Morning, everyone. Welcome and I'm Mary Christmas to you, from our family to yours. I can't believe it's Christmas again. I just can't believe that it's come around again, that it's Christmas.
It seems like the last one was just over. So that tells me one of two things. The Christmas is coming up earlier every year, or I'm getting sold that I'm just losing track of time. It's probably that.
Glad you're here with us this morning. And we would love to have you back this evening if you can make it at 6.30. We'll have a time of singing, some special music, some readings, and a message. And as well as an enticement to get you here, there will be some refreshments.
So just a light little snack afterwards. So please come if you can to enjoy Christmas Eve with us here at Northbrook. Let's look to the Lord in prayer before we begin. Father, we thank You this morning for the one that we've been singing of, the Lord Jesus Christ.
We thank You for this time of the year when we come to celebrate the greatest miracle of all, the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, the one who was the very God of heaven, the creator of all things, the one who holds all things together by the word of his power, yet became a man so that he may bear our sins and our sorrows, that we may have the good news of the gospel for us, that Jesus Christ came to save those who were lost. We thank You for Him. And I pray, Lord, that as we look in Your Word this morning, You would help us to understand what You would have for our hearts and that we would, if there's any who are here who don't know Jesus Christ, that they would come to know Him today. And for those of us who do, that we would be challenged to reach out with the message of good news to others.
We ask it in His name, Amen. Luke chapter two, please, Luke chapter two, a passage that's traditionally read at Christmas time. There's one line in this I want to use this morning as the text for a message. I'm sure you can barely see that, but that's OK.
You have a Bible with you, I hope, and then you can follow along. This is now in those days of the decree we know from Caesar Augustus that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quenerus, this guy, was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census each to his own city.
Joseph also went up from Galilee from the city of Nazareth to Judea, the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the household and family of David. In order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
In the same region, there were some shepherds staying out in their fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, do not be afraid for behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all people. For today, in the city of David, there has been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord.
This will be a sign for you. You will find the baby, a baby wrapped in cloths lying in a manger. And suddenly, there appeared with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased. When the angel had gone away from them into heaven, when the angels rather had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, let us go straight to Bethlehem and then see this thing, which has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.
So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph and the baby as he lay in a manger. When they had seen this, they had made known the statement, which had been told to them about this child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds, but Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. When I was a child growing up, it doesn't seem like it was that long ago, but there was an expression my mom would use.
And sometimes we would hear it around Christmas time, we had this closet in our house. And I had a, remember those old fake plastic bamboo curtains that we used to have, they were really popular in the 70s? And then eventually after time went by, somebody just touched it and it would fall apart and disintegrate right there onto the floor and it did a little straws. But in this closet, behind this curtain was where the Christmas gifts would start to stockpile.
And I was told, we were all told, do not go near that closet. No ifs, ands, or buts. That just meant like the deal is done, like do not, do not go in there. There's no debate, there's no discussion, there's no but I need to get this, there's none of that.
It's just do not, do not, do not, do not go near there. She also would use that expression sometimes to say, go clean your room, no ifs, ands, or buts, or do this, do this, do it, sure. And it meant like do it, just do it. There's no discussion on this.
You know, there's a simple and important message I want to share with you this morning. And it's a message that the angels from Heaven brought to the shepherds on the hillside. The good news of Jesus Christ that they brought, they said is for all people. If you notice there, I bolded that, that's not the way it reads in your Bible, but I bolded that, that for emphasis.
Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people, to everyone. No ifs, ands, or buts. It doesn't exclude anybody. It's for everyone.
So I want to be 100% clear this morning that the message of the word of God, and the message of Christmas, and the meaning of Christmas, is that Jesus Christ has come, that's the good news, to save you from your sins. No ifs, ands, or buts. There is no other way. The child we read of in Jesus Christ is the only hope for the human race.
That's the only message we have. That's the only thing we can offer here at Northbrook. When you come you'll hear a message, that Jesus Christ has come to save you from your sins. No ifs, ands, or buts, that's it.
That's the message of the Bible, that's the message of the gospel. That is what they're saying, I bring you good tidings, or the gospel, of great joy, for all people. This morning I want to talk about the message, and the account of the Lord Jesus Christ from three points. I only have three points.
I just said one time that that's the perfect sermon. That's three points. I don't know where I ever got that, but somebody said that one time so I'm clinging to that. This morning, the gospel is for everyone.
First of all, it's for you. The good news that was given to those shepherds by that angel is for you. The second thing is, since the gospel is for everyone, logically, there is nobody that is beyond the reach of the gospel. There is nobody who cannot receive the message and the hope of the gospel.
And since the gospel is for everyone, and if you're a Christian, the last point is, what are you going to do about it? What will you do? First of all, the gospel is for everyone, it is for you. I can tell you that the scriptures teach very clearly, that the offer of salvation is available to all, and if any person will repent of their sin and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, they will be saved.
In Matthew chapter one, verse 20, it says, but when he had considered this, this is Joseph, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, saying in the dream, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit, and she will bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. The Bible teaches clearly that every person on the face of the earth is lost and destined to eternity in hell, except apart from the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, every person. It doesn't matter where they are, it doesn't matter who they are, every single person is born in that state. Jesus Christ, as one person put it, is the key that unlocks the door to heaven, and there's only one key.
He's the map that leads to the narrow road, and there are a few that find it, it says in Matthew chapter seven. There is only one way, there was only one person, there was only one hope. That's good news for you. Acts chapter four, verse 12, says, nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
This one who was announced on that hillside is the only one who can bring salvation to you and to me. I wanna look at the next few minutes in some scriptures that will tell you that the gospel is for everyone. And when I use the word everyone, what do I mean by everyone? Can you answer?
Thank you, Warren, Warren got it. So when I say everyone, I mean everyone. No exceptions. All the barriers are broken down.
You see, here's the thing. We make all these distinctions. We look and say, you know, young, old, rich, poor, male, female, cultural distinctions, intelligence, lacking intelligence, we do all of that stuff. But you see, in Christ, as far as God is concerned, there are only two distinctions.
You are either in Christ or you are not in Christ, you are either saved or you are lost. He doesn't care about your money. He doesn't care about where you come from. He doesn't care about your education.
None of that. He cares about whether you have come to Jesus Christ as your only hope and your only savior. That is all that matters. We are all sinners, there's no distinction.
And if you have come to faith in Jesus Christ, you have been freed from all sin. Now here's a verse that we all know, Romans chapter three verse 23, it says, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. No distinction, all, everybody has sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And here's the good news and the bad news, all in one verse.
Often we stop at the end of verse 23, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, period at the end. But here's the good news that falls right after that. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. There is hope for those who fall into the first part of that verse.
The hope is redemption, salvation through Jesus Christ, that one that the shepherd's announced on the hillside. Now, I wanna talk to you about this whole thing about the gospel being for everyone. And I wanna use a particular account of one man. In the book of Acts, we read in chapters 10 and 11, the longest account in the scriptures, if someone's conversion.
And that's Cornelius. Paul, it's mentioned three different times, so if you add up the verses, it might be a little longer, I'm not sure. But the longest account in all of the scriptures is of Cornelius. And here we go.
So it's down in Acts chapter 10. Acts chapter 10, and you can turn there if you wish. It's Acts chapter 10, verses 34 to 43. I'm gonna read that.
It's just a short little passage. But to make a long story short, Peter is wandering along and he's going, and he has this dream. And a sheet comes down out of the dream, in the stream, it comes down out of the sky. It's got all kinds of animals on it.
And he's told by God, Peter, get up, go and kill, eat. And he goes, ugh. Like there's stuff in there that I don't eat, I don't even like touch. I don't go to the market where they sell that stuff.
That's stuff that those guys eat. And the message in that was, God is telling you, don't call something clean and unclean, especially when it comes to people. Don't set distinctions, don't show partiality to people. I know you're Jewish, Peter.
But guess what? What's about to happen to you is a big thing. It's a huge thing. And you're not gonna show partiality to people.
So let's go to verse 34 for the sake of time. Like I said, 66 verses long, and I won't read the whole thing this morning. So we'll just do a summary. Then Peter opened his mouth, verse 34 chapter 10, and said, in truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality.
But in every nation, whoever fears him, and works righteousness is accepted by him. The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all, that word you know, which was proclaimed through all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all things which he did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him, God raised up on the third day and showed him openly, not to all people, but to witnesses chosen by God, chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is he who was ordained by God to be the judge of the living and the dead, to him, all the prophets witnessed that through his name, whoever believes in him will receive remission of sins. So he's giving these words to Cornelius, and he's saying, you know, God shows no partiality. There is no differences in distinctions with God. Do mark your Bible, that's an important verse to mark, because it changes the way you look at people.
There is no partiality, but every nation who fears him, every nation, there is no partiality with God, it says in Romans chapter two, verse 11. In fact, you read throughout the scriptures, and Ephesians chapter six verse nine, it reads that there is no partiality with him. Luke chapter two verse 10, or text for this morning, it says, good tidings for all people. John chapter three verse 16, for God, soul loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him, whoever believes in him, will not perish but have everlasting life.
There is no partiality in that verse. There is no distinction of people in that verse, it doesn't say if you're rich, it doesn't say, if you have wealth, if you have influence, if you have fame, if you have a great career, it doesn't say any of that stuff, it says whoever believes, there is no partiality with God. And then we are told as well, not to show partiality. In James chapter two, verse one, it says, my brother showed no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
That means that for us as believers, when we are dealing with the souls of people, we are not to show partiality or distinction. It doesn't matter who the person is, they need Jesus Christ. It is good news for all people, for everybody. The gospel is for everyone.
It doesn't matter the color of their skin, it doesn't matter what they have or what they don't have. It doesn't even matter what religion they have, or where they went to school. None of that matters. In the sight of God, we are all leveled at one point.
We are needy sinners that need a savior. He offers it to everyone, to everyone without distinction. I'm so glad he offers it without distinction, because I'm not a person who could buy my way to heaven. I'm not a person who could debate my way to heaven.
I'm not smart enough. I'm not a person who has enough influence to go and influence pedal my way to heaven. I have none of that going for me in this world. But with God, he shows no partiality.
And he will accept you today, just as you are, right where you are, exactly as you are today. That's the good news of the gospel. Whoever believes in him will receive the remission of sins. That's what the angel is saying.
This is for all people. If you think of every sin that you've ever committed, not just the things you've done, but the things you've thought. Think of all the awful things that are done in this world, known and in secret. Think of the massive weight of guilt and shame that hangs over this whole world.
Just think of that for a minute. Every sin that's committed in this world. It says for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Whoever believes in him can have all of their sins forgiven and the gift of eternal life.
That's good news and nothing can compare to that. In fact, that's the most awesome Christmas gift you can receive. I came to the point where I received that. It was Christmas week, it was the 22nd of December.
And it was the most awesome Christmas I could ever have had when I came to the realization that this message of hope is for me. It didn't matter but anybody else in the room. It didn't matter but anybody else who was around me. This message of hope is hope for me.
And I wanna tell you this morning, the message of the gospel is for everyone, but it's for you. If you've never come to Christ, you can today. The second point I wanted to talk on this morning is the gospel is for everyone. The good news is for everyone.
There is not a person that's beyond its reach. I'm gonna give you an example in Saul of Tarsus. Saul, also known as the Apostle Paul. Now when you think of your Bible and you go to the New Testament and you read Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts.
And that's where you meet Paul. And then you get Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Galatians. Oh, wow, 1st, 2nd, Thessalonians, Timothy. Wow, this guy wrote a lot of our Bible.
He must have been a great guy. He must have been a guy that God looked down and said, huh, there's a great guy I wanna say. Man, I'll tell ya. It's nobody like him.
Jesus, what a treasure he'll be for me. Do you know what Paul was? What Saul was? He was a murderer.
In fact, I pictured that I have there, it shows Stephen being stoned to death. Stephen, one of the early leaders in the church. And he was dragged out with hatred. And this is pretty calm looking compared to what it probably took place.
They would have put him in a pit and they would have taken, not stones that they throw in their hands. They would have dropped rocks on this guy and he would have just been pummeled to death. So do you know what Saul did while that was going on? Saul said, hey, you guys really wanna wind up and throw those stones.
So what I'm gonna do, take your coats off, man. I don't wanna be encumbered by your coats when you're doing this stuff. Like you wanna heap these stones on them. Let me look after your coats.
You're gonna work off a sweater. And they all took their coats and they put them down and he said, okay, I'll make sure nobody takes your wallets, nobody takes your coats, nobody takes your sweaters and stuff. Just put them right there in front of me. I'll make sure that you get them all back.
But man, I'll tell ya, I love what you're doing here. Heaped those stones on him. And then it goes on to say that he went around and was dragging women and men out of their homes that he might put them in prison. Now the prison was the easy part of it because after the prison was, they were gonna face the same thing as Stephen.
They'd be put to death. That was Saul. So Saul's not this guy that you see, in these pictures that are painted of this guy with a halo and so on. Saul was a wicked evil killer.
He was that evil, wicked man. However, one of the verses that I want to read is in Acts, chapter nine, verses one to two, which where you get an introduction to him, Saul still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord went to the high priest and asked for letters from him to go to the synagogue. So he would go to the places of worship. So that if he found any who were of the way, whether men or women who might be brought bound to Jerusalem, that's the type of guy he was.
And it reread that he was still breathing threats of murder against Christians. And he's walking along this road. But all of these things that we read about Saul, this guy was just like terrorizing the church. So here's this man Saul.
And he's walking along, he's public enemy number one. But Saul was rich. Saul had a lot going for him too. He was just not a criminal murderer.
He was a rich man. His parents bought Roman citizenship. You didn't do that unless you were rich. Saul was educated.
He was a Hebrew of Hebrews, it says. A Pharisee. He knew the law inside and out. He was religious.
It says touching the righteousness which is in the law, is just a little bit more pointless. I know my religion and I know it really well. And I'm working my way to heaven. I'm doing what God wants me to do.
He was ambitious. It says concerning zeal. These are the words from the Scriptures. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church.
This church is getting in the way of my religion. I'm going to get rid of it. And then Saul is a guy you look at and you think, OK, he can never be saved. I mean, this guy is just too wicked.
This guy is just too out there, evil to be saved. There's no way. First of all, I'll tell you three things. Three points within three points.
I didn't dare go to six points. So I'm going to three points within three points. First point is, first of all, there is no one to loss that God can't save them. There is no one to loss that God can't save them.
If you know the words amen, that would be a good thing to say. Thank you. There is no one to hurt for God to break them. And there is no one to evil for God to save them.
So what happens here? Paul or Saul, I'm going to interchange the words because I always got to mix them up. So Saul was walking along. He's on his way to Damascus.
He's got letters in his hands. And he's going to throw a bunch more Christians into prison. And he's walking along. And it says in Acts chapter 9, verse 3, it says that he came to near Damascus and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
And he fell to the ground and he heard a voice saying, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And he said, who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It's hard for you to kick against the goats.
And so he trembling on a stone. He said, Lord, what would you want me to do? That right there is a conversion of Saul. I don't have to read much more about that.
There's a whole big story here. It's an amazing story. So here is Saul walking along, and he's doing this wicked thing to the church. And suddenly it says, suddenly God grabs his heart.
I remember back a few years ago, I was reading this chapter. And I was thinking, and I never noticed the word suddenly in the verse before. Don't you like when God gets a hold of someone suddenly? I didn't know it at the time, but a few months later, one of my sons would be pumping gas into his car at the Irving and Colherber, and suddenly God grabbed him right there, right there.
So don't tell me what happened to Saul doesn't happen today, it does. He's pumping gas into his car, and suddenly God gets a hold of his heart. And he says, I know what I must do. Lord, what would you have me to do?
It's as simple as that. God grabs a hold of a person's heart, and he saves them. We were down on Spring Garden Road, singing Carols the other night, and this lady came along, and she was with her guy friend, and they came along, they stopped, and they listened. They listened to the gospel being shared.
And then they went to the other side of the road, and they listened to another preacher. And then they came back, and they listened to the songs, and they had to talk to somebody, and they talked to a couple of people. And while talking to one of the people there, suddenly, she said, I want this, and I want it right now. My sins are great, I want them gone, and I want it gone now.
And you know what? Suddenly, just like that. She gave her heart to Christ. Don't tell me this doesn't happen on roadsides, like it did with Paul.
It happens, and it's happening on our streets, it's happening in our country, and it's happening in countries all around the world. Read the stories of what's going on in the Muslim world. There are people who are encountering Jesus Christ, and they're saying, I've had enough of this fake religion, and suddenly, I turn my heart over to him. It happens.
There is nobody, no matter how lost you are, no matter how lost your loved one, or your coworker, or your neighbor may seem, the gospel can reach anybody, and anybody can be saved. No matter how hard they are, no matter how lost they are. You know, this really bothers me, because sometimes I think I've given up praying for certain people, I've given up talking to certain people, and it's just too hard. They'll never come.
They'll never listen anymore. I am so wrong in that. Anybody, anybody, there's nobody too hard, there's nobody too lost, and there's nobody too evil that Jesus can't save them. Always remember, no one, anywhere, under any circumstances is beyond the reach of the gospel.
He may say, he likes PowerPoint, because you follow it, and then you close shop. His words. Since the good news is the gospel is for everyone. I'm gonna ask you as a believer, what are you gonna do about that?
What are you gonna do about it? We know that nobody is beyond the reach of the gospel. We know it's for everyone, so what do we do about it? Once again, Acts chapter one, I'll read a few verses, Acts chapter one verse six to 11.
Therefore, they come together, they ask him, Lord, will you, at this time you store your kingdom to Israel? And he said to them, they're speaking to the Lord Jesus, it is not for you to know the time of the seasons, which the Father has put in his own authority, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Now when he had spoken these things, while they watched, he was taken up into a cloud and received out of their sight. Just think of that, when he came, the angels came and said, good news, they announced it from the heavens, and now he's gone into the clouds.
And while they looked steadfast toward heaven, as he went up, two men stood by in white apparel, and they said, white apparel also said, men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up in heaven? The same Jesus who was taken up from heaven will so come in like manner, as you saw him going to heaven. In another account it says this, and he said to them, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and he believes, and his baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. I have four last things in closing.
First of all, I am told here, these are letters that are in red in my Bible. Jesus Christ said them, I better pay attention. First of all, what do you do with what I've just told you? One, if you're not saved, you need to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, and you will be saved, and you need to do that today.
Don't put that off, don't delay it. It's the greatest gift you can ever receive. It's the greatest Christmas gift you could have, and you could have it today. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, it's that simple.
Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Recognize you're a sinner, and you need to be saved from your sins. He has already paid the price. The second thing is, go.
Preach the gospel, be a witness, make disciples. In 1 Timothy chapter 1, verse 15, it says, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief, Paul wrote that. You know, I kind of like it, Warren goes down town with a sign, with that verse on it. We wrote to John's place.
He's got a sign on his front lawn, that's exactly what it says. That's a simple message. You really don't have to say much more than that. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Oh, and by the way, I'm the same as you, I'm the chief. That's all you have to say. If you don't say anything other than that, say I don't know what else to tell you, but that's it. You've told somebody the gospel.
Prey, pray for lost souls for family members, people you know, people you don't know. Remember, no one anywhere under any circumstance is beyond the reach of the gospel. There is nobody. You know, I have people in my family that I've just given up on.
That's at times. What a shame that is. That is on me. I need to realize God can save anybody, anywhere, at any time.
And what he wants me to do is pray for them. And then you can support. Support those who preach the gospel, missionaries, preachers, evangelists, give prayer support, give money, give them resources to go down and give them out. I don't want to tell stories on guys, but what I've noticed sometimes with these guys who are down, speaking to people on the streets, you run into an awful lot of people with a lot of needs.
And the number one need you run into is what? John, hunger. Hunger, physical hunger. People are starving on our streets for food.
They need the gospel, but they're starving for food. And I've noticed the evangelists that go down and meet with them once in a while will slip them here. Go to Subway, get yourself something to eat. Here, let me take you McDonald's and give you something to eat.
You know, you can support the guys who are doing this. By, you know what? Next time you're in McDonald's and say, you know what? I can actually 20 bucks.
I'm gonna buy five dollar gift cards. I'm gonna take four of them. And I'll pass them on to Kirk or John or somebody who's going downtown. Hey, can you give this out to somebody who needs it?
There are a lot of ways you can do it. You can pray. You don't have to go downtown. Maybe you don't like the cold.
Maybe you don't like to be on the front line, but you can do it. You can pray. That's more important. Actually, if there's a whole engine of prayer going on behind what's going on, on the pulpit here or downtown or in my neighborhood or in my workplace, that's awesome.
That's what we need. The good news is for everyone. Behold, I bring you good tidings for everyone. Father, thank you this morning.
As we come here on this Christmas Eve, there is not a single person in this room that is beyond the reach of the gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ came, those good tidings of great joy were given for all people, including every single person in this room, every single person downstairs in the Sunday school, each person who walks by our building and drives by out on the street. Thank you, Father, for your unspeakable gift of the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray, Lord, this Christmas, if there's anybody here who doesn't know Him, that they will come to know the greatest gift of all, that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
I also pray, Father, that you would help us, those of us who do know Him, to be bold, to approach our neighbors, to approach our coworkers, to pray for them, to share the gospel, to support those who do share the gospel, whether it's in this land or faraway land. Father, help us to pray, in love for those who you love. We ask these things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. Wonder if you could sing once again, before we leave, Hark the Herald.