A Good Introduction
Over the years as a pastor, I had to introduce various guest speakers to our congregation. One wants to say something significant about the person in a concise, clear sentence or two, so one presents a kind of “mini-cv” to highlight who they are. The idea is to help connect the congregation to the speaker so that they identify with him/her.
The Beginning of John’s Gospel
John’s Gospel was the last one to be written. The Apostle John was not writing to a Jewish audience who would be interested in Christ’s lineage from David, his virgin birth or His fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. No, he was writing to Greeks and Romans who had been strongly influenced by the philosophies and religions of their day, so he launches his Gospel somewhat differently and kind of jumps in the deep end as he presents Christ’s CV to his audience.
At Christmas time, we think again of the coming of Christ, but do we understand just who we’re dealing with? Do we comprehend Christ’s credentials?
This Scripture introduces Jesus in a concise and powerful way:
John 1:1-18 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) Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (4) In him was life, and that life was the light of men. (5) The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (6) There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. (7) He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. (8) He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. (9) The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. (10) He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. (11) He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. (12) Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— (13) children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (14) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (15) John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'" (16) From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. (17) For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (18) No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.
I’d like to point out a few things that this Scripture almost shouts out to us:
Christ is the Un-created Co-Creator
Christ was already there in the beginning before the work of creation began. Joh 1:1-2 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.
In fact, Christ was actively involved as the un-created co-creator with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the work of creation. Joh 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
This tells us that Jesus pre-existed before He was born as a Jewish baby boy on Christmas Day. That was just the beginning of His earthly sojourn, but he had already existed from the beginning of time. When you picture him as the babe in a manger just remember who you’re dealing with. He’s your creator and God.
Christ is Divine
John states flatly and categorically that Christ was and is God. He says ...the Word was God. The divinity of Jesus the Son of God becomes a central theme in John’s Gospel. He captures many of Christ’s comments where He claimed divinity. John grapples with the fact that whilst Christ was 100% human, he was yet divine – God in human flesh. He puts it this way in verse 14 …The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. To put it in human terms, God put on an earth suit to visit planet earth
Christ is the Life Giver and the Light Bearer
The power of sin and death had strangled the very life out of rebellious humankind. Death reigned supreme and darkness prevailed, but that was about to change radically.
(4) In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
(9) The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
Like the divinity of Christ, the concepts of life and light also become central themes in John’s Gospel. All of us are like batteries running down – we need to be reconnected to the source of life. In Him was and is life. We must seek and lay hold of that life for Jesus said, Joh 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Through your relationship with Him, is the Son of God pleased to be pumping life into your mortal body?
And what about light? Are you stumbling around in the darkness, or is the true light that gives light to men shining His light into your heart? Some of us are walking in darkness because we have our backs to God. His light is not shining on our path – we are walking in our own shadow. We need to repent and turn to Christ so that His light can shine on our path and we can see where we are going.
Christ is the Bringer of New Birth
(11) He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. (12) Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— (13) children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
In a sense Christ came to expand God’s family. He gave those who believed in Him and received Him the right, the power, the authority to become the children of God. They would be born into God’s family. This would not be a natural birth, but a supernatural rebirth. These children would not be born naturally (of natural descent), but supernaturally (they would be born of God). If you’re born of God, you will bear the family likeness. Rom 8:29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Here again, we see that it is God’s intention to expand His family.
Have you experienced the miracle of new birth through faith in Jesus? He makes all things new. Indeed, 2Co 5:17 says …if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Christ is the Revelation of God’s Glory
(14) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
No attempt is made in any one of the Gospels to describe Christ’s physical appearance. We don’t know if he was tall or short, dark or fair skinned. Perhaps that’s a good thing, because we tend to get caught up with outward appearances. We can guess from Isaiah’s prophecy that He looked pretty average or ordinary. He says, Isa 53:2 ...He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
John concentrates on what did strike them about Christ. The beauty of Christ was not skin deep. The glory about Him was to do with His character – He was full of grace and truth. Grace and truth were held in a perfect balance. When the Bible says that Jesus was full of grace and truth it doesn’t mean that He was 50% full of grace and 50% full of truth – He was 100% full of grace and a 100% full of truth.
If our goal is to be more Christ-like, we need both, grace and truth. Truth without grace is mean. Grace without truth is meaningless. But, when you combine truth and grace it’s medicine. There are a lot of hurting people out there that need medication not condemnation. They need a gracious spiritual hospital.
Christ came to reveal the invisible God – to explain Him, to make Him known. (18) No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known. There was a day when the disciple Philip said to Jesus, Joh 14:8-9 "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." (9) Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Jesus was, as Hebrews 1:3 puts it, … the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being… If you know a bit about Him, then you know a bit about the Father. If you have seen Him, you have seen the Father.
Last, but not least Christ’s CV tells us that…
Christ Came to Bring Blessing into Our Lives
Verse 16 says, From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. If we spend a little time in contemplation counting our blessings, we will realize that one blessing after another has been channeled into our lives through Jesus Christ. His coming into the world was good news for a lost mankind. God had not sent His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Christ didn’t come to bring the wrath of God, but to display the favour of God. That’s why the angels sang at His birth, Luk 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
If you have Jesus, the Prince of Peace living in your heart, you will know a peace that passes all human understanding. If you have received the Son of God into your life, you have the favour of God all over you.
So I’m getting to …
My Introduction
May I introduce you to Jesus Christ, the Un-created Creator, the Divine One, the Life Giver and Light Bearer, the Bringer of New Birth?
Meet the Lord Jesus, the Revelation of God’s glory and the bringer of blessings and favour into our lives!
My, my, my what a stunning CV, what amazing credentials! Believe in Christ and receive Him into your life today and He will give you power to become a Child of God.
Thanks for reading my blog, I trust it encouraged you. Since you are already on my website you may want to navigate further and take a look around! God bless, Philip
Commentaires