O Holy Night!

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This is the Truth Network welcome If Not for God stories of hopelessness that turn to hope. Your host Mike. If not for God's day, another Christmas if not for God, which is the fit but actually a lot of folks this time you really seem to be looking for and where are you Christmas like Betty Lou who said Mike know on how the Grinch stole Christmas. I know a lot of folks and many times myself. I felt like that. Where are you Christmas and here we are in 2020, and so now I think it's a real opportunity for us to think about that. If not for God. Right now it is and that since were in we just did something about Christmas songs and got another one O holy night, O holy not saying this is our bride leash training. It is the day our dear Savior's burden long way in the world in sin ever training till he appeared and the so that's it till he appeared in and we were talking this morning over at Popeye's kitchen and you've got a little studying Robbie about about the virgin birth and in your really good at looking at the Hebrew words and what help.

Tell me what you been looking at while Mike you inspired me actually called me.

As I said I wanted to do a show on that and I said I thought a lot about that over the years, especially the connection to Genesis to the virgin birth. Genesis 1 and and I thought about a lot and I thought we'll have fun. Not just do some study and so as I went into that I have long since had this connection between Genesis 1 where the earth was void. You might remember without forming we can talk about this on the messenger and being that's kind of chaotic and it said the spirit hovered over the waters and I've often thought about the spirit of hovering over the waters of Mary's stomach is you know how this actually took places a phenomenal thing to ponder, you know, like how did this happen and is you really look into the Hebrew of these words in Genesis 1 as the Spirit hovers over the water. That's the rock that breath okay okay it's hovering over the mayim, which has everything to do with the Holy Spirit and Jesus okay because water starts with that mama sound which means Messiah. You know, we could spend the whole show on yet nonetheless very shortly thereafter, in Genesis 19 there's this little thing where it says that the God said, let the waters be gathered together, and it's a fascinating little study there is a word that they uses is, from which to be gathered together is, while the other place most people would recognize that word is in Isaiah 40 right when you are to wait on the Lord so that you can rise up with wings and evil of that Eagles not evil, but that word kava.

There is being gathered together like those waters were being gathered together if you know this but babies when airborne Mark like 83 or 4% water.

You know you compared to regular human beings in the neighborhood of 65%. Whatever but their lungs are almost like 88% water off you know that but breath again. Think about the rock in the water that's involved is Jesus is the living water. I and so as we began to think about as I began to just picture this, my mind and I thought about it for years how that looked. I decided to go back to Isaiah 7, which is where the this is quote it said the whole, there's gonna be a sign okay and the word first time in Hebrew in the ancient Hebrew script, not the one that they use today are the ones that you would see most Torah scrolls, but the ones that they use in the time of David. If you see money that that's been minted back in those days if you looked at the actual script there for the word sign would start with a cross. Literally I mean and not across the did look like the cross of Christ to mean it literally. When you see them at script. It looks like across it and so the wind when Isaiah penned that because that was his time. The way he probably wrote that was help but hold across this idea will be given to you that the virgin will be with child and you may have heard it said it times the people studied this, that, well, that's not necessarily virgin. It could be young maiden well if you study the Bible a lot, you realize that the first time that the use of word is finished tell you a lot about that word in the first time the word virgin comes in the Bible is when Isaac is going to get a wife picked out by you know Abraham's servant, and he goes clearly and he describes that when the virgin shows up with the camel story you know that is the first time you see the word virgin in the word in Hebrew. If you look around the root of that word means hidden or to be covered.

Well, I mean that all lines up with virgin it doesn't not line up with the young woman.

But once again, when you look inside the letters of the word virgin there's this almost a sense of being yoked to a heart that's yearning for God and then you'll find this letter we talked about the ma'am the water more living water right and so now if we go back for minute and think about when God made man he he he. What form them out of the dust and then he breathed okay. He that breath rock. He breathed life into it and so here these waters as I picture him in marriage versus just been some in August of the think about that the spirit breathed life into Mary and those waters were gathered together to become essentially the Savior that would die on that mark he that the hold across right is no accidents with God. Now that you know some say that's been studied in their stranded prophecies. I will, I would understand God on a limb right here and tell you there are probably millions of profits if you really understood all that was to be understood in the way that God wrote the Scriptures which you know many believe are written in a long before anything came to pass in almost were fulfilled through those letters meant what they meant. As they were happening to you will if you look at this am looking at Colossians 116 through 20. The King James version it says. For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. All things were created by him and for him and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have preeminence for it please the father that in him should all fullness dwell and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven, Robbie, that tells me a lot about you and I mean it's a rich. The whole the Christmas story and you know the the things that have been illustrated by our ancestors.

We really do stand on the shoulders of giants that have seen things through the ages things as simple as red and green things as simple as a Christmas tree and I talked about this last week my show that think about all the wood that was used in the Bible and then we we we put lights on a tree while the light of punditry. I'm just saying here. That's a picture of the cross. Once again, you just get there and and and you know you think about how our ancestors.

You know would like like Steve said that all oceans all the songs have joy in all of them have holly and mistletoe and all these things that you may not think say Jesus love them.

Forget that Jesus is the word) so the expression of these things. Enjoy the expression of these things and love are in fact there. Jesus, Jesus and inventor fight one of the things that I've I've thought about lately was the Nicene Creed are you recently were that how many times do we go through our prayers.

And again thank you Lord for the food. Thank you for another day.

Whatever.

And it's like we say stuff without even really even thinking about to read it right now it says we believe in one God the father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth of all things that are visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only son of God, begotten from the father for all ages, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made of the same essence as the Father through him all things were made for us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made human, he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried the third day he rose again.

According to the Scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the father.

He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end and we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord to giver of life, he proceeds from the father and the son and with the father and the son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets.

We believe in one holy Catholic and apostolic church.

We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead into the life in the world to come. Amen and and when I read that and when I think about how big this is what were talking, I mean this is not just small stuff. Robbie, any business, this is amazing that he came he did this for it in your same always been clear to everything that was good. Happy knows what could happen tomorrow when you think about the world and since he came in the fullness of time in the world was in complete chaos may not know Noah was in a chaotic time, but think about when Jesus came. What kind of evils in the world.

When all was going on in here. He came in just like the Spirit hovering over the waters.

All of a sudden all this chaos, which would then complete death for everybody involved eternity away from God. Got turned around in this particular time in the word remember is pretty prevalent in the crucifixion because thief that ends up getting the spending tenant and me in paradise as to Jesus to remember me, remember, and I was kind of neat right like I would like Jesus to remember me absolute, but when he comes into his kingdom is what he said and so the last time that word. Remember, right before that was actually Jesus in communion. So when you look at his communion of the Last Supper's communion and you realize it was a Passover Seder for them since it's a Jewish thing that they would always greeted in any Bible it says he blessed the bread before he broke I now if you ever given a lot of thought or hate. But there's a really structured prayer that Jews say before they break the bread of a Passover supper. They just do and go something like this Barack right does that sound like dispiriting and Barack but that means blessed, blessed are you out and I write that these were these are the same letters are coming out and Jesus is saying this about the bread that he fixed the break. To illustrate that he is fixing to be broken apart and we are going to consume him right because we need broken. It is city gave thanks and said this is my body which is for you to do this and what and remember them since of me right and Christmas is phenomenally about remembering right.

When we put up our Christmas tree every year. These ornaments, the kids when you know I'm at the point where grandkids all this right but my kids all have these little angels that they made when there and every one of them as little different picture on their little angel. But we put all those in all those memories is and then there's the Christmas nail and if you got one of these, but to just really really cool and real ones are fairly long, you can find them on Amazon is called a Christmas nail and the idea is that you hang it way inside and looked on the trunk of the tree where people don't see it but you know it's and it's a great big now. I was went through Jesus's body and the idea by putting it down there by the trunk of that tree were nobody can see it is, is to remember is to remember that this tree you know was where Jesus would be slain so that I could enjoy this Christmas yet. I could have this.

Now that I could love my family and I could have one another and and and all those kind of things and it's a big deal. And when you think about all that Jesus has done for us. I tell you what it for me.

It makes a lot easier to forgive other people. When I think about all the things that Jesus has forgiven me of matter fact it makes me think that Jesus is a friend await John 1515 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my father I have made known to you and so many times in my life I courtesy Todd is this thing he's far-off and you know we are just afraid of him and he doesn't want anything to do with me and yeah I know he's in control of the universe, but when I look at this.

I look at the song I think about that verse and it says what friend we have in GE's us all our sins and griefs to bear and what privilege 2K read everything to God in prayer pull what peace we often for hollow.

Needless pain we bear, all because we do okay re-everything to God in prayer and Robbie you I know you know this just about as bit as good as anybody that I know because you know that Jesus can be your friend because you you wake up every morning.

What 44 30 in the morning, this really cool thing if if you did not know this essentially I did not know the Lord until I was in my 30s and essentially I was a car dealer in all my education was and how to sell cars actually and and Norman Vincent Peale actually put me on the idea of studying this in an getting up and reading the Bible an hour every morning and corsets grown over the years, but it's done through prayer and he said don't try to read it without praying because if you try to do that you will never understand that and so you know from day one. As I began to read the Bible in my 30s God came and he and he really became my friend and he's taken me deeper and deeper and I and I think about how cool is it my coming. How cool is that these guys that were sitting around in the Temple when he was what 12 years old or whatever. This is the only guy that's ever looked lived that understood all these words as if you read all the Jewish commentaries they argue about what this means and what that means. And if you read most commentaries now on the Kings arms, whatever this person has this view this person and that the phrase here comes a guy who shows up that number one knows what those words actually are and he knows what they actually mean and so it's almost amazing to me how many times he's taken me on a journey to understand something and he's pointed me to this scripture. He's pointed me to this commentary. He's pointed me to this understanding of this Greek word or this Greek Hebrew letter or this Hebrew connotation. Or this story is that that just totally illustrated because it is my faith in him. You know, and then all of a sudden the word that I love is that I'm astonished like oh my yeah yeah yeah it's just beyond compare as blows me away and then I learned something and then I can't help but be his witness. That's right, I can't help but go tell everybody I don't look what I found today in the Bible, look how cool is that at end, and you automatically as the disciple is good as his friend. He will astonish you over and over and over again and so it's really cool in my life. Honestly, my is is I have Stu Epperson is my boss and Mimi and he's quite often astonished and he comes tells me I get to talk to Mike Zwick at least once or twice every single week. I get to talk to James Banks once or twice. All these people that are totally astonish them when they get astonished at what they do they share with me and I get to share with them and and I don't know what circle you know God as you in but I can almost bet money that there's people that when they get astonished they want to witness to you and then Mike you do it time again like you heard the sermon on the Truth Network you talk about. I heard this story are. I saw this in and you are astonished and you remember and then you witness yeah I do a you know it's funny. I good friend of mine Tony Jackson was actually the one who got me on the radio and and I I felt like God was telling me to, I have to tell you before your Saturday this Saturday I'm walking through the stout studio Vanessa.

This man says man I got to tell you how much I appreciate you and your ministry. You know, I've been listening to Mike Zwick show it is just awesome. Did you know I'm the guy that I said so, what's your name, and this is Tony and I went Tony ran yet much I appreciate what you've done for my life. I just bring a mic you know we haven't known each other what a year in couple months in ways that seems like forever and Antonio is the guy that I have really nice guy. He's wonderful, wonderful person, biggest heart, but he yeah he he's the one. It would Tony discreetly said Mike you should come on the radio and it's like the small little things that we think are so insignificant that we do and have a huge impact on the backs which are saying about prayer. I've heard a story about CS Lewis and CS Lewis was married at the time and his he was praying and his wife said to him, she said why are you praying she said you know it doesn't do any good and he said will yeah he says but prayer changes me, will you know what I know Robbie. That's simply not true.

Prayer changes things as matter fact of looking up 10 Bible verses right now about prayer. First John 514. This is the confidence that we have in approaching God that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. Jeremiah 2912 then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. Philippians 4627 do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with Thanksgiving present your requests to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. James 516 therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Matthew 2122 what we just talked about.

If you believe you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. Psalm 53 in the morning Lord like you Robbie in the morning Lord you hear my voice in the morning I lay my request before you would wait expectantly some 42 eight by day the Lord directs his law that night.

His song is with me a prayer to the God of my life. Third John 12 dear friend. I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you. Even if your soul is getting along well. Matthew 2641 watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. In Romans 1212. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer and what it tells me Robbie what you're saying when I was all the is that God cares for us. He cares for us.

He loves us. He wants a relationship with us. Yeah. And the cool thing about all that is that prayer is friendship.

You know I had to just if you're going to have a relationship ship with anybody if it's gonna come through talking to them. The cool thing is that Jesus, I mean really cool thing about it.

He invented the idea he invented, he invented ways of expression.

I mean this was completely his deal.

And so he's really good at expressing himself to mean really really good and not overwhelming you or underwhelming.

You will have everyone he just has the exact right amount of expression he has.

He gives you complete dignity and he gives you no condemnation, no sums one of the ways that I know if it's Jesus speaking life. I feel some condemnation right and that isn't a visit where that's coming from, but as I think about CS Lewis in the quoted sheet that you did you know his wife are starting and she didn't factor and a growth of the problem with pain as a result of all that, and there's so many things even in that statement that absolutely prayer changes my heart because through prayer right right I begin to actually I'm a verbal processor that I know you are to so a lot of times I'm not.

I completely thought through something until I actually speak it out to God yet and as I'm speaking it's like, 0000. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to do something and when I said it, it immediately was like oh you really you only knew that my mind engages in got no wait, hold, hold on that you know it's a beautiful thing that it both can avail with much but it was also kind of you know in your Nicene Creed is kind of what were designed for.

Is this relationship that happened as a result of Christmas which we talk about a boot camp was more like the landing seen at D-Day. Then it was away in a manger as he was coming into the world at war that was very much killing off people and they were fixed to kill every baby in Bethlehem. I mean this was a horrible chaotic time like we really don't have any sense of. And God was coming into this nightmare and setting up a beachhead that would literally slowly work through and change the world in ways that absolutely are amazing. I mean, we really, it's just it's it's phenomenal absolutely, and in one of the things I think about Robbie is from song when peace like a River attendance my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll whatever my lot now has taught me to say it is. Well, it is well with my soul is well with my soul. It is well is well with my soul and the only way that it can really be well with your soul is if you give your life every Jesus is the reason for the season so part of the show, we would ask you to join us pray like the thief like remember me come your kingdom.

I and Lord help me to be with you today in paradise because if he comes in lives in your heart today like everything changed for me the day that I asked that question, and I began to enter into that relationship to be a friend of Jesus that can happen to you this Christmas and Christmas hereafter will ever gonna be amazing. I would say if not for nothing.

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