Imagining a World Transformed by Christ's Love
Summary
The Christmas season is a time when we strive to engage the imaginations of children, but it's also a time to reflect on the unimaginable events surrounding the birth of Jesus. The first Christmas was filled with events that no one could have anticipated: a virgin giving birth, a child growing up to be a renowned rabbi, and a movement that would outlast empires. These events were unimaginable, yet they happened, and here we are today, part of a global church that continues to worship Jesus as the Son of God.
Christmas reminds us that the unimaginable can become possible. It challenges us to imagine a world where Christians are known not just for their beliefs but for their extraordinary love and care for others. Imagine a world where people are skeptical of our beliefs but amazed by our actions, where our differences in worship and interpretation do not divide us, and where our communities are better because of our presence. This is the world Jesus envisioned—a world where His followers live out His way of love.
Jesus' claim to be "the way, the truth, and the life" is often seen as exclusive, but it was meant to be inclusive, inviting all to experience God's love. He demonstrated this love through His life, death, and resurrection, removing the barriers between us and God. As Christians, we are called to follow His example, living lives characterized by love, humility, and service.
The early church thrived not because of what they believed but because of how they lived. They embraced the way of Jesus, standing out in a culture that valued power and self-interest. Their love and commitment to Jesus' teachings transformed their world, and it can transform ours too. We are called to imagine and live out this way of love, creating communities that reflect the heart of God.
Key Takeaways:
1. The first Christmas was filled with unimaginable events that no one anticipated, yet they happened, reminding us that the unimaginable can become possible. This challenges us to imagine a world where our actions reflect the love of Christ, making our communities better places. [03:31]
2. Jesus' claim to be "the way, the truth, and the life" was not meant to exclude but to include, inviting all to experience God's love. As Christians, we are called to follow His example, living lives characterized by love, humility, and service. [06:24]
3. The early church thrived not because of their beliefs but because of their actions. They embraced the way of Jesus, standing out in a culture that valued power and self-interest. Their love and commitment to Jesus' teachings transformed their world, and it can transform ours too. [17:58]
4. Imagine a world where Christians are known for their extraordinary love and care for others, where our differences do not divide us, and where our communities are better because of our presence. This is the world Jesus envisioned, and we are called to live it out. [09:44]
5. The way of love, as demonstrated by Jesus, is not a strategy for losing but a powerful force that can change the world. We are called to follow God's example, living lives of love that reflect His heart and transform our communities. [32:21]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:08] - Engaging Children's Imagination
[00:33] - The Unimaginable First Christmas
[01:24] - Jesus' Unforeseen Impact
[02:13] - The Unimaginable Resurrection
[03:31] - The Reality of the Unimaginable
[04:18] - Imagining a New Reality
[05:16] - Jesus' Controversial Claim
[06:24] - Inclusivity of Jesus' Message
[08:00] - A World Transformed by Love
[09:44] - Christians' Impact on Community
[11:09] - Embracing the Way of Christ
[13:25] - The Early Church's Influence
[17:58] - Living Out Jesus' Teachings
[32:21] - Following God's Example
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. John 14:6 - "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
2. Ephesians 5:1-2 - "Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
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Observation Questions:
1. What were some of the unimaginable events surrounding the first Christmas as described in the sermon? [00:33]
2. How does the sermon describe the early church's impact on their culture? [17:58]
3. According to the sermon, what was Jesus' intention behind His claim to be "the way, the truth, and the life"? [06:24]
4. What does the sermon suggest about the way Christians should be known in their communities? [09:44]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the sermon interpret Jesus' claim in John 14:6 as being inclusive rather than exclusive? [06:24]
2. In what ways did the early church's actions reflect the teachings of Jesus, according to the sermon? [17:58]
3. How does the sermon challenge the traditional view of love as a strategy for losing? [24:20]
4. What does it mean to "walk in the way of love" as described in Ephesians 5:1-2, and how does the sermon expand on this idea? [32:21]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you found it difficult to imagine the unimaginable becoming possible. How can the Christmas story inspire you to believe in the impossible in your own life? [04:18]
2. The sermon challenges us to imagine a world where Christians are known for their extraordinary love. What specific actions can you take this week to demonstrate this kind of love in your community? [09:44]
3. How can you personally embrace the way of Jesus in a culture that often values power and self-interest? Identify one area in your life where you can practice humility and service. [17:58]
4. Consider the idea that Jesus' message was meant to be inclusive. How can you make your faith more welcoming and inclusive to those who might feel excluded? [06:24]
5. The sermon suggests that love is a powerful force that can change the world. What is one relationship in your life where you can apply the way of love to bring about transformation? [32:21]
6. How can you contribute to creating a community that reflects the heart of God, as envisioned in the sermon? What role can you play in fostering unity despite differences? [09:44]
7. Reflect on the early church's commitment to living out Jesus' teachings. What is one practical step you can take to live out your faith more authentically this week? [17:58]
Devotional
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Quotes
We all do our best during the Christmas season to engage the imagination of our children. But the interesting thing is, for us adults, for us grownups, I think it's easy for us to forget. In fact, I think we're quick to forget that everything surrounding the first Christmas, everything surrounding the birth of Jesus was, was literally unimaginable. No one was looking forward to. No one was thinking it was gonna happen. No one was praying for her. Nobody was wishing for a Virgin Galilee peasant girl to give birth to a son. [00:08:00]
And no one would imagine that her son would become such a threat to the temple and ultimately a threat to the Roman Empire, at least regionally, that he'd be arrested, crucified, and buried. And seriously, no one, not even his closest followers, not even his mother imagined that he would be raised from the dead or that his movement would actually outlast the temple in the empire, the, the, and that the empire that crucified him. [00:02:13]
We don't have to imagine any of that because here we are. We are here because of all of that. And regardless of what you believe about the different parts of the story, what's undeniable is here we are and the church is all over the world, small and large and different languages and different traditions and different customs. But during this season, men and women all over the world since that time have worshiped and recognized Jesus as the son of God, a God who came to earth to live among us, to show us the way forward. [00:03:31]
He said, I speaking of himself, he said, I am the way and the truth and the life. And nobody, no one of any generation, no one comes to the Father speaking of God the Father. No one comes to the Father except through me who would say such a thing. Of course, there are many things that Jesus said that when you read him, you're like, who would say such a thing? In fact, it's one of the reasons that his followers eventually abandoned him. [00:05:16]
Imagine a world, imagine your world. Imagine our world where people are skeptical of what we believe that a man was raised from the dead, who was sent from God to illustrate God, to be God, to be worshiped as a God. Imagine a world, our world, your world, where people rightly so are skeptical of some of the things we believe, but are amazed at how well we treat. Talk about care for support and show up for one another. [00:08:00]
Imagine a world where people outside of our faith tradition who are skeptical of what we believe are anxious to hire us, work for us, live next door to us, marry their sons and daughters off to us because we're Christians, because of our predictable and our extraordinary character, because of our work ethic, because of our self-control, because of our reliability, because of because of our honesty. [00:09:44]
Imagine a world where Christians embraced the way of Christ, the way of Jesus, the ways of Jesus, the posture and the tone and the humility of Jesus. A world where it was evident that we were as committed to behaving correctly as we are believing correctly. Maybe it's just me, is that too much for us to imagine, especially at Christmas when we celebrate God became one of us, to show us the way forward, the way to live, the way to be better people, to create a better world. [00:11:09]
Once upon a time, not the beginning of a fairytale, the beginning of history, once upon a time, the others first culture of the church stood in sharp contrast to the me first bite and devour culture that the church was birthed in. Where, where might determine what was right, where women were considered property, where children were disposable and had no value and no honor. They didn't even name children sometimes until later to make sure they were the children that they ultimately wanted to have. [00:13:25]
And somehow that took hold once upon a time there were communities of Jesus followers who literally, and this is our problem, because we look at it, it's too much, it demands too much. There's some way to kind of navigate away from that or exegete that away. Surely we can't take that literally, surely just Jesus didn't mean that. Surely if we actually did this stuff, you know, the, it just, the world wouldn't work. Our lives wouldn't work. [00:17:58]
And the church grew and grew and grew. And what became started off as suspicious, became curious. And then it was like an avalanche. People from every segment of life flocked to the eccle of Jesus. Again, not primarily because of what Christians believed, but because of the way, but they lived their lives. Now. They had a little bit of an advantage. They had mostly disadvantages. In fact, it was almost, it was 99% disadvantage. [00:19:41]
And this is why we've talked about it before. This is why the early followers of Jesus were eventually dubbed or called or branded Christian. It, it was a slur. It wasn't, it wasn't a word that the Jesus followers adopted for themselves. This is what they were called by the outside world. And it was 100% a political term. It was not a religious term. Christian was actually Latin political terminology. A follower of Caesar was a ani. [00:32:21]
Imagine a world where believers chose to live as followers every single day, followers of the way, the way and the ways of Jesus who came not to be served, but to serve, give his life for you. For me, a ransom for many. The apostle Paul who thought all of this was nonsense. Are you kidding me? This is nonsense. This is a cult. It's a sect. It's it's deluding Judaism. It's deluding the ways of the our forefathers. [00:33:21]
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