SERIES: Advent: A Light Has Dawned
TEXT: John 1:14-18
MESSAGE: “In His Story”
“We are told that Christmas, for Christians, should be the happiest time of year, an opportunity to be joyful and grateful with family, friends and colleagues. Yet, according to the National Institute of Health, Christmas is the time of year that people experience a high incidence of depression. Hospitals and police forces report high incidences of suicide and attempted suicide. Psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health professionals report a significant increase in patients complaining about depression. One North American survey reported that 45% of respondents dreaded the festive season.” — Ray Williams
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” — Isaiah 9:2
“…we are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it. The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction, and no understanding of what surrounds you.” ― J.I. Packer, Knowing God
TEXT: John 1:14-18
“The Old Testament and the New Testament are not two different books about two different subjects. They are two parts of the same story. Mark Dever labeled the Old Testament “Promises Made” and the New Testament “Promises Kept”. All of these promises—the ones made in the OT and kept in the NT—are part of what we call the good news of the gospel. The good news that God would provide a way for sinners to be reconciled to himself was first proclaimed in the garden of Eden. When mankind sinned, God promised the seed of a woman would be born who would bring victory over sin and its awful effects…As John wraps up this prologue to his Gospel, we see a wonderful picture of the gospel in the person of Jesus—in him we see the gospel embodied and explained.” — Matt Carter and Josh Wredberg
Q: What do we learn from today’s passage? That in this text, God powerfully reveals himself in three ways…(1. He became one of us 2. He lived with us 3. He embodied grace & truth)
1. HE Became one of us (v.14a)
“And the Word became flesh…”
“At this point, the incarnation, the infleshing of the Word, is articulated in the boldest way…John is unambiguous, almost shocking in the expressions he uses.” — D.A. Carson
“God chose to make himself known, finally and ultimately, in a real, historical man: “when the ‘Word became flesh’, God became man.” — F.F. Bruce
2. HE Lived with us (v.14b)
“…and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
“Now show me your glory.” — Exodus 33:18
“When God came to earth in the form of Jesus Christ, He was born in the feed trough. When His parents took Him to circumcision, their offering was two pigeons—the offering that was accepted for those on the lowest rung on the economic ladder. Jesus was essentially homeless. He said, “Foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” He rode into town on a borrowed donkey. He ate His last meal in a borrowed room. He was buried in a borrowed tomb. He was poor!” – Timothy Keller
“The Christ whose Gospel we preach is no unapproachable philosopher…the ignorant and the illiterate may find in Him their best Friend.” — Charles Spurgeon
3. HE Embodied grace & truth (v.16-18)
“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; God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”
“Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” — Exodus 33:11
“The flow of the passage and the burden of the book as a whole magnify the fresh ‘grace’ that has come in Jesus Christ.” — D.A. Carson
“…the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.” — Exodus 34:35
POINT: IN knowing the author, we can understand the story.
“The law is about Jesus, how he fulfilled it. The temple is about Jesus. He’s the temple. Every hero is about Jesus. He’s the Hero behind all heroes. He’s the Prophet behind all prophets. He’s the Priest behind all priests. He’s the King behind all kings. He’s at the bottom of every story. In fact, you can even go out of the Bible. Every good story is about Jesus. What do you think The Lion King is about? What do you think Robin Hood is about? What do you think Frodo is about? Every good story is about Jesus, and you know what? When you see it, and to the degree you see it, your heart will ignite.” — Timothy Keller
TAKEAWAYS: How can we apply the story?
- Know the main character
- Believe He is nearer than you think
- Experience His grace and truth
“The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”— Isaiah 1:13