161225 The Most Amazing Miracle

John 1:9-13 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.

We are told very little about the circumstances that surrounded Mary’s introduction to the idea that she would bring a manchild into the world. Luke, in his gospel, tells Mary’s story. What he tells us is very minimal. She was a virgin under contract to be married to a man named Joseph. An angel came to her and told her that she was one of God’s favorites. Since she was a favorite she was going to have the privilege of having a child before she was formally married and that child would be the one the prophets told about! He would be the Son of God!

Both Matthew and Luke give a version of Jesus’ birth. Mark begins with John the Baptist, Jesus’ baptism, and the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. I can imagine John, as the last remaining apostle, sitting down to write with perhaps the other Gospels in front of him. Obviously, the birth of Jesus was covered quite adequately but there seemed to him to be some things worth recording that had been left out of the synoptic Gospels.

John’s Gospel does not mention the birth of Christ, instead he looked into the far distant past when the Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwelt together in perfect unity. In John’s Gospel…

Jesus is introduced as The Word of God. Let’s look at John 1:1-2. 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.

At least seven times the term “Word of God” is used to represent Jesus Christ. The use of the term by John speaks of Jesus’ personal wisdom and power in connection to God the Father. The term also speaks of Christ as God’s agent in the creation and in ruling the universe. The Greek word translated here is “logos” a term that Greek philosophers used to speak of the design, reason or plan for all things. Since John was writing to the Gentiles this word “logos” would help them to understand who Jesus was when he was on earth.

A part of John’s description was…

Jesus was the true light. Let’s look at Colossians 1:13-14. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The opposite of “dark” is “light”. When a person is born again their citizenship is changed from the domain of darkness ruled over by Satan to the kingdom of the Christ! The very life of Jesus, the Son of God, is light. And as such he was the true light that was capable of overcoming the darkness. 700 years before, Isaiah had spoke of the time when the “preserved of Israel” would be made “as a light for the nations” (Isaiah 49:6). In his first little letter John pronounced that “the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8).

Philip P. Bliss, in 1875, wrote a hymn that begins:

 The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin, The Light of the world is Jesus! Like sunshine at noonday, His glory shone in; The Light of the world is Jesus!

Come to the light, ’tis shining for thee; Sweetly the light has dawned upon me; Once I was blind, but now I can see: The Light of the world is Jesus!

Bliss had it right when he wrote this hymn. Jesus was not just the light of the world he was, and is, the true light that can give light to everyone.

In John chapter 3, beginning with verse 16, we have an expansion on this concept. Possibly the most quoted verse of the Bible is, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Jesus continues in that chapter with, “the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” (John 3:19) So we can see that John understood the concept of light representing Immanuel — God with us! And just as clearly we see that the darkness is evil.

Not only was he “Light” we must remember…

Jesus made the world and is the owner. Let’s look back to John 1:3. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

When Jesus came into the world he was simply coming to his own creation. As the second person in the Trinity, Jesus had often visited the earth in human form. This time he was coming not just to speak to someone as he did with Abram, Jacob and so many more, he came this time to redeem the world. The apostle Paul, and the writer of Hebrews, joined with John in proclaiming that the world was made by Jesus, the Son of God! (Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2)

Jesus, as creator, came to his own property and as a result…

Jesus came to his own people. Let’s look at John 1:11. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

Throughout, the Gospels are very consistent teaching that Jesus is the owner who came to his own people. Jesus told a parable of tenants who rejected their master. In that story, (by the way, I believe that the parables were all true instances) the master planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants. He sent his servants to receive the rent and his tenants rejected them, even killing some of them. Last of all he sent his son saying that they will respect the son. But when the tenants saw the son coming they said that they should kill him so they could own the vineyard. When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard this parable they understood that it was about them. (Matthew 21: 33-40). When Jesus came to earth he came to his own property. The vineyard that had been built by his Father was held by tenants who refused to give him honor. He came to his own property and…

His people did not receive him. Let’s look at John 3:32-34. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. ³³ Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. ³⁴ For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.

“No one receives his testimony” is a pretty strong statement. A little later Jesus would say, “I have come in my Father’s name, and you did not receive me.” (John 5:43)

It must’ve been a heartbreaking experience for Jesus to be rejected by his own people. Towards the end of Jesus’ ministry he approached the city of Jerusalem and said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37)

Throughout Jesus’ life on earth he was rejected again and again by the people who should’ve welcomed him with open arms. This must have been very painful to him. God the Father had chosen Abraham and his descendants to be his agents in the world. Repeatedly they had refused to obey him and show their love for him and now he had sent his son into the world and his people did not receive him. However…

Those who did receive him are the children of God. Let’s go to John 1:12. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

It is necessary that there be a personal response to Christ. All who receive him, by believing in his name receive the right, from him, to become the children of God. For those in a lukewarm church Jesus issues an invitation calling for a personal response: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). Five verses from the end of the book there is an invitation from the Holy Spirit and from the church to come to Christ: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price” (Revelation 22:17).

What does it mean to come to Christ? We must come to him trusting him to save us from our sin. We can’t continue to cling to our sin but willingly renounce it in genuine repentance. Coming to Christ signifies a coming away from the world and its sin. The Bible speaks of repentance to God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are the two sides of the same coin. When we do one — “repentance” — God implants in us the ability to do the other — “faith”! Have you turned away from the way of the world? Have you placed your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Knowing about Jesus simply makes us more guilty. Knowing about his life, death, and resurrection is not enough. Simply knowing the facts doesn’t solve our problem. The demons believe and tremble in fear! (James 2:19) The demons know the facts very accurately because they have seen it all as it unfolds. Their knowledge does not restore them in their relationship to God. So knowing about Jesus is not enough. Nicodemus, the man who came to Jesus one night, recognized that Jesus was a teacher come from God but Nicodemus still had to have saving faith. He had to put his trust in Christ for salvation. (John 3:1-15) When Paul was confronted by King Agrippa he called on the King to put what he believed to be true into action and he refused. As a result Agrippa condemned himself. (Acts 26:27). It is essential that we turn away from our sin and turn to Jesus in faith in order to be born again. We can hardly imagine the price Jesus paid to cover our sins. In the distant eternity past the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit existed in perfect unity. They were, and are, complete in themselves. With the creation of man, and the universe around us, God entered into a new relationship. When man rebelled against God’s one rule it became necessary for God to provide a sacrifice that covered mankind’s sin. In order to do that Jesus left the glory of heaven for the gloom of earth and took on human flesh. In order to pay the price Jesus was made like his brothers (Hebrews 2:17) yet without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). As a result it is possible for us to have God’s righteousness instead of our sin. Praise God for that however…

Jesus remains human. Look at 1 Timothy 2:5. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

At first glance this seems to be a simple straightforward statement. “There is one mediator”. But when we think about exactly what is said here we see that Jesus is referred to as “the man Christ Jesus”! He is designated as a man even though he is God. As we study the Scriptures we become convinced that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man in one person, and he will be so forever!

After Jesus’ ascension into heaven he is always seen as a man. He appeared to Stephen when he was martyred, he appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus. In each of these, and probably several more instances, Jesus is a glorified man. He is different from us because he lives in a resurrection body. In the resurrection, at the end of time, (if not at our death) we also will receive our resurrection bodies. Jesus lives forever as the God/man. I constantly wrestle with the concept of Jesus being limited in time and space as we are. I have no doubt that his eternal humanity is that which is presented in the Bible. Think about it!

The most amazing miracle is not the birth of Christ. Neither is the most amazing miracle the death of Christ on the cross for us. The most amazing miracle falls somewhere between those two significant events. The most amazing miracle is that Jesus, who was eternally one with the Father, became flesh while at the same time retaining his divine nature. And as such he could come between God and ourselves and bring us back to God. We needed to have someone who would be able to be tempted and yet not sin so that he could pay the price for our sin. Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord? Today can be the day.

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society