Best Christmas Part 1

The best Christmas ever is our series restarting in and so that y'all saw it was going to be a little bit of different Series this week or this is the next four weeks are administering only we look at maybe like the birth of Jesus and those kind of things are actually going to look at the hashtag hashtag the time of year, you know, you hear the songs like the the constant songs or hearing about the most wonderful time of the year is going to be the best but then it comes the Facebook posts Instagram the twitters the Hallmark card the Christmas Bragg letters in everybody's life is being promoted in and shine doubt. Is this our life is so awesome. Look at our great house. It looks like this all the time is perfect. We're perfect. Is there awesome they're doing so well and all this kind of stuff and a lot of us are wondering like why why isn't my life like that? Or or we're doing the same thing. We're faking it. Just like everybody else. We're putting up the facade. We are doing the post because we got to keep up. You know, you can't be like that guy with that family that gets you are honest about what it's really like and what's really going on in those kind of things with it. But here's the thing is this is constant pressure and push it to be perfect and try to best to prove ourselves and to others. We're having the best Christmas ever or we're living the best life ever. And the good news is though that in the gospels God shows the New Testament is that Christmas really isn't for the perfect people people who are messy and who are really long and need need some hope and some encouragement. Let's be honest. If we are faking it, we are all putting on a facade where you know where like this family in the in the photo here, which is like in the Instagram. It looks great. But the reality of this photo because y'all noticed the kid offers us in alternative and John 10:10. It says I came that they may have life and have it abundantly Jesus actually promises Us in offers us the best life ever going to be over the next 4 weeks going into Christmas. Actually. We're going to look at that best wife. What is the best life? What is you're the best house that you can have the best job that you can have the best family that you can have. What's the best life that you can have it all this is going to come out by John chapter 12 this week and then starting next week Raffi going to be camping out and John chapter 14. And asking question. What is the best life because Jesus offers that's like what's these offers an alternative to the world idea best life? He is a better life actually. He's the best life. And so what is that? So first of all to get to that idea if you come to me first why we got to recognize the illusion of the best life the delusion. Of the best life because this world that we're in is constantly offering us the best life and in the Christmas season seems to be even when it says a point. It's like the worst is it's like countless commercials if you get that new car, if you need it you like tailgating just get a new tailgate y'all seen that commercial on and on and on right and it had the cars with the bows and or you know, the kids age show up and they get all their dreams come true and all this this promises that this is going to be the best you're going to have the best life ever and then it gets worse because the only going to New Year's and now we got to think about the next year and how we're going to make our life better and we're going to make a list of resolutions and different things that we're going to be doing give ourselves the best life. But here's the thing is. You're being sold a bill of goods as they say or maybe like oceanfront property in Arizona or this is like one of those Nigerian guy is trying to tell you he's going to give you money, right if you give him access to your bank account. Okay, it's not true. There is a delusion to think that there is just perfect best life that you're supposed to be attached to their supposed to have in spite of all the media and all the things that spin around us telling us. Otherwise, we'll hear In this passage. You see Jesus. He's at the height of his popularity. This is the Pinnacle of his popularity. They say is in in the Gospel of John particularly tasty Gainey and Gainey Daniel popularity. And he comes in triumphal entry amazing party gets thrown for him. And he's at the height of his popularity and we see these Greeks coming to visit with him and they are coming to meet Jesus and you can understand why this is fed 5000. He has turned water into wine. He's healed a little boy. He's giving sight to the Blind and now writing before this. He has raised Lazarus from the deck. So these guys come and want to meet Jesus for good reason, right? And we don't really know exactly why they're coming. But Jesus right at this point, he's somebody to meet in the Greeks. I've always thought throughout history that they were those who were really seeking the meaning of life and what how to how to find the best life. Inter philosophy is reflected it like that. So for example of the philosophy of Hedonism for that right is that you can find happiness in this life. If you pursue pleasure or on the flip side of stoicism. The best way to have to face this life is to the Granite. Grynnandbarrett white-knuckler just face it down without emotion without any feeling that's one approach or when I think that probably most reflects us today is epicureanism you heard of that before if you avoid fear you avoid paying all cost you can have a comfortable life. That is the American life, you know just avoid paying invoice any trouble avoid any kind of suffering in your life and you can just have a nice comfortable peaceful life seeking you're searching they're looking for the best life and they come to Jesus seeking that and I'm like what these grease we're all searching for that best live. Are we? We all have that picture in that picture changes, you know, when you were a kid and you don't you want to know what's best life you're looking for what life would be praying for you when you were little kid. Would you pray for me? I really want that new toy, you know, and then it's help me graduate high school, but then it was help me get it this job. Help me pass law school. Help me this help me and any Beginning by our prayers if you pray at all by the way, but by your prayers can tell you what's your best life you're looking for I guess if you don't pray that tells you something to anyway, what's what is that best picture that picture of this best life that you are always searching and in longing for it's like these Greeks all of us or doing that. This is gone back from the very beginning. You rewind the tape to the Adam and Eve in the garden the very beginning of our creation Avenue. We're seeking it being offered a Best Buy fourth. It really doesn't have your best in mind. There might be a better way or John down. Let go into the history is real. I mean they weren't you constantly looking for a better life. You know, they're always seeking more a new God knew this and always rebelling and turning away from God seeking a better life weren't they? Keep on going then? We are Jesus himself. That's where the New Testament when he's into the Wilderness by the spirit old and he's out there what it what happens. Satan himself offers him. What a better life I will give you the key to me this better life and your nowadays people read books by God guys like Joel Olsteen and I promise you what the title from him your best life because God wants you to have all that you want in your life and your life to live up to your full potential as a person. And that's what we're all for nothing. So we need to ask ourselves who is going to Define best life for us. Who or what is defining best life for you?

Is it the world? Or is it something else would like I said Jesus offers us a real best life a real best life to us. That's fine. The real best life. What is what is the best life was to find that? Okay. So so here's the story these Greeks come and it's kind of a curious story, isn't it? You think about what's going on here? They show up they asked me Jesus you're like Okay, let's do you know why wouldn't he needs men like reading people and ask ushering people in the some would say this is a point where the Jews are going to reject Jesus and now the Greeks are coming and it's a sign for him that his time has come to go do what he's come to do. That's part of what's Happening Here, but he doesn't really directly respond. Listen to text. We don't see any response other than he just kind of reverse starts talkin about the response response is like really puzzled people about himself being glorified and lifted up. And that's sounds good. Right? Like my time has come to be glorified. It might my hour to be lifted up as come and if you haven't read through the text at this point, you don't know the story. You would have said maybe Jesus you just were you think about it? Like this was the height of his popular. He has been ushered in on the donkey triumphal entry River Palm Sunday guys, right if people are celebrating him and his party you can kind of look at it almost like now he's got this huge following on Twitter millions of followers and subscribers and he is he is he is gone viral as we would say in this world today. He's gone viral. Everybody wants to hear what she has to say. Everybody is come out and if he turn these are so I'm going to be glorified. I'm going to be lifted up. We know you got onto verse 33 what he's talking about here isn't a glorified the way we think being lifted up way. We think he's actually talking about being lifted up on a cross and that he be glorified in death. Until Jesus does here he turned on its head what we normally think about the best life. He turns it on its head and reverses the whole economy of s life. He said he's basically saying that wasn't the world says that what I just experienced. I think I'm like I'm like hiding my popularity that everybody celebrate the Jews themselves for some night. 19 says they say look the whole world has gone after him. There their text you cuz there's there's not wanting him to be popular not wanting people to be following him. And Jesus is as grain this huge popular. He has got his best life going according to the world in Jesus flips it on its head was the first of 24 and 25 We see Jesus turning it on its head. So when you get there, I'll preaching today. I didn't bring my Bible. So I'm using my iPad so

sexy I guess one of those days again, you know, it's so where's the 24 and 25 he says Truly truly I say to you now when you hear that in the New Testament, what's happening there back to the Greek word? Amen? Always what we normally say we know nowadays use the word 8 minutes do we pray? But it it's the word we can't totally trains like that in English, but it means like this is seriously important. This is huge huge huge write. This is big get it. So the ESV here's using truly truly. I tell you a man a man. I tell you is really making a point here. He wants us to hear OK truly truly. I say to you unless a grain of wheat falls into the Earth and dies it remains alone. But if it dies it Bears much fruit, whoever loves his life. Loses it and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for attorneys. Again. This is Jesus flipping on its head what we would think would be best life. And so do things happen here at least two versus one is basically saying is that the way up is actually down. This eat this is inverting reality here. He is inverting turning reality upside down when we normally think of his Up Is Down wouldn't only think of is down is up. He's reverse order here. Okay, and so the world says what language says if you want to get ahead in life go for it. And if you want to have the best life be successful go to Harvard do all these things. Do you know have power have wealth have success win the football game right left? That's good that you know, you know, we we we report we we lost people who are successful who do the right thing to do or who can sing. Well who look good all those things or what the world says. So if you want to go up the way to go up his up, right You want Power go for it the spoils go to the strong, but here's the thing Jesus in his life and death. Cast judgment on that system that world system that world thought that the way up is up. Do you want to see succeed? Yo the very fact of his that is when he talks about when a seed falls into the ground and dies. He's talking about his own death. He called himself here the death that he would die for us and so is Tim Keller quote. You got it. No, there we go. We seeing Jesus a man without political power without Financial power. The only followers you can scrape together illiterate peasants. Hibiki a Chiquis execute at the early age of 33. He's penniless we still because the only has roped and at the end of it at the end, he's only not only abandoned by his friends, but also the God he served and called father but not in spite of this but because of this weakness Outley poverty he becomes the most end of influential individual in history of the world. And your parents said go to Harvard or something, right?

Jesus in his own God shows us that the way up actually is down. Is the second part of this? We see that only the Way Up Is Down But losing is keeping losing is keeping. 50 Cent if you want to keep your life, you have to actually lose it and another one you have to be willing to let it go. AliExpress using a farmer's metaphor. He went to see let's go back to this evening metaphor that he's using you. Think about a former you were a farmer and buy some seeds at the store. This happens all the time warmers by seed right now with me and bring them home and and all the sudden starts to look at these seasons are really pretty fun to my fingers falls in love with the seeds. I love the season and I don't even think they taste good or something falls in love with the Seas. And what was the problem with that? reformer let go of the seeds. You can spread them you're throwing around you to let them fall into the ground and die. Let them go in order to have a harvest to have fruit to have multiplication in your life. And that's what that's what Jesus is worth getting to hear is that if you try to hang on to this idea of a best life, you're never going to get it. Because here's what we was nothing. Y'all know this as much as I do. that when you when you get there, you're got in there in your life ever been there. Like it's that life is good your been there. I don't see any Hangouts. Why not because y'all haven't had good lives things. Haven't been click click sweet spot right at we've all been there, but why we get there and guess what? Got it. I want something else now. There's another step. There's another there's another football game. There's another challenge is another school to go to there's another job because there's a delusion about a past life it. Is it the more you try to hang on to that best life the more you going to lose it. It's so The Way Up Is Down and the way to keep it is to lose it is where he's getting out here. And so there's a challenge for us and it's not that there's a demand until we see that the demand of the best life demand. Are the best life? What Jesus doing here is is forcing us to make a choice. There's a choice and what he says here isn't there. You saying you can either you know, you can keep your life or you can lose it. You know, there's no middle ground here is a choice that he's forcing another word follow him and hating his hating this life. Or lose it follow him. In hating this life or lose it has another word. There's really nothing that you can't just simply add Jesus to your version of a best life. You hear that you can't just add Jesus to your version of a best life. Christian churches are selling that these days just add Jesus to your best version of your life. Actually matter fact. Jesus will help you get there. He will be a tool in your toolbox to help you achieve your best life.

No idea what that is. Jesus would have you sorry?

Okay, it's up. What is this mean? First of all, it doesn't mean that Jesus is Jesus says if you hate your life or if you love your life and that's why he's what's going on here is what's going on here is that he's not saying you have to hate every aspect of your life or you're not spiritual and you're not following him is that saying you have to hate every aspect of area is part of this life in order to be a follower of Jesus, OK and it's going on here and the Hebrew and Greek world to say love and hate it sometimes just simply means. What do you what do you value most? What is your value system? What are you saying batters the most in your life and you think if what matters to you the most? Is this life the best life you can achieve here in this world right now? You're going to lose it. But if you hate it another word that you're saying I'm a lose it there's something better. You can keep it as what he's doing out here, but it's not saying that we need that we have to needlessly throw away things in our lives with a needlessly create are like suffering and our own lives and we just go home today after Russell sermon and start burning my furniture or something. Okay, we're not talking like that. Like we had to start liking School Roman Catholic Church the check flogging yourself making your like intentionally miserable or anything like that. What he's getting at here is a value system. Okay, that's life doesn't mean Cake that that you have to hate every aspect and make yourself miserable. It means we are giving a new goal a new trajectory instead of a life in which the primary goal is your own flourishing or your family's working is it there's a deeper more profound goal? And that goal super sees this chase after a quote on quote of best life. Okay Hold On Loosely and in better yet given and love and sacrifice. Jesus showed us what it looks like to hate this life. Another instead of hanging on to it, but you could have done instead of grasping for power and in position and in success Comfort pleasure all the things that we seek in our life is better. Hang on to those things, which he could have had the right to Instead he hated it. He let it go. He let the Sea Fall. You think about it would Jesus let go of he he was God. First of all we talked about it. He was eternal presence of God and in the Holy Trinity the longest intimate closed beautiful relationship that has ever existed. You left that to become a gross nasty human being abused. The story are used telestration. It was like it would be like you becoming a cockroach They get close to it. He did that but then it and his own life instead of going after the things you could have gone after you could have had kids. He could have been married.

He let go of his own life itself. So that others could live so that it wouldn't be alone there fact when a seed falls into a ground and if it doesn't die is a loan in Jesus went it was a loan. Separated from the father betrayed by his own people Tried by his own disciples or abandoned by his own disciples alone hanging on a cross my father my father. Why have you forsaken me? And they're hanging their gave it all and that has a pattern that Jesus talking about here in the best life is a life that we let go of that others can have its a life that says I have this money we could get this that or the other. Instead I'm going to give away. I'm going to let others have this is this giving of ourselves in and loving others, but it's also okay cuz I know y'all on here or not of y'all. Do y'all do give y'all do you love in this way to mazing wait, but another thing here to is. What about the life that we are getting and it's bad. It's hard. It's rough. How do we handle that? How do we face that is amazing story of a couple Jay and Katherine wolf some of y'all have y'all been a man is DNA. She's talked about her sent out some videos of stuff to bring up your pictures here Jay and Katherine the South went to Stanford University and just the picture of a promise. Good looking he was gone be on there and got married and he went off they went to California so that he could pursue a law degree and she was doing modeling and then sweet little baby boy in this life was great. It was what most people don't you're going to head over here. Okay. Most people would have said this is a picture of the best life. What does right mean that's like the American dream right here? Good-looking just your newly married baby boy promising careers Financial wealth and privilege everything you could imagine and then one afternoon Catherine collapsed had a major stroke. Go ahead next one. He already saw this. At the surgeon at microsurgeon make a micro brain surgeon don't know what that is. But 19-hour surgery had to remove huge parts of her brain to keep her alive. and so keep keep it there. So here they are. They were living the best life. Everything was going great. Hunky-dory. They say it was a sweet spot and they will tell you this that she even told that growing up, you know, you can have everything you want. Life can be great for you. And that was what she believes that's what her husband believed and then this happens and so the world says it's over. Put the dream is over it's gone and it most men would have said the same like see you later. And that's what most time happens when this kind of situation happens the man eventually leaves and divorces and the woman left, you know in a really bad or vice versa vice versa are they are there Dream It's crushed shattered. And so now years of surgeries think 12 and total years of recovery. And here's thing. There's no happy ending in that way. Steelbound a wheelchair can't use the right side of her face can't use the rights her right hand. She has severe back issues and pain and is a constant issue after issue after issue after issue. However, Instead of saying you know what? We didn't get the best life. It's over. Game over we're done instead of that. Facebook business as they saw these verses and said, you know what whatever this is because this is the story that God is writing for us. God doesn't make mistakes. His stories are always beautiful. His stories are always perfect. And in this is the perfect story that God is writing in our lives. Let's make the best of it. Let's use this for others. Let's use this and in and get it away because this is the story that God's right. Now. I know some of you guys in here a lot of you guys in here, it has faced or are facing some really tough hard stuff in your life. And it makes you wonder and in the thing is a catheter tells a heartbreaking story when she had gone through surgeries and Recovery, whatever. I bet you she had yet to be able to eat it been like almost 2 years and she wouldn't be able to eat as he talks about how we retake it. So for granite just to sit at the table if you want to eat because that's social life that's life together as we eat and enjoy each other right? And she said she couldn't swallow and continue to fail swallow test and was a Thanksgiving Day and she's sitting in the corner. In a wheelchair watching other people play with her little boy. And she thinks to herself God you made a mistake.

She said it's a Harley that spot formalizing her head before really God spoke to her set.

I don't make mistakes. So there is no bass like the best life is the life that God is writing for you. Now. It's the moment you have now not some pictures somewhere else something else. It's a life that you have now that you can offer to others. Is a measure of Grace?

Like for example the next picture in the cool thing about Jay and Katherine instead of being defeated giving up. game over In spite of their serious challenges to have another child and if you ever hurt me but she's using her story her disability to help other particularly those who are in having disability just there like we never noticed those people now we do and so I think her written a book and she speaks the last hope he called hope heals it's worth reading really is the last night. For example, we're watching the Georgia football game and it's no fun to watch football and not my son is in there with us and he's really into it and you know, we're winning most of the game, you know at one point. He says I'm not even nervous anymore. Like we they come back heartbreaking yet again and not don't like how he's crying.

You don't know if I'm going I'm really take I'm mad about the game. But everything is it have it whatever, you know, I just had to stop and real guys college students. And they have dreams and hopes for this great life and whatever. Let me tell you what sure we would have wanted our team to win yet. That's fun all that.

Play the best thing that could have happened to the players on that team was the face that loss. that defeat because hate suffering and pain our companions to love These guys are going to be better men. Because they lost. Good good thing. No, I'm going to stop here and just be honest cuz this is hard. Say let go of your life give it away be generous sacrificing whatever that means for you and maybe God will call you in another country to give your life or maybe you know right here in Oakleaf. What does that look like? I don't know. But let me tell you it is hard. It is very very hard. It is a constant struggle and value. I know. Is Jesus struggled with this look at verses 27 28 with me real quick. He says now, my soul is troubled that where there is. It's like deep series Anglers. Most people would say these versus here and some cents are referring to this angle. She had the Garden of Gethsemane isn't my soul is troubled and what shall I say? What should I do? What is easy for us to say? Oh, he's just God is easy for him. Do you sweat blood in the struggle? He was afraid of it. He didn't want to let it go probably wasn't a moment and heating reminition of prophetic probably had his wife with his blood will be shed and his wife would end and you be separate from that was a problem this weight of pressure and anxiety and stress on a timer that is sometimes worse than just paying that constant rumble under the undercurrent bat noise of fear and dread and anxiety that comes from not knowing where your what's going to happen or not. Knowing things are going to work out. Well, whatever y'all talkin about that that weighed on him.

Here's the cool thing is that just like Jesus. He needed Grace. We need Grace in this as well.

So if you really care for her cuz I just so easy to sell just leave for Lyle Lovett. You don't get rid of it or not real stuff. so

so if you're an unbeliever, you have not received the real best life from from Jesus is the good news of the Gospel is we can let go cuz we have a hope. We have a hope and promise that says you will have all the longings of your heart. You will have all that you think you need in this life. You will have it because Jesus was that seed that fell into the ground and died. So why so that it would bear fruit and says so that all men would come to be where he is calls us to a wife with him in the father's Glory.

That's how we can do it cuz we know if I give away this money if I serve and sacrifice instead of doing what I want or if I stop chasing his best life dream and begins to spoil a life like Jesus and follow him in the mud dying. I'm not lost. I haven't lost it. I've actually gained everything.

So you're an unbeliever then invitations the gospels that he invites you to that just believe and trust it receive it until you know, so see the futility of seeing the best life according to the world definition people have been looking for a millennia. Thousands of years is still haven't found it cuz it's only found in Jesus. That is the best life but believers Are you following the real best life? Are you are you letting go so that you can keep are you going down so you can go up. Let's pray Heavenly Father.