Series Introduction: Falling in Love with Jesus – A Journey of the Heart.
You know, this whole series began in a very unexpected way.
At home, someone had been asking Alexa to play Christmas songs in October!
At first, I laughed about it. I recognised some of the songs, but others were new to me. Still, I found myself dancing along to both the familiar and the unfamiliar tunes.
And while the music played, something happened.
As I listened, the lyrics began to sink in, songs about the birth of Jesus, the wonder of God becoming flesh, Emmanuel, “God with us.”
Before I knew it, my heart was reflecting… thinking about what it really means that the Creator stepped into our world.
And in that moment, without even planning to, I realised I was falling in love with Jesus all over again.
Not because Christmas is approaching, not because I was trying to be spiritual, but because the truth of His love touched me afresh.
That’s how this six-week series was born:
out of simple reflection, honest gratitude, and fresh wonder at the love of Jesus.
Over the next six weeks, we’re going to walk through a journey,
a journey of rediscovering who Jesus is, how deeply He loves us,
and how that love can change the way we see everything.
So, if you’re ready, let’s begin this journey together.
MESSAGE 1: The God Who Comes Close
Main Text: John 1:1-5, 14 “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”
Big Idea: Love begins not with our pursuit of God, but His pursuit of us.
INTRODUCTION – THE GOD WHO MOVES TOWARD US
Have you ever loved someone who seemed out of reach?
Someone you wanted to be close to, but the distance just wouldn’t close – maybe because of misunderstanding, shame, or fear?
That’s what humanity has felt for centuries- we long for God, but He feels far away.
And yet, the Gospel tells us something revolutionary: God refused to stay distant.
John 1:14 says,
“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”
Let that sink in for a moment.
The Creator stepped into His creation.
The eternal put on time.
Heaven moved into the neighbourhood.
God didn’t call from a distance, “Climb up to Me.”
He said, “I’ll come down to you.”
This is where love begins- not with us chasing God, but with God chasing us.
That’s what this whole series is about: falling in love with the Jesus who first loved us.
POINT 1 – GOD STEPS INTO OUR WORLD
Text: John 1:14; Philippians 2:6–8
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
“Though He was in the form of God, He made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.”
He didn’t send an angel.
He didn’t send a rulebook.
He sent Himself.
Illustration:
Imagine a mighty king who hears his people are suffering. He doesn’t send soldiers- he takes off his royal robes, puts on the clothes of a beggar, and walks among them to feel what they feel.
That’s Jesus.
He entered our dust.
He breathed our air.
He felt our pain.
Love doesn’t stay at a distance – it moves toward.
And the Incarnation – God becoming man – is the greatest love story in history.
Some people struggle with the idea that God became man and lived among us.
But the real question is this: Is anything too hard for God? (Genesis 18:14)
If the same God spoke the universe into existence,
if He hung the stars in the sky and stretched out the Milky Way,
if He formed the human body with breathtaking complexity, the blood that flows through our veins,
the water that sustains life,
the miracle of a single cell that grows into a living, breathing person —
then why would it be impossible for Him to take on human form?
The One who made man in His image surely has the power to step into that image Himself.
The Creator is never limited by His creation.
John 1:14 tells us,
“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”
That’s not weakness, that’s wonder.
That’s not contradiction, that’s compassion.
It shows the heart of a God who loved us enough to come close,
to walk in our dust,
to reveal Himself in a way we could see, touch, and understand.
So yes, God became man in Jesus Christ.
And He did it because nothing is too difficult for Him,
and no distance is too great for His love.
Before you ever searched for Him, He was already searching for you.
Prayer Line:
Lord Jesus, thank You that You came to me when I couldn’t reach You.
Thank You that You stepped into my world, not to condemn me, but to save me.
Teach me to recognise how near You are.
POINT 2 – GOD UNDERSTANDS OUR HUMANITY
Text: Hebrews 4:15
“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who was tempted in every way, yet without sin.”
Jesus knows what it’s like to be tired.
He knows hunger, loneliness, betrayal.
He knows what it feels like to be misunderstood and rejected.
You don’t have to explain your pain to Him, He gets it.
When you pray, you’re not talking to someone who can’t relate.
You’re talking to someone who has walked in your shoes.
That’s why you can run to Him. He’s not disappointed by your weakness, He understands it.
Illustration:
Have you ever met someone who’s walked through what you’ve walked through?
You can open up to them instantly because they know.
That’s why you can open your heart to Jesus, He knows.
He came close not only to save you but to understand you.
Prayer Line:
Jesus, thank You that You know me.
You’ve felt what I feel.
When I cry, You’ve cried.
When I hurt, You’ve hurt.
Help me to rest in the truth that I am never alone, You are near.
POINT 3 – GOD WANTS TO DWELL, NOT JUST VISIT
Text: Revelation 3:20
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.”
From Genesis to Revelation, God’s desire has always been the same —
not to be admired from afar, but to dwell with His people.
He walked with Adam in the garden.
He dwelt in the tabernacle and the temple.
And in Jesus, He says, “I’m not visiting, I’m staying.”
Love doesn’t want weekend visits.
Love wants daily presence.
Jesus doesn’t just want your Sunday worship.
He wants your Monday morning commute, your kitchen conversations, your lonely nights.
He doesn’t want to stop by; He wants to live inside you.
So the question isn’t, “Where is God?”
The question is, “Have I opened the door?”
Prayer Line:
Lord, today I open every door of my heart,
not just the clean rooms, but the cluttered ones too.
Come and dwell with me.
Don’t just visit, stay Lord.
Be my constant companion and my closest friend.
CLOSING – THE GOD WHO CAME FOR YOU
So often we picture faith as us climbing up to God
trying harder, doing better, reaching higher.
But that’s not the Gospel.
The Gospel is that when we couldn’t reach Him, He came for us.
When we were lost, He came searching.
When we were broken, He came healing.
When we were dead in sin, He came giving life.
This is love — not that we loved God,
but that He loved us first. (1 John 4:10)
And that’s why we can fall in love with Jesus
because He first fell in love with us.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- What does it mean to you that Jesus came close?
- Where do you tend to keep Him at a distance?
- What area of your life do you sense Him knocking on today?
- How can you invite His presence into your daily routine this week?
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You that You came close, closer than my shame, closer than my sin, closer than my fear.
Thank You that You are Emmanuel – God with us, and God with me.
I open every part of my life to You.
Live in me, walk with me, love through me.
In Your precious name I pray,
Amen.