“The Gift” | Christmas Eve 2025 | Pastor Keith

Tonight I want to talk to you about the gift.

The gift last Sunday morning. We've dealt with the background

of the Bondi situation. I like what's going on in the

background. I've always thought the best job

I would love to have is to be in the movies, but to be the one

that arranges everything in the back background, you know, gets

all the Spears and the swords and the guns and the armour and

all that sort of stuff. You're probably going that's,

yeah, good on you. But I think that would be, and

I'm always looking when I watch a movie, I'm always looking in

the background. I'm always watching to see what

goes on, who does what, how it's all prepared.

We're going to look at the background of Bethlehem the

first Christmas Eve. No one expected God to enter our

world the way he did in little Bethlehem, Micah the prophet

said. But you all Bethlehem Ephratah.

Ever wondered what Ephratah is? Ephratah is the clan of Jesse,

where the family of David was to come are only a small village

among all the people of Judah. Judah, tribe of Israel.

Yet a ruler of Israel, that's a king will come from you whose

origins are from the distant past.

We've been to Bethlehem. It's when you go to Israel, you

crossover, you change guards. Because we go to the West Bank,

Bethlehem is a little place. When you go there, you're

actually pretty disappointed with what you see in Bethlehem.

Bethlehem means House of bread. It's 8 kilometres South of

Jerusalem, 11 kilometres northwest of Nazareth where the

story of Ruth occurred. The location, the place near

Bethel where Rachel died and was buried.

In Bethlehem, we find the story and the theology of Christmas.

The angels. We read that as we started, the

service said to the shepherds who were on break but still

working as they watched over the sheep in what's called

Shepherd's Field. We went to Shepherd's Field as

well. We know it's Shepherd's Field.

It's the place where Ruth and Boaz occurred, the place.

The Shepherd's Field is also the only place that you can go to

because there's no other field around Bethlehem without rocks.

And so there's only one location, Shepherd's Field.

And here the shepherd's were looking out over their flocks.

We read that the angels appeared.

The Angel of the Lord stood before them.

The glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were

terrified. Then the Angel said to them, Do

not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings, good

news, great joy, for which will be to all people.

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a

Saviour, who is Christ, the Messiah, the Lord.

How will you identify this baby? As the Angel said, this will be

the sign to you. You'll find a babe wrapped in

swaddling clothes, living in a Manger.

Oh, sorry, lying in a Manger, it says.

Suddenly there was the Angel of around the Angel, a multitude of

the heavenly host, praising God and saying, glory to God in the

highest and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.

And so it was when the angels had disappeared, the shepherd

said to one another, Luke says, Let us now go to Bethlehem, see

this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made

made known to us. And they came with haste, and

they found Mary and Joseph and the Babe lying in a Manger.

Now when they had seen him, they made widely known the saying.

They were the first evangelists which was told them concerning

this child. And all those who heard it

marvelled at these, these things which were told them by the

shepherds. The sign of identifying the King

of kings, the birth of the King of kings.

What would you expect it to be? You find him in a palace, you're

going to find this this this this king in royal apparel where

there'll be everyone gathered around him.

Just just amazing scenes as the king of all kings has arrived.

Now the sign of identifying this child born King Messiah was.

You'll find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a

Manger. 2 things wrapped in swaddling clothes.

They are simply Pete long pieces of linen used in ancient times

to wrap babies strongly. They were also used when you

broke a leg or broke your arm to to bind the limb and they were

wrapped tightly around the input to prohibit a movement.

Second sign pretty keen and a key sign lying in a Manger.

Now we have in our in our mindset a wooden box, don't we?

Straw in it Really nice, you know, No, not in Israel woods.

Rare rocks are plentiful. And so it's a large stone

limestone and you just dug out a great hole out of it and that

became the feed through. So in that feed through is

straw, straw that they can find, clean it, put it in, and there

they laid the child Jesus. Now at Christmas, many of us

spend most of our time thinking about Joseph, about Mary, the

shepherds. And then two years later, then

would come the wise men from the East to seek and find he.

He was born king. But Paul in our text tonight

goes backstage. He goes before Bethlehem.

What happened before Bethlehem before the birth leading up to

that first Christmas Eve behind the scenes as Christ the Son of

God is about to step out of heaven, step off his throne and

head for a Manger in Bethlehem. So let's read this account now

Philippians chapter 2 verse 5 says let this mind be in you,

Philippians 2:5

which was also in Christ Jesus. Now the scenes in heaven, who

being in the form of God, in other words, he's God, did not

consider it robbery to be equal with God.

Jesus did not think of himself being with God and saying, man,

I can't do this, I'm God. I mean, I am God.

I'm not going to go down and do this.

I'm equal with God. I'm God the Son.

No, he never thought about that. He laid that aside for he would

use this and he would step down gladly, laying aside his throne,

his robes, and to pay whatever price it would take for the

mission that his father was to send him on.

It says in verse 7, but made himself notice this is Jesus

doing this. He made himself of no

reputation. Now everyone wants to have a

reputation. These days we have what's called

influences. They're everywhere.

One just got belted beautifully in a boxing ring.

Influences. Christianity is the exact

reverse of being an influencer in that capacity of seeking fame

for oneself. The king of kings made himself

of no reputation, taking on the form of a bondservant.

Now a bondservant, that's the lowest rank and level of a

slave. There were about 60 million

slaves in the Roman Empire at that time.

And it says coming in the likeness of men, being found in

appearance as a man. So God put on the body of a

child that would grow into a man.

He humbled himself. Notice he humbled himself.

He put himself down and became obedient.

How far did he obey to the point of death?

How far can you be obedient to die for someone?

Even the death of the cross? So you can picture, and I often

do the time that the angels are gathering, you know, we're going

to do the chorus, we're going to sing the, it's been 400 years

and John the Baptist is, he's formed now and Gabriel's been

down and given the message to John the Baptist Mum and dad,

he's coming, preparing the way. And, and now we're preparing,

Jesus is about to be born and, and, and the angels and the

choruses are all gathering, thousands and thousands of them.

And then Jesus steps off the throne because the angels can't

work this out. I can't fathom why God would do

this. I don't understand salvation

like us. So Jesus takes off this robe.

His glory lies at the side. And they go, What's going on

now? And the next thing, the angels

are in the shepherd's field and there's a bunch of shepherds.

They were lower class citizens in those days, gathered around.

The curtain pulls back. Where's the crowd?

We've got half a dozen shepherds.

So where's the Lord going to be born?

Where's the palace? Surely it's Jerusalem, the

Tabernacle. No, from verses 5 to 11, just 6

verses, Paul focuses on the events before Christ's entrance

into our fallen, sinful, violent, Dark World.

You and I need to be theologians.

We need to understand what the Bible says, and there are 6

verses here that are filled with great theology.

One, these 6 verses tell us the deity of Jesus Christ, He was

equal with God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.

1-2 Pre eminence, he existed. Jesus existed before Bethlehem.

Bethlehem wasn't the appearance and oh he's Jesus, He's never

been around before. Three, He was equal with God the

Father. He was on the throne in heaven

with the Father. He is equal God, God the Father,

God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

We're told fourthly, about his incarnation.

He was to put on the body of a man of humanity.

Five, His humanity would be in the form of a child, a slave. 6

He would voluntary die. That's the plan on the cross

already before he stepped out of heaven.

And seven, we would see, we're going to read the next couple of

verses, the permanence of his kingship.

He will rule and reign forever. The Bible tells us that Jesus

existed before Bethlehem. That's important.

Before that first Christmas night, the apostle John tells us

in John chapter one, verse 3, all things were made through him

Speaking of Jesus and without him nothing was made.

That was made. Now back when I was a child

about 400 years ago, everything that you picked up was made in

one place, Japan. Now you pick something up.

It's made in China. China.

Wherever your eyes scan, wherever they focus, whatever

you look at, there is an invisible stamp on each piece of

creation. Every little bird, the ocean,

the beach, your children, yourself as you look in the

mirror. Made by Jesus.

Made by Jesus, as I said, including yourself.

Psalm 139 written by King David talks about how God viewed his

birth and every birth of every child.

In Psalm 139, verse 13, David wrote you made all the delicate

Psalms 139:13

inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb

and we look up into the heavens. We see the sun, the moon, the

stars and they all have Jesus fingerprints on them.

Job in chapter 38, the book of Job Job said to was questioned

by God and God said to Job Job, do you know the ordinances of of

the heavens? Do you know what's going on?

When when I created heaven, can you set their dominion over the

earth, how they work, how they revolve?

In Psalm 147, verse 4, the psalmist says God counts the

Psalms 147:4

number of the stars, but not only does he count them, he

calls them all by name. Now just one star and I forget

the pronunciation. Forgive me and I struggling even

now as I look at it. I practise it.

Beetle geese. It has a radius of 600 and 47164

times between six, 47164 times a radius more than that of the

sun. If it were at the centre of the

solar system, this one star, it's surface would lie beyond

the asteroid belt. It would engulf the orbits of

Mercury, Venus and Earth and Mars.

Calculations on beetle geese. It's mass ranges from slightly

under 10 to a little over 20 times the mass of the sun.

Now Jesus the Bible says simply spoke all these things into

existence in Genesis chapter one verse 3, and God said let there

be light and there was light there it is.

But as amazing to Paul as all this is with Christ the Creator.

Paul's focus in this text tonight detailing the events

before the 1st Christmas were on Christ, not the Creator, but

Christ the Incarnate. 1 Incarnate means putting on the

body of God, putting on the body of a man, Jesus, the one who

made everything, made of himself in Bethlehem.

Nothing. An infant, a newborn babe.

Jesus made himself an infant, incredibly dependent now on his

earthly mother and stepfather. Jesus was the word of God, John

tells us. In the beginning was the Word.

The Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word

became flesh and dwelt amongst us.

Jesus, the word of God, the baby born in Bethlehem, now can't

speak a word. Think of that.

He can't. He can't speak a word.

He could grow, make noises, can't speak a word.

Incarnate now as the Son of Man, He made himself relying upon

air. He needed to breathe oxygen,

just like you and I breathe out carbon dioxide.

He placed himself now to have the capacity for hunger.

Remember, later on, he's going to be driven into the

wilderness. And there he would fast 40 days

and 40 nights. And the devil would tempt him.

So I could just turn a couple of rocks into bread.

Come on, He knew he would. He would learn of hunger, yet he

is the bread of life. Jesus said I am the bread of

life, He the water of life. The babe born in Bethlehem now

would know first, because on the cross one of the seven sayings

he would cry out would be what I first.

Yet he's the water of life. He would grow weary.

Imagine that tired. This the one whom Isaiah the

prophet says he's He's so powerful, so strong, so big that

his hand spans the universe. The span is between here and

here is the language in the Hebrew.

He would have to be taught to walk now along with all

humanity. He would sense joy as we do, but

as He would now as the Son of Man also sense other emotions,

He would weep. The shortest verse in English in

the Bible tells us when Jesus was at the tomb and the funeral

of his friend Lazarus. That says 2 words.

Jesus wept. You have thought about that.

A God who cries. He would know sorrow and his

tears, the tears of the God man, God Incarnate was salty, real,

like yours and mine. He would taste loneliness.

God taste loneliness. Yes.

Matthew 2746. This is after the disciples of

all fled for their lives as he's arrested in Gethsemane.

It says about the 9th hour Jesus is hanging on the cross and he

cried out with a loud voice saying Eli, Eli labacs of that

tonight. That is my God.

First and only time he speaks to his Father in this way.

He doesn't say Father, Father, he says my God.

My God, why have you forsaken me?

Because He had taken on ours, take on an house.

Christmas for Christ brought so much to us, but on Him it

brought what? And Isaiah 53 verse 3, He's born

Isaiah 53:3

as a baby in Bethlehem. So what did that bring with him?

Well, He was despised, rejected. He came unto his own, and his

own received him not. He was a man of sorrows,

acquainted with deepest grief. Jesus would live a life of only

33 years here on earth in the in that sense, as we read in the in

the Bible, he'd been born previously and he lives on.

But during the time on earth, 33 years was his mission carrying

out only what his heavenly Father commanded him to do.

It says in verse 8. And being found in appearance as

a man, he humbled himself, became obedient to the point of

death, even the death of the cross.

It adds that because there's dying, but there's the death of

a cross, there's more. He took on the lowest possible

place of human ranking. He could have come back as king

of Israel, couldn't he? I mean, he is the king of Israel

anyway. No, Jesus became that of a

servant when someone wanted to hang out with him.

Now live where you're living, Jesus.

He says, well, foxes have holes, but I've got nowhere to lay in

my head. And the only thing that he had

when they crucify him, remember, was the was the clothes on his

back, the robe. And the soldiers played dice to

get the robe so they didn't have to tear it.

That was the only thing he owned.

Jesus became a servant. How far?

Well, the disciples gathered to have a Last Supper with him.

It's the night of his betrayal, the night that they would all

leave him. What does Jesus do?

Hey, guys, I'm pretty upset tonight.

And just be careful here. Talk.

I've got to fit, you know, there's a lot.

I'm doing all this for you, you know?

He gets up, grabs a towel based on the water.

He's going to be betrayed. He's about to be beaten, locked

up. But before that, he gets up.

A bowl, a towel, and he goes and washes everyone of the disciples

feet, everyone of them. As he ministered, he healed all

the sick that were brought to him.

The lame that came seeing him. The Bible, the gospels tell us

so many came to see him that there were times he did not have

time to even eat. Remember when they're rowing

across the Galilee and the storm comes and Jesus was where sleep

He was worn out. This is the servant.

It's this Christ that Paul speaks up here tonight.

That's the Christ of Christmas that entered into a cave in

Bethlehem. You go to Bethlehem, the church

and Nativity. Then you go downstairs and you

go underneath and there you walk.

And there's an area about this size and there's a cave that

comes out, Red rock, red rock. And that is The Cave.

They believe that Jesus was born in the stable.

He was born in a cave. Why?

Because when his stepfather went knocked on the door of the inn,

My my wife's about to have a baby.

Now we don't have any room. There was no room for him.

I was born a king. He came as this child, newborn.

Now it's one thing we've had. We had four children.

Helen had. I just watched on.

Then we have grandchildren, a couple of them.

I can't remember how many there are.

I just call them by numbers now. And there's every now and

there's a hey, you and whatever your name is.

Yeah. But you know, there's something

about you. I can't hold a newborn.

I mean, we do, you know, you go and you got to hold because I

get cramped. They can't, they're too little.

They're too small. And I can do it for a little

bit, but you can see beads of sweat start to form on my

forehead and my shoulders and my back start to cramp up.

I need them about this big so I can actually pick them up in

case I drop them. Anyone wants to have a baby

dedication just see me after I need to drop a couple.

Come on. But there's something about, and

I don't know about you guys, but when you bring your child home

first time, first one panic. Put him in the car.

You wish you had a Volvo, wish you had sponge around all the

things. And then when you put him in the

room, you stand by and you check they're breathing.

They're still breathing. I mean, I'm serious.

I do this. You say you're a bit weird.

Now. I'm sure other people have done

this. And you.

Yeah. OK.

It's all. It's good.

Because that's so fragile and dependent, aren't they?

Upon Mum? Dad does nothing.

You see, God came as this child. Why He didn't come demanding

anything. You know, a lot of people have

trouble. Maybe you eat tonight.

You think, oh, I'm only here because I've been invited and I

want to come. And God doesn't demand you to

know him. He invites.

He invites at this time in grace.

He came as an innocent newborn child to reveal and to display

God's great love to each of us. The child is amazing.

John 316 that this child is different.

The Bible tells us God wrote this for God.

That's the Father so loved the world that you and I that he

gave his only forgotten Son that whosoever and he is the hard

part not really believes in him should not perish, that is, be

separated from God forever in your sin, but have everlasting

life, that is, be forgiven and live with God forever.

In Isaiah Chapter 9 verse 6, you know the verse for unto us a

Isaiah 9:6

child is born. But what does it add about this

child unto us a son is given. Now I could not give my children

their lives for anybody else, but God so loved the world that

he gave His only begotten Son gift.

Now when people would later mock him, laugh at Jesus, threaten

him, abuse him, spit on him, he would not turn them to ash.

And he could have. But Peter tells us when he was

reviled, did not revile in return.

When he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself

to him who judges righteously. Father, you'll sort this out

now. He was to die, Paul says,

obedient unto death, a death that was savage.

He didn't just come and die of old age.

You know, I lived to late 80s, nineties.

Oh, that's lovely. Jesus came, he died.

Oh, lovely, he just died. Beautiful old death.

And there he, he was a Carpenter and retired just we buried him

in Nazareth. It's lovely, lovely.

He's a lovely God just died. No, he was crucified.

This child born in Bethlehem. He would be the sacrifice to pay

for the sins and debt we each owe, but we could never pay

because we're sinners. In order for us to be

reconciled, to be able to have fellowship, stand before God

once again, this child born in Bethlehem would, at 33 years of

age, suffer willingly. Isaiah said He would be like a

sheep let off and a sheep. I've seen sheep let off.

They don't go. Oh, stop, stop, don't.

Let's go along. And they grab him and they kill

him. Jesus didn't fight back.

Remember, he told Peter, Peter, put your sword down.

He let him take him. Volunteer.

He willingly suffered the cruellest, most agonising form

of execution. There was crucifixion, invented

by the Persians and really made powerfully worse by the Romans.

It was a death that was only reserved for the worst of

criminals, the lower class, especially slaves.

Crucifixion. The victim was tortured,

whipped, impaled on a wooden cross, run through with a spear,

left hanging, naked, bloody, displayed for all to see.

And this was this babe, born in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve.

That's what he came to do. Yet when he was on the cross as

he was being murdered in a sense, but he gave his life as

they were driving the spikes through him, What did he say?

Father, forgive them for? They know not what they do.

They knew what they're doing. What's he saying?

No, they didn't know what was really going on.

Billy Graham, I love Billy Graham.

Any of his ministry, and Billy Graham said this because of the

way that Jesus prayed, who he prayed to and who he prayed for.

There is very great chance that those who nailed Jesus on the

cross will be in heaven because Jesus prayed.

Father, forgive them for they know not what to do.

Can you imagine that being a Roman soldier who nailed Jesus

on the cross and you get saved? The victim was tortured.

So my question is because I always had this as a child.

You see, I thought I was a Christian when I was a kid

because I went to church, but I I couldn't understand Easter.

I love Christmas, but Christmas just made it worse for when

Easter came because I I couldn't understand why would the Son of

God come be born in this manner to make himself nothing?

Why? Why that trajectory?

Why would the king of Kings, creator of heaven and earth,

lower himself to that of a lowly servant, the lowest pig on the

human tree? And why would he be born in a

dirty stable? Why that far?

Why would God become a man and then die such a cruel death

after just 33 years? He came from the crown of glory,

stepped up his throne in heaven to a Manger, Tada.

You see the purpose, and that's what I want you to understand,

and I think many of you do. The purpose of Christmas is a

gift is that God would offer each of us his best.

You know one thing I hated about going to church when I was a

kid? They used to have jumble sales

and fights. You know, I hated them because

people took their rubbish to church.

Well, it's got a three legged table.

We can't take it down the tip. I would.

The church can use it. We got a fridge with a busted

door. Yeah, we can't sell it, but the

church will have it. And I, I had this vision of the

church, that the church was a place that just dealt with junk

and people took their junk there.

How wrong is that? Because what we should give to

God is our best. We dedicate our children to.

We pray for them when you get married in church.

Why We want God's blessing upon our marriage.

You see, the purpose of Christmas is that God would

offer each of us his best and most cherished gift.

His greatest gift, the most costly.

He had the rarest gift, his only begotten son.

That's just saying God gave his Son.

It gave, says he gave his only begotten Son, but he offers his

Son. And what's the price?

What's the price of Christmas? What's the price of the

Christmas gift? It's free.

It's free. Can't earn it.

You can't buy it. It's free.

It's by grace. It's getting what you don't

deserve. It's free.

The Angel Gabriel said to Joseph prior to Christ's birth in

Bethlehem. These words the night that

Joseph heartbroken Mary's told him I'm pregnant.

He said yeah, OK, All right. I don't understand.

He's heartbroken and he's working out how to divorce her

and do it privately so she doesn't get stoned.

And the Angel appears and says while he Joseph thought about

these things, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a

dream saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take

you. Marry your wife for that which

is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit, and she will bring

forth the Son, and you shall call his name only one name,

Jesus. Why?

For he will save his people from their sins, which is what Jesus

means, God saving his people from their sins.

Now back in Philippians verse 9, it says therefore based on all

that God has done stepping out of heaven, coming to earth,

being born in Bethlehem, therefore God also has highly

exalted Him because he died on the cross, rose from the dead

the third day given him the name which is above every other name

that at that name, the name of Jesus Christ, every knee should

bow of those in heaven, those on the earth, that's everyone, 8

billion, nine billion and all those under the earth, all those

who have died and gone previously at this name everyone

will bow. The question is, is it sooner or

later verse 11 and that every tongue will confess.

Not only will you bow, but every tongue will confess what Jesus

Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

And everyone will say this child's name who was born in

Bethlehem, the rich, the poor, black, white, Jew, Gentile.

A day is coming. Herod will bow.

Caesar Augustus will bow. Caesar Nero will bow and say

Jesus Christ is Lord. Pontius Pilate will bow and say

Jesus Christ is Lord. Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler and

Anthony Albanese will bow and say Jesus Christ is Lord, even

the devil himself on that day. Billions will say Jesus is Lord.

When Jesus took on the body of humanity in Bethlehem 2000 years

ago, he then stayed in that body, now resurrected for all

eternity. He didn't just say, oh, well,

don't need that anymore. Going to heaven, back into the

glory scene. No, it says he resurrected from

the dead and that a man sat down at the right hand of the Father

in heaven. So you might say as we close.

Well, Keith, yeah, good if you're in the theology and

stuff. But what's that really got to do

with me? December 24, 2025, here in

Australia, Really what's where do I come into this?

Well, over all the universe that Jesus created, and now at the

right hand of the Father in heaven on his throne, there is

the God man who was born in Bethlehem on his throne, and

he's ruling the world right now. That infant body that he closed

himself with on that Christmas Eve was born complete.

No wounds, no scars, no blemishes, no imperfections.

But because of the cross, just 33 years after his birth, those

childish hands that grew into strong Carpenter hands now are

permanently bare. The wounds, the holes made by

the spikes, the nails that impaled him to the cross.

His chest still bears a great wound.

He offered to show it to Thomas. Thomas, put your hand in the

wound. There's a large spear scar.

Christmas 2025. We can come and bow down before

him who is born King, or tonight we can ignore him, put him off.

We can deny him, and we can resist him.

But as certain as Christ birthed in Bethlehem and the Shepherd's

witness, As certain as his death on Calvary's cross inscribed

with his resurrection 3 days later in history, you will

eventually say Jesus Christ is Lord.

But why wait? Why not do it now?

You know, it's really easy to receive Christ as Jesus is dying

on the cross. There was a thief.

He was getting what he deserved and all he said was, Lord,

Remember Me when you come into your Kingdom.

What did Jesus say? You haven't been to church.

Look at you, you're a criminal. You have to be baptised.

You haven't read the Bible. Come on, Jesus said today,

today, how amazing. Today you will be with me in

paradise. This book is written and it's

called Philippians. Paul and Silas were arrested,

beaten, thrown into a gaol at midnight, they sang, an

earthquake hit the doors open to the gaol.

The gaoler rushed in, had a sword held to his stomach.

He was going to kill himself. And they said stop, stop.

And he said, what must I do to be saved?

What did they say? Oh, man, look at the way where

you, how you treated us? No.

What must I do to be saved, Jesus?

Paul said. Believe on the Lord Jesus and

you'll be saved, you and your household.

Why is it so hard? The Bondi massacre has changed

our nation and our lives forever.

Australia will never be the same.

Jesus, when born in Bethlehem, did not come as a politician.

They don't want a good job, aren't they?

He did not come as a great educator.

Man, our education, man we got we're really educated.

Nor did he come as a soldier. Now we came for that which we

all need today. Now more than ever, what do we

need? We need a Saviour, We need

saving, and he came to seek and save those who are lost because

we're broken with grief. Our nation is broken, our world

is broken. That's not just our my opinion.

The Bible says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of

God. Everyone's broken, for the wages

of sin is death. But the gift, Christmas, the

gift of God, his eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, the gift

of God was the child born of Bethlehem.

The shepherds tell us they've seen him tonight.

You can know him, the gift. If you'd like to receive Christ

tonight, we'd love to pray with you after the worship team come

lead us in in song. And I know the Bondi massacre

has troubled us all. It's troubled me deeply.

Things aren't the same because the Bible tells us the things

that are coming next. And I wish I could say things

are only going to get better. But if you look at our past and

look where we're heading, things aren't getting better, are they?

They are certainly going to get worse.

Christ came to give you a gift tonight.

Leave here with the greatest gift.

Just say to the Lord, Remember Me, Remember Me, Lord.