The key to life

It's a great pleasure for me to be here with you on this Advent Sunday at JPC. And it's my great joy to be able to open God's word with you. So will you turn with me to John 1.1, the passage that has already been read to you. And as we come to God's word, will you bow with me in prayer:

Almighty heavenly Father, we come to you this morning and we pray that you may speak to us by your word and through your spirit. And we pray this for Christ's sake. Amen.

Blaise Pascal lived in the 1600s and he got it right when he said, I quote:

All men seek happiness. This is without exception, whatever means they employ. It's the cause of someone going to war. It's the cause of someone avoiding it. This is the motive of every man, even of those who hang themselves.

Well, that is absolutely true isn't it? Especially in our day and age where everyone is trying to find the key to happiness, the key to purpose, the key to meaning. You find this desire, this longing in many areas of life. You find it in science - Stephen Hawking in his book, A Brief History of Time said:

The eventual goal of science is to provide a single theory that describes the whole universe.

Well, there you have it. He's looking for a key to understanding life, a key to the universe. And Hawking believes it's it's to be found in science. You find the same idea in new age spirituality, Deepak Chopra said:

We must find out for ourselves that inside of us is a God in embryo that wants to be born.

Or Oprah says much the same thing. She says:

The recognition of God is the recognition. Of yourself.

So what Oprah and Chopra are saying, is that the key to meaning, the key to purpose, the key to happiness is to be found within yourself. You find it in the suicide note that says ‘what's the point?’ We have in front of us here John 1 and it really will be a great help to me if you can open your Bibles (if you have one) at John 1.1. The apostle John, who was one of the twelve. In fact, he was one of the three closest disciples to Jesus (Peter, James and John). He was an eyewitness of what Jesus said and did. So what we have yet is a source document of the Christian faith. And John deals precisely with that same question here in John 1, by using the Greek word logos. Now what we have in front of us is of course the English translation, the original was written in Greek. So in Greek we read John 1.1:

In the beginning was the logos and the logos was with God. And the logos was God.

Now the Greek word logos goes back into Greek philosophy, back 600 BC to the times of Plato, of Aristotle, of Socrates. It was used to mean the soul of the universe, the ground of all being the reason for life, the key to life. That was the meaning, the Greek meaning in Greek philosophy of the word logos. In many ways, much the same idea that you find in Pascal and Hawking and Chopra. The apostle John is writing to a Greek audience. He writes in Greek and they are a cynical, sophisticated multi-faith Greek audience. And he says, I found the logos. I found the key. I found the ground of all being, I found the soul of the universe. I found the reason for life. John 1.1-4:

In the beginning was the logos, and the logos was with God, and the logos was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

And then we read a little bit later on John 1.14 and it's actually a bombshell, it's a kind of a resolution to the question that John is addressing here in this passage. He tells us in John 1.14 (having told us that in the beginning was the logos and the logos was with God, and the logos was God, there's John 1.14. He says):

And the logos became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Now by reading John 1.14, I've kind of given the game away. It's a little bit like reading the last five pages of a detective novel because you can't cope with the pressure or the tension. It's quite a stunning statement that John makes here in John 1.14. He's telling us that the key to life, the soul of the universe, the ground of all being is not found in Greek philosophy. It's not found in a mathematical equation. It's not found in new age spirituality. It’s not found within yourself. No, the key to life, the soul of the universe is found in a person; the logos, the Christ. The logos became flesh and dwelt among us. And we have seen his glory. That is extraordinary. That is stunning. This is dynamite. He's telling us that at the centre of the universe is not philosophy, is not a mathematical equation, is not a formula, is not some other vague spirituality. No! At the centre of the universe is a person, the logos, the Christ.

So in Matthew and Luke's gospel, we are given a biographical narrative of the nativity of the birth of Christ. John is answering the question right at the start of his source document (of his eye-witness record of the person of Jesus), he tells us right at the start, what is the key to life. What is the source of being, what is the ground of being, what is the soul of the universe. And it's found in a person, it's found in Christ, the logos. The logos became flesh and dwelt among us. Extraordinary. Just one last comment before we dig into some of these verses. There's a commonality strangely between Deepak Chopra and Oprah and Stephen Hawking and Pascal. And that commonality is that it's up to women and men to find, the key search for the key, look for the key. Climb this ladder, take this eightfold path, obey these five laws. That's the commonality, it's us searching after God. It’s us taking the initiative to try and find God and reach God. John tells (us as does the rest of the New Testament) that the gospel of the logos is not us searching for God. It's God searching for us. God has taken the initiative. God has come to rescue us. Well, let’s ask two questions as we look at this passage. The first question is what do we learn about the logos? What do you learn about the Christ? And the second question will be, how do we respond to the logos? How do we respond to the Christ? First of all, what did we learn about the logos.

1. What do we learn about Christ?

Well, there's a number of things. Notice John 1.1, the first thing we learn yet is that Christ is eternal. In the beginning was the word. It's one of the most extraordinary phrases that have ever been written or ever spoken. We know from John 1.14, that the word, the logos is Christ, that the logos became flesh. But John tells us here in John 1.1 that in the beginning, the word… He does not tell us that the word came into being. He does not tell us that the word came into existence, that the word the logos was created. No! This logos is uncreated. This logos is eternal. There has never been a time when the logos did not exist. There never will be a time when the logos does not exist. Jehovah's witnesses and other false churches and teachers will tell us that Jesus came into being, that Jesus was created, that he's a created being. The scriptures tell us quite clearly uambiguously that there never was a time when the logos did not exist. There never will be a time when the logos does not exist. He has always been there. John knew his Old Testament. Remember Genesis 1.1:

In the beginning, God…

John who knows the Old Testament says in the beginning was the word. Eternal. Second thing, Christ is not only eternal, but Christ is distinct. Notice again, John 1.1: In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God. Now we have an interesting preposition, the preposition with. Now when you have the preposition with (most of you will know), it means that you have two entities, two beings, two persons, it strawberries with cream. It's Gin with tonic. So we are told you have the word who was with God; two separate entities. They are distinct. Two separate beings. So what we actually have here is in John's gospel the first hint of the Trinity. Which is at the very heart of the doctrine of God. You see, the Bible teaches us and John teaches us that there is one God, only one God. There are not many gods. There's only one God, one, true God. But that one true God is made up of three persons (God, the father, God, the son and God, the Holy Spirit). The father is God. The son is God. The spirit is God. Three persons made of the same substance, the Godhead. In fact, it's one of the most wonderful doctrines in the Bible. If you’re a Christian, imagine that the whole trinity, all three persons of the trinity were active in your salvation. It was God the father who planned your salvation before the beginning of time, it was God the son who accomplished your salvation 2000 years ago in time and space. And it's God the Holy Spirit who has placed, who has changed you within - he's applied salvation into your life in the here and now.

Do you know that at the heart of human experience is a longing for love (to love others and to be loved, to be known and to be loved). Where does that love come from? Have you ever wondered? Well, it comes from God. But if God was a singular there would be no place for love. There is one God made up of three persons who perfectly love each other. At the heart of the nature of God is love. And we who are made in the image of God, have a longing for love. Why? Because we are made in God's image. God the father, God the son, God the Holy Spirit, who perfectly love each other. So at the centre of the universe is not a self-help book. At the centre of the universe is not a mathematical formula. At the centre of the universe is not some philosophy. At the centre of the universe is one God made up of three persons. And here John gives us the first hint of the Trinity. The word was with God. The third thing we can pick up here from John 1.14 is that Christ is personal:

And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

I don't know about you, but I'm normally in the wrong place at the wrong time. If I had lived at the right place in the right time, if I had lived in Palestine 2000 years ago, chances are, I would have seen God, God in the flesh, Jesus. Christ is personal. God is personal. And that's why this morning on Advent Sunday, we are proposing to you. Wouldn't it be wonderful for you to know God personally? You are personal and God is personal, and God invites you to trust in him, to turn to him. Think about this question. What do you think is at the source of the universe? What is the cause of life? What is the cause of the universe, of the world? There are actually only three possibilities and you need to choose. The first possibility is that the source of life is nothing. Not nothing plus energy or nothing plus matter or nothing plus time. No, nothing, nothing. That's the one option as the source of life, the source of the universe. I think it's most irrational. Second option is impersonal. The source of life of the universe is impersonal. The third option is the source of life is personal. Now that makes reasonable logical sense if we the creature are personal. Surely the creator who made us, who created us is personal. And John tells us here, Christ is eternal, Christ is distinct and Christ is personal.

The fourth thing, last thing, notice Christ is God. Notice the end of John 1.1:

In the beginning was the logos, and the logos was with God, and the logos was God.

So not only did the logos exist before creation, not only is the logos distinct from creation, but the logos is God. And the logos was God. So John affirms the deity of Christ, this rabbi who he followed, who he listened to, who he marveled at, who he ate with, who he walked with, who he slept with. This rabbi Jesus is God in the flesh, the logos. It's one of the non-negotiables of the Christian faith. You can't be a Christian if you do not believe that Christ is God, God in the flesh. Now there are many people who may affirm that Jesus was a great prophet, a great teacher, the greatest human being who ever lived (and that's perfectly true of course), but you cannot be a Christian if you don't believe in the deity of Christ. And so at Christmas time we remember the incarnation that God became flesh. It's the greatest miracle that ever happened, that the infinity, eternal omniscient God of all the universe, creator of the universe should take on human form. And John affirms to the cynical, sophisticated, multi-faith Greek audience that the logos is not just a possibility, it's not just a philosophy, it's not just a mathematical equation or scientific equation. No, the logos is a person and that logos is God.

Some years ago, I met with a young man called Jim and he wanted to meet with me because he had a number of objections to the Christian faith. And we met for a number of weeks. And every week he brought to me a number of questions, objections about the Christian faith and I tried as best as I could to answer his questions. And after three, four weeks, I said to him, “Jim. There’s an answer to your questions. I may not have all the answers, but there is an answer to your question. But actually, Jim, your problem is this; you won't submit to God as God. Your problem is you want to be god. You need to bow the knee and submit to King Jesus. That's your problem”. And after a long pause, he said, “Martin, you're right”. You see if Jesus is God I think it would be a smart thing to submit to him. Let's have a look at very quickly how we should respond to the logos.

2. How should we respond to Christ?

And John gives us two options and it all has to do with the word receive. Notice then from John 1.9-10 John says:

The true light, which gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

It's quite an extraordinary thought. Here is the logos, here is the word, here is God in the flesh. He created all things, he made all things, he's the life of the world, he's the light of the world. And yet the world did not know him. The world did not receive him. In actual fact, the world rejected. Perhaps that's where you are this morning. You know and God knows. Perhaps you’re here this morning under duress. Perhaps you will not receive him. John tells us why you may feel uncomfortable when people talk about Jesus. You don't mind it when people talk about church or God or spirituality, that doesn't worry you too much. But when people do about Jesus, you start feeling uncomfortable, you start feeling on edge, you feel uneasy. You actually want to get out of the room. Perhaps that's where you are this morning. Have you ever asked yourself, why? Why is it that you don't want to talk about Jesus or hear about Jesus or be with someone talking about Jesus? Well, John actually tells us John 3.19, he says:

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

So John tells us because people love to sin, because people love to be their own gods they don’t want to come close to the light. He says in John 3.20:

For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

You see, that's the problem for many people. They don't want to get too close to Jesus because Jesus will expose the darkness in their lives. Jesus will expose the idols, and the lovers, and the guilt, and the shame, and the baggage, and the idols. You hate the light because the light exposes your sin. See the truth of the matter is not that men and woman are desperately seeking after God. No, men and woman are desperately seeking to escape God because the light will expose your sin, and you'd prefer not to be there. The second response is in John 1.12-13:

But to all who did receive him [once again, that word ‘receive’], who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

So you receive him by believing in his name, that Christ is king, that Christ is the saviour, that Christ is Lord, that Christ was our substitute that Christ died on the cross for my sin. Notice there John 1.13, you actually can't make yourself a Christian. You don't become a child of God because of your birth. “My parents were Christians”. It's not of blood nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. You do not become a Christian by your good works. You do not become a Christian by being religious. You do not become a Christian by going to church. You do not become a Christian by trying to obey the Ten Commandments or live by the golden rule. No you need to be born of God.

You say to me, “Martin, what must I do if I can't do it myself? How do I become a child of God?” Well, the answer is you ask for it. You ask God to make you a Christian. You ask God tohave mercy on you. You ask God to save you and rescue you from yourself, and your sin and your brokenness. And when you call on him for mercy, when you submit to him as king, the word, ‘the logos’, ‘God in the flesh’, he hears and he answers. Won't you turn to him today? And you turn to him in prayer. Prayer is talking to God. So let's turn to God together in prayer. Let's pray. Perhaps this morning, as you've been listening to the word of God, you have felt God the Holy Spirit pressing upon your heart, and upon your mind. You feel as if God wants you to respond. The way to respond is to talk to God in prayer. And here's a prayer that you may want to pray just quietly in the back of your head. You repeat these words after me if you want to trust in Christ the logos, God in the flesh, you repeat these words after me:

Lord Jesus, I don't understand it all, but I know that I need you. I know that Christ died on the cross for me. Will you rescue me? Will you make me a Christian? Will you help me to live under your leadership and father we thank you that when we call upon you for mercy, when we ask you to make us a Christian, that you hear and you answer. Work amongst us we pray. For Christ's sake. Amen.