God Is With Us

You know, the holidays can be tricky.

While there is much joy to experience, it is also a time when we remember all those we have lost.

Especially this year, there are many in our communities that have lost much.

People have suffered financially, they have lost loved ones, dealt with depression and other mental issues, and many, many other things.

It is good for us to remember a couple of things.

Firstly, we are not alone, even when it feels like it.

Secondly, God can and will deliver us from this time of difficulty.

We are not the first to feel forgotten, alone, or lost.

In Israel’s past, because of brokenness in the world, they were separated from one another and from God and were living in exile.

During that time, the Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah, a word of hope.

We are going to study John 1:1-18 today, but before we do, I want us to read together the promise that God made to His people during a time of great anguish.

Isaiah 9:2–7 CSB

2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people have rejoiced before you as they rejoice at harvest time and as they rejoice when dividing spoils. 4 For you have shattered their oppressive yoke and the rod on their shoulders, the staff of their oppressor, just as you did on the day of Midian. 5 For every trampling boot of battle and the bloodied garments of war will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.

Isaiah was not speaking of their current time, but rather, a time that would one day come.

This was a promise from God that He would send a Messiah and that He would be a light in the darkness.

This is why we have songs like O come, O come, Immanuel.

Those songs help us to understand what Israel was feeling.

They are a cry from God’s people for God’s presence.

If we fast forward in time to today, the cry is the same.

Our world has not changed much, it is dark and needs to see the great light that Isaiah spoke of.

This is the message of hope that Israel needed, and it is the message of hope that our communities need as well.

Israel waited for many generations, waiting and hoping for the day when The Light of the world would come.

They were longing for Immanuel.

The people of our time are also longing for Immanuel.

Often they don’t even realize it, but there is some part of them that longs for God to be with them.

You and I, need to consider what it means for us personally, that God is with us.

I spent some time yesterday just pondering on what it meant for Israel to be waiting for God.

It isn’t intentional, but I think we take for granted that we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us.

Israel didn’t have that.

God’s presence on earth was in the Holy of Holies in the temple, not in the presence of the people.

We were talking with out kids about this last week to help them understand why it is such a big deal that Jesus was born.

Sayleigh reminded the other kids that when Christ died, the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn.

That separation from God that all people experienced was now over.

For me personally, as I thought about what this means for me, I thought of this last two weeks of quarantine.

I got a sliver of a taste of what it must have been like for Israel, who were torn from their homes and had lost loved ones in battle.

Obviously, a quarantine pales in comparison, but there was a feeling of loss because I missed getting to spend a holiday with my extended families.

We were also worried about my in laws and their health.

It was difficult to be separated and worried and unable to do anything about it.

I know that their are many in our congregation that have separated from family for almost the whole year.

Some of you have expressed the feelings of isolation that you have experienced this year.

Our membership is not alone in feeling these things.

There are many in our families and communities that feel alone this holiday season.

As we read our text today, I would encourage you to tap into those feelings.

Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the sense of need and urgency that Israel was experiencing as they longed for God to be with them.

As we sang O Come, O Come, Immanuel, I hope you sensed that longing that Israel was experiencing.

The haunting melody of the verses is a reminder of the longing that Israel felt.

Bet then comes the chorus: “Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to thee O Israel!”

Let’s remember that we have what have received hope and have hope to share with those that need it.

John begins his gospel by tying this promise of old to the birth of Jesus Christ.

He is creating a bridge for the readers of this message.

For the early church, this wording that He chose would have immediately grabbed their attention.

As we read this passage together today, I want us to see that the hope that Israel received is the same hope that we have the opportunity to share as we celebrate the birth of our savior.

He is our reason for hope!

His birth, which brought Light and Life to a dark and broken world is a cause for rejoicing.

God is with us! We are no longer alone and separated from God because His son has come.

Let’s read John’s message together.

John 1:1–14 NLT

1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. 6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

In the passage from Isaiah, we read of a people that were scattered, alone, afraid, and longing for what they once had.

It is obvious that they needed hope, they needed saving.

God speaks through the prophet Isaiah to tell them that hope is on the way.

As I said, John begins his gospel with this particular language to immediately bring this idea to mind for Israel.

John is reminding his readers of the promise that God made that He would come to them.

John is proclaiming that the hope that you have longed for has arrived!

The Light that Isaiah spoke of is here!

John takes the time though to show them that Jesus is not just another prophet.

This is why he distinguishes him from John the baptist.

Jesus cannot be compared to any man that has ever lived.

He is revealing to them who this Jesus Christ is.

He tells them that ...

Jesus is The Word.

The Word is the expression and activity of God on earth.

God creates by His Word.

Obviously, this is pointing back to Genesis and the creation of everything.

God spoke everything into existence.

God reveals Himself through His Word.

It is important that John’s readers understood this.

This is the basis of Christian belief.

John’s entire gospel and the new testament must be read through this understanding.

Jesus has always existed with God and is God.

Israel was accustomed to men speaking on God’s behalf, but John takes a moment from the outset, to say that this is not the case.

Jesus is God in flesh, not a man speaking for God.

When Jesus speaks, it is God they are hearing.

This is a message that the world needs to hear as well.

Jesus is God and comes to restore the relationship with His creation.

Jesus created all life in the beginning.

He was not a bystander.

He did not sit and watch as God created, God created all things through Jesus.

We were created to be in a relationship with God because He loves us.

His intent was for us to live in perfection with Him.

Because of Jesus, we are now able to experience that.

Not only is Jesus The Word of Life, but he is also the light that Isaiah prophesied about.

The birth of Jesus brought light into the world.

The world was dark because sin reigned over all the earth.

When Jesus humbled himself and was born as a baby, The Light was born into a dark world.

The darkness has no ability to overcome The Light!

Sin has no power over Jesus.

We will see that revealed when Jesus is tempted by Satan in the desert before Jesus began his ministry.

Jesus is God, not another prophet.

John 1:6–9 NLT

6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

Again, John is making a clear distinction between Jesus and John The Baptist.

There is no place for confusion on this.

John (The Baptizer) is not equal to God, but rather a witness of Jesus.

JTB’s purpose was to introduce and prepare Israel for the coming Messiah.

He was announcing that Jesus, the long-awaited savior, was about to make his entrance.

John was to reveal the truth about who Jesus was, the son of God.

Does that job description sound familiar?

We talk about this all the time, our role, as followers of Christ is to tell people the truth about who Jesus is.

During Christmas, more than any other time, people are primed and willing to talk about Jesus.

The whole world participates in this celebration, and we have the opportunity to bring light into darkness by sharing The Light.

God is working in the lives of those around us and will provide opportunities for us to share the hope and joy that come in realizing that God is with us.

It is also worth pointing out what John says in verses 10-11.

John 1:10–11 NLT

10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.

The people’s rejection of Jesus wasn’t a reflection of John’s abilities or lack thereof.

Some will reject the gospel.

We are successful, not when we “win one”, but by simply following the HS’s leading in sharing the Gospel.

I remind us of this often, because the enemy will try and use what may seem like a momentary failure to discourage us from even trying.

As we have talked about before, it may take years for someone to be ready to accept Jesus.

Our job is to faithfully obey the Holy Spirit and to never lose hope that God wants for them to have a breakthrough.

Jesus is Life.

John 1:12–13 NLT

12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

All that we know and experience as a TGP church is the result of having a progressively growing relationship with God.

This relationship begins right here, with what John is telling us in these two verses.

His grace shows us daily the immense love that God has for His people.

We are able to experience that grace because Jesus lived a perfect life and then took the punishment that we deserved.

It is only by believing and accepting His offering of forgiveness and grace that we can know Him.

Life is found in a proper relationship with God.

All of us have experienced the death that is living in sin without Jesus.

We find life only when we walk take Jesus’s offer of forgiveness and can enter into the relationship that God has always wanted for us.

We are reborn by believing and accepting Jesus.

In believing and accepting salvation from Jesus, we are dying to ourselves, and being born again into a proper relationship with God.

This was the whole purpose of Jesus coming to earth.

This is what Christmas is about.

It is about the hope and life that are found in Jesus and cannot be experienced in any other way.

Jesus revealed the unfailing love of God to the world.

We talked last week about Jesus revealing the heart of God to the world.

His birth, death, and life shout out to a suffering world that true love is here!

He is the light in the darkness.

He steps into the darkness of our lives, accepts us just as we are, and offers forgiveness, unconditional love, hope, and joy.

This is who God is!

God loves all men, women, and children and desires that they know Him.

John 1:14 NLT

14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

Do you see how amazing this is?

We too have seen His glory, the glory of the father’s one and only Son.

When people are around you and talk to you, they are seeing the Son through you!

Rachel texted me this week to share a perfect example of this.

Rachel, please come share with us.

Rachel knew that God was going to use her, she wasn’t sure how, but she followed God.

Her life is revealing the love of God to her boss!

This message is too great to be kept in.

If we are living in an abiding relationship with God, it will become obvious to those in our lives.

We too will be shouting to the crowds!

John 1:15 NLT

15 John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ ”

This is the response that everyone that met Jesus had.

They couldn’t wait to tell everyone they knew, who they met of what He had done in their lives.

John 1:16–18 NLT

16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

We know this “unique One”.

He is Jesus.

He has delivered us from the slavery of sin and the law, showed us God’s unfailing love, and made it possible for us to be in his presence.

Christmas is the celebration of God finalizing the work of the New Covenant.

This is the good news of Christmas and it is something that many have never understood.

We live in the bible belt, full of professing believers that are still living under slavery to the law.

It is my hope and the goal of Christ that all people would come to know the Father in the way that He always intended.

Jesus wants people to see Him for who he is.

He wants them to know that HE fulfilled the law on their behalf.

He did this because He loves them.

This is Christmas.

Christ loves us.