Greg Laurie - Fear Not! (07/16/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie shares a Christmas Eve message titled "Fear Not" from Luke 2, reminding us that the original Christmas story was filled with fear—Zechariah, Mary, and the shepherds were all afraid. Yet angels repeatedly said "fear not" because God answers prayer, keeps His promises, and has a purpose. In a fearful world, Christ’s coming replaces fear with joy, hope, and eternal life for all who receive Him.
Fear Not – A Christmas Message for a Fearful World
Good morning to everyone. Excuse me, good morning. What am I saying? Good evening. I am so programmed to this be in Sunday morning. I had to correct myself. Well, Merry Christmas to everybody. So good to see you for this first service. Hello to all the satellite campuses that are tuned in. Let's pray together.
Lord, early this Christmas Eve, we are so grateful that Jesus Christ came to this earth, born as a baby, laying aside the privileges of deity and walking among us as a man, then going to the cross and giving us the ultimate gift by buying it with his own blood and rising again from the dead. And then most gloriously, he's with us. You're with us, Lord. You're in us because of what happened on that day or that night, I should say, so many years ago. So bless this time as we open your word. We commit it to you now in Jesus' name. Amen.
You can be seated. Now, how many of you have never been to our church before? You're a visitor. Raise up your hand. We want to say hello to you. Welcome. A whole bunch of you right there. Welcome, welcome. Welcome to all of you. We're so glad you came.
If you brought a Bible, I'm going to be looking at Luke chapter 2, and the title of my message is Fear Not. That seems like a pretty good title, especially with all that's going on in our world right now.
It's Christmas Eve 2015, and there's one thing on everyone's mind, and that is shopping. Yes, shopping. How many of you still have shopping to do? Raise your hand up. Don't be embarrassed. It's always men. Actually, a lady. Okay, well, that's okay. No, I'm joking, really. That's not what's on our mind.
What's on our mind right now is fear. That's the lead story in most of the papers right now. In fact, they say there's more fear in America today. Today, the only time that we'd even come close to it is the aftermath of 9-11. We fear terrorism. 89% of Americans believe another terror attack is coming. So there's fear in the air.
Personal Fears and Phobias in Our Modern World
And then there are personal fears that we all have. We worry about losing our health or losing a member of our family. What if this happens? What if that happens? We have fears about the future, fears about money, fears about those bills that are going to come due very soon for the things that you bought that you probably shouldn't have bought.
And then there are all those personal phobias that we have. I read an article that said the National Institute of Mental Health reports a significant increase in the number of Americans whose fears have moved into full-blown anxiety disorders and phobias. And these are real fears.
I read an article about fears that people have, not just the fear of heights or the fear of flying or the fear of being in small spaces. There's other fears, and these are actual phobias. Like there's cathosphobia, which is the fear of sitting. How can you be afraid of sitting? I hope you don't have that fear tonight.
Here's one that is interesting. A blutophobia, it's the fear of bathing. If you have that fear tonight, I pity the people sitting around you.
There's dentophobia. Who can guess what that is? That's right, the fear of preachers. No, the fear of dentists. The fear of dentists. I understand that, though I have a very good dentist. Still, I don't look forward to going in to the dentist's office.
And then there is... This is weird. I can't believe this is a real phobia. Electrophobia, which is the fear of chickens. Really? You break out in a cold sweat when you're around a Chick-fil-A. I don't know exactly about that one.
Here's one of my favorites. Pelletophobia. Pelletophobia, it's the fear of baldness and bald people. Now, I hope you don't have that fear right now, because this is like a nightmare for you, I'm sure.
My favorite of all the phobias is phobophobia. This is an actual, real phobia that's recognized phobophobia. It's the fear of phobias.
But according to most studies, the number one fear among people is glossophobia. Glossophobia. Who can guess what that is? The fear of public speaking. Number one fear of most Americans is the fear of public speaking. Number two is death.
I don't quite understand that. So that basically means for the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy. I mean, this is not rational at all.
Fear in the Original Christmas Story
Well, you may be surprised to know that widespread fear is not only unique to us in the 21st century. It was also prevalent in the first century. In fact, there was a lot of fear surrounding the original Christmas story.
On the original Christmas Eve, the first Christmas Eve, there were no brightly colored lights hanging on people's homes. There were no stockings that had been hung with care. And there were no visions of sugar plums dancing in the heads of the children. It was just another night in Bethlehem. Just another night of fear in the occupied land of Israel.
You see, at this time, historically, people were afraid because Rome was in power and they had established what was known as Pax Romana, the forced peace of Rome. Rome had effectively bludgeoned the world into submission. So now for the people of Israel, they were occupied. They no longer had their king in control. In fact, there was some puppet king under the control of Rome, known as Herod, who would execute people at will. So there was fear in the air.
And the people were wondering, would this violent rule ever cease? Would their world ever change? And where was the Messiah that they hoped and longed for?
Well, the answer to their fears and the answer to our fears is the same. Messiah for them was coming. And for us, Messiah is coming again. It's the same answer.
In fact, on three separate occasions, the words fear not were used to calm people in the original Christmas story. And I must give a word of thanks to my friend David Jeremiah for this excellent outline. He didn't give it to me. I just took it. But I thought it was quite good. So I want to give credit where it's due. And he can give credit to who he stole it from. Or maybe he came up with it. I don't know.
But there's three instances where fear was prevalent in the original Christmas story. First, when the angel Gabriel appeared before the godly priest, Zacharias. And in Luke 1. 12, we read that Zacharias was troubled and fear fell upon him.
Then when the angel Gabriel appeared before Mary, she was told she would be the mother of the Messiah. And Mary too was troubled and afraid.
Finally, great fear fell upon the Shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks by night. The Bible tells us when the angels appeared, they were greatly afraid. A literal translation is they freaked out. No, that's more of a vernacular translation. But that conveys the idea.
Now the common denominator here was angels delivering the good news.
Five Things You Didn’t Know About Angels
I was with a couple of my grandkids the other day, Riley and Allie, and we were driving around looking at Christmas lights. And we started talking about angels. And so I said, I want to tell you five things you didn't know about angels. And I would ask them to guess. And I just sort of came up with these off the top of my head.
And I said, there are only three angels named in the Bible. And I said, can you name them? Well, they couldn't. So I gave them choices. They said, okay, it's Gabriel, it's Michael, it's Bong Bong, and it's Quesadilla. I have fun when I tell them stories.
And Allie guessed Quesadilla. No, that's, there's no angel named Quesadilla.
So here's number one. There are only three angels named in the Bible. And they are Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer. Of course, Lucifer's a fallen angel now. But once he was a high-ranking angel.
And then, number two, what angel is the most powerful of the angels? And the answer is Michael, the archangel.
Then Allie asked if Michael was called that because he lived in an ark. I said, no, he's ark means he's more powerful. Sort of like a general angel.
Then number three, this comes as a shock to girls. Angels never appear as women, only as men. Sorry. Because we think of angel almost in a feminine way. We'll say, well, she's just as pretty as an angel. We don't usually see that about a guy. But all the angelic appearances in the Bible were as men.
And number four, what did people often do when they saw angels? Well, they often would fall down and worship because angels are such powerful, awesome beings.
And then number five, what did angels say more than any other thing when they appeared? Who can guess? No, not quesadilla. No. Fear not.
That was very good. Did you say that? Little girl just said fear not. Did you say fear not? You're a very smart little girl.
Little girl here in the second row got it right. Very good. How old are you? What is your name? What's your name? Carissa. And how old are you? You're very smart. Thank you, Carissa.
Three Reasons We Don’t Have to Fear This Christmas Eve
Let's go back now to these original stories and see why we don't have to be afraid in 2015.
Reason 1 – God Still Answers Prayer – The Story of Zechariah
Here's the first thing we learn in the story of Zechariah. Point number one, God still answers prayers. God still answers prayers.
Zechariah was a godly priest. He and his wife, Elizabeth, walked closely with the Lord. They wanted a child, specifically a son. And they prayed and they prayed and they prayed. And no son came.
So now they're getting on in years and clearly they're never going to have a son or a daughter for that matter.
Well, as a priest, there were many priests in Israel, by the way, up to 8,000. And they would sort of rotate with the privilege of going into the temple and bringing the sacrifice for the people there at the temple in Jerusalem.
And Zechariah, as a country priest, his time had come and so he came into Jerusalem and he was there in the temple bringing the sacrifice and who appears but the mighty angel Gabriel.
Clearly Gabriel had a very prominent role in announcing the Christmas events. And he said to him in Luke chapter one, don't be afraid, Zechariah. God has heard your prayers. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son and you will name him John.
So God was not only giving them a son but they were gonna be the parents of the forerunner of the Messiah. And by the way, John was the greatest prophet in all of the Bible. Greater than Isaiah or Ezekiel or Elijah or Elisha or any other. Why? Because John and John alone was the direct forerunner of Christ. And Jesus himself said, of those born among women, there is not a greater than John.
So not only did God answer their prayer but he went above and beyond that which they could have asked or thought. God answers prayers.
I love in verse 13 how the angel says, God has heard your prayer. Maybe you come here tonight with a prayer that you've been praying all year. Or maybe for the last five years. Or maybe for the past 10 years. And you prayed and you prayed. And you wonder why that prayer has not been answered.
Or maybe you're just in trouble and you haven't prayed about it. And that's what you ought to do. Because God says in Psalm 50 verse 15, when you are in trouble, call upon me and I will rescue you.
What are you facing right now? Have you prayed about it? Have you specifically brought it to the Lord and say, God, I need your help? That's what Zechariah did and his wife, Elizabeth.
Psalm 34 says, I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all of my fears. Turn your worries into prayers. Turn your fears into petitions.
So the next time panic grips you and you start to freak out a little bit, just turn it into a prayer. The Bible says in Philippians, don't worry about anything, but pray about everything and the peace of God that passes all human understanding and will keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
And by the way, it had been 400 years since Israel had heard from God. Not a single angelic appearance. Not a single miracle. Not a single prophet stood and spoke for the Lord. And now after 400 years, the answer comes.
So you think you've been waiting for a while? They've been waiting a really long time.
Know this. Your prayers are in God's to-do box. Just because they haven't been answered doesn't mean he's forgotten them. And by the way, maybe he has answered them and he just don't like the answer.
God answers prayer in three ways. Yes, no, and wait. So if God doesn't say no, or if God doesn't say yes, rather, we'll say, oh, well, God doesn't answer my prayer. No, he answered it. You just don't like the answer.
Know is as much of an answer as yes is. And if he says no, it's for your own good. But the one we hate to hear is, wait. But we must wait. And they waited and they waited. And the answer to their prayers came. And the answer to your prayers will come as well.
Reason 2 – God Still Keeps His Promises – The Story of Mary
Number two, here's another reason why we don't have to be afraid. on Christmas Eve of 2015, God still keeps his promises.
That brings us to a vignette number two. And here is now the mighty Gabriel appearing to a very young Mary, living in the wicked little city of Nazareth.
And we read in Luke chapter one, starting in verse 26, in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
Gabriel appeared to her and said, Greetings, favored woman. The Lord is with you. Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
And what did the angel say? Don't be afraid, Mary. For you found favor with God. You'll conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
Now it's been 400 years since Israel has heard from God. Add another 300 years to that, because that's when the promise was given by Isaiah that a virgin would conceive and bring forth a son, and his name would be called Emmanuel, which means God with us.
So 700 years back, God makes a promise. Messiah is coming. And when Messiah comes, he'll be born of a virgin.
Now 700 years later, this promise is fulfilled, because God always keeps his promises.
For seven centuries, that promise was not fulfilled. Then one day it happened.
And God's made promises to you and to me as well. In fact, we know that as followers of Jesus, there are many wonderful promises.
Romans 8, 28 says, God causes all things to work together for good to those that love him and are called according to his purpose. So whatever you're going through, God promises this. He's gonna make it all work together, ultimately, for his good.
Number two, God promises to provide all of your needs according to his riches and glory in Jesus Christ in Philippians 4, 19.
Then in Hebrews 3, 13, 5, Jesus says, he will never leave us or forsake us. And then he also promises that he is the author and finisher of our faith. And he promises that one day there is a home waiting for us in heaven because Jesus said, in my Father's house are many mansions of where we're not.
So I would have told you if I go, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, you may be also.
God's made promises to you and God keeps his promises.
Then he's made promises to all of us together. Jesus said, again, as I already quoted, I will come again and receive you to myself. Yes, Jesus is coming.
There were signs of the times in the first century telling them what to look for when Messiah came. They were told that Messiah would be born of a virgin. They were told Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. They were told that Messiah would flee to Egypt and return again. All of these promises were fulfilled.
And we have our signs of the times today. showing us, alerting us to the fact that Christ could come back at any moment.
I think deep down inside, we all long for heaven. I think Christmas in many ways is a promise, a promise not fully kept. It's really a glimpse of things to come.
You know, there's a lot of things I don't like about Christmas, but there's some things I do like. It's great to hear from people you haven't heard from for a while. And it's great to see people you haven't seen. And Christmas is filled with worshipful music. I mean, even when you walk through a mall, sure, they play a lot of the songs. Some are silly. Some are nice. But then some are outright Christian. And they have the gospel in them. I love to hear that sort of thing.
And then, of course, there's the gathering together with friends and with family and the exchanging of gifts. There's some good qualities there.
This is just a glimpse of better things to come. That's what we all long for deep down inside. It's not Christmas that's gonna fill that void. It's Christ himself.
And one day, Christ will establish his kingdom here. And until that day, we're waiting on tiptoe. Romans 8.19, the Phillips translation says, Whatever we have to go through now is less than nothing compared to the magnificent future God has planned for us. The whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own.
That's a great translation. The whole creation, it's on tiptoe. You know what? It's coming. I mean, I can almost see it. And that's how we all are until that day when Christ comes again.
It's been more than 700 years. since they had been waiting for that promise. And it's been 2,000 years that we've been waiting. That's a long time. But God keeps his promises.
Reason 3 – God Still Has a Purpose – The Message to the Shepherds
So let's review. God keeps his promises and God answers prayer. And number three on my last point, God has a purpose. God has a purpose.
Let's read this one together. This is Luke 2. We already read it earlier. They were in the same country, Shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them. And they were very afraid.
And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For unto you this day in the city of David a Savior has been born who is Christ the Lord.
This will be the sign to you. You'll find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger.
This phrase that describes the Shepherds saying they were very afraid could be better translated, they feared a great fear. Or even another translation, they were terrified.
Then suddenly thousands of angels appear to the Shepherds and told them to not be afraid. Messiah has been born. God still has a purpose.
We look at our country right now and we wonder, are our best days behind us? Is it just gonna go from bad to worse? Are there gonna be more terrorist attacks? Will our economy collapse?
I don't have the answer to those questions, but I know this much. God is in control. And God has a plan. And God has a purpose.
You ask, well, Greg, but what if I die? What if you die? Newsflash, you're gonna die. I didn't come to church to hear that. Sorry. It's time someone told you it will come.
And because of the birth and the death and the resurrection of Jesus, I don't have to be afraid of death anymore. It doesn't mean I have a death wish. It doesn't mean I want to die. But it means I don't have to fear it.
Because Jesus said in Revelation 117, don't be afraid. I am the first and the last. I am the living one. I died, but I'm alive forever and ever. I hold the keys of death and the grave.
I'm so glad Jesus holds the keys because if I held them, they would be lost by now. I lose things all the time. When I stay in a hotel room, I have to go to the desk at least five times to get another key. Because I misplaced them.
But Jesus never loses the keys. And he's faced death and he's come back again. And so we no longer have to fear it. Because for the Christian, death is not the end. It's just a transition. It's not the end of the road. It's just a bend in the road leading to heaven. It's leaving one shore and stepping foot on another.
It's been seven years now since our oldest son, Christopher, went to be with the Lord. I can tell you that the first Christmas after he died. was the worst Christmas of my life. It was so hard. And even the ones to follow were very difficult. And still there's pain for us this time of the year.
And I just wish he were here with us, of course, still. And some of you understand because you've lost loved ones, maybe children, maybe parents, maybe grandparents or friends that were with you last year and they're not here now. And so there's a little bit of heartbreak associated with Christmas.
And I wish Christopher could see how big and beautiful his daughters are. Stella, now age nine, has his amazing artistic talent. Christopher was a really good artist and so was his daughter, Stella. Stella, Lucy has this precocious personality. You know, and sometimes when I'm with them, I'll look at them and each one reminds me of Christopher in their own way.
And I just sometimes wish, I wish he were here now. But then I wonder if Christopher in heaven is saying, I wish dad were here right now. Who's got the better deal here? Well, of course, he does because he's in heaven and there's no more sorrow.
But I have this hope because of what happened on the first Christmas and you have it too. And I don't have to fear death. And I have this hope that one day I'll be reunited with my son and other loved ones and you have that hope too because of what happened in Bethlehem.
So I'm trading sorrow for joy and I'm trading fear for hope.
Fear Replaced with Joy – The Angel’s Message to All People
In each of the narratives we looked at, we saw fear replaced with something else. Not fear replaced with courage. But interestingly, it was replaced with joy and happiness.
To the Shepherds, the angels said, don't be afraid. I bring you good tidings of great joy. A better translation, I have good news for you which will make everyone happy.
Dare I say it, the angels were actually saying, don't worry, be happy. And I want to say that to you tonight.
Because some of you are worried about a lot of things, maybe something we touched on, something else. Don't worry about that, be happy. Why? Because Christ has come.
He wants to replace your fear with happiness. Why? Remembering that God answers prayer. God keeps his promises and God has a purpose.
Looking at Zechariah, his heart was calmed. after he was afraid when the angel said, your prayer is heard and you'll have joy and gladness, Zechariah. Don't be filled with fear. You're gonna have joy and gladness.
And then coming back to Mary, we read that after she heard the good news, instead of being afraid, she said, my soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
The angel's message in every occasion where fear was present was this, let me take away your fear and instead have joy and happiness in its place.
Don't forget, the message for the Shepherds is for us today. You say, no, it really isn't. No, actually it is. It's very much for us today.
The angel said, fear not, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. All people. That's us.
So this message is as relevant today in the 21st century as it was on that night in the first century.
If you're a Christian, you need to know God is with you and God is in you. We're told in Isaiah 41. 10, don't be afraid for I'm with you, the Lord says. Don't be discouraged. I'm your God. I'll strengthen you and help you. I'll hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Then in Hebrews 13. 6, we read, we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear what man shall do to me.
Don't be afraid. But be happy. Be joyful. Christ is coming. Christ is with you. Christ is in you.
The Promise of Christmas in Heaven – A Glimpse of Eternity
One day, we're gonna celebrate Christmas in heaven. Is that gonna be awesome or what? No. I don't think there'll be any fistfights at the Walmart. I'm sure there won't be traffic. That would be hell for me.
Instead of wooden angels, we're gonna see real angels. None of them will be named quesadilla or bong bong though.
Instead of twinkling lights, we'll see for ourselves the radiant light of heaven. Instead of a Christmas tree, we're gonna have the tree of life. And instead of a plastic figure in a manger, we're gonna have the glorified Jesus. right there.
That's the promise for all of us who love the Lord. This is a promise for a Christian.
Now, I would assume you're all Christians being here at this early service. But of course, we always have some that join us that don't know the Lord yet.
God’s Ultimate Christmas Gift – Eternal Life Through Christ
And let me just close with this. God has a gift for you this Christmas. No assembly required. No batteries needed. This is the ultimate gift. It's the gift of eternal life.
And all you have to do with this gift is receive it. Tonight, or maybe tomorrow morning for some of you, you're going to give and receive gifts. And you're gonna get some gifts. Let's be honest. You're not gonna be that thrilled with. But you're gonna smile at Grandma's gift and say, wow, thank you.
But then there's gonna be some gifts you may receive that will blow your mind better than anything you would hope for. Better than anything you planned for.
But the main thing is is when someone is taking the time to give you a gift, be sure to say thank you. And most importantly, take it and open it.
I love people to open their gifts. I gave some gifts to some of our pastors earlier and I said, open it. Because I like to see the look on their face. Because I know it's a good gift, right? I enjoy that.
Well, God's given you a gift. Now, as I've said before, you know, men and women receive gifts differently, right? We know how a woman, when you give a gift to a woman, they're just such wonderful people, women, really. And, uh, you know, first you give her a card and a woman will always read the card first. She'll open it. Probably wouldn't even rip it like I just did. That's very male. She'll open it and read it. Actually, read it. She'll read it and say, thank you. All you did was sign your name to what someone else wrote. Sadly, you didn't even read what they wrote. You just grabbed it on your way. package. Oh, this is so pretty. Did you rep this? If you're a guy, probably didn't. Had it done in the store like I would.
But they say, oh, she says, thank you. And she'll carefully undo the ribbon, you know. And then she'll say, I'm going to save this for later. Very pretty, I'll use this for later. Set it down.
Then she'll, you know, she won't rip it. She'll just, she'll carefully undo the package and I almost need a girl to help me here because then and she'll open it up and she'll enjoy, she'll enjoy what you gave her. A woman would be much more delicate than that. That was very messy. And there it is.
Now, then there's a man. Okay, a man will read the card. But, you know, when a guy opens a card, you just need to know this about a man. He's not reading it. He could care less about your card. The only reason he opened it was to see if there is money or a gift card. So he looks, he acts like he's reading it and he's thinking, no gift card, no money.
For a man, a ribbon, a ribbon is an obstacle for a man. It's like, oh, great. You know, and paper, that's an obstacle. The man, the man wants what's in the box. Okay, that's a difference.
What a mess. I don't care how you open the gift. Very ladylike, very manlike, doesn't matter. Receive the gift, open the gift. That's all that matters.
So God is offering you a gift right now, the gift of eternal life and if you don't have this hope that you'll go to heaven when you die, if you don't have this faith and this joy and happiness in your heart and instead you're filled with fear and anxiety, you need help. You need Christ.
You don't need Christmas. You need Christ. You don't need presents. You need his presence in your heart right now.
And Jesus, who was born in that little manger. and then went to a cross and Rose again from the dead, is here with us right now. And he says, I stand at the door and I knock. And if you'll hear my voice and open the door, I will come in.
And I want to close this Christmas by extending an invitation for you to receive God's gift of eternal life. If you've not received it yet, he's only a prayer away.
So let's all pray. Father, thank you for sending Jesus. And Lord Jesus, thank you for coming. Now we pray for anyone here that does not yet know you. Help them to see how much you love them. Help them to see how much they need you. And help them to come to you and believe and be forgiven of all of their sin. We ask it in your name.
Now while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we're praying, how many of you would say today, I want Jesus. I want this gift of eternal life. I want to know that I'll go to heaven when I die. I want him to forgive me of my sin. I'm ready to say yes to Jesus.
If that's your desire, wherever you're sitting, if you want Jesus to come into your life, if you want him to forgive you of your sin, if you want to go to heaven when you die, if you want to receive the gift of eternal life, wherever you are, would you just lift your hand up? And I'd like to pray for you. Just lift your hand up or I can see it.
God bless you. Anybody else? Raise your hand. God bless. Raise your hand up or I can see it, please. God bless. Hold your hand up high if you would. You want his forgiveness. You want Christ in your life. Lift your hand up. I'll pray for you today.
God bless you. Anybody else? If you haven't lifted your hand yet, lift it now. God bless you. God bless you. Anybody else? God bless you. God bless you too. Anybody else? Lift your hand now. Let me pray for you. God bless you over there on this side.
You guys watching the screens right now? Of course, I can't see you, but the Lord sees you. Would you just raise your hand up too? We'll pray for you as well. Because the Lord is ready to come into your life right now.
One final moment. Anybody else? If you've not lifted your hand yet, lift it now. You want Christ in your life. You want his forgiveness. You want this gift of eternal life. Raise your hand. I'll pray for you. God bless you.
Now I'm going to ask that every one of you that has lifted your hand, I want you to pray this prayer right where you are after me. This is a prayer of asking Jesus to come into your life. Again, as I pray, just pray this prayer right where you are, right in your seat. You could even pray it out loud if you like. Pray this now.
Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, but I also know that you're the Savior who was born in that manger and died on the cross and Rose from the dead. Now Jesus, come into my life and be my Savior. Be my Lord. Be my God. And be my friend. I choose to follow you from this moment forward. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.