Thank you for tuning us in tonight. I'm Darrell Bailey, Servants for Christ. As we get into our Sunday night message, Christ the Dayspring, take your Bibles over to the book of Luke, chapter one. Actually, I'll tell you what, I guess I'd say 78 and 79, verses 78 and 79. And as we look at this, we get into the wonderful Word of God talking about Christ the day spring. This is Sunday night, August 27th, 2023, the 10th of Elul, 5783 of the Hebrew calendar. Now, as we get into the wonderful Word of God, the Bible tells us the star of Bethlehem as John the Baptist is the forerunner. And as Luke begins to give us the writing of his scripture, but he's talking about John the Baptist and John the Baptist is the forerunner that will talk about the day spring. And so, let's bow our heads. Father, I pray for the many needs for the Yarber family, for Barbara Yarber. Lord, I pray God for the Jenkins family. I pray for Oso Shelva Baker with cancer, Lita's aunt, And Lord, I pray also that you'll take care of the needs of all those, especially Lord, this coming Friday, Brother Rusty, Lord, will be having his knee operated on. And I pray that you would surround him with your presence and protect him. And Lord, see him through his surgery, Lord, to get that knee replaced. Lord, I pray, Lord God, that you'll just continue to bless Bethel Crossroads, bless our pastor, Keith Dempsey and First Lady Amy. their twins, Lord, that are born, that you'll surround them with your presence. Lord, I ask God that you'll just bless all churches, all the ones, Father, that are standing on the word of God. Use them mightily. Lord, may they have victory. And Lord, all that they do and say to give glory and honor to you, Father. It's all about you, Father. Everything is. And now, Lord, give us liberty to speak on your word. And if there's someone that's listening that don't know Jesus Christ from the free pardon of sin, may this be the day, the time, and the hour, Lord, this Sunday night, that you'll come into their heart and life. And Lord, that they will welcome you to be the keeper of their soul. And their name will be recorded in the Lamb's book of life in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. So here, the star of Bethlehem himself, Christ, the day spring, Here we read the word of God, and through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the day spring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke chapter one, verses 78 and 79. You know, through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the day spring from on high hath visited us. Isn't that beautiful? Here we look at one of the most beautiful things. Christ brought forth the dawn of new things. And I'm glad that the tremendous name, one of many names for our Lord Jesus Christ is day spring. It's from the Greek word, And at ole, it means the sunrise, the breaking of the dawn, the east, which is the direction of the sun rising. And so one that brought light into the world. The world has never been the same since Jesus's birth of the day spring in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. The babe that was wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, came to give us his life, his gift of eternal life, which left him wrapped in grave clothes, lying in a borrowed tomb for three days. Man, don't you love this story? Easter is every time of the year, even if it's the month of August. The eclipse in men's hearts tried to cap and conceal the radiance of his body, draining him of the crimson drops of blood that puddled at the foot of the cross, but to no avail. His glory could not be nailed. His glory could not be jailed. His glory could not be derailed or curtailed, because the Son of God, Christ the Dayspring, arose from the grave, and His glory was not concealed. It was not covered, it was not curtained, it was not camouflaged, nor contained at all in any way, nor at the least fashion. Because the brilliance of his power was not veiled, but magnified by the atrocities of a mob. They could not hinder, they couldn't hamper the rising sun. And these men brought out the best that was in him for all of us to see. Jesus is the day spring of the believer, and like golden beams of the morning light that calls the blackness of night to scatter, Christ is message. Hallelujah in the shadows and the hearts of sinners who have put their faith and trust in him. For heaven praise God. The ebony of evil no longer reigns in the life of those who have been touched by the radiance of our righteous redeemer that are yielded to him. They have been changed by his love, through the luster of a polished diamond in the glow of a full pearly moon on a clear winter's night. They've been comforted by his grace, soft and gentle like shimmering silk fur of a baby kitten, cleansed by the warmth of his mercy that's like the glowing embers of a refiner's fire. Hallelujah! And so, Here, the rising sun in our own lives leaves every born-again child of the King awakened to his truth, assured of his salvation, aware of our limitations, alert to Satan's attacks, and anticipating his soon return. Thank God, hallelujah, thank God for the day spring, the Lord Jesus Christ. When we ponder the events, the characteristics that surround the day of break, the morning light, the sunrise that were able to apply the wonderful truths by the life of Jesus Christ. Ain't you so glad that you're in the family of God, huh? And so, We see that darkness flees at daybreak because of the rising sun. When Jesus was born into the world, he arrived at a very dark time in world history. The reign of King Herod the Great, who ruled in Jerusalem, was bathed in blood, characterized by bloodthirsty murderers in his own family, including his own wife and sons. And so the previous high priest had been one of the victims of Herod's hate. The king's own beautiful wife, Meramee, together with a family, had been ruthlessly slain because of suspicion. He executed his own sons, Araboulos and Alexandros, who were strangled on charges of treason in 7 BC. So ruthless, this man that ruled in Jerusalem when Jesus was born, not long after Jesus's birth, the attempts of Herod to prevent the manifestation of the Messiah, his ministry. That is, he was bathed in Bethlehem, surrounded the regions and the blood of children two years old and under that were executed by his orders. Isaiah spoke of the darkness in the world when the day spring would arise. Amen. And so Isaiah 60 verse 2, For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people, but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory shall be seen upon thee. It was this setting of despair and darkness that Zechariah proclaimed, the day spring from on high hath visited us. And I'm glad he gave the purpose of Christ the day spring to give light to all that sit in darkness and the shadow of death to guide our feet in the way of peace. He came to give light like the rising sun at the crack of dawn. Boy, thank you, Jesus. And so the beauty of the day is revealed. because the glory and the radiant colors of God's creation are subdued in the black veil of the night. The dawn that removes that veil shows forth the beauty of his creation in the spotlight of the day as the sky speckled with cotton clouds, glassy ponds, majestic purple mountains and lakes that sparkle like diamonds surrounded by forests splattered with hues of red and yellow, gold and green. The wonder to behold when the sun arises from its eastern bed that the dawn reveals the beauty of the day. And so, I'm glad that as we go through life today, the Dayspring Jesus Christ brings forth beauty in the person that puts his faith in him, giving strength, stability, that as a person obeys and surrenders to the Lord and takes upon himself the beauty of the holiness in his own life, God gives him or her beauty in the place of ashes and destruction that come from a sinful living. And so we realize that the dawn is normally a peaceful time, but in times of year, many battles are begun at the crack of dawn, in the cool of day, and in the morning light. For example, after the Alamo had fallen, General Sam Houston led the 800-man Texas Army for five weeks, waiting for the odds to be in his favor to attack the Army of Mexico. And as he marched to gain time, he was pressured by his men, leading to attack, even accused of being a coward, and yet he waited, not revealing his plans to anyone. Finally, on April the 21st, 1836, the odds were in Houston's favor. Approximately 1,500 Mexican soldiers were encamped with their backs to the flooded San Ginso River, and at the crack of dawn, Houston attacked with such a surprise and swiftness the army of Mexico didn't know what hit them. Nine Texans were killed and 30 were wounded, but on the Mexican side, 630 were killed, 730 were taken prisoner, and the result was Texas won its independence from Mexico from a battle that took place at the Cracodon. And so, when a person puts their faith in Christ, the Lord gives peace to that person, even in the midst of conflict. People have found that when they trusted in the Lord for their salvation, new battles and conflicts began in their lives, especially with family and friends that opposed their decision to trust in the Lord. Struggles with fleshly desires. The Christian life is not a playground for sure, but even though many Christians are playing around and doing nothing for Christ, the Christian's life is a battleground. We're fighting for the souls of men, wrestling against our flesh in satanic opposition. And I'm glad that Paul said that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. And so if you've ever seen the morning mist or fog, you know that it begins to clear away as the hot summer sun begins to rise its head. The truth holds for the Lord, the day spring, when Christ saves a man and when he saves a woman, he burns away the fog in our lives. He provides clarity, certainty in times of confusion and uncertainty. His word, his spirit give us guidance to find our way on the path that he has led us through. And so when you seek his guidance, use care and wisdom. I'm glad a lady took out her Bible, decided she would let the Lord show her the Pacific verse that she needed for the day. She closed her eyes, opened her Bible, placed her finger on the verse and opened her eyes. She read. So Judas went away and hanged himself. She quickly closed the Bible again, shut it in her eyes. She flipped through the pages real quick and once again put her finger on the Pacific spot. This time she was disappointed to read. Go and do likewise. The woman was A third time she followed this same procedure. This time she read, what you are about to do, do quickly. And as you can see, her method was not a good way to seek God's guidance. God will give you guidance and clarity if you will prayerfully seek it with wisdom and care. And so the psalmist says, I'll instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go, and I will guide thee with mine eye. The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way. And so, every one of us, the direction of the east, the direction of the rising sun, or the day spring, was considered by the Jews to be the source of truth and the right direction. The entrance to the Jewish temple is on the east side, and when Christ returns, he will come through the eastern gate. Oh man, don't you love that song about the eastern gate? Boy, I thank God when we look at life today. Nighttime can be extremely difficult when you're facing a trial or when you're afraid. Usually in the night, we're left alone with our thoughts. The dark night has a way of magnifying doubt, despair, discouragement, defeat, and depression. When this happens, all of a sudden, something will strike out at us. The eyes and heart refuse to rest, and the dark of night drags on and on, and it seems it'll never end. that the night may look bad, but then the dawn arises and things look a little bit better. Our hope strengthens us. God gives us joy to face the day. I remember when a MiG went down and I was in Korea and the rice fields and that MiG had shot down an airliner with Georgia's congressman on it. And when that happened, I went to the rice fields with a 50, waiting to see if there's retaliation from the North Koreans coming over. Man, for almost 30 days, it seemed like, endless time, that, man, are they coming? Boy, I watched the sun come up many a morning, wondering if somebody's coming across the rice paddies, ready to do what I was supposed to do. for God and country. Thank God that I never saw him coming across. Thank God I never had to pull the trigger. The day spring Jesus Christ gives joy to the Christian just as the dawn encourages those who are down in the dumps. The golden rays of righteousness of Christ that warm the soul like the sun that flushes the morning of the cold. is the source of happiness. It is He that gives a person satisfaction that will not fade like a fallen leaf, the joy that gives us that comes within us and it cannot be taken away. John said, these things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full. And so every one of us, when we look and we begin to realize that God wants to do some great things in all of our lives, one of the first things that we see As we begin a new day, as I looked across a mini of a sunrise when I was in the military, the dawn of reflection about God, men were able to observe and learn about God in a new way. They could see him in the flesh as he walked among them and reflect upon his life, his message, his power, and his promises. Secondly, as we see that they have changed by his love, that the luster of polished diamonds in the globe, that we see that of all the things that have changed, how we've been comforted, how we've been cleansed by the warmth of his mercy, the glowing ambers of a refiner's fire. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, the gross darkness the people, but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory shall be seen upon thee. Boy, how we look and realize that the scriptures, how they begin to talk to us. We see the dawn of reflection about God, the dawn of redemption and reparation because Christ paid the final price for man's sin by paying for the damages of the sins of mankind with his own blood. The price for man's sins was finally paid. In victory, Jesus cried out on the cross, it is finished. The debt was paid in full. And so every one of us, when we look, As the scriptures tells us, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us, who gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from the present evil world according to the will of God and our Father. And not only the dawn of reflection about God, the dawn of redemption and reparation, but the dawn of resurrection, because I'm glad that every one of us After his death on the cross, Jesus arose from the grave on the third day, proving he was God and his word was true. He took the sting out of death, proved that he had power over it. Because of this, we know that he can keep his promise in raising up those who have put their faith in him. Every one of us, when we look and realize that He can do something that no one else can do. Therefore, we're buried with Him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Amen. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. 1 Corinthians 6.14, And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His own power. And so fourthly, the dawn of regeneration. Here, Christ paid the price for the sins of mankind, but that is not enough to get to heaven. You hear me? The sinner must act upon what he did. Each person must make the decision to accept the Lord into his or her heart, and by faith, trust him for eternal life. You must believe in him, accept his gift of salvation by faith, and when a person does this, The Lord forgives and cleanses him or her by his grace and mercy, and he or she is spiritually renewed or regenerated. And so we see that day, that day star, or that day spring of Christ, the day spring. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved, that he believeth on him is not condemned. But he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God, Christ the day spring." Boy, hallelujah. 2 Corinthians 5.17. Therefore, for any man being Christ, he's a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. And so we see the fifth, the dawn of reconciliation and restoration. Every one of us, when we look and realize sin broke the relationship between God and man. And because Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, he passed on to all mankind a sin nature. And so Paul said, wherefore is by one man entered into the world and death by sin. And so death passed upon all men for all that all have sinned. When a person trusts in the Lord and Christ saves that person, he not only forgives and saves that person from the penalty of sin, which is death in hell, the person's relationship with God is restored. And so Jesus became our mediator, bringing the gap between God and man, bringing about reconciliation with God by shedding his blood, dying on the cross. Our broken fellowship with God was restored. And so I'm glad that we see, he says, but now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes will fall are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5, 18 and 19, And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Hebrews, the writer, second chapter, 17th verse. Wherefore, in all things, it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be merciful and faithful, high priests and things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For first Timothy 2, 5, for there's one God, one mediator between God and man and the man, Christ Jesus. And Paul again, in second Corinthians 5, 21. for it made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. And so we see the sixth, the dawn of ratification, our adoption that comes before us. And I'm glad because of Christ, we've got a new relationship with God. He becomes our spiritual father instead of Satan. And we are adopted by the Lord. If you're asked, who is your father? tell that person God is. And so I'm glad Paul said in Romans 8, 15 and 16, for ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption. If you are asked whereby ye cry, Abba, Father, the spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And because we are the children of God, We receive the inheritance of Jesus Christ. The Lord is also preparing us a place to live in heaven. And so as we look and begin to realize of Christ, the day spring. Galatians 4, 5, 6, and 7. To redeem that we're under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons, and because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying out, But Father, wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son? And if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Boy, here we begin to realize that as he tells us this, in my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Ain't you glad that he's preparing a place for every one of us? And so we get to the seventh thing, the dawn of reception. Thank you, Lord. Like a child that approaches the lap of a father or a mother, because of Jesus, we now have access to the throne of God. We don't have to be nervous, scared, or hesitant in coming to our wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We don't have to have someone meditate for us. We can come ourselves before the throne of God with confidence. We don't have to go through nobody else but the mediator himself. And so I'm glad each and every one of us, all of the wonderful blessings that we can enjoy as Christians. Hebrews 4.16, let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in a time of need. Hebrews 10 verses 19 and 20, having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holies by the blood of Jesus, by new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say his flesh. Ephesians 2.18, for through him we both have access by one spirit unto the Father. And Ephesians 3.11 and 12, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. Boy, ain't you glad that with all of the references that we have a wonderful blessing that we can enjoy as Christians because of the Lord Jesus Christ the day spring. through the tender mercy of God, whereby the day spring from on high hath visited us to give light to them that sit in darkness and in shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace. Father, thank you so much for this Christ, the day spring that lights up our lives. Every single day that goes before us, Lord, that prepares the way and guides us through the Holy Spirit, holds our hand, leads us, Lord, I pray and thank you for this wonderful name, Christ the day spring, the one that lit up Bethlehem and because the world has never been the same since. Thank you for a savior that's wiped my slate clean. My sins are gone as far as the east is from the west, Lord, and the waters that are so deep that never to be shown again. Father, thank you for saving me. by your marvelous grace in giving me a promise of eternal security when you wrote my name down in the Lamb's Book of Life. I pray, Lord, that there'll be someone out there that hears this and they will be motivated and encouraged to step out on faith. The substance of things hopeful, the evidence of things not seen in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Thank you so much for tuning us in tonight.