Live Free with Josh Howerton - The Great I AM | Ep. 228 | Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Episode Date: December 20, 2023

Have you ever tried to measure how long “everlasting” is? Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the great I AM, the visible image of the invisible God who created everything. He has no beginning and no end. The same is true for His love for you; it will never run out. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. This Christmas, we want to invite you and your family to join us for our candlelight services on December 22nd through 24th at any of our six locations. or for church online. For more information, visit latepoint.com. Church slash Daily Drive.

And now, let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, welcome to the Daily Drive Christmas edition. I'm Mike Bro, and we hang here Monday through Friday each week, trying to get to know God a little better. And this week, we are unpacking an ancient prophecy about the coming of Jesus that uses different titles to describe him. So let me just read it to you again.

It comes from Isaiah chapter 9. verse 6 and says this for to us a child is born to us a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders and he will be called wonderful counselor mighty god everlasting father prince a peace now we've already talked this week about jesus being a wonderful counselor who not only listens with compassion empathy and focused attention but he has incredible wisdom and he's available 24 7 365 and you can tell him anything. Yesterday we talked about how that baby lying in a manger is the mighty God who spoke the universe into existence and put breath in our lungs. And this mighty God has certainly been around for a while. In fact, it calls him the everlasting father. No beginning, no end, just is.

You know, Luke and Matthew have stories about the birth of Jesus, and we usually center on one of those around the Christmas season. But the gospel of John, paints a much broader picture of it all. Let me just read a portion of it to you. He refers to Jesus as the Word, the everlasting word. He says this, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him, all things were made. Without him, nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not and will not overcome it. And the word became flesh, and made his dwelling among us, and we have seen his glory,

the glory of the one and only son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Here's John saying, he's the beginning, he's the end, he's the eternal word. He's the alpha, the omega, the A through Z. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. he is the great I am. Another one of the writers in the New Testament, a guy named Paul, he answers the question about Jesus, who is this man? By saying this in Colossians chapter 1, verse 15 through 20,

I love this passage. He says, Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed, catch this, before anything was created and is supreme over all creation. For through him, God created everything in the heavenly realms, and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see, such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He is Elohim, Creator God, the one who said, let there be light. He is the one who came to be the light

of the world. He writes, He existed before anything else. He holds all creation together. He's the glue, including your life and my life. He holds it all together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body, he is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead, so he is first in everything. For God in all of his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross. That's the baby, lying in a manger. That's who we worship, the visible image of the invisible God. This baby in a manger is the one who always was, always is, and always is to come.

He is the great I am wrapped in swaddling clothes. Joy to the world. Yahweh has come. And I know there are neighborhoods, communities, cities, campuses, coffee shops, gyms, kitchen tables that have questions about God. People who in the depth of their being really want to know him. because he wired us all that way. And I think a lot of people are saying,

where is God? What's he like? Is there anybody there that's seen him? How do I find him? Does he care about a person like me? Has he done anything in anybody's life lately? How can I get hooked up with him? Anybody ever talk to him?

How could I talk to him? Can anybody help me find him? A gang, they need to know that God is big. And he's alive and he's moving, and he's active, he's compassionate, He's a healer, he's a freedom giver, he's an addiction breaker, and he is a lover of their soul. They need to know the answer to their question, what's his name? Is all his name?

He's a wonderful counselor, a mighty God, the everlasting Father. He is the great, I am. You know, we all have questions, some questions you might have wondered recently. Who's going to make sure that good is going to eventually prevail over the evil in this world? And Jesus says, I am. Is there any truth really out there at all? He says, I am. What if the chemo isn't enough?

I am. Who's smart enough to figure out this crazy life of mine? I am. I desperately need something fresh in my life. I am. Who's going to stay with me in this big empty house now? I am. I'm going under.

Somebody help. I am. Oh, man, this world is such a mess. Who will ever fix it? I am. Always have been. Always will be. be. I am the everlasting father. Have a great day. We'll see you back tomorrow.

Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out? For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.compt.combe. Church slash daily drive.