Brunel CU talk Christmas Carol service, 16/12/02, 7.30pm
Readings: John 1:1-5; 6-9; 14-18; 29-34 and 3:11-21
I wonder if any of you have seen The Simpsons episode when Bart asks Homer what his religious beliefs are, and Homer says, "You know, the one with all the well-meaning rules that don’t work in real life. Uh… Christianity."
It’s certainly a very common view.
But a man called Oscar Romero once said this: “Christianity is not a collection of…laws to be obeyed…Christianity is a person, one who loved us so much, one who calls for our love.”
So instead of asking you what your definition of Christianity would be, I’d like to ask you a question Jesus Himself asked: "Who do you say that I am?" (Matthew 16:15). What is your view of Jesus Christ?
I’d like to suggest to you, in fact, that this question is the most important question you will ever ask in your life. It’s more vital than what career you follow, who you marry and what kind of car you’ve got. There can be nothing more crucial than where you stand with Jesus Christ. Let me explain, under three headings, which I hope you will remember:
1. Jesus Christ is God
2. Jesus Christ is Man
3. Is Jesus Christ your God?
1. Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1)
One of the people who was there when Jesus said “Who do you say that I am?” was John, one of Jesus’ close friends. John wrote five books in the New Testament, and was the last living apostle. He describes himself as having heard, seen and touched this man Jesus. John knew Jesus, possibly more intimately than any other human being whilst Jesus was on this earth. So his views on Jesus Christ have huge authority. Even more than this, if the Bible’s claims about itself are true, God Himself inspired John to write these words we are looking at now.
Helpfully, John has told us later on in his gospel what his purpose for writing is. He says, “These [things] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
So what does John say about Jesus? In the very first verse he calls Jesus the Word. The Greek word for this is logos, from which we derive our word logic. So before Jesus was born in a stable to the virgin, Mary, He existed, as a person called the Word. There never was a time when He was not: He is an eternal being. As the Bible throughout says there is only one Creator God, and yet this Word is not a creature, but an eternal being, then it must follow that this Word is God. And this is exactly what John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says. And yet, mysteriously, John also says that the Word was with God, showing a kind of distinction. The word with in the Greek is pros, and it means not mere company but the most intimate union. Here we are at the heart of the mystery of the Trinity: God is One, but He is three Persons.
You might find this a little challenging, and you wouldn’t be the first! But it’s hardly surprising is it? God is wonderful and awesome enough to create this fantastic world we’re living in, these bodies we’re inhabiting, this air we’re breathing. Wouldn’t it be completely daft then to think we could fully comprehend His vastness and complexity with these tiny finite minds of ours? If we can’t understand the mystery of our own bodies, is it any wonder the nature of God is a little mysterious to us?
So, then we have this clear bold statement made by one of Jesus’ best friends, that Jesus is God! This guy he shared bread with, the bloke whom he saw cry, be astonished, fall asleep, get angry, sweat blood and die! And yet John insists with absolute clarity that Jesus- the Word- is God.
2. Jesus Christ is Man (John 1:14, 3:14, 1:29)
Even though some aspects of God, such as His infinity, are by definition incomprehensible to finite humans like you and me, God has been tremendously kind to us in this: He has become one of us. I’ve never understood that song ‘What if God was one of us?’ by Joan Osborne. John says quite clearly in verse 14 that He is! The Word is God, and the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. From this point on, John refers to the Word as Jesus, the name He took on becoming a man. So the answer to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” is “Jesus, you are God and you are man.”
But a second question then follows this: why? Why become a man? Why be born as a baby in a manger? This question is especially poignant when we remember what happened to Jesus. Look at verse 11- His own did not receive Him. More than this, we murdered Him. Now, if you were God, would you take up the form of one of your creatures, only to be executed by them, despite a completely blameless life? I think not. But it really does seem that the Word became flesh in order to be killed. As Jesus says in verse 14 of chapter 3, “The Son of Man must be lifted up”, and by this He means crucified.
So Jesus is a man- good. Why become a man? So as to die. So why did Jesus die?
John the Baptist tells us in chapter 1 verse 29: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” So here we see another name for Jesus- the Lamb of God. A lamb in the OT was slaughtered to atone for the sins that a person had committed, but an animal could never fully satisfy God’s righteous demand for justice. And justice for God means death for us, because the Bible says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The default verdict on all human beings is death: condemnation is what we deserve, and condemnation is what we will get. Unless God provides a remedy. And He did: God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). It’s no accident that this is the most famous verse in the Bible, because it contains the most important thing you will ever need to know: Jesus Christ became a Man to die in your place. This demands a response from you.
3. Is Jesus Christ your God?
If you’re not a Christian, or if you’re not sure, I plead with you to get right with God. Believe in Jesus. He has provided a route of escape by dying as your substitute, and this is the biggest act of love God could show to you. Don’t perish needlessly, when Jesus has already been punished instead of you. Accept His offer of forgiveness today. And more than this, submit to Jesus Christ as your God, as your Lord. Don’t just tick a mental box in your mind, but give your whole life over to Him. He promises that if you do that, if you turn away from your sinful old life, He will give you a new nature, a nature that desires to please Him and love others with a pure love.
So, my three points: 1. Jesus Christ is God; 2. Jesus Christ is Man; 3. Is Jesus your God?
Jesus was born as a little man 2000 years ago. One day soon He is coming back as a very big God. I’m really looking forward to this: He’s going to put everything right. But before He comes to judge the world, will you have trusted Him? Will you be ready to meet Him?
