and then we'll dive in to the Word of God and the topic at hand. So open your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 30. The book of Proverbs. This may seem like a strange place to go for this time of year, but I hope you'll see the connection. Proverbs chapter 30. I wanna read the first four verses, but concentrate our thinking on the last part of verse four. Verses one through four, listen to the word of the Lord. The words of Agar, some believe it may be in, well, I'll let that go. The words of Agar, the son of Jacob, his utterance, This man declared in Ithiel, to Ithiel and Uchol, surely I am more stupid than any man and do not have the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom nor have knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended into heaven or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name? And what is His Son's name, if you know? God bless the reading of His Word. Join me in prayer, Father, as we meditate and contemplate on this text of Scripture and also on other pertinent texts of Scripture related to the season and what was that great event, that monumental, that pivotal event in human history, so much so that it changed the dating system. for many years to before Christ and then the year of our Lord, A.D. His presence is the most important event. His coming into the world was the most important event in all of human history. It transcends even the creation of Adam and Eve. It transcends the selection of Abraham. through whom at that point he begins a new thing, concentrating his efforts through three patriarchs, and then finally through Moses and the establishment of a nation, that nation being Israel, and through their auspices, a seed is to come, and that seed is Messiah, the Lord Jesus. And he makes his entrance, not a grand entrance like he did at his triumphal entry on a donkey, a colt, where people were singing hosannas to him. No, he came in relative obscurity. He came not recognized by some grand parade or inauguration. No, he came into this world in the lowliest of fashions, born in a stall in a barn. His first bed was a manger, cattle trough. But his humbling didn't stop there. It continued through his life even to the point of death. And then he's highly exalted. And that Savior who came that first time is the King and Judge of the universe that is coming the second time. So just as there was a first advent, we who are believers, and have that hope of the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, wait for a second advent. And indeed, we cannot help as we look at the world around us, the events unfolding in the Middle East. and around the world that they cannot but point to that second advent. But until he comes, may we be faithful, may we occupy, may we be sober, may we be diligent about our Christian lives and the work that God has entrusted us to do as believers. We commit this time and this season and pray that we worship this man, The man of Galilee, Jesus of Nazareth, in whose name we thank you and pray. Amen. All right. I've chosen the title of my message for good or ill, The Governor's Son. The reason I chose the governor's son is because of the description that is given concerning the question that evolved out of his description and exactly what he does. What is his name? Well, the name that is ascribed to him is The One who is ascended and descended, who has gathered the winds in His fist, who has bound the waters in a garment, who has established the ends of the earth. He is control of the created order in which we live. He made the heavens and earth, and He sustains the heavens and the earth. They are held together, they are bound together. by his providence and by his power. I was thinking about that in light of this text and in the light of our world and what exposure I've had growing up in Michigan, the Great Lakes that surround the state of Michigan, unique in that way, and the waters and how they're contained. By God, the best we can do is build tanks to put water in and try to control water patterns and creeks and rivers and things like that, to contain them in that fashion. But the oceans and the seas of the world are contained and held in place, and the shores are those lines of demarcation that hold the bounds of the world that we live in. So it's God Almighty who controls these things, who providentially governs the world in which we live, and with which we have immediate contact. And it ought to lead us to the understanding of who God is. And it's reflective of Romans chapter 1, where His Power and majesty are revealed in his creation so that men are without excuse. They know there is a God. But he poses a second question, what is his son's name? And obviously there has been great debate over this issue, even to the point that some believe that it's a clear reference, a Trinitarian reference. I, as a believer in Jesus Christ, believe that our God expresses himself in three persons. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These are three unique persons who make up what we call the Godhead. We call that the Trinity, the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And from what he describes here, if God singly or single-handedly did all of these things without any help or without any assistance. He would be, so to speak, and I hate to use the word, in solitary confinement. And I use that term very guardedly. Because those who have been in solitary confinement understand the importance of social contact. I listened to the testimony of Michael Franzi, who was one of the mafia bosses, and was finally brought to terms with some of his criminality, and he was placed in solitary confinement for several months. in which, you know, it's just about going crazy to experience it. And that's one of the purposes of solitary confinement, is to break you, to break your will. But everybody, most everybody, very few exceptions, need social contact. Which is to say, our God, if He is a triune God, and there are three members that make up the Godhead, that He has had communication and social contact with each member of the Godhead eternally. He is a God who communicates. If he is alone, does he speak to himself, and that is if he is Allah, singularly God. Or in Judaism, Yahweh, singularly God, and does not have someone whose substance is similar to himself or the same as himself, and that is possessing all the essence, divine essence of the Godhead. then what purpose would there be in his existence to bring this world into existence and creatures into existence who function in society? They're social. Even the animals have their own societies. I mean, during the summer months, I watch these ants. And then in the fall, as the grasshoppers come out, they all function in some society. And to assert that God, who does communicate, he doesn't just communicate with himself. And so there's been division in Christianity as to the whole concept of the Triune Godhead. But as I've thought and studied and meditated on this concept through the years, I am totally convinced that as the New Testament unfolded and gave clarity to that, that He whose name is not mentioned, what is His name? You remember Samson's parents, his father, asked the angel of the Lord what his name was, and he said his name was Wonderful. Yahweh in the Old Testament has a counsel. It's clear that he does. There's that counsel of the Godhead, and then there's the counsel of the angelic host. He is a social being, and he's created a universe that is patterned after his own image, and particularly with creatures, and then the epitome of his creation, and that is Adam and Eve, human beings. It was not good that Adam was alone. And he creates a woman who corresponds to him in every way. Not the same as he is, but different than he is. And they function in society and in communication, reflecting the image of God. One writer said, explain the Trinity, we can't even begin. We can only accept it. A mystery disclosed in Scripture. It should be no surprise that the triune being of God baffles our finite minds. We should be surprised, rather, if we could understand the nature of our Creator. In other words, what he's saying is if If we could put it all together in our mind, that would be a surprise. There is that element of mystery. The man who wrote this was Vernon Grounds. He was president of Denver Seminary for years, up in, obviously, Denver. I went to the seminary one time, took a tour through there, and went into his office, and just as an aside here, he had collected walking sticks and canes from all over the all over the globe. In his travels, in his missionary endeavors and outreach to remote parts of the world, he brought back all of these different canes and he's got them up, not as trophies, but displays of interest. to show not only his travel experience, but the variety of staffs and canes and different things that people have across the world. But back to the point at hand, he finishes this, and I think he's right. He, that is God, our Creator, would be a two-bit deity. How many know what two bits is? That's a quarter, right? He would be a two-bit deity, not the fathomless source of all reality. And I believe, while you would not use this text as a primary text to prove the Trinity, it would be a supporting text to use in your argument for the Trinity. What is His Son's name? Well, there are several names in Scripture and several concepts in Scripture that communicate to us who this Son is. And at this time of the year, that's what we're celebrating, is the entrance of the Son of God into the world. the entrance of the Son of God into the world. And it is He who is God. You know, the language that is used in verse 4, who ascended into heaven, or descended, is language that Jesus used when speaking to Nicodemus when he says, no man has ascended up to heaven, but he who came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven. So here, a reference to the Son of Man, which is a title that is given to Him to relate to His humanity, but also it is a divine title taken from Daniel chapter 7, given to Him, the Son of Man. But the point being, those who have access to heaven where God is, are the only ones who can go and come from there. Has to be God and those to whom he gives access and which we will have access to as believers someday. The book of Deuteronomy, in communicating the importance of the law and God's revealed truth, Moses writes, it is not in heaven that you should say, who will go up for us to heaven? And the idea is to bring it down. And that is the law, the Torah, it's at hand. What has been given to you in the book of Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and now restated again is here, it's eminent at hand. And this is what Paul quotes and alludes to in Romans chapter 10, verse 6. He says, but the righteousness which is of faith speaks on this wise. The righteousness which is of faith is justification. You believe in Christ and he imputes to you righteousness that you receive by faith and faith alone. Understand that. I've tried to communicate that for 28 years here at Sovereign Grace Baptist Church. This, in a nutshell, is the Gospel. And it's black and white that is written on the pages of Scripture. Just as Torah was written on codices, on scrolls, so the truth of the gospel was recorded in the Old Testament and again explained and reiterated in the New Testament. The righteousness which is of faith speaks on this wise, say not in your heart, who shall ascend into heaven, that is to bring Christ down from heaven. No need. He's already come down as a divine being and he came in the form of this baby, this child that made its entrance into the world miraculously through the conception of the Holy Spirit. And so with that in mind, that what we're looking at here is this individual, the son who comes into the world, the governor's son, the sovereign of the universe, the father, if you please. who is worthy of all glory and honor and majesty. So who is this son? Where do we find him? Do we find him simply as a manufactured entity when he came onto the scene in the gospel accounts? He was predicted to come right off the bat, right after the fall. And it gives us a glimpse into the purpose of God for humanity, unlike the angelic realm, who themselves fell when Satan fell, when Lucifer fell himself. He drew many of the angels of heaven, believed to be a third, but it is a significant amount of people, or angels, personalities, who fell. And here's the one who, in the providence of God, was allowed to test mankind, and specifically through the woman. But a promise was given to her, that from her seed, it says, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed, which would be the Satan's seed, and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise its heel." What he's saying there in this, what's called the first mention of the gospel, the proto, meaning the first, primary reference, proto-evangelium, The gospel, the first mention of the gospel, is that there is going to be someone who intrudes into this world that is going to crush you, sainted. And I think we have a glimpse of that in John's gospel, chapter 12. John's gospel, the 12th chapter. I'm in I'm in the book of Acts that won't work Verse 30 John chapter 12 verse 30 Everybody found it I finally found it Jesus answered and said, this voice did not come because of me, but for your sake. Now, he says, is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself. This, he said, signifying by what death he would die, and that would be crucifixion, being suspended between heaven and earth, and having the wrath of God poured out upon him on that occasion. But the seed of the woman is significant, because there is a whole line a genealogical line that takes us from Adam and Eve. Now Luke is the one who gives the full account of that genealogy from Adam all the way down to Mary herself, who would be the one who would essentially bring the Messiah into the world. It would have to be the seed of the woman from the standpoint that it had to be human. Her seed. But it would have to be someone who is more than simply a human being, because he would not have the power, the authority, to crush the serpent. And yet he has. He has that authority. So he is the seed of the woman, which emphasizes his humanity. And that seed and a threat on that seed happened initially right off the bat between the conflict between Cain and Abel to destroy the seed of the woman. So God raises up another seed in the place of Abel and produces a godly line that takes us all the way down to Noah who enters the ark. But the world had become so corrupt in that day. The human race had been corrupted through satanic influence. He worked arduously to corrupt the human race through inbreeding with angels and producing a race of giants, Nephilim. during that period of time who were half human and if you can believe half angelic and I don't understand the mixture of it all. I don't have clear enough insight on that issue but I do believe that the human race was corrupted down to the point that only eight were uncorrupted by what was going on at that time, and that's why it was necessary that all human life be destroyed and start a new beginning after the flood. But even there, there were attempts and close calls through the development of the seed as it made its way, specifically from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and then through Judah, Judah who, and we'll look at that momentarily, but all the way through the Old Testament, and then finally making its grand entrance, so to speak, on the scene at the birth of Jesus, which we celebrate. He is that ultimate seed that would crush the head of the serpent. Got that? That's why this time is significant. That's why He came into this world. To crush Him and to release a people from His control. The God of this age has blinded the minds of those who believe not, lest the glorious light of the Gospel, which is the image of God, should shine unto them. All the world is under his control. They are part and parcel of his seed, so to speak. You are of your father the devil, Jesus said to the religious leaders that came out. If you're outside of Christ, you have a father. He's the devil. He controls you. He blinds you to the truth. Christ Jesus comes into the world to deliver you. And to release you from Satan's control. The seed of the woman. Also, he's a descendant of Abraham. And I would include in that, obviously, Isaac. Because in that line that string as it were a promise through Abraham it takes us into that issue of the seat again from the line of Abraham. You remember it's been several years ago I taught through the life of Abraham and I've mentioned it again from that time that Abraham is probably the most significant individual bar Christ in human history. I understand that Adam is important, I understand Noah is important, I understand Moses is important. But Abraham, God is not dealing with all of humanity as he was before the flood. He's dealing specifically with a line to preserve his seed. And that is through Abraham. And he is significant, is derived from there. Judaism derives its origins in Abraham. Christianity derives its origins in Abraham. And the third religion does say that they derive their origins in Abraham, but not through Isaac, but through Ishmael. Ishmael. The Muslims. Islam. But we know the thread goes through Isaac and then to Jacob. And so this individual, Abraham, is significant. From the standpoint, as you see the narrative unfolding, they were up in age. Humanly speaking, their productive years were over. They were beyond childbearing, and yet the promise comes to Abraham and Sarah. And we get a glimpse of that into the New Testament. Look at the end of chapter four of Romans. Romans chapter four. Verses 19 and following. Romans 4 verses 19 and following. And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body already dead, since he was about a hundred years old. His productive years were gone. And the deadness of Sarah's womb. She'd gone through menopause. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God and being fully convinced that what he had promised, he was also able to perform. Therefore, it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in him, who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, that's the reason for him coming, and was raised because of our justification. Abraham and David are used as prototypes of what justification is. Abraham has righteousness imputed to him by faith. David, being a believer, sinned against God. And he says, blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not account his sin, which is to say the flip side of imputed righteousness is the non-imputation of sin. And we were discussing that issue in Sunday school this morning. God will not re-impute sin, because once you're justified, you're always justified. Comprende? Does that make sense? There's that argument about once saved, always saved. I say once justified, always justified. God doesn't pull back. He forgives a sinner like David. He did repent, yes. He confessed his fault. He paid the consequence of his sin. But God forgave him and didn't put him back into a category that he was before he became a believer. He didn't put him in a state of the fall again. And that's essentially what people are saying is if you can lose your salvation, you're simply on probation. You better toe the line. If you step out of line, it's going to be taken away from you. What comfort does that provide for you? That's an aside. He's a descendant of Abraham. The book of Galatians indicates the importance of his seed. Turn there with me. Galatians chapter 3. The book of Galatians chapter 3. Beginning at verse 15. I read these words. Brethren, I speak in the manner of men, though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls it or adds to it. And he's referring to the covenant, the Abrahamic covenant. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, and to seeds, as to many, that is plural, but as of one, and to your seed, who is Christ. Christ, the Messiah. This child who comes into this world, his son, who is his son? He's the seed of woman, he's the seed of Eve. He's the descendant of Abraham, that seed through whom Messiah would come. Thirdly, he's the ruler from Judah. Look at Genesis chapter 49. You would think, at least I do, he would be the most unlikely selection to bring the promise of the coming seed, who would not only be Messiah, but he would be King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And the way he frames it is in that context. Looking at Genesis chapter 49, Verse 10. Actually, beginning at verse 8, Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise. That's what his name means. Your hands shall be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's children shall bow down. before you judah is a lion's well from the prey my son you've gone up he bows down he lies down as a lion and as a lion who shall rouse him the scepter That would be the symbol that a king possesses. The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh comes and to him shall be the obedience of the people, the nations. Judah. A ruler would come from Judah. He is also that coming prophet. That coming prophet. Deuteronomy chapter 18. He possesses all the offices that were in the Old Testament. The prophet, the priest, and the king. And this is one of those fulfillments. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 18. Verse 15, The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like Me, referring to Himself, Moses, from your midst. from your brethren him you shall hear not only pay attention to and listen to but to obey him you are to listen to him but but notice the understanding of this prophecy in John chapter 6 John chapter 6 verse 14 Jesus had just performed one of the most monumental miracles that he had done during his ministry, and that is the feeding of the 5,000. Plus wives, plus children. Could be anywhere up to 15,000 people, maybe even more depending on all of the contingencies being there. coming prophet he would be like Moses. Verse 13 tells us, "...therefore they gathered them up, that is, the leftovers, filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, This is truly the prophet who is to come into the world." Understood that. And the other stood who, you know, nobody could do this. Nobody could speak like he could speak. He is that prophet. So Moses, after the exodus, giving of the law here, refers to one who is coming. And He is going to be like I am, a spokesman on the behalf of God. He will speak to you the Word of God. Jesus said in the Gospel of John, what the Father tells me, that I speak. So He speaks truth to the people, never spoke in error. That's amazing in and of itself. We're constantly having to restate ourselves and we misuse words and so forth, not with Jesus. There was not a wasted syllable that came from his mouth because what he spoke was truth and inherent. Another point I move on and hasten on is that he's David's son. And that is clearly an important element to who is this son. So it narrows down to Jacob. and from whom the scepter would not depart. But then even in the tribe of Judah, it narrows down to one personality and to his father. And I think point number six and point number five go together because Jesse is David's father. We'll get to that momentarily. But David's son, Jesus had an interesting encounter in the week of his death, and that's found, for our purposes, in Luke chapter 20. Luke chapter 20. Look with me there. Luke chapter 20. Verses 41 through 44. After they thought that they would catch him in his words, he speaks back to them and catches them in a conundrum. And he said to them, how can they say that Messiah is David's son? Now David himself said in the book of Psalms, this is Psalm 110, one of the most important Psalms written in the Psalter, If in my study of this I am correct, it is one psalm that is referred to more than any other psalm in the New Testament, Psalm 110. That's how prophetically significant it is. The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. Now the my there is David. The Lord said to my Lord. Yahweh said this to my Lord, David's Lord. Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. David therefore calls him Lord. How then is he his son? Moises is a son, humanly speaking, but he's not his son As it's delineated to us in Proverbs chapter 30, who is his son? He's David's Lord. He was the one instrumental in making this universe. He was the logos who spoke it into existence. But again, we're reminded in this connection, point number six, of the family of Jesse, and we turn back to Isaiah, the prophet Isaiah, chapter 11. And the context for sake of understanding, and I share with this one of teachers back at seminary in the day when I was there. He says, the Lord would cut down the forest and the mighty trees. This is seen in chapter 10, verses 33. And 34. So that context is leading into this. That is, foreign soldiers and leaders, he says, but God's kingdom will arise by a shoot coming from the stump of Jesse. There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse. A branch shall grow out of his roots. And the way that I saw this developed by one commentator is that basically after the S exile, when both the Northern Kingdom was taken into captivity and slaved by the Assyrians, yes, some came back, but it became a mixed race, and it diminished the hope of Israel with a half-breed race, the Samaritans. And then Judah and Benjamin, the southern kingdom, were taken into captivity, Babylonian captivity, and they were brought back. And the dynasty, the monarchy, basically died at that point. And I'm using that figuratively. Its influence, its power. Its presence was gone for all intents and purposes. And so it develops along. And although there were messianic expectations, and we see that in Simeon, we see that in Anna, and no doubt in John the Baptist and others who had this messianic expectation. But for all intents and purposes, the nation of Israel in that kingly line was a stump. A tree would never grow out of it again. But God in His providence, from Jesse, David's father, raises up a branch. And that would be David. But more importantly, David's son. There came forth a rod from the stem of Jesse, a branch shall grow up out of his root." In other words, there was something life-giving still in the roots, similar to that stump in Daniel chapter 4, when Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom was cut, and his power and authority had diminished significantly. And you remember, God pronounced a judgment on him, and he was in a period of insanity for seven times, or seven years, and he was restored, and his kingdom was restored to it, but not to the glory that it once had. I can remember when we were in Hillsboro, that there was a stump in the front of our house. I know it was on the side of the house, but the only thing that would grow out of it were tweaked. Nothing significant, nothing grandiose, like a glorious oak or elm tree. Or my favorite, the pecan tree. I'm just being facetious. We had a pecan tree down in Hillsboro. My wife made many pecan pies for me. But when it's cut down to a stump, it can never reinvigorate, but not so with this stuff. And the reason is, is because this branch that comes out of Jesse shall grow out of his roots, and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, and the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord, his delight is in the fear of Yahweh. He shall not judge by the sight of his eyes, nor decide by the hearing of his ears. What it's talking about is the ultimate manifestation of his kingdom. But it all comes back from bringing life out of the line of David and mentioning his father first and foremost. This Messiah, this Christ would come and bear fruit. And lastly, and not exhaustibly, unless you're exhausted, I'll quit. No, I'm serious. Born in Bethlehem, and that's Micah 5.2. The prophet Micah. A significant prophecy that is obviously referred to when Messiah was born and the Magi come and visit him to bring gifts and worship him. They're looking for him. And they come to Herod and his palace and This dialogue ensues from it, you know, that they're interested in he who would be born king of the Jews. Well, Herod was king of the Jews. That's not going to happen. Not if he can help it. And so they said, well, go find where he is, come back, tell me where it is, and, you know, we can all have a good time over that. No, he perceived it as a threat. But it wasn't a threat. to Herod per se. He didn't want someone undermining him. But the prophet writes, Be thou Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unto me, that is to be ruler of Israel, whose going forth has been from old, from everlasting. And that is fulfilled in Luke 2 verse 4. Joseph went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea. Why? Because an edict had been given that they would be taxed and they had to go to their place, their home of origin. How would Joseph and Mary get from where they live up in Nazareth down there? They were forced to. The IRS wanted their money. They wanted the record of these citizens. And so, he goes up out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, into the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David. And she brought forth her firstborn, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. All of this in relative obscurity. The shepherds were announced or given an announcement. They go and worship him. He was born of a virgin. That's a fulfillment of Isaiah 7.14. The Messiah would be in Egypt for a season. That's seen in fulfillment in Matthew 2, verses 14 and 15. You know, all of this doesn't just appear on the records of the annals of Scripture as some contrivance of delusional authors in Scripture. These men were students of Scripture. We saw that in Peter. These people, these prophets, searched out the prophecies that they were giving, announcing This salvation, the one who would bring deliverance to come, lo and behold, he came. He's here. He's made His mark in history. Amen? He's made His mark. And He has all the credentials to verify who He is. And I've not gone into the, you know, there's a dispute as to how many prophecies Jesus fulfilled in His life and ministry. I was curious, how many Old Testament passages are quoted in the New Testament? Well, there's not exact harmony. One said around 250, another said 300, another 283. I guess it depends on how you look at certain passages. But the Old Testament was the book of the first century, basically, as the scriptures, the New Testament was being recorded. But yet the writers of the New Testament allude and refer back to this book constantly, which would have been the Old Testament Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. That's what they quoted from. Time and time again, to prove that Christ is who He said He is. He's not a fable. He's not a myth. He's the real deal. My friend Roger, he would get so upset with people who deny the historicity of this book. This is history! I've often argued, how has Christianity benefited if this is just a book of fables? Because I hear people use that, especially in the secular arena. Oh, it's just a book full of fables and myths and stories. No, it's not. It's history. It's God's history of redemption culminating in the birth of Christ and in His death and resurrection and will be culminated in the ages to come when He comes back and judges this earth and enters into eternal glory and we with Him. I like what, and I'll not go into detail in this illustration, but the point he's making is the Trinity, that is Father, Son, and Spirit, work together for our rescue. They work together, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The coming of Christ into this earth is not just to celebrate a cute little child. It's to celebrate one who's given the name Jesus who will save his people from their sins. He's coming as a Redeemer, but he did come to his own, but his own received him not. They rejected him. The builders rejected the cornerstone. We'll see that in Peter next week when we get back online again with our study of 1 Peter. They rejected him. They spurned him. But that was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 51. 53.1, who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? They rejected Him as the coming Messiah. I want to ask you this morning, if you're not a believer in Jesus Christ, You say, well, I'm just thinking about it right now. No, you're rejecting it. Let's just put all of everything on the table. You're rejecting Messiah, who has proven Himself with everything that is necessary for proof. We don't need to add to it. We don't need to have prophecies today. The Scriptures are sufficient in and of themselves. So my question to you at this time, during this holiday season, you're celebrating the birth of Messiah. His conception, his birth, his life. You're celebrating that event, his advent, which is composed of many parts, but the birth initiates it. You're celebrating that, and you're spurning. You diss him. You reject him. How sad. How sad. To be part of a group of people, a person, yourself. Because you will be accountable. You'll be accountable to this person someday, because all judgment's committed to his end, and you'll appear before him. And the next time he comes, his next advent, it's not going to be lowly. It's not going to be like a little child. He's coming then as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And I am the firm conviction it's not too far on the horizon. He's coming again. Are you ready? Because if you miss that, you're going to go into one of the most horrendous periods in human history that the world has never or ever known. Know him now. Know him now. Don't die in your sins. For you see, the governor's son, the Lord of Heaven, the Father, the governor's son is none other than the prophesied Messiah. That is who he is. Trust him. Know him today. Let's sing a closing song.