WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:15.599 Hi, my name is George Sinclair. I'm the lead pastor of Church of the Messiah. 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:20.480 ! It is wonderful that you would like to check out some of the sermons done by Church of the Messiah, 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:25.679 either by myself or some of the others. Listen, just a couple of things. First of all, would you pray for us 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:32.159 that we will open God's Word well to His glory and for the good of people like yourself? 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:37.359 The second thing is, if you aren't connected to a church and if you are a Christian, 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:42.159 we really, I would really like to encourage you to find a good local church where they believe the 00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:48.799 Bible, they preach the gospel, and if you have some trouble finding that, send us an email. We will do 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:55.120 what we can to help connect you with a good local church wherever you are. And if you're a non-Christian, 00:00:55.119 --> 00:01:00.320 checking us out, we're really, really, really glad you're doing that. Don't hesitate to send us 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:05.280 questions. It helps me actually to know, as I'm preaching, how to deal with the types of things 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:07.759 that you're really struggling with. So God bless. 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:17.840 Let's just bow our heads in prayer for a moment. Father, we ask that your Holy Spirit would take 00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:26.640 these, on one hand, Father, very simple words, and on another hand, very profound words, and on another 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:34.879 hand, Father, if we're three-handed, words that are just actually sort of too deep and profound for us to 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:41.040 really get our minds around it. And so, Father, we ask that you would do a wonderful work of grace in 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:45.760 our lives and bring your word into our lives that it might form us, that we might be formed by your word. 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:52.000 And we ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior. Amen. Please be seated. 00:01:56.640 --> 00:01:59.920 I'm not checking Instagram updates. I'm setting my timer. 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:01.120 I'm setting my timer. 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:07.840 This is always a bit of a more relaxed service, Christmas morning. A lot of churches, as you know, 00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:11.920 don't have services on Christmas morning anymore, but I think it's just really appropriate to have 00:02:11.920 --> 00:02:17.199 a service on Christmas morning. I do a different sermon, so to speak, than I do on Christmas morning, 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:23.840 than Christmas Eve. And as I shared last night, this year I thought more than trying to have a 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:29.439 bit of a systematic sermon, I'd just share four things that really struck me as I was meditating 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:34.719 upon the text. And if you haven't been here before, one of the things I do, because there's kids who 00:02:34.719 --> 00:02:41.520 are present, and just for something different, I'll intersperse my talk with showing four mini-movies 00:02:42.079 --> 00:02:45.919 that just bring home different aspects of the gospel, and that's sort of how the morning's going to go. 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:54.079 So another sort of introductory thing is one of the problems with speaking on John 1, 1-14, is, 00:02:54.080 --> 00:03:05.680 to mix my metaphors a little bit, on one hand, it is like the Himalayas. It is like the Everest of the Bible. 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:11.680 And on the other hand, if you just thought of Mount Everest as just being in the middle of an ocean, 00:03:12.480 --> 00:03:20.720 surrounded by water, heresy after heresy for centuries have smashed against it and gotten ruined. 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:26.400 The heresy is not the Christian faith. And so you could actually write a very, very, very, very, 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:32.879 very thick book, just going through a series of all of the classic and modern Christian heresies. 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:37.919 And there's all sorts of scripture texts that would refute them, but time and time again, you could just 00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:45.280 go back to John 1, 1-14 and see how that heresy smashes against John 1, 1-14. And it's not that 00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:51.759 John 1-14 or Christianity gets damaged. The heresy gets damaged. It just, it gets shipwrecked. It can't 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:56.400 withstand it. It's a very deep and profound text. And so I'm just going to pick four things. I'm going 00:03:56.400 --> 00:04:02.879 to begin sort of like my third beginning. It's sort of like a hobbit having a first lunch, a second lunch, 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:11.199 and then a third lunch. I have like three beginnings. And in this beginning, I had probably in the first 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:19.360 12 years or so, 15 years of my Christian life, I might have had, I probably had four or five times 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:24.639 or six times where I came close to losing my faith, walking away from the Christian faith, because I had a 00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:32.079 variety of intellectual problems that made me doubt that Christianity was true. And one that I had 00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:40.240 several times was just, I think, I'd think about the immensity of space and the immensity of the universe 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:49.519 and the galaxy. And I'd just look at the stars, the limited ones I could see, and I'd be in this time of 00:04:50.159 --> 00:04:54.959 doubt about the Christian faith. And I'd look out at the night sky, and I just think to myself, 00:04:55.680 --> 00:05:01.759 it's just impossible to think that a god exists. Like the universe is just so empty, and it just doesn't 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:06.719 make any sense in such a big universe that god would have some special concern with us, this one little 00:05:06.719 --> 00:05:14.879 planet. And I have these long, depressing, despairing types of reflections as I would both look at the 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:22.879 sky and then think about what I was looking at. Now, obviously, I haven't lost my faith, although maybe 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:29.360 I shouldn't say that, because Anglicans, lamentably, in Canada are not known for orthodoxy. 00:05:30.240 --> 00:05:39.600 But I haven't lost my Christian faith. I'm probably more like a Nigerian or a Rwandan Anglican or an 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:47.040 Indonesian Anglican than a Canadian Anglican. In fact, I know I am. But, you know, it's really funny. 00:05:49.199 --> 00:05:55.360 This is one of the main things I was thinking about this week, about how I'd had those times, and how, 00:05:55.360 --> 00:06:03.280 on one hand, I was, how deaf I was, and how dumb and blind I was, and inability to think. I should 00:06:03.280 --> 00:06:06.879 say that one of the things that always brought me back to the Christian faith was the truth of the 00:06:06.879 --> 00:06:14.080 resurrection. I mean, as Mike Lacona is famous for saying, if Jesus actually rose from the dead, 00:06:14.080 --> 00:06:20.480 Christianity is true. Like, it's just true. And whatever other difficulties you might have, whatever 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:25.520 other things there are, if Jesus rose from the dead, Christianity is true. And that was actually a very 00:06:25.520 --> 00:06:30.080 powerful thing for me. But here's the thing that reflected upon this week. Actually, if you could 00:06:30.080 --> 00:06:36.000 put up the first point, that would be helpful. I'll switch to why I worded it this way. The universe 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:42.720 declares the glory of God, so you can laugh. So, you know, maybe it should be a positive or a dash, 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:49.360 you know, therefore you can laugh. But here's the thing. People that I know, they went off to this 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:55.520 beautiful, beautiful island for a holiday, and they had several kids. And one of their kids was like, 00:06:55.520 --> 00:07:00.720 was 13 years old. And he really didn't want to be there. He didn't want to be with his parents. He 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:05.920 didn't want to be with his family. And here they are on this spectacular beach. It was a beautiful, 00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:11.200 beautiful sunny day. It was one of those beautiful sunny days where it was nice and warm in the sun, 00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:16.719 but it wasn't so warm. The sand was too hot for your feet. Just nice. And because there was no 00:07:16.719 --> 00:07:22.639 humidity and a nice breeze coming off of the ocean, you could be out in the sun and it was nice. But if 00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:26.240 you got a little bit worried about it, you could just go into the shade and it was nice and at a 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:32.560 really nice temperature, not too hot. And just beautiful, just spectacular. And this, the fellow said, 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:44.879 every day I'm here is the new worst day of my life. Every day I'm here is the new worst day of my life. 00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:52.480 Like just said, like a depressed 13 year old, right? And what I'm thinking about is, with this is this. 00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:56.240 On the one hand, here I was at different times looking out on the starry host, 00:07:56.240 --> 00:08:02.720 thinking this shows that God doesn't exist somehow. Yet on the other hand, what's a very, 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:08.000 very common thing if you want to take a picture of the glory of God? You take a picture of the galaxy. 00:08:10.319 --> 00:08:17.680 So here I am saying like a 13 year old kid, every day I'm here looking out at the stars. It's the new 00:08:17.680 --> 00:08:22.960 worst day of my life and I'm depressed. And really, you look at the stars and it just, you know, 00:08:22.959 --> 00:08:27.439 the heavens declare the glory of God. It's absolutely spectacular. Another, by the way, 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:30.479 another one of the things that would always bring me back to the Christian faith was the resurrection. 00:08:30.479 --> 00:08:35.840 The second thing was actually design. I just, it was impossible for me to believe the intricacy of the 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:41.919 universe could have happened by chance. And so, you know, in the text that we have today, 00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:51.279 I'm just going to say one verse right now, two verses, or three verses. In the beginning was the Word, 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:57.600 the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things 00:08:57.600 --> 00:09:02.639 were made through Him, and without Him not anything was made, not anything made, not was, 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:09.839 and without Him was not anything made that was made. And that's just communicating that, 00:09:09.839 --> 00:09:15.759 it's really, really interesting that the way they describe whatever started the universe is Word. That's one of the 00:09:15.759 --> 00:09:23.519 words that describes God is Word. And that means communication, it means meaning, it means persons, 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:32.720 and it means that, you know, it's from that, that the correct way to understand the starry host is to 00:09:32.720 --> 00:09:43.519 understand God speaking. Because God, one of the ways that God is described is as Word. And just as I was 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:51.679 sharing with that story, that when you are spending a time looking at the glory of the universe and 00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:58.960 thinking, this is the new worst day of my life, you aren't happy and you don't laugh. But when you see 00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:07.279 the heavens and say, the heavens declare the glory of God, you can smile and you can laugh. Our first video 00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:12.720 is one that we'll just laugh over. It's a takeoff on the Toy Story and let's watch it. 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:19.759 Look, I know we're all excited for Christmas morning, but if I hear one toe hit the ground before 00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:28.000 sunrise... Mom and Dad are sleeping in. What? Come on! We're playing! It's almost here. A wonderful 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:35.039 celebration is at hand. I love watching the family Christmas Eve ritual. Bake, wrap, collapse. And by family, 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:43.199 you mean just the mom, right? I'd give anything to taste those cookies. And help clean up? And help 00:10:43.199 --> 00:10:53.039 clean up. Love helping clean up that cookie mess. Huh? What was that? Likely just a drab blowing through the house. 00:10:53.039 --> 00:11:05.919 That or grandma's fruitcake finally detonated. It's a child! Get to your places! Go, go, go, go, go! And freeze! 00:11:09.199 --> 00:11:13.199 Zip it everybody! Gloria! Sorry. 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:31.199 Hey buddy. What are you doing out of bed? Oh, uh, sorry daddy. I was just checking on Jesus. 00:11:31.199 --> 00:11:39.839 Mm-hmm. And how's he doing? Pretty good. It's his birthday, you know? That's right. You thinking about 00:11:39.839 --> 00:11:47.679 what to give him? No, but I think I should give him to someone else. Maybe Justin next door? 00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:58.239 Hold up. You want to give Jesus away? Yeah, so Justin can know him too. You know what, bud? I think you just figured out Christmas. 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:09.919 Hey dad, can Jesus sleep with my turtle tonight? How about just on the nightstand? 00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:18.799 Oh, the messiah has been kidnapped! Armor up boys! We're going to battle! 00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:23.039 Oh my stars, what kind of father loses? The redeemer of mankind! 00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:28.879 Hey everyone, settle down! Gabriel to Angel Legion Alpha, do you copy? It's go time. 00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:34.000 Roger that. Moving in, over. We need torches and pitchforks! Everyone on my six! 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:48.000 Everyone! Hey, it's okay! We must let him go. Okay, Blessed Mother. Please explain yourself. 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:57.200 This is why he came. To be poured out for many. Given as a sacrifice. 00:12:57.200 --> 00:13:11.680 We will each do well to re-gift him to all we can. So, should I call off the Angel Hit Squad, or no? 00:13:12.560 --> 00:13:15.600 Yeah, buddy. Our work here is done. 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:23.840 Have the merriest of Christmases, friends. All of you. 00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:56.800 I often work in coffee shops, and occasionally coffee shops are places where Jehovah Witnesses, 00:13:56.799 --> 00:14:01.199 after they've been doing their witnessing, go to have a coffee. Or maybe it's in the middle of it. 00:14:01.839 --> 00:14:06.799 And especially if they come in the morning, which is when I do my sermons, so I'll have a Bible out. 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:11.679 The Jehovah Witnesses will see a guy with a Bible, and eventually they'll start to talk to me. 00:14:11.679 --> 00:14:13.759 And then, of course, eventually they want to convert me. 00:14:16.719 --> 00:14:18.639 And I have a great time with them, by the way. 00:14:19.359 --> 00:14:23.359 Just, just, uh, we actually have a real expert on Jehovah Witnesses here, 00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:26.720 because, uh, he, he was a part of the Jehovah Witnesses for quite a few years. 00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:30.639 You can talk to Jason later about it. He can regale you, probably, with stories. 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:33.360 So we're even sure with you how he got out of that into Christianity. 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:37.519 But one of the things I love to do with them is they appear to know the Bible really well, 00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:42.080 but what they really just have is a script of little talking points. 00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:48.320 So the very first thing I like to do is knock them off their script and watch them flounder. 00:14:49.360 --> 00:14:54.560 But one of the things I tell them all the time is, uh, listen, the problem with you is you believe 00:14:54.560 --> 00:14:58.480 God is a God of love? And they say, of course, God is a God of love. I said, your understanding of God 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:04.240 means that God can't possibly be a God of love. Now that gets them going, of course, right? Now they're 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:08.080 really off the script, and they've never talked to anybody who says things like that to them. 00:15:08.080 --> 00:15:13.440 But, uh, well, well, here, here's the thing. Why do I say that? Let's look at John chapter one, 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:18.480 verses one to three again. And it goes like this. In the beginning was the Word, 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:26.960 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:32.000 made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. Now here's the thing, and you 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:36.879 wouldn't know this unless you knew the original language, and I wouldn't know it unless I read it in 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:42.960 the commentary. But in the original language, there's two different words for with. Um, in the 00:15:42.960 --> 00:15:48.080 beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, with, and the Word was God. Then verse two, 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:53.039 he was in the beginning with God. And in the original language, there's two different words for with. 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:59.840 And so if I wanted to say, uh, let's say I asked, uh, Barbara where something was to, for the, the Lord's 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:07.600 table, and she might say, oh, the cruets are with the hosts. And that's a with. In English, 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:12.320 there's just one word with, right? But in the original language of the New Testament, uh, if you 00:16:12.320 --> 00:16:19.600 have two objects together, you use one word for with. But if I was to say, uh, where is Barbara today? 00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:24.240 I'd say she's sitting with Louise. And in that case, in the original language, when you're talking 00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:30.960 about two people being together, it's a different word. A word that only is used when two people are 00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:37.519 with each other. And so here in the, in the original language of, uh, of John 1, when it says, 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:42.799 in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, the word with there implies two people 00:16:42.799 --> 00:16:48.799 are with each other. Two persons, not two objects, two persons. And then when it says, 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:54.000 he was in the beginning with God, and you use the word he, showing that the Word is a person, 00:16:54.639 --> 00:17:02.399 that once again, God and the Word, it's with, it's a person. And so not only does the Bible describe, 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:10.480 pick the word word to describe Jesus, uh, and with this, it's communicating a whole pile of things. 00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:16.720 Um, you know, the, the basic myth of our society is around naturalistic evolution, 00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:21.920 as if everything just came to be as a result of blind chance, impersonal chance, 00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:27.600 it's a universe that doesn't care about us. It's just scientific laws and coincidence. And in 00:17:27.600 --> 00:17:34.560 contrast to that, the Bible says the word is with. God, a person created all things. And that's why, 00:17:34.560 --> 00:17:38.560 if in fact, there is no God, you look out at the empty universe and you think, 00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:44.079 I am just a speck and I am no different to this universe than a piece of garbage. 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:48.879 That's the correct way to think. But if in fact, you understand that God has created all things, 00:17:48.879 --> 00:17:53.919 then you can look at the starry host and you can look at the mountains and forests and the beautiful 00:17:53.920 --> 00:18:01.680 sights and the sunsets and say, the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament proclaims his 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:07.759 handiwork. That's a correct way to understand the world. And, and it's not just that if you have 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:12.000 communication, but the other thing that goes along with communication is communications and it connected 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:19.039 to love. And, and so only Christianity, as I talked about last night, Allah is just by himself. He can't 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:26.319 possibly be a God that loves because to love, there has to be another. And only the Christian gospel 00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:34.159 reveals that there is in fact distinctions within, there is just one God, but three persons. And from 00:18:34.159 --> 00:18:40.879 all eternity, one, one person of the Trinity, the father to the son has revealed and opened himself 00:18:40.879 --> 00:18:46.240 and communicated himself to the son, which is what words are and has loved the son and the son, 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:51.359 and it says, in a sense, revealed himself to the father, been enchanted with the father and poured 00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:59.120 out his love for the father from all eternity. From all eternity, God is love. And I'll say that to 00:18:59.120 --> 00:19:04.319 Jehovah's Witnesses. You just think there's, that Jesus isn't God, the Holy Spirit's not God. Your God 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:12.640 can't possibly be the God of love. Well, they squirm. It's usually after this conversation that they are 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:18.880 polite to me from then on, but never talk to me again. But I just pray for them. I'll pray for them 00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:23.040 for as long as they come, that God would bring them to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:19:23.600 --> 00:19:27.759 So if you could put up the second point, that would be really handy. And in a world of countless 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:37.360 religions and spiritualities, only the triune God can be the God who is love. In a world of countless 00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:42.959 religions and spiritualities, only the triune God can be the God who is love. Let's watch this 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:48.319 beautiful spoken word video that helps communicate some of these huge realities, 00:19:48.879 --> 00:19:52.319 transcendent and eternal truths all involved in the Christmas story. 00:19:59.439 --> 00:20:06.000 Silent night. Holy night. 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:09.759 Silent night. 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.759 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:12.759 in the middle of nowhere. 00:20:14.759 --> 00:20:20.759 It's dark, cold, the unlikeliest of places 00:20:20.759 --> 00:20:24.759 for the king of kings to lay his head. 00:20:25.759 --> 00:20:28.759 Yet he came. 00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:36.759 No audience, no entourage, the light of the world 00:20:36.759 --> 00:20:40.759 who came for you and for me. 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:45.759 This is the story of Christmas. 00:20:48.759 --> 00:20:51.759 That night, everything changed. 00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:56.759 Heaven touched earth and love entered with a tiny breath. 00:20:57.759 --> 00:21:01.759 The cry of a newborn king echoed through all eternity. 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:04.759 I am with you. 00:21:04.759 --> 00:21:07.759 This is the story of Christmas. 00:21:08.759 --> 00:21:11.759 A star appeared in the heavens that night. 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:15.759 A star so bright astronomers began to follow. 00:21:16.759 --> 00:21:19.759 Angels filled the skies with songs of praise, 00:21:19.759 --> 00:21:21.759 calling shepherds to leave their flocks 00:21:21.759 --> 00:21:24.759 and see for themselves what had transpired. 00:21:24.759 --> 00:21:27.759 And when they arrived, they were so compelled 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:31.759 they bowed down in awe and worshipped him. 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:34.759 This is the story of Christmas. 00:21:35.759 --> 00:21:38.759 Jesus' arrival brought the fulfillment of promises 00:21:38.759 --> 00:21:41.759 to a people who had lost all faith. 00:21:42.759 --> 00:21:45.759 To a people living in despair, hope was born. 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:52.759 In the midst of strife and division, the Prince of Peace came to silence our storms. 00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:58.759 In a world of hate, love won and broke through the darkness. 00:21:58.759 --> 00:22:01.759 This is the story of Christmas. 00:22:01.759 --> 00:22:03.759 This is no ordinary story. 00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:07.759 This is the greatest story ever told. 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:12.759 The savior of the world, Emmanuel, God with us, 00:22:12.759 --> 00:22:15.759 who stepped down from heaven to earth, 00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:18.759 born for you and for me. 00:22:18.759 --> 00:22:22.759 This is the story of Christmas. 00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:32.759 The other end of John 1, 1 to 14 that I meditated upon the most this time 00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:35.759 was verse 14 itself, which I'll just read again. 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:38.759 You know, you've gotten very clearly that the word is God 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:40.759 and everything's made through him. 00:22:40.759 --> 00:22:43.759 And then verse 14, there's other things about John 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:44.759 and then Jesus coming into the world. 00:22:44.759 --> 00:22:47.759 But verse 14 is this spectacular verse. 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:51.759 And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory. 00:22:51.759 --> 00:22:56.759 Glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 00:22:56.759 --> 00:23:00.759 And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory. 00:23:00.759 --> 00:23:05.759 Glory as of the only Son, the unique Son, the one of a kind Son. 00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:08.759 That word only there means the only one in its class. 00:23:08.759 --> 00:23:10.759 If you know some philosophical things. 00:23:10.759 --> 00:23:15.759 The only one in its class, Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 00:23:15.759 --> 00:23:20.759 And it's distinguishing between the earlier things saying that if you give your life to Jesus, 00:23:20.759 --> 00:23:24.759 you can become the adopted Son of God, adopted child of God. 00:23:24.759 --> 00:23:28.759 So it's distinguishing that, that whatever that's going to mean for us human beings, 00:23:28.759 --> 00:23:32.759 whoever Jesus is, he's one of a kind, the only one in his class. 00:23:32.759 --> 00:23:36.759 And, well, here's the thing about this. 00:23:36.759 --> 00:23:39.759 Actually, if you could just put up the point, Claire, that would be helpful. 00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:48.759 Which is that baby Jesus from the moment of his conception onward was fully God, fully human, yet one person. 00:23:48.759 --> 00:23:57.759 Baby Jesus from the moment of his conception onward was fully God, fully human, yet one person. 00:23:57.759 --> 00:24:03.759 At one time, when I started to work on my sermons for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, 00:24:03.759 --> 00:24:09.759 I was actually going to do a sermon on Matthew chapter 1, 1 to 17. 00:24:09.759 --> 00:24:13.759 Which is just before the Matthew's account of the birth of Jesus. 00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:18.759 And, and I was going to, because here's the thing I got from Tim Keller. 00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:20.759 I'm not smart enough to know this. 00:24:20.759 --> 00:24:29.759 God, the Son of God, Jesus, is the only person in the history of the universe who chose his ancestors. 00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:33.759 Like, isn't that a cool idea? 00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:35.759 Once you see that, I couldn't unthink it. 00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:43.759 You know, I asked a woman years and years ago in Eganville on her 95th birthday, and she was 95 years old. 00:24:43.759 --> 00:24:49.759 She still led book discussions of highly intellectual New York Times, like highly intellectual books. 00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:51.759 She led discussions on that. 00:24:51.759 --> 00:24:52.759 She went swimming twice a day. 00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:58.759 And on her 95th birthday, I asked her what was the secret to her having so much energy and being so healthy. 00:24:58.759 --> 00:25:00.759 And she says, I chose the right ancestors. 00:25:00.759 --> 00:25:02.759 And everybody laughed. 00:25:02.759 --> 00:25:03.759 But actually, of course, she didn't. 00:25:03.759 --> 00:25:05.759 You just sort of stuck with your ancestors. 00:25:05.759 --> 00:25:15.759 And the reason I didn't end up doing it as a sermon for Christmas is, if you go through Matthew's list and you look at it, his list of ancestors includes X-rated stories. 00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:21.759 And I didn't think I could talk about it with a whole pile of children present and do it justice. 00:25:22.759 --> 00:25:27.759 But go through it with a commentary or something and try to figure out who some of those people are in the background. 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:31.759 And you go, whoa, those are the people that, and that's part of the whole thing. 00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:32.759 But here's the thing. 00:25:32.759 --> 00:25:39.759 You know, when you hear the text, verse 14 again, and the word, so we know that the word is completely and utterly God. 00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:42.759 And it says here, the word became flesh. 00:25:42.759 --> 00:25:44.759 And it's very interesting. 00:25:44.759 --> 00:25:46.759 I'm going to talk about it more in a moment. 00:25:46.759 --> 00:25:52.759 But the word flesh there is communicating about human beings in all their weakness and frailty. 00:25:52.759 --> 00:25:56.759 It's not saying their sinfulness, but their weakness and their frailty. 00:25:56.759 --> 00:26:02.759 So in other words, God, fully God, the word, became flesh, fully human. 00:26:02.759 --> 00:26:06.759 And yet, as it's obvious throughout the rest of the gospel, he's just one Jesus. 00:26:06.759 --> 00:26:08.759 The whole incarnation. 00:26:08.759 --> 00:26:09.759 Remember, this is what I said. 00:26:09.759 --> 00:26:19.759 You can go through the history of heresies, including Jehovah Witnesses, and they smash and are ruined against John 1, 1-14. 00:26:19.759 --> 00:26:25.759 It can be a huge, long book, a glorious book, to help you understand the Christian faith. 00:26:25.759 --> 00:26:30.759 And so the word, fully God, became flesh, fully human, yet one person, and dwelt among us. 00:26:30.759 --> 00:26:35.759 And we have seen his glory, glory, as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 00:26:35.759 --> 00:26:40.759 And so our next video is going to show, in a sense, I'm not doing the sermon, 00:26:40.759 --> 00:26:48.759 although those of you who know it can understand why I said some of the people in Jesus' ancestry had X-rated lives. 00:26:48.759 --> 00:26:50.759 Or viewer discretion. 00:26:50.759 --> 00:26:55.759 If you're doing a video of it, you have to have viewer discretion before not suitable for young children. 00:26:55.759 --> 00:27:01.759 But the other thing is, not only does he choose his ancestors, he chooses his backstory. 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:08.759 All of the story of creation, up until that moment, he chooses that. 00:27:08.759 --> 00:27:13.759 This next video, if you're unfamiliar with the Christian faith, just might be interesting images. 00:27:13.759 --> 00:27:16.759 But for those of you who know the Old Testament fairly well, 00:27:16.759 --> 00:27:22.759 you'll see this wonderful blending of the stories of the Old Testament that culminate in the birth of Jesus. 00:27:22.759 --> 00:27:23.759 Let's watch. 00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:47.759 O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, 00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:56.759 And in the dead wounds, in the lonely exile be. 00:27:56.759 --> 00:28:04.759 Until the Son of God appear. 00:28:04.759 --> 00:28:15.759 Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel. 00:28:15.759 --> 00:28:30.759 Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. 00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:58.559 O Lord, I'm no need. 00:28:58.559 --> 00:29:07.559 O hear the angel voices. 00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:17.559 O Lord, I'm no need. 00:29:17.559 --> 00:29:27.559 O night when Christ was born. 00:29:27.559 --> 00:29:35.559 Love is the Lord. 00:29:35.559 --> 00:29:44.559 O praise His name forever. 00:29:44.559 --> 00:29:53.559 His power of glory. 00:29:53.559 --> 00:30:01.559 O land of the land. 00:30:01.559 --> 00:30:13.559 O Lord, I'm no need. 00:30:14.559 --> 00:30:24.559 O Lord, I'm no need. 00:30:24.559 --> 00:30:29.559 O Lord, I'm no need. 00:30:29.559 --> 00:30:32.559 O Lord, I'm no need. 00:30:32.559 --> 00:30:39.559 The final thing that I reflected upon this last couple of weeks is I read John 1, 1-14, 00:30:39.559 --> 00:30:49.559 and meditated upon it, prayed over it, contemplated it, was this idea of frailty. 00:30:49.559 --> 00:30:56.559 Those of you who know the Bible very well know that the word often translated as flesh. 00:30:56.559 --> 00:31:03.559 You might not know this, but in the original language, the word flesh has two very, very different meanings. 00:31:03.559 --> 00:31:10.559 Sort of like the word bark can either refer to something on a tree or something that a dog does. 00:31:10.559 --> 00:31:12.559 So knowing one doesn't help you to understand the other. 00:31:12.559 --> 00:31:15.559 It's just a word that has two very different meanings. 00:31:15.559 --> 00:31:19.559 And I'm sure for people trying to understand the English language from, you know, 00:31:19.559 --> 00:31:23.559 people learning English, they might get surprised with trees having barks. 00:31:23.559 --> 00:31:26.559 Like they don't think, no, dogs bark, trees don't, whatever. 00:31:26.559 --> 00:31:27.559 You know, or the other way around. 00:31:27.559 --> 00:31:28.559 It might confuse them. 00:31:28.559 --> 00:31:29.559 I don't know. 00:31:29.559 --> 00:31:33.559 But in the original language, the word flesh has two very different meanings. 00:31:33.559 --> 00:31:43.559 And generally, when you read Paul, it has the meaning of that part of human beings that are in rebellion against God and want to be God. 00:31:43.559 --> 00:31:45.559 But the other meaning is frailty. 00:31:45.559 --> 00:31:50.559 Human full, human finitude and frailty. 00:31:50.559 --> 00:31:54.559 And that's almost always how John uses it. 00:31:54.559 --> 00:32:00.559 And so here, that, and that's by the way why some Christians get confused when it says, verse 14, 00:32:00.559 --> 00:32:01.559 and the word became flesh. 00:32:01.559 --> 00:32:04.559 And they think, oh, does that mean that Jesus became sinful? 00:32:04.559 --> 00:32:05.559 And they'll get confused. 00:32:05.559 --> 00:32:09.559 And it's just because they don't understand that it's just like the word bark. 00:32:09.559 --> 00:32:13.559 It can have two very, very, very radically, quite completely different meanings. 00:32:13.559 --> 00:32:21.559 And John is using it in one clear sense here, which is human beings in all their frailty and being finite. 00:32:21.559 --> 00:32:24.559 And I really, you know, reflected upon that. 00:32:24.559 --> 00:32:27.559 It's one of the wonders and the beauties of the Christian faith. 00:32:27.559 --> 00:32:36.559 If you go back up a little bit in John chapter one, and if you begin looking at verse six, 00:32:36.559 --> 00:32:41.559 and there was a man sent from God whose name was John, John the Baptist. 00:32:41.559 --> 00:32:42.559 He came as a witness. 00:32:42.559 --> 00:32:50.559 The other word is one who's going to testify, give testimony, to bear witness, to give testimony about the light. 00:32:50.559 --> 00:32:53.559 That all might believe through him. 00:32:53.559 --> 00:32:58.559 And the word believe there, obviously it has something to do with some thoughts. 00:32:58.559 --> 00:33:02.559 You have to be able to do some thinking, but it's a receiving word. 00:33:02.559 --> 00:33:05.559 It's another person word. 00:33:05.559 --> 00:33:12.559 It's not sort of like I believe the Toronto Maple Leafs will finally win the Stanley Cup in 70 years. 00:33:12.559 --> 00:33:15.559 That's one type of belief. 00:33:15.559 --> 00:33:22.559 But if I say that I believe Louise, or I believe in Louise, or I believe in my counsel, that's a different type of thing. 00:33:22.559 --> 00:33:25.559 It involves ideas, but there's an element of trust there. 00:33:25.559 --> 00:33:28.559 And that's how you should understand the word believe in the Gospel of John. 00:33:28.559 --> 00:33:29.559 And so he says, 00:33:29.559 --> 00:33:30.559 And so he says, 00:33:30.559 --> 00:33:34.559 He came as a witness to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him. 00:33:34.559 --> 00:33:37.559 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 00:33:37.559 --> 00:33:41.559 The true light, verse nine, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 00:33:41.559 --> 00:33:44.559 He was in the world, and the world was made through him. 00:33:44.559 --> 00:33:46.559 Yet the world did not know him. 00:33:46.559 --> 00:33:49.559 And here the word know, of course, is like similar to believe. 00:33:49.559 --> 00:33:55.559 It involves both an intellectual aspect, but also a relational aspect. 00:33:55.559 --> 00:34:02.559 Not, you know, really knowing the other person, because you don't want to give yourself to them, or allow them to open themselves up to you. 00:34:02.559 --> 00:34:03.559 And then verse 11, 00:34:03.559 --> 00:34:05.559 He came to his own and his own people. 00:34:05.559 --> 00:34:07.559 And here's the word, 00:34:07.559 --> 00:34:13.559 Did not receive him, but all who did receive him, who believed in his name. 00:34:13.559 --> 00:34:16.559 Here's connecting belief and receiving. 00:34:16.559 --> 00:34:23.559 He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of the blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but God. 00:34:23.559 --> 00:34:25.559 They get born again by God, which John three talks about. 00:34:25.559 --> 00:34:26.559 But here's the thing. 00:34:26.559 --> 00:34:34.559 This word receive is what's so wonderful about Christianity, which is all about grace. 00:34:34.559 --> 00:34:40.559 God does something we cannot do for ourselves, and we have to receive it. 00:34:40.559 --> 00:34:42.559 You see, here's the thing. 00:34:42.559 --> 00:34:49.559 I bet if we did IQ tests, you know, let's just be really proud, and we can all confess our sins later. 00:34:49.559 --> 00:34:51.559 This is a pretty well-educated group, probably. 00:34:51.559 --> 00:34:54.559 I bet our IQs are higher than the average. 00:34:54.559 --> 00:34:59.559 In fact, I'd be willing to bet $100 that if you went to that Tim Hortons down the road, 00:34:59.559 --> 00:35:04.559 we have higher IQs than the first 70 people who go to that Tim Hortons. 00:35:04.559 --> 00:35:07.559 But not everybody can have high IQs. 00:35:07.559 --> 00:35:13.559 We have a room that probably have many people with university degrees, some with advanced university degrees. 00:35:13.559 --> 00:35:17.559 And not everybody can get university degrees and advanced university degrees. 00:35:17.559 --> 00:35:23.559 And we probably have some people here in the room who are very, very fit and very strong. 00:35:23.559 --> 00:35:26.559 But not everybody can be very, very fit and strong. 00:35:26.559 --> 00:35:33.559 And so if Christianity was all about accomplishment, about willpower, it could go on and on about how great your willpower was, 00:35:33.559 --> 00:35:42.559 your self-control, how great your creativity was, how great your ability to dance, how great your ability to make rhymes and spoken word poetry, 00:35:42.559 --> 00:35:46.559 to deal with complex mathematical equations. 00:35:46.559 --> 00:35:48.559 He went on and on and on of those things. 00:35:48.559 --> 00:35:51.559 We'd be leaving a whole pile of people behind. 00:35:51.559 --> 00:35:57.559 But anybody can receive another person. 00:35:57.559 --> 00:36:01.559 Anybody can. 00:36:01.559 --> 00:36:07.559 We used to have a group of Down syndrome people who came to the church. 00:36:07.559 --> 00:36:10.559 It was one of the sad moments, but I couldn't fight the congregation on it. 00:36:10.559 --> 00:36:13.559 They wanted to be welcomers at the greeters in the church. 00:36:13.559 --> 00:36:14.559 This is quite a few years ago. 00:36:14.559 --> 00:36:15.559 And people didn't like them. 00:36:15.559 --> 00:36:20.559 Because one of the things about Down syndrome people, when they welcome you, they welcome you. 00:36:20.559 --> 00:36:26.559 I mean, they have huge big smiles and want to give you hugs. 00:36:26.559 --> 00:36:29.559 I mean, they really welcome you. 00:36:29.559 --> 00:36:32.559 And some people didn't want to be so welcomed. 00:36:32.559 --> 00:36:38.559 They wanted, they were more happy with this, not with, ah, huge smile and welcome. 00:36:38.559 --> 00:36:42.559 But anybody can welcome and receive another person. 00:36:42.559 --> 00:36:45.559 That's one of the things which is so wonderful about the Christian faith. 00:36:45.559 --> 00:36:51.559 You don't have to have a high IQ or all these intellectual accomplishments to be a, to have Jesus in your life. 00:36:51.559 --> 00:36:54.559 You have to receive him. 00:36:54.559 --> 00:36:55.559 Young kids. 00:36:55.559 --> 00:36:57.559 Even though there's little babies there. 00:36:57.559 --> 00:37:00.559 That little child talking to Andrew over there. 00:37:00.559 --> 00:37:04.559 She knows how to receive her mom or her friend. 00:37:04.559 --> 00:37:09.559 She can't do, well, maybe she can do, maybe she could pass calculus too in engineering. 00:37:09.559 --> 00:37:10.559 I don't know. 00:37:10.559 --> 00:37:11.559 Maybe she could do that right now. 00:37:11.559 --> 00:37:12.559 Maybe she's a smart little kid. 00:37:12.559 --> 00:37:14.559 But she probably couldn't. 00:37:14.559 --> 00:37:15.559 Maybe someday. 00:37:15.559 --> 00:37:17.559 Anybody can receive. 00:37:17.559 --> 00:37:19.559 And so that's the final point. 00:37:19.559 --> 00:37:32.559 Maybe Jesus from the, sorry, human frailty is never a barrier for the triune God to work. 00:37:32.559 --> 00:37:34.559 Human frailty is never a barrier for the triune God to work. 00:37:34.559 --> 00:37:35.559 It's not a barrier. 00:37:35.559 --> 00:37:40.559 In fact, it's actually a precondition of becoming a Christian that you humbly receive. 00:37:40.559 --> 00:37:44.559 And he will continue to use and work you in your life. 00:37:44.559 --> 00:37:48.559 How you grow as a Christian is to receive him ever more deeply. 00:37:48.559 --> 00:37:51.559 And the truth about him ever more deeply. 00:37:51.559 --> 00:37:55.559 And even in all your frailty, he can work. 00:37:55.559 --> 00:37:57.559 In fact, here's the thing. 00:37:57.559 --> 00:38:02.559 You have all the frailty and weakness you need for God to work through you today. 00:38:02.559 --> 00:38:08.559 The world says, until you're strong enough, God can't do things with you. 00:38:08.559 --> 00:38:14.559 The gospel says, you already have all the weakness you need for God to do remarkable things through you. 00:38:14.559 --> 00:38:18.559 Let's watch this final video and then I'll have us all stand and pray. 00:38:18.559 --> 00:38:22.559 And it's just really entering in and celebrating Jesus and Christmas. 00:38:22.559 --> 00:38:24.559 Let's watch this final video. 00:38:28.559 --> 00:38:31.559 We gather again. 00:38:31.559 --> 00:38:35.559 We rejoice again. 00:38:35.559 --> 00:38:42.559 Because of the wonder from Bethlehem. 00:38:42.559 --> 00:38:45.559 A child is born. 00:38:45.559 --> 00:38:47.559 The saviors come. 00:38:47.559 --> 00:38:51.559 This is the incarnation of love. 00:38:51.559 --> 00:38:53.559 We can sing again. 00:38:53.559 --> 00:38:55.559 We have hope again. 00:38:55.559 --> 00:38:59.559 Because of the wonder from Bethlehem. 00:38:59.559 --> 00:39:29.559 Sheep as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as woman as 00:39:29.559 --> 00:39:38.719 We breathe again. We can live again because of the wonder from Bethlehem. 00:39:38.719 --> 00:40:03.239 His name is Jesus. His word is life. In our deep darkness, he is light. So raise your voice. Lift up your hands. Because of the child. Because of the hope. Because of the wonder from Bethlehem. 00:40:08.719 --> 00:40:23.419 I invite you to stand. Let's just bow our heads in prayer. Father, we give you thanks and praise that you are the creator of all things and the sustainer of all things. 00:40:23.419 --> 00:40:30.879 And all things were made with and through your son, Jesus Christ. And all things were sustained through your son, God, the son of God. 00:40:30.880 --> 00:40:41.480 And we give you thanks and praise, Father, that God, the son of God, would take on the frail, finite human flesh, human nature that we are and become Jesus. 00:40:41.960 --> 00:40:50.980 Fully God. Fully human. I should say fully man in this case. Not just generic human, but man. Fully man, but one person. 00:40:50.980 --> 00:41:06.039 And we give you thanks and praise that he was conceived in a zygote in the womb of Mary and born and put in a manger and walked this earth and died on a cross and put in a tomb and rose from the dead. 00:41:06.039 --> 00:41:13.500 All for our salvation. And so, Father, we ask that you fill us anew with the wonder of Bethlehem. 00:41:13.880 --> 00:41:19.940 We give you thanks and praise that you do not despise our frailty. 00:41:20.659 --> 00:41:26.980 And that we have all of the frailty that we need for you to do wonderful things in and through our lives. 00:41:26.980 --> 00:41:30.679 And so, Father, we thank you and praise you for this. 00:41:31.179 --> 00:41:35.360 And we ask that you use us and grow us to be more godly. 00:41:35.480 --> 00:41:37.940 And we ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen. 00:41:37.940 --> 00:41:38.119 Amen.