WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:12.240 Well, maybe you're here and uh you're a normal church attender, maybe you are like a super attender and you're at church all the time, the doors are open, the doors are locked, you find a way in. 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:13.839 Maybe that's your situation. 00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:32.960 Maybe you're more of the kind of Easter, Christmas uh showing up for church, or maybe you you you tend to come to church when maybe perhaps you feel guilty about something, or or or maybe you you feel helpless, or um, and maybe that's when you go to church, or maybe you feel really grateful, and so that's when you go to church, or maybe you're drugged here by your family, you know. 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:36.640 I mean, just kind of you're not sure how you got here, you don't want to be here, but you're here. 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:45.920 Uh possibly you're here and you're you're from a different faith, and you got here through family, and you're here and you're not sure maybe if you're even allowed to be here according to your faith. 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:48.079 And um it's all very possible. 00:00:48.399 --> 00:00:52.000 I just want to say uh we're we're very we're so happy you're here. 00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:55.679 Um no matter what category you fall into, there, we're so happy you're here. 00:00:55.759 --> 00:01:22.000 And maybe when it comes to this story, this Christmas story, this idea of God to man into the world through a woman, uh, a virgin born uh as a boy, growing up and becoming a rabbi, a great teacher, and then dying for our sin and then resurrecting, maybe that story to you feels maybe a little uh far-fetched. 00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:30.959 Maybe it feels a little like a like a legend or uh a little antiquated to some extent, maybe it feels a little removed from your modern life. 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:40.400 Uh wherever you're at on this continuum, I just would you give me the next 10 minutes, 12 minutes maybe, uh, to ask three questions? 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:46.079 And even even when I say these questions, they're gonna come off and go, well, I know the answer to those questions because that's just kind of the Christmas story. 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:47.120 But would you stick with me? 00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:51.680 Would you be willing to kind of dig in just a little bit to think through this? 00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:53.519 Um, these three questions. 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:57.280 The first one being, how did God come to man? 00:01:57.840 --> 00:01:58.560 How did God come? 00:01:58.719 --> 00:02:01.120 Number two, why did he come? 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:05.840 And number three, what does this mean for you and for me? 00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:08.080 So that first question, how did he come? 00:02:08.240 --> 00:02:13.280 I mean, Matthew 1, what Sam just read, Matthew 1, 18 through 25, that's the Christmas story. 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:19.280 You know, Mary, this young girl, by the way, probably 13-ish. 00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:22.240 Imagine that, 13, right? 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:41.759 I mean, they married younger culture 2,000 years ago, and married younger for many reasons, and so she's young, she's a young girl, and she finds out she's pregnant, and she gets the word from God, and she and she knows, well, I haven't done that, and I'm pregnant, and so she's to be okay with this, and then Joseph doesn't bail on her. 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:58.960 Joseph sticks with her, is faithful to her, and they make that trip to Bethlehem, and they get down there and they find out they're homeless, and then she's going into labor, and they end up in that stable with the farm animals, and then and then the baby is born and it's put in a manger, a feeding trough. 00:02:59.120 --> 00:03:02.560 I mean, this is this is as as low as it gets. 00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:09.120 This is as lowly as possible, and God is coming into the world in the lowest place. 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:11.680 It doesn't get any lower. 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:19.759 What's interesting, that reading Sam read before it, Matthew 1, 1 through 7, he's this long genealogy, and I won't read through that because it'll bore you. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:26.879 The point of that is a little bit to say to us this is history, not just legend, but this is history, and you can trace the genealogy of Jesus. 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:36.560 And what's interesting about that is Matthew's writing to Jewish people, he's writing to religious people, and he points out four kind of discrepancies, not discrepancies, four exceptions. 00:03:36.719 --> 00:03:39.439 Usually when you do genealogy back then, it was men. 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:44.000 And you look into this genealogy in Matthew 1, there's four women listed. 00:03:44.080 --> 00:03:51.680 And it's just to say, uh say something, because each of these four women are women that have huge mistakes in their life. 00:03:51.840 --> 00:04:02.000 I mean, it's the kind of mistakes, I was looking at it today, it's the kind of mistakes Nash Christian said, can I go into it all, the life of Tamar and Rahab and Ruth and Bathsheba? 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:04.560 Can I can I go into that with children in the room? 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:06.080 And Christian's like, no, you can't. 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:08.960 You can't even go into it with children in the room. 00:04:09.039 --> 00:04:13.360 I can't, I can't even go into the storylines of those four women. 00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:15.520 I mean, this is not rated G. 00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:16.879 This isn't Disney. 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:18.959 I mean, this is this is R-rated. 00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:24.800 This is this is I mean, it is a biblical storyline of the bloodline of Jesus. 00:04:25.519 --> 00:04:28.879 I mean, this is immorality at its lowest point. 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:33.680 And what Matthew's doing, he is rubbing it in the face of these religious people. 00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:35.920 This is humanity. 00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:39.279 This this is this is you. 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:42.319 This is what you're like. 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:48.480 And this is what he came out of, and this is what he came for. 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:54.319 To redeem broken people, not to sort of like pat religious people on the back, oh, you're doing a great job. 00:04:54.399 --> 00:05:17.199 No, it's just like, no, no, you're all people and broken in some way, and dealing with your own depravity in some way, and trying to act like your own savior in some way, trying to deliver yourself either by you know just paganism and pleasure or religion and merit, either way being your own savior, but refusing to come and just say, I'm I'm broken? 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:22.800 That's me, Rahab and Tamar and Ruth and Bathsheba. 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:29.120 I do those same things in my own way, maybe not with my body, maybe with my heart. 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:31.759 So this leads us to that second question. 00:05:31.920 --> 00:05:32.959 You know, how did he come? 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:36.480 Well, he he came in humility and in brokenness, is how he came. 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:37.680 Why did he come? 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:40.399 This week I was reading in chap in Hebrews chapter 8. 00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:53.040 Maybe this won't excite you, it really excited me because I get about halfway through chapter 8 of Hebrews, and it says this for if there had been nothing wrong with the first covenant. 00:05:53.279 --> 00:06:04.240 So the first covenant was that covenant of law given to Moses, the moral covenant, some sacrificial covenant, so the moral, the standard of righteous, how we should live. 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:07.120 Don't envy, don't have any other gods. 00:06:08.160 --> 00:06:09.199 How are you doing? 00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:11.279 Not doing real well. 00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:19.680 Sacrificial system set up so that we have forgiveness of this, a sacrifice is made to be right with God. 00:06:21.519 --> 00:06:29.680 If nothing was wrong with that first covenant, that way of life of trying to live up to a standard of righteousness, meeting the standard. 00:06:31.439 --> 00:06:38.959 And the writer says, if nothing had been wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another, for something different. 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:41.120 But God found fault with the people. 00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:46.319 So nothing wrong with the standard of righteousness, something wrong with us before the standard of righteousness, because we can't we can't live up to it. 00:06:46.399 --> 00:06:50.079 So the first covenant, it's not good, and what it does is it condemns us. 00:06:50.800 --> 00:07:06.480 The standard of righteousness, constantly living up to a standard of righteousness to say, well, if I if I if I just do enough, or I am enough, or I behave enough, or I live righteous enough, and I'm gonna hold this up to God for my acceptance before him, this way of life, there's no end to it. 00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:08.240 You're not gonna get there. 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:09.600 Why? 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:13.920 Because we're like Rahab and Tamar and Ruth and Bathsheba. 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:19.120 And the writer says, if nothing was wrong with that covenant, a new one would not be needed. 00:07:19.279 --> 00:07:26.399 And the new one, by the way, is the Christmas story, the birth of God into humanity to die for us. 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:35.279 And it says this, but God found fault with the people and said, the time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 00:07:35.439 --> 00:07:38.800 And I'm getting really excited at this point because I need a new covenant. 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:39.839 I don't need the old covenant. 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:41.759 Old covenant just condemns me. 00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:48.000 When I live that way, when I live by demand, I'm condemned. 00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:51.279 When I live by grace, I'm rescued. 00:07:52.800 --> 00:08:05.040 And he goes, the writer goes into verses 9 through 11, what this new covenant is like, and then he summarizes this final statement for I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:22.319 And sins not just being that nasty, drunken knight that you're ashamed of, or whatever that massive mistake was, but also sins being all that judgment or impatience or self-absorption or religious pride or moralism, all of that also. 00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:31.360 All that propensity that we have to be our own saviors, and sort of nod at the cross. 00:08:31.600 --> 00:08:35.360 Jesus is sufficient, but really I place my faith in me. 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:37.600 See, that's sin. 00:08:38.080 --> 00:08:40.159 And that's what we're forgiven of. 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:44.000 That's the new covenant, and we need it, and it's beautiful. 00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:45.679 So, question number one, how did he come? 00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:47.759 In humility, into brokenness. 00:08:47.919 --> 00:08:49.360 Question number two, why did he come? 00:08:49.519 --> 00:08:51.759 He came because the old covenant wasn't enough. 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:55.759 Wasn't enough back then, still not enough if we return to it today. 00:08:56.639 --> 00:08:58.639 Question number three, what does this mean? 00:08:58.799 --> 00:08:59.600 Here's what it means. 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:01.759 This is what we talk about at our church a lot. 00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:05.039 You don't have to pretend and you don't have to perform. 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:08.080 So let me explain it this way. 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:14.320 So uh my little girls, Izzy and Josie, we were watching the other night, we were watching the Charlie Brown Christmas. 00:09:14.559 --> 00:09:16.879 Anybody watch Charlie Brown Christmas this Christmas? 00:09:17.039 --> 00:09:17.840 Some of you, okay. 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:18.879 Any parents? 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:20.159 Did you did you tune in? 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:25.039 Well, I was tuning in to watch Charlie Brown Christmas, and here's the storyline in case you forgot. 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:26.480 So Charlie Brown, he's depressed. 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:31.200 He doesn't get to Christmas, he's depressed about Christmas, and so he decides he's gonna get involved. 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:33.440 Involvement and Lucy kind of bosses him into it. 00:09:33.519 --> 00:09:40.399 Lucy's bossy, and so Lucy kind of bosses him into it, and so he decides he's gonna direct the school play, and so he gets there. 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:45.919 He's not real good at directing the school play, so eventually Lucy kind of bosses him out to go get a Christmas tree. 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:46.799 Do you remember the scene? 00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:54.639 He gets to the Christmas tree lot, and the Christmas tree lot, and apparently there was a market for this back when the cartoon was was uh created, aluminum trees. 00:09:54.720 --> 00:10:07.360 They were shiny and big and beautiful, and he walks through the lot and sees all these beautiful, shiny, big, apparently perfect trees, and then he finds this little raggedy, scrawny tree. 00:10:07.840 --> 00:10:13.200 And and what we know is is that the tree is a projection of its owner. 00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:15.360 So you have Charlie and then you have Charlie. 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:18.320 You're like Charlie the the boy, and they have Charlie the tree. 00:10:18.559 --> 00:10:26.639 The tree is a projection of its owner, but Charlie Brown exalts the tree and he gives the tree undeserved love. 00:10:26.960 --> 00:10:37.440 And if we're honest, we're all the raggedy tree in the midst of the lot of shiny trees that are enough that we're not enough. 00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:44.960 And so Charlie brings this tree back, and Lucy and the other kids, they belittle him, and how could you bring this tree and just calls him a name? 00:10:45.039 --> 00:10:49.360 And you know, and how could you, you've never done anything like this, it's just horrible. 00:10:49.600 --> 00:11:04.159 And what they're saying to him is they're saying, Well, this tree is not enough, it's not shiny enough, it's not big enough, it's not, is it's not pretty enough, it's not smart enough, it's not rich enough, not connected enough, it's not, you know, hasn't had enough achievement, it's not the right size. 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:07.200 This tree, you, me, is not enough. 00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:09.039 And Lucy just lets him have it. 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:11.440 The tree's not enough, you're not enough. 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:22.720 And so what we have here is we have this raggedy old tree, and then we have this raggedy Charlie Brown both beaten up by their inability to live up to the standard. 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:26.720 That they are never enough. 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:31.679 And the question comes, who will deliver them? 00:11:34.159 --> 00:11:40.960 And then Linus proclaims good tidings of great joy of a savior, which is Jesus Christ. 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:45.360 So Charlie hears this, and what he does, right, he goes on loving the tree. 00:11:45.679 --> 00:11:48.879 And then the other kids actually change their minds. 00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:52.720 And then Linus says, I never thought it was such a bad little tree. 00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:54.159 It's not bad at all, really. 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:56.399 Maybe it just needs a little love. 00:11:56.720 --> 00:12:02.320 And here is the act of Christmas, the act of two big church words, if we if we can put them out here. 00:12:02.720 --> 00:12:05.360 Incarnation and imputation. 00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:10.480 So, incarnation, God who is love, becoming man. 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:16.639 Imputation, God giving to us his righteousness. 00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:25.840 And the kids literally cover the tree and make it beautiful, transforming the tree. 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:34.559 And this is done not by what the tree did for itself, this is done by what is given to the tree, what is put over the tree. 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:38.000 See, this is this is the Christmas story. 00:12:38.159 --> 00:12:54.320 This is the baby in a manger who grows up and dies for our sins to take on our sins and give us his righteousness, the incarnation that we are loved, and the imputation that we are made righteous by him. 00:12:56.080 --> 00:12:58.960 So that third question, what does this mean for you and for me? 00:12:59.120 --> 00:13:02.559 What it means is it means you can be all of you. 00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:06.000 All of you in front of God. 00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:13.840 You don't have to pretend, you don't have to perform, that He loves you in your imperfection. 00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:20.480 And what being a Christian is about is not about pretending or performing or becoming perfect. 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:39.759 But being a Christian is about a shift occurring, that you shift that faith that we want to have in ourselves and what we produce and what we do, and that that shift moves, the core of the center of your being shifts from trust and faith in you to trust and faith and what He did for you. 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:44.080 And what this means for us is it means we can be at rest. 00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:46.960 And we're free. 00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:52.399 It means you are raggedy. 00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:56.320 And that this is this is the best news possible. 00:13:56.720 --> 00:14:01.200 Because only when we when we get honest and face up to that do we become free. 00:14:01.919 --> 00:14:10.320 And are we rescued and do we accept and receive a baby in a manger who grows up and dies for our sins. 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:12.159 Let's pray together. 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:18.960 Father, we come before you and we do say we like to dress ourselves up. 00:14:19.039 --> 00:14:29.919 We like to pretend, we like to perform, we like to we like to be perfect, we like to save ourselves and deliver ourselves from our inadequacy by what we do, what we look like. 00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:32.000 And God, we say we do that. 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:34.879 God, we, but it's toil. 00:14:35.600 --> 00:14:42.559 Would you give us the faith to rest more in what you have done for us? 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:53.440 And that when we think about this Christmas story and a baby coming into the world, when you coming into the world, would we see the incarnation? 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:56.000 You love us. 00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:06.639 And would we understand imputation that you make us righteous by what you did for us, not what we do. 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:09.360 Amen.