I just want to take the time we have to tell a story tonight. So I have a minstrel up here with me. This is not something that we normally do. So if it's your first time, we don't normally just kind of tell a story.
But I just, I'm just so aware of what the Lord's doing. We brought up a couple of times. But there's even things that the broader community doesn't know about. That God is doing unique and special things in our house right now.
I oversee our lifestyle school. This is an eight month ministry school. And we went on a retreat last weekend. And just like the things that the Lord did, it's like, do you ever have moments in your life that as it's happening?
You're like, I'm going to remember this moment forever. There is enough impact happening right now that I go, I am, this is, this is special. As a school, there were many of us last week on this retreat that had those moments. And it's like, I'm, I'm a different person now.
I saw a glimpse into who God was in a way that I didn't know I could. I didn't know it was possible to encounter God like that. And I'm different now. And then we came back, we show up to church, then we spent two hours praying for, I don't know, maybe a hundred people to experience freedom and to walk in alignment with God.
And God's putting his finger on things from decades ago. And people are going, I didn't even realize I was held by that. And God says, I didn't, I want you free, son or daughter. Clips those chains off and we're walking in freedom.
It's, it's incredible what God's doing. And we can honor God for that. We can thank God for that. But the heartbeat behind everything that we do is a desire for him, not what he does, just him.
God, if you never did another thing for me, I never felt the warm fuzzies again. I never had the breakthrough. I'm convinced that the pursuit of you is the aim of my entire life. And so we've tried to keep Jesus, the main thing and everything that we do.
What I want to do tonight is just invite us in to a corporate gazing at one specific aspect of God. So this is not meant to be heavy at all. It's not meant to be like a furrowed brow. All right, are we ready?
It's meant to be an opportunity for us to get refastinated with an aspect of God, a truth about God that many of us have just grown numb to. I've made a bit of a personal passion project to reframe theology for people. Because when I say theology, many of us think of a textbook. Is that true?
We're going to talk about theology and people are like, oof, and they pull out their notebook. Because we're going to take notes because it's time to learn. We say a theologian and we picture an old guy in a tweed coat. For some reason he has a feather quill.
We can a little grumpy and he's scribbling. And that's what we think of when we think of theology for many of us. Theology means the study of God. I would submit that when we're talking about studying God, we're not talking about textbooks and quills.
We're talking about when a mother holds her infant and the infant looks up and her eyes are flicking back and forth and she is stuck on mom's face. Fascinated. A little confused but in a good way. What is that?
And there's wonder and there's joy and the unknown isn't scary and it's not a hill to climb. It's part of the gazing. Is I believe that the study of God is meant to be more like an infant than it is like a grumpy old man. I think that we're supposed to have fresh fascination and wonder and there are areas of our lives where we go, no, that's true.
That's the truth about God. I just want to pull it apart and look at it and get fresh eyes of wonder. I want to be fascinated again by things that I might have gotten used to. Tonight, we're just going to walk through the story of the entire Old Testament through the lens of trying to build fascination in our hearts for the incarnation of God.
We're stepping into Advent as a church. The global church is taking the next month to peer in to what is this? What does this mean that God became a man? Can we do that together?
So tonight I'm just going to tell a story. I'm not going to draw any implications for you. I'm not going to rip the thing apart and do the ABCs. Next week, I think we're going to talk about some of the implications.
I think that's really good. But for tonight, I just want us to be little kids getting our hearts touched again. Yeah? Okay.
So when you're telling a story, you should start at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start. So when I say we're going to start at the beginning, people go, great, Genesis 1. No, I'm talking before Genesis 1.
The beginning, beginning. Well, what do you mean before Genesis 1? That's the creation of the universe. Before there was a universe.
There was a God. In the beginning, undefined by any of the things that he had created, he was there. And he was, he's different. All powerful.
All knowing. He's everywhere. All at once. He has every attribute in its fullness.
God is unlimited by creation. What that means is that there's nothing that we can see or touch or touch or feel that has any sort of restriction on him. And we all go, yeah, that's true, I guess, conceptually think about it. Space, not like outer space, space like physical distance.
That's a created thing. We only know about space because of proximity from thing to thing. Before there were things, it was God. He filled everything.
He was all in all. He is all in all. He's expansive and you can't find the end of him. You could put me in a rocket ship, send me on the other side of the universe.
I turned my heart in prayer. God, he's everywhere. He's not limited by time. Time is a creative thing.
We're all stuck in time. God's above time. He's unlimited by time. So everything that we think of as past or future, he's just different.
God doesn't grow old because he's not bound by time. It's not like a progression unto something. He just is outside the whole thing. He knows everything.
Think about that. He knows everything. He knows like the genealogy of every bug on the planet. I know your parents and your granddad and your great-granddad.
He knows the inner workings of how stars work. He knows everything. He knows how to navigate the human soul. He knows all things.
And before anything existed, that's who he was. Unlimited unrestrained, beautiful and perfect. And when I say perfect, I don't mean morally right, though he was. When I say perfect, I mean he had no lack.
So when we approach the creation story, we're getting close to Genesis 1 now. But as we approach that story, we don't say, well, God must have been pretty lonely out there by himself. He just had a hole in his heart that he needed to fill with creation. Not at all.
He eternally filled with joy and communion within the Godhead. Never experienced a lack, never had need. He wasn't bound by anything. He was perfect enough himself.
But how many of you know that love multiplies? Creativity bubbles up and has expression. And hope and hope they had expression. And so in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
And all of created history starts in a moment where God speaks outside of the interior, the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks, right? Out of the interior of God. I want it to light up. And there was light.
I have a conviction. I don't know why. I just really feel this. I think he's saying.
I don't know that it was spoken, like he's reading, out of the sheet. I think it's an expression of his heart. And these things let there be light when there was light. And then we learn something about God.
He has preferences. Because he was able to say, that's good. Let's do it again. And the days of creation start going as he goes, stars, oak trees, elephants, separate light from dark.
And he's crafting the universe in joy, full of joy. The whole time is going, it's good. It's good. And it's an overflow.
It's the expression of the love of God as he creates the physical universe. At some point in there, it's not listed as one of the days, but we know that angels are created things. There is ministers, messengers of fire. So they're there.
And they're watching creator God do this. And they're partnering as they're able. But go with me here. Just imagine this.
So they're all standing there going, they're worshiping. The chair of them, heaven stops saying holy, holy, holy forever. They're enamored with God. And then they overhear the God had talking to themselves.
What did he just say? Has the Trinity's huddled up going? Her own image. And the angels are like, in your image, you're going to make something that resembles you.
You're going to make something that's like you. How is that possible? You are distinct and different from anything else you've ever created. You're completely other than everything else is found by space and time.
Everything else has a place. It's completely different. What do you mean, let us make man in our own image? Wait, what is he doing?
And God approaches the earth and starts to form and make this little frail creature. And the angels are like, he's what, five eight? We get it. Making things.
That's what part of your expression. We're talking about sharing your very nature with someone. Almost feels outlandish. She was a little bit offensive that he would share his image.
But as all of the angels are watching, he bends over to this little limp cluster of dirt. And with the smile on his face, spirit, bread live. I'm not just talking brain function and heartbeat. I'm talking alive, alive.
God Almighty just breathed into them. And they are held up as the crowning achievement of the Creator. As all of heaven is standing there, just a little bit bewildered and confused going. His plan, he's sovereign.
He gets to do whatever he wants. His plan is to share his image with these little things. Then he goes on and gets him dominion and all sorts of other crazy stuff that makes no sense. But we get this reality, this picture of God going, he wants to be known.
He wants to share himself. He's in this relationship. And he's committed himself to humans. I don't even know why, but that's the story.
And in that context, when we come to Genesis 3, the tragedy of the fall of man gets exposed to what it really is. The same little creatures that were given the most unthinkable mercy, the most unimaginable kindness to share in God's very life. They listen to a deceiver and in their deception and their pride they go, is that it? I think you're holding out on me.
I think I deserve more. They're deceived by the deceiver. And it's like, I think God's holding out on you. I think that the one measly rule that he made exposes just how self-centered he is.
He's trying to keep...it's a lie. But the little weak creatures take the bait. And in their deception and their pride, they do the one thing that all the God asked not to do. And immediately, the severing is apparent.
Because immediately, what they step into is shame and fear and accusation. It's not God's image. That's the image of the snake. Immediately, shame.
God comes. They're afraid. And why do you do that? She made me do accusation.
And instantly, they're starting to manifest the brokenness that's happened. Remember, just how sovereign God is. Just how big and mighty he is. Just how within his rights he is to do anything in that moment.
He could have said, excuse me, and rolled up all of creation like a sheet of paper, chucked it and started over. God could have said, really, that's how we're going to play? All right, well, watch me remove my blessing and my spirit from you. I'm going to give it to these things over here.
He was fully within his rights to do it. We had just done the most unthinkably prideful, arrogant thing we could have possibly done. And instead, he reasserts his promise. And they're standing there naked and they know it.
And he says, out of you, there's going to come a seed that's going to crush the head of that serpent. You watch. I've spoken and I get what I want. I will have connection with you.
I will be one with you. You will be a temple of my spirit. But man is their fracture. So in his mercy, he makes them skins to hide them even though they deserve to be naked all their days.
He covers them and hides them. And we enter into the rest of the story of the Bible. The pursuit of God continues. I see it start to happen in many ways.
Let's look at the story of Abraham. God approaches a man. Again, don't get used to that. That's insane that God is pursuing people.
He finds a little insignificant family on the other side of the world and says, I've just decided. I'm yours and you're mine. And perhaps what do I have to do? He's like, I've decided.
You will be my people. I will be your God. Tell you what, let's trade names. Again, just picture the angelic host going, what is he doing?
We've been watching them. We know how they work. And God says, I've existed forever for all eternity fully, self-satisfied. You know what, I'm going to change my name.
I'm now the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. I'm with you. That wasn't the union he was looking for. In exchange of names, wasn't enough.
Then we come to the story of Moses. Moses encounters this bush that's on fire but is not consumed, trying to figure out what's going on. God starts to say, here's what we're going to do. And God lays on the plan.
Moses says, who should I say is sending me? I just imagine God. Obviously, he's never flustered by a question, but imagine God trying to define himself to a human. The word in Hebrew is Yahweh and it's intentionally designed to have all this call back.
I'm the spirit that fills all at all. I'm existence itself. I'm the reason you have breath in your lungs. Yahweh.
Something Moses says, okay, this is who he is. He starts to do the things. He starts to lead the people out. God's burning for connection.
And then the angels are yet again flabbergasted as they overhear God talking to Moses saying, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to live with you. Yep. But you are outside of space and time.
What do you mean you're going to live with them? Yeah, make a tent. 15 cubits high that should do. The humility of God.
To say, I'm going to set up shop at your house. I'm still faithful to the promise to Abraham and I'm still faithful to my promise to Eve. I'm yours, your mind. But the Shikina glory of God.
Yahweh who dwells in unapproachable light who is in all-consuming fire. You're going to put him in the middle of a sin-soaked nation. We're going to have problems. Sure enough, there are problems.
God says, here's what you've got to do. We've got to do this. We've got to do this. It's got to be done this way.
Yep, not that way. This way. I mean it, not that way because you'll get consumed. But his desire is to be amongst people.
But people are still fractured. We're still broken and messed up. So people either go in the ditch of religiosity going, so how high must I jump, sir? And it's not connection at all.
It's just this religiosity, this duty, this disconnected form of godliness that has no power at all because it's purely just ritual. Or people get so overwhelmed by the presence of God and all of the rules. They go, it's not. I don't even know what that is.
But this idol over here, this I understand. Look, he kind of looks like me and I can touch him and I can know when he's here and when he's not. I'm going to choose idolatry. And they run after false gods from other nations.
They build a golden calf beyond dacity of this. They build a golden calf and say, this is the god who brought us out of Egypt. They're so fractured from connection that they're going, I'm just going to make something that I can physically feel and it's in a front to god. He's going, what are we doing?
No, god, this is the way I want to be with you. And they just can't do it. So the story goes all the way through the Old Testament of God being present among his people, attempting to dwell with them and they just cannot do it. And they separate themselves and get distance from God.
They're unfaithful to the covenant promise that God made of them at Sinai. And eventually God goes, the land is going to spit you out. This land where you live was a part of my covenant promise and you're disobeying the covenant. You're making a mockery of the thing that we said we're going to do together.
The land is going to spit you out. And so right on the verge of exile and the people of Israel are going to get banished from their home, God starts whispering to his friends the prophets. It was never about just an exchange of names. It was never about living in a tent.
God starts to say, and the prophets are bewildered and confused as God starts talking in this covenant to language again in the midst of their exile. He grabs Daniel. Daniel is in exile in Babylon. In Daniel 7, Daniel says, I looked.
Thrones replaced and the ancient of days took his seat. His clothing was whitest to know in the hair of his head like pure wool. His throne was fiery flames. Its wheels were burning fire.
A stream of fire issued and came out from before him. Thousands of thousands served him. Ten thousand times, ten thousand stood before him. And all of Israel is going, yep, we know.
God, all consuming fire. The angels are like, yep, seeing that. And Daniel says, I'm not done. As I've seen and heard so I repeat.
He says, then in the night behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one that looked like a son of man. He looked like me. He was a person. And I saw this person presented before the ancient of days.
And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is everlasting dominion. And everyone's lost going, people don't get dominion. That's not how this works.
And the prophet goes, I'm telling you what I saw. There was one like the son of man who approached God and was given dominion. Isaiah caught up in a vision with the Lord and he says, in a prophetic oracle to us, a child is born. A son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders.
And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor. Mighty God, everlasting Father, prince of peace of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. And people go, wait, wait, wait, back up.
What was that part in the middle? I get that there's going to be a deliverer. God's going to bring a person to come free us, the Messiah. We've heard about that.
What was that part in the middle? Mighty God, you said he was going to be born. The prophet says, as I've seen and heard so I repeat, this is what God showed me. And the prophets start to get a window into the plan of God.
Nobody gets it. Nobody could possibly fathom that unlimited Almighty God would be serious to this degree. So 4,000 years after God promises that a seed is going to come from the line of Eve. He looks over at Gabriel who's been with him the whole time and says, God sends the angel Gabriel to approach a young Jewish woman, blessed are you among women.
You've found favor with God. You will conceive and bear a son. He will be called great. And the son of the Most High God.
Call him Jesus, which means God delivers. You found favor with God. What an understatement. Sweetie, I know this doesn't make any sense.
But you're going to house God in your womb. I've never even been with a man. The Holy Spirit's going to overshadow you and the greatest partnership in the history of humanity is underway. God was serious.
So nine months later, there's a bunch of uneducated anonymous juppers that will never know their name, but they just happen to be in the line of fire when the angels finally were unleashed. To announce to the planet what had just happened in the little cave in Bethlehem. And the sky fills up as the angels have been watching the story line unfold for thousands of years. And they burst out and say, glory to God in the highest.
And on earth, goodwill towards men. For unto you, you little fragile, broken, deceived creatures unto you is born this day in the city of David, the Messiah, his Christ, his Lord. In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God.
And the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. Nothing was made that was made through him. And that Word became flesh and lived among us.
Unlimited God, whose outside of space and sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, getting forced through a birth canal. The God who delivered Israel with a mighty hand and outstretched arm who led them with a pillar of fire. And caught in the rough hands of David's descendant to fulfill every prophecy he had ever made. He's true to his word.
God with the voice like many waters that splits the cedars with the power of his voice. Gasping for breath in a stale hay-filled stable, unable to even hold up his own head, the audacity of the incarnation, the unthinkable beauty and brilliance of God as expressed through Jesus when he was born. Is the greatest fountain of revelation that we have about who God is. I didn't just want your name.
I didn't just want to live in your tent. I want to be with you. I know you. I even know your brokenness.
You want something to touch? You want something to hold? You want something that makes sense to you? How can I, you know what?
I'll just become like you. And Jesus was the exact image of the invisible God. Holy unknowable God put on display for the world to go. That's what he's like.
This wasn't a temporary thing. Right now God has a body. And if we're offended by that statement, we go, well, wait a minute, then we need to do our homework a little bit. Because the church fought for 400 years to hold to this doctrine that says, no, this wasn't a temporary thing.
God didn't just fill up a vessel part time. God became man. But doesn't that jeopardize his holiness? I thought that he was unlimited.
Now he's finite. We'll talk about that next week. Today I just want wonder and fascination again. As I'm driving around in Christmas music, oh, holy night, the stars are brightly shining.
And I want something to hit my heart different. I want to be driving down my neighborhood and see the crappy beat up nativity scene that's poorly lit in their front yard and have the Holy Spirit have soft soil in my heart to go where I'm brought to a place of worship when I think of the incarnation. I want to be humbled. I think it's healthy to be borderline offended by the ridiculousness of God's pursuit.
No, really, you don't have to. I get it. You love me. I'm man.
You're God. I get it. Distinction's probably helpful. And he's like, no, I want to be with you.
I want to redeem you fully. I want to be yours. I am yours. And the beautiful thing is that even if this isn't hitting your heart, totally okay.
Because Jesus is a man and he gets it. You can't lose because of the incarnation, because Jesus is a human and God simultaneously. You can't lose. The redemption process of God is still thorough.
I want to talk about that more next week, but for right now I just want to worship. I just want to sit and be with him. I want to thank him. I want to love him.
I want to respond to him. And so what I'm going to do is just invite us, get some space. The band's going to come back up. We're just going to worship a little bit.
We're just going to thank him. We're going to be connected to him and we're going to love him. Can we do that? You guys can all stand up.
And then if you want to sit right back down, that's totally fine. But have freedom. Get some space. I think that God might want to actually add something to this message for you.
I think God might have some personal application for you that he wants to whisper to you. And I don't want you to be caught up with the people next to you and miss that. Yeah? Let's turn our hearts to the man Jesus.
Jesus, I'll be honest. Thank you. Feel so petty and smaller right now. Just saying thank you doesn't cut it close, but I don't know what else to say.
We're so grateful for your pursuit. I can't believe that you've made us the objects of your affection. I can't believe that you want to live with us. But as an active love and faith, we receive it.
And we ask that you would drive in the drill press of your spirit deeper into our souls, that the wells of gratitude and hope and faith and love would get tapped into. God, for me and my friends, I want this Advent season. The approach of the celebration of your birth. I want this to be a marking time where we fall more in love with you than we have before.
We invite you now, Lord. Come and continue the message. Speak to us. We love you.
And we're yours.