The Gospel of Matthew tells us the traditional Christmas story. It is the beautiful one that we hear year after year. It is an incredible story and deserves to be told over and over. A little different approach to the Christmas story is also an old one and it too needs to be told over and over. It is found in the Prologue to John’s Gospel where John talks about God coming as a man. In this passage is contained some of the most incredible theology you will find in scriptures and it explains why God came to earth in the form of a man.
JOHN 1:1-18
VERSES 1-2.
1 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (aChrist), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God bHimself. [Isa. 9:6.]
2 He was present originally with God.
The Prologue to John’s Gospel is one of the high water passages of the Scriptures. In it we find some serious theology. First of all, is the coming of Jesus as a man. The pre-existent Christ was not a creation. God did not create the Word since the Word existed from the beginning. The Word was with but distinct from the Father. As part of the Holy Trinity, He has always existed. He was with God and He was God. Jesus was not a created man. He was God incarnate as we will see in verse 14. The Word is not some new or different being. It is another name for God. The Greek word for Word is logos from which we get words like logical or logic which means basic or foundational. He is the logic or meaning of creation and all that exists. God is the very meaning of life. This is a difficult word to translate because it is so expressive. The word logos means logic, logical, meaning, manifestation, expression, reason, and much more. English cannot really grasp this magnificent word.
We cannot comprehend the Trinity. God is one, yet there are three different manifestations of Him. I am one person yet I am a husband, father, and son all three. Just as God works in different ways in each of His roles, I work in different ways in my roles as father, son, and husband. I am the same person yet I have different roles and responsibilities.
Who is Jesus?
Who is Jesus to you?
VERSE 3
3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being.
Christ was the agent of creation. Without Him, nothing would have been created. Therefore it is to Him that we owe our very existence.
God had no beginning yet the world did. Genesis tells the story of how the world was created. God alone created the world, owns it, and controls it. The things of this earth will come to pass. Our destiny is determined by what we do with this light. Choose to follow the light and we will receive the gift of eternal life. Choose to ignore the light and the consequences will be eternal punishment.
Why is it not enough just to be a good person.
VERSES 4-5
4 In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.
5 And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].
Life emanates from Him. That life is the light of men which shines in the darkness and the darkness was not sufficient to overshadow this light. When we say that Jesus is the light of the world, we are saying that He came to show us the way to overcome the darkness. There is no need to walk in darkness when the path is so clearly lit. Men love darkness because their deeds are evil. They refuse the light because it exposes their evil deeds which they foolishly choose over the light of Jesus.
Sometimes your very presence sheds light on people that they may not like. You don’t have to do anything. If someone knows you are a Christian, they may treat you with hostility and you wonder why because you haven’t done anything to attack them in any way. If some of the light of Christ shines in you, it may shine on their evil deeds and they don’t like it so they attack you. They know that they are doing something wrong and your presence reminds them of God and Jesus. Since they can see you and not God, they attack you as if you have done something wrong. Never take such an attack personally but be pleased that they see enough of Christ in you to feel convicted.
Jesus said in John 10.10, “I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly”. His desire is not that we should have a difficult life but that we might have an abundant life. This doesn’t necessarily mean that we will have an easy life. Some people have been dealt some hard blows through no fault of their own. Still, you cannot wallow in self pity. With Christ we are able to be overcomers and find the abundant life. One of the strange paradoxes of the Christian faith is how we can have joy in the midst of struggles and trials.
In John 8.31-32 Jesus said something that is often misquoted because the quoting omits the first part. Over the door to libraries, you will often see the misquote, “the truth will set you free”. Jesus was NOT saying that knowledge will make us free. There are a lot of educated people who live in virtual shackles. Verse 32 is conditioned on verse 31. IF you continue in My word, THEN you will know the truth that will set you free. It is not the knowledge of His word that frees us. It is the obedience to His word that frees us.
An intellectual with a seminary degree and incredible knowledge of the Bible does not have one thing on a person who never even finished high school. It’s all based on obedience, not knowledge or activity. The person who is obedient will be serving God but it is not the service that saves Him. We are saved by our profession of Jesus as Lord and Savior and committing our lives to Him. That commitment is manifested by our lives.
People often take pride in their knowledge or enlightenment. I’m here to tell you that there will be some people in heaven with no more than a grade school education and some in hell with PHD’s. It’s not how much you know. It’s who you know and the who is Jesus Christ.
The first act of creation was creating light therefore light was the beginning of creation and the beginning of life. Life after the light will bear no resemblance to light in the darkness. Life will have meaning, purpose, and hope as never before and that is the very reason Jesus came. More than anything else, that is the Christmas story. He came that you might have the abundant life. Just as the creation of light dispelled the darkness on the face of the earth, Jesus’ coming dispels the darkness in our lives.
If Jesus is the light of the world, why do men still live in darkness?
Is Jesus the light of your world?
What do you do that proves that He is the light of your world?
VERSES 6-7
6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. [Mal. 3:1.]
7 This man came to witness, that he might testify of the Light, that all men might believe in it [adhere to it, trust it, and rely upon it] through him.
There was a man named John, a cousin of Jesus who was six months older than Jesus. He was an evangelist and foretold of the coming of Jesus. Even though Jesus was alive on earth at the time John was preaching, Jesus had not yet been revealed as the Messiah. John was a popular preacher and had a following yet he proclaimed that there was One coming whose shoelaces he was unworthy to tie. John’s purpose was to prepare the way of the coming of the Messiah.
Why did John the Baptist come?
VERSES 8-9
8 He was not the Light himself, but came that he might bear witness regarding the Light.
9 There it was—the true Light [was then] coming into the world [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] that illumines every person. [Isa. 49:6.]
John was not the light but was telling the world to get ready for the true light that was coming.
Just as John was only a messenger, we too are messengers sent to tell others about the eternal life and light that is found only in Jesus. There may be someone in your life who will never know who Jesus is unless you tell them. We are never to assume any position of greatness or superiority but we are merely sign posts pointing to Christ. I believe that the reason for the failure of some of the prominent preachers in recent years is that they thought they were so important that they could not fail God no matter what they did. We can all fail God but the Good News is that we can be forgiven and start over again.
What is it that is important to know about the light of Christ?
How does the light impact our lives?
VERSES 10-11
10 He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him].
11 He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own—His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him.
V10-11. Even though Christ had created the world, the world did not recognize Him. Not even His own people accepted Him.
Because the world does not readily recognize the light, we are responsible to help them to see it and follow it. God did not create you to stand in the darkness and attempt to point the way. You must step out of the darkness and call to those still in the darkness. Let them know that you have found the light and there is plenty for everyone. Some will not come to the light and you will not have to answer for their being in the dark IF you have told them where the light is.
People did not recognize Jesus as the Light because they were so bent on doing things their own way. We have the same situation today. An important question to ask is, “Do people see the Light of Jesus in my life?” Am I a help or hindrance in enabling others to see the light?
Many today choose to live in darkness because they do not know a better way. We can help them by sharing some of our light with them. If we keep all of our light to ourselves, it may be that we don’t have as much light as we think we do.
Why did Jesus own people not receive Him?
Why do people today not receive Him?
VERSES 12-13
12 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name—[Isa. 56:5.]
13 Who owe their birth neither to cbloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!]
To those who did receive Him, He gave the right to be the children of God. Those who did so were born of God and had the right to eternal life.
This light is available to anyone who chooses to accept it. It must be a decision you make on your own. You do not become a follower by virtue of your parents beliefs or any other relative. You have to make a decision of your own. It is a gift of God. You don’t even have to fully comprehend it. Step to the edge of the light and allow someone who is there to help you to see the light more clearly. After you have been in the light for a while, you should see more clearly. If not, then you need to seek some help so you can take full advantage of the light in your life.
Do you ever feel that you wander in and out of the darkness? If so, there is hope for you. You can find a place of permanent residence in the light if you surrender completely to Jesus. Only if you give Him top billing in your life can you reside permanently in the light.
What does it take to be assured of eternal life?
Who can have it?
VERSE 14
14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth. [Isa. 40:5.]
V14. In this verse lies the heart of the Christmas story. God became man and dwelt among us. Those who believed were able to see the glory of God through Him because He was God. He did not point us to God. He was God, full of grace and truth. God’s becoming human is a distinction of the Christian faith. As far as I know, no other religion claims that their God became a man in order to demonstrate His love.
John’s generation saw God’s glory in Jesus. Just as they saw the man Jesus physically, we see Him spiritually through our relationship to Him. No, they did not have the advantage over us because we today have the Holy Spirit to indwell our lives. We can experience the love, power, and grace of Jesus in our lives in a more powerful and living way than those who walked the earth with Him because He is a living God. When He walked the earth, there was only one of Him and people had to share Him. Today, He is a living, omnipresent God who is everywhere at once. That should stagger the imagination. He’s everywhere at once.
Why did God become man?
What did that do for us?
VERSES 15-16
15 John testified about Him and cried out, This was He of Whom I said, He Who comes after me has priority over me, for He was before me. [He takes rank above me, for He existed before I did. He has advanced before me, because He is my Chief.]
16 For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.
V15-16. John said that the One coming after Him had surpassed Him because He existed before Him even though John had been born six months before Jesus. We have received grace in abundance.
In the ancient world, people believed that those who lived earlier were greater than those who lived later. Since John the Baptist lived earlier than Jesus, they would have thought that he was more important than Jesus but John pointed out that Jesus existed before him yet He was much more important.
Why was there any question about who was more important?
Why did John consider Jesus more important than himself?
VERSES 17-18
17 For while the Law was given through Moses, grace (dunearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ. [Exod. 20:1.]
18 No man has ever seen God at any time; the only eunique Son, or fthe only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, He has declared Him [He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known]. [Prov. 8:30.]
Moses gave the law but grace and truth came through Jesus. With Moses, we could only be saved by the law and works. But with Christ, it is by grace that we are saved through faith. No one has ever seen God but God was revealed through the Son.
The gift of the Ten Commandments was a great gift to the world because it gave them guidelines for living in the right relationship with God and with others. But what God did in the giving of Jesus was incredibly superior to the law of Moses. What the law could not accomplish, Christ did through his life, death, and resurrection. Through Him we have salvation and life.
Moses only saw God’s back. No one has seen His face. Human eyes cannot comprehend God’s glory. Yet Jesus revealed God’s glory as clearly as we can see and understand. In Jesus life and death, we have the clearest demonstration of God’s love, care, and grace and His challenge to live more committed to His will.
What did Jesus give us that the law of Moses did not?
What did Jesus reveal?
Who is Jesus?
Who is Jesus to you?
Have you made Him the Lord and Savior of your life? That’s not the same thing as asking if you have joined the church and been baptized.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
THE COLORADO TRAGEDY
THE COLORADO TRAGEDY
Recently I have been studying Matthew and writing a journal as I proceed. Today, December 10th, 2007 I was reading 10.21-25. Coincidentally (perhaps not), the news today is about the shooting in the Colorado yesterday. Several Godly people were killed at a Youth With A Mission training center in Arvada and at New Life Church in Colorado Springs who had done no wrong to the gunman or anyone else.
Here’s what Jesus said, “ You will be hated by everyone because of My name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt 10. 22). A law enforcement official said that Matthew Murray hated Christians. He didn’t say why but perhaps the days to come will unfold some insight into this question. No matter how hard we try, we cannot make people love God or us. There will always be people who hate God because of their sin and the great separation they feel from Him. If the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, then the antithesis of this must be that those who feel the greatest separation from Him must have the deepest hurts. Matthew Murray was obviously a young man who hurt deeply because he hated God and His followers so much that he wanted to kill as many believers as he could.
Even though he grew up in a Christian home, was at one time a part of a youth missions group, and had a brother attending a Christian university, the love of God was not in control of his life. Maybe something will surface to give us some insight into what happened that triggered these tragic events
Jesus understood that these kinds of things would happen and gave us fair warning when he made these statements. He didn’t explain why or give us a defense plan to keep them from happening. He simply said they would happen. But why must innocent people be hurt? I don’t propose to have all of the answers and perhaps even the answer I have isn’t correct but here’s what I see. When people have sin in their lives and either don’t want to or can’t give up their sin, they feel guilty and sometimes hate God because they feel God is at fault. After all, if there were no sin, they wouldn’t have any guilt and could feel good about everything they do. Therefore it is a lot easier to hate God than to surrender to Him. God, in their opinion, is wrong to have commandments, the breach of which makes them feel guilty.
There are people like Matthew Murray who would assassinate God if they could get to Him. The next best thing for them is to kill some of His followers. A lot of the church’s opposition today would not go so far as to kill but they do want to wound or harm believers. That’s why so many want to eliminate God from everything possible. No more manger scenes in public places, a cross in a church that was to be used for a high school graduation was considered to be so offensive to one parent that he sued to try to get it remover or covered for the ceremony, “happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”, and on and on the list goes.
God’s laws and their lifestyle are in conflict so they hate Christians. It may not be popular to hate God or they may be afraid of Him, so they just hate His followers instead. This shouldn’t be surprising given Jesus’ words that the world will hate us because of Him. James 1.2 says, “Count it all joy when you meet various trials”. Christian joy is not found in the avoidance of all danger and conflict. It is found only in obedience to Him.
If we suffer because we are obedient to Him, He will reward us by laying aside treasures in heaven. If we avoid suffering and in doing so become disobedient, we will have to answer to that. God will also have appropriate retribution to those who harm His followers. We don’t need to try to take care of them. God can do a much better job.
have deep feelings for this church who suffered the loss of their founding pastor last year due to moral problems. Now they are having to suffer this senseless tragedy. This is a time to stand up straight and show the world what we are made of. We need to pray for all of the families of victims. Probably the ones who are hurting the most are the family of Matthew Murray who not only lost a son and brother but must feel great remorse for what Matthew did.
The lessons for us to learn are many. Some of them are (1) Show deep compassion and love to everyone not matter how they treat us. (2) Accept the fact that some people will hate us no matter what we do. Don’t take it personal but do be obedient to God and Christlike toward them. (3) Keep on keeping on no matter what. Don’t let anything keep you from being obedient to God.
Recently I have been studying Matthew and writing a journal as I proceed. Today, December 10th, 2007 I was reading 10.21-25. Coincidentally (perhaps not), the news today is about the shooting in the Colorado yesterday. Several Godly people were killed at a Youth With A Mission training center in Arvada and at New Life Church in Colorado Springs who had done no wrong to the gunman or anyone else.
Here’s what Jesus said, “ You will be hated by everyone because of My name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt 10. 22). A law enforcement official said that Matthew Murray hated Christians. He didn’t say why but perhaps the days to come will unfold some insight into this question. No matter how hard we try, we cannot make people love God or us. There will always be people who hate God because of their sin and the great separation they feel from Him. If the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, then the antithesis of this must be that those who feel the greatest separation from Him must have the deepest hurts. Matthew Murray was obviously a young man who hurt deeply because he hated God and His followers so much that he wanted to kill as many believers as he could.
Even though he grew up in a Christian home, was at one time a part of a youth missions group, and had a brother attending a Christian university, the love of God was not in control of his life. Maybe something will surface to give us some insight into what happened that triggered these tragic events
Jesus understood that these kinds of things would happen and gave us fair warning when he made these statements. He didn’t explain why or give us a defense plan to keep them from happening. He simply said they would happen. But why must innocent people be hurt? I don’t propose to have all of the answers and perhaps even the answer I have isn’t correct but here’s what I see. When people have sin in their lives and either don’t want to or can’t give up their sin, they feel guilty and sometimes hate God because they feel God is at fault. After all, if there were no sin, they wouldn’t have any guilt and could feel good about everything they do. Therefore it is a lot easier to hate God than to surrender to Him. God, in their opinion, is wrong to have commandments, the breach of which makes them feel guilty.
There are people like Matthew Murray who would assassinate God if they could get to Him. The next best thing for them is to kill some of His followers. A lot of the church’s opposition today would not go so far as to kill but they do want to wound or harm believers. That’s why so many want to eliminate God from everything possible. No more manger scenes in public places, a cross in a church that was to be used for a high school graduation was considered to be so offensive to one parent that he sued to try to get it remover or covered for the ceremony, “happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”, and on and on the list goes.
God’s laws and their lifestyle are in conflict so they hate Christians. It may not be popular to hate God or they may be afraid of Him, so they just hate His followers instead. This shouldn’t be surprising given Jesus’ words that the world will hate us because of Him. James 1.2 says, “Count it all joy when you meet various trials”. Christian joy is not found in the avoidance of all danger and conflict. It is found only in obedience to Him.
If we suffer because we are obedient to Him, He will reward us by laying aside treasures in heaven. If we avoid suffering and in doing so become disobedient, we will have to answer to that. God will also have appropriate retribution to those who harm His followers. We don’t need to try to take care of them. God can do a much better job.
have deep feelings for this church who suffered the loss of their founding pastor last year due to moral problems. Now they are having to suffer this senseless tragedy. This is a time to stand up straight and show the world what we are made of. We need to pray for all of the families of victims. Probably the ones who are hurting the most are the family of Matthew Murray who not only lost a son and brother but must feel great remorse for what Matthew did.
The lessons for us to learn are many. Some of them are (1) Show deep compassion and love to everyone not matter how they treat us. (2) Accept the fact that some people will hate us no matter what we do. Don’t take it personal but do be obedient to God and Christlike toward them. (3) Keep on keeping on no matter what. Don’t let anything keep you from being obedient to God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)