Most people who take great journeys do so for their own benefit: They want to be the first to scale a mountain or cross an ocean.  They want to be famous and receive the benefits of their fame.  But, the greatest journey of all time was taken by Someone who had a more eternal purpose.  Jesus took the ultimate journey for one reason and one reason alone: you.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Philippians 2:5-11

Journey Leg #1: From Heaven to Earth (vs. 5-7)

Picture Heaven in your mind. It’s perfect in every way. And Jesus is there, of course, being perfect, being worshiped constantly, free from all worries and care of being human.  And now, He’s given that up. He made a conscious choice to serve instead of being served by coming in the form of a lowly human peasant.

Journey Leg #2: From the Earth to the Cross (vs.

Jesus could have taken on the form of a king or emperor.  Or, like I would’ve done (good thing I’m not God…), as some sort of superhero (of course, the image in my mind is some random Japanimation hero with all kinds of crazy superpowers).  But He didn’t. Instead, in the greatest of all paradoxes, Jesus won by losing.  He stepped away from Heaven, “became obedient to death”, and allowed Himself to be at the mercy of something He had complete power over. Jesus endured one of the most painful and agonizing execution processes, so that we wouldn’t have to.

Journey Leg #3: From the Grave to the Sky (vs. 9-11)

Jesus’ humiliation and death wasn’t the end of the journey. Our Scripture text tells us that God exalted Jesus to the highest place, giving Him the Name above all Names.

God is in the midst of writing an incredible story of our lives. And of course, we won’t pay $10 to watch a movie where the lead character never has to face any difficulties or tough moments, or even a hard fight. Great stories happen through great drama.  And so it is with our story. God isn’t writing an owner’s manual of our life–He’s writing a sweeping epic novel! And that story finds its ultimate turning point when we decide to make Jesus the Savior of our Life.  Have you made that decision?

John 15:1-8 says:

1 “I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer.2 He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more.3 You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.4 “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.5 “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing.6 Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire.7 But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon.8 This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples. The Message

3 things happen when we make sure nothing comes before God:

1.  When we focus on God, we’re fruitful.

Being united with God can only happen if we spend time with Him instead of other things and other people.

2.  When we focus on God, we’re satisfied.

Psalm 103:5 says that God satisfies your desires with good things.  There are tons of things we look to for satisfaction instead of God: friends, cars, drugs, academics, sex, sports, music, etc.  The problem is that the fix always goes away.  They may satisfy for a moment, or even for a season, but they won’t give you satisfaction like God will.

3.  When we focus on God, we please Him.

Verse 8 of the above Scripture tells us that God gets the glory when we bear fruit.  The story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10 tells us that there is nothing more important than spending quality time with Him instead of getting bogged down in all the other things.

So, what is it that you have been putting before, or with, God to get you through?  Is it “God and…”, or just God?

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25, NIV)

To make claims like this, Jesus would either have to be a lunatic or the real deal.  Sure, others have claimed to be prophets or great teachers, but none have actually risen from the dead and had the witnesses to prove it as Jesus did. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born to a virgin teenage girl. He did live a sinless, perfect life. He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the mute, strength to the limbs of the paralyzed, cleansed skin to those with leprosy, freedom to the demon-possessed and life to dead bodies. He really was executed in our place so that we could spend eternity with Him. He really did ascend to Heaven and really is coming back again to rescue us out of this world. He really will judge the living and the dead.

And if we accept these things to be true, it would mean that we have to live differently. And that realization causes some to become angry and not want to live differently.

So, is Jesus controversial to us? Do we struggle to accept that He is who He says He is? Do our religious beliefs conflict with who Jesus really is? Or do we not even have a relationship with Him yet because He seems so far from what we are comfortable with?

The truth is, Jesus is controversial because He is the only person in history about whom every person must make a decision… must make a stand… must make a choice.

He truly is the only way to heaven.

What will your choice be?

1.  Some people just can’t believe He is the Savior.
90% of Americans believe in God.  And most of those believe that Jesus was a real historical figure.  But the number of those who believe He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died in our place on the cross, and was raised from the dead is a whole different matter.

2.  Some can’t believe Salvation is that simple.

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.  1 Corinthians 1:19 NLT

One of the hardest things for non-Christians to understand is that all you have to do is believe and confess.  And that’s it.  The life change that they hear us preach about happens over time, but Salvation is very simple.  Too simple for many folks.  It’s almost an insult to the intelligent, offensive that good works aren’t required and foolish for a simple prayer to accomplish something so complicated.

3.  Some can’t believe that Jesus is the only way.
The church that claims the most followers in America today is the church of Oprah.  And with good reason:  universalism.  Universalism is the belief that everything is right, as long as you truly believe it.  How convenient.  But not controversial.  When we tell people that Jesus is the only person who loved them so much that He sacrificed His perfect life on their behalf, it’s offensive to them. It’s the most controversial thing we can say.

So, I pose the same question as last week:  Are you being controversial?  Do people even know that you are a Christian?  Are you making waves by standing up for what’s right?

Everywhere Jesus went, He created controversy.  Whether you love Him or hate Him, He is controversial.

So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.  But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the mighty power of God and the wonderful wisdom of God.  I Corinthians 1:23-24, NLT

This week, we discussed why Church people find Jesus controversial.

1.  Jesus doesn’t do what we expect.

The people in the days of Jesus were expecting their prophesied Messiah to come from a wealthy family, to be well educated, and would throw the Romans out and setup God’s people to be in charge.  But Jesus came from a working family with no wealth to speak of.  He’s not looking for political victory but spiritual freedom.

2.  Jesus doesn’t love who we expect.

Many religious people had issues with Jesus. They didn’t like it that He spent time with sinners. They were unnerved that He interacted with women of questionable character and had dinner with tax collectors. But He went to those who most needed to hear His message. And the same applies today.  If we really believe in His grace, that means a child molester can be saved by calling on His name. That tests the limits of our love and understanding.

3.  Jesus doesn’t say what we expect.

Often in His teachings, Jesus made claims or statements that set many religious people on edge. They didn’t like it that He claimed to be God. They didn’t like it that He pointed out their sin. He spoke the truth in love, and it ticked off a lot of people.  Sometimes, even His life was in danger.

Jesus was a controversy in all aspects of his life.  Everywhere He went, controversy followed Him.  So what about you?  What kind of controversy are you creating with your life?  What things are being said about you?  Does anyone even know that you’re a Christian?

By:  Amanda Hahn (That’s my wife!  She’s amazing.)

When one hears the word rebel, it typically means something negative.  For instance, to rebel against authority such as parents, teachers, the government, etc.  However, being a rebel isn’t always a bad thing.  There’s one biblical character that was a rebel to the core that stepped out of the cultural bubble to meet the needs of those around him.  Jesus Christ was the ultimate rebel.  We can take from his example what it’s like to be a rebel in today’s culture.

Here’s three ways to be a rebel against the world’s standards.  First thing, be a rebel within your schools.  Don’t worry what people may think or say about you when you pray over your food or bring your bible to school.  Make God known in your school.  Second thing, be a rebel amongst your friends.  Just because your friends may act one way doesn’t mean you have to.  Be a witness to them no matter what the cost.  And lastly, be a rebel within your community.  Help your next door neighbor with the groceries, do a community service project, help keep the neighborhood clean.

Romans 12:2 says “Don’t become like the people of this world.  Instead, change the way you think.  Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants – what is good, pleasing, and perfect.”  Being a rebel isn’t just an outward change but an inward change.  One must change the way they think.  The world has conditioned us to think one way and we must rebel against that way of thinking.  When you get a moment, check out Lecrae’s album Rebel.  It’s got a powerful message on being a rebel for Christ within today’s world.  Being a rebel is about being unashamed of Christ and being determined to reach out to those who do not yet know him.  Be a REBEL!