The Promise of a Rescuing King
Notes
Transcript
Testimony
Testimony
Good morning, carrying on in our Christmas series, The Promise. Let’s start with a story that may have a bearing on where i’m going with this, this morning.
Maternity ward, Bethnal Green Hospital, London, England, 7th February 1965. A baby is born, a second son for Alf & Jenny, weighing 9lb 2oz. Did he need a rescuer?
Had a job at 8 years of age stacking the shelves of his nans pub, growing up had a bit of an anger problem. Once he was tall enough to reach the beer pumps he would position himself under them to fill his mouth with beer when the pub was empty. Did he need a rescuer?
By 10 he was stealing cigarettes from the cupboard in the pub, sometimes money. At 14 he was caught with a knife, same day while at the police station was clipped around the ear by his Dad for having the knife. Did he need a rescuer?
Started serving behind the bar of his nans pub as punishment & to keep him of the streets from 5pm - 8pm, Getting paid, Bonus. When everyone had forgotton that he was being punished, his other 15 year old friends would turn up at 8pm to go out to the pub. Did he need a rescuer?
Same year started smoking weed & snorting speed, a year later left school got a job, a year later started drug dealing. Did he need a rescuer?
Drank all the time, took lots of drugs every day. Still had an anger problem but had learnt to control it most of the time or at least swallow his emotions, but diong that isn’t good it leads to outbursts, he blacked out a couple of times in late teens & 20’s.
Rugby ref, ripping wardroab door of & throwing it at his Dad. Did he need a rescuer?
The night before live aid concert 1985 got offered to sell cocaine for another drug dealer, he would give him £50,000 worth of cocaine, he said yes. But it didn’t happen, explain.
This behaviour carried on until he was 32, drugs, drink & violence. Did he need a rescuer? Yes
Did he think he needed a rescuer? no.
This is my story, your story might not be like mine to need a rescuer, my kids, your Pastors kids, who are good kids have never done any of this but needed a rescuer. You need a rescuer, your kids need a rescuer.
As i said earlier we carry on in our Christmas series, The Promise, today the promise of a rescuing King. Some questions: So what is a rescuer? What is it to be rescued? Do we want a rescuer? or should i say do we recognise the need for a rescuer?
Who are normally portrayed as rescuers? who would normally take part in a rescue? SAS, James Bond, you know secret agent kind of people, heroes, super heroes.
So moving on, the Promise of a new King last week, this week A rescuing King. Just something that needs to be said. We all need rescuing even if we don’t see it or understand why, even if we think we are to cool for it, we need it, we all need rescuing.
What do you need rescuing from? (throw it out there, get feed back) write it on the board.
from the Devil, our enemies, sin. Darkness or ourselves. The whole Bible is about a rescue mission that the greatest superhero took on. Who is it Jesus, the whole Bible is about Him, front to back it’s all about Him. He was in the beginning of time.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And He’s in the end of time, He’s in all of time.
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
But there was a time in our history that He invaded our time, 2000 plus years ago Jesus stepped out of Heaven & came to earth as a baby to take his place as the new King, the rescuing King, the forever King that humans had been waiting for.
It came in the midst of silence from God, it came in the midst of people doing what they wanted, lived how they pleased, a time of darkness but now the light had come, spoken of years before.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
Have you seen the light, you see people saw the light but didn’t recognise it
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
We’ve spoken about me & my need for a rescuer, a saviour, we’ve talked about Jesus coming, now we move to you. We’ll talk, you’ll respond to Jesus, we’ll take communion & then we shall worship Jesus.
We all love the part before 19-21, you know
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Even John 3:18 is ok
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Have you recognised the light?
Has the light shone on your whole life or have you put a shade in the way that doesn’t let the light in because you don’t want to see it, to deal with it.
You see we all love forgiveness for our sins, being set free, the body & the blood of Jesus paying the ransom, the price for it all, whoo hoo i’m Heaven bound.
You have been rescued that’s what Jesus came for, what does rescue mean? (go to board come on shout out).
Rescue:- to rescue or deliver someone, concieved as lifting a person out of danger & into safety.
Rescue:- to save from a dangerous or distressing situation.
Daniel was rescued from the lions, Peter was rescued from Herod. Paul from the crowd baying for his blood. Lots of people rescued in the Bible & out of the Bible, some directly by God, some indirectly by God through other people.
What are you in danger from? What do you need to be rescued from? Where & what has the light shone on that was hiding in the darkness? What can now be seen because of the light? Have you or are you dealing with it?
What Sin do you need to rescued from?
Loads of questions, maybe you need to ask yourself some. Is it your negativity, your mouth, mind, eyes(that is what you look at).
What do you need rescuing from, who is gonna be your saviour, Christmas isn’t just about the birth of baby Jesus, it’s about a rescue mission by God coming in human form, totally one of us, totally devine, stooping down to be one of us so that we can know Him personally. Is Jesus going to be your Rescuing King?