WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.500 And if you'll turn to Hebrews chapter 2. 00:00:07.980 --> 00:00:09.200 And let me just say again, 00:00:09.599 --> 00:00:11.220 we'd love you to come to the carol service tonight. 00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:13.400 ! It's the easiest invite to invite other people. 00:00:13.480 --> 00:00:15.040 ! So do pop around to neighbours 00:00:15.040 --> 00:00:17.440 or send messages to different people this afternoon. 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:18.199 Drag them along. 00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:19.780 And if you're a regular, 00:00:20.740 --> 00:00:21.400 when you come in, 00:00:21.460 --> 00:00:22.420 sit down straight away. 00:00:23.019 --> 00:00:25.179 And if the stewards tell you to move, 00:00:25.940 --> 00:00:27.219 do it. 00:00:27.560 --> 00:00:27.679 Alright? 00:00:28.199 --> 00:00:28.339 Okay. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.759 I'm speaking from an iPad for the first time. 00:00:35.039 --> 00:00:35.799 So this, 00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:37.240 yeah, we'll see how this goes. 00:00:37.480 --> 00:00:37.560 Alright? 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:40.740 I suppose verse 16 is my text. 00:00:40.859 --> 00:00:41.439 Verse 16. 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:43.780 Hebrews chapter 2. 00:00:44.259 --> 00:00:45.259 Where the writer of the Hebrews says, 00:00:45.359 --> 00:00:47.679 For surely it is not angels that he helps, 00:00:48.719 --> 00:00:51.019 but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 00:00:52.019 --> 00:00:53.260 That's quite weak really. 00:00:53.400 --> 00:00:53.960 It should be. 00:00:54.340 --> 00:00:57.000 For surely it's not angels that he takes hold of, 00:00:57.000 --> 00:01:00.939 but he takes hold of the offspring of Abraham. 00:01:01.939 --> 00:01:05.120 When I was first thinking about becoming a minister, 00:01:05.640 --> 00:01:07.900 my minister back in Cardiff, 00:01:07.960 --> 00:01:08.739 I'm an animal, Andrew Bowden, 00:01:08.780 --> 00:01:10.960 he used to take me on visits with him to visit old people. 00:01:11.980 --> 00:01:14.240 And we used to go and visit a man called John Lawley Thomas. 00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:15.799 He was a real character. 00:01:15.799 --> 00:01:18.019 The house was a tip. 00:01:18.719 --> 00:01:22.120 And he lived in this little cottage in the middle of nowhere. 00:01:22.120 --> 00:01:24.180 And he had an open fire on. 00:01:24.960 --> 00:01:28.160 And there was a kettle continuously on top. 00:01:28.880 --> 00:01:33.280 And tea stewed in that kettle for days on end. 00:01:34.719 --> 00:01:35.580 As I think about it, 00:01:35.620 --> 00:01:38.340 you're reminded of that kind of verse at the end of Mark 16, 00:01:38.480 --> 00:01:42.219 that you'll pick up snakes and you will drink deadly poison, 00:01:42.360 --> 00:01:43.420 and it will not harm them. 00:01:43.540 --> 00:01:45.780 It was tea that had been there. 00:01:46.380 --> 00:01:48.760 Each day, just more tea bags were put in it. 00:01:48.760 --> 00:01:52.240 And his wife would pour out this fowl liquid 00:01:52.240 --> 00:01:54.219 that had been stewing for days. 00:01:55.080 --> 00:01:56.140 And she'd pour it into a cup, 00:01:56.219 --> 00:01:57.420 which you were not sure was clean. 00:01:57.820 --> 00:02:00.160 And then she'd hand it to you and she'd say, 00:02:00.719 --> 00:02:02.359 catch hold, Levy, catch hold. 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:07.240 And it's an amazing memory, really. 00:02:07.620 --> 00:02:10.840 You're in this kind of strange little cottage. 00:02:11.140 --> 00:02:12.900 Catch hold, Levy, catch hold. 00:02:14.520 --> 00:02:15.740 She was telling you, hold on to it. 00:02:15.759 --> 00:02:16.580 It's going to be boiling hot. 00:02:16.640 --> 00:02:17.740 It had been stewing for days. 00:02:19.679 --> 00:02:21.919 And this verse is really, that's what it's saying. 00:02:21.979 --> 00:02:23.819 It's saying, catch hold of it. 00:02:26.139 --> 00:02:28.319 It's not actually help, it's catching hold. 00:02:30.620 --> 00:02:33.459 It's telling us that God doesn't catch hold of angels. 00:02:33.979 --> 00:02:37.060 He catches hold of the descendants of Abraham. 00:02:38.799 --> 00:02:41.000 And Abraham is the father of all who believe. 00:02:41.139 --> 00:02:42.759 So if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:02:42.840 --> 00:02:44.079 if you're a believer in God, 00:02:45.039 --> 00:02:46.199 you're a descendant of Abraham. 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:50.579 And what this verse is telling us wonderfully is that 00:02:50.579 --> 00:02:53.619 in Jesus, God has got hold of you. 00:02:55.659 --> 00:02:58.519 The whole message, in many ways of Christmas, 00:02:58.899 --> 00:03:01.419 is wrapped up in that word. 00:03:01.579 --> 00:03:05.419 You see, God is not an arm's length God. 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:09.679 He's actually caught hold of us in Christ. 00:03:10.060 --> 00:03:14.019 He's laid hold of our humanity to rescue us. 00:03:14.020 --> 00:03:15.100 Think about that for a moment. 00:03:16.820 --> 00:03:19.880 What would it be like for God to grab hold of you today? 00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:22.700 What would that be like? 00:03:24.540 --> 00:03:27.939 Most people prefer God, don't they, at arm's length? 00:03:27.939 --> 00:03:30.819 So that famous poem, 00:03:31.159 --> 00:03:32.740 when I was going up the stairs, 00:03:32.859 --> 00:03:34.639 I met a man who wasn't there. 00:03:34.900 --> 00:03:36.359 He wasn't there again today. 00:03:36.520 --> 00:03:38.539 Oh, how I wish he'd go away. 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:39.879 And that sums up, doesn't it, 00:03:39.900 --> 00:03:41.139 most people's, 00:03:42.180 --> 00:03:44.939 what they feel when it comes to God. 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:48.400 Half the time we want God to be there, 00:03:49.240 --> 00:03:51.620 but the other half we wish he'd just go away. 00:03:51.620 --> 00:03:54.340 Like John Paul Sartre, 00:03:54.439 --> 00:03:55.819 the French philosopher and atheist, 00:03:56.480 --> 00:03:58.219 he said that God does not exist, 00:03:58.340 --> 00:03:59.180 I cannot deny, 00:03:59.700 --> 00:04:02.140 but that my whole being cries out for him, 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:03.520 I cannot forget. 00:04:05.080 --> 00:04:05.580 He's saying, 00:04:05.659 --> 00:04:07.680 oh, I wish he'd go away. 00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:10.360 Most people, aren't they, 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:11.780 are ambivalent about God. 00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:16.280 Still, most people would believe in God, 00:04:16.439 --> 00:04:18.819 but they certainly want to keep him at arm's length. 00:04:18.819 --> 00:04:24.159 And Christmas means that God wants to get up close 00:04:24.159 --> 00:04:25.099 and personal with you. 00:04:26.579 --> 00:04:27.779 How does that make you feel? 00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:32.180 He wants not just to draw near, 00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:33.740 God wants to grab hold of you, 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:35.779 lay hold of you. 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:40.420 Human beings, 00:04:41.379 --> 00:04:42.560 the descendants of Abraham, 00:04:43.899 --> 00:04:45.399 that he reaches out to help, 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:48.600 but it's stronger than help, 00:04:48.819 --> 00:04:51.800 the message of Christmas is that God has laid hold of us. 00:04:53.060 --> 00:04:53.939 There's the word help, isn't there, 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:56.599 in verse 16 and in verse 18. 00:04:56.699 --> 00:04:58.159 They're two very different words. 00:04:59.939 --> 00:05:03.879 In verse 18, the word for help is to lend a helping hand 00:05:03.879 --> 00:05:06.600 as a merciful high priest who suffered 00:05:06.600 --> 00:05:08.560 and has been tempted. 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:09.879 And because he's been tempted, 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:12.519 he's able to give us a helping hand. 00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:14.039 He's able to help you in temptation. 00:05:15.300 --> 00:05:17.439 But in verse 16, it's a very different word. 00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:18.579 Let me give you an illustration. 00:05:18.819 --> 00:05:19.899 If you're a cat lover, 00:05:21.079 --> 00:05:22.579 you will know if you've got a cat at home, 00:05:22.620 --> 00:05:24.040 you can't command a cat, can you? 00:05:25.540 --> 00:05:27.300 You can command a dog. 00:05:28.040 --> 00:05:29.599 You can tell a dog to sit, 00:05:30.500 --> 00:05:31.339 to heal, 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:33.319 and the dog will do it. 00:05:33.319 --> 00:05:34.819 But you don't command a cat, 00:05:34.819 --> 00:05:35.180 but you don't command a cat, do you? 00:05:36.639 --> 00:05:39.199 Cats have got a minor will of their own. 00:05:40.540 --> 00:05:42.920 When you want to get your cat out of the house, 00:05:42.980 --> 00:05:43.639 out of the flat, 00:05:43.959 --> 00:05:44.839 what do you do? 00:05:45.879 --> 00:05:47.560 You don't just say to the cat, 00:05:47.779 --> 00:05:48.579 off you go, 00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:49.060 get out. 00:05:50.420 --> 00:05:52.039 You take hold of the cat, 00:05:52.120 --> 00:05:52.420 don't you? 00:05:53.220 --> 00:05:55.520 You've got to manhandle the cat. 00:05:56.920 --> 00:05:58.879 You've got to gather him up in your arms 00:05:58.879 --> 00:05:59.939 and grab hold of him 00:05:59.939 --> 00:06:01.560 and throw him out the door. 00:06:02.580 --> 00:06:04.300 That's the only way to get the cat out of the house. 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:08.360 And that's the word that's used in verse 16. 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:10.759 It's a very strong word. 00:06:10.980 --> 00:06:12.379 And that's what Jesus has done for you. 00:06:14.460 --> 00:06:16.300 He's laid hold of you. 00:06:16.300 --> 00:06:20.579 Jesus is not actually giving you some help from a distance, 00:06:20.780 --> 00:06:22.100 some kind of advice. 00:06:25.500 --> 00:06:26.560 He's come to deliver you. 00:06:27.740 --> 00:06:29.100 He's come to grab hold of you. 00:06:29.180 --> 00:06:31.639 He's come to put you into a new realm altogether, 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:33.699 to move you from one place to another. 00:06:35.420 --> 00:06:36.220 And look how he does that. 00:06:36.280 --> 00:06:37.040 It's beautiful in the context. 00:06:37.340 --> 00:06:38.680 He does that, if you look at verse 11, 00:06:38.740 --> 00:06:39.519 as our older brother. 00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:42.920 I think it's one of the themes 00:06:42.920 --> 00:06:44.519 that we don't often explore. 00:06:44.519 --> 00:06:48.139 That we don't often think about Jesus 00:06:48.139 --> 00:06:49.439 as our older brother. 00:06:51.219 --> 00:06:52.139 I've got two older brothers. 00:06:52.259 --> 00:06:53.180 One's eight years older than me. 00:06:53.199 --> 00:06:54.339 The other one's 12 years older than me. 00:06:56.139 --> 00:06:57.459 I don't know if you've ever thought of Jesus 00:06:57.459 --> 00:06:58.299 as an older brother. 00:07:00.479 --> 00:07:01.319 There's a film, wasn't there? 00:07:01.379 --> 00:07:02.259 A River Runs Through It. 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:03.139 Two brothers. 00:07:04.399 --> 00:07:05.879 Both sons of the manse. 00:07:05.979 --> 00:07:09.199 Both sons of a minister in Montana. 00:07:09.620 --> 00:07:10.959 It's a sad film in lots of ways. 00:07:12.019 --> 00:07:13.699 Two brothers growing up in the Montana countryside. 00:07:13.699 --> 00:07:15.740 And the older one is hardworking, 00:07:15.899 --> 00:07:16.560 studious fella. 00:07:17.459 --> 00:07:18.519 He's got a good job. 00:07:18.620 --> 00:07:20.399 He's a respected man in the community. 00:07:21.719 --> 00:07:23.420 But the younger brother's a tearaway. 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:24.979 He's great fun, 00:07:25.139 --> 00:07:26.899 but always getting himself into trouble. 00:07:28.219 --> 00:07:30.019 Always getting himself into scraps. 00:07:30.159 --> 00:07:31.779 Pushing the boundaries of what's acceptable. 00:07:33.079 --> 00:07:35.300 And he ends up associating with people 00:07:35.300 --> 00:07:37.139 who lead him deeper and deeper into trouble. 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:38.620 And finally, the younger brother 00:07:38.620 --> 00:07:39.879 is killed in a pub brawl. 00:07:39.879 --> 00:07:43.379 And his older brother couldn't get to him. 00:07:44.379 --> 00:07:45.639 They'd grown too far apart. 00:07:45.800 --> 00:07:48.719 It's a moving and quite tragic story. 00:07:50.219 --> 00:07:51.680 And the tragedy is the older brother 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:54.120 saw it happening to his younger brother. 00:07:54.519 --> 00:07:55.699 He could see what was happening 00:07:55.699 --> 00:07:56.879 in his younger brother's life, 00:07:57.300 --> 00:07:58.699 but there was nothing he could do about it. 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:01.639 He tried and he tried, 00:08:01.699 --> 00:08:03.240 and the whole film is about this. 00:08:03.639 --> 00:08:05.279 He could see what was going on, 00:08:05.339 --> 00:08:06.199 but he couldn't reach him. 00:08:06.300 --> 00:08:07.199 He couldn't get through to him. 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:10.959 He couldn't come to where the younger brother was 00:08:10.959 --> 00:08:11.779 and rescue him. 00:08:12.099 --> 00:08:13.339 But this verse is telling us 00:08:13.339 --> 00:08:16.479 that Jesus has seen our plight from heaven, 00:08:17.219 --> 00:08:18.560 and he's come down to earth 00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:21.360 in order to grab hold of us, 00:08:21.420 --> 00:08:22.439 in order to rescue us. 00:08:22.659 --> 00:08:24.180 He is the elder brother 00:08:24.180 --> 00:08:26.860 who protects us in the playground from the bully. 00:08:26.860 --> 00:08:31.139 He's the one who comes to where we are 00:08:31.139 --> 00:08:34.159 when our life has been made a misery by the bully, 00:08:34.980 --> 00:08:36.899 and he comes right to where we are 00:08:36.899 --> 00:08:37.960 in order to rescue us. 00:08:39.659 --> 00:08:41.220 Not in a patronizing way. 00:08:42.680 --> 00:08:44.600 Older brothers can be very, very patronizing, 00:08:44.680 --> 00:08:44.980 can't they? 00:08:47.019 --> 00:08:48.759 You can be maybe a little bit resentful 00:08:48.759 --> 00:08:49.500 of your older brother. 00:08:50.800 --> 00:08:52.320 Maybe he's always done the right thing. 00:08:53.620 --> 00:08:55.560 It's a bit like the story of two brothers 00:08:55.559 --> 00:08:56.500 that Jesus tells, isn't it? 00:08:56.519 --> 00:08:58.239 The stay-at-home son who does the right thing, 00:08:59.119 --> 00:09:00.439 and the one who ruins his life. 00:09:02.859 --> 00:09:03.919 It's that sort of story, 00:09:04.019 --> 00:09:05.259 and we're told here in verse 11, 00:09:05.339 --> 00:09:06.599 can you see it, of Hebrews chapter 2, 00:09:06.979 --> 00:09:09.479 that Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers. 00:09:11.179 --> 00:09:13.559 That our older brother has come into the playground 00:09:13.559 --> 00:09:15.579 as if it were to rescue us from the bully. 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:18.079 He lays hold of us in our sin and misery. 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:19.520 So how does he do that? 00:09:21.660 --> 00:09:22.900 How does he rescue us? 00:09:22.980 --> 00:09:25.800 Our older brother has come because we are flesh and blood. 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:28.020 He has become flesh and blood. 00:09:30.020 --> 00:09:32.040 In order to bleed and die, 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:35.040 that's why he became flesh and blood. 00:09:37.180 --> 00:09:39.320 And so don't coo over the little baby 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:40.379 and say, well, isn't he lovely? 00:09:40.379 --> 00:09:44.539 The reason that he became a little baby 00:09:44.539 --> 00:09:47.899 was so that he could go to the cross and die for us. 00:09:49.379 --> 00:09:51.120 Do you see how the passage runs 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:53.399 from Christmas through to Easter? 00:09:54.740 --> 00:09:56.620 Look at verse 14. 00:09:56.620 --> 00:10:00.799 Since therefore the children 00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:03.000 share in flesh and blood, 00:10:03.460 --> 00:10:04.440 he himself, 00:10:05.259 --> 00:10:07.340 likewise partook in the same things, 00:10:07.419 --> 00:10:08.360 he became like us, 00:10:08.440 --> 00:10:09.580 that through death, 00:10:09.899 --> 00:10:12.759 he might destroy the one who has the power of death. 00:10:13.419 --> 00:10:14.360 That is the devil. 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:17.159 The big brother 00:10:17.159 --> 00:10:19.740 has come to beat the bully 00:10:19.740 --> 00:10:22.519 who has made life a misery. 00:10:23.659 --> 00:10:24.860 And how is he going to do that? 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:25.720 Verse 17. 00:10:26.620 --> 00:10:29.580 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers 00:10:29.580 --> 00:10:30.720 in every respect 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:32.840 so that he might become a merciful 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:35.240 and faithful high priest. 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:39.519 That is how big brother took our human condition. 00:10:40.860 --> 00:10:42.759 He came into a broken, fallen world. 00:10:42.899 --> 00:10:44.159 He became like us, 00:10:44.240 --> 00:10:45.500 but was without sin. 00:10:47.340 --> 00:10:49.000 For this reason, 00:10:50.580 --> 00:10:51.700 he had to become a merciful 00:10:51.700 --> 00:10:52.980 and faithful high priest 00:10:52.980 --> 00:10:54.120 in the service of God 00:10:54.120 --> 00:10:55.600 to make propitiation 00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:57.240 for the sins of the people. 00:10:59.139 --> 00:10:59.840 Do you see? 00:10:59.980 --> 00:11:00.779 It's Christmas, 00:11:01.220 --> 00:11:02.500 therefore Easter. 00:11:03.820 --> 00:11:05.860 He came in order to become 00:11:05.860 --> 00:11:06.960 a priest, 00:11:07.080 --> 00:11:07.879 a sacrifice 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:08.879 in the temple. 00:11:10.060 --> 00:11:11.580 And by the eternal spirit, 00:11:11.700 --> 00:11:13.720 we're told that he offered himself to God. 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:16.279 We're told in chapter 9, 00:11:16.320 --> 00:11:17.420 in verse 14 of Hebrews, 00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:18.779 that he is the priest 00:11:18.779 --> 00:11:19.460 and the sacrifice. 00:11:19.620 --> 00:11:21.899 He comes and he offers himself to God 00:11:21.899 --> 00:11:24.919 as an atonement for sins 00:11:24.919 --> 00:11:25.579 so that, 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:26.179 what? 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:28.299 We might come into the presence of God. 00:11:29.860 --> 00:11:31.699 So that we might meet with God 00:11:31.699 --> 00:11:32.579 in his temple. 00:11:34.179 --> 00:11:35.240 One writer has said that 00:11:35.240 --> 00:11:37.139 from the road from Bethlehem 00:11:37.139 --> 00:11:38.139 leads to Golgotha. 00:11:38.139 --> 00:11:40.620 The crib and the cross 00:11:40.620 --> 00:11:41.919 are cut from the same wood. 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:42.879 Just think about that. 00:11:44.519 --> 00:11:45.279 Here's a little poem. 00:11:45.279 --> 00:11:46.559 God in a manger, 00:11:47.960 --> 00:11:48.279 defenseless, 00:11:49.179 --> 00:11:49.279 enfleshed, 00:11:50.319 --> 00:11:51.600 Emmanuel crying 00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:53.220 and fighting for breath. 00:11:54.179 --> 00:11:55.720 God in a manger, 00:11:56.080 --> 00:11:57.199 wriggling and raw, 00:11:57.659 --> 00:11:58.840 laid out on the wood, 00:11:59.019 --> 00:12:00.299 enthroned on the straw. 00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:03.080 God at Golgotha, 00:12:04.279 --> 00:12:05.399 pierced in his flesh, 00:12:05.399 --> 00:12:06.759 Emmanuel crying 00:12:06.759 --> 00:12:08.600 and fighting for breath. 00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:11.139 God at Golgotha, 00:12:11.279 --> 00:12:12.819 forsaken and lost, 00:12:13.819 --> 00:12:14.980 stretched out on the wood, 00:12:15.120 --> 00:12:17.480 enthroned on the cross. 00:12:19.019 --> 00:12:20.100 He took flesh 00:12:20.100 --> 00:12:22.059 in order to bleed and die for us. 00:12:23.699 --> 00:12:25.039 Why does he have to do that? 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:27.679 Well, because of what we're told 00:12:27.679 --> 00:12:28.399 in these verses, 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:29.559 that there is a bully 00:12:29.559 --> 00:12:31.539 who has made life a misery, 00:12:31.740 --> 00:12:32.120 hasn't there? 00:12:32.120 --> 00:12:35.940 You might remember, 00:12:36.440 --> 00:12:37.480 it's not a completely 00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:38.259 unfamiliar story, 00:12:38.340 --> 00:12:38.500 isn't it? 00:12:38.539 --> 00:12:39.799 A 10-year-old girl 00:12:39.799 --> 00:12:40.460 who is snatched 00:12:40.460 --> 00:12:41.360 from the street 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:43.580 in the suburbs of Vienna. 00:12:44.740 --> 00:12:45.779 For eight years, 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:46.980 she's kept beneath 00:12:46.980 --> 00:12:48.899 this man's house 00:12:48.899 --> 00:12:50.840 behind a steel door 00:12:50.840 --> 00:12:52.840 in a tiny windowless cell 00:12:52.840 --> 00:12:55.120 until mercifully 00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:55.919 and wonderfully 00:12:55.919 --> 00:12:57.500 she seizes the opportunity 00:12:57.500 --> 00:12:58.019 to escape. 00:12:58.120 --> 00:12:58.960 You might remember the story. 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:01.879 Just imagine that. 00:13:01.940 --> 00:13:02.620 A 10-year-old girl 00:13:02.620 --> 00:13:03.519 snatched off the street, 00:13:03.620 --> 00:13:03.879 kidnapped, 00:13:04.139 --> 00:13:05.400 locked in a windowless cell 00:13:05.400 --> 00:13:06.340 behind a steel door. 00:13:07.940 --> 00:13:08.639 The Bible says 00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:09.639 that's the human condition. 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:12.100 That is why 00:13:12.100 --> 00:13:12.560 the big brother 00:13:12.560 --> 00:13:13.379 has got to come. 00:13:13.460 --> 00:13:14.220 That's what's happened to us. 00:13:14.280 --> 00:13:15.759 Look at verses 14 and 15. 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:19.680 Since therefore 00:13:19.680 --> 00:13:20.500 the children share 00:13:20.500 --> 00:13:21.200 in the flesh and blood, 00:13:21.280 --> 00:13:22.120 he himself likewise 00:13:22.120 --> 00:13:23.060 partake of the same things 00:13:23.060 --> 00:13:24.240 that through death 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:25.900 he might destroy 00:13:25.900 --> 00:13:26.879 the one who has 00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:27.700 the power of death. 00:13:27.700 --> 00:13:28.540 That is the devil. 00:13:28.539 --> 00:13:29.759 and deliver 00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:30.679 all those 00:13:30.679 --> 00:13:31.879 who through fear of death 00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:32.699 were subject 00:13:32.699 --> 00:13:33.679 to lifelong slavery. 00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:37.719 That is why 00:13:37.719 --> 00:13:38.599 big brother Jesus 00:13:38.599 --> 00:13:39.199 needed to come 00:13:39.199 --> 00:13:39.860 and rescue us. 00:13:41.099 --> 00:13:42.319 Because we've been enslaved, 00:13:42.459 --> 00:13:43.139 we've been kidnapped, 00:13:43.419 --> 00:13:44.719 the devil has a hold of us. 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:49.839 The devil has the power 00:13:49.839 --> 00:13:50.480 of death. 00:13:51.939 --> 00:13:53.399 And he holds us 00:13:53.399 --> 00:13:55.519 in slavery to it. 00:13:56.379 --> 00:13:57.139 That's why people 00:13:57.139 --> 00:13:58.219 are so afraid of death. 00:13:58.220 --> 00:13:59.360 They're so fearful of it. 00:13:59.800 --> 00:14:01.460 It's the devil's trump card, 00:14:01.580 --> 00:14:02.379 the fear of death. 00:14:04.560 --> 00:14:05.940 Tolstoy wrote about it 00:14:05.940 --> 00:14:06.620 in his confessions. 00:14:06.899 --> 00:14:08.200 He says this, 00:14:08.279 --> 00:14:08.460 he said, 00:14:08.519 --> 00:14:09.180 something strange 00:14:09.180 --> 00:14:10.100 began to happen to me 00:14:10.100 --> 00:14:11.759 at the age of 50. 00:14:13.100 --> 00:14:13.840 At the age of 50, 00:14:13.940 --> 00:14:14.519 I had a wife 00:14:14.519 --> 00:14:15.160 who loved me 00:14:15.160 --> 00:14:15.960 and whom I loved. 00:14:16.060 --> 00:14:16.920 I had a large estate 00:14:16.920 --> 00:14:19.180 which without much effort 00:14:19.180 --> 00:14:20.180 on my part increased. 00:14:20.360 --> 00:14:21.360 My name was respected. 00:14:21.580 --> 00:14:22.980 I enjoyed physical strength 00:14:22.980 --> 00:14:24.300 and yet I could not live 00:14:24.300 --> 00:14:26.220 because I was afraid to die. 00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:28.139 The question 00:14:28.139 --> 00:14:28.759 which brought me 00:14:28.759 --> 00:14:30.019 to the verge of suicide 00:14:30.019 --> 00:14:31.080 sought an answer 00:14:31.080 --> 00:14:31.700 without which 00:14:31.700 --> 00:14:32.680 one cannot live. 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:34.180 Is there any meaning 00:14:34.180 --> 00:14:34.940 in my life 00:14:34.940 --> 00:14:36.940 that my inevitable death 00:14:36.940 --> 00:14:37.820 does not destroy 00:14:37.820 --> 00:14:39.240 today or tomorrow? 00:14:39.680 --> 00:14:40.460 Death will come 00:14:40.460 --> 00:14:41.440 to those I love 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:42.200 and then to me. 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:44.639 Soon will not only 00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:45.700 I not exist, 00:14:45.800 --> 00:14:46.300 but eventually 00:14:46.300 --> 00:14:47.420 no one will exist 00:14:47.420 --> 00:14:48.000 who will remember 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:48.740 anything I've written 00:14:48.740 --> 00:14:49.159 or done. 00:14:49.159 --> 00:14:51.600 Why then go on 00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:52.620 with the short effort? 00:14:53.679 --> 00:14:55.079 What is it all for? 00:14:55.379 --> 00:14:56.600 What does it all lead to? 00:14:56.799 --> 00:14:57.519 What difference 00:14:57.519 --> 00:14:58.199 does it make 00:14:58.199 --> 00:14:59.480 whether I do this thing 00:14:59.480 --> 00:15:00.459 or that thing 00:15:00.459 --> 00:15:01.480 or nothing at all? 00:15:03.299 --> 00:15:04.019 So Tolstice says, 00:15:04.120 --> 00:15:05.319 I could give no rational meaning 00:15:05.319 --> 00:15:06.559 to any single action 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:07.919 or even to my whole life, 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:09.579 but what was so surprising 00:15:09.579 --> 00:15:11.120 was how we can fail 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:11.779 to see this. 00:15:13.199 --> 00:15:14.019 For a time, 00:15:14.139 --> 00:15:14.899 it's possible to live 00:15:14.899 --> 00:15:16.220 intoxicated with life, 00:15:16.220 --> 00:15:17.179 but as soon as 00:15:17.179 --> 00:15:17.860 when it's sober, 00:15:17.860 --> 00:15:19.200 it is impossible 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:20.279 not to see that life 00:15:20.279 --> 00:15:21.300 in the face of death 00:15:21.300 --> 00:15:22.039 is a fraud 00:15:22.039 --> 00:15:23.539 and a stupid fraud. 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:25.700 How often I've been told 00:15:25.700 --> 00:15:26.659 you cannot understand 00:15:26.659 --> 00:15:27.500 the meaning of life, 00:15:27.580 --> 00:15:28.340 so don't think about it, 00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:29.019 just live. 00:15:29.659 --> 00:15:31.340 I can no longer do that. 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:36.200 That's a stark reality, 00:15:36.320 --> 00:15:36.480 isn't it? 00:15:36.500 --> 00:15:37.440 That's universal. 00:15:37.820 --> 00:15:38.639 What is the point 00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:39.060 of it all? 00:15:41.399 --> 00:15:42.379 If we live 00:15:42.379 --> 00:15:43.279 for a moment 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:44.560 and then we die 00:15:44.560 --> 00:15:46.460 and there's nothing else 00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:47.840 or worse than that, 00:15:47.860 --> 00:15:49.840 worse than that, 00:15:49.899 --> 00:15:50.379 the Bible says, 00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:51.279 it is appointed for man 00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:51.700 to die 00:15:51.700 --> 00:15:52.519 and then to face 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:53.000 the judgment. 00:15:55.800 --> 00:15:56.580 And so Paul talks 00:15:56.580 --> 00:15:57.019 about this, 00:15:57.180 --> 00:15:58.060 the Bible talks about this, 00:15:58.100 --> 00:15:58.440 the apostle 00:15:58.440 --> 00:15:59.740 in 1 Corinthians 15 00:15:59.740 --> 00:16:01.360 in those really famous words 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:02.100 that you hear 00:16:02.100 --> 00:16:03.120 at the graveside 00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:03.720 of a Christian. 00:16:06.200 --> 00:16:07.680 And this is what Paul says, 00:16:07.740 --> 00:16:08.080 he says, 00:16:08.360 --> 00:16:10.000 death is swallowed up 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:11.279 in victory. 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:14.120 Oh death, 00:16:14.199 --> 00:16:15.319 where is your sting? 00:16:16.459 --> 00:16:17.279 Oh death, 00:16:17.399 --> 00:16:18.459 where is your victory? 00:16:18.559 --> 00:16:18.939 Oh death, 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:19.639 where is your sting? 00:16:19.799 --> 00:16:20.799 The sting of death 00:16:20.799 --> 00:16:21.480 is sin 00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:23.279 and the power of sin 00:16:23.279 --> 00:16:23.980 is the law 00:16:23.980 --> 00:16:25.860 but thanks be to God 00:16:25.860 --> 00:16:27.939 who gives us the victory 00:16:27.939 --> 00:16:29.100 through our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:16:33.319 --> 00:16:33.959 Paul is saying 00:16:33.959 --> 00:16:34.740 there is hope. 00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:37.199 There is hope. 00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:40.540 I think I've told you 00:16:40.540 --> 00:16:41.040 the story before, 00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:41.660 there's a family 00:16:41.660 --> 00:16:42.900 driving along in a car 00:16:42.900 --> 00:16:44.800 and the window is down 00:16:44.800 --> 00:16:45.960 and there's a bee 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:47.280 that flies into the car 00:16:47.280 --> 00:16:50.040 and that is annoying, 00:16:50.540 --> 00:16:50.940 isn't it? 00:16:51.080 --> 00:16:52.300 And scary. 00:16:52.299 --> 00:16:55.139 But there was a child 00:16:55.139 --> 00:16:56.779 in this car 00:16:56.779 --> 00:16:57.859 who was allergic 00:16:57.859 --> 00:16:58.939 to bee stings. 00:17:00.500 --> 00:17:01.599 And so it's not only 00:17:01.599 --> 00:17:03.079 scary and annoying, 00:17:03.319 --> 00:17:04.299 it's life threatening. 00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:06.000 The dad swerves the car 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:06.879 to the side of the road, 00:17:07.379 --> 00:17:08.180 the little child 00:17:08.180 --> 00:17:08.619 in the back 00:17:08.619 --> 00:17:09.279 is panicking 00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:12.059 and what the dad does 00:17:12.059 --> 00:17:13.059 is he manages 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:14.000 to grab hold 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:14.700 of the bee 00:17:14.700 --> 00:17:16.339 and he presses it 00:17:16.339 --> 00:17:17.619 against the windscreen 00:17:17.619 --> 00:17:18.919 and he holds it there 00:17:18.919 --> 00:17:19.519 in his hand. 00:17:21.339 --> 00:17:21.859 And then eventually 00:17:21.859 --> 00:17:22.979 the dad shouts out 00:17:22.979 --> 00:17:23.359 in pain 00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:24.579 and he releases his grip 00:17:24.579 --> 00:17:26.779 and the bee flies out again. 00:17:28.979 --> 00:17:29.979 And the little child 00:17:29.979 --> 00:17:30.579 is panicking. 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:32.679 But the dad 00:17:32.679 --> 00:17:33.379 is able to say, 00:17:33.479 --> 00:17:33.740 isn't it, 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:34.719 look here, 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:35.639 look at my hand. 00:17:36.679 --> 00:17:37.459 Look at my hand, 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:38.599 see the sting. 00:17:40.299 --> 00:17:41.439 Its sting is in my hand, 00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:42.279 it can't harm you. 00:17:43.299 --> 00:17:45.139 I have taken the sting. 00:17:45.659 --> 00:17:46.959 The bee can still buzz around 00:17:46.959 --> 00:17:49.819 but it can't sting you anymore 00:17:49.819 --> 00:17:50.339 and that's what 00:17:50.339 --> 00:17:51.259 our big brother has done. 00:17:51.859 --> 00:17:54.500 He's taken the sting 00:17:54.500 --> 00:17:55.519 out of death 00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:58.979 and that is the hold 00:17:58.979 --> 00:17:59.959 that the devil has 00:17:59.959 --> 00:18:00.979 and so you and I, 00:18:01.059 --> 00:18:01.599 the truth is, 00:18:01.659 --> 00:18:01.859 isn't it, 00:18:01.879 --> 00:18:02.959 you and I are going to die 00:18:02.959 --> 00:18:06.659 and you and I 00:18:06.659 --> 00:18:07.240 are sinners 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:09.059 and so in death 00:18:09.059 --> 00:18:10.139 we will encounter 00:18:10.139 --> 00:18:11.039 God in judgment. 00:18:11.199 --> 00:18:11.939 We will meet him 00:18:11.939 --> 00:18:14.219 and the sting of death 00:18:14.219 --> 00:18:14.979 is sin 00:18:14.980 --> 00:18:15.920 and the strength 00:18:15.920 --> 00:18:16.420 of that sting 00:18:16.420 --> 00:18:18.079 is the power of the law 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:19.039 and we deserve 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:19.640 God's judgment 00:18:19.640 --> 00:18:20.500 and we deserve 00:18:20.500 --> 00:18:21.160 God's anger 00:18:21.160 --> 00:18:22.259 against us forever 00:18:22.259 --> 00:18:23.539 because we are sinners 00:18:23.539 --> 00:18:25.279 and that is the devil's trump card. 00:18:27.220 --> 00:18:28.420 And that's why you and I 00:18:28.420 --> 00:18:29.460 are afraid of death 00:18:29.460 --> 00:18:29.900 when we're willing 00:18:29.900 --> 00:18:30.640 to think about it. 00:18:32.319 --> 00:18:33.319 That is why death 00:18:33.319 --> 00:18:34.240 haunts us 00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:34.960 as a culture 00:18:34.960 --> 00:18:36.160 every waking hour. 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:39.200 But Jesus comes to us 00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:40.480 as our big brother 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:41.240 and he says, 00:18:41.460 --> 00:18:42.240 look at my hands. 00:18:43.860 --> 00:18:44.600 Look at my hands, 00:18:44.660 --> 00:18:45.580 they've been nailed 00:18:45.580 --> 00:18:46.900 to the cross. 00:18:47.140 --> 00:18:48.200 See, there's the sting. 00:18:48.259 --> 00:18:49.140 The sting is gone. 00:18:50.820 --> 00:18:52.340 He has absorbed it. 00:18:54.840 --> 00:18:55.540 Look at what it says 00:18:55.540 --> 00:18:56.120 in Hebrews 2 00:18:56.120 --> 00:18:57.080 in verse 9. 00:18:59.940 --> 00:19:00.900 Can you see what it says 00:19:00.900 --> 00:19:01.720 at the end of verse 9? 00:19:01.720 --> 00:19:02.000 It says, 00:19:02.299 --> 00:19:04.059 he has tasted death. 00:19:06.740 --> 00:19:07.559 The Lord Jesus, 00:19:08.500 --> 00:19:09.559 the baby in the manger, 00:19:10.059 --> 00:19:11.319 experienced death 00:19:11.319 --> 00:19:12.220 with the sting in it. 00:19:13.640 --> 00:19:15.460 He was made sin 00:19:15.460 --> 00:19:17.480 who knew no sin 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:18.140 that you and I 00:19:18.140 --> 00:19:18.740 can be made right 00:19:18.740 --> 00:19:19.160 with God. 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:22.160 And so that's why 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:22.839 the Christian would say, 00:19:22.920 --> 00:19:23.180 oh death, 00:19:23.259 --> 00:19:23.960 where is your sting? 00:19:25.039 --> 00:19:25.640 Oh grave, 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:27.000 where is your victory? 00:19:27.140 --> 00:19:28.339 Because thanks be to God 00:19:28.339 --> 00:19:29.440 who gives us the victory 00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:30.900 through Jesus Christ, 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:31.420 our Lord, 00:19:31.420 --> 00:19:32.039 and our big brother. 00:19:38.539 --> 00:19:39.600 There's a lovely story 00:19:39.600 --> 00:19:40.360 of a man going 00:19:40.360 --> 00:19:41.160 into an art gallery. 00:19:42.519 --> 00:19:43.800 It's the famous painting 00:19:43.800 --> 00:19:44.779 of Faust 00:19:44.779 --> 00:19:46.340 playing chess 00:19:46.340 --> 00:19:46.980 with the devil. 00:19:48.980 --> 00:19:49.840 And the devil 00:19:49.840 --> 00:19:50.920 is leering 00:19:50.920 --> 00:19:52.340 across the table 00:19:52.340 --> 00:19:55.080 at a despairing Faust 00:19:55.080 --> 00:19:57.240 whom he's checkmated. 00:19:58.940 --> 00:19:59.940 Apparently the story goes, 00:20:00.380 --> 00:20:01.400 a famous chess player 00:20:01.400 --> 00:20:02.500 used to come into that gallery 00:20:02.500 --> 00:20:04.220 and he used to come in 00:20:04.220 --> 00:20:05.660 time and time again 00:20:05.660 --> 00:20:06.420 and he would sit 00:20:06.420 --> 00:20:07.700 and he would stare 00:20:07.700 --> 00:20:09.259 at that picture. 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:12.240 One day he found himself 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:13.420 staring at that painting 00:20:13.420 --> 00:20:14.080 yet again 00:20:14.080 --> 00:20:14.880 of the devil 00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:16.060 leering across 00:20:16.060 --> 00:20:17.000 the chess board 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:18.540 at Faust 00:20:18.540 --> 00:20:19.759 with the devil 00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:20.840 saying checkmate. 00:20:20.839 --> 00:20:23.119 this chess player 00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:23.980 looked at all the different 00:20:23.980 --> 00:20:25.480 positions of the chess board 00:20:25.480 --> 00:20:26.419 and one day 00:20:26.419 --> 00:20:27.259 there's a great cry 00:20:27.259 --> 00:20:27.819 he rings out 00:20:27.819 --> 00:20:28.720 apparently in the gallery. 00:20:30.459 --> 00:20:31.559 As he cries out, 00:20:31.659 --> 00:20:32.599 no, there's another move. 00:20:34.299 --> 00:20:35.279 It's not checkmate. 00:20:36.659 --> 00:20:37.720 There's another move. 00:20:37.720 --> 00:20:40.579 And so the message 00:20:40.579 --> 00:20:41.339 of Christmas is this, 00:20:41.400 --> 00:20:42.120 the devil thinks 00:20:42.120 --> 00:20:42.720 he's got us. 00:20:44.500 --> 00:20:45.420 The devil thinks 00:20:45.420 --> 00:20:46.360 he's got a hold of us. 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:47.420 It is checkmate. 00:20:47.819 --> 00:20:48.839 He holds us 00:20:48.839 --> 00:20:49.720 in slavery 00:20:49.720 --> 00:20:50.880 through fear of death 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:52.339 and Jesus comes, 00:20:52.480 --> 00:20:53.079 our big brother, 00:20:53.259 --> 00:20:53.779 and he says, 00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:54.279 no, no, 00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:55.480 it's not checkmate. 00:20:57.480 --> 00:20:58.559 There's another move. 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:01.360 And he moves 00:21:01.360 --> 00:21:02.160 from the cradle 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:03.120 to the cross 00:21:03.120 --> 00:21:03.839 and he makes 00:21:03.839 --> 00:21:04.720 atonement 00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:06.299 by his eternal spirit. 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:07.259 He offers himself 00:21:07.259 --> 00:21:07.740 to God. 00:21:09.819 --> 00:21:10.819 That's the move. 00:21:12.620 --> 00:21:13.400 His death 00:21:13.400 --> 00:21:14.279 frees us. 00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:15.079 It beats the bully. 00:21:16.700 --> 00:21:17.660 It beats the hell 00:21:17.660 --> 00:21:17.960 out of it. 00:21:19.440 --> 00:21:20.880 It takes the sting 00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:22.220 out of death. 00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:23.539 His death 00:21:23.539 --> 00:21:24.200 is for us. 00:21:24.279 --> 00:21:25.220 It is vicarious. 00:21:25.339 --> 00:21:26.140 It is victorious 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:27.539 because in his death 00:21:27.539 --> 00:21:28.620 he beats the bully 00:21:28.620 --> 00:21:29.759 who's made our life 00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:30.140 a misery. 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:33.019 It robs him 00:21:33.019 --> 00:21:33.900 of his hold 00:21:33.900 --> 00:21:34.559 of us. 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:36.519 It takes away 00:21:36.519 --> 00:21:37.019 the ground 00:21:37.019 --> 00:21:38.000 from under his feet, 00:21:38.079 --> 00:21:38.460 doesn't it? 00:21:38.740 --> 00:21:39.440 He comes 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:40.720 and he accuses you 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:41.220 and he says, 00:21:41.360 --> 00:21:42.220 you are a sinner. 00:21:43.740 --> 00:21:44.220 And we say, 00:21:44.279 --> 00:21:44.420 well, 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:45.240 yeah, 00:21:45.400 --> 00:21:46.339 I know I'm a sinner. 00:21:48.120 --> 00:21:48.660 He says, 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:49.539 you deserve 00:21:49.539 --> 00:21:50.339 God's anger. 00:21:50.640 --> 00:21:51.460 I know I do. 00:21:52.839 --> 00:21:54.259 You deserve hell. 00:21:54.259 --> 00:21:55.579 I know I do, 00:21:56.140 --> 00:21:56.960 but the Lord Jesus 00:21:56.960 --> 00:21:58.180 has taken that 00:21:58.180 --> 00:21:58.779 for me. 00:21:59.100 --> 00:21:59.880 He has taken 00:21:59.880 --> 00:22:00.819 that anger, 00:22:00.980 --> 00:22:01.640 that justice, 00:22:01.819 --> 00:22:02.380 that hell. 00:22:02.380 --> 00:22:04.960 And look at verse 13. 00:22:05.020 --> 00:22:05.640 I love this. 00:22:05.740 --> 00:22:06.500 Look at verse 13. 00:22:09.400 --> 00:22:10.020 And again, 00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:12.880 I will put my trust 00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:13.260 in him. 00:22:14.700 --> 00:22:15.360 And again, 00:22:15.500 --> 00:22:15.980 behold, 00:22:16.180 --> 00:22:17.220 I and the children 00:22:17.220 --> 00:22:18.200 God has 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:19.280 given me. 00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:24.859 what I'm trying 00:22:24.859 --> 00:22:25.240 to say to you 00:22:25.240 --> 00:22:26.019 is this Christmas, 00:22:26.139 --> 00:22:26.579 if you will put 00:22:26.579 --> 00:22:26.980 your trust 00:22:26.980 --> 00:22:27.680 in the Lord Jesus, 00:22:28.680 --> 00:22:30.160 if Jesus catches 00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:31.119 hold of you, 00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:31.720 the devil 00:22:31.720 --> 00:22:32.700 loses his grip 00:22:32.700 --> 00:22:33.139 on you. 00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:36.720 Look at verse 13. 00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:39.360 behold, 00:22:39.360 --> 00:22:39.400 behold, 00:22:39.579 --> 00:22:40.720 I and the children 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:41.559 God has 00:22:41.559 --> 00:22:42.259 given me. 00:22:43.940 --> 00:22:44.620 He's not going 00:22:44.620 --> 00:22:45.500 to lose any of them. 00:22:47.079 --> 00:22:48.000 Not after what 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:48.640 he's been through 00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:49.559 to rescue us. 00:22:50.980 --> 00:22:51.799 Here I am, 00:22:51.880 --> 00:22:52.279 he says, 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:53.000 and the children 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:53.920 that you have 00:22:53.920 --> 00:22:54.420 given me. 00:22:57.819 --> 00:22:58.339 And so let me 00:22:58.339 --> 00:22:59.240 ask you as I finish, 00:22:59.940 --> 00:23:00.519 who has got 00:23:00.519 --> 00:23:01.019 hold of you 00:23:01.019 --> 00:23:01.460 this Christmas? 00:23:03.860 --> 00:23:04.519 What is it 00:23:04.519 --> 00:23:05.660 that is driving you? 00:23:08.500 --> 00:23:09.160 You've got to 00:23:09.160 --> 00:23:10.039 serve somebody, 00:23:10.139 --> 00:23:10.379 haven't you? 00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:13.639 Let me read to you 00:23:13.639 --> 00:23:14.119 like I've done 00:23:14.119 --> 00:23:15.180 before the Bob Dylan song. 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:17.200 You may be 00:23:17.200 --> 00:23:17.799 an ambassador 00:23:17.799 --> 00:23:18.879 to England or France. 00:23:19.779 --> 00:23:20.700 You may like to gamble 00:23:20.700 --> 00:23:21.539 or you might like 00:23:21.539 --> 00:23:21.940 to dance. 00:23:22.680 --> 00:23:23.259 You may be 00:23:23.259 --> 00:23:24.059 the heavyweight champion 00:23:24.059 --> 00:23:24.660 of the world. 00:23:25.379 --> 00:23:26.359 You may be a socialite 00:23:26.359 --> 00:23:27.259 with a long string 00:23:27.259 --> 00:23:27.720 of pearls, 00:23:28.139 --> 00:23:28.819 but you're going to 00:23:28.819 --> 00:23:29.680 have to serve somebody. 00:23:30.819 --> 00:23:31.680 Might be a rock 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:32.319 and roll addict 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:33.500 prancing on the stage. 00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:34.139 Might have money 00:23:34.140 --> 00:23:34.600 and drugs 00:23:34.600 --> 00:23:35.360 at your commands. 00:23:35.500 --> 00:23:36.240 Women in a cage. 00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:37.900 You may be a businessman 00:23:37.900 --> 00:23:40.000 or some high degree thief. 00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:41.460 They may call you doctor 00:23:41.460 --> 00:23:43.280 or they may call you chief, 00:23:43.500 --> 00:23:43.860 but you're going to 00:23:43.860 --> 00:23:44.780 have to serve somebody. 00:23:46.080 --> 00:23:47.300 You may be a state trooper. 00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:49.200 You might be a young Turk. 00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:50.380 You may be the head 00:23:50.380 --> 00:23:51.580 of some big TV network. 00:23:52.460 --> 00:23:53.780 You may be rich or poor. 00:23:53.920 --> 00:23:55.000 You may be blind or lame. 00:23:55.080 --> 00:23:55.560 You may be living 00:23:55.560 --> 00:23:56.360 in another country 00:23:56.360 --> 00:23:57.320 under another name, 00:23:57.440 --> 00:23:57.960 but you're going to 00:23:57.960 --> 00:23:58.940 have to serve somebody. 00:24:00.440 --> 00:24:01.500 You may be a construction worker 00:24:01.500 --> 00:24:02.200 working on a home. 00:24:02.600 --> 00:24:03.020 You may be living 00:24:03.020 --> 00:24:03.600 in a mansion. 00:24:04.680 --> 00:24:05.240 Or you might live 00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:05.720 in a dome. 00:24:06.380 --> 00:24:07.180 You might own guns 00:24:07.180 --> 00:24:08.420 and you might even own tanks. 00:24:08.540 --> 00:24:09.780 You might be somebody's landlords. 00:24:10.500 --> 00:24:11.440 You might even own banks, 00:24:11.540 --> 00:24:11.940 but you're going to 00:24:11.940 --> 00:24:12.680 have to serve somebody. 00:24:13.600 --> 00:24:14.460 You may be a preacher 00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:15.580 with your spiritual pride. 00:24:15.700 --> 00:24:16.880 You may be a city councilman 00:24:16.880 --> 00:24:18.160 taking bribes on the side. 00:24:18.500 --> 00:24:19.120 You may be working 00:24:19.120 --> 00:24:19.920 in a barber shop. 00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:20.759 You may know 00:24:20.759 --> 00:24:21.540 how to cut hair. 00:24:21.960 --> 00:24:22.980 You may be somebody's mistress. 00:24:23.700 --> 00:24:24.620 You may be somebody's heir, 00:24:25.280 --> 00:24:25.720 but you're going to 00:24:25.720 --> 00:24:26.520 have to serve somebody. 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:28.040 Might like to wear cotton. 00:24:28.160 --> 00:24:29.020 Might like to wear silk. 00:24:29.140 --> 00:24:30.040 Might like to drink whiskey. 00:24:30.160 --> 00:24:31.020 Might like to drink milk. 00:24:31.900 --> 00:24:33.259 You might like to eat caviar. 00:24:33.259 --> 00:24:34.559 You might like to eat bread. 00:24:34.660 --> 00:24:35.799 You may be sleeping on the floor, 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:37.279 sleeping in a king-sized bed, 00:24:37.539 --> 00:24:38.180 but you're going to have 00:24:38.180 --> 00:24:38.879 to serve somebody. 00:24:38.980 --> 00:24:39.480 Yes, indeed. 00:24:40.339 --> 00:24:40.940 You're going to have 00:24:40.940 --> 00:24:41.680 to serve somebody. 00:24:41.859 --> 00:24:42.519 It may be the devil 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:43.420 or it may be the Lord, 00:24:43.920 --> 00:24:44.619 but you're going to have 00:24:44.619 --> 00:24:45.660 to serve somebody. 00:24:45.660 --> 00:24:46.460 So who's it going to be? 00:24:49.460 --> 00:24:51.040 Who holds the reins of your life? 00:24:53.779 --> 00:24:54.940 What's driving you? 00:24:57.800 --> 00:24:59.100 Listen to what the Apostle Paul says 00:24:59.100 --> 00:25:00.120 in Philippians chapter 3. 00:25:01.120 --> 00:25:02.540 One of the things I love 00:25:02.540 --> 00:25:03.080 about the Apostle Paul 00:25:03.080 --> 00:25:04.279 is he's always telling his story. 00:25:06.759 --> 00:25:07.500 He's been a Christian 00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:08.860 at this point for about 30 years 00:25:08.860 --> 00:25:09.980 and he writes this. 00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:10.340 He says, 00:25:10.339 --> 00:25:11.399 not that I've already 00:25:11.399 --> 00:25:12.259 obtained all this 00:25:12.259 --> 00:25:13.519 or have already arrived 00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:14.179 at my goal, 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:15.359 but I press on 00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:16.299 to take hold of that 00:25:16.299 --> 00:25:17.279 for which Christ Jesus 00:25:17.279 --> 00:25:18.179 took hold of me. 00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:19.199 It's the very same word 00:25:19.199 --> 00:25:20.419 that's in Hebrews 2. 00:25:22.919 --> 00:25:24.299 It means to seize 00:25:24.299 --> 00:25:26.259 or to arrest 00:25:26.259 --> 00:25:27.000 or to be taken 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:28.539 into protective custody. 00:25:28.919 --> 00:25:29.299 And Paul says, 00:25:29.359 --> 00:25:30.459 that's what Jesus did for me. 00:25:31.619 --> 00:25:32.639 I was walking along 00:25:32.639 --> 00:25:33.799 the Damascus Road 00:25:33.799 --> 00:25:35.939 and I was going the wrong way 00:25:35.939 --> 00:25:37.059 and Jesus took hold of me. 00:25:37.059 --> 00:25:40.919 I was going the wrong direction 00:25:40.919 --> 00:25:42.940 and along came 00:25:42.940 --> 00:25:43.919 the great shepherd 00:25:43.919 --> 00:25:45.019 who came for his sheep 00:25:45.019 --> 00:25:47.440 and he took me 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:48.859 into his protective custody. 00:25:50.819 --> 00:25:51.919 Has he done that for you? 00:25:55.940 --> 00:25:57.480 Do you know this morning 00:25:57.480 --> 00:25:58.619 that if he's done that for you, 00:25:58.639 --> 00:25:59.319 you are safe? 00:26:01.019 --> 00:26:02.599 That's where our safety is. 00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:05.079 It is to lay hold on Jesus. 00:26:07.059 --> 00:26:08.740 It is to be taken 00:26:08.740 --> 00:26:10.039 into his custody. 00:26:13.879 --> 00:26:15.440 Maybe you're here this morning 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:15.940 and you think 00:26:15.940 --> 00:26:17.059 that would be great 00:26:17.059 --> 00:26:17.639 because my life 00:26:17.639 --> 00:26:18.319 is out of control 00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:21.619 and you're carried away 00:26:21.619 --> 00:26:23.519 by your lust 00:26:23.519 --> 00:26:25.179 to places you don't want to go. 00:26:26.599 --> 00:26:27.299 Maybe this morning 00:26:27.299 --> 00:26:28.359 you're stuck in a rut 00:26:28.359 --> 00:26:30.220 and you can't get out of it 00:26:30.220 --> 00:26:32.940 and you long for someone 00:26:32.940 --> 00:26:34.240 to come and take hold of you 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:36.460 and to transform you 00:26:36.460 --> 00:26:37.700 into a different realm 00:26:37.700 --> 00:26:39.779 and that's why Jesus came. 00:26:41.200 --> 00:26:42.160 And he can do that for you 00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:42.660 this Christmas. 00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:43.400 He can do that for you 00:26:43.400 --> 00:26:44.559 before you leave this room. 00:26:46.900 --> 00:26:47.519 I press on, 00:26:48.059 --> 00:26:48.500 Paul says, 00:26:48.539 --> 00:26:49.299 to take hold 00:26:49.299 --> 00:26:50.500 of that. 00:26:55.920 --> 00:26:56.660 This isn't just 00:26:56.660 --> 00:26:57.579 turning up to church 00:26:57.579 --> 00:26:58.299 once on a Sunday. 00:26:58.299 --> 00:27:01.000 This is saying, 00:27:01.139 --> 00:27:02.859 I'm going to catch hold 00:27:02.859 --> 00:27:04.779 of Jesus Christ 00:27:04.779 --> 00:27:05.779 who has caught hold of me. 00:27:10.180 --> 00:27:11.399 Christmas gives us 00:27:11.399 --> 00:27:12.619 God in the flesh 00:27:12.619 --> 00:27:13.399 who catches hold of us. 00:27:13.460 --> 00:27:14.019 Let's come back 00:27:14.019 --> 00:27:15.440 to the verses we close. 00:27:15.859 --> 00:27:16.399 Verse 16. 00:27:18.059 --> 00:27:19.119 It's not angels 00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:19.940 he took hold of. 00:27:21.399 --> 00:27:22.319 It's the descendants 00:27:22.319 --> 00:27:22.819 of Abraham. 00:27:22.980 --> 00:27:23.440 It's believers. 00:27:25.639 --> 00:27:26.720 Abraham is the father 00:27:26.720 --> 00:27:27.359 of the faithful 00:27:27.359 --> 00:27:28.439 for all who will believe. 00:27:30.439 --> 00:27:31.599 It is not just 00:27:31.599 --> 00:27:33.119 humanity blankly. 00:27:33.339 --> 00:27:34.059 It is those 00:27:34.059 --> 00:27:34.939 who believe in him 00:27:34.939 --> 00:27:36.019 are safe in his grip. 00:27:39.159 --> 00:27:40.319 Men will not live 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:40.939 forevermore 00:27:40.939 --> 00:27:41.959 because of Christmas Day 00:27:41.959 --> 00:27:42.539 despite what 00:27:42.539 --> 00:27:43.139 Boney M say. 00:27:44.719 --> 00:27:46.199 You will only live 00:27:46.199 --> 00:27:46.500 in 00:27:46.500 --> 00:27:49.419 forevermore 00:27:49.419 --> 00:27:50.439 if you're in the grip 00:27:50.439 --> 00:27:51.379 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:27:53.039 --> 00:27:54.339 If Christ has caught 00:27:54.339 --> 00:27:54.859 hold of you. 00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:57.339 If you're in the grip 00:27:57.339 --> 00:27:59.379 he has manhandled us 00:27:59.379 --> 00:28:00.119 in order that we 00:28:00.119 --> 00:28:00.740 might become 00:28:00.740 --> 00:28:03.619 sons of God. 00:28:05.720 --> 00:28:06.599 Tells us he's become 00:28:06.599 --> 00:28:07.159 a high priest. 00:28:07.279 --> 00:28:08.179 What does a high priest do? 00:28:08.279 --> 00:28:09.339 A high priest brings you 00:28:09.339 --> 00:28:10.039 into the presence 00:28:10.039 --> 00:28:10.579 of God 00:28:10.579 --> 00:28:13.199 and he gets the presence 00:28:13.199 --> 00:28:14.139 of God into us 00:28:14.139 --> 00:28:17.079 and Jesus wants you 00:28:17.079 --> 00:28:17.539 to do that 00:28:17.539 --> 00:28:19.299 and he wants to do that 00:28:19.299 --> 00:28:20.199 for you this Christmas. 00:28:20.199 --> 00:28:22.059 Let's pray.