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00:00 I wanna come around this idea today
00:03 that we've famed God loves surprises.
00:08 God loves surprises.
00:12 That's what I wanna talk about today.
00:13 And just because I'm curious,
00:15 how many of you would say by showing of hands
00:18 that you love surprises?
00:19 Can I see your hand if you love surprises?
00:21 Oh, wow, look at all those hands, okay.
00:24 How many of you say you don't like surprises?
00:29 Like, don't surprise me, let me see your hand.
00:31 I'm laughing because you lifted up your hand
00:36 in response to the question.
00:37 All the people that said I love surprises,
00:39 your hands went up quick, like it was a spelling bee
00:40 and you knew how to spell the word.
00:42 All the people who said I don't like surprises,
00:44 your hands just kind of went up slow.
00:46 Like, look, I didn't even know
00:47 you were gonna ask me this question.
00:48 Don't surprise, don't surprise me.
00:51 I got another question.
00:52 How many of you don't like surprises
00:55 and yet you love surprising other people?
00:58 Can I see your hand?
00:59 Keep it up, yeah.
01:01 That's all the control freaks right there.
01:03 I'm gonna lift up my hand, I'm gonna lift up my hand,
01:07 I'm gonna let you know, I don't like surprises.
01:10 I do not like surprises, I ain't gonna say I hate 'em.
01:13 I strongly dislike surprises.
01:16 Matter of fact, if you are gonna surprise me, tell me, okay.
01:21 Let me know.
01:22 I don't need to know the details
01:23 of how you're gonna surprise me,
01:24 but at least give me a heads up, okay.
01:27 Give a brother a little bit of warning,
01:28 just like let me know.
01:29 If there's like a surprise party Thursday night for me
01:32 and I don't know, I don't need to know
01:33 the restaurant details, but let me know.
01:36 Hey, you might wanna dress up tonight.
01:38 You know, let me know how I need to brush my teeth
01:39 before I go to this.
01:41 Let me know, don't have me pulling up like in gym shorts
01:46 when it's my surprise party.
01:47 And I say that with specificity because by far,
01:51 the greatest surprise of my life occurred 10 years ago now.
01:55 10 years ago, my 30th birthday, my beautiful bride,
01:58 the lovely Taylor Medu surprised me.
02:01 She got me so good, y'all.
02:03 We were chilling at the crib.
02:04 It was just a casual day.
02:06 And she said, "Hey, babe, you wanna go to the mall?"
02:09 I said, "Right now?"
02:10 She said, "Yeah."
02:11 I said, "You feel like it?"
02:11 She's like, "If you feel like it."
02:13 I said, "Cool, let's go to the mall."
02:15 I threw on some gym shorts and I just go to the mall.
02:18 And there we are, it's a regular day.
02:20 We're perusing around the mall, having a good time.
02:22 Normal mall day with my boo, Zara,
02:25 three and a half hours, chilling.
02:27 And we come out and she's like, "Hey, you ready to eat?"
02:30 I'm like, "Yeah, I could eat.
02:31 "I could eat where you wanna go."
02:32 She's like, "Wherever you wanna go."
02:34 I said, "We're right here in the mall.
02:34 "We may as well go to Maggiano's."
02:36 She said, "Oh, Maggiano's is cool."
02:39 Looking back, I should've known right there, something was up
02:42 'cause she ain't never decided
02:45 where she wants to eat that quick.
02:46 I should've known, ah, hold up.
02:48 How come there was no debate about this?
02:51 So we go to Maggiano's, I will never forget this.
02:53 We walk in, we say, "Party of two."
02:55 They're like, "Right this way."
02:57 They take us upstairs.
02:58 I was like, "This is odd, never been upstairs before."
03:01 But I still wasn't thinking anything.
03:02 We walk upstairs and sure enough, I open a door.
03:06 I'm like, "Why am I going through a door to be seated?"
03:09 And there it is, a room full of all of my family and friends
03:13 and they all shouted, "Surprise!"
03:16 And I jumped back and once my blood pressure came back down,
03:19 I said, "Oh my, oh my goodness, why didn't you tell me?"
03:24 I got on gym shorts.
03:28 It was an awesome time and we had some chicken parmesan,
03:31 had an amazing little 30th birthday,
03:33 but the surprise continued.
03:35 Got back to the crib.
03:37 Said, "Babe, you're really gonna like this next surprise."
03:41 I'm like, "Well, I'm still recovering from the last one."
03:43 She said, "Pack your bags
03:45 "'cause I'm taking you to New York City."
03:47 I said, "New York City?"
03:48 She said, "Yeah."
03:49 She said, "You are going to go see 'A Raisin in the Sun.'
03:53 "I'm taking you to go see Denzel Washington on Broadway."
03:58 I said, "Quit playing!"
03:59 She said, "No, I'm serious.
04:01 "We're gonna go see Denzel on Broadway."
04:03 And that's not a big deal to you,
04:04 but that's a big deal to me
04:06 because I just wanna declare I am a day one,
04:08 diehard Denzel Washington fan, okay?
04:12 I'm just gonna say this for the record, okay?
04:14 He's an arguably the greatest actor to ever live, okay?
04:18 It's not up for debate.
04:20 That is my dude, Denzel Washington.
04:22 I'm not a new Denzel fan, you know, the new one,
04:24 'cause he's still killing it right now.
04:25 You know what I'm saying?
04:26 Just still killing it as a old man,
04:27 killing people as an assassin.
04:29 I'm talking about old school Denzel back in the day.
04:32 Glory, remember Glory when his bottom lip was out
04:34 and just made one tear come down his cheek?
04:37 You know how good of an actor you got to be
04:39 to make one tear come down your cheek?
04:42 I'm a Denzel fan, so I am going crazy.
04:45 I'm about to go see Denzel live on Broadway.
04:47 I'll never forget it, we get to the Broadway show
04:49 an hour early, there I am, front row.
04:52 You understand what this moment means for me?
04:54 Up until this point, I have only seen Denzel Washington
04:57 on a screen at a distance in a movie theater.
05:00 I'm about to see this man, Coach Boone, y'all, Frank Lucas.
05:04 I'm about to see him in the flesh,
05:07 so I'm going crazy just being in the Broadway theater,
05:11 and I'll never forget it, and I sat there.
05:12 All of a sudden, the curtain comes up,
05:14 and y'all, when Denzel came out in the flesh,
05:17 I'm sorry, I panicked, I went like a Taylor Swift fan.
05:20 (screams)
05:22 I'm not making this up.
05:23 I don't know why my hands,
05:24 my hands ain't supposed to come up here.
05:25 But I just (screams)
05:27 I just screamed, 'cause there he is in the flesh.
05:29 Up until this point, I have only seen him on a screen.
05:32 I'm not playing with you, I'm watching the Broadway play.
05:34 I'm about right where you are right there, watching Denzel.
05:37 There was a moment in the play where he got real passionate.
05:39 He said, "What are you talking about?"
05:40 He said, "What are you talking about?"
05:41 As soon as he said talk, something just spit off
05:44 of Denzel's lip, came all the way off,
05:47 and just hit me in the chest.
05:49 I said, "Babe, this is the greatest gift
05:51 "of my entire life."
05:54 It was a moment that I will never forget.
05:57 We watched the play, and I got my program,
05:59 and I'm skipping in the streets of New York,
06:01 and I'm about to get in the cab and leave.
06:04 All of a sudden, I look out my peripheral,
06:06 and I see right next to the theater,
06:08 there's a little alleyway with the door.
06:10 And there's a group of people by the door,
06:12 not a massive crowd, just a few people by the door.
06:15 And I was about to get in my cab and mind my business,
06:18 but that door was calling my name.
06:20 And I couldn't understand why that group of people
06:22 was sitting right there by the door, standing there.
06:24 So I said, "Babe, hold on, hold on."
06:25 She was pregnant at the time.
06:26 She's like, "Are you serious?"
06:27 I said, "Just let me see what this situation is about."
06:30 And I go over there, and it's a group of people,
06:32 mainly women, they're waiting.
06:33 I said, "Oh, what y'all doing?
06:34 (audience laughing)
06:35 "Why y'all standing by this door, by the theater?"
06:39 He said, "Oh, well, all of the actors and actresses
06:42 "from the play are gonna come out of this door."
06:45 I said, "All of them?"
06:47 (audience laughing)
06:49 They said, "Well, sometimes Mr. Washington
06:51 "sneaks out the back, but other times,
06:53 "he'll come and he'll shake a few hands."
06:55 I said, "You try and tell me Coach Boone, Frank Lucas,
07:00 "might come through that door, and I can shake his hand?"
07:02 They said, "We don't know."
07:04 So I'm standing there with the group of ladies.
07:05 I'm like, "Babe, please just wait."
07:07 And I'm just waiting.
07:08 I was like, "I got to wait."
07:09 And we waited, and we waited.
07:11 A few of the actors came out.
07:12 I was like, "Oh, okay, not Coach Boone.
07:14 "Come on, come on."
07:15 I waited, I waited, and y'all, sure enough,
07:17 I heard his voice before I saw him.
07:19 I hear Denzel's voice.
07:21 He comes out, he walks to the right side first,
07:24 shook a few hands there, and then he turns
07:26 and comes straight towards me,
07:29 looking at me in my face like he knew he's a day one.
07:32 (audience laughing)
07:34 He walks straight up to me.
07:36 He shakes my hand, but let me tell you the moment before.
07:39 Y'all, I'm so nervous because,
07:41 have you ever met your hero before in real life?
07:43 'Cause my hand is shaking because I got to shake
07:46 with one hand, but then if you don't capture it,
07:48 it didn't exist.
07:49 So I got to get the picture with the other hand.
07:51 So one hand is shaking with the camera,
07:54 making sure I get the image,
07:55 and the other hand is shaking before I even shake his hand
07:59 'cause I got to do a snap and a shake.
08:00 It's a snap and a shake, and y'all, I nailed it.
08:02 Can I show y'all the picture of the snap and shake?
08:05 Put that picture on the screen of the snap and shake.
08:07 (screaming)
08:09 You see it?
08:13 You think you ain't impressed?
08:14 Zoom in, zoom in.
08:15 10 years ago, this is an iPhone 3.
08:18 You see it?
08:21 One more zoom, watch it, watch it.
08:23 That's my hand and Denzel's hand.
08:26 That's my hand, keep it up there for a long time.
08:33 That's my hand, and that's Denzel's hand.
08:36 Touching, my hand has never been the same ever since.
08:39 And I share that with you today,
08:45 and I leave that picture up there as blurry as it is
08:49 'cause ladies and gentlemen,
08:53 that picture right there to me
08:54 is a picture of the power of Christmas.
09:01 I use my Denzel story as a feeble attempt
09:05 to articulate the magic, the wonder, the beauty,
09:10 the mystery, the enchantment of this season
09:14 that we are in called Christmas today.
09:17 I'm using that picture and this experience
09:20 to try to convey to you the power of what Jesus did
09:24 when he put on human skin,
09:26 and he came down through 42 generations
09:30 and came close to us, close enough to touch.
09:34 And maybe you can't get excited about that,
09:36 but you don't understand that all of humanity,
09:39 we were stuck in our sins.
09:41 We had no hope of redemption.
09:44 There was nobody that could have gotten us out
09:46 of the mess of sin.
09:48 There was a breach, there was a chasm between us and God.
09:52 And how many of you know God?
09:53 Because he is holy and we are not.
09:55 He was as distant as Denzel on a screen,
09:59 and we couldn't get close to him,
10:01 and we couldn't touch him.
10:02 And how many of you know for centuries and for years,
10:05 we were waiting and hoping and praying,
10:07 seeing glimpses of redemption,
10:09 but never walking in the effulgence of the redemption
10:13 until one day, all of a sudden in Bethlehem,
10:17 how many are thankful that Jesus showed up in a manger,
10:21 the God that we could not touch became touchable,
10:25 the intangible became tangible,
10:27 and all of a sudden we could behold the wonder of his glory,
10:32 the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth.
10:37 That's Christmas.
10:38 Christmas is not that we have a God
10:43 that you can see from a distance on the screen.
10:46 Christmas is the power of a savior who comes close,
10:51 close enough to touch, close enough to be held,
10:56 close enough to be right in your situation.
11:00 No wonder this is the surprise
11:04 that changed the course of human history.
11:07 The surprise of Jesus showing up in a manger
11:10 is the only surprise that changed the course of history.
11:14 Let me be clear.
11:14 It was no surprise that he was coming,
11:17 because there were over 300 Old Testament prophecies
11:19 that let us know he was coming.
11:22 He was always on his way.
11:23 As a matter of fact, before the foundation of the earth,
11:26 the lamb was slain.
11:27 Let me just break that down and let you know
11:29 before we even made a mistake,
11:30 God already had a plan in place.
11:33 How many know God doesn't ever have to play the rebound?
11:35 He already had a plan in place for the fall of humanity.
11:39 It was no surprise that he was coming, but how he came,
11:44 that was a surprise.
11:47 Nobody would have ever guessed manger in Bethlehem.
11:52 Nobody would have ever guessed
11:53 that God would have become a baby.
11:56 I mean, come on, think about it.
11:57 If it was you, would you come as a baby?
12:00 No, I'm letting you know right now,
12:01 if I'm coming to earth to rescue humanity from their sins,
12:04 I am not coming as a baby.
12:06 I'm coming full grown, full grown.
12:08 I'm not doing a baby.
12:09 I'm not even doing puberty.
12:10 I am showing up full grown,
12:13 and I'm not showing up in Bethlehem.
12:15 I might show up probably in New York City.
12:17 I'm coming in the world full grown with hair on my chest.
12:20 I'm gonna look like the rock.
12:21 I'm gonna have a tattoo on one bicep called righteousness,
12:24 another tattoo on this bicep called peace,
12:27 and on the back of me,
12:28 I'm gonna have a big old tat that says the government.
12:30 Church joke, the government shall be on his, okay.
12:35 That's how I'm coming, full grown, but not Jesus.
12:41 Surprise, surprise.
12:43 I'm gonna show up in no name Bethlehem.
12:46 I'm gonna show up to no name Mary.
12:49 Mary got a surprise.
12:50 Can you see Mary?
12:51 Making her wedding plan, saying,
12:52 "Yeah, this is gonna be a beautiful wedding.
12:54 "It's gonna be chill.
12:55 "I don't want no drama at this wedding.
12:59 "My wedding's gonna be peaceful and calm."
13:01 Surprise, here's Gabriel.
13:04 Hail Mary, you are highly favored.
13:08 She was highly favored and then went through hell.
13:11 Highly favored and then went through ridicule.
13:17 Highly favored and then was ostracized and alienated.
13:21 See, you think favor is you get in their car,
13:23 but Mary proves that sometimes favor is going through pain.
13:27 Sometimes favor looks like people who should embrace you
13:31 actually reject you, and she gets a surprise.
13:35 And after she got her surprise,
13:36 you're about to give birth to the son of the living God.
13:38 Guess who else got the surprise?
13:39 Joseph.
13:40 Let me help all the people who are dating.
13:43 Be careful who you pick,
13:44 because their surprise is gonna become your surprise.
13:50 Matter of fact, even if you pick the right one
13:52 and go through premarital counseling,
13:53 can I just let you know,
13:54 if you're gonna make it the long run in that relationship,
13:57 I promise you, you're gonna have a whole lot of surprises.
14:00 And all of a sudden, Joseph gets surprised with the news.
14:03 And Joseph was about to walk away, but he gets a surprise.
14:08 It says, "Mary," and it says, "Joseph, this is of the Lord."
14:11 And he stays with her.
14:12 I could go throughout the entire Christmas story
14:16 and tell you surprise after surprise.
14:18 And the reason is God loves surprises.
14:23 I want you to look at your neighbor,
14:24 'cause you haven't looked at him in a minute,
14:25 and just say, "Neighbor, stop tripping.
14:28 "God loves surprises."
14:31 Look at your other neighbor and say, "Other neighbor,
14:34 "you're my second option."
14:36 But if you're surprised right now, it might be God.
14:43 Can anybody testify to the fact
14:46 that God loves to surprise you?
14:49 Rarely does God give you a 10-year plan.
14:52 Rarely does God come down with a PowerPoint presentation
14:54 and say, "This is what's gonna happen in year two."
14:57 No, He just surprises you.
15:01 And here's why I think God loves surprises,
15:04 is because surprise is an interesting emotion.
15:08 It's different than fear.
15:10 It's different than anxiety
15:12 that can be in your life for a while.
15:14 How many know the duration of surprise is different?
15:17 It's only for a moment.
15:19 Come on, you're not perpetually surprised.
15:21 You don't see anybody just walk around.
15:25 Anybody walk around like this,
15:27 they're not perpetually surprised,
15:28 they just had a lot of Botox.
15:29 Surprise, surprise is something
15:34 that just happens in a moment.
15:35 And I think being surprised is God's favorite emotion.
15:39 And here's why it's His favorite emotion,
15:41 is because surprising somebody,
15:44 the function of surprise rather,
15:45 is to focus our attention
15:47 so we can determine what's happening.
15:49 Whenever you are surprised,
15:52 the moment is almost disorienting.
15:54 And the purpose of the moment is to focus your attention
15:57 so you can determine what's happening.
15:59 So the reason I'm arguing
16:01 that being surprised is God's favorite emotion
16:04 is because God wants your attention.
16:06 He's trying to get your attention.
16:09 That thing you're going through right now,
16:11 that's God trying to get you to focus in
16:15 and He wants your attention.
16:16 And the reason He wants your attention
16:18 is because He knows if He could ever get your attention,
16:20 He could change the direction of your life.
16:23 If God could ever get your attention,
16:26 He could change the trajectory of your life.
16:30 He surprised Mary, but that's not surprising.
16:33 We knew that it had to be a woman
16:35 that was gonna be overshadowed.
16:36 So that's not really a surprise in the Christmas story.
16:39 He surprised Joseph, and let's be honest,
16:40 Joseph is not really a surprise,
16:41 but come on, Joseph is of the lineage of David
16:43 and the Messiah had to come through the lineage of David,
16:45 so that's not really a surprise too.
16:48 I'm not even surprised at Zachariah,
16:50 who was a high priest, and him and Elizabeth got a surprise.
16:53 But it had already been prophesied
16:55 that the one who was gonna make the way
16:56 had to have a way prepared
16:57 and John the Baptist was already foretold.
16:58 So that wasn't a surprise.
17:01 Can I tell you who in the Christmas story
17:03 has the greatest surprise
17:04 that I'm still to this moment trying to figure out?
17:07 How did they get in the story?
17:10 It's in Luke chapter two, verse number eight.
17:12 This is the group of people that I'm trying to figure out.
17:14 Why are they in the story?
17:17 It says, "And there were shepherds
17:20 "living out in the fields nearby,
17:22 "keeping watch over their flocks at night.
17:24 "An angel of the Lord appeared to them,
17:27 "and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
17:29 "and they were terrified.
17:31 "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid.
17:35 "'I bring you good news that will cause great joy
17:37 "'for all people.
17:40 "'Today in the town of David,
17:42 "'a Savior has been born to you.
17:44 "'He is the Messiah, the Lord.
17:46 "'This will be a sign to you.
17:48 "'You will find a baby wrapped in clothes
17:50 "'and lying in a manger.'
17:52 "Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly hosts
17:55 "appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
17:58 "'Glory to God in the highest heaven,
18:01 "'and on earth, peace to those on whom his favor rests.'
18:06 "When the angels had left them and gone into heaven,
18:09 "the," say it.
18:11 - Shepherds.
18:12 - The who?
18:12 - Shepherds.
18:13 - The who?
18:14 - Shepherds.
18:15 - Say it with your chest.
18:16 The who?
18:17 - Shepherds.
18:18 - Said to one another,
18:19 "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that's happened."
18:22 I don't know why I had that voice,
18:23 but I think the shepherds just sound like
18:25 they're from Alabama.
18:25 "Let's go to Bethlehem.
18:27 "See this thing that's happened,
18:30 "which the Lord has told us about."
18:32 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph
18:37 and the baby who was lying in the manger.
18:39 The who that I'm surprised of in the Christmas story
18:45 are the shepherds.
18:47 Why in the world would God choose
18:50 to give the only heavenly host,
18:54 angelic announcement to a bunch of shepherds
18:58 who are out in the field?
18:59 You understand, this is the only group of people
19:01 that got a whole host of angels to make the announcement.
19:06 Y'all, Mary only got one angel.
19:08 Joseph got one.
19:11 All of a sudden, these no-name shepherds
19:14 who are out in the field
19:15 get a whole heavenly host of angels?
19:18 I like how the angels work
19:19 because they didn't start with the heavenly host.
19:21 I don't know how many of the hosts was, maybe a thousand,
19:23 but it started off with one.
19:24 He said, "Y'all stay in the back.
19:26 "We're gonna kill 'em, just hold on."
19:28 And the first angel showed up and said,
19:29 "Hey," and greeted 'em first.
19:32 And then after the first one, then came the host.
19:35 Can I just pause right here
19:36 and fix some of our angelology real quick?
19:39 Because sometimes our art that we look at,
19:42 it affects our imagination.
19:44 And so when you think angel, you think of what?
19:46 The picture of the angel, right?
19:47 That little white baby, little Gerber baby.
19:50 You know how they do that?
19:52 You think that's what the angel looked like.
19:54 But I wanna argue,
19:56 how come every single time an angel showed up in the Bible,
19:59 the first words out of their mouth was, "Don't be afraid."
20:03 Everybody calm down.
20:04 Ain't no way in the world that's what showed up.
20:08 And everybody's like, "Ooh, don't get me, Gerber baby."
20:12 So I just wanna argue,
20:15 ain't no way an angel looked like that.
20:18 If the first word out of the angel's mouth is,
20:20 "Don't be terrified," let's not get it twisted.
20:22 Angels are warriors.
20:23 I just say like golden warriors.
20:27 Let's put an accurate picture of what the angel looked like.
20:29 I bet the angel looked like that.
20:30 (audience cheering)
20:33 Calm down, ain't gonna be no flagrant foul.
20:36 Just calm down.
20:37 That's what the angel looked like.
20:41 Said, "Don't be terrified."
20:46 Everybody calm down.
20:47 And then after the angel showed up,
20:49 he brought the whole heavenly host.
20:53 And I'm trying to figure out,
20:55 why do the shepherds get a heavenly host of angels?
21:00 You understand, since you don't hang out
21:01 with a lot of shepherds,
21:02 that shepherds were the lowest in that society at the time.
21:06 Shepherds were at the absolute bottom
21:10 of the socioeconomic totem pole.
21:13 Nobody aspired to be a shepherd.
21:16 No parent was like, "Ooh, I hope my kid grows up
21:19 "to be a shepherd."
21:20 Shepherds smelled.
21:23 Shepherds were on the fringe.
21:25 Shepherds hung out with animals.
21:28 Why in the world wouldn't the heavenly host show up
21:31 to the royal elite in Rome?
21:34 Why wouldn't the heavenly host show up to King Herod?
21:36 Why wouldn't the heavenly host show up
21:38 to the one that's been fasting and praying
21:41 and studying the Torah,
21:42 saying, "When is the Messiah gonna show up?"
21:44 How come the three wise men that actually had some money
21:47 and brought gold and frankincense and myrrh,
21:50 how come they didn't get a heavenly host?
21:51 Why in the world would our God, my Lord and my Savior,
21:55 show up to the outcasts,
21:57 show up to the ones that were on the fringe,
22:00 show up to the ones that didn't have the Instagram followers,
22:03 show up to the ones that were broken,
22:05 show up to the ones that were busted,
22:07 show up to the ones that were disgusted?
22:09 Maybe he's teaching us a message in the Christmas story
22:12 that this gift of Jesus is not just for the elite.
22:16 This gift of Jesus is for absolutely everybody,
22:20 that when it comes to Jesus,
22:21 you don't get to pull out a red carpet
22:24 and put a robe over who you think can get in
22:27 and who you think should be out.
22:28 But I wanna pause today and thank God
22:31 that the message of Christmas
22:32 is that everybody is worthy of the gift of Jesus Christ.
22:37 If you're broke, you can come to Jesus.
22:39 If you're rich, you can come to Jesus.
22:42 If you're depressed, you can come to Jesus.
22:44 If you're addicted, you can come to Jesus.
22:47 If you're a prisoner, you can come to Jesus.
22:49 If you got issues, you can come to Jesus.
22:52 If your issues got issues, you can come to him.
22:56 (audience applauding)
22:58 This is all throughout your Bible.
23:00 And yet people come to church,
23:02 tell me, "I don't know if he'll accept me."
23:04 Have you read the word of God?
23:05 The Christmas story shows us
23:11 that the shepherds, that everybody else rejected.
23:15 God says, "I want it to be clear.
23:17 "My gift of my son is for everybody."
23:21 Everybody is worthy of this gift.
23:26 It's interesting because the angel's announcement
23:27 is in the town of David, "A savior has been born to you."
23:32 But the Greek translation of that is,
23:34 "A savior has been born for you."
23:36 He's for you.
23:39 What is the message of Christmas?
23:41 Jesus is for everybody.
23:44 He's for every, yo hater.
23:47 (audience murmuring)
23:48 Jesus is for them.
23:50 Yo ex, Jesus is for them.
23:55 Somebody just left the service.
23:57 (audience laughing)
23:59 Yo family that you're about to gather around the table
24:02 and go, "God, how am I related to anybody
24:04 "at this table right here?"
24:07 Jesus is for them.
24:11 This is the message of Christmas.
24:12 That's why he showed up to shepherds
24:14 to let every single one of us know
24:17 that this gift of Jesus is for everybody.
24:20 I'm shocked and surprised by the who in the Christmas story.
24:25 But I'm also shocked and surprised by the where.
24:29 Because these angels show up to these shepherds,
24:36 who by the way, are in a field
24:39 that is filled with sheep.
24:44 They're in a field, F-I-E-L-D.
24:48 That is filled, F-I-L-L-E-D,
24:51 with the flock, F-L-O-C-K, of sheep.
24:55 Okay, some of y'all get in a minute.
24:59 The heavenly host shows up to a bunch of shepherds
25:03 who are in a field that is filled with the flock of sheep.
25:08 I did my homework.
25:11 It's possible, it's 1,500 sheep or more
25:14 out in this field.
25:16 It's filled with sheep.
25:18 And that's where the heavenly host show up.
25:20 Okay, let me make it real plain.
25:21 How many of you know my dog, Journey?
25:23 We just got a second dog.
25:25 His name is Bruno.
25:25 He's a Rottweiler.
25:27 And since we got our first dog,
25:29 and especially now since we have a second dog,
25:30 I just wanna let you know,
25:31 I have never in my life, since being a dog owner,
25:35 opened up my back door, walked in my grass like this.
25:42 Ain't never happened.
25:44 Especially now that I got two dogs,
25:46 I walk in my backyard like this.
25:48 This is how I walk, because I got two dogs.
25:56 This field
25:58 is filled with sheep.
26:08 I'm in the text.
26:09 They don't visit these sheep.
26:11 Text says they live there.
26:13 Homie, where are you?
26:16 Where do you lay the...
26:18 Can you smell the first Christmas?
26:23 That field is not just filled with sheep.
26:30 It's filled with something else.
26:33 And yet, in that environment,
26:38 the heavenly host shows up.
26:41 I'm messing with some of y'all
26:44 who think that God only shows up
26:46 in pristine, clean environments.
26:49 I'm trying to give somebody the hope of Christmas,
26:52 that you can be in a life that is a mess.
26:56 You can be in a situation that don't smell good.
26:59 And yet, in the middle of that mess,
27:02 in the middle of that divorce hearing,
27:04 in the middle of that issue,
27:06 in the middle of all those problems,
27:08 how many are thankful that God
27:10 doesn't need clean environments
27:11 for his glory to shine, for his glory to show up?
27:15 It might not smell good,
27:17 but I'm thankful that the heavenly host
27:19 can still show up, even in the midst of a situation
27:23 that doesn't smell good.
27:25 I thought somebody would give God some praise,
27:26 but some of y'all acting bougie in here.
27:28 Does anybody know what it's like
27:30 to be in the middle of a situation
27:32 that is a mess, and everybody can smell it,
27:35 but yet somehow, the glory of the Lord
27:38 is filling that place.
27:40 God doesn't have to show up in beautiful environments.
27:43 He can show up even when it don't smell like it.
27:48 Oh, I love it when I'm pulled up in Fair Park,
27:51 'cause they used to have a little cattle show.
27:54 And I walked out today, I said, "It smells like Christmas."
27:57 'Cause God doesn't need perfect environments
28:01 for his glory to show up.
28:04 The only time the heavenly host showed up
28:06 in the announcement was in a field that smelled.
28:11 I don't care how stinky your situation is,
28:15 the glory of the Lord can show up.
28:18 You know why sheep,
28:22 more specifically shepherds,
28:25 were low-class citizens?
28:28 Because you don't have to be educated to be a sheep,
28:31 to be a shepherd.
28:33 You don't have to be educated to be a sheep either.
28:34 Here's the only thing you need to be able to do
28:38 to be a shepherd, watch it.
28:39 That's all you gotta be able to do.
28:45 You can have one eye, be a great shepherd.
28:47 That's all you gotta do is watch.
28:50 Every day, the Monday, I'm tired of watching these sheep.
28:56 But God has a way of surprising you.
28:59 When you're watching what you're watching,
29:01 he'll show you something you weren't even looking for.
29:03 There they are.
29:06 God, if I have to watch another one of these dumb sheep.
29:09 Was that you or the sheep?
29:10 I can't tell.
29:12 Oh, it stinks.
29:13 And the glory of the Lord shows up.
29:17 I'm praying in the midst of your ordinary,
29:20 mundane situations,
29:23 the ones you can't stand the smell,
29:26 that the glory of the Lord would show up.
29:29 Watch this.
29:31 It didn't shine on them.
29:33 It was shining around them.
29:37 I'm wondering, are you so deep in your pain
29:42 that all you can see is the pain
29:45 and you don't even realize that the glory of the Lord
29:48 is around you?
29:49 The fact that you got a friend,
29:53 you might not have family, but you got a friend.
29:57 I ain't got a friend, you got a cat.
29:59 (congregation laughing)
30:02 Start somewhere.
30:03 The enemy wants to focus your attention on the smell
30:11 so that you miss the glory that's around you.
30:16 I'm shocked and surprised by the who?
30:21 Shepherds.
30:23 By the where?
30:24 In a field.
30:25 And by the when?
30:27 By the time?
30:28 These angels didn't show up in daylight.
30:32 They showed up at night.
30:34 They showed up in a dark place.
30:39 I'm talking to those of you
30:42 who are in a dark season right now.
30:44 You don't see hope.
30:47 I'm telling you that God's light shines the brightest
30:51 in the dark.
30:55 That's why it's a holy night.
30:58 Sometimes it takes the night to see the holy.
31:02 Sometimes it takes the darkness
31:05 to see the beauty of the light.
31:07 Maybe you're in a dark place
31:09 and God just told me to tell you,
31:11 he still wants to shine the light of who he is in the dark.
31:16 My kids give me the best illustrations.
31:19 Never get Bubba coming back from a little party
31:22 and he got his party bag.
31:25 There's candy in there.
31:27 A whistle in there that I immediately threw away.
31:30 If you give a parent and their children
31:33 a goody bag with a whistle,
31:35 there's a special place,
31:37 should be a special place in jail for you
31:40 because it's a whistle.
31:42 But then it was what he thought was a marker.
31:45 He said, "Daddy, this marker's broken."
31:49 I said, "Bubba, that's not a marker."
31:51 He said, "That's a glow stick."
31:54 He said, "Daddy, it doesn't work."
31:59 I said, "Son, it's not gonna work in the light."
32:03 I said, "Bubba, later tonight, it'll work."
32:07 He was so excited.
32:08 "Tonight?"
32:08 I said, "Yeah, tonight."
32:09 I was gonna take him to the closet.
32:10 I said, "No, let me wait till it gets dark."
32:12 He said, "We're gonna see it."
32:13 I said, "Yeah."
32:14 It gets dark.
32:16 Here's Bubba.
32:17 "Daddy, it's not working.
32:20 "It's not bright."
32:21 I said, "Son, let me see it."
32:23 I took that glow stick.
32:24 You've been there before.
32:25 And I broke it.
32:28 I don't know how the chemistry works,
32:30 but there's something about taking a glow stick
32:33 and breaking it and shaking it
32:36 that just makes it glow even brighter.
32:39 I don't know who I'm preaching for,
32:40 but you came all the way to church
32:42 for this illustration right here,
32:43 because this has been a year that ain't been perfect.
32:46 This ain't been a year
32:47 where you got rose petals laid out in front of you.
32:49 This has been a year where you felt like you were broken.
32:52 This has been a year where you had situations
32:54 that were shaking you,
32:55 but I came to tell you that those light afflictions
32:58 are producing a greater glory on the inside of you,
33:01 and you ought to end the year not in mourning,
33:04 but in praise and say,
33:05 "God, thank you for everything that broke me.
33:08 "God, thank you for everything that shook my life,
33:11 "because I know that it's in the shaking
33:13 "and it's in the breaking
33:14 "that I'm gonna be able to shine even more.
33:17 "Thank God that I can see the light
33:21 "in the midst of the darkness."
33:23 (congregation applauding)
33:24 The heavenly host can't shine bright in daylight.
33:28 The heavenly host needs the night to shine bright.
33:33 If you're in here today and life has been breaking
33:36 and life has been cracking,
33:39 I need you to know, surprise,
33:42 God shows up in dark places.
33:48 God shows up to the least likely,
33:51 to the ones who have been on the outcast.
33:54 I love it, 'cause after the shepherds
33:58 experienced this amazing glory,
34:01 it's not like they stayed in the field.
34:05 The Bible says they hurried and went to go see
34:09 what the angels were talking about.
34:12 In other words, it's not enough for me to be in church
34:15 and just have the heavenly host singing.
34:18 Now that I have experienced this moment
34:21 in the dark, in the field,
34:22 I must now take my own journey to go see where Jesus is.
34:27 This might just be for one person today.
34:31 God has given you evidence that he is real
34:35 and that he is near,
34:36 but you still have to take the step towards him.
34:39 They still had to walk and go to the manger.
34:43 And here's what I love.
34:45 They didn't take a shower before they went.
34:48 It's not like they, "Man, we gotta take a shower.
34:49 "We gonna stink.
34:50 "We gotta get our stuff."
34:51 No, no, no, no.
34:52 Maybe that's why he was born in a barn,
34:55 'cause he knew some shepherds were coming
34:57 and wouldn't have time to clean up.
34:58 And I just wanna thank God that anybody can come to him
35:01 no matter who you are.
35:03 They fell down and they worshiped,
35:08 because all of us must make the personal decision
35:13 to say, "Lord, I'm following you.
35:15 "I'm seeking you.
35:17 "I'm following you."
35:18 And so in this moment, I wanna ask every head be bowed
35:21 and eyes be closed.
35:23 In the midst of all the surprises,
35:27 in the midst of all of the kids singing today,
35:32 I believe that today is somebody's sign.
35:36 Maybe you have discredited yourself and said,
35:42 "God wouldn't show up for me."
35:47 But the message of Christmas
35:48 is that everybody is worthy to receive the gift of Jesus.
35:54 He didn't come for just a few.
35:57 He came for all.
35:59 Maybe you say, "Well, you don't know where I am in life.
36:04 "He shows up in the field.
36:05 "He shows up in the stinky places.
36:08 "He shows up in the dark seasons."
36:14 But you must make a decision.
36:16 Say, "Lord, I'm gonna respond."
36:19 You don't have to get yourself together to come to Him.
36:23 But just as you are,
36:25 you have to respond.
36:29 And I love that in this room,
36:33 filled with thousands of people,
36:35 He can see you.
36:38 I have one job in our house and it is not to wrap the gifts.
36:44 I can't wrap 'em.
36:45 But I'm so good at putting a name tag on those gifts
36:50 so that my kids can know with specificity
36:54 which gift is for them.
36:57 And can I tell you this, Savior?
36:59 Yes, He died for the world, but He died for you.
37:02 Put your name in the blank.
37:04 And so with heads bowed and eyes closed,
37:07 I'm gonna ask you to do something
37:09 that may seem so strange, but I think is so necessary.
37:14 If you're here today and you say,
37:15 "Pastor Robert, I need to surrender my life
37:17 "to this beautiful Savior.
37:19 "I'm tired of trying to do life on my own."
37:22 I'm gonna ask when I count to three,
37:26 just for you to stand to your feet.
37:28 And don't worry, you're not gonna stand alone by yourself.
37:33 'Cause after that, I'm gonna ask everybody to stand.
37:35 But I just feel like in this moment,
37:36 it's important that somebody just stand up
37:39 because today is your sign.
37:42 That He is Emmanuel.
37:45 He's God with you.
37:47 He's near.
37:48 But you must respond to this Savior.
37:51 You don't have to clean yourself up,
37:52 but you must respond to what has already been done for you.
37:56 So when I count to three, if you lifted up,
37:59 if you, I'm sorry, when I count to three,
38:00 I'm just gonna ask you to stand to your feet.
38:02 Not lift up your head, but just stand straight up.
38:04 If you say, "I need to give Him my life today."
38:06 Maybe there's a season of your life.
38:08 You were walking with God and your heart's gotten cold,
38:10 and today He's calling you back home.
38:12 When I count to three, I just want you to stand
38:14 from the bottom floor to the top.
38:16 One, you're knowing God's speaking to you.
38:18 Two, don't worry about what anybody else thinks.
38:21 Three, would you stand right where you are?
38:23 If that's you, say, "I'm coming home today."
38:24 Yeah, thank you, Jesus.
38:26 Thank you, God.
38:27 Yeah, see hands.
38:30 And I see people standing.
38:31 Come on, church, can we celebrate those
38:34 who are standing all over this place up at the top?
38:38 Anybody else?
38:39 Thank you, Lord.
38:40 Thank you, God.
38:42 Yeah.
38:43 Come on, can we join those who are standing?
38:46 I want everybody to stand, everybody to stand.
38:48 And I want us to pray this prayer.
38:56 We're all gonna say it as one big family,
38:58 but especially those of you who so boldly stood up.
39:02 As a matter of fact, can we do this?
39:05 Just lift up your hands if you feel comfortable.
39:07 I love this because this is just a sign
39:09 of a surrender to a Savior,
39:10 saying, "God, I can't do this on my own.
39:14 "We're all gonna do it."
39:15 Yeah, and I just want us to pray this prayer.
39:17 I'm gonna give you the words.
39:19 Will you say it from your heart?
39:20 Would you say this?
39:20 Say, "Jesus, I need you.
39:23 "Thank you so much for not being distant.
39:28 "Thank you for coming close.
39:32 "Lord, I know you've got many names,
39:37 "you're wonderful, you're a counselor,
39:41 "you're a mighty God, you're a Prince of Peace,
39:46 "you're an everlasting Father,
39:49 "but Lord, I thank you for being Emmanuel,
39:54 "God with me, forgive me of my sins,
40:00 "make me brand new.
40:04 "From this moment forward, I'm walking with you.
40:07 "Thank you for living for me.
40:10 "Thank you for dying for me.
40:13 "Lord, I know you're coming back for me,
40:18 "but until that day, I will spend my days
40:23 "adoring you, in Jesus' name, amen, amen, amen."
40:29 If you meant what you prayed,
40:31 would you give God praise today?
40:34 (congregation applauding)
40:35 Come on, you can do better than that.
40:36 Would you give King Jesus some praise today?