What Child is This? - Why did He Come?, Part 1

It's Christmas time and we all know what Christmas is. It's about the baby and the baby Jesus. But why did he come why did Jesus come to earth as a little baby today will consider the Christmas story from a different perspective just might change how you celebrate the season this year stay with welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with tripping, Living on the Edges of international discipleship ministry featuring the Bible teaching of shipping this program to begins a series he calls what Child is this is taking us on a journey to discover the Christmas story from her perspective. Just before we get started, but we encourage you to take a second message can also help you remember what you hear and share what you're learning to download chips notes just go to the broadcast tab@livingontheedge.org hapless nurse tab will notes in your lower in the book of Colossians chapter 1, so if you have a Bible open there now stewardship for his message. Why did he come there is absolutely no getting around it.

Christmas is about a baby and not just any baby. But one little baby that came into the world and that changed everything he reoriented. He redirected he literally redefined all of history on earth, the God of the universe intervened on the planet that he made for the people that he loves and in ways that are just hard to fathom.

He decided he would be as vulnerable and as helpless in his humble as a little baby. The spirit of God in the womb of Mary holy man God without confusion. Now for 2000 years we celebrate this event called Christmas and it goes something like this. You'll notice on the front of your notes and Angel tells Mary about the baby Mary couldn't comprehend having the baby for obvious reasons. Joseph's problem with Mary, the baby he knows is not is in that story she is telling him that it makes no sense and Angel tells Joseph.

You may not be the dad, but your to raise the baby a manger becomes the birthplace for the baby angels and shepherds come and worship the baby wisemen scholars project probably worked two years and following a star to find the baby and in a fallen world. When the baby in his rule threatened. Herod tried to kill the baby. Now I've kind of spoke on Christmas.

A lot of times, and you know one year you think let's let's talk about it through Mary's eyes and next year. How about through Joseph's eyes and maybe wonder to see the Wiseman's eyes are the Angels eyes because you all know the story, but this year I'd like to redirect our focus, rather from just the story which you know I like us to move to the next level and ask ourselves the profound questions. The story raises like in a little baby like this. Why did he come in a little baby like this. Who is he really somebody was just a teacher some thought a prophet. What's the Scripture say what does God say, and finally, what did that baby want when he grew up, became a man and lived a perfect life.

What I want to talk about is Christmas from heaven's perspective and there's three questions at least come to my mind and demand answer question number one is so why okay God created the world. Why did he come to turning your Bible to the book of Colossians. It's a very small book toward the back, and in this little book of written by the apostle Paul in about A.D. 61 he's in his first imprisonment in the town as it is a little town about 100 miles off the trade route from Ephesus. It's an affluent town of has a deposit of minerals it's near bigger towns called Laodicea or Areopagus, and at the time was a very key city.

The church was planted by someone a new path for us in the past versus come back to Paul in prison and given a report about this this little church.

This Gentile church and is growing and is flourishing in this exciting and its multicultural concerns. Jew and Gentile in on this trade route and have these minerals in great pasture lands. In fact they had such a quality of little bit they would died, a special color and it became known as Colossian its multicultural they had resources to have a lot of ideas. Lotta backgrounds. A lot of religions in the apostle Paul is going to write because a problem arose this early church. Some false teachers came in these false teachers had a interesting mix.

They were Jewish in origin and so they were demanding. If you read the whole book that they demand that people keep the law, which no one can keep in all these religious festivals and holidays and external religious activities but there was also a mixture of Greek philosophy that the beginning what's called Gnosticism.

It's just the Greek word for knowing good gnosis and Gnostics believed that the spirit is pure orbit. Everything material is evil and so in other words, God couldn't create the earth because the earth and its matter is evil in God's spirit. And so we had this emanations are series or stages of angels to get between him and this evil matter. And heaven forbid, there's no way that God could come in the flesh because it flushes evil and so they were telling people they need to keep all these new rules that Jesus wasn't God that God didn't directly create the earth that you need to worship Angels and and then there was a sense of elitism. The sophistication that the higher knowledge. And so the apostle Paul is going to write to this new church in this multicultural affluent area with all these religions and false teachers and embedded in the first chapter he's going to tell us why Jesus came as a little baby why he would grow up and why.

In fact, Jesus left heaven. Notice the introduction is the first couple verses and it just outlines Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, and then he tells him by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, and then he addresses them to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ to colossi. Grace and peace to you from God our father and then he gives us the first reason why Jesus left heaven. Jesus left heaven to give us a hope that will never disappoint.

He left heaven to give you and me and them at all people, all hope that would never disappoint. It's embedded in a little prayer of thanksgiving. Follow along. Verse three he says we always thank God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.

Here's the reason because we've heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints, the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven, and that you've already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel, that is come to you all over the world. This gospel is producing fruit and growing just as it's been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth you learned it from a path for us, our dear fellow servant as a fellow minister of Christ on our behalf, who also told us about your love in the spirit. Now the apostle Paul, I love him I love what he has to say.

Inspired by God but he uses the longest sentences in the world right. In fact, in the New Testament Greek.

There's grammar has to be supplied so he I mean if you if you try and outline his grammar. I may need to so that for that. And so what I trying to is a II rewrite the text after I've studied the grammar I put it for you so basically it goes like this. He gives thanks to the father for two reasons. Their faith in Christ and their love for other believers. And so it's very positive. These praying. He's thankful he's gotten a report from the pathless this faith and love literally spring out of very interesting this tiny little Greek word but has to do it.

The idea of agency is the idea of something that comes or causes something to happen and he says this faith that you have this new relationship with Christ in this new love the way you treat one another. Actually, it's rooted or it's burning up came to be because of this hope that you have and then he describes the hope of something that's sure it's laid up for them in heaven, and he says that you learned about it.

You receive the gospel of grace. Now when we use the word hope we don't use it the way the Bible uses.

It's not wrong it's not bad we use hope like I hope I get married someday or I hope I get a better job or I hope we can have children one day Moreno I hope someday we could own our own home or I hope that the 49ers win. In other words, hope is almost 888 desire of the heart or or even wishful thinking. I hope it doesn't rain. The Bible never uses the word hope that way in Scripture. The word hope is that which is absolutely certain unchangeable, definite and true about a future event to so what he's saying is I've heard about this newfound faith and relationship with the father through Christ and your love that you have for one another that's growing and increasing in it's rooted in the hope and then he says this hope can't change and is protected is actually stored up for you. It's laid up literally for you and heaven. Why because that's where Christ is, and their hope is because they've heard the gospel. The hope is that Christ is going to return no matter what you're going through, no matter how hard it is or how difficult or what people are teaching. I want to remind you that Christ is going to return and I want to write you, also, that before he left he told his disciples then and now I'm going to prepare a place for you and if it weren't so, I wouldn't say it. Let not your heart be troubled you believe in God believe also in me and the routing of the gospel.

This amazing pronouncement and message was there's a hope that will never disappoint were not made just for time it's time but inside of all eternity.

Christ in heaven will return. Heaven is real and you learned that how by the gospel.

Sometimes the word gospel again. Some of these words we get sort of used over the centuries and so gospel is like cable that's the gospel truth or let southern gospel music or coming is all cutaways we use gospel, the gospel, the literal meaning of gospel is literally good news. It's bodily. It's not even an appeal. It's a declaration it's an announcement gospel would be even before using Scripture. If a king had a victory over another country, he would send an invoice throughout his kingdom and they would give a gospel or good news or a declaration that Grossman defeated our king has one who hung Gilly on good tidings or news in the apostle Paul says this good news is first of all, it's true. Contrary to these false teachers. It went all around the world because it's consistently bearing fruit. In other words, lives are changing love is growing needs are met. Joy and peace are replacing conflict in bondage and addictions. He says that it came through your brother who shared this message and the message clearly of the gospel that is the very power of God is that God came in the form of a little baby fully man and fully God. He grew up and lived in absolutely sinless, perfect life, he revealed what the father is like if you see me you seen the father full of truth and grace.

And then he taught, and then he healed and he said, and he fulfilled 700 Old Testament prophecies and then for no crime that he committed he would hang upon a cross and die, and he didn't die for his sins. He died as a sacrificial substitute for you for me and to a toner literally the word means to cover or pay for the sins of all people of all time and then to prove it was true. He would rise from the dead after three days, having defeated sin, death and Satan, and then he would walk around in a resurrected body where you could actually see the holes touches side 500 eyewitnesses for 40 days and then in broad daylight would ascend up to heaven and the good news is the free gift of the forgiveness of sins and a new life in the assurance of heaven is for whosoever would believe and trust in him.

That's the gospel and he says it's rooted in a hope when I was in China I met a young guy that I really, really liked and we had all these leaders and he was 31 years old from Montana. His name was Levi and we sat on a bus together.

He said so. So why are you here. I said I don't know is that if you don't know I sure don't know. I mean, here's all these leaders on 31 years old and a civil Levi telling them about your life, you said well you know I got to be involved in the church was pretty needed. I just thought God wanted to help people in Montana. Someday some way so I was 23 I just started little Bible study.

Civil what happens as were we have five sites all over Montana in one, like five radio places and it's just taken off. It's crazy man.

You know he was 31 had his skinny jeans on everything and he just had this I don't say this about many, many just had this sweet spirit in the but later said you know in Oregon have to take the train later love to get some time with you, so great and so we sit and talk and I said you know about your life and I don't know why I said this I said what's the biggest challenge that you're facing.

He got real quiet. He said last year was just a few days before Christmas and then he pulled out his phone and he showed me a picture below for five-year-old girl and said that's my daughter and she had asthma but was no medicine uncontrolled. She never had a really terrible episode in last year. A few days before Christmas. She had this outrageous asthma attack and we called 911. The EMTs came before they got there, she stopped breathing and I gave her mouth-to-mouth and I did CPR and I did it and did it and did it ended it and went to the hospital and my little girl died in my arms in a civil. How are you doing, he said, I am living on the sheer reality of the hope that splayed up for me my little girls in heaven and he said just because you know that whole group we all, it's only been there eight years, but from 23 to 31 that group. They've been our family and we did Christmas Eve together, and then we did Christmas and they got around us and they prayed for some they loved us and then we took some time away, but he said what I can tell you is anything and everything can let you down but I live daily show with this picture is Jesus said that he's coming back.

And Jesus said there's a heaven, that it's real and that hope is what I'm hanging my life on and I have some really bad days, but I always go back to what lens am I looking at life through. Is it just now too little time present through eternity and I want you to know this, that little baby filled with the incarnate God, he left heaven, so you could have a hope that would never disappoint you because I'll tell you what you put your hope in money.

It'll disappoint you put your hope in fame.

It'll disappoint you. You can put your hope in good things like your kids or your marriage and you know what is as wonderful as they are billed disappoint you put your hope in you your skills, your dreams and I'll disappoint you. If you can put your hope in a church or pastors and billed disappoint you. I mean is, as sitting before you know you right now. Just saying I can make the most sincere commitments and I really want to keep him. I just don't have the power to I let my own life done I let my kids down. I want to do what's right, I find myself not doing what's right all the time getting would like to that that's true, if you put your hope in something or someone other than the Savior of the world a day is going to come and I hope it's not as tragic as Levi. You just ask yourself where's the hope in life see everyone puts hope in something is not what you say your hosting what we do is we we open up your schedule, we open up your brain. We see what you think and we follow the money trail and will receive your time we open up your brain. We follow the money trail is a big = those things tell you where your hope is you know I've I really have a easy time memorizing certain things, but there are certain things I just have a mental block the words of songs I can never remember I was reviewing a song that we sing every year about this time, people been singing about the hope of this little baby since 1865 by the writer, a pastor called Phillips Brooks when he visited Palestine see if this doesn't ring a bell and maybe you'll sing it differently this year a little town of Bethlehem hell. Still, we see the light above the deep and dreamless sleep. The silent stars go by. Yet in the darkness, China, the everlasting light, the hopes and fears of all the years are met in you tonight. Jesus left heaven to give you a never ever disappoint you as you celebrate Christmas this year get that on the forefront to be back with this application but just a quick reminder, this message is from Chip what child is this for most of us the Christmas story is pretty familiar so there's a chance we forgotten the mystery and awe of Jesus leaving heaven and coming to earth in this three-part series, you will become more aware of the significance of Christmas as Chip asks three simple questions why did he come. Who is he and what does he want the answers may actually lead you to make a few changes in the way you celebrate this year to listen again or share any of these messages with a friend. The chipping roadmap is the way to go. Every things there including chips, message notes for more information about ship series. What child is this give us a call a triple late. 333-6003 or visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org trip as we begin this series, you know just the word Christmas makes us think about gifts giving it a lot of people expected her familiar stories about shepherds and the baby in the manger. But that's not really what you've done in the series. Why is that what you know it's not what I've done at all. And if you've been a pastor as long as I have, I've come up to a number of Christmas seasons and you're right people unconsciously begin to think of Christmas as all is good be so cute the baby in the manger. You know it's a sweet time and children are going to sing. I wanted to pause and help people understand. Wait a minute. I little baby came.

But this wasn't intervention of the God of the universe. I mean this was a special ops rescue mission. Some of you have been in the situation where you had a loved one or close friend and they have had some sort of issue with drugs or alcohol.

And what you realized was their life, their world and their impact is not only destroying them, but everyone around them and you pulled everyone together and you didn't intervention someone had to do something radical. Not that God was caught off guard from the foundations of the earth.

He knew the freedom of man would bring about the sinful, corrupt world that we have and he chose to send God the son as an intervention. But this is so much more than the story about a little baby in a manger and that's why it's so important for us to study Colossians chapter 1, and what you can learn is what he did and who this baby is in the power that's available this Christmas season for ordinary people like you and me.

I think this is going to be a series that can reorient your Christmas in a brand-new way and he's going to use you in a powerful way to help people that you love no Christmas is more than just about a little baby so join us for the whole series. I think you can love it. Well, we certainly do hope you will be with us for this entire Christmas series and if you think about it maybe give someone a call or send a text and encourage them to listen to.

Better yet, with the chipping roadmap. You can just share the entire series for more information about what child is this just visit LivingontheEdge.org or give us a call a triple late. 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003 well here's Chip with his application so let me ask you just lean back it's Christmas time. I understand shopping is on the mine. But where's your hope. What are you trusting to keep your life going when life gets hard. I want to remind you that the only hope. The only hope they can ever depend on 100% of the time is the Lord Jesus himself. There's not a relationship there's not a job there's not well there's not success that I guarantee at some point. At some time in your life they can let you down. God left heaven in the person of Jesus.

The second person of the Trinity to live a perfect life to be born of a virgin to come at this time when we celebrate this amazing phenomenon.

I think of it, the living God in human flesh, and he did that not just so we can celebrate a little baby you have a great season, or have Christmas parties.

He did it to tell you there's hope there's life there's freedom the baby that was born 2000 years ago is the hope of the world, but he's your hope for your world this Christmas season. I mean, starting right now, starting today. Wanted you shift your focus and ask God, Lord, what would it look like for you to be my hope and how can I give hope to others.

You might find that'll make the best Christmas ever. As we wrap up today's program. I want to say thank you to those who make this program possible through your generous giving. If you've been blessed by chips, teaching, and you'd like to bless others in the same way. There's never been a better time because thanks to some very generous friends of the ministry. When you make a donation during the month of December. It'll be matched dollar for dollar. If today's your day to join the team. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org Donate on the app or give us a call that triple late. 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003, on behalf of everyone here. Thanks in advance for your generosity will be with us again next time which continues a series what child is this still then this is Dave thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge