God the Son

Father, thank you for your grace to us in the Lord Jesus Christ

in revealing yourself to us in the person of your Son.

And we pray now that as we come to the Scriptures

that we would delight in him

and that you'd help me to speak clearly about you.

And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Tim Keller has written in his book, Every Good Work,

that people cannot make sense of anything

without attaching it to a storyline.

You can't make sense of anything without attaching it to a storyline.

So he uses the example, after the attacks of September 11,

no one mentioned the event without placing it

into some sort of narrative structure, story structure.

So some people said this is the result of America's abuse

of its imperial power in the world.

And other people said there are many evil people out there who hate us

because we are a good and free country.

And so depending on which story you believed,

you would be associated with either the antagonist or the protagonist.

And your response and your emotions and your actions

would be completely different depending which story is yours.

And he quotes a modern philosopher and he said,

and this is what he writes, I'm just reading from the book,

imagine that you're standing at a bus stop,

a young man comes up to you, you don't know him,

and he says, the name of the common wild duck is Histrionicus,

Histrionicus, Histrionicus.

And even though you understand the sentence,

his action doesn't make any sense.

What's it mean?

And the only way to make sense of it

is to try to learn the story into which this event fits.

So perhaps the young man is mentally ill.

That would explain it.

Or what if somebody,

what if yesterday someone who was your gender,

your age, your appearance,

had approached the young man in the local library,

asking him the Latin word for the wild duck,

and today he'd mistaken you for that person?

That would explain it too.

Or perhaps the young man's a foreign spy,

waiting at a prearranged rendezvous

and uttering the ill-chosen sentence,

which will identify him to his contact.

And so he says,

the first story's sad,

the second story's comic,

and the third story's dramatic.

But the point is,

without some sort of a handle on this story,

there's no way to understand the meaning

of what just happened,

and there's no way to even know

how to answer this man.

So he says,

if you call the police

and it was a simple case of mistaken identity,

it's going to be really embarrassing.

If you pick a fight with somebody

who's a trained assassin,

the result will be even worse.

But in any case,

if you get the story wrong,

your response will be wrong,

and if you get the story of the world wrong,

if, for instance,

you see that life here is all about

your self-actualisation

and your self-fulfilment,

and it's all about you,

rather than the love of God

and knowing God,

then you will get your life responses wrong.

We need to know God's story

if we're going to know God

and how to live in his world.

The Bible begins with Adam and Eve

living perfect harmony

with God and his creation.

Life is good.

Access to God was easy.

They could converse with him in his garden.

They could see him.

They could talk with him.

They could be naked with one another

and with God,

and they would know no shame.

And the tragic end

to a great beginning

comes when Adam and Eve

go it alone,

disobey God.

He shuts them out of the garden,

and perhaps the greatest tragedy

in that judgment

is that they are shut out

from God's personal presence.

They no longer know God

in the intimate way

that they had previously known him.

They're shut out from his presence

and they have lost access to him.

And in some ways,

the entire movement of the Bible

is about how can we come

to know God again

despite our sin,

our failure,

and great wickedness,

which is in all of us.

God's story

is a story about our redemption.

It's about us

coming to know God again.

The journey

of the Bible

is about how God

chooses to reveal himself

to us again.

It's about God

doing something

to bring us out

of the deep darkness

of our own sin

to be able to

for us to be able

to stand safely

in his presence.

And he has taken

extreme measures

to make us safe.

Deb said already

this series

is about God.

He wants us

to know him.

He wants us

to delight

in who he is.

And I've been saying

throughout this series

that we can't know God

in his entirety.

We can only know

as much about him

as he chooses

to reveal

about himself.

We can only see

as much as he

pulls those curtains

back for us

to be able to see.

I've also been saying

that God reveals

himself to us

as three persons

Father, Son

and Holy Spirit.

Three distinct persons

who have different roles

do different things

but each of them

is fully God.

Last week I spoke

about God the Father.

It was a delightful

surprise to me

that he is

to see that he is

hardly known as Father

in the Old Testament.

That was like

an aha moment for me.

It is when Jesus

bursts on the scene

that God as Father

begins to be revealed.

And Jesus' most

common way

of referring to God

is as his Father.

And you see

that Jesus

shows us

God the Father.

He teaches us

to pray to the Father,

that the Father

provides bountifully

good gifts

to his children,

that anyone

who has seen me

has seen the Father

and that the Father

is supreme over all

and the Father

is wonderfully good

and totally glorious.

Let me tell you,

I got to sit with

a friend this week

who I've been talking

to about Christ

for the last three years

and we didn't talk

two ways to live

but he asked me

what I've been preaching

and I told him

what I'd learned

about God the Father

last week.

I think that's evangelism.

It's revealing

what God is like.

Today,

we turn to

his magnificent son.

I'm going

all over the place

in the Bible.

You're welcome

to try to follow

with me.

You might find

I'm moving

a little quickly

sometimes.

John 1,

John 1:10

verse 10 says

he was in the world.

Speaking about Jesus,

Jesus was in the world

and though the world

was made through him,

the world

did not recognise him.

John makes

the extraordinary claim

that Jesus existed

before he was born.

It's not the only place

in the Bible

that makes that claim.

Colossians 1 tells us,

verse 16,

For by him,

by Jesus,

all things were created,

things in heaven

and on earth,

visible and invisible,

whether thrones

or powers

or rulers

or authorities,

all things were created

by him and for him.

Both passages declare

that Jesus,

that the world,

was made through Jesus.

Colossians says

that the world

was made by Jesus

and it was made

for Jesus.

The world

is the stage

where Jesus

will magnificently

do the extraordinary work

that his father

sent him to do.

The big word

that we use

is incarnation.

God coming amongst us

as a person

and not just any person,

he was the perfect person.

So it's not,

this is not some

eastern doctrine

of reincarnation

where creatures

go round and round

in endless cycles

of existence.

existence.

This is the incarnation

coming into the world,

God coming into the world

in the person

of his son.

So the creator

God of the universe

enters into his creation

in the person

of his son,

the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew's gospel

goes to a lot of trouble

to help us to understand

that Jesus wasn't born

because Mary and Joseph

had premarital sex

and something went wrong.

It is very clear

that Joseph is not

Jesus' biological dad.

He was born

because the Holy Spirit

of God

caused Jesus

to be conceived

in Mary

while she was a virgin.

Our creator

became like us,

his creatures,

except that he was

without sin,

he was God himself

entering our world

and he grew

to become

the perfect human being,

he was prepared

to be,

being prepared

to be

a perfect sacrifice.

So Jesus

is human

and in some ways

that's clear.

He was born,

he lived,

he cried,

he laughed,

he had friends

and he had enemies,

he showed compassion

and mercy,

he got hungry,

he suffered,

he grieved.

Hebrews chapter 5

Hebrews 5 · chapter mention

says he is able

to deal gently

with those

who are ignorant

and going astray

since he himself

is subject

to weakness.

Now I don't know

about you

but I think

when we think

human weakness

we think sin

and failure.

You know,

I opened my mouth

and said that sentence

that I really knew

I shouldn't have said.

Or I went surfing

somewhere on the internet

that I knew

was destructive.

Weakness

for Jesus

wasn't sin.

It was experiencing

the limitation

of life

as a flesh

and blood person.

It says in Hebrews

Hebrews 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5

that during the days

of Jesus' life

on earth

he offered up

prayers and petitions

with loud cries

and tears

to the one

who could save him

from death.

And he was heard

because of his

reverent submission.

And although

he was a son

he learned obedience

from what he suffered

and once made perfect

he became the source

of eternal salvation

for all who obey him.

He hungered in the desert

for 40 days of testing.

He experienced deep grief

when his friend

John the Baptist

was beheaded.

He was abandoned

by many disciples

in John chapter 6

John 6 · chapter mention

when they didn't

understand his teaching.

His suffering

was unjust.

He did such good

to so many people

and the leaders

of the nations

hated him for it.

They falsely accused him

of being empowered

by Satan.

He was bashed

nearly to death.

He was executed

by suffocating

on a cross

because people

had lied

at his trial.

God

my whole message

last week

was that Jesus

is the one

who reveals

the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ

and every true thing

that we know

about the Father

is revealed

by his obedient son.

Jesus had a difficult life

and he persevered

in that difficult life

absolutely dependent

on his heavenly Father.

His amazingly selfless prayer

in the Garden of Gethsemane

the night before he died

he fell with his face

to the ground

and he prayed

my Father

if it is possible

may this cup

be taken from me

yet not my will

but as you will

my Father

if possible

yet not what I want

but what you want.

He's the Lord's prayer

personified.

Your kingdom come

O God

your will be done

ahead of mine.

It's a prayer

of dependent trust

Father I am hurting

in this moment

but I trust

in your good will

and your purposes.

You know

when we hurt

what do we want to do?

We really want to tell God

what he needs to do

to get us out of this mess.

Take this pain

away from him.

And you see in Jesus

that he doesn't hesitate

to tell his Father

that he is hurting

but he does not insist

on his way out

he trusts his Father's

plans and purposes

being for good.

Three times in Matthew's

gospel he teaches

his disciples

that he's going to

suffer

at the hands

of the religious leaders

that he will die

and three days later

he will rise.

He was trusting

that his Father

was going to raise him

from the dead

by faith.

Hebrews chapter 10

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

says it another way

it says

therefore when Christ

came into the world

he said

sacrifice an offering

you did not desire

but a body

you prepared for me.

With burnt offerings

and sin offerings

you were not pleased.

But then I said

here I am

it is written about me

in the scroll

I have come

to do your will

O God.

So Christ

came into the world

he accepted

the limitations

of a human body

he was sinless

his sinless body

became the only

possible sacrifice

for our sins

there is no

other perfect person.

isn't that a relief

that we don't even

have to look for one

or try to be?

But more amazing

still is the view

that Christ

had of himself

in Mark 10

Jesus has been

teaching his disciples

about dark days ahead

and he's going

about this really

serious teaching

which is obviously

causing him

a reasonable amount

of grief

and the disciples

are bickering

about status

and position.

And James and John

they make their move

and they ask

for special position

in heaven

ahead of the rest.

And there is this

very unedifying

argument about

who will have

the most important

place in heaven.

We could try

here this morning

I wonder

who it's and Paul's

will be more

important in heaven.

It's embarrassing

and it's

extremely unhelpful.

And Jesus says

if you are going

to be great

learn to be a servant

a slave

or a servant.

And he explains

his own life

and his mission.

For verse 45

Mark 10

Mark 10:45

verse 45

this is a keeper

this is one of

those verses

you learn

and you remember

forever.

The son of man

did not come

to be served

but to serve

and to give his

life as a ransom

for many.

Philippians chapter 2

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

is an awesome hymn

of praise

to Christ

describing his mission.

The one who being

in very nature

God

did not consider

equality with God

something to be grasped

but made himself

nothing

taking the very

nature of a

servant

a slave

being made in

human likeness

and being found

in appearance

as a man

he humbled himself

and became

obedient to death

even death

on a cross.

And therefore

God exalted him

to the highest place

and gave him

the name that is

above every name

that at the name

of Jesus

every knee

should bow

in heaven

and on earth

and under the earth

and every tongue

confess

that Jesus Christ

is Lord

to the glory

of God the Father.

God the Son

absolutely

equal with God

in nature

didn't try

to cling

to the rights

of his position.

it's been called

God's great

bungee jump

left heaven

stepped away

from entitlement

and prestige

and honour

and fell

face forward

and smashed

into the earth.

As a man

he allowed himself

to be subjected

to indignity

and humiliation

ultimately

God permitted

his creatures

to do their worst

to him

they tried

to snatch

the kingdom

from God

by launching

an all-out assault

on his son.

And Jesus

anticipated

what was going

to happen

when he

retold

the parable

of the vineyard

from Isaiah

and applied it

to his own rejection.

The man

who owned

the vineyard

he put tenants

in charge.

The tenants

refused to

acknowledge the owner

by not paying

the rent.

They beat

and killed

the messengers

who were seen

climaxing in the

death even

of John the Baptist.

and finally

he says

I will send

my son

whom I love

they will

respect him

and the tenants

see the son

and they decide

to kill him

and steal the kingdom

and the inheritance

for themselves.

to reject

Jesus

is the

most awful

expression

of our

rejection

of God

the Father.

It's as though

we have tried

to seize

God

with our own

hands

and sought

to destroy

him

it is the

most terrible

thing to have

been done

in the whole

of human

history.

and God

holds us

all culpable

because it is

the ultimate

re-expression

of Adam

and Eve's

sins.

We shut

God out

of our

lives

we try

to kick

him

out of

his

garden

and destroy

him

forever.

It is

great

wickedness.

God's

point of

view

Psalm 2

says

he laughs

not because

he thinks

our efforts

are funny

but because

they are so

puny

and ridiculously

ineffective.

He deals

with the

rejection

of his

son by

vindicating

in a

flash

he makes

him alive

again.

We did

our worst

to kick

God out

of the

picture

and he

reverses

it in

an instant

and raises

him as

king in

heaven.

So

Psalm

Philippians

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

therefore God

exalted

him to

the highest

place and

gave him

the name

that is

above every

name that

at the

name of

Jesus every

knee should

bow in

heaven and

on earth and

under the

earth and

every tongue

confess that

Jesus Christ

is Lord to

the glory of

God the

Father.

Yes.

So God

has vindicated

his son and

we are

accountable to

him whether

we like it

or not.

The son of

God has

conquered

through service.

He didn't

seek glory.

He was given

it by his

heavenly father.

His ultimate

ministry was to

submit to his

father's will and

lay down his

life.

In John 10

he says the

reason that my

father loves me

is that I lay

down my life

only to take it

up again.

No one takes

it from me

but I lay

it down of my

own accord.

I have

authority to

lay it down

and authority

to take it

up again.

This command

I receive

from my

father.

Brothers and

sisters we

cannot emulate

Christ in

perfection and

that's not what

he calls us to

do.

His sacrifice

is unique.

His

personhood is

unique.

He is God

himself fully

God.

He is also

fully a

person.

And he has

taken perfect

humanity in

himself into

heaven right

now.

But we

must take

heed of what

he has said

to his

disciples when

they are arguing

over status and

position.

I have

known a lot

of joy since

coming to

St. Paul's

and I have

done a lot

of growing

too.

I have

experienced

things I have

never experienced

before and

worked in a

team which

has just

been wonderful.

But let

me tell you

that what I

find very

difficult and

it has been a

significant problem

here that has

occurred over and

over and over

again.

People who push

hard for things

to be done

their way.

Now let me tell

you I have got my

own willfulness so

I am probably a

player in this as

well.

But this is how

we do it.

Don't you know

who I am?

This is my

ministry at

St. Paul's.

When I went to

my last parish

13 years ago

a woman was on

my doorstep in

the first few

days and she

said I am the

women's evangelist

use me.

Let me tell you

when you first go

to a parish

you are like a

rabbit in

headlights.

You are trying

to get a handle

on this strange

new place and

I didn't meet

her expectations.

But what she

couldn't see was

she brought to

me a very

exalted view of

herself as an

evangelist.

And she saw

herself as better

than others.

And she pushed

herself forward

over others.

And she didn't

get the recognition

that she thought

she deserved

and she left.

Now she wasn't

giftless and

she wasn't

Christless and

she could have

been a huge

help in our

church with her

gifts and her

heart for the

Lord Jesus if

she had just

come forward

and asked how

can I serve

these are some

of the things I

think I can do.

but she came

as a Lord

and not as a

servant.

Jesus says if

you are going

to be great

learn to be a

slave or a

servant.

Service is

ministry.

And the word

means the same

thing.

The ministries

that Christ

gives us are

not so that we

can glory over

one another and

say how important

we are.

He allows us to

serve for the

benefit of his

people and his

purposes.

So whenever we

slip into a

mindset of what

about me,

it might be

appropriate to

us sometimes but

other times we

lose our

servant-heartedness

focus becomes

and the focus

becomes me and

I lose my

focus on my

master's business.

I love some of

the work that

Deb's been done

helping us to

think about the

mindset that we

bring to church.

You know, the

people in the

car park in the

morning, they're

not just trying to

line up cars and

maximise space so

that we can get

51 cars instead of

50 into the car

park.

That's not what

it's about.

They're

welcomers.

They're the

first point of

contact when a

new person comes to

church and drives

into our car park.

And so they have

this wonderful

opportunity to

communicate to

people that we're

really glad to see

this.

We're glad for you

to be here.

Is there anything

that you need to

know from us in

terms of where to

go or who's who

or what's what?

They help people.

And so a servant

is a person who

operates with the

other in mind and

not with their own

to-do list.

When my child or

my spouse is

needing and hurting

or crying, are

they just this

bother and

trouble to what I

plan to do?

Or do I see

myself as their

chief provider and

carer and

respond accordingly?

It comes from

Jesus.

The Son of Man

did not come to

be served but to

serve and to give

his life as a

ransom for many.

The last thing I

want us to see is

that Jesus both

identifies as God

and is worshipped

as God.

And when people

like Jehovah's

Witnesses want to

tell you that Jesus

isn't God, know

these things.

Colossians chapter

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

2 and John

John 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12

describe Jesus'

victory at the

cross in cosmic

terms.

Colossians 2

15, having

disarmed the

powers and

authorities, he

made a public

spectacle of them

triumphing over

them by the

cross.

In John

John 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12,

now is the time

for judgment on

this world.

Now the prince of

this world will be

driven out but I

when I am lifted up

from the earth

will draw all

people to myself.

in Mark

Mark 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2,

Jesus heals

the paralyzed

man that the

religious leaders,

when Jesus heals

the paralyzed man

in Mark 2,

the religious

leaders are

scandalized when

Jesus says to

this man,

your sins are

forgiven.

Absolutely

scandalized.

And they

rightly declare,

only God has the

authority on earth

to declare sins

forgiven.

How dare you do

such a thing?

But they don't

recognize that God

is standing in

their midst.

Throughout John's

gospel, Jesus

calls himself,

I am.

It's the same way

that God identified

himself to Moses at

the burning bush.

Jesus said, I am

the bread of life,

I am the light of

the world, I am the

good shepherd, I am

the true vine, I am

the way, the truth

and the life.

No one comes to

the Father except

through me.

He speaks as God.

The end of the

Bible, it's filled

with thanks and

praise to our

glorious Lord Jesus

Christ.

There are three

songs in Revelation

5, we read them

often enough, but

these are glorious

songs and they're

worth singing.

The creatures, you

get this picture,

there's different

groups of people

who are singing

the songs.

So the first

song is sung by

the 12 living

creatures, the 24

living creatures,

whatever they are,

that are in the

immediate presence of

God around you.

around the throne

of God in

heaven and this

is what they

sing.

They sing this to

the Lamb, to the

Lord Jesus, you

are worthy to take

the scroll and to

open its seals because

you were slain and

with your blood you

purchase people for

God from every tribe

and language and

people and nation and

you have made them to

be a kingdom and

priests to serve our

God and they will

reign on the earth.

They praise the Lord

Jesus for the ransom

price that he has

paid to bring people

into God's kingdom

from all the nations

of the earth, even

us.

And we're a

multinational lot,

aren't we?

They praise him for

his selfless act of

service.

That's the song that's

sung in heaven around

the throne of God.

God.

And then the third

song, it's a song

which is now sung by

a different group.

It says, every

creature in heaven

and on earth and

under the earth.

It includes us.

And we sing to him

who sits on the throne

and to the Lamb be

praise and honour and

glory and power for

ever and ever.

The Father on the

throne and his Son,

the Lamb, receive our

worship.

They are worshipped as

God forever.

So brothers and

sisters, God has

shown his face amongst

us in the person of

his Son.

He has clearly revealed

himself to be a

servant in submission

to his Father.

Father, he is now our

risen God, the King.

And Psalm 2 tells us

how to respond to such

a mighty Son who is

King.

Psalm 2 says, be

wise, serve the Lord

with fear and rejoice

with trembling.

Kiss the Son, lest he be

angry and you be

destroyed in your way.

For his wrath can

flare up in a moment,

but blessed are all

who take refuge in

him.

If you do not yet

know the Son, what

do you do?

You kiss him.

You make peace with

him.

You find yourself a

safe place with him

so that you are not

burnt when his wrath

flares up in a moment.

Amen.