Francis Chan (5:11)

Let's read it again, honey. There's just something about God's Word that can minister to us. It's living and active. And somehow these words are different than all the other words on the earth. Because this came straight from the Lord. So let's just receive this again.

Reader (Bible Reader) (5:34)

Now. The birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph. Before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame. Resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife. For that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son. And you shall call his name Jesus, for He will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son. And they shall call his name Immanuel. Which means God with us.

Francis Chan (6:43)

God with us. Why is God with us right now? Think about that word. Why? Why is God with us, Emmanuel? God with us. Why do you think he's here with us today? Any answers?

Francis Chan (7:20)

Because he loves us.

Francis Chan (7:21)

Because he loves us. Amen. That was it. Wow. You nailed it. It's kind of the same thing, but because he wants to be with us. I was writing that down this week. Like so much of my life, I've. I just noticed something about me, and it's. It's off where I keep trying to.

Francis Chan (7:52)

Like, be more holy and be more reverent and be more devout. Let me get up earlier. Let me spend more time with him. Let me make sure everything's out. And maybe if I do all of.

Francis Chan (8:03)

This, then he's going to bless me. Like, I would never kind of say.

Francis Chan (8:07)

That out loud or necessarily.

Francis Chan (8:10)

It just kind of happens.

Francis Chan (8:12)

It's almost like I think if I initiate, he'll respond to me. But is that what happened at the birth of Christ? Was it the whole world going, please, God, please send us a savior? No. He initiated. He wanted to be with us. He loves us. What does one John tell us? We love because he first loved us. He decided to send his son to die for the sins of the world. He wasn't responding to us. He was initiating. I mean, David in the beginning was talking about Adam and Eve. Why did he create Adam and Eve? He wanted to. And he wanted to walk in the garden with them. He wanted to be with them. Then, even after they sinned against him and rebelled against him, he says, no, I'm going to send a savior one day because I'm going to be with you. I want to be with you. And the story ends with the new heavens and the new earth.

Francis Chan (9:31)

And God says, and I'm going to walk with you again. I'm going to be with you.

Francis Chan (9:38)

Look, think through history. Was Moses crying out to God. Therefore, God responded, no. God initiates in that burning bush and calls to Moses. Then he tells Moses, I want you to make this tent of meeting because I want to meet with you. I want you to build this tabernacle because I want to tabernacle. I want to dwell amongst you and this ark of the covenant, because I want my presence there. Then I want this temple, because these are all God initiating, saying, I want to be with you. And then he gets to Jesus and it says that he came and he dwelt, or the word tabernacled amongst us.

Francis Chan (10:34)

He says, no, I want to be closer. I want to be closer. I want to be closer.

Francis Chan (10:42)

And then there's the amazing truth in John 14, where Jesus says, the Holy.

Francis Chan (10:48)

Spirit is with you, but then he's going to be in you. And he says in John 14, verses 16 and 17, he says, I'll ask the Father and he'll give you another.

Francis Chan (11:05)

Helper to be with you.

Francis Chan (11:07)

Forever.

Francis Chan (11:10)

Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor. Nor knows Him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. You see the progress. You know, it's like in the garden, he was with them, but then they rebelled. And he says, oh, you know, but I'm going to. I'm going to send. I'm going to send. I'm going to send. I'm going to. I'll put an ark there so my presence will be there with you. And then, no, I'm going to go further. I'm going to put Jesus my. So he's going to take on flesh so that he can be with you. And then he says, now the Holy Spirit is with you, but there's going to come a time when he'll actually be in you. And then a few verses later, in verse 23, Jesus answered, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. This isn't a response. This is God initiating. I mean, this has been something God's been teaching me this year. These last two months, my prayer times.

Francis Chan (12:38)

Have hit another level. My enjoyment of God has been in.

Francis Chan (12:45)

Another place because he's finally just revealed.

Francis Chan (12:51)

Like, just shown me at the core of my being that he wants me and that he loves me. And I look back now at everything in my life and I go, oh, that's why you did that. You were coming after me even back then. What does Acts 17 teach? It says, he determined the time and the place where you would be born.

Francis Chan (13:22)

And it says that he would orchestrate the events of your life. It says, so that you might feel your way towards him and find him, even though he's not far from you. Amen. That's him. James 2. No. James 4, verse 5 explains that he jealously yearns. So God jealously yearns for the Spirit.

Francis Chan (13:51)

That He put in us.

Francis Chan (13:54)

Revelation 3, verse 20 says, he knocks on the door. Who's initiating? It's like, I'm knocking. Please, please, if anyone will hear my voice. If anyone hears me knocking, he goes, then I'll come and I'll eat with you. It's like, I want to be with you. If someone's knocking on your door saying, please let me in, you're the responder in this.

Francis Chan (14:31)

You know, I've been a pastor for like, 40 years now, and. I hear a lot of people. I've heard a lot of people say, I'm not ready to get Baptized yet. I want to get some things in order before I get baptized. I'm not ready yet. Once I get these sins out of my life, then I'll be ready. I don't want to just say, I'm.

Francis Chan (14:59)

Gonna commit to the Lord. I want to get these things right first.

Francis Chan (15:03)

And it's like, no, that's not the way it works. God's knocking on the door. He's a God of mercy. He's a God of grace. And when you recognize his kindness receiving you even while you were a sinner, that he loved you even when you.

Francis Chan (15:25)

Were a sinner, that the world was.

Francis Chan (15:28)

So ugly at the time when Christ came, it was not a world that was seeking him. There were a couple. You know, there's always a few. You had Anna, who was waiting. You had Simeon, who was waiting. Yet a few that believed. But really, it says that he came to his own, and his own didn't even receive him. But to those who did receive him, he gave them the right to become children of God. You know, it's just this amazing story. So here's what's changed in my prayer life. When I go in my prayer room just to seek the Lord, rather than going in and just believing like, okay, God, I'm going to go after you. I mean, I still do that, but it's. I go in ready to receive. Because God is the one that's jealously yearning for me. He tells Moses, I'm the Lord, the Lord, a God, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. This is what I am. I'm just. I'm rich in mercy. So I'm like, I want to forgive. That's God's desire.

Francis Chan (16:57)

He wants to forgive us. He's a God of grace.

Francis Chan (17:00)

He wants to give to us.

Francis Chan (17:01)

He's abounding over, overflowing with steadfast love. So he just wants to pour his love on us. And so, coming before God, I don't go in as an initiator. I go in as a responder. I go in and with a faith.

Francis Chan (17:23)

Going, God, you are crazy about me. You're, like, jealously yearning for me. This is insane.

Francis Chan (17:31)

You are knocking on the door right.

Francis Chan (17:33)

Now asking if you can come in. And I'm just going, that'd be the.

Francis Chan (17:39)

Stupidest thing I could ever do is.

Francis Chan (17:41)

To say, no, I'm going to keep that door closed. I just say, come in. Come, Lord. Come, Lord Jesus. Pour your mercy on me. Pour your grace on me. I need you. Yes, God, I receive you. I receive your love. I receive your grace. And I'm just learning that God can minister to the core of your being. He wants to. He's jealously yearning for this. And that means like in First Corinthians 2, he says, what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind.

Francis Chan (18:26)

Has conceived what God has prepared for.

Francis Chan (18:29)

Those who love Him.

Francis Chan (18:32)

But God has revealed these things to us by his spirit. So he says, there are things that no eye has seen. So your eyes have not seen what's in store for us. Your ears have not heard what's in store. In fact, he says, no mind has conceived what God has prepared. So it's not like in your mind you can see what heaven is like. No mind has seen that. No one has seen this future. Your mind has not conceived it. But then he says that peculiar thing, but God has revealed it to us by his spirit. So there's some way that God can reveal things to our spirit, to our souls, that we don't get to see with our eyes. We may not hear a voice from heaven, our minds may not intellectually understand anything new, but somehow he reveals it internally to us, and he ministers to our very spirit. And there's some way that my spirit connects with God, and He just pours. Pours this love into me. That's what Romans 5:5 is about, that he pours his love into our hearts.

Francis Chan (19:57)

And we actually get to taste somehow this peace and this love, this joy. And it's like, oh, this is what the future is all about, what I'm tasting right now in this room of God, ministering to my soul, where I am in his presence and he is in me, and there is nothing to fear. I get to feel that exponentially. And then one day, my eyes will see also, and my ears will hear his voice, and my mind will finally get it. Because right now, I just see in a mirror dimly. But one day, I'm going to see face to face. But that doesn't mean that we don't actually get to experience him right now. There's just something spiritual that goes on. And I'm praying for this, for all of us this year, that we would have faith when we come in the presence of God, that He's there. He's been waiting for us, and he wants to minister to you. He wants to minister to your soul. This is the good news. God is with us, and he just wants to be even closer, closer, closer, till we see his face.

Podcast Host (21:29)

Thank you for listening to the Crazy Love Podcast. Join us next week for a new episode. But until then, for more resources from Crazy Love Ministries or to support the work of Crazy Love, please visit our website@crazylove.org.