WEBVTT 00:00:00.440 --> 00:00:03.060 Thank you very much, Alice and Al. Good morning, everyone. 00:00:03.540 --> 00:00:07.560 Really good to have you with us, whether you're in the building or watching at home. 00:00:08.500 --> 00:00:12.240 You may not immediately see the connection between the two passages we've just read. 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:16.399 Hopefully that will become reasonably clear as we go along this morning. 00:00:17.879 --> 00:00:22.460 We're finishing our series this morning that we've been following for the last four weeks, 00:00:22.500 --> 00:00:25.780 which has been called The Christmas We Should Have Seen Coming, 00:00:25.780 --> 00:00:32.060 looking at some of the prophecies from the Old Testament and how they were fulfilled in the life of Jesus. 00:00:32.840 --> 00:00:36.340 And this morning, our topic is A Despised Life. 00:00:36.480 --> 00:00:40.079 That might not sound very jolly and Christmassy. Indeed, it isn't. 00:00:40.340 --> 00:00:42.179 This isn't going to be a particularly jolly sermon. 00:00:42.540 --> 00:00:49.299 But it's really important that we recognise that the Lord Jesus came into a world that was hostile to him, 00:00:49.719 --> 00:00:54.540 that was hostile to what he stood for, that was prejudiced against him, 00:00:54.539 --> 00:00:57.939 and that he was despised as a result. 00:00:58.460 --> 00:01:01.240 And we're going to be thinking about that this morning. 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:07.980 I think one of the things that very easily missed as we go through the Christmas story 00:01:07.980 --> 00:01:11.259 is this last section we've read this morning. 00:01:12.140 --> 00:01:15.439 And in particular, the fact that we all know, I'm sure, 00:01:15.960 --> 00:01:17.960 but maybe don't think about very much, 00:01:17.959 --> 00:01:21.359 that Jesus' hometown where his family were, 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:24.039 where he lived for almost all his life, 00:01:24.419 --> 00:01:27.319 was Nazareth, a small town in Galilee, 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:31.379 probably no more than about 500 people living there. 00:01:32.339 --> 00:01:36.799 And throughout his life, Jesus was known as Jesus of Nazareth. 00:01:37.759 --> 00:01:41.179 Now, in some ways, that was just an easy way of identifying him. 00:01:41.259 --> 00:01:43.979 They didn't have surnames like we do in those days. 00:01:43.980 --> 00:01:49.880 And so Jesus of Nazareth was a fairly straightforward way of identifying Jesus 00:01:49.880 --> 00:01:53.240 from a large number of other people who would have been called Jesus. 00:01:53.380 --> 00:01:57.500 It was a relatively common name in that time. 00:01:58.740 --> 00:02:05.659 But Matthew, as he looks at it, sees quite a lot more in it than that. 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:09.659 And what I want to do fairly simply, and hopefully quite quickly this morning, 00:02:10.060 --> 00:02:11.360 is just three things. 00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:14.940 We're going to start by walking through the passage in Matthew 00:02:14.940 --> 00:02:17.600 and completing, if you like, the Christmas story, 00:02:18.020 --> 00:02:23.000 trying to understand what is happening and what Matthew is saying to us. 00:02:24.020 --> 00:02:26.240 I'm then going to have a little bit of a digression, 00:02:26.720 --> 00:02:28.860 and I'm going to talk a bit about prejudice. 00:02:29.600 --> 00:02:32.700 And that is as a preliminary, it's important in itself, 00:02:32.780 --> 00:02:35.900 but also as a preliminary as we think about the prejudice 00:02:35.900 --> 00:02:40.640 the Lord Jesus suffered as he led a despised life. 00:02:40.639 --> 00:02:44.959 And we'll finish as we're talking about that in the passage in Isaiah 00:02:44.959 --> 00:02:47.699 that Alice read to us. 00:02:48.539 --> 00:02:53.519 So first of all, let's get up to speed with what's happening in the Christmas story. 00:02:53.639 --> 00:02:57.219 So remember, Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea. 00:02:58.219 --> 00:03:03.099 The wise men came, and last week we were thinking how they were warned 00:03:03.099 --> 00:03:07.359 that Herod was out to kill the newborn king. 00:03:07.419 --> 00:03:12.039 And so Mary and Joseph fled with Jesus to Egypt 00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:19.120 before Herod slaughtered all the babies that had been born recently around Bethlehem. 00:03:19.579 --> 00:03:23.959 And they stayed there probably for a reasonable length of time, 00:03:24.060 --> 00:03:26.060 perhaps a couple of years even. 00:03:26.060 --> 00:03:30.219 And then they heard that Herod had died, 00:03:30.580 --> 00:03:33.500 and they thought they could go back to Bethlehem. 00:03:33.560 --> 00:03:35.500 They seemed to have made their home there in Bethlehem, 00:03:35.740 --> 00:03:39.060 despite having originally come from Nazareth. 00:03:40.599 --> 00:03:43.340 Now Herod, who is referred to in the Christmas story, 00:03:43.480 --> 00:03:45.180 the Herod we were hearing about last week, 00:03:45.400 --> 00:03:47.280 is commonly called Herod the Great. 00:03:47.379 --> 00:03:49.020 There are a number of Herods in the New Testament. 00:03:49.560 --> 00:03:52.159 This Herod is commonly called Herod the Great. 00:03:52.159 --> 00:03:57.960 That may sound a rather strange description of someone who was very cruel 00:03:57.960 --> 00:04:03.199 and who was paranoid about others wanting to take over his kingdom. 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:10.740 But actually Herod, alongside his cruelty, was a competent ruler. 00:04:11.419 --> 00:04:13.579 Among other things, he built a temple in Jerusalem, 00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:16.819 a really grand temple that he built for the Jews there, 00:04:17.300 --> 00:04:19.980 although he also built a temple to Caesar Augustus, 00:04:19.980 --> 00:04:25.120 so it wasn't that he had any strong convictions about the God of the Jews, 00:04:25.520 --> 00:04:28.500 but probably saw it as that kind of political thing. 00:04:28.819 --> 00:04:33.500 But he was a competent king, albeit a very cruel one. 00:04:34.620 --> 00:04:36.980 It was expected that when Herod died, 00:04:37.340 --> 00:04:40.800 that his son, another Herod, Herod called Herod Antipas, 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:42.259 would take over his throne 00:04:42.259 --> 00:04:45.439 and would be the ruler of all of what we now call Israel, 00:04:45.620 --> 00:04:48.100 and probably a bit beyond that as well. 00:04:48.100 --> 00:04:53.920 But at the last minute, Herod the Great decided he wanted to split his kingdom up. 00:04:54.580 --> 00:04:55.840 He had three remaining sons. 00:04:55.939 --> 00:04:58.960 He had already killed three because he thought they were plotting against him. 00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:03.180 He had three remaining sons, and he divided the kingdom among them. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:06.680 So the area of Galilee, and one or two other bits and pieces, 00:05:07.240 --> 00:05:09.140 went to his son Herod Antipas. 00:05:09.200 --> 00:05:13.040 And Herod Antipas is the Herod we read about in the life of the Lord Jesus, 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:17.080 and in connection with John the Baptist later in the Gospels. 00:05:17.079 --> 00:05:19.099 There was another son called Philip, 00:05:19.199 --> 00:05:21.959 who got a bit of territory we don't need to bother ourselves with. 00:05:22.500 --> 00:05:25.039 And then the third son was called Archelaus. 00:05:25.500 --> 00:05:28.219 And he got, I suppose, the prime territory, 00:05:28.680 --> 00:05:29.959 the area around Jerusalem, 00:05:30.159 --> 00:05:32.500 the area that would have been called Judea. 00:05:33.719 --> 00:05:36.620 Now the best way to describe Archelaus 00:05:36.620 --> 00:05:38.919 is that he had the cruelty of Herod, 00:05:39.079 --> 00:05:40.779 but didn't have his competence. 00:05:41.659 --> 00:05:43.319 He was a very cruel man, 00:05:43.560 --> 00:05:46.279 but he was a very bad king as well. 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:47.819 And he only lasted a few years. 00:05:48.139 --> 00:05:49.139 There were complaints to Rome. 00:05:49.219 --> 00:05:50.059 He got removed, 00:05:50.379 --> 00:05:51.959 and they put governors in place. 00:05:52.379 --> 00:05:55.159 And again, if we think forward in the story of the Lord Jesus, 00:05:55.779 --> 00:05:58.419 by the time he had his ministry and his trial, 00:05:58.779 --> 00:06:01.339 of course, Pontius Pilate was the governor. 00:06:02.039 --> 00:06:03.879 But what we need to know about Archelaus 00:06:03.879 --> 00:06:06.139 was he was as cruel as his father, 00:06:06.619 --> 00:06:08.199 and it would have been as dangerous 00:06:08.199 --> 00:06:10.839 for Mary and Joseph and the young Jesus 00:06:10.839 --> 00:06:12.379 to go back to Bethlehem 00:06:12.379 --> 00:06:16.179 as it was when Herod was still alive. 00:06:16.659 --> 00:06:18.379 So we have the two dreams in the passage. 00:06:18.679 --> 00:06:20.459 The one telling them that Herod has died 00:06:20.459 --> 00:06:21.619 and that he had to go back. 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:23.399 And then the second one saying, 00:06:23.739 --> 00:06:25.500 don't go to Bethlehem. 00:06:25.879 --> 00:06:28.799 Go and make your home in Nazareth. 00:06:30.799 --> 00:06:32.559 In some ways, that's all quite straightforward. 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:36.560 But then Matthew sees some deep significance 00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:40.480 in the fact that Jesus grew up in Nazareth. 00:06:40.939 --> 00:06:43.660 It wasn't just somewhere where he happened to grow up. 00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:46.100 Nothing in the story and the life of the Lord Jesus 00:06:46.100 --> 00:06:49.480 was just something that happened to come about. 00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:51.920 And so Matthew says, 00:06:52.259 --> 00:06:54.819 at the end of the passage that we read, 00:06:55.220 --> 00:06:56.319 that as he came back to me, 00:06:56.340 --> 00:06:58.000 they went to a town called Nazareth. 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:01.240 So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets 00:07:01.240 --> 00:07:04.839 that he would be called a Nazarene. 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:08.120 As I said, our series has been called 00:07:08.120 --> 00:07:09.879 the Christmas we should have seen coming. 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:13.019 I think this bit of Christmas 00:07:13.019 --> 00:07:16.220 would be very difficult to see coming. 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:19.379 You can read through the whole of the Old Testament. 00:07:19.899 --> 00:07:22.000 You won't see the town of Nazareth mentioned. 00:07:22.459 --> 00:07:25.180 You won't see the word Nazarene mentioned. 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:26.920 There's a word called Nazarite, 00:07:26.920 --> 00:07:29.060 but that is something quite different. 00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:32.220 And so you look at this passage, this verse, 00:07:32.500 --> 00:07:34.420 and you think, well, how can he say 00:07:34.420 --> 00:07:36.060 that the prophets had forecast, 00:07:36.420 --> 00:07:39.879 had prophesied that Jesus would be a Nazarene? 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:42.220 And there are a number of explanations. 00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:43.980 In some ways, you could say 00:07:43.980 --> 00:07:45.960 none of them is entirely straightforward. 00:07:46.660 --> 00:07:50.100 Certainly not one that's clearly right or clearly wrong. 00:07:50.740 --> 00:07:51.900 But there are two explanations, 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:53.759 which I think most of the scholars 00:07:53.759 --> 00:07:57.300 look at these things think are possible. 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:01.139 One is that the word Nazarene 00:08:01.139 --> 00:08:03.740 has the same root meaning 00:08:03.740 --> 00:08:06.319 as a word that's used in the Old Testament 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:07.939 for a branch. 00:08:08.939 --> 00:08:10.159 And the significance of that 00:08:10.159 --> 00:08:11.420 is in the book of Isaiah. 00:08:11.539 --> 00:08:13.879 We were looking at Isaiah earlier in the year 00:08:13.879 --> 00:08:15.719 in our Sunday evening services. 00:08:16.620 --> 00:08:18.779 And Isaiah chapter 11 and verse 1 says, 00:08:18.779 --> 00:08:28.799 And that will be very clearly understood by the Jews 00:08:28.799 --> 00:08:30.279 and should be understood by us 00:08:30.279 --> 00:08:33.079 as being a messianic prophecy. 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:35.339 Looking forward to the one 00:08:35.339 --> 00:08:37.399 who would be great David's greater son 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:40.959 and would restore the kingdom of David. 00:08:41.100 --> 00:08:43.839 And as I said, the root word for branch used here 00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:48.139 is essentially the same as the word for Nazarene 00:08:48.139 --> 00:08:50.580 used in Matthew chapter 2. 00:08:50.759 --> 00:08:52.759 So that is one possible explanation. 00:08:54.160 --> 00:08:56.300 The other explanation is to do 00:08:56.300 --> 00:08:58.800 with the town of Nazareth itself. 00:08:59.399 --> 00:09:01.580 Nazareth, I've said, was a small 00:09:01.580 --> 00:09:05.100 and relatively insignificant place. 00:09:05.860 --> 00:09:06.920 But for such a place, 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:09.480 it actually had quite a bad reputation. 00:09:09.480 --> 00:09:13.019 And as you go through the Gospels 00:09:13.019 --> 00:09:16.680 and you find references to Nazareth and Nazarene, 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:19.600 it is clear that people of Nazareth 00:09:19.600 --> 00:09:21.560 weren't well thought of. 00:09:22.620 --> 00:09:23.740 In John's Gospel, 00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:26.800 in some of the discussions about Jesus 00:09:26.800 --> 00:09:29.360 that the religious leaders had, 00:09:29.740 --> 00:09:31.259 one of the things they said was, 00:09:31.480 --> 00:09:33.399 well, he comes from Galilee. 00:09:33.899 --> 00:09:36.659 No prophet has ever come from Galilee. 00:09:36.659 --> 00:09:38.279 In other words, 00:09:38.579 --> 00:09:42.139 someone from Galilee could never be the Messiah. 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:45.299 And Nazareth was in Galilee. 00:09:46.240 --> 00:09:48.100 But even within Galilee, 00:09:48.500 --> 00:09:49.879 it was looked down on. 00:09:50.759 --> 00:09:52.059 In John chapter 1, 00:09:52.419 --> 00:09:55.000 one of the first disciples of the Lord Jesus, 00:09:55.240 --> 00:09:57.159 Philip, goes and speaks to his friend, 00:09:57.539 --> 00:09:58.620 Nathanael, and says, 00:09:58.719 --> 00:09:59.699 we've found the Messiah. 00:10:00.319 --> 00:10:03.139 He's Jesus from Nazareth. 00:10:03.139 --> 00:10:05.720 And Nathanael says, 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:06.439 Nazareth? 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:09.960 Can any good thing come from Nazareth? 00:10:11.100 --> 00:10:12.360 So the thought then, 00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:14.120 that people would suggest, 00:10:14.460 --> 00:10:17.159 is the fact that Jesus came from Nazareth 00:10:17.159 --> 00:10:21.299 meant that people were naturally prejudiced against him. 00:10:22.039 --> 00:10:23.480 Nazareth was seen as a place 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:25.360 that nothing could came from, 00:10:25.720 --> 00:10:27.360 so how could the Messiah, 00:10:27.580 --> 00:10:28.960 God's chosen one, 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:32.319 possibly come from a place like Nazareth? 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:36.000 A backwater in a part of Israel 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:39.160 was quite a long way from the capital in Jerusalem, 00:10:40.120 --> 00:10:42.580 and a town that itself was looked down on, 00:10:42.879 --> 00:10:46.920 even by those who lived in neighbouring parts of the country. 00:10:47.340 --> 00:10:48.900 He was called a Nazarene, 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:50.260 and as a result, 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:51.940 he was despised. 00:10:52.020 --> 00:10:52.440 And that, I think, 00:10:52.500 --> 00:10:53.740 is the thought that Graham had 00:10:53.740 --> 00:10:57.080 as he put together this series. 00:10:57.080 --> 00:10:59.680 And the two probably come together 00:10:59.680 --> 00:11:02.600 in the passage we read in Isaiah, 00:11:03.259 --> 00:11:06.200 because it talks about the Lord Jesus being despised. 00:11:06.759 --> 00:11:08.400 It also talks about the fact 00:11:08.400 --> 00:11:10.040 he grew up like a tender shoot 00:11:10.040 --> 00:11:13.560 and like a root out of dry ground. 00:11:14.060 --> 00:11:14.660 And that, I think, 00:11:14.700 --> 00:11:17.980 is the connection between the two passages we've read. 00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:19.720 Now, as I say in a few minutes, 00:11:19.720 --> 00:11:22.879 I want to talk through the passage in Isaiah 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:25.060 and to learn some things from it 00:11:25.060 --> 00:11:28.240 about the prejudice that the Lord Jesus suffered. 00:11:29.080 --> 00:11:30.639 But it's been on my mind this week, 00:11:30.680 --> 00:11:32.660 and I thought it was worth highlighting 00:11:32.660 --> 00:11:35.740 the general thought about prejudice 00:11:35.740 --> 00:11:38.700 and the danger that we have, 00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:41.879 that we are prejudicial towards others. 00:11:42.220 --> 00:11:42.960 And bear with me, 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:44.740 I think this is quite important, 00:11:44.820 --> 00:11:47.440 even though it's not directly from the passage. 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:49.780 You'll see it's significant as we come to 00:11:49.780 --> 00:11:52.240 think about Jesus in a few minutes. 00:11:52.740 --> 00:11:53.920 I want to make two statements, 00:11:54.360 --> 00:11:57.360 and you can think about whether you agree with them. 00:11:58.120 --> 00:11:59.720 The first statement is that 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:01.300 if we're not very careful, 00:12:02.060 --> 00:12:04.580 each of us is likely to be guilty 00:12:04.580 --> 00:12:07.720 of prejudicial thoughts and actions. 00:12:08.660 --> 00:12:10.220 If you're in the business role, 00:12:10.280 --> 00:12:12.480 or probably in the world of government as well these days, 00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:15.200 you will get training on something 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:17.700 that is called unconscious bias, 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:19.540 which is the thought that 00:12:19.540 --> 00:12:21.120 although you may not deliberately 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:23.600 look down on particular groups 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:25.320 or treat them differently, 00:12:25.800 --> 00:12:29.320 in practice it's very easy that we do. 00:12:30.360 --> 00:12:31.740 And so we need to be careful. 00:12:32.180 --> 00:12:34.100 There's no place for prejudice in the church. 00:12:34.200 --> 00:12:35.180 We need to be careful 00:12:35.180 --> 00:12:37.259 that we're not guilty of prejudice, 00:12:37.379 --> 00:12:40.060 and we need to be actively making sure 00:12:40.060 --> 00:12:42.020 that's not happening. 00:12:42.019 --> 00:12:44.740 And the second thing, 00:12:44.819 --> 00:12:46.340 and I suppose the reason for that, 00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:49.779 is that I believe we most easily identify 00:12:49.779 --> 00:12:52.360 with people who are like us. 00:12:53.120 --> 00:12:54.860 And the corollary of that could be 00:12:54.860 --> 00:12:56.360 that people who are unlike us, 00:12:56.439 --> 00:12:57.539 people who are different, 00:12:57.980 --> 00:12:59.980 we sometimes tend to look down on 00:12:59.980 --> 00:13:02.220 and not treat as well. 00:13:03.019 --> 00:13:05.519 Let me give you just a very trivial example. 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:08.259 One of the contestants in the recent series 00:13:08.259 --> 00:13:10.559 of Strictly Come Dancing was Dan Walker. 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:12.159 Dan Walker, broadcaster, 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:14.399 breakfast television, sports news, 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:16.079 also known as a Christian, 00:13:16.579 --> 00:13:19.379 and particularly for not working on Sundays. 00:13:20.899 --> 00:13:23.179 And I was hoping that Dan Walker 00:13:23.179 --> 00:13:25.159 would do well in the competition, 00:13:25.159 --> 00:13:26.919 even though he wasn't, by a long way, 00:13:27.179 --> 00:13:28.739 the best dancer. 00:13:29.319 --> 00:13:31.519 You might ask, well, why is that? 00:13:32.619 --> 00:13:33.759 Is it perhaps, 00:13:33.879 --> 00:13:35.059 because I look at Dan Walker, 00:13:35.059 --> 00:13:38.619 and I see a white, heterosexual, 00:13:39.019 --> 00:13:42.039 male, evangelical Christian like me? 00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:44.439 And because he's someone 00:13:44.439 --> 00:13:46.519 who is in some ways similar to me, 00:13:46.819 --> 00:13:49.299 it's easy for me to identify with him 00:13:49.299 --> 00:13:51.659 and to hope that he does well. 00:13:52.279 --> 00:13:53.539 Now, you may or may not think 00:13:53.539 --> 00:13:54.739 there's any harm in that. 00:13:55.159 --> 00:13:56.339 Where the harm comes 00:13:56.339 --> 00:13:58.259 is if we go beyond that 00:13:58.259 --> 00:13:58.859 and say, yes, 00:13:58.899 --> 00:14:00.699 I identify easily with some people 00:14:00.700 --> 00:14:02.020 because they're like me, 00:14:02.600 --> 00:14:03.640 but there are some people 00:14:03.640 --> 00:14:05.120 who are unlike me, 00:14:05.420 --> 00:14:07.780 and I don't want anything to do with them, 00:14:07.820 --> 00:14:09.360 or I want to treat them differently, 00:14:09.660 --> 00:14:11.120 or I look down on them 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:12.800 and despise them. 00:14:12.840 --> 00:14:13.520 And that is where 00:14:13.520 --> 00:14:16.520 the danger of prejudice comes in. 00:14:17.040 --> 00:14:18.960 Whether it's because of their race, 00:14:19.140 --> 00:14:19.700 their religion, 00:14:20.900 --> 00:14:23.340 their physical and mental health, 00:14:23.400 --> 00:14:24.259 or whatever else, 00:14:24.600 --> 00:14:26.780 as soon as we start looking down on others 00:14:26.779 --> 00:14:28.559 because they're different from us, 00:14:28.980 --> 00:14:30.519 then we're guilty of prejudice, 00:14:30.779 --> 00:14:33.600 and that should have no place in the church. 00:14:34.459 --> 00:14:36.899 Everyone who comes through the doors of our church 00:14:36.899 --> 00:14:39.179 should be treated with the same respect 00:14:39.179 --> 00:14:42.740 and dignity as everyone else. 00:14:43.639 --> 00:14:44.939 They are people who are made 00:14:44.939 --> 00:14:47.159 in the image of our creator. 00:14:47.839 --> 00:14:50.459 They are those for whom the Lord Jesus died 00:14:50.459 --> 00:14:53.139 and who, if they trust in him, 00:14:53.139 --> 00:14:56.240 can be our Christian brothers and sisters. 00:14:56.779 --> 00:14:59.500 And if we want to know an example 00:14:59.500 --> 00:15:01.539 of how we shouldn't be prejudiced, 00:15:01.639 --> 00:15:03.879 then we just have to look at the Lord Jesus, 00:15:04.019 --> 00:15:05.980 perhaps most clearly in John chapter 4. 00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:07.679 John chapter 4, 00:15:07.819 --> 00:15:10.100 Jesus comes across a Samaritan woman 00:15:10.100 --> 00:15:11.980 who is, let's say, 00:15:12.079 --> 00:15:14.100 probably has dubious morals. 00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:17.259 And he is an upright Jewish man. 00:15:18.019 --> 00:15:19.939 And most upright Jewish men 00:15:19.939 --> 00:15:21.220 would have run a mile 00:15:21.220 --> 00:15:24.179 rather than associate with a woman like that. 00:15:24.179 --> 00:15:26.679 And yet Jesus takes the time to speak with her, 00:15:26.779 --> 00:15:27.819 to help her, 00:15:27.939 --> 00:15:29.539 to show her who he is, 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:31.679 and she becomes a great evangelist 00:15:31.679 --> 00:15:33.759 for those in her town. 00:15:34.199 --> 00:15:35.000 No prejudice, 00:15:35.559 --> 00:15:39.019 treating everyone with dignity and respect. 00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:41.860 And that is how we should be as a church. 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:44.220 And we need to be careful 00:15:44.220 --> 00:15:46.220 that people who are different from us, 00:15:46.459 --> 00:15:49.179 we don't treat in a lesser way 00:15:49.179 --> 00:15:51.379 from people who are like us. 00:15:52.139 --> 00:15:53.460 Now with that digression, 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:54.759 I think it's quite important, 00:15:54.840 --> 00:15:57.899 but let's think about how that applies in Jesus. 00:15:58.039 --> 00:15:59.980 And we're going now to the passage in Isaiah, 00:16:00.019 --> 00:16:02.200 Isaiah chapter 53. 00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:04.919 And Isaiah chapter 53, 00:16:04.919 --> 00:16:06.460 I think it is saying, 00:16:06.860 --> 00:16:08.620 Jesus came into this world, 00:16:09.159 --> 00:16:11.620 he was different from those, 00:16:11.820 --> 00:16:14.039 particularly the religious leaders in the day, 00:16:14.039 --> 00:16:16.000 and they looked down on him, 00:16:16.059 --> 00:16:17.599 they were prejudiced against him, 00:16:17.939 --> 00:16:19.419 they despised him. 00:16:19.419 --> 00:16:21.459 Not just because he came from Nazareth, 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:23.219 although that was part of it, 00:16:23.579 --> 00:16:25.279 but because in many ways, 00:16:25.579 --> 00:16:27.179 he had different values 00:16:27.179 --> 00:16:31.299 and different attitudes from them. 00:16:31.919 --> 00:16:33.039 So three simple things, 00:16:33.339 --> 00:16:35.000 and then we're finished. 00:16:35.099 --> 00:16:36.579 Three things I think we can learn 00:16:36.579 --> 00:16:38.579 from this passage. 00:16:39.719 --> 00:16:41.299 And the first of these 00:16:41.299 --> 00:16:44.839 is that Jesus showed different attributes 00:16:44.839 --> 00:16:46.719 from others round about him, 00:16:46.779 --> 00:16:49.479 particularly the religious leaders. 00:16:50.239 --> 00:16:51.620 That comes across, I think, 00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:54.359 with this picture that Isaiah gives us 00:16:54.360 --> 00:16:58.000 of the root coming out of the dry ground. 00:16:58.759 --> 00:17:00.060 In other words, he's saying, 00:17:00.440 --> 00:17:03.159 this is something that is unlikely to happen, 00:17:03.360 --> 00:17:06.319 something where you've got arid land, 00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:08.460 you wouldn't expect anything to grow, 00:17:08.940 --> 00:17:10.099 and you get what looks like 00:17:10.099 --> 00:17:11.940 a very tender shoot coming up, 00:17:12.220 --> 00:17:13.339 something that's different, 00:17:13.720 --> 00:17:16.180 something that demonstrates life. 00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:19.120 When Jesus came to this earth, 00:17:19.460 --> 00:17:20.579 by and large, 00:17:20.920 --> 00:17:22.519 there was little or no life 00:17:22.519 --> 00:17:24.599 in the religious establishment. 00:17:25.539 --> 00:17:27.139 Yes, they knew the Old Testament. 00:17:27.319 --> 00:17:29.599 They could quote huge sections of it. 00:17:30.039 --> 00:17:32.940 They would try to be obedient to it 00:17:32.940 --> 00:17:34.879 in the real minutiae of things 00:17:34.879 --> 00:17:36.359 and make their own rules up 00:17:36.359 --> 00:17:37.559 to go along with it. 00:17:37.859 --> 00:17:40.039 But there was no real love of God. 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:43.299 There was no real concern for others. 00:17:44.180 --> 00:17:45.460 And Jesus came, 00:17:45.579 --> 00:17:47.440 and he was different. 00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:51.259 He was different because as he spoke, 00:17:51.259 --> 00:17:53.240 he spoke with vitality, 00:17:53.640 --> 00:17:54.740 he spoke with life, 00:17:54.799 --> 00:17:55.940 and he didn't just look back 00:17:55.940 --> 00:17:57.720 and refer to lots of ancient authorities 00:17:57.720 --> 00:17:59.140 and say, this is what's said here, 00:17:59.339 --> 00:18:00.559 this is what's said there. 00:18:01.059 --> 00:18:03.819 He says, here is what I say. 00:18:04.500 --> 00:18:06.259 And he spoke with the authority 00:18:06.259 --> 00:18:08.299 that comes from God. 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:11.519 He also claimed very clearly 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:14.259 to have a relationship of a father, 00:18:14.420 --> 00:18:16.839 a son to a father with God, 00:18:16.900 --> 00:18:18.319 and to be speaking himself 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:21.099 the words of God. 00:18:21.639 --> 00:18:25.399 He was different in the way he was 00:18:25.399 --> 00:18:26.939 and the way he lived 00:18:26.939 --> 00:18:28.500 and in what he said 00:18:28.500 --> 00:18:31.559 from the religious leaders of his day. 00:18:32.639 --> 00:18:34.599 And rather than listen to him 00:18:34.599 --> 00:18:36.339 and accept what he said 00:18:36.339 --> 00:18:38.059 and believe the word of God, 00:18:38.119 --> 00:18:40.039 as many of the common people did, 00:18:40.539 --> 00:18:42.460 the religious leaders looked down on him, 00:18:42.460 --> 00:18:44.279 they despised him, 00:18:44.620 --> 00:18:47.519 and they wanted rid of him 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:52.259 because he was different from them. 00:18:52.840 --> 00:18:54.240 And definitely what we would look back 00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:55.460 and say was a good way, 00:18:55.920 --> 00:18:57.000 definitely what they would say 00:18:57.000 --> 00:18:57.980 was a bad way 00:18:57.980 --> 00:19:00.180 because he exposed their hypocrisy 00:19:00.180 --> 00:19:02.340 and because of that 00:19:02.340 --> 00:19:03.620 would turn the common people 00:19:03.620 --> 00:19:05.880 against the religious establishment. 00:19:06.680 --> 00:19:08.380 He grew up like a tender shoot, 00:19:08.380 --> 00:19:12.059 like a root out of dry ground. 00:19:13.120 --> 00:19:14.700 Second thing I want to say 00:19:14.700 --> 00:19:16.960 about the way in which 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:17.920 the Lord Jesus 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:20.180 led a despised life 00:19:20.180 --> 00:19:22.220 was that he saw 00:19:22.220 --> 00:19:24.960 different attitudes towards him. 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:26.360 He showed different attributes. 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:29.400 He saw different attitudes. 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:31.420 Now when we say 00:19:31.420 --> 00:19:33.079 Jesus led a despised life, 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:35.120 you can find lots of instances 00:19:35.120 --> 00:19:36.200 in the New Testament 00:19:36.200 --> 00:19:37.840 where that's not obvious, 00:19:38.539 --> 00:19:40.840 where actually people looked at Jesus 00:19:40.839 --> 00:19:43.639 and they recognised something in him 00:19:43.639 --> 00:19:44.799 that was really good, 00:19:44.939 --> 00:19:46.279 that was worth following 00:19:46.279 --> 00:19:48.559 and worth believing in. 00:19:49.339 --> 00:19:50.220 So when he preached 00:19:50.220 --> 00:19:51.119 the Sermon on the Mount, 00:19:51.879 --> 00:19:53.579 you've got this group of people 00:19:53.579 --> 00:19:55.459 listening in rapt attention 00:19:55.459 --> 00:19:57.299 as he says these words 00:19:57.299 --> 00:19:59.099 which have changed history 00:19:59.099 --> 00:19:59.919 in many ways. 00:20:00.279 --> 00:20:01.559 I saw a description that says 00:20:01.559 --> 00:20:03.559 they're the basis of Western morality, 00:20:04.019 --> 00:20:04.740 perhaps right. 00:20:05.199 --> 00:20:06.419 And the people listened 00:20:06.420 --> 00:20:08.680 and they marvelled at what he said 00:20:08.680 --> 00:20:09.560 because they said 00:20:09.560 --> 00:20:10.940 he speaks with authority. 00:20:11.600 --> 00:20:13.700 He's not like the teachers of the law 00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:15.640 who just refer to other people 00:20:15.640 --> 00:20:17.580 and don't have any authority 00:20:17.580 --> 00:20:19.000 of their own. 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:20.480 And because of that, 00:20:20.900 --> 00:20:21.480 the people, 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:22.819 common people in Galilee 00:20:22.819 --> 00:20:23.720 flocked to him 00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:27.299 and they loved listening to him. 00:20:28.180 --> 00:20:30.299 When the Lord Jesus fed the 5,000, 00:20:31.099 --> 00:20:33.019 when he did that marvellous miracle 00:20:33.019 --> 00:20:36.059 of taking a small amount of bread 00:20:36.059 --> 00:20:37.339 and of fish 00:20:37.339 --> 00:20:39.440 and of feeding the multitude, 00:20:40.599 --> 00:20:42.119 the people were so impressed 00:20:42.119 --> 00:20:43.559 and so enthralled with him 00:20:43.559 --> 00:20:46.420 that they wanted to make him their king. 00:20:47.220 --> 00:20:48.779 They didn't despise him. 00:20:49.140 --> 00:20:50.640 They loved him 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:52.320 and all that he was 00:20:52.320 --> 00:20:54.259 and all that he stood for. 00:20:54.380 --> 00:20:55.500 Now, John 6, 00:20:55.560 --> 00:20:56.920 they very quickly changed their attitude 00:20:56.920 --> 00:20:58.340 but at that point, 00:20:58.700 --> 00:20:59.420 they loved him. 00:20:59.539 --> 00:21:00.380 By and large, 00:21:00.800 --> 00:21:01.779 the common people, 00:21:01.900 --> 00:21:03.580 the ones who weren't religious leaders, 00:21:04.019 --> 00:21:05.720 had a lot of time for Jesus 00:21:05.720 --> 00:21:07.259 and were those 00:21:07.259 --> 00:21:09.759 whom he was able to help 00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:12.920 and to bring into God's kingdom. 00:21:13.420 --> 00:21:14.480 And he did, as we said, 00:21:14.539 --> 00:21:15.279 without prejudice. 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:16.639 It didn't matter who they were. 00:21:16.819 --> 00:21:18.680 If they were willing to listen to him 00:21:18.680 --> 00:21:20.500 and to believe his word, 00:21:20.839 --> 00:21:22.619 he would receive them. 00:21:24.099 --> 00:21:25.779 But then you have the other attitude, 00:21:26.460 --> 00:21:29.180 the attitude of the religious establishment. 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:33.180 And they very much saw Jesus as a threat, 00:21:33.539 --> 00:21:36.899 as someone they didn't want to have among them. 00:21:37.480 --> 00:21:38.859 And they despised him. 00:21:39.339 --> 00:21:40.680 They looked down on him. 00:21:41.079 --> 00:21:44.619 They wanted to have nothing to do with him. 00:21:45.279 --> 00:21:47.480 And so the prophecy in Isaiah, 00:21:47.879 --> 00:21:49.259 verse 3 of chapter 53, 00:21:49.399 --> 00:21:50.339 we have it in front of him. 00:21:50.440 --> 00:21:53.960 He was despised and rejected by mankind, 00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:55.960 a man of suffering 00:21:55.960 --> 00:21:58.899 and familiar with pain. 00:21:59.279 --> 00:22:01.799 That certainly was true. 00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:04.259 Jesus, during his lifetime, 00:22:04.359 --> 00:22:05.759 was despised by those 00:22:05.759 --> 00:22:06.920 who should have known better, 00:22:07.259 --> 00:22:07.980 who should have known 00:22:07.980 --> 00:22:09.200 and be able to interpret 00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:10.720 the word of God. 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:13.319 Ultimately, he was completely rejected. 00:22:13.319 --> 00:22:17.960 And he went alone to suffer on the cross. 00:22:18.700 --> 00:22:22.339 So he saw different attitudes. 00:22:22.339 --> 00:22:25.339 And then finally, 00:22:25.959 --> 00:22:26.799 Jesus, 00:22:27.179 --> 00:22:29.279 he showed different attributes. 00:22:29.819 --> 00:22:32.339 He saw different attitudes. 00:22:33.519 --> 00:22:34.919 And then the final thing, 00:22:35.019 --> 00:22:37.799 he suffered different attacks. 00:22:38.519 --> 00:22:39.399 And there's a progression, 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:39.759 I think, 00:22:39.879 --> 00:22:40.179 isn't there, 00:22:40.179 --> 00:22:42.179 as you go through Isaiah 53. 00:22:43.179 --> 00:22:43.899 Verse 2, 00:22:43.980 --> 00:22:45.159 and people are looking at him 00:22:45.159 --> 00:22:45.500 and saying, 00:22:45.579 --> 00:22:46.639 well, he's not much, is he? 00:22:47.199 --> 00:22:49.119 Just like the tender shoot, 00:22:49.259 --> 00:22:50.419 like the root of the dry ground, 00:22:50.420 --> 00:22:52.300 nothing particularly attractive about him, 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:54.560 nothing in his appearance 00:22:54.560 --> 00:22:56.360 that makes him special. 00:22:56.500 --> 00:22:57.680 And perhaps that was originally 00:22:57.680 --> 00:22:59.480 how the religious leaders 00:22:59.480 --> 00:23:00.440 would have thought of him. 00:23:01.779 --> 00:23:03.660 He's a prophet from Galilee. 00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:06.360 He's not going to come to very much. 00:23:06.700 --> 00:23:08.039 Let's just ignore him 00:23:08.039 --> 00:23:10.000 and maybe he'll go away. 00:23:10.300 --> 00:23:11.980 He's no one special. 00:23:12.900 --> 00:23:13.900 Then in verse 3, 00:23:14.039 --> 00:23:14.900 you get the progression. 00:23:14.900 --> 00:23:16.880 He's not just being looked down on 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:17.759 and thought to be nothing. 00:23:18.420 --> 00:23:20.300 He is actively despised, 00:23:20.420 --> 00:23:22.000 and rejected. 00:23:22.700 --> 00:23:23.560 He is held, 00:23:23.680 --> 00:23:25.680 says the writer Isaiah, 00:23:26.060 --> 00:23:27.700 in low esteem. 00:23:28.840 --> 00:23:29.900 So at this point, 00:23:29.980 --> 00:23:31.320 you have the religious establishment 00:23:31.320 --> 00:23:32.360 attacking Jesus. 00:23:33.180 --> 00:23:34.019 And you can see, 00:23:34.120 --> 00:23:35.519 as you go through the Gospels, 00:23:35.740 --> 00:23:37.000 how time and again, 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:38.800 the religious leaders would come 00:23:38.800 --> 00:23:39.660 and they would say, 00:23:40.060 --> 00:23:41.340 how can you do this? 00:23:41.340 --> 00:23:42.920 Or how can you say that 00:23:42.920 --> 00:23:44.920 if you are who you say you are? 00:23:44.920 --> 00:23:46.800 How can you heal on the Sabbath day 00:23:46.799 --> 00:23:48.319 when that is against 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:49.379 our interpretation 00:23:49.379 --> 00:23:50.980 of God's law? 00:23:51.919 --> 00:23:52.579 They came to him 00:23:52.579 --> 00:23:53.579 with trick questions 00:23:53.579 --> 00:23:56.059 and tried to catch him out 00:23:56.059 --> 00:23:57.279 and to demonstrate 00:23:57.279 --> 00:23:58.759 that he wasn't who he said he was. 00:23:58.839 --> 00:24:00.359 And they failed miserably. 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:02.299 But they attacked him 00:24:02.299 --> 00:24:04.019 and they tried 00:24:04.019 --> 00:24:06.019 to turn the people 00:24:06.019 --> 00:24:07.440 against him. 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:09.799 And then, 00:24:09.940 --> 00:24:10.960 that didn't work. 00:24:11.600 --> 00:24:12.559 Didn't achieve it. 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:13.960 So then, 00:24:14.059 --> 00:24:14.660 they took him 00:24:14.660 --> 00:24:16.480 and they tried him 00:24:16.480 --> 00:24:18.180 and they nailed him 00:24:18.180 --> 00:24:19.220 to a cross. 00:24:19.299 --> 00:24:20.900 And that's in verses 4 to 6 00:24:20.900 --> 00:24:23.160 in Isaiah 53. 00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:25.039 Religious leaders thought 00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:25.740 in some way 00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:27.019 they were doing God's will 00:24:27.019 --> 00:24:28.700 and this was God's punishment 00:24:28.700 --> 00:24:30.360 for the Lord Jesus. 00:24:30.359 --> 00:24:33.279 And they were willing 00:24:33.279 --> 00:24:34.959 to hand him over 00:24:34.959 --> 00:24:35.779 to the Romans 00:24:35.779 --> 00:24:37.759 to allow him to be tried, 00:24:37.899 --> 00:24:38.919 to allow him to suffer 00:24:38.919 --> 00:24:40.719 the most horrible of deaths 00:24:40.719 --> 00:24:41.919 as he was crucified 00:24:41.919 --> 00:24:43.459 on the cross. 00:24:44.019 --> 00:24:44.859 And they thought then, 00:24:45.099 --> 00:24:46.119 this is the person 00:24:46.119 --> 00:24:47.719 who we despise, 00:24:48.039 --> 00:24:50.119 we've got rid of him now. 00:24:50.879 --> 00:24:51.979 But the glorious truth 00:24:51.979 --> 00:24:53.399 that Isaiah brings to us 00:24:53.399 --> 00:24:56.519 is that it wasn't them 00:24:56.519 --> 00:24:58.479 who were nailing Jesus to a tree, 00:24:58.559 --> 00:24:59.419 although physically it was. 00:24:59.420 --> 00:25:00.240 It was the Romans 00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:01.300 leading him to a tree. 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:02.380 Rather, 00:25:02.519 --> 00:25:03.180 he was there 00:25:03.180 --> 00:25:03.920 so he could take 00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:04.620 the punishment 00:25:04.620 --> 00:25:06.400 of God 00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:08.259 against sin. 00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:09.259 And yes, 00:25:09.300 --> 00:25:10.500 he led a despised life. 00:25:10.700 --> 00:25:11.039 Ultimately, 00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:12.580 he was completely rejected 00:25:12.580 --> 00:25:13.960 by those who should have 00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:14.600 known better 00:25:14.600 --> 00:25:15.720 handed over 00:25:15.720 --> 00:25:16.860 to the Romans. 00:25:17.820 --> 00:25:18.220 And yet, 00:25:18.300 --> 00:25:19.480 that life was lived, 00:25:19.560 --> 00:25:20.700 a life of perfection, 00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:22.700 a life of pleasing God 00:25:22.700 --> 00:25:24.120 so that he could die 00:25:24.120 --> 00:25:24.860 on the cross 00:25:24.860 --> 00:25:26.420 and there he could take 00:25:26.420 --> 00:25:27.120 the punishment 00:25:27.120 --> 00:25:29.400 that should be ours. 00:25:29.420 --> 00:25:31.300 And that is the ultimate 00:25:31.300 --> 00:25:33.039 message of Christmas, 00:25:33.039 --> 00:25:34.200 is the ultimate message 00:25:34.200 --> 00:25:36.420 of Christian faith. 00:25:36.980 --> 00:25:38.640 That Jesus came into the world, 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:40.519 he lived a life 00:25:40.519 --> 00:25:42.740 where he was looked down on 00:25:42.740 --> 00:25:43.360 by many, 00:25:43.779 --> 00:25:45.360 he was ultimately rejected 00:25:45.360 --> 00:25:46.259 and handed over 00:25:46.259 --> 00:25:47.420 to be killed. 00:25:47.940 --> 00:25:49.660 But he was doing God's will 00:25:49.660 --> 00:25:51.240 and he was taking 00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:53.460 the sins of the world 00:25:53.460 --> 00:25:54.840 on himself. 00:25:54.839 --> 00:25:57.039 As we look at Christmas 00:25:57.039 --> 00:25:59.119 and as we come in a few months 00:25:59.119 --> 00:25:59.919 to look at Easter, 00:26:00.740 --> 00:26:04.019 the two are very intrinsically linked. 00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:06.319 Christmas is the first step 00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:07.079 on the road 00:26:07.079 --> 00:26:08.539 that would ultimately lead 00:26:08.539 --> 00:26:09.319 the Lord Jesus 00:26:09.319 --> 00:26:10.779 to the cross. 00:26:11.339 --> 00:26:13.159 And we need to recognise 00:26:13.159 --> 00:26:14.599 that this baby 00:26:14.599 --> 00:26:15.579 who came to Bethlehem 00:26:15.579 --> 00:26:16.740 is lovely to rejoice 00:26:16.740 --> 00:26:17.379 in Christmas, 00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:18.740 to share presents, 00:26:18.839 --> 00:26:19.980 to have time with family 00:26:19.980 --> 00:26:21.160 and to think about 00:26:21.160 --> 00:26:21.779 the birth 00:26:21.779 --> 00:26:23.220 of the Lord Jesus. 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:24.860 But ultimately 00:26:24.860 --> 00:26:26.059 it was so he could die 00:26:26.059 --> 00:26:27.259 on the cross 00:26:27.259 --> 00:26:28.900 and take the penalty 00:26:28.900 --> 00:26:31.059 for our sins. 00:26:31.799 --> 00:26:32.960 And so our message this morning, 00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:34.360 quite simply, 00:26:35.360 --> 00:26:37.460 do you recognise 00:26:37.460 --> 00:26:39.720 recognise who Jesus is? 00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:42.920 Do you recognise him 00:26:42.920 --> 00:26:43.920 as the son of God 00:26:43.920 --> 00:26:45.039 who came into the world 00:26:45.039 --> 00:26:46.420 and who died 00:26:46.420 --> 00:26:47.860 for your sins? 00:26:48.660 --> 00:26:49.920 Or do you see him 00:26:49.920 --> 00:26:50.319 as someone 00:26:50.319 --> 00:26:51.039 who's not worth 00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:51.900 bothering about? 00:26:52.480 --> 00:26:53.160 Someone even 00:26:53.160 --> 00:26:55.319 that you would look down on? 00:26:56.200 --> 00:26:57.539 And I hope we'll be able 00:26:57.539 --> 00:26:59.799 to see the error of that, 00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:01.779 that we all should recognise 00:27:01.779 --> 00:27:03.180 Jesus as God's son 00:27:03.180 --> 00:27:04.960 and put our trust 00:27:04.960 --> 00:27:06.000 in him. 00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:08.000 There's a great hymn, 00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:09.559 we sang it at the earlier 00:27:09.559 --> 00:27:10.519 service this morning, 00:27:10.599 --> 00:27:11.500 which I think summarises 00:27:11.500 --> 00:27:12.740 a lot of what we've been saying. 00:27:12.819 --> 00:27:13.779 Man of sorrows, 00:27:14.240 --> 00:27:14.960 what a name, 00:27:15.700 --> 00:27:16.859 for the son of God 00:27:16.859 --> 00:27:17.500 who came, 00:27:18.420 --> 00:27:19.240 ruined sinners 00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:20.000 to reclaim. 00:27:20.140 --> 00:27:20.539 Hallelujah, 00:27:21.460 --> 00:27:22.759 what a saviour, 00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:24.220 bearing shame 00:27:24.220 --> 00:27:25.319 and scoffing rude, 00:27:26.039 --> 00:27:27.200 in my place 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:28.500 condemned he stood, 00:27:29.319 --> 00:27:30.359 sealed my pardon 00:27:30.359 --> 00:27:31.380 with his blood. 00:27:32.359 --> 00:27:32.819 Hallelujah, 00:27:33.680 --> 00:27:35.500 what a saviour. 00:27:35.500 --> 00:27:36.140 May that be 00:27:36.140 --> 00:27:37.140 our experience 00:27:37.140 --> 00:27:37.740 this morning, 00:27:37.839 --> 00:27:38.619 that we see him 00:27:38.619 --> 00:27:39.440 as the one 00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:40.599 who came to save us 00:27:40.599 --> 00:27:41.740 from our sins 00:27:41.740 --> 00:27:43.359 and we put our trust 00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:44.240 in him. 00:27:44.559 --> 00:27:45.380 Let's pray together. 00:27:47.079 --> 00:27:47.420 Father, 00:27:47.440 --> 00:27:47.779 we thank you 00:27:47.779 --> 00:27:48.500 for your word to us 00:27:48.500 --> 00:27:49.079 this morning. 00:27:49.559 --> 00:27:50.259 We thank you 00:27:50.259 --> 00:27:51.680 for this final 00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:53.400 bit of the Christmas story 00:27:53.400 --> 00:27:54.500 and for the way 00:27:54.500 --> 00:27:55.299 it points forward 00:27:55.299 --> 00:27:56.140 to the life 00:27:56.140 --> 00:27:57.460 of the Lord Jesus. 00:27:58.420 --> 00:27:59.279 That as he was 00:27:59.279 --> 00:28:00.779 rejected in many ways 00:28:00.779 --> 00:28:01.460 at his birth, 00:28:01.579 --> 00:28:02.160 as he had to, 00:28:02.160 --> 00:28:02.660 our parents 00:28:02.660 --> 00:28:03.460 had to flee 00:28:03.460 --> 00:28:05.660 to save his life. 00:28:06.460 --> 00:28:07.680 So he came back 00:28:07.680 --> 00:28:08.740 and he lived 00:28:08.740 --> 00:28:09.320 in a town 00:28:09.320 --> 00:28:10.420 which was held 00:28:10.420 --> 00:28:11.420 in no regard 00:28:11.420 --> 00:28:12.880 and he lived 00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:13.400 a life 00:28:13.400 --> 00:28:14.420 where he was 00:28:14.420 --> 00:28:14.980 rejected 00:28:14.980 --> 00:28:16.600 and despised 00:28:16.600 --> 00:28:17.600 by many. 00:28:18.300 --> 00:28:18.900 But we thank you 00:28:18.900 --> 00:28:19.500 that he came 00:28:19.500 --> 00:28:20.900 to bear our sins. 00:28:21.400 --> 00:28:21.840 We thank you 00:28:21.840 --> 00:28:22.360 he died 00:28:22.360 --> 00:28:23.279 and rose again 00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:24.519 and today 00:28:24.519 --> 00:28:25.200 he is in his 00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:26.140 rightful place 00:28:26.140 --> 00:28:27.740 at your right hand. 00:28:27.840 --> 00:28:28.320 Help us 00:28:28.320 --> 00:28:29.420 this Christmas 00:28:29.420 --> 00:28:29.860 we come 00:28:29.860 --> 00:28:30.320 to the end 00:28:30.320 --> 00:28:30.860 of the Christmas 00:28:30.860 --> 00:28:31.380 period 00:28:31.380 --> 00:28:32.500 to be able 00:28:32.500 --> 00:28:33.279 to look beyond 00:28:33.279 --> 00:28:34.100 the trappings 00:28:34.100 --> 00:28:36.480 and the rather 00:28:36.480 --> 00:28:37.440 sentimental view 00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:38.440 sometimes we have 00:28:38.440 --> 00:28:39.640 of the Christmas 00:28:39.640 --> 00:28:40.160 story 00:28:40.160 --> 00:28:41.220 and help us 00:28:41.220 --> 00:28:42.019 to understand 00:28:42.019 --> 00:28:43.340 it was the beginning 00:28:43.340 --> 00:28:44.720 of a glorious life 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:46.440 and it was 00:28:46.440 --> 00:28:47.160 the beginning 00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:47.820 of a life 00:28:47.820 --> 00:28:48.380 that would 00:28:48.380 --> 00:28:49.820 ultimately lead 00:28:49.820 --> 00:28:50.539 to the cross 00:28:50.539 --> 00:28:51.740 and the Lord Jesus 00:28:51.740 --> 00:28:53.140 taking our sins 00:28:53.140 --> 00:28:54.140 on himself. 00:28:54.279 --> 00:28:54.660 We thank you 00:28:54.660 --> 00:28:55.279 for your presence 00:28:55.279 --> 00:28:55.860 with us. 00:28:56.400 --> 00:28:57.080 We commit ourselves 00:28:57.080 --> 00:28:57.759 to you now 00:28:57.759 --> 00:28:58.599 in the name 00:28:58.599 --> 00:28:59.420 of the Lord Jesus. 00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:00.759 Amen.