Christ Is Born to Save, Part 1

On behalf of Chuck and Cynthia Swindoll and the entire team at Insight for living ministries serve you throughout the year. We wish you a very Merry Christmas. I'm Dave Speicher.

So glad you joined us on this Christmas day. During the next half-hour you take a front row seat in the sanctuary of strong briar Community Church in Frisco, Texas to experience a majestic celebration of Jesus birth and sacred song while you're enjoying the full choir and orchestra. There's a global audience joining you today as well.

Chuck Swindoll's Bible teaching is heard in multiple languages and are more than 2000 radio stations around the world is only possible because like-minded friends step forward in support inside for living with Roger to add your voice to the congregation of strong briar Community Church singing this traditional favorite Joy to the world you're celebrating Christmas with your friends at Insight for living ministries coming up. Chuck Swindoll invites us to reflect on the surprise.

The disrupted human history or than 2000 years ago, sharing some thoughts on that in just a moment but first the choir and orchestra is strong. Briar Community Church present this whole rendition of the familiar Christmas favorite this seasonal hymn finds its roots in Luke chapter 2 feel free to sing along with us Angels we have heard on high and shows his translated Latin words declare glory to God in the highest. That's what the angel said telling the shepherds that their Messiah was on the way you're listening to a special Christmas day addition of Insight for living in a moment. Chuck Swindoll will open his heart and share a brief message with us, but first let's spend a few minutes imagining the mixed emotions. Mary felt when as a teenaged virgin. She carried the Christ child. Did Mary truly understand that her baby would transform the world's will and I think the internationally renowned vocalist David Gash and Stone briar Community Church sanctuary choir and orchestra under the direction of Dr. Don McMahon you're listening to Insight for living and if you missed any portion of today's special Christmas day addition. Feel free to stream the complete program directly from Insight.org will setting everything else aside, we focus our attention now on this devotional from our Bible teacher, Chuck Swindoll surprises there probably is not a better word to describe God's favorite method of working you learned yet that you can never guess what he's up to you think is going to open one door and he closes it, and then he turns around and closes the door you were convinced he would open. He takes delight in doing what is the unexpected can never be anticipated. I love that about him because it not only keeps me trusting. It makes me wait. Both are hard for me. Trusting and waiting. Maybe you have have the same issues in your life. Christmas rolls around and here we are again at the greatest of all surprises have ever expected.

But God would come as a baby and be placed in a feeding trough, and of all places, Bethlehem, but getting ahead of myself.

I love to read and I realized with a military background that the 75th anniversary of the second world war will happen in 2020 impact early September, which means that a number of books are written about the greatest generation who helped win that war. In fact they wanted a great story. I came across takes place in the most unusual place inside a B-17 bomber called back then flying Fortress 10 men formed the crew about flying Fortress.

There were gutters all around tell you belly sides front pilot, copilot, navigator, bombardier in this particular flight has a crew that's unusually nervous, not only because they've lost friends in previous mission that they flown but because they've come close themselves. In fact, every flight is sort of a flirtation with death. The chaplain on the base in England realize that these men were really edgy, some were about to break. He thought maybe there's something I can do or say by being with them that would help in this particular mission that would take him deep into the enemy territory. So we got on board and they took often.

After hours of flying, they found themselves very close to their destination.

When that payload would be released but of course there were tall antiaircraft guns down below, aimed right at them and the other planes and there were these Messerschmitt's. In foxholes, another German fighters swarming around them like angry wasps firing away and in the sound was almost deafening and chaplain figure. This is my moment there was a little long on the flight and so we got on the intercom and he said all right men listen to me carefully the end he is out there, but God is on this plane. He will see us through. He is here he is among us, he would get us back safely to our base. You can count on it.

The tailgunner, about 75 feet on the other end of the play grabbed the intercom and said with all due respect, chaplain, he may be up there at cockpit review God, but he ain't back here with me in the tail is playing about the time you believe it shell went through the bottom of the fuselage and out the top, but it didn't explode miraculously didn't explode it just tore all the bottom and it's way out the top about 3 feet from the tailgunner who is now about as wide as a bedsheet he gets back on the other comedies is as you were chaplain God just stepped in.

I don't know for better words to describe Christmas endogenous stepped in. He comes quietly, almost reverently, he comes in peaceful moments calm our spirits and get our attention. The relay for shepherds to find the wisemen to see him for Angels to announce she doesn't always come with loud explosions in his surprising moments. God often steps in the most unobtrusive unexpected ways. James Alan Francis search for a way to describe the beauty and simplicity and subtlety of Jesus person and work he put in words that we love to return to every Christmas, he wrote here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman drop in another obscure village where he worked in a carpenter shop for 30 years and then he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book, never went to college never owned a home never had a family never put his foot inside what we would call a big city. He never did. One of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had nothing to do with this world except the naked power of his divine manhood + young man. The tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends run away. One of them denied in another betrayed him was turned over to his enemies, went through the mockery of the trial. Six of them, all of them illegal, though innocent. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves is executioners gambled for his only piece of property. He had on this earth and that was his coat when he was dead. He was taken down lead in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

19 now 20 wide centuries have come and gone and today he is the centerpiece of the human race. He is still the leader in the call of the progress. I far within the mark. When I say that all the armies that ever marched all the navies that ever rebuilt all the parliaments had ever set all the kings whoever rained together had not affected the life of mankind upon this earth is powerfully as has that one solitary life bow with me. Would you there are some in this place who have never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ. This may be the reason you came to let Christ just walk into your life. Invite him. He had Lord Jesus right now. Please come into my life.

I give you my heart, I take your life. Thank you for coming dear father, we are grateful for this place to worship were grateful for wonderful music and time to be still and to hear again that you are God. But most of all over grateful for Jesus who loved us and gave himself for us, with Hollis right now to give him first place and we invite you Lord this season to just walk right in, take charge. Use our gifts. Now, for the purpose of making your son here in this community and beyond around the world.

We give joyfully and generously like you give in the name of your son whom you gave Jesus Christ himself and all his people said a man while you're enjoying the special Christmas day addition of Insight for living your joined by countless thousands, perhaps millions around the world and it's all because men and women like you voluntarily support this program with your prayers and your financial support on behalf of Chuck Swindoll and all of us at Insight for living ministries. We express our profound thanks. Now we have the privilege of celebrating the birth of Christ through this majestic musical presentation by the stone briar community church sanctuary choir and orchestra single well sing hallelujah and today special Christmas liberation was brought to you by your friends Insight for living ministries and made possible through the generous support of loyal listeners like you to give a year-end donation today. Hollis if you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888. You can also give online@insight.org hi Dave, wonderful is doing this again Monday. The Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll on Insight for living trolls or Swindoll is deeply grateful the stone briar community church for permission to use their 2019.

Performance of the concert. Christ is going to say musical performances were copyrighted in 2019 by Stonebrook Community Church MSM recording was copyrighted in 2020 by Charles or Swindoll. All rights reserved will blind duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited