Well it's my pleasure now to just address you just for a few moments and the text which I'm going to speak a few words on is in a verse that we already read that's in the first book or the first chapter rather of Matthew's Gospel in the 21st verse and it reads, and thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins. Now it's very interesting to realise that Jesus had been prophesied. That means that people had forecast that Jesus would come for at least 4,000 years. And that's many years, isn't it? From the first time when there was a prophecy about Jesus coming. And one of the great proofs that we have that the Bible is true, that throughout the Old Testament, there are numerous places where it is prophesied that Jesus would come and where he would be born and how he would be born. It's amazing really how accurate those prophecies were and they came to pass. And we have a record of course in the New Testament of precisely how they did come to pass. So we should be thankful that we do have the Bible and we know it's accurate and we can rely upon it as we read it. And so we have this statement here in this 21st verse, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. And what that was given to Joseph, that's Mary's future husband, and it was given by the angel, to Joseph to encourage him because he was obviously concerned about the situation anyway he was told what he would be called and it's wonderful to know that he was given this name Jesus because really Jesus means Savior and Jesus was and is the Savior of his people and when I say that I mean he saves them from that penalty which was due to them because of their sins. How wonderful therefore it is for us to realize that those many years ago were being fulfilled and this message was given to Joseph and of course it came to pass and Mary who he was espoused to or engaged to at that time did then have this baby and called his name Jesus. So we should be so very thankful for that today and that's really what we celebrate. We celebrate at this Christmas time the birth of Jesus and Jesus came into this world for that great reason to save his people from their sins. That means just going back to the beginning of time after the world had been created, Adam and Eve were placed on the earth and they'd been told precisely what they could do and what they could eat and what they could not eat. And there was one tree that they were forbidden to eat, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But Satan, the devil, in the guise of a serpent came to Eve and told her that that really wasn't true, it was rubbish, and she could do what she wanted to. And in any case, the tree was very attractive, and she should therefore eat of it. So she was tempted by the devil, and yet she told the devil, Satan, what God had told them, that they could eat of all the fruits of all the trees, except this one tree. The devil then cast doubt and said, you can eat of it. There's no problem. So she listened to him, looked at the fruit, thought it looked rather good, and therefore took the fruit and ate it and gave to her husband Adam as well. So what did they do? They both disobeyed God. And what had that been? That meant that they had sinned. They disobeyed God. And they therefore sinned, disobeyed his gracious wonderful words and therefore they were from that time forth sinners and that sin which we term original sin was passed to all mankind as they were born into this world and that applies to you and me today we're born as sinners and all of us need those sins to be removed and we can't remove them ourselves And that's why Jesus, and it's tremendous to think that Jesus, who was the only son of God, God the Father, he was willing to come into this world and to live a perfect life and to pay the price that was required to set us free, to free us from the condemnation of the law which said, the soul that sinneth, it shall die. So how thankful we should be that Jesus is willing to come and God the Father sent him. And we've already had that verse quoted, for God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. So what a blessing for you and me today to have this great good news of the gospel. And if Jesus had not been born, there would not have been the good news. But because he was born and because he did his father's will, he obeyed all his father entrusted him to do. He fulfilled all that was needful and qualified himself therefore to bring about the forgiveness of sins to all his people. And how wonderful it is therefore today that you and I can rejoice in this great and wonderful God, God the Father in his love to us, God the Son in his love to come to this world and to stand in our place and to bear that punishment that was due to us. This is the great God and Saviour. And this information passed to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. So what reason we have today to truly thank God and realising if there had been no birth, the Lord Jesus would not then have paid the price to take away our sin. And the price that he had to pay was to give his life. Give his life. as a sacrifice which was acceptable to God the Father in order to take away our sins. And as I'm sure you will remember, that cost was carried out when Jesus was crucified on that cross at Calvary. And how willing was Jesus to do that for all his people. So today as we rejoice In the birth of Jesus we should look ahead and realise what Jesus then carried out. He did his Father's will. He lived on this earth for 33 years and previous to that he'd been in heaven in that perfect place with his father and he came into this world this sinful world and how difficult it must have been for him and yet he did his father's will and he died that death upon Calvary and that was required by the father to take away the sins of his people so how really Wonderful it is for us today to think that God did love us so much that he sent his only begotten son into this sinful world, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have eternal life. So our great blessing is if God gives you and me that grace, that favour to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, to believe that he did come and he did die to take away our sins. And what a mercy then to realise that great truth and to be so thankful for it. And so many times we can read references the New Testament to the great need for everyone to believe the Gospel, to believe the Lord Jesus Christ did come into this world to deliver us from those words in the Bible which tell us the wrath to come. All those who do not believe will perish in their sins and have to endure terrible eternity. Well, what a blessing for us to recognize that God has looked upon us. We're privileged, aren't we, to have the Bible, to be able to read. You know, many people in the world today do not have a Bible. And there are many people that could have a Bible, but don't want a Bible. Many people don't want to read the Bible. what a blessing as we do have Bibles and we have Bibles here which we're very happy to give freely to anybody who would like one to read the whole truth of God from Genesis to Revelation and Jesus himself when he was speaking to the people or rather when he was praying to his father and the people heard in the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John, and he said, thy word, that means the Bible, is truth. Therefore, what a blessing it is for you and me to have this Bible to be able to read. And therefore, shall we thank God today for this wonderful statement, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, Joseph was told so to do, for he shall save his people from their sins. And my friends, that's a glorious statement, that he will save his people from their sins. And may you and I therefore be blessed to believe the gospel and then to be sorry and to repent for our sins and pray to God. There's many prayers in the Bible that you and I can read of and to follow the example of those prayers. And one very short prayer which is recorded is just these words where A man who was a tax collector, or in the Bible he's called a publican, and he prayed this prayer, God be merciful to me, a sinner. Religion, real religion, is personal. It's between your soul and God, my soul and God. It doesn't matter what people think. we have to stand before that great God and what a mercy therefore as we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus at this Christmas time to be so thankful for it and to praise his name that you and I are privileged to be able to read about his birth, his life, his death, his resurrection and we believe today Jesus is in heaven seated on the throne with his father in glory. And what a wonderful thing to have that faith to believe that one day, by his grace, that means an unmerited favour, we will be found in heaven with Jesus. And that not just for a few years, but the Bible tells us it will be for ever and ever. It's a lovely consideration to ponder and think of. So may God bless us at this Christmas period, and may we be thankful to God for his great love, which he has granted to all of his people. When you think of it, ponder it. Can God love you? Can God love me? We look at ourselves and we think, that's not really possible. But it is possible. And it is a great blessing and a glorious truth to realize that we have such a God who is so kind and gracious. Well, may we be able to think on these things and may there be a blessing to us.