Christ's Heart: Brought Low for us.

God With Us

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Lesson,

God came to us. The message of Christmas is not how high we must go to reach God, but indeed how low He was willing to go to reach us.

ILLUSTRATION:

What is your favorite …? and Why is it your favorite?

Sport?

book?

activity?

Social media platform?

youtube channel?

GETTING DEEPER

Now there are two words we need to know before we discuss this further.

What does “Subjective” mean?

Subjective means based on or influenced by personal feelings, taste, or opinion.

What does “objective” mean?

not represented by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts.

In other words.

Subjective is your opinion

Objective is facts regardless of your opinion.

So for all the things we just discussed above… Favorite sport, book, activity, youtube channel, social media platform…

Was that conversation Subjective or Objective?

Subjective.

Here’s why that matters, We should never think that our subjective opinions are objective facts.

Why?

Because when we let subjective opinion become objective fact… all of a sudden what ever you feel is true… can become true even when it is objectively false.

For example. Everyone hold up your right hand.

Why did you hold up your right hand? Because objectively that’s your right side.

ILLUSTRATION:

What if someone’s opinion is backwards in terms of left and right.

Could this person drive? Not in America!

Billy! You’re driving on the wrong side of the road!

Leave me alone! I’m living my Subjective LIFE over here!

chaos.

Every day, we live according to many objective truths.

Gravity

Motion

Light

Color

Objectively, these things are true whether or not you subjectively agree with them or not.

So what about God?

Is God subjective or Objective?

Is God something or someone based on subjective feelings, or is He real, true whether or not someone wants Him to be or not?

I want us to split into groups tonight of 3-4 and I want you to read:

John 1:1-14

and

Romans 1:18-24

Answer this Question:

What can I learn about God from His word in these two passages that the Bible says is Objectively true.

What truth statements are made about God? Jesus?

What did we learn?

John 1:1-14

The Word has always existed

The Word was with God and is God

The Word made everything (vs. 3)

He was not received by his own people (vs. 11

Those who do receive Him become children of God. (vs. 12)

The word become flesh and dwelt among us… (vs. 14)

Who is the Word? Who is the Light?

The only person who fits this description would be Jesus.

So Jesus has always existed.

Jesus is God

Jesus made everything

Jesus was rejected by some and received by others.

He dwelt among us.

The God of the universe… who created everything…

He came to us.

Now Romans 1:18-25

There are plain things we can know about God. (vs. 19)

His invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature are clearly seen since the creation of the world. (vs. 20)

What humans have created planets?

What humans have been to other planets?

What human knows every animal that is in the sea?

What human has ever created the sun?

There are things that are unexplainable without God.

As we look at creation, the more we look, the more evidence there is for God! All around us!

Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speach, night after night they display knowledge!”

John 1:1-14 much of this would be referred to as

Special Revelation: God’s Word addressed to specific people. His written word.

General Revelation: What we can know about God through creation.

John 1:1-14 deals with Special revelation

Romans 1:20 especially is a pretty clear biblical definition of general revelation.

And from both of these passages, Do you want to know what is really beautiful? Amazing? Wonderful?

Life is not about how high we must go to reach God, but about how low He is willing to go to reach us.

Do you realize that?

Do you realize tonight the depths God has gone through to make Himself known to us who so easily neglect Him, forget Him, reject Him?

How far he is willing to go?

And even in our neglect, forgetfullness, and rejection, that does not motivate Him to reject us,

On the contrary, that motivates Him all the more to reach us!

In Angels we have heard on HIgh we sing a phrase, “In excelsis Deo”

That means Glory to God in the highest.

What is higher than God?

Who is more supreme than God?

CLOSING/APPLICATON:

In all 4 gospels, God tells us much about Himself.

He shows his power through miracles

He shows His intellect over arrogant religious leaders

We hear his prayers

We hear his stories.

And yet in all 4 gospels there is only one account where Jesus says, “This is my heart.”

Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Did you see it?

Jesus said, “I am gentle and Lowly in heart”

I read a book this fall called “Gentle and Lowly” that unpacks this verse fully over about 200 pages and it blew my mind.

What I will say tonight as we look to Christ this Christmas is this…

The gut reaction of Jesus is to get on your level, not that you should get on His.

Think about it.

Every sunset, sunrise, visit to the beach or the mountains, every beautiful whispy cloud, every loving word spoken to us,

This is general revelation from God. Reminding us gently that He loves us and is reaching down to us.

Every time we read His word, pray, hear his word preached. We experience God’s special revelation through His written words to us.

Every time we experience either we can say “glory to God in the highest!”

But even more…

every time we mess up. ignore Him. don’t pray.

get in fights at home. hurt those we love…

God says, “I am gentle and lowly of heart. Come to me… find rest.”

God’s gut reaction is not harshness with us.

Jonah knew this about God’s heart and honestly… it ticked Him off.

He hated Ninevah. He didn’t want God to save Ninevah!

Jonah tells God after God saves Ninevah,

“O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you were a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”

God certainly does not hold back his wrath (read Romans 1 again), but we need to remember this is not God’s gut reaction…

God’s wrath is calculated and typically followed after YEARS of gentle and lowly.

For example: the flood. Noah built an ark for 100 years!

And then, God’s wrath sent the flood.

Was God not gentle to give humanity 100 years to respond to Him and Noah?

And then in a humble stable cave…

Uncomfortable.

no climate control.

itchy hay

Jesus is born.

In the lowest of conditions, the King of Kings came to us.

It’s not about how high we must go to reach God, but about how Low he is always willing to go to reach us.

What about you?

What about me?

How can we get down on someone else’s level and show them the love of Christ this Christmas?

The first thing we can do, is fall in love with the heart of God.

Take time to read His word and understand God’s deep love for you this Christmas!

Then share that love with someone else.

Get on their level this Christmas as we are reminded Him who came down to our level and made himself gentle and lowly.