Special Occasion Messages Archives

December 25, 2022December 25, 2022

The Hope of Christmas Pt. 4: The Decree of Caesar Augustus

Merry Christmas!

We all know the Christmas Story of Luke chapter 2. It starts with, “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.” When we read this verse, we don’t think much about it, as I’m sure Caesar didn’t either. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the significance of one of the most overlooked verses in the Bible in his Christmas message, The Hope of Christmas Pt. 4: The Decree of Caesar Augustus.

Luke 2:1-20 (KJV)
Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)
Jeremiah 1:12
Ezekiel 12:25
Luke 1:37

The Decree of Caesar Augustus

¹ In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴And 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, ⁵to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷And 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.

This decree of Caesar Augustus started the beginning of the greatest gift from above.

⁸And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

The angels rejoiced because they understood that the greatest Christmas gift had just been given to all of mankind. Jesus is the true message of Christmas.

¹⁵When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Luke 2

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The Hope of Christmas Pt. 3: And His Name Shall Be Called Jesus

Every year on December 25^th, 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

¹⁸Now 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. ¹⁹And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰But 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. ²¹She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” ²²All 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). ²⁴When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called His name Jesus.

Matthew 1:21-25

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The Hope of Christmas Pt. 2: The Dragon Who Tried to Steal Christmas

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

¹³Now 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.” ¹⁴And he rose and took the child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵and 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.”
¹⁶Then 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. ¹⁷Then 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?

¹ And 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. ²She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. ³And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. ⁴His 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. ⁵She 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, ⁶and 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.

Revelation 12:1-6

Satan is the dragon that tried to steal the very hope of Christmas through King Herod.

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The Hope of Christmas Pt. 1: The Promise of Christmas

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.

Genesis 22:15–19 (NKJV)
Genesis 17:5–6
John 8:56 (NIV)
Genesis 22:2
Genesis 21:12
Galatians 3:15–18 (NKJV)

The Promise of Christmas

Fulfilling the Promise of Christmas

Birth of Christ Jesus

⁶For 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. ⁷Of 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.

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.

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The Joy of Thanksgiving

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.

Psalms 100:1–5
Psalms 47:1
Psalms 100:1b–2ESV
Psalm 150:6
Matthew 15:8
Deuteronomy 8:11–18
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
1 Chronicles 16:4
1 Chronicles 16:7
Romans 1:21
Psalms 100:4–5

The Joy of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

¹ Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! ² Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! ³Know 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. ⁴Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! ⁵For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.

Psalms 100:1-5

⁴Then 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. ⁵Asaph 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, ⁶and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God. ⁷Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brothers.

1 Chronicles 16:4-7

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Worth Fighting For

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

⁷For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰For 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. ¹¹More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 5:7-11

²¹But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²²the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵whom 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. ²⁶It 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.

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The Eternal Promises of God

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)

³³And 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. ³⁵On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. ³⁶For 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

³¹When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. ³²Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.

³⁴Then 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. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ ³⁷Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰And 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.’

⁴¹Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³I 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.’ ⁴⁴Then 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?’ ⁴⁵Then 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.’ ⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Matthew 25:31-46

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God With Us

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)

³⁹On 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. ⁴⁰And 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. ⁴¹You 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. ⁴²You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, ⁴³that 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.”

Revelation 21:3‭-‬4

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Yom Kippur

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

¹ The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, ²and 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. ³But 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. ⁴He 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. ⁵And 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

¹⁴Since 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, ¹⁵and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. ¹⁶For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. ¹⁷Therefore 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.

Hebrews 2:14–17

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Rosh Hashana

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.

Leviticus 23:23–25
Exodus 12:1-2
Numbers 29:1
1 Corinthians 15:51–55
Zechariah 9:14–15
1 Timothy 2:1–4
Jeremiah 29:12–14
Proverbs 1:3
Joel 2:1
Revelation 8:6–13

Rosh Hashana

The Feast of Trumpets

²³And 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. ²⁵You 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, ²and 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; ³also their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for the bull, two tenths for the ram, ⁴and one tenth for each of the seven lambs; ⁵with one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you; ⁶besides 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.

Numbers 29:1-6

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Merry Christmas!

The Decree of Caesar Augustus

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And His Name Shall Be Called Jesus

The Prophecy of Jesus Christ

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