(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

So, last week we talked about Mary. We were talking about Mary, the mother of Jesus, and just all the truths about her being a virgin and what all that meant. But as it's Christmas Eve, more so we're going to talk about Jesus' birth and what that entails. The first thing that I want to talk about is the fact that he was born in Bethlehem. Now, it's interesting that he was born in Bethlehem, but it was prophesied that he would be and that's what's important about this. It's something that the Pharisees stumbled at because you notice where did he live, though, most of his life? Nazareth. So that's why a lot of people had problems. They said, is any good thing come out of Galilee, out of Nazareth? And so they were asking the wrong question because we know that he wasn't born in Nazareth, he wasn't born in Galilee. But in Luke chapter 2, in verse 4 there, notice what it says in verse 4, it says, And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem. So it's called the city of David, Bethlehem. Now the city of David, a lot of times it's called Zion, which is talking about Jerusalem, but Bethlehem and Jerusalem are right next to each other. I mean, it's basically like an outskirts. It's kind of like if you were to say Westover was Morgantown. Yeah, I mean it is. I work in Star City, but our address says Morgantown. But see how it's not technically Morgantown but it's basically encompassing of it. And so Bethlehem is the city of David. And so, and even in Luke 2 verse 11, it says, For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord. So, why is it called the city of David? Because that's where David grew up. And to prove that, go to Ruth chapter 4. And really, you can go to 1 Samuel and see where was David when Samuel came to anoint him to be king? Bethlehem. He came to Bethlehem. But I want you to see this because Ruth is dealing with where they were at and Ruth is actually a great, great, great, you know, or I didn't check to see how many greats are in there, but grandmothers to David. But we'll see that the lineage of David goes back to Jesse and then to Obed and so we'll see that here. But I just want to show you that they lived in Bethlehem. And so in Ruth, so you have Joshua Judges, Ruth, and then you have 1 Samuel. So Ruth, the last chapter, chapter 4, it says in verse 11, it says, And all the people that were in the gate and the elders said, We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman that is common to thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel. And do thou worthily in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. And let thy house be like the house of Pherez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this woman. So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife, and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception and she bare a son. So this gives you a lot of context because we're talking about who's Boaz lineage, go back to Judah, who's Jesus out of the line of the tribe of Judah. But notice where they live, in Ephrathah, Bethlehem, Ephrathah. And that will be important because the prophecy of where Jesus was going to be born is talking about this. And go down to verse 17 there, just to prove who was born unto Ruth and Boaz, or Boaz and Ruth. In verse 17 it says, And the women, her neighbors, gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi, and they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. And so the city of David, why is it the city of David? Because that's where he grew up, and it goes back even further than David. But if you look in 1 Samuel where David, where David grew up, where he was keeping the sheep, was in Bethlehem. But all that is to go to the prophecy of Jesus coming. Go to Micah chapter 5, Micah chapter 5. So if you find Jonah, Jonah, Micah, and so you have Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, all those crazy, crazy names in the Minor Prophets. Micah chapter 5, and this is quoted in the New Testament talking about Jesus' birth, or the Christ that was to be born. So Micah 5, 2, notice how it starts off here. It says, But thou, Bethlehem, Ephrata, 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 of old, from everlasting. And so this is, there's a lot in this verse, but where's the Christ going to be born? In Bethlehem, Ephrata. And you see that lines up with where Ruth was born, where David was born, where that whole lineage is coming from, and so Bethlehem is the promised city that the Christ is going to be born. But notice that his goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. This proves that Jesus is God, because he was God manifest in the flesh, and we'll get into that, but this is a great verse to prove that. And a lot of these other false perversions that are out there, they take away this and say his origins are from of old. And so it takes away his deity, because who's from everlasting? From everlasting to everlasting? The Lord God. So God is the only one that can say they're from everlasting. See, we're not from everlasting, although we will go through everlasting. You know, we'll go in eternity everlasting, but we had a beginning. You know, I wasn't always here. I was born into this world, and so I was created. God wasn't created, and Jesus wasn't created in the sense of his being. So God came down and became a man, and so he's from everlasting. And so go to Matthew chapter 2, and this is where this is quoted in the New Testament, just to show that the chief rulers and the Pharisees and all these people knew where he was supposed to be born. This wasn't something that was hidden in the corner, and you say, well Micah, that's kind of a corner passage. It's not like it's Isaiah. It's not like it's one of these main books or whatever, but they knew it. They knew where he was going to be born because Herod asks them where Christ is supposed to be born. So in Matthew chapter 2 and verse 4, it says that when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of thee shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel. So they knew it. They knew that Christ was going to be born in Bethlehem, and that's why later on they stumbled at that stumbling stone and the fact that they kept saying well we know Christ is going to be born in Bethlehem, and he's from Galilee. So they stumbled at that because they assumed that he was born in Galilee. But we know this is very important because this is a fulfillment of scripture that he was born in Bethlehem. Another point is that he was of the seed of David. So obviously, you know, him being born where David grew or where his hometown was, but also that he was of the seed of David. And so in Luke chapter 2, go back to Luke, and I kind of want to hit on this point about the importance of this because Christ was supposed to come through Abraham, Judah, and there's a line that is supposed to come through. Remember the Holy Covenant was made to Abraham, it was confirmed unto Isaac, and it was confirmed unto Jacob, and it went down the line and Judah, remember Judah was to be the seed, and I don't have enough time to go through all the lineage and show like how it's supposed to come down, but we'll see that the Christ was supposed to come through David. So it came all the way down to David the king, and then after that, you know, he had to be of the lineage of David. After Christ was born, by the way, lineages don't matter. That's where you get rid of the endless genealogies, but in the fact of this case, this was important. So after you get to Christ, then it doesn't matter anymore as far as the lineage because that seed has already come. So we don't have to worry about who's born of who. So Luke chapter 2, and I know we read the first part in verse 4 there, that he came unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David. So Joseph himself was of the house and lineage of David, and so that's important, but remember we know that Joseph wasn't the physical father. He's not the one that gave Jesus this humanity, but we're going to get into that with Mary. But I do want you to see this prophecy of the fact that Jesus was to be of the seed of David, meaning physically. So go to Psalm chapter 132. I know we're turning to a lot of places, but I want you to see all this fulfillment of scripture and just to see that this isn't in a corner, this isn't something that, you know, this is something they should have known, and a lot of the priests and Pharisees knew that Christ was not only going to be born in Bethlehem, but he was going to be of the seed of David. And by the way, the Jews that live today do not believe any of this. They don't believe that Christ is going to be God. They don't know who it's going to be. They don't know where he's going to come from. They deny all of this, okay, and they'd have to because it was fulfilled with Jesus. So again, if you think that the Jews today are believing in the Old Testament, ask them what they believe about the coming Messiah, because it's nothing like what the scriptures actually foretell. So in Psalm 132 verse 11, notice what it says. Psalm 132 verse 11, the Lord has sworn in truth unto David, he will not turn from it, of the fruit of thy body will I sit upon thy throne. So we have, this is just clear scripture that God is going to sit on the throne of David through the fruit of David's loins. And so this is a powerful scripture to show the deity of Christ, first of all, because who's sitting on the throne? God, the Lord. And that's all caps Lord there. That is the Lord God Almighty, Jehovah, God Almighty is going to sit upon David's throne and it's going to be through his body, meaning that it's going to be through his lineage. And this is quoted in Acts, and I know we're kind of going back and forth, but Acts chapter 2, go to Acts chapter 2, and so this was fulfilled obviously with Christ. Because you may ask, you know, the Bible has all these promises about Israel, how Israel is always going to have a king, Israel is always going to have, you know, from this generation forever, Israel is going to be forever. Yeah, because it's through Christ. And so it's not through, after Christ, do you think someone else is going to take his king, you know, Jesus' king, you know, when he came the first time, he's the anointed, he's king, he's the Christ, he's the Messiah, whatever you want to say, those are interchangeable. Do you think someone else is going to come up as king now, after he came? Is anyone better than Christ? So it doesn't make sense, you know, in that aspect, but Acts chapter 2 and verse 29, Acts chapter 2 and verse 29, it says, Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne. See all that information? All of that's important. Where it's according to the flesh. Remember he's at the seat of David according to the flesh. And I was just kind of thinking this off the top of my head, I don't have this in my notes, but I want to read you in Romans chapter 1 how it even starts off. In Romans chapter 1 verse 3 it says, concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord which was made of the seat of David according to the flesh and declared to be the son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. So this is something that's clearly stated in the Bible that according to the flesh he's at the seat of David, but he's also God. And we're going to get into that to explain that and this is where people stumbled at this and Jesus purposely gave him some dark sayings to make the Pharisee stumble at this. But we know that Joseph though, literally he doesn't have any of Joseph's blood running through his veins, right? Because we know that he was born of a virgin Mary. So that means that his line of David has to come through Mary. And so remember he was born of a woman, born under the law. So that's her seed that was promised in Genesis chapter 3. We'll go to Luke chapter 3. So in Matthew chapter 1 we start off the New Testament with a lineage from Abraham down to Joseph. And it's very careful. It doesn't say that Joseph is the father of Christ. It says that he's the husband of Mary which was the mother of Jesus. So it's very careful in how it says all this stuff. Remember when we were reading through Luke chapter 2 the narrator says Joseph and his mother and then you know now Mary says you know your father and I have sought thee. But what was Jesus' response to that? Don't you know that should be about my father's business? So he's kind of almost rebuking her in a sense and saying I need to talk about my father's business. And so obviously he's not talking about Joseph. And so by Luke chapter 3 there's another genealogy that we deal with here. And I believe this is Mary's genealogy. And so I'll explain that and how that would make sense. So Luke chapter 3 verse 23. It says Jesus himself began to be about 30 years of age being as was supposed the son of Joseph which was the son of Heli. And we're not going to read this whole thing. But if you go to verse 31 it goes which was the son of Nathan which was the son of David. Now what's interesting is that the other genealogy goes from David begat Solomon. Now Nathan was another son of David. So this is a different line but it is still the son of David. So it goes back to David but it deviates from Joseph's line goes to Solomon and goes through the kingly line and then this actually goes through Nathan and then it goes down a different line. Now you may say well it's Joseph the son of Heli. Well is this a contradiction then? No. This is clearly, what you got to understand is with genealogies it's dealing with men. Usually it's always dealing with men and if women are in there it goes back to men. Okay as far as the genealogy it goes back to men. Now why this is interesting is that it doesn't say that Heli begat Joseph. Now that's why when you look at Matthew it has to be his physical father. Matthew that genealogy Jacob has to be Joseph's physical father because he begat him or grandfather. It doesn't necessarily have to be the father. It could be a grandfather or whatever. Because I can say that my grandpa Robinson begat me even though my dad is my literal father but he's my grandfather. But in this case it says son of. Now I have a father-in-law. I'm technically son-in-law. I'm a son to Barry Kirk but he didn't beget me. Does that make sense? And so when you look at this Joseph is literally the son of Heli but in law. Does that make sense? So who's Heli? Heli is the father of Mary. See how that makes sense and all this works together? Because imagine this. Imagine if you said okay Mary is the daughter of Heli which is the son of. See how that wouldn't, it would be hard to mix that back in where you're saying Mary is the daughter of this but then the son of this. Because it's going down the line the son of, the son of, the son of, the son of. So you go back to where Joseph is the son of Adam. Right? And so you'd have to say the daughter. It just wouldn't make sense the way you'd have to write that. So that's why it's written this way. So Mary's line, her blood goes back to David. So there you have the seed of David. He was born of a woman and is of the seed of David through Mary. And so I do believe there's a significance though to why Joseph goes all the way back to David but also is of the kingly line. Okay? Even though he's not the physical father. But that's for another day. And so, but he's the son of David and people call him this throughout the New Testament. You'll see, thou son of David have mercy on us. Thou son of David. And I'll read one off to you, Matthew 21. This is where they, he comes in on the asked his colt. In Matthew 21, 9 it says, and the multitudes that went before and that followed cried saying, Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest. And so they knew that he was the son of David and that if he is the Christ he has to be the son of David. And so this is something that's said throughout the New Testament. I'm not going to give you all the verses for sake of time. But when you're reading the New Testament when it says son of David that's why they're calling him that. They're calling him that for a reason. Because obviously other people are the son of David. Joseph, they didn't go around calling him. Now the angel called him the son of David when it says thou son of David take unto thee Mary thy wife. And so there's a reason why it says son of David though. But they don't usually just go around calling everybody that's of the house of David the son of David. So, but in Matthew 22, so that was in Matthew 21 where it calls him the son of David. Matthew 22, Jesus is giving them, he's asking them to ask this tricky question. And there's a passage in the Bible that he's going to say, he's going to ask them and see if they understand it. And obviously they don't. And so, but I'm going to obviously explain to you how it makes sense. So Matthew 22 and verse 41, it says while the Pharisees were gathered, Jesus asked them. So Matthew 22 verse 41, so the Pharisees are gathered together and he's asking the Pharisees. So obviously he's not talking to his disciples and he's going to give them a hard, hard question here. It says, saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then the David and Spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool. If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? That's a hard question, right? So that's what he's asking. He's saying, How is David calling the Christ Lord? And that's what, so that's what you see here is that the Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand. Who's at the right hand of God? Jesus. Jesus is at the right hand of God until his enemies be made his footstool. And so that second Lord there is talking about Christ. So, and remember, this makes sense. You say, well, God's talking to God? Well, yeah, I mean, it says, But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is a scepter of thy kingdom. And so it goes back and forth, you know, and thy God shall anoint thee with the oil of gladness. So they go back and forth because the Son, the Father and the Son are both God. And so, but he's asking, you know, How is he then his son if he's his Lord at the same time? Well, the Bible answers this. Go to Revelation chapter 22. Never thought this would be a Bible study when you come here on Sunday morning on a Christmas Eve sermon, but I think this stuff's all interesting. I love seeing it all tied together. Revelation 22. We're all the way at the end of the Bible here. Revelation 22 and verse 16. It says, I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright morning star. That's how you answer it. Because he's the root and the offspring. Because he's the root, meaning he's God Almighty. He's the one who created the universe. He created David. But he's also the offspring because according to the flesh he's of the seed of David. See how that works? Because 2000 years ago, he was the offspring of David, but he always was. So that's how he's the root and the offspring because he's the man Christ Jesus, but he's also the son of God. So, but it's interesting. So that's how you answer that question. And he's obviously throwing that at him. Like, how you answer it? How are you going to answer that? You know, and obviously they're speechless. They can't. And after that it says they didn't ask him any more questions after that. So I love how Jesus would confound the Pharisees because you think of like the rulers today and everybody's, you know, they're all so arrogant and they think they know everything about the Bible and all this stuff. And Jesus would just put them in their place and he would double down. He'd say some of the hardest things like, unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you. And they're like, how in the world can you say that? And he just doubles down on it. And obviously he explains to his disciples, he's like, you know, my flesh is meat indeed and all this stuff. And he says that the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. And so he explains what he's saying about that. But man, I love how he just gives it to them. So, but Jesus was promised, God was supposed to come in the flesh. So that's where we get the root and the offspring of David. So he's the root of Judah, the root of David, the root of Jesse, which actually we're going to talk about tonight a little bit although it's not really part of the sermon. We're going to be talking about the thousand year reign of Christ tonight. But it also talks about the root of Jesse which makes sense because who's Jesse? He's the father of David. So that's in the line as well. So, but I want to talk about the promise of God coming in the flesh. Okay? And this is what is different about Christianity from every other religion in the world, is that God came in the flesh. And this is where people stumble at. This is where the Islam, you know, the Muslims, they can't grasp that God would become a man. And all these other religions, all these other religions, none of their prophets claimed, you know, they were not God. They didn't raise from the dead. And so this is the difference. This is the big difference. And this is the beginning of the Gospel, my friends. This is the beginning of the Gospel as far as that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, He was God manifest in the flesh, lived a sinless life, and then He died on the cross for our sins. If you don't have this, virgin birth, God in the flesh, then we are yet in our sins, my friends. And so this is very crucial doctrine. And I feel like it's not being taught today as far as in churches, people take it for granted, and I think pastors take it for granted that everybody knows what the Bible teaches on this, and especially God, that Jesus is God. Because that is something that out soul winning, I'd say 50% of the people that I give the Gospel to, I have to explain this to them. There's still a lot of people that get it and they understand it before I even explain it to them, but I'd say about 50% of the people that I give the Gospel to, I ask them, do you believe Jesus is God? And they say, well, He's the Son of God, or I've had questions about it, I don't believe He's God, or I'm not sure. And so I'm always having to go into this subject a lot of times out soul winning because I believe it's not being preached in any churches these days. And so I grew up Catholic and I knew that Jesus was God. So you don't have to necessarily be in a church that's preaching the right Gospel to know this, but it's being a failure of people that are pastors and leaders that are not preaching what the Bible teaches on this. But go to Isaiah chapter 7. So there's two main passages in Isaiah that deal with the birth of Christ and that really nail down that He is God in the flesh, that this Christ is coming is God Himself. Now we already saw in Psalm 132 that who's going to sit on this throne out of the fruit of David's loins, God. So we know that that proves that God was going to come in the flesh. But Isaiah 7.14, this is the famous passage, and I know we talked about it last week, but I kind of want to go into a different aspect of it. Isaiah 7 verse 14, it says, Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign, behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel. Now, in the New Testament, and you don't have to turn there because I want you to go to another place in Isaiah, but in New Testament it quotes this and says, Behold a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted as God with us. And so what does His name even mean? Immanuel means God with us. So that means God is with us. God is walking among us. And actually in Isaiah 8, which I don't have written down, it says, O Immanuel, and then it goes on and says God is with us. So even in Isaiah it explains what Immanuel means. And so Immanuel means God with us because God was with us. God was with them when He came and was born of the Virgin Mary and dwelt among them. And in John chapter 1, it says, In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory. The glory is that He only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. So this is what it's talking about when it says God was with us. He dwelt among us and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. But Isaiah 9, 6 is actually another great passage as far as showing that this child that was going to be born, this son that was going to be given, is actually going to be God in the flesh. And so I want to show you this as well. And this is a famous verse in the Bible. You've probably heard this song. And I'm not going to try to sing it to you. I don't want to do that to you. But this song, this is put to a song as far as Isaiah 9, 6. But Isaiah 9, 6, it says, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Now keep your finger there and go to Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1 because part of this is quoted in the New Testament. So we saw his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. So all these names that are given unto him. Remember he's also going to be called Emmanuel. And so God with us. But I want to show you in Luke where this is talked about. And then I want to talk about a little controversy with that verse too. So that just kind of popped up recently. This is a great verse to show to Jehovah Witnesses or people that want to say that Jesus isn't God. I go to Isaiah 9, 6. And so in Luke chapter 1 verse 31 it says, And behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son and shalt call his name Jesus. And he shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there shall be no end. See this is quoting Isaiah 9, 10 actually. Or 9, 7. I'm sorry. Isaiah 9, 7. And as it goes on here I just want to read a little bit more just to get the same thing here. In verse 34 it says, Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. So in the New Testament it's saying he's going to be called the Son of the Highest, he's going to be called the Son of God and his name is going to be Jesus. And so it gives us a little more clarity but in the Old Testament in Isaiah 9, 6 it will be called the Mighty God the Everlasting Father. And so it says he's going to be sitting on the throne of his father David. See again the Son of David, of the seed of David and how he's going to be sitting upon his throne. So when you're reading through the Old Testament and you see all these promises about how Israel is always, they're not going to want the man to sit upon the throne, that's why. Because Christ is going to be sitting on the throne forever and he's already come the first time and the next time he's going to come he's going to rule and reign for a thousand years which we're going to talk about tonight and then he's going to rule and reign with the father forever and ever. And so but there has been a little controversy with that verse in Isaiah 9, 6 because it says the Everlasting Father and the only reason that the controversy is there is because there's a doctrine called modalism out there where they try to say, they try to discount the Trinity. Now we believe that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, that these three are one. And in 1 John 5 verse 7 it says for there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one. And I just quoted to you John 1, 1 where it says in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. So we know that the Word is who? Jesus. It's the Son. It's the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. So those three make up the Trinity. What people make a mistake with Isaiah 9, 6 is saying well he's going to be called the Everlasting Father ergo the Father and the Son are the same. Meaning that Jesus is the Father. Now I don't believe that. That's what you would call modalism where basically Jesus is the Father, the Father is Jesus, the Father is the Holy Ghost. No. God is made up of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. They're all three make up God but the Father is not the Son. And I gave this example, you know I have my dad sitting up here in the front row. I'm not my dad. Okay. And I'm going to get into how, well what is it talking about then. Go to John chapter 5. John chapter 5. And so it's actually pretty simple on how, what this is talking about when it says you shall be called the Everlasting Father. Now I'll just give you a simple example. Has anyone ever said you are your dad? Has anyone ever said that to you because of something you've done? You're like you are your dad. I've heard people say that to me because I like shooting guns and my dad is the one that got me shooting guns. And so I've had people say that and be like you're Joe. Now am I literally my dad? Am I literally, is that, are we the same person? No. And we're going to get into this because I want to explain this to you because this is something that's popped up this past year as far as denying the Trinity and trying to say that you know that verse in Isaiah 9-6, I'll admit to you, Isaiah 9-6 is a little trickier to answer. All the other stuff though that this modalist garbage comes out with is saying that Jesus is the Father and all this stuff is easy to answer. A lot of times it just takes English grammar and just reading it for what it says. But Isaiah 9-6 admittedly is a harder one to answer and honestly I've probably mis-stepped in the way I've explained this passage, I was soul wanting and said see Jesus is the Everlasting Father and I probably said that. So I'm not saying that I've been perfect in the way of explaining it. But I never thought that Jesus was the Father, you know what I mean, I was explaining the fact that he's God. But I'm never like oh you know there's no, they're all one and the same. So John chapter 5 though in verse 43, so I want to explain this. John chapter 5 verse 43, it says, this is Jesus talking, I am come in my Father's name and ye receive me not. If another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. So why does it say he shall be called the Everlasting Father? He's coming in his Father's name on behalf of him or in his Father's name as far as, and it goes even deeper than that with what some people say and what he says in other places too. But you can say that as far as I have my Father's name, you can even say the surname of somebody, I have my Father's surname. But in John chapter 10, so we're going to go down the line here, John chapter 10 verse 25, so Jesus came in his Father's name. John chapter 10 verse 25, Jesus answered them, I told you and you believe not, the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. And you can see how someone would say, you are your Father, you know, and because of the things that he does is the same thing that the Father does. And that's going back and forth, I'm not going to show you all these passages where, you know, the works that I do unto you, you know, like all this stuff, the words I speak unto you, the words that the Father gave me to speak unto you and all this different stuff. But just think about this though, who's Jesus talking to? When he's in the Garden of Gethsemane, who's he praying to? Is he talking to himself? You know, it doesn't make sense to say that the Father and Jesus are one and the same. Now this doesn't take away from the fact that he's God. And so it's just the same as if you were to say your body, soul and spirit are you, then you can't say the body and the soul are the same. You know, no one would say that. And so, John chapter 14, and actually they use this, the modalist use this passage, John chapter 14. So I'm actually going to use two of the modalist's cheap texts that they use. I'm going to use it against them because it's not saying what they're saying it's saying. So they'll take you to John 14 and verse 9 they're starting, it says, Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long with you and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father. And how sayest thou then, Show us the Father. Believest thou not, now this actually explains what he's saying there. Because he said, If you've seen me, you've seen the Father. In verse 10, Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me, he do it the works. So I don't see how you can really not understand that, that he's saying that the Father's dwelling in me, I'm in him, he's in me. But you know what it says that we dwell in God and God in us, you know, like, you can see that we're not God, you know, now Jesus is God, but what I'm saying there is that it's not the same. I'm not the same person that's dwelling in each other. So they say this, well, if you see me, you've seen the Father, therefore ergo, Jesus is the Father. Now go to Hebrews chapter 1, and they'll actually use this, but it's misunderstanding of who's talking or what's being said here. Have you ever heard this, that God is one person? And that's where they say, you know, well, saying three persons and one is not right. Well, they'll go to this and they'll basically try to twist it to say what they want it to say. But I'm going to explain to you when it says you see me, you've seen the Father. Because you also, you have the first factor there that if you're doing the same thing your dad does, okay, then you can see why someone would say you're your dad, even though you're not physically your dad. But we're talking about seeing him, you see him and you see the Father. Hebrews 1 and verse 1 says God who at sundry times, so who's being talked about here, God, and I believe this is talking about God the Father, who at sundry times in a diverse manner spake in time past unto the Father's by the prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son. So we see that the Father would have to be talking if he's talking about his Son. And so it says whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world, so Jesus made all the world. And it says who being the brightness of his glory, now who's the brightness of his glory? Jesus is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins and sat down on the right hand of majesty on high. So the expressed image of his person, who's the person? The Father. He's the expressed image of his person, meaning that he looks just like the Father. He does exactly what the Father does, he looks just like him, so when you say if you see me, you've seen the Father, you can see why he can say that, right? Because he looks just like him, and he does everything he does. Everything that the Father does, he does, and he doesn't do anything against the Father's will, therefore you can see why he can say that's the Father. And it's not because he's literally the Father, it's the fact that he looks like him, and he does everything that he does. But you may say, well, okay, I can see what you're saying there. But do you have any biblical proof of someone calling somebody somebody when they're not really that person? Okay? I'll give you an example of that. Elijah and John the Baptist. So I want to show you this, that this isn't unprecedented, that you would say this is somebody when it's not literally them. Okay? Go to Malachi, chapter 4. And you're saying this is such a rabbit trail, this is a tangent for a Christmas Eve morning, but this is important, and this does tie into the fact of Jesus' deity, but also understanding the Trinity. And so when God the Son came down and was born of the Virgin Mary, the Father was still up in heaven. And so, and then you have the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is another person of the Trinity, and so you can't say that they're all one person. Okay? They all make up God, but there is a difference between them. The Son's going to be subject unto the Father, and how can that be if it's the same person? You know, there's so much Scripture that would just not make sense. And I think some of these people I think in their zeal to like prove the deity of Christ have kind of got into this stuff. And I understand, you know, that you really just want to prove that Jesus is God, and you want to try to find all the verses, but you can't take it that far. Okay? So Malachi, chapter 4, so we're in the last chapter of the Old Testament, in verse 5, it says, Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. So Elijah the prophet is promised to come, and it says that he's going to turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers. Go to Luke, chapter 1. Go to Luke, chapter 1, because this is actually fulfilled, but who is it fulfilled with? Now, Malachi is interesting because, you know, that verse I actually think is a dual prophecy because I do believe Elijah is physically going to come back as one of the two witnesses. And so it's very interesting because it says he's going to come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and the two witnesses do come before the day of the Lord. So it's interesting how all that actually comes out. But Luke, chapter 1, and verse 17, this is where this is quoted from, but notice how it reads it here. It says, And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. So when it's in the New Testament, when it's quoting that specific prophecy, it says he's going to come in the spirit and power of Elias. Now this isn't unprecedented because didn't Elijah do the same exact thing? He wanted a double portion of Elijah's spirit. And so we see this happen with John the Baptist, and where he has the spirit and power of Elias. And so now he doesn't claim to be Elijah. Now there's debate. Some people believe that this literally is Elijah, that John the Baptist is literally Elijah. I don't believe that. I believe that John the Baptist is his own person, and then Elijah, because it says all the prophets prophesied until John. So it seems to me, you know, I just don't buy it that it's a reincarnation of Elijah, okay? So that's another, but I'm not getting into that. But I believe John the Baptist is his own person, and Elijah is his own person, but he had the spirit and power of Elias. Now Elias is Elijah, just by the way, so it's a different way of spelling it. But John chapter 1 and verse 21, go to Matthew 11. I'm going to read to you John chapter 1 for the sake of time. Go to Matthew chapter 11. But John chapter 1 verse 21, the Pharisees and the scribes and all that are asking John questions, and it says, and they asked him, what then? Art thou Elias? And he said, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, no. So they keep asking, are you the Christ? Are you that prophet? Like talking about Moses. Are you Elijah? Before they come, they can ask him if he's, you know, like so they are asking him all these questions about different prophets. And they said, are you Elijah? And he said, I am not. I'm not Elijah. Notice what Jesus says though. Matthew 11 verse 13. Matthew 11 verse 13, it says for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John, and if you will receive it, this is Elias which was for to come. So John the Baptist didn't claim to be Elijah. It says that he came in the spirit and power of Elijah, but Jesus said, this is Elijah which is to come. Why? Because he has the spirit and power of Elijah. You know what? Jesus had the spirit and power of the Father when he came too. So I know that's a deep little rabbit trail to go through, but it makes sense. And so I don't have a problem with Isaiah 9 and 6. I think it's a great verse and, you know, to say that he shall be called the everlasting Father, it makes sense because he has the spirit and power of the Father upon him. He's coming in his Father's name. He's the express image of his person, and everything that he does, he does the will of his Father. Okay, so it makes sense that they would say this is the Father, okay? Meaning that, you know, he's doing everything that the Father does. He's just like him. Okay? So I know that's a rabbit trail, but Isaiah 9 and 6 is a powerful verse, and it's a powerful verse to show the deity of Christ and how he was born a virgin, and that he was to come into this world and he was going to be called the mighty God, the everlasting Father, that he's going to sit on the throne of David, and that he was going to, you know, that his kingdom was going to have no end. No end to his kingdom. So go back to Luke chapter 2, and we're almost done. But what's important about Christmas, and why do we celebrate Christmas? Why do I hold up Christmas as a good holiday to celebrate and to think about? Because this is where it began with the Gospel. This is the beginning to the end, so to speak, and his end game, as far as coming into the world and being born of the Virgin Mary, is to die for us on the cross and to pay for all our sins and to give us eternal life. And we know that he was before, ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifesting these last times for you. So we know that he's the lamb slain from the foundation of the world to God. He's speaking of those things which being not as though they were. So, you know, the things that he did, you know, 2,000 years ago at the foundation of the world as if he had already done it. And so, but he still had to do it, you know, technically in the timeline there, and that's when he did it. And so it's very important. Christmas is a crucial time, but it's also a great time to just remember Christ and to think about, you know, him coming into the world the first time and to remember, hey, he's coming back. And so, you know, I love Christmas personally, not just for the cookies and all the other things that come with it, but I love the holiday just because, you know, at least with my family and stuff like that, we really try to remember Jesus. And it's just, obviously there's nostalgia. You think about your family and think about spending time with your, with relatives and family that's gone or that have gone off to heaven. And so I really like Christmas for that. But I go to Luke chapter 2, back to Luke chapter 2. Jesus was born to die. Jesus was born to die for all our sins. And so Luke chapter 2, it says, this is the famous passage, this is where, you know, Linus gets up and does this in the Charlie Brown Christmas. You know, so, but another thing to think about this, okay, I know that sounds silly, but the thing is, Christmas, yes, there's a lot of commercialization, but it does get people thinking about Jesus in some aspect. You know, and so you think about, like, even, they still play that, I think, right? I don't know. I don't have cable anymore, but I think they still play the Charlie Brown Christmas. So, I mean, and that's in there, where he's reading from Luke 2. And so, and it's King James, so, you know, it's, but you got to think that, you know, yes, there's all this commercialization and all that stuff, but there's still, like, in the end, it's in the name. Okay, Christmas is in the name. And so it gets people thinking about it. And I think it's just like kind of like a, it's a little different than a funeral, but if you have a funeral, it's a lot easier to talk to people about salvation because it's on their mind. And so, around this Christmas time, you know, try to incorporate Jesus into Christmas because, to me, if they don't want to talk about it at Christmas, what in the world are you celebrating it for? That's my, I don't say that to them, okay? I'm saying to be meek and gentle and, you know, don't be crass about talking to people at Christmas. But if they, if they're like, you know, I don't want to talk about this, in my mind, I'm like, what do you, you know, like, why are you even celebrating it then if you don't even want to talk about Jesus? So it's a good time to maybe bring it up to a family member that's not saved or to try to bring up the gospel to somebody, a coworker or somebody like that, because, and you have a fallout and be like, well, it's Christmas, I was just, it's been on my mind, you know, I just want to talk to you about it. So it's a good little open door to say, hey, what are you doing for Christmas, you know, and what do you think about this, by the way? You know, would you go to heaven? And so Luke chapter two and verse 11, it says, for unto 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. Now this could be a whole other avenue because on the earth, peace, what are we supposed to be preaching? The gospel of peace. And this is the gospel, my friends, that Jesus came to be born of a virgin, that he is God manifest in the flesh to die for our sins. But go to Hebrews chapter two. And so to the end, though, I know that Christmas is a time to remember his life and him coming into the world. Easter, when we get into Easter, we're talking about him dying on the cross. And obviously there's a happy ending to that because he rose again from the dead. We're celebrating the fact that he conquered death and hell and all that. But in this aspect, we're just talking about his birth and coming into the world. But it all had an end game. Hebrews chapter two and verse 14, it says, for as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. When it's talking about him being the savior, coming to be the savior, his name shall be called Jesus, for he shall save his people from the sins. That's what he's talking about. And so this little baby that was born, was born to be the savior, the Christ, and as we keep going there in verse 16, for verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham, wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest, and thanks pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people, for in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted. So this is why he came and behooved him to be made like unto his brethren. And there's many verses on this as far as him being made a little lower than the angels, actually right before this in chapter two. I don't want to go to all the passages for sake of time, but in Luke four you don't have to turn there. Go to John 18, and I just want to give you a couple of verses as we go there. This is what we're going to end with. But Luke chapter four, it talks about Jesus is reading out of Isaiah and it says, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. And so, and it goes on with what he's saying there, but he came to preach the gospel of peace. You know, peace on earth, good will toward men. You know, he came to preach the gospel of peace, and the gospel has been preached since the foundation of the world, but the Son of God in the flesh came to preach the gospel himself to the world. And so that's powerful that God himself came to become a man, to suffer and die for us, but as he was here he was even preaching the gospel while he was here. In Luke 19, verse 10 it says, for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost. That's why he came. But John 18, this is where Jesus is, right before he's about to go to the cross, and he's talking with Pilate, and so it's interesting what he says here because this is truly why he came, why he came into this world. And remember when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane and Peter took out the sword and chopped off the high priest's servants a year, and he said, you know, do you not know that I can send, you know, I don't know if it was 10 legions or whatever, of angels to come and rescue me or, and I'm paraphrasing that obviously, but, you know, he's saying this needs to be fulfilled. This needs to be fulfilled. This is why I'm coming here and why I came in the first place. But John 18, verse 37, so John 18, verse 37, it says, Pilate therefore said unto him, art thou a king then? Jesus answered, thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice. This is why he came into the world, to preach the gospel of peace and to die on the cross for our sins. And so why do I celebrate Christmas? That's why. Because, first of all, the fact that he came, that he behooved him, and God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. The love that God had that he'd sent his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to be born of the Virgin Mary, to become a man, to be a substitution for me. To be the propitiation for my sins and not for my only but also for the sins of the whole world. I can't imagine it. We love him because he first loved us. But I, you know, that love that he had for us, to lay aside everything he had in glory, to come down here on the earth, to become a man, to have temptations just like all of us, to be tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin. All that is amazing to me. So don't take it for granted what Jesus did and what he came to do. And it's a joyous time to think about how he came into this world. And every time I think of Christmas I think of him coming back. So it's a great holiday. I love it. You know, don't let anybody, I preached a sermon on Wednesday, you know, don't let anybody get on you about your Christmas tree or the fact that you just want to celebrate Christmas in general because there's nothing wrong with celebrating the birth of our Savior. And so it's a great holiday and we'll just end with a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for this morning and I thank you again for coming into this world. And Lord, we thank you for sending your Son into this world and that he would become one of us. And Lord, to be made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem us that are under the law. And Lord, we just thank you for the gift that you've given us of eternal life. And Lord, we just pray that you'd be with us the rest of today. And Lord, we love you and pray also in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.