The Birth of the True King | The Story: Part 16 (Chapter 22)

Freedom from sin doesn't mean freedom from authority. It means accepting the leadership of the true king, but that this king won't disappoint us. The author all the authority they had was there as a shepherd, but they followed the authority of God to go and see what God had asked them to go see. We are called to be like the shepherds, to go and see, to believe, and then all we have to do is go and tell. [00:22:26] (34 seconds)  #FollowTheTrueKing

And right here in in John chapter one, we have some broken systems that we should not turn back to. People come to God by believing in his name, in the name of Jesus. They cannot come to God just because they are our kids. They cannot come to God because of us making laws that make that happen. They cannot come to God because they are married to someone else. They can only come to God through their faith alone, their own decision. [00:06:40] (36 seconds)  #FaithIsPersonal

But in in that as well, we also have them out being called in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't in an urban setting. It was in a field much like ours at night where it was pitch black at night. I think it's hard for people in urban areas to understand how even pitch black it was before those angels showed up with the good news. But we know how pitch black it gets at night in the middle of a field, in the middle of nowhere. God doesn't call the powerful. He calls the shepherds in the field. [00:21:14] (39 seconds)  #CalledFromTheFields

Matthew two depicts the high stakes arrival of this new true king. After a long line of disappointing kings and some good kings, we have the true king who arrives. And it's framed by a sharp contrast between those who seek him and those who fear him. When the magi arrive from the East to worship the child, their devotion triggers a very lower story crisis of power, the power of king Herod. [00:09:07] (34 seconds)  #TrueKingArrives

So in John one, right away, we find out that Jesus was there since the beginning. And if you go back to Genesis one, you will hear this plurality language that is being used in the creation, and he even talks about the spirit of God hovering over the waters. All three were there at the beginning. All three were involved throughout the Old Testament, but all of that has been leading up to this moment. But there is this tension still. We often focus on the lower story of a manger and a star, but there is an upper story going on as well of this cosmic battle that's been going on since creation. [00:05:23] (41 seconds)  #JesusFromTheBeginning

Much like he called a stuttering Moses in the desert, God seeks the lowest, the humble in spirit to shame those in power. He did not call some big delegation. He didn't announce it from town to town. He said, I'm going to do right now what I want to have happen from here on out. I'm gonna let certain people, the lowest, eyewitness something and have them go share it. And that is a new authority. [00:21:53] (33 seconds)  #GodChoosesTheLowly

But this morning, you know you know at Christmas time, we celebrate the birth of Jesus when he was a baby. Did you know that in that same story, there's a dragon? There's a dragon that is behind the scenes, and the baby beats the dragon. And the baby doesn't do anything special. The baby is just a baby, and the baby grows up to be humble and to care about other people, and that's how he beats the dragon is being selfless and obedient. So I'm glad you chose the baby. Good job. [00:01:09] (33 seconds)  #HumbleAndVictorious

Live it through obedience. Don't let the fear of our slavery trained minds make us too afraid to keep from moving to somewhere and telling someone I am a treasured possession of God and he worked hard to rescue me. I've seen it happen. And then me, the story doesn't end with a baby. It continues through us as we lead others out of their own Egypts. The Egypts that are in their life where they are stuck. They aren't even aware that where they are is some place that they can change. Maybe it's a hurt habit or hang up, but there they are. We have the ability to go and be the stuttering Moses' for them that leads them to a new home in the kingdom of God. Let's stand in prayer. [00:23:45] (60 seconds)  #LeadOthersToFreedom