November 17, 2025 • 41 mins
“Why did Jesus come?”
Many people remember the familiar moments of Christmas, the nativity story, or favorite verses — but miss the deeper purpose behind the coming of Christ. In this message, Pastor Jason Smith shares from Romans 15:7-13 that Jesus came to glorify the Father — by revealing God’s character, fulfilling His ancient promises, and extending unimaginable grace and mercy to undeserving people.
Through vivid stories, biblical theology, and powerful Gospel clarity, you’ll discover:
- Why God’s glory is meant to be seen and savored, not just studied
- How Jesus displays God’s faithfulness to Israel and His mercy toward all nations
- Why the Gospel is the ultimate picture of undeserved acceptance and transforming grace
- How beholding God’s glory fills believers with joy, peace, and hope
- What it means to accept one another just as Christ accepted us
This message will deepen your awe of God, strengthen your assurance in the Gospel, and call you to reflect Jesus’ heart to a culture that is desperate for genuine acceptance.
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:37):
All right, good morning, church family.
Good morning.
I know what you're thinking.
I know what you're thinking.
Two things.
You're thinking, what is hegonna say about the Aggies?
And then you're thinking, doeshe know it's before
Thanksgiving?
We can't start the Christmasseries before Thanksgiving.
All right, there we go.
Hey, turn with me in your Biblesto Romans chapter 15.
(01:01):
Romans chapter 15.
We are going to begin ourChristmas sermon series titled
Why He Came.
If you do not have a Bible,there is a Bible in the PureC in
front of you.
Please take that as a gift fromus to you.
You can keep that so that youcan have a copy of God's Word.
(01:21):
We put those there so that youcan have them.
Okay.
All right.
I was a kid of the early 90s,right?
I was a preteen in the early90s, and I remember a certain
summer when a huge newblockbuster hit movie came out.
(01:44):
In fact, I'm old enough toremember when uh box office hits
would come out during thesummer, and you would kind of
take the whole summer to uharound that.
But Arnold Schwarzenegger inTerminator 2, okay?
A cyborg from the future comesto Earth on a special mission.
(02:06):
My cousin and I and my uh and mybrother, we begged our parents,
could we please go see this inthe theater?
And they talked about it, and mydad and my uncle took us all,
okay?
And it was amazing, all right?
It was amazing.
(02:28):
This huge action movieblockbuster hit of the summer.
Now, the reality is, is uh myrecollection of that movie, I
only remember two things fromthat movie.
The saying, I'll be back, andhasta la vista, baby.
(02:51):
That's that's it.
That's that's all I rememberabout that.
In in fact, uh if you were achild of those times, you know
that you would work in I'll beback or hasta la vista, baby,
every chance you got.
It's kind of like the kids, theysay six, seven, and then they
just giggle, they think that'sso funny.
(03:11):
Anytime they say six, seven,well, that's what we did.
We just said hasta la vista,baby.
All right.
But if you were to ask me, well,what was the actual plot of the
movie?
To this day, I would tell you,like, I don't know, right?
Why did Arnold come from thefuture back?
Why did he come?
(03:32):
I got no clue.
Really, I really I don't.
Similarly, when it comes toChristmas and the coming of
Jesus, how much of our culturecan only quote fun snippets,
missing the true meaning of whyJesus came.
(03:53):
And yes, I know that most of usin this room would say, well, he
came to die on the cross.
But did you know that Scripturesays that he came to destroy the
works of the devil?
Or to seek and to save the lost,or as we will see this morning,
that he came to glorify theFather.
(04:17):
I want you to listen as I readin Romans chapter 15, verses 7
through 13.
I want you to listen and I wantyou to listen for why Jesus
came.
Paul writes, therefore acceptone another, just as Christ also
accepted us to the glory of God.
(04:41):
For I say that Christ has becomea servant to the circumcision on
behalf of the truth of God toconfirm the promises given to
the Father, and for the Gentilesto glorify God for his mercy.
As it is written, therefore Iwill give praise to you among
(05:01):
the Gentiles, and I will singyour name.
Again he says, Rejoice, OGentiles, with his people.
And again, praise the Lord, allyou Gentiles, and let all the
peoples praise him.
And Isaiah says, Uh, there shallcome the root of Jesse, and he
who arises to rule over theGentiles, in him shall the
(05:25):
Gentiles hope.
Verse 13.
Now may the God of hope fill youwith all joy and peace in
believing, so that you willabound in hope by the power of
the Holy Spirit.
Will you pray with me?
Heavenly Father, as we havegathered to sing your praises,
(05:48):
as we have gathered in themighty name of Jesus, Father,
your word says that you inhabitthe praises of your people.
Your word says that when wegather in the name of Jesus,
that you draw near, that yourspirit draws near.
And we beg you right now thatthrough the power of your word
and the preached proclaimedword, that you would open the
(06:11):
eyes of our heart to see yourbeauty and magnificence, to see
your glory.
Father, forgive us and reveal tous how so many things that
distract us, how so many thingsthat we chase after in life, how
they are not worthy of ourattention in light of you.
(06:34):
God, do a work through yourspirit to allow us to see with
clarity the magnificence of themercy of Jesus Christ.
It is in his name we pray.
Amen.
In 1731, the king of Sweden wasgifted a lion as a pet.
(06:59):
And he loved this lion.
He spoiled this lion.
He he uh gave it, you know,extra attention.
But sadly, the lion passed awayat a young age.
The king deeply mourned his petfor a couple years.
After a couple years, he decidedthat he wanted to send the uh
(07:22):
send the lion.
All he had left was the bonesand the carcass, but that he
wanted to send it off to ataxidermist, to have, you know,
his his friend remembered.
So he found a uh world-renownedtaxidermist, and he he sends the
pelt and the bones to him.
(07:42):
Now, the only problem was thetaxidermist had never seen a
lion before.
And it's 1731, right?
You can't just Google it.
But he has a reputation touphold, okay?
And he doesn't want todisappoint the king.
(08:03):
So, both comically andtragically, this is what he
produced.
Now, that is not the majesticking of the beasts.
(08:23):
It looks more like a confuseddonkey, doesn't it?
Now, to this day, that stuffedlion is in a Swedish museum.
A monument to what happens ifsomeone tries to recreate that
which they've never truly seen.
(08:44):
Guys, that lion is a picture ofhuman religion and our
imagination of who God is andwhat he is like.
By man's impressions aredistorted, they are false, they
are ridiculous.
(09:05):
But then Jesus came.
And as Colossians 1 15 says, heis the true image of the
invisible God.
He is the radiance of his gloryand the exact representation of
his nature, Hebrews 1.3.
He came to make the Father knownand to reveal his character.
(09:32):
So, church family, the firstpoint that I want us to see out
of our text this morning is thatJesus came to glorify the
Father.
See it there in verses 7 and 9.
Okay?
That Jesus came to glorify theFather.
But this is a repeated themethroughout the New Testament,
(09:56):
and especially in the Gospel ofJohn.
I want you to listen to Johnchapter 12, 27 and 28.
This is Jesus speaking.
He knows he's about to go to thecross, and he says, Now my soul
is troubled, and what shall Isay?
Father, save me from this hour,but for this purpose I have come
to this hour.
(10:16):
Father, glorify your name.
And then a voice came out ofheaven, I have glorified it, and
I will glorify it again.
And I could overwhelm you,church, with about 15 verses
about how it is expressly statedthat God's purpose in sending
(10:41):
his son is that we would see theglory of God in the face of
Jesus.
That's 2 Corinthians 4, 6.
And that Jesus' purpose, his aimwas to glorify his father.
But I want us to slow down forjust a second.
(11:02):
I think you know what glory is.
And you think you know whatglory is, but it's worth our
time to kind of peel back thelayers and to focus in.
Okay?
So when Jesus says he came toglorify the Father, that even
that was his highest aim was foryou and I to see the glory of
(11:28):
God.
What does that mean?
You see, glory is only glory ifsomething is seen as beautiful,
spectacular, as a bride on herwedding day, full of beauty and
awe and splendor.
Like a camper that is drawn tothe warmth and the light of a
(11:53):
fire in the coolness of thenight.
Glory is only glory if God isseen as irresistibly true and
great and satisfying.
I want you to listen to an arrayof the Psalms.
Psalm 16, 11.
(12:14):
In your presence there isfullness of joy, and at your
right hand are pleasuresforevermore.
Psalm 17, 15, as for me, I shallbehold your face in
righteousness.
When I awake, I shall besatisfied with your likeness.
Psalm 63, my soul thirsts foryou.
(12:38):
My soul will be satisfied aswith lavish food, and my mouth
with will praise you with joyfullips.
Psalm 73, whom have I in heavenbut you?
And there is nothing on earththat I desire besides you.
(12:58):
My flesh and my heart may fail,but God is the strength of my
heart, and he is my portionforever.
You see, to glorify God meansthat he is seen as unequaled,
unsurpassed, more than food orsex or money, that he is the
(13:23):
greatest treasure of your heart.
And you see it like Peter andthe apostles, you see it, not
like Judas, who did not see it,who walked with Jesus for three
years and did not see the beautyof the character of God.
(13:44):
He was blinded by his greed andhis thirst for power.
He did not see it.
But you see it, that God isirresistibly true and
satisfying.
And that is why Jesus came.
So that all would see the beautyand the worth of God.
(14:11):
But here in this text, this texthighlights attributes and
linking those attributestogether for which attributes
get lifted high above for whyJesus came to glorify God.
First, you see it there in verseeight, is that Jesus glorifies
(14:33):
God because God kept hispromises to Israel.
Because God kept his because Godis a promise-keeping God.
So when God promised Moses, 1500years before Christ, when God
said to Moses in Deuteronomy 18,he said to the people of Israel,
(14:55):
that there is going to be aprophet like Moses that comes
and knows God and speaks withGod face to face, that 1,500
years later, when God sendsJesus, he is fulfilling his
promise to Moses.
But you say, Israel was notfaithful.
(15:18):
They wanted to return to Egypt.
They did not obey God and driveout all the people in the land.
And they chased after other godsagain and again and again.
Israel was not faithful.
Even though Israel is unworthy,God kept his promise to send the
(15:43):
perfect high priest that he hadpromised to Israel and to Moses
because God is a promise-keepingGod.
So that when God promised Davidin 2 Samuel chapter 7 that there
would be a king that arises fromhis line that would have an
eternal reign, God is nowkeeping that promise a thousand
(16:07):
years later in Jesus.
But you say, David is unworthy.
I've read my Bible.
I heard what he did withBathsheba and how he killed
Uriah, how he was a poorhusband, and there was chaos
that was wrecked all through hishome, and that kings after him,
after him, they they they chasedafter all the wrong things.
(16:29):
There was a succession ofhorrible kings.
David is unworthy.
I say, yes, friend, David isunworthy.
But God still kept his promiseof a better king.
Because God is a promise-keepingGod.
(16:51):
What about God's promise toJeremiah that he gave to Israel
while they were in exile?
A promise of a new heart and anew covenant, even a better
covenant.
They didn't obey the first one.
They are in exile becausethey're rebellious.
(17:12):
Why on earth is God coming alongand promising a better one?
One that involves him pullingout their heart of stone and
inserting a heart of flesh.
One that involves his spirit.
Why would God be promising abetter covenant to a people who
are rebellious and didn't keepthe first one?
(17:33):
There's only one word.
Grace.
Behold the glory of God whorules all of creation and all of
history, and keeps his promisesof redemption and hope towards
his undeserving people.
(17:55):
Because he most wants to beglorified by his grace.
He wants you to know that he isfaithful, that he is gracious
even when his own people aren't.
But Paul doesn't stop there.
(18:15):
See, now he does everything thatI just did for Israel.
Now he does that for theGentiles.
Okay?
In verses nine through twelve,he says, Jesus came to glorify
the Father, okay, because of hismercy for the nations.
(18:41):
Every time we read the wordGentiles there, I want you to
know and understand this meansall peoples.
This means God's glory going tothe nations.
And in verse nine, it says, Godwanted to be glorified for his
(19:02):
mercy upon all people.
Verse 9, and for the Gentiles toglorify God for his mercy, as it
is written, and now Paul isgoing to quote four Old
Testament scriptures.
First one, Psalm 18, verse 49,uh speaking as the Messiah.
(19:26):
Therefore, I will give praise toyou among the Gentiles, and I
will sing to your name.
Again, he says, and this isDeuteronomy 32, verse 43, where
Moses is summoning the nations.
Rejoice, O Gentiles, with hispeople.
And again, Psalm 117, verse 1Praise the Lord, all you
(19:51):
Gentiles or nations, and let allthe peoples praise him.
Again, Isaiah says in 11 10,there shall come the root of
Jesse, and he who arises to ruleover the Gentiles, in him the
Gentiles hope.
(20:12):
In him shall the Gentiles hope.
But you say, wait a second, theGentiles, the nations, those are
the people that are the furthestfrom God.
Those are the people that thatmake up all sorts of weird uh
(20:33):
idols and other religions.
Those are the people thefurthest from God.
I was in India a short time ago,and there they have hundreds of
thousands of gods.
One of the most prominent femaledeities has six arms.
And you just look at it andyou're like, this just looks
weird.
(20:54):
Why are we worshiping this?
They are the furthest from God.
They make distorted, false,ridiculous images of God like
the taxidermist and the lion.
Why would God want to be seen asglorious among them?
Why would God want to be seen asglorious by you?
(21:21):
And why would God want you tosee him most as glorious for his
mercy?
Behold the glory of God whosustains all of creation and all
of history and stoops down toundeserving, the incapable, the
(21:47):
rebellious to the blind.
He does not win glory byamassing slaves that are forced
to serve him because he is themost powerful or most dominant
force.
Although he is.
No, no, no, his aim for thehighest glory is by sending his
(22:12):
son to become a servant in orderto free the slaves of sin.
Grace, grace, God's grace, gracethat will pardon and cleanse
within.
Grace, grace, God's grace, gracethat is greater than all my sin.
(22:38):
I want you to look again atverse seven.
Look at verse seven.
Just as Christ also accepted usto the glory of God.
Do you see the diamond againstthe black velvet background?
(22:59):
I recently heard a preacher tellthis story.
Once upon a time, in a far-offkingdom, there was a king who
was the most loving and the mostjust king who had ever lived.
It was found out within thekingdom that someone was
stealing from the king'streasury.
(23:22):
Because the king is just, heissued a decree that whenever it
is found who is stealing fromthe treasury, that ten lashes
shall be performed in front ofthe entire kingdom for this
treason that had occurred.
But as time went on, the theftcontinued.
(23:42):
It got worse.
And so the king issued a finaldecree.
Now the decree was 40 lashes infront of the entire kingdom.
But you must understand that thesentence of 40 lashes was a
death sentence, a death blow.
(24:04):
Well, it was soon discoveredthat none other than the king's
own daughter was the one who wasstealing from the treasury.
And so when it was discoveredthat it was the king's daughter,
a question began to risethroughout the land.
And that is, what will the kingdo?
How could the most loving kingever kill his own daughter?
(24:29):
But he, if he is also just, howcould he just pardon her and let
her go?
His love and his justice, whatwould he do?
And the king spoke to the entirenation and said, The law is
clear.
(24:49):
Justice must be served, thepunishment must fall.
And so the king's daughter wasbrought before the entire
kingdom.
And there she was laid over theexecutioner's table.
She was tied to it.
Her shirt was ripped and tornopen so that her back was
(25:13):
exposed.
And as the whole kingdomwatched, the executioner took a
step back and raised his arm asto deliver the first blow.
When suddenly the king yelledout, Stop! The king quietly
walked over to his daughter.
(25:34):
He took off his shirt and hedraped his own body over her.
He turned and he said to theexecutioner, Now hit my
daughter.
The executioner said, Sir, Icannot.
I cannot hit your daughterwithout hitting you.
(25:55):
He turned and he looked and hesaid, Now hit my daughter.
And the king received 40 lashes,a death sentence, and the king
died, and his daughter was setfree.
That is what Jesus Christ didfor you.
(26:17):
That is what Jesus Christ didfor you.
Whenever he laid his life downon a wooden cross and was nailed
to it, that was according to theplan of God.
As God poured out his wrath foryour sin upon his son, that is
why Jesus cried out upon thecross, it is finished.
(26:41):
Because it was all according tothe plan of God, it was
according to the love of God, itwas according to the justice of
God.
Jesus laid down his life on yourbehalf.
Behold the glory of God, who inhis mercy takes the punishment
(27:01):
of sin upon himself so that wemight be set free.
Who in his mercy keeps hispromises to an obstinate,
undeserving people, who in hismercy calls all people to
himself, no matter how far theyare from him.
(27:24):
For God so loved the world thathe gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in himwill not perish, but can have
eternal life.
(27:46):
Friend, does that fill yourheart with awe at the beauty of
Jesus?
Right?
Is it water to your thirstysoul?
Do you hear it and say that Godis irresistibly true and he is
satisfying?
Do you see it and do you beginto praise him?
(28:07):
That there is no God like you.
There is no God like you.
You are unmatched, you areunsurpassed, you are my greatest
delight.
Because that is why Jesus cameto glorify the Father for His
mercy.
(28:29):
Now I have for us this morningtwo quick points of application.
Look at verse 13.
Verse 13 says, Now may the Godof hope fill you with all joy
and peace in believing, so thatyou will abound in hope by the
power of the Holy Spirit.
(28:51):
Here's the deal.
As you see the beauty of thegospel, as you see it more and
more glorious, as you understandthat the gospel displays the
character of God, as youunderstand that the gospel is
the power of God, the power ofGod to resurrect me from the
(29:16):
dead, the power to make allthings new, the power to satisfy
the depth of my soul, the thirstof my soul, as you see it, you
will be filled with joy andpeace and hope through the power
of the Holy Spirit.
(29:37):
Okay?
So I lovingly press you thismorning, and I just ask, are you
right?
Do you have joy?
A joy that sustains you?
Do you have peace?
A peace that is greater thanyour circumstances?
(29:58):
Do you have hope?
So as you guys know, this fall II took a small group.
We took a mission trip to Indiawhere we spent 12 days there.
But what you may not know is 25years ago, I spent three months
in India as an engineering uh uhas an engineering student.
(30:22):
I was on an engineering missiontrip, and I was 20 years old,
and I had just God had justreally grabbed a hold of me.
So when I was here this pastfall for those 12 days, and the
the sights and the smells andall the scenes came back from
(30:44):
India, I I was flooded in mymind to where I was 25 years
ago, and what I was wrestlingwith, and who I was as a person.
And so suddenly in the hotel atnight, I would get very
(31:05):
reflective, and I would havetimes of reading my Bible, and
and and these these the memorieswould just flood back.
And I began to just pause andand thank God.
We're talking about 25 years ofbeing able to look and see the
way that God has changed methrough the power of the gospel.
(31:29):
Now I'm in no way perfect, I'min no way complete, but guess
what?
I am not who I was 25 years ago.
And as I reflected upon that,can I just tell you what began
to flood over my soul?
Joy and peace and hope.
(31:50):
Joy because his Holy Spirit isin me, his Holy Spirit is
changing me, and he's not done.
Peace because Jesus Christ hascompletely covered over my sin.
And hope because the best is yetto come.
I can't even comprehend thatwhich awaits.
(32:11):
Friend, I ask you again thismorning.
Do you long for joy and peaceand hope?
If so, will you listen to God'sown voice in Isaiah 55?
This is God speaking.
Everyone who thirst, come to thewaters.
And you who have no money, comebuy and eat, come buy wine and
(32:35):
milk without money and withoutcost.
Why do you spend money for thatwhich is not bread, and your
wages for that which does notsatisfy?
Listen carefully to me and eatwhat is good and delight
yourself in abundance.
Do you hear God calling you tofind your satisfaction in him?
(33:01):
Second point of application.
Go back to verse seven.
Therefore, accept one anotherjust as Christ also accepted us
to the glory of God.
The church makes Jesus lookunbelievably amazing whenever we
(33:26):
model acceptance the way that Heaccepted us.
So, how did He accept you?
Just as you were.
Baggage, hurts, your sinfulpatterns of anger and lust and
(33:46):
materialism.
And therefore, we are called tobe like Him.
Grace-filled, patient, kind,accepting.
Not accepting sin as thestandard, but understanding that
we come from differentbackgrounds and have different
(34:08):
levels of maturity, evenpreferences.
You like me are accepted at thefoot of the cross.
And as the saying goes, theground is level at the foot of
the cross.
Guys, that must be the cultureof our church.
(34:32):
You do know our culture iscrying out for acceptance.
They crave it, right?
But they're blindly gropingalong, okay?
Trying to find it any way thatthey can.
I want to share with you, I havetime to share with you just a
few articles that I've printedout from culture.
(34:58):
And as I read them, I want youto listen to them through the
lens of the way that our cultureis longing for the acceptance
that's only found in Jesus.
But I gotta warn you, I'm notsharing with these with you to
be funny.
You're gonna find them bizarre.
(35:19):
I don't want you to laugh.
I want your heart to be broken.
33-year-old uh uh Thomas uhThwaites was in debt.
He was living at home with hisfather, full of anxiety and
feeling alone.
And he thought to himself,wouldn't it be wonderful if
(35:40):
there was a way for me toescape?
Escape completely from theloneliness of my life, not just
away from my job, but from awayfrom my very self.
And so he became a goat.
Now this is for real.
He spent one week, he saved up,and he went on a one-week
(36:02):
vacation and lived amongstgoats.
And the article says that hewould have become an elephant
except he learned that elephantsfelt sadness and pain just like
humans do.
(36:22):
Here's another article that saysloneliness is more dangerous
than smoking fifteen cigarettesa day.
Loneliness increases the risk ofpremature death by approximately
twenty-six percent, which iscomparable to smoking fifteen
cigarettes a day, and moredangerous than obesity, lack of
(36:46):
physical activity, and airpollution.
One final one.
There's an article from Vice.
The title is How the FurryCommunity Became a Safe Space
for Youth.
If you don't know what the furrycommunity is, it is a cultural
(37:08):
phenomenon where uh people finduh themselves more comfortable
when when dressed up in ananimal costume.
This is written by a motherabout uh her daughter that was
going through and became afurry.
Listen to this one paragraph.
(37:28):
I quickly learned that joiningthe furry community is not just
about putting on a fursuit andbeing an animal.
The fandom is a happy home forlarge numbers of
non-heterosexual, transgender,gender-queer, and
gender-nonconforming people,welcoming many who feel
stigmatized at home, school, andwork.
(37:51):
For many under 18, the communityprovides a place where they fit
in for the first time, one wherethey're celebrated for their
creative, inventive personas.
Here's my point.
The human heart longs to befully known and to experience
(38:16):
acceptance that is only found inthe gospel of Jesus Christ.
Who's gonna tell them?
Who's gonna show them that Jesusmeets you where we are, but he
(38:39):
never leaves us where we are.
He knows us completely, everywound, every weakness, every
sin, and he still welcomes uswith open arms.
But his acceptance is notpermission to stay the same.
It's the doorway to atransformed life.
(39:03):
In his grace, he says, come asyou are.
In his holiness, he says, walkwith me into that which you were
made to be.
Church family, will you praywith me?
(39:24):
Heavenly Father, we come beforeyou now in the name, the name
above all names, the name ofJesus.
How amazing and incredible youare, Jesus, that you have come
to display the grace and themercy and the beauty of your
Father.
(39:46):
That the one who reigns above itall would most rather be known
by his mercy and his grace.
Father, I pray right now, ifthere's anyone under the sound
of my voice that does not knowyou, that has been trusting in
(40:09):
all the wrong things, whoseheart this morning was stirred
with a deep desire to know you,afresh and anew, that heard your
word about come to you and besatisfied.
Father, I pray right now thatyour spirit would show them,
(40:33):
would show them the cross, thedeath, and the resurrection of
Jesus on behalf of their sin,that they might be born again
and know you.
Father, forgive us.
Forgive us for chasing after allthe silly things, even good
(40:56):
things that aren't the bestthings that distract us from
finding our ultimatesatisfaction in you.
Father, I pray this morning is areset of our heart.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
All right, good morning, church family.
Good morning.
I know what you're thinking.
I know what you're thinking.
Two things.
You're thinking, what is hegonna say about the Aggies?
And then you're thinking, doeshe know it's before
Thanksgiving?
We can't start the Christmasseries before Thanksgiving.
All right, there we go.
Hey, turn with me in your Biblesto Romans chapter 15.
(01:01):
Romans chapter 15.
We are going to begin ourChristmas sermon series titled
Why He Came.
If you do not have a Bible,there is a Bible in the PureC in
front of you.
Please take that as a gift fromus to you.
You can keep that so that youcan have a copy of God's Word.
(01:21):
We put those there so that youcan have them.
Okay.
All right.
I was a kid of the early 90s,right?
I was a preteen in the early90s, and I remember a certain
summer when a huge newblockbuster hit movie came out.
(01:44):
In fact, I'm old enough toremember when uh box office hits
would come out during thesummer, and you would kind of
take the whole summer to uharound that.
But Arnold Schwarzenegger inTerminator 2, okay?
A cyborg from the future comesto Earth on a special mission.
(02:06):
My cousin and I and my uh and mybrother, we begged our parents,
could we please go see this inthe theater?
And they talked about it, and mydad and my uncle took us all,
okay?
And it was amazing, all right?
It was amazing.
(02:28):
This huge action movieblockbuster hit of the summer.
Now, the reality is, is uh myrecollection of that movie, I
only remember two things fromthat movie.
The saying, I'll be back, andhasta la vista, baby.
(02:51):
That's that's it.
That's that's all I rememberabout that.
In in fact, uh if you were achild of those times, you know
that you would work in I'll beback or hasta la vista, baby,
every chance you got.
It's kind of like the kids, theysay six, seven, and then they
just giggle, they think that'sso funny.
(03:11):
Anytime they say six, seven,well, that's what we did.
We just said hasta la vista,baby.
All right.
But if you were to ask me, well,what was the actual plot of the
movie?
To this day, I would tell you,like, I don't know, right?
Why did Arnold come from thefuture back?
Why did he come?
(03:32):
I got no clue.
Really, I really I don't.
Similarly, when it comes toChristmas and the coming of
Jesus, how much of our culturecan only quote fun snippets,
missing the true meaning of whyJesus came.
(03:53):
And yes, I know that most of usin this room would say, well, he
came to die on the cross.
But did you know that Scripturesays that he came to destroy the
works of the devil?
Or to seek and to save the lost,or as we will see this morning,
that he came to glorify theFather.
(04:17):
I want you to listen as I readin Romans chapter 15, verses 7
through 13.
I want you to listen and I wantyou to listen for why Jesus
came.
Paul writes, therefore acceptone another, just as Christ also
accepted us to the glory of God.
(04:41):
For I say that Christ has becomea servant to the circumcision on
behalf of the truth of God toconfirm the promises given to
the Father, and for the Gentilesto glorify God for his mercy.
As it is written, therefore Iwill give praise to you among
(05:01):
the Gentiles, and I will singyour name.
Again he says, Rejoice, OGentiles, with his people.
And again, praise the Lord, allyou Gentiles, and let all the
peoples praise him.
And Isaiah says, Uh, there shallcome the root of Jesse, and he
who arises to rule over theGentiles, in him shall the
(05:25):
Gentiles hope.
Verse 13.
Now may the God of hope fill youwith all joy and peace in
believing, so that you willabound in hope by the power of
the Holy Spirit.
Will you pray with me?
Heavenly Father, as we havegathered to sing your praises,
(05:48):
as we have gathered in themighty name of Jesus, Father,
your word says that you inhabitthe praises of your people.
Your word says that when wegather in the name of Jesus,
that you draw near, that yourspirit draws near.
And we beg you right now thatthrough the power of your word
and the preached proclaimedword, that you would open the
(06:11):
eyes of our heart to see yourbeauty and magnificence, to see
your glory.
Father, forgive us and reveal tous how so many things that
distract us, how so many thingsthat we chase after in life, how
they are not worthy of ourattention in light of you.
(06:34):
God, do a work through yourspirit to allow us to see with
clarity the magnificence of themercy of Jesus Christ.
It is in his name we pray.
Amen.
In 1731, the king of Sweden wasgifted a lion as a pet.
(06:59):
And he loved this lion.
He spoiled this lion.
He he uh gave it, you know,extra attention.
But sadly, the lion passed awayat a young age.
The king deeply mourned his petfor a couple years.
After a couple years, he decidedthat he wanted to send the uh
(07:22):
send the lion.
All he had left was the bonesand the carcass, but that he
wanted to send it off to ataxidermist, to have, you know,
his his friend remembered.
So he found a uh world-renownedtaxidermist, and he he sends the
pelt and the bones to him.
(07:42):
Now, the only problem was thetaxidermist had never seen a
lion before.
And it's 1731, right?
You can't just Google it.
But he has a reputation touphold, okay?
And he doesn't want todisappoint the king.
(08:03):
So, both comically andtragically, this is what he
produced.
Now, that is not the majesticking of the beasts.
(08:23):
It looks more like a confuseddonkey, doesn't it?
Now, to this day, that stuffedlion is in a Swedish museum.
A monument to what happens ifsomeone tries to recreate that
which they've never truly seen.
(08:44):
Guys, that lion is a picture ofhuman religion and our
imagination of who God is andwhat he is like.
By man's impressions aredistorted, they are false, they
are ridiculous.
(09:05):
But then Jesus came.
And as Colossians 1 15 says, heis the true image of the
invisible God.
He is the radiance of his gloryand the exact representation of
his nature, Hebrews 1.3.
He came to make the Father knownand to reveal his character.
(09:32):
So, church family, the firstpoint that I want us to see out
of our text this morning is thatJesus came to glorify the
Father.
See it there in verses 7 and 9.
Okay?
That Jesus came to glorify theFather.
But this is a repeated themethroughout the New Testament,
(09:56):
and especially in the Gospel ofJohn.
I want you to listen to Johnchapter 12, 27 and 28.
This is Jesus speaking.
He knows he's about to go to thecross, and he says, Now my soul
is troubled, and what shall Isay?
Father, save me from this hour,but for this purpose I have come
to this hour.
(10:16):
Father, glorify your name.
And then a voice came out ofheaven, I have glorified it, and
I will glorify it again.
And I could overwhelm you,church, with about 15 verses
about how it is expressly statedthat God's purpose in sending
(10:41):
his son is that we would see theglory of God in the face of
Jesus.
That's 2 Corinthians 4, 6.
And that Jesus' purpose, his aimwas to glorify his father.
But I want us to slow down forjust a second.
(11:02):
I think you know what glory is.
And you think you know whatglory is, but it's worth our
time to kind of peel back thelayers and to focus in.
Okay?
So when Jesus says he came toglorify the Father, that even
that was his highest aim was foryou and I to see the glory of
(11:28):
God.
What does that mean?
You see, glory is only glory ifsomething is seen as beautiful,
spectacular, as a bride on herwedding day, full of beauty and
awe and splendor.
Like a camper that is drawn tothe warmth and the light of a
(11:53):
fire in the coolness of thenight.
Glory is only glory if God isseen as irresistibly true and
great and satisfying.
I want you to listen to an arrayof the Psalms.
Psalm 16, 11.
(12:14):
In your presence there isfullness of joy, and at your
right hand are pleasuresforevermore.
Psalm 17, 15, as for me, I shallbehold your face in
righteousness.
When I awake, I shall besatisfied with your likeness.
Psalm 63, my soul thirsts foryou.
(12:38):
My soul will be satisfied aswith lavish food, and my mouth
with will praise you with joyfullips.
Psalm 73, whom have I in heavenbut you?
And there is nothing on earththat I desire besides you.
(12:58):
My flesh and my heart may fail,but God is the strength of my
heart, and he is my portionforever.
You see, to glorify God meansthat he is seen as unequaled,
unsurpassed, more than food orsex or money, that he is the
(13:23):
greatest treasure of your heart.
And you see it like Peter andthe apostles, you see it, not
like Judas, who did not see it,who walked with Jesus for three
years and did not see the beautyof the character of God.
(13:44):
He was blinded by his greed andhis thirst for power.
He did not see it.
But you see it, that God isirresistibly true and
satisfying.
And that is why Jesus came.
So that all would see the beautyand the worth of God.
(14:11):
But here in this text, this texthighlights attributes and
linking those attributestogether for which attributes
get lifted high above for whyJesus came to glorify God.
First, you see it there in verseeight, is that Jesus glorifies
(14:33):
God because God kept hispromises to Israel.
Because God kept his because Godis a promise-keeping God.
So when God promised Moses, 1500years before Christ, when God
said to Moses in Deuteronomy 18,he said to the people of Israel,
(14:55):
that there is going to be aprophet like Moses that comes
and knows God and speaks withGod face to face, that 1,500
years later, when God sendsJesus, he is fulfilling his
promise to Moses.
But you say, Israel was notfaithful.
(15:18):
They wanted to return to Egypt.
They did not obey God and driveout all the people in the land.
And they chased after other godsagain and again and again.
Israel was not faithful.
Even though Israel is unworthy,God kept his promise to send the
(15:43):
perfect high priest that he hadpromised to Israel and to Moses
because God is a promise-keepingGod.
So that when God promised Davidin 2 Samuel chapter 7 that there
would be a king that arises fromhis line that would have an
eternal reign, God is nowkeeping that promise a thousand
(16:07):
years later in Jesus.
But you say, David is unworthy.
I've read my Bible.
I heard what he did withBathsheba and how he killed
Uriah, how he was a poorhusband, and there was chaos
that was wrecked all through hishome, and that kings after him,
after him, they they they chasedafter all the wrong things.
(16:29):
There was a succession ofhorrible kings.
David is unworthy.
I say, yes, friend, David isunworthy.
But God still kept his promiseof a better king.
Because God is a promise-keepingGod.
(16:51):
What about God's promise toJeremiah that he gave to Israel
while they were in exile?
A promise of a new heart and anew covenant, even a better
covenant.
They didn't obey the first one.
They are in exile becausethey're rebellious.
(17:12):
Why on earth is God coming alongand promising a better one?
One that involves him pullingout their heart of stone and
inserting a heart of flesh.
One that involves his spirit.
Why would God be promising abetter covenant to a people who
are rebellious and didn't keepthe first one?
(17:33):
There's only one word.
Grace.
Behold the glory of God whorules all of creation and all of
history, and keeps his promisesof redemption and hope towards
his undeserving people.
(17:55):
Because he most wants to beglorified by his grace.
He wants you to know that he isfaithful, that he is gracious
even when his own people aren't.
But Paul doesn't stop there.
(18:15):
See, now he does everything thatI just did for Israel.
Now he does that for theGentiles.
Okay?
In verses nine through twelve,he says, Jesus came to glorify
the Father, okay, because of hismercy for the nations.
(18:41):
Every time we read the wordGentiles there, I want you to
know and understand this meansall peoples.
This means God's glory going tothe nations.
And in verse nine, it says, Godwanted to be glorified for his
(19:02):
mercy upon all people.
Verse 9, and for the Gentiles toglorify God for his mercy, as it
is written, and now Paul isgoing to quote four Old
Testament scriptures.
First one, Psalm 18, verse 49,uh speaking as the Messiah.
(19:26):
Therefore, I will give praise toyou among the Gentiles, and I
will sing to your name.
Again, he says, and this isDeuteronomy 32, verse 43, where
Moses is summoning the nations.
Rejoice, O Gentiles, with hispeople.
And again, Psalm 117, verse 1Praise the Lord, all you
(19:51):
Gentiles or nations, and let allthe peoples praise him.
Again, Isaiah says in 11 10,there shall come the root of
Jesse, and he who arises to ruleover the Gentiles, in him the
Gentiles hope.
(20:12):
In him shall the Gentiles hope.
But you say, wait a second, theGentiles, the nations, those are
the people that are the furthestfrom God.
Those are the people that thatmake up all sorts of weird uh
(20:33):
idols and other religions.
Those are the people thefurthest from God.
I was in India a short time ago,and there they have hundreds of
thousands of gods.
One of the most prominent femaledeities has six arms.
And you just look at it andyou're like, this just looks
weird.
(20:54):
Why are we worshiping this?
They are the furthest from God.
They make distorted, false,ridiculous images of God like
the taxidermist and the lion.
Why would God want to be seen asglorious among them?
Why would God want to be seen asglorious by you?
(21:21):
And why would God want you tosee him most as glorious for his
mercy?
Behold the glory of God whosustains all of creation and all
of history and stoops down toundeserving, the incapable, the
(21:47):
rebellious to the blind.
He does not win glory byamassing slaves that are forced
to serve him because he is themost powerful or most dominant
force.
Although he is.
No, no, no, his aim for thehighest glory is by sending his
(22:12):
son to become a servant in orderto free the slaves of sin.
Grace, grace, God's grace, gracethat will pardon and cleanse
within.
Grace, grace, God's grace, gracethat is greater than all my sin.
(22:38):
I want you to look again atverse seven.
Look at verse seven.
Just as Christ also accepted usto the glory of God.
Do you see the diamond againstthe black velvet background?
(22:59):
I recently heard a preacher tellthis story.
Once upon a time, in a far-offkingdom, there was a king who
was the most loving and the mostjust king who had ever lived.
It was found out within thekingdom that someone was
stealing from the king'streasury.
(23:22):
Because the king is just, heissued a decree that whenever it
is found who is stealing fromthe treasury, that ten lashes
shall be performed in front ofthe entire kingdom for this
treason that had occurred.
But as time went on, the theftcontinued.
(23:42):
It got worse.
And so the king issued a finaldecree.
Now the decree was 40 lashes infront of the entire kingdom.
But you must understand that thesentence of 40 lashes was a
death sentence, a death blow.
(24:04):
Well, it was soon discoveredthat none other than the king's
own daughter was the one who wasstealing from the treasury.
And so when it was discoveredthat it was the king's daughter,
a question began to risethroughout the land.
And that is, what will the kingdo?
How could the most loving kingever kill his own daughter?
(24:29):
But he, if he is also just, howcould he just pardon her and let
her go?
His love and his justice, whatwould he do?
And the king spoke to the entirenation and said, The law is
clear.
(24:49):
Justice must be served, thepunishment must fall.
And so the king's daughter wasbrought before the entire
kingdom.
And there she was laid over theexecutioner's table.
She was tied to it.
Her shirt was ripped and tornopen so that her back was
(25:13):
exposed.
And as the whole kingdomwatched, the executioner took a
step back and raised his arm asto deliver the first blow.
When suddenly the king yelledout, Stop! The king quietly
walked over to his daughter.
(25:34):
He took off his shirt and hedraped his own body over her.
He turned and he said to theexecutioner, Now hit my
daughter.
The executioner said, Sir, Icannot.
I cannot hit your daughterwithout hitting you.
(25:55):
He turned and he looked and hesaid, Now hit my daughter.
And the king received 40 lashes,a death sentence, and the king
died, and his daughter was setfree.
That is what Jesus Christ didfor you.
(26:17):
That is what Jesus Christ didfor you.
Whenever he laid his life downon a wooden cross and was nailed
to it, that was according to theplan of God.
As God poured out his wrath foryour sin upon his son, that is
why Jesus cried out upon thecross, it is finished.
(26:41):
Because it was all according tothe plan of God, it was
according to the love of God, itwas according to the justice of
God.
Jesus laid down his life on yourbehalf.
Behold the glory of God, who inhis mercy takes the punishment
(27:01):
of sin upon himself so that wemight be set free.
Who in his mercy keeps hispromises to an obstinate,
undeserving people, who in hismercy calls all people to
himself, no matter how far theyare from him.
(27:24):
For God so loved the world thathe gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in himwill not perish, but can have
eternal life.
(27:46):
Friend, does that fill yourheart with awe at the beauty of
Jesus?
Right?
Is it water to your thirstysoul?
Do you hear it and say that Godis irresistibly true and he is
satisfying?
Do you see it and do you beginto praise him?
(28:07):
That there is no God like you.
There is no God like you.
You are unmatched, you areunsurpassed, you are my greatest
delight.
Because that is why Jesus cameto glorify the Father for His
mercy.
(28:29):
Now I have for us this morningtwo quick points of application.
Look at verse 13.
Verse 13 says, Now may the Godof hope fill you with all joy
and peace in believing, so thatyou will abound in hope by the
power of the Holy Spirit.
(28:51):
Here's the deal.
As you see the beauty of thegospel, as you see it more and
more glorious, as you understandthat the gospel displays the
character of God, as youunderstand that the gospel is
the power of God, the power ofGod to resurrect me from the
(29:16):
dead, the power to make allthings new, the power to satisfy
the depth of my soul, the thirstof my soul, as you see it, you
will be filled with joy andpeace and hope through the power
of the Holy Spirit.
(29:37):
Okay?
So I lovingly press you thismorning, and I just ask, are you
right?
Do you have joy?
A joy that sustains you?
Do you have peace?
A peace that is greater thanyour circumstances?
(29:58):
Do you have hope?
So as you guys know, this fall II took a small group.
We took a mission trip to Indiawhere we spent 12 days there.
But what you may not know is 25years ago, I spent three months
in India as an engineering uh uhas an engineering student.
(30:22):
I was on an engineering missiontrip, and I was 20 years old,
and I had just God had justreally grabbed a hold of me.
So when I was here this pastfall for those 12 days, and the
the sights and the smells andall the scenes came back from
(30:44):
India, I I was flooded in mymind to where I was 25 years
ago, and what I was wrestlingwith, and who I was as a person.
And so suddenly in the hotel atnight, I would get very
(31:05):
reflective, and I would havetimes of reading my Bible, and
and and these these the memorieswould just flood back.
And I began to just pause andand thank God.
We're talking about 25 years ofbeing able to look and see the
way that God has changed methrough the power of the gospel.
(31:29):
Now I'm in no way perfect, I'min no way complete, but guess
what?
I am not who I was 25 years ago.
And as I reflected upon that,can I just tell you what began
to flood over my soul?
Joy and peace and hope.
(31:50):
Joy because his Holy Spirit isin me, his Holy Spirit is
changing me, and he's not done.
Peace because Jesus Christ hascompletely covered over my sin.
And hope because the best is yetto come.
I can't even comprehend thatwhich awaits.
(32:11):
Friend, I ask you again thismorning.
Do you long for joy and peaceand hope?
If so, will you listen to God'sown voice in Isaiah 55?
This is God speaking.
Everyone who thirst, come to thewaters.
And you who have no money, comebuy and eat, come buy wine and
(32:35):
milk without money and withoutcost.
Why do you spend money for thatwhich is not bread, and your
wages for that which does notsatisfy?
Listen carefully to me and eatwhat is good and delight
yourself in abundance.
Do you hear God calling you tofind your satisfaction in him?
(33:01):
Second point of application.
Go back to verse seven.
Therefore, accept one anotherjust as Christ also accepted us
to the glory of God.
The church makes Jesus lookunbelievably amazing whenever we
(33:26):
model acceptance the way that Heaccepted us.
So, how did He accept you?
Just as you were.
Baggage, hurts, your sinfulpatterns of anger and lust and
(33:46):
materialism.
And therefore, we are called tobe like Him.
Grace-filled, patient, kind,accepting.
Not accepting sin as thestandard, but understanding that
we come from differentbackgrounds and have different
(34:08):
levels of maturity, evenpreferences.
You like me are accepted at thefoot of the cross.
And as the saying goes, theground is level at the foot of
the cross.
Guys, that must be the cultureof our church.
(34:32):
You do know our culture iscrying out for acceptance.
They crave it, right?
But they're blindly gropingalong, okay?
Trying to find it any way thatthey can.
I want to share with you, I havetime to share with you just a
few articles that I've printedout from culture.
(34:58):
And as I read them, I want youto listen to them through the
lens of the way that our cultureis longing for the acceptance
that's only found in Jesus.
But I gotta warn you, I'm notsharing with these with you to
be funny.
You're gonna find them bizarre.
(35:19):
I don't want you to laugh.
I want your heart to be broken.
33-year-old uh uh Thomas uhThwaites was in debt.
He was living at home with hisfather, full of anxiety and
feeling alone.
And he thought to himself,wouldn't it be wonderful if
(35:40):
there was a way for me toescape?
Escape completely from theloneliness of my life, not just
away from my job, but from awayfrom my very self.
And so he became a goat.
Now this is for real.
He spent one week, he saved up,and he went on a one-week
(36:02):
vacation and lived amongstgoats.
And the article says that hewould have become an elephant
except he learned that elephantsfelt sadness and pain just like
humans do.
(36:22):
Here's another article that saysloneliness is more dangerous
than smoking fifteen cigarettesa day.
Loneliness increases the risk ofpremature death by approximately
twenty-six percent, which iscomparable to smoking fifteen
cigarettes a day, and moredangerous than obesity, lack of
(36:46):
physical activity, and airpollution.
One final one.
There's an article from Vice.
The title is How the FurryCommunity Became a Safe Space
for Youth.
If you don't know what the furrycommunity is, it is a cultural
(37:08):
phenomenon where uh people finduh themselves more comfortable
when when dressed up in ananimal costume.
This is written by a motherabout uh her daughter that was
going through and became afurry.
Listen to this one paragraph.
(37:28):
I quickly learned that joiningthe furry community is not just
about putting on a fursuit andbeing an animal.
The fandom is a happy home forlarge numbers of
non-heterosexual, transgender,gender-queer, and
gender-nonconforming people,welcoming many who feel
stigmatized at home, school, andwork.
(37:51):
For many under 18, the communityprovides a place where they fit
in for the first time, one wherethey're celebrated for their
creative, inventive personas.
Here's my point.
The human heart longs to befully known and to experience
(38:16):
acceptance that is only found inthe gospel of Jesus Christ.
Who's gonna tell them?
Who's gonna show them that Jesusmeets you where we are, but he
(38:39):
never leaves us where we are.
He knows us completely, everywound, every weakness, every
sin, and he still welcomes uswith open arms.
But his acceptance is notpermission to stay the same.
It's the doorway to atransformed life.
(39:03):
In his grace, he says, come asyou are.
In his holiness, he says, walkwith me into that which you were
made to be.
Church family, will you praywith me?
(39:24):
Heavenly Father, we come beforeyou now in the name, the name
above all names, the name ofJesus.
How amazing and incredible youare, Jesus, that you have come
to display the grace and themercy and the beauty of your
Father.
(39:46):
That the one who reigns above itall would most rather be known
by his mercy and his grace.
Father, I pray right now, ifthere's anyone under the sound
of my voice that does not knowyou, that has been trusting in
(40:09):
all the wrong things, whoseheart this morning was stirred
with a deep desire to know you,afresh and anew, that heard your
word about come to you and besatisfied.
Father, I pray right now thatyour spirit would show them,
(40:33):
would show them the cross, thedeath, and the resurrection of
Jesus on behalf of their sin,that they might be born again
and know you.
Father, forgive us.
Forgive us for chasing after allthe silly things, even good
(40:56):
things that aren't the bestthings that distract us from
finding our ultimatesatisfaction in you.
Father, I pray this morning is areset of our heart.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
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