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Aug 24 '08
(A Series of Sermons on Following Jesus)
Rev. Erik O. Garthe, Pastor - Edgemere Baptist Church
Message #1 ... August 24, 2008
“The Best Gift”
John 1:1-17
In an article entitled ‘Tis The Season To Be Jolly, Charles Lowery shared about one of his favorite childhood Christmas experiences: “My dad was the preacher in a small town that did not have a court system. When parents ran away or kids needed help, they came to our house. One year a little boy named Johnny came to live with us. He had brothers and sisters in the orphanage, but Johnny was too little for the orphanage. This was going to be his first “big Christmas.” We went overboard buying everything a little boy could want. On Christmas morning, we were so excited because Johnny had never had a Christmas like this. Toys were everywhere. After Johnny surveyed all the toys, he climbed into the lap of my older brother Fred, who asked, “Johnny what do you like best?” Thinking Johnny would say he liked the gift Fred picked out for him, little Johnny surprised us with his answer. He looked up at Fred and said, ‘I like you best.’
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The only true gift is a portion of yourself. The poet brings his poem; The shepherd his lamb; The farmer his harvest; The girl her handkerchief sewn with her own hands; Something of the giver himself always goes with the true gift.”
Each or the four Gospels of the Bible reveal unique characteristics in their presentations of Jesus. Even in the Christmas story, we can see the differences:
• Matthew seeks to establish that Jesus is the promised Messiah from the lineage of David who will establish the kingdom of heaven.
• Luke shares the angelic announcement and messianic titles to illustrate that Jesus is the Son of God who came to save the world.
• Mark skips the birth of Christ completely and begins his Gospel with the baptism of Jesus.
• John takes a more theological approach and uses Greek concepts like “the word,” “flesh,” and “truth” as a witnessing strategy to share with others how to receive eternal life.
In chapter one of John’s gospel, we see that God gave a gift in the way that Emerson described. God Himself entered our world by becoming flesh through His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider three challenges regarding the best gift ever given.
I. Realize the Superiority of Christ, John 1:1-9
1 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 nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
John sets the tone right up front in his gospel by establishing that Jesus Christ is the central figure of our faith.
Jesus is the supreme ruler of the universe; and John the Baptist is not worthy to untie His sandals, vv. 26-27
26 John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 "It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."
Don’t miss the significance of John’s revelation here. In Matthew 11:11, Jesus said that “among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.” He was a prophet like Elijah; he preached to multitudes and led a national revival. John the Baptist was the most respected religious leader of his day, even the Pharisees were intimidated by his influence. Yet, he was considered less than a common slave who removed sandals and washed the feet of important guests when compared to the superiority of Christ.
John declared that Jesus possesses the divine attributes that are recognized as unique to almighty God:
He is eternal – with God in the beginning
He is creator – who makes all things
He is holy – “full of grace and truth”
Christ is co-equal, co-eternal, and co-existent with the Father.
II. Recognize the Supernatural Redemption Plan, Vv. 14-17
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’" 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
o The Bible says that the Word became flesh. What is “flesh”?
(Flesh is what can we see, hear, feel, taste, or smell.)
"Einstein" is synonymous with brilliance, yet a recently auctioned letter by the famed physicist reveals his lack of understanding about God. In a letter written one year before his death, Einstein shared his views about God and the Bible with philosopher Eric Gutkind. The handwritten letter in German stated, "the word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish." Einstein further wrote, "For me, the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions." The January 1954 letter, which was expected to sell for about $15,000, went for $400,000 at a London auction on May 15, 2008. The manuscript holds the musings of a man who changed the face of physics, paved the way for nuclear power, and wrestled with the mysteries of our universe, but could not believe the eternal words of Christ: "unless you turn from your sins and become as little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 18:3). Right standing with God comes through childlike faith, not superior IQ. [Beaumont Enterprise, 5/14/8, p.6A; 5/17/8, p.8A]
We pay attention to the stuff of this material world—but we often fail to acknowledge the unseen supernatural world. This passage declares that a reality beyond what we can see, hear or touch invaded our world of flesh.
Something higher came down.
Something out there came here.
Something transcendent became common.
Something supernatural became natural.
Something holy became human.
Listen! This is not just a cute Christmas story. This is a military invasion by the Son of God, charging into enemy territory to redeem those who live in darkness. And the Bible challenges all followers of Christ to tear down strongholds with divine weapons, to wear spiritual armor, and to fight the good fight. The spiritual presence of the “Word” (Jesus Christ) allows Christians to recognize a supernatural world.
C. S. Lewis presented this imagery in his popular book Mere Christianity in a chapter entitled The Invasion, “There is a mighty evil spirit who was held to be the power behind death, disease, and sin. The difference (between Christianity and other religions) is that Christianity thinks this Dark Power was created by God and was good when originally created but something went wrong…and the universe is now at war.”
III. Receive the Gift of Salvation, Vv. 10-13
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 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 in a war for the souls of mankind. John presents a theme that is carried throughout his gospel: Jesus is the Light of Salvation, but the world did not receive the Light.
Many obstacles are identified as to why people reject the light of Christ …
Some are too proud; some are deceived; some choose selfish pleasure of sin, but all suffer the same fate—rejecting Jesus Christ results in condemnation. See John 3:18
18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Only by trusting in His work as our atoning sacrifice, can a person be saved and enter into a proper relationship with almighty God.
Salvation is a relationship. It is not a religious code of ethics; it is not a goal that one achieves; it is not attending church every week; it is not an item to be purchased from the retailers of heaven. Salvation is a relationship with the heavenly Father made possible by Jesus Christ.
Through receiving (believing/trusting) Christ; you can become a child of God. This significant theological truth is often misunderstood and misrepresented. Some have incorrectly stated, “We are all God’s children.” The Bible clearly teaches that all are God’s creation, but only those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are the children of God. Are you a child of God today? If not, receive the light of Christ; receive the truth of Christ, and receive His amazing grace. Share the Roman Road.
The Chinese language creates the word righteousness by placing the character for "lamb" above the character for the pronoun "I." Our righteousness is secured when we lift the Lamb of God high above ourselves and ask him to cleanse us from the guilt of our sin with his precious blood that was shed on Calvary’s cross. [Our Daily Bread, Oct. 31, 1992]
Chuck Colson, former Chief of Staff to President Nixon, describes his conversion experience in his book, A Dangerous Grace. Colson’s friend, Tom Phillips faithfully shared the gospel with Colson and then asked if they could pray together. “As Tom prayed, something began to flow into me – a kind of energy. Then came a wave of emotion which nearly brought tears. I fought them back. It sounded as if Tom were speaking directly and personally to God, almost as if He were sitting beside us. Later, outside in the darkness, the iron grip I’d kept on my emotions began to relax. Tears welled up in my eyes as I groped in the darkness for the right key to start my car. Angrily I brushed them away and started the engine. As I drove out of Tom’s driveway, the tears flowed uncontrollably. I was crying so hard I pulled to the side of the road. I forgot about machismo, about pretenses, about fears of being weak. And as I did, I began to experience a wonderful feeling of release. Then came the strange sensation that water was not only running down my cheeks, but surging through my whole body as well, cleansing and cooling as it went. They weren’t tears of sadness and remorse, nor of joy – but tears of relief. And then I prayed my first real prayer. ‘God, I don’t know how to find You, but I’m going to try! I’m not much the way I am now, but I want to give myself to You.’ I didn’t know how to say more, so I repeated over and over the words: ‘Take me.’ The curious phrase ‘Accept Jesus Christ’ at first had sounded to me both pious and mystical, language of the zealot, maybe black magic stuff. But I knew I could not sidestep the central question placed squarely before me. Was I to accept, without reservations, Jesus Christ as Lord of my Life? It was like a gate before me. There was not way to walk around it. I would step through, or I would remain outside. ‘To accept’ means no more than ‘to believe.’ Did I believe what Jesus said? If I did, then I accepted. Words I had not been certain I could understand or say fell naturally from my lips: ‘Lord Jesus, I believe You. I accept You. Please come into my life. I commit it to You.’” [Charles Colson, A Dangerous Grace, p. 2-3]
Commitment: to put your faith in Jesus Christ as personal Savior and surrender to Him as Lord of your life. Other decisions?
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