Super Bowl tickets.

It's much deeper than all of those material things.

The gift that he gave us was promised forgiveness.

What's brat?

Got thank you. so much for sending your son to us.

Thank you for

giving us the opportunity to be stupid.

And still turning around and loving us anyway.

What an amazing gift?

And as we go further into this Christmas season as we get closer to Christmas Day help us remember that. Help us. Remember what the true meaning of Christmas is that it's been it's not the presents.

That it's your son that came for us to give us salvation to send that you sent for us that send that you gave us that you gifted us.

In order to give us the greatest gift of all the Eternal salvation time with you endless time with you.

Thank you for doing that and help us to remember that that's what it's all about. It's in your son Jesus name we pray amen those of you on there out there on Facebook. Thanks for tuning in. Glad to see you. We're here every week 10:30 a.m. So join us more often and we will see you next next week.