What does Christology mean for me?

[00:00:02] Speaker A: Welcome to the YA podcast. Lean in as we dive into the practicals of life with Jesus as spirit filled young adults. Guys, hello, hello, hello, Syrupia Besties. And we're so excited to be back for the young adults podcast. [00:00:35] Speaker B: Yes, it's Jess and Hadassah, two familiar [00:00:40] Speaker A: voices for you guys. You know, we thought you might, you might want to hear from us again. [00:00:44] Speaker B: Maybe not, but I had to come back and prove to you guys that I'm not gross. [00:00:50] Speaker A: If you listen to episode one, you know what she's talking about. But if you haven't listened to episode [00:00:55] Speaker B: one, what are you doing? [00:00:56] Speaker A: We had a lot of fun. And I don't just mean one like the first ever episode on the podcast. You'll scroll a bit if you want to find that one. But I mean, episode one of season six, which we recorded recently, that was so fun. We had our whole. Most of our young adult core team and that. Which is really fun. But I will actually just encourage you guys scroll down to the bottom of this podcast. There's some good gold nuggets from Pastor Thomas and Kelsey and, yeah, other team members that have spoken into this. So if you're just looking for a good podcast, why don't you just have a little scroll back? We talk about comparison, we talk about fear and shame and, and we went through the Book of Matthew. So we've had some fun times on here. So it's, it's worth a list of [00:01:44] Speaker B: good stuff down there, guys. Have a bit of a scroll and check it out. [00:01:47] Speaker A: Have a scroll. But today, as you guys know, we are just going through the whole year and we're just chatting about topics that we're kind of going through as a church and really breaking it down for our young adult community and be like, okay, how does this actually apply to me? How does this, how do we live that out in our young adult context? And we have been doing a Christology series which has been so fun. And actually that's when I lead a life group together. [00:02:16] Speaker B: Yeah. What are you doing Tuesday morning, guys? [00:02:21] Speaker A: Come join us. We want to take over a whole cafe. [00:02:23] Speaker B: That's. Yes, that was the goal. [00:02:24] Speaker A: They might kick us out, but we have started a revolution. And they're doing a morning life group. [00:02:30] Speaker B: Yes. 7 to 8:30am yeah, it's crazy. Yeah. [00:02:33] Speaker A: But I don't want everyone to come. But if you, if you feel a prompting from the Lord after listening to this, come along and join us. We're having a lot of fun. [00:02:41] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:02:42] Speaker A: We were chatting about something so funny, like not to get deep. Sh. Let's just keep it casual for a moment. We're talking about. Because Hadassa helps us run. Well, she basically oversees the community aspect of young adults. And what. What did you say to me before about trying to run social? [00:03:00] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. I was just saying we keep trying to do a beach hang, but the weather never agrees with us. [00:03:05] Speaker A: Welcome to my. [00:03:08] Speaker B: I promise, guys, we want to go to the beach, but the weather. [00:03:11] Speaker A: One day. One day we'll get to the beach. I love it because we did last. Our last one was bringing the beach to the church. Y' all ate a lot of fish and chips. Pie was great. It was good, genuinely. Actually, can you send us your opinions? We want to know, did you like the post 4pm Hang? That was a new one for us this year. [00:03:31] Speaker B: Yeah. Let us know how you went, because if you love it, we can do more of it. If not, we'll try and figure something else out. But, yeah, it was a cool new thing to try, you know, trying to switch things up this year. [00:03:42] Speaker A: Yeah, we want to serve you guys. Like, the purpose is that you guys will connect and hang out with people. So. Yeah, let us know. But anyway, shall we get into it? [00:03:55] Speaker B: Yeah, let's dive in. [00:03:57] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:03:57] Speaker B: So I'm so excited to talk about this. Like, I've just been loving everything about this series, and I know that a lot of you guys have as well, so. Yeah, let's jump into it. [00:04:08] Speaker A: Yeah. So as I mentioned, Hadassah and I have been doing life group together, which is so fun and going through Christology, and we have literally been sitting there, and our mind's, like, being blown. We're like, oh, wow. Like, it's so simple. So if you. If you're unfamiliar, maybe you've just clocked onto the podcast or you need a new mark. We're doing a series called Christology, which basically means, very simply, the Theology of Jesus. So who is Jesus? Yeah. What does it mean? That he was divine and that he was human. [00:04:41] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:04:41] Speaker A: Was. Was he truly fully God and fully man and. And what was the purpose and mission of his life? [00:04:47] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:04:47] Speaker A: Why did he die? And what does that mean for us? So we're going through that at the time of recording. There'll be some sermons coming up, but you probably have heard a few sermons by now. [00:04:57] Speaker B: Yeah. Of. [00:04:59] Speaker A: Of those different topics. So we're having fun going through this. I think it's really, really, really foundational. As believers, Jesus is the whole purpose of our faith. So, like, no matter whether you've been a Christian for 50 years. If you're a young adult, obviously not 50 years. You've been a Christian for all 30 years of your life or whether you've just been saved for two months. Like, having a correct theology of Jesus is absolutely foundational and essential. So we're just loving going through it. Yeah. So, yeah. [00:05:31] Speaker B: And I was telling Jess earlier, I feel like I wish I had done this way earlier in my journey because it really does inform so much of your Christian walk and even so much of the way you. You relate to Jesus and how you look at him, you know, and your opinions on him. So I think it's really important to get it, to understand what we believe and why we believe it and to know it, you know? So I think, yeah, it's so good [00:05:55] Speaker A: that we're doing so true. Yeah, yeah. And we were chatting earlier because we love to catch up and she was just sharing with me some beautiful revelations and how it's actually affected her day to day life. And I was like, let's jump on the podcast and talk about it. Because I think sometimes we can go, oh, well, how does theology affect my life? And. And sometimes we read scripture through the lens of how does this apply to me? How does this apply to me? Instead of reading it for what it's worth and then letting the revelation actually shape us, because of course it's going to apply to your life. But jumping to the conclusion of application isn't always the way to actually get the transformation. So let's dive right in. What are some of the things we've talked about in Christology? Can you share, like some of those scriptures and some of those revelations? [00:06:42] Speaker B: So I think the first sort of week we were covering the divinity of Jesus and I think I'll talk about sort of what we learned and then how that applies to me because I think that's easier to follow. So I think one of the things that we learned, Pastor Thomas was talking about it in three, three simple sort of slogans, that Jesus is co equal, co eternal and co substantial with God. So co equal is sort of, he is God, they are the same. There's no separation between them. CO s eternal is that he's always been there. He didn't sort of jump into being a New Testament Matthew, Chapter one. He's always been there from the start, from in the beginning. He was always there. And co substantial is equal in power, equal in deserving of our worship, equal in every single measure to God. And I think it sounds really simple, but when you really jump into the meat of what that is saying it is so like life changing. So we can start off in John. Yeah, John chapter one. [00:07:46] Speaker A: Follow along in your Bibles if you like, guys. [00:07:50] Speaker B: So we're not going to read the whole thing, but the, it's sort of the context is that we were reading from John chapter one, verse one to 14. But I think a couple of things is in the beginning the Word already existed. So that's sort of. That's John chapter one, verse one. The Word was with God and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. So that's the whole idea of what we were just talking about. Co eternal. Like Jesus was in, he was there in the beginning. [00:08:17] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:08:17] Speaker B: And he existed with God and he was with God. [00:08:19] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:08:20] Speaker B: So there's a really cool separation there with that. Jesus and God are different. So bringing in the idea of the Trinity right from the start, you know, Jesus, God and Holy Spirit being the being separate but also together and the same. So it's like there's actually so much in this one verse, so many things that are introduced and so many elements that are introduced. You have the Trinity but you also have the idea of like Jesus was there from the start with God. So there isn't. Has never been any separation between the two. And so. Yeah. And the idea that God created everything through him and nothing was created except through Him. And then it's the idea that he was there with God at the start and then he, in verse 14, he talks about him. The Word became human and made his home among us, or the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The idea of that's where Jesus's humanity comes in. But before we jump into that, another verse that has really stood out in this sort of idea of the divinity of Jesus has been Hebrews chapter one, verse one to four. Just as we're scrolling there, I think it's really interesting that John chapter one, Colossians chapter one and Hebrews chapter one. [00:09:34] Speaker A: I was about to say that. Yeah. [00:09:37] Speaker B: It's so interesting how all of these writers like, like they start all of these sort of scriptures with talking about who Jesus is, with dedicating some time to talk about the divinity of Jesus and who he is as a person. [00:09:53] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:09:54] Speaker B: Right at the start. Because it's so important for us to know who he is because that informs everything else. [00:09:59] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:10:00] Speaker B: And we know how like important even like all the writings they did were. And so the fact that they all took the time to do this right at the start I think is so cool. Yeah. [00:10:10] Speaker A: And just like in John's context, he's about to tell the story of Jesus's earthly life. And he's like, I need you to know that this Jesus, this human Jesus, and I'm about to report to you, was God at the beginning and is God and eternally is. And in, in Colossians case, Paul is writing a letter of exhortation and, and I guess teaching the church in Colossi how to live, to put on Christ, how to run their household, etc, and he's like, first I need you to know who Jesus was and is. Hebrews again is. It's all about who Jesus was and how he is superior to the law and to everyone that went, that came after him or before him. I don't know. You know what I mean? [00:10:52] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:10:52] Speaker A: All of, all of history and Jesus is preeminent. And so I love that point that you're making that all of these start chapter one, first few verses. [00:11:01] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:11:03] Speaker A: Jesus is divine. Jesus is God. [00:11:05] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And Hebrews chapter one, verse three. I'm reading from the nlt, by the way. It says the sun radiates God's own own glory and expresses the very character of God and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. [00:11:26] Speaker A: Sheesh. [00:11:27] Speaker B: I know. Jesus being the revelation of God, the revealed word of God, you know, the image of God for us, I think there's just a lot in that. [00:11:44] Speaker A: You can sit there for days. [00:11:45] Speaker B: I know. So I think that's so important to understand that he is the revelation of, of God and God's character so we can understand who God is through looking at Jesus. I think that's just, it's just, it's so powerful, you know. So, yeah, I think that's another thing that really stands out, that he's radiating his own. God's own glory and the character of [00:12:13] Speaker A: God, like the exact imprint of his nature. [00:12:15] Speaker B: Yeah, I, I think that's just, there's so much in that. But yeah, so you know, he, he was with God, but he's also the exact image of God and radiating and revealing to us who God is. [00:12:29] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:12:31] Speaker B: In for us in a way that we can sort of understand. I think you mentioned this, and this might be a little bit off, but you mentioned this a while back, Jess, that when you were talking about the struggle to sort of relate with God in the Old Testament versus God in the New Testament and you were talking about the like, maybe it's easier for us to understand God in New Testament because we can look to Jesus. [00:12:52] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:12:53] Speaker B: And see his character, whereas in the Old Testament, Jesus, who hadn't come to Earth, like, he had to come in flesh. So it was harder for us to [00:13:01] Speaker A: have context, not only for us reading it back, but actually I was chatting a little bit with Thomas about this, actually. Like, even the Old Testament writers to. To know who God was. Like, it was progressive revelation at the start. Like, oh, this is what I think God did. But it's like we only actually can really, truly see the full picture of God in the context of the whole Old Testament Testament and Jesus and the revelation of Jesus coming in a form that is very natural to us. It's like. It's like we. It's like if we learn a language and we can understand bits and pieces, but when someone speaks our native tongue, then we finally really understand what they're saying. And there's no. Like, there's not room for misinterpretation. And Jesus is speaking our native tongue by becoming human. [00:13:48] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think Colossians chapter 1, verse 15 really says that Christ is a visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation. You know, so that's sort of like. Yeah, like, he. We needed him for us to sort of really understand and connect with who God is because he. He reveals God's character to us. [00:14:15] Speaker A: Can you read that again? [00:14:16] Speaker B: Yes. Colossians chapter 1, verse 15. Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation. [00:14:27] Speaker A: Wow. [00:14:28] Speaker B: Yeah, I know. [00:14:31] Speaker A: So good. [00:14:33] Speaker B: Yeah. So I think for me, before we go, sort of move more into the humanity of Jesus, I think something that really stood out to me when I was reading all of this was I had never realized how much of a hierarchy I had in my rankings of God, Jesus and Holy Spirit. Because when I grew up, and I have been telling people this, when I grew up, I sort of had this image of God being this, like, old man in the sky, and then Jesus being like, the cool young friend, one that we get along with. [00:15:06] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:15:07] Speaker B: And then Holy Spirit was like the dove, you know, he was the bird that was like. Like, those are the images that I grew up with. So I was always like, God the Father, like, number one, and then Jesus and then Holy Spirit. But as we've been jumping into this study, I think I've been able to reconcile this idea that Jesus is God and Holy Spirit and Jesus and God the Same, same, same level. They are the same. They're different versions, but they're this, they're like different but the same, if that makes sense. And I think it has really changed how much I, I'm just in awe of who Jesus is because it's like Jesus is God. Same power as God, same existed the same time as him, has always existed at the same time as him. Same influence, same everything as God. There is no separation, there's no difference. And like you were saying earlier that Christology informs doxology. It definitely has affected my worship because I'm looking at Jesus in a different way. [00:16:08] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:16:08] Speaker B: You know, like he's always been like accessible in a way, but now it's also, there's this reverence that I, I don't think I, I've had when I look at Jesus because I'm like, yeah, you, you are God. Yeah, like, like it's like a penny dropped, you know, like, he is God. Yeah, he is God. And I think that's been one of the biggest things that that's come out of this for me. And it's also changed my appreciation of the sacrifice that he made to become human. [00:16:40] Speaker A: It wasn't. [00:16:41] Speaker B: Yeah, it's just, it's just made it so much, you know, I think it's just so much more precious, the gift that him coming in human form was. [00:16:52] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:16:52] Speaker B: Because it's like this powerful being, you know, Like, I don't even know how to explain it. Like I'm at a loss for words. But it's, it's changed my appreciation of the 30 years before his ministry, that he lived an ordinary life, that he. Like when we talk about the humility of Jesus. [00:17:13] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:17:13] Speaker B: I'm seeing it in a different way because I understand what he gave up to come and take, take on flesh, to become human. [00:17:24] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:17:25] Speaker B: You know, so I think that's been the biggest thing that came out of understanding his divinity, was that my awe for him has deepened, but also my gratitude for his sacrifice is at a different level because I'm truly understanding more of just what Jesus gave up. [00:17:42] Speaker A: Yep. [00:17:43] Speaker B: To be a baby. Do you know what I mean? [00:17:46] Speaker A: Yeah. And like, as I was saying, he didn't just come as a 30 year old. Like even, I mean, I don't know, this could be a complete tangent and I, forgive me if this is inaccurate, but like Adam and Eve were formed as adults. [00:18:00] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:00] Speaker A: They didn't even, like they were supposed to be the first example of, you know, Jesus became the second Adam. Right. That supposed to be the first Example. And they didn't even have to, like, necessarily go through childhood. If we, if we take that. [00:18:13] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:13] Speaker A: I probably shouldn't go down this. This rabbit hole too long. But anyway, Jesus was literally born as a baby in a manger. [00:18:19] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:20] Speaker A: Like, it is the most humbling possible situation to come into. And he wasn't just a random guy that did that. He was fully divine, God eternal from the beginning, from before the world was even created. He was God. He is God. And he sacrificed himself. [00:18:43] Speaker B: Yes. [00:18:43] Speaker A: To come and to not just appear and do the work that he needed to do. Because obviously we know that the important work of Jesus was his death and resurrection. [00:18:52] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:52] Speaker A: But he had to wait 33 years for that to happen. So he still had to live all of the regular things. And obviously we're. We're removed from the context of. Of living in Israel at 2,000 years ago. [00:19:06] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:19:07] Speaker A: A little bit different for us. A little bit hard for us to understand, but he still would have had to, you know, brush his hair in [00:19:12] Speaker B: the morning, eat and make his bed. [00:19:16] Speaker A: He would have had daily chores. He would have had just all the regular things. Like, he would have had education. You know, I'm sure school looked different to what it does today, but still [00:19:27] Speaker B: would have had a version of having to go and learn the Torah and all the things that they had to do at that time. And I think, just leading on from that, I think Jesus lived an ordinary life. Made such a massive sacrifice of being in heaven with God in this sort of perfect utopia to come on earth to live an ordinary life. [00:19:50] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:19:50] Speaker B: For him to understand, to be our merciful priest. [00:19:54] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:19:55] Speaker B: Just going to Hebrews, chapter 4, verse 14 to 16. Yeah, let me get it up. Yep. So. So then, since we have a great high priest who has entered heaven, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This high priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Yeah. I think he lived. He sacrificed so much to live the ordinary life so he could be a merciful priest. So he could under. Because he's. He would be able to have a, like a. An understanding of everything that we've been through and all of the, all of the temptations that we go through and the battle we face with our flesh. [00:20:58] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:20:59] Speaker B: So that he could be merciful to us. And so that we could come before him. Come before the throne of grace boldly. [00:21:06] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:21:07] Speaker B: And be able to. To have that relationship with him. [00:21:10] Speaker A: Yeah. Something you were saying to me earlier when we were going for coffee this morning was about, like, oh, I don't feel, like, bold to enter G. Like, enter before the throne of God. And this is a conversation I've had with a lot of young adults just even in the past month of, like, oh, I feel like I'm not in a position to go talk to God because I'm, like, not feeling strong or not like my life's not all together, and I'm like, no. I think that this verse actually says the opposite. I think that we can have confidence. What does it say? Verse 16. We're gonna have confidence to draw near the throne of grace. They would receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need. It's actually not about being bold, but having confidence that if Jesus could. Could go through the weakness of humanity, then God can handle the weaknesses of our humanity. God can handle the facts that, you know, that we're tired and hungry and that we're discontent with our lives, or we're wrestling through stuff, or we're angry because someone hurt us, or we. We've been tempted by sin, or, like, God can handle all of that because he knows what all of those things feel like. [00:22:17] Speaker B: Yes. [00:22:18] Speaker A: And so we can come to God with our problems, with our weaknesses, with our anger, with our disappointment to find grace and mercy and help in the time of need. [00:22:28] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. And that's why shame is such a, like, attack of the enemy on our lives, because it stops us from being able to go boldly before the throne of grace where we get the help that we need. [00:22:40] Speaker A: Yes. [00:22:41] Speaker B: That's why he attacks us with so much shame, because he doesn't want you to go to Jesus with it. [00:22:47] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:22:48] Speaker B: So he makes you feel like, oh, how dare you do this? You're too weak for this. You know, all of that stuff. You're too unclean to go before Jesus. [00:22:55] Speaker A: That's Old Testament months. [00:22:56] Speaker B: Exactly. And he does all of that to stop us from being able to go before the Lord. [00:23:01] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:23:02] Speaker B: And get the help that we need. Get the mercy that we need and the restoration that we need and the grace that we need. So that's why he really uses a lot of shame. But I think this verse, it's so important and, like, it's so important that Jesus came and was human and did go through all of the temptations so that we can. We can have access we can have relatability to Jesus about things. And I think sometimes we don't let ourselves really think about verses to the fullness of what they mean. The Bible says every temptation. It means every temptation. You know, sometimes we think there's some things that are even just too unholy to talk about. Like, oh, Jesus would never have been tempted in this way. You know what I mean? But he lived an ordinary life, you know, he would have been tempted by things people go through when they go through puberty and the things that we go through in. In everything in life, you know, And I think. I love that it. It. It does say every temptation because it means that there isn't, like, stuff that you can bring before God and then stuff that you have to work out before you go before God. It's all of it. It's every single thing. [00:24:07] Speaker A: Yeah. And not only is God not surprised by our temptations, like, some people think, like, oh, if I go tell God that he's going to fall off his chair. He's gonna be like, what? [00:24:16] Speaker B: You did that? [00:24:17] Speaker A: What's going on? [00:24:18] Speaker B: I can't believe you're struggling with that. Yeah. [00:24:20] Speaker A: Like, not only does he understand because he created us, he firsthand experienced temptation, yet he was without sin. So he knows what it's like to be completely free from sin and resistant to every possible temptation that we face. [00:24:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:24:36] Speaker A: He knows how to overcome it. You know, whether you're struggling with anger or whether you're struggling with pornography, like, whatever. End of the spectrum. Jesus knows what temptation is, and he also knows the overcoming. He also knows how to live without sin. [00:24:52] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. So I think that's. Yeah, I just think that's such a beautiful thing that we. We get from understanding Jesus's humanity. [00:25:01] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:25:02] Speaker B: And I think when you go back to Luke, just to sort of give some more context to when I was talking about, like, Jesus living an ordinary life. [00:25:10] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:25:11] Speaker B: I think Luke. Who want to find it? Luke 2, verse 41. Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:25:23] Speaker A: Sorry. [00:25:23] Speaker B: I was like, where is it? Yeah. I might not read all of it, but it's basically the story of when Mary and Joseph were, like, they had gone to the temple for the Passover festival and they left and they didn't realize that they hadn't brought Jesus with them. How many of us can relate to doing things without the Lord and then going back and be like, whoops, yeah. Yep. So they. They left him and they realized that he wasn't there. And then they went back and they looked for him for three days, and then they Found him in the temple. And his parents sort of said, like, what. What have you done this to us? We've been looking for you. And then he says, you know, didn't you know that I. I need to be my father's house? And then I think verse 51 is really what I want to focus on, where it says, then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things, things in her heart. And verse 52, Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature with favor in. And in favor with God and all the people. So verse 51, Jesus being obedient to parents and, like, their rules. And this is the Jesus who is God being obedient to. To parents. So he would have had to have grown up in a family setting in the culture of, of his time. Like we were talking about earlier, doing ordinary things. [00:26:44] Speaker A: Yeah. It's even like, okay, I don't know why I'm thinking this, but many of our young adults have moved out of home. [00:26:50] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:26:50] Speaker A: And then, like, for a season. Have to move back in with mum and dad, and I might be in that situation soon. But, like, having to learn how to submit to something that you have, like, already overcome or like, it's. It's so much more profound. [00:27:06] Speaker B: Yes. [00:27:06] Speaker A: But it's like. Or having to come under someone else's leadership when you know better. Like, imagine Jesus, he's literally God. Yeah. And he's like, well, I need to obey my parents. And I'm sure they would have been imperfect parents. Like, Mary, Joseph ain't perfect. No, they forgot him perfect. If you're a young adult parent listening to this, you. They literally, they forgot him. You're not perfect. And yet your child should honor and submit to you. Yeah. As a parent. And so Jesus would have been like, you know, Joseph is like, giving him some particular discipline and he's like. Or maybe giving him some teaching on the, on the Scriptures. [00:27:39] Speaker B: Jesus is like, no, it's wrong, but [00:27:41] Speaker A: I've got to submit. [00:27:42] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:27:43] Speaker A: Like, that just echoes his humanity, doesn't it? [00:27:47] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:27:48] Speaker A: He was obedient to his parents. [00:27:49] Speaker B: To his parents. I mean, Jesus had a job, guys. He was a carpenter. [00:27:53] Speaker A: True. [00:27:54] Speaker B: Like, he had a job. Probably had to show up to work at a certain time. Maybe he had a boss who knows, like, so ordinary. [00:28:02] Speaker A: Can we just, like, take that and just kill entitlement with that right now? Like, how many of us think that we're better than the things that we're doing? [00:28:09] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:28:09] Speaker A: Or the people that are telling us what to do? Like, if Jesus can submit. Come on, guys. And I'm not, I'm not calling out anyone right now. I'm just saying I'm convicted. [00:28:19] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:28:21] Speaker A: Jesus can submit. [00:28:22] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:28:24] Speaker A: Wow. Yeah, it's good. [00:28:28] Speaker B: And then verse 52, which is talking about him growing in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people. The idea of Jesus learning. [00:28:39] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:28:40] Speaker B: And learning things, you know, spiritual things, but also just humanity, the things of the human way. And. Yeah, I think it's just. I think this just gives so much context to the ordinary, which, if you go back to what we were talking about earlier, which is like the divinity of Jesus, the idea that someone that, like Jesus being all being equal with God, humbled himself to live an ordinary life. [00:29:13] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:14] Speaker B: Inhuman for all the stages of humanity, from helpless baby relying on his mother and father, to child growing up needing to be submitted to them and obedient to them, to growing up in the culture and traditions of the society and all of these things so that we. So that he could understand us, I think is just. And so that we could feel confident. Yeah, we could understand him and we could feel confident to go before him and get the help that we need and to be sort of, you know, vulnerable with our human experience. Like, it's just. It's so profound. It's so. I don't know, it just. It just makes me emotional because I've been. I've been walking around and thinking about the ordinary of my life, the everyday, the mundane things that I have to do sometimes, and just thinking about him submitting himself to the mundane so that I could. I could talk to him about it. [00:30:12] Speaker A: Talk to him about doing the relationship with him. Oh. [00:30:16] Speaker B: And I. I really just want to come against people who grew up in a church or were presented a God who was distant. [00:30:22] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:30:23] Speaker B: A God who just wasn't relatable, who was just rules based like. [00:30:29] Speaker A: Or a God that you only meet with in the morning when you open the Bible and pray. Like he's meant to be in everything, every single thing. [00:30:38] Speaker B: And he understands every single thing. You know, he understands like boiling water and waiting for it to make a cup of tea or something. I don't know. Like, he understands cooking and all, you know, I mean, it's just. Wow. [00:30:50] Speaker A: I think. [00:30:51] Speaker B: Yeah. It's just so. I don't know. It's so. It's so special. It's so special. It's so, so special. [00:30:59] Speaker A: I think it also adds in an extra layer to when Jesus is giving the salmon on the mount. Yeah. And in Matthew 6, he says, like, don't worry about your life while you eat, what you'll drink, about your body, what clothes you're going to wear. Is your body not more than food in your life, more than clothing? Like, so is your life. Yeah. You know what I mean? But even just that context of, like, he knows what it's like to worry about the clothes that you're gonna wear. [00:31:25] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:31:26] Speaker A: He knows what it's like to worry about what you're gonna eat. [00:31:28] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:31:30] Speaker A: Like, he's not just saying that, like, oh, don't worry about these things. No big deal. He's like, no, no, I know. [00:31:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:31:36] Speaker A: Well, what it's like to wake up each day and be like, okay, you know, like, how am I going to live this life? And. And he. He wants to be in all of those things. Like, John 15 talks about abiding in him. If we abide in his love, if we abide in his presence, we're aware of him when we're cooking our food, when we're. When we're getting dressed for the day, when we're doing our work. Like, he knows what it's like to do all of these things, Meaning he is there doing them with us. [00:32:05] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:32:07] Speaker A: He's present right now. [00:32:09] Speaker B: Yeah, he is. [00:32:10] Speaker A: I was talking to a friend the other day, and she was saying, like, she moved quite far out from church recently, and she was like, oh, and I'm sitting in my car. I'm just like, Jesus is in the passengers. Like, he's sitting there with me. You know, just being aware of him in all of those moments. Because. [00:32:25] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:32:26] Speaker A: And I think that's what having a revelation of the divinity and humanity of Jesus does for us. [00:32:30] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:32:31] Speaker A: Is that we can actually go. Oh, He. He knows what it's like to do [00:32:35] Speaker B: all of these things. I mean, a testimony that I had shared at Life Group, I think I shared this. Was that. So some of you may know I'm Kenyan, and I came over here to study, and then the Lord has said, stay. So I'm still here. And I had this, like, sort of. I had a moment last year, early last year, where I was feeling really sad because I think, you know, it's. It's knowing that you're operating in the calling of God and you're where he wants you to be doesn't necessarily take away from the sadness of some of the things that you might be missing out. And I had this moment where I was like, oh, God, like, I'm not gonna be around my family. I'm missing out on what's happening at home and, you know, all of the milestones and, like, you know, just. Just being around my family and. And Jesus reminded me about the fact that for him to do his ministry, he had to leave Nazareth like he was. Jesus literally was called Jesus of Nazareth. But to. To fulfill his calling on this earth, he had to leave his hometown. And. And he never really went back in a joyous way. Even when he went back, he was rejected. You know, he. He had to leave his people, his friends, his neighborhood, this place that he'd been in for 30 years to go and do the calling that God had in his life for him. And in that moment, this is sort of what I'm talking about. By him living and him being able to relate to us, I was. There was just another level of intimacy that I had with. With the Lord because I was like, you. You understand this. You understand sacrifice of leaving family behind and leaving your home behind to operate in the calling that God has for you in your life. [00:34:15] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:34:16] Speaker B: And I think it's just. And. And even this going further, like, he left heaven so that I could have that moment with him. [00:34:23] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:34:24] Speaker B: So that I could relate to him in. And I could cry and I could be vulnerable, and he could. He could help me through it. It's just. Let's see. I just. [00:34:34] Speaker A: What a lens. What a lens to look throughout our hard moments, our pain and our suffering through to go. This is an opportunity for me to relate with Jesus. [00:34:43] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:34:44] Speaker A: And I had a similar one in life group as well, where I was like, you know what pastoring and just leading in general in church is. It can be a lonely road sometimes. And sometimes, I mean, it's definitely affected my friendships. It's affected a lot of things just to be completely real with you guys. Like, it's. It's been hard and, like, I'm so privileged and honored to do what I do, but there's moments where I'm like, oh, man, this sucker. This is a sacrifice. And it can feel lonely. It can feel like people don't understand. But Jesus, of all people, he knows what it's like to do something that no one else can do. And my sacrifice has nothing compared to his. He had to go to the cross alone. He had friends. He had people that did the ministry journey with him, but no one carried the weight and responsibility that he carried. And. And I just. Man, just to have that revelation that Jesus fully knows what it's like to do a journey alone at times. Yeah. And you know, Maybe you're listening to this. You're a leader. You've. You've had to make sacrifices. You've had convictions of the Lord. And it's felt like no one will understand. No one. No one gets the things I've gone through. Oh, Jesus does. [00:35:55] Speaker B: He does. [00:35:58] Speaker A: He's been there. He's been there a hundred times more. [00:36:02] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:36:04] Speaker A: Wow. [00:36:05] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:36:05] Speaker A: We could talk about this. We could. [00:36:07] Speaker B: But I do want to touch on Jesus's humanity and divinity and how that all comes together in the gospel. And in. And like, you know, you talked about this earlier, Jess, when you talked about Jesus being the second Adam. And through Adam, sin enters the world. [00:36:26] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:36:27] Speaker B: But through Jesus, righteousness is now possible for us. [00:36:30] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:36:31] Speaker B: So him being fully God and fully human is necessary for the gospel. Like it's necessary for. For the finished work of the cross. [00:36:41] Speaker A: Yes. [00:36:41] Speaker B: To be complete. [00:36:43] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah. [00:36:45] Speaker B: I think, I think, I think just understanding both of that just makes what Jesus did on the cross, I think just 10. I don't even know. Like, it just. It just keeps blowing my mind. But he needed to be human and he needed to be God for that to be possible. [00:37:04] Speaker A: He couldn't die if he wasn't human and he couldn't carry the sins of, like, he couldn't pay the ultimate price. [00:37:09] Speaker B: He wasn't God. Yeah. So. [00:37:13] Speaker A: So if you have any doubt or if you have any part of you that's like, I'm not sure that I fully believe that he's fully God and fully man. You need to reconcile that in order for the gospel to be true and gospel to work in your life. [00:37:26] Speaker B: Yeah. Because it's like, you can't worship Jesus if he's not God, because then it's like heresy, basically. [00:37:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:37:34] Speaker B: Because then if he's not God, he's not worthy of worship. [00:37:38] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:37:38] Speaker B: So you can't worship him. The gospel doesn't work. [00:37:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:37:41] Speaker B: Like, Christianity just falls apart if he's not God. But then if he's not human, it falls apart as well because you can't relate to him. It's. You can't. He can't die. He can't. Like, you can't. He doesn't understand you. It's just like both are so necessary for, for us to have a faith, for us, for. For Christianity to work. For the gospel to work. [00:38:06] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:38:06] Speaker B: So. [00:38:07] Speaker A: And I think that this is the first of many extreme tensions, paradoxes that Jesus represents. He represents the upside down kingdom. He represents loving your enemies. He represents, you know, so many things that we would say are at odds with one another. And this is the first and foundational one of that. And as you continue to read the Gospels, as we continue to go through this series, you'll find that there are many things that are int. And this is the most important one, but this is foundational for that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So good. [00:38:44] Speaker B: Are there any, any other ways that you can think of that the Gospel doesn't work if Jesus isn't fully human or fully God? [00:38:53] Speaker A: Well, he wouldn't be able to forgive us like, if he wasn't fully God. Like, he doesn't have the authority to do it. [00:39:04] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:39:05] Speaker A: Like how? Like he got called out a few times. They're like, who are you to. Only, who are you to forgive sins? Only God can forgive sins. [00:39:11] Speaker B: That's true. [00:39:12] Speaker A: But then I think just the practical as well. Like even just how he lived his life and healing the sick and demonstrating to us what it looks like for us to live our Christian lives. Like, how could he have done that if he wasn't human? [00:39:24] Speaker B: It's true. And how can we operate in his authority if he isn't fully God? Like in. When we pray in Jesus name or we like cast out demons. [00:39:32] Speaker A: How would we expect people to be healed? [00:39:35] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:39:35] Speaker A: If we don't accept the fact that Jesus was fully human. [00:39:38] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:39:38] Speaker A: Like, because Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit when he was baptized. So we as filled with the Holy Spirit can do the same works that Jesus did. [00:39:46] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:39:46] Speaker A: So he demonstrated to us exactly what we can live our Christian lives as. Like, because he was fully human, filled with God. [00:39:52] Speaker B: That's true. We wouldn't have any, any ability to live like Christ did if he wasn't [00:40:00] Speaker A: trying to be kind and trying to be joyful and trying to. We all know that this falls apart. [00:40:04] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:40:05] Speaker A: Like, yeah, they're the fruit of the Spirit. [00:40:07] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:40:07] Speaker A: We need God. [00:40:08] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. So true. There's just, there's just so many things that just don't, don't work if those two things are. [00:40:18] Speaker A: Theology is foundational. [00:40:20] Speaker B: Really. [00:40:20] Speaker A: And so, yeah. You know, we're asking the question, well, what is. What does Chris Christiology mean for my life? It means everything. It's everything for your face. [00:40:29] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:40:30] Speaker A: Means everything for your life. And we're not saying you'll need to go out and get a bachelor of theology and do a master's and a Ph.D. and. [00:40:37] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:40:38] Speaker A: And, and know it all, but like have a right revelation, meditate on these scriptures and actually let the Lord [00:40:47] Speaker B: work in you. Yeah, yeah. But, yeah, so I think for me, like I mentioned earlier, my The. The awe that I have for Jesus has increased. [00:40:57] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:40:58] Speaker B: The gratitude that I have for his sacrifice. [00:41:01] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:41:02] Speaker B: Has increased. And my ability to relate with him has increased. [00:41:10] Speaker A: Amen. [00:41:11] Speaker B: Because of just sitting and meditating on who he is and getting that understanding and. And. And having it right, you know, and looking at the Scriptures and. And what they say about who Jesus is. And so, yeah, my encouragement is sit with it, because I think it really. When you get a hold of it, I think it changes everything. [00:41:32] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:41:33] Speaker B: And as. Even as we're going into Easter, like, I've been really thinking about how this Easter feels different for me. [00:41:40] Speaker A: Wow. [00:41:40] Speaker B: Because I'm coming into it with a deeper revelation of. Of the cross. [00:41:45] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:41:45] Speaker B: And everything leading up to the cross and everything after the cross. You know, I think it's just. It's just changed it because there's a. There's a different depth to. To what Jesus did for me, you know? [00:42:01] Speaker A: So good. [00:42:02] Speaker B: And so. Yeah, I think it's just. It's just been a really beautiful journey to be able to. To sit with Jesus and just be like, I. I don't think I'll ever fully understand this. I think they'll always be. It will always continuously blow my mind, you know, I mean, the angels are sitting before God, and they're still. They are still saying, holy, holy. Because, like, they just keep being blown away by his holiness. And I think there's an element to which I'm like, yes, I know that it will keep being like, they'll just keep. God will just keep adding things on and deeper revelations, and it will forever blow my mind. But I feel like this season has just been made so much more precious because of just going through this and journeying with this and just sitting with Jesus and just being like, thank you, and thank you from a deeper level of understanding. Because it's like, yeah, you are God, and you did that for us. [00:42:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:42:52] Speaker B: And you did it before the foundations of the earth, I think. Where is it? I think it's like Revelations 11. It talks about Jesus. The lamb was crucified before the foundations of the earth. Revelations 13, verse 8. I'll. Yeah, it's more the second bit, but I'll read the first bit anyway. And all the people who belong to this world worship the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the book of life. That belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made. [00:43:28] Speaker A: Wow. [00:43:29] Speaker B: Or the Lamb who was crucified before the foundations of the earth. I think that's the King James version. I don't know. But yeah. [00:43:36] Speaker A: Yeah. It says in mine, which is the esv. Everyone whose name has not been written in the foundation, from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the lamb who was slain. [00:43:47] Speaker B: So, like, that's the other thing that's been really blowing my mind is that Jesus has always wanted. Like, it wasn't sort of a second option, the sacrifice that he made for us. It wasn't like a last minute thing. [00:44:02] Speaker A: It wasn't reacting. [00:44:03] Speaker B: It wasn't reactive. It's very, very proactive. Like, he was all. He was always willing to do it, which is just. It's just amazing to me. [00:44:16] Speaker A: Jesus in his humanity. The garden of Gethsemane says to the Father, not what I will, not what my humanity will. Yeah. What your will is be done. [00:44:28] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:44:29] Speaker A: And God's will from the foundation of the earth was the crucifixion of Jesus. [00:44:32] Speaker B: Yeah. Of himself, Himself, for us. [00:44:37] Speaker A: Guys, I think we need to stop talking. And you. Yeah. I pray that this has convicted you and that you can go away and sit with that. And I think I would love to just share a takeaway question. You can as well, Hadassah. Like, mine for you guys would be like, what does this mean for me? What is this, this revelation? And whether you've really thought about this for the first time or whether this is something that you've heard before? What is. What does this mean for me right now? Even if you've heard it a million times before, what does that mean for my life to know this about Jesus? And in what way could I perhaps realize that I relate with him because of my struggle or in my struggle, in my pain? [00:45:23] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't have one. I think that's a pretty good one. Yeah. [00:45:29] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah, it's good, guys, meditate on that. And we would love to hear from you. [00:45:34] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:45:34] Speaker A: I know that podcast isn't always the easiest forum to give feedback, but reach out to us. You can email us young adultsuma church, you can message us on Instagram, you can comment on the podcast, or come and speak to us in person. We want to hear what this has meant for you and how this has changed the way that you live your life. Because that's the purpose of the scripture, right? [00:45:57] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:45:58] Speaker A: Yeah. Change the way that we live our lives and form us into the likeness of Jesus. [00:46:02] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:46:02] Speaker A: So we pray this blesses you. Yeah. And we look forward to connecting with you in the next episode. [00:46:07] Speaker B: Thanks for listening, guys. Have a great weekday. Whatever. Yeah. [00:46:12] Speaker A: Okay. See ya. Bye.