THE WORD BECAME FLESH | BIBLICAL CHRISTOLOGY FOR CHRISTMAS
THE DWELLING – HE DWELT AMONG US
JOHN 1:14b
[INTRODUCTION]
- About 730 years before Jesus of Nazareth was born, King Ahaz was the ruler of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Ahaz was an idolatrous king who led the people of Judah away from the worship of the one true God. Because of his idolatrous heart, he refused to trust in the God of his fathers for protection during military conflict. Nowhere is this clearer than in his encounter with Isaiah the prophet around 735 B.C.
- The king of Syria and the king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel had joined forces in order to attack Judah, specifically at Jerusalem, its capital. Upon hearing the news that this tandem was coming against him, Ahaz began to panic. Seeing his fear, God sent to him Isaiah with a message to trust in the LORD. The end result was that Ahaz would not trust God, but would instead give himself and the nation to the king of Assyria as servants in exchange for military aid.
- But during his exchange with Isaiah, he was told something that would forever be remembered as one of the greatest prophecies ever given by a messenger of God. It was a statement that had immediate impact and application in his own day, which he may have understood. But it also looked far beyond his life to a day when Israel’s Messiah would finally come. Isaiah asked Ahaz to request a sign from the LORD that he would indeed protect his people from the coming invasion. Ahaz hypocritically refused. So Isaiah responds to him in this way: Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
- Beyond the immediate context of those words lay a larger redemptive context that the Apostle Matthew picks up on over seven centuries later. A young man has a young fiancée who has recently become pregnant. Because he knows that he has not had sex with her, he is debating about what to do about the situation. Then an angel comes to him in a dream and says this: Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew goes on to explain: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
- The words spoken by the prophet of God to a rebellious king seven centuries before that moment had found their ultimate fulfillment. God was now with his people in a way he had never been before. The title that Isaiah prophesied and Matthew applied to Jesus sums it all up: Immanuel; which, as Matthew explains, means “God with us”. When Jesus Christ was born, God came to be with his people.
- The parallel to this great statement in the Gospel of John (though his gospel contains no nativity narrative) is found in 1:14. In our last look at this verse we labored to establish the fact that Jesus is the eternal Word of God; and that upon his birth he became the incarnate Word of God – God wrapped in flesh. We focused in on the first phrase of this verse. Now we will move to the second. Here again, is what it says:
[READ JOHN 1:14]
- When John writes that the Word dwelt among us he is echoing Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23, which call Jesus “Immanuel – God with us”. And since we have established who Jesus is, (he is the eternal and incarnate Word of God – both God and man), now we will probe the importance of his incarnation. Why is it so important that God became a man, that the Word became flesh, that Jesus is Immanuel – God with us?
- I have four reasons that I want to share with you; but first I want to say a word about this phrase and dwelt among us. Some of you may know that the verb that is translated as dwelt literally means “to pitch a tent”.
- It is an allusion to the Old Testament tabernacle and temple where God came to meet with his people in the Most Holy Place. Now, however, John is saying that God is not to be met in the temple above the ark of the covenant, but he has actually come to live among his people. He has tabernacled; he has pitched his tent among us. He has identified with us in the greatest possible way – he has become one of us.
- Now, the question before us is this: why? What does this truth (that God became a man and lived among us) do for us? Or to put it in Christmas terminology: Even though the date probably isn’t right, and was only chosen to try to identify with a pagan holiday, why do we, to this day, celebrate the birth of Jesus every December? Here is the first thing:
[GOD WITH US, JUSTIFIES US]
- Had God not intervened into human history, the problem of Genesis 3 would remain unresolved. That problem, of course, is sin; sin that separates us from a holy God. In just a few chapters over in John the famous words of Jesus tell us why he came to this earth: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
- Here is the problem. Since man rebelled against God, man must placate God; he must appease him. But sinful man cannot possibly do that. It’s a catch 22 of sorts. Man must do it but he cannot because of his sin. Here is how Job put it when he was dialoguing with his friends in Job 9: ...how can a man be in the right before God? If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times...There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both.
- Job says “I wish that there was a middle man; someone who could stand between us and have one hand on me and the other on God himself, because there’s no way that I can approach him on my own.” Have you ever felt like Job? “God I want to believe you are there but I can’t see you, I can’t sense you, I can’t feel you. I feel so alienated from you because of the person that I am. I don’t know how I can ever be made right before you. If you knew what I’ve done...”
- Here is God’s answer to you: Immanuel. He knows what you’ve done, and he’s done something about it. He has provided a mediator – someone to stand in the gap. Listen to the words of 1 Timothy 2:5-6: For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
- God stepped out of heaven and became a man so that you could be justified, made right with God, through faith in Jesus. The author of Hebrews says it perfectly. In chapter 9 he is discussing the inferiority of the old covenant and the law, and he writes: Therefore [Jesus] is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
- Jesus is what Job wanted. Christ is our middle man. As God, he was the sinless sacrifice for our transgressions. As man, he is a suitable mediator for humankind. He dwelt among us so that he could provide a means of justification for us. We celebrate the baby in the manger because he brings us to God.
- But not only does God with us, justify us; secondly:
[GOD WITH US, SANCTIFIES US]
- The second reason God became a man was to provide us with an example to follow and through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the ability to follow it. His purpose was not simply to give us a perfect position in heaven and then make us wait until we die in order to realize our renewed relationship with God.
- Once we are justified, once we enter into a right relationship with God through faith in Christ, the inevitable response is that we begin to grow in Christ-likeness. We grow in sanctification, in holiness.
- That whole process is made possible because of the fact that the Word dwelt among us. And we see that in two ways. First, our sanctification, our growth in godliness, is only possible because of what Jesus did on the cross. Paul writes in Romans 6:20-22: For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
- Once we have been set free from our bondage to sin, we can begin to produce the fruit of good works and godly behavior; the kind of behavior that is utterly impossible without the cross of Christ. Once again I’ll refer to the author of Hebrews, who wrote in Hebrews 10:14: ...by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. By the one sacrifice of Jesus, all of us who are being renewed in his image were perfected in holiness. And this life is our progress toward that perfection, which is guaranteed by the blood of Jesus.
- But our growth in godliness is made possible because the Word dwelt among us for another reason. We are supported by a mediator who understands our weaknesses. We have a high priest, a representative before God, who understands what it is like to be human. The familiar words of Hebrews 4:15-16 say: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
- We mentioned last time that Jesus was impeccable; that he was not able to sin. And this passage does in fact confirm Christ’s sinlessness. The virgin birth guaranteed his sinless nature. So he was not only sinless in his actions, but also sinless in his very being. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand us. He is not like us when it comes to depravity, but he is exactly like us when it comes to humanity.
- He knows what it’s like to hunger and thirst; to be tired and to cry. He knows what it’s like to be presented with temptation. And since he never had the inclination to give in to such temptation, he gives us the power to overcome our own. The incarnation prevents anyone from ever truthfully saying, “God doesn’t understand.” And at the same time, the crucifixion and resurrection prevent anyone from ever claiming, “God cannot help me.” As John went on to write in his first epistle in 3:8: The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. Now, those who know Christ can live like Christ.
- Jesus is what the Old Testament priests could never be. He is our perfect yet sympathetic mediator. He dwelt among us so that he could provide a means of sanctification for us. We celebrate the baby in the manger because he makes us like God. Thirdly:
[GOD WITH US, EMPOWERS US]
- Not only does the fact that God came to earth enable us to be justified and sanctified, it also empowers us for ministry. The New Testament church has a distinct responsibility. We are charged to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. For some of us that means we will preach or teach. Some of us will be missionaries. For others, we will be faithful witnesses of the gospel in the workplace. Still for others that will mean raising children with gospel intentionality. There are a lot of different looks to that mission, but there is one thing all of the different aspects of the gospel mission have in common: they are all God-empowered.
- One of the most freeing principles you will ever learn is that it is not up to you to change the world. In that familiar passage in Matthew called the Great Commission, Jesus said: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
- Don’t make the mistake of reading and focusing on “go make disciples” without also recognizing that “all authority in heaven and on earth” has been given to Jesus, and that he is “with [us] always, to the end of the age.” Why do you need to remember both? Because God was not only with us when the baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but he remains with us in Mechanic Falls, ME. And he is still working in his world.
- Now that doesn’t mean we can all sit on our hands and do nothing. We are called to action, to service, to witness; but we are not called to do those things on our own or in our own strength. We rely on the God-Man to empower us for ministry through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus said “I am with you always.” And his presence not only initiates and completes our salvation, but it enables us to do what he’s called us to do in the mean time.
- It would be a mistake for anyone to put the pressure of changing the world on their own shoulders. For that matter, it would be a mistake for anyone to put the pressure of changing one person’s life on their own shoulders. Please understand, I’m not saying that we cannot have an impact on people or that we can do nothing to influence the world around us for good. What I’m saying is that the only reason we can do those things is because God is working through us to accomplish them.
- If someone comes to understand the gospel through our witness, and gives their life to Jesus Christ as Lord, it is not because of us, it is because of God ministering through us. So, of course, we don’t take credit for the gospel work going on in the world, but we give all glory to God. And that’s easier said than done. But we must work at remembering that we are laboring at an incarnation-inspired mission, not a self-inspired mission. We labor for the King, not for ourselves; and we do so in the King’s might and power.
- Jesus does through us, what we could never do on our own. He is redeeming his people through our faithful gospel witness. He dwells in us so that we can take part in his purposes. We celebrate the baby in the manger because he still dwells with us. And lastly:
[GOD WITH US, GIVES US HOPE]
- God dwelt among us for our justification and sanctification. He continues to dwell with us for our continued growth and to empower us to fulfill our mission. And he will dwell with us forever as we enjoy him for eternity. In Revelation 21, John writes: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them (same word used in John 1), and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
- God has dwelt among us. He is dwelling among us. And he will dwell among us. Sometimes we forget about how great it was that God became a man. Sometimes we neglect the power of God within us to live godly lives. There are times when we are not focused on our calling, on our mission, because we fail to recognize the Spirit’s dwelling within us. We can become discouraged, losing sight of the end of the story. When we refocus on the ending, we are filled with hope.
- God will bring all things to their appropriate end in just the way he has planned. And that includes dwelling with us, his people, for all of eternity. Most people recognize that the Christmas season is a time of year that inspires hope in people’s lives. But the hope that most people experience is a false hope, a fleeting hope, a disappointing hope. It’s a hope that makes them feel warm for a few months out of the year before harsh reality hits in January and February. Ours is not a false hope nor a fleeting one.. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the only true reason for ever experiencing hope of any kind.
- By grace, we have been awakened by God to understand his saving realities. We celebrate Christmas for what it really is – a celebration of the Incarnation. And we do all that we can to spread that celebration to the community around us. So as we continue to get closer to the Christ holiday, may we recognize that Christmas will be what it’s intended to be when we remember “the dwelling”, as it were – Immanuel: God with us, God still with us, and God forever with us.
