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The Incomparable Jesus
:: Selected texts from the Gospel according to John
:: The message of John is of the Incomparable Jesus. His forerunner, works, and Word all point us to him.
Tomorrow begins Prayer Week 2010 at Calvary Community Church.
Today, while on my weekly Saturday sermon prayer walk, I was considering this, technology, and the start of 2010. For this and a few other reasons, I felt a nudging of the Spirit to draw back from technology for a time. A techno-fast, if you will.
By the time I made it back home, the nudge had grown into a conviction.
So, at least until January 4th, I am signing off from:
- NetNewsWire, and reading all my RSS feeds
- Twitter
- Facebook
- and from posting here at Growing in Grace
I will commit that time to seasons with Jesus, partly re-considering the role of these things in my life.
See you back here, Lord willing, in 2010.
(HT: Justin Taylor)
“We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will know no end.”
- The Nicene Creed
From "The Nativity Story"
Christmas is a time of longings. Yearnings. Great Expectations.
For many, all of those emotions are directed at gifts. O, how we just can’t wait to get at those pretty boxes decked with beautiful bows! They beckon to us.
Last night, in our Christmas Eve service at Calvary Community Church, I was reminded of far better, and far deeper, longings. I heard through the voices of Zechariah, Mary, Simeon, and Anna the climax of generations of longings and expectation. They too had those heart-yearnings directed toward a gift, but that gift would be the Messiah. They knew that his coming would usher in an era far better than any that had ever been known.
We have the deep benefit of living in that era, now realized because of Christ’s advent. Jesus himself spoke of this, and Peter echoes his statement in his first epistle:
Matt. 13.17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
1Pet. 1.10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
What should such knowledge produce?
Contentment. Joy. Peace. Satisfaction.
No matter what comes, part of what Christmas day should produce in us is the glorious reminder of what the coming of Jesus meant, and means. Jesus brought fulfillment to all that God promised he would do for his people, fulfillment of longings, yearnings, and expectations. God has saved his people. He himself has paid for sin. He himself has given light and eternal life to men. It is why the angels proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest!” It was because the Good News of grace and peace and salvation would be for all people. Jews and Gentiles. Young and Old. Rich and Poor. Slave and Free. Male and Female.
Of course, even after all of this, the ironic truth is the longing isn’t over, but re-directed. For now our longing and eager expectation is for his second return. Paul writes:
Rom. 8.18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
The kingdom of heaven is at hand. We are the privileged sons and daughters of the new covenant, basking in all of its promises. However, this kingdom is not yet consumated. We (with all of creation) should be marked with “eager longing” for the full revealing of the sons of God, which will occur at the second advent of our beautiful Savior, Jesus Christ.
Even as we celebrate the birth of Christ this day, and all he has fulfilled, may we also celebrate the glory that is yet to be revealed to us.
Such thoughts make me truly merry today.
Rom. 11.33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
Rom. 11.34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
Rom. 11.36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
I’ve been asking you to pray for pastor Matt Chandler of The Village Church in Dallas, Texas.
Here are two updates on his health ::
Let me start by saying, Thank You! The outpouring of love and prayers for my family and me has been so overwhelming that it has moved us to sobs. To see the tangible love of God for us in the saints has been overwhelming and a great comfort…Thanks.
Prognosis: Anaplastic oligodendroglioma
Battle Plan: Radiation and chemotherapy start on Dec. 29, bolstering my system with some homeopathic means.
Dec. 29 at 1 p.m.
Start radiation. This will continue every day for six weeks.
Chemo will be happening right along side of radiation and will go through February, and then we’ll take a four-week break, get an MRI and see where we stand.The players:
Dr. Karen Fink, neuro-oncologist – Dr. Fink is the quarterback for my team, and she happens to be the Peyton Manning of neuro-oncology. Please pray for her as she monitors my treatment and vitals through all of this. Pray for her wisdom and insight.
Dr. Scott Cheek, radiation oncologist – I enjoy Dr. Cheek very much. He has a refreshing and encouraging personality with a great sense of humor.
Dr. David Barnett, neuro-surgeon – David performed my brain surgery, and it was an amazing success. He is a man of great faith, and I have enjoyed getting to know him as a surgeon and a brother.
Dr. Hammon, homeopathic doctor – He’s working with my other doctors. I have been moved by everyone’s humility and willingness to hear from each other
Prayers:
- My doctors
- That God might glorify Himself in amazing ways through all of this
- The Village Church and our elders
- Complete healing
- Healthy appetite
- Protection from side effects of radiation
- Protection from side effects of chemotherapy
- Peace for my family…specifically my children and their salvation
- Audrey 7 yrs. old
- Reid 4 yrs. old
- Norah 6 ½ months
Christ is All,
Matt Chandler
Posting will be a bit light, as you’ve probably noticed, from here until New Year’s Day.
This morning, I can’t resist sharing some good ol’ Charles Haddon Spurgeon ::
“If, then, I believe on Jesus Christ’s name – that is, simply from my heart trust myself with the crucified, but now exalted, Redeemer, I am a member of the family of the Most High. Whatever else I may not have, if I have this, I have the privilege to become a child of God.”
- Charles Spurgeon, Morning & Evening, December 22
(HT: Of First Importance)
C.J. Mahaney reflects on this thought in a recent post. In part ::
During this time of year, it may be easy to forget that the bigger purpose behind Bethlehem was Calvary. But the purpose of the manger was realized in the horrors of the cross. The purpose of his birth was his death.
Or to put it more personally: Christmas is necessary because I am a sinner. The incarnation reminds us of our desperate condition before a holy God.
He then quotes extensively from William H. Smith ::
Many people who otherwise ignore God and the church have some religious feeling, or feel they ought to, at this time of the year. So they make their way to a church service or Christmas program. And when they go, they come away feeling vaguely warmed or at least better for having gone, but not disturbed.
Why aren’t people disturbed by Christmas? One reason is our tendency to sanitize the birth narratives. We romanticize the story of Mary and Joseph rather than deal with the painful dilemma they faced when the Lord chose Mary to be the virgin who would conceive her child by the power of the Holy Spirit. We beautify the birth scene, not coming to terms with the stench of the stable, the poverty of the parents, the hostility of Herod. Don’t miss my point. There is something truly comforting and warming about the Christmas story, but it comes from understanding the reality, not from denying it.
Read the whole thing.
Has that sentence ever exited your mouth? I’ll bet it has. I know it has mine. It is a good question.
I was reading in Micah this morning. We hear from this prophet about the righteous judgment of God against his people; but we also hear of the Shepherd-King, who will gather, forgive, and protect his people. In this context, Micah speaks words found in the mouths of the people, maybe your mouth:
Mic. 6.6 What can we bring to the LORD?
What kind of offerings should we give him?
Should we bow before God
with offerings of yearling calves?
7 Should we offer him thousands of rams
and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice our firstborn children
to pay for our sins?
Rhetorical questions, all with the answer, “No!”
Then what does he want? He has told you. Here are the words of life, here is what he requires:
8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
So, your response may be, “Oh, is that all?! Just to do justice and love kindness and walk humbly. Do you know who I am? That is not a simple task.”
But the news gets better, for he does know you. That is why he gives us a glorious helper in this walk.
Mic. 5.4 And [Jesus] shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
5 And he shall be their peace…
Delight in the clarity of what God requires today, and in the hope that you have a majestic Shepherd, always with you, assisting you in the joy of obedience.
Looking to the Good Shepherd with you,
Pastor Matthew
It is my experience (personal and with others) that it is a difficult thing for Christians to think of themselves as beloved by God, and that our Heavenly Father delights in us. Yes, delights in us. But that is exactly how God moves toward us, in love and delight. Tim Keller reflects:
“Have you heard God’s blessing in your inmost being? Are the words “You are my beloved child, in whom I delight” an endless source of joy and strength?“Have you heard God’s blessing in your inmost being? Are the words “You are my beloved child, in whom I delight” an endless source of joy and strength?
Have you sensed, through the Holy Spirit, God speaking them to you? That blessing – the blessing through the Spirit that is ours through Christ – is what Jacob received, and it is the only remedy against idolatry. Only that blessing makes idols unneccesary.
As with Jacob, we usually discover this only after a life of ‘looking for blessing in all the wrong places.’ It often takes an experience of crippling weakness for us to finally discover it. That is why so many of the most God-blessed people limp as they dance for joy.”
- Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods (New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2009), 164.
(HT: Of First Importance)
After reflecting on John 1:1-18 this past week, my hunger to know Jesus – to draw closer, to see more clearly, to love more deeply – has intensified. So, yesterday afternoon I contemplated what I might do about this growing ache.
The answer came quickly – keep going in the Gospel according to John. Keep reading. The place for seeking Jesus is in the Scriptures that speak so clearly about him. For it is there where John will continue to paint the portrait of the Son of God, and Son of Man.
Already the joyful labor of studying the Scriptures has yielded a harvest in my heart, soul, and mind. These words from John the Baptist were a particularly powerful statement on Christ:
John 3.31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
To see the Father clearly, what better testimony could I hear than that of the Son, who was with God, has seen God, has heard directly from God, and is God.
I’ve just begun my journey with the Apostle John. I encourage you to join me. If you would read just a couple of chapters per day, you’d be done with the book before the New Year. Think of it as an early resolution.
Seeking Jesus with you,
Pastor Matthew
Many times throughout this season you will see “Xmas” emblazoned in ads, written in correspondence, and even plastered on boxes pulled down from the attic when the decorating began. I know many people get really riled up when they see it, proclaiming, “How dare you take ‘Christ’ out of ‘Christmas’!”
But R.C. Sproul writes in a recent article that Jesus isn’t offended. He concludes:
The idea of X as an abbreviation for the name of Christ came into use in our culture with no intent to show any disrespect for Jesus. The church has used the symbol of the fish historically because it is an acronym. Fish in Greek (ichthus) involved the use of the first letters for the Greek phrase “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.” So the early Christians would take the first letter of those words and put those letters together to spell the Greek word for fish. That’s how the symbol of the fish became the universal symbol of Christendom. There’s a long and sacred history of the use of X to symbolize the name of Christ, and from its origin, it has meant no disrespect.
Read the whole thing.
(HT: Justin Taylor)
At the suggestion of a couple of good friends, I am going to link each week to my Sunday sermon.
My goal is not self-promotion. Rather, it is the same as my goal in preaching live on Sunday morning, namely, the glorification of God, the exaltation of his Son, the proclamation of his Gospel, and the declaration of his Word.
The Apostle Paul states my aim even better ::
1Cor. 1.17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
1Cor. 2.1 And I, when I came to you, brothers,did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
I pray it will be as much a blessing to you as preparing for and delivering it is for me.
Sunday, December 20th
The Divine Word, the True Light, and Grace Upon Grace
John 1:1-18
Audio and Video Links (just click on “Watch Video” or “Launch Jukebox”)
I enjoy when someone takes the naturalist worldview to its logical conclusion, and then points out the difficulty of applying it to everyday life.
I don’t think they’d want to admit this, or live in a world like this:
“If” we are nothing more than advanced primates (assuming a purely naturalist explanation of life).
“Then” would it be wrong for one to murder his neighbor?
“Since” any other primate doing this is merely the natural order of things (assuming a purely naturalist explanation of life).
Comments?
(HT: Expository Thoughts)
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