LET THE GOSPELS SPEAK
#206 LET THE GOSPELS SPEAK
Scripture John 1:14 NIV Orig. 10/8/1961; 12/1974
Rewr. 12/3/1986
Passage: 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.
Purpose: To allow the different points of view of the gospels to stand out in a single message on the birth of Jesus.
Keywords: Birth of Christ Incarnation Christmas
Introduction
Some of you watched the Billy Graham crusade this past week. We have watched this faithful evangelist for many years. We have heard him share some moving anecdotes of tribute to our Lord, and praise for some example of faith.
Mr. Graham went to Korea when there was a war going on there. He went with a military chaplain to a place called Heartbreak Ridge. It was Christmas Eve, and he and the chaplain came upon a dying soldier. The chaplain attempted to minister to the young man. “May I help you, son?” the chaplain asked. They both heard the soldier say, “No, it’s all right.” They were both moved by his tranquility in the face of death, that is, until glancing down they noticed a New Testament clutched in his hand. Taking it up to read, the chaplain found it opened, and marked by a finger at the place where Jesus said, “My peace I give to you,” (John 14:27). Thus they knew the basis for the dying soldier’s confidence.
What a different point of view was expressed by Lord Grey, the British statesman, as World War I began. “The lamps are going out all over Europe, and we shall not see them again in our lifetime.”
O. but how beautifully expressive are the words of the song “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
“O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here, Until the son of God appear.
O come, thou dayspring, come and cheer, our spirits by thine advent here,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
O come thou wisdom from on high, and order all things far and nigh,
To us the path of knowledge show, And cause us in her ways to go.
O come desire of nations, bind All people in one heart and mind.
Bid envy, strife, and quarrels cease, Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.”
I. Luke Addresses the Humanity of Christ. Luke 2:7 “And she brought forth her first born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
We will see later that Mark, who wrote the earliest gospel had other things in mind. But the humanity of this circumstance is undeniable.
- Born of very human parents: We see them respond to the law of the land. (Joseph went to Bethlehem for taxes; also to the law of God.
- Born to very poor parents: Wrapped in swaddling clothes; laid in a manger; “no room” may mean that Joseph could not afford anything else.
- But, undoubtedly, born to very loving parents: Great difference in ages; Mary chose to be with Joseph on this journey.
At some time during the Christmas season, we may see or read, O. Henry’s “Gift of the Magi.” It is a truly marvelous love story. A very poor, young couple, deeply in love, Jim and Della. Della’s pride was her beautiful, long hair. As Christmas approaches, they decide only thing they can do to have a gift for the one the love. Della sells her hair to have money to buy a fob for Jim’s watch. Jim sells the watch to buy a silver comb for Della’s hair.
How much clearer we see man, seeing Christ as man. Mencken “The cosmos is a gigantic flywheel making 10,000 RPM. Man is a sick fly taking a ride on it.”
II. Matthew Intones the Religious Heritage of Jesus. Matthew 2:1,2: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the King, behold, there came wise men from the east, to Jesus, saying, ‘Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East, and are come to worship Him.
These were superstitious men, but religious ones. They had come from far-away Persia. They had come in response to a star-format. On a journey of some weeks, they brought gifts of adoration. Remember what the Russian Cosmonaut said. “This sublime new star may bring to pass what the star of Bethlehem promised in vain, peace on earth.”
The Jews knew better of His coming. The manner of birth was foretold. Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call His name Emmanuel.” His messianic link was proclaimed. Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
Harold Cook Phillips said it well. “We need Christmas. Christmas is like a beautiful island rising from the turbulent waters, with man looking for a place to land.”
III. Mark Has no Time for the Birth Story, but Great Praise for the God Who Makes It Happen. Mark 1:14-15 “Now, after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, the time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand.”
He saw Jesus come to fulfill every word of God. There had been a promise that all would be blessed in Abraham. There had been a covenant through Moses that was for the good of all.
Christ came to make plain the way of salvation. How often they had been on track. How readily their sin dispelled their hope. Christmas has come and gone, but it is not of our making. It cannot be bought across the counter. The Christmas bell is not the jingle of the cash register. It cannot even be found in the warm glow of charity.
Christmas is not what we have done, but what we have had done to us. “Unto us a child is born.”
IV. Finally, John Centers His Attention on the Holiness of Jesus. John 1:14 “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.”
We thus see, the One who had perfect Oneness with God: “glory, as of the Father.”
There are lots of human adaptations of the way Jesus looked, perhaps. But nowhere is there a more exacting one that that of Isaiah. Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born . . . and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”
At One with the Father, He became at one with us: In His life, “Tempted as we are, yet without sin;” in His death: at the behest of men, in a way despised by men, amongst men, as an example to men, for men.
Ephesians 1:7-10: “7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.”
Conclusion
A story is told of a wealthy merchant whose friend and acquaintance of many years had come to a destitute condition. The merchant was moved with pity at the plight of his friend and wanted to help. He chose a trusted servant and sent him with gifts, and with a sealed envelope.
The destitute man was out, and his wife received these offerings of friendship. The gifts she applied to the household where they were most needed. The envelope she placed in a secret place with her husband’s private papers.
Months passed and the merchant, an elderly man, died. As they discussed the time he had helped them, the wife remembered the envelope. Inside they found a blank check, signed by their friend. But now the account had been closed.