Introduction

Eli: Welcome back. Get ready because we're going to be talking about the most crucial person in God's mission of redemption — Jesus. Last session, we left off with humanity in a tight spot – sin set us on a death spiral away from God. We couldn’t come to God, so he would have to come to us. And he did. In Luke 1, we read about a young woman named Mary who wasn't married. God sent an angel to tell her the good news. Listen to what the angel says in Luke 1:

"Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-33)

This would be a lot for anyone to process, but in a huge act of faith, look at how Mary responded. "’I am the Lord's servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’” (Luke 1:38)

Wow. Mary showed colossal trust in God! And God used her faithfulness to do something incredible – the fullness of the infinite, all powerful God was formed in her womb into a human being. Take a moment and think about what it means that God would come to earth in that way. How does it make you feel to know God would go that far for you? Pause the video and write down your thoughts.

Jesus’ Mission

Jesus did things that only God could do — like heal people who were sick or blind or couldn't walk. He forgave sins and even gave life to people who were dead. Introduction In all this, Jesus was accomplishing his mission which he said was to seek and save the lost. This is what he was all about, and, eventually, it would cost him his life. You see, to reunite us with God, someone had to take the penalty for our sins. And that someone had to be without sin to do it. Jesus died for us so that we could be with God again. Only that's not where it ended. Jesus didn't stay in the grave. In Luke 24, we read that three days after his crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead. Take a moment to read Hebrews 2:14-18. According to these verses, why does it matter that Jesus shared in your humanity? Spend time in prayer thanking Jesus for what he did.

Our Mission

Through his death and resurrection, Jesus broke the grip that sin and death had on humanity. Then, after doing what only he could do, he kicked off the next stage of God’s mission - and that’s the part that involves all of us. So what's the endgame? Well, the mission is about redemption. Not just redemption of you and me, but all creation. You want to catch a glimpse of the hope we’re looking forward to? Read Revelation 21-22. What parallels do you notice between these chapters and Genesis 1-2? What differences? Spend some time prayerfully imagining the imagery of Revelation 21:22-23. Write down your thoughts.

This is the future we have to look forward to - a new creation, no more death or mourning, and God living among us, filling the world with his glory. But before that time comes, God is still at work in the world. Next time, we’re going to talk about the current stage of God’s mission - the one we’re in now. See you then!

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