Christmas: Greatness In Our Midst
Jn
3:27-30, 4:1-14
August/September
2003, I was preaching and this really tall new guy comes to our service. He was this sandy blond guy who towered
above the others. After the service,
someone asks me, “Do you know who that was?”
It was Kyle Korver, his first year with the 76ers.
A
man is driving on a deserted road and
comes to see a man on the side of that road with a flat tire. The driver stops
his car and offers to help. When he is done, the grateful man asks him for his
address to send him a reward for helping him. The helpful man declines and
declines, but finally gives in. Then both man get in their cars and drive off.
Two weeks later, the man receives a letter in the
mail that says:
"Thank you for helping me, here is a little
something to say thanks. Signed, Donald Trump."
Inside is a check for 10,000 dollars.
A
little internet research suggested that this is probably an urban legend that
didn’t happen, but my point is, sometimes we fail to recognize greatness in our
midst
Let
me tell one of those stories that is true. It’s the Christmas story.
The
innkeeper saw a pregnant peasant teenager and her husband, and them in a
barn. The shepherds saw a Savior born.
Herod
saw a threat, the Magi saw a King.
When
Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the Temple to have him circumcised, most
people just saw parents and another baby, worshippers in a big crowd. But then Simeon and Anna recognized that
this baby was the hope of the world and exploded in worship.
There
is that corner of Palestine, under the domain of the Roman Empire and the rule
of King Herod, a young peasant Jewish couple have a baby boy. Unnoticed by most of the world, divine
transcendence was clothed in humanity, God had become flesh. And only a few could recognize the greatness
in the midst. Those who did, bowed and
worshipped this baby!
That’s
often the nature of Christmas. In the
midst of holiday decorations, shopping, family gatherings, office parties, we
pass right by greatness in our midst.
The
irony is that we celebrate this as Jesus’ birthday, but we fail to recognize
Jesus.
It’s like going Oprah’s
birthday party, and only noticing the food, the décor, the live music. Your friend says, “Isn’t Oprah amazing?” And you rely, “Who? Oh, yeah, I guess. I didn’t really notice.”
What
happens when you see Christ? What
happens when you catch a glimpse of His greatness?
We’d
bow and worship.
John
the Baptist was one of the few who recognized Christ in his greatness.
To
us, John the Baptist is kind of in the minor league of the great men of the
Bible. But let me point out, John the
Baptist was a big religious celebrity of his day. People deeply respected him, to the point of asking him if he was
the Christ? To whom have you ever been
tempted to ask, “Excuse me, but are you the Christ, the son of God?”
Notice
his response: (Jn 1:26-27)
I
am unworthy to untie the thongs of his sandals. “He’s way out of my league! Shake his hand?! I’m not
worthy to touch his shoelaces.”
On
another occasion, people were coming to John and basically saying, that guy you
were testifying about, everybody is going to him (Jn 3:27-30). “I am not the groom. I am a friend of the groom.” This is not my hour. This is His hour. My joy is celebrating Him.
He must become greater, I must become less.
What
happens when you recognize greatness in your midst?
I
was at a Christian conference where Chris Tomlin and John Piper shared the
stage. I had an opportunity to share a
bit about our community tutoring ministry and how it began. It was a thrill to be backstage together
with these people. I had to introduce
myself to John Piper and tell him how much I’ve appreciated his teaching
ministry. I felt so privileged and
humbled. But mostly I thought, “Wow,
this is John Piper!”
Billy Graham has been
preaching
the
Gospel for more than 60 years and has done so to more
people in live audiences than anyone else in history—over 210 million people in
more than 185 countries and territories. If we include television, video, film,
and webcasts, we would add hundreds of millions more.
If
Billy Graham, 88 years old, were to enter this sanctuary, what would you
do? How would you feel?
If
Jesus Christ, the crucified God-man, the one who sustains the physical
universe, the one before whom angels bow, the one whom Billy Graham calls his
Lord and King, were to appear, what would you do? How would you feel?
You bow. You give Him the spotlight. You sense your own unworthiness.
You recognize Christmas
is NOT supposed to be about you, your reputation, your feelings. This is not about your shopping, your
presents, your holiday travels, your family and friends. This is about Jesus.
A
family celebrated Christmas each year with a birthday party for Jesus. An extra chair included at the table, sang
“Happy Birthday.”
One
year a visitor asked 5-year-old Ruth, “Did you get everything you wanted for
Christmas?” After a moment’s
hestitation, she answered, “No, but then it’s not my birthday!”
The
interesting thing is that here, in the season we celebrate Christ’s birth,
where all the decorations and songs speak of Jesus, we completely miss Him
Christians
are to be a humble people, a less self-consumed people. We are worshippers! We are to be busy honoring our King. He must become greater, I must become less. We live
in the presence of greatness. We must
celebrate Christmas in the presence of Greatness.
[O Come, All Ye Faithful, 122, vv. 1, 2, 4]
We’d
ask and receive living water. (Jn 4:1-14)
Where John the Baptist saw
greatness in his midst, the follow chapter tells a story about a Samaritan
woman who completely did not see
greatness in her midst.
Jesus
is traveling through Samaria and sits down at a well in the town of
Sychar. A woman comes to draw water
from the well, and Jesus asks her to give him a drink.
She’s
taken aback. She wasn’t expecting him
to even talk to her. She replies, “You
are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman.
How can you ask me for a drink?”
Jews
and Samaritan were enemies, men didn’t talk to women (disciples surprised, v.
27).
Jesus
replies, “If you knew who was asking you for a drink, you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water.”
If you knew who I was, you’d be asking me for
living water, water that quenches from within.
When
you recognize Jesus in His greatness, you ask for living water.
Psalm
50:10-12, 15
10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand
hills.
11 I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are
mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all
that is in it. . . .
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will
honor me.”
The appropriate
response to God’s enormous wealth and power is not to think you can give him
animal sacrifices. Instead, it is to
ask him for help!
What is the life of
faith that pleases God?
And without
faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must
believe that he exists and that he
rewards those who earnestly seek him.
(Heb 11:6)
That is the faith that
pleases God, that He rewards, that He gives generously!
The story is told that one day a beggar
by the roadside asked for alms from Alexander the Great as he passed by. The
man was poor and wretched and had no claim upon the ruler, no right even to
lift a solicitous hand. Yet the Emperor threw him several gold coins. A
courtier was astonished at his generosity and commented, "Sir, copper
coins would adequately meet a beggar's need. Why give him gold?" Alexander
responded in royal fashion, "Cooper coins would suit the beggar's need,
but gold coins suit Alexander's giving."
Throughout the gospels,
Jesus encourages us to ask, to seek to knock.
Ask!
In
Jn 4, Jesus was not a thirsty beggar who needed help from a lady. Jesus is the Christ, God Himself. God doesn’t need our help. We need His help.
Yes,
we honor him with offerings and worship.
But there’s another side. If you
recognized Christ’s greatness, you’d call on him, you’d ask for His help.
Come
before Christ recognizing that He is the giver and we are the receiver.
What do you want to ask for this
Christmas?
In
the semi-desert area of Palestine, water was life. This woman didn’t want to come to this well, but she had to. She needed water.
Jesus
was offering her a different kind of water, a spring of water welling up to
eternal life. The thirst He refers to
is not for water but for God, for eternal life in the presence of God. Jesus comes to dwell with us, to make His
home with us. He gives us His Spirit
and brings us into a loving relationship with Himself.
Jesus is giving life
with God. Jesus is giving Himself.
The
Bible says that left to ourselves, we’ve broken our relationship with God. We’ve chosen to live as we please, to serve
and worship ourselves instead of Him.
There is greatness in our midst, but we ignore, belittle, defy and
offend Him. And so we stand condemned.
But
Christ has come to restore this relationship.
He has come to make peace by taking our guilt and punishment on
himself. The punishment for our guilt
was death, and Christ took that death penalty on himself. He was born in a manger so he could die on a
cross.
That’s
why we celebrate the birth of our Savior. He has saved us from our sin and guilt.
If you knew who he was and what he offered, if
you knew He could erase your record of wrongs and get you “in” with God, if you
knew He could give you not a $10,000 check but wealth, significance, love and
freedom beyond your wildest dreams, if you knew, you’d ask Him for living water.
The
innkeeper saw a pregnant peasant teenager and her husband, and them in a
barn. The shepherds saw a Savior born.
Herod
saw a threat, the Magi saw a King.
The
temple worshippers saw a young couple with a baby. But Simeon and Anna recognized that this baby was the hope of the
world.
There
is greatness in our midst.