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.
(ILL) UNDERCOVER BOSS, SUNDAY NIGHTS (CBS) @ 9PM:
Each episode is about an Executive who will leave the comfort of their offices for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their company. While working alongside their employees, they will see the effects their decisions have on others, where the problems lie within their organization and get an up-close look at both the good and the bad while discovering the unsung heroes who make their company run. At the end of each episode the boss will reveal themselves to his coworkers that he has worked with and the executive will tell them about what steps the company is going to take to make it a better place to work. Sometimes the executive gives raises, or gives people new positions, sometimes its about firing non productive workers who are hurting the company. Other times its about giving back to not only to the employees but to the community as well.
BOTTOM LINE: Jesus when he left Heaven He came Undercover as a baby to be a part of humanity to grow and see first hand that we have need of a savior. After being with us for about 33 years His true mission was reviled by the father to Peter and to the others ultimately Jesus had been reviled to the world as the one who will restore our broken relationship, our broken lives back to God.
This brings me to my last point…
III. JESUS WAS BREAKABLE TO HEAL OUR BROKENNESS
Today we have look at how Jesus preexisted with the father, and that Jesus became Human, but know we want to look at Jesus became breakable to heal our brokenness and restore us to the Father.
Isaiah 53:2-6 (Message) says...
“The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. but it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him [broke him] — our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed. We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him.”
Jesus took on the sins of all of us…. the sins of humanity that have separate us from God. Jesus became breakable and broken for us to heal our brokenness. This is a powerful thing that needs to be said because he was broken for us… He has made provision for us to be made whole, whether physically, spiritually, mentally, or emotionally. Healing and restoration, is made possible because of Jesus and what He has done.
BOTTOM LINE: Jesus became breakable and broken as one of us... He knows what life is like and He sees fit to make sure our lives are made whole and that it is restored back to the Father the way life should have always been. He gives us True Life.
CLOSING: This morning we looked at Jesus come to earth as a Man who stripped himself of his rights, privilege, and position as God in heaven in order to rescue all of mankind from the curse of Sin. Jesus was broken for us so that we maybe made whole…..
COMMUNION:
As you come Please take the elements back to your seats and await further instructions.
This morning before we take of these elements I want you to see this clip and reflect in your heart about how Jesus has become broken for you.
Lets PRAY...
