WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.779 Can you recall how you felt in the spring of 2020? 00:00:10.679 --> 00:00:17.620 America was dealing and the world was dealing with the COVID epidemic, pandemic, and all 00:00:17.620 --> 00:00:22.440 over the country there was just a widespread sense of helplessness and hopelessness. 00:00:22.500 --> 00:00:23.359 There was no vaccine. 00:00:23.800 --> 00:00:24.660 There was no treatment. 00:00:25.219 --> 00:00:27.539 We had friends died a year ago this month. 00:00:27.539 --> 00:00:33.119 I buried one of my dearest friends as a result of his contracting COVID and dying from that. 00:00:33.579 --> 00:00:35.460 There was a man in our community, a good friend of mine. 00:00:35.579 --> 00:00:41.179 In fact, we were partners in a bee operation and they were both beekeepers and he lives 00:00:41.179 --> 00:00:46.500 on Devonshire Road in Greer and he decided he wanted to somehow try to lift the spirits 00:00:46.500 --> 00:00:49.920 of people in our community and he did a very smart thing. 00:00:50.019 --> 00:00:51.259 He lives on about seven or eight acres. 00:00:51.460 --> 00:00:54.120 He has this old dilapidated red barn. 00:00:54.120 --> 00:00:56.859 He's building new and no longer uses it as a barn. 00:00:57.539 --> 00:01:00.519 But he wrote the word hope on that barn. 00:01:00.899 --> 00:01:02.299 In fact, we're going to put a picture of it. 00:01:02.340 --> 00:01:03.899 There it is on the screen now for you. 00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:08.159 And he hoisted a star up above it, lit it up with lights. 00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:11.680 And folks, as they would ride by his barn, would see that. 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:14.219 And a lot of them pulled off on the side of the road. 00:01:14.980 --> 00:01:19.120 A lot of them got out of their cars and made pictures of it, came and even knocked on his 00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:22.599 door and just thanked him for it and asked if they could have their picture made in front 00:01:22.599 --> 00:01:23.019 of the barn. 00:01:23.019 --> 00:01:25.859 And it's been a talk piece for this last year. 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:31.079 Last Friday, a week ago, this last Friday, you may have heard about it on the news. 00:01:31.500 --> 00:01:36.000 There was a man who left that community, Devonshire community, and he walked out of his house 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:36.599 with a pistol. 00:01:36.920 --> 00:01:39.179 His family didn't know what in the world was going on. 00:01:39.180 --> 00:01:42.060 And so they called the authorities, were worried about him. 00:01:42.660 --> 00:01:45.880 And immediately, police were dispatched to the area. 00:01:46.160 --> 00:01:48.040 Helicopter flew over and searched for the man. 00:01:48.280 --> 00:01:52.560 And one off-duty police officer found him on the other end of Devonshire Road. 00:01:52.660 --> 00:01:55.400 When he got out of his car, he didn't want to frighten the man. 00:01:55.460 --> 00:01:58.140 So he just came up calmly to him and said, sure, are you OK? 00:01:58.300 --> 00:02:00.280 And the man said, yeah, I am now. 00:02:00.880 --> 00:02:02.520 He said, can you tell me what happened? 00:02:02.580 --> 00:02:06.960 He said, well, I left my home a while ago and I intended to end my life tonight. 00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:13.919 He said, I was walking down Devonshire Road, and you know that old red barn? 00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:17.180 He said, I looked up and saw that barn, and I saw the word hope on it. 00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:20.560 And he said, I thought to myself, what in the world am I thinking? 00:02:20.680 --> 00:02:21.280 What am I doing? 00:02:21.419 --> 00:02:24.000 And I turned around, and I started back home. 00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:28.039 Well, I'm so thankful Jimmy put that word up there. 00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:32.879 It was a great idea to give our community a message to remind us that we had hope. 00:02:32.939 --> 00:02:33.620 And I want to tell you something. 00:02:33.620 --> 00:02:39.000 Over 2,000 years ago, God looked down on the earth, and he saw how broken it was. 00:02:39.560 --> 00:02:40.840 And he didn't just send a message. 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:43.080 He actually brought us hope. 00:02:43.719 --> 00:02:47.840 That's why he left heaven and took on human flesh. 00:02:48.140 --> 00:02:49.159 Can you imagine that? 00:02:49.700 --> 00:02:53.620 The guy of the ages, the holy, righteous God who created everything we've ever seen, 00:02:54.040 --> 00:02:56.599 that he would literally lower himself to become a man. 00:02:57.000 --> 00:03:01.159 Not only became a man, was born in a barn much like the one you see on the screen. 00:03:01.159 --> 00:03:05.639 He went on to live a perfect life for 33 years. 00:03:06.259 --> 00:03:11.479 And then he died on the cross, not in payment for his sins, but for ours. 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:16.599 And he gave us the opportunity to have hope, real hope. 00:03:17.099 --> 00:03:18.979 The hope of living eternally with God. 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:21.519 Every one of us, in spite of what we do, we're going to die. 00:03:22.079 --> 00:03:23.900 But we don't have to die a second time. 00:03:23.979 --> 00:03:25.419 We can have eternal life. 00:03:25.500 --> 00:03:28.039 And that's what the whole message of Christmas is about. 00:03:28.039 --> 00:03:33.900 And we want to give you an opportunity, if you have never received Christ as your personal Savior, 00:03:34.039 --> 00:03:38.519 if you've never received this gift of eternal life from God, you can do that right where you sit today. 00:03:39.180 --> 00:03:39.899 And I want to tell you how. 00:03:39.979 --> 00:03:42.639 You just reach out to him and talk to him the way I'm talking with you. 00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:44.299 And you just say something like this. 00:03:44.359 --> 00:03:47.180 Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for me. 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:49.479 Thank you for coming into our world. 00:03:50.039 --> 00:03:53.099 I need you desperately in my life. 00:03:53.099 --> 00:03:58.840 If I'm a sinner and I'm broken and I need you to come in and to fix what I can't fix on my own. 00:03:59.539 --> 00:04:01.719 He'd give you eternal life if you do that. 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:04.740 So I'm going to invite you right now just to bow your head. 00:04:05.479 --> 00:04:08.079 And if you have never prayed that prayer, just reach out to God. 00:04:08.180 --> 00:04:09.340 Use your own words. 00:04:09.979 --> 00:04:13.979 Just tell him from the depths of your heart how badly you need him. 00:04:14.199 --> 00:04:15.419 Ask him to come into your life. 00:04:15.500 --> 00:04:16.060 The Bible says, 00:04:16.060 --> 00:04:23.180 He will save you right here and right now, this very morning. 00:04:24.500 --> 00:04:27.579 Let us all kneel down 00:04:27.579 --> 00:04:32.720 To the child that's born tonight 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:40.379 Can we humbly bow in awe 00:04:40.379 --> 00:04:44.579 The angels sang 00:04:44.579 --> 00:04:49.219 And declared his glory 00:04:49.219 --> 00:04:57.100 To the Savior of the world 00:04:57.100 --> 00:05:02.379 Come and behold the King 00:05:02.379 --> 00:05:06.300 He has come to make us free 00:05:06.300 --> 00:05:11.259 To the ends of the earth 00:05:11.259 --> 00:05:13.860 Forevermore 00:05:13.860 --> 00:05:19.400 Come and behold the King 00:05:19.400 --> 00:05:24.160 He is the Prince of Peace 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:28.000 The everlasting Lord 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:31.980 Come behold the King 00:05:31.980 --> 00:05:36.879 He is the Prince of Peace 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:37.360 The Prince of Peace 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:37.800 The Prince of Peace 00:05:37.800 --> 00:05:38.319 The Prince of Peace