Welcome And Core Gospel Invitation

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I'm Barkefo Segan. I'm just delighted that you're here with us, especially for our guests. We're delighted that you're here. And uh most most uh years when Christmas is this close to a Sunday, everybody's traveling, you know, and it's just me and Susie and a couple of kids in here. But it's so delightful to see so many are still here, not traveling just yet. If you're our guest, we want you to know that there's something that we believe that we want to make sure you hear about, and perhaps if you haven't before, that you had put your faith, your trust in Christ Jesus as our Savior. It's easy to get all emotional and uh nostalgic during the Christmas season and step into a church building just because you want to have that uh wonderful feeling that maybe you had as a child. But what we want you to know is that we believe that everyone and only those who place their faith, their trust in Christ alone are guaranteed eternity with Heavenly Father. Jesus put it this way: God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life, currently possessed the moment you trust Christ. In fact, he goes on, and Jesus says this for the Father did not send his son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Now, I'm certain that if you're in the sound of my voice, you've long since heard about Jesus. But I want you to know this knowing about Jesus doesn't save anyone. Trusting Jesus saves. Believing Jesus at his testimony about himself, that he is the way, the truth, and the life. And no one comes to the Father except by him. It is open to all, but there's only one way. Now, what's important to recognize, especially in this season,

Evidence Over Emotion At Christmas

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is that we practice an evidential faith. It's not just some fairy tale because it feels good, but rather we practice an evidential faith. Now, this morning in our passage, we're gonna just look at 14 verses in Luke chapter 2. And in those 14 verses, there are three prophecies fulfilled. Now, there are over 300 prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah, all of which have been fulfilled. But we're gonna look at three here. But I want you to know a story, a true story about a professor. He's a mathematician named Peter Stoner. And he decided that he would take his students, his graduate students, some 600 of them over a year's time, and he would have them do the statistical analysis on what it would mean for someone to fulfill just eight of the well over 300 prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah. And they would look at prophecies that Jesus couldn't possibly have orchestrated had he not been the one and only true God. Prophecies concerning the fact that he would be born of the lineage, the tribe of Judah, prophecies concerning that he would become in the line of King David specifically, that he would be born of a virgin, that he would be born in Bethlehem, house of bread, that he would be born during the fourth kingdom to rule over ancient Israel, which was the Roman Empire, prophesied by Daniel in Daniel chapter 2, that he would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. How would he orchestrate such a thing? That the betrayal money would be used after his death to purchase a potter's field. Well, if he's dead, how is he going to orchestrate that? And all of the specificity of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ prophesied in Psalm 22 five hundred years before crucifixion itself was invented. So they looked at all of this, and after going through their statistical analysis, they came up with the reality that the chance that any one

Prophecies And The Stoner Probability Study

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person would fulfill just eight of these prophecies would be one in a hundred quadrillion. Now I have to admit, I didn't even know what a quadrillion was. Do you know what a quadrillion is? That's a number that has 15 zeros after it. And what he's saying is, through all that research, one hundred one in one hundred quadrillion chance that anyone could possibly fulfill just eight of the 300 prophecies. And he had his study peer-reviewed. He wrote a book called Science Speaks. And uh this work, his peer review reports, has been reviewed by members of the American Scientific Affiliation and its Executive Council, and has been found in general to be dependable and accurate in regard to the scientific material presented. The mathematical analysis included is based upon principles of probability which are thoroughly sound. And Professor Stoner has applied these principles in a proper and convincing way. Now, when we tell you it's one and one hundred quadrillion, it's like, well, that's too many zeros for me to imagine. So Peter Stoner then gave another illustration. Assume for a moment that you had 100 quadrillion silver dollars and you laid them down on the state of Texas that would cover every square inch of the state and would mass a pile two feet high across the state. Now, take one of those silver dollars and put a X on it with a permanent marker, and then drop it in the midst of all of those silver dollars and mix them up really, really well. And now put a man blindfolded in the center of those silver dollars and give him the freedom to go anywhere he wants and bend down and pick up a coin. The chances that he would pick up the coin with the X on it is one in one hundred quadrillion. What I'm trying to say is that we practice an evidential faith. This isn't a blind faith, this isn't just a warm feeling. When we worship on any given day, any given Sunday, any given Christmas day, we're celebrating reality. In Luke chapter 2, verses 1 through 14, I'll read force, and we'll glean just three of those prophecies and talk about them for a moment. We'll end up on the third one in particular. Here's what it says in Luke chapter 2. Now in those days the decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Corinius was governor of Syria. And every one was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee from the city of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David. He did this in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. She gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him in clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which is for all the people. For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord. This will be

Reading Luke 2 And Three Fulfilled Prophecies

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a sign for you, you will find a baby wrapped in claws and lying in a manger. And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace among men with whom he is pleased. In this short section, there are three prophecies. One is that the Messiah would come from humble beginnings. Also, specif specificity about his birthplace, Bethlehem, and then the heavenly announcement about him being indeed the prince of peace. We see this prophecy concerning his humble beginnings in Zechariah 9 9. It says this Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you. He is just and endowed with salvation. Humble and mounted on a donkey, even a colt, the foal of a donkey. Now that happened on uh the Sunday before Easter, when he comes in on that foal of a donkey. But long before that, his humble beginnings were demonstrated. We see it here. And she, Mary, gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in claws and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. Who would be in a cave and put a baby in a manger? Someone from ridiculously humble circumstances. Later on in chapter two, when we get to chapter verse 22, we read this. Then it was time for their purification offering, this young couple, required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child. So his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. The law of the Lord says this if a woman, her first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord. So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord. There are three levels of sacrifice that were required, depending upon how you were doing financially, if you will. And in this case, they offered the sacrifice that only the poorest would offer either a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. Clearly, he came from humble circumstances from the very beginning. We would have expected him to be born in a palace, but no. To highlight the reality of who God is and what he's come to do for you and me, he was born in the humblest of circumstances. Then we read about his birthplace. Some 500 years before he was born, it was prophesied. We see this in verse 4 of chapter 2. Joseph also went up from Galilee from the city of Nazareth to Judea to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, by the way. That means house of bread. Can you imagine? One who is born in the house of bread becomes the very bread of life for you and for me. We see this in Micah. But as for you, Bethlehem Epaphra, it's just another name for Bethlehem, too little to be among the clans of Judah. From you one will go forth for me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. Prophesied hundreds of years before it took place. And finally, in this section, we see the heavenly announcement, quoting from Isaiah 9.6, the angel's song. We see this in verse 14. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace among those with whom he is pleased, echoes Isaiah's prophecy of the coming Prince of Peace. Here's what it says in Isaiah 9:6, prophesied seven hundred years before his birth. His name will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, eternal father, prince of peace.

Humble Beginnings And Poverty Of Jesus

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Now, understanding how Hebrew poetry works, in Hebrew poetry, it's the last on the list that is most important, the one that should be highlighted. And so it's a remarkable thing that his name will be called Wonderful Counselor. In other words, a counselor of those who are about to go to war. This is going to be the best counsel you could ever receive. He goes on, he says, Mighty God, not just any God, but the one and only true God, mighty God. Goes on, he says, Eternal Father, literally, the creator of time. He always was, and he always will be. Though a moment in time he took on flesh to represent you and me. But no, what's highlighted is Prince of peace. Now we know in this day-to-day world, what we need most of all is peace. If you've never placed your faith, your trust in Christ alone as Savior, I can assure you peace is escaping you. We're told, even those of us who have long since placed our faith, our trust in Christ, we're told in Colossians 1.21 and following, although we believers were formerly alienated, hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet he has now reconciled you through his death. We needed peace with God first and foremost. We see he is the gift of peace. Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. The NIV puts it this way: glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace to those with whom his favor rests. What do you mean, his favor rests? His grace. For by grace you've been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves is a gift from God, not as a result of works that no man should boast. If we were to ever receive peace from God, it would have to be a gift purchased for us by Him. And so we celebrate, even on Christmas, this precious gift of a Savior who provides us with the grace that we might believe simply through faith and in so doing receive the greatest gift of eternal life. Chris Hedges, a New York Times reporter, writes this war is defined as an active conflict that has claimed more than a thousand lives. Of the past 3,400 years, humans have had entirely been entirely at peace for only 268 of those years, or just eight percent in recorded history. The famous Pox Romana was taking place during the time of the birth of Christ. That is, God had arranged that it would be the perfect time for the message to go forth throughout the entire known world, because peace would allow it to travel. Peace, goodwill toward men. The Stoic philosopher Epictus says this While the Empire may give peace from war on land and sea,

Bethlehem Foretold And Bread Of Life

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he is emperor, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy. He cannot give peace of heart, for which man yearns even more than for outward peace. Now I would venture to say, with few exceptions, there's a few. Those in the sound of our voice have never been to war. You've never been on a battlefield. I've never been on a battlefield. And so this idea from peace from warring uh factions, I've been free from that all my life, and I owe a debt of gratitude to those who have fought for that peace. But what you and I need most is peace of heart and peace of mind. And it is very, very possible to have long since placed your faith, your trust in Christ alone as Savior, and yet at this moment in history you not possess peace of heart and peace of mind. In the past uh eight days, I have uh performed a wedding. What a wonderful ceremony, lots of family and lots of fun. In the past eight days, I've also done a funeral. Though it was a celebration of life because it is a believer who's now with his heavenly father. There's still some sadness involved for the temporary separation. There are those in the sound of my voice that have disruption in your lives. Things aren't as they should be. Perhaps you have an estrangement going on within your own immediate family. Perhaps your work situation is terribly difficult. Perhaps you have health issues. I know that there are health issues right here, right now. What about that piece? We practice an evidential faith, not just in receiving the peace from God that eternal life is ours as a gift, but in the here and the now, we can have peace of heart and peace of mind, even during the Christmas season, when for many it is a reminder of folks that they've recently lost. A tragedy they're currently in the middle of. All the Christmas movies in the world won't settle that peace. But Jesus can. And it's his every desire that you would experience that peace of heart and mind even now. He is the giver of peace. We see this in Isaiah, for he is called the Prince of Peace. We see this when Jesus speaks to us in John 14, 27. I am leaving

Prince Of Peace And Isaiah’s Promise

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you with a gift of peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. We have the gift of peace. We have the giver of peace. And now we see the guardian of peace. Here's what Jesus says about himself in John 16, 33. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows, but take heart, because I have overcome the world. I had a really scary moment, by the way, and I was so uh excited to celebrate my guardian of peace last night. Last night, my wife and I, my bride and I, and one of my daughters, we were we were going to uh uh a gathering at a friend's house, and I was turning into it was really dark. Have you noticed it gets dark right now? It gets really, really dark. And yes, I had my lights on. By the way, I'm driving with my lights on, and I'm in in Capel, and I'm just driving the speed limit, and I'm getting ready to take a left-hand turn into the subdivision of my friend's house. And as I'm turning, all of a sudden my bride says, Stop! And a young man dressed in complete black garb, dark garb, and with his earbuds in, stepped off of the sidewalk and stepped right in front of my car. And I did not see, he was invisible. And the Holy Spirit, named Susie, said, Stop! And I stopped. And he didn't even know that he was inches from meeting his maker. He just kept on walking in the pitch black, in dark clothing, with his earbuds in, not paying attention to anything that's going on. My headlights, when they finally hit him, he didn't even act like he saw them. My heart was pounding in my chest, thinking this could have changed everything. Have you ever experienced your guardian? Have you ever experienced God watching over you? You know, I was on the interstate not that long ago, and he watched over me a lot. This will not be your typical Christmas message. What I want to tell you is that you have friends and family that Christmas does not mean what it means to you and to me. Even believers, those who long since settled the issue of placing their faith, their trust in Christ, and yet in their current circumstances, they are not experiencing peace. What shall we do for our friend or a family member? What I re w want to recommend to you this is that the first thing you want to do is be a good listener. Just let 'em tell their story. After they've told this story, if you're under the impression that they've not placed their faith, their trust in Christ, that would be the time to share with them about the Prince of Peace. Share with them that you know what, there's only one place to get the peace that you and I both need. And it's from the Prince of Peace. And we practice in evidential faith, and I'd like to share with you the simplicity of the reality of who Jesus is. Born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified

Peace With God And By Grace Through Faith

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dead and buried, and on the third day rose again from the dead, demonstrating that Heavenly Father had fully accepted his payment on our behalf for all of our sins and everything that separates us from him. And Jesus said, You simply need to place your faith, your trust in him, that he's fully paid for your sins. And if you will do that, he will gift you eternal life. The one who can never lie has promised that in that very moment you are his forevermore, evermore, and he is yours forevermore. And in Ephesians chapter one, we find out that at that very moment we're indwelled by and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise that God will keep that promise. Suppose it's someone who has long since placed their faith, their trust in Christ alone, and yet peace is escaping them. Here's what Isaiah wrote seven hundred years before the Prince of Peace showed up on earth. You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you. I would tell my friend, you know, I know that long since you've placed your faith, your trust in Christ, but let me tell you, just like you, I often get my eyes off of Jesus, and I get my eyes on my troubles, and peace escapes me. But if the scripture says, all I need to do is get my eyes focused back on Him. And that peace can be mine once again. Peace of heart, peace of mind. After that, I would take him to Philippians chapter 4, where it says this Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is right, whatever is honorable, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is good repute, if there's anything excellent and anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Now he proceeds that with this whole idea of, hey, if you're anxious, be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. One of the things that uh my bride loves to remind me about doing is to uh make a list of things that I can be thankful for. Uh many moons ago, uh, when we first got married, uh after the wedding, we had a time where we went over to my mother-in-law's house and she had gathered a number of gifts that had been given at the wedding, and we hadn't opened them up yet. And so we went and we sat down in this room. And as my bride sat down to start opening up these gifts, her sister sat next to her with a notepad and started taking notes. And I thought, what are we doing here? Well, we're having a lesson here. What's going on? And she would open a present and she would say, Oh, this is from so-and-so. And then she'd open it up and said, Oh, a beautiful punch bowl from so-and-so. And my sister-in-law would write down beautiful punch bowl from so-and-so. And then about a week later, Susie sat down and said, I need your penmanship. You do, yeah, I need your penmanship. See, we're going to write thank yous to everybody that

Outer Peace Versus Inner Peace

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gave us a gift. Now, guys, you and I had no idea what was going on, but the women knew exactly what was happening when it happened. Sometimes when peace escapes us, as believers, you take out a pen and a pad and start writing the things that we're thankful for. And before you know it, the peace that transcends all human comprehension will be yours. According to the word of God. Now I know this isn't your typical Christmas message. But I know some people in here who need it. And I know that from time to time I need it. So y'all just putting up with me talking to myself for a little while. The Jewish nation understood that the Lord is a guardian of all peace. From time to time, three times a year, they would travel by caravan to go up to Jerusalem. And as they're going up to Jerusalem by caravan, fearful for the bandits who would be around, fearful for the wild animals that would be around, they would sing songs. And one of their songs is Psalm 121. It's called the Song of Ascents, meaning as they are ascending up to the hill of the Lord. The Tanakh is a Jewish publication translation of Psalm 121. And here's how it reads. I turn my eyes to the mountains. From where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot give way. Your guardian will not slumber. See, the guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. The Lord is your guardian. The Lord is your protection at your right hand. By day the sun will not strike you, nor the moon by night. The Lord will guard you from all harm. He will guard your life. The Lord will guard your going and your coming now and forever. The Prince of Peace. He is the gift from God of peace to us. He's also the giver of peace in the midst of difficult times, and he is the guardian of our peace whenever we set our eyes fixed on him. Would you stand and pray with me?