Because He Came

Everything can look “normal” on the outside while your heart is carrying fear, shame, or the quiet thought that you’ve gone too far to change. I open Luke 2 and make one clear claim that cuts through all of that: because Jesus came, everything changed and that includes you and me.

We start at the manger and the angel’s announcement of “good news of great joy” for all people. That word all matters. If you’ve felt disqualified by your past, your doubts, or your struggle, the Christmas story is not a sentimental scene. It’s God stepping into real human need, offering a Savior, Christ the Lord. From there, I go back to the beginning of Luke and remind you that Caesar may be ruling, but God is still in charge, even when something in your life feels like it’s trying to take the throne.

Then we walk through Luke 1 and Mary’s honest question, “How will this be?” and we connect it to Hebrews 11 and biblical faith. God doesn’t need ingredients to work. He speaks, He saves, and He changes hearts by the Holy Spirit. Finally, we land in Matthew 1 where Jesus is named for his mission: he will save his people from their sins, and he is Emmanuel, God with us. If you’re ready to respond, I close with a simple salvation prayer.

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Transcript

Welcome And Central Claim

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Hey, what's going on, everybody? This is Pastor Lee Day. I'm your host, and I pastor Christ Family Outreach Church located in Amelia County, Virginia. Welcome to this episode of Beyond Sunday. If you got your Bibles, I want you to go ahead and turn to the book of Luke. Luke chapter two, and we are going to begin with the sixth verse. Okay. We're going to title this episode Because He Came. And I'm going to tell you, because Jesus came, everything changed. Amen. Everything changed. Let's get right into it. Luke chapter 2, beginning with the sixth verse, my good friend, says this. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. Speaking of Mary. And she gave birth to her firstborn son, Jesus, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Can we just say amen to that, my friends? That this good news is for all people. That's you, that's me, no matter what you've done in your life, no matter how short you've fallen. This good news is for you. And the 11th verse, moving on, says this for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, and this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among those with whom he is pleased. Hallelujah. Listen, listen closely to my following statement, friends. Listen closely. Because he came, I'm changed. And I hope that you can say that exact same statement about your life right now. Because Jesus came, you are changed. And if you can't, we're gonna pray at the end of this episode. You're gonna have the opportunity to ask Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Savior. And then you too immediately will be able to make that same confession that because Jesus Christ came, your life is now changed. I want to go back just a little bit in Luke chapter 2, and for a moment, just look at the first verse. And this is what it says. In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. Now listen to me. Have you ever considered this? Caesar was ruling, but it was God who was in charge. Caesar was ruling, but it was God who was in charge. If you're struggling with something in your life right now, a problem, a situation, unsure how to handle a particular circumstance in your life, maybe an addiction, maybe you're fighting what to believe. Let me just remind you in this moment, those things, those situations, they they may be trying to rule you, but God is still the one in charge. Can somebody out there say amen to that? I'm gonna say it again. Those things, they may be trying to rule you, but God, Yahweh, he is the one that is in charge. Remember, when Jesus Christ came onto the scene, everything changed. All right, now turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 1, just go backwards a little bit, and we're gonna begin reading together in the 26th verse. And this is what it says, Luke chapter 1, verse 26. In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. My friend, that's good news there. Of the kingdom of God there will be no end. And the 34th, the 34th verse says, And Mary said to the angel, How will this be, since I am a virgin? Right? In other words, how can I be with child? I I I'm still a virgin. How can I be with child? Much less the the son of God, the only begotten son of God. And the 35th verse says this, and the angel answered her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you. Can we just say, Thank God for the Holy Spirit? Thank God for the Holy Spirit of God, that when He comes into our lives, everything changes. The power of God comes and rests and lives and works on the inside of everyone who calls upon Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and lives for the glory of God. Can we just say amen to that? But back to the 35th verse, this is what it says. And the angel answered her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. Now, Mary, Mary does what so many others throughout the Bible had done, and truly, what every one of us have been guilty of doing before. In the 34th verse, Mary said to the angel, How will this be? The truth is, if we're gonna be honest with one another here in this episode, every one of us have thought that or have said that before. God, how will this be? How's this gonna happen? How's this gonna work out? How's this gonna come to fruition in my life? How am I gonna get around this? What's coming next? How could it possibly change? Right? So Mary's response to the angel, how will this be since I am a virgin? She's looking at what currently is, not seeing that there's something greater that has begun to take place. Basically, she's saying, How can God do this if I don't already have that? And to that statement, I say, my friends, God doesn't need our help and God doesn't need ingredients in order to have something come to fulfillment, to have something come to fruition in our lives. After all, we can go right back to the beginning recorded in Scripture, and we see that if God wants something made, all He has to do is speak it out. Can we just say amen and thank God for that, friends? This brings me to one of my most favorite topics in the Bible. If if you've attended CFO church before for any length of time, you probably have heard me reference this particular passage of scripture. Okay. So we're gonna go visit it. We're gonna go visit it, and we're gonna be strengthened by it yet again. All right. So so again, if you've got your Bibles, turn to Hebrews chapter 11, okay? And we're gonna begin with the first verse, just looking at a few verses here. Hebrews chapter 11, verse 1. It's known as the faith chapter, okay? Hebrews 11, verse 1 says this. Now, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen, hear this now, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. Did you catch that? God doesn't need substance, God doesn't need ingredients in order to produce a single thing in your life. Again, verse three, by faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God so that what is seen, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. Amen, amen, and amen to that, my good friends. You see, God doesn't need you, Mary, to already be pregnant by Joseph in order for you to have a baby. Now, remember again what the third verse says, okay? Remember what it says. God can make things without needing things that are already in existence, that are already visible. God does not need ingredients to make it happen. Oftentimes, as Christians, we miss it. We miss the provision, we miss the working power of God in our lives because we tend to think that we need to see the ingredients come together before the plan of God takes place in our lives. Now, if if you're listening right now, you're listening right now to this episode, and maybe you keep thinking that you're the type of person that needs to fix everything in your life before you can surrender to God. You've got to fix everything before you can really truly walk with the Lord. That you've got to make everything clean. Okay. Can I just say this? Stop trying to do it on your own. Stop trying to clean up the mess on your own. Let God do the work through you because that's the only way it's really gonna clean up. Okay. That's the only way that your life and my life is truly going to clean up, is if we let God be the one that actually does the eternal work. Let God be the one that does what only God can do. Amen. Now, go ahead and turn back to Luke chapter one, and when you get there, we're gonna take off at the 34th verse, okay? Luke chapter 1, verse 34. And this is what it says. And Mary said to the angel, How will this be? Since I am a virgin. And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth, in her old age, has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren, for nothing will be impossible with God. And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her. Oh, to have the faith and attitude of Mary at that point in her life. Because, my friends, in the 38th verse, she said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. Amen. That's so good, my friends. If you're not there yet in your walk with Christ, I want to encourage you to get there. Get to the point where you can honestly say in faith, have your way. Have your way, God. I may not understand it. I may not feel like doing it. I may even disagree with it. But if it's your will, have your way, Yahweh. Have your way, Almighty Father God. The reason Mary could do this is because of what she said. There are two things we need to look at together before this episode is over. So let's get going. Number one, she said, I am a servant of the Lord. She recognized she was not the one in charge. Amen. If you got somebody next to you right now, go ahead and look at that person next to you. Say, I'm not the boss. That's right. I'm not the boss. Mary recognized that she was not the one in charge. Number two, Mary said, according to your word. In other words, she's saying, I want God's will to be done in my life, even when I don't see or understand what's going to happen. I haven't been intimate with Joseph yet. There's been no relation yet. I'm not pregnant yet. But if you say so, God, if you say so, God, so if you're out there taking notes right now, I want you to write that down. But if you say so, God, if you say so, God, and may that may that be written across our heart from this point forward for the rest of our life. But if you say so, God, if you, I don't understand it, but if you say so, God, I don't want to do it. But but if you say so, God, I don't feel it right now. But if you say so, God, I don't see how that's gonna take place. I don't see how that's gonna be provided. I don't see how that's coming to fruition. But if you say so, God, now you better believe that Mary's life changed when Jesus showed up. But that's how a life serving Jesus Christ works. When Jesus shows up, everything changes. Amen. When you accept him into your life as Lord and Savior, he changes you for the glory of God. Now we're gonna go somewhere different. If you got your Bibles, go to Matthew chapter 1, verse 18. You're gonna read a few verses here. Matthew chapter 1, verse 18 says this. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way, when his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man, and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Now, I'm gonna read the 21st verse again. Listen to it carefully. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Acts chapter 22, 16, if you want to write that down. Acts chapter 22, verse 16 says this rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name. Acts chapter 2, verse 38 says this repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. First John chapter 1, verse 7 says this. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin. Oh, when you know that you know that you know that Jesus Christ has saved your soul and he has forgiven you, he has set you free, he has redeemed you, he has done for you what you could not ever do for yourself. When you know that you know you've been changed because Jesus came. It doesn't get any better than that. Praise Almighty God alone. Glory to God, hallelujah. It doesn't get any better than that, that when you've accepted Jesus Christ as your personal risen Lord and Savior, you know that everything has changed in your life because he came. Now, Matthew chapter 1, verse 21 says this she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had had spoken by the prophet. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us. When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. He took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son, and he called his name Jesus. And they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us. Oh my friends, when he came, everything changed. God with us. He's with you today. You can't outrun his presence. You can't outrun the presence of God, my friends. He's with you. Isaiah 41 10 says, Okay, God speaking in the text, fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. May this be our heart's cry, my friends. Because Jesus came, I'm never alone. Because Jesus came, my life has been changed forever. Because Jesus came, my soul is saved.

Prayer To Receive Christ

SPEAKER_00 21:42

Because Jesus came, yes, yes, my Lord, it's true. I am forever changed. Father, I thank you that I'm changed. I thank you for the change in the lives of these listeners. And I pray that should any one of them be ready to accept Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior, that right now, where they are, they would humble themselves, come to you by way of this prayer, and repeat this.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. And I ask you, Lord, to come into my life, forgive me of my sins. I recognize, Lord Jesus, that you paid a price that I could never pay for myself, and that you died on the cross so that I could be forgiven of my sins. And I ask you now, Lord, to come into my life, forgive me, and save my soul. In Jesus' name and blood. Amen.