The Incarnation of Jesus - 3

Good morning. Can you hear me? All right. I have noticed that nobody has their cell phone open right now taking film with me while I'm talking like you did the kids. Little disappointing. Uh, good morning. My name is Travis. I'm one of the pastors here. And as you know, it is officially the week of Christmas. Yeah, that's somebody should be happy about that. That's good news. Um, and the celebration of Christmas is supposed to be incredibly peaceful. I mean, we actually lit a candle talking about peace. It's supposed to be peacefilled and joyous. And yet sometimes our celebrations, our gathering with our families is anything but peaceful. It's anything but joyous. oftenimes there's actually some frustration, some pain. Um, it's more stressful than peaceful sometimes, especially if you have family gatherings where not everybody in the room is a Christian. I don't know if you have been raised in a home where maybe you're in the minority about your faith in Jesus Christ. More often than not, those Christmas celebrations are not peaceful. They're stressful because of the central figure of Christmas, the person of Christ, and how people within our own families have responded, have chosen to respond to the person in the work of Jesus Christ. And it can lead to all sorts of awkward discussions and exchanges at family gatherings, can it not? Have you had some of those challenging exchanges at Christmas with your family? What do you think about Jesus? Why are we gathering here today? Do do we even know what we're doing when we're gathering here? It can lead to awkward conversations, especially if people within your own family have not chosen to respond to Christ in a positive way. But people are moral agents and they make decisions concerning this one that was born in Bethlehem. And in our text this morning, we're going to see three different responses to the message of Christ's birth. We're going to see one group that is inquisitive about the child that's born in Bethlehem. And because they're inquisitive, they pursue him. And because they pursue him, they find him. And once they find him, they worship him. So that's one group. While another group remains indifferent, indifferent about him. They're not inquisitive. They just remain indifferent. And because they're indifferent, they don't ever pursue him. And because they don't ever pursue him, they never find him. And they never end up worshiping him. And then a third person who's incredibly hostile towards him. Incredibly hostile towards him. So concerning this child, some are actively seeking him. Some are actively opposed to him while others are apathetic towards him. So with that in mind, turn with me to the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospel of Matthew. It's the very first book in the New Testament, and we're going to be in Matthew chapter 2 this morning. Now, um we've been working our way through the narratives surrounding Jesus's birth and his infancy. And um we'll conclude that this morning by looking at Matthew chapter 2. Now, here's the deal. If you've been raised in the church, when you come to the birth narratives of Christ, the temptation for you is to turn off your brain and think to yourself, "Well, I know everything there is to know about this passage. I've heard it since I was young." The temptation for you right now is to start making your lunch plans.

You laugh. to start making your lunch plans or to start writing your to-do lists of all the things you need to get done before your Christmas celebration. Don't do that. Don't don't put your brain on autopilot. Stop making your lunch plans. Um I don't want you to put your brain on autopilot because a lot of things that you think about this passage aren't in the passage. A lot of things have been added on to this passage like barnacles on a boat. They get attached to this passage. A lot of tradition has been added onto this passage. We have Christmas carols like we three kings. We three kings of Orient R bearing gifts which are verse of Rar. But you'll soon see they're not kings. They're magi or wise men. And we'll talk about that in a moment. And there's nothing that says there's three of them. Um, often times we assume there's three because there's three gifts that are given to Jesus. There's gold, frankincense, and myrr. But you know, last Christmas my wife gave me three gifts, and there's only one of her. Praise the Lord. There's only one of her. Uh, in the Eastern tradition, Eastern um Eastern tradition, it sets the number of magi at 12. Not only that, you probably think the wise men come to the manger with the shepherds. Almost every narrative or um uh nativity scene you see will have the wise men at the manger, but that's not actually where they go. Uh they enter a house. They don't go to the manger. They enter a house, which indicates some time has elapsed. This scene takes place anywhere from 6 months to 20 months after Jesus's birth. You see, a lot of tradition and a lot of things that we think we know about the passage has just been added on to it. Added on to Jesus's conception, birth, and infancy. So, rather than turning your brain off, um, come at this text with fresh eyes. Come at it as if you've never read it before because those who were living it, um, this was completely new to them. And it wasn't peaceful. It wasn't easy and stressless. It was a hard and stressful situation. So, Matthew chapter 2 is where we're going to be. And here's what we're going to do. We're going to read verses 1 through13 um kind of slowly. I want to point out some things as we do. And then we'll we're going to come back and we're going to look at three different responses to the person of Jesus. Okay. So, Matthew chapter 2 beginning in verse one. And what Matthew does is he sets it in its historical situation. Now, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?

For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled and all of Jerusalem with him. So notice that the birth of Jesus is passed over by Matthew kind of matterof factly. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod. And Bethlehem, of course, had a long history with the people of Israel. It was here that King David was born. And we know from looking into Matthew's account, one of Matthew's main themes is to show Jesus as the fulfillment to the Davidic covenant. And it was in Bethlehem where Micah prophesies that the Messiah would be born. So, Matthew mentions that the true king is born. The true king is here, Christ, the anointed one, and kings are anointed. He says, so the true king is here, but there's another king, he mentions, who's ruling at the time, and that is Herod. Herod the Great. Now, let me give you a little bit about Herod the Great. First of all, Herod the Great, he was one of the worst tyrant kings Israel ever had. Um, was just a a tyrant king. He was Jewish but a Roman puppet. And he ruled in Judea from 37 to 4 BC. And he was incredibly ambitious. Incredibly ambitious. He built these incredible buildings, lavish buildings, palaces, and temples. And he put his name on all of them in all caps. All caps everywhere. incredibly ambitious. Um, he was also completely paranoid. He was completely paranoid about losing power. Puts his names in all caps on all the buildings, but also completely paranoid about losing power. Probably because he had little hands. Um,

initially he ruled firmly, but later he became increasingly paranoid about losing his power. He murdered his wife because he thought she was going to she was conspiring against them and then for good measure murdered her mother and her brother also. A few years later he had all three of his uh all three of his sons killed for the same reason which led the emperor Augustus to say it would be better to be Herod Sao than his sons. But then the craziest thing he did, probably the craziest thing he's did when he was on his deathbed, he ordered that dozens of other noblemen be executed at the same time of his death because he wanted the land to mourn. And he knew that they wouldn't if he just died. So he ordered the execution of dozens of other noblemen so that the land would officially mourn. But thankfully that order wasn't carried out. So that's Herod. Incredibly crazy kind of guy. Now, let me give you the the background on the magi that we see or the magi. They were part of Israel's or uh they were part of the priestly ruling class of astrologers or magicians from Persia or Babylon. Um kind of this priestly class of people. And then in the ancient world uh they were wise at interpreting the sk uh interpreting the stars. They looked out out at the creation and they would interpret the stars. Um, this is in again in some of your translations. If you're in the ESV, it'll say wise men. If you're in the NIV, it'll say magi. It's probably better to go with magi because it it speaks more um authoritatively towards their their sense of being able to be magicians and astrologers. And again, they were part of this ruling class. They were interpreting the stars. Um, they practiced astrology. And here's what's interesting about that. Because in the Old Testament, the practice of magic, the practice of astrology, it's condemned all over the place. Uh magicians and astrologers are roundly criticized. And therefore, they were despised by Israel. The people of Israel would look at magi and they would thumb their nose at them. They would look down upon them. Frederick Dale Bruner in his commentary, he says this. He says, 'Oficial Israel deeply despised the magicians and the astrologers of the Gentiles and felt that God had rescued the people from the tyranny of the stars and from those who claim to know its secrets. Biblically faithful Israel felt about the magi roughly the way theological orthodoxy in the in the past felt about gnosticism and feels in the present about new age spirituality. He's saying these guys were look, they were despised by the people of Israel. But here, think about this. Here in Matthew's gospel, he includes it in the account. And not only that, he speaks positively about him. Well, why would that be? Here's the reason why. He's telling us the true story. No Christian writer, now think about it, no Christian writer would have made this story up of gentile astrologers and magicians seeking out Christ. And yet Matthew does. He tells us this story because this is the way it actually happened. They never would have, no Christian writer would have included magi in the account, but Matthew does because he's telling us a true story. And again, what he tells us is that these people were highly educated, wellrespected in their culture, not in Israel, but in their their culture. They were incredibly respected for their pursuit of wisdom. They had the latest wisdom of their age. And they were advisers in the royal court in Babylon. And so they see this star rise and they know what it means because they're familiar with the Old Testament. The reason they're familiar with the Old Testament is because of the exile. When the exile happened, there were a whole bunch of Jews living in Babylon and Persia uh after the exile. And Balam's prophecy in Numbers chapter 24, which says a star will come out of Jacob and a scepter shall rise out of Israel. And so these guys, they see the star rise. They know the prophecy. They see the star rise and they think to themselves, "Oh, the king is here." And they start making their way. Did I just lose a candle? Oh no. Okay, something just burned off. Um, if you see a flame, let me know.

These things scare me. Um, they see this star rise and they start making their way to Jerusalem. And if they were coming from Babylon, which is what where most commentators think that they're coming from, that's a 900 mile trip. Now, if you average 20 miles per day, that's a month and a half of traveling. So, they're incredibly inquisitive. These gentile magicians, they make their way to Jerusalem and they ask, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose, and we've come to worship him." Now, at that moment, you better believe that Herod's eyebrows rose. They're inquiring, "Where's the king of the Jews? Where's this king of the Jews?" And Herod's like, "What are you guys talking about?" All of a sudden, remember, this guy's paranoid. All of a sudden, he knows. They said, "We're here to worship him." And Herod's completely, completely paranoid. and he hears that they've traveled such a distance to inquire about the one who's born king of the Jews. And he was greatly troubled. And and when he Herod is greatly troubled, all of Jerusalem, we're told, is troubled as well because when Herod's authority is threatened, heads will roll literally. So Herod immediately sees Jesus as a threat to his kingship. And he moves quickly. Look at verse four. and assembling all the chief priests and the scribes

and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So, we're now told uh about the the next group of people, and that's the chief priests and the scribes. Well, what do we know about the chief priests and the scribes? Well, first of all, this is Israel's religious ruling class. Israel's religious ruling class um who are experts in the Hebrew scriptures. They know the Hebrew scriptures inside and out, probably memorized, which puts us to shame, but they know it incredibly well. And they were the ultimate insiders, the chief priests and the scribes, they they were the ultimate insiders as far as religious guys go. And Herod comes and he says he hears this news and he says he comes to the chief priest and he says where's the Christ to be born? And look at verse five. They told him in Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet, he quotes Micah chapter uh 5:2. And you, oh Bethlehem, in the land of Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah. For from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. Again, he quotes Micah chapter 5 verse two. The the chief priests do. And notice what happens. And then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and assertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child. And when you have found him, bring me word that I too may come and worship him." What a liar. I want to come and worship this guy. Who knows what the what the magi the magi are thinking at this point. After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold,

now notice, they already know where they're supposed to be going. They know they're supposed to be uh going to Bethlehem. And now the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was, which means God's actually controlling the star. His providence is actually seen all the way throughout this account. And now the star leads him directly over where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, not a manger, going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, and frankincense and myrr. And being warn warn warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. So they find out where Jesus is and they offer him their very best. They offer him their treasures. And then they're told not to go back to Jerusalem because of Herod. And so they make their way home a different route. And the scene ends right there. Okay, here's what I want to I want to go back now and I want to look at the responses to Jesus because there's three different responses to Jesus in this account that typify the responses to Jesus that we see within our own culture. Well, what are they? Let me give them to you up front and then we'll work our way through them. The three responses to Jesus that we see in this account are those who are actively seeking him. Those are the magi. those who are apathetic towards him and those who are actively opposed to him. And here's the deal. My hope is as we look at these, if you're not a Christian yet, my hope is as we look at these, you'll be able to identify where you're at in the spectrum and what your next step needs to be in order to move closer to Jesus. So the first response we see there are those that are actively seeking. They're actively pursuing. They're inquiring. And again, notice it's the magi. And the magi, we already said they're incredibly intelligent people. Incredibly intelligent. They valued wisdom. And they would pursue it. They were well-versed with the best wisdom of the age. So much so that they could interpret the stars. But notice the very best wisdom of the age. It did not lead them to Christ. They were able to look at the creation, interpret the creation very well. In fact, the the creation itself didn't lead them to Christ. Their wisdom and their understanding, it only led them to Jerusalem.

But it was insufficient for leading them all the way to Christ. Because when they arrive in Jerusalem, they arrive in Jerusalem while Jesus is in Bethlehem. And listen, maybe you're here this morning. I hope so. Maybe you're here this morning and you're inquiring about Jesus. You would consider yourself a seeker. If that's you, if you're inquisitive about Jesus, if you have an open mind regarding the person and the work of Jesus Christ, um, first of all, we're super glad that you're here. We're thrilled you're here. We're We're thrilled that you're seeking Jesus. But I want you to know I want you to see that the world's wisdom will only take you so far. It'll only take you so far. It might bring you near Christ, but it won't take you all the way home. Well, what will lead you to Jesus? Well, what led the Magi to Jesus? If it wasn't their own wisdom, if it wasn't their interpretation of the creation, well, then what was it? It was the scriptures. The scriptures and the scriptures alone will lead a person to Jesus. It's the wisdom of the word of God. Herod upon hearing that the king of the Jews had been born. He calls the chief priests and the scribes. He says, "Where's the Christ to be born?" And what did they do? They turned to the ancient scriptures. And this passage from Micah that was written about 750 years before the birth of Christ which said that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and they pursued it and eventually they found Christ and upon finding Christ they bowed down and they worshiped him. They responded to the word of God which led them to the Christ. Now notice what Matthew does here. It's so Oh, if I we had time I only have 21 more minutes. If we had time, I want you to note that at the very outset of Matthew's gospel, it's the nations coming to Jesus. Babylon, Persia, Gentiles. He's saying the gospels, just like he did in the genealogy where it was the four women that were named, all outsiders. Right here in in one of the o opening scenes, it's these outsiders coming to Jesus. It's the nations coming to Jesus. And how does Matthew close his gospel? the great commission. He says, "You take my message to the nations." It's it's all right here. The picture of the gospel is for everybody. It's not just for the Jews. It's for the Gentiles. It's not just for the rich. It's for the poor. It's not just for the insiders. It's really for the outsiders. And right here, it's right here at the outset. These these guys come and they find Jesus. They're inquisitive about him. They pursue the message of his birth. and upon seeing him and upon um um coming near him, they be they bow down and they worship him. So if you're somebody who's inquiring of Christ, someone who's a seeker, here's what I would say. Don't look to the world's wisdom, nor rely upon the creation itself to lead you to Christ because it's insufficient. It's insufficient to lead you to Christ. Let the wisdom of the word of God lead you to Christ. You have to let the wisdom of the word of God. If you're somebody who's a seeker, the world and its wisdom will not lead you to Christ. And in and of yourself, in your own wisdom won't lead you to Christ. And looking out at the creation, as great as the creation is, that won't lead you to Christ. You have to let the wisdom of the word of God lead you. You have to let the wisdom of the word of God guide you. Again, Frederick Dale Bruner, he states this. He says God's revelation in creation, it raises the questions and it begins the quest. God's revelation in scripture gives a preliminary answer and directs the quest towards the goal. Finally, God's revelation in Christ satisfies the quest. Creation's revelation can bring human beings only halfway. Scriptural revelation has the power to bring us home to Christ. He's absolutely right about that. So if you're somebody who's inquiring of Christ, someone who's a seeker, let the wisdom of the L, let the wisdom of the word of God guide you. Let it guide you straight to Christ. Because that's actually what the Bible's primary purpose isn't just to give you information. The Bible's primary purpose is to lead you to Christ. This is exactly what John says in the back of John's gospel. He says, "These things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name." That's actually that's the purpose of the scriptures. So, if you're someone again, if you're inquiring about Christ who's seeking, let the wisdom of the word of God guide you. Not your own wisdom, not the world's wisdom because both of those things are insufficient, insufficient. It's limited. not the creation because while the creation points to God, it doesn't fully reveal Christ. The word of God does. So let the wisdom of the word of God guide you. Now the second response we see is those who are apathetic towards him. Well, who are those? It's the religious dudes. They're completely apathetic towards Jesus. It's the chief priests and the scribes. And think about it. Are you guys still with me? You tracking? All right. Sometimes I never know. Sometimes I look out and you like give me the look that my daughters give me when I've been talking too long. Like, okay, when's this guy going to stop? Um, they're completely apathetic. And think about it. If anyone should have been out the door and rushing to Bethlehem at the mention of the Messiah, it should have been these dudes. If anybody should have said Micah chapter 5, they're quoting. I mean there's telling in them the wise men come or Herod comes and says where is he going to be born and they say well they they give the quote out of Micah chapter 5 and immediately their hearts should have jumped and they should have been rushing out the door but they remain indifferent they didn't pursue they weren't inquisitive which means the people who knew the most cared the least

that's troubling absolutely troubling remember in the opening of John's gospel referring to Christ. It says he came to that which was his own but his own did not receive him. Here it is. And that reminds us um that reminds us that head knowledge apart from heart change is deadly. Head knowledge apart from heart change is absolutely deadly. And maybe you're here today and you've been coming to church for a long time. And maybe you've lost the wonder of the incarnation. Maybe you've gotten so busy with your life, so busy with the Christmas stuff

that you've just become indifferent to the person and the work of Jesus Christ. Or you try to relegate him to a good moral teacher. What you need to do if that's you, you need to let the uniqueness of Jesus challenge you. You have to let the uniqueness of Jesus challenge you. Well, how is he unique? Well, Matthew's already shown us in just the first two chapters, he emphasizes five prophecies that have been fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. In chapter 1, verse 22, it's his miraculous conception. In chapter 2, verse two, it's that he's fulfilling the Davidic covenant. In chapter 2:5, it's where he would be born. In chapter 2:15, we didn't look at it, but it's his mission to lead a greater Exodus. In chapter 2 verse 17, it's the division that he would bring. He's absolutely unique. So if you're a person um if you're a person who is indifferent right now in your heart and only you know that people can be coming to church for years and remain indifferent to the person of Jesus Christ and if that's you if you're indifferent let the uniqueness of Christ challenge you listen to John Stodd I didn't give you this quote listen to he says it's not the uniqueness of Christianity as a system that we defend. Let me read it again. It is not the uniqueness of Christianity as a system that we defend, but the uniqueness of Christ. Because in no other person but Jesus of Nazareth did God first become a human, did did God first become a human in his birth, then bear our sins in his death, then conquer death in his resurrection, and then enter his people by his spirit. He is uniquely able to save sinners. Nobody else has these qualifications. Nobody else. So if you're indifferent right now, you got to let the uniqueness of Christ challenge you. You have to absolutely let it challenge you. So if you're inquisitive and you're seeking Christ, let the wisdom of the word of God guide you. If you're indifferent to the claims of Christianity and claims of Jesus, let the uni uniqueness of Christ challenge you. because if he's really God, God in the flesh, you can't just stay indifferent about him. You're going to have to make a decision regarding him. And then the third response, the third response we see here, um, is those who actively opposed him. And that's the picture of Herod. Herod is actively opposing him. Well, why? Well, Herod is hostile towards Christ because he challenges Herod's authority. He challenges his authority and we hate that. And more often than not, the people who are most hostile to the message of Christ are those who are like Herod. And when they hear the claim that there's a king

and he rules over you, they think to themselves,"I will run my own life. I'm the king in my own life. Thank you very much. And I will not let go of my sovereignty." And they recognize that if Jesus is who he claims to be, if he's the true king, then they have to give up their sovereignty. They have to they have to release themselves uh to Christ Jesus. And that's a big ask, is it not? To release your sovereignty, to release your soul into the hands of another person. That's a huge that's a huge commitment. And maybe you're here this morning and you've been hostile to the claims of Christ. Maybe you're visiting this morning. Maybe your spouse or your significant other dragged you to church. That happens a lot at Christmas and you can always tell because the dude comes shuffling in head down, sits in his chair the entire time with his arms folded and he's just kind of shaking his head at you. You can just kind of get a a vibe of it. If that's you, I get that. I really do. That's the how I sat the very first time I came to church. If you're opposed to the person of Christ, if you're hostile to the claims of Christ, if you're fearful of his authority over over you, then here's what you need. You actually need to let the sacrifice of the king melt you. You need to let the sacrifice of this king melt you. And you say, "What sacrifice? What are you what are you talking about? He's not sacrificed." Well, not yet. But that's where all of this is going. The father knows he will give his one and only son to save all types of people. So if you're actively opposed to Jesus, you must let the sacrifice of this king melt you. Because the only way to move from hostility towards Christ to genuine thankfulness for Jesus is to let the sacrifice of this true king melt you. Um did I give you the verse? First John, did I give you that verse? I did. Okay, I did. Good. Here's what it says. This is Look, listen to what John says. It's if if you're new to the Bible, the book of First John, it's right before the book of the Revelation, the very last book of the Bible. And the context of it is John's telling us um that we're to love one another as God has loved us. And he loved us even while we were his enemies. We were hostile towards him. And John says this. He says, "This is how God showed his love among us. He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him. This is love. Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. You see what this does? This is the true king. Jesus is the true king. And he leaves his throne above and he comes from heaven to earth so that he the only righteous one can atone for your sins and mine and then offer his grace as a gift. And you got to let that reality, the sacrifice of the true king melt you. You've got to let him melt you. The sacrifice of the true king is what let a Puritan uh a Puritan author to write the words that love lusters at Calvary. And it captures nothing else captures the love of God. He writes this. He says, "Christ was all anguish." Listen to what he says. Consider this in your own life. Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy. Cast off that I might be brought in. Trotten down as an enemy that I might be welcomed as a friend. Surrendered to hell's worst that I might attain heaven's best. Stripped that I might be clothed. Wounded that I might be healed. A thirst that I might drink. tormented that I might be comforted. Made a shame that I might inherit glory. Entered darkness that I might have eternal life. My Savior wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes. Groan that I might have endless song. Endured all pain that I might have unfading health. Bore a thorned crown that I might have a glory diadem. Bowed his head that I might uplift mine. experienced reproach that I might receive welcomed. Closed his eyes in death that I might gaze on unclouded brightness, expired that I might live forever. This is what Christ has done for you. This true king lays down his life for you. And if you're someone who's hostile to the to the person of Christ, again, you need to let the sacrifice of the true king melt you. Now consider the responses that we've just seen. Are you seeking him? Are you seeking Christ? If so, let the wisdom of the word of God guide you. Which means your next step would be to keep coming to church. It would be to plug into a church that teaches the Bible regularly and has life groups that meet regularly and discusses the scriptures. So, you got to let the wisdom of the word of God guide you. Are you indifferent about them? Then you have to let the uniqueness of Christ challenge you. You can't just remain indifferent. You have to actually wrestle with the person, his claims, his teaching, his sacrifice. You have to wrestle with it. You can't remain neutral regarding him. Are you hostile towards him? Well, then you need to let the sacrifice of the true king melt you because flip it around. Note the difference between Herod and Jesus. He's the Jesus is the only king who doesn't demand you give your life for him, but who willingly gives his life for yours. Let that reality melt your hostility and receive Christ. Receive Christ as king by acknowledging your sins. And he already knows him. It's why he came. You acknowledge your sins. You repent of your sins. And then you trust Jesus that through his birth, life, death, and resurrection, he will forgive you of any and all of your sins and give you new eternal life starting today. Amen. Why don't you stand? We'll pray and then we'll worship the Lord in song.

Heavenly Father, we are so grateful for the person of Jesus Christ. There are times even as Christians we take you for granted Lord in our hearts we have sometimes shifted our heart allegiance to other things of this world and it moves us to a place of indifference and so father first of all if that's us as your people just as it was with these chief priests and scribes if that's us as your people we repent of those attitudes and we want to be people who are always pursuing you always seeking to come into your presence, always seeking to worship you with an sincere and grateful heart. Father, if there are people within this room or within the sound of my voice who are hostile towards you, and more often than not, Father, it it is a a matter of of laying down their own sovereignty. We pray for them this morning. Lord, as people who have wrestled and have released ourselves to your grace, we pray that they would go through that process themselves. Father, that they would wrestle with the person of Jesus Christ, your claims, your life, your miracles, your resurrection, the ultimate proof of who you are. and they would release yourself into your loving arms, the true king.

And father, we pray for our families, especially this season of the year, that as we gather uh either on Christmas Eve or on Christmas morning, that your grace, your truth, your love would be evident in our lives and it would be demonstrated both to our family, our friends, and our neighbors. We trust you for these things in Jesus name. Amen.