Services/Sermon in Glendale 15.12.2019

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, let us begin this day of services in prayer and thanksgiving.

Dear Heavenly Father, we, your children, have come to this place this morning with prayerful hearts that from your word you would send comfort, your care, and your instruction for the endeavor. We, your children, are here in our time of Advent waiting for that promised return of your dear Son. And as we gather around your word and we gather around the message of Christmas in the coming days, may you give unto us times of reflection that we can above all rejoice that our name is heard amongst the flock of Zion here upon this earth, and that we have a testimony of a child of God in faith and in life.

Dear Heavenly Father, we leave it to you to open your word this morning. And if for some reason it would remain closed, we can even take comfort in singing those songs you have gifted unto us. Be with us for the edification and the building up of your congregation so that we can, in this time, hear and believe. And we pray, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

First of all, dear brothers and sisters, warm greetings of love and God's peace from your fellow escorts there in Phoenix where we were last weekend for their Advent services. It's so that we are, that proverbials don't throw away from each other, but yet life seems to get in the way of getting together. But so, dear brothers and sisters, you are remembered by them.

The thought for this Sunday, here as we are now in the third Advent Sunday before Christmas, has a theme for it, speaking of prepare the way for the King. And I thought to read a few verses of one who was sent to prepare the way for the coming Lord Jesus. One who was sent to prepare the way for his work and his ministry and ultimately for his redemption work for you and I.

And we read from the first chapter of John, beginning with the sixth verse. And we read the following words in Jesus' name as follows:

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. The same came for a witness to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into this world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him and cried, saying, This was he of whom I speak, that he cometh after me. He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me. And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. Amen.

Amen.

I, um, before you this morning, dear brothers and sisters, very empty. And ask, even for my, uh, heavy doubts in the beginning, can I believe? Amen. It's my desire to believe together with you. And, with the, uh, direction of the Spirit, may we ponder these red words of Holy Scripture. For they speak, dear brothers and sisters, of a beautiful matter. A matter that was promised in the beginning of time. A matter that brought and prophesied onto you and I of the means of redemption that you and I live under today.

That, there, there, in the beginning, God promised unto sin-fallen man, promised unto his creation, one who would come and redeem us from our corruption. One who would be the atonement for our sinfulness. But there was one whom was promised that would be set before Christ to prepare the way. So that everyone would know that this was indeed the fulfillment of that which was promised. The fulfillment of the promise to the Old Testament believers, the promise for us today, that Christ would come and in his shed blood, atonement would be made for sin.

There arose confusion as John the Baptist went around to speak of who was to come. Some thought that it was he, John, who was the one. But we remember later how John said that who is coming after me is preferred before me. Whose shoe latch it, I'm not worthy to unloose. Quite an exhortation. If you, brothers and sisters, looked to those beside you and pondered that am I, would I be worthy to untie your shoes? You'd say, I think I could do that. But such was the reverence that John the Baptist had toward our Lord and Savior.

And so he wished to communicate to those that were questioning under whose authority he was performing baptisms. It was this reverence that John wanted to give towards, to extend towards Christ that it was in his name that he was doing this work declaring of who would come. He was to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe. He spoke of that which was to come, who would be coming to minister unto them so that all men through him might believe, through him but not on him.

As the Apostle John so clearly wrote that John the Baptist was not that light but was merely sent to bear witness of it. That was the true light. Christ was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

What a clear message and promise where when one comes into and has been gifted life here upon this earth. The light of the Holy Spirit is already within them. And it isn't as some would speak or proclaim that one has to come into some level of knowledge or understanding and they choose if they are going to participate or continue in faith and then be baptized. But know that light, that light of heaven, that light of the Spirit is within and light of every man that cometh into this world.

This light then took on the form of man. This eternal light, this heavenly light, the brightness and the glory of the Father became flesh. He was in the world and the world was made by him. In the beginning there was this light as the story of creation tells us, is told us, this light is told to us that it was there before the creation of this world. And it made the world, but then the world knew him not.

He came on to his own as was promised, but they received him not. Isaiah writes of it, others do as well, that when the king of kings returns or comes as a redeemer, those to whom is promised, who is promised under the old covenant unto the Jewish nation was prophesied they would not comprehend whom was sent.

But so here John even also understood and it was given for him to understand that the message of God's kingdom would not be constrained to any particular lineage, but would be shed abroad and offered unto all hearts and that as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.

It is hard for my small measure of faith and understanding to comprehend even what this means, dear brothers and sisters, when we have been granted power to become the sons of God, God's children, you have been given the name of a child of God. God's name, and through the grace extended from our heavenly father to you and I, we have this name as a child of God.

And as John says, even to them that believe on his name, what name, dear brothers and sisters, do you believe upon? The name of Jesus. What is it that you believe, dear brothers and sisters, so simply contained in that exhortation, that message that you have heard from a little child in your home, the message you heard as a convert to God's kingdom, this timeless message of the gospel of the forgiveness of sins, that you can believe on his name, you can believe all sins and doubts forgiven in Jesus name and precious blood.

We which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God.

We heard last evening those of us fortunate to be able to attend the program there at the Phoenix Church where we heard the message of what was to come upon her. Of his will begat he us with the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruit of his creatures that through love of the heavenly father was sent this one to become flesh to experience the fullness of our sinfulness and our corruption but remain perfect and become an acceptable sacrifice for us.

To this thought that although he came to this world and bore a physical resemblance of you and I in many ways experienced the fullness of the nature of the endeavor but he was not of blood or didn't come from the will of the flesh or will of man but was sent in that immaculate conception by God and as it was spoken of here the word that was promised was made flesh dwelt among us beheld his glory the glory of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth.

It is in this fullness dear brothers and sisters that when we gaze at the manger and we gaze at the nativity scene we find our own smallness we marvel at the ways of God that in this way he sent a redeemer into this world they're born in a lowly stable amongst God's creation.

As we spoke there on the first Advent Sunday of how the king came in humility not a king not an entry which we even observe in Old Testament or how the birth of nobility was announced maybe even how we see in other lands or other countries today with great pomp and circumstance is the announcement made of the arrival and birth of royalty but no this king came in a most humble way and it is only through then the eyes of faith there be brothers and sisters that we can even begin to albeit dimly see the fullness of the nativity the fullness of what is there lying in the manger that amongst the animals of this stable there, dear brothers and sisters, is our salvation.

A message of foolishness to them who try to comprehend the mysteries of creation the mysteries of eternity through carnal minds but you dear brothers and sisters can see your redemption there in the manger the promised one who then was led to the cross of there in Calvary middle cross of Gethsemane and shed his blood for you and I and that today we hear from the father the redemption message of our son which today is made alive and sanctified through the voice of the spirit here in this congregation and we hear this full message of grace and truth.

And we're yet today left to be ambassadors small messenger boys and girls of that Christmas message that Christ has come that Easter message that he has risen and now here upon this earth dwells the voice of the heavenly father in his kingdom and you can come into the hearing of this clear message delivering unto sin fallen man the message of grace and truth contained dear brother and sister preciously in the gospel message the message that we need to be fed from daily because of the nature of our corruption.

And even this morning dear brothers and sisters perhaps you find it difficult to try to look at the manger when in your self you find an over abundance of great corruption love to reflect upon the given time in this season to reflect upon the great love which our heavenly father has extended unto you and I and who has given unto us the power to become the sons of God and believe upon his name.

Dear brothers and sisters remain endeavoring so that this gift of faith remains within you unto the end in Jesus name. Amen.

Let us close in benediction. The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us peace in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.