WEBVTT

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Thank you, Ray, and thank you for the beautiful music.

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Be some beautiful music. This Saturday, K-U-Y-O, the church will be sponsored in our program at 10 o'clock this Saturday.

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The African Youth Choir in memory, really, of the many, many people who, I think, saved Orphan's lives from the church here.

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I know you'll enjoy that beautiful music.

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Our theme today is Matthew 2, verse 8, and I'll be reading a lot about from the God's spiel to the gospel of God, the good tidings of Jesus.

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Matthew 2.8, probably one of the greatest slobs of all time, says this about Jesus.

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Now you go and search diligently for the young child.

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And when you have found him, bring news to him of me that I may worship him also.

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Gracious Father, we pray that you'll help us each one in our search for Jesus, that we find him, and that we see him in this reason for the season.

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In Jesus' name, amen.

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People are searching and people can't find him.

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I called here at the slob, and that's really not good manners.

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However, let me introduce you to a family.

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A lot of folks are into family, but this is a family you'd want to stay out of.

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It might cost you your life to be in this family.

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If you make family your God, you'll suffer for it.

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Notice what this man, Herod, remember, was an Edomite king.

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Edom, Edom.

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Say that over to yourself.

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Edom, Edomite, Edom.

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And it means that sang would land from the east.

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It was always the people that hated God's people.

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And an Edomite king has always punished God's people.

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But I want you to see this family.

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Herod the Great.

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First of all, Herod, who is called the Great, the greatest of all, he murdered his two boys and killed the old lady, his wife, because he thought, well, if the boys don't inherit my kingdom,

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she's organizing them.

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Maybe she'll just be smart enough to take my kingdom from me.

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Got rid of his sweetheart, so to speak.

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He's the one who got rid of the babies.

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I don't know. No one really knows.

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Somewhere between 25 and 100,000 little boys around two years old, he caused to be butchered.

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I've been depressed this week.

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I had to admit it.

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Boy, I don't believe in being depressed at Christmas time, but I had a funeral Monday.

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A little wax doll about this long, considerably under two years.

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And I cannot believe that anyone would take the life of a child so tiny.

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What kind of a man would consider his own kingdom, his own needs, more important than tens of thousands of tiny little, pure babies?

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And this was a much loved child.

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No problem about that.

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Much adored and much loved and much missed.

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But those tens of thousands of babies were missed as well, weren't they?

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It just tears your heart out.

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I think Nancy said it in class, we don't think enough of sin.

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That offends me as a big old ugly man, a manly, earthly person.

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That offends me.

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What does it do to God, this thing called sin?

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Well, he raised a neat guy.

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He's called Herod Antipas.

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Do you like to hear the movies Antipasto?

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Remember when the guy says that?

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Well, here is Herod Antipas.

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What is his clean thing?

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Well, 33 years later, he kills John.

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And just incidentally, wins the first round in the death of Jesus.

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Two very wonderful people, Jesus and John.

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This 14 years old, he had a grandson, 14 years later, called Herod Agrippa I.

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And he killed James, the brother of Jesus.

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Well, if you can't get one of them, you get the other one, huh?

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And then the great grandson, Herod, Agrippa II, 16 years later,

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kills that wonderful man we know as Paul of Tarsus.

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A wonderful man who started more churches than any man alive.

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All these folks were in on the death of God's greatest and most noble people.

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But you know what?

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Herod meets his match.

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And in the second round, now I stress the word Edomite, the Edomite king.

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Read Isaiah 63, verses one through, well it goes actually through four,

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but you've heard me say it so many times,

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but it's still my favorite scripture of the Old Testament.

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Who is this that cometh from Edom?

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Edom, with died garments of Bosra, this that is glorious in his apparel,

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traveling as a strong man in the greatness of his strength,

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and the stentorian voice comes down from heaven,

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I that am righteous and mighty unto salvation.

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I hope that touches your heart.

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Gather your kids around you.

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Instead of all the baloney about past plastic toys and all that,

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read over and over and over again, the 63 and the 53 of the book of Isaiah.

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And read Luke.

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And read Matthew, the God's spiel, the God's tidings,

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of a joyous thing that would happen and is celebrated by man at this season,

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not by God necessarily, but by mankind.

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And in that verse three and four of Isaiah 63 are these words,

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and why are their vests sustained with blood?

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And the answer comes back,

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I have trodden alone upon all my enemies,

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and made avenge to the God Almighty.

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I think the score gets settled though.

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Sometimes you look at it and the bad guys seem to always win.

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Those beautiful righteous robes stand by the blood of his enemies,

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not from the seeping wounds of the Lord,

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but those whom he had trodden out a wine press

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and had eventually crushed his enemy.

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A lot of people still can't find the 33 year old Jesus in the cross

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and the resurrection and all of those things too.

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And sometimes as I talk to folks up at the museum a lot,

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and many of those young people are depressed

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and they're not looking forward to coming into this season with any joy

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or expectation of anything worthwhile.

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And that just scares me to death.

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That's not the way this season should be at all.

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It's a wise man that can seek out Jesus.

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It's a wiser man that can find Him.

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You know, why is a man wise?

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Well, first of all, those wise men served Jesus.

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They served Him.

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You know a lot of Christians that don't serve Jesus.

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They knew Jesus personally.

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Remember Matthew 7?

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Apart from Evee that work of Nicody, I never knew you.

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I never knew you.

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So you see, be careful.

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Be close to Jesus this season and know Him.

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And thirdly, there's a lot of Christians

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that have no allegiance to the church at all.

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A lot of people have no allegiance to Christ at all.

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I'm going to quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer,

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a man who I admire and he's a little hero of mine

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for a long, long time who stood up to Adolf Hitler

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and died for it.

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He said, there will never be many martyrs

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for only a very elect will ever stand

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in time of trouble to profess their faith.

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He died a grotesque death.

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But I love him.

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And I find encouragement in his testimony

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and at this season.

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In Luke 2, verse 10 through 14, listen to this.

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How can a person be depressed when you hear this?

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Starting in verse 8,

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there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby

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keeping watch over their flocks at night.

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And an angel of the Lord appeared to them

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and the glory of the Lord shone round about them

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and they were so afraid.

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But the angel said to them, ah, don't be afraid.

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I bring you good news of great joy

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that shall be for all of the people.

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Today in the town of David,

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his Savior has been born to you, Bethlehem.

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He is Christ the Lord.

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This will be a sign unto you.

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You will find a baby wrapped in clothes

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and lying in a manger.

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Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host

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appearing with the angel, praising God

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and saying, glory to God in the highest

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and on earth peace on whom his favor rests.

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As you can see, I'm juxtapositioning King James

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and the NIV and it's kind of hard to do.

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I like King James a little better.

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But that says it very nicely, doesn't it?

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What's that noise?

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The shepherd said, well, man, I hear music.

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Well, anybody out here playing music?

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They looked to the sky

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and there was the host of God,

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praising God and announcing a wonderful event

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that he who would save the world,

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save the people from their sins,

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is now a baby boy.

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I think that would thrill every mama's heart

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if it wasn't anyone else.

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And it should thrill us yet this day.

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I don't know.

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I was really impressed with Sunday night.

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Spicers had some beautiful music,

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some very soul searching and very biblical music.

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If you missed out on that, maybe someone got to tape it.

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But their theme was the real Christmas tree

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is actually the cross.

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The real Christmas tree is actually the cross.

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Why?

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Because at the feet of the cross

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were God's greatest gifts to his people.

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We saw that the Magi took well care.

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You know, it's just funny how this poor people,

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they were so poor that they just used two pigeons

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for the sacrifice when they should have used

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more expensive animals.

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That meant they were the poorest of the poor,

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the extremely poor.

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If you don't think that Jesus understands

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poor ways and poor folks,

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you're wrong because he came from the poorest

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and he was born in,

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and he was born in a manger.

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If you have any problem about a manger,

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there's folks around here who have ranches

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and I'll bet you they could show you one.

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It's awful pretty.

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It's just old wooden slats, isn't it?

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And fragments of straw and that's where you feel

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a few old grueling animals.

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I liked the manger.

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I used to go out and put my face against that old horse

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and as he would chew the sweet candied grain

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and sometimes I'd eat some of the grain

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and put my face against it,

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he and I would talk.

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He usually got the better part of it,

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that old horse.

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What a sweet thing a manger can be.

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There's sustenance in a manger.

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There's something to eat in a manger.

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It was poor folks place.

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It's a hard place.

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It's not a pretty place either.

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And the Magi brought what?

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Frankincense and gold and myrrh.

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If you were traveling to Arabia,

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if you were traveling to other places

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across the desert,

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if you were traveling to Egypt,

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you'd need money, wouldn't you?

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You would need that emollient

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which satisfies the drying heat

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of a little baby crying.

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And Frankincense, you know,

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after you'd ridden on a mule

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for several weeks, I suspect

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channel number five would be

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very appropriate.

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You'd smell better and probably in smelling better,

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you'd feel a little better.

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It seems to be the case with most of us.

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They lived for two years off of that.

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These folks had nothing to live off in Egypt

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and knew no one in Egypt.

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Well,

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Jesus is everything.

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He's the gift of the season, isn't he?

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And Jesus is the gift

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that you can count on.

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You'll never feel depressed

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if you count

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on the gift that comes from God.

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Kitty and I, we went shopping yesterday.

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Kitty just wants to remember

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a whole bunch of people

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and just a thought.

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And I just hate shopping.

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I know that most of you men just really love it

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and just look forward to the Christmas season

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so you can get out there and shop with your wife.

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Especially with your wife.

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It is so much fun

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to go to the mall

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and shop.

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I like somebody enough to give them,

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I'd like to give them something decent.

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Kitty, that's only a two

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and a quarter dollar present.

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That's not much.

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Well, honey, it's just the thought.

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It was just the shopping that was fun for her.

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I think.

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But you know, the gift is all important in it.

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There's a difference in what's really important

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in the gift.

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I saw a little Bradley

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with a tear running down his eye.

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What's the matter, Bradley?

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He's done several all-night packing jobs

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as they got ready to go.

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There's a little 12-year-old

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that wasn't as tough as he thought he was.

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He could only have one toy

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to take with him.

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Not that much room.

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And he had to give up

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his favorite dinosaur.

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Doesn't sound like much, does it?

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But there was a little tear coming down his eye.

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I said, you wimp, Bradley.

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Well, you know what the real gift is.

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We love gifts, don't we?

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How important gifts are

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to each one of us.

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The real gift is Jesus.

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The real package is Jesus.

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Jesus is his personal name.

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It's not his work.

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It's not his office.

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His office is

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Messiah,

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one of the oldest names

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in prophetic teaching.

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It occurs very early in Genesis.

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Just in the beginning.

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Messiah.

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And in the Hebrew meant

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anointed one.

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Another word often used

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is Christ.

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That's not his name. I'd like to introduce you

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to Mr. and Mrs. Christ.

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No, you couldn't say that.

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You couldn't say the Mrs. That's for sure.

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That wasn't his family lineage.

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That's what he did.

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He was the anointed one.

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And who was anointed?

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Prophets? Was he not?

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Priests?

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No, between God and man.

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We don't believe in

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manly priests.

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Why?

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That's not biblical.

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And kings.

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Kings. Why is it that

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Herod was so intrigued

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by trying to kill

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this innocent little baby?

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Because he was king, Herod.

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And remember the words

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of the Magi?

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Or is this one who is called

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king

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of the Jews?

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They'd have worded that differently.

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He who would be second only

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to the greatness

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of Herod,

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the great,

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might have pulled it off.

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That would even be a lie.

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Second only?

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He's king.

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You know what that means.

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Kings have property.

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Kings have a kingdom.

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Kingdoms have people.

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Kingdoms have

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servancy.

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And so we cannot acknowledge

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anyone else, our king.

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He was therefore the anointed one.

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Only those who were anointed

17:18.000 --> 17:20.000
were prophets, priests,

17:20.000 --> 17:22.000
and kings. And that's why Jesus

17:22.000 --> 17:24.000
is the supreme and ultimate gift.

17:24.000 --> 17:26.000
He's the gift you can count on.

17:26.000 --> 17:28.000
The old Germans, I'm from the Germans.

17:28.000 --> 17:30.000
Now, the number of other things,

17:30.000 --> 17:32.000
but I can remember those gorgeous

17:32.000 --> 17:34.000
voices, those German men.

17:34.000 --> 17:36.000
They gave us some nice things

17:36.000 --> 17:38.000
like Dukau, Buchenwald,

17:38.000 --> 17:40.000
World War II, World War I,

17:40.000 --> 17:42.000
and a number of other things.

17:42.000 --> 17:44.000
But man, they can sing a macho bass.

17:44.000 --> 17:46.000
Does anyone like to hear a strong

17:46.000 --> 17:48.000
bass, sing bass?

17:48.000 --> 17:50.000
I don't think there's anything quite as thrilling

17:50.000 --> 17:52.000
or vibrant about it.

17:52.000 --> 17:54.000
Oh, tenenbaum,

17:54.000 --> 17:56.000
oh, tenenbaum,

17:56.000 --> 17:58.000
vietrois in diner,

17:58.000 --> 18:00.000
bletter,

18:00.000 --> 18:02.000
it's a gentle language.

18:02.000 --> 18:04.000
It's a sweet language.

18:04.000 --> 18:06.000
Kind of poetic,

18:06.000 --> 18:08.000
something you'd want to sing to your sweetheart.

18:08.000 --> 18:10.000
Well,

18:10.000 --> 18:12.000
what in the world did that mean?

18:12.000 --> 18:14.000
Oh, little green tree,

18:14.000 --> 18:16.000
oh, little green tree,

18:16.000 --> 18:18.000
how true are thy leaves.

18:18.000 --> 18:20.000
You don't

18:20.000 --> 18:22.000
believe there's any truth in the limbs

18:22.000 --> 18:24.000
of a tree, do you?

18:24.000 --> 18:26.000
I hope not. Where's the truth?

18:26.000 --> 18:28.000
Jesus said, I am the way, the truth,

18:28.000 --> 18:30.000
and no man cometh unto the Father,

18:30.000 --> 18:32.000
but by me.

18:32.000 --> 18:34.000
That's the truth, isn't it?

18:34.000 --> 18:36.000
That's the gift of Almighty

18:36.000 --> 18:38.000
God.

18:38.000 --> 18:40.000
I love this season of song.

18:40.000 --> 18:42.000
I hope you enjoy the African

18:42.000 --> 18:44.000
music, the little children singing.

18:44.000 --> 18:46.000
And

18:46.000 --> 18:48.000
I praise that it is something

18:48.000 --> 18:50.000
to God. It doesn't have anything to do

18:50.000 --> 18:52.000
with anything that we program.

18:52.000 --> 18:54.000
But they're sweet little kids.

18:54.000 --> 18:56.000
And we've had to say goodbye

18:56.000 --> 18:58.000
to a number of those orphans that we

18:58.000 --> 19:00.000
love for so long, and

19:00.000 --> 19:02.000
I just think it will be a good time for all of us.

19:02.000 --> 19:04.000
Mary's boy child Jesus

19:04.000 --> 19:06.000
Christ

19:06.000 --> 19:08.000
was born on Christmas

19:08.000 --> 19:10.000
day. Now, that's a sad invitation

19:10.000 --> 19:12.000
of any song, but it doesn't make you feel

19:12.000 --> 19:14.000
good. A little boy was born

19:14.000 --> 19:16.000
in memory of this day.

19:16.000 --> 19:18.000
He come from

19:18.000 --> 19:20.000
the glory

19:20.000 --> 19:22.000
He come from the

19:22.000 --> 19:24.000
glorious kingdom.

19:24.000 --> 19:26.000
Yeah, Mon.

19:26.000 --> 19:28.000
Jamaica Mon.

19:28.000 --> 19:30.000
What tickles me is we've got some boys

19:30.000 --> 19:32.000
and girls there.

19:32.000 --> 19:34.000
Some people who grew up with

19:34.000 --> 19:36.000
us.

19:36.000 --> 19:38.000
And we've had our ministers there.

19:38.000 --> 19:40.000
And we've had our kids there.

19:40.000 --> 19:42.000
And we've got an orphanage going

19:42.000 --> 19:44.000
on in Jamaica Mon.

19:44.000 --> 19:46.000
And that makes me feel good.

19:46.000 --> 19:48.000
And I pray that they sing as only those

19:48.000 --> 19:50.000
little guys can sing. He comes

19:50.000 --> 19:52.000
from the glorious

19:52.000 --> 19:54.000
kingdom.

19:54.000 --> 19:56.000
Hey, I'm getting my voice back.

19:56.000 --> 19:58.000
You should have tried this earlier.

20:00.000 --> 20:02.000
The last thing I would affirm

20:04.000 --> 20:06.000
that I may come

20:06.000 --> 20:08.000
and worship him

20:08.000 --> 20:10.000
also.

20:10.000 --> 20:12.000
That guy didn't want to worship Jesus

20:12.000 --> 20:14.000
at all, did he? So most of the world

20:14.000 --> 20:16.000
doesn't find it because first of all, they're not

20:16.000 --> 20:18.000
really looking for it.

20:18.000 --> 20:20.000
And they have the wrong purpose in looking for

20:20.000 --> 20:22.000
it. But there are many who

20:22.000 --> 20:24.000
find him.

20:24.000 --> 20:26.000
Now you've heard the welt.

20:26.000 --> 20:28.000
One of our greatest preachers.

20:28.000 --> 20:30.000
Why one of the greatest preachers

20:30.000 --> 20:32.000
at anybody's church of any day.

20:32.000 --> 20:34.000
And he walked down the aisle.

20:34.000 --> 20:36.000
Oh, he did it this way because we used

20:36.000 --> 20:38.000
to sit that way. See.

20:38.000 --> 20:40.000
Oh, it really disgusts me that we had to

20:40.000 --> 20:42.000
change things around. Put the guy down

20:42.000 --> 20:44.000
there and put him up here. You know, why don't

20:44.000 --> 20:46.000
we just, this is the Lord's business.

20:46.000 --> 20:48.000
Why don't we do it orderly? Oh, every

20:48.000 --> 20:50.000
five years you probably have to change something.

20:50.000 --> 20:52.000
Wouldn't that be awful?

20:52.000 --> 20:54.000
By the way, Don would walk through there

20:54.000 --> 20:56.000
and that really upsets the people. What is

20:56.000 --> 20:58.000
the preacher doing coming out? He might find

20:58.000 --> 21:00.000
us picking our nose or he might find us

21:00.000 --> 21:02.000
asleep or making Z's.

21:02.000 --> 21:04.000
They remember, there are two

21:04.000 --> 21:06.000
great edifices upon which

21:06.000 --> 21:08.000
the church is built.

21:08.000 --> 21:10.000
I don't want to bore you with this, but listen.

21:10.000 --> 21:12.000
One is a giant pillar

21:12.000 --> 21:14.000
and it is named the

21:14.000 --> 21:16.000
Virgin Birth.

21:16.000 --> 21:18.000
It's anchored in the heart of the earth.

21:18.000 --> 21:20.000
It's anchored into the very

21:20.000 --> 21:22.000
sematic rocks of the earth.

21:22.000 --> 21:24.000
It's anchored in the core of the earth

21:24.000 --> 21:26.000
and its upper columnist sins clear

21:26.000 --> 21:28.000
up into the clouds at the throne

21:28.000 --> 21:30.000
of Jesus Christ. If we have

21:30.000 --> 21:32.000
no virgin birth,

21:32.000 --> 21:34.000
we have nothing

21:34.000 --> 21:36.000
at all.

21:36.000 --> 21:38.000
We're just another poor society,

21:38.000 --> 21:40.000
a fellowship.

21:40.000 --> 21:42.000
But we have a holy foundation,

21:42.000 --> 21:44.000
the reason for the church

21:44.000 --> 21:46.000
is because the

21:46.000 --> 21:48.000
second great pillar,

21:48.000 --> 21:50.000
and it runs just as deep into the core

21:50.000 --> 21:52.000
of the earth and goes just as high

21:52.000 --> 21:54.000
and it actually supports the framework

21:54.000 --> 21:56.000
of God's almighty throne

21:56.000 --> 21:58.000
and that is the

21:58.000 --> 22:00.000
resurrection.

22:00.000 --> 22:02.000
And so when we think

22:02.000 --> 22:04.000
of this season,

22:04.000 --> 22:06.000
our mind is called to

22:06.000 --> 22:08.000
the resurrection.

22:08.000 --> 22:10.000
Sometimes I get blue in wintertime.

22:10.000 --> 22:12.000
Sometimes I get kind of down.

22:12.000 --> 22:14.000
I'm just approaching the winter solstice.

22:14.000 --> 22:16.000
In just one more

22:16.000 --> 22:18.000
week, the days

22:18.000 --> 22:20.000
will now become longer again.

22:20.000 --> 22:22.000
Hey, it won't be this spring,

22:22.000 --> 22:24.000
but it's a start because the days

22:24.000 --> 22:26.000
start getting longer. See why they needed

22:26.000 --> 22:28.000
that break in those long

22:28.000 --> 22:30.000
winters?

22:30.000 --> 22:32.000
Well, the virgin birth.

22:32.000 --> 22:34.000
Behold, a virgin shall be with

22:34.000 --> 22:36.000
child and shall bring forth

22:36.000 --> 22:38.000
a son and they shall call his name

22:38.000 --> 22:40.000
Immanuel being interpreted.

22:40.000 --> 22:42.000
God is

22:42.000 --> 22:44.000
with us.

22:44.000 --> 22:46.000
How could you be depressed?

22:46.000 --> 22:48.000
How could you really be down

22:48.000 --> 22:50.000
if it has been announced that

22:50.000 --> 22:52.000
God is with

22:52.000 --> 22:54.000
us? It just makes the air

22:54.000 --> 22:56.000
on the back of my neck what little there is.

22:56.000 --> 22:58.000
Curl. It's an exciting

22:58.000 --> 23:00.000
thing to think about.

23:00.000 --> 23:02.000
In resurrection, John 11

23:02.000 --> 23:04.000
Jesus spoke of that, didn't he?

23:04.000 --> 23:06.000
Anastasis, the most beautiful world

23:06.000 --> 23:08.000
at the world, word that the world has

23:08.000 --> 23:10.000
ever known.

23:10.000 --> 23:12.000
I am

23:12.000 --> 23:14.000
the resurrection

23:14.000 --> 23:16.000
and the life.

23:16.000 --> 23:18.000
He that believeth in me, though

23:18.000 --> 23:20.000
he were dead, yet

23:20.000 --> 23:22.000
shall he

23:22.000 --> 23:24.000
live. He that believeth and believeth

23:24.000 --> 23:26.000
in me shall

23:26.000 --> 23:28.000
never die.

23:30.000 --> 23:32.000
And then he says, Marty,

23:32.000 --> 23:34.000
believeest thou this?

23:34.000 --> 23:36.000
Can I say it again, Martha?

23:36.000 --> 23:38.000
Because Martha didn't act

23:38.000 --> 23:40.000
too bright sometimes. But boy,

23:40.000 --> 23:42.000
Martha acts

23:42.000 --> 23:44.000
beautifully, far more than

23:44.000 --> 23:46.000
any of the rest of us could.

23:46.000 --> 23:48.000
I know we shall see him

23:48.000 --> 23:50.000
in the last days

23:50.000 --> 23:52.000
in

23:52.000 --> 23:54.000
the resurrection.

23:54.000 --> 23:56.000
If you belong to Jesus

23:56.000 --> 23:58.000
you shall never die.

23:58.000 --> 24:00.000
And we shall see each other

24:00.000 --> 24:02.000
again

24:02.000 --> 24:04.000
in some day

24:04.000 --> 24:06.000
coming to pass.

24:06.000 --> 24:08.000
I believe that with all of my heart.

24:08.000 --> 24:10.000
You know, I mentioned Dietrich

24:10.000 --> 24:12.000
Bonhoeffer

24:12.000 --> 24:14.000
at Old Irishman.

24:14.000 --> 24:16.000
He'd like to bum this, the cost

24:16.000 --> 24:18.000
of discipleship by Bonhoeffer.

24:18.000 --> 24:20.000
These are from his prison papers.

24:20.000 --> 24:22.000
There's a disputation

24:22.000 --> 24:24.000
of how he did die. Probably he was

24:24.000 --> 24:26.000
hanged. However, good reports

24:26.000 --> 24:28.000
were that he was injected

24:28.000 --> 24:30.000
with formaldehyde under the sternum.

24:30.000 --> 24:32.000
That he might die a miserable

24:32.000 --> 24:34.000
death. I don't know.

24:34.000 --> 24:36.000
Either one, it's a

24:36.000 --> 24:38.000
not your basic preacher type glory.

24:38.000 --> 24:40.000
Is it? Not what I'm looking

24:40.000 --> 24:42.000
for, for edification.

24:42.000 --> 24:44.000
But listen to what he says. This is a day

24:44.000 --> 24:46.000
when the church is surrounding some of its

24:46.000 --> 24:48.000
greatest gifts.

24:48.000 --> 24:50.000
Here's what he said.

24:50.000 --> 24:52.000
He had the church

24:52.000 --> 24:54.000
preach the gospel

24:54.000 --> 24:56.000
whatever the cost.

24:56.000 --> 24:58.000
He was a good Lutheran, by the way.

24:58.000 --> 25:00.000
And he didn't always agree

25:00.000 --> 25:02.000
with his church.

25:02.000 --> 25:04.000
Here's what he said.

25:04.000 --> 25:06.000
The word of preaching in itself

25:06.000 --> 25:08.000
is insufficient to make us members

25:08.000 --> 25:10.000
of Christ's body.

25:10.000 --> 25:12.000
Those things we call the sacraments

25:12.000 --> 25:14.000
have also to be added.

25:14.000 --> 25:16.000
Why baptism incorporates

25:16.000 --> 25:18.000
us into the unity of the body of the

25:18.000 --> 25:20.000
Christ. You need to be in the body of Christ.

25:20.000 --> 25:22.000
And the Lord's

25:22.000 --> 25:24.000
supper fosters and sustains

25:24.000 --> 25:26.000
our fellowship and our communion

25:26.000 --> 25:28.000
in that body. Why baptism

25:28.000 --> 25:30.000
doesn't make us members of the body

25:30.000 --> 25:32.000
of Christ? We are baptized

25:32.000 --> 25:34.000
into Christ, Galatians 3, 27

25:34.000 --> 25:36.000
and Romans 6, 3.

25:36.000 --> 25:38.000
We are baptized into one body

25:38.000 --> 25:40.000
1 Corinthians 12, 13.

25:40.000 --> 25:42.000
Our death in baptism

25:42.000 --> 25:44.000
conveys the gift of the Holy Spirit

25:44.000 --> 25:46.000
and gains the redemption

25:46.000 --> 25:48.000
which Christ wrought for us

25:48.000 --> 25:50.000
in his body, the church.

25:50.000 --> 25:52.000
How often it says

25:52.000 --> 25:54.000
my body, the church.

25:54.000 --> 25:56.000
His body, the church.

25:56.000 --> 25:58.000
The communion of the body of Christ.

25:58.000 --> 26:00.000
Why is that?

26:00.000 --> 26:02.000
Which we receive as the disciples

26:02.000 --> 26:04.000
received it in the early days.

26:04.000 --> 26:06.000
And it is the sign and pledge that we are

26:06.000 --> 26:08.000
with Christ and we are in Christ

26:08.000 --> 26:10.000
and that He is in us.

26:10.000 --> 26:12.000
Rightly understand

26:12.000 --> 26:14.000
the doctrine of the body of Christ

26:14.000 --> 26:16.000
for it's the clue

26:16.000 --> 26:18.000
to the meaning of these expressions.

26:18.000 --> 26:20.000
What is the body of Christ? It's

26:20.000 --> 26:22.000
Jesus. As many as we're baptized into Christ

26:22.000 --> 26:24.000
have put Him on

26:24.000 --> 26:26.000
and are now a part of His body.

26:26.000 --> 26:28.000
I

26:28.000 --> 26:30.000
talked to little Brad

26:30.000 --> 26:32.000
and he

26:32.000 --> 26:34.000
had tears.

26:34.000 --> 26:36.000
I got to talk long enough because Kitty wasn't there

26:36.000 --> 26:38.000
and he just called hoping somebody would be there

26:38.000 --> 26:40.000
and I just happened to be there

26:40.000 --> 26:42.000
and

26:42.000 --> 26:44.000
he's kind of lonesome

26:44.000 --> 26:46.000
and oh, I'm thankful for all you kids

26:46.000 --> 26:48.000
that wrote him letters

26:48.000 --> 26:50.000
and that wrote the family letters.

26:50.000 --> 26:52.000
They're kind of out of their element now.

26:52.000 --> 26:54.000
They'll be in Albany in just three weeks.

26:54.000 --> 26:56.000
And

26:56.000 --> 26:58.000
Bradley was crying

26:58.000 --> 27:00.000
and

27:00.000 --> 27:02.000
I hung up.

27:02.000 --> 27:04.000
I tried to do the best I could

27:04.000 --> 27:06.000
and went out and sat there.

27:06.000 --> 27:08.000
Do you remember last Saturday?

27:08.000 --> 27:10.000
It was a stunning Saturday.

27:10.000 --> 27:12.000
Not this last

27:12.000 --> 27:14.000
Saturday before last.

27:14.000 --> 27:16.000
It was a divine day.

27:16.000 --> 27:18.000
It was the pale clouds.

27:18.000 --> 27:20.000
Way high.

27:20.000 --> 27:22.000
Those are the harbinger clouds.

27:22.000 --> 27:24.000
Something's coming.

27:24.000 --> 27:26.000
But it's seven, eight, nine days.

27:26.000 --> 27:28.000
It's an announcement of the verga cloud.

27:28.000 --> 27:30.000
The walking ring.

27:30.000 --> 27:32.000
But down low was a skud

27:32.000 --> 27:34.000
coming across and the light

27:34.000 --> 27:36.000
was, here's the pale

27:36.000 --> 27:38.000
silver clouds, Mary's tails.

27:38.000 --> 27:40.000
Way high, see.

27:40.000 --> 27:42.000
And then the low clouds, the skud

27:42.000 --> 27:44.000
with altering snow coming back and forth

27:44.000 --> 27:46.000
and in that it was almost like autumn

27:46.000 --> 27:48.000
again, like fall again and I wasn't depressed

27:48.000 --> 27:50.000
about winter and all once I could see

27:50.000 --> 27:52.000
why here's something

27:52.000 --> 27:54.000
God's given us this special day

27:54.000 --> 27:56.000
and I sat there and I drank a cup of coffee

27:56.000 --> 27:58.000
and I thought about

27:58.000 --> 28:00.000
the mountains and I thought about life

28:00.000 --> 28:02.000
and I thought about winter and I'm tired

28:02.000 --> 28:04.000
of it already and I've been depressed

28:04.000 --> 28:06.000
by it already, maybe you are too.

28:06.000 --> 28:08.000
So I wrote a little poem

28:08.000 --> 28:10.000
to Bradley

28:10.000 --> 28:12.000
as I thought about

28:12.000 --> 28:14.000
what praise there is

28:14.000 --> 28:16.000
even in the wintertime

28:16.000 --> 28:18.000
or those days

28:18.000 --> 28:20.000
which are a treasure to us.

28:20.000 --> 28:22.000
The tall grass meadows

28:22.000 --> 28:24.000
in white array

28:24.000 --> 28:26.000
were sickly tufts of winter's drying hay

28:26.000 --> 28:28.000
sing songs of sadness

28:28.000 --> 28:30.000
for things that pass away

28:30.000 --> 28:32.000
when winds less gentle

28:32.000 --> 28:34.000
sweep the dry land clean

28:34.000 --> 28:36.000
in the meadow

28:36.000 --> 28:38.000
beneath the early winter wind

28:38.000 --> 28:40.000
the sky less loving needs far less friends

28:40.000 --> 28:42.000
and the gray low clouds

28:42.000 --> 28:44.000
drops snow as if to make amends

28:44.000 --> 28:46.000
taunting the timid mare's tails

28:46.000 --> 28:48.000
who follow after

28:48.000 --> 28:50.000
on this gentle day

28:50.000 --> 28:52.000
my thoughts turn to you

28:52.000 --> 28:54.000
the fox in winter

28:54.000 --> 28:56.000
and the red poppies too

28:56.000 --> 28:58.000
have fled this field

28:58.000 --> 29:00.000
but promise to renew

29:00.000 --> 29:02.000
their presence with a return

29:02.000 --> 29:04.000
of southern winds

29:04.000 --> 29:06.000
so this brief respite

29:06.000 --> 29:08.000
from the winter skies

29:08.000 --> 29:10.000
whispers you are well

29:10.000 --> 29:12.000
I won't cry

29:12.000 --> 29:14.000
for spring will come

29:14.000 --> 29:16.000
to the winter wise

29:16.000 --> 29:18.000
and all come home

29:18.000 --> 29:20.000
in their proper seasons

29:20.000 --> 29:22.000
sometimes it just seems like

29:22.000 --> 29:24.000
way too long

29:24.000 --> 29:26.000
to the resurrection

29:26.000 --> 29:28.000
you fill with joy

29:28.000 --> 29:30.000
it's not so long

29:30.000 --> 29:32.000
to the resurrection

29:32.000 --> 29:34.000
for me it's a very short time

29:34.000 --> 29:36.000
I'm sure

29:36.000 --> 29:38.000
for many of you it could be many years

29:38.000 --> 29:40.000
I suspect it's a short time

29:40.000 --> 29:42.000
but I think he's coming home again

29:42.000 --> 29:44.000
and coming home soon

29:44.000 --> 29:46.000
our hymn invitation is

29:46.000 --> 29:48.000
what number

29:54.000 --> 29:56.000
okay, number

29:56.000 --> 29:58.000
375

30:00.000 --> 30:02.000
would you stand please

30:02.000 --> 30:04.000
you need a church home

30:04.000 --> 30:06.000
you need a place

30:06.000 --> 30:08.000
to tithe

30:08.000 --> 30:10.000
to work

30:10.000 --> 30:12.000
to teach little kids

30:12.000 --> 30:14.000
to grow in the faith

30:14.000 --> 30:16.000
we need you

30:16.000 --> 30:18.000
you need the body of Christ

30:18.000 --> 30:20.000
it's eternal life in the making

30:20.000 --> 30:22.000
I honestly believe that

30:22.000 --> 30:24.000
number 375

30:38.000 --> 30:40.000
you