back to indexBerean Community Church Sunday Service 12.20.2020
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for those who are tuning in on the live stream. 00:11:01.660 |
I would like to read from a passage in Luke 2, 00:11:22.660 |
for behold, I bring you good news of great joy 00:11:26.660 |
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, 00:11:33.660 |
You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths 00:11:44.660 |
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.'" 00:11:47.660 |
So why don't we all rise as we sing our first song, 00:14:32.660 |
And if you are new, we hope that you had a chance 00:14:34.660 |
to stop by our welcome table, where you can find out 00:14:36.660 |
more about the church and the various services we have. 00:14:45.660 |
who perhaps a family or a friend might have invited you 00:14:48.660 |
and you're unfamiliar with the Christian gospel. 00:14:53.660 |
for you to ask questions and for us to just inform you 00:14:55.660 |
a little bit more about what the Christian gospel is. 00:14:59.660 |
towards the parking lot, immediately if you look 00:15:03.660 |
and red tables for us, light refreshments prepared, 00:15:09.660 |
At this time, we have a special video presentation 00:15:11.660 |
from our SEEDS student ministry, so please enjoy. 00:17:28.660 |
Right now I'd like to highlight just a few announcements. 00:17:35.660 |
And remember that all the signups are on our app. 00:17:37.660 |
It'll always be on the Facebook as well and on our website. 00:17:44.660 |
and would like to become members of the church, 00:17:51.660 |
And so on Sunday morning, it'll run from 9 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. 00:17:57.660 |
So if you'd like to sign up again, please use the link. 00:18:01.660 |
And if you have any questions, please message Pastor Nathan. 00:18:06.660 |
Our spring Bible study through the book of 2 Thessalonians 00:18:09.660 |
is gonna begin on the first week of February. 00:18:16.660 |
The inductive Bible study is so fruitful for us. 00:18:21.660 |
Please make sure to sign up by mid-January, January 15th, 00:18:25.660 |
so that we can allot people in the correct small groups. 00:18:28.660 |
Both the signups for home groups and small groups 00:18:35.660 |
Also, mark your calendars at the end of the year, Thursday, 00:18:43.660 |
We're going to be having service online on Zoom. 00:18:54.660 |
we've been announcing that there are various opportunities 00:19:02.660 |
for various things like the Voice of Refugees, 00:19:06.660 |
Those links are, again, on the app and the Facebook, 00:19:09.660 |
so please make sure to sign up for that today 00:19:24.660 |
that this is for the Lottie Moon missions offering, 00:19:27.660 |
apart from the regular Sunday offering, okay? 00:19:38.660 |
We thank you, Lord, from the bottom of our hearts 00:19:43.660 |
We thank you, God, today that you sent your Son, Lord, 00:19:47.660 |
for the Lord Jesus Christ to leave that heavenly abode 00:19:53.660 |
Lord, we want to continue just to grow in our understanding 00:19:59.660 |
And we thank you, Lord, and we pray that all the more 00:20:01.660 |
we will worship you for the sacrifice that you made. 00:20:17.660 |
We thank you, Lord, it's in Christ, and we pray, amen. 00:30:02.160 |
♪ It is the night of our dear Savior's birth ♪ 00:30:13.160 |
♪ Long lay the world in sin and error pining ♪ 00:30:23.160 |
♪ Till He appeared and the soul found its worth ♪ 00:32:14.160 |
♪ And in His name all oppression shall cease ♪ 00:34:42.160 |
those of you who are here and those of you who are online. 00:34:46.160 |
Again, today is our special Christmas service 00:34:49.160 |
and obviously that normally we have children who perform, 00:34:52.160 |
you know, they prepare and perform up here on the stage 00:34:54.160 |
and obviously this year we're not able to do that. 00:34:57.160 |
It's been a very strange year this year, 2020. 00:35:31.160 |
"But to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, 00:35:34.160 |
"Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 00:35:37.160 |
"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, 00:35:39.160 |
"and the weakness of God is stronger than men." 00:35:50.160 |
for the privilege that we have to be able to come 00:35:54.160 |
Especially now, Lord God, as we've gathered together 00:35:56.160 |
to celebrate Christ's birth and what it means for us. 00:36:00.160 |
Help us, Lord God, to open our ears, our eyes, 00:36:11.160 |
So we pray, Father God, that your Holy Spirit 00:36:16.160 |
and it would illuminate us, that we may understand 00:36:25.160 |
As soon as I say his name, in our generation, 00:36:43.160 |
Maybe next to Lincoln or better than Lincoln. 00:36:46.160 |
And obviously you have people who have opinions 00:36:58.160 |
the most polarizing of anything that I can remember. 00:37:01.160 |
And sad to say, churches and even some family members 00:37:20.160 |
there's checks and balances, no matter what president 00:37:27.160 |
and make sure that he doesn't have all power. 00:37:29.160 |
And no matter who gets elected, every four years 00:37:39.160 |
He is not going to affect the eternity of mankind. 00:37:59.160 |
and have wasted countless amount of money, lives 00:38:03.160 |
telling and proclaiming the things that he said 00:38:15.160 |
"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things 00:38:19.160 |
"that Jesus said and would not be a great moral teacher. 00:38:22.160 |
"He would either be a lunatic on a level with the man 00:38:39.160 |
"You can spit at him and kill him as a demon, 00:38:42.160 |
"or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. 00:38:45.160 |
"But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense 00:39:07.160 |
that we have eternity with him for eternity-- 00:39:13.160 |
You cannot come and say, "Well, there's a lot of good things 00:39:19.160 |
There is no good thing to glean from a person 00:39:22.160 |
who said that he died and resurrected from the dead. 00:39:31.160 |
2,000 years later, Jesus' name is proclaimed more today 00:39:41.160 |
whether you believe or don't believe, we all agree, 00:39:45.160 |
had probably the greatest impact in human history. 00:39:53.160 |
in the early church when Christ was being proclaimed, 00:39:56.160 |
the text says as Apostle Paul was going to preach 00:39:59.160 |
the gospel of Jesus Christ, he said, "Some asked for signs." 00:40:03.160 |
The Jews asked for signs, and the Greeks looked for wisdom, 00:40:10.160 |
He said, "Christ crucified was a stumbling block to the Jews, 00:40:13.160 |
"and it is foolishness to those who are looking for wisdom, 00:40:17.160 |
"but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God 00:40:22.160 |
So let's look at, first of all, why were the Jews asking for signs? 00:40:26.160 |
I mean, you may have thought at least at one point in your life, 00:40:29.160 |
thinking that if Jesus would only just physically appear, right, 00:40:34.160 |
if he just split the heavens open and says, "I am," right, 00:40:41.160 |
Why were the Jews constantly asking for signs? 00:40:48.160 |
that he kept on performing miracles to prove who he was. 00:41:01.160 |
And then he even actually raised people from the dead. 00:41:05.160 |
He used all of this to show who he said he was was true. 00:41:10.160 |
And yet the Bible keeps saying that they wanted more signs. 00:41:14.160 |
In John 2, 18, when he was at the temple and cleansed them, 00:41:17.160 |
the leaders came to him and said, "What sign do you show? 00:41:20.160 |
"Show us as your authority for doing these things." 00:41:24.160 |
Now, you have to remember that Jesus performed these miracles 00:41:30.160 |
The majority of his miracles happened in these three cities, 00:41:39.160 |
so the majority of the people there either heard of him 00:41:46.160 |
which was kind of a distance between here and San Francisco, 00:41:50.160 |
heard of Jesus' fame and all that he was doing, 00:41:52.160 |
and they said, "Could he possibly be the Messiah?" 00:41:56.160 |
So they all came up to Galilee in order to check this out 00:42:02.160 |
He wasn't doing this in private. He wasn't doing this in his home. 00:42:05.160 |
He wanted to publicly show everybody who he was. 00:42:08.160 |
And yet they continued to come and said, "We need signs." 00:42:12.160 |
In John 6, verse 2, that's a passage where after two years 00:42:16.160 |
of performing miracles, thousands of people are now coming to him, 00:42:20.160 |
thousands, because they're starting to be convinced 00:42:28.160 |
So they packed up their bags, and he went up to the hillside, 00:42:32.160 |
So that's 5,000 men, including women and children, 00:42:34.160 |
possibly up to 20,000 people followed him up on the hill. 00:42:39.160 |
Before he performs the miracle of the bread and the fish, 00:42:44.160 |
John 6, 2, a large crowd followed him because they saw the signs 00:42:48.160 |
which he was performing on those who were sick. 00:42:56.160 |
John 6, 14, after he feeds the 5,000, they say, 00:43:00.160 |
"Therefore when the people saw the sign which he had performed, 00:43:03.160 |
they said, 'This truly is the prophet who is to come into the world.'" 00:43:07.160 |
So before the miracle of multiplying the bread and the fish, 00:43:13.160 |
they said, "We came because clearly you show signs." 00:43:16.160 |
After they ate the miraculous bread and fish, they said, 00:43:20.160 |
"Clearly, if there was any doubt, you have to be the Messiah." 00:43:24.160 |
So they want to forcefully make him king because of the sign. 00:43:34.160 |
They pack up their bags, and then they go look for him, 00:43:36.160 |
and then when they encounter Jesus, Jesus sees right through 00:43:42.160 |
"Jesus answered them and said, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, 00:43:48.160 |
but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.'" 00:43:52.160 |
In other words, you're coming to me, even though you're saying 00:43:54.160 |
that you clearly see the sign, and we want you to be our king 00:43:59.160 |
"You're not coming to me because you saw the sign. 00:44:01.160 |
You're coming to me because you ate bread, and you want more." 00:44:06.160 |
And the response in John 6:30, "So they said to him, 00:44:09.160 |
'Well, if what you are saying is true, if you are truly the bread, 00:44:18.160 |
He's performing sign after sign after sign after sign. 00:44:23.160 |
They wanted him to be king because they saw the sign. 00:44:26.160 |
And yet at the end, he said, "Well, prove yourself. 00:44:31.160 |
In fact, Apostle Peter, when he is preaching in front of the same people 00:44:35.160 |
who yelled out, "Crucify Jesus," in Acts 2.22, he says, 00:44:42.160 |
Jesus of Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles, 00:44:46.160 |
wonders, and signs, which God performed through him in your midst, 00:44:53.160 |
Peter, just in case anybody missed it, he says, 00:44:59.160 |
Everything that he did and he performed proved who he said he was." 00:45:03.160 |
And yet, as Apostle Paul was preaching the gospel, he says, 00:45:12.160 |
By their own admission, they said they saw the signs. 00:45:15.160 |
They came into Jerusalem after Lazarus was raised 00:45:21.160 |
In fact, the signs were so clear, even the people who wanted to crucify Jesus 00:45:28.160 |
And yet, as he was preaching the gospel, he says, 00:45:30.160 |
"Well, we're not going to believe until you show us the signs." 00:45:39.160 |
Well, you have to remember what the Israels were looking for. 00:45:42.160 |
They were God's covenant people, and they thought that if they remained faithful to God, 00:45:50.160 |
that they were going to be Egypt, they were going to be Rome, 00:45:53.160 |
they were going to be the Babylonians, but that never happened. 00:45:58.160 |
They experienced a brief period of success during King David and possibly Solomon, 00:46:03.160 |
but the rest of their history--if you've ever read the Old Testament-- 00:46:06.160 |
the rest of their history is Israel constantly falling into sin over and over again. 00:46:10.160 |
And eventually, they get conquered by the Assyrians, and then the Babylonians, 00:46:15.160 |
and then the Persians, and then the Greeks, and then the Romans. 00:46:18.160 |
So by the time Jesus comes, they had generation after generation after generation 00:46:28.160 |
So they thought if the Messiah comes, he's going to take vengeance upon their enemies, 00:46:35.160 |
that he's going to overthrow the Roman government, and they're going to be the superpower, 00:46:42.160 |
And that's why even the disciples, as Jesus was going to the cross, 00:46:46.160 |
he kept on telling them, "I'm going to be beaten, crucified, and be raised." 00:46:50.160 |
Remember their response? They couldn't get that out of their head. 00:46:53.160 |
Well, who's going to be the Secretary of State? Who's going to be the Vice President? 00:46:57.160 |
Who are you going to appoint, to the left or to the right? 00:47:00.160 |
And even as Jesus was saying, "I'm coming to die for this world," 00:47:04.160 |
and they said, "Well, when the Romans are taken over and we are the superpower, 00:47:11.160 |
So you could see the hope that they had when they saw the signs that he was performing. 00:47:17.160 |
He must be the Messiah. Who else can do what he is doing? 00:47:21.160 |
And yet, the problem that they had with Jesus was not what he was doing, but what he was saying. 00:47:28.160 |
The Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5, 38-44, 00:47:33.160 |
"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' 00:47:38.160 |
But I say to you, do not resist an evil person, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, 00:47:50.160 |
It sounds beautiful to sing about and tell other people that Jesus told us to turn the other cheek. 00:48:00.160 |
Tell that to somebody who's upset. Turn the other cheek. 00:48:04.160 |
Again, it sounds great at church, but how many of you, when somebody wrongs you, 00:48:15.160 |
If somebody comes to you when you are wronged, let's say you're at a supermarket and somebody cuts in line. 00:48:21.160 |
It's a 30-minute line and they're tired of it and they cut right in front of you. 00:48:27.160 |
Go even further up. No, that's not our natural reaction. 00:48:33.160 |
We want to bump them with the cart, go in front of them, because it's wrong. 00:48:37.160 |
When you're wronged, our natural reaction isn't to turn the other cheek. 00:48:41.160 |
So imagine the Romans or the Jews had generations of this frustration. 00:48:49.160 |
And they were waiting for the Messiah to come to galvanize the Israelites, 00:48:54.160 |
to prepare them to go into Jerusalem and conquer Rome. 00:49:02.160 |
This is the first time in generation after generation after generation, 00:49:06.160 |
they have somebody who can literally just say to the storm, "Stop!" 00:49:12.160 |
That even if somebody dies, he says, "Be raised," and they are raised. 00:49:16.160 |
If there was any hope in their history, this was the first time. 00:49:21.160 |
First time Jesus walking into Jerusalem and saying, "He's going to fulfill what we've been waiting for." 00:49:27.160 |
And yet, what he was doing and what he was saying didn't fit. 00:49:34.160 |
How can a man be so powerful just tell us to turn the other cheek? 00:49:42.160 |
If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat. 00:49:48.160 |
You have to remember, this is not a period when people had a wardrobe. 00:49:52.160 |
An average person usually had one inner clothing and one outer clothing. 00:49:56.160 |
So basically he's saying if somebody asks for it, just give them all your clothes and walk around naked. 00:50:02.160 |
He's basically saying don't resist them, give it to them. 00:50:04.160 |
Sounds beautiful at church, but it's impossible to practice, 00:50:10.160 |
especially with somebody who's already angry, wanting vengeance. 00:50:16.160 |
Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him to two. 00:50:19.160 |
You know why he says that, go one mile, go two? 00:50:24.160 |
By law, if the soldiers came into town and they had heavy armory and he got tired, 00:50:32.160 |
So if they happen to be in Jerusalem walking around and here's this pregnant lady with two children, 00:50:36.160 |
but he's tired, you take my sword, take my shield, and you walk with me for an hour, for one mile. 00:50:44.160 |
So can you imagine the resentment that they had toward the Roman soldiers? 00:50:49.160 |
Instead of saying, just give us some time, we're organizing. 00:50:53.160 |
The zealots are going to organize, we're sharpening our knives, 00:50:56.160 |
we're going to pretend like we're submitting, but when the time is right, we're going to get at them. 00:51:04.160 |
Instead, he says, if he tells you to go one mile, go the extra mile. 00:51:10.160 |
Give to him who asks you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. 00:51:15.160 |
You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 00:51:20.160 |
But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. 00:51:25.160 |
Not only did Jesus say this, he actually practiced this. 00:51:30.160 |
When he went into Jerusalem, remember, Peter was ready to fight. 00:51:34.160 |
When the soldiers came to take Jesus, Peter took out his sword. 00:51:39.160 |
Even though he's not a swordsman, Jesus walks on water. 00:51:47.160 |
If he's going to sit in Jesus' cabinet, when he comes into power, he better be courageous. 00:51:55.160 |
Jesus actually ends up rebuking him, puts the ear back on the guy that he cut. 00:52:02.160 |
Do you not know if I wanted to, I could send legions of angels to wipe these guys all out? 00:52:10.160 |
As he's standing before Pilate, Pilate says, clearly what they're asking to do to crucify you is not fair. 00:52:20.160 |
Do you not know that I have the power to release you and give you life? 00:52:26.160 |
And Jesus says to him in John 18.36, my kingdom is not of this world. 00:52:31.160 |
If my kingdom were of this world, then my servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. 00:52:37.160 |
But as it is, my kingdom is not of this realm. 00:52:47.160 |
I think before they were scared, they were confused. 00:52:50.160 |
Why would this powerful Messiah not only tell them to give in, but not stand up for himself? 00:53:01.160 |
These Romans again are taking the only hope that they had and they're going to kill him and he does nothing. 00:53:10.160 |
So as he is going to the cross, the disciples are following from a distance. 00:53:14.160 |
I don't think they were scared. They were confused. 00:53:17.160 |
Why would he do that? Even though Jesus clearly told them and he gave them the signs. 00:53:24.160 |
They were blind because they were so fixated on what they wanted the Messiah to be. 00:53:39.160 |
And that's why even when Jesus was being resurrected, Jesus clearly says, 00:53:43.160 |
on the third day I will resurrect, on the third day I will resurrect. 00:53:47.160 |
But when Jesus resurrected, the disciples didn't even go to check. 00:53:50.160 |
Because what Jesus did by giving himself was so far from what they expected the Messiah to do, 00:54:00.160 |
They didn't even check. And then when the women came back and said he's not in the tomb, 00:54:08.160 |
See, what they were rejecting was not simply Jesus. 00:54:15.160 |
And that's why even though they saw all these signs, it didn't fit the Messiah that they had in their head. 00:54:22.160 |
And that's why they kept on saying, so the sign that they want is not simply to turn bread and then multiply it. 00:54:30.160 |
It wasn't simply for him to walk on the water. To do something with that. 00:54:34.160 |
If you have all that power and if you're the Messiah, take vengeance upon Rome. 00:54:44.160 |
Think about how much what we do, we miss Christ, 00:54:49.160 |
because he doesn't quite fit what we think he should be doing in our lives. 00:54:54.160 |
So we either walk away from him or we keep our distance. 00:54:58.160 |
And we admire him from a distance, but he's not quite the Messiah that I want. 00:55:06.160 |
You have to understand the Greeks, wisdom basically was their religion. 00:55:10.160 |
They had more than 50 different schools of philosophies. 00:55:15.160 |
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Stoics, Epicureans, Skeptics, Pythagoras, on and on and on. 00:55:24.160 |
So they would come into the villages and they would set up shop. 00:55:27.160 |
And then the Platos and the Stoics would sit there and they would debate each other. 00:55:34.160 |
And if you happen to have the greater argument, you would become a celebrity. 00:55:38.160 |
And if you're a celebrity, you would make the money. 00:55:40.160 |
And so at that time, it was the philosophers who were the entertainers. 00:55:51.160 |
And so they're saying, "If you want your religion to be better than ours, prove it. 00:55:58.160 |
Now, Apostle Paul could have easily, easily wiped them clean with his knowledge, 00:56:04.160 |
because in Acts 22, verse 3, he says he was a direct disciple of Gamaliel. 00:56:12.160 |
In fact, Gamaliel is very well known outside of the Christian circle because of his scholarship. 00:56:18.160 |
Some believe that he may have become a Christian, but that's not for sure. 00:56:21.160 |
But for sure, it says, "Apostle Paul was very, very highly educated." 00:56:26.160 |
So if he wanted to, he could come into any village and just wipe them clean just with his knowledge. 00:56:35.160 |
In fact, in Acts 26, verse 24, as Apostle Paul is in prison, he's standing before each of the leaders. 00:56:43.160 |
Instead of defending himself, he starts preaching the gospel about Jesus Christ. 00:56:48.160 |
So Governor Festus, recognizing who Apostle Paul says this, he says both Jews and Greeks, 00:56:56.160 |
he says this in verse 24 of Acts 26, "While Paul was saying this in his defense, 00:57:01.160 |
Festus said in a loud voice, 'Paul, you are out of your mind. Your great learning is driving you mad.'" 00:57:08.160 |
So the governor of Jerusalem already knew about Paul, that he was very well educated. 00:57:16.160 |
But instead of using that knowledge to defend himself, he said, "You must have gone mad. 00:57:23.160 |
Apostle Paul, if he thought that the power was in knowledge, he could have wiped them clean. 00:57:29.160 |
If the power was just with the miracles, they could have went to each city and just performed miracles. 00:57:33.160 |
And I remember when the charismatic movement was sweeping the land, 00:57:37.160 |
and I remember praying that God would give me the gift of healing for the purpose of evangelism. 00:57:45.160 |
And I say, "If I had the gift of healing, I would go to Angel Stadium, 00:57:48.160 |
and when people come to get their peanuts and hot dogs, I would just slay people right there." 00:57:54.160 |
Instead of every week, like, slaving over to, like, "What does this mean? What is this tech? 00:58:00.160 |
I just read a passage and just go out and just slay people. 00:58:04.160 |
And believe in Jesus, and if you don't, this is going to happen to you, you know? 00:58:07.160 |
Go to Dodger Stadium or go to some parade and knock people out, you know? 00:58:12.160 |
If that's what was going to bring them to Christ, he said, "If that's what they needed, 00:58:20.160 |
But he says, "They want science. Greeks want wisdom." 00:58:28.160 |
He said it was a stumbling block to the Jews. 00:58:31.160 |
The word "stumbling" basically means, in Greek, it's "skandalon." It became "scandalous." 00:58:36.160 |
That Christ crucified caused the Jews to stumble because the very Messiah that they were hoping and praying for, 00:58:46.160 |
And he was the chief cornerstone that they rejected, became the cornerstone that they absolutely needed to build Israel. 00:58:52.160 |
So they became--the gospel became a stumbling block, a skandalon to the Jews, and foolishness to the world. 00:59:01.160 |
If you grew up in church, you probably may have forgotten, 00:59:06.160 |
or maybe if you don't take your time and evangelize and talk to non-Christians, 00:59:15.160 |
If you grew up in the church, you never really thought through. 00:59:18.160 |
You just kind of like, "Oh yeah, Jesus loved me and died for me, and I became a Christian, and that's great. 00:59:22.160 |
And one day when I die, I'm going to go to heaven." 00:59:24.160 |
So you know the basics of the Christian faith, but you never seriously asked. 00:59:31.160 |
If I told you that I have a million dollars, right, and you guys know me, right, 00:59:37.160 |
and I told you I have a million dollars and I'm just going to give it to you, 00:59:40.160 |
the first person who stands up right now, I'll give you a million dollars. 00:59:44.160 |
You don't stand up. Why don't you stand up? It's a million dollars. 00:59:48.160 |
Because you know I don't have a million dollars. 00:59:54.160 |
You know I don't have a million dollars, even though you trust me. 00:59:57.160 |
Imagine going down to just random people on the street and say, "You know what? 01:00:01.160 |
You know I have a million dollars. If you come to my house, I'll give it to you." 01:00:05.160 |
How many people do you think will follow you because they believe you? 01:00:09.160 |
It's hard to believe, right? It's hard to believe. 01:00:13.160 |
The message of the cross is mankind rebelled against God. 01:00:24.160 |
And instead of wiping us out, He has compassion. 01:00:28.160 |
And in order to save us from our own sin and our own rebellion, our own blasphemy, 01:00:34.160 |
not only does He not condemn us, He sends His only begotten Son. 01:00:38.160 |
Only begotten Son. This is more than a million dollars. 01:00:42.160 |
Only begotten Son to take our place and the punishment that you and I deserve, 01:00:49.160 |
that He took it upon Himself that if we believe Him, that He will cleanse us of our sins 01:00:56.160 |
Now you're in the church, so you've heard it so many times, it just sounds like, "Oh, that's a great message." 01:01:02.160 |
Listen as a non-Christian how ridiculous that sounds. 01:01:17.160 |
Now if I told you that God got angry with the world and He wants to wipe it out, 01:01:20.160 |
that's easier to believe. Isn't that easier to believe? Right? 01:01:25.160 |
All-powerful God. People who aren't rebelling against Him. 01:01:36.160 |
But God in the universe would give His most precious Son to die? 01:01:46.160 |
you want us to put all our eggs in the same basket and go tell the world about this? 01:02:01.160 |
If you only know the surface of what happened. 01:02:05.160 |
And I think that's a big problem with a generation of Christians 01:02:10.160 |
who are biblically illiterate because they don't understand. 01:02:17.160 |
Because when you talk to non-Christians, you can't explain. 01:02:23.160 |
And when the world desires power, it's like, "Yeah, I wish God did this." 01:02:46.160 |
Power is only useful if it is directed toward the problem. 01:02:50.160 |
Just like, I don't know if you've ever tried to remove a tree. 01:02:53.160 |
No matter how big it is, you can cut it all down. 01:02:56.160 |
But the tree trunk, it's almost impossible to dig out by yourself. 01:03:00.160 |
Especially the larger the trunk, the harder it is to take out. 01:03:09.160 |
but the tree trunk remover basically has a huge drill, 01:03:12.160 |
and you put it on top of the stump, and then it starts to drill. 01:03:16.160 |
And what may have taken you a year to dig out by yourself, 01:03:19.160 |
get all the roots, this thing does in minutes. 01:03:23.160 |
You just turn it on, it goes, "p-p-p-p," and comes, 01:03:26.160 |
and just wipes everything out, and then a tree trunk comes 01:03:34.160 |
if you're trying to demolish a building, it's useless. 01:03:46.160 |
You can be a rocket scientist with several PhDs, 01:03:50.160 |
but it's completely useless when you're trying to communicate with your wife. 01:03:57.160 |
So no amount of knowledge is going to help you with that. 01:04:00.160 |
In fact, I remember years ago, we had a pediatrician at our church, 01:04:03.160 |
and he went to medical school, had extra fellowship, 01:04:10.160 |
But they didn't have children, so when the wife first got pregnant, 01:04:14.160 |
she was so frustrated because the doctor would never take any advice. 01:04:18.160 |
She's like, "You know, I do this for a living. 01:04:22.160 |
I'm the one who tells them about the birth cycle." 01:04:24.160 |
And then so she's like, "Oh," she's so frustrated because she's like, 01:04:27.160 |
"Don't worry about it. I got this. I got a doctorate in this." 01:04:32.160 |
And then about two months into raising this infant, 01:04:37.160 |
I remember the husband and wife came to our home, 01:04:40.160 |
and he sat there, and this doctor was completely lost for words. 01:04:48.160 |
And at that time, we had four children in our home, 01:04:50.160 |
and he looked at us and said, "How do you do this?" 01:04:58.160 |
but it was completely different once he had a child in his home. 01:05:02.160 |
He had all the right things to say until he actually had a child in his home, 01:05:05.160 |
and he realized this was far different than what he imagined. 01:05:08.160 |
Obviously, that probably made him a better doctor, 01:05:12.160 |
if it is not geared toward the problem that you need to solve, is useless. 01:05:19.160 |
It wasn't that Jesus was not performing signs. 01:05:21.160 |
It wasn't that there isn't knowledge and wisdom behind what he was doing, 01:05:25.160 |
but the primary problem with mankind was not Rome. 01:05:30.160 |
The primary problem with mankind was not lack of knowledge. 01:05:34.160 |
The Bible says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." 01:05:44.160 |
There's a lot of debate right now about socialism, about capitalism, about communism, 01:05:52.160 |
because no matter what kind of system you bring in, 01:05:55.160 |
if the people in that system is corrupt, they're going to corrupt no matter what they do. 01:06:01.160 |
So if you believe that if you change the system, mankind is good, 01:06:05.160 |
and if you change the system, they'll be able to do good things. 01:06:11.160 |
Communism basically is mankind in and of itself is good. 01:06:14.160 |
It's the system that's corrupt that causes certain people to be rich and certain people to be poor. 01:06:20.160 |
So if you take out the system and let mankind have the opportunity to be good to other human beings, 01:06:28.160 |
They'll naturally share with one another, work hard so that the other people can benefit from their hard labor. 01:06:33.160 |
That's communism, and it has proven to not work. 01:06:43.160 |
I don't think any of you will disagree with me that people work harder when they benefit personally. 01:06:51.160 |
I remember the first time I went to China in 1993, walking into a restaurant, 01:06:55.160 |
and at that time, it was a pure communist system. 01:06:59.160 |
They got paid $5, $10 a month, no matter what they did, 01:07:03.160 |
and I remember every time we walked in, they would be upset, 01:07:12.160 |
They would come in and slam the chopsticks on our table. 01:07:17.160 |
And then if we sat around talking a little bit longer than we should, 01:07:20.160 |
they'd say, "Okay, time to get out," and they'd shut the lights off. 01:07:26.160 |
Again, whatever your political ideology is, I hope there's no communists here, 01:07:31.160 |
but whatever political ideology is, I don't think anybody would disagree 01:07:36.160 |
that we work harder when we are more selfishly motivated. 01:07:48.160 |
No matter what leader you put in there, and no matter what system you put in, 01:07:53.160 |
the corruption the Bible says is in our own heart. 01:07:58.160 |
Now, I remember years ago when Facebook first came out, 01:08:06.160 |
I was a little bit surprised that so many people were angry 01:08:14.160 |
It's like, "Oh, you know, we don't own it. They own it, and they can access it. 01:08:17.160 |
They do whatever they want with their information." 01:08:19.160 |
I remember surprised because when I posted things on Facebook, 01:08:27.160 |
I never thought that that was going to be private. 01:08:32.160 |
Maybe that's a generational thing that you put it on the Internet. 01:08:34.160 |
I just assume it's not mine, or else I wouldn't put it up there. 01:08:39.160 |
But I realize that younger generation is different. 01:08:43.160 |
But why are you so concerned about your privacy? 01:08:50.160 |
What if somebody had a million dollars that they just don't need, 01:08:54.160 |
and they're looking on the Internet to find worthy people who are in need, 01:08:59.160 |
and they want to give you some money, and you won't let them into your Facebook? 01:09:13.160 |
And what if somebody wants to give it to you? 01:09:16.160 |
But because of your privacy setting, you protect your identity. 01:09:20.160 |
They can't come to--aren't you concerned about that? 01:09:23.160 |
That you're going to miss out on the goodness of mankind? 01:09:32.160 |
No, we protect their privacy because we don't trust anybody. 01:09:36.160 |
Maybe there is one guy like that, but majority of the people, you're concerned 01:09:39.160 |
that they're going to take whatever information you have, 01:09:46.160 |
Is it harder to make friends when you're older or easier? 01:09:57.160 |
It's much easier to make friends when you're younger. 01:09:59.160 |
When you have a child, and you take a kid, and you throw them into the playground, 01:10:02.160 |
they play with each other, and they're best friends next day. 01:10:06.160 |
"Yeah, I want to be your best friend." "Me too." 01:10:17.160 |
Why is it harder to make friends when you're older? 01:10:24.160 |
It's years of being burned and being disappointed. 01:10:28.160 |
I don't know anybody--they're older, and they're more open and generous. 01:10:34.160 |
They become more grizzled and more careful and more skeptical of people 01:10:38.160 |
because we've all been burned because we've had enough time to experience mankind. 01:10:46.160 |
I mean, the technology that we have, I mean, the advancement of technology 01:10:52.160 |
I was just thinking the other day, like, how did we ever get anywhere without GPS? 01:10:57.160 |
Remember, some of you guys, when we didn't have--we had to look up the map, 01:11:00.160 |
and if you didn't have that map, you had to go by memory. 01:11:04.160 |
And I remember one time I was coming home from somewhere, 01:11:06.160 |
and I was probably about five minutes away from home, 01:11:09.160 |
and I didn't realize I was lost until 20 minutes later. 01:11:14.160 |
And it's like, oh, my gosh, I've been going the wrong way for, like, 30 minutes. 01:11:18.160 |
And I had to turn the car back around, go back home. 01:11:23.160 |
I was daydreaming, and then I just wasn't paying attention. 01:11:29.160 |
So all this advancement of mankind--and think about all the access 01:11:35.160 |
Any question that I have, I can say, "Google." 01:11:45.160 |
Like, boom, right there, on the tip of your finger. 01:11:47.160 |
Well, all the advancement of technology and everything that we have-- 01:11:51.160 |
you know what the top 10 visited sites in the Internet is? 01:12:04.160 |
So all the technology and the things that we do is dictated 01:12:08.160 |
because the biggest funds-generating, money-generating industry is pornography. 01:12:15.160 |
More than Netflix, more than Hollywood, more than NBA and NFL. 01:12:24.160 |
So the root problem of mankind is mankind himself. 01:12:28.160 |
That no matter how much we fix, no matter how many laws that we pass 01:12:31.160 |
to taper the racism, in the end, racism is not a system in and of itself. 01:12:41.160 |
And that's what Jesus says that he came to deal with. 01:12:50.160 |
But the root cause of the problem of mankind is mankind himself. 01:12:55.160 |
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 01:12:59.160 |
God had intended you and I to be in the presence of his glory 01:13:05.160 |
There's a reason why Governor Newsom made entertainment essential. 01:13:09.160 |
Why he said, you know, religious gatherings are not essential. 01:13:12.160 |
Entertainment is essential because entertainment is a form of worship 01:13:19.160 |
You and I were made for worship because in the period that you and I are in, 01:13:27.160 |
But at least if you are entertained, you can forget for a period. 01:13:37.160 |
So it is a non-Christian's way of dealing with the problem of mankind 01:13:45.160 |
And so they have declared it essential because they're not Christians. 01:13:49.160 |
But the very reason why you and I are here and all over the world 01:13:52.160 |
celebrating the birth of Christ is because Christ came to deal 01:13:56.160 |
with the central problem of mankind, is our own sins. 01:14:00.160 |
It's because we have fallen short of God's glory. 01:14:03.160 |
Until we are restored back to his glory, we will always be trapped. 01:14:10.160 |
We will always be trapped seeking temporary glory in something else. 01:14:16.160 |
That's why we get so hooked on making celebrities and idols and movies. 01:14:26.160 |
But mankind, who does not recognize his primary problem, 01:14:29.160 |
will constantly go to temporary fixes for temporary life. 01:14:35.160 |
But Jesus said that he came to give life and give this life abundantly. 01:14:38.160 |
And until our eyes are open to the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 01:14:42.160 |
we will always be bound by whatever catches our attention. 01:14:50.160 |
We've fallen short of God's glory, and mankind, because we do not see his glory, 01:15:01.160 |
That's why Christ came, because he wanted to restore us back to his glory. 01:15:05.160 |
Hebrews 1.3 says, "He is the radiance of the glory 01:15:11.160 |
So he came in human form representing God's glory. 01:15:15.160 |
2 Corinthians 4.6, "For God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' 01:15:18.160 |
is the one who has shone in his own heart to give the light of knowledge 01:15:27.160 |
Because we were separated from God's glory, Christ came to reflect his glory 01:15:36.160 |
In John 17.1, when Jesus was headed toward the cross, he says, 01:15:41.160 |
Glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify you." 01:15:46.160 |
So Christ crucified is to magnify the glory of God 01:15:53.160 |
and to cover us with his blood so that we may enter into his glory. 01:15:59.160 |
Because you and I, in our own sins, cannot stand before a holy God 01:16:07.160 |
It's just like going to the nuclear bomb center. 01:16:12.160 |
But that pure energy, if we're not protected, will kill us. 01:16:17.160 |
A man in his sinful state cannot enter to see his glory. 01:16:21.160 |
And that's what's the dilemma of mankind, that you and I have been separated 01:16:25.160 |
from the ultimate object of worship, the very reason why you and I were created. 01:16:29.160 |
And that's why Christ came in his power, in his wisdom, 01:16:33.160 |
that he offered himself to cover us and to impute his righteousness on us 01:16:40.160 |
so that we may enter his throne of grace with confidence. 01:16:45.160 |
And that's why the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is described. 01:16:49.160 |
A non-Christian is somebody who the enemy has blinded 01:16:53.160 |
so that they do not see the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 01:16:57.160 |
Where Christians are people who, covered by the blood of Christ, 01:17:00.160 |
we are constantly gazing at his glory, and we're living in eternity in worship. 01:17:06.160 |
Those of you who've never experienced true worship before God, 01:17:10.160 |
if you're a sports fan, I mean, it's a crude analogy, 01:17:13.160 |
but it's the closest thing that we can come to. 01:17:16.160 |
The euphoria that you experience when something beyond you is in your presence, 01:17:26.160 |
Something beyond you, that's something that causes you to be awed. 01:17:32.160 |
If you're a fan of Lakers or baseball, and they win the championship, 01:17:37.160 |
and you see the struggle, and at the end, when you are observing, 01:17:43.160 |
What did you get out of that? They don't give you a free hat. 01:17:49.160 |
But you would spend hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars, 01:17:52.160 |
buying their clothing, identifying with what? 01:17:58.160 |
Joy, life, fellowship with other people who feel the same, community, 01:18:07.160 |
simply because you observed something magnificent before you. 01:18:12.160 |
There's a reason why people don't pay money to go see middle-aged men 01:18:22.160 |
So we get that kind of joy from watching sports. 01:18:30.160 |
Imagine what he's trying to restore us back to 01:18:34.160 |
when our eyes become open to the glory of our Father. 01:18:40.160 |
Greatest truth, greatest power, greatest love 01:18:43.160 |
that you and I could possibly imagine in Christ. 01:18:56.160 |
so that he can become a sympathetic high priest, 01:19:01.160 |
All who are weary and heavy laden, he says, "I will give you rest." 01:19:05.160 |
Those of you who are moving around, seeking to find purpose in life, 01:19:15.160 |
all of that may be because you've been separated from the author of life. 01:19:20.160 |
So this Christmas, we celebrate not simply the miracle 01:19:32.160 |
so that you and I may become the righteousness of God. 01:19:36.160 |
That same invitation that he gave 2,000 years ago 01:19:38.160 |
is the same invitation that continues to be repeated until he comes. 01:19:43.160 |
If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just 01:19:55.160 |
and he will open your eyes to what you have fallen from, 01:20:00.160 |
that he wants to restore you to worship him in spirit and in truth. 01:20:08.160 |
that if any part of what's been said made any sense to you, 01:20:14.160 |
"Lord, I've fallen from you. Would you open my eyes? 01:20:30.160 |
And the only power and the only wisdom that can change me 01:20:36.160 |
So if you would just come before God honestly and say, 01:20:39.160 |
"Lord, forgive me of my sins," he will forgive you. 01:20:43.160 |
So I pray, again, after the service, we'll have a place back, you know, 01:20:49.160 |
and some of the pastors will be there to answer some of your questions. 01:20:52.160 |
So I invite some of you who are interested in that to go there right after service, 01:21:00.160 |
But the message of Christmas is not just for, again, non-Christians. 01:21:18.160 |
but your eyes have never truly been open to the wisdom of God, 01:21:23.160 |
that maybe today, maybe this Christmas season, 01:21:35.160 |
So that this Christmas season will not just be a religious thing that we do and pass by, 01:21:45.160 |
Heavenly Father, I pray that the truth of the gospel 01:21:51.160 |
would bear much fruit, Lord God, especially in this season. 01:21:55.160 |
And we know that there's a lot of people around the world seeking for answers, 01:21:59.160 |
that even in the midst of this pandemic and craziness, Lord God, 01:22:05.160 |
So we pray this season that you would restore and strengthen the church, 01:22:09.160 |
help us to realize, Lord God, why we are here, 01:22:15.160 |
We pray, Lord God, for our friends and family, Lord, that have joined us today, 01:22:19.160 |
that may have understood the gospel for the first time. 01:22:23.160 |
Lord, I pray that it would not end simply with more knowledge, 01:22:31.160 |
And as you saved us because you are a God who loves us, 01:22:38.160 |
And as you saved us because you loved us and you drew us to yourself, 01:22:41.160 |
we pray, Lord God, that you would bring salvation to them as well. 01:22:47.160 |
So we pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins, 01:22:52.160 |
convict us, Lord God, of the hope that we have in the name of Jesus Christ, 01:22:57.160 |
that you would call us and bring us, Lord, eternal fellowship in life with you. 01:23:02.160 |
We praise you, we love you. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 01:23:06.160 |
We all stand up together for our closing song. 01:23:11.160 |
As we close, let us clap together as we sing this last song. 01:23:15.160 |
I know we're not the biggest fans of clapping here at Berean, 01:23:18.160 |
but for everybody here, for everybody outside, for everybody tuning in online, 01:23:23.160 |
let us clap together as we remember and rejoice the birth of our Savior Jesus 01:23:43.160 |
The Herald angels sing, glory to the new-born King. 01:23:51.160 |
Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled. 01:23:59.160 |
Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies. 01:24:08.160 |
With angelic hosts proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem. 01:24:17.160 |
Heart, the Herald angels sing, glory to the new-born King. 01:24:34.160 |
Christ by highest, and adored, Christ the everlasting Lord. 01:24:43.160 |
In His hand He opened the lost and love of earth. 01:25:00.160 |
He has never yet declared, Jesus our new-born King. 01:25:09.160 |
Heart, the Herald angels sing, glory to the new-born King. 01:25:35.160 |
He brought a life to all creation, risen with healing in His feet. 01:25:53.160 |
Born to raise the sun down, and born to give the second light. 01:26:01.160 |
Heart, the Herald angels sing, glory to the new-born King. 01:26:29.160 |
Born to raise the suns of earth, and born to give the second birth. 01:26:39.160 |
Heart, the Herald angels sing, glory to the new-born King. 01:26:55.160 |
For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him. 01:27:00.160 |
And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself. 01:27:03.160 |
Having made peace through the blood of His cross, through Him, 01:27:06.160 |
I say whether things on earth or things in heaven. 01:27:14.160 |
in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 01:27:21.160 |
He who hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. 01:27:26.160 |
And does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. 01:27:31.160 |
Lord, we pray that the power of your word would go forth, 01:27:34.160 |
and the seeds that you've planted would bear fruit, 01:27:36.160 |
and will not return until it has accomplished the purpose that you have ordained. 01:27:40.160 |
So we pray, Father God, that you would help us to be the light that you've called us to be. 01:27:47.160 |
That the hope of Christ, Lord God, may be known wherever we are. 01:29:24.160 |
and then this side just give it a minute and let them clear out outside first before we go. 01:29:28.160 |
And then again, those of you who are visiting us and you have some questions, 01:29:31.160 |
please go to the, I think the outreach booth that's been set up outside, 01:29:36.160 |
and I think they'll have some instructions and things outside.