God's Best

Sermon Notes: God’s Best--Advent and Incarnation Marion OR January 5, 2019 Intro: • How many ever day dream about winning the lottery? ◦ Mega-millions jackpot rose to $1.6 Billion in October of this year ▪ Record high—take home lump sum of $904 million! • Ever make a bargain with God about what you would give away if He let you win? • Which would you rather have, the winning billion dollar lottery ticket ◦ Or entrance to the kingdom of God? Mat 19:23  And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  • Preached this story of a young man that chose the lottery ticket ◦ How ridiculous! ▪ Not so fast--we are all too often just like him • New Theme this month– God’s Best ◦ Easy to say, “God has a wonderful plan for your life!” • But do you really believe His plan is the best for you? ◦ When you have the opportunity to choose His will, do you? • A faith struggle taking place: Does God really have my best as His highest priority? ◦ Question is answered in two words we often hear around this time of year: ▪ Advent and Incarnation Body: Genesis 3:1-6 • God provides the best • God is slandered • Adam and Eve believe the lie ◦ Lose out on God’s best by choosing path of self-will over obedience ▪ A choice we frequently repeat Numbers 14:2-10 • God brought Israel out of slavery to the edge of the promised land • Supplied their needs daily along the way—miracle after miracle • God’s character is slandered • Children of Israel believe the lie ◦ Lose out on God’s best by choosing path of self-will over obedience ▪ A choice we frequently repeat Jeremiah 29:11-14 • Message to a people going into exile who refused the call to be devoted to God alone • It’s a call to trust in the goodness of God ◦ By seeking Him with an undivided heart • It is the promise of hope from a gracious, compassionate and forgiving God • We need to learn from these stories that the goodness of God includes Justice ◦ We will be held accountable for our failures to love God and others as we should ◦ It’s a message for us today • We are very much like Adam & Eve & Israel ◦ We make choices that betray a lack of faith in the goodness of God • Within our midst are struggles with pornography, sexual promiscuity ◦ husbands and wives not loving/respecting, ◦ children rebelling against parents; ◦ hanging on to unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment • None of these are God’s best, we know, yet we hold on to them. Why? ◦ Afraid of God, but not in the fear that is the beginning of wisdom ▪ But a faithless fear that doubts His goodness, that His best is really best • How can I be sure giving God my full loyalty in obedience is my best option? Luke 2:8-14 • Advent story—advent = “arrival” –i.e. the coming of Jesus the Christ, ◦ Also an incarnation story—incarnation literally = in the flesh Mat 1:22  Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:  Mat 1:23  "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."  • This was the initiation of God’s plan to accomplish 2 things: ◦ Vindicate His name and reputation—prove His goodness ◦ Restore the thing He wanted most and we forfeited in Eden—to live in the presence of God • He did it through a person—His best, His son, Jesus ◦ God is for us, He is with us, not against us, and Jesus is the proof Rom 5:6  For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  Rom 5:7  For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.  Rom 5:8  But God demonstrates [proves] His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  ▪ Jesus tore up the lottery ticket for our sake • And through obedience chose God’s Best Php 2:6  [Jesus], although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,  Php 2:7  but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant [advent], and being made in the likeness of men [incarnation].  Php 2:8  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  • This was just the beginning of God’s good plan to restore us to His Best, however: ◦ First advent previews a second advent Act 1:11  They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven." ▪ First incarnation previews a second incarnation • Culminating in the restoration of what was lost – God’s Best Rev 21:3  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,  Rev 21:4  and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."  • Total vindication of God’s character—His goodness, His best for us realized “in the flesh” Conclusion: • Preparing your heart today to be open to receive and choose the will of God ◦ asserting first and foremost God is good. ▪ You can trust Him. You can serve Him. You can obey Him. ▪ Without reservation, because He is good. • And He didn’t just make the claim, He proved it beyond all reasonable doubt. ◦ Through the advent and incarnation ◦ The sending of His son to do the work of the cross • As we talk about God’s best, we will describe how God’s best is found: ◦ In Word of God ◦ With the People of God ◦ Through Obedience to God ◦ Without Compromise • But the question this morning is, are you willing to tear up the lottery ticket? ◦ When the rubber meets the road, do you trust God enough to do what He asks ▪ even if it requires sacrifice, loss, suffering? Heb 11:24  By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,  Heb 11:25  choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,  Heb 11:26  considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.  • Moses tore up his lottery ticket to pursue God’s Best ◦ Didn’t enter the promised land, but something better ◦ Met Jesus, both Christ and Lord, THE ticket to the Kingdom of God ▪ Moses trusted God, chose His Best and will receive it. How about you? • We can fully trust God is good, has our best as His highest priority ◦ He has proven it. ◦ Now it’s our turn to choose it • I pray that you will begin preparing your hearts today to choose God’s Best in 2019