With Us Pt.4 - "Always"

Hi, this is John O'Zanting, lead pastor of Evolve Church, and this is the Evolve Church Podcast.

Thanks so much for tuning in.

We hope that you find today's message encouraging and full of hope for wherever you're at.

So we've been on a series of talks this month called With Us.

And we've been uh every week we've referenced Matthew chapter 1, verse 23.

Matthew 1:23

Look, the virgin will conceive a child, she will give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel, which means God is with us.

We've been talking for the last three Sundays about the presence of God in our life.

What does it look like for us to live in the re and the reality of a God who is present, a God who is close, a God who is personal, a God who is with us.

He's Emmanuel.

Uh week one, we talked about how God loves to be with us when we're walking through a valley.

Week two was all about a wilderness season.

Week three, last week we heard from uh Bennett as he shared with us about the reality of a close and personal God in the middle of the storm.

And today I simply want to talk about how God is with us always.

In every season, in every high, in every every beautiful moment, and in every down things that feel difficult.

And I want to talk about a cornerstone of the Christian faith.

I want to, if you've heard this word before, beautiful.

If you've never heard it, uh, you're gonna learn it today, and then you can use it with your friends and coworkers tomorrow and sound a lot smarter.

Not that you don't sound smart already.

I'm just saying sound a little bit more smart.

So uh this word is a big word.

It's probably not a word that's worked its way into your modern day vernacular.

Um, I should issue a challenge, like at some point this week, slide it into conversation casually just to see how it goes.

It'll be a lot of fun.

You're sitting on the edge of your seat, just like wondering, what's the word?

Are you ready?

Incarnation.

Not carnation, the flower, incarnation.

And an incarnation, um, I'm gonna read, we've been reading from Matthew chapter 1, but Matthew chapter 1, verses 18 to 23, Becca referenced this Christmas story, but this is how Jesus, the Messiah, was born.

Matthew 1 · chapter mention Matthew 1:18–23

His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph, but before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man, didn't want to disgrace her publicly, so decided to break off this engagement quietly.

And I've always went I've always admired how Joseph handled that.

Right?

You're engaged to be married in um in a culture where um uh you know people come together on their wedding night and and have sexual intimacy for the first time.

They're both virgins.

She's like, Joe, I'm pregnant.

God did it.

And Joseph was like, oh, right.

So, and and I actually love his integrity and his character in this, um, in this un in this moment to unbelieve and to think that she's nuts.

He he wants to honor her, and so he's like, Man, I'm not gonna publicly disgrace her.

Uh so I actually love that piece of the story.

But as Joseph considered to quietly break off his engagement, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife.

Notice when God's at work, he brings this peace and he brings this calm to everybody involved, right?

Um, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child within her actually was conceived by my spirit.

And she's gonna have a son, and you're to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet.

Look, the virgin will conceive a child, give birth to a son, and they'll call him Emmanuel.

This Christmas, what is the reality of the incarnation for us?

And that's what I want to spend my time talking about today.

Some of you are still curious what that word means.

And so I want to start there.

Um, the God who will never leave us, the God who will never forsake us, the God who is always present, the God who is always with us.

If you can feel it, you know it.

Even if you can't feel it, he's still with you.

He is always with you.

So this big weighty theological term incarnation, Wikipedia defines it this way.

I mean, all of the best theological references you can find, you can find in Wikipedia.

Can I get an amen?

Yeah, so here's what Wiki defines incarnation as.

In Christian theology, the doctrine of the incarnation holds that Jesus, the pre-existent divine logos, and the second hypostasis of the Trinity, God the Son and the Son of the Father, taking on human body and human nature, was made flesh, conceived in the womb of Mary, the Theotochus, the God-bearer, the doctrine of the incarnation then entails that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, his two natures joined in hypostatic union.

I went to Bible college and I don't know what half of that means.

In case you're wondering, yes, that sounded complicated.

So now you all know what incarnation means.

Some of you are like, no, no.

Simply as I can, incarnation, God became flesh.

Incarnation.

The rich, deep, theologically sound film based loosely on the life of Reverend Sergio Guterres Benitez, also known as Friar Storm, was a Friar Storm was a real-life Mexican Catholic priest who had a 23-year career as a masked luchador and competed in order to support the orphanage he directed.

There was a film loosely based on his life, a very deep and rich theological work called Nacho Libre.

Anyone seen it?

Nacho falls as as a priest, he he has this like secret crush, maybe not so secret, um, stretchy pants.

Um maybe if you've seen the movie, you know what that means.

But maybe not so secret crush on a nun, a woman named Um Mary de Incarnacion.

Yeah, so um, and I don't know why, but when I was thinking about incarnation, God and flesh, I thought about the scene where uh Nacho sings this song, Incarnacio, right?

Incarnacio! Incarnacio! In classic Jack Black form.

Nacho Libre, incarnation.

You will never forget the word now that I've burned the image of Jack Black in a onesie and a luchador mask.

You're gonna remember it, that's the point.

Incarnation, God became flesh.

John chapter 1, the beginning of the chapter, and then later on in verse 14, it says this in the beginning, the word already existed, God the Father, the Word.

John 1 · chapter mention

The Word was with God, and the Word actually was God.

So the Word became flesh and made his home among us.

Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.

Incarnation.

Are you with me so far?

So if you're in the room today and you're like, Pastor John O, I'm following Jesus.

I'm all in.

I love this part of the year, Jesus is the reason for the season, right?

Um, or if you're in the room today and you're not quite sure what you believe.

Maybe you grew up with something, maybe you're simply seated in the room today because of some sense of religious obligation that pulled you to a church at Christmas time because that felt like the right thing to do.

So wherever you're at in your spectrum of faith journey, whether you're all in serving Jesus or whether you're curious and learning what it means, this understanding, this piece of learning, incarnation, God became flesh and then made his home among us, is going to be super powerful and important for you to understand the real meaning of Emmanuel, God with us.

So, out of the desire to make this as simple as I can, I want to ask you to go on a journey with me for the rest of my time and just use your imagination.

From wherever you're seated, from the floor all the way up to the balcony, just to just, as I speak, I want you to just kind of engage your imagination.

If you haven't used your imagination in a while, it's okay, it still works.

Don't worry.

But I want you to lean into that imaginative, close your eyes, even if you want to, and just picture God becoming flesh and making his home among us.

Imagine if you would, God the Father pulling in his son, Jesus, and saying, Jesus, um, I'd like to talk to you about something.

I have a mission for you.

And your mission, should you choose to accept it, is gonna be incredible.

It's gonna bridge the gap once and for all between us and people.

This mission is gonna be full of moments that are absolutely delightful and hope-filled, and moments that feel really difficult and dark.

Jesus, I want to tell you quickly, just sit down here with me.

I'm gonna tell you what this mission is gonna cost you.

You see, I've I've found a woman.

Her name is Mary.

I've I've picked her out.

Jesus, you're really gonna like her.

She's amazing.

She's got faith.

With her life, she already tells our story.

And she's not like some of those other uh Nazarene girls, you know, playing truth or dare, spin the bottle.

She's she's pure, she's holy, she's kept herself, she's engaged to be married, but there's nobody quite like her.

And she's engaged to be married to a man that I think is gonna be an incredible earthly dad for you.

Now, Jesus, I'm always gonna be your father.

But Joseph is a man of incredible character, and he loves us, and he's supporting Mary in this season, and and uh you're you're gonna just love Mary and Joseph.

Jesus, I so strongly believe.

And keep in mind Joseph's not nearly gonna get as much airtime as Mary does.

Like Mary's gonna have statues named after her and whole prayers devoted to her, and Joseph, like he'll get a shot at the Nativity scene every Christmas, like he's gonna make an appearance, but uh, but they're both equally important, both Mary and Joseph.

And Jesus is like, okay, I'm in.

Okay, but Jesus, just to be clear, do you understand that this this mission involves you leaving all the glory of heaven?

You're gonna have to be born as a human child.

Before Mary pushes you out into that cold, hard, dark world, you're gonna have to spend nine months inside of her womb.

And Jesus is like, Dad, remember we talked about that stork idea?

Could we call an audible on this one, maybe?

And God's like, no, it's gotta be legit, Jesus.

It's gotta be legit.

You've got to be born in human form.

You won't inherit the sin nature of humanity.

You will inherit my divine nature.

I'm your daddy, I'll always be your daddy.

But you have to be born properly into the world.

All God and all man, incarnation, God made flesh.

Most people expect you, Jesus, to be born in a palace.

They're waiting for the Messiah, they're waiting, and they think you're gonna come with military might and you're gonna you're gonna set them free.

Most people are expecting you to be kingly and royal, but I have an idea.

It's crazy.

I want you to be born somewhere common, somewhere normal.

I'm thinking a cave, maybe even a barn.

And Jesus is like, I like it.

This is good.

Everybody's gonna know that I came for everybody.

Come on, dad, this is a good plan.

Right?

They're not gonna see this coming.

People think that I'm just for the important or the wealthy, but no, I'm for the common, I'm for the every, I'm for the ordinary, I'm for every single human being.

God, this plan is genius.

Let's go with the barn.

I love that.

God's like, yeah, Jesus, you're catching on.

Can you see it?

And God goes on, he says, Jesus, you know, before you're even born, it's gonna get complicated.

Jesus' like, what do you mean?

Like, how hard could it be swimming around in the fluid for nine months?

And uh God the Father's like, no, no, you have to understand.

Satan is gonna have it out for you right from the beginning.

Before you're even born, that wicked king Herod is gonna issue a decree to kill every baby boy born.

And he's coming for you.

Things are gonna get messy before you take your first steps, Jesus.

It's gonna get complicated.

Herod's gonna start killing baby boys, hoping that he hits you.

Your whole family's gonna be in danger.

You're gonna have to run for your lives, Jesus.

Jesus at this point is taking notes, fear.

He's like, okay, secure a fast donkey, period.

Right?

God goes on to say, Jesus, you're gonna have all my power.

Every piece of it.

You are all God, and yet uniquely man.

You are incarnation, you are God made flesh.

Jesus, you're gonna even have more power than eleven from stranger things.

I'm talking power.

And Jesus is like, who's eleven?

And God's like, oh, don't worry, it'll be written eventually.

You'll get there.

As a kid, Jesus, you're gonna have so much power that if you don't want to take a bath, you're gonna have the power to part the water and just sit on dry tub.

But Jesus, please, okay, take the bath.

You're gonna need it.

You're gonna need the bath.

Jesus, you're gonna have so much power, you're gonna be able to turn broccoli into chocolate cake.

All the kids are like, Yeah, come on.

But God the Father's like, Jesus, resist it.

You're gonna want to eat the broccoli.

Just eat the broccoli, kid, okay?

In school, you'll have perfect attendance, straight A's, the teacher's gonna love you, everybody else is gonna hate you.

It's okay.

You're gonna have all my power.

Now, as you're growing up, I've picked out a job for you.

You're gonna you're gonna do the same kind of work that your earthly father does.

You're gonna be a carpenter.

And Jesus is like, cool, I dig it.

It's creative, it's innovative, just like us.

And God's like, Yeah, you're picking up on my vibe.

This is good.

Track with me, Jesus.

You're not gonna make a lot of money, but you're gonna find incredible satisfaction in serving people with your gifts.

You're gonna show them my heart.

You're gonna be good at carpentry, but people probably won't respect you for it, and that's okay.

Especially people in the town that you grow up in.

They're just gonna see you as another kid from around the block.

And Jesus, the very same wood that you use to create furniture and tables and build homes, that very same wood, one day, they're gonna hang you on it.

And they're gonna crucify you.

And Jesus is like, whoa, that got dark quick.

Jesus at age 30, um, you're gonna perform your first official miracle.

And Jesus is like, okay, 30 years I can do it.

Oh, wait, what's what's the first miracle gonna be, God?

I'm gonna raise someone from the dead.

God's like, no, it's better than that.

You're gonna turn water into wine.

And Jesus is like, huh.

Help me, help me, Dad.

Like, what's the what's the rich, deep theological meaning behind water into wine?

And God's like, nothing.

It's just really cool.

And and religious people, they're gonna talk about it for centuries.

They're gonna be like, was it non-alcoholic wine?

Was it did it have all you know?

They're gonna the Baptists in particular, they're gonna be talking about this for a long, long time.

Right?

And Jesus is like, man, God, Dad, you're you're the best.

Like, you just I get you, I love your sense of humor, right?

But Jesus, throughout your life, your time on earth, you're gonna you're gonna heal sick bodies, you're gonna open blind eyes, you're gonna bring healing to lepers, you're gonna raise people from the dead.

You know, people are still gonna hate you for it.

They're gonna call you a hypocrite, they're gonna call you a drunk, they're gonna call you a lunatic, they're gonna call you crazy, and they're gonna say that you're my enemy.

My son, my kid.

They're gonna they're gonna say that you are my enemy because they're just not gonna understand.

But you just need to keep on showing my love, Jesus.

Just keep on showing my love.

And Jesus is like, I can do it, I can do it.

The more you love Jesus, the more they're gonna hate you.

The more you show love and just lavish the world with love and live in love and define love and demonstrate love, the more they're gonna hate you, but just keep loving.

Because Jesus, here's what I need you to remember love isn't what we do, love is who we are.

Love is who we are.

God speaking to Jesus, and Jesus says, Dad, I'm in.

I'll do it.

And God goes on to say, There's gonna be moments where the devil attacks you.

And Jesus is like, really?

Attacks me?

The devil?

Like that puny, fallen, defeated.

He's gonna try and attack me?

And God's like, Yeah.

Okay, how should I respond?

And God the Father's like, you're gonna use my words, okay?

You're gonna have to teach the people that there is an enemy and he will attack.

And when he does, you just have to use my words against him.

And Jesus' like, well, give me an example.

And so God the Father's like, okay, hypothetically, let's say for a second that the uh the devil tries to tempt you by turning uh stones into bread.

Just hypothetically, right?

And Jesus' like, well, I would just say, you know, man shouldn't live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from God.

And God's like, that's good, that's good.

Hang on to that.

All right?

And God's like, here's another one.

Uh the enemy might try and test you by saying, Hey, climb up to the top of that building and throw yourself off and see if God saves you.

What would you say to that, Jesus?

And Jesus' like, that's easy.

I just say, like, thou shalt not test the Lord your God.

Like, that's easy.

Like, I'm I've I got this.

And God's like, okay, good, you're you're tracking with me.

So, okay, we got that cover.

And then God says to Jesus, He says, Jesus, it's gonna be amazing.

It's gonna be really good.

And then it's gonna get worse.

You're gonna have some friends, some close friends who really love you and believe in this mission.

They're gonna see that you and I are one.

They're gonna know that even though it doesn't look like what they wanted it to look like, they're gonna know that you're the Messiah.

But those friends, they'll turn their back on you.

And Jesus' like, really?

God's like, yeah, Peter, for instance, he's he's gonna totally deny that he even knew you.

He's gonna deny you to an eight-year-old girl.

That's low.

And Jesus is like, God's like, don't worry.

I'm still gonna use Peter.

He's gonna help share your story.

It's gonna be incredible.

We can redeem him.

God's like, Judas, he's gonna partake of all your love.

He's gonna partake of all your friendship.

He's gonna sit at your hand, he's gonna share a meal with you, and then for money, he's gonna turn you over to the Romans.

And in the garden, before things go really bad, Jesus, you're gonna understand exactly what it means to be fully God, yet fully human, as you experience the agony and the weight.

Of what's to come.

God's like, you're gonna sweat drops of blood thinking about the cost of this mission.

And Jesus falls out of his chair and gets on his knees before his daddy in heaven.

Imagine with me.

And Jesus looks up and says, Dad, is there any other way?

And God the Father says, If there were, I wouldn't ask you to do this.

Jesus, look at me.

The cross is worse than you can imagine.

They'll beat you until you don't look human anymore.

39 lashes across your back to the brink of death.

They'll throw you down onto that wooden, rugged cross, and they'll painfully drive stakes through your arms and legs to hold you to that beam.

In that scream of agony, in that pain, here's what I want you to do, Jesus.

You're gonna need to fix your mind on all of humanity and how much we love them.

With every fiber of your human and all God being, you're just gonna have to remember we love people.

That's why we're doing this.

Just love, Jesus.

When they spit, just just love.

When they mock you, just love.

When they reject you and forget about you, just love.

And Jesus says, Dad, if and when that happens, you know what I'm gonna say?

And the father's like, what, son?

What are you gonna say?

He says, I'm just gonna say, Daddy, forgive them.

Because they don't know what they're doing.

And God the Father's like, perfect.

That's perfect.

That's exactly my heart.

Jesus, I need you to remember, son, that I'll always be with you, even when I can't anymore.

And Jesus gets up off his knees and says, What do you mean?

Until you can't anymore.

And the Father says, son, this is the worst part.

There's gonna be a moment when all the weight and all the sin and all the burden of all of humanity is gonna rest on you.

And in that moment, I'm gonna have to look away.

I'm gonna have to turn my back on you, son.

And Jesus is like, Really?

Dad, I don't know if I can handle that.

And the Father says, This is the mission, son.

This is the cost.

But you need to know, once you're dead, I won't leave you there.

And Jesus is like, Really?

What are you thinking?

And God's like, three days later, some ladies are gonna come to that tomb and that stone's gonna be rolled away, and everybody's gonna be talking about Roman centurions who didn't do their job.

But those ladies are gonna know, Jesus, you were you were raised to life.

You were raised from the dead.

The stone won't be there, and neither will you.

You will fulfill the mission that only you can fulfill.

And just then Holy Spirit chimes in.

He's like, hey guys, um what about me?

And Jesus is like, whoa, where'd you come from?

Didn't know you were there.

And Holy Spirit's like, yeah, I've been here the whole time.

I'm invisible.

Oh, all right, right.

Right?

Um Holy Spirit's like, is there a job for me?

Like, can I be involved in this?

And this is where Jesus says, Don't worry.

I'll tell them.

I'll remind them.

I'll tell them all about you.

In John 14, it says this.

Jesus says, if you love me, if you obey my commandments, I'll ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate who will never leave you.

He's the Holy Spirit who leads you into all truth.

The world cannot receive him because the world isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize Holy Spirit.

But you, you know him because Holy Spirit lives with you now and later will be in you.

See the difference.

Jesus says to his followers, the Holy Spirit's with you now, but later on, after I'm gone, he'll live in you.

No, I will not abandon you as orphans.

I will come to you, and soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me since I live.

You will also live.

This is what Jesus teaches us in John 14.

Come back to this imaginative scene where Jesus says, when I leave the earth, when I ascend up to heaven, I'm gonna remind them about you, Holy Spirit.

Don't worry.

You're you're I think you're a big part of this.

As I come, Emmanuel, God with us, as I come, incarnation, God made flesh, as I live, as I love, as I serve, as I lead, as I sacrifice, as I give up my life for all of humankind, as I rise from the dead, as I ascend back into heaven, here's where the reality of God made flesh, Emmanuel, God with us, gets really good.

It's all on you, Holy Spirit.

And when Jesus asks, Father, can I remind them?

God the Father's like, of course, of course you're gonna remind them.

Matthew 28, verses 19 and 20, Jesus reminds us, he says, Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:19

And teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I've given you and be sure of this.

I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Why?

Because I'm Emmanuel.

I'm the word that became flesh to live among you.

I am the incarnation.

I will never leave you, I will never forsake you.

The Father says, Jesus, are you sure you're up for this?

I need to know.

And Jesus replies, You bet I'm up for this.

I'm gonna be born for this.

I'm gonna go for the broken, I'm gonna go for the lost, I'm gonna go for the isolated, I'm gonna go for the alone, I'm gonna go for the confused, I'm gonna go for the neglected, I'm gonna go for the wounded, I'm gonna go for the sick.

God, we can't just shout our love from heaven.

Daddy, we've got to live love.

We have to demonstrate our love live and in person, in living color.

We have to show them what love is, Father.

And then God turns to Jesus and says, Tell me why.

Why do you want to do this?

Why are you so lit up?

Why are you so fired up?

Clearly, you're all in, Jesus.

Talk to me.

Why?

And Jesus answers, because we love them.

That's why they need us, they need our love.

We need to show them who we are.

We are love.

Okay, Jesus, what's your mission?

I'm gonna go, I'm gonna bring them life, and I'm gonna bring them life to the full.

Okay, who are you going for?

I'm not going for the righteous, I'm going for everybody.

I'm not going for the significant, I'm going for every person, God.

Not going for the healthy, I'm going for the sick.

And God the Father's like, good, good.

And why are you going?

And Jesus says, because they're like lost sheep without a shepherd, and that's our heart to shepherd, to nurture, to care for, to love every person.

Show them our love.

We can't just shout our love from heaven.

Dad, we we have to show them our love in person.

Incarnation.

God made flesh.

Matthew 1, 21 to 23, and she will have a son, Joseph, and you're to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sin.

And all of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through the prophet.

Centuries before it was prophesied, look, the virgin will conceive a child.

She'll give birth to a son, and they'll call him Emmanuel, which means God with us.

Here's what Jesus says today.

He says, When my people are blessed, I'll be with them in rejoicing.

When my people are alone, I'll be with them as a companion.

When my people are sick, I will be with them as healing.

When my people are lost, I will be with them as a guide.

When my people are hurting, I will be with them as comforter.

When my people are weak, I will be with them as strength.

When my people are under attack, I will be with them as their defender.

When my people are afraid, I will be with them as perfect peace.

And when my people are caught up in sin, I will be with them as a savior.

I will be with them always.

Not just near them, but in them through the power of Holy Spirit.

Who is this Jesus?

He's our Emmanuel, He's our God, and He's with us.

And as I close today, I simply want to say this: no matter what you were taught as you were raised, as we've just spent a few minutes together imagining this dialogue between God the Father and His Son Jesus and Spirit, no matter what you grew up believing, no matter what you stopped believing along the way, you need to know that God didn't just stay in heaven to rule and to reign.

God became flesh.

And he got personal.

So that his amazing love and his provision would make a way for you to know the Father personally.

Would make a way for you to live out every moment of your life in the truth and the beauty of God in us.

God with us, not just beside us or around us, but right here in our own hearts.

He is God, and he is with us yesterday, today, forevermore.

Jesus, Emmanuel.

Let's pray.

God, as we've ended out this time together and these talks on looking at how you are up close, personal, near.

Father, we just want to invite you into this moment.

In the room here today are people who are thinking about a time in their past where they knew that you were with them.

In this room here today are people who have always wondered, questioned, or even doubted the reality of a close, personal, real, intimate with us, Father.

But that is who you are.

That is who you are for me and for every life listening.

And God, even with our emotions, if we can't feel it, God, let us sink into our heart, let it sink into our soul today.

The simple truth that you never leave us, you never forsake us.

And that you've given your Holy Spirit to live inside of us.

Should we ask?

Should we receive?

Should we live in the promise of Jesus and what he paid for in full?

God, over the week to come, we're gonna be gathering in homes.

We're gonna be sitting in rooms alone.

We're gonna feel a part of family.

We're gonna feel isolated.

We're gonna have moments of absolute joy and wonder.

We're gonna pause and be filled with sadness over things that we've lost.

In every moment this season, Father, we choose to remember the reality of God with us, Emmanuel, the incarnation, Jesus Christ, God made flesh, to make himself at home in our lives.

We thank you for that truth and that reality.

In Jesus' name.

Thank you so much for listening to today's message.

If you're ever in the Edmonton area, pop by for a visit.

And if you need any more information, visit EvolveChurch dot com.

We hope to see you soon.