Became Flesh | Manger & Majesty | Pastor Rob Koke | Shoreline Church | Message

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Good morning, everyone. You guys doing good? Come on, turn to your neighbor right now and tell them, I'm doing so good there ought to be two of me. Come on, just tell them. It's great to be in church. A little chilly out there today, huh? But it's good. It reminds me that Texas actually has a couple of seasons. We've got the summer season and the other summer season, but it's good to be in church. We are really, really excited about our Christmas Eve service. We've been planning it for many, many months. There's a lot of production and creativity that goes into that service, and it's all about magnifying and glorifying Jesus, who is the real reason for the season. And so we really like to encourage everyone to extend invitations to friends and family. And I know you've already heard that announcement, but something happened to me over the last 10 days or so that just reminded me of how important it is that we take advantage of this particular season and invite those people into our world to an experience that might literally change their eternal destiny. But about 10 days ago or so, I was at a place where I tried to get a workout,

and I had a little bit of margin in my schedule, and there was one of the guys that were there. There was a really buff, strong guy, and a couple of earrings, tattoos kind of thing. And I was just joking it up with him a little bit and having a conversation. And then it turned to a very natural invitation for me to invite him to come to our Christmas Eve service, which I did. And I didn't have a card with me, but I just invited him, told him about Shoreline and services on our north campus at 3 o'clock and 5 o'clock, south campus 5 o'clock. And then I just felt like it was important to give him that invitation. So I went to the car where I had those invitations and went back to give him one, but I couldn't find him. And so I just left it at the desk for him and said, Hey, I had a conversation with Mike about this event that we're having at our church, and I just wanted to make sure that he got an invitation. If you see him, if you could just hand that to him, that would be great. And then a couple of days later, I went back, and there was Mike. And what was really interesting to me was the strong, buff guy, the whole thing. You wouldn't expect that it would have moved or touched him so much. But literally when he saw me, he came over and he gave me a hug. And I thought, Oh, my gosh, you never know what is on the other side, what's going on in someone's life on the other side of an invitation. And he was so grateful. I don't know at the end of the day if there was any drama going on, but he felt seen, he felt valued, he felt communicated with, and he assured me that he's going to be here on Christmas Eve. And I just wanted to encourage you. You never know what can happen with a very simple invitation. So please take advantage of this opportunity this season,

and let's spread the good news about Jesus. Amen? Amen. All right, let's all of us stand to our feet. We are going to recite our Shoreline Creed. We do that at the start of every single message. It's just an opportunity for us to remember that at the end of the day, Christianity is not just good information to live a better life. It's about Jesus doing for us what we could never do for ourselves. That's called grace. And we celebrate that in our creed. If you're new to Shoreline, you can just read along. The rest of us, we're going to say this with some enthusiasm and passion. You guys ready? Here we go. I am loved by God. I cannot earn it. I cannot lose it. I am forgiven and made brand new. In Christ I live with passion and purpose. I am empowered by the Spirit to be the church in the world and to live this love revolution. Come on, let's give God praise for that. Amen. You may be seated. Super excited for all of you guys that are watching online. We welcome you to our services. Super excited about the series of messages that we are inviting. It's our Christmas theme. It's out of the book of John,

the Gospel of John, which actually is one of my favorite books in the Bible. It's all good, but John has this combination of simplicity and depth that really makes the story of Jesus and his message come alive. And it's probably one of the reasons why most pastors will tell new believers that if you're going to start anywhere in the Bible, start with the Gospel of John. It has the most famous verse, John 3, 16, for God so loved the world, but it also starts out with this incredible verse describing what Christmas is all about. In fact, this particular verse is going to be the one verse we use for the entire Christmas season. It's found in John 1 and verse 14. Let's read it together. By the way, this verse is engraved and carved on a church in Nazareth where the angel

spoke to Mary, first announcing the coming of a And these words are etched in stone at that particular church, John 1 and verse 14. So, this particular verse rolls out the Christmas message. Last week, we talked about end the word. That was the focus. If you didn't get that message, you can get it online absolutely free. You can download it off the app. We encourage you to do that. Today, we're going to talk about We're going to focus in on the second part of that verse, became flesh. Next week, dwelt among you. And then on Christmas Eve, we're going to focus in on full of grace and truth. So, this particular verse just rolls out the Christmas message in a wonderful way. Today, focusing in on became flesh. Think about that thought for a The eternal, unlimited God

became flesh. The majesty of heaven came to a manger. Think about the humanity of it, the vulnerability of it, the unimaginable leap, the radical, mind-bending, incomprehensible eternal truth that the all powerful, uncontainable God became a baby. That's what Christmas is all about. Think about what he gave up. He exchanged the majesty for a He gave up his glory where he was worshipped to serve humanity and give his life away. There are often three attributes that describe God. He's omniscient. He's omnipotent. He is omnipresent. That means that he is all knowing. He is all powerful. He is everywhere. And even though Jesus never gave up entirely his attributes as God, all knowing, all powerful, and everywhere, when he became a

baby, he chose to limit those expressions. And so there was this one passage that, you know, when Jesus was asked, you know, when the end of the world is going to happen, he said, only my father knows those things. He was all knowing, but he chose to limit himself. You know, he was the God who is everywhere, but when he became a baby, he limited himself to one place at a time. He was a human being, and he walked on this earth. He wasn't everywhere. He was limited in time and space. The all powerful God became hungry and tired. And so you just see this incredible miracle unfolding. He gave up his immunity from suffering and temptation and even death itself. The word became flesh. And there's a word, a theological word to describe that particular phrase.

It's called the incarnation. And theologians have struggled, and I think it's just we have to accept that there are some things that our human mind, as that creation is, is just limited in our capacity to understand eternal truths. But the incarnation is the understanding that God, 100% God and 100% man, born into the world, that's an incomprehensible truth, but that's the miracle of Christmas, God becoming a man. If I was to try to illustrate that to you, and I was agonizing over this this past week, I was just saying, there's gotta be a way. And maybe all illustrations will fall apart at some point in time, but I thought, imagine an author who's writing a story, and he creates a beautiful environment with his words and some compelling characters, but then as the story unfolds, the characters go rogue. They have wandered into a dark chapter full of villains and dead ends and hopelessness, and the plot is spiraling towards a tragic ending. What are his options? Well, he could crumple up all the pieces of paper

and throw them in the trash and start over, but he did that once before with a flood. Or, or, or, he could do something so daring, so selfless, so unheard of, so courageous, so unthinkable, he could write himself into the story. Instead of just being a narrator of the story, he becomes a character in the story, not just a voice from the outside, but someone on the inside. He would now be in the plot to influence the plot, to change the plot, but this dramatic story would have some risks. He could be hurt by the villains. He could be exposed to the cold and the heat. He could bleed, but if he writes himself into the story, he can change the entire narrative. He can rescue them out of the darkness and give them the abundant life that he always envisioned for them to live. And my friends, all of heaven watched breathless when God put down the pen and walked onto the page, and that is exactly what Christmas is all about. That is the message that John was trying to communicate with his words. The word became flesh. The author of the story became a character in the story. And that's what we're going to focus in on here this morning, this beautiful truth that the word became flesh and the implications of it. There are probably an unlimited amount of truths

that we can draw from this beautiful reality, but we're gonna focus in on three here this morning. The word became flesh to redeem us, to make us right with God. I think we've all experienced this in our own hearts. We might not have fully comprehended what was taking place, but the Bible teaches that the wages of sin is death, and we've all felt that experience, that sin produces the death of our dreams, the death of our hopes. There is this reality that sin separates us from God, and God, who is perfectly just, couldn't just wink away sin, couldn't just pretend that it didn't happen, a price needed to be paid. But this perfectly just God that we serve is also perfectly loving, and he didn't want us to bear the penalty, so Jesus stepped in as a substitute. He took the death that belonged to us. 1 Peter 3, verse 18, Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh. You needed someone human to owe the debt, but you needed someone divine to pay the debt. That's what the incarnation is all about, to bridge the gap created by sin, to reconcile us to this God that we love.

That's why the shepherds and the kings came to worship. That's why we celebrate the miracle of Christmas. When Luke was recording what the angel said, listen to what happened. Do not be afraid, I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people today in the town of David, a savior. Everyone shout out a savior. A savior has been born to you, he is the Messiah, the Lord. The word became flesh to redeem us. Now, my dad, he loved boats. Growing up, he built his own boat that he actually sailed on the waters of Rotterdam in the Netherlands before he immigrated to the United States. And model boats and all kinds of boats. He was fascinated with them. So it shouldn't be a surprise that this particular story captured my attention. There was a young boy who built a model boat out of wood. He took time to craft it very, very specifically and carefully and shaved the wood in such a way to create a hull. And then he put a mast on this little model sailboat and then very carefully put the sails in place. And he took it to a nearby lake to see how his boat would float on the water. And then a couple of hours he came back and he didn't have the boat. And his mother asked him, did the boat not work?

And the son said, no, no, mom, it worked too well. The winds filled the sails and the boat got away from me. And then before too long, I couldn't even find it anymore. It just sailed away. Well, a few weeks went by and this boy heartbroken still about the boat that got away that he had put so much time, effort and energy into creating. And then he was walking in town and he saw in the pawn shop his very boat was there and it was for sale. He went into the store and talked to the owner and said, that's my boat, I made that boat, I lost it on the water. And the pawn shop owner, not feeling all that compassionate about the situation said, well, if you want it, you gotta pay for it. I paid money for it. If you want it, you gotta buy it. And the boy said, how much? And the guy told him how much it would be. And he went home and he broke his piggy bank. He broke every place where he had collected a few dimes and quarters and dollars and pennies. And it turned out he had, if he collected everything he had, he had just enough to go back to the store and purchase his boat. And he went and did just that. He purchased back his boat. And when he walked out of the store with the boat in his hands, he said, you're twice mine.

You were mine when I created you and you are mine now that I bought you back. And that my friends is exactly what God said. You were mine when I created you and then I sent my son into the world. You're mine when I bought you back. That is the miracle of Christmas. The incarnation is all about the word becoming flesh to redeem us. Come on, somebody give God praise this morning. That's the beauty. That's the beauty of Christmas. He came to redeem us. The word became flesh, not only to redeem us, but also to reveal to us. How many of you have ever wondered what somebody was like? Maybe you get on a dating app and I'm not gonna have a show of hands here, but I'm sure some of you have been on those apps and you just swipe to the right, swipe to the right. I've never done it because I got married before any of that happened. And I've had no reason aside from a few tough arguments. Where I was tempted. I'm only kidding. Never had to swipe right to figure that stuff out. But maybe you've been on that app and you're swiping right and you're wondering what that person, you see the picture, but you're wondering what they're really like.

And now in today's world with AI, you're wondering if that's even the person, right? They might be completely Photoshopped. Everything about it might be completely fake. But you're wondering, right? You're wondering. When a baby is born, you look at that baby and you just go, oh my gosh, I wonder what's inside this baby. I wonder what this baby is really going to be like and their personality, their likes and dislikes. I found this picture of Sterling, my grandson and Nala, my granddaughter. They're sitting on a couch. Let me just show it to you. Here's a picture of Sterling and Nala. And I want you to look at Nala's facial expression. Danielle said this is not her best look. But this was probably a year and a half ago or so. And this is Nala sitting on the couch at our house. And when I see this picture, I'm thinking to myself, I wonder what Nala is thinking. Who is this guy that's got his arms around my neck? Now, fast forward a couple of months, you know, a year or so, this is Nala today, okay, this is Nala. Come on, somebody, that's the most beautiful picture you've ever seen, right? She reminds me of Cindy Lou Who, of The Grinch That Stole Christmas. She is so cute. We've been able to spend some time together over the last, you know, a few months. We've been able to see her personality develop, you know, she laughs from the heart just hanging

out with her. We now know her so much better. And one of the things that we've realized about Nala is that she is as sweet as they come. She's incredible. She's beautiful. She's awesome. But if you cross her, she will hurt you. The more you spend time with somebody, the more you see who they really are. One of the reasons why the word became flesh is that God wanted you to know what he's really like. He wanted to reveal himself to you. In the Old Testament, there were signs and shadows and prophecies and glimpses, but he wanted everyone to know so that there would be no misunderstanding of what God is like. And there are so many scripture verses that support this reality. John chapter 1 and verse 18, no one has ever seen God but the one and only son who is himself God and is in close relationship with the father who made him known. Colossians chapter 1 and verse 15, he is the image of the invisible God. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3, the son is the radiance of God's glory, the exact representation. Don't let those words be lost on you. The exact representation of God. So think about it. Jesus came to show us what God was really like. So when Jesus healed somebody who was sick, he was just showing what God is like, that our God is a healing God. When Jesus delivered someone who was oppressed by dark forces, it was to let us know that this is the God who sets us free. When Jesus walked on the water to get to the disciples in the middle of the storm, he wanted you to know that that's who our God is. He will walk on the water to get to you in the middle of your storms.

He'll be in your boat. When God fed the 5,000, he wanted you to know that he's generous and that he has more than enough to provide for the needs in your life. And when Jesus told the story of the prodigal son, he's wanting you to know that that's not just a story he told 2,000 years ago. That's a story that's still unfolding today. When he sees his prodigal sons and daughters coming home, he runs and he hugs and he kisses and puts a robe on their shoulders and sandals on their feet and rings on their finger and then celebrates with a wild party. My son, my daughter who is lost has now been found. Jesus is the exact representation of who God is. The word became flesh to reveal to us what God was like. But not only that, to reveal to us how we should live. He lived in obedience to God as a human being. He showed us that we too could depend upon the power of the Holy Spirit to live a life that glorifies God. He taught us how to pray, our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. He taught us about love, loving God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength and loving your neighbor as you love yourself. He taught us about living our lives with wisdom and integrity and honesty and living a life that's worthy of his glory, his holiness and godliness. He taught us about being generous with others. Give, he said, and it shall be given unto you. But that first part, to be a generous person and he taught us about serving. And one of the most famous examples about serving that still endures even in the culture at large, not just in church circles. You have the story of Jesus with his disciples and he gathers a basin of water and washes his disciples' feet and dries those feet with a towel showing us that service to others is how he wants us to live. And I came to church this morning, you know, a few hours before church began.

And there were already people here, volunteers that we call the three team that were setting out cones in the parking lot, getting the cafe ready, making sure the children's church buildings were ready to receive your kids. There were people that were a part of the production team that were making sure the worship was organized and all the cameras and screens were operating. This all happens by volunteers who have learned from Jesus being their example that living a life of service to others is where real significance and joy comes from. So when you think about this idea that the word became flesh, there are a couple of really compelling reasons why. Number one, to redeem us. Number two, to relate, to reveal to us. And then number three, to relate to us. He came in the flesh so that we would know that He knows what it's like to be us, that He sympathizes with our weaknesses, that He can be approached with anything. The word became flesh. Think about that for a moment. You can approach God with everything. Finally, someone who knows what it's like to be me, someone who walks in my shoes, someone who understands my frailty, understands my journey. Jesus fully identified with the human race. He was born into this world. He had to be fed and nursed by His mom. His diaper needed to be changed. He had a family, a mother, a father, brothers and sisters. He worked a job. He just knew what it was like to be a human being. He went through stuff, some really tough stuff. He knows what it's like for our knees to buckle. He knows exactly what it's like to face difficult circumstances. He knows what it's like even to have Satan accused.

Maybe you came to church here this morning and there's been some whispers happening in your ears, and maybe it's been happening for a couple of weeks, maybe for a couple of months, even for a couple of years, and you heard them on your way to church this morning that you will never amount to much, that you're a loser, that God doesn't love you, that God doesn't have a plan for your life, He doesn't even think about you anymore. You know what? Jesus even knows what it's like to experience that. He went out into the wilderness, and there was a confrontation between Him and Satan, and this is the way Satan actually phrased his words. If you are the Son of God, if, calling into question the very identity of Jesus, trying to diminish Jesus, Jesus knows. He knows exactly what it's like to be a human being, and while there are a great number of things that we could highlight together here this morning, I just chose to highlight a few just to give you confidence that you can come to Jesus with everything. Jesus understands temptation. Think about that for a moment. The Bible actually says, in Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 15, and I'm not exaggerating here, I'm just telling you what the B-I-B-L-E says, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet he did not sin. Do you really believe that verse is true? That Jesus was tempted in every single way, and yet he never crossed the line and never sinned? I think we might intellectually, you know, kind of buy into that, but I don't think experientially that we really believe that. I think that there are, you know, some maybe, you know, spiritually okay ways to be tempted, you know, that he endured and passed the test, but this Bible says that in every way you can be tempted, Jesus was tempted. I told this story a while back, but I'm going to tell it again, but in the context of temptation, I was on my way to Florida with my family, so we had our kids, Laura, and we were changing

planes in Dallas to get to a flight that was taking us to Florida, and we didn't have a whole lot of time, but enough time to stop and get something to eat, and so I was waiting in the concession line at the airport, and, you know, the line was a little bit long, and so I was feeling a little bit more anxious, you know, as to what was going to happen. Time was ticking off the clock, that I might not be able to make the connection and still get the food that our family needed. But we finally got to the front of the line, and when I got to the front of the line, this big old guy just cuts right in front of me. And I started feeling emotions inside of me that I haven't felt since I was a kid. And I looked up at him and I said, are you gonna cut me? And he just looked down at me, and without even a moment's hesitation, he said, yep. Oh man, something started happening, and we started having a conversation that started escalating, and it was getting bad. I'm just telling you, we started referencing each other's mothers. It was not a very good conversation. And right when things were at its peak emotionally, my son, who's standing right behind me, whispers in my ear and says, dad, I think we can take him. So here is your El Pastor, ready to get into a fight, because somebody cut him in line. Now I'm just wondering, did Jesus ever face a temptation like that?

Did he ever face a situation where he said, you know what, I really want to knock this guy out. Maybe those Pharisees were popping off, all proud and arrogant. He said, I can just call down some angels right now and do some business. And I don't know, a lot of times, maybe you don't either, where temptation ends and sin begins, but the Bible says he was tempted in every way, every way. I wonder, honestly, if Jesus was tempted, like I am at times, to binge chocolate chip cookies, especially when the longhorns are really not playing up to their potential, and I gotta find a way to medicate the drama. Has he ever felt that way? Think about all of the ways that we can be tempted, our temper, tempted to lie, perhaps, or to lust, to be selfish, to be prideful, to overeat, to be lazy, to quit. The Bible says he was tempted in every way, yet he never sinned. But I'm just telling you that, because there is nothing you can't bring to him. There is no situation that you can't be honest with God about. We think that our prayers all need to be sanitized and super spiritual and have all the right language. I think that he vastly prefers honesty. Just tell him as it's happening,

be real with him and be open. He knows exactly what it's like to be in your shoes. In fact, in Hebrews chapter four and verse 16, it says, let us approach God's throne of grace with confidence so that we might receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need. We can take anything to him. Jesus understands temptation. Jesus understands relationships. Jesus knows exactly what it's like to be in a family. Some of you are saying, you know what? My family is cray-cray. If you knew my family, then you would have lots of pity on me. Mark chapter six and verse three tells us that Jesus had a family. Is this not the carpenter? Is this Mary's son and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? So Jesus had four brothers, half brothers, and are in his sisters here with us. And so it wasn't just one sister. We don't know how many, but there were sisters. That's a pretty large family, four half brothers and then a bunch of half sisters. And drama can happen in large families. I grew up in a family. I had three brothers and a sister and we were always fighting.

We wanted that biggest piece of dessert. We were all wanting shotgun. I wonder if in Joseph and Mary's day, the kids were always fighting for shotgun on the carriage with the horses. We don't know all of the drama. I wonder if Mary ever said to some of Jesus's brothers, why can't you be more like Jesus? I wonder if Jesus ever walked on the water before it's recorded in scripture and teased his brothers about it. I don't know. But I do know that he knows exactly what it's like to be a part of a family, to have a mom and to have dads and to have siblings. He knows what it's like. And Jesus knows what it's like to have friends, friends that betray him, friends that deny him. If you've had some relational drama in your life, you know what? You can take that to Jesus. He knows exactly how that feels. You can come to Jesus with your marriage issues. But some of you are thinking, oh, he never got married. You know, the Bible often will refer to the church as the bride of Christ. So he knows what marriage issues are like. You can come to Jesus with all of your issues with your children.

You say, well, he never had children. What do you think all of us are? He knows exactly what it's like to have kids. Jesus understands temptation. Jesus understands relationship. Jesus understands work. I know some of us are thinking, you know, today is Sunday and it's supposed to be the Lord's day and that's a day separate from all the other days, you know, but I work on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Sundays feel good, but, you know, every other part of my life seems so secular and so, you know, divided. You know that Jesus only spent three years in ministry and he spent 18 years as a carpenter. He spent more time in the workplace, in the marketplace than he did in ministry. You can take to Jesus whatever your business is going through. Whether you're a business owner or you work for someone else, you can take everything to Jesus. He knows all about it. And Jesus understands pain. People who study behavioral responses will tell you that pain comes in two ways to us as human beings. There's physical pain and then there is emotional pain. And every single one of us have had both. But I want you to know that when the Word became flesh, Jesus had both as well.

In Isaiah 53, he was despised and rejected by mankind. A man of suffering, a man familiar with pain, he was despised and rejected. That's a pretty good definition of emotional pain. In Isaiah 53 and verse five, it says, but he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. That's a pretty good description of physical pain. When you think about the life of Jesus, he was beaten by the Roman soldiers. He was whipped, tied to a post, 39 lashes. He wore a crown of thorns. He was nailed to a tree. He understands physical pain. But then when you think about how he was ridiculed because people thought he was born illegitimate, he was despised because of his race. He was a Jew. He was mocked even while he hung on the cross. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Most Bible scholars will tell you that they think that Jesus experienced loss. The loss of a loved one, his dad. You know, we don't hear anything about Joseph after Jesus is 12 years old. And so most people assume that he knows what it's like to lose someone very close, to suffer loss. I'm just saying all of that to tell you that there is nothing that you can't bring to him. If you've been a part of this church

for any length of time, you know that we lost our 17 year old son in a tragic car accident. Just a mile away from our home, he fell asleep at the wheel, hit a tree. I pass by that crash site every single day. I'll pass by on my way home from church today. We have a family in our church, the Hatfields who have a brother and a sister-in-law that lost a daughter just recently in a tragic way. In a way so tragic, in fact, that it made, you know, like headlines. And they were coming into town. They don't live in Texas. They live in another state, but they were coming into town for Thanksgiving. And we had the opportunity to catch up with them. Laura and I did. And we just spent a couple of hours together. And they shared their story and we shared our story. And we just kind of cried together and gave them a little bit of the benefit of our own experience throughout the years. At the end of that conversation, I'll never forget what she said. She said, Finally, someone who knows what it's like to be us. Pain has a way of connecting people. And I just want you to know that no matter what pain, emotional or spiritual you might be experiencing, whether it be physical or relational or financial,

Jesus knows exactly how it feels to be you. Christmas has a way of magnifying our emotions, right? At Christmas time, our joys seem to be more joyful and our happiness seems to be more happy, but our sadness can also feel more sad. Christmas is a magnifier and maybe you came to church and you're walking through a dark chapter in your life. Maybe you're feeling lonely. Maybe your marriage is in trouble. Maybe you're feeling disconnected from a good friend or your kids, or maybe there's health challenges, financial challenges, or maybe you're just feeling what some people might call the Christmas blues. I just want you to know, He knows. And He wants you to know that He knows how it feels to be you. And I thought it would be appropriate for us just to take a moment to pray. You might not necessarily be feeling the emotions of loss or sadness, but you know that there's a lot of people who are experiencing exactly that. So let's pray together this morning. Thank you, Father. Father, we thank you for becoming one of us. God, for sending Jesus to redeem us, to show us what you are like and also to relate with our pain, our suffering, our heartache. Father, our needs, our lack, our wants, our desires. And Father, the things that we're concerned about here, Father, as we walk this earth, God, that we,

Father, we know that we can't do this on our own, but we thank you that you came to relate with us and then also to do something about it, that you sent Jesus to die, God, so that we could be reconnected with you for all of eternity. Father, all of our sins being forgiven, and also, God, we could have every single need met by your amazing goodness to us. And so, Father, today, we ask, God, that you would touch us in the space, God, the place, Father, the realms of circumstances that we're walking in right now, God, those that we love and care about that need you. Father, we ask that you would draw them, Father, our kids, our grandkids, our parents, our aunts, uncles, friends, God, whoever, workmates, God, we're asking that you would bring people to you this Christmas. Father, that you would cause every single emotional struggle, Father, things that we're walking through financially, God, relationally, God, you know every single need of our heart, every concern, and Father, we thank you that you are God with us. You are Emmanuel. You sent Jesus to show us that, God, you're a healer. Father, you're a mender. God, you're a restorer. Father, you're one that brings freedom.

Father, we're asking that true Christmas miracles would unfold, Father, as we put our trust in you, God, whether for the first time or, Father, throughout the season as we have need. Father, we ask and we thank you, Father, for the gift of Jesus. In Jesus' name, amen, amen. Amen. If you think about it, this idea of the word becoming flesh, the word became flesh to redeem us, to reveal to us, to relate to us. Think about it. So that we, as flesh, can become like the word. The word became flesh so we, as flesh, can become like the word. That we can be ambassadors of the redeeming message of the gospel, that we can reveal the goodness of God to others, that we can relate to people and love them in their pain and in their suffering. The word became flesh so that we, as flesh, can become like the word. Could I hear a good amen? So let's take a moment, still, with every head bowed and every eye closed. Maybe you came to church today and you're not where you need to be in a relationship with God. You'd say, pastor, I'm not living right. I'm not doing right.

I'm not where I ought to be with God. I need prayer. Maybe you made a decision at one point in time, but you slipped away. And today you need to rededicate your life to serving him. Or maybe you've never invited Jesus into your heart and you want to. The word became flesh so that you, as flesh, can become like the word. Like the word, like Him. And so if you came to church today and you've never invited Jesus into your heart and you want to, or you made that decision but you slipped away and today you need to rededicate your life to serving Him, would you please raise your hand quickly and boldly wherever you are, wherever you are, wonderful. God bless you. My gosh, incredible, hands are going up all over. All of you with your hands raised, I wanna lead you in a very simple prayer. And I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me. Would you do that? And everyone else is a reaffirmation of your faith in God. Let's all of us pray together. Heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus. Jesus, I ask you to come into my heart. Forgive me of my sins. I put my trust in you and I will live for you

from this day forward by your power, for your glory, in Jesus' name, amen, amen. Would you give them all a great big hand clap? Amen. Let's all of us stand to our feet. While you're standing, just our prayer partners slip on out and come on down here to the front. If you want specific prayer for a need that you're facing in your life, then I wanna encourage you to come forward. Our prayer partners will be here for you. If you made a decision today to follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I wanna encourage you to go over to see Pastor Oscar and Olivia over there in the West corner. He's holding up that sign, Made Brand New. We wanna give you a Bible and some information that'll really help you to live this Christian life that you just prayed to receive. We also wanna encourage you on your way out. Don't forget to grab some invite cards and invite everybody in your world. You'll never know what God's gonna do with that beautiful invitation. And also, if you wanna be a part of helping a Christmas for someone else, the Angel Tree program is also out in the lobby today. Just grab one of those angels and you can make a difference in the lives of others. God bless you.

Have a fantastic rest of your Sunday. And we look forward to seeing you next week as we celebrate Christmas together. God bless. ♪ It's the most wonderful time of the year ♪