Emmanuel - Before and Beyond the Manger

In Case you don’t know Christmas is my favorite time of year.It’s not because of all the festivities, the vacation, the food (although I do like that) or gifts.It’s because of Jesus and all that means.I can tell you even as a Christian it wasn’t always my favorite time and that was because I really didn’t know what it all meant.Personally I used to just focus on the manger, the wise men, the angels and all those wonderful scenes we see.That isn’t the meaning of Christmas. Those are just some of the events or details of the day.The reason I like Christmas is because it is the gospel, it’s the good news about Jesus and that gospel changes everything.But here is where I got stuck.For a long time I thought the gospel was about heaven and hell.Jesus came to save us sinners so we don’t go to hell and now we get to go to heaven.That’s not the gospel. That’s not the good news.In some ways I feel the church has missed the gospel because that’s the message we preach.Let me tell you the good news is so much more.This morning and next week our take home will be to see what the good news really is.Here’s how we will learn it.We will look at the Christmas story from the Apostle John’s view point.His viewpoint is very important.Because he is the one who understood Jesus better than any of the other or the disciples or Apostles.His story is very different from the others.In John’s story there is no manger, there are no wise men, the shepherd’s aren’t mentioned and even Joseph and Mary aren’t there.The reason is because His Christmas story is all about Emmanuel - God is with us. And His focus is what was before and after the manger.Our take home will be to see John’s version of Christmas is really the good news or the gospel that we need to know and preach.When we understand it, Christmas takes on a whole new meaning.

John 1:1–18 ESV

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 was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

I’m not sure I fully understand why but my kids like to watch reality TV shows. Ones like the RHOFOC, They like something called B Bro and even used to watch Keeping up with the Kardashians.I think the reason why is because we like the behind the scenes view of what life is like for the rich and famous.Why else would you watch these shows.We want to know what takes place behind the scene.This part of John we just read is a glimpse of the reality of a relationship between God the Father and God the Son.We get to see what their life was like.Then we get to see the good news that we can be part of this family.That’s the Christmas story and what is before and beyond the manger.It is here where we get to see what God wants us to be part of and it is not just a message of heaven vs hell.Here’s where we start.We are introduced to the family of God.We can see they are like no other familyIn the beginning was the Word.What is the beginning.This is John’s way of letting us know that the people he is going to talk about have always been.It’s what I often talk about is that everything starts with God.Before this world was created God was there.Here is where we learn something about God.He is not just one person.Here we see two people.One is called the Word and we will come back to that and the other is just called God.In the beginning was The Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.And in verse 18 we see that the Word was at the Father’s side or literally in His bosom before this world came into being.The words used here are important.This is where we see the picture that is often overlooked.When we are told the Word was “WITH” God and at the Father’s side this is showing us what life was like behind the scene’s in the God’s family.It was about being “With” each other it was about relationship.And it is an intimate relationship.See for all of eternity God the Father and God the Son have been together in perfect relationship.Perfect unity and perfect love.We are not given anything beyond this - the family of God is all about perfect harmony and relationship.But the story doesn’t end there.There came a time where The Word started creating. Not the Father but the Word.

John 1:3 ESV

All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

This is pretty important.A day came called the beginning where The Word started creating.We are to there is not one thing that exists in any realm that was not created by God.Everything that exists is here because of The Word that is mentioned here.Why is this important.It establishes that this world and everything it is His.This is where the gospel really starts.Why did God create all of this?God wants to share all this creation with others.And He wants to do it by bringing them into the family.Not to be God’s that is only for Him but to be part of the family of God.His desire would be that we would have that same Intimacy with GodSo John’s Christmas story starts way before the manger.It starts with a little glimpse of the unity that God the Father and the God the Son had from all of eternity.And establishes that it is God the Son who created everything.Here is what we need to know see.These are the facts or details of the story.They are important facts.You know people almost always point out that there is a big difference between Jesus and all other religious figures.Like Buddha, Mohamed, Confucius and others and say Jesus is different because only Jesus has an empty grave.But a bigger difference: Jesus had no beginning. He always was and He created everything.This is now where the Christmas story comes in.That person in the story here called the Word came to this earth on Christmas day.This is where the powerful picture that John wants us to understand comes in.It isn’t just to know facts.John wrote in such a way that once we understood what He meant it would change our lives.So what changes our lives?Jesus does.But not from a manger but everything else.This is where we need to understand what John meant by The Word.Let’s make this real simple.Words are how we communicate.We can’t know what someone is thinking or what’s in their heart until they start to communicate with us.So to call Jesus the Word what this is telling us is that Jesus is what God wants to communicate or say to us.He does not come as the communicator but He is the communication.Meaning He didn’t come to just tell us about God.Everything He did from the moment He was born till they day He rose from the dead was God communicating with us.When there was no room in the inn and so Jesus was born in a barn and placed in a manger that was God communicating to us.When Jesus was tempted by the devil that was to communicate to us.When Jesus touched the lepers, healed the sick, went looking for the lost sheep, cast out demons, called apostles, prayed, calmed the storms, walked on water and on and on we could go it was to communicate what God wanted us to know.And what was it that He wanted us to know:The big message is that loves us, He cares about us and that He wants us to be part of His family.The good news is that He would even leave heaven to come to this earth and put on flesh and blood to come let us know how much He wants us to be part of His family.I mean He didn’t even leave it to us to come looking for Him.He came looking for us and He still is looking for us and inviting us to be part of His family.Just look at verse 12 and let it sink in:

John 1:12 ESV

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

The gospel is not just about Heaven and Hell.Actually if Jesus is the Word of God and communicates all that God wants us to know.Out of the 1900 recorded words of Jesus, if you are extremely generous only 3% of them deal with hell.That doesn’t mean it isn’t real but that is not the good news.The good news is that the loving relationship that That God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit had from before the beginning of time.That little peak that John gave us.God wants us to be part of that.I actually believe that He created all this world for the purpose of bringing more people into that loving relationship.Everything Jesus did was to communicate that.We may be fascinated by the RHOOC, BBWives, Kardashians, but they are nothing compared to being part of God’s family.The One who had no beginning but created everything.John tells us here all we have to do to be given the right and privilege to be part of it.Receive Him and Believe in His name.Which simply means we recognize Jesus Christ as the One whom the Father sent to communicate with us about Him and His plan, Recognize Jesus as the One who fulfilled all the ancient prophecies and came to be our savior. Receiving and believing means that we accepted His message as from God.And finally trust that we don’t work to become part of this family, as John points out He GIVES us the right and power to be part of it.Being part of HIs family is a gift not a right.This is why Christmas is my favorite time of year.It’s a time to think about all of this. God left heaven to let us know all of this.