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December 14, 2010 4:11 am
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Harvest podcasts featuring Pastor Greg Laurie are brought to you by harvest partners to receive Pastor Greg free online daily devotions or to become a harvest partner, please visit us online@harvest.org listserv in our Bibles to John chapter 1. The title of this message is crying before Christmas and I love the Christmas story.
I never get tired of selling it. I never get tired of hearing that it is truly the most powerful of all stories and best of all, it's completely true, but the real story of Christmas goes way, way back before Bethlehem before Mary and Joseph afford shepherds and wise men and innkeepers and King Herod and all the other people that played a part in fact the first mention of Christmas was BC.
Now you might ask, how could that be doesn't BC stand for before Christ. Yes it does. But the story of redemption started a long time ago in the garden and the Christmas story begins with a tree not a Christmas tree per se, but a tree known as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and was placed in the garden of Eden which was a paralyzed were out of any live they had radiant beauty at every turn exotic wildlife of perfect temperature and best of all no sin or the guilt and shame that accompanies it.
They had unbroken fellowship with God and basically their marching orders.
If you will were to enjoy and discover all the gutted place in that amazing garden yet God gave you one warning to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When you all know how Adam and Eve stood by that tree and heard the words of the temper who he has in the day that you eat thereof. Your eyes will be open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil and Ottoman leave no further adamantly needed no further proof, and they ate of the forbidden fruit in Genesis 36 as the woman was convinced the fruit look fresh and delicious to make a wise associate of the fruit and fruit and she gave it to her husband and he hated to and then their eyes were opened but they did not become as God's. They became in schools, and they lost that sweet fellowship with God.
That night the Lord came to them in the garden and he called out to Adam Adam or are you Adam and said, well we heard your voice in the garden we were naked and we hid ourselves Lord to Adam who told you you were naked. Have you eaten of the fruit that I told you not to eat and then in the first written record of someone blaming someone else for what they did. Adam said well it's a woman you gave me. It's not my fault I'm just laying around taking a nap. One day I wake up, rip short and she's here. Eve came up with this idea and of course I need not wanting to be carrying the responsibility since well that the serpent he beguiled me, he tricked me and now the first Christmas verse in the Bible know it is not Isaiah 96 and says unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given them that government will be upon his shoulders and will call as the wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, nor is it Micah 52 that says you, Bethlehem, though you be little among the thousands of Judah, out of you will come forth.
One whose origins have been from everlasting know the first verse in the Bible that alludes to Christmas or specifically the birth of Christ is Genesis 315. It's one God was bringing judgment on adamantly and on the serpent himself and the Lord said to the devil he will bruise your head and you will bruise his heel came off the battle line was drawn. The Lord was telling the devil.
There is coming, one who will cross you.
You will bruise his heel. But he will crush your head, so Satan was waiting and watching for this expected one, the Christ, the Messiah, and he would do everything possible to work that to stop it from happening.
He understood that Messiah would come to the Jewish people so clear back in the book of Exodus we find the Pharaoh executing all the little baby Jewish boys. But ultimately the Lord raised up Moses to go in and leave the great Exodus. Then you fast-forward to the book of Esther and you see the plot of the wicked man known as Haman who wanted to execute all of the Jews, but he ended up hanging on the gallows he had erected for them then you fast-forward to the gospel of Matthew and you see the part of King Herod to stop the Messiah from being born in hearing that the king of the Jews, was born in Bethlehem, yet the little baby boys. There slaughtered, but nothing or no person would stop Messiah from coming because God keeps his appointment at the right moment the Lord came to us ornament manger in Bethlehem. But here's the question that I want to raise to you today did Jesus preexist before Bethlehem or another way of stating that was there in Jesus before the Nativity will the answer is yes no Bethlehem is when the incarnation took place. The incarnation is when God became a man that is not when Jesus came into being because Jesus being God has always been, and he always will be, because he like God because he is God's eternal so let's now go to John chapter 1 and here are some words that deal with that.
John one verse one in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the word was God and he was in the beginning with God all things were made through him and without him nothing was made that was made in him was life and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend powerful words, there is not a definite article before the word beginning here in the beginning, meaning you cannot pinpoint the moment in time where there was the beginning because John is going back in time to eternity past, he is going back further than our minds can imagine.
Which brings us to our first point about Jesus which is Jesus is God before there was a world before there were planets before there was light or darkness before there was matter was over there was anything but the Godhead there was Jesus Jesus Christ colleague will call eternal coexistent with the father and the Holy Spirit. He was with God he was God. Jesus was deity and diapers.
God became an embryo.
Jesus left the safety of heaven and entered our world and read our air and shared our pain and walked in our shoes and then he lived our life and he died our death to listen to this. Jesus did not become identical to us, but he did become identified with us. Let me restate that he did not become identical to us, but he became identified with the subject. He could not identify because any more closely then he did it with total identification without the loss of identity, for he became one of us, without ceasing to be himself. He became human without ceasing to be God.
It sort of blows the mind, but Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man know what I see fully that I do not mean that Jesus had the capacity to sin. Because being God that could not or would not happen.
Yet he was a man he was in a human body.
He felt human emotion, he faced physical limitation. He felt real pain that was actual blood coursing through his veins. Yet he was deity. He was God in human form as the old Christmas him says veiled in flesh the Godhead see hail incarnate deity.
Unbelievable God walking among us that Jesus was the word was with God verse one says of John one or literally the word was continually toward God. This gives us a glimpse into the relationship of father son and Holy Spirit. The preposition with birds.
The idea of nearness along with a sense of movement toward God. That is to say, there is always been the deepest quality and intimacy in the Trinity I Jesus summed it up in John 17 when he prayed to the father and said father glorify me with your own self of the glory that I had with you before the world began, there was never a time when Christ did not exist because the word that is used here for wises in the Greek imperfect tense means was continuing to a better way to translate this is in the beginning was continuing the word and the word was continuing with God and the word was continually God so Jesus was God, yet Jesus became a man, and that's what we celebrate at Christmas.
The incarnation Isaiah 96, sums it up perfectly because it gives us both the earthly and the heavenly perspective, we tend to view Christmas from our viewpoint, the sun being born within. Isaiah also gives him from the heavenly perspective of sun being given. He says unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, I have another Christmas is a story of an arrival and it's also the story of a departure. He arrived on earth, he departed from heaven. Jesus came to us. Notice that Isaiah 96 also said he is the mighty God, the everlasting father.
Later we read you will call his name Immanuel, which means God is with us, so there was no beginning of Jesus. It says that he's the everlasting father. That doesn't mean that Jesus is the father but the Hebrew word that is used there for father is a person simply indicating that Christ is the author or imminent possessor of eternity. So Jesus has always been Jesus said I am that I am.
So now I want to consider the fact of Jesus in his preexistence before the incarnation Jesus and what he was doing before Bethlehem and so will get a look at a list of theophany theophany is a theological term that means an appearance of God, then there are Christ. Often these and that is an appearance of Christ effectively before Bethlehem now are all theophanies. Christ often these, perhaps because no one is ever seen God by John 118's is known as ever seen God with his only son, who himself is God is near to the father's heart and he is told us about it. But Jesus himself alluded to these price companies are pretty Bethlehem appearances in the Bible. In other words, Jesus showed up in the Bible before his birth in the manger. How do we know he did. This will remember that he said to the woman at the well who actually was teasing wrong reference Jesus said, before Abraham was I am. And then they said well what would you your greater than Abraham and he said Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he sought and was glad. So our Lord is indicating that there was a moment in his life and Abraham saw Jesus and then remember, of course, the story of the disciples on the Emmaus Road. This is after Christ, and been crucified before they knew he had risen again.
Jesus himself joined them on that journey in as some would've been happening lately and they told him about Jesus who had died in an it'd been three days incident happened and how disillusioned they weren't. And then he said, old fools, and slow. Hard to believe all that the prophets of Britain and we read in Luke 24, 27, beginning with Moses and all the prophets. Jesus explained to them what was said in all of the Old Testament Scriptures concerning himself. He took of the wall of those passages in the Bible that alluded to Messiah the types of pictures and no doubt the Christ. Often these themselves. What a message that must've been.
I wish someone would've took notes on it when I get to heaven. I like to see what I missed. So let's consider some potential Christ. Often these appearances of Jesus before Bethlehem, the first I would reference is found in Genesis 22 and it's a story of Abraham and Isaac, and Mount Moriah know as you know, Abraham and Sarah were quite old and yet the Lord revealed to them that there were going to have a son the girl a little impatient took things into their own hands and Abraham was intimate with the Hagar the handmaiden of Sarah and a child named Ishmael was born, Abraham was trying to help God get the job done.
How many of you know the God doesn't need our help or still reaping the consequences of what happened with Abraham and Hagar and God. So here we find them waiting.
And then the Lord comes a limited your now that I have a Sunday. They couldn't believe it would be true, but exactly as God had said that boy was born, so they need them.
Isaac, which means laughter.
He brought joy and happiness into their home and that boy was the apple of his father's eye. He love that son and that is why it almost seemed unimaginable when the Lord came to him in Genesis 22 and said Abraham and he said yes Lord, here I am, take your son, God says, your only son Isaac, whom you love so much and taken to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him there is a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will wait out to you.
Now we know that this was a test. Was Abraham allowing Isaac to become the idol of his life.
Perhaps, did you know it is possible for us to allow things or people to become more important to us than God, even good things like your husband or your wife for even your son or your daughter, and so the Lord says I have a test for you Abraham take your son and offer him as a sacrifice to me now courses was to be a picture of what would happen 2000 years later at the cross of Calvary.
When God would offer his own son, and this gives us two views of the same event. It gives us a perspective of Abraham who was willing to offer his son no hard that would be I can think of a greater sacrifice appear could ever make a parent would gladly die in the place of their child. If given the chance with Abraham was willing to obey God and do what he required here.
Let's consider from Isaac's point of view and a lot of times in religious art we have Isaac presented as a small child. Sometimes even as a baby which makes it seem so tragic.
But the reality is, Isaac was a young man at this point.
In other words, he was old enough to resist.
So, as are making their way happen and he realizes that there is no animal that's going to be offered as a sacrifice. It's good to be him to get his said you know what that of and thinking about this when we sacrifice you instead of me as your like: 90 and you senior decay. This is really a bad idea but to Isaac's credit he submitted himself to the will of his father. Even realizing that could mean his own death and is Abraham raise that knife and was about to bring it down. We read in Genesis 2211 the angel of the Lord shouted to him from heaven, Abraham, Abraham, he son was named he said lay down the nine to not hurt the boy. For now, I know you truly fear God, not without even your beloved son from me. I believe this was the Christ softening it says the angel of the Lord not an angel. The angel of the Lord, and he says unnoticed that he says that you're not to do this, you download your beloved son from me know who is it that commanded Abraham to offer his son an angel or God himself will it's the latter. God told him to do it so I believe this was Jesus himself intervening at this strategic moment, which was a perfect picture of what he himself would experience the cross of Calvary.
Abraham offered his son is only beloved son and Jesus said in John 316 for God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son. Whoever believes in him should not perish but have ever lasting life. Another Christ softening I believe is the wrestling match between Jacob and the angel you may want to turn over to Genesis 32 and read a few verses in a moment, but we all know the story of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the grandson of Abraham, Jacob was a connivers and he just couldn't wait on the Lord's timing.
He and his brother Esau were in the womb together. They were roommates and when the day of their birth came.
Esau was born first and then along came Jacob back in those days they would name the child often something that would be related to what happened at the birth and so is a look at Esau. This kid was covered from head to toe with hair. He was born to be.
While so they named him Esau would simply means Harry not H a RR Y but HA IR why and then after him comes.co Jacob holding onto his brother's foot so they said let's call this one keel catcher that would Jacob me with the Lord clearly said that he was going to give the blessing that normally goes of the firstborn, which in this case would've been Esau. He was going to give it to Jacob so Jacob knew that he would receive the blessing from God, but he couldn't wait upon the Lord, and he was looking for ways to get up for himself back there was a day when he was cooking up some stew in his brother Esau came in from the field after hunting and said hey bro what's up. He says amen. I'm famished and he's what you cooking their own cooking up some really great stew.
Would you like Sunday. I actually really what I'll tell you what Jacob says I'll give you some of this to you give me your birthright right now. I'll trade you stew for birthright Esau's like birthrights birthright.
I'm hungry. Take it, why couldn't Jacob wait on the Lord and little bit later as the time of the blessing was going to be given Isaac to his family and his eyesight was determined to Leah's hand on Esau and not on Jacob even though he knew God wanted to give the blessing to Jacob and so Jacob's mom comes over the bright idea of covering human animal skins and he has to go and pretend to be his brother so he goes into his father's house and he says that it's it so you so you don't sound like he's I got Eric garnets Esau just came in from the field and ensued we find Isaac touching his son and he was covered in goatskin and he said okay I you definitely you feel like he son in these laws yeah you smell like Esau, which meant that Esau was a pretty funky guy. I mean goatskin that really smelled like any came as blessing to think it was blessing. Esau, when in reality he was blessing Jacob will after Riza found out about it. He wanted to kill his brother. So Jacob, one in XL and we ended up with a guy he really deserve Laban a relative who was just as much of a connivers. He was so can I ever met connivers so they try to outmaneuver each other for a while and and then finally Jacob makes the journey back home again and that's we picked the story up Genesis 32 verse 24 Jacob was left alone his journey home now and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of day and when he saw that he does not do not prevail against me, touch the socket of his the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint.
As he wrestled with them and he said let me go for the daybreak and he said all not let you go into you bless me and he said what is your name.
He said.co Jacob you'll capture any said your name will no longer be called Jacob at Israel real struggle with God and with men in a prevail, and Jacob said tell me your name I pray, and he said why is it you ask in my name they bless them.
There Jacob called the place.
P Neil reset.
I have seen God face to face, my life is preserved.
I believe this is the Christ, softening. I don't think Jacob was wrestling with an angel. I think Jacob was wrestling with Jesus. And it's interesting how it starts, we read that he is just waiting in the Lord effectively shows off okay let let's do the same. You're always struggling and fighting would be let's go for right outcome and they start wrestling up the Lord would allow him to gain a little ground I'm sure sort of like when you wrestle with the small boy can make them think they're weaning you know and in any them and then they get you. It's sort of like a child wrestling with Hulk Hogan. You know who's gonna win this wrestling Max was clear for the Lord, sort of humoring Jacob letting them prevail potatoes one tough guy and he won't give up and so the Lord touches his hip now to know is disabled and no we find Jacob clinging to the messenger from heaven, and then he says I will not let you go into your blessed week.
That's what God is waiting for stop fighting and start submitting. Jacob went from resisting to resting from a cunning or excusing fiat from cunning to clinging so now instead of fighting with God. He surrendering to God.
The Lord gives him a new name and then I want to the note that the Lord says the Jacob verse 28 you have struggled with God, and Jacob acknowledges that since I've seen God that I believe was clearly a Christ often incurs another reason I believe it Jacob, along with Abraham and Isaac were highly regarded by the Jewish people. They would revert to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The woman at the well. Once you met Jesus asked him if he was greater than Jacob because he spoke about this living water. He could give Jesus what are you greater than our father Jacob. Imagine what Jesus could've said yeah matter-of-fact I wrestled Ken and Dino, it is anything like that is ignored and said well let me say this.
If you think of this water your thirst again. But if you drink of the water. I give you'll never thirst again.
Are you wrestling with God.
Sometimes we are God reveals his will to us always, and I don't want that. I want my will and were fighting with God throughout life. How much better it is when we surrender to his will is Corrie 10 boom and said years ago, Don Russell just nestle don't fight with the one who has your best interests in mind brings us to another Christ softening and that is a story of the angelic appearance to the parents. Samson now we all know the story of Samson. The it's drink like no one before or after him if this was a man who is gifted with the ability to wipe his enemies out now. We often think of Samson is really tough guy right I'm sculpted physique and muscular. Interestingly, the Bible never says that the Bible tells us that the spirit of God would come upon them, and then he would do amazing feats like pick up the gates of the city in caring for a few miles or kill a thousand listings with up jawbone of a donkey. He picked up off the ground but would it be funny if it Samson was some scrawny little guy.
It's possible because I was supernatural strength. I was nuts is because he was physically strong. The Lord gave him the ability to do what he did. We all know we had a pretty tragic ending. Because of his sin with Delilah and so forth.
But he had an amazing beginning because his parents Manoa and wife were unable to have children and one day an amazing visitor showed up. We read in Judges 12. In those days, amending the note from the tribe of Dan within the town of Zora's wife was unable to become pregnant, they had no children, and the angel of the Lord appeared to him in those wife and said even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son course at Sun would be the body.
Samson would be a judge over Israel. He was going to take the bow of a Nazirite which means he would never touch alcohol or cut his hair. Woman knows why this angel appeared to told her husband what happened in Judges 13.
Six. The woman ran and told her husband, a man of God appeared to me he was like one of God's Angels terrifying to look at. I did not score it was from any didn't tell me his name so she's not sure what she is seen and I believe she was seeing Jesus.
So Manolo prays that this mysterious heavenly visitor will return and he did shows up. Manoa has a question hey all, we want to know is your name. We want to honor you and the angel of the Lord said, why do you ask my name seen. It is wonderful after this Monona's wife brought an offering to the Lord of Thanksgiving and as the flame was going up the Lord ascended into the flame and went up to heaven and they freaked out. Now here's the thing why why believe that this was an appearance of Jesus will because after that Manoah said was wife. We will die for.
We have seen God. There's another clue. Also, because a mysterious visitor gives us think. What is your name asked Manoa and he replies my name is wonderful know where we heard that before. Back to Isaiah 96 you will call his name wonderful Counselor, mighty God, by the way, to same word the original language. The word wonderful means of passing beyond human ability to understand after this again. Manoah did not say we have seen an angel but we have seen the Lord find it interesting how the Lord withheld his name from the no how the Lord did not reveal who he was. That is because in the Old Testament, Christ is concealed within the New Testament Christ is revealed. I saw this movie that just came out recently called the voyage of the Dawn treader. It's the latest in the trilogy of the Chronicles of Narnia films written by Christian apologist CS Lewis I personally think it was the best of the three and there's a powerful scene toward the end of the film when the Lucy and Edmund are told by Aslan at their too old to come back to Narnia and Lucy through her tears says well it isn't Narnia.
You know it's you we shed to meet you there. How can we live never meeting you and this Aslan replies that he will meet them there.
Back on earth, and Edmund asked if he is there to and Aslan says I am but there I have another name.
You must learn to know me by that name. And of course in the Chronicles of Narnia Lewis use Aslan as a picture of Christ. That's clearly portrayed in the first film work as one dies for the sins of Edmund and others, and so forth and so the Lord conceals this from Manoa, but it's only revealed as we come to the new covenant in the final Christ softening I like to bring your attention. Then again, I can't guarantee these are Christ. Often these, but it's my opinion that they are the final one is a well-known story. It's a story of Shadrach me shack in the Bendigo three Jewish teenagers who follow the Lord as you know, Israel was taken into captivity by Babylon for 70 years and Nebuchadnezzar singled out Shadrach me shack in the Bendigo those are not the given names those of the pagan names that Nebuchadnezzar gave to them along with Daniel the prophet, and were brought into his court. He was grooming them to be leaders in the kingdom of Babylon.
He enrolled them of into the Babylonian university and they were being schooled in all the ways of this twisted godless culture and one day Nebuchadnezzar had a golden image of himself corrected and commended everyone in his kingdom to bow down before and were super they would be put to death and all the people immediately fell before this image as the song was played except for Shadrach me shack in the Bendigo there were like three sore thumbs is sticking out that were not going to bow and sword went to the king.
You know those guys. Shadrach me shack in the Bendigo you brought in the record to school with her not bowing before the image will Nebuchadnezzar was outraged. Call them into his presence.
As you bid about right now. Rob throw you into that fiery furnace. They made it very clear they were going to bow and so we picked the story up in Daniel 323 so Shadrach me shack in the Bendigo securely tied fell down, and of the roaring flame but suddenly as he was watching Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and explain those advisors didn't we throw three men into the furnace. Yes we did, your Majesty, they reply, Nebuchadnezzar said, I see four men unbound walking around the fire did not hurt by the flames in the fourth looks like the son of God. I believe that was a Christ softening. I believe Jesus was walking with his boys that the fire and you know what Jesus will walk with you for your fire to walk with you through your hardship in Isaiah 43 to we read when you pass of the waters God says I will be with you when you pass of the rivers will not sleepover you listen when you want to the fire. You will not be burned, the flames will not set you a play were never alone in life and that is the message we see from Genesis to Revelation. Jesus Christ is always been there. He came to Abraham he came to Jacob Samson's parents Shadrach me shack in the Bendigo and pre-incarnate appearance is but one day God came to this earth as a child became a man who died and rose Jesus has always been in the said low. I am with you, even unto the end of the age and I ask in closing, have you asked them to come into your life. Yet, I asked my granddaughter Stella where is Jesus now. She said on earth. I sent her and have a nice world.
She said on her face about where Olson in my heart sing. And that is the great truth that we can know is if we believe in Jesus will come and live inside of and I ask you today.
In closing, have you ever asked Jesus to come into your life to be your Savior and Lord. And if you haven't, why don't you do it now. That's what all these things are pointing to. When Abraham offered his son to God willing to make that start right side toward God the father did, but in his case, there was no last-minute reprieve from heaven, God brought the dagger and put it into a son. God took the sin of the world and place it on his son. The Bible says a please the father to bruise him. There was no other way for you and I to be forgiven of the gross sin that we have committed a Christ bore our sins on the cross and rose again from the dead and stands at the door of our life in the Knox and sizable hear his voice and open the door.
Come in working to close down prayer and if there's anybody here who is never asked Jesus Christ to come and that their life would you do it now. Let's all pray father, thank you now for your word to us and to the great promise of coming in forgiving us of our sin. I pray for any that have joined us today that you will help those that do not yet know you to see their need for you and come to Jesus now and be forgiven when the heads of God. Her eyes are closed and were praying, if you would like Jesus Christ to come in the airline. If you would like to be forgiven of your sin. If you would like to know that when you die you will go to heaven. Would you just stand your feet right now I'm in the lead you in a prayer get if you want Jesus Christ to come of your life to stand your feet wherever you are, lead you in a prayer right you stand your outside in the courtyard. I want you to stand up if you're watching in the overflow room there on the big screen, you stand to again wherever you are. You want God's forgiveness today. You want Jesus to come of your life. Take away your sin and guilt. Stand your feet, lead you in a prayer accomplish stand up anybody else again. Outside there in the amphitheater up in the court building to stand your feet. Pray this prayer with me. Anybody else in this final moment. God bless you. Anybody else stand now will pray together. God bless you up in the balcony. God bless you up there as well.
One final moment to get to stand stand now.
Maybe you need to make a recommitment to Christ you can stand to bless you and bless you publishing here in the front bless you there in the middle.
Bless you as well. Anybody else stand now, wherever you are. Bless you in the balcony, she guys over here that's outside again. Remember, you should stand to I can see you at doesn't matter if ICU the Lord sees you. Are you the understanding I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me again as I pray pray this prayer out loud after me and this is where you're asking Christ to come in your life. Pray with me now Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner but you were born in the manger new died on the cross and he rose from the dead. Not come in the my life and be my Savior and my Lord and my God I choose to follow you, Jesus.
From this moment forward.
Thank you for calling me and accepting me in forgiving in Jesus name I pray, amen. God bless each one of you