Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery, Part 2

Today on Senate Eugene Greer is getting to the heart of the Christmas story this Christmas. I want the mystery of the incarnation overwhelming to just overwhelm you to see it with those eyes to feel and know what he was doing was doing for you as the son of God, he could feed 5000 but as the Son of Man, he became hungry so he could say to you, into me on the bread of life ever comes to me will never hunger like Pastor Judy. I'm your host :-) but events were so glad you're back with us today as we journey towards Christmas day this week. Okay so have you ever would've those moments when you're singing along with the song and you know every word, every guitar rest departed a million times, but all of a sudden something clicks and you realize what the song is actually about a similar thing can happen with familiar Bible stories like the Christmas narrative we heard it we celebrated for years but then something just feels new today. Pastor Jenny is urging us to look at the Christmas story with fresh eyes so we can discover the true wonder of God becoming man he's teaching from the first century song is in Colossians chapter 1 verses 15 to 20 look at is a Christmas song she scholars tell us what Paul does in verse 15 that we do this chapter in Colossians is he breaks into a song, line by line, because in it. Paul gives one the clearest descriptions of who Jesus is, in short, his answer Jesus is God's Messiah and 1/2 a dozen different ways line by line minis got at the end. Turn it around and say all this that he did he was doing for you and then he is going to persuade us that in all things Jesus ought to be preeminent in our lives, to give you a few ways that should be preeminent.

Starting in verse 50. He is Jesus is the image of the invisible God invisible God is invisible. His spirit human eye cannot see him.

So the question is, how can he be known. How can he be perceived by us. Jesus was the image the cyclone of God. It was the representation of God and 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 he goes on is the firstborn over all creation firstborn in Hebrew culture to be one of two things give me little firstborn or could also be a position where you are the one who is going to receive the inheritance. What in this case clearly firstborn refers not to Jesus being the first I got created but hat 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. 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 getting a sense of the artistry of the artist for 17 years before all things and 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 and 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, to be present in him is to be harmonious with all creation and with your creator is the firstborn it's all by itself for him.

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. Verse 18 and he is the head of the body, the church is the beginning, the 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 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 and 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 believe it 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. Verse 19 for in him all the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell, fullness is the workload Roma poem and 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 of the father and the son you think about that, but there's but they're separate from how that works. When God existed eternally every person, each of them has the fullness of the Godhead in all I know is that Paul is trying to say that if I am in Christ in the fullness of God dwells in me and that amazes called 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 as any other government agency ever done that way takes the trader. It takes the rebel 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, preeminent God would not let anybody else stand as a substitute for my sins because he wanted to be preeminent not that creative thing is a verse that the Greer family is learning.

Psalm 130 verse four is a verse that my whole family is learning. There is forgiveness with you that you might be feared their forgiveness with you that you might be feared. Question according to verse why did God forgive you.

You might be tempted to say because he loves me because he wanted me to be with him for eternity and those are good answers that elsewhere in Scripture. But according the bratwurst class. My kids why is there forgiveness why God forgive you, that God might be properly feared.

Don't let the work for your trip you up. Because fear is not like you terrified so much as think of it, how you relate to the sun. If you get out of right relationship with us on did you forget to close you to burn up real in a freeze. But if you're in right relationship with us on its life and peace.

God forgave us so that for all of eternity.

We would know we would be scared to death to be out of fellowship with him, because we know that in him is eternal life and to know him is to know eternal life that King David's way of saying in all things he might be preeminent. Now watch how Paul makes a personal and you you were once alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds you he is now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.

Paul says this is mine, all the city did he do for me. He did it for you and that makes him burst into praise make some right songs. She does what I want for you.

I want you to sit and start all of who Jesus is and not just two years in a doctrinal sense really is a relational sense because you see that what he was doing he was doing for you, let all your life flow is a response to that your spiritual life will never take off until doctrine becomes dynamic relationship versus become voices that God is speaking to your heart and when it does, I pray that he will become preeminent in at least four areas with us for a reason your life, you may want to jot these down number one.

May Christ be preeminent in our worship. Paul cannot talk about these things without breaking into a hymn of praise worship for him was not something he worked out there once a week came and sang some songs.

One home what he did in fact on the weekend when he worship God's people was an overflow of just the saturated nature of his heart that he's just so overwhelmed at what God had done for him. The incarnation of the cross that he can't help but just at any point you you tap into him. He's going to burst with praise seat this Christmas. I want the mystery of the incarnation, overwhelmed to just overwhelm you to see it with those eyes to file the what he was doing he was doing for you as the son of God, he could feed 5000 but as the Son of Man, he became hungry so he could say to you, into me on the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me will never hunger is a son of God.

He turned water into wine as the Son of Man, he was thirsty so that he could say to me you never thirst, let him come to me and drink the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up into eternal life as the son of God. He spoke the world into existence as the Son of Man, he grew weary so that he could say to you and to me coming to me all you who are our labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest has the son of God dwelt in the palaces of glory is the Son of Man.

He was born into a stable growth in poverty with no place to lay his head so that he could promise me and you and inheritance that can never be taken away.

He took the stable so that he could promise me a place with many mansions, has a son of God. He was adored by angels and the perfections of holiness is the Son of Man.

He was condemned by Pilate and the filthiness of the Roman court.

He was scourged by whips and scorned by man because God was making him who knew no sin to become sin for me that I could become the righteousness of God in him and Paul sees that in the incarnation and policies that though Jesus listen to what we can incarnation which he did bolus his eyes. In this passage.

When Jesus is coming again. He says he is not coming again as well as one who is weak at his first coming.

Jesus was born in a stable at his second will come riding on the clouds all looks awkward and he said he's coming again, and every eyes go to see him this time and are all good to fall immediately on their faces and worship, but I Paul says have no reason to fear.

I've no reason to fear because that is first coming. He came to bear my judgment stayed in my place so that at his second coming. There will be no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus. Nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ. How does that not make you burst in the worship. One of our pastors were songwriters here met Poppa wrote it this way: behold wondrous mystery in the dawning of the King even theme of heavens praises robed and frail humanity and our longing in our darkness. Now the light of life is calm look to Christ who condescended took on flesh to ransom us.

What a foretaste of deliverance how unwavering our hope Christ empower resurrected as we will be when he comes.

Paul said you you once alienated, I was once alienated.

He's reconciled me in his body of flesh through death, that I would be holy and blameless and above reproach before him all this was for me. The joy of the Christian life is found in worship. Now me and she does get into the songs we sing here backups one very minor parts of worship.

I mean the worship that consumes you so that you are overwhelm continually with the majesty and the glory of what God has done everything else in life pales in comparison to the treasure that you have in Jesus joy. Christianity is not found in successfully completing the assignments, the joy Christianity is not found, how much you know how much you learn joy.

Christianity is not get the Goldstar your church for being our best volunteer the joy Christianity is found when you overflow with worship for your eyes cannot help but fill with tears and we talk about the glory of what God did when he came after you who were his enemy to rescue him, and he put the fullness of himself into you. Number two.

May Christ be preeminent in our affections. When the Almighty God comes into the life of a human being. There is a life quake because there is something so massive and so glorious about God listen that everything else in your life becomes fundamentally different because of the treasure and the power of what you now having God, which is why when I'm talking to a college student. Cultures not going to say this but I heard it certainly offered him one of them will say something like this.

What I'm thinking that you thought about become a Christian, but you don't give up having sex before you get married.

There is something about that statement that is so absurd to me that I almost don't want to answer it but basically let me give you what I say I was like okay since you got a rare disease you had a rare disease and death is certain you will die within a week. There is a cure for this disease. One condition is you. You cannot eat chocolate.

What person is going to look back about say that's terrible.

This is all I do hate this note in light of the fact that it's saving your life chocolate seems like a trifling thing for you to give up when you say when you think about the infinite God coming into your life and his joy for eternity been shed abroad in your soul and your complaining about some dumb little thing like you can have sex before you get married. As if that were a condition on which you would know the God of the universe that just shows me you don't understand at all. The value of God because when you understand his value.

There is nothing on earth that you would want to hold onto it. It would keep you from him in light of him. Everything changes believer when he is in your life and so massive that in light of his presence in your life. Everything in your life changes, even things like your pain. Pain hurts it's it's it's never just not painful. But when you have the treasure of God in your life. It ceases to be devastating you that the of the analogy of use with you is this. It's like a defendant you inherited $100 million in your car broke down in her like you get mad about your corporate and I know who cares about fleet of cars by car company you know if you understand the value of God, yes.

When things happen in life there painful sometimes you weep through them, but they're not devastating not devastating because of the treasure you possess in God the way of 22 how much you believe the gospel is measured by your ability to be joyful in all things, how much you actually believe the gospel is measured by your ability to be joyful in all things. It pain devastate you as a mean that you're paying him try to be callous toward and say that hurt but I'm just saying that there is a treasure that makes everything on earth seem a little bit trifling in light of the glory that he is given to us. Number three. May Christ be preeminent in our objectives got call on Thursday from a pastor friend Matt Carter who preach of the summer. One of their staff member said went overseas to live as I servant of Jesus Christ in a place in the Middle East is very hard to reach, shot and killed on Thursday shot cold blood killed because of what he was doing metal. Mrs. is been very difficult for the church as you would imagine. He said that the one thing we know, he told us this many times before he left, was that he realized that the story that God was telling on earth was much bigger than his story, and if his role right because it was Ronnie of Ronnie's role in this story was living or dying. It did not matter to him because he knew that in 100 years. What would matter is what King Jesus was doing on earth and he was honored to be a part of that story that Christ was supreme preeminent in his objectives. Whether living or dying in all things.

I'm just here to give glory to God what I want for you is for you to receive your life and see everything in it. The pain the blessing to see everything of it through that lens of what Christ was preeminent in the subjective. In the analogy of use with the swing. Over the years as is this is like a movie and a movie. There's major characters and minor characters right.

It is your life, or a movie with a major character be for most of us it would be us God when you are come to him offers you a chance to become a part of his movie where your minor character, not what happens. The minor characters.

This is kind of the bad news. Maybe what I was of the minor characters is not without significant desertion could happen if your stories about you. Then at the end of your life and his credits roll.

That's the end you have a dozen people in your family will clap and you say what an awesome person.

They were little. But the lies about you and me and then I'll be at my stories and wrapped up in Jesus. He goes on through the ages, and it never ends in the credits never roll because it's historian so I will gladly become a minor character in his. I want him to be preeminent your objectives and your pain. I want you to say the point. My pain is not getting better necessarily board in my pain is giving glory to God and I can do that. Maybe by getting better I can do about suffering well if you're blessed if you're in prosperity how much you look to the lens of that prosperity and say maybe God gave this for my story before his here little thing the Greer family doesn't at Christmas is one of our traditions. We said of the largest Christmas gift ought to be given to Jesus to be a tradition, much as on the Bible, but for us it just helps us remind ourselves that Christmas we should not be preeminent of all types.

So we say let's make sure we all give money. Let's make sure that the largest monetary gift given a Christmas is given to the one who it is about.

I want you to see your life that way all things you preeminent number four very quickly.

May Christ be preeminent in our church. Maybe he be preeminent in our church made a focus never be on us always on him guttural quick. How does this happen.

How does this happen I thought about that this week. How could Christ be preeminent archers. I hope it's reflected the way that I preach because my desire when I preach that I don't always do a good job of this poem on the desired point you to me it's a point you to Jesus.

I don't stay up here make you think I'm something that I'm actually not where you want got here say I want to be like JD you want to be like JD asked Veronica right and what you compare yourself to me because you will do anything try and imitate me because a the person run imitate all that exists.

Being the point is not whether you're a bigger or lesser center. The meet the point is, there's a Savior, who is rescued me and is working in me is putting a broken person back together and put you back together tried much rather you be thinking about him and about me. So as often as I talk about successes in my life. I want to tell you about failures because I want to point you to the one who is the rescuer. Not someone who is a model we think about this summer church and how we plan we want him to be preeminent you. By the way, that's what we try to plan semi churches urologist planting churches does not help our bottom line are we aware that the researcher don't get back to us. See, we know that it's not about the name the summit. It's about God's kingdom. That's why we watch other churches to succeed in our area is when will the summa churches name is not what you say Raleigh-Durham is Jesus's name, and God is my witness list and if God wants to do that by prospering another church.

If you want to grow another church at the expense of ours.

Let it come. Who cares if somebody else increases and we decrease and let God be praised because of his name, not ours.

There's not salvation, found the summit's name is found in Jesus name. God help us aware of with a focus on us and not on him. John Wesley will close with this John Wesley, when preachers with great awakening founder, the Methodist movement. Three.

400 years ago, John Wesley was a missionary and theologian did not a Christian.

It thought he was a Christian, but he's very possible to be very religious, did a lot of things to do a lot of things for God, but to never really met God personally. Wesley describes his conversion like this. He said my friend was trying to get me to go to a church service with them Tuesday night. I didn't want to go over the domino three thrives on boys and I went and I ordered on that side and want to go into tonight, but he persuaded me when I got there the preacher that night was not preach a sermon he was reading Martin Luther's preface to his commentary in the book of Romans now for the best and wonder of a sermon right reading a commentary written like 500 years ago was and what Wesley says yet about 8:45 PM while Luther was describing the change which God works in the heart to faith in Christ. I felt my heart strangely warm. I knew that I trusted Christ and Christ alone for my salvation. He had come for me and an assurance was given me that he take away my sins, even my and save me for the law of sin and death. My sin for me that conversion for the verse becomes voice for Dr. becomes a dynamic relationship what God did in history.

Did you have you heard the voice comes powerful things are following Jesus truth you experience if not you'd like to help you begin the journey today. Send us a note to reclaim JD Greer.com or call 866-335-5220 you're listening to Senate life. The Bible teaching ministry of JD Greer as we encourage you out this year to just ask.

We ourselves have been reminded of the great privilege we have to pray for each one of you are partners in this ministry. Yes, you know, we celebrated miracles with you walked alongside you hardship. What a privilege what it what what what what an honor for us. That is a week and we witnessed you shining the light of Jesus would boldly pray for each and every prayer request.

We received your Summit life there H staff and volunteers who prayed over everyone your request every week. We spent a total of of more than 480 hours right around 500 hours in prayer over the course of the year for the things that that you assess it. You allowed us to enter into prayer if you want were so excited for another year of partnering with you and praying alongside you. I want to ask that you consider becoming one of our first 500 gospel partners in the new year euros or ministry grows so does the need for more gospel partners to help sustain the work and equip us to reach even more people will take the gospel to new places that increases to you know let me remind you that we've also got an audacious goal every year of giving away 10%. At least 10% of our revenue to church plants around the world. That's just not something we can do without you gospel partners, we would be like to give you special content.

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Notice Bible verses that remind you of the truth that your learning on the program. JD often talks about having wisdom and how we manage the resources including the recent this planner will help you do that during the coming year. Ask for a copy of the Senate life 2022 cleaner when you make important peer intonation or when you commit to become one of our first 500 monthly gospel partners today think I 26, 652 24 feet easier.

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Tomorrow we continuing our series called godly thank talking about what my Greer minister