Every year on December 25th, we celebrate the birth of Christ. This year is no different, but do we fully understand what we’re celebrating? What does it truly mean for all of mankind that Jesus Christ was born 2000 years ago? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he brings us to the true meaning of the birth of Christ in his message, The Hope of Christmas Pt. 3: And His Name Shall Be Called Jesus.
Matthew 1:18–25 John 1:11 Matthew 1:18b Luke 1:39 Luke 1:30–31 Proverbs 27:1 Acts 4:10–12 John 16:33 Matthew 1:21
And His Name Shall Be Called Jesus
The Prophecy of Jesus Christ
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called His name Jesus.
Today, Christmas is becoming more and more controversial to celebrate. Many could argue that Christmas itself is under attack. Many don’t realize that this isn’t new. Christmas has always been under attack from the very beginning. 2,000 years ago, there was a war between good and evil. God Himself was the subject of an attack by the enemy. But when was this attack, and when was Christ ever really in jeopardy? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the very first attack on Christmas in his message, The Hope of Christmas Pt. 2: The Dragon Who Tried to Steal Christmas.
Matthew 2:1–2 Matthew 2:9–11 Matthew 2:7–8 Hebrews 4:13 Revelation 12 Esther 1:13
The Dragon Who Tried to Steal Christmas
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy Him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Matthew 2:13-18
What does this have to do with the dragon trying to steal the very hope of Christmas?
1And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
Every Christmas season, we read the same Christmas verses on the Birth of Christ Jesus, Matthew 2, Luke 2, Isaiah 9, etc. These are everyone’s go-to Christmas verses, but what if there’s a Christmas verse we’ve missed that’s hidden in plain sight? A Christmas verse that was given to bring hope to all people? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the Christmas promise we’ve all missed in his message, The Hope of Christmas Pt. 1: The Promise of Christmas.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:6-7
Jesus is the promise or prophecy of Christmas fulfilled. It’s His birth that gives us hope because, without Jesus, there is no salvation. There is no hope. There is no light in the world. There is nothing.
1In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Luke 2:1-7
Jesus fulfilled the first promise of His coming 2,000 years ago (the first Christmas), but that’s not the end of the story. Jesus will come again.
Every year we celebrate Thanksgiving with family, friends, and food, but is there more to it? What exactly is thanksgiving, and why is it important to be thankful? Join Reverend Jenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the importance of giving thanks in his message, The Joy of Thanksgiving.
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! 3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! 5 For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.
Psalms 100:1-5
4 Then he appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel.5 Asaph was the chief, and second to him were Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, who were to play harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God. 7 Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brothers.
On November 11th, we celebrate and honor the brave men and women that fought for our freedom. Veterans were willing to give up everything, including their lives so that we could have the opportunity to have everything. They believed that freedom was worth fighting for. They believed that you were worth fighting for, just like Jesus believed you were. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the importance of the spiritual battle surrounding us in his message, Worth Fighting For. Happy Veterans Day.
2 Samuel 22:2-4 Exodus 15:3 Isaiah 42:13 Psalms 24:8 Psalm 110:1 Ephesians 6:12 John 15:12-13
Worth Fighting For
Am I Worth Fighting For?
So many of us have doubts about ourselves and our worth.
Jesus Believes You Are Worth Fighting For
7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Romans 5:7-11
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins.26 It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:21-26
You were, are, and always will be worth fighting for.
Eternity is no longer just a far-off idea that won’t come to pass for a very long time. Eternity is knocking at our door. It’s right around the corner. Our eternity is being decided right now by us. Every action we make and every word we speak dictates our eternal dwelling place. Jesus warned us that there are only two options for our eternal dwelling place: eternal life and eternal death. Jesus also promised us that where we spend eternity will be up to us. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the importance of our choices in this life as it directly dictates the next life in his message, The Eternal Promises of God.
John 3:14-21 Revelation 12:12 Revelation 12:11 1 John 4:19 Romans 5:6–10 Psalms 1:4 Ezekiel 33:4-5 Acts 18:5-6 Psalms 9:6-7 Matthew 8:12 Matthew 13:40-43 Mark 9:43-48
The Eternal Promises of God
God’s Eternal Promises
The Feast of Tabernacles or Booths (Sukkot)
33 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the Lord. 35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. 36 For seven days you shall present food offerings to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work.”
Leviticus 23:33-36
Eternal Dwelling Places
31 When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.
34 Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
41 Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Each and every one of the Jewish Feasts remembered a past event and foreshadowed a coming event. The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) is no different. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the coming fulfillment of the feast in his message, God With Us.
Matthew 1:21–23 Revelation 21:3 Isaiah 7:14 Isaiah 7:4 Isaiah 7:10–12 Isaiah 7:13–14 Matthew 24:45–51 Matthew 5:9 2 Corinthians 5:4 2 Corinthians 5:5 2 Corinthians 5:10 Revelation 21:4
God With Us
The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)
39 On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. 40 And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. 41 You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 23:39-43
Immanuel (God With Us)
The Promise of God With Us
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
Matthew 1:23
The Coming Fulfillment of God With Us
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, is the one day of the year that the Jewish High Priest would go behind the curtain into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood of animals on the Mercy Seat. This was done every year so that the sins of the people of Israel would be rolled over another year. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he sheds light on the importance of Jesus as our High Priest in his message, Yom Kippur.
Leviticus 23:26–32 Leviticus 16:2 Exodus 26:33 Hebrews 9:6–7 Matthew 3:13–17 John 1:1,14 Romans 8:3 Philippians 2:7–8 Hebrews 2:14–17 Leviticus 16:11–14 Hebrews 5:7–10 Hebrews 9:11–14 Isaiah 53:3–6 1 Peter 2:24–25 John 20:16–17
Yom Kippur
The Day of Atonement
1The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, 2 and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. 3 But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.”
Leviticus 16:1-5
Jesus as Our High Priest
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Rosh Hashana is also known as the Feast of Trumpets. Scripture tells us that the Law was a shadow of good things to come. That then begs the question, What does Rosh Hashana foreshadow, and what does it mean for us today? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to our connection to Rosh Hashana in his eye-opening message, Rosh Hashana.
23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the Lord.”
Leviticus 23:23-25
1 On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a day for you to blow the trumpets, 2 and you shall offer a burnt offering, for a pleasing aroma to the Lord: one bull from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish; 3 also their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for the bull, two tenths for the ram, 4 and one tenth for each of the seven lambs; 5 with one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you; 6 besides the burnt offering of the new moon, and its grain offering, and the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offering, according to the rule for them, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.
Over two decades ago, the United States experienced a terrorist attack that shook the nation and the people, changing America forever. Every year we take time to remember the 9/11 terrorist attack as Patriot Day. America’s foundation was strong enough that it didn’t completely crumble after the horrendous attack on that tragic day. Though America is no longer under a physical attack, she is under a spiritual one. The soul of each nation rests in the hands of the people. If the people are righteous, the nation will be righteous. If America is spiritually under attack, then her people are spiritually under attack. Jesus said that He would build His Church on the rock, and nothing would be able to prevail against it. Who is that rock that Jesus built His Church on? And how do we build our lives on the rock? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the constant attacks of the enemy on our souls in his powerful message, The Firm Foundation.
Ephesians 6:10-12 2 Corinthians 12:10 Matthew 16:18 Acts 10:26 Matthew 7:24–27 Matthew 16:13–17 1 Corinthians 3:10–15 Proverbs 18:10 Psalms 55:22
The Firm Foundation
Build Your Life on the Rock
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of [hades] shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:13-19
Who is the Rock?
Jesus is the rock.
24 Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.
Matthew 7:24-27
Jesus is the rock that we, His Church, must build our lives on because He is the rock that cannot be moved.
4 As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” 7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Jesus is the living rock, the cornerstone, that is the firm foundation of the Church to build our lives on, but the stumbling block of all who refuse to believe.
