3rd Jan 2011

John 1:1-18 – The word became Flesh

• “First things first”
• This passage contains one of my favorite verses to preach from.
• In fact I spoke on it yesterday at Oak Hills Church, San Antonio.
• “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him”
• Jesus is the word [gk Logos] Logos means reason. It is the thing that makes sense of things and separates good from bad, right from wrong.
• Although God has also given us the gift of reasoning; our reasoning is not as good as Gods.
• If God’s reasoning exploded the world into being, then our reasoning is simply shrapnel.
• Gods reasoning comes first.
• He is who He is not who we try to make Him after the fact..
• The reason we miss God in our lives is not because we do not know what God looks like but because we have decided in advance what He looks like.
• We have decided in advance what a move of God in our lives will look like and if God moves in any other kind of way we automatically dismiss it.
• The author John quotes John the Baptist who has not missed God; even though Jesus is his cousin, he can see who Jesus really is because he has understood a profound truth stated in verse 15;
• “He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.”
• John is responding to the ancient belief that the older person has more authority, wisdom and therefore should be given more respect and regard.
• But he argues: Although I was born before Jesus, he was created in the beginning. He is therefore older than me and is wiser and deserves the higher regard.
• Johns the Baptists’ wisdom came to him because he put first things first!
• God created him in his image not visa versa.
• God’s reason came first and is higher than our reason.
• God has already moved in our lives we are not waiting for Him to move.
• I cannot decide how God is going to move; He already has.
• I don’t get to decide; I get to discover.
• I don’t get to dictate; I get to discern.
• For anyone concerned that they might miss out on God this new year I might suggest this little exercise:
• Write out how you imagine and expect God to move in your life this year. Then repent and rip it up.
•  That simple exercise will do two things; first show you how much you might be dictating to God and secondly be a defining moment helping you to see God move where you least expect it.
• Praying today that I will put first things first and my reasoning second.