WEBVTT
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This program is made
possible by the giving
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of the God called partners
of Renner Ministries.
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Get ready for a teaching
that feeds your spirit
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and your mind, where the word is the anchor in
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uncertain times
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and doctrine doesn't bend to culture.
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We keep it simple,
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but dive deep revealing a
truth that strengthens us,
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a love that emboldens,
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and a mission that touches the
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world. Let's join
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Rick Renner.
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Hey, this is Rick Renner
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and I wanna welcome
you to today's program.
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Today we're gonna continue
our series called Christmas,
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The Rest of the Story.
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And on the screen behind me is
illustrated shepherds looking
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up into the sky at a
multitude of a heavenly host.
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Yesterday we saw
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that one singular angel
appeared in dazzling glory.
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Glory so heavy that it knocked
the shepherds to the ground.
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The shepherds suddenly
found themselves in a beam
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of concentrated light.
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And looking up, the angel began to give to them a message
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that Christ had been born nearby in Bethlehem.
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But then suddenly with the
angel there was a multitude
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of a heavenly host.
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What does that mean - A multitude of a heavenly host?
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That's what we're going to discuss today,
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and I think you're going
to be quite surprised at
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what you're going to learn.
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But I'm offering you my brand new series,
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which is called Christmas,
The Rest of the Story.
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It's 15-parts, comes in multiple formats,
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and the subtitle says,
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Amazing Insights about Christmas you've never heard before
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and I really mean that.
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And it comes with a terrific study guide
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that you can use while
you see it or hear it.
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And we're also offering
you the hardbound book
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by the same title, Christmas,
The Rest of the Story.
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What an amazing gift to give
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to somebody at this time of the year.
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It's nearly 300 pages.
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Every page is fully
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When you get this, it will
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And what you read in this
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So please order one for yourself
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or maybe order two so you can
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But hey, I want you to watch this
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and then I'll be back
to continue the program
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In a culture where Santa
seems to overpower the reason
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for the season, it's time to
return to the true meaning
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of Christmas in Rick Renner's
timeless new book, Christmas.
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The Rest of the Story, Rick
uncovers the stunning details
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of the Nativity Story
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you have never heard. Details like -
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Who exactly was Joseph the father of Jesus?
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Why did God choose Mary? What was the star
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that guided the wise men?
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Who were the wise men
who came to see Jesus?
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How far did they travel
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and what was the value of the
gifts they brought to Christ?
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Through its detailed watercolor illustration, Christmas,
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The Rest of the Story, invites families
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to explore the true meaning
of Christmas as they interact
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with the story across
decorated pages in a coffee
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table size format.
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When you call or go online
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for just $45, you'll receive the eternal story of Christmas.
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Now, beautifully told in
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this is a sweeping portrait
of the Christmas story,
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allowing readers to reflect
on why Jesus came at the dawn
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of the 1st Century and ultimately the
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reason for his birth.
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With stunning illustrations,
in nearly 300 pages,
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your family can create a
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for generations.
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Great as a gift for enhancing
your own traditions,
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order the book today, Christmas, The Rest of the Story
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for just $45.
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Call now or go to renner.org to order.
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Don't miss this special Christmas offer.
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As I told you on the
night that Jesus was born,
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a singular powerful angel
appeared in the glory of God,
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a glory so heavy that it caused the shepherds to collapse.
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And suddenly the shepherds
laying on their back found
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themself encased in a
concentrated beam of light.
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It wasn't a light that light
up the entire countryside,
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but they found themselves in a direct beam
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of concentrated light.
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And looking up into that
beam, they saw an angel
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who announced that Christ had been born.
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But then in Luke 2:13 and 14, we read
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And suddenly - suddenly - there was with the angel.
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So until this moment,
there was just one angel,
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but then suddenly there was
with the angel, a multitude
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of the heavenly host and
what were they doing?
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Praising God and saying,
Glory to God in the highest
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and on Earth, peace, goodwill toward men.
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But notice it says - suddenly - this was a sudden moment.
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The word suddenly in the
original language means
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unexpectedly.
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Suddenly - it depicts something that takes one off guard.
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And by surprise suddenly
taking them off guard
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by surprise in an unexpected
way, there appeared
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with the angel, a multitude
of the heavenly host.
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So now it's not just a
singular angel who's speaking
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to them, but now the skies
are filled with a multitude
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of a heavenly host.
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How many were in the sky? A multitude.
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The word multitude is a Greek
word which depict something
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that is colossal, enormous, huge, immense.
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It depicts a massive number.
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And notice it was a multitude
of the heavenly host
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and the word host is a Greek
word which depicts an army.
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So this was an assembly
of warring, angelic soldiers.
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How many were there? The
number was simply immense.
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It was colossal. As far as their eyes could see,
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the sky was filled with a multitude
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of a heavenly hosts - warring angels
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who suddenly appeared.
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And because the entire
phrase says a multitude
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of the heavenly hosts, it means
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that suddenly the
shepherd's eyes were opened
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and they saw overhead, a colossal, enormous, huge, immense,
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massive number of warring angels from Heaven:
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that is heavenly angels that were dressed like soldiers
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who suddenly joined the singular angel.
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I just want you to stop for a moment
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and imagine what the shepherd saw that night.
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1st: they were dazed by a beam of light
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as the first angel appeared,
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they fell under the weighty
presence of God's glory.
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2nd: that singular angel began to announce
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that Christ had been
born in nearby Bethlehem.
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And 3rd, suddenly an incalculable number
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of warring angels fills the sky overhead.
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This already is quite an event,
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and these angels were not
dressed in gleaming robes like
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most would imagine,
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but they were dressed like a mighty army.
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They literally were the armies of Heaven.
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But why did a massive army
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of warring angels show up
in this particular moment?
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And the answer is found in 1 Timothy 3:
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16, where the apostle Paul describes the incarnation
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or the moment when Jesus was born.
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Listen to what he writes -
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God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit -
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now look at this phrase - seen of angels,
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preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world
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and received up into glory.
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But notice this phrase - seen of angels.
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Why is that so important?
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Well, we have to go back to the Old Testament
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and we read in Exodus 33:20,
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that no man can see God's face and live
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because the glory of God
is simply so powerful,
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no flesh can endure it and survive.
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That is why later God put Moses in a cleft
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of the rocking covered him with his hand,
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and when God passed
by, he removed his hand
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so Moses could see his back parts,
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but Moses could not look
directly into the face of God
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because no flesh could see
the face of God and survive.
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This is exactly why we read in Isaiah 6:
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2, that the angels in the presence of God cover their face
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with their wings
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because even angels in the presence
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of God cannot look directly
into the face of God.
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Just like a person would cover his eyes.....
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to protect his eyes from the
blinding light of the sun,
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these angels use their
wings to protect their eyes,
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to protect their sight from
looking directly into the
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glory of God.
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Even angels who live in the presence
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of God do not have the privilege
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of looking directly into his face.
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But Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 3:16,
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that when God was manifest in the flesh
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as Christ at Bethlehem, a multitude
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of the heavenly hoes showed up
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because for the first time
they could look at God
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in the face.
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Wow, it was the first time
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that angels could look
directly into the face of God.
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So they all showed up to look
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and to see what God's face looked like.
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And that is why in 1 Timothy 3:16,
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Paul writes - God was manifest in the flesh,
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justified in the spirit seen of angels.
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They all wanted to see the face of God.
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And this reminds me of 2 Corinthians 4:
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6, where Paul told us - For God
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who commanded the light to shine out
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of darkness has shined in
our hearts to give the light
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of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face
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of Jesus Christ.
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And when Jesus was born
for the first time ever,
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it was possible to see the
face of God in the face
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of Jesus Christ
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and in his birth as a babe at
Bethlehem, when he appeared
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as a human infant, the angels
came in massive numbers
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to witness him
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and to behold the face of
God for the very first time.
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In my friend in Christ,
we really can see the face
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of God. But notice that this incalculable number
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of warring angels were dressed
like heavenly soldiers.
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You say, why? Well, they were
dressed like heavenly soldiers
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because Jesus, even in his birth
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as an infant was Lord of all.
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And he was the commander in chief.
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And the commander in chief had
just begun the most important
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assignment that had ever been commenced.
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And now the angels came
dressed appropriately
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to salute their commander
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and to look into the face of
God for the very first time.
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And as heavenly troops, they
were appropriately dressed
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as heaven's armies to salute
their great commander in chief
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who was beginning his earthly
assignment when he entered the
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world in Bethlehem as a baby.
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Isn't that just amazing?
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And it's amazing to me that
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before his birth at Bethlehem,
angels covered their face.
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They couldn't look into the face of God,
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but now they were able to behold the face
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of God in Jesus Christ.
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This also reminds me of 2 Corinthians 3:
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17, which says - That we
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with unveiled faces can look into the very glory of God.
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That is one of the privileges of being born again.
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But in Luke 2:13
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and 14, it says that this massive multitude
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of heavenly angels were praising God
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and saying, glory to God in the highest
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and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.
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What does it mean when it
says they were praising God
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and saying? Well,
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the word praising in the original text means to extol,
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to exalt or
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to praise. The word saying, in
the original Greek text means
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to say and to say and to say.
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And the tense literally means - saying and saying and saying
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and saying or announcing and announcing
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and announcing whatever they
were saying they were saying
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and saying and saying it.
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They were announcing and announcing and announcing it over
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and over again.
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Almost like one choir,
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heaven's armies were simultaneously announcing again
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and again the birth of God in the flesh.
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Now, when you talk to
most people, they say
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00:13:13.420 --> 00:13:17.530
that the angels sang when
this announcement was made.
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00:13:17.530 --> 00:13:19.480
But if you look very closely at this text,
257
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it never says the angels
sang at Jesus' birth.
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I don't want to disappoint you,
259
00:13:24.490 --> 00:13:26.350
but let's be honest about the text.
260
00:13:26.350 --> 00:13:28.360
Maybe they did sing,
261
00:13:28.360 --> 00:13:32.020
but this passage does
not say the angels sang.
262
00:13:32.020 --> 00:13:34.180
It wouldn't surprise me if they did,
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00:13:34.180 --> 00:13:37.540
but there's not a single
verse anywhere in the Bible
264
00:13:37.540 --> 00:13:39.850
that says angels sing.
265
00:13:39.850 --> 00:13:41.320
I believe they do.
266
00:13:41.320 --> 00:13:43.390
But it's very difficult
to find a verse about that
267
00:13:43.390 --> 00:13:45.700
because there's not one in the Bible.
268
00:13:45.700 --> 00:13:47.230
There's a lot of singing that goes on.
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For example, in Zephaniah 3:17: we find
270
00:13:51.460 --> 00:13:54.490
that God sings over his people.
271
00:13:54.490 --> 00:13:56.530
In Revelation 5:9
272
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& 10, we read that the 24 Elders in Heaven sings songs
273
00:14:00.970 --> 00:14:02.920
to the Lamb of God.
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But if we're going to be honest
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with this passage in Luke 2:13 to 14,
276
00:14:08.170 --> 00:14:11.110
we have to say that there's
no mention in this verse
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that the angels ever sang when
they made this announcement.
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00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:18.760
But when you study scripture,
you discover the role
279
00:14:18.760 --> 00:14:21.430
of angels is to listen
280
00:14:21.430 --> 00:14:26.140
and to speak verbatim what God
has instructed them to speak
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00:14:26.140 --> 00:14:31.140
which means - angels are repeaters, they're repeaters,
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00:14:31.210 --> 00:14:34.570
and when they have delivered verbatim word for word
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00:14:34.570 --> 00:14:38.170
what they were told to
say, then they disappear.
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00:14:38.170 --> 00:14:40.000
One's an angel or a group
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00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:42.790
of angels has delivered
the exact message they were
286
00:14:42.790 --> 00:14:47.080
dispatched to speak exactly
as God told them to speak it,
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00:14:47.080 --> 00:14:50.780
they disappear as quickly as they appeared.
288
00:14:50.780 --> 00:14:52.220
Angels are
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00:14:52.220 --> 00:14:57.220
God sent, heavenly messengers who make word for word
290
00:14:57.590 --> 00:14:59.090
announcements.
291
00:14:59.090 --> 00:15:01.820
And there's no evidence anywhere in scripture
292
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that angels sing.
293
00:15:03.350 --> 00:15:06.530
Maybe they do, but the Bible does not tell us that.
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00:15:06.530 --> 00:15:10.850
But the Bible is full of illustrations of angels being sent
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00:15:10.850 --> 00:15:14.450
to repeat word for word
announcements from God.
296
00:15:14.450 --> 00:15:17.000
And I'm going to give you
some scriptural examples.
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00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:22.000
Luke 1:11-17, relates that an angel announced
298
00:15:22.070 --> 00:15:25.430
to Zacharias that his wife
would give birth to a son
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00:15:25.430 --> 00:15:27.305
who is called John the Baptist.
300
00:15:27.305 --> 00:15:31.310
Luke 1:26 - 23 states
301
00:15:31.310 --> 00:15:35.780
that Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to Mary.
302
00:15:35.780 --> 00:15:39.380
Luke 2:9-14 records that a multitude
303
00:15:39.380 --> 00:15:42.560
of heavenly angels announced the birth of Jesus
304
00:15:42.560 --> 00:15:44.935
to this particular group of shepherds.
305
00:15:44.935 --> 00:15:46.584
Three gospel accounts:
306
00:15:46.584 --> 00:15:50.930
Matthews 28:5-7, Mark 16:6-7,
307
00:15:50.930 --> 00:15:53.750
and Luke 24:5-7, testified
308
00:15:53.750 --> 00:15:57.500
that angels announced Jesus resurrection.
309
00:15:57.500 --> 00:16:00.050
Acts 1:11 says 2-angels appeared
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00:16:00.050 --> 00:16:03.110
to the apostles at the time of Jesus ascension
311
00:16:03.110 --> 00:16:06.680
and announced that he would
return in the same manner
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00:16:06.680 --> 00:16:08.210
as they had seen him go into heaven.
313
00:16:08.210 --> 00:16:12.920
And 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 foretells
314
00:16:12.920 --> 00:16:16.610
that the voice of the archangel will announce the moment
315
00:16:16.610 --> 00:16:19.160
when believers are to be raptured.
316
00:16:19.160 --> 00:16:21.620
And the book of Revelation is filled
317
00:16:21.620 --> 00:16:24.260
with angelic announcements
318
00:16:24.260 --> 00:16:26.360
that initiate judgments upon the earth
319
00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:28.820
and its unbelieving inhabitants.
320
00:16:28.820 --> 00:16:33.320
And now here in Luke 2:13-14, we see
321
00:16:33.320 --> 00:16:35.420
that this massive multitude
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00:16:35.420 --> 00:16:40.420
of heavenly angels were praising God and saying:
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00:16:40.550 --> 00:16:43.216
and the original text says they were saying and saying
324
00:16:43.216 --> 00:16:44.049
and saying
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00:16:44.049 --> 00:16:47.300
and announcing and
announcing and announcing.
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00:16:47.300 --> 00:16:51.350
And in typical fashion of angels, Luke 2:15 tells us
327
00:16:51.350 --> 00:16:53.210
that once they had delivered their word
328
00:16:53.210 --> 00:16:58.210
for word announcement, then
the angels disappeared.
329
00:16:58.370 --> 00:17:02.060
Luke 2:15-16 says,
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00:17:03.410 --> 00:17:05.330
The shepherds then said one to another,
331
00:17:05.330 --> 00:17:07.640
this is after the angels had disappeared.
332
00:17:07.640 --> 00:17:10.165
Now imagine, these shepherds have been
333
00:17:10.165 --> 00:17:11.639
in a concentrated beam
334
00:17:11.639 --> 00:17:15.380
of light first listening to
the announcement of one angel.
335
00:17:15.380 --> 00:17:18.080
Then suddenly with that
angel was a multitude
336
00:17:18.080 --> 00:17:19.250
of the heavenly hosts.
337
00:17:19.250 --> 00:17:21.230
The eyes were open for these shepherds.
338
00:17:21.230 --> 00:17:23.570
They saw the entire heavenly realm filled
339
00:17:23.570 --> 00:17:27.590
with colossal numbers of
angels, dressed like soldiers
340
00:17:27.590 --> 00:17:29.690
who had come to salute
their commander in chief
341
00:17:29.690 --> 00:17:31.340
and to look into the face of God.
342
00:17:31.340 --> 00:17:33.650
And then suddenly when
the angels were finished,
343
00:17:33.650 --> 00:17:34.850
they disappeared,
344
00:17:34.850 --> 00:17:39.350
and then the shepherds found
themselves again in darkness in
345
00:17:39.350 --> 00:17:41.630
the pasture of the shepherd's field.
346
00:17:41.630 --> 00:17:44.210
This leads us again to Luke 2:15
347
00:17:44.210 --> 00:17:47.120
& 16 where the shepherds said to one another -
348
00:17:47.120 --> 00:17:50.070
Let us go now even unto Bethlehem
349
00:17:50.070 --> 00:17:52.680
and see this thing which has come to pass,
350
00:17:52.680 --> 00:17:55.350
which the Lord hath made known unto us.
351
00:17:55.350 --> 00:17:59.760
And they came with haste
and found Mary and Joseph
352
00:17:59.760 --> 00:18:04.020
and the babe lying in a manger: Wow.
353
00:18:04.020 --> 00:18:06.270
But notice the Bible says
they came with haste,
354
00:18:06.270 --> 00:18:09.660
which means they wasted
no time to go looking
355
00:18:09.660 --> 00:18:12.990
for the Messiah who had just been born.
356
00:18:12.990 --> 00:18:16.080
And remember that in Luke 2:12,
357
00:18:16.080 --> 00:18:19.260
which we saw in the previous
program, the angel had said,
358
00:18:19.260 --> 00:18:22.140
this shall be a sign unto you.
359
00:18:22.140 --> 00:18:26.490
You shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes
360
00:18:26.490 --> 00:18:28.230
and lying in a manger.
361
00:18:28.230 --> 00:18:32.280
And with this information fresh in their hearts, they moved
362
00:18:32.280 --> 00:18:36.420
with haste to find the newborn lamb of God.
363
00:18:36.420 --> 00:18:40.350
The word haste means to move as quickly as possible.
364
00:18:40.350 --> 00:18:44.190
They didn't waste a second. They moved as fast as they could
365
00:18:44.190 --> 00:18:47.370
to find the real lamb of God.
366
00:18:47.370 --> 00:18:49.770
And when you come to Luke 2:17
367
00:18:49.770 --> 00:18:52.260
& 18, it tells us -
368
00:18:52.260 --> 00:18:54.420
And when they had seen it,
369
00:18:54.420 --> 00:18:58.620
they made known abroad the
saying which was told them the
370
00:18:58.620 --> 00:19:02.550
announcement which was told
them concerning this child.
371
00:19:02.550 --> 00:19:03.600
And all they
372
00:19:03.600 --> 00:19:07.800
that heard it wondered at those things which were told them
373
00:19:07.800 --> 00:19:09.630
by the shepherds.
374
00:19:09.630 --> 00:19:13.140
And now we find that the
shepherds were the first
375
00:19:13.140 --> 00:19:14.580
evangelists.
376
00:19:14.580 --> 00:19:17.070
The shepherds carried the good news
377
00:19:17.070 --> 00:19:20.460
that the Messiah had been
born as the lamb of God
378
00:19:20.460 --> 00:19:23.130
to take away the sins of the world.
379
00:19:23.130 --> 00:19:25.890
And the verse specifically says - When they had seen it,
380
00:19:25.890 --> 00:19:28.830
they made known abroad - they told as many
381
00:19:28.830 --> 00:19:33.030
as possible the saying, the announcement which was told them
382
00:19:33.030 --> 00:19:34.470
concerning the child.
383
00:19:34.470 --> 00:19:36.690
And when all they
384
00:19:36.690 --> 00:19:40.800
that heard it wandered at those things which were told them
385
00:19:40.800 --> 00:19:45.000
by the shepherds, why did they wonder at
386
00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:47.490
what they heard from the shepherds?
387
00:19:47.490 --> 00:19:48.960
Well, you have to remember
388
00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:51.990
that these were shepherds under rabbinical care
389
00:19:51.990 --> 00:19:53.700
who knew what they were doing.
390
00:19:53.700 --> 00:19:57.900
Their assignment was to take care of little lambs being born
391
00:19:57.900 --> 00:20:01.410
to be offered eventually as
sacrifices at the temple.
392
00:20:01.410 --> 00:20:04.350
The word wondered, which
describes the response
393
00:20:04.350 --> 00:20:08.790
of the listeners, means to be
amazed, astonished, astounded,
394
00:20:08.790 --> 00:20:11.850
baffled, bewildered,
confounded, dumbfounded,
395
00:20:11.850 --> 00:20:16.590
flabbergasted at a loss of
words, shocked or stunned.
396
00:20:16.590 --> 00:20:20.850
You see, the listeners knew
these were no mere shepherds.
397
00:20:20.850 --> 00:20:23.790
These were shepherds under rabbinical care
398
00:20:23.790 --> 00:20:27.840
with a sacred assignment of
watching over sheep to be used
399
00:20:27.840 --> 00:20:31.625
as sacrifices at the
temple in nearby Jerusalem.
400
00:20:31.625 --> 00:20:34.410
These were not nimble minded shepherds.
401
00:20:34.410 --> 00:20:37.020
These were very intelligent,
trained shepherds
402
00:20:37.020 --> 00:20:38.250
who knew what they were doing.
403
00:20:38.250 --> 00:20:42.360
And when they collectively said, we have found the real lamb
404
00:20:42.360 --> 00:20:44.400
of God, and when we found him,
405
00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:49.300
he was wrapped in swaddling
clothes, just a newborn lamb.
406
00:20:49.300 --> 00:20:54.010
It left the hearers dumbfounded. If that's what this group
407
00:20:54.010 --> 00:20:55.360
of shepherds had to say,
408
00:20:55.360 --> 00:20:59.710
well, they took this as a very serious announcement.
409
00:20:59.710 --> 00:21:03.070
And the Bible tells us in Luke 2:19,
410
00:21:03.070 --> 00:21:06.430
but Mary kept all these things
411
00:21:06.430 --> 00:21:09.160
and pondered them in her heart.
412
00:21:09.160 --> 00:21:13.360
That word kept, in the original text means to treasure,
413
00:21:13.360 --> 00:21:15.340
to keep from corruption
414
00:21:15.340 --> 00:21:19.390
and to keep a priceless possession.
415
00:21:19.390 --> 00:21:21.940
The word pondered means
to keep imperfect order
416
00:21:21.940 --> 00:21:24.580
or to keep an internal
journal of these events,
417
00:21:24.580 --> 00:21:27.580
which means Mary understood
something special was really
418
00:21:27.580 --> 00:21:30.760
taking place and to the best that she could,
419
00:21:30.760 --> 00:21:34.360
she kept all of these memories in an uncorrupted form.
420
00:21:34.360 --> 00:21:36.850
She kept them chronologically in order.
421
00:21:36.850 --> 00:21:39.610
And later in her life when she
was living in Ephesus under
422
00:21:39.610 --> 00:21:43.900
the care of the Apostle John, she was visited by apostles
423
00:21:43.900 --> 00:21:46.630
who wrote the gospels, and they interviewed her
424
00:21:46.630 --> 00:21:49.270
and asked her about all of these events.
425
00:21:49.270 --> 00:21:52.900
And because Mary had kept them in her heart,
426
00:21:52.900 --> 00:21:55.270
because she had so treasured them in her heart
427
00:21:55.270 --> 00:21:57.970
and kept them in correct order, she was able
428
00:21:57.970 --> 00:21:59.830
to tell the whole story.
429
00:21:59.830 --> 00:22:03.070
And because Mary kept these
things in her heart in perfect
430
00:22:03.070 --> 00:22:06.040
order, that's why we know the story today.
431
00:22:06.040 --> 00:22:09.970
But I want to ask you - Do you treasure the things
432
00:22:09.970 --> 00:22:12.820
that God has done in your life?
433
00:22:12.820 --> 00:22:16.150
Do you keep them as uncorrupted memories
434
00:22:16.150 --> 00:22:19.540
so you can share those
experiences with other?
435
00:22:19.540 --> 00:22:21.460
We're told in scripture that we are
436
00:22:21.460 --> 00:22:26.200
to never forget the works
of the Lord, so do your best
437
00:22:26.200 --> 00:22:30.730
to remember them, to keep them
so that you can share them
438
00:22:30.730 --> 00:22:34.540
with others. But that is who a multitude
439
00:22:34.540 --> 00:22:37.360
of the heavenly host were.
440
00:22:37.360 --> 00:22:39.040
It was Heaven's armies coming
441
00:22:39.040 --> 00:22:40.540
to salute the commander in chief
442
00:22:40.540 --> 00:22:42.460
who had just started his earthly assignment,
443
00:22:42.460 --> 00:22:44.200
and they all came
444
00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:46.300
because for the very first time,
445
00:22:46.300 --> 00:22:50.380
they could look into the face of God in the face
446
00:22:50.380 --> 00:22:52.420
of Jesus Christ.
447
00:22:52.420 --> 00:22:54.970
I'll be back in just a moment,
and I want to pray for you.
448
00:23:02.950 --> 00:23:04.570
Someone asked the question -
449
00:23:04.570 --> 00:23:06.820
What is the great cloud of witnesses?
450
00:23:06.820 --> 00:23:10.390
Well, they are referenced in Hebrews 12:1,
451
00:23:10.390 --> 00:23:14.350
which says, Wherefore seeing we are also compassed about
452
00:23:14.350 --> 00:23:16.870
with so great a cloud of witnesses,
453
00:23:16.870 --> 00:23:19.420
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does
454
00:23:19.420 --> 00:23:20.560
so easily beset us
455
00:23:20.560 --> 00:23:24.130
and run with patience the
race that is set before us.
456
00:23:24.130 --> 00:23:25.690
This verse has nothing to do
457
00:23:25.690 --> 00:23:28.360
with clouds like you
would think about clouds,
458
00:23:28.360 --> 00:23:31.240
but in the ancient world,
if you went to the coliseum
459
00:23:31.240 --> 00:23:33.160
or if you went to some kind of a game
460
00:23:33.160 --> 00:23:36.460
and you were late, the last
seats that were available
461
00:23:36.460 --> 00:23:39.670
to buy were in the very,
very top of the stands.
462
00:23:39.670 --> 00:23:41.770
And if you bought a seat,
you would say, I would like
463
00:23:41.770 --> 00:23:44.050
to buy a seat in the clouds.
464
00:23:44.050 --> 00:23:46.280
Those seats called the clouds.
465
00:23:46.280 --> 00:23:49.280
Well, if you look at this
verse, it says, it's our time
466
00:23:49.280 --> 00:23:52.220
to run, which means now
we are the ones called
467
00:23:52.220 --> 00:23:53.600
by God to run the race.
468
00:23:53.600 --> 00:23:55.340
But if we look up,
469
00:23:55.340 --> 00:23:58.040
the stadium is filled from
the bottom all the way
470
00:23:58.040 --> 00:24:00.290
to the top, seats in
the clouds with people
471
00:24:00.290 --> 00:24:02.270
that have run their race of faith,
472
00:24:02.270 --> 00:24:04.310
and they're cheering us on.
473
00:24:04.310 --> 00:24:07.340
That is what is a great cloud
474
00:24:07.340 --> 00:24:10.100
of witnesses. This week,
475
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00:24:30.440 --> 00:24:32.780
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00:24:36.800 --> 00:24:39.290
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00:24:39.290 --> 00:24:42.560
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00:24:42.560 --> 00:24:45.710
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492
00:24:53.270 --> 00:24:55.790
that took place surrounding
the birth of Jesus.
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00:24:55.790 --> 00:24:59.030
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Why did God choose Mary?
494
00:24:59.030 --> 00:25:00.950
Was Joseph really a carpenter?
495
00:25:00.950 --> 00:25:03.920
Why was Herod so troubled
by Jesus's birth?
496
00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:05.270
Who were the Magi
497
00:25:05.270 --> 00:25:07.970
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Call the number on your screen now
510
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or go to renner.org to order.
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00:25:41.870 --> 00:25:43.370
Call or go online now.
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00:25:47.660 --> 00:25:49.640
Well, we have covered
a lot of material today.
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00:25:49.640 --> 00:25:53.030
We've seen what was a
multitude of a heavenly hosts.
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00:25:53.030 --> 00:25:56.690
Tomorrow we're gonna study
Jesus baby dedication in the
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00:25:56.690 --> 00:26:00.800
temple and what the Bible
says about baby dedications.
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00:26:00.800 --> 00:26:03.800
I believe it's going to be very insightful,
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00:26:03.800 --> 00:26:05.840
but we're offering you my brand new series,
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00:26:05.840 --> 00:26:08.750
which is called Christmas, The Rest of the Story.
519
00:26:08.750 --> 00:26:12.380
It's 15 parts and it comes in all kinds of formats.
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00:26:12.380 --> 00:26:13.760
The subtitle says,
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00:26:13.760 --> 00:26:18.230
Amazing Insights about Christmas you've never heard before,
522
00:26:18.230 --> 00:26:20.870
and this series comes with a study guide.
523
00:26:20.870 --> 00:26:23.270
So you can read all of these
things while you're seeing
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00:26:23.270 --> 00:26:24.650
it or hearing it.
525
00:26:24.650 --> 00:26:26.930
And right now we're also
offering you my book
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00:26:26.930 --> 00:26:29.660
by the same title, which is
called Christmas, The Rest
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00:26:29.660 --> 00:26:32.810
of the Story: It's a hard back, about 300 pages.
528
00:26:32.810 --> 00:26:36.530
Every single page is fully illustrated, full color,
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00:26:36.530 --> 00:26:39.200
and every page is filled with treasures,
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00:26:39.200 --> 00:26:42.170
new insights about the birth of Jesus.
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00:26:42.170 --> 00:26:44.700
When I was growing up, I heard
the same story every year,
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00:26:44.700 --> 00:26:48.120
and I loved it, but I
knew there had to be more.
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00:26:48.120 --> 00:26:49.320
And when I got older, I began
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00:26:49.320 --> 00:26:52.380
to dive deep into the scripture and dive deep into history.
535
00:26:52.380 --> 00:26:54.210
And the Holy Spirit showed me
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00:26:54.210 --> 00:26:57.600
so many things no one ever told me,
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00:26:57.600 --> 00:26:59.970
and that's why I called this, Christmas - The
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00:26:59.970 --> 00:27:01.320
Rest of the Story.
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00:27:01.320 --> 00:27:03.840
It is such a miraculous story.
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00:27:03.840 --> 00:27:07.290
You can order all of these
things by going online
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00:27:07.290 --> 00:27:08.340
or by giving us a call,
542
00:27:08.340 --> 00:27:11.100
and please, when you reach
out to us, let us know
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00:27:11.100 --> 00:27:12.690
how to pray for you.
544
00:27:12.690 --> 00:27:15.330
But Father, I thank you
right now for the privilege
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00:27:15.330 --> 00:27:19.260
that we can sit down together
to look at this amazing story.
546
00:27:19.260 --> 00:27:21.060
I thank you that it is not a fable,
547
00:27:21.060 --> 00:27:23.430
it's not a legend, it's not a fairytale,
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00:27:23.430 --> 00:27:25.800
this was something that only you could do.
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00:27:25.800 --> 00:27:27.390
It is so amazing,
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00:27:27.390 --> 00:27:31.200
and we thank you that you are
still writing amazing stories
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00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:32.460
for all of our lives.
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00:27:32.460 --> 00:27:34.440
We embrace what it is that you want
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00:27:34.440 --> 00:27:36.420
to do in each of our lives.
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00:27:36.420 --> 00:27:39.420
In Jesus' name - Amen.
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00:27:39.420 --> 00:27:42.540
I'll see you tomorrow, but remember Ecclesiastes 8:4,
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"Where the word of a king is there's power."
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00:27:46.470 --> 00:27:48.720
If you've never received
Jesus as your Savior
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00:27:48.720 --> 00:27:53.100
and Lord, now is the time for
you to experience a new life
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00:27:53.100 --> 00:27:55.260
Jesus has to give you.
560
00:27:55.260 --> 00:27:59.340
Pray this prayer with me right now - Lord,
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00:27:59.340 --> 00:28:03.360
I repent of my sin and receive you as my Savior
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00:28:03.360 --> 00:28:06.330
and Lord. Wash away my sin
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00:28:06.330 --> 00:28:09.330
and make me completely new.
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00:28:09.330 --> 00:28:13.140
I thank you that my sin is removed
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00:28:13.140 --> 00:28:18.140
and Satan no longer has any
right to lay claim on me.
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00:28:18.690 --> 00:28:22.680
I faithfully promise that
I will serve you as my Lord
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00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:24.360
for the rest of my life -
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00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:26.033
Amen.