Jesus: He Came From Infinity And Beyond! Series

Everyone here is probably familiar with the words of John 3:16 which says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” At the same time most of us are aware that the Bible teaches that Christians are called sons and daughters of God. How can that it be that the Bible refers to Jesus as being God’s one and only Son and us being his sons and daughters too? Is there a conflict here? Not at all friends. The problem’s one of translation. You see, the Greek words which have been translated in John 3:16 as “one and only Son” carry the idea of uniqueness. You and I became members of the family of God the same way, we became children of God when we put our hope and trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. But Jesus? He became the Son of God in a very unique way---He became the Son of God when He, God the Word, became a human being.

Let me give you a quick illustration that might help. On July 31st, 1981, I was Darren McCormick. The very next day, August 1st, 1981 I was Darren McCormick. Today, 30 plus years later, I’m still Darren McCormick. But something happened on that 1st day of August in 1981 that brought about a very significant relationship change in my life. That was the day Lori and I were married. I became a husband on that day. A lot of things lead up to that moment of transition to be sure. There was dating and engagement, asking Lori’s parents for her hand in marriage, pre-marriage counseling, getting a minister and a church, filling out legal paperwork and so on, but there was a point in time on that hot August day when I made the transition from Darren McCormick, single guy, to Darren McCormick, married man.

God the Word has always existed. God the Word still exists. And God the Word will always exist. But something happened on that day when Mary agreed to carry Jesus in her womb that brought about a very significant relationship change in the life of God the Word. That was the day Jesus was miraculously conceived. And at that moment God the Word became God the Son. A lot of things lead up to that moment of transition to be sure. There was creation, man’s sinning against God, God choosing a people, prophecies and the whole Story thing we spent the majority of our Sunday morning’s looking at this year, and most importantly there was the humble emptying Himself of His godly power that Jesus went through---but make no mistake about it---there was a point in time on that day when Jesus was conceived that God the Word made the transition from God the Word, the all-knowing and all-powerful, to God the Word, human being.

Above all else that’s what we ought to remember and celebrate most during the Christmas season. That’s what ought to grab our hearts---and fill them with joy and cause them to overflow with worship. God the Word, emptied Himself so we could be filled. The infinite stepped into the finite. God the Word became poor that we might become rich. When you step outside and take in the beauty of this day and you see the trees and grasses and clouds and sun---think about this, Christmas is a celebration of that fact that the one who brought it all into existence entered our world as a helpless, dependent baby. If you get the chance to step outside on a clear night between now and Christmas, look up at the stars and consider that when it comes to the universe what you see with your eyes might be compared to your scooping up a handful of sand at a beach and carefully examining it---and then let it soak into your heart that God the Word who made it all and is greater than it all, lowered Himself, reduced Himself to the point that He became nothing more than a fertilized human egg---and He did it because He loves you. He did it so He could grow up to became a man and die a substitutionary death for us---He did it so He could take the punishment we deserve for our sins upon Himself---so we could be forgiven of our sins, so we could spend our eternity with Him in His heaven. He did it not so we would remain the worn out, sin stained ragdolls that we are, but so that we could be restored to the persons of beauty He created us to be.