Unwrapping Christmas, Part 1: Unwrapping the Promise
Type: Sunday Morning Service
Series: Unwrapping Christmas
Sermon: Unwrapping the Promise
🗣️ Speaker: Pastor Tom Van Kempen
The message explores God’s ancient promise of redemption, first revealed in Genesis 3:15, and shows how the entire Christmas story fulfills that promise. It traces how biblical prophecy builds anticipation for a Savior who would defeat evil, bring peace, and anchor our lives in hope. It concludes by inviting hearers to unwrap the gift of Jesus personally and embrace the peace, purpose, and presence He offers today.
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Additional Info
The info below was generated by an AI from the audio recording of the sermon.
UNWRAPPING THE PROMISE: HOW CHRISTMAS REVEALS GOD’S PLAN
Christmas did not begin in a stable; it began in the heart of God. Long before shepherds saw angels or wise men followed a star, God whispered His first promise of redemption in Genesis 3:15. This early announcement—often called the protoevangelium—reveals that a future descendant of Eve would crush the serpent’s head, signaling the ultimate defeat of evil. This ancient declaration sets the foundation for a story woven across centuries, culminating in the birth of Jesus Christ.
THE PROMISE ANNOUNCED
Immediately after the fall, God stepped toward humanity, not away from it. He revealed a cosmic rescue plan in which a miraculously born Savior would overturn the curse and restore hope. The covering of Adam and Eve with animal skins foreshadows a future covering through perfect sacrifice, pointing toward redemption that would one day come through Jesus.
THE PROMISE CLARIFIED
Through the prophets, God slowly unwrapped the details of this promise. Isaiah foretold a virgin conceiving a son whose name would be Emmanuel, meaning “God with us.” The same prophet spoke of a child who would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Micah pinpointed Bethlehem as the birthplace hundreds of years before it happened. These prophecies, perfect in accuracy, demonstrate God’s sovereignty and reliability.
THE PROMISE FULFILLED
The New Testament reveals how these ancient promises became reality. The angel’s announcement to Mary in Luke 1 shows that before Jesus was conceived in the flesh, the Word was conceived in faith. The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus fully delivered on every prophecy and established victory over sin, death, and the devil.
THE PROMISE CONTINUES
This promise is not merely historical; it is personal. Jesus still enters hearts, anchors souls, and brings peace that surpasses understanding. Christmas becomes an invitation to unwrap the hope, joy, and assurance made available to every person willing to receive Him. The story of Christmas assures us that God keeps His word, works in the waiting, and remains faithful to complete every promise He has made.
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Use the questions listed below as a launching point to discuss the sermon points together as a family. These are great for dinner table discussions and small groups.
OPENING QUESTION
What emotions—positive or difficult—usually surface for you during the Christmas season?DISCUSSION
Read Genesis 3:15. Why is this verse considered the first announcement of God’s redemptive plan?
How does the anticipation seen in children mirror the anticipation built throughout Scripture?
Isaiah described the Messiah as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Which of these titles speaks to you most today and why?
Why is waiting such a significant part of faith, and how have you experienced God’s faithfulness in seasons of waiting?
How does understanding prophecy strengthen your confidence in God’s reliability?
ACTION STEP
Identify one area of life where you need renewed anticipation and hope, and pray daily this week for God to help you “unwrap” His promise in that area. -
Genesis 3:15 appears immediately after the fall of Adam and Eve. In the ancient Near Eastern world, this declaration revealed a divine strategy in contrast to surrounding myths where humanity was discarded after failure. Instead, God initiated restoration. The verse introduces the idea of a coming figure who would battle evil, setting a foundation for messianic expectation throughout Israel’s history.
Isaiah 7:14 was written during a time of political upheaval when Judah faced threats from surrounding nations. God promised a sign—a virgin conceiving a child—to assure His people that He was still present and at work. This verse later became central to understanding Jesus’ miraculous birth.
Isaiah 9:6 was spoken into a context of darkness and despair. The northern kingdom had fallen, and Judah feared the same fate. Isaiah proclaimed hope: a child who would rule with divine authority and establish a kingdom of unending peace.
Micah 5:2 was delivered roughly 700 years before Jesus’ birth. Bethlehem was a small, seemingly insignificant village, yet God declared it would produce the ruler whose origins were “from of old.” This reinforced the theme that God often uses humble places and unexpected means to fulfill His purposes.
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(30 minutes)
INTRODUCTION
Ask: “What is your favorite part of opening a Christmas gift?” Explain that today they will learn about the greatest gift God ever gave.SCRIPTURE
Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 9:6; Luke 1:31CRAFT
Create a “Promise Ornament.” Children decorate a paper ornament with the phrase “God Keeps His Promises.” Inside, they place a small paper “gift” with the name “Jesus.”GAME
“Prophecy Hunt”—Hide slips of paper around the room with simple prophecies (“Born in Bethlehem,” “Prince of Peace,” “God with us”). Kids search for them, then match them to short explanations you provide.DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What promise did God give after Adam and Eve sinned?
Why is Jesus the greatest gift?
How do we know God always keeps His promises?
What does it mean that Jesus is our Prince of Peace?
WRAP-UP PRAYER
“Dear Jesus, thank You for being God’s promise to us. Help us remember that You are always with us and that You bring peace and hope. Amen.” -
The season is upon us those kids looked like caffeinated kangaroos did they not i mean they're just jumping they they only have a couple of speeds one is laughter one is screaming and one is jumping and uh that reminded me so much of my own children when they were between the ages of like 2 and 12, they got into Christmas. My favorite, and you could barely hear him, but one of those kids yelled this, this is the best day ever. Kids get it. I'm just letting you know that's exactly how Christmas should make all of us feel. When we unwrap what God has given us Christmas, we ought to be able to say, this is the best day ever. Who can say amen? So today we're beginning a new series called Unwrapping Christmas. And my prayer is that this series will reawaken in you both the anticipation and the satisfaction that a child has at Christmas time because Christmas is all about receiving the greatest gift that has ever been given, and that's the person of Jesus Christ. You know what I love about kids, and you could see it in the video, before they rip paper open, before they even see one single gift inside, there's an excitement all over them. They're vibrating, as it were. They're shaking the boxes. They're trying to use their x-ray vision and penetrate the wrapping to see what's on the inside. And they're absolutely convinced that something good is about to happen. They're convinced that their dreams are about to come true and they haven't even unwrapped a gift yet. That feeling of waiting, yes but anticipation and excitement is woven throughout the bible and especially in the Christmas story because we sometimes mistake and think that Christmas began in a stable but Christmas began long before that in the heart of God and we actually get our first hint of it as early as Genesis chapter 3. So I want to begin this series, Unwrapping Christmas, and specifically focus in on unwrapping the promise that was originally given a long, long time ago. It is the promise of Christmas itself. You know what? Let me start with a word of prayer. Would And I have a Christmas wish, a Christmas prayer. And that is, Father God, that this will be Christmas the way you designed it. Not the way Madison Avenue designed it. Not the way our memories have caused it to be. But the way you designed it. Help us, Father God, to focus in on Jesus. Help us to understand the real reason for the season. And help us, Father God, not to be a Scrooge or a Grinch or anything like that, but to be the men and women celebrating this holiday season the way you want us to, so that many will come to know Jesus Christ. I pray this today, and together everyone says, Amen and Amen. So, yesterday I got an email from someone who said that they did not understand yesterday's Advent devotional. And sometimes those of us who've been in the church for a long time take for granted some of the revelation that we have and some of the revelation that we've accumulated over thousands and thousands of years. And so I need you to know that the first point here, the promise of Christmas, is mentioned in what theologians call the proto-evangelium. This is the first mention of the gospel according to theologians. And it's all the way back in Genesis chapter 3 verse 15. And it doesn't sound very Christmassy. I just need you to understand it. It sounds kind of out of place with the Christmas story, but it's really the beginning of the Christmas story. And this is what it says. God is speaking. I will put enmity between you and the woman. and between your seed and her seed, and he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. Where's all the joy in that verse? Where's all the peace and good tidings and hope and all of that kind of stuff? Well, that Scripture is filled with hope. Because immediately after the fall, and if you remember the story, Adam and Eve sinned. God came down and said, because of your sin you're going to be cursed and you're going to be kicked out of the garden of Eden. But immediately God didn't give up on humanity. He gave humanity a promise. Who can say amen? Before Adam and Eve even took one step out of the garden, God was taking multiple steps towards them and he was putting together a plan, a redemption plan. When God says, I will, he is declaring, he is showing to Adam and Eve and he's showing to us today that God is not a spectator when it comes to our life. He steps into our messes and he has not just a plan, but a cosmic battle plan to give us victory. When he describes Jesus as the seed of the woman, because that's what he's saying here, he's saying Jesus will crush the head of the serpent. When he says that, God is trying to get you to hear that evil will not have the final word. Who can say amen? He wants you to know that your story is not defined by your sins or your wounds or your failures or your mistakes. Because God himself will bring ultimate victory in Jesus' name. And then he does something to foreshadow what's going to happen in the future. And that is he sacrifices some innocent animals, takes their skins, and he covers over Adam and Eve. This is a foreshadowing that one day, the innocent one, Jesus Christ himself, will come and cover us with his blood and remove our guilt and our shame and our sin and even our death. Christmas is proof that God runs towards brokenness not away from brokenness. Because God's plan is extremely personal. It's personal because his plan involves a person, his own son, and it involves many other people, you and I and all those who are going to come to know Jesus as their Savior. When I look at this verse again, Genesis chapter 3 verse 15, I see that phrase, her seed. And it tells us that we are looking for a person. It's her seed. The next generation somewhere along the line. And it's a specific person because the word seed, if you have like a King James or an NIV, it's probably capitalized. And the word seed is capitalized because it's not all of her children. It's one specific one that is going to be born miraculously. He's going to be fully human, yet unlike any other human in history. Theologians have long recognized this to be the Jesus of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The scripture goes on to say he will bruise your head. This speaks of Jesus' mission. His mission is to defeat the serpent, destroy the works of the devil, to reclaim the authority that Adam and Eve surrendered back there in the Garden of Eden. And the final phrase, you shall bruise his heel. This is the mystery of the cross. You get both Christmas and the cross in that proto-evangelium at the very beginning of the Bible. And the mystery is this. Jesus wins by dying. Who can say amen? In his battle though, Jesus is wounded. He suffers, as I just said, he dies. But the serpent's head or the serpent's authority is crushed. Jesus literally conquers sin, death, hell, the grave. That's why we sing about it this morning in at least two different songs. And through his resurrection, Jesus confirms exactly who he is and what his plan was. Unfortunately, everything wasn't clear for Adam and Eve at the very beginning. So God took centuries to clarify what this particular verse meant. And that's why there can be some misunderstanding. I'm not quite sure what it means. Because over the next couple thousands and thousands of years, God would send little previews, little prophecies. And he didn't do this because he had to. He did it because he wanted to give Adam and Eve confidence, Moses confidence, David confidence, all the Old Testament saints confidence. And he wants to give us confidence today because we need confidence when we're waiting. Waiting is one of the hardest things to do. So God gave prophetic details that led directly and straight to a little city called Bethlehem. Now, yesterday, I turned on the football games temporarily, and I saw all the prognosticators making their predictions for yesterday's games. And one specifically, I noticed more people picked Ohio State than Indiana, and I understand that Indiana actually won the game. And it's interesting to me, because when people make predictions, they are wrong many times. Now, if you only have two choices, win or lose, you're probably right at least 50% of the time there. But here are some other predictions that I think you should be interested in. In 1876, Western Union sent a memo to all their employees, and this is what it said. The telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. I think they got that one wrong. What do you think? In 1943, the president of IBM said there is a worldwide market for five computers. There's more than five in my house. My microwave has a computer. My refrigerator has a computer. My washer and dryer have a computer. I have three personal computers. My home probably has 15 to 20 computers. This guy had a vision for five in the entire world. In 1948, Science Digest said that we will not land on the moon for 200 years. So if anyone says follow the science, be very careful, all right? Be very careful when you hear that. Here's my favorite. 1962, Decca Music was entertaining signing the Beatles, and they said, we don't like the Beatles sound and guitar music's on the way out. We're still playing with guitars today, by the way. And, but listen, when it comes to the Old Testament prophets, you know how many times they were wrong? Never. They are perfectly right again and again and again. They bat literally a hundred or a thousand or whatever you want to call it. They never make mistakes. Isaiah clarifies the how this is going to take place. In Isaiah 7, 14, therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel. And many times we hear that verse and we go la-dee-da, la-dee-da, la-dee-da. What does the verse really say? It says that God's going to give you a sign. Here's the sign. A virgin will have a baby. When's the last time you've seen that, by the way? Recently? Never. Because it's impossible. And that's why so many people say, you know what, God, you know, Jesus can't be, you know, the son of God. There's nobody that was ever born of a virgin. Well, yes, there was. That's because God got involved. Who can say amen? It is impossible without God. But this tells me that God always, say always, he always keeps his word. That God literally can do the impossible. And we discover through this that hope is not wishful thinking when it's based on a divine promise because it will always take place. The scripture goes on to say that his name or one of his names is going to be Emmanuel. Again, our familiarity with the story sometimes causes us not to get what's going on here. Emmanuel means God with us. In other words, God wants you to know that he's not very far away. he's close he's nearby he's interested he's not distanced detached or disinterested and we call the literal birth of of Jesus the incarnation which is another mystery Matthew Henry puts it this way the God who took a motherless woman out of the side of a man took a fatherless man out of the body of a woman. Listen, not half man and half God. Fully man, fully God. We're not talking Greek mythology. We're talking about Christian reality in Jesus' name. Isaiah also clarified the what. Listen to this. Isaiah 9, 6, for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. So now we know that this seed of Eve is going to be a boy. Not only that, it says that the government will be upon his shoulder. It goes on to talk about his rulership and how his kingdom will grow forever and ever and ever. So he's going to be a king over everything that he sees, over the world, over the universe, and over everything. and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor. I want you to think about this. Don't just sing the Christmas carols this year. Think about the words. A Wonderful Counselor means he will never steer you wrong. Who can say amen? Counselors get it wrong all the time. I mean, worldly counseling is one of the reasons why we don't even see the gifts of the Spirit the way we used to see them. It's because we're relying on doctors to do what only the Holy Spirit can do. We need to get back to God. His unlimited wisdom for He is the truth. Jesus is the source of guidance because He is the way. And He is a mighty, mighty God. He defeated the devil at the cross. The Bible literally says that He made a public spectacle of Him. literally marching him through the heavens, stripped and beaten and naked. Now that's symbolic, but that's what the scripture is saying. Jesus was an unstoppable hero and he's still winning battles for us today. Third, it says everlasting father. One of the biggest problems in America today is the absent father. Kids who grow up without fatherly support. Jesus is offering the security of fatherhood. A dad who will always be there. A dad who cares deeply. I learned about this caring deeply after I started having children myself. And I realized that something was true. that every man who loves his kids goes through three stages in life. Stage number one is this, when you believe in Santa Claus. Number two is when you don't believe in Santa Claus. And number three is when you become Santa Claus. Did any of you write down on a little card from Santa to your children? I never did because I wanted them to know it came from me. Sometimes they would get presents from Santa though. Other relatives would send those out. A dad who protects. A dad who teaches. This everlasting father is a father who will never, ever, ever let you down. And more than that, and finally in this verse, he's the prince of peace. Jesus literally establishes a vehicle, a way to peace between God and man. Remember, man, Adam and Eve got kicked out of the Garden of Eden. We just got done with a heaven series where we talked about someday we're all going back to the Garden of Eden. We're being reintroduced into the perfection of heaven and we're going to live in the presence of God forever. Who can say amen? But here on this planet, Please do not make the mistake of thinking there's no peace that you can experience in the here and now. The Bible plainly teaches that there is a peace that passes understanding. In other words, in the midst of chaos, in the midst of a broken heart, in the midst of circumstances that are so dire no normal person could walk through them, you can walk through it in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. not only walk through it, you can be victorious. You can still maintain the joy that the Christmas season talks about, even though you have painful Christmas memories from the past. Maybe your upbringing wasn't fantastic. Maybe you don't have a father who was present. There's all kinds of negativities that can cause us not to experience peace during the holidays. but Jesus offers it again and again and again and again. Who can say amen? Just unwrap it. Just take hold of it. It is yours. Then Micah clarifies the where. Micah chapter 5 verse 2. But you, Bethlehem, 700 years before the birth of Jesus, Micah said it would be in Bethlehem the Messiah would be born. Do you understand what that means? Do you fathom that the scripture is trying to tell you that God is in control of everything? If he can predict an event 700 years in advance, there's nothing for you to worry about. If he keeps his promises down to the most minute detail, what is it that he won't do for you? If he handles the centuries, he can handle your days, your weeks, your months, your years. So God's plan is not a vague wish. It is a precise, detailed, unstoppable roadmap. This leads me to point number three, the promise has come. Do you know God kept his word? All the way back in Genesis, and we know that there's at least 4,000 years between Genesis and the birth of Jesus Christ, God kept his word. Watch this. The Gospel of Matthew talks about this star that the wise men saw in the east. And that story was foretold in the book of Numbers by Matthew. The prophecy is fulfilled. Matthew shares that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and we just got done saying that that was written 700 years in advance. Around the same time frame, Jeremiah writes that there's going to be weeping in a particular geographic area. And that's exactly what happens because Herod slaughters these baby boys under the age of two. Over and over again, prophecies made in the Old Testament are fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. And then there are some New Testament prophecies. In Luke chapter 1, an angel visits a young virgin by the name of Mary, and he prophesies over her. He says in Luke 1.31, and behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. And just as the angel prophesied or predicted, Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary. Now this is one of the most powerful moments in all of Scripture. Because what we see is before Jesus was conceived physically, the word was conceived spiritually. Do you get that? So when you are praying and asking for something from God, you need to realize that before the manifestation of your miracle takes place, you have to believe it in your heart. There has to be this element of faith that overwhelms any fear, any doubt, any circumstances. And you say, I don't care if it looks impossible. With my God, nothing is impossible. ball. Look at this story because Mary's a real person. This is what we need to understand. She is not some deified character like some people believe. She is a human being. She might have been 14 to 16 years of age. She's a very young girl, possibly marrying some guy who's between 25 and 35. She probably feels awkward about her current engagement the way it is. And all of a sudden, this angel shows up and listen to what it says in verses 28 and 29. And having come in, I just have to stop right there. This is what I'm talking about, looking at these stories anew. How many recognize what's being said here? the angel came into her house. How big do you think her home was? She's probably living with her parents, right? They might have had two rooms in this house, maybe three at the most. How high do you think the ceilings were? Maybe five feet, six feet at the most. They didn't have eight foot ceilings or nine foot ceilings or vaulted ceilings back then. That didn't happen. And so as I read just those first couple of words, I had a Lord of the Rings moment. Any Lord of the Ring fans out here? I saw Gandalf walking into one of the hobbits' houses, and he's bent over like this, because Gandalf is super, super tall. But when you look at the photography in the movie, you see this little character in this giant being in this home. That is the image that God put into in my mind this week because angels are intimidating. Angels are powerful. Angels are glorious. That's why the first response to an angel is almost always fear. Now watch this. And having come in, the angel said to her, rejoice, highly favored one. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. But when she saw him, she was troubled. That word troubled has a variety of meanings. It can be worried, fearful, concerned. It can mean just wondering. Then the angel tells her, don't be afraid. And Gabriel begins to tell her God's plan. He says, Mary, you're going to have a baby. And this baby is going to be a ruler and a king and do wonderful and glorious things. And you should be very honored that this honor is coming upon you. And so Mary's second reaction is innocent honesty. She says, how's this going to happen? Because although she's engaged, She's not known a man, she says. And if I've not known a man, that's the only way that I know that babies can be born. And the angel says something spectacular. The Holy Spirit is going to overshadow you. The Holy Spirit is going to do a miracle in your body. God gave her just enough revelation for her to trust, but not too much to remove the need for faith. She still had to believe. And Mary's final reaction is total and complete surrender. She says, yes, sir. She didn't understand the whole plan, but she trusted the man who made the plan. Faith is not understanding every detail. It's surrendering to the one who does. Who can say amen? One of the most important lessons of Christmas is that God's intentions are always confirmed by God's word. If you have a question, go to the word. If you need direction in your life, go to the word. If you need an answer to prayer, go to the word. His plans, his ideas, his missions are always found while we're reading the word. It's confirmed in the Bible. But between the promise that we get and the fulfillment, there is always, say always, there's always tension. I know God's gonna do something, but when? God told me that this is gonna happen, but I have to wait. And waiting creates turbulence. maybe we should be more like the children gathering around a Christmas tree early in the month of December and just allow excitement and enthusiasm to fill our hearts I wonder how God's going to answer this I know he's got an answer I mean my kids never once thought oh I don't think mom and dad are going to get me any Christmas presents this year never once did they say oh you know what I I just don't trust you mom and dad. We're not going to get anything. You know why? Because we were always faithful. God is always faithful. We don't need to worry or fret or pull our hair or anything like that. We need to focus on the true meaning of Christmas and his name is Jesus. Don't focus on the awkward family dynamics. Do not focus on the sad holiday memories. Do not focus on the busyness of culture this season because Hebrews 6.19 says this, this hope we have as an anchor of the soul. And it goes on and talks about it being Jesus Christ. Jesus is our hope. And when we put our hope in Jesus, it is an anchor for the soul. Anchors don't stop storms, right? They keep you from drifting through the storms. Anchors connect you to terra firma, the seabed. The anchor of Jesus connects you to God himself. He will keep you from drifting in the chaos. He will hold you steady through the waves and worry and fear and uncertainty of life. We cannot be anchored to our circumstances and we cannot be anchored to our feelings. Who can say amen? Those will disappoint you every single time. So this promise continues to this day. But in order to truly enjoy it, you might have to cut through some of the distractions. For example, Christmas is not a Madison Avenue invention to help retailers make their budgets. We seem to think that. And I get it, okay? Because if you open up a newspaper or your online ads or whatever it is, you will see more Christmas advertising than at any other time during the year. This is one that I saw recently. It was probably the craziest one I've seen. A dentist put an ad in the paper and was offering a special on dentures. And his byline was, after all, the gift of chewing is what the holidays are all about. wow he set the bar really low didn't he i just got to have a piece of that ham and i'll be happy you know give me a little bit of turkey and everything will be okay in my life i love ham and turkey but but this guy's got it all wrong christmas is not a hollywood conspiracy See, the amount of people that complain about Hallmark movies, Lifetime movies, Great America movies, do you guys understand why people watch those movies? It's because the ending is always positive. I've had enough of stupid movies where something dumb happens at the end because the greatest story of all ends with Jesus' victory. Who can say amen? And so sometimes I turn on Great America channel and Robin's not even in the room. Because I know I'm going to get something wholesome and good and based on Jesus. Do you know how awesome it is to watch a movie where they're talking about Jesus Christ? I will turn it on again and again, and I don't care if I know the ending. I know the ending of what the Bible says. We need to start acting like it. Who can say amen? I know the ending. Christmas is not just a historical celebration. It's an annual reminder of an eternal truth God always keeps his promises. And with that said, Jesus came into the world approximately 2,025 years ago. But he still keeps coming into the world every time someone gets born again. And I just believe that this Christmas, our focus as a church should be introducing people to Jesus Christ. So when everyone's complaining about the busyness, I'm going to say, you know what? It was busy in Jerusalem when those wise men showed up. Instead of complaining about the marketing, I'm going to say, you know, those wise men, they brought gold and silver and frankincense and myrrh and all that kind of stuff. So there was a little bit of materialism even in the first Christmas, but it was for a positive purpose. if you weren't here on on Wednesday night you probably didn't hear that the Wildwood Soup Kitchen has been asked to move out of their facilities and so they're looking for a a new place and so we took an offering on Wednesday night because I want Christmas to be about giving not about receiving and we're sending them the money and we're going to help them buy a new facility That's what we're doing. And so, yeah. You can go online and make it and send it to Oxford and say for Wildwood Soup Kitchen, and we'll make sure they get it. They've already raised 300 and some thousand dollars. And so, yes, God wants this ministry to thrive, okay? And we're going to help them to the best of our abilities. in Jesus' name, and so I'm excited by that. But again, I want to give people the hope of the Christmas message, which is that Jesus can be born into your life. So would you bow your heads just for a moment as I make sure that everybody here has Jesus in their hearts in this moment. And you might say, Pastor, I've heard this a million times. I know. If you've been a part of a church, you've heard it many, many, many times. But I can tell you just because you're in a church doesn't make you a Christian. What makes you a Christian is accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. What makes you a Christian is believing the Christmas story is true. And so I just want to give you an opportunity to have the word come alive inside of you the same way that Mary had the word come alive inside of her. No, you won't give birth to Jesus, but he will be birthed in your heart in a new and vibrant way. If what I'm saying has a ring of authority and authenticity to it, and you're sensing a need to do that, would you just raise your hand and say, Pastor, please remember me. Please remember me in prayer. Sure, I see one hand. Anybody else? Two hands. Anybody else? A third hand, I see it. Heavenly Father, you saw these individuals who've raised their hands. Lord, there might have been others who desperately desired to, but they were afraid. All I can do is echo the words of the angel, fear not. God has a great plan for each and every one of you in this room. and it begins by allowing Jesus into your hearts. So Father God, for those who've never done it before, I pray that today will be the day. I pray that simply by an act of their will that they will make a decision, I want Jesus in my life. I pray that they will understand that they have been walking away from God. Not that they're evil people. That's not what we're saying. But when you're away from God, You're still destined for hell. You're not going to heaven. And God wants everyone. He doesn't want anyone to perish. So today, Father God, I pray that we'd repent. I pray that we would make things right with you. I pray that that peace between God and us will be secured in Jesus' name. And I pray, Father God, that this Christmas that we'll begin to understand that you have plans for our lives that are beautiful. that are awesome, that are glorious, and that are wonderful. And that we would dive into this Christmas season and we would not be distracted by everything surrounding, but that we'd focus on the word and on the person of Jesus Christ. I pray this today in Jesus' holy and precious name. And together everyone says, amen. Would you stand with me, please? Prayer partners, if you are here, would you please come to the front? Those of you who accepted Christ as your Savior today, I would love for you to pray with one of the prayer partners. Or if you have another need that you need, please come on forward at this time.
