There's more gospel in those two hymns than will be preached in most of the world today, except, we hope, this place and a few others.

Joy to the world, no more let sin and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground, because this place is cursed. Under the law, under the curse, Christ came. He said to Adam, Cursed is the ground, he said. Cursed. Scripture says, Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree. So Christ came to deliver his people from the curse of sin. Cursed the law by being made sin by hanging on Calvary's tree and putting their sins away. Second hand. Cursed is man.

It says he rules the world with truth and grace. make the nations prove the glories of His righteousness. The wonders of His love, the glories of His righteousness, the righteous Lord reigneth through, holy, just, and righteous. The nations don't believe this. They don't try to prove it, but God makes them prove it. Even the wrath of man is a praise of everything. God's ordering everything according to His holy and righteous and eternal will and power and sovereign purpose in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I just preached yesterday. That's not even the introduction, but it is the sum and substance of what we do in it. Luke chapter 1, I go there with Luke chapter 1, and let's read this prophecy of Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. To bear witness to Christ. That was his purpose. Just as everything does. The sun, the moon, the stars, everything. The whole nature, everything. It was created to bear witness to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's Psalm 14. And John was born for that purpose. The forerunner. The harbinger. He is. The one who prepares the way of the Lord. Just a voice and a will.

Now this is his father, Zacharias. Let's begin with verse 67. It says, His father, Zacharias, was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel. He hath visited and redeemed his people. Who's he talking about? The Lord Jesus Christ. the Redeemer of His people. Isaiah 53, He shall save His people. Matthew 121, Isaiah 53, His people. For the transgression of My people was He smitten.

He hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David. Let me just read all of it and then go back and comment. As he spoke by the mouth, spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies from the hand of all that hate us. To perform the mercy promised to our father. To remember his holy covenants. The oath, his oath, his covenant, which he swore to our father Abraham. that he would grant unto us, his people, that we be delivered out of the hand of our enemies, and might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before God all the days of our life.

And thou, child, speaking of his son, John, shalt be called the prophet of the highest. Who? Christ, probably. Thou shalt go before the face of the Lord. to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation unto His people by or for the remission of their sins. This knowledge is through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the days spring from on high, the sun hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness, the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

The child John grew and waxed strong in spirit. It was in the deserts to the day of his showing in Israel. So this prophecy, like all prophecies in Scripture, bear witness of Jesus Christ. To him, Acts 10, to him give all the prophets witness. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, He's speaking to some pharisees. He said, you search the scriptures, and in them you think you have life. You think it's a way that you might live according to the law, and thereby God will reward you in heaven because you lived a good life. No, he said, they are they which testify of me, Christ's Savior. Christ who came that we might have life. Not to show us how to live, but to kill us by how? By His death. By His death. He came to live, yes, but He came principally and foremost to die. To die. To be a sin-bearer, a burnt offering.

So this is a prophecy like all the rest of the prophecy in Scripture. Look at verse 68. be the Lord God of Israel, who hath visited and redeemed his people." This is the prophecy of the Christ, the Redeemer, who should come. Remember Exodus 3, where God said, I've heard my people, I am come down. Don't you love that? He said, I am come down to deliver them out, to bring them up. They can't get faith. They weren't looking for God, they weren't calling, but God. looked on them in mercy and came down.

Who's that? The Word of my flesh. To bring them out, out of the world, out of darkness, into the marvelous light, out of death, into the light. To bring them up, to bring them to God. No man comes to the Father but by me, Christ said. To bring them in to that promised land, a city made without hands. Oh my, I gotta go on, I gotta get to the next chapter. But oh, what a prophecy this is.

He raised up a horn of salvation in the house of his servant David, as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which had been since the world began." That is the seed of David. I do want you to turn to Romans 1. Romans 1, which Paul briefly concludes what the gospel is. Romans 1. Do you have it? This is exactly what Zacharias was saying. Do you have it? Romans 1. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, like Zacharias was called to be a priest, like Gabriel was called to be an angel. To do what? One thing. Paul loved him. One thing, bear witness of Christ. Separated under the gospel of God, the message, the good news, the glad tiding that God has sent us to declare, verse 2, which he promised afore by his prophets in the Holy Scripture. All the prophets. All of them. From Moses to Malachi. All of them. To John. John's the last. What is the gospel? It's concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Made of the seed of David, according to the flesh. Made in the likeness of sinful flesh. came in the line of the tribe of Judah. David was the king after God's own heart. Christ is called the son of David, but he's not just a man. He's the God-man. He's not sitting on a throne in Israel. He never did. They wanted to make him king and put him on a little man-made throne in Israel. He refused. Why? Because this is he who sits on a circle in the air. This is he who sits at the right hand of the majesty on high. that reigns and rules. This is the Lamb. He came to be a Lamb slain, but after that, He sits as King, but still as a Lamb on the throne, according to Scripture.

Declared, verse 4, to be the Son of God with power. How much power? What did He say? What did Christ say? All power is given unto Him. As thou hast given Him power over how much flesh? All flesh. What kind of flesh? flesh, down to the net. Say, I don't believe that, and you're lost. But this is the knowledge that He's given to His people, which is eternal life. Declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness, the only truly holy and righteous man that ever lived. came to live, established a righteousness, an everlasting righteousness. Second Adam, the first one failed miserably, the second shall not fail, Scripture says. By the resurrection of the dead, proving what he did, God accepted. And he goes on and on and declared the gospel. So this is the same, same gospel that John declared, that Zacharias declared, that Gabriel declared.

Go back to Luke 1, Luke chapter 1. Let's look at verse 71. That we should be saved from our enemies. Who's that enemy? Who was the enemy of Adam and Eve? They only had one enemy. The God of this world, Satan, the serpent. And all human beings, Scripture says, are under the bondage and captivity of the God of this world, Satan. He's the archenemy of mankind, especially God's people. He knows who doesn't belong here. He knows. And so, he's the arch enemy whom Christ came to defeat.

Genesis 3.15, if not the first prophecy, our Lord preached, the woman's seed shall bruise the serpent's head, and he, the serpent, shall bruise his heel. What's that? Christ crucified on the cross, where Christ crushed the power of Satan and delivered his people from his captivity. And Satan bruised his heel according to the will and purpose of God, who was pleased to bruise. Read on. He shall deliver us from our enemies, from the hand of all that hate. Perform the mercy. Who performed this? Jesus Christ. And remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore at our fathers. His oath, His covenant. That's the gospel right there, the promise of salvation, all given to Christ by the Father in a holy covenant before the world. God promised. He swore. He could swear by nobody, but he swore by himself. And Christ fulfilled that covenant.

That he would grant unto us being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, that is, fear of man, but in fear of the Lord. In holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. Holy and righteous have by the righteousness of another. Dressed in his righteousness alone. Faultless to stand before the throne. Not only then, but right now. We're not declaring our goodness or our righteousness, we're declaring Him. That's why He came. He declared His blood that brings peace for God's people. And He said, John shall be called the prophet of the highest. Thou shalt go before the face of the Lord and prepare His ways. That was John's purpose. And that's every prophet's purpose, and every preacher, and every pastor and teacher. To give knowledge, verse 77, of salvation unto his people, bow before the remission of sins.

Our Lord said, this is eternal life, that they might know thee, the knowledge of the Most High, God, holy, righteous, sovereign, who by no means created thee. And Jesus Christ, whom he sent, that is, we can overcome this holy, righteous, and just God by the righteousness of another, that God may be just and just.

I wish I could preach this in such a way that it would just, my heart would burn within me sometimes. I do, by God's grace, and sometimes you hear it that way. He's saying to me to be declared. This is what we're living in. Nothing new.

To give light, verse 79, to the light within the city of darkness, in the shadow of death, God our peace, and the way of peace. Listen to Isaiah 8. I quote this all the time, but I love it so much. It says, now, to the law and to the testimony, that is, the Old Testament and the Gospel, if they speak not according to this word, there's no light in them.

God hath given us the light of the knowledge of what? The glory of God. What's that? His holiness, His righteousness, His justice. Make the nations prove the glories of His righteousness. It's wonderful. Holy love. Sovereign love. Where is that love? Where is the love of God? It's in one place. Jesus Christ. Outside of God. Outside of Christ. God is a consuming power.

There's no light in them if they're not speaking according to the prophecies concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of Righteousness. That's the very last chapter in the Old Testament. The Son of Righteousness will come with healing in His wings. He'll light. If men aren't preaching Christ, yes, he was a babe, but he was born a babe, made of the seed of David, Abraham, the seed of David, the woman's seed, in fullness of time, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them under the law.

This is what you've got to preach. And keep going. Don't leave him a baby in a manger.

Do you have pictures of me all over your house with nothing to add to that? But you don't have my baby pictures. That wouldn't honor me, would it? Would it? You picture your husband with baby pictures? No, no, no, no. Our Lord's not a babe. We're glad he became a babe. He said, pssh, I'll turn the Lord on my throne. And we don't have pictures of him hanging helplessly on a cross. We don't have pictures of him, certainly don't have pictures of him laying in Mary's arms. That didn't happen. That's not in the Bible. Mary never held his dead body. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea took his body down from the grave and put it in that Lord's tomb. Glory to Joseph. That's Bible. Mary never held him in her arms. No, sir. He held her in his arms. The day she came to die, the Lord Jesus cried, like he does all his saints, held her body. He doesn't owe his existence to Mary. She owes hers to him. No, we don't worship a woman. No, we don't. We worship the woman's seed. Born of a woman, yes. Bless God.

Why? To redeem. Become a man. Because the children were partakers of flesh and blood. He likewise took part in the same. To deliver them from death. Why? How? By dying. So he had to live. I'm repeating myself. Yes. Thank God if I ever quit, get you another free drink. We must save yourself over and over and over again.

So it says in Isaiah 8, you walk through this world, you're hungry and fret yourself and curse your God and curse your king. Isn't that mankind? Mouthful of cursing and bitterness. Says he'll look to the earth in darkness, and dimness, and anguish, and driven to darkness, and drugs, and desperation, and suicide. This world is in darkness. Nevertheless. Isaiah 9 verse 1 begins this way. Nevertheless, but God, like Psalm 106. Nevertheless, the people that walked in darkness, hath seen a great light. They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." Christ said that word, the light of the gospel, upon them. It's not that we're studying the Bible and we're looking and looking. The gospel is the power of God's establishment. The open blind eye, the open deaf ears, open to give new hearts, to pierce, to break, to give repentance, and faith, to snub yourselves, to give to God. It's all done by the preaching of the gospel. The gospel is Jesus' family. Who's the family? That's Isaiah. Just one verse. Go back to our text. You're still there. Luke chapter 1. So this is the prophecy. And I have so many verses written down. Some of you have it. But all right. Now look at chapter 2. That was the prophecy. Here's the decree.

Verse 1. It came to pass. Stay with me now. He came to pass in those days and went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, the most powerful man in the world, Roman ruler, enemy of God's people, enemy of Israel. They were in occupied Israel at this time, according to the will of God. This man was raised up like Cyrus, like Pharaoh. He said, he made this decree that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made, this tells us the time, the exact time. And Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, everyone in his own city. That was the law, the Roman law, that you would go to your birth city and there be enrolled or pay your taxes.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee. Seventy-five miles. Joseph is a carpenter. Very poor, making chairs and tables and whatever, but very poor. Seventy-five miles on foot. He couldn't take off work, but he was forced to. He was forced to leave his job. He was forced to quit working to provide for his family. Who's provided his family? Are you with me? And this pagan king said, I'm going to tax everybody. That's what you're going to do. Well, he sat in his finery on his ivory throne, making ruling, reigning, ruling, making these decrees. Now, all you peasants are going to do what I say. No sitting. No, you doing what the king of heaven says.

Like Pharaoh, who raised Moses in his own house. There used to be a shouting pitch. That's right. When Elizabeth heard that, she said with a loud voice, and Mary did the same. Daydream. There were angels in there. This pagan king said, I'm going to tax everybody. That's unfair. Taxation without representation is unfair. Isn't it, Margaret? Who did this? How could this evil man do this? God did it. Why? It's all pertaining to Jesus Christ and his kingdom and his people. Are you with me? This is a blessing, eh? Whatever you think is unfair, whoever you think is waning and ruining, whatever decree you think man is doing, he's not doing it, God's doing it.

I can't afford to miss work. Who gave you that job? This is not right. He'll make the nations prove the glories of His righteousness that God of the earth does right. It's all according to this eternal purpose and will of God made in Christ Jesus before the world began. And everything that writhes or wriggles is fulfilling this will and purpose of God to do what? To exalt the Christ and bring His people into the kingdom. And everything from the value you pay in taxes is somehow, someway related to this glorious event. And when it's all over, we're going to see amazing, marvelous, sovereign, glorious will and purpose of God in Christ Jesus, exceeding the riches of His grace and His kindness in Christ Jesus.

When it's all said and done, we're going to see that everything from the first man to the last is according to this will. I need to repeat all that. I'm not sure we understood. Don't murmur and complain. Do not murmur and complain. God doesn't deal wrongly with you. God is not against you. Naomi said God's against you. No, Naomi. Everything He did in your life was to bring you to Him. It's all good, Naomi. What you're doing, you meant it for evil. Men meant it for evil, but God To whom? His people. All things work together for the good of them that love God, who are called according to... There we go again. His purpose. His purpose in Christ Jesus before the world. None of this is random. It's all according to His will. Ephesians 1, 11. We work with all things. God alone has free will. Man doesn't have free will. He's not doing what He will. Caesar's not doing what He will. Here's what I will do. You will do what God says for you to do.

Now, I'm going to make everybody go to their hometown to pay taxes. And that's where Joseph and Mary are both from. Bethlehem. Why? Because that's what Scripture says where Christ comes from. Micah 5, 2. That Christ comes from Bethlehem, Ephrathah. Though thou be liberal among many, out of thee shall he come who is to be the ruler over all the world. They've got to go there, because that's where Jesus Christ is going to be born. Bethlehem, house of bread. Why? Because Christ said, I'm the bread from heaven! Come on now. This is glorious. Christmas message. This is Christ. Glorious. Glorious. Glorious. Praise God.

Taxes. Who ever thought? One time, the disciples said, they're making us pay taxes. They didn't have a job. They don't have a job. We don't have any money to pay taxes. This is not right. Remember that? They came to Christ complaining about taxes. He said, pay what? Get your hook in a line and go fishing. What for? Because there's a fish that's got your taxes in his mouth. He did it. He's the one doing it. Whatever it is, it is the Lord. Like the story of Joseph in Egypt. It says whatever was done there, he was a doer of it. He's all Joseph. Oh, they don't want him. So he went, they went, Joseph and Mary, to be taxed. And it was so, here's the birth. Verse six, now she's nine months pregnant, walking or riding on a donkey or something. Depict this, isn't it? Or riding on a donkey on a bed of hay. We don't know that yet. But she's nine months pregnant. How do you like to walk 75 miles nine months pregnant? God had her due date. Well, she's going to abort that baby. Not possible.

Any baby that is aborted, man does it evilly, but God did it according to his mercy, sending him to God. Any child that dies in infancy, with great sorrow, with great glory in heaven.

Man means everything for evil. But God, according to his purpose in Christ for his people, means everything to the population. That's why heaven is the population of the people of no man can number. At any given time, God's people are a few. They're a remnant, according to the election of grace. They didn't give a damn on earth. But in heaven, there's going to be a population of no man can number. made up of honey, all these aborted babies, all these dead infants, all those children that Pharaoh threw in the river because of Moses, all those children in Bethlehem, Judea, that Herod had killed to try to get killed by him. God did that, and great mercy to those ladies. Isn't he good? He had to live in this wicked place. He spared him. Isn't he good? Yes, he is.

Where's his goodness? Was it all because of Jesus Christ? So it was there, verse six, while they were there, the days were accomplished. Everything is accomplished by he who was sent to perform it.

And sister, sister, sister, when this great performance is over, that everybody and everything from the birds to everything is going to see a standing ovation to the Lord Jesus Christ for such a wonderful performance of all things. And we will all say, forgive us, forgive us, forgive us for every murmuring and complaining about anything. It was awesome.

Can you say that now? It's joy and peace, the joy of the Lord.

She brought forth her firstborn son, verse 7, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes. I don't have much time left. Laid him in a manger. Who, what eats out of a manger? Sheep. She laid this child. This holy thing, you know, a place where sheep could eat. What do we eat as sheep of God? Crap. He's our God.

Wrapped Him in swaddling clothes. They were clothes, rags. They were born. They wrapped Him in rags. Okay. Swaddled Him. Born naked. Came to this world naked. Why? Our Lord Jesus Christ went out of this world naked day. I stripped him. What happened to us? I stripped and cried. We were robed in his righteousness. Not rags. Glorious, pristine, white linen of the priest. The righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ robed in him. Righteousness. Just like the Lord himself in the garden first robed the first naked sinners, he took the skin of a lamb and wrapped it around these naked sinners, covering their nakedness, warming them.

And our Lord became flesh. And what did he take? Our rags, our filthy rags. Isaiah 64 says all our righteousness is filthy rags, and man tries to warm himself and cover himself with filthy rags. Our rags of righteousness he won't cover. So Christ came to be stripped of his righteousness, that to be robed upon us. to take our filthy rags and our sin and bury his sin in his body on the tree. Swaddling clothes. You'll never look at swaddling clothes again.

No room for him, them, and the end. What we just read in John 14. I go to prepared places. In my Father's house are many rooms. I had no room for him. Nobody wanted him. Nobody was asking him to come. And no one will. No man can, no man will come, but God. You see, salvation is by the sovereign mercy and grace of God, by the call of God, by the power of God, by the will of God. It's not man's will. His will is wicked. But for her, she doesn't want God. She doesn't want him to think on God. He doesn't know God. He's blind. He's dead. He's done. But God, rich in mercy and grace, sent His Son. Make room. We don't prepare him room. That's the only thing wrong with us all. He prepares the room for that. And he prepares our hearts. Gives us a new heart. And he comes in.

Well, in the same country there were some shepherds. Who? Now these are the only ones, other than the wise men that came from the east. Who are they? We don't know. Nobody can speculate. I think they were sons of Abraham. If you go all the way back to Genesis, you see that the children of his concubines were sent to the east. And they were wise men. Why? Because they were sons of Abraham. Well, these shepherds were keeping watch over their flock by night. And the Lord God came to reveal something to them, sent his angel to reveal something. To who? Shepherds. What was Moses? A shepherd. What was David? A shepherd. Who was Christ? A shepherd. What is a pastor? A shepherd. And they all had to have revealed to them the Christ, etc. Under shepherds. We came to these shepherds, these poor shepherds, watching their flock by night.

And lo, the angel of the Lord, that represents the Holy Spirit, but he was Gabriel, came upon them. See that, what happened to them? They weren't looking for him, but he came looking for them. And the glory of the Lord shone round about them." There it is again. And they were what? Right. Fear of the Lord. That's the beginning of wisdom. Fear of the Lord. The beginning of wisdom. The angel said, and I close, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all people

What's this prophecy about? What do these shepherds hear? What is the revelation to every single preacher and every single person they preach to? It's of Jesus Christ. Now, to you that are born in the city of David, a Savior, same thing He told Zacharias, same thing He told Elizabeth, Mary, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, same thing. Find a bay wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.

Now, here's a great gathering. Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men, not man, men, particular, sovereign, mercy and grace and love and salvation and redemption to God's particular chosen people. That's who he came to live for. That's who he came to die for.

And let me close by reading this to you. This is going to be a great gathering when all this is over. That in the fullness of time, according to the dispensation of the fullness of time, we're going to gather in one. All things in Christ, even in him. And here's what they're all going to say. In Revelation 7, I beheld a great multitude which no man could number. of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood before the throne and before the Lamb clothed with white robes. Where did they get those clothes? From the Lamb. Palms in their hand and cried with a loud voice, Salvation to our God. It belongs to Him. It's His to give. It's His to do. It's His performance. It's His glory, it's His honor, it's His will, His purpose, His choice, His work, His! Salvation to the Lord, that's what they're saying then, and that's what they're saying now. Salvation to the Lord, our God, which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb. That was slain. It washed us from our sin. That's who came. That's why he came. That's who he came for. That's what he did. That's where he is now, on the throne.

So, we're glad he came. A marvel, a mystery. In that same Luke 2, a man came into the temple and he held a child in his hands. a baby in his hands, and what did he say? He did so in order to keep the little baby Jesus. He'd been waiting. And he said, Now that thy servant departed in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Okay, John, you come.