What Child is This? - What does He Want?, Part 2

What would happen if you actually believe that Jesus was alive, but he's not down on that he wants to be your best friend that he is an amazing plan for your life, and that this whole Christmas season is about teaching you once the most that's today. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge trip and Living on the Edge features the Bible teaching of dripping daily discipleship program. This program chip wraps up a series what child is this with an encouraging message that should give you a fresh perspective for Christmas this year.

Just a quick reminder if you list any of the previous messages in this series are all available on the environment so the app is a great way to stay connected and catch up anytime if you have a Bible open another Colossians chapter 1.

Let's join chip or part two of his message. What does he want. Here's the truth. Jesus lives inside of every true believer. This is a formula is not a concept he lives inside every true believer. What's the response responses. We must make room for him daily. When you come to know Christ. His spirit comes and dwells actually inside of your body. I don't know about you but I again I didn't grow up in church and I remember probably the second verse that I ever memorizing you can jot this one down because if you never memorize one at least get this one down. Galatians 220. As I read this, a member the first few months I was a Christian I was like 18 a freshman in college and reading to this New Testament and it's all new. And I never read it before and I got to this Galatians 220, and Paul says I'm crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ lives in me inside me in this life that I live I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I would walk around campus and like are you kidding me honey to me.

God was always out there in the bar was high and you know he had like seven or eight commands. I didn't really think that much of because I wanted to do this and he wanted to do that. My way would work very well and get all the religious people wire around. They didn't impress me very much in ways this is a relationship that was to be my friend lives in me. What would happen if you believe as a believer and follower of Jesus. The actually lives in you that is not down on you that he's the best friend you would ever have, but he knows what's going to happen next week, next year that he has a plan for you unlimited resources of all of heaven, the one who created and spoke everything into existence.

Would like to make you holy and whole and every single day direct you about that decision help you work out that issue in your marriage bring you peace as you wrestle with our unity single was going to bring someone in your life give you discernment about what role and what job what to do with when your kids is having a struggle but she would be a father and a friend and a lover of your soul and you never have to like get in line got another slick seven, almost 7 billion people. Oh well, it doesn't work that way that Jesus was explaining this to his disciples and and for some of us you know you been a Christian for a while, you read the New Testament and oh yeah, yeah, it wasn't. Oh yeah yeah for them not imagine this itinerant preacher becomes a start speaking in all the religious people say he's a wacko and you read a liar and a blasphemer in but you know you want to see careful people raise from the dead and no walks on water and fulfills all these Old Testament passages, and pretty soon you're realizing I think this is the real deal. And so unlike a lot of people you follow them wholeheartedly. I mean you are in and you the kingdom is coming and he's the Messiah.

And I mean you see things and people I've never seen and you maybe your Peter, John or James and literally humming the cloud came down you heard God's actual voice in your thinking. This is awesome. And then he gets near the end and he goes you know what the plan is little different than you guys see you guys all want to read half of that Old Testament. Yes, I am the Messiah, but the Messiah is a suffering servant, and I'm going to die for the sins of people and then in three days will be risen from the dead, and I will come back a second time, but there's a little delay here and if you're these guys you're thinking. I don't really think this is a great plan and he does not know it's really better for you. How's that coming there trembling in the realizing you know public opinion is going south, religious leaders, and rumors about an assassination are everywhere and get some in this room and they take the Lord's supper and he washes their fee. They sing a hymn and they take him out to this place were they been hanging out and praying in Mount of olives and a system that your heart be troubled. Don't be uptight. You believe in God believe also in me in on the goes on for true I wouldn't of said Negroes you understand and I'm going to the father and and I love that I can just picture Thomas raising his hand goes you know what I don't really get this okay if these other guys do fine. I don't get it what you mean, if we seen you basing your father not of this makes sense when you talk like English or Arab Aramaic or Hebrew, or whatever you're talking but like shoot it straight because this makes no sense to me cases, so if you see me using the father. It's better that I go and he begins to explain a dozen factors in another one very interesting word. Another of the same kind like me and he's not going to come till I leave and he's the spirit of truth, and when I leave the spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit to come and dwell inside of you, and you have access 24 seven and he will bring to remembrance the things that I taught and he'll direct you will convict you empower you whatever you need.

My father and I as you trust and remain abide in me.

We will be with you and will never forsake you, and you have access and you have intimate relationship with the creator and the Savior of the world 24 seven 365 and I think at that point there starting to get it. But then in John chapter 15 because this is the way God works. He always speaks in a way we can understand its agricultural world. They understand about grapes and you know pruning and vine dressers, and so on that very last articles look my father is the vine dresser. I am the true vine, you are the branches. And then he gives them this parable about how the unit at the life comes through the vine into the branches and the supervision of the vine dresser.

Who's the father in John 15.

He says to them. This is how the intimacy will go on.

He says abide, or remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself, it must remain in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me, I am the vine, you are the branches.

If a man if a woman if a student remains a body stays and connected to me and I in him will bear much fruit, because apart from me you can't do anything if anyone doesn't abide music branches like a branches thrown away and withers and such branches are picked up and thrown into the fire, but if you remain in abide and stay connected to me, you can ask whatever you wish. If my words are in you and you are in me, you can ask whatever you wish you that's what God wants. And so he says you need to make room for him every day. That's the response we Christians all the time and we all have struggles but we Christians all the time and I get it I'm busy you're busy there's demands but I will tell you what if you would remain and be connected to Jesus, the vine in this next year your whole world change if you began I just said in a something 20 minutes little change not only my life but probably my eternity. If you said the first 20 minutes of every day I'm going to abide or remain. And if you're really a friend. I don't know about this religious stuff. I'm just gonna talk to you like a friend know these no valves, no jargon. Hey this is me. I'm really angry about this and really struggling about this and this marriage is going the way I think, will you help me I want my kids is going to really tough time in school. I don't know what to do. Would you help me by the way, thanks for what you did yesterday and here's here's some dreams I have on my heart and you just begin to talk to a friend and you read and by the way, I don't get it all. But if you show me something to do, I'll do it.

Okay, I can't do it on my own, but I'll do it. You spend the first 20 minutes and then each time you pull out your phone. Make that just a little memorable check-in to check in some of you be praying a lot, you know will happen.

You abide you be connected. The spirit of flow.

The truth will flow temptations a lesson.

Marriages will improve your perspective changes. All of a sudden something that you love to do that were little questionable get you get a you will have the desire won't be about external things will be God changing you from the inside out. He want you to receive his pardon. He wants you to become whole and holy he want you to be certain you can be certain of heaven. If Christ lives in you and forth.

Jesus want you to be spiritually mature want to be a grown-up. Look at verse 28, 29, the apostle Paul writing says for him and Timothy. We proclaim him. Jesus words that you tell people that there there bold. We want you to know about Jesus, the Savior of the world. He's come Emmanuel well and we don't just proclaim and tell people the story we are admonishing everyone and were teaching everyone that we on a certain day at a certain time could present them before God is complete or mature and embody what he says you know what this is my passion for this purpose I labor, struggling, according to his power that Miley works within me. In other words I'm pressing out. I'm working hard.

I'm energized on focus is. Here's what I want to do.

I don't want you all just to come and make a decision and have Christ live in you. That process of becoming mature.

That's God's dream.

I want to be a part of you becoming all God made you to be. The truth is, God wants you to be spiritually mature notice.

The truth God uses his word, his people in every circumstance to make you like his son mean he's actually working every moment of every day. A lot of it's it's you have ever had. Like you go to 3D movies in your watching movie is like this is her awareness of what is could you glass as you put it on all the sudden low descending. I want you to get on new classes that you see life in a completely different way. You start listening and learning and applying fact that's the application we must habitually listen, learn and apply God's word and noticed this in the context of community you do it with people. Some of you maybe have been like me out of coached Little League and I've coached high school and coach. Various sports and some of you are supervisors in your work or your boss or your parents and if he ever had. Maybe someone come to work or you know a kid on one of your teams have had this happen multiple times and you just want to go to someone you really trust in sight.

This is unbelievable. This kid or this worker. I mean, they've got gift losing out of their ears like in the workplace is like me and she is smart, she's quick. She's got people skills.

I me I just unbolt. I mean, she could run this place in five or 10 years or like in my world.

It was like my land. Are you kidding me, you're in eighth grade, you get a 38 vertical jump, you can do a crossover dribble, you got great hands.

You understand the game. This kids get to be in the MBA and there's all this gift.

And yet if you been around very long. Seen people with all this gift in all this potential and the kind of ride their gift and they get promoted because of their gift but they don't discipline themselves. They don't structure, they don't work hard, like other people, and then they crest early in what you knew was there potential was here and they landed here and work as long marriages like that. There's a lot of kids. This was there potential.

This is where they landed, and as a boss or a coach as a parent. Is there anything that makes you more sad than when you see the potential that could be and then you just see while that's how God feels he want you to be spiritually met that word mature is telling us we get a word telescope telescope is something that looks far into the distance. It's the idea of God wants you to personally fulfill his ultimate design what he made you to do who he made you to become that you have the kind of character and the kind of love, the kind of skills that you would discover the plan and that you would just mature pets. That's what he wants for Christmas he wants to pardon you, wants to make you holy. He wants to remove all fear so that you would know every day I'm on my way to heaven, not because of what I've done, but I'm tasting it because I'm abiding in him walking back. I love the last portion of John Wayne's talk of the disciples, and she's trying to help the monies really try to help them get it because it was very foreign to them. We had a couple thousand years to look back and say this really works, but they didn't. And so when he when he sums it up. He says them in John 15 beginning of verse eight. This is my father's glory.

And it's one of those Bible words but this is what enhances the father's reputation. This is what lights it up.

This is what brings him joy. This is what helps people see him for who he really is. This is my father gluten bothers glory, that you bear much fruit, showing or demonstrating or proving yourselves to be my disciples. That's what it means to be mature you bear much fruit and in the Bible. There's two kinds of fruit, one kind of fruit as love and joy and peace and patience and goodness and kindness and gentleness and self-control.

Its character and the other kind of fruit is that you accomplish things for the living God, and they used to be like this, but now there like this because of you and you bear much fruit. And then he gives the motivation he says is the father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now here's our word again, abide, or remain, or stay connected to my love and then he tells you how it's really simple. If you obey my commands you remain in my love, just as I have obeyed the father's commands and remain in his love, and in verse 11 is one of my favorite all the Bible it's it's it's his motives these things think that early first day, I say to you disciples and I know you're scared to death these things I'm saying to you about the father, the vine and the branches and abiding that my joy could be inside of you and that your joy could be full to the brim. God wants to be your friend. He wants to make you whole. He wants you taste heaven, every single day and he wants you to grow up and be who he made and designed and deep in your heart and spirit. You long to become. That's what he wants.

Pretty cool Christmas is to give to him when we talk about Christmas and what God wants.

That's all what he wants for you and I just want to touch on what he wants from you because as you know, sometimes receiving things is really really really really awesome, but there's something about at times when you can give some things that it's equally awesome and sometimes even more powerful. So let me just highlight and I've given you some passages to check out peers for things he wants from you one. Jesus want you to share in his suffering for his body, the church, Paul said he rejoiced.

We got a whole world suffer suffer suffer anything is painful. I don't want it. I don't want it. I don't want it. I would miss the point you're going to suffer. It's a fallen world. There's pain there's difficulty people mess up they'll betray you. There is injustice.

This corruption right you're going to suffer. Jesus says want you suffer for me and for what really counts wanted to join in my suffering. Once you get your expectations out of is everything going right for me all the time and wanted to take the difficulty of life and wanted to turn around and leverage it and do it for me. I build a relationship with the lady I didn't know much about her and she began to write me.

She listened on the radio, probably 15, 16 years ago when we begin to write back and forth and share this beautiful handwriting and was an artist would send me a picture and will over time I learned that she was a nun and she was a nun up in San Francisco when she would get up at 430 in the morning and put an end copy the message on these little cassettes and then give it to mother superior and to other nuns and apparently Living on the Edge was going hot. You know, in the and and the thing is called a cloister. It was a special group of nuns that never left this place one day a year. They went out of this place and that she shared her life story. She went in his early woman in her 20s and she was in her 80s by the time we finally met and that she was in her 80s and we didn't agree on everything that she was his born again, and love God and she was a spirit about her that was sweet and super sweet and call I got work to call her on the phone and they bring to the stone week we would talk and that she had some sort of bone deterioration had extraordinary pain and had rural problems and so Treece and I drove up to see your and they had the sort of kind of bars took place and she could be on one side, we are like prisoners little weird to the truth, but you know I don't always get it's amazing God is lot amazing things a lot of different groups in but she had spent her whole life praying and worshiping and loving God and praying for people and and she was in excruciating pain and I said her name was Sr. Mary, the Holy Spirit, and I accidentally early in our relationship.

I called her in a civil sister Marriott. She did stop me.

My name is not Sr. Mary, my name is Sr. Mary, Holy Spirit, okay, I get to get to choose your name in there and how and when she was precious and I remember asking her about it was excruciating. They tried this, they tried that and she said something I don't think I've ever heard. The most famous Christian leader in the world say. She said every time I have sharp pains shoot up the back of my neck and then it goes down my leg and many nights I can't sleep I just laying there and I think of how much Jesus has suffered for me.

I think of, even in my physical body that I could anyway identify with the fellowship of his suffering. If I can take any of these things allow the suffering moments to be prayers on it offer up to other people. I think all that I would be worthy to suffer and experience a small portion of what he suffered so that I could understand how much he loves me and I thought I never preach that one before. I learned a lot from sister Mary. The Holy Spirit would you be willing to sign up for some suffering for the right reason in the right way and leverage your difficulty instead of running from it, avoiding it, or complaining to God that everything is just the way you want it, that would be a nice gift to give him this year. The second thing he wants from you is he wants you to be a servant to present God's word to your world. Paul said I became a servant to present his word and all of its fullness. There's to type a Christian summer fans and summer followers fans are like a 49er game. I can be a fan. I go to the store I go to Jersey to put this number on it. I get a baseball had a put on backwards. I buy season tickets.

I go to the game they play the game.

Yeah, go yeah go to the tailgating party, 49, or is it also. You are a fan when you're on the team you go to two days you go to the weight room you come back from injuries you you prioritize your life around. What does it take for this team to be all that is supposed to be and what's my role on this team. How do I make my teammates better and I will pay the price. Whatever it takes for this team to win. And Paul said that's that's what I was servant. I'm not asking God how can you make my life work out for me.

I'm asking God as your servant, what would you like to do in me and through me to fulfill your purposes on this little ball that spins around in space called planet Earth into all things are reconciled unto you, that would be a good gift to give to Jesus. The third thing he wants is Jesus want you to help others become spiritually sure he want you to be a disciple maker. So often you hear join a small group work for your own benefit would be really good to get the Bible work for talk with God. And here's how we you know if you been through this little program for that.

If you been to that with something to help you here. Here's what I can tell you all those things are wonderful, but he wants every single person in whom the Spirit of God lives that your vocation is to make disciples helping other people come to know Christ and then once they come to know Christ you admonish them just means you coach you help them figure out what they do the difficult relationship you want to do with all their debt and what they do with the thoughts and issues and pains from the pastor dysfunctional family and then you instruct and you spend time with them and you mentor them and you go through thick and thin and you know what happens. They come more and more and more and more like Jesus and you do to.

As you make disciples did Jesus say, did you set go therefore and all the world. Big big churches. Go therefore all the world and pray prayer. Go to all the world to be nice more people. What did Jesus say go to all the world and make disciples, followers, and then he says there's a special time with her actually go public, baptizing them in their certainly water there, for sure, but the idea was identification from their old life to a new life in the name of the father and the son of the Holy Spirit and then they just don't leave and then teach them everything I taught you well.

What did Jesus teach us about time. What he teaches about money. What he teaches about marriage. What he teaches about our enemies. You teach them everything I taught you so that we have these little Christ is little mirrors in a fallen world and then meet moms and dads and workers and business people and students who are very imperfect but just keep reflecting progressively more and more what Jesus is like and then people start thinking you know what they may be something to this, not religion, but to the person of Jesus, and who they're talking about. Finally, what you could given for Christmas.

Is he wants you to exert energy and work hard in his power to help Christians live like Christians. Sometimes we do so when everything easy. The greatest disciple maker I've ever known is a bricklayer who helped me when I went to college get a high school education is job with lighting brick.

His vocation was making disciples and I went into his living room with three or four other guys three years later there was 250 college students.

He then moved his family, not for a job to start it on another campus of the laid brick during the day asked me to join him. I ate with his family.

I stayed in the garage apartment in the back. I worked for him and learn what work looks like we did Bible studies together. He gave me books to read. I watched him raise his kids.

He was and that I think was for me. I really knew this because I was so intent on wanting to be cool. He was very uncool. He didn't dress cool. We didn't talk cool.

He wasn't dynamic that some of the Bible studies were just downright boring and biblical and you know after about three or four years around him.

I didn't know whether God wanted me to be a lawyer or a basketball coach or a scientist could I change my major try to mull, but I knew one thing it really wouldn't matter much what I want to be is I want to be a man of God like Dave: have a marriage like Dave want to be a dad like Dave and I want to be a Christian and I want you to know that your job description is to make disciples and you can do that is a stay-at-home mom CEO, a construction worker, you can do that as a student, but that reorientation is what we give to him in response to all. He's given us this application just a quick reminder, this message is from chip series. What child is this most of us the Christmas story is pretty familiar so there's a chance we forgotten the mystery of all of Jesus leaving heaven and coming to earth in this three-part series, you will become more aware of the significance of Christmas is chip asked three simple questions why did he come to Izzy and what does he want 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. Everything's there, including chips, message notes for more information about chip series. What child is this give us a call a triple late. 333-6003 or visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org will chip going to get your application but you know sometimes if you talk really fast and it's easy to miss details as you been talking about the importance of our December match think some folks might be wondering, is there a simple overview we could look at him and see what you're planning for this coming year. Absolutely day.

In fact, we believe that those people that have prayed and given to the ministry deserve what we call an ROI. What's your spiritual and eternal return on your investment. And so it's very brief.

It's very easy to read probably in under five minutes. You can get a quick overview.

This is all that God did through the team of Living on the Edge and their ministry partners. So let me encourage you to check out the report, it won't take long. Dave, can you give them a web address about how they can click on and read it right now. You bet to check out everything the ministry is accomplished over this last year and were we believe the Lord is leaving us in 2022. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org and click on the banner.

Therefore, the vision report is an easy-to-read overview with photos and testimonies little help. You see, there are still great things happening here and literally around the world again. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org to find the vision report and then consider joining us for what's planned in 2022 has we close today's broadcast and actually wrap up this whole series I want to encourage you, just some perspective okay just lean back and relax a little bit giving God what he wants the most does not like it, a sense of drudgery or poverty or all I'm gonna become the super religious person who's just been a weird when you give God what he wants the most, which is you.

It really opens the door to the life, the life that's really life you know I do grow up as a Christian and as a result of that, I chased a lot of things to try and find life that's really life you I tried to find it in the opposite sex or in sports were in fame or success, or pleasing people or doing my work faster or better than other people. Here's what I want you to know everybody has a Lord everybody has something that you believe is going to save you or make you and Jesus comes and says their idols, though let you down. I made you I created you, I died for you. I came as a baby that I rose from the dead.

I have a life that's really life in true life is found when you surrendered to me, not just received my forgiveness but never what Jesus said to this disciples follow me, follow me and you know he has a purpose. He has meaning. I'll make you a fisher of men all show you why I put you on the earth are usually in ways that you'll see other people's lives change that will bring you incredible joy. There's something that's hard to grasp it when you give your life away you actually find it, you know, we get a taste of it every Christmas as we think about other people in and do some things to help others that normally we wouldn't help. There is a joy that wells up inside of us.

God wants you to know that the child that came is really the son of God and that he gave his life for you that you might live no longer for yourself but for him who gave his life for you and in so doing you will discover and enjoy life that is truly life 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 well until it's time for everyone here.

This is Dave Drewry saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge