WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:00.930 I want to invite you to John. 00:00:01.800 --> 00:00:03.350 Chapter one is where we're going to be this morning. 00:00:04.580 --> 00:00:08.800 I know this time of year we can... 00:00:08.880 --> 00:00:15.750 I don't know if it's possible to overkill Christmas, but the commercialization of Christmas can certainly do that. 00:00:16.400 --> 00:00:23.420 The reality is, when you think about Christmas apart from the commercialization of what it's become and just the simplicity of what 00:00:23.420 --> 00:00:24.010 it is. 00:00:25.460 --> 00:00:32.200 There's something about Christmas that just thinking about that time of year, it brings a peace and calmness to the souls. 00:00:32.400 --> 00:00:33.620 It's Christmas. 00:00:33.620 --> 00:00:35.940 You think about that. 00:00:35.980 --> 00:00:43.040 It's the hustle and bustle and the business that it's become, yes, but there's a part of it, as a follower of Christ, you know what 00:00:43.040 --> 00:00:43.320 it represents. 00:00:44.400 --> 00:00:46.720 There's a peace to the soul that comes along with that. 00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:52.920 But I realize that's not always the case because there's circumstances we can go through in life that just make us look at the holidays a little bit different. 00:00:53.460 --> 00:01:00.740 So I want to use this series that we're going through together to encourage us to compel us toward not just what the Christmas season is about, but really encourage 00:01:00.740 --> 00:01:05.319 our hearts in worship, but do that by looking at the Christmas story. 00:01:06.100 --> 00:01:12.880 When you think about this time of year, I would categorize myself as someone that just sort of enjoys the holidays. 00:01:12.980 --> 00:01:15.690 I'm not extreme on one end or the other. 00:01:16.020 --> 00:01:23.060 I don't get into all the commercialization of the stuff of Christmas, but I like the holiday and there is a little bit of peace and joy that just comes 00:01:23.060 --> 00:01:24.640 with the thought of what Christmas is. 00:01:25.160 --> 00:01:29.420 But then there are those that just go one end or the other related to this holiday. 00:01:29.780 --> 00:01:35.390 You know what I'm talking about with the ones that might get a little over-animated in the holiday season. 00:01:35.740 --> 00:01:42.800 They're the kind of person that as soon as the last bite of Thanksgiving dinner enters your mouth, you look up from your plate and all of a sudden, decorations are 00:01:42.800 --> 00:01:43.320 everywhere. 00:01:43.320 --> 00:01:50.780 You're like, "What happened?" And then it doesn't matter what's going on in their life, they turn any word you say into a song and everywhere they go. 00:01:50.920 --> 00:01:56.160 (singing) It's just everything related to Christmas. 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:57.440 Calm down. 00:01:57.440 --> 00:02:04.540 If your house, I'm not saying this happens in my house, but maybe even they get so devious as to program the TV 00:02:04.540 --> 00:02:06.650 for every channel to be the Hallmark station. 00:02:07.160 --> 00:02:13.200 It's so confusing because you watch the movie and this girl is lonely in Manhattan. 00:02:13.220 --> 00:02:18.120 You come back four hours later, it's the same girl in a different movie and now she's married in Denver. 00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:20.940 It's like what is going on? 00:02:21.100 --> 00:02:22.960 I love my wife. 00:02:23.700 --> 00:02:26.240 When we started off our Christmas season, my wife loves decoration. 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:29.320 She's good at decorating and she has an eye for stuff like that. 00:02:29.960 --> 00:02:34.560 I know we started off very meager in life and we have one tree we decorate. 00:02:35.180 --> 00:02:37.800 Now it's just grown into epic proportion. 00:02:37.840 --> 00:02:44.780 I will say, she's downsized a little bit over the last couple years, but it's like Oprah and Christmas tress in our house now. 00:02:44.780 --> 00:02:46.620 If you breathe in our home, you get a tree. 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:49.120 It's like, you get a tree and you get a tree and you... 00:02:49.320 --> 00:02:50.280 There's a tree everywhere. 00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:55.610 I remember we got a second tree upstairs for the kids to decorate, one downstairs, and all of a sudden we get one in our bedroom. 00:02:55.920 --> 00:02:56.540 Okay. 00:02:56.920 --> 00:02:57.540 She just says... 00:02:57.540 --> 00:03:01.420 Her only response is, "I like lights." It's like all right. 00:03:01.440 --> 00:03:04.280 And then I go in the kids' room and now they both got a tree on their end tables. 00:03:04.760 --> 00:03:05.640 Well, we are getting overrun. 00:03:06.060 --> 00:03:07.540 We're not growing a forest here. 00:03:07.580 --> 00:03:11.490 There are some that love the holiday season. 00:03:12.540 --> 00:03:17.060 And then there are sometimes when we face the holidays, it can be a difficult time of year. 00:03:18.300 --> 00:03:23.540 You look at people that go crazy over things like that and you just don't understand it. 00:03:23.540 --> 00:03:26.020 Maybe your heart feels two sizes too small. 00:03:28.790 --> 00:03:32.260 Christmas is about God drawing near. 00:03:34.600 --> 00:03:37.220 What do you do when you don't feel close to God? 00:03:39.320 --> 00:03:46.520 When you think about the Christmas story in the Book of John chapter one, John really doesn't describe the events so 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:52.510 much as about the theological implications as it relates to Christmas and what this means for all of us. 00:03:52.740 --> 00:03:59.760 You turn to the Gospel of Matthew, the first Gospel in the New Testament or the Gospel of Luke, the third Gospel in the New Testament, and in those passages 00:03:59.900 --> 00:04:03.940 of scripture they tell different aspects to the detail of the story and the events that took place. 00:04:04.740 --> 00:04:12.020 When you get to the Gospel of John, the author John wrote this with the idea of the world in mind and how we could come 00:04:12.020 --> 00:04:12.740 to such a story. 00:04:14.140 --> 00:04:15.960 What do you do when you don't feel close to God? 00:04:15.980 --> 00:04:17.899 That doesn't just have to be during the holiday season. 00:04:19.180 --> 00:04:24.700 No doubt at various points of your life you may have felt a disconnect from the Lord. 00:04:25.640 --> 00:04:33.040 When you read the Gospel of John in the very beginning of this section of scripture, you see the idea of Christmas and 00:04:33.040 --> 00:04:40.320 the conflict of what Christmas is about taking place here, God drawing near and the struggle within humanity to embrace 00:04:40.320 --> 00:04:41.980 this God who draws near. 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:46.620 When you read it in the first chapter of John, the first few verses, it says this... 00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:51.020 I think these first five verses are the summation of this entire book. 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:58.120 That's why if you open this up in your Bible, you'll see these first five verses are often paragraphed to itself from the rest of the section of scripture. 00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:05.860 It says this, "In the beginning was the Word." This word, word, is going to correlate between not only God speaking His word, but it 00:05:05.860 --> 00:05:07.100 becomes Jesus himself. 00:05:07.240 --> 00:05:09.420 This word becomes correlated to Jesus. 00:05:09.460 --> 00:05:14.320 The reason is that God became incarnate in His speech. 00:05:14.400 --> 00:05:18.920 When God creates in the beginning of Genesis, He speaks and life begins. 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:22.060 In His word, you see the incarnation of who He is. 00:05:22.060 --> 00:05:24.660 When you look at creation, it declares the glory of God. 00:05:25.020 --> 00:05:28.040 His word speaks and life begins. 00:05:28.040 --> 00:05:29.740 This word is seen very powerfully. 00:05:31.140 --> 00:05:34.610 So the author of John parallels this to the Book of Genesis in the beginning. 00:05:35.060 --> 00:05:42.080 That's how Genesis starts, "In the beginning." And now John starts the same way, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and 00:05:42.080 --> 00:05:47.640 the Word was God." It's showing this relationship between the Father and the Son, the triunity of God really talked about here. 00:05:48.300 --> 00:05:50.660 "In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 00:05:50.740 --> 00:05:52.060 He was in the beginning with God. 00:05:52.460 --> 00:06:00.100 All things came into being through Him who is Jesus, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." So you see Jesus 00:06:00.100 --> 00:06:01.580 creating all things. 00:06:02.180 --> 00:06:06.180 "In Him was life and the life was the light of man." So it said in the beginning, God speaks, life begins. 00:06:06.600 --> 00:06:10.560 Now we see the incarnation of the one who creates life itself who is Jesus. 00:06:11.120 --> 00:06:19.400 And then in verse five, "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it." You 00:06:19.400 --> 00:06:24.010 see this God very intimately creating for His intentions and purposes, God becoming flesh. 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:32.040 He draws near and then in verse five it reveals the conflict, not being 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:34.560 near to the God who desires to be near to us. 00:06:36.080 --> 00:06:37.300 He doesn't just leave it there. 00:06:37.300 --> 00:06:42.660 If you were to jump a few verses ahead, it says the same thing, this same idea as it relates to Christmas. 00:06:42.660 --> 00:06:45.760 "There was true light, which coming into the world enlightens every man. 00:06:46.320 --> 00:06:51.800 He was in the world, and the world was made known through Him, and the world did not know Him. 00:06:53.420 --> 00:07:00.500 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him." You see 00:07:00.520 --> 00:07:07.280 the beauty of the Christmas story in the God who draws near and the conflict within our own soul to embrace who this God is. 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:12.980 What do you do when you don't feel close to God? 00:07:14.280 --> 00:07:20.300 The author in John contrasts this between this idea of light and darkness. 00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:28.800 When I think about this passage of scripture, this light and darkness, this battle with the Lord and 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:36.140 His creation as He pursues it while it rejects Him, a couple crazy thoughts about this darkness that I just consider 00:07:36.140 --> 00:07:36.860 in this story. 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:44.370 Some of the darkness that's discussed here, when you know how Jesus' story transpires throughout the pages of the Gospel, 00:07:44.860 --> 00:07:49.080 what you find is that Jesus, it says in the story, is rejected by his own people. 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:54.680 So oftentimes when I think about darkness, in my mind, I think evil, bad, wicked, dark. 00:07:56.300 --> 00:08:03.560 But here in this story, when it refers to the darkness, it matches in correlation to particular people, 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:11.360 the society would call these people that are representing the darkness the leaders, the elite, the good 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:12.340 people of society. 00:08:14.800 --> 00:08:21.800 The very dark people in which it's referring to are the religious leaders thinking 00:08:21.820 --> 00:08:23.840 they already have the light. 00:08:26.760 --> 00:08:28.150 In their perfection, they see... 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:33.480 or what they think is their perfection, they don't see their need for the Savior. 00:08:35.799 --> 00:08:39.120 It's a very sobering thought because when you think about darkness, it's a scary place. 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:40.020 You need nightlights there. 00:08:40.090 --> 00:08:47.660 But when you look at it in society as it's being lived out in Jesus' day, these are the people that everyone idolizes and respect 00:08:47.660 --> 00:08:52.260 and think that if anybody's got it figured out, it's these good people over here, the religious ones. 00:08:54.740 --> 00:08:56.740 And yet this is the very place where the conflict exists. 00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:05.940 It may be saying to us, as it relates to Jesus, to make sure that you indeed do have that genuine relationship 00:09:05.940 --> 00:09:07.940 with God for which you were made. 00:09:10.400 --> 00:09:17.420 I think John wanted us to realize as he talks to these religious leaders and to us, that what God wanted to do is something different 00:09:17.460 --> 00:09:18.410 than religion. 00:09:20.420 --> 00:09:23.440 In fact, in verse 17, it says it like this in John. 00:09:23.520 --> 00:09:26.720 "For the law was given through Moses," this religious way of living. 00:09:27.020 --> 00:09:28.640 But then he contrasts it. 00:09:29.720 --> 00:09:37.300 "But grace and truth were realized through Jesus." Religious law comes through Moses and that 00:09:37.630 --> 00:09:39.790 condemns us because it shows us where we fail. 00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:49.740 But grace and truth, that's what's gifted to you in Jesus. 00:09:52.500 --> 00:09:53.360 It's Christmas. 00:09:55.940 --> 00:09:57.220 It's peace for the soul. 00:09:58.800 --> 00:10:01.240 It's reconciliation to God. 00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:10.800 As if to say to the common individual reading this, "Yes, you will feel weighed down by religion, but 00:10:10.820 --> 00:10:17.860 Jesus brings grace and truth." You're enough where you are because 00:10:18.320 --> 00:10:20.720 Jesus is enough for what you need. 00:10:23.740 --> 00:10:28.340 I love the way this passage explains this to us. 00:10:31.040 --> 00:10:38.080 We know in scripture the thing that keeps us from God ultimately, if I just gave a theological explanation, the thing that distances 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:45.390 us, all of us from God, that we cannot feel close to God at different places in life, the thing that distances all of us is sin. 00:10:47.880 --> 00:10:55.020 The thing that we need in order to be near to God is forgiveness of sin and religion is 00:10:55.020 --> 00:10:57.200 all about trying to perform that, to make that happen. 00:10:58.300 --> 00:11:02.980 The reality is, it's impossible because you can never undo the sin that you've done against God. 00:11:05.340 --> 00:11:06.000 You need forgiven. 00:11:07.700 --> 00:11:15.100 Grace and truth comes to us in Jesus so that while we're incapable of earning our way back to God, 00:11:15.340 --> 00:11:16.700 Jesus pays it all. 00:11:18.520 --> 00:11:23.800 So we find ourselves in a space where we are enough, not because of anything we've done, but because Jesus is enough. 00:11:24.440 --> 00:11:26.900 We talk about sin separating us from God. 00:11:27.420 --> 00:11:34.460 Some of us may know that, but the reality is even in this life as we live it and even as we know Jesus paid for sin, there's still times where we don't feel 00:11:34.460 --> 00:11:35.120 close to God. 00:11:35.300 --> 00:11:39.150 What do I do when I don't feel close to the Lord? 00:11:41.780 --> 00:11:49.240 Couple things this passage says to us, "The light shines in the darkness and the 00:11:49.280 --> 00:11:56.360 darkness did not comprehend it." What John starts to illustrate in the story in understanding how 00:11:56.360 --> 00:12:03.880 we respond when we don't feel close to God is, John wants us to know that God's light is greater than our darkness or 00:12:03.880 --> 00:12:08.000 more specifically, God's light is greater than my darkness. 00:12:08.100 --> 00:12:11.360 Because when Jesus came, Jesus came with me on his mind. 00:12:14.200 --> 00:12:20.290 His light transpires, overcomes, is not comprehended by the darkness. 00:12:20.340 --> 00:12:26.740 Now when you read John chapter one verse five, some translations refer to this word as comprehend. 00:12:26.780 --> 00:12:28.410 Other translations refer to it as overcome. 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:33.020 I'll tell you my preferred translation is to say overcome, according to the Greek. 00:12:33.660 --> 00:12:34.840 You can translate it both ways. 00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:38.340 Let me explain to you why I think the more accurate word here is overcome and not comprehend. 00:12:39.800 --> 00:12:45.110 When you read this story and you just see that the darkness can't comprehend it makes it sound like it just doesn't understand it, which is true. 00:12:46.560 --> 00:12:52.760 But I think in 1 John verses one to five, what the author is doing in this verse is to understand the power of Jesus. 00:12:54.260 --> 00:13:01.440 I mean sometimes when we look at our own darkness in life, sometimes we can feel so separated from God we think, "God, I'm never going to feel close to you." 00:13:01.540 --> 00:13:07.260 What this story is actually saying is that there is always hope because if there wasn't, Jesus would have not come. 00:13:08.040 --> 00:13:13.860 But because he came, he had the power to deliver and overcome the places in our life where we are dark and feel separated from God... 00:13:16.400 --> 00:13:18.460 or we are separated from God. 00:13:18.680 --> 00:13:25.800 So what these first five verses are a proclamation to the power that Jesus possesses on your behalf so 00:13:25.800 --> 00:13:28.360 that you can see the magnitude of what this Christmas story is about. 00:13:28.880 --> 00:13:33.960 Comprehend, yes, the darkness did not comprehend it, but more than that it couldn't put out the light. 00:13:36.400 --> 00:13:38.880 Jesus overcomes. 00:13:40.220 --> 00:13:48.240 There is always hope because darkness will not overpower 00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:49.900 the light that is in Jesus. 00:13:51.220 --> 00:13:58.380 Not only is he stronger than your darkness, but I think it's important just to focus on the light in which he truly brings 00:13:58.380 --> 00:13:59.000 to us. 00:13:59.240 --> 00:14:03.420 I love the way John in verses 14 to 16 says it to us. 00:14:03.460 --> 00:14:09.080 He says, "And the Word became flesh," very personal, "And dwelt among us," which is tabernacle. 00:14:09.580 --> 00:14:13.080 You think of the Old Testament, that word, tabernacle, where God's presence was. 00:14:13.160 --> 00:14:15.220 Well, Jesus now tabernacles with us. 00:14:15.300 --> 00:14:21.040 "And we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father," I'll explain that in a little bit. 00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:22.680 But it's, "full of grace and truth. 00:14:24.020 --> 00:14:31.020 John testified about Him and cried out saying, "This was He whom I said He who comes after me was a higher 00:14:31.020 --> 00:14:37.440 rank than I, for He existed before me." Now I don't want you to get confused because this John is not the same John that wrote the Book of John. 00:14:38.260 --> 00:14:42.400 There's John the Apostle who writes the Gospel of John, then there's John the Baptist. 00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:45.550 They didn't have a whole lot of names, I think, in the New Testament. 00:14:45.660 --> 00:14:50.170 There's lots of Marys and Johns that just sort of float around in scripture, so figuring out which one's which is important. 00:14:50.260 --> 00:14:54.220 But John the Baptist declares this about Jesus. 00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:57.760 His position higher than he because he existed before him. 00:14:59.060 --> 00:15:06.440 Verse 16, "For of His fullness, we have all received and grace upon 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:13.580 grace." Not only is it important to know that His light is greater than your darkness, but just to examine the antidote by 00:15:13.580 --> 00:15:21.040 which He delivers the cure for our darkness and the way He says in verse 16 is, "grace upon grace." 00:15:21.220 --> 00:15:28.360 As if to say that if you come to God and you give Him your excuse as to why you're not good enough for Him, His response back is grace. 00:15:30.180 --> 00:15:33.360 In fact, it sort of creates the idea of the waves of the ocean. 00:15:35.680 --> 00:15:40.950 Whatever you put next to the waves, eventually those waves will have its way. 00:15:42.880 --> 00:15:46.820 The power and the force, grace upon grace. 00:15:49.280 --> 00:15:56.620 So the author delivers this thought to us and the identity of Jesus, that we would understand 00:15:56.620 --> 00:15:58.940 and comprehend exactly what's taken place. 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:05.960 When we don't feel close to God, we would understand the idea behind this God and who He is and how He is in pursuit of us. 00:16:06.280 --> 00:16:13.200 I think beyond that we begin to act on faith and response to understanding what this God desires in our life, that He is after your heart. 00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:20.720 In fact, John testified to this in verse 15. 00:16:21.240 --> 00:16:25.620 He goes around the world and he encourages people to act on faith. 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:33.060 He declares who this Jesus is so that we gather in the understanding of this 00:16:33.060 --> 00:16:36.680 knowledge, and we respond by trusting in him. 00:16:39.780 --> 00:16:46.780 The reality is that we find that we don't draw near to God in darkness, but rather He draws 00:16:46.780 --> 00:16:47.800 near to us in light. 00:16:50.540 --> 00:16:55.670 What I mean is we can't draw near to God in our darkness because we are unholy. 00:16:57.940 --> 00:17:04.140 I think we cry out to Him in the darkness and God brings in His light. 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:11.000 John shared this truth, in fact. 00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:18.280 I'm not going to put it on the screen, but if you were to skip further down into verse 19 to 23, you see in that story that John goes back 00:17:18.280 --> 00:17:19.339 and quotes Old Testament scripture. 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:24.980 There's a foundation to this truth that he is proclaiming. 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:26.670 This isn't just some story that was invented. 00:17:26.760 --> 00:17:33.440 This is something that God has foretold from the beginning, that one would come for us. 00:17:35.960 --> 00:17:42.220 The way that John describes him is pretty interesting, this identity of Jesus. 00:17:43.420 --> 00:17:47.780 He says it in verse 14 and he uses similar language in verse 18. 00:17:47.840 --> 00:17:48.060 Look at this. 00:17:48.260 --> 00:17:51.580 He says, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. 00:17:51.580 --> 00:17:55.380 We saw His glory, glory as the only begotten." By the way, the only one that receives glory is God. 00:17:55.400 --> 00:17:58.210 God will not allow anyone to receive glory in which He deserves. 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:06.140 But he describes him, "Glory is the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." And then in verse 18 at the very bottom he says this, "No one has seen 00:18:06.140 --> 00:18:06.840 God at any time. 00:18:08.260 --> 00:18:10.340 The only begotten who is the bosom of the Father. 00:18:10.620 --> 00:18:17.660 He has explained Him." You see in verse 14 and verse 18 he's describing Jesus as the only begotten 00:18:17.660 --> 00:18:18.480 of God. 00:18:19.220 --> 00:18:22.120 He's also in the bosom, it says, of the Father in verse 18. 00:18:22.120 --> 00:18:22.680 Now what does that mean? 00:18:23.020 --> 00:18:23.780 That is weird. 00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:25.600 Both of those are weird really. 00:18:26.360 --> 00:18:32.130 I mean you think, I don't know anyone else that talks like this today, at least in a way that we want to hear you talk. 00:18:32.800 --> 00:18:33.680 Do you love me? 00:18:33.680 --> 00:18:34.800 What kind of love? 00:18:35.100 --> 00:18:36.550 In your bosom kind of love or? 00:18:36.760 --> 00:18:39.140 It's just what in the world does that mean? 00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:46.740 Let me explain these thoughts because what's he's creating in our mind is the identity of Jesus which shows the sufficiency of who he is so that when 00:18:46.740 --> 00:18:53.860 passages like this call us to know him and put our faith in him, that we rest secured in the identity of exactly 00:18:53.860 --> 00:18:59.220 who Jesus is and what he is capable of because in him there is grace upon grace. 00:19:01.840 --> 00:19:08.840 This word only begotten is unique because what it's saying about Jesus is different than any other person that walked in flesh. 00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:10.520 Jesus became flesh. 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:14.060 It told us in John one that from the beginning, he's always been there. 00:19:14.060 --> 00:19:21.080 He created all things and then he takes on flesh and in taking on flesh, there's this uniqueness to him that's 00:19:21.080 --> 00:19:25.040 different than any other thing that's been in flesh in this world. 00:19:26.940 --> 00:19:27.620 He's only begotten. 00:19:29.560 --> 00:19:35.840 And the word literally means monogenes, which is where we get the word, genetic or gene, kind or class. 00:19:36.020 --> 00:19:39.280 It's how we categorize things scientifically in the animal kingdom. 00:19:41.660 --> 00:19:44.320 What it's saying of Jesus is that he is the only one like this. 00:19:45.860 --> 00:19:53.080 This is why he and the Father are one because he possesses the only one in kind and class that the Father is. 00:19:54.240 --> 00:19:55.280 No one has seen God at any time. 00:19:55.780 --> 00:20:02.940 The only begotten or the only kind or class, and so it's able to say this word at the very end that, "He has explained Him." That word explained literally 00:20:02.940 --> 00:20:12.500 means exposiation, meaning if you want to know what God the Father is like, look 00:20:12.500 --> 00:20:13.390 at Jesus. 00:20:15.820 --> 00:20:19.040 He exposiates God in the flesh. 00:20:20.520 --> 00:20:27.680 And then he says this, "Who is in the bosom of the Father." In Jesus' day, when 00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:31.580 you were to eat together at a meal, the way that they would eat together they... 00:20:32.160 --> 00:20:39.300 I know that sometimes you see the picture of The Last Supper and you see this straight table across and all the disciples just sit down together and have this wonderful 00:20:39.300 --> 00:20:40.570 meal at this straight table. 00:20:41.100 --> 00:20:45.560 They're all looking at the camera as if it was posed, right, or the painting as if they were supposed to be posing for that. 00:20:46.220 --> 00:20:52.740 But in Jesus' day really, the tables were lower to the ground and oftentimes were more in a U-shaped. 00:20:53.280 --> 00:21:00.400 They would lean under the table and rest on their arm, and they would reach on the table and they would grab food 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:01.220 and eat. 00:21:02.380 --> 00:21:03.680 There was a seat of favor. 00:21:05.460 --> 00:21:06.310 It was at the right hand. 00:21:07.260 --> 00:21:11.110 That guest of honor was at the right hand of whoever was the host. 00:21:12.280 --> 00:21:19.400 What would happen in those homes when you would have that type of meal together and you would lean in under the table on your arm, when your guest of 00:21:19.400 --> 00:21:23.870 honor wanted to talk with you, if they were the preferred person you would want to have that kind of conversation. 00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:29.600 Whoever was behind you, they were never going to hear what you had to say, but whoever was in front of you would be talking to the back of their head. 00:21:29.880 --> 00:21:35.040 When you wanted to be intimately close with one another, what would happen is the person in front of you would lean in on your chest. 00:21:36.080 --> 00:21:45.220 Be like, "What'd you say?" That's the picture of the Father and Jesus, the 00:21:45.220 --> 00:21:45.560 Godhead. 00:21:48.360 --> 00:21:53.700 Here's this Christ who's taken on flesh in perfect relationship with the Father. 00:21:55.120 --> 00:22:02.640 Now taking on flesh in the darkness of our world to present his light to our lives so that we could receive grace upon 00:22:02.640 --> 00:22:03.820 grace in him. 00:22:07.340 --> 00:22:08.020 God drawing near. 00:22:10.060 --> 00:22:11.300 But what do you do when you don't feel close? 00:22:13.560 --> 00:22:20.580 Well, I think what John is starting to get us to recognize is that there is always this war that happens within our soul because we live in a 00:22:20.580 --> 00:22:21.320 sinful world. 00:22:22.280 --> 00:22:26.180 So that sin is eradicated, that battle will take place between light and darkness. 00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:30.880 In order to move into the light, the first step for us in life is to act on faith. 00:22:33.320 --> 00:22:39.880 To act on the truth of the faith in which John goes and proclaims, John the Baptist and John the Apostle writes in the scripture. 00:22:39.880 --> 00:22:47.040 We act on faith knowing that there is a battle, there is a conflict within our soul that we're not always going to feel the way 00:22:47.040 --> 00:22:49.340 that God might call us to feel. 00:22:49.400 --> 00:23:02.520 More than anyone, I want to experience the joy of what it is to follow Jesus and to have the positive feelings that come along with that, and 00:23:02.520 --> 00:23:02.580 that may not always be the case. 00:23:02.580 --> 00:23:08.130 I think related to this story then, it's also important to recognize that we prioritize feelings based on faith. 00:23:08.760 --> 00:23:15.840 When it comes to faith, we are a very feelings-based culture meaning it's great 00:23:15.840 --> 00:23:19.620 to have positive feelings when we worship, but it's not always going to be the case. 00:23:19.840 --> 00:23:24.780 But with some people, just because we don't have the positive feelings that we want, we just throw the faith out with it. 00:23:27.220 --> 00:23:32.420 But when you study scripture, feelings aren't always promised with where we are. 00:23:33.080 --> 00:23:38.730 I don't think that following Jesus by faith necessitates that we always need to have those positive feelings to affirm what's true. 00:23:39.240 --> 00:23:41.360 What's true is true regardless of whether I feel it or not. 00:23:43.780 --> 00:23:47.540 When you even read a passage of scripture like Acts chapter 20... 00:23:47.560 --> 00:23:51.440 Let me throw these passages out for you just to give us some context and thought. 00:23:51.880 --> 00:23:57.900 When the Apostle Paul in pursuing after God in his life, I don't think he always had positive feelings. 00:23:59.720 --> 00:24:08.420 In fact, for anyone that would try to emphasize pursuing Jesus means you always have positive feelings, I just want to call it to the rug and say, "Garbage." 00:24:08.620 --> 00:24:11.440 Acts chapter 20 is what I would use as the basis. 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:13.120 I mean listen to these verses. 00:24:13.120 --> 00:24:20.110 Acts chapter 20 verse 19, this is Paul on his missionary journey coming back from his third missionary journey, going to Jerusalem. 00:24:20.300 --> 00:24:23.880 It's been prophesied by people now that he's about to be chained and persecuted for his faith. 00:24:24.280 --> 00:24:26.240 And look what he says as he's journeying back now. 00:24:26.240 --> 00:24:33.680 It says in verse 19, "Serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews." And 00:24:33.680 --> 00:24:40.840 verse 23, "Except the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city saying that bonds and afflictions 00:24:40.840 --> 00:24:47.900 await me, but I do not consider my life any account as dear to myself." If you read to 00:24:47.900 --> 00:24:55.240 the end of the chapter, verses 36, "When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all, and they began to weep aloud and embraced 00:24:55.240 --> 00:25:01.580 Paul and repeatedly kissed him, grieving especially over the word which he had spoken that they would not see his face again. 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:08.440 And they were accompanying him to the ship." It's not always easy. 00:25:10.500 --> 00:25:11.760 I think feelings are important. 00:25:11.760 --> 00:25:13.440 God created you as a creature with feelings. 00:25:15.260 --> 00:25:19.820 But I think it's also important to prioritize feelings based on faith. 00:25:22.660 --> 00:25:29.080 The reality is that I think it's great to feel the joy of following after the Lord. 00:25:29.660 --> 00:25:31.360 I think joy is deeper than a feeling. 00:25:32.920 --> 00:25:34.420 But I think it's great to feel that. 00:25:36.040 --> 00:25:38.420 But you know, sometimes it's not always the case. 00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:40.460 You know what God does in those seasons of life? 00:25:42.560 --> 00:25:49.800 I think God uses those opportunities, the challenge of feelings, to 00:25:49.800 --> 00:25:51.700 show me the depth of my faith. 00:25:55.620 --> 00:26:00.840 Meaning when hard things come and you don't always feel it, where does your faith go? 00:26:05.800 --> 00:26:07.300 Is my faith deeper than feeling? 00:26:10.800 --> 00:26:16.940 The only way that my faith would be deeper than feeling is that there would need to be a truth in which it rests on that's deeper than the feeling itself. 00:26:20.400 --> 00:26:27.560 I think God can use those seasons of our life to grow the depth of our faith, to show us that we're just not on the surface level pursuing God 00:26:27.560 --> 00:26:32.060 because it feels good, but because of who He is. 00:26:35.420 --> 00:26:42.440 James said, James chapter one, "Consider all joy, my brethren, when you face for his trials knowing that the persevering 00:26:42.440 --> 00:26:49.460 of your faith produces endurance and let endurance have its perfect work." The truth is according 00:26:49.460 --> 00:26:56.760 to what this section of scriptures says to us, even though you may not feel it, what this passage 00:26:56.760 --> 00:26:59.820 is saying is that you're never alone. 00:27:03.860 --> 00:27:11.520 And what demonstrates that is the truth in which John proclaims to his God in the midst of the darkness that we know that we go through that 00:27:11.660 --> 00:27:12.280 God has come near. 00:27:15.880 --> 00:27:16.820 God comes near. 00:27:20.080 --> 00:27:27.100 I think about the Christmas story when you see it come into the lives that those that first 00:27:27.100 --> 00:27:31.040 get it pronounced to them, especially Mary and Joseph. 00:27:32.080 --> 00:27:37.170 There's a lot of risk to that, being a virgin lady, not married, in that culture. 00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:40.460 Luke chapter two, look at how they respond in Luke chapter two. 00:27:40.520 --> 00:27:47.900 "But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid." Their immediate feeling as it relates to Jesus is, "Can 00:27:47.900 --> 00:27:55.000 we act on this feeling because, God, I don't feel like I've got it today." They said, "Don't be afraid for behold I bring you good news of great joy which 00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:56.980 will be for all the people. 00:27:57.240 --> 00:28:01.740 For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord. 00:28:02.820 --> 00:28:04.160 This will be a sign for you. 00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:12.200 You'll find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." So he acknowledges where they're at in their feeling. 00:28:12.560 --> 00:28:14.060 I love that in this passage of this scripture. 00:28:14.200 --> 00:28:21.260 Though they don't feel close to God, but then he leads them by resting in the truth of who God is and what God desires to 00:28:21.260 --> 00:28:28.260 do for them in coming near to prioritize their feelings based on truth 00:28:30.080 --> 00:28:35.810 so that their feelings may follow the truth rather than lead their faith. 00:28:37.500 --> 00:28:44.760 When you don't feel close to God in our lives in examining, this is what I would say for us is, look, it's seasons 00:28:44.760 --> 00:28:46.380 of life that we go through. 00:28:46.440 --> 00:28:51.680 It won't always be the case, but the prioritization of faith over feeling becomes important in the foundation of truth. 00:28:52.040 --> 00:28:58.640 The foundation of truth for us, we get to demonstrate in those seasons of life what we are really about. 00:29:01.420 --> 00:29:05.760 Is it just feeling or is there something deeper that transcends? 00:29:08.380 --> 00:29:15.980 I think for us, God calls us to live in promises because then it's on the basis of truth that 00:29:16.040 --> 00:29:16.900 God's joy comes. 00:29:18.420 --> 00:29:21.120 Look what it says, "Don't be afraid, for behold I bring you good news. 00:29:21.260 --> 00:29:25.980 This is the truth of great joy which will be for all the people." This is the basis. 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:29.940 The truth is the foundation for which God delivers His joy into our lives. 00:29:31.300 --> 00:29:34.360 He prioritized rather than lead with this feeling of fear. 00:29:34.700 --> 00:29:40.900 Don't walk in this fear, walk in faith based on truth so that in God you could have what's promised to you and him. 00:29:42.600 --> 00:29:44.650 There are seasons of hardship. 00:29:45.600 --> 00:29:48.090 In John chapter one, he gives us some of His promises. 00:29:48.360 --> 00:29:51.020 I just want to highlight these and be done. 00:29:51.020 --> 00:29:58.120 But he says this in verse 12, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to 00:29:58.260 --> 00:30:05.280 become the children of God, even to those who believe in His name who are born not 00:30:05.280 --> 00:30:08.560 of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 00:30:10.300 --> 00:30:19.660 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we saw or beheld His glory, glory as to the only begotten from the Father full of grace and truth." 00:30:19.660 --> 00:30:27.700 He says in verse 12 the first promise is, "Many as received Him, to them gave Him the right to be the child of God." So 00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:34.820 though you may not feel you have this promise, notice it doesn't say, as many as feel they're 00:30:34.820 --> 00:30:41.820 near to God, but rather it says, "But as many as received Him." God came offering Himself and you take it or 00:30:41.820 --> 00:30:42.500 don't. 00:30:43.700 --> 00:30:51.720 Here God comes and He's offering Himself and to those that receive it regardless of feeling, this promise is where it's 00:30:51.840 --> 00:30:52.680 based for us. 00:30:52.920 --> 00:31:00.420 And then he's says in verse 14 this word, "And we beheld," or, "We saw." I love the translation more, beheld. 00:31:00.420 --> 00:31:07.480 I think it's more of a King James translation but, "We beheld." This word, beheld, literally means 00:31:07.480 --> 00:31:09.850 this idea it's of apprehension. 00:31:12.620 --> 00:31:19.620 It's as if to say in our lives that God is so glorious that we couldn't comprehend the glory of 00:31:19.620 --> 00:31:20.040 who God is. 00:31:21.780 --> 00:31:23.760 But now in Jesus you have the opportunity to behold it. 00:31:23.780 --> 00:31:28.320 You think about in life today, recently we had the... 00:31:28.320 --> 00:31:28.640 What was it? 00:31:28.640 --> 00:31:29.460 The solar eclipse happen. 00:31:30.560 --> 00:31:36.440 I was the one person, I think, that tried to look at the sun while it was going down without my special glasses, and President Trump. 00:31:37.140 --> 00:31:38.140 The two of us did that. 00:31:38.960 --> 00:31:40.720 He looked longer for whatever that's worth. 00:31:40.740 --> 00:31:42.320 But you think about the glory of the sun. 00:31:42.400 --> 00:31:49.720 At best, looking at the sun out in the middle of the day, at best it looks fuzzy to you because you can't really fixated 00:31:49.720 --> 00:31:50.080 on it. 00:31:50.080 --> 00:31:52.020 And at worst, it burns out your retina. 00:31:55.150 --> 00:31:57.920 So it is with God. 00:31:58.260 --> 00:32:05.300 His glory we cannot comprehend, but now it's drawn near for you. 00:32:07.680 --> 00:32:15.820 God's come near to you and you can behold how Jesus as 00:32:15.820 --> 00:32:17.070 many as receive him. 00:32:18.940 --> 00:32:21.280 Jesus promised his people that he would be with you always. 00:32:22.440 --> 00:32:23.940 In verse 12, you are his child. 00:32:25.800 --> 00:32:26.910 God didn't kick you out in the street. 00:32:28.280 --> 00:32:28.620 Behold. 00:32:30.320 --> 00:32:36.980 You know what's interesting about the sun, I know when I moved out West I was amazed at how few clouds there are. 00:32:38.230 --> 00:32:41.420 There are months I feel like we can go in the summer and maybe see a cloud. 00:32:41.840 --> 00:32:48.880 It's so notable that you have to tell people, "I saw a cloud today." But there are those times when 00:32:48.880 --> 00:32:50.820 you go outside and you can't see the sun. 00:32:52.420 --> 00:32:52.760 But is it there? 00:32:54.240 --> 00:32:55.340 Yeah. 00:32:55.680 --> 00:32:56.020 How do you know? 00:32:57.520 --> 00:32:58.620 The evidence of its presence. 00:33:00.140 --> 00:33:00.400 There's light. 00:33:01.980 --> 00:33:02.360 There's life. 00:33:05.080 --> 00:33:06.180 The same's true for Jesus. 00:33:07.340 --> 00:33:10.500 The statement of these verses are to indicate to us that, yes indeed, He has drawn near. 00:33:11.880 --> 00:33:13.360 Sometimes there may be cloudy days. 00:33:15.480 --> 00:33:16.320 Does that mean He's distant? 00:33:16.560 --> 00:33:16.740 No. 00:33:18.540 --> 00:33:24.360 It may mean you don't feel like it, but He cares and He's near. 00:33:24.420 --> 00:33:24.720 How do I know? 00:33:26.140 --> 00:33:33.240 Because His word says and He's already demonstrated His desire for us by coming in the world in 00:33:33.240 --> 00:33:37.440 the midst of our darkness, in the darkest places of our hearts and giving His life. 00:33:40.540 --> 00:33:45.660 So there may be cloudy days, but His presence is there. 00:33:45.880 --> 00:33:49.770 What's John saying to us in verse 15 when John goes around and proclaims this? 00:33:50.800 --> 00:33:58.300 He wants you to get used to hearing the promises of His voice because when that darkness comes, when those clouds are near, that's 00:33:58.300 --> 00:33:58.780 what you hold onto. 00:34:00.640 --> 00:34:09.520 This maybe is a little dated, but do you remember the days in life when the phone would ring and you didn't have Caller ID and 00:34:09.520 --> 00:34:14.050 maybe you and your siblings would run and fight for it, wrap the cord all up in your finger? 00:34:14.940 --> 00:34:24.060 But you know when you picked it up sometimes it just took one word before 00:34:24.060 --> 00:34:26.159 you had the comfort recognized of the person on the other end. 00:34:27.960 --> 00:34:35.060 You got so used to hearing their voice that even though you may not have been in proximity to one another, you 00:34:35.060 --> 00:34:36.080 felt close to them. 00:34:37.850 --> 00:34:41.000 You knew the sound of their voice. 00:34:42.960 --> 00:34:43.600 Same thing's true with God. 00:34:46.639 --> 00:34:51.080 When there's a darkness that looms in our world, there's the hope that He proclaims. 00:34:53.420 --> 00:34:54.600 What voice do you choose to hear? 00:34:56.940 --> 00:35:01.920 Even in the midst of cloudy days, God's presence is near. 00:35:03.260 --> 00:35:09.820 I think the Christmas story is for everyone that feels distant from God, which reality is it's all of us, that's why Jesus came. 00:35:11.620 --> 00:35:14.060 I love Psalm 94 verse 19. 00:35:14.080 --> 00:35:14.460 It says this. 00:35:14.480 --> 00:35:21.760 "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy." What 00:35:21.760 --> 00:35:24.160 better consolation is there than Jesus pursuing you? 00:35:25.960 --> 00:35:29.160 Grace upon grace in our lives. 00:35:31.080 --> 00:35:32.720 You may have times when you don't feel near to God. 00:35:33.640 --> 00:35:34.800 I don't want to undermine those feelings. 00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:40.850 In fact, I would rather encourage us through it and say this, know there is always a greater hope than our darkness. 00:35:42.540 --> 00:35:45.060 God draws near to you with grace upon grace. 00:35:45.140 --> 00:35:46.060 He frees us from sin. 00:35:47.720 --> 00:35:51.640 In those hard moments, we have opportunity to prove that our faith is deeper than feelings. 00:35:53.080 --> 00:35:56.840 The reality is in all of it, God gives us opportunity to behold Him. 00:35:58.580 --> 00:36:03.900 Christ wrapped himself in flesh so that you could behold the glory of the Son.