Jesus Makes the Father Known

12/23- John 1:1-5, 14-18 “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side has made him known.”

Thoughts: Jesus is the Living Word.  He shows us what God is like if we will listen. We are called to examine his life- to listen to his teachings.  He is the exact representation of the living God (Colossians 1).  As such, He is a treasure.  If you want to know what God is like- look at Jesus.  Listen to Him.

Prayer: Lord, may my heart listen to you.  Help me pay close attention to who you are.  

Christ the Creator

For by Him [Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16)

In the beginning was the Word.  And the Word was with God and the Word was God.  Through him [Jesus] all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made (John 1:3).

But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all thing, and through whom He made the universe (Hebrews 1:2).

Before Abraham was, I am.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.

You are worthy, O Lord [Jesus], to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things adn by your will they exist and were created. (Rev. 4:11)


Thoughts: Sometimes, we can get the wrong view of Jesus- if we only look at Jesus from a shallow perspective and do not dig deeper.  There is an old heresy that is easy to believe (but does not jive with scripture) called modalism.  It is the belief that God the Father made us, then came down to earth as Jesus, and then lives now as the Holy Spirit.  But this is a shallow view.  The trinity idea is that God exists forever before time, during time and after time in three persons- father, Son and Holy Ghost.  Jesus is not simply God squeezed down for 33 years on earth, as if there was no Father when Jesus was on earth.  [Remember at his baptism- The Father's voice; or Jesus' continual prayers to His Father? Or the Spirit's coming down on Jesus at his baptism?].
     If we only look at Jesus the way Hollywood depicts Him- then he is whipped, mocked, and crucified, and teaches us how to live.   But the second person of the Trinity, Jesus was at the Creation- before Abraham.  This is where we have a big disagreement with the Muslims.  Islam sees Jesus as an important example and great prophet- but not as Creator.  The Jesus Seminar "scholars" (like Borg and Crossan) do the same- Jesus is an example, a teacher, but not Creator and not one to be worshiped.  They think the disciples turned the message of Jesus around into this.  But the Gospel writers (like John 1 and the earliest Christian writers showed this was not a slow- evolving turn around, but an easy belief.  Thomas fell at Jesus' feet in worship saying, "My Lord and my God."  The disciples worshiped Him when he calmed the waves and winds (showing His control over creation).  The healings show Jesus could restore creation.  The exorcisms show He has power over evil- restoring creation to good.  Often times after one of these miracles the restored worships Christ. He accepted worship- for He not only believed He was worthy- He WAS AND IS AND WILL BE WORTHY!  Jesus is Jehovah- He is Jehovah (Yahweh- YHWH) in the Flesh.  But HE is Lord of heaven, Lord of earth- Lord of all and as Creator and Redeemer of Creation worthy of worship.  He has the whole world in His hands- He is the Creator, Redeemer, and Restorer of Creation.  He cares about the world and shows that care by coming down into the world; showing He can restore the world; and there is a sense that His death/resurrection was to redeem not just the souls of the elect but His redemption affects all creation- bringing hope, light, and life.
     As the Creator- He is worthy of our worship- our time- our talents- our money- our all.  Everything we have is from Him (Rev. 4:11).  Learn Christ.  Learn that He is more than what we see on the surface, in the paintings, in the skeptical writings.

Prayer: You are Lord of heaven, Lord of earth- for you created all things and are worthy of my worship.

Listening to the un-analyzed Meaning

 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

48“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” (John 1)

Thoughts: Tonight at our church Dr. Richard Burnett had a great point on listening to the scriptures and to each other.  He pointed out that we, as modern people, by our research and expertise think we have been able to fully understand the background of people and sift through what they say.  So, for example, someone says Martin Luther had a psychological problem with his father which is why he said what he did about the authority of the church.  We analyze where a person is from economically, psychologically, socially, politically, theologically, and then figure out if we should listen to them or not.  So we over-analyze without really listening to what they say.  So someone from New York is said to have "New York values" and that is why they say what they say.  Or someone who is a white southern girl has to have a certain viewpoint.  Or someone with an African-American background has to act or believe certain things.  We shouldn't say to someone who says something every time- "I know what you said, but this is what you meant."  Sometimes we need to listen to what people say.
     In this passage in John 1, Nathanael was pegging Jesus as someone who shouldn't be heard.  But just because Jesus was from this country town did not mean he shouldn't be heard.  People should be heard no matter where they are from.  
     Let us be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.  Let us not be quick to judge what someone "really means" but listen to what they are saying (this is somewhat true in politics today too).  We are too skeptical, critical,analytical in our society.  There is a sense where we need to be able to listen at face value to what others (and the scriptures) say.

Prayer: Lord, let me listen intently and truly.  Give me wisdom to discern your will and your word.  

1/7/13- Glory came down

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made, In him was life and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it...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.  (John 1:1-5, 14)

Thoughts: Since our purpose is to glorify and enjoy God, we should ask where has God declared His glory and how.  John testifies above that "we have seen his glory."  That is an amazing statement- God's glory has come down where people could see it.  Heaven has come to earth- and it did so in the person of Jesus Christ.  As such a clear and decisive declaration of glory, Christ is the Word (logos) of God.  In the ancient semitic world, the word of a king had the same authority (often sealed) as the presence of the king.  To deny the king's word would be to deny the king himself.  Listening to the king's word written or his word represented (by envoy) is listening to the king himself.  But John here is saying that Jesus is more than an envoy or ambassador- but the Word become flesh- God in the flesh.

Prayer: Give me grace, O Lord, to listen to you respectfully today.  Lead me in your paths for you are my God.




I. God’s Word: The Authority for Our Confession
The clearest declaration of God’s glory is found in His Word,
both incarnate and written. The Son eternally proceeds from
the Father as His Word, the full expression of the Father’s
nature, and since in the incarnation the Word became flesh all
the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are offered to His disciples
The written Word grants us those treasures, proclaims
the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, and graciously teaches all that
is necessary for faith and life. We glorify God by recognizing
and receiving His authoritative self-revelation, both in
the infallible Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments
and also in the incarnation of God the Son. We affirm that
the same Holy Spirit who overshadowed the virgin Mary also
inspired the writing and preservation of the Scriptures. The
Holy Spirit testifies to the authority of God’s Word and illumines
our hearts and minds so that we might receive both the
Scriptures and Christ Himself aright.

Link: Heaven came down and glory filled my soul (old gospel hymn revised)