WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.879 Well, good morning, everyone. Great to see you. My name is Steve Jeffrey, if you've never met me 00:00:04.879 --> 00:00:11.359 before. I'm married to Natalie. In a previous church, one of the members of that church that 00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:21.179 I was part of for 13 years, for 13 years called me Jeff and called Natalie Nicole for 13 years. 00:00:21.940 --> 00:00:28.560 About five years ago, and every time, it's Steve. It's Steve. About five years ago, I went back for 00:00:28.559 --> 00:00:35.439 a funeral to that church. And now in his early 80s, this gentleman walks up to me and says, 00:00:35.879 --> 00:00:45.759 Steve, so good to see you after all this time. How's Nat? And I'm like, how did he do that? 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:53.120 Like, was he ribbing me the whole time that, you know, now I get it. I've got one of those names 00:00:53.120 --> 00:00:58.079 where you can, the first name can be the last name and the last name, the first name. And in fact, 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:03.640 it's been one of the bangs all of my life. I've been called Jeff for most of my life. It would 00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:08.640 have just been easy for my parents just to call me Jeff. Just Jeff Jeffrey, just solve everything. 00:01:08.859 --> 00:01:15.239 And I'll just always answer yes to that. That'd be great. But there are a lot of rules around how to 00:01:15.239 --> 00:01:23.299 choose names for children. For instance, you can't choose a name associated with a previous romantic 00:01:23.299 --> 00:01:31.599 partner of your spouse. Or if a name reminds you of someone you didn't like at school, those names are 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:39.959 just off the cards. And you also need to think through how do the first names and the last names 00:01:39.959 --> 00:01:45.700 roll together? How do they work? You've got to have all that consideration. So, you know, for instance, 00:01:45.700 --> 00:01:52.840 the most recent addition to our church family, Hazel Mann over there. Fantastic. I mean, that's a great 00:01:52.840 --> 00:01:59.659 choice. In fact, when we heard that, you know, introduced to Hazel, everyone in our family said, 00:01:59.719 --> 00:02:03.980 what a great name. Much more appropriate than Anita Mann. 00:02:03.980 --> 00:02:21.120 Another one of those not so great combinations is Lois Price. Or a lady that I heard, a lady by the 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:26.699 name of Helen, who married a guy named Rodney Back, she became Helen Back. And apparently after 10 years 00:02:26.699 --> 00:02:32.980 of marriage, it pretty much summed it up, from what I understand. As we think through Christmas today, 00:02:32.979 --> 00:02:41.919 from the book of Isaiah, we see in the names that have been given to the promised baby, the given baby, 00:02:42.979 --> 00:02:48.739 we understand who he is, and we understand what he would achieve. So if you've got the St. Paul's app 00:02:48.739 --> 00:02:56.839 in front of you, you'll see in the outline there that this baby is a surprising gift, a remarkable gift, 00:02:56.840 --> 00:03:04.620 and a needed gift. So to understand the significance of Christmas, we have to understand 00:03:04.620 --> 00:03:16.879 that God had been preparing for the very first Christmas centuries before Mary first lay the baby 00:03:16.879 --> 00:03:25.500 Jesus in the feeding trough in Bethlehem. About 700, 800 years before Jesus, we read in Isaiah that God's 00:03:25.500 --> 00:03:32.259 people were in an awful lot of people were in the world. And the outlook for them was one of deep darkness. 00:03:32.259 --> 00:03:39.280 It was very gloomy. It was a time of very significant national crisis. They were economically ruined. They 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:48.259 were facing invasion from their enemies. This was a time of deep, deep darkness. The nations to the north were 00:03:48.259 --> 00:03:54.699 threatening to come in and to annex and to destroy, which is what those nations had done. 00:03:55.780 --> 00:03:59.939 Previously, they'd gone in and entirely annihilated. And so that was the threat. 00:04:00.659 --> 00:04:06.680 And so if you go back a couple of chapters in Isaiah 7, King Ahaz sits on the throne of Judah. 00:04:07.899 --> 00:04:11.259 And God says to Ahaz, through the prophet Isaiah, 00:04:11.259 --> 00:04:16.639 Isaiah, mate, fear not, trust me, keep calm. Don't worry about it. I've got it under control. 00:04:17.779 --> 00:04:28.459 And so Isaiah prompts King Ahaz to ask God for a sign to confirm for him that God is in fact trustworthy, 00:04:28.459 --> 00:04:32.620 that he is righteous, that he will bring justice, that he is good. 00:04:34.839 --> 00:04:39.379 Ahaz basically replies with the Steve Jeffrey version, 00:04:39.379 --> 00:04:44.600 thanks but no thanks, I've got it under control. I can handle this problem all by myself. 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:55.120 And with that response, God says that I'm going to give you a sign anyway. And it's in chapter 7, 00:04:55.180 --> 00:05:02.800 verse 14, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and we will call him Emmanuel. 00:05:04.459 --> 00:05:09.360 Now we read that in Christmas time and it's a time of hope. In Isaiah 7, it wasn't. 00:05:09.379 --> 00:05:18.459 That promise was a promise of judgment in Isaiah 7. It's a promise that I'm going to start my kingdom 00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:26.279 all over again through a child born through a virgin. You see, Ahaz in this moment thinks, 00:05:26.680 --> 00:05:34.480 I can get on without God. I am the Davidic king. I'm descendant of David. I can get on without God. 00:05:34.480 --> 00:05:40.500 But God says, in actual fact, Ahaz, I'm going to get on without you. And that's the real crisis. 00:05:41.640 --> 00:05:47.860 Not the nations to the north. The real crisis for God's people in the beginning of Isaiah is that 00:05:47.860 --> 00:05:50.500 they're consistent rejection of God. 00:05:50.500 --> 00:06:00.459 And this rejection leads them further and further down the road into gloom, defeat and darkness. 00:06:00.879 --> 00:06:07.660 In fact, in chapter 8, we read that. It just gets darker and darker and darker as judgment descends. 00:06:08.800 --> 00:06:11.319 And then you get to chapter 9, verse 1. 00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:17.860 Here's the promise of hope. 00:06:17.860 --> 00:06:18.779 Verse 2. 00:06:21.480 --> 00:06:35.420 Light will dawn in the form of a baby. 00:06:35.420 --> 00:06:42.000 And for these people walking in darkness and distress and uncertainty, God told them that 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:45.840 what you need more than anything else is a baby. 00:06:47.420 --> 00:06:48.800 The gift of a baby. 00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:55.460 And like all great gifts, this gift is a surprise. 00:06:55.459 --> 00:07:07.979 Ahaz thinks that the light will come for him and for God's people in an alliance with Assyria. 00:07:08.599 --> 00:07:10.259 That's where he thinks the light will come. 00:07:10.699 --> 00:07:17.620 If he joins forces with a strong and powerful nation to defend them, 00:07:19.699 --> 00:07:20.959 God says, nope. 00:07:21.740 --> 00:07:23.000 It's coming in a baby. 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:25.800 That's the first surprise. 00:07:26.100 --> 00:07:29.279 The second surprise is in verse 1 where it says, 00:07:29.639 --> 00:07:35.759 In the future, he will honour Galilee of the nations by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan. 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:41.420 You see, Isaiah's readers would have thought that, 00:07:41.560 --> 00:07:44.939 well, if God was going to do something big, something miraculous, 00:07:45.379 --> 00:07:48.240 he's going to do it from divine headquarters in Jerusalem. 00:07:49.680 --> 00:07:50.560 Not so. 00:07:50.560 --> 00:07:56.819 Salvation is coming out of Galilee of the nations. 00:07:58.339 --> 00:08:01.420 Galilee had a dubious reputation. 00:08:02.339 --> 00:08:08.439 Twenty Galilean towns had been given to the king of Tyre by King Solomon. 00:08:08.439 --> 00:08:14.120 When he received them and went and looked at them, he was so underwhelmed, 00:08:14.759 --> 00:08:16.879 he nicknamed them the land of Kabul, 00:08:17.879 --> 00:08:20.560 which means the land good for nothing. 00:08:20.819 --> 00:08:21.220 The land good for nothing. 00:08:21.220 --> 00:08:36.620 Everywhere in the Bible, we see God loves to bring greatness and glory and power and salvation into our lives 00:08:36.620 --> 00:08:41.160 in ways that we would never, ever expect. 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:47.980 Ahaz didn't expect the baby to be the dawn of hope. 00:08:49.299 --> 00:08:52.799 And the vast majority of humanity today still don't expect it either. 00:08:52.799 --> 00:09:02.719 You see, the reason why Isaiah 7 and Isaiah 9 are read nearly every Christmas 00:09:02.719 --> 00:09:09.299 is because their fingerprints are all over the biographies of Jesus' life. 00:09:09.299 --> 00:09:11.740 Luke 1, we read, 00:09:11.740 --> 00:09:17.279 God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, just in case we weren't sure, 00:09:18.359 --> 00:09:24.139 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. 00:09:25.219 --> 00:09:26.740 The virgin's name was Mary. 00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:29.240 Luke tells us Nazareth is in Galilee. 00:09:29.639 --> 00:09:34.179 He tells us the angel came to a virgin, as Isaiah 7.14 says. 00:09:34.179 --> 00:09:39.299 We are told that he's about to be married to a descendant of David, as Isaiah 9.7 says. 00:09:40.279 --> 00:09:46.139 In chapter 4 of his biography, Matthew quotes from Isaiah 9 to show us that Jesus is clearly 00:09:46.139 --> 00:09:51.399 the promised dawning of light and hope from Isaiah 9. 00:09:52.859 --> 00:09:55.919 The early ministry of Jesus took place in Galilee. 00:09:56.339 --> 00:10:01.759 That is where the light first dawned for an occupied people. 00:10:01.759 --> 00:10:09.500 But the real point and surprise is that Jesus is not holding a light. 00:10:10.460 --> 00:10:12.179 He is the light. 00:10:14.860 --> 00:10:20.019 We see this in the names that the baby is given in Isaiah 9. 00:10:21.159 --> 00:10:23.960 A surprising gift is also a remarkable gift. 00:10:25.340 --> 00:10:27.819 This is a remarkable baby. 00:10:27.820 --> 00:10:32.480 In ancient cultures, a person's name was not arbitrary. 00:10:32.660 --> 00:10:34.540 It was an identity marker, if you like. 00:10:35.020 --> 00:10:42.140 Nowadays, we don't give names in our culture as identity markers, per se. 00:10:43.580 --> 00:10:47.640 Like, you know, Stephen means crown or king. 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:50.460 That's not an identity marker in any way. 00:10:50.460 --> 00:10:58.040 Although I was given the name fox in high school, the nickname fox, because I had red hair. 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:02.019 Now, at best, I could be called mangy fox or silver fox. 00:11:02.220 --> 00:11:04.700 Not really sure, but I had a big bunch of red hair. 00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:07.500 That's an identity marker nickname, if you like. 00:11:07.800 --> 00:11:08.780 Have a look at verse 7. 00:11:08.779 --> 00:11:11.879 A child will be born for us. 00:11:12.500 --> 00:11:14.100 A son will be given to us. 00:11:14.459 --> 00:11:19.199 And the government, in other words, all rule will be on his shoulders, and he'll be named 00:11:19.199 --> 00:11:23.100 Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 00:11:23.360 --> 00:11:27.199 The child will be called Wonderful Counselor. 00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:36.879 You see, Ahaz and God's people got into such a mess because they lacked or they ignored the wise counsel of God. 00:11:38.360 --> 00:11:43.020 Isaiah promises that a baby born will be a Wonderful Counselor. 00:11:43.080 --> 00:11:45.300 Now, that doesn't mean that he's going to be a really good psychologist. 00:11:45.299 --> 00:11:55.459 It means that the baby will have miraculous or, if you like, supernatural wisdom. 00:11:56.779 --> 00:12:01.539 A couple of chapters later in Isaiah, we read this idea elaborated on. 00:12:02.159 --> 00:12:04.199 The spirit of the Lord will rest on him. 00:12:04.599 --> 00:12:06.120 The spirit of wisdom and understanding. 00:12:06.319 --> 00:12:07.779 The spirit of counsel and of might. 00:12:08.079 --> 00:12:09.959 The spirit of the knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 00:12:10.219 --> 00:12:12.240 And he will delight in the fear of the Lord. 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:17.259 He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes or decide by what he hears with his ears. 00:12:17.580 --> 00:12:20.220 But with righteousness, he will judge the needy. 00:12:20.340 --> 00:12:23.259 With justice, he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. 00:12:23.820 --> 00:12:34.759 What that's saying is that Jesus, this baby promised, will have insight, supernatural insight, in the way the world works. 00:12:34.759 --> 00:12:45.000 All of his words, all of his decisions, will be just and righteous and true. 00:12:45.539 --> 00:12:49.700 Proverbs 4 says that his words are life and health. 00:12:49.799 --> 00:12:54.360 John tells us that his words bring eternal life and they set us free. 00:12:54.360 --> 00:13:01.980 But Jesus is not just simply a wise sage or a good teacher. 00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:07.440 Hebrews 4 tells us that he's able to sympathise us in every way. 00:13:09.379 --> 00:13:11.480 This is a God who became human. 00:13:12.500 --> 00:13:16.460 A God who knew temptation, rejections, loneliness, hunger. 00:13:16.840 --> 00:13:19.000 He knows what it is to be us. 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:29.960 And the Hebrew word that's translated counselor here means the one who advises, instructs, guides through every issue with authority. 00:13:30.620 --> 00:13:36.299 Not just a good listener, but someone who guides, instructs with authority. 00:13:38.899 --> 00:13:42.700 He's the one who has the experience to understand what we're going through. 00:13:42.779 --> 00:13:45.440 The wisdom to work out the solution and the power to enact it. 00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:54.820 You see, Isaiah is referring to a supernatural light dawning in the darkness of our lives. 00:13:56.200 --> 00:14:01.920 And so Jesus is saying to you, this Christmas, the path of pain? 00:14:02.920 --> 00:14:04.160 Yep, I've endured that. 00:14:05.340 --> 00:14:05.900 Loneliness? 00:14:06.740 --> 00:14:07.540 I know it. 00:14:08.940 --> 00:14:09.460 Temptation? 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:10.180 Knew that too. 00:14:10.300 --> 00:14:10.820 Betrayal? 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:11.280 Loss? 00:14:11.400 --> 00:14:11.860 Heartache? 00:14:11.860 --> 00:14:15.600 I've walked all of those roads for you. 00:14:16.560 --> 00:14:20.800 And I can reliably show you the way through every one of them. 00:14:21.980 --> 00:14:26.159 You see, life's greatest discovery is knowing Jesus. 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:28.220 Knowing that he loves you. 00:14:28.759 --> 00:14:31.720 Knowing that he's promised to always be with you. 00:14:31.720 --> 00:14:38.600 Knowing he's planned to work out every single thing for the good of those who trust him. 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:48.279 And the reason why Jesus is able to bring such light in the darkness of the world is not simply because he's the ultimate therapist. 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:51.159 It's because he is the mighty God. 00:14:52.120 --> 00:15:01.200 The claim is that out there, beyond what we can see and measure, is a God. 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:09.220 When Isaiah spoke about mighty God, he's not just referring to some random divine being. 00:15:09.540 --> 00:15:16.120 He means the God who has been with Israel since they were a teeny weedy little family. 00:15:17.080 --> 00:15:19.780 Right through to this day with our nation. 00:15:20.180 --> 00:15:27.300 Way before Isaiah, Israel's leader Moses spoke, asked God what his name was. 00:15:27.299 --> 00:15:32.179 And God responded simply by saying, I am. 00:15:32.599 --> 00:15:33.759 Try that at morning tea. 00:15:33.859 --> 00:15:35.519 When you use yourself to say, my name's Steve. 00:15:35.639 --> 00:15:36.279 You know, what's your name? 00:15:36.579 --> 00:15:37.059 I am. 00:15:38.359 --> 00:15:38.500 Yeah. 00:15:40.699 --> 00:15:43.719 What it means here, this is from Exodus 3. 00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:49.960 It at least means that God is someone who is all that people need. 00:15:50.779 --> 00:15:57.700 That there is no lack in him that he cannot overcome because there's no lack in him himself. 00:15:58.899 --> 00:16:01.660 He's not defined by anyone else. 00:16:01.860 --> 00:16:05.080 He just simply and eternally is. 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:13.420 And God would remind them of his name over and over and over again throughout the centuries. 00:16:13.420 --> 00:16:16.639 Whenever they were in great distress or in fear or in need. 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:27.840 In fact, God uses his name to describe himself a total of 6,519 times in the Old Testament. 00:16:29.060 --> 00:16:32.980 I calculated them by using Google the other day. 00:16:32.980 --> 00:16:44.659 And when Isaiah says to us, a child is given, he would be called mighty God. 00:16:44.659 --> 00:16:55.240 He was saying that one day, one day the great I am would be born as a tiny baby. 00:16:55.759 --> 00:16:58.980 That's the promise of light dawning into our dark world. 00:16:58.980 --> 00:17:05.500 The eternal, all-sufficient I am was going to enter his world as a helpless baby. 00:17:05.640 --> 00:17:10.519 That is the Bible's astounding claim about the first Christmas. 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:18.819 And to see the truth of it, you need to fast forward 30 years past the first Christmas to see this baby, now a man, 00:17:19.220 --> 00:17:22.480 doing things that only a powerful deity would do. 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:24.400 In fact, he did do in the Old Testament. 00:17:24.539 --> 00:17:29.120 Things like calming a storm, walking on water, curing blindness and deafness and paralysis. 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:30.339 He raised the dead. 00:17:30.440 --> 00:17:36.640 He fed multitudes of people with a packed lunch. 00:17:37.099 --> 00:17:39.180 He rose from the dead. 00:17:39.620 --> 00:17:48.700 Jesus is the only, only leader of a major world religion who ever claimed to be the divine in our existence. 00:17:48.700 --> 00:17:59.019 He was entirely humble in his character and yet entirely self-centred in regard to who he claimed to be. 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:08.360 And we do not come to terms with the meaning of Christmas until we come to terms with who Jesus declares himself to be. 00:18:09.360 --> 00:18:14.360 The outrageous claim of Christmas is that God is with us. 00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:19.379 Jesus, the great I am, is more than raw power. 00:18:20.839 --> 00:18:23.139 He is personal and present. 00:18:24.919 --> 00:18:26.779 You see, life looks very different. 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:34.379 If you know in every trial, in every challenge, in every heartache, the great I am is with you. 00:18:37.259 --> 00:18:39.939 Jesus is also referred to as the eternal father. 00:18:39.940 --> 00:18:40.019 Father. 00:18:40.820 --> 00:18:45.000 The word father will produce all kinds of different reactions in us. 00:18:46.660 --> 00:18:56.080 For some, the word makes us smile because of the joy of being a dad or because the experience of a great dad in our lives. 00:18:56.360 --> 00:19:02.259 For some, it's a smile that's tinged with sadness because the great dad is no longer with you. 00:19:02.259 --> 00:19:06.400 For others, the word brings up all kinds of complicated emotions. 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:09.980 It wants to make you cry, shout. 00:19:12.039 --> 00:19:19.519 In fact, it's possible that some of the greatest pain in your life is because of your relationship with your father. 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:23.700 But God is different. 00:19:24.740 --> 00:19:26.160 And that's what we read here. 00:19:26.220 --> 00:19:26.920 God is different. 00:19:28.039 --> 00:19:30.819 He's not just an all-powerful authority being. 00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:33.279 He is referred to as the eternal father. 00:19:33.400 --> 00:19:34.480 It's a relational term. 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:38.819 God is very different to the never-satisfied dad 00:19:38.819 --> 00:19:43.579 who rarely, if ever, expresses that they are proud of their children. 00:19:43.579 --> 00:19:46.419 Zephaniah 3, verse 17. 00:19:47.139 --> 00:19:49.460 We read about how God treats those he loves. 00:19:49.599 --> 00:19:54.759 As the eternal father, the Lord will rejoice over you, we glad, as he will be quiet in his love. 00:19:55.220 --> 00:19:58.439 He will delight in you with singing. 00:19:59.619 --> 00:20:00.359 He delights. 00:20:01.500 --> 00:20:03.279 He's not like the time bomb dad. 00:20:04.619 --> 00:20:10.199 You know, there's nothing safe at all about the dad who explodes at any given moment. 00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:15.920 It's hard to trust someone who at any moment may be in a bad mood or is inconsistent 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:18.200 or you are dodging the outbursts. 00:20:19.620 --> 00:20:24.319 This is how Exodus 34 speaks of God's character. 00:20:24.460 --> 00:20:26.039 The Lord is compassionate and gracious. 00:20:26.940 --> 00:20:29.740 He's a gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love. 00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:32.180 Jesus is quick to love. 00:20:32.759 --> 00:20:33.720 He is slow to anger. 00:20:35.460 --> 00:20:37.960 He's also not the emotionally distant dad. 00:20:37.960 --> 00:20:44.960 The mighty God is so emotionally connected to you that he will not rest until you are brought home. 00:20:45.059 --> 00:20:48.539 You see that in Luke 15, the parable of the prodigal son. 00:20:50.579 --> 00:20:52.759 The eternal father is not the absent dad. 00:20:53.840 --> 00:20:58.880 The child with the absent dad harbours deep feelings of personal rejection, 00:20:59.079 --> 00:21:01.360 that they were not worthy enough for their father's presence. 00:21:01.359 --> 00:21:05.740 Hebrews 13, we are told he will never leave us. 00:21:06.539 --> 00:21:07.759 He would never forsake us. 00:21:07.799 --> 00:21:08.919 He will never abandon us. 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:14.639 Jesus is the only one who doesn't leave, who doesn't disappoint, 00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:18.500 who doesn't fail, who doesn't hurt, who doesn't die. 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:23.919 He's eternal and he is eternal. 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:30.259 And his promise is that he will love you like the perfect father forever. 00:21:34.259 --> 00:21:36.880 And that's why he's such a needed gift for us. 00:21:38.660 --> 00:21:43.320 In the last name given to this baby in Isaiah 9, 00:21:43.420 --> 00:21:46.080 we see what this baby will achieve. 00:21:46.700 --> 00:21:48.820 He will be called Prince of Peace. 00:21:48.819 --> 00:21:54.819 In Isaiah's time, Ahaz and God's people didn't realise that the rejection of God 00:21:54.819 --> 00:21:58.299 was in fact their foundational and their biggest issue. 00:21:59.139 --> 00:22:02.460 They were so fearful of their enemies to the north 00:22:02.460 --> 00:22:06.500 and yet they failed to see that they were in fact at war with God. 00:22:08.779 --> 00:22:13.539 The dysfunction we see in all layers of life in this world 00:22:13.539 --> 00:22:17.919 is the symptom of a much, much bigger issue. 00:22:18.819 --> 00:22:23.299 A dysfunctional relationship with a God who has made us all. 00:22:24.379 --> 00:22:29.819 And we don't enjoy peace in our lives and in our world 00:22:29.819 --> 00:22:34.299 because we don't enjoy peace with God. 00:22:35.220 --> 00:22:41.019 Our greatest relational problem is our lack of relationship with God. 00:22:41.019 --> 00:22:45.359 Our greatest poverty is the spiritual poverty of not knowing God. 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:50.240 The greatest injustice is in fact the way we have treated our creator. 00:22:51.399 --> 00:22:57.119 And this has left every single human soul with a deep longing 00:22:57.119 --> 00:23:04.799 to be settled, to find acceptance, to find peace. 00:23:05.099 --> 00:23:07.699 In fact, it's much deeper. 00:23:07.700 --> 00:23:12.720 We actually live a life pursuing conflict with God. 00:23:13.980 --> 00:23:16.140 We don't want him to be in charge. 00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:17.580 We don't want him to be God. 00:23:17.680 --> 00:23:19.680 We don't want to think that we need him. 00:23:20.120 --> 00:23:20.920 We want... 00:23:20.920 --> 00:23:21.700 Or that he... 00:23:22.180 --> 00:23:24.840 You know, that we should praise him in any way. 00:23:25.080 --> 00:23:27.160 We go, we've got it. 00:23:28.640 --> 00:23:29.880 Got it under control. 00:23:30.860 --> 00:23:31.840 Don't need your help. 00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:37.619 The Bible's word for such an attitude is called sin. 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:39.079 It's the problem we all have. 00:23:39.139 --> 00:23:42.159 We turn away from God to get freedom, approval and acceptance. 00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:46.319 We make alliances with our careers, with our families, 00:23:46.439 --> 00:23:49.939 with everything else to give us, to fill us up with what we need 00:23:49.939 --> 00:23:51.099 more than anything else. 00:23:51.099 --> 00:23:54.859 And yet all we get is a feeling of vulnerability, 00:23:55.079 --> 00:23:58.459 of being exposed, being under judgment, in darkness, 00:23:58.639 --> 00:24:01.939 always seeking but never getting. 00:24:03.199 --> 00:24:05.240 It is not a peaceful life. 00:24:05.319 --> 00:24:07.459 It is a restless life. 00:24:08.980 --> 00:24:10.339 And that's why Jesus came. 00:24:11.500 --> 00:24:14.959 The title Prince of Peace points to dealing with this issue. 00:24:14.959 --> 00:24:19.419 Into the darkness of a world of rebellion against God, 00:24:19.420 --> 00:24:21.180 God sent a baby. 00:24:23.019 --> 00:24:24.500 Born of a virgin. 00:24:25.700 --> 00:24:30.740 He didn't send an army to destroy our rebellion. 00:24:33.240 --> 00:24:39.460 He made an alliance with himself to destroy himself 00:24:39.460 --> 00:24:44.320 by turning his justice on himself in order that we would be set free 00:24:44.320 --> 00:24:46.019 and find peace. 00:24:46.019 --> 00:24:50.160 Isaiah 53 verse 5 puts it like this. 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:51.400 He was pierced. 00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:52.460 Speaking about the baby, 00:24:53.220 --> 00:24:54.859 he was pierced for our rebellion, 00:24:55.440 --> 00:24:57.079 crushed because of our iniquities. 00:24:57.299 --> 00:25:00.599 Punishment for our peace was on him. 00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:03.900 And we are healed by his wounds. 00:25:05.259 --> 00:25:08.379 You see, what Christmas does in every instance 00:25:08.379 --> 00:25:12.539 consistently points us to Easter and the cost of our peace. 00:25:12.539 --> 00:25:16.119 On a cross just outside of Jerusalem, 00:25:16.119 --> 00:25:18.700 the wonderful counsellor, the mighty God, 00:25:18.799 --> 00:25:20.680 the eternal father, the prince of peace, 00:25:20.879 --> 00:25:25.980 absorbed the pain and the penalty for our rebellion 00:25:25.980 --> 00:25:29.279 against his rule and our rejection of his love. 00:25:29.579 --> 00:25:33.319 Christmas makes no sense whatsoever without Easter. 00:25:33.319 --> 00:25:41.460 Jesus being the prince of peace doesn't make sense 00:25:41.460 --> 00:25:45.599 until we realise that the peace he came to bring 00:25:45.599 --> 00:25:47.740 was the peace that we most need. 00:25:49.399 --> 00:25:53.319 He brings a solution to humanity's deepest problem, 00:25:54.319 --> 00:25:56.200 not a vaccine for a virus, 00:25:56.279 --> 00:25:58.119 which you might have hoped for several years ago, 00:25:58.119 --> 00:26:01.139 but forgiveness for our sin. 00:26:02.879 --> 00:26:07.619 The prince of peace brought us peace with God. 00:26:08.099 --> 00:26:11.679 All the lights that are on display at Christmas time 00:26:11.679 --> 00:26:19.199 are symbolic of the light that has dawned 00:26:19.199 --> 00:26:22.419 into the darkness of our sin and our brokenness. 00:26:23.639 --> 00:26:27.139 John, in fact, opens his biography of Jesus like this. 00:26:27.140 --> 00:26:30.580 He was with God in the beginning, speaking about Jesus. 00:26:31.620 --> 00:26:33.660 Through him, all things were made. 00:26:33.900 --> 00:26:35.240 He's God, the mighty God. 00:26:35.560 --> 00:26:37.940 Without him, nothing has been made that has been made. 00:26:38.280 --> 00:26:39.980 In him was life, 00:26:40.560 --> 00:26:45.540 and that life was the light of all humanity. 00:26:47.440 --> 00:26:49.460 In the coming of Jesus, 00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:51.840 the light shines in the darkness, 00:26:52.700 --> 00:26:55.520 and the darkness has not overcome it. 00:26:57.140 --> 00:27:00.500 And what the beautiful words of Isaiah 9 are 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:06.700 is that this baby was a gift. 00:27:07.980 --> 00:27:10.120 A son is given. 00:27:10.960 --> 00:27:11.400 Given. 00:27:12.540 --> 00:27:13.320 What a gift. 00:27:14.980 --> 00:27:17.340 A couple of chapters later in John's Gospel, 00:27:18.140 --> 00:27:20.240 we read the most famous Bible verse of all, 00:27:20.240 --> 00:27:21.759 for God so loved the world 00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:26.160 that he gave his only son. 00:27:27.980 --> 00:27:30.960 And at the beginning of John's biography of Jesus' life, 00:27:31.039 --> 00:27:34.160 we read what Jesus offers us as the prince of peace. 00:27:34.160 --> 00:27:37.140 To all who did receive him, 00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:41.519 he gave them the right to be the children of God, 00:27:41.720 --> 00:27:46.359 to those who believe in his name. 00:27:46.359 --> 00:27:49.219 Names matter. 00:27:51.419 --> 00:27:52.199 Names matter. 00:27:54.039 --> 00:27:56.059 What we call someone matters. 00:27:58.199 --> 00:28:01.019 So what do you call God this Christmas? 00:28:01.019 --> 00:28:03.400 You see, 00:28:03.480 --> 00:28:04.480 believing in Jesus' name 00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:06.059 doesn't mean that you believe he existed. 00:28:07.359 --> 00:28:09.559 Doesn't mean that you believe that he can help you. 00:28:10.319 --> 00:28:12.200 Or even that he rose from the dead. 00:28:13.440 --> 00:28:16.379 It means receiving who he is 00:28:16.940 --> 00:28:18.220 into your life, 00:28:18.279 --> 00:28:19.259 according to John 1. 00:28:19.819 --> 00:28:23.700 It means recognizing that Jesus isn't just a great bloke, 00:28:24.039 --> 00:28:25.680 and left us with some great thoughts, 00:28:25.759 --> 00:28:26.379 and some teaching, 00:28:26.500 --> 00:28:28.000 and some moral things to follow and do. 00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:31.900 It means much more than that. 00:28:32.779 --> 00:28:35.720 It means receiving his name. 00:28:36.920 --> 00:28:39.299 So what might be your next step this Christmas? 00:28:40.500 --> 00:28:42.980 Is, for instance, he your wonderful counselor, 00:28:43.660 --> 00:28:45.319 in whom you give the right 00:28:45.319 --> 00:28:48.819 to guide and direct your life through his word? 00:28:50.400 --> 00:28:55.019 Are you earnestly pursuing knowledge of the scriptures? 00:28:55.019 --> 00:28:58.200 Is your next step, 00:28:59.259 --> 00:29:02.079 is he your mighty God, 00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:06.539 to whom you entrust and surrender all of your life, 00:29:06.599 --> 00:29:08.819 the one who has right to rule over you? 00:29:09.200 --> 00:29:11.180 Do you worship him as supreme, 00:29:11.599 --> 00:29:14.259 or are the idols of your life still controlling 00:29:14.259 --> 00:29:15.819 what is most important? 00:29:16.299 --> 00:29:17.900 Is he your eternal father, 00:29:18.579 --> 00:29:20.900 the one whose love awakens you, 00:29:21.740 --> 00:29:22.839 encourage you, 00:29:22.839 --> 00:29:24.639 fills you, 00:29:25.240 --> 00:29:26.399 sustains you? 00:29:27.539 --> 00:29:28.939 Do you go to him 00:29:28.939 --> 00:29:31.099 as a fully approved 00:29:31.099 --> 00:29:33.419 and total dependent child? 00:29:35.899 --> 00:29:37.639 Is he your prince of peace, 00:29:38.220 --> 00:29:41.019 in whom you have put your faith 00:29:41.019 --> 00:29:43.539 as the one who has died in your place, 00:29:43.899 --> 00:29:46.519 who has turned away God's anger, 00:29:46.959 --> 00:29:48.819 so that you might be fully forgiven, 00:29:49.399 --> 00:29:50.379 fully accepted, 00:29:50.759 --> 00:29:52.119 and fully free forever? 00:29:52.119 --> 00:29:53.919 You see, 00:29:54.639 --> 00:29:55.739 receiving him 00:29:55.739 --> 00:29:59.719 means receiving his name. 00:30:01.239 --> 00:30:03.379 All of those things for you. 00:30:04.399 --> 00:30:05.599 Receiving him means 00:30:05.599 --> 00:30:07.479 that whatever you have been searching for 00:30:07.479 --> 00:30:08.619 all of your life, 00:30:08.939 --> 00:30:10.219 you find it only 00:30:10.219 --> 00:30:12.799 in the one who is at the center of Christmas. 00:30:14.299 --> 00:30:15.919 When we come to him 00:30:15.919 --> 00:30:18.339 and we receive his name, 00:30:18.339 --> 00:30:20.359 we receive the approval, 00:30:20.899 --> 00:30:22.259 the affirmation, 00:30:22.720 --> 00:30:23.480 the love, 00:30:24.139 --> 00:30:26.619 we need more than anything else. 00:30:28.159 --> 00:30:30.279 A son has been given 00:30:30.279 --> 00:30:33.639 so that we might be received 00:30:33.639 --> 00:30:35.500 as children of God. 00:30:35.959 --> 00:30:37.579 That's the gift he offers you 00:30:37.579 --> 00:30:38.379 this Christmas. 00:30:38.380 --> 00:30:41.880 We're going to play with God. 00:30:41.880 --> 00:30:44.300 I'm sorry. 00:30:44.300 --> 00:30:44.940 But I see that when we look at him, 00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:46.680 it's not aimatum. 00:30:46.900 --> 00:30:47.060 But the truth is no doubt 00:30:47.060 --> 00:30:47.760 I do not know. 00:30:47.760 --> 00:30:48.380 It's not a father. 00:30:48.520 --> 00:30:48.860 Sometimes it's a quelque animal 00:30:48.860 --> 00:30:49.260 like a animal of the limo, 00:30:49.280 --> 00:30:50.920 but even the youth 00:30:50.920 --> 00:30:51.440 comes in.