[0:00] In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
[0:16] ! This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria, and all went to be registered! And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth, and she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and lied him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. May God add a blessing to the reading of his word. Would you please be seated? You know, a lot of preparation takes place in anticipation of the arrival of a newborn baby. Baby showers are helpful in getting all the supplies that you'll need to feed them, and clothe them, and clean them. Then there's the baby's room, in the nursery, that needs to be prepared, which often means painting the walls, and assembling a lot of furniture, and moving things around so it's in the right spot. Then as the due date approaches, you prepare your bags to make sure that you are ready and packed to grab them in a moment's notice, should the baby decide that it's time to arrive.
[1:51] For Hazel, our daughter, she came on her own. She came a month early on her own. We were prepared, but not totally prepared. We still thought we had that month. And I remember Danny woke me up around two or three o'clock in the morning, letting me know that the time had come. And I remembered as I was waking up and realizing that this was not a dream, that I was rushing around our house making sure to get everything in the car, to get Jack up, to call my parents to make sure that they knew that they were going to have to get him at some point. And then I remember that drive to the hospital seemed like it took forever. It seemed like we were never going to get there. But then when we got there, she was born.
[2:38] We spent that first month in the hospital with her in the NICU. But then finally when we returned home, everything in our house was ready for her, for her arrival. Perhaps you've experienced something similar to that or heard a story similar to that. Maybe you, the story of your birth was something like that. It was very eventful. But in this passage, Luke tells us the story of our Lord's birth.
[3:11] When the eternal divine word of God became flesh, adding humanity to his deity, a human nature to his divine nature. This is a birth story that truly tops all others. There is no birth story that is greater.
[3:32] Not just because of the unique aspects regarding it, but because of the uniqueness of it, of God stepping into his creation in the form of a man entering into creation as we do, as little, babies. And though Luke uses very simple, straightforward, unembellished language to tell this amazing story, when you stop and pay close attention to all the details that he provides for us here, you learn that there was a lot of preparation. Centuries and centuries of preparation that took place prior to the arrival of God's Son in human flesh. And so as we dig deeper into these details that Luke has provided for us in this text about the story of Jesus's birth, God communicates to us through it a truth that he wants you and I to treasure and delight in. So that brings us to the main idea for this morning's sermon. God wants you to trust him. God wants you to trust him. The story of the birth of Jesus Christ communicates to us communicates to us the trustworthiness of God. It communicates to us the trustworthiness of God. Again, God wants you to trust him because in trusting him you learn to treasure him.
[5:16] And in treasuring him, you delight in him and all that he is. Think about your closest relationships, those relationships that you treasure. You treasure them because there's trust. You trust that person that you are in that close relationship with. You trust that when they say that they care about you, they really mean it. You've seen them care for you. That they'll tell you the truth.
[5:50] That they'll be real with you. That you can be real with them. That you can be vulnerable with them because there's such trust. That they'll never use that information against you.
[6:04] And so you treasure that person, don't you? You treasure that relationship because there's not many other relationships that you can have like those relationships. And you delight in that person because it's hard to find such people who are so worthy of your trust. The pages of Scripture are filled with expressions of God's desire for you to trust him. One of my favorite Scriptures, maybe my favorite is Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 that talks about this very thing. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. Not some of your heart, a little bit of your heart. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. In everything, with all things. Trust him. And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him in this promise that he will make your path straight.
[7:06] And so my question for you this morning is, are you trusting God right now? Do you trust him?
[7:20] Because you know, maybe you're not. Maybe you're not trusting him right now. Maybe you're tempted to believe that he's forgotten you. Maybe that you feel that the present circumstances that you're experiencing right now are just too great for God to be able to overcome. Maybe you do believe that God can overcome your circumstances, but you wonder why it's taken him so long to do so.
[7:57] Through the birth story of Jesus, recorded in Luke chapter 2, God reveals here again that he can be trusted.
[8:09] That you should trust him. That he is worthy of your trust. That he wants you to trust him. Because trusting in him. Being reminded that he is trustworthy will lead you to treasuring him and delighting in him above any and all other things. And so in this passage, we are presented with three aspects about God as demonstrated by his preparing and sending his only son. These aspects, when seen, will once again demonstrate to you that God is someone you can trust. That God is totally trustworthy. So the first aspect that Luke reveals to us here, or that I should say God reveals to us through Luke, is that the birth of Jesus reveals the sovereignty of God over world history. Look again at verses 1 through 3.
[9:22] In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria, and all went to be registered, each to his own town.
[9:39] So here Luke begins his narrative of Jesus' birth by providing information about how Joseph and Mary wound up in Bethlehem wound up in Bethlehem where Jesus was born. But if we dig a little deeper into his simple explanation, we observe the sovereignty of God at work. Not just in this situation in Luke chapter 2, but throughout Israel's history leading up to this moment. God from eternity past had been preparing and setting the stage on a worldwide scale for the coming of his Son. In Galatians 4, 4 through 5, the Apostle Paul gives reference to this very thing. But when the fullness of time had come, he writes, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. And so you see, it wasn't as if God was in heaven with the Lord, with the
[10:52] Holy Spirit, and they were like, well, today seems like a good day. How about it's today? Let's send Jesus to the world right now. No, he had planned to do so from eternity past, and he had prepared everything prior to this moment to guarantee that this moment would come at the fullness of time. God wants us to know that when Jesus was born, everything was just right for that moment. The events of human history preceding it were established by God to ensure that this time was the time, the right time. Everything, again, had been perfectly prepared by the Father on a worldwide scale for the arrival of his Son. Well, how so?
[11:54] If you remember, Israel had a history of struggling with idolatry, and that struggle intensified, if you recall, their desire to have a human king rule over them, a decision which God warned would draw them further away from him, not closer. And that's exactly what happened. And we see through their example, and we experience still today, that at the heart of idol worship is a denial that God is sovereign, a denial that God is trustworthy. And so Israel would ultimately face the consequences of that by being defeated in battle by the Assyrians, later by the Babylonians, whom God declared that he had raised to execute his judgment upon them. The Assyrians and the Babylonians took Israel captive, exiling many of them out of the promised land to live as foreigners in theirs. However, this was part of God's plan. This was part of God's preparation for the coming of his Son. While in exile, the Israelites were finally purged of their idolatrous ways. They finally gave that up. And in so doing so, in these foreign communities away from the promised land, they established synagogues, these little houses, these little places of worship where they worshiped God. In addition, when Israel was later permitted to return back to the promised land, the Old Testament was completed by Ezra and assembled for them. So the time was right in Luke 2 for the proclamation of the gospel.
[14:12] The time was right religiously. The time was right culturally. Prior to this moment in history, centuries before it, a man named Alexander the Great, who lived around the 330s B.C., conquered all, if not all, or most of the known world at the time, and he saturated that entire region in the Greek culture. For centuries then, leading up to the arrival of Jesus Christ, the Greek language was commonly spoken throughout most of the known world. Could you imagine that today? If we all spoke a language like that, how easy it would be to share messages. This was what was going on back then.
[15:03] They all spoke this common language. And so a common language that meant that the gospel could be shared and heard by everyone. God who is sovereign, God who rules over history, use these events to prepare for the arrival of his son and paved the way for the great commission to be carried out, that the gospel could be shared, that the gospel could go with the result that disciples would be made. And so now as we get to Caesar Augustus in chapter 2, we observe how God in his sovereignty also prepared everything politically to make it the fullness of the fullness of the right time. Under Augustus, Rome instituted something called the Pax Romana, which means the peace of Rome, which provided economic and political stability for that region.
[16:13] Under Augustus, Rome established highways that connected most of the known world. And it was also under their protection, which ensured that there could be safe travel throughout the empire, making it possible again for Christians to travel safely abroad with the good news of Jesus Christ as they would go into these regions where these synagogues had already been established, to share the gospel with them and to share the gospel with everyone in a language that was commonly known and understood. All these things and more made the time right for the coming of Christ as God sovereignly had prepared from eternity past, who ordained also for powerful men and powerful nations to rise up, using them as his instruments to prepare the setting for the arrival of his son. Those nations and those men eventually lost their power, power, but God hasn't. Scripture proves that God is the ruler of history, and that hasn't changed. God is the ruler of history. That hasn't changed.
[17:35] The truth of that is embedded here in these first few verses in Luke chapter 2.
[17:49] Augustus was powerful, but he was God's pawn. He was running God's errands. The most powerful man in the world at the time was God's errand boy. His decree for a census to be taken, though in his line of thinking, it probably was not significant, at least certainly not compared to the many other decrees that he had made and would make. But it was the greatest decree that he would ever offer. Why? Because it served the purpose of God in placing Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem in fulfillment of Scripture's prophecy that that is the place where the Messiah would be born. So by digging deeply into these few verses, we learn that though men and nations rise to power, God is sovereign over them all. They don't operate outside of his will. His plans cannot be thwarted.
[19:02] He is the divine orchestrator, and what he ordains will come to pass. And so, God wants you to know that your trust this morning in all ways should not be in men, should not be in places, should not be in collections of people and whatever they decide to do, but only in him, in God. Because men and nations organizations, they may rise, they may rise, but they fall eventually. But God never falls, and his church will always prevail, not because of who we are, but because of who Christ is. So our trust should never be shaken, no matter who is in power, no matter what man or woman is in power. Our trust in God should never be shaken. Look at Romans 8, 28 through 30.
[20:15] And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined, he also called, and those whom he called, he also justified. And those whom he justified, he also glorified. You see, brother, sister in Christ, God is working in your present circumstances collectively to make you more like him, to achieve his divine purposes. As hard as that might sound for you to hear right now, he knows you. And he is working in you and through your present circumstances to conform you into the image of his Son. And he who knows you, and he who has saved you, who has justified you, we see from the Scripture, will one day complete you in glorification.
[21:35] He is preparing you for heaven, for your eternal home. And by his power, he will certainly complete that work. Another scripture I love, Ephesians 2, 8 through 10. Good one I need to be reminded of frequently as well.
[22:01] For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not as a result of work, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ for good works. I love this part, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. God is at work in you. He will never leave you or forsake you. He will complete the work.
[22:39] You will be glorified. You are his, and that can never change. Likewise, you should not fear whichever men, man, or woman, or women are currently in power, or one day may rise to that position. Romans 13, 1 through 2.
[22:59] Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. So you shouldn't fear, because they're there, and God has a reason for them being there. And ultimately, we know that all things are working towards the end, aren't they? To our Lord's return. And so we look forward to that day, no matter who is in control, because ultimately, God is sovereign. God is powerful. God is good.
[23:47] And he will fulfill everything that he said that he will do. Also, you should not fear what this coming year might bring. You shouldn't fear men. You shouldn't fear this coming year and what it might bring. So don't trust prognosticators. Don't look to horoscopes or false prophets. What should you do? Well, remind yourself of the one who has declared the end from the beginning. Isaiah 46, 8 through 10. Remember this and stand firm. Recall to mind your transgressions.
[24:28] Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning. And from ancient times, things not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.
[24:52] There have been times when I felt like either I have made a mess of my life or life has made a mess of me. And in those moments, I have sought these truths that we have just read.
[25:13] And I say this not to minimize your current struggles if you feel that you are in that place this morning. Tempted to doubt God's trustworthiness and his sovereignty.
[25:26] And so what helped me is what I'm praying that the Lord will do for you today. To lift your face up.
[25:42] To get your focus off of what is right now to seeing what will one day be. You know, it had been 400 years since Israel had heard from God.
[25:55] Prior to our Lord's arrival. Rome was in control. Maybe they were tempted to believe that God had forgotten them. Forgotten his promise.
[26:07] To one day send a Messiah. A deliverer. But God reminds us here that he is sovereign. His hands are firmly upon the wheel.
[26:22] He works all things together for the good. He knows the end from the beginning. So no matter what your present concerns are that may cause you to doubt his sovereignty.
[26:40] The answer is to fill your mind and your heart with the promises of God. Recorded in his word.
[26:54] To be reminded of his spirit. Living inside of you. To remind him that he has a firm grasp on you.
[27:06] That there is no power. Able to remove you from his grip. That there is hope. And there is hope because Christ has come.
[27:20] God wants you to trust him. And you will trust him. As he reminds you that he is sovereign. That he rules over history.
[27:32] As his words declare. And as his actions have proven. The second aspect that Luke reveals to us here.
[27:43] Is that the birth of Jesus reveals the faithfulness of God. To keep his promises. The birth of Jesus reveals the faithfulness of God. To keep his promises.
[27:55] Again look at verses 4 and 5. And Joseph also went up to Galilee from the town of Nazareth. To Judea the city of David.
[28:06] Which is called Bethlehem. Because he was of the house and lineage of David. To be registered with Mary his betrothed who was with child. So I want us to go back to Genesis chapter 3.
[28:20] And I'll show you how it applies in a moment. But Genesis chapter 3 records the fall of mankind. Which came as a result of Adam and Eve's not trusting in God.
[28:36] And being tempted by Satan to doubt God's trustworthiness. Then eventually to disobey him altogether. Which plunged all of the human race under the curse of sin.
[28:51] If you remember God had made it explicitly clear to Adam and Eve. That the garden was theirs. That they were the pinnacle of his creation.
[29:01] That they were created in his image. But there was one stipulation. Genesis 2 15 through 17 records it. The Lord took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
[29:14] And the Lord God commanded the man saying. You may surely eat of every tree of the garden. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. For in the day that you eat of it.
[29:27] You shall surely die. And so Adam and Eve are seduced by Satan's lie.
[29:38] He convinces them to doubt God's sovereignty by challenging God's trustworthiness. In that moment then when they ate of that forbidden fruit.
[29:49] The Bible says that their eyes were opened. And they realized that they were naked. That they were sinful. They attempted if you recall to cover their nakedness.
[30:00] Their shame. Their sinfulness. By making garments of their own making. Of fig leaves. And then God enters the garden. And they hide from him.
[30:12] But God calls out to them. They come to him. And then he pronounces judgments against Adam and Eve. That from now on their life would not be easy.
[30:27] There would be pain. Toil. Discomfort. And though they didn't die physically in that moment that they sinned.
[30:38] They did die spiritually. And eventually they would die physically. However. And this is devastating news.
[30:49] However. In the midst of delivering this devastating news. God made a promise. Genesis 3.15 As God the Father addresses Satan.
[31:04] He makes this promise. I will put enmity between you and the woman. And between your offspring and her offspring.
[31:15] He shall bruise your head. And you shall bruise his heel. There's a promise here. It's a promise that is referred to as the proto-evangelium.
[31:30] The first gospel. It proclaims here. That God's people. Will finally. Triumph.
[31:41] Over the serpent. One day. And that that triumph would come through the seed of a woman. Seed there. That's a collective noun.
[31:52] It indicates that this one's victory. Will be the victory of all of us. Yes. However. If left to us.
[32:05] This is a war that we cannot win. This is a battle that we will lose. And so the verse contains a promise here. That one greater than we.
[32:16] A man. Who we realize was more than a man. A God man. A divine word. That became flesh. Jesus Christ. He.
[32:28] Would deliver the crushing blow. The saving blow. The victorious blow. Bringing an end to sin. Death.
[32:39] And Satan. Forever. And if you are in him. Scripture says that you share in that victory. And so after pronouncing the consequence.
[32:51] Of sin. Genesis 3. 21 says. And the Lord God made for Adam. And for his wife. Garments of skin. And he clothed them. See God covered their nakedness.
[33:06] Their shame. Their guilt. Their sin. But those skins. That he covered them with. Came from another life.
[33:17] How do you get those skins. Without taking the life. Of another. Blood was shed. A price. Was paid.
[33:29] A life. Was given. In exchange. To clothe. Adam. And Eve. Scripture says that without the shedding of blood.
[33:39] There is no remission. Of sins. As scripture unfolds. And God establishes a sacrificial system. For his people to atone for their sins.
[33:51] We see that it all is pointing to this future deliverer. Who will one day come. The Lamb of God. Jesus Christ.
[34:02] Who takes away our sins. Through shedding his blood. As a sacrifice on the cross. That we would be clothed.
[34:14] In his righteousness. So what does that have to do with these verses? Luke provides us with information about Joseph.
[34:28] That he is the stepfather of Jesus. That Joseph when he went with Mary. They went to the city of David. Which is called Bethlehem. Because it was. Of the house.
[34:39] Because he was. Excuse me. Of the house and lineage of David. And so these details are very important. And it will all connect. Because they reveal. Again. God's trustworthiness.
[34:50] In his faithfulness. To keep his promises. And this ultimate supreme promise. To send a deliverer.
[35:02] Is seen here. But again. We've got to go back to the Old Testament. For more understanding. And so if you recall there. After God delivered his people.
[35:14] From slavery to Egypt. He established a covenant. With them. Through Moses. They received laws.
[35:26] That would mark them off. As God's people. As holy people. That they were then to be a witness of God. To the nations around them.
[35:37] But again. If you know the Old Testament. If you know scripture. You know that Israel failed. Time and time again. To do that. However. While this covenant.
[35:48] Was a high point. In redemption. Redemption history. It was not the last word. Concerning this covenant. This covenant. Looked forward to a time.
[35:59] When a king would come. Would be established. Over Israel. Who would rule. With righteousness. The aspect of this covenant.
[36:10] Was fulfilled. And expanded upon. In another sub covenant. The Davidic covenant. After David. A man who was.
[36:22] After God's own heart. Became king. He brought the ark. Of the covenant. Back to Jerusalem. And expressed a desire. To build a house.
[36:33] For God. But God. Wouldn't allow. David to do this. Instead. God made him. A promise. That he would build.
[36:45] And establish. His house. His throne. That promise. Is recorded. In 2 Samuel. Chapter 7. But I want to draw attention. To verses 16 and 17. Where there.
[36:56] Nathan the prophet. Comes to David. With a promise. From God. And he says. In your house.
[37:07] David. In your kingdom. Shall be made sure. Forever. Before me. Your throne. Shall be established. Forever.
[37:19] In accordance. With all these words. In accordance. With all. This vision. Nathan. Nathan. Spoke. To David. And so. From that point.
[37:30] Forward. Scripture. Continues. To disclose. Details. About this coming king. About this future. Messiah. Again. Time doesn't permit. This morning.
[37:40] To show all those details. But they are there for you. Certainly. To go and see. Later. And you'll see. If you do that. That time. And again. God. Displays. His faithfulness.
[37:52] To his people. But one Old Testament text. I do want to turn your attention to. Is Micah 5. 2. Because that text. Is important. As it gives direct. Application.
[38:02] And implications. For this. Passage. Micah 5. 2. But you. O Bethlehem. Ephrata. Who are too little. To be among.
[38:13] The clans. Of Judah. From you. Shall come forth. For me. One who is to be. Ruler. In Israel. Whose coming forth. Is from. Of old.
[38:24] From. Ancient. Days. See. God has displayed. His trustworthiness. And his sovereignty. As ruler. Over world history. To prepare.
[38:35] The perfect time. For the coming. Of his perfect son. And he's displayed. His faithfulness. Through the promises. That he has made. And that we see.
[38:45] In his word. That he has kept. Just as God. Displayed his faithfulness. In fulfilling his promise. To once.
[38:56] One day. Send. The Messiah. So we can trust. That God. Will be. Faithful. To deliver. On all the promises.
[39:07] That he has made. In his word. That have yet. To come to pass. He promised. To send his son. And he came. And he's promised.
[39:18] To send his son. Back. And he. Will. Return. First. Thessalonians. 4. 16.
[39:28] Through. 17. Speaking of. This. Or an aspect. Of this. Return. For the Lord. Himself. Will descend. From heaven.
[39:39] With a cry. Of command. With the voice. Of an archangel. And with the sound. Of the trumpet. Of God. And the dead. In Christ. Will rise. First. Then we.
[39:49] Who are alive. Who are left. Will be caught up together. With them. In the clouds. To meet the Lord. In the air. And so. We will always. Be with the Lord. Therefore.
[40:01] Encourage one another. With these words. See this passage. Refers to the rapture. That will take place. Before the Lord. Returns fully.
[40:13] In his second coming. In judgment. But notice how Paul. Applies these words. To Christians. This truth. This future promise. What does he say? Encourage.
[40:24] One another. With these words. Because this. World is a discouraging. Place. Is it not? Man.
[40:35] I thank God. That we have his word. For the encouragement. That it gives. If all you did. Was watch the news. And read the newspaper.
[40:48] You would be discouraged. All the time. And you don't even need. Those things. To be discouraged. Do you? Be discouraged. By. How people don't fail.
[40:58] To measure up. And the promises. That they've made to you. And their trustworthiness. Even in. Discouraging yourself. And your inability. To do the same. Man. How we need God's word. And how we need.
[41:08] To be reminded. Of these promises. To be encouraged. By them. That we are not. Without hope. If you feel discouraged. This morning.
[41:20] Or when you feel discouraged. Because you will. When you doubt. God's faithfulness. To answer. Your prayers.
[41:32] The answer. Isn't to turn. From him. But to turn. To him. To turn. To his word.
[41:44] To surround yourself. With God's. People. In whom. He will use. To remind you. Of his faithfulness. Of his promises. To encourage you.
[41:57] To continue on. To stand firm. To trust in God. God wants you. To trust him. To rejoice. In his sovereignty. To rejoice.
[42:07] In his faithfulness. Be encouraged. That just as God sent his son. He will send him again. And you. As a believer.
[42:19] Will one day. Bask. In his presence. Eternally. You will see. You will see his face. You will be with him forever.
[42:29] No more elections. No more disease. No more death. No more layoffs. No more sin. Perfect peace. With God forever.
[42:42] A third aspect. Of God's trustworthiness. As revealed. Through the birth. Of Jesus Christ. It's the goodness of God. In providing a savior.
[42:54] The birth of Jesus. Reveals the goodness of God. In providing. A savior. Verses six through seven. And while they were there. The time came for her. To give birth.
[43:05] And she gave birth. To her firstborn son. And wrapped him. In swaddling cloths. And laid him in a manger. Because there was no place. For them. In the end. And so here again.
[43:18] We see God's sovereignty. We see God's faithfulness. At work. In providing a son. A king. A lord. A servant. A sacrifice.
[43:33] Who would not fail. In his mission. To redeem. His people. He provided.
[43:44] A place for him. And Joseph. And Mary. When all other options. Were exhausted. When Jesus came into the world. He was born.
[43:57] In a very. Uncomfortable. Situation. And how fitting. That it should have been so.
[44:07] A world. Because this was merely. A preview. Of the rest. Of his earthly life. He would say. That he had no place. To place his head.
[44:19] At night. That he was in the world. And the world. Though it was made through him. Didn't even. Know him. Or recognize him. But though he was in the form of God.
[44:32] He didn't count equality. With God. A thing to be grasped. But he emptied himself. Becoming a servant. A suffering.
[44:42] Servant. The lamb of God. Who came to take away. Our sins. By substituting his life. On the cross.
[44:54] Shedding his blood. To clothe us. In his righteousness. Goodness. And so how can you. See these things.
[45:07] And not realize. That God. Is. Good. That God is good. And if.
[45:18] You're struggling to see that this morning. Perhaps it's because. You've. Too often. Taken the goodness of God. For granted. You ever done that?
[45:31] I do that a lot. And I'm thankful for Danny. Because she reminds me. As we're driving. To and fro. From whatever activity. Look out the window. Look at that sunset.
[45:43] And my. My answer. Often times. Is like. It's. I've seen it before. I've seen it before. And it probably looks the same. But what a great reminder. To just stop.
[45:54] And think about it. And just to think about. How vast. The universe is. How great God is. How beautiful. He paints these pictures for us.
[46:06] Every day. In the sky. And to realize that he knows you. And that he loves you. And that he cares about you. He is good. He is good.
[46:20] We know that the world is under sin's curse. And though we are saved. For now. The sin nature remains. Bad things happen. God said they would.
[46:31] But listen. That doesn't lessen his goodness. He created you. He loves you. He has redeemed you.
[46:42] If you placed your faith in Jesus Christ. As your Lord and Savior. He didn't form Adam and Eve. And then walk away. Letting them figure out.
[46:54] What to do. He didn't abandon them either. When they sinned. He drew near to them. And he draws near to us.
[47:06] He draws near to us. When we are tempted. To doubt his trustworthiness. He drew near to us. Through the divine word.
[47:18] Who became flesh. Emmanuel. God. With us. You know this has been a hard year. And who knows what next year will bring.
[47:30] But. It's an odd number year. And those are usually good years for me. So. Stick around here. If you hope things are going to be better. I'm just kidding.
[47:40] I'm not superstitious. Just a little stitious. Okay. But regardless. Of what happens in 2021.
[47:52] We may not even get there. Right? Regardless of what happens. As God has demonstrated. Through Jesus Christ.
[48:04] Through his word. Time and again. He is trustworthy. He is sovereign. He is faithful. He is infinitely good. Rejoice then. Rejoice.
[48:17] Your Lord has come. Your Lord will come again. And you will one day gaze upon him. In all of his fullness. John 16.33.
[48:33] Jesus. Says. I have said these things to you. That in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation.
[48:45] But take heart. I have overcome the world. God wants you to trust him. The story of Jesus Christ. His birth.
[48:56] Shows us and reminds us. That in fact. God is trustworthy. So then treasure him. And delight in him. As you gather with your friends. And your family. Slow down.
[49:08] Look around. You will see the goodness of God. In many ways. Now let's turn to our application questions. That we will. Talk through tonight. First.
[49:20] Why do you think God desires for you to trust him? Why is this so important to him? We see it over and over again in scripture. Trust me. I am faithful.
[49:31] I am trustworthy. Why do you think he desires you to trust him? Second. How does dwelling on God's sovereignty produce trust?
[49:45] How does dwelling upon God's sovereignty produce trust? Third. How does dwelling on God's faithfulness produce trust?
[49:58] How does dwelling upon God's faithfulness produce trust? And you see a theme here. Fourth question. How does dwelling on God's goodness produce trust?
[50:12] How does dwelling on his goodness produce trust? We'll talk about these things tonight. But this last question. I really. This one is personal for you. And I encourage you to be praying.
[50:26] As you answer this question. In what ways is God asking you to trust in him today? In what ways is God asking you to trust in him today?
[50:39] Will you trust him? Let's pray. Lord, there is none like you.
[50:53] Creating all things. Sustaining all things. Revealing yourself to us in amazing and astounding ways.
[51:06] Encouraging us that you are trustworthy and one whom we can trust. God, I pray for each person in this room.
[51:17] For those who listen. Lord, you know them. You know their situation. You know why it may be that they are finding it hard to trust in you right now.
[51:28] God, I pray that they would be encouraged through your word. That you would remind them of it. That your spirit would work in their hearts.
[51:40] Convincing them that it is true. That you are sovereign. That you are faithful. That you are good. God, we're so thankful for the knowledge that we have. That Christ has come. That Christ will come again.
[51:53] And so, Father, we pray that our eyes would be on you despite our present circumstances. Despite whatever may come in this coming year.
[52:04] To know that you are sovereign. You're faithful. You're good. We can trust in you. And that means that no matter what we experience in this life, we have a treasure.
[52:15] We have a reason and an ability to delight. And that treasure and that delight comes through Jesus Christ, your Son. In his name we pray. Amen.
[52:45] Amen. Thank you.