God is Present With Us

For hundreds of years, God’s people longed for His advent. The Messiah. Emmanuel. God with us. Finally, He came. Even though many did not recognize Him; even though most rejected Him; even though His own people killed Him on a cross, He came. He became one of us. I love the way John, the apostle (the one Jesus loved) introduced Jesus in the Gospel of John. John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. There it is! The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. I’m not sure about you, but for me, that’s as...

Exciting as Christmas morning!

Truth be told, I wasn’t the kid who came bounding down the stairs on Christmas morning. I was the one who wanted just a few more minutes of sleep. But when I became a parent, and then a grand-parent, I came to LOVE Christmas morning when the little ones wait with great excitement and anticipation for that perfect gift they’ve waited so long for. Seems to me that’s how it should have been when God became one of us. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. In Greek philosophy, “word” or logos carries the thought of an idea or concept. In Bible discourse, the logos is God’s idea or plan to make a world (God SPOKE the WORD); to create mankind to have relationship with Him; to make a way back when mankind sinned and broke that relationship; and of course, that way back is that the Word became flesh in the form of a Baby (Jesus) who would grow up and die to pay the penalty for our sin, but rise again…but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. So, when John wrote “…the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” it’s a big deal. We must realize that GOD (the Word was God) became one of us. He was (and is) with us. God is present. Not to destroy us, but...

God is present to rescue us.

A bit later in the Gospel of John, chapter John 8:12, Jesus made an interesting statement at an interesting time. ...Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” We’ve heard that statement many times. Throughout the Bible, light represents the Holiness of God, the absence of evil. Throughout the Bible, darkness represents evil, the absence of God. We’ve already read from John’s opening prologue, in which he wrote, In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness. 1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. Same John. Same message. Same light. But there is something striking about the timing of Jesus’ declaration I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. In John 8, the scene is the Holy Feast of Tabernacles—the last day. The solemn assembly. The meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles is found in the Old Testament Book of Numbers, pointing to the time when God’s people wandered in the wilderness, living in tabernacles, or tents, while they were on the way to the Promised Land. During that time, God was PRESENT WITH THEM. Remember, God demonstrated that He was with them by appearing as a pillar of cloud during the day, which turned into a pillar of fire by night. In that way (cloud by day, fire by night) God directed their path, and they followed Him. The Feast of Tabernacles was a remembrance of God’s Presence with them, showing them the way. One of the symbols used during the Feast of Tabernacles (both in Jesus’ time and still today) is the lighting of lamps, or giant torches, to remind the people of how God was with them in the wilderness. And now Jesus, on the last day of this Holy Feast, with the bright lights shining all around, made this powerfully timely statement, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. God is present to show us the way. God is present to rescue us.

God is present to show us the way.

The last few years have felt much like some kind of wilderness, don’t you think? So many people have lost their way. We put our hopes in so many attractive things that promised so much happiness and contentment; they didn’t deliver what they promised, so we kept groping along, like being in a wilderness…all of a sudden, 2020 hit, and the wilderness got deeper and thicker and darker and scarier. Believers, we are people of hope. Here today, I declare to you, my hope is in the One who became flesh and dwelt among us. One last side note: that word that John used that is translated “dwelt?” It’s the word “tabernacle.” A temporary dwelling. He didn’t have to come here. But He did. For a while. To rescue us. To show us the way. Even if He is no longer here physically, God is present with us. Immanuel. God with us.