The Undeniable Identity Of The Baby In The Manger

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Amen. I love the song Hark the Herald

Angel Sings because unfortunately, there's probably

more theology in that one song than there is in most church

services going on around our country today.

You have your Bibles. If you would turn to the Gospel

of Luke this morning, you're unfamiliar with the Word of God.

Find the New Testament and go Matthew, Mark, and then you will

find the Gospel of Luke. On finding the Gospel of Luke,

if you would turn to the second chapter, we're going to read

this portion of Scripture together.

You've already seen a glimpse of it through our Scripture

reading, but I'm going to read this section in its entirety and

then we're going to jump into what we have today.

Luke chapter 2, verse one. I'll give you a moment to get

Luke 2 · chapter mention

there. Some people think this is an

awkward moment. I don't think so at all.

There's nothing that I love more than than to see God's people

and to hear God's people turning the pages of their Bibles.

Not just take someone's word for it, but to actually go back to

the Scriptures. And I'm thankful for all of you

who are committed to doing that in your life.

And so let's look at the Scripture together.

It says in chapter 2 of Luke's Gospel verse one in those days,

Caesar Augustus has issued issued a decree that a census

should be taken of the entire Roman world.

This was the first census that took place while Carinius was

governor of Syria and everyone went to his own town to

register. So Joseph also went up from the

town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea to Bethlehem, the town of

David, because he belonged to the house in the line of David.

And he went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be

married to him and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,

and she gave birth to her first born, a son, And she wrapped him

in claws and placed him in a Manger because there was no room

for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living

out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks.

At night an Angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory

of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified, but the

Angel said to them, do not be afraid.

I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the

people today in the town of David.

A Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord, and this

will be assigned to you. You will find a baby wrapped in

clothes and lying in a Manger. Suddenly a great company of the

heavenly hosts appeared with the Angel, praising God and saying,

Glory to God in the highest Gloria, in Excelsius Deo in the

Latin, as you just sang a moment ago, And on earth peace to men

on whom his favor rest. When the angels had left them

and gone into heaven, the shepherd said to one another,

Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened,

which the Lord has told us about.

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby who

was lying in the Manger. And when they had seen him, they

spread the word concerning what had been told them about this

child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherd said

to them. But Mary treasured up all these

things and pondered them in her heart.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for

all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as

they had been told. They truly, as we sang a moment

ago, heard from the angels on high.

Verse 21 says on the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise

him, he was named Jesus, the name the Angel had given him

before he had been conceived. Let's pray together, Father, in

the name of Jesus. We thank you so much again for

the privilege and the honor of being able to open up Your word

in a language that we can read and understand.

But we thank you that you desire to speak to men so much that you

have provided such blessings for us.

Lord, thank you for allowing us to read it and reminding us the

truth surrounding the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord, as we examine his birth this morning, may we see the

greater lesson that he truly that baby there in this Manger

that we just read about. He truly lived a life and proved

to be exactly who this Angel said that he was, the Savior,

the Christ Lord. Let us examine the undeniable

evidence of His true identity to know that this baby in the

Manger truly was God Incarnate who came to save His people from

their sin. But I pray for the soul who's

not yet been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray today that you give this person clear understanding, the

depths of their sin, but also the depths of your love.

That you love your people so much that you sent your Son to

rescue them from the sin that holds them captive.

May they see that today, may they cling to Jesus Christ by

faith, repenting of sin as as their only hope for eternal

life. Would we love you?

We ask that everything be done in accordance with your will

today, and we pray these things in Christ's name, Amen.

The Angel that we sang about a moment ago there in verse 11 of

our text announces something very interesting about Jesus,

that baby there in that Manger. I wanted to read the full

account of this so that we kind of get an idea so that we can go

back and remember clearly this Christmas story, a story that

many of you would say. I've known this story since I

was a child. In fact, some of you had

traditions at one time where your family would join together

somewhere around the Christmas celebration and you would read

the story aloud for other people to hear it, for other people to

learn from it. You, as I've said, some of you

known it from childhood. There's a lot to this that I

want us to cover today that often we forget.

In verse 11, the Angel says today in the town of David, a

Savior has been born to you. And he says.

Unequivocally, he is Christ the Lord.

He doesn't say he might be or he could be, or it's looking like,

and giving pretty good indication that he is.

The Angel declares that he is Christ the Lord.

And so the account of the birth of Jesus and the claim that he

is Christ the Lord needs to be taken seriously.

But just like any claims, we would be fools if we just took

those claims at face value. Let's be honest, when we read

the Christmas story, we're reading a 2000 year old

manuscript that has been handed down and we're reading it in our

own language. Now perhaps, perhaps we could

find some error in this baby actually growing up and becoming

the Christ, the Savior of sinners.

And So what I want to do today is I want to not.

Take this angel's testimony at face value.

I know what you're going to say very quickly.

Well, pastor, we should, because it's right there in the Bible.

And you're right, but even things that we see in the Bible

are better suited to understand from other things in the Bible.

So I don't want to just take this one isolated incident

alone, bank everything on it. I want to know, and I pray that

you want to know that that baby, that we're all.

Celebrating this time of year actually is exactly who that

Angel said that he is. Because if he's not, you're not

only in trouble in this life, but you are in trouble for all

eternity. But if he is, we can declare

with great confidence. That we know the identity of

that baby in the Manger, and that he proved to be exactly who

he said that he was. And he came and he did exactly

what he came to do. And that in that we have hope,

not only in this life, but in the life to come.

So I want us to do our homework. If you would and uncover the

evidence of the identity of this baby that this Angel has

declared to be. Christ the Lord, what an amazing

claim. For years people had waited for

the Messiah, They had yearned for the Messiah, they had longed

for the Messiah, they had spoke of the Messiah and prophesied of

the Messiah. And this Angel says this is he.

But let's ask ourself, is he? Is this really him?

Or was this just another baby who happened to be born in a

Manger who grew up to really do nothing extraordinary?

I think that you will find today, as we uncover the

evidence that we can say in regard to what the Angel

proclaimed, that yes, overwhelmingly yes, this is

Jesus. The Christ, the Savior of

sinners. But I don't want you to then

just take my word for it, because I said I agree with the

Angel who said he's the Christ. I want us to take the word of

God today. And I want to do what many

people won't take the time to do, haven't taken the time to do

in the midst of all of the craziness of the season, I want

us to see, did this baby grow up to be exactly who this Angel

said? That He was.

Let's consider the season that is upon us.

Let's see Christ for who He really is.

I think it's seeing Christ for who he really is.

We will worship Him like we never have before.

We look today at. This scene, this drama that is

unfolding here in Luke chapter 2, a baby being born in a

Luke 2 · chapter mention

Manger. What does that prove?

Nothing. I'm sure there were other babies

born on that same night. But as we.

Already know, or at least I hope you know.

And if you don't know, you'll know by the end of this.

This was no ordinary baby. There's something special about

this particular event. This baby was truly the Savior,

and I'll tell you why. First, I know this.

This baby was truly the Savior because of the nature of His

person. He was more than just a baby,

more than the other babies who were born that same evening.

Christ the Lord Jesus there in that Manger is truly and

literally God Incarnate. Matthew chapter one verse 22

says this. All this took place to fulfill

what the Lord had said through the prophet.

I'm talking about the prophecy surrounding the birth of Christ.

Verse 23 the virgin will conceive and give birth to his

son and they will call him Emmanuel, which means God with

us. Matthew because of his Jewish

heritage going back and he grabs Isaiah and he grabs the prophecy

of the Messiah from Isaiah and he says this Messiah will be

born of a virgin and he will be called Emmanuel.

Matthew says, which means so that we understand God with us

that. Jesus Christ truly is God

Incarnate who came to this earth, the image of the

invisible God, just as Paul has stated in his writings.

He came to this earth born of a virgin, born in a Manger, John

MacArthur, the late John MacArthur, he said.

This, he said, if we could. Condense all the truths of

Christmas into only three words. These would be the words God

with us. That is the very nature of

Christ spoken by Isaiah, confirmed by Matthew in his

account that this baby truly is God Incarnate.

We see his divine nature on display his entire life, his

entire ministry. We see the nature of His person

that yes, He was fully and truly man, but you make no mistake, He

was also fully and truly God all at the same time.

The theological word for that is there.

There is this hypostatic union and we can't get around that and

we can't get past the evidence that that Jesus proved that he

is exactly who this Angel in Luke chapter 2 verse 11 said

Luke 2:11

that he is. He's the exact person that in

Matthew chapter 1 verses 22 and 23 that Matthew testifies that

Matthew 1:22

he and Isaiah recognized him as. God Incarnate, Emmanuel, God

with us. What's the evidence?

I think the evidence of the nature of His person is first of

all displayed by His works. Displayed by His works.

You think about the life of Christ.

He lived a perfectly sinless life.

It's when we think about His works.

Before we get to the great miracles that He did while He

was on this earth, let's talk about the miracle of the fact

that He never sinned. That he was perfect in all of

his ways. Did you know this?

It is impossible for mere man to be perfect in all of his.

Ways. How do I know this?

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

He is speaking in that text of all men, all men who were born

in their sin. But Jesus the Christ was not

born in His sin. He was born from the seed of God

that was placed there in the Virgin named Mary.

It led to His perfect and sinless life.

First Peter chapter 2, verse 22. Peter confirms this.

1 Peter 2:22

He says in verse 22 he talking about Jesus committed no sin and

no deceit was found in his mouth.

There was nothing wicked in him. There was nothing vile in him.

He was truly perfect and sinless displaying.

That work in every area of his life, what he did, and as

declared there by Peter, even what he said, there was no

wickedness, not even in his mouth.

None of us could ever make that claim because perhaps you live a

pretty good life. But though you know you might

live a pretty good life, you know what your mouth reveals,

oftentimes the truth, doesn't it?

And you can't make the claim, as has been made about Christ, that

there was no wickedness or deceit found in your mouth,

because you know the truth. But Christ proves He's sinless

by those things. First John chapter 3 verse 5.

1 John 3:5

John says this, but you know that He appeared so that He

might take away our sins, and in Him is no sin.

Now we just think about that for a.

Second, there's no sin nature handed down to him from Adam.

He came from the Father on high, and He came to this earth as God

Incarnate, sinless and perfect. Living that perfectly sinless

life to prove it, displaying that by His words He truly was

Emmanuel, God with us, the sinless, holy, perfect and

righteous. 1 Hebrews chapter 4, verse 15.

Hebrews 4:15

The writer of Hebrews says, for we do not have a high priest who

is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who

has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet He did not

sin. Oh, there's something special

about this baby that we see there in Luke chapter 2 that the

Luke 2 · chapter mention

Angel says is the Messiah. What is special about him is

this. He is the only man because He

was truly the God man. He is the only man who has ever

walked through this earth in sinless perfection and in doing

so He reveals His very nature of holy.

Secondly, we see this looking at the nature of His person that

was displayed by His words. He's perfectly sinless.

We also see His powerful and His supernatural miracles.

I know that the Americans and the American church are

fascinated with these things, but I began with His sinless

perfection because I I believe this 100%.

He couldn't have done the things that He is going to do and that

we're going to see Him do if He wasn't who Scripture says that

He is, perfect God in flesh. What did He do while He was here

on this earth? He proved himself by

supernatural miracles. In fact, in John chapter 20, the

John 20 · chapter mention

apostle John says this. In verse 30, he begins to wind

up his gospel. He says the purpose of John's

gospel here as he writes this, that Jesus performed many other

signs in the presence of his disciples which are not.

Recorded in this book, but these are written that you may believe

that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by

believing you may have life in his name.

What was John saying? He said, I'm writing all these

things, these signs, these miracles, these works that Jesus

did to prove to you who he really is.

He is Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God.

He is Emmanuel, God with us, who was born in that Manger that the

Angel announced would live and be God among us on this earth.

And he did. He proved it by those powerful

miracle miracles, didn't he? Jesus turning the water into

wine in John chapter 2? How about his miraculous catch a

John 2 · chapter mention

fish there in Luke chapter 5? How about the fact that He

Luke 5 · chapter mention

calmed the storm in Matthew chapter 8, showing his

Matthew 8 · chapter mention

sovereignty over even the forces of nature?

How about the fact that he walked on water in Matthew

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

chapter 14? Defying the law of gravity.

Defying all. Physics and reasoning.

How about when he fed the multitudes in Matthew chapter 14

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

and Mark chapter 8? One time 4000 Another time 5000.

Mark 8 · chapter mention

How about his healing power when he healed a leopard Matthew

Matthew 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8 and then the centurions servant there in Luke

Luke 7 · chapter mention

Chapter 7. How about this he even healed

Peter's mother-in-law and Mark chapter 1.

Mark 1 · chapter mention

Now you have to be God if you heal a mother-in-law.

How about the woman with the issue of blood in Matthew

Matthew 9 · chapter mention

Chapter 9? Everyone laughed except my

mother-in-law. How about the woman with an

issue of blood in Matthew Chapter 9?

Matthew 9 · chapter mention

He healed her. How about the two men in Matthew

Matthew 9 · chapter mention

Chapter 9 that were blind and he healed them?

How about the mute man in Matthew 9 that he healed?

How about a crippled woman in Luke chapter 13 or the man with

Luke 13 · chapter mention

dropsy in Luke chapter 14? How about the 10 lepers in Luke

Luke 14 · chapter mention

17? How about a man who was blind

from birth in John Chapter 9 that he gave his sight to?

John 9 · chapter mention

How about the blind beggar Artimaeus that we see in Matthew

Matthew 20 · chapter mention

chapter 20? How about when Jesus picked up

Malchus ear and put it back on his face after Peter got a

little bit sword happy? Thereupon Jesus arrest Luke

Luke 22 · chapter mention

chapter 22. Not to mention casting out

demons, raising the dead, and walking out of the tomb after

the third day that he had been placed in after he died for the

sin of the world upon the cross. Jesus has truly revealed the

nature of His person by displaying who He really is

through His works. The fact that He was perfectly

sinless in His life. The fact that He performed

powerful and supernatural miracles that only God Himself

could do. So these things were displayed

by His works. But did you notice the nature of

His person wasn't only displayed by His works, it was also

declared by words. There were others.

Who confirmed these things? Now, in the Old Testament times,

the prophet would speak a word, and then they would have to

actually give authority to that word by a sign.

Jesus, as I've already shown you, has given us plenty of

signs by the miracles so that we can understand we might be

dealing with the Savior of the world, this one named Jesus, who

was born in a Manger outside of Bethlehem.

But what did others say about him?

What did he say first about himself?

Because we can look at the words of Jesus by his own words, as

the prophet of all prophets, He declares his very nature.

And in declaring his nature he confirms that he truly is and

was God Incarnate. John chapter 8, verse 58.

John 8:58

He said this very truly, I tell you.

Before Abraham was born, I am now that sent the religious

world reeling because he used the Greek term ego I me.

What he was saying in that term was this I am Yahweh.

Any way you break that down. I am the one who spoke from the

burning Bush to Moses. They all knew about this

encounter. They knew that when Moses said

when I tell them who sent me, tell me your name.

I can give them a name, he said. You tell them I am that I am.

I am Yahweh. Jesus here in his own life and

ministry in John chapter 8 declaring the same thing that

John 8 · chapter mention

before Abraham was, I am. In fact, we can stay confidently

that before Abraham was. He was because he is eternal.

He has no beginning and he has no end.

He always has been and He always will be the second person of the

Triune God had the Lord the Son of God by His own words.

He declares in John chapter 10 verse 30 the truth about the

John 10:30

nature of His person. John 1030 Speaking of the

eternal and divine essence of the Father and the Son.

He puts them on the same plane. Watch what he says here in

John's Gospel, the 30th verse of that 10th chapter, he says I and

the Father are one. What was he saying with that

bold statement? He was saying that we are of the

same essence. Equally and eternally and fully

God the Father, the first person of the triune Godhead, the Son,

the second person of the triune Godhead, equally and eternally

God. He said we are 1.

He is Speaking of their eternal essence.

We always have been one, we are one, we always will be 1.

Jesus revealing to us the nature of His.

Person Mark chapter 2 Jesus continuing to reveal that in an

Mark 2 · chapter mention

often missed verse that people don't think is proof of his

deity but he says this verse 5 of chapter 2 when Jesus saw

their faith, he said to the paralyzed man son your sins are

forgiven. Now this bothered the religious

people around. Jesus, they even said this.

Who does he think that he is? Only God has the power to

forgive sin. And isn't that true?

They were right in what they said.

They were wrong in the fact that they hadn't identified His

nature yet. Jesus forgives this man of sin.

They all knew what Isaiah said in Isaiah 43 verse five.

I even I, am he who blots out your transgressions.

They knew that the power to forgive existed only in God.

And here is Jesus to this one, that he is healed.

And he says instead of you're healed, go away, he says your

sins are forgiven. Now many people would say, you

know, Jesus never really claimed to be God while he was on this

earth. That is the farthest thing from

the truth. In fact, if we look back at the

historical account, do you know what he was tried and convicted

for claiming to be God. That's the charge that they

brought against him. And over and over and over

again, He confirmed the nature of his person that I truly am

Emmanuel, God with us. The one that the Angel said in

Luke chapter 2 is the Savior. I'm Him, I'm the Christ, and He

Luke 2 · chapter mention

proves it by the nature of His person, displayed by His works,

now declared by His own words. But He's not the only one who

spoke in regard to who He truly is.

Peter. In Matthew chapter 16 verse 16,

Matthew 16:16

Jesus asked Peter the simple question, Who do you say that I

am? Because there was all these

rumors. About who he might be.

He looked at Peter, he said. Who do you say that I am, Peter?

Peter answers. You are the Messiah, the Son of

the living God. Peter testifying that this Angel

was correct. He identified this Jesus who had

grown up and now at this point in his life, somewhere around 33

years of age or so, and he says this is who you are.

Everything about you reveals your nature.

Peter identified that he spoke that by his own words.

What about John? John, Chapter 1.

John 1 · chapter mention

John doesn't pull any punches here about the deity of Christ.

He says in one, one in the beginning was the Word and the

Word was with God and the Word was God.

You say, well Kirk, what does that prove?

The word could be anyone. Drop down to verse 14 as John

gives a commentary on this and you realize that it's not just

anyone. It is the same baby that was

born outside of Bethlehem in that Manger, the same baby that

the Angel said he is the Messiah.

Because in verse 14 John says the Word became flesh, God

Incarnate, Emmanuel, God with us, and made His dwelling among

us. We have seen His glory, the

glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full

of grace and truth. The words of others confirm the

nature of His person. And the nature of his person

tells us that this baby was exactly who this Angel said that

he is. Thomas, after doubting for some

time, finally he has his head screwed on straight and he comes

to a good conclusion. John records that in John

John 20:28

chapter 20 verse 28, when Thomas encounters the Lord after he's

been resurrected, the Lord goes specifically to Thomas.

And what a loving and kind Savior.

He wanted to take all of Thomas's doubt away.

He goes to Thomas and they have this encounter.

And after the encounter, Thomas said to him, My Lord and my God.

Now, if Jesus wasn't God, he would have stopped right there

and said, Thomas, don't speak blasphemy.

You know what he did? He accepted Thomas's worship

because he saw the true nature of Christ after he had put his

fingers and his hands in those nail scars, and he knew that

this was the resurrected Savior, God Incarnate, Emmanuel, God

with us. He declares that He is his Lord

and His God and so others give testimony as to the nature of

His person. How about Paul in Philippians

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2? You remember Philippians chapter

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

2 a few years back we had a theological Christmas where we

actually grabbed the text from Philippians chapter 2, which is

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

unheard of, and we walked through that to see Christ who

He really is. Paul says this about the Lord

Jesus in verse 6 of chapter 2. He says being in very nature

God. Again, agreeing with what Jesus

has said by his own words, which Peter has said by his own words,

John by his own words, Thomas by his own words.

You say those guys are all just Christians.

They're supposed to say those things because all you

Christians get together and you compare your notes and you just

know all the right. Things to say.

Let's consult a Roman centurion who at best was probably raised

Pagan, who worshipped many different gods and goddesses his

entire life. Watch what he says in Mark

Mark 15:39

chapter 15 verse 39. And when the centurion who stood

there in front of Jesus saw how he died, he said surely this man

was the Son. Of God.

Surely this is Emmanuel, God with us.

Surely he is the Savior. Surely he is the same one that

the Angel testified about outside of Bethlehem at that

Manger. Surely this is Him.

Even a Roman centurion gave testimony of that by his own

word. He said, well, maybe he was a

believing Roman. Maybe he was.

What about this testimony? The demons in Mark chapter 1,

Mark 1 · chapter mention

The demons in Mark chapter 1, when Jesus arrived, they came to

Mark 1 · chapter mention

him and they said this What do you want with us?

Verse 24? What do you want with us, Jesus

of Nazareth? They identified Jesus of

Nazareth. Jesus of Nazareth was the baby

born to Mary and Joseph from Nazareth who came to Bethlehem

because there was a census that they had to go and pay taxes

because of. The demons properly identify His

humanity. See, the demons understand the

hypostatic union more than most Christians as you'd rather have

a candlelight service. The demons recognized his

humanity. They said, what do you want with

us? Jesus of Nazareth, have you come

to destroy us? Watch what they say next.

I know who you are, the Holy One of God even.

The demons know who he is, how he created them.

He was there at the Fall, He has been there since eternity passed

before they were ever created. And the demons who were once

angels dwelling in his presence were booted from Heaven along

with Lucifer because of the sin of.

Pride And here are these demons recognizing the nature of this

Jesus who was born in a Manger, born to Mary and Joseph outside

of Bethlehem, and they declare it by their own words.

So we've seen that his own words, the words of others from

apostles to demons, have confirmed the nature of his

person. But what about the Father

himself? What about the Father, the first

person of the Triune Godhead? What does he say when Matthew

Matthew 3:17

chapter 3, verse 17? It's very clear what he says,

isn't it? They're at the baptism of Jesus.

This is for all the people who don't believe in the Trinity.

I believe that there are different parts working at

separate times. Here's the entire Trinity

working at the same time, right Does this and a voice from

heaven said, this is my Son. That is the voice of the Father,

whom I love with him. I am well pleased.

We know at that point that the Spirit descended upon him like a

dove. You see the Father, the Son and

the Spirit working as one. Why?

Because they are all equally God.

They always work as one because they are the one true God.

We see the Father testifying that this is His Son and whom He

is well pleased. And the Father could not be well

pleased with a Sinner, just as he was at one time not pleased

with me because of my sin. The only thing that He is ever

pleased with about me is Christ in me and what Christ has done

for me. So we see the Father's words.

What about the Father's words in Hebrews chapter 1?

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

Again, this is one we often look over, but we need to revisit.

He says in verse 8. But about the Son, he says he's

going back and he's quoting the psalmist.

He says Your throne, O God, will last.

Forever. So about the Son he says, who is

the heat God in his word? And about the Son, the Father

even calls the Son God. Why?

They are equally Co, equally and eternally God.

And still this Jesus born in the Manger is truly God Incarnate.

It is revealed by the nature of His person.

Now for many of you this is just theological stuff.

Why do we need to know this? I'll tell you why you need to

know this. Because there is heresy that is

dragging many a man and many a woman away from the true and

living God, away from the 1 Lord Jesus Christ by teaching that

Jesus is something less than God.

He is God. He's proven by the nature of His

Person, displayed by His works, declared by His own words,

declared by the Word, words of others declared by the words of

the Father, confirming the divine nature of the person of

Jesus Christ. That very nature.

It confirms to us that what that Angel declared, it's true.

That he truly is. The Savior, Christ, the Lord.

Secondly, we see this, the baby was truly a savior because the

fulfillment of prophecy. Not only can we say that we have

evidence and undeniable evidence that this baby was truly the

Savior because of the nature of this person, we also have to

back up our claim, the claim that the Angel was making here,

the fulfillment of prophecy. I'm going to go through this as

fast as I can. I'm going to just be honest with

you. I don't have time to go through

the hundreds upon hundreds of prophecies that are made in the

Old Testament about Christ. I would encourage all of you

when you have time, just search those things out.

See how many prophecies were made concerning the Christ.

You will be astounded at how many.

In fact, some of the greatest Bible scholars I know are

astounded by. They can't even agree on how

many hundreds of them there really are.

But let's just look at the ones surrounding His.

Birth. And I think it looking at the

ones surrounding his birth, we can realize very quickly that

that baby in that Manger there in Luke chapter 2 truly is.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

Christ's Savior. Let's look at this.

How about the place of Jesus birth?

The place of Jesus word did you know this Micah chapter 5 verse

Micah 5:2

2 it says but you Bethlehem of a path Papartha, though you are

small among the clans of Judah out of you will come for me one

who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old

from ancient times. Micah making that.

Prophecy concerning Bethlehem. Now we see this.

That's fulfilled, isn't it? Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

In the account that we just read, Joseph and Mary from the

town of Nazareth in Galilee go to Bethlehem, the city of David,

because it just so happens that there was a census this year.

No gods sobbingly orchestrated all of this because Christ was

born at the exact time on God's prophetic timetable.

That prophecy is fulfilled in Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

There in verse 6. While they were there where

Bethlehem, the time came for the baby to be born.

Oh, isn't that just coincidental?

Just while they're in Bethlehem, You know what?

She started having contractions. Here we go.

Oh, it was perfect. It was orchestrated just like

everything and God's realms perfectly orchestrated by his

sovereign power. It was decreed to be this way

and the prophet Micah said it would be, so just confirmed

there. In Luke chapter 2, Matthew

Luke 2 · chapter mention Matthew 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, we see the same thing.

They ask the Magi about the birth of Christ.

Herod does. Why?

Because he's seeking to destroy the Christ.

So he asked about who did the prophet say and where did the

prophet say that this Messiah would be born?

They let him know Bethlehem of Judea.

How do they know this? Because prophets like Micah

confirm this and it was fulfilled in scripture that that

is where he was truly born. We see the place of Jesus birth

confirming that yes a prophet made this claim and yes that

claim was fulfilled. How about the path of Jesus

birth? The fact that he was born of a

woman. You say, well, Kirk, could he be

born any other way? He could have.

He could have just. Descended from heaven as he

ascended back to heaven. But that's not what he said he

was going to do. That was not the plan.

All the while, and in Genesis chapter 3 and you say Genesis

Genesis 3 · chapter mention Genesis 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3, Why are we going to go back to Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

talking about the birth of Christ?

I think you'll understand very clearly when we read this, after

man fell into sin, God is issuing this decree and He tells

him what will be the consequences of their sin.

And then He says this in verse 15.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between

your offspring, that Greek. Word.

There is seed between your seed and hers.

Now I don't know a whole lot about biology, but I remember in

biology class women had egg, men had seed.

This woman, Mary, gave birth to a child who was not from the

seed of man, but was from the seed of God.

He says he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.

He is telling Satanist that there is going to be a head

crusher and he is going to crush your head.

And we know at the cross Jesus defeated Satan in the forces of

evil by crushing. His head.

Now we also know this. There will be the ultimate

fulfillment of that when He returns, but I want you to not

miss what's going on here. In this prophecy that we see in

Genesis chapter 3, the Word of God is declaring that this

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Savior will be born of a woman. That woman was the Virgin Mary.

As Luke's account declares for us and as the New Testament

Scriptures declare for us, He was born of a woman.

It was fulfilled in Luke chapter 2, verse six.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

He was born right there as Mary gave birth to him, just as God

had planned. In fact, in Galatians chapter 4

Galatians 4:4

verse 4, Paul says this. But when the set time had fully

come, God sent his Son born of a woman born under the law.

How is he going to come born of a woman, born under the law?

Who is that woman? It is this woman that we see in

Luke chapter 2 with her husband Joseph the Virgin Mary and she

Luke 2 · chapter mention

does give birth to a son fulfilling.

What the prophet spoke about the path of Jesus birth born of a

woman, but burn born of a specific kind of woman that

would be born of a virgin. Now there are liberals who say

this, that that virgin simply means a young maiden.

That's not the facts. Virgin in this instance is

referring to the fact that she has never had sexual relations

with a man and Isaiah said this in Isaiah 7 verse 14.

Isaiah 7:14

He said therefore the Lord himself.

Will give you a. Sign Here's the sign that you

need to look for when you see the Virgin.

When you see a woman who's never had sex with a man having a

baby, this ought to make your ears perk up.

This ought to make your eyes really hone in on what you're

seeing. He said the Virgin will conceive

and give birth to a son and will call him.

Here's that name again, Emmanuel, which we know means

God with us. And so he was born of a virgin,

as Isaiah foretold this. This was fulfilled in the New

Testament, Luke chapter one, verse 34.

If you think she was just a maiden.

Not really a virgin. It says this in verse 34 of Luke

Luke 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1. How will this be Mary?

Mary asked the Angel. When the Angel told her that

you're going to give birth to a son.

She says how will this be since I am a virgin?

She would have never asked that question if she was just a young

maiden. I'm virgin and, the Angel

answered. The Holy Spirit will come on

you. The seed of God supernaturally

planted in your womb that has never been defiled by the sin of

man. Oh, it's so important, isn't it?

For all of the scholars you would say the virgin birth isn't

essential. Christ could have come through

no other vessel. That the Holy Spirit will come

on you and the power of the Most High will over shadow you.

So that the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.

The Holy One will be born from you Mary.

But I know that you have not ever had sexual relations with a

man. But what God is going to do

through the Holy Spirit is He is going to put the seed that

Genesis 315 spoke about inside of you.

And from that seed, the serpent's head will be crushed

for all time. That's exactly what the Word of

God proclaims. Why don't you forget the path of

Jesus birth, Born of a woman, born of a virgin, and then born

of God again. In Isaiah 714 he describes that

force, how he will be born of God.

And just as the Scriptures declare he was born of God in

that supernatural way, we know it as the Immaculate Conception.

Well, I just can't believe this Christian thing because how

could a virgin ever give birth to a baby?

She couldn't, lest God intervene.

And the interesting thing about how God did this hundreds of

years before it ever happened, through the prophet Isaiah, he

said that the virgin is going to give birth and this will be your

sign. When you look to that Manger

there in Bethlehem, what you see is a virgin, a woman who has

never had intercourse with a man, giving birth to a child.

And not just some child, not an ordinary child, but the literal

and absolute son of the living God, planted there by the Holy

Spirit and her untouched one. It was born of a woman, born of

a virgin, born of God. That's the path of Jesus birth.

How can you deny that? Let's look further as this as

we. Look at the fulfillment of

prophecy surrounding his birth. How about the people of Jesus

lineage? Right?

All that genealogy that you always skip over in the Bible to

get to the good stuff. You're missing so much good

stuff if you don't read those things.

How many of you believe that everything in the Bible is for

purpose? That everything has some

meaning, and that it all ought to be paid attention to?

That every bit of it, even the lineage of Christ is God

breathed and it's there for a purpose.

You believe that and stop discarding it as if it has no

purpose, because it is in the lineage of Christ that we see

that He truly is who the Angel said that he was.

He is the Christ, the Savior. We see that he comes from the

line of Abraham. Why is this important?

Because it was prophesied that he would in Genesis chapter 12,

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

God in a conversation and promise to Abraham says this in

verse three. I will bless those who bless you

and whoever curses you I will curse and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you. This is the beginning of what he

was going to do through Abraham. Genesis 17, seven.

He says this to him. He said I will establish My

covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and

your descendants after you for the generations to come.

To be your God and the God of your.

The descendants after you, Jesus coming through the promise of

Abraham. We see that this is fulfilled in

the New Testament. Galatians, chapter 3, verse 16.

Galatians 3:16

Paul says the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his

seed. Scripture does not say and to

seeds, meaning many people because Abraham had many people

from his human side, his human lineage, but he said and to your

seed meaning one person watch this who is Christ who did the

Angel in Luke chapter 2 verse 11 say that this baby Jesus was the

Luke 2:11

Angel said and spoke very clearly that this is Christ.

This is the Messiah. This is.

The Savior who was born unto you today in the city of David in

the town of Bethlehem, in the same manner that the prophets

have spoken that he would be born and he comes from the line

of Abraham just as the prophet said that he would.

Matthew chapter 1. We see that genealogy there in

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter one verse one. Your subtitle above the text

says something to the degree of the genealogy of Jesus the

Messiah. This is the genealogy of Jesus

the Messiah, the son of David, the son of who, Abraham,

confirming that he stems from that promise made to Abraham

there in Genesis 12 and Genesis 17, fulfilled by the life of

Jesus Christ, the lineage of Jesus Christ.

How about this prophecy in regard to his lineage?

He was from the tribe of Judah. It was foretold all the way back

in Genesis chapter 49. You stay with me, we'll

Genesis 49 · chapter mention

appreciate this one day. Genesis chapter 49 verse 10 says

Genesis 49:10

the scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the rulers staffed

from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come,

talking about the birth of the Messiah, and the obedience of

the nation shall be his. This is a prophecy about Christ

way back in Genesis chapter 49, coming from the tribe of Judah.

Genesis 49 · chapter mention

This was fulfilled. Hebrews Chapter 7 verse 14 says,

Hebrews 7:14

For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in

regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

What is happening here? He comes from the line in the

order of Melchizedek, who was a royal priest.

Judah is the royal lineage of Christ, and he fulfills that by

His birth through just a little bit of study about his lineage

and his genealogy that Jesus came from the tribe of Judah,

just as Genesis 49 said that the Savior would.

We also see that he's the root of Jesse.

Isaiah says this in Isaiah 11, one confirming where Jesus would

stem from in his humanity. He said a shoot will come up

from the stump of Jesse, from his roots.

A branch will bear fruit. We see that prophecy is

fulfilled in Matthew chapter one verse 6, and Jesse, the father

of King David, the Jesse that Jesus was going to come from,

the Messiah is going to come from who we know now is Jesus.

He says he'll come from the stump of Jesse.

That shoot will arise out of the lineage of Jesse the father of

David fulfilled as we see in Matthew chapter one verse 6

again and that lineage that we so often decide not to read.

He confirms it but also when we study that lineage, though there

are many names that I would just encourage you and your time

research those names see who all is in the lineage of Christ.

You'll be surprised. Many of them we see a very

important one that is that Jesus was, we're told to be a

descendant of David. Of course, if he comes from

Jesse, we know that Jesse was the father of David.

He would then of course, come from David, but that's

confirmed. But it was prophesied about in

Jeremiah 23 and in Jeremiah 23 verse 5, the prophet Jeremiah

Jeremiah 23:5

says plainly and clearly that Christ would stem from the

throne of David. The days are coming, he says in

verse 5 declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a

righteous branch, a king who will reign wisely and do what is

just and right in the land. We see there in Matthew chapter

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

1, looking at the beginning of the genealogy of Christ, that he

was Jesus, the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham,

and you can trace it all out to find this.

That the people of Jesus lineage and the fulfillment of those

prophecies surrounding the lineage of Jesus Christ gives us

overwhelming evidence to believe that that baby is and was

exactly who that Angel said. That he is so the fulfillment of

these prophecies surrounding the birth of Christ.

Not to mention all the other prophecies that we haven't

mentioned today. Statistically, it could have

never happened so accurately. Why don't you thankful that God

doesn't work in the realm of statistics, man does.

God has the power to call things that aren't as if they were.

And that's what he's doing here. Fulfilling every word of

prophecy surrounding the birth of Jesus the Christ, giving us

evidence to believe confidently. We don't put our trust in some

baby who grew up and did nothing, some baby who grew up

and gave his mother and father grief and then moved off to some

foreign land and wasted his life and righteous living.

Of the baby that we celebrate as we look to that Manger, we look

to that moment in Bethlehem, whenever it may have been.

We look to to the birth of Christ, the only one true and

living Savior. Thirdly, this baby was truly the

Savior because of the act of his propitiation.

Don't miss this one. Don't miss the fact that Jesus

made propitiation to ultimately prove that this baby was the

Christ. We have to ask this.

Question Did Jesus complete the mission of the Messiah?

Did he complete that mission? Did he do what it takes to save

sinners? Because according to Matthew in

reference to the birth of Jesus Christ, Matthew there and

Matthew chapter one verse 21 says that he will save his

people from their sins. And so we have to ask, did this

baby Jesus grow to do that? Did He accomplish this?

Let me answer it for you before any of you have any doubt.

Yes, yes he did. But let's don't just stop at a

simple yes. Let's talk about the act of His

propitiation. And I know what happens, right?

We don't know what that means. That's what my job is, to tell

you what that means. When we talk about the

propitiation, we are talking about the atoning work of

Christ. And if Christ did a lot of good

things and was a great prophet, but did not make propitiation

for sinners, He's not that baby who was born in Bethlehem.

But. That baby who was born in

Bethlehem grew, and He offered Himself as a sacrifice of

atonement on the cross for all who will believe and trust in

Him. He did truly come to save His

four ordained people from their sin.

He has rescued us through His. Atoning work and how?

How's this possible, right? We can learn a bunch of church

words, propitiation and atonement, and you can go around

and talk like you know what those mean, but do you know what

that means? His propitiation was this.

It was a pleasing sacrifice. He said those two things don't

really even go together. What do you mean it was a

pleasing sacrifice? Christ's propitiation, His

sacrifice, was the first and only sacrifice that has ever or

will ever completely please the Father.

How do I know this? Because I read the Word of God,

I know this, that it was impossible for the blood of

bulls and goats to take away sin.

According to Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 4, those sacrifices

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

only pointed to the greater sacrifice.

Who is the Christ? The one who satisfies the Father

in His sacrifice. So Christ's propitiation

satisfied God's requirement. This propitiation required a

spotless sacrifice, and that's who Christ really was first

Peter, chapter one, verse 18. For you know that it was not

with perishable things such as silver or gold, that you were

redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from

your ancestors. He's talking about your sin, but

with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish

or defect. It's that same Peter who calls

him our Passover lamb. So it's Jesus and his perfect

spotless propitiation, His perfect and pure sacrifice.

It is that satisfies God's requirement fulfilling the

Passover picture. Will you remember the Passover?

They were to take a lamb without spot or without blemish.

Now, is there really any such thing?

I'll help you. No, there's not.

When man fell in the garden, that's why I believe in original

sin. It didn't only affect mankind,

it affected the whole world. And in fact, creation groans for

redemption. It was never really a lamb or a

calf that was unblemished. He was only unblemished to the

sinful human eye. But God knew the true story,

didn't he? But in Christ we see for the

first time a true spotless sacrifice, that true spotless

propitiation that the Passover pointed toward toward.

We know that the Old Testament things were shadows of

realities, and even some of those realities still yet to

come. And what we see pictified in the

sacrifice of the Passover was the reality of the sacrifice and

the propitiation of Jesus on a cross, the same Jesus who was

born in that Manger in Bethlehem.

He would grow wisdom and stature as the God man, the only

acceptable and spotless sacrifice that would satisfy

God's requirement. He satisfied the Father's

requirement by his spotless sacrifice and by His sufficient

sacrifice. I want you to understand this

today, that Christ sacrifice is sufficient.

You don't have to sacrifice anything so that you can be

saved. You don't have to sacrifice

lambs or goats or time or effort.

All of that has been taken care of in Christ.

He is this perfect Passover lamb, spotless, satisfying God's

requirement, sufficient in His propitiation.

Hebrews 912. If you want to see the

sufficiency of His sacrifice, it says this.

He did not enter by the means of blood and goats and calves, but

He entered the most holy place once for all by His own blood,

thus obtaining eternal redemption.

Why is that term eternal redemption a sound that ought to

cause us to rejoice? Because prior to this.

The lambs that were sacrificed on the Day of Atonement were

only good for one year, and every year the priest would have

to come back again, and he would have to make sacrifice first for

himself, and then he would have to have to make sacrifice for

everyone else. And those sacrifices were only

pictures pointing us to an acceptable sacrifice.

And here the author of Hebrews says this, that in the sacrifice

of Christ this was made once for all who believe and trust in Him

by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.

Any other sacrifice is not eternal, but the propitiation of

Jesus Christ is an eternal sacrifice.

I have people who don't want to believe in the doctrine of

eternal security. Now I will tell you this.

I believe in the doctrine of eternal security because I

believe in the eternal propitiation.

Of the sacrifice of Christ. And there's nothing that anyone

can do to take that away. If you were in Christ, you

recovered in His eternal sacrifice, sacrifice that he

made once for all, satisfying God's requirement of a

sufficient sacrifice. Hebrews chapter 10 it.

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

Doesn't by that will verse 10, we have been made holy through

the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Why are any of us in this room holy?

Not because you're holy in and of yourself, but because that

baby that was born in the Manger who grew up truly and perfectly,

God and man, all at the same time.

He died on a cross, and He offered himself in your place as

your Passover lamb as a sufficient sacrifice and met the

requirements of God. Hebrews 10/14 For by 1 sacrifice

He is made perfect forever. Those who are being made holy.

You know what he's talking about there.

He's talking about our justification and our

sanctification. He's saying you are being made

holy, that sanctification. But you are already perfect.

And why am I perfect? Because I'm perfect?

No, not at all. Spend some time with me, you'll

find out. No, I'm perfect because the

propitiation of Christ is perfect.

Because Christ is perfect, and He offered His perfection on my

behalf. That's why I'm perfect.

And because I'm perfect, I'm being made holy.

Why? Because those He foreknew, He

did also predestined. Those He predestined He called.

Those He called, He justified, declared me as righteous.

Those He. Justified.

He did also glorify. One day He's going to perfect

me. Why?

Because He's the author and the perfector of my faith.

And in the meanwhile, He is making me holy through the

process of sanctification. But all of that happens because

of what? The perfect propitiation of

Jesus Christ, that pleasing sacrifice that was made once and

for all. Satisfied God's requirement

could have just been anyone that would die as an acceptable

sacrifice to a thrice holy God. No, it must be.

Emmanuel, the God man, God in flesh, dying, sacrificing

himself to satisfy the requirements of the Father.

But what about also to satisfy not only God's requirement,

God's wrath? I know, Kurt, don't ruin the

joyous time of Christmas. We just sing joy to the world.

You're going to talk about the wrath of God?

Yes, because I have been freed from the wrath of God through

the propitiation of Christ, I can now have joy.

I'm going to talk to you about that because some of you, like I

once was, are still under the wrath of God and all you are

doing with your sinful life is storing up more wrath for all

eternity. I want you to hear the truth

about this One who was declared by this Angel in Luke chapter 2

Luke 2 · chapter mention

to be the Savior. I want you to hear that truth,

and I want you to bow to that Savior so that He can forgive

you of your sin before it is everlastingly too late.

So let's talk about that for a moment.

The propitiation of Christ satisfied God's wrath.

How? He took our punishment upon

himself. Yes, the same one that I told

you a moment ago was completely perfect and completely sinless.

Why did he die for someone else's sin?

Because it was the will of the Father.

And to please the Father, Isaiah said to crush him because he was

and will ever be the only sacrifice that will ever satisfy

God's wrath. Jesus did that on behalf of

those who will believe and trust in Him.

Oh, in Isaiah chapter 53. We see this, don't we, in the

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

Word of God? Verse 5 But He was pierced for

our transgressions. He was crushed for our

iniquities. The punishment that brought us

peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray.

Each of us has turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on

him Christ. The Lord has laid on him the

iniquity of us. All it's Christ who took the

punishment of Irish sin upon himself.

He did it there at the cross, making propitiation that not

only satisfied God's requirements, but satisfied

God's wrath. He said, well, who does God

think that He is to be wrathful towards sin?

He's the holy God, thrice holy. He has every right to be

indignant toward sin. And you know what God doesn't

do? This is what modern

evangelicalism thinks. Here's what they think.

Some of you think this, that because Christ came and because

Christ lived a perfect life and because Christ died on the

cross, God just overlooks your sin.

That is the Americanized gospel, and it's a farce.

It's heresy. God never overlooks sin.

He took the punishment of. Your sin if you were in Christ,

and all who are in Christ. And he took the wrath and the

punishment that belonged to you and belonged to me.

And he laid that wrath upon the back of His only begotten Son on

a cross outside of Calvary. And in that He made propitiation

for our sin, taking our punishment on his own back.

Peter says in first Peter chapter 2 verse 24, He himself

1 Peter 2:24

bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to

sins and live for righteousness. He then quotes Isaiah.

By his wounds you have been healed.

It is Christ himself, sinless and perfect Messiah, who was

born your sin, taking your punishment upon Himself,

satisfying God's wrath by taking that punishment.

There had to be wrath, there had to be justice.

Christ bore that wrath, and you're set by taking it upon

Himself. By paying our penalty of death,

didn't we owe death? That not what God told Adam and

Eve was going to happen. You eat of it, you'll die.

That not the truth that's appointed on demand.

Who wants to die? That's the penalty of sin.

Jesus Christ died on that cross. So don't think for a second

listen to these liberal scholars.

They maybe he didn't really die. It's not that essential that he

really died. Died.

No, he died died. He was dead, dead, completely

dead. That's why when we talk about

the Gospel, we talk about his death, his burial, because you

don't bury live people. You take them to the hospital.

He died and he was buried. He was executed by professional

murderers. They know when somebody's dead.

In fact, they were artists at bringing someone to the point of

death and then letting them have some relief so that they can

make the torture last longer. He was dead.

Why? Because the sin is death.

But the wrath of God, our death, those of us who are in Christ,

was satisfied. Romans 623 For the wage of sin

is death. But the gift of God is eternal

life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Does that mean just praying a little prayer?

No, that means honestly trusting in every single element of the

propitiation of Christ for the only hope that you have of

salvation. That's what that means.

That word not for Christ and His sacrifice.

I would split hell wide open and rightfully so.

Not offended Holy God by my sin he.

Has every right to be wrathful toward me instead of executing

His wrath on me, and why I will never know other than the grace

and the mercy of God. Instead of exercising His wrath

upon me, He exercised His wrath upon that baby in Luke chapter

Luke 2 · chapter mention

2, who grew to be the grown man, the God man who offered himself

on a cross on behalf of all who would trust in Him.

He bore my punishment. Oh, the cross becomes real when

we understand that it's not just another event.

It's not just a little charm on your necklace that you say, oh,

that's a cute cross. It's not cute at all.

Emmanuel gave himself as a propitiation because I'm a

Sinner satisfying the very wrath of God.

How doesn't that stand to reason?

Propitiation is really not made unless the offended party is

satisfied or pleased. It wouldn't be propitiation.

It would be hey man, you still owe me something.

Nothing is owed. Jesus paid it all.

He truly pleased the Father and satisfied His wrath by His

propitiation, just as Isaiah said it pleased the Lord to

crush him, fulfilling the very will of God to redeem sinners

like me and like you. This was a pleasing sacrifice,

propitiation in the act of this propitiation, but it was also a

powerful sacrifice. It was powerful.

It powerfully redeems sinners. Did you know it was?

It would be an impossibility without the perfect propitiation

of Christ for any Sinner to be redeemed.

I already told you, none of our sacrifices would work.

None of the sacrifices of the Old Testament work.

No, none. None of our our penance would

work. None of our works would work.

Nothing can save us. The only one who can save us is

Christ through His powerful sacrifice is that powerful

sacrifice that redeems sinners, and that powerful sacrifice

alone. So please know this, if Jesus

didn't purchase sinners by His blood, and that's exactly what

He did, there would be no case for the baby in the Manger.

He would have saved no one. However, not only does He save

those who believe, He powerfully saves those who believe He did.

Truly. Come to save and rescue his

people from their sin. Ephesians chapter one, verse 7.

In him we have redemption through his blood.

That's that propitiation. In him we have redemption

through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.

And without him we would have no forgiveness.

Please understand that without him we would be rightfully

condemned to hell. But in Christ we have a powerful

sacrifice that I can attest to is able to save the most vile

and wicked of sinners. Oh, what a powerful sacrifice.

Powerfully redeeming sinners, but also powerfully reconciling

enemies. I know this is a hard concept

for Americans because you're brought up incorrectly that

because you live in a Christian nation.

And I don't even know how we feel right calling it that

anymore. But because you were raised in

some judeo-christian ideology, let's do that.

You're born a child of God. You're friend of God.

God's got your back when you need him.

All the silly Chris cliches that bad theology has taught us

throughout the years. But the fact is this, apart from

Christ, you're an enemy of God. You're an enemy because of your

own sin. Just the Scripture declares,

without the powerful sacrifice of Jesus Christ, there is no

reconciliation for the enemies of God.

The good news is this Jesus in that propitiation that we're

talking about, his atoning work on the cross, Jesus and that

atoning work in that sacrifice, He allows us to be reconciled in

our relationship toward God the Father.

Romans 510 says this For if while we were God's enemies, we

were reconciled to Him through the death of his Son, how much

more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his

life? Jesus powerfully reconciles

those who were once enemies of God because of their sin.

Not only does he reconcile them through His propitiation, that

sacrifice we know three days later.

He rose from the grave after that burial.

And we know also that some days later he ascended into heaven

where he had come from. And now we know that he sits at

the right hand of the throne of the Father.

And what he is now doing is he is forever making intercession.

In fact, He lives to intercession for us, a person

who was once his enemy and now I'm his son, adopted into his

family through his propitiation, that powerful sacrifice.

And now he is interceding for me.

He is speaking life over me. He is praying for me.

That is the Jesus that was born in that Manger outside of

Bethlehem. I pray that you see him for who

He really is, the one who powerfully reconciles the

enemies of God. When I was once that enemy,

Colossians chapter 1 verse 19 says this.

Colossians 1:19

Read it with me. For God was pleased to have all

His fullness dwell in Him, talking about Christ, and

through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether

things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through

His blood shed on the cross. So we see the incarnation of

Emmanuel. We see the.

Cross of his sacrifice, that propitiation we see the peace

that he brings through his blood, reconciling us to God.

Watch what he says about US. 21 Once you were alienated from God

and we're enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior,

but now he has reconciled you by Christ physical body through

death, to present you wholly in his sight without blemish and

free from accusation. Oh, what a Savior when that

Angel declared in Luke's gospel the 11th verse of the 2nd

chapter today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to

you. He is.

Not he might. He is the Christ, the Lord.

He is who I declare that he is because I'm bringing a message

from God. Good tidings, great news, the

Gospel. That Emmanuel has come and that

He has offered himself as a propitiation, and He will save

all who repent of their sin and who trust in Him, calling upon

His name for salvation. He is with the Angel said that

he was. So what should we do?

Believer, you ought to respond joyfully, knowing that once you

were alienated from God, deserving of his wrath, but he

bore the wrath in your set spawn joyfully.

How about worshipfully? You notice everything you read

about the Christmas. Account every time someone

approached him, they just knew automatically.

Pal, worship him. He's worthy of her praise.

Oh, when you meet Jesus, you know this.

He's worthy of all of our praise.

You don't have to be taught that he's worthy.

Worship him like he's worthy. Well, this time of the year, the

Christmas season, when you sing carols and you sing hymns, sing

them like you mean them. Sing them like it's the latest

and greatest Christian Top 40 that you listen to on the radio

and you really just like the catchy beat, which has no

theology at all. Sing Hark the Herald Angels

sings. And know that when that Angel

spoke, that Angel spoke truth. Rejoice in that truth,

worshipfully. Thankfully, it was a hard time

of year for me. It's not a hard time of year for

me because of the hustle and bustle like everyone else.

It's a hard time for me because when I see those nativity

scenes, I know that baby in that Manger.

I know that's just a man's idea of a baby.

I get that. I'm not worshipping that little

ornament. I know the real story.

I know that He grew up, that He offered Himself to rescue me.

I know what He endured for this wretched, filthy Sinner.

I deserved none of it. It's all by His grace and His

mercy. You know what that does?

It causes me to be thankful. I'm generally overwhelmed.

I spend this time of year overwhelm.

I can't hardly read the scriptures that you've probably

seen today. I can't hardly pray without

thinking of a magnificent, marvelous plan that God had to

usher and Savior into this world.

God Incarnate, the Lord Jesus Christ, rescue undeserving

sinners. We should be thankful.

I pray this Christmas, you as believers would be thankful more

than you've ever been for the unbeliever.

My prayer for you this Christmas is this, that seeing Jesus for

the Savior as Scripture has defined him.

I pray that that would cause you to see your need for him to know

that God went to this extreme and went to this extent because

you needed a Savior, because you're a Sinner, for all the

sinning comes short of the glory of God.

There is none righteous, no, not one.

I pray you would see your need for Christ to see that He has

fulfilled the need for all sinners who will repent and

trust in Him. I pray that you would see the

fact that because of your sin, you have been alienated from

your Creator. That's the only way that you can

be reconciled to turn from your sin and to turn to the one who

brought reconciliation, that is to Christ and to believe and to

trust in Him. To know the God Incarnate was

truly born of a virgin, born in a Manger outside of Bethlehem,

who lived a perfect life, offered himself as a perfect

sacrifice to satisfy the perfect justice and wrath of God.

And he did this for even you, that he died, he was buried,

that he rose again, so that if you would just trust in him, you

would have new life and eternal life in Christ Jesus the Lord,

the Savior who came. Let's pray together.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you so much for your Son,

Lord Jesus Christ. You obediently suffered and died

according to your will to fulfill that good, pleasing, and

perfect will. But I'm in awe that I was

included in that plan. I pray that others would be awed

by that today. I pray that if there be someone

here today who is not in Christ, they've never repented and

turned to Christ as Lord and Savior, that today you would

graciously allow them to do that, giving them the faith to

believe in the power to repent. May we trust in Christ today.

God, I also pray for everyone here under the sound of my

voice, that we not just go through the remembrance of the

birth of Christ once again with no lasting effect, but that we

see you for who you truly are, and we worship you rightfully.

It's joy in our hearts and Thanksgiving from our mouths,

giving you all the glory and all the praise.

And we pray these things in Christ.

Amen. You've been listening to Key

Life Fellowships pulpit ministry podcast.

Join us each week for more teaching from God's Word.