WEBVTT

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 Everyone on this platform has done a great job of telling us the Christmas story, haven't they?

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 Well, I want to spend a very few minutes putting this in the perspective of God's grand story.

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 That's what the Bible describes, God's grand story.

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 And it begins with creation.

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 In Genesis chapter 1, we read that God created everything, including human beings.

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 In fact, human beings are God's highest creation.

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 It's really the climax of creation.

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 Well, because God created everything, He has the authority to rule.

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 He has the authority to tell us how to live because He's our Creator.

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 The Bible also tells us toward the end of chapter 1 of Genesis that when creation was complete, everything was very good.

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 Not just good, but very good.

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 Now, something has happened because life in this world is anything but very good, isn't it?

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 Something did happen.

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 It's the second part of God's story.

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 The fall is how it's often described.

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 It's found in Genesis chapter 3.

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 Yeah, Genesis chapter 3.

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 It describes how the first two human beings, Adam and Eve, they rebelled against God.

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 They disobeyed Him.

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 They rebelled against His rightful authority as their Creator.

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 What happened was they decided they wanted to live life their way instead of God's way.

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 Well, that's when sin entered the world.

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 And when that happened, everything changed.

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 That's when the good creation was not destroyed, but it was certainly marred.

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 There was a lot of destruction that took place.

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 All the problems in the world, in fact, can be traced to Adam and Eve sinning in the garden.

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 Think about it.

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 Our problems with God, our relational problems, our problems with other people,

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 even our problems with the creation itself,

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 it all can be traced back to their sin in Genesis 3.

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 But you know, God was not surprised by that.

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 Nothing ever surprises God.

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 God had a plan.

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 His rescue plan.

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 And that is chapter 3 of God's story.

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 His rescue plan.

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 Now the focal point of God's rescue is His Son, Jesus Christ.

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 That's what the Old Testament points to.

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 That's what the Gospels reveal.

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 That's what the remainder of the New Testament explains and even applies.

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 The Bible's main theme is that God graciously sent His Son into this world to be our Savior.

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 The Christmas story describes how Jesus entered this world.

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 And as we heard read from Joseph, Matthew 1.21,

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 Jesus came to save His people from their sins.

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 Jesus' primary mission was to come into this world,

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 die on the cross as our substitute,

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 pay the penalty for the sins that we deserve.

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 Jesus came to experience God's wrath against sin as He hung on the cross

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 so that we would not have to.

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 Jesus died on the cross and then was buried.

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 But three days later, God raised Him from the dead.

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 That helps us to understand that God accepted His sacrifice.

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 I want us to understand this is what God has done for us in Christ.

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 But He requires that we respond in order to experience the benefits of Christ's death on the cross.

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 And here's the way God calls us to respond.

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 You've got to admit that you are a sinner in need of a Savior.

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 You've got to repent of your sin.

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 That means to change your mind about the way you've been living.

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 Instead of living life your way, you want to turn around and start living life God's way.

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 You've got to trust that when Jesus died on that cross,

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 He paid the penalty for your sins.

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 Trust Him as your Savior.

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 Ask Him to come into your life and save you.

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 If we truly trust Jesus, we're going to surrender control of our lives to Him.

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 We're going to want Him to be our Lord.

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 We're also going to want God the Father to be the ultimate authority over our lives

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 and live life His way instead of our own way.

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 The Bible says that God will save all who come to Him this way.

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 Many of you know this.

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 It's very simple in John 3.16.

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 For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son,

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 that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have everlasting life.

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 Chapter 4 of God's story is about restoration.

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 God has a plan to restore everything back to its original perfect condition.

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 Now, God's already at work in the lives of every Christian,

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 shaping and molding us into the image of His Son, Jesus.

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 But God's rescue plan will not be complete until Jesus comes back into this world.

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 We can read about that at the end of the Bible in Revelation chapter 21.

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 Now, that's the short version of God's story.

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 What about you?

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 What about your story?

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 Are you still living life your way instead of God's way?

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 Well, you know, if you will come to faith in Jesus now,

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 you can be sure that your life story will end well.

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 You see, we can guarantee that our life story will wind up in a way that truly pleases God

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 and satisfies us.

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 In fact, through faith in Jesus Christ,

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 seeking to follow Him with the help that God gives us,

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 we can be pleasing to God now.

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 We can live a satisfying life now.

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 And for all eternity.

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 Would you bow with me?

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 In an attitude of prayer,

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 if you don't know Christ as your Lord and Savior,

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 I want to encourage you right now.

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 Admit your sin to God.

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 Change your mind.

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 Truly repent.

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 Call upon Jesus to save you.

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 And He will.

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 If you're a Christian,

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 I want to encourage you to draw back close to the Lord right now.

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 If you're away.

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 But do whatever is necessary for you to truly honor your Lord

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 as we celebrate His birth right now at Christmas.

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 Father, show every person in this room how they should respond

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 to either become a Christian,

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 a follower of Jesus,

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 or to live their life in a way that demonstrates that.

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 Not just at Christmas time,

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 but every day of the year.

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 Just in an attitude of prayer,

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 let's just listen to the Lord now.

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 And you respond to Him as He makes clear to you.

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 Bye-bye.

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 Bye-bye.

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 You