WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.600 --> 00:00:04.240 One of the questions that have been asked a lot 2 00:00:04.360 --> 00:00:07.599 this Christmas is what do you want for Christmas? What 3 00:00:07.679 --> 00:00:09.880 do you want this year? And there's been a lot 4 00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:13.080 of gifts seeking over the last few weeks. You can 5 00:00:13.160 --> 00:00:16.239 ask any child what do you want for Christmas? Or 6 00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:18.920 what did you want for Christmas? And they will tell 7 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:23.320 you exactly what they wanted. You know, I heard this 8 00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:26.399 story about this little boy that he kept every night 9 00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:30.600 at dinner time. He was sitting down at the dinner 10 00:00:30.920 --> 00:00:33.159 table with his family and he'd say, Mom and Dad, 11 00:00:33.159 --> 00:00:35.079 I want to watch, I want to watch, I want 12 00:00:35.079 --> 00:00:37.600 to watch. And finally his dad got so tired of it, 13 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:42.200 he said, if you mentioned this again, Bobby, you're not 14 00:00:42.240 --> 00:00:44.000 going to get anything. You're not going to get it 15 00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:47.520 for Christmas. And so the little boy knew he wanted 16 00:00:47.560 --> 00:00:50.200 to keep reminding his parents, and so the next time 17 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:52.560 he sat down at dinner and he said, Mom and Dad, 18 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:56.159 I'd like to just quote a Bible verse. And his 19 00:00:56.240 --> 00:00:58.280 dad said, well, that's great, go ahead and quote it. 20 00:00:58.320 --> 00:01:00.799 He said, I'd like to quote where Jesus says in 21 00:01:01.079 --> 00:01:05.799 Mark chapter thirteen, verse thirty seven, I tell you again watch. 22 00:01:08.400 --> 00:01:12.480 You know, we spent a lot of this Christmas season, searching, 23 00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:16.480 searching for the perfect gift, searching for the bargain gift, 24 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:21.879 searching for decorations, searching for parking spots. I just wonder 25 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:24.560 how many of you found everything you were looking for 26 00:01:24.760 --> 00:01:27.799 this Christmas. I doubt it. You know a lot of 27 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:30.439 people missed the very first Christmas because they were too busy. 28 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:34.599 The politicians missed it, the businessmen missed it. The ndkeeper 29 00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:37.760 missed it. The religious people missed it. The only people 30 00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:40.840 who actually caught the true meaning of the First Christmas 31 00:01:41.879 --> 00:01:46.040 were those who were looking for it. Shepherds found Jesus 32 00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:49.120 because they looked for him. They were searching for him. 33 00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:52.239 The Bible says in Luke chapter two, verses twelve and fifteen, 34 00:01:52.599 --> 00:01:55.840 the Angel said, you will find the baby lying in 35 00:01:55.920 --> 00:01:59.200 a manger, And the shepherd said, let's go and see. 36 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:03.200 Now you find what you look for. Later on, the 37 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:05.719 Bible tells us the wise men found Jesus because they 38 00:02:05.719 --> 00:02:08.240 were looking for him. In Matthew two, verses one and two, 39 00:02:08.280 --> 00:02:11.199 it says wise men came from the east, asking where 40 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:14.719 is the baby? Where is the baby? We've come to 41 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:17.599 worship him. You know, we really don't know much about 42 00:02:17.639 --> 00:02:20.280 the wise men at that very first Christmas. All we 43 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:25.520 know is this, they were seekers. They were seekers, and 44 00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:27.759 they found Jesus because they were looking for him. They 45 00:02:27.759 --> 00:02:32.800 were searching for the truth, and they spared no expense. 46 00:02:33.560 --> 00:02:36.919 I want us to think about that this Christmas. What 47 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:40.159 are you looking for this Christmas? I'm not talking about 48 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:43.159 the gifts, I'm not talking about the decorations, the wrapping. 49 00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:48.080 What are you looking to happen in your Christmas this year? 50 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:51.960 One of the great promises of the Bible is Matthew seven, 51 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:57.360 verse seven, where Jesus says, seek and you will find 52 00:02:57.439 --> 00:03:01.680 circle that word you seek and you will find. That's 53 00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:04.639 a promise to you. God says, if you seek me, 54 00:03:05.080 --> 00:03:08.439 you're going to find me. A recent national and actually 55 00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:13.120 worldwide survey revealed the questions that people ask most often 56 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:16.479 about life. And I read that just recently, and here's 57 00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:18.759 what it said. These are the top questions people ask 58 00:03:18.840 --> 00:03:23.520 around the world. Why am I here? What am I 59 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:27.520 here for? What is the purpose of it all? What's 60 00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:31.120 the purpose of life? Why do I exist? Where did 61 00:03:31.159 --> 00:03:33.479 I come from, Where am I going? And what am 62 00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:36.319 I here for? Is there a God? And if so, 63 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:39.759 what is he like now? When you think about those 64 00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:41.919 questions I just listened. Where do you think those thoughts 65 00:03:41.919 --> 00:03:46.840 came from? God? Put those questions in our mind. God 66 00:03:46.919 --> 00:03:50.360 is creating in us a spiritual hunger so that we 67 00:03:50.800 --> 00:03:54.719 will seek Him. And this is what Christmas is all about. 68 00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:58.599 The shepherds found Jesus because they sought him. The wise 69 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:02.360 men found Jesus because they sought him. Everybody else missed 70 00:04:02.400 --> 00:04:05.520 the first Christmas because they weren't looking for him. And 71 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:09.080 by the way, there's no better time than Christmas to 72 00:04:09.159 --> 00:04:12.400 seek God. Now what am I going to find if 73 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:18.319 I actually seek Jesus at Christmas? Well, the Bible tells 74 00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:20.480 us that God has three gifts that he wants you 75 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:23.319 to find this Christmas. He wants you to find these 76 00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:26.959 gifts under your Christmas tree, and you will find them, 77 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:31.600 the Bible promises if you will seek for them. Number one, 78 00:04:32.199 --> 00:04:36.480 you can find forgiveness. You can find forgiveness at Christmas 79 00:04:36.519 --> 00:04:40.480 if you seek it. In Luke chapter two, verse eleven, 80 00:04:40.920 --> 00:04:42.800 one of the very first things the angel said was 81 00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:47.600 this today your savior was born, and he is Christ, 82 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:51.600 the Lord. Now Jesus came to save us. He didn't 83 00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:54.639 come to scare us. A lot of people think God 84 00:04:54.759 --> 00:04:57.240 is all about condemnation. But Jesus said, I didn't come 85 00:04:57.279 --> 00:04:59.879 to condemn the world. He said, I came to save 86 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:03.000 the world. Now, why in the world do I need 87 00:05:03.160 --> 00:05:06.079 a savior? Well, let me just explain it as simply 88 00:05:06.120 --> 00:05:10.560 as I can. The Bible tells us that Heaven is 89 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:14.040 a perfect place. The Bible says that you were made 90 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:17.360 to last forever. God doesn't want you to just live 91 00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:19.839 sixty eighty or at the most one hundred years here 92 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:22.519 on this planet. God wants you to live in eternity 93 00:05:22.560 --> 00:05:26.079 with Him forever. But Heaven is a perfect place. No sadness, 94 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:30.879 no sorrow, no sickness, no suffering, no sin, no jealousy, 95 00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:36.120 no grief, no guilt, no grudges, no shame. Heaven is 96 00:05:36.160 --> 00:05:39.240 a perfect place. And here's the second thing. And this 97 00:05:39.319 --> 00:05:42.480 is a downer. This is the discouraging part. Only perfect 98 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:46.600 people get to live there, because if God let imperfect 99 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:50.319 people live in a perfect place, it wouldn't be perfect anymore. Well, 100 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:53.240 that means I don't stay at the chance of getting 101 00:05:53.279 --> 00:05:55.639 into Heaven on my own merit, on my own effort. 102 00:05:55.879 --> 00:06:00.680 I blew my chance to be perfect about the third 103 00:06:00.759 --> 00:06:04.519 minute of my life because I started making bad choices, 104 00:06:04.680 --> 00:06:08.519 and so did you. Because of that, we all need 105 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:13.920 a savior. How do I let Christ save me? It's 106 00:06:13.959 --> 00:06:18.439 not very hard. I let Christ save me by admitting 107 00:06:18.959 --> 00:06:23.439 I need a savior. That's it. That's it. I just 108 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:27.800 admit I need a savior that I can't save myself. 109 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:30.959 If you think, well, I'm a good person, well I 110 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:34.199 do have more good works than bad works. Well you 111 00:06:34.279 --> 00:06:36.879 probably do. You're probably a better person than me. But 112 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:41.160 God doesn't grade on a curve. Heaven is perfect and 113 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:45.480 I'm not. And if Heaven is one hundred percent, and 114 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:49.120 let's say, you know, let's put Mother Teresa at ninety 115 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:52.199 nine percent, in Hitler at zero percent, and you're probably 116 00:06:52.199 --> 00:06:54.759 at eighty percent, and I'm down here about fourteen. The 117 00:06:54.800 --> 00:06:58.319 point is none of us make it. You see, we 118 00:06:58.360 --> 00:07:02.040 don't realize how desperate we need a savior. Believe me, 119 00:07:02.279 --> 00:07:04.439 if you didn't need a savior, God wouldn't have wasted 120 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:07.759 time to send one at Christmas. So the first thing 121 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:13.160 you will find at Christmas is salvation or forgiveness, if 122 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:16.279 you will just admit it. The problem is we won't 123 00:07:16.279 --> 00:07:19.480 ask for help. We just keep trying. Let me give 124 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:26.480 you some advice. This Christmas. Relax, Relax, take a deep breath, 125 00:07:27.199 --> 00:07:31.720 let it out. Stop trying to earn God's love. You're 126 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:35.160 never going to earn God's love. It is given to 127 00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:40.800 you as a gift. God loves you unconditionally, unconditionally, and 128 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:44.480 so you just relax and you receive his forgiveness and 129 00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:47.920 you receive his salvation. The good news of Christmas is 130 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:51.720 a savior has been born for you. You can't earn 131 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:54.240 your way to heaven. You're not good enough, and neither 132 00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:58.040 of mine, no one is. But God sent his own son, 133 00:07:58.279 --> 00:08:00.600 He came to earth, lived to perfect life, life, and 134 00:08:00.720 --> 00:08:03.879 all we have to do is simply believe and receive. 135 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:08.600 Here's what the Bible says, Acts ten forty three. All 136 00:08:08.600 --> 00:08:12.519 who believe in Jesus will be forgiven of their sins 137 00:08:13.000 --> 00:08:16.079 through his name. All who believe in Jesus will not 138 00:08:16.279 --> 00:08:20.240 might will be forgiven of their sins to his name. 139 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:23.920 Wouldn't you like to have that this Christmas? The fact 140 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:27.240 is we all have regrets, we all carry things we 141 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:30.800 feel guilty about, we all carry shame. And God offers 142 00:08:30.839 --> 00:08:35.320 you the gift of a clear conscience that is priceless. 143 00:08:36.200 --> 00:08:39.200 How do I get it? You simply seek it. You 144 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:45.320 can find forgiveness if you'll seek Jesus this Christmas number two. 145 00:08:45.960 --> 00:08:48.840 The second thing you'll find at Christmas is peace of 146 00:08:48.919 --> 00:08:53.480 mind if you will seek Jesus Christ. The Bible says 147 00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:56.919 in Psalm one nineteen one sixty five, those who love 148 00:08:57.000 --> 00:09:01.559 your teaching will find true peace. Those who love your 149 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:04.080 teaching will find your peace now. Piece is a word 150 00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:07.480 that is used a lot today. The world uses peace 151 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:09.639 and all over the place. We don't have the slightest 152 00:09:09.679 --> 00:09:13.320 idea of what real peace is. For many, peace means 153 00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:18.679 drinking yourself until you're drinking until your numb and you 154 00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:22.000 can't feel the pain anymore. For some people, peace means 155 00:09:22.279 --> 00:09:27.279 frantically staying busy or moving from relationship to relationship to 156 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:32.279 avoid loneliness. It may mean hopping from one bed to 157 00:09:32.320 --> 00:09:36.159 another in search for love. For many people, peace means 158 00:09:36.200 --> 00:09:40.919 overworking to prove that you really matter. And for some people, 159 00:09:41.120 --> 00:09:44.279 peace means trying all kinds of New Age gimmicks to 160 00:09:44.279 --> 00:09:46.600 stop my hurt and go move from fad to fad 161 00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:50.480 to fad, but nothing relieves the ache in my heart. 162 00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:54.519 Let me tell you what real peace is. Real peace 163 00:09:55.120 --> 00:09:59.600 is knowing that God will never stop loving me. Real 164 00:09:59.639 --> 00:10:04.759 peace is knowing that God will never leave me alone. 165 00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:07.840 Real peace is knowing that no matter what happens, God 166 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:11.759 will give me the strength to handle it. Real peace 167 00:10:11.799 --> 00:10:15.799 is knowing that your kids, if you're a parent, are 168 00:10:15.799 --> 00:10:19.120 making wise decisions because you taught them God's word as 169 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:27.559 a foundation for living. 170 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:32.399 If you want to make your time in prayer the 171 00:10:32.440 --> 00:10:34.720 best it can be, then you're going to want to 172 00:10:34.759 --> 00:10:38.559 get a copy of the Daily Hope Prayer Journal. The 173 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:42.679 theme is Growing your Prayer Life. This vegan leather, full 174 00:10:42.759 --> 00:10:46.600 color prayer journal has sections to pray for specific people 175 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:50.639 in situations, as well as space to express your gratitude 176 00:10:50.679 --> 00:10:54.759 and personal prayer request to God. Each page is beautifully 177 00:10:54.759 --> 00:10:58.759 designed and filled with inspiring Bible verses, photos, and artwork. 178 00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:02.240 The Growing Your Prayer Life Prayer Journal is a spiritual 179 00:11:02.279 --> 00:11:05.840 growth tool designed to help you enjoy a vibrant prayer life, 180 00:11:06.639 --> 00:11:11.559 connect with the Lord, strengthen your prayer practice, and establish 181 00:11:11.600 --> 00:11:15.679 a consistent daily prayer time. When you give a financial 182 00:11:15.720 --> 00:11:19.000 gift to this ministry, we'll send you the Daily Hope 183 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:25.240 Prayer Journal to say thanks. Quantities are limited, so don't wait. 184 00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:29.399 By the way, this month only any gift you give 185 00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:33.000 will be matched up to one hundred thousand dollars. 186 00:11:36.679 --> 00:11:40.240 Do you have peace on earth, goodwill toward men? Do 187 00:11:40.279 --> 00:11:42.600 you have the peace of God in your heart? Today? 188 00:11:42.919 --> 00:11:44.919 See there are three things that will rob your peace 189 00:11:45.399 --> 00:11:52.159 at Christmas time. Grief, guilt, and grudges. First, guilt can 190 00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:55.399 rob your peace. It is impossible to feel guilty and 191 00:11:55.480 --> 00:11:58.960 feel at peace at the same time. But God can 192 00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:02.879 forgive you. He says, I will wash your sins away, 193 00:12:03.200 --> 00:12:05.600 I will bury your sins. I will in the deepest 194 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:07.039 part of the sea. And then he puts up in 195 00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:11.159 no fishing sign. God says you can be forgiven, and 196 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:15.639 God says your guilt can go. But also Christmas time 197 00:12:15.679 --> 00:12:18.960 often brings up grief. I've been going through that. Grief 198 00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:22.480 can bring up painful memories. The Bible says, cast all 199 00:12:22.519 --> 00:12:27.240 your cares on Him, because He cares for you. The 200 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:33.000 bottom line is this, your pain matters to God. Your 201 00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:37.519 pain matters to God. The third thing that will keep 202 00:12:37.559 --> 00:12:41.720 you from having peace is grudges. And that's bitterness, it's resentment, 203 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:45.039 it's holding on to pain. The fact is you're going 204 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:47.480 to be hurt in life, and you got to let 205 00:12:47.480 --> 00:12:50.480 it go. Some of you are still holding on to 206 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:53.799 hurts that were done to you five, ten, fifteen, twenty 207 00:12:53.879 --> 00:12:56.919 years ago. And you think somehow that by holding on 208 00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:00.480 to that pain, you're hurting them. You're not hurting them, 209 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:04.759 You're only hurting yourself. When you hold on to resentment, 210 00:13:04.840 --> 00:13:08.639 when you hold on to bitterness, you're not hurting the 211 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:12.679 person that you're mad at. You're only hurting yourself. Some 212 00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:14.799 of you are still allowing people from your past to 213 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:17.279 hurt you in the present. That's dumb. You got to 214 00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:20.480 let it go, he said, But I can't forgive. I 215 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:24.879 just can't forgive them. That's why you need Jesus Christ. 216 00:13:25.960 --> 00:13:30.159 That's why you need Jesus Christ. Matthew, Chapter eleven, verse 217 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:34.879 twenty nine. Jesus said this, Learn from me, and you 218 00:13:34.960 --> 00:13:39.240 will find rest for your lives. He's talking about soul rest, 219 00:13:39.559 --> 00:13:43.320 not just physical rest, not just emotional rest, but soul rest. 220 00:13:44.200 --> 00:13:47.440 You can find this when you turn to Jesus, when 221 00:13:47.480 --> 00:13:50.519 you search for him at Christmas. That's one another thing 222 00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:55.759 you'll find. The angels found Jesus, the wise men found Jesus. 223 00:13:55.840 --> 00:13:57.799 When you find Jesus, the third thing you're going to 224 00:13:57.879 --> 00:14:03.120 find is eternal life. Eternal life. Now, let me give 225 00:14:03.159 --> 00:14:05.320 you some of the facts of life. Let's just review these. 226 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:10.840 Number one, we're all made to last forever, but we're 227 00:14:10.840 --> 00:14:14.159 all going to die someday. In fact, you're going to 228 00:14:14.200 --> 00:14:18.279 spend more time in eternity than you spend on this 229 00:14:18.360 --> 00:14:21.559 side of eternity. You're going to spend more time in 230 00:14:21.639 --> 00:14:25.600 eternity than you do on earth. Now, if you know 231 00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:29.080 you're going to die, and you know this life doesn't last, 232 00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:31.519 and you know one day you're going to meet God, 233 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:36.039 only a fool we go all through life unprepared for 234 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:39.799 what you know is inevitable. You see, you're not really 235 00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:43.759 ready to live until you're ready to die. And you 236 00:14:43.799 --> 00:14:45.960 don't know what's worth living for unless you know what's 237 00:14:45.960 --> 00:14:49.440 worth dying for. Here's the good news. God tells us 238 00:14:49.559 --> 00:14:53.759 how to get ready. In Romans, chapter one, verse seventeen. 239 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:57.879 The Bible says, this, God makes us ready for heaven. 240 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:02.360 Are you listening, God make us ready for heaven when 241 00:15:02.440 --> 00:15:06.960 we put our faith in Christ to save us. Remember 242 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:09.799 Christmas is all about a savior has been born for you. 243 00:15:10.120 --> 00:15:12.519 When we put our faith in Christ to save us, 244 00:15:12.679 --> 00:15:17.679 God makes us ready for heaven. The one who finds life, 245 00:15:17.799 --> 00:15:19.840 and that's what I want you to find this Christmas. 246 00:15:20.039 --> 00:15:23.480 The one who finds life will find it the trusting God. 247 00:15:24.360 --> 00:15:28.679 And you know, here's the problem. We often don't know 248 00:15:28.679 --> 00:15:31.759 what we're looking for in life. You know. We think 249 00:15:31.759 --> 00:15:35.480 we're looking for happiness, or we think we're looking for success. 250 00:15:36.919 --> 00:15:39.919 Maybe we think we're looking for love, or we're looking 251 00:15:39.960 --> 00:15:43.519 for meaning, or maybe we think we're looking for purpose. 252 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:48.919 But what we're really looking for. What you're really looking 253 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:54.799 for is God. The Bible says, or Augustine said, our 254 00:15:54.840 --> 00:15:59.960 hearts are restless until they find their rest in you. Now, 255 00:16:00.840 --> 00:16:05.720 the angels said, seek for Jesus. Go to Jerusalem, go 256 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:09.279 to Bethlehem, go to the Manger, and you'll find him. 257 00:16:09.639 --> 00:16:12.720 Here's the good news. All the time you may not 258 00:16:12.759 --> 00:16:17.559 have been seeking God, God has been seeking you. Did 259 00:16:17.559 --> 00:16:20.039 you know that, in fact, God has brought you to 260 00:16:20.159 --> 00:16:26.120 this exact moment today, this Christmas season. First John, chapter five, 261 00:16:26.200 --> 00:16:32.960 verse twenty says, this Christ, God's son has come. That's Christmas. Christ, 262 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:38.279 God's son has come to help us understand and find 263 00:16:39.240 --> 00:16:43.679 the true God. This is what Christmas is all about. 264 00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:46.240 Jesus came to Christmas to help us to find and 265 00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:49.240 understand what God is all about. You know what Christmas is. 266 00:16:49.320 --> 00:16:53.639 It's the celebration of an invasion that two thousand years ago, 267 00:16:53.840 --> 00:16:57.200 God invaded Earth, and it's split history in the AD 268 00:16:57.360 --> 00:16:59.799 and BC. If God had wanted to communicate to birds, 269 00:16:59.840 --> 00:17:01.679 you would have become a bird. If he'd wanted to 270 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:03.679 communicate the cows, you would have become a cow. If 271 00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:06.200 he wanted to communicate the dogs, he could have become 272 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:09.559 a dog. But God wanted to communicate the human beings, 273 00:17:09.559 --> 00:17:13.000 who he became one of us. The word became flesh, 274 00:17:13.319 --> 00:17:18.759 God incarnated, Jesus came in human form. Now, of all 275 00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:22.759 the ways God could have entered the world, he came 276 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:26.000 the same way every one of us entered the world 277 00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:31.119 as a baby. Why in the world would God humble 278 00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:35.680 himself so much to be born as a baby, just 279 00:17:35.720 --> 00:17:40.519 like all of us entered this world. Why, I'll tell 280 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:46.160 you why. Because nobody's afraid of a baby. And Jesus 281 00:17:46.200 --> 00:17:50.200 came to save us, not to scare us. The Bible 282 00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:53.440 says Jesus came to seek and to save those who 283 00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:55.720 were lost. And I want you to listen to me 284 00:17:55.880 --> 00:18:02.720 very closely this Christmas, No matter who you are no 285 00:18:02.759 --> 00:18:07.319 matter what you've done, whether you're a religious person or 286 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:12.319 you have no religion at all. You may be Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, 287 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:15.680 you may be Buddhist or Baptist, or Muslim or Mormon. 288 00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:19.920 You may be agnostic or atheist. You may have no 289 00:18:20.039 --> 00:18:23.559 religion at all. It doesn't matter who you are, what 290 00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:27.000 you've done, or who you've done it with. You matter 291 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:33.039 to God, and God is seeking you. Did you know 292 00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:36.759 that a thousand years before you were born, God knew 293 00:18:37.319 --> 00:18:40.599 that you would be at this point, at this service 294 00:18:40.839 --> 00:18:44.000 right now listening to me teach you and talk to 295 00:18:44.039 --> 00:18:47.920 you about how if you seek Jesus, you can find forgiveness, 296 00:18:48.160 --> 00:18:51.079 you can find peace, you can find purpose, you can 297 00:18:51.079 --> 00:18:54.079 find meeting in life. You see, the miracle of Christmas 298 00:18:54.359 --> 00:18:58.440 didn't happen in some department store in New York City. 299 00:18:58.680 --> 00:19:03.599 The Miracle of Christmas happened in Bethlehem two thousand years ago. 300 00:19:04.039 --> 00:19:07.599 And God has these three gifts for you. He says, 301 00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:10.200 I give you the gift of forgiveness. I give you 302 00:19:10.240 --> 00:19:12.200 the gift of peace of mind. And I gave you 303 00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:15.880 the gift of eternal life. And when you accept His Son, 304 00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:18.839 those three gifts are wrapped up in one word. They 305 00:19:18.839 --> 00:19:24.119 are the word salvation. Now, can you imagine going through 306 00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:27.039 this Christmas and somebody gave you a gift and you 307 00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:31.000 never opened it. And let's say, you know, three months 308 00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:33.079 from to day, somebody comes and says, hey, how'd you 309 00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:36.000 like my gift? And you say, oh, I'm so glad 310 00:19:36.039 --> 00:19:37.960 you gave it to me, thank you for it. Unfortunately 311 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:42.119 I've just been too busy. I've never opened it. Well, 312 00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:45.240 they would be offended because you had received a gift 313 00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:48.359 from them that they spent time paying for and you 314 00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:52.200 never opened it. But a lot of people celebrate Christmas 315 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:54.200 year after year after year after year after a year 316 00:19:54.839 --> 00:19:59.480 and never open God's Christmas gift. God's Christmas gift is 317 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:02.160 the gift of say salvation, have you received that gift? 318 00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:07.480 It's the gift of freedom, the forgiveness, power, purpose, peace, 319 00:20:07.960 --> 00:20:12.119 It's the forgift of eternal life, new life. Now, these 320 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:15.319 gifts that God gives to you at Christmas, God's Christmas gift, 321 00:20:15.960 --> 00:20:20.119 they're priceless. Undoubtedly there'll be some gifts that you probably 322 00:20:20.160 --> 00:20:26.279 unwrapped that are aren't very you know, valuable. But when 323 00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:29.839 God gives you gift, it's priceless. Jesus died on the 324 00:20:29.880 --> 00:20:33.839 cross for your sins. It's personal, it's exactly what you need, 325 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:37.880 and it's permanent. It's going to last forever. There's some 326 00:20:37.960 --> 00:20:40.880 gifts we get at Christmas that, by the year turns 327 00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:43.079 around and we come to next Christmas, you won't even 328 00:20:43.119 --> 00:20:46.400 remember them. But if you'll receive God's Christmas gift to you, 329 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:49.680 you'll remember the rest of your life. Where do I 330 00:20:49.759 --> 00:20:54.519 find God's gift of peace and forgiveness and eternal life. Well, 331 00:20:54.599 --> 00:20:58.119 let's go back to that verse Jeremiah twenty nine thirteen. 332 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:02.160 You will find me when can you seek Me with 333 00:21:02.279 --> 00:21:08.400 all your heart? And if you'll seek for Jesus this Christmas, 334 00:21:08.440 --> 00:21:14.359 not religion, not Churchianity, but a relationship with Jesus. If 335 00:21:14.440 --> 00:21:16.720 you seek for that this Christmas, You're going to find 336 00:21:16.759 --> 00:21:20.279 a new and deeper understanding of God, a new and 337 00:21:20.319 --> 00:21:24.359 deeper understanding of your own life, of the problems you're facing, 338 00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:28.039 and the answers to the problem that has been bothering 339 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:32.960 you all this previous year. You know, over two thousand 340 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:38.079 years ago, wise men came seeking Jesus. Wise people still do. 341 00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:43.920 Wise people still seek Jesus this Christmas. I want to 342 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:47.640 challenge you to be a wise person. The wisest thing 343 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:52.200 you can do in your life is to receive Jesus Christ. 344 00:21:53.079 --> 00:21:56.759 Now I'm going to pray this seeker's prayer. So would 345 00:21:56.799 --> 00:21:59.799 you bow your head right now, and you don't have 346 00:21:59.839 --> 00:22:02.279 to close your eyes. But as I say these words, 347 00:22:02.880 --> 00:22:05.960 I want to ask you, invite you to follow me 348 00:22:06.039 --> 00:22:07.880 in this prayer. You could just say me too, God, 349 00:22:07.960 --> 00:22:10.279 or you can actually say these words repeat it after me. 350 00:22:10.920 --> 00:22:13.680 What matters is not the words, but the humility of 351 00:22:13.720 --> 00:22:17.319 your heart. Remember I said you have a savior when 352 00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:21.039 you admit you need one. So it's power heads. Just 353 00:22:21.079 --> 00:22:24.279 pray this prayer, Dear God, just say that in your 354 00:22:24.359 --> 00:22:28.000 right Dear God, this Christmas, I want to thank you 355 00:22:28.079 --> 00:22:34.599 for bringing me here to this service. I've known that 356 00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:36.720 something was missing in my life. I just didn't know 357 00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:41.319 what it was. I didn't know it was you. Dear God. 358 00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:46.279 Thank you for seeking me even when I wasn't seeking you, 359 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:49.920 even when I ignored you. I want to know the 360 00:22:49.960 --> 00:22:53.119 truth about you. I want to know the truth about myself. 361 00:22:53.160 --> 00:22:56.799 I want to know the truth about life. And thank 362 00:22:56.839 --> 00:23:01.279 you for sending Jesus Christ to Christmas. Jesus, I want 363 00:23:01.319 --> 00:23:04.079 to get to know you. I want to put my 364 00:23:04.119 --> 00:23:07.519 trust in you so as much as I know how 365 00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:11.440 this Christmas I want to receive God's Christmas gift to me. 366 00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:16.359 I want to receive the gift of salvation. And Jesus Christ, 367 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:19.079 I ask you to come into my life and heart 368 00:23:19.400 --> 00:23:24.799 fill my life with your love. To Jesus Christ, as 369 00:23:24.839 --> 00:23:28.799 I seek you today, I ask you to replace my 370 00:23:29.720 --> 00:23:34.359 shame and my guilt and my unclear conscience with your forgiveness. 371 00:23:34.640 --> 00:23:38.200 Please forgive all the wrong in my life. I accept 372 00:23:38.200 --> 00:23:43.160 your gift of forgiveness, and Dear Jesus Christ, replace the 373 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:47.480 confusion and the worry and the stress and the fatigue 374 00:23:47.519 --> 00:23:50.720 in my mind with your peace. I accept your gift 375 00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:55.160 of peace. And Dear Jesus Christ, I accept your gift 376 00:23:55.160 --> 00:23:57.920 of eternal life. And I ask you to accept me 377 00:23:58.039 --> 00:24:01.640 into your heaven one day. And I humbly make this 378 00:24:01.720 --> 00:24:19.160 Christmas request as a seeker today in Jesus' name. Amen, Hi, everybody, 379 00:24:19.480 --> 00:24:23.079 this is Pastor Rick. I would like to thank you. 380 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:26.480 Thank you for being a part of our daily hope family. 381 00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:29.359 I don't get to say that often enough, but your 382 00:24:29.599 --> 00:24:35.200 generosity is helping us share the hope of Jesus with 383 00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:38.359 people here at home and literally all around the world, 384 00:24:38.559 --> 00:24:42.599 even in places where it's difficult and even dangerous to 385 00:24:42.680 --> 00:24:45.279 get the good news. You know, I recently heard from 386 00:24:45.319 --> 00:24:49.799 a woman named Eunice in Cameroon. Cameroon is a country 387 00:24:49.799 --> 00:24:52.039 in Central Africa, and she wrote to me. She said, 388 00:24:52.079 --> 00:24:54.839 Pastor Rick, I lost both my son and my daughter 389 00:24:55.559 --> 00:24:59.640 in the war, and now I'm raising four grandchildren on 390 00:24:59.680 --> 00:25:03.119 my own. I was overwhelmed with grief. But then she says, 391 00:25:03.119 --> 00:25:07.440 but through the daily hope devotionals, I have found strength 392 00:25:07.759 --> 00:25:11.960 and comfort and peace in God's word. So thank you 393 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:17.400 for helping me hold on to hope. Wow, that's powerful. 394 00:25:18.119 --> 00:25:22.480 That's powerful, and that happened because your giving is helping 395 00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:26.960 Eunus find the strength to carry on, to raise her 396 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:30.920 grandchildren and to keep trusting God even through the deep 397 00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:34.400 loss of her kids. Now, right now, I wanted to 398 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:37.000 tell you about this because we have a special opportunity. 399 00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:42.480 There's some generous friends who have offered a matching grant 400 00:25:43.359 --> 00:25:46.400 that will double your gift. What that means is whatever 401 00:25:46.440 --> 00:25:49.599