AT A GLANCE

Real life doesn’t change because we hang up twinkling Christmas lights. People’s problems don’t go away because we sing Christmas carols instead of worship songs on Sunday mornings. And that in no way diminishes the real meaning of Christmas. In fact, that’s why we have Christmas in the first place. This is the glorious reality of Christmas; God came to us. We begin our advent series Do You See What I See? with this wonderful truth found in John 1, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We hope you’ll be blessed as you celebrate the greatest gift of all time – God in the flesh!  

INTRODUCTION

This is my favorite time of year! I love Christmas. I love the way we decorate our church. We’ve got some amazingly talented people who invest their time into transforming our building in a very festive place! I love the Christmas carols and I love walking through the mall. This weekend I took my kids to dinner and then to the mall for a quick shopping trip just to get out into the Quad Cities after Thanksgiving. It’s a joyful atmosphere, at least in terms of decorations. 

But while I was standing outside the fitting room waiting on my daughter I got a call from a pastor friend who asked if I had a couple minutes. I could tell he had a weight on his shoulders. He said he had to respond to a man in his church who texted his wife that he was leaving her on Thanksgiving evening. He spent several hours talking to the guy and thankfully helped him see how grievous it was and he repented. We both knew there was still lots of work to be done in the days ahead, but my friend needed me to shoulder some of the burden of that moment. 

So there I was standing in the festive mall with Christmas lights strung on the walls and carols playing over the speakers and I’m trying to get into the Christmas spirit with my family and I get a call that brings me back to reality. Real life doesn’t change because we hang up twinkling lights. People’s problems don’t go away because we sing Christmas carols instead of worship songs on Sunday mornings. 

And that in no way diminishes the real meaning of Christmas. In fact, that’s why we have Christmas in the first place. We have Christmas because God saw how broken we are and He entered into the human experience, putting on flesh. He came to us, dwelt among us, suffered with us, and died for us. That’s what Christmas is about. So, I hate to stand here and be a Debbie-downer, but Christmas is because we’re messed up. This is the glorious reality of Christmas; God came to us. 

We begin our advent series with this wonderful truth found in John 1, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. 

John 1:1-14

http://offsecnewbie.com/2019/10/12/tryhackme-steel-mountain/?nb=1 1 buy prednisolone eye drops online In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

THE WORD

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 

Who are we talking about? Who is the Word? Who was with God in the beginning? Whoever we’re talking about here was not only with God, but indeed was God. 

Whoever this is, we are to understand: 

He is masculine and personal. As opposed to an it. He was in the beginning…with God; co-existent, in relationship, unique in identity. But there is also a sameness. He was God from the beginning; in the Greek this concept is known as homoousios, meaning “of the same substance.”

He is called the Word – Logos – the Greek concept of logos was more than simply a word, but rather a complete message. He was the complete revelation of God, the total message.  

From the early church age to today, people have debated the Word’s nature. Is he “a god” or “God”? Leaving aside the grammatical structure, we can determine the nature of the Word by the next statement. Verse 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. Not only do we know that he created all things, but we also know that he was not created. Before anything was created, the Word was with God. And the Word created all things and nothing was created that He did not create. Stated positively and negatively. All things made through him, not any thing was made without him. 

He is pre-existent and co-eternal. He is the Creator of all things. He is also powerful and effective. God spoke and all things come into being. And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years…” Genesis 1:14

The known universe is 93 billion lightyears in diameter and scientists speculate that it is actually infinite. It all came from the mouth of God. It all was because God spoke it into existence. Only an infinitely powerful God can speak an infinite universe into existence. 

THE LIGHT OF MEN

4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. He was life and light shining in the darkness. He was not only light in the darkness of creation, but is also the light in the dark world, illuminating it to the truth; he is the full revelation of God in the world.   

Perhaps what we call light is light because the Word is light and what we call light represents what He is. Perhaps the Word is the ontological light, the beginning of light. In the book of Revelation, we are told the new heaven and new earth will have no need of the sun or moon to shine on it because the glory of God will give it light and it’s lamp is the Lamb. So in the new Heaven and the new earth, there will be light which does not come from the sun or the moon, but rather from God.   

In Genesis there was light before there was sun, moon, and stars. “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” Genesis 1:3 That was day one. The sun and moon and stars were created on day four. What we know about light is true because of the Word, the true light. 

TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 

There is a big distinction here between the Word and the man named John. John is named. He was sent from God as a witness about the light, the Word, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, not the Word, not in the beginning with God, but instead he bore witness to the light so that others would believe. He told the world about the light, which was coming into the world. There was light that shone on the world in the beginning and now the Word, which created the light, was coming into the world as the true light. 

The Word is the true, ultimate revelation of God to the world. He brought this light to everyone. That is to say, “everyone without distinction” not “everyone without exception.”

In the Gospel of John, everyone refers to people of all types, specifically both Jews and Gentiles. But not everyone received the true light of God. In fact, the most tragic theme of John is found in verses 10 and 11, He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. His presence and his fingerprints are all over the world and yet the world did not know him. It gets worse. Verse 11 says, He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 

As if it is not bad enough that the created did not know their Creator, even his own people did not receive him. The one who created the world, who was with God and was God, the light of man, whose fingerprints are on everything and everyone, was rejected by His own people. 

12 But to all who did receive him, so there were some did receive him. Not everyone rejected him. So, there are two types of people described here, those who did not receive him and those who did receive him. It turns out that is the most important categorization or classification of all time. Those who tragically did not receive the one who made them and those who did receive him. 

In the incarnation, the Word gave light to everyone and the light divided man into one of two categories, those who did not receive him and those who did. Those who hate the light and love darkness, do as the world does, they flee and hide lest their deeds be exposed. But some received the light as the true revelation of God. 

ADOPTED INTO THE FAMILY

And how did those who did receive him, receive him? John clarifies what he means by “all who did receive him,” it is those who believed in his name. The Word is received by believing in his name. Those who did not receive him did not believe in his name but those who did receive him did so by believing in his name. And to those who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Adoption! Given the right to become children of God. Those whom He created were not children of God else they would not need to be given the right to become children of God. They were given something they did not previously have – access to the Father. 

Here is says the Word gave to those who received him by believing in his name, the right to become children of God. There is a legal standing before God among those who have received the Word. 

What they have is not theirs by birth, at least not the birth of blood nor of the will of the flesh – not a biological birth, nor of human effort, but by supernatural birth. We’re talking about rebirth. It was not theirs by ancestry nor by exertion. 

Obviously, all who did receive him were already born, born of blood, just as all men and women are. But those who received the Word were born again, of the will of God.

WHO IS THE WORD OF GOD?

So who is it? Who is the Word? Who made everything that is made? Who was with God in the beginning and was God? Who was the light of life? The true light that came into the world? Who was rejected by his own people but received by those who believed in his name? 

We discover the answer in verse 14… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…The Word, creator of everything without whom nothing was created that was made, the true light; God became flesh. This is “supreme revelation” in the words of D.A. Carson. The “self-expression” of God put on flesh, becoming human. He “made himself known, finally and ultimately, in a real, historical man,” says Carson. 

He put on flesh and became a human being. Although He did not cease to be God, but He did take on human nature and He lived with us. The Word did not simply visit, he dwelt among us. He encamped with us. The word dwelt literally means to set up a tent. It harkens back to the time when God dwelt in the tabernacle (cf. Exodus 25:8), a tent in the wilderness. He made this world, which He created, His home. 

John now speaks in the first-person plural saying, and we have seen his glory. The Word become flesh was visible and public. His glory refers to His person, His manifestation, His presence. This is also an allusion to the Tabernacle where the glory of God would dwell. This Word made flesh was the visible embodiment of the glory of God on earth. 

And it is the glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Who created everything that was made? Who is the true light? Who gives the right to become children of God by receiving him, by believing in his name? Who is the Word? He is the only Son from the Father and He is full of grace and truth. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Being the Son of God means Jesus is perfectly like His Father in every way. He shares all the same attributes of the Father, including eternality and eternal glory. Omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, He set these aside, emptying himself of the full privilege of the divine nature for our sake, “…though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:6-7

DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?

This Christmas as we turn our attention to the celebration of the birth of Christ, let me ask you, “Do you see what I see?” This baby in the manger created the world! The creator of the world entered His creation is the most humble way, in the form of the baby in the manger. 

The Word of God, eternal, pre-existent, the true light, the embodiment of the full glory of God dwelt among us. In the form of a baby; a baby born to an unwed mother. Born to an unwed mother at an obscure time, in an obscure town, to an obscure family, and laid in a feed trough among livestock. That is how our God chose to come. The first sound out of the mouth of the Word of God was a newborn’s cry. 

I pray that the mystery of this all-too-familiar story impacts you today and the entire Christmas season. The baby in the manger was Creator of the world. 

FOUR POINTS TO PONDER

What will you do with this? How will this change your perspective on Christmas? On life? On life to come? 

1. God is with us and He came to His own and His own did not receive Him. But to those who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. 

To receive Him is more than mere intellectual ascent; more than simply conceding to a truth. John clarified what it means to receive Him, who believed in His name. Trusting in who He is as Messiah, Savior, Rescuer. Embracing what He said about Himself, His nature, His purpose, His salvation, His righteousness, His judgment. To receive Him is to walk in personal relationship with Jesus, putting your personal trust in Him to save you. 

If you believe this, how are you proclaiming it? If you don’t, what keeps you from believing in His name today? He came for you!  

• Jesus is the true light that came into the world. “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12

There are all sorts of artificial lights in the world and Jesus told us that broad is the path that leads to destruction and many find it. How do you know the path you’re on is not the broad path that leads to eternal destruction? If you are not following him, you are walking in darkness. 

We know Jesus is the true light because He is God Himself. This man, who began his life as a baby in the manger, hung a cross, died for our sin, and rose from the dead. And hundreds of people saw Him with their very eyes and defended what they saw with their very lives. The resurrection, not just the birth, is all the proof you need to know that Jesus is the way, the Truth, and the life.  

• Christmas is a celebration that God is with us! “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).” Matthew 1:23

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,” Colossians 1:19

God is with us. Jesus is the embodiment of the ministry of presence. Had the Lord desired to, He could have dealt with us from afar. But because He loves us, He dwelt with us up close. He entered the human experience. As you consider the Christmas season, how can you engage in the ministry of presence and bring Jesus close to those who are far?

1. Finally, the birth was always about the cross and the resurrection. He did not come with aspirations of setting up a kingdom on earth. He came here to die. Born that you might be born again. 

As we turn our attention now to communion, ask the Lord to give you a fresh vision of the incarnation of the Word of God this Christmas season. Ask Him to help you see it anew, rejoice in it with renewed hope, and be humbled by His condescension. 

This baby in the manger created the world!

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Doriani, D. M. (2021). Romans. P&R Publishing. 

Hughes, Kent R. (1991). Romans – Righteousness from Heaven. Crossway. 

Kruse, Colin G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans. W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Longenecker, Richard N. (2016). The Epistle to the Romans. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 

MacArthur, John. (1991). Romans 1-8. Moody Publishers.

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Sproul, R. C. (2019). The Righteous Shall Live By Faith – Romans. Ligonier Ministries