God Came Near

Theme:  God became one of us.

Text:  John 1:1-18

Here’s a thought:  Someone has concluded, “One birth, one child, changed the course of history and humanity itself.  He can change us as well.”

C.S. Lewis wrote in a letter to his friend Arthur Greeves:

Lying at your feet is your dog.  Imagine, for the moment, that your dog and every dog is in deep distress.  Some of us love dogs very much.  If it would help all the dogs in the world to become like men, would you be willing to become a dog?  Would you put down your human nature, leave your loved ones, your job, hobbies, your art and literature and music, and choose instead of the intimate communion with your beloved, the poor substitute of looking into the beloved’s face and wagging your tail, unable to smile or speak?  Christ by becoming man limited the thing which to Him was the most precious thing in the world; his unhampered, unhindered communion with the Father.

How would you tell us if you were God and wanted us to know that you wanted to be with us, help us and work with us?  Would you shout from heaven, or would you become one of us?

John 1:1-18 answers the question for us:

1 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. NIV

The Word Is God 

“And God said…” is repeated in Genesis 1 as everything is being created.  The power of the spoken word is underlined throughout the Bible.  The Lord’s creation comes into being through His words, and His people come to know Him through His words.  When Moses climbed Mount Sinai and received the Ten Commandments, it was through the Word of God.  The prophets spoke to God’s people throughout the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) through the Word of God.

Hebrews 1:8-10 emphasizes the identity of God’s Son:

8 But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” 10 He also says, “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.” NIV

Two men crossed the street to shake hands, thinking they knew each other.  One discovered their error and cried, “I beg your pardon!”

The other replied, “Oh, don’t mention it.  It’s a mutual mistake.  I thought it was you, and you thought it was me, and it turned out to be neither of us.”

Most Canadians believe that Jesus Christ was simply a good man, teacher, or prophet.  This political correctness will not work when it comes to understanding His identity.  He wasn’t the first, but C.S. Lewis narrowed down our options for understanding Jesus Christ’s identity in this way:

1.    He was a liar.

2.    He was a lunatic, a madman.  Or …

3.    He was Lord.  He was who He said He was – God Himself.

A fog has settled on the minds of North Americans, deluding us into thinking that all religions eventually lead us to heaven.  The Word of God cuts through such deception like an incomparably powerful lighthouse.  He is the objective standard by which people’s eternal destinies will be determined.  He is the One we will all stand before someday.  The Word of God has the final say.

The Word Became a Human

In writing this Gospel and his letters later in the New Testament, the Apostle John confronts the teaching called Gnosticism.  This false view of Christ refused to acknowledge that a pure deity could take a material body since matter was regarded as something evil.  Through emphasizing the pre-existence of Jesus Christ and references to manifestations of God’s glory from Genesis to Malachi, John writes of how God Himself became a person.

The Old Testament records glimpses of the Lord's majesty.  Because the veil occasionally lifted on His greatness, people worshipped and revered the maker of heaven and earth.  Such knowledge was clouded at best.  The revelation of God’s nature and plan became sharper when God became flesh.

Let the significance of Matthew 1:18-23 sink in:

18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about:  His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” - which means, “God with us.” NIV

Greater intimacy and understanding needed to be established between God and people.  Although people had offered their worship and sacrifices, the Lord wanted more - He wanted our hearts.  Greater closeness with God is possible through Jesus Christ.  He came to dwell among us so that we could live with Him.  He was unsatisfied with being admired from afar; He wanted to be close to us.

If you wanted to become my friend, would you prefer I use a megaphone to blast out my words so you could hear them, or have me come and get to know you by being with you and doing things together?

Others Have Confirmed the Word

John the Baptist was the forerunner of the Word and pointed people to Jesus Christ.  I am struck by the humility and faith that permeates the words of John the Baptist in John 3:28-31:

28 You yourselves can testify that I said, “I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.” 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom.  The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice.  That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less. 31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth.  The one who comes from heaven is above all. NIV

It would have been easy to miss the true identity of Jesus of Nazareth.  He was an ordinary-looking guy until He started to do and say amazing things.  John the Baptist had not yet witnessed firsthand the miracle-working power of Jesus, yet he still knew through the Holy Spirit that Jesus was the One he was going before.  Instead of revelling in his popularity, John the Baptist laid it all down before the Word of God that had become a human being.  Yes, there were times of doubt for John the Baptist, but he ended up giving his life for what he believed.

1 John 1:1-3 records the testimony of another person who knew Jesus personally:

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched - this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.  And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. NIV

Because of his close relationship with the Word which had become flesh, the Apostle John was transformed from a fiery-tempered fisherman into a preacher who spoke and lived the message of love.  Because of his devotion to Jesus Christ, the Apostle John was banished and spent the last years of his life on the island of Patmos.

The Word has changed people’s lives for centuries.  Their goals, ambitions and values have been shaped by the same power and energy that shaped the universe.  He has changed my life.  Thousands have given their lives at the hands of torturers because they refused to deny faith in Jesus Christ.  More followers of Jesus have lost their lives this last century than in the previous 19 centuries combined.

Someone has concluded, “One birth, one child, changed the course of history and humanity itself.  He can change us as well.”

One resourceful missionary fell into the hands of a band of cannibals.  “Going to eat me, I take it,” said the missionary.  “You wouldn’t like me.”  He calmly took out his pocketknife, sliced a piece from the calf of his leg and handed it to the chief.  “Try it and see for yourself,” he urged.

The chief took one bite, chewed a minute, grunted, and spat it out.  The missionary lived on that island for another 25 years, and the natives never realized he had a cork leg.

Maybe you and I have been changed forever by the Word of God.  We can testify together that He lives on.  He is, in a physical sense, away right now preparing a place for His people, but He has placed His Spirit in us to help us with whatever we need to face.  He is offering the same to all of us.  Our choice is whether or not we will receive His initiative. 

If you have already received the Word of God into your life, you can take Him to those with whom you come in contact.  Christ in you is again revealed as the Word of God through what you say and do.  Rather than shouting His message from afar, we will impact others more deeply when we dare to draw close to others.  People then see and hear how the Word has become a human once more in us.

In 1873, a Belgian priest named Joseph Damien was sent to minister to lepers in Hawaii.  Before Damien came to the island of Molokai, the leper colony needed a lot more food and resources.  The lepers acted like animals, often killing each other for clothing and food.  They lived in wretched conditions.  The smell in their huts was so overpowering that Damien used tobacco to mask the stench.

Damien found himself to be the only one who could provide comfort for the people of Kalaupapa.  He was not only their priest but had to be their doctor, too.  He dressed their skin ulcers and helped build their homes and beds.  He even built their coffins and dug their graves.  He did this for years and grew to love his parishioners.

In December 1884, as indicated in his diaries, Damien soaked his feet in boiling hot water, as he did every evening.  When he removed them, he saw, to his dismay, that they were covered in blisters even though he had not felt the heat.  Reeling from this discovery, he consulted a renowned specialist, Dr. Arning, who confirmed that he had contracted leprosy.  Despite this distressing development, Damien continued to work vigorously to build as many homes as possible.  He also made plans for the programs he started to continue after he was gone.

The news of the missionary’s disease spread through the community within hours, and soon, the lepers - hundreds of them - had gathered outside his hut.  They understood his pain and despair.  When Damien arrived at the chapel the following Sunday, the small building was overflowing.  As he walked tearfully to deliver his sermon, no one initially noticed the difference in his opening line.  He usually began every sermon with, “My fellow believers.”  But this morning, he began with, “My fellow lepers.”  This started a new chapter in a fruitful ministry. 

What made the difference?  Now, the lepers knew that he understood their condition.  There was no question about whether he cared or not.

In the same way, we have a God who has identified with our situation.  Though without sin, our Saviour experienced all the pain and frustration of an earthly existence to bring us life.

The Word Is God

The Word Became a Human

Others Have Confirmed the Word

God became one of us.