(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.) I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going, I'm still going For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherd said unto another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see the things which has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child, And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons. And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and glory of thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother were marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe Asher. She was of great age, and had lived with an husband seventy years from her virginity. And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fasting and prayers night and day. And she coming in the instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the child grew and was waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem, and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went in a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances. And when they had found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed, and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Was he not that I must be about my father's business? And they understood not the sayings which he spoke unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them. But his mother kept all these sayings in her heart, and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Brother Mike, would you pray for us? Thank you Lord for the service. All right, amen. Luke chapter number 2. So real quickly, look down at verse number 30. Luke chapter 2, verse number 30. This is Simeon speaking here, and I want you to notice something here. here look what he says for mine eyes have seen thy salvation verse 31 which thou hast prepared before the face of all people so hold that thought right there in your mind and go back to chapter number one real quick Luke chapter number one so obviously just by those two verses there you can see that Simeon received the biggest gift of his life he was promised to see the Savior before he passed on and went to heaven and you can just I mean just reading that 2,000 years later right you can just almost hear the excitement and the joy in his voice and we're gonna get back to that here in a little while but look at verse number one Luke chapter one verse number one so look at what Luke says as he starts off the Gospel of Luke says for as much as many have taken in hand to set forth an order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us even as they delivered them unto us which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word verse 3 it seemed good to me also having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first to write unto thee in order most excellent theophilus so right there those first three verses we're gonna come back we're gonna break those down here but I just wanted to read that to get you in the right mind frame what is Luke doing here he's writing this letter to theophilus and for a reason okay now look at verse number four that thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed the title of the sermon this evening is tis the season of certainty tis the season of certainty now if you've been here on Sunday evenings we've been talking about this subject called a purpose clause this thing called a purpose clause and what that is a purpose clause if you will is a statement that is at the beginning of a paragraph or some kind of a reading maybe a law a procedure something basically giving you the intent very plain so the idea is when you run into something complicated in the passage you can say okay I need to go back to this purpose clause and say well whatever I don't understand I know it doesn't mean this so for the example of the book of first John a lot of people will read something about the commandments and say oh what is this talking about I have to follow the law to be saved and you know by that purpose clause well these things have I written unto you that you may know that you have eternal life right you go back to okay well you know that's that's the that's the purpose here we see Luke's purpose clause for this book and look what it says again in verse 4 that thou mightest know the certainty of those things were in thou hast been instructed you say what does it mean to be certain well it's a conviction that something is true okay that's what he's talking about here and the reason why I'm preaching this is well obviously we have Christmas on Sunday or I'm sorry Saturday Sunday next year but on Saturday and this is a time of year where people you you would think would be maybe more thankful more appreciative you know excited about the things of Jesus Christ but that is definitely not the case so I say you know welcome to the the season that promotes uncertainty okay we live in a world that promotes unstability okay and you say well what do you mean by that well go to most churches around here you know what they're gonna tell you well God loves you but if you ask him if you died today are you 100% sure that you'd go to heaven what are they gonna tell you I hope so or yeah and then you say well how do you know because I've repented of all my sins and I'm continuously doing that and it's like that's not good news that is not certain if you were to die today I mean how do you know if you've repented from all of your sins obviously we know the answer it's impossible that is not good news that's probation not salvation you know but what does get promoted today honestly especially in America you know this idea of Santa Claus okay what is his message well he's got a list and he's checking it twice right he's checking it twice if you're good he'll bring you your gifts okay now tell me how is that different from any you know neo-evangelical new evangelical Christian Church the Mormons Jehovah Witnesses the Jews the Catholics any of that how is that any different it's not because there's only two religions in the world there's the Bible which preaches salvation and then there's the rest of them which preach probation meaning you have to do something to achieve right which I like to call human achievement okay you go to most churches today again they're gonna say you know you got to do something if you're really saved you're gonna have a changed life and you got to maintain this relationship and it's like you tell them you know that's a lot of work right and they're like yeah it is and so are you saying we're saved by works yeah we are I mean you know when I first moved here I don't know if any of you guys have noticed this but it seemed like most people would like say yes to that question like yeah that is a lot of work and then they'd be like wait they kind of get it like now it's like almost every week I'm asking somebody that question and it's like yeah we are saved by works you know so it's like these people are getting more and more bold right you say why is that because they are lining up with the course of this world which preaches human achievement I want to show you all the wonderful things that I have done to earn my way okay that is prideful that is arrogant and it is definitely definitely not true keep your place there in Luke and go to the book of Colossians Colossians chapter number four Colossians chapter number four and so again I hate that and as time goes on you know people will say things like this at work and I'm finding myself getting more and more irritated about it yeah I get it it's not their fault you know being a preacher and always studying these things it's just always on my mind but what's Santa gonna get you you know it's like somebody it's like my age you know what's Santa gonna get you and I'm just I just want to like dudes but they don't know and I understand but that's what it's about you know that's what it's about and look I have nothing wrong against celebrating Christmas we celebrate Christmas you know we do all of that stuff it's no problem but here's the thing don't replace a holy day by America's holiday okay you know I think it's wrong to teach your kids about Santa Claus because there's a great risk of them growing up and being like well you know the Easter Bunny was live the tooth fairy was live Santa Claus was live why not Jesus Christ okay and that's what we're dealing with today and so the title of the sermon is the season of certainty and if you haven't already figured out for us from the time that you were saved and born again and placed into the kingdom of God till the day that you exit this earth it is the season for certainty we ought to know these things and so I've got a lot of review built into the sermon tonight because not everybody is able to come on Sunday nights and I think that it's very important that we're all on the same playing field and so I've built some review into this but before we get into all of that I just want to give you three introductory statements about Luke okay because you know during this time of year Luke is often quoted often talked about I mean he gives the the most detail of the Christmas story and you gotta kind of ask yourself well who is Luke why does he get this great and wonderful blessing who is this guy is he an apostle was he there at the time of Christ and I think you might know the answer but let's before we get into that let's let's take a look at who Luke was we're not told a lot about him but we're told enough to where you're gonna see that this is definitely a gift Colossians chapter 4 look at verse number 14 the Bible says very short verse says this Luke the beloved physician and Demas greets you right so just based off of that short verse there we can see that Luke was a fellow laborer with Paul he accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys now go to 2nd Timothy chapter number 4 2nd Timothy chapter number 4 and then we'll go back to Luke Vaughn and so the first thing that I want you to notice there about Luke is that he was a fellow laborer with Paul you know you go ask some of these people that have been going to church or teach Sunday schools you know what what what apostle was Luke was he like that middle or was he like the last one pick you know watch what they tell you you know they'll tell you oh he was like number three or four I think you know okay right we ought to know the Bible we have to know about these authors here 2nd Timothy 4 look at verse number 11 look at what Paul says about Luke it says this only Luke is with me take Mark and bring him with thee for he is profitable to me for the ministry now actually I'm sorry I forgot to read something to you here back up to verse number 6 2nd Timothy 4 verse 6 so Paul makes a statement before he says that he says for I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand so according to Paul in this portion of scripture here he's viewing he's basically letting you know like hey my time is almost up I'm at the end of the road here right I'm not gonna stand up here and tell you that he was hung upside down or you know whatever what what is it that they say about Paul he has head chopped off right yeah they'll say he had his head chopped off you know the Bible doesn't say that all we know is it apparently right here he knows that the time of his departures at hand so whatever that looks like whatever the time frame is only God knows Paul knows that but the point is he is at the end of his ministry here look down again at verse number 11 let's read that so at the end of his life who is with Paul it's Luke he says only Luke is with me take mark and bring him with you for he is profitable to me for the ministry so Luke was not only a fellow laborer but he was a very loyal laborer okay he was with Paul apparently unto the end so go back if you would to Luke chapter number one and let's look at something here point number three about Luke before we get started look at verse number two so look at what he tells the office he says this in verse number two Luke chapter one verse number two he says this he says even as they delivered them unto us which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word what does that mean there does that mean that Luke was a eyewitness of all these things no look at verse number one again for as much as many for as much as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us he says this even as they delivered them unto us for I'm sorry which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word so what you have to understand here and the point that I'm trying to make is that Luke was not an eyewitness of the events that you read in Matthew Mark Luke and John how did he get this information well obviously the Holy Ghost is involved you know but what does he say here first number one he says that people were delivering you know the book of Colossians you know Ephesians Philippians you know all these different books around and he says you know what I'm going to deliver these things up as well I'm going to set in order the things that had happened I'm going to write these things down here and we wind up with actually believe it or not the longest book in the New Testament it doesn't have the most chapters but it has the most words and it has the most verses and if you haven't figured it out wait till you do the New Testament challenge you'll be like man it doesn't have you you know you I know you guys do this you look at the end of the book here you're doing that nine to you know nine chapter a day challenge and you're like okay good Luke's only got you know this many chapters okay great you know and then by the time you get to chapter 15 you're like why am I five days behind 80 verses a chapter one what is going on here okay don't fret look at that as a gift look at that as a blessing a guy who was not an eyewitness of these things and that's not to discredit the eyewitnesses but he was not a physical eyewitness of these things but yet he gives us this great detailed story of the life of Jesus Christ think about that for a second and he says hey I am writing these things the purpose of these words is so that you would know the certainty so that you could prove to yourself so that you could demonstrate to other people the facts and the truth of Bible believing Christianity that my friend is a gift and just a couple of quick things about the book of Luke you know you've probably heard this before and you'll notice as you read it there is kind of a slant towards the Gentile side you know some people will say oh you know it's the gospel to the Gentiles it's the gospel to everyone that's why I had you start off reading those two verses in Luke chapter number two but you know there are things about the Gentiles being saved and being in the kingdom that aren't in the other Gospels you know and I think that that is definitely worth noting I mean think about the gift you know think about that how miraculous that is you know because what's the idea today oh well it's not like we could just talk to John and figure it out right pastors say that preachers say things like that oh you know if we had Matthew here if we had Paul here you know then we really have a clear understanding of what happened because we could get the original language then we'd have a first-hand account now we're just kind of you know we're pretty sure right they promote uncertainty unstability that is wrong that is not okay and so God gives us this great great gospel I mean it's all great you know but you get this long book and Luke tells you hey these things are written so that you could know the certainty so that you can have a firm conviction that these things are true and are no lie because like we learned on Sunday night no lie is of the truth right remember that now just another quick bit of information keep your place there but go to 2nd Peter chapter 1 is that the second longest book in the New Testament words and verses wise is actually the book of Acts written by who written by Luke that's right so Luke an awesome awesome individual very loyal and so it's no wonder that the Holy Ghost used him to pin down such great awesome wonderful blessing truths which are a gift I mean what a gift that 2,000 years from the times that these things transpired that we can still have a copy that is just as powerful that is inspired by God to go get people safe to teach people truth right you know you know all the stuff about you know all science has figured this out and that's in the Bible and that was foretold 2,000 years ago that stuff's okay that stuff's pretty cool you know I don't have a problem with that but it's nothing compared to just reading someone the Bible just preaching them biblical truths that's what changes hearts that's what changes minds not the wisdom of words which man speaketh no it's the things that are pinned down here that's what gives you change that's what gives people hope that is what is certain in this life and if you don't believe me here 2nd Peter chapter number one let's see here let's look at verse number 17 2nd Peter chapter 1 verse number 17 so Peter says this and it's kind of long my same point here he says this for he received from God the Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased verse 18 and this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy mountain stop right there for a second you guys remember the story of the mount of transfiguration where the three inner circle guys right you know Peter and the sons of Zebedee were with Jesus there and they got to see Moses and Elijah and they're just like let's build a tabernacle right I mean that was an awesome thing you know Christ obviously could trust them with that and said hey you know don't tell people about these things until the appropriate time I mean but who in here thinks that would be awesome like if God actually just showed you just open up heaven or just showed you an Old Testament prophet that's still alive still worshiping God I mean anybody would be like wow that is just out of control that is awesome that is insane anybody would love to have that experience okay but Peter says something very very interesting about that experience he doesn't downplay it but what he says is very profound and everybody in here has got to understand this look what he says in verse 19 he says this we have also a more sure word of prophecy where unto you do well that you take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts then he says this in verse 20 knowing this first that no prophecy is of Scripture is of any private interpretation verse 21 for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost what is he saying there he's saying hey the things that are penned down the things that are written are more sure than our experiences right he's saying the things that God has preserved with ink and paper are more positive more certain than even us being at the Mount of Transfiguration because no scriptures of any private interpretation and it's all God breathe okay I mean that I mean think about that that is a gift but you know what that is a gift that is not being mentioned that is not being preached that is not being taught in churches today or in families today then what a shame that is that's a disgrace that is a filthy disgusting reprobate disgrace if you ask me because Peter right here inspired by the Holy Ghost confirms what Luke says hey these things are written down so that you could know the certainty so that you can have that firm conviction in your heart that these things are true you don't need to wait for the next archaeologist to dig something up that's ridiculous that's stupid a lot of those people are liars and you watch you watch in the coming months in the coming years if there are gonna be coming years they're gonna dig something up and it's gonna oh now we got to change everything right I mean come on if you were the devil if I was the devil that's what I would do because it works people love to just flip-flop and pancake and change on every wind of doctrine and you know that's true we're not gonna let that happen at this church and that my friend I believe is definitely a gift now go back to Luke chapter number one and let's move on from that so Luke chapter number one we're gonna look at verse number two again so look what it says it says this it says even as they deliver them unto us which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word and so all that introduction to say this the Bible is a gift to mankind and you know what we ought to treat it like a gift okay it's always Christmas if you're a Bible believing Christian because no matter what you're going through you have that unction that we talked about right you have that anointing that God-given ability to open this book and get you some truth or get some help or go talk to somebody who's more mature in the faith than you are and get some help unless you be like somebody who can't take correction or can't receive the Word of God which we'll deal with next week sorry Jeff I had to bring that up but anyways anyways anyways let's look up let's let's look look one more verse ahead look at verse number three so again one more time verse number three look what Luke says he says it seemed good to me also having had notice this perfect perfect understanding of all things from the very first to write unto thee in order most excellent theophilus see why are you bringing that up what is the point well the point is if you want to be certain and you want to be more mature and you want to be able to convince people that the Bible is true that they ought to be saved and so on and so forth you need to work on that understanding the more perfect or complete understanding that you have of the things in the Bible then guess what the more order you're gonna be able to produce okay that's how this thing works and by the way again that is a gift that is a gift unto the believers that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us and we can know the Bible we can understand the Bible okay now go to Luke chapter 2 and we're gonna move on and what we're gonna do is we're just gonna take a look and like I said this is mostly review but we're gonna take a look at three gifts today from the Bible and I think it'll be a blessing it's always a blessing to hear these things even if it is a review and so we're gonna start off here talking about okay what can we be certain about obviously I could just say everything in the Bible close it and go home right well let's take three things and just kind of break them down do some review and get a blessing from the Word of God so let's take a look at Simeon anything anybody you know when we were reading the chapter did anything jump out at you maybe about Simeon right obviously I talked about him here just a moment ago that he you know viewed looking at the baby Christ as just I mean a miraculous gift and as rightfully so as he should right he'd been waiting his whole life to see this and he was promised this so let's take a look here look at verse number 25 and we'll get to the first point look at verse number 25 so Bible says this and behold there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon and the same man was just and devout waiting for the consolation of Israel and notices and the Holy Ghost was upon him that's a good trivia question there name me an Old Testament appearance of the Holy Ghost where the the word holy go to the phrase Holy Ghost is in the Bible well there you go you have it right there but I want you to notice something here about Simeon so he is a man in Jerusalem says the name of Simeon and the same man was just what does that mean well means he was saved obviously right saved had the had it probably had an excellent walk with God but it says that he was devout what does that mean it means he's religious right well what is the world saying today oh it's not about a religion it's about a relationship and it's no wonder that they say that because a relationship takes work okay and it's so hypocritical because everybody in the world is devout about something you're devout about your sports you're devout about your booze you're devout about all this other garbage has nothing to do with the Word of God but you want to stand up and mock people who believe the Bible shame on you you hypocrite right so Simeon here obviously he is devout and he's waiting for the consolation of Israel okay what does that mean well on the surface level if you know anything about what happened to Israel in his past you know that after Solomon died the kingdom was split you had the northern kingdom of Israel they had their king Jeroboam you had the southern kingdom of Judah they had Rehoboam and then obviously there's wars and findings that go on Israel gets carried away they get replaced by the Assyrians eventually the the southern kingdom of Judah who became known as Jews they go into Babylonian captivity and at this point in time here the nation of Judah is reduced down to a simple just a province just just something small called Judea under Roman control and it says that he's waiting for the consolation of Israel what does it mean to console what means to comfort right but here's the thing because a lot of people will read this and and they'll just start going off on this Zionist trip you know oh it's just just just for the Jews oh and they start worshipping the Jews but no that's not what he's talking about here okay let's read further to find out what that consolation is look at verse 26 says and it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ why does it say that because Christ is who he is it means Messiah I mean Savior okay that's not his last name a lot of people you would be surprised I think a lot of people think that Christ was Jesus's last name I work with somebody who thinks that okay that's a sermon for another day but look at verse 27 says and he came by the Spirit into the temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law verse 28 then took him up in his arms and blessed God and said Lord now let us thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared before the face of the Jews say oh it says all people maybe I was reading the NIV there yeah it does say all people okay all people look at verse 32 a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel okay verse 33 and Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him go back to Luke chapter 1 real quick okay so obviously here sibians got a great understanding of what that consolation is it's a comfort knowing then if you put your faith and trust on Jesus Christ you will be saved and go to heaven you will never lose your salvation he understood that he believed that that's what he's talking about here that's the consolation he's not like excited because he thinks like Peter and the other guys oh you know the kingdom's gonna be set up right now it's gonna be like the Days of David we're gonna go ham on the world and we're gonna get everything under control no he understands the real intent of the kingdom that it's not about a physical earthly Kingdom it's about an eternal Kingdom that Christ will be building and has actually been building since the beginning so real quickly here it says Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him because you got to put yourself in their shoes they were probably thinking like well he's gonna save our nation we're gonna get out of Roman control right I mean it's gonna be great again where we're not gonna have to pay Caesar you know and obviously I believe that they're saved 100% right but a lot of people at this time they were very mixed up on this and they didn't get it and so they marvel they wonder like what what what does he mean how can this be like how is this all gonna look how's this all gonna work well let's take a look at what the angel told her back in verse 33 of chapter 1 so it says this so the angel says and he talking about Christ shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever now let's stop right there at that at that semicolon is he reigning over a modern-day Israel today no not at all okay I'm sure there's a small remnant of people over there who are saved and believe there has to be okay but by and large he is not running that nation in fact there are political leaders their religious leaders actually hate and I mean hate you guys know this is true they hate Jesus Christ okay so this obviously doesn't mean that and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom notice this there shall be no end so is he talking about a physical nation that's gonna come back in 1948 no no he's talking about a nation that is made up of born-again Bible believing Christians people that are saved okay that's what he's talking about and so the first point that I want to bring up tonight that we need to be certain about in thankful form is that this is good news for all people of the earth go to Galatians chapter number six we ought to be thankful that this gift is not just confined to a small group of people because you know there are dispensational churches out there they won't come out necessarily and just say that but they almost make you feel like that right there they want us to all feel like okay well we're just dogs you know basically getting the scraps the only reason that God's dealing with us is just because right now we're somewhat being obedient and nothing could be further from the truth and you know what that should be a liberating truth to you because in our day and age that is a very popular belief Zionism is nothing but a huge downer that's what it is it's you're down here and the Jew is up here and I mean that's basically it the Jew who rejects Christ is up here and you are just down here and you're gonna go off into the millennium yeah you're gonna go to heaven and you're basically just gonna look up to the Jew and just what what hey Jew what can I do for you you know that mean that's basically how they preach it and that's how they teach it and that is not true being a Jew is a religion it is not a race I don't care what somebody with the name Cornean has to say about that okay Galatians chapter number six let's take a look at what Paul says about this okay first number 12 says as many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh they constrain you to be circumcised only less they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ somebody there were saying it's a quick back story you know the book of Galatians they were saved they started off on the right track but some Zionists came in some Jew beggars right these messianic Jews came in and they figured you know what you guys aren't following the commandments you're not getting circumcised you're not worshipping us you know we need to change all of that and they start to confuse these people and Paul's correcting them and he says as many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh what does that mean these are human achievement preachers okay these are people come in and say you must have the deeds of law you have to work for your salvation okay that is what Paul describes as a desire to make a fair show in the flesh the next time you speak with somebody and they're like I know I'm saying because I'm such a good person I stopped swearing only just a couple times today but you know I by the most part I stopped this I stopped that hey that's great but that's not gonna save you you're making a fair show in the flesh you say oh you're a cult because you're saying you're the only one the truth I'm not saying that at all I'm just saying you go to the journey you can go to the summit you can go to Rock Harbor you can go to bogus basin bastard Church and yes I said bastard because they're without the father you know what they're gonna tell you you have to have works they're trying to make a fair show in the flesh it is what it is but look at what Paul continues to say they constrain you to be circumcised only less they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ you know what that is so true that is a big reason why these people these so-called Christians that we run into out there why they hate us why they slam the door why they say with a 357 Magnum in their hand you can't do this you can't come out here you can't you know it's called pulling a gun on somebody and you know what we're not gonna be intimidated by stuff like that it's ridiculous I will come soul-winning whenever I want to this church will go soul-winning whenever we want to whether it's light out or whether it's dark out I don't care you know what I almost want to start a soul-winning time at midnight just because that happened to us you know what but these people they don't want to suffer persecution and that's and that's a driving force that is an internal thing that they are wrestling with that they will never admit but the Bible tells us that's the case look at verse 13 he says neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law but desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh so that they can go around say hey here's my convert and all this stuff all the wickedness I had them stop doing look it's great to do that but you know what we are all sinners and we all have sin you know what does that mean we just throw cautious with all the way and I'm not gonna work on it no of course we want to work on it but we don't glory in it because we know we don't follow the law either verse 14 but God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world verse 15 for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision but a what a new creature a born-again person verse 16 and as many as walk according to this rule look don't miss this peace beyond them and mercy and upon the Israel of God so what does that mean I mean that's a gift that we can be alive on this earth with all the issues all the drama all the problem all the famines all the wars all the issue you know just everything and we could still have our joyful right and we're learning about that on Sunday nights and that is a gift we could still have peace and realize hey God's not a respecter of persons we're in the kingdom and we ought to be thankful for that go back would salute chapter number one so again all of that to say this good news which is certain 2,000 years later get saved get in the kingdom you're in for ever that is a gift I mean that is a blessing that is that is what we need to understand and to be able to do it to go out and show people that truth you know it's gonna turn to Romans chapter 2 but you already know what I'm gonna say what's a Jew one who's outwardly no inwardly right one who is inwardly when God says hey I love my Jewish people he's talking to you who have been saved and born-again you're a Jew those guys banging their heads on that rock wall over in the Middle East with a curly fries hanging down from the Dixie cup on their heads they are not God's chosen people and I guess I did just say all that didn't okay let's move on here forget myself into trouble Luke chapter number one let's look here at let's see verse 77 all the way over to verse 77 actually back up to let's see here let's go to verse 75 look at it says over 75 says this says in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life and thou child shall be called the prophet of the highest for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins it's a point number two that I want to talk about the gift that we need to be certain of and I believe that we are certain of is that the sins of the whole world have been paid for okay and so with that understanding enter you need to understand and I and we've talked about this on Sunday nights the meals prepared but you got a party just because he's paid for the sins of the entire world and he's not imputing that charge anymore doesn't mean everyone gets a free ride all dogs gonna have okay that is not what we're saying because that's also seemingly making a comeback but just for review let's talk about a few things here go to John chapter number three in John chapter number three and let's look at the most famous verse in the Bible so what is this deal here you say what are you talking about here what's what's the deal with sins and why you keep harping on this well partly because again not everybody's able to make it on Sunday nights and I want to make sure that we all understand this and I want to make sure that we're all able to explain this to people okay because this is a gift this is part of the Christmas story that Christ died for the sins of the whole world most famous verse in the Bible John 3 16 look what it says for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life most famous verse in the Bible go to Psalm chapter 103 Psalm chapter 103 again does that mean that everybody goes to heaven no does that mean that everybody can go to heaven at any time in their life no but everybody has the opportunity right you guys know and if you don't know I'll explain it to you very quickly there are people out there who have taken the measure of faith that God's given them and they've thrown it in the dumpster okay they have seared their conscience they have rejected God to the point where he says you know what I'm not giving you any more chances you're done you're not getting in okay now are their sins paid for yes they're paid for but they're still going to hell when they die we need to realize that and understand that because that will hopefully produce some urgency in us to go out there and share that gift with people right to get the good news to people hey what are you doing trying to work your way to heaven that tabs already been picked up that tabs already been paid for you say oh yeah prove it no problem look at Psalm 103 and let's look at verse number 11 the Bible says this Psalm of David it says this for as the heaven is high above the earth so great is his mercy toward them that fear him look at verse 12 as far as the east is from the west so far hath he removed our transgressions from us now let's leave our place there and go to Romans chapter number four Romans chapter number four there's a word that I want to make sure that everybody in our church has ingrained into our thought process and that is the word impute imputation okay look the definition up when you get home make sure that you know it we're gonna talk about that here in a second Psalm 103 what does it say how far has God removed our sins east to west right why not north to south yep because that's a finite right it's a measurable distance okay north south theoretically if you're able to go and stand on top of the North Pole you know it's probably dressed up like a candy cane right now I'm just guessing I don't know I've been to North Pole Alaska but but let's just say you're standing on the North Pole and you take a step in either direction you're headed south okay you're headed south right that is a finite distance that is a measurable distance but what happens when you hop on a plane with you know infinite fuel and you start heading east how long will it be until you start going west right never you'd have to actually make it about face you'd have to turn around and go west so what does he sing they're done they're into perpetuity your sins are forgiven as far as the East is for the you know from the West it is a done deal never to be heard or seen from again and here's where the false doctrine enters right people will say well okay you're forgiven of all your sins up until the day you get saved and then like the slate's clean and then you got to start over is that what the Bible says not at all let's take a look at some verses here let's look at verse number four so look at what Paul is telling the Romans because they obviously had the same questions he says now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of death so Paul saying hey if you want to work for your salvation guess what you're just incurring that I mean it's already been paid for you you're losing money for no reason okay that's what he's saying first five but to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness notice that but to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly so what does that mean we talked about this what to Sunday's ago your salvation has three parts of you your justification the bills paid for it's done right and then you immediately have your sanctification right he's placed you into the nation or the kingdom of God and he's placed you into his hand you're safe forever you're not getting out and then eventually you get that glorification when you go to sleep go up to heaven and get your new body okay so he's saying you're justified so you know what when you read the Bible when you help someone out when you're out there soul any you know what that's you're justified you're justifying the side of God is I guess that's my child but when an unsaved person does those things okay that's a different story than I just let's move on look at verse six it says even as David also describes the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works interesting he imputes that righteous he inputs that righteous he puts that everlasting gift into you right without any work so you say okay well what about the sin thing we'll look at verse number seven saying blessed are they whose iniquities iniquity is sin so he says blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven who what is that that's your past sins and whose sins are covered what's that your present sins and what does it say in verse number eight blessed is the man unto whom the Lord will not impute sin okay he's not imputing sin unto you now what does sin do after you're saved but it dampers your your fellowship right it hurts your fellowship with Christ what do you do you confess that sin to God and you move on okay you don't live in the past oh I cut somebody off the other day and you know that one arm went up with the message you know what I'm talking about okay and I bet God's gonna you know and you start playing the woe is me and all okay you're just heaping unto yourself more problems and more issues he said they're done the sins are covered that I mean that's a gift you know anybody who's gone out and preached the gospel to people when you explain that to them and they realize that I mean how many times have you seen just that that that joy on their face like Wow right like like that is I want that gift right I want that gift that's what we have to make sure that we are able to communicate hey God's not imputing those sins to you anymore he's already picked up the tab all he's asking is that you would place that measure of faith on him and of course we've talked about that in great detail okay let's see here let's move on let's go to John chapter number 19 John chapter 19 then we're gonna go to Hebrews a couple other spots and we will be getting very close to being done John chapter 19 verse number 30 very very famous verse says this when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar he said it is finished bowed his head and gave up the ghost say what does that mean well the debt has been paid okay is his work was finished you say yeah what that doesn't apply to the Old Testament Saints right they had to still work and do offerings no because he's the lamb slain from the foundation of the world okay people got saved in the Old Testament the same way that they do now only they didn't call upon the name Jesus because they didn't know the name Jesus back in the Old Testament but it was still by faith okay and what Christ was gonna do in the future to us he'd already done that's what Revelation 13 says go to Hebrews chapter number 10 Hebrews chapter number 10 we're almost done with this point here okay just a quick review I won't bother first John 2 9 and second Corinthians 5 19 I think we've we were well aware what that says but it goes back to imputation okay we need to be able to teach people the gift hey God's already paid the debt for your sins he's removed them he's not charging them to you stop work what are you doing the bill has been paid you're losing money you're incurring a debt over nothing over something that Christ already took care of Hebrews chapter 10 look at verse number 15 this is this where of the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us for after that he had said before this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days saith the Lord I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds will I write them in verse 17 and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more verse 18 now where remission of these is there is no more offering for sin look guys we got to make sure that people out there are understanding this they have to know that when you say what is remission one more time it's a cancellation of death okay now in our modern vernacular you'll hear people say oh I had cancer it went into remission five times okay again that goes back to the whole Santa Claus thing the world is would love nothing more than to pervert every single word in the King James Bible right for their human achievement agenda so they can promote the doctrine of probate probation which says you got to do something you got to have a period of good behavior so that you can prove that you deserve your freedom okay that's not our God and if that's your God I feel sorry for you you have problems let's go back to Luke chapter number one Luke chapter number one and we're gonna start to wind this thing down here so point number one was we can be certain that this is good news for all people of the earth how do we get that certainty we learn the order of these things we get that perfect understanding that Luke had so that we could explain these things to other people to help them out okay and then what I say point number two was I already forgot yeah the sense of the whole world paid for done deal and that is a gift look these are the gifts that we need to always be focused on because it's always this season for the believer especially the soul so let's move on here look at verse number 78 Luke chapter 1 verse 78 Bible says this says through the tender mercy of our God whereby the day spring from on high have visited us verse 79 to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace it's described as prison in the epistles of Peter look at the rest of the verses that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace K verse 80 look what it says it says in the child grew and waxed strong in spirit and was in the deserts to the day of his showing on to Israel go to Luke chapter 2 see why are you reading this what is the point what does this mean look here's the third gift that we can actually have the mind of Christ we can have the mind of Christ Paul talked about that right this is why we preach hard against sin right not because we're trying to earn our way to heaven but because we want that restored fellowship we want to make sure that yes that relationship as disciples it's good to go so that our prayers are answered so that we can do mighty things for God so that we can take these real Christmas gifts and go out and give them to other people and you say why did you read verse 80 says in the child grew and wax strong in spirit was in the deserts until the day of his showing unto Israel because we need to understand some things there are people who will come inside of this church and think they know everything I've got it down man I don't need your help you want to teach me how to go so I don't need that I watched a video about it I'm good to go I rehearsed in my dreams and that's all I needed now I'll be honest with you know when I first started so winning when I was in Japan I did practice on the wall you know I did whatever I could you know before we went out we would have we would actually have practice sessions you know cuz you know is a military town a lot of new people coming in and out learning soul winning the pastor be like hey you give him the gospel you give him the gospel and you I want to hear you know I want to hear it so we should practice but here's the thing should we be so puffed up to think that we know I'm just gonna show up and start preaching the gospel not at this church you're not and if you show yourself to be a cluck right off the bat you sign on one of my high-speed waivers okay that's just how it's gonna be look you wanna act like a kid I'm gonna treat you like a kid in hopes that you will repent but you know what it's just it's just been proven time and time again that some people just can't and they just won't and you gotta wonder why I'm getting way off track here but when I have you turn look to 52 look to look at verse 52 very famous first you know where we're going with this and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man so look as disciples I mean post salvation we need to be thankful for the gift that we can actually have the mind of Christ that we can be humble that we can serve one another look you say ah service doesn't sound like much of a gift it is a gift it's true it is better to give than to receive right that's why you guys gave me again maybe feel like I appreciate it I do appreciate it but I read that to highlight the child okay Jesus increased in wisdom and saturated what does it say and in favor with God and man so this is what we need to understand here you know if you're ever wondering like is somebody really growing okay well ask yourself this question are they increasing in favor with God and with man I mean or are they just going out and just getting everybody upset you know just going to the park and calling people hoes and skanks coming in here just not wanting to learn fighting with everybody he said she said he looked at me out of she pissed me off blah blah blah sounds to me like you're not growing it sounds to me like you aren't even saved think about that for a second in favor with God and go to Ephesians chapter number four I wrote myself a note don't do it don't do it but I'm kind of kind of there right next Wednesday can't come soon enough tell you what Ephesians 4 look at verse number 8 we are almost done here the last passage I'm gonna have you turn to one more place in the Old Testament and we're done Ephesians 4 look at verse number 8 says this Ephesians Philippians Colossians Ephesians chapter 4 says this wherefore he saith when he ascendeth or ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men right we need to know this we need to be excited about this okay this is where it's at this is what we are about verse number 9 now that he ascended what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth verse 10 he that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill all things obviously he descended into to hell he descended into the grave we understand that but he rose he defeated the physical death he defeated the second death all of it I mean we ought to be thankful for that what he did he actually went to hell I mean think about that think about how for like 30 seconds you know with what you know go read Mark chapter 9 you know and think about that hey we're not going there look see I didn't get nothing for Christmas hey yes you did you say oh yes you did yes you did first number 11 and he gave some apostles and some prophets some evangelists and some pastors and teachers why for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ look we need to understand you know church is a gift the local New Testament Church is a gift being around God's people is a gift at least it should be okay it should be a gift apparently it's not a gift here all right I'll stop okay verse 13 till we till we all come in the unity of the faith knowledge of the Son of God into a perfect man but to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ right what are we talking about here we're talking about maturity you know Luke gives us the certainty of Jesus Christ that he increased in favor with God and man and that is a hallmark that is a sign of someone else who has allowed the mind of Christ to be in them those will be the signs that they increase their walk with God but also just man in general people say you know that's a great person here on that can't stand his views on this and that but you know he's a great worker a great reliable person right I mean that is where we are headed verse 14 let we hence forth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men cunning craftiness whereby the lion weight to deceive look this is the other option right you want to just not learn the order and not learn the importance and not have that perfect complete understanding of the Word of God this is where we're headed if we do that being deceived by false prophets being deceived by clucks and clowns and all these other people that are out there verse 15 but speaking the truth and love may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ say yeah but I'm already aged or whatever no look wherever you're at in your spiritual walk you can increase wisdom and stature you can grow right I don't care how bad your past is if you're safe you can do great works for God you can do great exploits for God but here's the thing you got to do it right you can't just oh I heard five sermons on the internet man I'm good to go it never works we've got 20 plus people that we can point to to show you that doesn't work you got to do some work you've got to read the Bible you have to use that anointing that Christ has given you last verse verse 16 from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies according to the effectual working and the measure of every part maketh increase of the body unto edifying of itself in love what is the twofold measure of the church that we always talk about to edify to evangelize right exactly last verse I want you to turn to and so what I'm gonna leave you with Ecclesiastes chapter number three Ecclesiastes chapter number three so we can either increase in wisdom and stature or fall in shame I think you all know which one we want Ecclesiastes chapter number three I want to just leave you with this thought here look at verse number one it says this to every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven why read that because it is the season of certainty right the world says hey this is a season of greed and covetousness and uncertainty and all that no for us it's the season of certainty okay but here's the thing here's what you have to understand to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven okay so the key to our success as a believer is to understand that purpose your success in this season of life will be reflected based off of how well you understand that purpose and our purpose is to edify one another into evangelize the community okay and you know what I think about that is a gift some people look at this and like oh oh another day of church another this another that another soul anytime what the world's going on I gotta do all this no don't never allow yourself to get to that place you're taking the gifts that God has given us and you're chucking them out the window that's what you're doing it's a slap in the face to God you say are you gonna lose your salvation no you can never lose your salvation but why even go down that road it's a gift that we are able to suffer for his namesake you know every scathing email the 357 Magnum that gets pulled on us out so all of that stuff all of that think about it it is a gift to be able to suffer persecution for his name that is a gift we need to realize that we need to preach that we need to live like it right so as we go throughout this season as we go throughout this next year don't forget that because if you do you will be out we don't need any more people out of you okay I'm gonna leave it right there let's bow our heads and have word of prayer thank you so much Lord again for everything that you've done for us Lord and that you continue to do I just pray you keep us motivated and ready to go out and do your work Lord keep us safe bless the fellowship after the service in Jesus name I pray amen amen all right if you would please grab your songbooks one more time and turn the song 429 hark the herald angels sing 129 hark the herald angels sing sing it out on the first hark the herald angels sing glory to the newborn king peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled joyful all ye nations rise join the triumph of the skies with angelic host proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem hark the herald angels sing glory to the newborn king Christ by highest heaven adored Christ the everlasting Lord wait in time behold him come offspring of a virgin's tomb veiled in flesh the Godhead see hail the incarnate deity pleased as men with men to dwell Jesus our Emmanuel hark the herald angels sing glory to the newborn king hail the humble prince of peace hail the son of righteousness bright and life to all he brings praise him with healing in his wings mild he lays his glory by born that man no poor may die born to raise the sons of earth born to give them second birth hark the herald angels sing glory to the newborn king come desire of nations come fix in us thy humble home rise the warmest concrete sea lose in us the serpent's head Adam's likeness now effaced snap thine image in its place second Adam from above reinstate us in thy love hark the herald angels sing glory to the newborn king amen Amen, brother Victor would you close the service out in a word of prayer please? Thank you Heavenly Father for preserving your word I pray that you know through the Bible daily that you can understand the word through the throat, through the teeth and you can do this for the rest of the week Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen