Episode Transcript
Welcome to the World Changers Church Gold Coast podcast.
Join us as we listen to today's message.
Amen.
Come on.
Give the Lord a hand clap of praise.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Did y'all enjoy worship this morning?
Wow.
You know, I don't do this often.
She's going to run off stage, but I think we have one of the best worship leaders in
the Gold Coast.
And I thank you for praying for her and the whole team, because it's important that we
do that.
There are just as much ministers in this house as I am, and we just are so thankful for each
and every one of them.
And we're thankful that Caitlin and Alex will be back this evening from their cruise and
their vacation.
So praise the Lord.
We're looking forward to that.
You know, sometimes we rush right into service, but I do think it's important that we have
the opportunity to say hello to one another.
We are a community, and no matter the size that this church gets, we want to guard community
and care for one another.
So if you would just take a couple of moments, if you want to get out of your seat, go greet
someone new, say hello, and welcome everyone to church.
So this morning, I'm so glad that you decided to come.
We have so many people with visiting families and traveling to see family.
It's that time of year, hey?
It's that time of year where we are the busiest that we can possibly ever be.
I think back home, it was like four houses.
Both me and Tina come from divorced families, and go to this one, go to that one, go to
this one, go to that one.
And trying to make time for everybody was just tough.
And this morning, before I jump into the message, I want to give you a specific encouraging
word just for you about this holiday season.
And I wouldn't say how we can endure, but how we can enjoy this holiday season.
So I've been praying pretty much, aren't you glad to know that I've been praying?
All right, yeah, so thanks for having me.
So I've been praying, and there's two things that God gave to me, and one I'll share with
you first is my grace is sufficient.
I never really grasped the full nature of that scripture.
I always thought that Paul just had a thorn in the flesh, and my grace is sufficient,
we're just supposed to endure pain and trouble and trial.
But I never really attached my grace is sufficient to an opportunity to push forward.
And so during this holiday season, I kept saying, Lord, there's so much going on, we're
trying to wrap up the financial year of business and in church, we're trying to wrap up contracts,
we're trying to wrap up scheduling, we're trying to wrap up the vision for next year
for the church, there's so much going on, my social battery is dead.
Anybody else know what I'm talking about?
So how do I keep going, how do I keep going to these dinners, how do I keep going to these
celebrations and having a smile on my face, and God responded, my grace is sufficient.
And I really pressed into what he was saying past Christmas, and I really began to think
that my grace is sufficient actually means that when I am tired and troubled, my grace
is sufficient.
That when my finances are on zero, my grace is sufficient.
When I'm arguing with a friend or my wife or a partner, or I'm just upset on the inside,
my grace is sufficient.
It's when I turn to grace and focus on Christ that I can move forward when I'm overwhelmed,
that I can move forward when I'm frustrated, that I can move forward when I'm tired, and
that I can go be social when I don't want to be.
Now, y'all don't know what I'm talking about, y'all super saints, but you know what I mean?
And then, you know, so many other scriptures came through, but another one I didn't share
in team huddle this morning is I can do all things through Christ, you know, I can do
all things through Christ.
Not some things, all things, and I really began to think that that's good times and
in bad.
I just did a wedding yesterday, so I'm kind of in that mode too, you know.
But that's through every moment in my life, I can do all things.
I can have those tough conversations because Christ is with me.
I can celebrate the good times in my life because Christ is with me.
I can endure and enjoy tough times in my life because Christ is with me.
So my grace is sufficient, no matter what I'm going through, no matter what decisions
I'm making, and no matter what pressure this holiday season puts on me, my grace is sufficient.
Amen?
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
And so no matter what is going on in your life, let's not endure the holiday season
and become Grinches, you know.
You know, I'm not going to do an impression of the Grinch right now.
I really want to though, but no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
We're going to restrain.
You people, I tell you what, you try and talk me into so many bad things.
But we can become the Grinch, or we can enjoy Christ in Christmas.
Amen?
And that's kind of what I want to talk about today, is returning that grace back to Christmas.
And because we get so caught up in the consumerism and the activities of Christmas that we don't
realize at this time of year, we celebrate when heaven came down.
Does that make sense?
We celebrate the birth of Jesus, the greatest gift of all.
And we get so busy with what gift to buy, what coupon to get, what, you know, they're
going to be insulted if we get them a gift card.
Listen, give me gift cards.
I want to buy my own thing.
Amen?
I mean, the last thing I want as a pastor is more ties.
Praise the Lord.
Oh, anyway.
A pastor wants gifts?
No, I'm just kidding.
But everything in this time can be amazing because this time of year brings us together
for celebration.
Sundays should be about celebration, celebrating what Jesus has done all week long in our lives
and how we can come together.
And so this season should be heartwarming.
Amen?
I mean, Tina actually asked me last night, do you really want eggnog?
I'm like, yes, I really want eggnog.
And then I was in the grocery store and I was happy with the store-bought eggnog.
And my wife, when I say, you know, she's so good to me, she said, I'll make it from scratch.
I was like, wow.
Praise the Lord Jesus, hallelujah.
Eggnog for Christmas.
There's joy, there's laughter, there's twinkling lights, man.
I just, during this season, if the Christmas lights don't get turned on at night, I just
don't feel complete.
What's happened to me, Michelle?
You know, I used to just, I used to be the Grinch.
You know, something's wrong.
This is not Kyle.
But beyond all the twinkling lights and the delicious foods and the aromas, I mean, my
wife has this melted aroma that smells like pine trees in my house right now.
And I love it, hate it at the same time.
Because it's like, it makes me sneeze, but it also, I love feeling that time of year.
Amen?
Pastor, where are you going?
I promise I'm going somewhere.
We're supposed to have fun today.
I promised you through our social media posts that we're going to have some fun and we're
going to be encouraged in our hearts over the holiday season, because I want to show
you from here what your home can be like.
Amen?
So beyond all the wonderful traditions, the true reason for the season we know at the
center of it all is the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
And there is such a significance to his birth that links to our salvation.
So imagine, if you will, for a moment, an extraordinary time in life that changes the
course of human history forever.
A moment when heaven touched earth, and it was the most profound moment, not only because
it was prophesied about, but because what it was going to bring mankind.
That's what we celebrate.
You understand what I'm saying?
So the birth of Jesus Christ is that moment, that moment where heaven touched earth, where
heaven came down.
So this is not just a series.
This is something I personally love.
Jesus came down, heaven touched earth, and it had been so long, and we can take it for
granted because we got, we don't have padded pews, but we have air conditioning.
We got a comfortable place to sit in, but back then they were waiting on their Savior
to come.
They didn't have a Savior.
So him being born was so significant.
So it's not just a story that we can recount during Christmas season.
It's a divine event.
Listen to me, that bridges the gap between God's immeasurable love and humanity's greatest
need.
Amen?
I'm going to say that again because I feel like that just needs to be said again.
So it's not just a story that we recount during Christmas.
It's God's, it's something that bridges the gap between God's immeasurable love and humanity's
greatest need.
I mean, for me, that's pretty awesome.
I don't need Jesus, but listen, I was listening to something this morning as to why culture
has changed.
It's because needs have changed, desires have changed, passions have changed.
And so, you know, I don't want to get into masculinity or feminism, so I'm going to stay
away from that realm.
But when culture changes, needs and, you know, perception changes, and we don't really need
a Savior right now because we got the government, right?
We got Centrelink.
But there's one beautiful thing about Jesus that's different than Centrelink.
I ain't got to reapply every week.
Hallelujah.
I mean, I ain't got to wait in line, make a phone call, make my case, I ain't got to
do none of that.
Something better than Medicare is God's health plan for me.
Hallelujah.
So yeah, you may not need it in this country, but we need to get back to the hunger and
desire of needing a Savior.
Does that make sense?
And think about it.
This moment happened in a little humble place like Bethlehem.
It'd be compared to Arundel, Southport.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Y'all laughing, but it would just be a nowhere place.
Nerang.
Oh, Lord, we're not getting in that.
Stop it.
Stop it.
Y'all really trying to lead me in different ways.
Holy Spirit.
So God's plan took place in a little town.
It was a redemptive plan that was set in motion, offering hope, joy, and salvation to the world.
Amen.
That's what Christmas should feel like.
Hope, joy, redemption, salvation, reconciliation, forgiveness.
No more grudges.
I can't tolerate that person anymore.
You need to change your heart.
Amen.
So this miraculous event was not a coincidence.
It didn't just happen like scattered parts coming together.
It was foretold by the prophets and herald by the angels.
It was revealing to the heart of God.
It's revealing to the hearts of God's will and plan to mankind.
Amen.
The angels sung about it.
The prophets told us about it.
And it was God's perfect plan and his desire to dwell among us and rescue us.
Amen.
Come on, somebody.
So the birth of Jesus is the ultimate expression of God's love and a beacon of light in dark
times.
Amen.
Come on, somebody.
That's why we have that famous song that they sung this morning, Joy to the World.
It was based off of this moment that we're talking about right now.
Anyway, I won't go there.
You know, all these moments that we sing about during Christmas are something that people
got to experience that they were waiting on because they needed deliverance.
They needed salvation.
It was their only hope that their Messiah was come.
Nowadays it's about, do they have the right air conditioning?
Do they have enough parking lot?
How's their children's ministry?
How's their youth ministry?
How's their young adults ministry?
I don't really like the pastor.
He's American.
I want Australian.
I want credentialed, right?
I want the spirit of God.
Amen.
I want Jesus to be revealed through every message.
Amen.
I want hope to be alive.
You know what?
I want to feel better than when I came in.
Don't beat me up.
Amen.
I want a church that makes me want to change.
And the only way to do that is to show the ultimate change in the expression of love
that came through Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Come on, somebody.
So the birth of Jesus was not just a random occurrence.
Mary didn't just have a baby.
It was a culmination of centuries of divine promises and prophecies.
Words being told for years, 400, if not more.
How long was it?
How long from Isaiah's words to the birth of Jesus?
Do either one of you?
700.
700.
Come on, bro.
400 years of silence, 700 years of waiting, boom, Jesus.
The angels, yes, would sing because they wanted humanity to be restored.
Come on, somebody.
Man, this is too good.
It stands as a testament of God's faithfulness and his sovereign plan for humanity.
Long before the holy night in Bethlehem, God spoke to the prophet Isaiah saying these words
in Isaiah 7:14, therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.
Behold, the virgin shall come and conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel.
That was not just merely a prediction.
It was a declaration from heaven for hope for all mankind, a promise that God would
come and dwell with us.
Think about that.
The Lord himself will give you a sign, and what will that sign be?
Jesus being born.
In Revelations, it says all manner of prophecy is of Jesus.
Prophecy reveals Jesus.
The messages reveal Jesus.
Everything that reveals Jesus is in line with God's word.
Amen?
Come on, somebody.
Come on, somebody.
I wish we had an organ player up in here.
So the details of Jesus' birth were even confirmed in Micah 5 and 2 that Bethlehem, this little
assuming, unassuming town, small town, becoming the birthplace of the king of kings, showing
that God often uses the humble and the unexpected to achieve his purposes.
Amen?
God often uses the unexpected places, the unexpected person, the unexpected outcome.
Amen?
You may be thinking, well, I'll never achieve God's plan for my life.
No, you won't, but God with you can.
That is the gift of heaven.
You may never have what you think you're going to have as long as you think that way.
You got to start thinking God has a plan for me, and what I'm going through right now is
not God's best for me, and I'm going to receive and achieve what God has given to me, which
first started in salvation through Jesus.
Amen?
Is that good?
Amen.
So every element of Jesus' arrival, from the virgin birth to the location, now think about
that.
What was so beautiful about that is, yes, a great con artist could make that happen,
sure, but not with a madman hunting you.
Why would anybody want to lose their life just to fake a Messiah?
Harold was hunting Joseph and Mary and Jesus.
Amen?
Do you understand what I'm saying?
The king of that time, the king of the Jews of that time was hunting them, chasing them,
wanting to kill every baby.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
Am I right?
Amen?
Why would any con artist want that to happen?
Jesus is not a story that can be mimicked.
It was a story of precision.
It was so precise that it was nailed down to the alignment of the stars.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
Man, come on, somebody.
Come on.
It reminds us that nothing in God's design and plan is accidental.
So when you're starting to think you're an accident, or you don't know what you're doing
at World Changers, or you don't know why you're a Christian, God's plan for your life
is not accidental.
If he lined the stars up to have Jesus born, he can line up your life right now.
Amen?
Come on, somebody.
The birth of Christ reassures us that God's promises are sure and his plans are always
fulfilled in his perfect timing.
We have such a microwave religion.
The prophecy was 700 years, so 400 years of silence.
I mean, we can't wait seven minutes or four minutes for what we want from God before we
start changing direction.
Amen?
What if you really had to wait past your lifetime to see God's plan for your family?
Come on, somebody.
What if your prayers had to be planted in the ground to be resurrected in your legacy?
Are you willing to stop being so motivated by your timeline and go with God's?
That's the joy of this season.
Well, pastor, blah, blah, blah, blah, all the things people can say to me, I don't care.
I care about you, but I'm not moved by you.
I'm moved by God's plan for my life.
And I know that there is things that God has put in me that I will not fulfill because
my job was to start them and let someone else finish them.
And I'm okay with that.
Amen?
Someone, that's this maturity being given out this morning.
Amen?
But one of the most awe-inspiring truths about the birth of Jesus is captured in the name
Emmanuel.
We talked about it last week, which means God with us.
Think about it for a second.
God didn't send some representative or issue commands from a distance.
He sent his son, John 1:14.
Let's just let it tell the story.
John 1:14 tells us, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory
and the glory as if the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Come on, somebody.
We got delivered the greatest gift of all.
God's portion to us was his very own son, full of truth and grace, and that was imparted
into us by the Holy Spirit when we received him.
Come on, somebody.
So God with us is something that's very present right now.
Think about it.
Think about the implications of that reality.
God's son experienced hunger, fatigue, joy, and sorrow just as we do.
The act of divine humility speaks volumes about the significance of Christ's birth and
God's love toward us.
Think about that for a second, man.
My God.
He experienced everything you're going through, every backstab, every good time, every heartache,
every heartbeat.
He has experienced everything so that he could overcome it and through you, you could overcome
the world by his name.
Come on, somebody.
I'm going to stop saying amen, I'm going to start saying come on, somebody.
It's like, come on, get this.
This act of divine humility speaks volumes.
Jesus didn't come in grandeur as a conquering hero.
He came as a helpless baby, born in a stable to show that his kingdom is one of humility,
grace and redemption.
If he had came as a sword swinging hero, we would have just feared him.
He wanted us to love him.
Think about that for a second.
If he had came, if God would have came the way we wanted, he would have came and just
delivered him from the Roman empire, everybody had been crushed and we'd all been afraid
to make a mistake.
We'd have never been able to turn our love towards God, which is what God wants from
us, amen?
So he came to show us that the true meaning of his coming in the first coming was to establish
a love between us and him, a redemption and grace and humility.
Is that good?
So the birth of Jesus also assures us that of God's intimate involvement in our lives.
You have the Holy Spirit if you're saved.
He is not some faraway God.
He is not a distant and indifferent deity.
He is right here, right now in every heartbeat.
Come on somebody.
He is with us in every moment of joy, of sorrow, of triumph and trial.
He is with us in righteousness and he's with us when we mess up to lead us back through
repentance, amen?
Is that good?
How y'all feeling this morning?
Amen.
This truth is a source of unshakable hope in all of us.
This is how I make it through tough seasons.
It's thinking about what Jesus has done for me, amen?
Think about what Jesus has done for you.
We can face life's challenges knowing that God is not only for us, but he's also with
us.
And we say it all the time.
If God be for us, who can be against us?
If God be with us, what else do I need?
I don't need people to accolade me.
I don't need people to pat me on the back.
I don't need the biggest church on the Gold Coast.
I don't need all these other superficial things.
If God be with me, what else do I need?
Amen?
Amen?
I get to share that with my wife and my kids.
I get to share that with my friends and companions and confidants and fellow soldiers.
I get to do...
God is with me, so I'm no longer seeking approval.
I'm no longer angry when somebody doesn't like me and making my case.
No, it's like, hey man, this is me and I'm with God and love you.
Amen?
It doesn't make me conceited, but it makes me confident.
Amen?
Confident that God loves me.
But the birth of Jesus is more than just a miraculous event or a fulfilled prophecy.
It is the starting point of God's rescue mission of humanity.
The birth of Jesus is the starting point of God's rescue mission for humanity.
I think about when I want to be rescued, I want Navy SEALs, Delta Team, F-16s, a red
button with a nuclear bomb attached to it.
So for me, if I was in that time and the Messiah has come, oh Bethlehem, and the angel is sending
me and I went to a little manger, a little shepherd boy there with a couple of lambs
and some donkeys, and there was Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus, I was like, yeah, okay.
Who's here to save me?
So it was the beginning point, and that's how faith is born.
It's not always what you see.
We walk by faith and not by sight.
The way God planned it is he wanted the Word to be robed in flesh and the Word to live
out in front of us to show us an example, not moralism, not theology, but an example
of what a man of God is, what a son of God is, so that we can learn of him.
Is that good?
Come on.
Luke 2:10 through 11 says this.
It records the angel's message to the shepherds.
Then the angel said to them, do not be afraid.
Listen, if you knew what angels really look like, as they're described in the Bible, you'd
be afraid too.
Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings and great joy, which will be
with all people.
For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.
God's rescue mission.
So not only was it fulfilled prophecy, not only did it mean God with us, not only did
it give significance, but it was that pathway for us to be saved.
And it was so lined up that it even came through the promise placed and the promise
seed that God intended.
You just can't make this stuff up.
You really can't.
You can try, but you can't fulfill it the way it was fulfilled.
So this announcement highlights the central purpose of Jesus's birth, and that is this
one word, salvation, deliverance, but not the deliverance from a Roman empire, deliverance
from our brokenness, deliverance from our sin, deliverance from our broken humanity
and to be restored into right relationship with God.
That was the salvation we received.
Come on.
If I have God, what else do I need?
I know CEOs, billionaires, and millionaires right now that are so empty because they tried
to fulfill their life with things, and they still were the most fulfilled when they met
Jesus.
Your fulfillment, your greatest moment in life can happen right now, whether it be by
listening to a podcast or being here present, which is truly receiving 100% in the harbor
of your soul, in the anchor of your heart is to fully receive and confess Jesus Christ
as your Lord and Savior.
Not just halfway, but all the way.
Come on, somebody.
Humanity was trapped in sin and separated from God and needed a Savior.
Jesus came to bridge the gap through his life, death, and resurrection.
Romans 6:23 reminds us, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
A lot of people have used this scripture to tell you to stop sinning or you're going
to die.
Sorry.
That's not how I preach it.
I preach it from the standpoint of Jesus died for your sin so that you could have life and
that the dominion of sin was broken off your life so that you no longer wanted to sin,
have the desire of sin, and had the nature of sin because you had received right standing
with God and now desire to walk with God because of your salvation.
Amen?
Not giving me a right to sin, but giving me the right to be free from sin.
Somebody.
Been beat over the head so much you don't even know how to live for God.
Been ridiculed, condemned, and scared to serve God.
If God wanted you to be scared of him with all the what ifs, if you don't do it my way,
it's not going to turn out.
He would have came as a roaring lion the first time, but he came as a lamb to the slaughter
so that we could receive love and redemption in him.
Amen?
He doesn't want you to be scared of him.
He wants you to run to him knowing that he loves you.
So what that you messed up?
So what that you messed up last night?
So what that someone told you, how can you be saved for what you've done?
Remind them I'm only human and I need a savior just like you.
Because my Bible says that when I fall, I have an advocate with the father.
And for me to go and start my first works, what does that really mean?
Do I have to go get saved all over again?
I got to return in repentance to Jesus.
Having a change of heart and mind about the way I'm living right now and walk away from
the sin I'm in.
So maybe your chain is pornography.
Maybe your chain is addiction.
Maybe your chain is lying.
Maybe something's got a hold of you.
Maybe your chain is image and just looking good in front of everybody.
Whatever your chain is, those chains can fall off when you truly receive a revelation of
who Jesus Christ is in your life.
Amen?
And what he's done and how he came for you.
Man, come on.
From the moment he was born, Jesus' mission was clear.
From the manger that led to the cross and the cross that led to an empty tomb.
The ultimate victory over sin and death comes through Jesus.
His birth is the reminder that God's gift of salvation is freely given, but came at
the highest cost.
It is a gift that transforms our lives, offering not just forgiveness, but a promise of eternal
life.
How many of you have eternal life today?
How many are sure about your eternal life today?
How many want to be sure about your eternal life today?
Amen.
I want to live in confidence, not condemnation.
Jesus, being born, gave us a model for humility and grace.
He didn't give us moralism.
He didn't give us traditions.
He gave us a path to walk in.
See, it says narrow is the way and wide is the way, path that leads to destruction.
But this path that Jesus set us on is not just a path of good deeds and being a good
person.
It's a path of being a servant and following Jesus and learning of him.
Amen.
And sometimes you're going to mess up, but keep following Jesus.
The circumstances of Jesus's birth reveal profound lessons of God's character and values.
Jesus being born was to show us why we need a savior.
Humanity couldn't do it up to this point.
Am I right?
We need a savior.
You cannot be good.
Can I just make that really clear right now?
You can be a good person, but it's like a flexed muscle.
Amen.
Amen.
Jesus himself said there's only one that is good, and that is God, and that's because
he was robed in something fallible, his flesh.
Amen.
So as much as you try and be good and you keep messing up, you can be ashamed of not
being good enough, or you can keep running to your savior and being led by the spirit
and maturing in that place so that you are more mature each and every time you fall.
Be like David and say, Lord's searching me, trying me, putting me the right spirit and
the right heart.
Come to God like that.
Don't come to God to hide your sin.
Come to God to deal with your sin.
So many people just want to hide it.
Lord, that's the difference between David and Saul.
Saul wanted to hide it.
David wanted to reveal it, get it done with.
Cut it out of me, God.
David was actually a worse man than King Saul, but David dealt with his sin.
Before God, Saul wanted to hide his sin from everybody.
That's some good stuff.
I'm glad the preacher showed up.
This sure ain't me.
Hold on, I'll grab him.
Y'all know I don't care how big we get, I'm going to be real.
If I need water, I'm going to grab water.
We ain't performers up here.
We're worshipers and ministers, amen?
I ain't ever going to be a performer.
If you come to this church for a dancing monkey, you came to the wrong place.
You going to love me sometimes.
You're going to hate me, but we're going to end up in heaven together.
Hallelujah.
Amen.
No, I'm not going to prophesy that.
We're going to love each other in unity and grace and learn to walk in love and light
and liberty.
Amen.
Just had to watch my words there.
From the moment Jesus was born, the mission was clear.
His humility gave us a profound lesson about God's character and values.
And I only got five more minutes.
Born in a stable, laid in a manger, the King of Kings entered the world in the most humble
and unassuming way.
Philippians 2:6 through 8 captures this beautifully.
Listen to these words.
Who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made
himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness
of man, and being found in the appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient
to the point of death, even death on a cross.
I want to back up and read that again, because you need to hear it.
You don't just need to wait for me to explain it.
You need to hear it.
Whom being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made
himself of no reputation, lower than the angels, taking the form of a bondservant, came to
serve man, and coming in the likeness of men, and being found in the appearance as a man,
he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the
cross.
Jesus' humility teaches us that greatness in God's kingdom is measured not by power
or wealth, but by service and sacrifice.
Greatness in God's kingdom doesn't mean you can't have wealth and power.
It just means the greatness that God is looking for comes through service and a life of sacrifice,
not of giving your life, but being a living sacrifice, saying, God, what would you have
me do?
Is this good?
Amen?
His life challenges us to embrace humility, a path that is narrow, that many choose not
to take, and to extend grace to others when they don't deserve it.
Listen, whether it be the M1, the grocery store, or Zaraffa's, and I'm not promoting
Zaraffa's, no matter where you go, you have an opportunity to extend grace to someone
that didn't deserve it.
This week, I helped my son get a vehicle, and it's on him to fulfill the rest.
This man knew me, and I didn't know it.
He knew that I was from World Changers Gold Coast.
I didn't know it, but God has been doing something in me that he's like, just really be that
one person everywhere, just really, just try to say, yes, God, I got you, I got you.
And I had the opportunity to be like, man, what's taking so long?
Rush, let's get the paperwork done.
I need this truck by this day.
Let's go.
But no, God said, the guy called me, said, man, I'm sorry for the runaround.
I said, man, don't ever be sorry for doing your job.
I appreciate what you're doing.
That was my first response.
Two weeks, two days, three hours, and two minutes.
I had to keep that grace going.
Call me back something else.
I needed to change.
Something other paperwork I needed to put in.
I had to go to the DMV and change this.
I had to go file some stuff with ASIC.
I had to go do some stuff at the bank.
I was like, Lord, this truck.
All for our business.
I kept my grace.
I kept my joy.
Man, don't ever apologize for doing your job.
He came here the other day, dropping off the truck.
He said, so this is a church?
I said, yep.
I knew it.
Yeah, I knew you were a pastor.
I knew it was you.
I was like, Lord, glad I stayed right.
I've been looking for a church.
I said, I know a few on the Gold Coast.
This is one of them.
And here's some other ones.
Where are you at?
And I told him where a church was, where he lived.
Because it's not about coming to this church.
It's about being in church.
Amen?
It's my kingdom.
Amen?
But I live, to the best of my ability, what I preach.
Amen?
I don't always do it perfect.
I don't always do it right.
But man, Jesus paved a way.
So finally, the birth of Jesus brings unshakable hope to a world in desperate need.
John 1:5 says, and the light shines in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend
it.
This hope that me and you have in this holiday season, this hope that me and you have every
day in our lives, the world won't understand it.
They won't understand why you pray.
They won't understand why you believe.
They won't understand why you do the things you do.
But you have hope in Jesus, not only because he was born, not only because he was resurrected,
but because he is your personal Savior.
And that is worth celebrating his birthday.
That is worth celebrating him being born in this earth.
So the birth of Jesus Christ is our cornerstone of our faith.
It's the foundation of our salvation.
It reveals God's faithfulness, love, and desire to dwell with you.
More than a historical event, it's a living reality that transforms our lives and offers
eternal hope, not just momentary hope, that this too shall pass.
So as we celebrate this season, let us respond with gratitude, with worship, and renewed
commitment to follow him.
May the story of the Nativity fill our hearts with awe and inspire us to share the gift
of Jesus with a world longing for hope.
If you'd please stand.
I need one prayer counselor there and one prayer counselor there, and it doesn't matter
to me who you are.
Just need one over here and one there.
Every head bowed and every eye closed, I'm going to...
Some of you are going to move.
Some of you are going to stay right where you are.
It doesn't matter to me.
I'm going to give both opportunities, but if you are here today and you feel like you
need a public declaration to say, Lord, I want to recommit my life to you, I want you
to move right now to one of these men and just...
It's not about getting born again.
It's about just saying, Lord, I need to return to you.
If you're here today and that's you, would you move from where you are?
If you want salvation, amen.
Come on, boys.
I need one more right here.
I need one more prayer partner right here.
If you're here today, anybody else would like to move?
So, Phrez, Tom, if you guys want to come to...
Either one of these two, Nick, if you want to be with Jeremy.
If there's anybody else here today that says, I want to make that personal declaration,
that personal recommitment to Christ, if that's you today, will you make that move right now?
Every head bowed and every eye closed.
If you're here today and it's too much to move, but you want to start this holiday season
and the next year with commitment, can you just lift your hand and say, Lord, I want
to return to you?
I want to make every day about you.
Thank you for the hand.
Thank you for the hands.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So, Father, we come to you now.
As we pray for those that have moved and we pray for those that lifted their hands,
we thank you, God, that your salvation is for us all, that your restoration, your peace,
your love, and your light is for us all.
No matter what position we hold, no matter what place we're in, we know that this is
the beginning point of our commitment, our recommitment to say, Lord, I put my salvation
in front of everything, over everything.
May I be an example to men and women everywhere of your hope, your light, and your liberty.
We thank you, God, for each and every person that hears this message and has revealed unto
them the goodness of God.
It's in Jesus' name we pray and we all say, amen.
I want to extend this just a little further and maybe ask you guys to sing something if
you can.
While we're still praying, if you still feel the need to move, if you want to move, if
you want to receive prayer, we're wrapping up and we're just going to sing a chorus of
a song and give you that opportunity.
Maybe you can pray for the person next to you.
Amen.
Let's praise.
Let's praise.
Hallelujah.
Wow.
I didn't know how this message would turn out today.
But I am thrilled to see heaven's riches, kingdom revenue of spirit, soul, and body,
people, and their hearts being restored.
We thank you, God, for the greatest offering we could give, which is ourselves to you.
It's in Jesus' name we pray and we say, amen.
Amen.
Thank you for tuning in to today's message.
To connect or find out more, you can reach us online at worldchangers.life.
Remember to subscribe for more uplifting messages from our pastoral team.
And may you continue to walk in faith and transformation until we meet again.
