One topic I'm really interested in is preaching. I want to know, how can we best communicate the truth about Jesus and who He is? How can the words we use in a church service best be used to increase people's faith in God or encourage them in their walk with Him? At this point, I don't preach often. I only get the opportunity to share in front of a group occasionally. Recently, I uploaded all the sermons I have recorded copies of. It's funny as I re-listened to them how encouraged (and how convicted) I was. It's interesting how the lessons of years past are so applicable to me here again at a new place in my own life.
Walking with God is like learning a song with many verses but the same tune repeats over and over again. Although you're singing different words the second or third time through, you quickly realize the tune is the same. At the end of the song, you probably don't remember any of the words except the first phrase, but that tune--well, that tune really sticks. You learn the tune.
Walking with God is like that. The lessons God teaches you at one point in time He will often come back and teach you again. And again. And again.
Some probably would say it is because we are "slow learners". Yes, that is true. But it goes deeper than that. I think God is very interested in a few core themes (things like His glory, His loving nature, Our need for Him, His desire for communion with us, His desire to redeem our world). These things are the music. In each verse, though, we experience the core truths of God in new (and deeper) ways. New situations or new challenges in life bring different words to the same tune. They add depth to the meaning of the tune.
That is how I feel when I listened to some of my old sermons. If you care to listen, the sermons I uploaded are here: http://lifetothefull.sermondrop.com
Monday, December 19, 2011
Monday, December 05, 2011
Awed afresh by the Incarnation
Once again this Christmas I am amazed by the incarnation. More than any other doctrine or event in history, I find this one event to be the greatest. Jesus' death and resurrection (Easter) are up there, too, for sure. But just think about this event we are celebrating. The incarnation is like the ultimate plot twist in an already enthralling super-novel. God becoming a man? The Son of God embracing human form? That is something in my psyche and intellect that is so unexpected and paradigm shifting.
The complete awe of this event is not associated with its show of power. Indeed, the awe is produced by the incredible yielding of power. Infinite God willingly assumed a form that was finite. The Creator--the Word of God Himself through whom the earth was spoken into existence--inhabited human form and experienced His very own creation in like manner as the creation! There is no comparison. There was never an event like this and there will never be an event comparable.
In this one act, Jesus also demonstrated the inestimable worth of humandkind. We humans, we share traits with other animals, yes. Yet the Son of God, pure Spirit, esteemed human form as as worthy of Himself. The Bible says He "became flesh". He assumed, not temporarily, but for all time a human form. How mind boggling! We truly are made "in the image of God" if the divine Son of God Himself could become one of us. He thinks that much of our race, wow!
The incarnation is logically unexpected and in some ways intellectually incomprehensible. Yet its implications are philosophically astounding, emotionally overwhelming, and full of spiritual mystery. In the wake of the incarnation's paradoxical demonstration of power comes a deeper revelation and understanding of both the divine nature and human nature. Unbelievable!
Truly we stand in awe of you: Jesus, the God-man. You have demonstrated to us that the greatest power is shown through meekness and humility. You have show us in your action of incarnation how valuable all people actually are in your sight. Guide our worship of you this Christmas to be full of the reverent awe you deserve. Amen.
The complete awe of this event is not associated with its show of power. Indeed, the awe is produced by the incredible yielding of power. Infinite God willingly assumed a form that was finite. The Creator--the Word of God Himself through whom the earth was spoken into existence--inhabited human form and experienced His very own creation in like manner as the creation! There is no comparison. There was never an event like this and there will never be an event comparable.
In this one act, Jesus also demonstrated the inestimable worth of humandkind. We humans, we share traits with other animals, yes. Yet the Son of God, pure Spirit, esteemed human form as as worthy of Himself. The Bible says He "became flesh". He assumed, not temporarily, but for all time a human form. How mind boggling! We truly are made "in the image of God" if the divine Son of God Himself could become one of us. He thinks that much of our race, wow!
The incarnation is logically unexpected and in some ways intellectually incomprehensible. Yet its implications are philosophically astounding, emotionally overwhelming, and full of spiritual mystery. In the wake of the incarnation's paradoxical demonstration of power comes a deeper revelation and understanding of both the divine nature and human nature. Unbelievable!
Truly we stand in awe of you: Jesus, the God-man. You have demonstrated to us that the greatest power is shown through meekness and humility. You have show us in your action of incarnation how valuable all people actually are in your sight. Guide our worship of you this Christmas to be full of the reverent awe you deserve. Amen.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3,14 ESV)
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