(John 1:18)
�No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.�
I�ve just come from a birthday part at my daughter�s house. She was displaying some of the picture albums that her mother had put together of our life together before she went home to glory back in May of 2000.
In these were some of the pictures of Linda�s and my wedding from way back in 1968. Some of the pictures were even from before this as Linda had included many pictures of her family among the albums contents.
Amy was showing these to my granddaughter, Shandi. Amy pointed to one picture of Ethan, my son, from when he was about the age of Elijah, Shandi�s little brother. �Who is this?� Amy asked Shandi. Shandi looked and said, �It�s Eli.� We never did convince her that the picture was actually of her father from twenty years before she was born.
At four-years-old Shandi has no concept of �twenty years,� or of her father ever being a small child. She just has no concept of the reality of facts such as those. They may be true facts; but, Shandi has no possible way of understanding them. Later, when she is older, she will understand. Not now!
Our concept of God is somewhat like that. We have no context with which to understand the facts of the Spiritual realities. We are creatures of time and physicality. Some things are just beyond our understanding. Later, after we�ve made the transition to glory ourselves, we may understand. Not now!
Part of the purpose for which Jesus came physically upon this earth in the body of a human being was so that He could show us, in terms and contexts we would be able to understand, the Glory of the unseen God. �No man hath seen God at any time...�
Part of this is from the fact that Jesus has brought a new luminescence into the world. He is the Light of the world.
Considering my age and medications, there are times when I just have to get out of my warm bed at night and move to another room. There is a hallway leading to this other room. In the hallway are many things waiting jump out and force me to stub my toes. I know all these things are there; I put them there. Still, somehow, they manage to surprise me in the darkness of the early morning hours. Because of this I have installed a marvelous little device - a night light. That little ten watt bulb has saved my feet many times as I stumbled down this hall at three in the morning!
Jesus is the Light which allows us to thread our way through the darkness of the spiritual night of this present world. His very life, death and resurrection have shown us the fact of these spiritual issues.
One of these issues is our attitude of death towards things spiritual. I preached a funeral several years ago where the mother of a man I knew quite well had died. Trying to be careful, I typed out the funeral service word for word. There was no way I could make a mistake at this funeral.
Well, there was one mistake. Throughout the funeral and the grave side service I mentioned the woman by name quite often. It was not until after the entire service that it was brought to my attention that I had used the name of the man�s wife instead of his mother through the entire day.
I was mortified. Even though the family all said that they were impressed that I was so taken by the loss that I�d been unable to use her name, I knew that I had done a great disservice to the lady who had died.
But, never once since that day has the deceased complained. Why? The funeral was for those who were left behind. The lady in question had no interest in the services. She was dead to such things.
So, also, were we all dead to the spiritual things of this world - and of the next. This continued until Jesus came to bring new life into the world. He brought a spiritual life that He offers to each of us through the salvation experience.
This new life also brings upon us a new lectionary. A lectionary, for those of you not familiar with the concept, is a service book for a liturgical church. It is somewhat like the order of service we often print on our church bulletins. But it is more defined. A lectionary is actually a guide to the service. It points its followers to certain Scriptures, prayers, and responses in the worship service.
Jesus brought us a new lectionary of service. No longer would there be a need to gather sacrifices to appease an unseen God. Jesus, Himself, became the sacrifice so that we could become the adopted children of the Heavenly Father. Jesus moved us from a religion of obedience to prove our love, to a religion of love that energizes our obedience.
Our obedience is no longer in response to a fear of retribution. Our obedience, as blood bought children of God, is a heart felt response to the love which He has shed out in abundance upon us.
Jesus also brought a new longing into the world.
There is the longing to be of service to Him, out of the love felt towards Him for His great gift of salvation. But, there is also a longing to meet Him. Revelation 22:20 says, �...Even so, come, Lord Jesus.�
We have a hope. But we have more than a hope. We have a eschatology. But we have more than a theological rational for the ending of the world. We have a Love for Him for Whom we wait, expectantly!
My wife was waiting for me when I arrived at the airport back home after my year of service in the Viet Nam War. I hadn�t called to tell her I was coming home. She just knew that I would be returning soon. She knew the general time I would return. She went to the airport to await my arrival when the few airplanes came to our small airport. That is the picture of the Lord�s coming. We don�t know when, but we do know He is coming to us. We look up, expectantly, hoping that this is they day.
One day it will be!
Jesus is also the ubiquitous Savior. �...the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father...� Jesus is everywhere we need Him to be for us. Sometimes He is waiting for us to show up where He has asked that we be. More often He is walking along with us, pointing out the way!
I had a brother-in-law who was sightless. He, also, died a few years ago. Often I would take him to his doctor�s appointments. He had a cane that he could use to get from point �A� to point �B.� But, when I was with him, he simply held on to my arm and followed where I led. It was my obligation to warn him if steps were on the way we were traveling. It was my job to warn him if there was water, or a slippery floor.
Jesus is our Guide. We don�t have to �tap out� the way to walk because He IS the Way. We just hold His arm and follow His way. ...anyplace we need to go!
There is an often overlooked verse about the Deity of Jesus. It is in John 3:13. �And no man ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.�
Did you notice the last couple of words of that verse? While on earth, while talking with Nicodemus at night, Jesus said that He was in Heaven!
Jesus will be there when you need Him most. Even more gloriously, He will be there even when you might not realize that you need Him. Jesus is the Constant Companion.
He is also the Constant Contemporary. He is there at the bedtime prayers of the smallest child. He remains at our side when we are in the prime of our manhood and need Him to guide our steps. He is also there when we reach the entrance of the Valley of the Shadow. He knows our struggles and sorrows and He puts forth His hand to help us through our problems and to joy with us in our triumphs.
Jesus knows our needs. He knows the needs of all men and He stands by to offer that which is needed. From our salvation to our sanctification to Glory, He is the One Who will never fail!
Jesus also knows the nature of all men.
Jesus knows that man is a sinful creature. Just a few moments ago I heard another newscast about the rioting in France. As I perused the newspapers I read of the wars and conflicts around the world. As I look at the police record in our local newspaper I have seen the listing of robberies and vandalism. Man is a sinful creature. Our nature is not to live on the highest level; our nature is to revert to the acts of the brute beasts of the fields.
It is sad but true that most people want. Another article in tonight�s paper has to do with the state lottery. The prize this week has gone very high. People are squandering money that they need for food and clothing in the hope of gaining the prize money of yet another lottery. The gambling boats that line our shores are a testimony to the fact that people want. They continue on a search for fulfillment.
John 10:10 reminds us that Jesus said, �...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.�
That ache, that yearning that resides within the soul of man can not be filled by any material thing. When Linda and I made only the small soldier�s salary of an E-4, we got by. We couldn�t have all we wanted. But we could have all we needed. As my pay grade increased, and as we made more money after my enlistment ended, we still couldn�t have all we wanted. But we could have all we needed.
We, as a people, want. But what we need is spiritual fulfillment. We were created to have a relationship with the Creator God. Without that longing being satisfied we will continue to search for that which we know not.
Jesus came to fulfill that need. He came to give us a way to restore that fellowship with God that will fulfill our deepest hearts yearnings. Our desires and wants can become the stuff of spiritual fulfillment rather than natural greed. Jesus came to offer us this peace!
Jesus also knew the natural end of all men. He knew that without God there was no hope of a heavenly existence. Jesus knew that man lives his life on this terrestrial ball; and then we die. What then? Jesus came to answer our hearts need about this life. He also came to offer us our souls need for the next life. Jesus died in time so that we might live in eternity.
Jesus also came with the unique message. �...he hath declared him.�
Jesus declared the Father by His perfect and sinless life.
I like to play the games on this computer. Sometimes I like to play the games too much. One of these games keeps track of the percentage of wins one has made. I won this game the first ten times, or so, that I played it. I was very proud of the 100% reading on this game. Then I lost one. I have been playing that game for several years now and have never gotten that percentage back to 100%. I never will. Perfection is perfection. Anything less is good but it is not, nor can it ever be, perfection.
Jesus lived perfection. Throughout the Old Testament system of the Law, God said, �Do.� Mankind, continually said, �We can�t!� And man could not. Was the Law of God too demanding? No. Mankind is too sinful. To his core, mankind is too sinful. But, Jesus, as a man, lived perfection. He showed us the standard to which we aspire. We may never reach this standard; but we can - should - be as close as is possible.
By the way, Jesus even helps us in this struggle. I am not a fisherman. Linda was. She helped many a fish out of that cold and wet water into the warm and dry boat. Of course, the fish couldn�t live there because the fish was a creature of the water.
Jesus will help us out of sin. He will, because of His sacrifice on Calvary, pull us from the miry depths of sin. He will help us into the boat of the spirituality of the redeemed. More than just this, He will make it possible for us to live in this new nature of spirituality. He gives us the ability to live where we could not in our sinful condition.
Jesus declared the Father by His power of deed.
The mighty works which Jesus did, feeding the thousands with only a few fish and a couple of loaves of bread, healing the sick, stilling the storm, raising the dead, these were manifestations of the power of God. There were miracles performed before Jesus came into history. And, there were miracles performed after Jesus returned to the Father. But Jesus performed His mighty works at His Own word.
He who had formed the universe of worlds (see John 1:3), He who sustained the very life of the planet, He showed His mastery over His Own creation.
In this Jesus declared the Father by His Person.
Did you ever read John 14:9? �Jesus saith unto him, 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...�
Jesus, our Savior and Friend, is the Creator God of the entire physical universe and all that is therein. Think of the majesty of Jesus. Then consider How great the love that compelled Him to suffer the indignity and pain of the Cross.
Why did He do this? What drove Him to this extreme for the sake of a humanity which had turned their collective backs on Him?
The answer to that question is �Love.� Divine Love that reaches down to offer full and free salvation to anyone who would accept that gift.
Jesus declared the Father by His preaching of Salvation.
Jesus came to this earth to offer a salvation which could not be attained on the part of man. Jesus came to offer Himself on the Cross of Calvary so that man could have a salvation from sin and a fellowship with God that man did not deserve.
We are sinners. We are rebels against the Rightful Ruler of the Universe. We are terrorists who deride the things and Person of the God Who created us.
And, Jesus came to offer us free and complete salvation because He continues to love us.
Why not accept Him as your Savior? He will not turn you down!
Do it today!