Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery

Today on Senate life with Jeannie Greer. That's why your heart is in the state that attempt.

Your families in the state minutes if that's what you're worried all the time. That's why you can't find peace or happiness because you are not connected to the one in whom we live and move and have our being to be present and him is to be harmonious with all creation and with your creator solid biblical teachings here on my pastor, Jeannie Greer, as always, I'm your host Molly benefits this time of year. Talk about this concept called the incarnation and frankly often seems pretty mysterious and confusing God coming to earth becoming flash. What does that actually mean what they pastor Jenny kicks off a new teaching series titled God with us and he's going to write down what the incarnation means to us and for us.

Let's today begin a weeklong journey to the manger in Bethlehem that will all celebrate together on Christmas Day as the popular Christmas Carol says we want every heart prepare him room.

Please join us each day this week. Our first step is today's message from Pastor JD title company called the wondrous mystery miniseries on the call, God with us in which we can explore the Almighty God coming close to us in what we call Christians will be incarnation in coronation Christmas God becoming flesh incarnate in the flesh for many years. My relationship with God, felt distant wall after becoming a genuine Christian even several years as a pastor I knew a lot of truths about God and I was trying to do the things that God had commanded, but it always seemed to me to be I got was doing it from a distance God was like a busy teacher that given an assignment and stepped out of the room and left the students there to get to get it done on their own so you knew it was coming back, so I was busy learning the lessons. I was busy trying to get the assignments finished but this is impossible to love and to feel close to God, if that's what he is is like you see the great commandment is that we love God with all of her heart, soul and mind, which means that God the essence of of a walk with God means that God is first in your affections. It means that you crave and you love and you desire you feel connected to you depend personally on nothing as much as you do.

God, I wanted that warp of emotion. I wanted that intimacy I wanted it but I just didn't know how to develop what I want to show you in the series is that you'll never love God until he becomes personal to you so you see that what he did in history. He was doing for you and that leads you to a personal intimacy with Jesus, JC Ryle, a British pastor of 150 years ago, said like this, you will never grow as a Christian until you develop less than a personal intimacy with the Lord Jesus, until you deal with him as you would a best friend until you turn to him first in every need. Consult him at every step.

Talk to him about all your difficulties spread before him all your sorrows allow him to share in all your joys do all things as in his sight to go to every day, leaning on him.

She doubts that point at which doctrine turns into a dynamic relationship that's a point at which verses become a voice that is what Christianity becomes sweet and that's when everything else in the Christian life takes off. Here's my question for you as we get into this series. Do you have that kind of intimacy with God, do you relate to God as a man would relate to a friend as a lover would relate to his or her beloved next few weeks. That's what I want to press because at its very core.

That's what Christmas was all about is Chris Greene, one of our campus pastor says it's not about presence it's about the presence that's what's happening at Christmas. To do this were to look into the oldest Christmas carols ever written satellite not seeing either of them today, but they both get this idea God is for me God is with me I am his and he is my the first one is found in Colossians chapter 1, before I get into this. This is a song looking at.

Could you allow me just a minute to fit about Christmas music. I like it.

I really do. I genuinely like Christmas music, but some of the people started playing it about three weeks before Halloween, and by now. When I spirit I want to take a small blunt object and smashed it against my head. Okay, if you listen to the Lila you are dead to me. I say this and it seems to me like everybody feels qualified to produce a Christmas album and I don't know who it is in the world that ought to be able to decide you can do a Christmas album and you can't but I thought we ought to have some say in it. Some of the stuff that you hear is just so absolutely icky sentimental syrupy that it makes me want to vomit for them on break this up five ways to survive the song Christmas use the little boy a bonnet strategy for his mother. Businesses from about hero number one.

Five ways to survive is on Christmas season one.

If it comes on the radio while you are driving in a car. Don't forget to talk your shoulder when you open the door to roll out onto the highway.

What about your car. You say you can always buy a new car but you cannot un-hear that song number two. Do not try to negotiate with it, much like fear the Christmas you song cannot be beat with logical rational thinking, so don't waste time with questions like where is this kid's dad, does he have a dad, why shoes why not a Christmas dress one out a delicious bowl okay so has an eight-year-old ever successfully purchased women's shoes in the history of mankind. Number three. Forget trying to make it an acquired taste song is not like algebra. It doesn't get better once you get used to it. Don't think that listening to it on repeat will solve your problems. Number four.

Keep it off any Christmas playlists. I know what you're thinking.

John, I'll just hide it in the middle of 100 song playlist one of the party will notice it will notice and you will notice it to as people began to leave your party number five stop being friends with people who say it's not a bad song they're wrong. These people have terrible judgment and they probably prefer un-frosted pop tarts as well just stop doing life with him right so that is my Christmas ran on music, but this is your vow to look at is a Christmas song she scholars tell us that what Paul does in verse 15 map with this chapter. In Colossians as he breaks into a song is most likely they say quoting a hymn that was commonly song in the early church like amazing Grace roster seven. Voorhees is making one up. This might be pulled him that he is come out with but either way, the way it's written in Greek, as it is written as song line by line, because in it. Paul gives one the clearest descriptions of who Jesus is, in short, his answer Jesus is God is saying and 1/2 a dozen different ways to do it line by line minis got at the end.

Turn it around and say all this that he did he was doing for you.

It was just something he did he was doing it specifically with you in mind and then he is going to persuade us that in all things, because her best.

Jesus ought to be preeminent in our lives, to give you a few ways that he should be preeminent. Starting in verse 15 muscular line by line. Jesus is God, there's always been explained that verse 50. He is Jesus is the image of the invisible God. With the last word about censorship and what the last two words invisible God is invisible. He is spirit human eye cannot see him. The question is, how can he be known. How can he be perceived by us. Jesus was the image the I cone of God. It was the representation of God.

They say wait a minute JD is man made in the image of God to know, yes, but palming something fundamentally different when he says Jesus is the image of God when he says we are made in the image of God. To say that we are made in the image of God means that there are certain things about us as humans that correspond or resemble God, our personalities are rational way of thinking are relational abilities but Jesus is the exact representation of God.

Hebrews 13 says it this way. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature exact imprint means that all that God was Jesus was if Jesus were not fully God that he would not be the exact representation we are made in the image of God.

Jesus was the image of God. Jesus is the image of God is the full representation of God is the word of God. Everything that God was Jesus was goes on is the firstborn over all creation firstborn in Hebrew culture to be one of two things give me literally firstborn or it could also be a position where you are the one who is going to receive the inheritance. For example, Abraham's firstborn him. I know it is firstborn Isaac was Isaac. The first one that Abraham bore no Ishmael once but Isaac got the promises so technically Ishmael's firstborn, but Isaac is called the firstborn because he's the one is given the covenant and the promises and all the narratives, Jacob and Esau, who was older Jacob result.

Esau was for Jacob was the firstborn because he got the position.

In this case clearly firstborn refers not to Jesus being the first I got created but happy means the position that God gave to him. So if you look at all the verse continues for 16 for by him by Jesus. All things were created in heaven and on earth. Okay, so is the EEC.

The delimiter Jesus was a person created and all things were created by Jesus.

All things would include Jesus with me to Jesus what had recreate himself, which is impossible right so he couldn't have done that. He was the creator he created all things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things were created through him and for him. Jesus is in the position of firstborn of all creation was made by him and for him, which means listen that in the creation what you are looking at, or what you are are smelling if you will, is the perfume of the creator, you're getting a sense of the artistry of the artist in every great artist there is a piece of the soul of the artist in the art that he or she produces and you can get to know the heart of the artist by looking at the art. That's the way creation works.

We look at it and it teaches us things about the glory about the E terminology about the pleasure ability of God. Everything that you love about nature everything you love about creation everything you love about life is put there by God as a way of communicating to you about his nature. When you think about your greatest joy is your greatest hope all that you love. It's just it's just a taste of what is in the heart of God, in whose presence.

Psalm 1611 says is our pleasures for evermore. These things are like scattered beams. God is the son that they'll come from thought just drops that we get, God is himself the ocean get fixated on the creation what so many people do you miss the greater gift, which is the guy behind the ring. The guy who says it was my love to put that ring there for you. Don't take the ring and forget me just incessant people do is they take the creation of forget the creator CS Lewis probably said it even better is he almost always does.

CS Lewis of the created things, in which we thought the beauty was located, will betray us if we cling to them.

The beauty was never in them. The beauty only came through them, what came through them was longing these things. The beauty cherished memories from our childhood. These are good images of what we really desire but if they are mistaken for the thing itself.

They turn into dumb idols breaking the hearts of their worshipers, for they are not the thing itself. They are only the scent of a flower. We have never yet found on earth.

They are the echo of it soon that we have never really heard news from a country that we've never yet visited Lewis and how is it that we are homesick for a place we've never actually been to. That's because of the good gifts that God put in our heart and in our world. Many of you will experience that Christmas is watch sweet time family. It's joy that is something that's just longing is something the creator put there because he's the firstborn of all creation. All things were made by him and for him or 17. He is before all things and in him all things hold together in him all things hold together at the center of the universe at the center of our creation is a God who is so core to answer central that all things hold together in him.

Paul would say this in him we live and we move and we have our being what your Christian or not that's true you. They say that that science is still not really figured out fully how an atom holds together. I take the oxygen atom. For example, there are eight protons at the heart of the oxygen atom. Protons will positively charged things that are similar charged no propel from each other. Some magnets work.

There is also some neutrons in there and then the negatively charged things called electrons in their whirling around the outside and scientists cannot figure out at least fully why it is of the protons to stud fly part. I hope you have all digital particles in their losing charge not just fly partially know there's some kind of power in there and up until the 1970s.

He had no idea what it was but they figured out the 1920s that if you tap into that power you split it would produce a bagel nuclear power, right, which is so complex that only Albert Einstein some top physicist and myself understand it was something that will lose this power. Those like him unlike anything else we would see on earth in 1970s, I figured out that they give some names to it is like gravity. They know exist.

I don't know why it works so they call me names like quarks and gluons all kinds of stuff in it. But the bottom line it's a mystery it's a mystery.

What holds this Adam together. Now I'm not trying to say here, I'm not trying to say that it's the hand of God holding it together. You given enough time and more scientific knowledge increases like just about everything in creation. Figure out there's a natural reason why that what why that's happening what I'm trying to say is just like at the center of the atom, there is this invisible power that is holding together, Paul is saying that the center of our being is a God who is holding it together in a God that we listen you are in right relationship to him. Hold your life together. But just like when atom is split. It creates chaos and destruction.

When your life is out of fellowship with the Almighty God. Your life begins to disintegrate like a planet that's out of orbit. That's why your heart is in the state that it's in your families in the state that it's in. That's what you're worried all the time. That's why you can't find peace or happiness because you are not connected to the one in whom we live and move and have our being to be present in him is to be harmonious with all creation and with your creator is the firstborn it's all by it's all foreign. It's all about them. He was there the beginning. He writes the story in the middle is going to be there at the end of verse 18 and he is the head of the body, the church is the beginning of firstborn from the dead to ideas Paul gives you hear the first one. He's the firstborn from the dead in Jesus we get a glimpse of what we and all of creation are going to be like in the future, even Jesus, when he was here on earth, they said that he was not physically impressive. He was very average but when he was resurrected from the dead. He was glorious and he was beautiful and he could fly and he can walk through walls and I gives you a picture of what God is making you in the new creation and what God is making all of the new creation is also the head of the body, which means that he is the source of this new life so that the closer we get to him. The more that his life is going to flow into us always is, is showing you that if you want this resurrection life this firstborn from the dead life and you he's the head of the church you want to have it in you to be connected to the head so that the closer you are to him, the more you'll see the effects of him in your life. The analogy I've use, review, over the years on this is spiritual fruit is like physical fruit, physical fruit like a man and a woman who were married physical fruit is as a child. When a man and woman come together to make physical fruit, a child think about the mystery of it or not thinking about the mechanics of making a child the reason I think about child all they get caught in a moment of loving intimacy with one another all my attention is on you and the fruit of that as a child when the same way spiritual fruit. Whether that's having a good marriage, whether that's peace in your career or peace with your family that is not the result of you figuring out the techniques to have peace and those things spiritual fruit is a result of you getting swept up in a moment of loving intimacy with Jesus the and the fruit of that is these things. He's the head of the body you want horizontal peace in your relationships.

You gotta have vertical connection to the that is the head of the church that in everything Paul says he might be pre-imminent that your application really come back to that here in a minute. Most people verse 19 for in him all the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell, fullness is the workload Roma plural man what it means is that God is not a pie… A pie that's divided and the father son and Holy Spirit Mrs. Glisson.

This will blow your mind. If you think about it long and three seconds. In Jesus the fullness of the Godhead was in the father the fullness of the Godhead walk in the spirit fullness of God and what that means in the father is the spirit. The sun and the sun is the father in the spirit and the spirit is the father and the son you think about that, but there's both are separate from the how that works.

When God existed eternally every person, each of them has the fullness of the Godhead it all I know is that Paul is trying to say that if I meet Christ in the fullness of God dwells in me and that amazes call it should amaze you. Verse 20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross has any other government agency ever done that way takes the trader. It takes the rabble and in addition to trying to bring them back. It actually pays their debt that here is the King of the universe taking the rebellious trader race taking upon himself the affliction for their sin and dying for it and he did it himself. Jesus was God. God was the one that was doing that.

Why listen as you get Mrs. so that he would be in all things.

Preeminence he would be the Savior, so that our sections would go to him. Cannot tell you why I'm not a Mormon or Jehovah's Witness moors and those witnesses are different, but they have one belief that is very similar.

They hold in common. Mormons believe here's what common belief they believe in Jesus and God are separate.

Mormons believe that Jesus is like a new garbage going up to be careful God is different God the father Joe's witnesses believe that God the father created like a demigod.

God AA God or something that he is no Jesus, Lester got the point with both of these when I talk a bit in my house, acknowledging them as you probably have to as I asked them at the end of the day. Why would God create somebody else to die for my sense because here's what can happen.

I know that I'm source to love God supremely. I'm going to end up loving the one that saved my soul.

And that's going to put him in competition to the God of the universe and the true God would never let that happen because the true God wants to be chief and our sections true God wants to be the highest in our worship. Isaiah 43 1011 I am Jehovah that is my name on besides me there is no savior. Isaiah 42 a my glory. I will not give to another. Nobody else will say, but God in somebody God created somebody else to say. That means my sections are to go toward for that person. That's what I just said that. That's at the end of the day that's what I say. There was, I can't love or worship anybody except the one true God you follow that to feel that the greatest credible Joker played ever judge you that it doesn't have much redemptive value, but I'll tell you anyway.

A few years ago about six years ago I was on Salt Lake City not to the Mormon Temple, R. There.

So at the end effect is good conversion. I mean it's like they gotcha babysit you down.

You have a counselor there.

When asked, do you know anything about this.

Would you like become a Mormon and summarily denied.

I with this person and I got my will Cardoso to fill out as hell comes, you know what I think I might want to do this. I think I might want to become a Mormon, but not today. I was like if I thought my information here when you come visit me Jody that you'll do that kind of like you we we do that is a great I love you come to my house and us and meet right on my name I will do my best friend's name Bruce Ashford and down his address and his phone number. His email and then he notices the good part under the comments section. Here's what I wrote. I said I know I like to I would like to become a Mormon.

However, when I get back to North Carolina.

I know that I'm going to get under the influence of my friends and my family taught me out of this.

I'll probably lose courage but right now I'm seeing clearly so please don't give up. Please keep, please send people out persuade me spoke on. I actually asked Bruce about it this week.

You also make sure I have book that's right, he said that for three months. After that, he said, probably four times a week is empty will come to his house. That story has no redemptive value at all, but I just thought maybe it's confession I don't know that's what you want to know later whatever dinner or whatever meal you talk about the sermon's story. Remember to bring your mind on this God would not let anybody else stand as a substitute for my sins because he wanted to be preeminent not the mystery of the incarnation and leave you in on the firstborn of all creation was born in the flesh to die for you and that good news should bring us the greatest joy this Christmas with a message titled come behold the wondrous mystery you're listening to Pastor Jenny Greer unscented light you can access sermon transcripts, audio, and other resources free of charge@jeanniegreer.com as we approach the end of the year in your gift is needed now more than ever we know God will provide. And we would love for you to be a part of the team.

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