Sunday, December 12, 2021

The Word Became Flesh




This is the manuscript of the second sermon of the series. "Reflections of Jesus in Genesis".

John 1:14 NIV The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Word was in the beginning. The Word was God. And the Word became flesh. God came in flesh in the manger of Bethlehem. It was God in the flesh who walked the streets of Nazareth. It was God in the flesh who touched blind eyes and deaf ears and healed them. It was God in the flesh who taught by the shore of Galilee. It was God in the flesh who faced controversy at Jerusalem with the religious powers. It was God in the flesh on the cross of Calvary, and it was God in the flesh who rose from the dead.

An audio recording of the sermon is at the end of the manuscript. You can also see a video recording of the entire service on the Christ Church YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/amYx4ZIv4WU


Scripture Reading

John 1:1‭-‬5 NIV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:14 NIV The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

1 John 1:1‭-‬3 NIV That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

Text: John 1:14 NIV The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Introduction


Last week I started the series “Come Let Us Adore Him” and we started with the fact that the story of Jesus is an eternal one. It did not begin in a manger in Bethlehem; it began in the very beginning.  It is a story that has been included in the purpose of God ever since he said, “Let there be light.”  

Starting with Genesis, we see Jesus.  While  Genesis does not speak of Jesus’ birth, but it does demonstrate his existence.

Genesis 3:13‭-‬15 NIV Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

God indicated that there would be ongoing conflict between the offspring of the woman and the serpent, but that through her descendants would come victory. This promise is clarified in the rest of the Old Testament and fulfilled by the birth of Christ.

Galatians 4:4 NIV But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

Today we’re going to the New Testament and to the Gospels, and specifically John’s Gospel 

The gospels speak in diverse ways about Jesus’ birth.

A. Matthew lists the genealogy of Jesus on Joseph's side

He was interested in the legal and the Jewish aspects of Jesus’ birth.  That genealogy is in Matthew 1:1-16.


B. Luke, told of the visit of the angelic choir. He spoke of the manger and listed the genealogy of Jesus on Mary’s side.

Luke 3:23-38.


C. Mark didn't even mention Jesus’ birth. But he does talk about Jesus’ miraculous deeds.


D. John wrote his gospel from an entirely unique perspective than did the other three. 

He was the youngest of the apostles. He wrote his gospel, his three epistles, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and Revelation when he was an old man. He did not give a chronological view of Jesus’ life, but he reflected on Jesus’ life in relationship to what had happened to him and those who followed Him. 

I. Jesus as the Word.

John 1:1 NIV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

When John called Jesus the Word, he writing under inspiration and he was saying I want to tell you about the Word, the Logos, the revelation of God in the world whose name is Jesus.” 

A. Before Bethlehem. 

Before Bethlehem, the Word existed because God is the Word. John believed that Jesus was the Son of God. In fact, there is no reason for Christian theology if Jesus is not the Son of God.


B. The Word, Jesus has authority. 

There must be a basis for Jesus’ authority. Why would John call Jesus the Word? Because he thought of God as absolute authority. He thought of God as the source of everything that exists. So he said, “In the beginning was the Word.” God has always existed. John said, “And the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He was calling Jesus the Word; and he was saying, “Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God.” John had a concept of the Trinity. He was saying, “There is one God; and while there is one God, Jesus, the Word is with God. The Spirit is with God; and he is God.”,  and He has absolute authority.

II. Jesus as the source.


John 1:2‭-‬3 NIV He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

This God, who is Christ, is the source of all things. “All things were made by him.” Our environment was made by him. Our lives were made by him. In fact, “without him was not anything made that was made.” Nothing is possible in this life without God. Without Jesus, people can create nothing. Without Jesus, people can accomplish nothing.

Romans 4:16‭-‬17 NIV Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

You often hear people quote the last part of Romans 4:17 saying and thinking that we can speak things into existence 

Some people latch on to or even teach the phrase “calls into being things that were not” and try to use it as biblical evidence that we can do the same thing.  They misread the passage, however. Paul is clearly talking about God, not man, calling things into existence. Speaking things into existence is God’s domain.  God is the source. The Word, Jesus, who is God is the source of all things. 

A. The source of life. 

Life comes from God, so all of life’s meaning comes from God. Every activity of life comes from God. 

“Without him was not any thing made that was made.” 

We are totally dependent on him. 

John 1:4 NIV In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

People have always tried to explain the source of life in some natural way. People may explain life as coming from the sun, from fire, or from a process of evolution. People may even admit they don’t understand life, but they do know there must be a source, and as we have just pointed out that source is the Word, That source is Jesus.

B. The Word is the source of  life and the Word is the source of light.


God sent his Son, and he is alive.


He is the source of life and the life is the source of light for humanity. 

John 1:4‭-‬5 NIV In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

What is the darkness? It is the darkness of our sin. It is the darkness of the despair in our lives. God says that even the darkness of sin and death cannot hold back the light. 

The world says, “We will snuff out the light of Jesus; it will not shine.” But God says, “The darkness cannot hold back the light of the living Son of God.” 

John 1:4‭-‬5 NIV In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Light comes to our souls to change us, to make us new creatures; and this light comes from Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

To understand the new creation, first we must understand the fact that it is a creation, something created by God.

John 1:12‭-‬13 NIV Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

We did not inherit the new nature,  or decide to re-create ourselves. God didn't simply clean up our old nature either; He created something entirely fresh and unique. The new creation is completely new, brought about from nothing, just as the whole universe was created by God from nothing. 

Second, “old things have passed away.” The “old” refers to everything that is part of our old nature—natural pride, love of sin, reliance on works, and our former opinions, habits and passions. The new creature looks outwardly toward Christ instead of inwardly toward self. The old things died, nailed to the cross with our sin nature.

Old, dead things are replaced with new things, full of life and the glory of God. The newborn soul delights in the things of God and hates the things of the world and the flesh. Our purposes, feelings, desires, and understandings are fresh and different. We see the world differently. 

There are new feelings toward all people—a new kind of love toward family and friends, a new compassion never before felt for enemies, and a new love for all mankind. The things we once loved, we now hate. The sin we once held onto, we want to put away forever. 

Ephesians 4:22‭-‬24 NIV You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

The new creation is a wondrous thing, formed in the mind of God and created by His power and for His glory

III. Jesus as man.


John 1:14 NIV The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.


The Word was in the beginning. The Word was God. And the Word became flesh. God came in flesh in the manger of Bethlehem. It was God in the flesh who walked the streets of Nazareth. It was God in the flesh who touched blind eyes and deaf ears and healed them. It was God in the flesh who taught by the shore of Galilee. It was God in the flesh who faced controversy at Jerusalem with the religious powers. It was God in the flesh on the cross of Calvary, and it was God in the flesh who rose from the dead.

John 1:14 NIV The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

A. The glory of God. 

Many people claim that Jesus is not the Son of God, saying that he is an example to be followed but no more. How wrong they are! He is not just an example. Any person can be an example. We see in Jesus the glory of the Father. We see him full of grace, full of unmerited favor, and full of truth. We see him, the Son of God, willing to die for us though we are sinners. We see him paying the price of our sin on Calvary’s cross though we do not deserve it.

B. The glory in humankind. 

John testified that the glory of Christ is available to all.

1 John 1:1‭-‬4 NIV That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

 He told about his personal experience with Jesus as the Word of Life. He testified th1at he had seen Jesus with his eyes and had touched him with his hands. He is talking about his Christian experience. He is saying, “Christ was born! Christ came to the world, and he became the ultimate sacrifice for sin.” But more importantly he is saying, “Christ came to me! I saw him, I touched him, and he changed my life!”

Conclusion

This is what Christmas means. It is not just a beautiful story, not just a nativity scene. It is not a star in the sky and certainly not one on top of your Christmas tree. It is Christ living in you.

Let’s look at 1 John 1:1-4 again

1 John 1:1‭-‬4 NIV That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

With that John lifts the Christian experience entirely out of the realm of theory and puts it into the realm of practice. 

Does the story end with a star and angels and shepherds and wise men? No, that is not all. There is more: Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Is that all? No. Jesus is alive, and he comes to us one by one to call us to everlasting life and fellowship with him. The Christmas story is Jesus alive—and Jesus alive in you! 


Sermon Audio


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