0:02 I must tell you I am not used to
0:06 preaching like this sitting down um I'm
0:08 not going to be roaming around much so
0:11 you'll be able to focus where we are and
0:14 um I want to take just a moment to tell
0:15 you that I didn't come
0:18 alone when people found out I was coming
0:21 to New York I got all kinds of
0:24 volunteers and uh first of all I want
0:26 you to meet uh the most wonderful person
0:28 in my life my wife Donna will you stand
0:39 and then I can't introduce everybody so
0:40 all you Shadow Mount people just stand
0:52 on you know we've been coming to we've
0:54 been coming to New York for years it's
0:56 it's like when covid came and we
0:58 couldn't come for Christmas it was like
1:00 Christmas wasn't right something was
1:02 wrong we we' just been coming here and
1:04 you know we've been we've done things at
1:07 the Beacon Theater and um we've had so
1:09 much fun doing it it's been kind of like
1:12 just part of our celebration well
1:14 several years back when we had our 25th
1:17 anniversary at Shadow Mountain the
1:19 wonderful people to that church wanted
1:20 to do something special for us and they
1:23 knew we love New York so their idea was
1:26 we'll give Dr Jeremiah and his family a
1:30 week in New York and we'll give them two
1:32 limousines to fly around in the city so
1:34 we got a black limousine and a white
1:37 limousine and when I when I first heard
1:38 about that I thought that was pretty
1:40 cool but that was kind of back when some
1:43 of the stories of the Evangelist were
1:45 going around and how much money they had
1:47 and how they were flaunting the money
1:49 and I got the thinking I don't know if I
1:51 want to go to New York and run around in
1:54 a limousine or not so we sort of prayed
1:56 Lord let us do it because the church
1:58 gave it to us and please don't let
2:00 anybody notice us [Applause]
2:01 [Applause]
2:03 you know it's kind of hard not to be
2:04 noticed when you're driving around in a
2:06 Black Limousine and a white limousine
2:09 but we made it through the whole week
2:12 and we were staying at the Marquee hotel
2:15 we came back after a long day and got in
2:17 the in the elevator which is if you've
2:18 ever been there the elevators are
2:21 strange because you have to dial them up
2:22 before you get in them there's no
2:24 buttons in the elevator so once you're
2:27 in you're in and uh we got on the
2:29 elevator and I noticed this guy was
2:31 looking at
2:33 me and I know that
2:36 look and I knew we were about to be
2:39 outed but it didn't turn out the way I
2:41 thought we got up close to where his
2:44 floor was and he said you look familiar
2:46 to me you look like David
2:49 Jeremiah I said well that's because who
2:51 I am we just got to his floor the door
2:53 open he walked out stuck his head back
2:56 in he said no you're
2:59 not so I don't know who he thought I was but
3:01 but
3:04 it's always been a joy to come here and
3:06 uh as some of you know if you if you
3:08 watch the television program that we do
3:09 we have been shooting some of our
3:12 special series uh from Columbus Circle
3:14 from the Jazz Center down there one of
3:16 the most beautiful sound stages you as
3:20 you know and uh this last June when we
3:23 came uh we sent out an email to the
3:26 people that here in the in the city that
3:27 that are a part of our Turning Point
3:30 family and a whole bunch of people from
3:34 this church came to that to that uh
3:36 shooting and uh I wasn't there very long
3:38 before the girls were coming up the
3:40 ladies especially telling me how great
3:42 their Pastor was and that I needed to
3:45 meet him and I said okay and so I
3:47 thought well you know maybe I better do
3:50 that so we got together and we had uh we
3:54 had lunch at uh at the Marriott and
3:56 friends I got to tell
3:58 you I don't think I've ever had an
4:00 experience quite like that
4:02 I don't know if you've ever met somebody
4:04 and as soon as you meet him you know
4:08 this guy is my kind of guy this guy is
4:16 with I went upstairs afterwards and I
4:18 told Don I met somebody really special
4:20 today he's he's a man after my own heart
4:24 he's a man who loves God and I kind of I
4:28 kind of put it in this way he loves God
4:30 he loves the word of God he loves the
4:33 people of God he loves his family and he
4:36 loves the gospel and he told me that day
4:38 that he was living to take a billion
4:40 people to heaven when he goes and I
4:48 goodness so during that time we sort of
4:50 put this together that we're doing
4:52 tonight I have to tell you what the
4:54 people from Shadow Mountain who've been
4:56 involved in this putting this together
4:58 have told me nothing but just wonderful
5:00 stories about about the leadership you
5:02 have in this church and there was such a
5:05 wonderful bonding between the
5:09 churches and uh but I had no idea I was
5:10 going to have this happen to me for
5:13 whatever it's worth on Labor Day I I
5:15 went to get out of bed and I couldn't
5:17 move my right leg and I found out later
5:20 I have a disease called transference
5:23 myelitis I'm getting over it it's
5:25 getting better and next time I see you
5:28 hopefully I'll be walking but um
5:30 um
5:34 I told my wife tonight in the last three
5:36 months I have been humbled so many times
5:38 and it's worrying me because the Bible
5:40 says if you won't humble yourself God
5:43 will humble you and I've been thinking
5:44 now have I not been humble enough but I
5:48 want to tell God enough is enough all right
5:50 right
5:53 anyway I am so blessed to be a friend of
5:56 your pastor Tim and Cindy are just
5:59 wonderful people right I'll tell you
6:01 what if I lived in New York I'd be here
6:03 I'd be and some of my some of my staff
6:06 came here on Sunday I got an email from
6:08 a security guard who's here tonight with
6:11 me and it said went to Times Square
6:14 Church Sunday morning amazing how about
6:15 that and that's the way everybody feels
6:18 when they come here and uh I want to say
6:21 to you all don't take this for granted I
6:23 know what goes on around the country
6:25 this is a dark world and there are not
6:27 many places that are pumping as much
6:29 light into the darkness as you guys are
6:36 it you you support this pastor and you
6:38 stand with him and you continue to do
6:41 what you're doing there's just a dozen
6:43 or so churches that I know of in this
6:45 country that really are doing what we're
6:48 doing what you're doing and we we better
6:51 be strong because the devil's coming
6:53 after us as you can tell the darkness is
6:55 getting darker here's what I've learned
6:58 and I then I'll get to preaching um
7:01 there is no such thing is Darkness
7:03 Darkness is only the term that is used
7:06 to describe the absence of light so you
7:08 know sometimes I know churches get into
7:11 the deal of cursing the darkness I can't
7:13 imagine why that would do any good let's
7:15 don't curse the darkness let's just pump
7:23 amen so I know
7:26 uh Michael helped us get going with
7:28 Christmas and so did Uriel and two of my wonderful
7:30 wonderful
7:33 Friends Christmas is a time to celebrate
7:35 I want to make a point about that
7:37 tonight and if you stop and think about
7:39 it isn't it interesting that in the whole
7:41 whole
7:45 world Christmas is celebrated everywhere
7:47 and half of the world doesn't even know
7:50 why they're celebrating isn't that true
7:52 I read this week that Americans will
7:56 spend $700 billion on Christmas this
7:58 year buying presents for everybody in
7:59 the world except for the the person
8:01 whose birthday they
8:04 celebrate kind of crazy isn't
8:06 it and they do it and they don't believe
8:09 it and Christmas is like any it's it's
8:11 not like any other celebration we have
8:14 it's really totally different for
8:16 instance we take one day to celebrate
8:18 the 4th of
8:21 July two days to celebrate
8:24 Easter Mother's Day and Father's Day are
8:25 one day
8:28 events but Christmas if you live in my
8:35 months we are decorated we are decorated
8:36 from top to the
8:39 bottom and Everywhere You Go these days
8:42 people are celebrating
8:45 Christmas if you find yourself in Mobile
8:47 Alabama this Christmas season head for
8:50 the city's Historic Park benville Square
8:52 in alapalooza a gathering of more than
8:55 1,000 Christmas elves young and old
8:58 alike turn out in green and red elf
8:59 attire to welcome the Christmas
9:03 Christmas season where do they get that
9:05 or if you're near Chandler Arizona this
9:08 is my favorite look for the 35t tall
9:11 tumble weed Christmas tree ever since
9:14 1957 the city has collected 1,200 tumble
9:17 weeds from the desert spray painted them
9:19 with white paint 20 gallons of flame
9:22 retardant add 65 pounds of glitter and
9:24 they put them into a giant Christmas
9:27 tree topped with a star a tumble weed
9:29 Christmas tree can you get it
9:32 in ler Louisiana on top of the levy that
9:35 borders the Mississippi River they use
9:37 fireworks and huge
9:40 bonfires and at Shadow Mountain where I
9:43 live we love to celebrate Christmas
9:45 people say Dr jeremi is a Christmas
9:49 junkie I guess I am we love to decorate
9:52 the campus in the Worship Center we host
9:54 parties when we get home Donna will have
9:57 a party for all the military wives and
9:59 we live in a military City they come
10:00 come to our home and we celebrate with
10:03 them many of them whose husbands are
10:05 deployed this is one of the great things
10:14 Ministry we also have an open house
10:17 which has way more people than we can
10:20 fit but they come and we celebrate we
10:24 sing together we uh last year I got
10:26 really upset because we had a wimpy
10:28 little old Christmas tree out on our
10:30 patio every time I saw it I was
10:32 embarrassed and I I said to the people
10:35 that do that for us get me a bigger tree
10:37 and they came in and said there aren't
10:39 any bigger trees except one that's 90 ft
10:43 tall I said well go get it and and and
10:45 it came in a it came in a semi in boxes
10:47 that they had to be put together and
10:49 we've had it now for the second year and
10:51 two weeks ago we had our Christmas tree
10:54 lighting ceremony I mean it is
10:56 unbelievable the the whole joy that
10:59 comes and the you know our guys some of
11:01 them are here tonight I'll tell on them
11:02 our tech people decided they wanted to
11:06 have a a a a in California they wanted
11:08 some snow so they put snow blowers up on
11:09 the buildings all around where the tree
11:12 was and then we got out there and it was
11:14 supposed to snow when the tree was lit
11:17 but what they didn't know was the thing
11:21 that triggered the snow thing was was on
11:24 Wi-Fi and there were so many people on
11:26 Wi-Fi to watch it that they burned up
11:29 all the broad and it couldn't work so
11:31 listen to this we had the tree lighting
11:32 and then when everybody left it snowed like
11:38 crazy and this last year uh two weeks
11:40 ago we had our second annual tree
11:42 lighting and a thousand more people came
11:44 than the than the year before just
11:47 because why do they do that everybody
11:49 wants to celebrate Christmas and this
11:50 year more than ever before the lights
11:53 are out earlier the songs are on the
11:56 radio earlier you know why we're so
11:57 filled with despair because of what's
12:00 happening in our world today Christmas
12:02 promises a little hope and even if they
12:04 don't understand what it's all about
12:06 people gravitate toward
12:08 Christmas and we're just really
12:10 following the tradition of the Bible
12:12 have you ever read The Narrative of the
12:15 Christmas story and seen how much
12:17 celebratory language is in it I mean
12:18 everywhere you look I'm going to give
12:20 you some examples so you can kind of
12:25 follow along with me Mary said my soul
12:27 magnifies the Lord and my spirit
12:30 rejoices in God My Savior for he has
12:32 regarded this lowly state of his maid
12:34 servant behold henceforth all
12:37 generations will call me blessed for he
12:39 who is mighty has done great things for
12:43 me and holy is his name that's
12:45 celebrating and
12:49 Zachariah Zachariah said blessed is the
12:51 Lord God of Israel for he has visited
12:53 and redeemed his people and has raised
12:56 up a horn of salvation for us in the
12:58 house of his servant David and you know
13:00 the Angels praised God and they said
13:04 glory to God in the highest and on Earth
13:06 peace Good Will toward men and the
13:08 Shepherds had a worship service and they
13:10 glorified and praised God for all the
13:12 things that he had they had heard and
13:15 seen then came the wise men they didn't
13:17 miss out on the celebration either
13:20 listen to their words as they came to
13:22 Worship the Lord Jesus
13:25 Christ when they saw the star they
13:27 rejoiced with exceeding great joy I love
13:29 that phrase have you done rejoicing with
13:32 it I heard you tonight you were joying
13:35 with exceeding great joy amen and then a
13:37 good thing that's a good that's a good
13:39 Bible term anybody get after you for
13:42 being full of joy you just tell them I'm
13:45 I'm doing what the Bible says I'm I'm
13:48 I'm full of exceeding great joy and they
13:50 saw the young child with Mary's mother
13:51 and they fell down and worshiped him and
13:53 when they had opened their Treasures
13:55 they presented gifts to him gold and
13:57 frankincense and
14:00 myrr I want you to think about Christmas
14:02 with me tonight as a celebration
14:05 celebrating the coming of Jesus Christ
14:08 to be our savior according to the Oxford
14:10 dictionary to celebrate means to
14:14 acknowledge a significant or happy day
14:17 an event with a social Gathering and
14:20 enjoyable activity to honor or praise
14:23 God publicly I want to set a tone
14:26 tonight for this
14:28 season and I want to give you three
14:32 reasons s why you should celebrate Christmas
14:34 Christmas
14:37 Christmas is the season when we
14:40 acknowledge that almighty God in heaven
14:43 dispatched his only begotten son to this
14:45 earth to be our
14:48 savior but the blessing goes way beyond
14:51 that let me suggest to you tonight that
14:53 we should celebrate the miracle of
14:55 Christmas the miracle of Christmas is
14:57 worth celebrating and you know what that
15:02 is just just a little phrase God like us
15:05 that's the miracle Matthew 2 says this
15:07 or not Matthew 2 let me get the other
15:09 scripture up here but the scripture
15:12 tells us in Hebrews that it was
15:15 necessary for for him to be made in
15:19 every respect like us I want you to wrap
15:21 your mind around that tonight when God
15:26 sent Jesus here he sent him here to be
15:30 like us his brothers and sisters so that
15:32 he could be merciful and faithful high
15:35 priest before God since he himself has
15:38 gone through suffering and testing he is
15:42 able to help us when we are being tested
15:44 Paul wrote to Timothy and he said it
15:47 this way without controversy great is
15:51 the mystery of godliness watch this God
15:53 manifested In the
15:56 Flesh John said it this way and the word
15:58 became flesh and dwelt among us and we
16:00 we beheld his glory the glory as of the
16:02 only begotten of the father full of
16:05 grace and truth in his letter to the
16:08 Philippians Paul included a little hymn
16:10 about our Lord's coming to Earth to be
16:13 one of us and listen to what this says
16:16 Christ being in the form of God did not
16:19 consider it robbery to be equal with God
16:22 but made himself of no reputation now
16:25 listen carefully taking the form of a
16:27 bonder servant and coming in the
16:31 likeness of men one of the great reasons
16:34 to celebrate Christmas is because God
16:37 loved us so much that he sent his son
16:41 Jesus here and Jesus became like us like
16:43 you and me like the person next to you
16:45 the person in front of you the person in
16:48 back of you he became flesh he became
16:51 human and when we find ourselves
16:53 immersed in the realities of Human
16:57 Experience Jesus knows exactly how we
17:00 feel the Bible ible says he was tested
17:03 in all points like as we are yet apart
17:05 from sin there's not anything you have
17:08 ever experienced or will experience in
17:11 your life as a human being that Jesus
17:15 does not understand Jesus Is God walking
17:18 around in a body and in that body he
17:20 experienced everything that it means to be
17:21 be
17:23 human I was thinking about this today
17:25 have you ever read the verse in Isaiah
17:29 sometimes it gets uh neglected because
17:31 it becomes a a place where people want
17:33 to argue about Doctrine but I don't want
17:36 to argue about the doctrine Isaiah said
17:39 he was wounded for our transgressions he
17:41 was bruised for our iniquities the
17:44 chastisement our sins were laid upon him
17:46 and with his stripes we are healed I
17:48 just want you to listen to that wounded
17:52 bruised chastised and Stripes laid upon his
17:53 his
17:56 body he was human whatever you're going
17:57 through Jesus has been there and done
18:00 that he understands it he's one of us
18:03 the Bible says he tasted flesh for
18:06 us now the humanity of Jesus is easy to
18:09 prove by just reading about his life he was
18:10 was
18:14 born he grew up had brothers and sisters
18:17 he became tired he thirsted he grew
18:20 hungry he became physically weak he
18:23 suffered and he died when author said
18:26 about him Jesus was really human that
18:28 means that when he didn't eat enough he became
18:30 became
18:32 hungry when he didn't sleep enough he
18:35 got tired when the soldiers pushed the
18:37 Thorns into the skin of his scalp and
18:40 drove the nails into his wrists it
18:43 hurt and then there's the most profound
18:47 evidence of all Jesus died he didn't
18:49 just seem to die or die halfway or kind
18:54 of die he died as humans die he died the
18:56 death of humanity and the story doesn't
18:57 end with his death but there's no
19:03 getting around it he died in his human
19:06 body and Jesus not only proves his
19:10 Humanity by what he does or what he did
19:14 but think of this he proved it by what
19:17 what what we feel and what he feels the
19:19 gospel writers paint their portraits of
19:22 Jesus using a kaleidoscope of brilliant
19:26 emotional colors Jesus felt
19:29 compassion he was angry
19:32 he was indignant he con he was consumed
19:34 with Zeal the Bible says he was troubled
19:37 he was greatly distressed he was
19:39 sorrowful he was depressed he was deeply
19:42 moved and grieved and he sighed and he
19:44 wept and he sobbed and he groaned and he
19:47 was in agony and was surprised and
19:50 amazed and rejoiced very greatly and was
19:51 full of
19:54 joy he was like
19:58 us like you like me all the emot itions you
19:59 you
20:01 have Jesus
20:05 has finally Jesus not only did what we
20:08 do and felt what we feel he he thought
20:10 like we
20:12 think he developed the ability to think
20:14 through things one of the hard things
20:16 for me to wrap my mind around is the
20:20 fact that he increased in wisdom and
20:23 stature and in favor with God somehow in
20:26 the intricacy of God's plan Jesus
20:28 learned the way we learn think about
20:30 this he had to study the Hebrew
20:33 scriptures he had to memorize them just
20:36 like we do his memory his perceptions
20:39 his mental functions were human he was
20:42 intelligent he was wise but he had to
20:45 apply himself and he grew and
20:48 knowledge now Jesus always was and
20:51 always will be God his deity is
20:53 undeniable but here's what a lot of
20:55 people don't understand with his
20:59 miraculous conception and birth Jesus
21:02 Christ became human listen to me permanently
21:04 permanently
21:08 human he will forever possess both
21:10 Natures both human and
21:13 divine and at this very moment he rules
21:15 and Reigns at the Throne of heaven and
21:18 if we had a telescope tonight and could
21:21 look in to the heavens you would see him
21:29 divine
21:32 Seated on the throne next to the
21:35 father I know that sometimes when we
21:37 pray to
21:40 Jesus we think of him sort of being
21:43 ethereal sort of he's up there in his
21:46 Spirit next to God no he's up there in
21:49 his body with the wounds in his hands
21:52 and in his side and his and his scalp
21:54 he's there and when you get to heaven
21:56 you're going to see him he's going to be
21:59 in his Humanity in in heaven he's fully
22:02 Divine and fully human has been since
22:05 Bethlehem and always will be Philippian
22:09 said in Jesus something new happened God
22:11 became one of his own
22:14 creatures an event unparalleled unheard
22:16 of in fact in the fullest sense of the
22:19 word the God who fills the universe
22:23 imploded to become a peasant baby who
22:25 like every infant who has ever lived had
22:28 to learn to walk and talk and dress
22:30 himself in the
22:33 Incarnation God's son deliberately
22:36 handicapped himself to be like you and
22:39 like me so don't you ever say I'd tell
22:42 the Lord this but he wouldn't understand
22:45 he understands he's been where you've
22:48 been he is one who understands
22:50 everything you faced and when you talk
22:53 to him the Bible says we do not have one
22:55 who does not comprehend or have
22:57 compassion one of the reasons I love
23:00 Christmas is it reminds me that God
23:03 loved me so much he sent me a savior who
23:06 I can understand and who understands me
23:14 amen now here's the second thing to
23:16 celebrate at
23:18 Christmas the miracle of Christmas is
23:20 God like
23:24 us the meaning of Christmas is God With
23:27 Us now listen to that one the meaning of
23:31 Christmas is wrapped up in one word one
23:33 name I think it may be my favorite name
23:37 for Jesus the name is Emmanuel say that
23:39 out loud with me
23:42 Emmanuel it's named in the Bible just
23:45 three times two two times in Isaiah and
23:48 once in Matthew but here's what you find
23:49 in the Old
23:51 Testament therefore the Lord himself
23:55 will give you a sign behold the Virgin
23:58 shall conceive and bear a son and you
24:00 shall call his name
24:03 Emmanuel now there's a oblique reference
24:06 to it in the eth chapter but here's how
24:09 the angel Gabriel used this same name
24:11 for Jesus in the New Testament listen to
24:14 every word behold the Virgin shall be
24:17 with child and bear a son and they shall
24:20 call his name Emmanuel which is
24:25 translated God With Us I love that where
24:28 is God he's up in the heavens but but he
24:31 sent his son to be with us sometimes we
24:34 think of God In His Majesty way away up
24:36 in heaven bow down in worship and we
24:39 should oh how important it is to hold
24:42 him in the Holiness of who he is but he
24:45 is not just a farway god he's a close at
24:48 hand God he's the Emanuel who came to be
24:52 with us and continues to be with us he
24:55 shares our labors he knows the dull drab
24:58 drudgery of our common tasks
25:01 the heavy misery of backbreaking
25:04 toil he shares our trials and our
25:07 limitations he was poor with no place to
25:11 lay his head he was hungry grateful to
25:12 the converted women who ministered to
25:13 them of their
25:16 substance he was thirsty begging water
25:19 from the water of the Samaritan woman he
25:23 was weary and exhausted and sat for rest
25:26 on the well he bore our sorrows he bore
25:28 our heartaches if there was death in the
25:31 home it brought tears to his eyes when
25:33 he looked upon the the leper the
25:35 Blind and the helpless his heart was
25:38 moved to compassion anybody could re
25:40 anybody could approach the Lord Jesus
25:43 and be welcome in his presence the poor
25:46 the weak The Sinner the simple God Is
25:48 With Us in all love and infinite
25:51 blessing and isn't it true that when we
25:54 need him the most that's when he is the
25:55 most with
25:58 us this this year
26:03 when I uh when I had this virus that uh
26:06 has taken its toll of me I went into the
26:09 hospital and I was in the hospital for
26:11 the longest time in my life for one
26:13 whole month I was in two different
26:15 hospitals but a hospital is a
26:17 hospital what you all know is when you
26:19 go to the hospital you leave your
26:21 dignity at the door and if you're a
26:24 pastor Pastor Tim you pray to God that
26:26 none of the nurses from your church will
26:28 be ministering to you
26:30 when you get to the hospital and I can't
26:32 we got so many nurses at Shadow Mountain
26:34 there's no way to avoid them and they're
26:36 great but you just got to swallow your
26:41 pride and say okay Lord whatever it
26:44 is I was in these hospitals and in the
26:47 hospital you need somebody to be with
26:50 you my wife came every night to see me
26:53 during the visiting hours I never even
27:01 this but the moments when she left were
27:03 some of the lonliest moments you'll ever
27:06 face in your life and if it weren't for
27:08 God With Us I don't know how you'd get
27:10 through it and I know some of you know
27:13 what I'm talking about God is with you
27:15 when you need him he's with you when you
27:22 there he's not a god who's only good
27:24 when you don't need him he's a god who's
27:27 there when you need him the Lord Jesus
27:29 was with me every minute he never left
27:31 me sometimes when you wake up at night
27:34 and all you can do is look up you look
27:37 up and realize he's watching over you
27:39 he's there you're never totally alone
27:41 you read your Bible you pray and you
27:44 know Jesus is with you now I want to
27:47 point out to you how very important this
27:49 is for all of us here as we enter into
27:51 the Christmas
27:55 season the last words that Jesus spoke
27:58 before he went back to heaven are these
28:03 words I Am With You Always even to the
28:07 end of the age he never leaves us he
28:10 will be with us all the way until the
28:12 updraft of the Rapture carries us to
28:13 heaven and then we'll be with him in
28:22 ever Jesus would not let us forget that
28:25 Emanuel is an eternal presence he is
28:27 with us today the Bible say says that
28:29 Emanuel is here for us in our time of
28:32 stress and our time of struggle I'm sure
28:35 you know the statistics that during the
28:37 Christmas season psychologists and
28:40 psychiatrists counselors have their
28:42 busiest schedule people come unglued
28:45 during the Christmas season out of fear
28:48 and loneliness and the realization that
28:50 lives that they once had have been
28:52 shattered through the things that
28:55 happened to families and through serious
28:57 illness the Bible tells tells us that
29:00 Emanuel is here listen to Hebrews he
29:03 himself has said I will never leave you
29:07 nor forsake you so that we may boldly
29:10 say the Lord is my helper I will not
29:14 fear what can man do to me the prophet
29:16 Isaiah recorded these words of the Lord
29:19 he said fear not for I am with you be
29:22 not dismayed for I am your God I will
29:25 strengthen you I will help you I will
29:28 uphold you with my righteous right hand
29:30 men and women during this Christmas
29:33 season and All Seasons the Lord is with
29:35 us in our struggles and that should
29:38 encourage every one of us every time you
29:40 feel down every time you feel like life
29:42 is just overwhelming you and the
29:44 pressure is on every side and no matter
29:46 what you do it's not right no matter
29:49 where you go it's the wrong place just
29:51 remember that Emanuel has come and if we
29:53 were to walk into your life today and
29:55 look over your shoulder into the
29:57 struggles you face he would say
29:58 don't be
30:01 discouraged I am with you we'll get
30:04 through this together we will we'll get
30:06 through this together seeing then that
30:08 we have a great high priest who has
30:10 passed through the heavens Jesus the son
30:14 of God let us hold fast our confession
30:16 for we do not have a high priest who
30:18 cannot sympathize with our weaknesses
30:22 but was in all points tempted as we are
30:24 yet without sin what the writer of
30:26 Hebrews says is this Jesus who came to
30:29 be with with us has a vast Storehouse of
30:32 experience that encompasses every
30:35 experience you or I could ever have
30:38 Jesus has been tested in every kind of
30:40 weakness that is known to man and he
30:44 never sinned whatever you experience you
30:46 have an Emanuel who has been there and
30:50 done that and when you go to him my
30:52 friends he understands cuz he's just like
30:53 like
30:55 you Jesus has walked where we have
30:58 walked he's experienced what we've
31:00 experienced and every sorrow and Agony
31:03 and disappointment that we have known
31:06 the Son of God knew while he was on this
31:09 earth now here's the
31:11 takeaway in that same passage of Hebrew
31:14 it says let us come boldly to the throne
31:17 of grace the one who came humbly to us
31:21 ask us to come boldly to him isn't that
31:23 interesting he came and became one of us
31:26 and now he says come to me don't mince
31:29 any words blurt it all out tell me
31:30 what's on your
31:33 heart Lord you've been there you
31:34 experienced it let me tell you what I
31:37 feel what's happening in my heart right
31:39 now Lord hear my prayer here hear my
31:42 prayer and help me that's the meaning of
31:44 Christmas the miracle of Christmas is
31:47 God like us the meaning of Christmas is
31:52 God With Us and the message of Christmas
31:56 is God for us oh I love that God is for us
32:03 finally Christmas is worth celebrating
32:06 because it shows us just how much God is
32:09 for us isn't that a great thought he's
32:12 on our side he's on our team he wants
32:14 joy and blessing in our life he wants
32:17 our success and happiness more than we
32:19 can ever imagine I love the way Paul put
32:22 this to his Roman readers he said if God
32:25 be for us who can be against us
32:29 amen the ostle John wrote this he said
32:32 in this the love of God was manifested
32:37 toward us that God has sent his only
32:40 begotten son into the
32:44 world that we might live through him
32:46 Hallelujah and this is love not that we
32:49 love God but that God loved us sent his
32:53 son to be the propitiation for our sins
32:55 the Bible says that God manifested his
32:58 love for us and the word manif means to
33:00 make something visible or known to take
33:02 the cover off of it to unwrap it at
33:05 Christmas we celebrate the moment when
33:07 God made his love known he didn't send
33:09 us a message he didn't send us a
33:12 telegram he didn't write us a transcript
33:15 he sent us his only son he sent a he
33:18 sent a man because the message was
33:21 needed by men and he sent his own son
33:24 when God showed his love for us he sent
33:27 his only begotten son into the world in
33:30 that verse Jesus we are told came to
33:33 Earth as a baby so that we might have true
33:34 true
33:38 life William Barkley helps us understand
33:41 what this means he wrote everybody has
33:44 existence but not everybody has
33:48 life Jesus gives us someone for which to
33:50 live he gives us strength by which to
33:54 live he gives us peace in which to live
33:56 with Jesus there comes into the life the
33:58 thrill of a great Adventure the strength
34:00 to master life's frustrations and a
34:03 background of contentedness living with
34:05 Christ turns mere existence in the
34:07 fullness of
34:09 Life uh we have illustrations of this
34:13 all the time you guys I am a a sports
34:16 person in fact my son Daniel who was on
34:19 the NFL Network is here with me tonight
34:22 and uh I get all the inside stories from
34:24 Daniel find out what's really going on I
34:25 wish I could tell you what's happening
34:27 with the Padres but even he doesn't know that
34:29 that
34:33 so but here's something very interesting
34:35 did you know there's a book about all
34:39 the people who got Super Bowl rings who
34:40 got rid of them within the first two
34:44 years after they had them they pwned them
34:49 off we have some friends who live in
34:52 Texas and as you know the Texas Rangers
34:55 won the World Series this year the
34:57 manager of the Texas Rangers is a guy
34:59 named Chris Young and he works out in
35:03 the gym where I go he's
35:05 6'1 and uh he's he's one of these
35:08 analytic guys he's the numbers guy he
35:10 brought the Rangers out of nowhere and
35:12 they won the World Series after it was
35:15 over that night I was watching it with
35:18 Donna and I said to her I bet you
35:22 tomorrow somebody will say is that all there
35:23 there
35:27 is is that all there is I went to the
35:30 gym the next week and Chris was there
35:32 and we talked a little bit and he didn't
35:34 say it in exactly those
35:37 words you realize that God didn't create
35:40 you to be satisfied by winning the World
35:43 Series he didn't create you to be
35:45 satisfied by being number one in your
35:48 job he created you to be satisfied
35:58 Christ and when you have a relationship
36:00 with Jesus Christ there isn't anything
36:04 any better you know uh when we started
36:07 out Ministry years ago and had no idea
36:09 what God was ever going to do and if he
36:11 was going to do anything we determined
36:15 that we would make this not just my deal
36:17 or my deal and Donna's deal but our
36:20 whole family's deal and we have been
36:23 everywhere doing Ministry together we go
36:25 home here on a few days and have
36:26 Christmas and then we go into to the
36:29 Caribbean on a cruise I know you
36:31 somebody has to do that so we do that but
36:32 but
36:35 uh but uh it's a Ministry cruise and
36:37 I've preached all over the country in
36:40 every kind of place you can imagine and
36:42 in most cases my family has been with me
36:45 guess what they love the ministry and
36:47 they want to be a part of it and that's
36:49 what goes on when you do
36:52 that I know I know some preachers kids
36:54 who hate the ministry because their
36:58 parents chose Ministry over them that's
37:00 not ever to be true the Bible gives us a
37:02 pretty good priority for that and I'll
37:03 get off on a rabbit Trail here if I'm
37:06 not careful but what I want to tell you
37:07 is this and I want to say this to you
37:09 with all my heart if you really want to
37:13 know what it really is like to live and
37:15 to have joy in your heart and realize
37:17 you're living for something Beyond
37:20 whether or not you get the next goal
37:22 that you have on your chart you need
37:25 Jesus in your heart the Bible says he
37:28 came to give you an Abundant Life a life
37:29 that will fill you up until you don't
37:32 know what to do it will be so incredible
37:34 you want to tell everybody about it you
37:36 want to share it in countries like you
37:39 do and with people here in the city
37:41 Christmas shows us the meaning of true
37:44 love the Bible says scarcely for a
37:47 righteous man will one die yet Perhaps
37:49 for a good man someone would even dare
37:53 to die but God commended his love toward
37:56 us in that while we were still sinners
37:58 God died Christ died for us listen to me
38:01 friends he is like
38:05 us this Jesus of Christmas he is with us
38:08 he's our Emanuel and he is for us he
38:11 came and he gave his life for us and so
38:13 Christians ought to be celebrating
38:16 constantly we ought to be preoccupied
38:18 with parties and banquets and feasts and
38:20 mert we ought to give ourselves to the
38:23 celebrations of Joy because we have been
38:25 liberated from the fear of life and the
38:28 fear of death we ought to attract people
38:31 to our church quite literally by the
38:33 sheer pleasure there is in being in that
38:36 church and being a Christian I was uh we
38:38 had a big celebration a couple months
38:41 ago and I went we have another building
38:44 next to our worship center called um
38:46 it's an event center where it's it's
38:48 brand new pretty new anyway I went over
38:50 there because there was a meeting on the
38:52 second floor and I got in the elevator
38:54 to go up to this meeting and there was a
38:56 lady in there and she said to me Dr to
38:59 Jeremiah I don't come here often but I
39:02 got to tell you you got a fun church I
39:04 said I got what she said you got a fun
39:06 Church she I never been to a fun Church
39:08 before she said all the churches I ever
39:12 been to are sad and morbid and and she
39:15 said your church is fun now I know what
39:17 you meant there's joy in that church
39:23 church one of the things that attracts
39:26 me to this church and to your pastor is
39:29 that truth it's a place of joy and if
39:32 you do not know that you are missing out
39:35 on the Christmas story listen to this
39:37 when the when the Shepherds were
39:40 confronted by Jesus by the
39:44 Angels uh they said to the Shepherds do
39:47 not be afraid for
39:50 behold take that little phrase I just
39:52 discovered that last week here's what he
39:54 was saying don't be afraid don't be
39:58 fearing be beholding what are you
40:02 behold a child is born a child is born
40:04 he's the gospel and he will save you
40:05 from your
40:08 sin if you can't get excited about that
40:10 something's wrong in your heart and you
40:13 know what I used to apologize you know
40:15 we have every church has got a few of
40:16 these we have a few people who think
40:20 that we kind of go overboard sometimes
40:23 and uh you know Michael is he's a he's a
40:26 a bundle of energy and he does uh we
40:28 just had a Christmas program where he
40:31 came down from the ceiling on a
40:34 rope one time he jumped off the stage
40:37 but we we control Michael he's all
40:39 right he gets so excited and we all get
40:41 excited but friends I want to tell you
40:44 something it's Christmas time don't ever
40:47 C don't ever apologize for celebrating
40:57 Christmas I want you to take me
41:00 seriously like you never have before
41:01 maybe you never thought about this
41:04 celebrate with all your heart sing in
41:07 the shower sing by the Christmas tree
41:09 sing when you're shopping be filled with
41:11 the joy that you have a God who loves
41:13 you so much he came to you and he's just
41:15 like you and he's with you and he's for
41:18 you and more than anything else he wants
41:26 him in his book he says this I go to
41:29 prepare a place for you and if I go to
41:30 prepare a place for you I will come
41:33 again and receive you to myself that
41:37 where I am there you may be also Jesus
41:41 came to be with us so that we could go
41:44 and be with him and my question to you
41:46 today is this are you going to go be with
41:47 with
41:50 him Heaven is a place that requires an advanced
41:52 advanced
41:54 reservation you don't just show up at
41:56 the door and get in
41:58 to get to heaven you have to receive
42:00 Jesus Christ as your
42:04 savior that's what the Bible says Jesus
42:07 said I am the way the truth and the life
42:09 and no one comes to the father except
42:12 through me you may think it's
42:16 very very selfish that I would say to
42:19 you there's only one way to heaven but
42:20 I'm not saying that to you the Bible is
42:23 saying that to you there's only one way
42:25 to have once somebody told me this
42:29 there's only one way for a person to
42:33 become a human being through the joining
42:36 together of a father and mother and the
42:40 sperm the egg only one way so why why
42:42 should we think it's so strange that
42:44 there's only one way to become a
42:47 spiritual person there's only one way
42:48 you know that it's through the Hol it's
42:50 through the Holy Spirit and the word of
42:52 God you can't be saved without the Holy
42:55 Spirit and the word of God and I want to
42:57 I want to tell you T tonight I came
43:01 here to say to you if you don't know
43:03 Jesus Christ don't go through this
43:07 Christmas season without him I mean I I
43:08 did think a little bit about coming to
43:10 New York I wasn't sure whether it was
43:13 safe or not I see they show all the bad
43:16 stuff on TV you know that and
43:20 um but I'm not I'm not talking about all
43:21 of that I'm just
43:24 saying I I want you to know the Jesus
43:26 that I know no matter what happens to
43:28 you I mean things happen that you don't
43:30 expect you don't know you don't know
43:32 what to do you how many of you know when
43:33 things like this happen to you you don't
43:36 even get to vote on it you don't even
43:37 get to say okay that'll be fine Lord if
43:40 you want to do that no but you do know
43:43 this the one thing that never changes is
43:45 the Eternal presence of the Lord Jesus
43:47 Christ in your life and if you don't
43:50 have that if you don't have Jesus in
43:52 your life you're out there you're doing
43:54 this all by yourself you you don't want
43:56 to live life alone you were not created
43:58 to live life alone so I want to ask you
44:00 tonight if you have never trusted Jesus
44:03 Christ as your savior wouldn't you like
44:05 to do that tonight and kick off this
44:07 season with the new birth and go to
44:10 Jesus and and make him the Lord of your
44:12 life I'm going to step out of the way
44:14 here in a moment and have your pastor
44:17 come he knows you and he knows how to
44:19 talk to you about this but I just want
44:22 to tell you I love you I love this
44:31 and one of the most wonderful things
44:33 that could ever happen is if you came to
44:36 church tonight without Jesus you leave
44:39 church with him in your heart amen amen
44:40 thank you so [Applause]
44:50 [Applause] [Music]
44:52 [Music] [Applause]
44:54 [Applause] much
44:56 much [Applause]
44:58 [Applause] [Music]
45:03 [Music] [Applause]
45:12 let's all Stand Together wow what a
45:15 word look at the person next you and say
45:18 wow now let me just say this here's what's
45:19 what's
45:22 important I want to do what Dr Jeremiah
45:25 says and before we leave this place
45:28 before you walk out of these doors
45:32 tonight the Bible calls that term that
45:36 you just heard today about God With Us
45:38 and even let me add one more to Dr
45:41 Jeremiah's it's God in
45:44 us so how does that
45:47 happen the Bible calls it being born
45:51 again just as you had a a physical birth
45:53 most of you born in the in a hospital
45:57 it's a spiritual birth that's God in us
45:59 how does that happen Pastor Tim it's as
46:00 simple as
46:04 ABC it's a admitting that we're a sinner
46:06 it's admitting that all of us are broken
46:08 on the inside there's not a promise you
46:10 can make to get everything right with
46:12 God there's not a program there's not a
46:15 prescription you can take to fix it we
46:18 are broken one person said it like this
46:21 we are we are sinners in need of a
46:23 savior we're not mistaker in need of
46:25 correction we don't need a second chance
46:31 birth how does that happen it's be
46:33 believing that God sent his son to
46:37 become our sin Bearer that came down you
46:39 know what's incredible that I want you
46:42 to before you leave this place tonight
46:45 wouldn't it be ridiculous for Jesus for
46:46 God to say to you if you want to go to
46:48 heaven you got to do your best but I'm
46:50 going to send Jesus to die on the cross
46:52 that doesn't even make sense it'd be
46:56 child abuse I'm going to send my son to
46:57 go through this pain for you but in
46:59 order for you to get to heaven you're
47:01 going to have to do your best that is
47:02 not the
47:05 gospel he died the death I was supposed
47:08 to die he lived the life that I couldn't
47:10 live and he gave me a reward heaven and
47:13 forgiveness that I don't
47:15 deserve and it's believing that he did
47:18 that and finally see confessing him as
47:22 Lord that's the big one that's the pivot
47:24 of changing it from religion to relationship
47:26 relationship
47:29 because when you confess him as Lord
47:31 Romans 10:9 and10 reminds us that word
47:35 reminds us that he he doesn't just get
47:36 to speak to you when you show up in a
47:39 building like this he talks to you every
47:42 single day to be Lord means you're the
47:45 boss or in a sense he's got veto rights
47:49 every single day he can speak he is
47:52 there he will walk with us folks that's
47:54 why this just listen for a
47:57 second when Jes Jesus came 2,000 years
48:02 ago died on that cross for us it was not
48:04 to get you to church it was to get you to
48:05 to
48:09 heaven that's why he came to do that to
48:11 get us to Heaven wouldn't that be
48:15 ridiculous he he suffers rises from the
48:18 dead goes to the right hand of of of God
48:20 the father and says now we get to get
48:23 them in church for two hours or if it's
48:26 Time Square Church more and what you do
48:28 is you start to realize you're going
48:30 that's not what his intention is it's
48:33 forgiveness now and Eternity forever
48:37 with him we get to be with him because
48:40 God is in us for just a moment I want
48:41 you to close your eyes and bow your head
48:43 for just a second it's the most
48:45 important question anybody could ever
48:48 ask you and here's the question have you
48:49 been born
48:52 again and that can happen right
48:55 now that Miracle can take place right
48:57 now now well Pastor Tim I'm not perfect oh
48:59 oh
49:02 exactly here's good news tonight perfect
49:04 people don't go to heaven forgiven
49:07 people go to heaven and that can happen
49:12 right now online balcony main floor
49:13 those that are watching in overflow
49:16 tonight if you're here
49:19 tonight and say Pastor Tim I want to be
49:23 born again when you pray that Born Again
49:25 prayer would you just include me would
49:27 you put me in that prayer tonight I want
49:29 to believe for
49:32 God to come into my life and change me
49:34 from the inside out with every head
49:35 bowed and every eye closed if you're
49:37 here tonight and just say Pastor Tim put
49:39 me in that prayer tonight I want to be
49:42 born again without any hesitation would
49:43 you just hold up your hand say put me in
49:44 that prayer tonight hold it up as high
49:46 as you can I want to make sure I see
49:48 every hand that's up keep them up high
49:52 keep them up high there's 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
49:59 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
50:05 keep them up 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
50:12 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 can you
50:14 put your hands together for those that have
50:22 just come on I want with those 39 people
50:25 and those watching online those that are
50:26 here I want us to all pray this together
50:28 come on let's all say this together say
50:29 dear Lord
50:33 Jesus I believe you're the Son of God
50:37 Son of God I believe that on the cross
50:41 the you took my sin took my sin my shame
50:45 and my guilt my guil and you died for it
50:47 you faced hell for
50:51 me so I wouldn't have to go you rose
50:53 from the dead to give me a place in
50:57 heaven a purpose on on Earth and a
51:00 relationship with your father today Lord
51:04 Jesus I turn from my sin to be born
51:07 again come on now say this with me loud
51:11 God is my father Jesus Is My Savior the
51:15 holy spirit is my helper and Heaven is
51:19 my home in Jesus name and everybody said
51:22 amen come on can you put your hands
51:24 together one more
51:26 time oh oh
51:28 Hallelujah you made the greatest
51:30 decision of your life listen I want you
51:31 to do one thing for me we're going to
51:33 sing one song before we go but if you
51:35 were one of those 39 that raised your
51:37 hand tonight do me a favor you'll see it
51:38 on the screen I want you just to text
51:41 the word decided to 51,000 it's going to
51:43 start you on a brand new journey start
51:44 you on something that God is going to
51:46 begin we'll we'll just send you a couple
51:48 of things to help you on that Journey if
51:50 you're watching online there's going to
51:53 be a link you can click that link and
51:55 that link is going to bring you to a
51:57 place and a zoom that you're going to be
51:59 able to be with others that will begin
52:01 to show you what what the next steps are
52:03 so we want to believe for God to do that
52:05 what a great night can we thank Dr
52:09 Jeremiah Michael Sanchez yuriel Vega one
52:12 more time what a joy what a blessing
