- This time of year, you'll
see nativity scenes popping up
00:00:01.33\00:00:03.50
all over the plac,e from
private homes to church yards
00:00:03.50\00:00:06.33
and other public displays.
00:00:06.33\00:00:08.47
For a brief moment, the
world almost remembers that God
00:00:08.47\00:00:12.27
actually entered
human history as one of us.
00:00:12.27\00:00:15.48
And today, we're gonna slow down
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and ask ourselves,
"Why would God do that?"
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[bright upbeat music]
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This is that special time of
the year when a lot of people
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who might not really
care about Christianity
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January through
November, suddenly show
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at least passing
interest in the birth of Christ.
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The TV networks
and streaming services
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are starting to show
Christmas programming.
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And if you can
wade your way through
00:00:57.09\00:00:58.59
some of those
terrible Hallmark movies,
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you're still
gonna find some content
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relating to the
incarnation of Christ,
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that unbelievable
moment when God, the Son,
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entered our earthly
existence as one of us,
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a full fledged human being.
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And so today, I'm gonna
follow suit a little bit
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and we're gonna turn
our attention to the subject
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of the incarnation
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and ask ourselves why
it's such an important concept.
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Because, obviously, it's one
of the biggest turning points
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in the history of this world.
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And I know there are
skeptics who love to say
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that Jesus wasn't
real, that he's a figment
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of our imagination, a
convenient fiction invented
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by the power
brokers of this world
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in order to keep
the masses enslaved.
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It's a very cynical
tinfoil hat perspective,
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to say the least.
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And it's one I think we
can tie at least a little bit
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to the writings of Karl
Marx, who brought the idea
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of class struggle
to the Western table.
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He said, "You've got oppressors
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"and you've got the oppressed."
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And so, obviously,
from his perspective,
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the Christian
Church is the oppressor
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and the rest of
humanity becomes the oppressed.
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It was a worldview
that when I was younger,
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I thought was
basically doomed by the fall
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of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
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For more than 70
years, the former Soviet Union
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had tried to implement
Marxism in the real world.
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And it led to a
massive humanitarian disaster.
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Something like 100
million people were slaughtered
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on the altar of Karl Marx
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over the course
of the 20th century.
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And in the Soviet Union,
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there was an
awful lot of brutality,
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including the willful starvation
of millions by Stalin.
00:02:41.86\00:02:46.43
Instead of bringing
about peace, harmony,
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and equality, the
Soviet Union just substituted
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a new ruling class that
considered average people
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to be dispensable
if it meant achieving
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their ideological dreams.
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And when they so
obviously failed,
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I thought that might be it.
00:03:03.41\00:03:05.91
I thought maybe we
would've learned the lesson
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that the politics of resentment
00:03:08.15\00:03:09.82
can only lead to moral disaster.
00:03:09.82\00:03:12.82
But alas, you're
still gonna hear it today.
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I'm actually alarmed
that I now hear a lot
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of younger people still talking
about the supposed miracle
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of communism as if we
learn nothing from the past.
00:03:21.90\00:03:26.63
But now when you
think it would be obvious
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to all of us
that Marx was wrong,
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a disturbing number of
people are still on the hunt
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for oppressors, people
they can blame for the pain
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that comes from
living in this broken world.
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Now, I'm not claiming
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that we've achieved
perfection here in the West
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because, obviously, we haven't.
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We still have an
awful lot of problems,
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but we also don't have the state
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telling us what
we're allowed to believe
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or threatening our lives if
we've got the wrong opinion.
00:03:52.76\00:03:55.76
Although I do think there's
a trend in that direction
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and it's kind of disturbing.
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Today, the labels are different.
00:04:00.70\00:04:02.30
It's not labor versus capital,
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but it's still the
language of the oppressor
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and the oppressed.
00:04:07.18\00:04:08.88
And over the
years, we've had people
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take that idea to
the church itself.
00:04:10.58\00:04:13.08
They insist that Jesus
was a fictitious character
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developed to keep the
powerful people in charge.
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[bright upbeat music]
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You're gonna find these
kinds of ideas circulating
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on that amazing font of
religious knowledge, the
00:04:23.63\00:04:27.83
Internet. But there
are no serious historians
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who believe that
Jesus didn't exist.
00:04:30.17\00:04:32.30
The evidence is just
far too overwhelming.
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And the idea that the
story of Jesus was invented
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by powerful people
to help oppress the poor
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and keep them in line, well,
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that's completely
laughable if you take the time
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to actually read
the source documents.
00:04:46.35\00:04:48.95
I mean, yes, the church
did behave reprehensivably
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in the medieval
period, and the modern church
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isn't exactly blameless either.
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And so I'm not denying
that a lot of nominal Christians
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have actually
caused a lot of pain
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and heartache,
sometimes in the name of God.
00:05:02.23\00:05:06.13
But the horrible behavior
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of Christians has always
been a departure from the person
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and teachings of
Christ, who went out of His way
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to help those who were
actually being oppressed.
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In the "Bible," we find
this remarkable statement
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in a sermon that Peter preached
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after the earthly ministry
of Jesus had come to an end,
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Peter's speaking
to a group of Gentiles
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at the home of Cornelius,
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a Roman centurion who was
converting to Christianity
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and here's what he says,
"As for the word that he sent
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"to Israel,
preaching good news of peace
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"through Jesus
Christ, He is Lord of all,
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"you, yourselves, know what
happened throughout all Judea,
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"beginning from
Galilee after the baptism
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"that John proclaimed: how
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
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"with the Holy
Spirit and with power.
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"He went about doing good
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"and healing all who
were oppressed by the devil
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"for God was with him."
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So let's think
about this carefully.
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If the story of Jesus
was invented to control you,
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to keep you in your
place, to make you compliant,
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then that would make
this book the worst piece
00:06:13.67\00:06:15.90
of propaganda ever written.
00:06:15.90\00:06:17.27
Because one of the key messages
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of the first
century church was liberty.
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Jesus went about doing good
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and setting people free
from the oppression of sin.
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And then Peter tells us,
"This is why God sent His son."
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It's the complete opposite
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of what the cynics
might be telling you.
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I'm also reminded of a passage
found in Luke's other book,
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the "Gospel of Luke,"
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where Jesus essentially
launches his public ministry
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by participating in
a synagogue service.
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Here's what it says
in Luke 4, Verse 16.
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"And he came to Nazareth
where he'd been brought up."
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So because we're dealing
with the incarnation today,
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let me just stop
here for a moment
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and point out
something kind of profound.
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Jesus had a normal childhood.
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He had a normal,
authentic human life.
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The incarnation was a
central feature to who He was
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and why He came, but
He was human, like us.
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Let's keep reading.
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"And as was his custom,
he went to the synagogue
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"on the Sabbath day
and he stood up to read.
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"And the scroll of the prophet
Isaiah was given to him."
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And of course, we
always hear a lot from Isaiah
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during the Christmas season
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because he predicted
the appearance of Messiah.
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It continues, "He
unrolled the scroll
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"and found the place
where it was written.
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"'The spirit of
the Lord is upon me,
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"'because he has anointed me
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"'to proclaim
good news to the poor.
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"'He has sent me to
proclaim liberty to the captives
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"'and recovering
of sight to the blind
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"'to set at liberty
those who are oppressed,
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"'to proclaim the
year of the Lord's favor.'"
00:07:48.80\00:07:52.40
So again, if this book
was written by evil people
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trying to enslave
us, you'd have to argue
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that they're not
very smart evil people.
00:07:57.81\00:08:00.31
And I know that I've
pointed this out on other shows,
00:08:00.31\00:08:02.54
but let me say it again
because it's just so important.
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Back in the days of American
00:08:06.51\00:08:08.35
and Caribbean slavery,
there were slave owners
00:08:08.35\00:08:11.35
who did not want their
slaves to read the "Bible."
00:08:11.35\00:08:14.09
Why? Because it
would give them the idea
00:08:14.09\00:08:16.86
that God prizes
personal liberty.
00:08:16.86\00:08:19.59
So eventually, someone produced
a heavily redacted "Bible"
00:08:19.59\00:08:23.30
with most of
the content removed.
00:08:23.30\00:08:25.80
Today, we call
it the "Slave Bible"
00:08:25.80\00:08:28.34
and it only
included the passages
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that didn't reveal how God
feels about oppressing people.
00:08:30.27\00:08:34.41
So again, if this
book is really propaganda
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written by
powerful church people
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who intend to subjugate me,
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let me tell you this,
they did a bad job of it.
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I mean, just ask yourself,
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"Why does the Chinese government
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"bulldoze
Christian home churches
00:08:48.56\00:08:50.39
"and persecute the
followers of Christ?"
00:08:50.39\00:08:53.26
It's not because the
story of Jesus is useful
00:08:53.26\00:08:55.86
for keeping peasants in line.
00:08:55.86\00:08:58.10
Snd speaking about my place,
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it's time for a
really quick break,
00:09:00.60\00:09:02.14
but I'll be
right back after this.
00:09:02.14\00:09:04.31
[bright upbeat music]
00:09:04.31\00:09:07.71
- [Narrataor] Here at
The Voice of Prophecy,
00:09:07.71\00:09:09.18
we're committed to
creating top quality programming
00:09:09.18\00:09:11.71
for the whole family,
00:09:11.71\00:09:13.15
like our audio adventure
series, "Discovery Mountain."
00:09:13.15\00:09:16.28
"Discovery Mountain"
is a "Bible"-based program
00:09:16.28\00:09:18.82
for kids of all
ages and backgrounds.
00:09:18.82\00:09:21.19
Your family will enjoy
the faith building stories
00:09:21.19\00:09:23.93
from this small
mountain summer camp town.
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With 24 seasonal
episodes every year
00:09:26.80\00:09:29.30
and fresh content every week,
00:09:29.30\00:09:31.40
there's always a new
adventure just on the horizon.
00:09:31.40\00:09:34.70
- In the earliest years
of the Christian movement,
00:09:37.71\00:09:39.94
the subject of the
incarnation of Christ
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proved to be, well, a
little tricky for some people.
00:09:42.28\00:09:45.61
On the one hand, you
had people with a Greek bit
00:09:45.61\00:09:48.25
who thought the idea that God
would become a physical human
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utterly ludicrous,
00:09:51.55\00:09:53.46
and it's the word physical
that they had a problem with.
00:09:53.46\00:09:56.36
From the Greek perspective,
the created material universe
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is flawed and you can
only find true perfection
00:09:59.49\00:10:02.30
somewhere out there in
the non-physical realm.
00:10:02.30\00:10:05.37
So the idea that
a perfect holy God
00:10:05.37\00:10:07.47
could adopt a
physical human presence
00:10:07.47\00:10:09.40
seemed, well, ridiculous.
00:10:09.40\00:10:11.91
A good example of this
would be an early heretic
00:10:11.91\00:10:14.21
from the second
century named Marcion,
00:10:14.21\00:10:16.58
and that's Marcion with a C
00:10:16.58\00:10:17.91
as opposed to
someone from the planet Mars.
00:10:17.91\00:10:21.15
Marcion believed that
the world had been created
00:10:21.15\00:10:23.82
by an inferior deity
they called the demiurge
00:10:23.82\00:10:27.19
and he said, "Jesus came to
fix the demiurge's mistakes."
00:10:27.19\00:10:31.23
It was agnostic
approach to Christianity,
00:10:31.23\00:10:33.50
and, of course, it
was roundly condemned
00:10:33.50\00:10:35.66
by most of the church.
00:10:35.66\00:10:37.27
And among the ideas
that Marcion insisted on
00:10:37.27\00:10:39.97
was the notion that Jesus'
body only seemed to be human.
00:10:39.97\00:10:43.61
"It was an illusion
because a perfect God," he said,
00:10:43.61\00:10:46.74
"would never
condescend to our level."
00:10:46.74\00:10:49.98
So from that perspective, he
said that Jesus was only divine
00:10:49.98\00:10:54.72
and not divine and human.
00:10:54.72\00:10:57.59
If you want a word for his idea,
00:10:57.59\00:10:59.15
it's Docetism from a
Greek word that means illusion.
00:10:59.15\00:11:03.12
So to these
people, the Marcionites,
00:11:03.12\00:11:05.33
the incarnation was
nothing, but an illusion.
00:11:05.33\00:11:08.30
But then on the other
hand, we also had people
00:11:09.40\00:11:11.17
who pushed the needle
in the opposite direction,
00:11:11.17\00:11:13.34
insisting that
Jesus was only human.
00:11:13.34\00:11:15.84
He may have been special, he
may have been called God's son,
00:11:15.84\00:11:19.44
but at the end of the
day, he was just a human being.
00:11:19.44\00:11:22.84
A good example of that kind
00:11:22.84\00:11:24.25
of thinking was a
guy named Cerinthus
00:11:24.25\00:11:26.72
who was contemporary
to the Apostle John.
00:11:26.72\00:11:29.78
In fact, there's quite a
bit of evidence suggesting
00:11:29.78\00:11:32.22
that John may have
actually written his gospel,
00:11:32.22\00:11:34.96
at least, in part, as
a response to this guy.
00:11:34.96\00:11:38.69
Cerinthus denied the virgin
birth, the Christmas story
00:11:38.69\00:11:42.46
and said that Jesus
was just a regular guy
00:11:42.46\00:11:44.87
with two normal parents
00:11:44.87\00:11:46.40
and that he was possessed
00:11:46.40\00:11:47.57
by the Spirit of
Messiah at his baptism.
00:11:47.57\00:11:50.81
And then he lost
his special status
00:11:50.81\00:11:53.11
the moment he was crucified.
00:11:53.11\00:11:55.11
"He may have had a
divine mission," Cerinthus said,
00:11:55.11\00:11:58.38
"But he was really just human."
00:11:58.38\00:12:01.35
Now, both of these approaches
00:12:01.35\00:12:02.85
are kind of understandable
when you examine the person
00:12:02.85\00:12:05.62
of Christ from a
strictly logical position
00:12:05.62\00:12:08.62
the way that a Greek
philosopher might do it.
00:12:08.62\00:12:11.69
Our logic tells us that
you can't have two natures
00:12:11.69\00:12:14.46
at the same time.
00:12:14.46\00:12:15.96
You can't be God and human,
but it's the wrong conclusion
00:12:15.96\00:12:19.60
because it's not what
God says about the subject.
00:12:19.60\00:12:22.27
The truth of the matter, as
often happens with the "Bible,"
00:12:23.61\00:12:26.01
actually lies in the tension
00:12:26.01\00:12:27.54
between those
two different things.
00:12:27.54\00:12:29.91
On one end of the heresy
spectrum, we have people who say
00:12:29.91\00:12:33.35
that Jesus was
nothing but human.
00:12:33.35\00:12:35.38
And then on the other end,
00:12:35.38\00:12:36.65
we have those who
insist that he was only divine.
00:12:36.65\00:12:39.75
But the way the "Bible"
talks about it, Jesus was both,
00:12:39.75\00:12:43.32
fully God and fully
human at the very same time.
00:12:43.32\00:12:48.00
In other words,
what we see in Jesus
00:12:48.00\00:12:50.60
is what God would look
like if He was a human being.
00:12:50.60\00:12:54.27
And that's where
the Christmas season
00:12:54.27\00:12:56.47
gives us a lot of
cause to really think
00:12:56.47\00:12:59.11
about human existence.
00:12:59.11\00:13:01.08
And I suppose, we
could get bogged down
00:13:01.08\00:13:02.88
in a lot of
theological hair splitting
00:13:02.88\00:13:04.85
because nobody has
completely wrapped his
00:13:04.85\00:13:08.18
or her mind around
how the incarnation works.
00:13:08.18\00:13:11.25
I actually had to
tell somebody that
00:13:11.25\00:13:12.79
in a letter the other
day, I don't know how it works,
00:13:12.79\00:13:16.36
but I will say this,
when Christians say that Jesus
00:13:16.36\00:13:19.76
is fully God and fully human,
00:13:19.76\00:13:22.36
it doesn't mean
that he's 50% of each.
00:13:22.36\00:13:25.47
He's both, 100% at
the very same time.
00:13:25.47\00:13:29.60
And it also doesn't
mean that he switches modes,
00:13:29.60\00:13:32.24
sometimes flipping
on the human switch
00:13:32.24\00:13:34.34
and other times
flipping on the God switch.
00:13:34.34\00:13:37.25
Although, you will see
moments when his divinity
00:13:37.25\00:13:40.02
absolutely flashes
through his humanity,
00:13:40.02\00:13:43.25
these moments where Jesus
suddenly reveals his divine
00:13:43.25\00:13:47.42
power, like the time he told
Nathaniel that he already knew
00:13:47.42\00:13:50.69
who he was because he had
seen him sitting under a tree
00:13:50.69\00:13:53.93
before they ever met.
00:13:53.93\00:13:55.16
So why is the birth of Christ
such an important development
00:13:56.67\00:13:59.70
in the story of the "Bible"?
00:13:59.70\00:14:01.60
Today, a lot of
Christians focus on his death
00:14:01.60\00:14:03.67
and resurrection
because we understand,
00:14:03.67\00:14:06.11
we can't be saved
without those things.
00:14:06.11\00:14:08.98
It was at the cross, after
all, that Jesus took the penalty
00:14:08.98\00:14:11.98
for my sins on Himself.
00:14:11.98\00:14:15.35
But, you know,
it's not just the death
00:14:15.35\00:14:16.95
and resurrection of
Christ that saves us
00:14:16.95\00:14:18.92
because, well, in that case,
00:14:18.92\00:14:20.66
He could have just manifested
himself as a fully grown adult
00:14:20.66\00:14:23.93
and gone straight to the cross
00:14:23.93\00:14:25.99
without having to
spend about three decades
00:14:25.99\00:14:28.33
living a very difficult life.
00:14:28.33\00:14:31.20
But that life, that authentic
human life, also matters.
00:14:31.20\00:14:36.27
It means that God,
the Son, is one of us.
00:14:37.34\00:14:39.31
And the "Bible" reveals
that He stays that way forever.
00:14:39.31\00:14:43.75
I mean, don't forget,
when Jesus rose from the dead
00:14:43.75\00:14:46.61
and His disciples were
trying to wrap their heads
00:14:46.61\00:14:48.65
around the fact that
He'd come back from the grave,
00:14:48.65\00:14:51.69
He invited them to
touch Him to make sure
00:14:51.69\00:14:54.19
that He was still a real person
00:14:54.19\00:14:55.79
and not some kind of apparition.
00:14:55.79\00:14:58.43
In fact, Jesus also ate
something to prove the point
00:14:58.43\00:15:01.96
and the piece of
fish He ate didn't fall
00:15:01.96\00:15:04.67
through His ghostly
presence and land on the floor
00:15:04.67\00:15:06.90
because He was real.
00:15:06.90\00:15:10.01
And then in Acts, Chapter 1,
00:15:10.01\00:15:11.67
the disciples were
told that this same Jesus
00:15:11.67\00:15:14.64
would come back someday.
00:15:14.64\00:15:16.44
In other words, that
same physical person.
00:15:16.44\00:15:19.65
So what that means
is that the incarnation
00:15:19.65\00:15:22.35
of Christ was not temporary.
00:15:22.35\00:15:24.69
That baby in the
manger, that's a permanent deal.
00:15:24.69\00:15:28.69
In fact, you'll notice,
00:15:28.69\00:15:29.92
when you're
reading the New Testament,
00:15:29.92\00:15:31.39
that Jesus gets several
titles, Rabbi, Son of David,
00:15:31.39\00:15:35.26
Son of God, and,
of course, Son of Man.
00:15:35.26\00:15:38.80
And it's that last
one, the Son of Man,
00:15:38.80\00:15:40.97
that Jesus uses the most.
00:15:40.97\00:15:43.17
He could have chosen
to emphasize His divinity,
00:15:43.17\00:15:45.47
which is what we
would probably do
00:15:45.47\00:15:47.98
because how do you not
underline something like that
00:15:47.98\00:15:50.45
when you're dealing with people
00:15:50.45\00:15:51.51
who are clearly inferior to you?
00:15:51.51\00:15:54.22
But no, Jesus seemed to
underline his human identity
00:15:54.22\00:15:57.99
calling himself the
Son of Man, but why?
00:15:57.99\00:16:03.06
Why is it so
important that Jesus
00:16:04.06\00:16:05.26
started in that
manger in Bethlehem?
00:16:05.26\00:16:07.30
Well, biblically speaking, we
can find all kinds of reasons.
00:16:07.30\00:16:10.47
Back in Genesis 3, immediately
after the compromise,
00:16:10.47\00:16:13.70
the fall of the human
race, God promised that the seed
00:16:13.70\00:16:17.61
of the woman was
gonna come and fix things.
00:16:17.61\00:16:20.24
Messiah, in other words,
would come from the human race.
00:16:20.24\00:16:23.75
And, of course, God essentially
makes the same promise
00:16:23.75\00:16:26.31
to Abraham over in Genesis,
Chapter 12 where he says this,
00:16:26.31\00:16:31.39
"And I will make of you a great
nation and I will bless you
00:16:32.72\00:16:35.06
"and make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.
00:16:35.06\00:16:38.09
"I will bless
those who bless you
00:16:38.09\00:16:40.10
"and him who
dishonors you, I will curse.
00:16:40.10\00:16:42.73
"And in you, all the
families of the Earth
00:16:42.73\00:16:45.70
"shall be blessed."
00:16:45.70\00:16:47.60
Now, that promise doesn't
specifically mention Messiah,
00:16:47.60\00:16:51.34
but as you read through
the rest of the narrative,
00:16:51.34\00:16:52.54
right through to
the end of the book,
00:16:52.54\00:16:54.94
you quickly discover that
Christ was the real blessing
00:16:54.94\00:16:58.31
that came from Abraham.
00:16:58.31\00:16:59.81
Here's the way that Paul
describes it in his letter
00:16:59.81\00:17:02.62
to the church in
Galatia, he says,
00:17:02.62\00:17:05.09
"Now, the promises
were made to Abraham
00:17:05.09\00:17:07.49
"and to his offspring.
00:17:07.49\00:17:08.92
"It does not say, 'And to
offsprings,' referring to many,
00:17:08.92\00:17:12.19
"but referring to one,
'And to your offspring,'
00:17:12.19\00:17:15.56
"who is Christ."
00:17:15.56\00:17:17.17
And then he goes
on to explain that you
00:17:17.17\00:17:19.63
and I can be adopted
into the family of Abraham.
00:17:19.63\00:17:23.10
We consider ourselves
to be Abraham's descendants
00:17:23.10\00:17:26.14
through Christ.
00:17:26.14\00:17:27.64
So right out of the
gate, we know that the birth
00:17:27.64\00:17:29.78
of Christ in Bethlehem
was really, really important
00:17:29.78\00:17:33.38
if for no other reason than
God was keeping his promise.
00:17:33.38\00:17:37.12
But, of course, that's
not really the complete answer
00:17:37.12\00:17:39.99
we're looking for
because it makes it look like
00:17:39.99\00:17:42.99
this is just a matter
of heavenly bookkeeping,
00:17:42.99\00:17:45.13
just a matter of
checking off prophetic boxes
00:17:45.13\00:17:47.66
on God's to-do list.
00:17:47.66\00:17:49.70
And it still
doesn't tell us why.
00:17:49.70\00:17:52.73
And this is where it proves
very important to sit down
00:17:52.73\00:17:57.01
and read the whole "Bible."
00:17:57.01\00:17:58.71
I know I'm a bit
of a broken record.
00:17:58.71\00:18:00.28
I say that every single
week, read the whole book
00:18:00.28\00:18:03.48
because there are
a lot more answers
00:18:03.48\00:18:05.48
in here than most people think.
00:18:05.48\00:18:07.42
And those answers
make really good sense.
00:18:07.42\00:18:10.85
I mean, let's face it,
it's the Christmas season.
00:18:10.85\00:18:13.59
And so a lot of people
are cracking open "Bibles"
00:18:13.59\00:18:15.82
for one evening to read that
famous passage from the gospel
00:18:15.82\00:18:19.39
of Luke, the one
with the nativity scene.
00:18:19.39\00:18:22.36
But maybe this
year, let me challenge you
00:18:22.36\00:18:24.50
to read your
"Bible" again the next day
00:18:24.50\00:18:26.94
and the day after that
and the day after that.
00:18:26.94\00:18:29.97
And I promise you, by the
time you get to next Christmas,
00:18:29.97\00:18:33.41
you're gonna have a
radically different perspective
00:18:33.41\00:18:35.41
on the whole world.
00:18:35.41\00:18:36.91
And now, it's time
for another quick break.
00:18:36.91\00:18:39.11
But don't you touch that dial
and don't you click that mouse
00:18:39.11\00:18:43.25
because I'll be
right back after this.
00:18:43.25\00:18:45.85
[bright upbeat music]
00:18:45.85\00:18:49.56
- [Voiceover] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues,
00:18:49.56\00:18:53.76
"Bible" prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:18:53.76\00:18:58.40
If you've ever read
"Daniel, a Revelation"
00:18:58.40\00:19:00.60
and come away scratching
your head, you are not alone.
00:19:00.60\00:19:03.64
Our free focus on
prophecy guides are designed
00:19:03.64\00:19:06.54
to help you unlock the
mysteries of the "Bible"
00:19:06.54\00:19:08.81
and deepen your
understanding of God's plan
00:19:08.81\00:19:11.25
for you and our world.
00:19:11.25\00:19:12.88
Study online or
request them by mail
00:19:12.88\00:19:15.32
and start bringing
prophecy into focus Today.
00:19:15.32\00:19:19.02
- Today, in the
spirit of the season,
00:19:19.02\00:19:20.52
we've been asking why
it's so important for God
00:19:20.52\00:19:23.19
to come as a real flesh and
blood authentic human being.
00:19:23.19\00:19:27.73
And, of course,
there's no way we can answer
00:19:27.73\00:19:30.00
that in a half-hour to
everybody's satisfaction.
00:19:30.00\00:19:33.13
All I can really hope to
do is start you on the path
00:19:33.13\00:19:36.07
to discovery, so you
can begin to discover
00:19:36.07\00:19:38.44
for you self why this matters.
00:19:38.44\00:19:41.88
But maybe, let me
just cruise through
00:19:41.88\00:19:43.41
a few more "Bible" verses,
00:19:43.41\00:19:44.75
so that you've got
a good starting point.
00:19:44.75\00:19:47.58
And if you feel like you
might want a little more help
00:19:47.58\00:19:49.98
getting started studying, maybe
go over to biblestudies.com
00:19:49.98\00:19:55.06
and take a look at our
free "Discover Bible" course.
00:19:56.39\00:19:57.83
Just think of it as a Christmas
gift from the good people
00:19:57.83\00:20:01.03
at the Voice of Prophecy.
00:20:01.03\00:20:02.46
But for right now, let's go
over to the book of Hebrews,
00:20:03.87\00:20:06.67
which underlines one
very important reason
00:20:06.67\00:20:09.20
that Christ became
a real human being.
00:20:09.20\00:20:11.67
Listen to what it
says in Hebrews, Chapter 4.
00:20:11.67\00:20:14.68
"Since, therefore, the
children share in flesh
00:20:14.68\00:20:17.71
"and blood, he,
himself, likewise,
00:20:17.71\00:20:19.51
"partook of the same
things, that through death
00:20:19.51\00:20:22.48
"he might destroy the one
who has the power of death,
00:20:22.48\00:20:25.39
"that is, the devil,
and deliver all those
00:20:25.39\00:20:27.89
"who, through fear of death,
00:20:27.89\00:20:29.56
"were subject to
lifelong slavery."
00:20:29.56\00:20:32.79
So again, you'll notice, that's
the opposite of oppression.
00:20:32.79\00:20:36.73
It continues in Verse 16.
00:20:36.73\00:20:39.00
"For surely it is
not angels that he helps,
00:20:39.00\00:20:41.40
"but he helps the
offspring of Abraham.
00:20:41.40\00:20:43.84
"Therefore, he had to
be made like his brothers
00:20:43.84\00:20:46.17
"in every respect, so
that he might become a merciful
00:20:46.17\00:20:49.38
"and faithful high
priest in the service of God,
00:20:49.38\00:20:52.31
"to make propitiation
for the sins of the people,
00:20:52.31\00:20:55.58
"for because he, himself,
has suffered when tempted,
00:20:55.58\00:20:58.92
"he is able to help
those who are being tempted."
00:20:58.92\00:21:02.69
Now, there's an awful
lot of material there,
00:21:02.69\00:21:05.13
but here are a
few little takeaways.
00:21:05.13\00:21:07.66
First, we know that
the wages of sin is death
00:21:07.66\00:21:10.83
because it compromises our
intimate tie to the only source
00:21:10.83\00:21:14.60
of life in this universe.
00:21:14.60\00:21:16.40
When you push
away your life source,
00:21:16.40\00:21:18.51
you can just
guess what happens next.
00:21:18.51\00:21:20.91
So when order to save us, Jesus
came and died in our place.
00:21:20.91\00:21:24.95
He conquered the
grave, He died on my behalf,
00:21:24.95\00:21:29.38
and He had to be a
human being to do that.
00:21:29.38\00:21:32.39
Secondly, and this is a big one,
00:21:32.39\00:21:34.99
He also demonstrated very
powerfully that He understands
00:21:34.99\00:21:39.83
us, the God that Christians
pray to, He's been here,
00:21:39.83\00:21:42.93
He knows exactly how
weak and compromised we are.
00:21:42.93\00:21:46.03
He's been hungry and tired
00:21:46.03\00:21:48.34
and rejected, subjecting Himself
to an honest to goodness,
00:21:48.34\00:21:52.37
real, authentic
human experience.
00:21:52.37\00:21:55.24
And for that reason,
you can approach the throne
00:21:55.24\00:21:58.05
of God boldly.
00:21:58.05\00:21:59.38
The Bible says you can
go to the throne knowing
00:21:59.38\00:22:02.08
that, A, God knows
exactly who and what you are,
00:22:02.08\00:22:05.62
and B, He loves
you in spite of that.
00:22:05.62\00:22:09.12
So the incarnation of
Christ underlines the fact
00:22:09.12\00:22:11.83
that God has entered the
arena with us as one of us.
00:22:11.83\00:22:16.40
In spite of what we've done,
00:22:16.40\00:22:18.60
God didn't cut our
mooring rope and push us away.
00:22:18.60\00:22:22.10
In fact, He got even closer
00:22:22.10\00:22:25.01
because God is
driven by unselfish love.
00:22:25.01\00:22:28.18
But then we also have the matter
of living the perfect life.
00:22:29.51\00:22:33.35
When we were originally created,
00:22:33.35\00:22:35.05
our human existence was supposed
00:22:35.05\00:22:36.79
to highlight the
love of the Creator.
00:22:36.79\00:22:39.19
We were made in God's
image and in our original state,
00:22:39.19\00:22:42.59
we were a vivid
expression of who God is.
00:22:42.59\00:22:45.89
But then after the fall,
00:22:45.89\00:22:47.40
our lives
essentially became a lie
00:22:47.40\00:22:49.70
about the one who made us.
00:22:49.70\00:22:51.43
Someone could point
to our senseless cruelty
00:22:51.43\00:22:54.17
and our selfishness and
they could defame God by saying,
00:22:54.17\00:22:57.47
"Would you look at that?
00:22:57.47\00:22:58.77
"Is that the
work of a loving God?"
00:22:58.77\00:23:01.28
And you know
that's what people do.
00:23:01.28\00:23:04.11
I mean, if if there was a
court case deciding whether
00:23:04.11\00:23:06.61
or not God could be trusted,
you wouldn't want my life
00:23:06.61\00:23:10.12
to be exhibit A, but you
would want the life of Christ
00:23:10.12\00:23:13.39
because He's
the only human being
00:23:13.39\00:23:14.99
whoever exhibited the
character of God perfectly.
00:23:14.99\00:23:18.66
And what He does,
unbelievably, is offer
00:23:18.66\00:23:22.43
to pull your paperwork
out of heaven's filing cabinet
00:23:22.43\00:23:25.67
and replace it with His own.
00:23:25.67\00:23:27.57
So now, when
somebody asks the question,
00:23:27.57\00:23:29.67
"Did Shawn's life
reflect the glory of God?"
00:23:29.67\00:23:32.97
Well, under the terms of
the covenant that God has made
00:23:32.97\00:23:35.28
with us, when they
go to pull my file,
00:23:35.28\00:23:37.85
they're gonna find the
perfect life of Christ instead.
00:23:37.85\00:23:41.18
He offers His
righteousness as a gift.
00:23:41.18\00:23:45.22
You and I are now
Abraham's offspring.
00:23:45.22\00:23:47.92
Paul describes it like
this, "For as many of you
00:23:47.92\00:23:51.69
"as we're baptized into
Christ have put on Christ.
00:23:51.69\00:23:54.63
"There is neither Jew nor Greek,
00:23:54.63\00:23:56.40
"there is
neither slave nor free,
00:23:56.40\00:23:58.47
"there is no male and female,
00:23:58.47\00:23:59.87
"for you are all
one in Christ Jesus.
00:23:59.87\00:24:02.24
"And if you are Christ's,
00:24:02.24\00:24:03.64
"then you are
Abraham's offspring,
00:24:03.64\00:24:05.74
"heirs
according to the promise."
00:24:05.74\00:24:08.81
So in other words,
because of the incarnation,
00:24:08.81\00:24:11.48
Jesus can be our substitute.
00:24:11.48\00:24:14.08
In 1st Corinthians 15,
00:24:14.08\00:24:15.92
Paul explains that all
of us fell when Adam did.
00:24:15.92\00:24:19.42
We were born with
a tendency to sin,
00:24:19.42\00:24:21.59
hardwired for selfishness.
00:24:21.59\00:24:23.99
The decision to
turn against God's will
00:24:23.99\00:24:25.99
had permanent
consequences for all of us.
00:24:25.99\00:24:29.30
But now, Christ
becomes the last Adam,
00:24:29.30\00:24:32.60
and he succeeds where
the first Adam failed.
00:24:32.60\00:24:35.70
In fact, he succeeds
where all of us fail.
00:24:35.70\00:24:38.31
And now, you can be
moved from column A,
00:24:38.31\00:24:40.71
descendants of the fallen Adam
00:24:40.71\00:24:42.81
to column B, a part
of the family of Christ.
00:24:42.81\00:24:46.55
I'll be right back after this.
00:24:46.55\00:24:48.48
[bright upbeat music]
00:24:48.48\00:24:52.32
- [Announcer] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:24:52.32\00:24:54.72
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers,
00:24:54.72\00:24:58.09
but that's where
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00:24:58.09\00:25:00.53
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:25:00.53\00:25:03.60
Here, at the Voice of Prophecy,
00:25:03.60\00:25:05.13
we've created the
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00:25:05.13\00:25:07.30
to be your guide to the "Bible."
00:25:07.30\00:25:08.90
They're designed to
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00:25:08.90\00:25:11.37
and provide answers to many
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00:25:11.37\00:25:14.41
And they're absolutely free.
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So jump online
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00:25:16.44\00:25:18.78
and start your
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00:25:18.78\00:25:21.08
- Let's wrap up today by reading
00:25:21.88\00:25:23.45
what some Christians
call the "Magnificat,"
00:25:23.45\00:25:25.52
the prayer that Mary
uttered when she found out
00:25:25.52\00:25:27.72
she was carrying
the Christ child.
00:25:27.72\00:25:29.66
Here's what she
said in Luke, Chapter 1,
00:25:29.66\00:25:32.16
"And Mary said, 'My
soul magnifies the Lord
00:25:32.16\00:25:34.76
"'and my spirit
rejoices in God, my Savior,
00:25:34.76\00:25:37.60
"for he has looked on the
humblest state of his servant.
00:25:37.60\00:25:40.47
"'For behold, from now on,
00:25:40.47\00:25:42.27
"'all generations
will call me blessed,
00:25:42.27\00:25:44.37
"'for he who is mighty,
has done great things for me
00:25:44.37\00:25:47.78
"'and holy is his name.
00:25:47.78\00:25:49.31
"'And his mercy is for those
who fear him from generation
00:25:49.31\00:25:52.68
"'to generation.
00:25:52.68\00:25:53.82
"'He has shown
strength with his arm.
00:25:53.82\00:25:56.12
"'He has scattered the proud
00:25:56.12\00:25:57.49
"'in the
thoughts of their hearts.
00:25:57.49\00:25:59.02
"'He has brought down
the mighty from their thrones
00:25:59.02\00:26:01.09
"'and exalted
those of humble estate.
00:26:01.09\00:26:03.59
"'He has filled the
hungry with good things
00:26:03.59\00:26:05.86
"'and the rich, he
has sent away empty.
00:26:05.86\00:26:08.20
"'He has helped
his servant Israel
00:26:08.20\00:26:09.86
"'in remembrance of his mercy
00:26:09.86\00:26:11.70
"'as he spoke to
our fathers, to Abraham
00:26:11.70\00:26:14.20
"'and to his
offspring forever.'"
00:26:14.20\00:26:17.57
So again, if the story of
Christ's birth, the idea of God
00:26:17.57\00:26:20.64
and human flesh was invented
by a church to subjugate us,
00:26:20.64\00:26:25.08
they picked the wrong book
00:26:25.08\00:26:26.61
because the incarnation
of Christ was an act of God
00:26:26.61\00:26:29.62
designed to set you free.
00:26:29.62\00:26:32.42
And I've got to tell
you, that baby in Bethlehem,
00:26:32.42\00:26:35.59
the idea that God cared
enough to actually join us
00:26:35.59\00:26:38.39
as one of us, that's the most
liberating idea in the world.
00:26:38.39\00:26:42.70
Because if God
cared for us that much,
00:26:42.70\00:26:45.17
if He was willing to
pay that much to save you,
00:26:45.17\00:26:48.10
well, you know He values you.
00:26:48.10\00:26:50.31
I know that some of
you grew up thinking
00:26:50.31\00:26:51.74
God's trying to get rid of you.
00:26:51.74\00:26:53.24
So sometimes I like to say,
00:26:53.24\00:26:54.98
I don't think
God's an unwise investor.
00:26:54.98\00:26:57.85
What are the chances,
00:26:57.85\00:26:59.11
after going to
those lengths to save you,
00:26:59.11\00:27:01.65
that He's gonna try and
find a reason to reject you?
00:27:01.65\00:27:04.65
If you struggle with the idea
that God actually loves you,
00:27:06.02\00:27:08.59
ask yourself this.
00:27:08.59\00:27:10.46
"Given the amount of
pain that you've suffered,
00:27:10.46\00:27:13.06
"would you choose
living in this place
00:27:13.06\00:27:14.96
"knowing what you know?"
00:27:14.96\00:27:16.73
Probably not, and
yet, that's what God did.
00:27:16.73\00:27:19.80
He chose this place
knowing full well what kind
00:27:19.80\00:27:22.37
of life He could expect.
00:27:22.37\00:27:24.17
The prophet Isaiah
predicted that Jesus would be,
00:27:24.17\00:27:26.98
"A man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief,"
00:27:26.98\00:27:30.28
who would be,
"Despised and rejected,"
00:27:30.28\00:27:32.81
and He came here anyway.
00:27:32.81\00:27:34.15
That little baby in Bethlehem
00:27:35.65\00:27:37.12
is God's
guarantee that He cares.
00:27:37.12\00:27:39.79
What Christians
celebrate this time
00:27:39.79\00:27:41.39
of year is not just a birthday.
00:27:41.39\00:27:43.59
They're celebrating
that God became one of us,
00:27:43.59\00:27:46.39
so that you could
know that He can save you
00:27:46.39\00:27:49.66
and you can know
that He understands you.
00:27:49.66\00:27:52.47
Jesus lived a perfect life
because He knows you can't,
00:27:52.47\00:27:55.90
and He's eager to
see you fully restored.
00:27:55.90\00:27:58.54
He knows that you are weak
and frail, a spiritual infant.
00:27:58.54\00:28:02.61
So He joined us.
00:28:02.61\00:28:04.25
This was God stepping
into our story to clean it up.
00:28:04.25\00:28:09.32
Thanks for
watching, Merry Christmas.
00:28:10.39\00:28:12.02
I'm Shawn Boonstra, and
this has been "Authentic."
00:28:12.02\00:28:15.66
[gentle upbeat music]
00:28:15.66\00:28:18.89