Breakable

BREAKABLE

“Easter April 4, 2010”

TEXT: John 1:14

INTRO: There is a big, big difference between Christianity and religion. Religion is man’s way of trying to reach up to God. Christianity is not us trying to reach God but God coming down to humanity. Actually what other world religion do you know whose God comes in person to die for his people?

Buddha: did not claim to be god, or to have come from god. He was in search for the divine principle –the word became word.

Mohammed: never claimed to be god, only a prophet of god. He was the author of the Koran. –the word became a verbal revelation: writings, injunctions and moral codes.

Folks only in Christianity did the word become Flesh. but when Jesus came he did not just reveal his will or his laws, He reveled himself.

The title for this message is “Breakable” and this title was chosen from our key verse John 1:14... It Reads…

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

The first part of this verse, “and the Word became flesh…” is key. If you remember nothing else today from this message this is the key that you should commit to memory. “The Word became Flesh”…As I have said about world religions they only reveal word becomes word, but Christianity is different. 1. because its not religion but a relationship with God. 2. Because Christianity is about a living God who comes to us to reveal himself to humanity.

The Word flesh can be replaced with “Human” “finite” or “breakable” because God became breakable to heal our brokenness. The Infinite became and Infant. The Eternal one became a wee one.

Brings me to my first point….

I. JESUS PREEXISTED WITH THE FATHER

We learned back at Christmas time that Jesus preexisted with the Father

before coming to earth. In John 1:1-13 this was the prequel to the nativity story that we read about in the other Gospels. This was the back story to the nativity. We find that He preexisted with the Father before coming here, He/Jesus was unbreakable, Infinite.

See God is called the Alpha and Omega which means the beginning and the end...It amazes me because to think that God who is time and space, who knows the begging from the ending... because He is the beginning and the ending... who knows everything there is to know about you... who knows who your parents are, what types of hobbies and passions you have… who knows what you will be or what you have became when you go up. He knows Everything!

God is not bound to time and space but he chose to be like we are and came to earth as an infant and became bound to time and space.

BOTTOM LINE: Jesus gave up being unbreakable to become breakable… to become one of us, He left eternity and came to earth to be bound to a specific time and place.

And this brings me to my next point...

II. JESUS BECAME HUMAN

Jesus took on flesh, humanity, he went from being unbreakable to breakable. He went from preexisting with the father to existing with us.

Scripture tells us in Philippians 2:6-8 says...

“Christ was truly God. But he did not try to remain equal with God. 7Instead he gave up everything [He emptied himself], and became a slave [breakable flesh], when he became like one of us. 8Christ was humble. He obeyed God and even died on a cross.”

Jesus gave up his rights and set aside His privileges of deity… He became Human, He lived a selfless, obedient life and He died the worse kind of death all to save and restore humanity form being cut off forever from the Father.

I also love Hebrews 4: 14-16 where it sates:

“Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.”

See Jesus knows what its like to be human, he knows about our trials, are temptations, are passions, & Pain. Jesus got hungry…. He got tired… he probably even had good and bad nights of sleep too. See I am a firm believer that Christ knew how to laugh. He is not so high and lofty that He was a stick in the Mud.

(Jesus Mini Movie) I remember years ago the 2 night TV movie Jesus that they aired a few years ago, where Jesus and His disciples where at a well drinking water and refreshing themselves and Jesus splashed some disciples and then ran chasing one another. See Jesus understands us because he became one of us. I believe Jesus was not a stiff ridged person, I believe in a Jesus who smiled, laughed, and knew how to live.