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Amen, so Merry Christmas, we're ending our, we're going to kind of cap off our series that we've been working on for the last few weeks on the run up to the details of the Christmas story. Of course we've been talking about the events that preceded the birth of Jesus Christ. We talked about Elizabeth and Zechariah, we talked about John the Baptist, we talked about Mary and her interactions with Gabriel, and then of course we talked about Joseph as well. In Luke chapter 2 we see the birth of Jesus and the way that it happened, we're going to focus on the first part of that verse there, mainly the birth of Jesus and the shepherds that come to his birth. It's interesting enough to know that the shepherds were there at the birth of Jesus in the manger, the wise men were not however, so every nativity scene that you see is wrong, not to burst your bubble, but the wise men, there's no evidence that there was three, maybe there was more, but everyone thinks because there's three gifts we'll just put three wise men and we'll shove them all in the nativity scene, put a camel and a donkey in there and it all looks pretty in someone's living room, right? But that's not of course the truth of the Bible. Not that that is really relevant, but let's look at Luke chapter 2 and see what we can look at. We've got a pair of sermons on the birth of Christ for you today, and let's get right into it and the Bible says, and in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed, the more things change, the more things stay the same, right? And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria and all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city. And Joseph went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea under the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David. Turn to Micah chapter 5. So it's actually fairly significant that Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem. So this was a fulfillment of prophecy because it was prophesied and it makes sense that God would have prophesied, given evidence to where the Messiah would be born so people could identify, you know, the evidence that was presented of Jesus being the Messiah. So God, he gave these prophecies about Jesus so people when Jesus was born or the Messiah was born, would be able to identify that he was the Messiah, because there's many false Christs, many people even today, you know, say that they're Jesus, say that they're the Messiah. Look at Micah chapter 5 in verse number 2. The Bible says, but thou Bethlehem Ephrata, thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of these shall come forth unto me, he that is unto me that is to be ruler in Israel whose goings forth have been of old from everlasting. So that, of course, can only fit the Messiah right there, saying that there's going to be a ruler in Israel that comes out of Bethlehem that, you know, is from everlasting. So that has to be Jesus Christ, that has to be the Messiah, all right? Look at Luke chapter 2 in verse number 5. So we see that that's a fulfillment, Joseph taking his family, you know, they're taking his pregnant espoused wife to Bethlehem to pay taxes in this case is actually fulfilling this prophecy in Micah chapter 5 in verse number 2, but look at Luke chapter 2 and look at verse number 5. It says to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife being great with child. And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered, and she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. So first of all, you know, we can get from this that Joseph and Mary, you know, while they were from, you know, the proper line that the Messiah was supposed to come from, the line of David, they both were in Matthew chapter 1, we see Joseph's lineage, in Luke chapter 3 we see Mary's, but the point I'm trying to make here, and it's evidence in verse number 7, you say, why, why is that significant? Because this is kind of how God operates, you know, throughout the Bible, Joseph and Mary were normal people, they were not rich people, they were not super powerful people, he was not a king or a governor or some kind of ruler, they were just regular, everyday, average people, and that continues in this story, look at verse number 8, it says, and there were in that same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night, so here's some more just normal people, just everyday working men, they're out, they're ranching, they're watching their livestock, and lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. You say, why would God, you know, why would God go and find these normal working men at this time and bring them into this situation? Well, we'll see that in just a few verses here. The angel said to them, fear not, for behold, I bring to you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people, that's basically the gospel right there, the gospel is called the good news, that's what the gospel means, so the angel is basically saying, hey, you know, I'm bringing the gospel to you, you know, I'm bringing this good news to you, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior, which is Christ the Lord, and this shall be a sign unto you, you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass that as the angels were gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another, let us go now even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and they found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger, and when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. This is why they were brought there, right there, why? You say, look at verse 17, just underline those four words, they made known abroad. They were used as witnesses to the birth of the Messiah, and it was their job to go out and what? To tell people. The point of the shepherds in this story, in the Christmas story, is the same point as us, is the exact same purpose. The purpose of the shepherds is the same purpose that we have when Jesus told us, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. We are the shepherds. We're the modern day shepherds. Every Christian that has ever lived has the same purpose as these shepherds. They were just the first. They were just the first, when Jesus was born, to go out and tell what? The good news, the gospel to the world. So this is just showing, again, showing the pattern that God does what? God uses regular people all the time. You'll see that all throughout the Old Testament. God never uses some huge, powerful man. He's using regular people to accomplish great things, because it's all about God's glory. It's all about God's glory, not ours. So here we see these regular people that are used to run up to this point of not only Jesus being born, but to tell about Jesus. We see Mary and Joseph and Elizabeth and Zachariah and John the Baptist. John the Baptist was poor. He had nothing. He was literally in the desert, just living off of bugs and honey, the Bible says. Just regular, everyday, normal people used by God for the greatest things. I mean, it's a great, first of all, that's just a great message for us right there. You say, well, I'm just a regular guy. I'm just a regular gal. How could I do great things in my life for the Lord? Well, that's exactly who God wants to do great things for the Lord, is just regular people. Because the reason God does it is because He doesn't want people looking at some big, strong person and saying, look at how great and big and strong and smart that person is. He wants God's glory to be seen through just us, just regular people. And we see that with this whole Christmas story, which is why we studied that throughout the last few weeks. But this morning, all that just to cap off the Christmas series sermon, but this morning we see the birth of Jesus Christ. He's literally born as a baby in a barn, in a manger, in a trough where animals are fed. And the question I have this morning, and I don't know if you've ever thought about this, but basically I want to focus this morning on Jesus the man. Tonight we'll look at Jesus God, Jesus as God. But this morning I want to look at Jesus the man. And especially this morning, even more specific on that. Why a baby? Why did Jesus, why did the Messiah have to come as a baby? Why couldn't Jesus, or God, have created the Messiah to come to earth as a 30-year-old grown man? I mean, God could do it however He wanted. So why a baby? I want to answer two questions for you this morning, focusing on Jesus the man. Why didn't Jesus come as a grown man? Why did He have to come as a baby and grow up as a child, and an adolescent, and then into a young man, and then into a man, and then have this ministry when He was 30 years old for three and a half years, and then die on the cross? Why that way? And then, the second thing I want to answer for you this morning is just, why didn't God just come down as a heavenly being? Why didn't God just come down as a spirit and just God Himself? Why did He have to be a man, period? I'm going to answer both of those for you this morning, because look, God could have done it any way He wanted. He could have redeemed the world any way He wanted. The Messiah, you know, why? The first question is, why the 33 years of life? Why are we talking about a baby here? The first answer to this question is in Hebrews chapter 4. Just think about all the trouble, all the trouble that they went through taking care of Jesus as a baby. He was a baby, and then the wise men went to Herod and visited Him as a young child. They visited Him somewhere between zero and probably one and a half years old, the wise men. And then, Joseph had to be warned in a dream, as we already studied, to get the child out of there and go to Egypt, because Herod would go and he would kill all the children under two years old to try to, you know, kill the Messiah. Of course, God protected. So, I mean, God went to a lot of trouble to protect Jesus as a baby, as a young child. Why all that trouble? And then back to Nazareth, and then just grow up, and then as we just read in Luke chapter 2, he's in the temple, and he's learning, and he's listening to all the thinkers and the people in the temple speaking. So the answer for why a baby is in Hebrews chapter 4. Just remember, God, God is a, you know, the Bible says in 2 Timothy chapter 4 in verse number 8, it says that God is the righteous judge. So God is the perfect judge, is how I always, you know, tell people, God's a judge that never makes mistakes. But another thing you need to realize about God is everything that God does is perfect. Everything that God does is, I mean, by perfect I mean righteous and I mean complete. It's complete. God is also, think about it this way, we think about, you know, men, we think about leading our families, we think about if you lead people in your job, you know, we think about how do I be a leader and how do I do these things the right way. I think about this a lot, you know, as the pastor of a church. You know, I'm obviously not a perfect leader, you know, but God is a perfect leader. And he gives us that perfect example of leadership to follow. So God's a perfect leader. He's a perfect everything. And look, a good leader, a good leader would never put people up to something that he was not willing to do himself. That's the first thing that I need you to understand. Look at Hebrews chapter 4, if you're there, and look at verse number 15. So you say, why a baby? Why did God send the Messiah to be not just a man, but a man that lived this life of decades on this earth? Look at verse 15. The Bible says, we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted, like as we are, yet without sin. So the Bible here says, is that, you know, comparing Jesus to, you know, he's the actual high priest. He's the perfect high priest. It's saying that he didn't send a Messiah here that is not going to understand what men go through in their lives. Meaning our infirmities, meaning our temptations, basically what he's talking about is just like what we go through with our flesh. You know, we talk about the flesh and the spirit all the time as we read the Bible, as we study the Bible, and the Bible here is saying is that our high priest, the Messiah, he understands all of those infirmities, those feelings, those temptations even. The difference is that he is without sin, alright? Look at John chapter 1 and verse number 14. John chapter 1 and verse number 14. John chapter 1 and verse number 14. So I mean the point is that a good leader will not expect someone to do something that he is not willing to do himself, okay? That's the first point. That's why God sent a baby to live a life as a child, as a young man, as a man, and just be on this earth for decades because he was here to experience our infirmities and the temptations, yet he did it perfectly. He did it without all the mistakes and all the stumblings and all the sin that we do it with. Look at verse 14 of John chapter 1. And the word was made flesh, and look at these four words here, and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, the glory is the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Look, the Bible says he lived among us, dwelt means he lived a life among us. He lived among us perfectly. So the first thing is that God, and this is not just with the Messiah, this is throughout the Bible and this is just the character of God. Go back to Hebrews chapter 9, I'm going to read for you 1 Peter chapter 2 verse number 22. You go to Hebrews chapter 9, I'm going to read for you a few verses here, but God demonstrates things to us. That's what you need to understand, and this is why Jesus came as a baby, because God just doesn't tell us things. This is another thing that a perfect leader will do, or even a good leader will do. A good leader will demonstrate things. God demonstrates to us, in 1 Peter 2 verse 22, the Bible says, talking about Jesus who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21 the Bible says, for he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, not in us, nothing in us, but he knew no sin. 1 John chapter 3 and verse 5, and you know that he was manifested to take away our sins, and in him is no sin. Notice how he's taking away our sins, we're saved through his righteousness, but it's only because, and it's always coupled with the fact that he knew no sin, he did no sin, he had no sin, Jesus was sinless. So it was coupled with the fact that he did not have sin, because look, if he had sin, it wouldn't have worked. That's why it's always coupled with that fact, that he had, in him is no sin. Look at Hebrews chapter 9 in verse number 14, Hebrews chapter 9 verse number 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. So what the Bible is saying, the reason that Jesus came as a baby is because God is I will show you how God. That's why. God demonstrates things to us, and he came as a man, as a baby, to live for years and years and years before he even made that sacrifice to show that he had a life without spot, a life without sin that could be that sacrifice. Look you think about it this way, it's the same thing, it's the same philosophy as the millennial reign. You ever thought about that? Like why a millennial reign? Why is Jesus Christ going to come back on this earth and rule and reign for a thousand years? Why? I mean, this is why. Because God tells us in the Bible over and over and over and over again how to run a nation. God tells us again and again and again how to run a godly nation. I mean that's the whole Old Testament, it's just like this failure again and again and again. He's like, I told you, I told you, I told you. He said in the millennial reign, he's like now I'm going to show you because that is who God is. Turn to Daniel chapter 7, turn to Daniel chapter 7. God is a God, I mean I'm very thankful for this. He's a God that demonstrates. He's not just a God that just says, hey do this, do that. He's going to show us how to actually rule a nation on this earth. Look at Daniel chapter 7 and verse number 13. Daniel talking about this, he says in verse 13, he says, I saw in the night visions and behold, one like unto the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the ancient of days and they brought him near before him. And there was given to him dominion and glory and a kingdom that all people, nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. So look, the millennial reign is just God showing us once again how to do things that we have fallen short on even though he's been telling us for thousands of years how to do it. He's going to show us how. You say, how's he going to do it? In Psalm chapter 2 verse 9, the Bible says, thou shall break them with a rod of iron, thou shall dab them in pieces like a potter's vessel. The same thing is repeated in Revelation chapter 2 that Jesus Christ will rule them with a rod of iron. This is how Jesus is going to do it. Look, there's not going to be a constitution in the millennial reign. You know, I'm sorry, you know, but look, there will be this, the Bible. And here's the thing, that's the only thing that's needed, even today. Even today that's the only thing that's needed. All these different things that we come up with as far as, you know, governments of men, they're just, that fall short again and again and again, they're just pragmatism, they're just stopgap measures, they're just the best thing that we can think of outside the Bible. It's all they are until the real deal shows up in the millennial reign of Christ. He's going to demonstrate to us how to do it. That's why Jesus came as a baby, because God's like, I'm going to demonstrate to you how to do this. And you say, here's another one, just to get deeper on this. Why a thousand years? Why a thousand years? Here's my opinion. Did you know that if you talk to most historians that have analyzed empires since the beginning of history itself, you know what they'll tell you? They'll tell you the average age of an empire on earth up to this point is about 250 years. Most people will agree on that. You say 250 years, that doesn't seem like that long. Yeah, it's not that long. It's not that long. As a matter of fact, if you look at the America of 1776, in 2026 we will hit our 250th year birthday in 2026. So here's the thing, we're not that old when it comes to the millennial reign that Jesus is going to rule and reign. And look, we went through this clues and milestones sermon series over the last couple of months, and look, maybe we are the Babylon of Revelation chapter 18. I mean, it certainly fits. But when you look at all the things that need to happen to get up to that point yet, I just don't think we're going to make it that long. I mean, when you look at what's happening in this country today and the fact that most empires don't even, you know, their average is 250 years, you know, I mean, when I look at, you know, I told my wife just a few days ago, I was like, I think I'll just stop watching the news because it gets stupider and stupider every day. I don't know how we'll make it another 10 years, much less 50 years and try to break that average. But I mean, it might be that we just don't get honorable mention enough to even be mentioned in the Bible. That's quite possible. All right, but look, Jesus is going to literally come here and he's going to demonstrate how to run a nation on this earth for four times longer than man has been able to do. That's why a thousand years, in my opinion, God, Jesus will show how God's way works. That's what he will show. And he'll prove it by ruling and reigning the earth for an entire, for a thousand years, which is four times longer than we were able to do on average here. All right, turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. So look, our God that we serve is a God that's not just telling us stuff, he demonstrates things. All right, that's why a baby. That's why Jesus came as a baby. Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. But why did Jesus have to be a man? If you look at the doctrines, the false doctrines, many false doctrines in Christianity are based on two directions. One is denying the manhood of Christ and the other is denying the deity of Christ, both which are false doctrines, because Jesus was 100% man and also 100% God, which we'll discuss tonight. And I'll tell you why it was important that he was 100% God this evening, okay? But Jesus had to be a man. We see that he had to be a baby, so, you know, because that fits God's character of just demonstrating perfect leadership to us, not wanting, not expecting us to go through something that he wouldn't go through himself and just demonstrating this perfect life. But here's another one. Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Just on this idea, why didn't God come in heavenly form? Why didn't he just come as this spirit that was just God? Because ultimately, ultimately the answer to this is ultimately there had to be a sacrifice that was worthy of covering our sins. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Look at verse number 50. The Bible says this, it says, Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Now turn to 1 Peter chapter 1. So the only reason I read that for you is because something comes along with being a man. Something comes along with this flesh, and that is this, blood. There had to be blood. Look at 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse number 19. Look at 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse number 19. We are redeemed only through blood, the Bible says. Look at verse number 19. It says, But with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish, there's that no sin and without spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but has manifest in these last times for you. That means Jesus was always there. I'll show you that tonight. Jesus was always there. He showed himself to people in the Old Testament. He was always there, but now in these last times. So yes, we are in the last days, we're not in the end times, but we're in the last days. In these last times, he's shown to you in the form of this baby being born that we just talked about in Luke chapter 2, whom by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God. Turn to Hebrews chapter 9. The point is that Jesus had to be a man because we are covered by the precious blood of Christ. You say, why the blood? Why is that important? Look at Hebrews chapter 9. Why did there have to be blood? Look at verse number 19. Hebrews chapter 9, verse number 19. The Bible says this. It says, For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the testament, which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover, he sprinkled the blood both on the tabernacle and the vessels of the ministry. Verse 22. And almost all things by the law are purged with blood. And look at this part of this verse right here. It says, And without shedding of blood is no remission. What do we need? What do we need? For all have sinned, we need remission, is what we need. And the Bible says here, Without the shedding of blood is no remission. So verse 23 kind of explains the whole point of what Moses and the Levites were doing in the Old Testament. It says, It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. All those things in the Old Testament, the Bible says that, you know, the blood of calves and the blood of bulls and goats, you know, it doesn't forgive sins. It's just a pattern. It was just a mirror. It was just a shadow of the real heavenly thing to come. For Christ has not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Look, Jesus had to be a man to shed his blood. That's the mechanics of how it works. And he was the perfect sacrifice. In Hebrews chapter 10, verse number 3, it says about the old sacrifices, it says, In those sacrifices there is remembrance again made of sins every year. So what those people were doing in the Old Testament is they were doing those sacrifices of the bulls and of the goats to remember their sins and to be in a good standing with their heavenly Father and to, you know, foreshadow how they were actually going to be redeemed. They were believing in that redemption that was yet to come is what those people were trusting in as they were looking forward as we look back. They were saved in the exact same way. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Those bulls and those goats being sacrificed did not give them remission of their sins. It was a shadow of Jesus of that perfect sacrifice. It was a picture of the real thing to come. When you look at the sacrifice in the Day of Atonement in Leviticus chapter 16 and you look at all the bulls and you look at the goats and you look at all the different things that the priest did, it's like Jesus encompasses all of that. You say, what part is Jesus of that? Everything. Because he was the perfect sacrifice. So look, he had to be a flesh and blood man. He had to be a man. In Luke chapter 22 and verse number 20 Jesus says, likewise he took the cup after supper and he said, this is the cup in the New Testament in my blood which is shed for you. The New Testament, the promise that God gave us is that the blood shed by Jesus provides the remission for our sins. So look, in 1 Peter chapter 1 that we just read, these two things come together. Where it says the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot, he was the perfect sacrifice but it was also the precious blood of Christ. So being the perfect sacrifice, that lamb without spot means he lived a perfect life, he was without sin and he had to shed his blood. This is why Jesus had to be a man. And to live that perfect life without sin, I mean, there's no better, there's no more complete way to do that than to be born into this world as a man, as a baby, live that life all the way up to the point when he was 33 years old and he shed his blood for mankind. Because if it was without, if he had sinned one time, if he had had one foolish thought, that sacrifice would not be accepted because that lamb has to be without spot. So look, Jesus as a man, it really shows God's character towards us. It really shows, you know, how this was just a perfect gift to us. When we talk about, you know, Christmas gifts, I mean, this was the perfect gift to, you know, mankind. It was a gift without spot. He lived, he went through exactly what we went through except he did it perfectly. He did it perfectly. Really what it shows, really what it shows is God's, this idea that Jesus was man, fully man from a baby all the way up to, you know, someone who was 33 years old, who had a ministry for, you know, three and a half years and then died on the cross, was buried and rose again from the dead. We'll focus on that tonight. But really what it shows, it shows God's ownership of us. It shows, I mean, think about this, he created man. He created man, it all went wrong. It all went wrong, not because of him, because of man. And then he came in, I mean, man rebelled. Man rebelled against God and it's interesting because as man rebelled against God, God still took ownership of man. He still, look, it's easy, you know, this idea of ownership, you know, taking responsibility, it's easy to take responsibility for things when they go well. You know, when there's huge successes and everything's going right, it's easy to be like, I did that, that was me. It's when things go wrong. It's when things go wrong in, you know, our lives, our families, with our children that, you know, it's more difficult in those times to take responsibility or to take, this word that I'm using, to take ownership of those situations. But look, God demonstrates perfect, complete ownership of us. He creates us, we rebel against him, and yet he comes in and he provides a solution for us even though we didn't deserve it, even though we are the ones that went wrong. But look, he just took complete ownership of us. I mean, usually, when we do the wrong thing, that's when the excuses come in, right? This is when people don't want to own things, but God created us, and it's also interesting that he created us with the same tool that he saved us with. Think about that. He created the world through the word, through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the creator. We rebel, and then he takes ownership and fixes the entire situation with Jesus, with the same, he fixes us with the same tool that he created us with. Look, he tries to manage us, he tries to manage us in a perfect way with the Bible, and we don't listen. You know, we don't listen. You know, so this gift, this gift of just God taking complete ownership of us and saving us with the same tool that he created us with, it can't be earned. I mean, not only do we, not only do we, it's a gift. It can't be earned. We don't deserve it, but not only do we don't, we don't listen, it can't be earned, but most people in this world today, they don't even think that they need this gift. They don't even think that, I mean, you could ask most people today if they even want this gift and they would reject this gift. Most people live in a way, I mean, God even planted in every man's heart the desire to seek him. He planted this law in man's heart, what you would call a conscience, what the Bible calls a conscience, but most people actually go and they live in a way that covers their conscience so they no longer seek the Lord. So when somebody comes and offers this gift to them, they don't even want it. They don't even recognize him. They don't even want this gift. Somebody shows up on their door with that present and they don't want it. They have no interest in it. Somebody shows up with that, think about it, that universal solution, that universal solution to our problem. And look, he didn't buy it from a store. He didn't buy it from a store. He paid for it with the death, burial, and resurrection of his own son. The same person that created every single person who has ever lived in this entire universe. But they don't want it. It's a gift that most people still will not take. Condemnation's a little bit different when you look at it that way, isn't it? All these people that think, oh, a God that would send people to hell and all these things, but yeah, but when you look at it from the fact that God created us, he took complete ownership of us even after we were somebody that messed everything up, rebelled against him and wanted to have nothing to do with him, and then he comes and he provides that solution for us and we don't want it, condemnation, damnation, I mean, it makes a little bit more sense. It's actually a righteous thing. So look, Jesus was a man, he was born as a baby, it demonstrates God's complete ownership of us. Now for the saved people, we should understand that, you know, once we're saved, we need to take ownership of everything that God has told us that we should have ownership of in our lives. I mean, after salvation, that's the Bible right there. After salvation, the Bible is about owning everything, owning your life, getting right, becoming those shepherds, becoming those people that go out and make known the gospel and all these things, but look, this is basically the whole Bible after salvation, is God took ownership of you, now you take ownership of what he tells you to do. That's the Bible in a nutshell. I mean, can we take ownership of ourselves, you know, when we think about that, our responsibilities. Think about, you know, our kids, our marriage, you know, our spiritual life. You know, these are things that God wants us to take ownership of. He tells us, you know, here's what's in your wheelhouse, here's what's not, take ownership of these things, but there's no ownership of anything today. There's no ownership of anything today. If it's right, I did it. If it's wrong, here's the excuses and I don't want to have anything to do with it. But God through Jesus just demonstrates this ownership. I just read this book, I don't know why I read it, there was nothing new, I literally learned nothing. It just came up on like a feed that I should, a recommended reading thing. It was called Extreme Ownership, this book, it was just about owning your responsibilities, you know, through business and through all these different things. But there was literally nothing in this book that was anything different than what the Bible teaches. You know, it was just another, it was just another rip off of the Bible, basically. You know, because God, turn to John chapter 14, turn to John chapter 14. Speaking of just Jesus the man, Jesus the man, I mean God, he saves us by taking ownership, by doing what we couldn't do as a man, as a child, as an adolescent, as a baby. And then in John chapter 14 and verse 15, all God says is, I think this is, there's a reason this is one of the shortest verses in the Bible, one of the simplest verses in the Bible. God just says to us, he's like, if you love me, keep my commandments. This has nothing to do with your salvation. Jesus, God is just saying, he's just saying like, he's like, look, I loved you, like I took ownership of you after you were a wreck, after you were a pile on the ground, you had rebelled against me, you wanted to have nothing to do with me, 99% of the people in this world still want to have nothing to do with me, but God's like, you know what, I saved you, I provided a solution for you, I lived this life that you couldn't have lived, I demonstrated all of it, I showed you what will happen if you actually follow the Bible. God's just saying, hey, if you love me, could you keep, could you do what I say? Could you show some love towards me? He's just saying, after all this, can you show some respect and do what I ask you to do? So look, folks, Jesus had to be a man. He had to come as a baby. Because God's ownership isn't extreme ownership, it's complete ownership. Everything that God does is complete, everything that God does is perfect, and Jesus being born as a baby, living a perfect life, and then shedding that righteous, spotless blood for us, that's why Jesus had to be a man. Because it was the perfect way to redeem us. So Merry Christmas, thank God, and thank God for Jesus Christ being this man that did what needed to be done so we can be covered in His righteousness. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.