Part One – Jesus was there in the Beginning

In Part One, we see how Jesus was there in the beginning.  We see that great power that God used to create the whole world.  The “Word of God” is called the “Son of God.”  We see that He came into the world for us.  This is the whole picture of Advent—that the great and powerful God, the one who God used, the Word of God, to create everything as He spoke into the world He then became flesh and made His dwelling among us that He would leave heaven and then come to be with you and me.  As the words that end our reading will speak about, we’ve seen the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

We truly have seen the Word and we know that the Word is still with us and we’ll see the blessings of what it means that God has been there, is here, and will continue to be with us.  He came to live for us, to die for us, to rise again, to give us true hope.  That is the meaning of Advent and Christmas—that we wait for our coming Lord.  He was there in the beginning and He is with us now.  We read about how He was there in the beginning, the Word that became flesh.

John 1:1-5, 9-14:

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  ²He was with God in the beginning.  ³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  ⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁹The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.  ¹⁰He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  ¹¹He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  ¹²Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—¹³children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

¹⁴The 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.

Part Two – Jesus is our Humble King who saves us

I think true humility is something that is hard to find in our world.  It doesn’t come naturally.  Especially people who are gifted and have a lot of talent, they kind of have to be taught that humility.

You can think of Jesus, who we said was used (He is the Word of God) to create all things.  He is so powerful that He is the King of Kings, but yet we see the way He came into the world.  He was born in a manger.  And though He did so many great and powerful things, so many miracles, what did He come to do?  He came to become a servant.  He had all the power of God, but He came to serve; not only to serve, but to serve in a way to die, to become obedient to death on a cross.  In Advent, we talk about the coming of the Savior.  On Palm Sunday, we talk about the coming of the Savior, in the manger, and all the humble ways that He came.  But most of all, He came to serve and to die for you.

We struggle with humility, but our Lord was humble for us, in our place, to die and to save us from all our sins so that we know that through His humility we have that forgiveness and peace.  We read about our Humble King who comes to save.

Philippians 2:1-8:

¹Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.  ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

⁵In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
⁶Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

Part Three – Jesus the Great I Am is with us

I want you to think for a second about if someone came through the door that would give you so much joy.  Think about the holidays.  Maybe it’s a family member.  Maybe it’s that friend that you love to see.  What person gives you so much joy when you see them?

Think about that now that this is what our God has done.  He has come to be among us.  Not just God.  It says “the Great I Am.”  Jesus calls Himself the “I Am,” the God of the Old Testament, the one who was with us, was with Moses in the Burning Bush, and with the Israelites.  Jesus is He, the one who came to be with us.  He is with you now.  Not only that but He has come to bring us into the presence of God the Father.  Think of the joy of seeing Jesus.  Think of the joy of seeing God.  That is the joy that we have of being with the Lord.  He is with us.  He gives us peace and hope.

I think of the picture of when I walk in and my kids are filled with joy to see us.  This is the joy we get to know that our Lord is with us and His purpose, that Jesus’ purpose is to give us a way to be with the Father, to be in heaven with Him forever.  Do not be troubled, the Great I Am is with us, to bring you to be with Him and the Father.

John 14:1-9:

¹“Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me.  ²My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going.”

⁵Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

⁶Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  ⁷If you really know me, you will know my Father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

⁸Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

⁹Jesus answered:  “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?  Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.  How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Part Four – Jesus is the Savior we need

I don’t know how many of you wear glasses or contacts, but if I don’t have my glasses on or wear my contacts, I really struggle.  It’s hard when things are out of focus and you can’t see clearly and see where you are going and what is around you.  If you have glasses, you can understand what that’s like.

In Isaiah, it speaks that we are people in darkness.  If you don’t wear glasses, you maybe have experienced what it’s like to be in darkness; not just the darkness that we experience where there is a little bit of a light, like a nightlight, but true darkness.  It’s scary!  It’s frightening when you can’t see anything and you don’t know what is around you.  You need help.  You need a guide.  You need something to help you out of that darkness.  The truth, is even though many people don’t believe it, many people don’t see it because they are in darkness.  We are in darkness because of our sins, because of what this world has brought, because of what the devil does to us.  We need a Savior.  We need a Light to come and break into the darkness of this broken world and the darkness of our own hearts.

That is what we have—a Savior that was promised from that moment of sin and darkness in that Garden of Eden; a Savior that was promised throughout the Old Testament, as we hear in Isaiah; and a Savior that comes through Advent and through Christmas.  We know that Jesus is the Savior we need, a Savior that is so much greater than all the other things that people put hope in—money, politics and all these other things, but especially yourself.  You can’t do it.  Jesus truly is the Savior who came to save you from yourself, to save you from your sins, to save us from this world.  We see the peace that comes from knowing our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Jesus comes to give us exactly what we need—salvation.

Isaiah 9:2-7:

²The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
³You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
⁴For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
⁵Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
⁶For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.