Give your Bibles, please, which open to the passage we read a moment ago, Isaiah chapter 9. The birth of Christ has been traditionally celebrated in the West on December the 25th for many, many centuries. I think it's appropriate that it comes At a time of the year, at least in our hemisphere, that is the darkest time of the year. We had a very short day yesterday, and it's shortly after the winter solstice that we have Christmas. Christmas comes at a time when the days are short and the nights are cold. It's also a time of light. celebration of joy. We have lights on Christmas trees, lights outside of our homes, candlelight services on Christmas Eve. And this aspect of Christmas celebration is certainly rooted in biblical truth. The symbolic use of darkness to represent sorrow and light to represent joy is nearly universal in every culture of the world. And we find this contrast from the opening chapters of Genesis, when God said, let there be light, to the concluding chapters of Revelation, where we read of the New Jerusalem, where there would be no need for the sun to shine because the Lamb is the light thereof. On the Sunday before Christmas, I would like us to consider a dramatic passage that speaks of the dark circumstances of a region of the world known as Galilee and the light that would one day invade that region through the birth of Christ. Many of you are familiar with the verses that we read together, especially verses two and six, because they are found in Handel's musical masterpiece, The Messiah. But I want us to carefully look at the context in which this gem is found. In verse one, I'm not going to read it, but it refers to God's judgment of the northern region of Israel. And 733 BC, Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria began his oppression of this part of the world. He pillaged the land and slaughtered many and took others as captives. Galilee was a dark place in many respects. It was fearfully oppressed. It was an uncultured and unrefined region of the world. Its people felt distance from God, even though they were part of the people of God, the covenant people of God. Galilee was far to the north, far away from the religious center of Jerusalem. And they lived close to the pagan nations and there was much intermarriage that had taken place and they had also learned many of their idolatrous ways. And now God's judgment by the hand of the Assyrians seemed almost unbearable. But the prophet Isaiah speaks about a day when that darkness would vanish. He speaks of a brighter tomorrow. And he reminds them that God has a glorious plan for them. Look with me at verse 2. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. And then he goes on to say that they will have great reason to rejoice. Look at verse 3. Thou has multiplied the nation and not increased the joy. They joy before thee according to the joy in harvest and his men rejoicing when they divide the spoils. God says through his prophet, the day is coming when they will have unbounded joy. He uses two illustrations to bring this across to them to be like the joy that the people experience when they have a bountiful harvest. And they have more grain and more produce than they can put in their barns. It's just overflowing. This was the dream of an agrarian culture. And the second illustration he uses is of the joy that warriors have when the victory is won and they divide up their abundant spoils and it's more than they can carry. These marginalized people of Galilee would sometime, someday be the most privileged people on the globe. But why would that be? How could that come to pass? Well, I want to invite you to keep a finger here in Isaiah 9, we'll come right back to it, and I want you to turn with me to the first book of the New Testament, Matthew chapter 4. Matthew chapter 4, and I would like to begin reading at verse 12, it's going to quote these verses that we've just been looking at Isaiah 9 Matthew chapter 4 and verse 12 it says now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison he departed into Galilee leaving Nazareth he came and dwelt in Capernaum which is upon the seacoast in the borders of Zebulon and Nephilim that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying the land of Zebulon and the land of Nephilim by the way of the sea beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people which sat in darkness saw great light, and to them which sat in the region of the shadow of death, light is sprung up. From that time, Jesus began to preach and to say, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter and Andrew, his brother casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And he said unto them, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Why is it that these people in Galilee should rejoice? Because the Messiah would someday take up residence in their borders. The light of the world would make his home in this dark region. The hills would echo with his incomparable teaching and the sea of Galilee would provide the backdrop for the most amazing miracles the world has ever witnessed. The fact is that Jesus Christ is the greatest cause for rejoicing. If you read your scriptures carefully, you will see that the Bible is frequently calling on believers to rejoice. and to be filled with joy. Christianity is a very serious religion, but it's not a solemn religion in the sense that it is boring and dry and depressing. The scriptures are filled with exhortations to delight ourselves in the Lord and in his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And one of the great things that we should celebrate and rejoice as Christians is the birth of Christ. Remember what the angels said to those poor, lonely shepherds out in the fields in Bethlehem. They said, this is good tidings of great joy. Christmas should be a time of joy. But for many, it is a difficult time of the year. It's a reminder of their poverty. It's a reminder of a lost loved one. The passing of another year of their difficult life. The fact is there is much despair in the world and many people become despondent at the season of the year. And perhaps you're here this morning and you feel that way even as we sing and you see smiles on many faces and people singing from their hearts, with their families, with joy. Perhaps even their joy contrasts with your bleak circumstances and a burden that is heavy on your heart. This morning I hope that you can see, if indeed you know the gospel, the birth of Christ is a lasting cause for rejoicing. I want you to turn back with me, if you have not already, to Isaiah chapter 9. And I want you to look with me, if you would, at verses 4, 5, and 6. I want you to notice that all of these verses begin with the word for, F-O-R. Do you see that in your text? This is because the prophet is giving an explanation or some reasons why the people should rejoice. He gives three reasons here. First of all, in verse four, it says, for thou hast broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulders, the rod of his oppressor, as in the days of Midian. It's saying, first of all, the people should rejoice because God will send a deliverer. Then if you'll look with me at verse five. It talks about the warriors and the noise of battle and the bloodshed that is there. But he's saying that this in figurative language will come to an end because God is going to bring peace. Someone will come who will bring peace. And then we come to verse six. And the person might be wondering, well, how is it that God is going to bring deliverance and peace? And the answer is found in this climactic and ultimate reason in verse 6. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. He's saying that a son will come who will change everything. He will be a deliverer who brings peace. Now before we come to these instructive and inspiring titles of Christ that I want to focus on this morning, I want you to carefully notice how Jesus is described in these words. It says unto us a child is born. This is an unmistakable reference to the fact that this deliverer would be a human being. He would be born of a woman. He would be one of us. He would not be an angel. He would not be some visionary creature that comes from the skies and brings deliverance. No, he would be in human flesh. And then it says unto us a son is given this parallel phrase. But I think it tells us indeed that this son would be given by God himself. Now, there is a sense in which every baby is a gift from God. I think we all acknowledge this. But in our text, Isaiah is referring to something unique. Isaiah has already touched on this unique child two chapters earlier turn with me to Isaiah 7 You know these verses Isaiah 7 verse 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel which of course means God with us and The child whose birth Isaiah predicts would be God in human flesh. But something more is mentioned of his identity. It says here in Isaiah chapter nine and verse six, and the government shall be upon his shoulder. This speaks of someone who has absolute authority. This is an unmistakable reference that this child would be a king. He would be God in flesh and he would be a king, a sovereign who would rule and reign. But his reign would not be confined to just the region of Galilee or even to Israel. He would be the king of kings and lord of lords. But what kind of king would he be? When people in the ancient world had the death of a monarch, and sometimes there was a battle for power as to who would be the next king, and finally it was settled this individual would be the king, they all would find out from friends and relatives and anybody they could, what kind of man is this? What kind of character does he possess? Is he cruel? Is he mean? Will he rule with an iron fist? Or is He benevolent? Is He just? Is He wise? Here in Isaiah's prophecy we have a prediction of the character of this coming King. So I want us this morning to consider this truth that Christmas should be a time of rejoicing because it celebrates the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But why should we rejoice at the birth of Jesus? There are four reasons I want to take from these titles that are found here at the conclusion of verse six. First of all, we should rejoice because the Lord has provided a wonderful counselor in Jesus Christ. Now, as we read together these names, you will notice that there are five names, it says wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace. Let me remind you that all punctuation in your Bible was added by editors long after it was written down by the prophets and apostles. It is not inspired. It is there to help us to read. But most scholars today, would recognize that what we have here are four compound names, and that probably there shouldn't be a comma there between wonderful and counselor. The Hebrew construction of this expression favors this finding, and the ancient Jewish Masoretes, who were the guardians of the Old Testament scriptures, understood it that way, to be four compound names, not five names. So that's the way we will understand it this morning. Now the Hebrew word that's translated wonderful points to someone or something that is miraculous. Consider two other times this term is used. In Psalm 78 in verse 12, it says, marvelous things did he in the sight of their fathers. This is an historic reference to God's deliverance of the children of Israel through the Exodus. And it's talking about the miracles that accompanied their deliverance. You remember those 10 plagues? Do you remember how God parted the Red Sea and allowed them to march through on dry land? And then when the Egyptian army followed after them, that water closed up again. Do you remember how God brought them water out of the rock on several occasions and he gave them manna from heaven and he sent them quail and he protected them and he provided for them in amazing and miraculous ways? Well, that word marvelous is the same word wonderful. And in Judges chapter 13 in verse 18, we read of the angel of the Lord appearing to Samson's parents and they ask him his name. And he said to them, my name is secrets. And the word that is translated secret there is the same Hebrew word that's rendered wonderful here. So this word points unmistakably to the deity of this child. He would be a supernatural being. He would be a wonder to all who knew him. There's a sense, of course, in which God is incomprehensible, that's part of the great I am. One of the things that is revealed in his holy covenant name is that he is not fully comprehensible. We can know God, but we can't know everything about God or why he does everything that he does. There's very much a sense in which the Lord Jesus Christ. though we can know Him by faith and we can have intimate communion with Him, yet He is still beyond our full comprehension. Who can fully explain the mystery of the Incarnation? The answer is no one can. But it is clearly revealed in Scripture. He is, as Wesley put it, the incarnate deity. If we could see him today, we would not run up to him to shake his hand, but fall down before his feet. He is God in flesh. But in what way is Christ wonderful? Well, he's described here as a wonderful counselor. Now, a counselor is a person with great wisdom, a person who has knowledge But they're able to take that knowledge and carefully apply it to a given situation. There's a lot of people who have knowledge, who have a lot of facts in their head. But there's not that many people have the discernment to know which piece of information really applies to this situation here. That's what a counselor needs to do. Even today, of course, we use this term, counselor, for someone who is able to provide answers to difficult issues. People will pay large sums of money to someone who can heal their broken marriage or rescue a child from addiction. These are difficult, thorny problems that are not easily solved with just a few trite expressions. No, it takes someone with the skill to really understand what the problem is, and what this person is struggling with, and then trying to find a methodology for them to come out of that problem, and to see the truth, and to believe it, and to follow a new way of life. That is very, very difficult to do, and few people have that skill. But God has given some people that skill. Let me use another example of this. We live in a part of the world where there are many people who make their living as consultants. Consultants. Companies will hire a consultant to come in who has not only great knowledge, but great wisdom on how to make a company more effective, more profitable, more efficient. And they will come in and they will review how that company is doing things, how they conduct their business, and they will make recommendations. And that individual will be paid tens of thousands of dollars for their advice. Because their advice can bring hundreds of thousands of dollars to that company if it's followed. There are many people who make their living as consultants. People desperately long for someone who has the answers. But even the wisest of people find themselves stumped with some problems they face in life. Someone might be an excellent counselor. They may have helped many people save their marriage and rescue their children from various serious issues that they face. and yet they may struggle to help rescue their own children. There are many people that might have the ability and the foresight and the vision to make a lot of money, but then to use that money in a responsible way throughout their life, now that might be another matter. The fact is that even among the wisest of men, There is an element of folly and foolishness in the decisions that they make. We see this in the world. Throughout the history of the world, people have always been looking for a leader, a king, a prince, or someone who will bring stability and justice and make wise choices. And there have been leaders that God has used to bring about a certain level of that, but all the problems have never been solved. There have always been issues and areas that they have not been able to affect change, where they have not been able to find the solution to some dilemma. But this passage points to someone. who would be the ultimate counselor, a supernatural counselor, a miraculous counselor. And Isaiah, the prophet, is going to speak of this one in just a couple chapters later. Turn with me to Isaiah chapter 11, please. This is another messianic passage, Isaiah chapter 11, verses one and two. It says, and there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots, and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him." Notice this, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. The fact is, the Lord Jesus Christ was the wisest person who has ever walked on this earth. Colossians chapter 2 and verse 3 tells us that in Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Paul there was writing to a group of people who were being ensnared and drawn away to the esoteric knowledge that some false teachers were offering. They talked about this elite insider knowledge that only some people could receive. That is very much an alluring thing to a certain type of person. I have this specialized knowledge about spiritual matters that other people do not have. This is the proposition behind all conspiracy theories. Everyone's blind to what's really going on, but I have this insight into what's really happening behind the scenes. It makes people feel proud. Well, the gospel is not something that God seeks to hide. It's there in Christ. And in Christ are found all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. We don't need to go to these strange places to find information about our problems in the Christian life. We have all that we need in Christ. That's what Paul was saying to those believers at Colossi. And the prophet Isaiah is predicting this coming king would be a wise king and First Corinthians chapter one in verse 31, it talks about that Christ has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. And I think every one of those four terms are important. I think we understand intuitively what he means by righteousness. We think of justification and we think of sanctification. We don't live the Christian life in our own strength and redemption. We know that we have been bought with a price, but I think we're surprised when in that list we find wisdom. But there it is, the first one in the list. Christ has made unto us wisdom. He is our wonderful counselor. And that is the nature of the King that came in Bethlehem long ago. Secondly, we should rejoice because the Lord has provided a mighty God in Jesus Christ. Isaiah the prophet speaks of a little child, a little infant that would be a mighty God. What a contrast in terms. Is there anything that seems as weak and helpless as a newborn infant? This title is an unmistakable reference to the deity of Christ. In Hebrew, it's El Gabor. El, a reference to God. And Gabor speaks of the powerful, heroic warrior. In the ancient world, the ideal king was not only a wise administrator, but he was a heroic warrior. People admire an heroic warrior. In fact, many of our presidents have been military men who distinguished themselves in battle. And that's the way it was in the ancient world. Think of Israel's greatest king, David. He was both a great warrior and a great shepherd of Israel. But a greater king than David is revealed in our text. The Hebrew term that's translated mighty God is often used to describe the Lord and the help that he gives to his followers. He is the mighty God who rescues his people from their enemies. I wanna look at Isaiah chapter 10, verses 20 and 21. It says, and it came to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob shall no more again stay upon him that smote them, but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel and truth. The remnant shall return even the remnant of Jacob unto the mighty God, and the term the mighty God there is the same as we find in the previous chapter in reference to this child. He is the mighty God who rescues his people from their enemies. He is the mighty God who can do the impossible. In Jeremiah chapter 32, you don't need to turn there unless you want to. I'm going to read this in Jeremiah 32. And verse 17, it's Jeremiah praise. And he says, Oh, Lord God, behold, Dallas made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm. And there is nothing too hard for thee. And again, the terminology that's used there is the same that's used here at Isaiah nine, six. We have a God and Christ who can do the impossible. And thirdly, he is the mighty God who is able to keep his promises. In Nehemiah chapter nine and verse 32, again, we have a prayer there by Nehemiah. And he says, now therefore the great and mighty and terrible, or we would say awesome God who keepeth covenant and mercy, and then he makes his petitions. But he describes God as a God who is mighty enough to answer the prayers of his people. And this, of course, is demonstrated in the life of Christ. Did he demonstrate that he was a mighty God? Yes, he did. He was the one who fell asleep in that boat when there was a great tempest in the Sea of Galilee and his disciples, fearful for their lives, woke him up and he got up and he said, peace, be still. And the water became as glass and his disciples were afraid because what kind of man He could command the winds and the waves to obey Him. He is the man who took that little boy's lunch and fed over 5,000 people through a miraculous multiplication. He was able to open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. He would raise the dead on at least three occasions. And when they came to arrest him in the garden of Gethsemane, John records that he said, I am. And the soldiers fell back to the ground. And the night before his crucifixion, he said to his disciples, I have overcome the world. Literally, I have conquered the world. Here he was, a man about to go and die on an old rugged cross, and yet he makes the proclamation that he has conquered. Jesus was the bravest, most heroic man the world has ever known. Luke describes him when he made his final journey to Jerusalem as setting his face like a flint. He was determined to go. He knew that he would go there and he would be betrayed, he would be tried, he would be murdered, and he would rise again the third day. John records throughout his life, it says that his hour had not yet come. It reminds us that throughout his ministry, throughout his days, Jesus knew how he would die. He knew how he would perish. He knew that it was coming. He lived with that burden and he lived so in a heroic and brave way. And Jesus conquered the devil and all of his host at the cross. And at the tomb, he triumphed over death. And he said after his resurrection from the grave, all power or all authority is given unto me in heaven and in earth. You see, this child that was to be born, that Isaiah prophesies would indeed be a mighty God. And because this little baby was born in Bethlehem, We have great hope. We have great joy. But there's a third reason that we should rejoice at the birth of our Lord and Savior, and that is because the Lord has provided an everlasting Father in Jesus Christ. Now, this may be the most confusing of these four titles for us to understand. Is this speaking of God the Father, or is it speaking of the Son? But it need not be perplexing, because I think we can understand this easy enough. Consider this simple analogy. I am both a son and a father. I have two parents, as you do, and I'm their son. And I'm also a father of three children that are over here. I'm a father and a son. They are not mutually exclusive, but the one piece of information that still kind of alludes us is, well, Jesus was never married. He never had children. So how can he be an everlasting father? And what's important for us to understand is in the ancient world, kings often went by a title for father because they cared for their people like a father. And this is what this passage is saying. It is saying that this child that would be born that would be a king would be like a father to his people. He would take care of them. What kind of a father is our Lord? Well, in Psalm 103 and verse 13, we have this wonderful expression like as a father pitieth his children. So the Lord pitieth them that fear him. That's a reference to God, the father, but like father, like son. Jesus cares for his people in the same way. I've mentioned to you many times that the emotion that's most often ascribed to Christ is that of compassion. It says that he was compassionate when he saw the multitude. When the Lord passed by a funeral procession and he saw that the only son of a widow had perished, And the woman was bitterly mourning over her loss. He was moved with compassion and brought her son back to life. In the upper room the night before his crucifixion, Jesus was more concerned with what would happen to them than he was with what would happen to him. And he said to them, let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. He spoke to them like a father. who was trying to reassure his children in a moment of crisis that everything would be alright. He said on another occasion, fear not little flock for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. And when the mob came to arrest Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, he says to the authorities, let these disciples go their way, just like a good father. He wants to shield them from any difficulties that they might incur because of his arrest. There's a big parallel between the work of a shepherd. And the work of a father, in fact, a father in a home should essentially be the shepherd of his children. And the Bible tells us that the Lord is the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. You see, Jesus was indeed like a father to his disciples. Think about it. He lived with them. He taught them. He provided for them. He corrected them. He comforted them. He instructed them. He loved them unto the end. And our Savior still cares for us as a father cares for his children. But what makes it all the more beautiful is that in this passage in Isaiah chapter 9 it says that he is an everlasting father. That is his care for us will never end. We all have or have had human fathers who passed away. Perhaps some of you have fathers like that. I know many of you do. And when your father passes away, he can no longer care for you. He may make provision for you, but he can't, in a tangible way, right there, speak to you and instruct you and counsel you and comfort you and correct you. All of that ministry is over when he perishes and dies. But our Father is not going to die. He is eternal. We have an everlasting Father. This father will never lead us nor forsake us. One of the great. Horrible aspects of our modern culture, even in this land, is that we have so many deadbeat dads. Who never fulfill their responsibilities to their children, abandon them, abandon the mother of the child, give no financial support, and we we have all kinds of laws and ways to try to make people do the right thing. But even then, it's very, very difficult. to get so many dads to be a father to their children. Our Father is not like that at all. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is a good shepherd. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He's never too busy, too tired, or too distracted to meet the needs of His people. And our union with Christ is a perpetual union. The scriptures tell us that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. And he gives unto us because he is the eternal father, as he's described here, gives unto us eternal life. And therefore, we can enjoy that relationship with our savior and our Lord, who who takes care of us as a father for eternity. What a wonderful revelation this is. about the coming Christ child but there is a final reason given in our text why we should rejoice at the celebration of the incarnation and that is because the Lord has provided the prince of peace in Jesus Christ now this is the climax and the culmination of the description of this coming child. All these other titles are leading like steps in a staircase up to a landing. And the ultimate pinnacle there is he is the prince of peace. Now, the Bible speaks of different kinds of peace. There is the peace of God. And there is peace with God. The peace of God is that calm that we can have in the midst of a crisis, in the midst of a situation that would often engender anxiety, because God is there helping us, sustaining us by his grace. This is that peace that Paul describes that passes all understanding. That's often what we think of as peace. But that subjective, that felt sense of peace is really subservient to an objective sense of peace, and that is our peace with God. The Bible teaches that before we were saved, we were enemies of God. We were not reconciled, we were rebels. Now often that animosity is veiled and is hidden behind many layers, and many people don't think that's the case at all. Many lost people say, I'm not angry at God, I don't hate God, I'm not fighting against God. But if you start to tell them what God requires of them and demands of them, you will see their expression change. The Bible says that we are all naturally enemies of God. But then we have this wonderful verse and perhaps the key verse for this aspect of peace is Romans chapter five and verse one being justified by faith. We have peace with God. How is it that we can be at peace with God so that there's no war, there's no animosity, there's no rebellion, there's no tension there in that relationship? It is only because of that justification of Christ bearing the wrath of God in our place and our legal standing, our forensic declaration that we are not guilty but righteous in Christ. That is the essence of the gospel. And that is found at the very root of the Christmas story. Let me ask you this morning, are you at peace with God? Have you been reconciled to God? I wanna invite you to turn with me to the traditional Christmas stories found in Luke chapter two. This will be the last passage that we consider this morning. Appreciate your attention. Luke chapter two. You probably know these verses. I'm going to look at the last part of this, begin reading at verse eight. And there were 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, you 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 on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. Now you might find this final verse, verse 14, on a Christmas card somewhere or in a shop window somewhere. And what people generally think it's talking about is peace on earth where people are no longer fighting and there's no more war. And that's what kind of been co-opted into Christmas, but that's not what the angels were saying. They were not talking about world peace. But literally they were talking about peace among those with whom he is pleased. The only way you can be at peace with God is if God is pleased with you. But that raises a very difficult question. How is it that a holy, righteous God could be at peace with you when you're not holy and righteous? Well, We have an answer to this. We have in scripture at our Lord's baptism, the Bible records that there was an audible voice from heaven that said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. The only way that you can please God and find peace with God is to receive his beloved son as your Lord and Savior. Because if you are in Christ, the father is pleased with you because he's pleased with his son. You will never be at peace with God until you bow your heart to this prince of peace. What does that really mean? It means you have to come to the realization that you are a sinner who desperately needs a savior, that you're lost and able to save yourself. You're never able to meet God's standards of perfection and righteousness, that you will always come up short. And until you desperately see your need to be saved, you will never be saved. And you must believe that Jesus is what the scripture says he is not a great man, not a wonderful speaker, a miracle worker, but he is God in flesh, the son of God who was born to die, who died in your place for your sin. He died that you might live, he paid a debt that you owe that you could never hope to pay. so that you might be at peace with God. And you have to receive this greatest gift that has ever been offered by faith. This gift of eternal life. The Bible says it in this most famous verse, 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. Let me ask you on this Sunday before Christmas, have you cried out for God to save you? Are you trusting in the Savior that was born in Bethlehem, who lived a perfect life on this earth and then died a substitutionary death? Is that your hope? Is that your only standing before God? If it is. Then you can rejoice. Because God, through Christ, can save you from your sins and give you a peace that will not pass away. And you will understand why the scriptures teach that the people of God are to rejoice with great joy at the birth of the Savior. Let's close in prayer this morning. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you that it's consistent and it's relevant. and it provides all that we need. I pray that you would help those here today who have never truly repented of their sins and put their faith and trust in Christ alone. I pray that today would be their day of salvation, that they would not find some convenient excuse for putting this off for another day. I pray that you would take all the confusion and clouds out of their mind that they might grasp the gospel and respond in saving faith even today. And I pray that you would bring them great joy. For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.