Waiting

Here on Senate light after author and theologian JD Greer.

I'm your host Molly for setting aside a few moments in the midst of the hustle and bustle of presidents and getting dinner on the table to focus on what were really celebrating one of the most astonishing moment in human history we celebrate the day that God himself was born as a helpless human baby, the world had been waiting and God came to dwell. Let's remember this amazing trip today is pastor JD shares a special Christmas message titled resource is a struggle.you know it's stressful. Just all the things are going. I was at the mold of the day with a couple of my kids but gives her older now, but I am about when they were in the real young, it was hard enough go to the mall go to the mall at Christmas time.

It's just brutal. If you got a three-year-old child and so you know what I'm talking about parents vessels like worst so this is like a pistol-year-old kid I'm looking around amenable to get me like 70 years ago this three-year-old Mr.-year-old clearly wasn't done. He was laying on the ground and yell leading ticket and the doubts, drag him along and I'm gonna want to mess with the sympathetic sense of bemusement and and I'm noticing this is just speaking so tenderly is like it's okay Albert just just a few more just like just a little while longer. Albert, it's going to be okay. Albert don't don't don't don't worry Albert that he almost got Albert will embarrass yourself, Albert and I watch just like three or four minutes. Scott never raised his voice above, this is amazing. Therefore minutes of my him and you don't know if anybody but to tell you how impressed I am. I'm a pastor and I can handle this merely that, well, when I had my kids Dragon them around the mall. I just want to commend you for your patience, your son, Albert Mrs. Calgary said listen, he said he said Sam is my son's name my name is Albert the last few minutes. There's so know what you hear here and so we just turn that off a little while to get back to that slow to commend you for coming and thank you for celebrating Christmas here together together with us because of you know that I started a podcast while back on ask anything which is a question that I get asked from time to time pastor you be a short answer to them. One of the questions I get asked thousand times around Christmas time is people asked me how do we know that December 20 was the day Jesus was actually born in are we sure that he was born on that day. The short answer to that question is no. We are not sure hope this does not rattle you but we don't really know the exact date. Jesus was born.

The Virgin Mary did not leave much of a social media trail eyes were not able to pin down the exact date but one of the reasons that the early Christians chose to celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25 was that was the day of the Roman solstice solstice. Of course meeting that day where I daylight hours in the winter are the fewest and nighttime hours of the longest it's the darkest day of year and the Christians thought that's just appropriate.

Celebrate the birth of Jesus because that's what Isaiah says birth of Jesus will be like a light shining into the darkness. The people who sat in darkness have seen a bright light plus by the way they knew that the Annunciation, when Gabriel appeared to Mary base of the Jewish calendar sometime around March was about nine months after that they thought close enough to celebrate on this day, but that's the idea behind Christmas and why we celebrate because in the darkness.

God has seen a shiny great light, literally, of the gospel of Matthew opens up the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. Jesus was born into a historic time of great darkness on the earth. Matthew whose gospel comes first in the New Testament shows us that in a very unique and artistic way. By opening up his gospel with something that you're new to the Bible is a little unexpected, then you're not quite sure the do it the opens up the New Testament with the genealogy of you ever set out to read the New Testament you got the dispersed part of the genealogy.I don't know the do it that you just skip it. But it's in there for a reason, because no one is confusing. It's cotton massive implications for how you think about what God is doing in your life you can't see any evidence of him at all and how you think about seasons where here in the midst of a broken family or chronic pain, or just great disappointment, the very first verses of Matthew read like this.

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham and it goes on to say Abraham was the father of Isaac not to bother Jacob.

Jacob Judith's brothers Judah father presence arrived, so forth and so on that list out all the generations from Abraham to Jesus and then Matthew concludes verse 17 there were 14 generations at all from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the exile in Babylon and 14 from the exile to the Messiah. Now, again, that might seem like an odd way to open up the gospel of Jesus Christ. When you press more closely into it.

You can see, is designed to communicate a very important message.

14 generations from Abraham to David, he start with Abraham, because that was the first Jewish father to whom the promises of salvation were given. I bless you to make your name great and I will give you the forgiveness of sins right Abraham's first 14 generations to David.

David comes next because David represents the kind of king that Israel thought that they needed the kind of king they were hoping for a political deliver somebody who would bring great prosperity to the nation of Israel, 14 generations from David to the exile, the exile, representing the failure first of David to keep the laws of God. But then all the children of Israel not being able to walk in obedience because of their persistent disobedience. God sent them back into slavery and into exile. 14 generations from the exile to Jesus. Jesus being God's answer to the exile Jesus being God's answer to their darkness be God's answer to their failure.

Jesus being the fulfillment of all the promises of God given to Abraham about salvation, 14 generations from Abraham to David or Dean and David to the exile 14 from exile to Jesus, you say well that works out, meet.net like you know, 14 generations between each one.

See here's the thing. If you go back and you look at your Old Testament use going to see that there were actually more than 14 generations between each of these milestones motherly Matthew knew that you could see that you would have an Old Testament. He's not trying to pull a fast one on you. So if you knew that there were more than 14 generations. Why did he only say there were 14 is because what this is trying to communicate in his own artistic way that the coming of Jesus was a perfect and a perfectly timed fulfillment of the promises of God. 14 is 27477 is a biblical number of completion and so Matthew was trying to say that Jesus is coming was not just perfect. Perfect. Perfect. It was twice perfect.

By the way. 14 is also the numerical value in Hebrew. If you add up the letters of David's name. So we try to show you is that history is like a kaleidoscope that is you're looking through it.

You see that it's all design revealed a king like David a king named Jesus. Matthew was showing you in a very Jewish very artistic way that God is always faithful God is always in control is always working to fulfill his promise and is perfectly designed way and I will ultimately stamp his perfect 14 over all the darkness in the chaos of history 550 years since the exile, it'd been 400 years since the last prophet and spoken think about that with me for just a minute, 550 years is a long time by 550 years is twice the length of the age of the country that we live in, and this entire time, these people had sat in darkness and confusion, wondering where God is wondering if God is forsaken, wondering probably if there was a God in all but Lisa God. What they heard about wondering if you really was good, and if he really was interested in them and committed to Christ.

Matthew says is the answer to that question.

Christ is the answer God's answer to that struggle in darkness is what you and I are supposed to see through that at Christmastime one more you're supposed to see through that genealogy that God sees you. God sees you in your waiting is a lot of you that find yourself in a posture of waiting. During the time of darkness your time of confusion during times of where you feel like you're abandoned or maybe it's a season of longing, longing for something to be set right longing for some yearning to be fulfilled.

Maybe it's a longing for you to have your family put back together, these many years now and you're wondering God when you going to work in my children's lives the way that way that I wanted you to. Maybe it's a longing to have a family of your own, maybe you were just hoping that by this Christmas you were not going to still be single but here you are going into it again you like God when you do not fulfill this desire in my heart.

Maybe you still can't get pregnant the season you're grieving the death of the child. This season finds you engulfed with sorrow over somebody that you lost your heart ache over a family that just recently fallen apart a product of the just will come home.

Maybe a script where Christmas represents another year that physical healing still has not come see you. No matter how much you pray that here were financially things have not worked out. Here's the thing you tried everything you know how to try to get all the advice of all the counselors you prayed you believe you worked hard. Still, things have not happen. So you wait and feels darkness like darkness. If you're on us like the Israelites in Matthew, you're probably wondering got them even on their God. You hear me daughter you really honestly and truly good are these things that you said about you and I learned about. You are the actually true friend and God sees you genealogy try to communicate all those names and their every single name he mentioned to somebody that got us all.

I heard them. I had not forgot about them as a matter of time before I took that darkness and I stamped it with my perfect 14 is God's all these people he remembered them. That gives you the assurances that God sees you thought you been a 550 years of exiles of the 400 years of silence God sees you, God remembers number two. It serves as a God always comes through in our waiting for this genealogy demonstrates God his own perfect way is old perfect zombie always comes through God, you turn your chaos if you weave it into his perfect 14. Recently I've been reading a lot in the in the profits and the song just for my own devotional life is amazing how much of the lives of these great saints of old.

How much their lives were spent in a posture of waiting darkness.

It's amazing when you consider the promises of God gives to those who wait and Lamentations. The prophet Jeremiah. For example, would been rejected by his people and cast into the dungeon forgot about said verse 25 the Lord is good to those who wait for him. Isaiah the prophet says blessed are all those who wait for him.

Chapter 40 not a visible and those that wait for me shall not be put to shame.

God will not disappoint those of you who wait on him, he will not let you be put to shame. He's never let anybody down was ever trusted in him and you will not be the first. Nobody was ever waited on God has ever been let down always comes through sublime indices have us wait. I don't know all the answers to that, but I do know from experience that there are things that you can learn about God in the waiting but you can't learn any other way. That's why Jeremiah after saying the Lord is good to those who wait for him. He says it is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord sets a versa. God is speaking to me in my life lately is good for me to sit quietly in a posture of helplessness before God got try to try to do. I know that if you don't do this is not to get done in a way quietly and patiently for the salvation of God, because depending on the mercy of God is the safest place to be in the universe. Unfulfilled longings teach you to press into the goodness of God.

Unfulfilled longings teach you to probe the depths of the character of God. They force you to wrestle with whether or not you believe God's promises whether or not you actually believe that is good. Whether or not you believe that you can trust and that wrestling I will tell you from personal experience yields a depth of trusting God that will produce a joy and a strength of faith, but you could not have known any other way to friend you feel like you're in darkness. You feel like God is been silent to you for 400 years he's going to come through in his own perfect time in just the right way, he will not disappoint. He has never disappointed. And you're not the first person in history that he lets down you keep waiting.

You keep waiting and hoping in the goodness of God because that's the one thing that you can always trust it enough of this genealogy shows you number three.

It shows us that Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of our waiting. This passage demonstrates the crisis the ultimate answer to their longing to see what what Israel needed most and what Israel thought they needed most were not the same thing. What Israel thought that she needed was a Davidic king a political deliverer who would throw off the yoke of oppression and restore prosperity.

What they really needed was restoration with God. That's why Christ came at you and I may think that what we most need this Christmas is a new relationship, physical health, financial assistance, family reunion, I tell you that what you most need is restoration with your heavenly father we most miss deep in our souls.

This reunion with God. You were created for God, not one. Nothing in your heart can ever take the place nothing can ever satisfy that longing because you were created for fellowship with an infinite Almighty God is love will be the one thing that you can depend on that would satisfy you.

Blaise Pascal, the Christian philosopher famously said of the human heart is a gigantic hole in which been all over life try to figure out what goes in that whole might be saying good looks, money, success, romance to be spent over life and forgot what is a metal but nothing ever works because that always is and that is in the shape of God.

Then he got us in our hearts are restless until we find our rest in you so very sad and unexpected affirmation of this from the comedian Jim Carrey recently to carry sediment interviews that I think everybody should get rich and famous.

Do everything they ever dreamed of doing. Like I have so they can see is not the answer and it will just leave you empty my family what you looking for friend. I know we think it is.

Love is not families, not friends or not. These things are great. The not ultimately what you created for you created for Jesus created for God, your heart always and we wrestle something find rest in him.

You gotta be restored to him telling the Messiah can do that. The unconditional love that your yearning for right is not found in the arms of romance.

The arms you were seeking in romance rectally his arms the meaning the security that you are looking for in a career in financial stability that security is not found. There is found in the promises of your heavenly father is I want to be clear. God is good. We are supposed to wait on his goodness to break into our lives and our families met often will look like physical healing or restored. Families are a fulfilled dream. The first and foremost, Jesus came to restore your relationship with God and that is what most important, because apart from that and the other fixing your life would only be superficial.

That's the message of Christmas.

The reason your darkness is because you're not walking not separator you are separated from God. That's the whole message of the Bible is that God loves you. He wants to restore himself to you that eternal life is knowing God. Eternal life is not something use experience in the afterlife and Summit God was to give you now, the knowledge of his love sometimes tell people who are new to the Bible. I I tell them I can summarize the Bible and for phrases considered bad news.

Worse news is good news and better news, bad news. You and I separated ourselves from God through a thing called sin. Sin, no fashion were not told people what sin means you can figure out this by the middle letter S, I and the big guy the middle means I have put myself at the center of my life the way that the eyes the center of that word. I want to do what I want to do.

I want to be the center of everything I wanted to be my will, instead of God's will consider giving glory to God.

I want to see glory for myself. Annetta separated me from God that his separation is eternal and it leads to a godless not only got his life a godless eternity medicine happen every single one of us are on all, like sheep have gone astray return everyone's your own way right.

That's bad news like that is pretty bad news. What could possibly be worth the manners. Worse news is there is absolutely nothing you can do about that.

Absolutely nothing, no matter of religion can change that to good intentions are good works can repair that relationship with God. Your sin as permanently and eternally separated you from God is the worst furnished good news. Good news is that God because he loves you came and did for you. What you could not do for yourself see the gospel is that God came to what was said around some inserts begin to live a life that we were supposed to live a sinless life and I doubt that we were condemned to die in our place so that he could offer to us as a gift we set some inserts that you can summarize the gospel in four words of Jesus in my place. Jesus did not die for you. Jesus died instead of you suffer the penalty that was supposed to be yours to give you the gift of eternal life.

That's the good news right that is good news. What's the better news. The better news is all you have to do is receive it. It's a gift that's been purchased and paid for a gift is not something you have to work for something you just receive that's what we have now to Christmas when the Angels came. They came with an announcement of good news come with an instruction manual for a list of tips about improve your life to get back to God. They came with an announcement department Herald Angels Sing glory to the newborn King.

Peace on earth and mercy.

Mild God and sinners reconcile not because of what you were doing, but because of what God was doing in Christ held a heaven born Prince of peace. Hell, the sun of righteousness light and life to all he brings prison with healing in his wings. Mild he lays his glory by born that man. No more might die or to raise the sons of earth born to give them second birth. That is the gift that God offers at Christmastime anytime because of the gift he purchased for use because he wanted to have you back your created for God. That's why you're unhappy. That's what you can't seem to find anything.

That's why little success. Would you want but it never quite answers everything that's in your heart is the ultimately the main message of Christmas. That's what I can offer you is you might not be able to wave a magic wand this weave name and give you the romantic relationship you long for.

But I can introduce you to God's love, which is a love. You were created for and that is far better. I may not be able to guarantee you a promotion or a financial windfall but I can connect you to the promises of God says that he will cover you with his wings and provide for your every need. And that promise is better than the windfall that you're looking for.

I may not be able to grant you physical healing, but I can tell you about a God who was broken for you and wounded for your transgressions and bruised for your iniquities, by his stripes, you could be healed so that you can say with Jesus, he that lives and believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live in a God who promises to walk now by your side every step of your pain in the preface presence and promises… Better even than physical healing. Did you feel like you sit in darkness this weekend. I can't promise you immediate resolution what you're waiting on but I can offer you Jesus and he is better I can promise you that if you trust in him, he will renew your strength will make you mount up on wings like needles so that you can run even the pain and even through death and not grow weary and walking nothing question is do you know Jesus you know Jesus is joyful, turning the need for you. It's also a season of longing, longing for something to be set right longing for something to fill our emptiness, we tell you right now Jesus is that person in Christmas is that moments with a message titled, waiting you're listening to Summit life with pastor Jeannie Greer you enjoyed today's message and if you'd like to hear it again or share with them when you had to sell online, free of charge@jeanniegreer.com Jeannie earlier and I asked him to share a special Christmas greeting with Kayla to say to those of you who listen to us every day. Or maybe you're just doubting for the first time maybe you caught us on accident. I know that this Christmas might look a lot different than previous Christmases I think it's been different for all of us.

Maybe there's a financial difficulty or through maybe your sick vineyards not able to love in a time of great darkness. God has sent a great light and so wherever you are, whatever your in whatever darkness and confusion want you to know that this Christmas, there is a message for you and that message is that there is hope found in Jesus called the Prince of peace. That's because he restores peace first between you and God.

And then peace with you and others around you and then peace even with your circumstances. What a privilege to be able to come into your car in your home and just be able to help help you find this, we want to be your tour guides on this journey of discovery.

So thank you for allowing this privilege, we will see Mary Christmas to you and that were praying that on this day glorify the joy that God gives Jesus at Christmas. We know this is a busy time for you and your family. As we celebrate Christmas today. Just wanted to say thank you for setting aside time to join this program is here every day on the radio and online made possible because of friends like you as a way of saying thanks for your gifts today. We'd like to send you a brand-new 2021 Summit life date team is home with their families today still were not answering the phones back. We want you know that you can request a planner when you visit us online. Jeannie Greer.com and Molly Winternitz pastor Jeannie Meyer, Summit life team allow me to wish you a very Merry Christmas