Willingness

[00:00:07] Speaker A: Welcome to the Weekday Podcast of Sugar Hill Church where we desire to help you know God and discover your purpose, whether you're exercising, driving, meditating or just hanging out while you tune in with us today. Thanks. We hope these next five minutes help you feel encouraged and inspired for your day. [00:00:22] Speaker B: Hi everybody and thanks so much for joining me on today's Weekday podcast where I want to take us to a very familiar text. It may not sound a lot like Christmas, but it's a good thing for us to take a look look at Christmas in this Advent season. Let's look at Hebrews 12, beginning of verse 1. Therefore, since we're surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up, and let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith because of the joy awaiting him. He endured the cross disregarding his shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people. Then you won't become weary and give up. After all, you've not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. Now let's just stop right there and know that Jesus knew He had come not just to preach the gospel of sacrifice, but also to be that sacrifice. But he was perfectly willing. One of the dark character qualities of sin that we don't always recognize as much as we should is unwillingness. We're often unwilling to do what God says if it doesn't make sense to us. We're often unwilling to inconvenience others for the needs of someone else. We're regularly unwilling to wait. We're often unwilling to be open and honest. We're too often unwilling to consider the loving rebuke of somebody else. We struggle at times to be willing to say no to our own wrong thoughts and desires or selfishness. We struggle to be willing to answer God's ministry call. Often we're unwilling to admit that we're wrong. Unwillingness is one of sin's powerful, damaging results. So here's what the Christmas story is all about. A willing Savior is born to rescue unwilling people from themselves because there's no other way. Jesus was willing to leave the beauty and splendor of eternity to come to this messed up, broken, groaning world. And he was willing to take on human flesh with all of its frailty. He was willing to endure this in ridiculous fashion, birth in a stable. He was willing to go through the dependency of being a child. He was willing to expose himself to the hardships of a fallen world. He was willing to submit to his own law. He was willing to do God's will, his Father's will at every point. He was willing to be misunderstood and mistreated. He was willing to endure rejection and injustice. He was willing to preach a message that would cause him personal harm. You see, it's not just the Christmas story, but rather the entire redemptive story hinges on one thing. The eternal willingness of Jesus. Without his willingness, you and I would be without hope and without God. Without his willingness, we would be left with the power and curse of sin. Without his willingness, we'd be eternally confined to a life without Him. So during this season of celebrating, don't forget to stop and celebrate your Savior's willingness. His willingness is your hope in life, death and eternity. But there's even more to be said. The Advent willingness of Jesus is your guarantee that he comes to be willing today for you, right here, right now. He's willing to love you on your very worst day. You see, my friend, the Advent story reminds us that our past, present and future, that hope rests not on our willingness, but on the willingness of the one for whom the angels sang, the shepherds worship and the magi searched. Willing Jesus is the only hope for unwilling folks just like me. And you, my friend, this Christmas put Jesus at the top of your list. God bless you and thanks so much for joining me on today's weekday podcast. [00:04:29] Speaker A: Thanks so much for joining us today for the weekday podcast. Our prayer is that the encouragement you just heard would help you live more like Jesus today. We would love to see you at Sugar Hill Church for one of our gatherings each Sunday at 9, 15 and 11. And we're always streaming live at Live Sugarhill Church. Thanks again for joining us today. As always, if today's message encouraged you, share it with friends and family by tapping the share button. Have an awesome.