Please open your Bible to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2. Luke, chapter 2, a familiar story, especially at this time of year. Luke, chapter 2. I'll begin reading in verse number 1. Luke chapter 2, and I'll begin reading in verse number 1. And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be attached, everyone into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David. To be attached with Mary as a spouse wife, being great with child, And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished, that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And they were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and to on earth peace, goodwill toward men. And it came to pass as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, The shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and honoured them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told unto them. Let's stop for a moment now and let's pray, and let's ask the God's blessing upon the preaching of the Word of God. Help me, Father, help me preach the Bible. I do pray you'll help me expound the Word of God. I pray the Spirit of God would help me, and the Spirit of God would speak to hearts even right now. I do pray, Lord, that The Word of God be made plain and clear. If anybody is in this room today that's not saved. I pray they certainly won't leave the way they came in. I pray they'll be generally converted and saved even today. Now again, we pray for your blessings upon this meeting and we ask all these things now in Jesus' name. Amen. I saw an article the other day that kind of bothered me but didn't surprise me much. It was about a bunch of drunken Santa Clauses beating each other up. on the corner of 17th Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan. A bunch of drunken Santa Clauses beating each other, punching each other. A new Pew Research poll says church attendance and singing Christmas carols have been on the decline for a while now. People aren't interested anymore in Christmas carols. Not interested in going to church at Christmas time. Nowadays, the article said, for most Americans, Christmas is mainly about shopping and exchanging gifts. That's a sad commentary on modern-day America, where all Christmas is about is shopping and exchanging gifts. That's all it means for most people today, apparently. And there have been many other articles. I'm not going to go into any great detail. I'm sure you've read some of them yourself, and you see what's going on all around. uh... it's not very pretty many articles about violent christmas shoppers beating each other up at the department stores. Imagine that? Someone goes to grab an item. I want that! They start beating each other up right there. That's not peace on earth, goodwill toward men, huh? No. There's been a lot of articles about that. Or people fighting over a parking spot in the mall parking lot. Sometimes if you just get into a fight over a parking spot, that's one thing. But then one poor guy got shot in the head. It was pointed out in my Sunday school class. He should have been in the shopping mall on a Sunday. It's Sunday's the Lord's Day anyway. But apparently the Jewish man didn't share those convictions we have about Sunday being the Lord's Day. And he was out there doing some shopping, and some maniac shot him in the head and killed him. I'm happy to announce I caught the four guys that did it. But if justice was done, they'd get the death penalty, I believe. But that's another story. We'll save that for a different sermon. So there's much violence and much wickedness and much drinking this time of year. Sometimes the most dangerous place to be at Christmas time is driving on the highway. Because somebody's been drinking at some office party, some Christmas party, a little drunk up behind the wheel. You have to be even careful when you're driving in your car this time of year. Now you've got to ask, what does this have to do with the birth of our Lord? What does all this wickedness and foolishness and drinking have to do with the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, you know what I know. Absolutely nothing. But the devil has been deceiving people to think that this is having a good time at Christmas. Getting drunk up and spending it to see it go broke. In fact, some folks go beyond going broke. They use their credit card and max it out. And if you were the target, you're in trouble now because you were hacked. So while people are busy drinking and decorating and shopping and visiting and eating and so on, hey, as Christians, let's be looking for opportunities to share the gospel. Christmas can be a wonderful time to tell people about the Lord Jesus Christ. Even the most wicked sinner has to acknowledge Christmas is supposed to be about the birth of Christ. And there should be opportunities to share the gospel with people this time of year. Adam Clarke, the famous commentator, said this, these shepherds were the first preachers of the gospel of Christ. And what was their text? Why, glory to God in the highest heavens, and on earth peace and goodwill among men. This is the elegant and energetic saying which comprises the sum and substance of the gospel of God. This and this only is the message which all Christ's true pastors and cupids bring to men. That's a good statement. It's true. Of course, the word gospel means good news or good tidings. Look at Luke chapter 2, verse 10. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. That's what the gospel is. The gospel is good tidings of great joy. It's good news. Remember when the angel said to Joseph, as recorded in Matthew chapter 1 verse 21, you don't have to turn there, I'll read it to you. The angel said to Joseph, and she, meaning Mary, shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Beloved, that's the real meaning of Christmas. Jesus came into this world to save people from their sins. That's what it's all about. you know, boil it all down and say, people say, what is all this all about? What's it all about? Well, let me make it simple for you. Jesus came to save people from their sins. That's what it's all about. He came to die. He was born to die. He came into this world of dying on the cross. The Apostle Paul put it this way, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. Well, we would say worthy of all acceptance. That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Well, you have it. Christ Jesus came into this world. He left the splendor of heaven, the glory of heaven, came into this world to die on the cross. He came into this world to save sinners. He himself said the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. That's why he came. So this morning I would like for us to emphasize proclaiming the gospel, proclaiming the good news during this busy Christmas season. and the christmas is a wonderful time of year i'm so thankful i mentioned earlier my uh... my children are going to be around uh... for the holidays and my son was here with us yesterday we had a great time going out knocking on doors went back old times my son was knocking on doors since he was about this big you know i mean the person up at the door couldn't see him so i had to look all the way up and uh... it was a blessing i went to manhattan today to go to church with some of his kinfolk but lord will it be a tuesday night to hear his buddy carl preach amen And it's good to see JoJo, and it's good to see the Baroness. Christmas is a good time to see old relatives and acquaintances and dear friends. And I thank God for that. It's good to see our college kids back. We thank God for you. We're praying for you. We love you. But tell you what, it's also a wonderful time to share the gospel, to reclaim the gospel. Wouldn't it be great to see some folks get saved this Christmas season? Well, the first thing I want to talk about this morning, right here in our text, joy. Christmas is a time of joy. Look at verse number 10. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of what? Great joy. Great joy. Of course, as Christians, we ought to be joyful all year round. But there's something about Christmas that's a time of great joy. This angel, which we read about here in Luke chapter 2, this angel came down from heaven. And think about it. When that angel came down from heaven, he came to a place where there's nothing but joy. Up in heaven, there's joy all the time. Enjoy! In heaven, there's so much joy because you don't got to deal with drunken Santa Claus in heaven, amen? You don't got to deal with drunken drivers up in heaven. No, drunken can't even hurt in heaven. No drunks up in heaven, praise God for that. Up in heaven, there's no violent killers shooting you in a mall parking garage. There's nothing but joy up in heaven, and the angel came down from this wonderful place and came down to earth to deliver this message. And the message is recorded right here. I bring you good tidings of great joy. He came down to earth to proclaim this message, this good news, good tidings of great joy. I hope there's nobody here this morning that's satisfied with depleting pleasures. and the shallow amusements of this world. Let's not settle for that. Especially after this angel came down from heaven to declare something much, much better. Good tidings of great joy. Not this kind of shallow happiness that the world offers, but true joy. Genuine joy. The true Christian life is a life of joy. You know, the Bible puts it this way. Joy unspeakable and full of glory. That's 1 Peter 1.8. That's real joy, eh, man? Joy unspeakable. I mean, we can't even describe it. Indescribable joy. Unspeakable joy. One of my favorite Christmas songs. We didn't sing it this morning. Maybe we'll sing it later today. But how great our joy. While in violent sheep we watched at night. Glad tidings brought and angel how great our joy great our joy joy joy joy joy joy joy praise be the lord in heaven on high that's real joy genuine joy the bible says a merry heart doeth good like a medicine but a broken spirit dryeth the bones uh... christians are joyful people happiest people i know the most joyful people i know are godly people People who love the Lord. They're joyful. You see? Things go wrong. They're still joyful. You see? They have some problems. We all have problems. Sickness. Death. Loss of a job. I mean, things happen in this world. Unexpected things. But we still have our joy. Amen? We're joyful people. We don't need to depend on circumstances. Circumstances change. Some people, they're joyful because they got a raise. they're joyful because you know they got a new car. But you know what? You might lose that race. You might lose that job. You might lose that car. You can lose your joy. If you love the Lord, you're not going to lose your joy. Amen? Because our joy is a lot more than just cars and things of this world and money. William Williams was an English pastor who was a close friend of the famous preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon from London, England. And In describing Spurgeon's joyful personality and Spurgeon's delightful sense of humor, Pastor Williams said, what a bumbling fountain of humor Mr. Spurgeon had. I laugh more, I verily believe, when in his company than during all the rest of my life besides. He had the most fascinating gift of laughter and he had also the greatest ability for making all who heard him laugh with him. When someone blamed Spurgeon for saying numerous things in his sermons, he said, if he only knew how many of them I had to keep back. Now listen, that's real joy, see? And Spurgeon, by the way, had serious problems with his health. But he didn't let it slow him down. He kept serving the Lord with a joyful spirit. Christians ought to be joyful people. The Christmas message is a message of joy. and there's no greater joy than being saved. Amen? Knowing your sins are forgiven. Knowing you have a home in heaven. Knowing you have eternal life. Knowing you have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Knowing you have the Word of God. Why, it's a great joy. We don't need to be satisfied with worldly things to make us joyful or happy. It's a shame some people settle for that. Joseph Hayden, the famous Austrian composer, was once asked, why his church music was so cheerful. He replied, when I think upon God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap. How did I do that? He said he was so filled with the joy of the Lord that when he was composing, the notes literally danced and leaped, as it were from my pen. And since God has given me a cheerful heart, it will be part of me that I serve Him with a cheerful spirit. You know, I've heard people say, and I've heard it from time to time, well, you know, you Christians are so strict, and you know, you can't have any fun. Let me tell you something. I've had a lot more fun since I've been saved than before I got saved. I wouldn't change it for a second. You know, I used to hang out with a real worldly crowd and do a lot of worldly things, and I know what the pleasures of this world are like. I grew up in Queens. In fact, a lot of the rascals I used to run around with, they're dead now. I'm so glad God saved me. and change me and transform me. I know what the word of the Lord is like. I thank Him. I thank God I was a bartender. Listen, I know all about what this world has to offer. But I thank God. God saved my soul. Amen. And I know true joy. And that true joy only comes from knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. And the only way you get that true joy, not talking about temporary joy. You know, I like to read a lot of biographies. My favorite pastime is reading good biographies. Lately, I've been reading John Wesley's journal. I read it when I was younger. I'm reading it again now when I'm older. In fact, I can fit it now when I'm older. Because Wesley, when he was in his 70s, he said, I feel as strong as when I was in my 30s. I said, amen, I like that. John Wesley said that in his journal. He said, I'm past the age of 70, but I still feel as strong as I did when I was in my 30s. Praise God for John Wesley. But anyway, John Wesley, this young man, he traveled from England to Georgia to try to convert the American Indians. But he himself was still unsettled about salvation. Can you imagine that? So how can that be? How can Wesley be a missionary to the Indians when he himself was unsettled? Because of his Anglican background. And he was a little mixed up on that. But on that trip from England to Georgia, he met a bunch of joyful Christians. They were Arabians. Germans. And happy. I mean, happy Christians. And it made a lasting impression upon him. In fact, he stayed in touch with them for many years. The Moravians. They helped him a lot. And soon, John Wesley had that settled about the joy of his salvation and assurance of salvation. He became one of the greatest preachers of all time. If you study the life of John Wesley, how God used him in a mighty way. Tremendous preacher. In fact, many people say that bloody revolution that they went through in France was heading towards England. It takes spirit. But because of Wesley's preaching, England was spared from that. Didn't have to suffer like they did in France with a terrible revolution. They had the guillotines and all that. It was wicked. when they took over France. But that was the same, those same revolutionaries, those same anarchists were heading towards England. But God stopped that, and he used Wesley, and spared England from that. So, there was a joy in the Lord the Moravians had that really touched on Wesley. He had a ship out on sea, it was tumultuous, the storms, and Wesley was scared out of his wits! He looked at the Moravians, they were laughing and singing. He said, how can you be so joyful? The Lord's in control. God controls the weather. God controls your ship. God's got his hand on us. We're not worried about anything. And that was a lesson for John Wesley. Galatians chapter 5 verse 22 says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love and joy. Joy, joy, joy. Do you have that fruit of the Spirit? That's evidence that you're saved. You know, I can't understand somebody walking around all the time What's the matter with you? I don't know. You're saying you're going to be joyful, amen? For the Spirit is love and joy! You're saying you're going to be joyful. I can't understand some so-called Christians. Always walking around with a depressed look and sad look and sad countenance. I heard about some of these sad, sad sack Christians. He tried to give a gospel tract to an unsafe person one time. And the unsafe person said, you want me to be like you? I'm better off being unsafe. well-directed but i don't want to have a chance to have a look right now you got a happy confidence that you're going to write a letter and it's hard to get myself and i'm going to talk about it i was happy and joyful i know she would work you know boss yells at you you don't get upset you know things go wrong at work you're still joyful and happy i need what you got amen and people get saved that way you know i talk about biography and stuff about reading fiction you know that's how what they must that newspaper reporter stanley will follow david livingston doctor david livingston was missing for a while well he wasn't here where he was but nobody else knew where he was and they say that stanley affleck had looked for dr david livingston you heard the famous story of dr livingston i presume when he finally found him but you read about that stanley said it wasn't his preaching though he was a great preacher david livingston it wasn't his soul winning though but it was his flight His joy, his personality, that's what impressed me so much. That's why I became a Christian. And Stanley was as worldly as can be. He was a drinker, a profane man. But when he got around David Livingston, he saw the joy of the Lord. It made a difference to him. It's something he's got. I need that. And that's how Stanley was saved. And we need that joy. And I hope, if you don't have it, you'll get it this Christmas. Amen? Whether you're not saved, I pray you'll find our Savior. If you are saving, maybe you've been not really walking with the Lord, you don't have that experience of the joy of the Lord, I pray today the Lord will give it to you. And I trust He will. Sinners feel that they need worldly parties to have fun. You know? They'll say, come on over to my house for Christmas, we'll have a lot of booze. You know? We're going to put rum in the eggnog. Look, I like eggnog, but no rum for me, amen? I like the eggnog, I do. It's one of my Christmas treats, amen? I like that. I'll actually go to the store and say, I think an eggnog. Don't forget the eggnog, right? She forgot, but I'll forget. But seriously, you know, worldly people have to have that booze, you know? And they think that's going to give them a good time. A little worldly music, you know? But listen, those of us that are saved, we don't need that, amen? That's not our idea of being joyful or happy, praise God. We don't need that. We don't want it, in fact. Don't need it, don't want it. And we have the joy of the Lord all year round, not just at Christmas time. I heard a song, it's the most wonderful time of the year. Praise God, when you're saved, every day of the year is wonderful. Amen? Amen. The angels told the shepherds, fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. All people. Praise God for that. It's for all people. years ago i used to preach on a radio station that is now no longer no longer in existence i believe the judgment of god but i'll leave that alone for now but uh... and uh... they took me off the air they pulled like they wouldn't let me preach on there anymore and one of our members called up the station manager said how can you took pastor bacher off the air and this is what the man said your pastor believes that jesus christ died for the sins of the whole world well you know what i plead guilty of that He certainly did, guys. Hey, look. I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people! All people, the whole world! I believe for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Some of the station managers said that. The member of our church said, well, you're right. He does believe. He just died for the sins of the whole world. And the manager said, well, we don't believe that. He had his horse come off the air. It's a shame, huh? By shame! And that wasn't long after that, a few years later, they pulled a plug on that station when they went bankrupt. And by the way, Mr. Campion died recently. I don't know if you heard that or not. He died. Didn't get a lot of attention in the newspapers, but I saw it on the internet. He passed. He was old. He passed away. I think now up in heaven he knows Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. Amen? Now, the angel said unto them, Which shall be to all people, not just to the elect, All the people. Not just to the Jews, to all people. Gentiles too. Aren't you glad it's for the Gentiles too? That's right. Most of us wouldn't be saved if it wasn't for the fact that the gospel's for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. We thank God for that. On a drive into church last Sunday, it was late in the afternoon, heading over here for the Sunday evening service, my wife and I were listening to the radio. Turned the radio on, and we heard Dr. J. Vernon McGee. He's in heaven too now. Dr. McGee drove that Bible bus straight up to heaven, amen? And he was on the radio and he was explaining the atonement. And Dr. McGee was very interesting. My wife and I were listening very attentively. It was very good. And Dr. McGee said that 1 John 2, verse 2 makes it clear that Christ died for the sins of the whole world. And I say, Amen, Dr. McGee. He was right about that. Dr. McGee said this, I don't care who you are, there is a legitimate offer that has been sent down to you today from God. And that offer is that Jesus Christ has died for you. You can't hide and say, I'm not going to be left. Dr. McGee was right. Because the angel said in verse 10, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. The gospel is suited to all people. The gospel is suited to every age, every condition, every culture, every language. Everyone in the human race is for all people. And by the way, there's only one race, by the way, the human race. Amen? I don't get caught up in this racism stuff. I'm not a racist. I believe there's only one race, the human race. Amen? We're all part of it. Hey, we're all descended from Adam and Eve. We're all descended from Noah. That means we're all kinfolk. Amen? The gospel is suited to every age and every condition of the human race. It's what the strong Romans needed. It's what the philosophical Greeks needed. It's what the religious Hebrews needed. And the irreligious Hebrews as well. It's what the superstitious pagans needed. It's what the proud and sufficient Americans need. Self-sufficient, proud Americans. It's what they desperately need. America is getting too proud and far from God. And we need revival in America. And America needs to turn back to God. When I read the newspapers and I see what's going on across the country, I say, God help our country. If America doesn't turn back to God, there's not going to be much of America left. I'm telling you right now. It's really bad what's happening in our great nation today. I'm not just talking about this latest fiasco with the health care. I mean, you go right down the line. I'm not talking about all these wars everywhere in the Middle East. I mean, all over the world is in trouble. But America used to be the greatest country in the world. What's happened to our great country? I say right now, we're turning away from God. We can't expect the blessings of God unless Americans put God first. That's not happening anymore. Kick God out of the public schools, huh? We called in a Sunday school about this Dutch fellow. They said on the TV show he'd pray in Jesus' name and the TV show edited it out. It took out Jesus' name out of there. Well, that's not right. Hey, you want to do a show about a man and that man's a God-fearing man and he prays for his family and prays in Jesus' name? Don't take Jesus' name out of there! I'm not going to get into this dark kind of conversation. You've seen it before. But if he said homosexuality is a sin, he's right. He's right. The Bible clearly says homosexuality is a sin. But Americans today have gotten so far from God that he's considered the bad guy and homosexuals are considered the good guys. How did we get to this place now? How did that happen? And by the way, I'm not defending some of his coarse language. I don't believe in being so crude, describing it like that. I just stick to the Bible. The Bible said it's an abomination. Just stick with the Bible. I don't call him gay either. I say, why not? Well, gay used to be a good word. Now we don our gay apparel. How low is it? They wrote that word. So what word do you use? I use the Bible word. Bible calls me son of mine. So what if you want to use some different word? I'm queer. I don't care. But the Bible says it's a sin. America needs to turn back to God. Europe needs to turn back to God. Europe's become more wicked than America. Hey, by the way, Australia, I thought it was more wicked than America, but Australia recently announced that there's no more gay marriage in Australia. So there's hope for this crazy world, eh? They need the gospel in Australia. South America needs the gospel. Hey, you can say amen for the whole thing. And Antarctica needs the gospel. Amen? The whole world needs the gospel. And during Christmas season, it's a time when even non-Christian people acknowledge that Jesus Christ was born in this world. Even Hindus and Muslims and other people put up Christmas trees and decorate, right? We should tell them, you know, that stuff is okay as far as it goes, but point centers and Christmas trees and ho-ho-ho and all that, but hey, it's really about the birth of Jesus, amen? Or as some would put it, the reason for the season. While the whole world is observing Christmas, let's make sure they understand the true meaning of Christmas. Father Jose mentioned in my Sunday school class that recently atheists put up a billboard in Times Square. And they said that Christ is not needed during Christmas. May I say something? I'm 100% in disagreement with that. You can't have Christmas without Jesus Christ. And not only is Jesus needed at Christmas, Jesus Christ is needed every day of the year, amen? Every day. And most of us will say amen to that. Because our Lord said in John chapter 15 verse 5, without me you can do nothing. So we need Jesus back as a Christmas. We need him all year round. Amen? He said without me you can do nothing. But they're trying to have a good laugh and say you can have Christmas without Jesus. And they have the name Christ with a big X put through it. That's disgraceful. Shame they have to spend money on putting up a disgraceful billboard like that. That money can be used for better things. print Bibles, for one thing, would be a lot better, right? Print gospel tracts? Help out churches and missionaries? Go to Yohann over there in India? You could use that money, amen? But they waste it on something foolish like putting up a billboard attacking Jesus Christ. How disgraceful. Well, let's move on here. Time's flying by. We've got joy at Christmas. How about this? This is very important. Salvation at Christmas. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior. A Savior! and that's what they're really all about, by the way. They want to close down the churches. That's what they're trying to do. I read an interview with this guy who put up the billboard. He said, we're trying to tell people you can enjoy Christmas, don't go to church. I'm not saying you have to go to church to enjoy Christmas, but let me tell you something, you're missing out on a lot if you're not in church, amen? You miss out on Christmas music, Bible preaching, fellowship with God's people. You really can't have a good Christmas if you don't go to church, I hear you. They're just saying, church, don't go to church. They want to close down the church. And by the way, this whole duck thing, listen, you know what they're getting at? Next they're going to say, churches have to marry homosexual people. Churches have to accept it. If preachers preach against it, it's a hate crime. If churches keep it up, we're going to take away their tax exempt status. If churches keep up, we're going to close them down. That's what it's all about! It's more than a silly TV show! Watch what's going on! It's an attack on biblical morality! It's an attack on Jesus Christ and the gospel of Christ! That's what it is! People say, who cares about a TV show? I don't care. I have a story before my life. How many of them will watch it? But it's a principle! There's an attack on the word God! For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. What a wonderful proclamation. Jesus Christ the Lord is our Savior. He's our only Savior. In fact, His name means Savior. Look it up. The word Jesus means Savior. That's what it means. Matthew chapter 1 verse 21, I quoted earlier. Thou shalt call his name Jesus. Why? For he shall save his people from their sins. The name Jesus means Savior. That's what it means. Let me ask you, is he your Savior? Listen, if somebody came in here and you couldn't say yes to that, you couldn't say no to that, you could get saved right now. Say how? Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You can be saved right now. You don't have to wonder about that. I'd hate to think anybody come here and go home and somebody say, how was the service over there at Bible Baptist Church? It was pretty good. Did you learn anything new? I don't know. I'm still lost. I hate to think somebody like that. I would hope they come and say, yes, the preacher said I can get saved if I believe in Jesus. And what did you do? I put my trust in Jesus Christ and got saved. Amen? That's my prayer. Don't sit there like a bag of potatoes. You know, hello? You sit there. I can't tell if you're dead or alive. I can't tell if you're alive. Listen, some of you, I know you're alive because you moved a little bit. Let me tell you something. If you're not saved, you can get saved today. Unto you, the Bible says, is born this day. Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Is He your Savior? Is Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior? In Isaiah, chapter 45, verse 21, the Lord says, There is no God else beside Me, a just God and a Savior. There's no other Savior except the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the angel said to the shepherds abiding in the field, Pray to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ, which is Christ, which is the Messiah. Christ comes from the Greek word Christos. It's the equivalent of the Hebrew Messiah. Christ is the anointed one. Christ is the Messiah. Jesus is the Messiah, who is, which is Christ the Lord. Beloved, the great purpose of the Incarnation was the substitutionary death of Christ. And it's right here in the Christmas story. Until he was born this day in the city of David, a Savior. He's going to come to save people from their sins. Which is Christ the Lord. Christ is Messiah. And He's our Lord. And He's the only Lord. You see, it's right here. The great purpose of the Incarnation was the substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus Christ. John put it this way, in 1 John 3, 5, and you know that He was manifested to take away our sins. Why was He manifested? Why was He born? What's the purpose of the Incarnation? What's the purpose behind Christmas? He was manifested to take away our sins. He was manifested to die on the cross for our sins. That's why John the Baptist said, Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. And again, the sin of the whole world! Not just the sin of the elect, or the sin of the Jews, or the sin of the Gentiles. He died for the sins of the whole world. Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 129. Christ died on the cross. to save us from the guilt of sin, and the penalty of sin. And by the way, the penalty of sin is hell. Now a lot of people say, you know, I like it, you know, you talk about the angels and the wise men, and I won't take that, I'm talking about hell, I don't like that. Well, it's in the Bible, amen? You can't have a Savior unless you understand what the Savior is all about. He came to save us from hell. Some folks don't like that, you see? And they say, you know, that's why I want to stick to Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman. I can handle that. But you start talking about sin and hell, that bothers me. That's why the Indians say, don't go to church. You just might hear one of those Hellfire Brimstone preachers say, we don't want that. But praise God, Jesus Christ is our Savior. He died to save us from the penalty of sin, which is hell. And praise God, he also died to save us from the power of sin. Someday, we'll be saved with the very presence of sin. He saves us. He keeps us. Our hold upon Him might be weak. Our hold upon Him might be feeble. But thank God, His hold upon us is strong and mighty to save. Not only will we be saved from the penalty of sin, praise God, we'll be saved from the power of sin. I mean, right now, we'll be saved from the power of sin, and someday, we'll be saved from the very presence of sin. up yonder in heaven every day is getting closer and closer praise God but up yonder in heaven we'll be surrounded by the heavenly host singing praises to our wonderful Savior look here Luke chapter 2 verse 13 and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth peace goodwill toward men we'll be rejoicing up in heaven singing that all the time like the angels in heaven Every day in heaven is like Christmas. Every day in heaven, people are praising God, but far more glorious in heaven, far more wonderful in heaven. You know, 400 years before Christ, 400 years before Christ, the great Greek philosopher Plato said this, Oh, that there might come forth a word from God to make all things clear. Isn't it interesting that Plato would say that? that there might come forth a Word from God. Well, the Bible has the Word. Four centuries later, John wrote this, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. That's the Christmas story. The Word did come. The Apostle Paul put it this way, and without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. That's the true story of Christmas. May that be our emphasis. of this Christmas. Let me quickly move along. I already mentioned joy at Christmas, salvation at Christmas. Let me say a few words before I conclude about peace at Christmas. Luke chapter 2, verse 14, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Now you know there's very little peace in this world. I mentioned already some of the things going on in the world. That doesn't sound very peaceful to me. The newspaper doesn't sound very peaceful. Very little peace in this wicked world, this sin-loving world. Think about it. The very ground, the very place where the shepherds stood is now stained with blood from terrorists. Stained with blood from suicide bombers and other killers. There are presently wars, battles, terrorist attacks. and various other armed conflicts all over this blood-stained world. I just did a little quick search. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, the Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Mali, the Congo, Israel, India, Burma, Thailand, Nigeria, and Colombia. And other places as well. So you say, wait a minute, you just said on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. There's going to be no peace in this world. until the Prince of Peace comes. In the meantime, we Christians have peace with God. And that's so important. But this world does not know peace because this world has rejected the Prince of Peace. I mentioned recently, last month, the communist North Korean government executed 80 Christians. By the way, you know why they were executed? For owning a Bible. That was their only offense. So we can understand... By the way, isn't it sad that politicians aren't talking about that? Isn't it sad that news media is ignoring that? They should be paying attention to that. You can understand the sad words of the great poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who said, and in despair I bowed my head. There is no peace on earth, I said, for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth. Good will to men. Now, let's for a moment forget about the great poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfell. Let's forget about all the poets and the pundits and the presidents and the politicians and the preachers. Let's just go to the Bible. The world is at war with God. That's what the Bible teaches. Sinners are at enmity against God, against their Maker, and against each other. And it's not just A and E. That's the TV station that's kicked off the Duckman. It's not just A&E, it's the whole USA. In fact, it's the whole world. Isaiah 48, verse 22 says there's no peace to the wicked. That's an important principle. The wicked will not have peace. Oh, they try to bring peace through drugs, alcohol, other worldly pleasures, but there's no peace to the wicked. But beloved Jesus came to make peace. And this he did by reconciling the world to God by his atonement. Second Corinthians 5.19, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. What does that mean, reconciling? Bringing peace. Bringing peace. According to the Bible, there will be peace when the Prince of Peace comes. Isaiah 9, verse 6 says, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. By the way, for a child to be born, That happens all the time. For those of you that showed me a picture of his new grandson, he's a great-grandson, he's a great-grandpa. Children are born all the time. We thank God for that. But a son is given. That means Christ was around before Bethlehem. That approaches pre-existence. You see? Unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given. For God so loved the world that he gave. and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. But this world has rejected the Prince of Peace. And they don't believe that he is the Mighty God. In fact, many of them don't even believe there is a God. Many of them act like they're God. Isaiah chapter 2 verse 4 says he, meaning Christ, shall judge the nations and shall rebuke many people, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares." You say, when is that going to happen? When Christ returns. When the Prince of Peace returns. He's going to judge among the nations. He's going to rebuke many people. They're going to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hoes. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore. You know there are several sculptures and statues outside the United Nations over here in Manhattan? And one statue is called this, let us beat our swords into plowshares. And they quote part of that verse on there. Ironically, that was a gift from the Soviet Union, who started more wars than probably anybody else all over the world. It was given in 1959. And the bronze statue represents the figure of a man holding a hammer in one hand and in the other hand a sword. And the sword, which he's making into a plowshare, supposedly symbolizes man's desire to put an end to war and to bring peace on earth. Well, there's going to be no peace on earth without Christ. The UN doesn't believe that, but I'm telling you right now, based on the authority of God's Word, the UN is not going to bring peace into this world. Russia, Soviet Union, certainly aren't going to bring peace into this world. In fact, if I understand my Bible prophecy, and I think I do, the United Nations is going to be behind the Antichrist. And he's going to usher in a reign of terror. So they're not going to bring in peace, they're going to bring in a false peace. The peace of the Antichrist. And someone said, the only peace Russia knows is a little piece of this, a piece of that, a piece of this country, a piece of that country. That's the only peace they know. There will be peace on Earth when Jesus comes. With that in mind, Let's return again to the words of that great poet. Then feel the bells more loud and deep. God is not dead, nor doth he sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill toward men. Beloved, the Christmas message isn't a story of peace. It's a message of peace. And on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. The most peaceful, happiest people I know are Christian people. there's going to be no peace in this world until people acknowledge Christ is the Prince of Peace. Sinners first have to make peace with God, have to be reconciled to God. Romans chapter 5 verse 1, therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. You see that? First we're justified by faith, then we have peace with God. People try to get it backwards. They want to have peace without faith in Christ. It's impossible. A.C. Dixon was a great preacher, wrote many books, I've read several of them. He was pastor in the Emmanuel Baptist Tabernacle in Baltimore, Maryland, when his first-born child died. The boy was only nine years old, his son Howard, nine years old. That must have been devastating. I can only imagine the pain he must have felt, losing a nine-year-old son. That very first Christmas morning after Howard's death, after A.C. Dixon's son's death, It was a very difficult time for Pastor and Mrs. Dixon. Everyone was very quiet around the table. No one knew what to say. Everybody was very sad. Finally, one of the little children spoke up and said, this is Howard's first Christmas in heaven. And another child then said, I should make his Christmas every day. You see, the gospel brought great peace and brought great comfort to that family. that Christmas. That's the real message of Christmas.