Pastor’s Pen Pulpit                                                                                                                            Christmas Series

December 18, 2005

 

THE JESUS OF CHRISTMAS – WHO IS HE?

John 1:14

Conclusion

 

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt amøng us, and we beheld  His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

 

In verse one, John has given us a wonderfully clear explanation of Who the eternal Word is:  “The Word was God.”  Now in verse fourteen the Apostle informs us that the Word changed, not His existence rather He changed His MODE of existence.  He became man…one of us – sin apart.  There are three movements in John 1:14.  We will examine each movement briefly.

 

The Eternal Word Becomes Flesh

 

This is a Greek aorist tense –e.g (something that occurs at a point in time). Out of eternity and into time.  The eternal God became flesh to express the eternal God to man.  He became – not in the sense of ceasing to be who He was before.  This is a transition He made.  It is not a new existence – rather a new form of existence…a form that is true of Him today.  “God with us” means that Jesus Christ has wedded Himself to humanity forever.  This is John’s version of Matthew and Luke’s account of the virgin birth.

 

1.  He Existed Among Men_____________”to pitch a tent” –cf tabernacle in      Revelation 12:12; 13:6.  The tabernacle served a two-fold purpose  (1) The place      where men were called to meet with God  (2) The place where God communicated      with His people.  Jesus Christ is God’s meeting place with man.  He is God’s      communication center with man.

 

2. He Expressed the Glory of God_______________Not a casual glance rather a careful     scrutiny…cf I John 1:1,2.  The word means “to watch in a theater” or “to follow and     study a plot.”  The life of Jesus Christ was a heavenly plot worked out among men,     What is contained within this glory that was revealed to these men – and to us who     access this record by the Holy Spirit?  Note The glory of God  is the expression of the     character and nature of God.  There are two dimensions  of that glory:

 

a.  That which is seen with the eye – visible, obvious- resplendant  glory

b.  That which is perceived, understood with the mind and heart – moral glory

 

This is revealed in two statements:

 

*Only begotten of the Father – “The only one in this series.”:  (the only one in a   collectable series becomes a priceless collection).

 

*The unity of the fullness of Grace and Truth in one person

 

 

3.  He Exhibited Grace and Truth - In the midst of a world that was existing under the      harsh bondage and misery  of sin and a world that was living in the façade of a satanic      lie there was one born who was full of Grace and Truth.

 

    GRACE  -  Perfect Redemption

    TR UTH -  Perfect  Revelation

 

Titus 2:11-14 beings these two wonderful truths together in our life.

 

 “For the GRACE of God has apeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for that blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; who gave Himself for us, that He might REDEEM us from every lawless deed and purify for Himsef a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds,”

The Word Whom we’ve been writing about resides within all true believers  As He was always gracious to everyone, even so you and I should work on being gracious to others.  As He always spoke the truth of God, when talking with our unsaved friends and loved ones we should never hedge on speaking the truth of God.  While it is true that some will turn away from the truth, we must remember that not everyone who heard the Lord Jesus Christ speak accepted what He said.  The Scriptures tell us that some turned away from the truth - cf John 6:66; I Timothy 5:15.  However, His grace will always sustain us in our rejection.  So remember folks the Jesus of Christmas is the ETERNAL WORD Who is God.  Moreover, this eternal God became one of us through the virgin birth.  So in your giving this season, remember, God gave to us His Indescribable gift – 2 Corinthians 9:15.

 

Last but not least we must remember the sin of mankind is the reason for Christmas.  Had it not been for our fallen condition, it would not have been necessary for God to come to this earth to die on a cross to pay the penalty for the sin of the human race.  Let’s reflect upon that solemn fact as we move into the season. – and thank God, not only for the joyous fact that He came,  but also for the reason He came.  So for those of you who may be reading this pen pulpit and have never come in faith to Jesus Christ as Savior, please take this opportunity to ask Him into your heart today and receive His forgiveness for your sin,  really enjoy the Christmas season.  God  bless!