Jesus is Here
Advent 2023 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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The gift of Jesus’ presence gives us purpose.
The gift of Jesus’ presence gives us purpose.
In my Bible the subheading of Romans 8:18-30 is “Groans to Glory.” If we think back to the context of Isaiah’s picture of the utter darkness surrounding Israel and Judah with the imminent flood of the Assyrian Empire, then this subheading makes sense.
Jesus’ presence gives us a purpose in the present, but presents us with a future presence.
This is a consistent message in many of Paul’s writings, especially in Romans and Corinthians.
Romans 8:18 (HCSB)
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.
This is actually one of the great realities of the Christmas season.
There is darkness and there is light, there is the present and there is the future. There is a constant tension, but the gift of Emmanuel is not a one-time gift.
The gift of God with us is an ongoing journey with an intentional purpose and end.
Christmas Eve a perfect example of this tension between the present and the future.
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.
For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
Now, the text of Romans 8 is highly debated and often avoided in the church. Good.
Lt. it’s Christmas. Romans 8 doesn’t sound much like Christmas.
But let me be clear - everything preached, everything, had better be done in the context of Jesus’ birth, life, teaching, death, and resurrection.
It doesn’t matter how challenging the text.
Paul is really pointed in the words of Romans 8:28-30. One of the especially important points is the highly personal focus. The incarnation is deeply personal because it shows us that God is serious about how personal He wants and expects our relationship with Him to be. Some point to these verses in a very philosophical. Like, all things just seem to work out or if I just cooperate with fate, I’ll be okay.
Paul is not resigned to these inaccuracies. This is not about impersonal fate - some “the universe has a way” stuff - trusts in the perfect, purposeful, and personal design of God. It doesn’t matter if it’s hidden or not.
God can only bring our purpose to perfection in His presence.
The phrase “work together” is the word synergei and it is written in the active present tense, which means it is a continuing activity of God. Our love for God follows His call, and verse 29 provides the details of how specific this call is.
Romans 8:29 (HCSB)
For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
Divine foreknowledge is all about the meaningful and personal relationship with a person. We don’t celebrate the birth of a purpose, but the birth of the person. And it is that person, Jesus Christ, a personal relationship is given.
The ultimate end of our purpose is to be conformed into the image of the Son.
The gift of Jesus’ presence gives us reconciliation.
The gift of Jesus’ presence gives us reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:18 (HCSB)
Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
The ministry that we share is a gift from God, meant to be continually delivered to others.
Unlike the fabulous Dixon Ticonderoga #2 pencils these kids received. See, we’re going to sharpen those pencils and eventually the gift I just gave will no longer be usable.
This ministry that God called us into isn’t like this. It’s power and function will never run out.
But even better for us, we must consider our lives like this pencil. When we immerse ourselves in Jesus’ presence, our lives, like the pencil, are sharpened. And, with a sharpened pencil, new stories are written.
Jesus’ presence should constantly remind all of us of our need for reconciliation. Which is why every pencil comes with an eraser.
A necessary part of reconciliation is removal. But removal of what?
The heart of the ministry of reconciliation is removing rebellious and sinful enmity toward God.
God makes peace possible, with Himself and with others. And we are charged with the responsibility to share that message in verse 19.
That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us.
Because God has given us this message of reconciliation, what do we do?
First, we become ambassadors.
Verse 20
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”
Clothing example (Under Armour, not Adidas or Nike or anything else)
Second, ambassadors of reconciliation carry their message with a particular manner.
If we are ambassadors of God, which we are, then we can’t forsake the manner in which God delivers His message of reconciliation.
God is not a grumbler. He’s not a gossiper or indirect. He’s not a keyboard warrior hiding behind a screen or a discontented text messager. He’s not a hider. He doesn’t hide his discontent with His people.
As Christ’s ambassadors, our ultimate testimony lies in our obedience not our output.
Jesus manner was that of a servant. We are called to serve Christ as His ambassadors. Which means we communicate like He did.
Eugene Peterson in his Message paraphrase of John 12:49-50 captures is perfectly.
The Father who sent me gave me orders, told me what to say and how to say it. And I know exactly what his command produces: real and eternal life. That’s all I have to say. What the Father told me, I tell you.
We must look to Jesus as the model for being His ambassadors.
The gift of Jesus’ presence gives us life.
The gift of Jesus’ presence gives us life.
Yeah, but what’s the point of purpose and reconciliation and being an ambassador? What’s the bottom line Lt.?
It’s this - show main
God gave us something that we can’t grasp, achieve, or fully understand. He gave us life in His Son.
Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men.
That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.
But, we can stand right next to someone, be in their presence, and it does absolutely nothing for us.
The Incarnation was and is a miracle. Christmas carols abound with the message of Jesus’ birth and the concept of life. Born to give us second birth.
It is important that we remember that in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament, life wasn’t found in birth. It was found in the blood. As we look at this platform, we see a beautiful and powerful reminder of Jesus’ birth - it connected to the cross.
Life is humanity’s most important asset. John makes the point clear,
Humanity’s ultimate sense of life is only found in Jesus Christ.
That is to say that life in Christ isn’t found simply in a manger, but it is ultimately found in the blood poured out on the cross.
Light is used as an emblem of God and darkness is used as an emblem of death, darkness, and sin.
Light’s nature is to shine and dispel darkness. John makes it clear that darkness is unable to overpower this light, that is Jesus.
It’s one thing to say that Jesus is here, in the sense that He’s around, somewhere in the shadows of this world. Lurking. Confusing He is present with being in His presence.
That’s a hot garbage take on the personal, powerful, and loving Savior of the world.
Jesus can be everywhere around you but if He isn’t on the throne of your heart, it doesn’t matter.
In John 1:4-5, light is presented in the present tense and darkness is presented in the past tense. That means the light keeps on shining. And when light shines, it exposes darkness.
Is Light winning the battle in your heart today?
Is Light winning the battle in your heart today?
In many Christmas pictures, there’s light shining from the manger.