Third Day of Advent

JOHN 1:18
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT
Just as we saw from verse 14, that the Word, who is God, took on human flesh, and lived among men and was seen by men, as the glorious one who is from the Father in heaven, so this verse teaches us that the ministry of Jesus upon the earth was a ministry of revelation. What kind of revelation? A revelation of God himself, particularly the Father.  The incarnation of Jesus was not something outside of God’s character. It was not something done by Him that was foreign to His nature. Not at all.  In fact, Jesus, in His incarnation, was expressing and revealing the very character of God.  By taking on our human flesh, and living in it for thirty-three years, Jesus was revealing to us, was telling us, about our Father in heaven. Even though no man has seen the Father, as He is a Spirit and does not have a body like men, nevertheless, through the life of Jesus we do see and come to know the Father. Jesus could do this because He is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, who has been in communion with the Father for eternity. And so through His life on earth, the love and community that He enjoyed with the Father is displayed for us, even as we are invited into that community ourselves! Through Jesus, we come to know the Father in heaven as our own Father.

—Pastor Burke Shade, Cornerstone Reformed Church, Carbondale, Illinois

PRAYER
O heavenly Father, we thank you that you have not left us alone to wonder in ignorance about your love and character. We thank you that you have revealed yourself to us through the sending of your Son in our flesh, that we may know you, love you, and obey you. Teach us to believe and to remember at all times that no man comes to you but through your Son Jesus. AMEN.

ADVENT APPLICATION
Discuss with family members how knowing Jesus reveals the character of God the Father in heaven. Point out that in knowing and trusting in Jesus as our King and Savior, God’s people are also placed into relationship with God the Father as their own Father. Point out how Muslims don’t and can’t know the Father and His love because they don’t believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God.