In the sermon titled "Sunday, December 17, 2023 | True Story | The Truths of Christmas," the pastor begins by acknowledging personal shortcomings but reassures that through Jesus Christ's redemption, believers are seen favorably by God. Jesus' life demonstrated God's love and mercy, and He came to reveal God to the nations as the light. The pastor urges the congregation to look to Jesus to understand God's nature and to read the Bible to deepen their understanding of His story.

The pastor expresses gratitude for the church community and outlines upcoming events, including a Christmas morning teaching on favor and a Christmas Eve service. They encourage participation and service during these events and lead the congregation in a confession of faith, praying for the Holy Spirit's anointing and focus on the true story of Christmas.

The importance of understanding prophetic words, especially in the book of Revelation, is emphasized, cautioning against literal interpretations. The pastor shares a personal anecdote about modern fulfillment of prophetic symbols and reminds that Jesus came to express God's love, fulfilling the prophecy of Emmanuel. The congregation is highlighted as the reason for the Christmas season.

Three myths about God are addressed: that God is distant, uncaring, and unmerciful. The pastor dispels these myths by emphasizing God's presence, care, and mercy, and encourages the congregation to feel God's presence.

The story of Betsy and Corey during the Holocaust illustrates the depth of God's love, which is high enough to overlook our mistakes. The pastor speaks of God's desire to adopt us into His family and reminds us that life's unfairness is a preparation for eternity.

The pastor refutes misconceptions about God, emphasizing that Jesus came in human form to teach us about God and to correct false ideas. The sermon encourages seeing Jesus in all scriptures and understanding that God is not distant but close to us.

Ephesians 3:18 is cited to describe God's love as four-dimensional, urging the congregation to experience God's love personally. The pastor speaks of God's love as long-lasting, omnipresent, and comforting in our deepest struggles.

The true meaning of Christmas is presented as having a personal relationship with Jesus, beyond religious practices. The pastor invites everyone to accept Jesus as their savior and to walk in His word.

Jesus' coming to Earth is portrayed as a personal act of love for each individual, and the pastor contrasts this with the idea of sending a representative. The importance of giving one's full presence to God is likened to a personal anecdote about the pastor's grandbabies.

The pastor laments that many miss the true meaning of Christmas due to holiday distractions. The first truth of Christmas is that Jesus came to show us the truth about God.

Finally, the pastor reflects on the concept of eternity on a new Earth, envisioning a perfect and fulfilling existence in the afterlife.

Key Takeaways:

- Jesus Christ's life and sacrifice are the ultimate demonstration of God's love and mercy, providing a way for believers to be seen favorably by God. This understanding should inspire Christians to delve deeper into the scriptures to grasp the fullness of Jesus' story and God's character. [38:58]

- The myths that God is distant, uncaring, and unmerciful are effectively dismantled by the life and teachings of Jesus. By recognizing God's intimate presence, care for the minutest details of our lives, and His abundant mercy, believers can foster a deeper relationship with God and experience His love more fully. [37:01]

- The depth of God's love is exemplified in the story of Betsy and Corey, reminding us that no matter the depth of our despair, God's love is deeper still. This profound love is meant to be experienced personally and is a testament to God's desire to have a relationship with each individual. [52:17]

- The true story of Christmas is not about the festivities or the commercialization of the season but about the personal relationship that Jesus came to establish with each of us. This relationship transcends religious practices and is rooted in a heartfelt acceptance of Jesus as our savior. [55:49]

- The incarnation of Jesus is a personal act of divine love, emphasizing that God's presence in our lives is not mediated through assistants or representatives but is direct and intimate. This truth invites believers to offer their full presence to God, just as He has given His presence to us through Jesus. [46:07]

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. **John 18:37** - "This is why I was born and came into the world: to tell people the truth."
2. **John 1:18** - "No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known."
3. **Ephesians 3:18** - "May you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is."

#### Observation Questions
1. According to John 18:37, what was the primary reason Jesus came into the world? How does this align with the pastor's message about Jesus revealing the truth about God? [34:18]
2. In John 1:18, how is Jesus described in relation to God? What does this tell us about Jesus' role in revealing God's nature? [34:18]
3. Ephesians 3:18 speaks of the dimensions of God's love. What are the four dimensions mentioned, and how do they help us understand the extent of God's love? [48:09]
4. The pastor mentioned three myths about God that Jesus came to dispel. What are these myths, and how did Jesus' life and teachings address them? [35:04]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does understanding Jesus as the one who reveals the truth about God (John 18:37) change our perception of God's character? [34:18]
2. What does it mean for us that Jesus is "God with skin on" as described in John 1:18? How does this impact our relationship with God? [34:18]
3. Reflecting on Ephesians 3:18, how can experiencing the four dimensions of God's love (length, width, depth, height) transform a believer's life? [48:09]
4. The pastor shared a story about Betsy and Corey during the Holocaust to illustrate God's deep love. How does this story help us understand the depth of God's love in our own lives? [51:30]

#### Application Questions
1. The pastor emphasized the importance of understanding the true story of Christmas. How can you ensure that you focus on the true meaning of Christmas amidst holiday distractions? [29:38]
2. Jesus came to dispel myths about God being distant, uncaring, and unmerciful. Reflect on a time when you felt one of these myths was true. How did you overcome it, or how can you overcome it now? [35:04]
3. Ephesians 3:18 urges us to experience God's love personally. What practical steps can you take this week to feel, understand, and experience God's love more deeply? [48:09]
4. The pastor mentioned that Jesus' coming to Earth was a personal act of love. How can you reciprocate this love by giving your full presence to God and others this Christmas season? [46:07]
5. The story of Betsy and Corey illustrates that God's love is deeper than any pit we might find ourselves in. Identify a current struggle in your life. How can you remind yourself of God's deeper love in this situation? [51:30]
6. The pastor spoke about the importance of reading the Bible to understand God's story. What is one specific way you can incorporate more Bible reading into your daily routine? [41:40]
7. Reflect on the pastor's message about life's unfairness being a preparation for eternity. How can this perspective help you deal with current challenges or injustices you are facing? [54:28]

Day 1: Embracing the Fullness of Jesus' Story
Jesus Christ's life and sacrifice are central to understanding God's love and mercy. By studying the scriptures, believers can grasp the depth of Jesus' story and God's character, which in turn enriches their faith and relationship with the divine. This pursuit of knowledge is not merely academic but a heartfelt journey towards spiritual maturity. [38:58]

Hebrews 1:1-3 - "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word."
Reflection: How can you make time this week to delve deeper into the life and teachings of Jesus to better understand God's character?

Day 2: Experiencing God's Intimate Presence
The myths that God is distant, uncaring, and unmerciful are dispelled by Jesus' teachings, which reveal God's intimate presence and care. Believers are encouraged to recognize and embrace the reality of God's closeness and His involvement in the details of their lives, leading to a more profound experience of His love and mercy. [37:01]

Psalm 34:18 - "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
Reflection: Can you identify a moment from the past week where you felt God's presence in the details of your life? How did it impact your perception of His care for you?

Day 3: The Depth of God's Love in Despair
The story of Betsy and Corey during the Holocaust serves as a powerful example of God's love, which remains steadfast even in the deepest despair. This love is not abstract but personal, inviting each individual to experience it in their own lives, regardless of their circumstances. [52:17]

Lamentations 3:22-23 - "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Reflection: Reflect on a time of despair in your life. How can you open your heart to experience God's love more deeply in the midst of current or future trials?

Day 4: Personal Relationship Beyond Religion
The true story of Christmas emphasizes a personal relationship with Jesus, which goes beyond religious practices and traditions. This relationship is about a heartfelt acceptance of Jesus as our savior and walking in His word, which transforms lives and brings true meaning to the celebration of Christmas. [55:49]

James 1:22-24 - "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."
Reflection: What is one way you can move beyond the rituals of religion to cultivate a more personal relationship with Jesus this holiday season?

Day 5: God's Direct and Intimate Love
The incarnation of Jesus is a testament to God's direct and intimate love for us. Unlike a distant deity, God chose to come to us in human form, offering His full presence. This act of divine love calls for believers to reciprocate by giving their full presence to God, fostering a deeper connection. [46:07]

1 John 4:9-10 - "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
Reflection: How can you offer your full presence to God today, just as He has given His presence to us through Jesus?

"Remember there is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still; He's reaching for you this morning. It's not important where you've been, it's important where you're headed because His love is reaching you." [52:17] (Download)

"God wanted a family; He didn't want to have Heaven by himself. He said there's no way that anybody can make it here on their own, so I'm going to send my son to show you how much I love you. God wanted you in his family." [53:04] (Download)

"This life that you live right now is preparation for those trillions and trillions and trillions of years of eternity. Life is not always fair, but it's a preparation for something far greater than we can comprehend." [54:28] (Download)

"Jesus didn't come for religion, he came for a relationship. He came for you to Simply say with your life I do." [55:49] (Download)

"2023 years ago Jesus came in human form to teach us about God; he erased false ideas about God by what he taught and by how he lived. By his example and by his teachings." [33:39] (Download)

"Jesus was God with skin on, that's called Emmanuel. So Jesus came to shatter a bunch of myths about God, including the myth that God is distant and detached." [35:04] (Download)

"God's love is four-dimensional... that you may be able to feel and understand... how long, how wide, how deep, how high his love really is and to experience this love for yourself." [48:46] (Download)

"He doesn't want you just to let somebody else experience up here but he wants you to experience that... how long is God's love? It's long enough to last forever... there is no end to God's love, it lasts forever and ever and ever." [49:30] (Download)

"Every Christmas poses the story to the world: what is the true story, the true meaning of Christmas? The majority of people will miss what Christmas is all about. We can get so caught up in things that we do and we can miss the truth." [30:14] (Download)

"The greatest gift that some of you can give at this Christmas time is your full presence to those that you love and not only that but our full presence to the King of Kings and the Lord of lords that we love." [46:43] (Download)

Amen, amen, amen! We'll give the Lord a hand clap; He's ruling and reigning today. Awesome!

Well, it's great to see you today on this Christmas Sweater Sunday, and we are blessed that you are here. Thank you to all of the people that are watching online. We are blessed today, and if I haven't told you lately, I just want to tell you that I love you and I'm so thankful that you're part of what's happening here at the Father's House as we are moving along.

Hey, let me remind you, we've got these invite cards. We have extras to invite people for next week. We have Christmas morning at 9 and 11, a great teaching on favor. That's one of the true stories of Christmas that a lot of people don't think about. Then, Christmas Eve Eve at 6:00 is going to be a great time.

Listen, you need to get here early to find a parking space. If you have legs that move, don't park in front. We have a lot of people that just pull in there on Sundays, but we have a lot of people that have a tough time walking, and we just need that space out there every Sunday for people that have good legs and can walk. Just thank God for that.

The school will be open next door, so you'll be able to park over there. Also, next week, you know we'll have a lot of new people coming for Christmas in the morning and in the evening. So, if you could serve extra, you say, "You know what? I don't have a lot of things going on. I could serve; I could help in the parking lot for Christmas Eve on that Sunday," or you could work in some area that would really help. You can put that on the connection card and drop that in the offering bucket at the end when we get ready to do that because that'll really help a lot of things.

Well, do you have your word with you? Your Bible, your iPhone, your iPad, whatever you use? Let's hold it up this morning and let's make our confession. Ready?

This is my Bible. It is the word of God. It is life to me. I receive the word. I confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I am obedient. I will never be the same again in Jesus' name.

Father, we thank you today. Lord, we just thank you, first of all, that we can remember and celebrate this time of the true story of Christmas. So, Lord, I pray as we look into the word today, Holy Spirit, that you would anoint me because I can say nothing without you. Help me to say what I should say and not say anything I shouldn't say. Anoint our ears today that we can remember the true story and not just all the things that are going on around us, but the true story. Speak to us today. Help us to understand to grab your word. In your name, amen.

I also want to join Paul in welcoming those that are online. We're glad that you're with us today.

Well, it's Christmas again! For some of you, you still haven't even done your shopping yet, and you think, "How can this happen?" It happens every year. But every Christmas poses the question to the world: What is the true story? The true meaning of Christmas? The majority of people next weekend will miss what Christmas is all about.

You say, "Well, how could that be? We've got so many songs, we got advertisements, we got publicity, we got promotion, we got Christmas specials." How can we do all of that and miss the truth? Well, we can get caught up in things that we do, and we can miss the truth. But even as Christians, we can get so caught up in just making sure that we get everything done that we miss the true story of Christmas.

So, the question today is: What is the true story of Christmas? I want to help you grab the truth. Have you ever had a friend and you said, "I just wish I could help them to understand the truth?" Like one guy I read about, he had a friend that was really spending too much time in the bar, and alcohol was getting the best of him. So, he thought, "Well, I'm going to help him. I'm going to help him to understand what he's doing with his life."

So, he went and joined him at the bar and sat down on the stool beside him and asked the barkeep, "Give us two glasses. In one glass, pour some vodka; in the other, pour water." So, the barkeep did that. Then the guy pulled out a little plastic bag that he had and two worms. He took one worm and dropped it in the glass of water, and he took the other worm and dropped it in the glass of vodka.

Pretty soon, the worm that was in the water was swimming around, having a gay time, and the worm that he dropped in the vodka died. So, his friend looked at him and said, "Do you understand the truth of what this is about? I'm trying to teach you." He said, "Yeah, I got it. It's just simply this: If I drink vodka, I won't have worms."

I'm not quite sure that he got the truth right. And so, that's how I feel every Christmas. What can we do with the songs that we sing? And by the way, didn't you love that last song? Man, give our praise and worship team a great hand! Man, that was awesome! "Manger Throne," man, that was great!

But every year we struggle with this. I don't want to just go through Christmas, but I want to help people understand the truth of Christmas.

The first truth of Christmas is: Jesus came, first of all, to show us the truth about God. Sometimes when we think about Christmas, we think that Jesus came as the gift and we receive the gift, but it's not just that; it's so much more. He came to teach us the truth about God.

There are a lot of misconceptions about God in the world we're living in today. There are false, crazy, bizarre ideas about God. So, I just typed in, as we always do, Google and said, "What do people think about God?" I brought out a bunch of them, but let me give you three today.

One man said, "I think of God as a sun and myself as a ray of light. So, the ray is the same substance as the sun, so I'm really God. That's what I think." Someone said, "Well, I think God is like my dead father that's watching over me every day." One person said, "I think of God like my grandson who always hides and then jumps out and surprises us."

Well, God didn't want to leave us to misconceptions and myths of what He's like or who He is. So, 2,023 years ago, Jesus came in human form to teach us about God. He erased false ideas about God in two ways: first of all, by what He taught, and second of all, by how He lived—by His example and by His teachings.

People say, "Well, I'd really like to know God. What is God all about?" Well, look through the scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and you'll see Jesus. Everywhere you see Jesus doing something, He's saying, "That's what God is like."

Do you understand? That's what God is like. John 18:37 says this: "This is why Jesus says, 'This is why I was born and came into the world.'" Would you read that phrase with me? "To tell people the truth." Look at your neighbor and say, "He came to tell you the truth."

He said, "To tell people the truth, and everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me." Yes, well, I like that. But look at this one: John 1:18, "No one has ever seen God. The only Son is the one who has shown us what God is like. He Himself is God and very close to the Father."

In other words, what He's saying here is Jesus was God with skin on. That's called Emmanuel. And so, Jesus came to shatter a bunch of myths about God.

What are some of those myths? Well, the first myth is that people feel that God is distant and detached. God is way up there somewhere. I don't know where He is, but He's up there, and I'm not sure I could ever really understand Him because He's so far away.

Some people think that God is like the philosophy of Bette Midler: "From a distance." No, God is not watching us from a distance. I believe He would say to that song, "No, I'm not watching from a distance, and I'm not detached, but I've come to you through my Son, Jesus."

He came so that we could understand that God is not distant and detached. Some of you right now, the enemy is lying to you that you'll never be able to touch God, you'll never be able to do that, you'll never understand because He's so far away and so difficult to understand.

God was never created; He's just always been. As a young kid, I'd try to think about that, and then I'd get lost. You know, what do you do? How do you do that?

So, if we look at that in just the sheer theology about God without the teachings about God, we miss it. But He's not distant; He's here. How many of you feel His presence right now? Do you feel His presence? Lift up your hand and say, "Yep, I feel His presence. I feel Him here today."

The second myth Jesus came to destroy was this: "Well, God is uncaring and He's unconcerned." God is uncaring, and He doesn't care about me. You know, "Who am I that He would care about me? He may care about Pastor Tim or He may care about somebody else, but He wouldn't care about me. I'm a nobody. Nobody even knows my name probably here at this church, and I come every Sunday, and I just can't believe that God would be concerned about my life."

Well, Jesus knew that we would struggle with that, and so He taught us a principle. He said, "Even when a bird falls, God knows when that bird falls. He sees it." But then He goes on and says, "God is so concerned about your life that He knows the number of hairs on your head."

Now, for some of us, that wouldn't be a challenge for God, but think about that. He's unconcerned. Jesus said, "God cares for you so much; He's got the numbers of hairs on your head." So, when you get out of the shower in the morning and you look down and you've lost a few more, God knew the number of those. When you comb your hair and you leave some of the hair in the brush, God knows every one of those. He understands that.

And Jesus says, "That's how caring He is for you. He's not distant; He's not detached, but He's caring and He's concerned about you." Somebody needs to hear that today. You came today, and you're almost pouting because of things that have happened to you. People don't understand you, and you're feeling all that.

But listen, I don't know what you're going through, but I know this: God is concerned. You say, "How could God be concerned about me?" Because He's God! Have you read the story of Jesus and what He did? He's concerned.

The other myth that Jesus came to get rid of was that God is just so unmerciful. I mean, read through the Old Testament. Have you ever read those things? He's unpleasable. How can you ever please God? And so we get that in our mind, thinking that even in our praying sometimes we think, "Well, I don't know that I can please God. I haven't done everything right this week."

Has anybody done everything right this week? Oh, good, no hands are raised. So, I feel safe there. I feel in good company. But even when I don't please God the way that I want to please Him, if I am a believer, He sees me through His Son, Jesus Christ.

People say, "How can God forgive me? How can God love me?" Because if I'm a believer, then when He looks at me, He sees me through the blood and the redemption of Jesus Christ.

You want to know how God feels about you? When Jesus came and He saw someone who was sick, what did He do? He healed him. When He saw someone who was a leper, what did He do? He touched him. When He saw the demonized man, what did He do? He cast the demons out.

So, Jesus is always healing, touching, loving people. And then at the end, He goes to the cross for you and for me as a lamb that was slain, and He stretches His arms out this wide and He says, "This is how much God loves you. This is how close God is to you. This is how merciful God is for you."

On your own, you could never please God. You could never get there. But through my Son, Jesus, He has made a way that you can please Him today. Give Him a hand! Yeah, amen!

Today, Jesus said in Luke 2:32 that He is the light, the light to reveal God to the nations. I mean, I just think sometimes we think about just He came for my sins. He came. No, He came not only for that, but He wants us to get a good picture of God.

He came to reveal God to the nations. He's the light. He's the light. Aren't you thankful for light? You know, we put up with our hurricanes and tornadoes, and the light goes off, and you're standing in your house and you're trying to find something to light up something, and you stumble all over something, say a few words you shouldn't say, and you ask God to forgive you because wandering around in the dark is such a pitiful place—a horrible place to be.

But Jesus said, "I am the light. I am the light that's going to reveal who God is to the world." I love to see the light, don't you?

Billy Graham once said, "When I want to know what God is like, I take a long look at Jesus Christ." Take a long look at Jesus. That's why it's so important for us to get into this word and read the word.

This year, as a church, we've been reading through the Bible, through the story that's talking about Jesus from Genesis all the way to Revelation. How many of you joined us in that YouVersion plan and you're with us in Revelation right now? Would you raise your hand? Great! Awesome!

Maybe some of you didn't know that, but every year we read the Bible through, and you can still catch us. You can go onto the Father's House website, you can scroll down and find the YouVersion plan of reading the Bible through in a year, and we're going to do it again in January. So, get ready! We're going to redo it. We're going to do the same one because I look at all those stories and the information they give us.

Like today, understanding how to understand prophetic words. See, sometimes people try to study Revelation literally, but the book of Revelation is not literal; it's prophetic. So, you can't go through and look at everything in a linear way.

It's not, you know, people are always looking for the mark of the beast on the hand or the forehead, and you've got to understand that's a prophetic symbol that says when you do business as the world thinks or when you do business as the world moves their hand, you've lost the whole track of it.

So, don't be looking for somebody to put a thing. It's already here. As far as my friend Dwight the other day said, "I went to the store, and they said, 'Do you want to use cash or use your palm?'" He said, "What do you mean, my palm?" They said, "Yeah, we can read your fingertips, and we can run everything." He said, "No, I'll keep my palm. I'll give you my credit card."

But I'm just saying it might happen, but don't expect it to happen. If you understand that Revelation is a prophetic book and cannot be understood in a linear way, you have to understand what does that prophetically mean.

And so, Jesus said, "I've come to show you the Father."

The second truth of Christmas is: Jesus came to express the love of God. Say it with me: "Jesus came to express the love of God."

Jesus coming to the earth—we just sang it a few minutes ago—Emmanuel. What does that mean? God with us. And that's a prophecy 700 years before Jesus was born. 700 years, this is what the prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 7:14: "All right, then the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Everybody is looking for a sign, right? Here's your sign: Look, the virgin will conceive a child; she will give birth to a son, and we'll call Him Emmanuel, which means God is with us."

So, He came to this earth, He came loving and forgiving to teach us the plan of God. Sometimes we see that bumper sticker, we see that sign, and I've seen people with t-shirts on: "He's the reason for the season" or "Jesus is the reason for the season."

But could I take that one step farther? Come on, you are the reason for the season! You're the reason for the Christmas season. That should make you feel pretty important. Look at your neighbor and say, "I'm somebody."

Now, some of you have a tough time saying, "I'm somebody," because I'm the reason that He came. That's right! I'm the reason that He came.

Here's what you need to know: If you were the only person on this planet Earth and you were lost, Jesus would have still come because He wanted to make a way for you to be with Him forever.

He didn't send an assistant. He could have rang up Gabriel and said, "Gabriel, you go do what should happen. You sacrifice your life. You go down, Gabriel, and you tell them stories." He didn't send a representative; He didn't send an angel. He became Himself in His presence. He came—His presence, Emmanuel, God with us.

So often, we're looking for the perfect present at Christmas. How many of you like to shop? I raise both hands; I love to shop. My wife hates to shop. She tells me, "You buy the gifts that you would like. You buy the things that go in your stocking, and I'll be happy to wrap them because I want you to be pleased at Christmas."

She gets paranoid or whatever. I mean, she gets really nervous about trying to shop because I'm hard to shop for. I don't want just leftovers of something that somebody gave you and you pass it on, okay? I'm just saying, right? I'm that.

So, she says, "You do that." Why? Because she wants—she gets so upset about trying to find the perfect present. But here's the question I have today: Is the present of Christmas more important, or is your presence?

Wow! I remember my grandbabies used to come up to me, and they'd sit beside me, and they'd stand beside me, and they'd be pecking on me, telling me something—pecking on my leg, pecking on my shoulder—and I'm like reading a book or reading something else or watching a football game.

And then what would they do? They'd reach up and they'd grab my face and turn my face towards them. In other words, what they're saying is, "I want your presence."

Yes! The greatest gift that some of you can give at this Christmas time is your full presence to those that you love. And not only that, but our full presence to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords that we love.

And God didn't send a present to say, "You just open a present." But He said, "I want to come with My presence and show you what I'm all about."

Here's what 1 John says: "God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is what real love is—not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."

Real love is not that I say, "God, I love You," because how, with my frail understanding, could I say to the fullest, "God, I love You?" That's not real love.

Real love is that God loved us so much that He sent Himself—God in flesh—in Jesus to show us how much that He loves us. God's love is four-dimensional. This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible: Ephesians 3:18, "That you may be able to feel and understand."

This morning, early when I woke up and I was praying for this teaching, looking over those words just jumped out at me. I've never thought about those—that you're able to feel and understand, as all God's children should—how long, how wide, how deep, how high His love really is and to experience this love for yourself.

So, three things jumped out at me: that we could feel, understand, and experience His love. Ain't that great? Do some research on that. I'm going to do some research. He doesn't want me just to know it here, but He wants me to feel it and understand what I'm feeling and experience it for myself.

He doesn't want you just to let somebody else experience it up here, but He wants you to experience that. Look at this: He says, "I want you to feel, understand, and experience how long God's love is."

So, I asked myself, "Well, how long is God's love?" It's long enough to last forever. Scripture said, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." God loved us so much that He sent His only Son, but God's love will last forever.

And I'm thinking, you know, we live in a world today that when love gets really short. You've seen this post: "Well, we're divorcing and separating because we've just grown apart. Our love has just deteriorated between us." Divorce courts are full of that. Parents and children—children are full of that.

But God's love—you can go—there is no end. There is no beginning; there is no end to God's love. It lasts forever and ever and ever. You can never stop God from loving you.

How wide is God's love? Well, it's wide enough to be everywhere. That's right! He'll find you no matter where you are. Some of you, between services, Richard said, "I kept thinking just going to do that song: 'Deep and wide, deep and wide, there's a fountain flowing deep and wide.'" Sorry, it went over some of your heads right there.

That's a long—yeah, it's deep and it's wide. How deep is God's love? It's deep enough to find you no matter what hurt you have. Now, sometimes we feel like, "Well, I'm in a pit. I can't believe I'm in this place. I just—I don't know how I'm going to get out of it. I don't see any hope. There's no way."

And Jesus says, "No, there's not a pit that you can fall into that's too deep for God's love to reach you." In the book "The Hiding Place," Corrie and Betsy ten Boom were two Dutch girls living in the Netherlands, and they were hiding Jews that would be caught and sent to concentration camps. They saved a lot, but in the end, they got captured themselves. They went to concentration camp along with the Jews they were hiding.

One day in the concentration camp, Corrie said this to her sister Betsy: "This place is the pit of hell." And Betsy looked at her and said, "Just remember, there is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still." He's reaching for you this morning.

How high is God's love? Oh, this is my favorite one to think about. It's high enough to look over all my bad decisions and my mistakes that I've made this week. That's how high God's love is.

See, it's not important where you've been; it's important where you're headed because His love is reaching you. Here's the question, though: Have you accepted God's four-dimensional love?

Have you accepted it? You see, He came to erase the misconceptions of God. He came to express the love of God. But the third truth of Christmas is this: Jesus came to make it possible. He came to make it possible for us to have a relationship with God.

A relationship with God—God decided in advance. Ephesians 1:5 says that He wanted to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. The reason you are alive right now is that God wants to adopt you into His family. He wants to adopt you.

God wanted a family. He didn't want to have Heaven by Himself. So, He said, "There's no way that anybody can make it here on their own, so I'm going to send Myself. I'm going to send My Son to show you how much I love you."

God wanted you in His family. Look at your neighbor and say, "God wants you in His family." He wants you in His forever family. You're not an accident. There are no accidental births.

In this world, you may live 60, 70, 80—I'm getting closer to 80; it may be 90, okay?—on this planet. But really, when you compare the life we have here with the trillions and trillions and trillions of years of eternity, Jesus is saying this life that you live right now is preparation for those trillions and trillions and trillions of years.

So, you see, life is not always fair. Some of you are going through things right now, and you think, "It's not fair what I'm going through. Why am I sick? Why am I going through this? Why am I having this difficulty?"

A friend shared with me this morning of a tragedy that's happened to his son, and we look at that and we think, "Oh God, why?" But you see, this world is not supposed to be all gumdrops and jelly beans and Christmas carols. This life is tough sometimes, and we can get so narrow-minded and focused on what we're going through that we forget that He brings us through what we're going through.

That's the truth of Christmas. That's the truth of Christmas. Your life depends on whether or not you understand this third thing. You see, you can understand the first two—that Jesus came to wipe away the myths, He came to show us how much God loves us—but really, you could understand those first two and you could miss the third one of having no relationship with Jesus.

I hear people say, "Well, you know, I've been a Christian all of my life. I've gone to church since I was a kid. I've been a Christian all my life." No, you're not a Christian until you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and walk in His word.

See, Jesus didn't come about religion. You can go to church all your life and have religion, but you could miss a relationship. Jesus didn't come for religion; He came for a relationship. He came for you to simply say with your life, "I do."

Almost 30 years ago, I met a beautiful blonde with beautiful long legs. I'll stop; she's not here right now. Her mother fell this week, and so she had to go down to Naples and be with her mother. She'll be back today.

But I really didn't have a true relationship with her until I simply said, "I do." Maybe you know about Jesus. Maybe you even know that song I did a few minutes ago, "Deep and Wide." But the question is: Have you stepped across the line and simply said, "I do" to Jesus?

Wow! It's the most important thing that'll ever happen—not a religion. I don't care if you're here today and you're Catholic, Baptist, Buddhist, Mormon, or have no religious background or no religious background. He didn't come for religion but for relationship.

He says to you today, "Hey, I want to know you. I want you to be part of My family. I want to forgive you of your past. I want to give you a purpose for living, and I want to give you an eternity with Me on a new Heaven and a new Earth."

I look at this Earth and I see beautiful things, and I think, "Man, that's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." But then you see a little pollution or you see something wrong, and then I'm reminded I'll spend eternity because I said, "I do" on a new Earth that'll be just like He meant for it to be.

So, Michael, I don't know how that's going to be with our golf swing, but I guess there are golf courses, and we have a perfect score. I don't know how that...