John 14:15-22 The Promise of the Holy Spirit

THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

In the Christmas season we have celebrated “Immanuel” or “God with us” in the birth of Jesus. That’s what Christmas is all about – rejoicing that God came into our world to live with us in the man, Jesus Christ. 

            But in the present tense, Jesus is no longer “with us” that we could go and find him and talk with him face-to-face. We cannot sit and eat with him. We cannot see his facial expressions and ask him his thoughts on matters that concern us. There are certain people in our lives that walk into a room give us a sense of relief. Jesus can’t do that for us. He’s not here; he’s not “with us.” We wish he was. 

            The disciples had followed Jesus for about three years. They had enjoyed his presence, eating with him, learning from him, knowing him, and loving him. Having Jesus in their lives was life changing. Jesus unpacked the mysteries of their world for them. He taught them about God. He showed them God. Jesus was the most important person in their lives. 

            Then one day, Jesus told them he had to go away and leave them. The disciples would not have the pleasure of his presence any longer. Fred Craddock captured the scene in a memorable image: He said the disciples were like children playing on the floor who happen to look up and see their parents putting on their coats and hats. They ask three questions:

Where are you going? 

Can we go?

Then who is going to stay with us? 

            Jesus had repeatedly told them that he was going to die at the hands of the Jews. They didn’t get it. They did get that he was leaving. And to this last question, Jesus promises them that another paraclete is going to come and be with them to assure them of his abiding presence. This is the promise of the Holy Spirit. Where Jesus was with them, the Spirit was going to be in them. 

He is given to those who love Jesus (John 14:15)

 

In John 14-17, Jesus gives a farewell speech to his disciples. It is here that we find this promise that Jesus will not leave the disciples without help once he’s gone. Jesus, in this sense, answers the question, “Who is going to stay with us?” They are then introduced to the person of the Holy Spirit and what he is going to do in them. 

            First, Jesus makes this remark: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments,” (15). I am amazed at how many preachers skip to the promise without considering this caveat. There is a direct link between this statement and the receiving of the Holy Spirit and it should not be ignored.

            Who is the Holy Spirit given to? Jesus tells his disciples that the Spirit will be given to those who love him. But Jesus qualifies what it means to love him by connecting that love with obeying his commandments. Loving Jesus means obeying Jesus. It’s not uncommon logic. If a patriot says he loves his country, he won’t go and break every law. If you love your spouse, you are not going to flirt with another. 

            Loving Jesus is expressed in a firm belief that what he taught is true and worth following in life. It is not so difficult a concept. John expanded on this idea in his first letter (see 1 John 5:1-3). Jesus taught that the whole law is summed up in the Great Commandment and its companion: Love the Lord your God and love one another. 

            Whose feet do we wash and whose feet do we ignore? What are the boundaries of love? Do we keep these commandments? Is our love growing, expanding, transforming the way we think and influencing our world? If yes, then Jesus is a present reality for us, and we are experiencing the indwelling Holy Spirit in our lives. 

            Keeping the commandments is our access to Jesus’ promise that we will not be left without help. Keeping the commandments does not make Jesus present to us. It makes us present to the already ongoing reality of Jesus’ presence. The commandments do not earn us Jesus’ love, they reveal our love for him, a love that finds its source from his presence in us. 

 

He is “Another Paraclete” (John 14:16)

 

 I know, I know, the word “paraclete” is rather foreign to our ears. Here’s what Jesus says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you,” (16). Depending on your translation, you may see the word “Helper,” “Comforter,” or “Friend.” These terms are inadequate to fully explain what the Holy Spirit does for us. That’s why I’m using the word “paraclete.” 

            What’s a paraclete? It’s a Greek term that is untranslatable and can only be described. It’s like “schmaunt faut.” It literally means, ‘one called alongside to help.’ In the ancient Greek world, a paraclete could help in different ways. This person…

·      May be called in to give witness in a law court in someone’s favor.

·      May be an advocate verifying your character when someone maligns your name.

·      May be an expert called in to give advice in a difficult situation.

·      May be called in when a company of soldiers lose morale and need someone to give them courage in heart and mind. 

Did you notice that Jesus says, “another advocate”? Jesus was telling the disciples that the Spirit’s presence would replace Jesus’ encouraging and strengthening presence with them while on earth. The Holy Spirit had accompanied Jesus throughout his ministry and now the Spirit will accompany the disciples in the same way. He has been “with them” in Christ, but now he will be “in them” as the Spirit of Christ. 

      We can’t miss this important piece: Everything that can be said about the Paraclete (the Holy Spirit) has been said in other parts of the Gospel narratives about Jesus. Both are sent by the Father; Jesus is the truth – the Spirit is the Spirit of Truth; Jesus is the Holy One of God – the Spirit is the Holy Spirit; Jesus bears witness – the Spirit is a witness.

      When Jesus tells the saddened disciples he is going away, he says, “Don’t worry. I am sending you another like me to come alongside you and help you. He will be all to you that I am now. He will even be in you.” 

 

He Opens our eyes to Reality (John 14:17a)

 

There are apparently 87 titles for the Holy Spirit in the Bible. We have looked at Paraclete and we will look at one more. Jesus gives us this title: Spirit of Truth. 

            Jesus said, “He is the Holy Spirit who leads into all truth,” (17a). I was surprised to discover that “truth” is another way of saying “reality.” How do we know what is true? How do we know what is real? What Jesus infers to us is that the Spirit reveals the truth about our world and the meaning of life as we are able to know it. 

            There are many illusions in life, things that we think are true, but which aren’t true at all, principles upon which we act expecting certain results and then disappoint. People are blinded by the philosophies of this age; they are obsessed with rights believing that if we all accept their way of living and thinking they will be happier. They clamber for freedom to express themselves and live how they want but insist that you not oppose their choice. They want to be free, but we are not free to follow Christ because that infringes on their freedom.

            In the midst of this confusing spirit of the age, Jesus has given his people the Spirit of Truth. He has come to help us understand life as it really is, to unmask the illusions, and to strip off falsehoods. He has come to remind us of God’s reality. 

            Jesus expanded on this role of the Spirit saying, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard…” (John 16:13-14). And I truly believe that while the Bible is the primary source of God’s truth, that the God who created the world through the agency of his Son, Jesus Christ, continues to reveal truth through science and technological discoveries (to name a few). In other words, God has given us a world to explore as a medium for knowing him better. The truth is out there, they say, and it can be known through the Advocate, the Holy Spirit.

 

He lives in you because you know Him (John 14:17b-c)

 

Jesus does not soft pedal about who has the Spirit and who doesn’t. He said that those who understand him and love him will take on his commands to love God and love each other. It makes sense then, doesn’t it, that those who have the Spirit are those who buck the trend of “me first” that the world teaches and love others at the cost of not being loved in return. That’s the “Jesus way.” 

So, Jesus said, “The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him because he lives with you now and later will be in you,” (17b-c). There are two remarkable features of this saying.

            First, the world cannot receive the Holy Spirit (in fact, doesn’t want him). The world, according to the NT, is the spirit of the world, those we call secularists or humanists – people who live life without a thought to what God wants or decrees as good. They look at life from a human point of view believing that humankind can solve its own problems, that the human spirit will triumph over anything. Education has been secularized by this view so that knowledge is the god that will save the earth.

            Second, Jesus says that you know the Holy Spirit. We know him because we know Jesus. The Spirit is not a stranger to us. You have known him all along in your Christian walk. You may not have recognized him, but you are familiar with him. This meant more to the disciples at that moment when Jesus said it. They were the ones with breaking hearts as Jesus said his farewells. But he said not to worry – you know me, you’ll know the Holy Spirit because of me. Jesus was with them; the Spirit will live in them. And because this is true for us as well, the Holy Spirit lives in you. Think of that, God dwells…in…you!

            You remember at the beginning of John 14, Jesus said he was going to the Father to prepare a place for the disciples. At the same time, the Holy Spirit (Paraclete) comes into your life to prepare a place for the Father and the Son. It is no mistake that both homes are revealed in the same chapter. Jesus, as Paraclete, makes a home in the presence of the Father for his people. The Holy Spirit, as Paraclete, makes a home for the Father and the Son in the believer. You as an individual, as well as all of us as the church, have become a dwelling place where God lives by his Spirit. The world can’t grasp this reality, but we do, and we see the effects of his presence in how we are being transformed into the image of Christ.

 

I have read a few comments on a site called “Quora” – a site where people can ask any question, and anyone can answer – and some have asked if Jesus was a myth created by the church. I find these threads disturbing. Part of my angst is wondering how to answer someone who says that Jesus was a concoction of the disciples’ imagination. 

What scholarly proofs do you bring to this debate? What historical evidences can you provide to refute the skeptics’ doubts? How do you prove Jesus? 

As I was considering this and praying over it, the Spirit no less spoke to my heart and said, “Changed lives.” Begin with the disciples who cowered in the shadows when Christ was killed and then faced death in the face when filled the Spirit to testify about Jesus. Then go to Paul, the persecutor of Christians who became a missionary for Jesus. And then follow the trail down through history of the thousands of people who were changed from degenerate and wicked men and women into selfless followers of Jesus. Think of those who cared not for reputation or popularity but flung them aside to dangerously live for Jesus. Think of your own life – what you once were and what the Spirit has done to change you from an infant of grace to a maturing lover of God and God’s people. 

The proof of the reality of Jesus Christ, historically, theologically, spiritually, and empirically rests in the evidence of changed lives. Through the Holy Spirit, you have come to believe in Christ and through the Holy Spirit who now lives in you, you are being changed from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18). As Paul said, this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 

Immanuel, “God with us,” is now “God in us.” Jesus did not leave us alone but has given us the Holy Spirit to empower us to live the “Jesus way.” 

 

                                                            AMEN

 

It's a Wonderful Life: Celebrate it!!

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: 

CELEBRATE IT

December 24, 2023

 

How should we celebrate Christmas? Even in Charles Spurgeon’s day, the 19^th century, Christmas was marked with company parties, gifts, carols, eggnog, large family meals, decorated trees and gatherings. These are good things in and of themselves and we are free to enjoy them. 

            The idea of celebrating the coming of Christ into our world is a good one. Some might complain about the commercialization of Christmas and the materialism that accompanies it. People tend to drink too much during this holiday season prompting Operation Red Nose and police checks. But despite these aberrations, Christians should celebrate Christmas. The question is: How?

            How we celebrate depends on how we understand Christmas. For George Bailey, in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, Christmas coincided with his renewed appreciation of the life God had given him. 

            After George had wished he had never been born, the angel Clarence showed him what his world would look like without him in it. Slowly George began to understand how blessed his life really was and he wanted it back.

            

 

 

This joyful exultation is in keeping with the joy of Advent. The Christ of God has been born, entering our world as a baby in a manger. There is an interesting parallel of sorts between this old movie and the even older story of the Nativity.

            Luke 2:17-20 describes four responses of those who first heard the news that Christ had been born. Each is a different response that together tells us how to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. 

 

1. Proclaim it

 

A baby has been born. What do you do? You tell people about it. You proclaim it. 

            How many of us fathers went to the phone when our babies were born? We went with joy to tell our families and friends that our child was born. Did anyone say to you, “Big deal”? Or, “That’s fine for you, but I choose not to believe it”? No, everyone rejoiced with you. Very few people would reject your good news that a baby has been born. That’s why Christmas is relatively easy to accept.

            Now it was to shepherds that the birth announcement was given. Shepherds were out in their fields at night tending the flock. Shepherds were the least likely witnesses in all of Judea. They were considered vagabonds and shifty. If a court case required a witness, no one called on a shepherd. They were uneducated, illiterate, and inconsequential. 

            Yet to these “vagrants” angels appeared and gave a message of cosmic significance. “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger,” (Lk 2:10-12).

            How did they respond? They said, “Let’s go see…” Likely other babies were being born at that time (see Mt 2:16). But they had a clue: the baby will be in a barn or stable, lying in a manger. And they found him! 

            Something about this encounter with the infant Christ so impacted the men that they felt compelled to tell everyone they met. “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about his child,” (2:17).

            The shepherds needed no authority, no permission, and no special training to share what they had seen and heard. Spurgeon wrote, “I imagine if I saw a fire, and heard a poor woman scream at an upper window, and likely to be burned alive, if I should wheel the fire escape up to the window, and preserve her life, it would not be so very dreadful a matter though I might not belong to the regular Fire Brigade.” Do you need authority to proclaim that Christ is born? Spurgeon exhorted his congregation that anyone who hears the gospel and has drunk from the water of life is authorized to tell others about it. The shepherds very naturally shared what they had seen. You need not be a preacher to share this good news. In fact, it may be better that you are not. 

            Good news is for sharing. Proclaim it.

 

2. Wonder at it

 

“And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them,” (2:18). 

            It is safe to say that the people were amazed in a low-level sense that the shepherds actually had something to share. We might be amazed in the same sense if the Winnipeg Jets made it to the playoffs this spring. That is not the kind of amazement that we speak of here.

            Rather, we should think of “Holy Wonder” and a sense of awe that God would come near to us in such a manner. Many devout people who loved God yearned for God to come and rescue them from darkness and bondage. To think that God would come near as an infant was beyond their imagination. 

            Here we have “Immanuel” – “God with us.” Not just “God for us” or “God in heaven” – we have “God with us.” 

            As George Bailey wondered at the impact of his life on his family and community, we wonder in holy wonder that the life of God should be wrapped in flesh to become a man. Christmas is a time for Holy Wonder that the King of kings was born in a stable. What sort of king comes into the world like this?

            We ought to be amazed at Christmastime. If we go through this Christmas season without pausing to wonder at the Nativity, then we have missed the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place. 

 

3. Ponder over it

 

Mary, the mother of Jesus, enters upon this scene of response with her own reaction to the birth of God’s Son. “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart,” (2:19).

            The word “treasured” carries the idea of counting things up, like making a list so that you won’t forget anything. When you have been through a remarkable day and you don’t want to forget any part of it, you count the moments.

            And the word “pondered” goes deeper than “wondering.” It means to take the events as you have laid them out in your memory and then go beneath the surface to try to understand what it all means and why it happened the way it did. 

            Mary, exhausted from giving birth, almost asleep, but recounting her visit to her relative Elizabeth, must have ruminated over the birth of John. Then the visit from Gabriel telling her that she would bear God’s Son; she must have pondered how God could have chosen her. 

            We are called to ponder, like Mary, the wonder of Immanuel. Some celebrities are best known from afar; not Jesus though, we are to get as close to him as possible. He is to be studied, adored and considered, loved and imitated. Mary held him in her arms; we hold him in our hearts. 

            Mary pondered over what God was doing in her life. I believe we are to ponder, like Mary, what God is doing in our lives. This is the time of the year for reflection, to look back and count the moments where God has shown himself to us. It is a time to ask God to reveal to us where we did not notice his work of salvation and redemption in our lives. And it is a time to look ahead to what God will yet do and ponder that as well.

 

4. Glorify God for it

 

The final verse tells us that the shepherds were profoundly changed by what they saw and heard. “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told,” (2:20).

            On the day before Christ was born, they were in the fields tending their sheep. Having seen the Christ-child they rushed off to the temple to worship God, right? No, the day after Christ was born, they went back to their sheep in the fields. Only now their hearts were filled with praise and glory to God.

            James Montgomery Boice said that the word “glorify” come from “glory,” which originally meant “to have an opinion,” and ultimately to estimate the true worth of something. You “glorify” anything when you recognize its true value. To say that the shepherds “glorified” God means that when they saw Jesus in the manger and beheld the awesome revelation of God’s incarnation, they were overwhelmed with his power and grace, his loving-kindness and his wisdom. They just could not stop talking about what they had seen and heard.

            What is amazing and truly transforming is where they glorified God. No, they did not go to the temple to worship God; they went back to where they came from. They went back to the tedious, thankless, monotonous job of looking after sheep. But now everything was different. Joy filled their hearts so that the mundane radiated with new light.

            George Bailey returned to the same life he had left but came back with a new attitude. Consider that when his life was returned to him, he was filled with a new spirit that changed his view of things:

            He was excited that his lip was bleeding…

            He found the dead petals of his daughter’s flower…

            His car was crashed into the tree (a symbol of his old life returning)…

            He ran through Bedford Falls proclaiming Christmas, a town that had been his prison, which refused to release him – now he rejoiced in it…

            He blessed the Building and Loan, the chain that kept him from leaving Bedford Falls…

            He wished his enemy a Merry Christmas, startling old Mr. Potter…

            When the bank examiner was at his home looking for the missing 8000 dollars, he exulted in it, “Isn’t it wonderful?” he said…

            The sheriff was there to arrest him and that was wonderful too…

            The old drafty house, a symbol of his poverty and failure, now appeared to him as an oasis…

            Christmas changed everything for George. He returned to the same problems and issues that were there before, but now he realized what was before him. That is, I think, how the shepherds felt as they returned to their fields. 

            As we wonder and ponder that Jesus was born in Bethlehem – Glory to God – we too, return to our routines, to our jobs, our fields, our work, our homes - following our Christmas festivities. What we want to do though, is return with a glow in our hearts having revisited the incarnation of Christ, having beheld the manger scene in our hearts. Our Savior has been born to us. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Merry Christmas!

            And that is what we mean when we say “Merry Christmas!” It is a celebration that God came near. When Christians say it, we proclaim that Christ is born to humankind. So proclaim it in the stores and on the streets and in your homes. This simple proclamation is a testimony to the world that Jesus is the Savior born to set the people free from sin. Merry Christmas!

            Proclaim it!

            Wonder at it!

            Ponder over it!

            Glorify God for it!

 

 

                                                MERRY CHRISTMAS!

"It's A Wonderful Life" - Find Your Hope

“IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE”: FIND YOUR HOPE

 

“It’s a Wonderful Life” has been a holiday staple for as long as I can remember. It is consistently ranked in the top 100 movies of all time and is one of the most popular Christmas movies, even though it is not even about Christmas. 

            If by chance you have never seen this movie I will give you a brief synopsis before playing you a clip:

            George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, is a good man who through various circumstances is called upon to put the needs of others before his own needs. Bailey dreams of traveling the world and building things but when his father dies he reluctantly remains in Bedford Falls to run the family business, a building and loan company. Through a mishap, George’s Uncle Billy loses $8000 of company money just before the bank examiner arrives to audit the books. The competition, Henry Potter, is a wealthy and ruthless banker who takes advantage of this situation to have George thrown in jail and charged with fraud so he can close down the little business.

            George feels at this point that he has let everyone down and he decides that he is worth more to his family dead than alive and decides to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. But all over town people are praying for George and God sends an angel to intervene. 

            The theology concerning angels is not great but the story is a good one.

            

            <Play Clip: George at the Bridge>

 

After George utters those fateful words about never being born, the angel Clarence grants his wish. He goes on to show George how different his world would have been without him in it. George’s wife Mary would have become a lonely spinster; Bedford Falls becomes Pottersville; Mr. Gowler, the druggist accidently poisons a child because George wasn’t there to stop him, and so on. You get the idea.

            It’s a romantic and unrealistic feel-good movie with a bit of truth in it. Overall it begs the question, what would the world be like if a certain individual had never been born?

            

            What if Jesus Christ had never been born?

 

The prophet Isaiah spoke of the birth of Christ in rather humble details. He wrote, “A shoot will come up from the stumpof Jesse…” (11:1). What we ought to see in our mind’s eye is a once majestic tree with its mighty trunk soaring into the sky, its branches spreading like a canopy over the earth, and its leaves so plentiful and fruitful. Picture then that this tree caught a disease that rendered it sickly so that it withered and died. It had to be cut down to the root, to a mere stump. 

            This was the royal tree of Israel from which kings emerged. But because of sin, spiritual adultery and idolatry, the kings of Israel were cut off and not allowed to rule anymore.

            Isaiah, however, held out hope and preached that One would come from humble circumstances, from the remains of the tree, from the stump. This One would rule with authority and with justice and with power. This One would be the perfect king.

In 1926, Dr. James Allan Francis wrote a piece of prose called One Solitary Life. In it he describes poignantly the impact of Jesus on our world.

One Solitary Life

Nearly two thousand years ago in an obscure village, a child was born of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village where He worked as a carpenter until He was thirty. Then for three years He became an itinerant preacher.

This man never went to college or seminary. He never wrote a book. He never held a public office. He never had a family nor owned a home. He never put His foot inside a big city nor traveled even 200 miles from His birthplace. And though He never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness, throngs of people followed Him. He had no credentials but Himself.

While He was still young, the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His followers ran away. He was turned over to His enemies and sentenced to death on a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – the simple coat He had worn. His body was laid in a borrowed grave provided by a compassionate friend.

But three days later this Man arose from the dead – living proof that He was, as He had claimed, the Savior whom God had sent, the Incarnate Son of God.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today the risen Lord Jesus Christ is the central figure of the human race. On our calendars His birth divides history into two eras. One day of every week is set aside in remembrance of Him. And our two most important holidays celebrate His birth and resurrection. On church steeples around the world, His cross has become the symbol of victory over sin and death.

This one Man’s life has furnished the theme for more songs, books, poems and paintings than any other person or event in history. Thousands of colleges, hospitals, orphanages and other institutions have been founded in honor of this One who gave His life for us.

All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the governments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned have not changed the course of history as much as this One Solitary Life.        

            Consider the impact of this one life on our world in its various aspects:

 

TIME – What year is it? 2023. Or as it was once officially titled, A.D. 2023. A.D. is short for the Latin, Anno Domini, or “the year of our Lord.” History is divided into two portions, B.C. or “Before Christ,” and A.D. Today’s historians have tried to de-spiritualize these designations, calling them B.C.E. (Before the Common Era) and C.E. (the Common Era). But what is the dividing point? The birth of Christ! His life is still pivotal even if historians and scientists don’t want to admit it.

 

LIFE - The way we view life itself has changed dramatically because of Christ. From ancient times virtues like courage and wisdom were honored as worthy of our pursuit, but not humility. If you were on top you boasted about it and were proud to be a leader. Domination was the goal. Plutarch wrote a self-help book that might appeal to some today: How to Praise Yourself Inoffensively. 

            Jesus turned all of this on its head and presented us with his foot-washing servanthood. He taught that kings will lord it over others, but not the followers of Christ – they are to be servants of all. One historian wrote that it was unlikely that any of us would aspire to humility were it not for the historical impact of the crucifixion. 

            From this humility and servanthood came a desire to care for the sick. Because of Christ we have hospitals with Christian names: Grace, St. Boniface and so on. 

 

PEOPLE – Jesus changed the way we view people. Children in the ancient world were routinely left to die of exposure if they were the wrong gender. Jesus loved children and called them to himself. A Norwegian scholar named Bakke wrote a study of this impact, simply titled: When Children Became People: The Birth of Childhood in Early Christianity. 

            Jesus also saw women as people, not as objects to be worshiped or property to be owned. There were 100 women to 140 men in the ancient world. He restored dignity to women by raising them up to a place of personhood. The longest personal conversation we have on record of Jesus having is with a woman – the woman at the well (John 4). 

 

Now if Jesus had never been born, TIME, LIFE, and PEOPLE would never have been impacted so positively. We don’t have time to explore the countless ways that a child born to a peasant woman in a backwater town changed the world. But he did! He was born of a virgin one special night and brought light to the world. 

            George Bailey is a fictitious character whose story was glamorized with a Hollywood ending. Jesus is the Son of God and of course he is going to leave an impact on the world. 

But what about you? Would the world be any different if you had never been born? Do you impact anyone in a significant way that your absence would be missed?

            Many people wonder about this at Christmas time for some reason. Maybe that’s why George Bailey’s story is so attractive to us. But we know that our life is not a Hollywood story that ends up all well and good. 

            What if you had never been born? I want to assure you this morning that you have no idea the impact you have in the life of others or in the chain of history. You are worth far more to others and to God than you know. Your life might not be “Hollywood” but it matters to God. He knows you and appointed you to be who you are, where you are, for reasons known only to God’s special purposes for his own glory.

            Consider the story of a young woman born to the “wrong” family and of the “wrong” race. She marries a man who dies tragically young. Being a conscientious woman she cares for her mother-in-law even though she doesn’t have any obligation to do so. She meets another man of the “right” family, pledges her love to him, and marries him. This woman never knew in her lifetime that she was to be the great-grandmother of King David. She never knew in her lifetime that one day her progeny, her descendent would be the Savior of the world. Ruth played a huge part in a drama and didn’t even know what impact her life and faithfulness would play.

            You have no idea what impact you will have on the present or the future. But in Christ it will be glorious, because in Christ we have hope that our lives are part of something much bigger than ourselves. 

            No one remembers the name of the Sunday School teacher who led Dwight L. Moody to the Lord. Moody’s evangelism led Billy Sunday to the Lord; Sunday’s preaching led to Billy Graham’s conversion; Graham touched countless people including myself. What a legacy for that unknown teacher.

 

            The Apostle Paul quoted Isaiah 11:10 in his letter to the Romans, but it sounds a little different (must have been a newer translation). He wrote, “And again, Isaiah says, ‘The root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in Him.’ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit,” (Rom 15:12-13). 

            We have hope because Christ was born, hope that our lives are not some meaningless waste of time and space in the spectrum of history. Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But we hope for what we do not yet have and we wait for it patiently. In this hope we were saved through Christ.

 

                                                AMEN

 

 

The Incarnation

THE INCARNATION

 

John 1:1-14

 

One word kept popping into my thoughts as I thought about the core truth of Christmas: Incarnation. 

            How do you explain the incarnation? Yes, God became a man. But really, is that adequate? I have tried to articulate the wonder and the miracle of God coming near and find that words fail to express the reality of it. I have spoken of this mystery to congregations before expecting a reaction and instead a response of silence. Perhaps that’s “awe.” Or perhaps we just don’t know what to do with “God become flesh.” 

            That’s probably to be expected. Leon Morris wrote on this text saying that two things stand out. “The one is the astonishing fact that the Word of God, true God as He is, yet took upon Him man’s nature. The other is the even more astonishing fact that when He did so men would have nothing to do with Him,” (John, NICNT, 93). John tells us two things in this text that he doesn’t want us to miss: the good news of the incarnation of Christ and the tragedy of man’s rejection of God.

            If we could have done an autopsy of Jesus when he died, we would find that he was flesh and blood. But take the blood, that’s the real mystery. Or specifically his DNA. Would we find that he had the X chromosome from his mother, but not the Y chromosome from his father? The child was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary. Would modern science have detected anomalies in the biological makeup of Jesus?

            John was not concerned with the science. He wrote about the Word who was God saying, “He came into the world he created…” reflecting on v. 3 where it says God created everything through him. God entered creation; from the realm of the eternal, the Creator became a finite creature. 

            “…but the world didn’t recognize him,” (10b). John said this another way: the light of life came into the world, but darkness could not overcome it (comprehend it; extinguish it). The Creator of our vast world was unrecognizable to the created beings. 

It gets worse: He came to the people he chose to be his own special community and THEY didn’t recognize him. No, they REJECTED him. 

            It’s a sad commentary on the sinfulness of humanity that we should act in hostility to a loving God who comes to live with us. We killed the One who came to explain God in his very self. 

            Thanks be to God! It doesn’t end there. “But to all who believed him and accepted him (not everyone said “no” to Jesus) he gave the right to become children of God (they receive the full authority to become, not to be, but to becometransformed). They are reborn…” (not by their efforts or power, but by God’s will and power). They “become” impacts us with the reality that we cannot simply choose to be God’s children, but that God transforms us. 

            This is the message of Christmas that speaks loudest to the believer: “So the Word became human and made his home among us…”

 

            This is Incarnation. God is speaking to us today through his Son, Jesus Christ. In this Christmas season he invites you to behold, not just a babe in a manger, but a King of kings, the Creator in creature’s clothes.