Pastor Brian and Jacque Lother
Jacque: Brian woke up this morning and said, "My thumbs hurt." Because he played so many notes last night. Oh, it was so fun last night, I tell ya. I can't start saying names cause everybody was so awesome, but I so enjoyed, oh Ted and Ned or Ed and Ned were just so hilarious. Mary wrote that skit, Mary Gibson. It was so awesome. So everything was so funny. It was just so great. Thank you all for being a part. We weren't able to live stream it.
Brian: No. Am I on?
Jacque: I think we could talk about that. It's always my fault. It's never the audio guy's fault. We decided because so many of our livestream personnel were involved in the program last night. We didn't livestream it, but we did record it. And now we are in the process of editing that recording and we'll have it available in the near future, on our website for anybody who would like to go back and watch that. For those of you who weren't able to see it, we'll have it there for you as well
Jacque: And so we could probably use a couple more people on the staff.
Brian: So we probably need a few more people in our livestream department.
Jacque: Yes. Yes, we do. Good opportunity.
Brian: It's a great opportunity.
Jacque: We just want to talk for a couple minutes. Next Sunday, the joy, just older youth are gathering here at church.
Brian: Didn't we make a change in the age group for that, because there were so many people coveting that wanted to be in the group that we decide to eliminate a whole bunch of sin by lowering the age group?
Jacque: Anybody can come. Everybody can come. Come one, come all.
Brian: Yes. Come, everybody.
Jacque: It'll be fun. Bring an appetizer and we'll sing carols and have fun. Janise said to me— I'm not sure I'm quoting this right, but it was so sweet. She said to me last night that she described our church to somebody and she said, "They just make you happy." Is that what you said? That was so encouraging to me because we should be happy. We have Jesus living in us. So come and be happy at the joy group. Yes. And then the Christmas Eve service 4:o clock, Christmas Eve for one hour. We have a good time, music and just reflecting. There is nothing quite like a Christmas Eve service.
Jacque: Candle lights.
Brian: Yeah. That's special, very special.
Jacque: Yes. And then Dave and Deb Thompson will be serving communion after the service. Yep. Yep. Thank you, Dave and Deb.
Brian: It's good to see everybody. Adeine, Jesus is with you.
Jacque: I was thinking when we were praying and just lingering, this is what community is. We take time to walk with each other. We take time for each other.
Brian: It's really interesting how some things that become common place, we begin to either take them for granted or we don't see the significance in them when they seemingly are more common. I read an interesting story about a couple of gentlemen. It was a very cold February morning in 1809. These two men were walking on separate roads and they happened to come to a crossroads simultaneously in Hardin County, Kentucky. They were neighbors. Of course, neighbors back in those days lived like five or six miles apart. They didn't live like right next door. One of them said to the other, "Anything new out your way?" The other fell responded by saying, "Well, you know, nothing really new ever happens out here very much, except for one thing; there was a baby born over in Tom Lincoln's cabin."
This story underscores the incredible truth, which is this, that one of the many testimonies to the greatness of God is God's ability to change the course of history by the birth of a baby. That baby that was born, of course in Tom Lincoln's cabin was none other than Abraham Lincoln. Even though Lincoln was not able to eliminate the prejudice that was in the hearts of people, he began a journey and a course correction that was badly needed and still is needed in our country, but God mightily used him to do that. When God works in history, because sometime we have this idea and there is actually a whole group of people that believe that God is really kind of outside of our history, that God created the world kind of like a winding up a stopwatch and then he put it on the counter and it's ticking away, but he has nothing to do with it. That's particular way of thinking is called deism.
But God is not a— the concept of deism is a wrong concept because God is not removed from our realm. God is not out there simply observing us, but God is actively participating in our lives and with our lives and over our lives. Every single one of us has incredible significance. And many, many times God's work is associated with the birth of a child. The fact of the matter is God had a purpose in mind when you were born, regardless of how your or origination happened. See, there is a lot of people today that think if a child wasn't wanted, or it was the product of some kind of abuse and what have you, that that child doesn't have significance. But let me tell you something; only life comes from God and no child has insignificance in the eyes of God, regardless of how they began and how they originated.
When a wrong needs righting, God oftentimes has a baby born, like Martin Luther King. When work needs doing oftentimes has a baby born like Moses, because there was a job to do. There was a whole bunch of people in slavery that needed freedom. When truth needs declaring, a baby was born, not unlike John the Baptist or Billy Graham. When a world needed saving, God sent a baby into the world. For as long as babies are being born, I believe hope is alive. That's the title of my message today: Hope is alive. I would like to read the two most well-known portions of scripture talking about the birth of our savior. They are found in Luke chapter 2 versus 1 through 14 and then also on Matthew chapter 2 versus 1 through 15. I'm going to have Jacque just kind of refresh our memory by reading these two portions of scriptures.
Jacque: From the new living Testament. At that time, the Roman emperor Augustus decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman empire was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria. All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for the census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him, Mary, his fiancée, who is now obviously pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a major because there was no lodging available for them. That night, there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them and they were terrified, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid," he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people, the savior. Yes, the Messiah. The Lord has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David. And you'll recognize him by this sign. You'll find a baby rap snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger." Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others, the armies of heaven, praising God and saying glory to God in highest heaven and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.
Brian: Wow. Just ponder that for a moment. We are going to come back to the manger in a second here. But interestingly enough, it wasn't so much the sign that he was wrapped in strip of cloth, because that was a tradition, but it wasn't a tradition that babies would be laid in a feeding trough in a barn or a place that would house livestock. And if anything that we can learn about the nature and character of God is that the way God sent his salvation into the world, he sent it in a way that everybody would feel welcome to it. He didn't, he didn't send his son to the most incredible opulent palace that was available in Israel, but to one of the least significant towns to a, basically a cave or corral that housed livestock in one of the least significant towns of Bethlehem. That's where Jesus’ arrivals started, so that all feel welcome. Let's read Matthew.
Jacque: Matthew 2, 1through 15. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from Eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem asking where is the newborn king of the Jews. We saw his star as it rose and we have come to worship him.
Brian: Let me just pause here for a second. The significance of this goes all the way back to the prophetic word to Abraham, where God said to Abraham through you, what is going to happen? All the nations of the world will be blessed. All the nations of the world were to be included. Unfortunately, throughout Israel's history and the way they applied the law of God, they became the insiders and everybody else was the outsiders, but that was never God's plan God's plan was that he chose a very small, weak people, not because they were so wonderful and important and significant, but more than likely because they were so weak and insignificant. He said I'm going to bring my salvation because that's what I do. I save. And I'm going to bring my salvation into the world through the least significant people group on the face of the earth.
Unfortunately, when they began to call themselves the chosen people, because that's what God called them, because they were chosen to be the vehicle by which Jesus was going to be carried into the world in the same way that if a donkey was the vehicle that Jesus rode into Jerusalem was the vehicle that Jesus to come into Jerusalem. But because they were called the chosen people, they began to become full of pride and arrogance. They thought they were more important, more significant, more valuable and better than everybody else. They fell into the same problem that caused Satan to be kicked out of heaven, pride and arrogance. I tell you something, my friends, there is nothing more destructive than pride, nothing. When it gets into the realm of theology, when it gets into the church, it's, destructive, it's hurtful, it's harmful, but humility is something that God is looking for. He raises up people who will be humble.
These Magi were not from Israel. They were outsiders. By this time when Jesus was born, this whole pecking order had been established of insiders and outsiders. These people were from a distant land who really didn't understand the ways of the Old Testament. They didn't have the laws of God. They didn't have the sacrificial system as their means of becoming right with God, but God spoke to them and they said something very significant. We have seen his star. I find this in incredibly interesting that when God had something significant to say about the birth of his son, he made a sign in the heavens. Now, the only people looking into the heavens are astrologers today. We have been robbed as believers seeing signs from God. And yet Jesus himself said that at the end of this age, many of the signs that are going to show are going to be signs in the heavens. So I would suggest that we start looking upwards and we start looking to the heavens to see what are you doing, God, what kind of things are in store for us? Let's not let the devil rob us of some of the ways that God wants to speak to us because the astrologers wanted to predict our future from it. Enough are stumping on that. Let's go on.
Jacque: King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this as was everyone in Jerusalem, he called a meeting of the leading priest and teachers of religious law and asked, "Where is the messiahs of supposed to be born?" "In Bethlehem, Judea," they said. For this is what the prophet wrote. And you O Bethlehem in the land of Judah are not leased among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you, who will be the shepherd for my people of Israel. Then Herod called a private meeting with the wise men. He learned from them the time when the star first appeared. And then he told them, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him come back and tell me so that I can go worship him too."
Brian: I don't think he was being sincere about that. Do you?
Jacque: God told them. He took care of it. Didn't he?
Brian: Yeah, he did.
Jacque: After this interview, the wise men went their way and the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem.
Brian: So obviously when they had arrived at Jerusalem, the star wasn't visible. So this was a star that kind of came and went in a sense, we followed it and then it disappeared. Then they saw it again. They followed it some more and ultimately they ended up in Jerusalem, but they lost it by the time they got Jerusalem, but it made sense that they would go to the headquarters of Israel, the king of the Jews. They inquired in the palace or where the king was and thinking, of course their thoughts was, this has been born here to the king and everybody is going to be rejoicing. And that wasn't at all the reception that the Magi received. And so as they began to leave because they were given the instructions to look into the direction of Bethlehem, which is about four miles south of Jerusalem, the star, all of a sudden appeared.
Jacque: The star went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. And when they saw the star, they were filled with joy and they entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chest and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route for God had warned them in a dream not to return to her. And after the Wiseman were gone and angel, the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, "Get up, flee to Egypt with the child and his mother," the angel said. "Stay there until I tell you to return because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him. That night, Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother and they stayed there until Herod's death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet. I called my son out of Egypt.
Brian: When you read these two persons of scripture, you see a real mixture of what I call the natural and the, a supernatural happening. There were natural events that were happening, but there were supernatural events that were present as well. All creation seems to rejoice over this miraculous birth of Jesus. As we see witness here. Even though this whole event took place in a stable, it was still a very supernatural thing. The onlookers that came to the stable, I believe spoken whispers about kingship and royal throne. The shepherds, they left their work. They left their products and came to look and worship and see the wise men from the east. I've ridden a camel and I tell you what, it's not the best mode of transportation.
Jacque: It's not very pretty.
Brian: And it's not very pretty, especially if it's overloaded
Jacque: There were angels everywhere that night.
Brian: There were angels. Every wear it to make sure everything got done, just how God wanted it to get done. And you know what? God has never had a lack for support from the angelic hosts. These people from the east, these wise men, these star gazers, they came to honor this infant while a mad and jealous king plotted to kill him. It's interesting how the Magi had a revelation and how Herod and some of the other people who were biblical scholars, if we would call it that, or Old Testament scholars, did not have a revelation. I've been thinking about that word revelation, because we use it a fair amount. Don't we? I had a revelation or whatever. I thought I want to come up with a definition of really what a revelation is. What I came up with was this: when an event and the meaning of that event are united. When an event and the very significance or meaning of that event are united, there is where a revelation takes place.
Luke, the doctor, reports on the birth of Jesus and then he explores all the significance of that birth from the Old Testament prophets and the shepherds and the angels and political leaders and other people. But the fact of the matter is few people today are aware of why Jesus was born. Very few people today are unaware of the birth of Jesus. But very few people are aware of why he was born. The whole world is aware of the fact that Jesus was born. The whole world talks about the birth of Jesus. More people have talked about the birth of Jesus than any other single person who has ever been born.
When a president is alive people talk about him. Very, very few people ever, ever talk about Calvin Coolidge. Very few people today talk about Dwight Eisenhower as the president. How about Jimmy Carter? He is still alive, but very few people talk about him. So within the span of the lifetime of someone who has had a significant role in society or history, usually within a lifetime, very few people are talking about that person. But that's not the case with Jesus. People have been talking about the birth of Jesus for 2000 years. And yet the fact of the matter is the vast majority of people are still lacking the revel or the meaning of why he was born. What transpired in a manger in Bethlehem is a very tangible irrefutable demonstration of what I would call divine compassion.
I would like to take a couple more scripture versus one is Luke 2:7 and the other is John 3:16. I've kind to combine them together a little bit, and I would like to read that because I believe Luke's account of Jesus birth and John's declaration of God's love are best read together. And so we see this. For God loved the world so much that Mary gave birth to her first son and she wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger. In this very day in David's town, your savior has been born, Christ, the Lord, so that everyone who believes in him may not die, but have everlasting life or eternal life.
See how much more significant it becomes when you read those two passages together. God's love for the world is far more than simply an idea. God's love for the world has become very specific. It is directed towards all the individuals in the world. It's directed towards you. It's directed towards me. I would like to ask your question. Do you remember the first time someone who you really cared about said I love you? I remember the first time Jacque said that to me. I remember it. And it was over 48 years ago. I still remember like it happened yesterday. I cared about this lady and when she said that, she said she loved me, I felt like I was the most important person in the whole world. I was a broke student at the University of Minnesota, but I felt like I was the most significant person in the whole world. Her expression of love for me made me feel so important and so significant.
Now, in your mind's eyes, I would like us all to kind of just go back to that manger scene; go back to that manger scene. Our minds have an incredible ability to imagine. So imagine you standing right there at that manger for a moment and just take it all in, take all the sight, take in all the sounds take in all the smells. Take in the shepherds bowing. Take in the angel singing. I don't know if you've ever heard angel sing, but I have. I've heard angel sing two times in my life. One time we were leading worship at a conference and all of a sudden this singing was like an octave higher than all of the gals that were singing on the worship team. But it wasn't female voices. It was male voices, but they were an octave higher. They weren't singing what we were singing. They were singing this contrapuntal part that was weaving in and out of we were singing and it startled me. I looked and I said, who's saying that like on stage and I'm looking at all the vocalists and I could see their mouths and none of them were singing what I was hearing.
It wasn't coming from the audience. It was coming from a presence right there. And it stunned me. I thought, I wonder if I should talk to anybody about this and so I thought I would take the cautious approach and I didn't. I didn't even talk to Jacque about it. The next Sunday we were back at our church, Calvary Temple, and I had a real good view of the worship team at Calvary Temple. My piano was here and the worship team was kind of behind me. And it happened again. I heard these incredible voices and I'm looking at who is doing that. And then it was like, these are angel singers. So I went to my dear friend, George Cruisey, who is now with the Lord, and I said, "George, did you hear anything different at the conference in this morning than we normally hear?" He said, "Did you hear it too?" I have to tell you angels have good voices, man. If you can never hear an angel sing, it will change your life forever. The shepherds heard those angels sing. They had an angel that came and said what all angels say to men: don't be afraid. That's the declaration that all angels say to guys.
Jacque: The women usually start talking to them right away.
Brian: Yeah. They start talking to them right away. The women, but what took you so long? But the guys are hiding and the angels said, "Don't be afraid because unto you today is born in this city of David, a savior, Christ." All of a sudden there were thousands of angels there singing. I can tell you something; those shepherds never thought badly of themselves ever after that. Their lives were changed.
But as we kind of stand before the manger, I believe we can discover that God's love is not just for the world, but it's for us. It's for you. It's for me. And that's why we have something important to tell other people. Now, if all that we have is trying to convince somebody else to begin to believe in the doctrinal things that we be leave, that's going to be a challenge. But if we can begin to tell them our story about what Jesus has done in our lives and how he has taken us from a place of insignificance to significance by simply him saying those incredible words, I love you. When we hear those words, like the woman at the well, or the demoniac of the gaderines or the woman with the withered arm or the man with the withered arm or blind Bartimaeus, or the woman with the issue of blood or whoever it might be, because we are just like them. We are all broken. The only one that sinned that was never broken was Satan. He wasn't broken when he sinned. He was perfect. He was flawless. He sinned anyways, the sin of pride.
All of our sins have come as a result of our brokenness and things that have happened to us and the environment that we are broken into. I'm not saying that we are not accountable for it because we are responsible to say yes to Jesus. But the fact of the matter is Humpty Dumpty was pushed. And so were we and all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put us back together again, but Jesus could. And so that's something that I have a motivation to tell other people. I don't have much motivation to ask people to join my denomination. I don't have much motivation to get people to even study systematic theology with me, but I certainly have a motivation to tell people what Jesus has done for me. He has touched my heart and changed my life and given me significance.
The appearance of the angels to the shepherds, I think even provides a great clue as to the very nature of God's love because the shepherds, they weren't the most popular and favored people. They weren't, and their work prevented them from washing enough to meet the requirements of ritual purity. There was no shepherd around that ever claimed ritual purity. I find it really interesting that the first announcement of Christ's birth was delivered to the religiously impure. I think that tells us something about our God and his heart for the disenfranchised and the people who are thoughtless of in our culture. And this is a sign of things to come that God's love embraces all people God's love is for every single person on the face of the earth. It's for literally everyone. The birth of Jesus is about a personal God, never, ever leaving anybody alone. That's what it's about: a personal God who will never leave anybody alone. It's about a God who loves all people, regardless of if they are street people or homeowners, whether they are the sick or healthy. Do you have something you want to say?
Jacque: Well, I just heard Bob Schuler say this on a podcast last night. He says, "We love you and you deserve dignity because you are loved by God."
Brian: Yes, that's so good. We don't always give people dignity, but God wants to.
Jacque: But we should.
Brian: We are to reflect what God wants.
Jacque: Give everyone dignity because God loves everyone.
Brian: There are aggressive people in the world, and there are passive people in the world and God loves them both. There are rich people in the world and there certainly are poor people in the world and God loves them all. According to our standards, there are handsome people and homely people. I have a feeling that if we were to actually see what Jesus really looked like, he wouldn't look like Tom Cruise.
Jacque: And the handsomeness, I mean, the beauty
Brian: Was in his heart.
Jacque: Whatever, we feel like we look like when we are young, it fades.
Brian: I was going to say, it's a fading memory, but it's a faded memory, but you still look beautiful to me, babe. Let's face it. We have prejudice in this world because people think they are more important and more valuable than others, whether it's based on skin color or whether it's based on societal order or economics or whatever.
Jacque: Education.
Brian: Education, and that's rooted in pride. God is not like that at all. His love is for them morally upright, as well as the unjust sinner. His love is the same. It's for everybody. Let's say it together. God's love is for everybody. One more time. God's love is for every everybody. it's for everybody. And to stand before the manger and contemplate the birth of Jesus is to meditate on the fact that God loves me. On Christmas, when you begin to open up your gifts and your gifts will be an expression of people who love and appreciate you say to yourself, this is just a token, an expression of the real love I have. God loves me. God long to demonstrate his love so much, that he ordained a baby to be born. And because he ordained that baby to be born hope is alive today. There is always hope if there is a manger. There is always hope if there is a manger.
I know that there are things at times, whether it's a doctor's prognosis or some economic forecast about what's happening in the world on and on and on. There is always enough naysayers to get us discouraged, isn't there? If you want to lose your hope, turn on the news. If you want to lose your hope, read the headlines in the paper, but if you want to have hope spring fourth in your heart, read the Christmas story. Read Luke chapter 2, 1 through 14 or Matthew chapter 2, 1 through 15. Just keep reading it. Just keep reading it because as you read it, you'll begin to see something really incredible. That is how absolutely significantly important every single one of you are. You are made for a purpose.
Jacque and I have talked about this. We've been very fortunate. Jacque knew what God wanted of her life when she was 12. I come by slow freight. So I'm the like three weeks later delivery or three months. So I was a senior in college before I understood really why God had made me. I think some of that had to do with rebellion in me. But when I discovered what God I had made me for and we found each other and we've lived our lives in that purpose and in that reason for why we were created, people will say to us, how can you do what you do? My response is I can't think of myself doing anything else, but what we are doing because I know why God made us. And because I know why God made us whenever there is something to do, I know that he will give me the strength to do it.
Jacque: And the grace.
Brian: And the grace to do it. Sometimes that grace is waiting and sometimes you have to wait a long time, but there is a grace, even in waiting that God will give to us while he is working behind the scenes and putting all things together. In the fullness of time, Jesus was born.
Jacque: I think what Pastor Jeff did today to just have us all linger and take time is just an example for us this advent season to just really stop. I know that it inspired me to even stop more in the quiet and to focus on that personal aspect of Christmas that Jesus came for me.
Brian: And so your life, whether you are watching by livestream or you are here today, you might have some things in your life that might feel to you as though they are hopeless. You might have some challenge is that you don't actually have the answers for right now. And you are not sure what you are going to do or what you should do, or what am I going to do if this happens? I would simply ask you today to go back to the manger because in the manger is where hope is born. Our hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight, oh little town of Bethlehem. I would like pastor Robert to come and just pray over all of us and those of you are watching by livestream. I do think that there are people today that need to have hope arise.
I have more hope today because a baby was born roughly some 40 years ago. His name is Roberts Smith. I have hope today for what God wants to do at Hope Community because of Pastor Robert and Tequaris, because of Pastor Jeff and Cheryl, because of all of you. I have hope for what God has for us here. Sometimes it's easy to feel as though we are like Bethlehem, that little insignificant town, but I do believe that there has been faithfulness here among people like Pastor Robert and Pastor Jeff, Jacque, and many others here at this church. I believe that just like the whole world was transformed with the birth of Jesus, there is a whole new birthing that is happening here at Hope Community. I would like you to just come and pray.
Robert: Hallelujah he greatest thing that happened to me in my life was the moment that I learned why I was born. It's the most freeing thing in the world. But the entryway, the pathway to fulfilling the purpose of your birth comes through your acceptance of Jesus Christ as your savior. Every person born in earth is born with a purpose. Every person is born with an assignment on this earth, but there is a journey, there is a pathway, there is a guide that we all have to follow if we want to fulfill that destiny. A scary thing can happen when you realize what you are born to do. You start all of the list of disqualifications. And outside of Christ, those qualifications will stick to you. But in Christ, all of these disqualifications go away because of the love of Christ, the love of God for you.
For the scripture tells us that God so loved the world, the world that loved him back. No, the world that was outside of him in darkness. His motivation God, the creator of the universe, motivation was love. He said for God so love the world that he did what? He condemned you. He threw the keys away. He punished you. No, he said for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, his very substance, the very person that would come from him, who he is. He gave his only begotten son, not to condemn the world, but through him, that son, that gift, the world might be saved.
I have two questions for you, those that are watching on livestream and those of you present. Number one, do you know why you were born? Number two, whether it's yes or no, the second question is, do you want to fulfill while you were born? Well, to do that, I would like to take you on a confession. For in order for us to fulfill are days on this earth as we were designed and created, there is only one way and that's to accept that gift that God gave. My journey started at age 13. I was that my great grandfather's church on an Easter morning and I felt a tugging in my heart. I wasn't prompted like I was times and time before by my parents, but it was that Easter morning that I got up out of my seat and I walked down to the front. I said Jesus, I'm a sinner and I need you. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ was born of a virgin named Mary and that he was born so that I could have access to you, father God. And because I believe that I now ask you to forgive me of my sins.
And so, as my sins are forgiven, I asked him that day at 13, and I'm asking him now and I'm asking you to join me today, that Lord, as you forgive me of my sins, you will activate my purpose for living. I want to be a part of your family, the family of God. And I want to be a brother of Jesus, a sister of Jesus. I want be a friend of God and walk with you, God, just like Adam did in the cool of the day in the garden of eating. I thank you that through the birth and death of your son, Jesus Christ, you have restored mankind to that beginning. If this witness to you, you join me today in saying, I want to be counted in that fold of the redeemer. I've been translated from a world of darkness and now a citizen of the kingdom of light.
If that witnessed to you and you prayed that prayer today, whether in person and I want to see you after service. If you are online and you've prayed that prayer and that witness to you in your heart, email us, call us. We want to connect with you. There is no greater decision that you will ever make in your life. There is no greater moment that will solidify your birth than coming into the fold of Jesus Christ. I know because I wouldn't be here today if God didn't prick my heart at age 13. And yes, like many, I went and followed my own way after that, but there was a remnant seed that was already planted that called me back home. God will forever do the same for you because nothing can pluck you out of his hand. God bless you in Jesus name. Amen.
Brian: Amen. Amen. Thank you Pastor Robert. You may have prayed that prayer just for the very first time in your life or maybe as I was sitting here, I found myself still praying it again because I want every day to be a day that I know and let Jesus know that he is the reason for the season and he is the one that gives me significance in my life. And so we encourage you to let us know if you've discovered your purpose or you've just come to know the Lord, especially those of you are watching online, just send us an email, drop us a text and let us know. We have some videos we'd like to share with you. I have three very important videos of why you matter to God that we would like to get into your hands and we'll send those to you right away. Jacque why you come up? Let's bless the people. Let's raise our hands together. Shall we?
Now may the Lord bless you. And may the Lord keep you and may the Lord make his face to shine upon you and give you his peace. And may the Lord turn his face towards you and give you his incredible peace. And may you discover how much God loves you as you enter the manger. This we pray in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. God bless you. Have a wonderful day. Drive carefully or at least walking in the parking lot. Be careful out here. It's a little icy. I did my best to kid a clean yesterday, but it was tough. God bless you. Thank you for being here today.
Transcript taken from the Sunday morning service 12-12-21. If you would like to watch the full service, click the link below.