Sources:

Brian Smith – The Xerox Equation (unpublished)Don Carson – Turning Points in the Biblical Story (Carey Media)Don Carson Commentary on John (Pillar Commentary Series)Mike Riddel - Godzone

Sermon:

I work just up the road from the Westfield mall in Manukau, And to be honest I generally try and avoid malls like the plague,

But I needed to go to the bank this week and as I walked in it suddenly struck me,

Oh my gosh, it’s really Christmas time again. You just had to look around the mall to realise it was Christmas,

It was a sensual assault from all angles, It was, how do I put this, not subtle.

We’re beginning a series today that is going

to look at how each of the gospels deals with Christmas. And we’re kind of working backwards,

So we’re starting today with the last gospel, the gospel of John. Christmas through the eyes of John.

And John chapter 1 which talks about Christmas is such a marvelous passage, I didn’t want to introduce it or anything or tell a funny story, I just wanted to let it speak for itself to start off with,

so I thought we could start off by standing and saying it together. We’re going to read it slowly, carefully, phrase by phrase, to let it sink in.

Now when I first read this passage back when I was a student in Bible CollegeWhen I seriously sat down and tried to understand what it was saying

I have to admit, I got very confused

You see it seems so muddled.It starts off with these deep theological comments about who God is,

then it goes on to talk about light and darkness, then there’s this bit about John the Baptist

and then something about how we become Christians.

Then there’s that wonderful section about the word becoming flesh,Jesus becoming a human

then suddenly John the Baptist is back then it tells us what Jesus has done for us,

And it ends with some more deep theological comments about Jesus and God.

Frankly, its just a mess.Why didn’t the apostle who wrote the epistle structure it a bit better.For example,

Why didn’t he put the bits about John the Baptist together?If some student had handed in an assignment like this

I would have handed it back to them and told them to have another go. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was in the Bible

I would have given up on it ages ago.

Anyway, it was all very confusing.And I was pulling my hair out.But then I had a brainwave.

Now these don’t come along all that often, So I feel somewhat obliged to show you what I did.

I coloured in all the sections that talk about the same things in the same colour.So all the bits that talked about John the Baptist

I coloured in green.And all the bits that talked about Jesus coming into the world,

I coloured in pinkAnd all the bits that talked about what Jesus is like I coloured in redAnd all the bits that talked about what Jesus has done for us

I coloured in blue.

And look what happened.

You see, I’d been trying to look at this passage like it was a theology textbook, With one point finished before the next one starts

but its not a textbook, its poetry. And it needs to be understood that way.With poetry what matters is not just what you say, but how you say it.

And with this type of poetry the second half of the poem is like a reflection of the first half

It’s very common in the Bible, and in Hebrew Literature. It’s called a chiasm for those of you who are playing at home.

And when you read this type of poetryThe bits that are the most importantThe bits that are emphasizedThe bits you have to look at most closely

Are the hinge section in the middle there,And the changes between the first half and the second half

Now, when you look at the passage that way,What John the apostle is trying to say

suddenly becomes much easier to understand.

The top sections areAbout a dry intellectual understanding of God at distanceAbout avoiding the light that exposes our sinfulnessAbout the confusion of who to follow and what to doAnd about the rejection of all that is true and good and right and light

But the bottom sections areAbout the personally knowing what God is really likeAbout Jesus who offers love and faithfulnessAbout the clarity of what John is really pointing to

About God identifying with humanity through Jesus his son

And the thing that makes the difference, The thing that turns the top section so full of hopelessness

Into the bottom section so full of boundless hopeIs that middle hinge bit, v12 and 13.

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan,

but a birth that comes from God.

You see what John is saying here,Instead of us relating directly to God, which we simply can’t do,

What God has done is to take a part of himself, his word or his son, And that part of him, his word or his son has become like us.

And if we choose to believe in and accept this word,If we take into ourselves the part of God that has become like us,

What John calls God’s word or his son Then we can relate through him to God.

What this whole passage of Scripture hinges onIn fact, what our whole lives hinge on

is that middle section there.It is about being reborn, being born again with a new birth that comes from God,

And when that happens, it changes utterly and completelyOur understanding and view of everything around us

When we are reborn,We look at the universe through totally different eyes.

We see things completely differently.

And John’s whole point from this passage is that this whole new thing that God has done,

where a part of God has become human, one of usand this incredible opportunity we now have

to relate to God through believing in him and accepting himIt changes everything.

You see, that’s John’s point in this passage. He’s not out to teach us good theology.

It’s not so much about what you think, it’s about who you know. John wants us to see how everything changes when we believe in Jesus.

It changes how we view God. It changes how we view ourselvesIt changes how we view others around us.It changes how we view the world.

So let’s start off by looking at the difference between those two red sections. In that first red section, the one up the top,

John tells us about the word of God, which is clearly a reference to Jesus. He says three things about this word.

First, where God is, that’s where the word is. Second, who God is, that’s where the word is. Third, what God does, that’s what the word does.

Clearly God has these two parts in him, there’s himself and his word, and the two parts work together very well.

Interesting stuff, academically interesting, but frankly, so what. Knowing this stuff about God is a dry, intellectual fact.In fact, it’s just another dry intellectual factAnd knowing intellectual facts doesn’t get us one step closer to God.All the knowledge in the world hasn’t helped us

To get closer to God or to respond to his love appropriately. That’s what the whole Old Testament has been telling us.

Israel knew God, they were chosen by God, And yet they failed God, they failed him again and again.

But, when the word of God becomes one of us, When Jesus, the son of God walked among us

When we choose to believe him and accept him, When we go through that hinge passage and get to the bottom red sections

Then the whole thing changes. You see if that is true, then the fact that Jesus is where God is,

That means that if I am with Jesus, I get to go to be where God is too.

You see if this is true, then the fact that Jesus is God, That means that if I know Jesus, then I know God.

So the picture we have of God being distant, mysterious, unreachable, Changes to a picture of closeness, of revelation, of relationship.

From John’s perspective,It’s not about what you know,It’s about who you know.Christians are not just people who know about God intellectually.Christians are people who know God personally, in the person of Jesus Christ.Christians are people who experience God for themselves in him.

That is a huge point. I hope you can see what a big deal that is. Some people miss that, and it is incredibly sad.

This is what it’s like. Let me tell you a story. There was once great explorer who returned to her tribe.

She spoke of the mighty Amazon river where she had traveled. The people from her village wanted to know everything,

But how could she tell themof the feelings that flooded her heart

when she saw exotic flowers, when she sensed the danger of wild beasts

or when she paddled her canoe over treacherous rapids

So she said to the people “Go and find out for yourselves

And to guide them she drew this map of the river.The people from the village pounced on the map.

They framed it and made copies of it.They studied it night and day and became experts in interpreting the river. They knew its every bend and turn,

They knew how broad, how deep it wasThey knew the position of every waterfall.

But not one of them ever left the village to see the river for themselves.

Here is the first change that happens at this turning point in the story. It’s a change in how we view God. Before, all we could manage was a dry, intellectual understanding of God,

And even that was limited.But because God came in the flesh,

If we believe in him and accept him, We get to actually know God personally,

in the person of Jesus Christ his Son.God is no longer just some distant creator.

He’s my friend.He’s my brother.

Have a look at those two blue sections now. If the red sections talked about the change in how we view God. The blue sections talk about the change in how we view ourselves.

Before God came as a human, before we could believe and accept Jesus,the wrong things we did made us run from God

We tried to avoid his lightbecause it would expose just how wicked we really are.

We chose to hide in darkness.That’s the thing about disobedience, sinfulness, wickedness and dishonesty

They love to be hidden. They love the darkness. The last thing we want is for our evil to be exposed. For our dark side to be seen

I remember when I was young Whenever I wanted to read a book

that I knew Mum and Dad wouldn’t approve ofI used to hide in the toilet so that they wouldn’t find me.

One of my friends told me about a similar thing that she used to doShe used to have this craving for chocolateAnd her Mum had unopened Nestle Choc Bits in the cupboardWhich she wasn’t allowed to eat. But she wanted that chocolate.

So used to go into the cupboardShut the door

Carefully open the plastic packetEat some choc bits

And then glue the plastic package back up again so her Mum wouldn’t know.

She knew what she was doing was wrong, But she didn’t want to get caught.

So she hid in the darkness.

As we get older our selfishness, our wickedness remains the same, But we get much better, much subtler at hiding it.Evil loves the dark, it loves to be hidden, that is its nature.

And so we run from the light that came into the world. Because we don’t want our wickedness to be exposed.

Jesus said it himself. (John 3:19)People run from the light because their deeds are evil.

But once Jesus has come in the flesh, once we receive him and believe in him, Well, then the wrong things that we did and still do

They make us run to him and not away from him.For in him is not just the first gracious blessing we received in the law,

But the second gift of love and forgiveness that came through Jesus. Grace in place of grace already given.

Grace upon grace.So, once we have gone through that hinge, once we believe in and accept Jesus,

then we run to him knowing that even though his light will expose our wickedness

(For Jesus is the truth and there is no deception or darkness in him)We know that even though his light will expose us,

His forgiveness and love will cleanse us. (For not only truth but grace came through Jesus Christ)

Christians are sinners just like the rest of the people in the world. But for Christians, their sin makes them run to Jesus and not away from him. That is another huge point.

I hope you can see what a big deal that is. Some people miss that, and it is incredibly sad.

This is what it’s like. Let me tell you another story.

There was this man who decided that life was too hard,His evil was too great. His sins were too manySo he gave up on life.He bought a corrugated iron tank,

Furnished it with a few essentialsSome food and a bed.And there he lived a blameless life without interruption.

But there was one hardshipEvery morning and every evening,

volleys of bullets would rip through the tank.The man learnt to lie on the floor to avoid being shot. Nevertheless the walls were riddled with many holes,

Which let in the wind and the daylight,And some water when the weather was bad.

And he cursed the unknown marksmen,As time went by, he began to use the bullet holes for a positive purpose

He would gaze through the holes at the world outsideAnd see the people passing,

Children flying kites, Clouds in the sky, Wind in the trees.Sometimes he’d almost forget where he was

Looking out at the world.But still every morning and every evening,

The bullets would come again.And what with the and the bullet holes,

Eventually the tank fell to pieces.And the man walked out with little regret.

As he walked out he saw another man with a gun standing outside “I suppose you’re going to kill me now”,

said the man who had come out of the tank“but before you do, I would like to know the answer to one question.

Why are you persecuting me?Why are you my enemy when I have never done you any harm.

The other man laid down the gun, and smiled at himI am not your enemy, he said.

And the man who had come out of the tankSaw there were scars on the other man’s handsAnd those scars were like a bright light,

Shining like the sun.

Here’s the second change that happens. It’s a change not just in how we view God, but how we view ourselves.

Before our wickedness made us run from God. Now our wickedness makes us run towards him.

Because the one who holds the light and truth that exposes us, Also holds the love and faithfulness that frees us.

So there’s a change first in how we view God, there’s a change second in how we view ourselves,

and there’s a change, third in how we view others. This is the Green section.

Now, if you’re looking for a superstar of 1 Century Palestine, It’s hard to go past John the Baptist.

He certainly stood out from the crowd.He dressed funny, he had a camel hair overcoat with a leather beltHe ate funny, his diet was honey and flies.

He was a decidedly unusual fellow.And he was famous all right,

If he wasn’t standing by the Jordan, demanding people repent.Then he was denouncing the king for sleeping with his brother’s wife.It seemed hardly a week went by

that he wasn’t in the news for some reason or other.And people flocked to see him, from all around Judea, hundreds of miles,

People traveled to the Jordan river to hear him preach and to be baptized

It’s not surprising, what with him being so popular that people were confused.Who should we follow?

Who is the one we’re supposed to trust?Should we follow Jesus, or should we follow John?

Even 60 years after Jesus died, when John the apostle was writing this gospelThere are still people who are following John the Baptist

Instead of following Jesus.

We can get confused too, about who we should follow.There are so many optionsSo many voices calling for our attention.So many superstars lining up for our adoration and respectWho do we listen to?

Our world today is full of superstarsSuperstars that we all try and imitate.

You can read magazines and watch youtube clips that tell youHow to be vivacious like Margot Robbie

Or how to drive like Tiger WoodsOr how to find true love like Tom and Nicole

Or Tom and Katie Or Tom and Vanessa

They’re not all bad, though, these superstarsSome of them have a profoundly positive impact on society.

But here’s the third change that happens that John points us toOnce Jesus comes in the flesh,

all that confusion about who you should imitate ends.

I mean, how can you compare Jesus, Who’s been around since before the dawn of time,

With any man or woman, However weirdly they dressHowever much attention they get in the newspapersHowever many people choose to follow them.

Once Jesus comes, the only purpose, get this, The only role these superstars can have is to point us to Jesus.

And that’s exactly what John does, “Don’t look at me.” He says. “Look at Jesus”He was around before I was even born, before time began.

He’s vastly more important than I am. Don’t look at me, look at him.

And any superstars of today that are worth listening to are saying exactly the same thing.

So there’s a change first in how we view God, Second, in how we view ourselves,

Third how we view other people. But finally, there’s a change in how we view the world.

This is the pink section. The world can be a nasty place,

and you can see why some people are so keen to see the back of it. And according to John, the world is so decrepit and corrupt,

That it didn’t even recognize its creator when he came. The world is a place full of weakness, full of sin.

Some of you know that. Some of you have seen that weakness in yourselves. Some of you have seen that sinfulness in me.

But here’s the thing. Even with the world being exactly what it was.

God still loved the world. Even with you and me being exactly like we are,

God still loves me, God still loves you. In fact he so loved the world that he came into it.

He loves us so much that he came to us. He’s identified with us in our weaknessesHe’s identified with us in our sinfulnessIn fact, Jesus, the word of God, the son of God,

Jesus has identified himself with us just as much as he’s identified himself with God.

Remember back in the beginning, John said that Jesus was with God and he was God. But now he says exactly the same of us

The word was human and he lived with us as humans as well. God became human and he made his home among us.

Jesus, God’s son, the word of God, Identifies with us just as much as he identifies with God. And he walked the earth, bringing symmetry back to the relationshipGiving back to God what we should have given him but couldn’t

If our greatest need had been education, God would have sent us a teacher

If our greatest need had been technologyGod would have sent us a scientist

If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist

But our greatest need was forgiveness,

And so God sent us a saviour. He became like us, so that we could become like him.

God became one of us. This is so extraordinary. Collosians 2:9 says it the most clearly.

In him (that is in Jesus) In him the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily.

Somehow the God who created the universe, Squeezed his infinite nature into a seven and a half pound Jewish Baby.

These atoms, this stuff that makes up you and me, A couple of thousand years ago it housed the immortal invisible God

Honestly, this is my job, this is what I study full time. But I still find it hard to get my head around it.

God is a human. That’s mind blowing. How can that be?

But that in itself, as incredible as it is, is still not the greatest mystery John is saying here. The fact that God came and lived in the world is amazing, it is true. But John’s point is bigger than that,

Not just that God came and lived in the world, But that God can come and live in you.

In fact, even more, if you have believed Jesus and accepted him, Then God has come and he does live in you.

That’s what John is saying here. That’s his point. And honestly, it does not get any bigger or more important than that

You see, when we believe Jesus, when we accept Jesus into our lives,Then Everything changes.

The way we view God changes.He’s no longer some intellectual discussionHe’s a fire in our heart and a light in our eves

The way we view ourselves changes.Our weaknesses, our struggles and our failingsThey push us towards God,

rather than making us hide from himThe way we view others changes

We no longer look to superstarsfor meaning, direction and guidance

But only to Jesus who has been here from the beginning. The way we view the world changes

Jesus coming to earth is not an invasionTo be endured or ignored

lt’s an identification to be entered into.Where Jesus does for us

what we could never have done for ourselves.

Jesus changes everything, and once you’ve believed him,

once you’ve accepted him, nothing will ever be the same again.