Christmas Service - 12/21/2025

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning, church family, and also to those who are joining us here for the first time. Happy Lord's Day. Welcome to our Christmas service, and as we begin, I'd like to read for us Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6, for a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on his shoulders, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Let's sing, Over the Skies. Over the Skies. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. No one on earth deserves the praises that I'll sing.

Jesus, may you receive the honor that you're due. Oh, Lord, I bring the love for me to you. The sun cannot compare. The sun cannot compare. The sun cannot compare to the glory of your love. There is no shadow in your presence. No mortal man would dare to stand before your throne, before the Holy One of Heaven.

It's only by your blood, and it's only through your mercy, Lord, I come. I bring an offering of worship to my King. No one on earth deserves the praises that I'll sing. Jesus, may you receive the honor that you're due. O Lord, I bring an offering of worship to my King.

O Lord, I bring an offering of worship to my King. No one on earth deserves the praises that I'll sing. I bring an offering of worship to my King. Jesus, may you receive the honor that you're due. O Lord, I bring an offering of worship to my King. O Lord, I bring an offering of worship to my King.

I bring an offering of worship to my King. I bring an offering of worship to my King. O Lord, I bring an offering of worship to my King. O Lord, I bring an offering of worship to my King. O Lord, I bring an offering of worship to my King King.

As you're coming in, you probably saw a red tent that is standing outside, or not a tent, but a canopy. And that's where our Seekers booth is, meaning that after the service, if you have any questions about anything that you've heard, or maybe a friend or family member brought you here and you have some questions about, you know, what Christmas is about and what we celebrate.

And so if you have any questions or anything, they also have resources that they've prepared. And so there will be our pastors and some of our outreach team members will be stationed underneath. Next to the welcome booth. And so if you go there, you'll be able to ask questions and they'll help you to understand what's going on.

So please visit that booth after the service. If you are visiting again for the first time. New Year's Eve service and activities on December 31st, that's coming up in two weeks. At 6:45, there's going to be our annual ping pong tournament and also our NURTS tournament. And so the sign up for that today is the last day.

So if you are planning to sign up and let's say if you don't have a partner to play ping pong or NURTS, you can sign up by yourself and they'll place you on a team. But they told me that today is the last day to sign up. So please sign up for that today.

And then lastly, as we mentioned for the members of the church, we have, we are collecting our Lottie Moon missions offering today. And so as you're giving, after I pray, we'll give you time to give. Please separate that from the general offering. As you're giving online, there will be a place where you can drop down and it'll say Lottie Moon.

And if it is a general offering that you're giving, make sure that that's also properly marked. And then the offering is going to be going to support our missionaries overseas. We'll be handing it over to the IMB, their missions, and they'll be able to distribute it to the missionaries.

So please keep that in mind. Well, this morning we have a special presentation from our choir. So we're going to be, I'm going to be praying for the offering and then the choir is going to come up and they're going to represent us in our worship. And then afterwards we'll have regular praise time.

And then our children. I know a lot of you guys came, the grandparents and uncles and aunts and friends and family have come to watch them. And so they'll come after the main worship set before the sermon. And so they'll be ready and they'll, they'll come in after that.

So let me pray for us and we'll prepare and give you a minute to give the offering. Gracious heavenly father, we thank you so much for just a privilege to be able to celebrate who Christ is and what he has done for us, especially today, Lord God, as we have come together to focus our attention on what the meaning of Christmas is.

I pray that you would open our eyes and soften our hearts that our worship to you may be genuine. It will be flowing from a heart of gratitude. I pray for the family and friends and the guests that have come that, uh, first that again, as we've come to worship you, that they may also be able to understand who you are.

And we pray that our giving will be handled with integrity, that it would be multiplied for the sake of your kingdom. So we thank you, Father God, for this day in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. The everlasting life, the hope and fears of all the years are ready to die. How silently, how silent, the wondrous gift is given. So God, I am lost to you, the blessings of His hand.

Now we are made in His glory, an endless world of sin. Where big souls will receive His name, the dearest enter His name. Oh, holy child of red blood, descend to us, we pray. Cast down our sin and enter Him, be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell.

Oh, come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel. The dark night waves and glory prays. The child was born for us, Gloria. Gloria. Gloria. Gloria. Gloria. Gloria. Gloria. Gloria. Gloria. Gloria. Gloria. Gloria. Gloria. Gloria. Gloria. Gloria. In his child since Deo. In his child since Deo. In his child since Deo.

In his child since Deo. In his child since Deo. And his child since Deo. For us, Gloria. Gloria, Gloria. In excelsis Deo, in excelsis Deo. Gloria, Gloria. In excelsis Deo, in excelsis Deo. Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the plains. And the mountains in reply, echoing their joyous strains.

Gloria, Gloria. In excelsis Deo, in excelsis Deo. Gloria, Gloria. In excelsis Deo, in excelsis Deo. Gloria, Gloria. In excelsis Deo, in excelsis Deo. Gloria, Gloria. In excelsis Deo, in excelsis Deo. In excelsis Deo, in excelsis Deo. At this time, if we may all rise and spend just a few moments to greet the neighbors around us before we continue our time.

Yeah, you need to observe. Yeah, you need to observe. Yeah, you need to observe. . . . . . . . . . Thank you. Sing like the hell. Sing like the hell, angels sing, glory to the newborn King. Peace on earth and mercy fire, God and sinners reconciled.

Joyful all the nations rise, join the dragon of the skies. With angelic hosts proclaim, Christ is born at the high. Oh, there all angels sing, glory to the newborn King. Christ by eyes. Christ by eyes, heaven adore, Christ the everlasting Lord. In time behold Him come, offspring of a virgin's womb.

Hail the flesh, the golden sea, hail the incarnate Deity. Pleased as men with men to dwell, Jesus our men to dwell. Far the herald angels sing, holy to the newborn King. Hail the heaven-born. I'm the heaven-born Prince of Peace. Hail the Son of Righteousness. Light and life to all He brings, present with healing in His wings.

While He lays His glory power, born man and man no more may die. Born to raise the sons of birth. Born to give and set their birth. Heart the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King. Glory to the newborn King. Heart the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King.

O come all you unfaithful. You may all know the traditional Christmas hymn called, "Come all you faithful." And this next song is a spin off that title called, "O come all you unfaithful." And it really reflects the beauty of the Gospel, where Christ did not come to live and die for the righteous, but for those broken in their sin.

For those feeling lost and without hope, that Christ would be their hope and life and salvation. O come all you unfaithful. O come all you unfaithful, come weak and unstable, come know you are not alone. O come all you unfaithful, come know you are not alone. O come, barren and waiting ones, weary of praying, come see what your God has done.

Christ is born. Christ is born. Christ is born. Christ is born. Christ is born. Christ is born. Christ is born for you. O come, bitter and broken, come with fears unspoken. Christ is born for you. Christ is born for you. Christ is born for you. O come, bitter and broken, come with fears unspoken, come taste of His perfect love.

O come, guilty and hiding ones, there is no need to run. See what your God has done. Christ is born, Christ is born, Christ is born for you. He's the Lamb who was given, slain for our pardon. His promise is peace for those who believe. He's the Lamb who was given, slain for our pardon.

His promise is peace for those who believe. So come, though you have nothing, come. He is the offering, come. See what your God has done. Christ is born, Christ is born. Christ is born, Christ is born for you. Christ is born, Christ is born, Christ is born for you.

Amen. You may be seated. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And God saw that in his birth. But man sinned, and darkness emptied the world. God gave a promise to Abraham that through his descendants all nations would be blessed. There are the prophets who spoke of the coming king, a light to those who dwell in darkness.

And in Bethlehem the promise was written, the word became flesh and dwelt among us. Emmanuel, God with us. And he shall reign forevermore, forevermore. And he shall reign forevermore, forevermore. But to us a child is born, the King of kings and Lord of lords. And he shall reign forevermore, forevermore.

If I were a wise man, I would travel far. If I were a shepherd, I would do my part. But poor as I am, I will give to him my heart. And he shall reign forevermore, forevermore. Unto us a child is born, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

and we shall reign forevermore, forevermore. Here within our manger lies, the one who made the starry skies. This may be born for sacrifice, Christ the Messiah. Into our hopes, into our fears, the Savior of the world appears. The promise of eternal years, Christ the Messiah. He shall reign forevermore, forevermore.

And he shall reign forevermore, forevermore. Here within our manger shall reign forevermore, forevermore. And here within our manger shall reign forevermore, forevermore. Until us a child is born, the King of kings and Lord of lords. And here within our manger shall reign forevermore, forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore, forevermore.

And here in our manger shall reign forevermore, forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore, forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore, forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore, forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore.

And here in our manger shall reign forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore.

And here in our manger shall reign forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore. And here in our manger shall reign forevermore. Here in our manger shall reign forever. And here in our manger shall reign forever.

And here in our manger shall reign forever. And here in our manger shall reign forever. And here in our manger shall reign forever. And here in our manger shall reign forever. And here in our manger shall reign forever. And here in our manger shall reign forever. And here in our manger shall reign forever.

And here in our manger shall reign forever. And here in our manger shall reign forever. And here in our manger shall reign forever. And here in our manger shall reign forever. There in our manger shall reign forever. And here in our manger shall reign forever. And here in our manger shall reign forever.

And here in our manger shall reign forever. And here in our manger shall reign forever. And here in our manger shall reign forever. And here in our manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever.

And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever.

And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. and here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever.

Here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever. And here in manger shall reign forever.

Jesus Christ is born. Let all of heaven and earth rejoice on this Christmas morn. Jesus Christ is born. Let all of heaven and earth rejoice on this Christmas morn. Let all of heaven and earth rejoice on this Christmas morn. Jesus Christ is born. Let all of heaven and earth rejoice on this Christmas morn.

Let all of heaven and earth rejoice on this Christmas morn. Let all of heaven and earth rejoice on this Christmas morn. Let all of heaven and earth rejoice on this Christmas morn. Let all of heaven and earth rejoice on this Christmas morn. Philippians 2:5-11, reading out of the NASB, it says, "Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bondservant and being made in the likeness of men, being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

For this reason also God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." Let's pray.

Father, we thank you for this morning, especially today, as we remember his incarnation and what he has done, Lord God, for our salvation. Help us, Lord, to appreciate, to love, adore, and worship him. And we pray, Father God, that your word would teach us and guide us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Father, I'm sure many of you have different traditions that you have when Christmas comes around outside of church. One of the traditions that we have in our home is on Christmas Eve. Our family comes together and we have worship with our children. Now that the kids are grown up, you know, obviously that's a special time whenever our kids are together.

And I remember a few years ago, we went around asking, "What does Christmas mean to you specifically?" Not a theological answer, not, you know, this is what the Bible says, but what does Christmas specifically mean to you? And so we all went around sharing, and then at the end of all the children sharing, again, you know, even at that time, they're already grown up.

And then our youngest, who at that time was baptized, this was maybe about three years ago, he got baptized, became a Christian, and for the first time, it got to his turn. And Isaiah, after everybody shared, Isaiah said, almost tearing up, and he said, "You know, this Christmas seems very different." And I asked him, "What makes it different?" And he said, "Because now that I've become a Christian, this is much more real.

That this is not just some day that I'm celebrating like Christ's sacrifice for me." And I remember when he said that, we all kind of took a step back and like, "Oh, his conversion is real." Yeah, and so we were very touched by that, challenged by it. But again, when we celebrate Christmas, that depending on how you answer that question, like, "Who is Jesus to you?" Right?

Not theological answer, not, you know, "This is what you're supposed to say as a Christian," but "Who is Jesus to you?" And so just like if we went to someone's birthday, your relationship with the person that you're celebrating is going to determine how you celebrate that birthday. If you're just there because some celebrity or somebody you know, and you just happen to be in a big room, and you're going to eat and go home.

But if it's somebody that you really care for, love, you walk with, and have a deep interpersonal relationship with that person, how you celebrate that person's birthday is going to be different. And so for every Christian, how we celebrate Christmas is going to be determined by where we are with our walk with God.

So we may celebrate it just because it's a holiday in our country, like it does all over the world. We may celebrate because I'm a Christian, and I go to church, and this is what we do every year. But it will mean a whole lot different when we have a personal walk with God, knowing that everything that we talk about today was done not only for the world, but for me, but for you.

So today we're going to want to examine His incarnation. Christ coming and taking on human flesh. What does that exactly mean? And so, if we want to really understand what Christmas is about, we have to know first and foremost who Jesus is. The text tells us that He existed in the form of God, meaning Jesus is God.

Now, in a room filled with like this, even if you aren't a Christian, you already knew that I would probably say that. I mean, this is, you know, talking to a room filled with people who already have confessed Christ as Lord, but we won't really appreciate what it is that He has done until we understand His true identity.

Jesus is God, not a sub-form of God, not simply a representation of God, but Jesus is God. It says He existed in the form of God. In other words, He was pre-incarnate. Jesus did not all of a sudden appear in human history and then began to exist. The Bible tells us He existed prior in the form of God.

In the Old Testament, whenever God would appear in the form of man, we call that a theophany, meaning God comes in a form, presenting Himself as human. Many theologians believe in Genesis, when it describes that God walked on the earth in the Garden of Eden, that many theologians believe that that was a theophany of Jesus.

When Jacob wrestled with God in Genesis 32, most theologians believe that that was a theophany of Christ. Some of you guys may also know this story in Daniel 3:25, when the three friends of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, because they refused to bow to an idol, they were thrown into the furnace, and as they are thrown and being punished, instead of being burned up, they see four people in there.

Many believe that that was also a theophany of Christ, there to protect them and to save them from that fire. So that's what a theophany is, and we can name many other instances where we can debate whether that was the pre-incarnate Christ who was revealing Himself as a man.

But what we celebrate today is not a theophany. Theophany is a temporary presentation of God in human form. What we are celebrating this morning is incarnation. Incarnation when God becomes a man. Not simply presenting Himself in the form of man, but Christ came to become a man. He said He existed in the form of God, He exists in a form of God.

We have to understand that word for form in the Greek is morphe, and the word morphe basically means a presentation of His essence. Hebrews 1:3 describes who Jesus is in a bit more detail, will help us understand what we mean by this. It says He is the radiance of the glory of God.

The word radiance here in Greek is morphe. It's the same word that is used in the Philippian text when it says He came in the form of God. He is the radiance of His glory. Radiance basically means an out shining. Just like if you're looking at the sun, you see the shining of the sun.

It is the sun. It is the essence of the sun that you see. It is the external thing that you are able to see. He says He is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His very nature, His essence. And the word in Greek for exact representation is one word.

And that word is character. And I'm butchering it in Greek, right? But I want you to understand where I'm coming from. What does that word mean, right? The essence of that person. It is His very nature. So in Hebrews 1:3, it says, "Externally and internally, in very essence, He is God." And that's why Jesus says when the disciples asked Jesus, "Show us the Father." And Jesus answered them in John 4:9, "He who has seen me has seen the Father." He doesn't say, "He who has seen me, I will show you the Father." He who has seen me, I will point you to the Father.

He says, "No. If you have seen me, you've seen the Father." In essence, again, why is this so important? I want to read another passage, Colossians 1:15-17, "He is the image of the invisible God." And the word "image" here in Greek is icon. It is the exact imprint of God, of the invisible God.

It is the physical presence of God, firstborn of all creation. By Him all things were created, both in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, throne or dominions or rulers and authority. All things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:15-17, if you didn't know that this was in reference to Jesus, you would read that and think, "This is God of the Old Testament. this is the same God who created the universe that we've been studying in the book of Genesis." Everything about God is described here. He is in every way God.

He created the universe. He has dominion over all things. He has authority over all things. Not only did He create everything, He says everything was created for Him and everything is held together by Him. Again, this is nothing new to you, but the reason why I emphasize this is because until you understand that Jesus is God, not a presentation of God, not a representation of God, but He is God.

Now, why that's important is because when we say that that God took on human form, that He became a man, the distance that He needed to travel. Now, every year we have a mission team that goes out to different parts of the world, but one of the areas that we go to is in India.

And the area that we go to India is we would consider remote as part of the world. It has the greatest concentration of unreached people groups in that area. And it is probably by distance wise, the farthest we can go. There is no direct flight to this area. So we have to go take two flights to land in Bangalore.

Once we get to Bangalore, we have to take about five to seven hours to get to the city where they have the hotel. And from there, we drive anywhere from one and a half hours to three and a half hours to get to the village. So this is as far as we can go.

And every time we go there, we have to remind people, you know, you're not going to be comfortable because you're not going to have the same amenities that you have here. If you're ladies, then you're not going to have the same bathroom. So make sure that if you have to go, you may not be comfortable depending on which village we go to.

But every time we go to some place that is foreign, we understand that certain things we have to let go. Some of our comforts we have to let go. The reason why I share all of this is when we talk about the incarnation of God, the distance that God had to travel to become a man.

You can't be further apart. Because we know that God is the creator. And mankind is creation. Everything that he created. So what does it mean for God of the universe, who created all things and sustains all things, to become a man who was created? What does it mean for God, who is infinite?

He's pre-incarnate. He has no beginning. Everything has a beginning, except for God. What does it mean for the infinite to take on finite human form, to become a human? What does it mean for God, who is all-powerful, to take on the form of a powerless man? You know, sometimes, especially when we're rich and we're wealthy and we're living in the West because we live in a very powerful world and we are able to do things that a lot of people in the world that cannot, that can't do.

But we understand that even when we make promises, it, at best, say we're going to try. I'll meet you tomorrow. I'll try. You don't know if you're going to be here tomorrow. You don't have control over that. You may get in an accident. You may change your mind. The other person who made a promise with you, they may change their mind.

So what does it mean for an all-powerful God? When He says He will, it happens. What does it mean for the all-powerful to take on finite human beings? But the furthest distance that God had to travel is that God, He is holy, holy, holy. He is perfect in every way.

But the Bible tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So what does it mean for God to take on human form? Even though He Himself has never sinned, to be walking among people who are living in sin. What does that mean? Of all the miracles that we talk about in the Bible, we talk about Jesus walking on water, healing the sick, raising people from the dead, and even His death and resurrection.

All of that is easy if you can accept His incarnation. The greatest miracle, the greatest mystery of Christianity is not His power. It's not that He raised Lazarus. Could a man really raise Him from the dead? All that is nothing if you believe that Jesus was God. How can a God of the universe who created all things take on human form?

If we can celebrate Christmas, everything else, logically, makes sense. This is the greatest mystery. This is the greatest mystery: Christmas. Obviously, when we celebrate Christmas, in order for God to take on human form, He couldn't come the way He is. He said He existed in the form of God, but He did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.

It doesn't mean that God emptied Himself, meaning that He was no longer deity. He was no longer God. He didn't grasp for all the benefits, all the glory that comes with being God. He came to Himself, He veiled Himself, He emptied Himself. In fact, in the Westminster Catechism, it describes Jesus' incarnation as the humiliation of Christ.

Humiliation of Christ. Now, it almost seems blasphemous to even use that word "humiliation" because we use that word when we get embarrassed. We are humiliated. When we don't get the honor that we deserve. Or maybe we made a mistake or say, "Oh, we got humiliated." To describe the same word that you and I use for the mistakes or embarrassment that you and I experienced, to describe that as God of the universe taking on human form, it almost seems inappropriate.

But yet, that's the closest term that we can understand of what we celebrate in Christmas. Humiliation of our God. Can you imagine what it took for Him to walk among us? We celebrate giving of gifts, we celebrate grace, we celebrate Christ and what it means, our family and friends.

But the heart of why you and I are here this morning is because God of the universe emptied Himself to walk among us. How did that happen? How did that happen? Well, there's four things that I want to emphasize through this text. What He had to do to be here.

What does this humiliation look like? First, Jesus emptied Himself of glory and worship. He did not consider equality with God something to be God. He didn't demand worship because He came as a humble servant. He didn't come in chariots. There was no angels blowing trumpets. Here comes the God of the universe.

In fact, if Jesus came as Caesar, it would have still been humiliating. Because Caesar is dependent on Him to live. Caesar is a creation. So even if He came as the most celebrated, most powerful human being on earth, it would have been humiliation for God. But He says He came, He came emptied.

In fact, the only people that may have even had some idea that Jesus, the King of kings was coming, was the Magi's. Then, you know, we celebrate the Magi's coming from a distance, and they bring gifts to give to the King. Can you imagine when they came and found the King of kings and Lord of lords, to find Him in a manger?

And yet, that's what the Bible says. That the God of the universe took on human form, and He was born not only in a manger, but to two poor teenagers. And so His upbringing was obscure. No one even knew. God walked on earth. And for the majority of His life, He had to learn.

He had to eat. He was a carpenter. It wasn't until at the age of 30, when He took on ministry, people began to question, "Who is this man?" But prior to that, nobody even knew. He had to empty Himself of His glory to come. John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

Again, in John 8:50, Jesus Himself says, "I do not seek my glory. There is one who seeks and judges." And the only time the scripture tells us where He sought glory was as He is going to the cross. This most humiliating death that a human being could possibly experience.

And as He was heading toward the cross, He said, "It is time for me to glorify you, and for you to glorify me." He was stripped naked, beaten, mocked. And He says that's the way He was going to bring glory to God. He had to empty Himself of honor, of worship.

Human beings, even the best of CEOs, even the most celebrated movie star, if He exalts Himself, and we say, "Oh, that guy's kind of arrogant," we would expect it. We have a superstar who has King tattooed on himself, right? Nobody blinks an eye because He's good. But for God Himself to walk on this earth, why would He do that?

You know, it's so hard. No matter where you are in position, whether you are rich or poor or young or old, we admire people who are humble because we know how hard it is for us to humble ourselves. It's not a matter of personality. When we're wronged and when we're slandered and we feel like they don't understand us, it's very difficult for us to just suck it up and just take it.

You know, in the years that I've been a pastor, I've experienced many different jobs, right? And then I was thinking about what's the most humiliating thing that I had to experience. I used to wash toilets full time. You know, when I was 19, the huge aircraft that used to exist out in Fullerton.

And so I used to work from 5:00 to 2:00 in the morning. And my full-time job was to clean 15 public bathrooms. You know, and I did that for about a year. And after a while, my name was Toilet Man. Because whenever something was overflowed or toilet was clogged, I was the guy they had to call.

And I remember, you know, whether it's 12 o'clock or 1 o'clock in the morning, I would run and I would have to clean them. I don't want to go through disgusting stories, right? But that was not the most humiliating thing. You know, one of the jobs that I had was I worked for the city of Bellflower.

And they tell me, are you willing to climb into the sewer and pick up dead animals? Because my job was to go into the underground vaults and clean out whatever was in there. And I had to repaint the pipes, the underwater pipes I was going through or else it might pop.

So that was part of my job. And I had to drive around and open up manholes and go in there and do that. But that was not the most humiliating job. The most humiliating job I had was when my wife was pregnant with my oldest son. And I had, I was in between jobs.

I wasn't, I didn't really know if I was going to jump back into ministry. I was on the verge of possibly stepping away from ministry and I had no income. My wife was about six months pregnant and not having income. I mean, talk about pressure. So I got this, you know, telemarketing job because that's all I knew how to do.

And it was, they were willing to give me a job quickly. But I remember during that time, and it wasn't long. I worked there maybe about three and a half, four months. But it was a telemarketing job where I had to call and I have to convince people to change their telephone company or, and they're going to save 15 bucks a month.

And so after I convinced them, I have to go through this, this presentation. I have to say for legal purposes to say the exact phrase or else it gets rejected. So even if I got 15 people to, to change, if I don't say it exactly, then it gets rejected.

So I remember during the three months, you know, I would get 20 people, you know, and I would say, oh, I got 20 people. And I get like three bucks for everybody that changes. And then at the end of the day, there's a 19 year old Asian girl who went to UCI, had to go through that and then say, this is right and this is wrong.

And every day I would get chewed out at the end of the day by this 19 year old girl. You know, why can't you do this? Why don't you do that? And I remember every single day, what I hated most about that job is not people cussing me out on the phone, but this 19 year old girl.

At the end of the day, I had to face her. Right. Why can't you do, why can't you do that? And I mean, I just need to suck it up. You know, I got a kid coming and I have no income. So I'm going to have to suck it up.

I'm going to suck it up. Right. It is hard, right? And I don't think it's just me. Whatever context we're in, it is hard for us to humble us up. But the scripture says that God of the universe did not consider equality, got something to be grasped, but he emptied himself of glory and honor.

Secondly, he emptied himself of his own will. He says Christ came as doulos, as a servant. And the word for doulos here basically means a slave. A slave. A slave does not have his own will. He doesn't have his own purpose. You just do whatever the master tells you to do.

If he tells you to clean up the horse's manure, that's your job for the day. If he tells you to come and clean up and take care of the other animals, that's your job for the day. It says Christ came as a slave. Now, humanly speaking, there's certain things that we have to do, especially if you're parents.

Are you taking care of children because you love them? You care for them? You have to humble yourself and be whatever they need you have to become. But you have to understand who he is. This is the God of the universe. All the angels and hosts worship him 24/7.

It says at the throne of God, even the most majestic creatures are surrounding his throne, praising his name. And that God walked among us. He had to empty himself of his own will. John 5:30. I can do nothing. I can do nothing. That in and of itself is a mystery beyond our comprehension.

God says I can do nothing. I can do nothing by my own initiative. I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me. He says, I don't have my own will. I just do what I'm told.

John 6:38. For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. Nothing I do, I do on my own initiative. Again, think about who it is that we are describing. John 12:49. For I did not speak on my own initiative, but the Father himself who sent me has given me commandment as to what to say and to what to speak.

He doesn't do anything on his own initiative. He doesn't make any own judgment on his own initiative. He doesn't say anything by his own initiative. He has given up his own will. Now, again, how hard is it for us to give up our own will? Part of the reason why America is the greatest destination for so many people around the world is because of the freedom that we have here.

Freedom for what? Freedom to do what we want. Freedom to be who we want to be. Freedom to pursue what we want to pursue. It is because the freedom to carry out our will. One of the greatest challenges of raising children is to bend their will. Some of you guys have very strong-willed children, right?

And whenever we ask for prayer, that's your number one prayer. Pray that he would bend his will. It's difficult for human beings, for you and I, to bend our will. And we don't have a lot to be proud about that we have a hard time bending our will. Scripture tells us that God emptied himself.

He gave up. God himself gave up his will to submit himself to take on humanity. In fact, the number one reason the Bible tells us that people reject God is because they don't want to surrender their will. They'll say, we have people that we talk to all the time.

You know, I don't have a problem with the theology. I don't have a problem with Jesus dying on the cross. And I believe all of that. It makes a lot of sense to me. But I'm not ready. So what do you mean you're not ready? I'm not ready to surrender my will.

In Matthew 20:28, it says, "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Christ, the God of the universe, surrendered his will and took on humanity that he may save us. Thirdly, Jesus emptied himself of his divine power.

He didn't grasp his divine power. It doesn't mean that he didn't have the power. We have glimpses of where we see glimpses of his power. But he didn't take advantage of it. You know where we see that first is when he is taken to the wilderness and he is tempted.

Satan, who is blaspheming and rebelling against God, against him, comes to Jesus and says, "If you are the Son of God, if you are the Son of God, turn this rock into bread. If you are the Son of God, jump off this temple and the angels will come and save you.

If you are the Son of God." Can you imagine the restraint that he must have practiced not to destroy him right there? Remember, the other demons would come and they would recognize who Jesus is, and they were terrified because they knew what he was capable of. "Son of God, did you come before your time to torture us, have mercy on us?" And yet Satan is standing before him, said, "If you are the Son of God, bow down to me." If I was Jesus, if any of us was Jesus, Satan would no longer exist today.

Did you come before your time to torment us? I would have said, "Yes." You're done. You're done. You've been rebelling for too long and then now you're going to come to my face and you're going to question me? Can you imagine the restraint? When he said he emptied himself and he didn't grasp for the power, the power he had to destroy him at that time, and he restrained himself.

Why did he restrain himself? Because he had work to do. He came for some other reason. He didn't come for glory. He didn't come for worship. He didn't come for honor. He came as a servant. So he took it. When the people who didn't like what he had to say, because he was calling them out from their sins, and they didn't like it.

He said, "You guys, all you are is a whitewashed tomb." And because they didn't like it. And then he started casting out demons. He said, "You're casting out demons with other demons. You are demonic." Can you imagine the restraint? I mean, this is a man who tells a storm to stop and it stops.

A dead person to say, "Rise," and they rise. And this creation, this sinful, rebellious creation that says, "You're demonic." Can you imagine if he didn't restrain himself, what would have happened to them? Without a single word, just gone. Right? And judgment for eternity. Yet he restrained himself because he humbled himself, emptied himself, and didn't grasp for power.

Matthew 26:53. As Jesus was headed toward the cross, Peter takes up the sword, and he said, "I will protect you." And he begins to swing, and Jesus rebukes him, put him aside, and he says, "Do you think that I cannot appeal to my father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angels?" One legion is 6,000.

He says, "12 of them." Easily by just saying, "God, come." Peter, you think I need you to protect me? You don't recognize who I am. So the only reason why I'm submitting myself is because I have to go to the cross. When Pontian's Pilate was offended that Jesus was not answering him, as he was questioning him, "Why do you not speak?" It says in John 19:10-11, "Pilate said to him, 'You do not speak to me.

Do you not know that I have authority to release you, and I have authority to crucify you?' Jesus answered, 'You would have no authority over me unless it has been given you from above. For this reason, he who delivered me to you has the greater sin.'" The only reason why I'm standing before you is because I humble myself, because I am emptying myself.

You don't have any authority over me. Pilate says, "You do not know who I am," and Jesus turns the table and said, "No, you do not know who I am." In Matthew 14:65, "They blindfolded him and spit and struck Jesus, mocking him, saying, 'Prophesy, who hit you.'" Can you imagine?

Can you imagine who he is? And they're hitting him and mocking him and spitting on him and Jesus just standing there taking it. Why? Because his work wasn't finished. He emptied himself. Matthew 27:40, "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." And saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild in three days, save yourself.

If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." Can you imagine hanging on the cross and how tempted he must have been to get off that cross? To step off that cross and say, "How dare you?" And yet he did not. He did not because his work wasn't done.

Fourth and finally, Jesus emptied himself of his intimate presence with the Father. If you look at history, they have books and books of the last words of famous people on their deathbed or before they're executed. The last thing that they say. Because whatever it is that they said, it's going to be magnified.

It's the essence of who they are. These are the things that were on their heart and at the tip of their tongue before they passed. Well, guess what? We have the last words of Jesus. As he is hanging on the cross, it says in Mark 15:34, the last words he said was, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Up to this point, every time he word to God the Father was Father, Father.

But at the cross where he took on the sins of the world and he had to be separated from the Father because he who knew no sin became sin. The last words. He didn't say, "Father, why are you torturing me? Why is this? This is not fair." He says, "To God, my God, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" In Isaiah 53:5-6, it says, "But he was pierced through for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us turn to his own way." Pay attention to this. "But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to follow him." Who did that to him?

L-O-R-D. In Hebrew, Yahweh. His Father did that to him. His Father did that to him. 2 Corinthians 5:21, "He made him who knew no sin to be sin." Who made him sin? His Father did. "He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him." He hung on the cross and he had every authority, every right to get off that throne and judge the world, but he hung upon that cross because he emptied himself.

He emptied himself of his glory. He emptied himself of his power. He emptied himself of his will, and then he emptied himself of his intimate relationship with the Father. So he cries out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Now we know what he has done, and that in and of itself is a mystery, but when we understand why he did that, this is why you and I here are here to worship.

This is why, for the last 2,000 years, people have taken time off. People have done things to celebrate this day. This is not an ordinary birthday that we celebrate. This is God taking on human form. He became a man. Hebrews 2:14-15, it says, "Therefore, since the children share in the flesh and blood, he himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives." Jesus became a bondservant, a slave, to free us from our slavery of our own sins.

Jesus became a servant that we may be magnified when Christ comes. Jesus tasted death so that you and I may have life and have this life abundantly. He came to reconcile us to the Father, to deliver us from death. So he did and experienced and did everything that you and I that I deserved so that we may have life and have this life abundantly.

Let me give you an illustration that might help us to understand what human rebellion looks like. The Bible tells us that we have been created to be image bearers. In other words, that we were created to be worshipers. And there's a reason why so many people pay ridiculous amount of money to go watch people play professional sports.

Because you find joy and satisfaction. Right? You will take time off. You will do things. You will travel far in order to support your team because it produces joy. Because you and I were created to be worshipers and that's where we find true life. When we see something magnificent and we celebrate that we fit into what God had intended.

A human rebellion is like if you're watching a Super Bowl and then and it's a fantastic game going back and forth touchdown interceptions going back and forth back and forth and all of a sudden some guy comes in takes his shirt off has his name printed on his shirt on his chest and he's walking around and he's disturbing the game because he wants some of the attention.

So he's garnering every he's stopping the game because no look at me look at me look at me. And doing so not only does he ruin the game he's making a fool of himself and at the end of that he will be punished. He'll be punished. See that's a microcosm of man's rebellion.

That though God created us to be his image bearers and where we find life and life abundant is when we see the glory of God and we live in eternity celebrating because that's how God created us. But man's rebellion is he wants to get into the middle. Look at me.

I want to be great. I want to be recognized. And at the end of that not only does it ruin our family ruin our society but it taints the glory of God. That's how the Bible describes to all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So Christ came exactly the opposite of that person.

Christ came humbled emptied himself as a bond servant as a slave surrendered his will in order to save us. But not only does he save us in Hebrews 4:15-16 says for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but one who has been tempted in all things as we are yet without sin.

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Not only did he deliver us he says he continues as a perfect mediator 100% God 100% man so that he may sympathize so that even now after we have believed Christ that we understand that he's a sympathetic high priest who says come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart. You know what happened to me after the three months of telemarketing I have compassion for telemarketers. I know I know how annoying it is when you get especially on your cell phone now like more and more calls are coming in is that hey you know you got the you want some some you know like you want some roof or you we're selling tires whatever it is they call and you just got click right I can't do that anymore I have to have a conversation it's like oh thanks for calling it's nice and you did a good job opening up you know you know make sure you do this I'm just not interested right now but it's hard for me to hang up on them right because I sympathize I know what it feels like all day getting cussed out Christ took on human form not only to save us from our sins but to be a sympathetic high priest to bring us to God in second Corinthians 8:9 for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sake he became poor so that you through his poverty might become rich let me conclude with this some of you who might have been invited here because it was Christmas maybe you came to watch some of your nieces and nephews and grandchildren to come and perform and maybe you are a co-worker that came because you're curious why is it that you make such a big deal about Christmas the reason why Jesus did all of that is because our sins are weighing us down our sins is going to lead to judgment and the only way to save us is to reverse that curse and that curse was reversed on the cross but there is a contingency he says in first John 1:9 if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness if you've never asked for forgiveness from this God we invite you now you don't have to have theological words you don't need to know the Bible all you need to know is I heard the invitation I believe that this is this must be real maybe all the things that I've been experiencing it fits in with what's been what's been said and maybe just humbly come before God God forgive me of my sins if you came all the way here to save me I want to be saved and to simply come before the Lord and confess you acknowledge Lord I'm a sinner in need of your grace and to just honestly pray God if you're real forgive me so I ask that you would just simply pray if you have more questions about that you can go to the tent outside and we have pastors and people that can help you with that they have some materials that they can give you that you can you can take home or maybe you were invited here by a friend and you can ask some more detailed questions about it if this is not real the whole world has been duped this is the biggest lie in human history but if this is real which I believe it is there's nothing more important there's no greater question that you need to answer than this does God exist did God really come did he really die for my sins and can he really reconcile me to this God I pray that you would come to know this God that you would have this life and life abundant as well let's pray a gracious and merciful God help us Lord to see help us to hear from you help us Lord God to respond to you in a reasonable manner offer our bodies as a living sacrifice that if we're believers that we would live the rest of our lives praising you thanking you and proclaiming you if we have come just out of curiosity and if anything that I've said made any sense I pray that you would open their ears open their eyes that they may be able to worship you as well and to be forgiven of their sins to be made whole so for that end Lord God we pray for your mercy we pray for your grace that we may all together worship you in spirit and in truth in Jesus name we pray amen let's all stand up for the closing praise Let's sing joy to the world.

Joy to the world, the Lord is God. Let earth be seen, the King. Let every heart prepare Him. Let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen. Let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen. Joy to the world, joy to the world, the Savior is. Let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen.

Let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen. Let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen. Let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen. Let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen. Let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen. Let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen.

Let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen. Let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen. Let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen. Let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen. Let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen, let all earth be seen.

Surely our griefs he himself bore, and our sorrows he carried. Yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us turned to his own way. but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. Help us, Lord God, as we celebrate Christmas, the incarnation of Christ, that as we understand what he sacrificed for us, that we would return the joy to him through worship and celebration.

In Jesus' name we pray. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. God sent us out. They called Him Jesus. He came to us. He left for you. He left for you. He left for you. To buy my pardon. An empty grave is there too. My Savior lives. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives. All fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future. And life is worth the living just because He lives. Father, before the dawn of time, You spoke and all created.

Christmas Service - 12/21/2025

Transcript