Discover The Wonder:
He Is Closer Than You Might Think
Lk.1:29-35; 2:8-15; Mk.1:15; 2 Kgs.6:14-18
Intro…
1) Lk.1:29-35…Mary and Joseph are going about there merry, obscure little way, when….all of a sudden the unseen spiritual world contacts them with a message from the angel Gabriel…you are going to have a child from this other world…and He come to save your world from their sins.
2) Lk.2:8-15…The shepherds were tending their flocks out in the fields…nothing unusual about that…they were going about their normal lives, doing what they do everyday of their lives….when suddenly, the unseen spiritual world contacts them with a message from the angel Gabriel.
In C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, four children from London, Peter, Edmund, Lucy, and Susan are taken out of the city during the bombing of WWII. They are taken to Professor Kirke’s home in the countryside. On the first day, unable to go out because of the rain, they play hide and seek. Lucy thought she had found a great hiding place in the Wardrobe, when after entering, suddenly she found herself in a whole new world…the land of Narnia. The land itself had been under a hundred year winter curse by the White Witch…but Aslan, the Lion, was on the move to rescue Narnia and reverse this terrible curse.
They are able to move in and out of this world, but they come back to their world transformed!!
I. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean its not there!!
Ex. Of the things you can’t see, but no one argues that they are not real:
1. Radio….If I were to tell you that just about every type of music in the world is right here, right now…would you believe me? You would because you have experience radio…and now with satellite radio it is even truer… all we need to experience an entire world of music is an instrument that is capable of receiving radio waves. And then suddenly, we are aware of another world that we weren’t even thinking about until something made it know to us…i.e., a radio.
2. Same thing with a TV…
3. I can’t see electricity or gravity…but both can be deadly if disregarded and yet we couldn’t live without it. We can certainly see the results of it, but usually aren’t conscious of it much unless something happens.
Gravity….don’t think of it until you fall.
Electricity…don’t think of it until its off.
4. I will suggest to you that it is the same with the unseen spiritual world…Ephes. 6:12 (NIV)
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Just because we can’t see the spiritual world does not mean that it is any less real. It is as real as anything you have experienced…in fact, it is more real.
Sometimes people will say, “You have got to live in the real world”. I’m not always sure what is meant by that but it sure does raise an interesting question: “What is the real world?” Only what is eternal will last…so anything that you can see or touch…is not lasting. One day it will all be gone.
So I would say to you that it is the spiritual world that we can’t see that is the most real thing out there. And many go through life totally oblivious to it.
Ex. After Lucy’s first lone trip to Narnia, none of the other children believed her when she told them.
II. Life is filled with surprise encounters with this spiritual world.
1. Unintentional. It is impossible to live in our world without bumping into the eternal! We bump into it all the time. But for those who are not looking for anything, it can be easily explained away. We talk about LUCK… Coincidence… Uncanny…Incredible…a winning streak…chance meeting. Or we take credit for the remarkable (Ex. Of little woodpecker whose tree was split down the middle by lightning while he was pecking on itand flew to another tree and exclaimed, "Boy, I’m good!")
2. God’s Intention. God’s prevenient grace is at work in every life. He is continually reaching out to every one of us. We all live in a world filled with God’s blessings. God is working 24/7 to get through to you….through circumstances, thoughts, events, etc. Breaking into our world to get our attention, to communicate with us, to love us, to woo us to Himself. And sometimes we don’t even notice…kind of like the little girl down the street who does everything in the world to get your attention, yet you don’t give her the time of day…until one day, things have changed; suddenly you notice her. All of a sudden things are different and you enter into another world…a world of love.
Kurt Bruner in his book, “Finding God in the Land of Narnia” says that “Surprise encounters with the unseen world are lurking just around every corner. Divine serendipities lie in ambush at every turn.
"At any moment we, too, may slip through an undetected crack and find ourselves standing in the middle of a strange and marvelous land, a place beyond the walls of the known universe.”
“For there is such a place. Happily, this workaday world isn’t all there is. Nearby, just at our elbow, hovering over our heads and brushing past our shoulders, is that “other dimension” where God and the hosts of heaven dwell in power and bliss and unapproachable light. For all its invisibility, it is dangerously real and alarmingly present. And it is ready to burst in upon us, to suck us out of our mundane existence and into a realm of blazing mysteries, just when we least expect it”.
Ex. Of John 14…In my father’s house are many rooms…if it were not so I would have told you..I go there to prepare a place for you…and I will come and get you.
III. What are some “wardrobe” doors for us to intentionally access the spiritual world that is around us?? How close is this world? What are the doors that enable us to become aware of this unseen world?
1. The biggest “wardrobe” door to walk through is conversion! …John 10:7-9 (NIV) Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.
John 3:3-8 (NIV)
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." 4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!" 5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, ’You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
2. Worship. In worship our hearts and spirits suddenly become open to His Spirit. Busy lives snuffs out His attempts at contacting us. We must stop and focus on God to get beyond ourselves and contact Him.
3. Prayer. When in His presence we will want to communicate with Him. Not talking about ourselves but listening to what He wants to say to us. It opens a whole new world.
4. Practicing the Presence. Once in contact, we can keep a running conversation with God throughout our day. It helps us stay aware that He is right here with us. This is another door to access Him.
5. Pain and suffering. C. S. Lewis says that pain is God’s megaphone. In the midst of pain and suffering, God has our attention. We are vulnerable and care about listening to Him. It is another door to access Him.
6. Holy Communion. We can walk through the door of Holy Communion into His presence right now. As we partake of the Body and the Blood, it is a holy moment. We become keenly aware of His love and forgiveness, and grace. You can walk in as deep as you might like.
