Birth of Jesus

Truly Christmas time is the time of good news and that good news brings great joy to those who have received that news. Last night at our Christmas Eve service we began talking to you about how it is I can experience that great and wonderful joy that comes because of the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord. And we told you as we began last night that the plan of God brings and causes great joy. And we looked at that plan from the standpoint of a census that was taken in Luke chapter 2 as well as a city, the place called Bethlehem and a child that had been born, the Messiah Jesus Christ our Lord.

And that the plan of God was something that was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord. And people would say, well I understand the plan of God but yet I don't experience joy. And we told you to experience that joy you must learn to rest in that plan. Isaiah 30 verse number 15, Jeremiah 29 verse number 11. Unless you rest in the plan you won't experience the joy that's offered. So the plan of God causes great joy if you rest in that plan. Then number two, the proclamation about God causes great joy.

That proclamation about the coming of the Messiah for unto you this day in the city of David has been born a Savior who is Christ the Lord. That proclamation causes great joy because it initiates saving faith. That without the good news there is no saving faith. And that saving faith injects to us a significant hope, a hope of eternal life. And that life in spirits with us a spontaneous praise that causes me to praise God for all that he's done. It imparts to us a supernatural kind of peace and inspires us to seek only Christ our Lord.

And that proclamation causes joy if I respond to the proclamation. I've got to rest in the plan but I must respond to the proclamation. First by accepting what has been said and then in turn announcing the birth of Jesus Christ.

For 1 Thessalonians 2 19 the Apostle Paul said that as he shared Christ his joy was surrounded by those who gave their lives to the saving grace of Jesus Christ our Lord. That was all last night. Tonight I want to pick that up and continue that whole theme of joy because Christmas truly is a time of great joy. Not just joy but great joy. And there will be times where we'll say that we have joy but do we really have great joy, abounding joy because of the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord. And that is the significance of Christmas and the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord.

The third principle I want to give you and the practice that goes with it is simply this that the promises of God cause great joy.

The promises of God not just the plan of God not just a proclamation about God but the promises of God cause great joy. I mean think about Mary as she understood the fact that at 13 maybe 14 years of age she was going to give birth to the Messiah. Listen to what she said concerning the promise of God. She said these words in Luke chapter 1 verse number 46 and Mary said my soul exalts the Lord and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior for he has regard for the humble state of his bond slave for behold from this time on all generations will count me blessed for the mighty one has done great things for me and holy is his name and his mercy is upon generation at the generation toward those who fear him he has done mighty deeds with his arm he has scattered those who were proud in their thoughts of their of their heart he has brought down rulers from their thrones and has exalted those who were humble he has filled the hungry with good things and sent away the rich empty-handed he has given help to Israel his servant in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our fathers to Abraham and his offspring forever that that song of Mary is filled with scripture so she's she's 13 years of age and she knows Old Testament prophecy she knows about the promises of the coming Messiah and I'm sure that when the announcement came to her that she would be the mother of the Messiah that she began to study the Old Testament probably more so than ever before I mean she was in the synagogue daily she would study the scriptures but yet to realize that in her song Mary's song she would exalt God as her Savior and she would begin to recite the Old Testament knowing what God had done because of all the promises given to Israel the promises of God cause great joy Simeon was the same way remember eight days after the birth of Christ it was Simeon who said these words now Lord thou dost let thy bondservant depart in peace according to thy word for my eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples a light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel that's Luke 2 29 to 32 he understood the the promises of God given to the nation of Israel and a little later on because she was was there with Simeon there in the temple she would praise God and give thanks to him for the redemption of Jerusalem they knew of the promises because promises give great joy but you must remember the promises you must rest in the plan you must respond to the proclamation but you got to remember the promises you know we forget so much and Israel's biggest problem was that they didn't remember anything they just kept forgetting that they got so ingrained with the land that they were in and the surroundings of the land and all that was happening in the land that they they would tend to forget the promises that that's just like us today oh yeah around Christmas time we'll gather together and we'll read the Christmas story and we'll remember what took place some 2,000 years ago and we'll remember some of the elements surrounding the Christmas story the promises but for the most part we go through our day without remembering anything that God said and the promise that he gives that's why Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2 verse number 8 remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead descended of David which is my gospel why would the Apostle Paul have to tell young Timothy a pastor at the Church of Ephesus to remember Jesus because we so readily forget we so easily forget the significance and the promises surrounding the arrival of the Messiah you know Christmas time when when I preach there are so many things in my head that I want to share with you and I can't share them all because if I did we'd be here all day and that's just not gonna go over for most people and so how do you get into the minds and hearts of people the things that will help them understand the significance of the story that is the good news that brings great joy right there's just so much to say and there's so much surrounding the promises so let me give them to you I'm gonna give to you rather rapidly and so you probably won't be able to take notes so just listen because they're very significant when you think of the promises surrounding the Messiah first of all there was a promise of a seed Genesis 3 verse 15 a promise of a seed that same promise was reiterated to Abraham in the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis chapter 12 that there would be a seed that would come from the loins of Abraham but in Genesis 3 15 the first prophecy of the of the virgin birth there was a promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpents had the seed a singular seed and that promise was fulfilled in the arrival of Messiah according to Galatians chapter 3 verse number 16 in the book of Hebrews that seed was the Messiah they were looking for a seed but not only were they looking for a seed they were looking for a substitute because there was a promise of a substitute the Messiah would not only be a seed he'd be a substitute that's Genesis chapter 22 that's why Abraham called that place on Moriah Yahweh Yireh the Lord will provide what will he provide what will be seen what will be seen is a substitute that's why Paul said in 2nd Corinthians 5 21 he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him he was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world so Israel was looking for the promise of a seed they were looking for a promise of a substitute and thirdly they were looking for the promise of a of a staircase Genesis 28 that staircase that came down out of heaven in Jacob's dream remember that and the angels ascending and descending on the staircase and what did he say in Genesis 28 I have seen the gate to heaven I know the way to heaven so Jacob said and every Jewish rabbi says that that staircase that comes down out of heaven is the only way to get there they just never tell you how to get there you don't tell you what the staircase is well in John chapter 1 Jesus tells Nathanael he's the staircase for you will see the Son of Man and angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man and so there's a promise of a seed there's a promise of a substitute there's a promise of a staircase there's a promise listen of one called Shiloh Shiloh what the Messiah would do became a proper name remember Genesis chapter 49 listen what it says as Jacob is blessing his sons and Judah whose name by the way means praise God shall be praised says the scepter shall not depart from Judah nor the ruler staff from between his feet until Shiloh comes and to him shall be the obedience of the people's the word Shiloh means to whom it belongs what belongs to Shiloh which is a name for rest or peace the scepter the ruler the dominion so way back on Jacob's deathbed he is prophesying that through Judah the tribe of Judah will come the Messiah who by the way is the lion of the tribe of Judah according to the book of Revelation they were looking for one called Shiloh who truly is the staircase who truly is the substitute who truly is the seed that's the promises of the Messiah and it goes beyond that to to the book of Deuteronomy sorry the book of Numbers Numbers 24 17 where the Messiah will be called the star a star shall shall rise out of Jacob then every Jewish rabbi will tell you that the star is the Messiah that will come that's a promise and that's why in Luke chapter chapter 1 it talks about the sunrise shall shine down upon us Christ said in Revelation 22 16 he was that bright and morning star he was the fulfillment of that prophecy in Numbers 24 and then you go to the book of Deuteronomy Deuteronomy chapter 18 when it says that that there will be a seer a prophet greater than Moses and all throughout the ministry of Christ they would call him a prophet but it would be Peter in Acts 3 who said he is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Deuteronomy chapter 18 he is the prophet and all these promises begin to come together and then you move over to Psalm 89 the Messiah they were looking for the promise of the Son of David Psalm 89 the Davidic Covenant in Matthew chapter 1 with the genealogy of Christ we know truly that he is the Son of David and then you go to Psalm 118 verse number 22 he is the stone that the builders would reject and Peter says in 1st Peter chapter 2 verse number 6 that Jesus Christ is that stone that cornerstone that the builders rejected and then over in Isaiah 11 verse number 2 he is called the the the shoot he is called the branch he is called the sprouts that will come from the loins of Jesse and so these Jewish people understanding the Old Testament we're looking for the promises of a seed looking for the promises of a substitute of a staircase of a seer of Shiloh the place of rest they were looking for all this and the promises continue because if you read Isaiah 41 it was a promise of a Savior Isaiah 48 it's a promise of the separated one in over in Isaiah 49 it's a promise of the servant of the Lord in Isaiah 53 the sinless sacrifice Ezekiel 34 Zachariah 13 the promise of a shepherd in Deuteronomy 2 the promise of a sovereign ruler in Daniel 7 the promise of the Son of Man in Malachi 4 the promise of the Son of Righteousness SU in and over in Isaiah 9 6 the promise of the Son of God all those promises were fulfilled in one person that is the Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah of Israel because he is the embodiment of all those promises but you got to remember the promises because you see to remember the promises is to remember that God's always faithful God's always true he always keeps his word nobody else in this room keeps their word no matter how they would say they'll keep the word they just can't do it because they're not in control of things they're just not in control of life and circumstances God's in control of everything he has the plan the perfect plan and that's why when you rest in the plan it causes joy there is the the whole proclamation about God when you respond to that proclamation that truly the good news brings great joy and then you announce that proclamation to other you respond to that proclamation you experience joy and then of course there is simply the very fact that as the Bible says the promises of God but you got to remember the promises Mary remembered the promises Simeon remembered the promises Anna remember the promises enjoy what erupt in your lives because it proved one thing that God was true and God's faithful he always keeps his word he will never fail you the promises of God cause great joy before the presence of God causes great joy the presence of God causes great joy remember Matthew chapter 1 Matthew chapter 1 the angel said that for you this day in the city of David there's been born a Savior who was Christ the Lord speaking about the incarnation of God the enfleshment of God he is here in Matthew 1 when Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant he was going to put her away he was going to divorce her he was betrothed to her he was not yet married to her officially but he was engaged to her he was going to give her a bill of divorce meant for he didn't know what else to do and the Bible says this verse 18 now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows when his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph before they came together she found to be with child by the Holy Spirit and Joseph her husband being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her desire to put her away secretly but when he had considered this behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying Joseph son of David do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit that's a very important phrase because really it says that which has been born in her because in Judaism conception is birth conception is birth nine months later is what we see of the birth so in Jewish thinking when you conceive the child is born child's not born nine months later it's born the moment you conceive that which is born in her that which has been conceived in her truly is of the Holy Spirit and she will bear a son and you will call his name Jesus for it is he will save his people from the sins now all this took place that was spoken by the Lord so the prophet might be fulfilled saying 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 the presence of God causes great joy think about this for a minute would you please God is above us we understand that we don't have a problem comprehending the fact that God is greater than us that God is above us the Bible says and in Psalm 103 verse number 19 the Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his sovereignty rules over all God is above us and that God who is above us is the God who made us in his likeness Genesis chapter 1 verse 26 and 27 then God said let us make man in our image according to our likeness and God created man in his own image in the image of God he created him male and female he created them the God above us is the God who made us and the God who made us is now the God who is with us that's the fulfillment of Isaiah 7 verse number 14 behold the Virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel translated God with us and God is with us because number four God gave us his only son that's John 3 verse number 16 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life so the God who's above us is the God who made us the God who made us now becomes the God who's with us and the God who is with us is the God who gave his best to us why so that so that God could be in us it's not enough for God to be with us God must be in us that's Colossians chapter 1 verse number 27 God will to make known what are the riches of the glory of his mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you the hope of glory God in us talk about perpetual presence he's in us the God above us is the God who made us the God who made us is the God who's with us the God who's with us is because God gave us his only begotten son so that God could be in us listen this if God is in us God is for us God's for us that is Romans chapter 8 verse number 31 what then shall we say to these things if God is for us who can be against us but it isn't in there the God above us is the God who made us the God who made us is the God now who is with us the God with us is the God who who gave us his only begotten son so God could be in us and if God is in us God is for us therefore God number 7 has sent us as the Father sent me so send I you right God sends us can you imagine that we become the representatives of his kingdom remember what the Bible said about John the Baptist John the Baptist was the greatest man ever born of woman that's what Jesus said of John the Baptist there is no greater man than John the Baptist born of a woman nobody greater Daniel's not greater Dave is not greater Abraham's not greater Moses isn't greater John the Baptist is the greatest man born of a woman that's what Jesus said but then he said yet he was least in the kingdom is greater than John how can that be how can that be simply because you understand the promises you understand the things that John never understood you understood the death of the Messiah the resurrection of the Messiah the coming again of the Messiah you understand the unfolding of the New Testament John didn't get all that he was the greatest man ever born of a woman at that time but the least of us in the kingdom are greater than John simply because we know we know the end we know the book of Revelation we know more than John do and he was the great prophet that pointed the way to the Messiah behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world but we know the promises we know we know Shiloh the seed the substitute son of God son of man son of David son of righteousness we know who that is we know the seer we know we know the servant we know the sinless sacrifice we know who that person is he's the Messiah and that Messiah is in us for those who have embraced the story of Christmas who have embraced the Savior of Christmas now experience the joy of his perpetual presence in our lives every single day we'll say well I understand that God is in me but but the joy certainly isn't isn't great joy well that's simply because you need to realize his presence you must rest in his plan you must respond to his proclamation you must remember his promises but you need to realize his presence and let me tell you why you don't realize his presence because his presence brings great joy for unto you this day has been born a Savior who is Christ the Lord and the angels erupted in praise and the shepherds after they relayed the story to Mary and Joseph they left exalting God in praise what why why because they realized the presence of God listen God above us is the God who made us the God who made us became the God who was with us the God who's with us is the God who gave us the God who gave us is the God who was in us the God who is in us is the God who's for us the God who's for us is the God who sent us but remember Matthew 28 19 and 20 go into all the world and make disciples that's the that's that that's the proclamation given go into all the world and make disciples baptizing them in the name of the Father Son the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you listen carefully and as you go lo I am with you always even to the end of the age listen carefully if you don't realize his presence is because you don't do what he says if you go and make disciples and you baptize them and you teach them lo I am with you always even to the end of the age I'm with you you have the guarantee of my presence I will go with you I will do what you have said that's why in the whole the whole realm of church discipline in Matthew chapter 18 Christ said these words were two or three and gathered together in my name there I am in the midst of them in other words when you do what the Bible says when it comes to church discipline you're guaranteed of my presence and you realize that I'm with you see here's the point we realize the presence of God when we obey what he says when we do what he says because he empowers us to accomplish his purposes his plans and so if you if you don't say well I don't feel his presence I don't understand his presence I don't have the joy of his presence it's only because you don't do what he says because when you do what he says you realize he's there with you every step of the way he's with you to the end of the age and so we understand that the plan of God causes great joy the proclamation about God causes great joy we understand that the promises of God cause great joy and fourthly we understand that the presence of God causes great joy but fifthly the power of God causes great joy the power of God causes great joy remember that when the shepherds proclaimed to Mary and Joseph all that had take place in the shepherd fields with the with the angel I told them they left with joy because they understood something supernatural something beyond the realm that can be explained when Mary understood that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and that which would be conceived in her was by the Holy Spirit when she asked the angel how can this be I'm but a virgin how can this King be born in me and the Holy and the Holy Spirit would come upon her the angel explained it to her and the angel said for nothing is impossible with God nothing the power of God caused her to erupt with joy and exaltation in the mighty one the holy one of Israel it's the power of God the power of God in the conception the power of God in the incarnation right that God becoming flesh you see the whole the whole virgin birthing you see without the belief in the virgin birth you can't believe in the deity of Christ you don't believe in the virgin birth of the deity of Christ you can't be saved you gotta believe in the virgin birth and so we know Isaiah 7 verse number 14 because there would be a woman who have a child and she'll be a virgin we understand Isaiah 7 14 we understand Isaiah 9 verse number 6 that the son will be given but the child will be born speaking of his humanity and his his deity we can go back and look at Micah 5 verse number 2 that the one that's born in Bethlehem is from eternity meaning he is the eternal one how can one be born if he is the eternal one unless he is God in the flesh we get that Micah 5 2 Isaiah 7 verse number 14 they make sense to us and yet there's one verse of scripture in the Old Testament that every rabbi before the time of Jesus said that the Messiah will be born without an earthly father and that's in the book of Jeremiah 31st chapter 22nd verse every rabbi without exception said that the Messiah will be born without an earthly father here's the verse for the Lord has created a new thing in the earth the word create means to create out of nothing a woman will encompass a man very important Jeremiah 31 22 a woman will encompass a man the word encompass could mean two things one that she would hold in her arms a man and surround him and encompass him or that her womb would be that which surrounded the man and encompassed him but here's the key point the man is not a normal man the man is gay bear which is from the Hebrew word Gabor which in Isaiah 9 6 the Messiah will be called El Gabor the mighty God in fact the same word is used in Jeremiah 32 when it says oh great and mighty God the Lord of hosts is his name so whoever this woman is she's going to encompass a mighty man not a normal man but a mighty man who is the mighty God so that's that's the power of God on display Hebrews 2 9 says that it was God who had created a body for him so that he would be enfleshed among us you see the power of the virgin birth the power of the conception the power of the incarnation is so important because it causes joy in Mary's life in the shepherds life in all those who understood the deity of the Messiah they are surrounded with joy say well I don't have that joy I know that Jesus was born of a virgin I believe that Jesus is God in the flesh but to be truthful with you I I just don't experience the joy well first of all you you have to rest in the plan Isaiah 30 15 right in quietness and in rest shall be your strength but you were unwilling and why are we unwilling because we want to redirect the plan we want to reinvent the plan we want to redirect the plan we want to control the plane we can't do that God's in charge so you gotta rest in the plan once you rest in the plan you must respond to the proclamation by accepting the proclamation and then announcing that proclamation and then thirdly it truly we truly must be those who remember the promise that God gave surrounding the arrival of the Messiah and every other promise that he has given because 2 Corinthians 1 20 says that all the promises of God are met in one person Jesus Christ who is God in the flesh and then you must realize his presence but you must rely on his power if you're not resting in his plan you will not rely on his power God can do anything he wants I believe that he has done whatever he wants to do he does whatever he pleases God is all-powerful his power is unlimited his power is unique his power is unparalleled his power is beyond anything we can ever imagine he's able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ever ask or even imagine but we don't believe that because we want to imagine it we want to think about it we want to we want to bottle his power and then sell it on TV can't do that you got to rely on his power that's why in 2 Chronicles 20 King Jehoshaphat who said when surrounded by the enemy not knowing what to do knowing he was outnumbered by thousands of men said simply Lord we don't know what to do but our eyes are upon you was the last time you said that in the midst of your situation whatever it may be for you this Christmas you say Lord we don't know what to do but our eyes are upon you you have to do it we can't do it we can't we can't mend the relationship we can't take away the pain we can't heal the disease we don't know what to do our eyes are upon you you rested his plan you rely on his power because you've remembered his promises you realize his presence and you want to do what he says that's why the Lord God told Zerubbabel in Zechariah 4 verse number 6 you want to build the temple it's not by might it's not by power it's by my spirit says the Lord it's not what you can do it's only what I can do now for the most part we read the Christmas story and forget all about the supernatural act of God in that story and remember he's not the God who was he's the God who is what we think this is what God used to do he doesn't do it anymore whenever someone's saved that's a supernatural act of God that's the power of God in the in the heart of an individual a supernatural act to take a person engrossed in darkness and sin ignorant of saving grace to be called by God out of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear son that's a supernatural act of God that can only be accomplished by God the power of God is on display on a regular basis we just refuse to to to to rely on God to do what only God can do and that's because we just think we can do so many things and and God has gifted us so we can do some things but for the most part Jesus said without me you can do what that's what Jesus said without me you can do nothing he didn't say without me you can do some things but that would have been good because that would have given us a little bit of hope without me you can do some things without me you can do nothing so whatever you want to do in the spiritual realm you can't accomplish it without without me that's so important you gotta rely on his power two more points I'll be done number six the precepts of God cause great joy the precepts of God cause great joy the angel came to Joseph and said Joseph did I divorce Mary take her as your wife for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit the precepts of God God commanded him to do something he obeyed he obeyed and and and and joy would erupt would it be difficult for Joseph sure it would but in the long run everything about the arrival of the Messiah was about joy because he obeyed the precepts of Almighty God in Luke 24 34 at the end of of the life of Christ after his resurrection right after his ascension it says they returned to Jerusalem with great joy why because Jesus said go back to Jerusalem and they returned with great joy first John 1 4 John says I write these things unto you that your joy may be full and then over in John 15 verse number 11 Christ said these things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full why do I tell you these things because I want my joy to be in you and I want that joy to be at its absolute apex to the fullest extent possible I want you to experience my joy and it comes through the precepts of God that are given see well I understand God's precepts I don't have joy Revelation 1 3 says blessed is the man who reads and keeps the words of this book other words you've got to read the precepts so well I read him I don't experience joy that's because you didn't read it right if you read it right joy erupts so how can I read it right how am I reading it wrong you read it with the wrong motivation you're reading it right so that you can get rid of your sadness instead of reading it to realize that what you're reading is about the omnipotent Holy God of the universe who controls all things who's in charge of all things and Christ made the promise if you read if you read the words of this book pertaining to the book of Revelation which is the greatest depiction of the authority in the almighty power of Christ himself if you read it right you're blessed you're blessed beyond comprehension so important so what have you learned the plan of God causes great joy but you must rest in the plan the proclamation about God gives great joy but you must respond to that proclamation the promises of God give us great joy but you must remember those promises the prince of God gives great joy but you must realize his presence the power of God gives great joy but you must rely on his power the precepts of God give great joy but you must read those precepts and lastly the person of God gives great joy that's what the Christmas story is all about God in flesh the person of God gives great joy only only God can can cause one to experience joy you're going to go home today and you're going to open some gifts and you'll experience some semblance of joy if you get what you want if you don't get what you want there'll be a semblance of sadness because nobody cares about me no one listened to me about what I wanted therefore no one thinks I'm important and and it's a pity party for yourself all during Christmas or if you just happen to unwrap the gift that you so much love there's a semblance of joy and happiness right but only lasts for a short while because it's temporary joy it's temporary happiness it's not long-lasting joy inner peace and contentment that comes through through Jesus Christ our Lord that's why the presence of God causes great joy listen to this Psalm 4 verse 7 thou hast put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and new wine abound in peace I will both lie down asleep for thou alone O Lord does make me to dwell in safety it's God it puts gladness in the heart and then over in Psalm 5 verse number 11 but let all who take refuge in thee be glad if you don't take refuge in them how can you be glad right let them ever sing for joy and mayest thou shelter them that those who love thy name may exult in thee then Psalm 9 verse 2 I will be glad and exult in thee I will sing praise to thy name O Most High it's the person of God that that brings great joy for unto you this day in the city of David there's been born a Savior who was Christ the Lord listen this one Psalm 13 but I had trusted in thy loving-kindness my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me and that was David that's at the end of Psalm 13 let me show you how he begins it how long O Lord would thou forget me forever how long will thou hide thy face from me how long shall I take counsel in my soul having sorrow in my heart all the day how long will my enemy be exalted over me so David asked a question how long is going to happen how long is my sadness going to remain how long is my isolation going to exist how long is my loneliness going to encompass me Lord can you just let me know how long it's going to be because we all want that question right how long will I be in in chemotherapy how long well well will I be with without a mate how long will I be with without ever having a child how long will I be in this job and not have another how long will it be Lord can you just tell me if you let me know how long I could make it to the end it's a good thing God never tells us that because sometimes it lasts a lot longer than we ever realized they just ask how long how long David is on his face and pity how long O Lord but David goes to his knees in prayer and says consider and answer me O Lord my God enlighten my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death lest my enemy say I have overcome him let my adversaries rejoice when I am shaken his dependency is increasing first he just asked the question how long how long how long how long in pity for himself then he goes to prayer and asks God to answer and then he goes from his face to his knees to his feet he goes from pity to prayer to praise and he says but remember the but all of Jesus Scripture the most infamous ologies in all of Scripture are called but ologies but I have trusted in thy loving kindness my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me in praise he goes to God and says Lord you are my salvation you are my God's because gladness only comes from God nobody else nobody else that's why way back through that old discussion we had the very first week in December about the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 15 what did the Lord God say to Abraham Genesis 15 verse number 1 after these things the Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision saying do not fear Abram I am a shield to you and I am your very great reward I'm your reward Abram I'm it I'm your reward because without me there is no joy without me there is no gladness there's only sadness I am your very great reward which caused Peter to say these words in 1st Peter 2 verse number 6 for this is contained in Scripture behold I lay in Zion a choice stone a precious cornerstone that's the stone that was rejected that's the Messiah of Israel the guardian of our souls and he who believes in him shall never be disappointed again he believes that him shall never be disappointed it's a quotation from Isaiah 28 verse number 16 if you read Isaiah 28 16 it says he who believes in him shall never be in a hurry well how does that translate into he who believes in him shall never be in disappointed Oh simply this he who believes in God is never in a hurry to abandon God because he never disappoints he never disappoints and so the presence of God gives joy you must I mean I'm sorry the the person of God gives great joy but you must recognize his person you must recognize who he is and what he does so important Christ came and Israel never recognized him who do men say that I am they say you're good they say you're great but nobody's saying you're God they missed him they don't recognize this person because only God can put gladness in your heart this Christmas this day the day we celebrate the birthday of the king I would trust that joy has filled your soul that the gladness of God has erupted in your life to such an extent that no matter the circumstance no matter the difficulty no matter the hardship you're never disappointed you never in a hurry to leave because it's God who gives the joy for unto you this day in the city of David has been born a Savior was Christ the Lord that is the good news that doesn't just bring joy it brings great joy and my prayer for you and your family this Christmas is that great joy will abound in your home let me pray with you father God we thank you for your word in the truth that's there so many things we didn't cover today about the great and glorious story of Christmas and the birth of our Savior and yet Lord we trust that we've covered those things that would be absolutely necessary for those who are here today if there's one who has yet to embrace the Messiah the King of Israel the Lord of Lawrence may this be their day the day in which they come to Jesus Christ and give their life to him realizing that it's he alone who never disappoints because he is the one who causes joy in the heart and peace in the soul we thank you for this Christmas Day and trust that you've been honored and glorified through all that's happened during this last hour in Jesus name Amen