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We have a great privilege to be able
to look into the Word together;

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so why don't we pray, and then we'll
go ahead and get started tonight. (P)

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Father in heaven, we humble
ourselves before You now.

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We come to You empty-handed.

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We come to You, Lord, without
anything to offer to You.

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We need Your grace, and we believe
that You are a gracious God,

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that You give good gifts,

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that there's no shadow in
You, no change, no variation.

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Father we pray tonight, please
give us bread from heaven.

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Feed us with Your Word.

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Lord, this world has nothing;
this world is a barren wasteland.

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We need You, Lord.

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In Your Word there is life, in Your
Son is everything that we need.

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I pray and ask You tonight, Father,
for those that are outside of Christ,

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that You'd give them ears to hear.

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Help them to understand what Your
truth is, what Your Word says,

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who Your Son is, who they are.

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Father I pray that You would be present;

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I pray that You would give power, and love,

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and the manifestation of the
truth for Your people, Lord.

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I pray that You would keep them
from being confused or distracted.

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Let Your Word be clear
that even they could

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rejoice and grow in the
knowledge of Your Son.

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Would You assist me, Father I pray,

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be with my mouth now as I
would speak Your Word.

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Guard this time from any error
or any thing of the flesh.

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We wait on You Lord, our eyes are on You.

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Thank You, thank You Lord,
in Jesus name. Amen. (P)

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Well, praise the Lord!

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When we are hungry for God, God
is very faithful to feed us.

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When we come with a longing,
God is very faithful;

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and my desire is that
for every one here, the

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Lord would say something,
the Lord would speak.

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And maybe your need is
different than someone else's,

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but if you want to hear from the Lord,
the Lord is very willing to speak.

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And now we're about to open
up His Word, His Truth.

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There's nothing like what we have
right here in the Scriptures. (P)

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Let's open up to Luke chapter one.

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We're going to read a
prophecy that was spoken

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right at the beginning
of the New Testament,

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right around the time of the
birth of John the baptist.

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We'll read from Luke
1:57-80, but before we do,

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I want to explain a little
bit about what's going on,

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just so we have in mind
why we're gonna read

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this, why it is important,
what it is about.

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This prophecy is really
amazing in a way because

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at the very beginning
of the New Testament

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when Christ was about to come,
when He was about to arrive,

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there were several prophecies saying
that all of the Old Testament,

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all of the expectation, all
of the older prophecies,

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were finally going to be fulfilled.

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And now was the time.

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And so, in a way it's a prophecy about
all these older prophecies coming to pass.

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And in a way it's a summary of
the whole message of the Bible.

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So if maybe you felt like, "I don't really
understand what the Bible is about.

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What does it mean to be a Christian?

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I never grew up in a Christian
home, I didn't go to church,

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I've never read the Bible, I've
definitely never read the Old Testament.

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What is this all about?"

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These are good verses; and that's what
we're going to look at here tonight. (P)

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John the baptist is being
born, this prophecy comes,

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and we can understand what
the big picture is in life.

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You know, I ask a lot of people,
"What is the meaning of life?"

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And most people don't know. They
don't know why they're alive.

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"Why am I here? Where am I going?"

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Well, hopefully the Lord
will show us tonight. (P)

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Let's read. Luke 1:57, "Now the time
had come for Elizabeth to give birth,

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and she gave birth to a son."

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Now this is going to be John the baptist.

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He is born as a little baby,
and the time had come.

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"Her neighbors and her
relatives heard that the

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Lord had displayed His
great mercy toward her;

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and they were rejoicing with her.

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And it happened that on the eighth day
they came to circumcise the child,

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and they were going to call him
Zacharias, after his father.

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But his mother answered and said,
'No indeed; but he shall be called John.'

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And they said to her,
'There is no one among

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your relatives who is
called by that name.'

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And they made signs to his father."

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So the mum said, "Call him John," and
they didn't trust the mum's words,

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so now they're asking the dad's advice.

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But he can't speak, so
they're using sign language

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or some kind of
communicating with him. (P)

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"They made signs to his father,
as to what he wanted him called.

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And he asked for a tablet and wrote
as follows, 'His name is John.'"

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So his dad has already
has his mind made up:

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this was all from the Lord,
this is a special child.

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"'His name is John.' And
they were all astonished.

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And at once his mouth was
opened and his tongue loosed,

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and he began to speak in praise of God."

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What happened? When God told him he
was going to have a son in their old age,

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John the baptist was going to
born, he didn't believe Him.

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And God took away his ability to
speak, until the child was to be born.

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And so now, he got the picture,
he knew this was of God,

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he knew what was going to
happen, he did believe;

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and he said, "His name is John."

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And at this point he got
his ability to speak back.

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"And at once his mouth was
opened and his tongue loosed,

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and he began to speak in praise of God."

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Before that, he couldn't say a word.

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And now, as soon as his mouth is
opened, he begins just praising God.

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It's a miracle. (P)

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"Fear came on all those living around them;

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and all these matters were being talked
about in all the hill country of Judea.

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All who heard them kept
them in mind, saying,

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'What then will this
child turn out to be?'

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For the hand of the Lord
was certainly with him."

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They had been waiting for 400 years
and hadn't heard any prophecy.

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They had all these promises in the Old
Testament that one day a Savior would come.

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And then it was like
everything went silent.

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And they were waiting and
waiting and waiting.

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And now the miracles were starting again.

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And there was a child that was going to be
born, and he was going to be a prophet.

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And so the word started to spread.

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And this is the beginning, but
now look at what happens;

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now we get a detailed look
at what the father said.

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When his tongue was loosed,
when he began to praise God,

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we get a detailed look of
what he actually said. (P)

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Verse 67, "And his father
Zacharias was filled

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with the Holy Spirit, and
prophesied, saying..."

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What we're about to read
is not the words of a man.

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This is God speaking through a man.
This is prophecy.

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This is the Holy Spirit sending
a message to the earth.

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That's what we need.

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If we want to find the meaning of
life, you can't find it on your own;

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but God can reveal it to you,
He can speak from heaven.

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Here's what he says: "Blessed be the
Lord God of Israel (the Jewish nation),

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for He has visited us and accomplished
redemption for His people,

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and has raised up a horn of salvation for
us in the house of David His servant--

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as He spoke by the mouth of His
holy prophets from of old--

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Salvation from our enemies, and
from the hand of all who hate us."

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Who's that? The Romans? No.

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"To show mercy toward our fathers,
and to remember His holy covenant,

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the oath which He swore
to Abraham our father,

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to grant us that we, being rescued
from the hand of our enemies,

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might serve Him without fear, in holiness
and righteousness before Him all our days.

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'And you, child, will be called
the prophet of the Most High;

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for you will go on before the
Lord to prepare His ways;

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to give to His people the knowledge of
salvation by the forgiveness of their sins,

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because of the tender mercy of our God,

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with which the Sunrise from
on high will visit us,

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to shine upon those who sit in
darkness and in the shadow of death,

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to guide our feet into the way of peace.'"

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And that was the end of his prophecy.

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"And the child continued to grow
and to become strong in spirit,

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and he lived in the deserts until the day
of his public appearance to Israel." (P)

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Well, Amen! This is the word of the Lord.

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So now let's look at it, piece at a time,

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and just try and get a picture for
what God is doing in the world.

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What is the message of the Bible?

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What were the Jews waiting for?

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Those hundreds and
thousands of years while

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they were waiting, what
were they waiting for?

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Because here, at the very beginning of the
New Testament, it's all coming to pass.

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Let's look back up in
Verse 68, it says this:

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"Blessed be the Lord God of
Israel, for He has visited us."

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He has visited us - this
is the first thing.

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God has visited us.

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Now this is in past tense, which is
interesting, you wouldn't expect that.

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You would think he's about
to say, "God will visit us."

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But it's like this: sometimes
when something is right...

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(because Jesus hasn't been
born yet, Jesus isn't

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the one in the picture.
This is John the baptist),

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but when something is about to happen,

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when something is right up
on the edge of taking place,

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it's like everything is
about to spill over.

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It's like the whole
avalanche is about to fall.

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All of these promises have been stacked up
and waiting and waiting and waiting.

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And now with the birth, not of Jesus,
but with the birth of John the baptist,

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this is like the beginning of the end.

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This is when everything
is going to rush in -

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the kingdom of God is going
to come in a powerful way.

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And now, now that John was born, he said
by the Holy Spirit, "God has visited us."

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Now it's taking place. Now it's begun. (P)

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What does it mean for God to visit us?
Has God ever visited you?

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You know, some people say, "I had
this dream, I had this vision;

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and I saw God, I saw Jesus Christ."

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Sometimes you really question some of
those people when you get to know them.

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They're not really spiritual people,
they're not really godly people.

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They say they had these
visitations from God,

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and it makes you think,
"Mehn, don't talk like that."

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But in another way it is true, that to be
a Christian means you're visited by God.

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This is what we want in life.

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We want to know God.

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We want to meet with God.
We want to experience God.

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I can remember when I was a new Christian,

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there was a book being passed
around, I never read it,

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but just the title grabbed
at me, just laid hold of me.

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The book was called Experiencing God.

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And I just thought, "Wow, that's amazing!"

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It's possible to know God.

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Some people feel like, "Where is God?
Why can't I see God? Why don't I know God?"

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But it is possible to know God. (P)

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00:14:30,717 --> 00:14:34,519
But here's the thing: you can't
go up into heaven and find Him;

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He has to come and visit you.

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00:14:37,123 --> 00:14:39,558
And that is what He does.

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00:14:39,558 --> 00:14:43,187
God is a God that loves to reveal Himself.

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God is a God that is willing
to show up and speak.

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00:14:48,411 --> 00:14:51,463
The dangerous thing is, sometimes
people say, "God, where are you?"

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And then He shows up.

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00:14:54,305 --> 00:14:59,200
He is a Living God, He is the One True God.

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To know God is the greatest blessing. This
is the greatest treasure in all of life.

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00:15:04,719 --> 00:15:09,925
Adam and Eve, what was it that
they had that was so great?

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Was it fruit? We have fruit.

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Was it Paradise? You can take a vacation to
the Bahamas or Palm Springs or wherever.

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00:15:19,899 --> 00:15:23,097
What was Adam and Eve's blessing?

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00:15:23,097 --> 00:15:26,098
The blessing was that they knew God.

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00:15:26,098 --> 00:15:28,572
They were in the presence of God.

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00:15:28,572 --> 00:15:31,593
It says in the Bible that Adam and Eve,

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that God would walk in the midst of
the garden in the cool of the day.

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The Lord would visit them. That
was Adam and Eve's treasure.

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00:15:41,822 --> 00:15:44,006
And that's what we've lost.

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That's why the world is so empty.

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00:15:46,756 --> 00:15:51,826
That's why the world feels like such a cold
place, not just because of our own sin,

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but because God, who is the source of
all life and all blessing, is absent.

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That is the big problem.

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00:15:59,568 --> 00:16:03,928
Where is the Lord? We've lost
what Adam and Eve had. (P)

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00:16:03,928 --> 00:16:07,807
Here's the thing: People will
place their treasure in all

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00:16:07,819 --> 00:16:11,375
these other smaller things
that don't really matter.

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00:16:11,375 --> 00:16:17,639
For example, there is a famous verse
in the Bible (Jer. 9:23) that says,

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00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:21,078
"Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom."

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00:16:21,078 --> 00:16:24,223
People will boast in their
knowledge and their wisdom.

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00:16:24,223 --> 00:16:27,817
"Let not the strong man
boast in his strength.

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00:16:27,817 --> 00:16:30,359
Let not the rich man boast in his riches."

225
00:16:30,359 --> 00:16:32,179
None of that really matters.

226
00:16:32,179 --> 00:16:36,056
Whether you're wise, whether you're smart,

227
00:16:36,056 --> 00:16:40,740
whether you're beautiful, whether
you're strong, whether you're tough,

228
00:16:40,740 --> 00:16:42,293
none of that really matters.

229
00:16:42,293 --> 00:16:44,140
And the world just pursues this.

230
00:16:44,140 --> 00:16:48,853
Instead of searching for
God, what does the world do?

231
00:16:48,853 --> 00:16:51,977
It finds a different treasure.

232
00:16:51,977 --> 00:16:56,567
"I'll get this degree. I'll get
this career. I'll get this money.

233
00:16:56,567 --> 00:16:59,533
I'll get this girlfriend, or
I'll get this boyfriend."

234
00:16:59,533 --> 00:17:01,880
And that becomes the treasure.

235
00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:04,252
And they get really happy
if they get it, and

236
00:17:04,264 --> 00:17:06,388
really broken and sad
if they don't. (P)

237
00:17:06,388 --> 00:17:08,539
Most people, when you meet them,

238
00:17:08,539 --> 00:17:12,977
they say, "Mehn, my life is just falling
apart. I'm just so broke and I'm so empty."

239
00:17:12,978 --> 00:17:15,200
And you ask them, "Well,
tell me about it, what's

240
00:17:15,212 --> 00:17:17,178
going on in your life?
Why are you so sad?"

241
00:17:17,179 --> 00:17:20,729
And they start to tell you about
all their troubles, you know,

242
00:17:20,729 --> 00:17:24,137
"Well, I'm having a real
hard time with my wife."

243
00:17:24,137 --> 00:17:27,315
Or, "I'm having a real hard
time raising my kids."

244
00:17:27,315 --> 00:17:29,896
Or, "I'm having a real hard time at work."

245
00:17:29,896 --> 00:17:33,363
Or, "Nobody likes me at school."

246
00:17:33,364 --> 00:17:34,595
Or, "I don't have any money."

247
00:17:34,595 --> 00:17:39,148
They mention all these smaller things
that really are not the main problem.

248
00:17:39,148 --> 00:17:44,663
The main problem is this: Do you know God?

249
00:17:44,663 --> 00:17:48,014
because the end of that verse says,
"Let him who boasts boast in this,

250
00:17:48,014 --> 00:17:53,044
that he understands and knows
Me, that I am the LORD."

251
00:17:53,044 --> 00:17:58,941
If you know God, you have the greatest
treasure that anybody could have.

252
00:17:58,941 --> 00:18:03,339
Some people in this room know God.

253
00:18:03,339 --> 00:18:08,317
Do you know God? Has God ever visited you?

254
00:18:08,317 --> 00:18:11,525
Well that's what He came to do. (P)

255
00:18:11,525 --> 00:18:17,793
I had a friend when I was a little boy;
I can remember I was in 6th Grade.

256
00:18:17,794 --> 00:18:20,651
And this friend, I don't know if
he was a true Christian or not,

257
00:18:20,652 --> 00:18:26,262
I was not a Christian at the time; but even
though I wasn't saved, he stood out to me.

258
00:18:26,262 --> 00:18:28,810
He would always wear these
Christian t-shirts to school.

259
00:18:28,810 --> 00:18:34,327
I went to public school, and in 6th Grade
nobody wore Christian t-shirts to school.

260
00:18:34,327 --> 00:18:37,832
I can remember he had one shirt on,
that had a little heartbeat monitor,

261
00:18:37,832 --> 00:18:41,659
you know, like at the hospital you see
the little blip on the heart screen.

262
00:18:41,659 --> 00:18:45,661
It had a heartbeat, and it was like flat,
and then it started beating again.

263
00:18:45,661 --> 00:18:49,946
And it said "Christ alive,"
like He died and rose again.

264
00:18:49,946 --> 00:18:51,578
And he would wear shirts like that,

265
00:18:51,578 --> 00:18:54,691
and I remember I just
thought, "He's so strange.

266
00:18:54,692 --> 00:18:58,038
Why is it always about God with
that boy (his name is Timothy)?"

267
00:18:58,038 --> 00:19:03,723
And one day we were out on the playground,
and there was a group of girls.

268
00:19:03,723 --> 00:19:07,734
Nobody liked Timothy, because he loved...

269
00:19:07,734 --> 00:19:12,771
well, he at least outwardly was wearing
these t-shirts, following God, whatever.

270
00:19:12,771 --> 00:19:14,481
Nobody liked him.

271
00:19:14,481 --> 00:19:18,418
And I walked up and heard this
group of girls mocking him.

272
00:19:18,418 --> 00:19:22,392
(We were all 6th graders). And
this one girl started mocking him,

273
00:19:22,392 --> 00:19:25,909
she said, "Huh! Yeah, Timothy,
he doesn't have any friends,

274
00:19:25,909 --> 00:19:30,498
only God is his friend.
Only God is his friend."

275
00:19:30,498 --> 00:19:32,074
And all the girls laughed.

276
00:19:32,074 --> 00:19:36,450
And when they laughed, I
recoiled on the inside. (P)

277
00:19:36,450 --> 00:19:42,435
Even as a lost boy, when I was only
12 years old, I knew that was wrong.

278
00:19:42,435 --> 00:19:48,302
To laugh about somebody having God as their
friend, that did not sit well with me.

279
00:19:48,302 --> 00:19:52,594
If God is your friend, that's
nothing to mock a person about.

280
00:19:52,594 --> 00:19:55,854
And I saw that as such a
great sin, and it is!

281
00:19:55,854 --> 00:20:02,536
If you have God as your friend, you're
the most blessed person in the world.

282
00:20:02,536 --> 00:20:07,576
Wouldn't you trade anything you
have to have God as your friend?

283
00:20:07,576 --> 00:20:09,921
Wouldn't that be worth anything?

284
00:20:09,921 --> 00:20:14,111
Abraham, in the Bible it said
he was the friend of God.

285
00:20:14,111 --> 00:20:15,675
He was God's friend.

286
00:20:15,675 --> 00:20:18,244
Moses, it said he was the friend of God.

287
00:20:18,244 --> 00:20:21,579
God talked with him like friend
to friend, face to face.

288
00:20:21,579 --> 00:20:24,904
Isn't that what you want in life?

289
00:20:24,904 --> 00:20:28,718
Or are you still boasting
in all the other things?

290
00:20:28,718 --> 00:20:32,033
Are you still placing
your treasure in all the

291
00:20:32,045 --> 00:20:35,088
other realms of pleasure
and satisfaction?

292
00:20:35,088 --> 00:20:40,908
That's not where it's found. We
need to be visited by God. (P)

293
00:20:40,908 --> 00:20:47,082
Okay next phrase, Luke 1:
68, "He has visited us

294
00:20:47,082 --> 00:20:53,058
(or, He's about to, He's right on the
verge of breaking in to our world),

295
00:20:53,058 --> 00:20:58,285
He has visited us and accomplished
redemption for His people."

296
00:20:58,285 --> 00:21:03,010
Accomplished redemption. This is good news.

297
00:21:03,010 --> 00:21:06,028
Why is it good news? What
does redemption mean?

298
00:21:06,028 --> 00:21:10,971
You guys remember, few weeks ago
Joseph was here, he was teaching on this.

299
00:21:10,971 --> 00:21:13,382
Redemption: what does redemption mean?

300
00:21:13,382 --> 00:21:21,094
Somebody want to volunteer and answer?
What is redemption?

301
00:21:23,121 --> 00:21:26,813
[Audience]: Redemption is the
recovery of something taken. (P)

302
00:21:26,813 --> 00:21:31,094
Recovery of something taken; yeah,
you could put it like that.

303
00:21:31,094 --> 00:21:33,591
Think about it like this: redeem.

304
00:21:33,591 --> 00:21:37,168
Sometimes we don't use the word
'redemption' outside of church,

305
00:21:37,168 --> 00:21:39,035
but we use the word 'redeem'.

306
00:21:39,035 --> 00:21:42,864
Like if you get a coupon, or you
get some prize or something,

307
00:21:42,864 --> 00:21:44,326
you're going to redeem it.

308
00:21:44,327 --> 00:21:46,793
So you're going to get something
that you didn't have.

309
00:21:46,793 --> 00:21:52,794
But, specifically, when you really want to
talk about redemption and redeem,

310
00:21:52,794 --> 00:21:58,844
it revolves around a price, like a ransom;

311
00:21:58,844 --> 00:22:06,645
a price that is paid to get something, to
set something free, to get something back.

312
00:22:06,646 --> 00:22:11,539
Something that was lost, or something
that was enslaved, you get it back.

313
00:22:11,539 --> 00:22:14,582
So if someone is in slavery you
can redeem them out of slavery,

314
00:22:14,582 --> 00:22:16,176
you can buy them out of slavery.

315
00:22:16,176 --> 00:22:19,463
If you were a slave, wouldn't
it be nice if someone

316
00:22:19,475 --> 00:22:22,648
came along and paid the
money for you to go free?

317
00:22:22,648 --> 00:22:25,676
That's what redemption is.

318
00:22:25,676 --> 00:22:28,792
Someone that's in bondage,
being brought out of that.

319
00:22:28,792 --> 00:22:32,346
A price has been paid for
them, now they're free.

320
00:22:32,346 --> 00:22:36,747
And even more than that, now
they have a new owner. (P)

321
00:22:36,747 --> 00:22:40,804
So, here it says, "God has
accomplished redemption.

322
00:22:40,805 --> 00:22:45,277
God has visited us and has
accomplished redemption."

323
00:22:45,277 --> 00:22:50,438
God has come to set people free.

324
00:22:50,438 --> 00:22:54,809
This is the truth that
you find in the Bible,

325
00:22:54,821 --> 00:22:59,203
that men owe a great
debt and are in bondage.

326
00:22:59,203 --> 00:23:00,889
They're debtors.

327
00:23:00,889 --> 00:23:05,108
We sing songs about this:
"A debtor to mercy

328
00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:08,786
alone" - like I'm a debtor.
I owe God.

329
00:23:08,786 --> 00:23:11,057
What do we owe God? Do we owe God money?

330
00:23:11,058 --> 00:23:13,167
It's not like a money debt.

331
00:23:13,167 --> 00:23:15,742
It has to do with the way
we've lived our life.

332
00:23:15,742 --> 00:23:18,579
Because of sin we owe a debt to God.

333
00:23:18,580 --> 00:23:22,341
We ought to have lived righteously,
but we're in the bondage of sin,

334
00:23:22,341 --> 00:23:26,173
and we're under sin's curse and its guilt.

335
00:23:26,173 --> 00:23:30,154
Now here's the question: If
someone is a slave to sin,

336
00:23:30,154 --> 00:23:34,915
or if someone is guilty because of
their sin and they're a debtor,

337
00:23:34,915 --> 00:23:38,373
can they pay the price?

338
00:23:38,373 --> 00:23:43,718
Can you pay the price to
God, pay off your debts?

339
00:23:43,718 --> 00:23:47,319
Sometimes people talk that way, you
know, "I'm just gonna straighten up.

340
00:23:47,319 --> 00:23:52,396
I'm gonna turn over a new leaf, gonna
live a new life, gonna pay off my debts."

341
00:23:52,396 --> 00:23:54,283
There's a big problem in the Bible.

342
00:23:54,283 --> 00:23:57,970
The Bible's problem is this:
you cannot pay off your debts.

343
00:23:57,970 --> 00:23:59,785
You don't have any ability to.

344
00:23:59,785 --> 00:24:05,713
Imagine owing millions
and millions of dollars,

345
00:24:05,713 --> 00:24:09,572
and you make minimum wage, how
are you going to pay that off?

346
00:24:09,573 --> 00:24:13,422
Some people will get credit cards
and they'll just rack up debt,

347
00:24:13,422 --> 00:24:18,705
huge amounts of debt (they have
no way to get out of debt).

348
00:24:18,705 --> 00:24:26,301
But spiritually speaking, every person is
born that way in such a huge pile of debt.

349
00:24:26,301 --> 00:24:28,273
They can't get themselves out. (P)

350
00:24:28,273 --> 00:24:40,273
Let's look at a verse
on this, Psalms 49:7-9,

351
00:24:40,273 --> 00:24:49,871
"No man can by any means redeem his brother
or give to God a ransom for him--

352
00:24:49,871 --> 00:24:55,282
for the redemption of his soul is costly,
and he should cease trying forever--

353
00:24:55,282 --> 00:24:59,387
that he should live on eternally,
that he should not undergo decay."

354
00:24:59,387 --> 00:25:03,719
You hear what it's saying? Nobody
can pay your debts before God.

355
00:25:03,719 --> 00:25:05,879
And you can't pay your own debt.

356
00:25:05,879 --> 00:25:10,852
And you might as well just give
up--he should cease trying forever.

357
00:25:10,852 --> 00:25:14,304
It's too costly. It's too expensive.

358
00:25:14,304 --> 00:25:20,917
You'll never be able to pull yourself
out of the mess, out of the pit.

359
00:25:20,917 --> 00:25:22,927
The problem is, we've sinned against God--

360
00:25:22,927 --> 00:25:26,932
sinned against Him so much
and in such a vile way--

361
00:25:26,932 --> 00:25:30,611
that no amount of trying
or doing good works

362
00:25:30,623 --> 00:25:34,642
will ever erase the problem
or pay off the debt.

363
00:25:34,642 --> 00:25:36,820
Just give up. (P)

364
00:25:36,820 --> 00:25:39,483
You say, "What then, I
don't have any hope? I

365
00:25:39,495 --> 00:25:42,112
just give up and that's
it, that's the end?"

366
00:25:42,112 --> 00:25:47,577
Well, no, because this verse says
He has accomplished redemption.

367
00:25:47,577 --> 00:25:50,961
God can pay off your debts.

368
00:25:50,961 --> 00:25:54,116
That's real good news - God
can forgive our debts.

369
00:25:54,116 --> 00:25:58,426
That's even in the Lord's Prayer, isn't it?

370
00:25:58,426 --> 00:26:01,418
It's really good if you've
got some rich uncle

371
00:26:01,418 --> 00:26:06,404
that can just come in and pay off
all your debts with one stroke.

372
00:26:06,405 --> 00:26:07,496
God can do that.

373
00:26:07,496 --> 00:26:11,373
No other man can do that--in
this life there's no friend,

374
00:26:11,373 --> 00:26:15,095
there's no priest, there's no
uncle, there's no politician,

375
00:26:15,096 --> 00:26:18,591
no president or king, that can save you.

376
00:26:18,591 --> 00:26:22,617
But if God acts, there's
nothing God cannot do.

377
00:26:22,617 --> 00:26:27,670
He can accomplish redemption.

378
00:26:27,671 --> 00:26:30,133
Only God can save.

379
00:26:30,133 --> 00:26:32,799
Only God can set a person free.

380
00:26:32,799 --> 00:26:39,078
Only God can pay the price to
save your soul. He is the Savior.

381
00:26:39,079 --> 00:26:42,750
He's not going to let you save
yourself, because then you'd boast.

382
00:26:42,750 --> 00:26:46,753
He's not going to let anybody else save
you, because then you'd praise them.

383
00:26:46,753 --> 00:26:50,288
He is going to save you, so
that you'll praise Him alone.

384
00:26:50,289 --> 00:26:52,974
He's going to be the One.
He'll be the Champion.

385
00:26:52,974 --> 00:26:56,576
He'll be the Savior. (P)

386
00:26:56,577 --> 00:27:00,849
Let's look at the next verse,
jump down to Luke 1:71,

387
00:27:00,849 --> 00:27:04,585
"Salvation from our enemies." Good news!

388
00:27:04,585 --> 00:27:09,979
The Kingdom of God has come; God
is visiting us; He is here;

389
00:27:09,979 --> 00:27:13,337
He is paying off our debts; He
is accomplishing redemption;

390
00:27:13,337 --> 00:27:16,873
He is saving us from our enemies.
What does that mean?

391
00:27:16,873 --> 00:27:19,688
Salvation from our enemies
- okay, question,

392
00:27:19,700 --> 00:27:21,898
who are the enemies
in this world?

393
00:27:21,898 --> 00:27:25,799
What kinds of enemies exist in this life?

394
00:27:25,799 --> 00:27:27,590
You guys want to give some answers?

395
00:27:27,591 --> 00:27:30,173
What are some examples of an enemy? (P)

396
00:27:30,174 --> 00:27:31,127
Audience: Satan? (P)

397
00:27:31,128 --> 00:27:34,303
Satan. Well, that's the
one; we'll talk about that.

398
00:27:34,303 --> 00:27:41,838
What about just in the normal life,
not in the spiritual realm? (P)

399
00:27:41,839 --> 00:27:43,565
Audience: Riches? (P)

400
00:27:43,566 --> 00:27:47,405
Yeah, riches are kind of like an enemy,
they can work against you in a way.

401
00:27:47,405 --> 00:27:53,418
But what about people? Does
anybody have any enemies here,

402
00:27:53,418 --> 00:27:57,789
or does everybody love you and everybody
is your friend or just a stranger?

403
00:27:57,789 --> 00:28:01,987
Or do you actually have people
that are out for your harm?

404
00:28:01,987 --> 00:28:06,498
You have people like that? Who are they?

405
00:28:06,498 --> 00:28:09,984
Some people have a lot more
enemies than other people.

406
00:28:09,984 --> 00:28:15,538
What are some enemies in this life?
[Pause].

407
00:28:15,539 --> 00:28:20,284
You guys just must be
really well liked. (P)

408
00:28:20,285 --> 00:28:21,452
Audience: Terrorists? (P)

409
00:28:21,453 --> 00:28:23,761
Okay, terrorists, there's an enemy.

410
00:28:23,762 --> 00:28:26,548
On a national level
you've got people from a

411
00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:29,357
different country,
different set of beliefs,

412
00:28:29,357 --> 00:28:33,201
and they're out to do
harm against a group of

413
00:28:33,213 --> 00:28:36,985
people, maybe America
or some other country.

414
00:28:36,985 --> 00:28:40,489
They're out to do harm, they're
out to blow people up.

415
00:28:40,489 --> 00:28:41,911
That's an enemy.

416
00:28:41,911 --> 00:28:45,319
In the time of war... you see, right
now we're in a time of peace,

417
00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:51,551
in terms of nobody is invading our
country; it's not like World War II.

418
00:28:51,551 --> 00:28:54,452
But if you lived few
decades ago, you could

419
00:28:54,464 --> 00:28:57,510
real quickly start
spouting off some enemies:

420
00:28:57,510 --> 00:29:00,991
"Well, this country, these
soldiers, this general;

421
00:29:00,991 --> 00:29:03,894
they're our enemies, they're
trying to kill us."

422
00:29:03,894 --> 00:29:07,235
But it doesn't have to be a man with a gun,

423
00:29:07,235 --> 00:29:11,500
sometimes you just have people
that have a grudge against you.

424
00:29:11,500 --> 00:29:14,335
And it's like, that guy at work,
he just does not like you.

425
00:29:14,335 --> 00:29:17,169
You guys heard Brother Matt
talking about this the other day.

426
00:29:17,169 --> 00:29:20,504
He had a guy at work, who
just didn't like Matt,

427
00:29:20,504 --> 00:29:23,830
who just was against him,
always trying to cut him down.

428
00:29:23,831 --> 00:29:27,665
Or maybe even in your family
you can have enemies.

429
00:29:27,665 --> 00:29:30,651
Your own family can turn against you.

430
00:29:30,657 --> 00:29:33,501
People on the street - you see
some guy and he threatens you,

431
00:29:33,501 --> 00:29:37,076
and he says, "The next time I see you,
I'm going to knock your lights out."

432
00:29:37,077 --> 00:29:39,970
You're going to get terrified:
"I've got an enemy!" (P)

433
00:29:39,970 --> 00:29:43,047
I can remember in high school
one time, a guy grabbed

434
00:29:43,059 --> 00:29:45,690
me by the collar of my
shirt after Gym class,

435
00:29:45,702 --> 00:29:49,255
pushed me up against a wall,
with his three buddies around me

436
00:29:49,263 --> 00:29:52,812
(they're all Seniors; I
was this tiny Sophomore),

437
00:29:52,812 --> 00:29:55,616
and I just realized, "I've got enemies."

438
00:29:55,616 --> 00:29:58,603
It came out of nowhere.

439
00:29:58,603 --> 00:30:03,365
But here's the thing: Even the
worst enemies in this life -

440
00:30:03,365 --> 00:30:09,974
the guys with guns, the people
that have strength in numbers,

441
00:30:09,974 --> 00:30:12,180
the people that can work against you -

442
00:30:12,180 --> 00:30:18,302
that's nothing, compared to the real
enemy that the Bible talks about:

443
00:30:18,302 --> 00:30:23,004
and the Brother said it
- Satan. The devil. (P)

444
00:30:23,004 --> 00:30:25,721
You know anything about the devil?

445
00:30:25,722 --> 00:30:31,817
The devil is real. Satan is real.

446
00:30:31,817 --> 00:30:40,821
He's not just a force, he's
a being, a fallen angel.

447
00:30:40,821 --> 00:30:42,630
And he's powerful.

448
00:30:42,630 --> 00:30:47,393
And the Bible says the whole world
is in the hand of the devil.

449
00:30:47,393 --> 00:30:50,088
Can you imagine that? "Does
the Bible really say

450
00:30:50,100 --> 00:30:52,973
that? I thought the whole
world was in God's hand."

451
00:30:52,974 --> 00:30:57,525
Well it is, including the devil.
Every thing is in God's hand.

452
00:30:57,525 --> 00:31:02,765
But this world, (not the heavens,
the heavens belong to the Lord),

453
00:31:02,765 --> 00:31:05,958
but this earth He has
given to the sons of men,

454
00:31:05,958 --> 00:31:08,830
and the devil is ruling over it.

455
00:31:08,830 --> 00:31:12,744
Like a master chess player,
he moves people in place

456
00:31:12,756 --> 00:31:16,237
to do his will, to do
great evil in the world.

457
00:31:16,237 --> 00:31:19,144
Have you seen the evil
that is in the world yet,

458
00:31:19,144 --> 00:31:23,270
or do you still think the world is
just kind of a nice place? It's not.

459
00:31:23,270 --> 00:31:28,449
This world is under the power of darkness.

460
00:31:28,449 --> 00:31:33,372
The devil, and demons, and powers, and
principalities, they are at work.

461
00:31:33,373 --> 00:31:38,167
It says that "they waged war in heaven,
and God cast them down to the earth;

462
00:31:38,180 --> 00:31:42,598
and woe to the earth, because now the
devil has come down to the earth,

463
00:31:42,598 --> 00:31:46,777
and he knows his time is short, and
his wrath is great" (Revelation 12).

464
00:31:46,777 --> 00:31:49,586
And he wants to destroy people. (P)

465
00:31:49,586 --> 00:31:54,709
The devil, what is he trying to do? why
does he want to destroy your soul?

466
00:31:54,709 --> 00:31:58,624
why does he want you to go to hell?
why does he care about that?

467
00:31:58,624 --> 00:32:01,468
It's not about you, it's about God.

468
00:32:01,468 --> 00:32:02,936
The devil hates God.

469
00:32:02,937 --> 00:32:05,212
And you were made in the image of God.

470
00:32:05,212 --> 00:32:08,530
And your soul is valuable
to God and precious to God.

471
00:32:08,530 --> 00:32:15,487
And the devil is gonna just, in rage,
make war against the people of God.

472
00:32:15,487 --> 00:32:21,422
And if someone is not a Christian,
they're locked up in the devil's power;

473
00:32:21,422 --> 00:32:22,818
and that's their greatest enemy.

474
00:32:22,818 --> 00:32:27,784
Whether they realize it or not, the
greatest enemy of their soul is Satan.

475
00:32:27,784 --> 00:32:33,775
And he will tempt them, and he will lie
to them, and he will try to deceive them.

476
00:32:33,775 --> 00:32:36,852
And he has many weapons
- he will even try to

477
00:32:36,864 --> 00:32:40,221
kill them if God lets him,
if God allows him. (P)

478
00:32:40,221 --> 00:32:44,193
In Revelation, talking about
these demonic powers,

479
00:32:44,193 --> 00:32:48,961
it says, "In their tail
was the power of death."

480
00:32:48,961 --> 00:32:52,427
The devil, he is seeking
to wipe people out.

481
00:32:52,427 --> 00:32:57,662
This is the enemy of our souls.

482
00:32:57,662 --> 00:33:00,949
God is not our enemy; at
least He ought not be.

483
00:33:00,949 --> 00:33:04,756
We make Him our enemy.
We make war with God.

484
00:33:04,756 --> 00:33:09,056
But we really do have an enemy - the devil.

485
00:33:09,056 --> 00:33:14,462
And even when you become a Christian,
he's not gonna just change his mind.

486
00:33:14,462 --> 00:33:16,638
He is out to destroy. (P)

487
00:33:16,638 --> 00:33:24,722
But, good news! "Salvation from our
enemies." Saved from the devil.

488
00:33:24,722 --> 00:33:30,054
Maybe you realize the devil is at work
in your life, do you want to be free?

489
00:33:30,054 --> 00:33:33,694
Do you want to be outside of his control?

490
00:33:33,694 --> 00:33:36,151
Do you want to be saved? It's possible!

491
00:33:36,151 --> 00:33:39,652
God promised in the very
beginning, even to Adam and Eve,

492
00:33:39,652 --> 00:33:41,997
even when they sinned and
were cast out of the garden,

493
00:33:41,997 --> 00:33:47,253
God said, "I'm going to
crush the serpent's head.

494
00:33:47,253 --> 00:33:51,253
The seed of the woman, the
serpent will bruise his heel,

495
00:33:51,253 --> 00:33:53,810
but he is going to crush
the serpent's head."

496
00:33:53,810 --> 00:33:57,398
God promised from the beginning
that the devil would be crushed.

497
00:33:57,398 --> 00:34:01,740
Salvation from our enemies. (P)

498
00:34:01,741 --> 00:34:06,594
There's strange stories
about the devil and demons.

499
00:34:06,594 --> 00:34:10,281
Actually I was just talking the other
day with a brother about this.

500
00:34:10,282 --> 00:34:14,889
There's a missionary in China, when he
would go and preach the Gospel to people,

501
00:34:14,889 --> 00:34:16,929
they would say, "Oh great!
Praise the Lord, we

502
00:34:16,941 --> 00:34:18,949
want to follow Christ
and become Christians."

503
00:34:18,949 --> 00:34:23,773
They would become Christians, at least
outwardly, and then you know what happened?

504
00:34:23,774 --> 00:34:27,597
As soon as they became
Christians and stopped

505
00:34:27,609 --> 00:34:31,444
worshiping the idols and
false gods in China,

506
00:34:31,445 --> 00:34:34,656
some of their family members
would get sick, or die,

507
00:34:34,656 --> 00:34:39,567
or things would just start going wrong -
demonic problems started in their home.

508
00:34:39,568 --> 00:34:42,670
And they said, "Woah! We
didn't know it was like this.

509
00:34:42,670 --> 00:34:44,804
If this is gonna happen forget it,
I don't want to be a Christian.

510
00:34:44,804 --> 00:34:47,388
I'll just go back to worshiping the idols.

511
00:34:47,389 --> 00:34:50,262
We'll put the idols back
on the shelf, we'll

512
00:34:50,274 --> 00:34:52,967
put the food out at
night for the idols."

513
00:34:52,967 --> 00:34:55,259
They are appeasing the spirits.

514
00:34:55,260 --> 00:34:59,423
The devil was after them, he did not
want them to follow Jesus Christ,

515
00:34:59,424 --> 00:35:03,057
and he turned up the heat
when they started to believe,

516
00:35:03,057 --> 00:35:06,800
when they started to throw
away the idols. (P)

517
00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:13,200
There is a lady in Japan, when she
started getting around Christians,

518
00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:15,795
all these demonic stuff started
happening in her life.

519
00:35:15,795 --> 00:35:20,154
She would lay on her bed, and
her bed would be shaking.

520
00:35:20,154 --> 00:35:22,872
There's nobody in the room, but
her bed would start shaking.

521
00:35:22,872 --> 00:35:25,840
She was terrified, asking the
Christians for help, "Help me!

522
00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:29,265
There's some kind of evil
spirit in my house."

523
00:35:29,265 --> 00:35:32,955
The devil is an enemy of
Christians and the Gospel.

524
00:35:32,955 --> 00:35:34,758
He does not want people to be saved.

525
00:35:34,758 --> 00:35:37,033
He does not want people
to become Christians.

526
00:35:37,033 --> 00:35:39,641
But you know what his greatest weapon is?

527
00:35:39,641 --> 00:35:41,971
It's not somebody getting sick.

528
00:35:41,971 --> 00:35:43,886
It's not your bed starts shaking.

529
00:35:43,886 --> 00:35:46,925
You know what his greatest
weapon is against souls?

530
00:35:46,926 --> 00:35:51,044
What's the way that he attacks? What's the
way that he actually destroys people?

531
00:35:51,045 --> 00:35:52,328
It's through sin. (P)

532
00:35:52,328 --> 00:35:56,964
He does use lies, but let
me say it like this,

533
00:35:56,964 --> 00:36:01,591
and actually Brother Tim was
saying this the other day:

534
00:36:01,591 --> 00:36:05,764
Can the devil destroy
your soul in hell? No.

535
00:36:05,764 --> 00:36:08,469
The devil himself is going
to hell, God is going

536
00:36:08,481 --> 00:36:11,088
to put the devil in hell,
in the lake of fire.

537
00:36:11,088 --> 00:36:14,603
The devil is not the king of hell.

538
00:36:14,603 --> 00:36:17,675
But what is it that
causes a person to perish

539
00:36:17,687 --> 00:36:20,703
and to be judged and to
go the lake of fire?

540
00:36:20,704 --> 00:36:21,703
It's sin.

541
00:36:21,703 --> 00:36:24,038
And the devil is going to tempt you to sin,

542
00:36:24,038 --> 00:36:26,610
and then he's going to
try to keep you away

543
00:36:26,622 --> 00:36:29,441
from Jesus Christ so you
don't get forgiveness.

544
00:36:29,441 --> 00:36:32,259
That's his objective.

545
00:36:32,259 --> 00:36:35,680
"I don't care if they go to church, I
don't care if they do a lot of things,

546
00:36:35,681 --> 00:36:37,346
I don't care if a Bible is in their house."

547
00:36:37,347 --> 00:36:39,149
He's not afraid of holy water.

548
00:36:39,149 --> 00:36:42,427
All those things that people say or you
see in the movies, that doesn't matter.

549
00:36:42,427 --> 00:36:46,589
The only thing he cares about is,
he doesn't want you to be forgiven,

550
00:36:46,589 --> 00:36:50,761
he doesn't want you to repent
and believe in Jesus Christ.

551
00:36:50,761 --> 00:36:53,190
And he's going to try as
hard as he can to just

552
00:36:53,202 --> 00:36:55,795
keep throwing sin into your
life, keep you guilty,

553
00:36:55,795 --> 00:36:59,181
keep you on the road to hell. (P)

554
00:36:59,181 --> 00:37:05,507
But there's salvation from
him if you want to be free.

555
00:37:05,507 --> 00:37:07,054
Do you want freed?

556
00:37:07,054 --> 00:37:10,113
Some people think they can
bargain with the devil.

557
00:37:10,113 --> 00:37:14,984
Some people think they can come
out ahead by serving the devil.

558
00:37:14,984 --> 00:37:19,223
The devil doesn't have any allies
- he doesn't make any friends.

559
00:37:19,223 --> 00:37:23,650
C. S. Lewis said, "The devil breaks all
of his tools when he's done using them."

560
00:37:23,650 --> 00:37:26,131
It's true.

561
00:37:26,131 --> 00:37:31,204
I remember when I was a young boy
I used to have these nightmares.

562
00:37:31,204 --> 00:37:35,722
And I had a nightmare one
time it was terrifying.

563
00:37:35,723 --> 00:37:40,928
I felt so disturbed when I woke
up, do you want to know why?

564
00:37:40,928 --> 00:37:47,973
Because in that nightmare, this time
when the evil monster was coming at me,

565
00:37:47,973 --> 00:37:52,699
I made a deal with the monster
that I would serve him

566
00:37:52,699 --> 00:37:57,747
and kill other people alongside of
him, so that he wouldn't kill me.

567
00:37:57,747 --> 00:38:01,997
You can't make deals with
the devil like that.

568
00:38:01,997 --> 00:38:06,161
If you serve the devil, you're going
to be judged right along with him.

569
00:38:06,161 --> 00:38:08,812
You don't want him as a master.

570
00:38:08,812 --> 00:38:11,950
The world is not your friend.

571
00:38:11,950 --> 00:38:18,940
You've got to get free from the
power of Satan. And you can. (P)

572
00:38:18,940 --> 00:38:21,781
Alright, the next phrase,

573
00:38:21,782 --> 00:38:30,762
Luke 1:73, "The oath which He
swore to Abraham our father."

574
00:38:30,762 --> 00:38:34,454
It says that God is going to have mercy,
He is going to remember His holy covenant,

575
00:38:34,454 --> 00:38:38,767
and He's going to remember the oath
which He swore to Abraham our father.

576
00:38:38,767 --> 00:38:43,585
What is this? Who is Abraham?
What's so special about Abraham?

577
00:38:43,585 --> 00:38:46,316
What's the oath to Abraham? Anybody?

578
00:38:46,316 --> 00:38:52,001
What oath or what promise did
God make with Abraham? (P)

579
00:38:52,002 --> 00:38:54,217
Audience: "In you shall all
the nations be blessed." (P)

580
00:38:54,217 --> 00:38:58,862
"That all the nations
will be blessed in you.

581
00:38:58,862 --> 00:39:02,444
Through your seed, I will
bless all the nations.

582
00:39:02,444 --> 00:39:07,227
The whole world will be
blessed through your seed."

583
00:39:07,227 --> 00:39:12,480
And now, right at the beginning in the
New Testament, they say, "It's here!

584
00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:14,908
It's finally coming to pass.

585
00:39:14,908 --> 00:39:19,384
What we've been waiting for, that promise
that God made so long ago to Abraham,

586
00:39:19,384 --> 00:39:23,519
is finally coming true - the whole
world is about to be blessed."

587
00:39:23,519 --> 00:39:25,124
Now what is that about?

588
00:39:25,124 --> 00:39:30,221
God made promises to lots of people, why
does everybody always talk about Abraham?

589
00:39:30,221 --> 00:39:31,434
Have you figured that out yet?

590
00:39:31,434 --> 00:39:35,568
It's kind of strange; anytime the people
would get in trouble in the Old Testament,

591
00:39:35,568 --> 00:39:39,424
they would cry out, "O Lord,
remember Your promise to Abraham.

592
00:39:39,424 --> 00:39:42,702
Remember Your mercy and what
You swore to do to Abraham."

593
00:39:42,702 --> 00:39:47,868
They were always going back to
that promise that God made.

594
00:39:47,868 --> 00:39:52,134
They didn't say, "O Lord, remember
the Law that You gave to Moses."

595
00:39:52,134 --> 00:39:56,625
That's not really a happy subject;
the Law of Moses can't save you.

596
00:39:56,625 --> 00:39:58,192
They didn't cry out about that. (P)

597
00:39:58,192 --> 00:40:05,594
But God made a promise to Abraham that was
100 percent grace, 100 percent promise.

598
00:40:05,594 --> 00:40:08,460
There wasn't any stipulation
on it, He just said,

599
00:40:08,460 --> 00:40:12,814
"I'm going to bless the world through
your seed, through your descendant."

600
00:40:12,814 --> 00:40:14,507
And it was true.

601
00:40:14,507 --> 00:40:18,187
The curse that began with Adam
and Eve, Adam and Eve sinned;

602
00:40:18,187 --> 00:40:21,056
and the curse spread to the whole world.

603
00:40:21,056 --> 00:40:23,974
Everybody is guilty
because of Adam and Eve.

604
00:40:23,974 --> 00:40:26,360
You may not like that, but it is true.

605
00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:29,473
You may not like the fact that
you're born with a heart of sin.

606
00:40:29,473 --> 00:40:32,846
You say, "That's not fair! I want to be
born with a heart of righteousness."

607
00:40:32,846 --> 00:40:36,192
I'm sorry, that's not true. You
were born with a heart of sin.

608
00:40:36,192 --> 00:40:39,431
Because of Adam and Eve's
guilt and transgression,

609
00:40:39,443 --> 00:40:41,801
death has spread
into all the world,

610
00:40:41,802 --> 00:40:46,271
the curse to every nation,
the curse to all peoples.

611
00:40:46,271 --> 00:40:51,589
But then with Abraham, God
said, "But, through your seed,

612
00:40:51,589 --> 00:40:56,278
I'm going to bless every nation,
I'm going to bless the world."

613
00:40:56,278 --> 00:41:01,391
What was lost with Adam and Eve
is going to be gained again.

614
00:41:01,391 --> 00:41:06,896
What was broken and destroyed
there, is going to be restored.

615
00:41:06,896 --> 00:41:10,334
The blessing to the whole world;

616
00:41:10,334 --> 00:41:18,349
the return to the Garden of
Eden; the return to Paradise;

617
00:41:18,349 --> 00:41:25,865
all of the promises coming
true, coming to pass. (P)

618
00:41:27,769 --> 00:41:41,357
Alright, Luke 1:74, "To grant us that we,
being rescued from the hand of our enemies,

619
00:41:41,357 --> 00:41:45,518
might serve Him without fear."

620
00:41:45,518 --> 00:41:47,527
To grant us that we might serve Him.

621
00:41:47,527 --> 00:41:55,703
Now here's a question: Why
does God save people?

622
00:41:55,704 --> 00:41:59,354
Why not just wipe them
all out in the flood?

623
00:41:59,354 --> 00:42:03,178
Why not don't send Christ,
don't send a Savior;

624
00:42:03,178 --> 00:42:06,928
and just let them go on and sin,
judgment day comes, and it's over -

625
00:42:06,928 --> 00:42:11,817
Christ comes to judge the earth,
and everybody is destroyed.

626
00:42:11,817 --> 00:42:15,905
Why not do that? Why does He save people?

627
00:42:15,905 --> 00:42:17,819
Well you could give a lot
of different answers.

628
00:42:17,819 --> 00:42:23,726
You could say, "Because He is loving.
Because He's going to glorify Himself."

629
00:42:23,726 --> 00:42:26,263
But you know what this verse says?

630
00:42:26,263 --> 00:42:30,339
It says He is doing this, He
is fulfilling all of this -

631
00:42:30,340 --> 00:42:35,687
setting us free from Satan, redeeming
us from our sins and our debts -

632
00:42:35,687 --> 00:42:38,487
that we might serve Him.

633
00:42:38,488 --> 00:42:43,061
Do you serve God with your life? (P)

634
00:42:43,061 --> 00:42:44,864
Now I want to clear something up.

635
00:42:44,864 --> 00:42:47,953
A lot of people say,
"We're saved to serve."

636
00:42:47,953 --> 00:42:50,394
You guys ever heard that?
"We're saved to serve."

637
00:42:50,394 --> 00:42:52,276
In the Baptist church
it's kind of a slogan.

638
00:42:52,276 --> 00:42:54,251
I grew up hearing that and
I didn't really like it.

639
00:42:54,251 --> 00:42:58,411
When I began to read the Bible I
thought, "That's kind of cheesy."

640
00:42:58,411 --> 00:43:02,111
Why? This is why, this
is my problem with that:

641
00:43:02,111 --> 00:43:06,520
In a way we are saved to serve,
but it depends on what you mean.

642
00:43:06,520 --> 00:43:10,435
God doesn't need any service.
God is not weak.

643
00:43:10,435 --> 00:43:14,256
He is not served by human hands. If He was
hungry, He wouldn't tell you about it.

644
00:43:14,257 --> 00:43:15,614
That's what the Bible says.

645
00:43:15,614 --> 00:43:18,681
He doesn't need anything from you.

646
00:43:18,681 --> 00:43:22,203
It's not like church and Christianity
just means you go somewhere

647
00:43:22,203 --> 00:43:25,064
and you're trying to help
God or do Him a favor.

648
00:43:25,064 --> 00:43:26,906
God doesn't need any favors.

649
00:43:26,906 --> 00:43:31,824
He is just fine on His own in who He is.

650
00:43:31,824 --> 00:43:37,095
God is not lonely, God is not sick,
God is not weak, He is not sad.

651
00:43:37,096 --> 00:43:39,038
He is full of joy, full of life.

652
00:43:39,038 --> 00:43:42,456
He is the source of life.
He is the source of love.

653
00:43:42,456 --> 00:43:47,355
And before this world even
existed, that's the way He was.

654
00:43:47,356 --> 00:43:48,906
So God is not served by human hands.

655
00:43:48,906 --> 00:43:50,609
But what does it mean to serve God?

656
00:43:50,610 --> 00:43:54,070
Well, another way that you can
talk about service in the Bible,

657
00:43:54,070 --> 00:43:58,592
many times in the Bible when we
read the word 'serve' or 'service',

658
00:43:58,592 --> 00:44:02,604
it's the same word, the
same idea, as worship.

659
00:44:02,605 --> 00:44:05,339
That we might worship Him. (P)

660
00:44:05,340 --> 00:44:06,897
To serve God.

661
00:44:06,897 --> 00:44:11,265
If someone is serving the Lord, if someone
wants to be in the service of the Lord,

662
00:44:11,265 --> 00:44:15,057
a big part of what that means - it
doesn't mean they're helping God out -

663
00:44:15,057 --> 00:44:17,198
it means they're worshiping Him.

664
00:44:17,198 --> 00:44:22,246
They are giving Him glory:
"Lord, You're wonderful.

665
00:44:22,246 --> 00:44:25,163
God, You're beautiful.

666
00:44:25,164 --> 00:44:30,610
Lord, I praise You, I love
You, I delight in You."

667
00:44:30,610 --> 00:44:35,010
Do you do that? Does God make you happy?

668
00:44:35,010 --> 00:44:37,390
Does God fill your soul with joy?

669
00:44:37,391 --> 00:44:40,185
Do you just want to praise Him?
Do you sing?

670
00:44:40,185 --> 00:44:42,697
I know a lot of people, they
go to church, they never sing.

671
00:44:42,697 --> 00:44:44,643
They never open their mouth at all.

672
00:44:44,643 --> 00:44:47,413
Like, "I'll just sit here,
everybody else will sing."

673
00:44:47,413 --> 00:44:49,702
That's not what the Bible says.

674
00:44:49,702 --> 00:44:54,003
The Bible says, "Let every thing
that has breath praise the Lord."

675
00:44:54,003 --> 00:44:56,622
Some people are too ashamed, they
don't want to open their mouth.

676
00:44:56,622 --> 00:44:58,967
And their life is not even about that -

677
00:44:58,968 --> 00:45:01,952
"That's not why I'm alive. That's
not why I'm doing what I'm doing."

678
00:45:01,952 --> 00:45:04,383
What are they doing, they're
living for themselves.

679
00:45:04,383 --> 00:45:09,672
They worship themselves, they worship
their car, they worship the sports stars.

680
00:45:09,672 --> 00:45:13,636
They worship all these other little
gods that are no gods at all. (P)

681
00:45:13,636 --> 00:45:19,353
But the reason why God saves people
is because He wants to catch them up

682
00:45:19,353 --> 00:45:22,909
and involve them in this
worship of Himself.

683
00:45:22,909 --> 00:45:26,780
What is heaven all about?
Heaven is about worshiping God.

684
00:45:26,780 --> 00:45:31,266
In heaven, even right now
as we speak, there are

685
00:45:31,278 --> 00:45:35,501
myriads and myriads of
angels worshiping God,

686
00:45:35,501 --> 00:45:41,273
praising God with loud voices that
shake the temple (they're so loud).

687
00:45:41,273 --> 00:45:46,041
And they never cease, day and
night, to say, "Holy, holy, holy."

688
00:45:46,041 --> 00:45:47,734
They don't grow tired of worshiping God.

689
00:45:47,734 --> 00:45:52,797
That's their life, that's their
joy - it's to worship Him.

690
00:45:52,797 --> 00:45:57,285
It's like Keith Green said, "If you
don't learn to worship God now,

691
00:45:57,285 --> 00:45:59,325
why would you even want to go to heaven?"

692
00:45:59,325 --> 00:46:05,459
That's what heaven is all
about - to worship the Lord.

693
00:46:05,459 --> 00:46:08,807
We were made to worship Him.
This is why God made you. (P)

694
00:46:08,807 --> 00:46:14,552
The greatest sin in life is
not murder, or adultery,

695
00:46:14,552 --> 00:46:19,865
or all of these other sins,
child abuse or whatever;

696
00:46:19,865 --> 00:46:22,614
it's not the great wars
that happen when people

697
00:46:22,626 --> 00:46:25,617
sweep through villages and
kill thousands of people

698
00:46:25,617 --> 00:46:28,333
because of the color of
their skin, or their tribe,

699
00:46:28,333 --> 00:46:29,771
or the language they speak.

700
00:46:29,771 --> 00:46:31,589
That's not the greatest sin.

701
00:46:31,589 --> 00:46:35,699
The greatest sin is when man, who
is made in the image of God,

702
00:46:35,699 --> 00:46:42,090
who has such faculties and abilities
and powers and gifts and talents,

703
00:46:42,090 --> 00:46:44,575
they look up at the sky,
they see the sun, the

704
00:46:44,587 --> 00:46:47,190
moon, and the stars - the
works of God's hands -

705
00:46:47,190 --> 00:46:50,480
and they don't praise Him, they don't
worship Him, they don't love Him.

706
00:46:50,480 --> 00:46:51,754
They don't even search for Him!

707
00:46:51,754 --> 00:46:53,192
They don't even seek for Him!

708
00:46:53,192 --> 00:46:56,628
They're not even interested in knowing God.
That's the greatest sin.

709
00:46:56,628 --> 00:47:01,201
The greatest sin, the thing
that offends God the most,

710
00:47:01,201 --> 00:47:04,177
that the heavens are
appalled at when they see,

711
00:47:04,177 --> 00:47:07,900
is they can watch a world with no worship.

712
00:47:07,900 --> 00:47:11,048
Does it ever strike you as
strange, you walk down the streets

713
00:47:11,048 --> 00:47:14,546
and people are just going about their
day, going through the rat race,

714
00:47:14,546 --> 00:47:18,453
going to work, paying the bills,
eating dinner, watching TV.

715
00:47:18,453 --> 00:47:21,427
It's just like life moves
on and there's no purpose.

716
00:47:21,427 --> 00:47:24,811
What has happened to the world?

717
00:47:24,811 --> 00:47:33,912
Worship - the reason why we were
made - has disappeared. (P)

718
00:47:33,912 --> 00:47:41,267
Heaven is a place where all the beings that
are there, are in the presence of God.

719
00:47:41,267 --> 00:47:45,302
And they see Him, and they know Him,

720
00:47:45,302 --> 00:47:51,637
and they commune with Him, spend
time with Him, and they love Him.

721
00:47:51,637 --> 00:47:55,537
The way one Puritan
said it, he said that

722
00:47:55,549 --> 00:47:59,741
heaven is a world of
love - love to God. (P)

723
00:47:59,742 --> 00:48:01,852
What does Islam say heaven is?

724
00:48:01,853 --> 00:48:04,899
"Heaven is paradise, where
you get all the good food,

725
00:48:04,899 --> 00:48:07,662
all of the sweet drinks, and women."

726
00:48:07,662 --> 00:48:11,214
That's what they teach. That's
what is written in the Quran.

727
00:48:11,214 --> 00:48:12,896
Is that why you want to go to heaven?

728
00:48:12,896 --> 00:48:15,001
Is that your idea of heaven?

729
00:48:15,001 --> 00:48:19,926
That's not the Bible's idea of heaven. (P)

730
00:48:19,926 --> 00:48:22,620
Heaven is not about sports.

731
00:48:22,620 --> 00:48:28,606
I say that because I actually thought
about that when I was a kid.

732
00:48:28,606 --> 00:48:33,624
I thought about going to heaven, and
I thought, "If it's to last forever

733
00:48:33,624 --> 00:48:36,974
(I was lost, I didn't know any better),

734
00:48:36,975 --> 00:48:39,960
how could it be any fun at all?"

735
00:48:39,960 --> 00:48:41,816
And you know what I came up with?

736
00:48:41,816 --> 00:48:44,319
Now I loved sports as a kid;

737
00:48:44,319 --> 00:48:47,266
I thought they were great, but
I was terrible at sports.

738
00:48:47,266 --> 00:48:50,591
And I thought, "Maybe
in heaven God will make

739
00:48:50,603 --> 00:48:53,578
a sport that kind of
suits every person,

740
00:48:53,579 --> 00:48:56,583
and one person will be the
best at their sport."

741
00:48:56,583 --> 00:49:00,575
Like, "God is really smart, so He can just
make a bunch of different kinds of sports.

742
00:49:00,575 --> 00:49:06,234
And maybe He can make one for me that I'm
the best at, and I'll be the champion."

743
00:49:06,234 --> 00:49:08,289
That was what I thought as a kid.

744
00:49:08,289 --> 00:49:13,252
What is that saying? I worship myself. (P)

745
00:49:13,252 --> 00:49:18,854
What is your idea of heaven?

746
00:49:18,854 --> 00:49:26,645
He saves us that we might serve
Him, that we might worship Him;

747
00:49:26,645 --> 00:49:28,425
and that we might serve Him without fear.

748
00:49:28,425 --> 00:49:35,073
Look at Verse 74 again, these two
little words "without fear."

749
00:49:35,073 --> 00:49:37,181
Without fear - what does that mean?

750
00:49:37,181 --> 00:49:41,011
Well it's true, without fear from
our enemies, because He said that.

751
00:49:41,017 --> 00:49:42,968
"Salvation from the hands
of those who hate us."

752
00:49:42,968 --> 00:49:48,302
The devil hates you; but God can save
you from that, protect you from him.

753
00:49:48,302 --> 00:49:50,179
But it's talking about something else, too.

754
00:49:50,179 --> 00:49:53,491
We can worship the Lord with no fear.

755
00:49:53,491 --> 00:49:55,501
We're not afraid He's going
to put us in hell anymore.

756
00:49:55,501 --> 00:49:57,771
We're not afraid He's going
to cast us out anymore.

757
00:49:57,771 --> 00:50:00,743
We're not afraid He's
going to slap us around.

758
00:50:00,743 --> 00:50:02,986
Some fathers on earth,
that's how they treat

759
00:50:02,998 --> 00:50:04,952
their children, they
slap them around.

760
00:50:04,952 --> 00:50:08,686
The heavenly Father is not like that.

761
00:50:08,686 --> 00:50:10,094
He is a good Father.

762
00:50:10,094 --> 00:50:14,840
And when you come to know Him, when your
debts are paid, when you're set free,

763
00:50:14,840 --> 00:50:17,801
you can worship God and you don't
have to be afraid of Him at all.

764
00:50:17,801 --> 00:50:24,428
In a word, it's peace. To have real peace.

765
00:50:24,428 --> 00:50:30,163
Do you have any peace in your life?
Do you know peace? (P)

766
00:50:30,163 --> 00:50:33,621
Now be careful, there's two kinds of peace.

767
00:50:33,621 --> 00:50:35,881
There's God's peace and the world's peace.

768
00:50:35,881 --> 00:50:38,279
I'm not talking about the world's peace.

769
00:50:38,279 --> 00:50:41,753
Jesus says, "My peace I give to
you; My peace I leave with you;

770
00:50:41,753 --> 00:50:43,786
not as the world gives do I give to you."

771
00:50:43,786 --> 00:50:48,644
The world will give you a kind of peace.
That's not the kind you want.

772
00:50:48,644 --> 00:50:50,287
It's a deceitful kind of peace.

773
00:50:50,287 --> 00:50:53,485
It's not true peace, it's a false peace.

774
00:50:53,485 --> 00:50:56,313
In the Old Testament, the
prophet said, "They go

775
00:50:56,325 --> 00:50:59,512
around saying, 'Peace, peace,'
and there is no peace."

776
00:50:59,512 --> 00:51:01,883
They deceived the people,
they tricked the people.

777
00:51:01,883 --> 00:51:04,217
They tell them there's peace
but there is no peace.

778
00:51:04,217 --> 00:51:10,295
The Bible says "there's no peace for
the wicked, no rest for the wicked."

779
00:51:10,295 --> 00:51:12,092
The world, where does
it get its peace from?

780
00:51:12,092 --> 00:51:15,796
When everything is going right;
when money is in the bank;

781
00:51:15,796 --> 00:51:18,021
when their checkbook is balanced;

782
00:51:18,021 --> 00:51:21,039
when all your kids are
at home and everything

783
00:51:21,051 --> 00:51:23,818
is going well between
husband and spouse;

784
00:51:23,818 --> 00:51:26,864
and everybody likes you and
you're still young and beautiful;

785
00:51:26,865 --> 00:51:28,864
then you feel peace.

786
00:51:28,864 --> 00:51:34,215
"I'm making the grades,
everything is going just fine.

787
00:51:34,215 --> 00:51:36,629
It's like the world is
my spinning top." (P)

788
00:51:36,629 --> 00:51:41,152
But then what happens? The famine hits.
The disaster occurs.

789
00:51:41,152 --> 00:51:44,615
The hammer falls. Your
world comes crashing down.

790
00:51:44,615 --> 00:51:48,612
And all of a sudden you realize,
"I don't have any peace.

791
00:51:48,612 --> 00:51:51,086
What was my peace in my life?

792
00:51:51,086 --> 00:51:56,334
I was trusting in all these things like
a shaky stool that I was standing on."

793
00:51:56,334 --> 00:51:57,908
It's gonna fall.

794
00:51:57,908 --> 00:52:02,033
Your peace in this world will
be stripped away from you.

795
00:52:02,033 --> 00:52:04,683
But a Christian has true peace.

796
00:52:04,683 --> 00:52:08,604
They don't have to have any
fear anymore, they can rest.

797
00:52:08,604 --> 00:52:12,967
Peace comes from the Holy Spirit;
joy and peace in believing;

798
00:52:12,967 --> 00:52:16,654
and you abound in hope by the
power of the Holy Spirit.

799
00:52:16,654 --> 00:52:21,808
The fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace.

800
00:52:21,809 --> 00:52:24,590
Do you have peace, Christian?

801
00:52:24,590 --> 00:52:27,696
Where does your peace come from?
Does your peace come from yourself?

802
00:52:27,696 --> 00:52:31,587
Does your peace come from your
pastor, or friends, or your church?

803
00:52:31,587 --> 00:52:36,951
Does your peace come from whether or not
you're surrounded by pleasant things?

804
00:52:36,951 --> 00:52:38,706
That's not where peace comes from.

805
00:52:38,706 --> 00:52:42,712
Peace comes from Jesus Christ
- He's the Prince of peace.

806
00:52:42,712 --> 00:52:44,356
He can take away all your fears.

807
00:52:44,356 --> 00:52:49,890
It's like being in the eye of the tornado,
all the winds just rushing around you,

808
00:52:49,890 --> 00:52:53,702
everywhere you look is
chaos and destruction;

809
00:52:53,702 --> 00:52:57,337
and it's just still, and peaceful. (P)

810
00:52:57,337 --> 00:53:00,761
A Christian is the one
that can go through all

811
00:53:00,773 --> 00:53:04,356
the trials in this life,
and they're not afraid.

812
00:53:04,356 --> 00:53:09,050
Their heart is at peace,
stedfast, trusting in the Lord.

813
00:53:09,050 --> 00:53:13,010
The Christian is the one, like the
child, you know, some stubborn child;

814
00:53:13,010 --> 00:53:16,100
you spank them, and they just smile.

815
00:53:16,100 --> 00:53:19,910
They don't want to cry, they don't want
to let on that anything hurts them.

816
00:53:19,910 --> 00:53:21,327
The Christian is just like that.

817
00:53:21,327 --> 00:53:26,129
It doesn't matter how many times they
get hit, they just keep smiling.

818
00:53:26,129 --> 00:53:29,047
The Christian is the one
that can sing in the fire,

819
00:53:29,047 --> 00:53:32,736
that can sing when they're put
in prison, like Paul and Silas.

820
00:53:32,736 --> 00:53:37,933
The Christian is the one, after they
get beaten up they go home rejoicing.

821
00:53:37,933 --> 00:53:42,742
That's what we want, that's the
peace that comes from God, right?

822
00:53:42,742 --> 00:53:46,293
That's our birthright.
That's promised to us.

823
00:53:46,293 --> 00:53:48,930
We can worship the Lord and have no fear.

824
00:53:48,930 --> 00:53:53,102
If God is for you, who can be against you?

825
00:53:53,102 --> 00:53:56,844
It's amazing, we were kinda
watching this testimony today,

826
00:53:56,844 --> 00:54:02,495
and there's been people that have been
converted in terrible circumstances,

827
00:54:02,495 --> 00:54:07,456
with all kinds of enemies, and all
kinds of wickedness all around them.

828
00:54:07,456 --> 00:54:12,279
But it's like when God is for you, it
doesn't matter if everybody hates you. (P)

829
00:54:12,279 --> 00:54:17,380
Now think about this: Jesus brings peace,
but in another place He said this:

830
00:54:17,380 --> 00:54:19,967
"Don't think that I came to
bring peace on the earth."

831
00:54:19,968 --> 00:54:21,879
He's the Prince of peace;
and then He says, "Don't

832
00:54:21,891 --> 00:54:23,700
think that I came to bring
peace on the earth."

833
00:54:23,700 --> 00:54:24,656
What is He saying?

834
00:54:24,656 --> 00:54:30,908
He is saying this: In our relationships
with other people, Christ brings division -

835
00:54:30,908 --> 00:54:34,271
"A man's enemies will be the
members of his household.

836
00:54:34,271 --> 00:54:35,896
I didn't come to bring peace but a sword.

837
00:54:35,896 --> 00:54:37,223
I came to bring division" (Matt. 10:34-36).

838
00:54:37,224 --> 00:54:41,050
Sometimes when you become a Christian
everybody is going to turn against you,

839
00:54:41,050 --> 00:54:42,518
all your friends are going to leave you,

840
00:54:42,518 --> 00:54:44,841
all your family is
going to misunderstand

841
00:54:44,853 --> 00:54:47,410
you, going to slander
you, going to hate you;

842
00:54:47,410 --> 00:54:49,404
the other people in the village
are going to hate you,

843
00:54:49,404 --> 00:54:51,704
the other people in your
work are going to hate you.

844
00:54:51,704 --> 00:54:53,334
That happens.

845
00:54:53,334 --> 00:54:57,270
But He does bring peace
between man and God.

846
00:54:57,270 --> 00:55:01,318
He doesn't bring peace man-to-man,
He brings peace man-to-God.

847
00:55:01,318 --> 00:55:04,565
And if your relationship is
right with God vertically,

848
00:55:04,565 --> 00:55:09,802
then it doesn't matter what's
going on around you horizontally.

849
00:55:09,802 --> 00:55:14,499
Do you have the peace that
surpasses all understanding:

850
00:55:14,499 --> 00:55:20,985
Jesus Christ, forgiveness of
sins, freedom from the devil?

851
00:55:20,985 --> 00:55:24,667
If you do you'll know it,
you'll be so happy. (P)

852
00:55:24,667 --> 00:55:27,821
I mean, sometimes when
you see a new Christian,

853
00:55:27,833 --> 00:55:30,933
it's like they can't
hardly contain their joy.

854
00:55:30,933 --> 00:55:34,473
They're just bubbling
over, just so thankful,

855
00:55:34,485 --> 00:55:37,496
because they know
that God loves them.

856
00:55:37,496 --> 00:55:43,131
Now a lot of people say real cheaply,
"Smile, God loves you; God loves you."

857
00:55:43,131 --> 00:55:44,969
And it's cheap.

858
00:55:44,969 --> 00:55:50,611
But when it's real, when you know it
deep in your soul, "God loves me,"

859
00:55:50,611 --> 00:55:57,562
that will hold you through anything.
To be loved by God. (P)

860
00:55:57,563 --> 00:56:03,980
Alright, next thing, Luke
1:76, "And you, child,

861
00:56:03,992 --> 00:56:10,027
will be called the prophet
of the Most High."

862
00:56:10,028 --> 00:56:14,554
So now, picture this:
John's dad, Zacharias, his

863
00:56:14,566 --> 00:56:18,827
mouth has been opened,
he got his voice back;

864
00:56:18,827 --> 00:56:24,416
and he's praising God, full of
joy, full of the Holy Spirit.

865
00:56:24,416 --> 00:56:28,658
And he picks up his baby
boy, picks up his son,

866
00:56:28,658 --> 00:56:35,036
and he says, "You, child, will be
called the prophet of the Most High."

867
00:56:35,037 --> 00:56:36,955
John was a prophet.

868
00:56:36,955 --> 00:56:41,551
And that's good news, because
the Old Testament said

869
00:56:41,563 --> 00:56:45,998
before the Savior comes,
this one final messenger,

870
00:56:45,998 --> 00:56:51,309
this one final prophet will come
and prepare the way for Him.

871
00:56:51,309 --> 00:56:55,825
So now, everything is coming to pass,
Jesus is about to come into the world;

872
00:56:55,825 --> 00:57:01,384
and here is His herald, here is His
messenger, here is the prophet.

873
00:57:01,384 --> 00:57:02,913
And this is good news, why?

874
00:57:02,913 --> 00:57:05,818
Because he says this,

875
00:57:05,819 --> 00:57:08,408
Verse 77, "To give to His
people the knowledge

876
00:57:08,420 --> 00:57:11,077
of salvation by the
forgiveness of their sins."

877
00:57:11,077 --> 00:57:14,653
So he's going to go around preaching.
John was a voice.

878
00:57:14,653 --> 00:57:17,752
John wasn't a lot of things, but
one thing he was - he was a voice.

879
00:57:17,752 --> 00:57:22,353
He probably had a loud voice.
He's out in the desert preaching;

880
00:57:22,353 --> 00:57:25,239
he was a voice: "Prepare
the way of the Lord."

881
00:57:25,239 --> 00:57:29,286
And he was telling people
about the knowledge of

882
00:57:29,298 --> 00:57:33,357
salvation and the forgiveness
of their sins. (P)

883
00:57:33,357 --> 00:57:35,329
This is what you need to understand;

884
00:57:35,329 --> 00:57:39,765
this is the message of the
Bible: You need to be saved!

885
00:57:39,765 --> 00:57:44,817
God made you, you sinned against
God, you're under judgment.

886
00:57:44,817 --> 00:57:48,183
You need to be saved. You need
to be forgiven of your sins.

887
00:57:48,183 --> 00:57:51,622
And that was John's job, to go
around and preach to the people,

888
00:57:51,622 --> 00:57:56,202
and tell them, "Forgiveness of
sins is available, it's possible,

889
00:57:56,202 --> 00:58:01,482
it's right around the corner. It's coming.
You can be saved!"

890
00:58:01,482 --> 00:58:04,171
And I'm doing the same thing tonight.

891
00:58:04,171 --> 00:58:08,050
I'm telling you that if you are
guilty, if you are a sinner,

892
00:58:08,050 --> 00:58:10,515
you can be saved, you can be forgiven.

893
00:58:10,515 --> 00:58:13,604
You don't have to be judged by God.

894
00:58:13,604 --> 00:58:15,464
You don't have to be dirty anymore.

895
00:58:15,464 --> 00:58:16,939
You don't have to be guilty anymore.

896
00:58:16,940 --> 00:58:21,609
Do you want to live a dirty life, a
guilty life? Is that what you want?

897
00:58:21,609 --> 00:58:25,664
You don't have to be that way.
You can be washed totally clean!

898
00:58:25,664 --> 00:58:29,192
You can be whiter than snow in God's sight.

899
00:58:29,192 --> 00:58:30,744
That's the message of the Bible.

900
00:58:30,744 --> 00:58:34,591
Every sin forgiven, not
half of them forgiven.

901
00:58:34,591 --> 00:58:38,585
Every sin forgiven - the
worst sins forgiven.

902
00:58:38,585 --> 00:58:43,283
That was his job and
that's what he was doing.

903
00:58:43,283 --> 00:58:45,185
The forgiveness of sins. (P)

904
00:58:45,185 --> 00:58:48,780
Now listen, John wasn't the Savior though.

905
00:58:48,781 --> 00:58:50,675
And I'm not the Savior.

906
00:58:50,675 --> 00:58:53,409
And even your best friend,
the person that is

907
00:58:53,421 --> 00:58:56,465
witnessing to you and sharing
the Gospel with you,

908
00:58:56,465 --> 00:58:57,647
they're not the Savior.

909
00:58:57,647 --> 00:58:59,396
Who are we?

910
00:58:59,396 --> 00:59:02,693
We that know the Lord, that are
speaking on behalf of the Lord,

911
00:59:02,693 --> 00:59:07,962
that are speaking from the Bible,
we're only servants, only messengers.

912
00:59:07,962 --> 00:59:10,456
Man cannot save you, man cannot help you.

913
00:59:10,456 --> 00:59:12,965
There's no priest who can.

914
00:59:12,965 --> 00:59:15,572
You need God Himself.

915
00:59:15,572 --> 00:59:19,165
Even if you have a prophet,
the prophet cannot save you.

916
00:59:19,165 --> 00:59:22,259
That's why Islam is totally false.

917
00:59:22,259 --> 00:59:23,535
I don't need a prophet.

918
00:59:23,535 --> 00:59:26,597
I mean, great, okay, somebody
can tell me what God thinks.

919
00:59:26,597 --> 00:59:31,316
Alright I'm guilty; well, great,
now I know what God thinks.

920
00:59:31,316 --> 00:59:33,913
I don't need a prophet,
I need a Savior! (P)

921
00:59:33,913 --> 00:59:38,902
Imagine a man has fallen into a pit, and
a guy comes to the edge of the pit.

922
00:59:38,902 --> 00:59:40,890
And he's down there 30
feet in the pit, and

923
00:59:40,902 --> 00:59:42,992
the guy is telling him,
"Hey, you're in a pit

924
00:59:42,992 --> 00:59:45,653
and if you don't get out of
here you're going to die."

925
00:59:45,653 --> 00:59:48,990
It's like, "Well thanks, throw
me a rope, I need out of here!"

926
00:59:48,990 --> 00:59:54,419
I don't need someone to stand up on the
outside and give me advice, you know,

927
00:59:54,419 --> 00:59:59,325
"Climb higher; try harder; try stepping on
that rock over there; dig your way out."

928
00:59:59,325 --> 01:00:00,737
I don't need advice.

929
01:00:00,737 --> 01:00:05,859
I need someone to get down
in the pit and boost me out.

930
01:00:05,859 --> 01:00:07,411
I need a Savior.

931
01:00:07,411 --> 01:00:11,821
I don't need good advice,
I need forgiveness.

932
01:00:11,821 --> 01:00:16,493
I know I've already blown it; I know
I'm not worthy to go to heaven.

933
01:00:16,493 --> 01:00:19,153
Is there anyone that can save?

934
01:00:19,153 --> 01:00:22,037
Is there anyone that can
take the worst sinner

935
01:00:22,049 --> 01:00:24,821
and forgive him, and
make him totally clean?

936
01:00:24,821 --> 01:00:27,536
There is.

937
01:00:27,536 --> 01:00:31,471
But it's not John, John was the prophet.

938
01:00:31,471 --> 01:00:36,424
Who do you need? Who can pay
off your debts? Only God. (P)

939
01:00:36,424 --> 01:00:40,772
The prophet of whom? The
prophet of the Most High.

940
01:00:40,772 --> 01:00:41,866
You read that?

941
01:00:41,866 --> 01:00:50,221
Look again, Verse 76, "You, child, will
be called the prophet of the Most High;

942
01:00:50,221 --> 01:00:58,243
for you will go on before the - who?
- the Lord to prepare His ways."

943
01:00:58,243 --> 01:01:01,556
Who is coming? Jesus.

944
01:01:01,556 --> 01:01:05,224
Who is Jesus? The Lord.

945
01:01:05,224 --> 01:01:09,860
"Prepare the way of the Lord.
Make His paths straight."

946
01:01:09,860 --> 01:01:13,327
The King of glory; The King is coming.

947
01:01:13,327 --> 01:01:19,229
The Savior; God's Son;
He who is one with God.

948
01:01:19,230 --> 01:01:25,025
The Son and the Father, there's
no difference between Them.

949
01:01:25,025 --> 01:01:29,213
Jesus said, "Whoever sees
Me sees the Father."

950
01:01:29,213 --> 01:01:33,570
In Their character, in Their
essence, They are the same.

951
01:01:33,570 --> 01:01:37,246
The First Person of the Trinity;
the Second Person of the Trinity;

952
01:01:37,246 --> 01:01:41,443
but They're the same. "I
and the Father are one."

953
01:01:41,444 --> 01:01:44,125
God became flesh.

954
01:01:44,126 --> 01:01:48,629
The Word, who was God, became flesh.

955
01:01:48,629 --> 01:01:50,508
Who is coming to save?

956
01:01:50,508 --> 01:01:52,914
Who is the only person
that can save this world?

957
01:01:52,914 --> 01:01:55,551
What's the only hope for this world?

958
01:01:55,551 --> 01:01:58,374
If God comes down.

959
01:01:58,374 --> 01:02:02,537
If God would come down and visit
the earth, and become a Man,

960
01:02:02,537 --> 01:02:06,253
that's the only way people
are going to get any help.

961
01:02:06,253 --> 01:02:09,477
And that's who He is - the Most High. (P)

962
01:02:09,477 --> 01:02:14,048
A few days after this, or I don't
know how many months or whatever,

963
01:02:14,048 --> 01:02:15,667
just in the next chapter;

964
01:02:15,667 --> 01:02:20,014
(here in Luke 1, Zacharias
is picking up his son John,

965
01:02:20,026 --> 01:02:24,464
and he says, "You, child,
will be called the prophet.")

966
01:02:24,464 --> 01:02:35,394
But if you look over in chapter 2, there's
an old man, Simeon, a righteous man;

967
01:02:35,394 --> 01:02:39,282
and something very similar happens to him.

968
01:02:39,282 --> 01:02:44,290
Luke 2:25 says, "There was a man in
Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;

969
01:02:44,290 --> 01:02:48,938
this was a righteous and devout man,
looking for the consolation of Israel;

970
01:02:48,938 --> 01:02:52,251
and the Holy Spirit was upon him."

971
01:02:52,251 --> 01:02:59,069
And then it says this, "And it had been
revealed to him by the Holy Spirit

972
01:02:59,069 --> 01:03:02,135
that he would not see death before
he had seen the Lord's Christ.

973
01:03:02,135 --> 01:03:04,651
And he came in the Spirit into the temple;

974
01:03:04,651 --> 01:03:08,705
and when the parents brought
in the child Jesus,

975
01:03:08,717 --> 01:03:12,368
to carry out for Him
the custom of the Law,

976
01:03:12,369 --> 01:03:15,818
then he took Him into his
arms, and blessed God,

977
01:03:15,824 --> 01:03:19,543
and said, 'Now Lord, You are
releasing Your bond-servant

978
01:03:19,555 --> 01:03:22,435
to depart in peace,
according to Your word;

979
01:03:22,435 --> 01:03:27,988
for my eyes have seen Your salvation.'"

980
01:03:27,988 --> 01:03:34,065
He picks up the baby, and he says,
"Lord, my eyes have seen Your salvation.

981
01:03:34,065 --> 01:03:35,346
I have seen salvation."

982
01:03:35,346 --> 01:03:38,635
What was he looking at?
he was looking at a baby!

983
01:03:38,635 --> 01:03:43,841
Salvation - who is the baby? Jesus Christ.

984
01:03:43,841 --> 01:03:46,906
Very different from John the baptist.

985
01:03:46,906 --> 01:03:49,941
John the baptist was
picked up - "A prophet!"

986
01:03:49,941 --> 01:03:55,185
Jesus was picked up - "Salvation!" (P)

987
01:03:55,185 --> 01:04:00,570
Jesus is the Savior. He is the only One.

988
01:04:00,570 --> 01:04:02,115
Don't trust in people.

989
01:04:02,115 --> 01:04:07,278
Look, even if you have good Christians
around you that are trying to pray for you,

990
01:04:07,278 --> 01:04:13,429
trying to be an example to you, trying
to help you, they can't save you.

991
01:04:13,430 --> 01:04:17,902
You need God. You need
the real medicine. (P)

992
01:04:17,902 --> 01:04:21,751
I heard a story one time;
it's a true story I guess.

993
01:04:21,751 --> 01:04:25,665
A doctor was trying
to help a sick man, a

994
01:04:25,677 --> 01:04:29,977
sick patient; and the
man wasn't real bright.

995
01:04:29,977 --> 01:04:32,659
And the doctor wrote him a
prescription, "Here's the medicine,"

996
01:04:32,660 --> 01:04:35,166
and he gave it to him; and
the man took it home.

997
01:04:35,167 --> 01:04:39,782
A week later he came back, and the doctor
said, "Well, how did it work for you?"

998
01:04:39,782 --> 01:04:42,275
The man said, "Well, I'm
not any better at all."

999
01:04:42,275 --> 01:04:47,136
And he said, "Well, what's the problem?
Did you take the prescription?"

1000
01:04:47,136 --> 01:04:51,284
He said, "Yeah, I took it, and I
ate that paper you gave to me."

1001
01:04:51,284 --> 01:04:55,191
He ate the prescription.

1002
01:04:55,191 --> 01:04:58,377
That's what it's like if
you trust in your friends,

1003
01:04:58,389 --> 01:05:01,218
if you trust in some
pastor; they are nobody.

1004
01:05:01,218 --> 01:05:04,144
All they can do is point to Jesus Christ.

1005
01:05:04,144 --> 01:05:07,363
Don't look at me; the answer is not in me.

1006
01:05:07,363 --> 01:05:12,503
Don't even look at the Bible itself:
there's a way to read the Bible,

1007
01:05:12,503 --> 01:05:15,696
and you're actually trusting
in your own knowledge,

1008
01:05:15,696 --> 01:05:18,473
and you're trusting in how
well you know the Bible.

1009
01:05:18,473 --> 01:05:20,338
That's not salvation.

1010
01:05:20,338 --> 01:05:23,099
The Bible points you to Jesus Christ.

1011
01:05:23,099 --> 01:05:25,918
A good preacher will point
you to Jesus Christ.

1012
01:05:25,918 --> 01:05:28,699
You need Jesus Christ.

1013
01:05:28,699 --> 01:05:31,711
You have to come to Him and meet with Him.

1014
01:05:31,711 --> 01:05:38,350
He came down to the earth,
and He can save you. (P)

1015
01:05:40,450 --> 01:05:46,869
What did He do? What was
the price that He paid?

1016
01:05:46,869 --> 01:05:48,656
We said that He accomplished redemption.

1017
01:05:48,656 --> 01:05:52,392
He paid a price to set you
free, to pay off your debt.

1018
01:05:52,392 --> 01:06:00,323
What did He do? What is the most
important thing that Jesus did?

1019
01:06:00,323 --> 01:06:05,854
Jesus said this: "The Son
of Man came to serve,

1020
01:06:05,866 --> 01:06:10,601
and give His life as
a ransom for many."

1021
01:06:10,601 --> 01:06:18,619
What price did He pay? He gave His life.
The most precious thing that He could give.

1022
01:06:18,619 --> 01:06:21,123
He didn't pay for you with silver or gold.

1023
01:06:21,123 --> 01:06:25,795
Look, if someone said, "Can you
donate some of your blood?"

1024
01:06:25,795 --> 01:06:27,617
"Well, yeah, I suppose I could do that.

1025
01:06:27,617 --> 01:06:31,620
How much do you want, a pint?
Okay, no problem."

1026
01:06:31,620 --> 01:06:34,761
Jesus gave all of His blood.

1027
01:06:34,761 --> 01:06:38,795
He poured out all of His
blood until He was dead.

1028
01:06:38,795 --> 01:06:40,408
He was giving His life.

1029
01:06:40,408 --> 01:06:42,875
Why was He doing that? Why did He die?

1030
01:06:42,875 --> 01:06:48,241
The Bible says this: "The
soul that sins must die!"

1031
01:06:48,241 --> 01:06:52,060
If you've commited even
one sin, you must die.

1032
01:06:52,060 --> 01:07:00,030
And there's no way you can pay back
that price, unless you yourself die.

1033
01:07:00,030 --> 01:07:05,953
Are you gonna go to hell? Jesus
Christ came and gave His life.

1034
01:07:05,953 --> 01:07:08,345
He died so that you might live.

1035
01:07:08,345 --> 01:07:10,303
He died so that you wouldn't have to.

1036
01:07:10,303 --> 01:07:14,900
The Law says, "The soul must
die," and Jesus said, "I'll die.

1037
01:07:14,913 --> 01:07:17,626
I'll be the One that dies, let them live.

1038
01:07:17,626 --> 01:07:24,051
Father, forgive them. Father, save them.
Take My life." (P)

1039
01:07:24,051 --> 01:07:27,416
Have you trusted in Christ?

1040
01:07:27,416 --> 01:07:29,189
What does it mean to believe in Jesus?

1041
01:07:29,189 --> 01:07:34,532
It means to believe that God's
own Son came down to this world

1042
01:07:34,532 --> 01:07:38,246
(He who is the Lord, He
who is God Himself),

1043
01:07:38,246 --> 01:07:44,685
and He gave over His life to pay for
my sins, to pay for my penalty,

1044
01:07:44,685 --> 01:07:47,158
so that I wouldn't be destroyed.

1045
01:07:47,158 --> 01:07:50,039
That all the demands of the
Law, all the threatenings

1046
01:07:50,051 --> 01:07:52,784
and warnings of the Law -
"You're going to die!" -

1047
01:07:52,785 --> 01:07:56,331
all of that He took away.
He took away all the fear.

1048
01:07:56,331 --> 01:08:02,341
He brought peace through
the blood of His Cross.

1049
01:08:02,341 --> 01:08:04,908
That's what He did.

1050
01:08:04,908 --> 01:08:09,448
Jesus Christ gave His life so
that you don't have to die,

1051
01:08:09,448 --> 01:08:16,799
if you will believe in Him,
if you will turn to Him. (P)

1052
01:08:18,287 --> 01:08:20,919
God is preparing to make a way.

1053
01:08:20,919 --> 01:08:25,634
That's what He says here: "Make a way,
prepare His ways for the Most High."

1054
01:08:25,634 --> 01:08:28,504
Most people never get prepared.

1055
01:08:28,504 --> 01:08:33,077
They're just wasting their time, passing
their life; their life is passing them by.

1056
01:08:33,078 --> 01:08:38,438
But the good news is, even when people
don't have a clue how to save themselves,

1057
01:08:38,439 --> 01:08:41,594
and it's not even a thought in their mind,

1058
01:08:41,595 --> 01:08:45,794
God is nowhere in their
thoughts, a Godless life;

1059
01:08:45,794 --> 01:08:50,892
at the same time God is working,
and He is preparing to save them.

1060
01:08:50,892 --> 01:08:55,107
Maybe you've never taken one
thought even about your soul,

1061
01:08:55,107 --> 01:09:00,876
never had one consideration really of
how to escape judgment and be forgiven,

1062
01:09:00,876 --> 01:09:03,604
but God has had many thoughts
about this whole thing

1063
01:09:03,604 --> 01:09:07,501
and He has prepared it all,
He has accomplished it all.

1064
01:09:07,501 --> 01:09:10,473
The Cross happened 2,000
years ago; it's all

1065
01:09:10,485 --> 01:09:13,402
finished, it's all done,
it's all prepared.

1066
01:09:13,402 --> 01:09:16,626
Everything has been made ready.

1067
01:09:16,627 --> 01:09:20,054
Now you must turn from your
sin and you must believe;

1068
01:09:20,055 --> 01:09:27,612
you must run to Christ and believe
in Him; and you'll be saved.

1069
01:09:27,613 --> 01:09:31,452
The one that calls on the name
of the Lord shall be saved.

1070
01:09:31,453 --> 01:09:35,075
Everyone who calls on the name
of the Lord shall be saved. Why?

1071
01:09:35,075 --> 01:09:38,247
Because it's all ready, it's
all prepared. It's free!

1072
01:09:38,247 --> 01:09:41,886
You don't have to pay anything to
God, you don't have to work...

1073
01:09:41,888 --> 01:09:44,937
I mean, if it was something (we
were talking about this on Sunday),

1074
01:09:44,937 --> 01:09:47,014
if it was something difficult,
wouldn't you do it?

1075
01:09:47,015 --> 01:09:51,296
If it was like, you really had to pray
five times a day, let's say for ten years

1076
01:09:51,296 --> 01:09:53,408
(let's say God had a
contract: Pray five times

1077
01:09:53,420 --> 01:09:55,543
a day for ten years, and
you'll go to heaven),

1078
01:09:55,543 --> 01:09:57,566
wouldn't you do it?

1079
01:09:57,566 --> 01:10:00,385
But the Bible says, No works.

1080
01:10:00,385 --> 01:10:04,052
"To the one who does not
work, but believes..."

1081
01:10:04,052 --> 01:10:10,046
Faith - in a moment, in an instant -
a free gift to be received by faith

1082
01:10:10,046 --> 01:10:16,875
if you'll believe in Christ
and trust in Him alone. (P)

1083
01:10:16,875 --> 01:10:25,782
The last phrase, and our
last verse, Luke 1:78-79,

1084
01:10:25,783 --> 01:10:30,275
"Because of the tender
mercy of our God, with

1085
01:10:30,287 --> 01:10:34,790
which the Sunrise from
on high will visit us,

1086
01:10:34,790 --> 01:10:41,326
to shine upon those who sit in
darkness and the shadow of death."

1087
01:10:41,326 --> 01:10:45,176
The Sunrise from on high.

1088
01:10:45,176 --> 01:10:50,703
This is like the shining of the
sun, shining into the darkness,

1089
01:10:50,703 --> 01:10:55,532
shining on those sitting in the
dark, sitting in the shadows.

1090
01:10:55,532 --> 01:10:59,478
And the sun breaks through the clouds,
and the light shines from heaven;

1091
01:10:59,478 --> 01:11:04,302
and it shines on those that
were just in complete black.

1092
01:11:04,302 --> 01:11:08,229
And now all around them is light.

1093
01:11:08,230 --> 01:11:09,958
That's salvation.

1094
01:11:09,958 --> 01:11:12,263
That's what God can do in your life.

1095
01:11:12,263 --> 01:11:17,773
Are you in the dark? Are you confused?
Are you stumbling around?

1096
01:11:17,773 --> 01:11:19,607
Are you lost? You don't know the way?

1097
01:11:19,608 --> 01:11:22,724
"I can't see the way, I
feel like I'm in the dark.

1098
01:11:22,724 --> 01:11:25,630
I feel empty. I feel sad.
I feel sorrowful."

1099
01:11:25,630 --> 01:11:28,111
Are you in the dark? (P)

1100
01:11:28,123 --> 01:11:31,802
When someone becomes a Christian,
when someone trusts in Jesus Christ,

1101
01:11:31,803 --> 01:11:35,037
God floods light on their life.

1102
01:11:35,037 --> 01:11:37,138
Jesus says, "I'm the Light of the world.

1103
01:11:37,138 --> 01:11:41,295
He who follows Me will not walk in the
darkness, but will have the light of life.

1104
01:11:41,295 --> 01:11:43,683
He's not going to stumble in the darkness.

1105
01:11:43,683 --> 01:11:48,906
Follow Me: I am the Light. Come to Me.

1106
01:11:48,906 --> 01:11:55,640
Come to the Light, don't
sit in the darkness." (P)

1107
01:11:55,640 --> 01:11:58,750
Jesus is the Sunrise.

1108
01:11:58,750 --> 01:12:01,982
Jesus is like the sun shining in the sky.

1109
01:12:01,983 --> 01:12:05,734
It's amazing, you guys
ever think about this,

1110
01:12:05,746 --> 01:12:08,937
the way God designed
our Solar System?

1111
01:12:08,937 --> 01:12:13,145
The sun doesn't revolve around the earth,
the earth revolves around the sun.

1112
01:12:13,146 --> 01:12:16,826
At the center of everything - just
like God, just like Jesus Christ -

1113
01:12:16,826 --> 01:12:23,319
at the center of everything is this big
ball of energy and fire and heat and light.

1114
01:12:23,319 --> 01:12:28,761
And it's so huge, it's like it doesn't run
out; it just burns and burns and burns.

1115
01:12:28,761 --> 01:12:32,580
It's like this never-ending
source of energy, almost.

1116
01:12:32,580 --> 01:12:36,823
I mean, our physical sun is not that
way, there would be an end to it.

1117
01:12:36,823 --> 01:12:38,105
But it's almost like that.

1118
01:12:38,106 --> 01:12:40,777
It's like we've been
here thousands of years,

1119
01:12:40,789 --> 01:12:43,531
and it's just as hot as
when we first started.

1120
01:12:43,531 --> 01:12:46,325
It's amazing! And everything
revolves around the sun.

1121
01:12:46,325 --> 01:12:51,718
Jesus Christ is the same way -
all of life revolves around God.

1122
01:12:51,718 --> 01:12:55,322
It's all about God. You're not
the center of the universe.

1123
01:12:55,322 --> 01:12:58,677
All the source of life -
why do the plants grow?

1124
01:12:58,677 --> 01:13:01,597
why does the rain fall?
why does the breeze blow?

1125
01:13:01,597 --> 01:13:04,854
why does everything happen?
- it's the power of the sun.

1126
01:13:04,855 --> 01:13:07,648
The sun is the source. No sun, no life.

1127
01:13:07,649 --> 01:13:11,040
They say, "No water, no life," but
it's, "No sun, no life, too."

1128
01:13:11,040 --> 01:13:14,090
I mean, you've got to have
light, you've got to have heat,

1129
01:13:14,090 --> 01:13:17,646
otherwise nothing is going to move,
you'll just be in the dark. (P)

1130
01:13:17,646 --> 01:13:24,987
Listen, before God created the
world, what was it? Darkness.

1131
01:13:24,987 --> 01:13:31,236
And it's the same way, before God does a
work of a new creation in a person's heart,

1132
01:13:31,236 --> 01:13:34,047
before they're saved, it's just darkness.

1133
01:13:34,047 --> 01:13:39,196
And then one day, God speaks and
says, "Let there be light."

1134
01:13:39,196 --> 01:13:41,805
And the light just shines in.

1135
01:13:41,805 --> 01:13:45,102
It's like all of a sudden
there's light, there's life.

1136
01:13:45,102 --> 01:13:49,291
God sees the light, He sees
that it's good; He blesses it.

1137
01:13:49,291 --> 01:13:51,032
That's what it's like.

1138
01:13:51,033 --> 01:13:54,355
I know, if you go around and
ask the true Christians

1139
01:13:54,367 --> 01:13:57,323
in this room, what are
they going to tell you?

1140
01:13:57,323 --> 01:14:00,282
They're all going to say, "Look,
I love being a Christian.

1141
01:14:00,282 --> 01:14:05,220
It's like every day it gets
brighter and brighter.

1142
01:14:05,220 --> 01:14:07,765
There's more and more
joy, more and more glory,

1143
01:14:07,765 --> 01:14:11,351
more and more strength, more and
more faith, more and more love;

1144
01:14:11,351 --> 01:14:13,690
brighter and brighter, like
the shining of the sun.

1145
01:14:13,690 --> 01:14:15,537
Like the sun, it starts in the morning,

1146
01:14:15,537 --> 01:14:18,060
and there's starting to be light
breaking into the darkness;

1147
01:14:18,060 --> 01:14:20,363
and then a couple of hours later
it's getting even brighter;

1148
01:14:20,363 --> 01:14:25,413
and then the full day, where
there's not a shadow around."

1149
01:14:25,413 --> 01:14:31,401
That's where we are headed in the
Christian life - the upward call -

1150
01:14:31,401 --> 01:14:33,917
brighter and brighter,
the light of God. (P)

1151
01:14:33,917 --> 01:14:36,463
Do you want that?

1152
01:14:36,463 --> 01:14:39,669
You say, "I'm too far gone.
My life is too ruined.

1153
01:14:39,669 --> 01:14:42,021
I've committed too many sins.

1154
01:14:42,021 --> 01:14:45,605
I'm totally ignorant of the
Bible, I don't know anything."

1155
01:14:45,605 --> 01:14:50,535
You can be saved, because He came for
the worst, and He came for the lowest.

1156
01:14:50,535 --> 01:14:54,459
He came to shine light on who? On the
ones that already had light? No.

1157
01:14:54,459 --> 01:14:58,205
He came to give light to those
who are sitting in the darkness.

1158
01:14:58,205 --> 01:15:00,580
If you're down in the dumps,
if you're in the darkness,

1159
01:15:00,580 --> 01:15:05,455
if you're in the midst of all the sin
and all the sorrow and all the despair,

1160
01:15:05,455 --> 01:15:13,559
that's perfect opportunity to be
saved, to turn to Jesus Christ.

1161
01:15:15,718 --> 01:15:17,459
Well, Amen. Let's pray.