48. His Story is Your Story

Introduction

One of my favorite things to do is listen to stories. I like documentary TV shows that tell real stories. I enjoy podcasts where people tell their stories in their own words. I like movies that start with the sentence, “Based on a true story.” And I love listening to fiction in audiobook format.

I’m also a person who doesn’t get tired of hearing the same story again. I’ve listened to The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings audiobooks at least ten times. They never grow old! My grandpa told so many stories when I was growing up. The last few years of his life, he had a handful of stories he told over and over again, not remembering that he’d shard them before. But I never got tired of listening to his stories, even though I knew what would happen next.

At Christmas, we remember the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. It’s a captivating story that has held our hearts for two thousand years. And the fact that it’s a true story makes it all the more enchanting.

The Christmas story is one small story in the Bible. And the Bible is a collection of small stories all of which, when connected together, tell a much larger story—the biggest story—the story of God and the world he created. It’s a true story. In fact, it’s the truest story that has ever been told. And it’s a story that never grows old.

In God’s story, the people he created to share the world with—that’s us—rejected him. We decided we’d rather write our own stories. But without God, who is the light of life, our tales get lost in darkness and death. So, God did something amazing. He stepped into our story. And he began to weave our stories of selfishness, rebellion, sin, and suffering back into his story, a story of hope, love, joy, and peace.

These four words: hope, love, joy, and peace tell God’s story. And they all come together in Jesus.

Message: His story is your story.

Hope, love, joy, and peace: God’s story told in Christ. And my favorite part of the story? That God invites us into his story. His story can be your story when your story leads to Jesus. Let’s look at Colossians 1:15-23 to see how.

Everything finds its purpose in Christ.

Colossians 1:15–18 MSG

15 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. 16 For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. 17 He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. 18 And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone.

Exposition

Jesus is the source of everything that was created. Everything from the smallest subatomic particle to the largest galaxies millions of light-years across—everything was made by him, through him, and for him.

Jesus is the glue that holds the fabric of the Universe together. The reason the laws of physics work the way they do is because he designed them and preserves them in existence.

Jesus is the source of life. He is the designer and the architect of life. Without Jesus, we are like cell phones without a charger. Our lives eventually run out and come to an end. But Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He is the source that sustains all life now and forever.

Life is by Jesus, through Jesus, and for Jesus. It’s not about us. It’s about him.

Illustration: My kids enjoy acting in the school theatre productions. And we’ve all heard the saying, “There are no small parts, only small actors.” That’s true. Every role is important to the story. But not every role is the lead role. Not every character is the main character.

Application: In the story of the universe, you have an important part to play. This world wouldn’t be the same without you. But you’re a supporting actor. Jesus has the lead role. The story of your life only makes sense when Jesus is the main character. Find your purpose in him.

Everything finds its place in Christ.

Colossians 1:19–20 MSG

19 So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. 20 Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.

Exposition

I love what it says: “Everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding.” Another version translates it this way: “In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” Jesus is nothing less than God in the flesh. And he has the unlimited power to heal and restore all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe.

You don’t need me to give you examples of brokenness in the world. We’ve lived it the past week. When things in the world seem out of place — when it feels like we can’t make heads or tails out of life — when we get the happiness we’ve been working so hard for, only to have it so quickly fade — when we see hurting people, sickness, sadness, and suffering — we see a world in dissonance.

Illustration: Again, I love the translation. “All the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies…”

Application: Just as you have a purpose in Jesus, you have a place in him, too. You may be broken, but he heals the brokenhearted and restores what’s been lost. You may feel like a misfit, but in reality you’re a harmony to his melody. You belong. You’re a fit. You have a place at God’s table, a setting just for you, a room in God’s house with your name on the door. Jesus came so that you could find your place in him.

Everything finds peace in Christ.

Colossians 1:21–23 MSG

21 You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. 22 But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. 23 You don’t walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message.

Exposition

We are broken and dislocated pieces of the universe because we sneered at our supporting role and tried to play the lead part. We rebelled against our Creator. We rejected the source and unplugged from his life. And a life-story without God always devolves into a fragmented and meaningless plot.

But God is writing a better story. Jesus was born, fully and completely human; fully and completely God. And he gave us an unimaginable gift. We were found guilty of rejecting God, but Jesus took our sentence and gave himself completely at the cross—he died for you. And in so doing, he established peace with God. He made it possible for those of us who were enemies of God to become children of God — for those of us who were indifferent toward God to find our purpose in living for him. He made it possible for those of us who were broken and dislocated to find our place in him and our people in the community of his Church. He made it possible for those of us who were chasing fleeting happiness to find lasting joy — for those of us living in dissonance with the world to come together in vibrant harmonies.

See verse 23. “You don’t walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one…”

Illustration: Literary scholars tell us there are only seven basic stories in the world, and all the stories that have been told are simply a recycled version of one of the seven stories.

Application: But in truth, there is only one story. There is only one testimony. There is only one gospel. “There is no other Message—just this one,” and here it is: God loves you. Jesus came for you.

Conclusion

His story of hope, love, joy, and peace becomes your story when your story leads to Jesus. Come home and find your story in Jesus.