May It Be To Me Just As You Have Said
First B Jackson
2021-12-06

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Alright. We're on. Good morning, everybody. How are you? Good to see you.

Hey. What do you say we stand and we'll sing together from Matthew two? It says this about the wise men. It says, when they saw the star and they were filled with joy, and they entered the house and they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and they worshiped him. And I thought, I think we shot...

We should do the same. What do

you think?

Let's do it. Oh, come all you faithful.

Am I technologically... Here I am. I'm... I can hear myself now. Announcements.

Monday nights at first meet. What's happening, Carl?

Yeah. We're on. So tomorrow, we're in John 14, and there'll be a mule, a music, and a message. Felix in Guadalupe will be cooking, and it's been more of a gospel conversation style too. So read the scripture.

I'll comment on it, but the back and forth... The volume back and forth in the conversation has been really good. So know that it's available. It's another worship gathering that we have. You're invited to come.

Also, down the hall this morning, so Awana is happening this week, but it'll be off on the twentieth and the twenty seventh. That's during Christmas break. So it's happening this week, tomorrow night in this room. Scripture being poured into the hearts and the minds of the kids, and it's a great program. Happens at the same time as Monday nights.

I was looking for a slide. There's an Angel Tree slide. There are a few tags left on the Angel Tree out there. You're welcome. Please do grab those.

And if you could bring them back, whatever the tag says, bring back that gift wrapped with that tag with the box. That helps so we don't have to unwrap it to see what's in there. But we are administrating that for this community, and Tanya always takes care of it. If you want to know how you could best serve the people with that particularly, you can talk to Tanya. She said, give them my phone number.

I don't have a picture of it this week. It's (956) 357-3419. You can go back and look at the video of this later. 956357349 if you wanna talk to her about that. Down the hall right now, there are a bunch of Boy Scouts.

They spent the night here last night. Boy Scouts spent the night, and here it is. So 10:00 in the morning, there will be pancakes, and I don't know exactly what they have. They may have biscuits and gravy. They mix it up year to year.

But they're here, and we're glad. This is, I think, I'm not positive, but it's close to the ninetieth year that First Be has been the chartered organization for a group of Boy Scouts. It's ninety years is a long time. And they would love to do their good deed of the day by feeding you. So if you would go down there, would appreciate you all just saying thank you to them.

We have next week, next Sunday, 04:30 in the afternoon, traditional caroling. We're going to walk from here. I don't think we're going to do it on, hay bales or on tractor trailers. We're not going to do that this year. We're going to walk from here and go different places and go caroling around the neighborhood down to the square.

So 04:30 and then we'll come back here for the 6PM chili cook off. This is fun too. This is a fun event. So make your best chili, bring it in at 04:30. It'll simmer and steep down the hall.

There'll be a few people who stay back and kinda get the contest organized, and then we'll go caroling. Nursery helpers are always needed. If you would like to help out in the nursery, if you feel like this is something I could do, an hour for a week, and then, the more helpers we have, the less often people have to do it. But Kristen Galloway is in charge of that. There's her phone number right there.

If you forget about that, you can call us, and we'll direct you. Two weeks from today, December 19, we're having a birthday party for Jesus is what they're calling it. It is sort of a Christmas pageant, lots of readings, and, sort of a dramatization, I think. Afterwards, there's only gonna be one service that day. It'll be at 10AM.

You're gonna be early if you get here at 09:00. So, get here at 10:00. We will have a potluck to follow. So if your name starts with a through l, please bring a side dish. If it's m through z, bring a main dish.

And then we're gonna have an advent reading this morning. Rachel and Dave, would you all come forward and light our advent wreath for us?

This Sunday, the second Sunday in Advent, we light the candle of peace. As we prepare to celebrate the coming of the prince of peace, we're reminded that God's timing is always perfect, and his provision is always sufficient.

Second last... Second Thessalonians three sixteen says, and may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. Amen. Thank you.

Now y'all could stand and join us if you would. We're gonna sing a few more Christmas praises.

God, it is good to be able to sing these old traditional carols of peace and comfort and joy. God, that is who you are. That is what you offer. And, Lord, you're always extending it in our direction. May we receive that today.

In Jesus' name. Amen. You love prophecies. So from Isaiah, here's one. I just...

Let... Let's hear this. You know, seven hundred years before it even happened, Isaiah says, for us, a child is born to us. A son is given. The government will rest on his shoulders.

And listen to the names of Jesus here. He will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, and prince of peace. You can have a seat here for just a moment. This is the worship through giving part of the service, and I'll invite the ushers to come on forward here. Here's a good word from Colossians three this morning.

It says, let the peace of Christ, God's gift of wholeness. That's what that's what peace means. God's gift of wholeness. Rule in your hearts For as members of one body, you're called to live in peace and always be thankful. Pray with your prayer.

Yep. Lord God, may we be carrying good tidings of great joy. May we be exhibiting peace in our souls, lord. May we be at peace, complete wholeness with you, a gift that we've received, accepted, and live in. Lord, I pray that we would be living that out in such a way that people who are in turmoil would find their peace in you the same way that we have.

Lord God, would you give us the words at the appropriate moment? Would you give us the direction, to be in the world but not of the world, lord? May you just carry forward, your work through your people. We thank you. At this time where we come and we, place in these plates, Lord, an offering.

I pray that we would be, doing that figuratively. We'd be placing our whole selves in that, Lord, putting ourselves completely at your disposal. I think of Mary's words that we're gonna cover today. May it be to me, Lord, just as you have said. It doesn't make sense to me, and I don't understand it, But may it be to me just as you have said.

May we walk out those steps that you have prepared for us in advance, and may we reflect your glory. In Jesus' name, Lord, I ask you to bless this offering, gift, and giver, that you would advance your kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Amen. Amen? Amen.

It's time. Children's church downstairs. Advent season in children's church. I love it. And if you want to come forward, there are plenty of holes that just opened up in the in the seats up here.

I know how much people wanna come forward. So I have a Bible just in case this week. Right? I've got one that's actually up here. I'm gonna do a lot of reading this morning because I wanna read that Christmas story.

Now, we've been going through a harmony of the gospels. So, harmony of the synoptic gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And we've been doing that for... Since August, I think.

We finished up Revelation. We started in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And what I've been doing is showing you like this. Okay, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this is the passage we're going to cover today. And because we're doing the Christmas story, kept telling you at the beginning, we started actually in Mark one and in Matthew three and in Luke three, so we skipped over a couple of things.

Mark does not tell the Christmas story. That's why we were able to start with Mark one one. Matthew and Luke both do. And so the Christmas story, and this is going to take several. The Christmas story in Matthew and Luke looks like this.

So Matthew is shorter than Luke. We'll cover Matthew next week. All right? Luke keeps on going. But that's it.

And we're going to start here. I'd like to read the whole story. This thing's cutting out and I'm not sure why. Christmas trees interfere with this a little bit. So I'm going try to be still if I find a spot that keeps the mic going.

If not, there's one over there I can pick up. Since many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us. This is Luke, Gentile, physician. Luke. And he's an orderly historian and a very accurate and good historian.

And so when he starts out, he's saying why in the first four verses. Since many have undertaken to compile an account, there are a lot of people who've written a lot of things about Jesus, but I am trying to take all of the things that are handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. It seemed fitting to me as well having investigated everything carefully from the beginning to write it all out for you in an orderly sequence. Most excellent Theophilus, friend of God or lover of God, one who loves God. So that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

I hope to do this morning is cover Luke one and Luke two. We'll see how it goes. I will look at the glaze on your eyes and decide how far we go. In the days of Herod. Okay.

Character number one. He is not mentioned in Luke except for a time marker. We'll see him again in Matthew. He'll be a bad guy next week. The In days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah.

First character I want you to pay attention to is Zechariah. Zechariah of the division of Abijah and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron and her name was Elizabeth, second character I want you to pay attention to. They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all of the commandments and the requirements of the Lord. That's nice. Good folk.

And yet, they had no child. Just that right there we could stop and preach a whole sermon on. Yet they had no child because Elizabeth was infertile and they were both advanced in years. Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service, this is Zechariah, it's probably his turn to be priest. He's probably not a professional priest.

It was sort of a voluntary position like one of our elders would serve here or board of trustees member. But it is his priestly service and he was a conscientious, God fearing man. And he was... While he was performing his priestly service, going about his business, before God in the order of his division to the custom of that priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude...

The people were in prayer outside of... At the hour of incense offering. That's normal. Everybody's expecting that. That's church.

You show up for church, you kind of know what to expect. Right? So he's the priest this time and he is going about the normal course of business. And now, verse 11 says, now an angel of the Lord appeared to him. Now that's a different thing.

An angel of the Lord, a messenger of the Lord appeared to him, stand to the right of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw the angel because I know how church goes and this is different. When he saw the angel and fear gripped him. So his first reaction was troubled and fear. But the angel said to him, don't be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall name him John.

You will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice after his birth for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. And he'll drink no wine or liquor and he'll be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother's womb. This is a gift from God. And the angel messenger is announcing it to Zechariah and he... This is speaking to the baby, John the Baptist.

He will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. And it is he who will go as a forerunner before him in the spirit and the power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children. If you know anything about the Old Testament, that is a quote from Malachi. It's the very end of the, the Old Testament. It is just preceding the intertestamental silence.

It's been four hundred years since they've heard an authoritative word from the Lord. And the prophecy to Zechariah, God just going about his business in the priestly service, a dedicated and faithful man. His prayer has been heard. His wife will bear a son in her old age. And then that baby will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.

And it is he who will go as a forerunner before him in the spirit and in the power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous to make ready a people who are prepared for the Lord. What a prophecy. And Zechariah said to angel, how how how will I know this? For I'm an old man and my wife is advanced in years. And the angel said to him, I'm Gabriel who stands in the presence of God and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

And behold, you'll be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place because you did not believe my words. Now, there's a way to question and we'll see that in a minute. But his question was, this can't happen. I understand how this works. I'm old.

She's old. This ain't going to happen. Physically, this just won't happen. I don't believe it and had rejected it. And his question was one that rejected the idea, How is that going to be?

That's not going to happen. I'm old. She's old. Not going to happen. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled at their proper time.

God is still going do what God is going to do. So Zechariah first, reaction, disbelief at first. Now we'll go forward. And meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah. This is a crowd outside, and they're wondering at his delay in the temple because they know how church goes too, and it should be over by now.

But when he came out, was unable to speak to them and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple and he repeatedly made signs to them and yet remained speechless. Why? Because he was struck mute for his disbelief. So I know what it's like. We served at a deaf school in Mexico for seven years.

I know what it's like to not know sign language. And all of my inventive hand motions, I just had to... That's where I started standing with my hands behind my back. He couldn't get anything across to them. When the days of his priestly service were concluded, he went back home.

He remained speechless. Now, after these days, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant. And she kept herself in seclusion for five months saying, this is the way that the Lord has dealt with me in the days when he looked with favor upon me to take away my disgrace among the people. Her response to this was joy. It was it was, joy.

But she was still kinda by herself. Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin, betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the descendants of David and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, greetings, favored one same angel. Okay. Gabriel stands in the presence of God.

He went to Zechariah. Zechariah did not believe and questioned him how this was to be. Now, he's got another message for another person. The virgin betrothed to this man whose name was Joseph, descends of David and virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, greetings favored one.

The Lord is with you. But... Perplexed. She was very... Perplexed at what type of statements this was.

And she was pondering what kind of greeting this was. It's a messenger of God. And the angel said to her, do not be afraid. She's perplexed. It doesn't say she was afraid like Zechariah was or troubled, but perplexed, confused.

The angel said to her, don't be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God and behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son and you shall name him Jesus. He'll be great and we call the son of the most high and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign. We just sang it. He will reign forevermore, forevermore. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end.

But Mary said to the angel, how will this be since I'm a virgin? She said, basically, the same thing that Zechariah said. I know how this works and I don't see this happening. But she was predisposed to believe. She was disposed to believe.

And Mary said to the angel, how will this be since I'm a virgin? The angel answered and said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you. And for that reason also, this holy child will be called the son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth, okay, there's a connection here, will... Herself has conceived a son in her old age and she who was called infertile is now in her sixth month.

For nothing will be impossible with God. God is gonna do what God is gonna do. And I think our reaction to it, our response to it is important for our experience of what God is doing. Nothing will be impossible with God. Mary said, behold the Lord's bondservant.

I am the Lord's bondservant. May it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her. So Mary is a character in Luke one I want you to pay attention to. We cover Mary every single year at this time.

I'm trying to get all of them. Luke one and Luke two, all on the same day. Now at this time, Mary set out and she went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, And she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. These are kinfolk. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leapt in her womb.

John the Baptist is a character here in Luke one. In utero. His reaction was to leap for joy. Isn't that great? When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she cried out with a loud voice and said, blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

Now has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord would come to me? Elizabeth responded with joy when she heard the news that she was pregnant and then when she sees Mary and hears her, she's filled with the Holy Spirit and she just starts flowing all of this goodness from God. And then she's humbled by it. She's humbled by this teenage cousin, and she's in her old age. That doesn't happen in their culture.

Okay? She sees that and she says, you're the mother of my Lord. I love that Luke investigated this so thoroughly. And Mary said this is known as the Magnificat, the Magnificat. This is laden with Old Testament scripture.

It's all over, the place, but I'm not gonna go and undo everyone. I'm trying through two chapters here. Mary said, my soul exalts the Lord and my spirit... God my savior for he has had regard for the humble state of his bond servant. We know that God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.

For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed. And by the way, they have. For the mighty one has done great things for me and holy is his name and his mercy is to generation after generation towards those who revere or fear him. He has done mighty deeds with his arm. He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the rulers from their thrones. He has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and he sent the rich away empty handed. He has given help to his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy. God did it because that's who he is.

That's how he is. Just as he spoke to our fathers when Carl said, I love prophecy. Just as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever. Now Mary stayed with Elizabeth and Zechariah for about three months, and then she returned to her home. Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son.

And her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed his great mercy toward her, and they were rejoicing with her. And it happened that on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah after his father. I mean, Zechariah has now been mute for nine months. He has not had any input whatsoever verbally in this debate. But it was the normal thing to name your child after dad, you know, it's normal.

They were going to call him Zechariah after his father. Yet his mother responded and said, no indeed, but he shall be called John. And they said to her, there's no one among you, among your relatives who's called by this name. And they made signs to his father as to what he wanted him called and he asked for a tablet and he wrote his fault. His name is John.

Why? Because he had come around. He no longer was in disbelief. I mean the baby's there. But his name is John.

That was the message. You're going to have this baby and you're going to name him John. And they were all amazed. And at once his mouth was open and his tongue was freed. And he began speaking and praise to God.

Now this guy was incredulous to begin with, but he's been convinced. And this is what he has to say. Well, I'll get to that in a minute. And fear came on all of those who lived around them. And all of these matters were being talked about in the entire hill country of Judea and all who heard them kept them in mind saying, what then will this child turn out to be?

John the Baptist was already gaining fame before he put on the, you know, the loin of the cloth or whatever the the skins and eating the honey and the locust and calling out the brood of vipers. He was already gaining fame. All of them who heard this kept this in mind saying, what then will this child turn out to be? For indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. And his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied.

Very important. Anytime somebody's filled with the Holy Spirit, they begin to praise God for what he's done. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he has visited us and he has accomplished redemption for his people. Redemption for his people and he's raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from the ancient times. Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.

To show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. The oath which he swore to our father Abraham to grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, would serve him without fear. In holiness and righteousness before him all of our days and you, child, you, what a blessing. You, child, also will be called the prophet of the most high. For you will go on before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.

Remember John's preaching was about repentance. Because of the tender mercy of our God with which the sunrise from on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace. What a blessing. And now the child grew up and was becoming strong in spirit, and he lived in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel. God took him to the wilderness.

He was blessed from the beginning with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb, but he took him to a place of desolation. So John the Baptist, Elizabeth, Mary, we've seen lots of ways to react to the message of God. Luke two, this is where we usually pick up the Christmas story nowadays. A decree went out from Caesar Augustus. The Chapter one, he had put Herod in there as the time marker.

Chapter two, he puts Caesar Augustus in there as a time marker that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. And this was the first census that was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all the people were on their way to register for the census each to his... Now Joseph also went up from Galilee from the city of Nazareth to Judea to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and family of David in order to register along with Mary who was betrothed to him and was pregnant. So Joseph is another character, somewhat minor character right here.

We'll see more of him in Matthew. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth and she gave birth to her firstborn son and she wrapped him in swaddling, if you want to hear the King James clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. In the same region, there were some shepherds. That's the next characters I want you to pay attention to. We just sang about certain shepherds.

There was a small group of them. In the same region, there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were terribly frightened. So And the angel said to them, the do not be afraid message is pretty common, isn't it? Do not be afraid is a pretty common message from God.

This is a message from God and you don't have to be scared of it. He loves you. He's taking care of you. Amen. Thank you.

Do not be afraid for behold. I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. But for you, it's tonight. Isn't that great? These humble shepherds look down upon the bluest of blue collars, right, and not highly regarded.

He said, this is gonna be good news for all people, but tonight is just for you. What a beautiful thing. It kinda goes with those both the Magnificat of Mary's that God exalts the humble and Zechariah's song. So the angel said to him, don't be afraid for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people for today. In the city of David, there has been born for you a savior who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be a sign for you. That's good. You'll find this baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger. Now Bethlehem might have had two or 300 people, maybe. Maybe as many as a thousand.

Depends. The guesses are all over the place, but there might have been more than one baby there. So this will be a sign to you. You're going find a baby. He's going be wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Okay? And suddenly, they appeared with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly army of angels, praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth. Peace among people with whom he is pleased. Now there is a difference in translation there from what you've probably heard. It's a long standing thing.

Both of them are true. It's a decision to make on just one little... So glory to God in the highest on earth, peace among whom... Among the people with whom he is pleased. Or glory to God in the highest, peace on earth goodwill towards men.

That's the other translation. When the angels had departed from them into the heavens, the shepherds began saying to one another, let's go straight to Bethlehem then and see this thing that has happened. So their response is to hear it, to hear this is for you, this is message for you, it will be for everyone else, but tonight it's for you, and this will be assigned to you. And what did they do? Stick with their sheep and say, Let's go straight to Bethlehem then.

Let's get up and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us. And they came in a hurry and they found their way to Mary and Joseph and the baby as he lay in the manger. When they had seen him, they made known the statement which had been told them about this child. Heavenly hosts have told us this. Can you imagine Mary and Joseph?

Oh, after the travail. And all who heard it were amazed about the things which were told them by these shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. I I have seen and seen and seen this over and over. Commentators, almost all of them say, Luke interviewed Mary.

Now, it's not in scripture that says, I interviewed Mary. But it does say Mary treasured all of these things, and she pondered them in her heart. She held on to them, and Luke is reporting them accurately. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen just as it had been told to them. So glorifying God, it was for their good and the glory of God and that was their response.

They went... It was confirmation for mom and dad, earthly dad, stepdad. And when eight days were completed, so that it was time for his circumcision, he was also named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. So Mary remembered and she responded, May it be to me just as you have said. She has this beautiful magnificat, the song about the humility, but she still went back to doing things the way you're supposed to do things.

Right? And when they took him in for that, when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord as it is written in the law of the Lord. Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice according to what has been stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young doves, and they did that. And there was there a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout. We've we've already seen that about Zechariah.

And his response was incredulous at first, but he came to believe. We we didn't see it in Elizabeth. We saw Elizabeth take that, and her response was one of joy when it came to be. And then she went by, his name is John. Right?

No matter what y'all think it ought to be. There's a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And this man was a righteous man and devout, and he was looking forward to the consolation, the comfort of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

Wow. That's a direct message from God. A Holy Spirit direct message to an individual and he held on to that message and believed it. And he came by the spirit into the temple. He was led of the Lord, and he...

And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to carry out for him the custom of the law, it was a normal church type thing to do. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to carry out for him the custom of the law, then Simeon took Jesus in his arms and blessed God and said, now Lord, you're letting your bond servant depart in peace. I can die happy now. According to your word for my eyes have seen your salvation which you've prepared in the presence of all the peoples. The peoples.

It's not just for us. He understood that it was for everyone. A light for a revelation for the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel. And his father and his mother, Joseph and Mary were amazed at the things which were being said about Jesus. Can you imagine wandering into Jerusalem?

It's a big deal. But everybody does it. It's a normal thing to do. And when they go in, Simeon who's been hanging out, now I can die in peace. Wow.

Simeon blessed them and said to his mother, Mary, behold, this child is appointed for the fall and the rise of many in Israel and as a sign to be opposed. And a sword will pierce your own soul to the end that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. This is the difference in all history, all of human history, everyone. This sword will cut twain between those who trust in God and ask him humbly for salvation and those who trust in themselves and proudly reject it. And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Faneuil and of the tribe of Asher.

And she was advanced in years and had lived with her husband for seven years after marriage and then she lived as a widow to the age of 84. She did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with fast and prayers. And at that very moment, she came up and she began giving thanks to God and continued to speak to him, about him, to all those who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Anna was a faithful, older widow. And she too, just like Simeon, was convinced that this was Messiah.

And when his parents had completed everything in accordance with the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own city of Nazareth. Now the child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom and the favor of God was upon him. And the only thing left in chapter two is that story about him when he's 12. You all remember that one where they go they go back to the temple. They do it three times a year anyway.

But they go one time and then Jesus kinda hangs around and he's teaching the doctors of the law. That's the only thing left in chapter two. And then we pick right back up where we picked up in August. But a fresh reading of the Christmas story all the way through, paying attention particularly to the response. So let's go back to them.

The reactions in Luke one. Zechariah, I've already said it several times. If you feel like God is directing you to do something or if you feel like God is speaking to you about something, and we hear it a lot of different ways through our Bible reading, through the radio, between where you are and where you're going. Right? Through Christian friends, through non Christian friends, through pastors, through messages.

When you hear a message that you believe is from the Lord, do you believe it? And do you trust it? Or do you immediately question it because you know how this thing works? Zechariah. Elizabeth, are you overjoyed about anything that God has done lately?

Say so. Speak it out. If he gives you direction, go with it even if it seems unconventional. Mary, how could we say enough about Mary? May it be to me, Lord, just as you have said.

John the Baptist leapt for joy. I don't think of John as being terribly joyful. Do you? Do you think of it because he's got a message of repentance. It's not a message that's really terribly joyful.

But he was overjoyed that salvation was coming, And he was going to make the way ready for people. I spoke to somebody last Sunday, actually, who's here in the second service, and he's a guy who hands out tracts, which I'm not a guy who hands out tracts. But he hands out tracts to just about everybody he meets, and it's the message of salvation. And I said, brother, I'm all for it. It's not the way I do it, but I'm all for it.

And he said, you know, convincing people of the bad news is harder today than convincing people of the good news. Everybody's heard the gospel here, you know. But hardly anybody feels there's any peril. A lot of these people are looking forward to the redemption of Israel, looking forward to the time when God would do something. Right?

I think it's important for us to recognize humbly that he has saved us and he's treated us well. Blessed are you, God, for you have dealt bountifully. You've dealt amazingly with your bond servant. The crowd at John the Baptist's birth, no, he's got to be named Zachariah. That's the way we do this thing.

Tradition. Tradition. No. He's gonna be named John. Reactions in Luke two.

Joseph, we'll talk about him more in Matthew. But Joseph was going according to the custom... Or or according according to the law. It was a new law. Caesar Augustus, you got to be taxed.

But he he took his little family and he went and they did that. Even when it was uncomfortable, even when they did not want to do it, I'm sure. He did anyway. Serving his family. Certain shepherds, oh, these humble shepherds got up immediately and they did it.

And then they didn't ever stop telling the story about what had God had done for them, and it would be for all people. And then Simeon, oh, Lord, I can die in peace knowing that you've done what you promised you would do. And Anna was continually in the temple day and night. She never stopped talking about what had come to pass. Until her death, she kept on proclaiming it.

And I would imagine that if she's there all the time and telling everybody that she can, that she's already seen it, there's an expectation that's building. Now some people think she's crazy. But she didn't ever stop telling it. I think that's the last one. How are y'all?

I'm finished five minutes early. How's it going? That's two chapters of Luke. We can talk about this a little bit. Gospel conversation style.

Would you stand? I'll just get the band to come on back up here. Oh, it's communion time. Oh, I'm glad I didn't know that. Communion.

That would have made me so nervous. You all can stay seated. The elders are going to go get these little baskets of the elements of communion. And in this case, it's a little plastic cup with grape juice in it, and it's got a foil wrapper you can take off of the grape juice, but it's got a plastic wrapper over the wafer. I think that doing this in remembrance of God is probably more important than the exact makeup of these elements.

Wanna ask God's blessing and give you a chance too to ask God, for blessing in this Christmas season. But also, if there's anything that's lingering that you feel like, God, I I have not been trusting you. When you say forgive people, I have been trying to hold on to that myself because what they did was wrong. If he says forgive, then you will be forgiven. So God Almighty, would you forgive us, Lord?

I pray that you'd forgive me, where I fail you. I pray that you'd forgive me for the times when... Your word, when I doubt you. And I pray, that, I'm that you have not given me the consequences that I deserve for my disbelief. God, I pray that you would, that you would strengthen us, that you would fortify us, to do your goodwill.

May may we recognize the good news of great joy, and may we be carrying it out as if it is for all the peoples. In Jesus' name, I ask your blessing on this bread and on this cup, Lord, that you'd bless it. For everyone who partakes, if there's someone here, Lord, that does not believe, I pray that you would move in their hearts by way of your word and by way of the people who are sitting around them that do believe. In Jesus' name, I ask a blessing on this representation of your body and blood that was shed for us. Amen.

Amen. Now we've been talking about the first days of Jesus' earthly walk, and now we're gonna talk about some of the last. On the same night that he was betrayed, he took bread after supper and in that upper room, he blessed it. And after he had given thanks, he said to his disciples who were there and they recorded it for us to know today. Luke tells of it actually.

He said, this is my body which is broken for you. Take this and eat of it and do it in remembrance of me. And in the same way that he had taken the bread, he also took the cup, it was a common cup at the time, to pass around amongst those disciples in the room. And this cup, he said, this is the new covenant in my blood. Take this.

He's the lamb that was slain. He said, take this and drink of it and do it as often as you will in remembrance of me. Lord God almighty, I'm so thankful, so thankful. My soul my soul magnifies the Lord. Mary said, God, I pray that you would take this good news, this message of the gospel, that you would allow it to hit our hearts in such a way and our minds in such a way that we would be filled with your Holy Spirit and that we would begin to say so, Lord.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. In Jesus' name, I pray that you would give us peace that we can extend to those in turmoil around us. Amen. Would you stand with us? Yep.

The song set was too good to go to the go to the doxology. This song kinda follows the path all the way through. Amen. And Mary said, my soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God and my savior. May that be true for you this week throughout this season in life.

Amen. Boy Scout breakfast is ready down the hall. Please do go. Boy Scout breakfast is ready down the hall.