In a couple of days, we will celebrate
Christmas, the coming of Jesus. And for most of us, that is something that we
have done more than just a few times. And that’s good and right. There are many
good things to celebrate, and Jesus’ advent is certainly one of them. And doing
this year after year also makes sense because there is always more about His
coming for us to grasp and enjoy.
So, with the goal of helping you to
grasp and enjoy more about Jesus’ coming, let me ask a question. Why did Jesus
come? And as is the case with ‘why’ questions, there are quite a few good
answers to that question. Here is one that Jesus, Himself, mentions.
I
came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10.10
What I’m going to do today is take a
look at this life that Jesus has come to give to us. It is my hope that this
will help you to grasp and enjoy more of what Jesus’ advent is about.
So, what is this life? The obvious
answer is that Jesus is talking about eternal life. That really does fit
because Jesus’ statement that I’ve quoted is in John’s Gospel. And you know how
often John writes about eternal life.
Some of us grew up with the King James
Version of the Bible. And in that translation what we read so often is not ‘eternal
life’ but ‘everlasting life’. And that has caused people to think about this
life that Jesus brings in terms of how long it lasts. But that’s not what this
life is about. It’s not about how long but what kind. This eternal life is a
very different kind of life.
So, what kind of life is it? Here’s
something that answers that question. Again, Jesus is speaking.
And
this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God… John 17.3
So, this life, this eternal life, is
all about knowing God.
Let’s take the next step with another
question. What is this knowing God? I have the New Testament translation of a
cult. And this is how they translated that verse.
This
means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God…
Well, that sounds pretty cold and
academic. And as I’ll show you, it’s nowhere near the truth. It misses an
important aspect of what Jesus means when He talks about knowing God.
Consider this use of the word ‘know’.
It comes from Genesis.
Now
Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain… Genesis 4.1
So, what does that tell us about how
the Bible uses this word? At least some of the time, to know is about intimacy.
In fact, one modern translation uses that word.
Adam
was intimate with his wife Eve…
But this is where people in our
culture greatly misunderstand things. Intimacy is first of all, the intimacy of
persons. This is about enjoying a very close relationship with another person.
So, think David and Jonathan. Or Jesus and the Apostle John, who referred to
himself as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’. Or even, in a rather different way,
Jesus and Peter. These people enjoyed close and affectionate relationships with
each other; the intimacy of persons.
So many people in our culture skip
this intimacy of persons and jump to the intimacy of bodies, sexual union. But
that never works out well. According to the way God has made us, what needs to
come first is the intimacy of persons, being tight with one another. That leads
to many different expressions of that intimacy. In a marriage, one way it
expresses itself is as the intimacy of bodies. It is a sad fact that this
foundational notion of intimacy is being lost; another sign of a dying culture.
And that is one reason why there are
so many who do not understand this life that Jesus has come to give. This life
is about intimacy with God, a close and affectionate relationship with Him.
This is one of those places where it’s
really helpful to remember one of the foundational doctrines of the Gospel: the
Trinity. God is one God, and yet, at the same time, He is three, the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit. The aspect of this teaching of the Bible that I
want you to see is that these three enjoy deep intimacy with each other, the
intimacy of persons. That’s why God really didn’t need to create anything. He,
or better They, were eternally happy, content and satisfied because of the
relationships, the intimate relationships, that They had with each other. And
these relationships that They have had with each other have something important
to say about this life that Jesus has brought.
Imagine three friends. They have been
friends, good friends, for a very long time. As a result, they are very close
to each other. There is a deep affection, one for the other. And they really,
really enjoy each other. I think that it is safe to say that this kind of
friendship is something that most people these days would be very jealous of.
It’s is a very rare thing.
But now imagine that these three
friends invite you into their group. They want you to enjoy what they enjoy. And
now we have a group of four who are very close to each other, who have a deep
affection one for the other, and who really, really enjoy each other. You have
become a part of that tight-knit group.
That’s eternal life. That’s what this intimacy
with God is about. You have been invited to enjoy the kind of relationships
that those three have enjoyed for an eternity. If we were using church words
this would be called communion with God. It’s the intimacy of friends.
If I were to quote some Scripture to
back this up, I might refer to some examples of this closeness, this communion
with God.
But
you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend… Isaiah 41.8
Enoch
walked with God… Genesis 5.22
And there’s this from Jesus.
Behold,
I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I
will come in to him and sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3.20
Eternal life is about intimacy with
God.
Let’s take the next step. When I tell
you that eternal life is about intimacy with God, that means it is intimacy
with the Father, intimacy with the Son and intimacy with the Holy Spirit. And
the nature of the intimacy that we experience with one of these three is
different from the intimacy that we experience with another of them. Each
relationship is different. If you think about it, that only makes sense. They
are three different persons.
So, what does intimacy with the Father
look like? Well, His name is a clue. What’s a father? He is someone who is so
very for his kids. He cares for them
because he cares about them. That’s
what a human father is called to be because that’s what the heavenly Father is.
And that heavenly Father is your Father.
The joys of this relationship will
show in different ways. For one thing, He is your protector.
That doesn't mean that you will never
experience hardship. But it does mean that any hardship you do experience will
be limited and for your benefit. He is also a fountain of wisdom for you,
wisdom He gladly gives you. And He is the one who will always listen to you.
Always. Intimacy with the Father is enjoying these things, and more, because of
who He is. And He is your Father.
What does intimacy with the Son look
like? Let’s answer that using a name that the Bible uses to describe Him. He is
the Bridegroom. Who is the bride? That’s us, His Church. And because of His
love for His bride, He will move heaven and hell so that we will arrive on our
wedding day without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish. He is the knight
who will most certainly defeat the dragon and rescue the maiden so that they
can live happily ever after.
What does intimacy with the Spirit
look like? Well, He is the Paraclete. What does that mean? He is your Comforter
because He knows that life in this world is hard. He is your Counselor because
there is so much that you just don’t understand. He is your Helper because you
are so very weak.
Eternal life is intimacy with the
Father, intimacy with the Son and intimacy with the Spirit. Eternal life is
being a part of this group of friends, enjoying who they are and flourishing as
a result. This is what Jesus was getting at when He explained His advent by
saying,
I
came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10.10
But, of course, all of this raises a
question that many will ask, if only to themselves. ‘I am not abundantly experiencing
this life. Why is that? Why don’t I experience this life more?’
If the person asking this question isn’t
a Christian, then the answer is obvious. This person does not experience
intimacy with God because he is so very far from Him. And he is so very far
from Him because he has rejected Him and is looking for life in all the wrong
places. What this person needs to do is repent. He needs to admit his foolish
rejection of his Creator and come to God through Jesus. He will experience
nothing of this intimacy until he repents of his sin and believes the Gospel.
But what if the person asking this
question is a Christian. He has
repented of his sin, and he does look
to Jesus to rescue him and lead him to God. So, why doesn’t he abundantly experience
this life? Why doesn’t he enjoy deeply the intimacy with the Father and the Son
and the Spirit that I’ve described? The situation here isn’t all that different
from the person who isn’t a Christian. To be sure, the believer has turned to
Jesus and has entrusted himself to Him as Savior and Lord. But some sins still
linger. And the believer, like the unbeliever, continues, at times, to look for
life in the wrong places.
I’ve mentioned before some of the ways
that this shows up in me. Here’s one way. I have learned to believe a lie. And
that lie is that real life happens because of work. According to what I have
come to believe, the way to gain a sense of satisfaction with life is to give
myself to work. That provides a sense of fulfillment when the task is
accomplished. That provides a sense of myself that is affirming. After all,
look at what I can do. This is what work gives to me. Or at least, that’s what
it’s supposed to give me.
Life is about work. And work gives
life. That is the lie that I have believed. And it’s looking for life in one of
the wrong places.
So, the solution for me and those like
me is just like the solution for the unbeliever. Repent and believe the Gospel.
I need to repent of my unbelief, repent of the lie that I cling to, and
instead, to believe the part of the Gospel that teaches that life is a gift of
God and that it is all about intimacy with the Father, the Son and the Spirit.
And that’s is something that I am working on.
This is the same answer for you,
though you may believe a different lie and look for life in a different wrong
place. Repent and believe this part of the Gospel. Jesus has come so that you
can have life and have it abundantly.
Now, does this mean that everything
will be fixed? Does this mean that if we repent and believe we will enjoy to
the full this intimacy that I’ve been talking about? And the answer is a
resounding, ‘Yes!’ Jesus has come so that you, His Church, His bride, will have
life and have it abundantly. Isn’t that what He said? And come hell or high
water, that is going to happen. He, our Groom, will make sure of that. But it
happens step by step. And each step happens because of repentance and faith.
That’s because the Father has wisdom to share, wisdom about how to enjoy more
of this life. And He sends the Spirit, our Counselor, first, to point out our
foolishness, so we can repent of it, and then, to give us that wisdom so that
we can embrace it by faith. It’s a step by step process.
I say this so that you will rest in
the love of the Son, your Groom and listen to the Spirit, your Counselor, as He
points you to the wisdom of your Father. That is the route to a greater
experience of life.
I suspect that this step by step
process will continue even in the age to come. There won’t be any sin to repent
of, but it seems to me that there will always be more of the intimacy of God to
discover and to enjoy. And I think that that is something to look forward to.
So, why did Jesus come? He came to
give you life, eternal life, communion with God, intimacy with the Father, the
Son and the Spirit. And I think that that is something worth celebrating.