"God Pursues Us" (Part 3 of "Real Christmas Meaning: God became human")

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Sermons

2011

Written by David Charlton

Scripture

John 14:6-7

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. ⁷ If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him."

Colossians 1:15-20

He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; ¹⁶ for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities -- all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. ¹⁹ For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Core Idea, Challenge & Summary

Core Idea: God pursued us in a love relationship by becoming human.

Challenge: To help people understand God’s love for us as demonstrated in the incarnation, God becoming human.

Summary: How can we know God personally? How can we really know God’s character? Our sinful nature separates us from God and our intellect is insufficient for us to really know God. We can know God only because God takes the initiative and pursues us. He pursues us in order to develop a love relationship with us.

God was pursuing us when He became a human named Jesus. By becoming a man, God revealed Himself to us in a way we can all understand. To know Jesus is to know God. Jesus reveals God’s character and we can see that God is love. This is what Christmas is all about.

Is God still pursuing you or have you allowed Him to catch you? God won’t force himself on you but He will woo you. Give in to God’s wooing. Allow Him to catch you. It will be the greatest love story in your life.

The Sermon

I. Introduction: Knowing the presidential candidates

A. The Republican primaries are beginning

On January 3, 2012 the Iowa Primary will start it off
Newt Gingrich is the current front runner
Herman Cain was the front runner but pulled out in the wake of various unwanted allegations
Mitt Romney, Michelle Bachman, Ron Paul and Rick Perry are still contenders

B. As we follow the race for the White House, we can learn about the candidates but

it’s very hard to really know them.

We can learn about their accomplishments, qualifications, religious affiliations and political views
We don’t, however, really know them personally, as a person.
The candidates try to show themselves as a person by ‘pressing the flesh’, holding town hall meetings, participating in debates, and going on talk shows but that doesn’t seem to do it.
The vast majority of Americans can say they know something about the candidates but they don’t really know them as a person.
The geographic and social distance keeps us from really knowing them as people.

C. If we have a hard time getting to know our presidential candidates, how can we

hope to really know God in a personal way?

II. The distance between us and God

A. God, the creator of billions and billions of stars, comets and planets and all life is

somewhere ‘way up there’.

B. Our sinful nature keeps us away from God

Sin is disobeying God and doing whatever we want. By doing that, we become our own gods.
This separates us from God.
God is somewhere way up there and our sin keeps it that way.
We’re left with our inadequate intellectual ability to figure God out.

III. With our intellect, we can figure out that there is a God and we can know something

about God but that’s it. Our intellect alone can’t enable us to know God personally.

A. My experience as a high school senior in Physics class

I learned about the laws governing nature: law of gravity, E=MC squared, with every action there is an opposite and equal reaction etc…
One day I realized that if nature was governed by inflexible laws, someone had to create those laws. That someone must be God.
With my intellect, I realized that God exists and that God is a God of order.
That, however, was all I could discern. This realization didn’t enable me to know God personally. I still didn’t know God’s character.

B. Throughout the ages, philosophies and religions have tried to use human reason

and human ability to get to know God.

Neoplatonic philosophy failed in this regard. This philosophical system portrays God as a transcendent being that can only be reached through the use of reason.[1] Reason has its limits. It can only take us so far.
Hinduism teaches that the main god, Brahman, is an impersonal being who is not really interested in people as individuals. When people finally break free from the cycle of re-birth and death (reincarnation), they lose their individual identity as they are absorbed into Brahman. They cease to exist. So much for developing a personal relationship with God.
Islam teaches that we develop a relationship with God based on our ability to obey God’s commands as taught in the Koran. Our sinful nature, however, makes this impossible.

C. Christianity is different from all other religions.

The Christian gospel is not about humanity’s attempt to reach God but God’s pursuit of humanity.
God pursues us in order to have a loving relationship with us.

IV. God’s pursuit of humanity

A. Because of our sinful condition, we can’t come to God, so God pursues us. God

comes to us.

B. It’s like a man pursuing a lady for a romantic relationship. The man woos her by…

Buying her flowers or chocolates
Taking her to fancy restaurants or preparing intimate dinners for her
Taking her on moonlit walks or horse drawn carriage rides
Taking a bath everyday
Likewise, God pursues us for an intimate, personal and loving relationship

C. God was pursuing us 2,000 years ago when He arrived on the earth as a human

named Jesus.

God revealed Himself in a way we can all understand…as a human
To know Jesus is to know God.
If you want to know God’s character, look at the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. You’ll find that God is a good and loving God.

V. Jesus reveals God’s character. In John 14:6, Jesus states, “I am the way, the truth

and the life”

A. “I am the Way”

We can only point others to the way. We can’t say, “I am the Way”.
Only God, the creator, can say, “I am the Way.”
Jesus says, “I am the Way.”

B. “I am the Truth”

We can only declare truth to be found in the Scriptures
Only the Creator God can say, “I am truth”
Jesus says, “I am truth”

C. “I am the life”

We can only support life with healthy habits
Only the Creator God can claim to be the originator and sustainer of life. Only God can say, “I am life”
Jesus says, “I am life”

D. Jesus went on to say, “If you had known me, you would have known my Father

also; henceforth you know him and have seen him."

To know Jesus is to know God
Jesus reveals God’s character

E. If Jesus had not come; we would not know that God is love

As we witness the pain and suffering of this fallen and dark world, we would conclude that God doesn’t love us
In the midst of darkness, Jesus comes along and shows us that God is love.
The Apostle John walked and talked with Jesus. By knowing Jesus, the Apostle John was able to write in 1 John 4:8 &16, “God is love”
God’s loving pursuit of us led Jesus straight to the cross.

VI. Conclusion: What Christmas is all about

A. Christmas is about God’s loving pursuit of each one of us.

B. God was pursuing us in love when He became a human named Jesus.

C. Is God still pursuing you or have you allowed God to catch you?

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platonism

Glynlea Grace United Methodist Chruch