We would just, as I always say, Jason and the praise team, they always do such a great job. If we would just finish it at that, it is so good to be again in the house of the Lord.
I want to welcome everybody that's online. I know, as Jason a lot of times says, that all of you that are here, you passed so many churches, so many places, but you chose to be here. But most importantly, it's not that you chose to be here; it is God has guided you over here for a purpose and a reason.
I do believe that today is a message as we're closing 2024 and we're getting ready to enter a new year. This past year has been a year for some people of sorrow. For some, it's been a year of rejoicing, and we're getting ready to enter a new year. We don't know what to expect, but we know that one thing for sure: we know that we placed our trust in the one that is in control.
For us, it's going to be a surprise, things that are going to surprise us along the way. For us, it's going to be things that we're going to be wondering what is going to take place, but for the one that knows you and you placed your faith in Him, He already knows the words that you're going to say next year in every minute of your life.
Pastor Carl last week talked about three things. He read from the book of Matthew and read over here the birth of Jesus and said you could either dismiss Him, reject Him, or worship Him. There are those three things that you can do, and that's so very true. Those things spoke to me, and I had to ask myself, which one of them am I at? Which one of them am I doing if I am truly worshiping the Lord with all my heart?
I want us to open the Bible to the book of Matthew, chapter 2, verses 1 through 5, and I'm going to be talking a little bit about that. Then we're going to be going to verses 10 and 11, and then we're going to be going through the book of Luke. As you know me, I like to go in the Bible. The best place where you can find answers for your life is the word of God because this word has been tested.
I know coming from a communist country, the communists tried to do away with it and destroy it and say it's not true. And it survived; it outlasted the communist government that I knew. The word of God is still alive, and when you read the word of God, it is like reading tomorrow's newspapers, the headlines of tomorrow. It knows exactly what is taking place because the author of this book is the one that already knows what is going to take place.
In the book of Proverbs, it says, in other words, He’s the one that's above time, and He knows what's going to take place within our hearts. He has loved you enough that He's giving you the freedom to choose to do what you want to do: either worship Him, reject Him, or even dismiss Him.
However, I would like, if you're over there with your Bibles, in Matthew chapter 2, verses 1 through 5, this is what it says:
"Now, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who was born king of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.' When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all of Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, 'In Bethlehem of Judea, for this was what has been written by the prophet.'" Amen.
When I read this, I was wondering what the Lord wants for us because who doesn't know the narrative of Christmas? We see it in front of the yards and on the lawn; we see it in stores and so many other places, and we know the narrative. But the thing about it is, in all of these narratives, it shows three magi, right? But in reality, when Herod heard that these magi were coming, you ever ask yourself who are these magi and what was their role? What was the importance of them? Why are they mentioned in this?
Because it's mentioned here and in the book of Luke, and after that, it's not mentioned anymore. Were there only three of them? The thing about it is, if you look in history, it says when Herod came, when the magi came into Jerusalem, there were thousands of them. There were not only three of them; there were thousands of them.
You'd say, "Well, what importance does this make?" Because when Herod heard that the magi were there, Herod was afraid. He made a statement to them in this passage, and it's written down. He tells them, "Listen, go and look for Him, and when you find Him, come and tell me." Why would he make a statement like that? He says that I might worship Him too.
See, the magi, these magi were not just any magi. Some people say, "Oh, they're just some wise men." But the magi go back hundreds of years to the time when Daniel was in Babylon. These magi came, and they were not just any magi; they were not just from a royal family. You would not be made a magi unless you were from that lineage of magi bloodline. They were not just anybody.
See, because kings would go and ask them for advice when they would go into battle. They would study not only astrology; they would study wars, and they would study the generals, how they won previous battles. They were able to give the king that they were serving what needed to be done to conquer all of these things. That's why when Herod heard that these guys were coming, they were afraid.
In order for a king to be recognized and the ruler of the nation to be recognized, you know who had to give them the okay? The magi. That's why when they brought these magi to Herod, he was afraid.
What gives me a little bit of questions that I started asking because when you read about the magi and you go back into the book of Daniel, chapter 5, it talks about it over there in the story of Nebuchadnezzar. I just want to make a quick note so you can understand what importance these magi took place because so many people were afraid of the magi. They took them for their life, just some wise people, somebody that just recognized that, "Oh, we're seeing a star," and we're not being guided by—no, no, these men were very important.
You might say, "Well, what importance is that for me today?" You'll understand because from their wisdom, the wisdom they had is the same wisdom that God is giving you to understand when He's calling you and making you wise enough to accept the call that God has for you.
When they brought Daniel, whenever Nebuchadnezzar brought Daniel, think about this: here is a young man that's not from the lineage or the dynasty of the magi, and here comes Nebuchadnezzar and says, "This is your new leader." He puts him in charge over them. That's why they were offended by Daniel because they were saying, "You're not from this royal lineage; we are even greater than some of the kings, some of the rulers."
Yet you come and try to rule over us. But Nebuchadnezzar said something. He said, "The spirit of the gods," because they were serving many gods. Daniel was not only able to interpret the king's dream; he was able to say what he dreamed. They said, "This man has the spirit of the gods in him, so he's going to be in charge over them."
Daniel was the only one in that lineage of magi that was ever accepted to be known as a magi or leader of them. Nobody after that except that they were from that lineage. That's why it was important for us to understand when it says that Herod heard that these magi came, and they're making a statement.
"We're declaring there's a new king in town." Can you imagine? Can you imagine what Herod's saying? "Hold on, hold on. Wait a minute. You mean to tell me I killed two of my boys because they were getting more famous than I am?" Because that's what Herod did. The people started loving two of his children; he had them killed. When he died, just so the people would not mourn for these kids or like these kids more, he had them killed before he died. That's how ruthless he was.
But he was true. He said, "When you find Him, come and tell me. I want to worship Him." Sure, no problem. But I want us to look at a couple of other things so we can understand why these men, when they brought these magi, when they brought these three gifts. Pastor talked about it, and I will go very short over them.
I also want to talk about a person that is not being talked about a lot in the Bible, and that's from the book of Luke. It will also be in chapter 2 about a man named Simon that was expecting, waiting for the consolation, for the promise of God. He was waiting at the temple.
But before we go there, I just want to mention a few things about these three gifts. It's from Matthew chapter 2, verses 10 through 11, and it says this:
"When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy." These magi—I want to just take a few seconds here—these magi rejoiced, right? And when they go into the house of Herod, into the temple of Herod. Because why? These magi were looking for a king. So they would not go to a stable; they would not go to a place where animals were. They went to the palace because that's where kings were to be born.
It says that they rejoiced greatly. When Herod saw them, he saw them, and they were rejoicing. Why were they rejoicing while the preachers around Herod, all the Sadducees and Pharisees, when they knew the prophecy where Jesus was to be born, they were greatly what? Disappointed. Sad.
Preachers are getting sad and mad because the Messiah is born while the heathens are looking for Him. You see, we have to look at the story real good to understand what the Lord is trying to tell us.
Verse 11 says this: "And when they had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and worshipped Him." The heathens worshipped Him while the preachers were being disappointed. When they had opened their treasures, they presented Him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
What do these three things mean? What could we give to the one that created everything? The creator of heaven, the creator of the galaxy. He says that in the Bible it says that He flings the stars from His hand, and when He calls the stars, they answer Him. Yet humanity turns its back on Him, on the creator.
What could you give to the one that created the gold, the frankincense, and even the myrrh? The first significance I want to look at is the significance of gold because gold is a precious metal, and as such, it was a valuable commodity. He could very well have financed Joseph's and Mary's trip into Egypt.
Because remember, the Lord told Joseph, He said, "Take your wife that very night and go because Herod is looking to kill Him." When Herod found out that it was in Bethlehem, he sent his soldiers and put every baby from two years and under from that town to death.
From two years and under. Why two years and under? Because from the time when Jesus was born to the time when Mary was taken, Mary and Joseph went into Egypt, it was a period, and it took a while for those magi. They couldn't just jump into their jets or take some selfies and get to Jerusalem. They had camels, and it took a while.
That's why when Herod said, "Go put everybody two years and under," because they found out from those magi when they saw that star. By bringing gold, they were recognizing and accepting Jesus as king. These wise men, by bringing gold, were saying that this newborn king, Jesus, is king. He was born a king; He was not made a king.
Every king in this world that ever became a king was what? He was made a king, except the one that was Jesus. He was born a king. That's why these magi, when they brought Him this gold, they brought Him the best.
These magi, by bringing gifts, were saying, "We're coming under the submission to this baby that was known to be king." See, that's what bothered Herod because these magi were willing to travel from such a distance to come to see this newborn king. Yet, there are some people that will not even get out of bed. Some don't even want to get out of bed.
See, and God is saying they were saying this wasn't just an ordinary child; He was the Christ that was to come. That's what these magi were saying. Because in Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1, it says this: "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, in these last days spoke to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world."
See, this is the baby that was born. He was not the one that was made a king. King Charles waited 72 years until he became a king. Actually, this is his first job. He started working at 72 years old. He waited for 72 years until he started working. So I got a few years until I go there.
You see, God wants you to understand that there was a reason why He sent those people in there to show the world the importance of who this newborn baby is. The one that was born in a stable, not in a palace. In a palace, you couldn't get to Him, but He was born in a manger so you and I can have access to Him.
So you and I can reach Him and say that He is the one that can save you. Humanity turned their back on God, and no amount of sacrifices that they were bringing at the temple week after week, month after month, was enough to atone for the sins of the world. Every sacrifice that they were bringing was only temporary.
But God loved you and me so much that He gave humanity the greatest gift that humanity can have, and He gave Him His Son, which was to be the Lamb of God. These wise men, these magi, brought gold. By the significance, they were saying we submit to the lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ.
They didn't understand who He was; they didn't know who He was. But they were saying exactly what it says in Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5 to 7: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."
See, He directed the path of these magi, and they were coming and saying, "We're following the star that is born, the one that's going to be the true king, which is going to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords." They went to see a baby, but in Revelation 19, we're going to see Him coming riding on a white horse, and He's going to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
He's not going to ask you if you want to bow down to Him or accept Him; He's the one that's going to say, "This is the way it is. I gave the best for humanity, and I expect the best from humanity and nothing less."
When one recognizes Jesus as his Lord and Savior, it represents that you have given Him your best, giving Him your heart. Have you? Have you, the one that's watching on television? See, the Spirit of the Lord is there with you, not can be, is there with you because He's omnipresent, and He's here with us. He hears our thoughts and knows the desires of our hearts, and He wants all the things that He wants from us.
It's not our money, not anything else; He wants our hearts. That's what God wants from you and for me. See, in our hearts, there are two things that are in our hearts—actually, there's three things. Two things, excuse me. One is on the outside of the heart; there's a throne, and there's yourself. On that throne of your heart, you either have self or you have Christ, which is your Savior.
See, when you have self in control, you are the one that's going to say, "I am the one that's in charge." It's the same thing you see with some of the people that write, "God is my co-pilot." No, I don't want God to be my co-pilot; I want God to be my pilot, the one that leads.
Because when I was the one that was driving and God was outside the co-pilot, I made a mess of my life. But when God took over, He restored me. He gave me a family; He gave me children that are a blessing for me. He gave me a wife, and He gave me a life that I could never foresee.
There are too many people that only honor Him on Easter or on Christmas or on Sundays, and the rest of the time, they put it to the side. See, God wants from us our best, our gold.
The second thing that God wants from us is the myrrh. The second thing that they brought was myrrh, which stands for the sacrifice. It's for the sacrifice. It's hard to understand when they brought myrrh. These wise men, and you think, "Hey, these guys are wise," this myrrh to a newborn baby. You know what it was? It was like coming to a newborn baby to visit him and carrying a casket underneath your arm—a small baby casket. That's what it meant.
See, the reason why they brought myrrh is because they recognized; they knew because they studied from after Daniel. Daniel started teaching them when he was in Babylon and then in Persia when he was one of the rulers. He told them, "There's going to come for my people somebody that's going to not only be the Christ but He's going to be the Lamb of God that's going to take away the sins of the world."
That's what God revealed to him, and he started teaching that. That's why they were eager to see this newborn baby. When they brought the myrrh, they were saying, "We know that it's going to be hard for you, Mother." They were saying, "We know this is going to be hard for you because this baby is going to bring a division even into His people."
It's going to bring division even into family. Why? Because when people start believing in Him, they're going to forsake all of these strange gods. That's why Nebuchadnezzar said, "The spirit of the gods," because they were worshiping many gods. But Daniel presented to them, "There's only one true God, and that's the God of Israel."
See, myrrh was used for medical purposes in the Bible. The Jews would give those condemned to death myrrh mingled with wine to make them insensible so that they could endure the pain. That was also a valuable spice used for trading in Bible times. It was a product of Arabia, and that's why when they brought that myrrh, you know, in the time of Jesus, myrrh was as expensive as gold. Myrrh wasn't just anything; it was just as expensive as gold.
See, that's why when they brought Him, each one of them brought in their best. That's why you see Isaiah when he started prophesying about Jesus in Isaiah 9, but also in Isaiah when he says, when he was in the temple, he said, "I saw the Lord high and lifted up, and the train filled the temple." He said, "Woe was me, for I am a man of unclean lips."
See, Isaiah only saw Him in prophecy, but there was somebody on the island of Patmos that not only saw Him in person; he placed his hand on Him. He said, "I am a man of unclean lips," and he saw Him as the Savior. He was the one that saw Him dying for humanity.
When he was writing the book of Revelation, and when you paint down in Revelation chapter 5, he says when there was a quietness in the world, in heaven, when there was quiet in the world for a moment, he says John started crying, and he felt a hand. He said, "Out of the tribe of Judah, a lamb, the Lion of the tribe of Judah."
John stopped because he saw the scroll of humanity. Humanity was captured, and written in that scroll were all the diseases of humanity, and nobody could break that seal. In other words, there was no other way to get salvation except by what? When they saw, when John lifted up his eyes and he saw Him, Jesus, and He broke the seal and opened it.
When John saw Him, he didn't see Him as the Lion of Judah, but he saw Him as the Lamb that was sacrificed for you and for me. See, in other words, that gives you and me great joy because we not only have a Lamb; we have a Redeemer, but we have a King that is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
There's no other way to the Father except through Jesus Christ. There's only one absolute truth: Jesus is the only way. There's no other way. There are so many religions saying, "If you do this or if you do that," Jesus is saying, "Give me your heart; that's all I want. That's all I ever wanted."
Jesus is the only absolute truth. There's no other way to the Father—not through saints or through anybody else—because Jesus, and because the Apostle Paul says that you and I are saints. Jesus is the only door to get to the Father and to have a relationship.
What good is it for you to celebrate Christmas and not have Jesus being born into your heart? Has the birth of Christ made a difference in you and made you glad the way it made these magi glad? Think about that. What can I bring before the Lord except my broken heart?
The third is this: the frankincense. What is the frankincense? Gold represents the authority and the kingship of Jesus Christ. Myrrh represents the suffering and the redemption of the forgiveness of sin. Frankincense represents the duties and the responsibility of the high priest at the temple when bringing a sacrifice.
When they were bringing a sacrifice for the forgiveness of your sins, frankincense is a symbol of holiness and righteousness. That's what it represents. See, every morning the priest had to get up. When they would get up, the first thing they would do is make sure that the altar was still running in the temple, and they would have to put some of that frankincense, and that smell would rise towards heaven.
Frankincense changes the atmosphere of the church in worship. Frankincense is what Jason and the praise and worship team do; it changes the atmosphere. Don't you see? Sometimes when you come to the house of the Lord, maybe you might have a problem on the way. The car didn't start right; maybe the children were acting up; maybe the wife was acting up—no, I mean the husband was acting up.
But see, when you start going into the presence, the Lord is calling you, saying, "Come back home." See, when they were making all that sacrifice at the temple, there was blood running at the temple every day, and that blood in that heat would make a stench. But when they would put the frankincense, it would cover because your sins and my sins represent the stench that can be before the Lord.
But when the Lord Jesus put the sacrifice of His blood upon each and every one of you and on me, it changes who you are and who I am. Because when we stand before God the Father, it says your sins are red as crimson, but if just a drop of the blood of Jesus falls on you, it says it makes you whiter than snow.
I want to challenge you on something. Whenever you go, if you have something red at home, take another piece of the same glass or similar of that same red, and look at that glass that is red. You know what color you will see? White.
When you look at something red to the same similar color red, you will see that as white, not as red. My wife, when she plays the guitar, she writes her notes down on a paper. At another church where she was playing, her notes were with a red pen. As soon as they turned that red, the red lights on, she couldn't see any of her notes on the paper; it disappeared.
See, that's what it means. The frankincense was what was going to put on the sacrifice, which will become a sweet-smelling aroma. So what does that frankincense for you, for a Christian in 2024 mean? It means that worshiping you deal with.
I don't have a—when I was being a Christian, I just sat in. I don't have a—God, today is going to make, it's going to change who you are. It's going to change the atmosphere around you, and it's going to bring the joy of the Lord. Because right now, so many people, they're in that turmoil. Some of them were saying, "Okay, we're going to start a new year. We're starting something different. We're closing this 2024, and we're turning our back on every problem that has happened."
And we're looking, and we're hoping for something new. We're looking for something new. And what is that one thing that you're looking for? Are you looking for fame? Are you looking for your future to have a better job? These are not something wrong with them. But where do you prioritize these things? Where do you put them at what level?
See, because in Luke 2, verse 25, it says this: "And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simon. This man was a righteous and devout man looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to carry out for him the customs of the law, he took Him into his arms and blessed Him and said..."
You see, it says that there was a man that God had spoken to him and said, "You're going to go to the temple, and I'm going to tell you when this newborn baby is going to be the promise of Israel." Because every mother or every young lady, every young daughter that was born, they were praying and saying, "Lord, am I the one that the Messiah is going to come through?" Every one of them.
That's what they were hoping to be, the one that the Messiah is going to be born through. And when the Messiah came to her, the prophecy, the angel Gabriel came to him and said to her, "You are going to be the one." And now when they're bringing the baby to the temple, it says that there was a man named Simon, always going to church, expecting.
What was he expecting? Have you ever asked yourself, if I'm going to church, what am I expecting from church? What am I expecting? What am I expecting to hear at church? Am I going over there just because I'm so used to doing it for so long that it's just something that I'm used to? Am I doing it because God is going there for God to speak to me individually?
There's a problem that I cannot seem to get answers from no matter what I turn. There's something that keeps being stuck to me, and I can't get rid of. But I'm going to go today to church expecting. This man went looking. He was looking.
Some people say, "Well, he was probably going to every baby. He said, 'Is this the one?'" No. Because see, the Holy Spirit is not going to make you guess. The Holy Spirit is exactly going to tell you. Because when Mary and Joseph came to the temple, he said, "That's the boy. That is the baby. That's the one."
When he says that, at that moment, he says, in verse 27, "And he came in the Spirit into the temple." How did he come into the temple? "Oh, I'm going back to church again. Man, I can't believe it. Okay, I'm going to go to the temple."
See, is he coming or not? No. It says, "He came in the Spirit." He knew exactly what to look for. There was something specific. And it says, "The Spirit of the Holy Spirit." He said, "That's when he took Him in his arms."
Looking back on Christmas Day, think about this: Was Jesus the center of your celebration? Or were the presents the center of your celebration? Or what is going to take place? Are you still thrilled with Jesus? Are you more dedicated to Him today than you were yesterday? Or even last week? Or even on Christmas?
There's Simon. It says that Simon took Jesus into his arms. See, he took Him because he understood. Right now, He is a baby, but one day, He's going to take me into His arms. And see, that's one thing that you must understand. Someday, Jesus is going to take you and I into His arms, and He's going to welcome us home.
Because Simon prayed. When he prayed, it involved a few things. In verse 29, it involved satisfaction because he said, "I'm satisfied that I see." What? The redemption. I see the salvation that is to come, and it's finally here. Now, Israel can truly be rejoicing. Start their transition. True rejoicing.
Then another thing, in verse 30, it says, when he prayed, it involved salvation. He says, "Now salvation has come, not only to the Jews, but it also came to the Gentiles." His prayer involved God's sovereignty. He said, "This baby is not just an ordinary baby; this is the promised child. This is the one that was promised to the world. We've been waiting for Him. We've been waiting and waiting and waiting."
And finally, have you been waiting for Jesus to come into your home? Have you been praying for something specific? Maybe you're praying for your child and saying, "Lord, when will he come home?" Or are you praying for your husband, saying, "Lord, when will he return home?" Are you praying for your daughter, grandchild?
See, this man prayed and understood. His prayer involved God's sovereignty in verse 31. And he involves God's sovereignty for both, for Jews and Gentiles. See, what they understood and what you have to understand is that they saw who—he saw who Jesus was.
One thing, what you have to understand, when I said that story of the red, even though your sins are red as crimson, they'll be white as snow. You know, there's writings in the Jewish writings that after Jesus died, because they would hang a rope that was red as crimson. On the right side, there was a hook at the entrance of the temple.
They would put that rope in there, and it was red as crimson. If their sacrifice was accepted and they would have their forgiveness of sin, it says that rope would turn white as wool without anybody touching it. The last time that turned white as wool was when Jesus died. That's what the writings of the Jewish say.
That was the last time because they kept doing it until the year 71, when the temple fell. And guess what? Never did it turn white again because the last sacrifice that God will accept was the sacrifice of Jesus for your sins, and there was no need for any other sacrifice for your sins or my sins. His life was enough. He lived a sinless life, and that was enough for you and for me so we can have our salvation.
See, that's what he meant when this man prayed. It meant all of these things because he meant the sovereignty of God. Are you living close enough to Jesus to know His secrets? See, Simon was living close to Jesus, close enough to God, close enough to God to hear the secrets of God because God was telling him, "Go now; today's the day when you will see."
He knew the secret; he knew a secret beyond anybody else. And there was another woman that was going to the temple, and he said she was 81 years old, Anna. When she saw Jesus, she rejoiced. She rejoiced, and Simon even said, "Now I can die; I can finally go and rest in peace because I've seen the salvation of God. I've seen it with my own eyes."
What are you expecting from the year that's ahead? Are you expecting for God to do a miracle in your house? Are you expecting for God to change circumstances around? Maybe you've been struggling in your family. Maybe you've been struggling even financially with your job. Maybe your boss has been giving you a lot of headaches and a lot of trouble.
You have a God that you can go to, and He's the one that listens, and He's the one that resolves things. Because even though Herod had a scheme, he wanted to kill Jesus. He said, "Hey, when you find Him, come and tell me." See, they found Him, but they didn't go the same way because God knew His heart.
See, God knows your heart. God knows what you desire. See, there are a lot of people who don't have a phone now, a mobile phone right now. I used to tell this when I was with the Sunday school kids. I used to tell, "You know, do you know the number of Jesus? Jesus has a phone number."
Yes, I'll tell you His number; it's 50:15. It's Psalm 50, verse 15: "Call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will exalt Me." That's the name; that's the phone number of Jesus. Call Him. He says, "Call on Me."
You see, that is the thing that Jesus wants. Are you aware of His plan for this age, or are you going blind? When you put your trust in Jesus, Herod was blind, and he was only less than four miles away from where Jesus was—less than four miles away, six kilometers. But he was blind.
The world is blind and does not know Jesus. See, they don't understand God has a plan for this age and for you and for me. Are you aware of God's plan for your life? See, God has a plan for your life and for each and every one of you. He calls you by name. In the book of Jeremiah, He says, "Before I was formed in my mother's womb, He said, 'You knew me; You predestined me; You already set my foot.'"
But it's up to me. See, He's the one that He gave it all for you. He gave it all. Are you aware of His plan for your life? And see, my last question is this: What are you going to do about it? What are you going to do about it?
Are you going to make just a New Year's resolution? You know, most of the people make New Year's resolutions, but by January 15, you see, go to the gym on January 1st or 2nd; it's packed, it's jam-packed. Go February 1st; you'll see about 60 or 70 percent have dropped out already from the gyms. That's when they make most of their money because they sign contracts January 1st.
But see, don't make Jesus just a New Year's resolution because see, Jesus has a plan not only for this age, but He has a plan for your life and for my life. See, Jesus called Simon and said, "Today is Jesus calling you."
Today, if you're not in church, you just ran across this website, and God is calling you individually and saying, "I'm going to make a New Year's resolution. I have a plan for you. I have something that's best for you." The world wants to give you the slop as the prodigal son, but I want to give you the best because what I'm going to do, what I did for the prodigal son, that I clothed him, I washed him, and gave him a ring and new clothing so the world would not see who he was in the past.
And that's what God has for each and every one of you because He has a plan and a purpose for your life and for my life. God is calling you. Don't make it just a New Year's resolution.
I'm going to close. But before I close, I want you all to bow your heads because this is the time when you do business with God. This is the time where you say, "I want to give God my best." This is the time when God is saying, "Come home, my child."
Maybe you gave your life one time, but the cares of the world or the things of the world have separated you from God. This is the time to come home. God is welcoming you just as you are, saying, "Come home, my child."
And this is what God is calling you for: to give you a new hope, to give you a new plan for your life, and to give you a new future. For we see what the devil has done. He came to kill, to steal, and to destroy. But God came to give you new life, new hope, and a new purpose.
That's who this baby that was born in a manger was and is. He's not a baby anymore; He sits at the right hand of the Father as the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. Won't you make Him your King?
And repeat this prayer after me. And all of you saints, do the same:
"Father God, I thank You that I'm able to be here. I thank You that I'm able to give my life to You. I accept You as my King and my Savior. I thank You that You've given me a new name. Thank You for the new hope that You give me. I honor You and glorify You for giving me a new purpose. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen."
If you made that decision, if you're here or online, please text us or call us. We will gladly send you a Bible and rejoice with you. See, you closed one section of your life, but you're opening the best gift, which is the new life that God's going to give for you and for each one of us.
Amen. I want to say thank you all for coming and worshiping with us in 2024. And if we don't see you again until next year, may God richly bless you. May God be with you, and may God pour out His favor upon you in all that you do. Amen. May you all be blessed. Have a blessed day. God bless you.
on Dec 29, 2024
