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Music Ready? Music Music Music Music Merry Christmas, welcome to First Works Baptist Church. Let's all find our seats. As you find your seat, please grab a songbook. Turn to song number 424. Music Song number 424, O Come All Ye Faithful. Let's all stand together for this first song, if you are able. Song number 424, all together nice and strong on that first verse. O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, born the King of Angels. O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him. Christ the Lord, sing choirs of angels. O sing all ye pride, hosts of heaven above. Glory to God, all glory in the highest. O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him. Christ the Lord, yea, Lord we greet Thee. Born this happy morning, Jesus to Thee be all glory given. Word of the Father, O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him. Christ the Lord. Amen, wonderful singing. Let's start off our service with a word of prayer. Dear Lord God, Heavenly Father, we just thank You so much, Lord, for giving us this day that we can come to Your house and sing these hymns unto You, Lord. We thank You so much, Father, for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to be born of a virgin and to live a perfect life for us, Lord, and to sacrifice Himself on the cross that we might be saved, Lord. And we just ask that You please be with us this morning, give us Your Spirit, Lord, and be with us in the congregation. Bless every aspect of our service, the singing, most of all the preaching, Lord. Fill past me here with Your Spirit as He preaches Your word unto us. And give us Your Spirit in the congregation as well, Lord, that we may leave here changed. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. You may be seated. Please turn your song loops to song number 425. Song number 425, No Room in the Inn. Song number 425, all together, nice and strong on that first verse. No praises of gladness, no thought of their sin, no glory but sadness, no room in the inn, no room, no room for Jesus. Oh, give Him welcome free, lest you should hear at heaven's gate. There is no room for thee, no sweet consecration, no humiliation, no place in the heart, no thought of the Savior, no sorrow for sin, no prayer for His favor, no room in the inn, no room, no room for Jesus. Oh, give Him welcome free, lest you should hear at heaven's gate. There is no room for thee, no one to receive Him, no balm to relieve Him, no sap but a spear, no seeking His treasure, no weeping for sin, no doing His pleasure, no room in the inn, no room, no room for Jesus. Oh, give Him welcome free, lest you should hear at heaven's gate. There is no room for thee. Amen. Merry Christmas, everyone. I'm excited about today. I love Christmas, and I love the fact that Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday, and so we're looking forward to a great day. If you did not get a bulletin, go ahead and raise your hand. One of the ushers can get one for you. And just to let you know, of course, 427 will be our next song. If you want to get that ready in your songbooks, We Three Kings of Orient are 427. Just a few announcements here before we see our next song. Of course, our services are as follows. Sunday morning is at 1030. Sunday evening at 5 p.m. And then we have our Thursday night Bible study at 7 o'clock. You see the sowing times and teams. If you want to learn how to preach the gospel, you want to learn how to go sowing, you can see me after the service to be placed on the team. So you can receive adequate training for that. And so if you have any questions, you can see me afterwards. You see the list of expecting mothers. Please continue to pray for them. And the important reminder is there. Please make sure, parents, that you give heed to that. As I mentioned, today is our Christmas Eve service. So after the service, we're going to be having Mediterranean food in the fellowship hall. And so I hope you can stick around and fellowship for a little bit. Of course, the schedule is still the same. We might push sowing back just a little bit due to the food fellowship. And so keep that in mind. But tonight, after the service, we're having two things. One, we're having three things, actually. One is we're having that delicious alligator. And then also burgers and sausages, sausage links, I believe. And so for those of you who can't stomach the alligator, hamburgers and sausages are available for you. But then also, if I'm not mistaken, is this rumor true, Brother Chris? Yes, it is true. We're going to have a snow machine outside for the kids for about 15 minutes or so, I think. And so we'll have that outside. We'll give you details on the announcements tonight. It's not real snow, but, you know, we like to fake it here in California. Amen. But the kids don't know that, you know what I mean? But we can pretend it is snow. And then afterwards, we could go to the beach. So it's like, you know, I'm just kidding. But anyways, that will be for tonight. And so looking forward to a great Sunday today. And a Merry Christmas to you all. Of course, next Sunday is the New Year's Eve service. And then on Friday, January 5th is the men's prayer night, 7pm at the church building. And then of course, on Friday, January 26th is Sarah and Giovanni's wedding. Please make sure you RSVP by December 31st. The QR code is on the right hand side there to make it easy for you. So they can get a headcount of everyone who's coming. So please make sure you do that. We're looking forward to a great new year. And then at the bottom there, you see all the regular announcements. Please make sure you silence your phones during the preaching so as to not be a distraction during the service. This morning, I am going to preach a basic Christmas message, as I typically do every Sunday. But tonight, I'm going to preach something different. It's not Christmas oriented at all. But there's a documentary that has recently come out against IFB churches. And so I want to address some of that. And in fact, I'm going to preach a sermon tonight entitled, Preventing Predators in Our Church. And so I'm going to talk about what we do as a church to prevent infiltrators and predators from coming here. And, you know, molesting children and violating the innocent. And so it's a good old fashioned Christmas Eve sermon in the new IFB church, right? But I think that's important to address. And so I'm going to be preaching that tonight. So I hope you can make it tonight for that. And that is it. Let's go to sing our next song, 427 We Three Kings of Orient Are. All right. Song number 427, We Three Kings of Orient Are. All together, nice and strong on that first verse. We three kings of Orient are, Bearing gifts we traverse afar, Field and fountain, moor and mountain, Following yonder star. Oh, star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading still, proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect light. Born a king on Bethlehem's plain, Gold I bring to crown him again, King forever, ceasing never, All to reign. Oh, star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading still, proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect light. Frankincense to offer have I, Prayer and praising, all men raising, Worship Him, God on high. Oh, star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading still, proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect light. Murray's mine, its bitter perfume, Breeds a life of gathering gloom, Sorrowing, sighing, pleading, dying, Sealed in the stone-cold tomb. Oh, star of wonder, star of night, Westward leading still, proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect light. Glorious now, behold Him arise, King and God and sacrifice, Alleluia, alleluia, Peels through the earth and skies. Oh, star of wonder, star of night, Westward leading still, proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect light. Amen. Wonderful singing. For our next song, we'll be singing, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. If you don't have a song sheet, please raise your hand. If you don't have a song sheet, please raise your hand. Keep your hand held up as the ushers come by. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. All together nice and strong on that first verse. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Let nothing you dismay. Remember Christ our Savior, Was born on Christmas Day, To save us all from Satan's power, When we were gone astray. O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy, From God our heavenly Father, A blessed angel came, To certain shepherds brought tidings of the same, How that in Bethlehem was born The Son of God by name. O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy, Fear not the angel, Let nothing you affright, A Savior of a pure virgin bride, To free all those who trust in Him, From Satan's power and might. O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy, The shepherds at those tidings, Rejoice in much in mind, And let their flocks a feeding, And went to Bethlehem straightway, This blessed babe to find. O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy, Now to the Lord sing praises, All you within this place, And with true love and brotherhood, Each other now embrace, This holy tide of Christmas, Others doth debase, O tidings of comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy. Amen. Wonderful singing. At this time, the ushers will come forth to receive the offering. You can turn your Bibles to Luke chapter number two. Luke chapter two. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Luke chapter number two this morning. Luke chapter two and the Bible reads, It came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. This taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, every one, into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea out of the city of David, which is called Bethlehem because it was of the house and lineage of David, to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. 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. You 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 shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing 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 turtledoves 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. 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 him up in 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 the glory of thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marveled 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 thine own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Fenuel of the tribe of Aser. She was of a great age and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and she was a widow of about four score and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she, coming in that instant, gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. And when they performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee to their own city, Nazareth. And the child grew and 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. 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 a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they 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. When they saw him, they were amazed. And his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? The old thy father and I have sought thee, sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Was she not that it must be about my father's business? And they understood not the saying which he spake 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 in stature, and in favor with God and man. Let's pray. Dear Lord God, we thank you for this day, where we get to celebrate your son, Jesus Christ, and we just ask that you would build Pastor Mehiri now with your Holy Spirit as he preaches your word unto us, and give us ears to hear it, and in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Okay, we're in Luke chapter 2 this morning, and the time of my sermon this morning is waiting for the consolation of Israel, waiting for the consolation of Israel. And of course, I'm talking about Simeon here in verse 25 of chapter 2. And here we see a story of a man who is essentially a man who is a godly individual. The Bible says that he's a just and a devout person, and he's awaiting the consolation of Israel, meaning that he is awaiting the birth of Jesus Christ. And we see that according to this passage here, that the Holy Ghost somehow supernaturally reveals unto Simeon that he's not going to die until he sees the Lord's Christ, meaning that he knows that Jesus Christ was going to come, the Word of God was going to be made flesh in his lifetime. And when that took place, it's at that point that he could depart and be with the Lord. However, we know that according to the Bible and according to other examples that we see, that people knew that Jesus Christ was coming and they knew of his birth, not because of the fact that they heard rumors of it, or because of the fact that essentially it was supernaturally revealed unto them, but rather because they knew the Bible. The Word of God said enough in the Old Testament regarding the first coming of Christ that Israel should have known that Jesus Christ was coming. And obviously, they didn't know at what point he was going to come, at what time. That did require some sort of divine intervention to reveal unto these people that he was coming, but in general, they knew Old Testament scriptures that were pertinent to the birth of Jesus Christ. And we see, for example, the kings that we see in the book of Matthew, that even though they knew the Word of God, and they knew the pertinent scriptures dealing with the coming of Christ, it required an angel to reveal unto them where Jesus Christ was going to be born, in what particular geographical location, and it led them to Bethlehem where Jesus Christ was going to be born. So we see here Simeon, he's a man of Jerusalem, he's a just and devout man, and it says in verse number 27 that 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 him up in 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 the people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. Now this evening, or this morning should I say, I want to go over the scriptures dealing with the coming of Christ in the Old Testament, dealing with the birth of Jesus Christ specifically. Go up with me if you would to Genesis chapter 3. I'm going to go over five important scriptures of the Old Testament that prophesy of the first coming of Christ, and I'm going to give some teachings in that regard. But first let me read to you from 1 Peter chapter 1 verse number 10. It says, of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. So again, Israel wasn't ignorant of these things. You know, those who dwelt in Israel, the spiritual leaders there, they had access to the information necessary for them to know that Jesus Christ was going to come and be born of a virgin, the fact that it was going to be the word of God made flesh, and it gave all the necessary information for them to know and to recognize their visitation as the Bible puts it. So when Jesus Christ came to Israel in the first century AD, it shouldn't have come as no surprise to anybody in what manner he came because all of the prophecies of the Old Testament were very clear of how he was going to come. The only way someone could just not know and be just completely ignorant of his coming was because they just didn't know the word of God. They didn't know the Bible, they didn't spend enough time in the synagogue listening to the preacher read from the scroll of Isaiah, reading from the scroll of Micah, listening to the word of God in order for them to know and be aware of their visitation from God. And you know, in like manner, the only reason someone would mistake the Antichrist in the end times for being Jesus Christ is if they were ignorant of the Scriptures. Why? Because there's enough information in the Bible given to us for us to know what the Bible says about end times and obviously not everything is revealed unto us, but that which is necessary for us to know about the second coming of Christ, it's there. We would only say you would not know what's going to take place in the end times only because you didn't read the Bible, right? Because obviously the information is available to us. Well, in like manner, when it comes to the first coming, in order for someone to be completely ignorant and not know and not recognize Jesus Christ is because of the fact that they didn't know the Bible, they didn't read the word of God. Now, I had you turn to Genesis chapter 3. Let me go over the first prophecy here. We're going to go over the Old Testament prophecies of the birth of Christ. The first one is in regards to the prophecy of war with Satan, which is pretty interesting. Now, this is often referred to as the proto-evangelium, meaning the first time that the gospel was revealed to mankind. It's not when the gospel was created, but simply when the first time that it was revealed to mankind, which is very interesting because it's referred to in our Bibles, in the King James, it's Genesis 3.15, and then of course we have the famous John 3.16. Those numbers are pretty, it's easy for us to remember what's being talked about there, but it's the first time the gospel is mentioned. Now, we obviously know that salvation did not begin here because of the fact that the Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 13 and verse number 8 that the Lamb of God was slain from the foundation of the world. So don't get this mistaken and don't confuse this for dispensationalism. This seeks to teach that salvation has been various and different throughout all generations. Rather, this is the first time that it's mentioned and because of the fact that in context, it's necessary to reveal to mankind that God will one day redeem mankind back to himself through Jesus Christ. Of course, after the fall that took place in Genesis chapter 3. Now look at Genesis 3 verse 13. It says here, And the Lord said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. The serpent, of course, is Satan. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field, upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dost shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. Listen to this. And I will put enmity, this is what we're referring to here, the first mention of the Gospel, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. So this is the first prophecy of Jesus Christ, of his coming, of his birth, and it's revealed by describing the mutual hatred that the seed of the woman will have with the seed of the serpent. Which is very interesting if you think about it. It's talking about the fact that there's always going to be enmity between Satan and not just mankind, not just Christians, but also all of mankind, right? You see, we often think that Satan is our greatest enemy, our greatest adversary as Christians, and it's true, but he's also the adversary of the world. He's also the enemy of all of mankind. It's not that he's in favor of the unsaved. It's not that he loves the unsaved and he loves everyone in the world. No, the Bible says that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Satan doesn't love anybody in this world. You know, the Bible says that the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. Satan hates all of mankind, and since the beginning of time, he has sought to wage war against the unsaved, against the unregenerated, in order to keep them blinded to the salvation of God, right? And so, you know, these people are out there who are like, oh, you know, Satan's cool, and, you know, and I'm down to go to hell, we'll just party with all my friends and all this stuff. You know, they're going to have a rude awakening when they die and lift up their eyes in hell and realize that not even Satan is there yet. The only thing that is awaiting them is the worm that dieth nah and the fire that's not quenched. The only thing awaiting them is eternal damnation, and they will soon realize, I mean, think about Anton LaVey, who literally spent the majority of his life promoting Satanism, promoting that which is evil and wicked. Imagine how he felt the moment that he awoke in hell, right? Realizing that, you know, Satan wasn't on his side. And yeah, you know, Satan might have promoted him in this world and might have aided him in his influence over individuals in this world in order to deceive mankind, but at the end of the day, you know, Satan was not pro Anton LaVey. Satan wanted to use Anton LaVey and use all these people as puppets to keep people blinded, and then he does the bait and switch at the very end, and then people realize too late that Satan is their adversary. He doesn't love them. He doesn't care for them. And so this is the enmity that the Bible's describing here, is that Satan is not a friend of the world. He's an adversary, not just of Christians, but of the world as well. Now, how do we know that? Well, it says that I will put enmity between the and the woman. And in context, the woman that's being described here in Genesis chapter 3 is who? It's Eve. Well, the Bible says that Eve is the mother of all living, right? So we can say that Eve is the mother of all living, including Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ will one day take on human flesh in the first century AD, and that he's going to make war with that seed, which could be referring to all of mankind, but more specifically, it's obviously referring to Jesus Christ, because it kind of hones in on it a little further, and it gives us a little more details when it says between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, right? Referring to the fact that the seed of the woman is going to harm the head of Satan. Now, where does that take place exactly? Well, you know, since I've read the Bible over the last 16 years, I've always just thought that it's actually referring to, this is prophetic of Revelation chapter 13, because the Bible talks about Revelation 13, that the Antichrist will receive a deadly wound to the head, and his deadly wound is then healed, right? Now, obviously, he comes back to life, but really, at the end of the day, the head of this world, referring to the Antichrist, and that new world order will one day be destroyed by the rock of our salvation. Okay, the stone, which the builders rejected, it's going to smite that new world order, it's going to smite that head, and destroy it. And then it says, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Now, people have, you know, everyone pretty much agrees that what that's referring to is the crucifixion. And if you were to think about it, that's a good way to describe the crucifixion, because of the fact that when Jesus Christ was crucified, and the nails were placed in his feet, and essentially placed against that cross, it would bruise his heel, you understand? And so, this is referring to the fact that all of history has led up to this point in the first century AD, 33 AD, where Satan would essentially wage war against Jesus Christ, and seek to kill him. Satan will always hate the world, he will always be an adversary of the world, but obviously, he hates Jesus Christ and his followers. Go with me if you would to Revelation chapter 12, hold your place there, go to Revelation chapter 12. As I mentioned, Jesus Christ is obviously the offspring of the woman, because it says in Galatians chapter 4, that when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. So the bruising of the head equals the wound of the head, or the destruction of the one world order, but the bruising of the heel, as we mentioned, equals the crucifixion. Look at Revelation 12, and verse number 3, it says, And there appeared another wonder in heaven, and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten hoards and seven crowns upon his head. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth, and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. Now I do believe that the woman that's being described here is Eve. Because again, if you use this in conjunction with Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15, it's kind of like talking about both. The woman, but it can be also describing Mary who gives birth to Jesus Christ. And they would both be correct. And it says that the dragon, referring to Satan, stood before the woman in order to devour the child as soon as it was born. Now when did that take place? It took place when Jesus Christ was born in the first century AD. That dragon embodying who? Herod, right? Because when Jesus Christ was born and the kings came to Herod, and they said they wanted to worship the king, that he was going to be born, you know Herod, through sleight of hand, said, Oh, you know, go and look for him, and when you find him, come and tell me, because I want to worship him also. Obviously he was lying. What he wanted to do was murder the child because he was essentially intimidated by the coming Christ because he was king. And he didn't want to be replaced as a king. And so when the kings essentially ended up going home after they worshipped the Christ, Herod found that out and he was wroth, the Bible says. He was angered because he was mocked of the kings. And so what he did was he went and just slew all the children. In his desire, in his agenda to try to kill Jesus, he just essentially slew all the children two years and under, hoping that Jesus Christ would be a part of that group that was slain. But of course, we know that he wasn't. That's what's being pictured here is the dragon waiting for the woman to be delivered in order to devour the child as soon as it was born. Look at verse 5. And she brought forth the man child who was to rule all nations with the rod of iron. This is obviously depicting Jesus Christ here. And her child was caught up unto God and to his throne. Now, this is essentially giving us the ministry of Jesus Christ in a consolidated version, right? Because as soon as he's born, in verse number 5, he's caught up unto God and to his throne, meaning that he died, was buried and he resurrected and ultimately ascended to be at the right hand of God. Look at verse 13, if you would. It says, And when the dragon saw that he was cast into the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time from the face of the serpent. Now, I'm not going to go into all the end times details here, but obviously this is referring to the 1260 days that takes place prior to great tribulation. And so, people would often refer to this as the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The woman depicting all of mankind since Eve is the mother of all living, that woman goes into the wilderness, which is a picture of tribulation, that beginning of sorrows. And she's nourished there for a time, times and half a time. It says in verse 15, The serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And listen to this in verse 17, And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. You compare that to the story of Herod, the wording is almost identical. And it's obviously God trying to get us this depiction here, this illustration that Herod, just like many people throughout history, have sought to silence Christians and kill Christians because of the fact that the one who's behind that agenda is Satan himself. Satan was the one behind trying to kill baby Jesus in the first century A.D. And you know what, Satan is still trying to destroy the seed today and he will succeed to a certain extent in the end times. Because the Bible says that the Antichrist will make war with the saints and overcome them. And that's what it's referring to. So when we think about that seed, it's referring to all of mankind. But when you narrow it down, it's referring to Jesus Christ and it also refers to those, as it says in verse 17, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Who's that? All believers. Now go to Matthew chapter 2 if you would, Matthew chapter 2. Matthew chapter number 2 if you would. So we see the very first mention of the birth of Jesus Christ is very aggressive if you think about it. You know, Isaiah chapter 7 verse 15 would have been a nice one to start off with. A virgin shall conceive and bring forth the Son. Emmanuel is just like very poetic. No, God just starts off right off the bat like there's going to be enmity. There's going to be war with Satan. So what is this showing us? It's showing us that this is a very serious situation here. This is something that we should not take lightly. Christians should not have this view that we're here to just play games and this is a playground and not take the Christian life seriously and just kind of be apathetic towards the things of God. The Bible says that we're at war, that we have enmity with Satan. And in fact, Satan as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. So yeah, we're going to have a great time today because it's Christmas, but obviously we understand in the back of our minds that we still have an enemy out there who's seeking to devour us, to destroy us. Why? Because the enmity between the seed and the woman has existence since the beginning of time. And Genesis 3.15 is our reminder of that, that there will always be enmity. And the day and age in which we live is just weird. Because you have people today who even feel sorry for Satan. And I'm dead serious. I mean, how many of you have heard that? Like, he should be forgiven and it's just like, you know what? You deserve to be deceived. Like, you deserve that deception. Because even the most godless person in this world still recognizes that Satan is wicked and evil. Even the most godless person in this world who's not a reprobate recognizes that Satan does not have their best interest in mind. Yet you have people who are like, God should forgive Satan. He messed up or whatever. Yeah, that's a good way to put it. But you know, you're kind of undermining the severity of what Satan did and the fact that Satan does not have the world's best interest in mind. He is your enemy if it were up to him. You know, the Bible says that he comes to kill, to steal, and to destroy. He's coming to destroy people. He does not favor mankind at all. There will always be enmity. Look at Matthew 2 verse 13. ...behold, the angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt I have called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wrath, and sent forth and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. And so, you know, when you recognize how wicked and evil Satan is, you know, all the evil of this world really makes sense. It makes a lot of sense, right? All of the evil and crimes that are committed against children, against the innocent, against those who cannot defend themselves, all of that stems from Satan himself, okay? Now the bruising of the heel when it came to Jesus Christ, obviously I believe it's referring to the crucifixion, because there was a time where when Jesus Christ was being arrested, he specifically said, This is your hour and your power of darkness. Essentially, you know, exclaiming to those around him that God was giving permission for this to take place. For Jesus Christ to say, This is your hour and your power of darkness, power refers to authority, right? So that was the opportunity for Satan to fulfill the prophetic statement of Genesis chapter 3 verse 15, to bruise the heel of Jesus, okay? And then of course we know that in John chapter 12 verse 31, it says that, Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the prince of this world be cast out, implying that even though Satan bruised the heel of Jesus Christ, he rose again, and so nothing can keep him in the grave, and he conquered that. Now turn with me if you would to Galatians chapter 3, if you would, Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter number 3. Obviously, Genesis 3 verse 15 isn't a very detailed message of the gospel, but it is the gospel because the gospel is the declaration, the good news, that in spite of the fact that there is the fall of man, that Jesus Christ would one day bruise the head of the serpent that essentially tempted Eve, and of course the implication there is that he's going to save us, okay? Through his sacrifice, he's going to save us as well. Now let's talk about the second prophetic statement. I'm going to go into this briefly, and this one, you know, people would debate whether this could be referring to the birth of Christ. I do believe it is, and that is Genesis chapter 12, okay? Where the Bible talks about, where the Bible talks to, or excuse me, speaks of Abraham, and it says of Abraham that he's going to make of him a great nation, he's going to bless him and make his name great, and that should be a blessing, and it says, I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that cursed thee, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. You say, well that's referring to Abraham though, so how can that be referring to Jesus Christ if Abraham is specifically being mentioned there? Well, thank God that we have the New Testament, amen? Because look what it says in Galatians 3 verse 16, Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made, he saith not unto seeds as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed which is Christ. So the reason this would be considered a prophetic statement of the birth of Jesus Christ is because of the fact that it's mentioning the seed of Abraham, you understand? And once that seed is birthed, that promise is essentially revealed that it's not referring to the physical nation of Israel as someone erroneously claimed because they're the physical descendants, but rather the spiritual descendants of Abraham through Jesus Christ. Okay, look at verse 22, But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. Notice it doesn't say to them that work, it doesn't say to them that keep God's commandments, it doesn't say to them who do good deeds, and prophesy in his name, it says to be given to them that believe. Why? Because the only stipulation that God places on getting saved is that you believe on Jesus Christ for salvation, plus nothing, minus nothing. It says in verse 23, But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Now what does that mean when it says that the law was our schoolmaster? We can interpret this a couple ways, and one way to interpret this would be if you think of the meats, drinks, and divers washings, carnal ordinances, those could operate to Israel as a schoolmaster. Why? Because the continual observance of those ordinances should teach you that someone will come one day to fulfill those in a real way, right? That Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of those meats, drinks, and divers washings. So that repetitious observance of those ordinances should teach those who are participating in it that Jesus Christ was going to do this one day, right? Another way to interpret this would be the fact that the moral law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ. Referring to the fact that the law of God that's written in our hearts, the fact that we should not murder, that we should not lie, we should not steal, we should be moral people, that alone should teach us that we need a savior. Now how is that? Well because of the fact that we're constantly getting an F by the schoolmaster. We're just constantly failing that. We just turn in our exam daily and it's just like, you missed all these. And it's not like you're getting like a 90% either. Because when it comes to this particular exam, everyone fails. Why? Because he that keepeth the whole law you defended at one point is guilty of all. So it's just like, you know, if you get, if there's ten questions and you get nine right, based upon this, you're still a failure. Because you got that one wrong. So yeah, you never murdered, maybe you never committed adultery, maybe you've never done some of the most horrible sins that the Bible talks about. But you know what, if you've lied before, which everyone has lied before, and if you deny that, you just lied right now, then according to the Bible, you're guilty of all. And so in that manner, you can see how the law can be our schoolmaster to bring us into Christ, because Christ helps us, I think this is the correct way to say it, it's greater on a curve at that point. The death of Christ helps us to be greater on a curve. Because at that point, we just kind of piggyback off of the perfection of Jesus Christ. Not on our righteousness, because our righteousness are as filthy rags in the eyes of God. The Bible says not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us. And so in that manner, you can see how the schoolmaster, the law being the schoolmaster, can teach us, you can't pass this exam on your own, you need someone else's exam. The perfection of someone else's exam, the straight A of Jesus Christ in order to be saved. He says in verse 25, After that faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus, and if ye be Christ, then ye are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. So what's the point? The point is that the prophetic statement of the birth of Christ in Genesis chapter 12 is so significant because it applies to everyone, not just those who are in the geographical location of Israel. It applies to the Gentiles, it applies to the Arabs, it applies to the Greeks, it applies to the barbarians, it applies to the Mexicans, it applies to the Asians, it applies to everyone. This promise is made to Abraham and his seed, and because his seed is Christ, well if you believe in Christ, then the promise is applied to you as well. You see how important that prophecy is? And what's interesting is the fact that you have Jews in the New Testament who understood this. They understood it. It wasn't hard for them to know. And there were Jews who were unsaved who understood this. There were bad Jews who understood this who didn't want Gentiles to be saved. But you have Jews just in general who understood this, and yet today there are saved people who just don't understand this. The fact that Genesis 12 is not referring to what's going on over there in Israel, the current state of Israel, it's referring to how the Bible describes it, the Israel of God. Well that is God's Israel over there. That's a godless place where Jesus Christ is not welcomed, Christianity does not prevail, well it does, but in its most primitive form. Judaism is just a primitive form of Christianity. No it's not. And in fact you won't find that phrase in the Bible. You say, well what was before Christianity then? Well Christianity is just a label that people place on the way of the Bible, on following Jesus Christ, but prior to that it's just a religion of the Jews. And you cannot compare that to Judaism, because Judaism, modern day Judaism, is completely anti-Christ. They reject Jesus Christ. They reject the word of God. They hold other documents as being authoritative over the Bible. So therefore we cannot participate in that religion, or claim that it is akin to Christianity because of its complete and blatant rejection of Christianity. Folks, our loyalty is to Jesus, amen. Our loyalty is to Jesus Christ, is to Christianity, and we don't need to add anything in front of that Judeo-Christian, because of the fact that people will often add that as a way to say, well these are Judeo-Christian principles, meaning it's a morality that was found in the Old Testament of the Jews. But what they failed to realize is the fact that morality existed prior to Mount Sinai. Prior to even the name, the label Jew in the Bible. Because the law of God is written in our hearts, right? Why did it exist prior to Mount Sinai? Because God is everlasting, and God does not change. Murder has always been wrong. All of these sins that the Bible talks about explicitly have always been wrong. It's not until Mount Sinai, where it was written on tablets of stone, that it was given as a covenant between him and his people, that they should keep that covenant in order to remain the people of God. But it doesn't mean that morality was created at that point. It's not like, you know, oh man, murder is wrong? Like as soon as he came down from Mount Sinai, and it says, thou shall not kill, it's just like, whoa. That's, I didn't know that, you know? Everyone knows that. That was given on tablets of stone as a covenant to Israel. To say, this is what you have to do to remain the people of God, okay? And so this is a promise that's applicable to everyone in this world. And in fact, let me read to you from Romans chapter 9 verse 25. And he saith also in Osi, referring to Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people, and her beloved, which was not beloved. So how can you say that we are not God's people, God's chosen people, if he specifically says here that we are? He says, I will call them my people, which were not my people. Because Gentiles at one point were not the people of God. But once the New Testament was instituted, we now became the people of God. And it says in verse 26, and it shall come to pass, that in the place that it was said unto them, ye are not my people, there shall they be called the children of the living God. What does that show us? It shows us that the children of God and the people of God are synonymous. Why is that important? Because people like to make a distinction and say, well yeah, we're the children of God, but they're the people of God. We're God's children, but they're God's people. No, it says, it shall come to pass that in the place where it is said unto them, ye are not my people, there shall they be called the children of the living God, paralleled with the fact that we are the people of God. They're the same thing. People who say it are just playing semantics here. It's pretty obvious what we're talking about here. Now what's the point that I'm trying to make with Genesis chapter 12? The point that I'm making regarding Genesis 12 and the birth of Christ, is the fact that Jesus Christ is the desire of the nations. Because nations, what is nations? It's Gentiles. That's what that means. He is the desire of the nations because through him is where we receive the blessing of God. Understand? And you say, what about those nations that reject Jesus Christ? Well, the Bible says that the wicked shall be turned into hell and all nations that forget God. But the Bible also says in Psalm 33 verse 12, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. It's great. The great news about Genesis 12 prophesying to the birth of Christ, is the fact that you don't have to be a part of a particular physical nation to have favor with God. You can be a part of whatever island, whatever country, whatever nation, whatever color and shade, whatever cultural background, you can become the people of God. That's why it's a blessing. And that's why the Bible says that he is the desire of all nations. Go to Isaiah chapter 7, if you would, Isaiah chapter 7. We're talking about the birth of Christ this morning. And, you know, the birth of Jesus Christ is an essential doctrine in the Christian faith. And so it should be emphasized, especially on a day like this. But going over the Old Testament prophetic statements of Jesus Christ's birth, we talked about Genesis chapter 3 verse 15, we talked about Genesis chapter 12. Let's talk about Isaiah chapter 7, which is probably one of the most famous prophetic passages of the birth of Christ. Let's get some context here. It says in verse number 10, Moreover, the Lord spake unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God, ask it either in the depth or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David, is it a small thing for you to weary men? But will you weary my God also? So let me explain to you what's going on here. In Isaiah chapter 7, Syria has made confederate with Ephraim, which is Israel. And so Ephraim, Israel, the northern kingdom, and Syria are essentially joining hands against Judah, which is the southern kingdom. Ahaz being the king of that southern kingdom. And so they're in cahoots, they're working together, and they are trying to conquer Judah and overthrow Ahaz from his throne. And so God is kind of, through the prophet, is reassuring Ahaz that he's with him. And you can see from an earthly perspective how Ahaz would probably be very nervous about what's going on. I mean, it's bad enough that Syria is coming to get him, but now he has his northern kingdom brother joining him in his efforts. So from a worldly perspective, there's more of them than there are on his side, right? You have Syria, you have Israel against Judah. So Ahaz is a little nervous here, and God is essentially trying to help him to gain confidence that it's going to be okay. And so he tells Ahaz, ask of me a sign. Now why is he saying that? Because he's saying, look, he knows that Ahaz is being faithless right now, so something that will increase his faith is asking a sign and God performing some sort of supernatural miracle to confirm that God is with Ahaz. But something's wrong with Ahaz. Because he says in verse 12, but Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. Now look, folks, the Bible says thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God, but if God tells you to tempt him, you better do it. That's called obedience. So if he says, ask of me a sign, don't try to be a super spiritual Christian, thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God. Thy God is the one asking thee and commanding thee to do it. And there are instances where it is appropriate to tempt God in the Bible. Because what does it mean to tempt God? It means to test him, to put him to the test. And when is it appropriate? When the word of God tells you to do it. Well, here is not the written word, it is for us, but in his day it was the spoken word by the prophet that God was telling Ahaz, ask of me a sign and I will give it to thee. And he's just like, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. You know, all I know is that I'm saved, brother. It's like one of those answers where people try to get this cop out of just like, you know what, I just love God. I'm glad you love the Lord, but that's insufficient for the question that I'm asking you right now. And so what happens is that God is like, I'm getting tired of you. Because he says there, is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? This is Isaiah speaking. He's like, I'm fed up with you, but now God's going to get fed up with you too. He's like, I'm weary of you and you know what, you're going to weary my God also. At that point, I would say, you know what, call down fire from heaven like right now then. So then now God comes up with the sign that he's going to provide to Ahaz, which is the famous Christmas passage that we use, right? He says, therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign since he didn't ask for it. But thank God he didn't because now we have this awesome verse. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bury son and shall call his name Immanuel. Now, why is this the sign that God gave to Ahaz? Why is this so significant here? Well, first of all, the reason why is because of the fact that Immanuel means what? God with us. So what is he telling Ahaz? A woman's going to conceive a child and they're going to call him Immanuel, which means God is with you just to prove to you that I'm with you. So that child who was born during this particular time, the immediate future was Ahaz's confirmation that God is with him. This is how deep the Bible is, amen? Because really this has, I mean, I'm not saying this has anything to do with Christmas, but in the immediate future, it didn't have anything to do with Christmas or even the birth of Christ. But because the Word of God is so deep and so layered, it can be a prophetic statement because of the fact that in the first century AD, when Jesus Christ, when the Word of God is made flesh, yeah, his name is Jesus, but he's also Immanuel because God is with us. God came down from heaven to be with us. Now, you know, again, this is layered. And so when we think of the prophetic statement that's being made here, it's obviously referring to Mary, who was a virgin when she conceived that child, which was a supernatural miracle. Because her and Joseph, though she was espoused unto Joseph, they did not consummate the marriage, they did not come together. She bore Jesus Christ of the Holy Ghost. And no, she did not remain a perpetual virgin either, as the Catholic Church erroneously teaches. That she's just this perpetual virgin. No, because she had kids afterwards. Jesus Christ had other brothers and sisters, and so she had kids afterwards because of the fact that she was married to Joseph. But when people are married, the byproduct of that marriage, more often than not, is children. And I'll leave it at that. Which means that she's no longer a virgin. Any mom who's had kids is no longer a virgin, you understand? However, in the immediate future, I do believe that this person who's bearing a child did not remain a virgin. I believe that this is just referring to the fact that this lady is a virgin, who would get married and then bear a child, and of course, have a son named Emmanuel. But obviously, this is foreshadowing Mary, who was a virgin, and conceived Jesus Christ of the Holy Ghost. Does that make sense to everyone? So the immediate interpretation of this is the fact that God is simply telling Ahaz, Emmanuel, I'm with you. So that when Ahaz saw this child, he would not fear of Syria making confederate with the northern kingdom of Israel. He'd see the child Emmanuel and say, you know, God is with us. Now obviously, what's an application that we can get from that? You know, Christmas is a great time for us to realize and remember the fact that God is with us. He said, why? Well, because we have all types of kingdoms and confederate against us. We have all types of enemies round about. You know, this world isn't necessarily, you know, very nice to Christians. But it obviously doesn't matter because of the fact that deep down inside, they like what we got. It's a fact. The celebration of Christmas is a worldwide celebration. And even unsafe people celebrate Christmas. Okay? And they'll say Christmas. It creates a warm, fuzzy feeling for everyone. I mean, people love Christmas season. I don't see anybody celebrating a lot. Is there a celebration for him or for Muhammad or for Buddha? You know, there might be a celebration, but it's only subject to a specific geographical location. But you know, Christmas is celebrated all across the board for everyone. You know why? Because it's a declaration that God came down from heaven, that God is with us. Emmanuel. You know, I don't know of any other culture. You know, the last time I checked, I've never heard a hymn about Muhammad. Muhammad. A poetic hymn about Muhammad, a poetic hymn about, you know, Allah. You know, a poetic hymn about... But I guarantee you, there's some liberal Muslims out there singing Christmas songs. I guarantee you. But you know what? You can get the most liberal Christian and they will not know a Muhammad song. You can get the most liberal, watered-down Christian. You can just get an unsaved person, they will not know any Muslim song. But you know what? You can get an unsaved person who knows nothing about Christianity and they'll know Joy to the World. They'll know Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. They'll know In Excelsis Deo. Angels we have heard on high. Now, they may not know every single verse, but don't worry, our old IFB brethren don't know all the verses either. What I'm saying is that Christmas is something that everyone recognizes. And even the haters of Christmas have to be subject unto the fact that they still observe the birth of Christ every single day. Every single year. Every hater of Jesus Christ and the haters of Christmas still have to observe it no matter what. Why? Because the dates that we have are centered around the birth of Jesus Christ. B.C., all of history! That is a great flex for Christianity. That's like, you know, you're in the comments section of a video or something, people are getting on you. That's one card that I keep in my pocket. I just can't wait to pull that one out. And this is what I typically tell them. What's today's date? Doesn't matter what day it is, too. What's today's date? Because they have to recognize, well how do you determine that? That's based off of Jesus Christ's birth as being the reference point. So even if people hate Christianity, they hate the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter what, they still have to recognize it. And why not? It's when the word of God was made flesh. And the celebration of Christmas, the joy that it provides permeates all of society, even to the point that someone who just does not go to church, they don't read the Bible, they're not involved in Christianity, it still gives them a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. Because that's how great Jesus Christ is. And so, a great interpretation here of Isaiah chapter 7. You know that Emmanuel means God with us, and of course that is later quoted in Matthew chapter 1. And in fact go to Matthew chapter 1 if you would, because I'm going to make one more point here. Actually this will be my last point, I'm just going to breeze over the other ones. You go to Matthew chapter 1, the other two scriptures dealing with the birth of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament is Micah 5.1, let me read it to you, you don't have to turn there. Micah 5 verse 2, excuse me, it says, But thou Bethlehem of Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting. Speaking to the eternality of Jesus Christ, and the fact that he was going to be born in Bethlehem. This is essentially the scripture that the wise men knew of when they came seeking Jesus Christ. They knew that he was going to be born in Bethlehem because of Micah 5.2. Lastly of course is the prophecy of Jesus Christ coming out of Egypt. In Hosea 11 verse 1 it says, When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. That is later reiterated in Matthew chapter 2 and verse 15 where it says, And was there until the death of Herod, referring to Joseph and Mary, going to Egypt to hide from Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Not saying that he comes from Egypt, but obviously Egypt would play a role in protecting the child until the death of Herod so that he would not kill him. Now look at Matthew chapter 1, here's the last portion that we're going to go over. Verse 23 as we saw in Isaiah chapter 7 it says, Behold the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth the son, and they shall call him Immanuel, which is being interpreted, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife, and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son, listen to this, and he called his name Jesus. So why is Isaiah 7.15 important as well? Because it leads us to Matthew chapter 1 that explains to us distinctively that the name of Immanuel is Jesus. I don't see any other name there. In fact I would more readily believe that his name was Immanuel than any other name. Now don't get this mistaken because people get a little weird when I talk about this. I'm not saying that Yeshua is some sort of like pagan name or something like that because obviously that is the name that people will call upon in that particular language though. The wrong ideology that is attached to Yeshua is the fact that people in the United States of America will say that you have to call upon Yeshua to be saved and they deny that Jesus is his name. And this is all built under this premise that supposedly the New Testament was written in Hebrew. And they'll say, you know, his parents called him Yeshua. He called himself Yeshua. It's always been Yeshua because he spoke Hebrew. Now first of all, most people in this world don't only speak just one language. The vast majority, except for those in America of course. But hopefully this will change by this year, amen? Spanish speakers? But we know conclusively that in the New Testament, aside from the fact that we know that it was written in Greek, we know conclusively that people, including Jesus because he is the originator of languages, spoke Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. To deny that he spoke Greek is just beyond stupidity. Because historically speaking, Greek was the lingua franca of that day. So anybody, which is why the New Testament was written in Greek. Because that way everybody could just read it. Jew and Gentile. You understand? And so if in the Greek New Testament it uses the name Jesus, which is Jesus, and you say, no, no, it's Yeshua, it's Yeshua. But he never used that name, nor was it written down. It wasn't like Jesus, which in time past was Yeshua. Which by the way, in the New Testament we have instances where words are given to you in Hebrew, right? Abaddon, Apollyon, it says in the Hebrew tongue, and it will tell you what that was. Well, apparently Abaddon's name is more important than Yeshua. Because that interpretation is given to you. Wouldn't you think that God would have said, you know, Jesus, which in the Hebrew tongue is Yeshua? There's no mention of that. Now if a person speaks that language and they only speak that language, they have to call upon the name Yeshua to be saved. Because that's the only language they speak. But to claim that that name has some sort of supernatural element to it, where all across the board all nations need to call him Yeshua, that's heretical. And 99% of the time, it's attached to some lordship, salvation, it's attached to a group of Christians, so called, that reject Jesus Christ. They don't have the right salvation, and they hate Christmas. Because they'll often try to bring you into this Hanukkah observing nonsense. Which, who wants to celebrate Hanukkah? That's not the business. Does anybody know a Hanukkah song? I don't. I'm not interested in lighting ten candles or whatever that is, you know? I'll light a Christmas tree and that's it. But what I'm saying here is the fact that in the Bible, consistently in the New Testament, it calls him Jesus. And that's important, folks. Because what is this celebration about? And look, every person who attacks me every single year on social media has always attacked me, regarding Christmas, has always stated that his name is not Jesus, it's Yeshua. And they're always against Christmas, they're always against Jesus, they're always against Yeshua. But then you ask them about their salvation, they're all messed up on salvation. There are a bunch of Hebrew roots, Torah observing type people. You say, don't you observe the Torah? I observe the entire Bible. Including the words of Jesus. And here's the thing, if you would have believed Moses, you would have believed Jesus, for Moses wrote of him. So it's funny that people want to claim to be these Torah observers. Well, you know what, Moses wrote of Jesus Christ and Moses believed on Jesus Christ. Moses was not, he's no longer a Torah observer. He is in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ, calling him Jesus or whatever it is in his language, whatever the language they speak in heaven, and he recognizes the authority of the New Testament. And so, you know, don't be ashamed, number one, of saying Merry Christmas, amen. And don't be ashamed of saying Jesus either. Jesus Christ, amen. I'll finish off with this story, it has nothing to do with the sermon, but it does have to do with Christmas. Okay, so I found out, look, just to let you know, I found out about the meaning of Christmas when I was like seven years old. And I knew about the term Christmas, for me it meant presents, and you know, 24th, and you know, parties, and tamales, and people getting drunk and stuff, you know, that's just what I grew up with. But, I remember getting in an argument with a friend of mine in the apartment complex that I lived in in Anaheim, and we're arguing about Christmas. And I was telling him what Christmas is about, about presents, and all this stuff, you know, and I don't know if he went to church or not, I'm not 100% sure, he's like Christmas is about Jesus. He told me that. And I thought he was so stupid. I was like, no it's not. He's like, yes it is. And he was very like, confident about it. And I was like, no, it's, Christmas is not about, why would he even say that? And he's like, Christ-mas? And he walked away. And when he walked away, I was just kind of like, oh man, it does say Christ in there. And I couldn't believe it. Like, how can I have missed this this whole time? His name is in the title. But he said Christ-mas, he looked at the sign and just walked away. Just wreck me. Just wreck me. And I thought to myself, it is about Jesus. You know what though? It's true. Amen? And so, you know, the last words here is, enjoy Christmas, have fun, give presents, but make sure you think upon the fact that it is about Jesus. You know, think about these Old Testament scriptures, New Testament scriptures, allow that joy to swell in your heart over the gratitude, with gratitude that Jesus Christ came to us. And he chose to come to us. The Word of God was made flesh and he came to us to save us. And so, we don't believe that he was born on the 25th. We just take the 25th as a day that we commemorate and remember the birth of Christ. Amen? Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for the birth of Jesus, what it means to us as Christians, the fact that he was born to die. And Lord, may we meditate upon those beautiful truths as we sing the songs, as we read the scriptures, even as we give gifts one to another. May it be a symbolic representation of you giving the greatest gift of mankind, which is salvation through Jesus Christ. And I pray, Lord, that you bless our day as we fellowship together. And we love you so much and we thank you. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Please turn your songbooks to song number 426. Song number 426, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Song number 426. All together, nice and strong on that first verse. I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old familiar carols play And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on earth, goodwill to men I thought how as the day had come The bell threes of all Christendom Have rolled along the unbroken song Of peace on earth, goodwill to men And in despair I bowed my head There is no peace on earth, I said For hate is strong and not the song Of peace on earth, goodwill to men Then pealed the bells more loud and deep Nor did he sleep, the wrong shall fail The right prevail With peace on earth, goodwill to men Till ringing, singing on its way The world revolved from night to day A voice, a chime, a chant, sublime Of peace on earth, goodwill to men All right, Gracie, I want to give some instructions real quick before we dismiss. We're going to pray just a bit for the food, but there's a long table.