This is a beautiful song. Rashad
Bradley introduced us to it and it's called Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. Let us praise our Lord and Savior. Come into the Alleluia, Alleluia. Blessed Jesus, we adore you. Son of heaven, our Redeemer,
in your name is Hope for sinners. You the rock of our salvation. Unto you we offer praises. You are worthy of our praise. and secure hope of heaven. What a wondrous joy and blessing. What a privilege is given. Alleluia. Think about it, I trust that
you have already this morning, sensing that the presence of
the Spirit of God is here with us. Contemplate it, zero in on it, that the great
eternal spirit, God is spirit, that the great eternal spirit condescended and found himself
in a virgin's womb. Think about it. Because he so
loved, the unlovable. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable
gift. It is no wonder to me that we
find in the Gospel of Luke, the second chapter, the angel said,
Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people. What a wonder. I've been trying
to soak it in, standing up here as we sang, that this God came
to earth for me, because he loved me. And it brings great joy. I hope you're full of joy today. The angel said, good tidings
of great joy, because the Savior That's what you need, and that's
what I needed, a savior. You couldn't save yourself. Only
God can save a sinner, a savior. This is a sign. And suddenly
there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God. Wonder who those folks were.
Along with the angels, there was a heavenly host, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. Don't you know they got happy
that day? as they looked over the banisters of heaven, and
that one they had looked for for so long." Adam and Eve, Noah, so long they
saw that babe being born in Bethlehem's manger. The Book of Romans says
that the sins of the Old Testament saints before Christ came rolled
over. There was a rolling over until
finally the sins of the elect rolled over on Jesus Christ. They were piling up and there
was one coming who was going to bear our sins in his own body
on the tree. Glory to God. Verse 18 says, and all they that
heard it wondered at those things. You and I today in this place
ought to be in a state of wonder. I mean, you get it that God has
come to earth, but has it really entered in? And have you entered
into it? And are you in a state of wonderment? You know, the old poem that I
quote so often, oh, what a wonder that Jesus found me. Let me tell
you, if you have been converted and got over it, there's something
wrong. And every time you hear this
story that God has come to earth, it's a wonder. I want us to look
today at the 15th verse of Luke 2, and I won't keep you long.
I have invited three people to go along with us on our journey
today. We're going to go to Bethlehem. Look at verse 15. The shepherds
said, let us now go even, even. Every word here has great meaning. Even, it would be like this,
even to Bethlehem. Bethlehem. And see this thing. I think that is most interesting,
that word thing. Let's see this thing. They didn't have descriptive
adjectives to tell what the angel of the Lord had told them with
regard to this event. Let's see this thing which has
come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us. You and I, outside of revelation
from the Spirit of God, we don't have enough sense to get out
of the rain. All truth is revealed truth. You think about how far
off religion is in its message of good works and salvation by
baptism and salvation by being a Catholic or a Baptist. Think
how far it's off. It is those of us who have entered
into this thing that God has come to earth, not to spy out
our sins, but to deliver us from our sins. I have not seen nor
ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man the things
which God hath prepared for them that love him. Verse 15, let us now go even
unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass, which
the Lord has made known unto us. What an awesome thing it
is that God has taken the scales off your eyes and mine and let
us see that God Almighty has come to earth to save us from
our sins. Isn't it a wonder? Think how
long you wandered out there until the Spirit of God took the scales
off your eyes. And suddenly you saw it. I see
it, I see it. When I was, Miss Pam and I were
pastoring in Brinesville, Kentucky, we lived way out in the country
in a house that was heated by a wood stove. It had been literally
a log house. built hundreds of years ago. And anyway, I was pastoring Bridesville
Baptist Church, and there was some rough people attending our
church. I mean some rough folks. Imagine
that. I know you have to use your imagination
because you can't quite And this last, this guy's name was Cummings. His wife had made a profession
of faith. She had been a prostitute and was converted and she married
a guy. At any rate, he was without Christ
and he'd been coming to church. Well, one night late, I mean,
late, late, actually it was early morning around three or four
a.m. There was a knock on our door
and this woman and man came in and she'd been witnessing to
her husband. They'd been up all night. And
he was none the better. So they came in and we began
to talk about how God's grace is sufficient and how God saves
sinners. And then I said to him, I'm going
to pray and ask the Lord to open your eyes and let you see that
Christ is a savior for a guy like you. I'll never forget it. As I was praying, he interrupted
my prayer. He started screaming, I see it,
I see it. He ran out of my house and ran
around our yard. I see it. Have you seen it? That's what it'll do for you
when you see it, when you really see it. So let's you and I go
to Bethlehem. I'll tell you about these three
guys that I'm gonna take on this journey with us, but I want you
to go with me. A journey to Bethlehem. And before
you, you and I, take our little walk to Bethlehem. I want to
go back a few thousand years to Micah 5.2. If you have your
Bible, you might want to turn there. where God tells us about
this thing that was going to happen and tells us where it
was going to happen. And by the way, I'm using the
shepherd's word, this thing, not in an irreverent way, but
they referred to it, this thing that is going to happen. Micah
5.2, that's in the Old Testament. But thou Bethlehem Ephratah,
though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, though thou
be little. That's what the shepherd said.
Let us now go to even unto Bethlehem, the word little. It's a little
place. Yet out of thee, yet out of thee
shall he come. shall he come forth unto me,
that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been
from of old, from everlasting. That's talking about him, this
thing. Isaiah 11 one says this, and
there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and
a branch shall grow out of his root. Isaiah 714 says this, therefore
the Lord himself shall give you a sign. The Lord himself shall give you
a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall
call his name Emmanuel, God with us. Isaiah 9 6 for unto us a
child is born Unto us a son a son is given a child is born and
a son is given And the government shall be upon his shoulders and
his name shall be called wonderful counselor the mighty God the
everlasting father the Prince of Peace This one who condescended
was from everlasting to everlasting. You can read that in Proverbs
chapter 8. And this is not me just throwing
some things out there. This is the Word of God. The
great I Am is speaking here. He spoke it. And you know, the
great I Am says something like this in Isaiah, what I have spoken,
I will also bring to pass. I have purposed it, I will also
do it. So, let this be in your head.
This was not an afterthought with God. This was purpose of
God. This was not thoughts. This was
the central thought. The Bible is a hymn book, spelled
H-I-M. It's all about hymn. Somebody's
coming. Somebody's coming. The Old Testament
screams that. Somebody's coming. We get over
to the New Testament. After the Old Testament has told
us that He's coming down to deliver us, we get over to the New Testament,
and the New Testament says, without controversy, great is the mystery
of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. God was manifest in the flesh. So, the message that we preach
here? The message that we sound out
here is this, that God has loved a people with an everlasting
love. That God planned and purposed
to save people before they were ever formed in their mother's
belly. He loved them. He chose them
before the foundation of the world. And God says this, tell
them I wrote their names down in my book before time. Think
about that. Before you ever came to Christ,
God had already chose you. And before he made the world,
he had already set his affections upon you. And your name was written
in the Lamb's book of life from the foundation of the world.
Isn't that something? I hope you're just beginning
to see a little bit that this thing about Bethlehem was all
purposed and planned a long time ago to deliver you from your
sin. Tell them I'm working everything
for their good and my glory. Tell them I have this all mapped
out for them. I have it planned. I have sold
up them. I have bought every blessing
that they will ever receive. I will work in them and through
them and they can all do all things through me. That they
are more than conquerors in me. Tell them I put my son in their
place. Tell them he paid their debt.
Tell them he became sin for them. Tell them there is no condemnation. Tell them they have been accepted.
Tell them I and the angels have heard them singing, oh happy
day when Jesus washed my sins away. You know they heard us
singing today, you do know that. You know heaven's looking over
the banisters now, listening to me preach. Oh, you're not
the only ones I preach to. The angels say amen in heaven. The angels come down to church
to listen and learn about this great message of God's salvation. Tell them I will make every enemy
my footstool. Tell them there comes a day when
I will return. Tell them there's a great day
coming. Tell them their king is coming. Tell them they shall
be changed in a moment in a twinkling of an eye. Tell them there'll
be no more sin, that there'll be no more death. Tell them that. Tell them there is a great getting
up morning. Tell them there is a family reunion
on the way. Tell them not to sorrow as others
who have no hope. Tell them because I came down,
went up on Calvary, died and was buried, got up the third
day, because I live, they shall live also. Tell them that those who they
loved, who died in Christ, they shall see them again. Tell them
blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. Tell them that while
the ceaseless ages of eternity pile themselves one on top of
another, they shall be shouting and singing the victory. Okay,
I think we've been released now. I want to take you to Bethlehem.
Let's go to Bethlehem, knowing that it was all predetermined,
that it was the purpose of God. The great I Am has come to earth. What a raggedy, rundown little
hole in the wall, this Bethlehem. Think about it. You know, God
still does that, only He takes raggedy, rundown people and does
the most amazing things for them. This village was nothing. That's
what God does. He takes nothing and makes something. Who would have ever supposed
that the king of kings, that the eternal God would come down
to Bethlehem to a stable, a hole in the wall? And here's what
the scripture says. But thou Bethlehem Ephratah,
though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of
thee shall he come forth. There's only one reason Bethlehem
has any notoriety even today. Did you know that? Nobody knows
about Bethlehem except when you say Bethlehem, everybody owes
a manger. That's all the notoriety Bethlehem
has. It's hard to find on the map,
for it is least among the thousands of Judah. That's the way our
God does. Now we're going to go to Bethlehem,
and then we're going to get out of here because the big snow
is coming at one o'clock. And also the bears are playing
the lions at one o'clock. And I know all of you were thinking,
you weren't thinking about the snow, you were saying, I wonder
if he knows the bears are playing tonight. Now listen to me, some
of you, this first person that I want to introduce to you is
sitting here in the congregation. They didn't have any idea that
I was going to mention them this morning. So if the person next
to you gets a little uncomfortable, know that I'm talking about that
person. The first person that I want
to tag along with us this morning is the awakened sinner. Who, me? That's probably what
some of you are saying. Yes, you. An awakened sinner. I'm so glad to have you come
along with me as we go to Bethlehem. I know you're sitting back there
and you're very hesitant. But you've really been interested
for weeks now. Maybe since you came in the center.
And the first time you were here, you began to strain to listen.
And you found deep, or maybe years have passed. Like Brandon,
Brandon was here years ago. Really didn't get interested
until a few weeks ago. Awaken sinners. You're hesitant. But you're interested and you
have been interested. And you're interested this morning.
There's no need to be afraid. Let me say this to you. There's
no John, Susie, Bill, whatever your name, let me assure you,
let the old pastor say to you, there's no reason for you to
be afraid. Let me take you by the hand.
That's what I really want to do. I want to take you by the
hand and I want you and I together to approach that rough crib. We approach the crib together.
I hope you can see it. I can feel your hand trembling
with apprehension as if you feared to rejoice. I mean, it's down
in there. because the Spirit of God has
awakened you. And inside of you, you love to
hear this ridiculous story that a virgin has conceived and brought
forth a child in this hole in the wall, in a manger, in a stable
where the donkey looks on and the sheep and the camel and all
of that mess. And yet you love to hear it.
Something's going on on the inside of you. Isn't that a great story? I wonder if it was for me. That's
the way the Awakened Center does. Because you know in your heart
that you are looking at the great mystery. You know that what I
have been preaching to you for weeks and maybe months or years,
you know it's true. And you're excited about it.
The great mystery. You know it's true that God has
come to earth. And you tremble with joy. I see it in your face. While
many of you are asleep and playing with your phone, some of you
are looking like this. And can it be that I should gain
an interest in the Savior's love? Died he for me? And then the
answer comes back from deep down within you in the power of the
Holy Spirit. It is for you I came. It is for
you I died. It is for you I arose again.
It is for you that I ascended back into heaven. It is for you
that I intercede today. Your heart is filled with joy,
and you look down into that cradle and behold your God, your Savior. It isn't what you expected, is
it? Because you've been raised in religion, perhaps, and as
we went in, you were glad I was holding your hand because you
expected a flaming sword to keep you away. Because this God baby
knew all about you, knew everything you'd ever done, everything you'd
ever said, every place you have ever traveled to. And so you
expected a flaming sword. You expected it to obstruct your
entrance. You would never imagine that
you could come this close and look down into that cradle. But
here you are in the power of the Spirit of God, looking at
God, your Savior. There was no and is no obstruction. And I say to you today, there
is no barricade keeping you awakened sinner from coming. Oh, I'm about
to get happy. The spirit and the bride say
come, let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will, let
him come. Right now, come to Christ. While
I'm preaching, just come fall down somewhere up here or just
stand up here. I want to come. I mean, I've
been wanting to come. Every time you stand and sing
that last song before we're dismissed, there's something in my heart.
My feet get antsy and I want to confess him as my Lord and
Savior. It's hard to believe, isn't it? You don't have a title. Maybe
you're a crackhead. Maybe you're a hermetic. Maybe
you have cracks. Maybe you're a cutter. Or maybe you've been
raised in Catholicism all your life, but never seen a Savior.
Maybe you've been in the Baptist church, but you never went roller
skating. And you never saw Christ. But having come here and heard
the message of the gospel of God's free grace, your chains
have fallen off. You have a sense of freedom. How do you come? By faith. Oh,
isn't faith a miracle? For by grace, unmerited favor,
are you saved through faith? And that faith is not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. Some of you are sitting here
and going like this, you know, I don't know exactly what day
it was, but it was a Sunday, and you were preaching, or LaSere
Bradley was preaching, or Brother Sasser was preaching, somebody
was preaching, I don't know just who. But in a moment, in an instant,
faith was granted me, and I believed on Christ. And I've been in the
closet for months, it's time to come out. It's time to come out. Here, wrapped in swaddling clothes. So, you're my first person that
I introduce and take to Bethlehem, the enlightened center. My second
guest that I have invited to go to Bethlehem with us is a
young believer. You're a young believer. Let
us even now go to Bethlehem and see this thing which has come
to pass. As you and I, young believer,
it's only been maybe a few months, maybe a few weeks. You have not
grown into a big boy Christian yet or big girl Christian. You're
a young believer. And as we enter the stable and
approach the crib, I can't but help notice the sacred cheerfulness
of your countenance. You're a young believer, but
there's joy in your soul. I mean, you know this truth. Once I was lost, but now I'm
found. I'm a young Christian. You look
at the child. as if a fresh spring of holy
gratitude has opened up in your heart. You look at that babe
lying there in the manger and you say, to God be the glory,
great things He has done. God has become a real partaker
of my flesh and blood. Heaven and earth have united
to make me blessed. Might and weakness have joined
hands here. Mercy and truth have met together
here. Righteousness and peace have
kissed each other. Oh, Jesus, I once thought that
truth was in a system of theology. Some of you here were theologians. Oh, it takes a power to save
somebody who thinks they know something about the Bible. Oh,
you Bible thumpers, it took the power of God to save you. I mean,
you. You were so messed up in religion. And Canada, that's my experience.
I was so messed up, so miserable in religion. But one day I saw
the savior. I saw the redeemer. What I preached
to you happened to me. I was in churchanity. I was locked
up. I was miserable. I was unhappy. I was trying to keep the rules.
And for the most part, I kept the rules in outward conduct.
But on the inside, I was a raging maniac. And then Jesus revealed himself
to me. And you know what, believer,
young believer, Some of you, the Lord saved out there and
then brought you here and you found a home here. You're a young
believer. You found a home here. I mean, this is where you want
to be. I am so glad there are people in the balcony and there
are a few empty seats, but I'll tell you, most churches don't
have the crowd that we've had today. And you're here because
you want to be. You see this one in the manger
as the wonderful, the mighty God. And you think this way,
and you have thought this way this morning as a young believer.
His stoop was so low. He stooped so low. And you have
some memories of when this mighty God looked you square in the
face in all of your craziness and said, come you sorry rascal,
you crazy maniac. Let us reason together. Though
your sins be as scarlet, I'll make them white as snow. You
remember when the Lord said, come unto me, all ye that labor
and heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. God manifest in the
flesh. That's what we see at Bethlehem.
The third person I wanna introduce to you as we go into the stable
is the advanced Christian. So we've taken an awakened sinner,
we've taken a young believer, and now we're gonna take you
old folks who've been in Christ for years and years and years.
And you know what? I'm one of those. And I'm going
to tell you flat out now, you already know it, but the message
I'm preaching to you today is sweeter than it was 60 years
ago. It is so real and so awesome
and makes my spirit jump. You advanced Christians, I want
to take an elderly soldier by the hand today. You've been in
the school of Christ for many years and know of the sacred
anointing of the Holy Spirit. Your character is ripening and
your fitness for the kingdom of heaven is becoming more apparent.
As we approach the cradle, tears began to glisten on your cheeks. Old timer in Christ. Sometime
when I'm preaching and I look out at some of the old timers
we have here in the service, we have some old ones, not you
two. And I see those tears running
down their cheeks. Brother Knowles and brother Sanders. I see them weeping with joy. 80, 90 years old. They're rejoicing
about their fondness for this babe. the infinite, the eternal
Son of God. I thought in my mind's eyes last
night, an old man looking down at this child, and the old man
began to quote, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God, and all things were created by
him. And the word became flesh and
dwelt among us. I was converted when I was eight
years old. The mystery that I'm preaching to you today, I experienced
again last night afresh. Sitting over in my office, I
hear the chimes ring out, joy to the world, the Lord has come.
I experienced it again. Isn't it amazing that this is
a message you never get tired of? You never get weary of it. He became flesh. And as you leave
here today and go home to watch the lions beat the bears, while you're sitting there in
front of the fireplace, just jump up right in the middle of
the game and go, glory to God in the highest. God has come
to earth and has saved me. Now help the lions, Lord. You know, sometimes we treat
the things of God as if they weren't a reality. And the only
time we can think about them is in some religious setting.
I've had some awesome experiences with the Lord in the most unusual
places. Very, very true. The infant became
finite. The Almighty consented to become
weak and came to this earth. And he had everything mapped
out for you. His plan and purpose for you was to save you. And he will not fail in that
purpose. So I want to say, as we stand and sing, I want to
say to that awakened sinner, come on and confess Christ. And
move on into that young believer stage. It'll get gooder and gooder. It'll get better until finally
those tears of appreciation as an old timer in Christ will fall down your cheeks. The
gospel will never lose its power. It's the power of God unto salvation.
Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let's stand and sing.