The Word became Flesh to Contradict False Words

John 1:10-13   He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

God understood that at the very heart of living life on this earth is using words to convey thoughts.  He designed us to be social creatures that thrive in community.  He created us and made us with the ability to learn—especially to learn about each other.

Can you imagine that moment when Adam and Eve first met? A brand new world sparkles and vibrates with color and movement.  God’s anesthetic has just worn off from the first surgical procedure and Adam has just awakened and looked into the face of God, wondering what had just happened.   God simply re-directs Adam’s gaze over at Eve and for the first time they see each other.  God speaks an introduction.  “Adam, this is Eve.  I have made her to be a companion for you.  Eve, this is Adam.  You’re just going to love this guy! I’ve have made you and he to be perfect companions.  I’ve already told him what needs to be done.  Help him do it, would you?” Adam and Eve both nod, but are too lost in the wonder of the gift of each other.  

Adventist Artist, Nathan Greene captured what it must have been like in his painting “The Introduction”.  I love that painting. You may have seen it.  It is a stunning portrayal of that first moment of man's special blessing from God.  Adam and Eve gaze with a wonder and tenderness to set the standard for all time.  And from that moment on, they spend hours getting to know one another.  They form their thoughts into words and share what is in their minds.  They converse and exchange ideas.  And love grows.  They thought they were in love to begin with, but they find that as they express their thoughts and feelings, love deepens.  Then it begins to be seen in their actions towards each other.  This was the perfect marriage.  A match truly made in heaven.  And the actions and words and emotions converge to bring them back to gratitude for a God so loving that He would provide so abundantly for the two of them by giving them a perfect world and each other.  Words were never cruel, never harsh, never impatient or demanding.  Nor were they ever unkind.  And they were never, ever false.

Which is why the words of a serpent in the tree were so easy to believe. Eve had never heard a lie before.  Only truthful words had ever been spoken.  And she suddenly finds herself in conflict, because here is a beautiful snake contradicting God himself.  Unfortunately, she bit on the lie and we were cut off from face to face contact with the Word.

That’s why it was necessary for the Word to come to earth in the form of a Baby.  When man first sinned, they could remember what it was like in the Garden, and could communicate that to generations before the flood.  Adam and Even lived over 900 years, so they told and retold the story of their introduction and what life was like in the garden.  They told of the fateful day when a serpent had deceived them, and how they had been removed from their garden home so that they could not eat any longer of the tree of life and thus perpetuate sin.  They told of how Abel had already died and that each of them was doomed to death, but that there was a Savior coming to redeem them.  The Word Himself. 

But the longer man was out of the Garden, the more man forgot the Word of God.  The farther man got from the Word, the more man’s words were harsh and cruel and untrue. Lies abounded. And the more lies that were told, the less God was recognizable in our world.  And as God became so obscure in the lives of men, He knew that if He were to redeem us, He would have to speak a Word so powerfully that it would resonate down through the corridors of time to all future generations.

And so the Word became flesh. John 1:14   The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

That’s exactly what we needed from the Father.  One who came full of grace and truth.  We needed to once again see God and to sense His presence among us.  So the Word came and He lived a vibrant and passionate life in the midst of the grayness of our existence.  Where we saw shadows, He brought light.  Where we felt pain, He brought healing.  Where we found ourselves mired in the endless cycle of toil, pain and death, He brought joy, hope and life.

What If?

John 4:23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

Have you ever wondered what that meant?  What does it mean to worship in spirit and in truth? In his book The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren notes, "Since worship is delighting in and enjoying God, it engages your emotions. God gave you emotions so you could worship him with deep feeling -- but those emotions must be genuine, not faked. God hates hypocrisy. He doesn't want a show, or pretense, or phoniness in worship. He wants your honest, real love. We can worship God imperfectly, but we cannot worship him insincerely.

"Of course, sincerity alone is not enough; you can be sincerely wrong. That's why both spirit and truth are required. Worship must be both authentic and accurate. God-pleasing worship is deeply emotional and deeply doctrinal. We use both our hearts and our heads.

In another place, in the same book, he says: “In our competitive world we’re taught to never quit trying, never give up, and never give in - so we don’t hear much about surrendering. If winning is everything, surrendering is unthinkable. Even Christians would rather talk about winning, succeeding, overcoming, and conquering than yielding, submitting, obeying, and surrendering. But surrendering to God is the heart of worship.

“Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.

“True worship -- bringing God pleasure -- happens when you give yourself completely to God.” (from Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life)

Inspired author Ellen White, in her book The Desire of Ages, page 189 writing about this story says: He (Jesus) desired to lift the thoughts of His hearer above matters of form and ceremony, and questions of controversy. "The hour cometh," He said, "and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."  {DA 189.1}

Here is declared the same truth that Jesus had revealed to Nicodemus when He said, "Except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3, margin. Not by seeking a holy mountain or a sacred temple are men brought into communion with heaven. Religion is not to be confined to external forms and ceremonies. The religion that comes from God is the only religion that will lead to God. In order to serve Him aright, we must be born of the divine Spirit. This will purify the heart and renew the mind, giving us a new capacity for knowing and loving God. It will give us a willing obedience to all His requirements. This is true worship. It is the fruit of the working of the Holy Spirit. By the Spirit every sincere prayer is indicted, and such prayer is acceptable to God. Wherever a soul reaches out after God, there the Spirit's working is manifest, and God will reveal Himself to that soul. For such worshipers He is seeking. He waits to receive them, and to make them His sons and daughters. {DA 189.2}

God longs for us to seek Him and be born of His divine spirit.  It is only in this that we have a new capacity for knowing and loving God.  It will give us a willing obedience to all His requirements.  

Romans 12: 1,2 says: 1   Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.  2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.

True worshippers are those who don’t just offer a praise song.  They don’t just throw a buck at the offering plate.  They offer themselves a spiritual act of worship.  They become consumed with a passion for God.  They are ones who are no longer being squeezed into the world’s mold.  They don’t allow Satan to mar their picture of God through looking at the things of the world.  Instead, they are being transformed through worship that renews their minds.  How do you know if that’s you?

Pastor, author and speaker, Louie Giglio writes: "Follow the trail of your time, your affection, your energy, your money and your allegiance. At the end of that trail, you'll find a throne; and whatever, or whomever, is on that throne is what's of highest value to you. On that throne is what you worship." (Louie Giglio, The Air I Breathe)

What if God were really the only Object worth focusing on?  What if our focus on His beauty made our problems pale in comparison?  What if we were never meant to be the actors on center stage?  What if we were meant to be the audience members, watching Jesus on center stage?  What if?