His Name Shall Be...son Of God Series

Jesus stood before Pilate. He said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

That means…

1. Our worship is of Someone beyond this world

For every idol-worshiping culture that has goofed it up and worshiped the sun, or the stars, or some being that was somewhere “out there,” I will say this: at least they recognized that worship belongs to Someone Whose very being is greater than ourselves.

There’s a different message coming at me through the media. I’m supposed to be impressed by musicians, by athletes, by people with letters of degrees after their names, by talk show hosts, by actors. Sometimes I am – often not favorably! I’m even supposed to adore and “celebrate” and imitate them – the very things that God says I’m supposed to do toward Him.

My worship doesn’t belong to any human! -even if his birth was impressive, and if he’s a very wise teacher, and if lots of people agree he’s a swell guy, He has to be more than just a guy. My worship belongs to Someone Who is the Son of God.

Embracing this concept has the potential to completely shape our whole approach to worship. Worship is our response to a transcendent God – to the Creator Who owes us nothing and to Whom we owe our very existence. Worship is our offering of promises and praise and thanks that we come to give to the God Who has given us everything we have. That’s a lot different than walking into an auditorium with a mental scorecard and judging whether or not “I liked worship today.” If that’s you, stop it! If you find yourself somehow dissatisfied with worship, I challenge you to step back and see if your focus is on Someone beyond this world. That’s where it belongs.

Finally,

2. Our hope isn’t earth-based

1 Corinthians 15:19

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

That’s because our hope in Jesus is the belief that we’re not going to remain on this earth! Our hope is for a new Heaven, new earth, and new bodies! That’s what the Son of God brought with Him!

Let me put that in Christmas terms: Your Ipad will break…after the warranty. Your batteries will go dead. The new boots will go out of fashion – next year, in fact. Your car will get dings and need maintenance. Your favorite memories will fade from your mind. Your doctor will tell you to stop eating your favorite dessert. Your family will change. The decorations will wear out. None of the stuff of the Christ-mess will last.

Lots of humans have made me lots of promises through the years. Some have even kept them. Only the Son of God can promise me Heaven and keep that promise! And He will!

Conclusion:

I found several people saying out loud this truth about Jesus. JB, Nathanael, Martha, the disciples, even the centurion who helped crucify Jesus – all of them said He is the Son of God.