Greg Laurie - Jesus Christ: God With Us (01/11/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie shares from John 1 how Jesus is God with us—fully divine yet fully human. He shows that to truly know God, we look at Jesus, who embodied all God's attributes while walking among us, and explains why the virgin birth matters as proof of His deity.
Jesus Christ: God With Us – The Essentials We Need to Know
This morning, we're in the Gospel of John, Chapter 1. So turn there with me if you would. We're in our series that we are calling Essentials, What Every Christian Needs to Know. And the title of the message today is, "Jesus Christ: God With Us."
What is God like? That's an important question. That's what we've been talking about together. I guess if we want to know the answer to a question that profound, we should go to an expert. A theologian, you ask? No. Maybe a pastor. Not necessarily. How about a child? You know, sometimes children get it right before the adults do. And did not our Lord say that unless you're converted and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of God?
So some kids were asked the question, "What is God like?" Ashley, age 10, said, "God is like a never-ending story that you want to read again and again. When I hear about Him, I want to know more. Although I can't see Him, I feel Him. He is perfect and pure. I know He has felt pain and has suffered greatly to take away my sins." Well said. I especially like that part about God being like a never-ending story.
Another Ashley, age 10, said, "God is like the wind. You can't see Him, but you know He's there because you see what He does." Adrian, age 8, says, "God is cool, awesome, powerful, nice, big, huge, wonderful, loving, exciting, caring, giving, and the best." Amen.
But I think Caleb, age 10, had the best answer. Asked the question, "What is God like?" Caleb said, "God is like Jesus because God is Jesus." That's right. If you want to know what God is like, take a long look at Jesus. Because Jesus was God in human form.
If You Want to See God, Look at Jesus
We've been talking at some length about the attributes of God, His omniscience, His omnipotence, His omnipresence, His sovereignty, truth, righteousness, holiness, and how He is loving. But if you want to just see that all embodied and put on display, look at Jesus. Jesus was not a mere representative of God. He was God Himself among us. Jesus, Messiah, God with us. He was not a glorified man, but God in human form. As it has been said, Jesus was "God with skin on."
He embodied all these attributes of God that we've talked about together, yet He was a man who walked our planet and breathed our air and felt our pain. He was so wise, He could predict the future events of the world. He was so humble, He could get on His knees and wash His friends' dirty feet. He was so powerful, He could calm the wind and waves with a word. And He was so approachable, children climbed into His arms.
Jesus was God, spelling Himself out in language we all could understand. That's not a quote original to me. Someone else said it. I'm not sure who, but I think it's well said.
There has never been a man who has strode across the human stage quite like Him. He stands apart from all others. We literally, and rightfully so, divide human time from the date of His birth and the date of His death. His very name ripples with power.
The Power in the Name of Jesus
If you don't believe me, just say it sometime. You're in a crowded room and people are talking. You can say the names of various religious leaders, gurus or prophets and get no reaction at all. You can say, "Well, you know, Krishna this or Buddha that or Oprah said the other day." She is a religious leader, by the way. But you say the name "Jesus Christ" and you'll get a reaction. It's almost like a hush will fall over the room. Did that person actually just say Jesus Christ?
Even an atheist who says there is no God at all will use His name to punctuate a point or even use it in a profane way. Why? Because even the non-believer knows there is power in the name of Jesus. It tells us. It's true. It tells us in Philippians 2, God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So, we're going to talk about Jesus in this message. Isn't that a great topic? Like Ashley, age 10, said, it's a never-ending story. And that's true. I never get tired of hearing about Jesus, learning about Jesus, reading about Jesus. And I never get tired of talking about Jesus.
The Incarnation: God Became Man
And it just so happens in our series, it fits so beautifully because we're going to talk about Jesus for three weeks. Not that it ends after three weeks. We'll always be talking about Jesus. But I'm saying specifically we're focusing in on what the Bible says about Him in this series called Essentials that will lead us right into Easter.
So today we're going to talk primarily about the incarnation, the birth of our Lord. And our next message will look primarily at the death of Jesus and why that was necessary. And lastly, we'll look at the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
We'll also deal with questions in this message like, was Jesus Christ really born of a virgin? And is it all that important? Do we even believe that? And was Jesus actually God in the manger? And if so, did He possess at that time the attributes of God such as omnipotence and omniscience? We'll also deal with the question, what did Jesus physically look like? And then finally, why did Jesus come to the earth in the first place?
Yes, but Jesus Christ, the most controversial figure who has ever lived. He is loved, adored, and worshipped, and followed by some. He is hated, despised, and rejected by others. He is disregarded and ignored by most. But who is Jesus?
Two thousand years ago, our Lord Himself posed this question to the Pharisees when He said, "What do you think of Christ? Whose son is He?" Interestingly, that question perplexed the people in His day, as it does in ours as well.
What People Have Said About Jesus Throughout History
The general public was confused about Jesus. Some thought He was Jeremiah the prophet. Others thought that He was the prophet Elijah. Herod thought that He was John the Baptist, returned again from the dead. And people are still confused about Jesus. Many opine on Him and speak about Him. Some have it right. Some don't.
Pontius Pilate, who personally examined Christ, and then sent Him to be crucified, though he knew He was innocent of any crime, said of Jesus, "I find no fault in this man." Napoleon, the great French general, said, "I know men, and Jesus was no mere man." Strauss, the German rationalist, described Jesus as the highest model of religion. John Stuart Mill described Jesus as the guide of humanity. The French atheist Renan described Jesus Christ as the greatest among the sons of men.
Theodore Parker said Jesus was a youth with God in his heart. Robert Owen said Jesus was the irreproachable one. More contemporary figures have given their opinions as well. Mahatma Gandhi said of Jesus, "He was a man who was completely innocent, offering himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and he became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act."
Larry King said that if he could interview anyone throughout human history, he would choose Jesus. And then he said, "I would ask him if he was indeed virgin born, because the answer to that question would define history."
Rock star Bono of U2 gave this opinion of Jesus, "The secular response to the Christ story always goes like this. He was a great prophet. Obviously a very interesting guy. He had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets. But actually, Christ doesn't allow you to do that. He doesn't let you off the hook. Christ says, I'm not saying I'm a teacher. Don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying I'm the Messiah. I'm saying I am God incarnate." Well said, Bono. That's exactly right.
And Oprah Winfrey said, "Jesus cannot be the only way to heaven." See, everybody has an opinion about Jesus. But indeed, our Lord claimed to be the only way to God. He claimed to be God incarnate.
C.S. Lewis is often quoted in this statement, and I think it sums it up beautifully, when he says of Jesus Christ, "You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God, or else he is a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool. You can spit at him and call him a demon. Or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about him being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."
The Apostles' Eyewitness Testimony of Jesus
Well listen, the best way to know about someone is to talk to someone who spent time with them. The apostles. They walked and talked with Jesus. They spent three concentrated years in his presence, hearing his teachings, eating with him, seeing him under all circumstances imaginable. And of those apostles, there were three that were singled out, if you will, for special attention, Peter, James, and John.
They were there at the transfiguration when Jesus shined like the sun. They were there when Jesus raised the child from the dead. They were there in the Garden of Gethsemane as he sweat as it were great drops of blood. And John in particular probably was the most perceptive of the lot. He seemed to pick up on things that others often missed. It was John who would often lean his head on the chest of Jesus so as not to miss a word.
So we come to John's Gospel and read his words about the Lord. The Gospel of John, chapter 1. We read these words: "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 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 it."
Now, there is not a definite article before the word "beginning" here, as in verse 1, "In the beginning was the Word." Meaning you cannot pinpoint the moment in time when there was this beginning. Because He's going back in time to eternity past. He's going further back than our minds can imagine.
Three Key Truths About Jesus from John 1
And here's what John is saying. And it brings us to point number one: Jesus is God.
Jesus is God. Before there was a world. Before there were planets. Before there was light or darkness. Before there was matter. Before there was anything but the Godhead. There was Jesus. Jesus Christ. A member of the Trinity. Co-equal. Co-eternal. Co-existent with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He was with God. He was God.
He came to this earth as a man. Verse 14 of John tells us, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." He tabernacled among us. God became an embryo. He was deity in diapers. God became a man. He entered our world. He breathed our air. He shared our pain. He walked in our shoes and then some. He lived our life. And then He died our death.
But listen. Jesus did not become identical to us. He became identified with us. Important distinction. He did not become identical to us, meaning that He was not a man with sinful impulses. But He became identified with us. You see. No one was ever more identified with humanity than Jesus. It was total identification without any loss of identity. For He became one of us without ceasing to be Himself. He became human without ceasing to be God.
Jesus did not exchange deity for humanity. He was deity in humanity. And the Bible is clear in making this point that Jesus was God. And that Jesus was the creator of the universe. Because we are told that the Word was with God. And He made all things. And we are also told over in Colossians that He indeed made all things. By Him all things were created in heaven and earth. Visible and invisible. Whether they be thrones or powers or authorities. All things were created by Him and for Him. Jesus was God.
Point number two: Jesus, who was God, became a man.
Now when we think about that first Christmas. We celebrate the birth of our Lord. There in that manger in Bethlehem. But it was not only the story of an arrival on earth. It's also the story of a departure from heaven. Right? Because Isaiah 9:6 says, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."
From earth's perspective, unto us a child was born. There in the manger. But from heaven's perspective, a son was given. But to remind us of the deity of the babe, it says, And He will call His name, speaking of that babe, Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
So, clearly, that was God in human form. You shall call His name Emmanuel, which means God with us.
We also know that the Lord chose that He would send the Messiah through the Virgin. The prophecy spoke of this, that Messiah would be supernaturally conceived in the womb of a woman who had never known a man.
Now, some people struggle with this. "Well, you know, I believe in Jesus. I don't know if I believe in that virgin birth stuff." Really? Check this out. I don't think you can be a Christian without believing in the virgin birth. Why? Well, listen, if He was not supernaturally conceived in the womb of the virgin, then, friend, He was not God. And if He was not God, then His death on the cross was not of any great significance because there's a lot of men who died on Roman crosses 2,000 years ago, and one of them happened to be named Jesus.
But the fact is, there was only one man who died on a cross, who was God in human form, atoning for the sin of the world, and then who bodily rose again from the dead. Larry King had it right when he said that he would interview Jesus and ask Him if He was indeed virgin born because the answer to that question would define history. True! And He indeed was virgin born. It's a claim to His deity.
And going back to our first message, where I made the simple point, we believe that God exists and is the creator of all things, if you believe that, the rest of the Bible is going to be relatively easy for you. If you can accept Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth," then you can believe in all the miracles that we find in the pages of Scripture.
But now let's think about it logically. Because remember that we've talked about the importance of thinking these things through, and as Christians, we don't have to check our brains at the door to believe. When you really consider, virgin birth makes total sense.
In other words, there are other ways God could have sent His Messiah to the earth. It would have been possible for God the Father to send Jesus to this earth as a complete yet sinless human being without a human parent. I mean, everybody could have been just going on their way, and all of a sudden, a shaft of light comes down from heaven. And Jesus comes in. "Hello? I'm the Messiah."
Well, we would all be impressed, no doubt, but yet, how could we relate to a guy like that when he talked about walking in our shoes and facing the challenges that we... Well, you came from heaven on a beam of light. What do you know? It would be hard for us to accept the fact that He was a man if He came to us that way.
On the other hand, it would have been possible for God the Father to have Jesus come into the world with two human parents, both a mother and a father, with His full divine nature, somehow united to His human nature. But then it would have been hard for us to accept that He was really a man. And we'd say, "Well, you say that He is divine, but He has human parents like the rest of us."
No, you see, when you think about it, it makes total sense. Yes, born in the womb of a woman, who, by the way, had a sinful nature that He did not inherit, but yet supernaturally conceived in her womb. It's the way God chose to do it. Christ was God, not because He was virgin born. He was virgin born because He was God.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "If Jesus Christ is not true God, how could He help us? If not true man, how could He help us?"
Now, understand this. There's not a moment when Jesus became God. He was God before He was born. He remained God after He became man. His deity was pre-human, pre-earthly, pre-Bethlehem, pre-Mary. He always was God, even in His mother's womb.
Did Baby Jesus Know He Was God?
Now, here's an interesting thing to think about. How much did Jesus know about His mission when He was a little child? In other words, did that little baby know all things? You know, babies are amazing, really. And we have a new grandchild, little Lucy. And every time I see her, she's doing something new. You know, she's becoming more alert, more aware. But she isn't talking yet, like her sister Stella. She doesn't call me Papa yet. She looks and smiles. And, you know, she's at a different state mentally than her sister is.
And in the same way, we see that children grow. And we wonder, well, did Jesus know all of these things when He was there in the womb? In other words, as a little baby born in the manger, was He just sitting there in the straw looking up, going, "Well, there's Mary, there's Joseph, there's a donkey, there's some shepherds over there, and I'm God in human form."
If so, why didn't He say, "Hey, Mary, Joseph, hello, I'm Jesus, how are you? I'm the creator of all things. I'd really appreciate it if someone could get me out of this manger. I have a ministry to start. Let's get going." I mean, you know, and I hope you don't find that irreverent what I'm saying.
Jesus actually became a baby. God became an embryo, deity in diapers, as I said. And my point is, it would appear from Scripture that Jesus went through a learning process like anybody else. Because we're told in Luke 2:52, Jesus grew and increased in wisdom and stature.
You say, "But wait a second, if you're omniscient, which means you know all things, how can you learn things?" Right? Valid question. Well, here's the answer. Could Jesus not have possessed these divine attributes without using them? Listen, self-emptying is not self-extinction. He humbled himself. The Bible says, he humbled himself and took upon himself the form of a servant. And that phrase means, he emptied himself, meaning he laid aside, not deity, but the privileges of deity.
So, he went through a learning process and Luke says, he increased in knowledge and wisdom or literally, he kept advancing. He was God in human form. It's just pretty much mind-blowing.
Bringing us to point number three, Jesus veiled his deity, but he never violated it.
Again, he veiled his deity, but he never violated it. I alluded to this passage, let me quote it now, Philippians 2:6-8, "Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."
God among us. Imagine what that would have been like. Imagine if you had been one of the apostles and you could lay your actual eyes on Jesus. John, who wrote the Gospel of John and also wrote 1 John, the epistle, said this in 1 John 1:1, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—we proclaim to you."
The phrase that John uses here for "seen with our eyes" could be translated to view, to contemplate, to gaze upon as a spectacle. I mean, imagine if you were one of those original 12 walking and talking with Jesus. And you just look at him and say, "So, that's God in human form. Wow."
I mean, I bet when Jesus was laying there asleep that maybe he'd wake up and all the apostles are standing just looking at him. "Can I help you guys?" "No, nothing. Sorry. Never mind." I mean, that's God there. That's God speaking to us. That's God that we just reached out and touched in human form.
What Did Jesus Really Look Like?
Which brings us to the question, what did Jesus look like? You know, we wonder about that. Was he strikingly handsome as he always is when he's depicted in film for the most part? Maybe. And maybe not.
It would appear to me that Jesus was what we might describe as an ordinary person in appearance. I'm not suggesting he was unattractive. Nor am I suggesting he was very attractive. We don't really know. But here's what Isaiah 53:2 says, "There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance. Nothing to attract us to him."
You remember that he could walk through a crowd unnoticed. You remember even when Judas Iscariot betrayed him. He said, "It's the man that I kiss." If Jesus appeared as he did in some religious art, Judas would say, "Well, he's the guy that looks like the movie star. There's only one guy here with blonde hair and blue eyes."
And I can almost say with complete certainty Jesus did not have blonde hair and blue eyes. He was Semitic. His skin would have been dark. His hair would have been dark. His eyes probably would have been dark and so I don't think he looked at all like the modern version we have of him.
And we do have this modern concept of Jesus that we carry around in our mind. I remember years ago I was in a mental hospital as a visitor. Not a patient. Though there have been times people have probably thought I should be in this patient. But I was visiting with my friend Mike McIntosh, a fellow pastor. This is many many years ago and this is when I had hair so really a long time ago. And I not only had hair but it was long parted in the middle and down to my shoulders right about here and I had a full beard and some people said I resembled Jesus a little bit.
And so I've been in this mental hospital with Mike and Mike's talking to this patient and Mike says to him "Has anyone ever introduced you to Jesus Christ." And this guy without missing a beat turns to me grabs my hand shakes it and says "Jesus it's good to meet you." I'm like "I'm not Jesus I'm Greg."
So we have that image of Jesus that we carry around in our mind but I think he was an ordinary looking man. If he glowed as you see sometimes in religious art Judas could have just said when identifying him "he's the guy glowing in the dark." No he was an ordinary looking man.
Isn't it interesting that in all the gospels we don't have a single description. Could not one of these guys have given us two verses on what Jesus looked like? No. Knowing our propensity for idol worship maybe that's why it's not included in scripture we know enough but what we do know is he was probably quite ordinary in appearance but still God in human form.
It's hard for us to wrap our mind around this. Here's a good illustration. Remember the time when the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee and a great storm came and they began to despair of life so it had to be a pretty bad storm because these guys had their sea legs and they were seasoned sailors but they thought we're going to drown.
Meanwhile Jesus is asleep in the boat but he had a hard day he was exhausted they woke him up "Lord don't you care that we're perishing" Christ comes on deck faces a storm and says "Peace be still" or a more literal translation "peace be muzzle" like he was talking to a wild animal and then he rebuked them for not having faith.
Now that's a perfect example of deity and humanity on display. What could be more human than being exhausted after a day's work and falling asleep and what could be more divine than rebuking the elements causing his own disciples to say "What kind of man is this that even the wind and sea obeys him?" What kind of man? He was the God man that's what kind of man.
The Humanity of Jesus – He Felt What We Feel
Let's consider some other facets of the humanity of Jesus. Jesus became tired like we do. When he needed to get from point A to point B he walked like everybody else. Now if I were Jesus I would not have done that. I would have said to the guys "I'll meet you in Jerusalem." "Aren't you walking with us?" "No." And then as they started the journey I'd just float over the top land in Jerusalem.
Jesus walked he journeyed he was tired he was exhausted he fell asleep from exhaustion like anyone else. Jesus experienced physical hunger. We know that after he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights the Bible says he was hungry and he had been tempted by Lucifer to turn a rock into a piece of bread which he did not do because it's worth noting that Jesus never performed a miracle for his own benefit.
Again if I were the Messiah I would have created food for myself I mean being God omniscient he knew all things he knew the future he knew what wonderful foods were going to be invented down the road you know thousand years later fifteen hundred years later you know and I would have just sent the guys off to eat their fish and unleavened bread and I'd have been eating pizza pasta "Lord, what's that?" Never mind. In-N-Out Burger.
He never did stuff like that. But he was hungry. He experienced physical thirst. When he hung on the cross, he said, "I thirst." He could have created water, but he humbled himself, emptied himself of his privileges.
He experienced physical weakness. I think you could safely say that Jesus was a man's man. He was not weak and scrawny. We assume that he worked as a carpenter, being raised by Joseph. We know he spent a lot of time on the road traveling, as I mentioned. We know he was able to bear up under the weight of a cross, which weighed a considerable weight. This was after he had been scourged, and the Roman cat of nine tails had come on his back 39 times, resulting in an amazing loss of blood. Yet he was able to bear that cross and carry it for a period of time, collapsing under its weight at one point, and being assisted by a man named Simon from Cyrene.
But he experienced physical weariness and weakness, and he died like a man, in that his body ceased to function. When he bled, it was real blood. When they put the spikes through his hands and feet, it was real pain.
And Jesus knew anger. Jesus was angry. Never flying off the handle or losing his temper like we do. Oh, isn't it a great thing to know God doesn't have temper tantrums? Can you imagine? God's really ticked off today. Planets are flying around. What's going on? No. His was always righteous indignation.
We saw it on display when the money changers were preying on the people, rather than praying for the people. And Jesus drove them out with a whip. He was angry with the religious leaders that misrepresented God to the people.
But yet, he was tender and approachable, so much so that little children would run to sit in his lap and play at his feet.
And Jesus felt sorrow. Deep, deep sorrow. The most dramatic demonstration of this is at the tomb of Lazarus, who happened to be a personal friend of Jesus, along with his sisters, Mary and Martha. Lazarus was ill. Deathly ill. Word was sent to Christ. "The one that you love is sick."
Jesus intentionally delayed his arrival. Interestingly, John's Gospel tells us, because he loved Mary and Martha and Lazarus, which in some ways doesn't make sense, if he really loved them, why did he let them die? That's a good question. I don't know the answer. But he loved them. And he was going to do a miracle.
Sometimes, in God's love, he will allow things to happen that don't necessarily make sense to us. But then later on, we're able to look back at them and see that he had his plan and purpose in it. This was one of those examples.
And so, Jesus delayed his arrival. So, instead of raising up a sick man, there was a man now that had crossed over to the other side. And as he came to the tomb, and he saw all the people weeping, the Bible says he was both indignant, and then it says Jesus wept. In fact, it's the shortest verse in all of the Bible. Two words. Jesus wept.
Why? Why did he weep? Because his friend was dead? I don't think so. I think he wept because he saw the devastation of death that it brought to those that were there mourning the loss of their dear brother and friend. I think he wept because he saw that death was never part of God's plan. That because sin entered the world, things like illness and aging and death take place.
But here's something to consider. Maybe Jesus wept because poor Lazarus was going to have to come back to earth again. You ever think about that? We think he wept because he was gone. Well, wait a second. Jesus was God, right? Yeah, we got that down. Jesus came from heaven, right? Absolutely. That means he knows the glory of heaven better than anybody else. And he knew Lazarus was in Abraham's bosom. He was in paradise. He was in pure bliss.
Oh, he weeps. Poor Lazarus. He's going to have to come back to earth again. And then poor Lazarus, he had to die twice, as if once isn't bad enough. But he wept, I think, overall, because of the horrific effects of death and what happens as a result.
He felt sorrow. And I bring this up because he understands your sorrow. He understands what you're going through. In fact, the Bible says of him in Isaiah 53, "He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with the bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. When he went by, he was despised and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried. It was our sorrows that weighed him down."
Friend, not just your sin, but your sorrows. He felt your pain. He understands your sorrow, you see. Someone might say, "Get over it, grow up, stop it, don't cry, wipe your tears." Jesus would say, "I understand. I know why you feel that way. I know why you're hurt like that. And I've been there. And I know what it's like. And I'm here for you."
See, that's why Jesus is so wonderful. Because we know that we're talking to a God who has walked in our shoes, who has breathed our air, who has lived our life, who has died our death.
As we're told in Hebrews 2:17, "It was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so he could be our merciful and faithful high priest. And since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted."
You see, he knows what it's like to go through what you're going through. He knows what it's like to go through what I'm going through.
Emmanuel – God Is With Us Today
The essential message of the incarnation, or Christmas, the birth of our Lord, is that Emmanuel came. God is with us. Emmanuel. God walked among us. We're never alone.
Without question, one of the most remarkable teachings in the Bible is that Jesus Christ not only is with us, but he comes and makes his home in the human heart that welcomes him. Jesus said in John 14:23, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him."
God wants to make his home with you. He doesn't want to just stop by as a house guest or pay you a visit or have a nice little chat. He wants to move in. He wants to make his home with you. He wants to indwell you. He wants to transform you. He wants you to know you're never alone.
Maybe your marriage fell apart this year and you feel all alone. You need to know something. Emmanuel. God is with you. Perhaps your children have forgotten about you today. You need to know something. Emmanuel. God is with you. Maybe a loved one who was with you last year is not here today. You need to know something. Emmanuel. God is with you.
And also, if your loved one believed, they're with the Lord and you will join them again in a great reunion. Maybe you feel isolated in a hospital, a prison, a convalescent home. If you have faith in Christ, Emmanuel, God is with you.
He's God with skin on. Jesus was God spelling himself out in language we could all understand.
Why did he come? Well, I'm going to spend some time talking about that in our next two messages. But let me just touch on the topic as we close. Why did he come? The answer is found among other places in Galatians 4. Where Paul writes and says, "When the time was just right, God sent forth a son, born of a woman, to redeem those that have been kidnapped by the law that we might be set free to experience our rightful heritage."
You can tell for sure you're now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the spirit of his son into your life where you cry out, "Papa, Father." Doesn't that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain you're not a slave but a child? If you're a child, you're also an heir and have complete access to the inheritance.
You see, I have a special relationship with my son, Jonathan, that's here today. I have a special relationship with my grandchildren. They can call me Dad, Daddy, Papa. You don't call me that, especially Papa because it makes me feel really old. But if you're only two and a half years old it's not so bad, you know.
But that's relationship, you see. We have access to God through Jesus Christ. C.S. Lewis summed it up beautifully when he said the Son of God became a man that men might become sons of God. So we can come into this relationship with Him.
And I ask you in closing, do you know God in a personal way? It's one thing to talk about God as a far-off supreme being but God came near. God walked among us. He lived among us. He died for us and rose again from the dead.
And now Jesus, the Son of God who lived, who died, who rose, is here standing at the door of your life and He is knocking saying if you'll hear His voice and open the door, He will come in.
And I ask you today, have you asked Jesus to come into your life? Do you have the forgiveness of your sin? Do you have assurance that when you die you will go to heaven? Well, no one can know these things. No, I think they can. Because the Bible says these things we write to you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
I know I have eternal life. I know it. I know I will go to heaven one day because God has promised it to me and I believe this promise. Have you? If not, you need to today. So God will come and live in you and forgive you of your sin.
If you haven't done that yet, you can do it now as we close in prayer.
Let's all bow our heads if you would please. And Father, I pray now for every person listening to this message. Help each one to see, Lord, that you love them with an everlasting love and stand ready to forgive them of every sin they have ever committed if they will come to you.
When our heads are bowed, maybe you would say today, Greg, I don't know if my sin is forgiven. I can't say with confidence Jesus is living in my life. I'm not sure if I died that I would go to heaven, but I want to be sure. I want Jesus to come into my life. Pray for me.
If that's your desire, if you want Christ to come into your life today, if you want Him to forgive you of your sin, if you want that void in your life filled, if you want to go to heaven when you die, would you lift your hand up wherever you're sitting and let me just pray for you today.
God bless you. Just lift your hand up where I can see it, please. God bless you. God bless you. Up in the balcony, you want God's forgiveness today. Lift your hand up. I'll pray for you today. God bless you up there. Out in the courtyard, you can raise your hand too. I can't see you, of course, but the Lord sees you. Take that little step of faith and lift your hand up saying, I want Christ in my life. Same for you over there in the court. You haven't yet made this commitment. Raise your hand up too. Make this little commitment to Christ.
Now I'm going to ask all of you that raise your hand if you would. Just stand to your feet and I'm going to lead you in a prayer. Again, if you raise your hand with me during that last moment of prayer, just stand up. I'm going to lead you in this prayer. Stand up wherever you are. Out in the amphitheater, outdoors, stand up. In the court building, stand up. I'm going to lead you in this prayer. Up in the balcony, stand to your feet. You want Christ to come in your life today, stand up and I'm going to lead you in this prayer.
This final moment, anybody else? Stand up. God bless each one of you that are standing. Anybody else? Just stand now if you would. All right, you that are standing, pray this prayer out loud after me. Again, as I pray, you pray this prayer out loud.
Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, but you died on the cross for me and shed your blood for me. I turn from my sin today and ask you to come into my life and be my Savior and Lord, God and friend. Thank you for calling me and accepting me and forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.