The Song of the Emperor's Son

Creation story demands the Christmas story. Why because there is evil of thought, like Narnia, this new world is barely 7 hours old and evil is being planned and mankind will fall and need to be rescued while you discover in the word that even before the song began the Jesus Christ, the son of God had already chosen along with the spirit of the father to die to redeem mankind before anything was created. One is found in his depiction of the creation of the world in that story. Aslan, the character who represents Jesus sings a song at the sound of his voice, all the world is made. Does that sound familiar today on wisdom for the hard we begin a series you're going to enjoy Stephen Davey used the Chronicles of Narnia as the basis of a Christmas series called the Chronicles of Christmas.

This message is called the song of the Emperor's son on November 29, 1898 Irish baby boy was born and his parents named him Clive Staples Snow under his friends called him Jack or with his initials CS. He grew up with his brother Warren in her large home with lots of interesting places to play hide their home in Belfast Ireland was a happy one. Jack's parents love to read and they pass that love onto their two sons, Jack would later write. There were books in the study books in the dining room books in the cloakroom books in the bedroom books piled as high as my shoulders in the attic books of all kind.

Their lives were suddenly uprooted when Mrs. Lewis died of cancer when CS was only nine years old. After that it was off to boarding school for the boys their first school was so poorly run in the student so badly mistreated. The courts actually closed it down.

When CS Lewis was 17 years old and embittered by his mother's death. Still, he wrote to a friend. I believe in no religion.

There is absolutely no proof or any of them and from a philosophical standpoint, Christianity is not even the best. Eventually he became a student at Oxford, believing that the gospel was just a myth for weak minded people yet years later is a 32-year-old professor at Oxford. CS Lewis had become a Christian what it happened.

Well, for one thing I learned, he made friends with others professors and scholars who challenged his skepticism.

Other professors who like one of his friends wove Christian truth into his fictional fantasies, one of which he named Lord of the rings, but CS Lewis would later write that the major influence in his life concerning the gospel was 1/19 century pastor named George McDonald, George McDonald was also a storyteller's stories wove together mythical creatures and spiritual truth talking animals and knights and kings and queens, which delivered the truth of the gospel may seem ironic to such a brilliant mind the CS Lewis's and others who were his friends, but the truth of the gospel opened the heels of a story. Lewis would later write to the same friendly road to is a 17-year-old boy and he wrote these words. Christianity is God expressing himself through real things, namely the actual incarnation the actual crucifixion and the actual resurrection truth that, not surprisingly, CS Lewis would one day pick up his pen begin to write his own stories of mythical places in talking animals and fierce battles between kings and queens in a land called Narnia stories interwoven with biblical truths and spiritual thing. He wrote seven of them and all I had determined I would read all of them this past week in preparation for today I read for not finished yet, but since the 1950s more than 100 million copies have been sold.

Not to mention his classic work. Mere Christianity which he approaches somewhat philosophically.

The arguments against Christianity and that because one untold thousands to faith in Jesus Christ of his seven fictional story is the most well-known no doubt is entitle the lion the witch and the wardrobe were four children enter into another world through an old wardrobe in their country home with her going to stay if you're like me you haven't seen the movie but you read the book. I don't know what's come across the screen in the movie version but there should be no doubt what CS Lewis pad is an intention and motive for that story. This is what he wrote in 1961 the whole story of Narnia is the story of Christ. I asked myself, supposing that there really was a world like Narnia. And supposing it had like our world gone wrong. Supposing Christ wanted to go into that world and save it. What might've happened. While these stories are my answers. Since Narnia is a world of talking beasts. I thought he would become a talking beast there as he became a man in our world. I pictured him becoming a lion there because the lion is the king of beasts and because Jesus Christ is called, the lion of Judah and the Bible just a few months before his death, he stated the biblical theme for each of his stories and they covered everything from the incarnation to antichrist. I'm not going to preach the Chronicles of Narnia as much is I like them. They are not inspired but I am going to use them as a launching point will go to the word here it's clear language for us today so I wanted to just settle back for little CS Lewis story and then you're ready to open your Bibles don't complain. The alternative is Romans 13. Next verse. Consider this my Christmas gift to you. You could turn ahead to Colossians 1 John one. In Genesis 1 and we have just a few brief moments look at them. The magician's nephew is one of the stories.

In fact, of the ones I've read. I like this with the most. It was written later than other stories.

Yet it was intended by Lewis to be read first. This was the genesis of this account. This would tell the beginning of Narnia the creation of that world. The story opens with two children. Pauly, who lived next door to one another and one day they were exploring attic passageways and they unexpectedly entered the room of degrees, mean-spirited uncle Andrew. Most people thought was a bit crazy evidently. Uncle Andrew had dabbled in magic and had fashioned special rings that could transport people to worlds beyond. He hadn't tried the rings on people, but he had sent some of the household pets into oblivion, disappearing into outer space.

There were two rings, one to travel outward and another ring to travel homeward although he wasn't quite sure they really worked since. Although Andrew was afraid to try to journey on his own. When the children stumbled into his room quickly locked the door and trick them into using the rings and they ended up leaving earth and traveling to a distant country where there lived an evil queen. I tried to escape her by traveling back to earth, but she clutched at degree as they made their journey and ended up traveling back with them whereupon the evil queen began to wreak havoc in their London neighborhood forcing everyone in the restaurant about writing on top of the cabbie as if it were a cherry in an effort to get the wicked queen away from Earth.

The children use the rings again and this time along with that cabdriver and uncle Andrew and a few others that were touching them. At that moment, they traveled to yet another world, and this time they ended up in a world of pleat dark, totally black nothingness as they were about to use the rings to escape back to London. They suddenly were hushed by sound. It was distant at first but it grew stronger and stronger. It was music. There was a voice singing soon. Other voices joined his and then as if on cue, the black sky it with the alien stars, a saying in harmony with this voice, and then colors emerged from the horizon, followed by more melodic instruction where the sun began to rise in the course continued in hills and valleys respond in rocks and rivers all bursting in the life and then it was then that the children saw him he was a large shaggy lion and from his mouth. The song was coming. Does he continue to sing trees, frogs, panthers, mice, grass and birds in all forms of living creatures blossomed into being and then to the thrill of the children.

They heard the lion speak and he said Narnia awake and came to pass as one is introduced as the son of the Emperor who dwells beyond the sea and would be the song of the emperors son that would bring the life Narnia, but wouldn't you know it.

I mean, wouldn't you know it.

Evil is afoot in Narnia see that evil queen was transported from another world has slipped away. She doesn't like the music of the lion. She hates it. In fact, she is already planning her mischief so Azlan says to Gregory and Polly. You see, before this new clean world. I gave you is even seven hours old, a force of evil has already entered.

Now it is difficult for us as believers to understand the imagery of that story and you have to read the rest of the find out what happens at the very outset were introduced to the emperors son, the creator and creation of the world, the universe and the entrance of an evil one filled with hatred for the lion what CS Lewis envisioned as the creation song we understand as the creation story, the apostle Paul makes it very clear in Colossians chapter 1 where he begins with verse 15 by declaring and he that is Jesus Christ. And he is by the way is indeed the emperors son. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation that has a reference to sovereignty and priority not being personally created for by him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created by him and for him and he is before all things and in him all things hold together. You can easily take your pencil and you can circle the word all over and over and over again all it is the Greek word pond. It refers to all things individually, specifically a separately.

It's a word that is actually a reference to the infinite detail of everything in creation, big things were individually created by him.

For one example of the star Antares which is only one of billions of stars within our galaxy, but just this one star is 64 million times larger than our son revolving with the rest of its galaxy at about 200 miles an hour. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is named everyone of the trillions upon trillions of stars throughout this galaxy, and a billion others, and he knows them all by name.

The writer, Isaiah said, lift up your eyes on high. See who has created these stars, the one who leads forth their host by number and he calls them all by name. David will saying he counts the number of the stars and he gives names to all of them. He has, individually, specifically, separately, as it were, though it took him but a moment created the magnitude of our universe and small things were created by Jesus Christ as well.

One drop of water.

We know can contain 500 million microscopic creatures so small that a teaspoon of water is to them like the Atlantic is to us fact, if you took the millions of molecules within one little grain of water and exchanged each molecule for a grain of sand you would have enough sand to build a highway from the East Coast to the West Coast a foot and 1/2 thick and the half a mile wide.

He has created everything from them massive to the minute having to do it. Don't ask me. I have no idea when I told how were simply introduced to who, without explanation, without much description Moses delivered the truth and you know it by heart said with me in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Moses evidently didn't follow the theory of origin was popular in his Egyptian high school.

They believe that a primeval ocean somehow produced in a and from that, a was born the son God the son God would have some children and they would battle one another for power and control and out of their battling the universe would be created. The Babylonians had their own creation story if you want to believe there is the story of plotting and counter plotting among selfish and jealous gods to bring the universe into being the play with it as toys.

The Greeks, they would believe that Atlas that giant held the the universe upon his shoulders and his bent head.

The Hindus believe the world rests instead on the backs of three elephants who are balanced in turn on the back of a giant tortoise which swims around in the cosmic sea could be an American. Since the 1800s who postulated at least 80 theories of origins that we have come from seaweed are descended from apes. One theory that is growing more believable by many over time is what one author seriously contended that we evolved from material left on this planet by some prehistoric intelligence left behind after visiting us billions of years ago. No wonder there would be such despair, frustration you believe the account you believe by faith. I believe this account by faith that God through his son Christ specifically and individually and separately by the power of his word created all there is. Without it you will be like Xenophanes, the Greek philosopher who denied the record of Scripture and said, quote guesswork rains overall, John's Gospel if you want to turn their delivers the answer that there's no need or reason to guess here is the account of the inspired record in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God all things came into being by him that word all again is pot all things came into being by him, and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being in him was life and the life was the light of men and the lights shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overwhelm darkness, but now by the word of his mouth by the song of the emperors son is light and life. If you go over to Genesis chapter 1 the crescendo of that song reached its highest peak with the triune God said in verse 26 let us wonderful word to circle.

Let us a reference to our triune God make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. In other words, let's create a king and queen to rule earth and fellowship with us. Let's create them however differently than any other creature. We have created thus far in verse 27, were told that God says, let us make them male and female in our image, the word image is the word Salem.

It comes from a root word that refers to carving God says let's carve man.

Let's carve him. What does that mean it's carve mankind first of all, it would mean that humans are not the result of some random mutation in the genetic code. Humans are not creatures, brought about by a deviation or an evolution of some higher primates DNA.

The truth is, those who disregard the record of Scripture with look around and become confused. Certainly we have biological features that are common to other animal creatures. We share the same environment would be reasonable for God to create us in a way that many of the same biological and physiological characteristics would be in common with animals are internal organs work in similar ways our skeletal structure has similarities or DNA shares similar construction. Frankly, humans looks similar in many ways to primates. None of you in here, of course, but I'm thinking of others. So how do you know that humans are special or unique in the created order. Are we as our world house is just another animal we just happen to walk up rightly what we know because of the record of Scripture that we are made in the image of God, which means that it has nothing to do with how we lock or how our organs operate or how our DNA is constructed or what kind of expressions we can have on our faces. In fact, being carved in the image of God cannot refer to anything biological because God is spirit, spirit, Luke 24 doesn't have flash and bones being made in the image of God is something way beyond physical construction that part of us, then, that scientists will never discover in our DNA isn't programmed in our chromosomes.

It's spiritual. It sets us apart from all the other created beings. We have been given a spirit it was breathed and the man passed down to mankind.

This life we have been given unique spiritual attributes that animals do not have got is carved into us. Self-awareness of moral consciousness, the consciousness of others. A consciousness of God, so that even though the unbeliever will say does not believe in God, the law of God is written on his heart and he knows it. We are capable than of fellowship with God. We alone among the creatures of earth communed with him. We can set goals, we can feel the guilt of sin. We can communicate ideas we can pursue holiness, truth and goodness, we can feel the emotions of zeal and sorrow and joy. We alone can worship the Savior for above and beyond all of our attributes created by God himself.

We then can have a Redeemer who can bare our sins in his body on the tree so that we can be dead to sin and live under righteousness, according to the apostle Peter, all of creation the animal kingdom. In fact the planet the entire universe will one day be wiped away with a roar. He writes in the elements will melt with intense heat and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. The heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat.

In other words, everything that was created will be incinerated. Everything will cease to exist except God and humanity and the angelic hosts for whom God will create an eternal heaven newly then and an eternal hell fillet. Once again, as it were.

This new heaven. This new earth with fruit trees and animals for us to enjoy our glorified condition which means as one author put it this way. Creation is merely God's theater upon which God's great redemptive drama can be played out. This is the purpose for which the entire universe was created so that the attributes of God would be seen so that we would know his grace and mercy and compassion as he lavishes upon us creatures whom God is created in his own image and in the end, the theater will be destroyed and a new one this time unending will be created and that means, among other things, it means that this creation song is going to require a Christmas story.

The creation story demands the Christmas story.

Why because there is even though I thought on the planet like Narnia.

This new world is barely 7 hours old and evil is being planned and mankind will fall and need to be rescued. That's why you discover in the word that even before the song began the Jesus Christ, the son of God had already chosen along with the spirit of the father to die to be crucified to redeem mankind before they anything was created.

It was part of his incredible plan X2 23. In Revelation 13 verse eight slain before the foundation of the world creation, then will demand a crucifixion which means that we must not only believe by faith that the Emperor's son is our creator, we must believe by faith.

The Emperor's son is our Savior, the one who came as a baby boy there is in the cradle is destined for the cross.

He who was your designer must be your savior.

This one as many as received this one to them.

He gives the right to become what children of God, so you must place your faith in this one. Who is your creator came, who was laying in that cradle who was destined for that cross who even today wears the crown must believe in him say with the apostle Paul who wrote of him of the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments how unfathomable ways for who is known the mind of the Lord, who is ever been his counselor for him to him through him by him all things to him be glory forever and ever thanks for tuning in today to wisdom of the heart with this lesson. Stephen Devi began a three part series called the Chronicles of Christmas, the famous work by CS Lewis called the Chronicles of Narnia is filled with biblical imagery Stevens taking a look at a few of those images in this series, and of course pointing us to God's word.

The only source of absolute truth. We've taken this series and made it into a booklet.

It would make a great addition to your resource library and it also makes a great gift. This booklet, the Chronicles of Christmas is available on our website.

We also have a free resource this month.

It's a copy of Stephen's e-book, called an indescribable gift information on both of these resources is found@wisdomonline.org. We can also give you information when you call us at 86 648 Bible. Let me give you that numerically it's 866-482-4253, and we'd love to talk with you. If you haven't already, I encourage you to install our app to your phone so that you can quickly and easily access all of our Bible-based resources. That app contains audio in the transcript of each of these daily messages it's free to install and use as a great companion for your personal Bible study will thanks again for joining us today were so glad you were with us and I hope you be with us for our next lesson tomorrow right here on this