A Christ Who Comes to His Own
1.
As God and Word
2.
As Light and Life
The
Word of God that guides our way this morning reminds us that Christ is present
with us as we read from John 1:1-5, & 11-14:
In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2
He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through Him, and
apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 Life was in
Him, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness,
yet the darkness did not overcome it. 11 He came to His own, and His own people
did not receive Him. 12 But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right
to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not
of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. 14
The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory,
the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and
truth.
The
two biggest days in Christianity are Christmas and Easter. On one day, our Lord
Jesus entered this world through His birth. On the other day, He entered once
again, yet this time in a way that no other had before – by taking back life
from death. It’s no surprise that these are the two most important days to the
Church. For one thing, their meaning is unparalleled. But, they’re also
significant because of exactly what happened on each. Birth and Resurrection.
In
our lives, there is no more amazing event than the birth of a child. For those
who have witnessed a birth firsthand it is no doubt a memorable event. There is
nothing else in life that can compare to seeing a living human child enter the
world for the first time. Truly, the only other event that could compare is a
resurrection from the dead, a sight that few human eyes have witnessed, but
which we have the certain promise of seeing one day.
What
we have before us in the Gospel of John is the birth and work of Christ in
words. This account may not be the direct narrative of the Gospel of Luke. It
doesn’t paint the details of Christmas night. What John tells us is what it
meant that Jesus was born – what was going on behind the scenery that human
eyes beheld. And in that sense this text is almost as grand and magnificent as
being in the stable of Bethlehem.
What
John, through the Holy Spirit, wants you to know and believe, is that this
Christ-child came to His own. First, as God and Word.
The
two astounding revelations of these passage are that Jesus is God and Word.
Many people tend to think that if Jesus became human so that He could live,
suffer, and die, there was no way He could also be God. The first people to
believe this were the very people that Jesus came to. John tells us that Jesus
came to His own and His own people did not receive Him. That group includes
many of the Pharisees and Sadducees, a great number of the Jewish people, and
at times, even those closest to Jesus. The chief reason why people did not
receive Him was because they couldn’t comprehend that He was the Son of God.
But
hand-in-hand with this rejection of Jesus’ divinity was a rejection of His
preaching. If Jesus was not God, then He did not speak for God. Oftentimes, the
events that aggravated Jesus’ opponents the most were the times He claimed to
speak for God. “Who is this that forgives sins?” Who is this that claims to be
David’s Lord?” “Who is this who teaches us to repent of our sins and follow
Him?”
As
God and Word, Jesus comes to more than just the Jewish people. As we celebrate
each Christmas, He is the Savior of all. John reminds us what bearing Jesus has
over all creation as God. All things were created through Him, and apart
from Him not one thing was created that has been created. Jesus may have
come to Israel first, but He comes to you and me also. And that’s why today we
see the same unwillingness to believe that Jesus came as God and Word. People
would rather see Jesus as a good human teacher, not as God almighty. The same
messages that Jesus spoke first continue to be offensive to many today. Submission,
obedience, repentance, and even faith are grotesque words to many in the world.
Even we shirk at those thoughts when our sinful flesh tugs on our hearts. And
so this Christmas we humbly remember that even we, who know the Christmas story
and the folly of the people who rejected Jesus so well, are guilty of the same
– that He came to His own as God and Word, and His own did not receive Him.
But
Jesus also came to His own as Light and Life. Here we see not how the world
reacted to Jesus as God and Word, but what Jesus did for the world as God and
Word. He came to bring Light and Life. John writes: 4 Life was in Him,
and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, yet
the darkness did not overcome it. He goes on to tell us what the Light and
Life of Jesus means in our lives: But to all who did receive Him, He gave
them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, 13 who
were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man,
but of God.
This
is why we have hope on Christmas, despite our rebellion from God because of
sin. Jesus brought Light and Life and it changed the entire world, even down to
your heart today. Light is used throughout the Bible as a symbol for purity. It
is set in contrast to the darkness of sin. And the message for our lives is
clear. We do not follow and trust in Jesus as we should because our hearts are
darkened. There is nothing darker, from a moral perspective, to God than
disobedience to His divine will. That is the very essence of sin and our lives
are surrounded by it, engulfed and suffocated by it. But, Jesus is the Light of
the world.
Even
though we, on our own, cannot comprehend Jesus as Light, He came to His own and
gave us the ability to believe in Him through the gospel message. As John says,
we were born this way, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the
will of man, but of God. There truly is no more amazing birth than a sinner
coming to faith. Jesus came to you, as God and Word, through the good news of
forgiveness and brought Light into your dark heart. Therefore, as you celebrate
His birth – let it remind of you of your own. Not of the flesh, and not from
your own will, but of faith in the Son of God.
What
results from the Light of faith in Jesus, is the gift of Life, and more than
just breathing air today. You have the gift of eternal life in heaven. Remember
the two major days of Christianity? Christmas and Easter. It would be natural
for us to connect life with Christmas, since that was the day Jesus was born.
But more important to Him is the day of your birth into His kingdom. Therefore,
Life from Jesus is ultimately about His resurrection – because that event is
the guarantee from God that you will live forever – even after your own death.
John
says of those who followed Christ - We observed His glory, the glory as the
One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. What a time it
must have been to see the living Christ on earth! How we would long to be one
of the chosen few. But, much greater is to observe His glory in heaven, a right
and gift that is granted to all who believe in Him – a Christmas gift that is
yours today! There you will see Jesus is even greater majesty and glory than
the Shepherds and the Wise Men saw Him.
This
Christmas Day, the Holy Spirit through John’s writing reminds us that Jesus
came to His own. He came as God and Word – in two ways that still baffle human
minds today. As God, He is the Creator of all – you included. As Word – He
speaks truth to all. Jesus’ birth on Christmas marked the first step in His
mission to give you a rebirth. So, as God and Word, in human flesh, Jesus also came
as Light and Life – to gift you faith and to win heaven for you. Jesus still
comes to His own in the same ways – each time you gather around His gospel.
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