The Meaning of Christmas | Pr Matthew Chang

You're listening to a message to go from at church.

We hope this message will light up your tea.

Look the Book of Luke and we're gonna turn to

chapter sorr. Yeah, I don't have my standard Bible with me.

Is in a different bag. Okay, turn with me to

look chapter in chapter two, chapter three. Okay telling me

to Luke chapter that you cannot find it? Yes, give

me a second. I want to make sure that. Ah.

Okay Luke. Chapter two is two versus the d Why

why should be okay? Luke? Chapter two, verse twenty six.

Chapter one twenty six. Sorry so sorry, a poes Luke

Chapter one, verse twenty six. Onwards, we're gonna share a

bit about Christmas Luke, Chapter one, verse twenty six. And

the title here says Birth of Jesus fore told Luke.

Chapter one, verse twenty six, and he says here in

the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God

to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin

betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the

House of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And

he came to her and said, greetings, all favorite one.

The Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled

at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of

greeting this might be. And the Angel said to her,

do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor

with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb

and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

He will be great and will be called the Son

of the Most High. And the Lord God will give

to him the throne of his father David. And he

will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of

his kingdom. There will be no end. And Mary said

to the angel, how will this be, since I am

a virgin, And the angels answered her, the Holy Spirit

will come upon you, and the power of the Most

High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born

will be called Holy, the Son of God. And behold,

your relative, Elizabeth is in her old age, has also

conceived a son. And this is the sixth month with

her who was called Baron. For nothing will be impossible

with God. And Mary said, behold, I am the servant

of the Lord. Let it be to me according to

your word. And the Angel departed from her a man

now we are. Many of us are very familiar with

this passage. It's a very powerful message. Some people have

taken some people believe it. Some people take it literally,

some people don't take it literally. I take it literally.

And there's actually a lot of things to be learned here.

We don't want to wrongly what do you call it? Understand?

Misunderstand Mary as well. Mary. It was a very important figure,

the mother of Jesus. But I want to give an

aspect of Mary briefly, Okay, at least for the first

half of this message, before I transition to something else. Uh,

that is important for us to understand. Okay. One of

the things that we learn about Mary is that Mary

was betrothed. You know what's betrothal? How many of you?

How many of you are betrothed? We don't have a

concept of betrothal and not here in Malaysia. We have

the concept of being engaged. Okay, how many some If

you look on Instagram, social media, if you have your

friends who you know, someone just proposed to one of

your friends, you know that they can engage. Some of

that engagement can run for months. It could be a

year as well. But normally engagements not legal. Again, they're

not legal, there's not they don't. There's not legal, it's

not recognized under the law. But betrothedal okay, in this

Jewish social system is actually a legal thing. Okay, legal.

When you are betrothed, you are actually set for a

time period under the law. You are actually recognized. So

to actually be a part or no longer can proceed

with the marriage, you actually have to apply for a divorce.

You know. Oh it is, so it's it's it's it's

very it's actually a very legal thing. Okay. Do you

know who else in the Bible is actually betrothed besides Mary? Yeah? Many,

isn't it. Did you know that the Church is betrothed

to Jesus Christ? Did you know the same concept okay,

or betrothal is applied to the church as well. You know,

that's why we are called the bride of Jesus Christ,

but we are not with him, honeymoony anywhere, isn't there?

You know what I mean? Right, there's a betrothal process.

Betroth is a time that you are legally together. You're

you're legally married, but yet you are not consummated yet,

you're not staying together. Okay, after the end of the

betrothal period, the groom will come and receive his bride

and will take the bride and carry her to the

father's house. And in the father's house actually the father

will actually make a place, an extension of a house,

and the house is actually quiet we call rooms or mansions, okay,

and the husband will bring the groom, will bring the

wife to the father's house and there they will stay

together under the father's roof as well. That is why

Jesus is in my father's house. Are many mentions, Oh,

make a lot of sense right now. This is actually

a concept, a mention that mentions room. So the whole

idea about my my father's many mentions is about betrothed.

It's about the idea of Jesus. One day he betrothed us.

One day he's gonna come and bring us, okay, bring us.

He's gonna marry, committed to us to the very he's

gonna receive us full fully and bring back to the father,

and we will be with her father, and we will be

with Jesus as well. It's a very very powerful scene

and a powerful thing for us. Now, Mary was betrothed

to who Joseph okay, Joseph, So she is actually married

and she you know, how old was she? Anybody want

to ever guess how she was? Could be even younger

and know, not just sixteen, could be younger than sixteen.

You know how many of you are excited to do that?

Now you might think like, why why younger than sixteen?

That's a good question. Why why would it could be

as early as twelve? There's some people postular like why twelve?

So weird? Well? What let me ask you, ladies, what

are you doing when you were twelve? What were you

doing when you were twelve? What was it? I think that, Oh,

I don't know. Some of you can imagine, because you

have a system until sixteen years old. Sixteen years old,

you were studying, isn't it you have to study? Did

you know that? The ladies that at that time most

of the young people don't have education. There is no school.

So what do you do until sixteen years old? People?

I don't say until sixteen? I tell you year enna

your school holiday for your children, and you don't. You're

already stressing out what to do because your son and

your daughter a vegetating at home ready, you know, vegetating means,

you know, they talk culture. Okay, they're not but nothing

to do. They're already like vegetating until sixteen years old.

What do you do if you don't have school system?

And the women are even worse off there. Some of

the some of the boys actually go to the temple,

they learn to be of laws and stuff like that.

Some of them do their fathers who are farming, carpentry,

fishing and stuff like that. But the ladies, most of them,

ninety nine percent of them, don't go to school. They

work in the house. So if you don't go to school,

what is the most important thing that you look forward

to for your life? What's the most important thing? It's

most significant thing as a lady at that time, be

a TIGHTI. True, it's correct. Be a TIGHTI. And you

know what they be a TIGHTI means they get married. Okay,

but tight is another level of prestige. Line. Now you

get married, you don't have to work. Okay, okay, you see,

you understand, so you you have to you have to

think differently. You understand what I'm saying. You know, you

cannot apply our own concept of a culture in that time.

You mustn't say if you grew up from young no

primary school, no secondary school. What do you look forward

to the most? To get married? That was the most

important thing for every young woman. And the thing they

actually get to bargain with or actually to to bring

to the table to any man was the virginity. They

are pure and defile. That was the most important thing,

you know, that was the thing that you kept treasured most.

They even they you know, the uh even there was

a story of us that the land with the lady

with the ten gold coins, she lost one. You know,

you know what the tango coins. For the tango coins

was not because for life people, you know, the tango

coins was actually the young women will wear as as

as a necklace as a donation on their head or

their necklace when they go outside to let people know

that they are actually available because they don't have timdo system,

They don't have whatever coffee and baker whatever it is

to tell you hey, but how you know way waiting ring?

They don't. But the women will actually know this this

this is someone's daughter. There is someone's daughter. Oh she

saw that and then you always pre arranged one this

family will talk to this family. Hey, you know they're

you know your daughter young, my son, you know, you

know they're they're suitable and they got together mean right,

So there was a lot of it was getting together

was a social responsibility, was a community responsibility. Now it's

an individual responsibility. Times have changed. I d you get

me said now, At that past, getting married was a

family responsibility. As a father and mother, I'm responsible to

get my son and daughter to get married. Now it's like, oh,

you choose her. It's very different. Times has been very

very very different. Okay, So but to tell people they

were and so when they lost one coin for the lady,

it was a big deal because all my life I've

been preparing for this, but I can't tell the people

and I'm married, so so the lady will be searching

for the gold coin. You get what I'm saying. No,

it's actually more desperate than just the value of the coin.

You know what I'm saying. It's about who I am.

I want to get married. If I'm gone, my whole

that preparation, my future is gone. That's very very important thing.

And we see that this is about getting married into

our household is such a important If you look at roof,

you look at all the different characters in the Bible.

This is emphasizing again and again. And so we see Mary,

she was betrothed, she was pure virgin, okay, and she says,

and her future was set up ready, yeah, you know,

finally graduated and I's husband from the line of David. Also,

do you know that Mary was also from the line

of David. Both Joseph and Mary, and it was very

important to fulfill the prophecy around the Messiah must come

from David, just in case Joseph one didn't qualify. Mary

also got Mary got passport. Joseph also got passport. Also, uh,

both also got passport. Okay, so it was very important.

But then suddenly the Gabriel and the angel Gabriel appeared

to bring good news, you know, bring good news? What

kind of good news? Hey, you are with child? How

can there be a good news to a young woman

at the time? Makes sense or not? Now you understand that,

I said, Now you understand like why Mary is terrified.

She's terrified because of the angel, but she's also terrified

because her whole future has been changed, totally change. Wow,

what the way to begin Christmas message? How would you

like a Christmas message where your whole plan and future

is changed because God wants to enter into your life.

How many of you are willing to change a plan

you'll have a career. You want to get married because say,

blessed are you among all other women because you are

with a child. But I'm not even married. I'm a relgent.

You're saying that all this I've prepared, I need to

give way to you something I've never prepared. A lot

of times you want to be prepared to receive God.

You know, you know, hey, do God's calling? You're prepared?

A lot of times are It's not according to our timetable,

isn't it? It's according to God's timetable? And but what

did Mary say? Be it according to your word? I submit?

It's the most beautiful message when I look at Maria

to me and Mary is a hero, and it's such

a hero you all because she had her life plan

secured and not steady, illegally binding in awe God Joseph

ready future secure, future legally secured her and she gave

it up. And some of you is that, oh you

want to move somewhere. You got it ready, But God

says stay you may or give up something you are

entitled to know. You have your right to way. Not

Jesus will never force you one to know. You understand

what I'm saying. No, when the disciples were he caught

when he asked the disciples to follow me, and I

will make you fishes on manner. Did you know that

the fishers were still there in the boat? It was

it was a year full of salary. You know. They

have to choose one year full of salary immediately right now,

or follow Jesus. At that time, people were living day

by day one and no, get me right now, we

get our salary monthly, you know. Imagine you get your

salary daily. Differently, different concept, you know, different view and perspective.

When no, But still the disciples can choose the year

full of wages or to follow Jesus. Mary can choose

to still hold on to Joseph. Nothing wrong. Still, good

things are, or to choose something that God is prepared.

And she thought, and the words that she said was

very beautiful. Be it onto me according to your word.

And that is what it means. Actually now when we

say are thinking about what we say, we're leaving according

to God's word. Yes, to know God's word. But it's

another to believe God's word and to walk by you. Amen.

How many of you are ready to live by God's

word for twenty twenty five? How many of you want

to have a faith like Mary for twenty twenty five?

How many of you are ready for God to come

and crash your plan how you did for Mary. But

you see, I even crash your plan. But yeah, there's

greater plans for God is for you. Try now, ammen.

It's very very powerful thing. One. Okay, let's move on. Okay. Now,

let's read from a second second chapter here and Luke

chapter two of verse eight. Okay, Luke, chapter two, verse eight. Now,

the title says the shepherds and the Angels. And in

the same region, there were shepherds out in the field. Okay,

I jump a bit there. Okay, this is the part

where Mary already gave birth to Jesus. But I'm coming

from another character, from coming from another point of view. Okay.

And in the same region, there were shepherds out in

the field, keeping watch over their flock by night, And

an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the

glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were

filled with great fear, and the angels say to them,

fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of

great joy. They will be for all the people, for

unto you is born this day in the City of David,

a savior who is Christ the Lord. And this will

be signed for you. You will find a baby, wrapped

in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there

was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts, praising

God and saying glory to God in the highest and

on earth, Peace among those, Peace among those with whom

He is. Please. When the angels went away from them

into heaven, the shepherd said to one another, let us

go over to Bethleham and see these things that has happened,

which the Lord has made known to us. And then

went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby,

and the baby lying in a manger. And when they

saw it, they made know the saying they had been

told them concerning this child. And all who heard it

wonder what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up

all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the

shepherd's returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had

heard and seen as it had been told them and

verse twenty one. And at the end of eight days,

when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name

given by the Angel before he was conceived in the womb. Okay,

praise a lot, now, some people, some of you actually ask,

is December twenty fifth the actual birthday of Jesus? How

many of you believe that it is? How many? But

how many? But how many of you say yes, it

is the birthday of Jesus. You all say no because

you know it's a trick question, right. It's like say

the first question. You always know the first question is

always a trick. It's always a trap. Okay. If it's not,

then when is it? Nobody knows? Does the Bible give clues.

That's the Bible give clues. You want to know when

is it? Or at least an approximation. When is it? Approximation?

Most likely? Okay, we know not by month, but we

know the season. Definitely not in winter okay, because the

sheeps and the shepherds don't go out during winter time,

so there is definitely already. Okay. The most likely time

is according not to the month, but according to the festival.

The festival the most attribute to is which festival. There

are seven festivals, okay, seven key festivals that the Jewish celebrate.

The most important festival that connects with the name Emmanuel

God with us with what the festival of Tabernacle, which

is around September and October. Okay, September is more red likely.

What is the feast of Tabernacle? Tabernika means a campaigner,

like a tenth Like that, the feast of Tabernika means

God with us, God coming down to do well with us.

And on the same festival, Jesus, who is God, came

to be among us, given the name Emmanuel God with us.

And in the same way, when God returns, He's gonna

duel and rule among us as well. Okay, now it

links quite quite quite quite quite quite similarly, isn't it?

Whoa Everything is lining up quite quite eerily similar. Okay,

So now I got one question on the ask here,

Why did God choose to reveal these news about Jesus,

of all people? He chose to reveal it to the shepherds.

Why the shepherds? If you thought about it before, why

not reveal it to I don't know, to the lawyers,

to the magicians, to the astrologers, to the medical people,

to Google Maps, you know, to I don't know Instagram. Yay.

Why shepherds? If you thought about it before, why shepherds?

Some people? Oh, shepherds are people who are pure. Have

you seen shepherds before? Seriously, Oh, shepherds are lowly. God,

you know he wants to choose the lowly people for

have you seen shepherds. I don't think that's the reason

in the case, but you know, shepherd's actually considered one

of the lowest class people. It's true, okay that that

is quite historically a great but think about it a

bit longer. Why shepherds and think about the details. When

the angels appeared, they didn't have mobile phones, you know,

they didn't didn't go and share to you wasting. Hey,

this is exactly where you find baby Jesus, I put

you in kl right now. Okay. I give you a location,

I tell you without ways, so you cannot even find

it as well true or not? How many of you

are there? They're there to drive in Kale without waste

and Google maps. How may of you there don't there?

I you weren't even there? We got a brave sold there, Selina,

you're very lucky. Okay, we got brave so here. Some

of you don't even there. How many are you here?

From Klang? From Klang sent me to Clang. I that's it. Radio, okay,

this is another country. Radio. Tell you it is to

my hometown. Seabol not problem. Only two roads only Okay,

you come on the same road, they come out the

same road. So I carell I tell you you missed

one or not? That's it? Really you you're in another

you insermband ready you know you got? I mean right,

it's seriously, it's seriously. Not one wrong worad could be

like Serumbund from era and I was like, why it's

just one. It's just like ten meters apart and all

you dook the wrong one. That's it. Ready, So it's

so nerve wracking you all, even with wastes not fracking.

But think about it. They can't no idea. You think

that the shepherd's so good that great navigators are No,

Oh Jesus is there? Go and look for it? Didn't

you look all night? Now there's a reason why the

angels chose the shepherds. Okay, practical reasons and also prophetic

reasons as well. Now, let's take a bit of clue

from scripture. Okay, let's turn to Micah chapter four, verse eight. Okay,

I always like to refer to because Christmas is as

prophetic as also it is significant to us as well.

A lot of times we think of Christmas's messages about love. Yes,

but do you know that Christmas is actually the birth

of Jesus is actually as much as prophetic. You have

to look at the prophetic to really know that it's real.

Because if you just look at baby in a manger

and a lot of people arounding it, you're like, ah,

who will believe in such a folklore? Again, But when

you look into scripture, you look at prophecy, you realize

that this event is spending more than just one day,

but across hundreds and thousands of years communating into one day.

Then you understand, Oh, you mean it involves my great

grand grandgrandfather or so, yes, it involves your great great

grandgrandfather or so. So we turned to Michael chapter four,

verse eight, and you will see a powerful scripture and

he says here, can you read here? And he says here,

and you all tower of the flock heal of the

daughter of Zion. To you shall it come the form

dominion shall come kingship of the daughter of Jerusalem. And

then I give you one more Michael Chapter five, verse two.

But you, all, Bethlehem Ephrata, who are too little to

be among the clans of Judah. From you shall come

forth from me one who is to be the ruler

in Israel. Okay, now, Effrata, Okay, it's basically Bethlehem. Okay,

bethy Ham has appeared in the Bible long before Jesus

even came in the picture. But there was a prophecy

that has come up from Micah regarding Bethlehem for a

long time. And the prophecy was basically, they were prophesying

that the ruler that God, not just any ruler, the

ruler that God has appointed, the chosen ruler, will come

out from Bethlehem. Now now. And these shepherd's and this

beathly Hem, and this of Efrata, they are not just

any shepherds, but they are unique first of all, imaging

with me. On this side here is Jerusalem, and just

about ten twenty km like it's like from Ko to Subanjaya.

Actually be closer okay, and the lights are lamp plane here.

This erata, now, this shepherd's feel was strategically what they

call it, allocated and appointed by a specific king okay,

to be beside Jerusalem. You know which king was that

the king who was also a shepherd, David himself. David

himself assigned a piece of land beside Jerusalem to become

the shepherd place, gay, to be the place for a sheep.

Why did he put a shepherd place beside Jerusalem? Why?

Why beside? Because his hobby liked to play tennis when

he's free, we had to go and so ship say,

not just beside. Why did he assign a shipping fote

beside Jerusalem? Why? Think about it? Functionality? For okay? Why

because on the day of Atonement they need to bring

sheep from the ship fold into Jerusalem. And especially he

was preparing for the temple to be built by his son.

You know what I'm saying. You know, when the temple

was built, there were many sacrifices they were offered as well,

and one of the most important sacrifices was happening on

the day of a toonement. And you know what's the

requirement for the for the sacrifice. It's not it's not

what you beef. Okay, it's not marble aid or whatever

whatever quality. How many of your let wag you? I

tell you not even while you're not good enough, I

tell you, you know, look at the mumbling. Okay. The requirement

for the ship is that it must be first born.

Cannot second, cannot second, fatal or not. Point. Don't care

how fat you are. You must be first born, okay.

And something's why, you know, why why it's so stressful

to the firstborn Because to be firstborn, to be first born,

you need to when when when the when the cow

is giving birth, and you need to be there, you know,

because sometimes they come out to you know, you don't

know whoich one is the first or second, so you

need to be there to be present and which one

come first. You need to take a string and then

you tie it there. This is the dedicated the first one,

ah like Issa and Jacob makes sense or not? So

you need to be there. So what does that mean?

Means it has to be a place where the shepherds

give consistent and twenty four hour care. The ones they're

going to give worth, they're going to pay more care.

Almost never leaving their sides. One you know, to know

which one is the first born cannot be second one

must be first born. And not only there must be

first born. It must be spots us no deformity. Your

first also are spotless. I cannot fail already, must be clean. Second. Thirdly,

it cannot have any injury. You know, cannot have you know,

shortening one eye, you know one day Olympic Okay, cannot

deformity and it cannot get injured. Ah, you come out

like that. I cannot get injured. I know that, don't you?

The beef sometimes the massage and they give wine or so,

it's good standard. But this is this is another level. People.

From birth, you are taken care of. You cannot have

any injury. How many of you would like to have

this type of life? You come out from Bertha, no injury.

You are literally lifted up. You know, I was born

lifted up. I cannot touch because just in case I

get injured, bone lifted up you know like whoa Yes,

but the shape was born to be blameless, first, blameless, undefiled, uninjured,

get cared of and you know how did they do that?

They're tied the string to measure that it doesn't get

in joy. What do they do. They're swaddenly in cloth

and carry and they will actually put that the baby

Lemma on the manger, the firstborn. Then they will quickly

call the priests from Jerusalem, which is not very far away,

quickly calm and to run and inspect. Ah, this is

there rings a lot of bell right now. It's actually

happening at that time on and all. It's like giving

you a pick. Look into the industry, okay, And I say,

it's like the int the behind the scene, the restaurant,

and it's like, oh, this is how it actually happened.

This is what they do. They were actually doing it really,

because the Juris in the Israel celebrate the day of Atoment.

They must have this ship ready for the day of Atoment.

Sometimes could be lots of them, hundreds and thousands of

them being sacrificed as well, okay, And people pay high

price for it as well, the reaches of the family.

They pay the high price. But all this they could

not prepare for the most important of the sacrifice that

God has brought for us, Jesus. Now, when the angels

appeared to the shepherds, when he told them there is

a baby who will be in a swaddling baby in

a manger, in a swadling clothe Do you think that

it rings something in their mind? Of course, because it's

their job. They didn't just look a wrong a baby

in a manger. Yes, looking for pokemon I did, Okay,

you were not looking for poemon people. It was not random.

They knew it when they when the angel told them,

they knew exactly what to look for because they've been

doing and preparing for all their lives. You mean we're

doing this for anymore? I mean, there's wonder Jesus. What

you mean in this place? Instead of a lamb, they

found a baby. Then they understood you can't remember. So

they didn't need Google Maps, and nor did they're not

need any ways, and all they knew exactly where to

find Jesus. They were just weren't expecting it. Amazing, amazing.

Now you know why the shepherds are there, You know

by coincidence. It is not by COVID incidence. People, they

knew exactly where to be there, and when the angels

told them, the shepherds ran and when they saw them,

they like, whoa, it's Jesus Jesus, who was born clean undifouled.

But remember Jesus before he was crucified, when he entered

into Jerusalem, what was he riding on a donkey? Okay?

There are many significance as a donkey because he was

a prince of peace. Okay, at that time kings write

on two animals, a donkey and a horse. You write

on donkeys on days of peace, You ride on horses

on days of war. Okay. When Jesus came into Jerusalem,

and to this that he was on the donkey to

bring peace to between men and God. But when he returns,

he will come in there white horse horse, to conquer

and to take the world that has always belonged for

the Father. I'm saying not various. But when he wrote

into Jerusalem, he was entering in as the lamb of sacrifice.

And for seven days what was was what was happening

to him? He was being examined until he was found

completely blameless. They couldn't find anything to do to him.

Are you the son of God? Did you do this

to you? That? They tried to do anything he couldn't

And then one day they had to do one thing.

They had to find someone to betray him, to nail

him on the cross. Yeah, I'm saying no, Jesus was

the lamb that was scanned through in and through, not

for the physical, but for the spirit. Whether he was

sinful in anyway, examined by not just any people, by

people who hate him. Man, you mean right, people who

hate him or not examine through it. But they could

not find any fault in him. But yet he was sacrifice.

And I mean I'm saying what I'm saying. No, that's

why Jesus, Jesus. What you think Jesus is just another

good person, is another teacher people. There are no mistakes,

there are no coincidences. Jesus is who is. Everything that

happened line up according to how God has played it

to be. So when you look at when you look

at Christmas right, as I draw to a close, right,

what comes into your mind? You know a picture there

may go to scroll down for a one baby a

lamb swap uh in a in a swaddling club, and

this is the manger where they put You know, it's

quite amazing, isn't it. Then the next line you see

John chapter one, verse twenty nine, when he saw Jesus

rite what did John, John the Baptists say, Oh, Jesus,

the one who performs miracles, what did what did John

the Baptists saw when he saw Jesus for the first time?

By the way their cousins are anyway, Okay, what did

John say? Say? The next day he saw Jesus coming

towards him, And what do you say? Behold the lamb

of God? He saw a lamb, the lamb of God

who takes the world away, the sin of the world.

How many of you want a Christmas present? One Christmas present,

isn't it? Oh? Exchange refudae and theil I can tell

you right now, Jesus left, and now God left, you know,

asked the world a beautiful present, a gift so intentional,

so delicate, so prepared, exactly where it's meant to be found. Why,

exactly where it's meant to be found, not coincidence, exactly

where it is meant to be found, for a significant

purpose of telling you and I that He loves you,

that he is giving you something that nothing the world

could ever give. Nothing the world definitely not what you

be okay, not even promising your career, not even a spouse.

Only God can give So when you think about Christmas,

I hope he brings hope for you. It brings peace. Also,

I hope that it brings courage for you to believe,

to hold on, to even strive, to be to hungry

and say, God, I want to know more of you,

because you went through so much detail for me, I

want to know more more so that twenty twenty five

will not just passed by one like a year there

were coming quickly forget again, but a year of intentional

living for God. Amen. Jesus lived thirty three years of

life purposely and intentionally for us. He lived to die,

and all literally even his birth was for telling how

he died already you know, say hey, by the way,

why why are you born? All of us were born

in a hospital. Now he was born in a sacrificial

in a penfall, and no baby. The lamb was more

so careful. You would groom to be sacrificed. Jesus was groomed,

not literally, not to be offered as a pleasing sacrifice.

You know how many if you want to be groomed

as a pleasing sacrificer. We're not giving our lives, but

we also giving as he did for us We also

offer up as much as you plan now twenty twenty

five five the most important thing we ought to leave,

he say, God, may let twenty twenty five be a

year that I live for you as He lives for us. Amen.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit as church org. We

are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that

this week is going to be a good week ahead

for you.

God bless