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Sunday Message · Fountain of Grace International · Pretoria North

Why Jesus Changed Everything: The Birth That Brings New Life

Christmas is not just a holiday. It marks the arrival of someone who saves people from their sins and brings life where there was none. This changes everything.

Pastor Ricardo Zaal · Fountain of Grace International, Pretoria North

The Name That Matters

Jesus is not just a name. It is the name demons flee from. It is the name that heals. It is the name above every other name. When Joseph and Mary heard they would have a son, they were told to call him Jesus because he would save his people from their sins.

This is why Christmas matters. Not because of decorations or sales or traditions. It matters because a Savior was born. Someone came who could actually change the direction of human life. Two thousand years later, his name still carries that same power.

Life Gives Birth to New Things

When Jesus came, he did not bring condemnation. He brought life. Abundant life. The kind of life that makes you think, 'Wow, life has been great.' When you know Jesus, you stop doing the things that destroy you. You stop the hatred, the stealing, the killing. You start living.

This matters for your actual situation right now. If your marriage is broken, if your business is failing, if your health is collapsing, if you are depressed and alone, Jesus brings birth to new things. Not fake hope. Real transformation that starts with knowing you are forgiven and loved by God.

The birth of Jesus into the world means the birth of possibility into your life. A new job. A restored relationship. A business that grows. Finances that flow because you understand stewardship. These are not accidents when someone follows Jesus. They are fruits of a life aligned with God.

When You Cannot Change Others, Change Yourself

Maybe there is someone in your life who gives you constant headaches. Your husband. Your son. Your boss. Someone you cannot seem to fix no matter how hard you try. Here is what the birth of Jesus teaches you: you cannot change that person. But you can change yourself toward that person.

This is where real peace comes from. Not from controlling others. Not from waiting for them to finally get it. Peace comes from changing your attitude, your perspective, your response. When you do this, your whole life shifts. The situation may not change, but your experience of it does. That is the birth of something new.

Jesus Saves You From Your Sins

Sin is not just about breaking rules. It is about breaking the connection between you and God. When that connection is broken, everything else breaks. Your finances suffer. Your relationships suffer. Your health suffers. Your peace disappears.

Matthew 1:21 says Jesus will save his people from their sins. This means he restores what sin destroyed. He removes the guilt that keeps you stuck. He forgives what you thought was unforgivable. This is not about pretending you did nothing wrong. It is about admitting what you did wrong and letting Jesus free you from it.

When you repent, when you turn around and ask God for forgiveness, something shifts. The iniquity that stood between you and God gets removed. Then God can actually move in your life. Then birth happens. Then greatness comes.

If You Feel Like Giving Up, Listen

If you are thinking about taking your own life, stop. Depression is not your portion. Loneliness is not your destiny. Despair is not the end of your story. God has great things planned for you. The pain you have been through, God can use it. He can turn it into testimony. He can use it to help others. But only if you stay alive.

God will send someone to your door. He will show you that you are loved. He will open opportunities in your mind that you never saw before. He will lift you up to a place higher than your enemies. He will prepare a table for you to eat at while your enemies watch. This is not fantasy. This is the promise of Jesus to anyone who calls on his name.

Whatever situation put you down on the ground, God will lift you up. Right now. Not tomorrow. This moment. Call out his name. Ask for help. Tell someone you are struggling. Then watch what God does.

Celebration Is About Victory, Not Just the Day

Christmas is not just about remembering a birth that happened two thousand years ago. It is about celebrating your own victory. Your victory over the circumstances that tried to destroy you. Your victory over the lies that told you that you were worthless. Your victory over the depression that said you should give up.

When you eat your meal today, whether it is with family or alone, celebrate that you made it this far. Celebrate that despite everything, you are still here. Celebrate that Jesus is still in the business of saving people and changing lives. Your life can be next.

"The birth of Jesus brings birth to new things in your life. A new job. A restored marriage. A healed mind. A full table. Whatever was dying, God can make it live again."

- Pastor Ricardo Zaal

Key Takeaways

  1. Jesus Saves From Sins, Not Just to Heaven When Matthew 1:21 says Jesus will save his people from their sins, it does not just mean you get to heaven someday. It means he saves you right now from the destructive power of sin in your life. Sin breaks your relationships. Sin empties your wallet. Sin destroys your peace. Sin kills your hope. Jesus interrupts that cycle. He forgives you. He removes the guilt. He gives you a new start. Then your life can actually improve because you are no longer carrying the weight of what you did wrong.
  2. You Cannot Control Others, But You Can Control Your Response The hardest people to live with are the ones you cannot change. Your spouse who will not listen. Your child who keeps making bad choices. Your boss who is unfair. You can spend your whole life trying to fix them and go gray with stress. But Jesus teaches something different. You cannot change them. But you can change how you respond to them. You can change your attitude. You can change your perspective. You can choose peace instead of anger. When you do, something shifts in your life even if they never change. That is the birth of new freedom.
  3. God Meets You in Your Worst Moment If you are sitting alone on Christmas wondering if anyone cares, God knows. If you are hungry and have no food, God knows. If you are thinking about ending your life because the pain is too much, God is listening right now. He does not wait for you to get your act together. He comes to you in your mess. He sends someone to knock on your door. He puts a thought in someone's mind to reach out to you. He whispers to you that you have a great destiny ahead. This is the nature of Jesus. He comes to the broken, the lost, the alone, and he brings life. That can be you today.

If you are in Pretoria North, come on a Sunday - these messages are preached live every week at Fountain of Grace International, 323 B Danie Theron Street.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean that Jesus saves us from our sins?

It means Jesus removes the guilt and breaks the power of sin in your life right now. Sin destroys relationships, finances, health, and peace. When you confess your sins to Jesus and ask for forgiveness, he restores what sin broke. The connection between you and God gets fixed. Then God can actually work in your life. Doors open. Relationships heal. Finances improve. Peace returns. This is not about pretending you did nothing wrong. It is about admitting what you did and letting Jesus free you from it.

What should I do if I am depressed and feel like no one cares?

First, tell someone. Tell a family member, a friend, a pastor, a counselor, anyone you trust. Depression is real and you should not face it alone. Second, know that God cares about you even when no one else seems to. Jesus came to give life to the broken and hopeless. God will send someone to you. He will show you that you are loved. You have a great destiny ahead. But you have to stay alive to see it. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call your country's suicide prevention line immediately or go to the nearest hospital emergency room.

How do I celebrate Christmas if I have lost someone I love?

Grief is real and it does not disappear on a holiday. But Christmas is about God sending his Son to comfort the broken. The Holy Spirit is described as the Comforter. He will surround you and comfort you during this time. Allow yourself to feel sad. Be with people who care about you if you can. Talk about the person you lost. Let others know you are hurting. And know that God has not forgotten you or your loved one. There is healing in time and in community.

Join Us This Sunday

Fountain of Grace International meets every Sunday at 09:00 at 323 B Danie Theron Street, Pretoria North. Come as you are.

Read Full Sermon Transcript
Oh, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, we give you the praise, we give you the glory, the honor that you deserve, my God. Rabbi Shri Kiri, Hosanna, that I will go to the end of the day. Oh, Merry Christmas to everybody, Merry Christmas to everybody. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, the day has come. The day has come for sufficient grace and the grace of God that has kept you to be here, still be here. And this is a day that I can say to you that God has given us the grace to see this day And so many of us can actually say We have made it through many things And I mean, if I say many things I'm specifically reminded of somebody that died And can't really be here today I'm specifically reminded of some that actually thought that they will be maybe having certain things in their lives today and they have not made it. So for all those reminders today, I want to remind you, today is the birth of a great, great king. King Jesus, the king of the Jews, the King of everyone that has taken Him as a Lord and Savior. So this morning, I want to greet you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, my Lord and Savior. I don't know about you, but He's my Lord and Savior. So this morning, as I'm greeting you, I'm greeting you the name that stood up against demons. And every time demons hear that name, that name is the name that made them to flee, the name Jesus. I'm greeting you in the name that is like balm to me It's a balm, it's an ointment that is saving you And that is giving you healing this morning I'm greeting you in that name, the name that this day has been made for Because this name that is above every other name The name that every knee would bow down to So this morning I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior And I want to say to you Merry Christmas Merry Christmas My God just richly bless you this morning My God just richly give you your heart desire this morning for the birth of his son jesus christ this is the birth that we actually have come to to be uh celebrating so we not celebrating something but the the birth of the great the birth of the great the birth of the great so this uh somebody that we literally literally want to say thanks to. So if you have not heard about Jesus before, I urge you this morning, listen to this message and you will understand where we're coming from and what we are doing. So this morning I want to start off by saying, let's read out of the book of Matthew 1. Let us read out of the book of Matthew 1. Now the book of Matthew 1 verse 21 says, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call him his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now, the book of Matthew 1 verse 21, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call him Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now I want to go a little bit down and say Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled Which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying Behold a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son And they shall call his name Emmanuel Which being interpreted God with us Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden to him, took unto him his wife and knew he not till she had brought forth her firstborn son and called his name Jesus. So this morning, my message is entitled, The Birth of the Great. The Great. The Great. Everybody knows the name Jesus this morning. Because if you go to everywhere in the world, today is a celebration of a Christmas day. And for those who does not celebrate Christmas, they know that there's a day like this. because of obviously everywhere you go the media will make such a big fuss of it not just the media but everywhere you go you will actually see that um as you go in the in the stores there some ceremonies there some decorations This is all about the celebration to them It's maybe just a way of making more sales. But to us, it's another way of actually making sure that they know the Christmas day. And this day we know by Christ Jesus, we will know. So I want to say to you, I'm just going to give out some blessings this morning. Just blessing you, blessing you, blessing you this morning. I want to bless you for listening to this. For those of you who are still going to listen afterwards, I want to bless you this morning. May this day of the great Bring great things to you this morning My message will be sweet and short But may this day bring Great things to you I entitled the message the great Because of there's some birth Of the great things in your life Because of this day That Jesus has come forth And as he came forth He actually brought us so many things So many things that we did not know I mean if I for argument's sake can tell you anyone that knows jesus knows not that you need to not do a lot of bad things and therefore when you come to a day like this which is christmas you will actually see so many joy that has been given over so many peace that has been given over so many people that has been having so many trouble during the course of the year they actually sit down and think wow life has been great. Wow, life has been this way. So this morning, it is not about the hatred. It is not about the stealing. It's not about the killing. It is not about the death. It's not about anything else, but it's the giving of life, the life that Jesus has given us, life that is abundant, life that is abundant, life that is abundant. So this morning, Jesus has brought to you life this morning. So this morning, I want to come to you and say to you that as Christ has given birth, I mean, as Christ has been born today, it will give birth to your situations that has been coming down in your life. For those situations that has been killing you, that where you couldn't find life, may the birth of Jesus Christ bring life to you. The life of your job that you been struggling to may this birth to you a job So this morning If your business has been going down may the birth of Jesus bring life to business May that business grow from glory to glory for His glory. And you will come back and testify about Jesus that has given birth. So anybody that is hearing to the sound of my voice, where there was no birth given, where Satan has still the seed of growth in your life, I come against the plans of Satan now in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And I bring birth, I bring birth, birth of great things. The great, like Jesus has been the great for us. I bring that great to you this morning. So this morning, I want to bless you by saying to you that as the birth of Jesus Christ is birthing out new things, may your new things come your way as well. May new things come your way as well. The new things that say, for instance, in your case that you've been struggling with that husband of yours that doesn't want to listen to you. Sometimes don't even sleep at home. May the birth of Christ bring newer things to you and your husband so that as your husband did not come home this day, he will come home. I bless you this morning. And I say, may the birth of Jesus birth to you. Those relationship that has been given you all the headaches. I hope that this day will birth for the relationship that will give you more about Him, that is Jesus. So this morning, as the relationship has gone to die, I bring birth out of that relationship, a new joy that you will find, a new peace that you will find, a birth of new things in your relationship in the name of Jesus, the name that is above all the names. So this morning, as you've been going through certain things in your life, like the way you had depression, may God bring the perfect peace over your life, the peace that transcends all minds, the peace that brings forth a birth of new things, that peace and calmness I bring to you in every depression situation. I come against it now in the mighty name of Jesus. Where you feel alone, I bring the Holy Spirit to you because He will be your comforter who will be surrounding you all the time. I bring that in the name of Jesus to you this morning. So where anything that you feel that you haven't been having a best of, where it's a financial situation, I birth to you this morning a financial growth. to you in the mighty name of Jesus. Anybody that is hearing to the sound of my voice this morning, I birth the financial growth into your life. Any one cent that you have as you're giving it out, whether you buy a piece of bread, whether you buy a meat, whatever you buy this morning, may it be a seed that is sowing into somebody else's life to bring to you the fruit of financial growth into your life. And don't be disfired for you using it as you are about to buy a cool ring or whatever you're buying this morning. Make that financial seed into somebody else's life because it goes into a business. It goes into paying somebody who had money to pay for Christmas lunch today. Anywhere you go as you buy, that is a seed that you are sowing into somebody else's life who will then come back and say, I could buy myself something for this Christmas out of the money that you gave me. So may that be something that will bless you to grow into your own financial situation as well in the mighty name of Jesus. So this morning, I want to bring birth to you as a person that has been having so much headache, so much headache because of a certain person in your life that has been giving you all the gray hair that you can find, regardless if it is your son, if it is your husband, if it is your boyfriend, if it is your girlfriend, whether it is somebody who is at work that will always give you those headaches that you feel like, whoa, I just don't want to be surrounding with this person. May this day birth to you the peace that knows that you cannot change the person, but you can change yourself towards that person. So may that birth to you a new seeing, a new sight so that you can see how you can change your seeing towards that person, knowing that that person won't change. But as you change towards your attitude towards that person, may it birth for a better situation in your life this morning in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And I come to you now this morning where you were staying in a place where you're not you're just renting out a birth, make this day of the birth of the great to be a great birth for you to stay in your own place this morning to move into your own place this morning in the mighty name of Jesus the birth of Jesus that brings a birth to you to stay in your own place, not to rent out in somebody else's place, in the mighty name of Jesus, where you've been moving into a smaller place, may the birth of Christ give you a greater things, I mean, if you're looking at it, some people just stay in a one bedroom house, while they are four, So this morning in the mighty name of Jesus, the birth of the great will bring a greater house for you, which every child will have their own room in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior. The birth of the great will bring great things because he said it in his word that for he shall save his people from their sins. So whatever sins that has been given you not to have what you need. So this morning I come against everything and I ask God for forgiveness for your sins so that whatever has been an iniquity standing in front of you and your God. I pray now in the mighty name of Jesus that that birth will bring forth a savior to you. I'm saving you from anything that is not of God. So this morning as he has come, let's say repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. So this is what it says, the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Preparing the way of the Lord, make his part straight. So this is the birth of wherever there's a dry situation. May the birth of the great bring a situation where water floods out like out of a rock which God has brought forth. So may this birth of the great bring to you water and water that you will thirst no longer for. May the great brings to you whatever you has been drying in your life. It's been too dry. May the birth of the great bring a birth for you to have some nourishment into your life. Where you've been hungry, may the birth of Christ birth a fullness of joy into your life, a fullness of your stomach into your life in the mighty name of Jesus. So this morning, as I come to this earth to tell you that Christ's birthday this morning, as others believe it was not his birthday, I don't care to know whether it is his birthday or not. But this morning because of the celebration that goes on around the world and everybody knows that this is the Christ birthday regardless whether you you believe it or not whether you Believe whatever it is said. I don't care what you are saying But as long as you know that the Christ has been born regardless whether it is this day or another day regardless whether he was born in the month of February the January set that April, whichever month, it does not matter as long as he was born and he has come as a savior this morning. So I bring to you the birth of the great that you that don't believe will still believe in him sending forth things to you that you did not know. He will open up your mind to certain things. May the birth of Christ open up new opportunities in your mind so that you see opportunities this morning. in the mighty name of Jesus Christ the Lord and every opportunity that comes into your mind, let it come to fruitation so that it can bring forth fruit in the mighty name of Jesus. May the birth of this day bring forth business opportunities to you. May the month this day, as we're celebrating the day, make you to celebrate into your own life as well this morning in the mighty name of Jesus. I bring my message to an end this morning. the birth of Christ will birth to you things of greatness. The birth of Christ brings things to you of greatness. And this is how I end my message. May you and your family have a blessed Christmas. For those of you that have lost a family member, I pray that the comforter will be surrounding you, the comforter will comfort you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And I pray that this morning, as you listen to this and every situation that has been tough, where there's no food at your table, may God bring somebody that will knock at your door and say, I just thought of bringing something to you. And God will send somebody to your house to bring for you a bread, whether it is a bread or a Christmas lunch. But may God just bring that to you now in the mighty name of Jesus. And I pray for you as you are sitting alone thinking that there's nobody who cares about you May God bring somebody that will knock at your door and show to you that they still care Regardless whether you have lost faith in humanity May God give that person to you in the mighty name of Jesus this morning and as you were sitting you sitting and thinking that my family has left me alone I sitting on the street not knowing where to sleep tonight May the birth of Christ bring some place for you to be comforted for. May God give you a place where anyone seeing you will be seeing Christ Jesus in your life this morning. So this morning, as we celebrate Christ Jesus, I pray that Heavenly Father, as anybody that is listening to this, knowing you or not knowing you, Father God, may they know that you are the Christ, the Savior that has brought things to us, that has saved us from things that will kill us. So this morning in the mighty name of Jesus, as you go and celebrate whatever you are celebrating today, may God just richly bless you in celebrating everything. May God just richly bless you in celebrating, not just celebrating the birth of Christ, but celebrating your victory, your victory over circumstances, your victory over life, your victory over everything that was trying to put you down. May this Christmas make you to celebrate over any situation that has been bringing you down. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. This morning, as you go and celebrate, celebrate life. Because of life is where you can actually have a second chance. And I come against the plan of the enemy who is trying to steal somebody's life by a suicidal. I come to you now in the mighty name of Jesus and I cast you out. I curse you now in Jesus name. Life and I speak life, life in abundance over the person that is trying to take their life today because they feel lonely. I pray now in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, revealed to that person now in the mighty name of Jesus. That person will not take their life this morning because I know Christ Jesus is there to pick the person up now in the mighty name of Jesus. I prophesy now into your life, you will have great destiny. You will have a great destiny. You are having a great destiny. And as you were about to take your life, may God that has put that great destiny into your life, use this time that you've been going through bereavement, that you've been through pain to actually glorify His name and stand up and say, if it wasn't for this day that this guy was speaking about the suicide, I would have died today. I would have taken my own life. But this morning, as you are about to take your own life, may the Spirit of God take you out of that situation. Take you out of that situation so that you can have life and not just an ordinary life, but a life in abundance with the family that cares about you, with kids that will surround you, that will hug you and tell you every time that you are loved by that kid. In the mighty name of Jesus, depression is not your portion. Depression is not your portion. May the peace of God that transcends all minds go on to your life now in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And as you are about to listen to this morning, anyone that is hearing under the sound of my voice, I prophesy that whatever situation that put you down on the ground, God will lift you up this morning. God will lift you up this morning. God will lift you up this morning. God will move you to another realm that is high above your enemies, a realm that you will look up down to your enemies and say you thought that you can defeat me but God has defeated you in the mighty name of Jesus I prophesied this morning that as you are about to go out there and eat some lunch with people may you sit down and eat in front of your enemies and on the same table and said to them, but I'm celebrating my life so that they can celebrate with you because God has prepared the table in front of your enemies. God has prepared at the table in front of your enemies. I prophesy now any enemies that is sitting on your table, let them put their heads down in shame and say, wow, this guy's God is greater than what we thought he is. So this morning I prophesy in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, where dry situations has come into your life. May God just nourish it in Jesus' mighty name. I pray this morning. Amen. Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ The love of God And the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit Rest and abide with us Until Jesus comes Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us All the days of our lives And we shall dwell in the house of the Lord Forever and ever In Jesus name Amen God bless you Thank you.
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