"God with Us" - Rescue us from sin

Good morning, and God bless you. I am delighted to have this opportunity to speak to you, but I'm also fearful of not so much standing for people and talking about Christ and this glorious Savior that we just sung about, but the fear that we might miss the power and the glory of his presence in our hearts and our lives.

So I would ask for your prayers that as we share together that we might indeed be able to delight in his presence and to see his handiwork, not only in our own personal lives, but in the lives that all that will hear the word of God and be responsive to it.

Today, I think, is an exceptional day in the life of our church in that the scripture text reveals, that we're going to read together, reveals a loving response to the longing hearts of his people.

Specifically, the longing to be what God has created us to be, what we've all strove to be, and what we've all missed our mark in trying to be.

This scripture is for everyone who feels that, who's missed the mark of the intent of the good and a righteous life.

And I think it points us to a Savior that corrects and redefines and reshapes and remolds life for us.

May I adapt a statement that I found from Isaac Dennison, who said this,

He does not create, God does not create a longing or a hope without having a fulfilling reality ready for us.

God doesn't bring us together here in this act of worship.

He doesn't allow us to be inspired by music.

He doesn't allow that seed within our lives that says, I want more or long more, without already having prepared that.

And this is the joy of the passage that we're going to read and study.

We will get to it.

That in that it is God that has orchestrated this whole thing and that he comes to this historic divine moment to consummate all that he prophesied,

all that we'd hoped for, all that we'd longed for.

I hope that that would also happen here for all of us as we anticipate Christmas, as we anticipate his saving grace.

You know, the real question is not so much, is he ready?

But the question is, are you ready?

We talk about and we rehearse, even in our prayer times, the things that burden us, the things that escape, that cause, distract us from the joy and the celebration of this moment.

The hardships, the difficulties, the darkness in the world, the wars that we face, can all distract us from the reality of God's love and his grace for us.

Matthew, why is the passage in Matthew 1, 18-25 so, so vitally important?

I think Matthew, as we read it, will reveal the convergence, the convergence of God and humanity, which leads to the salvation of all who will embrace God's redeeming act of love.

Now, that doesn't sound new to those of you who are Christian, but I think that you would agree that having God and man coming together in one human form is hard to wrap your mind around.

And yet, that is what will be proclaimed today and what we will celebrate today and we will rehearse today in our own minds and our hearts.

The past two weeks of Advent studies, we consider the genealogy that affirms the links to Christ's origins, his kingships, his efficacy and his ability to save.

Even those who are outside the camp, even those who are outside the moral and social boundaries of established society,

we're invited to come in and to celebrate and to rejoice in the God of the salvation that we celebrate today.

Acts 1, 18-25 is this convergence of God and human that we call the incarnation.

God dwelling with us, taking up residence with us.

And as we believe that, as we affirm that, we must sense his dwelling with us in this moment, in this place, in our hearts.

And it ought to excite us, it ought to thrill us to think that God would do business with us even today in the midst of this worship experience.

God's purpose, then, is to reveal both what a healthy, whole, sinless life can look like

and provide the sacrifice worthy of us, the atoning of our sins.

God accomplishes what we're not able to do.

God accomplishes what we're not able to do.

Let's hear the word of God and not just talk about it.

God, found in Matthew, the first chapter, the 18th verse, the 20, 18 through 25, found on page 757 in your pew Bible.

Hear the word of God.

This is how the birth of Christ, the Messiah, came about.

His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph.

Before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

Because Joseph, her husband, was faithful to the law.

And yet he did not want to expose her to public disgrace.

He had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife.

Because what was conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

She will give birth, give birth a son.

And you are to give his name, give him the name Jesus.

Because he will save his people from their sins.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet.

The virgin will conceive and will give birth to a son.

And they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us.

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him.

And took Mary home as his wife.

But he did not consummate their marriage until he gave birth, she gave birth to a son.

And he gave him the name Jesus.

Shall we pray?

Holy Spirit, be our guide as we consider the truth your word has for us today.

May our motives for knowing these truths from your word be pure and unadulterated.

And in response to your willingness to unveil these glorious mysteries,

may we be inspired to surrender our wills to yours.

Regardless of what it cost us to submit.

We ask these blessings because we know that your plan for our lives is not only providence,

but it's the very essence of what it means to have a full and a meaningful life.

Give us eyes to see, ears to hear.

And passion to live what you teach us in this intimate moment of communion with you.

For we are bound together by your Holy Spirit.

And our hearts long to enjoy the embrace of your Holy Spirit.

And to be safely held in your arms.

May it be so.

For we ask it in the name of our precious Lord, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

I want us to consider.

There are many ways we can look at the text this morning.

We can spend our time focused upon the dream itself.

Upon just telling the story verse by verse.

but what I would like for us to do is to consider it in perhaps a unique way.

First, let's acknowledge that this is really about the divine origin,

the beginnings of Christ, the human Christ here on this earth,

this transforming moment in human history where the Savior came to live,

the Savior, God, came to live among us.

And may we all affirm the greatest among them, among us,

was the most humble in that he was willing to come

and to humble himself to become a human being.

I want us to find breathing space in our minds and our hearts and our souls

as we study this and as we look at him.

And divine breathing space to understand not just the technical details of this passage,

but perhaps even more so the human aspect of it.

For God came in human form.

And I want us to appreciate the questions that that arises among us.

The interesting thing, and what I want to do as we dissect the passage,

is to look at the very purpose.

Why would God come to earth?

I mean, why would he bother?

Why would he have to bother?

Why not just create new human beings that would worship him,

that would not fail,

and that would just be submissive, unlike us?

Well, we can speculate about that.

But we do find an answer as to why he came to earth.

It's a simple phrase out of verse 21.

And it simply says,

For he will save his people from their sins.

Again, it's very hard to wrap our minds around this,

but he's saying not just his people,

the ones that sit here,

most of you who sit here this morning,

but he is saying the outsider as well, is he not?

As we read and remember the whole of the passages that we've read in Matthew thus far,

he has, who is his people?

It is those he's created.

And indeed, he has created us all by his loving act.

Here in Matthew,

Matthew is clarifying further the meaning of the genealogy

and every aspect of Jesus' origin from the beginning

to his sovereign hand.

the sovereign hand of the Father

in this story that superintends each aspect

of the coming of Christ,

this infant child,

into the world.

I want us,

as God superintends our thoughts today,

to attempt to move more deeply

into our text

and considering it this way,

the cast of characters.

that he has before us.

And my hope is,

is that you will want to see them

not just as

technical aspects

of bringing Christ,

the Emmanuel,

God with us into the world,

but I hope that you'll want to see them

and personalize them

as we look intimately and deeply

into their lives,

their roles,

and in this new beginning.

And I want to admit up front,

I will neglect

a couple of verses

that certainly the prophetic verses

that we read early,

that we've read and studied earlier.

I leave that to Tyler

and your remembrance of what he's done there.

And also,

of the angels,

there's a whole series of sermons

I think that one could do

on the role of angels

in this whole Christmas story.

So,

having said that,

what do I want us to do?

How do I want us to help define

and accomplish this moment

to deeply see these characters?

I recently listened to an interview

with David Brooks,

which is interesting about his new book,

How to Know a Person.

And I thought,

this is really what I want us to employ,

to use as a tool

that we want to use

to look deeply at this story.

He simply said in an interview,

there's one skill

that lies in the heart

of any healthy person

family, school, community,

organization, or society.

The ability to see someone else deeply

and to make them feel seen,

to accurately know another person,

to let them feel valued,

heard, and understood.

Now,

he goes on to talk about it

in this interview

and illustrate this

by referencing a series

called The Chosen.

Do you remember that?

It's stories about Christ

and the disciples.

But he was indeed impressed

by the role

that the character of Jesus played.

And I think it defines

this moment for us

because he talked about,

you know,

in the midst of the crisis

that Christ was born

into this world,

in the midst of all

the Roman oppression,

of all the things

that were taking place

around them.

He was able to,

and all the difficulties

of seeing people,

he chooses both his enemies,

Christ,

and those in desperate need

and his would-be disciples

to see them beyond

what they're talking about,

such as,

I immediately thought

of Zacchaeus

or the woman at the well

or Nicodemus,

all of whom

in which Christ

in this,

his story,

the narrative,

I'm sure that you've read it,

many of you,

but he looks beyond

the situation

like the woman at the well

and he says,

look,

it really is not

a matter about

where we worship

that you want to argue about,

meeting you haphazardly.

The real issue

is your heart

and the fact

that you're dissatisfied

and the fact

that you've lived

with several men

and you're still

not at peace

in your heart

and your soul.

Christ is able to do that.

So I want us

in this narrative

and in this story

to look deeply,

to look deeply

at the Father,

the Son,

the Holy Spirit,

Joseph and Mary

and to know them,

to try to know them

and to understand them

because in understanding them,

we understand ourselves.

We understand the questions

that really are being asked

perhaps

that would lead us,

our own desires,

our own longings

to be fulfilled

through being responsive,

through being loving

and as they are to us.

Let's hear the story

and see if this makes sense.

I know I'm kind of struggling here,

so you have to,

you know,

I'm used to preaching

in African American churches,

so you have to shout out

or, you know,

fix it.

Fix it means that,

you know,

you're not doing well,

you need to step it up.

Or, you know,

just words of encouragement.

So you can just say amen

anytime you want.

But I don't know if it'll help,

but we'll try.

Let's consider, though.

And I want you to look at

God the Father,

first of all.

And this whole story

fascinates me.

You have your Bibles open, right?

Because this,

each of these segments,

each of these personalities

are really one of the key words

that appears is origins

or new beginnings.

And we find,

and I think Matthew rehearsed this

a few weeks ago,

about in chapter 1, verse 1,

you find the word origins or birth.

Birth is not really the best word

in either of the texts,

but in 1.1 you have origins.

Origins in 1.18,

as he talks about,

let's talk about

the beginnings of Christ.

It's a new beginning.

And what we see

is the parallel

that they paint for us

as they not only do the genealogy,

but as you look back

at Genesis 1.1,

it says,

in the beginning,

it was God

that began to create.

Amen?

Amen?

So,

and here's the great thing

that we need to wrap our heads around

if we're going to continue

in this kind of intimate relationship

with the Holy Spirit

at this moment,

that we understand

that the Ruach,

that the Spirit of God

breathes life

into this new beginning.

The Father is there

creating,

organizing.

And why does he do all this?

Why do we get all these details?

Is it really to,

to simply to have a justification

of who created what?

His purpose

was in order

that he might have fellowship.

That he might have

an intimate relationship

with human beings.

About,

with human beings

that have been given a choice

to love them

or not love them.

And who often fail

to love them.

The whole of the Old Testament

as we rehearse it

is about what?

It's about God

reaching out

to human beings.

His created.

The ones

that he loves.

The ones

that he goes about

trying to redeem,

to buy back,

and,

and to,

and to bring

into his loving arms.

the question is,

the question is,

considering a God

like this,

is,

what do you consider

your origins?

Do you believe

that a God

created you?

Can,

is it within

your ability

to comprehend

and appreciate

a God

who created you?

And if he did,

he created you

for a purpose.

He has a plan

for your life.

And for me,

in the darkness of night,

in the difficulties

of life,

it's,

it's good to know

that somebody's

got a plan

and that somebody

does care about me

and that somebody

does love me

and somebody

is not just somebody,

it's the very one

who created me

and loved me.

I,

I love not only,

and of course,

it is somewhat

in sequence

as we go down

through this story

of 18 through 25,

but you find also

just an allusion

to Mary.

Mary really is,

Matthew and Luke

have two separate agendas.

Luke is trying

to tell more

of the story.

Matthew is really,

as we've heard,

reaching to Jewish people,

looking for that connection

in Jewish heritage,

focuses mainly on that.

But I want you to see

this young girl.

Again,

I'm not sure

we need to rehearse

all the,

the,

the backstory.

We know,

you've heard

about the engagements

and,

and how in Judaism

they were legally bound

during that one year,

typically,

of engagement.

So,

we don't need to,

to invest much time there.

we also know,

we'll rehearse

because it is important

to the story

that,

Mary,

this young teenager,

was,

was,

was,

was,

13 years old.

and God

comes to her

and says,

you're the one

that's going to bear

a child

for me.

It's interesting

because it's hard

to wrap your,

your head

around this

and particularly

the,

the ideal of,

and where Matthew's

going here

is,

is the ideal

of the virgin birth.

I think

it's no longer

a leap of faith

for us

or understanding

to,

to appreciate

artificial insemination.

Most of you

medical doctors here

know about the process.

It's a very likely

possible thing

to happen.

The miracle is,

again,

back to incarnation,

isn't it?

The fact that it was

the Holy Spirit

that planted the seed

within the egg

of Mary

and that

in the midst

of this,

both God

and man

met.

and embodied

in human form.

Wow.

Well,

as we think about that,

I want you to

rehearse

some of the things

that Tyler

and Pastor Matthew

has already

helped us with

and to bring

into balance

the extremes

of now

understanding

this young woman

and who she was

and there's

the extremes

of

beautification

in these verses

and there are others

that,

as Baptists

and as Evangelicals,

we often spend

a great deal

of time

discarding

or debunking

Mary

and making her

beyond average

as a mother.

I like what,

there's a term

that I've adapted

for this

from Frederick

Birchner

and he says

that Mary,

and I say,

Mary deserves,

and he says,

a just

and loving

attention.

As we talk

about the

convergence

of God

and man

in this

girl's womb,

I think we

indeed

must acknowledge

that she

does deserve

a just

and loving,

our just

and loving

attention.

Her nobility,

I think,

is derived

not so much

for the birth

itself,

which is

profound,

I think,

and obviously

a miracle.

But to me,

as I look

deeply

into the

struggles

of who

she was

and why

God would

ask her

to do

such a thing,

I see

beyond having

grappled

with that,

her obedience

and then

her willing

to be

a mother.

and to

love

and to

nurture

not only

an infant

child,

but a

teenager

and a

young adult

to be

the mother

till he

died on

the cross

of God,

our Lord,

and our

Savior.

God

is

to

Mary

shares

in this

process

the struggle

that you

and I

often have.

You know,

I want to

preach Luke,

but we

can't.

You look

back at

114 and

the angel

explains this

thing to

her and

he says,

what?

You want

me to

be the

mother of

God?

Now,

it's hard

for me to

wrap around.

I have

not only

two

daughters,

but I

have

three

granddaughters

and one

that's

14.

And I

can imagine

her coming

to me

and saying,

oh,

by the

way,

I'm

pregnant.

And God

did it.

You know,

that would

be tough.

And I

say that

not just

to be

humorous,

but to

say,

to be

human,

that we

sometimes

so glorify

these

passages

of

scriptures

that we

distance

ourselves

from the

fact that

this was

a young

girl struggling

with what

it means

to be

the mother

of God.

And the

daunting

responsibility

of having

to nurture

and strengthen

and care

for that

child until

God the

Father takes

him to

be in

active duty

in full-time

ministry the

whole time.

the key

to this

whole struggle

is one

thing.

It is a

common thread

that applies

to both

Joseph and

Mary,

and if you

go back to

Zechariah and

Elizabeth and

to others in

these stories.

It again

comes to us

from scripture,

Luke 138.

It says,

she turns

to the

angel and

she says,

behold,

I am a

servant of

the Lord.

Let it be

to me

according to

your word.

Now I want

you to,

if you are

considering

becoming a

Christian,

I want you

to know that

you don't

have to have

your act

together,

that you

don't have

to have

all the

theological

principles

and details

even of

this event

or moment

in perfect

justification

to provide

you salvation,

but it is

a struggle.

It is one

that ultimately

you come to

the point

of saying,

having weighed

in the

balances

what this

is all

about,

you have

to say

like Mary

and like

Joseph,

look,

I believe

that I need

something,

I believe

and believe

the Holy Spirit

is convicting

me of it

and I'm

going to

follow you

wherever you

take me.

well,

let's be

quick because

I don't

want to

lose you.

I want

us to

consider

Joseph

for just

a moment

and reflect

on him.

For when

Joseph

discovered

Mary was

pregnant,

he reacted

in the

framework

of the

religion

in which,

the Jewish

religion,

his teachings,

his culture

and I think

that they

were very

emotionally

and spiritually

bound by

this

engagement

period.

I think

that he

loved her

and retribution

wasn't an

option for

Mary and his

heart and his

mind.

He was

wrestling with

this before

the angel

came to

reveal what

he was,

his intent.

and I want

you to see

it wasn't

an easy

decision.

Basically,

he was

trying to,

according to

Deuteronomy

24.1,

to put her

away privately,

divorce her

privately,

so that she

would not

be embarrassed.

She would be

embarrassed,

but humiliated.

But the

important thing,

I think,

of the

rehearsal of

that story

is the

sight,

the insight,

into the

character of

Joseph.

Joseph was

just going to

be the

stepdad,

but he was

in and

committed,

even with

Mary.

He was a

man that

was just

wanting to do

the right

thing,

live a

right life.

He was a

righteous

person,

but he was

also merciful

and he was

always also

loving.

He was also

submissive to

the Lord

God.

So what does

he do?

Obedience,

right?

He says in

these final,

he doesn't

say it,

he gets up

and does it.

He says,

all right,

I'm going to

take Mary to

be my wife,

I'm going to

keep her,

bring her

into my

home,

and we're

going to

face the

community and

the world

around us

and all the

questions that

arise as a

result of that.

What a

wonderful

testimony,

isn't it,

to the

community.

Oh, it's

God that is

active in the

world and the

Messiah is

coming through

her and

through the

baby that's

in her and

we're sharing

this road

together.

But they

struggle

together.

He too

becomes the

parent that

molds and

chafes the

carpenter's

son who

saves the

world.

Obedience

was the

key,

wasn't it?

As I

said before,

as with

Zechariah and

with Mary.

Mary.

There's one

other aspect

of this

that I

want you to

see.

That in the

midst of this

whole struggle

that Joseph

has, what

happens?

As with

Mary, the

angel comes,

gives

instruction,

and of

course with

Mary,

Elizabeth,

the older

cousin that

is pregnant,

also by an

act of God,

affirms,

encourages her,

strengthens her

in this

journey.

All of them

say yes and

are obedient,

but the

important thing

is that the

God that was

a God of

origins, the

God that

started in

1-1 and

verse 18,

is the

same God

that guides

them, that

in his

hand, his

hand reaches

out to

them, helps

them to

understand, and

leads them to

the kingdom.

Jeremiah put

it this way,

you will seek

me and you'll

find me when

you search for

me with all

of your heart.

A part of

this whole

process of the

redemption

process, of

the roles

that they

play, the

reasons for

success, always

comes when we

are responsive to

the work of the

Holy Spirit in

our lives.

Well, let me

go quickly to

Jesus.

Because while we

could look at

the whole of

the New Testament,

we've covered the

Old Testament

through Tyler and

Matthew, I

want to rehearse

for you what

Matthew has

not done for

us.

Matthew does

not attempt to

explain how

Jesus Christ

could be both

man and God.

He simply

doesn't do it.

But what he

does do is

that he affirms

it.

And he

simply says

that of

him, of

Christ, in

verse 16, that

he was born of

Mary.

And in

verse 20, he

says, and he

was conceived

of the Holy

Spirit.

That should be

enough, shouldn't

it?

But it's

hard, again,

for us to

wrap our heads

around it.

We explain it in

many different

ways as we ask

these questions.

you know, the

second century

had Christians

and those who

studied scripture,

they came up

with a doctrine

that was called

Daucesanism.

And I didn't

pronounce that

correctly, did I

guys?

But anyway, it

was a sectarian

doctrine.

And that Christ

did not really

actually become

real.

That he didn't

really have a

natural body on

earth and that

apparently was

some type of a

phantom.

The doctrine

reached its

zenith in the

next generation

with agnostics.

And some

forms of it, I

think, are even

evident in our

society, in our

lives today.

But the idea

was that it

even denies the

fact that Christ

died.

So it was

easier to say,

all right, he's

all God.

Most of us

would fall

into perhaps

the opposite

extreme in our

society today.

I think in our

skeptical world,

we have detractors

about Christ

and it's not

his humanity,

but his divinity.

Most of us can

wrap our minds

and hearts around

the good and the

wise and religious

man or a prophet

that struggled

with his, and

yet we struggle

with his deity.

It's not being

like God, but

it's being God

himself that we

struggle with and

that we have a

difficult time with.

There's a quote

I want to share

with you,

Helmut Thickel,

that simply said,

certainly there are

great and profound

teachings in the

world, but one

must have the

capacity to

understand them

and one must,

in a situation

which affords the

reason adequate

for breathing space

so you can begin

to process it.

The greatness

of the gospel,

the greatness

of the gospel

that we have

presented to us

today, is in the

fact that it is

available to all,

not only to the

spiritual mature

or great, such

as Kant, but

also to the

weak.

Pascal was the

sublimest intellectual

of the world

thought, confined,

but so can a

little girl who

prays at night

before she goes

to bed.

Christ dealt

with this in his

own day.

In Matthew 16,

you remember the

story of his

followers and

his asking the

question, you

see, so is he

all God or is

he all man?

What's going on

in your mind?

So what?

What if he's God

and man or

whatever?

The question, I

think, that comes

to us is the

one that Christ

asked his

disciples.

As they were

traveling about,

as it became

popular, he

turns to the

disciples and he

says, he simply

asked the question,

whom do you

say?

Whom do they

say that I am?

Who are the

people that are

following me around?

What are they

saying about me?

What do they

believe?

And he goes

off and they

respond by saying,

well, some of you

believe that you're

John the Baptist.

Some others,

Elijah and others,

Jeremiah and some

of the prophets.

So what he's in

essence saying is

what many people

believe today.

Well, in Islam,

right?

That Christ was a

good man, that he

did a lot of

wonderful things,

that his teachings

were good.

We can embrace

that.

We can wrap our

heads around that.

But that's really

not where he wants

us to go.

Nor does he just

simply want us to

think of him as a

God that never got

here, that never

died, that was all

phantom, all fake,

and therefore there's

no pain or suffering,

there was no death

associated with that.

Nor does he want us

to think of him as

simply a good man.

It's all or nothing.

So he turns to his

disciples after this

discourse, and he

says, but who do you

say that I am?

You see, the most

pressing question of

this whole sermon this

morning for all of you

who are listening, it

doesn't matter what

everyone else says.

The theologians, those

that argue and debate,

the nuances of this

scripture, the question

as God comes to dwell

with us and in your

midst this morning is

who do you say that I

am?

We have an answer for

you.

At least Peter had a

good answer that was

acceptable to Jesus.

And he says, you're the

Messiah, the Son of God.

But even that is

important, but even more

important is what the

Father says back to the

disciple.

He simply says this,

Simon, son of Jonah,

you're blessed.

You are blessed.

Because you get this

story.

You get the story of the

nativity scene.

You get the story of what

it means for God to come

and to dwell in our midst,

to love us, to care for

us, to be with us, and to

provide for us a way of

salvation.

Simon, you get it.

You're blessed because

flesh and blood did not

reveal it to you.

But my Father in heaven.

Now, I wish I were

eloquent enough and

profound enough to

convince you mentally

and emotionally of the

fact that God is

Jesus.

And that Jesus in his

human form came and

bled and died in order

that he might provide for

you the salvation that

you cannot earn, that you

cannot accomplish in and

of and on your own.

But I find at least

comfort in knowing that

in my inadequacies, the

power of the Holy Spirit

that overshadowed the

world as it was created,

that overshadowed Mary and

created God, man, with us,

the one that now overshadows

us and offers you the

opportunity to come and

to embrace this Messiah, the

Savior.

The other participant, I

hope, in this whole

narrative is you.

For he did say in verse 21,

my purpose for being here is

you.

To provide salvation for you.

2 Corinthians 5, the 5th

chapter, 17th verse says,

Therefore, if anyone is in

Christ, he's a new

creation.

He's a new beginning.

He or she has a new

origin.

And the old has passed away

and the new has come.

As Joseph and Mary and even

Jesus find their beginnings in

God the Father and the Holy

Spirit, so through our own

response to the overshadowing

Holy Spirit, we reframe our

mundane, empty lives and we

create, and he creates

something that is holy and

sacred and set apart for

eternity.

Can I compare notes for a

moment?

The one last step and perhaps

I've taken too long to get

here.

But I want you to think with

me of the new beginning that

Christ offers you.

It's interesting that he moves

from this origin story now and

you find in the third chapter of

John another origin story.

As Christ expands, and here's

what Christ does always.

He takes us beyond the

boundaries of our own thought,

our own ability to comprehend,

and he takes us one step

further.

So here's a guy in chapter

three, Nicodemus, that is a

great student.

And yet he comes with

questions and Christ provides

the answer.

Let me just read it to you

quickly.

Now there was a man of the

Pharisees named Nicodemus, a

ruler of the Jews.

This man came to Jesus by night

and said to him, Rabbi, we know

that you are a teacher come from

God, for no one can do the signs

that you do unless God is with

him.

Do you hear that?

All right, you're a human being,

you're a great man, you're another

prophet, you're all those good

things.

But Christ is saying, no, I'm more.

Every phase throughout this story,

Jesus answers him, truly, truly, I

say to you that unless you're born

again, you cannot see the kingdom

of God.

He moves the story.

He reframes your questions and he

drives it home.

You really are not so concerned

about, Christ is always concerned

about you.

He's always concerned about getting

to the heart of the matter of the

fact that what I want, God wants

from you is your love for him.

And he wants to love you and he

wants to give his life to you.

And that's why he asked these

probing questions.

And Nicodemus said to him, how can

a man be born again when he is

old?

Can he enter the second time into

the mother's womb and be born?

Jesus answered, truly, truly, I say

to you that unless you're born of

water and born of the Spirit, he

cannot enter the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is

flesh and that which is born of the

Spirit is spirit.

Do not marvel that I said to you,

you must be born again.

The wind blows where it wishes and

you hear the sound, but you do not

know where it comes from or where

it goes.

So it is with everyone who is born

of the Spirit.

And Nicodemus said to him, another

question that comes with their

service.

Well, how can I be born again?

How can I have this new creation?

Jesus answers him and he says, are you

a teacher of Israel and yet you do

not understand the things, these

things?

Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak

of that which we know and we bear

witness to what we have seen, but you

do not receive our testimony.

If I have told you earthly things, how

will you believe?

How will you believe if I tell you

heavenly things?

No one has ascended to heaven except

he who descended from heaven, the

Son of Man.

You see how that comes together, how

he's telling us the story of the

nativity here?

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in

the wilderness, so must the Son of

Man be lifted up that whoever believes

in him will have eternal life.

God's purpose statement for you.

For God so loved the world, you want to

say it with me?

That he gave his only begotten Son, that

whosoever believes in him should not

perish but have everlasting life.

It's interesting that this word born

again, again, it has two in the Greek

languages, has two choices.

One is palin, which means a repetition

of an act to redo what was done earlier.

Do you want to redo your life?

Do you want to redo and rehearse the

same things that led you to this moment?

The old habits, the things that have

caused such failure.

Well, the second of the Greek terms, the

one used here, is anothen.

And it says, which is also depicts a

repeated action, the same, a repeated

action, but listen to this.

But it requires the original source to

repeat it.

It means from above, from a higher place,

things that come from the heaven of God.

God created the heavens and the earth.

God created you, and he recreates you

in his Holy Spirit, in his holy, eternal

being.

Can't you say praise God for that?

God created you, and he recreates you

in the divine moment.

God created you, and he recreates you

in the divine moment.

This is the purpose.

It's not just rehearsing this morning,

the fact that some baby was born in

Bethlehem.

It's about the fact that God himself

stepped into our lives, stepped into our

worlds, and he provided an opportunity for

us to be born again.

That he, the author, the creator of this

world, has taken his hand, has taken

every measure in order to give you life.

It's awesome.

Well, preachers who don't preach a long

time often preach too much.

Let me just, let me conclude with a quote I

found by, it was interesting.

It kind of connects the Christmas mood with

the teaching that we have.

Jorgen Moulton said this,

The ultimate reason for our hope is not to

be found in all that we want or wish for

and wait for.

The ultimate reason that we are wanted and

wished for and wanted for, what is it that

awaits us?

Does anything wait for us at all, or are we

alone?

Whenever we have our hope on trust in the

divine mystery, we feel deep down in our

hearts that there is someone who is

wanting you.

Do you feel wanted this morning?

There's someone who's hoping for you.

There is someone who believes in you.

God is our last hope because we are God's

first hope, first love.

God so loved the world.

God so loved you that he gave his only

begotten son that if you will believe in

him, he will give you a new creation.

Father, help us to embrace this truth.

Help us to love you.

Help us to respond to you in this intimate

moment of transaction between your Holy

Spirit and us.

For it's in Christ's name I pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.