The Emmanuel Effect
John 1:14
Into: I had a young man in our church this week asked me "Pastor Will are you able remember all the way back to when you were a little boy? I said, well on good days I am still able? That young man then looked back at me and asked "Can you remember what your favorite Christmas present was when you were a kid? You know, it didn't take but a second for me to remember that my favorite present was a little AM & FM radio that my parents got for me. I can remember laying in bed late at night listening quietly to it. I could pick up stations from Indianapolis, Louisville, Columbus, and of course Cincinnati.
As I think back I am extremely thankful for the gifts my parents provided when I was a child. I am not sure that as a 8 year old boy I was able to understand what my parents went through to get gifts for 5 children. Of course, it wasn't until I grew older that I began to understand the economic difficulties that my parents faced. As I think about it today, think about the sacrifices that my parents made it certainly causes me to understand just how much they loved me and even my siblings.
And when you stop and think about it, the same thing happens when you stop and think about the Christmas story. The meaning of Christmas is inexhaustible. It is filled with life changing truth. If you and I don't understand the history behind the story, the sacrifice that Jesus chose to make, we will never truly grasp the significance of Christmas and the depth of God's love for us.
When we think about the Christmas story we probably reflect more on the story as told by Matthew and Luke. They give us great historical detail, telling us about the shepherds, the angels, Mary and Joseph, the wise men and Bethlehem. Certainly we appreciate these two accounts. The details they provide help us to form a great mental picture as we think about the birth of Christ.
But today, I would like for us to take a look at a behind the scenes passage of scripture. It is the Christmas story, a very unique Christmas story. This passage doesn't talk about Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary, or even the Inn. Yet this is legit. It is the story that couldn't be seen if you were sitting on the hillside listening to the glorious proclamations of the angels.
This part of the story is both rich and unique to all the New Testament. It is profound and powerful. It is the reality of Christmas not as seen historically, but as seen theologically. You see, Matthew and Luke begin by telling us the facts about Christmas and John, well...John begins by telling us the meaning of Christmas.
So what is the history and background? And why is knowing, the history and background so important to us today. If you would, turn with me to John 1:14 and let's take a few minutes today and develop a great appreciation for what God has done for us.
John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
The Identity of The Word
John starts with "And the Word" and that leaves us thinking, "Who is the Word?" Jesus is the Word. To understand this we have to back up to John 1:1, which says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." It makes sense that the beginning in which John speaks of is the beginning of Genesis 1:1. After all, that is the only beginning we know of in scripture.
The question I have always asked when reading this text is "Why didn't John just say Jesus instead of calling Him "The Word." We have to remember that John is writing to both Jew and Gentile and in both groups the concept of the Word is significant.
To the Jew, anytime that God revealed Himself in the O.T., He said "The Word of the Lord." This is significant because they counted "The Word of the Lord" as the chief revelation from God. This was The Way that God communicated with His people. God's Word is what embodied His Will, His design and His power.
To the Greeks, "logos" which means Word was an impersonal force, a power that brought all things into existence, and that which sustains all things that exists. And this power in which they believed emanated from God, whoever that God was.
So John uses Word instead of Jesus in order to build a bridge to both groups. It does make sense.
The Vulnerability of the Word
So what happened to the Word? The answer to this question helps us to better understand the background behind Christmas. The Bible says that, "The Word became flesh." In other words, Jesus became human. In mans eyes the Word became vulnerable, the Word became killable. I believe this is one of the reasons why the Christmas story is so different from any other world religion. In the Christmas story the Creator of the World enters into His creation and becomes vulnerable.
Kitty Genovese, is a young lady who lived in Queens, NY. One evening while walking down the street she was assaulted. Kitty began to scream, "He's stabbing me. Help me!" Lights began to turn on in the apartments above them and people began to look out their windows. She kept screaming "help me, he is stabbing me!" And according to the story, nobody came down to help her. Why didn't people come down to help her? Because in coming down you risk your own life; because you are made vulnerable.
And this is exactly why Christmas is so amazing. When Jesus heard our cries, He came down. When the God of heaven saw our plight, He became flesh, and He made Himself vulnerable.
The Relatability of The Word
Now for a moment ponder this thought with me. Because God became flesh He can understand you perfectly because He has been where you have been. What a comforting thought. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that Jesus is our "Wonderful Counselor."
Ill: The best counselors for us to see are those who have been through what what we are struggling with but who have come through the problem and they are doing well. Those are counselors who understand, and who are able to speak relevant life changing truth into your life.
Here is something that we need to understand. Christmas is saying something to the world that no other religion comes close to saying, that the God of the universe has been where you have been. That He has experienced hunger, pain, grief, rejection, homelessness and torture. Think about the implications of what this means…
Now hold on a second Will... I hear you but to be honest... that has not been my experience. I have been lonely, hurt, felt abandoned and I cried out to God and He never answered me. Actually, I feel like He has abandoned me.
I do hear you, and what I would say to you is that Jesus has experienced that too. Jesus knows what it is like to feel abandoned by God. Jesus knows what it is like to feel rejected by God. If you remember in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed "Father, if it be thy will let this cup pass from me." If there is another way to save the world without me going to the cross, or experiencing this agony, let this cup pass from me." But God's Will was for Jesus to go to the cross to pay the price for our sins. And Jesus willingly went to the cross.
What Christmas should remind us that when we are in trouble, or struggling, that Jesus our Wonderful Counselor also knows what it is like to struggle, He has been there. Jesus even knows what it is like to feel abandoned by God. You remember on the cross in the darkness of that day how He cried out "God, why have You forsaken me."
So whenever you and I are struggling, hurting, feel abandoned or rejected. We have to frame our struggles with the truth that the Word became flesh. And because He became flesh, He understands and you can go to Him with anything because He knows. He understands. He has been there. Do you understand that?
The Accessibility of The Word
If you were encouraged by the fact that The Word was relatable then this last point is going to knock your socks off. The Greek text is here gets fascinating and it all centers around the very common word "dwelt." John could have chosen several words to say "dwelt." John could have said "resided, or lived, or even dwelled." But instead John chose a word that is translated "TABERNACLED." So in the original language the sentence would read "And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us."
So we read that and automatically we have flashbacks to an O.T. scene when Moses told God that he desired intimacy and power in the relationship. He was on the mountain and he tells God, "I want to know you. Show me your glory." That he truly wanted to see the face of God. But God said, "you can't see my face, it will kill you."
So what did God do? God had the people build a tabernacle, a Holy Place, a place of sacrifice that housed the Holy of Holies, the inner shrine where the Lord dwelled. The Tabernacle was a tent, it was portable, so it could go with the people. And the blessing for the people was they could gaze upon it and know that the Lord was with them.
But I am pleased to share with you this morning that we have so much more. When Jesus became flesh, He crushed the barrier that existed between humanity and God. This barrier existed because of sin. The Bible teaches us that all of us have sinned and that we are separated from God. That means all of us have messed up along the way. But God who is rich in love and mercy wanted to erase that barrier so that He could have a relationship with us. So in Love The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and died on a cross to pay the debt for our sins. And through His sacrifice, Jesus made it possible to have the gap closed and enjoy a lifelong and eternal relationship with God.
Jesus, The Word who became flesh made it possible for us to have access to God, and to enjoy a personal relationship with the God of the universe, the Creator of the heavens and earth.
John 1:14
Into: I had a young man in our church this week asked me "Pastor Will are you able remember all the way back to when you were a little boy? I said, well on good days I am still able? That young man then looked back at me and asked "Can you remember what your favorite Christmas present was when you were a kid? You know, it didn't take but a second for me to remember that my favorite present was a little AM & FM radio that my parents got for me. I can remember laying in bed late at night listening quietly to it. I could pick up stations from Indianapolis, Louisville, Columbus, and of course Cincinnati.
As I think back I am extremely thankful for the gifts my parents provided when I was a child. I am not sure that as a 8 year old boy I was able to understand what my parents went through to get gifts for 5 children. Of course, it wasn't until I grew older that I began to understand the economic difficulties that my parents faced. As I think about it today, think about the sacrifices that my parents made it certainly causes me to understand just how much they loved me and even my siblings.
And when you stop and think about it, the same thing happens when you stop and think about the Christmas story. The meaning of Christmas is inexhaustible. It is filled with life changing truth. If you and I don't understand the history behind the story, the sacrifice that Jesus chose to make, we will never truly grasp the significance of Christmas and the depth of God's love for us.
When we think about the Christmas story we probably reflect more on the story as told by Matthew and Luke. They give us great historical detail, telling us about the shepherds, the angels, Mary and Joseph, the wise men and Bethlehem. Certainly we appreciate these two accounts. The details they provide help us to form a great mental picture as we think about the birth of Christ.
But today, I would like for us to take a look at a behind the scenes passage of scripture. It is the Christmas story, a very unique Christmas story. This passage doesn't talk about Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary, or even the Inn. Yet this is legit. It is the story that couldn't be seen if you were sitting on the hillside listening to the glorious proclamations of the angels.
This part of the story is both rich and unique to all the New Testament. It is profound and powerful. It is the reality of Christmas not as seen historically, but as seen theologically. You see, Matthew and Luke begin by telling us the facts about Christmas and John, well...John begins by telling us the meaning of Christmas.
So what is the history and background? And why is knowing, the history and background so important to us today. If you would, turn with me to John 1:14 and let's take a few minutes today and develop a great appreciation for what God has done for us.
John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
The Identity of The Word
John starts with "And the Word" and that leaves us thinking, "Who is the Word?" Jesus is the Word. To understand this we have to back up to John 1:1, which says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." It makes sense that the beginning in which John speaks of is the beginning of Genesis 1:1. After all, that is the only beginning we know of in scripture.
The question I have always asked when reading this text is "Why didn't John just say Jesus instead of calling Him "The Word." We have to remember that John is writing to both Jew and Gentile and in both groups the concept of the Word is significant.
To the Jew, anytime that God revealed Himself in the O.T., He said "The Word of the Lord." This is significant because they counted "The Word of the Lord" as the chief revelation from God. This was The Way that God communicated with His people. God's Word is what embodied His Will, His design and His power.
To the Greeks, "logos" which means Word was an impersonal force, a power that brought all things into existence, and that which sustains all things that exists. And this power in which they believed emanated from God, whoever that God was.
So John uses Word instead of Jesus in order to build a bridge to both groups. It does make sense.
- To the Jew, John is referring to the God they always believed in--and that His plan, His purpose, His power has come to earth and His name is Jesus.
- To the Gentile (Greek)- The force they had been talking about which created and sustains has come to earth and the force is NOT IMPERSONAL. In fact that force has become flesh. The force is a Person and His name is Jesus.
The Vulnerability of the Word
So what happened to the Word? The answer to this question helps us to better understand the background behind Christmas. The Bible says that, "The Word became flesh." In other words, Jesus became human. In mans eyes the Word became vulnerable, the Word became killable. I believe this is one of the reasons why the Christmas story is so different from any other world religion. In the Christmas story the Creator of the World enters into His creation and becomes vulnerable.
Kitty Genovese, is a young lady who lived in Queens, NY. One evening while walking down the street she was assaulted. Kitty began to scream, "He's stabbing me. Help me!" Lights began to turn on in the apartments above them and people began to look out their windows. She kept screaming "help me, he is stabbing me!" And according to the story, nobody came down to help her. Why didn't people come down to help her? Because in coming down you risk your own life; because you are made vulnerable.
And this is exactly why Christmas is so amazing. When Jesus heard our cries, He came down. When the God of heaven saw our plight, He became flesh, and He made Himself vulnerable.
The Relatability of The Word
Now for a moment ponder this thought with me. Because God became flesh He can understand you perfectly because He has been where you have been. What a comforting thought. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that Jesus is our "Wonderful Counselor."
Ill: The best counselors for us to see are those who have been through what what we are struggling with but who have come through the problem and they are doing well. Those are counselors who understand, and who are able to speak relevant life changing truth into your life.
Here is something that we need to understand. Christmas is saying something to the world that no other religion comes close to saying, that the God of the universe has been where you have been. That He has experienced hunger, pain, grief, rejection, homelessness and torture. Think about the implications of what this means…
- have you been betrayed?... so has He
- are you broke?...so was He
- are you lonely?...so was He
- are you facing death?...so was He
Now hold on a second Will... I hear you but to be honest... that has not been my experience. I have been lonely, hurt, felt abandoned and I cried out to God and He never answered me. Actually, I feel like He has abandoned me.
I do hear you, and what I would say to you is that Jesus has experienced that too. Jesus knows what it is like to feel abandoned by God. Jesus knows what it is like to feel rejected by God. If you remember in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed "Father, if it be thy will let this cup pass from me." If there is another way to save the world without me going to the cross, or experiencing this agony, let this cup pass from me." But God's Will was for Jesus to go to the cross to pay the price for our sins. And Jesus willingly went to the cross.
What Christmas should remind us that when we are in trouble, or struggling, that Jesus our Wonderful Counselor also knows what it is like to struggle, He has been there. Jesus even knows what it is like to feel abandoned by God. You remember on the cross in the darkness of that day how He cried out "God, why have You forsaken me."
So whenever you and I are struggling, hurting, feel abandoned or rejected. We have to frame our struggles with the truth that the Word became flesh. And because He became flesh, He understands and you can go to Him with anything because He knows. He understands. He has been there. Do you understand that?
The Accessibility of The Word
If you were encouraged by the fact that The Word was relatable then this last point is going to knock your socks off. The Greek text is here gets fascinating and it all centers around the very common word "dwelt." John could have chosen several words to say "dwelt." John could have said "resided, or lived, or even dwelled." But instead John chose a word that is translated "TABERNACLED." So in the original language the sentence would read "And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us."
So we read that and automatically we have flashbacks to an O.T. scene when Moses told God that he desired intimacy and power in the relationship. He was on the mountain and he tells God, "I want to know you. Show me your glory." That he truly wanted to see the face of God. But God said, "you can't see my face, it will kill you."
So what did God do? God had the people build a tabernacle, a Holy Place, a place of sacrifice that housed the Holy of Holies, the inner shrine where the Lord dwelled. The Tabernacle was a tent, it was portable, so it could go with the people. And the blessing for the people was they could gaze upon it and know that the Lord was with them.
But I am pleased to share with you this morning that we have so much more. When Jesus became flesh, He crushed the barrier that existed between humanity and God. This barrier existed because of sin. The Bible teaches us that all of us have sinned and that we are separated from God. That means all of us have messed up along the way. But God who is rich in love and mercy wanted to erase that barrier so that He could have a relationship with us. So in Love The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and died on a cross to pay the debt for our sins. And through His sacrifice, Jesus made it possible to have the gap closed and enjoy a lifelong and eternal relationship with God.
Jesus, The Word who became flesh made it possible for us to have access to God, and to enjoy a personal relationship with the God of the universe, the Creator of the heavens and earth.
