[00:00:06] You're listening to Theology and Apologetics with Thomas Fretwell, bringing theology to life.
[00:00:12] We are only a few days away from the big day, and I've been studying again this week, trying to think of another Christmas-themed message.
[00:00:23] As you know, we've already talked about Assyrian execution techniques.
[00:00:27] We've talked about King Edmund of East Anglia being killed by the great heathen army, the Vikings invading.
[00:00:34] We've done all of these Christmas stories, and we're going to do something a little different.
[00:00:40] But we've covered a lot of the theological issues over the last few weeks, and this morning the Lord is going to take us in a slightly different direction.
[00:00:49] And it's maybe one I didn't want to go in, but the Lord just kept bringing it back this way.
[00:00:56] That's what we're going to do.
[00:00:57] But we all know the busyness of this season, it can become very easy to just miss going from one task to the next.
[00:01:05] Things are busy, things are hectic, but particularly as us as believers, it should be a time of maybe deep meditation on some of the deep things of God.
[00:01:13] We don't get that time, and we miss it.
[00:01:15] We hear the story of Christ.
[00:01:17] We look at these amazing things that we've done over the last few weeks, but what I want to focus on today for us is how does it impact us and change us today, now, as believers in the 21st century, as people living around the Sussex area.
[00:01:34] What difference does this make for us?
[00:01:37] Yes, we may say we believe it, but what effects of the Cavern?
[00:01:41] You see, theology should change us, always.
[00:01:46] Theology is a transformative experience.
[00:01:49] And yet, I believe we run the risk of becoming too casual in our approach to this stuff, particularly the things that we study at Christmas time, because we've heard it at the same time.
[00:02:00] So with this in mind, this is the area that the Lord is putting on my heart as I was studying.
[00:02:05] Like I said, I wanted to maybe go in a different direction, but I kept coming back to this.
[00:02:10] And it's been a very challenging study.
[00:02:12] So I'm going to pass that on to you.
[00:02:15] But if we think about it, how many times have you sat here in church and heard the story of Christmas?
[00:02:21] How many times have you been to a carol service?
[00:02:23] How many times have you been to Christmas dinner, had the Christmas dinner?
[00:02:26] All of the things we've done in church.
[00:02:28] How many sermons have you heard?
[00:02:30] How many times have you seen an activity?
[00:02:32] Have you seen the baby mentioned in the world?
[00:02:34] How many times have you seen people misuse Jesus' name at this point?
[00:02:38] Speak of him with no knowledge.
[00:02:40] Parade him, politicize him, disregard him, downgrade him.
[00:02:44] Again and again, every year we see these sorts of things.
[00:02:47] At this point, we run the risk of becoming numb to them.
[00:02:51] And let me say, I'm not preaching against proper celebration.
[00:02:54] I firmly believe the Bible has no problem with celebration, with feasting, with socializing, and all these things.
[00:03:00] You'll find that all through the Bible.
[00:03:01] But what I really want to come in on here is our tendency as believers, maybe, to become too familiar with things that should be said.
[00:03:11] We call this message the sacred and the profane.
[00:03:15] Treating the holy as something profane.
[00:03:18] And I think at Christmas, maybe more than any other time of the year, we run this danger.
[00:03:23] So that's what we're going to look at today.
[00:03:25] That famous carol, O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining.
[00:03:29] Fall on your knees and hear the angel voices.
[00:03:33] O night divine.
[00:03:34] You know that song, wonderful carol that everyone loves to sing.
[00:03:36] But I want to talk about this concept here.
[00:03:38] Why do we say it was a holy night?
[00:03:42] Now, we learn a little of this from what we talked about very briefly at our carol service, previous one on Wednesday.
[00:03:48] Let's turn to Matthew chapter 1, please, verse 21 and 23.
[00:03:52] The text says,
[00:03:53] He will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
[00:04:01] Now all this took place to fulfill was spoken by the Lord through the prophet.
[00:04:04] Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which translated means God with us.
[00:04:14] And you remember we spoke about this.
[00:04:16] It says,
[00:04:16] You shall call his name Jesus, Yeshua.
[00:04:19] The name truly means Yahweh saves, God saves.
[00:04:23] You see in the text here a connection between his name and his mission.
[00:04:28] You shall call his name Jesus.
[00:04:31] You shall call his name God saves, because he will save his people from their sins.
[00:04:38] And the second one, they shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us.
[00:04:42] And this is why we sing carols like that, O Holy Night.
[00:04:46] It is a holy night because it is the night that the holy God descended to earth.
[00:04:52] And I think we were on the risk, somehow, because of the incarnation, because of the fact that the holy God came to earth as a helpless child,
[00:05:01] that we allow that reality, that theological truth, to somehow neuter the actual reality of what happened on that night,
[00:05:08] of who that child was as the holy child, as the holy God.
[00:05:14] You see, we look at his great act of humility that he did in the incarnation,
[00:05:19] humbling himself from the heavenly throne room down to that manger in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago.
[00:05:24] And yet sometimes we look at that and we just see the child and we don't see the reality that this was the holy God.
[00:05:32] You see, this is the God.
[00:05:33] Do you remember?
[00:05:34] We see two visions of the throne room of God throughout the scriptures.
[00:05:37] Two main ones anyway.
[00:05:38] One of them is Isaiah chapter 6, where Isaiah sees that vision of the throne of God and he sees the seraphim crying out.
[00:05:46] And what do they cry out?
[00:05:47] They cry out, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts.
[00:05:51] The whole is glory.
[00:05:54] And then years later, when the apostle John is receiving his vision for the book of Revelation,
[00:05:59] he sees into the throne room again and he sees the four living creatures.
[00:06:02] And it says that day and night, they do not cease to say, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God.
[00:06:08] The Almighty who was and who is and who is to come.
[00:06:12] These are the trifold declarations that we do not find about anything else related to God in the scriptures,
[00:06:19] just the holiness of God.
[00:06:21] And that tells us that this is a very important subject.
[00:06:24] You see, it was not enough just to say it once.
[00:06:27] Like God is love, like we get in 1 John.
[00:06:29] They are holy.
[00:06:31] The repetition is meant to emphasize in Hebrew speech.
[00:06:35] They had to say it three times to try and capture the depth and the majesty and the breadth of God's holiness.
[00:06:40] And I believe even that trifold declaration was not enough.
[00:06:43] Isaiah adds the phrase, the whole earth is full of his glory.
[00:06:47] He's great enough to fill the whole earth, to fill a thousand with his glory.
[00:06:51] And this is what we really have to dwell on as we think about this child in the manger.
[00:06:56] This is a fact that should humble us.
[00:06:58] It is a fact that should cause us to wonder the greatness of a holy God.
[00:07:01] You see, the Lord is greater than anyone or anything that we have ever conceived of
[00:07:05] or anything we will ever interact in this world, except for the Lord himself.
[00:07:10] The word holy, kudot, in Hebrew.
[00:07:13] This is a word that means to be cut out, to be set distinct from anything else.
[00:07:18] Something that is in a class of its own.
[00:07:20] Something that is different from anything that exists in the created order.
[00:07:24] It means something that is morally pure.
[00:07:27] Entirely, completely morally perfect at every time, for all time, from now until any time in the future.
[00:07:33] And it will always be that way.
[00:07:35] He is perfect.
[00:07:36] You see, this is just a glimpse of what it means to have a God who is holy.
[00:07:40] And this is the God, Emmanuel, God with us, that we look upon on this time of Christmas.
[00:07:46] He is the sum definition of what it means to be holy.
[00:07:50] It is incomparable to anything else.
[00:07:55] Exodus 15, verse 11.
[00:07:57] Moses proclaims,
[00:07:58] Who is like you among the gods, O Lord?
[00:08:01] Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?
[00:08:06] 1 Samuel 2.
[00:08:08] There is no one holy like the Lord.
[00:08:11] Indeed, there is no one besides you, nor is there any rock like our God.
[00:08:16] You see, the holiness of God is not simply a quality that he possesses.
[00:08:20] It is not an aspect of who he is.
[00:08:24] It is the very essence of who he is.
[00:08:27] His holiness is revealed in everything that he does.
[00:08:30] Everything he desires, everything he speaks, everything is utterly holy.
[00:08:34] Every thought, word, deed and action is totally, 100%, completely holy.
[00:08:39] He is holy in his justice, holy in his wrath, holy in his power, holy in his strength,
[00:08:44] holy in his mercy, in his grace, his love, his wisdom, his patience, his compassion,
[00:08:48] all of it totally holy.
[00:08:50] And that is the God that we worship.
[00:08:53] And this is the one who came incarnate in human flesh.
[00:08:56] This is the one we sing to.
[00:08:58] This is the one we fondly remember at this time.
[00:09:01] This is the one, ultimately, that we call Father.
[00:09:04] We sing about him, the divine.
[00:09:07] When we think of the incarnation, when we think of that child 2,000 years ago,
[00:09:11] we're not just dealing with human child.
[00:09:14] We're dealing with the incarnation of the second person of the God, the divine son.
[00:09:20] And he is no less holy than the father.
[00:09:23] Christ by heaven, highest heaven adored, Christ the everlasting Lord.
[00:09:27] You know that song, Herald.
[00:09:28] Herald.
[00:09:29] Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see.
[00:09:32] Hail the incarnate deity.
[00:09:34] Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel.
[00:09:37] He is the holy God with us.
[00:09:40] Now, when we understand that, we must remember that this has implications for us.
[00:09:46] The danger of theology sometimes is that we like to keep it kind of as a separate category.
[00:09:50] Learn these wonderful truths.
[00:09:52] And they're encouraging and they lift us up.
[00:09:54] And then we walk out and it has no impact in our life.
[00:09:58] And this is the challenging thing.
[00:10:00] Challenging studying this.
[00:10:01] Challenging preaching it.
[00:10:02] Challenging probably for all of hearing it.
[00:10:04] The reality is the fact.
[00:10:06] If we truly understand what was happening 2,000 years ago on this day,
[00:10:12] it should change us.
[00:10:14] It should do something to us.
[00:10:16] What are the results, the implications for us?
[00:10:19] First, I believe the reality should cause us all a sharp and strong rebuke.
[00:10:26] And what I mean by that is suddenly, like Isaiah, when he saw the holiness of God in all his glory,
[00:10:32] he realized the great chasm that existed between God and man.
[00:10:35] And he cried out,
[00:10:42] And he was never the same again from that day when he saw the king in all his glory.
[00:10:51] This is the holy God.
[00:10:54] Understanding this should break us because of our sin.
[00:10:58] If you've ever been through an experience where the Lord breaks you, you know this.
[00:11:03] There's really nothing else you can say except,
[00:11:06] Woe is me.
[00:11:08] If someone was to ask me what I've done from being a pastor the last three, four years in this position,
[00:11:13] I would simply have no better word than what Isaiah is getting at here.
[00:11:17] Woe is me for I am ruined.
[00:11:19] God is great and holy.
[00:11:20] We are broken and sinful.
[00:11:22] We need to save.
[00:11:23] And that is really the reality.
[00:11:25] That's the first response for us.
[00:11:27] Yet at the same time, when we actually look at the incarnation,
[00:11:32] we should be overwhelmed with that incarnation as a pure expression of God's grace.
[00:11:38] In that the holy God was willing to humble himself in such a way that he would save sinners such as us.
[00:11:45] And that should have an impact on our life too.
[00:11:48] And as you go through the scriptures, we're going to serve a few things today.
[00:11:51] We find the issue of God's holiness, God's holy name,
[00:11:55] and what we do are all connected.
[00:11:58] Look at the charge brought against Moses.
[00:12:00] You remember the story when the Israelites were going through the wilderness,
[00:12:03] they were complaining at him and he was thirsty and he struck the rock.
[00:12:07] And he struck the rock twice, if you remember.
[00:12:10] And then what does it say?
[00:12:12] Numbers 27, verse 13 to 14.
[00:12:15] It says,
[00:12:34] The charge against Moses, who was a great man.
[00:12:37] The Bible says one of the humblest men in all of scripture.
[00:12:40] But yet in this one act, he did not treat the Lord as holy, i.e. he profaned the name of his Lord.
[00:12:48] And thus we learn from this story that our actions will either sanctify the name of the Lord,
[00:12:55] express that he is holy, or our actions will profane the name of our Lord.
[00:12:59] We're going to get into what this really means.
[00:13:01] But one of the other charges that you'll see throughout the whole Bible,
[00:13:04] that we often don't pick up on,
[00:13:06] is that as Israel was called to be a light to the nations,
[00:13:09] and they were called to represent God as a communal nation to the earth,
[00:13:13] when they failed in that task,
[00:13:15] one of the things that he constantly said against them,
[00:13:17] Ezekiel 20, verse 9 is an example.
[00:13:20] When he acts in judgment against his people,
[00:13:23] he says that he is acting for the sake of his name.
[00:13:28] Ezekiel 20, verse 9.
[00:13:29] I acted for the sake of my name,
[00:13:31] that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they live,
[00:13:36] in whose sight I made myself known by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.
[00:13:41] You see, the Israelites profane the name of God.
[00:13:44] It is really the opposite of making something holy.
[00:13:47] To profane it means to treat it as common,
[00:13:49] to treat it as holy.
[00:13:52] And this brings us to that famous command that we all know so well,
[00:13:56] but it's a similar concept I want to dig into.
[00:13:58] We'll read it to you this morning.
[00:13:59] Exodus 20, verse 7.
[00:14:02] You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,
[00:14:05] for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes his name in vain,
[00:14:08] the third commandment.
[00:14:09] Now we've all heard this, haven't we?
[00:14:11] And we all have a rough and vague understanding of what that means.
[00:14:14] I want to look at the what of this commandment,
[00:14:17] and also the why of this commandment.
[00:14:18] I believe often we misunderstand both.
[00:14:21] And you must understand the why too.
[00:14:23] Now let's deal with the what first.
[00:14:25] What does it mean to take the name of the Lord in vain?
[00:14:29] The word vain there is describing something that's empty,
[00:14:32] something that's nothing, something that's worth,
[00:14:34] and something that is being used for no reason.
[00:14:36] All of those, that word has all of those connotations.
[00:14:39] We are forbidden from using the name of the Lord,
[00:14:42] taking up or bearing the name of the Lord in a wicked or worthless manner,
[00:14:45] or for the wrong purpose.
[00:14:48] To use his name for something for which it should not be used.
[00:14:51] Now when we come to this verse,
[00:14:53] and this is how you'll always hear it used,
[00:14:56] and it is correct,
[00:14:57] but we apply it in a one-dimensional way, don't we?
[00:15:00] To the most obvious violation of this command,
[00:15:03] which would be to blaspheme or to curse the name of God.
[00:15:06] Or something that, because we hear that so often,
[00:15:08] maybe we're numb to that in some way.
[00:15:10] I want us to really think about,
[00:15:12] however, to use the Lord's name in vain,
[00:15:16] it's not just that.
[00:15:17] It's much deeper than that.
[00:15:19] It's not just our speech in the sense of saying one of those words
[00:15:22] or using his name wrongly.
[00:15:23] It goes much deeper than that.
[00:15:25] There are several other ways that the Hebrew is taught
[00:15:28] that you can violate that commandment.
[00:15:30] One of them would be to make an empty promise,
[00:15:33] to make an oath,
[00:15:34] and then with your actions to break that oath.
[00:15:36] If you put the Lord's name on there,
[00:15:38] you're saying that the Lord is an oath.
[00:15:41] Leviticus 19.12,
[00:15:42] You shall not swear falsely by my name,
[00:15:45] so as to profane the name of your God,
[00:15:48] I am the Lord.
[00:15:49] And as we read these things,
[00:15:50] I want you to notice how often he relates action
[00:15:53] to his name,
[00:15:55] to the holiness or profanity of the Lord.
[00:15:59] Another way that they said you could break the third commandment
[00:16:01] was through false vision,
[00:16:04] through making false prophecies in the name of the Lord.
[00:16:08] Leviticus 18.21 talks about this.
[00:16:10] This is something that the church really needs to understand,
[00:16:13] I believe.
[00:16:14] There is another way,
[00:16:15] and this is one we do not often think about.
[00:16:18] To be involved in false worship
[00:16:20] is to profane the name of the Lord.
[00:16:24] And it also says,
[00:16:25] and this is one that we never really think about
[00:16:27] when we're talking about this third commandment,
[00:16:30] in Leviticus 22,
[00:16:31] you learn that even to touch,
[00:16:34] physically touch,
[00:16:35] the holy things of the Lord
[00:16:37] in an unworthy manner
[00:16:38] was considered a violation of the third commandment.
[00:16:41] Come back to that a little bit.
[00:16:43] You see,
[00:16:44] from this understanding,
[00:16:45] we see that both words and actions
[00:16:47] were involved in this commandment.
[00:16:50] That is the what.
[00:16:51] The much more multidimensional understanding
[00:16:53] than just using the Lord's name in vain
[00:16:55] in the way that we think.
[00:16:56] However,
[00:16:57] all those things are included.
[00:16:58] But it's the why
[00:16:59] that we really must focus on.
[00:17:02] Because it's much easier
[00:17:03] to understand and obey something
[00:17:05] if you understand the why.
[00:17:06] If you're just told to do this
[00:17:08] and you don't really understand why,
[00:17:10] that thing becomes a burden.
[00:17:11] And it's just a rule.
[00:17:13] That's how you slip into legalism.
[00:17:15] When you understand the why,
[00:17:16] it's much easier to do this.
[00:17:19] As we've seen already,
[00:17:21] God's being,
[00:17:23] his holiness,
[00:17:24] his essence,
[00:17:24] is connected with his name.
[00:17:27] Remember in Exodus chapter 3,
[00:17:29] the famous verse
[00:17:30] where we have the Lord
[00:17:31] reveal his name to us.
[00:17:33] He appears to Moses
[00:17:34] in the burning bush,
[00:17:35] doesn't he?
[00:17:36] And he says to Moses,
[00:17:38] I want you to go and
[00:17:38] call my people
[00:17:39] and say to Pharaoh,
[00:17:41] follow me,
[00:17:42] can I let my people go?
[00:17:43] And then Moses replies.
[00:17:44] And he says,
[00:17:45] well, what if they ask
[00:17:46] who has sent me?
[00:17:47] What is your name?
[00:17:48] And he says,
[00:17:49] I am who I am.
[00:17:51] And he said,
[00:17:52] thus you shall say
[00:17:52] to the sons of Israel,
[00:17:54] I am has sent me to you.
[00:17:56] And the word related
[00:17:57] to the word for being there.
[00:17:59] I am the self-existent one.
[00:18:00] That is what the name means.
[00:18:02] It is his essence.
[00:18:03] God replies to the sons of Israel
[00:18:05] in Exodus 3 verse 15.
[00:18:06] He says,
[00:18:07] this is my name forever.
[00:18:09] And this is my memorial name
[00:18:12] for all generations.
[00:18:14] It is his memorial name
[00:18:16] for all generations.
[00:18:18] It is the way he wants
[00:18:19] to be known and identified
[00:18:20] for all generations.
[00:18:22] And remember how
[00:18:23] that whole interaction began
[00:18:25] with Moses in the burning bush.
[00:18:26] He says,
[00:18:27] do not come near here.
[00:18:28] Remove your sandals
[00:18:29] from your feet
[00:18:30] for the place
[00:18:31] on which you're standing
[00:18:31] is holy ground.
[00:18:34] You see where the presence
[00:18:35] of God was
[00:18:36] when his name
[00:18:37] was being revealed,
[00:18:38] that place became holy.
[00:18:40] That's why we call it
[00:18:41] a holy night
[00:18:42] when God came down to earth
[00:18:43] in the incarnation
[00:18:45] at that point.
[00:18:46] But it's even deeper than that.
[00:18:48] He was connected
[00:18:48] with the being of God
[00:18:49] and connected
[00:18:50] to holiness.
[00:18:52] In Exodus chapter 33,
[00:18:54] you remember
[00:18:55] when Moses said to the Lord,
[00:18:57] I pray you,
[00:18:58] show me your glory.
[00:19:00] Show me your glory.
[00:19:02] And then in Exodus 33,
[00:19:03] verse 19,
[00:19:05] the Lord says,
[00:19:06] I myself will make
[00:19:07] all my goodness
[00:19:08] pass before you
[00:19:09] and will proclaim
[00:19:10] the name of the Lord
[00:19:12] before you.
[00:19:14] And then we have
[00:19:14] that wonderful
[00:19:15] relation of the name,
[00:19:17] the Lord,
[00:19:17] the Lord,
[00:19:17] and on and on
[00:19:21] in Exodus 34.
[00:19:22] But this is an interesting point
[00:19:24] that we must understand.
[00:19:25] The way God revealed
[00:19:27] his glory to Moses
[00:19:29] was to hear his name.
[00:19:32] You get that.
[00:19:32] This is the point
[00:19:33] where it will help you
[00:19:34] understand that commandment.
[00:19:35] Every part of God
[00:19:36] was attached to that name.
[00:19:38] To hear the name
[00:19:38] was to know something
[00:19:40] of God.
[00:19:41] God chose himself
[00:19:42] by speaking
[00:19:43] his holy name.
[00:19:44] And we can understand
[00:19:45] this a little too.
[00:19:46] Names are not disconnected
[00:19:47] from our being,
[00:19:48] are they?
[00:19:49] They mark,
[00:19:49] maybe not so much
[00:19:50] in our culture today,
[00:19:51] but they mark
[00:19:51] an identifier.
[00:19:53] Over a time,
[00:19:54] as you get to know
[00:19:55] people,
[00:19:56] you associate
[00:19:57] different things
[00:19:58] with that person.
[00:20:00] You associate
[00:20:00] what they love,
[00:20:01] you understand
[00:20:02] their behaviours
[00:20:02] with that name
[00:20:03] of that person.
[00:20:04] Think of someone
[00:20:05] you love deeply.
[00:20:06] The name is more
[00:20:07] than just letters
[00:20:08] on the page.
[00:20:10] That name actually
[00:20:11] encapsulates the person
[00:20:12] of that person
[00:20:13] that you love.
[00:20:14] And when you think
[00:20:15] of that,
[00:20:15] when you hear that name,
[00:20:16] you associate it
[00:20:17] with those things.
[00:20:18] That is the idea
[00:20:19] just in a human sense
[00:20:21] that we understand.
[00:20:22] The name is the person.
[00:20:24] Those associations
[00:20:25] will either flood us
[00:20:26] with thoughts of,
[00:20:27] or maybe they'll flood you
[00:20:28] with thoughts of bad.
[00:20:30] But the point,
[00:20:31] this is the point
[00:20:32] behind the command.
[00:20:34] You see,
[00:20:34] if we violate
[00:20:35] the command,
[00:20:36] the third commandment,
[00:20:37] we use the name
[00:20:38] of the Lord wrongly,
[00:20:39] we are actually
[00:20:41] attaching things
[00:20:42] to that name
[00:20:43] which should not be
[00:20:44] attached to that name.
[00:20:46] And in the view
[00:20:47] of people who are
[00:20:48] seeing us use that name,
[00:20:49] they are then associating
[00:20:50] negative things
[00:20:51] with that name.
[00:20:53] And that is what it is
[00:20:54] to profane the name
[00:20:55] of the Lord,
[00:20:55] to violate the commandment
[00:20:57] when we use the name
[00:20:58] of the Lord wrongly.
[00:20:59] This is why it's
[00:21:00] spoken so seriously
[00:21:01] in the Bible.
[00:21:02] It's actually under
[00:21:03] a death act
[00:21:04] in the Old Testament.
[00:21:05] But this is it
[00:21:06] because it profanes
[00:21:07] the name of the Lord.
[00:21:09] Now it's one thing
[00:21:10] for the world to do this,
[00:21:11] the people who don't
[00:21:12] know the Lord,
[00:21:12] but for God's people
[00:21:13] to do this,
[00:21:14] it's much more serious.
[00:21:15] In whose name
[00:21:16] do we pray?
[00:21:17] In whose name
[00:21:17] do we find our identity
[00:21:19] as Christians,
[00:21:19] as followers of Christ?
[00:21:20] The Messiah.
[00:21:22] Psalm 8 verse 1,
[00:21:23] O Lord, O Lord,
[00:21:24] how majestic is your name
[00:21:26] in all the earth.
[00:21:27] Psalm 29 verse 2,
[00:21:28] Ascribe to the Lord
[00:21:29] that glory
[00:21:30] due his name.
[00:21:32] Ascribe to the Lord
[00:21:33] that glory
[00:21:34] due his name.
[00:21:35] This is why
[00:21:36] when the Lord
[00:21:36] taught us to pray,
[00:21:37] he said to our Father,
[00:21:39] hallowed be your name.
[00:21:41] May your name
[00:21:42] be forever sanctified.
[00:21:44] That's what that means.
[00:21:45] May your name
[00:21:46] be set apart.
[00:21:47] May your name
[00:21:48] be treated as holy
[00:21:48] for what it is
[00:21:49] because you are holy.
[00:21:51] When the angel
[00:21:52] came down
[00:21:52] and spoke to those
[00:21:53] shepherds in the field
[00:21:54] and he said,
[00:21:55] you shall call
[00:21:55] his name Jesus,
[00:21:56] that was also
[00:21:57] the same thing.
[00:21:58] That is the name
[00:21:59] of Jesus,
[00:22:00] God save.
[00:22:01] That is one day
[00:22:02] the name that will
[00:22:03] be above all names.
[00:22:04] It is the name
[00:22:05] every knee
[00:22:06] will one day bow.
[00:22:08] The name above all names,
[00:22:09] the most powerful name,
[00:22:11] the most wonderful name
[00:22:11] that we will ever hear.
[00:22:13] It's the name
[00:22:13] God we worship.
[00:22:14] This is the mystery
[00:22:15] of the incarnation.
[00:22:17] You remember Peter
[00:22:18] in his sermon
[00:22:18] in the book of Acts,
[00:22:19] he calls Jesus,
[00:22:20] what does he call him?
[00:22:21] He calls him
[00:22:22] the holy and righteous one.
[00:22:24] Names that are
[00:22:25] specifically related
[00:22:26] to God,
[00:22:27] the holy and righteous one.
[00:22:29] And this is what
[00:22:30] we have to understand
[00:22:31] when we think about
[00:22:32] the child in the manger.
[00:22:33] He is the holy
[00:22:34] and righteous one.
[00:22:36] And I think there's
[00:22:37] a danger
[00:22:37] of becoming
[00:22:38] too familiar
[00:22:39] with the things
[00:22:40] of God
[00:22:41] in amongst
[00:22:42] all of the
[00:22:43] celebrations
[00:22:43] that we do
[00:22:44] that accompany
[00:22:45] this time of year.
[00:22:46] I want to just
[00:22:47] dig into that subject
[00:22:48] of becoming
[00:22:49] too familiar
[00:22:50] with the things
[00:22:50] of God
[00:22:51] by looking at
[00:22:52] one story.
[00:22:53] It's not a story
[00:22:53] you'll often hear
[00:22:54] preached on at
[00:22:54] Christmas time,
[00:22:55] but it is the story
[00:22:56] that develops this theme,
[00:22:58] the story of King David
[00:22:59] moving the ark,
[00:23:00] the holy ark,
[00:23:01] the covenant of God
[00:23:02] and the death
[00:23:03] of Uzzah.
[00:23:04] You remember
[00:23:05] the story.
[00:23:06] They're moving the ark,
[00:23:07] it goes over a bump,
[00:23:09] it's going to fall off,
[00:23:10] Uzzah reaches out,
[00:23:12] touches the ark of God
[00:23:13] and he dies immediately.
[00:23:15] 2 Samuel 6,
[00:23:16] verse 3.
[00:23:17] We read these verses
[00:23:18] and then we'll get
[00:23:19] to the point.
[00:23:20] David is trying
[00:23:21] to bring the ark
[00:23:21] from where it was
[00:23:22] rested to the temple
[00:23:23] in Jerusalem.
[00:23:25] He says,
[00:23:25] They placed the ark
[00:23:26] of God on a new car
[00:23:27] that they might bring it
[00:23:29] from the house
[00:23:29] of Abinadab,
[00:23:30] which was on the hill
[00:23:31] and Uzzah and Ahio,
[00:23:33] the sons of Abinadab,
[00:23:34] were leading
[00:23:35] the new car.
[00:23:37] Now if you remember
[00:23:38] they weren't supposed
[00:23:39] to transport the ark
[00:23:41] on a cart,
[00:23:42] they had to carry it
[00:23:43] on their shoulders.
[00:23:44] God had described
[00:23:45] a very specific way
[00:23:46] for them to move it.
[00:23:47] When the Philistines
[00:23:48] captured the ark
[00:23:48] and they wanted
[00:23:49] to move the ark,
[00:23:50] what they did
[00:23:51] is they put it
[00:23:51] on a cart.
[00:23:52] So what you see here,
[00:23:54] they're copying the world
[00:23:55] and they're not listening
[00:23:57] to God's instructions.
[00:23:58] 2 Samuel 6,
[00:23:59] verse 6.
[00:24:00] When they came
[00:24:01] to the threshing floor
[00:24:02] of Nacol,
[00:24:03] Uzzah reached out
[00:24:04] toward the ark of God
[00:24:05] and took hold of it
[00:24:06] for the oxen
[00:24:06] and upset it.
[00:24:07] And the anger
[00:24:08] of the Lord
[00:24:09] burned against Uzzah
[00:24:10] and God struck him down
[00:24:11] there for his irreverence
[00:24:13] and he died there
[00:24:13] by the ark of God.
[00:24:15] Now you may have seen
[00:24:16] or heard
[00:24:16] or even thought yourself,
[00:24:18] wow,
[00:24:19] that seems like
[00:24:20] Uzzah got a pretty bad deal
[00:24:22] there.
[00:24:23] After all,
[00:24:23] he was just trying
[00:24:24] to help stabilize
[00:24:25] the ark
[00:24:26] so it didn't fall.
[00:24:27] And we've often wondered
[00:24:28] what is really happening
[00:24:29] in this story.
[00:24:30] So we need to dig
[00:24:31] into it a little bit.
[00:24:32] It is related,
[00:24:33] I believe,
[00:24:34] to all of those things
[00:24:35] that we've just talked about
[00:24:36] in the first half
[00:24:37] of this study.
[00:24:39] We learn something
[00:24:40] in 2 Samuel 6 verse 1
[00:24:41] and it says,
[00:24:43] And David arose
[00:24:43] and went with all the people
[00:24:45] who were with him
[00:24:46] to Baal Judah
[00:24:47] to bring up from there
[00:24:48] the ark of God.
[00:24:49] Look how it describes
[00:24:50] the ark of God,
[00:24:51] which is called
[00:24:52] by the name,
[00:24:54] the very name
[00:24:55] of the Lord of hosts
[00:24:57] who is enthroned
[00:24:58] above the cherub.
[00:25:00] We missed that,
[00:25:01] understand that.
[00:25:02] The ark was called
[00:25:03] by the name,
[00:25:04] the very name
[00:25:05] of the Lord of hosts
[00:25:06] because remember
[00:25:07] the ark,
[00:25:08] the presence of God
[00:25:08] was supposed to dwell.
[00:25:09] To touch the ark
[00:25:10] will touch God
[00:25:12] at this point,
[00:25:13] this understanding.
[00:25:14] And you do not touch God
[00:25:15] if you're in an
[00:25:16] unredeemed state,
[00:25:17] do you?
[00:25:18] Unless you are consecrated,
[00:25:20] you cannot come near
[00:25:20] to the presence of God.
[00:25:22] Unless you,
[00:25:22] for us,
[00:25:23] unless we're washed
[00:25:23] by the blood of Jesus,
[00:25:24] we cannot come near
[00:25:25] to the blood of God.
[00:25:26] And this is why
[00:25:27] we have to dig into
[00:25:28] Uzzah a little
[00:25:29] to understand this.
[00:25:30] But remember this
[00:25:31] in light of the
[00:25:32] third commandment.
[00:25:33] Do not use
[00:25:34] the Lord's name
[00:25:35] in vain.
[00:25:36] And that means
[00:25:36] you will touch
[00:25:37] the holy things
[00:25:38] of God
[00:25:38] in a state
[00:25:39] where you're not
[00:25:40] worthy.
[00:25:40] Now who was Uzzah?
[00:25:42] We just read it there
[00:25:43] in the first verse.
[00:25:44] All these names
[00:25:45] we usually read up
[00:25:46] to significant.
[00:25:47] He was the son
[00:25:48] of Abinadab.
[00:25:50] We learned that
[00:25:51] Abinadab had three sons.
[00:25:53] One was Uzzah,
[00:25:53] one was Io,
[00:25:54] and there's another
[00:25:55] called Eliezer.
[00:25:56] He had three sons.
[00:25:58] Now look at what we learn
[00:25:59] in a different passage
[00:25:59] of Scripture.
[00:26:00] This is one of those
[00:26:01] portions where you have
[00:26:02] to do a bit of work
[00:26:03] in two spaces
[00:26:03] to get the full picture.
[00:26:05] 1 Samuel 7
[00:26:06] verses 1 and 2.
[00:26:08] And the men
[00:26:09] of Kiriath-Jerim
[00:26:11] came to the ark,
[00:26:12] came and took
[00:26:13] the ark of the Lord
[00:26:14] and brought it
[00:26:15] into the house
[00:26:16] of Abinadab
[00:26:17] on their hip.
[00:26:18] So the Philistines
[00:26:19] had given the ark
[00:26:20] back,
[00:26:20] it ended up
[00:26:20] in Kiriath-Jerim,
[00:26:21] and then they came
[00:26:23] and they took it
[00:26:23] to the house
[00:26:24] of Abinadab
[00:26:25] and consecrated
[00:26:27] Eliezer,
[00:26:28] his son,
[00:26:29] to keep the ark
[00:26:30] of the Lord.
[00:26:32] From the day
[00:26:32] that the ark
[00:26:33] remained at Kiriath-Jerim,
[00:26:34] the time was long
[00:26:35] for it was 20 years
[00:26:36] and all the house
[00:26:37] of Israel
[00:26:37] lamented
[00:26:38] after the Lord.
[00:26:39] So understand
[00:26:39] what's going on here.
[00:26:40] Abinadab had three sons.
[00:26:43] Uzzah was one of,
[00:26:44] there was another one
[00:26:45] called Eliezer.
[00:26:46] Eliezer was the son
[00:26:47] who was consecrated
[00:26:48] to deal with the ark.
[00:26:50] But it says
[00:26:51] he was in his house
[00:26:52] for 20 years.
[00:26:55] Uzzah grew up
[00:26:56] with the ark
[00:26:57] in his living room.
[00:26:58] He was in his house
[00:26:59] for 20 years.
[00:27:01] And the implication
[00:27:02] of this text is
[00:27:04] because we know
[00:27:05] this house was not blessed.
[00:27:06] When the ark
[00:27:07] was in the house
[00:27:07] of Odevedim
[00:27:08] for three months,
[00:27:09] blessing abounded
[00:27:10] because they treated
[00:27:10] irreverent,
[00:27:11] the implication is
[00:27:12] that whilst the ark
[00:27:13] was in this house,
[00:27:14] Uzzah had become familiar.
[00:27:17] Think of him
[00:27:18] walking past it,
[00:27:19] resting a cup of tea on it,
[00:27:20] something like that.
[00:27:20] That's the kind of picture
[00:27:21] that's being presented here.
[00:27:22] He had been in his presence
[00:27:23] for very long.
[00:27:24] He had lost the fear
[00:27:25] of the Lord.
[00:27:25] For him,
[00:27:26] it was just an object
[00:27:27] he'd grown up with
[00:27:28] in his house.
[00:27:28] There was nothing special.
[00:27:30] There was nothing holy
[00:27:31] about it.
[00:27:32] And it's in that manner
[00:27:34] that he felt
[00:27:35] that he could just reach out
[00:27:36] and touch the ark
[00:27:37] without thinking about
[00:27:38] what that was,
[00:27:38] touching a holy God
[00:27:40] because he was a sinner
[00:27:41] in this respect.
[00:27:43] He was not consecrated.
[00:27:44] He was not prepared
[00:27:45] to do that.
[00:27:46] He shouldn't have done it.
[00:27:47] And that is why he died.
[00:27:49] What are the wages of sin?
[00:27:51] Death.
[00:27:52] You actually have a picture here
[00:27:53] of the gospel being worked out
[00:27:54] and how we enter
[00:27:55] the presence of God
[00:27:56] only by being consecrated
[00:27:58] through the blood of Jesus.
[00:28:00] Point.
[00:28:02] Now the other implication
[00:28:03] and the other question
[00:28:04] from this is we may ask
[00:28:05] what happened to Eliezer,
[00:28:07] his brother?
[00:28:08] Surely when the ark
[00:28:09] was being made,
[00:28:11] the son who was consecrated
[00:28:12] to take care of that ark
[00:28:13] should have been in charge.
[00:28:14] But we don't see Eliezer.
[00:28:16] All we see is Uzzah
[00:28:17] and his brother.
[00:28:18] These people had nothing
[00:28:19] to do with it.
[00:28:20] The implication is,
[00:28:21] again,
[00:28:21] you want to ask the question,
[00:28:22] what happened to their brother?
[00:28:24] We don't know.
[00:28:25] That's left in the mysteries
[00:28:26] of God.
[00:28:27] But what we did pick up
[00:28:28] from this story
[00:28:28] is that Uzzah
[00:28:29] should never have been
[00:28:30] in that procession.
[00:28:31] And maybe he wanted
[00:28:32] to be in that procession
[00:28:33] for other reasons.
[00:28:34] Probably came with a little kudos
[00:28:36] being in a procession like that.
[00:28:37] You can start to extrapolate
[00:28:39] all of these different things.
[00:28:40] But the point is,
[00:28:41] the likelihood is,
[00:28:42] God had seen
[00:28:43] a continued pattern
[00:28:44] of irreverence,
[00:28:45] a continued violation
[00:28:46] of the third commandment
[00:28:47] and that culminated
[00:28:49] in that act
[00:28:50] where he felt
[00:28:50] that he could just reach out
[00:28:51] and touch God
[00:28:52] in that way.
[00:28:53] And that is why
[00:28:55] he was killed
[00:28:56] at that moment.
[00:28:57] He touched,
[00:28:57] but he treated
[00:28:58] the sacred
[00:28:59] as if it was profane.
[00:29:00] He most likely
[00:29:01] had done that many times
[00:29:02] before in his house.
[00:29:04] And this is a reminder
[00:29:06] to us.
[00:29:06] Let me read you
[00:29:07] a book by Francis Chan.
[00:29:08] He says,
[00:29:09] We don't understand
[00:29:09] what it means
[00:29:10] for someone to be sacred.
[00:29:12] We live in a human-centered world
[00:29:13] among people
[00:29:14] who see themselves
[00:29:14] as the highest authority.
[00:29:16] And we're quick
[00:29:17] to say things like,
[00:29:18] that isn't fair
[00:29:18] because we believe
[00:29:19] we deserve certain rights
[00:29:21] as humans.
[00:29:22] Yet we give little thought
[00:29:23] to the rights
[00:29:23] God deserves as God.
[00:29:25] Even in the church
[00:29:26] we can act as though
[00:29:27] God's actions
[00:29:27] should revolve around us.
[00:29:29] The stories in Scripture
[00:29:30] are meant to show us
[00:29:31] that there exists
[00:29:32] something of greater value
[00:29:33] than our existence
[00:29:34] in Christ.
[00:29:35] There are things
[00:29:36] that belong to God,
[00:29:37] sacred things.
[00:29:38] The ark of his covenant,
[00:29:39] the command to Moses,
[00:29:40] his offerings in the temple,
[00:29:41] his Holy Spirit,
[00:29:42] his Holy Communion,
[00:29:43] his sacred.
[00:29:45] And in all the above situations,
[00:29:47] people rushed into something sacred
[00:29:49] and they paid the price.
[00:29:50] And we shouldn't be surprised,
[00:29:52] we should be humbled.
[00:29:53] We have all done things
[00:29:56] more irreverent
[00:29:57] than those mentioned above.
[00:29:58] And let's thank God
[00:29:59] for his mercy
[00:30:00] and tread more carefully
[00:30:02] into sacred matters.
[00:30:04] And this is where
[00:30:05] I bring it all back
[00:30:06] to the Christmas story
[00:30:07] where it comes to play.
[00:30:08] You see,
[00:30:09] we need to understand
[00:30:10] the child in the manger
[00:30:11] as the greatest act of grace
[00:30:13] that was ever displayed
[00:30:15] in the world
[00:30:16] until that point.
[00:30:17] And it was up on the cross
[00:30:19] which may be exceeded.
[00:30:20] When the angel said to Mary
[00:30:22] in Luke chapter 1,
[00:30:24] the Holy Child
[00:30:25] shall be called
[00:30:26] the Son of God.
[00:30:27] We see,
[00:30:28] God is still holy.
[00:30:30] The Holy Child,
[00:30:30] the Son of God,
[00:30:31] this is who he was.
[00:30:32] Yet,
[00:30:33] the theology of the Incarnation
[00:30:35] came,
[00:30:36] teaches us
[00:30:37] that he came to this
[00:30:38] ultimately
[00:30:39] to be killed
[00:30:40] by the very people
[00:30:41] he was there to save.
[00:30:43] But he was the living word.
[00:30:44] He was the mighty God
[00:30:45] as we learn from Isaiah 9
[00:30:47] verse 6 and 7.
[00:30:48] He was the one
[00:30:49] who became flesh.
[00:30:50] The Word became flesh
[00:30:51] and dwelt among us
[00:30:52] and we saw his glory.
[00:30:54] Glory as of the only
[00:30:56] from the Father
[00:30:56] full of grace
[00:30:58] and truth.
[00:30:59] Glory,
[00:31:00] grace,
[00:31:00] and truth.
[00:31:01] That is what came to us
[00:31:03] in the Incarnation.
[00:31:04] Glory,
[00:31:05] grace,
[00:31:05] and truth.
[00:31:07] And he came to a people,
[00:31:08] a people like us
[00:31:09] who desperately
[00:31:10] needed that grace.
[00:31:12] We needed that grace
[00:31:13] from God
[00:31:13] so that we could be forgiven.
[00:31:15] We need Jesus.
[00:31:16] He was that grace.
[00:31:17] And then we need grace
[00:31:18] with one another
[00:31:18] as his body
[00:31:19] to walk in a way
[00:31:20] that sanctifies his name.
[00:31:22] All of us
[00:31:23] in desperate
[00:31:24] need of him.
[00:31:26] Here at this altar,
[00:31:27] Lord,
[00:31:27] I surrender.
[00:31:27] I lay my burdens down.
[00:31:29] I'm undeserving,
[00:31:30] but you call me worthy.
[00:31:31] Oh, what grace
[00:31:32] I found.
[00:31:33] I'm desperate for you.
[00:31:34] All I know to do
[00:31:35] is only to let go
[00:31:36] and fall at your feet.
[00:31:37] So just as I am
[00:31:38] with these empty hands,
[00:31:39] I give everything.
[00:31:41] All I have,
[00:31:41] all of me,
[00:31:42] I'm destined for you.
[00:31:45] And we see this
[00:31:47] in Emmanuel,
[00:31:48] the God with us.
[00:31:50] Firstly,
[00:31:50] understand his holy nature,
[00:31:52] but realize
[00:31:53] he came to dwell
[00:31:54] in his people
[00:31:55] for his people.
[00:31:56] And he took on
[00:31:57] the limitations
[00:31:58] of human flesh,
[00:31:58] but that in no way
[00:31:59] takes away the fact
[00:32:00] of who he was,
[00:32:01] the holy God.
[00:32:03] And he came
[00:32:04] for one purpose.
[00:32:04] His name implies
[00:32:06] to save us
[00:32:06] from our sins.
[00:32:07] We can understand
[00:32:08] the whole of human history
[00:32:10] in light of this act.
[00:32:11] Everything up until
[00:32:12] that point
[00:32:12] had been moving
[00:32:13] towards that point
[00:32:14] until the promise
[00:32:15] was fulfilled.
[00:32:16] The first promise
[00:32:17] going back to the
[00:32:18] Garden of Eden
[00:32:19] all the way
[00:32:19] through Abraham,
[00:32:20] all the way
[00:32:20] through the history
[00:32:21] of Israel,
[00:32:22] that one day
[00:32:23] a redeemer would come.
[00:32:24] And as Paul tells us
[00:32:25] in Galatians,
[00:32:26] that when the fullness
[00:32:27] of time came,
[00:32:28] God sent forth
[00:32:30] his son.
[00:32:31] And that is what
[00:32:32] we think about
[00:32:32] at Christmas 2,000 years ago,
[00:32:34] the answer and fulfillment
[00:32:35] to the world's problems
[00:32:36] came to this earth.
[00:32:38] And it totally
[00:32:39] transformed everything.
[00:32:40] He came to die
[00:32:41] ultimately so that
[00:32:42] we could live with God.
[00:32:44] He grew and he taught
[00:32:45] and ultimately died
[00:32:47] in our place.
[00:32:48] And then he defeated death.
[00:32:49] And one day,
[00:32:50] the Bible says,
[00:32:51] he will return
[00:32:51] as the King of Kings
[00:32:52] and Lord of Lords.
[00:32:54] And ultimately,
[00:32:56] it's the only way
[00:32:57] we can have
[00:32:58] a relationship
[00:32:59] with God
[00:33:00] who is holy.
[00:33:02] It's through
[00:33:02] the Holy Child.
[00:33:04] Not like Uzzah
[00:33:05] who could be
[00:33:05] on his own meris
[00:33:06] and thought he could
[00:33:07] just reach out
[00:33:08] and touch the Holy God
[00:33:09] without G-thought.
[00:33:10] We must think about this.
[00:33:12] We must understand
[00:33:12] that it is only
[00:33:13] through Jesus Christ
[00:33:14] that we can touch God
[00:33:15] through his grace
[00:33:16] that we all so desperately need.
[00:33:18] And it is the way
[00:33:19] that we are adopted
[00:33:20] ultimately
[00:33:21] by such a great God
[00:33:23] that he calls us
[00:33:24] his sons
[00:33:24] and daughters.
[00:33:26] And that is
[00:33:26] the amazing truth
[00:33:27] what happened
[00:33:28] in the first years.
[00:33:29] It is,
[00:33:30] you could say,
[00:33:31] the very purpose
[00:33:31] for our existence.
[00:33:32] It is the very purpose
[00:33:33] of the history
[00:33:34] of this universe
[00:33:35] living.
[00:33:36] It is life
[00:33:36] and not death.
[00:33:38] As the early church
[00:33:39] used to always say,
[00:33:40] there are two ways,
[00:33:41] one of life
[00:33:42] and one of death.
[00:33:43] And there is a great
[00:33:44] difference between
[00:33:45] these two ways.
[00:33:46] What we have
[00:33:47] to meditate on
[00:33:48] at Christmas time
[00:33:49] is the way of life.
[00:33:50] It is the way
[00:33:51] of the King.
[00:33:52] It is the way
[00:33:53] of the cross.
[00:33:54] It is the way
[00:33:54] to glory
[00:33:55] and it is the way
[00:33:56] to eternity
[00:33:56] with the one
[00:33:57] who came to the King.
[00:33:59] Now where does
[00:34:00] this journey end?
[00:34:01] You must think
[00:34:01] of that too.
[00:34:02] When we think
[00:34:03] of Christmas
[00:34:04] it is really
[00:34:04] just the beginning.
[00:34:05] We must put
[00:34:06] the death
[00:34:06] and the resurrection
[00:34:07] and we must also
[00:34:07] put the glorification
[00:34:08] and the coming
[00:34:09] King as Jesus
[00:34:10] talked about
[00:34:11] so often
[00:34:11] into this picture
[00:34:12] at Christmas time.
[00:34:14] We need to
[00:34:14] understand
[00:34:15] destination
[00:34:16] and not just
[00:34:17] think about
[00:34:17] the journey.
[00:34:19] Now maybe
[00:34:20] you are all
[00:34:21] in a different
[00:34:21] place on your journey
[00:34:22] but we are all
[00:34:23] headed to the same
[00:34:24] place if we know
[00:34:25] the Lord.
[00:34:25] We are headed
[00:34:26] ultimately to
[00:34:27] his kingdom
[00:34:27] and we need
[00:34:28] to remember
[00:34:28] that.
[00:34:29] We must not
[00:34:29] lose sight
[00:34:30] of the destination.
[00:34:31] We may be
[00:34:33] maybe we've
[00:34:33] come off the path
[00:34:34] maybe we've
[00:34:34] strayed from the path
[00:34:35] maybe we've
[00:34:36] stalled
[00:34:36] maybe we've
[00:34:37] tripped
[00:34:37] maybe we've
[00:34:37] stumbled
[00:34:38] we have all
[00:34:38] been through
[00:34:39] these things
[00:34:39] in our life
[00:34:40] but make no
[00:34:41] mistake
[00:34:42] the Lord
[00:34:42] is bringing
[00:34:43] you to
[00:34:43] that destination
[00:34:44] and you must
[00:34:45] keep your eyes
[00:34:46] fixed on him
[00:34:46] as we do this.
[00:34:47] Remind ourselves
[00:34:48] of the truth
[00:34:49] that we have
[00:34:50] at Christmas time.
[00:34:51] The King
[00:34:51] is real.
[00:34:52] He proved it
[00:34:53] when he came
[00:34:54] to this earth
[00:34:54] 2,000 years ago
[00:34:55] for the last
[00:34:56] 2,000 years
[00:34:57] he has been
[00:34:57] working in this
[00:34:58] world to draw
[00:34:59] people to himself.
[00:35:00] We are here
[00:35:01] as testimony
[00:35:02] to that
[00:35:03] and one day
[00:35:03] we know
[00:35:04] he will
[00:35:04] and he will
[00:35:05] fulfill
[00:35:06] everything
[00:35:06] that he has promised.
[00:35:07] He loves us
[00:35:09] and one day
[00:35:10] his kingdom
[00:35:10] will come
[00:35:10] so he
[00:35:11] exhorts us
[00:35:12] today
[00:35:12] to keep our
[00:35:13] flames burning
[00:35:14] he exhorts us
[00:35:14] today to make
[00:35:15] sure that we
[00:35:16] do not allow
[00:35:16] the devil
[00:35:17] change the truth
[00:35:18] of God
[00:35:19] for a lie
[00:35:19] he beckons us
[00:35:21] to live
[00:35:21] faithfully
[00:35:22] and receive
[00:35:23] our crown
[00:35:23] all the time
[00:35:24] knowing
[00:35:25] that he is
[00:35:26] holy
[00:35:27] and we
[00:35:28] are but sinners
[00:35:29] saved by grace.
[00:35:30] That is how
[00:35:31] we enter
[00:35:31] Christ.
[00:35:32] That is why
[00:35:33] we have boldness
[00:35:34] in God.
[00:35:35] That is why
[00:35:36] we can freely
[00:35:37] reach out
[00:35:37] and touch
[00:35:38] the arm
[00:35:39] because of
[00:35:40] his son
[00:35:40] Jesus
[00:35:41] and everything
[00:35:41] he did for us.
[00:35:42] All of this
[00:35:43] is encapsulated
[00:35:45] in theology
[00:35:45] of Christ's
[00:35:47] child
[00:35:47] and I've only
[00:35:50] really just
[00:35:50] scratched it
[00:35:51] through the thought.
[00:35:53] Amen.
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[00:35:55] to Theology
[00:35:55] and Apologetics.
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