Psalm 91:1-16 “Guaranteed Success for 2010″
Pastor Jerry Hoek

Introduction:

We recently had the steeple and roof repaired so that we could stop the water soaking the back of the sanctuary. This has been an ongoing battle for the past several years; however, the latest one to repair it guaranteed his work for 10 years. Thus far, we’ve had no leaks and we are hopeful that this has fixed it. We believe this guarantee and believe that the person will stand behind his work.
On the other hand, we hear a lot about guarantees that probably don’t mean all that much to us anymore. Manufacturers will guarantee that their product will do what they say it will do. Stores will guarantee their customers’ complete satisfaction or the lowest price on a particular item. However, we greet most guarantees with a healthy dose of skepticism. Guarantees may sound great, but we all know that guarantees have exceptions buried in the fine print that provide a way out.
And so perhaps you read the title of this sermon and thought that it sounded unrealistic and full of hype. Regardless of what you may think, however, I do in fact offer you a guarantee for a successful 2010. How can I do that? Because it is the same claim that Psalm 91 makes. Let’s read Psalm 91.

I. God is Our Refuge against All Trials
II. The Necessary Condition
III. God Assures Us of His Care

I. What is the basic claim in Psalm 91? God is Our Refuge against All Trials!
Verses 1-2 state clearly: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” The names for God in these verses paint a powerful and beautiful picture. God is the “Most High;” there is no thing or no one greater than God. The covenant names, “Almighty and Lord” refer to God who made His covenant with the people and always keeps His word completely. He is “God” in that He is not just Israel’s God, but is God of the whole world.
And the picture of God’s care in these verses is also very powerful. In God one can find rest and security, the kind you find in your home when the roads are icy and treacherous outside. God is a refuge and fortress, which means that our place of protection is complete and strong. The person who is lives with God will rest safely and securely with God.
Now notice especially how the author makes his promise of God’s care. He says that this powerful and caring God is “my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. He is giving his own testimony about God based on his own personal experience with God. He is saying that He really does trust in God and God cares for him. In the rest of the Psalm, he will try to convince others that they should also place their trust in God.
To help them in this, he gives some examples of what God can do for them as their refuge in verses 3-8. “God will save you from the fowler’s snare,” a trap that was deliberately set by a person to trap birds. God too will save you from man-made threats against you. Those who spread false and malicious gossip about you. Those who intentionally put you down to build up their own egos.
God will save you from a wide variety of problems: terrors, arrows, plagues and pestilence. Not only that but God will also protect you at all times. Whether it is the terror at night or the arrows of the day, God is there with you to protect you when problems come.
The author uses two beautiful pictures to describe God’s protection. Verses 7-8 say, “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.” Regardless of how dire the situation may seem to be, even if thousands seem to be falling all around you, God will protect you. Here is the assurance that evil around us will also be punished; God’s justice will be maintained.
Second, in verse 4, he says that God will protect in the same way that a mother bird protects her chicks. God’s care is powerfully tender. M.R. De Haan tells of seeing a mother hen one time during a storm. It was a terrible storm. Trees were blown down and the air was filled with debris. Suddenly a gust of wind lifted the chicken coop and sent it tumbling across the farm yard. He expected to see chickens, chicks and feathers blown all over the place. But there the hen was in the middle of yard, without shelter, exposed to the wind violent enough to blow a person down. As though cemented to the ground, she squatted motionless until the storm past. Her chicks sheltered safely under her wings.
That is the protection of God for those under His care. Under the shadow of His wings, we find protection even if all else is falling apart! It is like a fortress that cannot be overtaken, like armor that is impenetrable.
The author of Psalm 91 is saying that God is his refuge and strength, his fortress! And the author is saying that God can be ours as well in all circumstances of life, IF… And it is that “IF” that we need to hear this morning.

II. The Necessary Condition is given in verses 9-10.
The condition is that a person must “make the Most High your dwelling.” To “make God your dwelling” means to trust in God fully and completely. In other words, you do not trust in anyone or anything else.
Now maybe that sounds scary to you. It is always scary to put all your eggs in one basket. It seems to go against good common sense. You always spread out your valuables so that if some are lost, you still have some left. When we travel we split our money between Claire, myself, and the suitcases so that if one thing is stolen or lost, we still have some money.
The author of Psalm 91 says put everything that you have on God alone. Don’t rely partially on God and partially on your possessions or bank accounts or your job. You put your whole trust completely on God alone.
But Jesus teaches the same thing in the New Testament. Jesus does not say that we should follow Him only in our religious sphere of our lives. “Here’s a neat philosophy that you can tuck away in case you need it for help. Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” That is not just something to file in the religious section of our lives. That is something that should shape our lives, our hearts, our actions, our jobs our relationships, everything that we have and do.
That is what the Bible means by “dwelling in God”. Dwelling is trusting that God will watch over you in whatever you do. But dwelling is also something that we do, we believe and give our lives fully to Jesus Christ and do what He wants us to do and to be.
Now if we do that then there is security. Verse 10 says, “Then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.” Whatever afflictions and trials that may come will not harm you. Why? Verses 11-12 say, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you.” God will watch over us in such a way that no harm will come to us. Dwelling with God is what we need to find success.
Now at this point some of you may be thinking, “But wait a minute! Does this mean that in this coming year, if I believe in Jesus and dedicate myself to Him, I’ll never become sick, or get hurt, and my loved ones won’t die?” We must realize that there still will be sickness and adversity. Some of us may face serious or even life-threatening situations. We may be unjustly treated or taken advantage of and hurt.
But what is being promised here is not that we will never face hard times again. There will be trial, death and pain, but nothing that God does not allow and that will not be used for God’s glory and our benefit. Nothing will be out of the control of our loving and powerful God.
Paul says the same thing in Romans 8:35, where he writes, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Notice that Paul does not say these things won’t happen to us. Quite the opposite, he insists these awful things will happen to us! Being human means that there will be trials and problems. And being a Christian means there will likely be even more afflictions because the world will attack us for our beliefs. We can expect to have problems in this coming year, but we can also be assured that God will watch over us and bring us through whatever difficulties we may face.
God is in everything, good and bad. In Marilyn Robinson’s book, “Gilead,” the main character is a pastor who writes his very young son a long letter reminiscing on his life. He recalls one time when a huge storm came up and blew the chicken coop, chickens and her day’s clean laundry drying on the clothesline all over the place. There was nothing they could do but watch as everything around them was tossed around. She looked at her son and said, “I know there is a blessing in here somewhere.” Even in all kinds of disappointments and sorrows, God’s hand is evident.
And even more, there is our victory over these things described in verse 13. Those who trust in God are not only survivors who endure; they are victors who overcome and win! Those who trust in God will be stamping on lions and cobras. These are symbols of all the potential evils that can harm us. God will enable us to have the victory over these things as well.
Again, in Romans 8 Paul asks if the troubles in this life will separate us from the love of Christ. Paul says that not only will the troubles of this life not separate us, we will be victorious! Romans 8:37 goes on, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” We are not survivors, we are conquerors!
David Wells points out that during the Civil War, the doctrine of providence went into retreat. Until that time, most people believed God was watching and directing things, even in wars. The Civil War was so gruesome and death so random that they started believing in luck and would say “Good luck” instead of trusting in God’s providential care. However, the Psalm makes it clear that God is fully directing and in charge and nothing can happen without His involvement and His loving care.
That is how we can guarantee success in 2010! Much depends on how you define success, doesn’t it. If by success we mean that we will have what many would consider to be a good year, we may not be successful at all. If we are defining “success” as having a life free from pain, trials and hassles, then we likely will be disappointed.
If we think of success from the Bible’s perspective, we can be successful. If we live in Christ, and live for Him, then regardless of what happens to us, we will know that we are under the powerful wings of our God who is watching over and protecting us. Then nothing will separate us from the love of God.

III. God Assures Us of His Care in verses 14-16.
Now God himself speaks: “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.” God lays out three requirements. A person must love Him; literally, must “cleave” to Him in love. A person must have an exclusive loyalty to God alone. Second, a person must acknowledge God’s name. A person must understand who God is and what He expects from those who follow Him. Finally, the person must be willing to call on the Lord. We must realize that we are helpless beggars who must reach out to the Lord for grace. These are the three requirements.
What specifically does God promise to do for those who trust in Him in this way? God will rescue and protect us in our needs and problems. Maybe there are problems that you are facing right now. Family tensions, job problems, health uncertainties. Maybe a load of guilt that you can’t tell anyone else about.
Maybe there will be these things in the future as well. We have continual reminders that life is very fragile. Perhaps death may come to you or your family. There may be other things as well that will be very difficult and very challenging.
George Smith was a man of tremendous courage. A daring jet test pilot in the 1950′s, back when the sound barrier was first being broken, he could face anything — until he had to bail out of a jet going 805 miles per hour. Though he survived, he was afraid of ever flying again. Then, during his hospital stay, a nurse helped him overcome his fear. “Courage,” she said, “is knowing the worst — and discovering that, in God’s world, the very worst can’t really hurt you. The promise for those who believe and trust is that while you may not avoid these things, God will help you to endure and even overcome them.
Moreover, God will answer us when we bring our needs to Him in prayer. Prayer is the way that we can cope and even overcome trials in life and prayer is no little thing!
Calvin Miller writes of one occasion when Francis Schaeffer was flying across the ocean, two engines on one wing failed. Gradually the plane settled toward the ocean. When the airplane was skimming the waves and about to crash, Schaeffer, who had been praying for God to start the engines, felt the comforting jar of the engines as they flamed back to life. The aircraft began to regain its lost altitude. Miller writes, “Can airplane engines be started by prayer? Emphatically, yes! There are no circumstances over which God is not sovereign. God promises that He will powerfully answer us in our time of need.
And God will honor us. We are not pawns in some game; we are God’s dearly loved people. God will do what is best for us even if it does not seem good to us.
In Marilyn Robinson’s book, “Gilead,” the pastor reflects on his life for his son. He had made many mistakes and faced many trials, but he came to grips with them by having the following perspective. When he has had sleepless nights, he realized that he can either torment himself or trust in the Lord. There is no earthly solution and he can add to the problems by dwelling on them. There are times when that is easier said than done, but the perspective helps.
He will give us long life and He will show us salvation. Not literal long life perhaps but life that is filled with meaning and direction and purpose. And regardless of what may happen in this year, if we make the Lord our dwelling, believe Him with all our heart and mind and seek to live for him, we will experience beautiful life with Him. Let God take full control and God will bless you beyond what you can imagine.

Christmas Eve Service
Thursday, December 24

7:30 p.m.  All invited.  (No childcare will be available.)

Deepen your experience of the season with a special hour of contemplation and joy.   This intimate, “family-style” service features more Bible readings and congregational singing of beloved Christmas carols. Our only evening celebration during the Christmas season, this service traditionally closes with the heartfelt, candle-lit singing of “Silent Night.”

John 1:10-18 “God’s Grace Has Come”
Pastor Jerry Hoek

I was 12 years old and, while I had played baseball in a neighborhood “Rocket” program for a few years, this time I was trying out for Little League. And not only Little League, but the major league Little League. You see in “Rocket” baseball, it was organized but there were no uniforms. Little League meant a baseball uniform! I thought I was pretty good and had some good practices while trying out. I was confident that I would make a team.
However, the Saturday I rode my bicycle to the practice field to see what team I would be on, I found out that I didn’t make it. My name was not on any list of any team. I had been rejected and I can still remember riding home on my bicycle with tears in my eyes, being so hurt and disappointed because I had been rejected. Being rejected hurts.
Now imagine coming home one day expecting to see your family. Or maybe going back home to visit family. But when you got there, your loved ones ignored you. More than that, they said hurtful things to you. They told you that they didn’t want you in the family anymore and you would have to leave. How would you respond to that kind of rejection? It would be unbelievably awful to be rejected by those whom you loved.
Keep this in mind as we read John 1:10-18 this morning. We saw last week that Jesus, the Word, became flesh to be with us. Today we learn that this amazing gift of God was rejected by the world the Word Himself had created and by the people whom He loved. Let’s read John 1:10-18.

I. The Reception of the Word
II. The Greatness of Christ
III. The Grace of Christ Reveals God’s Grace
IV. God Himself Now Revealed

I. The Reception of the Word
Verse 10 first describes the reception of the Word by the world. “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.” Now remember we have seen how the Word himself created the world. Yet when Jesus was in the world, the world did not recognize Him. They didn’t want to enter into a relationship with him. His own creation rejected Him because the world was now alienated from God.
Moreover, verse 11 says Jesus came to his own, but his own did not receive him. In effect, the John is saying that Jesus “came home” to his own chosen people, the people of Israel. The people of Israel were those people whom God had chosen to be His own special people. They would be the ones through whom God would send the Messiah. These people had been looking for the Messiah for hundreds of years. Now finally, the Messiah came home to be with His own people. But they didn’t accept him as the Messiah.
Jesus is rejected by the world He had created and by the people He had called. Today it’s hard to imagine traveling without making reservations for a place to stay, but when I was growing up when my family traveled, my dad would drive until he got tired and then look for a motel to stay for the night. There were several times when we drove for miles looking for a sign in front of motel what would say, “Vacancy.”
The longer it took, the more likely it was that you would find instead signs that said, “No Vacancy,” meaning there were no more rooms available. I remember as a child being anxious wondering if we would have a place to sleep. I can imagine my dad being frustrated and discouraged as he tried to take care of his family. Now think of Mary and Joseph when they arrived in Bethlehem and found no rooms available.
But you see, it’s more than no room in the inn. It would be like going up to a hotel and the clerk looks at the color of our skin and says to us, “We don’t serve your kind here.” It’s not just that there wasn’t room when Jesus was born. The world wanted nothing to do with Jesus after He was born. The world and God’s own people didn’t welcome Him.
And for many today, the “No Vacancy” sign is still there for Jesus. Some simply want nothing to do with Jesus because that religious stuff is for superstitious people. Others are so busy taking care of themselves, their own business that they simply haven’t given Jesus any thought at all. They haven’t really actively rejected him, but they just don’t have time for Him. Some day, when they have more time, or when they have children or when life slows down, then they will think about such things.
Let’s be honest, we all can put up “no vacancy” signs in our lives when it comes to Jesus. Let’s thank God that He doesn’t let us keep those signs up! For those whom He calls, God comes into our lives and says, “Too bad! I’m here anyway. You’re going to have to let me in!”
That is why in verses 12-13, John points out that not all received Jesus in this way. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” There were some who did respond to Christ and believed in Him. But God is the one who moved them to respond and to believe in Christ.
And by doing that, God also gave them the right to become children of God. Not children born of ordinary means. No, these are spiritual children and they have received the right to be called children only because God gives them that new status.
Jesus came into the world and while many rejected Him, many also believed in Him. And those who believe receive great riches, which is what verse 14 states so powerfully. The Word, God Himself, took on our flesh to save us. The verses following this great statement then spell out in more detail exactly who this Jesus is and John does so again by making reference to John the Baptist.
II. The Greatness of Christ.
In verse 15, the Apostle John refers to John the Baptist’s witness regarding Jesus. “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” Why does John make this reference to John the Baptist again? When John was writing his gospel, there were some disciples of John the Baptist who did not follow Jesus but continued following John the Baptist’s teachings.
We can see this by looking at the book of Acts. Acts 18:25 describes when Apollos came to Ephesus. Apollos, who would eventually become a leader in the early church, evidently at first only knew about the baptism of John. He was originally from Alexandria and so it is quite likely that John the Baptist’s teaching had spread outside of Judea to Egypt. Once other believers in Ephesus explained to him the gospel of Christ, he became a vigorous defender of the faith. Later on, Acts 19:1-5 tells about others in Ephesus who had not heard about the Holy Spirit and had only known John’s baptism. While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
Again this would seem to indicate that his teaching had spread beyond Judea as well but it was a teaching of repentance without Jesus. Paul had to explain to them that John the Baptist pointed to Jesus as the Messiah and then they believed in Jesus. So when the Apostle John wrote his gospel, there seems to have been still somewhat of a movement where the followers thought that John was the Messiah.
Look again at verse 15: “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” In Biblical days, anyone who was born before you was considered to be wiser and thus more important than you were. However, even though Jesus came after John, Jesus is more important. The reason? Jesus, as the Word in the beginning, was actually before John the Baptist. The difference between John the Baptist and Jesus is the difference between the finite and the infinite, the temporal and the eternal. John makes it clear that Jesus alone is the Light and the promised Messiah, the only way, truth and life.
Now a lot of people have trouble with that today. They think that Jesus was a marvelously compassionate man and a wonderful teacher. But God? No, that is too hard to accept and believe. Or the only God? That sounds too limiting, too narrow minded. They believe that if we are going to get along with others in the world, we have to learn to be accepting of others and that means all other gods and religious leaders are legitimate.
However, the point that John has emphasized over and over again is that no one is greater than Jesus. He either is God from the very beginning or he is just another man.
This week we celebrate the fact that Jesus is not just another man. Jesus is the King, our Savior God who was born to bring something that is simply amazing! Jesus was born to bring grace!

III. The Grace of Christ Reveals God’s Grace.
John says in verse 16, “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another, or more literally, “For out of his fullness, we have all received grace upon grace.” Now what does “grace upon grace” mean? It means first of all that God’s grace is never exhausted. Just when we think God’s grace could be at an end, there is always more.
But there is something more than just grace that has no limit. Here this may mean more specifically that God’s grace was shown in the Old Testament through Moses and the law of Moses, as we see in verse 17. Now that the law is fulfilled, the grace of Christ now comes.
We may not typically think of the law of Moses as being God’s grace. But God gave the law to help his people and to show them His love and care for them. He gave them the law to point them to the coming Messiah.
And now Jesus has come into the world bringing grace upon grace. What the law of Moses was unable to do, grace through Jesus Christ accomplishes completely. He is the fulfillment of all that Moses talks about.
Again, John reminds us that grace and truth have come as a result of Jesus. Verse 17 says, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” We have grace shown to us through the gift of Jesus Christ. The truth is that what the Scriptures say about our grace through Jesus is completely real and true.
Now perhaps that seems rather ordinary or mundane. We must never let the familiarity of Christmas obscure the beauty of what God has done.
Steve Brown writes about the problem he has with Christmas. He says it’s not that it’s becoming a secular holiday filled with stores and shopping. They are entitled to make a living. It’s not the busyness that can drive you crazy even though they can be all good things. He writes, “What really worries me is that the love that came down at Christmas was much quieter and more subtle than all that. I think Christmas bothers me because it’s too loud, too clear and too manipulative. Love is far more subtle than that. ‘God so loved the world,’ the Bible says, ‘that he gave his only Son (John 3:16). Love revealed itself in a stable and completed itself on crossbeams between two thieves. Love came to a small town and to a people who were conquered and weak. Love is easy to miss because love is not a thing; it’s a person. Love is God quietly touching a world that is filled with hatred, envy, and death – by taking on human flesh and dwelling among us.” In a recent blog, Brown adds, “We’ve taken the truth of Christmas and stomped that sucker flat!”
We have received grace upon grace! Think about this for a moment. That means that there is nothing you can do that will exhaust God’s grace. You may think you have done something so horrible that God must have rejected you. You may have lied to your family about some things. You may have cheated your company out of money or your time. You may have done something so horrible that if it were exposed to the light of day, you would want to crawl into a cave and never come out! God gives us grace upon grace so that no matter what you have done, God’s grace covers it.
You cannot exhaust God’s grace! You go to the ocean, and pull out bucket after bucket of water, but there will always be more. God’s grace will always, always be there and that means you can’t ever do anything that will make God stop loving you.

IV. The beautiful result is that God Himself is now Revealed.
Verse 18 then forms the climax to the whole opening section: “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” John begins by saying that no one has ever seen God. The law Moses wrote from God taught the people about God, but they couldn’t see God. God had always remained apart, separated from His people. But now that has changed completely through Jesus Christ, the One and only, because this Word was made flesh; God is now made known.
Now let’s think about this as well for a moment. Imagine what it was like for people before Christ to think of seeing God. They were told not to touch Mount Sinai where God would give them the Law, or they would die. Moses met God and came back with his face so brilliant that the people were terrified. Closeness to God is far too close for comfort.
Now think of how differently things are for God’s people. John is saying that the Word, the Creator God, has become flesh and dwelt among them. More than that, through the Word, they will receive grace and truth.
Things will now be completely different. God is not only approachable, he is touchable. Not just touchable, but as a human, born as we all have been born. And because Jesus comes to us, we receive grace after grace.
A woman missionary on a south Pacific island was explaining to a group of children the custom of giving gifts at Christmas. “Giving gifts,” she said, “expresses love and reminds us of the perfect gift of love we received from God: Jesus.” Later that week, a young boy came to the missionary’s side and said, “I love you and want you to have this.” He pulled from a basket the most beautiful shell the missionary had ever seen. As she admired its beauty, she recognized it as a special shell only found on the far side of the island, a half day’s walk from the village. When confronted by this, the boy smiled and said, “The long walk is part of the gift!”
God has shown us His love by sending his Son for us so that we may receive grace after grace. Let’s praise God for this indescribable gift of grace!

John 1:10-14
“One of Us”
Pastor Jerry Hoek

Introduction:
I would like to announce to you today that I am going to become an astronaut. I’ve always been intrigued by flying and space travel and so as of next week, I’m going to become one. I’ve also wondered what it would have been like to be an advisor to George Washington and so I’m going to become that too. And after that I’ve often wondered what it would be like to think like a dog and live like a dog. So I’m going to become a dog.
Silliness and nonsense, yes. But to those who are not familiar with the stories of the Bible and the Christian faith, that seems to be the kind of stuff that we are talking about today. In fact, it may be even less believable. God became a human being? That doesn’t ever happen and it couldn’t happen. And yet it did! John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” What does this mean and what does it mean for us?

I. John says that The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us.

What do these two terms, “Word” and “flesh” mean? We have already seen that the Word was and is God. The Word is a specific term in the Bible that refers to God Himself. But the Word also describes God revealing Himself to His people.
The term “flesh” for John is the whole human sphere of life. Flesh means being human in its fullest sense, but without sin. Human, as God created us, complete with all its weaknesses.
John’s point is that Jesus, the Word, became flesh. Jesus did not come down from heaven and simply slip on a human uniform in order to blend into the crowd of people. That is what the Greeks and Romans thought their gods did some times. Their gods would occasionally come down to earth and become a human just to see what was going on and then go back up to heaven. It would be like if I put on a doctor’s scrubs, hung a stethoscope around my neck, walked around the hospital and maybe, (maybe!) pass for a doctor. Would that make me a doctor? Of course not! Jesus did not just dress up like us, he became one of us.
This is the meaning of the term “incarnation.” Carnis is the Latin word for flesh like in the word carnivorous. Incarnate means that Jesus became flesh, became one of us.
And what is important for us to remember is that Jesus still remained God. The Son of God gave up all the glory of heaven and became like us. The change that the Son of God is willing to undergo is amazing. It would be like us with all our rational functions becoming like an earthworm. We could think and know things as a human being, but we would also be an earthworm. We would crawl about in the dirt, knowing that there is much more we could do, but limiting ourselves to this body. Becoming flesh was as amazing act of giving on God’s part.
Moreover, John says that the word, Jesus, dwelt among us. In Jewish ears, the word “dwell” had a rich and beautiful meaning. This is the same word that is used in Exodus 25:8 when God came into the completed tabernacle and dwelt there. The tabernacle was a sign of God’s presence with His people. The people could look at that tent and know without any doubt that God was there being with them, dwelling with them.
Moreover, in later writings in the Old Testament, this word was used to describe how God would eventually dwell with His people. Ezekiel 43:7 – “I will dwell or tabernacle there forever.” Joel 3:17 – The Lord your God will dwell with you in Zion. Zechariah 2:10 – “I am coming and will tabernacle among you.” And finally, in Revelation 21:3 there is the fulfillment of this – “Now the dwelling of God is among men.”
All of these references have the same word as in John 1:14. God is truly living, dwelling with them because God has become one of them, become fully human in Jesus Christ. Steve Brown writes, “The incarnation of God in Christ is a crazy doctrine. If you don’t find it difficult to believe or, if you do believe it, to apply, then you simply haven’t understood how radical the coming of Jesus was.” Almighty God became like us!

II. And the Result is that God’s Glory is Revealed.

John says, “We have seen God’s glory.” God’s glory is what is always there whenever God reveals himself. When God came to dwell in the Tabernacle, the people could sense the glory of God in that place. When Jesus came to earth, God’s glory was revealed in Him.
John says that the disciples saw this glory with their own eyes. At first, they only saw the literal, physical Jesus of Nazareth. Later they saw Jesus and fully understood who He was and they saw God’s glory. But they not only saw Jesus revealing God’s glory, they saw God’s grace.
They had seen grace and truth in their Lord Jesus. They saw God’s overwhelming love for them. They realized their own sin and failures in comparison with Jesus. They saw Jesus, their Lord, dying on the cross and they realized that it was for them.
Someone has offered this penetrating description of grace. If someone murders your son and you take things into your own hands, that’s revenge. If you’re content to allow the courts to arrest and punish the offender, that’s justice. But if you pardon the murderer, adopt him, and take him home to live with you as your son, that’s grace! These early believers saw God’s grace in Jesus.
But the believers in John’s day also saw truth in Jesus. They saw that Jesus was the only answer for the needs of the world. They also saw the extent that God was willing to go to save.

III. The Incarnation for us Today

We too should see the grace of God in sending His Son. God could have decided just to let us go, but God didn’t just let us go. Jesus coming in the flesh shows how far God went to save us. God sent Him to take on flesh in order to die. When we think of Jesus taking on our flesh, we should think of God’s love in sending Jesus to die for us.
But let’s also better understand who Jesus really is. Throughout much of history, people have had trouble accepting the human nature of Jesus. People have no trouble with thinking that Jesus is fully divine. But we hesitate thinking of Jesus as being completely human.
Jesus is wholly divine and sinless but Jesus was also a full and complete human person as well. He was a person who weighed so many pounds and was of a certain height. His teeth hurt him when he was teething as a child. His father knew him as a child when he cut a board too short.
Jesus was also very real in his human emotions. He could become terribly angry and very fierce. But He could also weep and be filled with sorrow and disappointment. He likely laughed, told jokes and enjoyed Himself with His friends. He knew the feelings of rejection and pain as we feel at times. We must not lose that aspect of Christ because if we do then we lose the reality that there is in fact someone who does understand us fully.
Jesus does really understand us in our problems and our joys. Craig Loscalzo tells of a Kansas family who lived through a tornado that nearly destroyed their home. From that point on the little daughter became terribly frightened every time the sky darkened and the winds began to blow. She thought another tornado was on its way. One evening a big thunderstorm developed with torrents of rain, loud booms of thunder and the sizzling of lightning. Needless to say the little girl was terrified as she lay sobbing in her bed. The father went up to calm her down and said, “There’s no reason to cry. It’s only a thunderstorm. It will soon be over. Now there’s no reason for you to be scared or afraid.” She said, “Yeah, Daddy, that’s easy for you to say. You don’t know what it’s like to be little.”
Does Jesus really know what it’s like? Does He know the frustration of losing your job or being unemployed. It is true that He didn’t work at a paying job. But He knew what it was like to be without any money and having no place to call home.
Does He know the sorrow of losing a loved one in death? Jesus wept from sorrow and loss when His dear friend Lazarus died. He understands when we feel sorrow and pain from the loss of life.
What about the frustrations of not having enough time in the day? There were times when Jesus just needed to get away from all the pressures and crowds to pray and be by Himself. He got tired and frustrated just as we do at times.
Does He know the mixture of joy and frustration that mothers face in taking care of little children? He never was a father; however, His disciples were like little children squabbling over things. He also knew children and loved them.
Certainly Jesus knew about physical pain that wasn’t fair or deserved. He suffered terribly before His death and in His death itself. Jesus knows what it is like to suffer pain and physical weakness.
And certainly Jesus knew the pain of loneliness. No one really understood Him at all. He could talk to His disciples and He could pray, but there was no one who really understood what He was going through and who He was.
We could think of many other examples as well. But the point is that Jesus as one of us, a human being, suffered the same things we suffer. And that means that He understands us in our needs.
And the result of that is that we can trust Him fully because He understands us. We can bring Him our trials and struggles that we face. How comforting it is to speak to someone who has gone through the same thing as you have. After my father died, I remember talking to a person whose father had died a few years before. We had something in common and we understood how each other felt. That was a conversation that helped me a great deal. Jesus went through in some way whatever you are going through right now. He understands you and your needs. He is ready to listen and help if you are willing to talk with Him.
This month we have much to celebrate. We celebrate the birth of our Lord and King who rules over all. We celebrate the birth of our Savior who died to save us. We celebrate the birth of the One who will some day make all things right and restore this world to the way God intends it to be. But we also celebrate the birth of One who is willing to be our friend and help us in our weaknesses and needs. Will you come to him with your needs? He really does understand!

John 1:6-9 “A Witness to the Light”
Pastor Jerry Hoek

Introduction:
Several years ago, I served on a jury for the first time. The man on trial was charged with driving while under the influence. The main witness was the state trooper who pulled over the driver. I came away from that trial hoping that I will never have to be a witness in a trial. Every detail is asked for and then questioned. “Exactly how many times did the car weave?” “What happened exactly when the road side tests were administered?” The trooper was trying his best but the details were by now fuzzy since the event had occurred some time ago. He was the witness but he wasn’t a perfect witness.
I’ve read of studies in sociology where someone walks into a class, interrupting the class by pretending to rob the professor or something, and then leaves. The professor then asks everyone to describe what just happened. Almost invariably the responses vary all over the place. Even though all were witnesses to what happened, each one remembers things a bit differently.
At this point in the introduction to John’s Gospel, the Apostle John introduces the concept of being a witness by introducing John the Baptist. The mission of John the Baptist was to primarily to be a witness to Christ, who as we saw last week, is the Light. This morning we want to see the importance of this witness, as well as our important role as being witnesses to the Light. Let’s read John 1:1-9.

I. John and His Mission
II. Jesus, the True Light
III. What Do We Do?

I. Let’s look first at John the Baptist and His Mission in verses 6-8.
These verses to some extent interrupt the flow of the introduction here. Why suddenly is there this description of John the Baptist? It seems that there were several followers of John the Baptist who had not followed Jesus. They were thinking that John the Baptist was the light, the messiah God had promised to send. John wants to emphasize to them that John the Baptist, while very important, is not the Messiah.
Notice how he does this through in the words he chooses to describe John the Baptist. John describes John the Baptist as a man who came which means that he was created, he came from somewhere else. Jesus simply was, that is, was from the very beginning with God before all time. John the Baptist is described as a man, a mere human creature. Christ is described as the Word, not being created, but the Word who was God. John the Baptist was a man sent by God; not someone who was with God. Christ is with God, in a special relationship with God. John the Baptist came to testify to the true Light. The Word, Jesus Christ, is the real light. Finally, John the Baptist is the agent through whose testimony men come to trust in the real light. Christ as the Word and the light is the object of that trust.
The Apostle John’s point, stated clearly in verse 8, is John the Baptist was not the light. Yet, John the Baptist was such a powerful figure that Josephus, the great Jewish historian, reports many years later when John’s name was mentioned people still trembled at the thought of him. Jesus’ view of John was he was “greater than any man born of woman.” Yet as great as he was, the Apostle John says that he was far less than the Word.
The primary and very significant task of John the Baptist is to be a witness to the Light. One of the goals of John’s gospel is to provide witnesses to show that Jesus is the Messiah. In fact, in this gospel you see that there are seven who bear witness to Jesus as the Messiah. The Father, Son and Spirit all serve as witnesses to this. The fourth witness is the Scriptures themselves also testify that Jesus is the Messiah. The fifth witness would be Jesus’ signs or miraculous works, which certainly point to Jesus as being the Messiah. The sixth witness is John the Baptist and seventh is a variety of human witnesses. All of these things together serve as witnesses to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah.
The place of a witness in ancient culture was very important. It is how you could establish the truth of something. If there are at least two witnesses, then it was considered to be true in a legal sense. However, by being a witness, John the Baptist also takes a stand for Christ. He stands up and puts himself on the line, in the witness box, so to speak, and says that Jesus is the Light! As a witness, John the Baptist takes a stand for Christ being the Light, the Savior Messiah!
And the purpose of John the Baptist’s witness is that “through him all men might believe.” It is through John that people would come to have faith in Jesus. One author writes that John testifies to Christ as the moon testifies to the sun.
I saw a program recently that said that moon dust is highly reflective because of the jagged edges on the moon dust particles. This is why the moon shines so brightly on some nights. But as great as the brightness of the moon can be, it only reflects a much greater light. It has no light of its own, but reflects the sun’s light. John is only a light that bears witness to a greater light.
We live in a culture in which many people think you can believe whatever lights you want and it’s ok. Today’s postmodern culture holds that you can mix and match and create your own system of belief and that is just fine. If you want to believe in Jesus as well as Vishnu or Krishna of the Hindu religion, that’s fine. And so Jesus Christ and Mohamed of Islam are just fine together.
The Apostle John would say no for there is only one Word and one Light who gives life. And Jesus alone is that light and the word of the Scriptures testify to the fact that He alone is God and the true Light. That becomes very clear in verse 9.

II. For here we see Jesus as the True Light in verse 9.
We saw last week that Jesus is the light that comes into the sin-filled and sin-darkened world to bring life. This is the light that illuminates people. It enables people to see themselves as they really are as poor needy people who are trapped in the bondage of sin. It also enables them to see who God really is as one who loves them and saves them from their own bonds of sin and misery.
And again only Jesus as the Light can be that kind of light that saves us. Others may try, but only Christ, the true Light can overcome the darkness and fill the world with His marvelous light. Imagine that I issued you a challenge, a very peculiar challenge perhaps: I want you to come up with something that will completely fill this room. I will give you the rest of the day, but by 7:00 tonight, you have to come back here and show me how you plan to fill this room completely. Some might think of insulation that you blow into a room or crumpled up newspapers. Some might think of blowing up hundreds of balloons to fill the space.
Here’s my solution to the challenge and in fact, we’ve done this most every Christmas Eve over the past years. I would give you a small candle and have you light it and the room would be filled with light. On Christmas Eve we symbolize the light of Christ spreading into the world from one source through us into the whole world. Only Jesus can fill the world with His light.
And now this light was coming into the world. The Old Testament had been telling about this coming light for a long time. Isaiah 9:2 says, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Isaiah 60:1-3 says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” Scripture teaches that God will come and bring the light of life to this darkened world.
Now this Light was coming into the world. Jesus, as the Light, came into the world to give light. He came to fight against and to win over the powers of darkness and sin in the world.
The world is more than just the created world. The world here is that which is lost in sin and fallen. It is the sinful world that so desperately needs to have the light of Christ shining in it.
But more than that, John points out that this light was to every man. This means that Jesus comes to every person individually. Christ as the light illuminates and gives a degree of spiritual understanding to all who hear the message of salvation. Many, however, who have the light, prefer the darkness. To those who receive the gift of faith, this light shines in their hearts and they receive eternal life.

III. So What Do We Do?
Today we have the witnesses as well to tell us the truth about Jesus Christ. The question then becomes, what do we do with the witness? Or more importantly, what do we do with Jesus, the Light? Some may choose to ignore Him. Please know that all who reject Christ, do so at their own peril. If you are not sure what you think about Jesus, listen the witness of John and the witness of the Bible. He is the Light and He was sent to this earth by a loving God who wants to rescue you from a life of sin and misery.
Many have accepted and embraced the light in their lives. They have had the light shine in their lives and have seen their sin-darkened souls. They have seen clearly the need for a Savior to forgive their sins. They have seen a God not of anger and judgment but a God of love and grace who wants the best for His children and sent Jesus to bring those blessings to those who believe. For those who have received the light, let us thank God for this most marvelous gift.
But it cannot stop there for we ourselves must also be a witness to the light. We must be willing to reflect the light of Christ into the world around us. We must allow Christ to live in us so much that others can see His light shining out through us. We must be in such a relationship with our Lord, that people can see God’s love shining on our faces.
Now let’s think about that for a moment. How well do we reflect the light of Christ? Can people tell that anything is different about us because we are Christians? My challenge to us this month is to let the true Light that has come into the world, shine out brightly among those we come in contact with every day.
How do we do that? First, let’s make sure we realize that we are not the light. There are some Christians who live and act as if they were the light. “Become like me.” “Do what I tell you to do.” The moment we think that we are so important, we will not be an effective witness for our Lord. If you think that being a Christian is being as good as possible and that it’s all up to you, you are very mistaken. It is all about the light of Christ.
Second, let’s make sure that we are truly bearing witness to the light. It is good to witness by our actions and our lifestyles. Indeed our actions and lifestyles must authenticate our faith. But if we are letting only our actions witness for us, then we are not truly bearing witness to the Light.
Witnessing is speaking to others about Jesus. Witnessing means taking a stand, standing up and saying that you believe in Jesus, that He died for you. It means telling others why you are doing the things you are doing and living the way you are living. And the goal is to hopefully draw others to the Lord through us. Witnessing is letting the light of Christ shine on us in our day to day lives so that we can reflect Jesus. On our own we cannot reflect Christ’s light but when we are following Him, our lives can radiate His love and grace.
But does it really make a difference? Almost 3 years ago, we heard a woman in Marich, Kenya tell us that they needed clean water. Today we welcome back a team who returned to Marich and God enabled them to provide safe water for 2500 people in that village to drink.
It makes a difference in places all over the world in much bigger ways as well. Listen to this example told by the late James Montgomery Boice. Several years ago a longtime missionary to Korea named Archibald Campbell wrote comparing Korea as he found it with Korea more recently. He had served for more than forty years during the mid-1900′s.
In Korea… there was spiritual darkness until the gospel of Christ was brought in. Men sold their daughters, their sisters, and sometimes their wives into prostitution without a qualm of conscious. Better-class women were not to be seen on the streets. Young girls had to wear great hats, made of reeds, four feet across, which completely hid their faces from view. Wife beating was commonplace. I have seen a man dragging his wife along the street by the hair. Onlookers shrugged their shoulders and said, ‘That thing’s going to die.’ My own frantic appeal to the Chief of Police proved useless. There was little that could be called integrity… Selfishness was in the very physical make up.. Medicine men were in business for a living, but hospital service for the sick was beyond comprehension. If they can’t pay for it, let ‘em die! Lepers were outcasts. The blind were beggars.”
It is a grim picture, although one not without parallels elsewhere. But then, as Campbell shows, the Gospel of God’s grace through the Lord Jesus Christ arrived, and in the space of just two generations the country began to be transformed. Values change, and this was true even though the light of Christ had begun to shine in only a small percentage of the vast population.
The effect can be seen by the following story. In one of the refugee camps that came into being as the result of the Korean War there was a Korean couple who had a son named Oh In Ho. Oh In Ho had a chance to come to America, an almost unbelievable opportunity at that time, and he chose to come to Philadelphia where he enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania. One evening on the way to mail a letter, he was attacked by a gang of teenage thugs and was killed. His refugee parents were miles away in Korea. They were living in a hovel made of scrap lumber. But they were Christians, and they were surrounded by Christian friends. From their friends and from their own almost nonexistent savings these Korean Christians collected hundreds of dollars. Then they sent it to America with the request that the murderers of their son be forgiven and that, with this money, they be sent to Christian school where they might learn about the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Light of Christ makes a tremendous difference in our lives and hopefully in the lives of others. What will you do to bear witness to the light?