John 1:1-18 Incarnate God
Good morning! I’m not sure you know this but it’s kind of Christmas…
We are going to pause our study in the book of Acts and spend some time focusing on the culmination of this season, the incarnation of Christ.
As has been read already today, “The entire biblical story is about a God who gives His creatures what they do not know they need, what they do not want, and what they could never earn or do for themselves – but which they cannot live without.”
So often the main focus of Christmas is the gifts, I guess I can only speak for myself. I do love a thoughtful gift. We can try to spiritualize it and say that we give gifts because of the gift we were given in the manger, but rather than tear up our traditions, instead I’d like to look at the realities behind them and consider just who it was that was given to us in the manger.
Let’s pray.
Turn with me to John chapter one, page 886 in the pew Bibles. We’re going to consider just one question: Who was it given to us in that manger?
When I think of Christmas there are lots of things that go through my mind, family gatherings, well thought out gifts, twinkle lights and too much to eat… But there are also the elements of Christmas itself, ancient scenes with shepherds and angels, wise men from the east, and jolly old fat men from the north.
And of course we know at the center of it all is the baby in the manger.
Much has been made of the humble scene of Joseph and Mary relegated to the stable, that might even have been a cave, because there was no room in the inn, and when Jesus was born, wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in the manger, a feed trough for the animals.
And when you think about that scene and in your heart look into that manger who is it that you see? A sweet, innocent, helpless newborn, baby?
Are your thoughts informed by old Christmas carols? Do you really believe that the little Lord Jesus didn’t cry? Or that the night really was silent? If the Little Drummer Boy song is true, neither of those other songs can be right!
I’d like to look at the Gospel of John and look at the reality of exactly who it was laying in that manger so we won’t allow our sentimentality to define our perception of reality.
The Apostle John, brother of James, was referred to as the Disciple whom Jesus loved. He wrote his Gospel account long after the other three Gospels, often called the “Synoptic Gospels.” Synoptic means, “to see together,” as their perspectives parallel each other and are very similar in a lot of ways. John’s Gospel, however, is very different in both style and purpose.
John’s Gospel was also written after all of Paul’s letters and after all of Peter’s letters, it was actually one of the last books of the New Testament to be written, and John shares a unique perspective on the ministry of Jesus Christ though he never even mentions the manger scene.
Let’s read John’s prologue to his Gospel in John 1:1-18 and look for who it was lying in that manger.
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. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 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.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
This is a wonderful, deep, and rich description of the one born of a virgin that night in Bethlehem, this is who Baby Jesus really is.
So, what can we learn about Him from these verses?
In verse one we can see several things.
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.
First, we can see that Jesus was in the beginning, meaning that He is eternal.
Jesus was not created as some would have us believe, but rather, He is eternally existent, he has always been, and will always be.
This week in Bible study we talked about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, as well as the fourth person with them in the fiery furnace. The fourth person was Jesus, the pre-incarnate Son, hundreds of years before Bethlehem.
Verse one also says that Jesus is the Word.
A word, any word, is how thoughts are expressed whether spoken or written. Jesus is the Word in that He is the expression of God. If you skip ahead to verse 18 it says, 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
Verse one also says that Jesus, the Word, is God.
Jesus is not a god among many, He is not an angel, Jesus and the Father are One.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are what we call The Trinity, or the Godhead, distinct but three in One. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Verse three says that Jesus is the Creator.
Jesus was not only present at creation but, in fact, was the agent of creation.
Genesis 1:26 says, Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
OUR image, OUR likeness… God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were active in our design and creation, Jesus is our Creator.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Jesus is the life and Jesus is the light.
It is only through Jesus that we have access to life beyond this life, everlasting life, eternal life.
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
In John 11:25 He called Himself the Resurrection and the Life, He said, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.”
Light represents wisdom and knowledge and truth. Jesus is the sum total and source of all truth, knowledge, and wisdom. In contrast, darkness represents the realm and reign of Satan, of evil, of sin and death and hell.
Jesus said Himself in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Jesus was and is the only way out of that realm of darkness.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 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.
Jesus, is also the agent of our adoption.
Jesus was rejected by men, He was then and largely is now, but that has never changed His purpose in coming, to give the right to become children of God to all who believe in His Name.
It’s a popular thought that we are all children of God, that just existing makes you a child of God. This thought may be popular but it is wrong. No one is born into the family of God naturally, we have to be adopted through faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:15-17 says, …you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ…
And though Jesus is all of these spiritual things, what we celebrate at Christmas time is His incarnation. Though Jesus is fully God, He is also fully man.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John [the Baptist] bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”)
To “incarnate” means to put on flesh, the very words the Apostle uses here. At Christmastime we use the name Emmanuel, which means, “God with us.” That’s what Jesus did in the nativity story, He took on flesh and dwelt among us, He lives with us.
16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Finally, Jesus is the key to God’s grace.
The Law was given through Moses to show us what sin is and to prove that we are sinful. Paul wrote in Romans 7:7, …if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
We’ve talked about this before that none of us can say that we have never broken the Ten Commandments that were given through Moses. Breaking the Law is what sin is and, as it says in Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death, what we earn by sinning is death.
But grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Jesus is God’s grace expressed. Through His death, by God’s grace, life is made available to us, we simply need to trust in Him.
In summary, Jesus is eternal, Jesus is the Word, Jesus is God Himself, Jesus is the Creator, Jesus is the life, Jesus is the light, Jesus is the agent of our adoption, and Jesus is the key to God’s grace.
So, when you look into the manger, is that who you see? Because that’s who was there.
Amen.
And now we are going to baptize a couple more people who have put their trust in the Incarnate Son Jesus!
