Jesus the Light

Nothing says Christmas like a wonderful family in Asia, getting a water buffalo is like getting a farm truck while working getting the stand of the market. A water buffalo opened.

More importantly, it opens the door to talk about Jesus and nothing says Christmas better than that.

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This is Rodney from the masculine journey podcast. We explored manhood within Jesus Christ your chosen Truth Network podcast starting in just a few seconds. Sit back and enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network welcome to If Not for God stories of hopelessness that turn to hope. Your host might swing if not for God. Very special Christmas addition.

I can't believe it. Here it is December 25, 2021. If not for God you wish you a Merry Christmas and we wish you a Merry Christmas we wish you a Merry Christmas and I have a PA 2020 is exciting. Waking up Christmas morning and getting your presence eating all the good food and hearing Robbie Gilmore Mike select hopefully but but yeah the night. You know it's funny when we were talking about this with Christmas chapters that I think a lot of people go to is Luke chapter 2, and where it talks about the birth of Jesus. It's it's funny because a lot of a lot of people nowadays. I guess there's some debate and II wouldn't even think this all over but I think it's in some Christian circles even as well. Whether Jesus was actually born of a virgin, but he was now and that's kind of like in the creed so to speak it out.

Virgin brown kinda takes that in order for him to be sinless right yet he he was born of a virgin. Stu often says need you said to that he was born to die. He came to the world to die for. To die for sinners like you and me. Robbie and it's can be a wonderful time of year Christmas and in we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and it's exciting and I know a lot of times that gets lost in the whole presence and in and you know giving gifts and you know drinking a little too much eggnog or whatever it is that you do. But Jesus is the reason for the season seven I know there's a lot of people as we talked about that are you know on the Mary Lou who trained which is where are you Christmas right there and they had expectations they've had family that no longer is with them.

They've had kids that are no longer interested in decorating the tree. Or maybe they're not there or maybe now they do Christmas with your in love and in all these different things that happen to change expectations, and they fought and we find ourselves in, and often it's not hard to get yourself and all these expectations and then all man you not to be here this Christmas and then next thing you know you're sitting in it. You know where you Christmas why can I find you and so I I understand that the that we have this expectation of of what it is and it is usually around relationships that we most enjoy Christmas and so it is actually you know has can have the opposite effect of its relationships that can make us the most miserable yeah I mean I you know when what I what I think about this because this will be my first Christmas without my dad and I know you were you were talking about a guy named Bob Young little bit for who is his son actually passed away and I let you tell about that in a minute on if you want, but the whatever minded I guess for a lot of people because I have heard that the suicide rate actually spikes during holidays, but when I'm reminded of four for a lot of people when I hope this gives you encouragement was that when I was a sophomore in high school I was trying out for the JV basketball team and my mother put a poem by Langston Hughes on my door and I always remember that I never forgot it read. Now it says will set out I'll tell you like for me ain't been no crystal stair it's had taxing it splinters and boards torn out in places with no carpet on the floor, bear it all the time I've been a climate on reaching Landon's turning corners and sometimes going in the dark. There ain't been no light so we don't you turn back don't you sit down on the steps. Could you find it's kind of hard. Don't you fall now for I still don't honey, I still climate in life for me ain't been no crystal stair and think for a lot of people in this country going on two years now with those that were we had some tough times. I mean it's you know people aren't you know people are going back to working out.

I met people a lot but a guy yesterday who said they took me out to work and they put me on.

I work at home and he said I still do it now and in a lot of people miss being around people they missed the social interactions day to some people I talked to her sick word mask. Some people have big nice the you know it and and and we and I feel like a lot of people may feel that they've lost a lot of their freedoms in the country and but you know, one of the things that I'm reminded of with the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ is that Jesus never told us that life was good to be easy. He never told us that things were to go smoothly and me. We just happen to live in this great country for the past you know several hundred years, the United States, where things been really good.

You know that the stock market has been booming. You know that the economy is done well on things for the most part of been really good and you he never promised us that, but he he promised us that he would always walk with us and so maybe for somebody who's who's listening if if you're going through a tough time right now. It's like the old song, and he walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I'm a zone that if you have Jesus that you always have that piece islands. It's a really beautiful thing that is God's putting the picture and has been right since the beginning of time for us to see and it's no coincidence whatsoever that Christmas 25 December for us happens in the darkest time of year. It really really does sever 21st right well with what you may not know is beautiful is in the book of John went when Jesus talked about right that that is sheep hear his voice. If you LeClair closely at that verse. It tells you interest in chapter 10 that when he was doing that was at the feast of dedication what you may not know is the feast of dedication is commonly referred to by the Jews is Monica right and that is a festival of lights, and it has to do with lighting a light and in the one way to translate that in Hebrew, you may not of heard this is to say, the 25th of kids left because when they dedicated the temple was on the 25th of their month of Kislev and and so it's no coincidence that Hanukkah and Christmas lineup as the feast of holiday of of of the lights in Jesus was actually teaching their in that this idea of when it gets the darkest is when this particular light shines and and and in its own way, you know, when we decorate for Christmas and we put those lights on the tree and what is it that Jesus died on, which was a treasure here I and and many will tell you that the tree of life that the Jews teach that the tree of life was actually lit and so we always have this desire to be back in Eden and we put lights on trees for real reason yeah maybe a pagan holiday, but it's also something that is happened for eons that we have this because Jesus is the light of the world and there's always been a light on the tree and if you looked in the temple you know if you were back in the days when they actually lit the big menorah that was there in front of the veil that we talked about was torn in two and Jesus died always menorah supposed to look like what if you read the description. It had bulbs on it and knobs it was supposed to look like an almond tree okay and so when they lit that tree. It was a Christmas tree. I'm just telling you that the idea of lighting a Christmas tree in the darkest time of the year is has been there because when it gets the darkest is when Christ means the most for right when we feel covered in the shame of the easy stuff that we've done when we feel like man I really need a Savior that's on that light means the most does the was looking at right here at salute to inverse for sister Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn son.

She wrapped him and click in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there is no guest room available for that's what I see that unlike Wyoming hears the guys that you know that the king of the world.

I mean you know it and he's the King of Kings and the Lord of lords, and he knows he wanted to… About this two week born into a king's power works and he could've had it. He could've had an easy life for himself. But he he came to this world and letting them place for him to stay, so they each other out the manger and you know I mean it. His life was tough. His life was not easy and you know it says in Scripture that we do not have a high priest who is not able to sympathize with our weaknesses, but who who is his suffered and every in every way on that we could and even more so almond so if if we have a tough time for going through a tough time.

Remember that they crucified Jesus job and in the that is part of you know that whole idea when you think about it every motel room you ever stayed in got some things in common like you'll find that every single one of them have a lamp every single one of them have a table there's a table there's a lamp there's a bit right at and what when you think about the actual temple right what if you were to go into it you know it back in the day right what was in there while it was a lamp that was called Nora still lamp there was a table that table really really cool. That was the bread of the presence right and the waiter was fashioned was lose fashion on the north side of either the tabernacle with temple because the enemies always come from the north and so when David wrote the 23rd Psalm he knew very much that that table was significant that I would prepare a table before you.

The presence of your enemy. Since the enemies always come from the Northwest table.

The tables there, what's on the tape bread okay so when you think about the idea bread you may think of Bethlehem because you may know, it's the house of bread. So when they went to Bethlehem. This is no accident, and so when you when you meet the first person born in Bethlehem in the Bible.

You might remember that was Benjamin that it was Rachel's last baby because she passed away if she was giving birth to this child in Bethlehem so here's this young man and you might know that his name originally was Ben-Ami. What is been a mean mean son of my sorrow. Okay, however, when he was being born Jacobs like I can have a kid named semi so he changes his name to what son of my right hand know it's fast forward several generations to Mary and Joseph. They had a child. He was the son of her. Her sorrow that he became the father the son in his right hand to God's been painting this picture and where was he born Bethlehem right. Who else was born Bethlehem well and you do a little research on. I realize only now well you know Boaz was born in Bethlehem and he met Ruth in Bethlehem and they had a kid named Obed Wright who was the father of Jesse, and Jesse had David and so David also was born in Bethlehem, but David was the only king that we know.

In fact, the only person to ever know that was a priest who got to eat the bread of the presence and in with the Jews teach this very day is that the that the house of David is the house of the crown of bread because he was from Bethlehem right at end because it is a king's duty to make sure that is his, his people are fed and and so it's it's more than cool that Jesus fed the 5000 all these people with what with bread and so you see, just the fact that it all the stuff that happened in Bethlehem you know God's been saying that Jesus wasn't low-carb fish. I just had to figure that in their line is exactly low-carb yeah yeah you get this picture that man they were painting something that when we get to heaven to see all the miraculous stuff that was behind the fact that that had to be in Bethlehem that here is Rachel crying for children. You know the prophecy I why was why was Rachel you know they're in Bethlehem. Do you know that's where she'd she'd literally passed away right there and she's very bitter at end and yeah and then yeah I mean the you know I always I was thinking about all this is you know if if you're if you're having a tough time around the holidays, then you know it when my favorite Psalms what I'm going through tough times.

I Psalm 3416 it says that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and that in a way it's it's almost like God has exactly where he once you because you know and I talked about this before but Jesus said blessed are the poor cities come to preach the good news to the poor.

It's because they don't have anything else that they have to keep up with. They know they're not worried about their money or the stock market or anything like that. There you know there but they're very open-minded to consider looking for good news.

You know, II knew a lady she's on my Facebook friends I was sharing the gospel with her while ago and I was trying to convince her this or that, whatever via messenger, and she basically said one good good good life and in so you know that there's a beautiful thing in Psalms 16 it says the sorrows of those who chase after other gods will be multiplied and at and the idea of God's economy with your selling good seed or your sewing sin. You're going to reap a giant harvest.

Let me just tell you yeah and so the way the God rigged it is that you're gonna really, really need them and he's going to be available to you if if if you want to do that but let me share some of really cool that I learned recently about how we talk about bread, but how about water height, so you may know that the name Messiah starts with that mama sandwich is a memo which means water which actually has an idea of more water but when the second day of creation happened. I remember the first day of creation, they created light months when only being like Christmas trees of the second day they separated the waters from the firmaments, but once taught by the ancient you know Jewish what everyone calm, you know, the sages, is that when they separated the water. The water that was good to be with God was can be right close to McCall as your mind water and then the water that was to be of the lower was they called it the weeping waters. Why did they call it the weeping waters because it's all to get it was weeping because it didn't have the merit to be close to God. And so God made a covenant of salt with the waters that are the salty waters and the covenant was that whenever an offering is brought of any kind that that offering would always include their tears in the weeping water, salt, and so when you look at any offering in the Bible that was kosher just what it had to have kosher salt water that tears well think about salt okay and the idea of those tears was what were they longing to be which was close to God. So, blessed are those who thirst because right and so tears are living waters. We think about the woman at the well. What is she could.

Why did she show up at the well. She was thirsty when it happened, the sorrows of those who chase after other gods had been. She'd her sorrows had been multiplied. She's at the well at a strange time. Why because she's extra thirsty right and stay thirsty yeah and so what is salt.

Besides, you know, from their personal standpoint when they put salt and offering that salt will bring out the best yet. In whatever it's it's it's adhering to. So enough you put salt on your steak is pretty good stuff when you're eating your Christmas dinner tonight. The gravy understands that have consulted and is gonna bring out the flavor. That's gonna make it extra special, but but but also will preserve it right. We know that it with you put it on ice had melted, right, which gives you back to Whitewater okay now think about this with me okay. Think about water and you think about this.

This weeping water, but if you take anything when you look at the hundred 19 Solomon look at the memo section which is I think versus it may be 100 and maybe 99, 308. Anyway, if you look at the memo section. Notice how many times he says I'm more, I'm I'm wiser than more my enemies. I'm wiser than my tea more teachers.

I'm in and it's the word more over and over and over again because the king and the men met that whole idea of water when you add water to anything it multiplies.

Right like if you got a cedar grass and water. When you get more grants, and aggressive to have more seats so any king a good king right there is good I want his his his subjects to have more more bread more more water more and more in it and it's an God's economy is more and more and more and more, and if it's good stuff. You get a lot of good stuff. That's it.

Man, II did the you know it's what were we were thinking about this. It is one of the things that I'm thinking about with the multiple on the ground all the stuff but I've been watching Seinfeld going from Netflix a in a NII can't stop watching it, but I would. I was watching a it's warm here it's more was watching a episode and it was Jerry meets this this lady and he loves her. She's just like they have so much in common.

They have everything in common and he absolutely loves her and he gets engaged.

He asked her to marry him, and after a little while. He said they they started dating and he said I realize he says I can't be with her.

She's just like me. I hate myself and so how can I be with somebody just like me if I hate myself so you know it's you. There are the people go back to recipient was seen before where there are people who say I'm good I'm good I'm good, but the people who say hey I got a problem or I hate myself. I'm having a tough time. Then I guess maybe they have maybe that God is humble them enough to where they can actually look up that affect one of one of my two favorite passages in the Bible, Luke Luke 17 versus verse five he says the apostle said to the Lord, increase our faith to the Lord said, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you consider mulberry tree be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you.

In which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, at once and sit down any but will he not rather say to him prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink to see thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded. I think not.

So likewise you, you have done all these things which you are commanded, say, we are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do and for many of us that's the exact opposite of what we do mean we want in there and talk and I got three fingers pointing back at myself at me when I do something good. I want everybody to know you not, but it's kinda like there was a show called curb your enthusiasm. I don't know if you've ever heard of it, that if no doubt, but it's the guy who did Seinfeld. Larry whatever his name is the I get there was nobody started in in. He did the Shelley said where it was Barbara boxer. They were in California. There meeting with the Senators and he said my name is Larry whatever in they put it on something so it shows that I gave this money and says that instead. People started to look down on him and they said no no no no you can't do that.

They said what you do is you do what you give the money anonymously. He says and then you tell a few people and then everybody will know so towards the end of the show. This guy Larry or whatever is the heat heat.

He's running down the street and the guys running after him to mold him and all the sudden he's banging on the window where he's given the money to this place and the security guards there he goes. I'm anonymous I'm anonymous and the guy cut issues of off, but I guess he gets mugged, but in the same way you know what I think about it it's it's it's tough being a Christian way because you know it's the exact opposite of what you want to do you want you want recognition I want recognition for everything that I do. But would we give Jesus the recognition we get the glory to God would eat what you call it, not photo bombing photo bombing Jesus then you know what I think were in a much better place.

Yeah, it's a scary thing right that we actually pray the Lord's prayer at night when we say it out at the very end.

Glory comes to him and and you know that's the that's our heart cry.

Hopefully is that right that we would see Jesus glorified to the point that those that we love would see the reason that of any change or anything good that came out of my life because if if it looks like something I did. Then it looks like I could be your savior. Will you be in deep trouble, but it so if I can somehow or another made Jesus the hero of the story, which is why your testimony is so powerful because if you tell the truth about your testimony. I was this. And then Jesus came in the picture and then I was that right in and so who were the change come from what happened and so when there's people here that then they're not looking to you to to solve their problems. They're looking to the one who actually can solve it, which is really ultimately so much more mean what my heart is crying for when I think about those people. I love that that I want them to have the relationship with Jesus.

But if I go screaming for the credit or I go photo bombing Jesus, which by the way I'm right with you that Satan's trap. That's the enemy he's given you all you need recognition you need this one all his other arm's progress right right it's it's it's a trap.

And so if we can you know somehow or another. See that you know we have an opportunity to share what God did in our life. Even today I to show me where Cali III feel shame to take part in this, and I need my father and and this is where God helped me in this situation than than it's amazing what God will do with that transplant absolutely am reminded of the song and all close you close you out with this part. Hair rolled angels said he Lord we need to learn game piece on her and her see God and said God has reminded how fragile and unpredictable life is not about your landline or financial security for the teacher what are 1873 the Polish Roman Catholic America has been protecting its members and their families financially are like today.

The affordable life insurance community right additional member even lower your income are like transferring 3.1 years hundred dollar man are not more how your level are everything for our life, protecting life. This is the Truth Network