December 26, 2025 • 24 mins
Let’s go right to the heart of the matter. For a good number of people, the joyful holiday celebrations aren’t that joyful! So how do we fix that? Our study today aims to do just that.
John 14:6
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
What could be more awesome? What could be more joyful?
What could be more amazing? That God the Son humbled himself
to become a baby. Live for you, die for your sins,
taking the punishment that we all deserve.
That you might find the way backto God.
(00:21):
What greater motivation could there be for joyful celebration?
Welcome to the God centered lifewith Josh Moody.
We're taking a look at the 14th chapter of the book of John
today, verse 6. Our series is called Who is
Jesus today, the way, the truth and the life.
(00:42):
Josh Moody is senior pastor of College Church, which is located
in Wheaton, IL I'm Tom Busty, thanks for joining us for this
study today. Well, we've got the holidays,
we've got joy to the world, we've got family, we've got get
togethers, we've got presents. But sometimes it's hard to find
that joy amidst all the celebration.
Today we're looking somewhere other than the decorations for
(01:05):
Joy Josh. Right to the the real source of
of Christian joy, which is who Jesus is, which has been the of
course the theme of this series.And then specifically today to
him being the way, the truth andthe life that no one comes to
the Father except through him. What greater reason could there
be for rejoicing than that greattruth?
(01:26):
Let's go joy hunting, John. Chapter 14.
Here's Josh. What it's a great joy to be
together on this special eveningand to be singing so well and
listening to such wonderful music.
What a great time of the year. A new survey of Christmas was
(01:47):
released this year. Americans were asked whether
they would like to hear more about Jesus at Christmas or
less. In response, 79% of Americans
said they wanted to hear more about Jesus at Christmas.
Well, that, of course, is an encouraging statistic for all
(02:08):
those of us who believe in Jesus.
It shows that vast numbers of people in this country want to
hear more about Jesus at Christmas.
If that were not the case, it would not stop preachers like me
from wanting to share the message of Jesus at Christmas.
No doubt we believe that truth is not finally determined by
(02:30):
statistics or surveys. But it does encourage all of
those who want to put Christ into Christmas with a sense of
social permission to do so. Now, if we believe that survey,
it means that most people in America today want to hear more
about Jesus at Christmas. If that is the case, what would
(02:55):
you wish more people knew about Jesus this Christmas?
For me, the answer to that question is simple.
It's in the text that we're looking at this evening.
There you'll see that Jesus saidto them, I am the way and the
(03:19):
truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me. In other words, I would wish
that more of us saw that the perfect path to a very Merry
Christmas as we'll be greeting each other the end of the
service on the beginning of Christmas Day.
(03:41):
The perfect path to a very MerryChristmas is actually the
exclusive excellence of Jesus. I would like more of us to see
that true happiness at Christmas.
Joy rising above circumstances at any time of the year is found
(04:02):
in the exclusive excellence of Jesus.
I would like more of us to get that the perfect path to a very
Merry Christmas is that exclusive excellence of Jesus
that when we see the baby lying in a Manger, we see wrapped in
(04:23):
swaddling clothes the excellencies of divine joy in
miniature. I want the exclusive excellence
of Jesus way, truth and life to give us unique access to God the
Father through Jesus. And so show us the perfect path
(04:44):
to a very Merry Christmas. Follow that path with me.
First, the exclusive excellence of Jesus's way.
Jesus says I am the way. This is in response to one of
Jesus followers asking him to show them the way to the Father.
(05:05):
Jesus was in the middle, saying goodbye to his friends.
They had walked with him throughIsrael, seen him perform 7
miraculous signs that point to him being God, turning water
into wine, raising Lazarus from the dead.
They'd seen that. They'd heard him say that he was
the great. I am God himself, Yahweh.
(05:29):
And now Jesus was surprisingly telling his friends that he was
going to leave them. He told them not to worry
because he's going to prepare a place for them too and that they
knew the way to get to this home.
And then one of his friends saysthat they do not know where he
is going, so how can they know how to get there?
(05:49):
Jesus replies by saying I am theway in the baby lying in a
Manger, we see wrapped in swaddling clothes, the
excellencies of divine joy in miniature.
(06:12):
Jesus born, lived, died and roseagain is the way.
He is personally and passionately the way to the
Father. And you see, my friends, this is
thrilling cause for unshakeable,joyful celebration.
(06:33):
Look at it like this. I suspect each of us do
different things with our families to wish each other a
Merry Christmas. And perhaps you have various
traditions. In our home.
We have a tradition of what are called Christmas crackers.
They each contain a little joke,usually cheesy.
(06:54):
They're designed to make you smile.
Some of them are funnier than others, like the comedian who
joked they laughed when they said I was going to become a top
comedian. They're not laughing now.
The point is to get everyone smiling a little bit and
interacting and all that kind ofthing.
It's a way to have a celebration.
(07:16):
And the purpose of such traditions is to give each other
permission, cause to celebrate. Now that Jesus is personally and
passionately the way shows us the exclusive excellence of
Jesus which gives us thrilling cause to celebrate with a
perfect path to a very Merry Christmas and beyond through all
(07:39):
of life. See, sometimes people think that
instead the choices between slightly guilty overconsumption
of consumerism or rather dour face self-righteous Pilgrim
Puritanism, neither option is particularly appealing.
Have you heard the joke about the Puritan who laughed?
(08:00):
He put the fun back into fundamentalism.
Look, the fact that Jesus is personally and passionately the
Way gives us no greater opportunity for faith.
You don't need to go around banging your head against a
(08:21):
brick wall asking why isn't there another way?
Enter through the door Jesus, who is personally and
passionately the way to the Father.
And that Jesus is the way not only gives us no greater
opportunity for faith, it also gives us no greater motivation
for celebration. In the baby lying in a Manger,
(08:45):
we see wrapped in swaddling clothes, the excellencies of
divine joy in miniature. What could be more awesome?
What could be more joyful? What could be more amazing?
That God the Son humbled himselfto become a baby.
(09:07):
Live for you, die for your sins,taking the punishment that we
all deserve. That you might find the way back
to God. What greater motivation could
there be for joyful celebration?More joy, fuel coming our way
momentarily, but at first, joy to us.
(09:29):
Yeah, it sounds selfish, but really hearing from you is a
point of immense joy for us. We love this to be a two way
conversation whenever possible. You can reach us via our
website. There's an address there.
There's a phone number for stateside listeners.
Either way, you reach out. We'd love to hear from you.
God centered life.org is that website.
(09:49):
Back into John. Here's Josh.
The exclusive excellence of Jesus way Second follow the
path. The exclusive excellence of
Jesus truth. Jesus says I am the truth.
This follows on immediately fromhis description of Himself as
(10:11):
the way, because for a way to beexcellent, it must also be true.
A path is only a good path if itleads truly to the destination
for which it is designed. Jesus is saying that He is
personally and passionately the truth.
Now, if someone says they know the truth, you want to know
(10:31):
whether they have good reason toknow the truth.
And if someone says they saw thetruth, you want to know how they
observed the truth. When Jesus says I am the truth,
we do have reason to believe because of those who observed
Him. They saw His miracles, they
heard His claims, and they wrotedown their observations so that
(10:54):
we too could believe as well. We have seen His glory, the
glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth.
But here Jesus says something even more.
He says not only that we can know the truth and that we can
see the truth. Jesus says that He is the truth,
(11:17):
and this means not only do we have reason to believe on the
basis of the observations of eyewitnesses recorded in John's
Gospel, we now have an even greater basis for faith and even
greater substance for joy. Jesus does not simply speak the
truth, show the truth. He is the truth.
(11:40):
According to John, in the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us. This Word, this Logos, as it is
in Greek, is personally Jesus himself.
So the Logos of the universe, the mind, the truth of all is
(12:01):
found in this Jesus. In the baby lying in a Manger,
we see wrapped in swaddling clothes, the excellencies of
divine joy in miniature. No greater basis for faith, no
greater substance for joy. Look at it like this.
(12:27):
Traditionally it's thought that there were three wise men
because they brought 3 gifts, gold, frankincense and Merh.
Many different interpretations given for these gifts are most
commonly gold for king, frankincense for priests, Merh
predicting his death. They're gifts that were given in
ancient times, honour, deity. They're also expensive,
(12:50):
honouring Jesus as God, generousgiving at Christmas goes back to
those three wise men. Consider them travelling from
afar to find the truth in Jesus representatives, these magi of
elite intellect of their day. With this, here we have more
(13:16):
reason to worship Jesus than that which persuaded even the
three wise men. What if Jesus actually is the
truth? What if the Logos of the whole
world, the mind of the entire universe, took on human flesh,
(13:42):
descended to us, lived for a while among us, performed
miracles as signs to His identity?
The Author of history wrote himself into to the narrative to
interact with the characters andprovide them with a way out for
(14:04):
their salvation? What if this is true?
If He is truth, Would this not provide us with no greater
rational basis for faith and no greater logical substance for
(14:25):
joy? The exclusive excellence of
Jesus, Truth. 3rd and finally, follow the path, the exclusive
excellence of Jesus's life. Jesus says I am the life.
(14:49):
And so for a true way to be excellent, it must also end
well. And there's no destination more
excellent than the true way to true life.
You see, life in John's Gospel means more than merely
existence. It means enlightening
(15:10):
exuberance. In Him was life, and that life
was the light of men. I came to give you life and life
abundance. And so when Jesus says I am the
life, he means not only that He gave existence to the universe
(15:34):
as the Creator. Not only that He gives life
after death as the Saviour. I am the resurrection and the
life, but that he is himself thevital principle of what it is to
be fully alive. And so Jesus people, the true
(15:58):
followers of Jesus as a community, the Church, have
access to this life. I have come that they may have
life and have it to the full abundance.
We who believe commune with Him now by His Holy Spirit.
(16:20):
We not only believe that we are made by Him.
We not only believe that one daywe will have life after death in
Him. We through faith have the new
life now in the new birth by HisSpirit.
And so joy inexpressible and full of glory.
(16:43):
This life of Jesus Spirit, then,is the antidotes to lethargy,
the opposite of antipathy, the solution to estrangement.
No greater body for community, no greater people for
celebration, life himself. I was reminded just this week
(17:08):
that one of the pastors who was on our staff team used to
observe that in the Gospels, no one ever stayed dead in the
presence of Jesus. He is life in the baby lying in
(17:36):
a Manger. We see wrapped in swaddling
clothes, the excellencies of divine joy in miniature way,
truth and life. Look at it like this this year,
(17:58):
as there is no new Harry Potter movie or book, JK Rowling
released on her website a story or event for each of her version
of the 12 Days of Christmas. Now, whatever you think of
rolling, Potter captured the imagination of many with the
storytelling and the intrigue and the mystery.
(18:20):
What is sometimes overlooked with all this that attracted
people is actually the community, the life together.
The school which Potter attendedis so appealing that Hogwarts is
now recreated as an amusement park in Orlando.
(18:44):
Contrast this with a very different version of living,
epitomised by that old character, The Lone Ranger.
Well, you see my friends, many of us attempt to live a sort of
Lone Ranger Christianity. Me, my God and my Starbucks.
(19:11):
You see, there is more to it than that because Jesus is not
just a ticket to heaven, He is in himself, life itself, in the
presence of Jesus. Through faith, we come alive, We
find life to the full. We live life to the full.
(19:33):
Abundant life. Not sure there is pain, there
can be memories that haunt us, perhaps especially at Christmas,
but we are now in connection through faith in Jesus with life
itself, and that life enlightensour path.
(20:00):
To show us the true way so that we celebrate as a community and
exude into a very Merry Christmas, not sentimental, but
substantial, scintillating. And that does not end here, but
lives abundantly forever here. It is what robs our joy is
(20:29):
minimizing Jesus, and what maximizes our joy is magnifying
Jesus as the great I am, the exclusive excellence of Jesus
way, truth and life. That's what I would wish we
(20:51):
would all be able to see more about Jesus this Christmas.
The baby lying in a Manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes.
The Excellencies a divine joy inminiature.
If you know your Bibles, it's a little like the story of the
Pearl of Great Price. Once you see its value, you sell
(21:12):
everything else to get it. And once you get it home, you go
home rejoicing. The exclusive Excellencies of
Jesus by His Spirit is the key that unlocks our joy, the DNA
structure of enlightening exuberance.
(21:37):
Not just another path up the mountain, but the mountain
itself. And once you see Him, you are
well on your way to a very MerryChristmas and a truly happy,
eternally joyful, abundant new life.
(21:59):
Let us pray, oh Lord Jesus, we pray that that would be our
experience this Christmas. That as we reflect on the
meaning of the Incarnation, as we see the baby wrapped in
(22:20):
swaddling clothes, the exclusiveexcellencies of Jesus as the
path to the Father and hence divine joy, we would go home
rejoicing with a renewed sense of the magnificence of Jesus.
(22:44):
And we pray these things in His name, Amen.
That's Josh Moody and this is the God centered life.
Josh Joy can be hard to come by during this holiday season and
if somebody's aware that they really are missing out on Joy,
(23:05):
what's the road map? What's the 1st?
Step to get. Out of that darkness and find
the way, the truth and the life.Well, I'm tempted to say what my
wife always says, which is the secret to happiness is
chocolate. But I'm sure in the few moments
we got here, I don't have long enough to dig myself out of that
hole. But.
(23:25):
I think I would say that it's. A matter of perspective, isn't
it? It's where where you look.
There's always, always bad things to look at, and we have
to discipline ourselves to look at what's good.
And ultimately, of course, that means God and the truth we've
been considering here. Yeah.
And as we approach the end of the year, this is the time where
we think about establishing new patterns and disciplines, right?
(23:47):
This is a daily thing. Yeah, this is a daily thing.
Excellent. Thank you for that, Josh.
Well, we believe getting into God's Word is a daily thing as
well, and that's why we're here five days a week with these
studies. We even have a weekend edition
as well for that 6th day, 7th day, you're with your church
body. So we hope you're finding these
studies profitable. You can find out more about this
(24:10):
ministry@godcenteredlife.org. The web address again, God
centered life.org. Next time we get together back
to our Biblical Answers series, we're waiting for lightning.
It seems as if this is what was going on.
Influenced by the fantastical myths of Greek culture, teachers
were encouraging young Christians that if they really
(24:32):
wanted to grow spiritually, theymust have a lightning bolt
experience. We hope your Christmas week has
been rich. We're heading back into our
Biblical Answers series when we get together next time God
Centered life.org, our website, and we would love to have you
join us next time around God's word right here at the God
Centered Life with Josh Moody.
What could be more awesome? What could be more joyful?
What could be more amazing? That God the Son humbled himself
to become a baby. Live for you, die for your sins,
taking the punishment that we all deserve.
That you might find the way backto God.
(00:21):
What greater motivation could there be for joyful celebration?
Welcome to the God centered lifewith Josh Moody.
We're taking a look at the 14th chapter of the book of John
today, verse 6. Our series is called Who is
Jesus today, the way, the truth and the life.
(00:42):
Josh Moody is senior pastor of College Church, which is located
in Wheaton, IL I'm Tom Busty, thanks for joining us for this
study today. Well, we've got the holidays,
we've got joy to the world, we've got family, we've got get
togethers, we've got presents. But sometimes it's hard to find
that joy amidst all the celebration.
Today we're looking somewhere other than the decorations for
(01:05):
Joy Josh. Right to the the real source of
of Christian joy, which is who Jesus is, which has been the of
course the theme of this series.And then specifically today to
him being the way, the truth andthe life that no one comes to
the Father except through him. What greater reason could there
be for rejoicing than that greattruth?
(01:26):
Let's go joy hunting, John. Chapter 14.
Here's Josh. What it's a great joy to be
together on this special eveningand to be singing so well and
listening to such wonderful music.
What a great time of the year. A new survey of Christmas was
(01:47):
released this year. Americans were asked whether
they would like to hear more about Jesus at Christmas or
less. In response, 79% of Americans
said they wanted to hear more about Jesus at Christmas.
Well, that, of course, is an encouraging statistic for all
(02:08):
those of us who believe in Jesus.
It shows that vast numbers of people in this country want to
hear more about Jesus at Christmas.
If that were not the case, it would not stop preachers like me
from wanting to share the message of Jesus at Christmas.
No doubt we believe that truth is not finally determined by
(02:30):
statistics or surveys. But it does encourage all of
those who want to put Christ into Christmas with a sense of
social permission to do so. Now, if we believe that survey,
it means that most people in America today want to hear more
about Jesus at Christmas. If that is the case, what would
(02:55):
you wish more people knew about Jesus this Christmas?
For me, the answer to that question is simple.
It's in the text that we're looking at this evening.
There you'll see that Jesus saidto them, I am the way and the
(03:19):
truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me. In other words, I would wish
that more of us saw that the perfect path to a very Merry
Christmas as we'll be greeting each other the end of the
service on the beginning of Christmas Day.
(03:41):
The perfect path to a very MerryChristmas is actually the
exclusive excellence of Jesus. I would like more of us to see
that true happiness at Christmas.
Joy rising above circumstances at any time of the year is found
(04:02):
in the exclusive excellence of Jesus.
I would like more of us to get that the perfect path to a very
Merry Christmas is that exclusive excellence of Jesus
that when we see the baby lying in a Manger, we see wrapped in
(04:23):
swaddling clothes the excellencies of divine joy in
miniature. I want the exclusive excellence
of Jesus way, truth and life to give us unique access to God the
Father through Jesus. And so show us the perfect path
(04:44):
to a very Merry Christmas. Follow that path with me.
First, the exclusive excellence of Jesus's way.
Jesus says I am the way. This is in response to one of
Jesus followers asking him to show them the way to the Father.
(05:05):
Jesus was in the middle, saying goodbye to his friends.
They had walked with him throughIsrael, seen him perform 7
miraculous signs that point to him being God, turning water
into wine, raising Lazarus from the dead.
They'd seen that. They'd heard him say that he was
the great. I am God himself, Yahweh.
(05:29):
And now Jesus was surprisingly telling his friends that he was
going to leave them. He told them not to worry
because he's going to prepare a place for them too and that they
knew the way to get to this home.
And then one of his friends saysthat they do not know where he
is going, so how can they know how to get there?
(05:49):
Jesus replies by saying I am theway in the baby lying in a
Manger, we see wrapped in swaddling clothes, the
excellencies of divine joy in miniature.
(06:12):
Jesus born, lived, died and roseagain is the way.
He is personally and passionately the way to the
Father. And you see, my friends, this is
thrilling cause for unshakeable,joyful celebration.
(06:33):
Look at it like this. I suspect each of us do
different things with our families to wish each other a
Merry Christmas. And perhaps you have various
traditions. In our home.
We have a tradition of what are called Christmas crackers.
They each contain a little joke,usually cheesy.
(06:54):
They're designed to make you smile.
Some of them are funnier than others, like the comedian who
joked they laughed when they said I was going to become a top
comedian. They're not laughing now.
The point is to get everyone smiling a little bit and
interacting and all that kind ofthing.
It's a way to have a celebration.
(07:16):
And the purpose of such traditions is to give each other
permission, cause to celebrate. Now that Jesus is personally and
passionately the way shows us the exclusive excellence of
Jesus which gives us thrilling cause to celebrate with a
perfect path to a very Merry Christmas and beyond through all
(07:39):
of life. See, sometimes people think that
instead the choices between slightly guilty overconsumption
of consumerism or rather dour face self-righteous Pilgrim
Puritanism, neither option is particularly appealing.
Have you heard the joke about the Puritan who laughed?
(08:00):
He put the fun back into fundamentalism.
Look, the fact that Jesus is personally and passionately the
Way gives us no greater opportunity for faith.
You don't need to go around banging your head against a
(08:21):
brick wall asking why isn't there another way?
Enter through the door Jesus, who is personally and
passionately the way to the Father.
And that Jesus is the way not only gives us no greater
opportunity for faith, it also gives us no greater motivation
for celebration. In the baby lying in a Manger,
(08:45):
we see wrapped in swaddling clothes, the excellencies of
divine joy in miniature. What could be more awesome?
What could be more joyful? What could be more amazing?
That God the Son humbled himselfto become a baby.
(09:07):
Live for you, die for your sins,taking the punishment that we
all deserve. That you might find the way back
to God. What greater motivation could
there be for joyful celebration?More joy, fuel coming our way
momentarily, but at first, joy to us.
(09:29):
Yeah, it sounds selfish, but really hearing from you is a
point of immense joy for us. We love this to be a two way
conversation whenever possible. You can reach us via our
website. There's an address there.
There's a phone number for stateside listeners.
Either way, you reach out. We'd love to hear from you.
God centered life.org is that website.
(09:49):
Back into John. Here's Josh.
The exclusive excellence of Jesus way Second follow the
path. The exclusive excellence of
Jesus truth. Jesus says I am the truth.
This follows on immediately fromhis description of Himself as
(10:11):
the way, because for a way to beexcellent, it must also be true.
A path is only a good path if itleads truly to the destination
for which it is designed. Jesus is saying that He is
personally and passionately the truth.
Now, if someone says they know the truth, you want to know
(10:31):
whether they have good reason toknow the truth.
And if someone says they saw thetruth, you want to know how they
observed the truth. When Jesus says I am the truth,
we do have reason to believe because of those who observed
Him. They saw His miracles, they
heard His claims, and they wrotedown their observations so that
(10:54):
we too could believe as well. We have seen His glory, the
glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth.
But here Jesus says something even more.
He says not only that we can know the truth and that we can
see the truth. Jesus says that He is the truth,
(11:17):
and this means not only do we have reason to believe on the
basis of the observations of eyewitnesses recorded in John's
Gospel, we now have an even greater basis for faith and even
greater substance for joy. Jesus does not simply speak the
truth, show the truth. He is the truth.
(11:40):
According to John, in the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us. This Word, this Logos, as it is
in Greek, is personally Jesus himself.
So the Logos of the universe, the mind, the truth of all is
(12:01):
found in this Jesus. In the baby lying in a Manger,
we see wrapped in swaddling clothes, the excellencies of
divine joy in miniature. No greater basis for faith, no
greater substance for joy. Look at it like this.
(12:27):
Traditionally it's thought that there were three wise men
because they brought 3 gifts, gold, frankincense and Merh.
Many different interpretations given for these gifts are most
commonly gold for king, frankincense for priests, Merh
predicting his death. They're gifts that were given in
ancient times, honour, deity. They're also expensive,
(12:50):
honouring Jesus as God, generousgiving at Christmas goes back to
those three wise men. Consider them travelling from
afar to find the truth in Jesus representatives, these magi of
elite intellect of their day. With this, here we have more
(13:16):
reason to worship Jesus than that which persuaded even the
three wise men. What if Jesus actually is the
truth? What if the Logos of the whole
world, the mind of the entire universe, took on human flesh,
(13:42):
descended to us, lived for a while among us, performed
miracles as signs to His identity?
The Author of history wrote himself into to the narrative to
interact with the characters andprovide them with a way out for
(14:04):
their salvation? What if this is true?
If He is truth, Would this not provide us with no greater
rational basis for faith and no greater logical substance for
(14:25):
joy? The exclusive excellence of
Jesus, Truth. 3rd and finally, follow the path, the exclusive
excellence of Jesus's life. Jesus says I am the life.
(14:49):
And so for a true way to be excellent, it must also end
well. And there's no destination more
excellent than the true way to true life.
You see, life in John's Gospel means more than merely
existence. It means enlightening
(15:10):
exuberance. In Him was life, and that life
was the light of men. I came to give you life and life
abundance. And so when Jesus says I am the
life, he means not only that He gave existence to the universe
(15:34):
as the Creator. Not only that He gives life
after death as the Saviour. I am the resurrection and the
life, but that he is himself thevital principle of what it is to
be fully alive. And so Jesus people, the true
(15:58):
followers of Jesus as a community, the Church, have
access to this life. I have come that they may have
life and have it to the full abundance.
We who believe commune with Him now by His Holy Spirit.
(16:20):
We not only believe that we are made by Him.
We not only believe that one daywe will have life after death in
Him. We through faith have the new
life now in the new birth by HisSpirit.
And so joy inexpressible and full of glory.
(16:43):
This life of Jesus Spirit, then,is the antidotes to lethargy,
the opposite of antipathy, the solution to estrangement.
No greater body for community, no greater people for
celebration, life himself. I was reminded just this week
(17:08):
that one of the pastors who was on our staff team used to
observe that in the Gospels, no one ever stayed dead in the
presence of Jesus. He is life in the baby lying in
(17:36):
a Manger. We see wrapped in swaddling
clothes, the excellencies of divine joy in miniature way,
truth and life. Look at it like this this year,
(17:58):
as there is no new Harry Potter movie or book, JK Rowling
released on her website a story or event for each of her version
of the 12 Days of Christmas. Now, whatever you think of
rolling, Potter captured the imagination of many with the
storytelling and the intrigue and the mystery.
(18:20):
What is sometimes overlooked with all this that attracted
people is actually the community, the life together.
The school which Potter attendedis so appealing that Hogwarts is
now recreated as an amusement park in Orlando.
(18:44):
Contrast this with a very different version of living,
epitomised by that old character, The Lone Ranger.
Well, you see my friends, many of us attempt to live a sort of
Lone Ranger Christianity. Me, my God and my Starbucks.
(19:11):
You see, there is more to it than that because Jesus is not
just a ticket to heaven, He is in himself, life itself, in the
presence of Jesus. Through faith, we come alive, We
find life to the full. We live life to the full.
(19:33):
Abundant life. Not sure there is pain, there
can be memories that haunt us, perhaps especially at Christmas,
but we are now in connection through faith in Jesus with life
itself, and that life enlightensour path.
(20:00):
To show us the true way so that we celebrate as a community and
exude into a very Merry Christmas, not sentimental, but
substantial, scintillating. And that does not end here, but
lives abundantly forever here. It is what robs our joy is
(20:29):
minimizing Jesus, and what maximizes our joy is magnifying
Jesus as the great I am, the exclusive excellence of Jesus
way, truth and life. That's what I would wish we
(20:51):
would all be able to see more about Jesus this Christmas.
The baby lying in a Manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes.
The Excellencies a divine joy inminiature.
If you know your Bibles, it's a little like the story of the
Pearl of Great Price. Once you see its value, you sell
(21:12):
everything else to get it. And once you get it home, you go
home rejoicing. The exclusive Excellencies of
Jesus by His Spirit is the key that unlocks our joy, the DNA
structure of enlightening exuberance.
(21:37):
Not just another path up the mountain, but the mountain
itself. And once you see Him, you are
well on your way to a very MerryChristmas and a truly happy,
eternally joyful, abundant new life.
(21:59):
Let us pray, oh Lord Jesus, we pray that that would be our
experience this Christmas. That as we reflect on the
meaning of the Incarnation, as we see the baby wrapped in
(22:20):
swaddling clothes, the exclusiveexcellencies of Jesus as the
path to the Father and hence divine joy, we would go home
rejoicing with a renewed sense of the magnificence of Jesus.
(22:44):
And we pray these things in His name, Amen.
That's Josh Moody and this is the God centered life.
Josh Joy can be hard to come by during this holiday season and
if somebody's aware that they really are missing out on Joy,
(23:05):
what's the road map? What's the 1st?
Step to get. Out of that darkness and find
the way, the truth and the life.Well, I'm tempted to say what my
wife always says, which is the secret to happiness is
chocolate. But I'm sure in the few moments
we got here, I don't have long enough to dig myself out of that
hole. But.
(23:25):
I think I would say that it's. A matter of perspective, isn't
it? It's where where you look.
There's always, always bad things to look at, and we have
to discipline ourselves to look at what's good.
And ultimately, of course, that means God and the truth we've
been considering here. Yeah.
And as we approach the end of the year, this is the time where
we think about establishing new patterns and disciplines, right?
(23:47):
This is a daily thing. Yeah, this is a daily thing.
Excellent. Thank you for that, Josh.
Well, we believe getting into God's Word is a daily thing as
well, and that's why we're here five days a week with these
studies. We even have a weekend edition
as well for that 6th day, 7th day, you're with your church
body. So we hope you're finding these
studies profitable. You can find out more about this
(24:10):
ministry@godcenteredlife.org. The web address again, God
centered life.org. Next time we get together back
to our Biblical Answers series, we're waiting for lightning.
It seems as if this is what was going on.
Influenced by the fantastical myths of Greek culture, teachers
were encouraging young Christians that if they really
(24:32):
wanted to grow spiritually, theymust have a lightning bolt
experience. We hope your Christmas week has
been rich. We're heading back into our
Biblical Answers series when we get together next time God
Centered life.org, our website, and we would love to have you
join us next time around God's word right here at the God
Centered Life with Josh Moody.
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