The Way in the Manager

Getting Spiritual

I read an article not that long ago that in living in our post COVID world, people are becoming more spiritual and less religious. People are inclined to some form or another to spiritualism.

Natural to Civilization

If you study civilizations throughout history you will always find some form of spiritual system associated with that civilization. We could certainly look today at the nations of the world and find many of them to be atheistic in nature, especially in those countries where the government is totalitarian in nature. But, the reality is that their atheism is a relatively modern invention as a tool of the state. After all, how can the state have absolute power why the people acknowledge the existence of divine forces that are beyond the authority of government.

Something More

We see that even for those in our culture, who reject mainstream religion, that often they adopt some other sort of spirituality. When someone says they are spiritual, often what they regard isn’t the Christian faith but a mixture of Asian and Native American beliefs.

There are things that people dislike about embracing God as the divine law-giver, chiefly that it implies that there is a law to be accountable to. But, at the same time it is unthinkably despairing to conclude that this existence is all there is to life. There seems to be some instinct at the core of humanity that concludes that there is a higher power. That is the point Paul is making in Romans 1:18-22

Romans 1:18–22 KJV 1900

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Paul’s point is that often people see the evidences of God, and know in their heart that God exists, but ultimately reject God and instead embrace the wildest conclusions of their imagination instead. And while Paul writes this conclusion in Romans at a time we now refer to as ancient — you can conclude how applicable his words are today the minute you have a conversation with a theoretical physicist on the subject of existence. — You would be surprised by how many who would reject the gospel as implausible would then have you to believe that there are an infinite number of universes and we live in just one, or that our existence is merely a simulation.

People consistently go to great effort seeking knowledge of that higher power and ironically rejecting it once it is within their grasp. That is why Paul concludes in v22 that they

Romans 1:22 KJV 1900

22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

The Way in the Manager

The uncompromisable truth that we are faced with this morning is that if we are to know God, then we have to come to know who that baby in the manger is.

Turn with me over to the Gospel of John, Chapter 14. Thomas asks the question in verse 5

John 14:5 (KJV 1900)

..... we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

And Jesus response is this verse 6-7

John 14:6–7 (KJV 1900)

...... I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

The Apostle Philip hears this response and without understanding asks Jesus to show him the Father. Jesus responds in v9

John 14:9 (KJV 1900)

.....Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

The Way in the Manger

Our family just got a new nativity scene for our living room. Consider the scene that we are all familiar with: Mary and Joseph with their newborn baby swaddled and laying helpless in a trough meant for feeding livestock. This lowly estate is not just God’s gift to humanity but is God incarnate and the Way to the Father.

Our message this morning is entitled The Way in the Manager

Let’s Pray

The Word Became Flesh

In John the opening chapter of the Gospel of John, in v14 we read these familiar words.

John 1:14 KJV 1900

14 And the Word was made 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.

λόγος (logos) γίνομαι (ginomai) σάρξ (sarx). The Message of God — was made to be — human.

And here is a little bit of a problem for us to understand. How can the Word of God, become human. This seems like something of a contradiction in terms. The concept of divinity, meaning to have the nature of being God. Divinity is by definition different than being human. Yet, here in this child we find one person of the triune godhead made to be flesh and made to bridge the gap of understanding between man and God.

Word of God = Bible?

Just to say that the attribute of God’s communication is a person in Himself is difficult to wrap our heads around and it probably doesn’t help that when I refer to the Word of God I could be referring to Jesus — or — I could be referring the Bible. That is why we need to be careful sometimes because in context people who have been in church for a long time automatically know what religious terms mean, but someone who has had little or no experience with Christianity would likely be thoroughly confused with some of the phrases used in church. And who could blame them!

We call our Bibles the Word of God, but — it may be easier for us to understand it in this way, that the Bible is the — record — of God’s word. In 2 Tim 3:15-17 Paul is writing to his protege Timothy and says:

2 Timothy 3:15–17 KJV 1900

15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Paul says that all scripture, not just some of it, but all scripture is inspired. Theo, Greek for God. Theo is where we get the term theology. And pneustos, where the word pneumatics comes from. Pneumatics are things that are powered and controlled by air. What Paul is saying is that All Scripture is — God, Theos — Breathed, pneustos. And so the Bible is the Word of God.

Scriptures Testify of Christ

In John 5:39 Jesus is confronting the says John 5:39

John 5:39 KJV 1900

39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Of the 66 books of scripture collected in our Bibles 39 were written and available to the people Jesus was speaking to. This was Gods communication to the people of Israel and what was communicated? Christ. They didn’t understand it a the time but all of Old Testament scripture points to Christ.

After Jesus’ resurrection he spent some time teaching his disciples. And in Luke 24:27 we read how He did this:

Luke 24:27 KJV 1900

27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Scripture was always the expression of the word of God.

The Personhood of the Word

The exact nature of the God comprising three persons, the Father, the Son (or the Word), and the Spirit is going to be beyond our understanding. Just as it is difficult to reconcile how a being could be both human and divine, it is difficult to wrap our heads around the trinity.

The best explanation I can offer is that God the Father, Son and Spirit are of the Same Essence but are distinct persons.

Essence

In saying that the persons of the Godhead are of the same essence is to say that they are of the same substance. The are the same in their divinity. Their purpose is not divided and they are essentially as a being the same.

Person

But in person, these three qualities of God. Charles Stanley put it this way:

the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All are equally omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, eternal, and unchanging, but each one has unique functions.

and then continues

The Father creates a plan, Jesus Christ implements the plan, and the Holy Spirit administers the plan.

And while that may be an incomplete answer to satisfy the limited comprehension of our finite understanding, it is as good of an answer as we are going to be able to achieve.

Knowing God

So how can we know God? How can we come to an understanding of the spiritual reality of existence?

Destination Spirituality

One guide lists the top 10 most spiritual places in the world. And in each destination you read about places that are famous for one religious activity or another. The idea is that if only you could arrive at some destination, that destination is holy ins some way would perform a spiritual work in you and bring about some level of inner peace.

You can be overwhelmed by the grandeur of a destination. You can be caught up in the ritual of religious activity. Sometimes it’s that people are so unaccustomed to rest and meditation that any opportunity to experience them is so foreign to them that it feels like a religious experience. People that have these experiences may come to know themselves more but it does very little for them to get to know God.

God Tells You

The reality is that God tells you who he is and how you can learn of Him.

Natural Revelation

To some degree, that last point has some truth. God reveals himself in nature. We call this natural revelation. It is simply that in observing the grandeur of the natural world, we can see that there must be some creator and that in seeing this world as full of beauty and that the world obeys logical and mathematical realities that the reality of God is both beautiful and orderly. By seeing hurt and ugliness in the world we can see the ramification of sin upon creation.

Christ

But more specifically. God has revealed himself in that person of his essence, God the Son — The Word of God — and in his becoming human.

Jesus said in one of my favorite passages, Matthew 11:29

Matthew 11:29 (KJV 1900)

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me ...

And by learning of Jesus you are learning of God. Remember what Jesus said in John 14:9?

John 14:9 (KJV 1900)

... he that hath seen me hath seen the Father

Jesus’ life tells us of a God who is:

Humble and Meek: Because we see him born of a family with modest means in a manger. And that he would grow to be a laborer with his adopted father Joseph.

We see a God who is Merciful: Because we see how inclined Jesus was to forgive and to provide for those who were sick — and hungry — and hurting

We see a God who is Righteous: Jesus didn’t permit sin and spoke harshly against it

We see a God who is Just: Jesus didn’t play favorites with those who were in power. On the contrary, it was the self-righteous religious leaders of the day who he had the most forceful of confrontations with

And we see a God who loves: Because rather than seek his own well being he died on a cross and had the wrath of God poured out upon him so that you and I might be spared.

The Bible

To know — Christ — the Word of God — is to know God. And to study the recorded word of God — our Bible — is how we can know Christ. We live in one of the most blessed times and blessed places to be alive. There are probably a dozen Bibles in my house, there is a Bible on my phone, You can get a decent Bible on Amazon for just slightly more than the cost of some meals at a fast food restaurant, and if you are really desperate for a Bible, they sell them at your local dollar store for one dollar.

The Way in the Manger

This week as you are going through all of the motions of Christmas and you consider the manger, don’t just think of a baby in the manger. Think of The Way in the Manger. They way to God in lying in a manager. All of that potential just waiting to be made known to the world.

I hope you have a great Christmas this year. I hope it is filled with family and with gifts and with Joy. But, most of all I hope it is filled with God. In a moment we are going to close in prayer. There is no better gift you could get this year than the gift of salvation offered by our God. And there is no better gift I could get than to tell you you about Him. So, please, if you would like to know more about what it is to be a Christian — If you just have questions — or if you want to make a decision that today is the day that you want to begin following Jesus — then please come speak with me after the message. If you are watching from how, you can reach out to me over private message and I will get back to you confidentially and as soon as I can.

Pray