Born Supremacy (Who is in charge of your life this Christmas season?)

 If you're new this morning I am using the movie trilogy of Bourne Identity as a backdrop for my message.  I’m not promoting the movie, just using it as a familiar language to communicate a biblical truth to those you’ve invited during this Christmas season.  Here is a movie sample to set the stage.

Video: Car Chase action

In this segment of the trilogy Jason Bourne is aware that he has lost his identity and now with only small pieces of his former life to work with, he determines to find out who made him into this mechanical warrior for evil.  Why does he hurt people?  He’s confronted with his preprogrammed responses to being attacked and sees that his life has been filled with destruction and devastation.  In Bourne Supremacy, he learns that in his former life he destroyed a family and now a young lady is left without her father and mother.  This revelation haunts him and he seeks to repent, change his ways and reconcile his wrong but he doesn’t know how to actually accomplish this.

Video: Jason and the daughter

While in the pursuit of finding his true identity the evil forces that programmed him to be destructive confront him and he battles against them.  Who will be the supreme force?  Will the evil forces that twisted his thinking win over?  Will Jason himself conquer them by his own strength?  The tragic component of the movie is that those who once used him to do destructive acts are now trying to destroy Jason himself.

Last week I revealed insight about our world twisting the truth about who our creator is.  God’s archenemy, Satan has used nice people to spin a web of lies about who we are.  We have subtly been brainwashed to believe we don’t need God.  And now this enemy of God is after us and all we hold dear.  Here is the truth-

Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.  All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the (true) sheep did not listen to them.  I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved, He will come in and go out, and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.   John 10:7-10

The Bible says God is good and God is supreme.  This battle for supremacy is actually a present day conflict for all mankind.  One of life’s greatest struggles is trying to determine who is in control of our world.  Is it a mere accident that we are able to walk the earth and reproduce or is it a planned design?  Is the real truth; that each of us is fully in control of our own destiny or is there some type of supreme force that none of us is in charge of that we ultimately have to yield to?

Who have you identified as in control of the universe?  Is it some distant impersonal higher power that manipulates the world like a puppeteer manipulates the strings of a puppet?  Is it like Darwin declared, simply the survival of the strongest and fittest?  Or for you, is it based on who has the most money or political power?  Do you feel like you’re just a pawn, powerless to influence your destiny?

Let me tell you what God says; you are significant.  You are critical to the future of the planet and all of humanity, but you are not supreme.  You don’t have limitless power through human strength.  Someone is always stronger, more committed and more aggressive.  You don’t have access to every bit of intellect through human ability.  Someone is always smarter than a fifth grader.  So what’s the solution?

The solution lies in placing yourself in alliance with the all powerful, all knowing, creator of everything we see.  The solution is acknowledging that God is supreme and nothing is outside his ability or His wisdom so submit to Him.

Christmas is a time of telling stories.  We tell stories of a kind and generous man who rewards kids for being good and withholds reward from kids who are not so good.  At Christ's Family Church we are not opposed to this story but we are not confused about the greatest story ever told.  Jesus came to earth by being born to a woman who was willing to be used by God as His servant.  Jesus came as an innocent child wrapped in swaddling clothes and was recognized and honored by onlookers from near and far.  Even Heaven celebrated the advent of the Christ child, which simply means, God as savior, has come to earth.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”  Luke 2:8-14

So Jesus came for a purpose and that was to save or “rescue” humanity.   People had been brainwashed by evil forces.  People had lost sight of their real purpose and had become totally dependent on using their own human strength to fight all the battles life threw at them.  Jesus came to earth to demonstrate that He was the supreme Lord.  He defeated the force of leprosy and lameness.  He conquered the force of poverty by pulling a coin from the mouth of a fish.  He rose high above the force of blindness by restoring sight and he even triumphed over death by raising a woman’s dead son to life.

Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.  The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking; the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing.  Matt 15:30-31

“But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”  Matt 17:26-27

The battle for supremacy waged strong and many thought Jesus lost at the cross by dying.  But the cross was actually a place of victory; because it was there that our sins and all humanities sins were paid for in full.  And then the greatest expression of supremacy happened.  Three days after dying, Jesus rose from the dead and actually conquered death itself.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,  God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.  And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.  Col 2:13-15

Hear the truth; Jesus is supreme and you can trust Him.  Invite Him to be Lord over your entire life and He will take you with Him as He triumphs over evil.

Honoring God with our lives

Notes from Pastor Pasch’s December 14 message, to get a free CD of the complete message, contact Christ’s Family Church at (651) 437-2340.