We reflect and pray about the shift from partners to friends we explored this week.
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CloseRyan Sim - December 3, 2013
Tuesday - Study It - The Night That Changed The Religious
"The birth of Christ is the central event in the history of the earth -- the very thing the whole story has been about." -- C.S. Lewis We’ve introduced God’s big story in previous challenges using a six act play analogy. In Act 1, God created the world, his masterpiece, like a director’s great script. In Act 2, humans threw away the script, and the play went terribly wrong. In Act 3, it becomes clear humans can’t get back on script ourselves. In Act 4, God steps onto the stage of this world and begins to bring the world back on script. In Act 5 he invites us to improvise with him in a way that makes sense of all that happened before, and arrives at the ending God wrote – the kingdom of God. Act 4 is the turning point of the whole thing. The moment a director steps onto a stage, the audience is shocked – no one would have expected the director to become part of the play. But in God’s big story, there were clues – God had been writing the script this way all along. The prophet Isaiah spoke these words for God 500 years before Jesus’ birth: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good (Isaiah 7:14-15 ESV) Immanuel means God with us. See the hints here? He’d be born of a virgin. Both things would normally be impossible. But now in Matthew 1:18-25 you’ll hear echoes of that Isaiah prophecy in a story you’ve probably heard before. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25 ESV) Matthew saw it so clearly, and named it. We see it so clearly in retrospect. We may even like to think that if we met this person, we’d have recognized him as God. This is God, walking on earth! He fits the predictions so clearly…in retrospect. But so many didn’t see it at the time. Yes, he was visited by shepherds and later by Magi, and caught the attention of at least one despotic ruler, but he was mostly ignored until he was 30 years old. That happened even though he fit around 400 prophecies written and propagated long before he was born. He made sense of them like he made sense of this one we’re focused on today – God with us, born of a virgin. This doesn’t seem to have been a particularly important passage to observant Jews before Jesus was born, even though it’s of great interest to Christians afterwards. Yes, it referred to a new king being born in the royal family descending from David – that was important. The word virgin in this passage is hard to translate from the original Hebrew – it could be as general as a young woman, or as specific as one waiting to be married any day – even though both implied sexual virginity as the cultural norm when young and unmarried. Even then, those who’d studied these prophecies best, the scribes and Pharisees of his day, considered him a traitor and false teacher, not their God with them. I saw an interesting TED Talk (see extra video link) that explained how often experts are wrong. Alan Greenspan predicted uneneding economic growth right before a major recession, for example. But looking back, we see how wrong those experts were, and the same here. So what happened here? Why did the experts get it wrong? Question: Why do you think the religious experts missed that Jesus fit the prophecies and predictions? Reminder: We have a great Christmas event coming December 14th, 2013: The Original Christmas Party. Hope you're coming!
Related Topics: Christmas, Emmanuel, God, Incarnation, Prophecy, Virgin Birth | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio
From Series: "The Night that Changed Everything"
In preparation for Christmas, our Daily Challenges are going to explore the lifechanging significance of Jesus' birth so long ago. It's more than a sentimental story, or a time for generosity, Christmas celebrates The Night that Changed Everything. We'll explore the original Christmas story from the Bible, and its impact on five kinds of people.
More Messages From Ryan Sim...
Thursday - Act On It - Becoming Like Family | October 24, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Becoming Like Family | October 23, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Becoming Like Family | October 22, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Becoming Like Family | October 21, 2013 | Interviews | Watch | Listen | |
Friday - Reflect - Friends to Family | October 18, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Friends to Family | October 17, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Friends To Family | October 16, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Friends To Family | October 15, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Friends To Family | October 14, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Partners to Friends | October 11, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Partners To Friends | October 10, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Partners To Friends | October 9, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Partners To Friends | October 8, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Partners To Friends | October 7, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Acquaintances to Partners | October 4, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Acquaintances to Partners | October 3, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Acquaintances to Partners | October 2, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Acquaintances to Partners | October 1, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Acquaintances to Partners | September 30, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Neighbours to Acquaintances | September 27, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Neighbours to Acquaintances | September 26, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Neighbours to Acquaintances | September 25, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Neighbours to Acquaintances | September 24, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Neighbours to Acquaintances | September 23, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Strangers to Neighbours | September 20, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Strangers to Neighbours | September 19, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Strangers to Neighbours | September 18, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Strangers to Neighbours | September 17, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Strangers to Neighbours | September 16, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Neighbours Matter | September 13, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Neighbours Matter | September 12, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Neighbours Matter | September 11, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Neighbours Matter | September 10, 2013 | Extra | Watch | Listen | |
Monday - A New Idea - Neighbours Matter | September 9, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Originality | July 19, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Originality | July 18, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Originality | July 17, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Originality | July 16, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Originality | July 15, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Foundations | July 12, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Foundations | July 11, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Foundations | July 10, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Foundations | July 9, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Foundations | July 8, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Knowing | July 5, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Knowing | July 4, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Knowing | July 3, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Knowing | July 2, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Knowing | July 1, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Influences | June 28, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Influences | June 27, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Influences | June 26, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Influences | June 25, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Influences | June 24, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Golden Rule | June 21, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - The Golden Rule | June 20, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - The Golden Rule | June 19, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - The Golden Rule | June 18, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - The Golden Rule | June 17, 2013 | Extra | Watch | Listen | |
Friday - Reflect - Needs | June 14, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Needs | June 13, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Needs | June 12, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Needs | June 11, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Needs | June 10, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Judgement | June 7, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Judgement | June 6, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Judgement | June 5, 2013 | Short Film | Watch | Listen | |
Tuesday - Study It - Judgement | June 4, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Judgement | June 3, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Worry | May 31, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Worry | May 30, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Worry | May 29, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Worry | May 28, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Worry | May 27, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Priorities | May 24, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday- Act On It - Priorities | May 23, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Priorities | May 22, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Priorities | May 21, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Priorities | May 20, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Forgiveness | May 17, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Forgiveness | May 16, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Forgiveness | May 15, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Forgiveness | May 14, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Forgiveness | May 13, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Self Denial | May 10, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Self Denial | May 9, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Self Denial | May 8, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Self Denial | May 7, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Self Denial | May 6, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Pompous Prayer | May 3, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Pompous Prayer | May 2, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Pompous Prayer | May 1, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Pompous Prayer | April 30, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Pompous Prayer | April 29, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Generosity | April 26, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Generosity | April 25, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Generosity | April 23, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Generosity | April 22, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Perfection | April 19, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Perfection | April 18, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change - Perfection | April 17, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Perfection | April 16, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Perfection | April 15, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Neighbours | April 12, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Neighbours | April 11, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change - Neighbours | April 10, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Neighbours | April 9, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Neighbours | April 8, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Retaliation | March 15, 2013 | Listen | |||
Thursday - Act On It - Retaliation | March 14, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Retaliation | March 13, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Retaliation | March 12, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Retaliation | March 11, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Truth | March 8, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Truth | March 7, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Truth | March 6, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Truth | March 5, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Truth | March 4, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - The Look | March 1, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - The Look | February 28, 2013 | Watch | Listen |