WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.040
 Once upon a time, there was a young boy who mounted a campaign just before Christmas to get a new bike for Christmastime.

00:00:09.779 --> 00:00:15.599
 The incessant badgering of his parents annoyed his parents so much that one day they said to him,

00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:22.640
 listen, why don't you go and write a letter to Jesus and tell him why you deserve this bike?

00:00:22.940 --> 00:00:25.800
 So he kind of mixed up there, Jesus and Santa a little bit.

00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:31.839
 And so the lad goes upstairs, grabs himself a pen and a piece of paper and he starts to write,

00:00:31.960 --> 00:00:34.480
 dear Jesus, I've been good all year.

00:00:35.980 --> 00:00:37.020
 You know, that's not true.

00:00:37.500 --> 00:00:41.520
 So he screws up, starts again, dear Jesus, I've been good this whole month.

00:00:42.760 --> 00:00:44.579
 And actually, that's not quite right either.

00:00:44.859 --> 00:00:46.200
 He's a realist, if nothing else.

00:00:46.820 --> 00:00:50.280
 And a third attempt, dear Jesus, I've been good this whole week.

00:00:51.299 --> 00:00:55.260
 And he just stops and he's frustrated because he remembers that incident with the cat.

00:00:55.919 --> 00:01:05.840
 And so he screws up the piece of paper and stomps downstairs and he walks up to the side table and he goes to the nativity scene and grabs Mary out of the nativity scene,

00:01:06.280 --> 00:01:10.420
 stomps back upstairs, whacks her down on the desk and starts writing,

00:01:10.420 --> 00:01:13.840
 dear Jesus, if you ever want to see your mother again.

00:01:16.479 --> 00:01:19.700
 You know, he had a couple of things right about Christmas.

00:01:20.019 --> 00:01:23.099
 He worked out that Mary was Jesus' mother.

00:01:23.099 --> 00:01:24.059
 I suppose that's a start.

00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:30.119
 But in terms of how to relate to God, well, he kind of was trying to relate to God a bit like a terrorist.

00:01:30.659 --> 00:01:33.659
 He was trying to force God's hand to give him a gift.

00:01:33.759 --> 00:01:36.459
 This is the reason why you should do this good thing for me.

00:01:37.859 --> 00:01:47.239
 Christmas is one of those times of the year where it helps us to understand how it is that God relates to us and how it is that we relate to him.

00:01:47.239 --> 00:01:54.459
 And at first glance, that list of names that was read out to us doesn't help us a whole lot in terms of the Christmas story.

00:01:54.579 --> 00:02:02.519
 And yet, in amongst all those names there and the structure of those verses, we get to the very heart of Christmas.

00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:04.179
 We get to the heart of the Christian message.

00:02:04.579 --> 00:02:06.140
 We get to the heart of God himself.

00:02:06.699 --> 00:02:09.400
 So there's three things I want to see from that list tonight.

00:02:09.500 --> 00:02:10.139
 Three things.

00:02:10.139 --> 00:02:14.199
 Number one, Christmas is good news, not good advice.

00:02:14.779 --> 00:02:19.179
 Number two, Christmas turns all of our values of our world on their head.

00:02:19.699 --> 00:02:23.379
 And thirdly, Christmas is the promise of ultimate rest.

00:02:23.739 --> 00:02:27.639
 So first of all, Christmas is good news, not good advice.

00:02:27.939 --> 00:02:32.439
 It doesn't open up there with once upon a time.

00:02:33.679 --> 00:02:35.119
 That's how fairy tales start.

00:02:35.219 --> 00:02:36.479
 That's how my story started.

00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:38.299
 That's how legend starts.

00:02:38.399 --> 00:02:39.119
 It's how myth starts.

00:02:39.179 --> 00:02:40.479
 It's how Star Wars starts.

00:02:40.979 --> 00:02:46.199
 Once upon a time sends the signal that this probably didn't happen.

00:02:47.379 --> 00:02:49.259
 Sort of like, I know this guy.

00:02:49.579 --> 00:02:50.739
 You probably don't.

00:02:51.780 --> 00:02:58.039
 Matthew begins, this is the genealogy of Jesus, the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

00:02:58.039 --> 00:03:06.680
 So what Matthew does here is he grounds who Jesus is and what Jesus has done in history.

00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:08.120
 That is, Jesus is not a metaphor.

00:03:08.859 --> 00:03:09.560
 He is real.

00:03:10.340 --> 00:03:15.419
 And the biblical accounts of Christmas are about what actually happened in history.

00:03:16.079 --> 00:03:18.939
 The birth of the son of God into the world is a gospel.

00:03:19.159 --> 00:03:20.680
 It's a good news.

00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:21.899
 It's an announcement.

00:03:21.900 --> 00:03:32.740
 The birth accounts of Jesus are not telling us what we should do, but in fact, what God has already done in history for us.

00:03:33.200 --> 00:03:34.939
 And it says that Jesus is the Messiah.

00:03:35.040 --> 00:03:36.800
 He's the son of Abraham.

00:03:37.020 --> 00:03:46.960
 You see, centuries before the birth of Jesus, God made a promise to a bloke named Abraham that all the people of the world would be blessed through a descendant of his.

00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:56.980
 And this descendant, through this descendant of Abraham, God would reverse all the devastating impact of sin for all time and all eternity.

00:03:57.240 --> 00:04:03.400
 And what Matthew declares at the very beginning of his gospel, the very beginning of his announcement, is that that time has come.

00:04:04.460 --> 00:04:06.020
 And it's in Jesus.

00:04:06.580 --> 00:04:08.040
 He's the long awaited one.

00:04:08.159 --> 00:04:11.280
 And so that's what makes this news good news.

00:04:11.920 --> 00:04:13.659
 Jesus is the Messiah.

00:04:13.659 --> 00:04:19.480
 He's the fulfillment of all of God's plan of salvation that's been worked out for centuries.

00:04:20.459 --> 00:04:25.180
 And the heart of the Christian gospel is that you don't save yourself.

00:04:26.180 --> 00:04:31.420
 God came to save us in the person of Jesus on their first Christmas night.

00:04:31.879 --> 00:04:33.680
 And so that makes Christmas.

00:04:35.259 --> 00:04:39.480
 Christmas, what it does is that it tells us that Christianity is unique.

00:04:39.480 --> 00:04:47.620
 I would argue that all the religions and all the philosophies of life give advice.

00:04:48.379 --> 00:04:53.720
 The founders of the great religions of the world, in one way or another, say,

00:04:54.520 --> 00:04:57.220
 I'm here to show you what spiritual reality is.

00:04:57.960 --> 00:05:02.180
 And you do all this stuff that I tell you, and you will find spiritual reality.

00:05:02.180 --> 00:05:04.500
 That's advice.

00:05:04.740 --> 00:05:06.920
 And a whole bunch of it is really helpful advice.

00:05:07.060 --> 00:05:07.840
 But it's advice.

00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:12.199
 Christianity is not primarily about self-improvement.

00:05:12.540 --> 00:05:19.300
 We begin with Jesus, not by adopting an ethic or by turning over a new leaf or even joining a community.

00:05:19.819 --> 00:05:23.540
 You begin by believing the report of what happened in history.

00:05:24.660 --> 00:05:27.939
 Did God really come as a human being?

00:05:28.420 --> 00:05:30.840
 Did Jesus really live and suffer and die for you?

00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:33.899
 Did he really rise triumphantly over death?

00:05:34.599 --> 00:05:36.939
 All historical questions.

00:05:38.799 --> 00:05:45.379
 Christmas shows us that Christianity is not good advice for your life.

00:05:45.939 --> 00:05:47.719
 It is good news.

00:05:48.179 --> 00:05:48.719
 That's the first thing.

00:05:48.799 --> 00:05:54.479
 Secondly, we see that Christmas turns all of our values on their head.

00:05:54.480 --> 00:05:59.140
 We live in an individualistic culture in the West.

00:05:59.700 --> 00:06:06.860
 And in an individualistic culture, we commend ourselves through our performance and our accomplishments.

00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:14.740
 That's how we get approval from other people, from a performance and accomplishments.

00:06:14.740 --> 00:06:19.519
 But that's not how it was done in the first century in the Middle East when these words were written.

00:06:19.960 --> 00:06:24.600
 A family tree operated much like a resume operates for us now.

00:06:24.600 --> 00:06:32.840
 In the first century, it was your heritage, your clan, your family, your pedigree, which constituted your resume.

00:06:32.839 --> 00:06:47.979
 And as they do, as when I say they, I mean we do now, people adjust their resumes to leave out the parts that don't sort of help us.

00:06:47.980 --> 00:06:52.280
 The bits that are a little bit more embarrassing that we'd kind of want to cover over.

00:06:52.379 --> 00:06:54.740
 The things that make us look a little bit less impressive.

00:06:55.780 --> 00:07:01.420
 For instance, we know historically that Herod the Great rubbed out many names from his family tree.

00:07:01.580 --> 00:07:04.600
 I mean quite literally he rubbed out many names from his family tree.

00:07:04.819 --> 00:07:07.640
 But he also did it historically, rubbed them out.

00:07:07.660 --> 00:07:12.660
 Because he did not want anyone to know that he was connected to that unimpressive individual.

00:07:12.660 --> 00:07:26.820
 It's like the story I heard once upon a time where the children of a prominent family were assembling a book of the family's history for the patriarch of the family for her birthday present.

00:07:27.380 --> 00:07:31.060
 And they commissioned a professional biographer to do the work for them.

00:07:31.480 --> 00:07:35.580
 And particularly pointing out to them that Uncle George was a problem.

00:07:35.700 --> 00:07:37.020
 He was the black sheep of the family.

00:07:37.019 --> 00:07:42.939
 You see Uncle George was a convicted criminal who had been executed on the electric chair for murder.

00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:46.579
 And the biographer said, not a problem, I can take care of Uncle George.

00:07:46.680 --> 00:07:47.419
 He won't be noticed.

00:07:47.799 --> 00:07:50.139
 And this is what the biographer wrote about Uncle George.

00:07:50.719 --> 00:07:57.079
 Uncle George occupied a chair of applied electronics at an important government institution.

00:07:58.180 --> 00:08:03.879
 He was attached to his position by the strongest of ties and his death came as a real shock.

00:08:03.879 --> 00:08:08.959
 You see, we do the same in our life.

00:08:09.079 --> 00:08:12.600
 We cover over the skeletons in the closet.

00:08:13.060 --> 00:08:16.719
 We do it so that people will value us.

00:08:19.019 --> 00:08:22.779
 And Matthew does the exact opposite with Jesus.

00:08:23.740 --> 00:08:26.740
 He does nothing to hide the skeletons in the closet here.

00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:31.860
 Notice, there's a few things I want to point out about this genealogy.

00:08:31.860 --> 00:08:33.980
 Notice there are five women that are listed here.

00:08:34.740 --> 00:08:36.340
 They are all the mothers of Jesus.

00:08:37.100 --> 00:08:45.279
 In ancient patriarchal societies, a woman was virtually never named in a list like this unless she was royalty.

00:08:46.279 --> 00:08:50.440
 Let alone to name five of them in a list.

00:08:51.500 --> 00:08:54.659
 Women in this culture were gender outsiders.

00:08:55.399 --> 00:08:57.220
 They had no legal rights.

00:08:57.440 --> 00:09:00.539
 They weren't allowed to inherit property.

00:09:00.539 --> 00:09:03.639
 They weren't allowed to give testimony in court.

00:09:04.980 --> 00:09:07.879
 And yet, they are named here in Jesus' genealogy.

00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:10.879
 And what's more, three of these women are Gentiles.

00:09:11.620 --> 00:09:13.740
 Tamar, Ruth, and Rahab.

00:09:14.620 --> 00:09:20.039
 To the ancient Jews, these women were regarded as unclean.

00:09:20.120 --> 00:09:25.259
 They weren't allowed to participate in Jewish religion, in temple worship or anything like that.

00:09:25.259 --> 00:09:32.580
 And so, they are racial outsiders as well, as well as being religious outsiders and gender outsiders.

00:09:33.340 --> 00:09:41.879
 And yet, Matthew deliberately includes them in the family tree of the long-anticipated Jewish Messiah.

00:09:41.879 --> 00:09:53.220
 And by deliberately including them, Matthew recalls some of the most sordid and nasty and immoral occasions in the Bible.

00:09:53.799 --> 00:09:58.700
 It says, for instance, in verse 3, that Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah.

00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:01.679
 And the mother was Tamar.

00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:06.759
 Tamar was, in fact, Judah's daughter-in-law.

00:10:06.759 --> 00:10:12.620
 And she managed to trick him into sleeping with her.

00:10:13.019 --> 00:10:16.200
 And that was an act that was against the law of God.

00:10:16.200 --> 00:10:23.059
 And even though Jesus was a descendant of Perez and not Zerah,

00:10:24.019 --> 00:10:28.740
 Matthew includes both of them in the family line here.

00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:32.259
 And also includes both Judah and Tamar.

00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:35.980
 So that we would remember that whole sordid incident.

00:10:36.759 --> 00:10:40.580
 Deliberately revealing the skeleton in the closet.

00:10:41.879 --> 00:10:46.100
 The saviour of the world came to us through a dysfunctional family.

00:10:46.700 --> 00:10:47.879
 Like yours.

00:10:48.860 --> 00:10:49.759
 And mine.

00:10:51.319 --> 00:10:52.840
 Remember also Rahab.

00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:54.419
 She's mentioned in verse 5.

00:10:54.840 --> 00:11:04.019
 She wasn't just a Canaanite, a Gentile, outside of, you know, an outsider in terms of being a Gentile.

00:11:04.019 --> 00:11:05.580
 She was also a prostitute.

00:11:06.759 --> 00:11:09.319
 But the most interesting story is in verse 6.

00:11:10.179 --> 00:11:11.340
 It mentions King David.

00:11:11.580 --> 00:11:12.159
 He's royalty.

00:11:12.319 --> 00:11:12.759
 That's good.

00:11:12.840 --> 00:11:13.720
 You think that's fantastic.

00:11:14.120 --> 00:11:14.720
 That's a tick.

00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:15.919
 Not so much.

00:11:16.379 --> 00:11:22.319
 Except in one of the great and, I think, ironic understatements of the Bible,

00:11:22.580 --> 00:11:25.799
 Matthew adds that David was the father of Solomon,

00:11:25.799 --> 00:11:30.259
 whose mother had been Uriah's wife.

00:11:30.259 --> 00:11:32.179
 It doesn't even mention her by name.

00:11:32.259 --> 00:11:33.120
 Her name was Bathsheba.

00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:40.259
 And by not naming her and mentioning her instead as being Uriah's wife,

00:11:40.740 --> 00:11:46.339
 Matthew is calling us to remember this tragic and terrible chapter in Israel's history.

00:11:46.340 --> 00:11:53.340
 Before he was king, David was a fugitive running from the guy he would replace as king,

00:11:53.500 --> 00:11:54.540
 a guy named Saul.

00:11:54.940 --> 00:11:58.899
 And a group of 37 men were loyal to King David.

00:11:58.899 --> 00:12:05.480
 They went on the run with him, and their job was to surround David and protect him.

00:12:05.819 --> 00:12:08.379
 They put their lives on the line for David.

00:12:09.659 --> 00:12:11.480
 And Uriah was one of the 37.

00:12:11.480 --> 00:12:18.279
 And when David was finally made king many years later, he saw Uriah's wife.

00:12:18.560 --> 00:12:20.320
 He wanted Uriah's wife.

00:12:20.519 --> 00:12:28.279
 He took her, got her pregnant, and then arranged to have Uriah killed to cover it all up.

00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:38.320
 And so it was out of this dysfunctional family and this deeply flawed man that the savior of the world came.

00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:47.460
 The list of names includes moral outsiders, cultural outsiders, racial outsiders, gender outsiders.

00:12:47.879 --> 00:12:51.080
 And rather than excluding them and covering them up,

00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:57.840
 they are all here publicly acknowledged as ancestors of Jesus.

00:12:58.860 --> 00:13:01.379
 What an unusual genealogy.

00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:03.740
 Why do that?

00:13:05.020 --> 00:13:06.000
 What's he doing?

00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:10.039
 I think there's a verse in the Bible that gives us at least a clue.

00:13:11.179 --> 00:13:11.759
 It reads,

00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:16.519
 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,

00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:19.659
 so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

00:13:20.379 --> 00:13:24.240
 That is, the savior of the world jumped right into the middle of the sin,

00:13:25.019 --> 00:13:30.820
 the sordid evil and unjust affairs of human existence,

00:13:31.340 --> 00:13:33.700
 in order to rescue us out of it.

00:13:33.700 --> 00:13:39.320
 He identifies with our weakness and our brokenness and our sinfulness in order to rescue us from it.

00:13:39.540 --> 00:13:43.900
 You see, the Christian message is that if you repent and you believe in the historical Jesus,

00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:49.580
 his grace covers your sin and it unites you with him and his saving work.

00:13:50.920 --> 00:13:55.940
 There's not a single great individual who doesn't need his grace,

00:13:55.940 --> 00:14:03.860
 and there is not a single rotten individual who can fail to receive his grace.

00:14:03.860 --> 00:14:12.740
 All the gifts that we receive at Christmas are symbol of the greatest gift of all,

00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:14.919
 God's grace to us in Jesus.

00:14:14.919 --> 00:14:22.079
 Some gifts that we receive,

00:14:22.919 --> 00:14:24.240
 by their very nature,

00:14:24.740 --> 00:14:26.899
 cause you to swallow your pride.

00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:29.939
 Some gifts are just benign,

00:14:30.019 --> 00:14:30.839
 some gifts are fantastic,

00:14:30.959 --> 00:14:32.219
 but some gifts, by their very nature,

00:14:32.319 --> 00:14:33.539
 cause you to swallow your pride.

00:14:34.039 --> 00:14:35.139
 Imagine tomorrow morning,

00:14:35.860 --> 00:14:36.939
 you open up a gift

00:14:36.939 --> 00:14:38.759
 under your tree,

00:14:38.759 --> 00:14:40.360
 and it's a book.

00:14:40.919 --> 00:14:42.759
 And the book is titled,

00:14:43.439 --> 00:14:44.819
 Ten Easy Steps to Lose Weight.

00:14:47.639 --> 00:14:48.159
 Okay.

00:14:50.039 --> 00:14:51.379
 And then you think,

00:14:51.659 --> 00:14:52.919
 I'm a little bit offended by that.

00:14:53.220 --> 00:14:54.100
 Let's put that book down,

00:14:54.340 --> 00:14:57.240
 and you pick up another gift someone gives you,

00:14:57.360 --> 00:14:58.399
 and there's a different friend,

00:14:58.740 --> 00:14:59.960
 and you open it up,

00:15:00.019 --> 00:15:01.200
 and this one says,

00:15:02.200 --> 00:15:03.480
 Overcoming Selfishness.

00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:06.659
 You see,

00:15:07.560 --> 00:15:08.539
 if you say,

00:15:09.060 --> 00:15:11.820
 Oh, thank you for those gifts,

00:15:12.460 --> 00:15:13.379
 you are,

00:15:13.560 --> 00:15:14.460
 at some sense,

00:15:14.560 --> 00:15:15.100
 acknowledging,

00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:18.279
 admitting that you are overweight and obnoxious.

00:15:19.659 --> 00:15:21.680
 They cause you to swallow your pride.

00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:23.500
 To receive some gifts,

00:15:23.920 --> 00:15:26.080
 it means that you have to actually admit

00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:27.800
 you've got flaws,

00:15:27.879 --> 00:15:28.720
 that you've got weaknesses,

00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:30.340
 that you need some kind of help.

00:15:30.779 --> 00:15:31.860
 And the message of Christmas,

00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:32.960
 the message of Christianity,

00:15:32.960 --> 00:15:34.259
 is that there,

00:15:34.660 --> 00:15:35.379
 if there has,

00:15:35.540 --> 00:15:36.620
 there's never been a gift,

00:15:36.680 --> 00:15:38.139
 that has ever been offered,

00:15:38.900 --> 00:15:41.280
 that makes you swallow your pride,

00:15:41.600 --> 00:15:42.900
 to the depths,

00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:43.900
 that the gift,

00:15:44.560 --> 00:15:45.820
 of Jesus Christ,

00:15:45.920 --> 00:15:46.860
 requires us to do.

00:15:48.440 --> 00:15:49.560
 Christmas means,

00:15:49.700 --> 00:15:51.660
 that we are so lost,

00:15:52.220 --> 00:15:53.860
 we are so unable,

00:15:53.980 --> 00:15:54.820
 to save ourselves,

00:15:55.019 --> 00:15:56.519
 that nothing less than the death,

00:15:56.840 --> 00:15:58.320
 of the Son of God himself,

00:15:58.500 --> 00:15:59.280
 can save us.

00:15:59.780 --> 00:16:01.180
 And to accept the true,

00:16:01.460 --> 00:16:02.560
 gift of Christmas,

00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:03.660
 we have to admit,

00:16:03.660 --> 00:16:03.680
 we have to admit,

00:16:03.740 --> 00:16:04.240
 that we are sinners,

00:16:04.379 --> 00:16:04.840
 we have to admit,

00:16:04.920 --> 00:16:06.340
 that we are unworthy of the gift,

00:16:06.440 --> 00:16:08.200
 and in need of us being saved by grace.

00:16:08.620 --> 00:16:09.360
 And that,

00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:09.920
 frankly,

00:16:10.180 --> 00:16:11.259
 is a descent,

00:16:11.879 --> 00:16:13.240
 that most of us,

00:16:14.040 --> 00:16:16.080
 just will not go to.

00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:19.920
 And yet,

00:16:20.660 --> 00:16:23.360
 the greatness of Jesus,

00:16:23.940 --> 00:16:25.440
 is seen in how far,

00:16:25.540 --> 00:16:26.840
 he came to love us,

00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:28.420
 to lift us up.

00:16:28.419 --> 00:16:31.299
 Life and greatness,

00:16:31.299 --> 00:16:32.360
 comes to us,

00:16:32.439 --> 00:16:33.279
 by following him,

00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:34.559
 along the same path,

00:16:34.599 --> 00:16:35.799
 of humility.

00:16:38.459 --> 00:16:40.419
 We can get God's approval,

00:16:40.539 --> 00:16:41.019
 the very thing,

00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:42.439
 that we desire in life,

00:16:42.539 --> 00:16:43.360
 he's approval,

00:16:43.479 --> 00:16:45.099
 despite all the flaws,

00:16:45.199 --> 00:16:45.879
 and the sin,

00:16:46.439 --> 00:16:47.479
 through Jesus,

00:16:48.259 --> 00:16:49.599
 and what he's achieved for us.

00:16:50.019 --> 00:16:51.099
 He bore the cost,

00:16:51.479 --> 00:16:52.679
 we get the benefits,

00:16:52.679 --> 00:16:55.019
 if we admit,

00:16:55.139 --> 00:16:56.139
 that we are deeply flawed,

00:16:56.219 --> 00:16:56.839
 in need of it.

00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:01.019
 He turns our values,

00:17:01.099 --> 00:17:01.599
 on our head.

00:17:03.699 --> 00:17:04.099
 Thirdly,

00:17:04.740 --> 00:17:05.919
 if we accept it,

00:17:05.980 --> 00:17:06.759
 Jesus' grace,

00:17:06.899 --> 00:17:08.480
 gives us ultimate rest.

00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:10.619
 At the end of that list,

00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:12.879
 there's this obscure verse,

00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:13.399
 verse 17,

00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:13.839
 it says,

00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:15.419
 and there were 14 generations,

00:17:15.639 --> 00:17:15.859
 in all,

00:17:15.959 --> 00:17:16.879
 from Abraham to David,

00:17:17.000 --> 00:17:17.720
 14 from David,

00:17:17.779 --> 00:17:18.599
 to the exile of Babylon,

00:17:18.899 --> 00:17:20.059
 and 14 from the exile,

00:17:20.159 --> 00:17:20.779
 to the Messiah.

00:17:20.919 --> 00:17:21.279
 And you go,

00:17:21.399 --> 00:17:22.419
 who cares?

00:17:23.539 --> 00:17:23.899
 You know,

00:17:24.659 --> 00:17:26.839
 that is,

00:17:26.939 --> 00:17:27.619
 what it's saying there,

00:17:27.639 --> 00:17:29.379
 is three lots of 14,

00:17:30.159 --> 00:17:30.459
 right?

00:17:30.879 --> 00:17:31.299
 In case you,

00:17:31.720 --> 00:17:31.980
 you know,

00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:32.579
 I know it's late,

00:17:32.659 --> 00:17:33.399
 three lots of 14,

00:17:33.599 --> 00:17:34.000
 or,

00:17:34.459 --> 00:17:35.980
 six lots of seven.

00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:38.339
 Six lots of seven.

00:17:38.439 --> 00:17:38.619
 Now,

00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:40.339
 what's happening here,

00:17:40.679 --> 00:17:41.879
 if you're a Jewish person,

00:17:41.879 --> 00:17:42.639
 you read this,

00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:43.319
 in the first century,

00:17:43.439 --> 00:17:43.599
 you go,

00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:45.259
 you know exactly what they're saying.

00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:46.519
 For us,

00:17:46.719 --> 00:17:47.000
 you know,

00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:47.639
 yeah,

00:17:47.719 --> 00:17:48.240
 it's not so clear.

00:17:50.099 --> 00:17:51.079
 Six lots of seven,

00:17:51.500 --> 00:17:52.299
 with Jesus,

00:17:52.699 --> 00:17:53.679
 what's signaling here,

00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:55.179
 is Jesus is the beginning,

00:17:55.379 --> 00:17:56.799
 of the seventh seven.

00:17:57.839 --> 00:17:59.219
 That doesn't mean a lot to us,

00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:00.579
 but it's pretty big,

00:18:00.899 --> 00:18:02.219
 for first century Jews.

00:18:02.859 --> 00:18:03.679
 In the Bible,

00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:04.980
 the number seven,

00:18:05.779 --> 00:18:07.259
 is very significant,

00:18:07.659 --> 00:18:09.719
 because as Genesis tells us,

00:18:09.799 --> 00:18:11.139
 God rested from his work,

00:18:11.199 --> 00:18:12.240
 in creating on the seventh day.

00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:14.799
 And in another part of the Old Testament,

00:18:15.160 --> 00:18:15.920
 we are told,

00:18:16.079 --> 00:18:17.539
 that the last year,

00:18:18.299 --> 00:18:19.700
 of the seventh period,

00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:20.779
 of seven years,

00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:22.299
 the 49th year,

00:18:22.819 --> 00:18:24.200
 is the Jubilee year.

00:18:25.579 --> 00:18:27.400
 And in the 49th year,

00:18:27.460 --> 00:18:28.539
 the Jubilee year,

00:18:29.019 --> 00:18:30.160
 it was very,

00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:30.940
 very significant,

00:18:30.940 --> 00:18:32.240
 for the nation of Israel.

00:18:32.579 --> 00:18:33.759
 It was the year,

00:18:34.140 --> 00:18:35.299
 when all slaves,

00:18:35.400 --> 00:18:36.180
 were set free,

00:18:36.460 --> 00:18:38.420
 when every single debt,

00:18:38.480 --> 00:18:39.180
 was cancelled,

00:18:39.180 --> 00:18:41.420
 when no work was done,

00:18:41.560 --> 00:18:43.700
 and everyone rested.

00:18:46.500 --> 00:18:47.140
 All,

00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:49.140
 people's burdens,

00:18:49.279 --> 00:18:50.000
 and weariness,

00:18:50.220 --> 00:18:51.500
 was lifted.

00:18:53.080 --> 00:18:53.920
 And verse 17,

00:18:54.060 --> 00:18:54.720
 he's saying,

00:18:55.060 --> 00:18:55.900
 that what the year,

00:18:55.960 --> 00:18:56.440
 of Jubilee,

00:18:56.600 --> 00:18:57.440
 foreshadowed,

00:18:57.460 --> 00:18:58.680
 that ultimate rest,

00:18:58.759 --> 00:18:59.660
 that we long for,

00:18:59.820 --> 00:19:00.960
 comes to us in Jesus.

00:19:02.620 --> 00:19:03.740
 If we grasp,

00:19:03.820 --> 00:19:04.279
 that Christmas,

00:19:04.279 --> 00:19:05.220
 is not,

00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:07.200
 a once upon a time story,

00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:09.100
 but that Jesus really broke,

00:19:09.160 --> 00:19:10.600
 into time and space,

00:19:11.160 --> 00:19:12.559
 and that he has,

00:19:12.620 --> 00:19:14.340
 accomplished our salvation,

00:19:15.019 --> 00:19:16.240
 so that prostitute,

00:19:16.360 --> 00:19:17.039
 and king,

00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:18.779
 are equal in him,

00:19:20.279 --> 00:19:21.279
 then we can have,

00:19:21.600 --> 00:19:22.700
 that rest now.

00:19:23.840 --> 00:19:24.319
 Total,

00:19:24.580 --> 00:19:25.100
 enduring,

00:19:25.340 --> 00:19:26.019
 final rest,

00:19:26.059 --> 00:19:27.120
 is what we all need.

00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:28.360
 The rest that Jesus,

00:19:28.440 --> 00:19:29.240
 secures for us,

00:19:29.340 --> 00:19:30.160
 is a rest,

00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:31.480
 that we get to enjoy,

00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:32.319
 both now and forever.

00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:32.600
 See,

00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:33.360
 Jesus,

00:19:33.980 --> 00:19:35.279
 gives us rest,

00:19:35.360 --> 00:19:35.799
 for our souls.

00:19:35.799 --> 00:19:37.500
 He said to us,

00:19:37.639 --> 00:19:38.279
 in Matthew 11,

00:19:38.440 --> 00:19:38.819
 come to me,

00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:39.419
 all who are weary,

00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:40.039
 and burdened,

00:19:40.200 --> 00:19:41.220
 and I'll give you rest,

00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:42.539
 take my yoke upon you,

00:19:43.019 --> 00:19:43.799
 and learn from me,

00:19:43.819 --> 00:19:44.460
 for I am gentle,

00:19:44.579 --> 00:19:45.039
 and humble,

00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:46.000
 in heart,

00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:46.919
 and you'll find rest,

00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:47.480
 for your soul.

00:19:47.559 --> 00:19:48.299
 Many people today,

00:19:48.379 --> 00:19:50.019
 speak of a hunger,

00:19:50.220 --> 00:19:51.220
 in the human heart.

00:19:51.359 --> 00:19:53.000
 People hunger for love,

00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:53.819
 and for security,

00:19:53.980 --> 00:19:54.680
 and for significance,

00:19:54.779 --> 00:19:55.279
 and for meaning,

00:19:55.379 --> 00:19:56.059
 and Jesus said,

00:19:56.319 --> 00:19:57.419
 I'm the bread of life,

00:19:57.740 --> 00:19:58.519
 feed on me,

00:19:58.599 --> 00:20:00.180
 and you will never hunger again.

00:20:00.460 --> 00:20:01.819
 Many walk in darkness,

00:20:01.980 --> 00:20:02.879
 and disillusionment,

00:20:02.899 --> 00:20:03.379
 and despair,

00:20:03.500 --> 00:20:03.980
 and Jesus says,

00:20:03.980 --> 00:20:05.279
 I'm the light of the world.

00:20:05.799 --> 00:20:06.779
 If you follow me,

00:20:06.839 --> 00:20:08.299
 you will never walk in darkness.

00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:08.759
 Instead,

00:20:08.839 --> 00:20:10.059
 you will have the light of life.

00:20:10.379 --> 00:20:11.599
 Others are fearful of death,

00:20:11.639 --> 00:20:12.399
 and Jesus said,

00:20:12.759 --> 00:20:14.139
 I am the resurrection of the life.

00:20:14.220 --> 00:20:15.319
 He who believes in me,

00:20:15.399 --> 00:20:16.559
 will live,

00:20:16.819 --> 00:20:17.839
 even though he dies,

00:20:17.899 --> 00:20:18.720
 and whoever lives,

00:20:18.779 --> 00:20:19.519
 and believes in me,

00:20:19.579 --> 00:20:20.279
 will never die.

00:20:21.480 --> 00:20:21.740
 You see,

00:20:21.799 --> 00:20:22.899
 what Christmas declares,

00:20:23.700 --> 00:20:24.419
 is that you,

00:20:24.599 --> 00:20:25.740
 can have rest,

00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:27.720
 in the deepest parts,

00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:28.940
 of your being right now,

00:20:28.940 --> 00:20:31.180
 if you come to Jesus.

00:20:31.940 --> 00:20:33.779
 The rest of unspoiled love,

00:20:33.840 --> 00:20:34.480
 between you,

00:20:34.519 --> 00:20:35.440
 and the creator God,

00:20:35.900 --> 00:20:36.700
 what a gift.

00:20:37.860 --> 00:20:38.259
 You see friends,

00:20:38.320 --> 00:20:38.580
 Christmas,

00:20:39.140 --> 00:20:41.700
 is not a once upon a time story,

00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:43.380
 that shows us,

00:20:43.460 --> 00:20:44.519
 how we're to live our lives,

00:20:44.539 --> 00:20:45.220
 a little bit better,

00:20:45.299 --> 00:20:46.200
 and tweak a few things,

00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:47.340
 and just love people generally.

00:20:48.380 --> 00:20:49.559
 Christmas is news,

00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:52.220
 and news calls us,

00:20:52.220 --> 00:20:53.240
 to acknowledge something,

00:20:53.360 --> 00:20:54.299
 that has already happened,

00:20:54.360 --> 00:20:55.380
 and to respond to it.

00:20:55.380 --> 00:20:57.700
 The saviour of the world,

00:20:57.980 --> 00:20:59.300
 has broken into time,

00:20:59.420 --> 00:21:00.800
 and space to save us.

00:21:01.640 --> 00:21:02.180
 And so Christmas,

00:21:02.580 --> 00:21:04.000
 is good news,

00:21:04.060 --> 00:21:04.980
 not good advice.

00:21:05.820 --> 00:21:07.520
 Christmas turns all of our values,

00:21:07.700 --> 00:21:08.440
 of what's important,

00:21:08.500 --> 00:21:09.220
 on their heads.

00:21:10.060 --> 00:21:11.380
 And Christmas is the promise,

00:21:11.840 --> 00:21:13.300
 of ultimate rest.

00:21:14.040 --> 00:21:15.140
 And so he calls us,

00:21:15.300 --> 00:21:16.360
 to look to him,

00:21:16.860 --> 00:21:17.960
 to come to him,

00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:19.340
 to trust him,

00:21:19.460 --> 00:21:20.440
 to believe him,

00:21:20.580 --> 00:21:21.560
 to follow him,

00:21:21.900 --> 00:21:23.300
 and to find the rest,

00:21:23.300 --> 00:21:25.120
 that we all desperately long for.

00:21:25.980 --> 00:21:26.420
 Christmas nicknames,

00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:26.900
 for sure,

00:21:27.020 --> 00:21:27.600
 that we all еще have been.

00:21:27.600 --> 00:21:27.840
 The song song came,

00:21:28.360 --> 00:21:29.800
 to discover what he has been,

00:21:29.820 --> 00:21:30.680
 to 1974.

00:21:30.940 --> 00:21:31.360
 That we all came,

00:21:31.380 --> 00:21:33.220
 to glorious light on earth,

00:21:33.320 --> 00:21:33.700
 and we all Rodman,

00:21:34.200 --> 00:21:35.340
 to have the word thousand ogres,

00:21:35.540 --> 00:21:37.580
 to want to have a view of уров win,

00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:38.980
 ready to Major Hallset,

00:21:39.240 --> 00:21:39.480
 in chapter 19,

00:21:39.500 --> 00:21:40.120
 could be our faith,

00:21:40.120 --> 00:21:40.560
 and some inauguration Quorum,

00:21:40.560 --> 00:21:42.480
 to be the matter mutual,

00:21:42.840 --> 00:21:43.420
 with how she loves it.

00:21:43.640 --> 00:21:44.680
 when we all september,

00:21:44.680 --> 00:21:46.020
 there is the nation,

00:21:46.260 --> 00:21:47.540
 of the periantee,

00:21:47.600 --> 00:21:48.660
 and from kind with a country,

00:21:49.180 --> 00:21:50.000
 the motherات on earth,

00:21:50.420 --> 00:21:51.660
 of our esc jangan clerk on earth,

00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:53.540
 to be the prevend in shoulder,