Participants:
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW020222S
|
00:19 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written.
00:21 I'm John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me. 00:24 It was a day like no other. 00:27 Exactly when it was we don't know. 00:30 But we do know that 2,000 or so years ago 00:33 on a Middle Eastern evening, "the desire of all nations," 00:38 as the prophet Haggai called Him, 00:40 was born in a stable in Bethlehem, 00:43 just five miles from where Jesus would eventually die. 00:46 It was a day that had been anticipated by the human family 00:49 almost since the creation of the world. 00:53 Following Adam and Eve's descent into sin, 00:56 God promised them--and us-- 00:58 that a Deliverer would come to the planet. 01:01 Humanity by then was hopelessly and irretrievably lost. 01:07 This wasn't a punitive action on the part of God. 01:10 Sin had separated us from Him, and it had introduced rebellion 01:15 into the minds of every human being that would ever live. 01:20 If there was any doubt as to how serious this was, 01:23 Adam and Eve's own son murdered his brother. 01:27 Humans were broken. 01:29 But what God proposed was a way out of the mess 01:32 we'd been plunged into. 01:34 "You've sinned?" God was, in effect, asking the human family. 01:38 "You have rebellion in your heart? 01:39 You're on the wrong trajectory?" 01:42 God was saying, "You're broken, but I'll fix you. 01:46 "You're damaged, but I'll remake you. 01:49 "You're unrighteous, but I'll give you the righteousness 01:54 "of my very own Son, so that through Him 01:58 "you can confidently live in that decaying world, 02:01 knowing that there is better ahead." 02:04 [crunching footsteps on gravel] 02:07 We're drawn to the Christmas story for numerous reasons. 02:11 The improbability of an unassuming young woman 02:14 being selected to be the mother of the Messiah 02:17 and then conducting herself with grace 02:19 in the midst of what was, frankly, a scandal. 02:23 We're drawn by the story of a Baby being born in a stable 02:27 and then placed in a feeding trough to sleep. 02:29 There's something almost exciting about the whole idea, 02:33 although the reality of it all was a whole lot less appealing 02:37 than the Hallmark version of the story. 02:39 A husband and his new young bride were in a stable 02:42 and not a hotel. 02:43 They were far from family, 02:45 and there's drama and tragedy in the story, too, isn't there? 02:48 A megalomaniacal king ordering the death of all the baby boys 02:52 in Bethlehem. 02:53 The wise men, who traveled from a distant country 02:56 following a star in order to find the Messiah, 03:00 at a time when virtually all of Israel had gone to sleep 03:03 on the prophecies. 03:05 The Bible says that when Herod learned about the mission 03:07 of the wise men, 03:08 "he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him." 03:12 They had reason to be. 03:14 Herod was known for brutality, for cruelty. 03:18 And there's theology in the story. 03:21 The wise men had read the messianic prophecy 03:23 in the book of Numbers, a prediction made by Balaam, 03:27 of all people, about "a Star." 03:30 And then they'd studied the time prophecy in the book of Daniel, 03:33 chapter 9. 03:34 It told them right about when the Messiah would be born. 03:38 All they needed was the where, and the star showed them that. 03:43 They came to the place where Jesus would be born, 03:46 and instead of finding a nation full of expectation and hope, 03:50 they found...not much. 03:53 As John wrote in John 1:11, 03:55 "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not." 04:00 But we're really drawn to the Christmas story 04:02 by the wonder of it all. 04:05 Mary brought into the world the One who had created the world. 04:09 Her Child would save the world. 04:12 While Jesus was entirely dependent on Mary for life, 04:16 Mary was entirely dependent on Him for everlasting life. 04:22 This wasn't just another birth. 04:24 There may even have been other babies born 04:26 in or near Bethlehem that night. 04:29 But this One was different. 04:32 Mary delivered her Deliverer. 04:37 ♪[Scott Michael Bennett plays soft piano music]♪ 05:00 ♪ Mary, did you know ♪ 05:03 ♪ that your Baby Boy will one day walk on water? ♪ 05:11 ♪ Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy ♪ 05:18 ♪ would save our sons and daughters? ♪ 05:23 ♪ Did you know that your Baby Boy has come to make you new? ♪ 05:35 ♪ Oh, this Child whom you've delivered, ♪ 05:40 ♪ He will soon deliver you. ♪ 05:45 ♪ Oh, Mary, did you know? ♪ 05:56 ♪ Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy ♪ 06:03 ♪ would give sight to a blind man? ♪ 06:06 ♪ Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy ♪ 06:12 ♪ would calm a storm with His hand? ♪ 06:17 ♪ Did you know that your Baby Boy ♪ 06:22 ♪ has walked where angels trod? ♪ 06:28 ♪ When you kiss your little Baby, ♪ 06:32 ♪ don't you know you've kissed the face of God? ♪ 06:38 ♪ Oh, Mary, did you know? ♪ 06:49 ♪ The blind will see, and the deaf will hear, ♪ 06:54 ♪ and the dead will live again, the lame will leap, ♪ 07:01 ♪ and the dumb will speak the praises of the Lamb. ♪ 07:09 ♪ Oh, Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy ♪ 07:16 ♪ is Lord of all creation? ♪ 07:20 ♪ Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy ♪ 07:25 ♪ would one day rule the nations? ♪ 07:30 ♪ Did you know that your Baby Boy is heaven's perfect Lamb? ♪ 07:41 ♪ Oh, this sleeping Child you are holding 07:47 is the great I AM. ♪ 08:01 ♪ Mary, did you know? ♪ 08:11 ♪ Mary, did you know? ♪♪ 08:28 >>John: I want to encourage you to get today's free offer, 08:31 "The Gift of the Spirit." 08:33 Find out what God can do in your life 08:36 through the power of the Holy Spirit. 08:39 To get today's free offer, 08:40 call us now on 800-253-3000. 08:44 That's 800-253-3000, 08:47 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com. 08:51 It's completely free, today's free offer, 08:53 "The Gift of the Spirit." 08:55 800-253-3000. 08:58 >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for joining me on It Is Written. 09:01 There have been some remarkable, 09:03 some truly beautiful Christmas songs composed. 09:06 "Silent night! Holy night!" 09:09 "Joy to the world, the Lord is come!" 09:12 "O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant! 09:17 O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!" 09:21 No other season, no other holiday, 09:24 no other nothing has songs as beautiful and powerful. 09:28 But oddly enough, 09:30 there's a Christmas song we've never heard, 09:32 and it's the most famous one of all. 09:35 We know the words, 09:37 but wouldn't it be something to hear the music? 09:41 The Bible puts it like this in Luke chapter 2: 09:44 "And there were in the same country shepherds 09:47 "abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 09:51 "And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, 09:55 "and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: 09:57 "and they were sore afraid. 10:00 "And the angel said unto them, 10:02 "'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, 10:08 "'which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day 10:12 "'in the city of David a Saviour, 10:15 "'which is Christ the Lord. 10:17 "'And this shall be a sign unto you; 10:19 "'ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 10:23 lying in a manger.'" 10:26 We don't know much about these shepherds, 10:27 but we do know that they had to have been faithful. 10:31 They were entrusted with the responsibility and the privilege 10:35 that not even the theologians in Jerusalem were granted. 10:38 God didn't go to the academically qualified; 10:41 He went to the spiritually qualified. 10:44 And these shepherds were evidently people of real faith. 10:48 The angel shared with them "good tidings of great joy." 10:52 Now, that word "great," it's the Greek word "megas." 10:56 It's where we get the word "mega," very large, huge-- 11:00 like Tokyo is a megacity. 11:02 In terms of measurement, 11:04 "mega" can be used to mean a factor of one million. 11:08 Megahertz is one million hertz, 11:10 a measurement of radio frequency. 11:12 So you get the idea. 11:14 This was good news of mega-joy, 11:18 and it was shared with shepherds. 11:20 That day "Cristos Kyrios" had been born-- 11:23 no less a person than Christ the Lord. 11:27 They're watching their sheep on what would otherwise be 11:30 a predictably low-key evening, and the Messiah had been born! 11:36 See, you and I have lived our entire lives 11:39 knowing that the Messiah has been born. 11:42 We look forward to His return. 11:44 But that's not what everyone has done since Creation. 11:47 We live in the assurance that the Messiah has come, 11:51 but for 4,000 years people looked forward 11:55 to His first advent, and He still hadn't shown up. 11:58 Isaiah had written about it: 12:00 "Therefore the Lord Himself [shall] give you a sign: 12:03 "Behold, [a] virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, 12:07 and shall call His name Immanuel." 12:10 But Isaiah, by now, had been dead for hundreds of years, 12:15 long before the Messiah came to Israel. 12:17 But now, here they were, just another night in Bethlehem, 12:21 and the shepherds were being told by angels 12:24 of this incredible event. 12:27 The Savior had come. 12:28 The Deliverer was here, no more waiting. 12:32 And the angels sang! 12:35 Luke 2:13, 12:36 "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude 12:40 "of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 12:43 "'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, 12:47 goodwill toward men!'" 12:50 You never heard a song like that. 12:52 The birth of the Messiah was so significant, 12:55 so life-changing, so earth-shattering 12:58 that angels couldn't keep quiet. 13:00 The angels sang. 13:02 Now, whether you're a singer or not, 13:05 I hope the story of the Savior's birth gives you a reason 13:08 to sing, a reason to experience mega-joy. 13:13 [The Emmanuel Quartet] ♪ Hark! The herald angels sing, ♪ 13:18 ♪ "Glory to the newborn King! ♪ 13:23 ♪ "Peace on earth and mercy mild, ♪ 13:28 ♪ God and sinners reconciled!" ♪ 13:33 ♪ Joyful, all ye nations, rise; join the triumph of the skies; ♪ 13:42 ♪ with angelic host proclaim, "Christ is born in Bethlehem!" ♪ 13:56 ♪ Silent night! Holy night! ♪ 14:04 ♪ All is calm, all is bright. ♪ 14:12 ♪ Oh, 'round yon virgin mother and Child. ♪ 14:20 ♪ Holy Infant so tender and mild, ♪ 14:28 ♪ oh, sleep in heavenly peace, ♪ 14:37 ♪ sleep in heavenly peace. ♪ 14:43 ♪ Oh, let earth receive her King. ♪ 14:51 ♪ Let every heart prepare Him room, ♪ 14:56 ♪ and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature, ♪ 14:59 ♪ and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, ♪ 15:02 ♪ and heaven, and heaven and nature sing. ♪ 15:09 ♪ Angels we have heard, angels we have heard on high, ♪ 15:14 ♪ sweetly singing o'er the plains, ♪ 15:17 ♪ and the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains. ♪ 15:25 ♪ Gloria ♪ 15:36 ♪ in excelsis Deo. ♪ 15:42 ♪ Gloria ♪ 15:53 ♪ in excelsis Deo. ♪ 15:59 ♪ Hark! The herald angels sing, ♪ 16:06 ♪ "Glory to the newborn King!" ♪ 16:16 ♪ Angels we have heard on high. ♪ 16:24 ♪ Angels we have heard. ♪ 16:28 ♪ Ooo. ♪♪ 16:37 >>John: I want to encourage you to get today's free offer, 16:40 "The Gift of the Spirit." 16:42 Find out what God can do in your life 16:45 through the power of the Holy Spirit. 16:48 To get today's free offer, 16:49 call us now on 800-253-3000. 16:53 That's 800-253-3000, 16:56 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com. 17:00 It's completely free, today's free offer, 17:02 "The Gift of the Spirit." 17:04 800-253-3000. 17:07 >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for joining me on It Is Written. 17:10 It's a fascinating old thing in a way, 17:13 every year, Christmas gifts. 17:15 What are you going to get this year? 17:16 Clothing? Electronics? Money? 17:18 Somehow, in many cases, one's Christmas joy 17:22 is connected to what appears under a tree, 17:25 which, at best, is a little suspect. 17:29 However, it's true that the birth of Jesus 17:31 and the giving of gifts are inextricably linked. 17:36 Matthew 2:11 says, 17:37 "And when they"-- that's the wise men-- 17:39 "were come into the house, they saw the young Child 17:42 "with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him: 17:47 "and when they had opened their treasures, 17:49 "they presented unto Him gifts; 17:52 gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." 17:55 So gift-giving and Christmas are closely associated, 17:59 but at that first Nativity, the gifts were being given to God, 18:05 to the Christ Child. 18:07 And the truth is, He still looks to us for our gifts. 18:11 You can give your spouse or your parents or your kids 18:14 something impressive this Christmas, 18:18 but what are you giving God? 18:20 And, no, He doesn't need a new tie or tools 18:22 or exercise equipment. 18:24 But there is something He wants, something He really wants. 18:28 In Proverbs 23:26, God says, 18:31 "My son, give me your heart." 18:34 In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, 18:37 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 18:40 "If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, 18:43 I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me." 18:47 What God asks you for is your heart. 18:51 If He has that, then He has everything. 18:55 God is the Giver; 18:56 He gave Jesus for us so we can live forever. 19:00 He gives us the Holy Spirit. 19:01 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts 19:04 "to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father 19:07 give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" 19:10 Jesus is preparing a mansion for you in heaven right now. 19:14 He's one day soon coming back to this world to give you eternity. 19:19 If you want it, you'll live in a world without sin or pain 19:25 or sickness or death, 19:26 in a place where the streets are paved with gold, 19:29 and until then you'll live in the assurance 19:32 that life is yours, that Christ is yours, 19:36 and that the God of heaven loves you with an everlasting love. 19:42 God has given us so much, everything. 19:45 "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, 19:48 "because His compassions fail not. 19:52 They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness." 19:56 That faithful God, full of love and grace towards you, 20:01 is hoping you won't forget Him in your Christmas giving 20:04 this year and that you'll give Him the best possible gift 20:09 and allow Him to unwrap your heart. 20:14 ♪ [Roy Treiyer plays piano softly] ♪ 20:32 [Claudia Ramirez] ♪ O holy night! ♪ 20:36 ♪ The stars are brightly shining; ♪ 20:42 ♪ it is the night of our dear Savior's birth. ♪ 20:50 ♪[Roy continues to play "O Holy Night"]♪ 20:56 ♪ Long lay the world in sin and error pining, ♪ 21:05 ♪ till He appeared and the soul felt its worth. ♪ 21:14 ♪ A thrill of hope-- the weary world rejoices, ♪ 21:23 ♪ for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn! ♪ 21:31 ♪ Fall on your knees! ♪ 21:39 ♪ O hear the angel voices! ♪ 21:47 ♪ O night divine, ♪ 21:55 ♪ O night when Christ was born! ♪ 22:04 ♪ O night divine, ♪ 22:11 ♪ O night, O night divine! ♪ 22:23 ♪[Roy continues playing song on piano]♪ 22:29 ♪[Roy plays piano transition to "We Three Kings"]♪ 22:34 ♪ Born a King on Bethlehem's plain, ♪ 22:38 ♪ gold I bring to crown Him again, ♪ 22:42 ♪ King forever, ceasing never, over us all to reign. ♪ 22:53 ♪ Oh, star of wonder, star of night, ♪ 23:01 ♪ star with royal beauty bright, westward leading, ♪ 23:08 ♪ still proceeding, guide us to Thy perfect light. ♪ 23:18 ♪[Roy plays piano transition back to "O Holy Night"]♪ 23:39 ♪ Truly He taught us to love one another; ♪ 23:47 ♪ His law is love, and His gospel is peace. ♪ 23:57 ♪ Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, ♪ 24:05 ♪ and in His name all oppression shall cease. ♪ 24:14 ♪ Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we; ♪ 24:22 ♪ let all within us praise His holy name. ♪ 24:30 ♪ Christ is the Lord! ♪ 24:37 ♪ O praise His name forever! ♪ 24:44 ♪ His power and glory ♪ 24:52 ♪ evermore proclaim! ♪ 24:59 ♪ His power and glory ♪ 25:07 ♪ evermore proclaim! ♪ 25:13 ♪[piano key change]♪ 25:15 ♪ Fall on your knees! ♪ 25:22 ♪ O hear the angel voices! ♪ 25:29 ♪ O night divine! ♪ 25:36 ♪ O night when Christ was born; ♪ 25:43 ♪ O night divine! ♪ 25:53 ♪ O night, ♪ 25:57 ♪ O night divine, ♪ 26:06 ♪ divine! ♪♪ 26:17 >>John: Thank you for remembering that It Is Written 26:18 exists because of the kindness of people just like you. 26:22 To support this international life-changing ministry, 26:25 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 26:29 You can send your tax-deductible gift 26:31 to the address on your screen, 26:32 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 26:36 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. 26:39 Our number again is 800-253-3000, 26:43 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 26:47 >>John Bradshaw: Let's pray together now. 26:49 Our Father in heaven, I'm reminded that in the Bible, 26:52 it says, "What shall I render unto the Lord 26:55 for all His benefits towards me?" 26:57 You have done so much. 26:59 You ask so little. 27:01 Lord, take our heart, for we cannot give it. 27:05 Keep it as Your very own because we cannot keep it for You. 27:09 We look forward to the day when Jesus comes back, 27:13 but until then we accept the gift of Your Son Jesus. 27:16 Friend, would you do that now? 27:19 And we ask You to accept the little we have, 27:21 accept our heart, 27:22 and make it Yours forever. 27:24 We pray in Jesus' name, 27:27 amen. 27:28 From all of us here at It Is Written, 27:30 have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year. 27:34 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:36 Until then, remember: 27:38 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 27:43 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 27:47 ♪[dramatic theme music]♪ |
Revised 2020-12-17