Great Expectations Part 1
Notes
Transcript
Welcome
Welcome
Toy Drive Presents due today
Ugly Christmas sweater in two weeks (20th)
Pray
Intro:
Intro:
Christmas time is here
I don’t know about you but Christmas always seems to come with this massive “high” if you will
There are always such great expectations for the one day in the year
And it’s not that expectations are wrong but wrong expectations could be dangerous
I remember when I first got married and spent the first Christmas i’ve ever spent away from my mom and dad
What Christmas was like growing up
Vs. what it’s like at the in-laws
I have 3 younger daughters and a couple of years ago we begin Christmas morning like we always do
We bring the girls out and they begin opening presents
After their 4th or 5th present Wren looks to us and says “that’s it?”
She had a very, very dangerous expectation for Christmas
The reality is, is that we all have expectations, whether you like it or not
But the danger is this
Your expectations may not be God’s plan
Your expectations may not be God’s plan
This year, perhaps more than ever, there is such a high expectation for this Christmas
Not necessarily for what’s going to be under the tree but an expectation that somehow come Christmas day and maybe even the new year that things will just get better
Back to normal. Not so hopeless
But that is a huge expectation for one day on the calendar
People have begun decorating for Christmas earlier this year then ever before
Today.com wrote an article that states that decorating earlier makes your happier
Jon Bloom - “If there was ever a holiday to celebrate and worship God in His sovereign control over things not going the way we planned, it’s Christmas.”
We probably all know the Christmas story and it’s such a great reminder of expectations that were not met
Very little went as Joseph and Mary expected
Mary couldn’t have expected to be the mother of the Son of God
She couldn’t have expected it all to happen the way it did
Joseph hadn’t expected the painful decision to divorce Mary
Or all the detours that took them to Bethlehem, then to Egypt, then eventually back to Nazareth
Neither could have expected their baby to be born in a stable
Christmas is the celebration of the coming of the unexpected Jesus
This isn’t the first time that our world was in a dark place during Christmas.
History records dark periods marked by war, famine, disease.
In fact, it was a dark period in the world when Jesus was born, especially for the Jews.
Rome controlled the world
While the Jews still enjoyed some freedoms, in particular, their religious practices, they were still not free
The economy was terrible
People were oppressed, overwhelmed, and hopeless.
Darkness ruled and for centuries they had been promised this Savior to come and rescue them.
A very dangerous thing happened to them and I believe still happens to us today
Jesus didn’t meet their expectations of a Savior, so they never received Him as their Savior
Jesus didn’t meet their expectations of a Savior, so they never received Him as their Savior
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
There is so much in this text. It’s so deep and rich.
V. 1-2 The pre-existence of the “Logos” or son (Jesus)
Jesus has always been
He was not “created” on Dec 25th
v. 4 In Christ there is life
For we are all dead in our sins but through Jesus we can be made alive
v. 4 life is light
v. 5 that light was rejected by darkness
The sin of this world will cause us to reject the life that we can have through Jesus
v. 5 Yet the light can not be quenched by it
There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God
v.9 light coming into the world
v. 11 but not received even by His own
v.13 being born to God and not of flesh
He was sent from God
v. 14 seeing His glory
The splendor of or extraordinary beauty of God
Everyone knew God’s glory had departed the temple due to Israel’s sinfulness
And so now is the the return of God’s glory in the form of His Son
v. 14,18 the “one and only” Son
V. 17 truth in Jesus Christ
v. 18 no-one has seen God, except the one who comes from Him, Jesus.
This Prologue into the book of John summarizes how the “Word” which was with God in the very beginning came into the sphere of time, history, and tangibility
This is Jesus!!!
But even when Jesus, the Savior of the world, comes, His very own do not accept Him
He was not who they had expectations of.
The pictured a king, who would rule with power, might, and force, who would over throw the Roman government
They pictured a well versed politician who could lead them into prosperity and peace
It wasn’t much different then as it is now
They pictured fame and fortune. A quick fix to all their problems
But they got a baby, in a manger
We have a king
But he did not come to rule with force, He came to serve
We have peace
But it does come through politics it came through the cross
We have hope
He didn’t come to get rid of our problems but rather hope in our troubles, help through our troubles
Knowing that there will be a day
4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
And it’s all made possible because Jesus came
He is Emmanuel (God with us)
Too many people do not follow Jesus or even stop following Jesus because Jesus does not meet their expectations
We have to stop expecting a savior that does not exist and must align our expectations with the Savior of the Word
We have to realize, now more than ever, Jesus never promises to save us from the troubles of this world. He promises us to save us from our sins
So that we may ultimately be in right standing, have a relationship, with our heavenly Father.
And that’s what Christmas was all about
God is in control of the unexpected
God is in control of the unexpected
From the very beginning. God sending His Son, into the world, to die on the cross for your sins and mine
It is God’s gift to us
All we have to do is accept it