WEBVTT - Kept In The Dark 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:02.320 I want to pray one more time before I preach. 0:00:02.600 --> 0:00:05.280 I want to pray for something specifically. Everyone's standing at 0:00:05.280 --> 0:00:07.840 every location in your home. Stand in your kitchen, stand 0:00:08.000 --> 0:00:10.600 get out the bed, and stand up in your Tommy Johns. 0:00:10.600 --> 0:00:13.119 If you have to put a robe on, robes of 0:00:13.200 --> 0:00:17.599 righteousness and stand up, and I want to pray. I 0:00:17.600 --> 0:00:19.880 don't have long to really talk about it, but I 0:00:19.920 --> 0:00:23.079 want to pray about it. About our offering next Sunday, 0:00:23.160 --> 0:00:28.280 December twelfth. This is a tradition, and more than it's 0:00:28.320 --> 0:00:31.280 a tradition, because some traditions are empty. This is not 0:00:31.320 --> 0:00:33.760 an empty tradition like a turkey or something like that 0:00:33.760 --> 0:00:37.040 that's going to put you to sleep anyway. This is training. 0:00:38.200 --> 0:00:40.880 This is how when we trust God, when we bring 0:00:40.960 --> 0:00:43.599 him the first fruits of everything that he's given us, 0:00:43.880 --> 0:00:47.040 which thousands of people will commit to do here between 0:00:47.040 --> 0:00:48.800 now at the end of the year and set it 0:00:48.880 --> 0:00:51.720 up online and all that, and many people giving above 0:00:51.760 --> 0:00:53.959 and beyond. I've already got my offering ready. I got 0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:57.440 a head start. I started on this, started praying about 0:00:57.480 --> 0:01:02.160 this in October, so I'm ready. But we're calling the 0:01:02.160 --> 0:01:05.680 offering better. That's the word that we associated with the offering. 0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:08.600 I took it from where he said the glory of 0:01:08.680 --> 0:01:11.280 the latter house would be greater than the glory of 0:01:11.280 --> 0:01:13.880 the former house. And so many people right now are 0:01:13.880 --> 0:01:17.520 in seasons of rebuilding. But the Lord doesn't just want 0:01:17.520 --> 0:01:20.839 to rebuild what we had before. He wants to take 0:01:20.920 --> 0:01:26.880 us to a new place with new priorities and new perspective. 0:01:27.800 --> 0:01:31.840 So now the key to all of this. Do you 0:01:31.880 --> 0:01:35.720 really trust that he's your provider? Do you really trust 0:01:35.760 --> 0:01:39.120 that he is Jehovah jiro The Lord provides, the Lord sees. 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:42.600 So when I bring my offering, it's not just oh 0:01:42.720 --> 0:01:44.920 so we can keep paying staff members. Oh so we 0:01:44.959 --> 0:01:48.120 can keep changing guitar strings on Joey's less pallback there. 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:50.440 Oh so we can keep buying goldfish crackers for the 0:01:50.520 --> 0:01:52.840 kids over any kids so they don't freak out while 0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:57.520 I'm preaching too long for me's training is teaching me 0:01:57.720 --> 0:02:01.880 to trust God. And it also does something amazing because 0:02:01.920 --> 0:02:04.920 then I get to see the fruit of preaching the 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:08.200 gospel all around the world. I want to thank all 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:11.160 of you who tithe to this ministry, who give to 0:02:11.240 --> 0:02:15.520 this ministry. We preach Jesus all over the world daily 0:02:16.240 --> 0:02:19.440 I mean, every hour of every day, there's somebody being 0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:23.280 blessed somewhere by this ministry, and we get to do 0:02:23.400 --> 0:02:30.760 that together. So I'm excited, really excited. I'm grown up now, 0:02:30.960 --> 0:02:34.079 so I'm more excited about giving than receiving because I'm 0:02:34.120 --> 0:02:38.480 grown up now. I'm grown up now. And so we're 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:40.919 going to pray for all who are praying and asking God. 0:02:40.960 --> 0:02:43.480 God want me to give above and beyond the type 0:02:43.480 --> 0:02:46.200 again to tithe both. Let me pray because only God 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:48.600 can speak these things to you. By your head, Father, 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:52.520 I thank you for what you've already done. I don't 0:02:52.560 --> 0:02:56.079 want to skip that if you never did anything else 0:02:57.400 --> 0:03:01.560 for Stephen Ferdy, for Elevation Church, for the people that 0:03:01.600 --> 0:03:05.000 I'm looking at. You already gave us this many breaths, 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:07.800 this many days, this many blessings, this many breakthroughs, this 0:03:07.880 --> 0:03:11.320 many victories, this many slain giants, this many crumbled walls. 0:03:11.600 --> 0:03:14.720 You've already done enough to be worthy because you saved 0:03:14.760 --> 0:03:17.679 us and you loved us, and you came to tabernacle 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:21.800 and live in us. So it's already enough. But you 0:03:21.919 --> 0:03:27.520 promise that you're able to do immeasurably more. I declare 0:03:27.560 --> 0:03:30.280 that over your children today that their best is not 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:34.800 behind them, and the devil is a liar. That the 0:03:34.880 --> 0:03:39.160 glory of the present house, what you're building right now, 0:03:39.520 --> 0:03:43.280 by your spirit, in the name of Jesus, it will 0:03:43.920 --> 0:03:48.800 be greater. Say it. It will be greater. In the chat, 0:03:49.040 --> 0:03:55.040 it will be greater. Riverwalk, it will be greater. Valentine, 0:03:55.280 --> 0:04:00.320 it will be greater. And we give you praise by 0:04:00.400 --> 0:04:06.440 faith in Jesus' name. If you believe that, give God 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:18.760 a mighty shout of praise. Yeah, all right, So they'll 0:04:18.760 --> 0:04:20.400 give you the details how to get that offering. I 0:04:20.400 --> 0:04:23.919 need everybody participating on the level where God has blessed you. 0:04:24.520 --> 0:04:26.440 I'll be sneaking out of here will The church is big. 0:04:26.480 --> 0:04:28.200 They don't need my money. It's not about the church 0:04:28.279 --> 0:04:34.680 needing your money. It's about you needing God. So it 0:04:34.720 --> 0:04:38.160 will be grateful. And if you never ever give, we'll 0:04:38.200 --> 0:04:42.640 still be here for you. Isn't that cool? The restaurant 0:04:42.640 --> 0:04:46.120 doesn't tell you that, Hey, we'll still feed you. Man, 0:04:46.279 --> 0:04:48.840 Just keep on coming. We'll keep on whatever you want, free, 0:04:48.880 --> 0:04:50.880 refill as long as you want. They'll kick you out, 0:04:52.120 --> 0:04:55.080 But this is a ministry that will be here for you, 0:04:56.760 --> 0:05:00.320 be here for you. One dude told me he left 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:02.360 the church for four years. He said, I was mad 0:05:02.400 --> 0:05:04.560 at you. I said mad at me. I had never 0:05:04.600 --> 0:05:08.520 met him before. He said, yeah, you were preaching some 0:05:08.560 --> 0:05:11.039 things that I didn't want to hear. But he said, 0:05:11.080 --> 0:05:13.640 I came back because what God said through you was right. 0:05:15.160 --> 0:05:17.240 And he said when I finally reminded me of the 0:05:17.240 --> 0:05:18.840 prodigal son, when he went off in the pigpen and 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:20.800 stuff and he came to a census. I didn't tell 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:23.320 him that he looked like you've been in the pig pen, buddy. 0:05:24.839 --> 0:05:27.000 But he said, when I finally got my got my 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:29.360 mind back right, I knew where I could come back 0:05:29.400 --> 0:05:31.599 to with elevation because I knew I'll be accepted and 0:05:31.640 --> 0:05:35.400 welcome and e grace. And that's what I like about 0:05:35.440 --> 0:05:41.120 this church. I love this church. Man. Oh come all 0:05:41.160 --> 0:05:43.440 ye faithful, I'll come. Oh come all ye faithless. Oh 0:05:43.480 --> 0:05:45.839 come all ye heathen, Oh come all ye pagans, Oh 0:05:45.920 --> 0:05:48.960 come all ye addicted. Oh oh come all ye pretty. 0:05:49.000 --> 0:05:51.040 I'll come all ye ugly. I'll come with you buff. 0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:54.400 I'll come ye skinny, scrawny, fat. I don't care. Oh 0:05:54.440 --> 0:05:58.480 come just calm, just calm, so it'll be amazing. I'm 0:05:58.480 --> 0:06:01.279 glad you came. Hey, Todd, at least five people on 0:06:01.360 --> 0:06:02.800 your way down, don't touch them, don't touch them. Don't 0:06:02.800 --> 0:06:04.720 touch them, because's how legal. I forgot. I'm sorry. Oh 0:06:04.720 --> 0:06:06.599 have it, I'll have it. I'll have it. Just look 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:09.640 at five people, untell them. I'm glad you came today. 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:12.680 Put it in the chat online. I'm glad you came 0:06:12.760 --> 0:06:16.320 today when you found five people. Take your seat. Let's go, 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:27.000 let's go. Take your seat. I am giving you your 0:06:27.080 --> 0:06:35.400 Christmas sermon Early. I know how you are, and I 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:40.080 know they're shipping delays in the natural, and I know 0:06:40.200 --> 0:06:43.920 also the closer it gets to Christmas, the less docking 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:45.880 room at the docks, You're going to have to hear 0:06:45.920 --> 0:06:47.839 God's word because your life's going to be so busy 0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:50.400 and crowded. You be around all these people. You don't 0:06:50.480 --> 0:06:52.479 like cleaning up your house to impress them, and don't 0:06:52.520 --> 0:06:56.000 even like them buying them stuff, and they don't even 0:06:56.040 --> 0:06:58.359 wear what you bought them last year, and you have noticed. 0:07:01.000 --> 0:07:03.920 But so I'm gonna give you your gift Early. I'm 0:07:03.920 --> 0:07:05.839 gonna get out of head. I got out of head 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:08.000 on all of Holly's gifts this year. I've got them 0:07:08.000 --> 0:07:12.920 all there already. I bought them early, that's right. And 0:07:13.000 --> 0:07:16.800 Abby knows everything that she's getting. Holly doesn't. So that's 0:07:16.840 --> 0:07:19.280 because I trust Abby now, trust her, I can tell 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:22.800 her honestly. Y'all, all of my kids when they were little, 0:07:22.800 --> 0:07:25.320 they all spoiled presence. One time, Elijah came back from 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:27.240 South Park with me, and he told Holly because I 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:29.920 took him shopping and he saw Santa. And I know 0:07:30.040 --> 0:07:33.040 you think Santa's pagan, but he is five, okay, And 0:07:33.120 --> 0:07:35.360 so I took him to go sit on Santa's lap. 0:07:36.000 --> 0:07:38.640 And he came back and told Holly, I'm not allowed 0:07:38.680 --> 0:07:43.560 to tell you that we got you sweatpants from Juicy 0:07:46.560 --> 0:07:51.160 oh Man. But I trust Abby now, so I don't 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:57.720 keep her in the darkening. He go to Matthew chapter two. 0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:01.679 I told Graham's sitting on the front road, this sermon 0:08:01.760 --> 0:08:04.240 keeps getting bigger in me the longer we sit here. 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:06.600 They need to stop singing so I can preach, because 0:08:06.600 --> 0:08:11.000 I feel like I'm about to give birth, which is 0:08:11.040 --> 0:08:16.640 exactly what Mary said in Bethlehem. She wasn't planning to 0:08:16.640 --> 0:08:19.000 give birth in Bethlehem, but she had to anyway. And 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:20.920 that's where we're going to pick up today in Matthew 0:08:21.000 --> 0:08:26.600 chapter two. You ready, You're ready or not? Here comes 0:08:26.680 --> 0:08:35.239 Jesus Matthew chapter two. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem 0:08:35.240 --> 0:08:39.800 in Judea during the time of King Herod, Magi from 0:08:39.880 --> 0:08:44.120 the east came to Jerusalem and asked, where is the 0:08:44.120 --> 0:08:47.280 one who has been born King of the Jews. We 0:08:47.360 --> 0:08:50.760 saw his star when it rose and have come to 0:08:50.800 --> 0:08:55.440 worship him. When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed. 0:08:56.720 --> 0:09:02.040 Uh oh, and all Jerusalem with him, because if Herod 0:09:02.080 --> 0:09:04.880 gets mad, he's going to do crazy stuff to them. 0:09:05.320 --> 0:09:08.680 Because he's this provincial governor, he's not really in charge. 0:09:08.720 --> 0:09:12.040 He's appointed by the Roman government. So you know, Caesar 0:09:12.080 --> 0:09:16.000 Augustus is really the headman, but he's got Herod watching 0:09:16.040 --> 0:09:21.200 out for all of these Jewish people. So Versport says, 0:09:21.240 --> 0:09:24.400 when he had called together all the people's chief priests 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:26.920 and teachers of the law, he asked them where the 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:30.360 Messiah was to be born? In Bethlehem and Judea. They replied, 0:09:30.600 --> 0:09:33.680 for this is what the prophet has written. But you 0:09:34.080 --> 0:09:37.680 Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are by no means 0:09:37.840 --> 0:09:42.600 least among the rulers of Judah. Now I love that 0:09:42.720 --> 0:09:44.800 verse because it comes from Michael five to two, and 0:09:45.200 --> 0:09:48.280 it lets me know, o little town of Bethlehem, big 0:09:48.320 --> 0:09:53.520 things can come from small places. Y'all need to drink 0:09:53.559 --> 0:09:56.840 your coffee thirty minutes earlier next week, because big things 0:09:57.679 --> 0:10:02.320 can come from small all places. Look at your neighbors, 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:05.920 say be nice to me. I'm carrying something big. I 0:10:06.000 --> 0:10:08.320 know you can't see it right now, but out of 0:10:08.400 --> 0:10:14.559 me it's gonna come something that can change the world. Yeah, 0:10:15.000 --> 0:10:22.839 let's go Merry Christmas, y'all, for out of you will 0:10:22.880 --> 0:10:26.560 come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. Shepherd 0:10:26.600 --> 0:10:30.080 my people Israel. Then Herod called the Magi secretly found 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:32.360 out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 0:10:32.360 --> 0:10:34.760 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, go and search 0:10:34.920 --> 0:10:37.679 carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, 0:10:37.679 --> 0:10:40.440 report back to me so I can go worshiping too. 0:10:40.559 --> 0:10:42.839 You know, I'm gonna go worshiping too, just to kill him, 0:10:42.840 --> 0:10:46.040 but he's threatened by him. After they heard the king, 0:10:46.040 --> 0:10:48.040 they went on their way, and the star they had 0:10:48.080 --> 0:10:52.200 seen when it rose a thousand miles back where they 0:10:52.240 --> 0:10:55.680 came from in Persia. When ahead of them five more 0:10:55.760 --> 0:11:00.120 miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem until stopping the place where 0:11:00.120 --> 0:11:02.440 the child was. When they saw the star, they were 0:11:02.520 --> 0:11:05.720 over joy. Came a long way to see this. It 0:11:05.920 --> 0:11:10.160 validated their instinct that something big was happening. And on 0:11:10.240 --> 0:11:14.640 coming to the house, they saw the child. A child 0:11:15.720 --> 0:11:18.960 means Jesus is a little bigger. Now he's not. I 0:11:19.000 --> 0:11:21.280 know you've got that Precious Moments thing on the credenza, 0:11:21.320 --> 0:11:24.160 but he's not a baby. He's not in a barn 0:11:24.200 --> 0:11:26.120 at this point. He's in a house. And there weren't 0:11:26.160 --> 0:11:28.160 three of these guys, the three wise men. They brought 0:11:28.160 --> 0:11:32.800 three gifts. Gold represents divinity, Frankenson's represents priesthood, murder represents 0:11:32.880 --> 0:11:35.360 Jesus burial at his death. It's all symbolic, and it's 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:39.000 also about to finance the trip that Joseph doesn't even 0:11:39.040 --> 0:11:41.160 know that he's going to have to take yet, because 0:11:41.200 --> 0:11:47.920 God is already working even before you realize it. So 0:11:48.240 --> 0:11:51.400 they presented him, they opened their treasures, they bowed down 0:11:51.400 --> 0:11:54.800 and worshiped him. It said they saw the child with 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:57.680 his mother Mary, They bowed down and worshiped him. Then 0:11:57.720 --> 0:12:00.600 they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of 0:12:00.640 --> 0:12:04.600 gold Frankensonson Mermer, and having been warned in a dream 0:12:04.679 --> 0:12:07.040 not to go back to Herod, they returned to their 0:12:07.040 --> 0:12:12.680 country by another rue. Now let's prepare for our scripture 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:16.680 landing here. When they had gone, an angel of the 0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:22.520 Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up, he said, 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:28.760 take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:34.680 Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going 0:12:34.760 --> 0:12:39.520 to search for the child and kill him. So he 0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:44.000 got up, took the child and his mother during the night, 0:12:44.559 --> 0:12:47.640 and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:51.160 of Herod, and so was fulfilled what the Lord had 0:12:51.160 --> 0:12:55.280 said through the prophet. Out of Egypt, I called my son. 0:12:56.920 --> 0:13:04.320 This sermon is called kept in the Dark, Kept in 0:13:04.360 --> 0:13:10.040 the Dark. Here we are again with the same familiar 0:13:10.480 --> 0:13:17.560 cast of Christmas characters, and the challenge of reading the 0:13:17.760 --> 0:13:21.520 Christmas Story as a pastor is you just want to 0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:23.200 skip ahead to the part where he gets up from 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:26.120 the grave and skip past all this stuff where he 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:34.360 had You also understand that we're watching these characters as 0:13:34.400 --> 0:13:41.400 they are walking through what we are watching with knowledge 0:13:41.960 --> 0:13:45.560 of where they end up. So that's why it's hard 0:13:45.960 --> 0:13:51.040 to really grasp the meaning of a scripture is because 0:13:51.080 --> 0:13:55.920 we're watching something that they're walking through, but we are 0:13:56.160 --> 0:14:01.199 watching with knowledge what they are walking through, and we 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:03.480 know how. So you kind of want to pull him aside. 0:14:03.559 --> 0:14:07.560 You want to be like, hey, Joseph, Mary's not lying. 0:14:09.679 --> 0:14:13.200 It really was the Holy Spirit that got her pregnant. 0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:19.760 You're not crazy, you're not simping. She really really, she 0:14:19.760 --> 0:14:22.440 she really when she told you that it was the 0:14:22.520 --> 0:14:25.040 Lord who came to her, and you kind of wonder 0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:28.080 was it really the Lord or was it was it 0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:32.720 was it Leroy and and and and so. So Joseph, 0:14:32.920 --> 0:14:36.560 y'all please be good. This is a Christmas sermon. Is 0:14:36.640 --> 0:14:37.880 It's kind of like you want to pull him to 0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:40.640 the side and be like, hey, Joseph, because Joseph had 0:14:40.680 --> 0:14:45.240 it rough right, like he really never knew. He died 0:14:45.480 --> 0:14:48.400 not knowing if this was really the message. I'm sure 0:14:48.400 --> 0:14:51.160 he saw stuff that made him think, Okay, okay, this 0:14:51.280 --> 0:14:54.080 kid's pretty special, you know. I'm sure in the carpenter shop, 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:56.720 Jesus would do something every now and then, maybe make 0:14:56.760 --> 0:14:59.000 a two by four pop up and levitate in the 0:14:59.000 --> 0:15:01.440 shape of a cross, just to give Joseph a little 0:15:01.440 --> 0:15:03.960 bit of confidence that this is real, but he didn't 0:15:04.000 --> 0:15:08.120 really know all he had to go on watch this. 0:15:08.200 --> 0:15:10.760 I didn't read this scriptures. The Lord came to him 0:15:10.760 --> 0:15:16.000 in a dream. Do you believe your dreams? I don't 0:15:16.000 --> 0:15:20.040 believe my dreams. I'd be in jail. I'd be on 0:15:20.160 --> 0:15:23.720 so many pill prescription pills for anxiety if I believe 0:15:23.760 --> 0:15:26.880 my dreams. So he has to hold on to something 0:15:26.880 --> 0:15:30.560 that he saw in his sleeve and walk it out 0:15:30.600 --> 0:15:35.400 in his life. We are watching with the knowledge. Hey Joseph, 0:15:35.600 --> 0:15:37.320 just hang in there, man, Just do the best you 0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:39.360 can to raise the kid. You know, show him a 0:15:39.360 --> 0:15:42.840 few things. You really can't mess this up. He's like 0:15:42.920 --> 0:15:45.800 he's kind of got a little special protection agency. He 0:15:45.880 --> 0:15:48.280 got a little heavenly secret service around him. Even if 0:15:48.280 --> 0:15:50.360 you lose him at the temple when he's twelve, you 0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:52.720 know he'll find his way back. He kind of pays 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:54.480 the roads with gold in heaven so he can find 0:15:54.480 --> 0:15:56.720 his way through the streets of Jerusalem. It's gonna be 0:15:57.040 --> 0:16:00.360 all riot. You gotta want to tell him that he 0:16:00.400 --> 0:16:05.600 didn't know. And if you hang in there, they're going 0:16:05.680 --> 0:16:08.480 to be every middle aged man in every little Methodist 0:16:08.600 --> 0:16:10.800 church in America is going to be pretending to be 0:16:10.840 --> 0:16:12.760 you and dressing up like you in the month of 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:15.880 December one day. Right, you kind of tell them, Madgie, 0:16:15.880 --> 0:16:18.160 because they come so far, right, they come from Persia. 0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:24.880 These are not even preachers, they're astrologers. These are not 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:32.840 even Jews, they're gentiles. They are following something that they 0:16:32.840 --> 0:16:36.080 shouldn't even be following to see the will of God. 0:16:36.120 --> 0:16:40.040 And it still got them there. And they had to travel, 0:16:40.080 --> 0:16:43.080 as I think I mentioned, a long way. How far 0:16:43.200 --> 0:16:48.080 is a long way five miles, ten miles, twenty miles, 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:52.120 fifty miles, one hundred miles. How many times did they 0:16:52.160 --> 0:16:56.000 have to recharge the tesla to get one thousand miles 0:16:57.360 --> 0:17:02.760 from Persia with these heavy gifts estimated to be worth 0:17:02.840 --> 0:17:07.320 like four million dollars? And then it was all worth it? 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:09.400 And you kind of want to tell them that, like, hey, 0:17:09.880 --> 0:17:13.640 just so you know that star it's got you five 0:17:13.680 --> 0:17:16.200 miles within. Sometimes you want to tell somebody you are 0:17:16.320 --> 0:17:19.560 so close. Don't quit right now. You are so close. 0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:22.720 They were five miles from where Jesus was, So you 0:17:22.800 --> 0:17:24.439 kind of want to tell them because you have the 0:17:24.480 --> 0:17:29.400 knowledge if you go five more miles, you are going 0:17:29.480 --> 0:17:34.000 to see the Savior of the World. Now we're reading 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:37.120 it right with the knowledge of where it ends up. 0:17:38.480 --> 0:17:41.800 They aren't watching themselves travel a thousand miles. They are 0:17:41.840 --> 0:17:46.720 walking a thousand miles. So here's the thing that'll keep 0:17:46.720 --> 0:17:50.359 you humble. Be careful who you judge when they're walking 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:53.000 through something that you are only watching from a distance. 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:04.800 You've never walked through the age that your mom is before. 0:18:06.359 --> 0:18:09.040 You've never well, you have walked through the age that 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:11.960 your kids were before, but you never walked through it 0:18:12.000 --> 0:18:17.679 with a snapjack Ah, I got you right. You were like, 0:18:17.800 --> 0:18:20.040 I have been a teenager, I've seen it all. You 0:18:20.119 --> 0:18:27.200 hadn't seen anything, but TikTok. Passage of Time will teach 0:18:27.200 --> 0:18:32.080 you sometimes that you gotta be careful that when you're 0:18:32.200 --> 0:18:37.480 watching someone else go through something. It's interesting, isn't it, 0:18:37.480 --> 0:18:43.199 Because everybody in the passage is walking through something that 0:18:43.240 --> 0:18:46.760 they don't know where it ends up, whether it's the 0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:49.760 Magi or even Herod. You kind of want to pull 0:18:49.800 --> 0:18:52.719 Herod to the side, right because he's trying to keep 0:18:52.800 --> 0:18:55.080 Jesus from being the king, and you got to want 0:18:55.080 --> 0:19:00.000 to be like, don't bother, Like really, man, save your book. 0:19:00.240 --> 0:19:04.400 Is you're not gonna. You can search all you want 0:19:04.440 --> 0:19:08.520 to kill Jesus, but you won't succeed, I felt the 0:19:08.520 --> 0:19:11.480 Holy Ghost. I want to tell the devil this morning. 0:19:11.960 --> 0:19:15.440 You can search all you want want, but it won't work. 0:19:16.800 --> 0:19:20.400 You can come at the Child of God with everything 0:19:20.520 --> 0:19:23.880 you got in your arsenal and keep flying at him 0:19:24.080 --> 0:19:26.800 in the middle of the night. But I read to 0:19:26.960 --> 0:19:30.040 the back of the book, and you can search all 0:19:30.080 --> 0:19:34.200 you want, but it won't succeed. For the Lord's purpose 0:19:34.359 --> 0:19:39.240 will prevail. The Lord's purpose will prevail. I'm gonna herald 0:19:39.280 --> 0:19:42.480 it from the mountain top today. It won't work, Herod. 0:19:42.800 --> 0:19:46.480 You can search all of Bethlehem, you can kill every baby, 0:19:46.720 --> 0:19:49.280 you can lie all you want to, but it won't 0:19:49.320 --> 0:19:53.520 work because of Jeremiah one twelve. See Jeremiah one twelve 0:19:53.760 --> 0:19:56.879 is a Christmas scripture that never got preached on Christmas. 0:19:56.960 --> 0:19:58.880 But I'm gonna give it to you today. The Lord 0:19:58.920 --> 0:20:02.199 said to Jeremiah, you have seen correctly watched this, for 0:20:02.440 --> 0:20:06.760 I am watching over my word to see that it 0:20:06.840 --> 0:20:11.840 is fulfilled. Now you ought to shout about Jeremiah one twelve. 0:20:13.720 --> 0:20:19.760 He said, I'm watching to see that my word is fulfilled. 0:20:20.160 --> 0:20:23.560 And this scripture only made so much sense until Jesus 0:20:24.000 --> 0:20:26.880 was born in Bethlehem. Now, I want you to look 0:20:26.920 --> 0:20:30.760 at Jeremiah chapter one in the light of Matthew chapter two, 0:20:31.280 --> 0:20:35.400 that after Jesus was born, Remember Jesus was born in Bethlehem, 0:20:35.560 --> 0:20:39.280 but he didn't come from Bethlehem. In the beginning was 0:20:39.359 --> 0:20:42.439 the Word, and the word was with God, and the 0:20:42.480 --> 0:20:47.239 word was God. That's John chapter one. So when the 0:20:47.280 --> 0:20:50.280 Bible says that God is watching over his words to 0:20:50.400 --> 0:20:53.960 fulfill it, it means that no matter how much Herod 0:20:54.320 --> 0:20:59.560 searched for the baby called Jesus, God was watching over 0:20:59.600 --> 0:21:02.520 the sea of his son that would bring forth the 0:21:02.560 --> 0:21:12.680 harvest of salvation. Yeah, oh, y'all missed the six thirty 0:21:12.680 --> 0:21:15.639 am service today. That's when God gave all this to me. 0:21:16.240 --> 0:21:21.120 Y'all miss the good service today. Oh my God, he's 0:21:21.200 --> 0:21:30.240 watching over Yeah. And yet you wonder, like if you 0:21:30.280 --> 0:21:33.120 could tell Herod hey man. In the end, Josephus said 0:21:33.119 --> 0:21:38.800 that in Herod's later years he couldn't stop eating and 0:21:38.840 --> 0:21:42.360 there were worms in his intestines. You kind of want 0:21:42.400 --> 0:21:45.080 to tell him, man, stop trying to kill Jesus. This 0:21:45.160 --> 0:21:46.520 is not the path you want to go down. But 0:21:46.560 --> 0:21:49.320 see you know how it ends. He did. You kind 0:21:49.320 --> 0:21:52.000 of want to tell Joseph, have faith, man, it's gonna 0:21:52.000 --> 0:21:57.240 because everything in the passage I just read you, from 0:21:57.280 --> 0:22:03.040 a human perspective was a problem, but from a heavenly perspective, 0:22:03.600 --> 0:22:09.679 it was a prophecy. So Christmas gives me this perspective 0:22:10.320 --> 0:22:24.000 that God disguises prophecy as problems. Verse one said he 0:22:24.240 --> 0:22:28.280 was born in Bethlehem. That was not where they had 0:22:28.560 --> 0:22:34.280 the reservations. It was a problem. It also says, if 0:22:34.280 --> 0:22:37.680 you notice, they had to escape to Egypt because they 0:22:37.680 --> 0:22:40.840 were trying the king of their region was trying to 0:22:40.920 --> 0:22:44.760 kill him. That is also a problem. It says later 0:22:44.960 --> 0:22:47.600 that when Joseph got up to leave for Egypt, he 0:22:47.680 --> 0:22:49.439 had to go back to Galilee. He couldn't even go 0:22:49.440 --> 0:22:51.200 to Nazareth, where he was from, for a little while. 0:22:51.280 --> 0:22:54.440 He had to wait in Egypt. That's also a problem. 0:22:55.600 --> 0:22:58.200 But the same things that I read in that passage 0:22:59.480 --> 0:23:05.800 that problems. We're designed to fulfill a prophetic word, because 0:23:05.840 --> 0:23:14.359 he watches over his word to fulfill it. In Micah 0:23:14.400 --> 0:23:16.600 five to two it says he will be born in Bethlehem. 0:23:17.760 --> 0:23:21.960 So maybe this is why Mary's water broke early because 0:23:22.000 --> 0:23:24.399 she had to give birth in the place that the 0:23:24.480 --> 0:23:29.000 prophet spoke. And at the same time that they are considering, 0:23:29.200 --> 0:23:31.320 where are we going to do this? There's no room 0:23:31.359 --> 0:23:34.840 in the end. This is not on our plan. Look 0:23:34.880 --> 0:23:39.120 at this. God is not protecting your plan. He's protecting 0:23:39.119 --> 0:23:48.199 his promise. He's not protecting your preference of how you 0:23:48.280 --> 0:23:50.399 wanted it to go, how you wanted it to be, 0:23:50.760 --> 0:23:53.240 who you wanted to stay. He's not protecting any of that. 0:23:54.280 --> 0:23:58.520 In fact, he's disguising the prophecies. See we know that 0:23:58.600 --> 0:24:02.200 these are prophecies, but but the mag I didn't know that. 0:24:02.400 --> 0:24:05.520 They didn't even quote a single scripture and they found Jesus, 0:24:06.680 --> 0:24:09.720 yeah weird. And the one the chief priests and describes, 0:24:09.760 --> 0:24:12.400 and the teachers of the law, they know every scripture 0:24:12.560 --> 0:24:17.159 and they don't even see the Savior. The ones who 0:24:17.240 --> 0:24:20.320 should have seen God first were kept in the dark. 0:24:21.800 --> 0:24:27.840 I don't like being kept in the dark, do you do? You? 0:24:28.880 --> 0:24:30.679 Then you would not have liked to have been a 0:24:30.720 --> 0:24:35.760 disciple of Jesus Christ of Nazareth because his communication skills 0:24:36.000 --> 0:24:41.280 were suspect at best. You could have told me to 0:24:41.359 --> 0:24:45.680 feed five thousand men and their wives and children before 0:24:45.920 --> 0:24:48.720 you were on the third hour of your sermon, Jesus, 0:24:50.160 --> 0:24:52.480 why did you wait until now to ask us if 0:24:52.480 --> 0:24:56.520 we have any food for these people? All the times 0:24:56.520 --> 0:24:58.920 that the disciples were and we think about everything that 0:24:59.000 --> 0:25:01.600 Jesus taught is to sciples, but all how about other things? 0:25:01.600 --> 0:25:04.920 He didn't tell them, Hey, go over in that boat 0:25:05.000 --> 0:25:07.119 to the other side. I'm gonna see you there in 0:25:07.119 --> 0:25:15.439 little wall. He didn't say anything about the storm that 0:25:15.480 --> 0:25:19.680 they would spend the next six hours rolling through. Why 0:25:19.680 --> 0:25:21.400 would you love somebody and keep them in the dark. 0:25:23.280 --> 0:25:25.280 I'm telling my staff one time, I said, do not 0:25:25.440 --> 0:25:28.160 play God with information that you were waiting to give 0:25:28.160 --> 0:25:32.320 me until I'm in a good mood, because by the 0:25:32.359 --> 0:25:34.000 time you're figuring out how to tell me how to 0:25:34.040 --> 0:25:36.360 tell me, it's gonna get three times worse. I need 0:25:36.400 --> 0:25:38.879 to turn off the sink or unhooked the pips, or 0:25:38.880 --> 0:25:41.200 burn down the house or whatever I need to do. 0:25:41.440 --> 0:25:45.720