The Great Rescue - Follow After Jesus, Part 1

Did you ever wonder why God but God, the universe, the King of Kings and the Lord of lords would use a baby as the means of his rescue plan. Think about this.

Why did Jesus have the, surveyed the answer will surprise you deeply encourage and stay with me.

Welcome to this Christmas addition of Living on the Edge with your favorite living our lives is an international discipleship ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram.

If you're like me, you're enjoying the Christmas season light displays is giving food don't typically get to enjoy even a trip to be with special people this year but will learn in this program is that the reason behind it all celebrate credible rescue operations that happen thousand plus years ago. Glad you're with us or your strip with an unusual Christmas message from a series the great rescue Christmas is more than just a story.

I like to give you little different paradigm. You see, really, there was a hostage is called humanity and what you have is a very innovative methodology where God is going to intervene and do the greatest rescue that ever occurred in all of history. There is an enemy to defeat there's hostages that had to be freed. Most Christmases I I spent a lot of energy in helping people realize that Christmas is more than just about a baby, but this Christmas I want to go the other direction I want to talk about why why did Jesus come as a baby Jesus existed.

He's God the son, the second person of the Trinity. He spirit. He was worshiped by angels. He's all-powerful he chose to be born of a virgin veiling has the being completely dependent and I want to talk about why he did it and why it's so important here's what I want to suggest on suggest that we cannot understand the first morning that God came to earth. The Lord Jesus. Until we understand what he said the last night on earth before he died, I'd like you to follow along as I read John chapter 14, Jesus has now gone from a baby to a 30-year-old man, he launched a ministry that lasted about three years and is ± 33 years old. He's aware that he will be dying.

He recruited 12 disciples that he would entrust the ministry to these are his very last moments with them, and much like many of us feel in this world of terrorism and bombs and now divide hostility in America. They were afraid Jesus did many miracles he raised people from the dead, he fed the multitudes, he was the greatest teacher of all time, but nevertheless there was a contract on his life and if you were associated with him. Your life was in danger made share the Lord's supper they'd sung a hymn, they walked out to a very private place, and because he cared for them.

He said do not let your heart be troubled you believe in God believe also in me. In my father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so I would've told you, for I go to compare place for you if I go and prepare a place for you. Here's the hope I will come back again and I will receive you to myself. Here's his purpose for them and for us, that where I am, there you may be also.

And you know the way where I'm going to Thomas. I like him so Lord, we do not know where you're going, how do we know the way. And Jesus said I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but by me. And then Jesus has this commentary. If you had known me, you would know my father but from now on you know him and have seen him and Philip chimes in and says, Lord, show us the father and it will be enough. And Jesus looks at Philip and the way and he said Philip how long have you been with me if you have seen me, you have seen the father and what I want you to know is that on the very last night. What Jesus was saying is I'm away. The word in Greek is hot us. It is translated as a path. Imagine a path through the forest it's translated elsewhere as a road or a highway. Jesus was saying, I am the way, I am the pathway. I am the road back to the father you're living in a world of darkness. There's a pathway to light your living in a world of self-hatred and jealousy. There's a pathway to love your living in a world where people are at each other's throat there's a pathway to unity. I am the way and just candidly I had this Christmas.

Everything about his life is the way see you don't just tell people you don't point to the way you don't just explain the way when you learn anything. What did someone do they showed you the way now. Can you imagine if there was a hostage.

We sent a SWAT team.

Listen to this innovative plan to liberate humanity from sin and death and the power of the evil one. It starts with a baby. He came to model for us. God's rescue plan of life of love, of growth of greatness and of joy.

He came not to tell us about God's love, not just to tell us about life not to tell us how to personally grow not just to tell us about how to really want to be great, but to show us and so let me give you five snapshots from his life. First, Jesus example showed us the way to eternal life by a new birth see Jesus is infinite, second person of the Trinity. He chose to be born into a different environment to take on human flesh is a little baby and he grew up and he was crucified and maybe some of you haven't thought this through. But in his resurrected body. When you meet him you will be able to see the holes in his hand. You will see the piercing side keep. He was born into a new environment and when he talked to the most religious people of the day what he told them was there's a way to the father. There's eternal life. He said to a religious man named Nicodemus Nicodemus I tell you, unless you're born from above are literally born a second time. You can never enter the kingdom of God and so you have to have a new birth to have a new life, new paradigm and what's the new paradigm. Jesus modeled radical humility. Imagine the grandeur of the creator of the universe, the one who spoke of galaxies billions into existence shoes is to willfully limit himself and come into the form of the baby see the thing that kept me from my relationship with God was my pride, my control who I wanted to be my lack of wanting anyone to tell me anything about what I want to do with my life and that diseases in my heart in your heart and everyone's heart. The pathway, the road to eternal life begins with humility and humility is recognizing your need is not thinking too highly of yourself as recognizing you need forgiveness from God.

Lesson number two is genuine love. Jesus had a family.

He has a family.

The tri-unity of the Godhead in all eternity. The father loves the son. The son loves the father, the Holy Spirit loves the father and the son.

There's this perfect unity.

It actually explains one of the biggest philosophical issues that men have grappled with the unity and the diversity of the world. Only Christianity has the tri-unity of the singular Godhead. One essence in three specific people all equally God.

Yet, one God, one essence in perfect harmony. And so Jesus is born into a family and think this family a teenage girl, probably 15 or 17 years old and I and I like teenage boy or maybe early 20 something I remember when I was a parent for the first time I didn't have a clue what to do member that first one.

How afraid you were.

This is the son of God and trusting himself new paradigm and what's the new paradigm it's radical dependency. He wasn't just depending on this young couple.

He was depending that the sovereign father in the game plan to rescue humanity would protect him all along. These times in a corrupt world ate a ruthless ruler that wanted to kill him and he was dependent and he had a new family human family. He's being vulnerable. You know, pride is at the core and when I'm proud.

I don't let people close. When I grew up. We all pose the way I grew up as I don't need anybody to be good in sports young to get good grades and have a pretty girlfriend and then we get older we just change it to drive this kind of car and chiming to make so much money my kids really go to school, somebody would people get real close we get threatened and you know when we live that way in our insecurities and in our pride usually don't have. We don't have genuine love.

If you would just pause for a moment and think about the friends that your closest to its the people you been vulnerable to you also understand that no one can love you. Unless you're willing to reveal your needs. I mean, some of us are great at helping other people, but we don't want people helping us and that's that old pride again.

Jesus became needy and vulnerable and he allow this young mom Mary to love him and this young man Joseph to love him and raise him.

If you want genuine love you.

You have to be radically dependent on God that you can be secure enough to be vulnerable to share your needs.

Share your struggles share your fears. I member my dad was a Marine and an alcoholic and man that he was tough and I'm sure he loved me, but I never heard it and I never saw any needs and I never saw him cry, and so I grew up as a son that you know what you know when you get hurt.

You get up and all I knew is that you know how I hid my feelings and it took me years because of my walls were really high.

I member the first time a grown man that I had. I mean heart connection with looked at me and told me I love you was embarrassed.

I know how to receive this kind of words is a man and yet now over the years. I get three or four men to become like surrogate fathers to me. I have I have brothers that I've shared the depth of my struggles that depth of my life and they love me for me not for what I have, not for what I've accomplished Outlook for I can do. That's the pathway that Jesus showed us the third lesson Jesus example shows us personal growth, and he says it's a journey. Didn't just come as a baby, but Luke 252 says that Jesus grew in wisdom and in favor both with God and with me. You studied it carefully means he grew spiritually. He grew physically. He grew socially. He grew relationally. He grew intellectually. He says change isn't instantaneous. You want to grow personally.

You learn to walk.

You learn to eat, you learn to read you learn to get along with your brothers and sisters that he was perfect actually be pretty hard to get along with. Can I do when your brothers and sisters being perfect. He learned to suffer.

Hebrews 5739 describes were the private life of Jesus in us, as in the days of his flesh. He was heard by God with loud cheers and cries of supplication and would heard by his father because of his piety is godliness, and he learned obedience through the things which he suffered personal growth is time and endurance in getting connected to someone that will that's farther along that will help you, Jesus.

Dad was a carpenter and if you think he did the Monday regular things of life, as his character was developed.

I remember a man named Dave who is a bricklayer high school education. I was a new Christian, and I still remember he said would you like to grow when I didn't know very much sounded like not growing would not be like a good answer so I said yes I said you know it all come Tuesday morning and every Tuesday morning for about a year and 1/2. Dave Marshall would come 7 o'clock, which for me at that point my life was like for the morning like who's up at seven we go down to little kitchenette and David open his Bible and you didn't say you ought to read the Bible. He didn't say you ought to pray, he didn't say how to stop doing this. He didn't say Jan to start doing that Dave showed me how to talk to God. Dave showed me how to read the Scriptures and claim promises. They listen to the struggles with my girlfriend Dave brought me to his house and I had dinner at his house and I watched his marriage. Dave showed me how to grow and I just have to tell you that God's heart is that there would be radical obedience. They sat down with me when I was dating a non-Christian girl that I thought a lot of it was not a good relationship and share versus that I didn't like and told me you know what this is not an and well they sat down with me after a couple years and said you know Chip I think God's given you some gifts.

But you have one major problem I thought. Oh good, it's down to one said you really arrogant you're really full of yourself. No one ever said stuff like that. This guy loves me, cared for me, brought me into his home but he told me hard things when I went to the most crushing issues of my life by my family went through some very painful things. He was there and what he taught me was Chip.

It's very very hard. But if you want to grow mentally and emotionally and physically and spiritually. Here's the key do it God's. Are you ready way new paradigm and what's the new paradigm that's called obedience.

And when you know what's right to do it will be difficult. You won't be perfect, stay on the path when you begin and understand radical humility and radical dependency followed by radical obedience. All the other Christians are doing this but the Scripture says that you go this direction. It's hard. But then there's fruit and there's life there's growth. The fourth lesson that Jesus taught us by his example was lasting greatness. All of us want to be great.

I mean I've never met anyone I asked I asked people sometimes getting around specially for this.

If I know some guidance. I would you like to be a good dad are great at.

I've never had a guy say got good mediocre really. Would you like a good marriage or great marriage. What would you say right, but then when I asked him like would you like to be a good Christian or great Christian well sound, Aryan to be great.

Well, what's the alternative, you realize after three years of walking with Jesus's closest followers were arguing about you ready for this. This is like the last couple days of his life there arguing about who's the greatest. Luke 22 and you know what I love Jesus didn't get down guys of been here three years and doing all these messages and you see me do these miracles in your heart is great. What's wrong with you guys.

He didn't do that all you what he said is you guys want to be great yeah okay actually I made you to want to be great because you made my image. Let me just tell you when he flipped the paradigm in the world.

Your grade by how many people report to you by how much power by how much money you lording it over people. How many you can oppress if anyone wants to be great among you, let them be the servant of all.

You want to be first, let him be the last.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but everyone who humbles himself exalted for even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and offer his life a ransom for many.

If you want lasting greatness. Are you a quick vein, you get quick vein you want quick money to get quick money if you want quick good looks. You get surgeries right but the people that when they die for and you talk about them are the people that were servants people that love people that cared people that put other people ahead of themselves. Jesus did that he washed the disciples feet. He lay down his life in my place in your place. It says, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, because in the portal of eternity and time he saw us and he said all serve you by dying and what he said to his disciples as unless a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die to remain by itself alone. But if it dies, it will bring forth much fruit new paradigm and what's the new paradigm become the servant in relationships. Think of others and Jesus modeled that in the final lesson we get from Jesus life about the way the path the road to follow its unquenchable joy you want unquenchable joy. Give in to be given unto you new paradigm and what's the new paradigm radical generosity good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over into your lap. For whatever measure you give to others.

Jesus these are his words. Whatever measure you give up your time, your friendship, your money, your dreams. Whatever measure you give to others, and a measure would be like you know a little copper, a big cup or a barrel or dump truck. Whatever measure you give it will be given back to you and then multiply good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running all work back into your lap. Jesus, who was rich, became poor but we might become rich out of his poverty, the most generous being in the universe is our God is an amazing set clippings 89, by the grace of God apostle Paul says he who was rich, became poor, that we might become rich through his poverty idea had a very unusual manner and in my life I was a young pastor just getting going and there's a guy named John.

John was a great guy.

John had learned something that few of us ever learn and he he taught me something about generosity. The one point John said there's lots of hurting people and you you have time and I have money is the chairman of the board's August. I guess I had time. Whatever he said right and to give me little checkbook and put $5000 in it is that I want anytime you would think that God's heart would prompt you from me to love people, whether it's food, whether it's groceries, whether it's paying a bill whether the bus ticket for a homeless person I is what I want to do you just you just take this money and you just pretend you're me and you love them, the way you think.

I would love them and then we'll have lunch every three or four months and what you tell me the stories and not I just started doing that. It's really funny like Santa Claus. I put this checkbook you will have to change me.

My eyes were different. I had these resources and I get to help this, but I could tell you story after story after story.

That's how God is. That's where joy is to be found well on this Christmas for you to think about a baby that brought a rescue to different pictures and see the Scripture says there's a way that seems right to a man, but it ends in death. There is a way the God has given that ends in life and peace. The best life now and eternal life with your heavenly father forever. Do you know the way. I don't me know about the way I knew about the way all my years growing up I went to services like this that I mean I'm the truth and the life in the way Jesus said you know him personally. Scripture says that all we like sheep have gone astray with each turn to our ready for this our own way. You may be like me and not even know how to pray that in your heart of hearts.

If you would say to God, and you can whisper in your mind. He actually knows everything about God.

I want you I want to be forgiven. I want to know you. I want to get on the right path right now, Lord Jesus, when you come into my life and will you forgive me for all my sins and we you help me to walk with you on this path I believe you died in my place. I believe you rose from the dead. I don't know what all this means but I want to follow as you would express that from sincere heart. Jesus promises that as many as received him to them. He gives the right authority to become children of God.

Lord, would you fulfill them.

The wonder of your son.

Thanks for giving us the path, thanks for coming go on. Today I want to pause right because I believe there some of you who heard that prayer and you thought that's good for some but you didn't pray to God for yourself. I want to encourage you that today is the day of salvation for you. God has assigned this moment in time for you to hear clearly that you, the object of his love. I don't care what your family has said what your background is said what your failure tells about you. God sent Jesus to rescue you from sin and guilt, and death.

But you need to receive it. It's the present under the tree if you will that needs to be opened. He loves you. He is already forgiven you, but now it is your opportunity to unwrap the present is to say Lord Jesus right now in this moment.

I admit to you that I fall short of being perfect. I've done things wrong. I do have guilt. I need a Savior we you please right now.

Apply what you did on the cross in paying for my sin and what you did when you rose from the dead to my life.

Your word says as many as receive you to. Then you gave the power to become the children of God, Lord God, I don't know what it all means, but I receive you come into my life come into my heart, forgive me, cleanse me and now I I asked would you help me to follow you with all my heart, as you pray that right now at this moment a spiritual transaction has occurred. You've been taken from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light all your sins have been removed from you as far as the east is from the west. God sees you as son or daughter. He wants to love you, help you, and then get you growing in a way we you get to know him better and better and better and he's gonna change your life and he's actually going to use you to change others. Let me encourage you today before the sun goes down to tell someone that I prayed a prayer and I ask Christ to be my Savior. And then this coming weekend. Find a church that teaches the Bible and go to it or tell the greatest Christian you know we you please help me. And until that time, go to our website LivingontheEdge.org able give you all the instructions, we have some very special help. That's absolutely free to help you as a new believer, a new follower to grow in your faith if you prayed with Chip ogle to commit it and call us the AAA to 333-6003.

We love to hear your story and get a free resource in your hands that'll help you understand what it means to become a Christian, and then give you a couple of next steps that resources also available. If you go to the new believer's tab on our website LivingontheEdge.org or tap special offers on the trip and remap well, as we just have a minute here ship any parting words for the day. Well let me just say have a Mary Mary blessed and holy Christmas. What a amazing day to get to celebrate the greatest rescue that ever occurred well for all of us here at Living on the Edge.

This is Dave Drewry.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and asking you to join us again next time for another edition of living all the